Myriad Realms Gatekeeper

A few young colleagues came over to greet him.

"Go ahead, be careful on the road."

He waved his hand, letting them go.

In a daze.

It seemed like someone was calling him, or some strength was trying to communicate with him.

But he was too tired.

He just wanted to rest for a while.

The blond-haired man leaned back in the chair, resting for half an hour.

Just as he was about to doze off, the phone rang.

"Hello, just deliver to——"

The blond man's voice paused.

The floor where the surgery was done had completely darkened.

Everyone else had left.

The on-duty doctor was resting in a small room.

He sat alone beside the dark operating table, not having left yet.

An inexplicable fear welled up.

Strange.

How could I, a doctor who performs surgery every day, feel fear?

The blond man spoke into the phone:

"Deliver to the first floor of the surgical building, I'll come down to get it."

The call ended.

He changed his clothes and walked briskly through the empty surgical preparation room.

Rows of operating tables lined up neatly, silent.

There were flashes outside the window.

Not sure what they were.

Anyway——

It couldn't be a delivery.

The blond man was amused by his own thoughts.

He pulled himself together and walked out of the operating room, arriving in front of the elevator.

Ding!

The elevator arrived quickly.

The doors opened.

The blond man stepped in, silently watching the numbers representing the floors change.

Ninth floor.

Eighth floor.

Seventh floor.

...

First floor.

He had arrived.

The blond man was about to step out but found the elevator continuing to descend.

What's going on?

He only pressed the first floor, and there was no one else here.

In disbelief.

The elevator finally stopped.

The floor number displayed "-2".

Basement level two?

This is the temporary morgue.

Usually, they don't stay here long, once contacted, the bodies are quickly taken away by the funeral home.

Could it be a medical staff transporting a corpse happened to be on this level and is preparing to return?

The blond man stood still, waiting quietly.

Ding.

The doors opened.

The blond man was just about to greet someone, his mouth agape, unable to close for a while.

Outside the elevator on basement level two.

There wasn't a single person.

The elevator doors remained open.

Staying open.

As if waiting for someone.

The blond man stood inside the elevator, silently gazing toward the deep corridor where the locked door lay.

What the hell.

The morgue door is locked.

No bodies were temporarily stored here today.

So, the elevator going to basement level two should just be a system malfunction.

Or perhaps someone pressed the button on this level, felt the wait too long, and decided to use the stairs.

The blond man shook his head, pressing the elevator's close door button.

The doors didn't move.

A slightly chilly breeze blew, as if someone was whimpering by his ear.

Darkness.

The pervasive darkness of the entire floor, like shifting shadows, swayed back and forth outside the elevator doors.

A layer of sweat formed on the blond man's back, his fingers repeatedly pressing the close door button.

Desolate silence.

Time seemed to stretch on.

Not knowing how long had passed.

The doors finally closed.

The blond man breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as he thought the elevator would ascend, the doors opened again.

This time.

The blond man saw clearly.

The lights outside turned on.

Dim lights illuminated the long corridor, reaching all the way to the morgue at the end.

——The morgue door was half open.

Someone?

No.

Just now he hadn't heard any sound.

For the locked door to open, it should make some sound at least.

No sound!

He heard no sound!

The lock was opened from the inside!

The elevator doors suddenly closed.

The elevator started to ascend.

It kept going until it reached the top floor.

On the top floor.

A knife-wielding youth was waiting.

"Who are you?"

The blond man asked.

Shen Ye replied: "Zouma Lantern means 'almost dying but not dead', life and death don't concern you, but my knife can forcibly pull you into the Dharma Aspect."

"Don't understand—if you've got nothing, I'm leaving." The blond man said.

Suddenly.

The surgical building shook.

Shen Ye looked up at the sky, whispering: "Your other body parts are looking for you, what will you do?"

Babbling nonsense!

The golden-haired man swung his fist and hit Shen Ye right away.

"Yes, thanks to my other body parts, I am awake now."

He looked at Shen Ye with a grim expression.

"Thank you."

Shen Ye said again.

Lines of small glowing characters floated in the void:

"Your Dharma Aspect 'Two Elements Soul' has absorbed all the strength that caused the injury from your body."

"That strength is immensely vast, perfectly supplementing the side representing death and destruction in your Dharma Aspect."

"Congratulations."

"Your underworld has expanded."

"You remain in the 'world of the living', but can unfold the underworld at any time."

——Destruction cannot destroy destruction!

All destructive strength will only make it continue to grow!

Instantaneous.

Everything vanished.

The golden-haired man returned to before time.

He sighed wearily, walked out of the restroom, and sat down in a chair.

"Teacher, it's getting late, we'll take a taxi back first."

Several young colleagues came over to greet him.

"Go ahead, be careful on the road."

The golden-haired man waved them off.

In the blur.

It's as if someone was calling him, or as if some force was attempting to communicate with him.

But he was too tired.

He just wanted to rest for a while.

The golden-haired man leaned back in the chair and started to close his eyes for a moment of rest.

The door opened silently.

A tall blind man dressed in black walked in and tapped him.

"Hmm?"

The golden-haired man opened his eyes, looking at the other person in surprise.

"Are you----that multi-brained fool?"

"It's me, sir, what brings you here?" the Old Blind Man said nervously.

"I'm a doctor, I was performing surgery." The golden-haired man replied.

He imitated the Old Blind Man and looked around.

Where's the operating room!

This was an utterly unfamiliar place.

Gray mist enveloped everything.

Countless people walked in the mist, not knowing what they were doing.

"This is bad, sir, you must leave quickly, or it will be too late."

The Old Blind Man said quickly.

The golden-haired man looked at him, then around, suddenly said:

"Lead the way."

"Alright!"

The two wove through the crowd, swiftly walking in a certain direction.

The crowd watched them coldly.

No one spoke.

The golden-haired man looked carefully, only to see those "people" were all life forms parasitic on his body.

Strange.

I'm just a doctor, why do I feel these people are parasitic on me?

The golden-haired man felt it was utterly absurd.

"We're here, sir—remember you haven't died yet, don't come back next time."

The Old Blind Man spoke in a low voice.

"Alright." The golden-haired man said.

Only to see the Old Blind Man push open a door, quickly stepping aside.

The golden-haired man passed through the door.

In an instant.

The surrounding fog, the expressionless multitude, even the already dead Old Blind Man—

They all vanished.

The golden-haired man held the door, looking ahead.

A long corridor lay before him.

At the end of the corridor was an elevator.

This scene was so familiar…

That's right.

This was the second basement level.

How did I end up in the morgue?

Quickly get back upstairs!

The golden-haired man started walking quickly, almost running, crossed the corridor, and pressed the elevator button forcefully.

There was a long wait.

Ding!

The elevator door opened.

Someone stood in the elevator.

It was himself!

The golden-haired man was stunned.

He looked at the self standing in the elevator—

That self was holding a phone, and the screen was still on the takeaway page.

In other words—

This self had come downstairs to pick up a delivery!

But why are there two selves?

Only to see this self press the elevator close button forcefully.

"Don't go!"

The golden-haired man stood in the elevator door, blocking it from activating.

"Who are you?"

He asked.

The other self still couldn't see him.

What's going on!

What on earth is happening!

An aurora flashed across the golden-haired man's mind.

He took a few steps back, quickly crossed the corridor, and went towards the morgue.

The door.

It wasn't actually locked earlier, just opened directly.

The golden-haired man stepped in quickly, coming to a bed that was five meters long.

He lifted the sheet.

Only to see a blood-stained tentacle lying on the bed.

This is—

This is me.

The golden-haired man looked at the rigid, icy tentacle.

No wonder I can't see myself.

I've already died.

——So I've already died!