Chapter 30: The Blood Ritual Begins Ahead of Schedule

Ou Xiaolu was absolutely right. In his eyes, countless green threads had begun to appear in the sky, weaving without any discernible pattern. If one were to observe from a map, the threads’ points of origin matched the locations of every graffiti mark. Yet at this moment, the green threads overhead were slowly changing color; every place where graffiti existed was now tinged with the hue of blood.

The most dramatic color shifts appeared precisely at Ou Xiaolu’s current location, and at the spot where Eldest Senior Brother had acted moments ago. It was clear—the earth veins had sensed Ou Xiaolu and his companions’ intentions. Now, the veins seemed to be initiating a forced blood sacrifice in an attempt to save themselves.

Ou Xiaolu did not explain what he saw; the situation was too strange to clarify, even if he tried. He merely turned to Eldest Senior Brother and said, “Could you take me to see the Archbishop? I want to check what preparations he’s made.”

Eldest Senior Brother was about to agree when a scream rang out nearby.

Both were startled and rushed over. Not far away, in a place where the crowd was particularly dense, they discovered a scene of chaos. Here, too, there was a piece of graffiti—drawn right on a signpost at the intersection. This spot was typically a popular rendezvous for couples in the Shixi campus, but today, for some unknown reason, the crowd was even larger than usual.

Just moments before, a bespectacled, frail-looking boy had suddenly drawn a pen from his bag and stabbed it forcefully into the eye of a nearby girl. His strength was astonishing. The pen sank deep, and the girl collapsed instantly, dead on the spot. The boy then grabbed other stationery and began attacking those around him, plunging the area into pandemonium.

Seeing this, Eldest Senior Brother remained remarkably calm. “It seems you were right. That thing has lost its composure. Didn’t he give you a Light Spirit? Just use it to inform him.”

Ou Xiaolu paused, then quickly took out the cross the former Archbishop had given him. He brought it to his lips, hesitated, then awkwardly asked, “How do I use this?”

“Just speak what you want to say into the cross. At the end, don’t say ‘Amen,’ say ‘Ada,’” Eldest Senior Brother explained. “It’s a method he learned from prayer rituals, but he interrupted the regular line and rerouted the message to himself.”

With the explanation, Ou Xiaolu immediately understood. He quickly relayed all his findings, ending with the word “Ada.”

As soon as he finished, the cross vibrated faintly in his hand, as if to confirm the message had been sent. Not long after, it trembled again, and the Archbishop’s voice came through: “I understand. Looks like Plan A won’t work. We’ll proceed with Plan B. Move quickly.”

Before Ou Xiaolu could reply, a convoy appeared nearby. A group of men in black, all wearing sunglasses, leapt from the vehicles and began unloading equipment. Ou Xiaolu realized that these were not high-tech gadgets but large searchlights—powerful enough to illuminate three to five kilometers at night, or to cast a huge glowing disk into the sky.

But it was broad daylight, and this was a main thoroughfare. What were they planning?

The men in black wasted no time explaining. They swiftly set up the searchlights, cranked the beams to maximum, and aimed them directly at the graffiti on the signpost.

Ou Xiaolu noticed that each searchlight was fitted with a small cross, its placement precisely calculated. The position of the lights had clearly been adjusted as well. When the lamps snapped on, the cross fell exactly over the graffiti.

In the instant the cross overlaid the mark, Ou Xiaolu sensed a sharp reduction in the green threads radiating skyward from this location. The threads that had been slowly turning red were now entirely gone.

He understood that Plan B had succeeded. But the earth veins had already braced themselves, so everything now had to proceed faster; the original plan to act around midnight was no longer viable.

Ou Xiaolu exchanged a glance with Eldest Senior Brother, and together they hurried back toward the building from which they had come. With the situation changed, the whole group needed to regroup and reconsider their strategy.

Upon returning to the building, Ou Xiaolu saw that the former Archbishop had also returned. The Archbishop was in charge of the ritual setup—matters of violence were not his concern. Yet his expression was grim; after all, when you pour heart, soul, and precious materials into a ritual only to have the situation change mid-way, anyone would feel frustrated at having to devise a new plan.

“Everyone’s here? Come up to the rooftop first,” the Archbishop said.

The group had barely gathered in the lobby when the building’s broadcast system crackled to life. It was the boy’s voice, calm and composed—a reminder that his abilities extended far beyond mere wealth.

Ou Xiaolu and the others hurried into the building, preparing to take the elevator to the roof, when the boy’s voice sounded again.

“Don’t use the elevator—the elevator’s malfunctioning.”

At that, Ou Xiaolu glanced over and saw the elevator shaft was now wrapped in countless green threads, some of which had already turned red.

It was clear—the earth veins had pinpointed the source of danger.

Ou Xiaolu nodded to the others, and they understood that the elevator was out of the question. Fortunately, all of them were skilled in martial arts; even Ou Xiaolu himself, the least adept, was capable of lightfoot movement.

They pushed open the stairwell door and dashed upward without hesitation. After all, this wasn’t the tallest building in Xinxiang—only twenty-two stories. At their speed, as long as they weren’t detected, they could reach the rooftop in just a few minutes.

On the rooftop terrace, the boy’s men had already set up numerous searchlights, and the boy himself stood at a vantage point surveying the entire Shixi campus. The building’s location was superb—right at the campus’s center. From the top, the whole area unfolded like a vast, intricate sand table.

But the scene was now pockmarked with dazzling white beams, each a searchlight’s glare reflecting off the surfaces below.

As Ou Xiaolu and the others arrived, the boy gestured toward the scene and said, “Plan A is completely off the table. We have to split up. One group will stay outside to suppress the earth veins’ awakening, while the other will infiltrate their domain and strike at the core.”

“I’ll handle the outside with the Archbishop. The task of assassinating the earth veins falls to you.”

Ou Xiaolu nodded decisively. He knew this was truly the best arrangement. No one could command those men in black as deftly as the boy. Sending him to attack the earth veins would be a waste; better to let him remain and manage the suppression.