The man's tone no longer held mockery, and his eyes shot out a golden, dangerous gleam.
His fingers trembled, but he still pressed them firmly against the trigger.
He was about to take down this son of a bitch!
But at that moment...
The armor on the skeletal giant began to peel away piece by piece. The man, still furious, froze when he saw that beneath the bones was a young boy.
His expression shifted from anger to shock.
"Damn it, what the hell are you?"
"..."
The armor covering Jiang Huai completely fell off, revealing his human form.
In that instant, as the battle armor lifted, a wave of exhaustion surged into his body.
His legs wobbled, and he slowly collapsed to the ground.
The man glared at the mysterious boy, his voice cold: "I don't care what you are. Just answer me one thing—did you kill this girl?"
When he saw Lu Wanyin for the first time, he already knew she was no longer alive.
So, for him, this ghostly thing in front of him would either be killed in his anger, or it would explain everything before he killed it.
Jiang Huai slowly raised his head and met the man's gaze with weary eyes, softly asking, "... Who are you?"
The man's anger flared again. He grabbed Jiang Huai by the collar and gritted his teeth, "I'm asking you a question. If you don't answer me right now, I'll blow your head off with one shot!"
Jiang Huai turned to look at Lu Wanyin. His head ached, and he still remembered everything that had happened, but what he couldn't understand most was his final action.
He had placed his core inside Lu Wanyin's shattered heart.
"She... didn't die." Jiang Huai said, his tone carrying an unbelieving hesitation.
"What did you say?"
The man tightened his grip on Jiang Huai's collar, adding force that made it hard for Jiang Huai to breathe.
"I don't know how to explain it, but... she's still alive."
Jiang Huai struggled to speak.
"She doesn't have a heartbeat!"
But just as the man said this, his gaze suddenly caught something, and he heard something.
He saw that the girl's chest was slightly rising and falling.
He heard the heart that had already stopped was now slowly beginning to beat again.
"What did you do to her?!" The man's voice held both excitement and anger.
Jiang Huai could no longer hold on. He felt like he was stuck in a quagmire, and every movement dragged him further down.
Finally, he raised his head and glanced at the man.
"... I won't let her die."
Then, Jiang Huai slowly collapsed into the man's arms.
The cold moonlight bathed both Lu Wanyin and Jiang Huai's pale faces.
The man noticed that their breaths were now in perfect sync, their heartbeats echoing in harmony.
A terrifying thought crossed his mind.
Is my little disciple still human?
...
A sound of clinking chains struck at Jiang Huai's heartstrings, forcing him to open his eyes.
Jiang Huai found himself back in that office.
Click—
At that moment, a faint sound of a lock turning caught Jiang Huai's attention.
He slowly turned to look at the door.
He heard a creak.
The old wooden office door slowly opened.
The door had finally been unlocked.
He swallowed nervously and stepped toward the door, cautiously peering outside.
Jiang Huai discovered that the area outside was brightly lit, with no trace of any horror.
It appeared to be some kind of office space.
Numerous desks were arranged in rows, but there were no files on them.
Jiang Huai walked out of the door, the sound of the ceiling fan still buzzing above, and there was nothing else but silence.
He walked past the desks, trying not to touch anything, and when he arrived at another door, his heartbeat quickened. It felt like what was behind this door would be completely different from what he had just left behind.
Above the door, large words read: [Prison Area - No Entry Without Permission].
He thought the door might be as difficult to open as the office door, but when he reached out to push it, the heavy iron door opened easily.
Sure enough.
Behind it was a vast darkness, the air heavy and damp, carrying the smell of decay, as if every breath drew in the dust of history.
The eerie darkness felt tangible, wrapping around every inch of space, making Jiang Huai feel a sense of suffocation.
He took a step forward, entering the dark void.
But the darkness didn't last long.
With each step Jiang Huai took, the candles lining the path seemed to be awakened by some mysterious force, lighting up one by one.
The eerie blue flames danced in the darkness, casting a strange, alluring glow.
These flames were not warm; rather, they carried a bone-chilling coldness. They illuminated the path ahead, but also revealed the water droplets on the surrounding walls, which glistened with a cold, dim light.
Clank—Clank—
The sound of chains again echoed in the distance.
Jiang Huai followed the sound, gradually quickening his pace.
One giant prison after another flashed by him.
He could sense that something beyond his understanding was locked inside each of these cells.
And those things were all watching him with curious eyes.
For a moment, Jiang Huai couldn't tell who the true prisoner was—the ones in the cells, or himself.
Was this prison meant for them, or for him?
He stopped in front of a cell, only to find that the door was locked with a heavy chain. Then, a deep, heavy breath echoed from within the darkness of the cell.
Clank—
At that moment, the sound of chains rattled again, as though calling out to Jiang Huai.
He could only ignore the gazes piercing him from all sides and quicken his pace, following the sound of the chains.
Soon, he reached the end of the dark, gloomy corridor, where a massive, blood-red iron door stood. The paint on the door was chipped and continuously dripped with a thick, blood-like substance.
As Jiang Huai drew closer, a sharp, pungent smell of blood filled his nostrils.
Logically, there shouldn't be any sense of smell or taste in a dream.
So, if this wasn't his dream, where had he ended up during his sleep all these years?
Quickly, Jiang Huai noticed a plaque next to the door.
[Inmate: Bai Hai]
[Level: Abyss]
[Sentence: Indefinite]
[Evolution Method: Devouring Cores]
[Compliance: Bai Hai is a special beast form. He will not submit to anyone. If you wish to gain his approval, let him devour more cores.]
Jiang Huai slowly reached out towards the prison gate. The moment his hand touched the viscous liquid, he felt a power calling out to him.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he pushed with all his might.
With a creaking sound, the iron door slowly opened, revealing the darkness within.
A musty, stale air rushed out, carrying a suffocating pressure.
As Jiang Huai's vision adjusted to the darkness, he saw the figure in the cell.
In the corner of the room, a creature covered in bones stood silently. It was about three meters tall, and its bones jutted out from beneath its skin, creating a gruesome sight.
At that moment, the skeletal giant slowly turned its head, and its eyes behind the bone armor suddenly flickered with an eerie blue flame.
Jiang Huai took a deep breath, and his internal organs seemed to tremble.
Just then, the sound of a counter began ticking from behind him.
Jiang Huai turned around and saw a massive electronic screen appear in the previously dark space. The numbers displayed on it were:
8760:00:00
A year?
What did this represent?
Then, a piece of white paper slowly floated down from above and landed in Jiang Huai's hand.
As soon as he touched the paper, countless words flew from all directions, filling the sheet.
[Dear Stranger, hello. By the time you read this letter, I believe you already understand your uniqueness.]
Jiang Huai noticed that the words on the paper were written in a graceful, fluid hand, likely by a woman.
[I'm sorry I couldn't greet you personally. There has been an issue in this prison. As you can see, the original inmates all escaped during a riot.]
[Now, only Inmate No. 001 is still obediently staying in their cell. Although it's inappropriate to say this, I hope Bai Hai becomes the gift we present to you.]
[I must inform you that once you enter this prison, there is no turning back.]
[You must undergo the trial and become the new warden, retrieve the stolen soul devices, and bring back the escaped inmates.]
[You must be someone extraordinary. I hope you are the one Bai Hai has been waiting for. Apologies again, dear warden. I hope you enjoy this prison.]
[When you finish reading this letter, the doomsday countdown will begin. Good luck, dear warden.]
The moment Jiang Huai finished reading the last sentence, a series of beeping sounds echoed from above.
He looked up to see the numbers on the electronic screen begin to tick down:
8759:58:32
Indeed... it was a year-long countdown.
Jiang Huai felt as though the numbers were being engraved on his soul, each tick leaving an indelible mark.
A sharp pain spread in his chest...
Then, a girl's sobs echoed in his mind.
The sound seemed to tug at his thoughts, forcing him to awaken from the dream.
When Jiang Huai opened his eyes, he saw a shabby, unfamiliar ceiling above him. Beneath him was a hard wooden bed, and the smell of instant noodles wafted into his nose.
He struggled to sit up and realized he was in a small, old single room.
Though the room was rundown, it was spotless.
The most valuable item in the room appeared to be an old television; otherwise, the space was bare.
At that moment, Jiang Huai noticed something.
There seemed to be a person lying by his bed.
When he saw who it was, he froze for a moment, his heart racing.
"Lu... Lu Wanyin?"
It seemed that hearing his voice, the girl immediately lifted her head. There were still traces of tears in her eyes, but her dim gaze quickly regained its shine.
She quickly wiped her eyes and tried to keep her voice steady.
"You're awake. Are you feeling okay?"
Before Jiang Huai could answer, she continued, "It was my fault last night. I didn't protect you in front of that beast, and instead, you got hurt trying to help me. I'm really sorry. Do you feel..."
She stopped mid-sentence because Jiang Huai suddenly pulled her into an embrace.
"Thank goodness."
Jiang Huai's voice trembled as he said, "You're okay..."
Lu Wanyin froze, then hesitated before slowly raising her hand to gently return the embrace.
"Mm, thank you for protecting me."
After a long moment, Jiang Huai realized something felt off. He slowly released Lu Wanyin and noticed that she was blushing.
This shouldn't be, he thought. Wasn't this little devil always teasing him before?
"Jiang Huai, I want to ask you something."
Lu Wanyin looked at him seriously.
"Did I... die once last night?"
Jiang Huai didn't know how to answer. Last night's events were too bizarre, and he still hadn't figured out exactly what happened.
Just then, the sound of a door unlocking came from the entrance, and the man wearing a cowboy hat walked in.
"Well, well, you're awake? You heal fast."
The man was holding a brown paper bag, and with his other hand, he carried a plastic bag containing three cups of soy milk.
"Get up and eat breakfast now that you're awake." The man walked over and saw Lu Wanyin kneeling next to Jiang Huai's bed. He couldn't help but snort. "Come on, he's not dead. Was it really necessary to guard his bed all night?"
"This is my task." Lu Wanyin turned to face the man and said flatly, "24-hour monitoring, so I have to stay with him."
"Ha? Changing sides already?! Ugh! Girls can't be kept around forever!"
The man placed the soy milk and fried dough sticks on the table and then grabbed a bowl of instant noodles.
Jiang Huai realized the instant noodle smell came from here.
Lu Wanyin stuck out her tongue at the man and made a face.
"Can I ask something?"
Jiang Huai found an opportunity to interrupt. "Where am I right now?"
"My house."
Lu Wanyin answered without hesitation.
Jiang Huai was stunned for a moment, struggling to reconcile this shabby little room with the glamorous girl he knew from school.
But he quickly nodded. "Is he your master?"
"Mm, he's my master, Yue Qinshan. He's a five-star awakened from the organization. Very powerful."
"Dead girl, you almost exposed my ID."
The man complained while eating noodles.
Seeing the man gulping down his noodles, Jiang Huai suddenly felt a cramp in his stomach.
Then, a growling sound came from his abdomen.
"Go eat breakfast first."
Lu Wanyin told Jiang Huai. She had originally planned to help him to the table, but Jiang Huai insisted he was fine now.
Yue Qinshan glanced at Jiang Huai and then pushed the brown paper bag in front of them.
"Thanks, Yue... Master."
He didn't respond to Jiang Huai and continued eating noodles.
At this moment, Lu Wanyin recalled their earlier conversation.
"Old Yue, did I really die once last night? If I did, how did I come back?"
"You little brat, what nonsense are you saying?"
Yue Qinshan glared at Lu Wanyin. "If you were dead, what's sitting here eating with me now? A female ghost?"
Lu Wanyin rolled her eyes at Yue Qinshan before looking at Jiang Huai.
"I remember clearly being killed by that beast last night. Why do I have no injuries at all now?"
Jiang Huai almost choked on his fried dough stick at Lu Wanyin's question.
He quickly glanced at Yue Qinshan, who was glaring back at him as if warning him: "If you say anything, I'll shoot you right here."
Jiang Huai had never realized how expressive eyes could be.
It seemed Lu Wanyin realized the two weren't going to tell her anything. She frowned and then gently touched her chest.
Her heartbeat was still steady, no abnormalities.
Everything that happened last night felt like a dream.
"Master Yue, thank you for taking me back to your house last night."
Jiang Huai quickly changed the subject and looked at Yue Qinshan.
"I don't even know where your house is. I was going to leave you there, but you're still under surveillance. If anything happens, my little apprentice won't get her bonus."
Hearing Yue Qinshan's words, Jiang Huai smiled.
Lu Wanyin also gave up trying to get answers from them for now. She wasn't the type to cling to things.
Besides, she really had no problems. When the time was right, she would surely find out everything.
In some ways, she was very calm.
"Little Lu."
Yue Qinshan suddenly took a red bean bun from the brown paper bag and said to Lu Wanyin.
"Go buy me some cigarettes."
He threw a twenty yuan note on the table.
"I'm not going. I have 24-hour monitoring."
"Go when I tell you. I'm your guardian, I have the right to take over your task."
"..."
Lu Wanyin gave a silent protest with her eyes, but Yue Qinshan pulled out another twenty yuan.
"Here's a tip. Go quickly."
"But this mission was specifically assigned by the higher-ups..."
Yue Qinshan took out his phone and dialed a number. "Hey, Old Du, yeah, I just wanted to tell you that the mission you gave my little apprentice is too..."
"I'll go already...!"
Lu Wanyin angrily grabbed the money, stood up, and didn't forget to grab a red bean bun to nibble on as she walked out.
"Ai! Ah, I mean, I think the bonus for the mission you assigned my apprentice is a bit too low, haha, no harm, alright, bye!"
Seeing Lu Wanyin stomping to the door and putting on her shoes, Jiang Huai couldn't help but laugh.
These two really seemed more like father and daughter.