Evil As Humans

Chapter 218: The Mission Commences

Night fell over Haigu.

Shian C-level investigation teams, Special Task Force Unit 8, was heading towards the old city area of Shian. Their destination was the abandoned sewer system.

Dr. Lao Bin was initially resistant to this assignment, but now he was more excited than anyone else. After completing the two major tasks of “Investigation of Mysterious Blockage in the Residential Sewer” and “Investigation of Nocturnal Noises from Sewer Covers”, Dr. Lao Bin successfully discovered a new species of hallucinogenic mold from the sewer. His research paper was about to be published.

Fungal research was a wide-open field, and Dr. Lao Bin was ambitious, wishing he could live in the Shian sewer. He hoped to make more discoveries of new mold species. The previous hallucinogenic species even had medicinal value. Dr. Lao Bin could already envision a future where his own paper would be extensively cited.

“I haven’t seen Unit 9 much lately,” his partner Qin Lele said.

For the past six months, this corpse servant hadn’t received many benefits. But Qin Lele had a positive attitude, and with safe and uneventful tasks, he happily followed Dr. Lao Bin.

Dr. Lao Bin said, “Unit 9 has been promoted to B-level, so the missions they receive must be different from ours.”

But before that, it seemed that the missions assigned to Unit 9 were quite different from theirs. That team always encountered major events as if they were cursed. Qin Lele felt it was such a shame for a promising young researcher like Zhong Chengshuo. After being employed for so long, he hadn’t had time to write his paper and could only deal with all sorts of chaotic incidents every day.

“Yeah, my uncle said that Xiao Zhong was dead, but I saw him at the company the other day,” Qin Lele whispered. “As expected from a B-level. He’s really mysterious.”

“Right.”

Lao Bin had also seen them not long ago. Zhong Chengshuo and Yin Ren were walking hurriedly into the company, seemingly unharmed. Lao Bin wasn’t very interested in gossip about other people, so he changed the topic directly. “Hey, Lao Qin, do you also want to be promoted to B-level?”

Qin Lele quickly shook his head. “No, I just want to live a peaceful life. Eat supper when I want to eat supper, take a leave when I want to take a leave. Unit 9 has it tough; I hardly see them in the cafeteria.”

“Yeah.” Lao Bin got out of the car and stretched lazily.

The car stopped in front of “Sister Xu Spicy Hot Pot.” After exploring the sewer in the night, they estimated that nobody would have an appetite when they came out. Unit 8 was accustomed to filling their stomachs first.

On a regular day, “Sister Xu Spicy Hot Pot” would be bustling with activity.

Residents strolling nearby, couples going out at night, office workers grabbing a late-night snack after work, as well as drivers and workers passing by… People from all walks of life would crowd this warm little restaurant. With the temperature gradually dropping, business should have been even better for the spicy hot pot place.

However, at present, there was only one table occupied in the restaurant—a table with burly workers sitting in the corner, eating quietly. Warm light illuminated the place, and the aroma was still enticing, but the whole restaurant felt desolate.

“Ah, ever since it gets dark, not many people come anymore.” The owner, Xu Fang, sighed, having lost some weight.

With few customers, Xu Fang pulled up a chair and sat down next to Lao Bin. She opened a few cans of soda and handed them over to the two.

Qin Lele: “Where did all the people go?”

Xu Fang: “They’re afraid of trouble. Recently, there have been violent incidents and street fights happening everywhere. Once the sun sets, the elderly and weak no longer go out. It’s just tough for those of us doing business at night… Look, I even took out my tools.”

Lao Bin followed Xu Fang’s finger and saw that where the statue of the God of Wealth used to be, there was now a portrait of the renowned Grand Celestial Master Zhong Yi. Defense spirit weapons and liquor were placed together in the corner of the counter, suggesting they were prepared to deal with either evil creatures or people.

There was also a jewelry rack next to the cash register, displaying cute vegetable and fruit talismans that were clearly from the Ghost Market. A price tag hung above them, swinging lonely, showing “66 yuan/piece, 100 yuan for 2 pieces.”

“This place is still holding up, unlike the neighboring shops that have closed down in a row,” the satiated worker next to them interjected. “My friend had a business nearby and recently sold the shop, planning to focus on delivery services.”

“Delivery services are reliable?” His neighbor burped, then continued, “No… just the day before yesterday, someone poisoned the food in a delivery order, and several people died from it… They haven’t caught the person responsible yet, the shop was burned down, and the delivery person was disabled from the attack…”

After speaking, he drunkenly looked at the tall and robust Qin Lele; the guard in his eyes was evident.

Xu Jie could only force a bitter smile.

At that moment, a few delivery orders were ready in the kitchen, and Xu Jie placed them on a table near the door, keeping a vigilant eye.

Lao Bin’s initially cheerful mood became somewhat dim. The delicious taste in his mouth turned bitter, and his legs felt heavy. The image of people of all ages mingling and causing a ruckus in the restaurant also became blurry in his mind.

Another worker spoke up, “Well, why not believe in that swan arm thing? My aunt said that anyone who sees that thing won’t encounter any trouble. If nothing else, just go around them and soak up some positive energy. It’ll be safer to work at night.”

“Lao Song, you’re so superstitious.”

“It’s better to believe in its existence than to believe it doesn’t exist. Haven’t you heard people say that even if you don’t believe in ghosts and gods, you should still show some respect…”

The workers added a plate of crispy fried pork and quietly chatted while drinking beer.

Qin Lele was about to say something when he heard a gust of cold wind outside. He wiped the simple smile off his face and furrowed his brow. Xu Fang even walked up to the counter and casually placed her hand on a spoon-like spirit weapon.

Only Lao Bin was still happily slurping his spicy hot pot.

Two seconds later, Lao Bin almost choked to death from the spicy soup—

Outside the restaurant, a mass of flesh and blood squeezed in, resembling the head of a centipede. Countless bodies twisted and piled on top of each other, their eyes clouded and teeth black, yellow, and broken, with traces of blood on their mouths. The mass-like creature wriggled incessantly, with sticky mucus dripping onto the ground, emitting an unparalleled stench.

Suddenly, the surface of the corpse mass undulated twice, poking out several broken arms and legs, merging into a pair of flesh jaws. The flesh jaws chomped together, trailing strands of sticky mucus.

The whole mass of flesh was tightly blocking the entrance like a cork in a wine bottle, making it impossible to see more. Who knew how large it was behind the door frame.

An icy spike of malice instantly spread out, causing Lao Bin to shake his chopsticks, knocking the entire bowl, soup and all, onto the ground.

“W-What… What the hell is this thing?!” He had never seen so many dead people in his life!

“This thing has substance. Lead the people and leave!” Qin Lele shouted loudly. He bit his fingers, drawing blood, and immediately began performing a spell. Under the spell of a corpse servant, the mass of flesh momentarily paused for two seconds.

“Everyone, run! Run!” a woman’s voice exclaimed.

Xu Fang forcefully opened the back door and went to pull the table of workers. It was the first time they had seen something so demonic, so the workers collapsed one after another; one was even crying and kowtowing to that thing in a frenzy.

After being forcefully pulled by Xu Fang, the group of workers barely regained their senses and rushed toward the back door, leaving trails of urine and feces in their panic. Lao Bin was torn between running and staying put, anxiously pacing in place. “Lao Qin, you better run too!”

He could tell that Qin Lele’s abilities were limited, and the foul-smelling mass of flesh was gradually regaining movement. Qin Lele seemed to be propping up a collapsing wall, unsure whether to retreat or stay.

Qin Lele’s face turned red with strain. “I—”

“Run!” Xu Fang shouted. She threw all her protective talismans at once and then activated all her spirit weapons, throwing them indiscriminately at the mass of flesh.

The small objects exploded suddenly, stirring up a fierce wind. The flesh jaw was blown off half its face, and the centipede-like mass of flesh roared fiercely.

Seeing the disturbance caused to the mass of flesh, Qin Lele stiffly retreated. The members of Unit 8, along with Xu Fang, silently retreated to the back door and then escaped together.

Not long after the three of them left the spicy hot pot restaurant, they heard the sound of flesh being crushed and destroyed. Then, there was a loud explosion, and flames shot up into the sky as mud, sand, and hail rained down.

The cozy and lovely little shop was reduced to ashes. The hot pot kitchen had gas and open flames, and that thing must have come into contact with something it shouldn’t have.

Xu Jie’s face turned pale, and she instinctively took a few steps back. The shop had already been turned into ruins, with debris scattered everywhere. The portrait of the Great Celestial Master Zhong Yi, engulfed in flames, slowly floated down to her feet.

The mass of flesh resembling a centipede was nowhere to be found, disappearing just as suddenly as it had appeared.

“Ghost! Ghost!” The worker who drank the most pissed his pants and shouted at the top of his lungs. “There’s a ghost, a real ghost…!”

He called out incoherently, tears streaming down his scared face. There was also a strange expression of relaxation, as if all the recent chaos suddenly had a solution.

“May the Bodhisattva bless us. May the Buddha bless us. May the Jade Emperor bless us…” He prostrated himself on the ground, banging his forehead against the soil. “I’ll go back and burn incense, and make offerings… May the gods bless us…”

Not far away, the shrill sirens of fire trucks and police cars played a piercing melody, growing louder and closer.

Lao Bin stood near the flames, his mouth half open, with a sharp ringing in his ears. Other sounds became dull and heavy, as if separated by a layer of water.

They were known to seek refuge and not engage in dangerous missions. They shouldn’t have encountered something like this. How could it be like this?

Lao Bin had believed that Haigu was just going through a rough patch. As a young, chubby man who worked nine to five, he didn’t feel any sense of danger. He spent his time playing games, taking pictures, talking about love, and living his life as usual.

He even thought that the “Haigu Crisis” was exaggerated. With the development of the internet, people were more prone to exaggeration. It was possible that these things happened more frequently in the past, but they had only recently come to light.

At this moment, he truly realized that something had fundamentally changed.

There was a tangible evil in the city, and this evil was embodied in actual human corpses, all freshly dead, numbering at least a hundred.

This city was no longer safe.

Thinking about the newly purchased down payment for his wedding house and the life that had just started to stabilize, fear crawled up Lao Bin’s spine belatedly. He shivered in place, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and walked towards the pile of ruins.

“Bin Ge, what are you doing!” Qin Lele’s head was still bleeding from being hit by flying debris.

“I have to… I have to see it clearly.” Lao Bin returned absentmindedly; his face covered in sweat. “There is a tangible evil entity, and it must have an escape route. I… I must help Shian catch it. Otherwise, things will only get worse.”

Lao Bin’s gaze swept over the several workers sitting paralyzed on the ground, repeating his words as if in a dream.

“Things will only get worse if it goes on like this.”

……

The Other Side.

“No, it won’t work.” Meng Huai crossed her arms. “For this operation, we can’t bring those two people along.”

“Qi Xin’s attitude is ambiguous, but Yin Ren is a legitimate member of Shian. His abilities are very strong and taking him along adds an extra layer of insurance,” Lu Xiaohe explained earnestly.

But that was as far as she could explain.

Whether it was “Yin Ren is the legendary Great Celestial Master Zhong Yi” or “Yin Ren seems to be the cub of Fear from the Other Side”, there was no evidence to support either claim, and it would easily be dismissed as nonsense. Meng Huai already didn’t fully trust them, and speaking out would only complicate matters.

They didn’t even dare to disclose Qi Xin’s identity too clearly, only saying that she was a third-party consultant with some background from the Other Side.

Seeing Meng Huai unmoved, Lu Xiaohe looked to Zhong Chengshuo for help. However, the man just held onto his backpack and remained silent.

Just a short while ago, after understanding the details of Shian’s actions, Meng Huai proposed her own idea. After the Shian group underwent adaptation training, they would split into two groups and quietly infiltrate the white space to rescue the people.

At present, the group was still unaware of the true situation of the missing people, and it wasn’t advisable to make a move with such a small force. So Meng Huai made the final decision. They would focus on rescuing Lu Xiaohe’s mother, He Huan, as the confirmed target.

“This mission is meant to be a quiet infiltration and rescue, not a direct confrontation. Having strength is good, but having a clean background is the most important. Qi Xin and Yin Ren’s aura resembles that of the Other Side, and I can’t cooperate with them without any reservations.”

Meng Huai earnestly explained.

“But I can promise you that if the missing people can be rescued, they can participate in the ‘rescue’ aspect.”

Zhong Chengshuo pushed his glasses up. “Miss Meng’s point makes sense.”

A hint of shock appeared on Lu Xiaohe’s face, while Huang Jin’s expression turned numb. It was as if he was about to roll his eyes—among those present, surname Zhong was the one with the darkest background. Moreover, Zhong Chengshuo was carrying Yin Ren’s blood oath on him, so it was uncertain if Qi Xin could find them, but it was definitely guaranteed that Yin Ren could find Zhong Chengshuo.

Meng Huai had just given a lecture, mentioning that even a simple spirit contract or a single sentence of “you know, I know” was considered an important “GPS positioning function” on the other side.

Unable to resist, Huang Jin took out the photo they received before the mission. On the back of the photos were the comments from the three members of the Other Side’s trio. To ensure the “you know, I know” aspect, these comments were prepared in advance and then attached.

[I miss my wife. Zheng Xing]

[Guitar girl! Zhong Chengfeng]

[Such a lovely girl. Meng Huai]

Only Yin Ren’s comment was faintly discernible, pointing to a distant place. Once the Karma Lantern was ready, he was afraid of being discovered by Meng Huai’s group, so he slipped back to Qi Xin’s side.

Damn great Elementals. They looked exactly like two middle school students dating behind their parents’ backs. Huang Jin cursed inwardly.

“So, is that it?” Ge Tingting puffed up her chest. “Meng Jie’s team on one side, our team on the other. With Zhong Ge’s help, there shouldn’t be a problem… But when the time comes, how are we going to find Xiaohe Jie’s mother?”

“You’ll find out when the time comes,” Meng Huai said.

The next day, Meng Huai led the other six people out of the room, officially beginning the search and rescue operation.

Each person carried an additional backpack filled with a mixture of Elemental flesh and blood. What they didn’t know was that shortly after leaving, Zhong Chengshuo’s backpack was already empty.

Yin Ren had consumed all the Elemental flesh and blood inside and transformed back into his original form. He had shrunk in size and stuffed himself into Zhong Chengshuo’s backpack.

[We’ve reached our destination.] Zhong Chengshuo skillfully projected his thoughts after the tumultuous journey.

[What does it look like?] Yin Ren curiously asked.

Zhong Chengshuo directly packaged his memories and handed them over to Yin Ren.

Amidst a riot of colors, the mass of white stood out prominently. It resembled a tumor engulfing countless capillaries, yet also appeared to be a nest constructed by unknown insects.

Thick white threads pierced through tunnels, causing distortions, and turning what was once an orderly passage into a chaotic mess. Countless fragments of information floated in the air, while numerous gigantic Elementals guarded around the “nest”. They busily patrolled, resembling worker bees crowded on a honeycomb.

However, the nest wasn’t as simple as a beehive. It had spiderweb-like “feet” that stuck firmly in all directions. Embedded in the tangled white threads were hundreds and thousands of spherical bodies, each the size of a sports stadium. The white spheres were scattered in an organized manner, resembling some kind of fruit.

At the center of the “nest”, there was an irregular hemisphere. It was incredibly massive, perhaps even larger than a hundred world-class football stadiums stacked together. The end of the hemisphere was hidden in clouds and mist leading to nowhere. The visible side of the hemisphere was connected to thick and uneven milky-white tubes that extended like vines in all directions, ultimately disappearing into the white vortexes on the tunnels.

The oppressive feeling of this thing was almost like that of a whole planet.

[…] Yin Ren’s thoughts went blank for a few seconds. [This thing is strange. I don’t sense ‘Love’s’ aura.]

[Yeah, I don’t have any special feelings either.] Zhong Chengshuo responded through his thoughts.

Yin Ren: [Those Elementals don’t seem very strong.]

[I agree with Meng Huai’s judgment. If we can avoid a confrontation, we should. The first attempt is to probe the situation, and our ‘success’ will be rescuing Ms. He Huan.]

[I understand. Be careful.] Yin Ren replied, becoming serious rather than boastful.

Zhong Chengshuo fell silent for a moment. [Be careful?]

[Qi Xin mentioned this thing to me before. She said that the initial explanation from “Love” was to stock up on reserves for oneself, so as not to be too weakened in a tight spot. This aligns with our initial speculation… But now it seems that we can’t necessarily believe it completely.]

Yin Ren passed on his memories.

It was the appearance of the “white space” that Qi Xin had shown him.

It was just a thin web resembling a spider’s web, with small round balls hanging from it. However, in terms of size and scale, it was incomparable to the thing before their eyes. There weren’t many Elementals guarding it either, unlike the bustling scene now.

[The number of people who went missing twenty-nine years ago was much greater than recently.]

Yin Ren sighed.

[But this thing is a thousand times larger than twenty-nine years ago. Zhong Ge, prepare your lamp. This exploration is probably more dangerous than what Meng Huai and the others imagined.]

At the same time, Meng Huai also gave instructions.

“Now we officially divide into groups. The three of us, along with Fu Tianyi and Mao Wangfeng, will enter the interior to search for Ms. He Huan.”

“Remember, you only have twenty-four hours.”

The author has something to say:

Xiao Zhong picked up his backpack and his boyfriend is inside (……