Chapter 843: Chasing Shadows Through Chaos

In Soda City, the Administration Hall closed at 5:30 in the afternoon.

Turning his head, he saw a chaotic stream of people pouring out of the Administration Hall.

Lu Xin, Fourteen, and the others hurriedly strained their necks to search through the crowd—but all the cleaners, guards, and low-level temporary workers had left, and there was not a trace of Number Three.

Doubt lingered among them until, suddenly, a sharply dressed man stepped down from the steps.

Twisting a set of motorcycle keys in his hand and looking in high spirits, he drove off in a sports car parked by the roadside.

“Jiu Ge…”

The moment he saw the man, Fourteen grew excited and clutched Lu Xin’s wrist tightly.

However, Lu Xin, his Sister, and Little Nineteen—who had also leaned against the car window—wore expressions of perplexity.

The man was strikingly handsome, impeccably dressed, and his hair was outrageously stylish…

Just by his aura and the posture, it was clear he held an important position…

Yet, he looked nothing like the naked, wall-crouching Number Three Lu Xin remembered— the one who used to catch rats to eat.

“Jiu Ge, don’t you trust my eyes?”

Seeing Lu Xin’s hint of doubt, Fourteen excitedly tugged at his arm, his chubby face nearly trembling:

“Or do you reckon that once he dresses, you can’t recognize him?”

“…”

Noticing the earnestness in his expression, Lu Xin narrowed his eyes and studied the man intently.

After a long moment, the tension on his face gradually ebbed; his pupils contracted ever so slightly, and his expression took on a hint of terror.

After a while, he nodded and murmured, “So it really is him.”

Inside the vehicle, the atmosphere was oppressively tense. Lu Xin fell silent for a moment before softly sighing:

“He’s really not the same as before now that he’s wearing clothes…”

“…”

“…”

“Quick, catch up!”

Fourteen couldn’t help but urge, “He’s driving away.”

“Alright.”

Lu Xin rushed out of the Jeep and hopped onto his motorcycle.

At that moment, the sharply dressed man had already stooped into the sports car and gunned the engine, speeding off ahead.

Lu Xin twisted the throttle and gave chase—even though he was anxious, he kept his voice down, wary of attracting attention that might cause a scene if Number Three observed his reaction.

Riding alongside his Sister on the motorcycle, with Fourteen leading Little Nineteen on a follow-up, they quickly pursued.

But then an infuriating scene unfolded.

Number Three’s car was unbelievably fast…

It darted left and right along the smooth yet turbulent street, maneuvering with incredible agility as it weaved through traffic.

Even Fourteen’s Jeep wasn’t capable of outpacing that little car in the city.

Not even Lu Xin’s motorcycle could keep up with Number Three—the reason being, unbelievably…

…he ran a red light!

Trailing behind, Lu Xin furrowed his brows, muttering, What kind of behavior is this…

Fortunately, with his Sister’s help, the motorcycle’s nimbleness shone through.

Even after waiting through two red lights, they barely managed to close the gap on Number Three’s sports car.

After circling through four or five streets and venturing into a more secluded area, they finally spotted Number Three’s blue sports car slowing as it turned into a factory building marked by a rusted iron sign, located on the west side of First Satellite City.

Lu Xin promptly arrived at the building and looked up, momentarily taken aback.

“Nanshan Meat Factory?”

“…”

“…”

Number Three had driven from the Administration Hall all the way to this slaughterhouse?

Recalling the refined image he’d just seen of Number Three, a strange sense of contrast emerged.

Lu Xin paused briefly, then decided to follow him inside.

“Wait inside; don’t move. I’ll talk to him.”

He quickly cautioned his Sister, recalling how volatile Number Three’s temper had been during their time at the orphanage.

Leaving his motorcycle outside, Lu Xin approached the iron door of the meat factory. The security room was empty, yet on both sides of the building, surveillance cameras were focused on the area before the door, intermittently swiveling.

Lu Xin hesitated a moment before glancing up at the cameras.

With a sudden hum, a burst of intense mental power radiated from him.

The cameras’ red lights began to flicker erratically.

Lu Xin knew that as soon as the footage caught him, the images would inevitably go haywire.

Only then did he step forward confidently, his form blurring as he appeared behind the iron door.

Casually slipping his hands into his pockets, he proceeded toward the factory where Number Three had just entered.

The meat factory was eerily empty—apparently, the workers had all clocked out.

As Lu Xin advanced unimpeded, a strong stench of blood greeted him—a reeking odor so potent it seemed to flood his brain upon approach, triggering a visceral discomfort.

Frowning, he took a deep breath before slowly stepping through the half-open iron door.

Immediately upon entering, a shock-inducing scene unfolded before his eyes.

Rusty iron hooks dangled from above, suspending porks that had been gutted and left dismembered.

It resembled a grim forest of dead pigs.

Though dead pigs were common enough—even mundane—

seeing so many lifeless bodies hanging before him made his skin crawl.

The floor was slick with murky water streaked with traces of pig blood.

Lu Xin’s footsteps echoed silently as he navigated through the hanging carcasses.

He frowned, scanning the cluster of dead pigs, searching for any sign of Number Three.

An unsettling aura prevailed, compelling him to refrain from loudly calling out Number Three’s name.

Step by step, he made his way to the center of the macabre display, where every direction revealed pale dead pigs swaying in the silent breeze, as if they were turning to watch him.

Heh…

Suddenly, a chilling laugh cut through the silence.

“Hmm?”

Lu Xin paused, fixing his gaze.

To his astonishment, that cold laugh seemed to emanate from within a dead pig’s mouth.

The pig’s mouth, turned upside down and slightly split open, resembled a grim smile.

The sight sent a shiver down his spine.

Heh heh…

At that moment, as a sense of dread deepened, another laugh echoed.

This time, it was unmistakably coming from a dead pig’s mouth.

Not just one—the laugh seemed to trigger a chain reaction, like a wolf’s howl, as dead pigs around him began to emit cold, mocking chuckles.

One by one, the dead pigs released sinister laughs.

The rusty iron hooks on the ceiling creaked softly under the shifting weight.

Slowly, all the dead pigs turned their bodies to face Lu Xin.

Their chests split open in vivid red slashes, as if offering a gory embrace.

The dense, ghastly sight flooded Lu Xin’s mind in an overwhelming rush.

…

…

“Phew…”

Encircled by the dead pigs, Lu Xin exhaled deeply and said, “Number Three, cut it out.”

“Swish!”

The moment Lu Xin uttered his plea, the eerie laughter and strange sounds around him abruptly vanished.

The dead pigs remained, silently suspended from the ceiling, occasionally creaking as if by their own weight.

Lu Xin slowly glanced to the left.

Between seven or eight hanging dead pigs, he saw Number Three in a black suit standing behind a meat rack.

It was the very same handsome face he had seen earlier—meticulously groomed beard, neatly styled hair, both hands tucked into his pockets, and a calm expression that barely concealed a hint of madness in his deep eyes.

“Who brought you here?”

Half-hidden behind the rack, Number Three’s low voice asked, “Who brought you here?”

Lu Xin replied softly, “Fourteen.”

Looking up at Number Three, Lu Xin said, “I came to ask for your help…”

“Crash…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Number Three’s body suddenly split apart.

His skin tore as though it were a piece of cloth, splitting from side to side. As the chunks hit the ground, they twisted into grotesque, almost living shapes before turning pitch black.

Then, a skinny, withered monster burst forth from his disintegrating body.

It was like a golden cicada shedding its shell.

The creature moved with astonishing speed—darting to a nearby hanging dead pig, bouncing off it, and leaping back onto the ceiling in an instant.

Its spindly legs kicked off the ceiling forcefully, propelling it straight toward Lu Xin.

Its sharp, hooked ebony claws sliced fiercely toward Lu Xin’s face, like daggers.

“Buzz…”

A burst of piercing mental power radiated suddenly amid the row of dead pigs.

In that split second, even the gust generated by the creature’s claws threatened to tear Lu Xin’s cheek apart.

It was so swift that even his Sister, who had been alert on the ceiling, couldn’t react in time.

All she could do was widen her eyes in terror as she watched the creature pounce.

…

…

Lu Xin stood utterly still, hands tucked in his pockets, as the creature’s claw skimmed just in front of his face.

He made no effort to dodge or retaliate.

Yet, when the terrifyingly sharp claw reached mere inches from his face, it abruptly halted. In its withered, gaunt visage, a pair of dark, intense eyes flashed with caution and uncertainty before it swiftly recoiled.

“I’m here to ask for your help, Number Three.”

Lu Xin’s voice dropped as he addressed the contorted, twisting shadow clinging to the wall, “I need you to help me…”

“Help?”

The bizarre creature let out a low, chilling laugh as its slender, blood-red tongue licked its lips.

“Help with what?”

“…”

“Help deal with the Old Director.”

Lu Xin looked steadily at the creature on the wall and murmured, “And help us break free from his control.”

“Old Director?”

The creature on the wall suddenly emitted an eerie laugh.

It sprang off the wall, darted quickly, and plunged into the embrace of a hanging dead pig.

Slithering through a gash in the pig’s chest,

it watched as the pig’s body contorted and writhed in rapid, unsettling movements.

Like a scene from a nightmare, the raw red split on the pig’s chest swiftly sealed shut, as if a zipper were being drawn.

Then, miraculously, the pig’s four hooves elongated and transformed into human hands and feet.

The pig’s head continued to struggle—its ears shrank, its nose receded, and its mouth closed into a narrow slit.

An enormous pig head had morphed into the shape of a human face.

Seconds later, a hand reached upward, plucking itself from an iron hook before flipping over and landing on the ground.

Number Three had reverted to his previous, handsome self.

He stood barefoot with a lean, toned figure—even revealing a set of six-pack abs.

“Number Nine, killing me once isn’t enough; you expect me to risk my life with you again?”

Number Three lightly adjusted his hair, his eyes glinting with mocking sarcasm as he looked over.

“You noticed, didn’t you?”

“I’ve learned how to dress now—I’m not the monster I used to be…”

“Of course, and I won’t be as foolish as before.”