Chapter 795
Memory 2
Chapter 795 Memory 2
Wade's gaze sharpened slightly.
How could they possibly have this?
Could this place be more than just a small magic academy, but also serve as the country's "Ministry of Magic"?
Vader knew that not every country's Ministry of Magic was as large, had as strict regulations, and as had as the United Kingdom or the United States.
In some small countries, there are fewer than a hundred wizards in the entire country, so naturally they cannot form any government institutions.
They only keep in touch with a small number of friends, or hold small gatherings in places like bars.
When they need to shop or learn about the magical world, they often don't search within the country, but instead use Muggle transportation to reach wizarding shopping centers like Diagon Alley.
The reason they don't use door keys or apparition is that many wizards in these small countries either don't have these convenient spells or don't have permission to apparite in other countries.
Of course, these rules only apply to those law-abiding, orthodox wizards.
In fact, as long as they are not seen by Muggles, the chances of foreign wizards being caught by the Ministry of Magic even if they Apparate in Britain are not high, and Aurors generally don't bother with such trivial matters.
During his wanderings, Lupin had encountered many low-level wizards. These trivial facts, unknown to most people, were what Lupin shared with them in casual conversation, like telling stories.
From Dumbledore, Wade also learned about another side of the wizarding world—
In some countries, even without a Ministry of Magic, there is an organization similar to the Department of Mysteries. They assume the responsibilities of a "Ministry of Magic" and occupy... or rather, protect the most dangerous and mysterious forces in the world.
Could it be that the country's "Secret Affairs Department" is located beneath that entrance?
Such a place...
Wade pondered as he walked toward the entrance—although the previous Jansen had not been sent to the lower chamber, perhaps a part of the scene in the chamber could be revealed using the magical effects of the Pensieve spell?
He had just reached the entrance of the passage when a figure suddenly rushed out in a panic, passing right through Wade and collapsing to the ground, screaming hoarsely:
"Help...help me!!!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the soldier clutched his chest tightly with both hands, as if he couldn't breathe.
Immediately afterwards, he fell to the ground with a thud, his helmet rolling off to reveal his gray hair underneath.
Everyone was stunned and stared at him without moving.
Just a minute ago, this soldier was a burly man who was 1.8 meters tall and weighed 200 kilograms.
But at this moment, the figure lying on the ground had atrophied muscles, a withered body, a face full of crisscrossing wrinkles, and even age spots on his skin!
Jason swallowed hard: "Is...is this still Hayden?"
His voice seemed to attract unwanted attention, and the man interrogating the wizard suddenly turned to look at him, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
Jason shrank back in fright and dared not make another sound.
As Vader stood at the entrance of the passage, he saw that the passage beneath his feet seemed like a sticker. Although it appeared to extend downwards, when he tried to walk in like the soldiers, he only stepped on flat ground.
Although the magic in the Pensieve can immerse a person in a memory, even recreating scenes that the owner was completely unaware of, it is clear that it cannot construct places that exist in reality but are not within the memory.
Screams echoed from below, but no one else managed to escape.
The piercing, terrified screams made even the battle-hardened soldiers pale with fear. They kept glancing at their officers, and some even suggested, "Should we retreat? Who knows what's down there..."
"boom!"
A gunshot rang out suddenly, and the old man on the ground groaned as blood splattered from his arm.
"Speak!" the officer roared angrily in a low voice, "What's hidden down there? Why did my men turn into those grotesque figures?!"
But the old man's chapped lips gave him an extremely eerie, painful, and mocking laugh.
Blood gushed from his pierced arm, staining the gray-white stone bricks beneath his body.
His eyes were cloudy, yet they seemed to pierce through the man before him, gazing into a more distant, more ethereal place. His voice was hoarse as he spoke:
"My duty... my long-standing duty... has finally come to an end... You violated the taboo, you broke... cough cough... you broke the place that shouldn't have been touched..."
The officer looked at him coldly, then turned to his subordinates and said, "Bring all the children here!"
"it's useless!"
The old man interrupted him, laughing, "I'm going to die... the moment you... put the wand back in my hand... I've already... killed myself... cough cough..."
He coughed, and bright green blood trickled down the corner of his mouth.
"By the time you bring the children... I'll already be dead... What's the point of threatening... threatening a corpse?"
The old man coughed and laughed at the same time. His eyes gradually became unfocused, and when he looked at the officer, his expression was no longer resentful, but only filled with pity.
“Down there, down there is not a weapon… nor a monster… it is… the curse of the gods… it will devour everything… everything… you invaders… the people behind you… and countless ordinary people…”
"No one...no one can escape..."
"Hahahaha... Poor thing... So pitiful..."
The hoarse laughter stopped abruptly, the old man's head lolled to the side, and he stopped breathing.
The frozen, bitter smile on his face seemed like a judgment on everyone, while the last few words, spoken so softly they were almost inaudible, were like invisible ropes wrapped around the necks of everyone around him.
Jason tugged at his collar uncomfortably, only to find that his back was covered in cold sweat and his throat was so dry it felt like it was on fire.
At that moment, he suddenly realized that the screams below had stopped sometime earlier.
Just as everyone was deathly silent, a loud cry suddenly rang out—
"Wow!"
The sound of a baby crying... came from below the passage.
"Gudong!"
Several men craned their necks, swallowed hard, and nervously turned their guns towards the dark passage, afraid to approach or lower their guard. All the terrifying stories they'd heard since childhood flashed through their minds in an instant. Just then, Jason suddenly noticed his superior's gaze on him again, and his heart tightened instantly.
The officer commanded without room for argument, "You, go in and see what's going on!"
Jensen hesitated for a moment, but still dared not disobey the order, and slowly walked towards the passage.
Wade immediately followed, and the passage beneath his feet no longer resembled a 3D drawing, but truly extended outwards.
Jason walked slowly, fearing the unknown risks below. Even though he was forced to explore further under orders, he still hoped to prolong the time as much as possible—even if it was only by a few seconds.
So Wade bypassed Jensen and rushed into the underground chamber first.
When there were only a dozen or so steps left to descend, Vader saw golden light pass through the door of the secret chamber, illuminating the floor in front of him in a golden glow.
Seeing this, Jason hesitated even more, almost turning to run away. But just as he turned, another cry suddenly rang out:
"Wow... wow..."
The sound grew clearer and clearer. Jason's legs trembled, and he collapsed onto the steps, clutching his gun.
A child slowly crawled out of the doorway!
The scene abruptly shattered, and an unexpected white fog completely obscured Wade's vision, as if Jason, in extreme terror, was forcibly trying to forget this memory.
After a few moments, the image stabilized again, and Jason was already standing in the golden, shimmering chamber, having somehow gotten down there.
He opened his mouth wide, the fear on his face had vanished, and he stared ahead with tears streaming down his face.
Wade followed his gaze—
Inside the sealed room, a huge black cabinet had shattered and was scattered all over the floor, as if it had been violently smashed.
Where the cabinet originally stood, a narrow, irregularly shaped crack suddenly appeared, like a gap left after an invisible piece of glass was smashed.
Golden sand particles shot out from the cracks like sparks, forming a thick layer on the broken bottom of the wooden cabinet, like natural gold dust.
Many soldiers stuffed the sand into their pockets, clothes, and boots, and even put it in their mouths!
They probably wanted to make as much unexpected money as possible, but little did they know... the "golden sand" wasn't real gold, but a strange substance that could take lives just by touching it!
By the time Jason came down, all the changes were over.
Some of his colleagues lived for decades in seconds, aging and withering, their hair turning white and falling out, their strong bodies becoming hunched and shriveled, eventually turning into mummies wrapped in ill-fitting military uniforms, lying on the ground, their deep-set eyes staring at the dark ceiling.
Some seemed to have been paused instantly. He remained in the posture of reaching out to grab the gold sand, his face still bearing a twisted smile of greed and excitement, and even his eyes were still fanatical, but his chest no longer rose and fell with breath.
There was someone in an even more bizarre state. He was a soldier lying on the steps trying to escape. His head was as dry as a skull, his upper body was also withered, but his lower body was rapidly shrinking, becoming more delicate and weak than an infant.
No one could withstand such a terrible and drastic change. All those who had entered the secret chamber earlier were dead. The place instantly turned into hell, and golden sand continued to cover the few people.
But at this moment, in Jason's eyes, the golden light was no longer beautiful; it had become the most bizarre and incomprehensible curse.
Jason covered his face, suppressing the urge to wail, and carefully retreated step by step.
Wade's gaze was also drawn away from the secret room, and then he noticed something strange next to it.
Wade turned his gaze, paused slightly, then his pupils suddenly contracted, and his heart seemed to almost burst out of his chest!
Tiny handprints and footprints extended from the doorway, but there was no baby outside... only a fist-sized chunk of bloody flesh!
The scene flashed by in a few seconds, and in the blink of an eye it changed to the ground. The officer whose face was not visible waved his arm forcefully and shouted, "Fire!"
"Boom, boom, boom, boom..."
Like meteors, the projectiles trailed flames as they surged into the underground tunnel.
The officer seemed to let out a satisfied chuckle, and for some reason, that chuckle sounded exceptionally clear in my memory.
Jason stood to the side, looking dejected, silently watching the scene. Although his face was still full of fear, he was much calmer than before, as if he had become numb, or as if he had matured in an instant.
boom--! ! !
A violent explosion suddenly came from underground, shaking the entire ground. Flames and thick smoke instantly gushed out from the basement entrance, engulfing everything!
Jansen and the other surviving soldiers were pushed backward by the blast wave. Jansen accidentally lost his footing, screamed, and fell down the steps. A blond soldier also lost his footing.
As he stood up, Jason naturally turned his head to look around, then froze:
The blond soldier was originally only in his early twenties, but now, with broad shoulders and wrinkles around his eyes, he looked to be around forty years old.
"Haha, with enough firepower, we can kill any monster!"
The blond soldier said cheerfully, turning around and reaching out his hand, "What's wrong? Did you hurt your leg?... Why are you crying?"
Looking at the blond soldier who looked like he was fifty years old, Jason burst into tears again and said, "We will die...we will all die...no one can escape..."
"Are you scared out of your wits?"
The blond soldier muttered to himself.
He turned to look at his superior, only to see wisps of golden sand drifting out from the rubble and debris of the bombed-out ruins!
"Damn it! Sir, it's not over yet!" the blond soldier roared, raising his gun and firing, but this futile effort received no response; the only sound in the entire house was his own gunfire.
"Sir! Sir Henderson! Oliver! Robert! Damian!"
The blond soldier shouted out the names of his comrades, but received no response. A bad feeling welled up inside him, and he reached out to push his motionless superior officer, but stopped at the last second.
Looking at the wrinkles, protruding veins, and large and small black spots on the back of his hands, he was so desperate that he laughed.
"Haha... So... I am one too..."
The gun clattered to the ground, and the blond soldier died standing up.
Without further hesitation, and not even caring whether the sand would stick to him, Jason took off running, crying and shouting as he rushed out of the building, and then bumped into someone.
"what!"
The man screamed and flew through the air, crashing to the ground and flattening himself like a gingerbread man. He even broke his nose, blood streaming down the bridge, making him look particularly pitiful.
"What happened? Why does it sound like someone is screaming?"
The person who had been thrown into the air sat up, clutching his nose, seemingly still confused. He looked at Jason strangely and asked, "What year were you in? I've never seen you before."
(End of this chapter)