After the Skyfall

Humans are beings capable of creating miracles.

Because people always tend to do things beyond common sense.

Even though they knew the danger ahead was immense, for the sake of the unknown artifact, these individuals were willing to risk their lives, gambling on an uncertain future.

After all, gambling one’s life wasn’t terrifying—the only fear was that the stakes weren’t high enough.

Although Li Yi wasn’t the first to act, he was undoubtedly the most efficient.

Most of the danger had already been drawn away by Wang Hu, Wei Li, and Zhang Kaiwen. In the mud before him, only a few eerie corpses writhed, and even those were lunging toward the others, completely ignoring his presence.

It was precisely because of this that he dared to take this gamble.

“Almost there.”

Li Yi’s heart pounded wildly. He was getting closer and closer to the lone grave, so close that he could now make out the inscriptions on the broken tombstone. But the writing was like squirming tadpoles, twisted and unnatural, unlike any known language or script from history—an unknown language and culture.

He didn’t dare to pause for even a second, maintaining his fastest speed forward.

At that moment—

A desperate scream suddenly echoed from not far away.

Li Yi’s eyelids twitched. Instinctively, he glanced in that direction.

The man named Zhang Kaiwen had already sunk halfway into the mud. Three or four grotesque corpses had entangled him, pulling him down at an alarming rate, as if he were about to vanish entirely from the world. Despite his desperate struggles, it was futile.

Those dirt-covered corpses were eerily heavy—something no ordinary person could resist.

“I won’t accept this! I was so close!”

Zhang Kaiwen continued to scream and struggle, but soon, a filthy, ice-cold hand forcefully pressed his head into the mud.

The moment he was buried, all of his movements abruptly ceased.

All that remained above the surface was a twisted, mud-covered arm—motionless, eerily stiff.

“So, those who die here become part of the mud… forever trapped, never escaping.”

A chill ran through Li Yi’s heart, but he quickly tore his gaze away, gritting his teeth and pushing forward.

Because after Zhang Kaiwen died, the surrounding mud began to wriggle again. The horrifying corpses threw their heads back, releasing painful howls before turning toward him, closing in fast.

They weren’t even running, just writhing through the mud—yet their speed defied logic.

“Zhang Kaiwen is dead?” Wei Li’s voice grew more anxious.

Because they had one less person to share the burden, the danger for those remaining had just increased.

But Wei Li had already pushed his speed to the absolute limit. Whether he could make it across, he wasn’t sure, but he knew one thing—there was no turning back, neither before nor now.

“Power…! Damn it, hurry up and surge through my body! It’s still broad daylight—it’s not time for you to sleep yet!”

Suddenly, a wild roar echoed through the darkness.

Wang Hu, covered head to toe in mud, unleashed a strength beyond imagination. He forcibly tore himself free from a corpse entangled in the sludge, then, like a raging beast, sprinted and leaped forward. In just a few moments, he had overtaken Li Yi, defying all odds—he was the first to reach the lone grave.

The ground near the grave was solid, covered in wild grass, firm beneath his feet—not the treacherous, sinking sludge.

“How the hell did he do that?”

Wei Li, the doctor, was momentarily dumbfounded. Wang Hu, an ordinary man, had just shattered all logic and expectations.

If those things grabbed you, could you really just break free by yelling?

What a joke.

Li Yi, panting heavily, came to a stop. His chosen path had been the safest, and now, against all odds, he had also made it to the grave.

There was no time to worry about the dangers around them—they had to grab whatever they could and get out as quickly as possible.

Just as he had observed before, the grave looked as if it had been previously raided by tomb robbers. The coffin lid was overturned, the remains of the grave’s owner discarded to the side. Inside the empty coffin, there was nothing but a pile of tattered, rotten clothes—no burial treasures, no strange artifacts in sight.

It seemed that Li Yi and Wang Hu had come up empty-handed.

But in the next moment, without hesitation, Wang Hu grabbed the dried-up corpse from the ground and hoisted it onto his shoulder.

“A mighty, unknown warrior… Your remains have resisted decay for all these years. Come with me, Wang Hu! I’ll take you to overturn this world! Hahahaha!”

He laughed wildly, then turned and ran without a second thought, taking the desiccated corpse with him.

His actions snapped Li Yi back to reality.

No one knew exactly what counted as a strange artifact—they had to take whatever they could.

Li Yi lunged forward, swept up the pile of rotten clothes from the coffin, then spun around and bolted.

As he turned, he locked eyes with Wei Li, who had just arrived.

For a brief moment, they exchanged glances but did not interfere with one another.

Wei Li sprinted straight toward the scattered offerings by the tombstone—because among them were several odd objects.

Like Li Yi and Wang Hu, he grabbed what he could and fled.

Everyone knew lingering here was not an option. Greed would only delay their escape.

The three men scattered, each running in different directions. Whether what they had grabbed was truly a strange artifact, whether it was valuable—only the heavens knew.

Behind them, the corpses in the mud continued their anguished wailing and writhing. But now, in a terrifying turn, they had broken free from the sludge and were aimlessly crawling in all directions.

The monstrous howls echoed so loudly that they could be heard beyond the collapsed building.

“Someone has taken a strange artifact that harbors the resentment of the dead. Only when such an artifact is removed from its resting place do the spirits and vengeful ghosts bound to it lose control and scatter aimlessly.”

“But how is that possible? They were just five ordinary people. How could they have survived the grasp of the earthbound spirits?”

“Is one of them truly destined for greatness? Or was it just sheer luck?”

The woman who had initiated the gathering had a flicker of astonishment in her eyes. She had been certain those people were doomed, destined to be wiped out on the second underground level. But against all odds, a miracle had occurred.

“Since they’ve retrieved the items, it’s time for us to claim our reward.”

The low, husky voice of Crow carried a hint of excitement.

“Not yet. We can’t approach the building right now.”

The woman’s eyes glowed faintly as she observed the scene. To her sight, the collapsed skyscraper was surrounded by countless vengeful spirits and malicious ghosts, drifting wildly through the air. Some of them had noticed her presence and lunged toward her, but they disintegrated before reaching her.

Without the artifact anchoring them, these spirits couldn’t hold their form—they would soon completely vanish.

This polluted world had not only hindered spiritual cultivation but, in a twisted way, also shielded humanity.

Otherwise, after the Skyfall Event, ghosts and fiendish creatures would have long since overrun the world.

“Someone’s coming out.”

Suddenly, Crow’s gaze sharpened, shifting toward the entrance of the abandoned skyscraper.

In the darkness, accompanied by ragged, panicked breathing, a disoriented figure stumbled toward the outside world.

“H-help… help me…!” the person cried out.

“That’s the woman, Liu Yan.”

Crow recognized her instantly.

“She’s the first one to make it out alive? I’d wager she never dared to venture into the core danger zone. That’s good—those who aren’t greedy have a much higher chance of survival. But… wait. Something’s wrong.”

To an ordinary observer, Liu Yan was simply running for her life.

But in Crow’s sight, something far more terrifying was unfolding—

A cold, rigid, twisted corpse had latched onto her ankle with its distorted hand. She was unknowingly dragging it along as she ran, its body gradually fading, melting into her own flesh.

As the ghostly figure continued to dissolve, Liu Yan’s living aura visibly weakened at an alarming rate.

“She’s been possessed.”

The tall woman beside Crow spoke in a cold, steady voice.

“This ghost is different from the others—it has taken shape. It knows how to use a living body to resurrect itself. If it succeeds, Liu Yan will turn into what’s known as a Walking Corpse. We can’t let her leave here alive.”

Her tone grew sharper.

“Kill her immediately. If she escapes, and that Walking Corpse starts cultivating, it’ll become a nightmare.”

The words had barely left her lips when her eyes glowed once again.

Witnessed!

Suddenly, Liu Yan’s eyes rolled back, and she lost her balance, collapsing to the ground. Blood gushed from her seven orifices—she died instantly.

“Stop!”

A furious shout rang out at that moment.

A vehicle came speeding toward them, its occupants clearly trying to intervene—but they were too late.

Before the car had even come to a full stop, a figure leaped nimbly from inside, landing with precision.

“I’ve been tracking your group for a while now. Never thought you’d come to the Abandoned District just to commit murder. Do you really think Tianchang City has no investigators willing to put lawless scum like you in check?”

The newcomer strode forward, face burning with fury.

“An investigator… Wang Jian?”

Crow’s expression darkened slightly.

“When did he start tailing us?”

“Since we’ve been exposed, we should take care of him.”

The tall woman remained calm, utterly unfazed by the fact that she had just killed someone.

“Your eyes… have you already activated your medium sight?” Wang Jian scrutinized the woman before him, his voice laced with suspicion. “You’re young to have such talent in spiritual cultivation. Who exactly are you?”

“My name is Ning Wu. I am a cultivator, not a criminal,” she replied coolly. “I had a reason for what I just did. That woman was already possessed by a malicious spirit. Even if I hadn’t intervened, she wouldn’t have survived more than three days. Letting her go would have caused even greater chaos in the city. Wang Jian, as an investigator, you wouldn’t want your jurisdiction overrun with ghosts and corpses, would you?”

“And I’m just supposed to take your word for it?” Wang Jian’s eyes locked onto hers. “Your group has lured three waves of people into the Old District. The first batch—fifteen people. The second—ten. Today, the third—five. Not a single one of them has been seen again. Based on that alone, I already have the authority to eliminate all of you.”

“In today’s world, paying people to take on dangerous jobs is normal,” Ning Wu replied. “No one was forced into this.”

Then, suddenly—

She sensed something.

Her expression shifted abruptly as she whipped around to look toward the collapsed skyscraper behind them.

Bang!

The sound of shattering glass echoed through the night.

Covered in mud, looking utterly disheveled, Wang Hu burst through a window. In his hand, he clutched a dried-up corpse, and without glancing back, he bolted in another direction.

“Wang Hu! Where do you think you’re going?!” Crow shouted after him.

“Looks like he’s not satisfied with just two million. He wants to take off with the goods. Hmph, greedy fool. But still a bit too naïve.”

With a sudden burst of power, Ning Wu’s long legs propelled her forward.

Her figure streaked across the ground like a black shadow, her speed utterly inhuman—far beyond what any normal person could comprehend.

But then—

She abruptly stopped.

“That’s outside your sight range, isn’t it? Trying to kill him while I’m here? You think I’d just stand by?”

Wang Jian had intercepted her. The two clashed in a brief but fierce exchange.

Bang!

A dull impact resounded, kicking up a cloud of dust around them.

Ning Wu staggered backward; her sleeve torn into shreds. A dark bruise bloomed on her pale skin.

“You—!” Ning Wu’s eyes widened in fury.

“I’ll go after him,” Crow declared.

But just as he moved, a red laser dot landed on him, locking him in place with an unmistakable sense of deadly intent.

“Go ahead. Let’s see what’s faster—your legs, or my sniper’s bullet.” Wang Jian glanced at Crow with a faint smirk.

Crow froze, his expression dark and stormy.

He had cultivated some abilities, yes—but at the end of the day, he was still human. A bullet could kill him just as easily as anyone else.

Bang!

More glass shattered.

Li Yi emerged—battered and exhausted, but alive. He had successfully escaped the collapsing building.

“Li Yi, stop right there! Don’t even think about running! That thing in your hands—did you take it from inside?” Crow barked. “Drop it right now, and I’ll transfer you two million.”

Li Yi paused, glancing back. “Transfer the money now, and I’ll drop it immediately.”

Crow scowled. “That’s impossible at the moment. But once this is over, you’ll get every cent.”

“Bullshit. You think I’m stupid? You people clearly don’t want to pay but still want the goods—and probably plan to kill me afterward.”

Without another word, Li Yi turned and sprinted away.

Just now, he had caught a glimpse of Investigator Wang Jian facing off against Crow’s group.

That explained why Ning Wu—the woman with activated medium sight—hadn’t tried to stop Wang Hu earlier when he made his escape.

Seeing Li Yi flee, Crow was livid. He wanted to kill someone on the spot. Those two had run off with something valuable—what if they were carrying the real artifact?

“These damn money-grubbing idiots! I should never have hired them in the first place.”

Before Crow could react further, Wei Li also emerged from another part of the building.

He was injured, in rough shape, but alive.

Spotting the two who had already fled—and Liu Yan’s corpse lying there with blood streaming from her orifices—Wei Li hesitated for a moment.

Then, without another word, he turned and ran in a different direction.

Now, all three survivors had escaped with something in hand.

Crow wasn’t the only one fuming. Ning Wu nearly coughed up blood in rage.

“Wang Jian! Let me track them down and retrieve what’s rightfully mine. In return, I’ll go with you for questioning—no resistance. I promise I won’t harm them.”

Her voice trembled with urgency. The treasure had slipped through her fingers.

But she didn’t dare mention the existence of the artifact outright. If she did, she wouldn’t just be dealing with Wang Jian—every cultivator in Tianchang City would come after her.

“They’re victims. Ordinary people. It’s better if they leave. I don’t know what they took, and frankly, I don’t care. My job is to take you in.” Wang Jian rejected her offer outright.

Ning Wu gritted her teeth, watching helplessly as the three disappeared from view.

“I’ll find them later.”

“Now, are you coming quietly for questioning, or are you going to resist? Make your choice.” Wang Jian’s tone was firm.

Ning Wu closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and steadied herself. “I’ll cooperate. But first, I need to make a call.”

“Fine. As long as you don’t resist.”

Though Wang Jian was confident he could take her down, he preferred to avoid unnecessary conflict with ruthless individuals like her.