“How I miss what I once had, but have now lost.”
“How I miss that rainy day when you said you loved me, and I was so filled with joy and happiness that I couldn't sleep until dawn.”
Clo wrote these words in her notebook. At this moment, the air was filled with the clamor of voices, but she was surrounded by a faint blue light that isolated her from the world's noise. She sat there, a hint of sorrow in her eyes.
She closed her notebook, waiting for the solemn recitation to end, waiting for the decoration of the victors. Now, everything from the past had been stripped away, leaving only a lingering present and future—or perhaps, a new past.
But at least she was still here, and that was enough.
Clo thought this as her mind gradually drifted far away.
...
Inside the silent prison, anxiety and worry kept Aestherin awake for most of the night. She recalled the events Lane had recounted, feeling a faint sense that the daylight had passed and the night was coming.
She thought fearfully about the details: the blood demon experiments, the diversion of heat sources regardless of the residents' lives... all of it was real. Yet the perpetrators were high-level beings beyond the reach of the law, let alone trial.
As for evil meeting its just reward, that felt like a child’s naive and childish fantasy—beautiful, simple, and utterly impractical.
Li Yue, meanwhile, was still sleeping peacefully. As for nightmares, she had grown somewhat accustomed to them; it was what it was. Besides, the people she killed usually had the same mindset before death, and it was starting to make her feel a bit weary.
No matter how terrible or anxious the previous day had been, the next day would still arrive. Because there would always be someone hoping for tomorrow, the future would come regardless of how much pain and despair lay in the past.
The next day, news of the heat source explosion in the Outer Ring had already spread like wildfire. Some rumored that monsters had been found in the factory, others claimed it was arson by terrorists, while the Yakutsk police were still investigating.
When she walked into the breakroom, Lane had already prepared breakfast. He and Aestherin were gnawing on bread, and the plate beside them was empty. It seemed Melina had finished her breakfast early, likely returning to her room to write music.
“Did you have any contact with those masked people in black yesterday?” Lane swallowed a piece of dry bread, washing it down with hot water. He hadn't used any jam or butter and seemed to have little appetite.
“Blood demons. Their skeletons were replaced with metal, and the blood crystals at their hearts were replaced with heat sources.” Li Yue sat down across from them, speared a piece of slightly charred bacon with a fork, chewed it twice, and swallowed.
“In the heat energy report I got, a portion of the heat was used to produce those things.” Lane frowned. “A large part of it also seems to have been used to build some kind of machinery, though I only know one name so far.”
“Life Technology... I remember that technology was banned when it was first proposed.” Aestherin’s hair was messy, and she looked like she hadn't slept well.
“They captured blood demons and then created those things that, once activated, attack every living thing in sight.”
“Not entirely.” Li Yue waved her fork. “Those blood demons weren't born that way. They were ordinary people turned into blood demons. And judging by their muscle mass, they were probably skin and bones before they died. If a person is obese, their body expands violently during blood demonization.”
“Turned from ordinary people? No blood demons have appeared in Yakutsk for a long time. How could there be post-infection blood demons?”
“The transformation is quite simple. Does your book only say that a blood demon bite will assimilate someone?” Li Yue looked at Lane with a hint of a tease, playfully baring her sharp fangs. The sight made the two across from her feel their scalps go numb.
“It rarely happens like that. Very few people are just bitten once; most are simply torn to shreds by the teeth.” As Li Yue spoke, her teeth tore off a large piece of hard, air-dried smoked meat. Aestherin felt so lightheaded her vision blurred.
“Most are contaminated. For example, accidentally consuming a certain amount of blood demon blood—calculated based on the blood demon's strength—or being contaminated by blood demon items, like unpurified blood crystals.”
“Last night’s Blood Moon could do it too.”
Speaking of blood crystals, Aestherin took a serious look at the blood crystal on Li Yue’s chest for the first time. She had always thought it was a necklace; she never paid much attention to gems. Now she noticed that the blood crystal seemed embedded in the girl’s skin and flesh, so vividly red.
Aestherin fell silent for a moment, seemingly unsure how to continue the conversation. She felt an inexplicable fear. If she had seen the bloody faces beneath those masks last night, she would likely be pale with terror right now.
“Miss, then you are...”
Li Yue did not answer. She herself didn't know what she was. She wasn't a blood demon, but she didn't seem to be human either.
“A vassal of sorts...” Lane stroked his beard and thought. “A vassal of a blood demon lord, perhaps. They can likely absorb a God's legacy.”
“Have you met anyone like me before?” Li Yue asked curiously.
“I have. Most were enemies, but none had a God's legacy.” Lane smiled. “This is the first time I've fought alongside one.”
“Thank you.”
The three continued their breakfast, and the atmosphere grew slightly less heavy, perhaps because the meal was decent. The silence and peace lasted for a short while.
Ding! Aestherin seemed to sense something. She felt an inexplicable fear, or rather, a sense of trepidation, like a child who had done something wrong and was about to be caught.
“A visitor?” Lane frowned.
Aestherin nodded. Lane stood up with her. Li Yue intended to follow, but Lane stopped her.
They went to the main gate. Police officers in inspector uniforms and black fur coats stood at the entrance. The leader had his hands behind his back and looked very serious.
“Hello, I am Catlan, Captain of the Seventh Squad of the Special Action Inspectorate.” The man, whose face was hidden behind a mask, shook hands with Lane. In that moment of contact, Catlan felt a strange hint of pressure.
“I presume you've heard something about last night's events. We estimate the perpetrator is still in the Outer Ring area. The Inner Ring city has been cut off from the outside world; all connections have been severed except for necessary contact.”
“Miss Aestherin, the head of the family hopes you can return home during this special period.” A group of officers stood in the wind and snow, looking solemn and disciplined. They were all magic users and appeared well-trained.
“We suspect the perpetrator is lurking nearby. We hope you will complete your personnel reports daily,” Catlan said to Lane.
“The perpetrator's abilities seem related to cutting and slashing, similar to a case from a long time ago. We suspect it is the same person. Please be careful.”
“Thank you for your concern, sir.” Lane offered a cigarette, but the man raised a hand to his chest to decline.
Catlan adjusted his hat, feeling a strange palpitations standing there. He glanced into the darkness behind Lane and Aestherin inside the door, then withdrew his gaze, gave a military salute, and withdrew.
“He is one of the members of our family's guard...” Aestherin sighed, closing the gate with Lane. They turned around and saw a pair of eyes glowing with a blood-red light in the darkness.
Li Yue was leaning nearby, having been watching everyone coldly.
“Was he right?” Aestherin asked.
“The magic part was wrong, but the one who rescued the fallen girl and killed all the underground club organizers was me,” Li Yue said flatly.
“You did so much, yet you didn't leave a single clue.”
“I did, and then I killed everyone who noticed them and everyone associated with them.”
“How decisive.” Lane gave a self-deprecating smile. “I’m always indecisive, unable to cut ties when needed, and I occasionally get bogged down by it. Perhaps that’s my flaw.”
The three walked back. Inside the mailbox outside the door, a gold-stamped invitation was lying. Aestherin would take it out at noon that day, and shortly after, a second invitation would arrive as scheduled...
Rate on N.U.
