Chapter 528: Secrets in the Darkness

“What secret does this place really hide?”

“Where are those Building Nine execs who came in for the meeting now?”

After fumbling around in the building for a while, Lu Xin began to sense that his mission wasn’t as simple as he’d imagined.

The space was vast and enveloped in darkness.

There wasn’t a trace of light around, so Lu Xin had to grope his way forward, carefully trying to detect anything hidden in the building. After several minutes of wandering, he only found the doors to a few rooms. He pushed one open only to find it tightly shut—likely locked. The gruesome corpses he had imagined hanging from the beams were nowhere to be seen.

It was a disappointment.

Even the incessant, crackling sounds behind him seemed to be silently watching, though none dared to come too close.

Exasperated, Lu Xin continued to grope in the dark, realizing he had not only found nothing but had even ended up lost.

This seemed to be just a regular office building.

Not much different from the work environment he was used to in Qinggang.

Apart from being emptier and cleaner, the corridors were noticeably longer and wider.

Lu Xin couldn’t help but feel a pang of dejection.

Groping endlessly wasn’t a solution; if he turned back and let the Gecko and the others know that even a prestigious captain like him had to search floor by floor, it would make him look downright unprofessional…

Since there was no other way…

He exhaled deeply. Lu Xin could sense that whatever was following him was growing in number.

They moved stealthily, creeping along.

Like shadows in the dark, these creatures eyed him with a greedy, chilling stare.

Yet, much like shy stars on an overcast night that vanish when you focus too intently, when he looked directly they disappeared, only to be caught in his peripheral vision when he glanced elsewhere.

It seemed the dark denizens behaved the same way.

When Lu Xin paused and listened intently, all movement suddenly ceased.

The corridor was empty—only him.

But as soon as he shifted his focus and resumed walking, that furtive, unsettling feeling returned.

“Huh…”

Lu Xin quickly devised his own solution.

He began to steadily traverse each corridor, ascending to higher floors at a measured pace.

The feeling of being followed intensified behind him. It was as if every dark corner of the corridor had come alive with strange creatures, lurking ahead, behind, on the ceiling—peering at him from every direction.

As he continued his cautious progress, he even felt their presence brush against his fingertips.

That sensation pleased him. Keeping up that pace, he moved methodically, running his hand along the wall as he neared the end of the corridor, until he found a room with its door left ajar. He stepped inside.

Even if every room on this floor was locked, there had to be one left open here.

The space was not part of the main building—a small area with smooth, tiled floors.

It was a bathroom.

But in the pitch-black, he couldn’t tell if it was a men’s or women’s room…

Lu Xin groped his way in, reached the far end, then turned and leaned against the wall to take a look outside.

His eyes saw nothing.

But he could feel a swarm of grotesque things crawling in after him.

They seemed intensely curious about his intrusion, scrambling and jostling their way into the cramped space.

“Chirp, chirp…”

In the darkness, an endless chatter filled the air, even punctuated by sounds reminiscent of cold, snickering laughter.

“Swish!”

A fine layer of sweat rose on Lu Xin’s face.

It felt like something exceedingly sharp had skimmed right past his skin.

In the dark, Lu Xin felt that the moment had come.

He reached into his pocket and took out a cigarette, placing it between his lips, then retrieved his beloved ZIPPO lighter.

A pleased smile spread across his face as he embraced the darkness.

He then gently flicked the lighter’s wheel.

With a crisp ‘snap’, sparks flew and a small flame briefly illuminated the immediate area.

“Crackle, crackle…”

The sudden flame stirred up quite a commotion.

In that cramped space, even the faintest draft that couldn’t extinguish a lighter’s flame began to howl.

Thanks to the light, Lu Xin’s eyes caught a myriad of cold, eerie gazes—dense as steel needles pricking the space, every one belonging to a creature roused by the firelight. They darted frantically along the walls, ceiling, and floor like enraged, deranged bees.

……

……

“What in the world is this?”

Using the flame’s glow, Lu Xin examined the scene with keen curiosity.

They were snake-like monsters, each about forty to fifty centimeters long.

They sported black scales and human-like heads, though the heads were tiny—roughly the size of a fist.

Their bodies resembled spines—a head attached to a long, segmented spine with sharp, hooked joints, as flexible as a snake. Both the vertebrae and the tail had these deadly hooks.

It was these hooks that allowed them to scale walls and even the bathroom ceiling.

Under the faint light, they widened their milky eyes at him, silently hissing while exposing slick, dark mouths.

It was a nightmarish sight.

Staring at the surreal scene, Lu Xin’s expression turned grave as he murmured to himself:

“This is terrifying…”

As he spoke, an uncontrollable grin slowly spread across his face.

“?”

The cluster of little monsters around him also wore expressions of sheer astonishment.

They stared wide-eyed at Lu Xin—leaning against the wall, cigarette in mouth, lighter in hand.

The firelight illuminated his face, revealing a smug smile.

And in his eyes lay a bottomless depth of disdain and chilling indifference.

Gradually, the ferocity and coldness on the little monsters’ faces began to wane…

Their expressions grew oddly timid as wary glances slid over them, and they slowly began to back away.

Crash.

One of the closest to the door could no longer hold back and bolted from the bathroom in a mad dash.

“Hee-hee…”

Just then, a joyful laugh erupted right at the bathroom doorway.

“Swish, swish!”

Countless human-headed serpents whipped their heads around, their spines clattering, only to realize that a little girl had appeared at the entrance.

Dangled upside down at the doorway, her black hair cascading down, the dirty little girl wore an expression of pure excitement, her smile nearly stretching from ear to ear, revealing a row of exaggeratedly sharp teeth. With her tiny hands stretched out, she fiercely squeezed a plastic toy she was holding.

“Ahhh…”

A blood-curdling shriek made all the human-headed serpents shudder.

The little girl, eyes glittering with excitement and greed, looked at them and excitedly called out to Lu Xin, “Brother, can I have a go?”

Lu Xin slowly lit his cigarette and then snapped the lighter closed, its heat now evident.

In the final moment before the light vanished, he nodded with a smile.

……

“Chatter, chatter…”

The moment the flame died down, a cacophony erupted throughout the bathroom.

It was a medley of screams, the rasping of scales, and the scratching of claws against the walls—a clamor that invaded his very mind, blanking it out in an instant.

“Hee-hee-hee…”

Amidst the clamor mixed in were the excited giggles of his Sister and the sound of bones being torn.

A chaotic gust of wind surged by, as if countless sharp daggers were slashing right against one’s cheek.

Bang, bang, bang!

The sound of the bathroom’s wooden door being flung open, intermingled with the crash of shattered tiles, the terrified shrieks of monsters, near-crying tones, and the spray of liquid on the walls echoed around.

All these clashing sounds created an atmosphere that sent shivers down one’s spine—as if trapped in a scene from hell.

It was perversely satisfying…

……

In the midst of the chaos, Lu Xin quietly puffed on his cigarette, patiently waiting.

As the surrounding noise gradually diminished, right when it seemed about to vanish, he finished his cigarette.

Only then did he open the lighter once more and gently flick its wheel.

At that very moment, his Sister’s excited little face appeared right in front of him, nearly brushing his nose, those wide, white eyes swaying in front of him, and her falling hair tickled his chin, making him itch.

Shoving away his coddling Sister, Lu Xin glanced outside to see that the bathroom had descended into chaos.

Everywhere lay the shattered remains of the little monsters and spattered liquid, with torn-apart heads and vacant stares.

He wondered how in such a short time his Sister had managed to do this.

It looked like a scene straight out of a meat grinder.

“You didn’t leave anyone alive, did you?”

A sudden worry made Lu Xin turn to look at his Sister.

“Hmph, I’m not as careless as you…”

His Sister pouted unhappily and affectionately grabbed a little monster from behind.

She held the little monster by its neck; its face wore an expression of sheer terror but remained intact, although most of its black scales had been stripped away to reveal pink muscle, its body limply entwined in her grasp.

“That’s a relief.”

Lu Xin gave his Sister an apologetic smile before taking the lighter and slowly edging toward the little monster.

The creature’s body tensed instantly.

Crimson liquid, as red as blood, began to slowly trickle from its eyes.

“Don’t cry…”

Lu Xin looked at the trembling little monster and gently coaxed,

“Why are you here?”

“Where are the people who went in for the meeting in this building?”

“…”

Smiling broadly, he squinted and said, “Tell me everything, and I’ll let you be your Sister’s toy…”

“Isn’t that so?”