Herrscher of Reason's Arknights

P.S.: Volume 1 is finished! So happy!

Section 72, Chapter Seventy: [Vicious Things]

"Actually, I'm very curious, do demons really exist in this world?"

The dimly lit room was filled with the pungent smell of blood. The bloodstains on the floor made shoes feel sticky when they stepped on them, and thin red threads were left when you lifted your foot.

Blood, dark brown, dried bloodstains everywhere.

Death; the aura of death was everywhere.

In the deathly silence, the only sounds were the static from the television with no signal and the static on the screen, adding an indescribable eeriness to the dimness.

"What a beautiful body."

A hoarse voice slowly echoed through the species.

A person completely covered up was standing in the center of the room. The television, which was crackling, seemed to have suddenly received a signal, and the light from the news broadcast shone on the person's back.

Yesterday, another child murder and disappearance occurred in the eastern part of the city. The Guard Bureau found a large amount of blood and cult symbols smeared with blood at the crime scene. The Guard Bureau has now announced detailed curfew hours. Residents of Lungmen are advised not to go out at night and to keep a close eye on their children.

On the television screen, the spokesperson for the Imperial Guard Bureau was spouting high-sounding, bureaucratic platitudes meant to appease the public.

"Hehehe."

The hoarse laughter sounded like the harsh noise of sawing a tree, and the man stared nervously at the trembling human figure in front of him.

"Did you hear that? Those useless bastards from the Guard Bureau are looking for me again. They're looking for me. I really want to show them what I was doing while they were trying to appease them."

I'm working very hard.

The man in the center looked at the human figures bound to the chairs around him and began to laugh uncontrollably and nervously.

Of the six people, four are already dead. Their gruesome deaths have even caused blood to splatter onto the roof from their bodies, which have fallen with their chairs, and is now dripping down.

The woman in front of him was completely wrapped in duct tape on the chair, even her face was repeatedly wrapped in duct tape, with only her nose exposed to the air.

The woman's heavy breathing and trembling body only excited the man more.

Perfect, this is the most perfect death ever!!

Death has different degrees of freshness. Such despair, such fear, such oppression—to what extent can the so-called sense of oppression and the fear of death exploit a person?

That really piques my curiosity!

"So, how about you take a few more breaths? I suggest you take deep breaths, that would be better."

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!"

Struggling, the woman actually started breathing heavily, as if she wanted to inhale the last of her breaths.

"Hehe, hahahaha, hahahahaha!!"

The man's smile was utterly ferocious. He suddenly tore off another piece of tape from his hand, completely blocking the woman's last breathing passage.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"

The woman struggled violently, trembling and writhing on the chair like a silkworm pupa. The more she struggled, the faster she lost oxygen.

The feeling of suffocating to death due to lack of oxygen must be very painful.

Slowly, the tape collapsed into the nasal passage due to the pressure of air, but this was to no avail, as no oxygen could enter no matter how hard the breath was taken.

No matter how much you struggle, it's all pointless; this momentary despair is absolutely exhilarating!!!

After struggling for a while, the sobbing stopped, and the woman completely ceased struggling on the chair.

Actually, the person is not completely dead at this point, but rather in a coma caused by suffocation.

Seeing that the woman had been played with to death, the man lost interest. At this point, only one toy remained in the room.

Oh no, actually there are two.

"This is Dad, this is Mom, this is Grandpa, this is my eldest sister, and there's one more sister left..."

The man pointed to the last girl who was still tied to the chair and hadn't died yet.

Then he pointed to the corner of the room, to the only person who wasn't bound.

"And, lastly, the youngest daughter."

The man seemed to have another idea. He slowly walked towards the little girl who was slumped in the corner, her tears and cold sweat of fear mixed together, and she couldn't even tell what her expression was like. He slowly squatted down in front of her.

She could only watch helplessly as her family members were brutally murdered one by one.

She was too weak, while her opponent, a tall man, was covered in mysterious symbols, which were props used when he cast spells.

A strong man with an Ursus accent had his entire face wrapped in blood-stained bandages, with only his eyes showing. His eyes were bloodshot, and even his pupils were not round!

It was like... piercing the eye with a needle and then mixing it into countless murky colors, or like countless tiny pupils squeezed together to form an eye, which was nauseating.

It's like a product of a nightmare.

"Let's try it. How can we be sure if there really is a demon if we don't do that?"

Ignoring the girl trembling on the ground, the man, who seemed genuinely interested in murder, continued to speak his mind.

Then, with his hands also wrapped in bandages, he handed something to his younger daughter.

That was something made up of three metal rings.

The girl didn't know if this was a standard design. She could only recognize two smaller rings, like the handles she had seen before, which could be held between the index, middle, and thumb fingers. The two larger, unknown metal rings in the center were larger, but she didn't understand their purpose and didn't want to understand them at all.

The man understood that the young girl wouldn't comprehend the purpose of such a torture device at first, but she would soon understand.

"Take it, yes, just like this, carry it on your hand."

The man held the girl's hand in the most correct way and then pulled her up.

Those were such delicate and smooth little hands, so lovely and tender.

The man took her hand and led the girl to her second sister, who was tied to a chair.

Then, holding her hand, he put the ring from the middle of the torture device onto the fingers of his second sister, who was bound to the chair.

It fits perfectly, just right, and can sit snugly on your finger.

Unlike the others, the second sister was the only one whose eyes and hands were exposed. Her hands were fixed to the armrests of the chair, with her slender fingers hanging outside.

All of this was designed by men.

"Maybe you don't know what this is, hehehe, I'll tell you what it is now."

Holding his youngest daughter's tender hand, his large, rough fingers pressed against the torture device the girl was holding, and while speaking, he slowly and forcefully pressed it down.

At this moment, the vicious torture device revealed its most evil and darkest design.

It's designed like a cigar cutter! Except the original design, meant to cut cigars like a small guillotine, has been adapted for human fingers.

With a gentle application of force, the simple mechanism causes the blade in the center of the ring to retract!

"woo woo woo woo!!!"

The second sister's eyes, peeking out from behind the screen, stared in terror at her younger sister, who was crying helplessly, shrouded in a huge shadow of fear. Her tears had long since dried, and her eyes held only a piercing terror.

Unable to struggle or resist, the man's fingers pressed painfully against hers, but the little girl had lost all feeling of pain; all that remained in her heart was boundless fear.

And despair.

"No...no, don't."

Her trembling lips were still pleading with the villains for the redemption of her family.

But how could that be?

Slowly, the blade finally made contact with the flesh.

The resistance in my fingers is gradually increasing.

The next moment, a sharp, mournful scream and the girl's devastating screams echoed in the room, lingering for a long time. Speaking of which, I really enjoyed writing this chapter; it's like writing down everything I've ever wanted to do. I have to say, it's fantastic! It's just that my psychic tendencies are a bit strange. [hehe]

Section 73, Chapter 71: [Reasons That Cannot Refuse]

Early morning, at the clinic.

Today is a rare good day, plus it's Golden Week, but the clinic is still not very crowded.

But this is fine.

Standing on the balcony, the watering can has just finished watering the flowers.

It is entirely possible to use a tiny amount of Honkai energy to force the rapid growth of plants.

However, this goes against sodium chloride's life motto.

Everything should be done inconspicuously, like an ordinary person living a mundane life.

My name is Sodium Chloride, my stated age is 19, but I've forgotten my actual age. I live in Longmen, and I'm unmarried. Every day, I play the role of a convincing behind-the-scenes villain. I don't smoke, and I drink in moderation. Every day around nine o'clock, I need to quiet my mind and contemplate life. In the past, I would simply go to bed and fall asleep immediately to avoid carrying fatigue into the next day. Now, I no longer need to sleep, so I naturally need to contemplate life to maintain my sense of righteousness. I am a doctor.

I hate intense joy, and I hate profound despair. What I want is a peaceful life, to live like a plant.

With a "snip," the fingernail was cut off by the scissors and fell into a box labeled "Terra - Year Two."

In order to obtain a peaceful, ordinary life, it is necessary to suppress one's true nature.

Just like it is now.

Gently blowing on the freshly filed nails, one thinks of how human nature is like the growth of nails; just as one cannot suppress the growth of nails, one cannot suppress one's own nature.

However, we can find ways to alleviate it.

Strict schedule, with a self-disciplined time management akin to that of a soldier.

And, trim your nails.

Sodium chloride loves classical music, which is melodious and soothing, while nail clippers seem to express "killing" as the cutting of nails.

She was restrained and suppressed, which is why she felt that this job as a villain was actually in line with her behavioral logic and lifestyle.

Although she hated being so flamboyant, disrupting her routine, and making countless enemies and attracting troublesome tasks.

But at least, this helps her alleviate the anxiety caused by repression.

Excessive anxiety is bad for your health, but thankfully, she can relieve her inner anxiety by killing as a villain.

After all, the killing instinct is ingrained in the genes of humans; it's something they're born with.

"So you don't seem to be in any hurry at all, even though you were frantically looking for people earlier."

Suddenly, a soft, sweet female voice came from behind.

Although it had only been a few weeks, the manager, who had completely degenerated from a free person into a hermit crab, had become utterly useless, hugging a pillow and intending to talk to herself about official business.

Can you change out of those dirty clothes first?

Sodium Chloride instinctively frowned. How could someone as mechanically demanding of her daily routine possibly get along with this seemingly sophisticated but actually lazy manager?

However, this guy is still somewhat useful, and in theory, he is indeed my direct superior.

So sodium chloride didn't say anything, but instead explained.

"Since you're unwilling to tell me who I'm looking for, I can only wait quietly until the plot develops to the point where the other person jumps onto the stage on their own."

Blowing on her nails, the girl's golden eyes narrowed slightly in the sunlight, like a cat's eyes.

"I can't tell you either, after all, these are the rules of the game, and I don't want to be the first person to break the rules."

Suddenly, the voice that was originally used for comedic roles suddenly became somewhat sarcastic.

The manager crossed her arms, a subtle smile tinged with mystery.

He said with a smile, as if he had just thought of some conspiracy.

"Tongluo Street".

"What do you mean?"

There was no explanation, but when Elafia saw Sodium Chloride suddenly look into her golden eyes, her smile widened.