Just as little Nara had described, what appeared before Lynch's eyes was a life-sized statue.
The statue depicted a noble lady wearing a 'qipao', carrying a distinct Eastern charm and looking exceptionally elegant and luxurious. However, it always gave Lynch waves of a chilling, eerie sensation, as if some terrifying existence was hidden inside it.
The statue used a round fan to cover her face with one hand, while her other hand pointed forward.
In front of her lay a smooth white stone slab, resembling an unfurled scroll. It was densely packed with writing, yet not a single character could be clearly discerned. One could only see a brilliant, flowing light constantly shimmering across the rows of text, making it hard to resist the urge to focus deeper to see and comprehend the words.
What was this? An altar? Or some stone slab document?
But before he could think it through, Lynch suddenly let out a miserable shriek.
In his vision, the stone slab and the statue seemed to dissolve into countless incomprehensible lights and shadows, swirling chaotically before him. It was a flash of light in the endless darkness, a boiling vortex in the vast emptiness, a sprawling galaxy spiraling through eternity, and the bizarre, twisted forms traversing the void.
It was the past, and also the future; it was the beginning, and also the end.
For a moment, Lynch seemed to see only the chaotic twisting of light and shadow, yet he also felt as though he had witnessed the rise and fall of countless eras.
A severe pain racked his brain—a struggle stemming from his physical body—while his mind fell into waves of trance, a lamentation rising from his very soul.
Clutching his head, Lynch groaned in agony, his consciousness desperately clinging to the last shred of clarity like a small boat tossing in a violent storm.
Who knew how much time had passed before the chaos in his consciousness finally subsided. The countless swirling lights and shadows resolved back into the stone statue and slab. But now, the statue seemed to have come alive, staring at Lynch with a mocking, playful gaze. A cold voice drifted from behind the black fan:
“Kill them and please me. This is your only way back.”
It repeated this three times. Then, the scene before his eyes shifted, and the stone statue returned to its original state, as if it had never turned its gaze or spoken at all. Everything finally returned to normal.
Damn it, how much time had passed?
Lynch immediately turned to look back, only to find an endless meadow behind him, with no sign of their pursuers.
It was beautiful, quiet, and peaceful. The intense danger from moments ago felt like nothing more than a dream, leaving Lynch momentarily unable to believe his eyes.
Where were the pursuers? Were they blocked outside? And was what I just saw real, or was it an hallucination?
They haven't given up yet? They still want me to make a move?
Lynch's eyes darted as he cast a stealthy glance toward the father and daughter.
Little Nara's actions were rather terrifying. She didn't seem particularly affected by her mother's death. After crying a bit earlier, she had already recovered her energy and was now cheerfully hugging the statue's foot, sending waves of anxiety through Lynch as he watched.
Meanwhile, Luke stood in a daze, his glassy eyes fixed directly on Lynch ahead, staring blankly as if lost in thought.
A second chance... Should I actually do it?
No, doing something like that would severely warp my cognition. My soul's defense line almost collapsed just now. Besides, who the hell do you think you are? Why should I please you? You're nothing more than a mere evil god. If I violate my own principles just to please you, my neighbor will be sad.
【No.】
Stop it. If I say you will, you will. In any case, I refuse to murder just to beg for mercy. I'll find another way.
“Hey, buddy, wake up.”
Lynch patted Luke on the shoulder. Luke jolted, waving Lynch's handgun wildly in all directions, which gave Lynch quite a scare. However, Luke quickly regained his senses and slumped to the ground, clutching his head as he sobbed, “Clara... Clara...”
Lynch sighed, truly at a loss for how to comfort him. “She brought this on herself... but she had her own difficulties too. Try to look on the bright side.”
“No, I don't blame her. It's all my fault. I just regret everything now.” Luke clutched his head, his voice thick with tears. “If only none of this had happened... If only everything could go back to the way it was.”
He repeatedly mumbled the same words, his voice growing softer and softer.
“That's why I wanted to come here. If there is a solution, it must be here.” Lynch shook his head. Feeling that his stamina had mostly recovered, he looked back to confirm that their pursuers had indeed not followed. Only then did he ask, “Now that you're back here, do you remember what you did before that caused you to see the truth?”
“I have some vague memories of it.” Luke was still in low spirits, dejectedly holding his head. “We felt so happy and blessed back then. We ate some food on the grass and then took a nap. After we woke up, Nara was crawling and playing on the stone slab while Clara watched her. I saw there was writing on the slab and got curious, so I took a closer look. After that... I don't really remember much.”
“Sss... As expected, everything started with this.” Lynch let out a breath and explained, “This thing is likely a statue of an evil god. Oh, that terrifying existence you mentioned, that's an evil god. The ones chasing us are probably her apostles or something similar. This place is highly likely where the believers of this world pray to the evil god, and what you read...”
Lynch slowly walked over to the stone slab and crouched down. “It was very likely a scripture of the evil god—something far more terrifying than a mystery document. Its danger level is almost equivalent to looking directly at the evil god herself.”
Having already proven to himself that he couldn't understand it at all, Lynch wasn't particularly nervous. He crouched there, observing the stone slab up close.
Aside from the occasional shimmer of light, the text-covered slab had an indescribable eeriness to it. From time to time, ripples like water waves would wash over its surface, suggesting that it was not a solid object but something illusory. There was no telling where it might lead.
But the patterns on it were very real. As he stared, Lynch suddenly realized that several symbols on it were identical to the mirrored patterns on the mystery documents that had brought him here.
Could it be that those documents connected with this world through this stone slab, allowing them to bring people inside?
If so, could people also be sent out through the slab? Since this slab rippled like water, would jumping into it send him back to his original world?
No, no, it shouldn't be that simple. Otherwise, who knows where I would end up? There must be other issues I haven't considered.
Lynch's breathing grew slightly rapid, and his fists clenched tightly. His mind spun at top speed, trying to... Huh?
Someone was tugging at his sleeve. Turning his head, he saw little Nara crouching beside him, looking up at him with curiosity.
“Uncle, what are you looking at?”
“I'm studying this.”
“Oh. Then can you answer a question for me? I don't understand.”
“What question?”
“What does 'outsider' mean?”
Lynch froze.
“That big sister told me.” The little girl pointed innocently at the stone statue, mimicking a mature tone of voice. “She said, ‘Kill that outsider to please me, and I shall grant that everything return to the way it was for you.’”
Hearing these words, Lynch's hair suddenly stood on end, and a cold shiver rushed straight to the crown of his head.
He suddenly realized a blind spot in his thinking. He wasn't special. It wasn't just him who would be tempted; others could be too.
If only everything could go back to the way it was. So that was why Luke had been muttering those words over and over just now.
Realizing this, Lynch felt as if thorns were pricking his back. He immediately tried to spring away, but before his body could move, a cold gun barrel pressed against the back of his head.
“For Clara... I'm sorry.”
“Bang.”
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