Qi Tongwei is reborn, and he changes his fate by striking the bell

Chapter 116: Unlocking the Curse

"Curse? What kind of curse?" Officer Wang asked anxiously.

"An ancient ritual... forgotten deep in the forest... only by finding that place... can the curse be lifted..." The man said and fainted completely.

Qi Tongwei and Officer Wang looked at each other and decided to venture into the depths of the forest to find the place where the curse could be lifted.

They rested in the cabin for a while, and when daybreak came, they continued to move deeper into the forest. As they went deeper, the surrounding environment became more and more bizarre, the trees became denser, and the sunlight could not penetrate. The two were filled with uneasiness, but they knew that they had to break the curse to end this nightmare.

After several hours of trekking, they finally came to an ancient ruin. In the center of the ruins was a huge stone tablet, which was engraved with ancient runes. Qi Tongwei observed carefully and found a hidden entrance under the stone tablet.

"It looks like this is the place we are looking for," said Qi Tongwei.

They entered the entrance carefully and found a narrow tunnel inside. The walls on both sides of the tunnel were engraved with strange patterns, as if telling an ancient story. Qi Tongwei used a flashlight to illuminate the front and led Officer Wang forward step by step.

At the end of the tunnel was a spacious basement with a huge stone platform in the center. On the platform were some ancient ritual items. Qi Tongwei approached the platform and found an ancient parchment with the method of removing the curse written on it.

"This is how to break the curse," Qi Tongwei said excitedly, "We must perform the ritual according to the instructions above."

Officer Wang nodded: "Then let's get started quickly, we don't have much time."

They followed the instructions on the parchment, lit the candles on the stone platform, and chanted the ancient spell. As the spell was chanted, the entire basement began to shake, as if some power was awakening.

Suddenly, the air around them turned cold, and a black mist rose from the stone platform, gradually condensing into a human figure. It was a ghost wearing ancient priest clothing, his eyes full of resentment and pain.

"You shouldn't be here!" the ghost roared, "This is our curse, you can't break it!"

Qi Tongwei was not afraid: "We must break this curse, otherwise more innocent people will be harmed."

The ghost sneered: "You simply don't understand. This curse is our fate. It can only be ended through sacrifice."

Qi Tongwei said firmly: "No matter what, we will do our best to break this curse."

The ghost's figure gradually blurred and turned into a black mist that dissipated into the air. As the ceremony was completed, the light on the stone platform gradually disappeared, and the entire basement returned to peace.

Qi Tongwei and Officer Wang breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the nightmare was finally over. They returned to the edge of the forest with the parchment and found that the injured man had regained consciousness, although weak, but there was no fear in his eyes.

"Thank you... You really lifted the curse..." the man said gratefully.

Qi Tongwei smiled and said, "This is what we should do. It is our duty to protect every innocent person."

After Qi Tongwei and Officer Wang returned to the police station, they were ready to report the details of the investigation to the chief. However, the atmosphere outside the chief's office was extremely tense, and several police officers were discussing something in a low voice.

"What happened?" Qi Tongwei asked.

A police officer looked up, his face solemn, "Several more people went missing last night, and this time not only near the forest, but also in the residential areas of the town."

Qi Tongwei and Officer Wang looked at each other, and an ominous premonition came over them. They quickly opened the door of the director's office and found that the director was frowning and his phone was ringing non-stop.

"Director, we have important information to report." Qi Tongwei went straight to the point.

The director put down the phone and looked up at them: "What did you find out?"

Qi Tongwei described in detail what happened last night, the curse they found in the depths of the forest, and the process of breaking the curse. After listening, the director's face became more solemn.

"If the curse is really broken, why are people still missing?" asked the director.

Qi Tongwei pondered for a moment: "Perhaps, the curse has not been completely lifted, or there are other forces at work."

At this time, a young female police officer came in. She was a newly transferred technical expert named Li Qingqing. She was holding a report in her hand with a serious expression.

"Director, I just analyzed the information of the missing persons and found some common points," said Li Qingqing.

"What do they have in common?" the director asked.

"These missing persons have one thing in common: they all disappeared after receiving a mysterious phone call at night," Li Qingqing explained.

Qi Tongwei and Officer Wang looked at each other, becoming even more confused. They had also received that mysterious phone call, but who made the call remained a mystery.

"It seems that we need to further investigate the source of this mysterious phone call." Qi Tongwei said.

The director nodded: "You continue to be in charge of this matter, and Qingqing will also join your investigation team. You must find the answer as soon as possible."

That night, Qi Tongwei, Officer Wang and Li Qingqing analyzed the information of the missing persons together, and found a common point based on the phone records - all the calls were made from near an abandoned old factory.

"Let's go to the factory early tomorrow morning," Qi Tongwei decided.

The next morning, the three drove to the abandoned factory. The factory was located on the edge of the town, with no one around, and it looked particularly eerie. The factory gate was rusty, and the interior was overgrown with weeds, as if no one had set foot in it for many years.

"This is a great place to make a phone call," Officer Wang joked, trying to ease the tense atmosphere.

Qi Tongwei and Li Qingqing smiled, but they knew the task ahead was very serious. They walked into the factory cautiously, the beam of the flashlight was particularly dazzling in the dim environment.

"We will act separately and keep in touch," Qi Tongwei arranged.

Li Qingqing was in charge of checking the factory's office and equipment room, Officer Wang was in charge of the warehouse area, and Qi Tongwei went to check the production workshop. The three of them acted separately, carefully searching for any possible clues.

Qi Tongwei found a locked room in the corner of the production workshop. He pushed open the rusty iron door and found a simple office inside. The walls were covered with various strange symbols and pictures, and some ancient books were piled on the table.

He opened a book and found that it contained many records about curses and black magic.