Reincarnated In a Cthulhu World And Everyone Is Obsessed With Me - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Truman – You can’t say it’s a windfall; you can only say it’s basic…

Before Xia Mingyu sat a row of people with mutilated limbs, their remaining biological tissue mostly replaced by prosthetics. At the points where flesh met machinery, dried blood flickered with intermittent electric sparks.

Multicolored butterflies perched atop heads that had been surgically opened. They fluttered their beautiful wings rhythmically, feeding on brain matter. Xia Mingyu could sense a collective euphoria radiating from them, an excitement akin to humans on drugs.

The butterflies had wingspans as large as a human head. Despite their varying colors, every single one possessed a wing pattern at the base that resembled a golden pupil.

Even as a still, two-dimensional image, those pupil-like patterns exuded a sense of danger, as if a hunting ancient monster had its jaws clamped firmly around one’s throat. The eerie colors, textures, and aggressive vitality gave the butterflies’ beauty an indescribable, eldritch quality.

The moment Xia Mingyu opened his eyes, the butterflies became even more agitated, flapping their wings frantically as if competing to show off.

From the lower halves of the human faces that remained, mouths and teeth moved under external control, struggling to utter human speech.

“…Xia… Mingyu… Master…”

They spoke in unison, sounding like a grotesque choir. Through the emerald-green glass, streams of light cycled endlessly, like a journey through a tunnel with no exit.

Xia Mingyu gripped his dagger, forcing himself to analyze the situation clearly.

No, I’m definitely not in reality. Prosthetics weren’t approved by the Research Institute until ten years into the apocalypse; they couldn’t possibly exist now.

Delirium? A butterfly-themed mental pollution?

The light reflecting off the glass scattered like mist. Xia Mingyu looked at his own reflection in the window—

His head was drenched in blood, and atop it sat a massive, magnificent Monarch butterfly. His long hair was soaked through, and his thin lips were a vivid, bloody crimson.

His own lips in the reflection moved urgently, shouting a desperate, silent command. Xia Mingyu deciphered it:

—“Wake up! Wake up now!”

His heart hammered like a heavy drum. Xia Mingyu snapped his eyes open.

He was still on the same train, but it had already passed his stop. A pregnant woman stood before him, leaning down and saying something with a look of helpless concern.

As the initial ringing in his ears faded, he heard her anxious voice: “Sir? Are you alright, sir?”

Xia Mingyu swallowed the metallic taste in his mouth and forced a smile. “I’m fine.”

It felt like a narrow escape. At what point had he slipped into delirium? He hadn’t noticed at all. He had heard stories of people who, after a delirium, could no longer distinguish between reality and dreams; unable to bear the agony of mental pollution, they eventually chose suicide.

Back then, Xia Mingyu thought such tales were exaggerated scares. Now, he could only mock his own naivety and lack of experience.

The pregnant woman sat in a nearby seat, holding her belly. She struck up a friendly conversation. “Sir, are you from the Shadow Guild?”

Xia Mingyu looked down at the emblem on his uniform and didn’t deny it.

She smiled. “Thank you for your contribution to the base’s safety, noble warrior.”

Xia Mingyu smiled back. “Madam, you are noble as well.” Bringing a new life into the apocalypse was a sacrifice beyond words.

The woman got off at the next stop, leaving Xia Mingyu alone again.

Without the influence of delirium, Xia Mingyu finally saw the view from the sky-rail. Through the colorless protective glass, the entirety of the Southern First Base unfolded beneath him. The artificial sky seemed reachable, its simulated light revealing the traces of high technology.

A human base was essentially The Truman Show of the apocalypse.

The truth lay only beyond the “sky.”

…

When Xia Mingyu stepped off the train, the sky was still clear. The base had announced that there would be no more rain today. It seemed the battlefield had been cleared quite efficiently.

The Shadow Guild emblem on his shoulder was too conspicuous. Xia Mingyu pulled his long hair forward, perfectly covering it.

Ordinarily, long hair makes a person look gentle, regardless of gender—especially with Xia Mingyu’s exquisite features and soulful eyes. But from his very bones, he exuded a certain cold detachment, masked by a warm smile. His thoughts were intricate and layered, much like his flowing hair.

He didn’t seem soft; he possessed the coldness of mist and the beauty of a blade.

On a narrow road, standing in the long-awaited sunshine, Xia Mingyu happened to run right into Tang Yaopeng, who was just heading out.

Tang Yaopeng waved happily. “Senior! Good morning! You’re back.”

Though it had only been a day since they last met, Xia Mingyu felt as if a lifetime had passed. “Xiao Tang, where are you headed?”

Seeing that Xia Mingyu was back, Tang Yaopeng turned around to walk him home. “I’m going to the Sentry Tower to register for the Dove Academy. It’s newly established; if I sign up now, I’ll be in the first class. Sounds pretty impressive, right?”

Dove Academy? Xia Mingyu had heard of it—a training academy for Sentinels and Guides. So it opened as early as the fifth year of the apocalypse?

“Senior, let me take you to meet the landlady first. I talked to her yesterday!” Tang Yaopeng leaned in and whispered, “After my heroic bargaining, I got the rent down to the absolute minimum. Hehe, don’t thank me.”

“Do I need to pay the rent today?” Xia Mingyu felt both grateful and awkward. Life never missed an opportunity to remind him of his meager savings.

Tang Yaopeng hesitated. “I think it can be delayed for two or three days…?”

Xia Mingyu breathed a sigh of relief. Two or three days was enough; he would work himself to the bone at Paradise.

Recalling the life-and-death struggle with the Sentinel earlier that morning, Xia Mingyu felt a lingering unease in narrow alleys. He glanced up at the rooftops and caught a fleeting flash of fluorescent blue light. He subtly narrowed his eyes but kept his gentle smile as he looked back at Tang Yaopeng.

Tang Yaopeng, a chatterbox as always, asked, “By the way, Senior, what was the result of your awakening? Sentinel or Guide? What rank? What’s your spirit animal?”

Xia Mingyu remembered the persona the base had assigned him. “B-class Guide. As for the spirit animal… I don’t know yet.”

Tang Yaopeng was puzzled. “Huh? You don’t know?”

Before he could react, Xia Mingyu asked an explosive question.

“Tang Yaopeng, can a Sentinel or Guide’s spirit animal kill them? Or rather, can they kill their own spirit animal?”

Tang Yaopeng stared at the serious-looking Xia Mingyu, even more confused. It was terrifying—his senior was saying such horrifying things with a face so beautiful it was breathtaking.

After a long silence, Tang Yaopeng managed a weak, “Huh?”

They arrived at the office building. Xia Mingyu said lightly, “Nothing, just a random thought.” He curved his enchanting peach-blossom eyes and chuckled. “Did you take me seriously?”

I really did! Tang Yaopeng lowered his head sheepishly. “Oh, okay…”

Seeing the younger man’s deflated look, Xia Mingyu said softly, “Never mind me. What about you?”

Tang Yaopeng puffed out his chest with pride. “Senior, I’m an A-class Sentinel!”

He was about to continue when he spotted the landlady blocking the stairwell. Xia Mingyu followed his gaze. A woman with short, sharp hair and loose pajamas stood at the end of the hall. Her voice was full of energy: “You’re Xia Mingyu?”

“I am.”

She looked him up and down. “Shadow Guild?”

Xia Mingyu was taken aback. The hair over his shoulder hadn’t moved, meaning she recognized the combat uniform itself.

As she stepped closer, he saw her honey-toned skin and well-defined muscles—she looked much healthier than he did. He instinctively took a step back, but she laughed. “Hah, scared of me?”

She brushed past him and waved. “Go on in. I’ll give you a week’s grace on the rent.”

It seemed he had received another favor because of the “Shadow Guild” name.

Once she was out of earshot, Tang Yaopeng asked, “Shadow? Senior, you’ve already joined the Shadow Guild?” His voice was full of disbelief. “Didn’t you just awaken yesterday?”

Joining the Shadow Guild immediately after awakening was like a fresh graduate receiving an offer from a top global firm the same day they got their diploma. It wasn’t just a windfall; it was practically impossible.

Xia Mingyu twitched the corner of his mouth as he headed upstairs. “No, I bought this uniform.” It had cost him a whole night’s tips; just thinking about it made his heart ache.

Tang Yaopeng gasped. “Such a realistic knock-off?”

“…” Xia Mingyu replied calmly, “Mm.”

…

In front of room 3608, Xia Mingyu registered his Star-Net ID as instructed. It was a simple double room—small, but equipped with everything.

Xia Mingyu surveyed the place, very satisfied. Having a stable place to stay felt like a tired bird finally returning to its nest.

“Xiao Tang, can any Sentinel or Guide sign up for Dove Academy? Are there rank restrictions?” He was unfamiliar with the mechanics of his status, especially how to control mental power and pheromones. If he joined the academy, those problems could be solved.

“Eh? I’m not sure. When I reported to the Sentry Tower yesterday, the staff just handed me a paper form. Didn’t they have them at the Sanctuary?”

Xia Mingyu thought to himself that the Sanctuary avatar looked weird, and he had been too busy running for his life to actually go inside. “Alright, I’ll check out the Sanctuary later.”

As Xia Mingyu unpacked, Tang Yaopeng stood by the door with a glass of water, watching in silence. Seeing the traces of the Sentinel brother he once knew being replaced by the Senior’s items made him realize that in the apocalypse, these small things were the weight of a person’s entire life.

His memory of Senior Xia Mingyu was of a bold, emotional person who could quote history and philosophy with ease, praising the glory of humanity in front of thousands. But after the end of the world, history and philosophy were the first things humanity discarded. Law and morality were trampled; poetry and philosophy were forgotten. On the battlefield, a head full of learning couldn’t beat a solid fist.

The Senior seemed the same, yet everything seemed to have changed.

Sensing the silent gaze, Xia Mingyu turned and asked softly, “What is it?”

Tang Yaopeng forced a smile. “Senior, I have a colorful string. Do you need to tie your hair back?”

Still a kid, wearing his heart on his sleeve. Xia Mingyu sat on the edge of the freshly made bed and pulled his hair back. “Sure.”

He took the thin, colorful cord and tied his hair into a high ponytail. He tied a double knot, leaving the long ends of the string hidden among his black locks.

“Why do you have a hair tie?”

After a brief silence, Tang Yaopeng said, “It was my sister’s. She loved using colorful strings for her hair. This is the last one.” His loneliness held a story that didn’t need telling.

Xia Mingyu ruffled Tang Yaopeng’s head. “Thank you.”