The wind outside was fierce, its howling almost drowning out footsteps.
Behemoth hid, holding his breath behind a corner. After much difficulty, he had managed to escape. Despite the fierce winds, the hunters from the Audit department had been easily deceived by him—almost as if they were letting him go deliberately.
Another team of hunters jogged by, hurriedly, their backs laden with heavy equipment. The street was deserted. Behemoth wasn’t sure what was happening in the city, but the chaos provided him an ideal chance.
Despite his massive weight of 600 kilograms, he moved with a strange agility, blending into every nook and cranny, until he finally reached a secluded street.
An entrance leading underground lay ahead.
It would be safer down there, wouldn’t it?
Without hesitation, Behemoth sneaked over.
Suddenly, a crisp sound came from under his foot.
Looking down, he saw a red-and-white clown mask, its half-smiling face now shattered beneath his step. Beside it lay a crumpled paper ticket for a circus, with the words, “Where do you wish to go, death or paradise? Kassand’s Circus awaits your presence.”
“What nonsense,” he muttered, cautiously moving forward.
Two minutes later, he descended a staircase into the underground.
An empty commercial street greeted him, the ground littered with colorful confetti, as if a grand celebration had just ended.
But he was safe now.
Behemoth chuckled, recalling Commander Lu Shanhuai’s absurd words during a video interrogation that morning.
“For some reason, I have a feeling today isn’t a good day to escape.”
What a joke. Who would believe such superstition?
Checking a holographic signpost in the middle of the path, it indicated that if he moved a little further, past a construction zone, he would reach another construction site that had an exit leading above ground.
The elevator to Kassand’s Lower City was near that exit.
Thankfully, illegal transactions were frequent here. He could find some cash in the stores. As he passed by, he pocketed some change.
After walking for another few minutes, faint cries reached his ears.
Hiding behind the dense row of shops, he slowly approached. There was a woman in exoskeleton gear leaning against a wall, crying next to a dead man.
He was a mutant, while she didn’t seem powerful.
Clearing his throat, Behemoth emerged from the shadows, “What happened here?”
The woman abruptly looked up. Seeing him, some color returned to her pale face. “How… how did you get in?”
“Directly from above,” Behemoth replied, eyeing the corpse. His throat had been slashed, something had effortlessly cut through the sturdy exoskeleton.
Instant death.
The woman’s face paled again, “Then we’re doomed. We can’t get out.”
Behemoth frowned, “What are you babbling about? Why are you here? Who killed him?”
“I don’t know,” she covered her face, “I’m Zhou Xin. I don’t know how long I’ve been trapped here, unable to find the exit.”
Having said this, she seemed to lose all her energy, not responding to Behemoth’s further questions.
He knew the exit was close by. Yet, she claimed she couldn’t find it.
Confused, he wondered if Zhou Xin had gone crazy. Or, perhaps, the crazy one was himself. The mysterious death of the man alarmed him.
Deciding to retreat, he retraced his steps.
Grocery stores, clothing stores, snack bars… everything appeared normal. The exit should be right…
Behemoth stood still.
The familiar holographic sign was still spinning before him. The red dot indicating his current location hadn’t moved a single bit.
Upon closer inspection, the stalls nearby were familiar too; identical to the ones he had just seen.
Defiantly, he tried again, only to find himself at the same spot. The staircase he had used to descend had vanished.
Once, twice, thrice… Despite sprinting throughout the underground area, drenched in sweat, there was no exit.
No way out.
After another attempt, he returned to the holographic sign, gasping for breath. He spotted another ticket on the ground.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Ugfrrfv yfcfjat j wbcxfs werlm ybz, atf almxfa vlrqijsfv lwjufr bo j mibkc, hfygj, jcv olgfkbgxr, klat atf rjwf kbgvr, “Qtfgf vb sbe klrt ab ub, vfjat bg qjgjvlrf? Bjrrjcv’r Jlgmer jkjlar sbeg qgfrfcmf.”
“Qtja atf oemx’r eq klat atlr lcjerqlmlber rtla?!” Dftfwbat megrfv, rafqqlcu bc atf almxfa jcv uglcvlcu la lcab atf ugbecv klat tlr obba.
However, he sensed a faint psychic ripple from the ticket.
This calmed Behemoth. Whatever entity was playing games, if it was alive, it could be killed.
Taking a deep breath, he headed back to Zhou Xin.
The woman was still sobbing quietly against the wall. Approaching her, Behemoth said, “Hey, want to move forward with me? There’s another construction zone ahead.”
Zhou Xin didn’t respond.
Behemoth muttered a curse under his breath and plunged solo into the pitch-black passage.
Every nerve was on edge as he trekked through the darkness. After what felt like an eternity, a faint glimmer of light from another construction zone came into view. Climbing over a mound of dirt, he dimly discerned a silhouette up ahead.
It wasn’t a tall figure, just a lone back turned towards him. A form-fitting vest accentuated the person’s waist, paired with high-waisted, slim-fit trousers.
The attire was somewhat odd, as if preparing for a performance. But when the figure slightly turned its head, the pronounced bridge of the nose and the clean line from jaw to neck caught Behemoth’s attention. There was a glint in those gorgeous eyes.
Behemoth froze, his usually stoic mind betraying him for a moment.
How beautiful.
A vibrant red rose adorned the figure’s chest, the bloom standing out against the backdrop of the inky tunnel.
If devils looked like this, it’s no wonder people would willingly follow them to hell.
The young man finally turned to face him.
Behemoth: “…”
Long Shiyu: “…”
Long Shiyu: “Wow.” ⊙▽⊙
A pang of anxiety shot through Behemoth.
Damn it, it really was the devil himself.
The memory of being thrown around by Long Shiyu during that underground fight was still fresh. In a panic, Behemoth turned, scrambling to flee. Echoing in his mind were Commander Lu Shanhuai’s haunting words, “Today isn’t a good day to escape… Today isn’t a good day to escape…”
The commander was right all along.
But before he could get far, his path forward was abruptly halted.
His breath caught, as countless crimson eyes emerged from the shadows of the tunnel.
Nocturnal wraiths, which typically lurked in wastelands or underground, loved the darkness and feared fire. They often traveled in packs, and upon their demise, they would dissipate into a toxic black mist.
The wraith at the forefront, bearing a visage somewhere between human and ape and covered in dark grey fur, lunged at Behemoth with outstretched claws and sharp teeth bared.
However, Behemoth, being a mutant, reacted swiftly, delivering a fierce kick to its soft abdomen. His hefty 600-kilogram body weight came into play as the wraith screeched and was sent flying. Another well-placed uppercut dispatched a second wraith.
But it wasn’t enough.
Their numbers were overwhelming. To Behemoth’s astonishment, several nocturnal wraiths donned colorful hats, resembling those worn by circus monkeys.
Cartoonish designs juxtaposed against their fearsome faces created an eerie scene.
Before Behemoth could react fully, a giant creature slowly emerged from the darkness amidst the throng of nocturnal wraiths. It was a corpse-eater; similar in appearance to nocturnal wraiths, but three to five times their size with a skull as tough as star alloy.
It snarled with an exaggerated smile drawn on its face in crayon and a jester’s cap perched atop its head. Saliva dripped continuously.
Cold sweat covered Behemoth. He could potentially handle a horde of nocturnal wraiths, but with the addition of the gargantuan corpse-eater? Escape seemed impossible, especially when he believed such creatures existed only in the remotest of wastelands.
Desperation kicking in, Behemoth turned to Long Shiyu and shouted, “Hey, kid, we have to fend them off, or we’re both… dead?”
Long Shiyu was looking at the corpse-eater, emotionless.
Had he been paralyzed by fear? “Hey, hey, hey, snap out of it…” Behemoth began.
“Your uppercut earlier,” Long Shiyu remarked, “You forgot to pivot your right leg inward, reducing its power.”
Behemoth was speechless.
“Who the hell cares about that right now?”
“I used to sweep floors at a boxing ring and secretly learned a bit. Never really got into the ring or understood the rules,” Long Shiyu said, “But I feel the urge to correct it when I see it. Even though I was eventually fired for sleeping too much…” He looked slightly forlorn mentioning this.
The corpse-eater roared, shaking the entire tunnel.
Behemoth bolted, but the nocturnal wraiths, faster in the dark, were hot on his heels. His clothing torn by their sharp claws, they were about to overtake him when—
A radiant curtain of fire blazed forth, as brilliant as a miniature sun.
The nocturnal wraiths vanished within the blaze without a sound.
Behemoth was yanked back by the young man. Long Shiyu earnestly said, “Stay here. I’ll demonstrate a proper uppercut for you. It’ll be useful if you return to underground fighting. Though, it’s a shame it’s too tall for me to demonstrate the footwork properly.”
He advanced a few steps towards the massive corpse-eater.
Pivoting his body, lowering his right shoulder, and rotating his right leg inward, he unleashed his punch. Long Shiyu launched himself a few meters into the air and his fist connected squarely with the corpse-eater’s chin.
A textbook uppercut.
The corpse-eater’s neck snapped audibly, its head bending backward unnaturally, collapsing, its skull utterly shattered.
It was very obviously dead.
The remaining nocturnal wraiths retreated in fear. Long Shiyu turned back to Behemoth. “See? Much more powerful this way.”
Behemoth didn’t know what to say. “This isn’t exactly a problem of technique, right…? Its brains splattered out from the force!”
Ahh. The devil was standing before him in the flesh!
The remains of the corpses transformed into a smoky haze, vanishing into thin air. It took Behemoth a moment to gather himself, “So, what exactly is happening here?”
“What happened here?” A deep voice, simmering with restrained rage, interrupted them.
Long Shiyu looked behind him. Shen Zhaomu had returned.
They were temporarily trapped in this area, and they could vaguely hear the sounds of other exotic beasts in the distance. After Shen Zhaomu confirmed that there was no immediate danger around, he asked Long Shiyu to stay in place in a well-lit area and went ahead to handle something.
If it weren’t for Behemoth leaving the darkness earlier, the group of nocturnal wraiths would not have been attracted here.
Long Shiyu greeted Shen Zhaomu with twinkling eyes. “You’re back!”
Shen Zhaomu pulled him close, fixing a piercing gaze on Behemoth, “Didn’t I tell you to inform me if you encountered danger?” He had specially given Long Shiyu a flare gun from the guild, which could be fired manually or would activate automatically upon detecting life-threatening changes to the bearer.
Behemoth: ???
He gestured towards the pitch-black passage, “No, wait, look at those nocturnal…”
The tunnel was empty, the corpses having dissipated into black mist.
Behemoth continued defending himself, “…Listen, he just slaughtered a horde of nocturnal wraiths! And with a single punch, he shattered the skull of a colossal corpse-eater. How could I possibly bully him?”
Long Shiyu: “Sob.”
Shen Zhaomu’s eyes frosted over, “After all this time, your ability to lie hasn’t improved.”
Behemoth: ???
He was going nuts here. Commander Lu Shanhuai’s words once again echoed through his mind.
Today truly wasn’t a good day to escape.
Radiant light danced around them and Shen Zhaomu was about to speak when suddenly, a cheerful melody intertwined with sharp laughter filled the air.
Out of nowhere, a small stage, about half a person tall, appeared at the brightest spot, right in the center of the construction zone.
Seated as the audience below were… pots of flowers.
They varied in size; the largest stood as tall as a person while the smallest could fit snugly in one’s palm. In the center of each bloom was a human face, the source of the echoing laughter.
They were human-faced flowers—benign plants known to mimic simple human phrases.
The spotlight converged on the stage as a childlike voice narrated, “A long, long time ago, Jack traded his cow for a magical bean.”
A puppet boy, with a gleeful expression, appeared on stage, holding a green bean.
Shen Zhaomu sensed the presence of a creature’s psychic force manipulating the scene.
He could have intervened but chose to simply watch in silence.
But then it occurred to him; with the surrounding darkness, Long Shiyu might be afraid.
Hesitating for a moment, Shen Zhaomu discreetly reached for the young man’s wrist in the obscurity.
In the cloak of darkness, no one would see.
Not even himself.
Long Shiyu: QwQ
The latter gripped his princess’s hand even tighter. Shen Zhaomu instinctively tried to withdraw, but halted— clearly, the silly dragon was scared.
Shen Zhaomu’s hand was naturally cold.
Yet soon, warmth enveloped it.
The warmth of Long Shiyu.
The voice continued, “He planted the bean, watering and nourishing it every day.”
The puppet placed the bean prop on the floor and mimed the act of watering a plant.
“Their family was steeped in poverty, with Jack being raised single-handedly by his mother. When she discovered that Jack had traded their only cow for a bean, her fury knew no bounds. The moment Jack heard her address him by his full name, he knew he was in for a spanking — both his palms and backside would be painted with handprints.”
A female puppet wearing an apron then emerged from behind the stage, steam visibly rising from her head, indicating her ire.
Below, the human-faced flowers burst into sharp, malicious laughter.
“However, one day, Jack was astounded to find that the bean had sprouted a vine that seemed to reach the heavens.”
The bean prop rapidly grew, transforming into a verdant vine. The boy puppet exclaimed in surprise, “Damn, it just keeps growing!”
The brilliant lights on the stage then dimmed, the enveloping darkness receding. The two puppets tumbled to the ground, void of life and vigor.
Yet, the human-faced flowers remained, swaying in place, their expressions twisted into eerie grins.
But Long Shiyu seemed drawn to them, as if spellbound by something. He approached and picked up one of the pots.
“Put it back,” Shen Zhaomu suggested. “That thing looks…”
Long Shiyu turned the flower to reveal its face. Its expression was starkly different from the rest, wearing a defiant look that seemed to say, “The fuck you staring at?”
With crystal clarity, it declared, “Fuck your mom! I’m gonna fuck your mom!”
Shen Zhaomu: “…”
Shen Zhaomu sighed, “…It’s one thing for you to show up at bizarre places, but how do you manage to find such strange things?”
Yet, Long Shiyu’s eyes twinkled in excitement as he asked, “Can I keep it? I can place it at the front of your airship; it’d love to bask in the sun.”
“Absolutely not. Put it back.”
“Are you sure I can’t?” Long Shiyu’s face was a canvas of longing.
“No.”
“…Sob.”
“…”
“Sob.”
“…Fine.”
The little flower chimed in, “Fuck your mom! Fuck your mom!”
Long Shiyu listened attentively. “It says it has a name too.”
“How can you understand it?”
“I don’t know, just like I don’t understand how I can understand burrowing dragons,” Long Shiyu said, peering at the little flower, “It claims its name is Zaun.”
Author’s Note:
One cutesy sob a day: 3/1
When the spring breeze is proud, the horse's hooves are swift; in one day, one can see the flower of Zaun.
Don’t worry, everyone! There won’t be much angst. Trust me, hahaha
Did you know, that ‘Zaun’ is the German word for fence? Just, the pronunciation is different.
Also, what’s with that flower, why is it parroting such an offensive sentence…
Thank you for the chapter!
Thank you for the translation! ❤
I need that flower so i can gift it to people i dont like ehueueueh
Whatever is running the circus really knows how to maximize the crazy 😳. If it’s not Long Shiyu, it’s apparently working with him to make Behemoth anxious to turn himself back in to the cops 😆.