The Whip of God

Black Prison had every facility imaginable: running water, electricity, food, heating—you name it.

To account for the effects of certain curses, even the rest areas had separate rooms for each person.

If you ignored the Forbidden Items that could act up at any moment, and the fact that there was no sunlight,

life here was actually pretty good. Right?

At any rate, Li Yèlái had quickly settled into this lifestyle.

He got up on schedule and took turns with Cheese and the others covering for the other Handlers, inspecting each Forbidden Item. Sometimes they had to suppress one; other times, soothe one showing signs of going out of control.

For instance, the foul-mouthed scarf. Or the one that burned incense and worshipped the door god.

Or the tea that might restore your stamina—or give you diarrhea.

After getting caught out by that tea on his very first try, Li Yèlái stopped sampling it.

During his breaks, he listened to the veteran Handlers and Night Watchmen bragging and shooting the breeze.

He heard plenty of fascinating things.

Especially stories about life beyond the high walls.

In fact, Li Yèlái's parents had come from the wilderness beyond the walls. His mother seemed to have been a citizen of some distant Mega City.

But they had settled in Border City when Li Yèlái was young.

So he didn't know much about the wilderness. He only knew that everything beyond the walls was chaotic and dangerous.

And that was indeed the case.

"Out in the wilderness, it seems human life isn't worth much," said a Night Watchman with the codename White Poplar.

The wilderness was dotted with abandoned cities. After the calamity erupted, the population had been swallowed up by the Calamity Mist.

These deserted cities were all that remained to show that civilization had once existed there.

The many abandoned cities had given rise to the profession of scavenger. They braved the wilderness and ventured into those deserted cities, looking for objects or knowledge that could make them rich.

They were the most common group out there.

Then there were the scavengers who couldn't enter the Mega Cities for one reason or another. They had inadvertently given rise to settlements and villages scattered across the wilderness.

Next came the merchant caravans traveling between the Mega Cities.

They had considerable firepower to protect them, and some large caravans even hired psychics.

After that came the wilderness bandits. They often raided villages and settlements in the wilderness, and sometimes went after merchant caravans too.

Of course, these four groups often shifted from one to another.

Someone who had been a scavenger could turn into a wilderness bandit in an instant.

Someone who had been a bandit might become a mercenary for a small caravan the very next day.

It was this very chaos that made ordinary people see everything beyond the walls as dangerous.

There had even been cases of psychics being ambushed and killed, then made into human-meat buns.

Of course, these weren't the only dangers facing psychics.

The forbidden zones and the strange creatures roaming the wilderness were just as deadly.

"If you're in the wilderness and haven't met an official colleague, don't trust anyone. There've been cases where powerful psychics killed strange creatures, only to get themselves killed in some settlement," White Poplar warned the Handlers around him again. He looked like a man in his forties. "In the wilderness, whoever you're dealing with, stay on your guard. Some strange creatures can read memories and mimic the faces of people you know. You can never be too careful."

"Night General, if you ever have to work outside a Mega City, remember this! We don't want you getting killed because you let your guard down."

Li Yèlái nodded repeatedly. This was advice born of experience, and he wasn't about to dismiss such kindness.

As the new member of Team One, he was well looked after by his teammates.

White Poplar, the Night Watchman, was especially eager to become sworn brothers with Li Yèlái. His other teammates laughed and scolded him until they held him back.

"Old White Poplar, have you looked at your age? You still want to become sworn brothers with a young guy like Night General?"

"Exactly!"

"Get lost, all of you!" White Poplar muttered. "What are you butting in for?"

As a veteran member of Team One, he knew all about Captain Yáng Chén's plans.

That was why he wanted so badly to get on Li Yèlái's good side.

Li Yèlái, who had no idea what was going on, just thought his teammates were very welcoming.

But with no sunlight, his sense of time was all mixed up.

If he hadn't called Li Yúnyān outside to let her know he was safe, he wouldn't have realized he'd already spent nine days in Black Prison.

"Twenty-one more days, and you'll be out, bro," Li Yúnyān said through the communicator.

"How have things been lately?" Li Yèlái asked.

"Of course, they're great. Doll comes by with food for me every day. I think I've even put on a little weight. Looks like that girl is trying to win her future sister-in-law over. How exciting, hehe. I wonder how good your pretty senior's cooking is. When do I get to try it?" Li Yúnyān started talking to herself again.

Li Yèlái ignored her. His sister was always imagining all sorts of things.

More importantly, that pretty senior, Cheese, was right there, chatting with the clerical staff.

Then he heard Li Yúnyān say, sounding a little disappointed, "Too bad, bro. You'll miss the Fantasy Band's concert this time. I wanted you to get me a few autographs. You're an official employee, so you could probably meet their lead singer, right?"

The Fantasy Band?

Li Yèlái thought for a moment before remembering the band with all the fans.

"So many years, and I never knew you were a fan."

"Of course I'm not a fan. Their autographs are worth money!" Li Yúnyān sounded envious. "One signature can sell for several hundred Mega City Coins. You Handlers risk your lives for a living, and you still don't make money as fast as he does. What kind of world is this?"

After chatting with Li Yúnyān for a little longer, Li Yèlái hung up.

He had to get some rest. In a few hours, he'd have to go back on rotation.

Meanwhile, Border City No. 3 was especially lively that night.

The square in the southern New City District was packed with people.

Starfire had squeezed through the crowd with his younger sister, Shadowflow, and after a great deal of effort—even using a Psychic Barrier—he had just managed to get into the concert venue and find their seats.

"It's really lively," Starfire remarked. "I've never seen this many people!"

There were more than ten thousand people inside the concert venue alone, with even more waiting outside.

"It's the Fantasy Band!" Shadowflow said. She had dressed up carefully. "They're the hottest band of the past few years. They set out from Chuanshu Giant City and are touring five Mega Cities. They've finally made it to our Border City No. 3, so of course it's packed. A lot of people don't even know who they are, but it's a rare chance to enjoy the festivities. Look how many families came together."

Starfire followed his sister's pointing finger and saw plenty of families.

Men held their wives' hands and carried their daughters on their shoulders. They hadn't gotten inside the concert venue, but they were still smiling, a happy family of three.

Ordinary, yet happy.

"Then we need to be extra careful. With this many people packed together, any accident could lead to a lot of casualties," Starfire reminded her, looking into the distance.

It wasn't just the East City Branch. The other branches had also sent many Handlers to blend into the crowd, in case something went wrong.

Backstage, a handsome man sat alone in the dressing room.

A shadow flickered beside him, and a beautiful woman suddenly appeared.

She caressed the man's cheek. "Everything's ready. We can play Song of Extinction whenever we want. At this volume, everyone who hears it will be affected to some degree. How many people are here? Fifty thousand? A hundred thousand?"

"Have you thought this through? Once we play it, there'll be no turning back. And the superstar image you've spent years building will vanish forever. You'll no longer be Qin Zhi the star, but a wanted criminal across all the Mega Cities! Those dangerous Night Watchmen will pursue you into the wilderness!"

"Why are you still saying foolish things at a time like this? Trading one identity for a chance to advance once, or even several times—is there any need to calculate the cost?" Qin Zhi wrapped his arms around her and stroked her skin, smiling calmly. "This will be our celebration of advancement! We're both Ark's chosen. Why should we care whether those mortals live or die? Besides, this ordeal might even be a good thing for them."

The woman giggled softly. "It's confirmed. God's Whip is ready. The moment it's swung, the royal banners held in custody by the various Mega City branches will answer the call. Each one will summon the undead army that once scourged the entire world!"

"Scourged the entire world? Hahaha." Qin Zhi shook his head with a laugh. "They're not enough to shake the Mega Cities, let alone challenge the fame of the Border Iron Guard. But those Forbidden Items probably won't pass up this chance! That should tie down the forces at all the branches. This is enough."

"Come on. Let's see whether this world's sorrow can move that Mad King!" Qin Zhi left the dressing room and walked step by step onto the stage.

Spotlights shone down on him, and in an instant, countless cheers rose from the crowd below.

His fans shouted his name.

But Qin Zhi put a finger to his lips, signaling for silence.

His handsome face and gentle expression made many women in the audience scream.

Soon, though, the noise gradually died down.

Qin Zhi picked up the microphone and looked out over the packed crowd, a faint smile on his face.

"Thank you, everyone in Border City No. 3, for coming to my farewell performance. After all these years, I have to admit, I'll miss you."

"Farewell?" The audience looked bewildered. They didn't understand why the superstar was saying farewell. He was still so young, so handsome.

"What's he planning? Why didn't he tell us about something this big?" The other members of the band also looked surprised. Apparently, this was the first they'd heard of it.

"He's retiring at the peak of his popularity? Is this some kind of publicity stunt?" A media worker was startled, then hurried forward to get the first scoop.

But Qin Zhi gave no explanation, despite the many questions. He simply continued with a smile. "Let me bring my final performance to a perfect close. A finale the world will never forget!"

Then, as if nothing were wrong, he raised a hand slightly, and a rousing instrumental accompaniment rang out.

He picked up a guitar and strummed hard, as if a surge of heat were sweeping across the entire venue.

The entire audience seemed to forget their earlier confusion and began to sway wildly.

"What's he planning?" Starfire asked, baffled. "Do you know, sis?"

"I have no idea. Is he retiring? That can't be, not when everything's going so well..." Shadowflow was just as puzzled, but suddenly clutched her head in pain.

Starfire was startled. He caught his staggering sister and asked, "What's wrong?"

Then he heard words that made him feel as though he'd fallen into an icy abyss.

"Bro, my Soul Well is shaking..."

The Soul Well? Was she about to become twisted?

The thought of Mada's death brought a wave of terror crashing over Starfire.

After his good friend, was his own sister going to suffer the same fate? How could this happen? Everything had been fine!

No. He wouldn't let that happen!

He grabbed Shadowflow and tried to force her to leave.

Her Soul Well was only shaking. It hadn't collapsed yet. There was still time!

But when he looked around, he saw that the audience had already been swept up in a kind of frenzy.

They screamed, roared, and wailed, as if trying to unleash everything inside them.

Starfire saw that happy family again. The girl on her father's shoulders bit off his ear, and he laughed wildly as he slammed her into the ground. The mother, watching it all, shrieked and rushed over to stop him, only to sink her teeth into her husband's neck.

Farther away, a couple locked in an embrace bit off each other's tongues. Then they began gnawing at each other's lips.

The whole venue—even the area outside—was filled with frenzied people.

It was as if countless audience members had lost their reason, giving free rein to their desires.

This was distortion!

Everyone here was becoming twisted!

Seeing this, Starfire's eyes blazed with fury. He whipped around to look at the stage.

"It's him! Make him stop!" Carrying his sister, he leapt into the air, used Sky Stepping, and shouted with all his might as he rubbed his fingers together.

He ignited a brilliant fireball that burst in midair, alerting all his colleagues!

But even before him, some Handlers had already reacted. They rushed toward the stage and, without hesitation, cut the power to the entire venue with a single strike.

Yet even after all the lights went out, the song didn't stop.

The Handlers turned pale. They desperately fired their weapons one after another, blowing up sound system speakers until the song finally stopped.

But before the enraged Handlers could reach him, Qin Zhi smiled and bowed.

Then a woman who had suddenly appeared wrapped her arms around him, and he vanished from the stage in an instant.

As they watched the crowd grow more and more frenzied, and the twisted beings that had already appeared, the Handlers' eyes blazed with fury.

In an instant, alarms rang nonstop at every branch, and even at headquarters.

Meanwhile, in his sleep, Li Yèlái felt an unusual exhaustion and a sudden chill.

Still asleep, he instinctively pulled the blanket tighter around himself.

But a few seconds later, he felt himself being shaken violently. He tried to wake up, but no matter what he did, he couldn't open his eyes.

Then a familiar voice sounded by his ear.

"[Listen to Me] Wake up!"

Only then did Li Yèlái manage to open his eyes. But what he saw was Cheese, wearing loose pajamas and leaning over his blanket, looking at him anxiously.

She was gripping his shoulders and shaking him hard.

Her loose pajamas couldn't hide her voluptuous figure, and the pale curves of her body swayed before his eyes.

For a moment, Li Yèlái couldn't tell—

Was he having some kind of dream he couldn't exactly talk about?

Or was Cheese trying to sneak into his room at night?

No way. Wasn't Cheese the type to make the occasional dirty joke? She couldn't possibly be that bold. And it wasn't like he'd dream about something like this, was it?

Li Yèlái's mind was still groggy, and he let it run wild.

But Cheese's next words woke him up instantly.

"[Listen to Me] Wake up!"

"A Forbidden Item has breached containment!"

Only then did Li Yèlái hear the steady barrage of alarms.

'D-Rank Forbidden Item, Concealment Scarf, containment breach!'

'C-Rank Forbidden Item, Heart of Slaughter, containment breach!'

'Class B Forbidden Item, Ice Witch, containment breach!'

'C-Rank Forbidden Item, Dream Eater, containment breach!'

'D-Rank Forbidden Item, Zhelan King's Banner, showing drastic changes. Danger level increased! Containment breach!'