Era of Magic and Martial Arts-Chapter 308 - 292: That Old Photograph
Feng Yuhuai inhaled deeply, greedily savoring the meat aroma permeating the air, a fragrance so rich it seeped from her dorm mates’ soft hair, fair necks, and even their warm breath, without the need for skinning or draining blood.
From a culinary perspective, they needed no additional seasoning; they were already perfectly marinated.
Then, Feng Yuhuai caught a stronger whiff, a rich bone aroma that lingered just a moment, yet its remnants clung to the air, unwilling to disperse.
Like an endless temptation, it provoked her to keep her head down, her throat contracting involuntarily as she swallowed repeatedly.
"It was Father, wasn’t it? He was just here and now he’s gone?"
Identifying people by scent, Feng Yuhuai suppressed her hunger with great effort, her eyes warm with affection as she scanned her friends’ facial features, before gently gazing at the path where Feng Ju had disappeared.
In that moment, an enlightenment beyond worldly understanding surged through Feng Yuhuai’s heart:
"Since all of us good friends long to always be by each other’s side, then, as a family, surely we yearn even more to be forever united, never separated."
Zhang Liyou met Feng Yuhuai’s deep, affectionate gaze, inexplicably feeling the eerie sensation rise again, she parted her lips, preparing to speak.
"Hey, aren’t you freshmen? You’re in luck, come over to take a picture with the faculty leaders and Professor Zuo Bai."
A junior administrator from the office ran over, rudely interrupting Zhang Liyou and cutting off Feng Yuhuai’s life-altering revelation.
Feng Yuhuai and her group responded accordingly, obediently standing at the edge of the camera’s frame.
Though Feng Yuhuai had begun to make a name for herself on campus, the faculty leaders didn’t recognize her at all.
She likewise didn’t recognize these leaders who rarely showed up before students, especially not the Professor Zuo Bai encircled at the center.
Yet, this group of strangers, facing the camera, remarkably didn’t need any prompting; each of them naturally blossomed with smiles a hundred times brighter than their daily genuine expressions.
Perhaps this validated Detective Li Shang’s words—the camera would become an accomplice to the [Mask].
It wasn’t the camera helping the [Mask]; but because, under its gaze, everyone becomes an almost lifelike... mask!!!
The photo session swiftly concluded, and the faculty leaders retreated en masse, like a tide.
Feng Yuhuai watched their retreating backs, furrowing her brow, staring at them in confusion.
She took a light sniff, detecting a faint, barely noticeable yet familiar scent in the lingering air.
A smell she could never forget, embedded deep in her memory.
She would never forget what happened in that dim clinic basement, a room filled with that smell.
Xiaojuan gently tugged on Feng Yuhuai’s sleeve, whispered, "The photo’s done, shall we head back to the dorm?"
Feng Yuhuai nodded lightly, her thoughts drifting away.
Just then, Cuicui dashed back like a gust of wind.
Once the photos were taken, Cuicui ran off; her lively nature accustomed her roommates to her sudden energy, they didn’t mind at all.
Cuicui ran back quickly, exclaiming, "Hey, why didn’t you wait for me?"
Unfazed, she opened her hand, cheerfully saying, "Look what I got back for everyone."
The group curiously looked at Cuicui’s palm, where a photograph lay, one she courageously ventured to get from the photographer.
As Cuicui handed out the photo, she playfully complained:
"Though that photographer took several shots, he reluctantly gave me a failed one, but fortunately, we’re all pretty, so any snapshot is of beautiful girls, hehe."
Zhang Liyou lowered her head to view the photo, just an ordinary Polaroid, overexposed at the center, making the figures appear veiled in a light haze while the corners remained unexpectedly clear.
It seemed like the corner became the focus, as those central figures blurred into background.
Zhang Liyou stared at the corner, lost in thought, watching the four of them lined up, forming a corner.
Feng Yuhuai quietly took the most inner position, resting near an unrecognized faculty leader, with a demure, sweet smile.
Perhaps due to her placement near the overexposed area, her profile was softly blurred by the light, creating a faintly ethereal, otherworldly feeling.
Beside Feng Yuhuai was Xiaojuan, habitually lightly holding Feng Yuhuai’s arm, her head slightly tilted towards her, with a shy, reserved smile.
Next to Xiaojuan was Cuicui, arms wide as she stretched to form an "I" shape behind the four, trying to enclose them all, her laughter revealing several tiger teeth.
And she herself stood at the outermost, leaning against a tree, beneath which their shadows merged into one.
The soft halo, blending shadows, their four figures closely entwined, forming a corner... Everything seemed ordinary, yet subtly touched Zhang Liyou’s heartstrings, moistening her eyes.
Blurry eyes obscured the photo, abstracted time, Zhang Liyou felt inexplicable pain and suddenly sensed foreboding; this moment etched in the photo will forever stay in this instance, never reoccur.
Like a sepia-toned old photo carefully stored at the bottom of a chest, never...
to find the matching key to unlock it.
.....
Meanwhile, in the Second Prison of Zone 9, high-tech security systems replaced traditional lock-and-key systems.
Before an iris-verified metal door, a bloodied eyeball was cruelly stuffed into the recognition device, opening the heavy door, yet unable to close it back.
A head, missing an eye, rolled on the ground, roundly stuck in the doorway, like a child’s ball inadvertently jammed under the bedroom door.
But this was no playground; only a group of drenched prisoners, blood dripping from clothes and hair.
Reckless and exhilarated, they unleashed their inner chaos, laughing hauntingly at the camera above amid pools of blood, like a gang of kids wildly at play.
And their "toys," were these torn-apart, dismembered prison guard tags... dolls?!!!
