Chapter 481: I Returned from the Abyss

Inside the television, Deng Jiaji's trembling hands took the microphone, her knuckles turning white from the force.

Her eye sockets were red, tears condensed into beads on her eyelashes and rolled down as she blinked.

"Actually..." her voice choked, almost breaking, "we weren't the only two who went down there. There was also Ren Xuan."

When she said that name, her lips trembled uncontrollably, as if just uttering those two words had exhausted all her strength.

Tears finally broke through the dam; she sobbed uncontrollably, but still tried to speak bravely:

"He... he stayed behind so we could escape with the footage."

Deng Jiaji bit her lower lip hard, blood seeping between her teeth,

"He deliberately covered the rear, using his own life to lure away those man-eating monsters..."

The camera turned to Tang An; this male reporter also had red eyes, his face filled with extreme grief.

He raised the microphone, his Adam's apple rolling violently, but he couldn't utter a complete syllable for a long time.

The host sighed heavily:

"The sacrifice of reporter Ren Xuan saddens us all, but it is precisely because of fearless journalists like you that the people of Nine Districts can see the truth."

Warm applause erupted from the audience at the scene.

The host asked at the right time: "Besides the live broadcast content, during the interruption of the live broadcast, did you also capture any other..."

"Yes."

Deng Jiaji wiped the tears from her face hard, smudging her makeup, but this made her look more real, and her words more convincing.

She took a deep breath, her voice trembling slightly but extremely firm:

"Those images were too bloody, too taboo... just watching them could likely pollute and distort the audience's cognition and consciousness; the danger level is simply unimaginable..."

Pausing slightly here, she swept her gaze across everyone, then looked toward the camera, explaining to the Nine Districts audience:

"For this reason, after careful consideration, the station has decided to seal all relevant image materials and submit them to the officials of the Executive Government."

"I firmly believe that the Executive Government will be able to ferret out the mastermind behind those monsters, wipe them out completely, and give the deceased a proper explanation."

"Clack—"

Feng Yuhuai's remote control fell to the ground.

Her pupils contracted violently, her lips moved, and she stammered repeatedly:

"One dead... and two more... two more..."

Feng Mu sat down at the right time, sitting next to the smart Emoto, with a harmless smile on his face.

"Yes, one dead... reporter," he drew out the tone, "and two more reporters... are still alive..."

Feng Mu helped Emoto pick up the remote control from the ground, and then said, intentionally or unintentionally:

"It seems your father doesn't need to bother recovering that memory card, right?"

"The TV station said—the complete footage has been delivered to the Executive Government; as for the police station... just wait obediently for orders from above."

Feng Yuhuai turned her head, staring blankly at her brother, the words echoing endlessly in her mind:

"The footage is in the hands of the Executive Government, in the hands of the Executive Government..."

Feng Mu sighed emotionally:

"Perhaps the police station has already received the order by now. Alas, hunting such monsters must be dangerous; I hope Father returns home safe and sound!"

The corpse suddenly twitched and convulsed.

First, his left earlobe twitched strangely, as if catching some inaudible whisper; then, his index finger joint cracked with a "click."

The next second, Feng Ju was yanked up like a marionette by invisible strings, his upper body standing straight up.

His pupils dilated to the limit in the darkness; before him was thick darkness.

There was nothing, no sound as if pulling himself out of the abyss, no warmth of his daughter leaning on his back.

Only the open car door swayed gently in the night wind, like a hungry mouth, constantly swallowing the whimpering night wind.

"I'm not dead? Just now... was it a dream?"

Feng Ju raised his hand blankly, his trembling fingertips touching his chest.

Under the smooth skin, his ribs were intact, without that bloody, mangled hole.

"It was indeed a dream. How could Yuhuai..."

Just as he was about to sigh in relief, the fingers reaching toward his back suddenly froze—there was clearly a hole in the fabric, and his fingertips felt a sticky sensation.

Bringing it close to his eyes, he saw dark red blood that had not yet clotted on his fingertips.

"This is impossible."

He searched his pockets like a madman, his mechanical fingers scraping against the fabric with a harsh screeching sound.

When that shattered memory card was finally pulled out, the whole world fell silent at that moment.

"Thud—"

A muffled sound came from deep within his chest.

It seemed to be his own heartbeat, but that heartbeat was extremely eerie and unfamiliar.

Feng Ju was stunned for a full 10 seconds before hearing the next "Thud—".

Although fear was about to burst through the top of his head, the heartbeat was slow and dull enough to suffocate him, as if someone was beating a skin-covered drum in an empty coffin.

After a long while, the corners of Feng Ju's mouth tore open into a grin.

No tears, no wailing, just the writhing of his suppressed throat.

"I'm dead!"

"I should already be dead... right?!"

"Hah—"

He tilted his head, a pair of eyes staring fixedly at the memory card shattered into pieces in his hand; the black car window reflected his terrifying smile, more horrible than crying...

"Yu Huai killed me?!"

"My good daughter?"

"It's my... good daughter!"

Feng Ju twisted his head, staring fixedly toward Home — that window glowed with warm light, like a flame luring moths.

He laughed strangely as he got out of the car, raised his foot to walk toward Home, but suddenly froze beneath his feet, his face showing violent painful struggle.

"Hoh hoh hoh"

The strange laugh was squeezed out from between his teeth.

He staggered out of the car door, but froze the moment he raised his foot.

His facial muscles suddenly twitched violently, the left half of his face twisted into a painful expression, while the right half was brutal anger.

He tremblingly took out his phone from his pocket; the screensaver was still a photo of him and his daughter.

The name "Yu Huai" in the contact list flickered under his fingertip, but he could never press it down.

Some invisible force was stopping him — perhaps lingering fatherly love, or perhaps something darker.

If I rush back like this, am I going to kill Yu Huai?

Or... be killed by her again?!

"Bang—"

He slammed the door hard, fell back into the driver's seat, his whole face as if torn by an invisible hand, splitting down the middle.

Suddenly, he raised his hand and slapped himself hard twice; the sound of flesh striking flesh echoed in the car.

"Yu Huai killed me." His hoarse voice gradually grew clear, "Then who resurrected me?"

Feng Ju didn't know if this counted as being alive; he listened to his terrible heartbeat, watching the veins faintly turning black beneath his skin.

He suspected that although he was alive, he was not fully alive.

Stranger still, a string of semi-transparent numbers floated on his retina, decreasing at a speed visible to the naked eye:

【335:54:59】

【335:54:58】

【335:54:57】

【335:54:56】

End of Chapter