Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 63: Melody

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Huang Jin raised his head weakly. He saw an exceptionally organized group of thoughts.

Those thoughts were neatly arranged and rotated precisely to form a perfect black ball, looking like a mysterious machine that surpassed the current era. Based on the outermost thoughts of that person, he was probably here to help.

On the indoor surveillance cameras, there was another scene.

The visitor was a tall and thin middle-aged man who was wearing a gray shirt. His thin shoulders reminded people of weathered cliffs. There were no wrinkles on the man’s collar and attached was an outdated old tie. On his chest was an ID badge with the name “Li Nian” written on it.

He took a seat opposite Huang Jin, separated by a table full of wastepaper and a tablet with a cracked screen.

“Li Nian.” The person’s self-introduction was direct.

Huang Jin turned his bloodshot eyes and looked at Li Nian in silence.

“You’re not a cultivator, and you have no special abilities.” Huang Jin spoke without any anger in his tone. “I don’t want to chat with people right now.”

“Thinking aimlessly will yield no results. I have seen the materials you submitted, and it’s no different from gambling,” Professor Li commented unceremoniously.

Huang Jin didn’t respond. He seemed to have lost even the strength to be angry. He only knew how to write and draw mechanically.

“Swish.”

Professor Li tore away his draft paper.

“You fucking—”

“Don’t rely too much on your own abilities. If you can do stupid things like fake surrendering for her, then she must be quite special to you.”

Li Nian’s tone was firm, as always. He clasped his hands and unconsciously rubbed the wedding ring on his hand.

“Aside from the messy thoughts you see, tell me the three most vivid fragments you have of her.”

The most vivid fragments?

Huang Jin grabbed a draft paper close at hand and unconsciously squeezed it into a ball. There was a terrifying persuasion in Li Nian’s words—this person was obviously sure of what he was doing and was convinced that he was right.

Before Huang Jin’s mouth had time to refute, his tired brain had already begun to function.

The most vivid fragments…

The first clip was probably the day he stepped into the bar.

At first, Huang Jin didn’t have much interest in Ding Lizi, but there was free food at the concert, and he needed it.

So he took the flier to the small bar.

The bar was crowded with people. All kinds of thoughts surged frantically, converging into a sea of chaos around him. Huang Jin found a secluded corner, grabbed a bottle of beer, and drank slowly.

Under the spotlight, the man on stage was affectionately singing a love song. The thoughts on his body were wrapped in mud, quickly surrounded by “so many beautiful women” and “which one shall I get today”.

Huang Jin looked away, disinterested.

Then Ding Lizi came on with her dazzling tornado of thoughts.

Ding Lizi’s voice wasn’t too high. She hugged her guitar and sang as she played it. Her singing was clean and full of emotion. Supposedly, she had written the song herself.

However, the audience cared more about her so-called “weird, sick eyes” than the singing. The audience buzzed non-stop among the endless sound of clicking as they took pictures. From time to time, dirty or curious thoughts flooded the stage, washing away like a tide.

Huang Jin stared at the thought tornado.

Happy melodies and lyrics resounded in them as fierce feelings enveloped them. Ding Lizi sang as hard as she could, as if this was the most important concert in the world.

Why are you working so hard?

After singing her song, Ding Lizi showed a big smile. She waved her hand vigorously at the audience as if she were greeting someone.

“Mr. Good Guy, are you listening—?”

Huang Jin put down his empty bottle of beer and silently left the bar.

……

The second fragment.

Huang Jin was sorting out his mother’s items. There were many braille textbooks among them. He stared at them for a while, thinking of someone who might need them.

With luck, these can be exchanged for a few bottles of beer, he thought.

Ding Lizi was happy.

“I don’t even know where to buy these. Many second-hand products on the internet are so expensive,” she happily said. “Thank you. You helped me a lot!”

In the tornado of thoughts, she began to repeat “good guy, good guy, good guy” again and again. Huang Jin found it quite ridiculous—he was wearing human skin on his face while his back was sunken, giving him an ambiguous vibe, yet there was actually a day that someone would refer to him as a “good guy”.

It seemed that Ms. Ding’s heart was as blind as her eyes.

The two had a drink in the corner of the bar.

When the waiter served them snacks, Huang Jin reflexively adjusted the position of Ding Lizi’s cup. After taking care of his mother for so many years, some reactions had become habits.

His movements weren’t graceful; they were rough but natural.

Ding Lizi was taken aback for a moment but said nothing.

Under the dim light of the bar, Huang Jin slowly read the rotating thought tornado. It was still all those boring and trivial scenes mixed with the weak echo of “good guy”.

“Rent has increased by another 80 again”, “He’s a good guy”, “Can I still get my pay from customer service?”, “He’s a good guy”, “Business at the bar hasn’t been good recently”, “I have to find another job again next month”…

He didn’t know why, but the impression of a “good guy” made Huang Jin a little irritable.

“Actually, I can make some trinkets that can help you change your fortune.” Huang Jin used his most familiar technique. “Your life isn’t going well now. You just need to move a little luck from the future—”

“No need,” Ding Lizi said with a smile.

“I know my situation isn’t good, and it’s difficult to see how it gets any better in the future.” Her tone was relaxed. “It’s useless.”

Huang Jin’s hand holding his glass froze for a moment. In an instant he seemed to see another self.

“Then why are you so…” desperate?

The smile in Ding Lizi’s voice was sad for a moment. “People have to live. Even if I’m struggling and drowning, I still want to look my best.”

This time, she spoke from the heart.

“Let’s not talk about this. I’m having the luckiest moment of my life. Cheers—”

Perhaps he was drunk. Huang Jin knocked his glass onto the table as he thought about it in a daze.

“Are you stupid?” he said. “Luckiest? Just for a few books?”

“No,” she responded with a smile. “Because I met a good guy.”

It was “Mr. Good Guy” again. This time, she said it directly. Huang Jing put down his glass silently, and his irritability became even stronger.

“I wonder if Mr. Good Guy still has more braille books.” Huang Jin lowered his eyes. Ding Lizi’s thoughts were jumping around the table. “If you do, can you wait until I save up enough money…”

“I still have a lot,” he blurted out. “How about this. I won’t charge you money. You can teach me how to play the guitar instead.”

After he said this, he regretted it. It seemed he had given up a good opportunity to make money.

The thought tornado stagnated for a moment, then turned happily. “Okay!”

……

The third fragment.

“Look, this is a video of my niece. Isn’t she cute?”

“Why do you always show me these?” This person couldn’t see. She could only hear at most.

“Because you don’t seem very happy all the time,” Ding Lizi said. “Aren’t we friends? I also want to help.”

“It’s useless showing me this. My eyes aren’t good either.”

Huang Jin fiddled with the guitar in his arms and didn’t look at Ding Lizi’s phone.

“I have a genetic disease. I can’t see people clearly. I can only recognize faces in photos.” He told her the truth.

Besides, Ding Lizi didn’t have many friends to gossip to—she was running around desperately to make a living and didn’t have much social time. Even their meetings were essentially lessons linked to remuneration.

“You can only recognize faces in photos?” Ding Lizi took a deep breath.

Huang Jin didn’t look up. “Nn.”

He didn’t know why, but as they got along, he gradually didn’t want to see Ding Lizi’s thoughts.

Especially those about himself.

Ding Lizi didn’t inquire further. She quickly grabbed Huang Jin’s phone and jerkily pulled up the camera app. She slipped behind Huang Jin—

“Click!”

Huang Jin had never seen such a bad photo.

The angle was strangely poor, the figures looked deformed, and the lighting was fuzzy. In the background of a simple private room of a bar, with uncollected trash scattered on the ground, Ding Lizi smiled a bit exaggeratedly. Half her face had simply disappeared from the edge of the photo.

They look stupid.

“I look like this. Remember,” she happily said. “It’s a pity I can’t see you.”

Huang Jin: “……”

His thumb stopped on the delete button, but in the end he didn’t press it. After a few seconds, he took back his phone and didn’t comment on it. “Continue to teach me how to play the guitar.”

Today, she taught him a new song. The melody was so soft and warm that it made him tingle as if he were being scalded.

“Help me play it. I want to concentrate on writing the lyrics.” Ding Lizi smiled embarrassedly. “When the song is finished, I’ll give it to a very good friend.”

Huang Jin paused. “Very good friend?”

He suddenly hated this song even more.

“I’ll tell you next time!” Ding Lizi smiled. “Learn to play the song first, and I’ll try to sing as you play next time.”

After speaking, she hummed the melody again, as if trying to figure out the appropriate lyrics.

A gentle tornado swept across Huang Jin’s feet.

Learning guitar wasn’t a big deal. Huang Jin wasn’t interested in music, but he would wipe down the guitar, then clean up the messy sofa under it and then the dirty floor.

Finally, the entire room.

Guitar lessons had become an anchor point that was neither light nor heavy—because of this wonderful chain, he could tolerate a song he didn’t like. With it, he was at least willing to live until the next day.

But they didn’t have a “next time” anymore.

When Huang Jin came to the bar with his guitar on his back, the news of “Ding Lizi’s resignation” hit head-on.

Huang Jin returned to his residence. He sorted out the braille books that he had wrapped up neatly. He rubbed the book in confusion and called Ding Lizi.

The phone was off. The phone was off. The phone was off.

He walked out the door in silence, returned to the street where they first met, and called Ding Lizi again.

The phone was still off.

Huang Jin exited the call interface and clicked on the photo album. In the empty photo album, there was only a single botched photo.

Ding Lizi didn’t have many things except a guitar in a backpack, so she could leave without leaving any traces. She had no close friends, so no one would care about her leaving.

…Does no one care? Huang Jin took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

He took a taxi and went to Haigu’s Public Security Bureau.

……

Two weeks later, Huang Jin dripped the accidentally obtained blood into a mortar to make human fragrance, then took out Lu Guangzu’s demon painted skin from the drawer.

He called the police, and they had recorded the case, but Huang Jin knew they wouldn’t treat it as an urgent one.

If the culprit personally provoked and made the case known to everyone in the metaphysical world, would things be different?

Huang Jin thought that he must be crazy. They were just friends who met in passing. Why was he doing this?

To this day, he still didn’t have an answer.

“Maybe I’m just…”

At this moment, opposite Li Nian, Huang Jin’s eyes gradually turned red.

“Maybe I’m just curious about the unfinished song.”

Professor Li didn’t say much. He closed his eyes and thought for a long time, then he made a phone call, and a brand-new guitar was delivered.

Huang Jin looked at it blankly.

Professor Li dialed a certain number, put it on speaker, and set it in front of Huang Jin.

“Ms. Ding is a very interesting person,” he said softly. “Maybe she’s also thinking about the same thing. Let me listen to that song.”

“Impossible!” Huang Jin blurted out. “She must be in pain now…”

Halfway through speaking, he suddenly fell silent.

[Even if I’m struggling and drowning, I still want to look my best.]

It wasn’t the first time she had tasted pain.

Perhaps that friend was indeed very important to her. At least it could alleviate her despair a little.

Under the gaze of Professor Li, Huang Jin picked up the guitar with trembling hands and started to jerkily play it.

She only taught him once, and his memory was already thin, so he could only play it intermittently.

The out-of-tune melody resounded through the earpiece in the interior of the room on a certain floor. In the darkness, countless displays on the big bed flickered non-stop, reflecting constantly changing images.

“Continue.” There was a voice coming from the earpiece.

Huang Jin closed his eyes.

He seemed to be sitting on the stage of that small bar, and she was by his side. Her singing was clean and full of emotion. In the darkness, something huge stood quietly under the stage, listening carefully.

Huang Jin knew himself well.

For example, he didn’t like the world. For example, he had never been a good person… For example, he actually liked this song very much.

His life was a mess and full of refutations. He failed to escape the dark vortex and was still an invisible mouse in the gutter, but it didn’t matter.

At this moment, he was performing the most important performance in the world.

His fingers were cut by the guitar strings, and blood dripped down. From trembling to stable, from jerky to proficient.

…This was a very gentle and firm melody.

“So, that’s it. No wonder. Her thinking, has been, in a loop.”

A weird voice sighed.

“She is here. Singing.”

From misalignment to coincidence, the sound of the guitar flowed continuously like warm water. It repeated over and over again, gently scouring the broken space.

“Thinking, positioning is completed. Synchronous calculation, turned on.”

That weird voice came from the phone again.

“Shangguang District, Fanhua Street, Scrap Yard, West Side Warehouse.”

Huang Jin didn’t stop playing. He didn’t look up, and his body trembled slightly.

“…Is she okay?”

“She’s fine. She’s here, singing solemnly.” The voice on the other side replied.

“She’s thinking, she’s late.”

“She’s thinking, this is a song, for, Mr. Good Guy.”

……

“The case report already came out. So fast,” Yin Ren muttered.

In the evening of the next day, Yin Ren sat at the dining table. When the email of the case report came, he was writing the work report from yesterday with a bitter face. Zhong Chengshuo was wearing the apron that had “Dangerous Person” printed on it and was serving chicken salad on the table.

“All the remaining victims were found. They were hidden by Bai Yongji in a warehouse in Shangguang District. The warehouse was completely concealed.”

When it was discovered, one of the guitars was still playing on its own; playing a weak but beautiful melody.

The report said that Shian had determined a treatment plan. With the help of professionals, the victims were expected to be restored to their original state. However, taking into account the physical and mental health of the victim, the memory of their experience would be erased.

Except for Bai Yongji, no one died.

Bai Yongji was turned upside down by the police and Shian. He used his media work to reach out to all the victims, and his modus operandi was extremely proficient. In the aftermath, his plan to try to frame the “accomplice” and swallow the contaminant was exposed.

“This guy did formal psychological counseling. At the time, the counselor asked him to come into contact with more positive people.”

Yin Ren clicked his tongue. This Mr. Bai’s way of thinking was truly unique.

Later, Bai Yongji came into contact with Lu Guangzu and learned about the existence of “Sunken Society”. He obviously didn’t turn to any police friend for help but met with them in earnest.

It was just that he thought that wishing for a perfect killing technique was more “stress-free” than wishing to rescue the project.

Considering the harsh nature of the case, the Haigu police specifically contacted the police of Country X, where Bai Yongji had studied, to determine whether there had been a similar disappearance.

Huang Jin was detained by Shian because of Lu Guangzu’s murder case and was waiting for a follow-up investigation. After obtaining Yin Ren’s permission, Lu Tanfei rushed to Shian to accompany Lu Yuanyuan.

Everything seemed to be settled, except…

“Bai Yongji’s weird ability as well as the mysterious sniper weren’t reported by Shian.”

Yin Ren turned to the last page and raised his head suspiciously.

“Most likely, that exceeds our viewing rights.” Great King Yama untied his apron with a calm face.

“Oh.” Yin Ren glanced at Dog Thing that had entered the trash can for a second time—it was sent back to Shian when it was picked up. Zhong Chengshuo had even mixed potassium permanganate into the cleaned water.

The phone had been hanging at 1% battery life for the entire day.

“The salad isn’t enough, so I’ll go out and buy something.” Yin Ren stood up and tried to escape the rest of the work.

“Go ahead.” Zhong Chengshuo picked up a piece of chicken breast covered in vinaigrette and chewed slowly.

This man knew the identity of Yin Ren was a dangerous evil being, yet he made an earth-shattering confession, but his attitude towards him didn’t change—as usual, Zhong Chengshuo even remembered to prepare him a bottle of hot sauce.

On the contrary, this made Yin Ren a little uncomfortable.

At one point, he even wanted to make a personal debut in front of Zhong Chengshuo. However, Great King Yama was used to seeing big storms, so this little trick probably wouldn’t scare him.

Lord Ghost King turned the hot sauce bottle melancholy while glancing at Zhong Chengshuo, who was eating in a gentle manner, from the corner of his eyes.

“I’m going to destroy the world,” he said.

“Go ahead. Make sure to come back before 11,” Zhong Chengshuo replied calmly.

Yin Ren: “Oh.”

Ignoring the security personnel who were following to “guard” him, Yin Ren staggered to the cold noodle stall. Seeing his regular customer, the stall boss had already started working with his hands. “Two of the usual?”

“Just one,” Yin Ren said listlessly. “I have a bad appetite today.”

“What’s the matter? Are you in a bad mood? Your wife didn’t like the stewed pears two days ago?” The old man yelled.

The stone that was lifted the day before yesterday landed on his foot again, causing Yin Ren to choke. It seemed too late to correct the old man’s thoughts now.

“I didn’t buy it.” Yin Ren faintly stared at the cold chicken noodles. “And they kicked me out.”

The uncle’s face was full of empathy. “Young man, it doesn’t matter if you quarrel at the head or the end of the bed! You look so handsome that your wife can’t bear it!”

After the cold noodles were in hand, Yin Ren thought for a few seconds. This time, he dragged two Shian tails with him and entered the soup shop. The stewed pears on the menu picture were crystal clear and tempting. Yin Ren sniffed carefully and didn’t smell any spoilage.

The ingredients were good, so this shop was an honest store.

Zhong Chengshuo wouldn’t worry about it, though. Not to mention bringing back food or not, even if Yin Ren threw his head everywhere around the living room, Zhong Chengshuo would only tell him to pay attention to hygiene. The identity of him as an evil being that was supposed to be a “deterrent” seemed to be an odd positive point for that person.

Realizing this, Yin Ren became a little sullen.

“Two servings of stewed pears,” Lord Ghost King listlessly ordered. “Put less rock sugar and more fungus in one serving.”

In the aroma of stewed food that filled the room, Yin Ren poked Dog Thing and began to type quietly—between Zhong Chengshuo’s incomprehensible brain circuit and the enemy with unknown strange powers, he suddenly felt the latter was easier to deal with.

[Details on the sniper?]

[Siren: I don’t know!!!] It was obviously still angry with its treatment.

Yin Ren didn’t have the mind to care about it: [Is it an “Evil Spirit” defined by humans?]

[Siren: No!!!]

Yin Ren continued patiently. [According to your definition, what’s the strength of the sniper?]

Dog Thing was silent, longer than usual.

[Siren: Medium.] It replied after a long time.

[Siren: An “Evil Spirit” is no match for it at all.]

[Siren: Never make an enemy of it.]

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Kinky Thoughts:

This marks the end of this arc. Summary below.

With the previous case just solved, a new case emerged. Lu Guangzu admitted to being a serial killer, turned himself in to the police, and said he has hidden 7 bodies and wants the police to find them. Since he’s part of the Nightwalkers, Shian became involved, and the case was assigned to Yin Ren’s and Zhong Chengshuo’s unit. Lu Guangzu had intentionally provoked both the Nightwalkers, with specific mention of King Yama, and Shian during his confession.

To dig out more information Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo visited the ghost market, a market for the Nightwalkers. There, Yin Ren discovered a similar smell that he had smelled on Lu Guangzu. After investigating, he found that the smell came from “human fragrance”, a kind of cream that can mask someone’s smell to make them smell like whoever they wanted.

In the process of his investigation, Yin Ren stumbled upon an auction house and won a bid for a “human chair”. It turned out the human chair was one of the victims of the self-confessed serial killer. Using some special technique, they had merged a human perfectly with a chair while still keeping the human alive.

Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo found this suspicious and further interrogated Lu Guangzu. Demanding to speak with Yin Ren alone, Lu Guangzu wanted to cut a deal with him. It turned out that Lu Guangzu wasn’t him at all, but Huang Jin disguised himself as Lu Guangzu with demon-painted skin.

Huang Jin had a unique ability to read people’s thoughts and was able to uncover the true identities of Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo. Hoping to use this as leverage, he wanted them to solve the serial killer case because one of the victims was a friend of his.

However, things backfired when he discovered just how powerful those two truly are.

After knowing the truth, Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo decided to become “accomplices”. Through a series of actions, they led Shian to discover Huang Jin’s disguise while also leading them onto the right track for finding the true culprit.

To lure out the true culprit, they devised a plan by chatting with him using the online chat room the Nightwalkers use. Zhong Chengshuo pretended to be someone who was also interested in his work and wanted to know more about his “preservation” technique.

Things came to a head when Yin Ren got kidnapped by the true culprit, which turned out to be Bai Yongji. Bai Yongji revealed that he was a struggling artist and couldn’t make beautiful works of art. Through Lu Guangzu, he was able to get in touch with Sunken Society who gave him a “lucky coin”. This coin was contaminated with Evil Force and allowed him to merge humans and materials together. However, everything came at a price.

Taking advantage of Huang Jin’s confession, he wanted to pin all the blame on him and hope to get Shian involved so they would deal with Sunken Society, allowing him to keep his lucky coin without any repercussions.

However, with Yin Ren’s and Zhong Chengshuo’s meddling, he had to revise his plan, so he lured out his “like-minded accomplice” in order to pin everything on Zhong Chengshuo and act out a script of him being a person who was forced into this by the “true culprit”, which was why he kidnapped Yin Ren.

Bai Yongji didn’t expect, though, that Yin Ren was actually that powerful and was easily captured. In his desperation, he swallowed the lucky coin, became corrupted by its Evil Force, and turned into a human that possessed special abilities, which Shian labeled as a class under Chiron.

Before Bai Yongji had a chance to escape, he was shot and killed by an unknown sniper. Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo managed to escape and once again fooled Shian with their silly antics.

Thanks to Huang Jin’s abilities, they were able to locate the other victims, and the case came to a close.

Other things to note: Zhong Chengshuo finally realized that what he was feeling for Yin Ren wasn’t some kind of curse but that he actually liked him, and he confessed to him while also dumping him at the same time.

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 62: Pure

“…?!”

The wings on the ball drooped a bit. Yin Ren even forgot to retract them, as his eyes were full of shock.

This wasn’t the development he had expected.

They should have had a quick and calm negotiation… But the situation now…

In more than three hundred years of his consciousness, Yin Ren had come into contact with many humans and even more evil things. He had never become anyone’s “beloved”.

Yin Ren quickly grew another brain in his chest cavity and thought with all his strength.

Zhong Chengshuo was the perfect partner. He was strong, calm, and had a deep understanding of the metaphysical world, but had difficulties detecting anomalies such as Evil Spirits. Even better, he had a secret that couldn’t be exposed to Shian.

Knowing that the other party had doubts about him, Yin Ren set the bait.

From “the cultivator of unknown details” to “an evil being himself”, Yin Ren progressed step by step. He demonstrated sufficient sincerity and bound enough benefits. As long as Zhong Chengshuo was lured to his side, they could become true partners.

There shouldn’t be a problem with the process itself.

“You know that I am an evil being, and this may not be my true appearance.” Yin Ren tried to regain dominance.

“Nn.”

A few strands of hair touched Zhong Chengshuo’s pocket and found the glasses case. They hauled out the glasses and put them back on Zhong Chengshuo’s face.

The wing ball had scattered, and the two of them were completely exposed under the moonlight.

“You said you liked me,” Yin Ren reconfirmed.

“This is an objective fact.” Behind the lenses, Zhong Chengshuo’s black hole-like eyes had a hint of a smile.

Yin Ren was stuck in a rare situation.

For a moment, he wasn’t sure whether the phrase “I kind of like you” was either as a “love object” or a “hunting object”.

…No, they didn’t have time to linger, and they had to act quickly.

Yin Ren’s gaze stopped on the handle of the Evil Fruit that was flashing meaningfully.

Perhaps this was some kind of fate.

He ignored the blade, and his expression of ease recovered a little.

Zhong Chengshuo was quite cute. At least when he put away his sharp claws, he looked straightforward and was funny. He had never experienced such intimate feelings… and if things went well, his cooperation with Zhong Chengshuo would be more stable.

“Honestly speaking, I admire you very much.” After a while, Yin Ren responded hesitantly. “Even though I’m not experienced in this area, it’s not like we can’t give it a try…”

He stretched out a strand of long hair and tentatively wrapped it around Zhong Chengshuo’s wrist.

Zhong Chengshuo slowly and rationally retracted the Evil Fruit. He politely picked up the long strands of hair and put them back in place, then patted them smoothly.

“But I don’t want to,” he said.

Yin Ren: “……?”

Spare Lord Ghost King, who was excellent in all things, but was now completely down at this moment. What was going on? Did he just get dumped?

“Depending on your attitude, we can still coexist peacefully for the time being, so let’s finish things up, quickly.”

Zhong Chengshuo patiently broke up the cartilage and flesh and straightened out his baggy clothes.

Yin Ren hugged his half-drawn wings numbly, and looked at Zhong Chengshuo with an indescribable expression.

“Bai Yongji had a physical change. It takes about 10 minutes for Shian to find out the readings are abnormal, and most likely another 15 minutes for them to gather troops and cordon off the area. Considering the time for communication and reporting, we have 8 minutes left to collude and act.”

Zhong Chengshuo carefully adjusted the position of his glasses and didn’t forget to pick up the rabbit mask.

Yin Ren: “You…”

“Now is not the time to talk in detail.” Zhong Chengshuo opened his arms to Yin Ren.

“You want a hug?” Yin Ren asked in a daze.

After his identity as King Yama had been exposed, Comrade Zhong Chengshuo didn’t seem to bother hiding his strange thoughts. Yin Ren had a faint premonition that he was being played. His hundreds of years of experience weren’t enough to deal with this strange guy standing in front of him.

“No, I shouldn’t be here. Before Shian blocks the area, you have to fly me away and come back by yourself.”

Zhong Chengshuo shook his head. His ears were still red, but his expression was calmer than before.

“Don’t forget your phone. Let it go back to where it was dropped. I didn’t come with it tonight, and I don’t know anything.”

“Zhong Chengshuo, you—”

“The situation is too complicated, so you’d better not lie,” Zhong Chengshuo said solemnly. “Just distort the details… I don’t need to elaborate on how you need to do it.”

Yin Ren was silent for half a minute.

“Forget it.” Lord Ghost King sighed resignedly. He hugged Zhong Chengshuo’s waist tightly. “I hope you don’t faint.”

……

About five minutes later.

Layers upon layers of encircling nets were erected, and all kinds of detectors were ready to go. The highly sophisticated metaphysical team from Shian that was fully armed stepped into Xinxin Amusement Park like sharp knives.

They found a dilapidated bean bag, a headless, naked male corpse, a rookie colleague in a daze, and unexplained craters all over the ground.

There were some remnants of Evil Force on the corpse, but the nearby space was stable. According to Minister Jiao’s feedback, the rookie on the “other side” was completely silent.

Fu Xingchuan slowly turned his head and patted Xiang Jiang. “Am I dying? Is this a hallucination I’m seeing right now before the end of my life?”

Xiang Jiang ignored him and just pointed perfunctorily at Yin Ren. “Isn’t that our observation target? What should I do with it?”

Yin Ren was collapsed behind a bush. His clothes were in tatters, and his limbs had multiple shallow and deep abrasions and bruises. When a few people approached, he seemed to hear their movements and turned his face in their direction.

Even if Fu Xingchuan’s ability to read others wasn’t as good as Professor Li’s, he could see that the other party was collapsed at this moment—Yin Ren seemed to be stimulated by a lot of energy as he looked confused and at complete loss, as if his face was full of question marks.

Comrade Yin Ren looked like he had been run over by a car, and such shock emotion was difficult to fake.

Until he was wrapped in a blanket and had some honey water, Yin Ren’s expression of horror didn’t dissipate.

“What’s wrong?” Fu Xingchuan took a can of coffee and sat down beside Yin Ren.

Around them, the staff of Shian were busy everywhere. The traces were partitioned, the body was sampled, and various lights lit up again in the quiet amusement park.

Yin Ren glanced at Fu Xingchuan faintly. He gulped down half a glass of honey water and began to talk about his “tragic experience”.

In a sense, Yin Ren didn’t lie…

“I was kidnapped by Bai Yongji. When I woke up, I saw a weirdo in a goat costume… He also called an accomplice and said he was going to turn me into a bean bag, but they suddenly clashed… I heard the goat say that he was going to melt his accomplice into the sewer…”

There were traces of three people on the scene. Yin Ren looked at the small canal next to the pirate ship.

“While they were fighting, I fled to the back door, but—but I was caught by the goat again. I could only use all my heart and recruit Grandpa Lu… Maybe it was just after the fight with the accomplice, but the goat was in a bad state. He was seriously injured by Grandpa Lu, who went crazy…”

“Finding that he was in a bad situation, he swallowed something… Then he had a weird ability, and his body quickly recovered…”

Yin Ren trembled dutifully and glanced at the bloody bean bag at the back door.

On his arm was a ghost-summoning talisman that had dried bloodstains on it.

“The goat’s doll costume fell off, and I recognized him as Bai Yongji… I thought I was dead… but as soon as he was about to hurt me, his head was blown up by a shot from nowhere. The attacker kept shooting, so I immediately hid in the bushes and barely escaped…”

Finally, Yin Ren’s gaze turned to Bai Yongji’s body and the weird craters.

His long hair was covered in dirt, cobwebs, and dead leaves from the bushes, giving him quite a miserable look.

Yin Ren did give Shian the facts and only concealed a few trivial details—for example, the accomplice’s name was Zhong Chengshuo, who was a part-time Nightwalker under the alias of “King Yama”; for example, during the hiding process, King Yama had confessed to him even knowing that he was an evil being and then unmercifully dumped him.

Thanks to Zhong Chengshuo, Yin Ren’s current confusion and doubt didn’t need to be faked. He could act in his true colors that even 100,000 lie detectors wouldn’t find anything wrong.

Fu Xingchuan, who had listened to the entire story: “……”

Fu Xingchuan declined to comment. “Where is that accomplice?”

“I don’t know.” Yin Ren looked at the ground. “When they fought, Bai Yongji used some kind of smokescreen prop… After the smoke dissipated, only Bai Yongji chased me to the back door.”

Fu Xingchuan asked Yin Ren to tell the story again. After multiple inquiries, he finally let Yin Ren go.

“Except for some anesthetic ingredients in your body, there are no other serious issues, and your wounds are minor.”

Fu Xingchuan patted Yin Ren on the back.

“We’ll carefully investigate the scene and compare it to your statement. Do you want to go to the hospital or…?”

“I want to go home,” Yin Ren said.

“Okay, okay, we’ll send a special team to guard the outside,” Fu Xingchuan said meaningfully. “Go back and get some rest. Zhong Chengshuo doesn’t need to come either. You two can take a good break.”

At around 5 in the morning, under the escort of the staff, Yin Ren returned to Ping’an Manor.

He gently opened the door.

He didn’t know if it was due to his state of mind, but the usually familiar living room seemed a little strange. The sky was a little brighter as green trees outside the window swayed, accompanied by faint birdsong.

As usual, there was a fresh apple on the table. Zhong Chengshuo had put away the computer and cleaned the dining table. Yin Ren’s snacks were neatly stacked next to the sofa, and the light on the game console was still slowly flickering. His tablet was buckled on the sofa, giving off a quaint and peaceful atmosphere in the room.

Lu Tanfei had returned to his normal appearance and hurriedly rushed forward. Yin Ren waved his hand wearily. “Don’t worry. I can find him without Bai Yongji now.”

He had absorbed part of the Evil Force in the coin and was busy savoring and digesting it. It was extremely pure, without the craziness; perfect and stable.

After gaining new knowledge, Yin Ren could use a little more Evil Force and he became more familiar with the scent of this Evil Spirit. When Shian’s security dispersed outside, he could search for the victims.

Although he had originally planned to rewrite Bai Yongji’s memories and also dig out the location of the victims…

Yin Ren looked melancholy at Zhong Chengshuo’s bedroom, recalling his original plan.

The bedroom door was still firmly closed.

On the other side of the door, Zhong Chengshuo’s breathing was calm and long, as he was sleeping soundly. Yin Ren could almost imagine the head wearing a nightcap shrinking in his blanket.

…So much happened tonight, yet this kid can actually still sleep!

Yin Ren stared at the door speechlessly for a while. Unfortunately, the bedroom door was just a lifeless thing that couldn’t give him any answers.

Yin Ren couldn’t help but walk to the door of Zhong Chengshuo’s bedroom. It was easy for him to open the door as an evil being. He really wanted to get Zhong Chengshuo out of bed and continue the “negotiations” that they had failed to complete normally.

But the sound of breathing in the room was gentle and gratifying.

Yin Ren stood there for a while, discouraged. He sighed heavily and laid back on the sofa.

He had thrown Dog Thing back near the trashcan and ordered it to climb back into it obediently until Shian came and rescued it, along with finding his keys. Now he wanted to find someone to tell them about the weird sniper, but he couldn’t do it.

So Lord Ghost King buried his face down on the sofa like a dumbfounded corpse.

The sky outside the window was getting brighter. The clock in the living room was ticking as the hour hand gradually went to the position of seven. The breathing in the bedroom was still peaceful and calm. Yin Ren couldn’t bear it and walked to the bedroom door again.

He first turned the door handle hopelessly. Who knew that Zhong Chengshuo had left the door unlocked? Yin Ren was unprepared and almost fell forward.

Zhong Chengshuo had closed the curtains, so the bedroom was dark. The window wasn’t open, so the smell that belonged to only Zhong Chengshuo was still fresh, smelling like a deep forest off the beaten track.

Just as Yin Ren imagined, Zhong Chengshuo had put on his nightcap and was sleeping comfortably in the center of the big bed. He was lying sideways, and his body was rising and falling with his breathing.

Yin Ren walked silently to Zhong Chengshuo’s bed and leaned over to look at him.

“What biological clock?” He muttered softly. “We have to make our position clear first, and the victims need to be rescued as soon as possible…”

There was still no response from Zhong Chengshuo. As if in deep sleep, he rolled over, revealing a harmless face that only irritated Yin Ren. Yin Ren gently pressed one leg against the edge of the bed and leaned forward, carefully looking at the side of Zhong Chengshuo’s face. He could feel the heat radiating from the other’s body from this distance.

Whether it was an innocent passerby, a science post of Shian, or King Yama of the Nightwalkers, Yin Ren didn’t think Zhong Chengshuo could pose any threat to him.

But the world had become a little strange.

The source of the mysterious Evil Force, the sniper of unknown strength, and the accomplice that had broken away from his own expectations; his originally smooth journey in life had gradually become turbulent.

“I don’t understand.” Yin Ren sighed softly. “Forget about those things in the shadows… What exactly are you thinking?”

He stretched out a hand towards Zhong Chengshuo’s shoulder but stopped in the process.

Forget it. It’s not too late. If he ruined this man’s sleep again, he would probably have to buy another pot of stewed pears.

“Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding—!” The phone next to Zhong Chengshuo’s pillow suddenly rang.

Zhong Chengshuo suddenly opened his eyes and saw Yin Ren beside his bed, who had his hand stretched out towards him.

Yin Ren: “……”

Yin Ren: “…I have no other intention besides just waking you up.”

Zhong Chengshuo gave him a light glance and answered the call on speakerphone. “Hello, how are you?”

“Xiao Zhong, it’s Lu Xiaohe!” Lu Xiaohe’s voice sounded excited.

“We’ve located the victims! Hey, also, you’re on break right now, so you don’t have to come into work.”

“Yin Ren should already be back, right? A lot of things have happened to him, so let him take a good rest and remember to submit a report after he recovers.”

“…Xiao Zhong?”

Seeing that Zhong Chengshuo hadn’t replied, Lu Xiaohe asked in confusion.

“I see. Thank you, Lu Jie.” Zhong Chengshuo returned to his usual tone. “I’ll learn more about the situation from Yin Ren.”

With a beep, the call was terminated.

“With Shian handling the victims, there’s no need to worry about anything.” Yin Ren smiled embarrassedly as he withdrew his knees that were pressing against the side of the bed. “Then we’re not in a hurry to talk. You can go back to sleep first. I’ll go…”

“If you want to know what I’m thinking, you can ask me directly.”

Zhong Chengshuo leaned against the head of the bed and spoke to him in an extremely calm tone.

Yin Ren froze.

“If it’s the ‘I like you’ thing… Whether it’s pretending or sincere, you’re nice to everyone. I’m not good at distinguishing those things, but so far, it seems that I’m not so special.”

Zhong Chengshuo leaned against a soft pillow while still dressed in his soft pajamas. There wasn’t a single speck of dust on his body, and the Evil Fruit was nowhere in sight, but the faint sense of oppression hadn’t disappeared.

“Your ‘try it out’—I’m not sure if there’s any other purpose. For example, it’ll be easier to maintain the status quo or control me better. I want to maintain the purity of this relationship—it’s enough for me to experience the thrill of ‘liking’. You don’t need to do anything extra.”

Yin Ren: “……” He felt a little guilty.

No, shouldn’t there be more issues to consider? For example, shouldn’t he ask what kind of evil thing I am?

Yin Ren couldn’t control his expression. “According to your theory, if I really like you in the future, you won’t be able to judge.”

“I can judge.”

Zhong Chengshuo touched his red ears and took the initiative to get closer.

“When you lose more control, become more embarrassed… Showing an expression I haven’t seen before and saying you ‘want to give it a try’.”

……

Time returned to 4:00 a.m.

Shian Campus, temporary room for dangerous people.

“No, it’s still not right.” Huang Jin watched in despair as conjectures were crossed out one by one.

Fu Xingchuan asked him to provide “possible thoughts” Ding Lizi would have, saying that he could find people using a special method, so Huang Jin racked his brains and wrote all those things in the “thought tornado”.

However, none of them were right.

He knew better than anyone that as long as people were awake, they would be wrapped in their own thoughts. Whether it was subconsciously or thinking about things, they would stack up in layers. Huang Jin could only distinguish a small part of them with his eyes—after all, his attention was ultimately limited.

Perhaps he didn’t know her well enough. At least he couldn’t guess what Ding Lizi would be thinking two weeks after becoming a “dead thing”.

After all, in his memory, the girl didn’t always smile.

It would be great… if he had looked at her more in the beginning. If he knew a little more about her thoughts and grasped them, he would have a greater chance of rescuing her. He seemed to be unable to do anything smoothly and would never be able to step out of that vortex of despair.

Huang Jin pulled his hair desperately as a bloody smell filled his mouth.

At this moment, there was a soft creak, and the door to the temporary room slowly opened.

---

The author has something to say:

Xiao Yin: In case I really like you in the future.

Not in case! Not in case! It’s for sure!

Xiao Zhong: I’m happy. This time someone can write their own report (×

Xiao Yin: ……

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 61: Shooting

Late at night, in Shian campus, Minister Fu was staying up in the middle of the night.

He had set up a “fusion people” emergency warehouse in advance to prepare a treatment plan for all the corruption of the Evil Force. Given that Minister Jiao was unable to come forward, Fu Xingchuan’s professional advice was indispensable.

After treatment, the “human chair”, Fan Yong’s mood had stabilized a bit and was able to give a little bit of location support in his thoughts. Huang Jin was working around the clock to figure out Ding Lizi’s thoughts. Given that the victims could be found at any time—this meant they would be welcoming numerous special patients at a moment’s notice.

Seeing that it was past 4 in the morning, Fu Xingchuan rubbed his eyes and prepared to drag out a folding bed.

It would’ve been better if he had been a science post. Professor Li had already gone to sleep in the lounge. Why did he embark on this path? Minister Fu felt quite aggrieved.

However, before Minister Fu had time to unfold the folding bed, his phone rang again…

Two calls came in at the same time, and both of them seemed urgent.

The exhausted Fu Xingchuan: “……”

He glanced at the caller ID and first answered Hao Wenzhe’s call. “Xiao Hao, haven’t you gone to sleep yet?”

Hao Wenzhe, the rear commander of the Emergency Handling Department, was the first person in Shian to process incoming data. The advantage was that the data feedback was fast, but the disadvantage was that sometimes it was too fast.

“There’s significant abnormality in the evil qi index on Yuesheng Road in Shangguang District. It’s suspected that a highly active Evil Force has appeared.” Hao Wenzhe got straight to the point. His voice was as if he had just been awakened from a trance. “The index is too high, and there’s no sign of artificial cover-up. You’d better go and see for yourself.”

Fu Xingchuan almost couldn’t breathe. “Okay, I see.”

He hung up on the call with Hao Wenzhe and picked up the call from Minister Jiao.

“Something is wrong.” Minister Jiao’s unique synthetic voice came through the earpiece. “Someone, took the initiative to enter, that side. The location is near Yuesheng Road, Shanguang District.”

“What? Took the initiative?!”

This time, Minister Fu really almost had a heart attack.

“That person’s ability, is extremely close to mine.” It was clearly a synthetic voice, but Fu Xingchuan could hear the seriousness in it. “It must be, controlled, quickly.”

“Similar to yours?” Fu Xingchuan was stunned. “But your ability…”

“Outside Shian, a real ‘Charon*’, may be born. You know, what it means.”

*Reference to Charon in Greek mythology. He is the ferryman of Hades who carries the souls of the dead across the river of Styx, which separates the world of the living and the dead.

“I’m dead.” Fu Xingchuan groaned. “Is it too late for me to suddenly die now? I would rather fight ten Xiang Jiang than deal with a ‘Charon’. Minister Jiao, I mean no offense, but your type is really troublesome.”

“He’s not, grown up, yet.” Minister Jiao ignored Fu Xingchuan’s wailing. “Whoever it is, deal with it, as soon as possible.”

The phone hung up. Fu Xingchuan looked blankly at the half-built folding bed.

Charon.

It was not a specific phenomenon but referred to a class of rare special abilities in living people.

In the metaphysical world, people with special abilities were relatively rare. They were either like Ge Tingting, who was born with a special physique and awakened after mental trauma, or like Feng Qi, who was forcibly stimulated by external forces with “special abilities”. The strength was dependent on the degree of corruption.

Most of this kind of mutant ability was related to people’s inner desires. They were displayed in a variety of strange ways, but the general direction was fixed.

The most common was the “Ghost Eye” branch, which was a variation of observation abilities. Feng Qi and Ge Tingting were in this category.

In addition, there was the “Resonance” branch that could affect the emotions of others. The “Confusion” branch was related to distortion of cognition, while the “Immensity” branch increased processing capabilities by leaps and bounds.

The “Charon” branch was the rarest of these.

They could travel between “this side” and “that side” to a certain extent. Unlike the legendary Styx ferryman, people with this kind of ability could only transport the living, not the dead.

Before the accident, Minister Jiao was a powerful “Charon”…

Minister Jiao could not only carry people back and forth, but she could also suddenly disappear in place, appear in another distant location, or simply disappear for over ten days to half a month.

Because the Charons were unable to take the dead to the “other side”, research became extremely difficult. Not to mention equipment, Minister Jiao couldn’t even bring her clothes in. What exactly was the situation on the “other side”, Shian hadn’t yet decided.

To this day, this research topic was still top secret in Shian.

Fu Xingchuan opened an energy drink and drank it all in one go.

After the previous analysis by the Foreign Body Identification Department, the maker of the “human chair” was undoubtedly a capable person of the Charon branch—he could throw half of the living into the “other side”. The human body on “this side” would become half-virtual, half-real, just in time to be mixed in with other items.

As a precaution, Minister Jiao repeatedly determined the victim’s situation. The culprit’s ability was only enough to “send half a person”, which was far from a real “Charon”.

But then again, thanks to an event more than 20 years ago, there were still many people who had been contaminated by the sporadic Evil Force in society, which gave rise to some with Charon abilities.

For example, one could make mosquitoes that were still alive disappear, or occasionally pass their arm through the dead. Considering the slight corruption, these abilities would not cause much damage and would disappear after treatment.

It was rare for someone to have the level that could pass “half a person”.

The consequences would be unimaginable if the soon-to-be-born Charon was the serial killer with enhanced abilities—”Charon” was the most difficult to deal with, and a skilled Charon was not only particularly difficult to catch but could also harm people without leaving a trace.

Fu Xingchuan patted his cheeks fiercely and then opened the contact list.

“Transfer me two Class A investigation teams and let Xiang Jiang support me. I’ll be going too. Make preparations for protection from Evil Force—within 15 minutes, fully block off Yuesheng Road in Shangguang District and conduct a full investigation of the area.”

……

Ten minutes ago, Xinxin Amusement Park, Yuesheng Road, Shangguang District.

“This time, it’s ‘real magic’,” Bai Yongji announced.

Zhong Chengshuo poked Yin Ren on the back. “I can still see him.”

“I know. He’s not dead yet. This is an abnormal ability, like Feng Qi.” Yin Ren felt a powerful Evil Force on the opposite side, making his face a little bitter.

With such an obvious fluctuation in power, Shian would soon catch on, which meant they didn’t have much time left to talk nonsense.

Bai Yongji had to be controlled as soon as possible.

Bai Yongji was still standing in place as the holes in his body were slowly filling in. However, his body didn’t seem to be stable. Bai Yongji staggered, and from time to time, parts of his body would disappear and then slowly reappear.

Head, arms, chest, legs, feet.

Just like a reef washed away by invisible waves, Bai Yongji’s exposed body would grow and loom from time to time. The two of them could only see a broken outline.

He became extremely excited, as if he couldn’t feel the pus and blood all over his face. Half of his face would disappear on occasion leaving behind only complete darkness on the cross-section. They didn’t know what he was saying, but the remaining part of his face was full of joy.

The next moment, Bai Yongji almost disappeared in place, leaving only sporadic arms and feet. Lu Tanfei rushed over with a roar. His long legs and feet went straight through the gaps in the fragments without catching anything.

Those arm fragments were suspended in the air, outlining a rough human shape, and were constantly changing positions, like a malfunctioning image.

“No one can catch me anymore…” Half of Bai Yongji’s chin appeared from the void as he spat this out.

“Really?” Before Zhong Chengshuo’s words fell, the sound of bones shattering rang out from the half chin that was just punched.

The twisted chin let out a scream of pain and quickly disappeared into the void. A small piece of shoulder reappeared again. Judging from the change in outline, Bai Yongji had turned around and fled.

Yin Ren attached a little bit of Evil Force to his palm. He took two steps forward and grabbed his shoulder. Bai Yongji struggled repeatedly, trying to control his shoulder to “disappear”, but he couldn’t get rid of the hand.

“This ability is very interesting.” Yin Ren commented leisurely.

There was no such ability thousands of years ago. Bai Yongji seemed to have hidden most of his body in some other space—if he adapted this ability, it would become a bit tricky.

Unfortunately, Bai Yongji was still too young. As long as he couldn’t hide his entire body…

With a click, Yin Ren dislocated the half shoulder without hesitation.

In severe pain, Bai Yongji grabbed a bush beside him. It made a clicking sound as the branches of the bush started to disappear with his hands, while the sections that were still exposed became unnaturally smooth.

Discovering a new attack method, Bai Yongji’s spirit was refreshed. He twisted his body, poked out half of his head from the void, and stretched out his hand to grab Yin Ren’s skinny arms.

The killing intent was accompanied by corruption of the Evil Force as all of Bai Yongji’s seven orifices were spewing out blood and pus.

Zhong Chengshuo didn’t miss this opportunity. He turned around, raised his knife, and slashed straight at the exposed back of Bai Yongji’s neck…

In an instant, Yin Ren suddenly felt cold all over his body.

A familiar sense of peeping.

This place was obviously barren, and there weren’t any high-rise buildings nearby, but the sense of peeping was extremely vivid. For thousands of years, he rarely felt this kind of chill.

Yin Ren made a quick decision. He let go of Bai Yongji and immediately rushed to Zhong Chengshuo. The latter, who had raised his knife, was knocked to the ground by Yin Ren, and the two fell together.

Bang.

There was a very light noise that was almost overshadowed by the night wind.

Then there was another muffled sound. The naked Bai Yongji hit the ground. The part above his neck was blown to pieces, and its fragments splattered on the overgrown weeds. The air instantly smelled of blood and guts.

“Lu Tanfei, go back!” Yin Ren shouted.

The human spider grandpa glanced at the corpse of his enemy blankly, then quickly disappeared.

Bang. A second shot.

Blood and organs flew together as the shot broke through Bai Yongji’s stomach. The “lucky coin” that was stained with internal organ fragments rolled out, still emitting a strong Evil Force.

Yin Ren didn’t hesitate. He brushed the coin with his hair and absorbed part of the Evil Force. At the same time, he hugged Zhong Chengshuo and rolled into the tall bushes by the back door.

Bang. A third shot.

With an unpleasant crisp sound, the coin that was covered with Evil Force was accurately blasted into pieces. The bullet had been treated somehow as the Evil Force on the fragments quickly dissipated.

…Sunken Society was taking care of loose ends? It seemed they weren’t particularly concerned with directly destroying the source of corruption from the Evil Force.

For the first time after waking up from his deep sleep, Yin Ren’s face sank.

The bullet could break Evil Force, which meant it could harm him. What was even more terrifying was that, as an Evil Spirit, Yin Ren couldn’t determine the strength of the shooter… Even if his abilities were suppressed, this was too outrageous.

The opponent was definitely not human, or even an ordinary evil being.

Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo maintained a hugging posture, squeezing quietly between the bushes and the gap in the back door.

The coin was destroyed, but the damn sense of peeping didn’t dissipate. It floated around like a ghost. The attacker fired a few shots in different directions, as if to lure out a small animal. The bushes a few steps away instantly evaporated, leaving behind a tooth-like gap.

The enemy was hidden in the dark while they were exposed. A long night was fraught with dreams*. They had to completely hide themselves.

*(夜长梦多) Idiom referring to undue delay may lead to trouble.

Direct spell casting? No, that won’t work for Zhong Chengshuo.

Spirit weapon to eliminate their aura… But they were empty-handed.

Yin Ren glanced at Zhong Chengshuo, who was close at hand. His partner’s heartbeat was faster than usual, but his breathing wasn’t chaotic.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

The gunfire was mixed with the regular heartbeat. It splashed gravel and dirt across their skin.

Yin Ren’s expression gradually changed from solemn to calm and finally turned into a subtle smile.

Zhong Chengshuo tried to say something, but Yin Ren covered his mouth and nose. A puzzle light flickered in the eyehole of the rabbit mask, and a warm breath swept across Yin Ren’s palm.

“Shh—” Yin Ren held his other hands towards his face and pressed a finger on his lips. In the night, his expression was dark and unclear.

There was the noise of sticky flesh and blood gurgling from bones.

Several pieces of cartilage protruded from Yin Ren’s shoulders and back. They drilled out of the gaps like vines, forming a spherical skeleton near Zhong Chengshuo. The dark flesh film covered him and turned into four twisted wings.

The runes on the wings flickered, holding the two firmly in the middle.

In the wing ball, Yin Ren leaned forward, half kneeling on the ground. Zhong Chengshuo’s knees were stuck between Yin Ren’s legs, and his body had leaned back slightly towards the soft wings and wall behind him. The two of them were so tightly embedded together that Zhong Chengshuo could hardly move.

Through the thin fabric, the two people’s body temperatures instantly melded into one.

None of them spoke. In the small space, there was only a very light sound of breathing.

The black sphere was deeply hidden in the shadow, with their breath enclosed. Even if one were to look at it up close, there would be “nothing there”. Bai Yongji’s body lay not far away; his blood was seeping along the stone ground into the drainage ditch.

The night was quiet again, with only a light breeze and insect chirps. The two of them seemed to have disappeared from the world.

After a few minutes passed, the attacker seemed to have completely lost interest. The air suddenly loosened, and the sense of peeping completely dissipated.

The top of Yin Ren’s wing ball cracked, allowing silvery moonlight to pour in. Zhong Chengshuo was still wearing a rabbit mask, so Yin Ren couldn’t see his expression.

Facing those extremely fluid black flesh films, Zhong Chengshuo didn’t make any comments. His leg muscles were tense as if he wanted to get up…

The black flesh was reshaped again, and the cartilage was attached to Zhong Chengshuo’s chest. The flesh wrapped around his waist and abdomen, instantly locking Zhong Chengshuo’s body in place. Moonlight sprinkled from the top of the wing ball, illuminating the internal space that looked like a strange egg that couldn’t be broken.

“Now you know that I am a real evil being.” In the dim light, Yin Ren smiled brightly. “Shian is almost here, so I’ll cut to the chase.”

After saying these words, he took time to look at Zhong Chengshuo.

Zhong Chengshuo’s hands weren’t bound. He took off the mask with one hand and stared at Yin Ren blankly. The space was narrow, and the faces of the two were less than 30 centimeters apart. They could feel each other’s breath spraying on their skin.

“Zhong Chengshuo, I know you’re ‘King Yama’.”

The right chips should be thrown away at the right time.

Let’s go.

Exchanging handles and threatening each other to go on—this was also the way for accomplices to survive. Would you like to be my true accomplice?

Or shall we break up? Or do you just want to die on the spot?

Click.

A cold gun muzzle was placed on Yin Ren’s chin. Zhong Chengshuo didn’t say a word.

His face didn’t have any emotion, as if he was wearing another mask. Yin Ren didn’t care. He leaned forward, and the tips of their noses almost touched each other. There was more heat in their breath.

Minute by minute, time passed. The atmosphere seemed to be frozen as Yin Ren patiently waited for Zhong Chengshuo’s answer.

If they succeed in maintaining a superficial partnership… Yin Ren didn’t know if this person would be touched if he bought him some stewed pears on a whim afterwards. Yin Ren thought regretfully that he should’ve bought them for him to taste earlier.

After about ten seconds, the muzzle on Yin Ren’s chin moved.

Zhong Chengshuo’s face was still unruffled. He didn’t answer; he just lightly sighed as he silently pulled the trigger.

The sound of a click was heard as the trigger was pulled. Yin Ren narrowed his eyes. Just as he was about to grow another head—

Puff.

The muzzle of the gun opened sideways with a soft sound.

Countless soap bubbles sprayed into the sky, flashing fluorescence in the night. They floated gently, reflecting the brilliant, cold light of the night.

The soap bubbles flew out from the muzzle and floated in the wind towards the headless corpse and the dilapidated amusement park. Under the moonlight, in the grass, they flew happily before popping, creating a scene with an uncomfortable sense of coordination.

One bubble landed on the rabbit mask and popped with a bang, causing a bit of mist to splash onto Yin Ren’s wings.

Cold.

…What is this?

Yin Ren was stunned in place. His brain was blank as he instinctively shrank back a little.

“This is a toy,” Zhong Chengshuo said solemnly. “Possession of firearms is a felony.”

Yin Ren: “……” King Yama’s thoughts were so unpredictable that he didn’t know how to reply.

Zhong Chengshuo admired Yin Ren’s expression for a while. The corners of his mouth had curled up slightly.

“Give you something in return.” His words made no sense, but he sounded happy.

Zhong Chengshuo turned his right hand the next moment. Like magic, the toy gun in his hand was replaced by a red dagger. His left hand reached to the back of Yin Ren’s head and pressed the man’s neck closer.

The Evil Fruit dagger was pressed against Yin Ren’s throat, and the sense of oppression belonging to a hunter instantly exploded, but it didn’t have the unique feeling of killing intent.

Zhong Chengshuo adjusted his posture. His back was wrapped in a soft and warm wing membrane, while the cartilage around his waist was flexible and powerful. Yin Ren’s long hair was scattered on the flesh, which was engraved with runes and seemed to be melded together. Zhong Chengshuo knew that it was powerful.

What was perfect was that he had never seen such a shocked expression on Yin Ren’s face.

He wanted to see more.

“I have already considered the fact that you are an ‘evil being’ a long time ago. For the sake of a fair deal, I should tell you a secret in return.”

Zhong Chengshuo spoke in his calm tone like always.

“…I kind of like you.”

---

The author has something to say:

Xiao Yin: People can’t, at least they shouldn’t…!!!

In fact, Great King Yama may be the creature farthest from having a love brain (×

The gap between Bai Yongji and the protagonist is too great. In fact, it wouldn’t be a challenge, so he’s not worthy of even being a little boss.

It’s time to consider how to write your report, you two—!

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Kinky Thoughts:

Zhong Chengshuo confesses! (sort of).

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 60: Accomplices Turn Against Each Other

“Scapegoat? No need to put it like that. We’re just ‘playing together’.”

The goat’s tone sounded pleasant, as if he were laughing.

“Anyway, my case doesn’t involve you, so they can’t get any evidence. Besides, you’ve been able to get away with it for so long under Shian’s watchful eye, which means we’re both good at handling traces… Just help me muddy the waters. You don’t have anything to lose.”

Zhong Chengshuo stared at the “unconscious” Yin Ren.

“For an irrelevant crime in exchange for a ‘preservation’ technique.” The goat’s smiling tone became even more obvious. “Isn’t it worth it?”

His words were quickly blown away by the night wind. The weeds rustled in the crevices of the stone bricks, and the insect in the grass kept buzzing. Across the iron railing of the back door, there was a flowing creek. The dark clouds had slowly dispersed, causing bright moonlight to spill down.

Silence was mixed with pin pricking malice.

The “rabbit” didn’t answer immediately, while the “goat” waited patiently. Time was frozen at this moment, like a picture that was illustrated from a distorted fairy tale.

“It is indeed a very exciting proposal.”

After about five minutes had passed, Zhong Chengshuo responded as he squatted in front of Yin Ren.

“…Let’s cooperate. Let me see your ‘preservation’ skills.”

The goat took two steps forward and stopped on the other side of Yin Ren, separated from Zhong Chengshuo by the bean bag.

“Of course you can, but your aesthetics are better… You can plan the design first and let me observe.”

Zhong Chengshuo: “Alright. Untie the chain first.”

The goat was silent.

“I can’t measure his body size with him tied up like this,” Zhong Chengshuo said coldly. “If you’re worried about him waking up, I’ll deal with it.”

Zhong Chengshuo took out a needleless syringe from his loose pocket and plunged it into Yin Ren’s neck without hesitation. With a soft grunt, the medicinal liquid instantly penetrated the skin.

Yin Ren quickly grew some taste buds in his body… ‘Well, it’s sweet but nothing else,’ Yin Ren thought. This kind of injection was a bit fun. Comrade Xiao Zhong had more toys than he thought.

A few of his hair quietly stretched out, extending into the weeds along the cracks in the stone bricks. They chose a hidden grass stalk to climb up and knotted it into two dark eyeballs at the top. Under the cover of night, they sway gently with the wind like two unopened flower buds.

Lord Ghost King chose the perfect angle to watch the play.

The goat raised a knife in his hand and pierced Yin Ren’s arm with a deep wound. Seeing that Yin Ren was unresponsive, the goat untied his chains.

“Don’t destroy the integrity of the material,” Zhong Chengshuo raised his face and said with some warning in his tone.

“Okay, I won’t act. Please go ahead.” The goat retracted his knife.

Zhong Chengshuo unfolded Yin Ren’s arms and put him on the bean bag, forming the “大*” character. Then he stretched out his hand and pointed his index finger at the hollow of Yin Ren’s collarbone.

*Big.

‘How amazing,’ Yin Ren thought.

This was originally the part he was most worried about—King Yama only killed evil things and never took on tasks related to the living. When facing a standard living human body, Zhong Chengshuo might not be able to act well.

However, facts had far exceeded his expectations.

He couldn’t feel Zhong Chengshuo’s body temperature through the black leather gloves. He only knew the hand slid along his muscles and shoulders before moving on to his joints and bones. Zhong Chengshuo’s ten fingers were heavy and light at times. It went through his arms, waist, legs, and feet in turn, then finally returned to his head.

Then Zhong Chengshuo pulled Yin Ren towards the bean bag again.

Although Yin Ren was motionless, it looked as if the two were rehearsing some kind of duo dance.

Gradually, his head was lifted, and his arms were carefully placed as his waist was pressed against the bean bag. It was obvious the man didn’t hurt him in the slightest, but Yin Ren had the illusion of being mutilated.

At this moment, Zhong Chengshuo’s fingertips were following Yin Ren’s neck upwards. His thumb crossed Yin Ren’s throat vaguely, but the force wasn’t light or heavy.

The black leather gloves were soaked with Yin Ren’s heat, which was then cooled by the night wind.

It felt like he was being licked by a snake’s tongue. There was no intimacy in that action and no sense of closeness. Zhong Chengshuo’s “measurements” were cold and skillful, like a predator sizing up its prey.

…Calculating whether it could be smoothly devoured.

The eyeholes of the rabbit mask were as black as the void, as if there were nothing under the mask. The handsome and harmless scholar’s face was covered, making Zhong Chengshuo feel like a “real stranger”.

The goat also seemed to be shocked by this atmosphere. “Do you need to measure so carefully?”

“Yes, the human body is very magical.” Zhong Chengshuo smoothed Yin Ren’s hair and distributed it to the best position on the sofa. “The distribution of nerves in parts is different. In some places, a little stimulation can make living worse than death, leading to deformation and convulsions of the body… Of course, the most wonderful thing is here.”

He emptied his hand and tapped on Yin Ren’s brow.

“Even if you don’t do anything, as long as there’s a sufficient amount of fear here, the human body will collapse on its own, and these collapses will react to the flesh. Physically, it can cause coma, vomiting, incontinence… or mental disorders.”

“And here—”

Zhong Chengshuo covered Yin Ren’s eyes.

“Fear will leak out from here, just like tears. You can see a lot of personal characteristics, which makes it very interesting.”

This was the first time Yin Ren had heard Zhong Chengshuo speak in this kind of tone—flat yet pleasant, even relaxed. He seemed to be really chatting with a “like-minded” person.

And the way he was placed was almost shockingly accurate and exquisite. Zhong Chengshuo could melt him into a perfect bean bag if he really knew how to penetrate flesh into things. In terms of the aesthetics of flesh, this person was no worse than himself.

“It sounds like you’re very proficient with torture,” the goat said.

“Really?”

The goat tilted his head. “I’m starting to wonder, how many have you killed?”

“I don’t know,” Zhong Chengshuo replied slowly, without raising his head. “I haven’t counted.”

“Haha, amazing.” The goat laughed emotionlessly. “You’re such a freak.”

“People often say that.” Zhong Chengshuo had a smile in his tone.

He was still carefully adjusting Yin Ren’s posture. Even if they had reached an agreement, Yin Ren still felt he was “really going to be made into a bean bag”.

“…But since you have killed so many, you must understand that feeling,” the goat murmured as he looked at Zhong Chengshuo repeatedly with those eyes behind the doll costume, as if trying to figure out the authenticity of the other party’s words. “There will always be a few prey that you really enjoy handling… The kind of excitement that brings a rapid heartbeat and makes your hand stand up…”

“Hm, I have experienced that.”

Zhong Chengshuo paused for a bit before continuing.

“That is a very powerful target. I enjoy that feeling and look forward to more reactions from him.”

“I get it, I get it.” The goat clapped his hands in satisfaction. “It seems that we are quite in tune.”

……

“It’s done.”

Around 4 a.m., Zhong Chengshuo finally finished fiddling with Yin Ren. He stood up and let out a long breath.

“If it were me, I would use the technique of piercing flesh into objects next, but after that, the person will slowly die. Next, it’s your turn—follow this posture and melt him. The outline won’t be too bad.”

“Well, I only have one question left to ask.” There wasn’t any expression on the goat doll’s face, and his tone remained cheerful. “How did you get rid of the traces?”

“Secret.” The rabbit mask turned away. “In general, the simpler the method, the less error-prone… How about you? How did you do it?”

“Well, I also have my secrets as well.” The goat stretched awkwardly. “In general, you must always plan a way out before making a move—”

The two were only one step apart. In the next moment, the goat hugged Zhong Chengshuo fiercely.

Under the doll’s clothes, more than a dozen stunning devices were activated at the same time, causing a thin buzzing sound to cross the night sky.

Zhong Chengshuo: “……”

Yin Ren: “……”

Yin Ren felt sad for those spirit weapons—they were painstakingly crafted by a spirit smith, and worked hard to shine and heat up all night. As a result, first they ran into a Ghost King, then an atheist, and neither of them were knocked out.

Zhong Chengshuo didn’t take long to react and softened his body obediently.

The goat doll unceremoniously released his arms. Zhong Chengshuo fell heavily to the ground like a stone brick, creating a loud and dull sound that caused Yin Ren to “hiss” in his heart.

The goat doll quickly pulled the iron chain that he had used to bind Yin Ren and tied Zhong Chengshuo firmly. Then he breathed a sigh of relief and straightened up.

“Things like spirit weapons are really useful against you cultivators.” There was a little more gratification in the goat’s voice. “Unlike that rookie from Shian, you’re really strong. You’re still conscious.”

Zhong Chengshuo said with “difficulty”, “I don’t…understand…our…work…”

“Well, I plan to produce another work. I didn’t lie to you about this.” The goat reached out towards a drain on one side and revealed a rusty iron cover. “If things go well, I’ll also tell you about my preservation skill. I didn’t lie to you.”

After looking at the gurgling water of the creek, the goat straightened up with satisfaction.

He took out a thin coin collection box from his pocket that was engraved with layers of runes. The coin inside was plain and unadorned, looking quite ordinary.

When the goat snapped open the box, Dog Thing instantly shook in Zhong Chengshuo’s pocket. Yin Ren also felt a familiar feeling—there was no doubt it was a source of corruption full of Evil Force.

“Listen, my preservation skills are actually very simple.”

The goat flicked the coin in his hand.

“I just stick this to the target at the center of their brows for a while. Next, as long as I try to imagine it, they will slowly merge. Isn’t this amazing? …Unfortunately, this ability can only be used by me.”

“…Impossible…”

Zhong Chengshuo continued his performance while Yin Ren turned his eyeballs on the grass stalk—Comrade Xiao Zhong had already secretly untied the chains as the runes on them had no effect on him, as if they were carving patterns.

“You know what? I once had the same problem as you.”

The goat greedily looked at the coin, oblivious to Zhong Chengshuo’s small movements.

“After making a person into a piece, that valuable body heat and vitality will always disappear… The shelf life of the piece is too short to touch comfortably.”

“But with this, I no longer need to worry about that problem. Just find strong ‘wildflowers’ who can withstand, giving lasting enjoyment.”

The goat dipped the coin into the gutter. His voice was stirring with excitement as it grew shriller.

“Ah, I have long wanted to try this. Think about it. Your flesh, blood, and bones will melt into the water, flowing underground throughout the city—you’ll disappear completely.”

“The people of Shian are intact… Killing me… brings you no benefit.” Zhong Chengshuo stared tightly at the coin. “I don’t understand…”

The goat sighed pretentiously.

He took the coin out of the gutter. Under the moonlight, the small piece of metal gleamed dimly.

“Like I said, if you want to get rid of tracking, you always have to plan a way out before you act.”

The goat walked leisurely towards Zhong Chengshuo. He stood still at a distance of about half a step away from him, obviously enjoying the feeling of looking down from the top.

“Actually, this is a simple story.”

He started to play with the coin again.

“There used to be an artist who couldn’t make satisfactory works. One day, he made a deal with the devil, wanting a more superb technique.”

“The devil lent him a lucky coin. Using the lucky coin as a medium, he cast a special magic that is ‘uniquely his own’.”

Zhong Chengshuo: “……”

“Do you know where this story gets worse?” The goat squatted down. “The lucky coin is only lent by the devil, and things that are lent must be paid back. But without it, the artist will lose his magic.”

Zhong Chengshuo: “The deal… you made… with Sunken Society?”

“Very smart.”

The goat smiled happily.

“I’m really grateful to that idiot who surrendered himself. He gave me an excellent opportunity—as long as I cooperate and release some of my works, Shian will definitely intervene, giving me the opportunity to get rid of Sunken Society.”

“It didn’t matter if the wrong person was framed. From the beginning, my position in this script was ready.”

The goat stretched out his hand and grabbed the edge of the rabbit mask.

“Do you know where this script gets worse?” Zhong Chengshuo suddenly spoke calmly and blinked behind the rabbit mask.

The goat hesitated for a moment.

“You missed one point.”

Zhong Chengshuo said in a soft voice, “…I already have an accomplice, and he’s more cunning than you.”

The air was silent for a moment.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Behind the two of them, in front of the pirate ship, a burst of insincere applause rang out. The goat abruptly turned and looked in the direction of where the sound came from.

“Don’t be discouraged. In fact, your script is pretty good.”

Yin Ren commented happily.

“Deliberately approaching the daughter of the police officer in charge of the case and awkwardly releasing the ‘chat history’ as a clue to create just the right suspicion.”

“Then you kidnapped a rookie from Shian and played a bitter trick in front of him. Let me guess, is the next arrangement ‘be a good citizen who was used by Sunken Society and can’t bear to see the true killer committing a crime again, so you sacrifice your life to save the Shian employee’?”

The goat held his breath, and his entire body became stiff like a slab of stone.

“Well… If you injure yourself a little more, it will be even more touching. When the poor rookie wakes up afterward, he can provide you with testimony—in this way, your role in the script of a poor, persecuted, controlled accomplice will be complete.”

Yin Ren crossed his legs on the beanbag. He propped his chin up with one hand as the tips of his hair gently fluttered in the wind. Behind him hung a damaged ship and chains, making him look like the God of Disaster.

“This accomplice even fell in love with a police officer’s daughter… Oh, what a classic ‘redemption routine’.” Yin Ren clicked his tongue.

At the same time.

Crash. The chains fell to the ground. Zhong Chengshuo stretched out his arms and stood up neatly. The goat turned around vigilantly again, a little flustered.

“Even if the victim is indirectly related to you, you can still use the ‘accomplice statement’ to lie, which makes it difficult to convict.”

Zhong Chengshuo took two steps back and restored his original voice.

Even if the framing of Lu Guangzu failed, this person only needed to make an appointment with a “wicked person” and meet in front of the victim. Then he would get rid of the other person and leave just the right amount of clues. Shian wouldn’t miscalculate the number of people on the scene and will continue to track down the “real culprit”.

In this way, the script of “the accomplice abandoned the dark and turned to the path of light to stop the culprit from committing another crime” would be complete.

…Now that Zhong Chengshuo thought about it, when this person readily released the second work, he probably had plans for “skinship” who delivered himself to his front door.

“On the other hand, as a ‘tainted witness’, you’ll be protected by Shian. When the time is right, you can take the coin and fly away—in your case, just slip away to a foreign country.”

Zhong Chengshuo took out the toy gun from his waist and pointed the black muzzle straight at the goat. Using his other free hand, he took out Yin Ren’s phone and tossed it in a perfect parabola towards Yin Ren.

“Are we right, Mr. Bai?”

The goat–Bai Yongji didn’t answer.

Under the muzzle of the gun, he stood like a sculpture. His hand gradually clenched, clicking their joints. The face of the goat doll was crooked, and the embroidered smile became particularly distorted.

The next moment, he seemed to wake up from a dream. The goat stuffed the coin in his mouth and swallowed it with a grunt.

Then he threw the cloth bag to the ground. Countless milky white smoke filled up, and the clear night suddenly turned into a pot of porridge. The irritating gas rushed straight to Yin Ren’s and Zhong Chengshuo’s faces that weren’t covered.

The goat didn’t bother with talking nonsense. He seized the opportunity and rushed straight to the back door of the amusement park.

The van used for the kidnapping was still parked there.

Things had changed. Although he didn’t know what was going on with Yin Ren, those two guys definitely weren’t acting on behalf of Shian—Yin Ren aside, there was something definitely not right with that rabbit mask. Shian wouldn’t raise this kind of pure evil.

He would always have a way, and he would always win. His opponent was nothing more than a human made of flesh and blood. As long as he could escape, he only needed a little time to figure out a way back…

Unfortunately, there was already a figure standing in front of the small back door.

“Where are you going?” Yin Ren asked with a smile. “I haven’t finished speaking yet.”

Bai Yongji took a deep breath. He took out a knife and stared at Yin Ren’s throat.

“…It’s okay.” Unlike during the abduction, his voice was smooth, and his tone was certain. “You’re just a ghost master. In your own words, I ‘don’t believe’ in them.”

“No matter how strong your ghosts are, they can’t hurt me.”

“Indeed.” Yin Ren’s smile became deeper. “But may I remind you what my accomplice said as well. As long as there’s enough fear, people will be shaken… I only need to shake you for a moment.”

He ignored the knife and grabbed the front lapel of the goat doll costume.

“Want to give it a try?”

In front of Bai Yongji, Yin Ren’s facial features gradually disappeared.

First the mouth, then the nose, and finally the left and right eyes that were full of smiles. They sank under his skin, like they fell into a sticky quagmire.

Bai Yongji stared at the face that looked like a demon. His fingers relaxed, causing the knife he was holding to fall with a clang onto the slate floor.

Yin Ren’s face first became perfectly blank, then a hole gradually appeared. The hole slowly expanded, turning into a deep vortex. Its depth completely exceeded the size of Yin Ren’s head, and he couldn’t see the bottom from a glance.

In the vortex, a large amount of black mucus surged, rotated, and kept changing, like a never-ending nightmare.

Accompanied by a sticky churning sound, something slowly emerged from the whirlpool, like the eyes of a snail. They stretched, thinned out, and drilled into the gaps of the goat mask.

Almost in the next moment, a particularly shrill scream came from the doll costume.

The air instantly smelled foul—the decent serial killer was stimulated inexplicably to incontinence.

Vague laughter sounded from the depths of the whirlpool.

Those terrible tentacles that were close enough to touch quickly retracted into the whirlpool, returning back to beautiful facial features. Yin Ren loosened the front lapel of the doll’s costume and took out his phone. The goat fell to the ground and struggled in pain, unable to get up.

“Elder Lu.”

Yin Ren turned on his phone and greeted him in a low voice.

“How is your practice of ‘piercing flesh into objects’?… The culprit is this gentleman. Be gentle and remember to keep him alive.”

In Bai Yongji’s blurred vision, something huge climbed down from the iron railing of the back door. Six blood-red eyes were locked on him.

“Give me back Yuanyuan…”

A distant voice sounded in his ears, as if it were separated by a film of water.

“Yuanyuan… my good boy…”

Bai Yongji instinctively took a few steps back, only to hear a woman’s chuckle. His hand touched something soft.

It was a blood-red bean bag. But that was obviously near the pirate ship just now…

“Pfft.” A thin and fuzzy arm pressed on his shoulder.

Then severe pain struck. His shoulders were pierced through the depths of the sofa. The fabric was mixed with his flesh, but this time, Bai Yongji couldn’t even scream.

Lu Tanfei was surrounded by evil qi. He muttered curses while his hands and feet couldn’t stop moving. At first glance, it really looked like a predatory spider.

“Pfft.”

“Pfft. Pfft.”

……

Zhong Chengshuo stepped out of the white mist. There was a beanbag that was moaning in pain at the back door. Probably in order to keep him alive, the bean bag wasn’t as refined as the previous one.

“It’s hard for me to explain to Shian what you did.” Zhong Chengshuo looked at the living bean bag and pushed up his mask.

“It’s okay. I didn’t do it.”

Yin Ren crossed his arms indifferently.

“I’m just a ghost master who was kidnapped and was frightened. My ghost happens to have a grudge against this guy—in this case, the ghost went out of control, and neither I nor the ghost can be held responsible.”

He smiled. “Mr. Bai is right. After disposing of the evidence, we only need a reasonable ‘script’.”

“I thought he wouldn’t be affected by magic. How did you do it?”

“Perhaps fear caused him to be exposed? I don’t know either.” Yin Ren pounded his waist. “Oh, it’s uncomfortable lying in one position for a long time.”

Zhong Chengshuo was still wearing the rabbit mask. He looked at Yin Ren in silence.

Yin Ren snorted. “Alright, we have to clean up the aftermath as soon as possible. Anyway, I’ll deal with this person’s memory first…”

“Haha.”

“Haha.”

At some point, the moaning disappeared.

“Haha.” The fleshy sofa laughed hoarsely.

Yin Ren dragged Zhong Chengshuo behind him and narrowed his eyes at Bai Yongji—the man’s body was inseparable from the bean bag and only his head was left exposed.

“You shouldn’t have cornered me.”

Bai Yongji on the sofa seemed to have lost his sense of pain, and his tone was so calm that it was creepy.

“I want to thank you… thank you… It turns out that there is really karma in this world…”

Fear bred despair, and despair bred wavering. The proud man was cornered, creating a little crack in his faith, and then—

Snap!

“…It turns out that ‘belief’ is such a feeling.”

Bai Yongji sighed.

“Trouble. This guy has been overly stimulated.” Yin Ren wiped his face.

It’s not uncommon for atheists to convert under too much provocation. The average atheist, however, didn’t have a source of Evil Force corruption in his stomach.

There was a tingling, tearing sound as flesh and blood oozed from the surface of the bean bag. A human figure stood up staggeringly, ignoring the restraints. The figure had a fused honeycomb structure, with only his face intact.

Just like Feng Qi back then, pus and blood kept pouring out of all of Bai Yongji’s facial orifices.

His face was pale, and his body was riddled with holes, looking like a broken sponge net. Through the skin full of holes, Yin Ren could see his internal organs squirming in his body. Bai Yongji’s heart beat continuously, but not a single drop of blood leaked from the holes.

He stood up like this, like some ridiculous ghost.

Fused with the doll suit and bean bag, the man stood almost naked in front of the two of them. The fierce Evil Force gradually spread, and through the fine holes, a little metallic brilliance flashed from his abdominal cavity.

“Thank you.”

He smiled and repeated.

“Actually, I omitted a little detail about the artist’s story.”

“According to the devil, the coin should have given the artist the power to ‘fulfill his wish alone’. Unfortunately, the artist has a special physique and was difficult to affect… The magic that belongs to him alone has appeared, but he had to rely on the lucky coin to perform it.”

“Now the story can continue—one day, in despair, the artist finally learned magic.”

“…It’s not a substitute that can only be used by relying on a coin. This time, it’s ‘real magic’.”

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The author has something to say:

Bai Yongji: Listen to me, thank you?

It doesn’t matter, he hasn’t realized the seriousness of the problem yet.

winner99: Hehe, actually I’m fishing.

skinship: What a coincidence, so am I.

It could be a two-way hook.

——————

Gay friend: Bean bag.

Gay friend: Is a lazy shark hair*, right?

*Clarity: Bean bag/(lazy sofa) is [laren shafa] (懒人沙发). He’s making a joke by saying lazy shark hair (懒人鲨发), which is a homonym to bean bag, connecting it to Yin Ren’s avatar (the Ikea shark) + how he likes to use his hair = lazy Yin Ren (as Yin Ren’s entire goal is to be a salted fish).

Me: ?

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Kinky Thoughts:

I did think Bai Yongji was suspicious, but the previous chapter threw me off.

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 59: Night of the Goat

It was always a good idea to relax a little before the war.

There was no need to deal with work or run to the ghost market anymore. As a player who wasn’t good at handling computers, Yin Ren was idle for a long while—they got off work at half past 5, and the killer would always contact them after midnight.

Lord Ghost King was shocked to find that he seemed to have nothing to do.

Even his partner changed into his pajamas early and went into his bedroom before sundown. Comrade Xiao Zhong’s nerves were tormented by the recent action past midnight.

“I set an alarm clock for 11:00 p.m.,” Zhong Chengshuo said as he solemnly took the last bite of his meal. “Don’t bother me until then.”

Yin Ren readily agreed.

In order to ensure his partner got quality sleep, Yin Ren didn’t plan to stay in the residence and watch movies. He changed into a simple outfit and prepared to go for a stroll at the night market near the neighborhood.

Recently, he had fallen in love with the shredded chicken with cold noodles from a certain stall and would go buy them from time to time. Perhaps this was one of the benefits of their “becoming accomplices”—after experiencing the tragedy of splitting that pork overnight, Zhong Chengshuo would no longer ask about his daily consumption.

The time tonight was particularly generous. Yin Ren carried a bag of fresh meat guokui, bought a small bowl of bean curd, and walked slowly along the streets of the night market.

The stalls were huddled together like mushrooms. Glued to the window glass were angled plastic stickers and the names of various dishes on greasy signboards. However, when the bright or dark lights shone on the steaming vapors, it made the food look much better than usual.

The summer heat wasn’t over yet, so everyone was dressed in loose clothing. People laughed loudly at the low tables as beer overflowed into their cups, creating a particularly lively atmosphere.

Yin Ren loved this kind of mood.

Walking to the stall with the shredded chicken and cold noodles, he had just eaten his last piece of bean curd. The owner of the stall remembered this beautiful, regular customer. Before Yin Ren opened his mouth, the old man had already put up the seasoning according to his taste.

“Boss, are there any light and delicious shops nearby?”

The boss was shirtless. His skin was sweaty, and there was a towel around his neck. Hearing Yin Ren’s question, he happily replied, “What’s the matter? You suddenly became more particular?”

“It’s for someone else,” Yin Ren said. “It’s best if they have something like clear pear stew, and even better if there’s a storefront. They’re more particular than me and can’t eat heavy food.”

“So careful. Are you buying it for your wife?” The old man joked.

Yin Ren: “…”

Yin Ren couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “…Yes, buying for my wife.”

He didn’t know how Great King Yama would feel if he heard this.

“At the other end of the street, there’s a soup shop. His food is very light, so many pregnant women go there to eat.” The old man pointed to the end of the dark street. “They say the taste is also really good, but it’s a little more expensive and the servings are smaller.”

“Thank you.” Yin Ren took the cold noodles. “How about you make another serving? I can’t eat enough.”

“Will do!”

……

After Yin Ren finished eating two servings of cold noodles, the sky had already darkened.

Yin Ren bought a cup of sweet glutinous rice wine, slowly turned around the alley, and was ready to buy pear stew for the hard-working Xiao Zhong. However, after he entered the alley, he heard a soft sound of footsteps from behind him.

Yin Ren walked a few steps slower, and the sound of footsteps became lighter. He quickened his pace, and the footsteps’ speed also increased.

It wasn’t a cultivator—either that or a weak one. The aura was too clean, so it should have been specially treated.

…There was some fluctuation of a spirit weapon. Was it aimed at him?

Lord Ghost King took a sip of the sweet glutinous rice wine and continued walking slowly. He was quite curious about what this person was going to do—if it was just a boring pursuit of robbery, he didn’t mind letting the other party understand “what it was like to walk too much at night and encounter a ghost*”.

*Saying referring to doing things (usually illegal or improper things) with a fluke mentality. Eventually, you will get caught. || Double entendre as he is literally a ghost.

Bang, bang.

Yin Ren stopped in the darkest part of the alley. He squeezed the empty plastic cup and threw it into the trash can.

The man seized this opportunity—footsteps rushed up quickly, and something cold hit Yin Ren’s back. A wave of spells instantly slammed into him and went straight to his brain… Ah no, his disguised brain..

Yin Ren: “……” So this was it. A spirit weapon to knock people out.

Out of respect for the stun spirit weapon, Yin Ren closed his eyes and fell softly.

The man first searched Yin Ren’s body and threw his keys, phone, and chewing gum box in Lord Ghost King’s pockets into the trashcan at the entrance of the alley. Yin Ren could feel it—the man’s hands trembled a bit.

Then something snapped onto his head—the person seemed to have added a hat on him, trying to tuck in his eye-catching long hair. Finally, the man put his arm around him, like someone trying to help a drunk friend, and the two moved to the other end of the alley.

Kidnapping?

After kidnapping him, who can this person blackmail? Zhong Chengshuo, who wasn’t even a relative?

Yin Ren’s curiosity soared higher. He closed his eyes cooperatively and let the other person drag him like a sack. In order to give the other party a little surprise, Yin Ren specially increased the density of his body by making himself 30 kg heavier.

First came the obvious night breeze. They seemed to have left the alley. Following this was the sliding sound of a van door, accompanied by a tired sigh. Yin Ren’s face hit the rough carrier.

The man then clenched the carrier tightly and dragged out a pile of metal products with a clang. He used them to bind Yin Ren firmly. He could feel the uneven incantation marks on them.

Interesting. The runes on the iron chains were specifically aimed at human cultivators. This wasn’t something that could be casually bought on the market. Yin Ren even smelled a pungent smell of medicine—it seemed to be some kind of anesthetic used purely on humans.

After completing the great feat of binding the Ghost King, the man returned to the driver’s seat and started the car. The engine rumbled, and the smell of gasoline quickly filled the backseat.

What the hell is going on?

Yin Ren couldn’t help but grow an eye out of his ankle and look curiously. The surrounding scene was more ordinary than he imagined, as he didn’t see any strange equipment.

What was even weirder was that there were gritted teeth and suppressed choking sounds in his ears from time to time. It seemed as if the kidnapper was emotionally unstable. The vehicle traveled quickly, bumping on occasion.

…Yin Ren sighed as he realized he wouldn’t be able to buy the pear stew he had planned to get for Zhong Chengshuo.

An hour had passed, but they still hadn’t reached their destination. Yin Ren’s patience was finally exhausted, so he deliberately let out a grunt and pretended to wake up.

“Where…?”

With a sharp brake sound, the van suddenly stopped on the side of the road. Being pushed by inertia, Yin Ren slammed into the back of the front seat.

Hearing Yin Ren’s voice, the man didn’t say a word. The rearview mirror was covered, so Yin Ren couldn’t see the man’s appearance. Lord Ghost King wasn’t discouraged. A newly grown eyeball dragged its optic nerve and rolled towards the car seat.

Even though the man was wearing a mask, Yin Ren still recognized him.

Bai Yongji.

Yin Ren thought for a moment, then pitifully begged. “Let me go. I don’t know who you are, but I don’t have any money, even if you kidnap me. I don’t even know who my family is…”

Bai Yongji didn’t speak. He twitched his nose and cleared his throat.

“Could it be, are you a member of Sunken Society?” Yin Ren took a breath and continued to beg for mercy. “I just entered Shian and haven’t done any important work, let alone offended you. I swear I won’t call the police.”

Having the opportunity to experience the plot of a TV series firsthand, Lord Ghost King was even a little excited—what would happen next? Would he be silenced or…?

“Please.” Yin Ren desperately added fear to his voice. “I don’t even remember my past life. I don’t want to die yet…”

“I can’t afford it.” After a long while, Bai Yongji responded in a hoarse voice. “I can’t afford it. I’m sorry. They forced me…”

He took a few deep breaths, finally leaving the driver’s seat and opening the back of the car again.

This time, Bai Yongji didn’t use the stun spirit weapon. He began to pour medicine onto a piece of cloth. In the night, his hands shook extremely badly.

Yin Ren shrank up, shaking even more than Bai Yongji. “Sir, I don’t know what your difficulties are, but it’s not too late to turn back…”

Bai Yongji’s movements stopped for a few seconds.

“…You don’t understand.” Despite wearing a mask, the pain on Bai Yongji’s face was still obvious. “They won’t let me go.”

“Then at least tell me why.” Yin Ren begged. “Why me?”

Bai Yongji let out a long sigh. He looked at the drenched cloth handkerchief in his hand with bloodshot eyes.

“Because you’re the same as me.” Bai Yongji stared at the cloth handkerchief and said, “Bad luck… You took the path you shouldn’t have gone.”

“Let me go, please—”

“Stop talking!” Bai Yongji seemed to be on the verge of collapse. He let out a sob and even forgot to lower his voice.

“…Urgh!”

Instead of using the stun spirit weapon, Bai Yongji directly covered Yin Ren’s mouth and nose with the medicine. Yin Ren rolled his eyes and “fainted” in cooperation.

Bai Yongji had first approached the daughter of Sun Qinghui, the person in charge of this case, and then provided them with information on “Lu Guangzu and Sunken Society” in an overly deliberate manner. Looking at this exceptionally well-made rune chain around him…

Things were getting more interesting.

At this moment, Zhong Chengshuo hadn’t woken up yet, but Yin Ren had taken the lead by stepping into the center of the case.

Yin Ren instantly gave up on the idea of escaping home. As for Zhong Chengshuo’s side, Yin Ren wasn’t worried…

In the alley near the night market, a trashcan moved.

The cellphone “Dog Thing” struggled to stretch out its four thin legs and rolled out of the trashcan.

Taking a break on the ground, it tremblingly rubbed the red oil and leftovers from its body and began to run in the direction of Ping’an Manor. Zhong Chengshuo had just finished taking a refreshing shower when he heard a soft noise at the door of the residence, as if something was rubbing happily against it.

He opened the door with wet hair and saw a dirty phone lying on the ground with unknown stains sticking to the screen.

The “Siren” interface automatically popped up, and the battery was at a suspicious 100%: [Yin Ren was kidnapped~]

Why did this thing look quite happy? The tone was more like gloating than reporting a crime. Zhong Chengshuo knew that Yin Ren’s spirit weapon was special, but he didn’t expect this thing to be able to speak through a smart assistant.

Zhong Chengshuo wrinkled his nose and slowly took out a box of alcohol wipes. “Well, I’ll deal with it. Did he struggle when he was kidnapped?”

[Siren: No, it was definitely on purpose.]

Indeed. With Yin Ren’s strength, the kidnapper would be the one in danger. Since Yin Ren didn’t run back himself, it was most likely that he encountered something very interesting.

Yin Ren knew well that there was no need to intervene in the case at the moment.

As he wiped the phone down, Zhong Chengshuo flicked the soiled hamster cell phone strap. “I’m not quite sure how you function… Are you waterproof?”

[Siren: Am. Why are you asking this?]

After half a minute, it sank silently under the high-pressure shower.

After five minutes of being flushed with boiling water and more than a dozen alcohol wipes, Dog Thing lay peacefully on the dining table. Its battery had dropped to 1%.

After tidying up the unsightly phone, Zhong Chengshuo warmed up a bowl of oatmeal and sat down in front of the computer again—at midnight, he opened the encrypted chat room on the extranet.

Strangely, there was still no movement on Yin Ren’s side.

Zhong Chengshuo poked the phone spirit weapon on the side. “Can you locate Yin Ren?”

[Siren: Yes.]

“Locate and send it.”

The phone spirit weapon reluctantly switched screens. On the screen, blood-red highlights were moving quickly along a certain road. Zhong Chengshuo compared it to a map and frowned slightly.

At the same time, accompanied by a pleasant tone, messages from winner99 appeared again.

[winner99: No. 4-161, Yuesheng Road, Shangguang District, 3:00 a.m., get on the pirate ship in the amusement park.]

[winner99: Come alone. I won’t wait if you’re late.]

[skinship: Got it.]

This was exactly where Yin Ren was at this moment.

Xinxin Amusement Park on Yuesheng Road, Shangguang District, was located in a remote place. It was abandoned a few years ago. Some time ago, young people would go there to test their courage and take artistic photos. Later, the facilities of the park collapsed and two people were killed on the spot, so it became no-man’s land.

Zhong Chengshuo thought for a while before he opened the wardrobe and put on a particularly extra-bulky trendy outfit. He then fumbled in the drawer cabinet for a bit and took out a somewhat terrifying cartoon rabbit mask with a toy gun attached.

With things packed up, the Evil Fruit equipped, and Yin Ren’s phone in his pocket, Zhong Chengshuo lowered his cap. He walked seven or eight blocks until he hailed a black car.

Zhong Chengshuo arrived near Xinxin Amusement Park 20 minutes early.

Before approaching the park, he skillfully burned off his cap and mask and replaced them with the rabbit mask that completely covered his facial features.

The amusement park had been closed for a long time. The cordon had rotted and was swept on the ground. There wasn’t any lightning in the garden, which was loomed over by numerous large black shadows. The ground was completely submerged by weeds and bushes.

The pirate ship was at the corner of the park, adjacent to the backdoor of the amusement park.

The hanging chain on one side of the equipment had rotted and was broken. Half of the ship sank to the ground. Lined with the dull night, the hull of the ship seemed to be like a stranded black moon.

There was only one figure in front of the ship.

Yin Ren was firmly chained, lying on the blood-red bean bag. His long hair was messy like splashed ink. With the decaying ship behind him, the scene had a weird beauty.

He didn’t know if Yin Ren recognized him, but as soon as Zhong Chengshuo approached, the person quietly propped up one eye. He winked at the person wearing the mask and then dutifully continued to pretend to be knocked out.

Zhong Chengshuo: “……” Huh. The beauty was gone in an instant.

Zhong Chengshuo let out a silent sigh. He leaned down as if he were unaware and pulled Yin Ren’s hair. Then he pressed Yin Ren’s face against his palm and squeezed it, like he was picking out fresh meat.

Yin Ren’s nose twitched when the black leather glove brushed past it, but he didn’t sneeze.

[skinship: Where are you?]

[winner99: Not bad. There’s no movement nearby.]

[winner99: What do you think about the materials I’ve prepared? A combination of both of our preferences.]

[skinship: What do you mean?]

[winner99: I said I will produce another work, but I plan to make it onsite. If you don’t mind, we can do it together.]

[skinship: Certificate of nomination*?]

*Term used in ancient times to enhance group cohesion, express loyalty to an individual or organizations, and usually means joining illegal groups with illegal behavior as a guarantee (nomination certificate). It’s basically a pledge you take to join a (usually) illegal group. || In this context, the culprit is basically saying that if Zhong Chengshuo wants to join him, he needs to work together to create this new creation (that is his proof of joining).

“That’s right.” A vague voice replied.

A strange black shadow approached from a distance.

The person was wearing a goat doll costume that covered their body shape. The satchel on the goat doll was bulging and had weird outlines. Judging by the shape, there wasn’t candy inside.

“Now I have seen you without any problems. Very good.”

The goat doll stopped beside Yin Ren. He spoke with a weird voice, which meant he was using a voice changer.

“Don’t you know what I’m thinking? Do you need me to explain the situation specifically?”

Zhong Chengshuo was silent.

“Oh… It seems that your abilities are also limited.” The goat’s tone was regretful. “Well, this person is good. No matter how you look at it, he’s the best ‘talent’.”

Zhong Chengshuo took a deep breath and completely changed his voice. He sounded arrogant and sinister. “How strange, I thought you would follow your aesthetics.”

“Aesthetics?”

“Whether it’s that chair or that painting, the human flesh isn’t old and doesn’t look young. This time, you picked one with fine skin.” Zhong Chengshuo sneered. “You only dare attack a newcomer from Shian?”

“What I want isn’t something superficial like ‘appearance’.” The goat didn’t sound offended. “The wildflowers after the storm are always more beautiful than those in a greenhouse. Even if they don’t look so exquisite, they are more comforting to look at.”

He stretched out his hand, which was wrapped in a doll costume, and made a grasping gesture.

Zhong Chengshuo’s fingers moved. The rabbit mask only had two holes that were lined with his excessively black eyes, making the holes look like two black holes.

“So that’s it.” Zhong Chengshuo smiled. “I care more about skin-to-skin flesh, while you prefer to caress ‘interesting souls’.”

Seeing the other party’s train of thought follow smoothly, the goat relaxed a little.

“Indeed.”

He chuckled, took out a knife from his satchel, and played with it repeatedly in his hand.

“Now you have two choices… One, turn around and leave, but it’s not easy for me to find materials, so you have to pay a little price.”

“Two, complete this work together. You can see how I ‘keep it fresh’, but after that, you’ll be responsible for handling the work.”

“I see.”

Zhong Chengshuo didn’t move a muscle, and his tone remained calm.

“You want a new scapegoat.”

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The author has something to say:

Xiao Yin: Yes, buy it for my wife!

Do you know what kind of flag you just set up (?

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