After the rain, Jalan Besar resembled a giant python with its belly slit open: damp, cold and clammy.
As Lin Haoran boarded the last bus, he was hit by an overpowering, almost putrid scent of sandalwood—not the soothing fragrance of temples, but a mixture of rainwater, the musty smell of old seat cushions and the acrid stench of burnt joss paper. The humid night air in Malaysia seemed to solidify this odour, clinging heavily to his skin and proving impossible to shake off.
"Last bus, hurry up and get on." The driver lurked in the dimly lit cab, his cap pulled low and his voice raspy as if scraped with sandpaper.
Lin Haoran found a seat towards the back. The interior of the bus glowed with an unsettling, sickly green light. The vehicle lurched along the winding mountain road, the fluorescent tubes flickering with a hissing hum. Lin Haoran instinctively touched the nameless black card he had picked up from a roadside stall in his pocket.
Just then, a faint prickling sensation shot through his fingertips.
It was an experience he had never encountered before: spiritual essence fluctuations. In his vision, the air was no longer transparent. Instead, it resembled clear water into which ink had been dripped, rippling outwards in concentric circles of greyish black.
He held his breath and glanced diagonally forward quietly.
Sitting there was a middle-aged man in a floral shirt, clutching a black briefcase tightly as if he was about to doze off. Yet with each violent jolt of the bus, a fine crack appeared at the base of his neck.
No blood flowed — only a few withered strands protruded from the fissure, trembling up and down with the motion.
Even more of a chill ran down Lin Haoran's spine when he saw the 'couple' snuggled together in the back row. Under the sickly green light, he could see that the woman's heels were facing forward and that her pale, almost transparent fingers were slowly sliding across the man's cheek. The spaces between her nails were filled with red mud.
Thick fog outside the window blocked the view completely, while the red taillights traced an eerie, blood-red path through the white mist.
'This isn't the road to Yunding,' Lin Haoran silently repeated to himself, pressing his fingertips firmly against the black card.
The patterns on the card's surface began to glow faintly. Through his distorted spiritual senses, he realised that, of all the passengers on the bus, his heartbeat was the only one that was normal.
In this terrifying silence, only the roar of the engine and the ever-intensifying scent of incense remained.
The acrid scent of incense grew stronger, seemingly emanating from deep within the carriage. More precisely, it was wafting from the briefcase held by the 'scarecrow' man. Lin Haoran could feel the 'nameless black card' heating up at an unprecedented rate. This was both a warning and a gathering of power.
'No, I can't just sit here and wait for death.'
Lin Haoran took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He knew he was unarmed and facing a non-human entity. Traditional resistance would only hasten his death. Yet the pulsing sensation from the black card seemed to be guiding him towards a whole new way of fighting.
He abruptly raised his hand, holding the black card level before him. The ghastly green light inside the vehicle seemed to be swallowed by the card. Centred around it, the surrounding air instantly warped. The greyish-black spiritual essence swirled like an enraged swarm of snakes, spiralling wildly.
'Creak... creak... creak...'
The 'scarecrow' man seated diagonally ahead finally reacted. He slowly turned his head, the gaps in his straw neck creaking with bone-chilling friction as he moved. His face was not human, but a puppet mask cobbled together from dried bark. The eye sockets were empty except for two faint, flickering red lights.
The briefcase in his arms clattered to the floor. The torn flap revealed stacks of scorched joss paper and a short knife with an ancient design, wrapped in black cloth. The blurred Balin knife totem was faintly visible on the handle.
"Found you..." Although the scarecrow's mouth didn't move, a deep male voice with a thick Malay accent echoed directly within Lin Haoran's mind. 'Your heartbeat sounds so peculiar...'
The "couple" with their feet set forward began to stir: the woman extended her mud-caked hand and whispered hoarsely; the man rose stiffly to his feet, his joints cracking with each movement. His eyes transformed like the scarecrow's, becoming two eerie red orbs.
"I must stop them from getting that knife!" Alarm bells sounded in Lin Haoran's mind.
He could feel the black card vibrating violently, as if it would shatter at any moment. A blurred prompt flashed in his mind: 'Spirit-Matter Resonance... Material... Card Manifestation...'
He instinctively glanced at the short knife on the ground and then at the black card in his hand. A crazy idea popped into his head:
'What if this black card could devour other objects and transform them into my power?'
He clenched his teeth and thrust the card towards the fallen parang. An invisible force surged from the card like greedy tentacles and instantly coiled around the ancient dagger.
'Sizzle—'
The black cloth binding the blade shattered inch by inch, revealing a jet-black, icy-cold steel surface. Engraved with intricate Malay totems, the blade flickered with a ghostly blue glow. Drawn by the card's power, the blade rapidly warped, fused and ultimately dissolved into a streak of light, vanishing into the 'Nameless Black Card' in Lin Haoran's hand.
A silent explosion echoed within Lin Haoran's mind. The 'Nameless Black Card' in his hand was no longer an ordinary piece of plastic. It became heavy and icy cold, and the image of a jet-black dagger now appeared on its surface.
New card manifestation: Meteoric Grade: Shadow Parang
Card name: Meteoric Grade: Shadow Parang
Card Grade: Meteoric Grade
Category: Weapon/Melee
Rarity: Rare (forged from specific spirit essence materials).
Description: This unique weapon is modelled on the traditional Malaysian parang and is forged from fragments of an unknown meteorite and infused with 'Earth Vein Yin Qi'. It transcends mere physical weaponry, functioning as a spirit blade whose edge is perpetually shrouded in dark spiritual energy — a veritable abyss that devours light.
Normal appearance: The blade is a deep matte black, like night-soaked black iron: non-reflective, yet emanating a subtle, restrained chill. Its edge is razor-thin; under the sickly green glow of bus lights, however, a faint, restless shimmer of ghostly blue light can be seen dancing along it. The handle is made of coconut wood and hemp rope twisted with withered vines — rough yet providing an exceptional grip. A tiny, corroded mangrove fruit is embedded in the guard, emitting a faint, cloyingly sweet scent of decay. The entire blade radiates a 'silent killing intent', like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows of the tropical rainforest, poised to strike at any moment.
Shadow's Whisper (Shocking Morph): When Lin Haoran's spiritual essence infusion reaches a critical point or he faces a powerful spiritual entity, the 'Shadow Balang Knife' enters its shocking morph.
Visual Transformation: The blade sheds its matte finish and begins to pulse like liquid tar. A viscous black substance drips from its surface, only to evaporate in mid-air. The ghostly blue glow along the edge intensifies, resembling ignited phosphorus. The mangrove fruit on the hilt splits open to reveal a tiny, twisted, withered human face inside that seems to emit a silent scream. The blade itself ceases to be solid and is now composed of pure 'shadow', taking on an irregular, serrated form. Each swing is accompanied by a visible aura of cold, decaying energy.
Ability Enhancement: In its horrifying form, the 'Shadow Baling Knife' gains the 'Shadow Slash' ability, dealing physical damage to spirit entities and inflicting 'Soul Corrosion'. This effect causes struck spirits to continuously lose spiritual essence. At the same time, the 'tar' dripping from the blade creates temporary traps on the ground that hinder spirit movement.
Required crafting materials (concept):
Meteoric Iron Fragments: Sourced from a mysterious meteorite that fell deep within the tropical rainforests of Borneo, it possesses a unique spiritual energy affinity.
Earth Vein Yin Qi: The purest yin energy, harvested from ancient, untouched mines or mass graves deep within the Malay Peninsula.
Balang Knife Base: Requires at least one Malaysian-made Balang knife, whether centuries old and used to slay beasts or shrouded in mystical lore.
Mangrove Fruit: Sourced from perpetually damp mangrove forests where decay and rebirth coexist, imbued with a potent spiritual essence of life and death.
Clove ash/spell water: This serves as the 'catalyst' to fuse the above spiritual materials and suppress their malevolent energies.
Lin Haoran felt an icy sensation in his palm as power surged from the card, filling him with unprecedented strength. A phantom 'Shadow Baling Knife' materialised in his hand, its blade flickering with ghostly blue phosphorescence and radiating a heart-stopping chill.
The red light on the 'Scarecrow' puppet mask flickered.Lin Haoran felt an icy sensation in his palm as power surged from the card, filling him with an unprecedented sense of strength. A phantom 'Shadow Baling Knife' materialised in his hand, its blade flickering with ghostly blue phosphorescence and radiating an icy chill.
The red light on the 'Scarecrow' puppet mask flickered violently as if sensing the threat. The 'couple' ceased their whispers and lunged towards Lin Haoran in an eerie, stiff posture.
"Come on!" Lin Haoran growled. This was his first true encounter with, and use of, the card's power.
The moment the Shadow Baling Knife appeared in Lin Haoran's hand, an icy chill of murderous intent spread through his palm. Rather than instilling fear, this intent sent adrenaline surging through him, heightening his excitement. The faint blue phosphorescent glow emanating from the blade was reflected in his eyes, revealing deeper layers of dark spiritual essence coiling around the Scarecrow and the couple facing forward.
The scarecrow made the first move. It stiffly 'slid' forward from its seat, its hollow eye sockets blazing crimson. One withered arm shot out towards Lin Haoran, like a dried-out branch. Several scorched strands of straw writhed upon it, as if alive.
Lin Haoran instinctively raised the Shadow Barren Blade in front of him. When the blade touched the scarecrow's arm, rather than the expected metallic clang, there was a tearing sound like ripping cloth. A flash of ghostly blue light streaked across the blade as if slicing through space itself and severing the dark spiritual essence coiled around the scarecrow's arm.
"Gah!" The scarecrow let out a shrill, piercing scream. Although its arm remained physically intact, the severed portion of its spiritual essence rapidly withered and carbonised, billowing black smoke.
Before Lin Haoran could catch his breath, the pair closed in on him from both sides. The woman, with her heels forward, let out a hoarse, low murmur like a wildcat in heat. Her pale fingers coiled around Lin Haoran's neck like venomous snakes and the viscous red mud beneath her nails emitted a nauseating, bloody stench. Meanwhile, the man charged brutally into Lin Haoran's torso.
Lin Haoran's gaze sharpened. He could feel his spiritual essence being rapidly drained by the Shadow Baring Blade, yet he simultaneously gained astonishing insight. He could see the intricate threads of spiritual essence coiled around the woman's fingertips, and the raw, violent momentum surging through the man's body.
"Shock Form, activate!"
Lin Haoran growled, channelling every ounce of his spiritual essence.
Lin Haoran growled as he channelled every ounce of his spiritual essence into the Shadow Barren Blade.
The blade instantly transformed, writhing like liquid tar. A pitch-black, viscous substance dripped from its surface, only to evaporate silently in mid-air. The ghostly blue phosphorescent flames on the blade flickered wildly, like an ignited wildfire. Most spine-chilling of all, the mangrove fruit on the hilt split open to reveal a tiny, twisted, withered human face within. It emitted a silent yet soul-piercing scream.
Having transformed into its terrifying form, the 'Shadow Baling Knife' moved with an ethereal lightness. Lin Haoran sidestepped the man's brutal charge while simultaneously sweeping the blade upwards at an acute angle towards the woman's wrist.
The blade traced a pitch-black arc through the air, no longer merely a physical strike. As it severed the spiritual threads binding her wrist, the 'tar' dripping from the blade seemed to take on a life of its own, swiftly coating her skin.
The woman screamed in agony as the 'Shadow Slash' cut most of the spiritual connections in her wrist. At the same time, the tar-like substance rapidly corroded her spirit body. Her wrist withered before their eyes and her fingernails, once red, turned black as if poisoned.
Yet just as Lin Haoran's counterattack succeeded, another unexpected turn of events occurred!
The bus slammed on its brakes, sending everyone inside hurtling forward by inertia. Lin Haoran lost his balance.
"CRASH!"
A thunderous impact echoed from the front of the bus as if it had collided with a colossal object. The cabin lights went out completely, leaving only the ghostly blue phosphorescent glow of the 'Shadow Barren Blade' flickering in the darkness. A thicker, more pungent stench of blood mingled with the smells of rust and burnt rubber and suddenly flooded the compartment.
The movements of the 'Scarecrow' and the 'couple' froze.
'Youngster, what you're looking for is up ahead...'
A low, familiar voice tinged with bitterness like herbal tea echoed in Lin Haoran's mind — it was Old Chen!
At the same time, a strange gnawing sound came from the driver's seat, accompanied by the crunching of bones being crushed.
Lin Haoran felt a cold liquid spreading beneath his feet. It wasn't rainwater, but a viscous liquid with a metallic taste.
The whisper of Old Chen, tinged with the scent of herbal tea, flashed through Lin Haoran's mind like a lifeline, snatching his sanity back from the brink of collapse.
"Up ahead..."
Lin Haoran gritted his teeth. The carriage fell deathly silent, except for the withered little face on the Shadow Baring Blade, which opened and closed silently, its faint blue phosphorescent glow the only light in this dark hell.
The three monsters, driven back, lurked in the shadows. The soul-corroding effects of the 'Shadow Slash' caused black smoke to continue billowing from the woman's severed wrist, accompanied by a harsh, sizzling sound. This temporarily instilled a sense of dread in them towards the malevolent weapon in Lin Haoran's hands. They crawled between the seats like beasts, emitting bone-chilling growls.
Lin Haoran did not look back. Guided by the faint glow of his Balang knife, he stumbled forward towards the front of the car.
The viscous sensation beneath his feet grew heavier. As he passed the fare box, the phosphorescent flame on the blade suddenly leapt several inches higher. By its faint light, he could make out the gruesome scene in the driver's seat: the driver, who had once been silent, was gone — or rather, his upper body had vanished beyond the shattered windscreen.
The bus had crashed into a crooked old redwood tree.
This made no sense — how could a mangrove tree, which only grows in coastal swamps, appear on Gala Avenue's winding mountain road? The tree was drenched in blood, its countless twisted roots like bloodthirsty tentacles reaching through the shattered windows into the cabin and tightly coiling around the driver's remains.
Where the dashcam should have been on the dashboard sat a rusted tin cookie box.
Eerie seal runes were painted in dark red on its surface. Ling Su sensed a pure yet oppressive crimson glow emanating from it.
'Is this what Old Chen meant... the thing we were searching for?'
Just as Lin Haoran reached out, a violent gust of wind exploded behind him!
The 'scarecrow' could no longer contain itself and shed its human form. Its entire body erupted, transforming into countless barbed, withered strands of straw that rained down on Lin Haoran like a hailstorm of arrows. At the same time, the blood-red ancient tree seemed to sense something. Its thick roots lashed out, flinging the driver's corpse aside, and then coiled towards Lin Haoran's waist like a giant serpent.
A demonic tree ahead, an evil spectre behind.
Lin Haoran's fingertips were mere centimetres from the iron box. He could feel vibrations emanating from it, resonating wildly with the 'Nameless Black Card' within his body.
"Screw it, grab it and run!"
He lunged forward, clutching the cold metal box with his left hand and gripping the 'Shadow Balang Knife' in reverse with his right, instinctively swinging it backward in a tar-like arc.
'Shadow Slash: Tar Wall!'
In its terrifying form, the Balang blade flung vast swathes of viscous tar into the air. It collided with the hail of straw arrows mid-flight, erupting in a series of dull, explosive cracks. At the same time, the withered human face clinging to the blade's hilt suddenly opened its mouth and emitted a soul-piercing shriek.
This slowed the mangrove roots' movements by half a second.
Seizing that split second, Lin Haoran rolled towards the shattered window. Whether beyond lay a bottomless ravine or a thorn-filled jungle was of no concern to him; his only desire was to escape this death bus, suffused with the stench of decay and the scent of incense.
He smashed through the remaining glass and plunged into a dense, bone-chilling fog. As he fell, he caught a glimpse of the red bus rapidly disintegrating in the mist and transforming into a massive paper joss boat. It now lay quietly moored beside the blood-red ancient tree.
Lin Haoran fell heavily to the ground, the damp earth, rotten leaves and icy rain instantly soaking through his clothes. The thick fog around him hung heavily, like undissolved milk. The ghostly blue phosphorescent glow on the Shadow Baring Blade had disappeared, and the card had reverted to its original scorching black form and retracted back into his pocket.
He gasped for breath, his right hand clenched tightly around the rusted tin biscuit box.
The red runes painted on the box pulsed faintly in the darkness, as if something living beneath the metal was thrashing wildly. Lin Haoran felt his own heartbeat synchronise with the box's tremors.
'The thing Old Chen asked me to find... it's inside here.'
Scanning his surroundings, he saw no signs of monsters beyond the thick, deadly fog and the occasional chirp of unidentified insects. Gritting his teeth, he hooked his fingers under the rusted edge of the tin.
'Click.'
A sharp, metallic screech echoed as the tin opened a crack.
BOOM!
An intensely oppressive, frenzied crimson light tore instantly through the fog.
This was no ordinary light, but a torrent of spirit essence, liquid and ruby-red. In the centre of the box lay a fragment roughly the size of a fingernail and irregularly shaped. Crystal clear throughout, it appeared to contain a blood-red storm that burned eternally within.
As the lid opened, a torrent of complex information flooded Lin Haoran's mind.
Item Card Material: [Meteoric Iron Grade: Crimson Light Fragment (Damaged)]
Material attributes: An extremely high concentration of 'violent' spirit essence, with formidable armour-piercing and penetration properties.
Potential uses:
1. Weapon enhancement: Can be embedded into the 'Shadow Baling Blade', increasing its attack power to the highest meteorite grade and granting the 'Red Glow Armour Piercing' effect. 2. Body Modification: Forced absorption grants superhuman burst strength for a short duration, but carries an extremely high risk of bodily explosion.
Potential uses:
1. Weapon enhancement: It can be embedded into the 'Shadow Baling Blade', increasing its attack power to the highest level and providing the 'Red Glow Armour Piercing' effect. 2. Body Modification: Forced absorption provides a short-term boost to strength, but carries an extremely high risk of bodily explosion or spirit essence contamination. Seal Key: It is one of the keys that unlock a 'Forbidden Space' somewhere within the Cloud Peak.
'Is this... the source of power?' Lin Haoran's face glowed crimson under the red light, his pupils faintly tinged with blood from its stimulation.
Before he could study it further, the red light fragment suddenly trembled violently, emitting waves as though a giant torch had been ignited in the darkness. This instantly drew the attention of the surrounding 'shadow-dwelling' creatures.
'Over there... the fragment... the fragment's been taken...'
Overlapping, greedy whispers echoed through the mist. It wasn't just the monsters from the bus earlier that had been awakened by this pure spiritual energy fluctuation; even more terrifying entities lurking deep within this valley had been awakened too.
Even worse, Lin Haoran noticed that his fingers, which were gripping the fragment, were beginning to exhibit subtle crystallisation. Those crimson threads were creeping upwards through his veins — the thing was turning on him!
"Damn it! This thing is burning my hand!'
Just as he was caught in this dilemma, a cold, silver light suddenly shot out of the mist, shattering a shadow that had been trying to approach him.
'Stop staring at it! If you don't want to turn into a ruby statue, close the box!'
A short-haired girl emerged from the mist, holding a silver-glowing card. Her gaze was sharp and wary — it was Sarah. Glancing at the fragment in Lin Haoran's hand, her pupils contracted slightly before she remarked coldly, "That's a forbidden item from the 'Shadow Side of the Equator.' If a rookie like you holds it, you'll die faster."
Old Chen crouched at the edge of the mist, a leaking red plastic thermos at his feet. Methodically, he tore open the banana leaf wrapper of a packet of nasi lemak, pinched a clump of rice drenched in sambal sauce between his fingers and shoved it into his mouth. Chewing, he stared through his greasy, black-rimmed glasses at the two young men locked in a standoff nearby.
A snort mixed with the aroma of the sauce escaped his lips.
Old Chen's cutting remark: 'Look at them — already arguing over the split?
Lin Haoran looked the part when he swung that knife earlier, but now, clutching that rusty tin box, he looks like a middle schooler buying fish at the wet market for the first time, terrified of getting ripped off." The shards are already seeping into his bloodstream. And he's still worrying about whether 'this should be handed over to the government' or 'this doesn't make logical sense'.
Nerds will be nerds." In Southeast Asia, survival is the only logic that matters. Have you not noticed that your hands are practically glowing ruby red? Are you planning to sacrifice yourself to become a 'money-drawing boy' statue?
And what about Sarah? She's a pretty sharp-looking girl, but her mind's more twisted than the roads in Kuala Lumpur. She's clutching that silver engraved card, her fingers shaking like sieve dust, yet she's still trying to act cool. With every word she spoke, her eyes darted towards Lin Haoran's neck three times, calculating whether it would be wiser to snatch the card outright or wait until the shards had drained him dry before picking up the leftovers.
One is as stubborn as a mule and the other is as paranoid as hell. These two together could kill each other with their glares before any 'filthy things' even got close.
Don't you two realise where you are? This is the shady side of Gala Avenue. Arguing here is like debating whose umbrella is prettier beneath a dam about to burst
That red light fragment contains pure, concentrated 'violent' spirit essence. You either have the courage to swallow it or the courage to hide it. Standing there like a moving lighthouse, are you trying to starve the 'old friends' around you faster?"
Old Chen swallowed his last mouthful of rice, took a sip of his now cold bitter melon tea and a hint of schadenfreude flashed in his eyes.
'Heh heh, this is getting interesting. Look! Sarah's right hand is already reaching for the card case on her thigh while Lin Haoran is still agonising over 'procedural justice'. If they start fighting in a minute, I doubt this bowl of tea will quench my thirst."
Thick fog swirled between Lin Haoran and Sarah, the blood-red glow of shards of crimson light casting shifting shadows across their faces.
Lin Haoran clamped down on the lid of the metal box, desperately trying to contain the violent fluctuations of spiritual energy. Yet grotesque red crystalline patterns were already spreading across his right forearm. Nevertheless, he stood tall, his spine rigid. Behind his rain-drenched glasses, his gaze held an almost stubborn intensity.
'Miss Sarah, I'll repeat: this artefact's spiritual energy level has completely exceeded safe limits. It's eroding the surrounding reality. Based on fundamental spirit energy conservation principles, we must first locate a shielded array site. Then, a professional card hunter must perform cooling procedures. This is not the place to debate ownership.' Lin Haoran's voice trembled with pain, yet he managed to maintain a composed, logical tone.
"Professional card hunter? Are you referring to the bureaucrats counting cash in air-conditioned offices in Kuala Lumpur, or to yourself?"
Sarah scoffed coldly. Her piercing gaze sliced through the gaps between his knife-gripping fingers. Though she was standing casually, her centre of gravity was lowered and her right thumb was perpetually pressed against the edge of the card case on her thigh — a combat stance, poised for an instant draw.
"Listen, nerd. In this place, the only logic is power. Hand over the box. I have a way to forcibly seal it.'
"Forcibly seal it? Do you mean forcibly absorb it?" Lin Haoran pushed up his slipping glasses. This created a fleeting gap in his defences. He immediately closed it, shifting his left foot back slightly as he silently adjusted the activation parameters for the 'Shadow Baling Blade' card. The 'Violent' attribute of this fragment will instantly shatter your mental sea. As your collaborator, I have a duty to prevent this irrational suicide."
"Collaborator? Hah." Sarah let out a short, dismissive laugh, yet her body instinctively retreated deeper into the shadows, trying to avoid being detected by Lin Haoran's black card. "In this hellhole, no one's trustworthy except the dead. You keep talking about safety, but you're just stalling for time while you wait for your contact to show up. Or maybe you're waiting for my spiritual essence to deplete so you can stab me in the back with that tar-coated blade?"
'Your suspicions are baseless,' Lin Haoran said, frowning. His knuckles turned white from excessive restraint.
"Unfounded?" Sarah lunged forward half a step. Her left hand, in extreme vigilance, repeatedly rubbed the ring on her index finger — an unconscious gesture when she was anxious. 'Then put the box on the ground and take ten steps back to prove you don't intend to steal it!'
Lin Haoran didn't move. Rooted to the mud like a stake, his eyes gleamed with the stubborn rigidity typical of scholars. 'Until I verify that your sealing protocol meets safety standards, I refuse to hand over the fragment. This concerns not only the fragment itself, but also the fundamental control of the Ling Su disaster."
"Pedantic!" Sarah ground out the words between clenched teeth. The muscles at the corners of her eyes twitched slightly as spiritual energy surged towards her fingertips.
Their gazes collided in mid-air; the tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife and nearly drowned out the incense smoke. Lin Haoran's stubbornness was like an immovable wall, while Sarah's suspicion was like a sharp blade, relentlessly probing for cracks.
Just as their standoff reached breaking point — Lin Haoran could feel his black card growing hot again — a series of heavy dragging sounds emerged from the depths of the mist. 'Sssshhh... sssshhh...'
It was the paper boats (or buses) that had been shattered moments earlier, now gathering once more with a damp, malevolent intent.
"Your so-called 'safety protocols' are worthless in the mist of Genting!"
Sarah finally lost her patience. A cold gleam flashed between her right index and middle fingers as a silver-edged card materialised. She didn't intend to kill Lin Haoran, but her instincts told her to take control.
'Back off!' she snapped, the card erupting with blinding ice-blue spiritual energy at her fingertips.
Lin Haoran's eyelids twitched violently as his mind raced. 'Spirit essence intensity around 150 joules, attack vector skewed left — she's trying to restrict my movement...' Despite his analysis, his reflexes were swift. The 'nameless black card' in his hands instantly morphed into the phantom of a 'Shadow Balin Blade'.
'Miss Sarah, violence cannot resolve logical problems.' Lin Haoran clutched the metal box tightly, holding the Balang blade horizontally in front of him.
Yet, just as the tension between them threatened to erupt into open hostility — the palpable killing intent already thick between them — the thick fog surrounding them seemed to be violently sucked away by some immense force.
The muddy valley floor vanished.
An abrupt dryness and artificial fragrance replaced the rainforest's dampness. Lin Haoran and Sarah felt the ground shift beneath their feet before solid ground returned — they were now standing on a dark red, musty carpet.
Ding.
The crisp elevator arrival chime echoed through the deathly quiet space.
They both froze simultaneously. Their tense standoff was abruptly severed by this bizarre shift in reality. They found themselves standing in an elevator that was gilded and opulent, yet permeated with decay. The doors slid slowly apart, revealing a dimly lit corridor beyond.
Lin Haoran instinctively glanced up at the lift's floor display.
The red LED lights flickered and twisted before finally settling on the chilling number 21.
'The First World Hotel doesn't have a 21st floor,' Lin Haoran managed to say, his voice dry.
'The First World Hotel doesn't have a 21st floor,' Lin Haoran managed to say, his voice dry. As a native of the city, he knew that this sprawling, labyrinthine hotel skipped all floors containing the number 4 and other unlucky digits. The 21^(st) floor was a blind spot on all publicly available building plans.
'Looks like your fragment took us a shortcut,' Sarah murmured, her voice hushed. The silver card in her hand glowed brighter. She no longer looked at Lin Haoran, but stared fixedly at the corridor beyond the lift.
Giant floor-to-ceiling mirrors lined both sides of the hallway, their surfaces dulled and yellowed by age. The moment they stepped out of the lift, their reflections in the mirrors failed to follow their movements.
The mirrored 'Lin Haoran' remained frozen in the act of clutching the metal box, while the mirrored 'Sarah' grinned eerily at her real-life counterpart.
"Don't look at the mirrors!" Sarah sensed that something was wrong and reached out to grab Lin Haoran.
But it was too late.
From the depths of the corridor, a shadowy figure stumbled out. Wearing a wrinkled tailcoat, its body was shriveled like a withered leaf. Three fingers were missing from its right hand and the remaining two kept making a 'dealing cards' motion in the empty air.
"Big or small?"
It was the Basic Monster: Fingerless Gambler.
A putrid stench of rotting flesh wafted from its half-decayed mouth. The moment the words left its lips, Lin Haoran felt the iron box in his hand grow suddenly heavy, as if it contained not fragments, but his entire life and fortune.
'On the 21^(st) floor, no gamble means death.'
The Fingerless Gambler snapped his head up, his grey-white eyes bristling with dense, bloodshot black veins. His mangled hand lunged forward, grabbing at the air. The space around Lin Haoran instantly collapsed and transformed into countless spinning, razor-sharp playing cards, trapping him within an endless corridor of mirrored walls.