Victor stood in the pale dawn light, though the sun had yet to crest the horizon. The lifeless jiangshi from the night before lay sprawled on the ground, its stiff form an unsettling reminder that the supernatural world had followed him to Hong Kong. He watched as Master Zhang carefully gathered the yellow talisman from its forehead, murmuring prayers under his breath to seemingly seal the creature's energy.
"It's not dead, is it?" Victor asked, his tone measured, though his curiosity was genuine.
"No," Zhang replied, straightening up. "But it's dormant now. Without a controlling force, it's harmless. For the moment."
Victor glanced over at Leo, who was pacing nervously, occasionally adjusting his glasses and muttering under his breath. The young researcher finally blurted out, "We can't just leave it here! What if someone finds it?"
"We're not leaving it here," Zhang said firmly, his sharp eyes fixing on Leo. He turned to Victor. "I'll need your help transporting it to my temple."
Victor raised an eyebrow. "You expect me to carry it?"
Zhang's lips quirked in the faintest semblance of a smile. "You're faster than we are. And stronger. Unless you'd prefer to explain to the authorities why you're standing over a corpse with glowing eyes?"
Victor sighed dramatically but crouched to hoist the jiangshi onto his shoulder. The rigid body was surprisingly light but emitted a faint odor of decay that made Victor wrinkle his nose. "Next time, I'll bring a suitcase," he muttered, following Zhang and Leo through a series of narrow back alleys to avoid prying eyes.
Zhang's temple was a small, serene sanctuary tucked away from the city's chaos. Incense burned in brass holders, filling the air with a calming aroma that almost masked the situation's strangeness. The jiangshi was placed carefully in the center of the main room as Zhang began an intricate purification ritual. He lit sticks of incense and sprinkled water infused with herbs over the body, chanting in a low, rhythmic voice.
Meanwhile, Victor and Leo sat cross-legged on worn cushions in a corner, watching the ritual unfold. Victor's expression was one of detached curiosity, while Leo's was a mix of fascination and anxiety.
"You're surprisingly calm about all this," Leo finally said, glancing at Victor.
Victor smirked. "I've seen worse."
Leo's curiosity got the better of him. "What are you, exactly? You're not… normal, are you?"
Victor's smirk widened, a glint of amusement in his eyes. "No, I suppose I'm not. Let's just say I've had my share of dealings with the supernatural."
Before Leo could press further, Zhang completed his ritual and approached them, wiping his hands on a cloth. "This jiangshi was not created naturally. Someone is deliberately raising them, and they're using powerful magic to do so."
Victor leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharpening. "Do you have any idea who?"
Zhang shook his head, his expression grim. "Not yet. But whoever it is, they're dangerous. And they'll only grow bolder if we don't stop them."
"We?" Victor echoed, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, we," Zhang said firmly. "You have abilities beyond those of ordinary men. Leo has knowledge and tools that can help. And I have the experience to guide us. Together, we have a chance of stopping this before it gets out of control."
Victor's eyes flicked between the two men. He had come to Hong Kong to escape complications, not dive headfirst into them. Yet something about Zhang's conviction and Leo's earnestness struck a chord. Finally, he sighed. "Fine. But don't expect me to hop on command."
Leo let out a nervous laugh, clearly relieved. Zhang's expression softened, but his focus remained intense. "Good. Then we begin immediately. There's a disturbance reported in Kowloon—we may find more answers there."
Later that evening, the newly formed trio made their way to Kowloon, where reports of strange activity had surfaced. The neighborhood was a maze of narrow streets and crowded markets, alive with chatter but tinged with an unspoken tension. Victor's heightened senses caught snippets of conversations—rumors of shadows moving where they shouldn't, whispers of people vanishing without a trace.
"This is it," Zhang said, stopping outside a decrepit building that looked like it hadn't been touched in decades. Its windows were boarded up, and the faint smell of mildew wafted from its cracks.
Victor sniffed the air, catching a faint metallic tang that made his instincts flare. "Something's here. Something old."
As they ventured inside, the air grew colder, and the dim light from the street outside barely penetrated the darkness. Shadows danced unnaturally across the walls, and a low growl echoed from somewhere deep within. Zhang lit a lantern, its warm glow pushing back the oppressive darkness, and the trio pressed on.
They didn't have to wait long to find trouble. Three jiangshi emerged from the shadows, their talismans fluttering as they moved with unsettling hops. Their pale faces twisted into expressions of mindless hunger, and the air around them pulsed with dark energy.
"Well, this is charming," Victor quipped, rolling up his sleeves. "I suppose this is where I prove my worth?"
"Don't get cocky," Zhang warned, his tone sharp.
Victor smirked and lunged at the nearest jiangshi, his supernatural speed and strength allowing him to dodge its awkward but powerful swings. The battle quickly turned chaotic. Leo fumbled with his bag, pulling out talismans and managing to stick one—to a wall instead of a zombie. Zhang's chants grew louder, the ancient words reverberating in the confined space.
One jiangshi managed to corner Leo, its rigid arms reaching for him. Victor intervened, grabbing the creature by the arm and hurling it across the room. "Stay focused, Leo!" he barked, his tone sharp but not unkind.
Leo nodded shakily, finally affixing a talisman to another jiangshi. The creature froze, its movements ceasing as Zhang's incantations took effect. Victor dispatched the last one with a well-placed strike, tearing off its talisman and sending it collapsing to the ground in a heap.
Finally, with a combination of Zhang's magic, Leo's tools, and Victor's brute force, the jiangshi were subdued. The trio stood amid the wreckage, catching their breath.
"Not bad for a first outing," Victor said, adjusting his coat with a smirk.
Leo groaned, looking at his now-empty bag. "I'm going to need more supplies. And maybe therapy."
Zhang's expression remained serious. "This is just the beginning. Whoever is behind this will not stop until they achieve their goal. We must be ready."
Victor glanced at his unlikely allies, a strange sense of purpose settling over him. He had come to Hong Kong to avoid trouble, but now, it seemed, trouble had found him—and for the first time in years, he didn't mind.
As the three of them exited the decrepit building, the tension in the air had not entirely dissipated. Victor scanned the streets, his heightened senses alert for anything unusual. Leo muttered to himself about restocking his supplies, while Zhang walked with the calm but focused demeanor of a man preparing for war.
"You realize this isn't going to get easier," Victor said, breaking the silence.
"We never expected it to be," Zhang replied without looking back. "But that doesn't change what needs to be done."
Leo finally spoke up, his voice tinged with a mix of fear and determination. "If we're going to do this, we need a plan. A real plan. Not just running into places and hoping for the best."
Victor chuckled softly. "A planner, are you? Fine. Next time, you can draw the map."
Leo shot him a look but said nothing. The trio continued down the street, their shadows stretching long under the flickering streetlights. The battle ahead was uncertain, but for the first time in years, Victor felt the stirrings of something he hadn't allowed himself to feel in a long time: purpose.