The countdown had begun.
Silently.
There was no ringing clock. No ticking numbers.
Yet Lin Wan could feel it with absolute clarity—
Time was passing, second by second.
And every second… was moving for her.
In the cold, suffocating underground space, the massive crimson eye still hung deep within the thick darkness.
Motionless.
Unblinking.
Unshifting.
And yet—
An indescribable pressure pressed in from all directions, creating a disturbing illusion:
It was breathing.
Silently.
Inhaling and exhaling the fear and malice within the darkness.
"Thud."
A dull footstep shattered the silence once more.
This time—
It didn't come from afar.
It came from right in front of them.
The heavy darkness seemed to be peeled back by an invisible hand. Beneath the crimson eye, a vague outline began to grow.
Not stepping out.
Not appearing out of nowhere.
But like a shadow rooted in darkness—
Spreading, gathering—
Forming into a human shape.
Zhang's breath caught in his throat. His pupils shrank violently.
"…There's someone," he whispered, his voice trembling.
Lin Wan said nothing.
Her pupils contracted uncontrollably, her fingertips turning cold.
Because she knew—
That was not a "person."
The figure became clearer.
Tall. Slender.
Yet its outline was always shrouded in a thin haze, like something soaked in cold water—its edges wavering slightly, unreal.
It stood there.
Completely still.
Then slowly—
It lifted its head.
A face emerged fully from the darkness.
Burnt black.
Cracked.
Its skin looked as though it had been violently scorched by fire, then forcibly pieced back together—covered in dense, bone-deep fissures. Every crack carried a dead gray-black stillness.
Only the eyes remained intact.
Clear.
Cold.
Emotionless.
Yet holding something disturbingly human.
For the first time—
Lin Wan's breathing completely lost its rhythm.
Her heart sank.
It was him.
The one who walked out of the fire.
The only one who never escaped that blaze three years ago.
"You see me."
He spoke slowly.
His voice was hoarse and dry, like something scraped out of a completely burned throat. Every word sounded like it had been forced through charred flesh—grating, unnatural.
Zhang instinctively staggered back, his voice shaking as he shouted:
"Y-you… who the hell are you?!"
The man ignored him entirely.
His gaze never left Lin Wan.
"You're different from them."
His tone was calm. Almost indifferent.
As if stating an undeniable fact.
Lin Wan stared at his burned face, her fingers tightening, nails digging into her palm.
"You're the one killing them?" she asked coldly.
The man suddenly smiled.
Faintly.
His lips stretched into an unnatural curve. The burnt skin cracked softly with a dry crk sound—like dried earth splitting apart.
"Kill?"
He repeated the word, tilting his head slightly, as if carefully considering it.
"No."
He stepped forward.
No sound.
Yet the air instantly grew colder.
"I'm… choosing."
Three simple words.
But they plunged the entire space into freezing cold.
Zhang gritted his teeth, fury and fear blazing in his eyes.
"What about the people who died?! What were they to you?!"
The man paused.
Turned his head slightly.
Thought for a moment.
Then answered lightly—
"Failures."
The word carried no weight.
Yet it struck like a crushing blow.
The air froze.
Breathing became difficult.
Lin Wan's fingers tightened further.
"Why the 'eighth'?" she asked, each word sharp.
For the first time—
A ripple appeared in his cold eyes.
Interest.
Deep.
Almost greedy.
"Because you always forget something."
His voice dropped low, seeping like cold air through bones.
"Fire… doesn't start without reason."
Lin Wan's pupils shrank.
Her mind exploded with realization.
"That fire—"
"Was not an accident."
He cut her off.
Four words.
Like a blade slicing through frozen air.
Zhang turned sharply toward Lin Wan.
"Did you hear that?! It wasn't an accident!"
But Lin Wan didn't respond.
Her mind was racing.
Seven people.
Burned to death.
One left behind.
And now—
That one stood before them, no longer human.
"You didn't survive."
Lin Wan suddenly said, her voice eerily calm.
"You were… left behind."
The man smiled again.
This time, wider.
Almost satisfied.
"Finally… someone understands."
He slowly raised his hand, pointing at his own chest.
"I'm not a survivor."
"I am… a vessel."
Silence.
Absolute.
Zhang's face turned pale.
"What does that mean?! What vessel?!"
The man didn't answer.
Instead, he looked up—
At the crimson eye.
The eye—
Blink.
The entire underground space violently shook.
The walls bulged wildly, as if something massive was slamming against them from behind.
Stronger.
More violent than before.
This time—
It wasn't humans trying to break out.
Something else was trying to come through.
A hand—
Shot out from a crack in the wall.
Not human.
Longer.
Thinner.
Skin gray-blue.
Joints bent at impossible angles.
Claw-like nails twitching.
Then another hand.
From the opposite wall.
Zhang staggered back, pale, cursing:
"What the hell is that?!"
Lin Wan didn't move.
Her eyes locked onto the man.
"You're helping it choose."
He looked at her.
Calm.
Correcting her softly.
"Not helping."
"Continuing."
"Every seven… one remains."
"To become the next 'me.'"
Everything clicked.
Seven dead—
Failures.
The eighth—
Never death.
Replacement.
A new vessel.
Lin Wan's breathing slowed.
Her heart turned cold.
"So… you've been waiting for me."
He nodded.
Interest burning in his eyes.
"Because you can hear what others cannot."
"See what others cannot."
"Endure what others cannot."
He stepped closer.
Pressure surged.
"You are the perfect vessel."
Zhang roared, stepping in front of her, gripping his baton:
"Don't even think about it! I won't let you touch her!"
He charged.
Swung.
"Bang!"
The baton passed straight through the man's body—
Like striking empty air.
Zhang froze.
Before he could react—
The man appeared behind him.
No movement.
As if space itself had folded.
A charred hand rested gently on Zhang's shoulder.
"You're not bad either."
"Strong enough."
His voice whispered beside Zhang's ear.
Zhang's body locked instantly.
Frozen.
Lin Wan's pupils shrank.
"Don't touch him!!"
Too late.
Zhang's shadow—
Moved.
Not following him.
But ahead of him.
It twisted.
Lifted its head.
And slowly—
Smiled at Lin Wan.