All Realms and Worlds: The Lost Home

Boom—!

The last wisp of dark, ghostly energy vanished with a roar!

The eerie eggplant-faced figure, who had slaughtered countless lives with utterly cruel methods, vanished completely from the ruined street, leaving not a trace behind.

The entire deserted, eerie city street finally returned to complete tranquility.

But this calmness offered no comforting warmth; instead, it was chillingly eerie, penetrating to the bone.

There were no cheers, no celebrations; all those who survived were now utterly exhausted and filled with lingering fear.

Ning Ye knelt on the ground, his hands gripping the cold floor tightly, his muscles twitching wildly and aching terribly.

The berserk outburst from the desperate situation just now almost drained the last bit of blood and energy from his body.

In particular, the inexplicable surge of immense force overdrawn his physical potential, and now the aftereffects have fully manifested.

My limbs felt weak, my hands and feet were numb, and my whole body felt as heavy as if it were filled with lead. I had completely lost the strength to even lift my hand.

My vision blurred, my ears were ringing, my mind was foggy, and even standing up became a luxury.

"Huff... huff..."

Heavy, rapid breathing continued, Ning Ye's chest heaving violently, each breath accompanied by a tearing, piercing pain.

He tried to stand up by pushing himself up from the ground, but as soon as he exerted a little force with his arms, he staggered forward uncontrollably and couldn't support his body at all.

"Oh no... I'm completely exhausted..."

Ning Ye's heart sank, and a deep sense of powerlessness welled up inside him.

On the other side, the girl in the yoga outfit, who had just unleashed her lightning powers and blasted the strange creature to pieces, was in even worse shape than Ning Ye!

She collapsed to the ground, her body aching all over. The pale blue electric light that had been swirling around her fists completely went out, and she couldn't muster even a trace of it.

The overload of her martial arts abilities caused her meridians to ache, her dantian to feel empty, her clothes to be soaked with cold sweat, and she was on the verge of collapse.

When I was fighting like crazy, all I knew was to fight desperately. The surge of adrenaline masked all the pain. Now that the crisis is over, all the backlash is coming at me instantly.

She clutched her chest and coughed incessantly, her face ashen and bloodless, too weak even to lift her head.

"It's over... I'm completely drained of strength... My hands and feet don't feel like my own anymore..."

The girl in the yoga outfit spoke in a weak, hoarse voice, filled with exhaustion and lingering fear:

"That all-out attack just now... completely depleted my trump cards... Now I can't even run away, let alone kill any monsters..."

Both of them were completely exhausted and lost their ability to fight, and even their basic mobility.

This scene made the surviving fugitives nearby tense up instantly, and they all gathered around.

The seven or eight survivors who had just been chased and terrified by the eggplant-faced monster had all come to their senses.

They watched clearly as Ning Ye and the girl in the yoga outfit went berserk and single-handedly killed the unsolvable high-level monster head-on!

These two people are their saviors!

"Brother! Are you alright? Can you stand up straight?"

A middle-aged man with a blood-stained face and a sturdy build quickly stepped forward and reached out to help Ning Ye.

"They both looked extremely weak, completely exhausted, and couldn't even walk!"

A young woman wearing glasses frowned and spoke anxiously:

"It's not safe here! The monsters in this haunted city are endless. The fight we just did was too loud; it will definitely attract other monsters!"

"We must evacuate immediately and find a secluded building to hide and rest!"

"Yes, yes, yes! We can't stay on the open streets! It's too dangerous!"

"The eggplant-shaped ghost is dead, but who knows when the next one will appear!"

The crowd echoed each other, and a sense of unease filled the air. Having experienced the life-and-death massacre, no one dared to underestimate the danger of this eerie city.

Someone quickly scanned the surroundings and immediately locked onto a dilapidated six-story residential building next to the street.

The building had dilapidated doors and windows and mottled walls, but it had enclosed rooms and corridors, making it the safest refuge at the moment.

"Look! That apartment building! Let's hurry and hide inside!"

"Enclosed spaces are much safer than open streets. Let's go inside and rest until the two big shots have recovered their strength!"

The middle-aged man immediately made a decision and spoke decisively:

"Don't just stand there! Everyone, lend a hand! Let's carry these two benefactors inside!"

"They risked their lives to save us all; we can't just stand by and watch them collapse here and die!"

As soon as he finished speaking, several strong male survivors immediately stepped forward to divide the tasks.

Two people carefully supported Ning Ye, who was completely exhausted, while the other two helped the swaying girl in yoga clothes.

Someone reached out and took Nancy's hand, who was still shaken, and gently comforted her, "Don't be afraid, little girl, come with us, you're safe now."

Nancy clutched her clothes tightly, her eyes still fixed on Ning Ye, and whispered, "I want to stay with big brother..."

"Okay, okay, let's go together and never separate."

The group of people didn't dare to delay for a moment. They moved quickly and carefully supported Ning Ye and the other person, running fast towards the residential building.

The group was disorganized yet orderly, with everyone on edge, alert to any movement around them.

No one noticed a completely inconspicuous, dark corner at the very back of the crowd.

A little girl, who looked about seven or eight years old and was wearing a tattered floral dress, was standing alone in the same spot.

She was a survivor in the fleeing group. She was silent and inconspicuous throughout, and no one paid any attention to her.

Everyone's attention was focused on the exhausted Ning Ye, the girl in yoga clothes, and the refuge building in front of them.

No one turned around, no one noticed, and no one realized the strangeness in the sky above the street.

Huhu——

A cool, gloomy breeze gently swept across the dilapidated streets, stirring up fine dust and dry fallen leaves.

The eerie laughter of children, which had seemed to have faded away, suddenly returned.

Hehe...hehehe...

The laughter was extremely soft and distant, ethereal and fleeting, as if it were transmitted faintly to the ear through a thick layer of air.

The volume was kept extremely low, perfectly masked by the footsteps, breathing, and conversations of the crowd.

It is completely undetectable under normal circumstances, so subtle that it is like an illusion.

At the same time, a pink balloon, about the size of a palm, slowly floated out from the shadows of the alleyway.

The balloon was a bright pink, looking exceptionally cute and adorable, without a trace of fright.

If you don't look closely, you'll just think it's an ordinary children's toy, making you lower your guard.

The balloon floated lightly and slowly in mid-air, swaying gently in the wind, and drifted little by little toward the little girl in the floral dress in the corner.

rustling—

The thin rubber film on the surface of the balloon makes a faint friction sound, so gentle that it is almost imperceptible.

The little girl's previously dull and timid eyes suddenly lit up the moment she saw the pink balloon.

Children's innate love for balloons made her completely forget the horror of this eerie city and the lurking danger of death.

She stared blankly at the pink balloons floating by, her eyes filled with pure curiosity and joy.

"Balloons...such pretty balloons..."

The little girl murmured softly, her tender voice sweet and innocent, just like any other child.

She looked around and saw that everyone was hurrying forward, and no one was looking back at her.

A sense of loneliness welled up inside her, and the beautiful balloon in front of her became her only solace at that moment.

The little girl instinctively raised her delicate white hand and gently reached for the floating pink balloon.

Her movements were slow and gentle, with the careful joy of a child, as if afraid of disturbing the beautiful balloon.

pat.

The moment the fingertip lightly touched the rubber balloon, a very soft sound rang out.

It feels soft and warm to the touch, just like a regular balloon, with nothing unusual about it.

A pure smile instantly appeared on the little girl's face, and she gently tightened her grip on the balloon string.

But the very next moment after she grasped the balloon string!

A bizarre and sudden change occurred!

laugh--!

A faint, sharp, strange sound of rubber stretching suddenly rang out!

The originally smooth, flat, and adorable pink balloon surface, with its faintly printed smiley face, suddenly began to twist and writhe!

Wisps of dark mist seeped silently from inside the balloon, spreading along the lines of the smiley face.

Cluck cluck...cluck cluck cluck...

The eerie friction sound continued, and the printed smiley face was slowly cracking open!

It wasn't that the balloon was broken or cracked, but rather that the smiley face pattern seemed to come alive, tearing, enlarging, and rising on its own!

The faint smile lines instantly split into an enormous, exaggerated, and bizarre gape!

His lips curled upwards to the very edge of the balloon, forming an extremely ferocious and mocking laugh!

Within the hollow, black slit of its mouth, one could vaguely see countless tiny, sharp teeth, a truly terrifying sight!

The originally sweet child's laughter instantly changed tone!

Hehe... Hehehe... Hehehe...

The laughter, which had been innocent and soft, suddenly turned cold, hoarse, distorted, and grotesque, as if the voices of a child and a demon were overlapping!

The cold laughter echoed directly in the little girl's ear, drilling into her eardrum and invading her mind!

Even more terrifying is that only the little girl can hear this eerie laughter!