Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 106: Come Back Early

Yin Ren’s heart was rapidly beating.

His heart was just a mimicry, but the experience of being human was engraved deep into his bones, and all kinds of cognition were stubbornly rooted in his body.

Right now, the tips of Yin Ren’s tongue were numb, and his heart was about to burst. The broken arms recovered as before, but the pain lingered like a ghost.

Lord Ghost King didn’t have time to think about the safety of the world and its follow-up process. There was only one simple thought left in his mind…

He must live.

He was alone, and at that time, he felt unlucky. If he died, he died. When the seal was first broken, Yin Ren felt every day he lived was simply a bonus, like an exceptionally peaceful dream. If the heavens made him turn back into a pile of bones, he would just lie down and accept it.

But now it was different.

His wings clung to Zhong Chengshuo’s body tightly, like a dragon holding its treasures.

All the soft feathers on the remaining wing clusters exploded. Yin Ren’s black hair scattered and the red cloth around his body flowed like water. His face was slightly exposed from the flowing red cloth, and his red eyes were full of fighting spirit.

His thoughts were racing.

He couldn’t throw Zhong Chengshuo away—the enemy in front of him wasn’t like Kong Wanqing’s kind. Zhong Chengshuo knew it wasn’t easy to change direction in mid-air, and he would become a human target.

Unable to use the wing ball for defense—purely in terms of strength, Qi Xin could easily penetrate his wings.

So he could only continue to fight.

“Let’s see, which child you are from.”

After the single blow failed, Qi Xin stopped her offensive.

With most of her neck cut open, a clear curiosity appeared on her face for the first time. Just looking at it wasn’t enough. She twisted her arms at an angle that no human could reach, and she suddenly stretched out and grabbed Yin Ren.

Bang!

It was like an explosion. With Yin Ren as the center, scarlet filaments erupted.

The gauze-like red cloth was instantly scattered into thousands of red ropes, each as thick as blood vessels. In an instant, they covered the entire world in crimson like fire.

Those suppressed Evil Force and destructive power turned into red ropes that intertwined with the air, creating a chaotic yet strange geometric beauty. Countless red ropes grew, intertwined, and bent. From a distance, they looked like a blooming flower with fine petals.

Unable to retain strength, but also couldn’t cause catastrophe. To unleash all the power, but also to compress it into a tiny space.

Yin Ren had never manipulated his Evil Force so finely. In the process of pulling, the familiar sharp pain returned again, as if his body seemed to be crushed into fine pieces.

All of this was just in half a second.

Qi Xin’s fingertips touched the red ropes before touching Yin Ren.

Swish!

The surrounding red ropes went crazy in an instant and entangled Qi Xin’s joints like snakes. Thorn-like things protruded out, and the out-of-control Evil Force all penetrated Qi Xin’s body.

Unfortunately, Qi Xin didn’t respond. She just moved her head and looked at the wrist bound by a red rope…

A red knife light flashed by.

Just in an instant, her right hand disappeared with a swish.

Qi Xin’s right hand and wrist were lopped off and fell to the ground. After a successful blow, Zhong Chengshuo retreated like lightning and jumped back above the red ropes.

Qi Xin’s brows twitched.

Zhong Chengshuo’s weight suddenly disappeared and Yin Ren thought he had fallen. Seeing that familiar figure, Yin Ren’s wings froze in the air, and his heart stopped in shock.

The three of them were at a high altitude above the circular loop, which was comparable to the top of a ten-story building. In the void, there were only countless thin ropes made out of magic.

Zhong Chengshuo crouched diagonally behind Yin Ren. His entire body stretched into a squat with a posture ready to go. There was only a red rope under his feet, but his body was as stable as a bud on a branch.

Zhong Chengshuo took out a sample bag that was dangling behind his back and found there was no trace of damage on it. The Evil Fruit trembled endlessly in his hand, making a slight buzzing sound.

Seeing Yin Ren’s gaze, the man tilted his head, showing a look full of innocence.

…Does this guy have a death wish? Was that two minute cold war not enough?!

Yin Ren almost cursed out his lungs. He clenched his teeth, and with a suffocating breath, the brilliance of various spells ignited around him.

Curses, ghosts’ spells, illusions, enchantments. Techniques of different systems were all matched in pairs and varied, forming a rotating eight-trigram formation behind him.

The setting sun sank behind the dilapidated building, and the bloody mist rose again. Between tens of millions of red ropes, countless dull radiances rose one after another and finally became chaotic gray and black.

“…Nothing new.”

The curiosity on Qi Xin’s face faded a little as she retracted her broken wrist.

“Forget it… No matter whose child you are, I’ve found you, and you’re mine now.” She gave a twisted smile, with almost all her teeth exposed. “It’s rare that I can have a good meal today.”

She wiped the blood from the corners of her mouth and narrowed her eyes.

It was like a bomb had been detonated. The blood mist brought by Yin Ren was blown away in an instant. The surrounding red ropes were like frightened earthworms, squirming and fleeing.

Countless black droplets spurted out from Qi Xin’s broken wrist, and they ejected at the two of them like bullets. The air suddenly became thick with mucus, and a heavy sense of oppression fell from the sky.

Yin Ren’s head buzzed. He was extremely familiar with this process. If the power gap was too large, as long as the prey was subdued by the overwhelming power, the next step would be to be eaten.

He gritted his teeth and commanded the red ropes to resist with difficulty. His control was truly unskilled, and he was half a beat slower, missing some fish that slipped through the net and they passed through his rope shield. Zhong Chengshuo was splashed on his arm and didn’t respond. On the other hand, half of Yin Ren’s shoulder was exposed to the liquid droplets, turning into a sieve in an instant.

Fortunately, although the sense of oppression was strong, it was unexpectedly tolerable.

This time, Yin Ren didn’t care about his bloody shoulders. He directly drew out all the gushing blood and used it to strengthen the countless magic arrays behind him.

Zhong Chengshuo didn’t seem to notice the “oppression” in the air at all. “…Are you okay?”

Then he didn’t forget to add, “It’s been two minutes. I can talk to you now.”

Yin Ren: “……” Either this person was really bold, or he was completely unaware of the seriousness they were facing right now.

Yin Ren: “I can’t die.”

At the moment he turned his head to answer, hundreds of spells behind him activated at the same time, hitting Qi Xin like a meteor shower. Hundreds of rays of light turned into sharp arrows, causing the mist to swirl, almost like a tornado.

Zhong Chengshuo reacted at a speed that wasn’t human. He jumped out almost at the same time, hiding himself behind countless brilliance.

With such a move, Yin Ren really did save the strength to protect him.

The advantages of a top science post were highlighted at this moment—Zhong Chengshuo’s aura completely disappeared. Not to mention Qi Xin; even Yin Ren, who was a spellcaster, couldn’t find him.

Qi Xin’s body was suddenly overwhelmed by countless lights.

……

Just a few kilometers away from the battle between the three, Fu Xingchuan was sitting on the roof of an abandoned building. His complexion was abnormally ruddy, and a piece of talisman paper full of charms was attached to his brows.

The pupils of his eyes flicker between bright gold and dark. There were two deep cuts on the palm of his hands, and countless blood beads flew out of his wounds…

Not far from Fu Xingchuan’s side, the blood beads were torn into countless blood-covered threads that intertwined with each other endlessly and condensed into a red and black spear. The spear emitted an ominous, dark light and made a raving noise in the air.

“Those two brats… Not only did they hold back, but they also left behind the thousands-armed Guanyin*.”

*In Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara, also known as Avalokitasvara, is a bodhisattva who contains all the compassion of all Buddhas and is the principal attendant of Amitabha Buddha on the right. He has 108 avatars, one notable being Padmapani (lotus bearer). In Chinese culture, he’s depicted in a female form and is known as Guanyin. || In this context, Fu Xingchuan is referring to how Yin Ren’s ropes look like Guanyin (with his thousands of ropes looking like arms, which is similar to how Guanyin is sometimes depicted) That and also his strength that’s like a god.

Thinking that he had given these two special training before, Fu Xingchuan gave himself a self-deprecating laugh.

He simply felt a yearning for a vacation.

Minister Fu groaned. Seeing the blood on his palm gradually diminishing, he took out a bag of blood with his name written on it. After tearing it apart, the blood in it floated up by itself and continued to melt into the spear.

The forbidden technique of using living human blood was the strongest move that Minister Fu could currently use.

It stood to reason that this technique would drain all of the caster’s blood, which would be regarded as a “life-threatening blow” in a literal sense.

Fortunately, modern humans had perfect blood-drawing equipment and preservation technology. In addition to the longer preparation time required, this technique could keep him alive even if he used it. After the first pack of blood ran out, Fu Xingchuan fumbled and tore open a second pack. His hands were busy, but his eyes were elsewhere.

Through the heavy fog, Fu Xingchuan stared intently at the battlefield not far away.

This wasn’t a battle that his “weak self” could join head-on.

As a veteran of Shian, Fu Xingchuan’s judgment in combat level was always excellent. As a normal human, getting involved in a battle of three monsters at this time was tantamount to courting death.

Leaving aside the inexplicable Qi Xin, Fu Xingchuan couldn’t even see through Yin Ren’s strength.

Spells were no better than science. Even if one were a genius, it would take a long time to accumulate such knowledge, technology, and combat experience. There was no possibility that this young man was in his early twenties.

If Yin Ren was an evil thing, most likely he was quite old and could successfully avoid the screening and identification process of Shian, so Fu Xingchuan couldn’t infer his strength.

As for Zhong Chengshuo, this kid was even more outrageous—even if Yin Ren and Qi Xin were two people of unknown origins, Zhong Chengshuo’s grades from elementary school could be found. God knew how this kid mutated into this.

Oh, and this guy and Yin Ren were “in love”.

What a complete mess. Fu Xingchuan only felt that his brain had borne a burden that it shouldn’t bear, and he wanted to rush to the edge to “stop the operation” several times.

What a pity that he didn’t bring along Li Nian so the two could suffer together. Fu Xingchuan turned his head and glanced faintly at the blood spear that was being completed. The #1 Ghost General looked sad, as if hoping this spear would simply take him away.

He would continue to sit on the mountain and watch as the tigers fought.

Fu Xingchuan rubbed the blood spear that was gradually forming. The evil qi on the spear’s body became deeper, and the tip of the spear was pointed at Qi Xin’s head.

Before the execution mission was over, as long as the two of them weren’t detrimental to Shian, no matter what kind of origin they were or what kind of strength they had…

As a boss, he had the obligation to protect them.

A few kilometers away.

The glow of the spells dissipated, and Qi Xin was still standing in the same place. After eating nearly a hundred of Yin Ren’s spells, she was completely unscathed.

In response, Yin Ren was expressionless. He inserted one hand into the wound on his shoulder, using his five fingers as a pen and blood as ink. Larger and more dazzling techniques gradually took shape behind him.

Zhong Chengshuo was rarely distracted, but he gave Yin Ren a deep look. It was hard to tell what emotion was going on in those dark eyes of his.

“It’s all mediocre goods. Give it up.”

Qi Xin put away her exaggerated smile and bent her body slightly. Amidst the sticky sound of blood and flesh ripping apart, one of her eyeballs stretched out of her eye socket like a snail and stopped in front of Yin Ren.

In the next instant, only a whooshing sound was heard, and the eye was cut off by the Evil Fruit. Zhong Chengshuo used his backhand to grab it and quickly stuff the eyeball into a sampling bottle.

Qi Xin: “……”

She flashed back, avoiding the Evil Fruit that swung again.

Being a powerful, nonhuman thing, an inevitable trace of “Is there something wrong with you?” appeared on her face. This fragile human was constantly dangling in front of her, as annoying as a buzzing fly.

A pure black bead condensed from Qi Xin’s fingertips, but before her fingers moved, Zhong Chengshuo was like a bird with a broken wing—he suddenly fell from the air.

His fall was so sudden that Yin Ren and Qi Xin both lowered their heads at the same time. At this moment, a strong wave of power exploded in the distance and rushed towards them.

A blood spear broke through the air and landed right into Qi Xin’s temple.

An orthodox technique from Shian.

In the blink of an eye, Yin Ren instantly understood Zhong Chengshuo.

Indeed, this person had noticed their own small actions and anticipated what Shian might do.

Zhong Chengshuo wasn’t the object that he wanted to protect. This guy was also an extremely cunning hunter.

Yin Ren sighed slightly, and his heart moved.

This time, it wasn’t magic that was activated.

As Zhong Chengshuo fell, the blood spear struck. Qi Xin didn’t lose her fighting power, but she was distracted momentarily.

In that short moment, with a buzzing sound, all the red ropes in the space straightened.

A breakthrough was exactly what he needed.

Half of his body was stained with blood, and the red cloth was so dark that it almost turned black. Yin Ren’s complexion was pale, his pupils were dilated, and his breathing and heartbeat stopped.

From the beginning, he was sure Qi Xin wasn’t an opponent that he could defeat by magic. As a nonhuman being, her control over power and aura was terrifying.

But the Evil Fruit had cut her neck and her hand, and she wasn’t able to recover afterwards. For some reason, Qi Xin wasn’t good at dealing with physical attacks.

This could be some kind of restriction, and it was also his only chance to seriously injure his opponent.

Under the cover of countless spells, Yin Ren became crazily familiar with the operation techniques of these “red ropes of Evil Force”. Forcibly controlling those powers was like tearing out the nerves in his own head.

Fortunately, he had long been accustomed to pain.

In the “all-or-nothing” spell bombardment, time passed little by little. The red ropes used for assistance were stretched into murder weapons with sharp edges like blades. Once he caught a flaw, Yin Ren didn’t leave Qi Xin any time to react. The red ropes twisted towards her from all directions.

Qi Xin let out a “huh”.

There was a crackling sound of flesh and blood being separated.

The red rope gathered together, and Qi Xin’s body was twisted into palm-sized pieces. There were no bones or flesh in the broken section—just a translucent black substance.

Immediately afterwards, all the red ropes withdrew. Yin Ren wasn’t careless. He panted as he concentrated all his strength and wrapped layers of barriers around himself. The “falling” Zhong Chengshuo shot out a transparent steel wire from his hand and neatly jumped back onto the red rope.

He smiled jerkily at Yin Ren.

Yin Ren gave a weak smile back.

While the red ropes were entangled, Yin Ren stretched out his blood-stained right hand and swung it down like a slash.

When the qi exploded, it sent fragments of Qi Xin everywhere—at least they weren’t covered with corruption. As for the aftermath, that would be Shian’s headache.

However, Qi Xin’s fragments remained motionless. They continued floating in midair in their separate forms.

After receiving such a severe injury, Qi Xin’s aura wasn’t even slightly disturbed. Strangely enough, her hostility disappeared.

A few seconds later, as if to express a “truce”, some fragments fell to the ground and disappeared like melting snow. In the void, Qi Xin only kept one eye, a mouth, and a hand.

Yin Ren put away his performing hand, and his heart almost froze.

…This situation only represented one thing.

The “Qi Xin” in front of them was most likely just a controlled puppet, or a division from the main body. This kind of technique wasn’t uncommon, but with Qi Xin’s terrifying strength, they had some preconceived ideas.

At present, it seemed that the destruction of the body would not cause damage that their opponent would “care” about.

“While applying spells as a cover up, you arranged your ultimate move? You weren’t suppressed by my aura and still had leeway to focus on multiple objectives…”

“Ha… Haha… So that’s how it is…”

On the jaw fragment that still remained, her mouth gradually curled up—the smile was almost genuine.

“’You’ are still alive. No… No, it should be said, ‘You’ are back… I knew it would be like this…”

“You have to grow up quickly. Come back soon and kill us well.”

Qi Xin’s voice was full of weird satisfaction.

“In addition, be careful of ‘Mr. Qiu’.”

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 105: Hunting

Time reversed a little.

Haigu, Shian Campus.

Lu Xiaohe kept moving the miniature screen, looking at the jumping data on the screen with her face covered in sweat.

“Hao Wenzhe, Lu Xiaohe, continue to investigate and try to locate the controller.”

Before they left the Ant Nest, Li Nian had instructed them.

The real-time judgment of the front line was handed over to Hao Wenzhe, while Lu Xiaohe’s head swelled up to the size of a basketball as she assisted with the data. The reaction screen of the evil qi in Gengsheng Town became like a sieve, with dense red dots pressing against each other on the terrain map, enough to make someone with agoraphobia faint on the spot.

They varied in size, flickering on and off and disappearing one or two at a time, making the entire screen chaotic and disorderly. Lu Xiaohe stared at it for a few minutes and felt her eyes blur.

“It’s the usual methods of the technical department from Sunken Society. Stimulate specific large-scale evil things, causing chaos in the evil qi to throw all the evil spirits into disorder.”

Hao Wenzhe wiped his nose and stared at the screen with both eyes.

“At this level of confusion, only close-range detection is reliable. Satellite images can only reflect part of the situation—you have to make your own guesses.”

Lu Xiaohe “Nn” twice.

She did have aspirations for promotion and salary increase, and she was also willing to challenge difficult problems, but since the establishment of Special Investigation Unit 9, she had a feeling of “over-eagerness” as if fate were pulling her scalp towards the sky.

The difficult tasks in recent months were almost more than her previous years combined.

Lu Xiaohe looked at the screen numbly. On the black screen, those blood-bead-like red dots were still leaking out… What was the C-level investigation team next door doing? Oh, right, they were investigating a mysterious blockage of the sewers in the community.

She thought the execution mission would be tricky, but she was too naïve.

Suddenly, a huge red dot disappeared.

Lu Xiaohe rubbed her eyes, thinking she had read it wrong. The dispersal of evil things required a process. Even if Fu Xingchuan personally took action, he couldn’t just make the enemy disappear instantly.

In less than ten minutes, the next one also suddenly disappeared.

Lu Xiaohe’s back went cold as she slid a chair to Hao Wenzhe’s side. As a result, before she could speak, Hao Wenzhe blocked her again without raising his head…

“It may be that the evil qi index exceeded the limit, causing the instrument to malfunction. Those evil things are too powerful. The only thing that can reach this kind of effect is to change the limit, ahem, Evil Fruit.”

“But the Evil Fruit must be paid with a human life. It’s impossible for us to miss such a group of ‘suiciders’. Shian’s operation is nearby. It’s meaningless to show up at this time.”

Lu Xiaohe opened her mouth.

…Maybe the other party has calculated this?

But this wasn’t the time to delve into things. She rubbed her temples, and the ever-changing data crackled in her eyes.

By simplifying the model of the change in evil qi concentration and the movements of the evil things, along with using AI-assisted analysis, she could probably determine the approximate direction of the impact. It was just that it took time for her to get a relatively certain value.

Lu Xiaohe adjusted the communication channel. Considering the battle of the top powerhouses couldn’t be distracted, she tried her best to remain silent.

But wasn’t it too quiet now?

A group of people in Gengsheng Town broke through the ground, and the sound of distorted signals could be heard endlessly. During this period, there was the whistling sound of wind brought by the levitation spell, and there were small noises from the activities of the crowd.

But after a jolt just now, the wind stopped.

While Lu Xiaohe was still reacting, Hao Wenzhe had already mercilessly applied electrical stimulation—of course, mainly targeting the three members of the Emergency Management Department.

“Headquarters, answer!” he yelled, furrowing his brows.

No one answered.

Hao Wenzhe poured half a cup of coffee fiercely as he tapped his fingers on the keyboard. Lu Xiaohe turned the chair around and saw that he had changed the indicator under the words “Fu Xingchuan” to the highest level and pressed the electric stimulation button again.

Lu Xiaohe: “……”

Under the extremely strong electrical stimulation, Fu Xingchuan’s channel made a few rough gasps.

“Headquarters,” Hao Wenzhe repeated.

Fu Xingchuan didn’t answer. He was short of breath, and his body temperature rose abnormally. After a while, the noise disappeared again, and Shian’s “#1 Ghost General” seemed to have lost consciousness again.

“Fu Xingchuan has fallen… The unsuspecting ultra-close range enemy attack started quickly, hitting all the staff. Fu Xingchuan woke up but didn’t say a word. This is good news—at least they aren’t dead yet.”

Hao Wenzhe’s eyes were glued to the electrical stimulation level.

“Most likely, this kind of attack is from a mole. The execution task is like this, so there’s no surprise this time.”

Lu Xiaohe pursed her lips.

“Aren’t there two outsiders acting together?” she asked hopelessly. “It could be those people…”

Hao Wenzhe didn’t answer directly. “Continue to check your data.”

After this, he pressed the electrical stimulation button again.

Lu Xiaohe turned back to the screen wall dejectedly and continued tapping on the keyboard.

She couldn’t help but think of the Archive mission before.

Zhong Chengshuo was dressed as if he was going to survive in the wilderness, and Yin Ren was wearing a t-shirt with “Most Troublesome” written on it. One had a serious expression while the other looked cheerful—both of which were rarely seen straightforward and pure, without any of the darkness of twists and turns.

…Among the two, was there really a traitor who didn’t like Shian?

Finding herself distracted, Lu Xiaohe pinched her thigh and focused on the data again.

It didn’t matter if she looked at it, but when she glanced over, she almost flew out of her chair.

[Fluctuation of evil qi in the area of Gengsheng Town: 6,745.23fR]

[Stable evil qi value within a radius of 2km in the center of the town: 2562.12~2574.38fR]

The latter was very close to the “stable evil qi value ≥3000fR” index that was that of an Evil Spirit.

Almost at the same time, a series of painful gasps appeared in the Shian’s channel.

“Tsk.”

Fu Xingchuan’s gasping voice came through.

“Why are there two missing?”

……

After Fu Xingchuan regained consciousness, he woke up Li Nian—he pulled out Professor Li’s thermos and poured out all the water in the cup on his partner’s face. Professor Li opened his eyes faintly, seeing two swollen goji berries still sticking to the bridge of his nose.

He glanced at Fu Xingchuan coldly, took out the medicine pack skillfully, and discharged six doses of a soothing awakening agent.

In the process, Li Nian quickly figured out the current situation.

Yellow Millet and Snake Swallowing disappeared along with the evil creatures into the mist. Only the high-raised ruins were left around them. The thick mist shook with the wind. The townspeople were also gone, and no one had approached them for the time being.

Just looking at where they fell, they were probably stunned by the collision of the two powerful evil creatures and had fallen to the ground under Fu Xingchuan’s protective barrier.

…But the number of people was wrong.

Except for Zhong Chengshuo, who had already left the team, their team had lost two more people.

Li Nian raised the syringe calmly.

Ren Jiying was the first to wake up after. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Professor Li’s wet face. Well, the mayor had seen such big scenes that she held back the scream in her throat.

Ren Jiying got up awkwardly, turned her head, and eagerly scanned the unconscious people around her.

“What’s going on? Shouldn’t she be with you?”

The new mayor swallowed. Her forehead was covered with a thin layer of sweat, and her hair stuck to her skin in a mess.

“…Where’s Qi Xin?”

Li Nian continued to inject medicine into his own staff. “She was still there just now, right by your side. Maybe she fell—”

Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by Ren Jiying’s trembling lips.

“By my side?”

Ren Jiying’s face turned pale, and her eyes widened slightly.

“The girl by your side. She’s wearing a small suit with her hair up in a bun… Isn’t that the one you sent over?’

“Qi Xin is in her forties, very fat, shortsighted, and has curly hair. Since you were going to the mine this morning and I had work, I let her guide you.”

She said tremblingly.

“Who are you talking about just now?”

Fu Xingchuan frowned.

After the underground meeting, Xiang Jiang briefly reported. When they woke up, Qi Xin was waiting for them at the homestay, as Ren Jiying had already gone to work, so they didn’t appear at the same time.

Seeing so many weird scenes in the underground at the Ant Nest, the girl had always remained calm—that was beyond a level of courage. Her calmness was more like “indifference” rather than because she was “brave” or “slow”.

But she was a partial science post and there was no evil qi or Evil Force on her, and she showed no hostility towards them. Fu Xingchuan had been fighting in chaos for many years, so he still possessed insight.

…She was like a detached observer.

The previous situation was urgent, so Fu Xingchuan simply thought she was strange. Now looking back, all her actions seemed to have changed.

Who was “Qi Xin”?

Or rather, what?

In the end, Minister Fu didn’t answer Ren Jiying’s anxious question. He just raised his head and looked at the mist-covered sky.

The red light of dusk disappeared, and the other side of the mist was darker than night. There was something more in the thick fog, and the touch was cold and sticky, making people breathless. The environment was obviously much calmer than before, but this calm was particularly terrifying at this time.

“Hao Wenzhe, report on the evil qi index.”

Fu Xingchuan stood up with a cough and patted the dust off his tunic.

“Li Nian, you and me…” He suddenly paused. “You and Xiang Jiang stay here to ensure the safety of the rest.”

Professor Li put away the empty syringes. “You’re going alone?”

His words were more like a statement than a question.

“Nn.” Listening to the terrifying readings in his headset, Fu Xingchuan wiped the dust from his face. There was no smile; only solemnity.

Li Nian knew what this expression meant—it meant that Fu Xingchuan was uncertain about the current situation, and this situation was enough to put their lives in danger.

“I see.” Li Nian nodded. “Keep in touch. Go and come back.”

Fu Xingchuan didn’t answer him.

The #1 Ghost General threw a pill in his mouth and rose into the air.

……

Near the circular loop, Zhong Chengshuo neatly climbed onto the top of the train. He was just about to raise his head when something soft fell beside him from the sky.

Yin Ren slid down from Yellow Millet. Under the red cloth, he was flat-faced and made a gesture to Yellow Millet. “Take it.”

Yellow Millet hurriedly shrank to the size of a marble and was stuffed into his pocket. In the next second, layers of protective shields unfolded around the two, and countless runes were scattered and arranged, almost turning into the “rings of Saturn” with the two as humanoid planets.

Zhong Chengshuo recognized his lover at a glance. “Yin Ren.”

Yin Ren: “Two minutes. Don’t talk to me.”

“Oh.”

Yin Ren was silent for a few seconds, feeling that this person probably couldn’t understand his implication, so he could only add bitterly, “I’m angry. Very angry with you.”

Sure enough, Zhong Chengshuo showed a look of surprise and puzzlement, which was as irritating as he thought.

And under the confusion, the person really didn’t speak, so the degree of his irritation doubled.

…But this wasn’t the time for their first quarrel.

Under the layers of red cloth seals, Yin Ren stretched out his finger and pointed towards the center of the circular loop.

In front of the two of them, a vortex suddenly swirled in the sky. The mist gathered into water droplets and fell to the ground with a splash. The dense fog seemed to have been dug out, and the scenery was inexplicably clear.

Uncomfortably clear.

A black vortex stirred up in the sky, and under it was the source of the “sense of peeping”.

Qi Xin floated in mid-air.

She was still the same as when they first met her, in a slightly ill-fitting work suit and spotless cheap leather shoes. A few strands of hair floated across her pale face, sticking to the black blood on her lips.

Qi Xin watched the two quietly.

She leaned forward slightly, holding a black and red thing in her hands.

It was a dirty red blanket, already soaked in black blood. There were rotten and swollen limbs scattered around the edge of the blanket, and sticky, dirty blood was flowing down from those lifeless limbs.

Zhong Chengshuo’s pupils shrank suddenly—the body in the blanket shouldn’t have been so thin.

On the edge of the dirty red blanket, a small, half-dilapidated body was exposed.

In front of them, “Qi Xin” lowered her head indifferently and bit the edge of the bloody flesh. Her mouth wasn’t the size of a human, as she bit off a piece of meat the size of half a head in one bite.

It was like the flesh wasn’t something that once belonged to a human but a bloody marshmallow full of air.

Inhuman eyes and a forward-leaning body. Although the age and gender of the two objects in front of him didn’t match at all, Zhong Chengshuo couldn’t help but be reminded of a dark oil painting.

The atmosphere depicted resembled Saturn devouring his son*.

*Painted by Spanish artist Francisco Goya. It’s traditionally interpreted as a depiction of the Greek myth of the Titan Cronus (also known as Saturn in Roman mythology) eating his own offspring.

When she was with them, Qi Xin’s eyes were always dull. Now the plainness was torn apart, and inside was a creepy emptiness and indifference.

The bone bells on Yin Ren’s ankles rang frantically. One defense after another surrounded the two of them. His long, dark hair slid over his soft wings, ready to go at the edge of the red cloth.

He stared at the floating Qi Xin.

After living for thousands of years, he had never felt such a terrifying sense of oppression. If the “sense of peeping” was just a smashed rock, then what they were facing now was a towering mountain.

What was even more terrifying was that although Qi Xin’s body was thick with evil qi, to the point of almost boiling over, there was no trace of Evil Force leaking from her—the only remaining Evil Force undoubtedly came from her food.

Was there such a “thing” in this world?

The “weak” that came out of Dog Thing now seemed quite accurate. Yin Ren smiled bitterly in his heart—no wonder that guy was pretending to play dead. If he were Dog Thing and found such an existence by his side, he would definitely use all means to protect himself.

Not to mention he hadn’t regained all his power as an Evil Spirit. Even if he could use those powers freely, he may not be a match for the thing in front of him.

To Qi Xin, he was tantamount to a baby staring at a powerhouse. Although it was not an insurmountable gap, it was enough to make one despair.

They couldn’t even escape—with this power difference, if they showed their back to their opponent, they would only die faster.

That slender body that belonged to a woman exuded an intimidating aura that only belonged to the upper echelons. She may not be doing this deliberately, but vigilance already existed in the instinct of the weak.

Yin Ren subconsciously stopped Zhong Chengshuo behind him. The red cloth was already soaked in sweat, despite him looking quite calm.

The air almost solidified.

Qi Xin didn’t make a move. She swallowed the town’s former “protector” in front of them. Her eyes were clearly staring at the wreckage of the old mayor, but the strong sense of peeping never stopped.

She ate slowly and quite solemnly.

In less than half a minute, the blood-stained blanket fell from the sky, but before it could land, it suddenly disappeared without a trace.

As if it had been touched by the Evil Fruit.

After finishing her “meal”, she finally straightened her waist. Qi Xin followed the two people on the top of the train with her eyes and raised her bloody right thumb to slowly wipe her lips.

“You saw it.”

She was full of black blood as she spoke calmly.

Then she snapped her fingers, and the train stopped. Qi Xin stretched out her hand and pointed at Zhong Chengshuo and Yin Ren.

“Whoosh!”

The moment he felt the murderous aura, Yin Ren didn’t hesitate.

As long as they could buy time, at least one of them may be able to escape.

He left the heavy protection and condensed all the Evil Force he could use to the surface of his body, then rushed straight in Qi Xin’s direction. It was just that as Lord Ghost King took two steps, he suddenly realized that his feet had become a little heavy…

Zhong Chengshuo had firmly grabbed his wing mass with both hands and hung firmly onto him.

Yin Ren: “?!”

Unfortunately, Yin Ren had already taken off. Before Yin Ren’s exclamation could finish, the two were already rushing to Qi Xin.

It may be that she had never seen such a pair rushing to death that Qi Xin tilted her head slightly, with a vague puzzlement in her eyes.

But she didn’t plan to figure out the reason.

The woman raised her hand and poked Yin Ren quickly and fiercely. It was obviously a simple action, but the evil qi it brought was as strong as substance. The red cloth fluttered as Yin Ren formed a circle of bone rings engraved with runes on his arm, taking the abrupt blow.

The runes dimmed, and bone fragments were sent flying.

The heavy defenses suddenly broke, and the sound of bones cracking could be heard. Yin Ren’s arms were instantly broken. Amidst the pain, he gritted his teeth and quickly repaired the wound.

Qi Xin let out a soft, “Huh”.

As she was distracted, Zhong Chengshuo pressed Yin Ren’s wings together, and a red blade pierced her neck.

The Evil Fruit that was supposed to annihilate all evil beings was no different from a simple dagger at this moment. The bright red blade cut through the flesh and sank deeply into Qi Xin’s neck, almost to the bone.

Other than that, there was nothing else.

She didn’t disappear.

Qi Xin’s expression was slightly surprised. Her gaze flashed past Zhong Chengshuo as if he was a dragonfly, then continued to look at Yin Ren. Zhong Chengshuo stopped his hand decisively, and with a grunt, half of Qi Xin’s neck was sliced open by a sharp force.

Yin Ren separated his mass of wings, quickly caught his bold lover, and pulled him back behind him.

“Interesting.”

The wound on Qi Xin’s neck turned outward, revealing a translucent, dark gray interior without a single drop of blood flowing out. She looked at Yin Ren up and down until her gaze rested on his mass of wings.

“Let’s see, which child you are from.”

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Kinky Thoughts:

Well, I did suspect there was something off with Qi Xin in the beginning, but I didn’t expect this.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 104: Deathbed

There was only fog outside the train window.

Zhong Chengshuo was sitting upright in the middle of the carriage’s seat. The old man-like evil creature was half sitting, half leaning less than an arm’s length away from him. The window behind the two seemed to be a gray reflector.

Around the “reflector”, sheets of yellow talisman fluttered without wind. To the side of the talismans was covered in paper, making the carriage wall a little less creepy due to the pure, bright yellow.

Zhong Chengshuo twitched his nose as he used his feet to push away an obstructive steel pipe. After staying in the carriage for so long, the stench wasn’t as pungent as when he first smelled it.

He simply bandaged his wound, took out his glasses from his pocket, and carefully put them on.

“Higher… Higher…” The evil thing kept murmuring. It was tearing up and its cloudy eyes were looking at a point in the void.

Zhong Chengshuo took out a fountain pen from the sampling bag and spun the end of the pen. A tip poked out from the opening, revealing a hidden syringe. Hearing a soft grunt, the tranquilizer was injected into the neck of the evil thing.

Since it was considered a “Living Evil”, it would have a biological nature.

Sure enough, the old man shook in place for a moment. A few seconds later, he wrapped the blanket tightly around himself, and another confused look appeared on his face.

“Ah… I… Why…”

He curled his body. His eyes wandered from the ground full of townspeople and zombies, and finally stopped on his own deformed body. The old man opened his mouth and vigorously vomited on the ground.

However, all he vomited was transparent mucus.

“You… Who are you…?”

Retching for a few minutes, the old man asked in a daze.

“Official staff.” Zhong Chengshuo lightly flashed his blood-stained ID cards. “I’m here to deal with you.”

The old man’s face was full of wrinkles and tears. The astonishment quickly turned into deep sorrow. A few seconds passed, and his expression became dazed again.

“Tell me everything.” Zhong Chengshuo took out a small hard-cover notebook for recording and scratched the blade of the Evil Fruit with his thumb.

The old man panted for a while, and when he spoke again, his tone had a strange sense, as if he were tearing up and was speaking in a dream.

“Twenty-eight years ago, I was damned… When the mine collapsed, I was on the mountain.”

“Blood-red sky, a black vortex. Something hit me…”

Zhong Chengshuo opened his notebook and carefully recorded and analyzed it.

The Evil Fruit was placed on the page of the book as he flipped the gel pen between his fingers. His beautiful handwriting flowed onto the paper, succinctly recording the events described by the old man.

Divine Descent came into the world and disordered the evil spirits.

A strong and Evil Force fell from the sky, like invisible hail, stimulating the remaining evil things in the Ant Nest, causing the mine to collapse.

That was the beginning of their nightmares.

Back then, Mr. Evil, the old mayor, happened to be on the mountain. Rolling rocks caused by the quake almost crushed him in two. When he was on the verge of death, something extremely cold smashed into his internal organs, and the cold spread rapidly causing him to instantly pass out.

When the old mayor woke up, his injuries, which should have been fatal, were perhaps lighter.

But as a price, he began to experience severe pain, as if his body were being ground up into mincemeat. The pain felt like countless red-hot needles poking into his bones day and night.

The old mayor only regarded it as a sequela of his serious injuries. He kept prescribing analgesics to himself and continued to work conscientiously.

But there were many changes in him.

For example, he only needed to consume very little food. For example, he didn’t need to normally sleep. Despite that, there was an inexplicable hunger in his heart. Hunger and severe pain tormented him so frantically that reality took a sharp turn for the worse.

“That’s a good point, but the other party says they won’t sign the contract. Didn’t they say they could still work together for a few more years?”

“My family has taken out loans. Haven’t you read the news? Those people up there definitely value you. You have to find a way!”

“If the mine suddenly doesn’t produce anything, what are we going to do?”

……

“This isn’t the end of Gensheng Town, right?”

“How can it end so easily! Right, Mayor?”

At the beginning, everyone was optimistic.

The mine had enriched the people of the town, and every household had a surplus of food. The townspeople firmly believed that when the disaster passed and the sadness faded, the mines would continue to develop, and the former prosperity would surely return.

However, as time passed, panic gradually spread.

They were unable to find new mineral deposits, and investors were beginning to pull out. Companies withdrew, factories shut down, and shops fell to pieces. The townspeople could only pick up manual labor to make ends meet or sit and eat mountain air. The prosperity and happiness in those reports were like soap bubbles that popped the second before.

The circular loop repeated itself day in and day out, just like in the past. Its rumbling sound carried countless prides, but now there was only boundless sadness.

But the people couldn’t leave.

Their ancestors were born here and grew up here for generations. They were different from those “outsiders”, who simply came and went. Besides here, they had no other “home” to go back to.

The people once again turned their eyes to the old man; the man who once brought the mountain town to its peak.

“Think of a way…”

“It can’t go on like this…”

“Mr. Mayor, can you change this place back?”

The townspeople came to his door day and night, praying in vain.

No one wanted to point out the truth. Everyone knew the town was reaching its end—just like a terminally ill patient looking forward to a miracle while knowing such a miracle wouldn’t happen.

The mountains were too ugly due to the mining to become a natural landscape. The destroyed arable land couldn’t grow crops, much less raise specialty products. The built real estate couldn’t be rented out, and it would cost too much to demolish them.

And even if they were removed, there was nothing to fill the space.

The paint flaked off and the metal corroded. The supply of electricity and water became increasingly scarce, and the barren city slowly decayed in silence.

They couldn’t go back.

At the end of the year, Gengsheng Town finally welcomed new visitors—after measuring the situation in Gengsheng Town, the relevant project personnel brought a compensation agreement.

They asked the townspeople to leave and relocate en masse to a large town down the mountain. For the mess in the mine, the public government would be responsible for ecological restoration and reclamation.

But this process would take a very long time—long enough for a generation of old people to die in a foreign place.

In the midst of heavy snow, the other boot finally fell*.

*Metaphor that comes from the saying “waiting for the other shoe to drop”. It’s referring to deferring action or a decision until another matter is finished or resolved/awaiting a seemingly inevitable event, especially one that is not desirable. (In this case, it means the latter).

The compensation wasn’t much, nor was it too little. If they were in the pre-development era of Gengsheng Town, most likely the villagers would’ve accepted it with enthusiasm. But the villagers of the current Gengsheng Town only showed confusion and despair.

Is it over just like this?

It was unknown who was the first to take up arms, but the project staff was eventually driven out—there was a mixture of desperation and hope on the faces of the townspeople, as if the town could be saved by driving away this person.

The mayor hurriedly came out to dissuade them but was surrounded by the out-of-control townspeople.

“Mayor, think of a way.”

“Do something…”

Countless eyes looked at him.

“This is our home.”

“I can’t live without my home!”

Countless hands stretched out to him.

“You’re so powerful. Look at the great city we have built.”

“If we all work together, there are no obstacles that we can’t overcome, don’t you think?”

Countless mouths were speaking to him.

Chaos and sorrow were like echoes, lingering in the crowd endlessly. The faces of the townspeople had stiff and uneasy smiles, but their eyes, which were no longer young, showed a little sadness.

…Familiar people, familiar scenes, but not familiar emotions.

Surrounded by the group of townspeople, the mayor vaguely saw the day when the first mine was successfully mined.

Every family set off firecrackers. Men, women, and children walked out of their low adobe houses, and laughter filled the town. They said that their future would definitely get better.

Perhaps it was because he didn’t take painkillers tonight that the pain inside him was burning like a prairie fire, heating him so hot that it made his brain boil.

“This is all temporary, right? Mayor… Mayor?”

Accompanied by huge sadness, countless fragments of information flooded the mayor’s mind. Something seemed to have broken in his body, and cold mucus flowed freely from his chest and abdomen. His internal organs seemed to be frozen and twisted into a ball.

The world was spinning, and everything in front of him melted like cream.

Countless thoughts converged into a torrent, whispering frantically in his head. They formed a cold and heavy stone mill, and the mayor could feel that his sanity was slowly being crushed by it.

I want to go back to the past. Such a good life has just begun… Slightly younger voices were buzzing.

Our ancestors were born here and died here for generations. Our roots have been entrenched here for hundreds of years… The thoughts of the old people were sticky and churning in his mind endlessly.

Yes… They watched their adobe houses turn into brick houses, and the brick houses turned into high-rise buildings that were only prevalent in the cities. The railway was opened, and the circular line was built. Gengsheng Town was like a teenager who was changing every year.

Everything was clear… It shouldn’t be like this…

Why?

Helplessness, confusion, pain, bewilderment, and despair all rolled into a chaotic mess, eventually culminating in great sadness.

[I don’t want to disappear.]

They eventually merged into one voice. The voice was tormented and lost, sounding like his own, yet completely out of his control.

[I don’t want to disappear. I don’t want to disappear. I don’t want to disappear.]

The mayor who fell to the ground was supported by the townspeople. His eyes were extremely dull and the depths of his pupils were dimly red. He just looked at the land under his feet steadily, then suddenly vomited dirty blood from his internal organs.

The “Living Evil” was born.

For some reason, the mayor sensed something. There was something underground. Something rare and powerful, but extremely ominous.

It didn’t matter. As long as he could use those powers… As long as this place didn’t disappear…

The mayor closed his eyes. His hands became cold and were no longer human-like.

“We can go back in time.”

His thinking almost stagnated and his vocal cords vibrated of their own accord. His consciousness seemed to be divided into thousands of pieces and scattered among the villagers.

“As long as everyone… work together.” He heard himself say this.

In the hazy consciousness, the conversation continued out of his control. “I’ll let everyone live like they used to.”

Countless consciousnesses were entangled, and the expressions of the townspeople gradually became blank. Emotions of sadness and paranoia surged from all sides, blending with his own emotions.

It was like some of their emotions had been opened up and continued to circulate in this land, and he had become the heart of this huge cycle.

He could direct the flow of emotions and the strength and weakness of those emotions, slowly integrating the newly joined people—as long as they believed in him, respected him, and agreed with him.

A strange sense of peace of mind swept over the mayor.

Just like a drop of water that merged into the sea, relying on this common grief, they condensed into a huge, sturdy, and uncontradictory group.

No one could tear it apart.

This was a miracle, he thought in a daze. “Gengsheng Town” would definitely continue to exist.

……

“I see.”

The pen Zhong Chengshuo was holding didn’t stagnate, and he didn’t raise his head.

“Divine Descent happened, and the former mayor was severely corrupted by its Evil Force, turning into a half-evil thing. On the basis of being ‘widely known’, the people have placed a unified emotion… The birth method is somewhat similar to that of a ghost.”

“You in turn use this emotion to influence the evil things around and achieve the result of ‘driving them’.”

“But at that time, you didn’t look like this, did you? Did Sunken Society come into contact with you?” Zhong Chengshuo paused.

“They’ve been… observing me. Those painkillers I’m taking… What’s in them…” The old man said with difficulty.

“When I went underground to look for Yellow Millet, Sunken Society approached me… They told me a lot of knowledge… In exchange, I must continue to take medicine… and don’t interfere with… their actions…”

Zhong Chengshuo remained silent and wrote in his notebook: [Under the condition of Divine Descent, long-term use of Evil Force from a corruption source.]

The situation was clear.

Most of what the mayor found underground at the beginning were “dangerous evil things” that would be left behind by Sunken Society. As long as Yellow Millet used a little cognitive interference, naturally, the townspeople would see the “prosperity of the past” and continue to live in their fantasy.

As for the silent and sluggish evil things above ground, they were just by products of high concentrations of evil qi, which could then be used to raise the underground “army of evil beings”.

The underground was a research institute while the above ground was a breeding farm. The people in the meantime were probably the most insignificant part of this experiment.

“I just remember… this…”

Tears gushed out of the old man’s eyes again. The tone of his words was chaotic, as if he had suddenly forgotten how to express them.

“Hometown… My… hometown… My… I don’t want to disappear…”

Zhong Chengshuo closed his hardcover notebook. “26 minutes and 37 seconds.”

“Are you going to… kill me…”

The old man wrapped himself tightly in a blanket, but he couldn’t cover his rotting, weird limbs. They were scattered all over the ground, oozing sticky pus.

“But I still… don’t want to die… Everything just started… just… started…”

He didn’t know if this was the collective will or the mayor himself who was talking.

Those aging eyes flickered with a dim, hopeful brilliance. Through the decaying shadow in the mist, those eyes seemed to be staring at the past, revealing a trace of innocence belonging to the young.

Zhong Chengshuo remained silent.

He knew he should kill this thing.

When facing some evil things, he occasionally had a… strong intuition. It wasn’t derived from a biological instinct to seek profit and avoid harm, but more like some kind of subtle impulse.

Zhong Chengshuo put the notebook back in his backpack and replaced the Evil Fruit with an ordinary blade. Using the blade, he took part of the tissue from a relatively fresh strange limb. The evil thing sat stunned, without resisting.

When he finished all this, Zhong Chengshuo clenched the Evil Fruit tightly, but in the end, he let go.

Behind the lens, Zhong Chengshuo lowered his eyes and stretched out an empty hand.

The weak monster turned its head and looked at him in bewilderment.

“You used too much power that your cognition is unstable.” Zhong Chengshuo stared at an upside-down yellow talisman. “As a human, you’re too old. As a monster, you’re too young and unrestrained… You know your ending.”

For twenty-eight years, it lived here, slowly losing its human form. It lived clumsily, maintaining a deceptive illusion for its “believers”.

It was strong, but broken. It was collapsing silently, just like “sorrow” itself.

“Even if I don’t kill you, you’ll die soon.” Zhong Chengshuo calmly said his conclusion.

“…” The evil thing didn’t answer.

Its fighting spirit had long since disappeared, leaving only a tired gasp, like a weak little animal.

“If you’re really uncomfortable, you can hold my hand.” Zhong Chengshuo opened his hand and showed his palms. “…You used to be human, so it should have some effect on you.”

“I don’t want to disappear…”

“I understand.”

“I don’t want to disappear…”

“You will not disappear.”

“The people who live here will die and be forgotten, but you will always be here, and I will always remember you. Perhaps in the near future, countless people will know you, and you’ll be turned into data forever.”

“Maybe one day, someone will see your case and remember, ‘My ancestors lived here’.”

Zhong Chengshuo rubbed hard on the leather book with one hand as he explained solemnly.

“I don’t want to… disappear…”

In a weak gasp, a trembling strangle limb climbed into Zhong Chengshuo’s palm. It was dry and wrinkled, and it still had a trace of human temperature.

“Eventually, one day, this planet will be destroyed. All things are classified as nothingness and become other things again. You, and me too—we’ll all be scattered everywhere, existing in everything.”

In the rumbling sound of the rain, Zhong Chengshuo closed his hand.

“Your traces will always exist. You will not disappear.”

“No… I want to… Ah…”

The evil thing swallowed with difficulty for two breaths. The power of its body suddenly ignited like a flash, but it didn’t take this opportunity to attack.

It just turned its head with all its strength, and on its thin body, the oversized head turned to Zhong Chengshuo.

“…You…”

For so long, it made the first action that was close to “human”.

It smiled with difficulty.

“Ah… You… You are…”

The next moment, its sound dissipated in the air.

Zhong Chengshuo’s eyes widened suddenly.

He didn’t know when, but at some point a round hole appeared in the carriage window behind them. Before the evil thing could finish speaking, it was suddenly sucked away by the mouth of the hole, leaving only flesh and blood behind around the hole.

The turbid droplets slowly slid down the window glass, and the talismans in the carriage burned at the same time, turning into fine paper ash.

The two zombies standing quietly lost control and let out a hoarse roar. The brilliance of the Evil Fruit flashed. Zhong Chengshuo kicked the edge of the round hole, causing the window glass to shatter in response.

At the same time.

Yin Ren on Yellow Millet suddenly got up, and Fu Xingchuan in the ruins opened his eyes.

The mist gradually thinned, but the evening sky darkened. A huge black vortex gradually formed.

“…A sense of peeping.” Under the red cloth, Yin Ren bit his thumb nail.

“Tsk.”

Fu Xingchuan half sat on the ground, glanced around at “his companions” and took a deep breath.

“Why are there two missing?”

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