I Explore Urban Legends - Chapter 76: Breathing Nutrients from the Air (Patreon)

Liam hadn’t come here to save money, so he bought both M16s outright.

After purchasing the rifles, Liam and Frank headed to the shooting range to test them.

Watching Frank handle the weapon with practiced ease, Liam couldn’t help asking, “Did you serve in the military?”

“For a while. Those aren’t exactly pleasant memories. If it weren’t for you, I never would’ve expected to hold one of these again.”

Liam took the opportunity to experiment with several different weapons and test how [Hasbro] worked.

After some trial and error, he discovered that transforming a weapon into the same type of toy consumed the least spiritual energy. A pistol could become a toy pistol, and a shotgun could become a toy shotgun. If he forced one type of weapon to transform into something completely different, the spiritual energy cost was no better than conjuring the object from nothing.

Liam then transformed a pistol into a water gun.

He pulled the trigger.

A thin stream of water shot from the barrel and punched straight through the paper target in front of him.

Liam thought for a moment, then fired at the ground.

A white mark instantly appeared where the stream struck.

Apparently, this water gun packed quite a punch.

It could make a useful weapon for covert assassination.

Frank watched Liam produce one strange gun after another and decided to stick to his usual rule.

Don’t ask.

Whatever explanation Liam gave, he probably wouldn’t understand it anyway.

Once they finished testing the guns, Liam bought a large supply of ammunition, two shotguns, and several handguns as backups.

Altogether, the weapons cost him more than ten thousand dollars. Most of that came from the two M16s, which cost a little over seven thousand after taxes.

After Liam paid, Young John brought out a thick stack of documents.

“These are the application forms for the automatic weapons.”

Liam had no intention of filling them out himself.

“Give them to the detective. He’ll take care of all the paperwork for you. It’ll save both of us some time.”

Young John had never handled anything like this before, and his lack of experience left him hesitant.

At that moment, Old John gave Liam an unexpected assist.

“Kid, what are you dragging your feet for? This gentleman is going off to fight the Confederate Army. We have to help him.”

“All right, Grandpa. You said it.”

Watching Young John reluctantly nod, Liam could only apologize to him silently.

Those documents certainly wouldn’t be processed anytime soon.

Liam had no intention of submitting them until the Reptilians had been dealt with.

Still, that wouldn’t cause him any trouble. He only planned to use these weapons against people who hid in the shadows anyway.

Liam and Frank returned to the TV station with their haul.

After making sure no one else was around, they began moving everything into the RV.

The vehicle had already been cramped before. Now it was packed to the brim.

There was even a crate sitting in Janice’s usual spot, but she didn’t seem to care and simply sat on top of it.

Liam channeled some spiritual energy into her body.

Ever since signing the contract with Lily, he had far more spiritual energy to spare, but he still couldn’t completely repair Janice’s body.

Still, Janice could now move around much more easily, so he knew it was working.

...

The next day, Liam and Taylor arrived at the address Jacob had given them.

It turned out to be an enormous estate.

Every member of the Resistance Alliance was already gathered at the entrance. These college students really did have plenty of free time.

“Mr. Liam, I didn’t expect you to actually come. Thank you for supporting our work.”

Jacob was the first to greet him, while the other students came over to say hello as well.

Once everyone had gathered, Jacob led the group onto the estate.

Liam looked around as they walked.

To his surprise, the place was remarkably well maintained.

The grounds were covered with lawns and all kinds of plants, and there was even a fountain in the middle of the estate. The entire place had a calm, pleasant atmosphere.

Several people sat cross-legged on the grass, their chests rising and falling in a steady rhythm. They appeared to be meditating.

But there was something unsettling about them.

Every single one looked extremely weak.

The group eventually reached the main house, where the owner was already waiting for them.

Jacob walked forward, shook his hand, and asked, “Hello. Are you the founder of the America Breathing and Nutrition Association?”

“That’s right. My name is Brooks, though you may also call me the Breathing Master.”

Brooks gave them an affected smile.

“I’m sure all of you have countless questions, but I’ll answer every one of them.”

With that, he led everyone inside.

They entered a large hall with wooden flooring and absolutely no furniture.

“You may all sit directly on the floor. Close contact with the earth is the first step toward sensing energy.”

After setting up their filming equipment, everyone sat down on the floor, still looking thoroughly confused.

Brooks then began his performance.

“Since the beginning of the twentieth century, technology has advanced at tremendous speed. Our lives have become more convenient than ever before, but that very convenience has caused us to lose the ability to meditate.”

Someone raised a question.

“What exactly is meditation?”

“Meditation is a posture that allows us to sense the energy in the air.”

Brooks continued.

“Modern life has brought us convenient processed foods and prepackaged meals, but these things are destroying our bodies and cutting us off from nature.”

Quite a few people immediately agreed with him.

“That’s true. Canned food these days tastes terrible.”

“Processed food is destroying nature.”

Seeing their reaction, Brooks looked pleased.

“Nature gave every human being the ability to draw energy directly from the air. But excessive industrialization has polluted that air, causing us to lose this ability from birth. And hospitals don’t truly cure illness. They only disrupt the natural balance of our bodies.”

Those words struck directly at the hippies’ deepest beliefs.

They immediately began chiming in.

“Breathing Master, please teach us how to meditate.”

“Exactly. I feel like my body is full of impurities too. I want to absorb energy from the air.”

Brooks raised his voice.

“My purpose is to spread this meditation method throughout the world. Anyone who wishes to learn may stay here, and I will personally guide each of you.

“And don’t worry. Everything here is completely free.”

The fact that they could stay and learn for free immediately eased many of their doubts. It also made Brooks appear as though his only goal was to spread his meditation technique.

Quite a few people were tempted.

Since it cost nothing, they could always treat it as free lodging.

Several immediately went forward to ask for more details.

“I only have one rule here. You must not eat.

“Eating is merely a bad habit acquired after birth, and it disrupts our state of absorbing nourishment through breath.”

Brooks began explaining the rules of the estate.

Liam and Taylor remained off to the side, silently watching without moving.

Taylor leaned closer and whispered, “Is this guy insane? What is he even talking about?”

Liam, however, looked serious.

“What he’s saying is interesting. Almost everything he’s said is wrong, but there are still a few pieces of truth buried in it.

“He might actually know something.”