Chapter 226: Searching For A Way Out
If it’s that Sea Monster, then everything now makes sense.
Two years ago in Liuhua Port City of the Shenzhou Region, two Abnormal Gods that once dominated and enslaved humans, the ancient Sea Monster and the Alien Great Fish, were about to awaken, but They were interrupted by mysterious factors just as They were making a comeback, suffering a miserable seal and falling into an even deeper slumber once more.
As for the truth of that incident where the world nearly perished, only a very small number of people know, but even those who know the truth have never been able to figure out exactly who it was and what method they used to stop that catastrophe for humanity.
If it weren’t for Yu Lianyun being a firsthand witness to that incident, and him being her former superior, he probably wouldn’t have had the chance to learn about that thrilling adventure experience from Yu Lianyun’s mouth.
Of course, He Jia’an also deeply knows that although Yu Lianyun shared the experience with him, he also knows that she actually holds more unknown secret details, but hasn’t elaborated to anyone, including holding back from him.
He Jia’an once tried to press for more, but from Yu Lianyun’s hesitant and wary gaze at the time, he felt her feelings.
That wasn’t a lack of trust, but rather a form of protection, as if the truth of that matter was better known by as few people as possible, or even best not known at all.
In response, He Jia’an chose caution and respect, ultimately not probing or asking further, but instead taking advantage of his free time at the sanatorium to try finding a corner of the truth using his own method; he searched through information about the Sea Monster and the big fish, and finally managed to deduce their true identities—they had both left their respective names here in the past.
Leaving aside the big fish, the Sea Monster’s true identity is the terrifying Abnormal God recorded in the Mystic Investigator’s top-secret archives, codenamed “Thousand Illusions Moon”; It lives in a dimensional space with biological laws completely opposite to those of the reality world, that dimensional space known to the world as the Flesh and Blood Dimension, the opposite world, or the Inner World.
Thinking of this, He Jia’an somewhat guessed that this Blood Moon world he and Misaki Naomi had broken into was likely the dimension where Thousand Illusions Moon resides.
However… why haven’t he and Misaki Naomi been attacked by any Inner World creatures up to now?
Could it be because of Boss Lin’s New Year’s red envelope?
He Jia’an couldn’t help patting the New Year’s red envelope in his pocket; it seemed this red envelope’s power was much stronger than he had imagined.
It is said that if Inner World creatures smell the negative emotions of humans who have intruded into this world, it’s like hungry beasts smelling spiced roast meat—they will go berserk regardless of danger to fight for a bite to eat, devouring the person emitting negative emotions alive.
Misaki Naomi had multiple times exposed her vulnerable state of mind in this world, with emotions of fear and sadness leaking out several times, but because he was by her side, within the protection range of the New Year’s red envelope, they hadn’t suffered attacks from those ghostly things.
In contrast, before he had met up with Misaki Naomi, she had nearly been attacked by an unknown creature summoned in the biology classroom.
Thinking about it now, if Misaki Naomi had completed that magic array, then the thing she summoned in the biology classroom was very likely part of Thousand Illusions Moon.
Having figured this out, although He Jia’an still felt uneasy at heart, he was no longer as confused as before, because at least he had gained some clearer cognition of their situation, and this bit of extra cognition would be his guarantee for survival.
Unlike He Jia’an, Misaki Naomi was still somewhat confused by He Jia’an’s earlier explanation.
“A Sea Monster that eats people sounds pretty ordinary.” Perhaps having seen too much today, Misaki Naomi now felt no fear toward such a bland and common horror story image.
He Jia’an didn’t bother arguing more with this younger sister, grabbed her wrist and said, “Thanks to your timely reminder earlier, I now have a general idea of our current situation…” He briefly explained the concept of the Inner World to her.
“Then can we escape from this Inner World?” Misaki Naomi asked expectantly.
“Yes, as long as we can find a space channel.” He Jia’an nodded, thought for a moment, and said, “Kisaragi High School has used that magic array more than once to hold the Ritual of Wishing, so each time the ritual is held, it opens a space channel; I think the biology classroom you entered before is one such hidden space channel location, but that place is now occupied by the Sea Monster I mentioned, so we can’t go out from there now.”
“Ah, then what can we do now?” The excited smile on Misaki Naomi’s face turned somewhat dejected.
He Jia’an narrowed his eyes and said, “We can look for more; since your school’s school badge uses the magic array for summoning the Sea Monster as its pattern, it means that besides Takayama Keika the teacher using this magic array to hold the Ritual of Wishing, this school’s former higher-ups also knew of or even possibly used the magic array, which means there are other space channels in this school; as long as we find one, we can get out.”
Vitality immediately returned to Misaki Naomi’s eyes, and she said excitedly, “Then let’s quickly find a way out; I really don’t want to stay here for even one more second.”
The younger sister suddenly took the lead, walking ahead instead and pulling He Jia’an along.
He Jia’an didn’t rush the pace, but said seriously to her, “I understand your feelings, but from this moment on, I hope you can promise me—no, promise yourself—that from now on, no more venting negative emotions, and even if you can’t help it, don’t easily show it; this world has anomaly creatures that are attracted to negative emotions, so if you don’t want to die, it’s best to restrain your vulnerable feelings.”
Facing He Jia’an’s serious gaze, Misaki Naomi could only nod obediently in agreement.
“The design of something like a school badge is somewhat tied to the school’s principal; let’s check the Principal’s Office. I think if this school’s layout hasn’t changed, the Principal’s Office should be in the same position as before; do you know the way?” He Jia’an asked Misaki Naomi.
Misaki Naomi immediately nodded and led He Jia’an to the top floor of the school’s administration building; the door plaque of the first room at the stairwell exit read “Principal’s Office,” and she pointed at the plaque, “It’s right here.”
The two approached one after the other; Misaki Naomi fell back behind He Jia’an, her hands never letting go, while He Jia’an walked ahead, secretly peering at the scene inside the Principal’s Office through the corridor’s glass window.
As soon as their heads peeked to the glass window, they quickly shrank back, because they saw that the interior of the Principal’s Office was already covered in writhing flesh and blood, with thick and slippery protoplasmic fluid flowing turbulently amid that flesh and blood; indistinct humanoid figures drifted on those flesh and blood and the membranous bubbles enclosing the protoplasmic fluid, like bodies and souls that had been swallowed inside but not yet digested, eternally suffering in the monster’s body, drifting powerlessly without resistance, crying out voicelessly.
“Ugh…” Misaki Naomi couldn’t help her curiosity and secretly peeked again, but this one glance nearly scared her soul out of her; however, remembering her promise to He Jia’an, she stifled her scream in her throat and covered her mouth with both hands.
She had just seen that among the figures drifting in that flesh and blood and protoplasmic fluid, one miserable dead figure looked so similar to Teacher Mano Daichi whom she had seen during the day…
