Otis staggered to his feet from the pool of blood and glass shards, without the demeanor of a professor, embarrassed like a lost dog.

He wiped the blood from his face and hands with a tissue, spit out a few bloody rotten teeth, took out a new pair of glasses from a drawer and replaced them, and then pulled out a large tome with gold leaf on a black background and a line of gold leaf-covered letters in the center from the bookcase, and carefully spread it out on his desk.

He turned his gaze to the two attackers beside him, sighed in resignation, and opened the book.

One hundred and twenty-three pages are sandwiched between a photograph of a round table, very delicate, presumably handmade, with a wood-colored table top depicted with some kind of red paint depicting a five-pointed star pattern that occupies the entire table, and several circles around it, which looks mysterious and evil.

"This is the Séance, a special round table with magical powers that I've been studying all my life." Otis bared his teeth in pain, but his peach-like swollen eyes shot a strange brilliance,

He pointed to a line in the book,

"Using wood like Admiralty cypress, sandalwood, boxwood, camphor, nanmu... Plus the bones of the deceased. As the name suggests, its purpose is to séance, summoning strange and inhuman spiritual creatures. ”

In Otis's statement, the three of them were in their office, and the light from the window dimmed.

There was a palpitating chill in the air, and the dust on the floor seemed to tremble uncontrollably, floating into the air.

Adam only felt a chill in the back of his neck, and couldn't help but refute the other party's ridiculous statement of pretending to be a ghost, and suddenly glanced at the man next to him.

No, there are unscientific phenomena and creatures in the world.

He couldn't argue with it.

Dean watched his progress jump to thirty-one percent and asked with interest, "What is a spiritual creature?" ”

"That is, the devil and evil spirits that people often talk about, do not belong to the existence of the human world..."Otis looked at the stunning photograph of the artwork Mosuo, "Look at the pentagram on the surface of this table, and guess what is in its red paint?" ”

Adam stared straight at the picture and didn't say a word.

Dean raised his left eyebrow, "Since the table contains human remains, the shaping circle must contain human blood?" ”

"Clever." Otis gave Dean an appreciative look, seemingly completely oblivious to the fact that he had been beaten up by these two men not long ago, "The Séance, what an evil spiritual table, and the nature of what it summons. ”

Otis looked at the photo, his eyes seemed to be attracted by a magnet, full of obsession, "And every spiritual creature needs a séance made of different materials, a pentagram inlaid with different runes to summon." Both the material and the circle must be strictly one-to-one, and if one goes wrong, the summoning will fail. ”

"Prepare for the séance, draw the pentagram circle, and then how to summon it?" Dean noticed that the progress of the event had jumped to thirty-five percent, "Do you need to prepare incense, candles, etc?" ”

Otis shook his head, "No, the séance will be enough to replace these cumbersome items. But the summoner must have a deep enough attachment to the summoned thing to know its true name and recite it reverently. ”

Otis's tone was stunned, and a trace of hesitation flashed in his wet and bloodshot eyes, but when he was glared at by Dean's cold gaze, the whole person trembled, and he explained honestly,

"In the process of summoning, a large amount of blood must be poured on the pentagram on the surface of the séance... At least the amount of blood in the whole body of a healthy adult must be used, and it must be the blood of a special person. ”

"There is a rule involved here, because the creature summoned to the real world does not belong to our world, so it is incompatible with the rules of the world, and it must be severely restricted and suppressed, and it can only stay in the real world for a long time if it is shaped into a new human body with special blood."

Dean can be regarded as having gained a lot of knowledge, and his eyes softened a little when he looked at the professor,

And the shallows in his coat pocket also whispered in agreement, "This pig-headed professor has two brushes. ”

"So, Professor Otis, why can the pentagram shape the body, and what is the difference between it and the four-pointed star and the six-pointed star?"

Dean had in-depth contact with the four-pointed star circle during the murder of Hawkins more than a month ago, but the function of the circle was to absorb the surrounding energy to condense the original badge.

"The pentagram has its own unique magic," Otis said with a stern expression as he cleared his throat, "and the rules for reshaping the body follow the model of the small universe, the mannequin... The outer circle of the pentagram represents the universe, while the pentagram represents human beings, with the five horns representing human hands, feet, and heads, and the central area of the pentagram representing the reproductive parts. Collect these six parts and you will be able to create a new human body. ”

Forty percent progress was reached.

Dean thought of a possibility and asked, "Can we use the séance and the pentagram to summon the deceased, to summon her soul from the Prison, to recreate a new body for her, and to regenerate her?" ”

As soon as Dean said this question, Adam looked at Otis with a tense face.

"I don't think so, the premise of the success of this ritual is that the object of the summoning is a non-human being, and the human soul is not among them..."Otis explained solemnly, "According to my research, although psychic rituals do exist, some mediums can summon the souls of the dead and make them return to the world for a short time, but they cannot resurrect the dead, and there is no way to resurrect the dead. ”

"The death of human beings is irreversible, and this is the iron rule of our world."

"If someone really succeeds in resurrecting the dead, then 100%, they will not be the same 'person' they used to be."

Adam's face was heavy when he heard this.

Dean looked at the jump to forty-two percent and fell into deep thought.

So far, there are two main points that can trigger a significant change in the progress of events - Aurora, Adam's mother who died of cancer, and the séance that summons demons and monsters, and the pentagram.

He had previously speculated that William White's years of research was to save his beloved wife Aurora, who died of illness, and let her return to the world.

But now this possibility is completely denied by Otis's sentence "people cannot be resurrected after death".

Wasn't William White's secret research aimed at resurrecting his wife?

"Wait, I don't understand!" Adam clenched his bloodstained fists and suddenly spoke, "William's research project is a legendary monster force of 'Paphervan' and 'Leviathan', how can it intersect with your research?" ”

"He's a colleague of me," Otis slumped back in his chair, grinning as he wiped the wound on his face with alcohol, "I've been following his research closely, and in the past, when Aurora's condition had not deteriorated, the couple's research was on the families of the Baphs, the elusive nocturnal species who were not plagued by disease. ”

"But after Aurora's death, William's research turned to the dependents of Leviathan, a terrifying being known as the Monks of Hell, and he spent years searching the world for news reports of these legendary species, trying to summon them from another dimension."

"Until half a year ago, he invited me to a meal with a few historians, and drank and laughed a lot... It was a long-cherished smile. ”

"After the death of his wife, he remained in a state of research freak, showing no good face to everyone, and never socializing except for necessary food and rest. But that day his attitude changed, and there was no doubt that he had made a major breakthrough and found the séance and the pentagram for summoning the Hellish monks. ”

Summoning the Monks of Hell?

Dean was startled, and his spiritual power sank into the space, locking on a delicate golden Rubik's Cube with a sun-shaped pattern placed inside.

This is the box of mourning that the Queen of the Night once accidentally triggered, and Dean has been carrying it with her since leaving Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. (Chapter 273)

It's the real thing that can summon the Monks of Hell.

But now listening to Otis, Professor William White seems to have found a way to summon the monks of hell, using the séances and the pentagram?

"Both of you, I know it," Otis rubbed his bruised chin and looked up at them calmly, "I've spent my life collecting ancient texts in order to find an effective séance that would help me summon an other-dimensional creature with my own hands. If there is such a day, even if I die at the hands of the summoner, I will not complain. And I saw the light in William. ”

"But before I could ask him about his breakthrough, he suddenly died in the fire. I asked all his students, and there was nothing I wanted. ”

Otis turned to the young man beside him who had beaten him,

"Adam, you are his only living family member and the only person he trusts. He can only put his heart and soul into you and tell you about the secret research. ”

"So a few days after your father died... I came to visit you, and I offered to spend money on the relics he left behind. Otis gave an ugly smile and a stubborn look in his eyes, "But you sent me away with a clumsy excuse at the time." You should not underestimate a researcher's pursuit of a life's work! ”

"If you don't cooperate, I can only spend a lot of money to hire the Hell Angels Gang to track down research materials from you. Well, there are so many people, and it should be more appropriate to find clues from a nobody who is a street gangster than a private detective. ”

Adam raised his protruding fist at him, but Dean grabbed him, "It's useless for you to kill him, he's obviously a research maniac too." ”

……

Adam took a deep breath before swallowing his anger and glaring at Otis roughly, "Is there any smoke?" ”

The professor nodded, laboriously pulling a pack of Marlboros from his desk drawer and lighting it and handing it to Adam.

The two of them held the cigarette in their fingers trembling and took a deep breath.

The smoke blurred the angry or apprehensive faces of the two faces, and the eyes finally regained their composure.

"You're mistaken, Otis," Adam snuffed out his cigarette, "William is not dead, the body found at the scene of the fire that night belonged to another person..."

"He's alive!" Otis grinned with pleasure in the corners of his eyes, happily like a terminally ill patient grasping a life-saving straw, "Where is he?" ”

Adam roared furiously, "I wouldn't have come to you if I knew!" ”

Otis lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then Huo Ran got up and limped around the desk a few times, "Then it is obvious that there must be a third party outside of us who are interested in William's research. They faked a fire death accident half a year ago and kidnapped William. ”

"What if William faked the scene himself, and the golden cicada came out of its shell?" Dean looked at Adam, "Didn't he warn you that he expected to be in danger?" ”

"Impossible," Adam shook his head desperately, "the old man wouldn't fake his own death by killing an innocent person!" ”

Dean didn't refute either, turning to Otis and asking, "Who will the third party be?" ”

Over the years, several waves of private individuals or institutions approached William with requests to cooperate and invest in his research projects, but William turned them away. Maybe some people are unwilling to use yin tricks. Otis lifted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, "And the identities of these visitors are not simple, they are either rich or noble, they are either rich or well-known. ”

"I want a list of all the suspects." Dean said,

"You'll have to take the time to go through the list of visitors from the last few years." Otis wiped his nose and a smile appeared on his round face, "Can you make a call?" I used dishonorable means against you, and you also beat me up, and my bones were almost broken, and now it's two clear, right? ”

"Why don't you work together to find out the whereabouts of William White?"

Adam shook his head flatly, "I don't believe you! ”

"That's right, I have to make sure you're one of my own," Dean grinned, and with a twist of his head, a powerful force forcibly twisted Adam's body, making him stagger his gaze in the direction of the office entrance.

Otis was frozen in place by an invisible force, and in his round eyes of horror, the handsome Mexican with a bearded beard opened his mouth wide at him, and a black-brown viper came out of his crimson mouth, and it bit his neck like a spring.

Grunt.

Fangs wriggle.

There is no pain.

He only felt the endless darkness, and his body seemed to be falling into the bottomless abyss, shattering into pieces.

There was only silence and disillusionment all around.

Then his body reshaped, and in his eyes that reopened, a magnificent supreme serpent shadow emerged from the darkness.

That's what he believes from now on.

"Master, humble servant Otis Gaddafi, salute you."

Otis lowered his head at the man in front of him who was wiping the corners of his mouth.

Dean looked at the skill panel, where three of the six control bars of the Serpent Edict had been occupied, he nodded and smiled, and patted Otis on the shoulder, "Now you can call and find out the identities of all the suspects interested in William's project as soon as possible." ”

Otis nodded, walked over to the phone, and picked it up, "Carl? It's me, your teacher, Otis, who goes to the security office and makes a copy of all the visitor records for the last three years. ”

At this time, Adam also recovered from the sudden strange power, turned around, and swept his eyes on Dean and Otis, and suddenly felt that there was an indescribable change in the latter.

"Y-What did you do to him?"

"Signed a 'contract', and now he's his own. Man, in order to find your father, put aside the mustard and live in peace for a while. Dean reassured Adam.

Adam's lips moved, and he nodded.

Otis put down the phone and turned to emphasise, "Although the valuable materials were brought home by William, they were destroyed by fire. But I insisted that William must have left the most important part to Adam. ”

Adam shook his head firmly, "He didn't leave anything behind before the accident, and the Hell Angels have searched me for half a year without finding anything. ”

"There must be blind spots that you overlook," Otis and Adam said-for-tat, "you are not yet a father, you don't understand what a father can do for his children, and when he understands that his 'time is short,' he will definitely leave you with a way out." ”

Adam was silent leaning against the wall in deep thought.

Dean suddenly had a whim, and launched the God's perspective to scan the other party's whole body up and down, and when he swept over a miniature seal-like black tattoo on the back of his neck, he couldn't help but speak,

"Adam, when did you get the tattoo on the back of your neck?"

"Tattoos?" Adam stretched out his hand and touched it, and suddenly his expression froze, "More than half a year ago, I went to William to ask for living expenses, and he suddenly asked me to get a tattoo before giving money. This tattoo is extremely inconspicuous, and I have not paid attention to it. ”

"William disappeared half a year ago, so the timing is right, there must be something wrong with this tattoo." Dean raised his hand to turn Adam around, his eyes close to the tattoo on the back of his neck,

The size of a fingernail is pitch black, and the naked eye can only see countless irregularly arranged, seemingly meaningless dots.

But when Dean saw this, he remembered something he had seen once in the Hawkins Town Library-

"It's kind of like a miniature plain film, and it should be viewed with special equipment," Otis said to glance at, then turned and pulled out a magnifying glass from his desk drawer to take a picture of the tattoo.

Suddenly, the tiny dots of the previous nymph turned into English letters connected from end to end, and ancient characters like tadpoles.

"Look, what do I say? The father will definitely leave a way out for his children...", said Otis,

Dean narrowed his eyes, "Hiding things so deeply, don't worry about not being able to find them for the rest of your life?" ”

"So kids can't be too stupid."

"What's the situation? What exactly do you see? ”

"Don't worry, let me fight... you… You... Where you cried the worst for the first time... This should be a reminder... Adam, think about it, where? ”

Adam's face was stunned when he heard that he had been struck by lightning, and the light of memory flashed in his eyes, and a dusty memory came out of his mind.

"I see... In a haunted house at Victoria City Amusement Park. ”

"What's so special about this place?" Dean asked,

"That was the only time I can remember, William, the irresponsible father, taking me to an amusement park. But guess what, he got the idea to do it and left me in a haunted house for two hours..."Adam's eyes were full of irony and nostalgia, "I cried half my tears that night, and I will never forget that fear of being helpless." ”

"What a ruthless father, he is not afraid to scare his children to the point of losing his soul." Dean noticed that his progress had jumped to forty-five percent, and his gaze swept over Adam, "Lead the way, go for a visit to the haunted house, William must have left you a little over there." ”

"Otis, you stay and continue to track down the suspect."

"As you wish."

(End of chapter)