Could this be…?
Shen Ye held his breath, his fingers trembling as he opened the message.
It was a video.
He clicked on it urgently.
The shaky camera captured a young girl in a white dress standing by a railing.
The moonlight illuminated her graceful figure, but she never turned around, leaving only her silhouette for the camera.
The night was vast, the moon cold and boundless.
She gazed out over the shimmering, endless river.
Frosty moonlight outlined her delicate form, the wind tousling her long hair—like an ethereal goddess descended to the mortal world.
Suddenly.
A male voice spoke:
“Song Qingyun, what kind of boyfriend do you want in the future?”
The girl still didn’t turn around. Resting her chin on her hand, she continued gazing at the moonlit river and replied lazily:
“I’ve never thought about that before.”
Another male voice followed:
“You can think about it now. After all, you’re almost an adult—who knows how many young men are eagerly waiting.”
The speaker seemed to carry some authority.
At that, several people joined in, urging her to share her thoughts on her ideal partner.
Perhaps unable to resist their coaxing, the girl brushed her windblown hair aside, turned slightly, and looked toward the camera.
Her eyes sparkled like a sea of stars, her brows were delicate as a painting, and her skin was as fair as frost and snow. When she smiled, there was a clever, lively charm about her.
The moonlight draped over the river’s surface as she proudly lifted her chin, allowing the vast night and moon to frame her figure within the camera’s view.
Such beauty—yet she remained unaware, unconcerned, as if—
She never deemed herself among the common blossoms.
Her lips parted slightly, her voice soft and warm, melodious and touching:
“I remember when I was little, during the New Year, I visited the Shen family once.”
“My little sister and I were chased by a fierce dog, and only Shen Ye stepped forward to stop it.”
“Shen Ye was very kind. I’ve always remembered him.”
“If I had to find a boyfriend—”
“I’d want someone like him.”
The screen went black.
Darkness filled the video.
A moment later, the wind, the moonlight, the laughter—all disappeared.
The person filming seemed to have entered a quiet place.
The camera pointed at the floor.
A male voice spoke: “Shen Ye… who is that?”
Another male snickered: “Already looked him up. Just an ordinary guy, completely irrelevant to her now.”
“Are you sure you understand Song Qingyun’s feelings? What if she goes looking for him?” another voice asked.
Silence.
Then, the authoritative voice from before spoke again:
“Figure something out. I don’t want to see that Shen Ye appear in front of Qingyun.”
The others responded immediately:
“Don’t worry, it’s a small matter.”
“This kind of thing doesn’t even need us to handle personally.”
“We’ll just hire someone—make it look like an accident.”
“Easy…”
“It’s just a matter of money.”
The authoritative voice concluded, “Mm. Send someone to play with him. Just a little lesson.”
The screen turned black again.
The video ended.
Shen Ye closed his eyes.
He had imagined countless possibilities.
He once thought they were targeting the Shen family, or that someone wanted to kill him to hurt his parents, or even that his past self had accidentally uncovered some secret.
He had even—
Even suspected that someone had discovered another world’s soul hidden in this body and wanted to eliminate him.
But never—
Never had he imagined that this would be the truth.
Such absurdity.
Silently, he stood up, turned, and walked out of the room, descending the still-intact staircase.
The walls were lined with corpses.
The corridors were filled with corpses.
Even the ceiling dripped with bloodied bodies.
All of them were watching him.
Not just the ones in the hallways—every corpse on the walls turned their gaze toward him.
“You all… seem to have something to say to me?” Shen Ye asked.
A girl in a hotel uniform said, “Thank you for your effort, for killing that demonic man.”
“Yes,” a policeman added, “we were no match for him. He killed us all, and only you avenged us.”
The other corpses echoed their agreement.
Shen Ye shook his head, unable to find words.
What nonsense.
That man was chasing me.
I dragged you all into this.
And that shadow just now—what was it?
At that moment, a corpse finally voiced the question buried deep in their heart:
“I really want to know… why did that demonic man kill us?”
Shen Ye opened his mouth but had no words—only an unbearable suffocation in his chest.
Xiao Mengyu was too fast.
He couldn’t keep up at all.
The giant skeleton had to protect him and had no choice but to abandon the pursuit.
He was too weak…
Damn it.
He clenched his fists.
Damn it all!!!
Suddenly, he lifted his gaze and spoke with solemnity:
“All of you—if possible, I hope you’ll choose a better place to be reborn.”
“I hope that in another world, you can live with dignity.”
“And not like this—dying helplessly, unjustly, clinging to life in pain and regret, leaving your loved ones in sorrow.”
“—Go now.”
“Don’t linger. Don’t hold onto this place.”
“One day, when I am strong enough to uncover the truth and find the one behind this—”
“I will kill him.”
“I swear I will.”
The corpses listened quietly to his vow, then whispered among themselves, quickly spreading the word.
Before long—
Every corpse in the hotel knew.
—The young man had sworn vengeance.
“Thank you…”
“If you get the chance, please avenge us. But first, you must survive.”
“You must live a long, healthy life.”
“We hope you grow stronger and destroy that mastermind.”
“We will bless you from the underworld.”
“Live well.”
“….”
Each corpse thanked him, blessing him.
He gave no response—only let his gaze sweep over each corpse, as if listening intently.
The giant skeleton murmured, “The spell binding them has ended. They are returning to the afterlife.”
Shen Ye still did not react.
—Only one sentence echoed in his mind:
“Send someone to play with him…”
Play.
He walked through the hotel lobby and stopped.
The real Shen Ye had died days ago.
Chen Haoyu was dead.
Luo Feichuan was dead.
Tens of thousands in this district were all dead—
Every single one of them had parents, mentors, friends—some even had siblings, children.
They should have had their own lives.
But they were all dead.
Their corpses were bound here, unable to move, trapped under the control of a blood magic ritual.
And this was just playing?
This was just—
A small lesson?
Something in his heart ignited.
Yet, he only pressed his lips tightly together, his face pale and cold.
—Some unknown presence still lurked nearby.
He still needed to stay calm.
Suddenly.
A distant female voice called out:
“You’re still here.”
Xiao Mengyu landed lightly in the hall.
“What was that shadow?” Shen Ye asked.
“It got away—it’s far stronger than expected, definitely not human. I suspect it’s related to ‘Calamity.’ If we provoke it, the consequences would be unimaginable,” Xiao Mengyu said.
“‘Calamity’?” Shen Ye repeated.
“Yes—I just sensed an unusual force field, probably something it accidentally leaked,” Xiao Mengyu replied.
Shen Ye nodded silently.
He had seen ‘abnormalities’ before.
It was said that ‘Calamity’ was even beyond ‘abnormalities’—capable of destroying an entire city with ease.
So Xiao Mengyu choosing not to chase it was the wisest decision.
—This girl was considerate, too. Even with the large skeleton standing beside him, she didn’t ask a single question.
Xiao Mengyu sheathed her sword and gave Shen Ye a slight bow.
“Your power lingered on me, granting me many insights. Now, I’ll send you back. Then, I need to find a safe place to begin strengthening myself,” she said.
Shen Ye glanced at her.
The “Holy Shelter” status above her head would last a while longer.
Hopefully, she would break through in strength.
But before that—
“I watched the video you sent, but there are still things I don’t understand,” Shen Ye said.
—He had risked his life to come here for this matter.
Xiao Mengyu was silent for a moment before speaking softly:
“I’ve investigated everything, but it’s complicated. I suggest you don’t ask too much.”
“Who were those people?” Shen Ye asked directly.
“You should leave. I won’t tell anyone you were here,” Xiao Mengyu said.
“Who are they?” Shen Ye insisted.
“They’re heirs of major noble families. I couldn’t find anything more specific,” Xiao Mengyu finally said.
“I remember you seem to be from a noble family too,” Shen Ye remarked.
“Not just me—actually, so are you. But our families are far beneath theirs,” Xiao Mengyu replied calmly.
She continued, “I’ve already exposed this matter. Everyone who died in this district today—it was all because of them.”
“My brother died the same way.”
“This matter needs to have a resolution.”
“What resolution? Will they be brought to justice? Or executed?” Shen Ye asked.
“No…”
Xiao Mengyu looked at him, sighed, and said:
“Maybe after a long time, they will be punished.”
“Punished?” Shen Ye repeated.
“Some scolding, being grounded—things like that. Maybe they’ll compensate you and my Luo family a little,” Xiao Mengyu said, shaking her head.
“That’s just a joke,” Shen Ye said expressionlessly. “They made a move, but failed to kill me. They accidentally killed your brother instead. Next, they’ll do everything to erase you and me—so that we don’t come back for revenge in the future.”
Xiao Mengyu said, “But… their families are among the strongest in the world. Song Qingyun, especially, is the center of everyone’s attention.”
She lowered her head.
“I’m just one person…”
“Even our Luo family is nothing but an ant beneath the moon compared to them,” she said.
Shen Ye said, “So you’ll likely be hunted by those noble heirs soon, and no one will help you.”
“This is the price I pay for seeking the truth,” Xiao Mengyu said.
She paused, then continued:
“Honestly, we should be grateful that we encountered an assassin like the ‘Skinner’ this time. He cares more about his own feelings than the mission itself.”
“Otherwise, if it were any other assassin of his level, they definitely wouldn’t have told us the truth.”
“We probably never would have known.”
“The entire assassin team is dead now. I hope that brings some comfort to my brother’s soul.”
“Farewell.”
Xiao Mengyu said all this in one breath, gave Shen Ye a slight bow as if afraid to look at his face, then turned and left.
The surroundings fell silent.
She walked step by step toward the exit.
Shen Ye suddenly spoke: “If you had the power to kill all those noble heirs… would you do it?”
Xiao Mengyu lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly. Her voice was cold:
“Don’t joke. Their families are unimaginably powerful—they are the foundation of human civilization. If I do anything, my family would—”
“Forget all that. I’m just asking—are you willing?” Shen Ye interrupted.
Buzz—
Her longsword vibrated violently.
She could no longer suppress it. With a cry of rage and despair, she drew her sword and slashed at the street outside.
Boom—!
The entire street was split open, and the buildings across from them slowly collapsed.
The girl wiped her tears, gripped her sword, staggered forward a few steps, and ran off.
She was gone.
In the corpse-littered building, only Shen Ye remained.
He stood there for a moment, then suddenly stretched lazily, a bright smile appearing on his face.
“It’s over. Time to go back.”
“What do you plan to do about this?” the large skeleton asked, intrigued.
“I thought I had some deep-seated grudge with them, but turns out they were just playing around. Nothing to think about,” Shen Ye smiled.
“I don’t believe you,” the skeleton said.
“Life’s about being happy. Just let things go,” Shen Ye said.
He waved around and called out:
“Hey, whoever’s hiding—if you don’t come out, I’m leaving!”
No response.
Shen Ye climbed onto his ghostfire motorcycle, put on his helmet, and prepared to leave.
“I don’t believe a word of what you just said,” the skeleton remarked.
“You don’t understand humans. We believe that life is hard enough as it is, so we must pursue happiness,” Shen Ye spread his hands.
“But that doesn’t mean you should let yourself be slaughtered,” the skeleton said, frustrated.
“This is our pursuit as humans. I will tirelessly chase this happiness and make sure my life is full of joy,” Shen Ye said.
“How exactly will you chase it?” the skeleton asked, sensing something.
“Isn’t it obvious? They want to play, so let’s play—until I kill them all, one by one, as an offering to today’s innocent souls… and to get my revenge. At that moment, I will be truly happy—so much so that I won’t feel like this life was wasted,” Shen Ye said.
“That, I can believe,” the skeleton said happily.
It turned into a wisp of ghostfire and entered Shen Ye’s ring.
The ghostfire motorcycle roared to life and shot out of the building, speeding down the street.
