Since The Red Moon Appeared

Chapter 23: Bound Together

“What’s going on?”

Chen Jing’s voice cleaved through the air, carrying an undercurrent of palpable apprehension.

Normally, the earpiece rendered immaculate audio quality, yet amidst the current circumstances, its clarity perplexingly wavered.

Amidst the sinister radiance of the crimson moon, an unsettling tableau materialized: fish writhed and keened in torment, their gaping mouths and convulsing fins choreographing a symphony of madness against the earth. The amalgamation of piscine voices fused into a disconcerting cacophony, assaulting Lu Xin’s auditory senses and permeating his psyche like the sting of relentless needles.

Clutching their firearms, the remaining trio of the investigative cohort stood ensnared by trepidation, their gazes darting frenetically, a mixture of foreboding and bewilderment silencing their response to Chen Jing’s entreaty.

“The origin of the corruption…” Lu Xin’s words surged forth, laden with urgency.

“Now!” Chen Jing’s command, as sharp as honed steel, resonated with the imperative urgency of a battlefront edict.

“Go!” Lu Xin’s words discharged like a bullet, as a vermillion surge bore down upon them.

As though the tide itself had acquired consciousness from the scarlet luminance, it surged forth, engulfing the anguished fish in its wake. In an abrupt, explosive crescendo, the fish erupted, scattering the vicinity with a shower of gore and flesh.

Lu Xin and his companions scarcely had time to react before the kinetic onslaught struck them headlong, propelling them rearward by a distance exceeding five meters, their landing muffled by the clinging mire. Enswathed in scales and filth, they presented a sorry figure indeed.

The carnage refused to abate. Shadows darted across the sky beneath the malevolent scrutiny of the blood-red moon.

In the merest heartbeat, the triad of investigators was hoisted aloft, their struggles evolving into a grotesque ballet of impotence.

Their instruments and detectors plummeted to the ground, rudely ripped from their grasp.

From the abandoned earpiece amidst the quag, Chen Jing’s voice resonated with urgency. “Retreat, now!”

…

An unsettling panorama unfurled, a triad of heavily-armed soldiers suspended above the ground, defying all rationale.

Sentinels stationed in the distance, their mandate to preserve the perimeter, gaped in wide-eyed stupefaction.

As Lu Xin regained his footing from the sludge, his gaze expanded in alarm.

His comrades floated aloft, their forms contorted in unnatural distortion, their struggles now a nightmarish pantomime of futility. A crimson haze, baleful and enigmatic, adhered to them, its grasp unyielding, an occult puppeteer.

Emerging from these nebulous shadows, ethereal tendrils reached out, extending towards the aqueous nucleus of the lake.

…

“A psionic attack …” The voice of the information analyst, Han Bing, quavered through the radio waves, her trepidation unmistakable. “Our instruments record a surge of psionic energy, measuring no less than 200 on the magnitude scale. Verified: an extraordinary Level 1 psionic entity. Brace yourselves!”

“Corruption level has ascended to medium, danger classification temporarily elevated to high…”

Chen Jing drew a deep breath, her directive infused with an air of dominion. “Lu Xin, disengage at once!”

Han Bing’s voice followed, “Remain vigilant of your teammates…”

In a heartbeat, those in readiness were confronted with a chilling transformation—the countenances of the three investigators suspended aloft twisted into grotesque shades of violet. Their limbs executed deliberate, agonizing maneuvers, as if subjected to the sinister machinations of some unseen, morbid puppeteer. Then, in a nightmarish tableau of torment, they wrested their firearms from holsters, each motion punctuated by an unsettling symphony of creaking joints and the disquieting squelch of flesh.

Resisting with every ounce of their strength, an implacable force orchestrated their actions. Swiftly, the muzzles of their weapons erupted in a barrage of fire.

Bullets cascaded in a torrent of percussive impacts, punctuating the earth with their violent symphony.

Amidst the pandemonium, Lu Xin sprinted toward a muddied rise, seeking refuge behind its makeshift barricade.

Han Bing’s voice cut through the chaos, its intonation succinct yet calculating. “Suspected target: Level 1 extraordinary psionic entity. Three members of the investigation team compromised. Urgently recommend evacuating survivors and mobilizing patrol units for incendiary dispatchment of the entity.”

“Affirmed!”

Chen Jing’s tone turned as frosty as honed steel. “Prepare the helicopter. I’m en route.”

Without hesitation, she issued a pointed directive to Lu Xin. “Immediate withdrawal, Lu Xin. All personnel, fall back by 500 meters…”

“I must object.”

Lu Xin interjected, his voice a measured murmur.

Chen Jing’s incredulity was palpable. “Explain.”

With unflinching conviction, Lu Xin expounded, “The three investigation soldiers are not beyond redemption. They are unwitting marionettes, controlled by some unseen influence. Moreover…”

A swift glance encompassed the motionless patrol troopers stationed a kilometer away—captivated witnesses to the three entranced soldiers ascending into the sky, gunshots rending the air as they turned on their own companions. Paralyzed by horror and foreboding, the patrol troopers gaped in disbelief.

Speaking in hushed tones, Lu Xin disclosed, “They are still salvageable.”

A glimmer of comprehension ignited within Chen Jing. “You…”

“I shall rectify this.”

Lu Xin’s resolve crystallized.

“It’s dangerous…”

Chen Jing’s caution wavered as Lu Xin abruptly shifted his stance.

Beside him crouched his sister, a sinister smile gracing her lips. Within the contorted expression, an unsettling trace of elation flickered.

He nodded, and with a sudden surge of energy, he propelled himself from his concealed position.

Precisely at that pivotal moment, the trio of investigation soldiers, manipulated by inscrutable strings, drifted toward Lu Xin. His concealment behind the muddy hillock denied them a clear line of sight. Struggling to recalibrate, an astonishing sight unfolded—Lu Xin surged ahead, charging straight at them.

Subjugated by the foreign influence, their guns elevated in unison, all three aligning their sights on the advancing figure.

Overwhelmed by the spectacle, they squeezed their eyes shut, yet involuntary fingers squeezed triggers.

Projectiles hurtled toward Lu Xin, an unrelenting fusillade.

Even as he sprinted, Lu Xin extended his arm to the side.

His sister mirrored the gesture, sprinting in tandem.

Their hands converged, and with an almost incorporeal elegance, Lu Xin’s form underwent an eerie dissolution.

With spectral agility, he defied the limits of physics, embodying the ethereality of a ghost.