Chapter 1654: Ghost of the Night II

The deep hum of the ship’s engines reverberated through the steel beneath his feet. Dim lamps illuminated the narrow corridors, their pale light sliding across the walls as the vessel gently swayed with the movement of the sea.

At a distance, he could see a bunch of soldiers moving in neat rows. Their boots struck the metal floor in an orderly rhythm, each step falling almost perfectly in sync with the next.

Their movements were disciplined, their expressions stern, their eyes constantly sweeping across the corridors for the slightest sign of anything out of place.

Nothing escaped their vigilance, or so they believed. Because unbeknownst to them, someone was moving beneath the harsh glare of a searchlight. Zhao Li Xin stood directly beneath the beam as though deliberately announcing his presence.

It didn’t take long before one of the soldiers noticed him. The man’s stride faltered. His gaze fixed upon the strange figure standing in the light. Soon after, one by one, the others followed his stare, then, almost simultaneously, their movements stopped and the entire formation came to an abrupt halt. ℯ𝔴ℯ

Zhao Li Xin remained completely unmoved. His black robe fluttered gently in the harsh sea wind, the fabric snapping softly around his legs. His long dark hair streamed behind him, whipping across his shoulders beneath the cold light.

Then came the mask, a white, human-shaped mask covering his face, its empty eyes staring without expression. Crimson-red lips had been painted across it, giving the otherwise emotionless visage an eerie appearance.

For one fleeting moment, no one could determine whether the man standing before them was human, or something that had crawled out of the darkness itself.

"...Is that human or what?" One soldier finally broke the silence.

But no one answered. No one knew for sure. Subconsciously, their hands tightened around their weapons as if their bodies noticed the threat before their brains did. Then one of the soldiers noticed something beneath Zhao Li Xin’s feet.

It was a shadow.

He swallowed. "No, i think it’s a man... a real man."

That revelation should have brought relief, but it didn’t. Because another question arose.

The soldiers raised their weapons and pointed them directly at Zhao Li Xin.

"Who are you?" one of them barked.

"Put down your sword!" another shouted.

Zhao Li Xin said nothing. His expression remained hidden behind the mask, and somehow, that made the soldiers even more uneasy.

The man stood there without a sound, his body not even jolting under the many guns pointed at him, as if he were a puppet—a scary one, at that.

"Get on your knees!" a soldier shouted. His voice echoed through the steel corridor. "Or we’re going to shoot you!" The threat was unmistakable.

Zhao Li Xin tilted his head slightly. It was just a small movement. However, that was enough to make all those soldiers’ bodies stiffen, as if they were being eyed by a beast.

Suddenly, the man slowly bent his knees, as if he were surrendering himself. The soldiers’ tension slightly loosened. Some of them even allowed themselves to let out relieved smiles. They exchanged smug looks, thinking this strange man posed no threat at all.

Perhaps he was nothing more than an eccentric fool who had somehow wandered onto the warship. Still, one question lingered in the back of their minds.

How had this crazy man gotten here in the first place?

None of them had time to wonder for long. Because the move they thought was a surrender turned out to be a fighting stance, and all of a sudden, the man’s figure disappeared.

The soldiers froze.

"What the—?" They didn’t even have time to finish the thought when a dark blur appeared before them. The red lips of the mask seemed to glisten, and then what came next was a spray of blood bursting into the air.

Then they saw a head separated from the body, floating in the air, while the body fell onto the steel ground with a thud. Then, in the next second that felt like slow motion, the head eventually followed.

The others finally reacted.

"FIRE!" His voice was engulfed with fear and panic.

Then a barrage of gunfire erupted through the air, filling the quiet space, and their muzzle flashes illuminated the dark night like fireworks during a festival.

However, Zhao Li Xin was no longer there. Their bullets tore through nothing but empty air. Their expressions tightened with horror as if they realized what would happen to them, and their fear became reality when a dark shadow appeared behind them.

The soldiers barely had time to turn when another flash of steel flashed before them. Another burst of blood splattered into the air like rose petals, and then they screamed. Soon afterward, the disciplined formation that had moved in perfect unison moments ago dissolved into chaos, their movements becoming disorderly as panic swallowed all their sanity.

After a while, only one soldier remained. He stumbled backward before falling heavily onto the metal floor. His entire body trembled uncontrollably. Sweat poured down his face as he stared at the bodies scattered around him.

’The man is not human. It’s a devil!’

The man could hear his own heart thumping.

Then, the man slowly turned his head toward him. The soldier’s breath caught as he was stared at by the bloody mask. Blood smeared the once-pristine mask. The blood trickled from the cheek to the side of the red lips of the mask. The sight nearly made the soldier lose control of himself.

The man with the mask began walking toward him, calm and unhurried, but each step made the soldier’s heart fill with dread. The man stopped only a short distance away.

His voice finally broke the silence. "Call all of them." His voice was low and melodious, yet it sent a chill straight through the soldier’s spine.

His hands shook violently as he fumbled for the communicator attached to his chest. "H—help..." he stammered. "We... we’ve got an intruder..."

His eyes remained locked on Zhao Li Xin. The sight of that bloodstained mask made his face turn as white as a sheet.

The man’s voice trembled uncontrollably. "Please... send backup."

His voice cracked. "Please, SEND ME BACKUP, HURRY!"

Then desperation overcame fear. The soldier suddenly raised his weapon and pointed it at Zhao Li Xin. "GO DIE!" he screamed.

His finger moved toward the trigger. Just a half-second before he was able to pull it, he froze, then his eyes widened. For a moment, he couldn’t understand what he was seeing.

His gun was still in his hand. But his hand was no longer attached to his arm. The severed limb fell through the air. It looked almost like slow motion, and then—

Thud.

It landed on the metal floor.

"What...?" The soldier stared at it in disbelief. Then realization struck, and a scream tore from his throat.

At that exact moment—

’WAAAAAANG!’

The ship’s alarm erupted. Red warning lights began flashing throughout the hangar bay, bathing the steel surface in an ominous crimson glow as searchlights swung toward the disturbance. One after another, brilliant beams converged upon Zhao Li Xin from every direction.

For a moment, the scene almost resembled a stage, and Zhao Li Xin stood at its center. It felt like he was the main lead. Zhao Li Xin’s figure stood beneath the lights, surrounded by fallen bodies and streaks of blood, with the entire warship now roaring to life around him.

A quiet chuckle escaped him from behind the mask. Something had been unleashed inside him. Something he knew all too well. Something he had kept buried, controlled... and he knew exactly what it was.

’Li Xin.’

A sweet, gentle voice suddenly echoed within his mind. The sound came without warning, and just like cold water poured over his head, Zhao Li Xin awakened. The bloodlust that had begun to rise within him receded, if only slightly.

He remembered... her. It was always her who could awaken him from his madness.

Zhao Li Xin let out a long exhale. After that, his gaze shifted toward the soldier with the severed arm.

"Leave," he said quietly. "Tell your friends to leave when they can, because tonight, there is only death left in this ship."

The soldier remained on the ground, trembling violently as he clutched his severed arm. Yet he had heard Zhao Li Xin’s words. With shaking hands, he reached into his pants and pulled out a healing potion. He tore it open and swallowed its contents in a gulp. Even though pain still twisted across his face, he forced himself upright.

His legs nearly gave way beneath him. Still, he pushed forward. Little by little, he dragged himself away as quickly as his wounded body allowed, for he knew he would be dead if he stayed here.

He was sure of that!

Zhao Li Xin watched him go. He watched the soldier disappear farther and farther down the stairs. Mercy had never been something that came naturally to him. Not in the past, not even now.

But...

For Lory, and for the unborn twins inside her, perhaps it wasn’t so bad to show mercy once in a while. He could simply consider it accumulated good deeds for them.

Yes, for them.

Not for himself.

Behind him, the alarm continued to echo throughout the warship. Then came the footsteps. Hundreds of them, at least. Heavy boots thundered against the metal floors as soldiers rushed toward the scene from every direction.

The sound grew louder, and louder. The entire warship seemed to tremble beneath the approaching army. Yet Zhao Li Xin remained where he was.

He stood silently beneath the searchlights, his black robe stirring in the harsh wind, his long hair flowing behind him. The white mask remained stained with the blood of those who had already fallen. Its crimson lips looked as if they were smiling.

Zhao Li Xin slowly raised his head, waiting...