AnalogHorror: Rule Kaidan 4016
Chapter 292 - 135: Gossip Behind the Back

Chapter 292: Chapter 135: Gossip Behind the Back

"To be honest, I can’t tell either," Xu Shunkang spread his hands, "From her, I can’t see the characteristics of an art student, nor the traits of a nocturnal species. It’s like... an art student who has lost their identity credential. If I had to say, perhaps it’s an ’unstable art student’? If they continue to degenerate, they might turn into ’nocturnal species’."

"Ah?" Lin Yi was somewhat confused.

Xu Shunkang shook his head: "Don’t be surprised; ’nocturnal species’ is not a single species but a broad collection. They don’t just have one transformation pathway; all creatures that become that state, whether living or dead, belong to the nocturnal species."

Lin Yi had an epiphany, it seemed Tian Bufan’s conjectured pathway was also correct.

"So, you’re saying that pieces that have lost their identity credential will turn into nocturnal species, and the nocturnal species are the ghosts wandering on the chessboard that you just mentioned?" Lin Yi summarized.

Xu Shunkang nodded: "Right."

"Then, the nocturnal species continue to be affected by contamination and turn into sculptures?"

"Yes, not... something’s off with you, how did you learn all this in one night? Isn’t your head going to explode?" Xu Shunkang glared at Lin Yi, his expression incredibly serious.

Lin Yi did not wish to dwell on this topic: "But you said, in a way, nocturnal species are like sculptures?"

"The difference between a tadpole and a frog," Xu Shunkang became a master of summarization, stating succinctly.

Lin Yi couldn’t help but squint: "Could you be more specific?"

Li Huiyuan added: "If possible, better to use me as an example..."

Xu Shunkang glanced at Li Huiyuan and continued: "If you can’t retrieve your identity credential, you will mutate physically and psychologically under the continuous erosion of the ’mist’, turning into a ’nocturnal species’, just like those people curled up in their seats during evening self-study in the classroom."

"Your body will gradually adapt to the ’mist’, and your craving for the ’mist’ will become like a person’s desire for food. But at the same time, normal natural light will drive away the ’mist’, making sunlight as poisonous to you as a lethal substance."

"At the extreme, you might even develop a strong urge to devour things containing ’mist’, and these impulses along with the instinct for blood will gradually take over your thoughts, until you are completely transformed into a monster that lies between life and death."

"Your body will also become a substance with some shaping ability, and under sunlight, due to the lack of ’mist’, you’ll be unable to maintain human form, and to avoid the sunlight, you’ll need to hide in places with no light as much as possible."

"But when the sun starts to weaken at night, your body will become incredibly hard, like a stone soaked in icy water."

"Especially under abnormal weather conditions filled with ’mist’, your bodily functions will become extraordinarily active, even reaching a peak state."

"’These nocturnal beings, cloaked in mist, chase the light, hide by day and roam by night, and eventually become mere fleeting shadows.’"

"This is the ’nocturnal species’."

Having listened, Lin Yi pondered and then asked, "Then how do they become sculptures?"

"Not sculptures, but something like sculptures," Xu Shunkang corrected.

"Something like sculptures?" Lin Yi frowned slightly, his expression a bit puzzled, "This sculpture isn’t the same as the one I understand?"

He thought that what Xu Shunkang referred to as tadpoles turning into frogs was that process.

Xu Shunkang said: "Between ’nocturnal species’ and ’sculptures,’ there is still a level of pollution depth."

"Another level? That much difference?" Lin Yi exclaimed.

"Yes, that much," Xu Shunkang’s expression became much more serious when it came to sculptures, "Don’t ask too much about things related to ’sculptures’; they are terrifying beings at the center of the magnetic field."

"The more you know about sculptures, the closer you’ll get to them, forging a connection... This connection is quite deadly, and known conventional methods cannot break it in low pollution ranges."

Lin Yi fell silent for a moment, showing restraint and not pressing further: "Can you talk about this sculpturing of nocturnal species?"

"No problem," Xu Shunkang nodded, "Nocturnal species fear sunlight because their bodies are not yet fully formed; to put it bluntly, they are underdeveloped."

"Their bodies can’t store ’mist’ or transform ’mist’ into their own strength, so during the day, the ’mist’ inside them leaks out, turning from barely maintaining human form into a squishy, decaying state."

"If exposed to sunlight, their bodies will become sculptured, turning into that plaster-like form you’ve seen."

"This, I can’t really explain to you clearly, I can only say that the bodies of nocturnal species are just made that way."

"If you want to know more specifics... you can ask the chef," Xu Shunkang raised an eyebrow slightly, revealing a cryptic smile, "provided you can get into the Staff Passage of the cafeteria. If you meet the chefs outside the cafeteria, you’ve got to be careful, they’re not easy to deal with."

Lin Yi thoughtfully said, "Okay, I’ll remember that."

"Mm," Xu Shunkang nodded, "Any more curious matters you want to ask about? If not, we are heading back to the classroom."

Lin Yi then tentatively asked, "Speaking of... do you guys want to talk more about the chefs?"

"Buzz off!" Xu Shunkang waved his hands, "Talking to you about nocturnal species, I already feel like I’ve overstepped, and you want to know about the chefs? Heh, why don’t you screw my head off and use it as a magic mirror? Alright, alright, I’m going back to the classroom to read comics. If you have any other questions, go ask someone else, like the Boss... Alright, off I go!"