The Natives of This World Are Fierce

Blaise’s heart was thumping in his chest. He was panting, dripping with cold sweat, and he looked absolutely terrible.

’Was I just dreaming? Was it a hallucination?’

But the strange kid’s disappearance couldn’t have been fake. After all, so many people saw it.

’No! Maybe I’m still in the dream!’

"Jim, punch me!"

"Huh?"

Just as everyone was starting to get spooked by the kid who had vanished into thin air, their boss was actually asking someone to hit him?

This immediately drew everyone’s attention.

"Cut the crap! I told you to hit me, so just do it!"

Blaise roared ferociously at the subordinate closest to him.

"B-but, where should I hit you?"

"Hit me where it hurts! Hurry up!"

Seeing his boss’s vicious expression, Jim steeled himself, gritted his teeth, and drove a fist into Blaise’s stomach.

THUD.

"Oh~ Shit!"

Blaise’s body curled up like a cooked shrimp, his face twitching in pain. He really hadn’t held back!

He gasped for air, and five seconds later, Blaise stood up and punched Jim in the chin, knocking him straight to the ground.

"Thanks, Jim. Don’t worry about it. I’m not mad at you, I’m just not used to taking a punch for free!"

’Dammit, it’s not a dream!’

’At least, the strange kid disappearing wasn’t a dream.’

The few subordinates at the entrance stared inside, stunned. They had no idea what was happening. Why were they fighting? Weren’t they just teaching Maki a lesson a moment ago?

"This doesn’t concern you. Close the Door and stand guard outside."

Blaise ordered the men at the entrance. They didn’t dare say anything and did as they were told, closing the Door.

Sitting back down on the sofa, Blaise tried his best to calm the unease in his heart, while his surrounding subordinates were at a loss.

"Boss, I told you I didn’t give it to the cops! How could I dare betray you..."

Maki started trying to explain himself again. The sentence was slightly different from the one in Blaise’s terrifying memory. Although the meaning was similar, it gave Blaise a glimmer of Hope.

’There’s one more way to be sure!’

"Maki, you go—no, Jim, you go open the case!"

Blaise had originally wanted Maki to open the case, just like in the "dream," but on second thought, it was better to switch people.

Jim had just scrambled up from the floor, his chin still throbbing with pain.

"Me again? Boss, I..."

"Don’t worry, I won’t hit you this time. Hurry up and open the case for me!"

As he spoke, Blaise jerked his head, signaling him to go over. All the other subordinates looked at Jim.

"Alright..."

Jim dragged the case from its spot near the entrance to the center of the room.

"It feels pretty light?"

He laid the case down flat and carefully unzipped it, revealing its contents.

"Boss, the goods are here."

But Blaise couldn’t be happy. He stared at the empty case, which contained only a thin scroll. It was exactly what he had just seen, and he grew anxious, wondering if things would continue to unfold as they had in his dream.

The strange kid from before had indeed left many of them with lingering fear.

"Boss, that thing just now... it wasn’t a hallucination, was it?"

Another similar question. Although the person asking wasn’t the same one from the "dream," it still made Blaise’s heart leap.

’I can’t do the same thing I did in the dream!’

"Who cares if it was a hallucination, the goods are back! Tonight, we’ll start preparing the new shipment for sale. Everyone, work hard. We’ll increase your cut by half this time."

Money was always the best motivator. Hearing their cut would be increased, the group grew excited. At Blaise’s signal, they took out several cases of goods, extracted a portion, and started heading for the dance hall and outside.

Even if they were truly concerned about the kid from before, they had to pretend in front of their boss that they were fine.

Everyone left one by one. Just as Maki was about to leave, Blaise grabbed him. Soon, the only ones left in the room were Blaise, Maki, and two other burly, bodyguard-type subordinates who were always by Blaise’s side.

Blaise waited for the last person to leave and close the Door, then he grabbed Maki by the neck and slammed him hard against the wall.

"What the hell did you get mixed up with?"

The cold muzzle of a gun was pressed to the back of his head. Maki was so scared he became incoherent.

"Nothing! I didn’t get mixed up with anything! It was just like any other time..."

With his life on the line, Maki once again explained the details of this delivery.

After getting the goods in New Mexico, he had them shipped by eight different people. He calculated the flights, contacted their bribed man at the airport to keep an eye on things, and went to Los Angeles Airport to "pick up the package" himself after it arrived.

But this time, after leaving the airport, he discovered one case was missing. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and deliver what he had.

Blaise really wanted to just put a bullet in Maki’s head. What kind of terrifying entity had he attracted? But at the same time, he felt like it was aimed at him personally. He had a gut feeling that this was bound to happen sooner or later. After all, besides seeing the disappearing child, no one else seemed to have experienced anything unusual.

’This feeling sucks!’

"Get lost. Don’t let me see you for the next three days!"

Maki fled the room as if he’d been granted a pardon, and a temporary quiet fell.

’Thank God that laughter didn’t appear...’

After a moment of silence, Blaise grew restless. He felt he couldn’t just sit here and wait. He decided to go see the priest, but this time, unlike in the dream, he wouldn’t go alone.

"Let’s go. We’re going to the church."

The two Mexican subordinates were men of few words. They exchanged a look but said nothing, accompanying Blaise out the door.

Even though it was summer, a cold wind blew as they stepped out the back door of the dance hall, making him shiver.

...

Inside the church, the priest was cleaning, just as he had been in Blaise’s dream.

When Blaise and his two subordinates entered, his heart lurched at the sight, but he forced himself to go in anyway.

Thankfully, it wasn’t like the dream. The priest was still just a priest. He listened carefully to Blaise’s story about the disappearing child and his worries. The subordinate beside him also confirmed that he had indeed seen a strange child suddenly vanish on his own.

"My child, under the glory of God, evil has nowhere to hide. As long as you believe in God and trust in His protection, nothing can harm you!"

CLICK.

Just as the priest was speaking, the church door opened again.

A figure in a long robe, out of place in this scorching weather, walked in from outside, cloaked in moonlight.

"CLACK~" "CLACK~" "CLACK~"...

The sound of leather shoes striking the floor was so distinct that it unconsciously drew everyone’s attention, including the priest’s. Even their heartbeats seemed to sync with the rhythm of the steps.

The moonlight at the figure’s back seemed to outshine the candlelight and lamps inside, making it impossible to see the face hidden in shadow.

In the moment it took for them to stare in a daze, the figure had already walked right up to Blaise. Before Blaise and his two subordinates could snap out of it and react, the robed person’s hand shot out like lightning and seized Blaise’s neck.

"Ugh... who... are... you..."

He couldn’t see the newcomer’s face, only a pair of bright eyes.

His two subordinates immediately pointed their guns at the person, about to spit out a few threats.

"AHHHHHHHHHH—"

A woman’s hair-raising shriek suddenly erupted from Blaise’s body.

WHOOSH.

A blurry flame ignited on the mysterious person’s body. It seemed transparent, yet it burned with exceptional heat.

"AHHHHHHHHHH—SOB—ROOOOOOAR—"

The terrifying sound shifted from a scream to a sob and then to a roar, constantly changing and sounding less and less human.

A ghastly white Shadow was "torn" out of Blaise’s body. It was the source of all the bloodcurdling screams and roars.

Countless tentacles flailed wildly amidst the screams, writhing as if trying to crawl back into Blaise’s body.

"Hmph."

With a cold snort, the invisible flames erupted, spreading from the mysterious person, down their arm, and onto the pale, transparent monster.

"AHHHHHHH—"

"POP." "POP." "POP." "POP."

The piercing shriek caused all the chandeliers in the church to shatter in an instant. Countless shards of glass rained down, and the room grew even dimmer.

A few seconds later, everything fell silent.

Blaise was terrified and panting, collapsed on the wooden pew like a dead dog. His two subordinates sat slumped to one side, their faces deathly pale, their guns long since dropped to the floor. The priest was no better, trembling in his seat while repeatedly making the sign of the cross over his chest.

"’Evil has nowhere to hide,’ huh? Heh, I like that phrase..."

The mysterious person seemed to turn and glance at the priest. Leaving only those words behind, they turned and left, arriving in silence and departing in silence.

"CLACK~" "CLACK~" "CLACK~"...

The sound of leather shoes on the floor faded away with the mysterious person.

Blaise had been completely drained of strength, but now he found a burst of energy from somewhere and sat up.

"Wait! Please, wait!"

The mysterious person paused but did not turn around.

"Your death would be no great loss. I just happen to despise disgusting Faceless Shadow Ghosts more. Keep on living your worthless life, parasite."

PS: First Chapter for Monday.