Upon Her Lips - Chapter 36

Chapter 36

The cold, dry air was heavy with the stench of rotting flesh. However, the biting winter wind soon swept away the unpleasant odor.

Tonight was supposed to be a night of ultimate joy for many, celebrating the birth of their Lord. Sacred hymns and festive fireworks echoed in the distance. No one cared if a beautiful woman vanished from a derelict street or if a frail child became homeless.

…

Under the flickering candlelight, two silhouettes—one tall and one short—moved through the shadows.

A noble-looking woman followed behind a flower girl who was swinging a basket. The girl hummed a tune, her earlier frailty replaced by a greedy, calculating expression far beyond her years.

“What a haul. Some noble lady wandering the streets alone… poor thing,” the girl, Amon, muttered. She glanced back at the cold beauty behind her. The woman’s eyes were vacant, like a life-sized doll waiting to be manipulated.

Amon felt a surge of spite looking at that face. When we get to the factory, those men will probably lose their minds. They can’t resist a pretty face. Even as “merchandise,” the men usually had their way with the women before “processing” them. Amon hated these beautiful victims. She was an adult trapped in a stunted, plain body, and her petty vengeance was to carve up the faces of the women before they died.

“Walk faster, stupid woman,” Amon hissed, clutching a small knife hidden under her flowers. She mimicked slashing the woman’s face, but the woman remained calm, her gaze empty. Amon let out a raspy laugh. “Sheep to the slaughter.”

They crossed into a “No Entry” zone—a gray territory abandoned by the law and the Lord alike.

“Look what I brought you!” Amon’s shrill voice rang out as they entered a derelict factory.

Several men emerged, their hostile expressions turning into stunned silence when they saw the ethereal woman behind Amon.

“Damn, Amon, you hit the jackpot tonight,” said the leader, a man named Rofon, handing her a beer. “This is the freshest one yet.”

The men laughed, discussing their “merchandise” and the anatomy lab in the back. A brute sitting on a scrap car reached out to touch the woman.

“Hands off! We have orders to fill first,” Rofon snapped.

Suddenly, a faint voice whispered.

“One… two… three…”

The man about to knock the woman unconscious froze. The woman, who should have been incapacitated by the high-grade narcotics on the flower thorns, was counting.

“…eight, nine.” She finished, a thin smile playing on her crimson lips. She looked up, her golden-brown eyes flashing with a predatory light. “Excluding the corpses in the lab, there are nine living people. Compared to that tasteless chilled blood, this will barely suffice.”

Amon gasped. The drug was supposed to knock out a human for 24 hours. How was she conscious? She was never drugged; she followed me on purpose!

Rofon realized they had been played. He grabbed Amon by the collar and threw her aside before drawing his gun. “I don’t care who you are, pretty lady, you’re dead.”

Mu Fei’s chilling smile vanished. In a blur of movement, she was standing inches from Rofon. Her eyes turned a terrifying scarlet. Her hand pierced his chest, stopping millimeters from his beating heart.

“I will make you remember,” Mu Fei whispered over the sound of snapping ribs, “exactly where you are allowed to look.”

She withdrew her hand, and the blood on her skin was absorbed instantly. Rofon collapsed, screaming in agony. The others were paralyzed by primal terror, some even losing control of their bladders.

Mu Fei “accidentally” injured each of them, but as she tasted the air, her expression turned to one of disgust. Alcohol, drugs, filth—the blood of these humans was rancid.

“Disappointing. A waste of time.”

She flicked the blood from her fingers with disdain. She had followed Amon out of curiosity, sensing the heavy scent of death on her. But this “snack” was spoiled.

She turned to leave the wailing scum behind, her thoughts shifting to You Ran. Did the little thing get her marshmallow? Is she waiting for me?

As she took a few steps, a familiar figure appeared in the moonlight. You Ran was panting, her face a mask of absolute grief and terror. She was drenched in tears.

Before Mu Fei could speak, the girl lunged forward and hugged her with all her might, shaking violently.

“Lady… Lady…”

“You actually found your way here,” Mu Fei said, her voice softening. She tried to pull You Ran up, but the girl wouldn’t let go.

“It’s my fault… I shouldn’t have… gone for the candy… I almost lost you!” You Ran sobbed until she choked.

Mu Fei patted her head. “I am always here.”

You Ran looked up. For a split second, Mu Fei thought she saw something strange in the girl’s eyes—a flicker of something not quite human—but it vanished as quickly as it appeared.

“I will never… never leave your side again!” You Ran vowed.

Mu Fei picked her up with one arm. “Let’s go get that marshmallow.”

As they walked away, You Ran noticed a small scratch on Mu Fei’s hand from the poisoned thorns. Her heart shattered. She looked back at the factory, her gaze turning cold and dark.

Please, all of you, go to hell.

She said nothing, burying her face back into Mu Fei’s shoulder.

The next day, a news report would describe the factory as a scene from a nightmare: Nine corpses were found with their heads dissolved into strange shapes and their internal organs completely hollowed out by what appeared to be a swarm of crows. The scene was beyond human comprehension.