by Feng Yue
Some feared their power—it was like being possessed by an evil spirit. But the Church’s records showed that their greatest power was the ability of atomization. When they became infuriated, their body would dissipate into heavy fog. All creatures shrouded in the fog would be grasped by the terror of death and lose all sanity, thus becoming food.
How could these man-eating creatures be kept and raised?
Quickly, a blindingly white thing appeared in the boiling water. It was broken white bones, and maybe half a skull. These bones bubbled in the murky water. Ye Qingxuan finally understood what they used to feed these creatures.
“You feed them with living people?” Ye Qingxuan glanced at the dwarf.
“Dead! They’re all dead!”
“I’m dead too?” Ye Qingxuan shot back, causing the dwarf to freeze.
The Dwarf’s expression of terror froze too, before twisting. “Mutt, help me up…”
Ye Qingxuan looked at him coldly, not answering.
Restrained by Ye Qingxuan, the suffocated Scarface finally stopped struggling. His body went limp, falling unconscious. Ye Qingxuan retreated and picked up the wind lantern, getting ready to leave.
The dwarf who had been spouting curses suddenly shifted.
The murky water continued rising, the formless creatures squirming.
“Hurry!” he screamed at the entrance. “The kid escaped!”
Ye Qingxuan’s expression shifted too. Gripping the hook and staring at the dwarf’s skull, his hand tightened then loosened. But he could not decide what to do.
The dwarf’s screams attracted footsteps. Faintly, someone called, “What are you doing? Why are you so loud?”
“They’re coming soon!” The dwarf kicked at the formless ghosts trying to drag him down. Almost in tears, he begged, “Save me! Save me!”
Ye Qingxuan did not react, as if he had not heard anything. He looked around his surroundings, as if searching for something. Finally, he picked up the aluminum parcel and pinched some of the powder.
Opiates were an infamous drug. Its powder was taken from an Indian plant that had started off as a painkiller used in the military. During the Asgard War, they found out that it was highly addictive. After using it, the hallucinations would cause people to become addicted, so the drug became illegal.
Based on the texture, he guessed that something else was added to it. Styrax? White orange leaves?
But no matter what, it looked useless.
He sighed. The heavy footsteps were getting closer. The dwarf started getting excited. Shooting a death glare at Ye Qingxuan, his calls became louder.
Ye Qingxuan stood at the foot of the stairs, quietly listening as the footsteps behind the door got closer and closer, until finally, the door opened.
The moment the grating from the door sounded, the youth at the bottom of the stairs bolted. He rushed forward, stepping on those moss-covered steps, charging to the top!
Entering the darkness from the light, the man who opened the door had not even adjusted his eyes before a wind lantern came swinging at his face.
Boom!
44 Where is She? Boom!
The burning wind lantern shattered immediately, shards of glass piercing into the man’s eyes, instantly blinding him. Even more fatal was the scalding oil that followed, and the flame.
It happened instantaneously. The man made one muffled noise before the flame spread from the oil.
Ye Qingxuan could not even see the man’s features clearly before the man tumbled down the stairs, screaming.
The dwarf froze, staring blankly at the man rolling down in a ball of fire. His lips quivered, his eyes filling with hopelessness.
Ye Qingxuan took one last look at him before preparing to leave.
What met him was a wooden staff to the face.
Boom!
In that moment, there was only darkness before Ye Qingxuan’s eyes. His mind went blank. It felt like deja-vu. He stumbled back, missed a step, and fell down the stairs. Dazed, he tried to climb back up, but someone kicked him square in the chest.
The waterlogged wounds reopened and fresh blood seeped through. He painfully curled into a ball. Something was being angrily slammed onto his body.
Was it a sword?
The wielder did not want him to die so easily, so he chose the flat side of the blade. Ye Qingxuan’s vision went black as the blade slammed against his skull. As the beating dragged on, the black became tinged with red.
Finally, he could clearly see the men surrounding him. Within the crowd was an angered dwarf.
“Long time no see,” Ye Qingxuan could not help but think.
“Cuozi, come save me! Come save me!” The dwarf in the murky water was still being dragged down by the formless ghosts. Soon he would be underwater. Seeing his companions, his desire to live was sparked once again.
But Cuozi only gazed coolly at him, stating, “The formless ghosts have already arrived. If we open the gate, we’ll all die. Is that what you want?”
The dwarf froze before grasping at the lattice, trying to climb up. But more and more worming monsters latched onto his body. As they excitedly sucked his blood, a lifelike face appeared on their bodies.Their faces were twisted in pain, filled with wretchedness and hopelessness. But the eyes were empty, filled with a chilling eeriness.
Staring at those eyes, the men felt their bodies grow cold. They knew that the formless ghosts would not be able to break free from the cage, but their fear could not be pushed down.
“Break that mutt’s legs,” Cuozi forcibly grabbed a rusty steel bar from his underling. After studying Ye Qingxuan, he pointed the bar at his face. “It’ll be best to start from here. Don’t worry, you won’t die. You’ll be able to earn more as a disfigured beggar, right?”
After the painful beatings, Ye Qingxuan struggled and raised a hand, as if he had something to say. Cuozi furrowed his brows.
“There’s actually something I still haven’t decided on. Before I take this thing out, if you stop…everything’s fair talk. Really.” Ye Qingxuan raised his head, earnestly saying, “I never lie.”
Bang!
The steel bar that slammed down on his stomach knocked the wind out of him. With a kick from Cuozi, he flew against the wall.
“You want to take something out?” Cuozi laughed as if watching a clown. “What thing? King Arthur’s sword? Or a treasure given to you by a magical fairy? Hmm?”
“Sorry, I don’t have King Arthur’s sword. As for a treasure from a magical fairy,” on the ground and close to suffocation, Ye Qingxuan raised his head with difficulty. He lifted a hand and rasped, “Does this count?” He perched the heavy aluminum parcel on his fingertips, reflecting the fire on the ground.
The man on fire was still rolling around in pain. The fire’s glow illuminated the men’s eyes. Before anyone could react, Ye Qingxuan flicked the parcel. It rolled, landing and sizzling in the burning oil.
In the parcel, the white powder melted into the flames. A light and beautiful cloud arose immediately. Like a chain reaction, all the powder ignited and a thick cloud billowed.
It was the opiates, enough to last two drug addicts for a year. It was a drug created purposely for drug addicts who needed something more—something even more intense than opiates.
In that moment, everyone looked back in shock and heard a crisp sound.
Boom!
In the stillness, the aluminum foil expanded and exploded!
The sharp scent rose with the thick smoke. Spreading quickly, it engulfed everyone within an instant. Everything disappeared, and yet it continued to spread! The sharp scent also carried a heavy fragrance. The smell made one feel as if he were floating. When it entered one’s nostrils, they could not bare it.
Over the sound of intense coughing, someone screamed, “F*ck, what are you doing?” Cuozi had finally came to senses and kicked Ye Qingxuan furiously. The boy did not defend himself, letting the punches fall on him. He watched Cuozi wordlessly. His eyes were full of sadnes
s and scorn, causing Cuozi to roar.
Cuozi took out his knife, wanting to stab that mutt to death. But he froze, feeling a fleeting instability as the smoke traveled into his nostrils. The immense amount of hallucinogens hung in the air, its power enough to reduce one’s sanity to dust in no time.
Cuozi’s hold relaxed and he stumbled backward, gazing suspiciously around him. The place was covered in smoke, so how could he see a beautiful rainbow? Soft laughter rang from the rainbow and he could no longer remember where he was.
The world spun. Wrapped in empty satisfaction and happiness, he hugged the steel bar and devoured the nonexistent food in front of him, gnashing at the steel. Snot and tears rolled down his face, but he laughed gleefully.
“I already said I have a secret weapon. Why did you force me to do this?” Ye Qingxuan murmured.
—
In the smoke, the youth dropped to the floor and covered his mouth with his bloody jacket, taking careful breaths. He took a wine bottle from someone else and poured the remaining alcohol on his jacket. But then, he heard a sharp sound from within the steel cage.
He froze, and looked behind him. This time, he might have failed.
—
The cage was also shrouded in opium smoke. The formless ghosts were excitedly feasting on blood and meat, but were bathing in the smoke too. As if they had been dropped into lava, these sensitive monsters screamed immediately. Their screams were so sharp, almost piercing one’s eardrums.
The uproar only ignited them. They crashed wildly against the steel cage. Above them, the runes controlling them flashed continuously, but the color dimmed.
Finally, the empty eyes of a formless ghost went from black to bloody red. Then his body expanded until the cage could no longer control him. And it burst.
An invisible lock seemed to explode under the weight of the heavy smoke. And then a second, and a third until all the formless ghosts had atomized under the high of the hallucinogen!
The steel cage protested, wailing, before it shattered.
Amid the shattering noise, a tidal wave of smoke was swept by the wind, filling the tight space in an instant. It spread in all directions through the sewage system, going off into the darkness.
Ye Qingxuan’s pupils dilated. He had not forgotten what was scariest about the formless ghosts. It was not their power to rip their prey to shreds, nor their need to drink blood.
It was the sound of fear after their atomization!
—
In an instant, hundreds of murmurs and whispers sounded from within the smoke. These murmurs seemed to be right next to one’s ear. Like a hand caressing one’s brain, they searched for the nerve of fear, pulling him into the abyss.
Ye Qingxuan’s vision blackened, but the murmurs found a better prey and cast him aside. Only a cold, sticky feeling engulfed him, as if the monster had found something new while still feasting.
On the ground, those hallucinating finally started waking up from their fantasies only to enter a nightmare.
Screams and roars traveled continuously from the smoke. Some tried to escape, but still trapped by their hallucinations, they could not push themselves up. Some tried crawling, but they followed the broken cage and fell into the bubbling well. After struggling, they drowned.
On the ground, Cuozi was still in a beautiful fantasy, flying in the sky.
But then everything changed. Darkness fell from the sky as hundreds of ghosts and demons crawled over. They were indescribably ugly with saliva dripping down, corroding the ground.
“My god…” Cuozi froze. In the blink of an eye, they were onto him, devouring his blood and body. He struggled wildly, screaming, “Don’t touch me! Help! Help!”
His features twisted, each part squirming on their own, transforming into the face of pure terror. The slightest agitation brought on extreme fear; the slightest touch brought on endless pain.
Ye Qingxuan gazed down on him and sighed softly.
A malevolent shadow lurked in the smoke. His body emanated a bloody aura—his eyes were blood-red and he had two goat-like horns, but his body was rotten, with poisonous snakes and scorpions leeching on it. The shadow seized one neck after another, bellowing something.
It rained blood. As the droplets splattered onto Cuozi, he screamed out, shaking.
Annoyed, the monster swooped in and pinned him to the wall. The wall writhed like bloody meat. Countless poisonous snakes slithered about, wrapping onto Cuozi’s waist, pushing him to his limit.
“Look at my eyes!” the evil spirit roared. Cuozi reflexively stared at his red eyes. The red eyes were like flowing lava, causing palpitations.
“Where’s the girl?!” the evil spirit asked. His voice was raspy, but it echoed like rolling thunder.
“What girl? I don’t know,” Cuozi sniveled. “Gods, please save me. I repent…”
“This isn’t heaven. There’s no time for repenting!” The evil spirit continued interrogating, “Where’s the white-haired girl? The girl that Cuozi and Hariti brought back. Where is she?”
“Upstairs! The bedroom on the second floor!” Cuozi screamed. “Emma said she’ll personally look over her. I swear, this is all I know. Let me go, please let me go, oh God…”
The evil spirit loosened his grip, throwing him onto the ground, watching as countless monsters devoured him.
Bang!
Ye Qingxuan hit the back of Cuozi’s head with the steel hook. He blacked out instantly, but his body still writhed, stuck in an endless nightmare. Perhaps those fantasies would forever remain within his nerves.
If he did not die from visceral spasms, he would probably have to spend the rest of his happy life in the Arkham Asylum.
At least Ye Qingxuan would not go insane and commit suicide. At least he was still alive. He could only comfort himself like that.
45 Nightmare
Faint cries and screams emanated from within the heavy smoke.
Ye Qingxuan resisted the hallucinations, and forced himself to ignore the voices that were becoming clearer. He searched through the the smoke, crawling along the abandoned sewage system. Sometimes, he would open a door and find it empty. Sometimes, he would see the twisted faces of those in pain. He opened door after door, but he still could not find Bai Xi.
He pulled himself up the last step, and used the last of his strength to push open the door. He saw her sleeping face. “You’re here,” he murmured.
She was still in a deep sleep, unable to sense all that had happened.
“It would be so nice if you’re always this quiet.” Ye Qingxuan pinched her cheeks. Only now did he see that she was actually a very cute girl. With delicate features, she was quiet, cute, and pretty, like a little doll.
He bent down to pick her up, but suddenly his expression changed, and he collapsed.
“You…you mutt,” said a hoarse voice.
A blade was held against his back. Ye Qingxuan froze. Behind him, the old woman with red eyes gripped the dagger. Her face was still twisted. “Do you know what you did?!”
Kneeling on the ground, Ye Qingxuan reached behind him. His hand came away covered in blood. But looking into her red eyes, he was not scared anymore. He wanted to laugh.
“Didn’t you say that in life, there are always sudden misfortunes…” He repeated the old woman’s fake words staring deep into her. His eyes were decisive yet condescending. “Sometimes, you just have to bear it.”
“You d*mned mutt!” Emma muttered angrily. But she bit her tongue, forcing herself to stay level headed. Thinking of her now insane underlings, her heart dripped blood. It had taken years to get a following of that size, and get a foothold downtown. But in one night, everything had been destroyed.
For the first time, she felt regret. She had gotten herself into this, but now she could not get out. She wanted to turn around and flee, but greed was still burning in her heart. There was so much money to be made! Enough to make someone go crazy.
She only needed to get the girl, and then she woul
d never have to live in Avalon anymore. She could go to Burgundy, to the Corsica Islands, or sneak into the East and live a life of wealth.
Those Easterners had even promised to restore her youth, and heal the body ruined by illegal surgeries. Youth, returning to youth—it was an impossible dream. Impossible despite however much blood she injected into herself from young girls.
“Go die!” she screamed and tackled him.
Ye Qingxuan rolled on the ground. He felt his energy slowly leaving him.
The old woman who had seemed so pitiful and lonely finally revealed her true nature as a ferocious and ruthless woman who used others to feed and grow her monsters.
Ye Qingxuan never imagined her to be so fast. He used all his strength to roll on the floor, as the woman stabbed the position which Ye had barely managed to escape. In her hand, the light reflected off of the sharp blade. It was terrifying.
As the undeniable boss of downtown, she had not gotte there just by raising monsters. After all this time people had forgotten that she had elevated her status from a prostitute by using her dagger to get her way. Her technique had been perfected at the cost of many lives. Even if she was being attacked by hallucinations, she could still take care of Ye Qingxuan!
Her eyes were bloodshot as the fantasies have crept into her brain. She ceased the small talk and charged straight at Ye. She stabbed twice in a second—so fast one could not even react. Ye Qingxuan dodged, but he still bled from a new wound.
“Come on, mutt. Come!” Hariti’s steps were clumsy, but her eyes never left Ye Qingxuan. She charged again and in an instant, two wounds appeared on Ye Qingxuan’s arm. But the fatal blow aimed at his heart missed.
Behind her ear, her stringy hair blew crazily, revealing a hidden gill.
“A gill?” Ye Qingxuan gaped at the inhuman body part.
“What are you looking at?” Wildly, Hariti smoothed down her hair. She seemed to be furious, but her hallucinations were so joyous. She caressed the inhuman body part behind her ear. She cackled, the cold sound like singing wind.