Zachary Brooks was indeed taken aback when he received the call from Old Turner. He said, "Hold on a moment," then used his phone to connect to the internal database of the Anomaly Control Bureau, searching for the so-called "阴沉祭." However, only a few news links about the crackdown on superstitious scam groups popped up—nothing of real value.

"Is he bored again, just stirring up trouble for no reason?" Zachary Brooks frowned and asked—he knew that guy surnamed Xuan was absolutely capable of such things. "Turn on the video, I'll talk to him directly."

The head of the field team at the sub-bureau snorted coldly and turned to leave. The others glanced at each other and quickly followed their own bosses out.

Old Turner was trying to juggle everything, but thanks to this particularly troublesome "temp" boss, he lost two more hairs on the spot and suffered a serious work injury.

Before Old Turner at the door could even connect the video call, Gavin Carter, bound in chains, suddenly said with a cryptic tone, "Little demon, if you don't let me go soon, be careful not to get hurt."

As soon as he finished speaking, the iron chains binding him began to rattle, the totems on his robe started to bleed, and the water stains on the wall suddenly deepened in color.

In an instant, ice crystals formed on the tips of Dylan Foster's hair and the corners of his clothes, and the "止" character on the door shattered apart. The terrifying water stains seeped through the wall of the family lounge, spreading to the other side. A piercing, mournful wind swept out, shattering all the windows and hallway lights. As the wind squeezed through the doors and windows, it let out a sharp whistle, as if mixed with a dying scream.

The field agents who hadn't made it far all bristled in alarm, involuntarily revealing their non-human features—even a tender green sprout poked out from Old Turner's collar.

Just as the video connected, Zachary Brooks caught this scene. His pupils contracted sharply, and he turned and dashed into the elevator: "Ancient Text Restoration Department—Old Turner, tell him to hold on a bit longer!"

Old Turner: "Director Xuan, Director Zachary said..."

"I heard," Dylan Foster squeezed out through gritted teeth, "If you don't hurry up, just let him get ready to 'smash the basin' for his own father!"【Note】

Zachary Brooks was the chief dispatcher for the Anomaly Control Bureau's field operations. There was no time to report to his superiors; he directly called the head of the Chiyuan sub-bureau to pull all field agents back from the "front line," urgently evacuate everyone in the hospital, and then rushed into the Ancient Text Restoration Department in a few quick strides.

The Ancient Text Restoration Department specialized in researching lost ancient manuscripts. Most of the staff were out on archaeological digs year-round, so the office area was very quiet. Zachary Brooks didn't even knock—he burst straight into the director's office: "Dr. Miller, do you know what '阴沉祭' is?"

Dr. Miller from the Ancient Text Restoration Department wore small glasses, hunched over, and his neck could probably stretch out for a mile. Rumor had it he was born at the end of the Ming Dynasty. His only special ability was not dying, so he was specially hired by the Anomaly Control Bureau to study antiques... His only flaw was that, being so old, he was a bit slow to react.

"Huh? What?"

"'阴沉祭'! Have you heard of it?"

"Oh, '阴沉祭', huh?" Dr. Miller started speaking in an old opera tone, making Zachary Brooks so anxious he wanted to fast-forward. The old man shakily opened his laptop and poked at the keyboard with one finger. "Yes, yes, it's a kind of sacrificial text... Not long ago, we did a special project on it. The files are saved in... eh..."

Zachary Brooks grabbed his laptop and rushed to the archives, dragging the bouncing power cord behind him.

The archives of the Ancient Text Restoration Department were kept at constant temperature and humidity, with no light allowed. Inside were rows of crystal cabinets, each containing original ancient texts. On each cabinet door was a small screen for accessing researchers' notes. In a corner, Zachary Brooks found the cabinet for "sacrificial texts."

So-called "sacrificial texts" were actually a kind of universal contract. Zachary Brooks skipped the general overview and went straight to the chapter on "evil sacrifices," skimming quickly until he found a brief mention of "阴沉祭" in a corner.

"This is a long-lost ancient sacrificial text, said to be a vicious and evil ritual. It is believed to summon demons by sacrificing living creatures, which must die an unnatural death, filled with resentment at the moment of death. Ordinary animal offerings rarely meet this requirement, so humans are preferred. However, the definitions of 'unnatural death' and 'filled with resentment' are hard to pin down. We have found no successful precedents, so its authenticity cannot be verified—there are only some folk legends..."

"Let me tell you, the sacrificial text is almost complete—just missing a 'living offering.' This is a sacrifice of a thousand lives," Gavin Carter brushed the blood on his robe with his fingertips and slowly tasted it. "Little demon, since you recognize the sacrificial text, you should understand: once the ritual is complete, not just these three chains—even Mount Tai couldn't hold me. Why are you pestering me instead of going after the real culprit?"

Dylan Foster: "I'm afraid you'll bite someone."

At that moment, Emily Turner ran over: "Director Foster, all non-field personnel have been evacuated. Director Brooks said to have them follow your instructions—what should we do next?"

Dylan Foster's phone rang. His hands were already encased in ice, almost unable to move. He glanced down, and the phone automatically floated out of his pocket, hovering by his ear and connecting the call.