After an Infinite Flow Player Retires

Chapter 39

The blood-coloured sky was starless and moonless. There was no trace of dawn coming. The entire city was shrouded in an eerie red colour.

On the streets and inside the buildings, countless monsters and ghosts emerged from the darkness, turning the world into one that resembled hell.

It was like an extraordinarily absurd and cruel dream.

A police aircraft hovered in the air:

"…….Residents, please stay at home and barricade your doors and windows. Do not leave your homes….."

How weak and feeble.

Everyone knew that the walls and doors were not enough to stop these monsters and ghosts, but the monsters and ghosts outside in the streets and open spaces were even more terrifying. Hiding would possibly give them a small chance of survival as, once they run out, they would most undoubtedly die.

After realising that the situation wasn't right, the Bureau immediately contacted the police and military for support and combat personnel were also dispatched to each area of the city. All personnel that were sent out to support them were taught how to use the props and equipment to fight against these ghosts and monsters as quickly as possible.

But these people had never encountered a situation like this before and had never received any relevant training. What's more, for the first time, they came to know that those creatures of darkness they had imagined as a child truly did exist.

The weapons and props that could be used to deal with these creatures were short in supply.

They could only hold human weapons and watch fearfully as all kinds of ghosts and monsters crawled out.

There was a total of 150 permanent combat personnel in M City. Adding to those the other non-frontline Bureau members who could be barely considered combat personnel, the total was still less than 200.

And what they were facing was an overwhelming army of these creatures of darkness that swept through the city like a tsunami.

Large cracks formed on the asphalt roads and soon a foul-smelling mud-like monster slithered out from underground. It was about three stories high and its tentacles that were made out of mud fell heavily onto the ground, instantly creating a spider-web-like crack with each impact.

Below it were the comparatively tiny humans.

"Fire!" The leader shouted.

Gunfire sparks illuminated the dark streets, but those specially made bullets only sank into the monster's body.

It was angered and let out a deafening roar.

The road shattered like cardboard under the heavy pressure and the surrounding buildings shook.

"Retreat! Retreat!" The person below shouted.

It was too late.

Numerous mud-like limbs stretched out and tore through the sky as it launched a deadly attack at the humans.

—-But very soon, they froze in the air.

The humans below raised their heads in shock and fear, only to see a dark silhouette appear above the monster. Very lightly, as if he was just a silent wind passing by, he landed onto the monster's back.

Immediately afterwards, a crescent shaped scythe was raised. The sky's bloody colour was reflected on the blade.

That sharp blade fell. Like a death god's kiss, it gently swept across the other party's neck without any resistance like a sharp knife cutting through a piece of tofu.

The next second, the mud monster's head fell and its huge body instantly crumpled.

The sticky mud that had lost its form spread out and flowed through the streets.

The shocked people raised their hands to wipe away the mud that had splattered onto their faces. When they looked back again, that figure had disappeared without a trace, as if he had never been there before in the first place. If not for the mud on and around them, they would've thought that everything that happened just now was their imagination.

"D-did you guys see that person just now?" One of them asked uncertainly.

"I saw……" "Yeah, I saw it too."

Such a shocking weapon that was both beautiful and cruel. It was as if it could instantly take everyone's breath away. As if the sight of it was burned deeply into their souls, they could never forget it.

"Did anyone measure that monster's level just now?"

"A…A-Level."

Silence followed.

They had never heard of humans being able to put up a fight against an A-level monster and it was even……

Instant kill.

The same question lingered in everyone's mind—-

Who was this terribly strong person?

"Could it be someone from the Bureau?"

"Impossible." One said with certainty, "We would've already known about it if he was."

The others nodded in agreement.

As they packed up and got ready to fight against the other monsters, a small team suddenly appeared from the dark street ahead.

Wu Su was running at the forefront. He appeared very tired, and his forehead was covered with sweat. Although his face and lips were pale due to exhaustion, his eyes were surprisingly bright.

"Brother Wu?" The other combat personnel were taken aback, "Why did you come here? What about the district you're in charge of?"

"All cleaned up. The two districts we passed by as well." Wu Su's breathing was heavy and quick. A flush of excitement appeared on his cheeks. He asked, "What about you guys? Do you need our help?"

—–That's right, they had already cleaned up three districts.

Wu Su had teamed up with Ace before. He knew the other party's fighting style.

Clean, concise and straightforward.

Without any hesitation, he ignored all the smaller, weaker ghosts and monsters and immediately set his eyes on the strongest and most difficult one to deal with and would then deal with that backbone of the ghosts and monsters quickly and efficiently. He was like the sharpest scalpel in a sophisticated surgery.

There was a huge difference between ghosts of each level.

The oppressiveness and strength of an A-Level ghost was much worse than a hundred B-Level ghosts. After the most troublesome one was eliminated, the difficulty of dealing with the remaining ghosts and monsters was greatly reduced.

Please read this from kk translates

After Ace joined, Wu Su immediately felt the pressure on his team lift.

Morale rose immediately.

All of them rushed in as if they had been injected with chicken blood. Even the ordinary members who had never had any experience fighting against ghosts and monsters no longer panicked. They all roared passionately and charged towards the zombies in the streets.

For the first time tonight, they entered the battle with the desire for victory.

Like dominoes, as soon as one had fallen, the rest also fell. Very soon, one district, two districts…..three districts.

They who were at an extreme disadvantage had turned the situation around and now had a chance at winning.

—-Humanity began their counterattack.

They left behind a part of the team to continue cleaning up the remaining monsters in the district as the rest followed Ace in the pursuit for victory.

Ace never looked back, and he also never stopped, but he would always appear in everyone's line of sight, like a symbol of encouragement, silently cheering the comrades behind him on.

Far away but firm and calm.

The blood-coloured sky was still deadly silent, but something seemed to be quietly surging underneath, getting ready to change the flow of the current situation.

The other party seemed to be aware of their losing momentum.

"Drip."

A clear dripping sound could be heard coming from the city centre in the distance. The sound wasn't very loud but for some reason, everyone heard it very clearly.

The moment that sound was heard, everyone, even ordinary people without spiritual vision, felt it.

Something had changed.

The temperature in the air dropped rapidly and it soon became icy cold. The zombies that had been wandering out without consciousness suddenly stopped in their steps. Something seemed to be writhing around in the depths of their skins and it soon burst through their blood vessels together with thick yellow blood.

The devices hanging from their waists suddenly let out a shrill alarm.

"J-just now….t-they were only E-Level just now!" One of the cried out in horror, "N-now they've broken through D-Level….and are almost C!"

This was a devastating blow to the morale the humans had just built up.

After all, there was only one Ace and he had to deal with the most powerful, high-levelled fierce ghost.

When the other ghosts and monsters were still low levelled, they were able to barely manage but now that they had levelled up, everything had changed.

—-The other party wanted to overwhelm Ace with numbers.

Ye Jia stopped.

Standing at a high point, his tall and slender figure that was a dark silhouette under the dark red sky looked like a wound cut into the sky.

Ye Jia looked towards the centre of the city.

There.

He could sense a strong power spreading out from there. If not stopped in time; the entire situation would be irreversible.

But……

Ye Jia lowered his eyes, his gaze falling onto the humans struggling on the streets.

The team of humans that had only gathered just now were now unable to put up a fight against the monsters that had suddenly levelled up. They struggled desperately against the barrage of attacks.

Perhaps it was because he had been away from the game for too long, the heart that had toughened had now become soft.

Ye Jia's knuckles were slightly white.

He didn't expect that he would still care —– Care about being unable to save them.

Fragments of his dream last night once again appeared before his eyes.

Tragic screams sounded in the seemingly eternal night and a pale, blood-stained face desperately reached out towards him. "Help me! Help me!", those voices echoed in his ears again and again.

In the dream, he turned away expressionlessly and walked on.

Ye Jia's fingertips lost its colour from the pressure.

—-No one could save them.

He must leave.

Before everything is too late, he must go to the city centre and destroy the power that is driving all these ghosts and monsters crazy.

Ye Jia retracted his gaze and, just like his memory, he turned to leave.

A zombie with four arms rushed towards a logistic staff, ready to bite into his shoulder—-"Ahhhhh!!" A despairing cry reverberated through the dark streets, but no one could save him. Everyone was fighting for their lives.

Ye Jia suddenly stopped in place.

He remembered this voice —— In the office, that voice once asked him with a smile, Brother Ye, would you like a cup of coffee?

Brother Ye, are you getting off work now?

Brother Ye, let's have dinner later?

He would smile and take out his wallet and show the photo inside to Ye Jia, "Look, my daughter. Isn't she cute?"

……Dammit.

Ye Jia turned back around, and a sharp blade appeared in his hand.

But before he could jump down, the ground below suddenly turned a muddy scarlet colour, and it began to bulge out. Soon afterwards, a goat skull appeared from the ground followed by the rest of its body. It gracefully floated above the ground.

Everyone's devices let out deafening alarms but before they could do anything, they saw that terrible monster slowly swim around them and an invisible force shot out.

Almost in a blink of an eye, the zombie with four arms was cut into pieces.

It silently swam through the streets, leaving cut up corpses wherever it went. No humans however were harmed.

The blood gu fish raised its head and stared at Ye Jia who stood above using its dark, hollow eye sockets and waved its tail.

Ye Jia was surprised. Colour returned to his white knuckles.

He returned to his senses and couldn't help but raise the corners of his lips.

"…Good child."

After confirming that the crisis was resolved, Ye Jia habitually lowered his hood and turned and hurried towards the city centre.

His figure quickly disappeared in the distance.

Following a bright flash, another A-Level fierce ghost fell, and their power was absorbed by the blade, making it shine even more brightly.

The blood gu fish followed closely behind him, swimming through the streets below.

Humans watched on blankly as this terrifying monster swam past their heads. Its bones that were covered with flowing blood and the huge goat skull made people fearful, but wherever it went, the ghosts and monsters around it all seem to be cut up into many pieces in an instant.

.

Ji Xuan asked: "Everyone here?"

A'Mi lowered its head, "Yes."

Its blurred features were slightly distorted as it seemed to be holding something back.

The impact of whatever the Fly King used had not only affected the ghost and monsters lurking in the city but because they had developed self-awareness and had further evolved, their resistance towards it was stronger.

But even so, it was difficult for them to suppress their instinctive desire to kill.

"Very good." Ji Xuan lowered his scarlet eyes, "Go out and quell this rebellion."

"All existences other than humans are your enemies." A cruel smile appeared at the corners of his lips, "I give you permission. You can all eat your fill without restraint this time."

Watching the high levelled fierce ghosts leave one after another, A'Mi leaned forward and asked cautiously:

"That, King, may I ask, the blood gu fish…..?"

A'Mi knew very well how suitable the blood gu fish would be in a situation like this with its large AoE attacks but for some reason the normally inseparable blood gu fish was not by King's side at this moment.

If it was before, A'Mi wouldn't dare ask this question.

But it seems that whatever the Fly King did had made A'Mi more courageous.

Ji Xuan raised his eyes, his gaze that was almost tangible fell onto A'Mi.

A'Mi shrank back.

"It has already left." Ji Xuan's voice was low and calm. He didn't seem to be angered by the other party.

"It has a more important task to do."

—-He as well.

In the sewer.

A dense cloud of flies flew through the dark, underground pipes and more and more flies joined the cloud along the way.

Very soon, the Fly King's figure became more distinct.

He breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had prepared in advance and left behind some devices in the city centre that could be activated remotely. If he hadn't done this, he probably wouldn't have been able to escape from that place alive.

Although the Fly King had long known about Ji Xuan and Mother's relationship, he had never expected such a terrible difference in power between himself and Ji Xuan.

It was too terrifying.

If it wasn't for the other party being still concerned about Mother's existence, the Fly King probably would've been killed right then and there.

Looks like he should be more careful with what he does from now on.

He didn't want to confront Ji Xuan again.

The Fly King's body that was made up of countless flies reached the small sewer opening and regrouped into a human form on the street, but before he could decide what to do next, he felt that there was something wrong with his body.

On his arm, a small group of flies started to stir.

Please read this from kk translates

The next moment, a drop of scarlet blood floated out and quietly floated in the air in front of the Fly King.

The Fly King's expression changed instantly.

Not good!

But before he could turn around and flee, the space before him was suddenly split apart by bright red blood.

The next second, Ji Xuan's figure appeared in front of the Fly King.

The Fly King immediately dispersed his body, but it was too late.

A red translucent barrier firmly imprisoned his body. No matter how the flies struggled, they couldn't seem to escape.

The Fly King turned back in fear.

But there were no openings behind him either. With such a large difference in power, he had no chance of escaping.

Ji Xuan walked over unhurriedly. A drop of scarlet blood floated in his hand.

He asked, "Why are you in such a hurry?"

The surrounding barrier slowly shrank as he spoke, squeezing the swarm of flies into a narrow space. The Fly King gritted his teeth, "…..Ji Xuan, what are you trying to do?"

"Regardless of everything else, I'm still a King." Ji Xuan lowered his eyes and said slowly, "Don't you know the price of betraying a King?"

Fly King: "…….You!"

He seemed to have finally realised that he couldn't escape so he quickly calmed down.

The Fly King sneered, "But since you're willing to come here and spend time with me, it seems that Mother's plan has worked."

Ji Xuan imperceptibly frowned.

"Hahahahahaha!! Looks like you still don't understand!" The Fly King cackled proudly, "Our target has been that human from the very beginning! That Ace! Only by killing him will Mother recover. With your interference, the plan would not be able to proceed smoothly…."

The Fly King smirked, "So I came to initiate the second plan."

"As long as he is turned into one of us, everything will be resolved, isn't that right?"

His voice became vicious and cheerful, "Ji Xuan, no one should know it better than you. I'm sure you know what will happen next?"

—-The opening of the ghost doors and the controlling of those ghosts and monsters. It was all for one purpose.

And that was to make him stronger and more terrifying, such that he was no longer a human.

The Fly King's laughter was particularly sinister:

"After all, only the two of you are Mother's direct line of descendants."

.

Downtown.

The number of fierce ghosts here was simply outrageous.

His scythe drawing a sharp arc, Ye Jia's figure was like a sharp blade. He cleanly broke through the dense encirclement of ghosts and like a death god, he absorbed the powers of the fierce ghosts one after another.

After their bodies were destroyed by his weapon, they scattered into mist and drifted into Ye Jia's body, becoming a part of him.

He more he ate, the stronger he became.

Ye Jia could very distinctly feel himself become stronger and stronger and it was also at an extremely terrifying speed. The insatiable monster inside him sighed contentedly.

—-Keep going, keep eating.

A monster that originally might've taken a few attacks to deal with now fell to the ground in just a few seconds.

There was an abundance of energy surging through Ye Jia's body. Wherever he passed, the ground was littered with bodies. Countless powerful fierce ghosts had been swallowed up by him.

He could feel a power in the darkness ahead calling for him.

Drip.

Drip.

Something liquid was dripping in the darkness ahead, making a small but clear sound. Through the roars and cries of countless ghost and monsters, it was still very clear, as if it was right next to his ear.

Ye Jia arrived before a building.

Unexpectedly, the front hall of the building was dark and clean, without any traces of fierce ghosts around. The spacious and dark space was too normal that it felt abnormal.

Drip.

It was that sound again.

Ye Jia suddenly noticed that everything was silent around him.

He turned back and saw that there were no ghosts or monsters behind him.

It was as if…..they didn't dare approach this place.

The blood gu fish who had been following Ye Jia suddenly grabbed Ye Jia's pants with its mouth, seeming in attempt to prevent him from going any further.

Ye Jia bent down and patted its head, "Don't worry."

The blood gu fish didn't let go.

Ye Jia could only pull out his pants from its mouth, "I have to go."

This was the main source.

If this main source wasn't cut off, the tragedy befalling this city would not come to an end.

Ye Jia turned around and calmly entered the building.

The blood gu fish circled anxiously at the door, making low whining sounds. It however could only watch as Ye Jia's figure was swallowed up by the darkness.

The hall was extremely quiet.

Blood red light from the sky entered through the glass door, casting a red glow across the ground and making it look like a murder scene.

Drip.

The sound of water dripping grew louder. It echoed in the empty hall.

Ye Jia's mind was buzzing. Like a rusty machine, it wasn't working very well.

He seemed to be unable to hear anything except for the sound of water dripping.

Drip.

His legs moved forward automatically.

The closer he got, the stronger the pulling force ahead became.

After walking for an unknown period of time, Ye Jia finally found the source of the sound.

In the dark, a blood-red ball of flesh floated quietly in the air. It was only the size of the fist but large amounts of liquid seeped out from its uneven surface, dripping onto the floor —– Drip.

A thin pool of red had accumulated on the ground.

The scene before him was strange and terrifying but Ye Jia couldn't help but feel……

Inexplicably at peace…..

Like a wanderer who had finally returned to his hometown, all the exhaustion in his body resurfaced in an instant, spreading all across his body.

Reliable, warm, intimate, protective.

It was just like…..

A mother.

Keep going. Faster. You'll be home soon.

A voice inside urged him.

The unreachable peace that he had longed for all this time was just ahead. He only needed to take one more step to reach it.

Although it clearly didn't need to breathe, the small black hand felt suffocated from the fear and oppressiveness—It shouldn't have entered. Every cell in its body screamed this.

But because it was bound to Ye Jia, it could only be dragged into the building together with him.

The further he advanced, the more fearful the small black hand became.

It shook Ye Jia's neck and cried out, "Run! Hurry and run! Wake up!"

It reached out and tried to pull Ye Jia back with all its strength, but the other party seemed like he was caught up in a nightmare. He continued to slowly but steadily walk on, approaching that thing the small black hand instinctively felt fear towards step by step.

It floated before Ye Jia's face and tried to wake him up.

But before the small black hand could speak, its voice was blocked in its throat—-

It saw the young man staring straight ahead into the distance. His originally glass-like eyes had turned a dark black, like a bottomless abyss. Something dangerous and terrible seemed to be swirling in its depths, like a vortex ready to swallow everything up.

And in the depths of that darkness, a small scarlet spot was reflected.

The red ball of flesh was close at hand.

More secretions fell to the ground.

Drip, drip, drip.

The dripping became more hurried, as if it was urging him.

The young man slowly stretched out his hand. His fingers were long and pale. It slowly and calmly reached forward little by little.

Just as he was about to touch the ball of flesh—-

Suddenly, another hand firmly grabbed his wrist. That hand was slightly larger than his and the joints were well-defined. It clasped around his hand with great strength.

The young man's pitch-black eyes stirred slightly. A trace of confusion flickered past, as if he didn't understand what was going on.

Another hand reached out from behind Ye Jia. The cold palm gently covered his eyes.

Behind him, a strong chest pressed against his back.

The other party's low voice sounded next to his ear, causing him to tremble slightly:

"Shhhh."

"Don't look."