Sun Hang originally wanted to find an excuse to dodge the situation, but for some reason, the words turned into what 0401 had just said—
"Curiosity killed the cat."
"Are you threatening me?" 0398 raised an eyebrow, a hint of vigilance in his eyes.
"I'm just saying, don't be too nervous." Sun Hang smiled and stopped paying attention to 0398, continuing to walk forward with Mr. Huang.
He had a strange feeling inside. The person who walked up and slapped that middle-aged woman, and who threatened 0398 just now, felt almost as though it was someone else... or perhaps another persona within him.
Or maybe, that was his true self before the amnesia?
With such doubts in mind, Sun Hang walked silently... but as everyone walked deeper into the passage, they gradually began to smell a peculiar odor.
It was a mix of rust, decay, and stink that was so intense that just a single whiff made their stomachs churn, even the Sheriffs couldn't help but cover their mouths and noses.
Fortunately, it wasn't long before they reached the end of the passage, where a wooden door with peeling paint appeared before them.
The intolerable smell was already at its peak here.
The face of the trace expert became quite unpleasant, he hesitated for a moment, then stepped up next to Mr. Huang and whispered, "It's the smell of corpses, and a strong bloody smell... those missing women must have already been killed... and the methods might have been extremely cruel..."
"I know." Mr. Huang reached for the wooden door, but couldn't muster the courage to push it open.
"Why don't we just get out of here quickly..." 0401 looked fearful, "I just feel... there might be some... uh, unpleasant things inside."
"Mr. Huang, the kid is right. At this time, the 'Hunter' should be arriving soon." One of the Sheriffs also advised, "Whatever happens next, it has nothing to do with us."
Mr. Huang stood before the door, caught in a dilemma—on one hand, the truth he had been pursuing for so long was likely beyond the door, and all he needed was to push it open for answers; on the other, he was afraid to face that truth.
Just as Mr. Huang hesitated, Sun Hang stepped forward, placing his hand on the door.
Faintly, Sun Hang felt as if something inside the door was tempting him.
The odor, nauseating to others, seemed to charm him beyond its initial stench, carrying an undertone of fragrant sweetness like nectar from a blooming flower.
He suddenly felt a bit hungry.
Taking advantage of no one else paying attention, he pushed the door open.
Behind the door was a hall over three hundred square meters, the floor descending gently along steps, the suffocating bloody smell pervading to the extent that covering one's mouth and nose was useless, nervousness seeped into everyone's nerves through remaining pores, thickening the very air.
Sun Hang walked down the steps, and at the far end of the hall, he saw a square-shaped blood pool.
The pool, size akin to a swimming pool in an amusement park, was filled with sticky, crimson blood, with fragmented and deformed bones floating intermittently within.
Hanging above the blood pool was a young woman without a stitch of clothing, her body swollen as if it had been soaked for years in formalin solution as a specimen.
Her skin displayed a bizarre bluish-white, covered with terrifying wounds, from which blood oozed, flowing slowly along her body, eventually falling into the blood pool beneath her.
Several thorny brambles extended from the blood pool, winding around the young woman's body.
The sharp thorns pierced her skin, burrowing into her flesh, as if feeding on her body, extracting the dwindling life force within her.
A vividly bright rose bloomed intensely on her shoulder.
The young woman was still alive, Sun Hang could sense her faint breaths.
But with every passing second, she grew weaker, while the rose on her shoulder became more vibrant.
Footsteps sounded from behind, followed by a startled whisper, "Xiao… Xiao Jun?"
Clearly, the young woman suspended above the blood pool was the last missing intern Sheriff.
As for the other missing young women… Sun Hang glanced at the bones floating in the blood pool.
Ultimately, Sun Hang's attention was captivated by the rose… deep inside he birthed a bizarre desire: he wanted to pluck that flower, chew it vigorously...
This thought grew uncontrollably in his mind, just as he was about to act, 0401's despairing voice broke out, "Bloody Mary?!"
Sun Hang's consciousness returned to clarity.
Bloody Mary?
Was that the name of the rose?
Sun Hang suddenly recalled who the character in the painting outside was.
It was Ms Leicster from a European legend, said to bathe in the blood of pure maidens to remain youthful.
Each bath required killing two maidens, with their bones buried beneath the bathroom.
...
So, were those young women going missing all about feeding this "demon flower"?
"Is it an anomalous entity?" Sun Hang turned back to look at 0401.
"Of course…" 0401 said with a grimace, "Sequence number D-37, 'Bloody Mary', years ago it was its appearance that turned half of the town's south development area into ruins… why is it still alive? Wasn't it dealt with by the Investigation Bureau?!"
"Can a mere flower really destroy half of a development area?" Sun Hang was somewhat skeptical.
"The true destruction of the south development area was caused by people." 0398 continued from 0401's words, "'Bloody Mary's' thorns infiltrated streets and alleys, penetrating every building home to living creatures, recklessly siphoning all flesh it contacted… To utterly annihilate it, the Xiazhou Federation had to air-drop vast amounts of napalm onto the south development area, incinerating 'Bloody Mary' along with whole occupied blocks."
"I see... No wonder the ruins we passed had traces of scorching." Sun Hang nodded, "So, does fire frighten it?"
"No… This isn't the 'Bloody Mary' from years ago." Mr. Huang's voice came forth, "That 'Bloody Mary' was already burned to death, I participated in the operation back then, watching it turn to ashes with my own eyes."
"Then what are we seeing now?" 0401 waved his arms somewhat hysterically, "Can't be my hallucination, right?!"
"Seed, it's a seed… The 'Bloody Mary' of that time left its seed." Mr. Huang murmured, "'Bloody Mary's' seed needs watering with blood to sprout, and now…"
And now, it has bloomed.