Chapter 83: Disguise
Facing Haimofen’s threat, the Gluttonous Daughter seemed to be in anger. Its body irregularly split into two halves, bursting forth with red blood flow that differentiated into strips of red tentacles. Each tentacle tip emitted eerie milky white spots, all extending and lengthening, wrapping toward the tiny figure of Haimofen.
Haimofen silently closed his eyes and plucked the strings, allowing the Gluttonous Daughter’s violent attack to land on his body.
However, when the tentacles emitted by the Gluttonous Daughter were fiercely slapped down, the Gluttonous Daughter felt no sensation of touching flesh. What It struck seemed to be air.
Chord sonata played, Enchanting Music unending. The Gluttonous Daughter looked back and was shocked to find the surrounding scenery had undergone earth-shaking changes. The surroundings were dim with faint light, red curtains winding around the beams. It had once again arrived in the performance hall, but now the audience seats were empty. Only Haimofen still stood in the center of the stage, performing his solo.
The Gluttonous Daughter did not know how Haimofen had evaded its attack, but seeing that Haimofen had not disappeared from before It and was still leisurely plucking the strings, the Enchanting Music shaking her spirit into irritation, anger surged in Its heart. Thus, It once again twisted Its irregular body and crawled over, while waving the long parts of its body to continue wildly sweeping at that man immersed in his own world of music.
……
Xin Junmao crossed his arms to block in front of him and tightly closed his eyes. The moment he saw Miss Zhao’s stunningly beautiful face crack, he instinctively made a defensive action.
However, several minutes passed, the sound of the qin still lingered in his ears, and the audience remained immersed in the world of music, murmuring softly in response to the mysterious power in the eerie melody, echoing the unknown existence behind the qin sound. Yet he was not injured.
Xin Junmao slowly opened his puzzled eyes and gradually lowered his blocking arms, then stared blankly at the eerie scene before him. He saw Miss Zhao with a huge blood hole opened on her face. Countless blood-colored tentacles grew like dense fuzz at the edge of the hole, appearing very soft. At the center of the hole was a thick flesh strip covered in tooth-like objects, with a sharp barbed black thorn at the tip, the black thorn only less than six centimeters away from him.
Xin Junmao swallowed, looking at Miss Zhao who seemed like a computer frozen, her actions stuck in a stuttering frame, an indescribable terror in his heart.
“This… this is what you did?” Xin Junmao turned back, wanting to ask the Nun, but found that her figure was no longer beside him. She seemed to have returned to the comb.
Xin Junmao took out the comb from his pocket and quietly looked at the Bloodstone Comb, a trace of reminiscence still in his eyes. This was the gift “he” prepared before going to the battlefield, given to the girl at parting, and also “his” promise and guarantee to the girl. Unfortunately, the two ultimately could not wait for a happy ending.
As Haimofen’s third piece 《New Life》 played, the aftereffects of 《Reincarnation》 receded, Xin Junmao once again slowly forgot that memory which had once been washed away, and his reason slowly returned to the high ground.
He was ultimately not that “he” from the memory. He was Xin Junmao, an ordinary person from an ordinary family, a small nobody who had never been in love and had no grand future.
That guy named Zhong Zhe was just a ghost that temporarily replaced him for a short while. “He” would not return, just as he could no longer be “him”.
Xin Junmao was very calm. He persisted in his view as always: Miss Zhao had mistaken the person. The other party had wrongly placed all her expectations on a human who was destined not to give It any good result.
That misguided Zhong Zhe was Its Xu Xian, its Ning Caichen, while he, Xin Junmao, was just an utterly ordinary human.
Being loved and depended on in such a mistaken way, he was not happy at all, his whole body filled with immense pressure.
Xin Junmao looked at the Bloodstone Comb and murmured: “You saw through it clearly. I am no longer that ‘me’, but I have a question: why are you in this comb?”
Xin Junmao was puzzled. If Zhong Zhe could reincarnate as him, then why couldn’t the Nun in the comb do the same?
The comb remained silent, making no response to Xin Junmao’s words, merely continuing to release power outward, protecting him with a thin, cicada-wing-like light membrane.
Seeing this, Xin Junmao no longer pursued the question. He simply sat quietly in place, continuing to appreciate the figure resonating and playing together with the orchestra, listening to their music, treating the terrifying-looking Miss Zhao beside him as merely a somewhat intimidating decoration…
On the stage, Haimofen intensely plucked the strings, his moving fingers blurring into afterimages. His excited body seemed to shrink with force.
However, seeing Haimofen like this, Xin Junmao did not think he looked wretched; instead, he felt that the appearance of giving everything for what he loved was excessively handsome, to the point that he felt a bit envious.
In his twenty-odd years of life, he had never found something he truly loved, like a headless fly, always using mediocrity to cover his confused heart.
Xin Junmao sighed inwardly, watching the people around him dancing and gesturing with hands and feet, muttering in their mouths. He realized he could not even compare to these people on site. At least he could not fully immerse himself in Haimofen’s music; he only felt the melody pleasant and beautiful, the scene grand and majestic, and that was it.
He was always so out of place…
As he was sighing, he suddenly noticed that not far in front of him, a young man with a somewhat familiar face was also like him, not affected by Haimofen’s eerie music, but the other still had a slightly intoxicated expression, eyes closed quietly appreciating the performance.
For the moment, Xin Junmao could not recall where he had seen the young man.
Perhaps the other was overly sensitive to others’ gazes, the young man suddenly smiled without turning his head and said to him: “Why not laugh along with everyone?”
“I don’t know what to laugh for.” Xin Junmao replied to the question as if possessed.
Just after saying it, Xin Junmao somewhat regretted it. This was clearly an anomalous person; why did he actively respond to the other?
Hearing this, the young man stroked the little black cat curled up and sleeping on his thigh, saying: “If you overthink the reason, you won’t do anything well.”
Xin Junmao was silent for a moment. He felt the young man before him was increasingly familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere.
Until suddenly, the whistling sound of a subway train flashed in his mind, and he finally remembered that almost forgotten memory.
He had seen this young man, on the evening of that day after failing the interview on his way home, when leaving the station, he had accidentally bumped into the other.
“You’re the person I met at the station entrance that day!?” Xin Junmao was somewhat shocked. He did not know why fate was always so coincidental, letting him encounter yet another person he had a brief acquaintance with.
There was the dead Zhang Xiaoxiao ahead, now him.
And thinking of Zhang Xiaoxiao, Xin Junmao recalled what Zhang Xiaoxiao had once said to him. Combined with the abnormal phenomenon the young man was now showing, it made him realize another thing. He said in shock: “You’re the other survivor besides Zhang Xiaoxiao from that night of the last subway murder incident?!”
Lin Ling smiled and turned his head, saying: “Don’t be too loud; it’s not polite to those on stage.”
Xin Junmao was stunned for a moment, then obediently lowered his voice and pressed: “What exactly are you?”
“I’m called Lin Ling, just an ordinary general store owner, selling a bit of everything.” Lin Ling introduced himself.
Xin Junmao asked curiously: “General store owner? What do you sell?”
“Everything, but I mainly do rental business. Oh right, your comb was rented from me.” Lin Ling pointed at the Bloodstone Comb Xin Junmao carried.
“You’re the owner of the forest cabin from my dream?” Xin Junmao’s expression changed instantly. He felt as if he had seen a second Miss Zhao, his heart uneasy.
Lin Ling neither confirmed nor denied, smiling: “Is the comb easy to use?”
“……Pretty useful; it saved me many times.” Xin Junmao stammered. Facing Lin Ling again at this moment, he became nervous. He gritted his teeth and asked, “Why is she in the comb?”
“This was voluntary for her.” Lin Ling answered without thinking.
“Voluntary?”
“There was a person she didn’t want to suffer, so she took his punishment in his place.”
Xin Junmao’s arm holding the comb trembled. He did not know if it was the comb shaking or his body and mind trembling. He realized who the “person” Lin Ling mentioned was.
He looked at the comb, his voice dry as he asked: “She… then when can she stop being punished?”
“When she wants to come out, the punishment has already ended.” Lin Ling smiled and explained.
……
She Zi’an watched the injured Bu Gaojun board the car of the Mysterious Group Branch Organization in Cuizhu City and leave. Only then did his serious and heavy expression slightly relax. He immediately contacted the Mysterious Group Group Leader who was rarely seen, then told the Group Leader about the discoveries of their Snake Group and Tiger Group in Cuizhu City Underground as smoothly and completely as possible.
The Mysterious Group Group Leader who learned the news was briefly stunned. After sorting out the truth, he said to She Zi’an: “Snake Group is permitted to immediately bring Branch Organization members to launch a special investigation on the Card House Conglomerate at once. At the same time, I want you to split off personnel to return underground again and bring back all the Tiger Group Members.”
“Yes.” She Zi’an nodded seriously.
Tiger Group Members had achieved countless merits recently. As Mystic Investigators, they had consecutively passed two Heavenly anomaly events in this short half year, with only one death among the team members during the process. This without exception proved the ability of the Tiger Group Members.
Such an excellent main force team, the Mysterious Group Group Leader could not possibly let them fall into danger and ignore them completely.
Of course, even if the Group Leader had not spoken, She Zi’an had planned to safely bring He Jia’an and the others back from underground.
Thus, after hanging up the call with the Group Leader, She Zi’an immediately decisively organized and commanded the few Branch Organization members, splitting into two teams to carry out their respective actions.
The team responsible for rescuing the Tiger Group Members was led by the third surviving member of Snake Group, Huang Zichao. Before parting with Huang Zichao’s team, She Zi’an seriously reminded: “Zichao, when we came out from underground earlier, a very obvious earthquake happened nearby. I guess the Gluttonous Daughter has become active again. Though it’s calm now, I can’t guarantee it’s safe below, but I still hope you can bring everyone back alive.”
“I will, Captain.” Huang Zichao nodded seriously.
Huang Zichao led the Mysterious Group Branch Organization members back underground to the hidden tunnel, setting off again from the original route.
Traveling with Huang Zichao, including him, there were thirteen people in total.
Huang Zichao collected Stamina Potions from the Branch Organization members to supplement his depleted stamina, while leading the team, bringing everyone through the dim underground passage.
“Investigator B Huang Zichao, how long until we arrive roughly?” A Branch Organization member asked Huang Zichao on the way.
Huang Zichao twisted his sore neck and smiled: “Not long, just a bit more.”
Hearing this, the Branch Organization members all seemed to feel the air gradually solidifying. These Mystic Investigators from Branch Organizations were mostly Rank C and D level. By rights, Heavenly anomaly events were not within their duty scope, but this incident was urgent with personnel shortage, so they had to act together with headquarters’ main force. Everyone’s mood was inevitably tense.
Of course, participating in this Heavenly anomaly event was also very meaningful for these Branch Organization Mystic Investigators. Not only concerning their “promotion and wealth,” as long as they survived this Heavenly anomaly event, regardless of how much information or intelligence they brought back, they would immediately be promoted in Mystic Investigator rank. At the same time, this would give them a chance to witness the true great terror up close, helping their ability growth.
“We’re here.” Huang Zichao arrived at an iron door and said. He opened the iron door; inside was pitch black.
Looking at that bottomless darkness, the Branch Organization Mystic Investigators felt inner unease, but with trust in Huang Zichao, they still suppressed their inner fear and successively stepped into the pitch-black world behind the iron door.
The temporary team walked in the pitch-black world, their inner panic and unease growing stronger with the passage of time.
Because too much time had passed without reaching the destination Huang Zichao mentioned—the subway station marked “Heaven”—soon someone realized something was wrong. They quickly walked to Huang Zichao and launched resistance and questioning at him.
“This route is wrong, Investigator B Huang Zichao. Where exactly are you taking us!?” A female Mystic Investigator from the Branch Organization called out first.
Hearing this, Huang Zichao suddenly laughed, the eerie laughter making everyone change color. Then Huang Zichao’s appearance underwent eerie and drastic changes in everyone’s night vision goggles.
Huang Zichao’s face churned internally, then his lower jaw suddenly shattered. Several black tentacles spat out from his mouth. Two blood-colored tentacles burst out from inside his body, piercing through two eyeballs that dangled in the air like a skewer. Strangely, those two eyeballs had not lost vitality and were still continuously dilating and contracting their pupils, like lenses adjusting focal distance.
“He’s not Investigator B Huang Zichao!” The female Mystic Investigator exclaimed immediately.
As she was about to draw her gun and shoot, a black arm pierced through ribs shot out from Huang Zichao’s heart area, clawing into the female Mystic Investigator’s chest and digging out her heart from the chest cavity.
Mutation happened abruptly. Then the team members on site also noticed that some beside them seemed to have been unknowingly infected and undergone terrifying deformity, joining “Huang Zichao” in launching a brutal mutilation and killing against all surviving Mystic Investigators.
In less than a moment, the thirteen-person temporary squad sent to rescue in Cuizhu City Underground was completely wiped out!
Seeking votes, collections, etc.
