Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Mysterious Book

Opening the safe took a bit more effort than expected. Even with the Black Spear’s incredible sharpness, it was no match for such thick metal. In the end, it was only through meticulous grinding that the safe was finally unlocked after about half an hour.

A sharp intake of breath. “What… is this?”

Inside the safe, there was only a single item among its three shelves: a square wooden box. Shen Lie took it out and opened it, immediately letting out a gasp of astonishment.

Inside the box was a flower—a white flower.

Indeed, it was the same mysterious blossom that had floated down from the upper reaches of the Red River, the very one capable of replenishing the energy in Shen Lie’s brow mark. It was one of the things he most desperately needed. However, this particular flower was missing a single petal, likely having been used by Xiao Gang. Why the remainder was kept was a mystery, but in the end, it was his now.

After obtaining the first white flower, Shen Lie had already ordered Li Cheng to station people at the river’s source, hoping to uncover the flower’s appearance pattern. Yet, the only news to come back was that the white flower had never appeared again.

As soon as the box was opened, a delicate fragrance wafted from the petals, filling Shen Lie with the urge to consume it immediately. But now was not the time. He closed the box and put it away, preparing to continue his search.

Just then, one of Li Cheng’s men hurriedly ran up from downstairs, breathless, and stopped at the doorway. “Brother Shen, we found something in the basement. Brother Li wants you to come and take a look.”

Shen Lie recognized this man as Hu Xiaogang, one of the first people he’d met. Now, however, the man’s face was deathly pale, almost bloodless, and he kept gagging as if he’d just vomited.

“What is it?” Shen Lie asked, suspicion in his eyes.

Coughing, Hu Xiaogang replied, “Xiao Gang was a real monster. You’ll see for yourself, Brother Shen. But Sister Zhang had better not go—it’s not a sight for her. Also, there’s a book down there. Something strange.”

He seemed evasive, unwilling to give specifics.

“Lead the way,” Shen Lie ordered, unwilling to waste further words. He wasn’t worried about being set up; Li Cheng and his people were now tightly bound to his interests. Betraying him would be self-destruction.

Zhang Jing continued to follow Shen Lie, ignoring Hu Xiaogang’s advice. The three quickly made their way to the first floor, then down the stairs into the basement.

As soon as they reached the bottom of the staircase, a faint metallic scent of blood seeped into Shen Lie’s nostrils. He frowned, anticipating something grim. Still, after months of life-or-death struggles, with two lives already taken by his own hand, he did not hesitate.

A door stood at the end of the basement, tightly shut. Li Cheng and another subordinate stood guard there. At the sight of Shen Lie, they saluted respectfully and likewise advised Zhang Jing to stay away.

“Perhaps you should wait outside?” Shen Lie asked, seeing Li Cheng’s concern and realizing the scene inside must be dreadful. Zhang Jing simply shook her head, her expression resolute.

“Open it,” Shen Lie commanded.

With a trembling hand, Li Cheng slowly opened the metal door. A wave of nauseating blood stench rushed out, draining the color from Shen Lie’s face. But the sight inside did far more than that.

People—nothing but people. All of them completely naked, men and women alike, shackled in chains that circled the entire basement.

Some were likely already dead, but others still clung to life, emitting faint groans. Most horrifying of all, each body was pierced by knives of various shapes, with basins placed beneath them to catch the blood dripping from their wounds—a blood-soaked, macabre tableau.

And at the very center of the hall stood a massive round stone, upon which sat an object resembling a hammer. Atop the hammer lay a book; both the book, the hammer, and the stone were stained bright red, as if they’d been repeatedly drenched in fresh blood.

It was a scene of utter horror and depravity. Shen Lie’s eyes twitched, his stomach churning uncontrollably, though he forced it down. Zhang Jing, behind him, lacked such fortitude; she immediately began to retch violently and fled the room in a panic.

“Is everything all right outside?” Shen Lie asked, inhaling deeply and glancing at Li Cheng.

Li Cheng understood what Shen Lie wanted to know. “It’s fine. Xiao Gang’s close followers have all been taken into custody, and the rest have pledged loyalty to you, Brother Shen. I recognize many of the people here—some are old friends and relatives. With Xiao Gang dead, no one’s going to do anything foolish.”

At first, Li Cheng hadn’t believed that Shen Lie could have killed Xiao Gang, thinking it was all bluster. But after Shen Lie provided the location and they found Xiao Gang’s corpse, even Xiao Gang’s former followers had to accept the truth, their awe for Shen Lie only deepening.

“What’s all this?” Shen Lie asked, looking around at the chained men and women and the strange array at the room’s center, convinced some sort of ritual had taken place.

“Well… I’m not entirely sure,” Li Cheng admitted. “I asked Xiao Gang’s confidants—they said this was a forbidden area set up by Xiao Gang, guarded in turns by his brother and sister. But even they didn’t know the reason. They only said Xiao Gang would bring people here daily, draining their blood over that book, and that he often brought new people in. No one knows the real purpose.”

“I see. Bring someone in to unlock these people and see who can still be saved. Interrogate Xiao Gang’s brother and sister, then execute them. Do the same with his close followers, and investigate the rest,” Shen Lie ordered coldly, understanding now why all the captives were young and beautiful. He showed no expression as he spoke to Li Cheng.

“I understand,” Li Cheng replied, giving Shen Lie a long, searching look.

Once everyone had been released and dressed, Shen Lie approached the stone altar. After a brief inspection, he picked up the book.

It was thin but rigid. As he wiped away the blood, a vivid image emerged: a yellow warhammer, surrounded by lightning, with a circular blank at the center of the cover, marked by a single drop of bright red blood. The blood looked almost real, glistening as though it had just been spilled.

There were only these elements on the cover. Flipping it open, Shen Lie found just two pages, densely written in a script he could not recognize—no language he’d ever seen, not even of this earth, he thought. On the back cover was a single, undecipherable symbol.

He examined the book thoroughly but could make little sense of it. Now he understood why Xiao Gang had created this gruesome scene; unable to decipher the book, he must have guessed from the cover that some ritual was required, and so fashioned his own crude imitation of a sacrificial altar. Clearly, he’d failed.

Shen Lie put the strange book away and swiftly left the basement. The oppressive atmosphere was simply unbearable.

Li Cheng, having assembled more than a dozen able-bodied people from the compound—trusted elders among them—showed the ruthlessness of a true leader in these desperate times. Without hesitation, he brought Xiao Gang’s brother and sister outside and had them executed, along with Xiao Gang’s close followers. In an instant, the so-called “Heavenly King” organization was wiped out.

Most of those rescued from the basement were already dead; the survivors were barely clinging to life. After being given water and treated, four managed to survive.