Rules-related weird stories: 4016.

Chapter 661 "The Corpse Masses"

……

Deep inside the gallery, you can actually leave the gallery and reach the outer wall of the art building.

However, Kuai Hongji did not take this path, but instead plunged headlong into an area darker than darkness itself.

It was a dark place where even the glow of an old kerosene lamp was suppressed to an area only the size of a person's outstretched palm. Darkness and coldness seemed to be the eternal theme here, and once someone entered, they would fall into endless confusion.

However, Kuai Hongji would not.

He seemed to have found something in the dark, and then, as if passing through a large field of cotton, he passed through some kind of barrier.

When his foot landed, he was standing on huge blue stone bricks, surrounded by a closed, oppressive, and suffocating cylindrical environment—a stairwell that formed the Fibonacci sequence.

This is the stairwell below the clock tower.

Kuai Hongji took a shortcut to get here.

He lowered his head slightly. In the dark abyss beneath the spiral of the Fibonacci sequence, mist floated, its depths unfathomable.

He began to slowly descend the steps.

Walk and walk, walk and walk...

The steps seemed to be endless.

So Kuai Hongji stopped and jumped down the steps.

In that instant, the originally distorted Fibonacci sequence steps seemed to come alive and unfolded into a twisted ribbon. When the ribbon was joined end to end, it formed a Möbius strip.

"He really is self-isolated..." Kuai Hongji shook his head helplessly, identified a spot, and plunged in.

The next moment, the Möbius strip transformed into a Fibonacci spiral, and Kuai Hongji entered a deeper layer of the well from the spiral in the stairwell.

There was no wind in the deep well, but the well water made a gurgling sound, as if it were filled with invisible waves.

Gray mist was still seeping through the cracks in the inner wall of the deep well. This gray mist floated on the surface of the seawater at the bottom of the well like cotton wool, covering the part of the corpse in the well that extended above the water like a thick quilt.

However, the iron chains extending from the corpse and nailed to the well wall were clearly visible in the mist.

The iron chains were covered with a viscous black liquid secreted from the corpses, which seeped into the moss on the inner walls of the deep well.

The other end of the chain was nailed to the inner wall of the deep well, which was already covered with moss.

Kuai Hongji's gaze followed the iron chain down, extending into the gray mist: "Even if Old Lin just came by, you don't need to isolate yourself, do you?"

Kuai Hongji's voice drifted down like a feather.

"Clang!"

The corpse trembled slightly, causing the iron chains to snap.

"Splash splash splash..."

The well water sloshed, and the gray mist slowly parted.

"Clang clang clang..."

The thick iron chain trembled slightly, and the mangled corpse slowly rose to the surface of the water.

For the first time ever, a smile appeared on Kuai Hongji's face. However, this smile, combined with the dim light of the old kerosene lamp, made it appear even more sinister and eerie.

"Long time no see... 'The Butcher'."

The butcher's corpse emitted a fluctuation, an extension of his will: [If I were to isolate myself, even across three thousand worlds, I could still sense your presence… But, how should I address you now?]

Kuai Hongji lowered his eyelids slightly: "Whatever."

[Then... let's stick to the original feeling, "Yin Bi".]

Kuai Hongji's eye twitched slightly: "I don't really like this title."

"What?" asked the corpse of "The Butcher".

"Someone has already used it, and I don't want you two to get entangled together," Kuai Hongji said.

"[There's such a thing... Interesting.]" The "Butcher" suddenly realized something. "[Wait, could it be...?]"

Kuai Hongji nodded: "That's right."

[Hehehe...] The Butcher's corpse burst into laughter, causing the entire deep well to shake violently, as if the sky were collapsing and the earth were sinking. [It seems you not only kept your promises, but your actions far exceeded your words!]

Very good, excellent...

"Speak, speak! Lin Yi's will leap has already passed not long ago, and now you've come again. It seems the time is ripe?"

Kuai Hongji said, "The time is almost ripe, but the preparations are still a little lacking."

Just tell me what you want me to do?

"You don't need to do anything, just wait for the right opportunity."

【That's it? 】

"That's it."

"Is that all? Then why did you make the trip yourself?!" The "Butcher" corpse was somewhat bewildered.

"I rarely have a little extra time, so I came to see you," Kuai Hongji said. "You don't believe me?"

"If you talk nonsense again, I'll throw you back to the outpost!" The "Butcher" corpse sneered. "Anyone else but you, I'd believe you if they said they were coming to see me. But you're the only one I don't believe at all."

“Alright…” Kuai Hongji said with a hint of helplessness, “It seems you’re still holding a grudge about some of his offenses.”

"I'll be wary of anyone who bears even the slightest resemblance to the 'Master Craftsman,' let alone someone like you?" the Butcher's Corpse scoffed. "Spit it out."

"After all these years, you've already gotten impatient after just a few words. Can't you go back to that long-lost joy you had at the beginning?"

【three two……】

"Alright, alright... I'll get a piece of spine." Kuai Hongji shrugged. "Take it and go."

[Get lost!!! What do you take my spine for? Lin Yi has already gone a bit further, and you want to go even further? If you had done this earlier, you might as well have just divided my corpse up in the first place!]

"I was thinking... but if it weren't for the law stopping me..."

【roll--!!!】

The deep well trembled, and gray mist instantly enveloped Kuai Hongji, launching him directly out.

The layers around Kuai Hongji seemed to seep through his body like rotten spinach leaves, and in the blink of an eye, he was thrown into the stairwell and sat down on the cold bluestone slab.

An old kerosene lamp was also thrown out, hitting him squarely in the chest.

But behind the old kerosene lamp, there was a dark section of spine, which smashed straight at his head.

"Knock!"

The spine struck Kuai Hongji's head with a crisp sound. [Tch, what a good brain!]

In my ears, I heard the laughter and curses of the "Butcher's" corpse.

Kuai Hongji carefully tucked the spine away, smiled, then stood up, picked up the old kerosene lamp, and turned around.

Behind him was the exit of the stairwell.

He pushed open the door and re-entered the darkness of the gallery.

He then slowly walked from the darkness of the gallery into this area of ​​the gallery, and then slowly left the gallery.

……

X023年5月12日，1:42。

Kuai Hongji carried an old kerosene lamp as he walked along the path leading to the observatory. As he moved, his surroundings began to deteriorate, the ceiling seemed to stretch further from the ground, and the stone pillars on either side appeared to grow even older.

Soon, he arrived at the corridor filled with broken sculptures of mythical beasts or strange creatures.

"Qilin..."

"brave troops……"

"Xiang Liu..."

"Feathered Serpent..."

"Nine-Headed Serpent..."

“Nidhogg…”

"Fenrir..."

Kuai Hongji seemed to be revisiting a familiar place, admiring the scenery in the corridor and looking at the mysterious symbols carved on the stone pillars, which were full of blasphemous meaning, as he slowly moved forward.

Before long, a damp atmosphere began to seep in, which meant that Kuai Hongji was approaching the hall in front of the observatory.

As they reached the end of the corridor, the ductwork made Kuai Hongji's thin clothes flutter in the wind, and the flame of the old kerosene lamp seemed to sway in the glass shade where there was no wind.

He walked out of the corridor and into the hall that was quite similar to the lobby of the art building.

The dome of this hall is filled with Western Genesis-like religious works, but in a more cult and retro style.

Inside the hall, the veteran art students and the fanatical leaders remained locked in a stalemate, repeatedly rewriting each other through will and cognition, like two waves of hackers constantly clashing using their respective codes in a virtual, layered world.

The space in the hall twisted and shifted, creating layers upon layers of illusions. This was the clash of wills across layers, and the resulting forms reflected in reality.

Kuai Hongji's arrival once again brought this confrontation to a close.

Both groups turned to look at him.

None of those who have made it this far have had an easy time.

Whether they are seasoned art students or fanatics, they all act in teams. If they act alone, they might not even be able to withstand the pollution of that dilapidated corridor of strange beast sculptures and would sink into depravity, turning into unknown and eerie creatures.

Therefore, a person who walks alone through the corridor could easily become the outlier that disrupts the balance of power once they take action, and neither side dares to take that risk.

But when the two groups noticed the old kerosene lamp in Kuai Hongji's hand, they suddenly paused.

"A kerosene lamp...?"

"The dormitory manager...?"

"Wait... why is the dorm supervisor here?"

"Could he be fucking lost? But... getting lost to this extent is really hard to believe..."

The veteran art students exchanged information cautiously.

Then, someone closer to Kuai Hongji asked, "Who are you? What brings you here? Where are you going?"

Kuai Hongji paused, asking, "Who am I? Why did I come here, and where am I going?"

He was stunned for a moment. After all these years, have all the art students at the Black Moon Outpost started studying such philosophical and dialectical questions?
The veteran art student was stunned for a moment, thinking to himself, "What the hell? I was just asking a simple question, why are you taking so long to think about it?"

They have ulterior motives, absolutely ulterior motives!
Kuai Hongji thought about it carefully, and then gave a concise reply: "Just passing by."

"..."

and many more!

"Just passing by"? That familiar taste!

A scene that had just occurred to them flashed into everyone's minds, and then the scene was summed up in three words—"a gang!"

"It's you?!" Among the fanatical leaders, someone seemed to recognize Kuai Hongji and exclaimed in fury.

Many people turned their attention to this fanatical leader.

"not me."

He could become a leader among the fanatics.

"It was you who destroyed the matrix we painstakingly built on campus! It was you!" The fanatical leader pointed at Kuai Hongji, his deep-set eyes beneath his cloak seeming to burn with a dark flame.

Kuai Hongji glanced at it. Since he had been recognized, he was too lazy to deny it and said directly, "Your direction is wrong, and you were wrong from the very beginning."

"What...what did you say?! What are you saying?!" the fanatical leader asked in disbelief and terror.

As Kuai Hongji spoke, he slowly walked out of the art student group and slowly walked towards the fanatics.

The art students made way for him as he moved slowly, and they all pricked up their ears with curiosity, listening to what Kuai Hongji was about to say.

They did not stop Kuai Hongji because they vaguely realized that the dialectic between the art student and the fanatic, where both sides were trying to steer the other toward their side, might come to a historic end at any moment!

What's most fatal is that Kuai Hongji didn't even attempt to engage in any debate with the fanatics from the very beginning. He started by saying, "You guys were wrong from the very first step," directly negating all the countless efforts they had made over the years and delivering a brutal blow to their faith.

Kuai Hongji spoke unhurriedly, and in this less "academic" discourse, he spoke relatively more: "Don't I know? Your path originates from 'Grandpa'—an 'apprentice' who, during the Black Moon Bloodbath, considered himself clever and chose to protect himself, a cowardly traitor who only glimpsed the whole picture through a small part."

"He went down a dead end, yet he didn't know where he went wrong, so he released his research notes, encouraging some uninformed members of the 'Black Moon Apostles' to conduct research, which ultimately gave rise to your branch—the 'Bone Clan'—which you believe is undergoing a 'glorious evolution.'"

Upon hearing the words "corpse-bone masses," the veteran art students were still clueless, and even some of the fanatical leaders were confused. However, a few obviously "highly respected" fanatical leaders had drastic changes in expression.

Others don't know the reason, they just think you're like this because of excessive fanaticism in your faith, so they call you "fanatics."

“But only you, no, you don’t know enough either, only him, him, him, and…” Kuai Hongji pointed to them one by one, each one a highly accomplished leader among the fanatics, “and some others, I won’t list them all, only you know in your hearts, your true name should be ‘The Corpse Clan’…”

"Your base isn't actually at 'Black Moon Outpost,' but rather in the rift between the S City University campus and Black Moon Outpost—that is, the Art Building. And that's not all; for added security, 'Grandpa' used the 'Returning Tide' to overwrite your base, turning it into 'Forest of Corpses.'"

Kuai Hongji spoke casually, as if he knew all of this by heart.

However, none of the people present who heard his words could remain calm.

(End of this chapter)