Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 235 Cat Meows and Cries

Kim Sook-mi of the Bloody Team had never felt the breath of death so clearly before; the cold, absolute malice seemed to be pressed against the back of her neck.

Frankly speaking, the horror of this newly appeared dungeon in Qingtan Community is far greater than the Bloody Team predicted.

This deep-seated fear instantly pulled her back to those crazy and desperate years from many years ago.

At that time, meme pollution erupted globally like a flood breaking through a dam.

Italy, the cradle of the Renaissance, along with Germany, became one of the most devastated and nightmarish places in Europe. Kim Suk-mi, who lived in Europe at the time, witnessed firsthand what true terror was.

Kim Suk-mi will never forget that day—in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, those masterpieces of art that had been worshipped by countless people began their "revitalization".

Michelangelo's David, with its giant body slowly rotating, crushes screaming tourists into a bloody pulp; in Bernini's Apollo and Daphne, the laurel branches grow wildly like venomous snakes, entwining and strangling fleeing people; Donatello's Saint George, riding a stone horse and wielding a lance, carries out a cold-blooded massacre in the streets...

Throughout Florence, and even Rome and Venice, countless Renaissance sculptures and murals came to life, transforming from artistic treasures into the most terrifying killing spirits.

Like China, all the reincarnators in Europe also have ten professions: Knight, Assassin, Berserker, Black Wizard, White Witch, Alchemist, Bard, Inquisitor, Priest, and Witcher.

She and Matsui Nagi were close friends. When they were in despair, a professional Knight, a member of the Duncan Club, saved them.

This knight-class reincarnator, clad in gleaming armor and wielding a greatsword adorned with a holy cross, briefly resisted the corrupting influence of the sculptures' rules through his "Noble Sacrifice" aura class skill, while his "Hammer of Retribution" even managed to briefly repel the animated marble spirits.

Knights must uphold the virtue of protecting the weak, otherwise their SAN value will automatically decrease. At that time, the knight reincarnator, along with several team members, protected them and nearly a hundred other refugees, fighting their way out of the terror of Florence and fleeing south along the Apennine Peninsula.

Everywhere they went was a hellish sight. They dodged the petrified song demons in the canals of Venice who lured people to jump into the water with their songs, and passed through the ghostly legions that had risen from the Colosseum in the ruins of Rome. Finally, just before Sicily was completely overrun and about to be swallowed up by an even more terrifying force across the Strait of Messina, they managed to board a dilapidated smuggling ship and escape Italy, which had become a giant open-air slaughterhouse.

Of course, the knight's protection of them wasn't purely out of kindness or the SAN (Sanity) system. Before escorting them into the cabin, he revealed his identity and purpose—he worked for the Duncan Club in America.

He needed Kim Suk-mi and Matsui Nagi to use their Asian identities and language advantages to infiltrate China, a relatively stable country that was establishing an effective meme pollution defense system, to collect and transmit first-hand data and intelligence about meme pollution in the region for the club.

Although currently suffering from meme contamination, the Holy Light of the Knights can barely keep their SAN values ​​up until they reach China, where they can become reincarnators.

“Most people have stereotypes,” the knight said calmly, wiping the blood from his sword, “that the Duncan Club is a white elite club. But they’re wrong. When it comes to survival, race and nationality are meaningless. The club needs the world’s eyes, it needs elites from different cultural backgrounds. Asia, especially China, is a special case, and we need to understand it. We’ve established an organization in China called Black Sparrow Pavilion; you can contact them when you get there.”

Kim Suk-mi and Matsui Nagi agreed to repay the debt of saving their lives. It was then that she learned that many other Asian reincarnators like herself were also working for this huge reincarnator organization.

At that time, the Knight Reincarnators gave them a detailed global meme contamination data for their reference.

Meme pollution has spread like wildfire globally, giving rise to bizarre and terrifying rules in various places, based on their own cultural and historical traumas. For example:
The UK: London's "Foggy Dolls" meme pollution is rampant. Corpses dressed in Victorian steampunk attire and covered in gears occasionally appear in subway cars; touching them causes joints to irreversibly become gear-like. Every time Big Ben chimes, marionettes appear under all the gaslights, precisely mimicking and gradually replacing the movements of passersby. The iconic London Eye has become a giant wind-up device, randomly selecting tourists and snapping their necks like a spring with each rotation.

Egypt: The evil god "Sun Eater," sealed at the base of the pyramids, awakens. Mirages appearing during sandstorms clearly depict scenes of pharaohs executing ancient Egyptians; scarab beetle larvae are found settling at the bottom of all mineral water bottles nationwide. The forbidden "Crimson Market" in Egypt requires reincarnators to sacrifice their own blood, otherwise all goods will instantly transform into venomous scorpions; the spring water in the "Forgotten Oasis" is absolutely undrinkable, otherwise the oasis will turn into a desert, and countless mummies will appear to claim the lives of reincarnators.

Russia: The "Wailing Wall" in the Arctic Circle has become a core source of pollution. Many cities are plunged into year-round polar night, with blood-red streetlights seemingly hanging with the corpses of countless capitalists; all clocks turn counterclockwise; bakeries sell "enlightened black bread" with human teeth that whispers excerpts from *Das Kapital*. Russia also has isolated zones leading to terrifying scenarios, such as the "Eternal Night Sanatorium," where ward temperatures must be maintained at -20°C, as warming up would awaken frozen ice demons; and miners in "Mine No. 13" must wear gas masks, or they will uncontrollably recite *Das Kapital* until they suffocate.

In contrast, while Russia, through its powerful state apparatus and certain special measures, has managed to control the spread of pollution to some extent, the situation remains tense and severe. China, on the other hand, has demonstrated an astonishing, almost unbelievable, capacity for governance. The vast majority of its territory maintains an astonishingly normal functioning, with memetic pollution strictly confined to specific areas known as "isolation zones," managed, researched, and utilized in a controlled manner by an official reincarnation agency called the "Memetic Pollution Monitoring Department." This order and stability, against the backdrop of global chaos, resembles an incredible miracle and has become a beacon of hope for countless fugitives.

Jin Shumei came to China and became a reincarnator. Later, she joined the Bloodthirsty Team through her abilities and climbed all the way to the top, always silently passing on information for the Black Sparrow Pavilion, a branch of the Duncan Club. Of course, the Blood Lord was also aware of this, and he was happy that his team could have a channel to establish contact with the Duncan Club. Jin Shumei originally thought that with the Bloodthirsty Team and the Duncan Club as her backers, she would be able to deal with most dangers.

Until this moment, until he was trapped in the incomprehensible and insurmountable absolute terror of Lanruo Temple.

The deathly silence within the temple was more suffocating than any sound.

Tonight, not many living things will leave Lanruo Temple.

Could she, Kim Sook-mi, be one of them?
……

At the same time, Huikong suddenly took a few steps back, his body trembling violently uncontrollably.

These two people in front of me!

One of them witnessed a horrific scene of splitting and shedding skin while drinking water from a well, while the other vanished into thin air right under his nose in a dead end!
Are they...are they even human? In this temple, what can we still believe in?!

Ning Caichen turned to look at Huikong, who was on the verge of collapse, and asked, "Master Huikong, what's wrong? You look so pale. Are you feeling unwell?"

The more normal his tone was, the more horrifying it became to Huikong!
Huikong's teeth chattered, and he couldn't utter a single word. He just shook his head desperately, instinctively trying to get away from the two people, but his legs were too weak to obey him.

The temple was now empty and desolate, as if all the monks, worshippers, and even the strange reincarnators had vanished, except for the three of them.

A suffocating, overwhelming sense of fear spread like a thick fog, tightly gripping the three of them.

In this extreme silence and oppression—

"Meow-"

A crystal-clear meow suddenly rang out from some unknown corner, breaking the deathly silence, but bringing an even deeper chill.

All three of them froze at the same time!
Article 8 of the temple rules states: "There are no cats in the temple. If you hear a cat meowing, please imitate its sound in response. If the meowing turns into a woman's laughter, please continue to imitate it until the laughter stops. Under no circumstances should the laughter turn into crying."

There are no cats! There shouldn't be any cats in the temple! Then what is that meowing sound...?

There was no sign of any cat, yet the meows seemed to echo right next to my ears.

"Quick! Meow like a cat!" Ning Caichen was the first to react, his tone urgent, his usual calm breaking as a hint of tension appeared on his face. He took the lead, straining his voice to let out a slightly stiff "Meow—"

Huikong and Huiming exchanged a glance, and Huikong fearfully avoided his gaze.

With no other choice, the two had to bite the bullet and start imitating cat meows.

"Meow……"

"Meow..."

Three uneven, trembling meows echoed in the empty corridor, sounding particularly abrupt and eerie.

The cat's meows, originating from an unknown source, did not stop; instead, they echoed them, one after another, incessantly. The three could only keep mimicking and responding, daring not to pause for even a moment.

Time ticked by with each eerie meow, each second feeling like torture. About three minutes later, the meows from the shadows suddenly changed!
It was no longer a cat's meow, but a woman's cold and hollow laughter!
"Giggle...hehehe..."

Laughter echoed through the silent temple, sending chills down one's spine.

The three men turned pale and, not daring to be negligent, immediately changed their voices and began to imitate the woman's laughter.

"Cuckoo..."

"Hehe..." Huikong and Ning Caichen tried their best to imitate, but their voices were dry and unpleasant. However, Senior Brother Huiming's imitation of laughter was exceptionally realistic, as if he had practiced it countless times.

However, as he laughed, Huiming's expression suddenly twisted, and his realistic laughter abruptly turned into a terrified wail!
"No! No! Listen! The laughter has changed! It's turned into crying! Ahhh! Don't cry! Don't cry!"

He frantically covered his ears, but it was obviously to no avail. Black, viscous tears gushed from his eyes like a burst dam, instantly covering his cheeks!

"I didn't hear any crying!" Huikong screamed in protest. All he could hear was the continuous laughter of the women and their imitations.

“Me neither!” Ning Caichen immediately added, his sharp eyes fixed on the suddenly collapsing Huiming.

But Huiming seemed completely immersed in the terror of another world. He cried out, curled up on the ground: "It's crying! Such a pitiful cry! It won't stop! The rules say... we can't let laughter turn into crying... We failed... It's over... Grandma... Grandma's coming..."

As he cried out, the black tears that flowed out seemed to come alive, no longer just liquid, but began to envelop his body!
His monk's robes, his skin, his flesh... the parts that touched those black tears began to melt and decompose rapidly, like candles!
"Senior Brother Huiming!" Huikong looked at the horrifying scene in horror and wanted to step forward, but Ning Caichen held him back tightly.

In just over ten seconds, Huiming completely melted on the ground, turning into a pool of viscous, black liquid that kept writhing and expanding!

Only Huiming's pale and distorted face floated like a buoy in the center of that pool of black water!
The face had empty eyes, and its mouth opened and closed, uttering a final, indistinct sentence filled with extreme resentment and warning:

"Grandma...is coming..."

Then, the face slowly sank into the black water and disappeared, leaving only a pool of ever-expanding black filth in its wake.

Huikong and Ning Caichen stared at the scene before them, their faces ashen, drenched in cold sweat, their hearts pounding so hard they felt they would burst from their chests. They hadn't heard any crying; the laughter had stopped, but they didn't know when it had.

Rules... In what way and to whom do rules take effect?!
Overwhelmed by immense fear and bewilderment, the two dared not linger. They ran frantically through the temple, trying to find other survivors or a way out of this terrifying abyss!
However, nothing! Nothing at all! The entire Lanruo Temple had become a huge tomb, deathly silent, with only the echoes of their panicked footsteps and panting breaths.

No matter how fast you run, you'll eventually return to that familiar yet despairing place.

Just when the two were almost driven mad by this endless cycle and loneliness, a figure suddenly appeared at the corner of the corridor ahead!
A monk dressed in a pure white robe was walking slowly with his back to them.
The white-robed monk! The white-robed monk mentioned in Rule 5!

"If you encounter a monk in white robes, you may ask him for directions, but do not follow him."

You can ask for directions!

The thrill of escaping a desperate situation surged into Huikong's heart!
Huikong practically lunged forward, his voice hoarse as he cried out, "Master! Master, please wait! Excuse me... excuse me, which way does the temple gate lead? We... we're lost!"

Upon hearing the sound, the white-robed monk slowly, extremely slowly, turned around.

His face was ordinary, even somewhat blurry, but the next moment, Huikong and Ning Caichen's excitement turned into an even deeper chill!

Two familiar, thick, black tears began to seep from the corners of the white-robed monk's eyes!

Not only that, the moment the black tears fell, his white monk's robe seemed to be soaked in ink, quickly turning black from the collar and cuffs!

A chilling, deathly, and malevolent aura swept over us!

The white-robed monk... is turning into a black-robed monk!
"Run!!!" Ning Caichen reacted extremely quickly, shouting as he grabbed Huikong and turned to run!
The two ran wildly, disregarding everything, but the figure gradually swallowed by darkness behind them did not give chase.

They exerted all their strength, traversing countless halls and corridors, until their chests burned with pain, before daring to stop and catch their breath.

However, when they looked up to check their direction, they were devastated to find that they were back near the starting point!
Not far away, inside the Buddhist hall, faint sounds could be heard.

The two approached tremblingly, and saw two lines of liquid slowly sliding down the face of the huge golden Buddha statue inside the Buddhist hall!

The Buddha statue is weeping!
The ninth rule of the temple came to mind, accompanied by the tragic scene and warnings before Huiming melted away.

There is no choice! There is no time to hesitate!

"Climb up! Lick it off!" Ning Caichen was exceptionally decisive, rushing towards the base of the Buddha statue first.

Huikong was desperate; the instinct for survival overwhelmed everything.

The two of them used both hands and feet to climb the smooth golden body of the Buddha statue with no regard for anything else, their minds filled with only one thought—to lick the tears before they turned bitter! Then they extinguished the three ever-burning lamps!

Finally, Huikong climbed to the left cheek of the Buddha statue, while Ning Caichen remained on the right.

The two exchanged a glance, then simultaneously stuck out their tongues and licked the cold, rusty, metallic-smelling red tear stains—

I had only licked it for a short while when an indescribable, extreme bitterness instantly filled my entire mouth! It was so bitter that it made my very soul tremble!

"It's bitter! Turn off the lights!" The two scrambled off the Buddha statue and rushed toward the nearest ever-burning lamp!
puff!puff!puff!
They frantically slapped the three lamps out with their sleeves, and the light in the Buddhist hall suddenly dimmed.

The two collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, their hearts pounding. Looking at each other's tear stains, they both felt a sense of exhaustion, as if they had just escaped a disaster.

The rules... we'll follow them for now, but then what?

Meanwhile, in the corridor where Huiming melted and disappeared.

Huijue appeared silently beside the pool of black liquid that had not yet completely dried up.

His face was expressionless as he carefully took out a specially made glass test tube, squatted down, and began to suck up the black liquid on the ground.

“Take it back for Madam to analyze…maybe it will help us understand the meme mechanism here further…” he muttered to himself.

However, just as he was focused on collecting samples, a cold female voice suddenly rang out behind him:

"Madam? So... you're from the Insect Nest."

Huijue suddenly stopped moving, then slowly stood up and turned around.

When Kim Suk-mi suddenly appeared behind him, a ferocious look immediately appeared on his face.

“That’s right.” He readily admitted, “I am Li Sheng, a member of the Insect Nest team, Lin Yuan branch. My profession is—a curse master, LV2.”

Jin Shumei's eyes were sharp as knives: "The Blood Lord has ordered that all members of the Insect Den be killed without exception. So, I must settle things with you."

Li Sheng sneered, carefully put away the collected test tubes, and then pulled out a few wooden nails and a small scarecrow doll from the Reincarnator's Watch inside his monk's robe.

"You think you can stop me?"

(End of this chapter)