Chapter 185: Friend
Chapter 185: Friend
Fang Jing stared with bewildered eyes at the mist before him deep in the black sea of trees.
The row of dark woods ahead appeared gloomy and damp even on a clear, sunny day, let alone when shrouded in a layer of white fog. The air was thick with moisture that he could smell through his nose.
He had only wanted to climb the mountain.
(When it came to mountain climbing, wasn’t it supposed to be about strolling happily along the ridge, gazing at the layered peaks, breathing in the ion-rich air, and feeling the peace and self-forgetfulness of connecting with nature…)
Of course, all of that turned out to be an illusion.
He glanced at a cracked brand-name watch on his wrist, which he had picked up from inside that car—likely a memento from the deceased owner.
“It’s around eleven in the morning. What a joke—how can there still be such thick fog at this hour!”
Everything had happened a few hours earlier. Fang Jing started from the main road, running fast. With his speed and light gear, even if he took a longer route, he could still reach Aobanuma before noon.
But halfway there, he saw several buses and coaches parked by the roadside. Ahead, a white fog surged like a dust storm, swiftly engulfing the highway and the road signs on both sides, spreading widely in his direction.
“How could there be such dense fog?”
Drivers and passengers got off the buses, their eyes wide with shock. Encountering fog wasn’t unusual, but no one had ever seen fog that spread so rapidly.
In an extremely short time, the churning mist covered the surroundings, as if foggy clumps were slowly stitching together the forest and mountain path.
Tourists, hikers, and drivers all felt the fog’s arrival was absurd. In the blink of an eye, thick white mist surrounded them entirely.
Many considered turning back, as sightseeing or hiking in such weather had become extremely dangerous.
But Fang Jing had no other choice. Ignoring the drivers’ and other travelers’ warnings, he insisted on continuing along the nearly indistinguishable main road.
The dense fog gradually permeating the forest was thinning the boundary of what was called the “Interstice”. The plain, unadorned woods were transforming into a space resembling an Alternate Realm.
Before he knew it, Fang Jing finally encountered a troublesome issue: he seemed to be lost.
“The fog is just too thick, and it’s spread over such a vast area.”
Whether it was due to abnormal local weather changes or some other reason, this forest and foothills were completely occupied by a mist that seemed both tangible and intangible.
Suddenly, a light ringing of bells sounded from within the fog. The noise was abrupt, and Fang Jing, standing in the mist, was momentarily stunned.
“The sound of bells? In such a deep, old forest… where could that be coming from?”
Ding ding!
The bell rang once, then faded into the distance. Instead, bizarre shadows began approaching his location bit by bit from within the fog.
“What kind of trick is this now!”
Fang Jing frowned and took a few steps forward into the thick mist. The fog parted as if in a dream, but as he drew closer, there were no shadows to be seen—almost as if he had merely witnessed an illusion.
Ding ding dong dong!
The bell sounds came again.
Several figures emerged from the fog. They were no more than fifteen meters away from Fang Jing. Under normal circumstances, he could have clearly seen who they were from that distance.
But with the fog so heavy and visibility so low, he could only vaguely make out their silhouettes.
Trying to scare people?!
This time, Fang Jing pushed off the ground with his toes, lowered his posture, and shot forward like a bullet.
The fog swirled as if caught in a strong current. Fang Jing’s gaze swept over three shadows whooshing past, darting away in three different directions like birds.
A cold glint flashed in Fang Jing’s eyes. He fixed his aim on one of the shadows and chased after it.
It was a dark figure, drifting swiftly through the fog. Admittedly, its speed was quite impressive.
“The problem is… I’m not slow either!”
He broke into a full sprint, keeping his eyes locked intently on that dark figure.
“Got you!”
With a whoosh, he roared, leaped up, spread his five fingers wide, and clawed at the shadow.
There was a tearing sound, like cloth ripping. Fang Jing felt as if his fingers had grabbed a bunch of rotten fabric. With a puff, it burst apart at his fingertips, and a deep green shadow shot out, circled in the air, and landed on the trunk of a large tree.
Fang Jing shook off the shredded black rags from his fingers. Squinting, he finally got a clear look at what it was—the thing resembled a green monkey, its entire body green-skinned, with toes like hooks.
It also had a pair of large, blood-red eyes that glared at him with hostility.
“Wait a moment… this shouldn’t be a monkey.”
Its skin was covered with wrinkles like an old man’s, its body shrunken and deformed. Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t a monkey at all, but a dwarf the size of a child.
“A green dwarf—clearly not developed properly… I bet it’s another trick of the Corpse Hounds!”
After all, there were plenty of bizarre individuals among the Corpse Hounds. These dwarf monsters, hiding in the fog to scare people, must have some connection to them.
The green dwarf clung upside down on the tree trunk, baring its teeth at him. Fang Jing didn’t bother thinking further; he threw a punch first, exploding the green dwarf into a mess of green pulp. However, in an instant, the small monster condensed half its body back from the ruined flesh, showing regenerative abilities beyond ordinary Corpse Hounds. But as soon as it regenerated, a large hand grabbed it. Black flames swirled violently between the fingers, relentlessly absorbing its vitality.
Squeak, squeak squeak squeak!
The green dwarf let out a series of strange cries, struggling to break free. But Fang Jing clenched his fist, and its bones were crushed.
Dark, brilliant poison flames twisted within his loosely held palm. Soon after, they finally “squeezed” out a strand of Essence Qi, which Fang Jing absorbed directly.
“This counts as making use of waste!”
He released his right hand, and a cloud of gray ashes scattered onto the ground.
Squeak—!
A sound came from somewhere, causing the fog to ripple slightly. Fang Jing couldn’t help but look up and peer ahead. He discovered that on the fog-shrouded trees in front of him, densely crouched one after another, were many small shadows.
“Squeak!” “Squeak!” “Squeak!” “Squeak!” “Squeak!” “Squeak!” …
Simultaneously, pairs of blood-red eyes glared at him, conveying intense hostility.
——————————
“Forty years have passed, and we have finally waited for this day.”
“Whoosh!”
In a clearing among the fir trees, a bonfire suddenly flared up.
A tall figure sat cross-legged on the ground. He was wrapped entirely in bandages, resembling a tall mummy. This mummy slowly rose to his feet, his face filled with excitement.
“The moment of glory has finally arrived. Is it time to welcome back the ‘Cursed God’ from the Fang Hunters?”
“Correct. If we hadn’t lost the ‘Cursed God’ capable of bearing the Moon Fiend’s blood, how would we have fallen to this state…”
Another shadow by the bonfire laughed coldly. “Those cunning human Fang Hunters would never expect that we have obtained the aid of the ‘External Method’ this time.”
“Enough, let’s not talk about that.”
The tall “mummy” straightened up.
“I must continue maintaining the ‘Interstice’s Illusion Mist’ and cannot leave my post… Miharai, I recall that the ‘Clan Heir of Twin Torches’ has already gone ahead to Aobanuma. For safety’s sake, you should go too, in case Rogenzai has any troublesome hidden pieces around him.”
“Yes.”
A woman dressed in black gauze stood up. Her attire resembled Western-style mourning clothes.
“Additionally, Douki, the task of guarding the perimeter will be entrusted to your ‘Bad Colt Army’. You must do everything to prevent any hidden reinforcements of the Fang Hunters from interfering with the ‘Interstice’s Illusion Mist’…”
“…”
Dressed in very old-fashioned clothes, resembling a short old man, “Douki” hesitated for a moment before sighing. “My apologies, everyone… It seems someone broke in without permission just now. My ‘Bad Colt Army’ formation on the eastern side failed to stop them.”
The Bad Colt Army was a group of mutated Corpse Hounds carefully nurtured by “Douki”. Each one possessed strength close to that of an upper-tier species. To cultivate these mutated Corpse Hounds, Douki had painstakingly selected pregnant women in their tenth month. At the time of delivery, he used the Hunting Fang to transform them. However, during childbirth, the women couldn’t fully undergo transformation and would die from difficult labor—the dead fetuses in their wombs after death became the embryonic forms of the Bad Colt Army. Their potential was extremely high; within months after birth, they could form considerable combat strength.
“It seems it’s a master among the Fang Hunters.”
Another blurry shadow by the bonfire also stood up. He chuckled darkly.
The few people present were not too surprised. Putting aside the fighting ability of the Bad Colt Army, just being in this Interstice illusionary fog would cause ordinary people to act abnormally, let alone engage in combat with powerful Corpse Hounds.
Only a few strong individuals among the Fang Hunters could achieve this.
“Perhaps… we had been thinking too simply before. It would be strange if there weren’t a few remarkable figures among the Fang Hunters, who have stood firm for so many years!”
The woman in the black gauze dress added, “Lord Tsugumi, I believe that with the power of the ‘Clan Heir,’ there is no need to worry at all. For it to take the head of Rogenzai of the Kagami God Room would be effortless. It would be better to let me, Miharai, handle this minor trouble for Lord Douki.”
After hearing this, Douki merely snorted coldly.
“No, Miharai. Leave the east side to me. You continue to be responsible for the outer defenses…”
As soon as the words were spoken, a shadowy figure by the bonfire whooshed into the air, moving like an ape among the treetops. Like a swift wind, it shook a few leaves loose and vanished into the white mist in the blink of an eye.
“Lord Tsukiumi—!”
The woman in the black gauze dress called out loudly, but the figure referred to as such moved too quickly and did not hear her at all.
“Lord Tsugumi, is this really alright? What if there is no one defending the main camp?”
“It’s fine. Just follow the original plan and go assist the ‘Dual Torch Clan Heir’… The main camp here has me and Douki. Defense shouldn’t be a big issue.”
“Understood.”
The woman in the black gauze dress respectfully withdrew.
——————————————
Although they encountered a few minor setbacks and obstacles along the way, the journey had been relatively smooth.
After killing that green monkey-like dwarf with a punch, Fang Jing continued to stride forward boldly. Nothing could hinder his progress.
He had no idea how long he had been walking when he noticed the fog ahead began to thin slightly.
“This damn fog is finally letting up!”
Fang Jing let out a long sigh of relief. If the fog had kept blocking the way, he would likely have remained lost.
As he emerged from the fog, he found a main road ahead.
Fang Jing felt quite relieved. “Great, I’m back on the right path now.”
Bang!
A loud noise reached his ears from the distance.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Another series of explosive sounds came from the side.
It didn’t sound like firecrackers at all—it was clearly the sound of gunfire.
As soon as Fang Jing heard the gunshots, he accelerated into a sprint, racing down the road like a streak of lightning.
He quickly arrived at the scene and saw only a corpse being attacked by several deformed monsters.
The corpse still held a gun in its hand, and a knife was stuck upright in the ground just a few steps away.
Unfortunately, none of that could save his life.
His intestines had been dragged out from his abdomen and were being voraciously chewed by a group of monsters.
“These… could they be inferior breeds?”
Fang Jing had no interest in corpses or dead humans. He only noticed that the “Corpse Hounds” attacking the man closely resembled the inferior breeds he had seen before.
He remembered his classmate Fujiwara being transformed into one of these inferior Corpse Hounds, possessing only a fraction of the true Corpse Hound’s power and having very weak vitality.
And now there was a whole crowd of them here.
“Strange! There’s actually a living human here.”
Just then, Fang Jing heard a woman’s voice behind him.
He turned around and saw a girl with long, light golden hair. She was dressed in trendy clothes—a single-shoulder top and denim shorts. Her light golden hair seemed sprinkled with various colors, adding a decorative touch.
Noticing Fang Jing looking at her, she widened her eyes and revealed a bright, cheerful smile.
“Hello, my name is ‘Odette.’ Could we be friends?”
“…”
“Sorry, maybe this is a bit sudden, but could I ask for your name?”
“…”
“Well, since you’re not saying anything, how about I give you a name? Let’s call you Smith, okay?”
She clapped her hands together and said seriously, “But Smith, I’ve always had a secret: I can’t be friends with humans. To be friends with me, Smith, could you please die once?”
Before the words even finished, a huge shadow emerged behind Fang Jing. A massive, sharp claw descended with terrifying force, as if to tear his body to shreds.