In the university courtyard, Xiao Ping was still looking towards James and Catherine while smoking and holding his black umbrella.
Suddenly, he felt a hand pat his shoulder. So, he turned and looked towards the person patting him, and it was someone wearing gardener's clothes with a straw hat, but there was something strange about him.
He was transparent like ghosts and stood beside Xiao Ping, carrying a hoe and pruning shears for plant care, appearing sad with the expressions showing on his face.
Wait! Is this the gardener who was killed by the serial killer? What does he want from me, I wonder?! Xiao Ping looked at the gardener before glancing at the black Abyss ring on his hand, knowing he could communicate with spirits because of it, like what he did at the church yesterday.
"Young man! What are you doing lighting cigarettes inside the university campus?" The gatekeeper suddenly moved and shouted at Xiao Ping.
Tsk! Xiao Ping scoffed to himself as he threw the cigarette into the trash bin beside the long wooden benches under the lampposts.
"You! Gatekeeper, what are you doing? I asked you to stay aside, not to light cigarettes!" Catherine suddenly said after hearing the gatekeeper's shout.
Xiao Ping looked at her coldly with his eyes; she was mocking him next to James, who was watching worriedly from the side towards Xiao Ping and made some hand gestures, asking him to calm down.
But contrary to expectations, Xiao Ping didn't care for those words. Instead, he turned and saw that the gardener had walked ahead of Xiao Ping, then turned to him and gestured calmly for him to follow.
And of course, Xiao Ping didn't wait long and quietly followed that gardener, passing by James and Catherine but only saying, "I'll go somewhere and return!"
"But, the door is that way! Not that path, because it leads behind the university campus where the gardener lived!" Catherine suddenly said seriously and added, "I'll complain to grandfather that you, a guard, didn't obey ord—"
Suddenly, she was interrupted by James, who quickly covered her mouth before she could finish those words. But Xiao Ping had heard and understood what Catherine was about to say in the end: 'my orders!' A devilish smile appeared on Xiao Ping's face when he heard that, but only James noticed it and felt tense because he knew Xiao Ping's nature more than anyone.
"Why did you silence me? Let me give him some orders," Catherine said as James removed his hand from her mouth when he saw Xiao Ping disappear behind the university building. But he was still feeling tense and said, "You must improve your manners in dealing with him!"
"And why should I improve my manners with him? He's just a gua—"
"Because before being your guard, he was my partner! Also, I'm saying this only for your benefit. You mustn't mistreat my partner just because he's your guard now, and there's something important too: don't make him bear a grudge against you! Because if you do that, you'll deeply regret it when you realize what you did then!" James said, interrupting Catherine, who remained silent after this speech. Then he put his hand on her head and said, "Promise me that!"
I don't know why my brother says such things about a mere guard? But I should follow what he says for now, so let me give him a false promise! Catherine thought to herself as she looked into James's crimson eyes (he wasn't wearing glasses) and said, "I promise you!" But she was crossing her fingers behind her back as a sign that it was a promise she would break.
....
In the western district, in one of the Snake Mercenaries' hideouts, and in front of the door leading inside, stood three people of different sizes—two of them bald and the other with curly brown hair.
They were delayed in coming because of that party in the middle of the city, which attracted many official power holders, so they didn't dare risk it and stayed in another tavern all night. Then, when they wanted to move, they were surprised to hear that the serial killer had killed a victim on the same street they... wanted to move through. And that wasn't the only reason, as the rain was one of the causes.
They didn't complain more about it, but they felt that... the atmosphere was unusually quiet, and there was no sound of noise coming from inside or the smell of alcohol that usually emanated outside the hideout. But now, there was only the smell of iron due to the hideout's structure.
"This is strange! The atmosphere is different than usual!" said the third person standing in the middle, the one with hair.
"Perhaps the branch leader sent some members to... intercept caravans coming from the city! So there's no sound!" said the person on the right side.
"But, even if the branch leader sent some members as you said, he would have left the rest for guard duty at least? Mentioning that, where are the guards?" asked the person on the left side.
"Yes, the absence of guards at the entrance is stranger than the absence of some sounds, but let's enter first!" said that person with hair in the middle as he pushed the door.
But as that door was pushed open and they entered, a strong smell of blood entered their noses—choking and strangely dense! So they could only... cover their noses because of that smell.
"What's happening here!" shouted the person in the middle when he found that strong smell of blood and also... that the lights and lanterns were extinguished, so there was nothing but pitch darkness.
"Hmm!"
Suddenly, a sudden sound echoed from inside the dark room, making them adopt fighting and cautious stances and activate their energy while shouting together, saying, "Who's there? Show yourself!"
"Hmm, I'm just a passerby!" that voice was heard again.
"Passerby my ass! What are you doing here? Come on, show yourself!" shouted the person on the right side strongly.
"As I said before, I'm just a passerby, nothing more! And as for showing myself!" said that voice coldly as a... snapping sound was suddenly heard inside the dark room.
Then an orange flame lit up from nothingness in the middle of that dark room. It wasn't strong enough to illuminate the entire room completely, but it was enough to make the three people shocked by what they saw because its light barely reached the edges.
That flame's illumination on the room revealed something savage and painful: there were many people thrown on the ground that had become filled with flowing blood while... there were many injuries on them like wounds from axes and swords, and gunshots that were embedded in their skin while... blood was flowing like a running river towards the branch leader's desk.
And some people were holding weapons in their hands while their eyes were wide open, looking upward. There were no expressions on their faces, but... they were natural and strange expressions.
There was an oil painting with watercolor, large in size, hanging on it, showing a black knight figure carrying a banner on an inverted spear while raised high in the air, with a huge ship behind it, and there were emerald pulse marks on it... Its front was in the shape of a giant green dragon, opening its fang-filled mouth inside its mouth, as if roaring.
It also showed a sun in front of that knight while there were waters swirling around it, and the atmosphere was strange. Let's not forget that giant serpent looking from the sky towards the knight heading towards it.
But the oil painting wasn't in good condition because there was a sword piercing a fat person's body hanging on it. It was dripping blood downward onto the floor, making a sound.
Drip! Driiiip!
With every drop falling on the ground, and before that scene and on the chair, with his legs stretched over the desk... was a person with pale gray hair, like ash from fires, while... looked towards the three people with his eye that resembled liquid silver coldly and said, "Welcome back!"
"What in the hell have you done!" shouted the person with pale gray hair strongly while adding hysterically, "How dare you do such a thing to the Viper Gang's headquarters! Don't you know that the main headquarters will never leave you for this act of yours?"
"My god, my god! You still don't listen to me despite... everything you've seen! I said I'm just a passerby, nothing more!" replied that person on the desk coldly.
"You...! How dare you!" said the person on the right while... taking out a pistol he was hiding in his suit and pointed it towards that person's face while adding in a trembling voice, "I'll kill you!"
"Try!" said that person coldly.
"Di..." said that person as he pulled the trigger.
Bang!
A pistol shot sound echoed in the room, and that bullet went towards that person and hit him in the head, making him jerk violently backward, with bones, some brain matter, and blood splattering on the wall behind him.
"Did he die?" asked that person with gray hair in anticipation.
"Oh my god! Really, humans are stupid creatures when it comes to misunderstanding... or listening to others' opinions and believing them." That person's voice rang in the room again... as he raised his deformed head once more.
Seeing that scene, the middle person couldn't help but vomit immediately, and the left person too, but the third person didn't move for some reason.
The middle person suddenly looked towards his right side and was shocked when he saw that his colleague had only half a head left, and his brain was... scattered behind him with some bones.
"What in the..." he screamed hysterically and in horror.
"What happened to him?" asked the other as he quickly pulled the middle person before their deformed colleague fell backward to the ground.
"I don't know!" replied that person with pale gray hair quickly.
"Hehe, I know! It's just repaying a debt, nothing more!" said that person on the chair jokingly... as his head returned to its normal shape again... but there was a scar on his head that hadn't healed for some reason.
"I'll definitely kill you!" Both people took out their pistols and aimed them at that person, who replied coldly, "You never learn from your colleagues' mistakes!"
Bang! Bang!
Two gunshot sounds echoed, and what followed was... a silent and eerie quietness.
....
Behind the university building.
Xiao Ping was walking behind the gardener's ghost while carrying his black umbrella under the gaze of all the passing female students.
Xiao Ping didn't say anything and just followed that person until they reached the gardener's residence, which was a modest hut but... better than the hut Xiao Ping lived in.
That hut was surrounded... by beautiful plants from everywhere, and in front of that hut was a clothesline and some small shovels and spoons for... plant care.
It seems... he was very diligent in his work indeed Xiao Ping praised as he followed that gardener inside his hut.
There was a lantern hanging from the ceiling, and there was a tidy room with a bed and a small desk beside it with special lighting.
There was a bathroom and kitchen, but they were in separate places, and... the place was clean, without even a speck of dust or foul smells like the moldy hut on the mountain. Instead, it was filled with the scent of fragrant and beautiful flowers and roses.
He walked until he stopped at the bed and pointed under that bed, while looking towards Xiao Ping.
"Do you want me to move it?" said Xiao Ping.
That gardener moved his head in agreement and threw the things he was carrying into the air, and they disappeared.
"Then let's do this!" said Xiao Ping as he placed his umbrella on the umbrella rack... and headed towards the bed, moving his arms to lift it with full confidence.
But when he started lifting it, Xiao Ping showed that he was struggling to lift it. However, after several attempts, he finally managed to move it and push it aside a little, but it was enough to see that slightly protruding square underneath it...
End of Chapter ~ To be continued