Era of Mist

Recalling what he had seen, Zhou Xiong’s face finally showed an undisguised terror. “Brother Zun, can you imagine it? They’d be talking, and then suddenly they’d just stop. Their expressions would get all rigid. Out of a whole table of people, more than half of them would just be staring straight ahead. It would take a long time before they’d suddenly snap out of it, like waking up from a dream, and then they’d start rambling again.”

“Everyone else was terrified!” Zhou Nan added, his face also filled with panic. “When we asked them what was wrong, they just looked lost. Trying to convince them to go to the hospital was useless. Even when we told them what had just happened, they completely ignored us. It’s too weird, Brother Zun, it’s just too weird!”

Hearing this, Shi Tiexin put down his meat skewer. He looked at the two brothers across from him with a grave expression. Their reaction didn’t seem faked at all.

Real fear is different from acted fear, especially that uncontrollable trembling that seems to spread from the marrow of your bones. It’s truly hard to imitate.

The two brothers were genuinely afraid. They didn’t seem to be lying.

‘Something really has happened to Sanfan’s men.’ The illogical rambling and sudden, rigid behavior sounded somewhat familiar.

‘Didn’t Xiaowei’s parents ramble illogically?’

‘And weren’t Ouyang Hong’s bodyguards in black the ones with stiff faces and slow reactions?’

Shi Tiexin frowned in thought. A moment later, he took a huge bite of his meat skewer and continued, “Besides Sanfan’s group, have you run into this situation anywhere else?”

“Not really anywhere else.” The two brothers thought back carefully, then shook their heads in unison. “At least, we haven’t seen much of it in the Chinese District.”

“What about Ah Hui’s side?”

“We don’t interact much, so we’re not sure. But there seem to be some rumors flying around.”

“When did this start happening?”

“It started about half a month after the Hongshun Society was taken over, when Sanfan absorbed some of Ouyang Hong’s businesses.”

‘Hongshun Society?’

Shi Tiexin thought of the Ouyang brothers’ crazed, strange laughter just before he boarded the plane, and his brow furrowed deeply.

“The business Sanfan took over was Hongshun’s pharmaceutical company?”

“That’s right! The Hongshun Society had four pharmaceutical companies under it, and Sanfan got one of them!”

‘Hongshun Society, Savior Sect, Ouyang Hong, Sanfan, drugs, pharmaceutical companies, henchmen with the same stiff faces… Could it be that the Ouyang brothers—especially Ouyang Shun, who didn’t say a word before he died—weren’t just researching a new generation of drugs, but something else, something far more dangerous?!’

‘It’s very likely!’

“I understand,” Shi Tiexin said with a calm nod, then looked at the two brothers. “Is there anything else you need to tell me?”

“Well…” Zhou Nan looked at Zhou Xiong again. The two of them were still hesitant.

Shi Tiexin couldn’t help but feel suspicious.

‘They just revealed something so major. What else could there be that’s making them hesitate?’

“Brother Zun, there is one more thing. But… we’re not sure if we should even say it, because we really don’t have any proof.”

“Speak.”

“Okay.” Zhou Xiong gathered his thoughts and said with a completely serious expression, “Brother Zun, I think… we’re being watched.”

“Watched? By who? Sanfan?”

“We don’t know, it’s hard to say.” Zhou Nan scratched his head in frustration. “I just get this feeling that I’m being watched sometimes. At first, I thought I was just being paranoid, that it was my imagination, but the feeling kept coming back. It’s been happening more and more often lately. I can never find anyone watching, but I just get this feeling that makes the hair on my arms stand up.”

‘A feeling?’

Anyone else would have just dismissed them and walked away.

‘What the hell are you talking about, it’s just a feeling? What do you think you are, a psychic? A Spirit Communication Master?’

But Shi Tiexin didn’t dismiss it out of hand. Instead, he looked seriously at Zhou Nan. “Are you the only one who gets this feeling?”

“Yeah, just me.” Zhou Nan lowered his head, a bit embarrassed. “Brother Zun, I know this sounds ridiculous…”

“When was the last time you felt it?”

“Eight minutes ago.”

“Eight minutes?” Shi Tiexin frowned. “When we first met?”

“Yeah, right then. The hair on my arms stood straight up!” Zhou Nan put his arm on the table, pointing to the ‘sweater’ of hair covering both his arms. Then he added sheepishly, “But I was so nervous at the time, I couldn’t tell if it was from nerves or if it was real.”

It all sounded like a joke, but Shi Tiexin wasn’t laughing.

He looked seriously at Zhou Nan’s hairy ‘sweater’ arms. “If you get that feeling again, tell me.”

“Okay, Brother Zun!”

Shi Tiexin immediately started scarfing down food. He ate ferociously, his expression grim, as if he were deliberately rushing. It struck the two brothers as a bit odd.

When Shi Tiexin had eaten most of his food, Zhou Xiong tentatively spoke up. “Brother Zun, my brother and I are sincere about joining you. About that matter…”

Before Zhou Xiong could finish, someone suddenly interjected from the side, “Hey kid, time to pay up.”

As he spoke, a fat, greasy hand reached out right in front of Zhou Xiong.

“Huh?” Zhou Xiong turned his head and saw the kebab shop owner walking out from the back kitchen. He was standing by their table with a grin that was all about making money, gesturing with his outstretched hand. “You’re treating, you pay.”

Zhou Xiong was stunned, and Shi Tiexin was a bit taken aback as well.

‘Doesn’t this scene feel a little familiar? Doesn’t this kebab shop owner look a little familiar, too? Taking a closer look, isn’t this the same owner who sold kebabs in that little alley?’

‘What happened the last time this owner spoke like that…?’

Shi Tiexin thought for a moment, then his eyes widened. He quickly went back to gnawing on his skewer, his stomach working overtime to refine essence.

Zhou Xiong waved a hand in annoyance. “Just a minute, you’ll get your money!” ‘What is this guy’s problem? Can’t he see we’re in the middle of discussing the important matter of betraying our old boss and switching our allegiance?’

But the owner showed no intention of moving, still chuckling as he said, “No, no, better to pay up now. I’m afraid I won’t be able to collect later.”

Hearing the familiar exchange, Shi Tiexin started eating even faster.

‘He was waiting to hear someone shout “There’s killing intent!” Oh, right, I almost forgot. That guy Liu Shufeng isn’t here.’

Just then, Ah Fei threw the door open with a CLANG and rushed in frantically. “Boss, we’re in trouble! Things look bad, we gotta get out of here, Boss!”

At that exact moment, Zhou Nan suddenly spoke up weakly, “Um… that feeling… it’s back…”

Everyone’s gaze focused on him. On Zhou Nan’s arm, the thick hairs were standing stubbornly on end, and they wouldn’t go down no matter how he tried to smooth them.

“Brother Zun…” Zhou Nan’s voice was trembling, and he looked like he was about to cry. “The feeling is even stronger than usual!”

VROOOM… The sound of car engines came from outside. Blinding headlights shone in their direction. It sounded like a large number of cars were approaching fast.