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Chapter 25 - Directionless
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2024-10-29 19:42:56I was sucked back to my world, guided back by the light of our world. The energies sent me into a tailspin and I fell to the ground as ripples of pain shot up my back. I threw up.
“Dr. Ant!”
It was Leng, and with her was Razali, and the other men. I noticed there was an uprooted tree with broken branches. One huge, 6 foot long, was just a feet away from me.
“What, what happened?” I asked feebly.
“There was a strong gale, and a tree was uprooted,” Razali explained. “Totally unexpected.”
“No, it was a result of the fierce fighting I had in the other dimension. It’s rare, but such things do happen.”
I glanced at Leng, who wore her trademark reassuring smile. She had something in her hands, something I asked her to prepare as an insurance against another disaster - a rooster.
I had asked her to get it from one of the farms in Lim Chu Kang that were managed by my frien
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The Supernatural Professor - The Jungle Chapter 26 - A page from the past
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The Supernatural Professor - The Jungle Chapter 27 - A half-lit bulb
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The Supernatural Professor - The Jungle Chapter 28 - Hospital
Chris Chen struggled to sleep. He checked the clock on the wall. It is almost 1 am and he had his sleeping medicine an hour ago. He felt his mind was in a state of painful suspension. Hovering from sleepiness and clawing on the edges of sobriety. It was unbearable. Whenever he shut his eyes, his mind will be uncontrollably hauled back to that night when they got lost in the jungle. He remembered the night vividly. It was unusually cold unlike the 29degree Celsius as stated on his smartphone and there was moisture on the ground. One of his mates, TY had a bad fall when they were going down a slope to their second last contact spot. It was close to 10 pm and they were on time to reach their final destination before wrapping up the night topography session. He remembered it to be in the vicinity of a huge Flame Tree he saw in the day. There would be a tent with trainers and the medic and he was looking to replenish his water supply. The other inexp
The Supernatural Professor - The Jungle Chapter 29 - Deepening Fear
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The Supernatural Professor - The Jungle Chapter 30 - Death
Shu Wen's words had hit me like a lightning bolt. Stunned, I slumped on the sofa“What?” I asked, feebly "How did it happen?""Anthony, I can't hear you. Are you there? Hellooo?"My mind was blank but I gathered strength quickly."I am here. I am just shocked."“Me too.""When did this happen?""They found him motionless at 3a.m during a night check.""This is too sudden.""The duty policeman reported his eyes were wide opened like he had seen something shocking. "Supernatural death. It probaly was an attack by the spirit."I am careless.""Why did you say that?""I should have left a protective shield over him before I left."I had underestimated the lady spirit. It had actually murdered Chris Chen. There must be a message behind the atrocious act.“He was still okay when I saw him,” I added“It is not your fault.
The Supernatural Professor - The Jungle Chapter 31 - Prints
I dug into my bag of tools and searched. My hands found the contours of the object and pulled it out. It was a porcelain container about 7 inches long. "What is this?" "Its Mugwort Powder. This is a rich concentrated version and it is used to provide an indication on the presence of demons and evil spirits. If there has been any deep spiritual activity, attacks or even walking about, the powder will reveal those presence." Shu Wen flashed her cynical smirk."If this works, my forensic team can be retrenched." She joked in a mild jibe. “Can I just try?" "Its a bet I am ready to take." Shu Wen said in a sudden change of tone I chanted the sutra over the bottle and then slowly sprinkled the powder at each corner of the room. Then I poured them on my palm and I rubbed it over the walls. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Shu Wen was looking around in keen anticipation. I am sure she will be di
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The Supernatural Professor - The Jungle Chapter 33 - Continuing
The nightmare torpedoed my sleep. I failed to return to sweet slumber and spent the remainder of the morning wrestling with my thoughts.What had she lost? What drove her on a path of destruction?I scribbled my thoughts on a piece of paper. I torn up the piece of paper after irrational scribbling.When the first light shone onto the sofa and illuminated my toes, I snapped myself out of my deliberation. I had the feeling of that cat that incessantly chases its tail.I checked my phone. There were no messages from the Colonel or ASP Wong though I had a customary greeting from Leng."Are you alright?""I am fine"“About Chris. Dont feel bad about it."She knows me well."Managing." I replied"See you soon, Dr Ant."Leng understands me well. Like a younger sister, she just turned 23 last month. My office would have been a very different place without her prescence.
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The Supernatural Professor - The Jungle Chapter 42 - Restarting
Back home, I felt a fatigue in my system -that sort of exhaustion that originated from a mixture of frustration and anxiety. The two soldiers are still missing and there is a rumor on social media that they could be dead. It had disturbed the Colonel and his superiors that he communicated he would intensify the search round the jungle. Alone, I had squashed that thought and sat down in deep meditation for an hour to keep the monster called anxiety in check. After my mind is de-toxified, I made a simple dinner out of instant noodles and eggs and quickly settled myself in front of my laptop. I searched about the history and sources of the Kwek family and its related logos and symbols. The results were a revelation. I sieved through the results and was pleasantly surprised to find public sources of information on the evolution of the family emblem. Some sites were defunct, but there was one particular site owned by JJ Wong that seemed active.
The Supernatural Professor - The Jungle Chapter 41 - Leng's Call.
As I drove on the Sentosa Gateway, heading out of the island, I turned to the right where the Tanjong Pagar Port is. There is a neat row of containers handling equipment standing proud like a family of giraffes - a perfect picture of hustle that made up one of the busiest ports in Asia.As I marveled at the sight, my handphone buzzed. It was Leng and she is on WhatsApp call.“Hey, Dr. Ant, find somewhere to park. I have something to show you.”“Is it that earthshaking that I need to park my car first? I am getting thrilled.” I said lamely.“It’ll be worth your time,” She assured me. “Call me when you’re nicely parked.”I drove over to the nearby Tanjong Beach car park, and quickly called back Leng.“What is it?”“We found a lot of things from the Kaleidoscope App. In the past two weeks, there were three thousand items posted for sale. I had them sorted by th
The Supernatural Professor - The Jungle Chapter 40 - Striking a Chord
“Nai Nai is asking if you want more tea.” I returned to my seat. “I’m sorry. I just happen to like black and white photos.” Dorothy smiled nervously. “Who is the-” Dorothy coughed hard unexpectedly and then rested her head on her right hand. “Are you feeling alright, Nai Nai?” Josephine asked and threw a slight glance of reproach, which made me felt bad. I decided I had to brave the displeasure and voice my question. “I have a request that may offend you.” “Do you mind if we stop this meeting, Dr. Ant?” Josephine cut in. Before I could reply, Dorothy Kwek raised her hand. “Go ahead, Anthony.” “Can I invite you to visit the jungle again?” I knew I had touched a raw nerve when I got a glare in response. Her hands were tightly clasped. For a moment, she stayed wide-eyed and I was worried she may get a heart attack “It could help us in our investigation,” I added and she rega
The Supernatural Professor - The Jungle Chapter 39 - The Memories
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The Supernatural Professor - The Jungle Chapter 37 - Nowhere
Christina stood up and walked off. My heart sank and Shu Wen lept to her feet in pleas "Madam! Madam?" Officer Daniels was at a loss but soon ran off presumably to invite Christina Holmes back to the interview. "We probably hit a raw nerve." I mumbled. "Let me try." Shu Wen spoke into the mic "Madam Christina we are sorry if we had been insensitive. However, the information you provide may save lives. Please." The emotions in her voice resonated in my mind and struck a chord. She is so genuine. No response. In the corner of the screen, we saw the figure of Officer Daniels that offered little clue to what is happening off-screen. Just when we were about to give up, Christina Holmes returned. Her eyes were red from the weeping and she was sniffing into a tissue. I felt guilty “Thanks for returning, Madam. We are very sorry if our approach has offended you." Christina waved off the comment w
The Supernatural Professor - The Jungle Chapter 36 - The Overseas Lead
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The Supernatural Professor - The Jungle Chapter 35 - Two Objectives
As we waited for the Colonel to return, our dialogue drifted along. "Has your cases always been this tough?" “To be honest, the last 24 hours were challenging for me. I have never seen such a case.” ASP Wong added, "Initially we were clueless, then you came along, then we save someone and in less than a day, that someone is ...gone." Shu Wen blew a sigh and leaned back on the chair. "It is the same for me, Shu Wen. My past cases have been more straightforward. There was spiritual disturbances and I pacify the soul. This Bukit Pandan episode is a lot more complicated." "Three missing soldiers and one of them dead. In this age, every son counts and loss of one is devastating." Shu Wen observed I grimaced. Again the loss of Chris Chen stun my heart. “Ahhh, it was so emotional. I just hate deaths. The spirit in this case is also much more ominous and a lot more powerful. I once told myself with my powers I must achieve two th
The Supernatural Professor - The Jungle Chapter 34 - The Footages
Both of us found ASP Wong conducting a briefing in the tentage. She saw us and put two fingers. Two minutes. She sat on the table cross-legged in a pose of confidence and listened intently to the updates about the investigation. It seemed progress has been made. I was expectant when she wrapped up the session and sauntered over. We quickly pulled chairs and sat in a corner like children hungry for a story. Shu Wen looked fresh since we met at the hospital. She had her hair let down and wore a dark purplish shirt with black pants. Professional and beautiful. “Dr Ant, you are doing ok?” she asked before I could utter a word. I nodded, “I had a good sleep but dreamt about the lady spirit. I can only say any lead will be important for me now” “After you left, my men at the hospital found this, just beneath the bed. They had taken a picture. We left this out when you deployed the Mugwort powder. Take a look?” “What may that be” I was
