Chapter 478: Jacket (Corrupted)?

In the roughly forty-square-meter room, the lights flickered, constantly spitting sparks from electrical short circuits. On the ceiling, the walls, and the floor, countless dark red substances squirmed.

That tattered garment floating in the center of the room was bound by chains, covered in crimson spots that looked like some kind of mold, yet had a liver-like texture, making it extremely unsettling.

“……”

Staring at the scene before her, Lu Yibei stood expressionless in silence for a few seconds, then suddenly spun around one hundred and eighty degrees and strode toward the other end of the corridor without looking back.

Absurd, this is just fucking absurd!

Looking so terrifying, you still send those cute “bullet comments” in my head, creating unrealistic illusions for me!

This feels just like meeting a cute little girl online, only for her to turn out to be a two-meter-tall, two-hundred-kilogram burly uncle in real life–enough to scare someone to death!

The huge gap between reality and description made Lu Yibei feel deceived.

[Don’t go, don’t leave me, please! (ಥ_ಥ)]

A strange thought flashed through Lu Yibei’s mind.

“Shut up, I’m not listening, you can’t fool me!”

Lu Yibei covered her ears, buried her head, and marched forward, shaking her head like a rattle drum.

She’d seen this trick too many times: a rice cooker sealed with a demon, a crystal bottle containing a fairy–open them and you release some terrifying being.

And then there are things like dancing shoes that make you dance until you die once you put them on, or necklaces that turn you into a monster–countless such examples.

So, this kind of trick might fool some naive, ignorant girl.

But trying to fool a tough guy like me? Not a chance!

Lu Yibei walked faster and faster, finally breaking into a full run, unconsciously using the movement technique from The Diagram of the Gentleman Sword of Taihe.

She didn’t even have to recall it–it was as if this escape skill was something she was born with.

Just as Lu Yibei was about to leave the basement corridor, in the small storeroom, the bound jacket began to struggle violently in anxiety.

“Ding, ding, ding!”

The chains binding it were pulled taut again and again, making a series of light clinks.

Its dearest Lady Witch was about to leave it behind, but up to now, it still didn’t know what had happened.

All it knew was that it had followed Lady Witch to a very shabby house, got sucked into a strange vortex, and woke up to find itself tied up in this dark basement, with lots of “little bugs” growing on it.

It had thought about escaping to look for Lady Witch.

After all, ordinary steel chains like these had never been able to hold it before–it was super powerful!

But…

For some reason, it seemed to have gotten weaker, unable to break free even from these ordinary iron chains.

Probably because of those “little bugs,” right?

With its simple mind, that was the only obvious answer it could come up with.

Those “little bugs” kept growing inside its body, burrowing around, gnawing at it–itchy, painful, very uncomfortable, very agonizing…

The footsteps faded into the distance, and Lu Yibei’s figure was finally swallowed by darkness, disappearing at the other end of the basement corridor.

“Ding—-!”

With a harsh screech of metal grinding, the iron chains piercing through the jacket’s body and binding it suddenly pulled taut, embedding themselves into its flesh.

Sticky, dark red liquid dripped from the torn seams of the garment.

Ah, Lady Witch really left!

∑(っ°Д°;)っ

The jacket’s sleeves lifted high toward the basement exit, trembling, and after a long while, slowly drooped down along with the hood.

Then…

“Whoosh!” It fell onto the console, crumpling into a heap, as if it had truly become a lifeless, tattered piece of clothing.

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the other end of the corridor.

Lu Yibei had come back, jogging all the way to the door of the little basement storeroom.

——–

Lu Yibei hadn’t planned to turn back at all, even as that whisper, as if rising from her mind or floating by her ear, kept calling her to return–she had no intention of doing so.

That crimson, tattered garment, shaped like a burial shroud, exuded a twisted, bizarre, and extremely ominous aura. Whether by sight or by vague intuition, it was on a completely different level from the haunting she’d encountered before.

That previous haunting was at best a rank-and-file grunt with a combat power of one thousand, but this garment was at least a rare elite with a combat power of twenty thousand.

Though she’d just defeated a haunting, boosting her confidence, she wasn’t arrogant enough to take on monsters way above her level.

Survival comes first!

However…

The moment she dashed out of the basement exit, as if in a hallucination, she heard someone softly whispering in her ear.

[Lu Yibei, go back, save it!]

“Damn it, just because you say save it, I have to save it? You guys are all bad, always trying to trick an innocent girl like me!” Lu Yibei growled. “If you want me to go back, unless… you give me a resurrection armor first!”

Immediately after, a surge of intense emotion crashed over her like a tidal wave, flooding her mind.

Sadness, grief, bitterness, despair… as if to swallow her whole.

Yet amid such complex negative emotions, Lu Yibei sensed a trace of gentleness.

Warm, like a kitten suddenly jumping into your arms and snuggling up when you’re feeling hopeless and dejected on a street corner, instantly softening your heart.

In that instant, it felt as if an invisible hand had gripped her heart hard, making it skip a beat; her steps faltered, as if she were stuck in a quagmire, her body stiffening in place.

For a long time.

She turned around, looking back at the pitch-black basement entrance, her brows tightly knitted.

Did I… misunderstand it?

Maybe, it’s one of those “I’m ugly but gentle” types?

Judging by appearances isn’t a good habit!

Passing through the pitch-black, deep corridor, she returned to the door of the underground storage room.

Lu Yibei looked at the pile of clothes on the console, limp like a puddle of mud, rubbed her brow, and sighed silently.

“I really can’t with you! I can fish you out of here–who told me to be so gentle, honest, and soft-hearted? But before that, we have to set some ground rules!”

“……”

After two seconds of silence, seeing no reaction from the clothes, Lu Yibei called out again, “Hey! You’re not dead, are you?”

As soon as she finished speaking.

The jacket lifted its hood, confirmed it wasn’t hallucinating, and with a “whoosh!” sprang upright, joyfully spinning twice in the air before flying straight toward Lu Yibei.

“Ding—-!”

The chain tightened again, making a light sound.

The jacket was dragged by the chain, hovering about two meters from Lu Yibei, its tattered sleeves waving in the air as if wanting to give her a big hug.

Seeing the jacket coming at her so aggressively, Lu Yibei tensed up, took two steps back, and waved her hands repeatedly, saying, “No, no! Calm down first! Didn’t I say? We need to set some ground rules!”

Hearing this, the jacket floated lightly back onto the console, curled up into a ball, its hem swaying gently like little feet dangling.

Obedient.jpg

Lu Yibei held her forehead, “……”

Look at you, already such a terrifying haunting, yet still acting like a child?

It felt just like a little loli being sent into the body of a burly uncle in another world by a dump truck.

After grumbling to herself, Lu Yibei raised a finger, “First, you can’t hurt me!”

“Second, you have to do whatever I say!”

“Lastly, I have a contract here. For safety’s sake, please sign it.”

These days, there are so many tricks–even contracts have shadow contracts!

Signing a contract is just the most basic protection, Lu Yibei thought.

Jacket, “……” Why does Lady Witch have to do something she’s already done all over again?

So strange!

(´･_･`)

No reaction? Could it be that I’ve exposed its trick and now it’s too scared to speak? Seeing the jacket remain unresponsive, Lu Yibei frowned and said sternly, “If you don’t agree, I’m leaving!”

Jacket, “……” Fine, I really can’t do anything about you!

(´-ι_-‘)

Immediately, the jacket stood up, raised its hood, and nodded at Lu Yibei.

“Whoosh—-!”

Lu Yibei took a deep breath, recalled the method for casting the ally contract from her dream memories, braced herself, and walked forward.

——–

“……Heaven and Houtu bear witness to this heart. During our cooperation, we will share blessings and hardships, watch over and help each other, be loyal and true. Whoever breaks this shall suffer endless calamity and never know peace!”

The spell formation for the ally contract was recited.

In the next moment, with a soft “puff!”, two wisps of flame flared up almost simultaneously on Lu Yibei’s and the jacket’s sleeves, flickering and confronting each other, refusing to merge and complete the contract.

[Flame A: “Don’t they already have a familiars contract? Why sign an ally contract too?”

Flame B: “No idea, maybe there’s something wrong with their head?”

Flame A: “Let’s go. Mom said not to play with lunatics.”]

As if having this silent conversation, the two flames suddenly flared brightly, collided, and with a soft “whoosh!”, exploded into a string of crimson sparks in midair before vanishing.

The spell formation for the ally contract was “completed.” Lu Yibei glanced sideways at the jacket beside her, wriggling happily like a sea lettuce spirit, and fell into thought.

That should do it, right?

Although her dream memories only had the casting method for the ally contract, with no details on what success looked like.

But according to the process in the ally contract, if either party harbored ill intent or tried to sabotage the spell formation, they would be struck by backlash.

Now it seemed there was no backlash, so even if the spell failed, she could at least conclude it had no ill intent.

Thinking this, Lu Yibei said to the jacket with a blank face, “All right, wait here. I’ll go find something to get that chain off you.”

With that, she stood up, looked around for a while, and soon found a tool hammer in the corner where junk was piled.

She walked over, weighed the tool hammer in her hand, nodded slightly, then returned, raised the hammer with both hands, aimed at the welded joint of the chain on the console, and struck hard.

“Bang, bang, bang……”

After her haunting transformation, her arm strength far exceeded her expectations. With almost every blow, a welded joint snapped with a shower of sparks.

When only the last weld remained, she paused slightly, gave the jacket a meaningful look, took a deep breath, and brought the hammer down one last time.

“Bang—-!”

With the dull sound of the weld breaking, the jacket shot up with a “whoosh!”, impatiently pouncing on Lu Yibei.

In an instant, the light before her eyes dimmed, and a strong, bloody wind hit her face!

Crap, it’s a trap!

Seeing the jacket suddenly lunge at her, Lu Yibei’s face went pale with shock. She staggered back two steps, but before she could react further, the jacket wrapped around her, lifting her whole body off the ground and suspending her in midair.

Then… the jacket began to writhe and change rapidly.

Somewhere between cotton and fur, with a slightly slippery texture, it left a cold, tingling sensation on her skin.

Just as Lu Yibei was about to curse the jacket for “fighting dirty and sneak attacking,” as soon as she opened her mouth, she couldn’t help but let out a soft, delicate nasal sound.

“Mm… mm~!”

This incredibly familiar feeling caused fragments of memory buried deep in Lu Yibei’s mind to surge up.

Soon, the flood of information made her consciousness blur.

It was like being drunk–dazed, yet incredibly clear.

Next, she felt a burning pain in her eyes, as if a flame had been lit deep in her pupils, golden irises glowing with a molten radiance.

Thus, the jacket’s familiars mark was awakened, a flame-like totem appearing on its back, then suddenly shuddering, bursting with dazzling light, and gradually falling silent…

——–

In the old yet tidy little inn, the lighting was gentle, and firewood crackled in the stove.

A voluptuous woman, draped in a blanket embroidered with reindeer, sat cross-legged by the stove, her right hand holding a small knife, continuously whittling a piece of oak in her other hand.

It was clear she was carving a majestic-looking reindeer.

Beside her, hot cocoa in a mug sent up wisps of steam, and through the haze, one could see a pile of gift boxes in the corner of the room, marked with numbers like “7,” “12,” “18,” scattered about in disorder.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, the woman set down the knife and oak, reached into the pocket of her pajamas, and produced a not-yet-fully-developed Polaroid photo out of thin air.

She placed the photo on the wooden floor in front of her, picked up the mug, and quietly waited while sipping her cocoa.

A long while passed.

When she saw a girl in a teal long dress appear on the photo, her brows lifted and her eyes brightened slightly. She exclaimed, “What a unique little familiar! I’m a bit envious!”

“Not like mine… tch, best not to mention!”

As the woman muttered to herself, the image on the photo kept changing, as if playing a short video.

A crimson, tattered long dress, writhing and deforming unnaturally, and in the blink of an eye, the teal long dress spread across the floor.

The hem swayed gently like ripples, revealing slender, dazzlingly pale legs.

The back of the dress featured a lace cutout design, half-concealing and half-revealing smooth skin.

Countless scarlet hues intertwined on the dress, forming a complex and gorgeous pattern.

But soon, those patterns, which should have glimmered like molten lava, quickly dimmed after appearing, covered and replaced by dark red flesh.

Soon, the dress seemed corroded and perforated by that dark red flesh, as tiny holes began to appear.

With a faint rustling, murky eyeballs grew out from the holes, their lifeless pupils trembling wildly.

The six rusted iron chains hadn’t disappeared completely, but instead adorned the back of the dress like some kind of alien wings, swaying back and forth.

Finally, as the dust settled, the image on the photo froze at the moment the girl slowly landed, her toes touching the ground.

“……”

But… there shouldn’t be any danger, right?

She should be able to handle it herself, shouldn’t she? The woman thought anxiously.

——–

Lu Yibei floated in midair, immersed in the soothing sensation of the jacket’s transformation, like a spa massage, and in the memories of examining the jacket.

After a while, the shame of wearing a little dress jolted her awake.

Is this the magical jacket from my dream memories?!

Damn it, why did it turn into a dress for no reason? Don’t ruin my tough-guy image, you bastard!

Lu Yibei thought in shock and indignation, and then realized something was off.

But… this isn’t right!

In the dream memories, the entity of the jacket was clearly a red-and-white color-blocked windbreaker–how did it become this tattered, crimson garment?

And…

She looked at the teal long dress she was wearing, frowning.

This dress was also very different from the one in her dream memories.

If the previous dress was the Witch’s long dress, then this one was more like the wedding gown of a zombie bride.

Lu Yibei, “……”

What the hell is this? What’s going on?

Did it go from [jacket] to [jacket (corrupted)]?

But what’s with all that dark red flesh attached to it? Lu Yibei wondered.

Before she could sort out her thoughts, a sudden mutation occurred.

The pale little eyes on the dress suddenly began to tremble violently. After spinning rapidly twice, dozens of eyes filled with greed and malice all looked up at once, locking into a “wonderful” eye contact with Lu Yibei.

Immediately after, the jacket convulsed violently, as if out of control.

Then…

“Splurt—-!”

Dozens of soft sounds rang out almost simultaneously, converging into a single line.

Dozens of blood-and-flesh spikes formed inside the garment, stabbing into Lu Yibei’s body all at once.

Flesh was pierced, bones scraped back and forth as if by dozens of steel knives, the nerve-jangling noise traveling along her bones to her ears, then echoing in her mind as if driving her insane.

Agonizing pain shot through every limb and bone; her eyes widened, pupils contracted to a point, her pale lips parted, but not a sound came from her throat.

At that moment, Lu Yibei thought of an extremely cruel torture device–the iron maiden1.

Footnote:

1. Iron Maiden(铁处女): A coffin-shaped medieval torture device lined with spikes on the inside.