Chapter 80: Beyond the Boundary, The Realm of Nothingness
The train moved slowly, its long whistle echoing.
Luo Ling looked in the direction her sister was pointing and opened her mouth to speak.
A clear blue sky.
Abyss?
What abyss?
Luo Ling looked at Su Wan, puzzled, and noticed a strange mix of emotions on her sister’s face.
Reminiscence, longing, struggle…
But all very faint, barely perceptible.
“Sister, are you not feeling well…?”
Luo Ling’s words were cut short by a sharp, piercing shriek, seemingly from the depths of hell, assaulting her eardrums.
“Ugh…”
Luo Ling winced in pain, bending over slightly.
But the others seemed unaffected by the shriek, their gazes filled with concern and confusion. Only Li Shaoheng’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Luo Ling.
“What’s wrong?” Cen Xiangyun rushed over, offering motion sickness medicine. “My god, you weren’t carsick in the minivan, but you’re getting sick on the train…?”
“It’s not motion sickness…”
Luo Ling’s face paled slightly, and her sister gently supported her, helping her sit up straight.
“Then…?”
“It’s nothing.”
Luo Ling was used to strange things happening to her. After taking a deep breath, she felt better.
But the next moment, she looked up, her face paling again.
She finally realized what her sister meant by “abyss.”
The once clear blue sky was now tinged with a strange, dark hue, slowly consuming something.
Stretching to the horizon, the distance was swallowed by this ominous darkness, radiating an aura of annihilation.
The train chugged forward along the tracks, heading straight towards the abyss.
“Miss Luo Ling, calm down,” Li Shaoheng said softly, approaching her.
“But this…”
Luo Ling hesitated. Everyone was looking at her strangely, even Cen Xiangyun.
She looked at her sister pleadingly, but Su Wan just stared blankly out the window, as if gazing at the invisible, dark abyss.
…Was it her imagination?
Or a hallucination?
Li Shaoheng was silent for a moment, then took out a pen from his suit pocket, wrote a few words on a piece of paper, and handed it to Luo Ling.
At the same time, he stopped the curious Cen Xiangyun from looking.
Luo Ling took the note, read it, and her racing heart calmed slightly, but a greater confusion followed.
The note read:
“Do not look directly at the abyss. Close your eyes.”
The abyss she and her sister saw wasn’t fake.
Was Jiangcheng County surrounded by such an abyss…?
But why?
Luo Ling looked at Li Shaoheng again, opening her mouth to ask, but before she could speak, Li Shaoheng held a finger to his lips and handed her another note.
“This is information that cannot be conveyed casually. It can drive people insane. I’ll explain when we reach our destination.”
So that was why he used a note…
Luo Ling knew that ordinary people couldn’t see Grotesqueries; it was a protective mechanism of this world. Knowledge beyond their comprehension would lead to mental illness, and Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital housed such patients.
The Seer was also this type of patient, but the members of the Speaker, specifically that mysterious Gypsy Girl, insisted she was a special Awakened One and took her away, leading to the later incidents.
This world had Grotesqueries, and Awakened Ones, so other strange phenomena were also normal. This thought calmed Luo Ling slightly.
She turned to Su Wan, saw her sister still staring blankly, and tugged on her sleeve worriedly.
“Sister, are… are you alright?”
“Mm, I’m not carsick,” Su Wan said, snapping out of her daze, and smiled at Luo Ling.
“But, outside…”
Luo Ling glanced at the approaching darkness, swallowing nervously.
“Isn’t it normal?” Su Wan asked, puzzled.
“Normal?”
“Mm, it’s always like this outside,” Su Wan nodded. “You’ve never been outside, so you wouldn’t know.”
Her sister’s casual reply left Luo Ling speechless. Clearly, this strange abyss was only visible to the two of them and the reliable middle-aged man; it wasn’t normal at all.
Putting aside that question, wasn’t her sister… an ordinary person?
Why could she see this grotesque phenomenon that even ordinary Awakened Ones couldn’t?
And she even considered it normal…
As Luo Ling’s thoughts raced, the train entered the abyss.
Outside, it was pitch black, faint, ghostly shrieks echoing, but inside the train, it was still bright and warm, the winter sun shining through the windows, casting a golden glow on the small table in front of their seats.
Since Luo Ling had reacted to the abyss, Li Shaoheng had been staring at her intently, a look of disbelief in his eyes.
“How can she see it…?”
Li Shaoheng maintained a calm facade, but his mind was in turmoil.
It was simple. He could also see the abyss, and he knew why.
Only Awakened Ones who had come into contact with an Authority could see and perceive the abyss.
The reason Cen Xiangyun had complained about Li Shaoheng not driving the two hundred kilometers was because of this.
Because Li Shaoheng was aware of the abyss’s existence, he couldn’t travel through it. He would either get lost or attract the attention of the terrifying entities within.
So now, Li Shaoheng was deliberately avoiding looking out the window, afraid of attracting something unspeakable.
Normally, those who hadn’t encountered an Authority couldn’t see the abyss. If they accidentally crossed the boundary and came into contact with it… they would likely go insane.
It seemed neither of the sisters showed any signs of insanity, so they must have encountered an Authority.
But the question was…
One was an ordinary person, the other a Low-Order Awakened One, how was this possible?
Encountering an Authority wasn’t just about being attacked by it or simply seeing it, but experiencing its power, deeply understanding the profound nature of its path.
Even within the Company, only Awakened Ones of P8 level or above could use Sacred Tools to access Authorities, allowing them to progress further along their paths.
Below that level, encountering an Authority… insanity would be a merciful outcome. The more terrifying possibility was being possessed by the Sequence Grotesquery associated with the Authority, becoming an “egg” waiting to hatch.
Such incidents had occurred a dozen times in the Company’s three-hundred-year history, a painful lesson learned.
Li Shaoheng kept a close watch on the sisters, wary of any such accidents.
As he had said before, anything could happen before they reached their destination.
“Excuse me, thank you.”
A voice echoed, and Li Shaoheng instinctively moved aside.
But the next moment, he realized something was wrong.
An outsider?
No, how could there be an outsider in this train car?
He had booked the entire car; there shouldn’t be any other passengers!
Li Shaoheng looked up and saw a single eye and a familiar cat-faced eye patch.
“Tsk, tsk, that wasn’t easy.”
Scientist clapped her hands, beads of sweat on her forehead. She had clearly dealt with several of Li Shaoheng’s precautions, and combined with her ability to appear and disappear at will, she had managed to enter the train car.
Hearing her voice, Elsa instinctively recoiled, her nightmare finally catching up to her.
At the same time, several throwing knives appeared around Scientist, trapping her, and she sighed, snapping her fingers.
Her form dissipated.
—Retrospect.
And along with her, Elsa also vanished.
And…
“Sister—”
Luo Ling was horrified to find the seat beside her empty, her sister gone.
“How… is this possible?”
Li Shaoheng’s eyes widened in disbelief.
They were currently beyond the Boundary. How could she still use Retrospect to take someone?
On the way here, Li Shaoheng had set up numerous precautions. If the Harbingers of Calamity dared to act, they would face utter annihilation.
But these precautions had a limit; they were ineffective beyond a certain distance from the Boundary.
However, both Scientist’s Retrospect and Artist’s Midas Touch had distance and time limitations, and the train had already exceeded this limit.
So far, no Awakened One who was aware of the Boundary’s existence could travel freely in this Realm of Nothingness, not even the Harbingers of Calamity.
So, Li Shaoheng had relaxed slightly.
But he hadn’t expected Scientist to use Retrospect beyond the Boundary…
Was she planning to take Elsa and Su Wan down with her?
Impossible. Scientist cherished her life more than anyone. In her own words, her life was worth a million others.
Could it be that the Harbingers of Calamity had found a way to freely travel beyond the Boundary…?
At least, the Company’s internal records had never mentioned this before.
Li Shaoheng’s mind raced, as did An Yu and Cen Xiangyun’s.
Only Luo Ling remained calm. She immediately stood up, but Li Shaoheng stopped her.
“You can’t get off the train.”
He glanced at Cen Xiangyun, who had taken out her ice staff.
“Neither can you.”
Cen Xiangyun frowned. “Are we just going to watch Elsa and Sister Su Wan be taken away?”
“We can only try to find a solution after we reach the branch,” Li Shaoheng said concisely.
That was why they had chosen to act at this location.
Beyond the Boundary was a mysterious and unknown place. Those who were aware of its existence and those who weren’t would perceive it differently, making it impossible to track each other.
This Realm of Nothingness appeared as complete darkness to Awakened Ones who were aware of it, but as a normal landscape to ordinary Awakened Ones.
There was also a difference in how they entered.
It could be compared to an inner world and an outer world. Ordinary Awakened Ones could only enter the outer world, but Scientist and Artist were currently in the inner world.
Li Shaoheng knew that if Luo Ling got off the train, she could enter the inner world, but so far, no Awakened One had returned from the inner world unscathed, either insane or mentally disabled.
“I’m not planning to get off,” Luo Ling said softly.
Scientist had deliberately ignored her and chosen her sister, who was sitting by the window. Luo Ling knew this was a negotiation tactic.
If that were the case, at least her sister was still safe for now.
“I’m just going to the restroom,” Luo Ling said, looking up.
“Miss Luo Ling…”
Cen Xiangyun clutched Luo Ling’s clothes, hesitant.
She knew the bond between the sisters. If her sister was in danger, Luo Ling wouldn’t just stand by and watch.
But she hadn’t expected the Harbingers of Calamity to have a hidden card, to choose this location to act.
“I’ll be fine.”
Luo Ling shook her head, pulled away from Cen Xiangyun’s grasp, and hurried towards the restroom.
Li Shaoheng reached out slightly, then lowered his hand after seeing Luo Ling enter the restroom.
He had been planning to stop her with his ability if she tried to jump off the train, but now it seemed unnecessary.
But…
“Xiangyun, check on her in a moment,” Li Shaoheng whispered.
Judging from the abilities Luo Ling had displayed, she was likely on the Judgment path, possessing considerable physical strength. It wasn’t impossible for her to break through the train car door and jump off.
Meanwhile, Li Shaoheng contacted the nearby branch.
Even he didn’t dare act recklessly beyond the Boundary.
“Mm…”
Cen Xiangyun nodded, looking towards the restroom with concern.
She hoped Miss Luo Ling was just going to calm down…
…
Luo Ling, of course, wasn’t there to calm down. She stood before the mirror, her reflection showing the white-haired girl with pale gray eyes.
Closing her eyes, another perspective appeared in her mind.
From the day she gained her ability, she had left several Spores on her sister, just in case, and now they were coming in handy.
“Where is this place…?”
Through the Spore, Luo Ling saw a luxurious train car with a Western, classical aesthetic, the furnishings resembling a 19th-century European aristocratic family’s, even a small fireplace was burning.
Scientist and Artist sat opposite each other, and in front of her perspective was a cup of hot tea—they seemed to have poured it for her sister.
“A true ordinary person…” Scientist examined Su Wan with a strange, intrigued gaze, rubbing her chin. “Able to perceive the Realm of Nothingness, I’d love to dissect her and see what makes her tick.”
Artist stared at Su Wan with a serious expression, but his gaze seemed to be focused on something else.
Su Wan remained silent, either out of fear or for some other reason.
Clearly, they were waiting for Luo Ling.
From their previous battle, Artist knew some of Luo Ling’s abilities, although he couldn’t distinguish which came from the Grotesquery, which from herself, and which were a combination of both.
Of course, they didn’t really care.
Luo Ling shifted her perspective and saw Elsa unconscious in a corner, Bella in her arms like an ordinary stuffed toy, lifeless.
Considering Artist’s ability, Luo Ling understood how Bella had been created.
“His ability, called Midas Touch, can turn inanimate objects into living beings… Bella must have been created this way.”
There were probably more details, but that wasn’t something Luo Ling could know.
Seeing that her sister wasn’t in immediate danger, Luo Ling felt slightly relieved.
Just then, Artist suddenly spoke,
“Miss Luo Ling, you’re watching, aren’t you?”
His gaze was still fixed on Su Wan, but Luo Ling felt as if he was looking directly at her.
Before she could reply, her sister’s soft yet firm voice echoed,
“Xiao Ling, don’t listen to him.”
“Sister…”
Hearing her sister’s familiar voice, Luo Ling’s heart pounded in her chest.
Before boarding the train, Luo Ling had known that her sister had suspected something, which was why she had been so calm in the face of these strange events.
She also knew that these two strange people had brought her here for one reason: her sister.
“Hey, hey, that’s not very nice. We went through so much trouble to avoid the Company and talk to your little sister,” Scientist said, crossing her arms, her face filled with indignation. “And she even ran away, forcing me to use the Spirit Walker again…”
She glared at Artist. “Do you even know how much it costs me to use this thing?”
“I’ll compensate you when we return,” Artist said calmly, then continued staring at Su Wan. “The nameless High-Risk Grotesquery in Jiangcheng County… your ability must be very similar to it, perhaps even the same type. Am I right?”
Otherwise, how could she use a Grotesquery’s power so skillfully in such a short time? This was the only explanation Artist could think of.
He didn’t expect that Luo Ling’s ability wasn’t just similar, or of the same type, but the same ability.
She had truly stepped into the forbidden realm, the path of Grotesqueries, a realm humans shouldn’t touch.
“To be frank, we want to kill you,” Artist said, spreading his hands. “Or kill your sister. You can choose.”
“Xiao Ling!”
Su Wan’s voice was laced with urgency, but Artist and Scientist didn’t care.
They were waiting for Luo Ling’s answer.
An ordinary person who could perceive the Realm of Nothingness was indeed rare, but not particularly special. After all, both Artist and Scientist could do it.
In this fragmented, disordered world, nothing was truly surprising.
After a moment of silence, Luo Ling’s voice echoed from nowhere,
“So, how are you planning to kill me?”
“Excellent.”
A smile appeared on Artist’s lips.
The bait had worked; the fish had taken the hook.
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