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| Descend from the Stars (STARS) |
The room prepared for the ball was filled with over a dozen cages. As soon as the door opened, a thick, metallic scent of blood assaulted the senses. This was the absolute forbidden zone of the ORACLE bar—only the Chief Interviewer and the Butcher had access.
Along the way, the Chief Interviewer had spilled all this information to Xu Dan like pouring beans from a sack.
Xu Dan asked curiously, "The Butcher?"
"The Butcher is..." The Chief Interviewer gazed obsessively at the "angel" before him as he turned on the lights, "...a pig-headed executioner."
With the lights on, Xu Dan stood at the doorway. Dozens of lifeless eyes turned toward him—some numb, some despairing, some in agony. They were all beautiful men and women, locked in cages like livestock. Some stood, while others crouched in grotesque positions.
Those who couldn't stand were all covered in blood, seemingly severed at the waist by someone, a d their lower bodies crudely stitched with serpent tails, fish tails, or even large dog or deer limbs. Under the light, the shoddy stitches on their bodies writhed like living things, rapidly repairing the flesh.
In the farthest cage, the artificial mermaid's stitches were already invisible to the naked eye.
Xu Dan withdrew his gaze and turned to the Chief Interviewer beside him, smiling as he picked up the earlier conversation: "A pig-headed executioner? Like you?"
The interviewer froze, then shivered with an odd thrill at the insult. His face twisted into an exaggerated, covetous grin. "Yes, yes, just as you say..."
Xu Dan walked to the nearest cage and asked the ashen-faced black-haired youth inside, "Was it this interviewer and the Butcher who locked you all in here?"
The black-haired youth, unsure of his intentions, rasped at the seemingly oblivious man, "Yes, run... don't get in the cage!"
Xu Dan sighed.
He was hungry.
His brother had said not to harm innocent humans. But if they weren't innocent... surely that was fine?
He hated the stench of the interviewer beside him.
For some reason, the Chief Interviewer suddenly felt a chill. An inexplicable fear spread through him, as if a dangerous beast lurked unseen in the darkness, watching him. His knees weakened, and he instinctively glanced at the door.
With a bang, the door slammed shut on its own.
The Chief Interviewer's instincts screamed warnings. He leaped up and bolted for the exit, only to be ensnared by a serpent tail—supple, cold, and beautiful, yet coiled around him like a demon's tentacle... tightening... until the sound of his bones shattering filled the air... then blood sprayed...
...
Five minutes later.
Xu Dan picked up the tumor-like mass that had condensed from the corpse.
A disgusting Superhuman, with an equally disgusting Alien Core. Its ability was to amplify the emotions of others within a short time frame, with a certain chance of failure—the more intense the target's emotions, the higher the success rate.
Hungry. Without his brother's braised pork, he'd have to make do.
He swallowed the Alien Core, and his human-like stomach instantly digested it completely. The new, unfamiliar ability made him even more sensitive to the emotions in the room.
Standing in the blood, he turned and looked back at the victims in the cages.
Each of them was deathly pale abd trembling in terror while staring at him as if he were a monstrous demon clawing its way out of hell.
Xu Dan was puzzled, not understanding why they were so frightened. Perhaps... his eating manners weren't elegant enough and had scared them?
So he gave them a friendly smile and spoke politely, "Good evening~"
The nearest black-haired youth stumbled backward, crashing into the iron bars of the cage.
Xu Dan's smile grew even more harmless, his voice almost gentle: "Do you know where the cage keys are?"
"You... you..." the black-haired youth trembled, "You're letting us... go?"
Xu Dan nodded: "After you get out, there will be police waiting in the bar's main hall. Don't be afraid, I'm... well, I'm a police officer."
A police officer who kills with a serpent tail and eats human flesh raw?
The group shivered in silence. Xu Dan tapped his earpiece—he couldn't reach his brother, but he could contact logistics: "Help me report this to the police. I'm about to release eighteen victims."
The response came through the earpiece: "Copy that. Proceed to Chaos Hotel immediately to confirm Captain Xu's status. We've lost contact with him."
Xu Dan wished he could fly there right now. He turned back to them and asked again, "Where are the keys?"
"With... the Butcher," a mermaid woman whispered.
"Where is the Butcher?" Xu Dan pressed.
The woman replied fearfully, "I... I don't know."
Xu Dan tilted his head, concentrating to sense any nearby Anomalous Object presence—unfortunately, there wasn't even a living soul near this room, let alone an Anomalous Object...
He smiled faintly. "Wait here for a bit. I'll go find the keys first."
He left the room, considerately closing the door behind him, and reverted to human form as he walked into the raucous scene on the bar's second underground floor.
The place was packed, deafening music and flashing colored lights creating a surreal atmosphere. On stage, humans and snake-human hybrids performed erotic dances. As Xu Dan passed below, a piece of lingerie flew onto his head, covering it.
"......" He picked up the fiery red undergarment and looked up to see the now fully undressed snake-human hybrid blowing him exaggerated kisses.
Whew... good thing his brother wasn't here. He felt a pang of guilt.
Well, he'd "rescue" this snake-human hybrid later.
Xu Dan tossed the lingerie back onto the stage, fully activating his senses as he continued forward. Neither the wealthy guests with invitations nor the dancing snake-human hybrids on stage carried any trace of Anomalous Object energy—only a few faint, nearly imperceptible scents lingered on some, suggesting recent contact... or consumption of something unusual.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed Xu Dan's wrist.
He turned around.
"Sir, want to live forever?" A young man in a baseball cap leaned close, shouting over the music, "I have connections to get real monsters—hybrids of humans and snakes, just like those on stage. They're descendants of gods! Eat their flesh raw, and you'll be cured of all illnesses and gain immortality!"
The flashing lights reflected brightly in Xu Dan's eyes as he remained silent for over ten seconds.
Thinking he was skeptical, the young man hastily added, "It's true! Most rich people come here for... well, you know." He gave a lewd grin. "Afterward, they pool money to buy a whole one and eat the freshest meat alive. Those who've tried it got cured of diseases or struck it rich!"
Xu Dan studied him thoughtfully, his expression blank. "So... humans eat humans too."
"Huh?" The young man didn't catch it. "What did you say?"
Xu Dan had already walked away.
The youth stared blankly at his own hand—when had Xu Dan slipped his wrist free?
Leaving the chaotic dance floor behind, Xu Dan stopped in front of a winding backstage dressing room. He sniffed lightly, then grinned. "Found it."
The thick stench of blood… the foul odor of decay… desire so dense it was almost tangible… and the disgusting aura of an Anomalous Object.
Xu Dan pushed open the door of the innermost dressing room. A mountain of flesh sat with its back to him, a blood-dripping axe resting beside it. The room perfectly muffled the noisy music from the dance floor, leaving only the sounds of chewing and swallowing.
"Off duty," the fleshy mass slurred impatiently. "Come back tomorrow for stitching."
Xu Dan drew his gun. Dealing with something like this, he didn’t want to dirty the white shirt his brother had prepared for him.
Bang—
The instant before the bullet could pierce its skull, the Butcher suddenly raised his axe. With a metallic clang, the bullet struck the blade, leaving not even a scratch.
The fleshy mountain rose in fury, its features barely distinguishable beneath layers of fat, baring teeth stained with blood and bits of flesh as it roared, "How dare you!"
Anger—what a wonderful thing.
An invisible thread tugged at the Butcher’s emotions. The next second, he was engulfed by a tidal wave of rage, his face flushing crimson and veins bulging as if ready to burst. He swung his axe wildly at Xu Dan, who remained steady, while firing rapidly at the Butcher’s vital spots.
Rage clouded the Butcher’s judgment and reflexes. Five out of ten shots hit their mark, the high blood pressure causing blood to spray out, staining Xu Dan’s shirt.
"You!! You son of a bitch! How dare you—" Blood streamed down the crevices of the Butcher’s bloated body.
"The Lord… won’t spare you—"
Thud. The axe crashed into the concrete floor at Xu Dan’s feet.
Xu Dan watched him coldly, like he was already dead, as his breathing grew ragged and his lungs wheezing like broken bellows, until finally, his breaths faded. The fleshy mountain collapsed to the ground…
Xu Dan wiped at the bloodstains on his shirt in distress, but only smearing them further…
The Butcher’s Alien Core was a clenched fist.
Xu Dan wasn’t hungry right now and had little interest in it. He picked it up, tucked it into his bag, retrieved a keychain from the lifeless mass, and returned to the room where the dance had been prepared.
The victims’ eyes widened in horror at the sight of him covered in blood. A woman stitched onto a white deer began screaming in terror.
"Don’t be afraid," the blood-soaked demon smiled with angelic charm. "Look, I found the keys."
He unlocked the cages one by one. They hesitated for a few seconds before the braver ones scrambled out of the room. Seeing Xu Dan didn’t stop them, the rest fled in panic. The mermaid and the black-haired youth who had spoken to him earlier lingered at the back, trembling with fear but mustering the courage to look at Xu Dan.
"Th… thank you, Officer," they stammered.
Xu Dan laughed—the first genuine laugh since entering this bar.
He nodded at them, dignified. "You’re welcome."
Soon, he was the only one left in the room.
Two hours later.
Dawn approached.
At exactly 5:30 a.m., the hotel "staff" arrived at the bar through the underground third floor and entered the room prepared for the dance.
He pushed open the door to find all the cages in the room empty. A stunningly beautiful male Snake-Human Hybrid stood in the very center of the room, with his cheeks and shirt splattered with blood. The moment he saw the man, his face lit up with joy as he asked eagerly, "Are you here to take me to the hotel?"
For a moment, the staff member was utterly enchanted. All he felt was awe—fear and wariness flashed through his mind only briefly before being wiped away by an invisible hand...
With a smile, he replied, "Yes, I'm here to take you to the ball at the hotel."
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