Chapter 31: Failure! The Pounding Sound in the Dead of Night!

Zhou Quan felt a jolt of alarm and instinctively stepped back. Countless black threads swirled above Zhai Qingwu’s head, tangled together in a complex, knotty mess. In the next second, they suddenly pulled taut and dove into his mother’s body.

"Ugh—" Zhai Qingwu leaned against the bed, retching. Her fists were clenched so tightly that the veins on the back of her hands bulged, and her shoulders trembled slightly.

"Do you need help?" Zhou Quan couldn't help but ask.

His mother’s countdown to death remained unchanged. This meant Zhai Qingwu had neither removed the curse nor made the situation worse. Yet, Zhai Qingwu herself kept retching, as if she were trying to vomit up her own stomach.

"Haha, I'm fine," Zhai Qingwu forced a smile. "Ugh—"

Zhou Quan pursed his lips and poured her a glass of hot water, placing it by her side. Zhai Qingwu took the cup and tilted her head back. *Gulp, gulp.* After two mouthfuls of hot water, the retching stopped immediately.

"I’ve never encountered something that crawled back out after I’d swallowed it," she said. Her face was devoid of color, paler than a corpse that had been in the morgue for a week, though her lips were a dark, bruised purple. "But you don't need to worry. Your mother isn't affected—the situation is neither better nor worse."

Zhou Quan nodded slightly; he could see that for himself.

Zhai Qingwu then spoke rapidly, "The money won't be refunded. That was agreed upon beforehand." She stared intently at Zhou Quan’s face, terrified he might go back on his word.

"I know," Zhou Quan nodded. Although he didn't understand the process, he figured she had done her best. He paused for two seconds and then asked, "What exactly is going on with my mother's curse? You already extracted it, so why did it return to her?"

Zhai Qingwu bowed her head, staring at his mother’s face. "It’s my first time seeing this, too. Just now, there was a sudden, powerful force of attraction that sucked all the curses back."

Zhou Quan frowned. Zhai Qingwu looked up at him and offered an analogy: "It’s like eating noodles. You’ve just swallowed them, and they haven't been digested yet. Suddenly, someone pries your mouth open, reaches into your stomach, yanks the noodles out, and puts them back in the bowl..."

Zhou Quan fell silent. The imagery was vivid, and now he felt a bit like retching himself.

"Do you have any suggestions?" he asked. One hundred and four curses—if they keep getting sucked back in after being pulled out, how can they be removed? Could it be that he has to rely on the Evil God?

Zhai Qingwu hesitated before answering, "Chen told me that your parents triggered a trap left by a god while exploring the ruins?"

Zhou Quan nodded; Chen Angxi had told him the same thing.

"If that’s the case, we can risk going to the spot where they triggered the trap," Zhai Qingwu said with a determined look. "If I can figure out what that attractive force is, I can extract the curses from your parents!"

Zhou Quan was taken aback. That place was certainly not safe, yet she was volunteering to go on this adventure with him. Was she always this responsible?

"Don't worry, this is still covered under the current treatment. No extra charge," she added.

Zhou Quan snapped out of his daze. "When do we leave?" For his sake, the sooner the better, but he had to consider her physical condition.

After a moment of thought, Zhai Qingwu replied, "Tomorrow. I’ve completely exhausted myself today."

"Alright," Zhou Quan nodded.

"Your house is so large, there must be guest rooms, right?" Zhai Qingwu stood up, leaning on the bed.

Zhou Quan nodded. "Turn left out of the room. At the end of the hallway, there are two guest rooms with different decor. You can pick whichever you like."

"Got it." Zhai Qingwu headed toward the door. Her gait was unsteady, swaying from side to side as if she were drunk. Watching her swaying figure, Zhou Quan couldn't help but ask, "Are you sure you don't need help?"

"Haha, I'm fine," she said without looking back. Before she finished speaking, her legs gave out, and she slumped onto the floor.

Zhou Quan frowned.

"I'm fine," Zhai Qingwu gritted her teeth. She struggled to her feet and, leaning against the wall, shuffled out one step at a time. Zhou Quan watched her struggle, hesitated, but ultimately said nothing.

...

Beneath the deep night, a refrigerated truck plastered with supermarket advertisements drove down the highway. It had been running through the city all day, from the east side to the west, then from the south to the north, never stopping—like a missile launcher disguised as a civilian vehicle.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

A dull pounding sound came from the cargo hold. The truck was currently in a secluded area, surrounded by silence, making the rhythmic thumping sound particularly jarring. What was even more bizarre was that the truck’s blue refrigeration light was on, meaning the temperature inside was low enough to freeze water. Who was inside, pounding on the walls?

*Screech—*

The driver hit the brakes, opened the door, and hopped out of the cab. He wore a red hat, his face was covered in stubble, and a grain of rice was stuck to the corner of his mouth.

*Bang!*

He slammed his hand against the cargo hold and said in a low, deep voice, "Ulens, be quiet! It’s not time yet!" He then walked to the back of the truck and undid the iron lock on the latch.

Visible cold air drifted out from the door gap. At the same time, the knocking inside became more frantic, sounding like a war drum. *Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!*

The driver shook his head, grabbed the handle, and pulled the door open with force. Inside, white mist swirled; the walls were covered in frost, and icicles of various lengths hung from the ceiling. It looked bone-chillingly cold.

But the most terrifying sight was deep within the hold: a black iron coffin, wrapped in a dozen loops of chains as thick as a man's arm.

*Thud!*

A dull strike came from within the iron coffin, and the chains pulled taut, barely keeping the lid in place. The driver climbed into the hold and walked to the side of the coffin. He placed a hand on the lid and said earnestly, "Ulens, be quiet. It’s not time for you to come out yet."

"The organization has found your head. It will be delivered tomorrow."

The driver sighed softly. "It’s all the fault of those three wastes. They couldn't die early or late, but had to go and get themselves killed all at once at the very moment the organization needed them, and they even drew the people from the Special Investigation Bureau here! Otherwise, why would we need to come?"

*Thud!*

The thing inside the coffin struck the lid, seemingly in agreement with the driver.

The driver curled his lips into a smile. "Just wait a little longer. It will be our turn to take the stage soon. Soon..."

The gloomy voice drifted out of the truck along with the cold air, dissipating into the boundless darkness.