Chapter 86: Animal
Due to the relative stability of the past few months, the tight security around the residential compound had been relaxed, leaving only a small special task force for routine monitoring, led by An Yue.
Of course, the residents of the compound had changed, especially the elderly, who had been relocated, removing the lingering sense of stagnation.
And now, with the arrival of summer, the trees lush and green, everything seemed vibrant, alive.
Xiang Er ran out of the compound, across the street, stopping at the first red light.
Her breathing was slightly elevated, a light sheen of sweat on her skin, her cheeks flushed a healthy pink. She stood at the intersection, waiting for the light to change, wondering where to go, what to do… but nothing came to mind.
The light turned green, and she crossed the street, her slender figure blending in with the crowd, just another ordinary person.
Xiang Er looked around, at the buildings, the shops, the people, the cars. The city was constantly changing, and she felt like she had just woken up from a long hibernation, everything new, everything strange.
She went out every day, of course, but always with Akhe, and now, completely alone, her senses, her attention, focused only on herself, she felt… free.
Xiang Er wandered aimlessly, stopping occasionally to buy a candied hawthorn, a grilled sausage, or to watch a group of old men playing chess.
As Xiang Er watched the chess game, a dark, shadowy mass, Akhe, crouched on the rooftop, observing her from a distance, its gaze downcast.
Akhe had held onto a sliver of hope, thinking that perhaps Xiang Er, alone and without her, would realize what she was missing, but… no, nothing.
Xiang Er was perfectly content, she hadn’t thought of her at all.
Below, Xiang Er continued her aimless wandering, shopping, eating, taking pictures of flowers and plants with her phone, chatting awkwardly with shopkeepers… She seemed so happy, a faint smile always playing on her lips, and people were kind to her, their voices gentle.
Xiang Er needed to talk to more people, her language skills having atrophied from disuse. But dying seemed to have changed her, she had been so socially awkward before, so afraid of interacting with others, but now she was no longer afraid, her conversations genuine, her focus on the other person, even laughing off her own awkwardness, no one seemed to mind.
They were all just ordinary people, and she was just an ordinary person too, no longer burdened by the shadow of an Evil God, no longer entangled in a strange, monstrous fate. She was normal again.
Until… at a corner, she suddenly turned around.
Her sudden movement startled the figure following her, who, caught off guard, could only wave awkwardly:
“Hi.”
Xiang Er paused, then smiled:
“Oh, Officer An.”
On the rooftop, Akhe, a mass of darkness, suddenly opened hundreds of eyes, its gaze fixed on the scene below. Akhe knew that An Yue, in a way, also fit Xiang Er’s preferences, a handsome woman, her presence always bringing Xiang Er a sense of security, a dangerous rival!
On the street below, An Yue, in a simple black T-shirt and jeans, her hair tied back in a messy bun, her expression unfazed by being discovered, smiled and asked Xiang Er:
“Why are you out alone today?”
Xiang Er didn’t seem surprised by An Yue’s appearance. She knew she was being monitored, and the most likely candidate was An Yue, they were practically acquaintances now.
She said calmly:
“I don’t know, she wasn’t there when I woke up, she left a note, saying she was setting me free.”
She took the note from her pocket and showed it to An Yue, who leaned in to read it, only half a meter away, her arm almost brushing against Xiang Er’s.
On the rooftop, Akhe’s form darkened, a mass of black engulfing the entire roof, the darkness spreading towards the windows of the top floor, the office workers inside looking up in confusion:
“Hmm? Why did it suddenly get so dark?”
“Is that… something black sliding down the window? When was the last time they cleaned the roof?”
An Yue finished reading the note, her brow furrowed in thought. Xiang Er, however, asked:
“Officer An, are there any… fun places around here? I want to go somewhere fun.”
An Yue said:
“Well, there’s a military base nearby… no, how about… the mall? There’s a new arcade there.”
Xiang Er:
“Sure. But I don’t have any money, can you lend me some…”
As soon as she finished speaking, her phone buzzed. She took it out and saw a message from “Shen Yuhe,” who hadn’t contacted her in a long time: Transfer of 20,000 yuan.
Akhe, a shadowy mass on the rooftop, typed with a tentacle, wanting to add that the twenty thousand was just the daily transfer limit, not her actual limit, but… after typing for a while, she deleted the message.
Xiang Er, without hesitation, accepted the transfer. Then she looked up, scanning the rooftops, the sky, the trees, clearly searching for Akhe.
Akhe, startled, quickly shrunk its form, a small, black ball huddled in the corner of the rooftop.
Xiang Er, unable to find her, raised an eyebrow and turned to An Yue:
“Then lead the way.”
They soon arrived at the mall and entered the new, upscale, and ridiculously expensive arcade. An Yue, seeing the prices, clicked her tongue, even though her salary was decent, she wasn’t one for extravagance, and besides, her mission was more important.
So, no matter what Xiang Er played, An Yue followed closely behind.
Xiang Er, however, was having a great time.
On the ceiling of the arcade, a large, flat, black entity, invisible to human eyes, its countless tentacles waving and writhing, carefully avoiding Xiang Er’s gaze.
Many people in the arcade were murmuring to their companions:
“Did they turn on the AC? Why is it so cold?”
They looked up, puzzled, but saw nothing. The Evil God could conceal itself from everyone except Xiang Er, whose prolonged exposure and connection had made her more perceptive than even a high priest.
But the chilling aura emanating from the Evil God was impossible to hide.
Xiang Er was playing a basketball game, her arms weak, unable to make a single basket. An Yue, watching, couldn’t help but step forward, rolling up her sleeves:
“Your form is wrong, let me help you…”
Xiang Er held the basketball, and An Yue, reaching around her, her hand covering Xiang Er’s, guiding her, explaining the correct posture.
An Yue’s head was almost touching the back of Xiang Er’s, her chest almost pressing against her back…
Suddenly, with a “smack,” something struck the back of An Yue’s head, the unexpected blow almost making her cry out. Her hand twitched, and the basketball slipped from her grasp, still missing the basket.
An Yue rubbed the back of her head and looked around, but there was no one there. What had hit her? Or was she just being paranoid?
An Yue muttered to herself:
“I must be sleep-deprived…”
Xiang Er, having given up on basketball, moved on to a motorcycle racing game. The game required the player to sit on a motorcycle and lean into the turns, wearing a VR headset for a more immersive experience.
An Yue, watching, saw Xiang Er lean back a little too far, almost falling off the motorcycle, and she quickly reached out to steady her.
But… before she could withdraw her hand, another sharp blow, like a whiplash, struck the back of her head!
This time, she couldn’t help but cry out, but Xiang Er, wearing the VR headset, didn’t hear her. An Yue glared around and spotted a child with a slingshot. She grabbed the child and scolded him, the child bursting into tears and running away.
After the motorcycle game, Xiang Er moved on to a shooting game, and An Yue, an expert marksman, eagerly stepped forward to offer some advice.
But the next second, she was lifted into the air by an invisible force and tossed aside.
Despite being a highly trained investigator, weighing over 130 pounds, with a muscular build, she was handled like a helpless chick, her scruff grasped, as she landed in a heap in the corner.
Xiang Er was adjusting her aim, struggling to focus on the target, when a deep, magnetic voice whispered in her ear:
“Here, let me teach you.”
Xiang Er instinctively replied:
“No, thank you, Officer An, I can…”
She stopped mid-sentence, the hairs on the back of her neck suddenly standing on end, that familiar, unsettling feeling.
She slowly, slowly turned around, her heart pounding.
And there… it was Akhe, not the beautiful human facade, but the real Akhe, her tentacles swaying behind her, her face calm and gentle, her beauty almost divine, like a thousand-armed Guanyin, miraculously appearing in the spot where An Yue had been standing.
Xiang Er was stunned:
“Where’s An Yue? What did you do to her?”
She tried to look around for An Yue, but two tentacles gently cupped her cheeks, preventing her from turning her head, forcing her to look at Akhe.
Akhe’s beautiful face, like a deity’s, was filled with a barely suppressed possessiveness, her voice low and dangerous:
“Don’t look at anyone else, only me.”
Xiang Er stared at her for a moment, then suddenly chuckled, a self-deprecating laugh.
Akhe, surprised, asked:
“What are you laughing at?”
Xiang Er’s smile was cryptic, her eyes filled with a mixture of contempt, resignation, mockery, and a deep sadness.
She said:
“I thought you were actually setting me free. But in the end, you’re still like this, like an… animal.”
Xiang Er called her an animal. Akhe should have been hurt, but she didn’t show it. She just nodded, her eyes clear:
“I tried, but I can’t. I have to be with you, always, forever, it’s my… animal instinct.”
She reached out, gently brushing a strand of hair from Xiang Er’s face, her hand sliding down her shoulder, grasping her wrist, guiding Xiang Er’s small, pale hand to the gun.
Akhe placed her own long, slender hand over Xiang Er’s, their hands together on the cold, hard grip of the gun, and whispered:
“Come, I’ll teach you. Only I can teach you, only I can be with you.”
Xiang Er didn’t reply, just pulled the trigger.
A loud bang, followed by the cheerful jingle of a “bullseye.”
But neither of them smiled.
Akhe rested her chin on Xiang Er’s shoulder, like a serpent coiling around its prey, her voice soft and seductive:
“What else do you want to play?”
Xiang Er turned her head slightly, and so close, she could see every pore on Akhe’s face, even though it was all an illusion.
Akhe was truly a skilled sculptor, having crafted such a beautiful facade, imbued with such a unique and charming personality, a facade that had captivated her completely.
But… Xiang Er whispered:
“What do I have to do… for you to leave me alone?”
Akhe’s answer was swift and decisive:
“Never.”
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