The King of Black Fog

Kara glanced up at him.

"Damn it!" Rein cursed angrily.

Kara withdrew her gaze, too lazy to ask how much longer it would be.

After a while, as the two were drowsy—

"Creak~~~"

In the silent late night, the door slowly opened amid a long noise.

"Get up!" Kara shouted, rising and drawing her steel sword.

The blankets on the bed flew up like parachutes, and the two sleeping on the bed quickly leapt to their feet.

The blanket on the floor was thrown aside, and two more people got up.

Six people, holding weapons, stared intently at the open door, their chests heaving violently.

The kerosene lamp's light was faint, unable to illuminate the space beyond the door. From inside the house looking out, it was like a solid wall of night, with unknown things ready to emerge at any moment.

The cold wind wailed, like vengeful spirits gathering outside the window, staring at them from behind.

"Sir! Shut the door!" The captain commanded in a low voice.

Sir handed the sword in both hands to his right hand, picked up a kerosene lamp from the table with his left, swallowing dryly, and slowly approached the door.

Everyone held their breath.

Sir, from afar, used the sword tip tremblingly to prod the door, his arm exerting effort, slowly pushing the now much heavier door toward the frame.

"Creak~~~~"

The same sound echoed, everyone's heartbeat pounding like a drum, their toes digging into the ground.

When his body was completely behind the door, Sir breathed a small sigh of relief. However, he couldn't push any further.

Even though the sword tip had sunk into the wooden door, it was still impossible to close it completely.

Someone was bracing it from outside!

At that moment, Sir's body tensed up, engulfed by an intense fear.

"Someone's outside!" He shouted nearly hysterically, unable to control his voice.

Kara rushed forward two steps and kicked the door.

Bang! The door slammed heavily into the frame.

The group of warriors swarmed forward, using their body weight to hold the door. At this point, Kara, who was originally behind, quickly caught up, using the faint light to pick up the door bolt that had unknowingly fallen to the ground and inserted it back, further securing it with an iron chain from her waist.

"Ha... Ha..." They were breathless despite having done nothing.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Rein cursed in terror.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three clear sounds, as three kerosene lamps simultaneously shattered.

Everyone's hearts felt like they were about to leap out of their throats, their scalps tingled, a suffocating fear pinned them down like being submerged underwater.

"Thump, thump~, thump, thump~" The knocking began.

Everyone's eyes instantly filled with blood, like maddened beasts.

"Thump, thump! Thump, thump!" The knocking became more urgent.

Suddenly, those braced against the door felt a force pushing it.

The chains reinforcing the latch jingled loudly.

"Hold it!" The captain roared.

They couldn't see each other, yet they sensed the heat and fear emanating from one another, seeming less like they were blocking the door, and more like trying to break it down, putting all their strength against it.

Bang! Bang!

The thing outside began ramming the door repeatedly.

Rein let out a beast-like dying growl, and suddenly felt a cold aura. Then, something rapidly adhered to his legs, spreading swiftly!

Extremely disgusted and terrified, tears involuntarily streamed down his face.

Just as he opened his mouth to scream, that thing accelerated, covering his mouth and dragged him away, rendering resistance futile.

The gust from the moving object blew against Jory, making him shiver and turn his head in fear, trying to see clearly in the darkness.

Wind Sound came.

"Boo!" Jory could only let out one desperate whimper.

"Who?!" The captain shouted, reaching out to grab.

Fingers slid across the cold fabric, as Jory was dragged away.

"Watch behind you! That ghostly thing is in!" Kara braced her back hard against the door, sword pointed inside.

"Derick!" The captain called.

"Here!"

"Shane!"

"Here!"

"Sir!"

"Inside—" Sir pressed hard against the door.

"Rein!"

"....."

"Rein!" The captain shouted again.

Still no response, everyone's breathing became more hurried.

"Jory!" The captain continued to call.

"..."

The captain gritted his teeth: "Kara!"

"Here." Kara's voice was somber.

"We lost two!" Derick wielded double axes, alternately chopping inside the room, intimidating the monster hiding within.

"What do we do now?!" Shane asked loudly, his voice panicked.

"Light the lamp!" The captain and Kara shouted simultaneously.

The captain continued to yell: "Light it up!"

Sir panted heavily, he gripped the sword colder than ice between his teeth, his back against the door, trembling hands fumbling to ignite the lamp.

Thud!

Thud!

The impact on the door behind appeared with intervals, increasingly strong, as if something was stepping back to gather strength, then suddenly slamming into the door.

The bodies leaning against the door trembled, unclear if from fear or from the force moving the door.

After several attempts, the coal oil lamp was finally lit, its weak light flickering.

At that moment, large amounts of black liquid surged from the window sill, under the bed, and under the table, instantly enveloping the four pressed against the door, as if a giant hand pinned them there.

Bam! The lamp tumbled, the flame flickered precariously, extinguished several times only to reignite, finally consumed by darkness.

The door-banging sound stopped.

The sound of footsteps receding echoed.

The eerie substance slowly dragged the four back into the depths of the room.

"Ugh—" The four emitted a desperate whimper, coldness shooting from the tailbone straight to the crown.

With each dragged distance, the strange substance tightened, it wouldn't be long before they were crushed alive.

Li Changzhou stood in a corner of the room, unable to see anything, but could "feel" through the black substance.

Seeing these people suffocating towards death, yet not using any special power, the black substance released them.

This was already the sixth room, still no discovery of the 'Great Power' third holder.

There was still some time before dawn, but he no longer intended to waste any.

He lit the room's coal oil lamp, opened the door to leave, then using memory, locked the door from inside with a black hand, the chain reset firmly.

A cold corpse stood observing him from not far.

Li Changzhou headed towards the redwood room, the loner's room, that was Yang Qinglan's room, the corpse lumbering behind him.

"Knock~ Knock~" He lightly knocked on the door twice.

"...Who?"

"Cough!"

Squeak~! The sound of the door opening was hauntingly eerie in the dark.

Li Changzhou entered, the corpse remained at the door.

The black substance cloaking the body receded, the lamp light held by the black hand and the one in Yang Qinglan's hand merged, forming a small circle of light.

Within the glow of two lamps, they didn't need to be too close to faintly see each other.

Unlike being invincible in the hall, Yang Qinglan was wrapped in an extra blanket, looking quite "pathetic."

"So dramatic?" Li Changzhou said.

"During the daytime journey, the wind whipped my face, felt as painful as being slapped dozens of times." Yang Qinglan snapped.

"Hahaha!" Li Changzhou laughed heartily.

"Why come so late?" Yang Qinglan returned to the table, placed the lamp, and burrowed back into the bed.

Li Changzhou followed onto the bed, pulling the blanket over both of them.

Both dressed heavily, pressed together could only feel the deep mystery of the clothes.

"Half an hour after going upstairs I headed out, encountered a bit of surprise." He recounted meeting the corpse, experimenting 'Great Power', checking rooms one by one.

Finished it off with saying, lacking "Teleportation" was indeed inconvenient.

"Turns out it was you knocking earlier, don't pull pranks at times like this." Yang Qinglan said.

Li Changzhou quietly watched her.

Yang Qinglan was silent for a moment, they both looked toward the door.

"Knock~ Knock~"