Chapter 149: The Dark Nest (Why the Cultists Won't Take Off Their Robes)
Due to the limited evidence, the only thing that can be done now is to strengthen the protection and surveillance of remote areas and focus on the same type of victims to prevent the recurrence of cases. Even if it appears to be beneficial to society, it will deal a severe blow to the deterrent effect of decency.
The senior executive sighed deeply and took a sip of tea. The aroma of tea filled the air, and the mist was lingering. He was drinking tea in the conference room again, which made him think of an unlucky person.
[Mr. Bai Zhou..., why haven't I seen you in the past few days? Didn’t the people at the surveillance center upload the report? 】The old man asked casually.
「Ah, this.」 】The chief was the first to respond, and met the old man's eyes with an impeccable smile, 【Maybe he is busy with something else? Didn't we just talk about the movements of the Dark Nest not long ago? As for that guy who automatically searched for the cultists as soon as he saw them, he must have gone to investigate the situation. 】
[The people at the surveillance station made a report, saying that Bai Zhou entered the east building in the morning and smashed a number of cameras, then swaggered to the rooftop. 】
The female executive wearing glasses cleared her throat quietly and glanced to the side.
[The losses have been reported to the logistics department, but because of the tight schedule of the meeting, there was no time to inform others... The report should have been submitted by now. 】
【……】
Several employees of the guild paused, then suddenly became busy. Some were bending over to pick up a pen, while others were staring at the documents carefully for unknown reasons. None of them raised their heads to meet the eyes of the government officials.
The old man's throat choked.
After a strange pause, he put down the teacup with a "bang" and shouted angrily: "You enter and leave the government as if it were no one's home. How can you be so disrespectful!" 】
[They have damaged surveillance cameras time and again. Don’t you know how expensive a surveillance camera is? ! 】
It sounds like the latter sentence is the key point.
The officer took a sip of tea and threw a piece of biscuit into his mouth to comfort his stomach which had not yet had lunch.
But... the last time I saw that guy was when we were all gathered together to discuss the special copy. At that time, the young man just sat aside and listened quietly without expressing any opinion. In the end, he took away a large box of tea as naturally as if he was going home. The old man, who was holding his breath at the time, seemed quite puzzled by the other party's silence.
In the blink of an eye, the urgent matter was resolved.
The energy prop that he had intended to give to the boy as a gift for joining the government had been packaged and placed in the lounge, but now he no longer had the chance to give it away. The commander blinked, stared at the ripples in the tea and said nothing more.
[However...regarding the special copy. 】Other people also thought of this,【What should we do? 】
The old man was silent. The anger that wanted to make someone spin like a top suddenly disappeared, he twisted his fingertips and sighed.
After a long while, he said: [Naturally it is the highest class of honor. 】
[Young heroes are envied by God for their talents.] He deserves to be remembered by everyone. 】
Everyone tacitly ignored the role of daylight in this matter, even though they were still talking about this person's existence a moment ago.
Let it be.
——
This chapter of the comic is not over yet.
When the commentators were ready for a new round of verbal battles and called this chapter "The Disappearing Daylight", the series of pages they scrolled down did not reach the bottom, but instead a string of pure black pages with an inexplicable sense of déjà vu.
"?"
The conspicuous white question mark slowly floated in the empty darkness.
So familiar, this scene, they seem to have seen it before
Just like the finale, the real highlight is about to come. The camp hinted at in “Undercurrent” finally comes on stage to be presented to everyone.
Dark nest.
The page was scrolled down gradually and slowly. What came into view the next second was a scene completely opposite to what I had imagined. It's not a map of ancient believers offering sacrifices with torches in the dark, nor is it a map covered with bloody bones.
Instead, it is a beautiful picture of nature full of vitality, with butterflies and flowers surrounding green vines.
Barrage:?
They are obviously two identical symbols, but they contain different emotions. The reader stares in disbelief at the beautiful scenery of nature in the comic, trying to find a hint of the dark color of the Dark Nest in this picture.
"No? This?"
"Isn't this wrong? Teacher, is this still the den of evildoers in your family?"
"(This person said nothing, just kept scratching his head)"
…
Before the reader can ask questions in his little head full of question marks, a figure suddenly appears on the next page.
The pitch-black robe fell to the ankles, with exquisite gold-plated embroidery covering the shoulders and back, as well as the wide hood that covered half of the face. Except for the embroidery and the half-exposed pale face, the man was dressed in black all over.
Just like a terrifying character that suddenly appears in a fairy tale, this highly representative costume allows readers to instantly confirm this person's identity.
Cultist.
The crow-like figure had a slender figure, probably a young man. He appeared in front of the tightly entangled vines, just like a drop of ink blending into clear water, extremely fragmented.
He curled his lips and slowly walked to the entrance of the covered passage. On the way, he passed through a layer of transparent membrane like jelly. After stopping, he glanced down at the plants that were in the way, as if he was dissatisfied.
So he raised his hand, and the energy turned into a long blade, which instantly chopped the tightly entangled vines into pieces. The vines fell limply to the ground and became nutrients. In just a few seconds, a new entrance was opened up.
Although readers knew that this person was a cruel and evil cultist, his arbitrary behavior still shocked them.
"Wait?? This vine has obviously been growing for a long time, right? Isn't it a bit... (hesitant to speak) to just cut it off and expose the hole?
"Are all cult members so crazy? Aren't they afraid that their leaders will deduct their pay?"
"This cultist is obviously not ordinary! Just look at the embroidery on his black robe. Maybe he is the leader."
"He doesn't look like an ordinary person, and he's also very good-looking... So the manga is finally going to have a second villain! (Excited)"
"I feel like this looks familiar... This whole aura (Zhuomu.jpg)"
"And this disdainful gesture... (Takuma.jpg)"
…
Readers felt that something was wrong, but they couldn't put their finger on it. So they smoothly skipped over the topic, as if they had made some kind of decision.
The bottomless hole is like an abyss. People in the pure black can walk in casually, just like going home.
Some curious flying insects followed him in, flapping their transparent wings and quickly disappeared, looking like they were swallowed by black fog.
The following long, rugged, dark cave makes readers feel at ease while complaining - this is where the villain camp should be! Just pretend you didn’t see the singing of birds and the fragrance of flowers just now!
The cultist became one with the darkness. If it weren't for the lighting filter specially added by the cartoonist, readers would not be able to see the people at all, and could only continue to stare at a long series of pure black pages.
The young man moved back and forth like a ghost, his footsteps light and silent, and he easily saw through the false corners used to paralyze people. It was obvious that he was extremely familiar with this place.
Just like reading a perfect guide, after a short while, the reader finally saw the faint light coming from the front.
Next is a stone door carved with ancient patterns. The firelight shone through the tiny crack in the middle, and against the backdrop of the dark and narrow environment, it gave people an eerie feeling of new life as soon as they pushed the door open.
The young man suddenly stopped. He stood a few inches away and stared for a moment, then slowly raised his hand and touched the stone door with his fingertips.
The patterns carved on the door and the grooves suddenly began to flow with gilded light. The liquid-like energy spread and filled the entire groove, completely revealing the patterns.
「Fingerprint authentication in the supernatural world」
There was a comment like this in the barrage.
The scene behind the door was even more shocking.
It seemed as if it was the time for the cult to hold a meeting, and the luxury of the interior decoration was no longer the focus. There were many people in black robes, with patterns embroidered on them that were either complex or simple. One could tell their social status from their positions and postures.
The young man just stood calmly at the door, his eyes hidden by the hood scanning the area without disguising himself. Although he was clearly a "stranger" in the eyes of others, he naturally acted as if he was the real owner. His outstanding psychological quality and calmness without caring about the lives of others made the barrage of comments applaud, and I felt that strange sense of familiarity again.
At the same time, a cultist standing in the center of the door looked up and stared at the "uninvited guest".
Today is his welcoming party.
Having just completed a major project, he was welcomed by all the Dark Nest camp members. Even the leader praised his honor during his brief lucid break. Well-deservedly, as a high-ranking cultist, he is the undoubted protagonist at this moment. For this purpose, he even specially drove away the short-lived ghost who was neither male nor female.
The welcoming banquet was held in the most spacious area, facing the closed door. But now that the stone door was wide open, the guy he had never seen before stood there arrogantly, and in an instant he stole all his attention.
Who is this?
[Is a newcomer.] 】He could swear that he had never seen this person.
He is still a newcomer who cannot distinguish between the big king and the small king and is extremely arrogant. Noticing the detailed gilded embroidery on the other party's black robe that looked like a rebellion, the upper cultist narrowed his eyes.
He should have given orders immediately after the incident, asking those blind low-class people to pin this guy to the ground and teach the ignorant newcomer a lesson, so as to make up for his good mood being disturbed.
But the young man's casual glance at him, the oppressive feeling that enveloped him, and the murderous intent contained in it all made his body stiffen. He subconsciously stopped talking, and stood there in frustration as if he was inferior to the other person.
But when he raised his eyes again to pursue the pressure, he no longer felt it, as if the intimidation he had just felt was just an illusion.
And the fact that he was intimidated by a newcomer using an unknown prop was the joke among the jokes. The cultist's eyes flickered, and he felt the smile on the young man's lips deepened, vaguely mocking his self-esteem.
The cultist's face darkened.
He was already arrogant, and after being personally promoted to his current position by the leader, he became even more arrogant. Taking his fragile self-esteem into consideration, even the group of people sitting next to him did not deliberately provoke him. Life was relatively comfortable, and therefore my vulnerable heart became even more fragile.
It is easy to imagine what he would do after being offended by a young man of unknown origin.
The cultists around him who were flattering him shrank their necks, and one who looked particularly smart quietly glanced around, took a tentative step forward and called out.
[This elder...?] 】
Before he could utter the second sentence, the stranger moved.
The robe flowed like ink, and the smile on the young man's lips became gentle. When he stepped into the door, the aura around him became harmless. He looked like an innocent young newcomer who had no idea which rule he had violated.
He opened his lips, his tone was gentle, with a faint smile: [What are you doing? 】
Seeing that no one answered, he sneered instead, and the corners of his lips turned down, looking aggrieved.
[Why aren't you talking... or is it my arrival that disturbs your enjoyment? 】
What a pitiful and innocent look he had. His expression, even though only half of his face was visible, and his precise tone of voice made his emotions clear to those around him.
Coupled with that half-beautiful face, it is a beautiful scene that can make those who see the face shout "new wife".
But it's just the opposite.
Danmu suddenly shook his body, feeling inexplicable goose bumps all over his body, and a strange chill and horror spread up his back and then spread to his chest. The familiar feeling that arose for the third time haunted them like a ghost.
This is not right.
"Why does this person look more and more familiar?!"
"It's obviously just a shadow, but why did I see the shadow of an old friend!!"
"Hanhuan? Is that you, Huanhuan? (Fat Orange Grief.jpg)"
"I knew it! I knew it! The camera won't inexplicably give me a simple perspective tool!"
"It is known that the cartoonist has set details for each character, even the appearance is no exception. After a series of comparisons, this "new character" is exactly the same as the lower half of Bai Zhou's face! Absolutely!"
"Why is Bai Zao here?!"
"Let's do something big... (Cangsang exhales smoke)"
"You're going to break into the boss' base alone like this... Bai Zhou, you're still the same as before, oioioi! (holding your forehead and smiling bitterly.jpg)"
…
It's not an illusion.
It was the silver thread that Bai Zhou usually used, and his usual preemptive tactics, the main thing was to take the opponent's head off guard while he was still grinning happily.
After all the operations, he was the one who was laughing.
The silk thread is invisible, but visible once stained with blood. It controls the movements of the puppet in the net according to the evil behavior of its owner. A slight pull will cause extreme pain, which spreads to the limbs and bones, making the person's face distorted and hideous. The young man's half-exposed face was splashed with bright red blood. The extreme color difference between white and red was extremely eye-catching. Along with the joy on the corners of his lips, it was hard to tell which one was the evil ghost.
In the comics, the man who was just sneering with disdain has now become a mosquito in a net, his hood pulled off with empty eyes, as if his skin had been peeled off, and the naked sight almost burned him, making holes in his exposed face.
His face, which was neither human nor ghost, was completely exposed after being corroded by the black fog. The upper cultist made a "ho ho" sound and widened his eyes, his eyeballs suddenly bulged out and he tried to lower his head, but the next second the silver wire was pressed against his neck again. Blood instantly spurted out with just a slight touch. It was not difficult to know that the head could easily fall to the ground if he exerted force.
The cultist froze. After all, he valued his life more than his face.
The young man looked at him with his eyes lowered, his eyes filled with genuine irony. He moved his fingertips slightly, the silk thread broke, and the puppets bound in it fell to the ground one after another.
The cultist slammed to the ground, wailing and crawling to the corner, trembling.
Why won't the cultists take off their black robes.
Because under the shadow of the wide hood was a face full of holes that had long been corroded by the black fog.
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