Yao Ye crouched in the corner, watching in horror as the old man’s head twisted in the doorway’s crevice.
The elongated neck seemed too weak to support the head from fully entering the room, and it remained lodged in the gap.
Yao Ye clearly remembered the warning from the thugs: one must never let the ghosts in the hallway spot them.
So he dared not make a sound. Even though his gaze met the dark eye sockets of the old man’s head, he remained utterly still.
Hoping against hope that the creature would leave on its own, Yao Ye’s wish was not granted.
Observing Yao Ye’s distressed appearance, his tear-stricken face, the wrinkled old man’s head, with gaping holes where eyes and mouth should be, twisted into an even more grotesque smile. It emitted a weak, breathless sound, eerily reminiscent of an old man’s wheezing, which in the damp, eerie room was deeply unsettling.
Clearly, the severed head had found its prey and wasn’t willing to let go so easily.
Confronted by this sight, Yao Ye keenly felt the covetous gaze from the old man’s head, pushing him to the brink of sanity.
Clutching his head, his long fingers buried deep in his soft black hair, as the clashing of his handcuffs produced a sharp sound. He felt utterly helpless and despondent.
Yao Ye’s pupils trembled as he watched the gap in the door, his bare feet tucked underneath him, gripping the slimy wet floor beneath.
Why? He hadn’t ventured out. How had this creature detected him?
Was it because the door to this room hadn’t been locked?
A realization hit Yao Ye. He remembered that the survivors had avoided staying nearby.
He had pondered this before, but after searching the island for a shelter all day, he was too exhausted. Darkness fell quickly, and he lacked the energy to search for another room. Fearing the night, he had chosen to stay here, hoping for the best.
At first, he assumed no one had stayed because of the dampness. Now, he realized, it might be because these rooms lacked locks and couldn’t offer proper protection.
Having been enlightened, Yao Ye wished he could tear his earlier decision-making self to pieces.
Why hadn’t he considered this? Was he too befuddled by hunger?
Regret plastered his face, but regret wouldn’t change anything now.
Without even a weapon in hand and weakened by hunger, Yao Ye knew he couldn’t fend off this unnatural creature. He could only bite his lip and weep in silence.
Thud… thud…
Suddenly, heavy footsteps echoed. The familiar rhythm sent a paralyzing shock throughout the slaughterhouse.
Hiss…
The numerous ghosts in the hallway froze momentarily, then scattered, hiding behind tattered wallpapers, feigning death.
The formless flesh blobs that usually wriggled around the corridor sped up their movement, retreating to the ceiling, remaining still.
The corridor regained its daytime silence, but the severed old man’s head outside Yao Ye’s room remained oblivious. It was so engrossed in toying with its prey that it failed to notice the change outside.
At this moment, inside Yao Ye’s room, the old man’s severed head had managed to squeeze through the narrow gap. Its two-meter-long neck coiled inside the room, constantly moving, invading Yao Ye’s space.
“No! No! Damn it! Get away!”
Yao Ye, backed into a corner, once again dodged the head’s barbed tongue, his face pale as a sheet.
He frantically tried to evade it. However, in his weakened and dizzy state, he accidentally tripped and fell. Looking back, he was met with the nightmarish sight of the head opening its grotesque mouth, intending to swallow his skull whole.
His pupils dilated, Yao Ye held his breath.
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.
Thwack!
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Through the previously opened gap, he witnessed a sight he’d never forget.
The once formidable old man’s head was now gripped by a familiar hand wrapped in bandages, letting out feeble moans.
The towering figure of the Judge effortlessly severed the old man’s extended neck with his blade. Blood spurted everywhere.
Whimper…
The old man’s head, held by the Judge, let out eerie pleas, looking as obedient as a puppet in the face of impending death.
Yao Ye watched in shock.
The gigantic figure, wrapped entirely in bandages, paused when he felt Yao Ye’s gaze, turning in his direction.
Seeing the bloodstained bandages, Yao Ye recoiled in dread, involuntarily stepping back.
The Judge, sensing Yao Ye’s fear, hesitated. His body language spoke of a hint of melancholy.
Yao Ye… is afraid…
The old man’s head, trapped in the Judge’s grasp, attempted to appease it with a proposal. “Master… please spare me. I can offer this human to you! Look how tender he is! Only someone like you deserves such a delicacy! I can make a delicious brain soup for you!”
Mentioning the way to cook a human, the old head grinned creepily, its empty sockets curving up in grotesque glee.
Yao Ye couldn’t comprehend this ghostly dialect. All he heard were odd hissing sounds, which made him shrink in fear.
Huff…
However, the Judge understood perfectly.
Hearing the ghost’s words, the Judge’s breathing grew heavy for a fleeting moment. The contours of his bandage-wrapped face tightened, and a hellish black flame ignited in his hand.
“No! No! What have I done? No! Please, spare me!”
The flames, capable of incinerating even spirits, turned the old head into ashes in an instant. Right up to the end, it was submerged in ceaseless agony and pleas.
The other lurking spirits in the corridor, witnessing the horrifying fate of the old man’s head, felt a vicarious terror. They concealed themselves even more diligently, trembling like leaves in the wind.
Rustle…
No one had ever seen the Judge this enraged. The fact that he used the flames of hell, which could obliterate even ghosts, was utterly terrifying.
All Yao Ye saw was the bandaged man summoning a black flame in his hand, followed by the disintegration of the monstrous head that had tormented him. He was left stunned, trying to process what had just transpired.
After the old head vanished, the bandaged figure looked over again. Yao Ye remained rigid, fearing any movement might be taken as a provocation.
Those flames were potent, capable of burning even ghosts. Likely, they could reduce a human to ash as well.
BANG!
The bandaged figure took a step and was now at the door, only a meter away from Yao Ye.
Yao Ye’s face turned ghostly pale, his forehead dripping with cold sweat, watching as the bandaged figure approached slowly.
This humanoid monster, just like before, reached out its hand towards Yao Ye.
Unsure of its intentions, Yao Ye could only stand stiffly, his expression brittle. He seemed on the verge of a breakdown.
The bandaged hand gently touched both of Yao Ye’s hands held in front of him, the huge palm completely enveloping them.
Yao Ye felt the rough, icy touch on his palms and instantly broke out in goosebumps; his hair stood on end, making him look even more unkempt.
What did this bandaged figure want?
Swish.
Yao Ye felt a lightness on his wrist, and the shackles that once bound him fell away.
The bandaged figure slowly withdrew its hand.
Stunned for a moment, Yao Ye looked at his now free hands, then looked up at the still silent bandaged figure.
“…?”
Disbelief was evident on Yao Ye’s face.
In the corridor, the lurking spirits and ghosts were even more taken aback.
Seriously?
Was this really the ruthless judge known for slaying ghosts?
No! That must’ve been an illusion!
They were so hungry for human flesh that they were hallucinating things!!!
Hidden spirits everywhere began doubting their existence, jaws dropping in disbelief. They couldn’t accept that this tall man, who had gently unlocked a human’s shackles, was their formidable and ruthless judge.
Standing at the door, Yao Ye too was incredulous. But he remembered that earlier in the day, this bandaged figure had helped him untie his ropes. Now it had unlocked his shackles. He ventured a bold guess:
Could this bandaged figure be a benevolent monster that helped those in distress?
Despite his suspicions, it took Yao Ye a long time to muster the courage to softly say, “Thank you… Thank you.”
The young man with black hair had a delicate face. His youthful cheeks still bore tear streaks. Even with his eyes reddened from crying and fear, it did not diminish his beauty. Instead, it added a fragile allure.
At this moment, as the young man looked up with clear eyes and offered a thankful smile, from the perspective of the bandaged figure, he appeared even more radiant and pitiable.
Seeing this, the bandaged figure paused, standing still, dumbfounded.
Looking at the petite and adorable young man in front of him, the figure felt something stir in his empty chest. The sensation slowly grew more intense.
Meeting the young man’s almost ingratiating gaze, he wanted to say “You’re welcome” to put his beloved at ease. But the words didn’t come out.
It wasn’t just because his voice had changed over time. Most importantly, he didn’t want this young man, who he had had affections for since their youth, to know his identity.
Such a grotesque appearance… would surely disgust him.
At that moment, the Judge, whose real name was Yuan Ping, felt somewhat grateful that he now looked so different from before. His bandages concealed all his ugliness.
He would rather Yao Ye remember him from their youth, frail and pitiable, and not the terrifying figure he had become.
Thus, the judge remained silent. He picked up a package that had been by his side, ensuring a gentle grip, and softly placed it into Yao Ye’s arms.
Flustered, Yao Ye accepted the items passed to him by the bandaged figure, looking at him in surprise.
The bandaged figure seemed to have no intention of explaining. He turned and walked away, dragging his massive blade behind him.
The blood-stained blade etched a deep mark on the floor, mirroring the judge’s heavy heart.
Yao Ye’s emotions were complicated at that moment.
He opened the package and found some food—a rice meal in a transparent plastic container and a stainless-steel thermos.
Yao Ye opened the container and saw rice topped with a steaming dish which seemed to be braised eggplant.
Swallowing hard, his hands shaking, Yao Ye opened the thermos.
It was filled with hot, steaming milk.
Yao Ye was astonished.
There was milk on this desolate island? And who made this food? Could it be the bandaged figure?
Growl…
Though skeptical about the origin of the food, Yao Ye was famished. Starving to the point of fainting, he couldn’t resist the tantalizing aroma any longer.
Rubbing his hunger-pained stomach, Yao Ye grabbed the chopsticks from the package and began devouring the meal.
In the end, all his doubts were cast aside. Every morsel and drop of sauce was licked clean.
After eating his fill, Yao Ye looked at the container, now so clean it didn’t even need washing, and began to ponder how this meal came to be.
Could it really… have been made by the bandaged figure?
The image of that huge figure, wearing an apron in a kitchen, looking incredibly domestic, sent a chill down Yao Ye’s spine.
Uh… that’s not possible, right?
In the corridor, the now morally-confounded ghosts and spirits wore the same expression as Yao Ye, their minds blank.
There was something off about the Judge tonight… right?
The spirits and ghosts trembled at the thought, wishing they could gouge out their eyes and pretend they hadn’t seen anything.
If the judge found out, would he exterminate them to keep them silent?
Definitely.
The spirits and ghosts were in utter despair. Their whimpers echoed down the corridor, frightening Yao Ye into quickly shutting his door.
The entire slaughterhouse was steeped in sorrow. In another part of the facility, other survivors, disturbed by the haunting whimpers, huddled together in fear, unable to sleep.
Outside the slaughterhouse, the judge, standing on a small hill, silently gazed at the building. The blood on his blade gleamed eerily under the moonlight, petrifying nearby monsters who had been enjoying the night.
Did Yao Ye… find the food tasty?
The judge, who the monsters found terrifying, pondered just that.
Why did I think that was so cute? 😭😭 I’ve also got a feeling that maybe Yao Ye would be glad to see Yuan Ping!