After the fire at the Yongchuan Christine Cultural Center, two teams were jointly responsible for the follow-up to the Song Shengsheng case.
One was the original special task force, led by the head of the Yongchuan Second Bureau, Jiang Chao’s immediate boss.
The second was a contingent police force that was dispatched to investigate this series of cases after the meeting convened yesterday with Xing Conglian.
The leaders of the two teams now appeared simultaneously in the video, having a remote conference call with Xing Conglian. Wang Chao sat beside him, holding a laptop, wondering what his boss had figured out.
Without any pleasantries, Xing Conglian directly said, “Keep it simple, I’ll ask the questions, and you answer.”
“Okay,” the two people in the video replied in unison.
“Because Song Shengsheng endorsed AIH Insurance, many of his fans purchased AIH products.”
“Yes.”
“How many people are ‘many’?”
“1,922,” they replied.
Xing Conglian nodded. “So, Meijing took advantage of Song Shengsheng’s comeback concert ticketing system, filtering out 1,922 long-term purchasers of AIH insurance, and distributed the tickets to them?”
“Yes.”
“Then Meijing created a fire accident at the Christine Cultural Center, intending to kill the 1,922 fans who bought insurance?”
“Yes.”
“If 1,922 people died, what would be the total amount of the insurance policies?” Xing Conglian asked.
The two people in the video hesitated, and then one of them answered after a moment of recollection. “Each policy is different, but the total amount is about 41.31 billion dollars.”
Xing Conglian frowned. “That much?”
“There are many rich girls among the fans. This isn’t considered high.”
The other person said, “On average, more than two million per policy.”
“But the beneficiaries of these policies are all different?”
“Yes, they are generally their immediate family members.”
At this point in the questioning, Xing Conglian paused. The two team leaders were waiting for Xing Conglian to ask about the 21 insurance policies among the 1,922 people with the same beneficiary, but Xing Conglian didn’t.
He asked, “In your opinion, why would they set up such a large plot and deliberately kill these people?”
Jiang Chao’s boss, the old director of Yongchuan Second Bureau, gave a bitter smile. “We have always thought that this was a plot against AIH Insurance…but…”
“But AIH Insurance would be destroyed by a 41 billion claim,” the other person in the video call added.
“To cause social unrest?” Wang Chao interjected.
“Even if the insurance company goes bankrupt, there are still reinsurance companies to take over the policies. This wouldn’t cause turmoil in the country.” The old director of the Second Bureau answered.
“Who knows what these sociopaths aim to do? Maybe they just simply want to kill and cause trouble!” Wang Chao said.
“Enough,” Xing Conglian interrupted him, and then asked the two people on the screen. “Have you consulted financial experts?”
The old director of the Second Bureau nodded. “Experts have analyzed it. If AIH has to pay claims, its stock price will plummet. Although it won’t go bankrupt, it will affect many aspects of its business…”
Xing Conglian frowned, deep in thought. Wang Chao glanced at his boss, and somehow he thought of Zhourui Pharmaceutical.
At this time, Xing Conglian pulled over the phone on the desk and made a call. A loud, arrogant voice from an old man came from the speakerphone. “I have business worth billions here, so spit it out if you have anything to say.”
Xing Conglian had no mood to quarrel with the old man and directly said, “I have some information here. Take a look and tell me what AIH’s businesses would be affected and how likely it is to be acquired.”
Xing Conglian glanced at Wang Chao, who promptly sent the file over.
“Damn, I have to help you acquire an insurance company on top of a pharmaceutical company? Do you gay guys all have such thick faces?”
The old man was about to ramble on, but Xing Conglian interrupted him. “You have 15 minutes.”
He hung up quickly after saying that.
The old man’s voice was loud, and the two people on the computer heard it, making the situation extremely awkward. But with Xing Conglian’s current mood, he didn’t have the time to care about these things.
The old man called back faster than expected.
“AIH has a wide range of businesses,” the old man said.
“Go on.”
“Damn, do you really think I’m your servant?”
“You don’t have many days to live, so cut the crap,” Xing Conglian said.
“Well, you have a point.” The old man actually agreed with this. “Let’s put it this way. Do you know how many small insurance companies went bankrupt after 9/11?”
“I don’t know. Don’t beat around the bush and tell me the result,” Xing Conglian replied coldly.
“Okay, okay. The result is, AIH will definitely be crippled by this payout, shrinking some regional and deficit-ridden businesses… Whether it will go bankrupt and restructure is hard to say. It’s complicated. I’ll find someone to make you a research report…” As the old man was talking, he suddenly shouted, “Where are my reading glasses?!”
“No need. Tell me, do the affected regions include the Angodo Republic?”
“Wait,” the old man succinctly replied.
Upon hearing the name Angodo, Wang Chao was stunned.
When they went to Dana, the plane landed in Angodo.
The Republic of Angodo bordered the Dana Region. It used to be poor, but then there was a good president who implemented universal health care and free education, which dramatically improved the country’s living standards.
If the other party has been planning for years to bring down AIH and consequently affect Angodo, then this was a move that could be described as nothing short of madness.
There was a long back-and-forth discussion and exchange of information coming from the other end of the phone.
A moment later, the old man replied, “On the list.”
“30-second briefing,” Xing Conglian said.
“All of Angodo’s national medical insurance is under AIH. If AIH encounters a payment crisis, it will shrink its business in Angodo. Moreover, many hospitals in Angodo are largely funded by AIH.”
“In other words, they would close down and run, turning Angodo’s universal health insurance and medical facilities into ornaments.”
The old man protested, “Be civilized. It’s a normal bankruptcy process. How can you say they’re running away…”
Before the person on the other end of the phone could say anything else, Xing Conglian decisively hung up.
The two team leaders in the video call were puzzled, not knowing why Xing Conglian thought of Angodo, but Wang Chao knew it was because of the Dana rainforest, but he couldn’t say.
“Angodo is not part of China. It’s poor, and there are no reinsurance companies to take over the policies,” Xing Conglian said.
“If AIH runs away, the national health insurance becomes a piece of paper, and medical care has never been something that the poor can enjoy,” he added.
“This is the so-called social unrest caused by the bankruptcy of an insurance company,” he concluded.
Whether it was Wang Chao or the two team leaders in the video call, they were all speechless for a long time.
Indeed, they had been immersed in this case for a long time, and they knew more about the case than Xing Conglian, but even Lin Chen wouldn’t have thought of Angodo.
They had never been there, so it was a blind spot in their thinking.
“Why would Meijing intentionally kill our citizens in order to bring down an insurance company?” Wang Chao asked subconsciously.
“Next, let’s talk about the issue of MSC Doctors Without Borders.” Xing Conglian directly ignored him.
In the video call, the director of the second bureau quickly added, “Of the 1,922 policies, 21 beneficiaries are the MSC Doctors Without Borders Federation—non-legal entities can become designated beneficiaries.”
Before Xing Conglian could ask the previous question again, he directly said, “MSC is the oldest Doctors Without Borders organization in the world. The fans were probably inspired by Song Shengsheng to fill in MSC as the beneficiary.”
“What’s the sum insured for these 21 people?” Xing Conglian asked.
“21 million.”
“Not much.”
“Compared to over four billion, it’s a small sum, but indeed, we can’t rule out the suspicion that this organization is defrauding insurance,” the director of the second bureau said. “At least the insurance company will investigate or try to refuse payment.”
“If MSC and Meijing are in the same boat, then this is insurance fraud,” the other person in the video call said.
“What if it’s not?” Xing Conglian countered.
“According to the idea of bringing down AIH behind the scenes, it’s hard to make an international medical organization bankrupt, but you can bankrupt its credibility with 21 million and some propaganda wars.”
Xing Conglian looked approvingly at the other party. “21 million, and you don’t have to pay for it yourself. It’s a good deal.”
“Killing two birds with one stone? What do these people have against insurance companies? What good does it do them to bring these two down?” Wang Chao interjected.
“That’s been our question all along,” the director of the second bureau in Yongchuan said. “More than three thousand people—what is the murderer’s motive?”
“Check your mailboxes. Wang Chao just sent you two documents,” Xing Conglian said. “Confidential files—be sure to keep them secret.”
Of course, these two documents were the virus documents found on the server. Hearing this, Wang Chao finally pieced together the puzzle pieces.
The Dana Rainforest, the neighboring Republic of Angodo, the Doctors Without Borders organization, the neurotoxin, the Borna virus, and the grand goal of this organization…
Near A University, in a certain café by the window, Zhong Chengshuo was sitting there blankly.
He had planned to finish his paper by 5 p.m. and go on a date with Yin Ren nearby. However, before 4 p.m., he had already achieved his goal. Faced with this unexpected situation, Zhong Chengshuo felt a bit lost—Yin Ren was currently busy checking on Sun Qi’an’s condition and definitely didn’t have time to chat with him.
Surrounded by chattering customers, Zhong Chengshuo deeply experienced the feeling of “boredom”.
Outside the window, a scoop of ice cream fell onto the pavement, and a group of ants systematically explored the treasure. Zhong Chengshuo obediently leaned on the table, fixating his dark eyes on the ants.
The army of ants made its journey smoothly, except for a minor incident—soon after, a fly leisurely landed on the ice cream cone.
Zhong Chengshuo frowned.
The elder of the Zhong family had taught him that “life is precious”, but Zhong Chengshuo didn’t particularly like flies and mosquitoes that spread diseases. He extended his hand, and the tips of his five fingers lightly touched the glass as darkness surged within his pupils.
Fear dominated.
The fly kicked its legs, and its body rolled off the ice cream cone.
Zhong Chengshuo withdrew his hand and took a sip of juice. Recently, he had become more skilled in using his abilities. Shian had specifically calculated it; with his current power and the help of the Karma Lantern, he could destroy Haigu within two minutes. Under excessive fear, everyone would choose to end their own lives at the first opportunity.
Zhong Chengshuo had no thoughts on the matter.
He had no special liking or disliking towards humans, especially since Yin Ren had a special preference for humans—to the point of harboring the power of corruption while tirelessly protecting them.
He didn’t want to oppose his lover.
Furthermore, using emotions to drive people to self-destruction, Qi Xin, as “Sorrow”, could do that too. But Qi Xin couldn’t force flies and mosquitoes to death, nor could she help exterminate cockroaches in the neighborhood. For lower-level creatures, the most primal “Fear” was effective.
Thinking of this, Zhong Chengshuo’s blank expression became smug without showing it. He carefully savored and tasted this emotion, then glanced at the time—there was still half an hour before Yin Ren arrived.
The flow of time had undoubtedly slowed down, Zhong Chengshuo solemnly judged.
In the next moment, accompanied by screeching brakes, a heavy wave of fear erupted nearby.
Zhong Chengshuo looked out of the window and happened to see the scene of an accident. A dirty stray dog had been hit by a car and was lying on the roadside, bleeding. The driver confirmed that it wasn’t a pet and drove away without hesitation.
The little dog lay quietly on the roadside, and the deep red blood spread slowly on the ground. The viscous blood covered its dirty and matted fur, and the trembling body in the center of the bloodstain wouldn’t stop.
A few passersby stopped to look for a while and then walked away. The stray dog’s bones were broken, and its organs were exposed. No professional knowledge of zoology was needed to know that its life was coming to an end.
The smell of fear grew stronger.
Zhong Chengshuo stared at the puddle of blood for a moment. A few seconds later, he closed his laptop and stood up.
……
The stray dog lay motionless on the roadside.
It wanted to move, but its emaciated body wouldn’t respond at all. Everything became unfamiliar and cold. Besides panting and trembling, it couldn’t do anything. Intense pain exploded within its body, and countless monstrous creatures swept past it. It had never been so terrified before.
Suddenly, a massive shadow stopped beside it. The newcomer carried a refreshing scent of vegetation, completely devoid of the stench of sweat.
Human? …There seemed to be something not quite right, but it didn’t have the strength to distinguish. Anyway, humans weren’t good creatures. In its terror, the stray dog bared its teeth and let out a weak growl.
The person bent down.
The stray dog could feel the person’s gaze, as well as the slight movement of the shadow and the scent—it wanted to bite him with all its might the moment he touched it.
“Whether it’s humans or other creatures, their reactions are similar when they’re dying,” the person said.
The stray dog trembled even more.
“I’ve encountered someone who looks a lot like you before. Like you, I didn’t know his name… He was my enemy, abandoned by his comrades, destined to die.”
The voice continued steadily.
“That was the first time I used this ability for something else.”
With these words, a hand gently landed on the stray dog’s head.
“…This time, I’ll do better.”
It should bite him hard, the stray dog struggled to turn its thoughts. Strangely, it seemed to have suddenly forgotten the reason for attacking.
The intense pain remained, the coldness remained, and the smell of blood was everywhere, as if nothing had changed. But the despair and fear disappeared without a trace, leaving only a gentle calmness.
Perhaps this was the safety and tranquility that it had never experienced in its entire life.
Its vision gradually faded, but its body no longer trembled. The hand on its forehead was incredibly warm. With great effort, the stray dog pondered for a moment, mustered its last bit of strength, and slowly closed its eyes.
“Good night,” the human softly said.
……
Zhong Chengshuo packed up the remaining food, bought a paper box and cloth from the café, and cleaned up the stray dog’s body. The cloth covered the blood-soaked body, and it lay peacefully as if sleeping. Zhong Chengshuo placed the paper box in the cleanest corner of the trash bin, and after a moment of contemplation, he took out a small cake and gently placed it next to the body.
At this moment, Zhong Chengshuo was very certain of two things.
First, Yin Ren was surprisingly softhearted and definitely wouldn’t mind one missing piece of cake. Second… he indeed preferred using his power like this rather than destroying the world.
Just like Yin Ren.
It was now 4:53 p.m., and he couldn’t be late for his date.
“Goodbye,” Zhong Chengshuo bid farewell to the small body.
On the other side, at Haigu Municipal Hospital.
“Well, there’s no problem. But if you experience any abnormal emotions, be sure to contact us immediately.”
Yin Ren stood up from the couch and stretched lazily.
“Love’s” seal in Sun Qi’an’s brain was still stable. However, better to be safe than sorry, Yin Ren would still give Dr. Sun a monthly check-up.
“What do you mean by abnormal emotions?” Sun Qi’an neatly combed her hair.
“You’ll feel it yourself more quickly.” Yin Ren extended his index finger and tapped Sun Qi’an’s brow.
He released the power of “Love” into Sun Qi’an’s brain, which lasted for about five seconds. Within those five seconds, Dr. Sun’s eyes went from confusion to madness, and then back to confusion. After removing his finger, her gaze was filled with shock.
“That’s probably how it feels.” Yin Ren coughed twice in a seemingly serious manner.
“It’s really scary.”
“Isn’t it?”
“It’s terrifying. It’s supposed to be a strong love… but I always feel like I want to destroy something, and my mind can’t function properly.” Dr. Sun rubbed her temples in pain.
“I totally understand. You must remember this feeling.” Thinking about his own history of being affected, Yin Ren’s eyes almost teared up. Even after all this time, Zhong Chengshuo’s voice recordings related to Innocent Thoughts still remained.
Despite wearing an innocent face, that kid was quite frightening in certain aspects.
Dr. Sun’s face turned pale as she sat on the couch, poured herself half a cup of tea, and finally caught her breath. “Have you also experienced these things? Without going crazy?”
“… ” Yin Ren shifted his gaze to the corner of the wall, feeling guilty.
Fortunately, Dr. Sun didn’t think too much about it and drank another half cup of tea, still trembling slightly. “No wonder you’re a master in Shian. If someone as skilled as you went crazy, the level of destruction would be outrageous. Does Shian have any special countermeasures?”
Yin Ren’s expression froze for a moment.
At present, he and Zhong Chengshuo could be considered Shian’s “countermeasures”, but there weren’t any before. At that time, Shian was only entangled with Sunken Society, and their research on the Other Side had been at a standstill. If…
If on that rainy night, he hadn’t met Zhong Chengshuo.
He wouldn’t have joined Shian so quickly, and it would have been impossible for fate to push him forward. In that state of ignorance, once the Elementals discovered him, he wouldn’t have been able to resist. A lone person, manipulated by emotions, would become a weapon for Sunken Society… No, the Other Side.
Shian would be caught off guard and combined with Zhong Chengshuo, who couldn’t delve deeper into the research on the Other Side, they would absolutely have no ability to resist.
“Haha.” Yin Ren suddenly burst into laughter.
Dr. Sun poured herself another cup of tea. “What are you laughing at?”
“Nothing.” Yin Ren rubbed his face.
It was just that he realized he had almost become the world-destroying Demon King.
Humming a tune, the Great Demon King left and casually bought a bouquet of flowers from a nearby shop.
Sunlight poured through the glass into the flower shop, and the vibrant colors overflowed with vitality, making one’s eyes sore. The colorful bouquet was wrapped in colorful wrapping paper, with water droplets rolling on the petals. Unfortunately, this delicate atmosphere was soon destroyed—
Yin Ren had the stewed rice box prepared by Zhong elders in his hand, as well as the brand of sandwiches that Zhong Chengshuo liked. The bouquet was squeezed in between a few bags, looking particularly pitiful.
“Hello? I understand, Mom, it’s alright, I’ll deliver it soon… Yes, yes, we’ll eat together.” Yin Ren floated in the sky, having a serious conversation. “I remember. I’ll definitely bring back the lunch box.”
After finishing the call, he turned into a trail of shadows and disappeared into the air.
It was 5:57 p.m.
Yin Ren landed silently and immediately saw Zhong Chengshuo in front of the café. He had a laptop bag in his left hand and a pastry in his right hand with eyes filled with clear anticipation.
As the sun set, there was a bustling crowd around Zhong Chengshuo. People passed by him, heading in different directions. Zhong Chengshuo stood among the crowd, and that sense of detachment had disappeared without him noticing.
He looked like one among the countless beings.
Yin Ren stepped out of the alley, unable to hide the smile on his face. He stopped by Zhong Chengshuo’s side and sniffed lightly. “You smell like blood.”
“Mm…” Zhong Chengshuo began to carefully organize his words.
“But it’s ‘good blood.'” Yin Ren couldn’t help but free one hand and ruffle the other’s soft hair. “Although I don’t know what you did, you did a good job. Let me praise you first.”
“Really?”
“I’ll make it up tenfold if I’m lying.” Yin Ren shook the lunch box. “Our parents made something special for us again. Let’s have dinner first and talk while eating.”
Zhong Chengshuo skillfully extended his hand and pulled out the bouquet from a pile of plastic bags. He held the flowers against his chest and a smile appeared on his lips.
“Okay.” Zhong Chengshuo took two steps forward, leaning close to Yin Ren.
“Don’t get so close. You might crush the sandwiches—”
“I like it crushed.”
The author has something to say:
World destroying Demon King A + Demon King B, it’s so great that they’re getting along peacefully! (×
There’s only one more chapter for the extras, and it will be completed in the next few days! Thank you all for waiting so patiently—
In two days, there would be an academic exchange conference at D University. As one of the two representatives from A University, Ma Yan was quite nervous—
D University was located in a remote area, close to several ancient tombs. Recently, a new burial site was discovered, and strange occurrences have been happening since then. Based on Ma Yan’s experience, those rumors weren’t just idle talk—he had interned at a special department in Shian and knew some inside information.
As the bus departure time approached, Ma Yan took off his backpack. While swinging the backpack, he accidentally hit the person next to him.
“Sorry Zhong Chengshuo,” Ma Yan apologized as he put the backpack on his lap.
“It’s okay.” Zhong Chengshuo nodded without turning his gaze.
Indeed, he’s such an odd person.
Zhong Chengshuo was considered the most highly regarded student in the department. It was said that he wandered outside for a few years before returning to pursue his Ph.D. He rented a place near A University and didn’t participate in any student group activities. This guy didn’t even eat in the cafeteria—he always went back to his rented house for meals. Ma Yan wondered what he was so dedicated to.
Currently, there were three seats in a row, but Zhong Chengshuo had left the one by the window empty.
“Waiting for someone?” Ma Yan looked at the time, trying to start a conversation.
Zhong Chengshuo: “Yes, a family member.”
Ma Yan took a deep breath. This conference allowed attendees to bring their family members. But this person Zhong Chengshuo… Wasn’t that ring just for fun? Who would choose such a strange wedding ring?
Considering his behavior of running back to his rented house, Ma Yan solemnly pondered. “Taking care of a relative’s children?”
“My partner wants to come along.” Zhong Chengshuo’s voice became slightly louder. He finally turned his head, and his black, hollow eyes fixated on Ma Yan.
Bachelor Ma Yan: “…” He’s not happy.
Speaking of which, Zhong Chengshuo was quite good-looking. Even if he was an eccentric person, there would definitely be girls who liked him. Ma Yan wondered what kind of person his partner would be like…
“Zhong Ge!” A figure swiftly jumped onto the bus. The person was wearing a black shirt and a red duckbill cap. Their long hair was tied up in a ponytail. Above the mask, a pair of red eyes formed a smiling curve.
The person strode over to Ma Yan. “Brother, excuse me.”
They took the empty seat by the window, wearing the same ring on their ring finger as Zhong Chengshuo.
So, it really is a wedding ring?!
Ma Yan is shocked. “Wait, a guy?”
Zhong Chengshuo nodded. His expression remained unchanged, but the atmosphere around him seemed to have brightened by 10%. The person sitting down removed their mask and took a deep breath.
After seeing the other person’s appearance, Ma Yan was speechless. The more beautiful a “person” was, the more dangerous they were, as Ma Yan learned during his internship. His mental tension instantly escalated.
“Zhong Chengshuo’s classmate? I’m Yin Ren.” Yin Ren extends his hand in a straightforward manner.
“Ma Yan.” Ma Yan shook their hand, trembling.
Fortunately, Yin Ren only exchanged a simple greeting. Not long after getting on the bus, he yawned loudly and immediately rested his head on Zhong Chengshuo’s shoulder, falling asleep.
……
D University was in a remote location, and the nearby shops and hotels were at a small-town level. Most of the conference participants stayed on campus, but Zhong Chengshuo, with his family member, had booked a room in a hotel.
After some contemplation, Ma Yan chose to book a room at the same hotel. Just in case there were real problems with the nearby burial site or if Zhong Chengshuo’s boyfriend was indeed suspicious, it would be easier to contact Shian.
The first two days went smoothly.
Zhong Chengshuo acted as usual, while his partner, Mr. Yin, simply wandered around various street food stalls nearby. Ma Yan felt relieved, thinking that maybe he was overreacting.
Until midnight of the third day.
In the cheerful background music of the game, Ma Yan poked at his phone while playing a video on his computer. He was going back tomorrow, so there wasn’t much to worry about.
Swish.
Amidst the music and dialogue, a strange sound suddenly appeared.
Swish, swish.
Vague noises came from beneath the floor, sounding like digging in the soil. Ma Yan turned off the game and video, but the strange sound became even clearer.
Swish, swish, swish. The floor was trembling.
Ma Yan’s room was on the third floor, with an empty guest room below. There was a simple layer of reinforced concrete in between, which couldn’t explain these digging-like noises.
Stay calm, it’s a minor thing. There must be some scientific explanation behind it. Ma Yan tightened his face.
Outside, the night had grown dark, and no lights were visible. In the silence, apart from the sound of digging, there were eerie whispers. Ma Yan walked a few circles in the room, making sure it wasn’t his own illusion or dream.
Ma Yan couldn’t decide whether to go outside or not. The occupancy rate here was low, and he was the only one on the third floor. Moving around casually might be even more dangerous.
Swish, swish. A faint, foul odor filled the air.
The digging and whispers were getting closer. Ma Yan anxiously stared at the source of the sound. In the hotel’s dim yellow light, a small clump of soil faintly appeared on the tiled floor.
Ma Yan swallowed his saliva, shifting his gaze towards the door—
Knock, knock, knock!
“Ma Yan, want to have a drink together?” Right at that moment, Yin Ren’s voice sounded from outside the door.
The digging sound abruptly stopped, and even the soil on the floor seemed to retreat at a rapid pace, as if trying to escape.
Ma Yan: “…?”
“We came to find you.” Outside the door, Yin Ren continued to call out. “Zhong Ge can’t drink, and it’s boring if it’s just me. It’s livelier with more people.”
Ma Yan approached the peephole. In the dim corridor, Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo were indeed standing there. The problem was that he barely knew Zhong Chengshuo, and it was his first time meeting Yin Ren. It was suspicious for them to suddenly come from another floor to drink in the middle of the night.
Taking a step back, something about his room felt off, and he couldn’t involve innocent classmates in this.
Ma Yan cleared his throat. “I’m about to sleep. Let’s meet up after I return to the city.”
Swish.
Just as Ma Yan finished speaking, there was a cautious sound beneath the floor.
Yin Ren: “Ah, what a pity…”
In an instant, the hotel’s door slammed onto the ground. Yin Ren stood at the entrance with a smile, still in the motion of pushing the door.
“Sorry, the door isn’t sturdy.” Yin Ren’s eyes glowed red in the darkness.
Sturdy my ass! Ma Yan jumped up and grabbed his phone. Something was definitely off with this guy, and he had to report it to Shian.
Zhong Chengshuo was holding a strange-looking lantern as he approached. “Should we show it to him?”
“No need to erase his memory. Fu Tianyi just sent news that this person has good potential.” Yin Ren murmured to himself, tilting his head. “The science post values cognition, right? If his cognition collapses here, he won’t be of much use.”
“I understand.” Zhong Chengshuo nodded solemnly.
With a terrified gaze, Ma Yan watched the two of them chattering. His heart almost exploded. What on earth was going on with these two? Could it be that Zhong Chengshuo was being controlled by a monster? It had already been so long; why hadn’t Shian’s people arrived yet?
In Ma Yan’s frightened gaze, Yin Ren casually walked to the center of the room and knocked on the floor. “Why not keep digging?”
The room fell into complete silence.
“You were having so much fun digging just now. You were only one step away from singing the ‘most glorious labor’.” Yin Ren gently raised his right hand, then struck the floor. Strangely, the tiles showed no damage, and Yin Ren’s hand sank into the ground as if it were sinking into mud, straight into the floor.
In an instant, he pulled his hand, and a desiccated, skeletal arm emerged.
Below the arm, there were brownish-black bones and intertwined tree roots that seemed inseparable from each other. Yin Ren pulled it out like he was pulling a water hose, while Zhong Chengshuo carefully arranged the part that was pulled out, meticulously stacking it against the wall.
For some reason, the monster being pulled out trembled slightly, without any resistance. When it was being arranged in a circle by Yin Ren, it even cooperated by adjusting its position.
This is insane. Ma Yan slid slowly to the corner of the wall.
The monster itself was one thing, but these two people… He couldn’t come up with any explanation.
After pulling for about twenty minutes, the monster beneath the floor was finally completely pulled out. It occupied one-third of the room and was piled up like stacked tires. The monster wriggled, and the dust on its body fell to the ground.
Zhong Chengshuo examined the monster for a while, and a look of joy appeared on his face. Ma Yan had seen that expression before; every time his father caught a fish, he had the same satisfied look.
“Corpse intestine from an ancient tomb. The corpses have different years, most of them are sacrificial, and a few should be tomb raiders or…” Yin Ren wiped his hands with a wet towel. “Or people who were recently attacked.”
He pointed to the fresh part of the monster’s body, where it looked like tender shoots growing from withered tree branches.
“Thank you for the reminder.” Zhong Chengshuo took out a sample bag and a small knife from his pocket.
“Wait! You can’t just…” Ma Yan exclaimed.
The flesh and blood of the monster might have unknown effects, and it was strictly forbidden for ordinary people to privately obtain and study it under Shian’s regulations. With the situation happening right in front of him, Ma Yan couldn’t ignore it.
Zhong Chengshuo slowly turned his head, and Ma Yan was so scared that he covered his head. However, Zhong Chengshuo didn’t say a word, and his eyes just showed a hint of grievance.
Yin Ren raised a smile and spoke deliberately slowly. “We caught it, so naturally, we have the right to deal with it.”
Before he could finish his sentence, the monster let out a faint whimper and trembled, causing the floor to shake. If it weren’t for how disgusting the thing was, Ma Yan might have felt sorry for it.
“And guess why Shian hasn’t arrived yet?” Yin Ren’s smile became even brighter.
……
Before leaving the room, Yin Ren even left two cans of beer for Ma Yan. If he hadn’t left behind nearly half of the room filled with monsters, Ma Yan might have been even more grateful. The stimulated monster obediently remained still, playing dead alongside Ma Yan.
The good news was that five minutes after those two guys left, Shian’s personnel arrived at the door.
“Ancient tomb intestine, more than a thousand years old.” Fu Tianyi’s face showed no expression.
“Mr. Fu!”
Ma Yan instantly felt relieved. This was a top-notch expert from the Yandu branch, but he seemed particularly listless and in a bad mood.
Fu Tianyi absentmindedly picked up a can of beer and took a few sips.
“I’ll arrange for you to change rooms later, and Shian will handle this thing.” After putting down the can, Fu Tianyi sent a message while talking. “Not being shaken by seeing this thing, you’ve done well.”
Ma Yan had nothing to say. He actually wanted to be shaken, but unfortunately, the monster gave in too quickly, and his emotions hadn’t had time to brew.
Thinking about it, Ma Yan hesitated for a moment. “Two people took…”
“It’s safe here.” Fu Tianyi interrupted loudly. “No issues at all.”
“Just now, two people…”
“No issues at all.”
“Just now—”
“No issues at all!” Fu Tianyi drank half a can of beer, and a sense of despair appeared on his face.
Ma Yan: “…Alright, since the Fu family says there are no issues, I have no position to question further.”
……
One week later.
[BOOS Supreme Devil Emperor: Lao Jiang is selling ancient tomb corpse hearts!]
[Xinxin Dog Kennel: Where can you even get corpse hearts now? They’ve all been plucked clean.]
[BOOS Supreme Devil Emperor: That new burial site.]
[Lao Zhang Pancake Stall 028: The corpse heart is guarded by corpse intestines. Corpse intestines with high cultivation will devour people on their own. They are extremely dangerous.]
[No Head: That place has been around for thousands of years; it’s tough. Dealing with a five-hundred-year-old corpse intestines would require about a hundred people.]
[BOOS Supreme Devil Emperor: It must be King Yama.]
[No Head: Here we go again.]
[BOOS Supreme Devil Emperor: Didn’t he get a partner? It must be them.]
[yamagald: Guess?]
“Don’t worry too much. ‘King Yama’ won’t expose himself,” Zhong Chengshuo said as he embraced Yin Ren from behind, sounding drowsy.
“The ministers probably have an idea in their hearts.” Yin Ren chuckled as he looked at the chat room flooding with messages.
“I haven’t left any evidence.” Zhong Chengshuo’s tone instantly turned serious.
“You don’t need evidence for this kind of thing. It’s not like we’re going to court.” Yin Ren playfully ran his hand through his partner’s hair. “Trust me. Even if they do find evidence, they’ll pretend they didn’t see it.”
After all, having King Yama as a convenient scapegoat was much more convenient than admitting that “there’s someone in Shian who can’t be controlled”.
“I don’t understand.”
“I’ll teach you slowly in the future.”
“…Alright.”
The author has something to say:
King Yama, a sham company (…
Two people making extra money with their salaries, laboring to become wealthy!
Teest swallowed the chicken in his mouth, looking at Nol with relish.
As the lich picked up the chicken, he immediately closed his eyes and pressed his hands together in a serious and devout manner, not knowing what he was praying for.
Nol was undeniably handsome, but the night made this beauty seem lifeless. Teest liked Nol’s eyes the most; they were full of life. When Nol closed his eyes like this, he looked like a real corpse—cold and distant.
Usually, when someone closed their eyes in front of Teest, they never got the chance to open them again. But he knew Nol could, and this left Teest somewhat perplexed.
As Teest tried to shake off this feeling, Nol suddenly opened his eyes. He took a long breath, and his face showed clear excitement. Caught off guard, Teest mentally shook his head.
“What did you get?” Teest asked.
Picking up another piece of chicken, Nol chewed happily, “‘Bloodline Suppression’. Not bad… The sauce is refreshing, though a bit bitter.”
Nol was truly satisfied. No matter how bitter the sauce, it wasn’t as bitter as the black coffee when working overtime.
Indeed, there were better skills in the dragon’s skill list. Talents like [Anti-Magic], [Dragon Breath], and [Species Morph] were comparable to SSRs*. Having been beaten down by reality for so long, Nol didn’t believe he had the luck to draw a golden card. He was content with getting an SR like [Bloodline Suppression], which wouldn’t be affected by curses.
*Specially Super Rare.
[Bloodline Suppression: As the apex of all creatures, you instill innate fear in other species. Only those with strong wills can resist. ※This is a passive skill and can be toggled on or off.]
He now had [Bloodline Suppression], [Listening], and [Smelling]—all excellent survival skills. He had added 240 to both his physical and magical defenses. Although he was still fragile, he wouldn’t die upon the slightest touch.
If all else failed, he had his “Working Knight”, Teest, and his 8-hour loyalty from [Betrayal Overture], which was exactly a working day.
“From now on, activate ‘Betrayal Overture’ every day at nine in the morning, from nine to five.”
Nol tried to suppress the smile at the corner of his mouth. “Ensuring a 30% attribute boost during the day, extending it only under special circumstances. What do you think?”
Teest: “…Okay.”
He always felt the timing Nol chose was odd. But if the two of them had to exchange a hand-kiss gesture three times a day, it would be even weirder and might draw attention.
“I will still reduce the attributes,” Teest added. “The closer to the big city, the more players. It’s safer to be low-key.”
They both agreed and quickly finished off the long-horned chicken.
Nol tapped the plate with a fork, and the chicken bones neatly scurried away, leaving a clean blue dish.
……
Four days later, the sky was just as clear.
Knight Eugene stood at the entrance of the Evergreen Church with an unusually expressionless face.
In front of the Evergreen Church was a square paved with white stones. Now, there was a conspicuous blot, like a stain on a white handkerchief.
It was the missing Lord Swain.
He was dead, with gold threads all over his body. The sun shone, making them sparkle on his pale skin like exquisite tattoos.
Lord Swain had returned to his human form, wearing a robe and fixed in a slightly bent waist with his arms in an outstretched posture by the golden threads. His face was sewn into a gentle smile. At his feet were lush shrubs, and in front of him were two “children” made of vines and flowers. Their petals were dewy and brilliantly shining in the morning light.
A scene filled with love and compassion.
Naturally, Eugene recognized it. The protector of the orphans, Gilmore the Compassionate, one of the famous devotees in the Book of Life.
The real Mad Monk had come.
After Lord Swain was rescued, Eugene even intensified the guards in Whitebird City. But the Mad Monk had mysteriously managed all this, displaying the body at the entrance of the Evergreen Church. Apart from the panicked crowd, he left nothing behind.
Seeing this, the public would only feel it blasphemous and cruel. But Eugene knew the irony within—just two days ago, the Investigation Knights had discovered a secret passage in the city lord’s office and found piles of children’s skeletons.
…May God forgive these unholy fanatics.
The Investigation Knights mobilized quickly, sealing off the scene. Eugene turned against the flow, his dark green cloak slicing through the air.
Not far in a dark alley, two cloaked figures, one tall and one short, watched everything unfold.
Watching as the city lord’s body was magically concealed, the shorter of the two laughed a few times. “How marvelous! We were right nearby, and yet we didn’t notice.”
His tone remained frivolous, unmistakably the assailant from a few days prior.
“The Mad Monk has been a veteran who hasn’t been caught for over a decade,” the taller one said in a muffled voice.
“Forget it, we didn’t come for him in the first place,” the assailant commented nonchalantly. “The precious artifact is gone, and now we have to explain upon returning. What a hassle.”
The taller one remained silent.
Their plan was simple—with the assistance of the city lord, they intended to offer the corpse of a massive dragon and numerous human lives as sacrifices to awaken the candle, thus creating a portal unique to the Eternal Church. In doing so, the Church would covertly turn Whitebird City into a stronghold for its fanatical followers without anyone noticing.
The teleportation arrays between the major cities were ancient relics, tightly controlled by various nations. Temples monitored them closely, requiring strict registration for those entering or exiting. Long-distance teleportation magic existed only in legends, with only a few ancient artifacts having such capabilities.
After all, according to the teachings of the church, “transcending space” was stepping into the realm of the gods.
The candle was essentially a movable portal; its importance was self-explanatory. Yet his companion merely found it “troublesome to explain if lost”.
…It was somewhat understandable, the taller one thought. After all, they weren’t truly loyal to the Eternal Church.
“What’s your plan, Crimson?” the taller one asked.
“What else can I do but chase down that candle,” Crimson, the assailant, replied. “The two individuals were rather interesting. I’ve never been bested quite like that before.”
Saying this, he took off his hood and gestured to a passing young man in the alley.
“Hey there, run an errand for me?” Crimson said with a warm and friendly smile. “We’re waiting for someone and can’t leave. Could you buy us two bottles of wine? I’ll give you five silver hooks for your trouble.”
It was broad daylight, and the young man readily entered the deeper alley. In the next instant, a cold glint passed across his throat.
Blood sprayed instantly, covering the walls. The youth died in mere seconds, collapsing into the growing puddle. Crimson slashed his own palm and let his blood mix with the pool.
“I offer a life in exchange. Show me the whereabouts of the foe who drew my blood,” he commanded in a tone akin to placing an order.
From the blood arose a gaunt, deep-red humanoid figure, no taller than an adult’s calf, with an indistinct face. The blood gnome pointed south.
The young man’s body slowly sank into the pool of blood, and the stone slabs beneath the blood seemed to turn into a marsh. When the blood gnome dissolved back into the liquid, the corpse completely disappeared without a trace.
“Towards Grape Collar. Both the Alva and Rizzi merchant groups went in that direction,” the taller one said solemnly. “Shall we draw lots?”
“I’ll follow Alva, you tail Rizzi. The mercenaries Alva hired are more vigilant; you might get exposed.” Crimson shrugged. “Once we find the whereabouts of those two, we’ll regroup.”
The taller one grunted, sounding somewhat dissatisfied, but he didn’t comment.
Crimson clapped his hands, and flames arose, burning away the pool of blood, leaving only charred marks behind.
The brief firelight illuminated Crimson’s deep red hair and similarly colored eyes. He was fairly good-looking, but there was an unsettling, manic energy about him that made him unlikable. He wore a golden earring in his left ear, engraved with the insignia of “World of Tahe”.
The gold had a faded red hue, as though it were stained with blood, much like the stubborn bloodstains on Bluebeard’s key*.
*Reference to Bluebeard, a French folktale. He has a room where he keeps all his murdered wives’ corpses. You can read the story in the Wikipedia.
Having dealt with the body, Crimson put his hood back on, and the two delved deeper into the dark alley.
“You have to admit, you’re no match for the Mad Monk,” the taller one suddenly remarked, sounding a bit aggressive. “The Temple has no clue about him, while you, like a dog, fled to our country and nearly got caught by law enforcement.”
“But I hunt strong men, while you only dare strangle girls,” Crimson retorted lightly. “Honestly, ‘Jack’ is a terrible ID. Mr. Liang, you should’ve been more thoughtful when picking your name… or were you paying tribute to that Jack the Ripper*, who also specialized in killing women?”
*Unidentified serial killer in London England in 1888 who murdered a series of women (mainly prostitutes).
“I have a preference for women. That’s normal. You and the Mad Monk are just religious fanatics,” Jack, the taller one, said with increasing irritation.
“Alright, let’s talk about the Mad Monk. He’s not of my kind. Even though his work is also god-themed, his results lack love.”
“Love? I see it as hatred,” Jack scoffed.
“No, no, you don’t understand. When the subject is a god, hatred is also a form of love.”
Crimson’s tone was somewhat fanatical, like discussing a familiar academic issue. “The Mad Monk is different. He’s mad, true, but he’s an arrogant and calm madman. I don’t think he cares about gods… Um, his works mislead more than they blaspheme.”
There was a silence that lasted for about ten seconds, then Crimson suddenly stopped.
“I need to correct one detail,” he suddenly said. “There’s a little bit of love in the Mad Monk’s work. The smile on the corpse—it’s different.”
The tall man, Jack, couldn’t be bothered to engage. “Change the subject. I’m tired of your melodrama.”
“Don’t underestimate the will of the gods, my friend. Think about how we got here—I, a foreign tourist, can understand, but you, a fugitive, being invited to test the game? In the end, you make up for my only shortcoming.”
“I’m not your tool,” Jack said in a deep voice.
“Who knows?”
……
Nol hummed a cheerful tune.
He and Teest were sitting in a carriage from the Rizzi Caravan. Apart from sacks full of potatoes, carrots, and onions, it was just the two of them. The sacks piled up high, leaving a frighteningly narrow space. But this couldn’t dampen Nol’s mood—
With Lynn’s collaboration, the dragon-skin notebook was perfectly upgraded. The cover of “The Complete Recipe Book” had been meticulously remade and integrated completely with the notebook, giving it a perfect aged look.
Its cover was now made of black magic-absorbing cloth, with “The Complete Recipe Book” and decorative patterns embroidered with ancient silver thread, excellent for guiding magic, with a witch’s magic circle hidden within.
The pages of the notebook became smooth and white, and a discreet emblem was added to the spine—a prototype emblem made with color-changing thread, currently displaying a distorted “68%”, reminiscent of a phone’s battery display.
When Nol wasn’t using it, the notebook could charge itself. The change in magic during use was also intuitive, so there was no need to worry about over-draining and damaging the item.
The item’s description had also changed—
[The Complete Recipe Book: A book of questionable material. Be careful. What’s recorded inside is definitely not recipes. As long as you don’t overuse it, it’s always ready to serve you.]
“You seem happy?” Teest crossed his arms, yawning, his body slightly swaying with the bumps of the merchant’s carriage.
“Of course I am. This is my external skill slot,” Nol said, hugging The Complete Recipe Book as if wanting to kiss it.
Last night, both had stayed up. Teest went out to set up the corpse, while Nol eagerly made modifications to the new notebook—
He had rewritten [Necromancy], and now it could summon intermediate undead creatures. High-level undead creatures mostly had higher intelligence. The summoning rules were incredibly complex, and Nol was still researching. After all, to manually recreate the program’s intricate judgments and massive calculations, he needed a lot of time.
Furthermore, Nol added [Death Intimidation], in conjunction with [Bloodline Suppression]. If the dragon’s [Bloodline Suppression] successfully induced fear in the target, [Death Intimidation] would activate on its own, applying a 5-second rigidity status to the target.
[Necromancy] [Hide in the Shadows] [Death Intimidation]… This notebook was becoming more and more like a necromancer’s tool.
Surprisingly, when he directly rewrote and created his own magic, the system had no reaction. Apparently, it only cared if anyone changed the system’s original magic.
Nol decided to only write original spells in the book to guard against possible prying from the system.
Of course, he didn’t tell Teest that these skills were original creations, and Teest didn’t ask. They had an excellent unspoken understanding on the “don’t ask about each other’s abilities” front.
Teest’s gaze lingered on The Complete Recipe Book for a moment, then shifted to the cloth bag next to Nol’s leg.
Before leaving, Nol claimed to repay the “dragon-skin notebook debt”, giving almost all the rewards to Teest. With the remaining change, he bought a coarse cloth shoulder bag filled with blood ink, cheap quill pens, and parchment, plus two history books.
The only thing out of place in that bag was a doll’s head the size of a chicken egg. Its face and hair were carved from wood and painted brightly. This thing had a movable mouth with a serious expression, looking like a cheap souvenir from travels.
Witch Lynn said it was a special item; they could communicate with her through it.
In reality, mostly Nol communicated with her using it. Teest didn’t even bother reading its item description. Teest could see that the witch was very wary of him, even a bit disgusted. It was evident that his Mr. Mage status, even among otherworldly people, wasn’t ordinary.
At the moment, Nol was looking at the notebook with satisfaction, as if it had bloomed with flowers only visible to a lich.
He was wearing the simple robe Teest bought for him, with his bag half-hugged to his chest, sitting very upright… just like an ordinary magic apprentice.
The front of the carriage echoed with the clip-clop of horse hooves, while the white cloth covering the carriage was occasionally puffed up by the wind. From this angle, all Teest could see was the world constantly receding. Bored, he decided to find amusement.
“You said before that you wanted me to take you back home. That was a lie, wasn’t it?” Teest broke the silence.
“Huh? Yes.” Nol admitted readily, still engrossed in “The Complete Recipe Book”. “Don’t worry, our destination hasn’t changed. I said, I know how to break the engagement—as long as I confirm that you’re a decent person, you can get rid of me.”
‘A decent person,’ Teest mulled over the phrase. Perhaps Nol was even crazier than him if he thought that Teest, the Mad Monk, could earn such a description.
Then again, only he suffered from “God’s Forsaken”. If they really separated, Nol could still team up with others. What would this lich do in the future? Marry and divorce other players crazily?
But Nol might be fine on his own. He was clever, and despite the dire curse upon him, he had found a preliminary solution…
What would happen to this lich if they separated? It was an intriguing question, and Teest found he couldn’t answer.
“Aren’t you afraid I’m just pretending to be good?” Teest asked casually. “You can’t really know someone’s nature.”
“Then consider me blind,” Nol said decisively. “I’m no superhero. I try my best, and that’s enough—I still have many peers to find and puzzles to solve. I can’t be concerned with world peace.”
“What if I want to keep you longer, intentionally harming the innocent?” Teest, supporting a shaky bag of onions, questioned again. “You’re an interesting companion; maybe I don’t want to part too soon.”
Nol finally looked up, meeting Teest’s eyes. Even in daylight, Nol’s irises shimmered with a hazy glow, the color reminiscent of the wings of a blue morpho butterfly. Beautiful, but not very human-like.
Nol, seemingly oblivious to Teest’s distraction, grew serious. “If you don’t want to part, just say so. We can discuss it. It’s that simple.”
“But in any case, our destination won’t change—maintaining a teammate relationship can only be ‘our choice’, not ‘a compulsion’.”
“You see, this is where you’re so naive,” Teest murmured. “‘Choice’ is a luxury, honey.”
“After all this talk, I feel like you’re subtly saying, ‘I want to keep teaming up’,” Nol mused.
Teest smiled. “What can I say? My curiosity knows no bounds.”
Nol put down the book, sighing deeply. “Then you’re in for a treat. I don’t even understand myself.”
‘Ain’t that the truth,’ Teest thought.
Take the night before as an example—Nol went to the witch’s place to get the amended notebook, and they stayed at her cabin overnight. In the middle of the night, Teest felt a sudden lightness beside him and woke up almost instantly.
Then he heard the door open.
He turned over and saw Nol standing at the entrance. Liches didn’t need much sleep, so perhaps Nol woke up and decided to get some fresh air.
Ten minutes passed, then an hour, two hours… Nol stood there, head down, unmoving. Like a statue or a particularly eerie scarecrow.
‘Strange,’ Teest thought. ‘Didn’t Nol despise the moon?’
Only when the morning sun neared the horizon did Nol return to bed as if nothing had happened. During their stay in Whitebird City, Teest had never seen such behavior.
“What happened last night?” Teest asked directly the next morning.
“What do you mean? I slept well and didn’t even dream,” Nol responded, puzzled.
So Teest didn’t press further. But when leaving the cabin, he took a longer glance at the doorstep.
Ordinary stones, moss, wooden frame. If there was anything unique, it was the stain of blood—when Hannah held Margaret, seeking help, she bled a lot at the doorway. The witch had cleaned it, but a faint red mark remained.
…It didn’t make sense.
After that incident, Nol showed no more anomalies, and Teest didn’t feel it was his place to probe deeper.
But his curiosity only grew.
Staying by Nol’s side seemed fine. Since Nol had obtained the Eternal Church’s candle, Teest wasn’t worried about a shortage of prey coming their way.
……
As the sun set, the carriage halted. It was time for dinner.
Skinning, cutting, deboning—all specialties of the Mad Monk. The lamb meat was fresh, and with a little salt, it was palatable. Teest’s cooking speed was four or five times faster than other cooks. Nol couldn’t help with the cooking, so his main role was to serve the meat and ladle out the soup.
“Not bad, quite efficient,” a cheerful voice remarked.
Nol looked up and saw a middle-aged man dressed in a fine silk robe. He was tall and sturdy, with a long face. His bright red hair shone like flames, and numerous freckles dotted the sides of his hawk-like nose.
“I’m the owner of this caravan, Levis Rizzi,” the man introduced himself amicably. “I’m glad to have two hard working young men like you onboard. Put in good work, and your diligence will be rewarded.”
Nol wasn’t paying any attention to his words. He stared intently at Levis’ face, swallowing nervously. Even Teest paused his actions, eyeing Mr. Rizzi intently.
He looked so familiar, strikingly similar to the female version of Mrs. Petty.
…I’m not Petty! I’m Rebecca! Rebecca from Whitebird City!
…My father’s a merchant. He’s rich; he’ll hire people to deal with you!
It was a memory from when they had just escaped the novice village. The shrill, fearful screams of the woman still echoed piercingly from their memories.
“I’m sorry,” Nol murmured. “Sir, I have a rather abrupt question.”
Mr. Rizzi laughed. “Don’t be so tense; just ask.”
“Do…do you know ‘Rebecca’?” Nol cautiously inquired.
Mr. Rizzi was taken aback.
The author has something to say:
Teest: Friend, you aren’t afraid of me. Is it because you’re also pretty terrifying?
Nol: (innocent)
————————————
For now, both of them have an 8-hour mutual buff, a standard 9-to-5. When Teest becomes a knight in the true sense, won’t it be equivalent to working 24/7… The “Betrayal Overture” probably refers to betraying the working class!
When he returned to the log cabin, Nol was still reminiscing about the earlier scene—
When Witch Lynn touched the candle, it was as if she touched a cockroach from G Province, and she almost threw it away on impulse. She paused for a few seconds before picking up the staff again.
“I can’t identify it. It’s neither a magical tool nor an item with a soul. It’s a living thing.” Lynn said. “The aura of this thing makes me very uncomfortable. Where did you get it?”
Nol: “…From the Eternal Church.”
Someone grabbed it while running away, and then he casually woke it up—it was just as brutally simple as that. He still remembered the disgraceful behavior of the black candle, and Nol couldn’t associate it with any noble concept.
“In any case, all I can tell is that it’s asleep.” Lynn hesitated before concluding.
It seemed they could only wait for it to wake up.
After reminiscing, Nol sighed and looked at Teest, who was lying on the straw bed.
In the morning sunlight, Teest sat on the edge of the bed, curiously looking at the little girl opposite him—it was a broken female doll. She had black hair and cracks all over her body, with only one leg intact. At this moment, she leaned on a crutch. Her face was vigilant, staring at Teest.
Margaret Swain, the newly born Puppet Witch.
She had already transformed completely, but restoring her body would take time.
Nol was speechless. They had only left for a short while, and the infamous Mad Monk had caused more mischief.
“What did you just say?” Margaret’s voice was a bit sharp.
“I said, your father is truly dead. He’s in my bag.” Teest patted the suspiciously spacious old waist bag. “Do you want to see? I can pull out a bit, so you can say goodbye to him.”
Margaret seemed uncertain whether to show sadness, shock, or relief. She stood still, statue-like.
Nol massaged his temples. “Do you always have to be this frank?”
This guy had no intention of concealing his identity as the “Mad Monk”.
“But this girl needs to bid farewell to her family, to find closure. Otherwise, she’ll think about it her whole life, even if her family was scum.” Teest shrugged. “Once I display Swain’s body, Miss Lynn will find out sooner or later. Anyway, they won’t report me.”
Yes, even if the two witches were willing to report to the Temple in a suicidal manner, they wouldn’t have substantial evidence. Nol couldn’t help but press on his temples again.
Lynn quickly caught on. “The City Lord’s corpse? Displayed? …Are you the ‘Mad Monk’?!”
Now Margaret knew how to react—she staggered back into a corner, shivering all over, looking like she wanted to cry but didn’t dare. “I didn’t mean to. I just wanted to attract the Investigation Knights… I really didn’t mean to…”
It turned out that in the eyes of the natives, the horror of the Mad Monk even surpassed being “eaten alive by a beast”. Nol slowly wrapped his arm around Teest’s shoulder and semi-dragged, semi-carried him out of the cabin.
Teest grimaced in resignation but didn’t resist.
“That’s enough, Mr. Celebrity. Margaret has been traumatized enough.” Nol found a log to sit on and patted the spot next to him. “The air outside is fresher.”
Teest sat next to him, emitting a peculiar sense of deflation. “You’re really not afraid of me… Even though you’re the kind who’d vomit at the sight of a wound. Are all you people from the other world this contradictory?”
No, most people would be afraid.
Even knowing that those killed by Teest deserved it, ordinary people would find it hard to accept his oddity… But Nol simply wasn’t scared, just as he couldn’t genuinely fear this world.
‘Perhaps it’s because of my creator’s sentiment at work,’ Nol thought.
“How old are you?” Nol asked, gazing at the beautiful forest in the morning sun, changing the topic.
He had been curious about this for a while.
“Twenty-eight.” Teest turned to face him. “Asking this out of the blue, are you actually a centuries-old creature—”
Nol glanced at him. “I’m twenty-seven.”
Teest genuinely paused before smiling. “I didn’t expect to be older. Seems I should be more respectful to you.”
“We’ve already married. There’s no need to say that,” Nol commented somberly. “If you really want to play the elder, I’d advise you not to use ‘Dream Manipulation’ on your juniors—if you induce me a second time, I’ll do my best to grow a succubus tail on you.”
“Oh, you noticed.”
“You induce Mr. Kurt to apply for the requiem ceremony, induce me to let you go back to the city alone—was that your doing?”
“Yes, but you already know my identity.” Teest took a deep breath of the fresh morning air. “Inducing works better on those who have a high regard for me, and you…”
“I still think you’re a good companion.” Nol’s tone was sincere.
Teest fell silent, and the two were at a loss for words leaving the only sound of a slight breeze gently shaking the shrubs.
‘Twenty-eight years old’ Nol repeated in his head. If Teest wasn’t lying, this man became the “Mad Monk” when he was just a boy… at seventeen, sixteen, or even earlier.
Nol felt intuitively that this was a topic that shouldn’t be touched, at least not now. He wasn’t Conan* and didn’t have the ability to make a murderer confess his life story in just a few words.
*Japanese detective series where the protagonist is a high school detective that gets turned back into his prepubescent self and goes around solving murder mysteries.
“If necessary, I will use ‘Mental Barrier’. Liches are good at these things,” Nol said after a moment of silence. “But I don’t want to waste mana on this.”
“Alright, I promise not to induce you.” Teest looked up at the sky. “But I feel like I’m at a disadvantage. How about you make a promise too?”
Nol raised an eyebrow. He was upright and honorable. What more promises did he need to make?
Teest looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze for a while. “Promise me—when your opinion of me changes, let me know.”
“Why do you suddenly care about this?” Nol was surprised.
The Mad Monk didn’t seem like the type who cared about the opinions of others.
Teest responded with seriousness, “I need to know when my inducing no longer works on you. It’s crucial.”
Nol: “……” Then what did you promise just now? Thin air?
Teest was indeed a good companion, if one could overlook his peculiar way of thinking. Perhaps he shouldn’t expect too much—after all, he was using a cult member’s prop, so his own mental state was far from normal.
“Fine,” Nol said weakly.
Teest flicked his fingers.
Golden threads, like snakes, slithered out of the old waist bag. They intertwined and melted into a pair of intricate gold earrings. They looked exactly like Player earrings, but with a small, inconspicuous mark on the back, like a twisted trident.
“A deal is a deal.” Teest handed one earring to Nol. “You’ll find use for this sooner or later. Consider it a token.”
He gave Teest a tool to hide his real earring, and he returned a carefully replicated fake earring. Holding the tiny earring in his hand, Nol felt a sense of absurdity.
Still, he carefully kept it and placed it in the inner pocket at his chest.
Teest didn’t put away his earring immediately. He held his up and compared it with Nol’s from a distance.
“You’re more suited for the blue moonstone,” Teest said softly, with the gold in his hand reflecting the shards of dawn. “Sadly, we can’t change its design.”
……
At lunch, Hannah came to deliver the latest news. She remembered Teest’s warnings, so all the other kids were at the church. Only she came secretly, also to visit her twin sister.
Who would have thought she’d bump into the Mad Monk? Hannah’s scream pierced the sky, forming a cacophony with Margaret’s.
“Did you have to scare her?” Nol’s hand holding the fork twitched.
“After all, Margaret would tell her sooner or later. It’s better for me to teach her about the dangers of the world firsthand,” Teest mused while chewing on a roasted potato. “It’s so interesting!”
Lynn looked at him with a stern face but remained silent, apparently preferring to keep her distance from this dangerous individual. The witch was more focused on the parchment beside her, which contained information Nol had for trade—mainly details about important cities, landmarks, and attractions in Tahe.
Indeed, just before lunch, Lynn had declined Nol’s invitation to travel together.
“Two reasons. First, I don’t want to travel with the Mad Monk; he’s too dangerous. Second, I indeed have my own things to deal with,” she stated bluntly. “I know you want to help, but your upcoming actions won’t be centered around me—and I don’t want to wait a moment longer.”
Nol pondered briefly. “You’re looking for someone? A family member, or…”
Lynn’s expression darkened momentarily. “My younger sister. The day we transmigrated, I was sick with a high fever. She came to take care of me. She was supposed to be at boarding school… She’s still in high school.”
“You must have a good relationship.”
Lynn shook her head. “No, our relationship is average. We even quarreled that day. I told her she shouldn’t take leave during her busy school days, and she left angrily.”
She lowered her head, her voice filled with bitterness and melancholy. “I was so drowsy from the fever. I’m not sure if she went straight back to school or came to me again. I don’t know if she’s in this world, but I need to find her…”
Nol glanced instinctively towards the door of the wooden hut. Bloodstains still remained on the stone steps outside. Just the other night, Hannah, holding Margaret, had pleaded outside that door.
He believed he knew the reason why the shrewd and cautious neighbor had opened the door.
Though it was regrettable that they couldn’t cooperate, everyone was an adult, and one couldn’t force matters. The Puppet Witch was quite capable of surviving on her own. As long as they stayed in touch, Lynn’s safety wouldn’t be an issue.
At the dining table, the adults hadn’t finished discussing the follow-ups. Instead, it was Margaret who spoke first.
“I must return to the City Lord’s mansion,” she said. “After saying goodbye to my father… um, Lord Swain, I’ve done a lot of thinking.”
Nol looked at her curiously.
Margaret and Teest: one dared to look at a corpse, the other dared to display it. Their farewell to the body wasn’t heartwarming at all. Margaret glanced into Teest’s old waist pouch and promptly ran out to vomit. She’d been silent since then, and Nol thought she might have been traumatized.
“The appearance of a Puppet Witch doesn’t change. If you stay there for too long, you will be exposed,” Lynn immediately said.
“I know.” Margaret lowered her eyes. “So the ‘Margaret Swain’ that is going back isn’t me.”
Hannah’s fork and knife halted abruptly.
Margaret ran her fingers through her black hair. The black faded away, and the straight hair slowly curled. With the magic lifted, her brass-colored curly hair cascaded down.
Then she reached out and pointed to the still-shocked Hannah. Hannah’s short hair rapidly grew longer, turning pitch black and straight.
“I’ll hide my face, and Hannah will act as the heir. As for the discrepancies in knowledge and physique, let’s say she got traumatized, lost her memory, and wandered alone, leading to malnutrition. In fact, she knows more about this city than I do,” Margaret said. “I can’t grow older, but she can, right?”
Hannah reflexively wanted to refuse but swallowed her words. After a while, she carefully asked, “If I replace Margaret as the heir, can I take her back to live in Whitebird City?”
“This is a small border town, so it’s not so strict. As long as Margaret doesn’t expose herself in public and no controlling magic can be detected on you, even if the Temple suspects something’s off with her, they can’t force an identity check,” Teest casually said while picking up a piece of stir-fried meat. “This is power, future City Lord.”
“But I would be taking Margaret’s life…” Hannah murmured.
“You’re wrong,” Margaret replied seriously. “You’re giving me a new life. Hannah, you will make a great City Lord. Think about Little Spoon and the others.”
Hannah remained silent for a good five minutes.
“You’re wrong too.” Hannah finally smiled. “Let’s go together. ‘We’ will make a great City Lord.”
Margaret smiled and turned to Nol, bowing her head solemnly. “Thank you both for your assistance to Whitebird City. Once we’re back at the City Lord’s Mansion, I will prepare your reward privately.”
[You have met the general requirements for the quest “The Missing Lady”: Find the missing Margaret Swain (alive or dead)]
Just as Nol was about to reply, a ghostly system prompt emerged. Unlike during the time with the Lich, after the voice prompt, a pop-up appeared abruptly.
[Task Reward: Monetary Reward [General]; Friendship of the Lord of Whitebird City [Normal]]
[Do you want to settle the quest? Note: Settlement is considered giving up on “Perfect Achievement”]
Nol’s smile faded.
……
“The ‘Margaret’ found isn’t Margaret, and the ‘City Lord’ offering friendship isn’t the previous one… This quest is chilling,” Nol said.
That night, they stayed in the witch’s hut. Nol promised Lynn that he would keep an eye on the Mad Monk, so the two ended up on a straw bed in the living room.
The night was young, and the moonlight was just right. The two sat cross-legged, facing each other, discussing the situation.
Looking at it now, it seemed as if the system knew the fate of the sisters. It was a big deal, so Nol directly showed Teest the quest.
“Um, but the system isn’t that smart.” Teest was playing with Nol’s robe. “My quest also had a ‘Witness the Mad Monk and report’ condition. As soon as I took the task, the ‘Witness the Mad Monk’ part was completed.”
Nol: “…Pfft.”
“It’s funny, right? I guess the ‘Witness the Mad Monk’ condition is open to everyone, and the system has no idea who the Mad Monk is,” Teest said. “As long as it’s not omniscient and omnipotent, it can be dealt with.”
“You’re quite ambitious.” Nol laughed. “Challenging two gods isn’t enough for you?”
Teest shrugged and smiled indifferently. “It’s still questionable whether they exist. Over the years, I’ve hunted down the high ranks of the Eternal Church, blasphemed the Temple of Life, but the gods never punished me… Even the last Pope of the Temple that apostatized wasn’t punished by the gods.”
Nol felt a bit relieved. Talking to Teest, a local, was reassuring. Left to his own devices, he might become paranoid, which would only lead to more anxiety.
“I’ll go get something to eat,” Teest said, climbing off the bed in the early hours. “I didn’t eat enough during the day, and I can’t compete with those two little ones for food.”
He had only taken a few steps when Nol grabbed him.
“Wait.” Nol pulled out a small cloth bag. “Can you turn this into something edible for me?”
Teest opened the cloth bag, frowning at the scraps and shards inside. “What is this stuff?”
“Lynn is helping me modify the Dragon Corpse Notebook. These are the discarded trimmings,” Nol explained. “It’s part of a dragon’s body, so it’s worth a try.”
Teest: “.…..”
Teest: “You’re really ruthless, aren’t you?”
Nol flashed him a toothy grin. “Don’t worry. A good killer won’t be eaten by a bad Lich.”
Half an hour later, the two sneaked back to the dining table. Teest had caught a fat long-horned chicken and roasted it to a golden hue. He divided half of it for Nol, accompanied by a plate of gray-green sauce.
“Herbs, wild fruits, honey, plus the trash you provided. I’m not responsible if it tastes awful,” Teest stated.
Nol poured the sauce over it. The gray-green sauce contrasted with the crispy golden skin, which made the appearance somewhat acceptable… Though this was probably the most humiliating moment in dragon history.
He picked up a piece of chicken meat and decisively put it in his mouth.
The author has something to say:
Nol: Eat, eat, eat. I still have an empty skill slot.
Teest: Damn, I’ve really became a cook.
————————————
Answering a few questions that the comment section is concerned about:
As mentioned in this chapter, Miss Lynn will not join the team, but she has ways to stay in touch with the protagonist group. After all, she’s a character with a name in the supporting cast: remote technical support engineer.
In the early manuscript, Teest had another name (?). This name has not been discarded, but it’s not advisable to infer anything from it. Just read on and you’ll understand XD.
Kinky Thoughts:
This marks the end of this arc.
For those who haven’t read Nian Zhong’s work… Her novels have an underlying plot that is usually slowly revealed through each arc. Everything happens for a reason, and it will come together in the end. So if things don’t make sense right now, it doesn’t mean it’s an oversight.
As this novel is ongoing, I don’t know how many chapters there will be, but be patient with the plot. The best feeling is when all the puzzle pieces click together in the end.
The best example is Stray, which also happens to be western fantasy and is based on a similar setting to this novel. I strongly recommend you read that.
The abyssal passage was finally sealed, and everyone heaved a sigh of relief.
If everything went as planned, the key point of the formation would be thoroughly closed. Additional sealing techniques could be applied later on, followed by burying and strengthening to ensure complete security.
However, He Yu, Li Han’er, and others had red eyes; no one felt like celebrating.
Li Han’er couldn’t help but whisper, “If… if Dong Zhi and the others are still alive, can they come back?”
Song Zhicun paused for a moment, then replied, “Theoretically speaking, the main formation point is connected to the other positions of the array.”
This meant that there were other paths between the abyssal hell and the human world, not just the main point in Kunlun Mountain. The mountain’s main formation point stabilized the entire magic formation. However, this was purely theoretical. No human had ever returned safely from the abyssal hell.
Li Han’er looked up.
Though the main point was sealed, the gray mist lingering inside and outside the gorge didn’t dissipate. It continued to hover in the sky, even covering the sunlight, casting a persistent shadow over the entire canyon. It felt like a weight on Li Han’er’s heart.
“What’s going on?” Liu Qingbo’s furrowed brow was so tense that it seemed like it could be tied in a knot. Nobody in the group was in a good mood.
Even though Liu Qingbo often found Dong Zhi annoying and griped about him privately, those who knew him understood his stubborn nature. He treated those he liked even worse, making harsher comments.
In the past, when Liu Qingbo was still a young boy, his temperament was even worse. On a whim, he attacked a spirit creature that he had been cultivating for several centuries. As a result, he almost lost his life. Fortunately, Long Shen happened to pass by at that moment and saved him. As time had passed, he now naturally realized that such malicious practices were extremely reprehensible, not only unacceptable in the cultivation world but, had he truly lost his life then, he would have deserved it.
Apart from the mistakes made in his youthful recklessness, Liu Qingbo never regretted any of his actions, including joining the Special Administration Bureau, wanting to take Long Shen as his master, becoming acquainted with Dong Zhi through conflicts, risking his life with comrades, and emerging victorious from the World Exchange Conference. He believed his life should be lived with such intensity and grandeur. Thus, for the second time in his life, he felt regret—regretting that he was a moment too late and didn’t make the split-second decision to jump down with Dong Zhi. Even if it meant death, he preferred a glorious end over the passive torment of waiting and passively accepting fate now. Such passivity wasn’t in line with his usual character.
“Good people are under heaven’s protection. The boss will be fine,” Yang Shouyi whispered.
Liu Qingbo snorted. “If he doesn’t come back, I’ll dig up his ancestors’ graves!”
Yang Shouyi was puzzled. “Do you even know where his ancestral grave is?”
He also wanted to add, “Did you go grave visiting with him?” but stopped himself upon receiving Liu Qingbo’s deadly glare.
……
Compared to Dong Zhi’s immersion in the demonic illusion of another life, Yu Buhui and Liu Si’s current situation wasn’t pleasant.
Dark clouds filled the sky, and the fierce wind stirred terrifying waves, enough to darken the world. Yu Buhui and Liu Si, on a small battered boat, struggled amidst these monstrous waves, almost capsizing several times.
Their hair and clothes were plastered to them, looking miserable and panting heavily.
Yu Buhui yelled, “What did you think of to suddenly have a tsunami?”
In the roaring wind, if they didn’t shout, they wouldn’t be heard.
Liu Si, equally exasperated, replied, “I just felt the fires were too hot. I thought it’d be nice if a big wave would come and put out the fire. I didn’t expect the wind and waves to become so relentless!”
The heart moved as it willed; a single thought could give birth to a myriad of visions. Malicious thoughts deep in the human psyche could manifest as dark qi, a gathering of all kinds of desires. Both Liu Si and Yu Buhui had their own likes and dislikes and emotions of love and hatred. It was impossible for them to have minds as still as water, devoid of any thoughts. But the moment a thought arose, all negative information would flood in, magnified countless times, drowning them within. It became difficult to discern if one’s physical body was still alive or if only their thoughts remained.
This was a terrifying situation. Perhaps the real abyss, the true hell, wasn’t filled with endless corpses as they had imagined or with ferocious demons. Instead, it was an unending state where everything you could imagine existed. Even if you yearned for beauty or fame and fortune, it could be granted here. But when one became deeply engrossed in such temptations and couldn’t pull away, their body could have already been consumed bit by bit by the dark qi. Eventually, even their consciousness would become part of this dark qi, disappearing entirely, with their soul scattered and lost.
A frog slowly boiled in tepid water wouldn’t realize the danger until it was too late, and by then it would be unable to escape and could only wait for its demise.
Otowa Yasuhiko’s illusionary power was undeniably strong. But the power Otowa inherited from the stone box wasn’t innate but acquired. If they were careful, they could have a chance to escape. Yet now, as Yu Buhui found himself in this abyss, he saw no glimmer of hope for escape.
Dark qi was omnipresent, always lurking and ready to pounce, as if there were eyes in the endless darkness watching and controlling everything, treating them as toys to play with, until they lost interest and decided to end it.
Yu Buhui held his forehead. “Why didn’t you think of a bigger boat? Can this small one withstand the storms?”
Liu Si, tired of his complaints, responded irritably, “Then you come up with something! Don’t rely solely on me!”
Not long after, the waves gradually subsided, returning to calm. Using a dilapidated wooden boat, they strenuously paddled from the middle of the sea to the shore. Exhausted, both lay on the ground, panting heavily for a while before regaining their strength.
“What were you thinking?” Liu Si asked.
Yu Buhui replied, “…I wasn’t thinking of anything specific. I just recited the Diamond Sutra*.”
*Mahāyāna (Buddhist) sutra from the genre of Prajñāpāramitā (‘perfection of wisdom’) sutras. Translated into a variety of languages over a broad geographic range, the Diamond Sutra is one of the most influential Mahayana sutras in East Asia, and it is particularly prominent within the Chan (or Zen) tradition, along with the Heart Sutra.
Liu Si pondered. “Given the dangers we’ve faced since entering this place without completely losing our consciousness, it’s possible that Boss Long and Dong Zhi are still alive. What if we both focused our energy on thinking of Dong Zhi or Boss Long? Could we quickly reunite with them?”
Yu Buhui shook his head. “How can you be sure that the Dong Zhi you see is the real Dong Zhi?”
If what they perceived now was merely an illusion born from dark qi, then the Dong Zhi that could appear might also be an illusion. Liu Si couldn’t refute this.
Yu Buhui continued, “When I was silently reciting the Diamond Sutra, I remembered a line from it.”
Liu Si thought for a moment, then asked, “Is it ‘All conditioned phenomena are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, and a shadow, like dew and lightning. Thus, one should contemplate them’?”
Yu Buhui nodded. “Maybe by seeing through the nature of all things, we can find the weak point of this place.” He then scratched his chin and joked, “Who would’ve thought that after living a life of luxury outside, I’d come here and turn into a monk that believes in the impermanence of everything!”
Regaining some energy, Liu Si stood up, intending to scout the area. He noticed a small hill in front of them with a distinct peach tree blooming brilliantly. The falling petals illuminated his sight.
“What’s that?” Liu Si asked, but before he could turn around, he noticed Yu Buhui had already stood up, gazing at the peach tree, showing an indescribable expression, a mix of many emotions.
“I had a fleeting thought, and it immediately picked up on it and magnified it,” Yu Buhui said with a bitter smile. “Weren’t you surprised when I recognized your true form? It was a moment of joy.”
Liu Si inquired, “Is it related to this peach tree?”
Yu Buhui explained, “At that time, I hadn’t taken a physical form but had consciousness. The previous Sword Master buried me under that tree. I was on the brink of taking form, and I faced several tribulations from lightning. One of those times, the power of the heavenly lightning was immense. With my abilities then, I couldn’t withstand it. If I hadn’t endured, my consciousness would have scattered, and I wouldn’t know how many more years it would take to cultivate a sense of self again.”
Liu Si nodded in understanding. Being cultivated from a willow tree, he naturally understood what Yu Buhui was saying.
At that time, the peach tree was just a few hundred years old, beginning to have its own consciousness, barely stepping into the realm of spiritual beings. Buried beneath it was the Yuchang Sword, a masterpiece crafted by Ou Yezi. Forged from the tin of Chijin Mountain and the copper of Ruoye River, and tempered with rain and thunder, it might not have been as powerful as the Seven Stars Longyuan Sword, but it was still a rare and renowned blade in history, naturally granting it unique transformative potential.
Over time, the peach tree and the sword developed a deep bond. When the fifth tribulation approached and the Yuchang Sword had exhausted its ability to protect itself after the previous four, the peach tree, without hesitation, used its own trunk to shield the sword from this life-threatening trial.
Liu Si knew that for any monster that had cultivated into a sentient form, the thunder tribulation was an unavoidable and fatal disaster. Many couldn’t withstand it; the luckier ones reverted to their original forms and started their cultivation anew, while the more unfortunate ones were obliterated, never to exist again.
However, this was the inevitable will of the heavens. Because for a spirit to transform, it was already against the natural order. Therefore, their path of transformation was more challenging and tortuous than other creatures. Both Zong Ling and Long Shen went through the same process.
Only the strong could survive to the end.
At that time, the Yuchang sword, though invincible in the mortal realm, was still somewhat vulnerable in front of the heavenly thunder. To shield against the tribulation, the peach tree took the hit, with half of its body charred, losing most of its cultivation. It took many years for it to slowly recover.
“It should have transformed before me, but in the end, I did it before it did,” Yu Buhui said. “Yet, it comforted me, saying that this was a test from the heavens and asked me to travel on its behalf to the Wushan Mountain—a place it always wanted to visit but never got the chance to see its beautiful clouds and mist.”
Liu Si asked, “Did it eventually transform?”
Yu Buhui shook his head. “I left for ten years, and when I returned, it was gone. A war had turned the nearby village into ashes, and it too was consumed by the flames. Its centuries of cultivation went to waste because it couldn’t transform and escape. It burned for three days and nights, with only a bit of its roots left connected to the soil. With a pinch, they turned to dust.”
An ordinary human might not feel the weight of this story, but Liu Si, who transformed from a willow tree, knew the agony. To be conscious but trapped in fire, unable to move, was like being burned alive.
Yu Buhui walked towards the peach tree, but Liu Si grabbed him. “Even if you feel guilty, that’s just an illusion. It’s in the past! Remember what you just said—all conditioned things are like dreams, illusions!”
Yu Buhui turned to look at him with a strange expression. “It’s not an illusion. My story isn’t over. The peach tree died due to human-caused disasters. Holding onto its grudge, it turned into a demon, causing havoc everywhere. By the time I found it, it didn’t recognize me, filled with the intent to kill, even wanting to kill me. I had no choice but to end its life with my own hands.”
Liu Si was taken aback and his grip on Yu Buhui loosened.
With a wry smile, Yu Buhui said, “It protected me during my transformation, yet I repaid his kindness with betrayal. Maybe, as the sword master Xue Zhu said, I’m naturally rebellious and unyielding. Anyone associated with me meets a tragic end.”
Liu Si responded, “It’s not your fault. You couldn’t have known!” Even though they hadn’t known each other for long, Liu Si observed that Yu Buhui, being a sword, lacked the typical arrogance and coldness. He always chatted incessantly, not minding that Liu Si’s experience was lesser. But now, Liu Si was seeing a darker side to him.
Presumably, everyone has an indelible past. Even a tiny thought could provide an opening for demons to exploit.
Liu Si warned, “Remember, this place is full of demons. They can see the weaknesses deep within everyone.”
Yu Buhui closed his eyes, calming himself. “Whether it’s an inner demon or not, its death was indeed due to me. Since it has become a demon, it might be suffering in this hellish abyss. I’ve never met another transformed tree after that, so when I saw you, I naturally thought you might be its reincarnation.”
Liu Si replied, “I’m sorry, I’m not.”
Yu Bu Hui said, “I know, but I still owe it a life. No matter what, I have to go see.”
Liu Si sighed. “I’ll go with you.”
……
Yu Buhui thought he was sober, while Liu Si believed he was trapped by his inner demons. However, for those who believed they were clear-minded, in reality, they were just blinded by their involvement.
After Dong Zhi broke free from his illusory life, he was again engulfed by a pervasive demonic qi, along with enemies from his past.
Stealthy Yashka, Yamamoto Kiyoshi, the disciple of the sorcerer Songen, even the unborn demonic fetus in the belly of the actress Han Qi—enemies who once fell under his sword were revived by the demonic energy, coming at him from all directions, their faces twisted in rage, seeking revenge.
In the abyss of hell, these demons possessed powers many times stronger than those of the human world. Dong Zhi, wielding his Changshou Sword, paired it with the power of the Bu Tian Gang. His sword qi was fierce and surged like a violent storm, causing his enemies to scream and explode into nothingness.
However, specks of demonic qi quickly reignited, recongealing and soon merging into a giant figure that loomed over Dong Zhi. With a roaring dragon neck and sharp claws cutting through the dense demonic qi, it attacked him with unstoppable force.
It was the Bone Dragon of Changbai Mountain!
By now, Dong Zhi was unfazed by any manifestation in the abyss. Even if ten dragons suddenly appeared to attack him simultaneously, he wouldn’t be surprised.
But one battle after another, seemingly endless, finally made him weary. The power he had been silently accumulating was now ready to be unleashed. Holding a talisman in one hand and his sword in the other, he leaped into the air using the momentum from the dragon’s tail.
“The four great enlightenments, heaven and the earth are eternal, by the Jade Emperor’s orders, clear the three realms—”
He remembered Long Shen saying that in the three realms and six paths, where there was good, there was evil; where there was darkness, there was light. Even in the abyss of hell, far from the mundane world, righteous qi exists. What he needed to do was harness the power he had cultivated, the healing qi given to him by Che Bai, the half soul of Long Shen in his sword, and even the exorcism power passed down from the Hezao Sect. With these forces, he would invoke the Five Thunder Dharma and summon heavenly thunder.
“The mighty sword of the Divine King, slay evil and destroy its traces. The purple qi ascends to heaven, the landscape collides—”
Who said that once in the abyss, one could never return? He had already overcome numerous tribulations. From a regular person to where he was now, he had endured unimaginable hardships and fears, growing stronger each day. What drove him was Long Shen, his comrades, the predecessors of the Special Administration Bureau who sacrificed themselves, and the countless ordinary people who needed protection!
“Swallowing demons and ghosts, and drinks the wind—”
Where there was heart, inner demons would rise, but along with inner demons, there was also faith. Who says that within the demon realm, all righteousness is obliterated? Dong Zhi refused to believe. Even if he stood alone, he intended to strike at the heart of the issue and bring Long Shen back to the human world safely! Even if there was no righteous qi here before, from his arrival onward, there would be!
“With the sound of wind and thunder, startling ghosts and spirits for thousands of miles…”
The world had righteousness, naturally taking various forms. Below it formed rivers and mountains, above it formed stars and suns.
Amidst a deafening boom, a streak of light pierced the foggy horizon, startling all the demons in the realm. In an instant, the ground shook, and all the demons were alarmed!
The lightning, like a giant blade, shattered the Bone Dragon. The demonic qi scattered in fear, the monsters wailed in terror, and the thunder cleansed, turning the eternal night into daylight!
The dense fog was finally split open by the heavenly thunder, revealing a tall staircase.
And atop the stone steps stood Long Shen, with one eye half-closed and the other half-open, a familiar figure with an eerie gaze.
[Recently, the police launched a comprehensive investigation into the Coral Reef Group. Numerous unauthorized modifications were discovered in the underground spaces of the company building. After confirmation, it was revealed that the Coral Reef Group is linked to several criminal cases…]
[The Coral Reef Group is one of the longest-standing companies in Haigu, with business operations spanning across media, daily necessities, and various other sectors. Through the investigation, it has been determined that the actual controller behind the group is a person surnamed Wei. The police have already arrested him…]
[Next news. In early July, the police successfully dismantled a criminal hideout, and currently, three individuals are on the run…]
“Okay, brother, turn off the TV!” Lu Nana put on her red fedora.
Lu Hui hurriedly complied and turned off the TV with a snap.
After two years of dedicated training, the Lu siblings were about to undergo their employment physical examination at Shian. This time, they felt fully prepared and even walked with a lighter step. Upon reaching Shian’s campus, there was still some time left before the physical examination.
The scenery at Shian’s campus remained the same, except there was now a statue in the center of the fountain.
At first glance, Lu Hui didn’t recognize what it was.
From the silhouette, the statue seemed to depict a person sitting sideways. The figure was carved with light gauze, adorned with chains and simplified talismans. Since the statue was meticulously carved from a single piece of stone, it was entirely black with a somewhat casual design. At a glance, the two couldn’t tell if it was a deity or a modern-style artwork.
The “head” of the stone statue faced the newly expanded juice bar.
Under the scorching sun, the ice cream posters at the juice bar were truly tempting. The Lu siblings exchanged a glance and decided to relax before the physical examination. However, within the shade of the juice bar’s umbrella, there was already a figure.
It was a modestly dressed girl. She tied her hair up in a high ponytail, and her appearance was ordinary, but her appropriate light makeup gave her a certain elegance. When she saw the Lu siblings, who were somewhat sunburned, she politely nodded.
The Lu siblings placed their orders and joined the girl at her table.
“Lu Hui. This is my cousin, Lu Nana,” Lu Hui introduced. “Are you here for the physical examination as well?”
The girl smiled shyly. “Yes.”
Lu Nana’s spirits lifted. “Perfect! Are you a cultivator or…?”
“I’m a physics graduate student from A University, Gao Mengyu.” The girl raised her head. “I’m still studying and preparing for a summer internship.”
Lu Nana exclaimed, “Ah, a science post. The last time we came here, there was also a graduate student from A University. It’s been two years; I wonder what level Mr. Zhong has reached.”
“When we pass the physical examination, we’ll meet familiar faces sooner or later,” Lu Hui said confidently, patting his sister on the back.
“Two years… Mr. Zhong? Zhong Chengshuo?” Gao Mengyu clasped her hands together.
“You know him?”
“Um, he’s pursuing a Ph.D. at A University. I’ve met him before,” Gao Mengyu said.
“What? Zhong Chengshuo went back to school?” Lu Nana was surprised. “A University is in Yandu. Could he have transferred to the Yandu branch?”
Lu Hui adjusted his vest solemnly. “We’ll ask familiar faces when we pass the physical examination.”
“…That’s enough, brother!”
……
“The Lu siblings have made significant progress.” Li Nian put down his thermos. “Gao Mengyu has a special relationship with the Lonely. After she graduates, she can immediately become a regular employee. Besides these three, there are seven new recruits… The situation looks good this year.”
Fu Xingchuan lay face down on the sofa, silent.
Li Nian: “Are you finally dead?”
“Unfortunately, not yet.” Fu Xingchuan replied with a weak voice. “It’s been two years, Lao Li. We finally caught a glimpse of Sunken Society, but now there are so many problems… The Coral Reef lawyers are so annoying, and Wei Huaqian, that bastard…”
Li Nian sneered. “They have legitimate industries, so this was always going to be a prolonged battle. I remember someone being confident and saying, leave everything to the Emergency Management Department.”
“At that time, it seemed like the Other Side was more important…” Minister Fu’s voice sounded increasingly guilty.
“Sunken Society is bad enough, and the Xiang Jiang and Xiang Hai case from back then haven’t made any progress at all. Now someone has taken this case upon themselves.”
“We lack clues. There’s nothing we can do…” Minister Fu’s voice was feeble. “That’s why I need my old partner’s help.”
“Tsk.”
After delivering a fatal blow with a tongue click, Li Nian didn’t continue to mentally attack Fu Xingchuan.
Indeed, after the battle on the Other Side, most of Shian’s manpower was devoted to research and support for the Other Side. For this reason, Shian established the “Special Management Department”, with two troublesome experts appointed as ministers.
As one of the troublesome experts, Zhong Chengshuo’s work was considered responsible.
Every time there was an operation on the Other Side, that guy would always bring back a pile of research materials. Within a year after the war ended, Zhong Chengshuo had published several papers, such as “An Analysis of the Formation Principle and Food Chain of the Other Side” and “Research on Ancient Microscopic Elemental Fusion Organisms Based on the Other Side’s Ecology”. His science rank skyrocketed, far surpassing that of ordinary science posts. As an “employee of Fear” still in service, he had the right time, place, and people on his side, exploring depths beyond the reach of ordinary science posts.
In order to gain more knowledge, he returned to A University to pursue a doctorate.
Working remotely brought many inconveniences. Considering that Zhong Chengshuo, as a “God”, could travel to the Other Side and take a shortcut home, Shian turned a blind eye.
As for the more dangerous one of the troublesome experts, Yin Ren’s situation was unusually peaceful.
Yin Ren’s strength was truly exceptional, and he had almost detached himself from ordinary missions, solely responsible for the ecological management of the Other Side. To be honest, the top level of Shian still maintained some vigilance towards this “God” with immeasurable power. To appease Yin Ren, Shian would allocate a special sum of money each year to give him a bonus.
And after two years, it turned out that the people of Shian were just overthinking. Aside from using the Other Side as a springboard to visit Yandu and play with Zhong Chengshuo, Yin Ren never used his “god-level” power.
The ecological balance on the Other Side didn’t need daily intervention. This guy basically came to Shian to punch in, have meals, and besides that, he secretly played games and watched dramas in the office or found a sofa to sleep on, truly embodying the essence of “slacking off”.
For this reason, Lu Xiaohe didn’t spare him any reprimands—Miss Lu might be the least polite person towards Yin Ren in all of Shian.
Like now.
“If you won’t write the report, at least show up for work?!” Lu Xiaohe’s shout came from the corridor—the office of the Special Management Department was next to the Emergency Management Department, so they were close.
“I’ll work later! I’m accumulating energy right now,” Yin Ren retorted on the spot. “Besides, I made an appointment with my teammates. I can’t go back on my word. It’s important.”
“Teammates? Those student teammates of yours who are still on summer vacation?” Lu Xiaohe gritted her teeth. “What are we, Minister Yin Ren?”
“You can’t say that. We’re all good teammates,” Yin Ren murmured.
“Zhong Chengshuo, you should manage him… You’re playing too?!”
“He’s missing a healer,” Zhong Chengshuo calmly replied.
“Don’t spoil him, alright?!” Lu Xiaohe’s voice carried a touch of sorrow.
“Ge Tingting and Huang Jin are both working hard. You can distribute their efforts more evenly for us mentally,” Yin Ren said solemnly. “Look, I’m different from you all. I’m clearly past the age of retirement…”
“……”
“How about you join us, Xiaohe Jie? We can also invite Xiao Ge and Da Huang on the weekend. They’re always on field assignments, so it’s just the three of us in the office, which is quite empty…”
“I’m not playing. I’m going to read a book,” Lu Xiaohe said softly. Was it really empty? She suddenly felt a bit redundant. The golden light on the two fingers almost blinded her eyes.
“Ah…” Yin Ren sighed disappointedly.
Li Nian approached and closed the office door. Instantly, the noise from the next room turned into silence.
“She’ll get used to it,” Fu Xingchuan said.
“Yeah, it reminds me of when I was young.” Li Nian’s voice turned cold. “Someone was too lazy to write battle reports, and got used to someone ghostwriting it for them.”
“Yin Ren said he wants to work today?” Fu Xingchuan changed the subject.
“Yeah, the time has come.” Li Nian looked out the window.
Today was a good day; clear skies without a cloud, and the blazing sun of summer covered everything in a layer of white. As time passed, dusk approached, and the glaring white gradually took on an orange hue.
In the adjacent room, Yin Ren stretched with a big yawn. He bid farewell to his companions in the game one by one and stood up. Zhong Chengshuo took off his glasses and carefully placed them in a glasses case. He opened his bag and took out the flickering Karma Lantern.
Lu Xiaohe’s expression turned serious. “Be careful on the way.”
Yin Ren narrowed his eyes. “Yeah, we’ll be back before the end of our shift.”
Zhong Chengshuo stood by his side, and the two of them interlocked their fingers. In the next moment, they completely disappeared into thin air.
Lu Xiaohe surveyed the empty office for a while and suddenly felt that it was a bit deserted.
…Should she download that game and give it a try?
The Other Side.
Qi Xin leaned against a Lonely, gazing at the colorful world of the Other Side. She knew that in a little while, dusk would come to the human world.
The appointed time was approaching.
Swish, swish.
In the distance, a low, tide-like hum sounded, and the Lonely cats instantly came running from all directions. They wrapped their kittens in tablecloths and sheltered them beneath their bodies, forming a huddled group.
Qi Xin leaped up and sat at the top of the ball formed by the Lonely cats.
Swish, swish. The sound grew closer. In the eternal daylight of the Other Side, a gentle red light appeared. It spread like an evening glow, gradually engulfing everything within sight.
Following closely was a thin veil of red clouds.
They obscured the ever-changing barriers of the Other Side, making everything ambiguous and hazy. Beneath the drifting red veil was a warm night composed of pitch-black wings. The vision seemed to dissolve, and the Other Side in Qi Xin’s eyes was gradually swallowed by darkness.
It had arrived.
A night of destruction that was even more powerful and gentle than the previous “Fear”.
Amidst the swirling red veil, in the darkness ahead, stood a gigantic figure cloaked in red. Countless intricate decorations adorned its body, and a huge silver bell hung from its chest. The beautiful monster moved forward slowly, with the bell on its chest tinkling softly, while boundless darkness followed closely behind.
Its two arms hung motionless, while the other two were crossed in front of its chest. In the palm of the giant hands lay a small, setting sun.
…It was a human figure with pitch-black eyes, carrying a lantern.
The lantern continuously emitted a warm radiance reminiscent of the setting sun, like a nighttime prelude, yet also like a lighthouse pointing the way. Every creature illuminated by that radiance froze in place as if petrified before being completely engulfed by darkness.
As if sensing Qi Xin’s presence, the giant monster paused for a moment, and the head under the red veil nodded slightly towards Qi Xin.
Qi Xin stood up, placed her hand on her chest, and performed a formal salute.
“Thank you for your hard work, both of you,” she said.
And so, night fell.
Darkness completely swallowed the Other Side just before dusk. Qi Xin saw “Fear” turn around and say something to the gigantic monster.
What was it saying? Qi Xin sat back on the soft Lonely and pondered.
Probably something serious about the rules of the Other Side, she thought.
In reality, not long ago…
“Today, Gao Mengyu, Lu Hui, and Lu Nana passed their employment physicals,” Zhong Chengshuo whispered.
“After work tonight, let’s treat them to hot pot. It’s been a while since we had hot pot,” Yin Ren replied in a low voice. “It’s quite commemorative. As a senior, I’ll treat them.”
“Okay, I’ll make the reservation later.”
“Remember to include Xiao Ge, Da Huang, Xiaohe Jie, and Liang Shan.”
“No problem.”
……
In the human world, at night.
“We’ve finally made it ashore, wuwuwu! Starting tomorrow, we’ll be part of Shian!” Lu Hui sobbed uncontrollably.
“You’re embarrassing, crying in front of so many seniors.” Lu Nana took off her red fedora and fanned herself.
“These are tears brought out by the spiciness.” Lu Hui blew his nose loudly. “Speaking of which, what level are Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo? They never say; could it be A-level?”
During the hot pot meal, Lu Hui had asked Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo about their levels, but the responses from the members of Unit 9 were varied. The summary of their answers was, “You’ll know once you get in, eating is more important.” Lu Hui couldn’t pursue the matter further and had to give up.
“They seem to be in good spirits, and it doesn’t seem like they are working hard… But those two, they seem to be wearing matching rings like a couple,” Lu Nana recalled the situation at the table.
Lu Hui finally regained some presence of mind from the overwhelming emotion of passing the exam, and he was about to be shocked—
“Help!!!”
A cry for help came from nearby. The Lu siblings glanced at each other and quickly rushed towards the direction of the scream.
It was the old part of the city, with complex streets and alleys. It took them five minutes to find the source of the scream—a young girl was hiding in a corner of an alley, disheveled and trembling.
Next to her was a small van. In the bright moonlight, darkness filled the interior of the vehicle, emanating a stench of garbage and filth.
“Ah… Ah…” The girl stuttered, pointing towards the depths of the alley.
Lu Nana supported the girl, while Lu Hui stood guard in front of them, looking towards the darkness. In the shadows, a crimson pool of blood slowly crawled out, with scattered limbs strewn about and a rolling head with an expression of extreme terror on its face.
“What’s going on?” Lu Hui instantly pulled out a talisman and tightly gripped it in his hand.
He recognized that face—it had been shown on the news in the morning, seemingly one of the recently wanted fugitives.
“Just now… Just now, I was going home… and those three people suddenly got out of the car and pulled me into the vehicle… and then…” The girl stammered in fear.
Lu Hui took out a spherical spiritual object and threw it directly into the alley. Instantly, bright light illuminated everything within the alley.
Two young men stood in the center of the blood pool and scattered body parts.
They had handsome and pale faces, wearing old-fashioned robes—one in red and the other in white. Sinister facial patterns could be seen through their robes. The young man in red played with a severed head, while the one in white held a piece of severed limb and was carefully nibbling on it.
Under the bright moonlight, the two of them had no shadows, but there was no doubt that they were causing ripples in the blood pool. They were evil beings, devoid of any aura… extremely dangerous individuals.
Lu Hui froze in place, desperately thinking of a strategy.
“Shian’s people?” the young man in red spoke.
“So what if we are?”
“Give my regards to Senior Fu.” The man smiled slightly. “Unfortunately, we can’t kill everyone now, so we’ll have to go after the ones we dislike the most.”
“Let’s play hide-and-seek, Shian.”
The young man in red tossed the severed head into the air, and before the head landed on the ground, the two youths in the pool of blood disappeared without a trace.
Lu Hui sat down on the ground.
“What should we do?” Lu Nana shivered.
“…Let’s report to the police first.”
They were now official employees of Shian. Someday… Someday, they would catch such formidable evil.
The sky was filled with surging dark clouds, and rain started to fall once again.
The author has something to say:
Main text complete (/ω＼)
I didn’t expect to be struck by COVID just before reaching the final chapter, nor did I expect to be sick for so long… I apologize for keeping everyone waiting!
Please take care of your health.
The extras that follow may not be updated daily, but I might randomly make some corrections to typos or minor issues~
This piece turned out longer than I imagined, but this is probably my limit for length _(:з」∠)
————
The Western fantasy-themed “Stray“, the apocalyptic-themed “Happy Doomsday“, the wasteland-themed “Access Denied“, and the historical xuanhuan “Sendoff” have all been completed. You can check them out in the author’s column~
Please click on “Favorite this author” in the column if you enjoy them (〃ω〃)
The next book, “Full Server First Kill“, is tentatively scheduled to be released in the first half of this year!
————
Preview of the next work as usual:
When Xu Yue woke up, he found that he had become a monster.
To the left, there were two slimes—the old couple next door. To the right, there was a young dragon—the junior high school student downstairs. They all met and were equally bewildered by their different races.
It wasn’t until Xu Yue accidentally opened his personal status bar.
(Former) Game Developer Xu Yue: ……
His game successfully launched, but something seemed off.
A holographic game in which a whole community is trapped in, striving to find a way out (?).
Kinky Thoughts:
This marks the end of the main story. I really did enjoy it. If you like Nian Zhong, you can check out her other works she mentioned (all of which I have translated/is in the progress of). I highly recommend Stray, as that is the novel that made me fall in love with her work.
If you enjoyed it, please consider supporting the author by buying the raws. You can use Google Chrome with their auto translate and this guide on how to buy novels on jjwxc. Remember, only with your (financial) support can artists continue to produce more great works.
Finally, I would like to thank everyone for your comments, encouragement, help with my translations, and ko-fi donations. It in part fuels my motivation to release so frequently and try to finish this novel as soon as possible.
I forgot to mention the reason why Nian Zhong chose to name Zhong Chengshuo, Chengshuo. As explained in chapter 10, his name derives from a line in a poem that means ‘to take an oath’. Given all the oath taking happening here (from when Zhong Chengshuo accepted Yin Ren’s offering when he was the rabbit, to Yin Ren revising that oath, to the newly final oath in ch217), it’s no wonder why she chose Chengshuo.
Below is the arc summary:
Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo finally figured out what Love’s plans were. It plans to invade the human world and essentially become a “God” (a true “Divine Descent”). However, not just any body would do for it to possessed. It wanted to build a powerhouse body to store its essence in, which required time and planning (which it had been doing for the past decade).
In the meanwhile, it worked with Sunken Society to provide corruption sources in order to harness emotional energy from humans to feed the Other Side. Its current plan to spread mass amount of corruption sources was to plummet Haigu into chaos. It then planned to possess Sun Qi’an to basically become a savior in order to influence the human world.
With this plan in mind, Xiang Jiang sacrificed himself and turned into a fierce ghost, and together with his twin brother, he wanted to wreak havoc in Haigu. Fortunately, they were stopped by Fu Xingchuan, and with the help of Huang Jin (possessed by Qi Xin) was able to fend off the twin ghosts as well as Love.
Meanwhile, on the Other Side, Yin Ren finally managed to control his powers and, with Zhong Chengshuo, was able to subdue Love and essentially destroy its essence (main body).
No longer able to fulfill its plan, Love escaped, using its last remaining bit of itself in Sun Qi’an into an interstitial space while capturing Fu Xingchuan, Ge Tingting, and Huang Jin. It wanted to bide its time to recover and then return again, thinking Yin Ren wouldn’t be able to find the interstitial space it was hiding in.
Unfortunately, Ge Tingting, who still hadn’t made her wish that Yin Ren promised to grant when she helped him find Zhong Chengshuo’s body, now made her wish. It essentially acted as a beacon, calling to Yin Ren, who then found Love’s hideout.
With the help of Zhong Chengshuo, they sealed Love’s essence into Sun Qi’an’s brain tumor, which it would eventually die once Sun Qi’an died (provided she doesn’t remove the brain tumor first).
Meanwhile, Meng Huai’s team battled it out with Shen Mo. As a Charon, he had the ability to teleport, traversing between the Other Side and the human realm. Unable to gain an advantage, Meng Huai forcibly merged herself into Shen Mo. Using Elemental flesh as bombs, she indiscriminately started blowing them up, forcing Shen Mo to use up all his teleportation. With his final teleportation, he forced Meng Huai to sever herself from him, under the threat of taking out all her team, then teleported away once she cut herself off from him.
Unfortunately, she severed quite a bit of her body mass that was still attached to him. As he was going through the teleportation process, he miscalculated the mass he had, which messed with Shen Mo’s teleportation travel, causing him to be forever buried in the Other Side space.
With things resolved and the Other Side taken care of, we reached a happy ending for everyone. Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo would manage the Other Side, restoring natural order as Qi Xin wanted, Huang Jin got together with Ding Lizi, Li Nian was reunited with Meng Huai, Ge Tingting became Fu Xingchuan’s disciple, the Zhong elders were reunited with Zhong Chengfeng, Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo essentially got married…
And finally, Yin Ren got what he wanted… to live as a salted fish mooching off of Shian.
Finally, for the first time on Lunar New Year’s Eve, Fu Xingchuan didn’t have to work overtime.
Yin Ren had successfully contained the spreading corruption, and with strict vigilance, the chances of another catastrophe were significantly reduced. The workload of the police force decreased, and their efficiency improved. As for the “angel’s arm”, it quietly vanished, just like many other online rumors that once went viral.
The impact of past tragic incidents was difficult to fully overcome. Haigu was like a patient recovering from a severe illness—weak and full of scars, but everything was gradually moving in a positive direction.
With suddenly having a lot of free manpower, Fu Xingchuan naturally found himself with nothing to do.
He didn’t really want to go back to the Fu family. A few days ago, Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo said they had just found Fu Wuya, and the entire Fu family was busy with rescuing their ancestor and preparing for the grand worship ceremony of the Great Celestial Master.
At this point, Fu Xingchuan’s admiration for the Great Celestial Master had dwindled considerably. He decided to exercise the privilege of being a workaholic and opted for video communication instead of going home. It was a way to escape the suffocating awkwardness.
As for the New Year’s Eve dinner, Fu Xingchuan had already found his target.
[Self-Seeking Many Talismans: I want to come to your place for the New Year’s Eve dinner.]
[Li Nian: Why?]
[Self-Seeking Many Talismans: Even if Meng Huai is back, there are only two people in your family. Don’t you think it would be livelier with more people?]
[Li Nian: I don’t think so. We have enough lighting at home.]
Fu Xingchuan pretended not to see it.
[Self-Seeking Many Talismans: Xiao Ge doesn’t have family, and she is my disciple. As a man, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to invite a young girl out alone. That girl works hard and deserves to have a good holiday.]
[Self-Seeking Many Talismans: Huang Jin’s family doesn’t have any relatives left. We should establish a good relationship with him. He’s such a talented person.]
[Self-Seeking Many Talismans: You and Meng Huai, Huang Jin and Ding Lizi, and I’ll invite Xiao Ge. The six of us will have a great time!]
[Li Nian: I don’t think Mr. Huang will be grateful to you.]
[Self-Seeking Many Talismans: In just a month, it will be Valentine’s Day. Can’t you wait for a few days? I’ll cover all the expenses for this gathering, and we’ll have a chef from the Fu family come as well. Meng Huai has been on the Other Side for so many years; she deserves to have something delicious.]
Li Nian’s reply took a long time, and Fu Xingchuan watched as the typing indicator appeared multiple times. Finally, Li Nian threw out three words.
[Li Nian: Fine, I guess.]
[Li Nian: Let me discuss it with Meng Huai first.]
[Self-Seeking Many Talismans: 👌]
As the western sky turned red, Ge Tingting arrived at Li Nian’s residential complex carrying a large box of candy. Huang Jin had a face longer than a guitar but obediently brought New Year’s gifts. Ding Lizi changed into a festive red down jacket, and her previously skinny body had gained some flesh, making her look vibrant.
Fu Xingchuan was the last to arrive, dressed in a black-gray coat, appearing exceptionally low-key. “Everyone’s here; let’s go!”
“I thought Professor Li would live in a high-end apartment like the ones in the magazines.” Ge Tingting curiously looked around.
Ge Tingting had seen the Fu family’s assets before. Even with the recent bonus she received, it would be enough for her to own a decent house in Haigu. Li Nian had been working for so many years so he wouldn’t be short on money.
At the moment, they stood in front of the Green Bamboo Garden Community, an old and rundown residential complex. The entire neighborhood appeared abandoned, not even comparable to the village where Ge Tingting grew up. It didn’t match Li Nian’s own image and temperament.
“That old coot has been waiting at the same place for a while. I estimate he’ll move out after the New Year,” Fu Xingchuan sneered.
The group energetically entered Li Nian’s home.
Seeing the upscale interior decoration, Ge Tingting couldn’t help but show an expression that said, “I knew it.”
However, Meng Huai had filled the place with cute decorations, completely erasing any sense of coldness. At the moment, she leaned against the kitchen door, watching the Fu family chef cook.
“Come in!” She noticed the guests and quickly ran over. “Let’s make dumplings together! I told the chef to leave some wrappers and filling.”
Li Nian rolled up his sleeves and silently stood by the table. Ge Tingting was used to being self-reliant, so she washed her hands and rushed forward. Huang Jin had originally planned to play dead, but when he turned his head and saw Ding Lizi’s expectant gaze, he had no choice but to grumble and join in.
“Lao Meng, do you still remember Shian?” Fu Xingchuan casually asked.
Fu Xingchuan skillfully wrapped the dumplings, one after another, with a consistent shape that was outrageously ugly. Li Nian, in a rare display of clumsiness, made misshapen dumplings. Fortunately, Meng Huai’s skills weren’t lacking, and the three of them ended up with equally unattractive dumplings.
“I’m thinking of becoming a combat consultant. After all, Shian still needs to research the ‘Other Side’.” Meng Huai happily produced a few more ugly dumplings. “In a few more years, when I reach retirement age, a global trip wouldn’t be bad.”
Ding Lizi looked at the “twenty-something” Meng Huai in surprise.
“It’s good that you’re back.” Fu Xingchuan grinned.
Shian had paid Meng Huai twenty-nine years of salary and bonuses, along with additional rewards for her exceptional performance on the Other Side. After all of that, Meng Huai was slightly wealthier than Li Nian. With Li Nian’s strong desire to resign, Fu Xingchuan believed that this old couple intended to retire after achieving their goals.
As long as Meng Huai remained as their consultant, Li Nian wouldn’t be able to run far.
It was hard to find a compatible partner! It wasn’t easy for a missing person to reintegrate into society, and there was a mountain of work waiting for them after New Year’s.
As if reading his mind, Li Nian shot him a sharp glare. He had indeed read his mind, and Huang Jin also gave him a menacing look.
Fortunately, Minister Fu had a thick skin.
On the entire table, only Ge Tingting and Huang Jin were able to quickly make presentable dumplings. Meng Huai halted the unseen war. “Hurry up! If we don’t finish wrapping, the dishes will get cold—”
Thus, the chef worked fervently in the kitchen while the other six continued to create havoc with the dumpling wrappers.
“What about Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo?” Ding Lizi curiously asked.
“They…uh, they should be accompanying their elder family members,” Fu Xingchuan casually replied.
The use of the term “elder family members” sounded odd.
“Yes, I asked. It will be a few more days before I can make plans with Chengfeng.” Meng Huai adapted well. “She’s more enthusiastic than me and wants to return to the police station. Maybe we’ll have a chance to cooperate after that.”
Zhong Chengfeng also received numerous rewards. However, at Zhong Chengfeng’s request, Shian applied to government agencies to update her date of birth, identification documents, and related educational qualifications. Using the same name and the age she was when she disappeared, Zhong Chengfeng once again entered the Haigu Public Security Bureau.
Twenty-nine years had passed, but a simple “resemblance” could resolve many things. Considering that too much time had passed, this soldier with nearly thirty years of combat experience would start as a probationary police officer.
For the criminal population of Haigu, this was undoubtedly bad news.
“She messaged me yesterday, saying that the Zhong family will continue celebrating until the fifth day of the Lunar New Year,” Meng Huai added, pulling Li Nian’s sleeve. “That’s enough; let’s start making dumplings—”
……
At the same time, Ping’an Manor, Building 4, Unit 601.
Zhong Chengshuo was spinning in circles around the table as if performing some kind of peculiar ritual.
It all started in the morning…
The marriage proposal was successful, and naturally, they didn’t sleep that night. Zhong Chengshuo stayed up unusually late, spending the first half of the night making a scabbard and the second half making a knife. He was busy until sunrise.
Just as Yin Ren closed his eyes, his phone rang.
Zhong Chengshuo said that the house was relatively large and was awarded the honor of hosting the Zhong family reunion night. Of course, it might also be because the Zhong family had welcomed back their beloved daughter and feared that this adopted son, Zhong Chengshuo, would develop some resentment. However, in Yin Ren’s eyes, this worry was unnecessary.
Comrade Xiao Zhong had not yet evolved the appropriate nerves.
Upon hearing that his parents and older sister were coming, Zhong Chengshuo immediately took off the nightcap he had just put on. He opened the app to check the schedule, planning every detail from preparing home-cooked dishes to buying desserts and fruits outside.
Yin Ren glanced at the schedule and almost fell asleep on the spot.
After completing all these tasks and setting the alarm clock, Zhong Chengshuo finally curled up in a ball and went to sleep.
The next half of the day was busy as the two of them went shopping and cooked seamlessly together. Finally, when the final alarm clock rang, most of the dishes were on the table, and the pork ribs with potatoes were still simmering, emitting a tempting aroma on the stove.
“Now it’s time to cool down,” Zhong Chengshuo said as he opened the timer. “My sister said they will arrive at half past five, and the dishes will be at the perfect temperature by then.”
Yin Ren: “…” Is this how New Year’s Eve dinner goes? He had never been involved in it before.
“Wouldn’t it be livelier to cook together…?” The Great Celestial Master suggested.
“Previously during New Year’s, my parents always prepared the dishes first,” Zhong Chengshuo confidently said. “I bought the best frozen dumplings, so the process should be smooth.”
After half past five, Zhong Chengshuo picked up the Karma Lantern and began to circle the table to heat it up. Yin Ren sighed in amazement. He could only throw out a small bunch of wings and closely monitor the situation in the neighborhood.
“Are they here?”
“Not yet.”
“Are they here?”
“Haven’t seen them yet.”
“Are they here?”
“…You can ask me every five minutes.”
After five minutes, forty-two seconds, and seventeen milliseconds, Zhong Chengshuo’s parents and Zhong Chengfeng arrived at the door. Zhong Chengfeng carried bags and exhaled a breath of cold air as soon as she entered.
“What’s wrong, sweetie?” Zhong Youde asked.
“Nothing.” Zhong Chengfeng looked around the warmly decorated place in shock, then looked at the table full of home-cooked dishes. “It’s quite different from what I imagined.”
An ancient Primordial Elemental and a former ancient legendary figure—she never thought the residence of these two people would be so… homey.
The game console and movies of Zhong Chengshuo were displayed on the bookshelf, and the New Year goods and snacks bought by Yin Ren filled the cabinets, creating a lively atmosphere. The two of them specifically hung some red decorations in the room, filling it with a Lunar New Year atmosphere.
The air was filled with steam, and various dishes shimmered with an enticing glow under the warm light. The aroma of stewed dishes wafted in the air. Zhong Chengshuo put on heat-resistant gloves and carefully carried the enamel pot to the table.
On his ring finger, a ring sparkled.
Yin Ren also wore a similar ring and neatly arranged the bowls, chopsticks, and chairs. The two of them looked like an ordinary couple.
“Look at your son, Lao Zhong.” Cheng Xuehua had sharp eyes and immediately noticed the ring, unable to hide the joy on her face. “Look, look.”
Zhong Youde nervously said, “We should have prepared more gifts. We need to give more red envelopes. Oh… I don’t know the customs of Xiao Yin’s hometown.”
“Everything is all ready. I wanted to show off a bit.” Zhong Chengfeng took the initiative.
“Well, in a while, you can cook the frozen dumplings. I’ve prepared ten flavors of frozen dumplings,” Zhong Chengshuo said generously.
Zhong Chengfeng: “…” Well, it seems that he still lacks a bit of human touch.
She touched her face and decisively sent a message in the family group chat, transferring a total of four payments of 50,000 yuan each, spelling out “new”, “marriage”, “happy”, and “joy”.
After a silence of twenty-nine years, “Fear The Maple*” spoke again in the group.
*Clarity: The feng in Chengfeng comes from maple (tree).
[Fear The Maple: Congratulations on your ‘new’ marriage. Wishing you both a long and happy life. 🌹]
[Fruit Knife: Thank you, sister. 🥰]
[Final Fruit: Thank you, sister. 🥰]
Zhong Chengfeng instantly felt like she had aged billions of years.
“This house is nice. I heard the housing prices are cheap, and there are large flats here.” She looked around as she spoke. “Sun Ge said that many police officers live here. Maybe I should buy a place here too—if Mom and Dad live with me, it would be convenient for them to come and go.”
“Sure, the neighboring one is vacant.” Yin Ren smiled and agreed.
“It’s time to eat.” Zhong Chengshuo nervously stared at his labor of love. He didn’t feel it was suitable to use the Karma Lantern in front of so many humans.
“Okay, okay. Xiao Yin, today we will both have a drink no matter what!” Zhong Youde brought out his liquor.
“Alright, Dad.” Yin Ren complied readily.
Zhong Chengfeng, who had sharpened her nerves for nearly thirty years, stuffed a large piece of ribs into her mouth, trying to hide her overwhelmed expression.
Zhong Youde laughed heartily.
“Hey, Xiao Yin, who’s that?” Cheng Xuehua noticed a small table among the potted plants.
On the table, there was a photo of a young girl that was slightly worn out, but the girl in the photo had a brilliant smile. In front of the photo, there was a small plate with a red apple resting quietly on it.
“She’s a friend of mine and Chengshuo,” Yin Ren said. “Her name is Xiao Hu, and she’s a very good girl.”
“Oh, I see. I’ll make sure to serve her some good dishes later.”
“Definitely.”
Meanwhile, Zhong Youde had a bit of alcohol, and his face had a rosy hue.
“Come on, you three. I wish the young ones here a prosperous new year. May all your wishes come true! As a father, I know what my own son and daughter want… Xiao Yin, tell me, what do you want? We, as parents, might be able to support you.”
Upon hearing this, Zhong Chengfeng instinctively stopped using her chopsticks.
She was also curious—what did this ancient evil, who had awakened from a thousand-year slumber and was also a divine figure who had witnessed the birth of countless powerhouses, want in this small city?
She could ignore Zhong Chengshuo, who was unfamiliar with the human world, but Yin Ren, as a genuine human, shouldn’t be too naive.
“There is indeed something I have been longing for, for a long time.”
Yin Ren answered smoothly.
Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, the city was brightly lit, and fireworks bloomed in the night sky. The room was filled with the aroma of food, and a noisy New Year’s program played on the television. Yin Ren’s gentle gaze swept from Zhong Chengshuo, passing over the pairs of eyes around the round table, brushing against every corner of the warm living room, and finally returning to Zhong Chengshuo.
It was really lively.
“What I wanted, I have already obtained,” Yin Ren said with a smile. He raised his glass and toasted it with Zhong Youde.
The next moment, the clock’s hands pointed to midnight.
“Happy New Year—”
The author has something to say:
Suddenly, I realized that next year is the Year of the Rabbit.
“I thought Shen Lian wouldn’t commit suicide. I was somewhat confident… It was me who didn’t fully understand the problem here and acted rashly…”
Lin Chen chattered on, and no emotional abnormality could be detected in his voice, but Xing Conglian knew very well that Lin Chen was totally confused now.
“I pushed her to the limit, hoping she would fight back, and the only thing she could attack us with was the information she had.”
“She would surely give us a little sweetener, such as writing down the key points of two drugs, so she could finally kill us.”
“Isn’t negotiation just like this? You advance, and I retreat. Xiao Zhan said they needed new ideas, which could also help them shorten the research time…”
Lin Chen’s voice slowly drilled into Xing Conglian’s brain.
This was the process Lin Chen had explained to him before entering the interrogation room.
What they wanted wasn’t full cooperation from Shen Lian, but the small concessions Shen Lian made in the negotiation process to make bigger demands, like some formulas or chemical equations. These ideas could greatly speed up the research process.
Almost everything was within Lin Chen’s full calculation; in a sense, Lin Chen had achieved it, except for the sudden suicide of Shen Lian.
“I thought she would want to see Duan Wanshan or make other demands on us, such as asking me to jump off the building like Meijing to save more people. Why did she just commit suicide?”
“She guessed that Duan Wanshan was dead. She’s so smart, so how could she not guess it.”
“But suicide, it’s too absolute. She was very confident in her organization. She knew they would definitely seek revenge for her in a brutal way. There must be a backup plan; there must be something I have overlooked.”
“The problem is Duan Wanshan. What is the problem with Duan Wanshan…”
“I knew she would commit suicide, but I killed her step by step. If I had left that room, she wouldn’t have committed suicide so violently.”
“It was me who thought that it didn’t matter if she died, so I did it… I could have been gentler.”
“It was me who killed her.”
“So much blood… Xing Conglian…”
Xing Conglian stared at the pitch-dark road ahead.
Those calm and incoherent murmurs made him touch Lin Chen’s helpless and fragile heart again.
He found that ever since he fell in love with Lin Chen, it seemed that every day was like this.
He stood behind Lin Chen, watching Lin Chen do what he wanted to do, and then watched Lin Chen get hurt all over by those things. He found that he couldn’t even comfort Lin Chen because, after each such incident, it was Lin Chen who got up and brushed off the dust on his body, saying “I’m fine” to him.
How could he be fine?
“How so?”
“It was me who killed her.”
“So much blood…”
“What the hell did I overlook?”
Lin Chen kept repeating what he had just said, apologizing to many people, and his voice was getting lower and lower.
Listening to those words, Xing Conglian trembled all over.
Of course, a person with a normal psychological defense mechanism wouldn’t blame so many things on themselves. Lin Chen was never a coward with a weak heart, but…
Too many times.
Too many lives were decisively left in front of Lin Chen. He could only passively accept and never prevent anything from happening.
Xing Conglian knew very well how much Lin Chen wanted to save every person, even Meijing and Shen Lian. He hoped they would accept fair judgment instead of dying horribly.
But the more he wanted to, the more fate seemed to let Lin Chen always seem to be doing useless work, and the more he had to carry.
He wanted to take responsibility, and he had to take responsibility.
Once he thought that Lin Chen always charged to the front countless times, disregarding his own life and death, but until Huang Weiwei, he understood that because Lin Chen knew that the choice was too difficult, he would rather do it himself since he sincerely didn’t want other people to experience what he had experienced. It was that simple.
Xing Conglian clutched the steering wheel. He kept his eyes open despite them turning red.
He told himself now wasn’t the time to sink with Lin Chen. He had to be sober. Lin Chen still needed him.
“Baby,” he said.
Lin Chen ignored him. There was no whisper at the other end of the phone now.
“Baby,” he tried to call Lin Chen again.
“Consultant Lin?”
Still no response.
Xing Conglian took a deep breath, staring at the road ahead, gathering his courage, and said, “Husband*.”
*Clarity: Before, Xing Conglian was calling him [baobei] (宝贝). Now he’s using [lao gong] (老公).
The person on the other end of the phone obviously took a deep, cold breath.
Taking advantage of the gap, Xing Conglian rubbed his face, pretended to be happy, and said, “Husband, you can’t collapse. What will I do if you collapse?”
Lin Chen didn’t respond, and only the sound of calm breathing came through.
“It was hard to win me over.”
“You promised to ‘teach me’ every day.”
“If I don’t attend classes, I’ll start thinking about other women every day.”
“Xing Conglian…” Lin Chen seemed to be unable to bear it any longer and finally spoke.
“Are you still reasonable?”
“How many hours have you been with me since you came back from Dana, and how many hours have you been with Shen Lian?”
“I…” Lin Chen muttered.
The unfinished building stood straight ahead. Xing Conglian stepped on the brake. When the car stopped, he quickly got out of the car, still holding on to the phone.
He continuously kept saying to Lin Chen, “Do you love me?”
“I love you.”
“You answer so quickly, it sounds like you’re perfunctory.” Xing Conglian gritted his teeth, quickly rushed into the unfinished building, scanned his palm print, and went upstairs.
The elevator rose quickly, but the signal didn’t break.
“Where did you learn the bad habits of stinky men?”
“I didn’t… I…”
Lin Chen was obviously a mess that he couldn’t even organize and complete an explanation, but he also stopped his babbling.
In the enclosed elevator space, the floor number jumped and rose on the display. When the door opened, the chaotic geek den of Wang Chao appeared in front of him.
“I love you,” Xing Conglian said seriously.
Among the various monitors and servers, Wang Chao slowly raised his head, showing a solemn look in his eyes that he had never seen before.
Xing Conglian walked through the complex machines and various lines to Wang Chao’s side.
“Lin Chen, persevere. I’ve got everything.”
Looking at the content on the monitor, Xing Conglian’s breath paused, and he forcibly hung up the phone.
……
The sounds of the keyboard and electronic devices abruptly fell silent, with the sound of wind cutting through the night filling the surroundings.
Taking advantage of the lull when his boss arrived, Wang Chao had already figured out what was happening inside the prison. He watched as his boss forcibly hung up the phone with A’Chen Gege, feeling a sadness he couldn’t express.
But now, no one had time to dwell on personal emotions.
On the screen was a piece of encrypted information transmitted through the server.
It showed a non-transcribing virus that could alter the human genome.
The virus* originated in the small German town of Borna in 1885, causing a large number of horses to die. It was a neurotropic virus that could integrate its viral DNA into the host’s chromosomes, pass it on to the next generation. More importantly, it could potentially be related to certain human mental disorders.
*Referring to Borna disease, also known as sad horse disease. It’s an infectious neurological syndrome of warm-blooded animals. Borna disease is a severe neurological illness that predominantly affects horses and sheep, but it has been observed in a wide range of mammals. The disease is characterized by ataxia and abnormal depressive behavior, frequently culminating in death. There have been rare cases of human fatalities associated with encephalitis caused by Borna disease virus infection. Additionally, correlative evidence exists linking BoDV-1/2 infection with neuropsychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder in humans.
Wang Chao remembered how his hands were shaking after reading the information.
His first reaction was that this was truly something out of a novel, where drugs acting on the nervous system were already ambitious enough, yet here was a virus—a virus that could alter DNA and was related to mental disorders.
The information showed that specific antibodies to this virus were found in the blood serum of various mental disorder patients. In simple terms, infection with this virus could lead to mental disorders because the virus alters DNA, meaning that the offspring of the infected could also potentially become mentally ill.
Wang Chao thought this was absolutely insane. The boss behind Shen Lian truly wanted to stage a real-life version of a biochemical crisis to wipe out all humans.
Being a villain to this extent couldn’t be described as just mentally ill anymore. They sincerely believed that humanity was divided into two factions, and they had to fight for the future of their own faction, the “selfish ones”, and lay the groundwork for restoring balance on the tightrope in the future.
Throughout the time Xing Conglian was looking at the material, Wang Chao kept his eyes on him.
What surprised him was that there was no shock on his boss’s face. His mouse-dragging was very steady, and he read very quickly, making it hard to guess what he was thinking.
Finally, his boss put down the mouse, drew back his hand, lit a cigarette, and stared at the screen, lost in thought.
“Boss…” Wang Chao ventured.
“This is the backup plan,” Xing Conglian simply responded.
“What backup plan?”
“Lin Chen thinks that Shen Lian dares to commit suicide because she trusts that her organization can avenge her. She doesn’t need to do it herself.”
“A’Chen Gege…”
“Yes, he’s a mental mess right now, but still so sharp,” Xing Conglian said.
“What should we do, Boss?”
“A virus… that’s nothing.”
Xing Conglian said the word ‘virus’ very loudly, not caring that this was top secret!
“Keep your voice down!” Wang Chao wished he could rush up to cover his mouth.
Xing Conglian glanced at him. “Can you understand this?” He pointed at the screen and asked.
Wang Chao was stunned. “English, I can manage.”
“Grab a piece of TERN’s research material—can you understand?” Xing Conglian asked.
Wang Chao shook his head vigorously.
“That settles it then,” Xing Conglian exhaled a puff of smoke, unprecedentedly calm. “This piece of material itself is written in layman’s terms.”
“What do you mean by that, Boss?”
“This is a piece of material that anyone can understand. Its purpose lies in ‘popular science’ and ‘propaganda’. It’s not to tell you what kind of virus they actually have.”
Wang Chao suddenly understood. “This material is not research material, but a public opinion storm the organization wants to create for its next move.”
“Yes.”
“The problems caused by the heterogenous body and mental disorders are very similar. They want to use similar virus information to confuse the public and cause mass panic and unrest!”
“Yes.”
“This is too vicious!” the teenager shouted.
“Keep your voice down,” Xing Conglian said.
Wang Chao looked up. People from all sides were looking at him in fear.
“Don’t you have work to do?” Wang Chao shouted at everyone.
“It might not necessarily be to confuse the public.” Xing Conglian took a deep drag of his cigarette, narrowing his eyes, looking sharp. “Did Lin Chen mention that the Song Shengsheng case involves an insurance company and Lao Duan’s Doctors Without Borders?”
“Did he?” Wang Chao was completely lost.
Xing Conglian seemed too lazy to argue with him and simply said, “Which team is in charge of the follow-up of the Song Shengsheng case? Get me the team leader’s number.”
It was like an eerie ghost light in the wilderness, arriving without a sound and disappearing with the wind.
Countless people who were peeking into the dark web witnessed this moment together.
Some thought it was a network failure, some thought it was sudden internet restrictions implemented by the government, and others felt it was the puppet master gathering strength for the next round of actions. Each person had a different understanding of the same phenomenon, so this significant event didn’t cause much stir.
Similarly, members of the organization who were waiting for the next round of poisoning operation arrangements also thought it was a normal adjustment, nothing unexpected.
The only one who reacted was the one who had lost control of the website.
In the middle of the night, the lights were still on at the beef noodle shop in the commercial district. Some overtime workers were still eating, and the boss was still bustling about.
There were three or four programmers in the store who had just finished work, looking exhausted while waiting for their meal.
The boss, wearing an apron, was cheerfully cooking a pot of noodle soup, as if the store were still full of distinguished guests.
Next to him was a large pot of red oil still simmering on the coal stove. The white noodle soup bubbled, complemented by the green spring onions at the bottom of the bowl.
The noodles floated up, and the boss quickly scooped them out, pouring in the long-simmered soup base and a spoonful of red oil. His movements were smooth and interesting.
He removed his apron, grabbed a pair of chopsticks, and served the noodle bowl to the customer’s table.
The programmers were whispering about yesterday’s vote, exchanging opinions on website construction, and incidentally mentioning the extinguishing of the dark web voting site.
The red oil that had been spilled on the TV earlier had been wiped clean, but the device was broken, so it no longer lit up, and there was only a single incandescent light shining silently in the store.
The old shop owner collected an empty bowl from the table, went back to the kitchen, extinguished the fire on the stove, and washed the bowl in passing.
The process was very calm, without any anger.
In the shop, the programmers’ noodles were about to be finished, with only a thin layer of soup left in the bowl.
The old shop owner put away the bowl, gently wiped his hands with a handkerchief from his pocket, pulled out a cell phone with his other hand, made a simple phone call, and walked towards the entrance.
“Let’s start,” he said.
The sound echoed darkly in the night, and the programmers looked instinctively towards the door, where they were met by a sudden lowering of the shutter.
The grating sound of steel echoed abruptly in the empty street, causing a cold chill, and at the last moment of the shutter’s descent, a cell phone was casually thrown in.
The programmers rushed to the door in an instant, with the sound of a light lock falling at the entrance.
Fear and the will to survive drove them to pound on the steel door and scream for help, but all their pleas fell on deaf ears. On the ground beside them, a flash of light suddenly flashed across the screen of the cell phone.
Someone bent down to pick up the phone, but time had run out.
The timer in the beef noodle shop hit zero, and the nearby residents heard a deafening explosion.
The fire soared into the sky, lighting up most of the night sky.
The entire shop was engulfed in the roaring fire.
……
When Xing Conglian received the call from the detention center, he had already returned to the command center from the criminal investigation team’s office.
The moment he saw the incoming call display, he had a strong sense of foreboding.
He answered the phone, and the officer on the other end reported the situation in the interrogation room.
After that, Xing Conglian couldn’t quite catch what was said; he felt as if he had sunk to the bottom of the water, with the officer’s voice coming from the surface, accompanied by an empty and blurred echo.
Thirty seconds later, he hung up the phone and then began to search for his car keys, which were actually in his hand, but he still fumbled in his pocket for a while before realizing it.
The last words of the officer kept echoing in his ears: Shen Lian has been sent to the hospital for rescue, and Consultant Lin is by her side.
Because of these words, his limbs were cold, but his heart was beating heavily and painfully, as if it were about to jump out of his throat.
He got into the driver’s seat and made a tremendous effort to tell himself that he wasn’t in a state to drive. So he held the key, stared at the barrier in front of the parking lot, calmed down for a while, and then reluctantly inserted the key into the hole.
Xing Conglian threw his phone on the dashboard, put on his Bluetooth headset, dialed Lin Chen’s number, then stepped on the accelerator and turned the steering wheel sharply.
The car shot out of the parking lot like an arrow from a bow.
Streetlights whizzed past, but the waiting tone in his earpiece remained constant, and Xing Conglian felt as if he was about to crush the steering wheel.
Three minutes and forty seconds later, the call was terminated three times due to timeout, making Xing Conglian forcefully step on the accelerator to the end.
Just before he dialed the fourth call, the call was answered. Xing Conglian didn’t react at the time and immediately shouted, “Lin Chen.”
However, he didn’t hear Lin Chen speaking, but it was Wang Chao’s voice that came out. “Boss, can you come to the unfinished building? There are some things you must see.”
The anxiety in Wang Chao’s words was even greater than his.
After a moment, they both spoke at the same time: “What happened?”
Before he could answer, Wang Chao interjected, “Boss, why is your voice so hoarse? What happened to A’Chen Gege?”
“Shen Lian attempted suicide in the detention center, in front of Lin Chen,” Xing Conglian said up to here, only to realize that his voice sounded like a windshield wiper scraping a large amount of muddy water, rough and horrifying.
But what surprised him wasn’t his voice, but the silence on the other end of the phone. Wang Chao didn’t even say his usual “holy crap”.
Xing Conglian’s heart also missed a beat. It seemed bad things often came one after another, as they always had since ancient times.
“Speak.” He found that his voice sounded even more hoarse.
“Boss, I know you want to go to the hospital now,” Wang Chao said with difficulty. “But you can’t go. We found some things on the dark web server that in Mailin. The operation team had passed them on to me. You… You have to come see it, Boss.”
After Wang Chao finished speaking, he quickly hung up the phone, not wasting a second, obviously to give him and Lin Chen time for a phone call.
But this attitude was also very clear: Boss, you must come over.
The traffic light in front changed, and Xing Conglian slammed on the brakes.
At this moment, his phone rang again.
It was a red light, glaringly red like blood in the night. Xing Conglian was startled and looked down. It was a callback from Lin Chen’s number.
If Lin Chen had called back before Wang Chao, he would have continued to the hospital regardless of what happened. But this seemed to be an arrangement by fate.
He answered the phone as the red light turned green and gritted his teeth. He turned the steering wheel sharply, heading in the opposite direction.
During this gap, there were sounds of chaotic conversations from the entrance of the hospital operating room, but Xing Conglian wasn’t sure he heard Lin Chen’s voice.
“Hello… Is this Captain Xing?” Someone on the other end asked tentatively.
The voice was submissive, but it stood out starkly against the noisy background. Xing Conglian’s heart sank.
“Where is Lin Chen?” He asked.
The phone was passed to someone else.
From the sound of it, it should be a leader from the detention center.
“Captain Xing, right? I’m Chu Wei from the detention center.”
Xing Conglian coldly stared at the road ahead without saying a word.
“Captain Xing, I’m really sorry. Has Xiao Chen reported to you just now? It was our problem during the surveillance. We didn’t notice when things were being delivered in…”
Before the other person could continue, Xing Conglian interrupted him, “Where is Lin Chen?”
“Consultant Lin, he was just here, but somehow he left his phone at the entrance of the operating room. I saw that the phone had been ringing too many times, so I let a younger colleague answer it.”
“Find him.”
Xing Conglian was calm, and his voice was very faint, but Chu Wei felt as if he was like a stretched wire. Because it was so thin and shallow, when it snapped, it would be sharper than a gun.
“I-I understand…”
Chu Wei was originally talking to someone else, but after hearing Xing Conglian’s request, he instinctively filtered out the people at the entrance of the operating room. He remembered Lin Chen was just here, but how could he suddenly disappear?
The entrance to the operating room was getting more and more crowded, as every department had sent some people over, and there were also experts from the higher-level hospital. Chu Wei struggled out of the crowd, and only then did he realize that he could check the surveillance video.
He sent someone towards the staircase. Just then, a cold figure slowly came out of the bathroom at the end of the hallway.
It was Lin Chen.
Chu Wei sighed with relief and quickly rushed over, wanting to give Lin Chen his phone. But when he ran in front of Lin Chen, he suddenly stopped, because the eyes that Lin Chen slowly raised didn’t seem to belong to a human.
Dark, numb, like a land covered by the shadow of death.
He opened his mouth, but his first reaction was that no matter what he said, Lin Chen wouldn’t hear.
“Give him a Bluetooth headset and hang the phone on his ear. If the phone is out of battery, connect it with a power bank, and put them all in his pocket.”
The call was still ongoing. Xing Conglian was still on the line, calmly ordering him.
Just then, Lin Chen seemed to have some perception. He looked at him, his eyes fluctuated a bit, and then he slowly stretched out his hand to him.
Chu Wei breathed a sigh of relief, wanting to give him the phone back.
But Xing Conglian insisted, “Do as I say.”
Chu Wei quickly followed Xing Conglian’s instructions and equipped Lin Chen with the “set”. During this process, Lin Chen was like a marionette, sitting on the chair at the door by the bathroom, letting him fiddle around.
Only then did Chu Wei break out in a cold sweat. He had no doubt that if he had given Lin Chen the phone just now, it would have fallen directly from Lin Chen’s hand onto the ground.
Xing Conglian was driving on the dark city road.
He listened to the sounds of the earpiece rubbing against the ear—Lin Chen’s breathing and Chu Wei’s voice calling Lin Chen. His heart felt like it was being cut by a knife.
Although it was only a few breaths apart, Xing Conglian felt the time was unbearably long.
Finally, when Chu Wei left, he tentatively called out, “Baby”.
Kinky Translations 