"Aliliusi, the Ghost of the Pot... and the guardian of the mermaid race, Prophet Kalei..."
A hint of melancholy shimmered in Wan She's eyes. "You should have chosen me back then..."
Her figure stepped directly into the interior of the ancient castle. The dozing ticket inspector never even noticed her.
Everything about the castle seemed intimately familiar to Wan She. She descended steadily, passing through the basement and dungeon, until she finally arrived before a wall.
Earthen-yellow bricks bore the mottled marks of history, and carved into them in an archaic style was the image of a double-handled ceramic jar.
"In the name of Wan She..."
Wan She bit her lip, and a drop of crimson blood surfaced before seeping into the wall.
The entire wall collapsed with a thunderous crash, revealing a pitch-black passage.
Wan She proceeded straight to its end. On an ancient altar, she found numerous ceramic fragments.
That thick resentment, along with a sensation of horror—even after ten thousand years, it was clearly visible before Wan She's eyes.
"Ghost of the Pot... Even your true form has become like this?"
Wan She picked up an earthen-yellow shard. Fine black patterns flowed across its surface, emitting a hissing sound, as though communicating with her...
Having obtained what she wanted, Wan She departed swiftly. The passage was later discovered by cleaning staff, triggering a wave of tourism.
But the accompanying incidents of terror and ghostly rumors soon caused the tourist attraction to decline once again. However, that is a story for another time...
...
Wanxiong City. Another bright, sunny day.
"Mn..."
Sewell stretched lazily and sat up in bed.
"Sigh... I failed the certification exam, and at my age I can't exactly ask Mom and Dad for money... Maybe I should just go find some part-time work?"
Sewell rubbed his worried cheeks and got dressed.
The Empire's universities charged exorbitant fees that ordinary families simply couldn't afford. And at this point, Sewell had developed a bit of pride—he didn't want to rely on his parents for money now that he was an adult.
"For part-time work, something like a waiter would be exhausting with low pay. Might as well go be a bodyguard! With my physical fitness and combat power from mastering the Snake Bite Fist, a monthly salary of over ten thousand shouldn't be a problem..."
His strong physique and the willpower honed through martial arts gave Sewell tremendous confidence.
A few minutes later, he walked into the living room with a toothbrush in his mouth and immediately spotted fried eggs, bread, and milk on the table, with a note tucked beneath the plate.
"Jia'er already left for school?"
Sewell pictured a little girl standing on a stool to cook, and a warm smile spread across his face.
After a quick wash, Sewell ate breakfast while casually switching on the TV.
An electronic screen materialized in midair, and a female anchor's crisp, brisk voice carried through: "Welcome to the morning news. First, the financial channel... The Imperial Psionic Energy Group recently announced..."
Suddenly, the anchor's expression changed.
"We interrupt with breaking news: Golden Sunflower Elementary School in Wanxiong City was attacked by unidentified assailants half an hour ago. Casualties are currently unknown. The Police Department and Fire Brigade have arrived on scene. Five organizations have already claimed responsibility..."
Behind the anchor was a hastily captured scene—thick black smoke billowing from the elementary school as police stretched out a long cordon. Faint sobbing could be heard.
Clang!
Sewell's face went blank. The milk glass slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor.
"Golden Sunflower Elementary?! Jia'er's school!!!"
He burst through the door, ripping the handle clean off with the force, leaving a fist-sized hole behind.
"Oh? Has it started?"
At that moment, Sewell's neighbor Linley also emerged, watching as Sewell rushed off in a frantic sprint toward Golden Sunflower Elementary. Linley himself, breakfast in both hands, began strolling along at an unhurried pace.
"Jia'er! Jia'er! You absolutely cannot be hurt!"
Sewell stared at the horizon. From here, he could already see thick black smoke rising from Golden Sunflower Elementary, as if heralding disaster.
Beep beep!
The closer he got, the worse the traffic became. Maglev trains formed an endless line, and a multitude of traffic police struggled to maintain order.
"Damn it!"
Sewell wrenched open the car door and vaulted out, dodging a few times before vanishing at the end of the street, leaving only a few banknotes on the seat that left the driver gaping, convinced he'd seen a ghost.
Relying on his own speed—and the fact that he'd been let off not far from the school—Sewell quickly reached its vicinity.
"Halt! What are you doing?"
An armored police officer blocked Sewell's path, scrutinizing him with a wary gaze.
"I—I'm a family member of one of the students inside! My sister Jia'er! Is she okay?" Sewell asked in a panic.
"The hijackers have taken hostages. We're working on a rescue!"
The officer's gaze softened with pity. "I assure you, we'll do everything in our power to save them... For now, please go over there to register and wait..."
He pointed toward an open area nearby where a large crowd of parents had already gathered, many mothers weeping openly.
"Damn it... I'm going in!"
Sewell's face flushed crimson.
"I'm sorry! That's not possible!" The officer's expression hardened. "Don't make this difficult for us..."
Glancing at the officer's blackened gun barrel, Sewell's eyes darted. "Fine... I'll leave. Going right now..."
He backed away slowly, circled around the school, and reached a section of perimeter wall where police were present but less densely stationed.
"Now!!"
Sewell drew a deep breath. A serpentine hiss emanated from his body, and he transformed into a black shadow, surging forward.
"Halt!"
"Open fire!"
A cacophony of shouts erupted from behind, accompanied by dangerous gunfire.
But at this moment, Sewell performed beyond his limits. His movement trajectory shifted into a snake-like S-curve, evading every shot. He scaled the wall and dropped into the campus grounds, narrowly escaping with his life, while furious roars echoed faintly behind him.
"Jia'er! Jia'er!"
Panic gripped Sewell's heart, yet his mind maintained an eerie calmness as he began to sneak forward, making his way toward Jia'er's classroom.
The once joyful campus had become a living hell. Here and there, the bodies of teachers and students lay along the paths, their dark red blood a ghastly sight.
"No way... Jia'er couldn't possibly have ended up like this..."
Sewell steeled himself and crept closer to Jia'er's classroom.
This area was clearly a focal point for the attackers—hostage-takers were far more concentrated here, and their attire was peculiar. Every one of them wore a black trench coat and dark sunglasses.
"They don't seem like ordinary hijackers..." A vague thought flickered through Sewell's mind, but at this point he had no choice.
Surveying their dense formations and firing positions, anxiety gnawed at Sewell's heart.
"Wait—the ventilation ducts! As long as I can suppress my life fluctuation, I can definitely sneak past..."
Sewell's eyes lit up. Through the Snake Bite Fist, he gained control over every muscle and vessel in his body.
Under the mysterious force, his blood gradually cooled, and his aura plummeted to almost nothing, making him no different from a stone by the roadside.
Bang! A ventilation grate was kicked open, and Sewell slowly crawled toward the teaching building.
"Boss! Why do we have to pretend to be hijackers? Wouldn't it be simpler to just act directly?"
In his concealed state, Sewell attracted no attention whatsoever. A hazy snippet of conversation drifted to him, making his heart skip.
"It's all because of that damn mayor! Said it would look bad! Ha... After this is over, he'll have to give up his seat... That's what happens when you mess with people from the Special Operations Division..."
"The Empire's organization! The Special Operations Division!" Sewell's blood ran cold. He felt as though he'd stumbled into something far beyond his depth.
"Ahh..."
At that moment, a girl's cry pierced the air, and the corner of Sewell's eye nearly split open: "That's Jia'er's voice!"
He scrambled forward, and through the vent's opening, he witnessed a scene that made his eyes nearly burst with rage: Inside the classroom, a teacher's corpse lay sprawled across the podium. Numerous little girls huddled on the ground, crying, while a burly man in a black trench coat had Jia'er tucked under one arm.
"Annoying!" He pinched the back of Jia'er's neck, instantly knocking her unconscious.
"Let go of my sister!!!"
The moment he saw this, how could Sewell hold back? He kicked through the duct wall and dropped down.
"Hm? There's another one?"
The trench coat thug glanced at Sewell, then at the black device in his hand. "Pity he's too old—no value for training or brainwashing..."
"Let go of my sister RIGHT NOW!"
Sewell charged forward with a roar, but was immediately intercepted by a pale-faced young man with upturned eyes.
The young man's face was caked in thick makeup, his lips painted a vivid red. He licked them with his tongue, a lecherous gleam in his eyes as he said: "Leave this one to me then. He'll be fun to play with..."
With the flicker of his [Swift Shadow] wristwatch, a wall of shadow materialized, blocking Sewell's path.
"Good! Watch the time!"
The middle-aged thug nodded, slung Jia'er and two other girls over his shoulder, and walked out.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
Sewell's face flushed scarlet. His arm suddenly softened and reshaped like a snake baring its fangs, shattering the shadow wall.
"Hm? A martial artist? I like that!"
The upturned-eyed youth's eyes lit up. "In my experience, your type usually lasts longer. Don't disappoint me..."
"Don't even think about resisting... I've already surpassed Senior Artificer rank. I can connect to the Advanced Shadow Web. Under advanced-tier spells, your martial arts are nothing but a joke..."
"Hsss..."
A dark phantom flashed, and Sewell materialized before the upturned-eyed youth in an instant, his fingers already embedded in the man's throat.