Woo-woo—
The piercing sound of sirens echoed through the air. Ke Su, who had just exited the subway station, curiously glanced at the direction the police cars were heading.
It seemed to be the same station he had just left.
Recalling the train carriage full of corpses and the passengers who seemed to have lost their sanity from the shock, Ke Su understood the need for police support. After all, it seemed the murderer was still on the train.
He withdrew his gaze and continued walking along the path. It was a long, desolate road, surrounded by lush greenery. The scenery was pleasant.
He was about two kilometers from the City of Li University. Although it was a bit far, walking briskly would allow him to reach his destination before lunch.
Ke Su lazily scrolled through his phone’s navigation map while walking, somewhat distracted.
His eyes were distant as he thought about the game he played that morning. Although it was a casual, idle game, its artwork was beautiful, and the storyline was engaging.
He wondered if the character Kate had resurrected his sister yet. What would the next mission be? How much experience would gaining new followers bring?
[Steam World: Plague Doctor]
Kate awoke from a beautiful dream, as if transported back to his childhood. His parents were still alive, and the family hadn't gone bankrupt yet. He and his sister cuddled in their golden-haired mother's arms, enjoying the warm afternoon sun in a glass conservatory, eyes half-closed as she gently caressed them.
“Mother... Mary…”
Tears streamed down Kate’s face as he woke. Opening his eyes, he saw masses of flesh and tentacles clinging to the ceiling.
Dazed, he rose from the sticky, blood-soaked floor and looked up at the indescribable deity in the room's center.
The deity seemed to be napping, its enormous eye half-closed, the universe within its pupil flickering like stars. Behind the eye, the gigantic mass of flesh pulsed rhythmically, breathing. Tentacles writhed on the floor and ceiling, transforming the entire basement into a terrifying abyss straight out of the Bible’s depiction of hell.
Faced with such a hellish scene, Kate’s expression was strangely ecstatic. Everything before his sleep replayed in his mind, and countless fragments of information flooded his thoughts, making his eyes gleam with intensity.
He knelt down and prayed fervently, almost neurotically: “Almighty God, origin of all, end of all. May you have sweet dreams! This humble insect vows to share your glory with the world.”
After a long while, the prayer ended. Kate rose, and when he looked up again, the gigantic eye and grotesque flesh had vanished. In their place was an intense white light. A phantom of heaven descended into the basement, holy music echoed, and an extraordinarily beautiful deity, far more radiant than any sun god, sat on a divine throne, eyes closed in slumber, waiting for the day the followers would awaken it.
Kate stared at the scene, the fervor in his eyes growing even more intense. He was deeply intoxicated by the divine gospel bestowed upon him. Only when his mind became fatigued from directly gazing at the deity did he respectfully apologize and leave the basement.
He still had a more important mission to complete—resurrecting his sister Mary—and then dedicating the rest of his life to the great Lord.
That day, the sky remained overcast, and for the first time in the daytime, Kate stepped out of his vine-covered mansion and returned to his long-sealed clinic. He needed to begin gathering the materials to resurrect Mary.
In the following days, word spread throughout the town that the gloomy doctor Kate had reopened his clinic.
At first, few dared to visit. They still remembered the madness of Doctor Kate—how he acted so recklessly, ignoring the lives of the townspeople, and even stabbed people, all in a desperate attempt to save his sister.
The townsfolk still resented him for not recognizing the greater good. Mary's death, in their eyes, had been a noble sacrifice, yet Kate had smeared it with his accusations of murder.
But Kate was the only doctor in town. Those too sick to leave for treatment in the big cities reluctantly sought his help, watching him warily, afraid he might poison their medicine.
However, to their surprise, Kate had become much gentler, almost like a new person. He didn’t get angry at the townsfolk’s suspicion, always wearing a calm smile and sincerely treating his patients. His medical skills had even improved, curing many of the seriously ill. Those who recovered were deeply grateful to Doctor Kate, frequently bringing gifts to his clinic as thanks.
Over time, the townspeople started to believe that Kate had matured, and they slowly accepted him again. They joined him for church services, helping him in any way they could.
Soon, the town finally shed the shadow of the plague and returned to its former peace and harmony. Happiness once again graced the small town.
“Doctor Kate truly is a good man. Although he doesn’t worship the Sun God, his faith is pure. Look, he gave me this beautiful prayer tool!” said a pale, gaunt man, lifting the pendant around his neck. It was a pendant shaped like an inverted cross, with delicate patterns spiraling around it, making it hard to discern.
“That is a god far greater than the Sun God. Young man, if you’re interested, I’ll give you this prayer tool!”
The man, clad in an oil-stained work uniform, wasn’t particularly clean, but his expression was kind, and his eyes shone with such intensity that it was hard to refuse.
The weary young traveler reluctantly accepted the necklace, watching the man walk home before gazing at the peaceful, remote town.
“What a beautiful place!” he thought, as the sunset cast its glow on the sharp-edged rooftops, while distant factories, barely visible, exhaled steam through their countless pipes. The town looked like a paradise.
The young traveler’s name was Ledell. He wiped the sweat from his brow, marveling at how this town was the most serene and beautiful he had encountered since the plague began.
After hearing the worker’s description, he couldn’t help but feel a desire to settle down here. But as a traveling bard, his occupation meant he could never fully settle in one place. It would always remain just a thought.
Rubbing his aching legs from the long journey, Ledell decided to stay for a few days. Although he couldn’t settle down here, he could at least enjoy the beauty and tranquility for a while.
“Temporary Residence No. 66: Lost Town,” he noted in his journal after glancing at the town’s signpost.
A strange name for such a lovely town, he thought.
After jotting it down, the young bard pocketed his journal and stepped into the beautiful, yet unfamiliar town.
Whoosh—
Autumn’s cool breeze passed through, as if welcoming his arrival.
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RealityCity of Li University
Inside the first teaching building, a group of people were joking and messing around in a large empty classroom. The ones who had been quietly studying were forced to pack up and leave, leaving only about a dozen people behind.
"Hey! Class Leader Lu Ren, do you think Ke Su will really come today? Or is he going to stand you up? Haha!" A curly-haired girl dressed stylishly teased Lu Ren, the class leader standing nearby.
Lu Ren chuckled, looking reliable and down-to-earth.
"I called him, so if he doesn’t show up, it’s not my problem. If his documents go missing, that’s on him. We could even toss them out, and when he shows up, we’ll just say they got lost because he was late!"
Hearing this, Wen Wen, the curly-haired girl, burst into laughter, nearly doubling over. "You’re so bad!"
Lu Ren was fond of Wen Wen and clearly interested in pursuing her, so he winked playfully in return.
The others, not wanting to endure this flirtatious exchange, began to complain about how strict their parents and teachers had become, especially about exams. One guy lamented, "It’s all because of that jerk messing things up for so many of us this past year. He gets to come back casually just to pick up his documents! Ridiculous!"
"Exactly! That guy made such a scene back then, now every time my dad frowns when he sees me. Meanwhile, those idiots outside are laughing it up. Damn it!" A guy with a cigarette dangling from his lips and a rebellious look in his eyes spat out angrily.
Back when that weirdo, Ke Su, confessed to his brother, his usually gentle brother had been so disgusted he cursed him out. Out of loyalty, the rebellious guy, Qian Huan, had decided to stand up for his brother.
Under Qian Huan’s lead, teaching Ke Su a lesson had gone smoothly.
In Qian Huan’s mind, it was just a harmless prank. They locked Ke Su in the bathroom overnight, poured water on him, and threw his books away. But then that jerk reported them to the school, and the news even made it to the TV station, causing a huge scandal and humiliating both the school and his family.
As a result, they hadn’t dared to go out much this past year.
"Hey, how about we play a prank on him, show him who’s boss?" Qian Huan suggested, glancing at his friends.
The group hesitated. After all, last time, their antics had made the news, and they didn’t want their parents getting even angrier with them.
"Tsk, you guys are such cowards!"
Seeing their reluctance, Qian Huan spat disdainfully and slung his arm around another guy.
"Old Wang, what do you think? Don’t you want to teach that guy a lesson? You haven’t had it easy this past year either!" Qian Huan raised an eyebrow and looked expectantly at the guy named Wang Yun.
Wang Yun, who had been involved in the original confession incident, hesitated for a moment. A gentle, innocent smile appeared on his face.
"Honestly, I’ve almost forgotten about that whole thing by now."
Qian Huan, disappointed, was about to withdraw his arm when Wang Yun suddenly changed his tone. "But we’re bros, right? You guys stood up for me back then, so I can’t leave you hanging now."
Qian Huan’s eyes lit up at his words, and Wang Yun continued, "But the prank can’t be too big. We don’t want the school finding out again. I know that guy’s afraid of ghosts. Let’s lure him into that building the school’s recently banned. If something happens, it won’t be on us."
As he spoke, Wang Yun’s face remained cheerful, still very much a student.
Qian Huan was thrilled. He hugged Wang Yun, calling him a true brother, feeling deeply moved. In his mind, they were like the heroes of a movie, about to embark on a mission of justice. The thought only made him more eager.
Nearby, Li Lanlan, a short-haired girl who had been quietly playing on her phone, looked up at Wang Yun and sneered slightly in disdain.
She had long seen through Wang Yun’s two-faced nature. Despite being fake and manipulative, he was excellent at maintaining a good image. Even when plotting something bad, he would pretend it was out of brotherly duty. She figured he probably despised Ke Su for being gay but acted like it was no big deal, playing along with the prank idea as if it was all in good fun.
What a waste of Qian Huan’s loyalty. Despite being a rich second-generation kid, he was still down-to-earth, a rare trait! Lanlan thought as she rested her chin in her hands, watching Qian Huan.
At this moment, outside the gates of City of Li University, Ke Su stopped and looked up at the tall gates, frowning slightly.
Because of the dark memories associated with this school in his mind, he had a bad impression of it, almost feeling a sense of disgust about stepping inside.
But he had no choice; he needed to pick up his things.
Putting away his phone, Ke Su furrowed his brow and walked through the university gates.
As he entered, a thin mist seemed to follow him, gradually blending into the campus until it fully enveloped it. The entire school felt as if it had submerged underwater, with ripples spreading outward.
And from beneath the water, darkness began to grow.
Nearby ghosts and strange entities seemed to sense something. They lifted their heads toward the university, drawn irresistibly to it, rushing in. A place that should have been brimming with life, enough to repel countless ghosts, was quickly transforming into a ghostly realm emitting a terrifying aura.
A place even the gods would shun had become a playground for these supernatural creatures.
In the city, the Special Incident Department’s detection screen flared with a crimson glow as the coordinates of City of Li University lit up like blood, the red light sharp and piercing.
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