The Netherworld

Shi Yu ignored Huo Qiuliang's slightly frightened voice behind him, took his keys straight out of his pocket, opened the door, and walked inside.

Seeing this, Huo Qiuliang followed close behind.

Huo Qiuliang set Shi Yu's schoolbag on the stool by the door and looked around.

"Your place is... pretty big."

Shi Yu's home had two bedrooms and a living room. The entrance led straight into the living room, with a bedroom on either side, both doors tightly shut. The light from the north-facing windowsill was weak, leaving the whole place dark.

A table stood to the right of the entrance, with nothing on it but two packs of tissues.

Besides the cushions that came with it, the living room sofa held two plush toys, a Kumamon and a little wolf. Both were clearly very old. A coffee table stood in front of the sofa, with an electric kettle and several cups on top.

There was little sign of anyone living in the place, and nothing superfluous.

He really does live alone...

After a quick look around, Huo Qiuliang reached his conclusion.

While he stood at the door, Shi Yu had already taken off his shoes and gone inside, then grabbed two pairs of slippers and set them beside Huo Qiuliang.

"Take your shoes off before coming in. I can't be bothered to mop."

"Okay."

Huo Qiuliang answered, changed into slippers, and walked inside. He went over to the sofa quite naturally and plopped down, then said:

"Aha, let's talk about that 'allowance' from earlier."

Shi Yu opened both bedroom doors to let in more light, then opened the windows to air the place out. Chilly wind poured in, blowing away the lingering dusty smell.

Hearing Huo Qiuliang speak, Shi Yu returned to the sofa and chose a spot neither too close to nor too far from him, then gestured for him to continue.

"Officially, our allowance is 4,000 yuan. During the New Year and other holidays, we receive holiday benefits along with our colleagues.

"But if we have extra expenses or need money for reasonable personal matters, we can apply whenever we like and draw funds from the higher-ups. In theory, as long as we don't break the law or cross any lines, money isn't something we need to worry about."

Huo Qiuliang put it rather tactfully. For people like them, who risked their lives at work, "reasonable personal matters" was merely a pleasant turn of phrase. Essentially, nothing was "unreasonable."

Huo Qiuliang said nothing about the benefits for family members. Those were obviously good, but he did not want to discuss something that was a sensitive subject for Shi Yu and Han He.

Shi Yu nodded and said:

"That's great. I can still apply to the government for a 1,000-yuan allowance every month. Add the 4,000, and 5,000 is more than enough for me alone, however I spend it."

"Ahaha... You're pretty easily satisfied."

Seeing that Shi Yu did not seem to be joking, Huo Qiuliang swallowed the teasing remark he had been about to make.

"Is there anything else, then?"

Seeing Huo Qiuliang looking a little awkward, Shi Yu asked him outright.

"Ah... wait! We haven't even exchanged five sentences since we came in, and you're already kicking me out?!"

Shi Yu's expression said he found this perfectly reasonable, and he asked in confusion:

"We don't know each other that well, do we? Besides, haven't you already heard my answer? What else is there to talk about?"

"So that's the kind of person you are? A bit cold-blooded."

Huo Qiuliang looked at Shi Yu with a wounded expression.

A little helpless in the face of his theatrics, Shi Yu could only shake his head and say:

"Then tell me more about the things you didn't finish explaining today. Like the Netherworld, inheritances, and talents."

Hearing this, Huo Qiuliang tossed his head smugly and said:

"Well, since you've asked so sincerely, I shall..."

"I just remembered I need to use the bathroom. See you tomorrow."

"I'll get right to it!"

Huo Qiuliang hurriedly dropped the act, shifted seats, and sat up straight opposite Shi Yu. After a moment's thought, he said:

"Let's start with the Netherworld. As I said this afternoon, Netherworlds come in different types. The two most distinct and common categories are these."

Huo Qiuliang held up two fingers and waved them.

"The first is the kind we saw this time. Its exit is very small, only allowing Evil Sins to pass through, but it can be seen with the naked eye. We call this an 'inward-converging type' or 'inward-contained type' Netherworld."

"The second is more unusual. Its entrance is invisible, and it directly encompasses an area of reality, forming that area's Inner World. At first, the Evil Sins inside only appear at specific times and in specific ways. As the number of victims grows, this kind of Netherworld gradually merges with and encroaches on the real world, then expands again. We call this an 'outward-expanding type' Netherworld."

Seeing how attentively Shi Yu listened, Huo Qiuliang offered a vivid comparison.

"Like Silent Hill. Have you seen Silent Hill?"

Shi Yu nodded to show he understood.

Very pleased with his student's progress, Huo Qiuliang continued:

"There are also some even more unusual Netherworlds that exist in special places... like living creatures' dreams... or their subconscious. A Netherworld like this has appeared once-only once in nearly fifty years. They're so rare that, for now, they're all grouped under the special category. Have you heard of the 'Haishi Night Wandering Incident' from ten years ago?"

Shi Yu remembered it immediately. As someone who enjoyed all kinds of supernatural and horror fiction, he could hardly have forgotten that "paranormal incident," which had inspired such incredible rumors back then.

A little surprised, Shi Yu said:

"Haishi's most famous urban legend... Over several months, nearly a hundred people started sleepwalking at the same time every night at midnight... and disappeared one by one... That was because of an Evil Sin?"

Huo Qiuliang nodded and said:

"Yes. That was the special case. The Netherworld that Evil Sin was born in existed in living creatures' dreams, not just human dreams. Later investigations found that birds, cats, dogs, and all kinds of mammals capable of dreaming had also gradually disappeared during the same period."

Just listening sent a chill down Shi Yu's back. After thinking for a moment, he asked:

"Then... how was it resolved?"

"Supernatural matters are naturally resolved by supernatural figures."

Huo Qiuliang spoke as he recalled:

"The file said a talent user ultimately resolved the problem with everyone's help. I remember that talent user's stairway name very clearly."

Shi Yu asked curiously:

"What was it?"

Huo Qiuliang placed his hand on the coffee table and tapped its glass surface twice, producing crisp sounds. His words came out along with them.

"'Night Beyond Sight.'"

Huo Qiuliang's gaze went slightly unfocused as he recalled what he had seen back then.

"The names of the participants in this operation are classified, but at the individual's request, their stairway and rank are recorded.

■■■: The stairway of 'Night Beyond Sight': seventh rank: 'Silence.'"

*Note:

The stairway of "Night Beyond Sight": seventh rank: "Silence."

"A night of silence."

"A wordless night, a sky that needs no expression, without a sound, we strangle the faint tremor within the cochlea."