Chapter 214: The Slaughterhouse |
Levi didn’t know how long he was staring at the phone on the table, but when he finally forced himself to calm down, he realised it was already past 10:40 p.m.
No matter what he did to try to get himself out of this mess, it seemed to always find a way back to him. True despair seemed to wash over him, and the clock was ticking.
No matter who he tried to call and how he tried connecting to any internet service, it seemed that something was interfering, preventing him from getting in touch with anyone.
He persisted, and his phone beeped again.
[100 2/3 Cats: @MASTER LEVI, a gentle reminder—you have to complete this task alone. Otherwise, your review will be cancelled.]
Staring at his phone, the realisation that it was impossible for him to escape washed over him.
He had to either face the unknown or die.
He didn’t even want to think about the terrible things that might happen to him if he was disqualified from the review.
Vaguely, he felt that if he wanted to have a chance of survival, he had to go to the slaughterhouse down south alone at midnight and survive until dawn.
Levi stood in front of his apartment unit, wearing a black fisherman’s hat, as he carried a bulging travel bag filled with exorcism items.
It was only at this time that he regretted crafting such unreliable exorcism items. Even this bulging, heavy bag failed to give him any sense of security.
“Damn it!”
He took a deep breath and began to walk out.
The corridor was quiet, and the old lamp cast a dim light upon him. The smell of incense candles was still fresh in the air, and the abandoned paper dolls by the memorial were missing half of their bodies. Its weirdly shaped blush dusted upon its features was strangely bright under the night.
There were very few taxis on the street. Standing by the side of the road, he waited for more than ten minutes until a taxi stopped for him.
“The slaughterhouse in the southern part of town, please.”
He didn’t need to specify the slaughterhouse; the moment he mentioned it, the driver was stunned and looked at his guest through the rear mirror with a pale face.
“S-sir, the slaughterhouse was closed three years ago.”
“I know,” he glanced at his watch and said impatiently. “Just drive. I’m in a hurry.”
Suddenly, he realised that an opportunity was presenting itself as his eyes lit up: “Actually, to tell you the truth, I’m going to the slaughterhouse because…”
“I’m not hearing it!” The driver interrupted. “I-I’m just a humble taxi driver, and I should mind my own business. Listen to me; I will take you there, but I am not driving you to the door.”
“Okay,” Levi responded, leaning backwards onto his seat. His eyes drifted across the small iron box containing business cards near the driver’s seat, and a trace of hesitation flashed in his eyes.
Zhang Shan. Weird. He might be with those things haunting me. No ordinary taxi driver wanders around at night, Levi thought.
The car sped through town, heading from the west side of the city towards the south.
Zhang Shan glanced at Levi through the rear mirror, and he seemed to be sleeping. Zhang Shan couldn’t help but sneer in his heart.
Like hell, I’m falling for your trick to ‘listen to a story’! I’ve got plenty of weirdos telling me that, and my plate is full!
Half an hour later.
Zhang Shan parked his taxi on the side of the road, two kilometres away from the slaughterhouse. He turned to Levi, shook him, and said, “Sir, we’re here.”
As he spoke, he continued and raised his finger as he pointed at the fork of the road ahead: “See that intersection? Enter through the fork, pointing straight, and keep walking. It’s about two kilometres away.”
“Yeah,” Levi nodded and walked out.
“Hey! W-wait! Where are you going?”
Levi turned to Zhang Shan strangely with raised eyebrows and asked, “What is it?”
Zhang Shan rubbed his fingers and said, “Ah, well, you forgot to pay me the fare! Are you trying to leave without paying?”
“Oh.”
Ever since he successfully received fares from even the likes of that damned girl, Zhang Shan found that he was becoming braver.
So what if you’re an urban legend? You should pay your cab fee regardless!
“How much?” Levi asked impatiently.
Zhang Shan shrugged as he whipped out a card with a QR code from under his steering wheel and handed it to Levi.
“Eighty-seven. No cash payments, only online.”
Levi glared at the taxi driver before him but suppressed the anger in his heart and paid the fare as he turned to walk towards the fork.
Now, he was more certain that Zhang Shan was working together with those people in the group chat.
It was true that he had taken a taxi the night before, but they were all submissive and fearful. Zhang Shan was the first to be so bold and so brave.
It was very dark, and a cold wind blew down the street. There were no pedestrians, and dead leaves were gently stirred by the wind.
Levi walked straight down the fork and soon found himself on a desolate street.
The houses on both sides were low and dilapidated; the doors were tightly closed, the windows were dark, and not a single soul was visible within.
After walking for a while, there were no longer houses, and the asphalt road transitioned into a shabby road of unmixed tar.
The light from the street lamps seemed to abruptly stop at a junction ahead as if it were swallowed up by the looming darkness ahead. Only the outlines of plants that swayed in the wind could be seen.
Levi paused, fumbling for the flashlight inside of his bag.
Tap, tap, tap.
After pressing the switch several times, the flashlight seemed to refuse to turn on. Levi cursed in a low voice, “Damn it, come on.”
As soon as he finished speaking, somebody patted him on the back.
His heart dropped, and he immediately turned around, only to be greeted by an old man who had appeared behind him.
“Oh my god, what are you?”
Taking in his appearance, he couldn’t help but shudder violently, and he was speechless.
The old man’s face was frighteningly pale, and his wrinkles were like soaked, crushed bean curds splattered across his face.
“Have you seen my grandson?” The old man trembled, speaking as if something were stuck in his throat. His voice sounded strangely distant.
“I…” he stuttered, forcing himself to take deep breaths. “I just got here. I have never seen your grandson.”
“Oh…”
The old man seemed to drag his words out, and his cloudy eyes looked past Levi, staring at the dark road that loomed behind him.
“Are you going to the slaughterhouse?”
“Y-yes?”
“Ah, the slaughterhouse… well…” the old man murmured, as if he knew something but was unwilling to say it.
“Old man, do you know something I don’t?”
The old man suddenly giggled, and his laughter seemed shallow and thin. The wrinkles moved as his mouth arched to laugh, and his eyes began to tremble: “Have you seen my grandson? If you see him, tell him to come home.”
The old man then turned around, disappearing down the deserted street.
He limped away, but at a speed that was not fitting for a dying old man.
Up ahead was the slaughterhouse, and judging from the old man’s words, his grandson was probably inside. As soon as Levi turned back around to face the darkness, his expression changed, and a chill crept up his spine.
The flashlight that had been unable to light up flickered a few times, and then lit up with a loud pop.
Pop!
Levi swallowed and froze in place before taking out two sets of prayer beads, two crosses, and a string of garlic from his backpack and hanging them around his neck. Then, with false bravado, he marched into the darkness.
The dust on the tar road was thick, and mud had accumulated in some crevices. Strangely enough, rotting coins could be seen scattered in the dirt.
With the support of the flashlight, Levi walked on the road with trepidation. After an unknown amount of time, he finally saw the slaughterhouse appear before him.
It stood alone in the wilderness; its walls were tall, and the grass had already grown to the wall’s height. The paint on the gate had long peeled off, and a rusty placard hung above the gate.
[SLAUGHTERHOUSE]
Levi read it silently in his mind. A ruthless look flashed in his eyes, and he pushed open the ajar iron gate and walked in.
As he passed through the gate, the stench of animal excrement hit his nostrils. After walking a few steps forward, he could see a green-tiled hut in the distance.
He stood and hesitated for a moment. Before he could continue walking forward, he suddenly heard a loud bang behind him.
Bang!
He tremblingly looked back, and the placard had fallen off the gate.
It must be the weather. He convinced himself.
An ominous premonition rose in his heart. In the next moment, he could feel a sharp pain in his shoulder. Looking down in a daze, he saw an iron hook pierce through his collarbone, and blood started to gurgle out of his chest.
Gloop… gloop…
Heavy breaths could be felt behind his neck, and he froze in shock.
The next moment, he could feel himself being roughly pulled by the iron hook. Severe pain tore through his upper body, and he flew backwards into the darkness.
“Help! Help me, please!”
At midnight, a shrill, frightening cry for help echoed through the wilderness, but soon it was silent again.
In the wilderness, not far from the infamous slaughterhouse, a man stared quietly in the darkness as the interior of the slaughterhouse began to flash with an ominous, scarlet light.
He was tall and thin as he puffed up his afro. His sallow face was covered with thick dark circles under his eyes, and he seemed to be going through a lot of troubles in life, which caused him to lose sleep.
He was wearing a pitch-black cloak with a bright yellow emblem pinned to his collar. If one were to take a closer look, you could see a funny, skull-shaped emoticon.
His cloak fluttered in the breeze, revealing his two pitifully thin but hairy legs underneath.
A black shadow flew in the sky with a loud whoosh and landed steadily beside the man.
It was a very petite girl who looked about seven or eight at most. She had a pair of black cat ears sticking out from her mixed-coloured bob, and it swayed from side to side.
She wore a black cloak that was similar to the lanky man’s, and the collar was very high, covering half of her face. Like the man, she, too, had the emoticon emblem pinned to her chest pocket.
She crouched down like a cat and peered at the man: “Perv, can we please tell the boss to transfer that user to another review group? I can’t stand her anymore!”
The lanky man simply glanced at the girl and said, “What? Did she report us again?”
“Again is an understatement,” the girl pouted angrily. “Ever since she found that the re-review was just a bluff, she reports us, with an average of two times a day… for an entire month! Once, she even reported us seven times a day.”
“Seven times,” the girl pouted again. “Do you really think we can handle any more reports without spending psychic energy?”
The lanky man scratched the back of his head, laughed, and said, “It’s just a report, no? There shouldn’t be a big problem, correct?”
“It’s not just reports,” the girl said, rolling her eyes. “She has been spamming my private chat with walls of text, and last week, she found a Trojan horse virus and sent it to me… If I didn’t react quickly enough, she would have stolen my information.”
“And yesterday,” she continued. “She sent hundreds of dirty pictures and sent them to the group! All at once!”
Hearing this, the lanky man’s eyes lit up: “Oh, I like her.”
“Tsk, I’ll report her to the boss and let them deal with her. Because…”
The girl stood up, folding her hands across her chest, and said, “Female group members cannot, under any circumstance, be reviewed by you. Otherwise…”
“Otherwise, what? I have no interest in these women at all.”
“Hah,” she sneered. “I know you won’t do anything to them, but their review location…”
She paused, and her cheeks were stained with a pink blush as her tail drooped downward. Her words became hesitant.
“Their review location is… in that kind of place.”
“What kind of place? Care to enlighten me?” The lanky man shrugged and smirked.
The girl stamped her feet and growled, “Well, it’s—whatever, you slut! I don’t have to say it—bastard!”
“What do you know, little brat? It’s Heaven to me—something you would never know,” the lanky man rolled his eyes.
“You’re a pervert… Whatever, I don’t want to talk to you anymore!” She stuck her tongue out and spat.
Glancing at the slaughterhouse and seeing that the lights had died down, she was stunned for a moment, raising her hand to glance at her wrist. On her wrist was a children’s electronic watch, and she asked doubtfully, “Is that Master Levi? It’s already 12:13 a.m.; where is he? Did he not come, or did you already deal with him?”
“Oh, he was most definitely dealt with.”
“What? That was quick. What did you do?”
The lanky man glanced at the slaughterhouse and curled his lips: “He got… taken away as soon as he entered the slaughterhouse. Nothing much to say, really.”
“What the…” the girl rolled her eyes, making a pull-back motion with her arms. “I came all the way here to watch the show, and you’re telling me you just dealt with that arrogant bastard. Killed him off, just like that?”
“He changed his display name to [HUMBLE LEVI] and begged every day to be spared,” he said, shaking his head. “Aren’t we being a little bit too cruel to arrange his review in such a difficult place?”
“He’s on the blacklist,” the girl reminded herself as she put her hands on her hips. “We are entrusted with a duty! The more miserable the death, the better! Plus, you never said anything about being ‘cruel’ when he deceived those girls or when he sold fake items and caused innocent people to be attacked by urban legends!”
“Okay, okay, I get it; you’ve said enough,” he interrupted, raising a hand. “By the way, have you chosen a location for that girl’s review?”
“Hmm,” the girl frowned, thinking for a bit. Her peripheral vision drifted towards the slaughterhouse—it was long abandoned, yet the shadows that crept in the darkness hid something great, and the faint, ghostly whispers of animals being slaughtered still remained in the wind.
“That’s it!”
The lanky man turned to look at the girl and asked, “Are you sure? She’s a newly-born urban legend, and isn’t she a key target on our hit list? Bringing her here seems… “
“I get it!” he said, realisation dawning upon him. “You’re avenging a private vendetta! She’s not that powerful, but you think she’s annoying, so you’re bringing her here to deal with her!”
“I’m not you,” the girl said, rolling her eyes. “I take my job seriously, and the boss thinks very highly of her. If she’s that strong, why not bring her here? Let her get taken away as soon as she steps into the slaughterhouse.
“Well, that’s up to you!” The lanky man shrugged. “By the way, how much money did she pick up?”
“Ah, about that.”
The girl hesitated to speak as if she suddenly remembered something, and the corners of her mouth twitched.
“Don’t ask these stupid questions! No matter what, I’ll have her reviewed within the week itself.”
Early the next morning, in front of Jingyi Apartments.
Lu Yibei stood at the entrance of the community, pondering with his hand on his chin. He stared at the wallet on the ground for a long time.
The people commuting to work or to the University seemed to rush past him, ignoring the wallet that appeared to be stacked with cash on the ground.
This has been going on for several days! What kind of dumb fucking trap is this? Even Mr. Rabbit was better than this!
Meanwhile, on the stone pillar by the entrance of the community, a beautiful, civet cat eyed the boy who was eyeing the wallet. Seeing him bend forward to pick up the wallet, the cat’s eyes flashed with excitement, and the corners of its feline mouth curved slightly.
Finally! She picked it up! I thought she was a noble citizen—refusing to pick up one dollar, then ten dollars, then a hundred! All I had to do was dump an entire wallet there! Hah!
As the cat was praising itself, its ears twitched, and in the distance, it could hear the boy walking into a tiny police hut at the corner of the street.
“Excuse me, Mr. Policeman? I just found a wallet by the entrance, and there’s a lot of money inside. I’m rushing to campus, so I’ll leave it to you.”
“…”
“Meow! [translation: FUCK!]” The cat loudly meowed when it heard this, slapping its paw on the stone pillar, leaving a smoky paw print behind.
