Forgotten Photo Studio

Chapter 46 Zhiwei! Hold on!
"Uh... ah!"

The sound that Xu Yan squeezed out of his throat became distorted, a mixture of his own roar and another ancient, hungry howl.

For the first time, the night watchman's perpetually cold demeanor froze.

The person holding the book suddenly looked up, the shadow under the hood pulsating violently, as if they had seen something terrifying that should not exist here, or even beyond their jurisdiction.

It is no longer a simple ghostly aura or resentment, but a more primal and greedy "existence" that is awakening.

"Stop him!"

For the first time, the voice of the one wielding the chains became urgent. The dark blue chains no longer attempted to bind the soul, but instead transformed into a cold light that tore through space, piercing straight into Xu Yan's heart, intending to strangle the thing that was awakening.

But it's too late.

Xu Yan suddenly raised his head, his eyes completely swallowed by a chaotic darkness, with only two scarlet points swaying in the depths.

The ghostly hand patterns that stretched across his neck even outlined eerie veins on his cheeks.

He didn't dodge or evade; his right arm, which was already mostly mutated, suddenly lashed out with afterimages.

puff!

It wasn't the sound of metal clashing, but rather a more tooth-grinding, eerie sound, as if it were tearing apart some kind of energy entity.

He actually managed to grab the dark blue chain with his bare hands.

The cursed bluish-black light clashed and eroded against the Styx's eerie blue energy, producing a hissing, piercing sound.

Even more terrifying, the wandering spirits that rushed forward, once they touched the dense black energy emanating from his right arm, would scream and melt away like ice and snow meeting the sun, turning into the purest negative energy, which would be greedily absorbed by the ghostly hand.

He no longer uses a camera, but instead instinctively engages in the most primal form of consumption.

"He's gone mad... completely mad..."

A Zhe was pale as he futilely tried to use his body to block the stray souls that were bypassing Xu Yan and rushing towards him.

Chen Zhiwei looked at Xu Yan, who was almost a complete stranger, and saw the eerie lines spreading across his face. A great pain and determination flashed in her eyes.

"Grandpa... I might not be able to do what you asked me to do..."

She murmured softly, as if saying goodbye.

The next moment, a resolute glint flashed in Chen Zhiwei's eyes.

She first gave Xu Yan a deep look, her gaze filled with so many things: heartache, regret, pity, and even a trace of lingering affection that she herself didn't have time to express.

His lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end it only turned into a soft sigh.

Without further hesitation, she pressed the violently trembling copper bell firmly against her heart.

"With blood as the medium and a pact as the guide! Protect his mind, keep his thoughts clear!"

puff……

He spat out a mouthful of his life essence blood, containing his vital energy, onto the copper bell, and the bell instantly burst forth with an unprecedentedly dazzling golden-red light.

The invisible "contract" thread connecting her and Xu Yan on her wrist suddenly blazed brightly, becoming visible to the naked eye, like a blazing golden thread.

In that intense light, Chen Zhiwei's consciousness seemed to briefly detach from her body. She saw fragments of her memories flash before her eyes:

The first time I stood shoulder to shoulder with Xu Yan, holding a bell in the ruins, I heard him whisper, "Stay close to me."
The first time I saw him capture ghostly figures with his camera, I saw the repressed yet lonely stubbornness in his eyes;

And there's the image of him sitting under the dim light, repeatedly wiping his camera, on countless late nights.

Her throat tightened, but she laughed.

That smile was gentle, yet more resolute than any incantation.

The immense power gained from burning one's name and life did not attack directly, but instead transformed into a pure and warm torrent of will, flowing into Xu Yan's brow.

At the same time, the dormant deep blue mark originating from the "Soul-Suppressing Iron" in Xu Yan's right palm seemed to be instantly activated by the extreme emotion and life energy transmitted through the photograph. Buzz!
A power of absolute silence, far colder and purer than the Ghost Hand Curse, seemingly capable of freezing time and space, suddenly erupted from his palm.

The deep blue light was no longer restrained, but spread out like a supernova explosion.

At this moment, Xu Yan clearly sensed two completely different "powers" surging within his body:
The demonic hand on the right arm represents chaos, devouring, and hunger; it is the source of plunder and destruction.

The brand on the palm represents the 'silence' forged and disciplined, the ultimate order that brings all things to annihilation and turns existence into nothingness.

In the past, he used the camera… as a means of 'borrowing' and 'transforming'. But now, he is directly declaring 'the end'.

At this moment, he directly controlled this "silence" with his physical body, simple and brutal, yet carrying a primal majesty that was almost like the "Tao"! It was as if he was not holding power, but a cold "decree"!
"end."

A cold word, not spoken, but like an absolute concept, suddenly swept out from the deep blue light in his palm.

Click!

The two eerie blue chains that pierced right in front of them were the first to be affected, instantly coated with a layer of cold blue light, and then froze in mid-air, along with the power of the Styx River laws flowing on them, forcibly "silenced".

The swarming wandering souls, as if paused, remained frozen in place, their various grotesque and painful postures intact, even their invisible wails were frozen.

The night watchman, holding the book, suddenly looked up, the shadow under his hood churning violently, revealing for the first time an emotion that was almost "horrified".

His icy voice trembled with an unprecedented intensity:
"The resonance of the living soul with the artifact... this is not something that should exist in the world."

Since you have disrupted the order yourself, punishment must come from the source.

Before the words were even finished, the two night watchmen, along with the silent chains, vanished into the shadows without warning, as if words had been erased by an eraser!

As they disappeared, the wandering souls that had been frozen in place by 'silence' also collapsed quietly, like sand sculptures that had lost their support, turning into nothingness energy dust and slowly dissipating.

Pfft!
Chen Zhiwei could no longer hold on; blood kept spilling from her mouth, her face was ashen, and her body slumped backward.

The Soul-Suppressing Bell fell to the ground, its luster dimmed and covered with fine cracks.

Her breath weakened instantly, like a candle flickering in the wind.

"Zhiwei!" A Zhe was terrified. He rushed over like a madman, trembling as he rummaged through his backpack for all the usable first-aid supplies. He was flustered and his voice was trembling with tears, "Hold on! You fucking hold on!"

He abruptly looked up at Xu Yan, who was also kneeling on the ground, exhausted, the blue light in his palm slowly fading, and said urgently:
"Brother Yan! The Zhou family! We have to get back to the Zhou family! That key might still work! We have to get back to the real world to save her! Otherwise, it will be too late!"

Xu Yan was breathing heavily, looking at Chen Zhiwei, who was barely breathing, on A Zhe's back.

His throat felt blocked; he opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

His fingers trembled uncontrollably, and the lingering chill of the law still echoed in his palms, offering him no comfort whatsoever.

In that instant, overwhelming grief and helplessness almost tore him apart; his vision blurred, and all sounds faded into the distance.

But the next moment, Chen Zhiwei's falling figure and A Zhe's desperate cries pierced his almost fading consciousness like ice picks.

He bit his tongue hard, the excruciating pain and the taste of blood forcibly pulling him back to his senses, violently suppressing all his turbulent emotions into a cold, deathly silence.

He slowly shook his head, his voice hoarse yet exceptionally clear:
"It's too late... The real world can't heal the wounds of the soul."

He raised his eyes and gazed into the deepest part of the city ruins, into the ultimate darkness where the River Styx surged.

"The only thing that can save her is the 'source'."

“We must go to the ‘Forgotten Photo Studio’ of this world. Master’s spirit must be guarding the memorial tablet in the ancestral hall…”

"Only by finding our master can we possibly learn how to renew the karmic bond and repair our souls. This is her... and our only way out."

As if struck by a heavy blow, Ah Zhe looked at the faint light in his arms that was about to go out, and then at Xu Yan's calm eyes. In the end, all his emotions turned into a desperate and ruthless determination.

"……Walk!"

(End of this chapter)