CH 14

3:36 am.

The once bustling streets of Huacheng quieted down, but of course, there would always be a lively corner made for the people who partied into the night.

The building was shaped like a polyhedron, with neon lights that shot into the night sky. On the building was a plaque that was engraved with [The Underground World].

This is the only nightclub in Huacheng that opens at midnight.

The sea-blue tiling on the floor met with the distorted glass walls as if one were travelling through space and time. Down the corridor was a set of curtains, where flashes of confusing lights shone behind them, and the smell of tobacco, alcohol, and perfume permeated the air.

Bai Kai was wearing a white suit and a cherry-coloured shirt, sitting on one of the club’s booths. The strong EDM blared in his ears as he watched the dancers swaying their limbs freely under the psychedelic lights on the dance floor. He was like a falcon, ready to pounce on his next target.

Suddenly, his cell phone rang. He took out his cell phone and smiled upon seeing that his godson was calling. He got up from his seat, found a quiet corner, and answered.

“Hello? Yibei? I-ah! I’m… doing escort work now! Let me guess, do you want in on the fun too? There’s everything here, men, women, and…”

“I’m going to die. D-door… monster… outside my window…”

Bai Kai’s playful face froze instantly.

“W-what? What about the statue I gave you?”

“…”

“Sh*t,” Bai Kai gritted his teeth. “No matter what, stay by the statue.”

Nobody answered him, and Bai Kai got up. He found his eyes being forcefully drawn to the centre of the dance floor: a blonde girl with a graceful figure and strangely deep eyebrows. She danced and swayed her hips slightly, charming everyone to focus on her and her alone.

“Damn,” Bai Kai smirked and whispered to himself. “Keep yourself for me. I’ll make you feel better when I come back.”

As if she could hear him, she turned her head and smiled.

He nodded and darted out of the nightclub. While speed-walking on the deserted street, his footsteps became strangely fast, and white lines appeared on his cheeks and arms. His suit fluttered in the strong wind, and his leather shoes started to emit sparks against the ground.

The next moment, Bai Kai’s figure changed completely, leaving white afterimages wherever he went.

At the crossroads

The traffic police who set up a speed trap were falling asleep. The meter sounded an alarm, but they could see nothing,

“What the hell was that?”

“Don’t know. Probably technical issues.”

“Wait, look at the camera recording.”

A man who was dressed like a cowboy was running at a speed of more than 73.2 km/h in the dimly lit streets of Huacheng.

“Did… something just run past us?”

Both police officers felt cold sweat dripping down their backs.

Huacheng Folk Culture Research Administration

In the quiet office labelled with a roman five, Jiangli flipped through more case files.

Outside the window, a breeze blew. The wind caressed the wind chimes by the window, but there was no sound at all.

Ring!

This time, the wind chimes sang their tune despite the lack of wind.

The crisp clanging of the wind chime was strangely eerie, evoking fear in the hearts of ordinary people.

Jiangli swiftly turned her head around and narrowed her eyes.

“That was quick,” she muttered.

The spell that Hua, her maid, cast on the kid worked, which means that Mr Rabbit must be close to the boy.

Thinking about it, Jiangli dialled her maid.

However, nobody answered, and she furrowed her eyebrows. She sighed as she picked up her walking stick and walked out of the Night Division.

‘I have to do everything on my own,’ Jiangli complained to herself.

She wonders why Hua seems to have disappeared, despite being tasked to watch Yibei at all times. However, she was the one who suggested Yibei be the bait, so there was no way she could let him get hurt.

She limped forward step by step along the bluestone road, washed by the rain. Every step was difficult, but with each step, she traversed through streets and streets and streets, and…

She disappeared into a cloud of mist.

Cling!

The wind blew into his apartment unit, and one could vaguely make out a rabbit mascot attempting to squeeze its body into the open window.

In his panic, he dropped his phone as it rolled underneath the bed. The call hadn’t been cut off yet, but he could hear Shui’s anxious voice coming from the receiver in the silence.

“statue…”

‘The statue?’ Yibei was stunned. Why would Shui believe in a statue?

Although he found it unbelievable, his current predicament was even more unbelievable. He threw himself on the bed and clung to Acala, the Immovable, tightly.

Tap… tap…

He hugged the statue tighter.

“I’m in. Hehehe…”

Hearing the laughter, his head buzzed. He shut his eyes tightly, and his eyes started to burn. He opened his eyes and couldn’t tell if he was dreaming or awake. The black, dark lines of his room seemed to distort and dance in his vision.

His body seemed to enter a strange state; the darkness in his room disappeared, but colours seemed inverted. Red was emerald green; blue was orange; yellow was indigo…

His surroundings brightened instantly, and he could see through the walls of his house. He saw countless strange shadows that crept into all corners of his house.

Eyeball-like beads huddled motionless in the corner of the ceiling; wigs are sewn together, shivering underneath the sofa; a tattered, white nightgown cowering behind the bathroom mirror; a tall figure in a black coat creeping through the corridors of his apartment, dragging a bloody crowbar in his hands…

Tap, tap, tap…

His footsteps echoed in the living room, and Yibei could hear him munching intermittently.

Mr Rabbit seemed to stop for a few seconds before the tell-tale creaking of the stairs started to sound. He seemed hesitant about his steps as if trying not to make any noise.

Creak… creak…

‘what?’

With his enhanced vision, he could see the face of an ordinary man underneath the rabbit’s helmet.

‘Is this… actually Mr Rabbit?’

Lu Yibei tried taking a closer look, but his enhanced vision began to flicker before he was shrouded in darkness once again.

Creak… creak…

Mr Rabbit was getting closer, and Yibei grew more and more anxious.

‘I can’t just stay here forever. I… I need to do something.’

In the darkness, his bloodshot eyes shone upon Acala, the Immovable. He carried the statue on his shoulders and stood up fearlessly.

‘It’s either I die, or you die.’

Hearing the footsteps clamber around in the room near him, Mr Rabbit couldn’t help but feel excited.

He could hear a door creaking open and frantic footsteps approaching the stairwell.

The rain fell again at some point. Lightning flashed violently, illuminating Yibei’s figure by the stairwell.

His dark brown hair was a mess, and his face was expressionless. His bloodshot eyes shone gently in the dark, and he was hauling a strangely large… thing on his shoulder.

Mr Rabbit was obviously stunned to see his victim before him, and he paused on the stairwell.

And he subconsciously took a step back.

The lightning flashed once again, and the boy was nowhere to be seen.

Mr Rabbit’s vision darted around the darkness surrounding him. Something roared in the darkness, and he fell down the stairs. The last thing he saw was the fabled Acala, the Immovable, staring back at him.