"It's William! It's really William!" Wild Ox exclaimed.
The others were also stunned; they hadn't expected to see such a bizarre scene.
The night was deep, and a cool breeze blew into the room through the window.
It should have been a refreshing touch of summer, but the sight before them sent a chill down their spines.
"Lin Beichen, what are you doing?" The old Daoist couldn't help rubbing his arms as he asked.
Lin Beichen was about to answer when the face in the mirror suddenly distorted.
"Lin Beichen, it's moving! The face in the mirror is moving!" Wild Ox shouted in terror.
The scene was more terrifying than a horror movie!
Lin Beichen calmly said, "Don't panic."
After speaking, he placed the knotted red string into the Blood Cup.
Then he placed his palm over the cup, formed a seal with one hand, and the blood in the cup quickly infiltrated the red string.
Once the blood was completely absorbed by the red string, Lin Beichen took it out and placed the knotted end on the mirror's surface.
He extended his two fingers again, chanting the spell, and pointed at the mirror.
The knotted end of the red string slowly seeped into the other side of the mirror, wrapping around the neck of the person inside.
As Lin Beichen's chanting concluded, the ferocious face gradually calmed down.
Next, Lin Beichen wrapped the other end of the red string around the mirror, tying a tight knot.
After finishing, he turned to them and said, "Alright, now he is completely under our control."
The group was still in shock, unable to extricate themselves.
After quite a while, Xia Luyao finally spoke, "Lin Beichen, what exactly did you do just now? This person in the mirror..."
"It's William's living soul!" Lin Beichen replied directly.
"What does living soul mean?" Flying Eagle asked curiously.
"A living soul refers to a living person's soul. Unlike a ghost, it carries vitality. I just brought William's living soul over and trapped it in this mirror," Lin Beichen explained.
After hearing the explanation, they nodded, seeming to understand a bit.
Then Xia Luyao continued, "You mean William isn't dead, but you've used Magical Techniques to bring his soul here?"
"Exactly, as expected of my bright young disciple," Lin Beichen praised with a smile.
Xia Luyao blushed a little from the compliment and bowed her head.
The others exchanged helpless glances, lamenting: life is filled with dog food!
Xia Luyao caught a glimpse of the subtle smiles at the corners of their mouths, gently coughed, and asked again.
"Now that you've imprisoned William's soul here, what will happen to his body? How should we proceed?"
Xia Luyao was puzzled by Lin Beichen's actions; what was the deeper purpose of entrapping William's soul?
Beside them, the others also wore expressions of confusion.
Facing their puzzled looks, Lin Beichen explained calmly, "William's soul is now trapped by me; his body will fall into deep sleep. This provides us an opportunity to impersonate him and conduct transactions with the Zaka Organization."
"I will carry the mirror with his soul, using a bit of Illusion Technique. This way, I can cloak myself in William's aura, making everyone see me as William."
Simple Illusion Techniques might deceive the eyes, but they have flaws.
To ensure foolproof results, Lin Beichen chose this more secure method.
Upon hearing Lin Beichen's explanation, the group realized and nodded.
Although they didn't fully understand the principles, as Lin Beichen said, the intricacies of Daoist Art can't be completely explained with words.
The key was, as long as this trick could deceive the Zaka Organization, it was enough.
"Shouldn't we start executing the plan now?" Flame looked at Lin Beichen, asking curiously.
Lin Beichen nodded and then slowly said, "Yes, we can now use the soul in the mirror as a guide to find William's residence. I will set up an Array around his home to ensure his anomaly won't be detected."
"Next, we will disguise ourselves as them to meet the Zaka Organization."
After hearing this, the group nodded, full of confidence in Lin Beichen's plan.
"Since that's the case, we shouldn't delay any further. Let's depart immediately." Xia Luyao looked at Lin Beichen and decisively said.
Lin Beichen nodded in agreement, then the seven members of the Venomous Snake Special Team set off towards William's residence.
"There, that's William's house."
Lin Beichen pointed at the building ahead, locating it through the connection between soul and body.
Looking at the house in front of them, the group curiously asked, "What should we do next?"
Lin Beichen stared at the lit-up house in front of him and calmly said, "We'll go directly inside. I'll use a Talisman to control his body and search for his transaction files with the Zaka Organization."
"Got it, let's go in!"
Thus, they parked the car aside and silently infiltrated William's residence.
Inside the house, they found William's body slumped in a chair in his study, a water cup overturned on the floor, clearly showing signs of sudden unconsciousness.
Lin Beichen immediately took out a prepared Talisman and stuck it on William's forehead.
"Lin Beichen, why are you using a Talisman?" Flying Eagle asked, puzzled.
Lin Beichen calmly replied, "This protects his body from harm and allows me to perceive any immediate changes in the surroundings."
Flying Eagle nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this.
Suddenly, Xia Luyao exclaimed, "Lin Beichen, come and see!"
The group looked over at the sound, seeing Xia Luyao pointing at William's computer on the desk.
On the computer screen, densely packed documents revealed details of William's transactions with the Zaka Organization, including dirty bomb technology and the soon-to-be-traded hiding place of 27 tons of Yellow Cake.
The group was shocked; 27 tons of Yellow Cake was enough to craft tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of destructive weapons.
If this batch of Yellow Cake fell into the hands of the Zaka Organization, it might trigger a catastrophic war.
"Oh my God, this William, we never thought he would engage in such a major transaction with the Zaka Organization. Didn't he consider the consequences?" Thunder said incredulously, looking at the data on the computer.
Lin Beichen sneered and said leisurely, "Businesspeople pursue profit, especially those who see only money; they only care about making money, never about the consequences!"
The group nodded one after another, their disdain for William growing.
Chasing money itself might be arguable, but to provoke war, harm innocent lives for it is truly against humanity.
"Bastard!" Wild Ox couldn't help but kick William, and Lin Beichen suddenly felt the mirror in his arms slightly tremble.
"Alright, let's settle accounts with him after we resolve this matter. Now, let's take the USB stick away; let's see how they trade later." Lin Beichen calmly commanded.
The group nodded, and Xia Luyao swiftly unplugged the micro USB stick from the computer.
This specially designed USB stick was extremely small, looking more like a microchip.
Suddenly, Xia Luyao noticed a silver necklace by the computer, with an oval pendant.
"Why is this necklace here?" Xia Luyao picked up the necklace and asked in confusion.
She felt William wouldn't place an ordinary necklace in such an important part of the study without reason, and it was right at hand, indicating William might have wanted to take this necklace before passing out.
Lin Beichen looked at the necklace in Xia Luyao's hand, and his mind flashed with previous photos of William.
It seemed he wore this necklace in every photo.
"William has always worn this necklace, and it must be more than an ordinary one," Lin Beichen affirmed.
"How do you know?" Xia Luyao asked curiously.
"In all the materials we found, William wore this necklace in every photo. Moreover, he placed it by the desk, indicating it was just taken off."
"To remove the necklace while checking such important files clearly has its reason," Lin Beichen analyzed, his gaze locked on the necklace in Xia Luyao's hand.