Super Gene Ⅱ: Evolution-Chapter 1091: Return

Chapter 1091 -1091: Return

The lanterns glimmered in the night, casting a kaleidoscope of colors. Rows of lanterns hung along the long street, and atop various small buildings lining the road were intricate revolving lanterns of diverse designs.

On both sides of the street, shops were brightly decorated, adorned with various items, many of which Lin Shen had never seen or heard of before.

Yet strangely, this bustling city street was devoid of people, its silence eerie, with almost no sound to be heard.

The two of them walked along the street, cautiously scanning their surroundings, staying on guard against any strange creatures suddenly appearing.

For now, no odd creatures were visible; they only saw the shops on both sides displaying a variety of fruits, desserts, meats, and even small roasted piglets, their aroma wafting richly, tantalizing.

Lin Shen also spotted some gold shops, their tables piled high with gold ingots and gold bars, carelessly placed as though no one worried about theft.

The sight of food and gold bullion everywhere would ordinarily be exciting, but Lin Shen and Wei Wufu felt only an overpowering sense of unease about this place.

But they couldn’t dwell on it for too long; they dashed rapidly toward where the palace was located. Despite the palace seeming close, with their speed, they should have been able to cover not just a city but even opposite ends of a planet in an instant.

Yet no matter how hard they sprinted down the long street, it felt endless, as though it would never end.

“Could we really have entered a Ghost City?” Lin Shen murmured with a faint frown.

Everything here seemed beyond his understanding.

Those paper men were deformed species. Deformed species generally acted on instinct, even if they had a relatively high level of intelligence. They wouldn’t build cities like humans or divine beings.

But if this ancient city were built by humans or divine beings, it didn’t seem to fit either. Everything here had a sense of human livelihood, yet conspicuously lacked any true essence of humanity.

“This doesn’t add up.” Wei stopped in his tracks, his gaze scrutinizing the shops around them.

Lin Shen also recognized that continuing like this was pointless. If they delayed any longer, Di Esi might already be entering the bridal chamber.

If it were a beautiful female ghost who abducted Di Esi, the bridal chamber scenario might even be bearable—not an entirely bad outcome.

But if the one who seized Di Esi was a grotesque deformed species like the Black Mountain Old Demon, Lin Shen doubted Di Esi would retain any will to live once in the bridal chamber.

“We have to figure something out and find Di Esi quickly.” As Lin Shen was deep in thought, Wei Wufu suddenly released the Power of Justice, a surge of purple light blasting toward one of the shops.

While rash, the circumstances offered no alternative; they had to take action, whatever it might be.

The purple light struck the shop displaying heaps of gold ingots and bars, causing the shimmering gold in the lantern light to begin burning.

Upon closer inspection, Lin Shen realized it wasn’t genuine gold—it was all folded paper ingots and bars.

Under Wei’s power, the paper ignited rapidly, turning into raging flames and scattering black ash everywhere.

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Just as Wei Wufu was about to continue wreaking havoc, the sound of chains suddenly echoed from deep within the long street.

Wei Wufu paused his actions and turned to look down the street. Lin Shen followed suit, fixing his gaze toward the source.

Emerging from the shadows was a tall figure, wearing a mourning hat, dressed in hemp robes, clutching a mourning stick in one hand while dragging a chain with the other. With each step, he yanked the chain, as though it were tethered to an unfathomably heavy weight.

Step by step, he advanced, and Lin Shen and Wei Wufu saw that the chain was fastened to a pitch-black coffin.

The coffin scraped against the stone pavement, generating a teeth-grating sound that prickled their nerves.

As he drew closer, Lin Shen discerned the face beneath the mourning hat—it was paper-thin, ghastly white, featureless save for hollow eyes. The eerie sight sent chills down Lin Shen’s spine.

“Ghost… ghost… ghost…” The mourning paper man muttered in a hauntingly peculiar tone as he dragged the coffin forward.

Goosebumps crawled across Lin Shen’s skin as he recalled a ghost story his Third Brother had told him in his childhood.

It was said that in ancient times, humans had no concept of death, nor did they fear the deceased.

To them, the dead were merely asleep, resting for an immeasurably long time.

They believed those who “slept” were simply too exhausted to awaken, slumbering endlessly.

Until one day, a father and son went out hunting and encountered a ferocious beast.

The father perished in battle, and the son knelt beside the father’s corpse, overwhelmed by inexplicable emotions, pushing at his father’s lifeless body while crying out, “Return… Return… Return…”

He yearned for his father to rise again and journey home together.

But no matter how tirelessly he cried and pleaded, his father would never rise again and walk beside him.

In the end, the son returned to the tribe’s home alone.

That night, as he lay in the darkness, he suddenly saw a shadow pacing outside the cave, repeating “Return! Return! Return!”

The silhouetted figure seemed too familiar to him, inspiring excited hope. He rushed out, only to see up close it was indeed his father.

But now, his father bore the wounds carved by the beast, with flesh and skin torn, dried blood streaking across him—a horrifying sight.

Driven by sentiment, the son brought his father back.

From then on, a series of mysterious deaths plagued the tribe. Those who died, after a short time, would rise just like the father, chanting “Return! Return! Return!” as they came back.

With time, Lin Shen could no longer recall the rest of the tale, only that the world’s first ghost supposedly originated from this sequence of events.

Now, hearing the paper man muttering “Ghost,” Lin Shen suspected he was actually saying “Return.”

Lin Shen tended to indulge in wandering thoughts, while Wei Wufu never overthought things. Without hesitation, Wei charged forward and delivered a punch, the Power of Justice emanating brilliant purple light akin to the sun, blasting toward the coffin-dragging paper man.

The paper man stared coldly at Wei, raising the mourning stick in defense as a white-clad, white-hatted evil ghost’s soul manifested around him. The hat bore the words “Impermanence.”

“White Impermanence’s soul?” Lin Shen reacted with shock.

Boom!

Purple light collided with the mourning stick, unleashing dazzling rays and ferocious gusts. Wei Wufu’s Power of Justice didn’t suppress the stick; instead, its force shook him backward several steps before he regained his footing.

Wei Wufu’s gaze sharpened as he surged forward once more, his attacks blending masterful technique and relentless aggression with fists, kicks, and strikes cascading like a human war machine.

While the paper man dragged the chain with one hand, he wielded the mourning stick with the other, neutralizing Wei’s flurry of blows.

The white glow emanating from the stick persistently shattered Wei’s Power of Justice, breaking through his aura, denying him proximity.

If it weren’t for Wei Wufu’s exceptional combat techniques and unparalleled awareness, he might have already had his skull crushed by the stick on several occasions.