Chapter 120 The Cycle (Part Two)

I tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. Tonight, like last night, the sky was a somber red, and the smell of burning drifted in through the open window.

White thought about what had happened last night over and over again, and on the third time he came back to his first thought: what exactly were those hazy red lights he had seen? They didn't seem to be coming from the Rebilio Obelisk, but from somewhere else.

Even a vagrant addicted to loitering wanted to know what was going on, and with these questions in mind, White went out again.

On the way, I ran into a few logistics staff members, and they were all talking about the couple who disappeared last night.

The guy with the cigarette dangling from his lips chuckled and said, "It must be a ghost. I heard it's like those two high-ranking officials who disappeared a couple of years ago—their brains were eaten."

Another squinting man said slowly, "Haven't we found the body yet?"

The guy in front said, "You know how the Alliance operates. Even if they find it, they'll tell you they haven't. Have you heard of those four investigators in charge of the Irenshere case? They're the ones who found the body."

White was so frightened that he almost curled up into a Z shape. Instinctively, he felt that there were other people present last night.

As White ran past the two men, they suddenly fell silent again.

Just like last night, the closer you get to the Rebilio Obelisk, the stronger the smell of burning becomes.

Suddenly, a large group of people appeared, with a woman in the middle holding flowers. They all seemed to know her, standing in a row, staring at her blankly, like idle people looking at the street or a lost child.

The woman waved the flowers cheerfully and gave White a slight smile.

A strange atmosphere settled over him, and with a blink of an eye, the group of people vanished! In their place stood the same couple from yesterday, kissing passionately and realistically under the tree.

Then it disappeared again!

White felt dizzy. In the darkness, all his senses were amplified, and everything he saw, heard, and smelled was filled with the aura of death.

Could this be related to that guy?

White closed his eyes and used an invisibility spell. The barrier was like a glass fish tank, and he reached the obelisk in just a few steps.

The red light was still on the second floor, and there was an undeniable life form moving about. White put his hands in his pockets and hid in the shadows to observe carefully.

The light slid silently, and suddenly an old song from the last century emerged from the music box. It was a sad ballad, and the mellow, resonant, and captivating voice produced a magical power. The rhythm attracted death, immersing White in a fiery glow.

The song disturbed White's mind, and several hours later he found himself lying in bed.

It turned out to be the sound of an alarm clock.

White had just gotten up when he saw that the sheets and his hands were sticky and covered in blood.

Damn it!

White hurriedly got up, took a shower, and as soon as he stepped outside, he heard more bad news.

Last night, two young agents went missing.

Two more agents have gone missing?

White had no idea what he had done; all around him, it seemed, countless bewildered shadows were staring at him.

Ryan was waiting for him at home.

"White, why did you lie yesterday?"

"Me? Lying?"

"The investigators said they hadn't gone inside the mirror, and that they already knew where the secret document was hidden."

"That's impossible!"

As soon as White finished speaking, two agents stepped out from behind Ryan.

Same dialogue! Same scene!

White quickly realized he might be cursed, and he went home and waited until nightfall in the dappled sunlight.

Sure enough, the burning red light reappeared, shooting out from the direction of the Rebilio Obelisk.

Without thinking much, he grabbed a set of clothes from nearby, put them on, and rushed outside.

On the way, I ran into a few logistics staff members, and they were all talking about the couple who disappeared last night.

The guy with the cigarette dangling from his lips chuckled and said, "It must be a ghost. I heard it's like those two high-ranking officials who disappeared a couple of years ago—their brains were eaten."

Another squinting man said slowly, "Haven't we found the body yet?"

White immediately knew what the next sentence meant.

"You know how the Alliance operates. Even if they find it, they'll tell you they haven't."

As White ran past the two men, they suddenly fell silent again.

Just like last night, the closer you get to the Rebilio Obelisk, the stronger the smell of burning becomes.

White decided to change direction and proceed from the lower level of the ring, but before he had gone far, he saw a person dressed in women's clothing standing on the platform of the archive building.

From a certain perspective, it was very likely a man, because he was very burly and was holding a key in his hand, seemingly reading something with great interest as if he were lip-reading.

White ignored him and wandered aimlessly to the obelisk.

Two lovers are kissing under a tree next to the tower.

This time, White was going to lean closer and take a closer look.

Although the woman had her back to him, he seemed to recognize her from somewhere. Her understanding of physical pleasure was unparalleled. Her slender tail wriggled on the man's leg.

Suddenly, a wave of heat, resembling a red flame, swept over and engulfed White and the couple.

Immediately afterwards, White woke up from his dream to find his sheets and hands sticky and covered in blood.

This is the third day of this repetition.

White simply didn't wash his hands and went out with his blood-stained clothes, only to hear bad news as soon as he stepped outside.

Last night, two young agents went missing.

White had no idea what he had done. When he arrived at the security checkpoint on the west side of the ring road, Ryan was already waiting there.

"White, why did you lie yesterday?"

"Because I really dislike you."

Ryan paused for a moment, then said, "The investigators said they hadn't gone inside the mirror, and that they already knew where the secret document was hidden."

"Okay, I understand."

As soon as he finished speaking, two agents stepped out from behind Ryan.

White didn't go anywhere; he just sat in a nearby cafe until evening.

The burning red light appeared, shooting out from the direction of the Rebilio Obelisk.

White didn't think much of it and slowly walked forward.

On the way, I ran into a few logistics staff members, and they were all talking about the couple who disappeared last night.

The guy with the cigarette dangling from his lips chuckled and said, "I've run into a ghost. I heard it's like those two high-ranking officials who disappeared a couple of years ago—their brains were eaten."

Before the other guy could speak, White rushed forward, grabbed him by the collar, and slammed him hard into the aisle.

"The body hasn't been found yet, so I'll say it for you!"

However, to his surprise, the guy with the cigarette in his mouth was no pushover. He grabbed White from behind, grabbed him by the neck, and slammed him to the ground.

The squinty-eyed man who had been knocked to the ground got up and put one foot on White's back.

"Are you a mad dog that hasn't had enough to eat? Why did you suddenly come and beat me up?"

"Because I wanted to try and see if this could break the curse."

"curse?"

"You guys have guns on you, right? Come on, shoot me in the head, come on!"

"This guy might really be crazy."

Like the aftershocks of a large ship, the world in White's eyes gradually slowed down.

Oh no, I'm probably going to fall asleep.

He tried to open his eyelids and utter filthy words, but he couldn't hear clearly. The shadows of the two people vanished in a flash, like the sound of a dreamlike bell.

The alarm clock woke White up again.

He lay on the bed, looking at his blood-stained hands, lost in thought.

When exactly did the curse begin? Did it start when the four investigators entered the mirror? Or did it begin that night when they saw the red light? Or did it begin when they heard the couple kissing passionately?

White didn't leave the house all day, unconcerned about any changes happening in the outside world.

When night fell, the light reappeared.

White's room had three tables. On the longest table was a tray that hadn't been cleared away after breakfast, and a honey-stained knife was stuck in it.

After the wind whirred and rattled between the two slats of the French windows for a while, the door suddenly opened with a whistling sound.

The obelisk looked like a piece of cast iron, growing continuously in the cold, gray air.

White opened the drawer under the tray and took out a spare key.

Tonight, he decided to enter the obelisk.