45 Nightmare (1/2)

Faint cries and screams emanated from within the heavy smoke.

Ye Qingxuan resisted the hallucinations, and forced himself to ignore the voices that were becoming clearer. He searched through the the smoke, crawling along the abandoned sewage system. Sometimes, he would open a door and find it empty. Sometimes, he would see the twisted faces of those in pain. He opened door after door, but he still could not find Bai Xi.

He pulled himself up the last step, and used the last of his strength to push open the door. He saw her sleeping face. ”You’re here,” he murmured.

She was still in a deep sleep, unable to sense all that had happened.

”It would be so nice if you’re always this quiet.” Ye Qingxuan pinched her cheeks. Only now did he see that she was actually a very cute girl. With delicate features, she was quiet, cute, and pretty, like a little doll.

He bent down to pick her up, but suddenly his expression changed, and he collapsed.

”You…you mutt,” said a hoarse voice.

A blade was held against his back. Ye Qingxuan froze. Behind him, the old woman with red eyes gripped the dagger. Her face was still twisted. ”Do you know what you did?!”

Kneeling on the ground, Ye Qingxuan reached behind him. His hand came away covered in blood. But looking into her red eyes, he was not scared anymore. He wanted to laugh.

”Didn’t you say that in life, there are always sudden misfortunes…” He repeated the old woman’s fake words staring deep into her. His eyes were decisive yet condescending. ”Sometimes, you just have to bear it.”

”You d*mned mutt!” Emma muttered angrily. But she bit her tongue, forcing herself to stay level headed. Thinking of her now insane underlings, her heart dripped blood. It had taken years to get a following of that size, and get a foothold downtown. But in one night, everything had been destroyed.

For the first time, she felt regret. She had gotten herself into this, but now she could not get out. She wanted to turn around and flee, but greed was still burning in her heart. There was so much money to be made! Enough to make someone go crazy.

She only needed to get the girl, and then she would never have to live in Avalon anymore. She could go to Burgundy, to the Corsica Islands, or sneak into the East and live a life of wealth.

Those Easterners had even promised to restore her youth, and heal the body ruined by illegal surgeries. Youth, returning to youth—it was an impossible dream. Impossible despite however much blood she injected into herself from young girls.

”Go die!” she screamed and tackled him.

Ye Qingxuan rolled on the ground. He felt his energy slowly leaving him.

The old woman who had seemed so pitiful and lonely finally revealed her true nature as a ferocious and ruthless woman who used others to feed and grow her monsters.

Ye Qingxuan never imagined her to be so fast. He used all his strength to roll on the floor, as the woman stabbed the position which Ye had barely managed to escape. In her hand, the light reflected off of the sharp blade. It was terrifying.

As the undeniable boss of downtown, she had not gotte there just by raising monsters. After all this time people had forgotten that she had elevated her status from a prostitute by using her dagger to get her way. Her technique had been perfected at the cost of many lives. Even if she was being attacked by hallucinations, she could still take care of Ye Qingxuan!

Her eyes were bloodshot as the fantasies have crept into her brain. She ceased the small talk and charged straight at Ye. She stabbed twice in a second—so fast one could not even react. Ye Qingxuan dodged, but he still bled from a new wound.

”Come on, mutt. Come!” Hariti’s steps were clumsy, but her eyes never left Ye Qingxuan. She charged again and in an instant, two wounds appeared on Ye Qingxuan’s arm. But the fatal blow aimed at his heart missed.

Behind her ear, her stringy hair blew crazily, revealing a hidden gill.

”A gill?” Ye Qingxuan gaped at the inhuman body part.

”What are you looking at?” Wildly, Hariti smoothed down her hair. She seemed to be furious, but her hallucinations were so joyous. She caressed the inhuman body part behind her ear. She cackled, the cold sound like singing wind.

”It’s the Siren Transformation…” she murmured, trying to remember. ”I exchanged thirty years of my life for this power. I have power, and you all have to die! They all died, killed by that white-haired creature. The white-haired creature died too.”

She continued muttering. When her gaze focused on the retreating Ye Qingxuan, she suddenly turned savage. ”You must die too! Everyone like that creature must die!”

The crazed women stepped onto him and plunged the dagger downwards!

Ye Qingxuan used the last of his strength to roll over and heard the muffled sound of the dagger stabbing the floor.

”Go die, go die, go die, die, die!” Emma screamed. She wrenched her arm back. The dagger that had been in the floor suddenly flew toward Ye Qingxuan!

The floorboard creaked, wood splinters flying in the air. The dagger cut a gaping hole in the floor, going straight towards Ye Qingxuan’s throat. She had really gone crazy. She was willing to do anything to kill him.

But the dagger that would have undoubtedly split his throat, and the floor in half suddenly stopped. It was gripped in Ye Qingxuan’s outstretched hand.

In a daze, Ye Qingxuan was still conscious enough to try to grasp her arm. He grabbed the blade instead. But even if it was the blade, he still had to hold on tight! So he held on for dear life.

The blade cut deeply into his palm, hitting the bone.

The debilitating pain spread. His burning hand shook, but Ye Qingxuan stared at Hariti’s twisted face. He suddenly asked, ”Are you scared?”

”You mutt…” Hariti’s breathing fastened. Saliva dripped from her twisted lips and she howled, ”I’m going to rip you to shreds!” She scratched at Ye Qingxuan’s face crazily, leaving behind bloody marks, but Ye Qingxuan’s body suddenly went stiff, as if he were frozen.

The trembling pupils gradually dilated.

Hariti stopped, suddenly laughing as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world! ”Haha! You’re dragged into it too!” She cackled, overjoyed. ”Your nightmare has started too!”

On the ground, Ye Qingxuan was still stiff. His body was curled into a ball, trembling as if dropped in icy water. The formless ghosts had dragged him into a nightmare.