Chapter 262: Brothers (18)
Chapter 262: Brothers (18)
Npc data naturally differs from monster profiles—they contain no details about combat styles or weaknesses. After all, the system encourages players to prioritize peaceful negotiations over seeking every possible way to fight Npcs.
Learning the figure before him was non-combatant, Feng Bu Jue relaxed, sheathed his weapon, and approached the shadow.
When he closed the distance to within two meters, the shadow suddenly raised one arm horizontally, palm upright, signaling him to stop.
Feng Bu Jue froze in place, waiting for the shadow’s next move.
Once again, eerie music drifted into his ears. True to form, the shadow launched into the zombie dance from Thriller. Whether this hinted at something remained unclear…
After a minute or two of dancing, the shadow spun with a 720-degree rotation, then reached behind to push the iron door. The door’s surface emitted a shattering sound as another invisible ritual array failed.
With his signature shrill voice, the Dancing Shadow screamed, then glided past Feng Bu Jue in a series of dance steps. As he receded into the distance, the surrounding darkness thickened.
Feng Bu Jue now understood—controlling darkness was likely one of the shadow’s traits. When the shadow emerged onto the ground floor, the upper levels brightened slightly. Now, with its departure, the darkness would revert to chaotic dispersion.
“Guess I’ve got no choice but to take this path.” Seizing the moment before the blackness fully engulfed the area, Feng Bu Jue strode forward, gripped both handles of the Great Iron Door, and pushed his way inside.
The instant he stepped into this final hidden chamber, Feng Bu Jue pinpointed the source of the nauseating stench. Compared to the rotting odor within this room, the rest of the house smelled like fresh flowers.
To describe it bluntly—it was as if someone had let out a fart in here, then vanished without a trace.
He’d barely taken a few steps inside when the door slammed shut behind him with a bang.
The room’s light was murky, its dimness oppressive. Feng Bu Jue scanned the space through his gas mask. On one wall, he spotted the synthetic human he’d seen earlier—the one with knuckles covering its lower body. Now, it was pinned to the wall by thick iron nails. The wound on its chest, pierced by bone spines, had stopped bleeding, and the floor beneath it was soaked in blood.
The other synthetic, the one with bone spines sprouting from its wrists, lay slumped in a wall recess. Two iron shelves outside the niche supported its “arms,” while the middle section of the recess bristled with strange moss-like plants—likely food for those tongues.
Feng Bu Jue’s gaze slowly swept the chamber. The room’s sheer size defied the house’s exterior structure. Clearly, this space didn’t exist within the same physical confines as the room outside.
A rough glance revealed at least twenty synthetic humans embedded in the walls, each grotesquely unique, their forms enough to raise goosebumps even from a single glance.
“Āndélǔ, is that you?” A woman’s voice emerged from the murky depths ahead.
Feng Bu Jue advanced toward the sound, soon spotting a desiccated female corpse in a recess. She had one eye, her skin withered and hairless, her teeth blackened and putrid, her body exuding a fetid odor that drained vitality.
The moment Candice entered his sight, another CG sequence unfolded.
…………
“Āndélǔ, my child…don’t you recognize me?” Candice asked softly.
Āndélǔ stared at the monster before him, finally understanding why Ā Sè had always forbidden him from entering this room: “M-Mother…? No, impossible! You’re supposed to be—”
“I didn’t die.” Candice’s voice seethed with hatred. “I remained conscious until the moment of burial. It was Ā Sè! He poisoned me, faked my death! The day after my funeral, he dug me up and used alchemy to turn me into this!”
“B-But why would he—”
“He’s not your brother! He’s from the Xingzu Clan! A demon incarnate!” Candice interrupted. “Look at these synthetic monsters in this room—he’s already begun slaughtering innocents, hasn’t he?”
“N-No…those people…” Āndélǔ tried to protest.
“Don’t be fooled, Āndélǔ!” Candice hissed. “He’s using you! Look what he did to your mother! He’ll kill you too someday!”
“T-Then…what should I do…?”
“Be patient, Āndélǔ. You can’t kill him now—you must wait for the right moment.” Candice lowered her voice. “Keep today’s visit secret. Show him nothing, understand?”
“I…” Āndélǔ faltered, overwhelmed.
“Come closer. Listen to māma…let me tell you what to do…”
…………
The vision faded. Feng Bu Jue snapped back to reality, now standing before Candice.
“Āndélǔ, how did you become like this?” Candice asked, staring at him. “Wait…you…could you be Ā Sè?”
Feng Bu Jue immediately grasped the truth. “No, it’s me…Āndélǔ.” He mimicked Āndélǔ’s tone.
Candice scrutinized him again. “What happened? Did Ā Sè attack you?”
“A failed soul-exchange transmutation.” Feng Bu Jue replied, pulling out the Advanced Alchemy tome and flipping to Chapter Two. The text, once blurred, was now fully translated by the system. This chapter detailed a complete transmutation art example.
“Failed…what do you mean? Where’s Ā Sè?”
“I killed him. Then he transformed me into this form.” Feng Bu Jue’s eyes stayed fixed on the book. As he answered, he crouched, dipped his finger into a nearby puddle of unknown liquid, and began sketching a transmutation circle.
“What are you doing?” Candice asked, eyeing his strange actions.
“Saving you, māma.” He glanced up. “This transmutation circle can revert you from a synthetic back to a commoner.”
“R-Really…?”
“Ā Sè is dead. You don’t have to stay here anymore. We can return to normal life.”
“Y-Yes…yes! Haha!” Candice laughed, unable to contain her joy. “Ā Sè is dead! Āndélǔ, you truly are māma’s good son…you killed that Xingzu Clan demon! Haha!” Her voice quivered with elation. “I can finally leave this place…”
Feng Bu Jue swiftly completed the transmutation circle, dragged Candice from the wall, placed her within the array, then retrieved six items from his pockets, arranging them around her.
“Hurry, Āndélǔ!” Candice urged.
“Why the rush, māma?” Feng Bu Jue’s tone turned eerie. “You’re so eager to steal my power?”
“W-What are you saying…?” Candice’s expression shifted, but she quickly masked it. “A-An…Āndélǔ, I don’t understand…”
“Just now, I realized something.” Feng Bu Jue chuckled coldly. “I finally understand Ā Sè’s words—‘my foolish younger brother.’ Truth is… I’m not your son at all.”
(End of Chapter)
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