Then, the sound of a door being pushed open was heard.
Outside, a clerk with a vacant stare struggled against the wall as he walked in. He then gave all his colleagues a grin... so gruesome and ugly.
"Back off!"
A guard who sensed something wrong drew his pistol, aiming at the clerk's face. "Stay there! Don't move any closer!"
So, he stopped, just smiling.
His lips gradually parted, and thick blood flowed out endlessly.
Amidst loud bangs, the guard pulled the trigger twice, shattering the clerk's skull and heart, but he did not fall. He remained standing rigidly on the spot, twisting his body, his lips struggling to open and close.
He said, "Glorious... Glorious... My... Blood!"
Then, his mutilated body rapidly swelled.
Magnificent blood burst forth from the husk like a waterfall. But at this moment, the blood transformed into a torrent of flames, consuming everything.
The brutal blaze devoured everything, turning all within reach to ashes.
Asian Jurisdiction Bureau Decision-making Room Four fell silent.
In the shrill busy tone, Ai Qing emotionlessly hung up on the Jurisdiction Bureau's hotline.
No explanation was needed.
The moment the communication was cut, she knew what had happened.
Even though the nature of the crisis remained unknown, she had accepted this hellish surprise in the first instant.
Inside the silent conductor's room, she pondered for a moment, then reached into her pocket and took out a metal cigarette case, a cell phone, a handgun, and finally, a matchbox.
The small matchbox contained only three slender matches.
Even without the urge or intention to smoke, she still took out the three 'warnings' issued to her and laid them on the table.
The first question: what is the current situation at headquarters?
She lit a match.
In the rising flame, phantoms of explosions and dismembered corpses flickered before vanishing without a trace of wind.
Her heart sank.
The second question: what will happen next on the Group Star?
She lit the second match.
As the flame rose again, she saw the massive train engulfed in shadows, then disastrously breaking apart amidst the turmoil, scattering into countless pieces across the sea.
Gone without a trace.
The flame burned out, scorching her fingertips.
She exhaled deeply, maintaining her composure, and tossed the burned-out match into the trash can before picking up the last one.
The third question: where is the enemy coming from?
But this time, no matter what she did, the match wouldn't light. Even when she tore the striking surface, not a single spark dared to leap from it.
Yet, this too was a hint.
Anything that couldn't be revealed by the 'warnings' was thoroughly categorized in its user manual.
I just need to analyze it carefully...
In the silence, a disturbing knock on the door suddenly sounded.
It rang rhythmically three times.
Then, a wisp of elusive mist slowly seeped in through the gap under the door, morphing into the shape of a gaunt man. Below his grizzled hair, two bright green eyes shone frightfully.
It was as if they led to some nightmare...
"Pleased to meet you, madam," the man named Morando greeted her, placing a hand to his chest in an elegant gesture. "May I have the pleasure of knowing your name?"
"..."
After a brief silence, Ai Qing discarded the match in her hand and asked coldly, "Where is that guy Amadin?"
"The guard at the door?"
Morando thought for a moment and smiled. "He has fallen asleep; the beautiful night called to him."
"I suppose it's my turn next?"
Ai Qing slightly raised her eyebrows, reached out, picked up the handgun from the table, disengaged the safety, chambered a round, and pointed the muzzle at the enemy in front of her.
"Do you think I'll surrender without a fight?"
Morando laughed at her defiance. "A Sublimator without a Stigma—even holding a gun, what can you really do? Let me guess, is there a Numbered Curse Bullet in the gun? Ah, perhaps it's even prepared for me... But do you think you can hit me? You may have another ace up your sleeve, but—"
A hoarse voice emerged from behind Ai Qing: "And which one of me do you plan to shoot?"
As Morando spoke, one gaunt man after another appeared from behind the walls, each with a calm smile, reaching out and placing a hand on her shoulder.
Where he touched her, the skin beneath her clothes rapidly discolored and withered, her vitality fading.