Frightening Joke: Above the Mist-Chapter 397: Death

The "Bai Yanren" with a face full of cracks looked like a broken porcelain, just like this world.

In this bizarre situation, Bai Yanliang neither dodged nor avoided it, not even thinking about running away.

Originally, he still held onto the idea of uncovering all the secrets of Fog Gathering and making an end with the Dark Abyss.

But the door opened by [The Boat Under The Moon, The Man Drowns In Water] made him completely lost.

It was only at this moment that Bai Yanliang realized, maybe... he’s not truly human.

No, perhaps his inner self had long been aware, just unwilling to admit it.

How could there be a person in this world without emotional fluctuations?

How could someone look at themselves as if in "God’s Eye View"?

His memory was so good, able to recall the books he read and the people and things he met, yet why did he specifically not remember the life before the night his brother had the accident?

There was only one explanation —

His memories... began only from that day.

He had gone through so many life and death escapes and had seen so many strange powers.

Bai Yanliang was almost certain that on the night his brother had the accident, there must have been some ritual being performed, and there was a high probability that the ritual went wrong, which led to his current predicament.

Bai Yanliang looked at the "brother" in front of him, and everything seemed blurry.

Indeed, there was a pair of brothers named Bai Yanren and Bai Yanliang in this world, but... the "Bai Yanliang" in that pair was not him right now.

Upon seeing this world’s "self" for the first time, Bai Yanliang’s brain seemed to be electrified, illuminating some part of it, and some distant yet clear memories were recalled.

At that time, "self" was about the same age as in this world, but the body was seemingly weak since youth, often having unexplained nosebleeds.

To say nothing of going to school, he rarely even left home, lying in bed due to his frail health, under the care of Bai Yanren.

Until one day, the little boy named Bai Yanliang died.

Realizing this fact shook Bai Yanliang’s heart so strongly, it directly affected his entire body.

He didn’t know who he was, Bai Yanliang?

No... Bai Yanliang had already died from illness.

I am...

The brother... using some method called upon... a foreign soul.

Who am I exactly?

He completely lost his sense of identity and didn’t know the meaning or value of his existence.

Looking back, why was he so persistent in uncovering the truth about Yanren’s death? Because he knew very well, if he didn’t find something to do, find someone to imitate... he wouldn’t know how to do anything or want to do anything.

This... is not the mindset of a living person.

"Yanliang..."

The cracks on Bai Yanren’s body increased after Bai Yanliang realized this.

"Some say... I betrayed everyone..."

"Some also say... I postponed the arrival of the Fog Realm by ten years, saving everyone..."

Bai Yanren’s state was peculiar, clearly just a person from this "false" world, yet as if having memories from other timelines.

"Yanliang..." Bai Yanren’s gaze was more complex than any difficult problem Bai Yanliang had ever encountered.

"I can’t tell you more, the me you see at this moment is just using the power of the key to forcibly step out of time, leaving a chance."

"A chance..." Bai Yanliang looked at him dumbfounded.

"Hmm... the real me has been dead for ten years," Bai Yanren’s voice carried a hint of regret, yet also a sense of release, the world around him, and the cracks on him increased, "Time is running out, please hold on a bit more..."

"This world exists only on the foundation of your will," Bai Yanren said something Bai Yanliang never thought of before.

"Nine Prisons open, the Fog Realm descends..." Bai Yanren looked outside the window, the sky was already filled with crimson cracks, yet possessed a different kind of eerie beauty.

"Someone lied... told a colossal lie!" Bai Yanren’s voice, extremely rare, was filled with anger.

"Yanliang... you must kill everyone who should have already died, remember, no matter who they are!"

The sound of an eerie disintegration came from his body.

"All those you have confirmed as dead, if you see them again, no matter how normal or familiar they seem, you must... kill them!"

Bai Yanliang, already shaken, could only mechanically memorize what "brother" was saying at this moment.

At this point, he couldn’t judge the truth, nor could he respond to anything.

He had even lost any purpose to continue on, or to live.

But he instinctively kept looking at "brother", this eerie space, relying on the power of the key, and his own will to exist?

Was its meaning to have "brother" convey these words to him at this moment...

"Yanliang..." Bai Yanren’s body began to disintegrate inch by inch from the arm, dissolving into strands of blood mist floating in the air.

"Ten years ago..."

"I prevented the Fog Realm from descending..."

"Brought you back to life..."

"Did all on the same night..."

"I can’t mention His name, the answer can only be found by you."

The disintegration of the blood mist already spread to the neck area.

Bai Yanren’s face, full of cracks, showed a smile of relief.

"Remember..."

"Yanliang."

"I am already dead."

"Death is not scary..."

"You can surely end everything..."

"Remember..."

"Let the dead... return to death."

The final words dissolved into blood mist along with Bai Yanren, vanishing in this world about to collapse. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Bai Yanliang stood there dazed.

Brother...

I may not be able to do it.

He looked at the blood-red sky outside the window.

The rotting stench of death permeated every corner of this world.

He didn’t want to go outside, nor continue any further.

This world is collapsing, so let him collapse with it.

He really couldn’t find any strength to drive himself again, like a toy car with its batteries removed.

Everything for Bai Yanliang had lost meaning...

He leaned quietly against the cracked window.

I’m sorry... brother.

I don’t want to end anything...

I just want to... die while I still feel like I’m "Bai Yanliang".

The world, with Bai Yanliang’s will collapsing, was accelerating its disintegration.

Strands of black cracks seemed to pull the starry sky closer, the infinite darkness in those cracks stifling and trembling, yet it was profoundly shocking.

Bai Yanliang gazed blankly at the profound darkness beyond those cracks.

Suddenly!

Right above Bai Yanliang’s window, a white crack abruptly opened—

A hand reached out sharply, grabbing Bai Yanliang by the collar!

Then, Yu Wenxuan’s slightly mocking voice came from the white crack:

"You wouldn’t... have forgotten your agreement with me, would you?"

A stern face appeared faintly in the white crack, it was Yu Wenxuan!

At this moment, he was holding a blood-glowing key in his left hand, and grabbing Bai Yanliang’s collar with his right, speaking coldly:

"I went through great effort to get this key, not to save someone who doesn’t want to live."

"Snap out of it!"

The violent force yanked Bai Yanliang into the white crack, and their figures finally vanished before this world could completely collapse...