The Klamora Mountain's forest was dense. The twilight's glow sprinkled on the mountainside, mixing red and green hues. A gust of wind blew, causing a wave-like motion in the sea of trees. The sounds echoed like waves, from afar to near, from near to far, drowning the chirping of the birds.
Boom!
A series of violent explosions erupted from mid-mountain.
It was clearly visible, with dirt and dust spurting towards the sky. Not until it reached several meters high did it finally fall into the sea of trees.
Halfway up the mountain, a steep slope collapsed, as if gnawed away.
"What happened?! Was there a thunderstorm?!"
"It seems to be coming from the mountain..."
In a village several miles away from the foot of the mountain, villagers heard the echoing sound in the sky and paused to gaze into the distance.
A minute later, the ruins were covered by soil and stones.
The air was filled with the unpleasant scorched smell after the explosion, while nearby trees fell one after another, some of which were directly blown into pieces.
Nearly seven or eight acres of land were swept empty by the explosive collapse.
At the edge of the explosion zone, several battered corpses lay on the ground or hang on trees. Their obviously burnt ragged clothes were torn and mixed with bloody mud, darkening slightly.
The surrounding was deadly quiet, even the usual chirping of birds in the forest was gone, scared off by the explosion.
Click... click... click... Bang!
Suddenly, a hand stretched out from the soil.
Two minutes later.
"Cough cough cough... cough cough cough..."
Casio was kneeling on the ground, his hands hanging down, and his hair full of dirt. He was panting heavily, his chest rising and falling.
He almost suffocated to death instead of being crushed by the collapsed ruins. The tunnel collapsed and a large area of the ruins was covered with dirt. He was lucky that a corner formed a small space for him to hide, and he struggled his way out by digging through the soil.
Moreover, Casio had to thank his robust body with excellent endurance and strength. His six months of hard training had not been in vain.
The sky was yellowish, and the ground was faintly reddish.
Casio stood by a large tree, looking at the corpse on the ground. He squatted down and picked up a badge nearby.
It was a pure white shield-shaped badge with a light gold grain pattern around the edge, and a black cross sword in the middle. The tip of the sword was embedded in a demon's head with horns.
On the back were neatly arranged small letters.
"Hunter?" said Casio, reading out the words.
After putting the badge back, he glanced at the handgun tightly held by the corpse. It was a large-caliber firearm as dark as ink. Its edge was not streamlined but heavily angular. It was almost as long as half a forearm.
Several silver letters were on the right side of the gun.
"Ebony".
"It's an organization, not a shadow demon, but those who planted the bomb." Casio stood up with a frown. The situation became confusing. This archaeological plan led by the government seemed to be far from as simple as it appeared.
The shadow demons, Fire Deer Antique Company, and even Fengnan City Government were all pondered by Casio, with a plethora of doubts crowding his mind.
"Forget it, let's leave here first." He glanced around and couldn't help but feel a sense of thrill. Staying here would offer no guarantee of security.
Casio turned around and left.
Half an hour later, the ground mixed with dirt and stones suddenly cracked open, and a twisted human form crawled out from inside.
"Only a little more, just a little more."
The figure changed rapidly, finally morphing into the physique of a robust adult male. Everything seemed normal except for the shadow on the ground that writhed and squirmed, as alive and unnerving as a creature itself.
The man stood still at his location for a moment before stepping forward to leave.
"Hmm?" He stopped in his tracks and looked down.
A smile suddenly sprouted on his face.
"Another companion is about to appear... praise be…"
******************
Hong Li Federation Date of 156 years, 4th June, Wind, Light Rain.
Fengnan City, North District Cemetery, was hosting a large funeral, where seven coffins were to be buried.
The sky was overcast today, a blanket of grey clouds permeating the entire field of view. There was no sight of the sun, only a pervasive haze. It was as if the sky had been smeared with a dirty, dust-laden rag.
The cemetery's trail was muddy, with occasional tracks of passing vehicles. A few trees were scattered here and there around the pathway.
In the distance lay a large green graveyard, littered with grey tombstones. These were the last traces left behind by the deceased.
In the heart of the graveyard, hymns echoed from a small church with a pointed spire. The walls of the church were gray, and the tiled roof was damp and dripping.
"Ding!"
The church bell echoed across the cemetery.
After prayers, the sign of the cross, and the sprinkling of holy water, seven coffins were placed in their respective graves, as their grieving relatives comforted one another.
Soon after, white flowers adorned the front of each tombstone. The priest, holding the scriptures, was spellbound in whispered prayer.
On the extreme side of seven coffins, only two people stood in front of one tombstone - a priest and an old man with white hair, leaning on his walking stick. The atmosphere was quieter than a whisper.
The old man looked at the tombstone three meters away, which read,
"Casio Kaneki."
"Born in 131, Died in 156."
As the priest continued to read the scripture in a somber tone, "Our Father in heaven hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
"Casio... cough, cough, cough..."
The old man burst into a fit of coughing.
From afar, behind the church's surrounding wall, a silhouette in a black overcoat and hat watched the scene unfold.
"I can't believe I'm watching my own funeral..."
Casio murmured. His gaze followed a hunched figure trudging on the muddy trail. As the elder slipped and fell at a distance, Casio wanted to rush over, but he held back.
Moments later, a group of people came to help. They moved on until their figures finally disappeared from Casio's sight.
"Damn it!" He punched the wall in frustration, swearing. Casio wanted to reveal himself, to tell the old headmaster he wasn't dead, so he wouldn't have to grieve and affect his health and mood.
However, the whole thing was overly convoluted.
The bizarre archaeological event, the sudden betrayal of the Fire Deer Antique Company, the conflict and explosion between two unidentified organizations, and the suspiciously rapid funeral proceedings of the Fengnan City government. All of this was too suspicious.
Until he could clear everything up, Casio dared not show himself. He was afraid that the matter might involve the old headmaster. If everyone thought Casio Kaneki was dead, then it was better to let Casio Kaneki stay dead.
Casio lowered his hat brim, turned silently, and left.
From today on, my name shall be Li Wei…