Chapter 75

Once Upon a Time

“Ah, fucking fuck, pieces of shit. I hope you choke while guzzling down buckets of cum, you goddamn fucking shits,” Mingzhu cursed ardently as she found herself adrift inside a fog-infested forest with the visibility so low she feared treading forward. Of all the people to send into the portal after the intruders, there was no way she didn’t know it would be her. “Ah, that garbage dog’s been on my ass ever since I kneed his balls. Ah fucker, you shouldn’ta touched my bum if you didn’t want your balls kneed. Ah, I’m so pissed off. If I actually get out, I’ll skin your fucking dick and feed it to you, motherfucker.”

She shivered and rubbed her arms.

It wasn't because it was cold–she was simply afraid. For all her incessant cursing, she hardly wanted to come after the strangers. It had little to do with them, really, and more so with the fact that she'd seen nearly a hundred and fifty soldiers walk into this place… and saw none return. And now, now she knew why.

All she could see around her was darkness, with naked trees protruding from the ground, distilling the world into chunks that all looked almost identical. None of her military training seemed to matter as there was nothing to track–no plants, no critters, no sounds… just perpetual silence and stillness, as though time itself had stopped.

She didn't move around a lot, conserving her strength. She had only one hope: that the intruders would clear the dungeon or whatever it was in time and that she'd be sent out with them. There must have been a reason why they rushed in, going so far as to detonate two bombs and even throw grenades as a distraction. Though they hid their faces, it was already confirmed that they were of Western origin. As to how precisely that was confirmed, Mingzhu didn't know.

For better or worse, she had enough supplies in her inventory to last her at least a week, though if something came out of darkness and shadows, perhaps it would have all been for nought.

“Ah, fuck my luck,” she sighed and walked over to one of the trees, taking out a simple blanket and putting it on the ground. Her expression downtrodden, she closed her eyes for a moment before abruptly opening them.

She suddenly felt something.

Standing up swiftly, she stealthily walked toward the direction of her feelings. It was brief and fading, but she trusted it enough. After about two minutes of walking, she came to a sudden halt; about a hundred and fifty yards away, she caught a glimpse of several figures standing around a tent. There seemed to be three men and a young girl, coinciding perfectly with the number of intruders that went into the portal.

Just then, however, the oldest of the group suddenly shifted his head and looked her way–no, he looked directly at her. And then he smiled.

Mingzhu's heart stopped as she spun around rapidly and started running away in a full sprint. He saw me?! Fucking how?!!

The only reason she managed to notice them was entirely due to her Class, so it must have been the same for him. Clicking her tongue, she expertly and nimbly avoided the protruding roots of the trees as she ran forth without a sense of direction. At this point, it didn’t matter: she simply had to get away.

Leaping over yet another set of roots, she suddenly felt something was off. As though per sixth sense, she came to an abrupt stop whereupon a crimson array of light flashed in front of her, chopping through a tree and cutting it in half as though it were made of paper. The array of light turned out to be blood in the shape of a blade and it splattered after cutting through the tree. That pause, however, seemed to have been enough as she heard the footsteps just to her side.

Looking over, she saw a man who looked to be in his mid-thirties, white, black-haired with reddish highlights and a pair of impossibly scarlet eyes. He was tall and broad and muscular, and sported a playful smirk as he looked at her.

Mingzhu froze.

It was impossible to run. Somehow, some way, even she was unable to gain distance from him. Is it his level? His fucking Class? Shit, I’m dead. I’m so, so, so, oh-so-fucking dead!

This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

“Y-yo,” she greeted awkwardly, her voice cracking.

“Oh, I thought you were a ghost that haunted these woods,” the man said. “Scared the shit out of me when I saw you staring at us behind the trees. Luckily, I attended the church as a wee young boy and know a bit about exorcism so I figured I’d give it a shot.”

“...”

“...”

“You’re fucking with me, right?” Mingzhu relaxed almost immediately, recognising that the man was a bit of a loon.

“Here and there,” the man cracked a wider smile as he glanced back. “You hungry?”

“H-huh?”

“We were about to have lunch. Wanna join us?”

“... you’re… you’re not going to kill me?” she asked hopefully.

“Oh, I will. I just figured you’d want to die with a belly full of average food.”

“...”

“Now that’s called fucking with you,” he winked as Mingzhu felt her blood pressure rising.

“Can I stab you? Just a few times?”

“Eh, we’ll see,” the man shrugged and turned his back to her. “Let’s go. I don’t think the kids will wait that long.”

Mingzhu was stupefied for a moment.

She was certain that if the man caught up to her, he would immediately kill her. For one, she got a good look at his face, meaning that she would be able to identify him on the outside. Furthermore, she all but confirmed that at least one of them was American, and if that ever got public, it would stir the kinds of flames that even she was uncomfortable thinking about.

And yet, she was alive. Though she wasn’t exactly the best at reading people, there was a naive hope budding in her heart that she would live.

Gritting her teeth, she let loose her fears and swiftly went over to the man's side and started walking beside him. She was barely five-four tall and he seemed a giant in comparison, yet she didn't feel fear so much as she felt frustration that he seemed like one of those glib-tongued folk she had the most difficulty surviving with.

“What’s your name?” he asked suddenly.

“... Mingzhu.” She replied.

“Mine is Ethan. It’s nice to meet you, Mingzhu.”

“Nice to meet you too.”

“Where are you from?”

“A small town in the Hubei province,” she said. “You?”

“... could I pass off as French?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re clearly American.”

“Yeah,” Ethan sighed. “Us Americans do have a way about ourselves. How long have you been serving in the military?”

“About eight years,” Mingzhu replied. “I enlisted as soon as I graduated high school.”

“You don’t sound particularly happy.”

“Do you know why I’m in here?” she asked with gritted teeth.

“I’m guessing you pissed someone off and this is a convenient way to get rid of you.”

“So, you know.”

“Your English is rather good,” Ethan said suddenly.

“Heh, thought the fucker would serve me well in trying to advance through the ranks,” she said. “The fuck it did. The piece of shit only made it worse. Ah, goddammit, let’s stop talking about this. It’s just pissing me off.”

“Really? I couldn’t tell.”

“... why did you come here? You do realise there’s like an entire army waiting for you when you step outside.”

“Well, they’ll be waiting for a while.”

“H-huh? What do you mean?”

“We’re here,” he evaded her question, though she too got distracted when she saw the other three. They were all much younger than her contrary to her expectations; one of the boys was barely a teenager, the other looked to be, at best, in his early twenties, and the girl could have been anywhere between nine and twelve years old based roughly on her appearance. Damn, bastard wasn’t kidding when he called ‘em kids… “Say hi to Mingzhu.”

“Why did that sound like a professor introducing a transfer kid?” the one in his early twenties said. “Wait… Mingzhu? Mingzhu, Mingzhu… why does that feel fami–oh!”

“Shh.”

“Right.”

“Huh? What? What’s happening?” there was definitely something off, she was beginning to feel it in her bones. “How… how badly am I screwed here? Are you going to torture me for information? Let me tell you, torture doesn’t work! Just kill me, I’ll tell you everything anyway!”

“... so, this is Ronald,” Ethan ignored her strange outburst and continued the introductions, pointing at them as he introduced them. “That’s Elijah, and this little angel is Delilah.”

“H-hello,” the young girl bowed toward her shyly, while the other two simply nodded.

“Let’s eat.” The meal was simple–some rice with some chicken–and they largely remained silent, with Mingzhu following suit. She didn’t know what her fate would be, and she was afraid to ask.

“I’m finished,” Delilah said. “I’ll go back to work.”

“Hm,” Ethan nodded. “Don’t overwork yourself. We have time.”

“I won’t!” the girl exclaimed and left the tent while the other three stayed inside.

“I was telling the truth when I said I won’t kill you,” Ethan suddenly turned to her and said.

“W-wait. Really?”

“Really. I will, however, kidnap you.”

“... what?”

"Not for sexual purposes, I guarantee you. I'm not that sort of a kidnapper."

“... no, seriously, what the fuck?”

“I’m gonna go keep Delilah company,” Elijah stood up and left the tent with Ronald following behind right after without saying anything.

“I’m about to blow your mind with my dastardly magic,” Ethan said as Mingzhu felt her heart tighten. “Your full name is Mingzhu Wu. Your father’s name is Jian and your mother’s name is Lifen. You had two brothers–both of whom died quite a long time ago. Your Class is called Shadowbinder, your main ability is called Grace of Shadows, and if you knew how to utilise it, I would have never been able to notice you.”

“--w-who, who the hell are you?” Mingzhu stuttered in terror, reeling back. “How… how do you know that shit?”

“Because, Mingzhu,” Ethan smiled faintly. “Once upon a time, you saved my life.”

“... huh?” He’s nuts. This motherfucker is off his fucking rocker!! Aaah, I’m so, so, so, so fucked… shit…