Chapter 00039: Clue Water
# Clue: Water
Chapter 39
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 39: Clue: Water
After being brought over, the two puppets continued to struggle incessantly.
It was clear that the Three Corpse Worms could indeed squeeze out every ounce of a person's potential.
It had already been an hour since everyone entered the city, yet these two still had the strength to resist.
However, the soldiers guarding them were not made of iron, so they simply tied their legs together to give themselves a chance to take a nap.
Thus, the two were carried in and placed on the floor.
They curled up, shivering uncontrollably.
The talisman robes they wore ensured that the Three Corpse Worms were trapped within their bodies, unable to escape.
Situ Hanqi wondered, "Are they cold, or are they scared?"
"Scared. Do those infected by the Three Corpse Worms even know what cold is?" He Lingchuan crouched down to examine them closely.
"But they're not scared of us."
Their eyes were unfocused, clearly not paying any attention to the people around them.
But the vast ruins of Panlong City were completely deserted.
What could they possibly be afraid of?
Nian Songyu also chimed in, "Not only are there no people, but there are also no Three Corpse Worms in this abandoned city. They don't dare to come near. Why?"
"Something is terrifying them," Sun Fuping stood up.
"Whatever it is, it must be close to our target."
He Lingchuan asked curiously, "Do you want them to tell us themselves? Can Three Corpse Worms even speak?"
It seemed that Sun Fuping had brought these two puppets along to experiment and see if they could provide any clues.
"Ordinary ones can't, but perhaps those produced by the Great Square Pot can give us some hints."
Sun Fuping walked up to the puppets and said, "Your nest, the Great Square Pot, must still be in the city. Point me to its location, and I'll let you go."
The two puppets continued to shiver, still ignoring him as if he were invisible.
"These things don't even acknowledge you!" He Lingchuan was furious.
"Teach them a lesson and save us some time."
Sun Fuping took out a set of golden needles from his robe, each coated with medicinal herbs.
He then lit a small flame at his fingertip to warm them before inserting them into the back of the puppets' skulls, their heart cavities, and the soles of their feet.
The puppets immediately let out agonized screams.
These three spots were where the Three Corpse Worms resided.
Sun Fuping's medicinal flames burned directly at their cores, causing excruciating pain.
Otherwise, any physical harm would only affect the host, leaving the Three Corpse Worms unharmed.
They finally turned their gaze toward Sun Fuping, but their eyes were filled with ferocity, like wolves staring at prey.
To them, humans were nothing more than vessels.
"I know you can understand human speech," Sun Fuping said calmly.
"If you don't give me an answer, you'll suffer even more."
Then he acted.
The golden needles were hollow, allowing him to continuously add more medicine.
Everyone watched as the red flames at the tips of the needles grew brighter, and the puppets' screams rose in pitch.
Double the medicine, double the pain.
Sun Fuping paused and asked, "Will you talk now?"
The puppets only continued to scream.
So he increased the torture.
This went on several times.
As time went on, his actions slowed.
These enhanced Three Corpse Worms had much stronger souls than their ordinary counterparts.
Otherwise, they would have died from the medicine a quarter of an hour ago.
If the host didn't sever the connection themselves, the death of the Three Corpse Worms would also kill the host.
Thus, it became increasingly difficult to control the situation.
Finally, one of the puppets let out a loud roar, its neck twisted, and it died.
It seemed this method still didn't work.
Sun Fuping let out a long sigh.
The Three Corpse Worms nurtured by the Great Square Pot should have had some special qualities.
If they could communicate with humans, this trip to Panlong City would have been much smoother.
What a pity.
It seemed there were no shortcuts for this mission.
In truth, he had only held onto a faint hope.
After all, over a hundred years ago, the allied forces fighting a war of attrition on this wasteland had likely tried every method to gather intelligence.
He had simply thought that time might have changed many things.
On the other hand, the other Three Corpse Worm, having endured immense torture, suddenly went berserk and broke free from its restraints, grabbing He Lingchuan's arm!
Caught off guard, everyone was shocked.
He Chunhua didn't hesitate.
He rushed forward and with a single slash, severed the puppet's head.
The screaming stopped abruptly.
"Are you alright, Chuan'er?" He Chunhua's grip on the knife didn't loosen.
He Lingchuan was also startled.
He instinctively pried open the dead man's hand and carefully checked himself before saying, "I'm fine."
The puppet had gripped him so tightly that its fingers had almost dug into his skin.
Fortunately, after circulating his energy through his body, he found nothing unusual.
Everyone exchanged uneasy glances.
Sun Fuping walked over and examined He Lingchuan's pupils, asking, "Do you feel irritable, dizzy, or have a headache?"
"I'm clear-headed and feel fine. It seems it didn't affect me."
Sun Fuping nodded.
"The effects of the Soul-Soothing Powder haven't completely worn off yet. It also provides some resistance."
He Lingchuan sighed.
"It seems the Three Corpse Worms here aren't anything special either."
Seeing that he was truly unharmed, He Chunhua finally relaxed.
"They just refuse to leave the Panlong Desert, or rather, they refuse to stray too far from the Great Square Pot."
The principle of protecting the Great Square Pot had long been ingrained into the instincts of the Three Corpse Worms.
They could never betray it, even in death.
This same loyalty existed in ant colonies and beehives, where worker ants and bees toiled tirelessly without fear of hardship, even willing to die without hesitation.
Thus, even though the Three Corpse Worms were terrified of something in the city and dared not enter, they still lingered on the outskirts, the Panlong Desert, refusing to flee.
He Lingchuan shrugged.
If the Three Corpse Worms could be interrogated like ordinary creatures, the intelligence about the Great Square Pot and Panlong City would have long been uncovered by the allied forces of Baling Xianyou.
The deity behind Panlong City would never allow such a loophole to exist.
"Although Zhu Gen didn't say much, in my opinion, the conditions for triggering the Sandstorm Season shouldn't be too difficult. The last team he sent was also meant to verify this..."
Sun Fuping pondered.
"Before each Sandstorm Season, does the desert experience thunderstorms?"
Zeng Feixiong nodded.
"Yes."
Sun Fuping's eyes flickered.
"The temple in the city, does it only worship the Heavenly God Mi Tian?"
"Yes. It's said that the Heavenly God Mi Tian is the sole deity worshipped in Panlong City."
He Chunhua made a sound of realization.
"Are you suggesting...?"
"Write it down, and let's compare."
So Sun Fuping and He Chunhua both dipped their fingers in water and wrote a character on the table.
Everyone looked.
The Grand Tutor had written the character for "water," while He Chunhua had written "rain."
The meanings were quite similar.
He Lingchuan stroked his chin.
"The Grand Tutor and my father are wise! The rainy season in Qiansong County arrives later than inland, usually around late August or early September."
Nian Songyu was puzzled.
"If it's caused by rain, doesn't the desert usually get rain?" As far as he knew, deserts being dry didn't mean they never received rain.
"Sometimes heavy rains even cause floods in the desert."
"It really doesn't rain here," He Lingchuan chuckled.
"Don't compare other deserts to Panlong. They're not worthy."
He Chunhua said, "How could I compare to the Grand Tutor's vast knowledge? However, Deputy Commander Zeng's father is the only survivor who experienced the Sandstorm Season in the Panlong Desert. After returning, though he was mentally unstable, he kept muttering the word 'water.' I think this is the key clue."
(End of Chapter)