Chapter 24: Reality: The Mask

Chapter 24: Reality: The Mask

On the old hotel's faded white walls hung a draping gray cobweb, while a bright beam of light seeped through the narrow gap of deep red curtains.

It fell precisely on the young man's intertwined muscles.

His well-defined muscles were strong yet not exaggerated; each one held a subtle power, ready to swell at the owner's will in an instant, delivering a fatal blow to adversaries.

The half-naked youth sat on a large rosewood bed, scrolling through his phone.

The scent of tobacco tar lingered in the air.

The ashtray on the bedside table was almost overflowing with cigarette butts, and beside it lay a casually placed silver filigree bracelet with interlocking hearts.

The phone displayed a flickering, fragmented campus map.

The map could no longer be preserved in its entirety on the phone; the incessant blinking of chaotic fragments made the screen seem malfunctioning.

It was still the same as before.

In the boundless world, nothing could be brought out, not even an image.

By tomorrow, these photographs would likely be completely ruined.

Ming Yiyang reclined against his pillow for a while before getting up to grab the towel draped over the chair back and place it on his shoulder.

His tall and youthful figure made the already cramped hotel room seem even more constricted, almost suffocating.

With a cheap hotel toothbrush in his mouth, he propped himself up on one hand in the bathroom, brushing his teeth in front of a rust-stained mirror.

The wound on his right wrist had stopped bleeding; after removing the bandage, only a tender pink scar was revealed.

As his gaze fell upon it, Ming Yiyang couldn't help but recall the man named Yan Qiling.

The man's irritating warnings and authoritarian demeanor still occasionally surfaced in his mind.

Yet, they often faded within seconds, replaced by the fake smile that Yan Qiling often wore on his face.

In the end, it transformed into that radiant face lying supine on the observatory sofa.

Even after several days had passed, he could still vividly recall the other's eyes, dazzling under the observatory's powerful lamp, like they contained melting diamonds, ready to shed gem-like tears.

It was a sight unparalleled in this world.

Merely recalling it stirred an odd fluttering in his heart.

He also remembered the sensation of the person's hand clasping his ankle.

It was as if he were held by frozen meat from a freezer, with fingers colder than any human's.

That was definitely not the temperature of a living being.

Yet, despite the coldness of the exhaled breath, lacking any warmth, the medicinal solution seeping into his skin was heated by his own body temperature until it burned hot.

So much so that when he recalled it again... his body seemed to still carry a lingering, chaotic warmth, faintly enveloping the soles of his feet like a deceptive illusion.

Lost in thought, the young man mechanically repeated the motions of brushing his teeth.

By the time he snapped out of it, excessive foam had overflowed from the bristles and trickled down his chin.

He abruptly regained consciousness, leaning forward to spit the foam into the sink.

Wiping his damp chin, Ming Yiyang turned on the faucet to wash his hands, determined not to think about anything related to that person.

Perhaps due to the long absence of a partner, Yan Qiling was indeed skilled and they worked together quite harmoniously, which occasionally led to reminiscence.

After rinsing his mouth, he wiped his lips with a towel. The phone placed beside him suddenly vibrated loudly.

Ming Yiyang's phone was rather unconventional compared to typical touchscreen models; it was more like a brick than a mobile device.

The entire phone was pitch black and as thick as three smartphones stacked together, yet he could effortlessly play with it for hours without showing any strain.

For someone else, holding it for just ten minutes might already cause fatigue.

Due to its enormous size, even its vibrations were rather conspicuous.

Upon closer look, the screen displayed two words: Boss.

Although the note seemed respectful, the tone he adopted after answering the call had nothing to do with respect:

"Get to the point."

"Why so fiery in the morning, young man... Watching something stimulating?"

"Goodbye."

"Hey, hey, don't be hasty. I was just making small talk. Si Shuhao has been discharged from the hospital, and his recovery is quite satisfactory. President Si is pleased and considering taking you as an in-law. How about it? Would you consider it?"

"You're really bored. Transfer the money to my account, and I'll hang up if there's nothing else."

"Hold on, I'm at least your boss. You've threatened to hang up twice in less than a minute. Young man, you'd better watch your attitude – your pay is in my hands right now."

Hearing the amused voice on the other end of the line, Ming Yiyang irritably ruffled his hair:

"I don't have time for jokes. I haven't even ordered lunch yet, and I'm starving."

"Just woke up? Alright then, I'll cut to the chase. President Si is very pleased and has decided on a long-term collaboration with us. The deposit has already been transferred to your account. Aren't you happy now? By the way, remember to treat me when we meet later."

"We have nothing to see each other for, do we?"

"Come on, let me upgrade your living conditions. I'll cancel that small motel and book you into a three-star hotel."

Ming Yiyang scoffed,

"If you're truly so benevolent, just change our profit split to 50-50. I don't need an upgrade, this motel is fine for now."

"So, that's acceptable? Who was it that complained to me about poor soundproofing at two in the morning the other day? I've been worried about you ever since... Come out, we need to discuss something important. Si Shuhao, your next stop is Station 3. You know what happens there, this isn't a joke."

Noticing the seriousness in the other person's tone, Ming Yiyang leaned his head against the mirror and asked irritably,

"Where do you want to meet?"

"I'll send you the address. Meet me in three hours. Young man, don't always sleep, you should learn to enjoy nightlife, you know... Oh, right, I forgot you don't have a girlfriend yet. Hey, how about I introduce you to a few people to liven up your evenings?"

Ming Yiyang chuckled lightly.

"No need, I don't discuss such matters with someone ten years my senior."

As expected, he heard the person on the other end of the line grind their teeth and speak through gritted teeth in a grim tone:

"It's too early to say that. In a few years, you'll be the same. You'll understand then."

"I won't, either way. My nightlife doesn't require any medication."

The call was hung up with sorrow and indignation.

The young man revealed a mischievous smile, gently unlocking the accidental touch prevention on the side of his phone. With a swift glide of his finger across the back, he revealed a mechanical keyboard concealed beneath a waterproof film.

Though compact, the keyboard was fully equipped.

Its presence made the entire phone resemble a slider from the previous era.

Ming Yiyang launched a chat application and swiftly typed in a flurry of nonsense. With a snap, he closed the keyboard and pushed the accidental touch lock back into place.

The phone now appeared no different from a typical smartphone.

He detached the battery panel from the charger by the bedside and promptly dismantled the back of his phone to install the new battery. The old one was left charging.

For convenience, he brought his phone into the bathroom with him.

Amidst the steam, the well-proportioned figure of the young man was obscured by the surging mist on the glass wall.

-

The old clock in the slaughterhouse ticked away slowly.

The seconds hand crawled around its circumference, but the minute hand remained still; yet, the hour hand moved forward a notch.

The meat hanging in the slaughterhouse instantly emitted an odor of decay.

With a gentle touch of a gloved finger, the second hand was pushed back, and the hour hand followed suit, reversing time.

The decaying meat regained its vitality as if freshly slaughtered, and the blood that hadn't fully drained dripped slowly down the slices, coagulating on the slaughter table into crimson clumps, resembling strawberry pudding.

Amidst the floating feathers, a grayish-white silhouette emerged.

It knelt in the shadows of the slaughterhouse, uttering a guttural sound in an eerie tone:

"Paimon, my lord, your servant is here to report that we have traced the one you seek."

The man, towering behind with his knife raised high, slowly lowered it and released his grip on the victim's throat.

Then, he turned his head a full one hundred eighty degrees.

It was a head wearing a mask.

The mask seemed to be constructed from riveted iron, its chipped white paint revealing rusted patches beneath. Welding marks left uneven protrusions, also stained with yellowish corrosion.

It appeared to have endured significant abuse, bearing deep grooves carved by blades, as if it had been repeatedly shattered and reassembled countless times.

Now, it was saturated with the victim's spurting blood, the liquid cascading down its contours like tomato juice.

It ultimately followed the man's mottled neck, directly pouring into the collar hidden beneath his filthy scarf.

Unperturbed, the masked man casually wiped away the continuously dripping blood. With a crisp crack of his neck, he turned and pressed the victim's throat with his backhand, stemming the gush of blood.

"I've told you countless times, don't discuss important matters while I'm cooking. The kitchen is a mess now."

His voice was rough and gravelly, far from pleasant to the ear:

"Still, this time you did well."

The ashen shadow, though devoid of emotions, still trembled in fear before a superior being.

It instinctively lowered its head, listening even more respectfully to the instructions given.

The masked man raised a massive blade capable of bisecting a person, severing the victim's neck with a resounding clash:

"So, where is he?"

The ashen shadow responded truthfully:

"Lord Paimon, I have only found traces. You know, wherever that one passes, worlds crumble. But this time, they left behind a single world that remains uncollapsed."

"However, if we don't hurry, it seems that world won't last much longer either."

The sharp blade was raised high before it plunged forcefully into the sturdy wooden plank, securely anchoring it in place.

The masked man let out a hoarse chuckle, his voice sounding as if his throat had a massive hole, allowing air to escape with each utterance:

"Your master can't go, so you want me to go?"

The ashen figure almost prostrated on the ground:

"Master, Master has already been there, but Master was unable to detect that individual's aura, so..."

"Ho ho, that's not surprising."

After a brief silence, the masked man removed his bloodied rubber gloves, revealing a pale and slender hand:

"What kind of world is that?"

"It's a school," the ashen figure flattened itself against the ground, "Abnormalities abound there. Master instructed me to remind you to be extremely cautious."

"Your master talks too much nonsense."

The masked man stepped on his back, his leather boots shimmering with a dull luster in the sparse light.

"He'd have found leads much sooner if he had put half as much effort into his work as he did into organizing his words."

The grayish-white figure trembled, on the verge of disintegrating.

"Enough,"

His emotions around him calmed within seconds. He slowly lifted his boot.

"Show me."