Chapter 1: Dark Shadow

Li Yelan found himself in a bizarre space, surrounded by thick, undulating fog. Through the mist, he could see distorted and dim patches of light from the outside world.

The air around him grew increasingly viscous, trapping him firmly in place and making it difficult to move.

"It's happening again," Li Yelan felt a sense of desolation in his heart.

He had entered this dream once more.

For years, every so often, he would find himself in this eerie dreamscape.

In the distance, a distorted, pitch-black figure was continuously approaching him.

Just as always.

The only difference from last time was that the black shadow was getting closer and closer.

How many years had it been? It still hadn't given up.

Through the thick fog, Li Yelan could vaguely make out the shadow's twisted form. Countless tentacles writhed and spread from behind it, while blurred faces and grotesque limbs emerged and sank into its body. In the deeper light and shadow, four thick chains extended out, dragging the black figure tightly and restraining its advance.

As the shadow drew nearer, a massive sense of suffocation, as if he were sinking to the bottom of the ocean, threatened to kill him, until everything before his eyes turned into a completely dim, pitch-black void.

His ears were filled with fragmented sounds, like chanting and screaming, like mournful wails and whispers.

The language was obscure and profound; the voice was neither male nor female, yet Li Yelan understood its meaning.

‘Where are you?’

In an apartment in the old district of Border City No. 3, a handsome young man suddenly woke up from his sleep.

The dream he had just experienced had placed a tremendous burden on his body.

Li Yelan’s body trembled and spasmed as he struggled to sit up. Suppressing the urge to vomit, he quickly grabbed several items from his nightstand.

Among them were talismans, a Buddha statue, a crucifix, a voodoo doll, and even some spirit money.

"Soldiers, warriors, all arrayed, march forward!"

"Amitabha."

"Hallelujah."

"Obey this command with the speed of law!"

He gasped for air, reciting prayer after prayer.

Perhaps it was truly effective, or perhaps it was just a psychological comfort, but Li Yelan’s emotions eased slightly. His violently pounding heart gradually steadied.

Just then, the bedroom door was suddenly pushed open, and Li Yelan jumped in fright.

He saw a young girl in pink pajamas, her hair messy but unable to hide her beauty, standing at the door.

It was his younger sister, Li Yunyan.

"Having that dream again?" Li Yunyan asked with a yawn.

"Can you not knock? You have absolutely no sense of boundaries!" Li Yelan immediately hid his terrified expression and gave a reluctant nod.

This strange dream had been haunting Li Yelan for many years.

At first, he could only see a figure flickering in the distance within the dream.

But as time passed, that pitch-black figure had drawn closer and closer to Li Yelan.

He, however, remained unable to move, forced to watch the shadow approach step by step.

The clinic doctors couldn't diagnose what was wrong, so they could only prescribe him medication to help him sleep.

"Are these metaphysical items from before the Calamity actually useful?" Li Yunyan pointed her finger at the talismans and Buddha statue in Li Yelan’s hand and asked, "Before these immortals and gods save you, do they have to get into a fight first? And what the hell is this spirit money?"

"I suspect that dark guy might be the legendary Black Impermanence; maybe the spirit money can bribe him," Li Yelan said with a serious face.

He wasn't sure if these things were useful either.

These were all items he had scavenged from the antique shop where he worked part-time.

However, this industry was deep; a disc filled with "study materials" from the era before the Calamity seventy years ago could actually sell for three thousand Great City Credits?

Li Yelan found it incomprehensible. Perhaps this was the power of knowledge?

"You should believe in the wisdom of the sages," Li Yunyan said. "The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, physical exploits, disorder, or spirits."

"I get it. That quote means Confucius didn't want to talk, so he used physical exploits to beat people until they were delirious," Li Yelan pondered seriously. "Are you telling me to learn from Confucius and beat up that black shadow? Actually, I’ve had that thought too..."

Hearing Li Yelan’s interpretation, Li Yunyan’s eyes widened, a question mark seemingly appearing over her head.

Li Yelan took the opportunity to ask, "Little sister, have you noticed any changes in my bedroom?"

Li Yunyan scanned the bedroom, looking confused. "What changes? Did you buy new furniture again?"

Li Yelan looked at the ceiling. The distorted black shadow was like a remnant of the night, not dispelled by the sunlight filtering through the high windows, but instead perched on the ceiling, its dangling tentacles writhing wantonly against the wall. Yet, his little sister didn't seem to notice anything.

He knew his condition was getting worse.

If it were a mental illness, he was already starting to hallucinate.

If it wasn't, it meant that monster had truly followed him from the dream into reality!

Regardless, he couldn't stay at home any longer.

So, watching the black shadow writhe and gradually fade on the ceiling, Li Yelan said flatly, "Nothing."

He didn't tell his sister about the eerie scene he was witnessing.

After stuffing the prayer beads and crucifix into his backpack, he put it on and left the apartment.

He was worried that staying at home might bring danger to his sister.

No one knew what would happen when the black shadow finally found Li Yelan.

He had to get to the nearest guard station as fast as he could.

That was the safest place he could think of.

If the black shadow really appeared, he would let it taste the power of modern technology.

However, Li Yelan also knew the journey wouldn't be peaceful.

Because every time he had this strange dream, his luck would be terrible for a period of time.

This was the main reason he believed the black shadow was real—what kind of mental illness brings such bad luck?

Now, after leaving the apartment, he had to be careful of the bad luck that could appear on the streets at any moment.

However, just as he stepped out of the apartment, he heard a shout.

"Little Ye."

Li Yelan turned around and saw a middle-aged man in a suit with graying temples waving at him from not far away.

It was Dr. Wang from the clinic he often visited. He could be considered an old acquaintance.

"I was just planning to go upstairs to find you," Dr. Wang said with a kind smile as he approached.

Li Yelan felt inexplicably strange and discordant.

But he still replied, "Dr. Wang, I had that strange dream again."

"Coincidentally, that's exactly why I'm looking for you," Dr. Wang smiled kindly. "Shall we go upstairs and talk?"

The sense of discordance Li Yelan felt grew stronger, and he had a vague feeling of not wanting—or rather, not daring—to let Dr. Wang into his home.

So, he said, "Let's talk at the hospital instead."

Dr. Wang paused for a moment, then smiled. "That works too. I drove."

Drove? Li Yelan forced a smile and nodded.

Afterward, the two got into a black sedan and drove out of the apartment complex.

Neither spoke a word on the way.

Only the broadcast from the car radio echoed.

‘Yesterday, a heinous criminal case occurred in the old district of Border City No. 3, and the perpetrator is still at large. Any citizens with clues can call...’

Listening to the radio broadcast, Li Yelan, sitting in the back seat, clutched his backpack tightly, silently watching Dr. Wang in the driver's seat. His hand, however, was quietly dialing the number he had just heard.

When the vehicle suddenly drove into a private underground garage, the sense of unease in Li Yelan’s heart grew even stronger.

So, Li Yelan asked with a pale face, "Is Dr. Wang still alive?"

The middle-aged man in the driver's seat paused, but he didn't turn around, saying flatly, "You actually figured it out? Even though the voice, appearance, and build haven't changed at all... How did you figure it out?"

He was a bit surprised, but not much; there was more mockery and malice.

Yes, that sense of discordance and unease came from this 'Dr. Wang' himself—he wasn't Dr. Wang at all!

Someone had impersonated Dr. Wang to get close to him and his sister? And could imitate him so perfectly?

Upon realizing this, Li Yelan didn't dare let him stay near the apartment.

This was the reason Li Yelan got in the car with him; he couldn't let his sister, who was still in the apartment, be in danger.

The moment the middle-aged man admitted it, a massive wave of fear spread through Li Yelan, making his body go limp.

He seemed to have... truly become involved in some kind of terrifying event.

"Why are you looking for me?" Li Yelan asked, his voice trembling as he hugged his backpack.

"I'm being hunted closely and need a new skin and identity, and your skin is quite nice." The middle-aged man turned his head to look at Li Yelan, revealing a cold, malicious smile. "However, since you knew I wasn't Dr. Wang, how did you dare to get in the car with me?"

Skin? Identity? Li Yelan’s body trembled even more. How bizarre was this?

Did he want to peel off someone else's skin to replace them? Monsters really existed in this world!

But fear drove him to quickly reach out and unbuckle 'Dr. Wang's' seatbelt, gritting his teeth as he said, "No, it should be, how did you dare to let me get in the car?"

The middle-aged man was stunned. The next instant, he realized the brakes had failed. He instinctively turned the steering wheel, only to pull the entire wheel off.

Under the middle-aged man's shocked and horrified gaze, the vehicle instantly went out of control and slammed into the garage wall.

Yes, this was Li Yelan’s 'bad luck'! The negative effect brought by the strange dream!

As for the specific effects...

Well, last time, after having the nightmare, he insisted on going to work.

As a result, he hadn't even gone one stop on the bus before it stalled for no reason, and no matter what the driver did, it wouldn't start.

He spent money to take a taxi, but it broke down before it even reached the minimum fare.

He got on a bicycle, and the tire immediately blew out.

He walked to work, entered an alley, and a waist-high potted plant on a balcony suddenly smashed down onto his head.

He narrowly dodged the plant, only to step on a loose manhole cover.

He finally reached the main street, only to encounter a billboard blown down by the wind or a runaway dump truck.

It seemed the whole world was targeting him!

If Li Yelan hadn't become somewhat accustomed to bad luck and stayed highly vigilant after every strange dream, he would have been played to death long ago.

From a certain perspective, Li Yelan was a vehicle killer!

Therefore, Dr. Wang, who knew the situation to some extent, wouldn't have dared to let Li Yelan get in the car.

This was the main reason Li Yelan knew the person in front of him wasn't Dr. Wang.

After he had said he had a nightmare, the man still dared to let him get in the car—did he not want his car anymore?

The moment the vehicle slammed into the wall, the front of the car instantly deformed and twisted, and the airbag deployed violently, engulfing 'Dr. Wang' entirely.

Li Yelan, who had grabbed the handle and buckled his seatbelt in advance, quickly regained his composure.

He immediately opened the back door and dragged his numb body out of the smoke-filled car.

Since his bad luck was so terrifying, anyone with him would also encounter danger.

This was Li Yelan’s method of dealing with this 'Dr. Wang'.

I don't care what kind of monster you are, eat my Luck E first!

However, before Li Yelan could get far from the car, he saw the garage door in the distance slowly closing.

And from the twisted, deformed sedan behind him, the malicious laughter of 'Dr. Wang' rang out.

With a crisp 'clink', the deformed car door was neatly sliced open.

A figure stepped out—it was 'Dr. Wang'!

His face seemed to have been completely torn off, revealing raw red muscle and eyeballs. It was nauseating and terrifying.

He looked at the pale-faced Li Yelan and revealed a horrifying smile: "Fortunately, the face wasn't damaged."

Li Yelan, face filled with terror, felt the fear of facing a monster.

It forced him to react; he took out item after item from his backpack.

They were the talismans, Buddha statue, crucifix, and so on.

"Soldiers, warriors, all arrayed, march forward!"

"Amitabha."

"Hallelujah."

"Obey this command with the speed of law!"

He held the items and prayed frantically, hoping they would protect him and drive away the monster in front of him.

These were the items he had intended to use against the 'black shadow', but now they were being used against the monster before him.

However, 'Dr. Wang' was completely unaffected, approaching him step by step, his eyes full of mockery.

Although the accident had surprised 'Dr. Wang', he had already transcended mortals; a mere car accident couldn't hurt him much. And upon entering this garage, he was already in an invincible position. This was the hunting ground he had prepared.

He would carefully peel off Li Yelan’s skin here and replace his life from now on.

As for the prayers? They only made 'Dr. Wang' laugh. How could ethereal faith possibly fight against a god?

"Don't be afraid. The one who died in this accident is Dr. Wang, and I will live on as you and take good care of your sister. Come to think of it, your sister is also very pretty." He revealed a smile full of malice. Even on that blood-soaked face, one could feel the filth and vulgarity.

Upon hearing the last sentence, Li Yelan’s terrified face froze.

In fact, he wasn't a brave person in many situations, and he never chose dangerous jobs.

He still had attachments, still had reasons not to die.

And now, this skin-peeling monster not only wanted to kill him but also wanted to harm his sister?

Absolutely not!

So, that terrified expression transformed into a brutal, ruthless ferocity!

Enraged, Li Yelan, upon realizing these items were completely useless, threw them all away in a fit of anger and pulled an axe from his backpack.

"Damn it, you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!"