Chapter 13: The Comet’s Trail, Part 1

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The female demon hunter’s death sentence for the strange cave was changed from “immediate execution” to “deferred execution.” This shift allowed me a small sigh of relief.

Since the cave’s destruction had been postponed until tomorrow, I could go explore it again today. How much I could uncover in such a short time was uncertain. The most critical issue was that I didn’t know the pattern of the cave’s appearance and disappearance.

Why did the cave appear the night before in Chang’an’s solitude, when both Chang’an and I were present, and then vanish after Agent Kong arrived? The answer must lie within this sequence.

I continued monitoring the conversation between Agent Kong and the female demon hunter, pondering the terms they had mentioned earlier.

The “fallen demon hunter” they spoke of was undoubtedly the serial killer. Whether it specifically referred to Mazao was unclear for now. From the term alone, a “demon hunter” must be someone who hunts beings related to “demons.” The definition of “demon” likely extended beyond strange phenomena like the cave, encompassing the fallen demon hunter as well.

The term “fallen” perhaps indicated that some demon hunters’ prey had shifted from “demons” to “humans,” which aligned with the serial killer’s recent crimes.

The female demon hunter’s tone carried a mission to eradicate these anomalies, and she also mentioned that Luoshan should deepen cooperation with the public security department. I surmised that “Luoshan” was an officially recognized anonymous supernatural organization, or perhaps an anonymous official agency operating parallel to the public security system.

Indeed, there was an organization dedicated to handling supernatural matters!

This realization filled me with an excitement I couldn’t share with others, as if witnessing wild fantasies gradually becoming reality.

Afterward, the female demon hunter seemed to have nothing more to discuss with Agent Kong. He quickly ended the call, then turned and returned to the apartment complex, arriving at the door of that house.

He pulled out a key, unlocked the door, and entered, inspecting everywhere.

His primary focus was the ritual array on the floor. He did not recklessly step inside the array but circled around it, observing its state from various angles. He also took out his phone and snapped multiple photos of the array.

To avoid being spotted by him turning around suddenly, the “firefly” I controlled clung to his back.

“This shouldn’t be,” he muttered to himself. “Why can such an incomplete array activate? There’s nothing around that could make up for its flaws…”

He examined it several more times, then finally gave up, casually covering the array with the black plush rug rolled nearby before turning to leave the house.

—

While continuing to monitor Agent Kong, I did not remain idle.

Maintaining surveillance, I moved to the nearby electronics market and bought equipment I would need for exploring the cave later.

After Agent Kong left, I didn’t rush back to that house but instead released several more “fireflies” both inside and outside the apartment complex to check for any suspicious individuals.

Even Agent Kong and the female demon hunter didn’t know why the fallen demon hunter set up the ritual array in that house, so I had to consider the possibility that “the cave’s appearance aligned with the fallen demon hunter’s expectations” and might have been intentionally orchestrated by them.

Was the fallen demon hunter closely watching the activities in the fifteenth-floor apartment all along? While it seemed unlikely he had monitored it for eight months straight, it was entirely possible he maintained close observation whenever someone stayed there.

I didn’t want unknown dangerous individuals lurking in the shadows, watching my every move as I explored the cave.

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Perhaps the landlord should be added to the suspect list—someone in that position would know when someone moved in and could reasonably pay attention to changes in the apartment.

At present, I was monitoring four different areas simultaneously: Mazao’s location, Chang’an’s, Agent Kong’s, and the interior and exterior of the apartment complex where the fifteenth-floor room was. All these scenes played out in my mind at once, with the last one being the most significant. It felt like juggling multiple complex problems at once—though I devoted most of my focus to the last area, my concentration was rapidly draining.

I took occasional breaks, gazing at distant scenery to relax my mind before diving back into the search. However, by dusk, after checking every possible place, I still hadn’t found anyone within or outside the complex fitting the “suspicious” profile.

Were they truly not here, or had I just failed to find them? I couldn’t afford to waste much more time on this—I still had to explore the cave.

I probably wouldn’t be able to return home tonight and needed to inform Mazao. Unfortunately, there was no landline at home, and Mazao had no phone (at least I hadn’t found one on her last night). It seemed I had to go home and tell her in person.

Coincidentally, I had some questions I needed to ask her face-to-face.

I was also hungry, so going home meant I could have a proper meal.

…That said, I had a nagging feeling I was forgetting something.

—

I quickly arrived at my own front door.

Through the “firefly” inside the apartment, I spotted Mazao before opening the door. She sat curled up on the living room sofa, hugging her knees. Her rolled-up sleeves and pant legs layered upon each other, and her loose, oversized clothes made her appear even smaller.

She hadn’t turned on the lights or TV, merely sitting silently, gazing out the floor-to-ceiling window, evoking the image of a small appliance in standby mode.

Outside, the sky was transitioning from dark blue to a dim yellow of dusk, casting a faint melancholy over her small figure.

I inserted the key into the lock; the subtle sound seemed to trigger an invisible switch within her. She instantly snapped awake, her head sharply turning toward the entrance.

As I opened the door, she quickly jumped off the sofa but lost her footing and fell.

“…What are you doing?” I said in disbelief.

She propped herself up on the nearby coffee table, her face stiffening as if embarrassed.

Then, she slowly approached me, circled around twice, eyes scanning me from head to toe. She moved closer for a more detailed inspection, seemingly trying to detect something from the fabric of my clothes. Occasionally, she sniffed the air, as if searching for some scent.

Perplexed, I raised both arms to cooperate and asked again, “What are you doing?”

She glanced up at me, then stepped back two paces.

“…You’re really late coming back,” she said, as if probing, with a hint of displeasure.

Before leaving, I had told her I was just stepping out briefly, but I’d been away almost the entire day. That was my fault. Still, I couldn’t tell her the truth and instead gave a vague answer: “Had some things to take care of with a friend.”

“Did something happen to you out there?” she frowned, asking.

“Something like what?” I replied knowingly.

She began listing items one by one: “For example, have you suddenly encountered someone you thought was dead alive in front of you? Or found roads appearing where there shouldn’t be any? Or have you mysteriously grown limbs or organs that a human body shouldn’t have…”

The last example sounded like some indescribable mutation of the human genome—was that really among the kinds of calamities she attracted? I thought to myself, then calmly answered, “No.”

She asked again, unconvinced, “Really no?”

“Really no,” I replied with eyes wide open, telling a lie. In truth, the “cave” perfectly matched her second example.

“That’s good,” she seemed relieved, believing I had no reason or courage to lie about such a thing.

Then she hesitated, glanced toward the door behind me, “But I guess I’d better leave first. If I stay here…”

“No!” I reacted instinctively.

“Ah?” She was startled.

“How could I let a girl who can’t protect herself wander around outside?” I quickly lowered my voice, trying to sound responsible. “Don’t worry, I won’t get into trouble, and I’ll do my best to protect you during this time.”

“Uh, th-thank you?” She looked utterly baffled.

I felt my reaction was somewhat extreme, but I couldn’t help it—I truly didn’t want to let her go. Not only had I yet to unravel the mysteries surrounding her, but also, thinking this was my first encounter with the supernatural in years, I felt it was thanks to her “jinx-like constitution.” I wished I could buy a baby carrier online and carry her around like an infant, sticking to her twenty-four-seven.

I admit it’s a bit unsettling for a young teenager to have such thoughts about a younger girl, and even if given the chance, I probably wouldn’t actually do it. I just said that to express how I felt.

Speaking of Mazao’s knack for attracting calamity, there was one more thing I had to ask.

Though it would likely make her suspicious of my previous behavior, out of responsibility, I needed to confirm it as soon as possible.

I placed my backpack beside the shoe cabinet, turned on the living room light, and looked at her.

“Mazao, I want to ask you something. Is that okay?”

“Go ahead,” she said cautiously. “Whether I answer depends on your question.”

“You said the people around you are affected by your special condition, making them prone to encountering supernatural things,” I began.

“Yes.”

“Is this phenomenon limited only to the people immediately around you? Or does it spread further, affecting even the people around those people, causing them to encounter strange and dangerous events as well?”