Poisson coulé

Chapitre 11

Caesar looked at the hideous female corpses before him with disgust and said, "I don't remember having any concubines!"

"Since you don't believe me, this old servant will have no choice but to let you see for yourself!" Manra finally lost her temper, grabbed something from her bosom, and threw it at the two of them. Caesar's heart tightened, and he dodged to the side while holding Qin Wen, but he didn't realize that it was actually red dust, which seemed to have a life of its own, crawling into their bodies through every pore.

Their bodies seemed to lighten instantly, and the world transformed. It was still a vast expanse of yellow sand, and they looked down from the clouds like angels. A young girl in a red dancer's costume struggled to run across the desert. Her hair was disheveled and obscured her eyes; her strength was waning, and her steps were unsteady. Even so, her beauty remained undiminished despite her unkempt appearance.

Qin Wen was stunned. She was actually the beautiful woman who had appeared in her hallucinations many times—Kui Ji.

The sun grew increasingly scorching. The girl collapsed to the ground, struggled for a moment, but could no longer rise. A faint tinkling of bells drifted over, and a camel caravan slowly emerged from the sand dunes. Leading the way was a young man in a black cloak. He dismounted, picked up the girl, and the moment he brushed her black hair aside, his gaze was fixed on the woman in his arms.

The scene shifts, and Ziyin brings Kuiji back to Saka City. Kuiji tells him that she escaped from Mano Kingdom, and that her sister was killed by the King of Mano, and she wants to avenge her.

Ziyin looked at her intently and said, "I am willing to avenge you. The only condition is that after I destroy the Volgili tribe, you must marry me and become the Queen of Saka."

Kui Ji was stunned for a moment, then revealed a smile that could topple empires. In that instant, the world changed color.

She said, "Okay."

The scene shifts again, showing tens of thousands of soldiers from Saka City marching out of the city. Ziyin, holding Kuiji, stands on the Chengtian Terrace and excitedly tells her, "Kuiji, look, my soldiers will return to you with the head of the King of Mano."

Kui Ji's lips curled into a sinister smile. No, this is not enough. What I want is for all the Volgili people to be condemned to eternal damnation!

Wishing the Saka army a victorious return.

Kui Ji smiled and stretched out her hand, slowly opening her palm. A bright red flower suddenly bloomed in her palm, like a red lotus. The red petals were layered and swayed gracefully in the wind, like a peerless beauty with a captivating power.

The red flowers followed the army, and Kui Ji smiled at Zi Yin, believing it would surely bless our army to victory.

The scene shifts, and the Saka army is marching through the desert, already far from Saka city. Suddenly, a huge red flower floats from the direction of Saka city. The soldiers look up in surprise and see the red flower shatter above their heads, turning into countless red mists that drift down.

The soldiers, bathed in the red mist, were all bewildered, not knowing what was happening. When the red mist dissipated, the general ordered the march to continue, but suddenly their bodies began to crack and shrink, making a series of popping sounds.

Qin Wen and Caesar's expressions turned grim. Tens of thousands of soldiers had turned into countless man-eating ants before their eyes, their bodies jet black and shiny, reflecting a dazzling light in the sunlight.

As if summoned by some force, the man-eating ants lined up neatly and surged toward the city of Saka.

Both of them felt a chill in their hearts.

The scene shifts back to Saka City. On the Chengtian Terrace, the red-clad dancer laughs wildly. Ziyin questions her about why she wants to destroy her own people. She replies that she was born to destroy everything.

Because she is Garuda.

According to Buddhist scriptures such as the Lotus Sutra, Garuda is one of the eight classes of gods and dragons who protect the Buddha. It has various magnificent and precious appearances, a golden body, a wish-fulfilling jewel on its head, and a mournful cry. Every day, it swallows one dragon king and five hundred poisonous dragons. As the poison in its body accumulates, Garuda eventually cannot eat anymore. After flying up and down seven times, it flies to Vajra Wheel Mountain, where the poison takes effect, and its whole body burns itself, leaving only a pure blue crystal heart.

Kui Ji said, "I am like Garuda, with too much poison gathered in my body. Resentment and anger are like poisonous dragons, gnawing at my body every day. After Zhenyan died, I lived for revenge."

The cannibalistic ants, transformed from soldiers, exuded a murderous aura, and coupled with the resentment of the dead people of Saka, they were enough to make the people of Mano wish they were dead.

"You wicked woman!" Enraged, Ziyin raised his sword but couldn't bring himself to stab her. He remained standing on the Chengtian Platform, while the high priest who followed him, whose body was already beginning to rot, urged anxiously, "Your Majesty, kill her!"

With a heavy heart, Ziyin finally brought the sword down, but it pierced his own chest instead. Kuiji was shocked and rushed forward to hug him. His face was deathly pale as he held her hand and asked, "If there is an afterlife, if all resentment disappears, would you be willing to be my wife?"

Kui Ji gazed at him silently, without answering. She knew she could not give him any promises, not even for the next life.

Ziyin closed his eyes in sorrow, and the high priest knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly. "My King of Yin Shang, you are truly foolish!"

Kui Ji ignored him, put Zi Yin down, and looked up. Crimson dark clouds covered the sky. The time was ripe; it was time to carry out her revenge plan.

She gazed in the direction of Manor and murmured, "Zhenyan, wait for me. I will follow this poison of resentment back to Manor, to that place stained with your blood, and use the blood of the Volgili to cleanse our hatred!"

Kui Ji disappeared on the other side of the horizon along with that red cloud. The high priest cursed the demoness to a terrible death, then collapsed beside his master. Sakaar began to fall, enveloped by massive weathered rocks, its inhabitants buried beneath them. The oasis turned into desert, and the people of Sakaar all perished, their bones swallowed by the rocks, turning into mummies, becoming part of the city.

From then on, there was no more Saka city in the world, only the Devil City standing in the desert.

The two of them suddenly opened their eyes, already drenched in sweat. Qin Wen felt ice-cold all over. It turned out that she had committed such an unforgivable and heinous crime in her past life.

Caesar frowned. The scenes he had just witnessed were like watching a cheesy movie to him. He felt nothing at all, only that the man named Ziyin was really stupid, indecisive, and not a man!

“Do you remember now?” Manra pleaded earnestly. “Do you remember this woman who destroyed your country?”

“I’m sorry.” Caesar gave a helpless look. “I still have no memory of anything, Uncle Manra. I’ve said it before, I’m not a Buddhist.”

Manra's face was filled with despair. Could more than two thousand years really erase all memories? If the lord could not remember his past, then why was he still embracing that femme fatale?

With a fierce grit of her teeth, Manra took two steps forward on her knees and said, "Your Majesty, please kill this woman!"

Qin Wen's heart skipped a beat. Instinctively, she pushed Caesar away and took a step back. Immediately, two rotting corpses pounced on her. She quickly threw a punch, hitting one of the corpses in the face, and then turned and delivered a spinning kick, snapping the corpse's neck.

More rotting corpses surged forward. Qin Wen fought off several, already panting heavily. In a moment of carelessness, two corpses grabbed her arms. She struggled desperately, looking at Caesar in terror. Manra continued to plead, "Your Majesty, please kill her! If you kill her, we will all be free, and you can forever escape the shadow of your past life and continue your noble life."

Caesar's eyebrows twitched: "Didn't you say that only she could retrieve that treasure from the Sacred Pagoda Cemetery?"

Manra paused, hesitated for a moment, and said, "That is indeed the case. However, are the hundreds of thousands of people in Saka City not as valuable as the Sacred Buddhist Stupa Cemetery?"

Caesar's gaze slowly shifted to Qin Wen. A cold sensation spread across Qin Wen's back, and her heart pounded so hard it made her scalp tingle.

"You mean..." Caesar seemed somewhat tempted, "that if I kill her, I can leave this Devil's City?"

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Manra was overjoyed. “As long as you kill her, we will all be free.”

The dark muzzle of the gun slowly rose, pointing at Qin Wen's forehead. Qin Wen stared at the Italian Beretta 92F pistol in front of her, her body trembling involuntarily. She had seen guns before in Princess Zhaoling's tomb, but this time she truly felt a fear she had never felt before.

That's the instinct for death.

"Kill her, Your Majesty!" Manra cried out, and tens of thousands of rotting corpses screamed in unison, almost shaking the castle itself.

"Kill her!"

"Kill her!"

The shrill voice made Qin Wen feel dizzy. The murderous aura in Caesar's eyes made it hard for her to breathe. Clearly, this was not the first time he had killed someone, and it probably wouldn't be the last.

Why? Why must she pay the price for her actions in her past life, even though it's already over? Whether she was evil or righteous, everything is just yesterday's glory. If everyone has to be bound by their past lives, then what's the point of this life?

This life is not for atonement, but for a fresh start.

She didn't want to die here!

“I’m sorry,” Caesar said coldly, “I have no grudge against you, but I don’t want to have anything to do with this city.”

Qin Wen's heart tightened, she bit her lower lip, and closed her eyes tightly.

"Bang--"

A sharp gunshot rang out, and everyone sitting in the hall jolted, all looking up at the ceiling.

“Situ…” Yin Li tugged at Situ Xiang’s sleeve and said, “Just now… was that a gunshot?”

Situ Xiang didn't speak, but suddenly stood up and rushed into the strange tower. Yin Li's heart skipped a beat. Could it be... Xiao Wen? She gasped, gritted her teeth, and followed Situ inside.

The spiral staircase winds its way up around the massive stone pillars. The two arrived at the place that had just been separated by the apocalyptic mural, only to find that the wall that had suddenly appeared had vanished without a trace, and in front of them was still the spiral staircase going upwards.

The two exchanged a glance, as if realizing something, and felt a chill run down their spines. They rushed forward, rounded the corner, and a wide-open door appeared before them, light streaming in from outside. Without thinking twice, they rushed out, only to be completely stunned, speechless.

It was a tall rooftop building, but the rooftop was empty except for Caesar and Qin Wen.

Caesar held an Italian Beretta 92F pistol in his hand, the muzzle still emitting blue smoke, while Qin Wen lay on the ground, bright red liquid flowing from her chest, staining her snow-white T-shirt with a bewitching flower pattern.

At that moment, Yin Li felt as if her heart had shattered like a glass falling to the ground. She could barely think; her mind was completely blank.

"Xiao...Xiao Wen..." Yin Li murmured, rushing over to pick her up. "Xiao Wen! Don't scare me, open your eyes, please, open your eyes!"

She screamed, but Qin Wen lay motionless in her arms.

"No, Xiaowen! This is a lie, this must be a lie!" Yin Li's hands trembled as she touched her pulse; there was no heartbeat, and the veins on her wrists were lifeless.

"No—" Yin Li's pupils dilated rapidly. She turned around abruptly and saw Caesar standing to the side. She stood up and lunged at him, grabbing his collar and demanding sharply, "Why did you kill her? Why did you kill Xiao Wen? You beast!"

Caesar raised his eyes, gave her a cold look, and said, "Who are you? What gives you the right to question me?"

"I'm Xiaowen's best friend!" Yin Li tugged at his clothes and shrieked, "You kidnapped her, fine, but why did you have to kill her? What did she ever do to you that you treated her like this?"

"Xiao Li, calm down!" Situ Xiang pulled her away from Caesar. No matter what, this man was still holding a gun. "You're Antonio Caesar?"

Caesar's gaze remained cold: "And who are you?"

“Their friend.” Situ Xiang calculated in his mind how to take him down. If he couldn’t subdue him in one blow, the bullet in that pistol would be going to visit his heart.

“I had no choice.” Caesar sighed, glancing back at the corner of the rooftop. It was then that Situ Xiang noticed there was a third person on the rooftop, but that person was not alive.

It was a desiccated, decaying corpse, wrapped in modern clothing, lying there stiffly with a satisfied smile on its face, as if its wish had been fulfilled and it had ascended to the Western Paradise.

A strange light flashed in Situ Xiang's eyes. Could this withered corpse be the sorcerer Manra from the South Seas that the mercenaries were talking about?

"Mara?" A voice came from the doorway. Marcie, supported by Miller and Hughes, walked in and looked at the corpse with a puzzled expression. "How did he end up like this? Is it a side effect of practicing black magic?"

“Countless rotting corpses appeared in the city just now,” Caesar said, toying with the gun in his hand. “They forced me to kill Miss Qin. I just didn’t want to die here.”

"You're talking nonsense!" Yin Li shouted angrily. "What rotting corpse! We were just in Saka City, and we didn't see any rotting corpses at all!"

Caesar was taken aback. He glanced at everyone present and, confirming that she was not lying, felt a chill in his heart. Could it be that what he had just seen was just an illusion?

Or perhaps, those are memories that belong only to the two of them?

"Believe it or not, it's up to you." A cold glint flashed in Caesar's eyes. "If you want revenge, you can do it anytime. I don't mind having some fun with you."

A surge of anger erupted from Yin Li's chest, and tears involuntarily streamed down her cheeks, leaving streaks on her fair and rosy face. If Situ Xiang hadn't forcefully grabbed her wrist, she would have already rushed forward and used the most terrible methods to make this bastard wish he were dead.

"Situ Xiang!" Yin Li shouted at the man behind her, "Let me go!"

"Xiao Li, you must calm down!"

"How can you expect me to stay calm! It wasn't your friend who died, how could you possibly understand my feelings!" Yin Li shouted hysterically at him. He was stunned, as if he had just realized something, and a look of pain appeared on his face. How could he not understand? Three years ago, his close friend and partner entered that strange Buddhist pagoda cemetery and never came out again. He didn't even know if he was dead or alive.

“This is a mummified corpse from over two thousand years ago.” Min Enjun squatted down beside the body and examined it carefully. “Although the exact year cannot be determined, there is no doubt that this is an ancient corpse. This person’s body was already decomposed before death, and after death, it suddenly suffered some kind of violent change and became a mummified corpse.”

Thirteen, Tomb Raider Alliance

Everyone fell silent, their gazes fixed on the corpse. A feeling of surprise and fear spread and grew in their hearts like vines.

Caesar's face gradually turned pale. If Manra had been dead for over two thousand years, then what had stayed by his side for the past twenty years was a rotting corpse.

Yin Li walked to the corpse and carefully examined every joint. His brows furrowed more and more. He turned back and glared at Caesar, saying, "The joints of this corpse are all immobile. If he really came to this place with you to explore, his bones would have fallen apart long ago. How could he be so intact as he is now?"

A chilling gaze shifted towards her, but Yin Li looked back without fear. Qin Wen was dead, and death meant nothing to her. In her current state, she was invincible.

"What do you mean?" Caesar asked coldly.

“There was never any Manra,” Yin Li sneered. “He was just a character you made up, an excuse to kill Xiao Wen!”

Caesar's eyes grew even colder, while Min Eun-joon, still sporting a bewitching smile, slowly said, "Miss Eun, I'm sorry, but you seem to be mistaken. We all clearly saw that old man named Manra."

"I even witnessed him casting a spell on your friend." Miller said expressionlessly. Yin Li felt another pang of pain in her heart. How much suffering had Xiao Wen endured these past few days?

Tears streamed down her face. She glared fiercely at Miller and Min Eun-joon and said, "Who knows if you two are his accomplices?"

Situ Xiang knew that she had completely lost the ability to distinguish right from wrong at this moment. He tried to go over and pull her back, but it was too late. She took out a small glass bottle the size of a little finger from her small backpack and threw it hard on the ground. With the sound of the glass shattering, Situ Xiang's body temperature dropped to tens of degrees below zero. He knew that this thing was definitely more dangerous than the "bone-attached maggot".

He suddenly felt a strong urge to run away, even though it would be shameful to do so.