Celestial Human Diagram

Chapter 158 - 140: Replacement

That evening, on Chang Street in Jia County.

Chen Chuan, Manager Wang, and a few plainclothes members of the Security Bureau walked along the bustling street.

The sides of the night market street were lined with food stalls. Lantern-adorned shops selling all kinds of trinkets stood one after another. There were also activities like riddle games, pitch-pot, wrestling matches, and amateur opera performances. In the distance, fireworks occasionally burst into the sky.

For a small county town, it was certainly lively. According to Manager Wang, the Qixi Festival itself would be the most raucous day, when almost half the county’s population would be out and about.

This was also the government affairs office’s biggest worry. They were afraid things would spiral out of control. Yet, they couldn’t just order everyone to stay home—even if they issued such a rule, it would be impossible to enforce.

Regardless, the atmosphere at least allowed them to slightly relax their frayed nerves.

Chen Chuan then said to them, "You should all buy something, even if it’s just a snack. If you don’t buy anything, you might end up with that... thing when you leave. Of course, that’s just a possibility."

Hearing this, Manager Wang and the Security Bureau members were startled and quickly went to buy some things from the stalls on either side.

Chen Chuan waited for them to return and said, "Alright, there’s no mission tonight. For now, everyone can just enjoy the night market."

Manager Wang noticed he was still standing there. "Expert Chen, what about you? You... aren’t you buying anything?"

Chen Chuan simply grunted.

Manager Wang couldn’t help but shiver.

Chen Chuan didn’t buy or eat anything this time. Around ten o’clock that night, as the group was leaving the night market, he suddenly saw his Second Self begin to fade slightly. He reached into his pocket and felt something that had suddenly appeared.

’So, it’s here.’

He reached out, pulled the object from his pocket, and held it up to examine. It was indeed a Unity Knot, but not a new one. It was the one from the corpse earlier that day!

He was sure he had left it in the car, but now it had abruptly appeared in his pocket.

When Manager Wang saw him suddenly produce the item, he jumped in fright. "Expert Chen, why did you bring that with you?"

Chen Chuan said slowly, "I didn’t bring it. It appeared on its own."

"Wh-what?" Manager Wang’s voice trembled.

"Don’t worry," Chen Chuan said, glancing at him. "I’ve got this."

Seeing how calm he was, Manager Wang composed himself and asked, "Expert Chen, what do we do next?"

Chen Chuan put the object away and said, "We wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow, I’ll need you, Manager Wang, to confirm something. If no one else has died from the butterfly tattoo, then it proves my theory is correct. If someone has, then we may need to try a different method."

Supernatural phenomena have their own rules, especially group-based ones like this. He had noticed a pattern in the timeline: starting from the discovery of the first butterfly tattoo ten days ago, one person had died each day—no more, no less.

But there was one question: what if the person who previously received the Unity Knot hadn’t died?

Someone had received this very Unity Knot before, but that person didn’t die from the butterfly tattoo. They died in an accident of some kind. Now that the knot was in his possession, it created a contradiction with the phenomenon’s established pattern.

He wanted to see if the phenomenon would simply skip him, or if it would be unable to continue until he was dead.

If it was the latter, then as long as he didn’t die, the others would be safe.

But if it had no effect, he would have to find another way.

After leaving the night market, he went to the hotel Manager Wang had arranged for him, which was the best in Jia County. He walked up to the front desk, gestured for the staff to step away, and then called Cheng Zitong. He explained the general situation and said he already had a lead.

Cheng Zitong’s voice was grave. "Using this accidental death to find a breakthrough is a good idea. But by doing this, you’re taking the fight against the phenomenon directly onto yourself. Xiaochuan, are you sure about this?"

Chen Chuan replied, "Teacher, I’m confident. When I discussed it with Director Lei before, he said I have a talent, one even I don’t understand, that can resist the encroachments of these phenomena. I think he’s right."

Cheng Zitong grunted. Other people who took on cases involving supernatural phenomena needed long recovery periods between them and would inevitably feel inexplicably weak. But this student of his was always full of life after each case. Not only that, but he frequently took on new cases, and his spirits even seemed to improve with each one. So, he believed what Chen Chuan said.

Still, he gave a solemn warning. "But a supernatural phenomenon is still a supernatural phenomenon. Even the best swimmers can drown. So even with all your experience, you must be careful. Call me anytime if you run into trouble."

"Yes, Teacher."

After hanging up, Chen Chuan settled in at the hotel for the night.

As for the Unity Knot, he had casually tossed it away upon entering the hotel. However, after settling in, he inadvertently felt it by his bedside.

He wasn’t surprised by this.

Logically, the knot was supposed to transform into a butterfly tattoo. But because of his Second Self, the encroachment was being absorbed, so it could only appear near him in its physical form.

Throughout the night, he could feel a force constantly trying to encroach upon him. It wasn’t very strong, though—nothing compared to the Flying Head Monster.