Chapter 18 The World Had Changed

Black Street felt endless... Why did it seem like he'd never reach the end? Monkey's face grew paler with each step, but his eyes remained determined. He had no idea how long he'd been walking, but leaving Black Street had become his one and only obsession. When he finally stumbled out of that dreadful place, the weight in his chest lifted, and he collapsed onto the ground, unconscious. Even then, his heart was filled with joy! The outside world was different from Black Street — there were good people out here! Someone would take him to a hospital. He... He had made it out alive! Faintly, he seemed to hear a young voice nearby just before he completely blacked out. "Huh? Dog, someone's hurt!" Virgil, carrying a bunch of medicine bags, jogged over to Monkey and cried out in surprise. "Mind your own business," Dog muttered, frowning slightly. One of his arms hung limply by his side, still wrapped in bandages. "But we can't just ignore someone who's hurt!" Virgil grinned and started propping Monkey up without a second thought, not caring that the blood stains were soaking into his clothes. "You're too nosy! That kind of attitude's gonna get you killed someday!" Despite his grumbling, Dog still reached over and helped, grabbing hold of Monkey. "You're not supposed to be doing anything strenuous," he added. "Everyone says Dog's greedy and selfish, but that's just nonsense!" Virgil chirped cheerfully. "Dog's the best!" Then Virgil glanced down at Monkey's battered face and frowned. "Hey... he looks kinda familiar. Like I've seen him somewhere before." Just then, thunder rumbled across the sky once more. In the brief flash of lightning, faint blurry figures seemed to flicker in the sky. For some reason, a wave of unease suddenly washed over Dog. "Stop staring!" he barked. "Let's hurry back — I've got a bad feeling about this." With that, Dog hoisted Monkey's frail body with his good arm and walked back into Black Street. "Oh! Okay," Virgil called out, hurrying after him. "Just drop him off at Hubert's clinic!" "I'm not going there," Dog said flatly. Virgil pouted. "He's not gonna kill you. He promised me he wouldn't kill anyone anymore!" Dog let out a cold chuckle. "Heh..." "I'm serious!" Virgil insisted. Another cold laugh. "Heh..." One after the other, the two men carried the battered and broken Monkey — full of dreams of mansions, women, and underworld power — right back into the nightmare he'd barely escaped. At that moment, those grand ambitions scattered like smoke. ****** The Clinic "You fell asleep outside again. You'll catch a cold! What a headache." Virgil struggled to get Monkey inside, placing him on the operating table before rushing into the bedroom to grab a blanket. He draped it over Hubert. "You must've snuck off to do another experiment while I was gone! How did you even cut your palm?" Virgil mumbled endlessly to himself, carefully disinfecting Hubert's wound and wrapping it in fresh bandages. Then, he grabbed a cloth and wiped away the fresh blood stains around the operating table. Finally, he tended to Monkey's reopened wounds, cleaning and disinfecting them as best as he could. By the time he was done, dawn was breaking. Yet Virgil didn't complain. He simply stepped outside the clinic, took a deep breath of fresh morning air, and smiled in satisfaction. "Another beautiful day! And— I'm still alive! How great is that?" It never took much to make him happy. Sitting on the steps outside, he watched over the still-sleeping Hubert. As exhaustion finally caught up with him, he leaned against Hubert's rocking chair and drifted into a deep sleep. The infamous "Underworld Clinic," a place everyone on Black Street feared, was surprisingly filled with warmth and tranquility at that moment. To outsiders, this place seemed shrouded in darkness — cold and terrifying, a symbol of dread. But to Virgil, this place... felt like home. The Underworld Clinic was like that, and so was Black Street itself. When he had nowhere else to go, it was in this so-called den of evil that he found a new lease on life. Even though his days were still numbered, every day felt full and meaningful. The clinic remained calm and quiet, but the outside world... was in chaos. That morning, everyone witnessed a scene they would never forget. The morning sun rose, illuminating the sky. Above the drifting clouds, a shadowy structure appeared — like the remnants of a ruined palace, faintly visible. Though tattered and broken, traces of its former glory still lingered. Golden stone pillars lay scattered across the ruins. A cracked and weathered plaque dangled crookedly in mid-air. If one looked closely, one could still make out large words on it: "Southern Gate of Heaven" Yet this was merely a glimpse — just one corner of a vast world still shrouded in mist. Other faint shapes could barely be distinguished. A rusted iron rod stood tall in the sky, with a tattered red cloak wrapped around it — distant yet commanding attention. A lotus lantern emitted a soft, gentle glow. A headless giant wandered through the barren land. From deep within the fog, faint Buddhist chants could be heard. In just one night, the world... had changed. It changed so suddenly, leaving everyone caught off guard. At first, people panicked, some even falling to their knees in worship. But soon, curiosity took over — excitement, intrigue, and a burning desire to uncover the truth behind what they had just witnessed. As the crowd buzzed with speculation, that once-clear vision faded back into the mist, growing hazy and distant — like a projection from a world both incredibly close and yet impossibly far away. "Mythology!" "These are scenes — objects — from ancient myths!" "Immortals... do they really exist?" "If immortals are real... does that mean we can become immortals too?" What was once confined to fantasy had now drifted effortlessly into reality. And with that, the celebration of the lower class erupted in full force. Within hours of this so-called "immortal descent," advertisements flooded online forums, determined to ride the wave of hype. Whether immortality was achievable or not didn't matter — making money off it came first. "Immortal Cultivation Crash Course — Enroll Now! Our instructor is a master who has studied cultivation for decades, possessing profound insights into the path of immortality. With his guidance, immortality is no longer just a dream!" "Milk? I only drink Mageaf Milk! Mageaf Milk — the first step to becoming an immortal!"