Plague Doctor

When Gu Jun’s chanting reached its peak, the volume was so loud it had overwhelmed the howling and echoed around the mountains. When the last note escaped from his mouth, the clouds were severed through, and a giant large shadow appeared to have torn through the darkness. The gnarly trees and twisting vines took on the shapes of mutilated limbs as they shuffled with supposed activity. The wind carried palpable malice. In an instant, the black shadows that had almost materialized were shredded into pieces. A blood-curdling scream rang out for half a second before it disappeared like a recording that was forcibly stopped. Be it the giant bats in the night sky or the bloated corpses on the ground, both dead and alive had disappeared without a trace like they were never there to begin with. Even the howling from the mountains had receded.

“Ah…” Lou Xiaoning, who was still manning the machine gun, was confused. Her left eyes scanned the surroundings, but not a single one of those giant bats could be seen anymore. There was no blood, no broken wings, only a mountain of empty shells on the ground. Even the five bloated corpses were found still lying quietly inside their cabinets. Everything that had happened earlier appeared to have been nothing more than a dream. But Xue Ba, Uncle Dan, and herself knew that was not the case. On one hand, their heads felt heavy and dull with pain, and now they regained a firmer command of their bodies. The space around them slowly settled back to normalcy. The mist faded away to reveal the armored car. The headlights lit up the world around them.

“Illusion, it was truly nothing more than an illusion…” Uncle Dan breathed out, but once he saw Gu Jun’s face, he urgently asked, “Ah Jun, how do you feel? Can you hear me?”

Due to the over exhaustion of mental power and the close contact with that mysterious chaotic energy, Gu Jun and Wu Siyu looked as white as ghosts. It was particularly serious with Gu Jun.

“Give me a shot of adrenaline, stat… My heart, it’s like last time…” If not for Uncle Dan, Gu Jun would have collapsed to the ground already. His heart felt stuffy and painful, making his breathing difficult. It was hard to tell whether this was more serious than the time at the shrine, but he was certain that he did not have it in him to cast another spell, and the darkness within his heart had started its activity again. If he was to take an S Value Assessment now, Gu Jun knew he would score a record low…

With Xue Ba and Lou Xiaoning guarding him, Uncle Dan rushed to grab a prepared adrenaline shot from the med kit and injected it into Gu Jun. While Uncle Dan applied emergency treatment to Gu Jun, he took time to check up on Wu Siyu as well. Even though her face was as ghastly as Gu Jun’s, her head hung lifelessly like that of a hanged man.

“I need a couch.” Wu Siyu sighed. “I just want to slump over something fluffy.”

That stumped Uncle Dan, but at the very least, he knew she was still sane enough to make jokes. After the shot was administered, Gu Jun’s heartbeat slowly returned to normal, and he found the ability to speak again.

“The giant bats and black shadows are not illusions. They might be some kind… of mental existence. They occupy a different dimension than we do. They are a different type of life form and feed on a different kinds of food…”

He believed those creatures were under the command of the zombies, and they could weave through dream and reality easily. More than that, they could twist and combine the two, using that to influence and attach the soul and mental state of human beings.

However, the ancient presence down in R’yleh, that pinprick of a spark that shot out from his nightmare, was powerful enough to steamroll over the nightmare weaved together by the zombies and their underlings.

“Ah Jun, it is my suggestion that we wrap up the mission and call it a day,” Xue Ba said evenly and tried not to let the regret in his heart showed. He was making the most logical decision. Currently, Gu Jun and Wu Siyu were basically out of the picture. While the Demon Hunters were still fine, facing that kind of mental and illusory fight, they were of not much help anyway. Gu Jun was silent. The mission objective this time was to search and capture the zombie. He was certain that this creature of darkness was in their proximity. He could feel it…

Be it to complete the abyssal mission or to find out the truth about Ol’ Uncle Dog, the zombie was the key to unlocking the Nightmare Illusion. Prof Qin’s lifeless face flashed before his eyes. If they returned empty-handed, more would follow Prof Qin’s fate…

The cave had collapsed, and no more shadows came out from it. But as Gu Jun looked at it, he felt something pulling him toward it.

“Captain Xue, if you want to survive in horror movies, now is normally the time to turn and head back,” Gu Jun said softly. “But in real life, one has to take risks to get results. I have a feeling the zombie is just inside that cave, and it is currently heavily injured. This might be our only chance.”

Xue Ba was silent for a while before he ordered, “Xiaoning, come with me back to the car to grab some more ammo.”

“Yes, sir.” Lou Xiaoning removed the iron belt around her waist. She picked up the rifle and turned away. “To think you guys thought about heading back without anything to show for it… I would be the first to protest.”

While they went back to reload, Gu Jun and Wu Siyu took the time to sit down and rest. However, the smell of putrefaction in the air made that difficult.

Soon, they resumed their mission. With Xue Ba and Lou Xiaoning leading the way, Uncle Dan carrying Gu Jun, and Wu Siyu covering up the rear, the team headed toward the cave. The night vision goggles and flashlights provided them with great visibility. When they passed through the five cabinets, they could not help but peer into them. The five bloated corpses were still sitting inside…

Stepping over the rubble, the team slowly entered the narrow and silent cavern. As their eyes adjusted to the darkness, they saw the carvings of the giant bats drawn on the walls. They overlapped over each other, leaving no space between them. They seemed to be gazing out at the intruders. If the bats had materialized from these cave paintings, it would explain how so many of them could fit inside such a small cave.

Other than Wu Siyu, Gu Jun and the rest had been down the stone path in the abnormal space, so in comparison, this cave tunnel did not appear that deep. They trekked for about five hundred meters before they reached the end. It was small, dark, and damp. A strange humanoid creature was crouching there, facing away from them…

The team got inspired immediately. Gu Jun focused his eyes. Zombie, this was definitely a zombie!

The skeletal thin body, the skin that was covered in dead spots, the sharp claws, they were all defining features of a zombie. They could not see its face because it was turned away. But Gu Jun was sure the howling, the winged creature, and the illusory trap were all the work of this creature. It was a formidable opponent, but just as Gu Jun exhausted, it appeared the zombie had been rendered immobile and defenseless after its attack was countered.

“Do not move!” Xue Ba aimed his rifle at the zombie, as did Lou Xiaoning. He breathed out in both awe and disbelief, “I can’t believe it. They really do exist, and we have captured one.”

Right at that moment, a strange and throaty voice came from the zombie. “How can you tell… this is not another dream?”

“Well, there is only one way to find out.” Gu Jun grabbed the rifle and aimed it at the zombie’s left leg. He pulled the trigger. A scream followed it. The flesh on the zombie’s leg had a gaping wound in it.

“So, does that feel like a dream to you?” Gu Jun fired off another shot. “How about this one?”

Bang!

While the zombie hissed in pain and resentment, Wu Siyu leaned forward to ask, “Can I give it a try? That looks so much fun.”

“Sure, I left the right leg for you,” Gu Jun said. The Demon Hunters looked at each other. They had a silent discussion and decided to leave the two of them be.

“Okay.” Wu Siyu aimed the rifle at the zombie’s right leg. She fired just one shot. The zombie crumpled to the ground as the blood pooled around it, but it still refused to turn to face them. Wu Siyu sighed. “That was oddly satisfying.”