CDJMM – Volume 5 -Chapter 12 Civilization Rescue Team (12)

Dark clouds pressed low, humid and sticky air clung to the skin, and from the dense shade of the trees came the piercing cry of cicadas. It was a stifling summer afternoon.

“What?! Another person died? Alright, I’ll be right there. Protect the scene.” Zheng Tuanwei hung up the phone, his expression dark.

“Boss, is it that case again?”

Zheng Tuanwei nodded and said concisely, “Follow me first. I’ll explain on the way.”

In the sweltering dog-days heat, Zheng Tuanwei had barely stepped out of the station before a sheen of sweat broke out all over him. He switched on the car’s air conditioner the moment he sat down, yet even the blasting cold air could not cool the agitation boiling inside him.

Including today’s death, seven murders had occurred in just three months.

The victims shared no common traits—except how they died.

None of the victims had left behind an intact corpse; only a field of minced flesh. In the middle of the gluey mixture of blood and shredded organs lay a single grotesque, twisted head.

Even a bomb couldn’t create such finely pulverized flesh. It looked as if someone had meticulously chopped them to pieces with a knife.

In his 22 years of policing, Zheng Tuanwei had never seen such a horrific scene. The first time, he had nearly vomited up bile.

Even the medical examiner sent to perform the autopsy had thrown up until his complexion turned gray, and suffered nightmares for several nights in a row.

After meticulously searching the crime scene, they discovered a hideous wooden figurine and a notebook filled with what looked like a madman’s ravings.

The handwriting was chaotic and barely legible, filled with symbols no one could decipher. Only the first page contained two somewhat clear passages:

【Humans are neither the oldest masters of this earth, nor its final ones. Ordinary living beings and matter do not walk the world alone. ■■■■■ was, ■■■■■ is, and ■■■■■ shall forever be.】

【If I have gone mad, then that is ■■’s mercy! For the ancient gods pity this man, who remained conscious before the most terrifying ■■! Come, while He still calls to us with benevolence—hurry and go mad!】①

They were obviously insane ramblings, yet when Zheng Tuanwei read them, his body shuddered involuntarily, goosebumps rising as sharp pain throbbed through his skull. A primal instinct warned him not to keep reading.

He snapped the notebook shut, face pale, drenched in cold sweat—like someone hauled dripping from water.

…Was this the work of a cult?

Because the scenes were too bloody and bizarre, the case records were immediately sealed, media reporting forbidden, and all insiders given gag orders. To the public, the deaths were treated as ordinary homicides.

But that was only the beginning.

Over the next three months, five more similar murders occurred. Each victim had been reduced to meat paste.

And the killer left behind no clues at all. It was as if they had spontaneously exploded—yet there were no bomb fragments, no chemicals, nothing.

After investigation, they discovered all the victims had been Cthulhu Mythos enthusiasts, and before their deaths had experienced hallucinations, drastic personality shifts, and intermittent bouts of mania.

At first, they managed to keep information contained. But as more cases emerged, rumors exploded across society. The official secrecy only nurtured conspiracy theories. Urban legends spread like wildfire—the most famous being that of cult sacrifices.

To calm public panic, the bureau chief issued a final ultimatum: Solve the case within three months.

One month had already passed. Zheng Tuanwei still had no leads.

No trace of the killer. None. As if the killer simply didn’t exist.

But he had to exist—Zheng Tuanwei refused to believe otherwise. This time, he swore he would catch a thread, however small, and bring justice to the victims.

Confronted again with flesh spattered even across the ceiling, Zheng Tuanwei’s expression remained unexpectedly calm. At least this time, he only looked slightly pale—no violent retching like before.

The first person to discover the scene was the victim’s neighbor. The local patrol officers arrived first; realizing this was connected to the mysterious cult killings, they immediately phoned Zheng Tuanwei.

Zheng and his team searched every inch of the scene—nothing. No clues. Surveillance footage showed no sign of a killer.

Another dead end.

Le Jing quietly appeared beside Zheng Tuanwei, his amber eyes indifferent as he observed the bloody scene. People bustled around the murder site, yet no one noticed him—as though he were invisible.

And at this moment, he truly was invisible.

He glanced at Zheng Tuanwei—the man’s brows knotted, eyes bloodshot, dark circles heavy under his eyes, unshaven and haggard. Clearly, the case had burdened him heavily.

Under the mandatory-solve order, the entire North City police force had been working nonstop for months. As captain of the criminal investigation unit, Zheng Tuanwei had no time at all to investigate the earlier missing-drug-addicts case.

Those addicts were now in another world, happily and efficiently building infrastructure—far more motivated than they ever were on Earth.

Under the joint efforts of Earthlings and the natives, the continent of Mirœka was slowly showing signs of new life. Life remained harsh—but at least many could survive.

In another one or two months, Le Jing would wipe their memories and send them back to Earth.

The crisis of Mirœka was resolved.

But Earth’s true crisis was only beginning.

The beings from the Cthulhu Mythos were awakening.

Just as the stories said: “In his house at R’lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming. When the stars are right, R’lyeh will rise from the sea, and Cthulhu will awaken.”

When that happened, Earth would face its true apocalypse.

Before returning, Xingxiu had told him:

“What is about to awaken on Earth is not the Old Ones’ true form—only a seed they once planted. The true Old Ones exist in higher planes, millions of light years away, the dark side of the universe—endless madness incarnate.

But once the seed grows, the Mother will notice. The seed will form a conduit. Then the Old Ones will descend onto Earth. At that point, nothing can stop them.”

Le Jing had replied calmly:

“But we can.”

Xingxiu’s smile was deep, nearly unfathomable.

“Yes. We can.”

“This is the only method by which a human body can restrain an evil god. It is the secret behind our Civilization Rescue Team’s immortality and power.”

He had told Le Jing the truth. And that was the reason Le Jing returned to Earth.

Le Jing cast one last look at the blood-filled room, then turned away.

These murders were merely the first sprout of the Seed.

These Cthulhu fanatics were the most susceptible—they were the first to be corrupted. Their terror fed the Seed, and for a brief moment, they saw the cosmic projection of an Outer God.

Ancient texts warned disciples: Do not gaze upon gods.

This was absolute truth.

Those who beheld the Old Ones either went mad, transforming into monstrous abominations—or simply burst into pulp.

In the dark corners unseen by police, there were already many such twisted creatures roaming. They were the claws of the Old Ones, fated to madness, soon to become the keys that would plunge Earth into chaos.

According to Xingxiu, in fifty years, the Seed would fully mature. The Old Ones would descend. The world would become their slaughterhouse, their meat farm.

Le Jing had to accelerate his plan.

He had once died as Le Jing.

But he would be reborn as Le Jing again.

He would grow up as a human once more.

But this time, he would shine—brilliant and undeniable—becoming a name praised by all.

He had to be known across the world, admired by all.

Only then could humanity’s positive emotions gather within him— and such pure belief was the only weapon capable of fighting the Old Ones.

The Old Ones were pure evil, embodiments of chaos, madness, fear—the shadow of existence.  And only light could restrain shadow.

Humanity’s positive emotions were poison to the Old Ones, their natural nemesis.

This was why human civilization had survived this long.

Xingxiu had driven away Nyarlathotep because he was the “Human Radiance” of that world—the embodiment of his world’s faith and destiny.

Le Jing remembered Xingxiu’s parting warning:

“Though it was only months to you, it took me ten years to drive away Nyarlathotep.

You may take longer. But you will have only one chance.

If you fail, you will perish along with this world, forever erased.

Only by succeeding will you truly become immortal—eternal, as human civilization is eternal.”

Two months later…

The wife of the richest man in Huaguo gave birth to a baby boy.

The newborn did not cry. Instead, he smiled—serene and pure.

The mother kissed his forehead lovingly and said with a laugh:

“Your nickname will be Lele.”