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.”

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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’.”

---

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: ?

---

Kinky Thoughts:

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

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

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.”

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 58: The Ebb and Flow of the Tide

Huang Jin knew himself well.

For example, he didn’t like the world. For example, he had never been a good person… For example, his eyes were different from other people’s.

At the age of 4.

The first sound he had an impression of was probably the sound of a juicer at night. Other people’s parents probably squeezed juice for their family, but his mother was different—every day before going to bed, he saw fresh eyeballs on the table.

His mother would slowly blend them up, pour them into the toilet, and flush them away. After making sure that there were only two eyes left on her face, she would pick up the “handicrafts” made during the day and deliver them somewhere.

Then, throughout the day, a lot of eyeballs would slowly grow out of her eye sockets like moist grapes.

Fortunately, he couldn’t see what they looked like on her.

…To recognize a person’s appearance, he could only look at immovable photos or portraits. Whether through a lens or video, when looking at others, he could only see a pile of dark, surging undercurrents.

This incident once confused him, but after knowing about it, his mother wasn’t surprised.

“It’s just a disease. I know it in my heart,” she said. “Don’t tell others.”

At the age of 14.

As the years passed, Huang Jin gradually understood the black runes crawling around—that seemed to be everyone’s “thoughts”.

They would increase or decrease based on people’s emotional activity. When people fell asleep or were in a coma, they would always be thinner. When people die, they would completely disappear.

After years of accumulation, he was gradually able to distinguish the meaning of some runes.

However, his mother failed to live in harmony with the “strange disease”. Those eyes of hers grew faster, and she became weaker. Finally, one day, she used a hot spoon to dig out all her eyeballs.

Though she went blind, they finally stopped growing.

However, after that, his mother’s physical condition rapidly deteriorated, and she became more neurotic. She was lying on a large double bed with only a thick blanket covering her thin body, looking like a huge black tomb.

The thoughts of “I shouldn’t have come to Haigu” and “I knew I shouldn’t have become involved with Sunken Society” crawled quickly around her body. It was mixed with sporadic thoughts like “I wish I hadn’t given birth to this child” and “I knew it wasn’t as bad as before”.

Regret, pain, hatred, fear. The thoughts around her grew thicker to the point that they filled the entire room. Those black runes surged back and forth in the bedroom like a tide.

Every time he would feed her medicine and wipe her body, Huang Jin was completely overwhelmed by those runes. All he could see was blackness in his eyes.

He didn’t like this kind of darkness.

At the age of 24.

Huang Jin lost his job, which was supporting his debt. He started selling old things in his home and discovered the book <Huang Thaumaturgy>.

Perhaps he could try to make something, just like his mother.

“Brother, my name is Lu Guangzu. The quality of your stuff is good, so I approve of all of it. Give them to me, and I’ll sell them for you.”

“Okay.”

Now that he could analyze more thoughts, the crowds in the street became even more hideous. Huang Jin didn’t want to deal with people, so this was convenient.

“Can you make a kind of more lethal spirit weapon? You should be able to.”

“Okay.”

After a long time of looking at himself in the mirror and then looking at the “black cocoons” all over the street, it was difficult for Huang Jin to feel the same way.

Under the premise of self-protection, as long as he could make money, he didn’t care.

……

“I got a big customer!” This time, Lu Guangzu approached him face-to-face. “I need a spell for ‘prosperity and luck’. That person doesn’t believe in this very much, so those little trinkets didn’t work well on him. I need some stronger stuff… After completing this ticket, you can pay off your debts. Isn’t this great?”

The small charms that changed fortune and gave rise to prosperity were essentially just taking a bit of fortune and favor in the future and moving them to present time in advance. Cutting one’s life in exchange for luck was what it ultimately did—directly sacrificing one’s own life force in exchange for strong luck.

Huang Jin stared at Lu Guangzu’s body. “I had a falling out with Sunken Society”, “If this goes well, I shouldn’t be retaliated against”, “Whether that guy will die or not, at least his fortune will change before he dies”, he sighed.

“No going to do it.” Huang Jin shook his head. “Lu Guangzu, I don’t want to cooperate with you anymore.”

His debt was about to be paid off, so he no longer urgently needed money. This person was too greedy and shortsighted. Sooner or later, he would be pulled into the water by him—it would be too dangerous to sink, and the gain wasn’t worth the loss.

His life had calmed down for a while, until one night.

Huang Jin was making spirit weapons in the basement when a quick knock on the door suddenly sounded behind him. He was taken aback as he hid his tools. “Who is it?”

“Me, Lu Guangzu. I have something to tell you!” The smell of alcohol wafted through the crack of the door. “If you don’t open up, I’ll smash the door!”

Huang Jin hesitated for a moment and finally opened the door.

The next second, he was overwhelmed by the surging black tide.

Countless runes full of “Kill you” surrounded Lu Guangzu. His rapidly expanding mind almost filled half the basement. The crazy, surging text filled his field of vision so much that Huang Jin didn’t even know where the other person was.

Before he could react, he was pushed back abruptly. Huang Jin stumbled backwards a few steps and almost knocked over the tool table.

“If—If you hadn’t forced so many things in the first place, screwed up my business, Sunken Society wouldn’t have noticed!” The center of Lu Guangzu’s mind shouted like an angry wave. “Fuck! Now laozi got a big debt, and it’s all your fucking fault!”

Huang Jin saw the frantically surging “Kill you” and bowed his body cautiously. “Calm down, I can give you money…”

“What little money you have can do shit!” Lu Guangzu roared. “First bring—”

“The alcohol is really strong”… “This kid wrecked my business”… “A spirit smith’s house must have valuable spirit weapons…”

“Kill him after you get the money”, “Kill him after you get the money”, “Kill him after you get the money”…

Those “Kill you” quickly split and turned into more complicated thoughts.

Huang Jin took a deep breath and took out the cash that was used to easily avoid tracking. “I only have this much. The valuable things have already been sold long ago. At any rate, you and I have worked together, so this matter…”

As Lu Guangzu approached, Huang Jin’s vision was once again overwhelmed by countless malice. He couldn’t see anything except the dark resentment.

In a trance, he seemed to have been transported back in front of his mother’s bed, swallowed by the deep black sea.

“Use the coma potion now”, “Use the coma potion now”, “Use the coma potion now”…

“Corpse water should be fine”, “Corpse water should be fine”, “Corpse water should be fine“…

Wrapped in a dense killing intent, Huang Jin gritted his teeth. He fumbled around for a while, grabbed the carving knife on the table, and struck hard towards the part that was most concentrated in thoughts.

“Argh.”

The knife slashed across Lu Guangzu’s throat.

The wound wasn’t deep, but it was fatal. It was a pity that none of them noticed—Lu Guangzu swayed his body, which was paralyzed by alcohol, and lunged again towards Huang Jin. Half of the room continued to flare up with killing intent. Huang Jin was pressed to the ground. He clutched the carving knife and continued to haphazardly slash towards the darkness.

Half a minute passed. Blood kept spurting everywhere, and the clutter around the basement was scattered. Lu Guangzu staggered to the ground. A fishy smell gradually overshadowed the smell of alcohol.

With the loss of blood, Lu Guangzu’s thinking gradually weakened. He seemed to be trying to say something, but he couldn’t make a sound.

This was the first time Huang Jin was able to see Lu Guangzu’s face.

Only a thin layer of thoughts remained on Lu Guangzu’s body at this point. It lay on his face with difficulty and was sluggish, like a frozen centipede.

“Cold”… “Am I dying?”…

“That idiot”… “I’m carrying a ‘life bond’ from Sunken Society”… “They will catch him”… “He’ll have a worser death”…

The last thought fell silent, like snowflakes that melted on the skin. The black tide completely faded, exposing a body in a pool of blood.

He’s dead?

…What should I do?

Huang Jin stood in the middle of the pool of blood. His brain was buzzing. The carving knife was covered in blood and was sticky and slippery.

Call the police? Honestly, he wasn’t afraid of going to jail, but rather of the thoughts he would see while in prison…

But if he got rid of the body, Sunken Society wouldn’t be able to collect on their life bond, so they would search for traces of Lu Guangzu…

Huang Jin’s limbs became numb, his limbs went soft, and the nausea of committing murder lingered—he was trying his best to escape for the whirlpool, but he was only getting deeper.

At the age of 25.

He put on another face and carried another debt.

Huang Jin strolled through the coastline-like streets. He passed through bursts of gray and black thoughts, shuttling through the streets and alleys during the day and the eaves of the ghost market at night, selling all kinds of spirit weapons he made.

He got in touch with Lu Guangzu’s old friends and learned to better imitate Lu Guangzu. He also learned how to enter and exit the ghost market and hide himself in the darkness. He even learned to distinguish the level of production of spirit weapons—he knew that his skills were absolutely top-notch.

But he only felt more tired.

Now that he was wearing the skin of a dead man on his face, the crime of murder on his back, and the ever-growing debt of Sunken Society, “self-protection” was meaningless.

It didn’t seem so interesting to be alive, although instinct made him want to live, but after thinking about it carefully, he didn’t seem to miss anything.

Huang Jin was sitting on a flowerbed by the side of the street. He raised his head and looked at the sky. There were no thick and crowded black thoughts on the ground, and the sky looked exceptionally clean. If he just—

Before he could finish a single thought, the sky darkened.

Huang Jin: “?”

Someone’s thoughts buried his entire body. For the third time in his life, Huang Jin was submerged by the tide. He subconsciously shrank his body and almost touched the carving knife.

When he took a closer look, it didn’t seem to be the case. This time, the tide was strange. It wasn’t murderous or malicious, but something almost ridiculous—

“It’s over, I’m going to be late”, “The weather is really nice”, “The bird sounds beautiful. What kind is it?”, “I’m cooking sweet rice porridge tonight”, “I have to write a new song! I need to write down this inspiration”…

How could anyone think about these boring things with such a strong will?

Huang Jin turned his head and looked at the extraordinary, huge black cocoon of thoughts in the crowd… No, it was probably more like a black tornado of thoughts than a black cocoon.

The tornado rolled past him and slammed across the ground. A blind person’s cane rolled away and stopped at Huang Jin’s feet.

The minds of the people around immediately reacted as black runes flowed…

“That blind girl deserves it for walking so fast”, “Is she okay?”, “This woman is really careless”…

The tornado didn’t care. She still had those extremely boring thoughts around her, but there was an extra “Ow, that hurts” that jumped around.

Huang Jin looked down at the cane.

He picked it up and patted the boring tornado. “Hey, your stuff.”

“Oh, oh, oh, thank you.” A very pleasant female voice came out of the tornado. “Do you want this? We are going to have a show at the bar tonight. Give them my name and you can enter for free!”

She happily stuffed a flier from a nearby bar into his hands. The runes “Thank you” began to float quickly around her.

“My name is Ding Lizi,” she said.

……

“That’s it?” Fu Xingchuan knocked on the table and looked at Huang Jin in the interrogation chair.

The painted demon skin on his face hadn’t been removed yet, but his expression completely changed—there was no longer the arrogance of “pretending to be Lu Guangzu”, nor the fear of facing Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo; only tension and anxiety were left.

“Just like they said in their report.” Huang Jin stared at a point in the void. “Ding Lizi and I became friends, and then she disappeared, so I went to report the crime. There was no result in reporting the crime, so I pretended to be the true culprit so you could immediately investigate with all your strength.”

Although he didn’t know what the two of them had done, his initial expectations were fulfilled—the true culprit had made a mistake and proved his existence.

Now Huang Jin had the opportunity to confess everything.

Fu Xingchuan snorted. “You…”

“You want to ask me, why didn’t I use Huang Jin’s identity to pretend to be the culprit?”

Huang Jin smiled bitterly. “I reported the case on her, so this relationship is very easy to investigate. In case the true culprit noticed this, I’m not sure what he would do to her.”

“What an interesting ability.” Fu Xingchuan touched his chin. “Since you can see my thoughts, I’ll be blunt—God, I haven’t seen such a fool in years.”

Huang Jin: “……”

“But stupidity also has its benefits.” Fu Xingchuan commented with a smile. “At least in order to frame you, the true culprit exposed his modus operandi and the characteristics of his crimes, and in the process, released two victims.”

Lu Yuanyuan, Fan Yong, Liang Caihong, Ding Lizi… They currently had determined the identities of four of the seven.

For the police, this was enough information to make a breakthrough.

Crossing Fu Xingchuan’s shoulders, Huang Jin stared at Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo from not far away.

“…In fact, the complete thoughts I saw that day were like this.” He raised his head and looked at the ceiling lights.

“Lu Yuanyuan, as the first one, is a bit eye-catching, but the finished product works well. There’s no one looking to find the next six people, so it’ll be a lot easier.”

“My chair is about to collapse. I want to change to a bean bag. I have to find better ‘talent’.”

“That blind woman is so noisy, but the degree of completion is quite high. Should I throw it away?”

“Okay, take it easy.” Fu Xingchuan smacked the table. “Come on, use your abilities in the right way—since you’re considered friends with Ding Lizi, you should understand her thinking pattern. In this situation, what is she most likely to think?”

Fu Xingchuan threw a tablet in front of Huang Jin. “Write it all down, one by one.”

Huang Jin looked hard at Fu Xingchuan—not knowing whether it was intentional or not, Fu Xingchuan had entered a state of high-speed thinking. Those thoughts crawled too fast that it made it difficult for him to see clearly.

“Stop looking. Hurry up. Do you want to find your friend?” Fu Xingchuan noticed his little movements and snorted.

Huang Jin pursed his lips tightly and began typing quickly on the tablet.

“Minister, what shall we do?” Yin Ren raised his hand happily. “Now ‘Lu Guangzu’ isn’t Lu Guangzu, we have no work to do.”

“Then take a two-day break.” Fu Xingchuan gave them a sideways glance. “Oh, by the way, don’t gossip on this matter. We still need to smoke out the true culprit.”

Yin Ren put down his hands in satisfaction. He could be worry-free with such an expert, and he didn’t need to mention anything else.

……

The next day, Shian released the results of the investigation, saying that “Lu Guangzu isn’t the murderer in this case”, and then claimed that the case needed to be further investigated.

At the auction time of the ghost pawnshop, the encrypted chat room on the extranet reacted again.

In fact, shortly after giving the address of the human painting, the person started trying to contact them again. Before the news was disclosed, the two of them looked at each other while eating. They had kept the true culprit hanging dry for two days.

[winner99: Are you there?]

[skinship: ?]

Zhong Chengshuo tucked back his beloved nightcap, took a sip of hot milk, and tapped leisurely on the keyboard. He was crowded around by Yin Ren, Hu Tao, and Lu Tanfei—with three big ghosts around him, it created an indescribable scene.

[winner99: Do you want to break your promise?]

[skinship: Who broke his promise? Why did Shian suddenly announce that Lu Guangzu isn’t the murderer?]

[skinship: It took me a few days to clean up. Don’t you see that the momentum is wrong. You want to blame me for this bad debt?]

[winner99: I absolutely cleaned up all the evidence.]

[winner99: In short, I gave you my work, so our transaction is still valid. I don’t need you to answer my previous question. I want to change the conditions.]

[skinship: What are your conditions?]

[winner99: I will produce another work. Let me know who you are. You already know something about me, don’t you?]

[skinship: That’s your problem. For me, this deal isn’t very worthwhile.]

[winner99: Okay, if things go well, I can teach you the skills of keeping them fresh.]

[winner99: As you can see, I need a trustworthy person right now.]

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Kinky Thoughts:

Since the culprit hasn’t been revealed yet, don’t focus too much on the gender used when describing them (if you’re trying to guess who it is). He/she is simply used as a placeholder to make the translation flow better.

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