Kind Cultivation - Chapter 42

Surprisingly, nothing much happens as I wait. A few people pass by, including some of the prostitutes from the other day. As they pass, they giggle, look back toward the fancy building, and keep walking. Not even going to try to guess what is going on there.

At one point, I can even see one of the kids that Gong had spoken to jumping from the top of one building to the next. I wave, but it seems they weren’t looking over here. Some people who were apparently watching me, look in that direction and then at each other, then shuffle off.

With that strange interaction out of the way, I can actually hear Gong saying her goodbyes and coming up from behind the building.

With a massive smile on her face, she grabs my hand, practically rushing me to the alley nearby.

“So, how did it go? Am I okay to assume well, with that awesome smile on?”

With a few quick nods, it is clear that she is quite excited about whatever happened. Maybe I should hav… nah, it’s not right to listen in on my friend’s conversations.

“I can’t say too much out here, but we just got some great news. Surprisingly, it seems that you played a bit of a part in it. We’ve made some pretty powerful allies today, other than Big Sis Crane, of course.”

With a brief look around, she remarks, “We should get home quickly, so that we can discuss this more.”

Practically pulling me along, we head back through the alleyways. She initially takes a straight path, but then realizes what she is doing. From that point, we begin taking a longer way around again.

However, from my scan, it appears someone is running behind us.

“Gong, someone is heading on a beeline straight towards us… It looks like it’s one of Big Sister Crane’s people.” Gong immediately

I extend my scan in that direction, to get a better idea of what’s going on. We can barely hear the echo of something, but my scan reveals what they were trying to tell us.

“Gong… There are 10 people, with people on each of their arms jumping on the buildings. They are coming towards us; they are coming from the street and quickly! It’s the Vermillion Stripes!”

Almost with a confused look, she seems to not comprehend my words. As if she doesn’t understand why they would do this. She quickly snaps out of it and yells at me, “James! You need to run, NOW!”

Immediately, I begin to sprint away. Behind and around me, I can see spiders begin to congregate, flowing towards her. In the corner of my eye, I can see men with red stripes painted on their faces, jumping over the buildings, dropping men off. I can barely see one of them pointing at me as I turn the corner.

The sounds of battle fill my ears, from behind me. I can already hear men being thrown into walls and the tortured screams of a man, going higher and higher, until something seems to change the sound of it. As if his throat was filled. As I run away, my scan shows many, many, more men jumping on the rooftops, towards Gong’s location. Fire and water, lightning and rocks, are being thrown at her.

This is an ambush.

No, this is a full-on assault.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. Where do I need to go?! I don’t know what, SHIT they’re coming!

As I run randomly, I start using my scan to chart the best way to get away from the people chasing me. Unfortunately, I can hear a man with two others on him chasing. And getting closer by the second.

Even with my increased abilities, I can’t seem to get away from this guy! How the hell do I outrun and maneuver someone who can literally hop around on top of buildings!

As I continue to run, the scan leads me to an open alleyway, but stops there. What?! No no no, this can’t be happening, why did it stop?!…

oh no. Does this mean that there’s no othe..

As I look back at where I had run from, I feel and intense and crushing pain, as I suddenly see a dark shadow dancing in front of my eyes… moving quickly along the ground.

Oh. I’m flying. As I crash into the nearby wall.

Everything hurts like hell. Especially my head and back. I can’t move. As I think this, I feel a fist hit my face, definitely breaking it. I’m pretty sure literally. I feel my face practically shatter in pain and I hear gurgled screaming.

It’s me. It’s fucking me.

I feel a few more punches of pain, as I sense my throat collapse in sharply.

I can’t breathe! It hurts! It hurts so much!

I dim in and out of consciousness, as I can hear the men who beat the hell out of me, speak. I can barely see the silhouette of three people.

“I think this…… passerb….oss… He…eally quick, b…….. If he we…..chemist, he would have done something ab…. it”

Ugghhh, wha… what’s going on? Was this a hit? I can feel the pain going away, if slowly. I can hear a little better too. It’s so hard to think.

“You….ight…. stay here and watch… guy. If he liv…e’ll see what he knows la…. I’ll head ..ack. Looks like they need reinforcement.”

I can hear a crack in the ground, as two of them leave. Out of my growingly working eye, I can see one silhouette scratch his head and look around. He’s not even looking this way. He appears to be looking in the distance. I can him mutter, “What the hell’s going on over there…?”

Ughhh… I don’t want to die. Shit, this hurts.

Slowly, my head begins to hurt less, as time begins to pass slowly.

Okay, okay. Calm down, James. There are so many things I could have done better with this, but I can do something now. I need to heal myself, summon whatever insects are nearby, and overwhelm this guy.

First things first, I flood myself with healing aura, while he is turned away. Over the next 20 seconds, I heal as much as I can. And it feels fucking amazing. However, just as I summon insects, the guy turns around to look at me.

“Wha…”

I don’t let him finish his statement, kicking him in the jaw and leaping to my feet. The guy is thrown back, but I don’t wait to see what he does.

Using my plan of summoning insects and creatures, I run down an alleyway in the opposite direction from where that cultivator guy went. All the while, I tame any insects that are ahead and around this area. My mana pool is not empty, but I have less than a 10th of it left.

A quick look behind me shows an extremely pissed off guy with a bleeding mouth chasing me, knife in hand, but losing ground fast.

But that isn’t all I see.

Behind the guy, far in the distance, is an immense column of darkness, reaching the height of a small skyscraper.

Writhing. Squirming. Devouring. Glee.

I can see the hint of a body jump out of the column, flame jetting out from his feet, only for a whip like appendage to grab him and slowly drag him back in. Fire spewing on the darkness, but unable to stop them.

The light fades.

Are those… the spiders?

My arm points to the column behind him, as I continue to run. He does a quick look behind him, but then shudders to a stop. I keep running a little, as the insects I’ve called begin coalescing around his feet. He has no idea.

Stopping at what I feel is a safe distance, I get the now sizeable number of insects to now assault the gaping mouthed man.

I use the method that Ai had suggested, to my shame. I refuse to give him a chance. This man would kill me, given the chance. After having his attention fully and completely consumed by the insects attempting to assault him, I have them enter his mouth, suffocating him.

As the column in the distance flows downward, I have the insects muffle and consume the man. There is nothing like seeing a literal wave of insects wash into and over a man repeatedly, as he flails about… unable to even scream as he is eaten alive. After a short period of time, the attempts to scream stop. Shortly after, he stops moving.

The waves keeping coming in a sickening efficiency. Almost in concert with each other, the different bugs seem to flow under and around each other in the best way to rip off the skin and pass it to be devoured by others. So flow into and then under his skin. Only to erupt in a different area of the body.

Even on nature television… I’ve never seen anything like this. And the connection I have to them lets me feel every piece of it.

I realize I’m on the ground, having fallen down subconsciously. Unable to turn away… or to stop what I have started.

Within minutes there is almost nothing left of the man’s body, not even his clothes. All, except bones. Even that, is being chewed into by some beetle like creatures. The only thing that remains intact, is his knife. A quick scan reveals that it is completely ordinary.

By this time, I have already thrown up… with the insects eating that as well.

I… don’t want to use this method again. I… can’t. I just can’t.

My hands shiver as the only thing left in my eyes, is the clear memory of insects pouring into the man’s face holes, eating and hollowing them as he silently struggles and screams.