"I just find these three guys interesting, so I wanted to try and see if I could make them human."
John Chou spoke as Mason Payne shook his head, raised his hand, and pointed at John Chou.
"What is it, John Chou? Even at this stage, you still intend to hide the truth? I suspect these three instincts are beyond my imagination, and the other eleven of us all agree."
"You could say that. Each of the three does possess their own instinct."
"Young Master."
John Chou said meaningfully, while Mr. Brown frowned.
Meanwhile, on John Chou's side, Mr. Brown was tending the fire, preparing a meal for the still-sleeping Rufina Howard.
"Really?"
Mason Payne looked at John Chou in confusion.
"Of course. No matter how hard I try, I could never truly understand these three, who are completely devoid of humanity."
At this moment, Mason Payne took out a small box, smiling as he waved it in front of John Chou.
Mr. Brown muttered, and John Chou nodded.
With that, Mason Payne tossed the small box over. Just as it reached the edge of the sealing array, there was a boom—the box burst into flames, but John Chou reacted quickly and grabbed the contents inside.
"Impressive, this array." (Note: In Chinese metaphysics, an 'array' is a ritual formation used to channel or control supernatural energies.)
Mason Payne let out a sigh of relief, while Mr. Brown instantly appeared before him, fist raised.
"Smells great, Mr. Brown. Thank you."
John Chou shouted, and Uncle Zhuang's fist stopped right in front of Mason Payne's head.
"Impressive. Such powerful ghost essence can be retracted in an instant. I could never manage that. Heh, just a little trick to confirm whether you, John Chou, are truly unable to get out."
John Chou held the chunk of flesh in his hand—the blood was still fresh. He quietly observed.
"Alright, let me update you on our progress."
Mason Payne began explaining the details of their previous experiments to John Chou, bit by bit.
"It's really thanks to you all for coming up with this method to construct a human body. But Tan Tian, that old man, isn't easy to deal with."
"You know that zombie?"
Mason Payne looked at John Chou in confusion.
"Of course I do. Didn't Xu Fu tell you? That old man is the leader of one of the three major clans in the Nether Syndicate, and actually the true ruler of the realm. Those two idiots are in trouble if they go there, especially on Nether Syndicate territory. You don't stand a chance."
With a sudden movement, Mason Payne stood up, and right away, Zhu Zigui floated out.
"Go notify Qianshou immediately. Make sure he finds a way to hurry back and tell Wu Yisheng not to let those two idiots go."
John Chou burst out laughing.
"Such an important matter, and you didn't investigate thoroughly. Heh."
"Whatever. It was bound to happen sooner or later."
Mason Payne sat down again, staring at John Chou and asked,
"So, what do you think, Victor Graves? I want to hear your opinion."
John Chou tossed aside what he was holding and then smiled.
"Do you really think such a simple method can give that corpse human blood? If you want to make it human, you need the proper configuration of the Five Elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water—fundamental forces in Chinese metaphysics), the union of Yin and Yang, and the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches (ancient Chinese calendrical and metaphysical systems). Go find someone born in the Year, Month, Day, and Hour of the Ox, collect their blood, and so on. You need blood from twelve people, each corresponding to one of the Twelve Earthly Branches. But you absolutely must not kill them—the blood must come from the living, because the donor provides vital energy along with it. If you kill them, the blood becomes useless. You also need the Ten Heavenly Stems. You have a capable Taoist, right? Go ask him for the specifics."
Mason Payne laughed and nodded.
"Coming to you was definitely the right choice, John Chou."
"As for that girl, leave her here. I'll collect a bit of her blood each day. Once you get that body moving and it has vital energy, bring it over here directly."
Mason Payne looked at John Chou with suspicion.
"The gray mimic will stay here too. The other two will go back with you. If anything happens, the minds of these three mimics are connected. No matter how far apart they are, I'll have them notify you."
Mason Payne hurried back overnight. By the time he returned to their residence, it was already dawn. Qianshou was sitting beside the body, looking troubled and scratching his head repeatedly.
"No, this can't be right. It shouldn't be like this. What's going on?"
The mimic had reverted to its original form, lying there completely lifeless.
"The material is wrong, Qianshou. I've already asked John Chou."
Mason Payne spoke as soon as he entered, and Qianshou instantly perked up with excitement.
"Haha, looks like we can do it now, Lord Payne! Let's hurry and find twelve people matching the Earthly Branches criteria."
"First, we need to get Zhang Anle back. We've tracked down his senior, Zhang Wuju, in a small northern town. He's already headed there."
Meanwhile, on John Chou's side, Uncle Zhuang was tending the fire, preparing a meal for the still-sleeping Rufina Howard.
"Why didn't you tell them, John Chou, about our instinct?"
At that moment, the gray mimic spoke up.
"You can't be too honest if you want to be human. Never reveal everything you know. Remember that—even if you become human someday."
"Young Master, you just made all that up to fool those guys, didn't you?"
Uncle Zhuang muttered, and John Chou nodded.
"That's right, haha. All that stuff about the Twelve Earthly Branches—I don't actually understand it, nor do I intend to. But they believed it, and that's all that matters. Still, it's possible there's something to it. Those elements are important for making a person, so naturally, they're needed. Let's see how it turns out. If they don't believe me and I end up being right, things will get even more interesting."
Rufina Howard woke up to the smell, wiped her mouth, and squinted as she came out of the room.
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"Smells great, Uncle Zhuang. Thank you."
"Eat up—it's already midday."
John Chou kept watching Rufina Howard, looking very interested.
"What? Why do you keep staring at me? Is there something on my face?"
"What you're doing now might be the catalyst that changes the future, all because of your unpredictability."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Rufina Howard ignored John Chou and kept eating.
Just then, the gray mimic suddenly widened its eyes and looked at John Chou.
"We've found them—the twelve people matching your criteria."
"That fast? Heh, as expected..."
John Chou said meaningfully, while Uncle Zhuang frowned.
"Young Master..."
Earlier that morning, Mason Payne had ordered everyone to start searching for people who met the criteria. Qianshou was planning to go out and look himself.
But soon, word came that they'd already been found—no need for a big search.
"How is that possible?"
Mason Payne looked at Qianshou in confusion, but Qianshou just laughed.
"It seems some of your twelve lords have unusual connections with the world of magic."
Sure enough, during lunch, a man appeared in the corridor. He was holding a box, his face stern and his gaze sharp as a sword—he looked very reliable.
"Mr. Lao, I didn't expect you to deliver it yourself."
Mason Payne said in surprise.
"Well, well, I didn't expect Lord Lao Chongyuan to come in person. How are your little toys? The dynasty has changed—will the new emperor accept your toys?"
"No need for you to worry, Qianshou. The Ghost Burial Squad has been fully taken over by the new regime, so I finally have some free time."
Qianshou quickly took the black box from Lao Chongyuan, eager to open it.
"Wait a minute."
Lao Chongyuan called out, and Mason Payne looked at him in confusion.
"I've already had a spell cast on it to ensure absolute secrecy. Wait for the Taoist to return, then continue the experiment."
At that moment, the two mimics nearby closed their eyes, and Lao Chongyuan looked at them in confusion.
"What are they doing?"
"Probably notifying John Chou."
In an instant, Lao Chongyuan's expression changed, and Mason Payne seemed to sense something wrong, quickly holding down the black-and-white mimics.
"We've already told John Chou about finding the blood of the Twelve Earthly Branches candidates."
Lao Chongyuan glared angrily at the two mimics, his fists clenched so tightly they creaked.
"If I could, I'd really like to beat these two up."
"Looks like Qianshou was talking about you, Mr. Lao—the one with strong ties to the magic world."
Mason Payne said, and Lao Chongyuan looked at him.
"Don't jump to conclusions, Mason Payne. I don't know if I have strong ties to the magic world. Everything is for the plan. Haven't you noticed? Everything here is under surveillance."
Qianshou looked at Lao Chongyuan in surprise.
"No way, Mr. Lao—who is it?"
Lao Chongyuan shook his head.
"I don't know. I just felt a very unfriendly gaze when I entered this room."
As night fell, Rufina Howard sat by the fire, looking troubled, while Uncle Zhuang sat beside the sealing formation.
"There's still one thing missing. If these three want to become human, they'll need it—but let's put that aside for now. Lord Shen Yan should have already arrived, right?"
Uncle Zhuang nodded in agreement.
"He arrived a long time ago. Should I call him over, Young Master?"
John Chou nodded.
"I hope he can come quietly. I don't want him exposed just yet."
"He hasn't seen you in ages, Young Master. He'll be happy, knowing you're still alive."
John Chou laughed easily.
"Let's hope so. He's a bit too stubborn."