So I'm Dignified and Handsome

Next came the birth of the Spider-Legged Monster.

That anomaly, having crawled out from the underground, completely took over the photographer's body, turning him into a monster.

The last shred of the photographer's remaining sanity made him unwilling to harm the young girl, so he desperately fled the Silver Glow Cinema.

After running wildly all the way, he sensed the bustling atmosphere inside the Xidelong Hotel and burrowed his way in.

The anomalous psychic radiation directly caused a power outage in the surrounding blocks, plunging them into pitch darkness.

Then followed the sequence of events where he abducted Liu Dalong and was pursued by Li Fan.

Silver Glow Cinema?

Releasing the chains on the Spider-Legged Monster, Li Fan frowned slightly.

He remembered that a subway line seemed to pass not far beneath the Silver Glow Cinema.

Case solved.

The lair of the Unity Society must be located somewhere in the subway tunnels beneath the Silver Glow Cinema.

But how exactly was the anomaly born?

The scene he just witnessed, where the photographer became the Spider-Legged Monster, must have been the process of an anomaly's birth.

It was far more bizarre than he had imagined.

That bone must have been an anomalous object.

Was it because the anomalous psychic radiation from the bone infected the photographer that he became the Spider-Legged Monster?

But where did that bone come from? And where did the voice of the Snake Concubine come from?

Did the Snake Concubine truly exist?

Li Fan thought rapidly, combining the available information to conclude that the Legend of the Dian King movie being promoted, along with the rumors about the Gutuo Kingdom on the internet, were all likely being pushed by a mastermind behind the scenes.

An anomaly was, in itself, the manifestation of a psychic entity.

Perhaps there were no anomalies in this world to begin with; once enough people feared them, they came into existence.

Regardless, the appearance of these movies, television dramas, and urban legends was clearly part of the Unity Society's plan.

The related companies and organizations were all worth investigating.

Very well, he had a direction; now it was time to rely on the free labor of the Cleaning Association.

Li Fan grabbed the chain again and asked in a deep voice:

"Who am I?"

What the Spider-Legged Monster had said earlier was truly suspicious.

Although the Collector was powerful, that was a reputation among Awakened ones; how could the anomaly before him know that?

The Spider-Legged Monster seemed to have only a sliver of strength left, and it replied in a near-moan:

"You are the respected Lord of the Prison of Suppression, the Master of the Dream Territory."

I see.

So this thing actually knew of the Lord of the Prison of Suppression.

Does that mean anomalies have their own social circles? That's actually quite interesting to think about.

"What is the Dream Territory?"

This was the first time he had heard of such a place.

"The Dream Territory... is the Dream Territory..."

The Spider-Legged Monster replied.

Li Fan nodded slightly and dropped the bronze chain in his hand. The Spider-Legged Monster slumped there as if relieved, no longer moving a muscle.

It seemed to have passed out.

The Spider-Legged Monster likely lacked the intelligence to describe this so-called Dream Territory, so he would leave that for later.

However, there seemed to be another question lingering, but he couldn't recall it for the moment.

Just then, a noise came from a cell not far away.

Li Fan glanced over; this should be the cell of the eight-headed monster he had seen last time.

Because his contact with the anomaly had been too brief last time, he had been startled and ran away on the spot, but this time he could see exactly what kind of thing was inside.

Striking his lighter, Li Fan gently pushed open the viewing window of the cell.

Eight heads, arranged like the spokes of a wheel, immediately appeared before him.

The eight heads seemed to be trembling, but this time they didn't run; instead, they stood their ground, enduring Li Fan's gaze.

Li Fan likewise suppressed his nausea and didn't run, standing his ground to stare back at the creature.

Looking closely this time, he finally saw clearly that the creature's eight heads were not growing directly from its neck.

The neck was hollow, and the eight heads were hovering around it.

At this moment, the expressions on all eight heads were filled with terror, their eyes brimming with caution.

"My Lord, you have finally returned!"

The eight heads spoke in unison, their voices a cacophony of men, women, the elderly, and the young. The sound echoed through the dim Prison of Suppression, causing Li Fan's heart to tighten.

Suppressing the urge to turn and run, Li Fan gripped his lighter firmly, forcing himself to stand rooted to the spot without moving a muscle.

After spending these past few days dissecting so many anomalies at the Dissection Department, his nerves had been tempered well.

Seeing that Li Fan showed no reaction, the eight heads seemed deeply afraid and continued in trembling voices:

"It has been over a hundred thousand years. You have finally returned from the Extreme Abyss. The other inmates have long since turned to ash, but I have remained loyal to my oath to you, not daring to die..."

Over a hundred thousand years!?

Li Fan was astonished. Had this creature been locked up here for over a hundred thousand years? But why did the inscriptions on the stone tablets outside suggest that the Prison of Suppression had only existed for a few millennia?

Had it been locked up so long that its brain had rotted away?

With a blank expression, he asked in a hoarse voice:

"Who am I?"

This question was crucial.

The eight heads replied immediately:

"You are the Lord of the Prison of Suppression, the Master of the Dream Territory, the controller of life and death!"

Li Fan nodded; it was much the same as the answer the Spider-Legged Monster had given earlier.

It seemed that his role as the Lord of the Prison of Suppression came with several concurrent titles.

But considering the creature was a prisoner, it was only natural for it to be flattering.

He just didn't know what the Dream Territory was, or what the Extreme Abyss was.

Seeing that Li Fan remained silent, the eight heads fell into deep thought. After a long while, as if having finally made up its mind, it cautiously used a tentacle to press against the cell door, gently pushing it open before stepping out like a ghost.

It stood timidly before Li Fan.

This act had exhausted every ounce of its courage; it was shivering uncontrollably.

Li Fan felt his scalp tingle. He stared calmly at the eight heads before him, though he was panicking internally.

The door hadn't been locked at all!

Just as his legs began to go weak, the eight heads suddenly prostrated themselves before him. With a flash of light, a spiritual chain appeared around his neck, piercing through his body.

The eight heads tremblingly held the other end of the chain toward Li Fan with a tentacle and said:

"Great Lord of the Prison of Suppression, controller of life and death, Eight-Heads welcomes your return. Please accept my most humble life."

Li Fan looked down at the prostrate Eight-Heads with a blank expression, sensing its immense spiritual power.

It seemed far more powerful than the Tiger Pillar God.

The Spider-Legged Monster was nothing compared to this.

He said coldly: "I have returned from the Extreme Abyss, my power is weak. Why do you not rebel?"

Eight-Heads shook as if electrocuted, its heads nearly hitting the floor, and it stammered:

"It has been over a hundred thousand years, yet you still enjoy such jokes... Who does not know that the Prison Lord fuses endless power into his own body? You may appear ordinary, but those who dared to challenge you have long since turned to dust."

Was the previous Lord of the Prison this devious?

Li Fan nodded slightly and took the spiritual chain.

Eight-Heads seemed to heave a sigh of relief. It hurriedly stood up, returned to its cell, and dutifully locked the door. All eight faces wore the smile of a victim of gaslighting as it asked cautiously:

"Now that the Prison Lord has returned, when will you unify the Dream Territory and reality?"

Li Fan tossed the other end of the spiritual chain aside. He did not answer the question, instead saying coldly:

"How did you recognize me?"

Eight-Heads replied hastily:

"The Prison Lord's stature is magnificent; even after a hundred thousand years, Eight-Heads would never dare to forget."

It then prostrated itself again, cautiously pleading:

"Prison Lord, over a hundred thousand years have passed, and Eight-Heads' strength is nearly exhausted. I beg the Prison Lord to grant me sustenance."

At the same time, one of its heads glanced toward the neighboring cell where the Tiger Pillar God and the Spider-Legged Monster were kept.

The Tiger Pillar God immediately shrank into a ball in terror.

Li Fan said expressionlessly:

"We shall discuss it later."

He then turned and left.

He walked with a steady pace at first, but once he was clear of the area where Eight-Heads was kept, he picked up his pace and broke into a run.

Soon, he found an empty cell and began using his sleeve to wipe the dust off the metal door.

The material of this metal door was unknown, but despite the thick layer of dust, it shone like new once wiped clean.

Li Fan took a deep breath and flicked his lighter on once more.

The flame's glow illuminated the metal door before him, which acted like a mirror, reflecting his slightly blurred image.

A pair of massive, towering black horns framed a floating, pitch-black crown in the center, which burned with black flames.

Enormous, inverted triangular compound eyes occupied two-thirds of the face.

On a smooth, nose-less V-shaped face, the upturned corners of the mouth resembled a smiling mask.

The skeleton beneath the body was gaunt, with pallid skin stretched over the bones in a streamlined fashion.

The fingers holding the lighter were pale and slender, twice the length of a normal person's, and densely covered in blood-colored, flame-like patterns.

A chilling, pale phantom.