Next came the birth of the Spider-Legged Monster.
The anomaly that had crawled out from underground completely took over the photographer's body, turning him into a monster.
The last shred of reason left in the photographer made him reluctant to hurt the girl, so he fled Silver Glow Cinema as fast as he could.
After sprinting all the way, he sensed the lively atmosphere inside Xidelong Hotel and slipped in.
The anomaly's mental radiation immediately caused a blackout in the surrounding neighborhood, plunging it into darkness.
Then came the part where he abducted Liu Dalong and was chased by Li Fan.
Silver Glow Cinema?
Li Fan released the chains on the Spider-Legged Monster and furrowed his brow.
He remembered that a subway line seemed to run not far beneath Silver Glow Cinema.
Case solved.
Unity Society's lair should be somewhere in the subway beneath Silver Glow Cinema.
But how exactly had the anomaly come into being?
The moment the photographer became the Spider-Legged Monster just now seemed to show the birth of an anomaly.
It was far stranger than he had imagined.
That bone must have been an anomalous object.
The bone's anomalous mental radiation had infected the photographer, turning him into the Spider-Legged Monster?
But where had the bone come from? And where had the voice of "Snake Concubine" come from?
Did Snake Concubine really exist?
Li Fan quickly considered the available information. The film Legend of the Dian King, which had been promoted all this time, along with all the rumors about Gutuo Kingdom on the internet, must have been pushed along by a hidden hand.
Anomalies were manifestations of mental entities.
Perhaps there had been no anomalies in this world to begin with. But once enough people were afraid, anomalies came into being.
In any case, these movies, TV dramas, and urban legends were clearly all part of Unity Society's plans.
The companies and organizations involved were all worth investigating.
Good. He had a lead. Now it was time to see what the Cleaning Association's free labor could do.
Li Fan grabbed the chain again and asked in a low voice,
"Who am I?"
What the Spider-Legged Monster had said earlier was deeply suspicious.
The Collector was famous among Awakened, but how could this anomaly know about him?
The Spider-Legged Monster seemed to have only a shred of strength left. In a voice that was almost a groan, it said,
"You are the revered Lord of the Prison of Suppression, Master of the Dream Territory."
I see.
This guy actually knew about the Lord of the Prison of Suppression.
So anomalies had their own social circles, too? The thought was kind of interesting.
"What is the Dream Territory?"
This was the first time he had heard of the place.
"The Dream Territory... is the Dream Territory..."
The Spider-Legged Monster replied.
Li Fan nodded slightly and dropped the bronze chains in his hand. The Spider-Legged Monster seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and lay there without moving.
It seemed to have passed out.
With the Spider-Legged Monster's limited intelligence, it probably couldn't explain what this so-called Dream Territory was. He could look into it later.
But there seemed to be another question he had, though he couldn't remember it at the moment.
Just then, a sound came from a nearby cell.
Li Fan glanced over. This should be the cell of the eight-headed monster he had seen last time.
He had barely spent any time around the anomaly before, and had been so frightened that he ran off on the spot. This time, he could take a look at what the hell was inside.
He lit his lighter and gently pushed open the viewing hatch on the cell door.
Eight heads, arranged like the spokes of a wheel, immediately appeared before him.
All eight seemed to be trembling, but this time they didn't run. They stood still, letting Li Fan look them over.
Li Fan also fought back his nausea and stayed where he was, staring at them.
Looking closely, he finally realized that the other creature's eight heads weren't attached directly to its neck.
The neck was empty, and the eight heads floated around it.
All eight wore expressions of fear, their eyes full of apprehension.
"My lord, you've finally returned!"
All eight heads suddenly spoke at once. Their voices ranged from male to female, young to old, and rang through the dim Prison of Suppression, making Li Fan's heart clench.
Fighting the urge to turn and run, Li Fan held his lighter steady and stood perfectly still.
After dissecting so many anomalies at the Dissection Department these past few days, he had finally built up some nerve.
Seeing that Li Fan didn't react at all, the eight heads seemed terrified. They continued in trembling voices,
"It's been over a hundred thousand years. You've finally returned from the Extreme Abyss. Most of our fellow prisoners have turned to ashes. I remained true to my oath to you, my lord. I dared not die..."
Over a hundred thousand years?!
Li Fan was astonished. This thing had been locked up here for over a hundred thousand years? But why did the writing on the stone tablets outside suggest that the Prison of Suppression had existed for only a few thousand years?
Had it been locked up so long that it had gone senile?
He asked in a hoarse voice, his face expressionless,
"Who am I?"
This question was crucial.
The eight heads immediately replied,
"You are the Lord of the Prison of Suppression, Master of the Dream Territory, and the controller of life and death!"
Li Fan nodded. Its answer was about the same as the Spider-Legged Monster's.
It seemed that being Lord of the Prison of Suppression came with several other titles.
But then again, it was a prisoner. It made sense that it would flatter him.
He just didn't know what the Dream Territory or the Extreme Abyss was.
When Li Fan didn't respond, the eight heads fell into thought. After a long while, they seemed to make up their minds. Then, they cautiously braced a pair of tentacles against the cell door and gently pushed it open, emerging like a ghost.
It stood timidly in front of Li Fan.
This act seemed to exhaust all its courage. It trembled all over.
Li Fan's scalp prickled. He watched the eight heads calmly, though he was panicking inside.
The door hadn't even been locked!
Just as his legs were about to give out, the eight heads suddenly prostrated themselves in front of him. A flash of light appeared, and a chain of mental energy materialized around its neck, piercing through its body.
The eight heads tremblingly lifted the other end of the chain with their tentacles and offered it to Li Fan.
"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 impassively at Eight-Heads, sprawled on the ground, and sensed its immense mental power.
It seemed far more powerful than the Tiger Pillar God.
The Spider-Legged Monster didn't amount to shit next to it.
In a chilling voice, he said, "I returned from the Extreme Abyss with little strength. Why don't you rebel?"
Eight-Heads trembled as if electrified. Its heads seemed about to fall to the ground as it replied in a quavering voice,
"It's been over a hundred thousand years, and you still enjoy making jokes like that... Who doesn't know that the prison lord has bound endless power within himself? You may look ordinary, but anyone who dares challenge you has long since turned to ash."
Had the former Lord of the Prison of Suppression really been this sinister?
Li Fan gave a slight nod and took the mental chain.
Eight-Heads seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. It hurried back into its cell, dutifully locked the door, and wore the sort of smile you'd see on someone who had been thoroughly gaslit. It asked cautiously,
"Now that you've returned, my lord, when will you unite the Dream Territory and the real world?"
Li Fan casually let go of the other end of the mental chain and didn't answer. Instead, he said coldly,
"How did you recognize me?"
Eight-Heads replied at once,
"My lord's bearing is majestic. Even after over a hundred thousand years, Eight-Heads would never dare forget it."
Then it prostrated itself again and begged cautiously,
"My lord, over a hundred thousand years have passed, and Eight-Heads is nearly out of strength. I beg you to grant me sustenance."
At the same time, one of its heads glanced toward the cell holding the Tiger Pillar God and the Spider-Legged Monster.
The Tiger Pillar God immediately shrank into a ball in terror.
Li Fan said impassively,
"We'll discuss it later."
Then he turned and left.
He walked calmly at first, but once he was out of Eight-Heads' section, he quickened his pace and broke into a run.
He soon found an empty cell and started wiping the dusty metal door with his sleeve.
He had no idea what the door was made of, but despite all the dust, it gleamed like new once he wiped it clean.
Li Fan took a deep breath and lit his lighter again.
The flame illuminated the metal door before him. Like a mirror, it reflected his slightly blurred appearance.
Huge, towering black horns. Between them floated a pitch-black crown wreathed in black flames.
A massive inverted-triangle compound eye covered two-thirds of his face.
On his smooth, noseless, V-shaped face, the upturned corners of his mouth formed something like a smiling mask.
His frame was thin, with stark white skin stretched over his bones in sleek lines.
His fingers, wrapped around the lighter, were pale and slender, twice the length of an ordinary person's, and patterned with markings like blood-red flames.
A pale apparition that sent a chill down the spine.
Before you continue