Emperatrices transmigradas (hombres y mujeres)

Capítulo 6

Faced with Ray's sharp words, Curry was speechless. Humans are indeed the most skilled liars; even the kindest people occasionally resort to "white lies."

“Wait a minute, this is…” Ray suddenly abandoned Curry and focused intently on flipping through the scroll. He thought the scroll had reached the end, but unexpectedly, it could be unfolded further with a little force. After a long stretch of blank text, near the innermost edge close to the wooden axis, there was a line of tiny characters. Unfortunately, the translation system couldn't translate it, and it only displayed a bunch of gibberish.

Ray, fluent in various ancient languages, frowned and struggled to translate: "She also left behind a... *Dictionary of Corpse Language* based on... the stories... and words... told by... the Corpse Whisperers." Upon reading this, Ray and Corey exchanged a glance, both with a bad feeling. Ray continued dictating, beads of sweat gradually forming on his forehead: "The *Dictionary of Corpse Language*... records... the language used to manipulate corpses... Although... the work of our predecessors... is not suitable for... destruction. But the world... must not... peruse it."

Now it was crystal clear: the sorceress was a master of magic, and through her interactions with the Corpse Whisperers, she had secretly learned and summarized some of the Corpse Language, compiling it into a "Dictionary of Corpse Language." Although the contents of this book were far less terrifying than the Corpse Language mastered by the Corpse Whisperers, they could still cause trouble. People couldn't bear to destroy the sorceress's relics, but they left a warning, forbidding the world from reading or studying them.

"What do you think?" Ray asked Curry with a sly smile, seemingly asking on purpose.

"Are you testing me?" Curry looked at Ray, then smiled wryly. "I know without you saying it... The Lin family's 'Evil-Repelling Sword Manual' also has an ancestral precept: 'None of my descendants may look at it, or endless calamities will follow.' Lin Pingzhi still looked at it and practiced it... It's clear that the more forbidden the fruit, the sweeter it is to steal, right?"

Lei Jiaxu nodded, as if to say, "This Confucian scholar is teachable."

Just then, Ray's watch suddenly sounded an alarm and flashed a red light. "Something's wrong, something might have happened," Ray said calmly. Although he said something was wrong, he didn't show any sign of panic.

"How can you remain so calm? I hope nothing bad has happened to Little B?" Curry asked anxiously.

“I’m not an impatient child…” Seeing Curry’s disheartened expression, Ray added, “I meant Randall.”

"It's different from the legends..." Corey felt that Ray was very different from the legends (actually Ye Ying's description), and was not cold-blooded at all.

"A legend? Was it Ye Ying who told you that?"

Curry stuck out his tongue, not daring to say anything more. Ray, who looked only sixteen years old but had a head of white hair, was more approachable than rumored, but still quite terrifying—especially his ability to see through people's hearts and his vast knowledge that seemed to know everything.

“It’ll be easier if we go out. Come on, sit down.” Ray walked to the center of the hall, where a set of back-to-back seats floated up. Ray sat down and pulled down the seatbelts from the top corners of the seats and fastened them. Curry already understood what this was; being ejected would obviously be much faster. Although somewhat reluctant, he had no choice but to sit down and fasten the seatbelt.

“Until we meet again, my friend, Curry,” Ray said sincerely, then slowly closed his eyes and called out, “Let’s go!”

A spherical protective shield formed around the seat. Then, a cylindrical pipe extended from beneath the seat, passing through the dome and leading directly to the water above. Before Curry was fully prepared, the ball began to rise rapidly, shooting straight out of the water and gently landing on the bright red shore.

“Oh my god…” Curry, still shaken, patted his chest and sighed.

Randall, whose hair had returned to black, stretched deeply and rubbed his sleepy eyes: "I slept so well... Huh, how did I get here? Could it be that the dream I just had was real?"

"Yes... Lei has always been there for me."

“Now it’s our turn to act.” Randall unbuckled his seatbelt and jumped out of his seat. He checked the message Ace had sent and then chuckled, “Even Ray makes mistakes! The two little guys are fine, but Ace sensed some restless power and notified me via coded text message—that’s the task I gave it.”

"Is it a Corpse Whisperer?"

"I don't know. But we'll find out if we go and see. Maybe a big fish is waiting for us!"

12. The Truth About the Corpse Whisperer

Just as Curry and Randall set off for the Blood Lake Library, the Corpse Whisperers did not cease their activities. Neither hunter nor prey would willingly surrender, especially since both sides saw themselves as the hunter and the prey as the hunted.

It was a terrible night. There wasn't a single moon in the sky, and the dense, dark clouds created an oppressive atmosphere. The wind swirled withered yellow leaves, rustling ominously past the apartment building where only a few lights were on.

"Asleep? Now is not the time for you to sleep! Come, get up! Be my servant, my faithful servant!" A man's sinister voice echoed in a room with its doors and windows tightly shut.

After circling the corpse once with a candle in hand, he bent down and whispered a spell in the corpse's ear, over and over again. "Jikhado, Museluk..." The language, which sounded like a spell yet also like scripture, grew faster and faster, gradually turning into a buzzing sound like a mosquito, making it impossible to discern the syllables. In the midst of this dizzying vortex of sound, the corpse's hand suddenly moved, and then it opened its eyes and sat up straight.

“You won’t regret it,” the man grinned. His whole body trembled with excitement, as he continued chanting the eerie language, the candle in his hand swaying rhythmically. On the wall, two dark figures flickered and flickered…

Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted his ritual. He hesitated for a moment, then finally put down the candlestick, turned around, opened the door, and left the room. Deprived of the incantation, the corpse slumped back onto the bed.

He left the door slightly ajar and walked into the foyer. He pulled the door open a crack and peered out through the gap. Through the security door, he saw that the person who had come in was a young woman.

"What, aren't you welcoming me?" A familiar voice came from outside the door.

He was taken aback at first, then forced a smile and said, "Oh, it's you, Annie. Come in, please come in!" With that, he opened the door and let Annie into the house.

Anne tossed her hair, looked at him, and said, "I only have one question for you, and I'll leave right after. I hope... you can answer me truthfully."

"Are you interrogating a prisoner?" he accused, then suddenly realized it wasn't quite right to say it that way, and chuckled dryly, patting his chest, "Look at me... Alright, whatever you ask, I'll answer truthfully." With that, he nervously rubbed his hands together, waiting for Annie's questions.

“New…forgive me,” Anne called out with deep emotion, then bit her lip and said slowly, “I came here…just to know…that wasn’t you…right?”

A flicker of unease crossed Cheng Xin's face, but it vanished instantly. He laughed heartily and waved his hand, saying, "What are you thinking! How could it be me! I'm just a weak scholar, how could I possibly have that kind of power?"

Anne lowered her head and burst into tears.

"What's wrong with you? You don't even believe me, your childhood sweetheart?" Cheng Xin said with a smile as he opened his arms to hug Annie.

Unexpectedly, Annie broke free from him and retreated to the doorway: "Xin... this may be the last time I call you that... please, stop!"

"What are you talking about?" Cheng Xin continued to laugh, but the laughter became increasingly awkward.

“Stop lying, Corpse Whisperer…” Annie wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, looked into his eyes, and said, “When I first saw your name on that list, I thought there was some mistake… But I was so naive. All information about the Corpse Whisperer has been kept under wraps, yet you clearly knew what I was talking about… How I wish that ‘What are you saying?’ had been your first question! From childhood to adulthood, you’ve always been so smart, learning everything so quickly… But this time, you’ve been too smart…”

Cheng Xin's face immediately darkened; he realized his true identity had been exposed. He sneered, saying in a mocking tone, "Was it Curry who sent you?"

“No,” Anne shook her head, tears welling in her eyes, “They did suspect you, but they didn’t put you first, and they certainly didn’t send me to test you. Until just now, I absolutely refused to believe you were the Corpse Whisperer… I wanted to go back and convince them to believe you, but I never expected… I thought I knew you well, but I was wrong… It seems that from childhood to adulthood, I’ve never been able to understand your heart…”

"Read my heart?" Cheng Xin interrupted Annie, laughing in a way that sounded like a grimace. "You think you understand me? Hah ha, how many people in this world truly understand me? Who knows what I've been working so hard for?"

“You…” Annie finally realized that she didn’t understand Cheng Xin at all.

Cheng Xin stepped forward, tightly grasped Annie's hand, and said, "It's all because of you, Annie! When we graduated from high school, you rejected my advances. I, who had never experienced any setbacks before, suddenly felt like I had fallen into an abyss, living in an ice cellar without sunlight every day! I kept telling myself that this wasn't real... but the image of you saying 'no' to me always lingered in my mind. Heartbroken, I wandered aimlessly through the streets, and by chance, I met a homeless old man. Before he died, he gave me the 'Dictionary of Corpse Whispers' and told me the secrets of the Corpse Whispers."

“Maybe it was my fault… but I… but I rejected you back then only because we were too young! I said ‘it was too early’…” Anne shook her head in anguish, unable to believe that she was the cause of the whole incident. Throughout history, there have been countless examples of “femme fatales,” such as Daji, who brought ruin to a country, and Helen, the spark that ignited the Trojan War… Could it be that she, too, had unintentionally played such a tragic role?

But Cheng Xin covered her mouth with a finger, grinning as he said, "I didn't actually mean to blame you, Annie. I should thank you for your rejection back then, otherwise I wouldn't have found what I really needed. Let me continue, because I probably won't have the patience or interest to repeat this story again in the future."

Anne looked at him, puzzled and increasingly suspicious.

Cheng Xin continued, "The old man gave me the *Dictionary of Corpse Language* not out of trust, but for a selfish purpose. He begged me to recite the corpse language recorded in the dictionary after his death so he could be resurrected. At the time, I thought it was nonsense, so I did as he asked—luckily, I was careful and didn't recite it all at once, but observed as I recited. To my surprise, as I recited, his corpse began to move. At that moment, I dropped the *Dictionary of Corpse Language*..."

"Are you... scared?"

"No!" Cheng Xin screamed frantically, as if possessed by a demon, making Annie tremble in fear. From childhood to adulthood, she had never seen the usually composed and considerate Cheng Xin show such an expression. "I'm not afraid, I'm excited, incredibly excited!" Cheng Xin said excitedly, his eyes wide and gleaming. "I've always had this wish, to change the world with my own power; but I'm just a weak scholar, so insignificant… Now, I know my chance has come!"

"you……"

"I immediately recited the 'Corpse-Breaking Language' and destroyed the first living corpse I had created. Watching the body rapidly decay and dissipate, I was filled with immense excitement; for I knew that the power truly belonged to me. However, I did not act immediately. I needed absolute certainty and could not allow failure. I endured hardship and studied diligently, gaining admission to a prestigious university to learn scientific and technological knowledge, which I then applied to the 'technology' I had mastered. I firmly believed that one day, the Corpse Whisperers would seize the entire world!"

"You also orchestrated that robbery?"

“That’s right! As a scientist, my upbringing taught me that meticulous planning is essential before taking action; new products must undergo rigorous testing before production. So, I suppressed the surging desires within me and methodically planned everything. I strived to maintain normal interpersonal relationships and a good image so that no one would easily suspect me. I secured the job designing the security system for the secret police headquarters building, and then left a backdoor in the system… My plan was implemented step by step. It wasn’t until I used that robbery to test the power of the walkers that I was certain that my strength was sufficient, and it was time to act. By severely crippling the only special police officer who could possibly defeat me, I would be invincible—as for the army, I didn’t care, because I only needed to take down those generals. Come on, Annie, since you’ve discovered my secret, you have no choice but to join me! Otherwise, I’m in a difficult position…”

“No!” Tears streamed down Annie’s face as she pleaded earnestly, “Please wake up! You want that kind, gentle, and caring older brother who will always be there for you, not the Corpse Whisperer! If… if you still have any love for me left in your heart… please stop! I promise you, I will stay with you… for the rest of my life…”

"Are you pretending to pity me? Can't I see that what you truly love is your boss, Curry!" Cheng Xin sneered coldly. "Hmph, I don't need your sympathy!"

"No... I didn't lie to you... I really did love you, but you were the one who deliberately distanced yourself from me..."

"Hmph, let me tell you the truth! I do love you—but not the living you, but your… corpse!" Cheng Xin revealed his true colors, roughly pulling Annie into his arms. It turned out that, like the prince in the original Snow White, he also had a peculiar fetish for corpses.

13. Mourning the Deceased

Randall took Curry on another time jump back home. Two and a half days had passed since they set off, all thanks to the different time flow at Blood Lake.

As soon as he entered, Randall rushed to Ace, sat on the floor, and hugged its neck, asking carefully what had happened. Little B, on the other hand, scrambled up from the floor, jumping and barking happily around Curry, seemingly at a loss for words. Curry could only let it run wild, watching helplessly as Randall and Ace engaged in their affectionate "conversation." Actually...

Although it was called a "conversation," Ace was still barking like a dog, but Randall seemed to understand it completely, sometimes nodding, sometimes looking puzzled, and sometimes asking other questions.

"What are you talking about?" Curry, who couldn't understand at all, could only stand by anxiously.

"Don't interrupt, I'll tell you when the time is right." Randall waved his hand, signaling not to disturb him.

Curry had no choice but to take a can of beer from the refrigerator and pour himself a drink, while Little B got up to join in the fun and tried to take it from him.

After a long while, Randall finally stood up, looking very worried. "What happened?" Curry couldn't help but ask.

"The Corpse Whisperers have finally begun their operation, but..."

"Who can understand what you're saying?" Not to mention Curry, no one could understand Randall's nonsensical words.

Randall didn't offer much explanation, but instead picked up the remote and turned on the television. Several local television channels were continuously broadcasting the same news: "Starting at 9:00 AM this morning, several groups of unidentified assailants simultaneously attacked Kuan Ren Hospital in the city center, taking a large number of hostages. Police have arrived at the scene, and the situation is under initial control. According to those who managed to escape, the assailants were all masked with black hoods and possessed astonishing strength..."

“Kuanren Hospital is the largest hospital in the city…the morgue there must be…” Curry murmured.

“I’m afraid it’s not just that,” Randall snorted and said, “If you’re only looking for places with lots of corpses, wouldn’t the funeral homes and crematoriums in the suburbs be better targets? The Corpse Whisperers are very shrewd. They chose the hospital in the city center, not only because they had their eyes on the corpses there, but also because they had their eyes on the ‘human resources’ there.”

"You mean..." A rudimentary form of this conspiracy began to form in Curry's mind. The principle was similar to how lions hunt on the African savanna, first targeting the weakest, lagging animals; the patients in the hospital were the true prey of the Corpse Whisperers. With insufficient manpower, they could secretly infiltrate the hospital, using the corpses in the morgue to expand their ranks, and then turn their attention to the vulnerable patients, further increasing their numbers. In this way, the Corpse Whisperers' enslaved forces would continuously grow, practically mirroring the process by which they established their dominance. For a moment, Curry's blood boiled, and he was consumed by rage, wanting to take Little B and head out to settle scores with the Corpse Whisperers.

Randall grabbed him: "Don't rush, always stay calm. Anger can certainly ignite fighting spirit and bring bursts of power; but anger can also cloud one's judgment and make one lose one's rationality. If you rush over in such a rage, you might fall into the Corpse Whisperer's trap."

"I'm not afraid! Let him show us what he's capable of!" Curry said indignantly.

"Don't underestimate them," Randall said meaningfully, patting Curry on the shoulder.

The two then drove to Kuan-Ren Hospital. When they arrived at the hospital entrance, Curry was dumbfounded—not only were there armed police officers stationed there, but well-equipped special forces had also been deployed, and there were even tanks on standby!

Meanwhile, Randall, sitting in the passenger seat, shook his head and sighed: "This isn't enough to deal with the Corpse Whisperer..."

"Stop making sarcastic remarks. Now that we're here, it doesn't matter whether they're enough or not." Curry parked the car on the side of the road, unbuckled his seatbelt, opened the door and got out, then let Little B and Ace out of the back seat.

"Is this Team Leader Curry?" A fully armed soldier ran over.

"Oh, yes. May I ask..."

“I am Colonel Layton, a subordinate of General Molina.” The two shook hands, and the colonel said with a heavy heart, “The Corpse Whisperer and his accomplices have taken over the entire hospital. Although we have announced that we have the situation under control, the situation is actually quite dire… We had prepared for the worst, intending to abandon this place entirely…” He gestured downwards with his hand and lowered his voice, saying, “Boom! You understand?” Curry immediately understood his implication. It turned out that the army had proposed to completely destroy the entire building by bombing, disregarding the lives of the hostages. But on second thought, eliminating the Corpse Whisperer was probably the least damaging option. When sacrifices are necessary, it's better to end it quickly than suffer a prolonged pain. If bitten by a snake, one might cut off their own arm to save their life. This kind of “sacrifice a pawn to save the king” approach is based on the same consideration. He could only say, "This is a last resort... However, let's try a more conventional approach first. For example, sending in special forces to carry out a 'decapitation strike'..." The colonel nodded and said, "That's what we're doing now. However, the reason isn't as merciful as Captain Curry's... You know, many of the hostages are relatives of high-ranking officials..." Curry couldn't help but smile bitterly. If it were a slum, the higher-ups would probably have already agreed to that plan regardless of the hostages' lives, right?

"Well, there's one more thing..." The colonel hesitated, then stopped.

"What?" Curry asked.

The colonel, his face full of worry, said, "Your team members, along with Alpha V1, infiltrated the hospital through the sewers two hours ago. But shortly after they reported entering the main hospital building, they all lost contact. We've reinforced every section of the sewers and sent Delta team as backup, but there's still no word from them..."

“It’s no use, they have no hope of survival.” Randall said coldly. The colonel looked at the boy with surprise. Although he knew that his men’s chances of survival were slim, it was hard to accept that such words came from the mouth of a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy.

Curry didn't know how to explain Randall's identity, so he said, "Maybe they're fighting inside... Come on, let's go in too. I'm worried about my men." With that, he pulled Randall forward.

"You? It's you and this..." The colonel was shocked. He never expected that this boy would be Curry's partner.

“We’ll split up. With Little B with you, I’m relatively at ease. You go through the sewers, I’ll storm in through the main entrance. Let’s see where they focus their attention.” Randall smiled, leading Ace across the police line and swaggering into the hospital through the main entrance. The others wanted to stop him, but seeing that Curry wasn’t worried at all, they had no choice but to suppress their suspicions. Not asking questions they shouldn’t ask was a discipline they, as military and police personnel, were bound by.

“His Excellency the General has instructed that we will provide the fullest cooperation if it is your request,” the colonel said sincerely to Curry.

"No, no need. Thank you for your kindness, and please convey my thanks to the General." Curry led Little B toward the sewer manhole.

"Be careful, and good luck!" the colonel said, giving a thumbs-up.

Curry smiled confidently and stepped into the sewer. To avoid getting Little B's fur wet, Curry had to carry Little B along. However, perhaps Randall's strategy of splitting up had worked, as the path was unusually quiet, with only the gurgling sound of water. Curry endured the pungent smell and quickly reached the designated exit.

The exit was located in an inconspicuous corridor on the east side of the building. Curry gently pushed open the manhole cover a crack, and only after confirming there was no unusual movement did he lead Little B out.

He gestured for Little B to be quiet, then tiptoed along the wall to the stairwell entrance, where he saw men in special forces uniforms standing guard at the top of the stairs, guns at the ready. Just as Randall had said, they had met with certain death and were now accomplices of the Corpse Whisperers. If he were to touch them, they would certainly have no pulse or heartbeat by now. However, being corpses also had its advantages; Curry couldn't discern their current mood, and therefore couldn't assess the situation. "If they're highly tense right now, I could throw something to distract them, then approach from behind..." Curry only got halfway through his thought before realizing something was wrong. They weren't living people; how could he use that method against them? They probably didn't even feel tired; they were utter monsters. Thinking this, he stepped back: "Let's go all out, unleash Little B's power, and then go all out!"

At that moment, Little B was suddenly attracted by some noise and ran in the opposite direction, so Curry had no choice but to chase after him.

Little B stopped in front of a heavy door with a sign that read "X-ray Examination Room". The door was slightly ajar, and someone inside was waving.

This was the second time Curry had encountered such a situation. The last time, in the building, Master Guo had called him in just the same way and told him about the Corpse Whisperer. But would he be so lucky again? Could this be a trap deliberately set by the Corpse Whisperer?

As Curry hesitated, someone poked their head out from inside; it was Annie. Almost simultaneously, several other team members ran up from the stairwell, shouting, "Boss, don't go in! Annie has become one of the Corpse Whisperers' henchmen! Come over here; we've basically taken control of the area."