Is this what a zombie is?

33. Bronze coffin

The sorcerer should be in area C.

This conclusion completely overturned all of Jiang Chen's previous inferences.

"What is your basis for this?" Jiang Chen asked.

"Information gap," Attorney Luo replied. "You don't know enough about black magic, or these supernatural things."

"When a sorcerer performs a ritual or raises a ghost, he needs materials to assist him. He cannot easily obtain poisonous insects and snakes here, so he needs some herbs and plants as auxiliary mediums."

"In this prison, only Section C has a small patch of grass that is permitted to be used for growing flowers and plants."

"Many prisoners grow flowers and plants there to cultivate their minds, and the prison guards are happy to see it."

Cat Master, who had been silent all along, finally spoke.

"He's right. Many insidious black magic spells rely on the help of plants, since many plants are poisonous and are natural materials for casting spells."

Jiang Chen admitted that this was indeed his blind spot.

There was nothing that could be done about it, since his understanding of sorcerers and sorcery was very limited.

He had only recently stepped into the extraordinary and mysterious world, and the whole world was unfamiliar to him.

Attorney Luo has been secretly battling with the other party for three years.

He possessed far more information than he could analyze on his own.

With the information complete, Jiang Chen's brain began to work at high speed, reintegrating the new clues with the old conclusions.

A bold guess emerged in his mind.

"We may have all fallen into a misconception: a sorcerer is not necessarily a vicious criminal."

"Prison guards, prison doctors, and the logistics staff who serve meals in the canteen."

Attorney Luo added, "Only prison guards have the right to walk around and patrol, and have direct or indirect contact with prisoners. Prison doctors don't have many opportunities or frequency of contact."

Just as Jiang Chen was about to follow this line of thought and continue the investigation in an attempt to find the sorcerer,

"Thump—"

A dull bell rang out without warning.

"Thump—"

The second chime followed immediately, completely interrupting Jiang Chen's thoughts.

"What is that sound?"

Attorney Luo thought for a moment and said uncertainly.

"It should be the sound of the bell from the clock tower. There is a clock tower across from the prison that is over a hundred years old and is now a municipal-level protected cultural relic."

"It has never rung during the three years I've been in prison."

"More importantly, it's 9:27 p.m., which is not a time for any kind of timekeeping."

There must be a demon in the abnormal situation!

Jiang Chen, Attorney Luo, and Cat Master immediately went on high alert, preparing to deal with any unexpected events that might occur at any time.

As the echoes of the bells reverberated in the air, a thick, grayish-white fog suddenly rose up outside the corridor without warning.

A strange medicinal fragrance spread with the drifting mist.

This smell...

This fog...

Jiang Chen was completely familiar with this scene; it was exactly the same as the one he had experienced in the old house.

The incense burning in his chest resonated with it, releasing wisps of mist that blended seamlessly with the pervasive fog.

In that instant, Jiang Chen could basically confirm two things.

First, the sound of the bell is a medium, or a trigger, a catalyst. As long as certain conditions are met, the sound of the bell will stimulate the incense to release smoke.

Secondly, the sorcerer's true purpose was indeed the "resurrection incense," and his speculation was correct.

Moreover, the sorcerer also figured out the pattern of activating the resurrection incense.

He chose to act at this time because he and Attorney Luo were about to join forces, posing a fatal threat to him.

Therefore, he must strike first and overturn the table now.

"Attorney Luo, you need to be careful..."

Jiang Chen wanted to remind Lawyer Luo, but when he turned around, Lawyer Luo was already gone.

All he could see was a thick fog, with visibility less than half a meter, which completely disoriented him.

"Attorney Luo, Mr. Cat, can you hear me?"

He tried to shout, but his voice seemed to be swallowed by the thick fog, and he received no response at all.

Having had experience before, Jiang Chen was not flustered.

Panic won't solve the problem; we need to stay calm.

He didn't wander around aimlessly, but stood still, quietly circulating the lightning magic within his body.

An invisible electromagnetic field, centered on him, expanded to its maximum in an instant, transforming into a silent radar network that vigilantly probed every inch of the surrounding space.

And so, Jiang Chen waited for an unknown amount of time, until time seemed to lose its meaning.

Until the surrounding fog began to slowly dilute like the receding tide.

However, the dilution did not completely dissipate the light, and visibility gradually recovered from less than half a meter to three meters, five meters, and then more than ten meters.

The scene before us underwent a dramatic transformation as the fog thinned.

The small, modern, independent cell that once stood there has vanished.

Instead, there were rows of dark, damp, and huge prison cells surrounded by iron bars.

The prisoners held in the cells are no longer modern criminals wearing uniform prison clothes.

Instead, they were ordinary people, dressed in rags and emaciated.

Their eyes were empty, filled with numbness and despair, like livestock waiting to be slaughtered.

This is what Cat Master mentioned before, the predecessor of Blackstone Prison, the Japanese army's experimental base.

Without a doubt, he was once again trapped in the past images of the Resurrection Incense.

Jiang Chen lowered his eyelids slightly. He chose to ignore everything here. What else could he do if he didn't ignore it?

In the grand scheme of things that happened during the Republic of China era, he was merely a passerby, a non-existent ghost.

He can see everything that happened in the past, but he cannot interfere with it, much less change anyone's fate.

All I can do is stand by and witness it all.

Jiang Chen saw a group of Japanese soldiers in khaki uniforms pushing a heavy flatbed cart slowly walking from the end of the corridor.

The leader was an officer wearing the rank of colonel, with a cold expression.

Beside him stood a scholar in a white coat, wearing round-framed glasses and with a deranged expression.

Jiang Chen's gaze was firmly drawn to the flatbed truck; they were transporting a huge bronze coffin.

The surface of the coffin was covered with ancient and intricate symbols, some of which were taotie patterns.

Jiang Chen didn't know much about ancient Chinese texts, but he did know that the combination of the Taotie pattern and the bronze coffin meant that the history of this coffin could probably be traced back to the Xia and Shang dynasties.

Even if it's not that far back, the Warring States period or the Qin and Han dynasties are still possible.

Good heavens, these Japanese devils are robbing tombs and stealing cultural relics!

But this doesn't seem surprising at all; they've done this kind of thing quite often.

But their purpose was not as simple as stealing cultural relics.

Even though he was in a historical illusion, Jiang Chen could still sense it.

The coffin was sealed by some kind of force.

Moreover, this bronze coffin should be related to him.