Side Story: Hell on Earth
Chapter 99
Wandering Souls, Restless Ghosts
The soldiers' shouts, the murmurs of parents soothing their crying children in hunger and thirst, all intertwine and echo within the thunder that roars in fury at human cruelty… awakening... Dang Khong's hazy consciousness within the warm embrace of his mother.
He slowly walks out of the darkness of the past, yet deep inside still longs for simple wishes. That peaceful life has already died long ago.
He must not forget those painful memories, but he cannot live in the darkness of remembrance, letting the syndrome of guilt obsession devour his spirit, tearing and insulting the body and soul defiled for a lifetime, never to be cleansed.
He must bury the nightmares of yesterday… and… face the cruel reality… to… step toward that flawless new world—without tears of pain, no more herds of brutes slaughtering humanity's nature, only peace and tranquility. All beings are equal in that perfect dream world.
Dang Khong chants the spell, and the three female demons instantly collapse. He presses both hands on the temples of the Lust Demon. Closing his eyes to sense the "soul-enthralling fragrance" that triggers memories of loved ones is only… a fraction of the latent power that has just awakened. In her subconscious still lie countless aberrations, waiting to be unearthed.
The "soul-enthralling fragrance" will be a powerful assistant in the future, yet he still fears being submerged in illusions by that scent once again. He yearns for a tranquil, peaceful life within the warm embrace of his gentle mother, but it is so vivid that it makes him apprehensive. The more he craves to relive those peaceful emotions with his mother, the more restless he becomes.
No matter how real the vision, it remains only a vision.
He cannot die drowning in a dream that will never be realized.
Dang Khong is forced to suppress Lust Demon's dangerous power like a double-edged sword. He chants, hands exuding ghostly black aura, controlling that thick fragrance, sealing away the scent that triggers memories of kinfolk.
The green glow covering the Lust Demon suddenly vanishes; her irisless white eyes slowly return to normal, and she collapses unconscious. Dang Khong touches the foreheads of the four women, erasing the thoughts he does not wish to keep.
The silent fellow chants, drawing the desires and "vital energy" from their minds into his own hands. Dang Khong carries each girl to the bed beside Thuong Tung, covers them with blankets, and adds wood to the fire. He steps into the darkness, runs into the forest, and reaches a deep cave.
With glowing fingers he draws the Five Elements array, sits cross-legged, and chants. The diagram radiates strange light.
Darkness looms, thick with mist and smoke like prowling ghosts and hovering demons, as a portal instantly forms from hellfire, burning countless naked corpses piled high upon one another.
Receiving the Nether Spirit Decree, the ghosts hesitate not a second. Minions remain to guard the gate, while the leaders lash the hell wolves, who pull the chariot at full speed. The pack howls in excitement, traversing spacetime to reach the human world.
They wag their tails, their feral appearance completely gone. Once bloodthirsty beasts, now gentler than puppies, they greet their master like pets. They bow together at the caller's feet, letting him stroke their heads. He glances at the zombie like fiendish horde, then quickly walks to the five positions matching their body's colors, kneels, and salutes:
- The Five Ghosts pay respects to the Envoy of Hell.
Dang Khong does not answer, closes his eyes, enters meditation. The Five Ghosts chant:
The bright moon shines ten thousand miles
Through space, across time
The demon points the way, the ghosts lead the path
The wandering soul returns to eternal night
When the chant ends, Dang Khong's soul departs, arriving before the ancient Eastern war chariot. His gaze sweeps silently across the dark-aura-radiating war chariot. On it are carvings of Black and White Impermanence serving at the sides of the throne in the Netherworld King's Hall. Seated upon the throne of the Netherworld is not the King of Hell… but a masked man in ancient Eastern black raiment.
His eyes swirl with a sinister malice like a venomous snake stalking its prey, solemnly judging the countless souls condemned to the eighteen levels of hell… to… pay the price for the sins committed while they were alive.
Dang Khong's soul mounts the chariot, whipping the hell wolves. The chariot races, crossing terrain without ever touching the ground.
People in the streets continue walking as usual, only a teenager in a red cap and a professor in a wheelchair feel the sudden chill rushing past.
The teenager turns his head, but sees nothing—only darkness veiling his sight… though the city blazes with light. When the old man asks, the teenager stands dazed for a long time, half real, half illusory, unable to describe the strange phenomenon for the professor to understand.
- Why did you suddenly stop walking, young man?
Startled, he clumsily pushes the wheelchair across the street, and retorts:
- Professor, don't you feel something strange just happened?
The professor is always interested in mysterious things, so he asks urgently:
- If I knew, I wouldn't be asking you. Then what did you see, that makes you look as if you saw a ghost?
The professor lifts his incredulous face, his right brow tightening, his left eye narrowing, as if asking: "Surprised?" The Guard fears neither heaven, nor earth, nor demons, but now he is thrown into confusion by this bizarre phenomenon. From tone, attitude, to the way "ghost" is mentioned, everything makes the teenager suspicious:
- Tsk, clearly you also recognize this "phenomenon," but you like to act mysterious.
The professor pulls a mirror from his shirt and raises it before the boy's eyes:
- Now anyone who looks at your face is asking the same thing as I am…
The teenager crumples his red baseball cap, smacks his lips, clicks his tongue, as he looks at his own astonished face, practically as if he saw a ghost—just as the professor said. The professor smiles, watching the teenager's habitual manner whenever he is upset, not knowing how to explain or handle it. The professor bursts out laughing, hearing the teenager complain:
- I hate those old men who always like to act mysterious and dangerous…
The professor shrugs and says:
- What exactly did you see that twists you so?
He shakes his head, clicks his tongue:
- Even if I said it, you wouldn't believe…
The professor blinks and says:
- Have you forgotten who I am? You haven't spoken yet, how do you know I won't believe?
He rubs his still cold arm:
- It's too cold here, let's go inside to warm up. I'll scare you so much you'll fall out of your wheelchair.
The professor laughs until he bends forward, then rings the doorbell. A few minutes later, his grandson opens the door, welcoming him and the special guest inside.
Meanwhile, the ancient Eastern war chariot carrying Dang Khong's soul leaves the human settlements, climbing mountains like an arrow, crossing forests, fording rivers. The arrow rends the wind, parts the waves of the sea, and shoots straight toward a destination ten thousand miles away, a place completely cut off from the outside world.
Here there is no sunlight, no division of day and night. The sky is filled with rolling dark clouds, only cold moonlight spilling onto the flickering ghostfires, swirling together with the wandering souls, restless ghosts who live among the giant graveyard.
Dang Khong names this eerie underworld place 'Hell on Earth'… and… calls the 'City of the Dead' home.
Whenever Dang Khong returns, the demons tremble and kneel in submission, avoiding the howling wolf pack, baring fangs, wanting to chew and swallow souls. They dare not face him. The living welcome him like relatives visiting family.
- Oh, I thought my Lord had forgotten the way "home."
- It has been so many years since I saw a familiar face…
- How are you, my Lord?
Dang Khong does not answer. He shows no reaction to the smiling one who guides the wandering soul back "Home." He quietly follows a group of men and women, old and young, dressed in ancient clothes, passing through the vast graveyard.
Moss invades the path. Strange vines like the hands of demons crowd hundreds upon thousands of graves. New intact tombstones already lie alongside cracked, broken, collapsed ones, scattered along the roadside.
Those skeletal "fingers" crawl along the endless road, its end unseen, sucking at the deep darkness… making… the living and the ghosts alike feel that the vines seem to want to clutch every moving thing, forcing them to remain… to… make friends with wandering souls and restless ghosts, because no one pities them.
Dang Khong lifts his head and looks at the cold moon radiating an evil aura. Today is near the end of the month in the human world, and normally the moon is hard to see, but this place is not the human world—it is "Hell."
The moon always exists. At present, it is the only natural object illuminating this place. The moon advances together with countless ghostfires… lighting the road… and… reflecting the sorrowful souls, weeping bitterly, begging everyone not to abandon them. Dang Khong's eyes sweep around.
The restless ghosts are terrified… because… his expressionless eyes spin like a vortex sucking in all things… more frightening than a demon-exposing mirror. They dare not play tricks of turning into lonely vengeful spirits, nor even transform into human form, pretending to be sad, luring the living in order to eat human flesh and devour their vital energy.
Dang Khong asks:
- Has anyone been "taken" recently?
The joyful atmosphere suddenly sinks, darker than the scenery of day and night with only one deathly black color. A woman sobs, her angry gaze fixed on the restless ghosts:
- Three days ago, my daughter ran into the forbidden zone to catch butterflies. Her vital energy was absorbed by the Wu Ming couple, to be used to help their daughter reincarnate.
Dang Khong's face instantly turns pale as a corpse. This is not the first time someone is seized by ghosts, and it is not the first time Dang Khong shows emotion. But except for that year, neither the living nor the spirits have ever seen him so furious. Black aura spreads over his whole body, and his quiet gaze erupts, surging with hellfire.
The silent crowd does not dare to speak, but in their hearts they expect the Envoy of Hell to punish those who dare to challenge the limits. The wandering souls scream, cursing the restless ghosts for daring to offend, enraging the Infernal Divinity more terrifying than Death itself. They kneel and beg Dang Khong, hoping he will not vent his fury upon them.
The saturnine fellow rushes straight toward the forbidden land. The restless ghosts, like victims of an extinct race driven mad by hunger, crave human flesh and vital energy, so they charge in frenzy.
Their skeletal arms wave; they roar madly, wanting to tear Dang Khong's body apart. Some wandering souls still remain conscious, trembling, not daring to lift their heads.
People watch in awe as he mutters spells, releasing the iron chains that bind a pack of hell wolves to the ancient war-chariot. The beasts are extremely agitated. Under the cold moonlight, they howl endlessly, roar, and thunder toward the battlefield.
The terrified crowd scatters to both sides, letting the wolves leap in to shred the restless ghosts, crunching bones, swallowing large chunks of withered flesh from long hunger. The beasts absorb all the dark aura, their bodies grow larger than before, and in their bloodthirsty red eyes hellfire flickers.
Dang Khong charges forward. The restless ghosts have no time to escape; all are hurled into the starving wolves. The gate-keeping beasts leap joyfully, open their bottomless black mouths, exhale thick death breath, and snatch the delicious prey. In the blink of an eye, the ghosts stop their terrified screams; their bodies are torn into countless pieces.
He rushes toward the Wu Ming couple. The couple calmly accept their fate. Their souls are about to vanish, never to ascend, but the murderers still plead with the Envoy of Hell for fair judgment:
- Please spare our daughter's life. She is innocent… we beg you…
The grieving mother, having lost her child, screams and cries:
- Give my child back, you demons. I curse you wandering souls and restless ghosts, never to ascend for all eternity!
Dang Khong's eyes blaze with red blood streaks:
- And what about Aunt Favor Grace's child? What crime did the little girl commit? When she begged for her life, did you show mercy?
He unleashes flames, burning the two guilty souls into living torches. The demons' hands and feet tremble, their whole bodies grow cold, fearing they will vanish forever.
They kneel on the ground, not daring to move, banging their heads against the earth and bowing, like ministers about to be beheaded by the emperor.
The living all know this ferocity and dominance, enough to intimidate gods and ghosts.
Dang Khong does not like meaningless clichés. The crowd offers no applause, nor any worship; they only silently follow him to pay their respects at the little girl's grave.
Everyone lights a stick of incense to commemorate the unlucky victim, to encourage and comfort Aunt Favor Grace. Dang Khong presses his temples, trying to suppress the anger that almost burns his eyes red.
Aunt Favor Grace hesitates, wanting to speak, but seeing that he is beside himself with rage, she feels timid. Dang Khong then complains of fatigue. Passing through the village gate, they arrive at Aunt Favor Grace's house, where she invites him to rest.
Everyone inquires after his health. Dang Khong waves his hand, indicating there is no problem. The crowd understands, takes leave, and returns to their own homes. After they disappear, he immediately calms Aunt Favor Grace:
- Don't worry, I will not punish the daughter of the Wu Ming couple.
Aunt Favor Grace sadly smiles and thanks Dang Khong.
- Even if I punish her, your daughter cannot be revived. You would do better to adopt the little girl. It is the only way that keeps both sides whole...
Aunt Favor Grace finds it hard to understand:
- Reincarnation means forgetting everything from the past. How can we recognize her?
Dang Khong ponders:
- That year, I witnessed a strange thing. A little girl starved to death. A few years later, a pregnant woman gave birth to a daughter, and on her left hand there was also a butterfly birthmark, just like that little girl. When she reincarnated a second time as the daughter of Wu Ming, she still had that birthmark. I think maybe…
Thinking of the neighbor's girl who is pregnant with a daughter, the grieving Aunt Favor Grace suddenly brightens, excitedly waiting for Heaven's mercy. She once feared Dang Khong, but now she admires the man whose heart she believed had died on that fateful day. She did not expect him to be so reasonable, so thoughtful.
- Thank you…
Dang Khong does not respond, but instructs:
- Keep secret that I spared the little girl's life. If you reveal it intentionally or unintentionally… - He never hesitated before, but now pauses before issuing the warning - I will be compelled to punish you.
Aunt Favor Grace panics and kneels down.
- I would never dare to offend you.
Dang Khong feels satisfied that this perceptive woman understands his meaning, fearing that if wandering souls and restless ghosts learn of this matter, they will not be afraid, but will act recklessly like the Wu Ming couple. Dang Khong hides this matter from the villagers, lest they grow jealous of his favor and partiality toward Aunt Favor Grace. He raises a hand to help her to her feet, lowers his voice, and says:
- If you have not made a mistake, you need not kneel before me!
This is gratitude to the one who helped him in the past. He has never forgotten that kindness, and thus he cannot erase those dark memories. A lifelong burden weighs upon the one she regards as her son.
But she never dares to express her feelings, or her wish, that she could be the comfort to the tragic man cursed by fate unto death.
Because…
He is no longer that pitiful child who once collapsed crying in her arms…
That pitiful child on that fateful night… became… her master.
He has already shed his old self, becoming another person…
Or more precisely… becoming some other kind of being…
That vague, unseen thing, more terrifying than Hell on Earth… makes her no longer dare to be close and caring as before.
Perhaps she no longer has the chance to care for him as she once did.
Dang Khong thoughtfully looks at the melancholy woman, sadly lowers his head, concealing his feelings. Today he makes an exception because of her. She cannot be sentimental, for it would make the one who bears responsibility become weak.
The master must be firm. He must not let a dead heart revive. He must be steel—without feeling, cruel and merciless—to open a bright future, to forge a perfect new world without tears of pain, only happy laughter.
A happy ending is the perfect compensation for a tragic life.
The icy, emotionless face gradually dissolves in gentle feelings… as if… the love of a "mother." But he does not let this feeling hinder him for long. The saturnine fellow resumes his lifeless demeanor toward everything, bids farewell to Aunt Favor Grace, and then leaves the only warm place in Hell on Earth.
Aunt Favor Grace silently lifts her head, watching Dang Khong disappear into the night. Darkness is his companion—and the place to which he belongs.