8: Invisible enemy

The fleeting relief of saving an innocent person was like a dewdrop in the sun, swiftly swallowed by a deeper shadow.

After the excitement of successfully intervening in the ritual remotely faded, an indescribable sense of heaviness and weakness gripped Lin Mo.

It wasn't just the physiological emptiness from his energy reserves plummeting to 2.2 units, but also a profound fatigue from the depths of his soul and a chilling premonition of being targeted by something.

On the editor interface, the warning about "karmic backlash" did not disappear with the end of the ritual; instead, it turned into continuously flickering crimson characters:

"WARNING! Moderate karmic backlash triggered! Manifestation: energy entanglement entity (negative). Generating... Generation complete. This entity will continuously trigger misfortune events based on the negative karmic threads held by the host, until its energy is depleted or it is cleared."

energy entanglement entity? Negative karmic threads? Lin Mo's heart sank.

This backlash was not revenge from the Blood Moon Cult remnants, nor was it a pursuit by the Anomaly Investigation Bureau, but originated from a more fundamental, more bizarre rule level!

It was the "price" he had to pay for forcefully altering the homeless man's fate of death!

He tried to deduce the specific information of this "energy entanglement entity," but the feedback was extremely vague and consumed a vast amount of energy.

"Deducing target: karmic backlash entity... Affected by high-dimensional rule interference, deduction failed. Only basic information can be obtained: Formless and intangible, it anchors itself to the host and amplifies accidental probabilities in reality to create vicious cycle events. Its intensity depends on the magnitude of the host's intervention in fate."

Formless and intangible, amplifying accidental probabilities, creating vicious cycles... This sounded more terrifying than a direct physical attack.

It wasn't like a specific enemy, but more like a pervasive "aura of misfortune."

The backlash quickly showed its power.

Starting from the day after the abandoned warehouse incident, Lin Mo's life plunged into a series of hair-raising "accidents."

Leaving home in the morning, the sound-activated light in the stairwell suddenly malfunctioned, and he missed a step in the dark, nearly spraining his ankle.

As soon as he arrived at the library and was about to make tea, the base of his thermos, which he had used for years, unexpectedly fell off, splashing him with scalding hot water.

Fortunately, his winter clothes were thick, preventing serious burns.

While tidying the bookshelves, a heavy reference book from the highest shelf inexplicably slipped, grazing his nose and crashing to the floor with a dull thud, drawing glances from his colleagues.

These were just the beginning.

At noon, at his usual noodle shop, he found a small piece of steel wool from a cleaning scourer in his meal, almost scratching his esophagus.

In the afternoon, cycling home, his bike chain broke mid-way, throwing him onto the curb and scraping large patches of skin off his elbows and knees.

Returning home in the evening, he discovered his upstairs neighbor had forgotten to turn off the faucet, and seeping wastewater had soaked a corner of his ceiling, ruining books he had recently bought.

Each of these incidents, viewed individually, could be attributed to coincidence or bad luck.

But their dense occurrence in such a short period, with each one aiming to bring him trouble and harm, could certainly not be explained by mere "coincidence."

Lin Mo clearly felt an invisible, malicious force hovering around him, like the most cunning trap master, using every tiny flaw and probability in life to weave a deadly net.

He tried to use the editor for evasion deduction.

"Deduction: Personal safety path for the next hour."

The deduction screen was fragmented, showing countless possibilities, but almost every path's end pointed to minor or major unlucky events—being hit by bird droppings, stepping in dog poop, encountering a thief, or even being threatened by falling objects from above.

The only difference was the degree of misfortune.

The deduction itself also consumed 0.2 units of energy, and the result was despair-inducing.

"WARNING: In a high-intensity karmic disturbance field, microscopic deduction accuracy is significantly reduced. It is recommended to prioritize clearing the disturbance source."

Clear the disturbance source? Easier said than done!

The "energy entanglement entity" was formless and intangible; he couldn't even see it, so how could he clear it?

Fear and frustration coiled around him like vines.

He felt like an insect trapped in amber, with everything around him filled with deadly malice.

This pervasive, inescapable threat was more suffocating than facing a knife-wielding assailant.

He dared not go to the Antique Shop again, fearing he would draw misfortune to the identity he had so painstakingly established.

He tried to minimize going out, and in the library, he stayed in open areas where "accidents" were less likely to happen.

But misfortune still followed him like a shadow.

He almost choked while drinking water, tripped on flat ground, and even while quietly reading, the pages would inexplicably tear.

The energy entanglement entity seemed to be not only creating physical misfortunes but also subtly affecting his mind.

He began to become paranoid, slept terribly, and constantly heard faint, malicious whispers and laughter, making it difficult for him to concentrate.

The light of the editor interface seemed to have dimmed a bit.

He couldn't go on like this!

Otherwise, before being discovered by the Anomaly Investigation Bureau or the cult, he himself would be driven mad or killed by this endless misfortune!

He had to take the initiative, find a way to deal with or even clear this "energy entanglement entity."

He thought of the "Ink Master" identity, and the qianlong era coin that imbued the concept of "calming the mind and focusing the spirit."

If concept attachment could work on objects, then could it work on environments, or... on himself?

He sat cross-legged in the relatively empty center of his rented apartment's living room, trying to ignore the auditory hallucinations, and concentrated on communicating with the editor.

"Deduction: Possible solutions for dealing with 'karmic backlash - energy entanglement entity.'"

The deduction consumed his already scarce energy intensely, and the screen flickered, but it eventually provided a few vague paths:

1. Endure: Wait for its energy to naturally deplete. Estimated duration: 7-15 days. Risk: Misfortune intensity may continuously escalate during this period, host survival probability below 30%.

2. Transfer: Find a substitute or special container to transfer karma. Requires specific rituals and mediums, low success rate, and may lead to more severe consequences. Currently no feasible conditions.

3. Purify/Neutralize: Flush oneself with high-intensity positive energy or order energy fields to disintegrate the entanglement entity. This is the recommended solution.

4. Concept Defense: Attach temporary concepts such as "luck," "peace," "order" to oneself or the surrounding space to passively resist misfortune effects. Effectiveness is directly proportional to the strength of the attached concept and energy input.

The third option, "Purify/Neutralize," required a high-intensity energy field that he currently lacked, making it impossible for now.

The only hope lay in the fourth option—"Concept Defense."

He needed to create a temporary "safe house."

And the location, there was no place more suitable than the Antique Shop.

It was relatively enclosed, and had a faint positive energy base left by that coin.

He had to risk going to the Antique Shop one more time.

This time, leaving the house was like crossing a minefield.

He used his remaining energy for ultra-short-term, ultra-small-range step-by-step deductions, like navigating a maze, choosing the "relatively" least unlucky route.

Even so, he was almost hit by an out-of-control shared bicycle (a familiar scene) and scratched his arm by a piece of sheet metal falling from a roadside billboard.

When he finally reached the Antique Shop without major incident, locked the door, and pulled down the roller shutter, isolating himself from the outside world, he let out a long sigh of relief, leaning against the door almost depleted.

The familiar scent of sandalwood and old wood in the shop brought a faint sense of security.

He couldn't delay any longer.

He sat cross-legged in the center of the shop, arranging all the old objects he believed might carry a "righteous" or "peaceful" aura (such as some antique jade articles, calligraphy and paintings, paperweights, etc.) around him, forming a simple array.

The returned qianlong era coin was not there, but he tried to use it as a blueprint, guiding that faint trace of "calming the mind and focusing the spirit" concept to spread with his will.

Then, he gathered all his mental focus and remaining energy, and issued what was perhaps his most crucial command to the editor:

"Apply temporary concept attachment to the current space (Antique Shop): Domain effect - 'Order Stability,' 'Misfortune Dispersion,' 'Energy Purification.' Duration: Until karmic backlash ends."

"Command received. Evaluating... Attachment range: 15 meters in diameter. Attached concept strength: Weak. Estimated energy consumption: 1.8 units. Confirm?"

It would almost exhaust all of his energy reserves!

But Lin Mo didn't hesitate.

"Confirm!"

Buzz—

A faint tremor, as if from space itself.

Lin Mo felt a gentle but firm energy spread out from him, sweeping through the entire shop like ripples.

The old objects in the shop seemed to glow faintly, and the scent of sandalwood in the air seemed to become richer.

An indescribable "sense of stability" enveloped him.

Almost simultaneously, the persistent malicious whispers and laughter in his ears, as if choked, suddenly vanished!

That feeling of being watched and the premonition of approaching misfortune also significantly weakened!

He cautiously stood up and tried walking around the shop.

Nothing fell, no accidents occurred.

He picked up a porcelain vase, and it felt stable in his hand.

He took a deep breath; his lungs no longer had that inexplicable sense of oppression from before.

It worked! The concept attachment took effect!

This small Antique Shop temporarily became a fortress against the unseen enemy!

"Concept attachment successful. Temporary safe domain established. Karmic backlash effect suppressed by 85%. During domain maintenance, energy will be continuously consumed, 0.1 units per hour."

"WARNING: Energy reserves only 0.4 units remaining. Please replenish as soon as possible."

Although his energy was almost depleted, and maintaining the domain required continuous consumption, Lin Mo's heart was filled with immense relief.

He had finally temporarily escaped from that maddening cycle of misfortune.

He dared not leave this temporary safe house, only able to huddle behind the counter, slowly recovering his own vitality by relying on that faint "qi sensation" while pondering his next step.

He had to quickly acquire new energy sources.

And the most direct way to acquire energy seemed to be... intervening in reality, triggering "emotional fluctuations" or "information disturbances."

But in his current "marked" state, any active intervention could attract a more violent backlash.

This seemed to have become a vicious cycle.

Just as he was at his wit's end, the editor interface suddenly flickered, and a new information stream, not from his command, poured into his mind:

"Detected external high-purity information stream access... Analyzing source... Same origin as permission carrier (jade slip)."

"Decrypting information..."

"New knowledge unlocked: Energy acquisition method supplement - 'Analyze Anomaly.' Certain items containing supernatural power, their inherent structure or historical information contains 'information energy' that can be extracted. The analysis process requires contact with the item and may involve risks."

Analyze Anomaly? Lin Mo's heart stirred.

He remembered the qianlong era coin taken away by the Anomaly Investigation Bureau; that was an "Anomaly" he had created.

And the Anomaly Investigation Bureau must have many more similar "Anomalies" collected from all over the world!

A bold idea emerged: Perhaps the "Ink Master" identity could not only serve as a shield but also become... a special channel for acquiring energy?

For example, under the guise of "appraisal" or "cooperation," to come into contact with the anomalous items housed by the Anomaly Investigation Bureau?

But this idea was extremely risky, tantamount to playing with fire.

As he pondered, clear and steady footsteps approached from a distance on the street outside the shop.

The footsteps paused at the entrance of the Antique Shop.

Immediately after, there was a restrained yet firm knock on the door.

Knock, knock, knock.

Lin Mo's heart suddenly constricted.

At this time, who could it be?

He peeked out through the door crack and saw Su Wan, dressed in a smart casual outfit, standing alone outside the door, with a hint of inquiry and an undeniable expression on her face.

She came looking for him!

Was it good fortune or misfortune?

Lin Mo took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

He quickly put on his half-face mask, tidied his robes, and tried his best to enter the "Ink Master" state.

The invisible enemy had not yet been completely shaken off, but tangible trouble had already knocked on the door.