Chapter 360: Igors Malice

Chapter 360: Igors Malice

Deep, oppressive, and dark, the space seemed to compress more and more, while the sound of heartbeats grew louder, as if eager to tear open the chest and breathe the murky air.

The group from the Funeral Firm descended the abandoned stairwell step by step, like a troop of Lala Fatties willingly running into the mouth of an Ogre.

Each of them had switched on the shoulder lights of their protective suits, even Lise, who was clinging to Ashe’s back, had turned hers on. However, the beams of light couldn’t penetrate the seal of darkness, limiting visibility to barely five steps. Beyond that, the darkness was as active as jelly.

“Ah!”

Everyone jumped and turned to look at Ashe and Lise at the back. Lise stammered, “I-I just felt a breeze go into my clothes and it tickled my neck...”

Lise was, after all, just a child, and the environment here was intense enough to test even an adult’s nerves. Her jumpiness was quite normal, so everyone just mumbled a few words of comfort and continued their descent.

But soon, another blood-curdling scream echoed.

“Ah!”

The group scattered instantly. Igor stared at the screaming Ashe and asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

“I-I-I feel something heavy on my back!” Ashe trembled, each word shaking out like a shadow. “Is there a corpse riding on my back?”

The tense atmosphere broke instantly. Annan reverted the Second Miss back into an earring, Banjeet put down his icy double guns, and Harvey, who was carrying a coffin, shrugged and said, “Ashe, corpses don’t just climb onto your back. You’d at least have to prepare a coffin for them.”

“Dad! Dad!” Lise tightened her grip around Ashe’s neck, exclaiming angrily, “It’s me behind you! And Lise isn’t heavy at all! Stupid Dad!”

“Let go, let go, I’m suffocating...”Th.ê most uptod/ate novels a/re published on n(0)velbj)n(.)c/o/m

Igor said coolly, “I didn’t expect you, Ashe, to learn how to be sarcastic and complain indirectly. I’ll give you a 90 for that performance. By the way, Lise, do you still need Ashe to carry you?”

Earlier in the car, Lise had been clinging to Ashe, and because the roads in Forest Park were in such poor condition, letting Lise walk on her own would have significantly slowed down the group. Thus, Lise had insisted on being carried by Ashe.

Lise’s eyes darted around. “It’s so dark here, and I’m so small. You might turn around and lose me, so it’s better if Dad carries me.”

Igor chuckled. “Oh, losing you would be a blessing?”

Ashe gave Lise a firm pat on the butt, causing her to loosen her grip. Panting, he said, “Then let Aunt Bukin carry you. He’s got a soft body, smooth skin, and a nice fragrance. You’d be much more comfortable with him. If not, you could ask the beautiful and mature Second Miss to carry you. I should be your third choice at best.”

Annan gave Ashe a peculiar look. “Why am I only the second choice? Is Igor that much better than me?”

Ashe even had the eerie feeling that the ‘girl’ might come to life and strangle him. His throat felt constricted, making it hard to breathe...

Continuing from Chapter 360 – Igor’s Malice

“Stop choking me when you’re scared!” Ashe snapped, giving Lise a pat on the back. The little spirit trembled. “I’m scared too!”

However, Harvey, who had been so enthusiastic moments ago, now wore a disgusted expression after observing for a bit. He reached out and slapped the nearest ‘beauty,’ scattering her into a pile of leaves.

“Ugh,” he said with revulsion. “This is just too disgusting.”

Hearing such a sentiment from a necromancer was quite surprising. Ashe couldn’t help but ask, “Harvey, are you actually picky?”

Igor gazed at the seemingly endless square in the distance. The bustling yet eerily silent ‘crowd’ filled the Con Artist with a deep sense of dread.

“Did the Six Heraldry turn their dead clansmen into Beauty Houttuynia?” Although phrased as a question, Igor’s tone was declarative.

“Now I’m really curious about your thoughts on this place, Mr. Harvey,” Annan said. “I only know the general situation of this farm, but not the specifics. I thought you would like it here, but your reaction is quite unexpected.”

“This place insults life, desecrates corpses, and twists souls,” Harvey said, enunciating each word carefully.

Hearing such words from Harvey left Ashe and Igor exchanging grim looks.

Ashe suddenly said, “My ideal is to create a Miracle that would take care of me. My top three dislikes are work, society, and exercise.”

Igor chimed in, “I like fools, dislike smart people, and my dream is to travel and explore with endless wealth.”

Lise joined in the fun, “I like my dad and sister who are nice to me, and I hate bad people who aren’t. My dream is to grow up quickly.”

Annan gave them a puzzled look, not understanding why they were suddenly introducing themselves. Banjeet, however, realized what was happening and couldn’t help but laugh.

“Well, it seems our mental states are all normal, and our personalities haven’t drastically changed,” Ashe mused. “Which means the mental attacks here only target the person with the darkest skin...”

Igor added, “I think it’s aimed at those with the most abnormal aesthetic sense. Ashe, with Harvey here, you got lucky this time.”

Lise, less sharp-tongued, proposed a more reasonable hypothesis, “Maybe Uncle Harvey’s brain got messed up from smoking too much?”