Chapter 40: Beneath the Black Fog

The shadowy figure writhed in the storm, its form twisting as if being torn apart by unseen hands. It had no mouth, yet a silent, agonizing scream seemed to echo in the air. Thick, black liquid seeped from its body, dripping onto the ground where it instantly evaporated into a dark mist, spreading an eerie, metallic burnt smell.

Lin Han fixed his gaze on the man standing at the doorway. The old wooden prayer beads in his hands rotated slowly, almost ceremoniously. The shadow, though not entirely dissipated, seemed instinctively afraid of the beads. Its hollow eye sockets fixated on them like a beast cornered by fire.

"Who are you?" Lin Han's voice was low, laced with caution.

The man idly twisted the beads around his wrist, his lips curving into a faint smirk. "Didn't I already introduce myself? The guy who just saved your lives." His voice was hoarse, carrying a hint of casual mockery.

Noya frowned, her gun still aimed at the shadow. "Walau eh, who exactly are you? And does anyone outside know what's happening here?"

The man didn't answer directly. Instead, he tilted his chin slightly toward the writhing shadow. "You've seen these things before, haven't you?"

"Yeah." Lin Han's expression darkened. "Back near Jile Temple. Black mist clung to the corpses like it was... controlling them."

"What you saw was the low-level form." The man took a slow step forward, his movement light, as if afraid of disturbing something unseen. The damp air was thick with an eerie chill. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a yellowed talisman, flicking it toward the shadow with a slight movement of his fingers.

"This is what it truly looks like," he said, his voice like a blade cutting through the silence. "Not parasites. But spirits summoned through sacrifice."

The moment the talisman touched the shadow, it convulsed violently, as though struck by an invisible force. Its body wriggled, its form peeling away like flesh being stripped from bone. A chilling howl, like nails scraping against glass, filled the air. The ancient script on the talisman ignited, blue flames flickering in unnatural patterns as they engulfed the creature.

"Walao eh, this is real black magic!" Noya swore, disbelief flashing in her eyes. "What the hell is this thing?"

The man cast her a brief glance, his expression unfazed. "Did you think this was just another ghost case?" His voice dropped slightly. "You're playing with something far closer to a god than you realize."

The shadow let out one final, piercing shriek before being entirely consumed by the talisman's fire. It disintegrated into wisps of black mist, scattering into the air like dying embers. The oppressive weight in the atmosphere lifted instantly.

Lin Han clenched his fists, his forehead slightly damp with sweat.

"'God'?" he echoed. "What do you mean?"

The man brushed off the talisman's ashes and looked at Lin Han with a deep, unreadable gaze. "Have you ever heard of the Sacrificial Gate?"

The room fell into a heavy silence.

Noya's fingers twitched before she quickly relaxed them, as if instinctively concealing her reaction.

"Sacrificial Gate?" Lin Han frowned. The name felt uncomfortably familiar, like something he had read in an old text but couldn't fully recall.

The man pulled out an old photograph from his pocket and casually tossed it to Lin Han. He caught it, his eyes immediately locking onto the image—

It was a decaying ancient temple, its entrance engraved with a row of mysterious symbols. One particular symbol in the center was identical to the mark that had briefly appeared on the floor when the shadow vanished.

"Where is this?" Lin Han asked.

"Just outside Malacca, sealed over two hundred years ago." The man spoke as if narrating a mundane story. "That gate was said to connect to a forgotten deity. And every twenty years, someone tries to open it." He paused, his smirk deepening. "Guess when the last attempt was?"

Lin Han's breath hitched slightly. "…Twenty years ago?"

The man snapped his fingers. "Smart." His eyes gleamed. "And where do you think all this black mist is coming from?"

Noya's grip on her gun tightened.

"So... this isn't just another paranormal phenomenon," she said, her voice a little hoarse. "This is—"

"This is someone actively trying to open the gate again." The man's tone was calm, yet it sent a chill down their spines. "And they've already succeeded. Partially."

The air grew noticeably colder.

Lin Han's mind raced back to the Genting Group insignia, the black-robed elder, the strange occurrences that led them here. He took a steady breath. "Who are you, really? And why are you telling us all this?"

The man gave a slow, almost amused smile. "You've been investigating this case, haven't you? If you keep digging, you would've ended up here sooner or later." He paused before adding, "I'm just saving you time."

"And why should we trust you?" Noya asked coolly.

"You don't have to." The man shrugged. "But here's the thing—you're already being watched."

Lin Han and Noya exchanged a quick glance, an unspoken tension passing between them.

"What do you mean?" Lin Han's voice dropped lower.

The man leaned in slightly, his smirk taking on a chilling edge.

"I mean, from the moment you stepped into this temple—you were marked as sacrifices."Before they could react, a distant bell chime echoed outside, abrupt and urgent.

"Walau eh, don't tell me something else is coming?" Noya muttered, instinctively shifting her stance and aiming her gun toward the doorway.

The man narrowed his eyes, gaze flickering toward the darkness beyond.

"They're here," he said simply.

From the depths of the black mist, a silhouette began to emerge. Slow, deliberate footsteps echoed against the temple's stone floor, each step carrying a weight that made the air feel heavier.

Lin Han held his breath. Noya tightened her grip on the trigger.

The mysterious man merely smiled, an amused glint in his eyes.

"Looks like the real host has arrived."