60 A Night of Complaint II (1/2)

It was clear that the owner of this uncoordinated half-Japanese, half-Chinese looking mansion was an obstinate and persevering man, who had deep faith and worship in his own origin.

It was late at night, and the mansion was absolutely quiet, save for the slight breeze coming from afar.

”Mayor!”

A crying voice, together with an incessant knowing of the copper ring on the door, broke the silence.

”Who's causing such a ruckus!?” Another voice boomed from within the mansion almost instantly.

Above the layers of tree bark, flashing black figures could vaguely be seen. Weapons were aimed at the incoming guests.

”Your humble subordinate, Guo Er, is here!” the person banging the copper ring yelled. ”Something big has happened, Mayor!”

”The mayor does not receive guests at night! How dare you cause a disturbance at this time of the night?” the authoritative voice responded. ”Go back to Su Yinghua!”

”Master Su has been assassinated!”

A loud voice broke out, causing the stern voice from inside the mansion to stop. Upon digesting the news, the man inside the mansion could be heard shuffling, and after some time a voice broke out again. It was no longer heavy but sharp and metallic. ”What is it?”

”I don't understand either... there's an assassin, and even a letter was left alongside Master Su's dead body!” Guo Er reported a step away from the opened door, which cast light onto his face as he held a letter above his lowered head.

A dim light spread outward and past Guo Er and a few familiar-looking Rong bailiffs before shifting away. Some time later, a low voice could be heard.

The extremely thick door finally opened. The man's build was unlike most Rong men. His eyes were slightly brown and contained an ominous glint.

He raised his head and looked toward Sir Su's corpse lying on a straw mat on a wheelbarrow, asking in shock, ”Why did you drag the body here?”

”Sir,” Guo Er greeted, bending down. ”Sir Su lost his life nearby. He had detected abnormal activities among the Han citizens. He had been harmed on the way here before he could report it to you. We had no choice but to...”

Ah Shina crinkled his brows, repeating, ”Close by?” As if remembering something, he added, ”Let me look at the wound and maybe I'll know a little something about the killer.”

Guo Er handed the letter over, and a guard went forward to take it. ”Don't bring your dirty hands so close.” At that, he turned to pass it to Ah Shina, who then accepted it and walked toward the wheelbarrow. Sir Su's face seemed paler under the moonlight, his eyes rolled to the back. It was a cold and eerie sight.

Of course, Ah Shina wasn't afraid of dead bodies. He unhurriedly opened the letter, only to find that it was tightly sealed. He stared at Sir Su's body while subconsciously licking the seal and softening it.

By the time the letter was unveiled, he had reached the corpse.

He lifted the reed mat to cover Sir Su's face while briefly glancing at the thin sheet of paper in his hand.

It was soft, and the words on it were big, bold and cursive.

The moment he set his eyes properly onto the sheet of paper Ah Shina seemed to have realized something, instantly jolting backward.

It was too late, however.

A pair of bloodied, yet delicately-shaped hands shot out from Sir Su's chest area, piercing through it, and toward Ah Shina's throat.

Like lightning, the hands jerked in midair, and as Ah Shina attempted to dodge, he felt his chest tighten, and his legs weaken. At that moment the steeled hands had reached his throat and gripped his windpipe.

'This is it,' he thought. While it was just a pair of hands, the steady force between the fingers was solid as a rock, making it almost impossible for anyone to break free.

With a flick of the fingers, bits of flesh flew outward. Immediately after, Sir Su's corpse sat up. Under the cool moon the pale-white corpse, with a hole in its chest and a pair of hands sticking out from it and grabbing Ah Shina's neck, seemed to have jumped out from a horrifying and sinister painting.

Some witnesses had gone weak in the knees and dropped their lamps to the ground. Flames rose, but no one made any comments.

Amid the terror, bell-like laughter chimed–––