Situ He moved forward.
As he approached, he realized that the light was coming from an old brick building.
The building wasn't particularly tall. It had only three floors.
The light was coming out of the glass door on the first floor of the store.
Situ He raised his head and saw a plaque hanging at the entrance to the shop. He couldn't read the shop's name on the plaque because it was hidden in the mist. It was impossible to read.
Looking at the facade, it seemed as if this was just an ordinary house without any peculiarities.
However, when Situ He arrived at the glass door and peeked inside the bookstore, he stood frozen by everything he was seeing.
He saw a figure standing next to what appeared to be a counter.
The light from within reflected his shadow.
Projected on the floor was a cluster of terrifying monsters with strange shapes that couldn't be described by any words.
Just looking at the shadow, Situ He felt as if his own mind was plunging into frenzied chaos.
Everything he'd thought he knew about the world was completely overthrown at this moment.
Countless maniacal thoughts emerged from his mind.
His sanity and ability to reason seemed to have disappeared.
"Would my flesh taste delicious?" He muttered to himself as he looked at his own arms with his eyes that had turned red.
Just as he said this, he was about to try his own flesh.
He opened his mouth. All his teeth seemed to be cheering on this decision.
Situ He himself was feeling that if he didn't eat himself, his life would become completely meaningless.
And so, he decided to bite down on his own arm.
Just as Situ He was about to chomp down on his arm and taste his own flesh and blood, the figure standing by the counter suddenly turned his head and looked over at him.
"Hello." The figure opened the door and stood in front of Situ He.
"May I help you with something?"
Situ He's sanity and ability to reason came back to him right at this instant.
He let out a heavy sigh.
Everything that had just happened became a fuzzy memory.
However, he did remember the feeling of wanting to bite into his own flesh just now.
He could even remember the strong desire he had felt to taste his own flesh and blood.
He touched his teeth surreptitiously.
They felt neat and normal.
It seemed that the feeling that he'd had just now had been just an illusion.
Situ He swallowed hard as he looked at the person standing before him.
He was a monster in casual clothes. His lower body looked just like an ordinary federal citizen, but his entire skull was shrouded or, one would say, composed of an incomprehensible mist.
Within the mist of this creature's skull were a pair of cheap-looking glasses that were worn on what seemed to be his eye sockets.
His eyes in these sockets seemed as deep as an abyss.
A little bit of fire rose from the abyss.
He looked at Situ He quietly. The voiceless silence contained tremendous pressure.
It made Situ He feel as if he was almost out of breath.
Fortunately, as a Major-General in the Blackguard, Situ He's mentality and courage were far beyond ordinary people's.
Thus, he quickly calmed down and kick-started his brain to start thinking about the situation in a constructive manner.
"I almost ate myself just now…," he thought.
If not for this monster who was standing before him suddenly opening the door...
Situ He knew that he would have already eaten himself, probably entirely.
Therefore, Situ He assumed that the monster in front of him had already known that he was coming.
Perhaps, at the moment he stepped into the mist, he'd already sensed him.
Afterward, the guidance from the girl who was holding a flashlight might have perhaps been demanded by the monster.
If that was the case…
"Maybe he has some plans for me…," Situ He speculated.
Combined with what he had just said...
"Yes?" Situ He swiftly grasped what was important. He looked at the monster and asked, "What do you have here anyway?"
...
After sending away the rebellious young girl, Ling PingAn had been about to close the store.
He'd placed the plastic basin containing the peach pit into the cupboard.
He'd put the other bundle containing the magical leaves into the drawer on the counter.
After feeding the kitten, Bastet, he was preparing to grab his phone and go upstairs to think about how he should start his new book.
Then, suddenly, he'd turned around and seen this burly figure standing in front of the glass door to the store.
He seemed to be observing whether the bookstore was still open.
Ling PingAn would naturally never let go of any chance to do business.
He immediately stepped forward and opened the door.
Then he noticed the appearance of this customer.
This customer looked like he was in his 40s. He had the typical square face of a middle-aged man in the Federal Empire. He was tall and burly.
But all that wasn't what really drew Ling PingAn's attention.
The thing that really got his attention was the guy's attire.
Just looking at his clothes, Ling PingAn couldn't help but drool.
"A fat sheep!" He was overjoyed. "A very fat sheep!"
Because the visitor was wearing a retro black uniform of the army.
Ling PingAn could recognize this military uniform.
It was the imperial military uniform that had been worn during the reign of Emperor Taizu.
Designed in the Year 2501 of the Republican Era, it was the year when Taizu had founded the country and ascended the throne.
For many people in the Federal Empire today, this kind of military uniform from the Taizu period possessed an irresistible appeal.
Generally, these people were either veterans, enthusiasts of history, or hardcore military fans.
Ling PingAn knew that these kind of people were from groups with an extremely high consuming capacity.
Especially someone like this customer before his eyes...
Judging from his outfit and personal temperament, he was definitely the kind of person who didn't lack money.
Ling PingAn heard him ask, "What do you have here?"
He immediately thumped his chest and said, "Good sir, I have everything here!
"You can find whatever you want here at my store!"
It was true, wasn't it?
In Ling PingAn's store, there was an enormous stock of military history books.
There were dozens of multi-volume histories.
If he could sell just one of them, that would be a few hundred bucks.
He enthusiastically invited this customer into his store.
...
"Good sir, I have everything here!" The monster vowed solemnly with absolute confidence, "You can find whatever you want here at my store!"
Situ He immediately tried to figure out what he meant by this sentence.
"He has everything?
"Does that mean…
"I can get just anything from this place?
"Isn't that…too much of an exaggeration?"
However, when Situ He walked in the door, those thoughts vanished abruptly.
Because he saw the true form of this so-called bookstore.
Underneath the floor, a worm-like object was creeping slowly as if it was holding up the world.
Situ He could distinctly feel the horror and danger of the thing beneath the floor.
From behind the wallpaper on both sides of the wall, skittering could be heard. There seemed to be some horrible things crawling around inside the walls.
The most terrifying thing was exactly opposite to where he was standing.
Profound, unwelcoming, silent dark.
It was as endless as the starry sky, and as silent as a black hole.
At its edge, an asphalt-like liquid was slowly flowing.
Within the deep abyss, terrifying Evil Eyes were opening and closing one after another.
This was no bookstore at all!
This was a Diablo's lair that could drive people into madness.