Chapter 3: The Future is Bleak

Communicating with the bandage monster was a tremendous effort. Every few sentences, he would burst into a fit of “Gak gak gak” laughter, as if he were some pre-programmed routine, or perhaps the monster simply used his cackling in place of punctuation.

Amidst the string of bizarre laughter, Tao Fangyi managed to extract a tiny sliver of useful information.

For instance, this bandage monster was an Earthbound Spirit. He also learned that the monster had never been treated kindly when he was alive, and that he had been a boy.

“Those vicious, self-righteous bastards who do nothing but pick fights all day!” The bandage monster’s throat sounded as if it were grinding gravel. “They’d better pray they don’t give me a reason, because if they do, I’ll devour them! One bite at a time! Straight into my stomach!”

This was immediately followed by another burst of laughter.

Tao Fangyi sat down inside his plastic packaging. Talking to this bandage monster was draining his energy; he needed a short rest.

Suddenly, The bandage monster’s smooth face leaned in close to Tao Fangyi. His head actually pierced through the plastic sheeting, and where his head met the material, layers of blue ripples began to emanate, like water rings.

Tao Fangyi was startled by the sudden appearance in his face and let out a sharp “Ah!”

The bandage monster was pleased by his reaction. “What about you, little insect?”

Tao Fangyi corrected him. “My name is Tao Fangyi.”

“I don’t care what your name is,” the bandage monster scoffed.

It then extended a hand and poked Tao Fangyi’s chest with a sharp claw. “I’ve seen plenty of monsters like you. You’re going to harm that family, one by one, and feed on their resentment?”

“To be precise, it’s collecting fear,” Tao Fangyi said, smoothing down the fuzzy fur on his body that the monster had ruffled. He wanted to show the creature his credentials, but the other being spoke much faster.

“Collecting fear? You’re going to slaughter their entire family?” The bandage monster felt Tao Fangyi was simply using nicer wording. The horror doll had probably just realized its own dangerous nature and was trying its hardest to prove it was harmless.

Tao Fangyi continued to reach behind himself. “Uh, no, I’m licensed…”

“If you don’t want them, can I kill them?” the bandage monster interrupted again.

Tao Fangyi paused, slightly stunned. “They… did this to you?”

“I don’t know them,” the bandage monster said, the corners of its mouth turning down.

Tao Fangyi: …

“But who says you need to know someone to eat them? Before you eat, do you first ask the cow or chicken in your bowl for its name?” The bandage monster covered its mouth and let out another low chuckle.

Tao Fangyi’s demeanor turned serious. Although his current facial features were somewhat abstract, they were much better than the plastic bean eyes he had before, allowing him to express a hint of emotion accurately. “It seems we have a long period of cohabitation ahead of us, then.”

“Inside my stomach?” The bandage monster’s grin stretched even wider.

“In prison.” Tao Fangyi pulled out his credentials, extending his hand to display them.

“I’m a Warden Reserve of the Special Biological Management Bureau’s ‘Nineteenth Level Prison.’ It seems I’ll be your future prison guard. I advise you not to make any sudden moves.” The moment Tao Fangyi finished speaking, the bandage monster transformed into a blur of white shadow and shot away.

Tao Fangyi did not act rashly, because the bandage monster quickly came crashing back through the wall. A ring of red marks had appeared around its neck.

The bandage monster reached up to touch its own neck. “What is this thing? Chains?!”

“I have no obligation to explain. Wait here obediently. I’ll contact my colleagues now to come and take you away; they will explain everything to you.” Tao Fangyi pulled out a cell phone roughly the size of his own body from behind him.

“Wait, wait!!” the bandage monster yelled loudly.

Tao Fangyi’s fuzzy round hands pressed repeatedly on the phone. Although the Special Administration had made some special modifications to the device, the touchscreen sensitivity was still lacking.

He tapped several times, then shook the phone.

“Wait! You can’t do this to me!” The bandage monster’s voice became remarkably clear and clean. “You can’t arrest me!”

Tao Fangyi turned a deaf ear.

“I’ve never killed anyone!” After saying this, the bandage monster felt it wasn’t rigorous enough. “Or rather, I’ve never killed innocent people!”

Tao Fangyi still ignored him.

“So this is how you enforce the law?! Just arresting me, a pitiful ghost with a tragic past?! You haven’t even tried to understand me, to redeem me?! You’re just tossing me into your cold legal procedures? Without an ounce of warmth!” The bandage monster’s speech grew faster and faster.

It noticed that Tao Fangyi’s movements had stopped and let out a small sigh of relief.

“You really won’t harm ordinary people?” Tao Fangyi looked at him.

“As a matter of fact, I came here tracking another criminal,” the bandage monster said, its hand still resting on its neck. “Since you’re with the Special Biological Management Bureau, how do you not know who I am?”

Tao Fangyi was puzzled. “Why would I know who you are?”

“You don’t know about ‘Blood Bandages’? The one who’s been giving the Combat Department the biggest headache lately?” The bandage monster was somewhat surprised.

So this bandage monster really was famous?

Seeing the confusion in Tao Fangyi’s eyes, the bandage monster was even more astonished. “Don’t you go on your Special Administration’s internal forums? There are tons of threads about ‘Blood Bandages.’”

Tao Fangyi was shocked. “You actually know we have forums?!”

Despite the bandage monster lacking distinct facial contours, Tao Fangyi could actually perceive dissatisfaction on its face.

The bandage monster leaned in closer to Tao Fangyi. “Just open it and take a look.”

“Open what?” Tao Fangyi glanced at the bandage-covered skull that was nearly touching him.

“The forums, your internal forums! Open it, scroll through a bit, and you’ll find me,” the bandage monster said.

Tao Fangyi suddenly stiffened, then let out two polite laughs. “Haha, I’ll take a look when I have time later.”

“Why later? Are you that busy right now?” The bandage monster was eager for this Warden Reserve to know its reputation.

It had only just learned that the Wardens’ job before getting permanent employment was actually collecting fear. But thinking about the aura surrounding the Wardens, the job seemed quite fitting. At least it was better than being a reserve in the Combat Department.

This was the bandage monster’s first interaction with a Warden.

Tao Fangyi couldn’t resist the stubborn bandage monster. He took a deep breath and opened the forum page.

Immediately, the top trending post appeared before his eyes—【A Warden came to the matchmaking event, so terrifying! Having nightmares every night since!】

…

So the Team Leader had been exposed.

Tao Fangyi swiftly exited the forum. “Here’s the thing, I’m rather insecure, so there’s something I haven’t fully disclosed. The truth is, I’m illiterate. A complete illiterate.”

Bandage Monster: …

Oh, right. It remembered now—the forums weren’t exactly friendly towards Wardens.

“Alright, you close your eyes and scroll, and I’ll tell you what to tap,” the bandage monster offered considerately.

Tao Fangyi: …

This kid’s desire to share was incredibly strong. Had he so rarely received any validation when he was alive?

Tao Fangyi was silent for a moment, then he warned, “If you play a prank on me, like deliberately making me see Warden-related content, I will get angry.” He didn’t mind indulging the kid’s need to share, but he wasn’t without a temper either.

What a non-threatening warning. Didn’t even threaten to cart him off to the Special Administration.

Tao Fangyi repeated, “I will really get angry.”

“Relax, I won’t,” the bandage monster reassured him.

Tao Fangyi helplessly closed his eyes.

That’s it? He’s just going along with it?

He’s really going along with it?

The bandage monster didn’t know much about the “Nineteenth Level Prison.” The employees there never took field missions; they were just a bunch of prison guards.

Or rather, they were a bunch of legendary prison guards.

Their appearance, their words, even their portraits and handwriting could induce unparalleled terror.

No one dared to understand them, no one dared to look at them directly, let alone communicate or converse with them.

They were a special existence, untouchable by prying eyes.

The bandage monster directed Tao Fangyi to open a post and then tap on a video link. “Okay, you can open your eyes now.”

Tao Fangyi tentatively opened one eye and saw the bandage monster flashing rows of sharp fangs at the camera.

“You didn’t play a prank on purpose,” Tao Fangyi said, reaching out to pat the head of the bandage monster beside him. “You’re a child who keeps your promises.”

“Hey!! I don’t like that!” The bandage monster recoiled violently, retreating outside the plastic sheeting.

“Sorry,” Tao Fangyi waved his hands hastily.

The bandage monster tentatively moved forward. Tao Fangyi extended his round hand toward it, and the bandage monster leaned back again. “Trap!”

“No, no, I just wanted to pat your shoulder… well, maybe your cheekbone,” Tao Fangyi said, realizing his current body size wouldn’t allow him to reach the creature’s shoulder. “I can roughly locate your cheekbone.”

“I don’t like physical contact,” the bandage monster refused his offer.

“That’s a shame.” Tao Fangyi withdrew his hand. This must be a very isolated child. Now wasn’t the time to comment much on that.

Tao Fangyi pretended nothing had happened. After fiercely tapping over a dozen times with his round hand, he finally managed to open the video.

It was a combat record.

The footage was shaky. A Combat Department member wearing a recorder seemed to be running. Before long, he spoke up: “It’s him again! He’s targeted our objective again!”

Crack, crack.

It sounded like bones breaking.

The camera suddenly spun violently. The scenery was dragged into long streaks of color, and finally, the frame froze.

Two street lamps were entwined with countless bandages. Suspended upside down between the bandages was the eerie man currently beside Tao Fangyi—like a spider resting in its web.

He was smiling, and in his arms, he held a Demon. The Demon was utterly terrified, its eyes straining open to the absolute limit.

Blood trickled from the Demon’s eye socket, down its forehead, and finally dripped onto the ground.

“Shh.” The bandaged man raised a finger to his lips.

The surveillance feed suddenly began to distort and stutter. The man’s voice turned garbled, laced with electronic static.

“You… interrupt… the game.” Crack, crack.

“Don’t be afraid… sleep… goodnight.” The video stopped abruptly.

This monster could affect the Special Administration’s recorders?

Even his own two old friends might not be able to pull that off.

This Fierce Ghost was stronger than he had imagined. “It seems even more imperative that I report you.”

“The person I ate had killed plenty of people before! Strictly speaking, I’m not a villain. I’m an anti-hero!” the bandage monster argued.

“Anti-hero?” Tao Fangyi didn’t understand.

“Part villain, part hero. Haven’t you heard that?” The bandage monster had assumed this doll would be a trendy young person.

Could it be this doll had never been exposed to works with an age rating of fourteen and up?

“No, that doesn’t hold up.” Tao Fangyi shook his head. He turned off his phone and looked seriously at the bandage monster. “You’re just trying to justify your killing. You kill proactively, not because you’re forced to. That’s very dangerous.”

As for the bandage monster having lied earlier about being an Earthbound Spirit, Tao Fangyi didn’t really care. A mischievous kid like this not lying would be the strange thing.

“They deserved to die. I just handled the problem more simply and efficiently,” the bandage monster said, tapping the red ring on its neck. “You should let me go!”

“Impossible. You’re not in a normal state.” Tao Fangyi waved the cell phone in his hand. “Either I call this in and you get arrested, or you’re temporarily placed under my supervision. Pick one.”

“You can’t do this to me,” the bandage monster retorted.

“Do I need to remind you? I’ve already compromised,” Tao Fangyi said. “Pushing further to be shameless is unbecoming.”

Bandage Monster: “I don’t belong here!”

“Did you only realize you don’t belong here after meeting me? Before that, did you honestly think your non-mainstream outfit matched this old, cozy home?” As a horror doll with a sense of social responsibility, he absolutely could not allow such a socially threatening individual to continue roaming among the populace.

The black mist around the bandage monster suddenly swelled, but it was quickly drawn back into its body.

The restraint on its neck was still there.

What exactly was this thing? Did the Nineteenth Level Prison have such terrifying binding weapons?

“Calm down. You can’t break free,” Tao Fangyi said, stuffing his body back into the plastic zip ties. He sensed the task’s target approaching. “You can be my assistant for now. No outsider has ever experienced the work of us Warden Reserves. Trust me, this will be a novel experience.”

“You mean scaring kids?” The bandage monster’s mouth twitched.

“Don’t take this task too lightly. Completing it isn’t easy,” Tao Fangyi reassured him. “But you don’t need to be too nervous either. This journey will be wonderful. Staying with a child can bring an incredibly pure sense of healing. I personally enjoy this job very much.”

Suddenly, a little girl outside called out, “Mommy!”

The woman who had brought Tao Fangyi home chatted casually with the child, telling her to go back to her room and put her backpack down.

The little girl skipped over and pushed open the door. At first, she didn’t notice Tao Fangyi.

As she was putting down her backpack, she suddenly caught sight of the packaging box on her bedside table.

The girl couldn’t see the bandage monster; she had no idea another monster was in the room observing her.

The girl’s mouth slowly opened wide.

Then, a shrieking sound, like a kettle reaching a boil, exploded from her mouth.

Bandage Monster: ?!!

The girl ran to the box, picked it up, and shook it up and down. Then she hugged it to her chest and screamed even louder, even more shrilly.

Inside the box, Tao Fangyi angled himself into a blind spot and looked at the bandage monster.

The purest affection of a child.

Feeling healed yet?

A cold gun muzzle pressed against Wenren Fu’s forehead.

“Captain?!” A team member who had also just stepped out of the combat simulation room was startled. “What are you doing?!”

“Just a momentary curiosity. Imitating a scene from a TV drama,” Wenren Fu said, lowering the gun.

The team member let out a sigh of relief.

Wenren Fu smiled gently. He carried an air of steadiness, but his mismatched eyes—one gold, one red—made him look like a sly, large cat. “I always feel like those poses in dramas are just for a cooler look.”

“Yeah,” the team member agreed.

The ear-piercing scream rang out in Wenren Fu’s ears again.

“This way, it’s more thorough. No chance for mistakes.” Wenren Fu smiled as he shoved the gun barrel into his own mouth.

“CAPTAIN!!!!”