: Voodoo Queen

Joe's father's profession is a "Crystallizer".

It possesses the ability to crystallize, transforming substances such as air and human blood into crystals for combat.

When faced with a life-or-death situation, one can even seal away some of their memories as crystals and preserve them.

What Zhou Zhiguo took out at this moment was Qiao's father's last crystallized memory.

Only blood relatives can open it.

Unfortunately, although Mr. and Mrs. Qiao had a very good relationship, they were not blood relatives in a strict sense.

We still need to let Qiao Ye do it.

"I know this request is difficult, as it may require you to witness the death of a family member."

Zhou Zhiguo saluted. "But please, this is crucial intelligence regarding the anomaly in the dense fog!"

Qiao Ye looked at the crystal.

It lay quietly on the coffee table, the light slowly swirling within it, as if it were breathing.

Qiao Ye reached out and picked it up; it was warm to the touch.

"How do I open it?" he asked.

"Drip in a single drop of blood," Zhou Zhiguo said. "It will show us everything."

Qiao Ye cut his finger with a fruit knife and squeezed out a drop of blood.

The instant the blood touches the surface of the crystals—

The light went out.

The entire living room went dark for a moment.

The next second, everyone present involuntarily leaned forward.

It felt as if I had been sucked into an invisible vortex and fallen into the crystal.

……

Qiao Ye was enveloped in a feeling of weightlessness, and felt as if he was constantly falling.

I don't know how much time passed before my feet finally touched solid ground.

He managed to stand still.

The blurry surroundings seemed to have been washed clean, becoming clearer layer by layer.

A gray sky, a cement ground.

A towering barbed wire fence stretched into the distance, behind which lay fog.

The thick, almost impenetrable gray-white color, like a wall, silently stretches across the sky and earth.

"This is Oak Ridge Outpost."

Zhou Zhiguo's voice came from the side.

Qiao Ye turned his head.

His mother, Zhou Zhiguo, and the three teammates were all standing beside him.

Zhou Zhiguo looked around and took a deep breath.

"It looks like this is what it looked like before the fog changed."

Is this the memory left by Joe's father?

Before he could speak, Qiao Ye saw someone walking towards him from afar.

Wearing the same black uniform as Zhou Zhiguo, except for the different pattern on the shoulders, Qiao Ye looked twenty years older.

Qiao's father, Qiao Qingfeng!

Qiao's mother burst into tears and ran over to hug her husband, but her hand passed right through his body.

She missed her target, stumbled forward, and almost fell.

Qiao Ye rushed over and helped her up.

"Sister-in-law, this is just a memory," Zhou Zhiguo sighed.

In his memory, Qiao Qingfeng had no idea what was about to happen.

He walked to the gate of the outpost, where several uniformed men were squatting and smoking.

The coalition is composed of countries from all over the world, including people of all races.

They have received specialized training in both Chinese and English, so daily communication is not a problem.

"Old Joe, are you really leaving tomorrow?"

The young Black man squatting on the far side looked up and said, "Don't say you're not leaving again, you did the same thing last time."

"This time it's really over."

Qiao Qingfeng also squatted down next to them and took out a cigarette case from his pocket.

"My son is taking the college entrance exam, and as a father, I have to be there."

"very nice."

The large white man next to him nodded.

He was Evans, the post commander. He was a big guy; when he squatted down, he looked like a small mountain.

"My wife is pregnant," Evans said. "The due date is next month, and I'll take time off to go back home then."

"Speaking of which, my transfer order has also been issued."

A Middle Eastern man stubbed out his cigarette. "After I finish this shift, I'll transfer to an administrative position in the rear, so I won't have to be on the front lines anymore."

"Congratulations on seeing the person you wanted to see."

The young Black man said, "I've almost saved enough money. Next time I go back, I'll marry my sweetheart!"

"So many good things?"

Evans laughed heartily, "Then let's have barbecue together tonight!"

Qiao Ye watched the group of people chatting with a blank expression.

I could only feel that the flags above their heads were getting higher and higher, and that a death star was shining.

Sure enough, in the next second—

The alarm went off.

Qiao's father and the others reacted extremely quickly, instantly springing to their feet and entering combat mode.

"What's going on!" Sergeant Evans shouted.

A sentry came running from a distance, his face filled with terror.

"Level One Alert! Unusual activity detected in the dense fog!"

……

At this moment, the once calm fog wall began to stir restlessly.

The thick fog rolled in, as if something was about to emerge.

Zhou Zhiguo, standing next to Qiao Ye, had his brows furrowed as he stared intently at the thick fog, almost forgetting to blink.

A thick, pale gray fog continued to dissipate outwards, its aggregation uncertain.

On the surface of the fog wall, outlines gradually appeared, resembling three symbols—

A rotating cross with four arms of equal length, each end of which has a star.

An inverted hourglass, but the sand is flowing upwards.

A hand, fingers spread out, with an eye in the palm.

These symbols moved across the surface of the thick fog, flickering intermittently.

"What is that...?"

Zhou Zhiguo murmured, sensing that this was extremely important information, but for a moment he didn't know what these symbols represented.

Qiao Ye didn't know either.

But just as he looked at the three symbols, he suddenly received a system notification.

You have activated the Witcher feat: Mystic Knowledge (LV1)

The skill icon flashed briefly in the corner of my vision, and then a message appeared directly in my mind—

[The Guidetic Cross: Symbolizing death and rebirth, it is often used in rituals to summon the souls of the deceased.]

[Voodoo Cult - Hourglass of Life and Death: A high-level voodoo ritual mark, meaning "to let those who shouldn't die die, and to let those who shouldn't live live."]

[Boko Hand: A symbol of power for voodoo priests. An open eye within the palm signifies that the person being watched has been added to the sacrifice list.]

"Voodoo cult..." Qiao Ye murmured the term.

"Do you know him?"

Zhou Zhiguo suddenly turned around, "If it really is a Voodoo symbol, then the Dracula across the fog this time must be New Orleans!"

New Orleans?

Qiao Ye was taken aback. Wasn't that a city in Louisiana, USA?

He was familiar with it because of New Orleans chicken wings.

But what does Castlevania mean?

He was unable to ask Zhou Zhiguo any further questions at the moment.

Because at that moment, the thick fog suddenly trembled.

Everyone instinctively took a step back.

The thick fog suddenly parted, revealing a crack.

Then, something came out of it.

First, it was one foot.

Black, bony feet, with rusty iron chains wrapped around the ankles, and a hollow copper bell trailing from the end of the chain.

Then comes the skirt.

Floral print fabric, bright red and green, the hem of the skirt stained with mud.

Then comes the upper body.

a woman.

He had dark skin, a bald head, and his face was painted with chalk. His eyebrows and eyes were drawn extremely long, almost reaching his ears.

She was holding a black rooster in her arms, its comb cut in half, and blood was dripping down between her fingers.

She stood still at the edge of the crevice, just as she had stood there a hundred years ago.

silence.

For a full three seconds, no one made a sound.

Qiao Ye remained motionless.

His [Demon Hunter Knowledge] suddenly activated, and a series of messages popped up—

Name: Boko's Wife

[Rank: ? Demon]

[Based on: Mary Laver, a member of the New Orleans Voodoo Cult]

[Description: In life, she was the most famous voodoo queen of the 19th century. After death, she was awakened from her tomb by some being in the mist. She was not acting willingly, but she could not resist. The rooster in her arms is her spy, and her dripping blood is the incantation of her curse. Do not look directly into her eyes, and never let her know your name.]

[Weakness: ??? (Can be viewed at Demon Hunter Knowledge LV3)]