Era of Magic and Martial Arts-Chapter 362 - 346: Good Night

The re-covered tiles had soil falling down the pitch-black hole.

Shattered, bloodstained clothes fell together with the smartphone, dropping into the dug-out drainage pipe.

The drainage pipes buried deep underground have existed since before the great catastrophe, stretching in a twisted web beneath the city’s surface like invisible veins.

Layers of thick moss covered the walls of the pipes, slippery and cold, with rusted cracks faintly visible on the walls, which seemed like a cross between stone and metal. Black liquid oozed from the cracks, like ancient corpses whose dark blood hadn’t yet dried.

Thick iron pipes stabbed into the drainage, some blocked and dry, while others still seeped water, resembling capillaries densely packed with corpses.

Rust marks spread outward from the iron pipe openings like tree rings, with years of grime embedded in each line.

A foul, sweet stench of rot drifted in the damp air—distinctive sewer scents mixed with molds and the odor of unknown creatures.

From deep within the pipes came a rustling sound, like countless tiny claws scraping against metal walls.

Suddenly, a deathly white face emerged from the darkness—a nearly human face covered in tiny scales, glowing sickly under the dim light.

Its eyes were unusually large; the pupils were vertical slits that contracted in the darkness like a feline’s.

The creature’s body twisted as it crawled out of the pipe, its limbs unnaturally long, with skin so translucent that pulsing veins underneath were faintly visible.

It seemed to be searching for something, its deformed neck turning slowly like a rusted axle, producing a bone-grating sound.

Then suddenly, its movements froze, pressing its scaly face against the clothes on the ground.

The fabric’s soft touch and the faint human scent seemed to pour warmth into its cold body, causing it to tremble with excitement.

It made a gurgling sound from its throat, like a child receiving a beloved toy in a dream.

With awkward familiarity, it unwrapped the clothes and draped them over itself.

It seemed skilled enough, knowing how to undo buttons and wear clothes, even aware of which hole was for the head and which for the arms.

Yet it appeared clumsy, for the clothes were too delicate against its bizarre form, the neckhole stretched out of shape to fit over its neck, with its arms unable to fit into the sleeves.

Nevertheless, it did not remove the clothing, letting it hang around its neck like a colorful scarf.

Then, it picked up the smartphone from the ground, fiddled with it, and pointed the shattered screen at itself, posing a gesture with its pointed fingers beside its head.

Was it trying to imitate a human taking selfies?

It seemed like it could use the phone, yet not entirely, for it seemed unaware that the phone was broken.

Click—

The flash issued a blinding light, dispelling the darkness.

But this beam didn’t come from the creature’s phone; rather, it came from a distant figure behind it.

It was a man in a white lab coat and black-frame glasses, with a gentle smile on his face, taking photos of the creature with his phone, as if tenderly capturing beautiful moments for his partner.

Behind him crouched several similar creatures, each emitting a low whimper from their throats.

"You’re truly the most beautiful one in this batch of toys, still so fond of selfies. I remember I chose you because I saw your selfies back then."

With a magnetic voice, the man beckoned with his hand.

The clothed creature surprisingly showed a hint of human-like fear on its scaly face, submissively lowering its body and arching its back like a dog seeking approval from its master, slowly crawling toward the man, its mouth open and tongue long and red.

"Oh no, no, doing that is no longer appropriate in your current form, though I still very much like you."

The man softly caressed the creature’s cheek, then touched the clothes around its neck. He took the broken phone from the creature’s hand, a flicker of doubt in his eyes, but quickly returned to calm, as if such trivialities were not worth his concern.

His voice was deep:

"Do not rush. A single phone cannot capture your beauty. I have already chosen the stage for you, for all of you. Soon, you will have your wish, standing in the center of a stage surrounded by flashing lights, with numerous cameras capturing your images, letting countless people witness your beauty."

The man paused briefly, as if he was already in that thrilling moment, a hint of intoxication appearing on his face:

"I can almost hear countless people screaming for your beauty, not tomorrow, the day after tomorrow at the latest, okay?"

With the man’s promise, a group of humanoid creatures crowded around him, their throats collectively emitting purring sounds like kittens.

"Yes, yes, yes, I’m not lying to you. When have I ever lied to you? I’ll give you the cue for your debut."

The man spoke as he absentmindedly slipped the shattered phone into his pocket.

The clothed creature bared its teeth with some reluctance in its eyes.

The man noticed this, smiling as he pulled out a brand-new phone from his pocket.

He gently lit up the phone screen and casually placed it back into the creature’s hand.

The creature cautiously took the phone, its eyes fixed on the glowing screen, its pupils shining with excited gleams.

"When this phone vibrates, that’s your stage cue. You can come out then, you understand? At that time, you can enjoy to your heart’s content, but..."

The clothed creature, uncertain if it understood human speech, merely clutched the phone carefully, ready to bare its teeth and glare at any surrounding creatures reaching out.

The man was not offended, continuing in a spectral tone:

"But you have to help me bring back the girl in the photo here. She will be your new companion in the future!!!"

...

Gently pushing open the dormitory door, Feng Yuhuai glanced around the room. Cuicui was wrapped in her quilt, soundly sleeping, even grinding her teeth uneasily. Zhang Liyou, with her face against the wall, had the back of her head half-covered by the quilt, breathing evenly and deeply, seemingly sleeping just as heavily.

Feng Yuhuai quietly slipped back under the covers, her face regaining the lively expression it had at the start of the school year. She closed her eyes, murmuring dreamily:

"Good night, everyone!"

She wasn’t saying goodnight to the already asleep Zhang Liyou and Cuicui, she was saying goodnight to Lu Yazhi and Xiaojuan, tucked with her in the same bed!

...