Monster - Chapter 136
Chapter 136: Snowfield - Out of Nowhere
As instructed by Lin Sandie, Cheng Gui pulled the car over to the side of the road, no longer following the vehicle carrying her and Lou. Leaning against the window, he smoked and gazed into the distance. In this part of the Disorder Land, where forest vegetation was sparse, a vast, tall primeval pine forest unexpectedly stood before them. Even from a great distance, he could see the sharp treetops.
Besides the primeval forest, dark clouds were rolling in, carrying a piercing chill. As far as Cheng Gui's eyes could see, from the horizon where Lin Sandie and Lou had disappeared, the yellowish-brown desert was being steadily devoured by white, which spread toward them like white ink seeping into yellow paper.
"We can go now," Chelsea, sitting beside him, suddenly said. Before Cheng Gui could react, Summer, in the back seat, immediately tilted its head, recognizing its master's scent suddenly emanating from the person who had just spoken.
"What exactly are you planning to do?" Cheng Gui took a deep drag from his cigarette, flicked the butt away, and asked as he started the car.
"I don't want to talk about it." Chelsea lowered her head, tapping on her phone as if replying to a message. Then she leaned her head against the window, looking preoccupied and absent-minded.
"Are you really going to kill Lou?"
At Cheng Gui's words, Chelsea's expression turned ugly. She suddenly slammed her fist against the window in frustration. A muffled thud, neither loud nor soft, echoed inside the car, startling Summer, who had been sniffing at her. With that strike, several cracks instantly appeared on the sturdy car window.
Venting her anger on an inanimate object—even though Cheng Gui didn't know her well, he couldn't help but be stunned.
This sudden, powerless rage was completely at odds with his assessment of Lin Sandie.
"When you get to the destination, see if you can collect the Remnants you want. If not, destroy everything left behind by the members of Madness Material." Lin Sandie, controlling Chelsea, let out a breath. The flash of fury was gone as quickly as it had come.
"Alright." It was a no-lose proposition, so Cheng Gui had no reason to refuse.
"Wait for my next instructions after that." After saying this, the light in Chelsea's eyes vanished. She just sat quietly in the passenger seat, like a doll that had lost its soul.
She opened her eyes on Lou's back. All she could see was a vast expanse of white. The wasteland, along with the shrubs exposed above the ground, was covered in heavy snow. A cold wind continuously seeped into Lin Sandie's collar, and she felt as if her blood was about to freeze. The gunshot wounds on her thigh and shoulder were still sealed with scabs of dried blood, mixed with Lou's, sticking them together.
Enduring the headache from overusing her abilities, Lin Sandie continued to use her Island to heal both herself and Lou, listening to Lou's heavy, ragged breathing.
Due to her severe injuries, the normally easy task of carrying Lin Sandie had become difficult for Lou. White puffs of air escaped her mouth, and her messy long hair was whipped up by the biting wind, snowflakes occasionally tangling in it.
In the middle of July, the Great Khan's death had triggered an even more chaotic and disordered state. As far as Lin Sandie could see, not only was the wasteland freezing over, but heavy snow was also falling from the sky.
After carrying Lin Sandie for dozens of miles across the wasteland, Lou finally found an abandoned cabin near the forest. Her mental state, much like the sudden weather, was rapidly deteriorating. After kicking down the dilapidated door of the cabin, she immediately dropped the groggy Lin Sandie, then frantically tore the door off its hinges and began throwing the cabin's furniture and belongings outside, one by one.
It looked like a logger's cabin. There was a wood chipper next to it, and inside were a bed, a simple sofa, a dining table, chairs, a kettle, and other daily necessities. The small cabin was packed full. Lou threw them out piece by piece until she had cleared the space she wanted. Despite her extreme agitation, she still took a broom and swept the cabin floor to create a suitable environment for summoning Pie.
Lin Sandie, having been dropped on the floor, had regained some clarity. She leaned against the doorframe, watching Lou bustle about within her "Island." The wounds on both of them had healed by about thirty percent, but her healing ability could do nothing for Lou's mental state.
After clearing a space, Lou immediately took out the blood she had drawn earlier from her Space Bag and began to draw the summoning circle for the Lord God Pie on the floor.
The sight of the blood jolted Lin Sandie, waking her completely. She focused her attention on healing the wounds on her leg and shoulder, her eyes fixed on Lou, who was busy with the summoning.
Outside, the cold wind howled; inside, the cabin was freezing. Lou used the blood she had collected over the past two days to draw a sixteen-pointed star on the floor. But halfway through, she realized she didn't have enough blood. She was already badly injured, and after the recent exertion, drawing more of her own blood would make it impossible for her to endure the rest of the summoning ritual.
With her back still to Lin Sandie, she suddenly spun around. Her eyes were pitch-black, devoid of any emotion. Without even asking, she took out a blood collection kit from her Space Bag and walked toward Lin Sandie.
In Lou's eyes, the current Lin Sandie had probably been completely reduced to an NPC, someone who no longer felt real to her.
Lin Sandie gave a strained smile and voluntarily rolled up her sleeve.
Lou sat on the floor in front of Lin Sandie and roughly inserted the needle into her arm. Lin Sandie watched as dark blood flowed from her arm into the transparent collection tube, then into the blood bag at the other end.
"About how much more do you need?"
"Two bags."
That meant 500cc. Lin Sandie glanced at the measurement on the blood bag.
"After you left Star City, have you killed anyone? I mean, people who haven't mutated yet." Lin Sandie's voice was very soft, like that of a humble person who was afraid of angering Lou but was still worried about her.
"I don't remember." Lou seemed to be sleepwalking, just staring blankly at the blood flowing from Lin Sandie's arm.
Lin Sandie was speechless for a moment. Her current state of mind was a bit like when she had been captured by the Rose Society and forced to make a blood oath.
The 500cc was quickly drawn. Lou took the two blood bags and continued to complete the summoning circle. Lin Sandie, her face pale, sat leaning against the wall.
Glancing at the preoccupied Lou, who had no time for her, Lin Sandie took out a pre-prepared stimulant from her Space Bag and injected it into her other arm.
After two doses, Lin Sandie shivered. Her eyes brightened, and her spirits seemed to become highly agitated.
She took out the Crown of Thorns and The Pin from her Space Bag, their functions appearing in her mind.
Name: Crown of Thorns
Rank: A
A Remnant of a certain mad king from ancient times.
Positive Effect:
Inflict damage upon yourself to return 100 times that damage to the enemy.
Negative Effect:
Wearing this crown for an extended period will lead to insanity. When in use, the pain from self-inflicted damage is twice as intense as normal.
【Special Effect】
While wearing this crown, your hands become instruments of torture against yourself.
Name: The Pin
Rank: A
Positive Effect:
Can place invisible bombs around an enemy through sheer will. The placement range is within 300 meters, and the quantity is determined by the user's mental strength.
Negative Effect:
Prolonged use of The Pin will plunge the user's mind into negative emotions such as mania, anxiety, paranoia, and coldness.
【Instructions for Use】
1. Wear The Pin on a finger during use. The detonation sequence can be set. To detonate, press The Pin with a finger. A timer can also be used.
2. If the bombs are not detonated within 30 minutes, they will be rendered ineffective.
Lin Sandie slipped The Pin onto her middle finger, then raised her hand and placed the crown on her head. Her previously clear mind felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer. She became irritable, and her gaze, fixed on Lou, grew even more sinister.
After taking a deep breath to calm herself, barely restraining the urge to blast this stubborn, childish idiot—who couldn't even tell she was being deceived and manipulated—to bits, she once again took the Thunder Gun from her Space Bag.
Having obtained enough blood, Lou had already finished the summoning circle. She placed polished obsidian stones at each of the sixteen points of the star, then knelt on one knee beside the circle and began to summon Pie.
"Lord of Darkness who presides over life, death, and time!"
"You are the immortal, older than the past, more distant than the future!"
"You are the incarnation of immortality, the very essence of eternity."
"I beseech your gaze!"
"I beseech your gaze!"
The language Lou used for the summoning did not belong to any of Leviathan's tongues, yet Lin Sandie understood it. After Lou repeated the incantation three times, a fierce wind suddenly whipped through the small cabin.
Lin Sandie squinted and got up, backing away toward the outside of the cabin.
Within the summoning circle, specks of ink-blue light began to gather. They appeared out of thin air from all directions, gradually coalescing into a human shape inside the circle.
The figure formed quickly, but it was only composed of light particles. What appeared in the circle was merely a humanoid shape of light, without human-like skin or features.
A faint smile finally appeared on Lou's weary face. Just as she was about to speak, Lin Sandie, who had already retreated outside, looked at the figure and changed the property of her Island. It was no longer for healing, but for confinement.
Not only that, but as she changed her Island's property, Lin Sandie decisively pressed The Pin on her middle finger.
BOOM!!! A massive explosion rocked the entire cabin. Even though the blast was contained within the Island, the resulting hurricane of force still blew the cabin to pieces. Lou was swept up by the gale, thrown backward, and slammed into the snow outside.
"Lin Sandie?!" Like an enraged feline, Lou glared at Lin Sandie and lunged at her.
Lin Sandie stood motionless in the snow. The Crown of Thorns on her head had pierced her forehead, and blood trickled down her face, which was so pale it was almost translucent. She watched Lou charge toward her and calmly raised her right hand. With a simple twist, she ripped the entire thumbnail of her left hand off, flesh and all.
Lou's charge faltered, but she immediately regained her balance and continued her attack.
Seeing that her own pain wasn't enough to stop Lou's advance, Lin Sandie proceeded to tear off the remaining fingernails on her left hand. By the time all five fingers were dripping with blood and she was trembling from the pain, she had finally succeeded in severing the tendon in one of Lou's feet.
Lou didn't hesitate either. The moment Lin Sandie started pulling her nails, she had raised her gun and fired. But just as she saw the gun being raised, Lin Sandie pressed The Pin on her middle finger again. A bomb she had planted between them immediately detonated, and the distance that had been closing between them was once again widened as Lou was blown back.
But Lin Sandie's combat experience was too shallow. Even though she had moved quickly, the bullet Lou fired still struck her in the abdomen.
Lin Sandie collapsed into the snow. Seeing that she had temporarily stopped Lou from getting close, she clutched the wound in her stomach, her gaze sharp as she looked at the humanoid figure of light trapped in her Island. She continued to press the detonator, setting off bomb after bomb, until the light particles were blasted apart, only to regroup again.
"What are you doing?! Lin Sandie!"
Lin Sandie shot Lou a hateful glare. It was the first time she had ever looked at Lou with such anger and hatred, as if all her suppressed fury had been detonated along with the bombs.
"Look at what you actually summoned!"
Under the constant bombardment, the figure made of light particles no longer dispersed. The ink-blue specks had turned ink-green, just like the virus-infected Leviathan Lou had seen in the Main World.
"How do you know I'm not Pie?" the figure trapped in Lin Sandie's Island asked in a sinister voice.
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