A storm is brewing, but there’s no time to prepare. Thick clouds press down, shadows heavy and deep as the Reaper approaches, rattling his chains. Yet, the city remains dazzling as ever; the nightlife is still ablaze in indulgence.
People have gotten used to the peace of prosperous times. Who still retains that primal instinct of alertness? Even though tonight’s cold wind is bone-chilling, making the hair stand on end, most just shrug it off, thinking, “Looks like snow’s coming.”
Just like the passengers at Lingdong Airport, hurrying along with their coats wrapped tight. Here they come, there they go, crossing paths busily, as if nothing unusual was happening.
Si Nuocheng exhaled a puff of white breath, checked the time—7:58 PM—and figured it was just right to book a hotel. Lingdong looked the same as before, no wind, no waves. He shook his head, chuckling at himself, feeling both relieved and resigned. Maybe he had really lost his mind back when he followed Ji Si’s antics on that wild adventure.
Well, just treat it as a little vacation.
After experiencing life and death on the sea, he really needed some time to recover. As for that kid Ji Si…
“When I get back, I’m going to demote you from Prime Minister to some petty official,” Si Nuocheng thought bitterly, but he still waved for Ji Si to join him. “Let’s switch hotels today, stay near the food district, and after three days—”
A cool corner of white robes brushed his fingertips, just out of reach, like the feeling he had back on the day when he was surrounded by ocean waves.
Si Nuocheng turned sharply, seeing Ji Si standing a little way off, looking up at the sky in that very familiar “neck-stretching” pose he did when trying to relieve tension. The cold wind filled his white robe, lifting his long, floor-length hair, his gaze fixed on the sky, where black clouds loomed high above the city.
In that moment, Si Nuocheng felt Ji Si was both close enough to touch yet as distant as a mountain or an ocean away.
The silver airplane on the runway began to move, and at that moment, Ji Si’s calm yet distant voice reached him: “Are you absolutely sure none of your family or friends are on that plane?”
He tilted his head slightly, “Si Nuocheng, this is the last time I’ll ask you.”
For some reason, Si Nuocheng’s mind acted on instinct; his hand already reached to check his social media without thinking why. Some kind of sixth sense pulled his gaze, making him scan through quickly.
It was now 8:00 PM. The silver plane rose into the air, and Si Nuocheng’s eyes widened as he saw Yu Mingyang’s latest post.
“About to board! See you in Yanjing, everyone!” Attached was a picture of a ticket from Lingdong to Yanjing, with an 8:00 PM departure time.
Si Nuocheng snapped his gaze upward, a shiver of dread running through him. He’d only felt this once before, facing the colossal sea serpent at Jing Du Port, and now—
His lips parted as he muttered, “My friend is on that plane…” Alarm bells went off in his head, blaring the highest warning!
At that very moment, faint sparks burst in the high-altitude sky, followed by a distant, crisp cracking sound.
It was like the sound of glass breaking, faint yet somehow real, reaching everyone’s ears, impossible to ignore.
The bustling crowd fell silent in unison, instinctively looking skyward. People who usually buried themselves in their phones looked up in confusion, while those making heated phone calls paused mid-sentence. Travelers hauling luggage came to a halt, and children froze for a moment before diving into their mothers’ arms, wailing.
The scene looked like an absurd black-and-white silent film, as if everyone sensed something serious was happening, even though no one knew exactly what.
The plane glided across the night sky, but for some reason, people found this routine sight oddly captivating, so much so that it tightened their hearts, making it hard to breathe.
“This is so strange…” A high school girl clutched her friend’s hand. “I-I feel awful!”
The next moment, an angry shout echoed from the top of a high-rise, something about “getting in touch.” But no one was in the mood to care about others’ business right now. Above them, the night sky tore open with a blood-red crack, releasing waves of black-red smoke and thunderous roars, like the howls of an ancient beast breaking free.
“Rooooar—”
As if some ancient monstrosity had been unleashed, its roar was chilling and unrestrained. Beneath the black-red fog, two sharp horns pushed through the rift, six muscular demon-like arms gripped the edges, and eighteen scythe-like claws tore the opening wider.
It was like a monstrous birth canal opening up, and an enormous alien being was squeezed out.
A creature…
A gigantic demonic creature straight out of a sci-fi horror movie!
Its body was pitch-black and covered in cracks, with a fiery red glow oozing from the fissures.
It had a long, narrow horse-like face studded with countless eyes, no mouth, and no nose, with a pair of tumor-covered wings trailing behind. Below its neck, it had a human-like torso, but where its waist should have been, it transformed into a centipede-like lower half.
Its grotesque appearance and hideous colors were almost unbearable to look at. Even in the darkness, its disturbing form radiated a fear that struck humans to their core.
Especially when they realized that, compared to it, the airplane barely looked like a toy; the sight alone was enough to break their spirits!
The scene moved like a slow-motion nightmare.
The airplane barely managed to swerve, avoiding a direct collision with the creature. But every one of the creature’s countless eyes followed the plane’s movement.
It could smell the scent of fear. Fresh blood and savory negative energy filled the air, the perfect fuel to whet the creature’s appetite.
It was ravenous.
It had no intention of sharing this hunting ground with any other creature!
The monster yanked its leg free from the portal, which slowly closed, severing another claw that was trying to reach through.
A piercing screech echoed across space, lingering in the air. The monster clamped one claw on the plane and grabbed the severed claw with another. It seemed to consider its options, then began devouring the severed limb first.
Countless eyes morphed into mouths, tearing at the flesh like a grinder, splattering green blood and bone fragments down on the people below, causing a chaotic panic across the city.
Humans had never seen anything like this before, and the panic was instantaneous.
“Ahhhh! Help!”
“Run! Run! It’s a demon—”
“Get to the police station! Quick, they’ve got guns!”
Amidst the uproar, Si Nuocheng stared blankly at the sky until someone bumped into him, jolting him back to his senses. He frantically searched the crowd, but Ji Si was nowhere to be seen.
“Ji Si—” He shoved people aside, desperate to find him. His friend was on that plane, and while he was powerless to save him now, he could at least try to survive alongside Ji Si.
He trusted Ji Si was a prophet, but he didn’t believe that, as a mere human, Ji Si could face off against such a creature.
Damn it! Where are you?! Where are you?!
“Ji Si—”
The massive crowd and relentless screams swallowed Si Nuocheng. Meanwhile, the airport and city center’s chaos delayed the police response. By the time rescue teams and combat units arrived, it might be too late.
But Ji Si… Ji Si was someone he brought to Lingdong, and he had to bring him back safely!
Where are you? Where are you?!
Ji Si, now in spirit form, stood atop the highest skyscraper in the city, staff in hand.
The white robe flapped in the wind, his long hair flowing freely. Down below was chaos, but where he stood, the air was peaceful. His gaze was locked onto the monster, thousands of miles away, a faint smile on his lips.
“You’ve gone through all this trouble to come and die,” Ji Si said with a smirk. “Perfect. I’ll use you to teach humanity a real lesson.”
Only after a baptism in blood would the sheep realize they were mere captives. Otherwise, they’d think they were gods.
“Rooooar—”
Ji Si’s calm aura provoked the creature that fed on negative energy, causing it to snarl in challenge, like a drunken brute, as it raised the airplane in its claws and hurled it at Ji Si.
With inhuman strength combined with gravitational force, if the plane struck true, not only would everyone on board perish, but the whole skyscraper would collapse. The explosion’s aftermath would not only endanger the city center but would trigger a chain reaction across the surrounding areas.
It would be a massacre.
When movies cease to be just movies, becoming real three-dimensional scenes happening right next to you, people realize they’re utterly powerless to do anything but scream and wait for death.
“Ji Si… damn it… where are you?”
How persistent. Some fool was calling his name over and over. Fine, let’s wrap this up quickly—if Si Nuocheng got trampled to death trying to find him, that would be too much karma to owe.
Ji Si didn’t reply. He merely raised his staff and gave it a gentle tap. With a soft “pop,” the energy field below rapidly changed.
No one expected what happened next. The anticipated explosion didn’t come. The scene seemed frozen in time; everyone staring at the sky looked dumbfounded, including the monstrous creature, which hovered in mid-air as if witnessing something unimaginable, their pupils trembling in shock.
The silver airplane hung suspended in the air, as though moving through syrup, slower and slower. It was surrounded by a soft, gentle white glow, like cotton candy or a fine mist, as if an invisible hand was cradling it, brushing away the threat of death.
It drifted like a falling petal, coming to rest gently atop the skyscraper, its flaming tail slowly extinguishing. The terrified passengers slipped into a deep slumber, fear receding like a tide.
A warm breeze seemed to brush over their faces, wiping away their tears. Safety and serenity began to wash over everyone.
“What a gentle feeling…”
“Is this… a miracle?”
“It came down! Oh—”
The monster roared in fury, feeling its power had been challenged. It dove down, targeting Ji Si as its prey, crazed with rage. The closer it got, the more humans realized its sheer size, towering over the skyscraper by more than threefold.
What the heck is this thing?!
Where did it come from? How can such a demon exist in this world?!
The threat loomed closer as sirens blared. In this hell of impending death, there were still those who charged forward without hesitation.
“Cover! Rescue!” Human voices roared in defiance, the most fearless sounds of all.
The heartfelt sincerity of the moment brought tears to the victims’ eyes. They couldn’t help, but they could at least not be a burden. Amid the chaos, order returned as people took responsibility, passing children out first, then pregnant women, followed by the young boys and girls.
The monster lunged at Ji Si, and the High Priest averted his gaze from the crowd, lifting his staff with a precise aim. “You’re just too noisy.”
A single ray of golden light pierced the monster’s forehead. It flared instantly, illuminating the entire night as brightly as day. In the creature’s ear-splitting shriek, it was over in a flash.
“Boom—”
The monster shattered into fragments no larger than fingernails, scattered like rain over the entire city. Mingling with moisture and dust, the crimson rain stained the world an ominous red.
Ji Si did it on purpose. He had no qualms about using drastic means to baptize humanity, making sure they would never forget the day that marked the dawn of “Doomsday.”
Did he destroy the monster?
No, he shattered humanity’s arrogance and prejudice.
The universe is a boundless cycle, with one parallel world after another, layer upon layer, dimension upon dimension, and worlds beyond measure. Planets give rise to life, life creates karma, karma forms energy, and over time, this produces the “universe.” In turn, the universe feeds everything.
Where there’s cause, there’s effect. Where there’s beginning, there’s end.
When a world can no longer produce “effect” from “cause,” or when good causes yield evil results, or evil causes go unpunished, an overload will drive it toward destruction.
And this… is the origin of “Doomsday.”
Author’s Note:
PS:
Si Nuocheng: By the way, you left that plane on top of a skyscraper. How’re they supposed to rescue people? There’s no landing space, and everyone inside’s knocked out—what now?
Ji Si: …Didn’t really think it through at the time. Whatever, if they die, they die. [Villainous smile.jpg]
Si Nuocheng: Damn it!
