AITAMITB Chapter 52

In the folklore of the Huaxia, crows don’t have a favorable reputation. Apart from the fable where a crow drinks water and plays a positive role, in most places and people’s minds, this bird is considered an ominous symbol, often referred to as the harbinger of bad news.

Zhao Xiaokui wasn’t superstitious, but since crows were given this name, there might be some basis to it. Many people just got the sequence wrong – it’s not the arrival of crows that brings misfortune, but as intelligent and perceptive creatures, crows can sense certain events more acutely than other beings.

Lin Bai said, “Let’s go inside and check.”

He opened the radar scanner in his hand, cranked up the power to the maximum, and headed toward the depths of the unfinished building.

Without the female ghost, the unfinished building remained eerily quiet and sinister. As they walked, Zhao Xiaokui suddenly halted her steps.

She realized she had forgotten something.

Lin Bai asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Just now, I remembered from the news that the woman died several years ago, right? If her spirit could really support her for two years, she should have been even more powerful before. Why didn’t you notice it earlier?”

Congratulations to the blind for finding the spot.

“…Something is imprisoning her.”

Lin Bai tapped on the tablet and said, “The signal is blocked.”

“Let’s leave this place first.”

Zhao Xiaokui and Gou Rixin, in sync with Lin Bai, retreated with their backs against him, moving away from the building.

However, the distance that was just a couple of steps when they entered seemed infinitely stretched when they tried to leave. No matter how they walked, the surroundings remained unchanged.

Despite the exit being just a step away, that step seemed impossible to take.

Lin Bai took out the detector, “Our senses are being affected. Be cautious of potential threats. Don’t separate. Let me scan the surroundings first.”

While Lin Bai was busy, Zhao Xiaokui didn’t idle either.

She manipulated her spiritual power, infiltrating the ground and walls little by little.

She always felt that this unfinished building might be hiding something.

Releasing spiritual power externally wasn’t difficult, but wanting to penetrate solid mediums like radar and perceive what was inside was somewhat challenging.

Then she was startled by what she saw.

“What’s wrong?” Zhao Xiaokui’s sudden shiver didn’t escape the attention of her two teammates. Lin Bai thought she was scared and even reassured her, “Don’t be afraid. The department must have noticed our signal loss and sent someone to check the situation. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Zhao Xiaokui said, “No, I feel like there’s something inside this wall.”

Although they couldn’t get out, moving within the space didn’t seem affected.

The unfinished building was originally intended to be a shopping mall, and the interior space was large. Zhao Xiaokui was pointing at a load-bearing pillar.

Lin Bai walked over, aimed his device at the wall of the load-bearing pillar, switched to scanning mode, and gradually revealed the cross-section of the pillar in front of them on the green screen. Along with the steel and concrete, several overlapping shadows appeared on the screen.

Gou Rixin quickly glanced but couldn’t discern what it was, asking, “What is this?”

Lin Bai’s expression turned grim, “It’s people.”

Zhao Xiaokui had already retracted her spiritual power.

She had killed people before, whether it was vampires or the other three people escaping with Wang Yan on the helicopter, they all could be said to have died at her hands.

But formally greeting a corpse was a first, especially a corpse with such an eerie posture.

They went to check other load-bearing pillars.

As expected, they continued to find several bodies.

“What is this?” Suo Rixin asked.

“It looks like… a formation?” Zhao Xiaokui wasn’t entirely sure.

“It’s a summoning ritual for an evil god,” Lin Bai, living up to his encyclopedic knowledge, said, “We caught a group performing cult rituals in City X before, and this formation was mentioned in the reports.”

Mentioning the evil god, the nerves of the three tightened.

Evil gods do not refer to a specific individual or deity but are a collective term for a certain type of existence.

No one knows exactly what they are, only that they undeniably exist.

In the records of the Night Walkers, they are described as evil, cruel, ruthless, and insane, with unpredictable emotions and a penchant for killing.

They possess immense power but are incapable of communication; they can only exchange power through sacrificial offerings.

Every year, the Night Walkers manage to catch a group of serial killers who commit gruesome murders to sacrifice and gain power from the evil gods.

The Night Walkers harbor a deep fear of the evil gods, but they are frustrated because they cannot pinpoint the gods’ whereabouts. Each time they manage to capture someone influenced by the evil gods, it turns out there is always another, and there is more than one evil god in existence. Despite destroying all the information related to a particular evil god, they always find a way to sacrifice to the next one.

Although most sacrifices end up being one-way, often costing the sacrificer their life, the success of one or two individuals ensures that this method, which awakens extraordinary abilities without relying on luck, gains frenzied popularity.

Moreover, the extraordinary abilities obtained from the evil gods, although difficult to cultivate and advance, are often much more powerful than those of individuals who awaken on their own. Therefore, within the Night Walkers, there is almost an annual emphasis on the dangers of sacrificing to the evil gods to prevent anyone from losing their mind and thinking they are the literal son of God.

When Zhao Xiaokui learned about the existence of evil gods in this world, she broke out in a cold sweat. In the extraordinary world, there are Ninth and a Half-God and Tenth-God tiers. Those worthy of being called gods are unimaginably powerful beings.

On a planet as small as Earth, the appearance of such a powerful being would likely shake the entire globe with just a sneeze.

Later, she learned that evil gods couldn’t directly descend; they could only communicate through sacrificial offerings, which somewhat eased her nerves. Earth was still safe.

As a law-abiding citizen of Huaxia and a mermaid whose level would naturally increase even with closed eyes, she couldn’t possibly establish a connection with evil gods.

Little did she know that the reality would be so sudden…

Despite being a seemingly simple Level Three mission, she unknowingly stepped into a sacrificial array dedicated to the evil gods.

Zhao Xiaokui felt like she might be having a bit of bad luck today.

After recognizing the array, Lin Bai’s face slightly darkened. “This should be a large-scale sacrificial array. After being tainted by the power of the evil gods, it formed an independent space. We only brought a small disruptor, so we must find a weak point to break open the space and escape. Follow me closely, and whatever happens, do not split up.”

The news of Gou Rixin and Lin Bai disappearing spread almost instantly to the base.

Three minutes later, Wang Junwu, leading a squad with instruments, boarded a vehicle and headed for the rescue.

Simultaneously, the danger level of the dilapidated building rose from Level Three to Level Two.

Walking in the boundless darkness poses a significant challenge to one’s psychological resilience.

Both Gou Rixin and Lin Bai were somewhat concerned about Zhao Xiaokui, who was on her first mission.

However, Zhao Xiaokui performed even better than they had anticipated.

Aside from being startled when she first discovered the bodies, she remained remarkably calm throughout, not even letting her breathing falter.

On the contrary, Gou Rixin and Lin Bai, as they continued walking, gradually became more breathless.

Zhao Xiaokui asked, “How long have we been inside?”

Lin Bai replied, “Less than five minutes.”

Gou Rixin, panting heavily, took heavy steps and said, “Feels like it’s been two hours.”

The three fell into silence.

Lin Bai inquired, “Do any of you feel any discomfort in your bodies?”

Zhao Xiaokui answered in the negative.

Gou Rixin remarked, “Hungry, does that count?”

Zhao Xiaokui retorted, “Did you stuff everything you ate before we came into the dog’s belly?”

“This space is devouring the energy within our bodies.” Lin Bai’s voice remained composed but carried a hint of weakness. “We need to find a way out quickly. Otherwise, we’ll likely be drained into dried-up husks before the rescue arrives.”

In theory, the space inside the shopping mall wasn’t large. Even if it had been contaminated into an otherworldly space, traversing the entire area shouldn’t have taken much time.

But just like how they could see the outside world right in front of them, yet couldn’t walk out, the next load-bearing pillar was only a few steps away from them. However, no matter how they walked, it seemed impossible to get closer. Then, after taking the next step, it abruptly appeared beside them.

Understanding time and space wasn’t something Zhao Xiaokui excelled in compared to her two teammates. Encountering such a situation was her biggest headache – possessing combat skills but unable to utilize them.

Gou Rixin shared her frustration, stating, “I’d rather have a straightforward fight than stay in this ghostly place.”

Lin Bai retorted, “Don’t jinx it.”

Just as his words fell, Zhao Xiaokui felt a cool breeze brush past her back. She asked, “Did any of you sense anything?”

Gou Rixin’s entire body felt a chill, “Could it be that I really hit the mark?”

Zhao Xiaokui carefully controlled her perceptual ability to focus on the surroundings. The more she expanded her spiritual power, the more rudimentary the perceptions became, and vice versa.

Without speaking further, the two cautiously surrounded Lin Bai.

Suddenly, as they took a step forward, the surroundings changed dramatically.

The faint moonlight that previously illuminated the surroundings through the skylight in the middle of the mall disappeared, and it was now as dark as if they had entered another world.

“Be careful!”

Zhao Xiaokui reached out, pulling Lin Bai to her side while unhesitatingly kicking toward the front. She felt her toe hit something hard. The opponent was kicked out, but there was no sound of something hitting the ground.

“What is this?”

Gou Rixin, relying on his combat instincts, engaged with something.

“I don’t know,” Zhao Xiaokui said, “but it feels like a person.”

“A person?” Gou Rixin used his arm as a shield, the loud impact making him grit his teeth. “A bunch of sneaky bastards! If you have the guts, come and face me head-on! What kind of heroes sneak around like this?”

Lin Bai, without lifting his head, continued walking forward, completely ignoring the dangers around him. His trust in his teammates made him focus solely on adjusting the parameters on the tablet with both hands, tapping away incessantly.

The small disruptor they carried had only one chance to activate in a short period. To succeed, they had to find the most secure place to launch it.

Facing superhuman abilities with science made humanity appear immature, but in the face of an intelligent mind, solutions could always be found.

Data analysis continuously appeared on the screen, and Lin Bai kept moving forward with his two companions.

As they ventured deeper, the environment grew darker. Initially, the two could still see the faint green glow emanating from Lin Bai’s screen. However, as they progressed, they could only make out a faint shadow, as if something had swallowed the light.

The sense of crisis for the three superhumans intensified, and the bizarre creatures around them multiplied. Gou Rixin began to feel overwhelmed, sensing that his two fists weren’t a match for four hands. If it weren’t for Zhao Xiaokui’s timely intervention, he might have taken a few hits.

Taking advantage of the invisibility, Zhao Xiaokui unleashed her extraordinary form. Her claws cut through the darkness, splitting the humanoid creature into two halves. She could sense these two halves falling in different directions. Eager to investigate, she extended her foot to hook them up and take a closer look at what this entity was.

However, her foot touched nothing.

Gone?

What did that mean?

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