Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
Center zone palace, Cangxu’s large domain.
Sitting in the main hall, His Excellency Cangxu looked at the man kneeling before him with an apathetic expression and spoke indifferently, “Are you clear with what you should do now?”
The man below him shivered with fear. He was a default soul drifting around the Land of Cangxu without any consciousness just hours before the white-haired man before him known as His Excellency Cangxu actually roused his memories from his previous life and allowed him to become aware that he had gone to Naraka. He was terrified of these mysterious capabilities.
He did not even have the slightest thought of resistance at this moment as he was afraid that he would be thrown into the 18th level of Naraka and tortured.
The man went down on all fours immediately upon hearing Cangxu’s question, “For Your Excellency to bestow me with rebirth, I am ready to work for Your Excellency with my best ability!”
“Then go. I will give you a chance to return and reward you handsomely if you complete your task well!” looking at the man kowtowing on the floor, a trace of decisiveness flashed in Cangxu’s eyes.
……
Night fell and lanterns were lit.
After the clamorous noises of sirens rang out from a distance, the sounds of disordered footsteps and the barking of police dogs became nearer.
Pattering raindrops fell unceasingly on Qin Yu as he leaned against the corner of an abandoned hospital. Gasping for breath, his face was filled with disbelief.
Pinpricks of sweat on his forehead merged with water and blood as they flowed downward while his lips trembled, his face pale.
Everything that happened in the past twelve hours made Qin Yu feel like he was experiencing something straight out of a nightmare. Everything was so real and terrorized him to the core.
Qin Yu turned his head subconsciously to look at the other end of the abandoned hospital. His vision was shrouded by hazy darkness, making him nervous and tense.
After waiting for a moment, Qin Yu finally sighed in relief as he slid to the ground with his back against the wall. His mind began wandering and his train of thought drifted to what had happened twelve hours ago.
……
Qin Yu had just finished a day’s work. He returned to his residence that he rented with his best friend Wu Hao, who was a recent graduate, to get ready for dinner.
However, when he knocked on the door, instead of Wu Hao, the person who opened the door was a tall, dark, and thin man sporting a goatee. The man looked to be in his thirties.
Their eyes met for a few seconds before that man smiled and took the initiative to speak, “You’re back. Come on in.”
He returned to his own home but it was a stranger who opened the door.
He even said strange words like you’re back. Although Qin Yu had questions in his mind, he did not put much thought into it. He thought that the man was probably Wu Hao’s guest.
But Qin Yu immediately sensed that something was wrong when he walked past and entered the house.
The house was extremely quiet. The television was turned off. The dining table was empty, the kitchen was also very quiet, and all the window curtains were pulled shut. The silence in the house was somewhat unusual.
This was completely unusual in their house when a guest was visiting.
His housemate Wu Hao would usually prepare a table of food and wait for his return every night. Everything seemed to be a bit fishy.
Qin Yu felt uneasy. He called out Wu Hao’s name subconsciously and strode toward Wu Hao’s room.
Goatee’s voice was heard from behind Qin Yu.
He called out to stop Qin Yu from returning to his room. He then opened the door to the study and pointed into the room as he said, “Come on, Wu Hao’s in here.”
Qin Yu turned and looked into the study instinctively but his pupils shrunk instantly when he saw what was inside.
Wu Hao was tied to a computer chair with a sturdy rope, his mouth sealed with tape. Wu Hao’s body was trembling faintly as he looked at Qin Yu with terror.
Qin Yu instantly realized that he had come home to a burglary.
Qin Yu had taken part in a few criminology research studies in school so he knew that he could not chicken out in this sort of situation. If by chance the criminal before him intends to silence them permanently and he is to surrender, then their lives could not be guaranteed.
He tightened his fists when this came to mind. He was ready to step up to this man and give him a punch on his temple as he intended to make a speedy attack and subdue him.
However, Qin Yu froze on the spot after taking one step forward.
Facing the pitch-black muzzle of a gun, Qin Yu’s heart thumped. He did not expect that the criminal before him would actually carry a gun on him.
The goateed man walked up to Wu Hao and pulled the tape off his mouth before pulling out a triangular spike bayonet from his waist with his left hand.
“Nephew, if I run this knife through your body, you’ll completely bleed out in half an hour. There will be no way to save you.”
Wu Hao’s face became deathly pale upon hearing that and turned to Qin Yu immediately, “Brother Yu, do as my uncle says. He’s not a bad person, he won’t kill us.”
Looking at the hope in Wu Hao’s eyes in the midst of his terror, Qin Yu cast another glance at the gun held up by the goateed man.
Qin Yu also realized that truthfully, the power to decide was already out of his hands.
Wu Hao spoke up again, “Uncle, however much money you want, we’ll give it to you. We swear that we won’t report you to the police.”
Wu Hao’s uncle made a neutral smile upon hearing that but he didn’t answer. He picked up another rope and went to Qin Yu’s side.
Looking at Qin Yu’s rage-filled eyes, he tied him up and said, “Don’t move, I will release both of you once I get a hold of the money.”
Qin Yu got a clearer picture of the situation upon hearing that.
This man with a goatee must be Wu Hao’s uncle and his motive for burgling their house was only for money.
However, he did not understand why he would set his target on Wu Hao, his own relative.
Nonetheless, that was also the reason why Qin Yu believed that they would not be killed.
Qin Yu was dragged back into his bedroom and thrown onto the bed after getting tied up.
Wu Hao’s uncle bound Qin Yu’s limbs to the corners of the bed to prevent him from breaking away.
Goatee returned not long after with several rolls of tape which was used to wrap around Qin Yu’s body tightly several times.
Still not satisfied, he also taped Qin Yu’s eyes and retrieved some plastic bags to be wrapped around Qin Yu’s ears so that his hearing was muffled.
“Such a pity, you’re still so young!”
The goateed man’s sigh sent Qin Yu’s heart pounding before his hearing was completely muffled.
A chilling feeling came from his heart and enveloped his entire body.
Qin Yu subconsciously wanted to break away but the knots were too tight and he couldn’t move them at all.
The silence engulfing him provoked fear in his heart after the door was shut. His limbs were getting numb as his blood was not circulating.
Everything turned into darkness after that. Nothing could be heard, seen, or spoken.
A gentle shake of his head caused a dripping sound in his ears which were still covered by the plastic bags.
Qin Yu’s imagination was starting to run wild at that moment. The image of him being stabbed by the triangular spike bayonet and falling into a pool of blood, convulsing violently appeared in his mind.
His corpse would begin to stink after his blood was coagulated. Qin Yu was tortured by his invisible thoughts and fear but time seemed to go on forever.
……
After some time, Qin Yu who was in a daze was awakened by a forceful pull.
He could feel that someone was undoing the knots on the bed but he was not relieved at all as he knew that the forceful gesture was definitely not from a rescue team.
As expected by Qin Yu, he was dragged outside violently after the knots on the bed were undone.
His strength to fight was weak as his hands and legs were numb from the poor blood circulation.
Qin Yu tried to grab something to pull him up as he had a hunch that something bad was going to happen.
Then, a pain rushed to his head, rendering him unconscious.
When Qin Yu regained consciousness, he realized that he was lying in an abandoned hospital with blood all over him. Wu Hao’s uncle was there in a dim yellow light with an odd look while painting something on the floor.
Qin Yu straightened up his body with difficulty and turned to look to the side.
As expected, Wu Hao was also in tattered clothing covered in blood, lying unconscious.
“What exactly are you going to do? Didn’t you say that you wanted money? I’ll give it to you…”
Qin Yu was cut off by the goateed man’s outstretched hand before he could finish.
Qin Yu borrowed the dusky light to look ahead and discovered that Wu Hao’s uncle was carrying a paint bucket. He dipped his hand into it from time to time.
It seemed like he was painting some sort of pattern on the floor.
His nostrils were filled with a rancid smell and he immediately thought of the wounds on him and Wu Hao. Qin Yu immediately guessed what was in the paint bucket.
Even if he was dumber, Qin Yu knew that the man was not after money but must have had other purposes.
However, Qin Yu’s body was numb, limping and he could not even muster up the strength to get up, let alone to run.
Wu Hao slowly regained consciousness but he appeared to be weaker than Qin Yu.
There was absolutely no trace of vitality on his pale face that even his expression seemed lifeless. It definitely felt like the situation was turning far from good.
“I’m almost done, my lord. What should I do next?” the man stood up and muttered to himself all of a sudden.
No one answered but his expression became stranger by the minute.
After a moment, he nodded his head gravely and threw his gaze at Qin Yu and Wu Hao.
“Uncle, what are you doing? If you want money, I’ll give it to you. Please let us go,” Wu Hao’s weak voice carried a sobbing tone.
“Nephew, you know how I liked to gamble and how pathetic I was before. But this time, I have a chance to start over. It’s impossible for me to let this opportunity go.” He paused suddenly before continuing, “To be frank, I was actually beaten to death a month ago because I couldn’t pay off my gambling debt…”
Upon hearing that, Qin Yu and Wu Hao felt a chill down their spines and their hair stood on its ends.
There was a chilling light glinting in the man’s eyes as he slowly approached them.
Qin Yu’s heart was filled with despair. Am I really going to die by the hands of this madman?
The man grabbed Wu Hao’s wrist and Qin Yu’s hair and pulled them to the position where he stood.
To Qin Yu’s terror, after being dragged to the light he realized that the strange pattern under his feet was actually drawn with blood.
The two of them were dragged to the pattern and the man grabbed Wu Hao’s left arm. Then, he pulled out the triangular spike bayonet from his waist and made a strong slash on Wu Hao’s wrist.
Blood spurted out and dripped down continuously.
Wu Hao and Qin Yu were filled with despair as they looked at the scene.
Qin Yu was limp at the side, watching helplessly as Wu Hao’s life faded away.
He tried to think of a way to resist but he was kicked hard and he could not get up again.
The unceasing flowing of blood caused Wu Hao to sink into unconsciousness. He was already limp on the floor, unmoving when his uncle released his wrist.
“It’s your turn!”
Bloodthirstiness flashed past the man’s eyes as he dragged Qin Yu who had fallen to the ground and used the same way to cut his wrist.
“You… what’s your purpose in doing this?” Qin Yu asked feebly.
Death was near but he did not wish to die without knowing what was going on.
“I can only say that you have bad luck. I initially wanted only my nephew’s life because his soul stood out amongst others. As for you, you’re just unlucky, but you can still contribute a bit of value.”
His tone was excited as if he was looking forward to something.
Qin Yu’s consciousness was getting blurry at this point.
He could vaguely see that the blood-painted patterns were scattered with a scarlet light and shadows of evil ghosts began emerging from the patterns one after another…
