Beneath the Dome, Sin within Sins - Chapter 84 - The Rescue

“Don’t you think your ideas are twisted? This is completely impractical. Using harm to others as a means to satisfy your unrealistic desires-do you really think it’ll work?!”

I stared at the bandaged man, my eyes blazing with anger. Honestly, if I could, I would beat this guy to a pulp right now.

But I had a sinking feeling that if I really fought this man, my chances of winning would be slim-even with Su Mo by my side.

“Twisted? That’s just the kind of rhetoric you ‘righteous’ types always spout. I’m liberating them! I’m setting their true nature free!”

At this moment, I couldn’t even begin to appreciate the bandaged man’s perspective. This guy was completely unhinged-a total lunatic.

“Senior! Why are you wasting time chatting with this guy?! What about these people who just collapsed out of nowhere? We have to leave and call for an ambulance right now!”

As Su Mo spoke, I let out a sigh and gritted my teeth. “Don’t be ridiculous-we should be calling the armed police!”

“Why?”

“You’ll find out soon!”

The moment I finished speaking, the people who had been lying motionless on the ground suddenly began convulsing-violently.

Seeing this, my face darkened immediately. As for Su Mo, he was already completely stunned.

Compared to our reaction, the bandaged man seemed much calmer. As he smirked, he slowly backed away. By the time he had fully retreated, the people lying on the ground-who had been convulsing just moments ago-began to straighten their bodies.

By now, the bandaged man had completely disappeared. As for those citizens who had collapsed after drinking the liquid, they staggered to their feet in a strange, unsteady manner.

“Wh-What’s going on?!” Su Mo’s eyes widened in disbelief; it was clear he couldn’t wrap his head around the situation.

Pulling Su Mo to the middle of the room, I wiped the sweat off my brow and gritted my teeth. “It’s because they drank a potion that rapidly drains blood from the body and turns people into monsters!”

“W-What did you just say?! Are you saying they drank the perfume?!”

Su Mo and I had already suspected something was wrong back when we’d investigated the workshop, but Tang Xin hadn’t reported back yet. By now, she was probably still researching-or maybe she had completed her analysis, but we lacked any solid evidence.

“That’s right-it’s the perfume!”

“What should we do now?”

Faced with Su Mo’s question, I was at a complete loss. I had no idea what to do in this situation. With so many of these things around, I honestly thought we might be done for this time.

“Let’s go all out. If we can’t fight our way out, then we die,” I said.

Su Mo was thoroughly shocked by my words. “Senior, you can’t just say something like that!”

“What’s wrong with what I said? This time, I’m not being dramatic,” I replied. Taking a moment to steady my breath, I paused before continuing, “We’re not up against humans here. These are mutated monsters. They don’t get tired. They don’t feel pain. But we’re human-we don’t have that luxury. Once we’re completely exhausted, we’ll just be meat for them to tear apart!”

At that moment, I couldn’t help but think of all those post-apocalyptic American movies I used to watch. Back then, I would wonder how I would handle myself in a situation like that. Funny enough, now I knew-I’d have no idea what to do.

“Senior, what do you think happens after we die?” Su Mo suddenly asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe we go to the underworld¹?” I replied.

“Do you think someone like me, with blood on my hands, will end up in hell²?”

Su Mo’s tone unexpectedly turned somber. I wasn’t sure how to respond, and, honestly, I was surprised. When had this guy ever killed someone?

Just as I was processing my shock, Su Mo continued, “So many lives. Sure, they were criminals, but I was the one who handed them over to the court.”

At that moment, I finally understood what Su Mo was really talking about.

“Don’t worry. You’re not going to hell. Who knows? The King of Hell might even recognize your sense of justice and offer you a job!” I said with a smirk.

As we talked, we charged into the crowd of people. With no room to retreat, we chose to take the offensive. The outcome was uncertain, but it was far better than standing still and doing nothing.

The number of bloodless corpses kept increasing, and it was becoming harder and harder for Su Mo and me to hold them off. Just then, we heard the bandaged man laughing maniacally.

“Hahaha! You self-righteous fools! Die! All of you, just die!”

The bandaged man had completely lost the composure he displayed earlier, becoming utterly hysterical. Just as Su Mo and I were about to be surrounded, a series of gunshots suddenly erupted from outside.

The bloodless corpses froze momentarily at the sound, giving us the perfect opportunity to shove away the zombies trying to sink their teeth into us.

It was then that we saw Lu Xun and Tang Xin leading a group of armed police into the scene. Clearly, they were guiding the way, with several ambulances following closely behind. It seemed they had come well-prepared this time.

The armed police started dealing with the mutants, buying us some much-needed breathing room. As for me, I wasn’t particularly focused on those creatures-what I cared about now was the bandaged man.

Su Mo stayed behind to assist the armed police, while I went off to track down the bandaged man.

I found him standing atop an altar, laughing wildly. Meanwhile, Jiang Wu had already fled into the crowd in an attempt to escape.

Seeing this scene made my heart clench. But just moments later, a grim twist of fate unfolded: Jiang Wu’s escape was cut short when he was overtaken by the mutants, who pinned him down and began tearing into him. By the time Su Mo and the others arrived, there was hardly anything left of him-he was almost completely shredded.

If the circumstances had been different, I think I might’ve thrown up right then and there.

As for the bandaged man, he was still shouting and laughing like a lunatic.

I frowned as I observed him. I had no interest in wasting time talking with a madman-especially one who was clearly out of his mind.

With that thought, I didn’t hesitate. I marched right up to him and slapped him-hard.

I put everything I had into that slap, paying him back for both his madness and the time he’d stabbed me.

The force of my blow knocked the clarity back into his eyes.

“Although I really don’t want to have a conversation with you, here we are,” I said coldly. “Your scheme is over. It’s been exposed-completely.”

“So what?!” the bandaged man bellowed, his loud voice reverberating painfully in my ears. “You think my dream empire is something insignificant fools like you can stop?”

I ignored the ringing in my ears and met his gaze. This might’ve been his stage before, but now, this was our battlefield.

“Oh, really?” I smirked. “Your so-called empire has already crumbled beneath your feet. Haven’t you noticed? Your believers are being treated by medical teams as we speak. They were deceived-but you? You’re the mastermind. And for your evil deeds… Actually, forget the rest of your life. Doing something like this? You’ve got no future anymore.”

“Is that so?” At that moment, the bandaged man smiled.

It was a chilling smile.

Footnote:

1. Underworld(阴曹地府):The underworld, or “阴曹地府” (Yīn Cāo Dì Fǔ), is a concept in Chinese mythology referring to the realm where souls go after death to be judged and to atone for their deeds.
2. Hell(地狱): Hell is commonly understood in many religions as a place of punishment for the wicked after death.