The cold air, carrying the smell of dust, froze over this vast ruin. The leaden sky hung low, pressing down on the broken walls and rubble, as if draping a Shroud over the entire world of death.
The countdown to the dungeon's impending closure ticked away like an invisible second hand in the deathly silence.
Hu Jiu stood atop a twisted, braided signal tower, his eyes sweeping across the area below. The noisy "players," along with the tedious and terrifying creatures they spawned, had all been wiped out by him in a single, swift move, reduced to insignificant corpses in this wasteland.
The only exception was the figure standing in the shadows beneath the tower.
"Fake Sirius"—or rather, he should now be called Qin Lang.
He tilted his head slightly, gazing at Hu Jiu and Du Zhong at the top of the tower. His handsome face was now frozen in a near-dead blankness, like a drowning person just pulled from deep water. His gaze focused briefly before quickly scattering again, as if a silent, violent tsunami was raging deep within his soul.
"I..." he began, his voice dry like sandpaper rubbing against sheet metal, "Qin Lang. My Qin Lang." Each word was uttered with extraordinary difficulty, as if the name had just been pulled from the ashes of memory.
"I remember... Nie Zheng... he wanted my equipment, but I refused, and then..." He raised his hand, subconsciously touching his temple. It was smooth, without any bullet holes, but a chilling illusion of being pierced lingered. "I should be dead."
He abruptly raised his head, his eyes filled with pure confusion and fear, staring intently at Hu Jiu: "Open your eyes again... and you're here. What... is going on?"
He looked down at his hands, so strong and well-defined, which were exactly the same as before, yet his body felt strangely out of place. "Am I... still me?"
At the top of the tower, Hu Jiu remained expressionless. Du Zhong leaned closer, lowered his Hu Jiu, and said with a researcher's scrutiny, "Old Hu, this situation... is a bit strange. The creation that Fear Manifestation not only didn't dissipate after the source died, but it also seems to have inherited the original owner's complete memories and personality? If this person Qin Lang has truly been reborn because of this, it can't be explained by good luck alone; it's practically destiny itself!"
Hu Jiu's fingertips unconsciously twirled, a thin, cold, and slippery energy coiling between them—it was the Horror Game energy he had casually plucked from a player who had been crushed.
"A loophole in the rules of the game? Or is there a bug in this so-called 'Horror Game' itself?" A cold light flashed in the depths of Hu Jiu's pupils, before finally settling into an indifferent calm.
"Who cares? As long as he obeys for now, whether he's human, ghost, or data makes no difference to us." He paused, then added, "However, Qin Lang's 'existence' has indeed changed. He's not human, but he's not purely a creation of fear either; he's more like... a composite entity forcibly glued together by the Supernatural and the rules of this instance."
Du Zhong nodded thoughtfully. "A living bug?"
Just then, the entire ruined space shuddered violently, like the final lament of a giant soap bubble before it bursts. The leaden-gray clouds in the sky began to twist and stretch violently, their edges shimmering with an ominous, eerie blue-purple glow. Dust rose silently from the ground, and countless fragments of architectural ruins began to float weightlessly.
This copy is being closed.
"Tsk, what a disappointment." Hu Jiu snorted impatiently, raised his hand, and lightly swiped at the violently fluctuating space in front of him.
"Sizzle--!"
A sound like tearing cloth rang out, and the instance space was forcibly ripped apart.
"Go!" Hu Jiu's voice left no room for doubt. Without even looking down, he leaped into the crevice, with Du Zhong following closely behind, their movements fluid and seamless.
At the foot of the tower, Qin Lang's body tensed instinctively the moment the spatial rift opened. A tremor from the depths of his soul and a strong sense of detachment almost suffocated him. He took one last look at the eerie ruins that had "resurrected" him, and the complex emotions in his eyes were finally replaced by a cold resolve.
He suddenly pushed off the ground, like a cannonball, and followed the two figures, crashing heavily into the spatial rift.
The crack suddenly closed behind them, completely isolating them from that deathly, terrifying replica.
The chaotic sense of dimensional travel lasted only a few extremely brief seconds. The next moment, the tactile sensation of solid ground came through, followed by a cacophony of sounds, blinding light, and... a complex flavor of "reality" mixed with countless life forms.
Hu Jiu, Du Zhong, and Qin Lang suddenly appeared in a narrow, damp back alley. Outside the alley, the deafening roar of traffic filled the air, along with the pungent stench of cheap food, car exhaust, rotting garbage, and some kind of cheap perfume.
"Cough... cough cough!" Qin Lang leaned against the cold wall, coughing violently. His body seemed to have some kind of rejection reaction to the air of "reality," and his lungs felt like they were on fire.
Hu Jiu gently patted him, and his discomfort immediately disappeared.
Qin Lang raised his head, breathing greedily, savoring the joy of being alive.
Du Zhong looked around and said, "They're exactly the same..."
Hu Jiu instantly understood what he meant. He closed his eyes slightly, and an invisible sense spread out instantly. Countless streams of information flooded into his consciousness: the names of streets, conversations among pedestrians, the text on shop signs, electromagnetic signals permeating the air...
After a long while, he suddenly opened his eyes.
"Language, historical context, social structure—everything is highly similar. No, it's almost... a replica."
Hu Jiu's mind flashed rapidly through the first world he had destroyed, and the world that had just been "eliminated" and swallowed up. Three different timelines, yet they were like products of similar models produced on an assembly line.
This is no coincidence!
Du Zhong clearly realized this as well. He leaned closer to Hu Jiu and lowered his voice even further. "Old Hu, this..."
Hu Jiu raised his hand to interrupt him, a cold and arrogant smile curving his lips, "Interesting. However, now is not the time to study this." His gaze, like a tangible blade, swept across the bustling crowd outside the alley, finally settling on Qin Lang.
"There are supernatural forces here, beyond the Supernatural. We can delve deeper and investigate. Our immediate priority is resolving our identity issue. Three unregistered individuals won't have an easy time moving around in this seemingly orderly society."
Hu Jiu wasn't hiding anything from Qin Lang when he said these things. He and Du Zhong were both visitors from Otherworld and didn't have legal status in this world. Qin Lang was already officially listed as someone who had died "justifiably."
Qin Lang couldn't understand what Hu Jiu and Du Zhong were saying. He only knew that these two were mysterious and powerful, and that his resurrection was related to them, so he naturally knew what to choose.
"My identity is indeed a problem," Qin Lang said. "If I just appear in public like this, the Nie Family probably won't let me off the hook."
"Don't worry, leave it all to me." Hu Jiu extended his right index finger, and a faint, dark glimmer, seemingly capable of swallowing light, quietly gathered at the tip. The light was extremely weak, yet it carried a Supernatural aura that distorted reality and altered existence.
" In the Nanyang, near the disputed waters of Malacca, there lies an unexplored deep-sea basin."
Du Zhong understood instantly, a smile mixing excitement and mischievousness spreading across his face.
Hu Jiu's Supernatural directly affect the storage devices of databases in certain existing geological exploration institutions, performing the most basic "physical write" operation.
The light at his fingertips flowed and wove like a living thing with his movements. In the air, the vague, semi-transparent outlines of documents appeared—passports, ID cards, household registration files, property certificates... There were even several electronic manuscripts of "authoritative" geological journals, with the title "A Super Oil Field Discovered in the XXX Basin of the Disputed Waters of the Nanyang, with Astounding Reserves!"
"Done." Hu Jiu snapped his fingers.
Du Zhong glanced at the fake documents and laughed, "From now on, I am Du Zhong, a wealthy overseas Chinese businessman who has returned to China to inherit the super oil field that my ancestors accidentally discovered. The relevant exploration reports and asset verification chain already 'exist'. But speaking of which, isn't this identity a bit too outrageous?"
Hu Jiu retorted, "That's exactly what's outrageous! The domineering CEOs in novels can control the global economic lifeline, so what's a little oil field to you?"
Several incredibly realistic fake documents appeared in his hand as if printed out of thin air. He casually tossed one of the documents, bearing the name "Du Zhong," to Du Zhong, and handed the other to Qin Lang.
Qin Lang subconsciously took it. The photo on the document was still his own face, but the name was clearly written as "Qin Lang". His place of origin, date of birth, and educational background were all included, and there was even an additional identity setting: he moved overseas with his parents when he was young and recently returned to China.
"Qin Lang?" Qin Lang frowned, looking at the ambiguous name. "It feels like a blatant attempt to cover something up. Anyone who sees me will recognize me as Qin Lang."
"Whatever, let's see who dares to cause you trouble? I'll send their entire family to Hell." Hu Jiu's tone was as if he were dealing with a trivial matter.
"Alright. Du Zhong, come with me to 'familiarize' yourself with this new world. As for you..." He looked at Qin Lang, his pupils devoid of any emotion, "Do whatever you want, just don't die too quickly."
After saying that, he didn't look at Qin Lang again, and walked straight out of the dark and damp alley, merging into the bustling street. Du Zhong shrugged, quickly followed, and soon disappeared into the dazzling lights and crowds.
Qin Lang was the only one left in the alley. He lowered his head, clutching the ID card in the name of "Qin Lang" tightly. The cold plastic card pressed against his palm, and the photo on the card wore a formulaic smile with empty eyes. A chilling sensation, a mixture of absurdity, anger, and a sense of being forcibly given new life, crept up his spine.
Nie Zheng...!
He abruptly raised his head, the last trace of confusion in his eyes completely burned away, leaving only a cold, poisonous glint. He glanced one last time in the direction where Hu Jiu and Du Zhong had disappeared, his figure vanishing silently at the other end of the alley like a cheetah merging into the shadows.
The pulse of the city beat beneath Hu Jiu's feet. Amidst the roar of engines, the clamor of crowds, and the incessant buzzing of electronic devices, he moved silently through the canyons of the steel forest, like a drop of ink merging into the ocean.
Du Zhong and Hu Jiu walked side by side, two people with their own ulterior motives, yet at this moment they were like close friends.
Hu Jiu's perception pierced through this glamorous facade. His goal was clear and ruthless—to analyze the extraordinary power system of the "Horror Game," find its source, and then devour it! Like the countless Fierce Ghosts he had devoured, he would turn it into a piece of his own puzzle.
"In reality, the existence of Horror Games is not yet publicly acknowledged, but the government has specialized agencies for them, and there are various guilds in the private sector. Players can bring back the rewards they get from game instances to reality, so this world is shifting from a magic-free world to a world of the extraordinary," Du Zhong said.
Hu Jiu nodded. "'Horror Games' are much gentler than 'Supernatural Revival.' They subtly and gradually transform this world. Given time, this world should be able to smoothly become a transcendent world."
Du Zhong: "This incredibly gentle approach seems more like someone is manipulating things behind the scenes, and that manipulator should be biased towards humans, otherwise..."
Otherwise, one should be like Hu Jiu, ignoring all living beings, even harboring malice towards them, and wishing nothing more than to destroy all living things.
The two wandered aimlessly through the city.
"Old Hu, I've spotted a player." Du Zhong suddenly spoke up, "A core member of the [Blood Rose] guild, ID 'Poison Scorpion,' his real-life identity is Zhao Kun, a manager at a company. He's currently in the VIP room of the Blues Bar."
Hu Jiu didn't stop walking, but slightly adjusted his direction, heading towards the most extravagant entertainment district in the city center.
The Blues Bar was filled with deafening electronic music that threatened to lift the roof off. The air was thick with the scents of alcohol, perfume, hormones, and a barely perceptible... metallic, bloody smell.
The heavy soundproof door of the VIP box was useless to Hu Jiu. The moment he stepped through the door, the deafening music and noise inside the box came to an abrupt halt.
Inside sat seven or eight men and women, all well-dressed and with sharp eyes. At the center of the group was a man in a tight black vest, revealing bulging muscles— Zhao Kun. He had one arm around a scantily clad woman, while his other hand toyed with a jet-black, scorpion-tail-shaped poisonous needle. The needle's tip gleamed with a chilling, eerie green light, emanating a terrifying aura—clearly, it was a toy.
"Who the hell let you in? Get out!" A henchman with dyed yellow hair next to Zhao Kun slammed his fist on the table and pointed at Hu Jiu, cursing loudly.
But as soon as he finished cursing, his face disappeared, his features were smoothed out, his seven orifices were gone, and he couldn't breathe. He was so suffocated that he flailing his arms and legs, and his dance was quite beautiful.
Hu simply enjoys watching humanity suffer the agony of death in despair.
The others in the room were stunned by this scene. Hu Jiu's gaze was fixed on Zhao Kun, his dark pupils like a bottomless abyss.
Zhao Kun shuddered violently. He was a veteran of countless battles and possessed a beast-like instinct for danger. The person before him was even more terrifying than the final boss of S-class dungeon!