I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 219 - 219 218. Shadow of Terror_1

Chapter 219: 218. Shadow of Terror_1 Chapter 219: 218. Shadow of Terror_1 “Shadow of Terror” tells a simple story, where the protagonist is an ordinary clerk working at a soap company, living a monotonous life. However, one day he started to feel as if someone was always secretly watching him. His life began to change; he met a nice girl and started a passionate romance, yet the voyeuristic gaze seemed to follow him everywhere, making him paranoid and causing countless arguments with his lover, boss, and friends.

Later on, it wasn’t just the feeling of being watched; he began to hear strange noises and see odd things out of the corner of his eye. He became eccentric and isolated.

Then one night, the protagonist finally discovered the source of the gaze: it was his own shadow, and monsters lurked within. These monsters were not confined to his own shadow but were also hiding in other people’s shadows.

When he walked under the sun, and his shadow fell upon his lover, a monster crawled out of her body. The protagonist was utterly terrified, and he distanced himself from everyone, but the monsters in the shadows only multiplied.

One day, a friend found the protagonist, who by then had descended into extreme madness. In the end, he picked up a gun and shot at the monsters emerging from the shadows around his friend. The bullets also pierced through his friend’s body. After killing both his friend and the monster associated with his friend, the protagonist slowly began to understand everything. He walked out onto the streets, shooting at all the monsters within the shadows. Eventually, after he killed his girlfriend, the protagonist was shot dead by the police.

What was most acclaimed about this book was actually its ending. Everyone thought the protagonist was merely hallucinating due to insanity, that the so-called monsters didn’t really exist. But then, from the shadow of the protagonist’s corpse, a tentacle quietly withdrew, a thought that sent a chill down one’s spine.

Moreover, the author’s detailed descriptions resonated with the reader as if there were monsters lurking in their own shadows as well.

Darkness and shadows have always been ancient fears present since the dawn of humanity, and the author’s rendering made them even more frightening.

“…This novel seems to be kind of intense.”

Cui Siter took a deep breath, put down the book, and suddenly, a faint bumping noise came from the shadows behind him.

His heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly looked over.

The fat Orange Cat had apparently woken up and was jumping off the couch, making that sound as it landed.

“The text of this book makes one feel quite uncomfortable.”

Shia wasn’t as paranoid as Cui Siter; she just frowned.

“So, the man from earlier, did he fall into a similar situation as the protagonist because he read this novel and thought there were monsters in reality, which is why he was preparing to attack others with a gun?”

Lu Ban stood up, picked up the Orange Cat, which struggled reluctantly for a moment but eventually succumbed to having the nape of its neck pinched by Lu Ban and calmed down.

He tugged at the cat’s mouth and rubbed its belly. The Orange Cat looked as if it had lost all will to live, allowing Lu Ban to manhandle it.

“Lost his mind reading a book.”

Cui Siter commented, but he still felt a lingering unease.

After finishing the book, whether it was because the contents were too realistic, or for some other reason, Cui Siter was left with a subtle sense of dread. He feared seeing some monster emerge from the shadows of Lu Ban or Shia.

“But if it’s a task from Silent Lands, perhaps this author named Ancient Capital is actually influenced by Extraordinary Powers.”

Shia added.

“Indeed.”

Cui Siter nodded.

“Looking back now, perhaps the publishing house sought me out under the influence of the Silent Lands,” he said.

His current professional development task was to crack a mystery case with an extensive impact. While selecting a case, he encountered Lu Ban’s invitation. Connecting it to the Ancient Capital’s case, Cui Siter immediately realized that this might be the case his professional development task required.

Originally, Cui Siter was just a common, down-on-his-luck police officer who, upon making a mistake, had been kicked off the force. Afterward, he found favor in the eyes of the Silent Lands and became a Chosen by Gods, with his chosen profession as “Detective”.

Throughout his journey, his professional development tasks were also to solve a few cases and set up a detective agency, among others. Although, in a way, this was about upholding justice and fighting evil, Cui Siter faced increasingly difficult tasks from the Silent Lands and his swiftly dwindling sanity with some dread.

“This is the information given to me by the publishing house, along with the keys to the residence in the Ancient Capital. I thought we’d check it out once you arrived,” he said.

He jingled the keys in the document bag and took out the papers within.

The documents revealed that the Ancient Capital’s mother had been a textile worker who had worked in a wealthy family’s home. After being seduced by the young master of the family, she was thrown out, although she was already pregnant with him at the time. Later, when the young master died young without heirs, the family took the Ancient Capital and his mother back in, raising him as an illegitimate child.

The Ancient Capital’s mother had passed away before he reached adulthood, and he began writing little stories in his teen years, gaining fame with a book at the age of twenty. His family gradually took pride in him, but he never returned to them.

“Illegitimate children, such cases are very common in the Abandoned Capital. Those with luck might receive assistance and lead a somewhat normal life. Those without luck may never be found again, ultimately dying in some unknown place,” Cui Siter remarked.

“The Ancient Capital’s house is in the wealthy district, within the third ring of the Abandoned Capital. We could go there right now,” he said.

The Abandoned Capital was laid out in a circular structure, with a total of ten rings. The outermost was the poorest, becoming progressively wealthier towards the center. By the time one reached the inner four rings, they could be considered wealthy. Cui Siter’s detective agency was located in the fifth ring, where the rich and poor intersected. One could see both the wealthy and the common folk here.

Security deteriorated the further one went out, with gangs firmly in control of those areas. The fifth ring was already as far as the police’s influence could reach.

“Moreover, the Ancient Capital’s disappearance is not yet known to outsiders, but some people, mainly his lovers, have started to sense something. The publishing house approached me mainly because the Ancient Capital had provided them with the beginning of a manuscript for his new work, so what they’re really looking for are the remainder of his manuscripts,” Cui Siter added.

“Is that the supreme masterpiece mentioned in the mission brief? Have you seen it?” Shia inquired.

“Of course, I haven’t seen it. The publishing house said that if I committed to the investigation, they would show me the manuscript to help me find clues. I plan to reply to them today,” Cui Siter responded as he set down the document bag and looked at the two of them.

“What do you think, should we go to the publishing house first, or to the Ancient Capital’s home?”

“Let’s not talk about those two for now. Can we grab something to eat, I’m getting quite hungry,” said Lu Ban as he put down the Orange Cat. The beleaguered little cat immediately let out a meow and scurried off somewhere.

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