Reincarnated In a Cthulhu World And Everyone Is Obsessed With Me - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Riot

Do you want to be swallowed alive by every Sentinel in Paradise Lost?

The exterior of the underground bar was deceptive, appearing as nothing more than a low-profile, pitch-black building.

Xia Mingyu lowered his hood, letting his waterfall of long hair cascade down. In the darkness, his “peach blossom eyes” shone as brightly as two stray beams of light.

Detecting his presence, a hovering spiral staircase flew toward the entrance. The moment he stepped onto the stairs, the scene before him transformed.

The fluorescent blue glow receded from the roof like an ebbing tide, gradually revealing the building’s true face.

The architecture was Gothic, with disproportionately high foundations. Louvered shutters tightly sealed off any view of the outside world, while both the interior and exterior were lined with towering, exquisite pillars and pointed arches.

The air was thick with the scent of metallic-hued liquor and a decadent, hedonistic atmosphere. There was the neon-blue glow of the overhead lights, the raucous shouting of the crowd, and the dull thuds of fists hitting flesh.

Xia Mingyu descended the stairs. Once his feet touched the floor, the hovering staircase “whooshed” back into the distance.

At a small round table near the stairs sat two or three Sentinels with bulging muscles—Xia Mingyu immediately recognized the guild badges pinned to their epaulettes.

One Sentinel whistled upon seeing Xia Mingyu, his pale grey eyes blinking as he beckoned with a finger. “Hey, little guy, coming to keep us company tonight?”

Xia Mingyu didn’t want to provoke a conflict, so he put on a bewildered, panicked expression and took several steps back.

Displaying just enough frailty and rejection was usually sufficient. Generally, security in the bar was personally overseen by Nie Yinniang. No one wanted to cause trouble and offend the “Scorpion Queen” of the underground.

A brown-haired, black-eyed Sentinel beside him punched the first man. “The last time you were in a ‘Domain,’ the pollution turned your eyes grey. God knows how twisted your gene sequence is now. Stop pestering people.”

The punch was solid, but for a Sentinel, it was a painless, familiar joke.

“Tsk, will that brown hair dye of yours last until the end of your next mission?”

…

After a few more verbal barbs, the two began to bicker and scrap. Such things were common in the underground bar.

Seeing that their attention was no longer on him, Xia Mingyu moved silently through the noisy crowd toward the circular bar in the center.

He sat down before a bartender who was elegantly polishing a glass and gave a light smile. “Chesapeake.”

“Chesapeake” was the bartender’s nickname—a tribute to a literary character from the peaceful era: a ripper, a psychiatrist, and a madman. Like “Nie Yinniang,” no one knew their true names. Perhaps this was the strangeness of the apocalypse: anyone could “kill” their former self in a relative sense.

Chesapeake squinted. “Sir, I believe this is your first time here?”

He set the glass down. “What can I get you? To celebrate… ah, no, to mourn the fall of the Northern Base, Nie Yinniang has authorized a 20% discount storewide.”

The hair near his neck was itching, so Xia Mingyu removed his mask and swept his hair over to his right shoulder. When he looked up again, Chesapeake’s eyes were nearly glued to his face.

“Sir… that skin on your face… it isn’t a mask, is it?”

Xia Mingyu chuckled. Chesapeake was always obsessed with his face.

Xia Mingyu had worked with Chesapeake for two years in his previous life and had seen the completely disfigured face beneath the man’s mask. Chesapeake was a C-Rank Sentinel. During a mission involving a sudden S-Rank mutation, he had physically de-aged by ten years, but his genes were so severely damaged that his facial tissue had warped before the collagen could return.

It was said that the four-dimensional concepts within a “Domain” differed from reality—time did not measure the same way. The larger the gap between a Sentinel/Guide’s rank and the Domain’s rank, the deeper the impact.

Xia Mingyu laughed, the strange, cold light reflecting off his cheek like a flowing stream. “What do you think?”

Chesapeake gave a disdainful snort. “Ah, it truly makes one jealous. Sir, if you don’t order a best-selling ‘Nyarlathotep Whiskey,’ I might just sneak to your bedside tonight and peel off that perfect skin of yours.”

It was the same sharp-tongued, biting threat as before.

Three years had passed since Xia Mingyu last heard Chesapeake’s quips. Knowing exactly what was coming next, he played along. “Nyarlathotep? I’ll take one.”

Chesapeake winked mysteriously. As he mixed the drink, he began to recount the most glorious moment of his Sentinel career—the “Nyarlathotep Domain,” the very incident that disfigured him and forced him out of the Guild.

It was named so because the core of the Domain was a massive stele. According to fragmented records, occultists had deciphered the inscriptions as praise for an Outer God named “Nyarlathotep.”

“…Finally, Xie He arrived at the stele. After the B-Rank Domain mutated into an S-Rank, the Guild Alliance sent an S-Rank Sentinel squad. None of us expected to see Xie He in person.

“The moment Xie He appeared, it was like a savior descending from heaven. We knew we were saved. His ability is terrifying. He just placed his hand on the stele, and the core turned to dust instantly—God, that was an S-Rank Domain core.”

Xie He was Chesapeake’s savior and idol. Xia Mingyu had heard this story so many times he had grown callouses on his ears, but since this was their “first” meeting in this life, he listened politely.

Xie He. The man at the center of the apocalyptic storm. The cream of the crop among S-Rank Sentinels. The only combatant who awakened a unique “Ability” during his very first awakening.

Usually, Sentinels and Guides undergo two awakenings. The first grants basic abilities; the second, performed by a priest at a church, unlocks their full potential. Only a lucky few awaken a specialized “Ability.”

But Xie He was a born king. At fifteen, he was already slaughtering high-level Domains and Territories alone. Now twenty, he was at his peak—invincible and legendary.

A Sentinel sitting next to Xia Mingyu also ordered a Nyarlathotep Whiskey, listening intently. His left arm was in a splint, but it didn’t stop his heavy drinking.

“By the way, Chesapeake, did you hear the Shadow Guild is coming to Southern Base No. 1?”

The Shadow Guild was the top-ranked guild, founded by Xie He. Its members were rarely seen in human bases.

Chesapeake looked up sharply. “Harvey, where’d you hear that?”

“My contacts in the Sentry Tower. After Chief Ao fell in battle, the Tower decided to make Xie He the next Chief Sentinel. However, the Domain he’s currently in is apparently very dangerous. There’s been no word of him coming out yet.”

Chesapeake clicked his tongue. “A twenty-year-old Chief Sentinel… Xie He is a living legend.” He pushed the two whiskies toward Xia Mingyu and Harvey. “Enjoy.”

…

Xia Mingyu listened quietly. The topics in an underground bar never changed: the movements of great figures, Domains and Territories, and… Guides.

Guides were far fewer than Sentinels. Most Sentinels had to rely on “Little White Pills” (concentrated Guide pheromones) to survive their manic periods. Consequently, powerful Guides were the frequent subjects of drunken Sentinel fantasies.

As he finished his drink, Xia Mingyu sensed a faint, restless mental fluctuation. At first, he thought it was the alcohol, but he knew his limits. He turned his head to scan the room.

His gaze locked onto a large curtain by the VIP seats on the second floor. A black-haired, red-eyed Sentinel was laughing with those around him, looking perfectly composed, but the “restlessness” coming from him was growing stronger.

“Chesapeake,” Xia Mingyu said, his voice sinking. “That Sentinel is about to enter a manic period. Call Nie Yinniang. Fast.”

A manic Sentinel without a Guide to soothe them had terrifying destructive power.

“What?” Chesapeake and Harvey both froze, looking over. There was no sign of trouble. “Sir, don’t joke like that.”

Xia Mingyu didn’t answer. His “peach blossom eyes” grew misty with a sudden ache. His throat tasted of iron. This restlessness seemed to be resonating with him, making his head spin.

The red-eyed Sentinel noticed Xia Mingyu’s gaze. Their eyes met. In the next second, the Sentinel’s pupils flared with a golden light and began to lose focus—

“Chesapeake! Call Nie Yinniang!” Xia Mingyu shouted as the Sentinel leapt from the second floor.

The Sentinel hit the ground like a beast, sharp fangs protruding. This was the state where the Sentinel’s physical body and “Mental Manifestation” began to bleed into each other during a manic outbreak.

The bar erupted into chaos. People scattered like birds.

“Didn’t he take his pills?! Coming to Paradise Lost to go berserk…” someone cursed. But no one stepped forward. Based on his mental pressure, he was a B-Rank Sentinel—higher than anyone currently in the room.

The grey-eyed Sentinel from earlier stepped forward, a shadowy “Brown Bear” manifestation appearing behind him. “Come on, red-eyed brat, let’s see what you’ve got.”

The red-eyed Sentinel roared, his “Snow Wolf” manifestation appearing as the two began to clash.

Xia Mingyu and Chesapeake crouched behind the bar. Chesapeake’s pupils were flashing blue—he was sending an emergency signal to Nie Yinniang.

But she didn’t respond. Chesapeake looked at Xia Mingyu in distress. “Sir, your mental strength can’t be low. You have no signs of pollution or mutation. You’re an active-duty Sentinel, aren’t you? Why are you hiding?”

Xia Mingyu glanced at him, speechless. “I’m not a Sentinel.”

Chesapeake was even more shocked. “Not a Sentinel? Then you’re a Guide?!”

Before Xia Mingyu could protest, Chesapeake stood up and hauled him up too, shouting at the crowd: “Warriors! We have a Guide here! Make way! Let the Guide soothe him!”

The sudden movement reopened Xia Mingyu’s wounds. Sharp pain flared in his abdomen.

“Chesapeake…”

The manic Sentinel noticed them. His roar became more violent as he broke through the perimeter to shred them.

Xia Mingyu went numb. “We’re dead…” He looked into Chesapeake’s hopeful eyes. “I’m an ordinary person. Now that we have his attention, neither of us is getting away.”

Chesapeake froze. There were never “ordinary people” in Paradise Lost. It was a fatal oversight.

Xia Mingyu gave a bitter laugh. He had only seen manic Sentinels twice. The first time, it had killed him. Rebirth was a scam; he wasn’t going to survive 24 hours.

He dragged Chesapeake behind the liquor shelf. Pushing aside a bottle, he revealed a hidden keypad. If he remembered correctly, an A-Rank Ability Gun was hidden here.

Xia Mingyu grabbed the gun’s handle just as the keypad dissolved. The Sentinel was closing in. He aimed at the moving target and pulled the trigger.

The Sentinel collapsed, but Xia Mingyu’s right arm began to spray blood.

Ability Guns extracted powers from deceased Sentinels and Guides. An A-Rank gun used the power of a high-level Guide. The recoil alone was enough to shatter an ordinary human’s bones. Xia Mingyu could feel his finger and arm splintering inch by inch.

The Sentinel stood back up. Xia Mingyu switched to his left hand and caught a mid-sized dagger thrown by Chesapeake.

His right hand was his dominant hand, which he had sacrificed for the shot. But his left was not a weakness. His martial arts were flawless—a sharp blade honed by surviving the Ruins. Against Sentinels who over-relied on manifestations, his beauty was a distraction that allowed for a lethal strike.

The Sentinel lunged, pinning Xia Mingyu to the ground. They struggled for several rounds. Xia Mingyu held the Sentinel back, but his strength was failing.

Just as the Sentinel was about to bite his neck, Xia Mingyu jammed his dagger against the creature’s fangs. Blood soaked into Xia Mingyu’s long hair. It looked like his left arm was about to break as well.

He looked up at the Sentinel. The manic red eyes looked like pigeon-blood rubies; snow-wolf ears had sprouted from his head, and a fluffy tail was swishing behind him.

Wait… the Sentinel wasn’t using much force.

Xia Mingyu sat up, his blood-soaked hair making his beauty look demonic. The Sentinel began to whimper. In an instant, Xia Mingyu read the emotional fluctuation—it was sadness and a sense of being “wronged.”

Confused, he slowly withdrew the dagger. The Sentinel waited obediently. Once the blade was gone, the Sentinel leaned in and licked the blood off Xia Mingyu’s face. His tongue was rough, like a wild wolf’s.

Xia Mingyu’s mind was nearing a breakdown. I’m really not a Guide. I don’t have pheromones!

Suddenly, a rich, strange fragrance wafted through the air like the silk veil of a dancer.

“Who is breaking my rules in Paradise Lost?”

Xia Mingyu looked past the Sentinel and saw a slender figure in a qipao—Nie Yinniang. She covered the lower half of her face with an indigo silk fan, her phoenix-eyes glancing over with cold arrogance.

Xia Mingyu finally understood what Chesapeake meant about Xie He being a savior. Right now, Nie Yinniang was his savior.

“Nie Yinniang, it’s him, this Sentinel,” Xia Mingyu said, trying to stay calm.

Nie Yinniang hummed. “I was wondering which blind Guide was being so reckless on my turf. With pheromones this thick, do you want to be swallowed alive by every Sentinel in Paradise Lost?”

Xia Mingyu was stunned. “Who?”

Nie Yinniang closed her fan and smiled teasingly. “You.”

…He couldn’t clear his name even if he jumped into the Yellow River.

Nie Yinniang waved her fan. Everywhere the fan passed, reality began to restore itself. The shattered lights, the spilled liquor, even the wounded Sentinels returned to their original state in an instant.

The fan returned to her hand like a boomerang. She tapped Xia Mingyu with the handle. In the next second, the Sentinel passed out on top of him, his wolf features vanishing. Miraculously, Xia Mingyu’s shattered arm and wounds were gone.

“Inniang, was that…?” Chesapeake gasped.

“Just a bit of simple Time Manipulation.”

Nie Yinniang took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. “Finally, that nauseating Guide scent is gone.” She turned to Xia Mingyu. “Medical fees, bar damages, compensation for these Sentinels, and… you disturbed my beauty sleep.”

She named a massive figure. “When are you paying me back?”

Xia Mingyu counted the zeros in his head. “I don’t have that much money.”

“Then you’ll have to sell yourself to me to pay it off,” she said, handing him a slip of paper.

As he took it, he felt her hit him with a powerful surge of energy. In the next second, he was warped out of Paradise Lost and dumped back at the metal door of the underground stairs.

He had been kicked out.

He looked at the paper. It was an employment contract for a bartender position at Paradise Lost, 8:00 PM to 2:00 AM, with a very generous salary.

At the top of the paper, a new line of text appeared: “Mr. Xia Mingyu, remember to go to the Church to ‘Awaken’ before you come in next time.”