Chapter 172: Chasing Shadows and Slaying Beasts (1)

A long time ago, there was a strange slayer ghost in the Spiral Tower.

It triumphed in the fratricide of its own kind, in the struggle against its prey, and in the games it played against those in higher positions. It triumphed, and it kept on gnawin'. When it regained consciousness, it had become an exceptionally powerful being. No one dared approach this killer ghost, so it grew two heads. When there were no prey to chase, it would tear itself apart to pass the time.

The slayer was a being that found fulfillment in destruction, able to live happily even when it destroyed itself. But how long had passed? One day, even the slayer's simple thoughts grew weary. It ceased killing and came to the throne of the Demon King, who ruled over all demons.

Please kill me, said the ghost killer.

"Why?"

I've been doing meaningless things. If I can't feel fulfilled or happy, and just spend my time in vain, I think my life is over.

"What an idiot."

The demon king laughed a terrifying sound. It was the first time it had ever heard the demon king laugh.

"You have only just begun to 'live'."

From that day on, the ghost killer came back to life.

·

Click. Click. The execution platform moved up one step. The stones beneath were pushed forward, bloodied knees ground flat by violence, and hands raised as high as they could, lifting the mountain-like steps. The dying man walked up to the platform, bare feet stepping on the thorns, tears flowing from his hollow eyes.

His emotions seeped into the platform as he moved, making every stone experience the same fear. With every step, the fear doubled, and with every inch closer, his heart became more fragile. When he first arrived on the stage, he was a brave and fearless warrior, but halfway through, he had become a pale prisoner.

He walked silently to the stage and saw the instruments that would execute him: thorn-like shadow needles. These needles would pluck out his ghostly body, sew it up, leaving only a shrunken, empty shell. And then there would be no more of him, only eternal hell...

He turned and ran. He sobbed and screamed in terror. Sometimes he cursed this madness, sometimes he confessed his offense to the King of Fear. Even before his execution began, he was already shattered by the horrific rumors and the images they had spawned. But nothing changed; he remained where he was. A long, pale hand descended from the sky, its fingertips gripping his head like a thumbtack.

"It's time for the execution."

Then the man sat on the scaffold. Shadow needles pierced his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, and a shrill wail seemed to be squeezed from his bones. Then, suddenly, the sound died, and his useless body walked on in a daze. The final moment of fear permeated the scaffold, causing even the silent stones to wail.

The messenger danced away. "Who's next?"

I'm next.

Among the many stones under the execution platform, the newcomer Qing Ye was thinking silently.

——If we continue like this, there is only one way out, which is death.

·

"Okay~~ I have good news for everyone. We will cross the river, kill that damn messenger, and then walk the shortest distance to the settlement." Chongming said.

"No, no, no!" "Calm down, Commander Zhongming!" "Don't let the newbie die!"

The researchers all cried out in despair, looking as if the sky was falling. The newcomers themselves didn't react much; rather, they were all in high spirits and full of anticipation.

Only the new eyeball grew cautious and asked cautiously, "Commander Chongming, I vaguely remember you saying that we would die in the past, right?"

"What are you talking about? That was all half a day ago." Chongming pushed up his sunglasses. "There's a saying that goes, 'A soldier should be treated with new eyes after three days of absence.' It means that a soldier becomes three times stronger after three days, almost blinding you. If you calculate based on that, you're now half as strong as you were half a day ago. The deadlock you faced before is nothing to you now!"

"No, that's not what I meant." Chu Hengkong said expressionlessly, "Where did you hear that? Tell me the truth about what that four-legged bastard said."

"Don't dwell on this one instance." Chongming waved his hand. "The situation is clear before us! Entering the forest will lead to a miserable death like the forest ranger. Retreating to the valley will mean being driven to death day by day by the nightmare. There is only one way before you. Fight, and survive!"

"It's too hasty to rule out the forest route," Ji Huaisu suggested. "The Jade Armor can block the invasion of external routes. I can go in and explore..."

"No." Chu Hengkong shook his head. "Commander Chongming said to retreat, which means you can't defend against that thing. Now is not the time to burn your boats. There is no need to take such a big risk."

"But the enemy in the forest has even killed the forest rangers. Why would they let us go?" Finder said irritably. "I'm not trying to contradict everyone, but what if we worked so hard to kill the emissary from the other side of the Shadow River, and then we turn around and see that the creatures in the forest come and kill us all, wouldn't that be even more disastrous?"

"Impossible, because Vansalar would never allow this to develop," Zhongming said firmly. "This situation has reached its limit of tolerance. If it goes any further, the Nightmare King himself will stop these idiotic messengers."

"You sound like you know a lot about it..." Ji Huaisu said.

Chongming said proudly, "Of course I am the most senior member of this Despair Wilderness!"

"Is failing to counterattack 34 times really something to be proud of?" Vander said, "Besides, there are other ways to go. This place is not far from the settlement. We can ask for help from the settlement—"

Chu Hengkong shook his head: "Fander, you need to rest."

Fander stared at him in bewilderment for a long moment before realizing that even if the settlement could send reinforcements, their only two routes were across the river or in the forest. Entering the forest meant being killed by unknown enemies, while crossing the river meant facing the messenger, putting them in the same predicament as they were.

"Ah..." Vander rubbed his head with his tentacles, "Oh my... Is this the only way to fight..."

Ji Huaisu shrugged: "Commander Chongming knows the enemy so well, how much information can he reveal this time?"

Chongming smiled proudly: "——"

"It's so annoying! Although I know it's not your fault, it's still annoying. Please at least give me some effective tips!" Ji Huaisu was going crazy.

"Don't worry. I already made a battle plan when we were in the car." Chongming looked back and forth at the newcomers. "I need to confirm two points first. Ji Huaisu, how long can your Pure Fire last after leaving your body?"

"It won't be a problem to burn for a whole day." Ji Huaisu said confidently, "I can also sense the situation around the flame."

"Then you make a big torch, the kind that smokes like a volcano. It may not be very meaningful, but it can provide important momentum for the battle!"

"Oh!" Ji Huaisu nodded.

"Oh my god! This plan has been shady from the beginning!" Vander covered his eyes.

"You're next, don't you dare to die?" Chongming looked at Chu Hengkong, "How much of Orlec's power can you use?"

Chu Hengkong directly turned the manual to the identification page of the evil wrist and opened it to display.

"Not bad, choose the right moment to use its power." Chongming clapped his hands, "Listen carefully! This time the enemy has extremely extreme tactics. If you go over there, you will definitely be caught. But if you don't fall for them, you will definitely not be able to defeat them!"

"So this operation requires a fast guy as bait, and another with strong firepower as the main force..."

Zhongming squatted on the ice cart and told everyone about his carefully prepared battle plan. After listening, the researchers began to lie down beside the cart and pretend to be dead. Fander's eyes were dull: "Have you ever evaluated the success rate of this crappy plan?"

"If we're just talking about the chance of winning, it's probably no more than 1%. But with your potential and adaptability, we can turn that 1% into 10%!" Chongming raised his arms. "And on the border of Heavenly Prison, a 10% chance of winning is worth risking everything. In other words, for everyone involved, the chance of success is an absolute 100%!"

"Forget computing power, even basic logic has become a mess!" Vander shouted.

Ji Huaisu squinted his eyes: "What do you mean?"

Chu Hengkong was still recalling the horrific death of the forest ranger. That unprecedented manner of death filled him with an inexplicable palpitation. He turned and gazed across the Shadow River. The outline of a massive building emerged from the mist, like the back of a crouching giant beast.

"I'll be the bait." The killer flexed his fingers. "When does it start?"

"Delay will lead to trouble. Come on, get ready!" Chongming raised his sunglasses high. "Operation name: 'Chasing Shadows'. Start now!"

·

There was no light in the sky, and it was pitch black. After walking a few steps out of the ice chariot, I couldn't tell the direction. Fortunately, the torches made by the Fiery Armor Army were always bright. As the flames rose, golden smoke rushed straight into the sky, like a pillar of light moving in the dark night.

The golden column of smoke was incredibly conspicuous, visible not only to the researchers waiting behind but even from the distant settlement. The various ghosts and monsters wandering the wilderness were naturally drawn to it. In the quietly flowing Shadow River, faces took shape from the water, dragging their muddy bodies ashore to follow. From the pervasive fog, balloon-like ghostly faces quietly emerged, chuckling as they gathered around the pillar of fire.

"Find the brave! Find the brave!" "Give the brave a trial..."

"Get lost," the killer said.

Blood-red slashes flashed in his eyes, and a murderous aura, thick as a substance, erupted, silencing the ghosts and monsters in the fog and fleeing. Ghost Face, behind him, slipped back into the river without a sound. These lackeys and accomplices had seen countless battles and knew exactly who to manipulate and who to absolutely not mess with. This man was undoubtedly the most terrifying type of person; getting close to him was a sure death.

In the deathly silence, the smoke from the pillar of fire dimmed quietly. Chu Hengkong looked up and realized he was stepping through a towering archway, its black stone vault absorbing the smoke. The doorway was extremely wide and high, wide enough for ten people to pass through side by side, as if built by a giant. Behind it was a dusty circular arena, surrounded by layers of stands, and the stone seats were filled with spectators. Those spectators were exquisite stone sculptures, each one portrayed with lifelike precision, their faces bearing a fear more realistic than that of the living.

Chu Hengkong walked through the archway and looked around, noticing the arena's resemblance to concentric circles. Long white stone walls dominated the arena, engraved with ancient paintings: the outer ring depicted the various races united in heroic struggle, while the inner ring depicted demons of all shapes and sizes laughing wildly and dancing wildly beneath a black throne. The primary and secondary scenes were clearly defined; the first thing anyone would notice was the laughing black monster on the throne; the allies besieging it were merely a minor detail.

Suddenly, a voice that was difficult to tell whether male or female appeared faintly.

"Do you like my paintings?"

(End of this chapter)