The Straw Hat

The sky was a vast, empty void, devoid of stars or moonlight, shrouding the world in oppressive darkness. The ground beneath was a grotesque tapestry of crushed skulls and congealed blood, stretching endlessly in all directions. A heavy, metallic stench lingered in the air, suffocating and dense.

Thousands of abominations formed a massive circle around a lone figure at the center. The monsters varied wildly in shape and size, each more hideous than the last. Some had vaguely human forms, with twisted limbs and hollow, soulless eyes that oozed black ichor.

Others were writhing masses of flesh and bone, pulsating with unnatural life, covered in wriggling tendrils tipped with razor-sharp claws. 

A few were little more than spectral shadows, their hollow, skeletal faces flickering in and out of existence. 

Some crawled on countless legs like demonic centipedes, while others towered like living mountains of rotting meat and jagged bones.

But despite their terrifying visages, they all shared one thing in common—an overwhelming fear of the man they surrounded.

Standing calmly in the center was Feng Fan, his face hidden beneath the shadow cast by a worn, straw hat. His long, dark robes fluttered in the breeze that seemed to come from nowhere, and his stance was relaxed, almost indifferent, as if the thousands of monsters meant nothing to him. 

A confident, almost mocking smile curved on his lips.

One of the larger creatures, a bloated amalgamation of faces and arms that crawled on its belly like a massive leech, mustered enough courage to speak, though its voice quivered with terror.

"Feng Fan," it rasped, bile dripping from its many mouths. "It's useless… Our ritual is already underway. You are trapped here with us. When it's finished, your pitiful human race will be nothing but livestock… food for our kind."

Feng Fan remained motionless. He didn't reply immediately, letting the silence linger, stretching the tension until the monsters began to twitch and shift uneasily. Then, slowly, he raised his chin, revealing a smile both calm and merciless.

"If it's really over," he said, his voice low and cold, "then why… are you all trembling in fear?"

The air itself seemed to freeze, and a sudden, crushing spiritual pressure erupted from his body, swirling in a tempest of dark energy. A black flame ignited around him, spreading across the sky like a demonic aurora. 

The monsters instinctively recoiled, their grotesque forms quivering as fear sank its claws into their twisted hearts.

"Y-You!" the same leech-like creature screeched, bile spraying from its mouths. "Today will be your end! We'll make sure of that!"

Feng Fan tilted his head, his smile fading, leaving only an icy, merciless gaze.

"So eager to die…" he muttered, almost as if pitying them. "Very well… let me send you all back to hell."

Dark chains erupted from his body, writhing like serpents of pure shadow, each one lit with black flames. The sky itself seemed to weep black fire, descending like meteors around him.

"No! Spare me!"

"Mom! Mercy!"

"Horrible death awaits you, Feng Fan!"

But their words were nothing more than desperate noise. The chains struck with the speed of lightning, piercing through flesh, bone, and spirit alike.

In the face of the dark flames, their bodies offered no protection. The fire seared straight through flesh and bone, consuming their very souls in an agonizing blaze.

Agonized wails filled the void as monsters were torn apart, consumed by the dark flames that burned them to cinders.

Feng Fan lowered his head again, tipping his hat forward, as the field of slaughter quieted—leaving nothing but smoldering ashes and the distant echoes of terror.

"Luo Li," he muttered to no one but himself, "I'm coming to save you."

👻👻👻👻👻

"The day has finally come!" a young man exclaimed, his eyes shining with excitement.

The man had dark circles under his eyes, and his body was drenched in sweat, causing his clothes to stick to his skin. It was the peak of summer, and despite his hopes, the temperature only got higher with each passing year, never lower.

"Today, I, Feng Fan, will buy the final chapter of One Treasure!"

To make the last episode even more special, the publisher had decided to sell a thousand copies one day before its official release to those who arrived first at its headquarters.

Feng Fan, a devoted reader of One Treasure since its launch in 1997, couldn't miss the chance to get his hands on one of those copies. He was only ten years old when his father gave him a copy of the first chapter of One Treasure to read, and he has been hooked ever since.

He had been camping in line for the past seven days. Feng Fan set up a small tent, barely big enough for him to sleep in.

Despite being in line for seven days, he wasn't first—he was ninth. There were eight other fanatics ahead of him.

The heat and his anxiousness had kept him from sleeping well in the past few days, but that didn't dampen his excitement. It was nearly 9 a.m., and the store was about to open for business.

A pretty woman in a white blouse, black pencil skirt, and high heels appeared. Her smile was polite as she greeted the customers in line.

"Good morning, everyone. Thank you for your patience. I'll be handling the sale of One Treasure's final chapter today."

The first person in line paid a thousand dollars without hesitation, this was the price set by the company for those who wanted to buy one of the thousand copies ahead of time.

Despite the obvious rip-off, thousands of people lined up to buy it, but only a thousand would have the chance to be ripped off.

And they would do so with smiles full of excitement plastered on their faces.

When there was only one person left in front of Feng Fan, he felt his heart stir. It wasn't from arrhythmia or any other heart condition, of course.

Since he was young, Feng Fan had possessed a special ability—his sixth sense. Every now and then, he would feel it warning him.

It was random, but it was never wrong. Once, it saved his life; the last time, it helped him catch his girlfriend cheating.

'Damn it, what now?' Feng Fan thought to himself, but he still did what needed to be done.

He turned to look behind him and saw a dazed-looking guy with bloodshot eyes staring at the mountain of One Treasure chapters. Feng Fan snapped his fingers in front of the guy, drawing his attention.

The guy took a step back in surprise, then glared at Feng Fan. "What?!"

Feng Fan wasn't bothered by the anger and smiled politely. "Hey, I see you're really eager for this. How about you take my spot in line, and I'll take yours?"

The guy was taken aback by Feng Fan's suggestion. It didn't make much sense to swap places since they would both get the chapter in the end, but he nodded anyway.

"Great!" Feng Fan said.

They quickly switched spots, and the guy bought his chapter without issue.

Feng Fan watched the guy leave, a puzzled look on his face. 'Huh? Why didn't anything happen? Did my sixth sense fail me today?'

"Hurry up! Just buy the chapter and get lost!"

The irritated shout from the person behind snapped Feng Fan out of his thoughts. 

Feng Fan looked behind him with a displeased expression and retorted, "Calm down, son. Your mother and I are already working on giving you a little brother. Don't be so impatient!"

He didn't wait for the man's response, he moved quickly, paid for his chapter, and grabbed it. But before he could leave, a loud siren blared, drawing everyone's attention to him.

Suddenly, the woman selling the chapters went behind the table where the chapters were stored. She rummaged for a few seconds before finding what she was looking for—a confetti cannon and a straw hat.

She approached Feng Fan and, with a smile, set off the confetti in the air. Ignoring his stunned expression, she continued.

"Congratulations, customer! You've been selected to win the One Treasure protagonist's hat! This is a special prize just for you!"

She quickly handed him both the chapter and the straw hat. Feng Fan took them, still in disbelief. After a moment, a big smile spread across his face, and he nearly jumped with joy.

'Good instincts! Very good! I'm definitely the luckiest person in the world!'

Grinning, he placed the straw hat on his head. That's when everything went black.