NABC Chapter 8 A New Problem
Chapter 8 A New Problem
The instinct to survive overwhelmed everything.
Green turned around abruptly, his gaze fixed on the small round window. With lightning speed, he grabbed the diary from the ground with his left hand and scooped up the white cat with his right, holding it tightly in his arms.
"pay close attention!"
He stopped looking at the horrific scene unfolding behind him and, with all his might, sprinted toward the window.
Three or four steps seemed incredibly long at this moment, while the chill behind them relentlessly pursued them.
"Bang--!"
The wooden frame and glass shattered with a crash, and Green's figure plummeted from the third floor.
Green crashed solidly into the bushes in the back alley of the house.
The immense impact caused his vision to go black, and he began to cough violently.
In the attic, there were no flames or loud noises, only countless agonizing phantom faces emanating from William's disintegrating body, emitting shrieks that only the soul could perceive, shrieks powerful enough to tear apart the spirit.
Green was in excruciating pain all over his body.
[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name 1110 ...
The white cat in his arms deftly pushed off the ground the moment he landed, leaping lightly onto the grass beside him. Apart from its fur being a little messy, it was unharmed.
Green clutched the journal tightly to his chest.
Green lay in the crushed bushes, breathing heavily.
He looked up at the window on the third floor, which was pitch black, but an unnatural shadow seemed to hang over the area around the window.
Green let out a smug laugh, as if he had just escaped death.
"Finally... I survived..."
"Don't relax!" The white cat's voice interrupted him, its tone grave. It sat not far away, its emerald green vertical pupils fixed on the dark window.
"What do you mean?" Green's heart tightened, and he forced himself to sit up despite the pain.
"The spiritual pollution and physical deformities caused by the 'Curse Collapse' will not disappear immediately."
The white cat spoke very quickly, its tail thumping the ground impatiently. "They spread like poisonous spores, attaching themselves to spiritually sensitive or physically weak people, causing nightmares, hallucinations, and even slow physical mutations."
"You must leave the contaminated area immediately! Now!"
Seeing that it showed no intention of coming with him, Green felt a sense of foreboding.
"Aren't you leaving?" he asked, panting heavily.
The white cat glanced at him, its gaze complex, containing not only helplessness and exhaustion, but also a hint of resolve. "My duty requires me to stay and clean up the mess. Don't worry about me."
It turned back and continued to stare at William's house, its nose twitching slightly as if assessing the concentration and extent of the pollution.
"Someone has to clean up this mess. If this level of 'contamination' isn't contained, documented, and cleaned up by calling for help, it will leave a mark on the spirit world like a plague, attracting even more troublesome things."
It paused, "And with such a commotion, the hyenas of the Scarlet Order will probably be here soon, coming by the scent through spiritual resonance or divination."
"You've been tainted by the ritual's aura and have damaged the core. If you're captured, they'll sacrifice you to the source of the distortion in the most painful way to make up for the loss."
Upon hearing "The Crimson Order," Green frowned. If William alone was already this difficult to deal with, and a few more came, he wouldn't be able to return alive.
"Hurry up!" the white cat urged sharply, even shoving his calf with its paw. "Get out of here, I'll find you."
Green glanced at the white cat and knew it was telling the truth.
Staying behind would not only be of no help, but would also become a burden, and might even plunge the animal into dire straits again.
Without further hesitation, he grabbed the journal and struggled to climb out of the bushes.
Green glanced at the white cat, then gritted his teeth, dragged his almost unresponsive left leg, and limped into the narrow, dark alleyway beside him without looking back.
The night fog was thick and quickly swallowed his staggering figure.
The white cat only breathed a slight sigh of relief after confirming his departure and sensing his presence fading away.
"We need to immediately record the situation on the ground, set up a simple spiritual barrier, and then the captain will report..."
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Green dragged his almost broken body through Sage Lane, where thick fog and night intertwined.
With each step he took, a tearing pain shot through his left side, and cold sweat poured down his back.
Where to go back?
This has become the current problem.
The allure of his aunt's warm fireplace and soft bed almost instinctively drew him in that direction.
He could even imagine the worried look in his sister Sura's eyes when she saw him like this.
But the next second, a woman's piercing scream came from the phone, followed by the twisted monster's roar from the attic, and the white cat's solemn warning...
You are imbued with the aura of ritual.
They will sacrifice you.
The white cat's words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the idea.
We can't go back.
The original owner's aunt treated him very well, and although his uncle always thought he wasn't respectable enough, it was still understandable.
His younger sister, Sula, was one of the few sources of warmth he felt in this unfamiliar world.
As for his cousin who always mocked him... although she was annoying, she wasn't a bad person at heart, and her crime didn't warrant death.
They were the only remaining relatives of the original owner, and we must not bring danger to them.
He had no choice but to go back to the firm. It was at least the place he knew best, and perhaps he could find some emergency medication there.
Besides, the white cat knows where it is, and it can find itself if it needs to.
Having made up his mind, Green endured the dizziness and pain, discerned his direction, and moved towards Oak Street.
He tried to avoid the main roads and returned along the small paths he remembered from the way he came, preferring to take a longer route to ensure that there were no "tails" behind him.
The short distance was now proving incredibly difficult to traverse.
When he finally saw the familiar sign for the Morris Investigation Agency vaguely emerging from the fog, he was almost exhausted.
But he did not go forward immediately.
The alertness overcame the fatigue.
He needed to make sure no one was following him and that the Scarlet Cult wasn't waiting for him there.
Green slipped into the deep shadows of a porch across the street, leaning against the brick wall, his gaze fixed on the entrance to the firm and the windows facing the street.
Time passed by, second by second.
The streets were deserted and silent.
It's too quiet...
Green's heart pounded. He carefully recalled the details of his escape through the window, unsure if any neighbors had been alerted, or if the Scarlet Order members were already waiting for him there.
Despite the excruciating pain in his left shoulder, he gripped the 'Silent Messenger' with his right hand once more.
This put his mind at ease a little.
After observing for nearly ten more minutes and confirming that there was no suspicious movement around him, nor did he feel the kind of marking or spying sensation that the white cat had described, Green gritted his teeth and decided to take action.
He quickly crossed the street and approached the office door. Instead of unlocking it immediately, he pressed his ear against the cold wooden door and listened intently.
Once he was sure there was no sound inside, he took out his key. He inserted it into the lock gently and turned it slowly, avoiding making any noise.
Until the door lock made a slight 'click' sound.
Take a deep breath, use your shoulder to pry open the door a crack, slide your body sideways into the door, and quickly close and lock the door behind you.
Leaning against the door, he confirmed that the room was empty, just as it had been when he left.
Besides... there seemed to be a faint, strange fragrance belonging to the white cat lingering in the air, as well as the smell of his own cigarette.
Safe.
His tense nerves relaxed, but a sudden wave of intense fatigue washed over him. He could barely stand, and shakily reached for the wall to turn on the gas lamp.