“If I’m not mistaken, those zombies are likely the martyrs from the Battle of Fort Tiger. After the battle, they were buried together.”
“Unfortunately, they were buried in The Necropolis, a place of great evil. Over time, they turned into zombies and began to plague the living.”
Everyone nodded in agreement; this reasoning made sense.
Harold exclaimed excitedly, “I get it! Are you suggesting that Whispering Valley is where the dead from that battle were buried? It’s the zombie lair, The Necropolis.”
Leo nodded. “According to the elders, Whispering Valley is highly suspicious. The valley is shrouded in fog all year round, with heavy yin and moisture. If the soil is also acidic, it would be a natural Boneyard.”
Gil Freeman asked urgently, “What should we do? Charge in directly?”
“Not so fast.” Leo shook his head gravely. “I need to prepare. My intuition tells me that Whispering Valley won’t be easy to penetrate. Who knows how many zombies are in there? Even ants can kill an elephant; we can’t be reckless.”
Everyone agreed. If there really was a zombie army in the valley, even Leo might struggle.
Harold quickly asked, “Leo, how can we help?”
“Help me gather these items immediately.” Leo listed them one by one: “Cinnabar, Spirit Paper, Sacred Rice…”
Harold looked troubled. “Leo, we might not find all these things in the village. We may need to go back to the county, and that will take time…”
“No problem.” Leo smiled and waved his hand. “As long as you can get back by tomorrow morning.”
“That’s doable.” Harold sighed in relief. “Freeman, I trust you the most. Can you make the trip?”
“Sure, I’ll go right away.” Gil Freeman understood the urgency and hurried off with a few policemen.
With nothing to do for the moment, Leo wandered around the village after lunch.
Since it was daytime, no ghosts or monsters dared to come out. Many villagers were outside, fetching water, washing clothes, or picking vegetables.
Even children were running around and playing, bringing some life to the village shrouded in fear.
The villagers looked at Leo with reverence. Those who knew a bit more about him praised his extraordinary abilities and how he had killed many zombies with a single strike.
Leo just smiled at this.
Right now, what the villagers needed most was an omnipotent hero, wasn’t it?
He soon found himself by a small river in the village.
Leaning against a stone bridge and watching the clear water and swaying willows, he felt a sense of pure and natural tranquility that enchanted him.
What a beautiful little village.
Suddenly, Leo looked down and was captivated by the small fish swimming in the clear water. A relaxed and joyful smile appeared on his face.
He moved a stone to the riverbank and sat down, leisurely watching the fish.
As he was engrossed in his thoughts, someone cautiously greeted him from beside him. “Hello.”
Leo was startled and turned around to see a simple and honest young villager. He smiled slightly. “Hello, do you need something?”
Seeing Leo’s friendliness, the young villager nervously said, “I-I don’t need anything. It’s just that two Taoist priests over there want to see you.”
Taoist priests?
Leo was puzzled.
Following the young villager’s direction, he saw two Taoist priests standing under a willow tree not far away.
One was about forty years old, thin with thick eyebrows and bright eyes, holding a Hossu in his right hand, looking quite ethereal.
The other was about seventeen or eighteen years old, short and delicate-looking, standing there like a standard little Taoist boy.
It seemed they were master and disciple, but why were they here and why did they want to see him?
Without thinking further, Leo stood up and smiled at the young villager. “Brother, I understand. Thank you.”
“No need to thank me. I’ll be going then.” The young villager smiled honestly and walked away excitedly, feeling somewhat honored.
Leo walked towards the two Taoist priests and greeted them with a smile. “I am Leo. May I ask your names?”
The older priest quickly bowed. “Greetings, benefactor. I am Kakumei, and this is my disciple Zephyr. We come from the Celestial Masters Sect of Lionheart Highlands.”
“So you are from the Celestial Masters Sect. How can I assist you?”
Kakumei replied politely, “We wouldn’t dare say ‘assist.’ My disciple and I travel widely. Recently, we heard about ghostly disturbances in Mount South Village and rushed here to see if we could help.”
“When we entered the village earlier, we heard that you eliminated over ten zombies last night. We admire your skills and asked a villager to introduce us.”
“So you’re here to exorcise demons as well?” Leo smiled.
“Exactly.” Kakumei nodded but hesitated. “However, we wonder if we’re too late to help.”
Leo quickly said, “You’re not late. I estimate there are far more than just ten zombies nearby. Let’s sit down and discuss the details.”
Kakumei was pleased. “That’s good to hear. We didn’t come all this way for nothing. We’ll follow your lead.”
Leo led Kakumei and Zephyr to the main house. Inside, Harold and others were chatting idly in the courtyard.
Leo called out, “Chief Newman, come here! These are experts from the Celestial Masters Sect of Lionheart Highlands here to help us catch demons.”
Harold was overjoyed and quickly stepped forward. “Welcome! I’m Harold, Chief of Police of Redrock County. On behalf of Mount South Village’s residents, thank you for coming.”
Kakumei bowed again. “Chief Newman is too kind. Exorcising demons is our duty; there’s no need for thanks.”
Leo gestured towards the house. “Let’s talk inside. Please come in.”
The four of them entered the main hall where Harold served tea. They sat around a table, drinking and chatting.
Seeing no outsiders around, Kakumei hesitated before asking, “Leo, forgive my boldness, but are you from WONDER?”
“Good eye,” Leo nodded.
“Could you explain what happened in detail?”
“Of course,” Leo nodded again.
He then recounted everything he knew in detail before looking at Harold. “Chief Newman, do you have anything to add?”
Harold had been listening intently and quickly said, “No, you’ve covered everything thoroughly.”
Kakumei waved his Hossu. “I see. Mr. Bloomer’s analysis makes sense; Whispering Valley is indeed very suspicious.”