Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Terrifying Entity

Lane Time, midnight.

Ji Yu was awakened by the punctual urging of his alarm clock.

He hadn’t slept so soundly and contentedly in a long time; a dreamless, deep sleep was a rare luxury for him.

“Not bad at all, I feel full of energy.”

Stretching lazily, Ji Yu got out of bed. He planned to wash his face and then dive into the game to complete today’s tasks.

But just as he stood up, a sudden blaring sound came from outside the window—the shrill public address he hadn’t heard for over a month.

“Under the event of the Violet Moon, all households must draw their curtains and keep doors and windows tightly shut. Do not venture outside.”

“According to the Lane Federation’s special public security regulations, anyone found outside during the Violet Moon will be subject to a minimum of seven days’ administrative detention…”

The broadcast was loud and clear enough for the entire neighborhood to hear.

“Violet Moon?”

Ji Yu frowned, approaching the window and pulling the curtain back just a sliver.

Above, the full moon was at its peak.

But tonight, the entire moon was suffused with an unnatural shade of purple.

Below, the streets were shrouded in gloom, and wherever the purple light touched, an eerie silence prevailed.

“No wonder it was so quiet when I woke up—no traffic noise at all. So the Violet Moon is back.”

Ji Yu’s apartment was right beside a six-lane road leading to the airport. Even at two or three in the morning, there was usually the din of traffic.

Now, not a single vehicle was in sight.

From past experience, a Violet Moon would always lure the neighborhood’s busybody elders to gather in the lounge on the building’s first floor to gossip, as if the event was their favorite spectacle.

It was late, but Ji Yu was certain this phenomenon would repeat itself.

Curious whether any incidents had occurred in the community, he hesitated briefly before deciding to head downstairs and take a look.

The Violet Moon was no trivial matter; Ji Yu didn’t yet know the full extent of its dangers, but that was all the more reason to pay attention.

With that thought, he sprang into action.

Dressing quickly, he left his apartment.

In the elevator, as expected, he found several others heading down as well.

Most were young or middle-aged.

“They really can’t help themselves. It’s so late, and they still want to hang around downstairs to chat. My mom’s unbelievable.”

“You’re not alone. My dad’s just as bad. He used to be a civil servant, and now he’s taken to believing in all this superstitious nonsense. I don’t know where he gets the energy at this hour.”

Their words were mostly complaints, tinged with helplessness toward their elders.

To Ji Yu, it was amusing.

Some things never change, he mused. Rural or city, old folks everywhere are drawn to the mysterious and the unknown.

And the Violet Moon was certainly beyond ordinary understanding, making it all the more irresistible as a topic.

Reaching the first floor, he found a gathering of elderly men and women in the entrance hall, along with a handful of young housewives and a few younger people eager for excitement.

The lobby wasn’t small—perhaps eighty square meters or so—and including the corridors, it could easily accommodate a hundred people.

It was, after all, an upscale community; the public lounge made for a pleasant gathering spot.

The glass walls and doors had been covered with thick gray drapes, and the crowd inside chatted idly.

Ji Yu wandered among them, listening here and there, but all he heard were wild guesses and baseless speculation.

He concluded that he was wasting his time at this hour. Better to go back to sleep—or rather, get back to his game.

With that, he abandoned his investigation and returned to the elevator.

Soon, he was back on the fifteenth floor.

But as he stepped out, he saw a familiar elderly woman standing motionless in front of her apartment door.

She was his neighbor, Mrs. Li. Ji Yu had lived here for years, and their paths crossed almost daily. They’d known each other a long time.

Seeing her, Ji Yu decided to greet her.

“Mrs. Li, what are you doing standing out here so late? You should get some rest.”

He smiled and walked toward her.

But strangely, Mrs. Li didn’t respond with her usual warmth. She just stood there, unmoving.

Ji Yu was surprised but thought nothing of it. Perhaps, at almost eighty, her hearing wasn’t what it used to be. Or maybe she’d forgotten her keys again.

He approached her kindly, ready to ask again.

But as he drew near, Mrs. Li suddenly turned her head to look at him.

And in that instant, Ji Yu was nearly scared out of his wits.

He could swear he’d never seen anything so terrifying in his life.

Mrs. Li had indeed turned her head—but her body hadn’t budged.

Her head twisted a full one hundred eighty degrees without the slightest resistance.

Her eyes were black, empty hollows, with a faint trace of purple lurking within.

Ji Yu didn’t even have time to cry out before Mrs. Li’s body dissolved into a cloud of black mist.

Within the mist glowed a core of violet light, which, catching Ji Yu completely off guard, shot straight into his body.

The impact sent him sprawling onto the floor.

The pain jolted him out of his shock and terror.

But as he regained his senses, the fear on his face slowly faded, replaced by confusion, and then calm.

[Beep: Harmful substance detected in player’s body.]

[Beep: Harmful substance detected entering player’s consciousness.]

[Beep: Harmful substance dispersed by the powerful spiritual awareness shared between player and avatar.]

Three successive notifications flashed across Ji Yu’s vision. He took a deep breath and stood up slowly.

At that moment, Mrs. Li’s apartment door opened.

“Huh? Brother Ji? Was that you calling outside our door just now? Did you need something?”

It was Mrs. Li’s grandson, Li Hao, a nineteen-year-old who’d just graduated high school. He wasn’t much for academics, but was a decent gamer. Ji Yu had often played ranked matches with him on weekends in the past.

But in recent months, after Ji Yu was diagnosed with tuberculosis, they hadn’t seen much of each other.

Ji Yu offered a faint smile.

“No, I was just on the phone.”

“Really?” Li Hao eyed him suspiciously.

But Ji Yu, unconcerned whether the boy believed him or not, smiled and asked, “By the way, I haven’t seen your grandmother in a long time. How has she been lately?”

“My grandmother?”

Li Hao’s expression dimmed. After a moment, his voice was heavy as he replied, “My grandmother passed away two weeks ago.”

At those words, Ji Yu fell silent.

“I’m sorry…”