475 Madness Meets Madness
Han Fei had never shown such hatred towards a man before. His voice froze the air in the ward. The man beside the bed shivered and looked at Han Fei with disbelief. “Why are you here?”
The shining blade materialized and Han Fei leaped towards the man with his highest speed. Instantly, the blade was pressed against the man’s neck. “Let go.” If not for fear that the man might accidentally harm the fragile medical tube, the man’s head might have fallen to the ground already.
“Your mother is not going to live much longer. She only needs to die a few days earlier and we can get a lot of money, enough for us to enjoy the rest of our lives.” The man slowly released the tube. “Your mother will want you to be happy. If she knows her life can be traded for so much money, she will agree…”
When the man released the tube, he felt a chill around his neck like the air was rushing through it. However, fear stopped him from checking. He tried his best to persuade Han Fei, but he felt air filling up his throat and something was pushing up his mouth. He realized that he couldn’t speak. He looked down and saw his severed neck and his headless body.
“You’ve rectified 70 percent of the altar owner’s regret!” The robotic system notification rang in his mind. Han Fei stared at the decapitated body. “Not killing his father is the altar owner’s regret?” Han Fei had Wang Pingan and the old man’s families go find a doctor. He guarded beside the altar owner’s mother, holding her thin hand. The woman wasn’t really asleep. When they were alone, the mother opened her eyes and said, “You shouldn’t have stopped him. I have nothing to leave you, and I’ve always been your burden. If my death can change your life…”
“You are the reason I have a life, and the reason I can be my real self.” Han Fei was an orphan. A part of his missing memory was becoming complete. The woman shook her head. She didn’t want Han Fei’s life to be so hard but there was nothing she could do. “For me, you’ve given up too many things in your life. I am the worst mother in the world.”
Han Fei stayed beside the bed. The city outside was mutating, madmen and monsters roamed the streets. Everything was twisted by hatred. Only this small ward had remained the same. “For you, I can give up everything because you are the only person who loves me for me.”
The woman in bed closed her eyes, she held Han Fei’s hands until she didn’t have the energy anymore. The tear flowed down the pale face and the woman let go gradually.
The medical device beeped alarmingly. Han Fei rushed out the door. “Pingan, have you found the doctor?”
“Brother, brother! The doctors are fighting!” Just as Wang Pingan said that there was a loud crash on the 3rd floor. The building shook like it had been punctured. On the white hospital corridor, a tall man in a white coat was fighting the old man’s family. The doctor didn’t fit in this mutating world. There was a human head tattoo on his neck. One male and one female.
“Ten Fingers?” While the old man’s family stopped the doctor, one of the doors was kicked down and several bloody doctors collapsed to the ground.
“Got the last sacrifice. Head to the mall. This time, we have to make the wish first, we can’t fail again.” 3rd Finger in black walked out carrying Huang Li. Huang Li looked a lot smaller, like a bird with broken wings. The two Fingers jumped out the window and disappeared into the storm.
Han Fei didn’t chase after them but ran to the doctors. He nudged them. “Can you help me? Wake up!” His hands were stained. To take away Huang Li, the 3rd and 2nd Fingers had murdered all the staff on duty. “Help me, there should still be some doctors at this hospital!” Han Fei’s voice changed. At that moment, he was Han Fei and he sincerely wanted to save the owner’s mother. What 2nd and 3rd Fingers did caused the hospital to tip over. It would collapse at any moment. The situation was getting worse and suddenly Wang Pingan screamed.
Han Fei raced back to the ward and saw Lin Lu standing beside the bed, trying to save the owner’s mother. “How is she doing?”
“Not so good. Someone has switched off her machines. They have been dead for some time already. Her organs are failing.”
“How much longer will she be with us?”
“Perhaps until dawn.” Lin Lu’s answer made Han Fei grit his teeth. After some contemplation, he had Lin Lu stay to look after the mother and he walked out from the ward. “Where are you going?” Lin Lu didn’t want to part with Han Fei, she had a feeling that if they did, they might not see each other again.
“To do something I should be doing.” Han Fei looked out at the crazy city. “Destiny has given me the worst script but no matter, I am born the best actor.” Carrying the wishing can, Han Fei walked out from the hospital. He didn’t care that his mood points plummeted. “No matter what, I have to rectify this regret.”
Calling Wang Pingan, they left People’s Hospital and raced through the mad city. “Brother, where are we going?”
“The mall. Everything starts at the mall so it should end at the mall.” Han Fei appeared small compared to the whole city, he was like a lost firefly dancing in the dark. Perhaps he didn’t have the capability to shine through the night but he had the courage to stand up against the darkness. “Ten Fingers is making their wish tonight, this might be my only chance.”
The rain poured. The river broke through the bank and tried to swallow the whole city. The streetlights were wiped out. The storm not only washed away the city’s false shell but also the citizens’ rationality. Screaming, crying, biting, and rain pattering, all this mixed together to form a horrible song. Everyone was part of the song and no one could escape from this despairing memory. No one knew if tomorrow or destruction would come first. The bell at the mall tolled. The rain poured into the mall. The familiar streets were underwater and the mall became like a well. Han Fei looked from a distance. The mutated mall was completely different from before, it looked like a large black altar.
“Brother, I, I am afraid.”
“It’s alright, just stay with me.” Han Fei took out his phone to contact Brother Snake’s people but the phone was no longer useable. Once he switched it on, the screen would only show struggling human faces. “They should be here already.” Han Fei turned towards the west street and he saw a van stranded in the flood. The headlights were off and there was no one inside the vehicle. “Have they gone to the mall?”
The bell kept chiming. As Han Fei was about to enter the mall, a loud boom came from inside like thunder had struck the building. The floor cracked and the ground of the first floor collapsed!
The bricks fell into the water, creating a drumming sound. The altar hidden underground was exposed. On the dark sacrificial table were Huang Li, Brother Snake, Lee Long, Lee Hu, and two people Han Fei had not seen before.
Before the table, Fei Yang in a black robe was holding a sharp knife. His body shook. “Go ahead, if you don’t kill them, you will die.” Behind Fei Yang stood another black-robed man. His exposed hands had no finger. Hearing the man, Fei Yang was reminded of something scary. He stepped to the table to slice through Brother Snake’s wrists. Blood slid down the table. The altar in the middle of the mall started to change, the doors slowly opened.
“Not enough! Kill them! Now!” The man’s voice was piercing. Fei Yang was dominated by fear. He waved the blade around like he was mad. Blood splattered all over the table and the doors on the altar opened. As life leaked out from the sacrifices, their eyes became dull. Their soul and blood were absorbed by the altar. Strange blood patterns surfaced on the black altar. Then large capillaries burst out from the walls of the mall, they mirrored the patterns on the altar. The altar underground and the 7 stories tall building was changing. It attracted the attention of endless souls.
“Don’t stop! You need to kill them with your hands!” The man pressed Fei Yang onto the table and forced him to kill according to a specific order. Fei Yang’s mind was broken and he slashed about crazily. The blood was absorbed but the altar’s doors didn’t open. The blood and soul of the sacrifice were not enough to satisfy the altar. “I’ve done everything you asked, can I go now?” Fei Yang’s hands were covered in blood. His body shook and he could barely hold the blade anymore.
“Go?” The man removed the cape to reveal his face. He glared at Fei Yang like a scorpion. “All these years, I’ve dealt with you more than several hundred times already. I awarded you different deaths each time so now do you understand why I am so familiar with your fear?” The man grabbed Fei Yang’s arms so that the knife was pointed at Fei Yang’s chest. “Now you can welcome release. But this time you won’t wake up from the pain again.” Fei Yang couldn’t even resist. He watched as the blade stuck into his chest. The blood dripped on the table. The altar’s doors slowly opened and the man smiled. He had waited so long for this moment. He spent years to find these few people and after multiple tries, he figured out the order to arrange the sacrifices. It was time to reap the reward. “This is the Unmentionable’s secret.”
The thing inside the altar was about to be released. The darkness hid the hope to become an Unmentionable. The man took a step forward. He looked at the altar in anticipation but the altar only opened a bit before it stopped.
“Failed again?” Anger surrounded the man. A black flame of hatred burned in his eyes. “I’ve already killed everyone in this world at least once! How come I still have not found all the sacrifices? What is missing?”
The storm slammed against the mall. While Ten Fingers roared in anger, clapping came from the shadows of the first floor.
“Thank you for helping me gather all the sacrifice.” Boss Gu whose skin had corroded walked out from the shadows. He coughed and a horrible smell came from his body.
Hearing the boss, Ten Fingers’ expression returned to normal. His dark eyes glared at the boss. “The memory world will only exist for 30 days and the later it gets, the more powerful you’ll be. I admit that I am not a match for you, but… I often enter the memory world and seek you out on the first day. I tortured you to your death. Even now, I still like to do that.”
The two madmen made the air frozen.
“I don’t care where you people come from but I have the responsibility to chase you away since you’ve ruined the rules of this city.” Boss Gu waved and rabid dogs with money collars leaped out from the shadows. Behind them were the mutated citizens of the city.
“You always appear so collected, wrapping yourself up as a philanthropist. If I am evil, then you are disgusting.” Ten Fingers shed the robe to reveal his body covered in human head tattoos. The tattoos on his body came alive. The seal was activated. Ten fingers burning with hatred grew out from his hands. “Come, my favorite thing is to kill. Can you satisfy me?”
Ten Fingers looked at the wounds on the boss and he grinned.
“What a madman.” The boss coughed violently. He raised his bloody hands to point at Ten Fingers. The mutated citizens charged at Ten Fingers.
“Compared to last time, I can use more of my powers. Looks like this altar is weakening.” The black flame burned on his skin and Ten Finger’s eyes filled with madness, “It’s fine if you don’t let me make my wish. One day, I will pry the altar open with my hands.”
The mutated dogs and citizens would be consumed by the black flame once they approached Ten Fingers. The boss knew this but he didn’t care about these creatures’ lives. He summoned them to keep attacking Ten Fingers.
The sacrifices were on the table. Attracted by the altar and scammed by the boss, more souls poured into the mall.
“You just an outsider, how can you match me who controls this city?”
