Mysterious Hunting Ground

Chapter 191 191. The call of dying

A bright moon hangs high in the sky.

The cold moonlight illuminated a dark forest on the ground, and a house surrounded by raging flames in the glade.

The door of the house was blown to the outside by the powerful thought force, and the night wind poured into it, making the tongue of fire lick more violently from the hole.

Scorching heat waves eroded the outdoors.

And Dean and Hope stood in front of the burning wooden house, inspecting the two "people" who had just been rescued with their thoughts with solemn expressions.

"Catherine's breathing and heartbeat are calm... There is no obvious sign of trauma or violation. She should just be in a temporary coma." Dean scanned the woman's body from the perspective of God, touched her neck again, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ryan Reynolds is about [-] years old now, and he can't die anymore." Hope knelt down and retracted his hand touching the charred corpse. A rough human figure and Ryan's facial contours were obtained. What's more, the scorching heat and the burnt aroma of barbecue were still coming out of his body.

Hope looked at his companion incomprehensibly, "Why did the kidnapper die so miserably, but Catherine survived?"

"This house has a weird power that blocks perception. I only saw a flame and their general location before, so I couldn't see clearly what happened. The specific situation can only be known after Catherine wakes up," Dean shook his head regretfully, and then He looked at the scorched corpse with complicated eyes, "But judging from the results, Ryan is most likely not the perverted criminal we imagined. I'm afraid we have misunderstood him."

Hope raised his eyebrows. "He attacked the police, beat Nick into a pig's head, and kidnapped a lady. He's not a criminal, could he be a saint?"

Dean looked at the raging fire, "There is no point in arguing now. You send people to the hospital, and I put out the fire to prevent it from burning into the woods."

Hope thought for a moment, nodded, took the two parties involved and drove away.

Dean thought for a moment,
A burst of black mist appeared behind him, "Shadow of the Past" was loaded with full power, and shaped the mind force into the shape of an excavator bucket, aiming at the ground under the elm tree not far away to dig, and a three-ton mass of moist soil was immediately shoveled It rose up in the air, and floated smoothly and quickly to the door of the wooden house.

Boom!
Mind force throws the dirt in like a catapult, presses against the flaming flames at the door, cuts off its air support, and a burst of white smoke rises from sparks trembling.

Dean didn't think it was fast enough, so he waved his hand, bang!

The power of mind penetrated a large hole in the roof, and then turned into an invisible soil pump truck, constantly digging out soil from the ground, transporting it to the hole and pouring it in.

One after another, it lasted no more than 5 minutes.

The flames in the wooden house were completely extinguished, leaving only high temperatures, sparks, and billowing smoke.

Dean nodded in satisfaction. With his current level of thought power, he could burn this wooden house to the ground in two to three minutes with all his might.

He stood in the night and waited for a while until the smoke cleared, then walked into the house stepping on the mixed ground of coke and silt. From the perspective of God, the entire internal structure and furnishings of the house were almost completely blackened by the flames. One piece was covered with soil again, beyond recognition.

Only a large area of ​​scalp-numbing black lines exuding a mysterious atmosphere was exposed on the ceiling. Dean looked at it for a while, took out a pen and paper from the illusion space, and picked out the most "VV" and "PM" from the lines. Symbol, ready to ask Hope to help you look it up.

With a wave of his hand, several scorched wooden boards flew out automatically without wind, blocking the door and the big hole in the ceiling.

Afterwards, Dean took out the psychic main board and the psychic board from the fantasy space, sat cross-legged on the ground as usual, cut his fingers and dripped blood.

"Friends gather together, sincere hearts and souls are close, I am calling you."

"Now I'm going to start divination, please listen to my words for the souls wandering in this house."

"Ryan Reynolds, the owner of the mysterious antique book, Catherine's old man, is your soul near me?"

The shackles attached to the main board did not move at all.

woohoo...

There was only the whimpering of the cold wind coming in through the cracks in the planks.

"Ryan Reynolds, if you have any regrets, I will try my best to make them up for you."

But no matter how Dean called, he didn't get any response, and he put away the divination suit in disappointment.

"This house can't be regarded as a regular residence and there's no way to hold psychic rituals, or is it because the souls of people who died in the fire were also burned by the flames, or is there another reason?"

Dean couldn't figure it out for a while, so he glanced at the system.

After rescuing Catherine and Ryan from the fire, the progress jumped to 40.00%, but the event is still far from being completed.

For the whole incident, he only had a general direction in his mind, lacking many details.

"I hope Carl's investigation of Ryan and Mr. Owen's translation of the antique book can help achieve [-]%."

Dean turned and walked into the night.

……

The next morning, Hawkins Town Central Hospital.

A light golden morning sun seeped through the window.

Catherine let out a soft "huh" and woke up from a deep sleep. She felt refreshed and relaxed, and a sweet smile could not help but smile at the corner of her mouth. What's even more wonderful was that she saw that person as soon as she opened her eyes.

"Dean? What's going on? Where am I?" Catherine couldn't help but stretch her waist, and Dean could feast his eyes on the charming curves under the white hospital gown.
"In the hospital. Forgot, last night you were tied up by Ryan Reynolds to a cabin in the suburbs, and then passed out." Dean handed a peeled apple to Catherine, looking at her peacefully face, "How do you feel? Is there any discomfort?"

Ryan Reynolds? !

The name awakened memories of nightmares in Catherine's mind, and she folded her arms in horror and examined her body.

"Don't worry too much." Dean took her wrist. The two double V-shaped wounds on her wrist had scabbed overnight, leaving only faint traces that were about to disappear. "The hospital has checked you. You have nothing but these." Apart from the two wounds and some anesthetic drugs in the body, there are no other effects. As long as you don’t feel uncomfortable, then it’s fine.”

"It's that simple?" Catherine opened her mouth and was stunned for a while, "You don't know how terrible Ryan Reynolds was last night. I thought he was going to tear me apart."

"Continue?" Dean held her warm little hand in his palm, "Don't worry, I'm here, no one can hurt you again."

"He kidnapped me to another 'home' and forced me to drink a strange, very unpleasant liquid... and drew a circle with salt around my body..."

Following Catherine's narration, Dean found that the progress in the system began to increase slowly. Unfortunately, she was in a coma too early and had limited understanding. The progress rose to 40.00% and stopped moving.

"So got Ryan?" Catherine asked.
Dean nodded and shook his head, "You're stuck safe from the flames in the basement of that burning log house, but Ryan wasn't so lucky..."

When Catherine heard Ryan's ending, her eyes widened, and she seemed to be frightened.
"Although it doesn't sound incredible," Dean said after deliberation, "but your description makes me sure that Ryan's purpose is not to hurt you, but to complete a certain mysterious ritual recorded in an antique book."

"What ceremony?"

"I don't know."

The woman asked again, "He didn't want to hurt me, why was he so rude to me? Why didn't he just ask me?"

Dean asked back, "Think about your weird experience last night, even if he brought it up, would you agree?"

Catherine was silent for a moment, then shook her head, "I would be happy to let me do a report on occultism, but I dare not participate in it."

"So he can only force you," Dean analyzed, "and I feel that he is creating some kind of illusion to deceive something."

"What do you mean?"

"He decorated the cabin exactly like your home, and took away your clothes and blood, as if he wanted to disguise himself as you and face some kind of existence."

"Dean, stop talking."

"Well, don't mention these bad things today, you have a good rest, if you need to contact me." Dean smiled at her and got up to leave.

"Wait," Catherine grabbed the hem of his clothes, and a plea flashed in her soft eyes, "Can you stay with me?"

"Of course no problem." Dean has always been a helpful person, especially when facing a sexy and kind lady. He immediately held Catherine's hand and sat on the side of the bed.

The woman showed a very vivid expression of gratitude, and femininely pushed a strand of blond hair behind her ear,

"I've worked hard on you during this period. I just wanted you to help check Ryan, but I didn't expect so many accidents to happen. Fortunately, there is no irreversible situation."

"We've known each other since Las Vegas, and we can be considered old friends. A little busywork is nothing to worry about." Dean looked into her eyes and changed the subject to a lighter topic, "So, you plan to put this experience to rest. Included in news reports?
"Maybe, but I always feel that the matter is not over yet, and I'm still a little worried," Catherine pursed her lips, "Can you help me?"

"What's your favor?" "Lend me your shoulder."

Dean stopped talking. He leaned on the bed and took the initiative to put his arms around Catherine's arms. He gently held her in his arms, feeling the warm and elastic body, and smelling the light blond hair...

Catherine leaned her face against his chest, narrowed her eyes into crescent moons, felt the steady and strong heartbeat, and showed a reassuring smile.

"It can't go any further, Catherine, it's almost over."

……

the following few days.

The Hawkins Police Department worked hard to analyze the various evidence recovered from the charred cabin, as well as Ryan's body.

And Dean also investigated the meaning of the "VV" and "PM" symbols through various news channels, while waiting for news from Carl and Owen.

For the rest of the time, apart from maintaining daily training and meditation, he almost stayed in the hospital, chatting with Catherine, and bringing her fruits and delicacies every day in different ways.

The relationship between the two quickly heated up, but Dean couldn't figure it out. Every time he had a further thought, Catherine would detect it in advance and gently resolve it.

On the fifth day, when Catherine was discharged from the hospital, Hope called Dean to the door of the ward, and looked at the beautiful woman who was making the quilt beside the bed.

"Boy, have you been comfortable picking up girls these days?"

Dean said seriously, "Director, compared to your level, I'm still far behind."

"Ahem, let's stop talking nonsense. In the past few days, you have been patronizing the reporter lady and did not go back to your ancestral home. Jane was very angry. She sat on the bed several times and secretly wore an eye mask. I suspect she was using her superpower to peek at you."

What?
Dean's face froze for a moment, and he had completely forgotten about it. In the future, when he was doing something important, he would be spotted by this little clairvoyant.

"Can't you teach her something else to distract her?"

"It's obviously your kid's problem, why are you blaming me?" Hope glared at him dissatisfied, "If you don't want to be monitored, go back and spend more time with Jane. Okay, back to the topic, you asked me to check last time I found the mysterious symbol."

Dean's face straightened, "VV and PM?"

"Well, it was Nick who reminded me that these symbols seemed mysterious and might have something to do with religion, so I went to the church to ask the priest, and the priest identified them as having mysterious power in the 17th and 18th centuries." Witchcraft symbol', the main purpose is to expel evil spirits from the underworld."

Dean's pupils shrank,
Exorcism, the underworld, evil spirits?

"One of them means praying to the Virgin Mary for peace. Catherine has two VV symbols drawn on her wrist, and there are countless witchcraft symbols in the charred wooden house."

Hope said in a low voice,
"And the hospital's test results showed that Catherine had consumed a large amount of liquid containing sage and salt that night. According to the priest, salt has the function of purifying magic and defending against bad energy and evil spirits among the people. Sage It has a similar effect.”

"These spiritual substances are concentrated around Catherine, what do you think it means?"

"So, Ryan Reynolds kidnapped Catherine to get rid of some kind of evil spirit living in her body, and he sacrificed his life for it?" Dean seemed to be struck by an electric current, with goosebumps all over his body. He looked back at the woman in the ward, who smiled sweetly at him.

And the system progress suddenly jumped from 40.00% to 50.00%.

"Did Reynolds' exorcism succeed?"

"How could it be successful? He used coercive and illegal means to help people exorcise evil spirits, and he didn't notify the parties in advance. There is something wrong with his brain. Even the most stupid swindlers and liars can't do such stupid things." Hope shook his head, "Reynolds is 100% just a patient with severe hallucinations, and eventually burned himself to death."

"That's all for now, I have to continue to urge Owen's translation progress."

……

"Dean, I've packed up. Let's go?" After Hope left, Catherine, who was wearing a light blue dress, walked to the door and took the initiative to hold Dean's hand, holding a clothing bag.

"Where do you want to go?" Dean stroked her blonde hair naturally,
"Sitting in the hospital for a few days, my bones are rusty, how about taking me for a ride?"

"Happy to serve."

……

The two got into the car and drove along the road to the suburbs. Dean watched Catherine, the co-driver, through the rearview mirror. Holding a faint smile.

Her wavy blonde hair fluttered lazily with the breeze, and the sun cast a jade-like radiance on her fair cheeks.

The whole person is as beautiful as an oil painting.

Dean couldn't bear to break the beautiful atmosphere, but finally he gritted his teeth and got straight to the point, "Catherine, I have always wanted to ask you a question. Are you different from ordinary people since you were a child, and there are some things that bother you."

The smile on Catherine's face froze, and she looked away guiltily.

Dean didn't urge him, and drove out of the town intently, and came to the sparkling river near the quarry.

Catherine couldn't help but ask, "Did Audrey tell you?"

"No, it's just a guess."

"Well, I don't want to lie to you. I'm really different from ordinary women. I can't be overly intimate with anyone."

Dean recalled the experience of the past few days, his eyes suddenly changed, and he gently held the woman's hand, "When did this happen?"

"More than ten years ago, during the spring break when Hawkins was in the ninth grade," Catherine looked at the clear river outside the car window, "I accidentally drowned while swimming in this quarry ditch."

Dean said, "I remember last dinner when people mentioned this, you went into cardiac arrest for twelve minutes and almost didn't recover..."

"Yes, but I didn't finish. When I was in a state of cardiac arrest, unconscious, and about to disappear from this world, I heard an indescribable voice in the dark..." Catherine's big eyes It shone with fear and strangeness, "It said - 'Your soul belongs to me.'"

Your soul belongs to me?

The system progress jumped to 50.00% five.

"This sentence seems to be the will of God, and it pulled me back from the dying state." Catherine's eyes flashed with distress, "But since then, I have been cursed, and I can't have sex with anyone. Kissing and above all making out, otherwise it will hurt all over."

Dean froze for a moment. If this strange disease is the sequelae of evil spirit possession, then it is not harmful at all. Ryan Reynolds deserves to sacrifice his life in a cruel way to drive out the evil spirit?

"Other than that, there are no other symptoms, such as hallucinations, nightmares, seeing some kind of strange monster?"

The woman shook her head very firmly, and said in a tone that met Dean's gaze,

"If you doubt, if you want, we can give it a try. I haven't tried it for several years, and these days I've been thinking, maybe my strange disease has been cured?"

Dean asked expectantly but hesitated, "Will this hurt you?"

"It doesn't matter, it's more like being stung by a wasp." Catherine held his face with her slender fingers, lifted her legs and stepped onto the driver's seat. Dean no longer hesitated, lowered his head and leaned towards the blush.

Small gasps echoed through the cramped car.

After a long time, Dean tasted a bit of bitterness at the corner of his mouth, and saw Catherine's blushing face covered with tears and a surprised smile,
"It doesn't hurt...I'm back to normal, I'm cured! Huh..."

"Dean, I'm cured!"

"Isn't this worth celebrating? Why are you crying?" Dean wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and heaved a sigh of relief.

Catherine's strange illness is cured, which means that Ryan Reynolds' weird and brutal exorcism is completely successful.

"I'm so happy, so excited...I—" Catherine's cheers stopped abruptly, her rosy face lost its color in an instant and became pale as paper, her brows and eyes were tightly knit to reveal a touch of heartbreaking pain, while the five fingers of her right hand The nails pinched the back of Dean's hand tightly, but was blocked by the tough skin like cowhide.

"Catherine? Catherine?"

The trembling body in Dean's arms suddenly froze. He raised her face to check, but found that her eyes were closed, and she passed out from the pain.

Dean's heart felt cold all of a sudden.
"Ryan Reynolds' exorcism failed?"

(End of this chapter)