Chapter Thirty-Five: The Plague Bride

I asked, "Who is Broken Bell?"

Soleis replied, "He's my friend."

I pressed further, "Is he like you, a living corpse?"

Soleis nodded, "Yes. We separated after sneaking into Black Coffin. Oh, I remember now—he met a girl named Rita and lives in the tower."

Broken Bell is Rita's boyfriend! He too is a reanimated corpse? Both he and Soleis came from outside Black Coffin? I had no idea Black Coffin was so riddled with flaws, allowing people to come and go as they please.

I said, "Since you and he are the same kind, why don't you live together?"

Soleis answered, "Living corpses cannot gather. You know that the ghostfire within us makes people uneasy. If we combine, we'd be discovered at once, and the consequences would be unimaginable."

At that moment, she lifted some illusion. Her appearance changed completely in my eyes; she looked like a corpse prepared for burial after a violent death, with occasional glimpses of horrifying details.

This was exactly what the Jade Pool had described—the ghostfire's camouflage for these living corpses.

She waited for me to see her true form, then immediately restored her appearance. She said, "I am a cursed dead. Everyone hates me, except Tai."

I asked, "Is Tai the one who died in the attic?"

Soleis was heartbroken, but no longer weeping. She said, "Yes, but now he is a deformed corpse, only living to feed on me."

I sighed, "A deformed corpse? No, he's just dead. Consider him gone. If you ever face him again, don't waver—it will only destroy you."

Soleis wept, "But I... have nowhere left to go. For me, sunlight is more deadly than it is for mortals. It took me so much effort..."

I couldn't help but dislike her, even hate her, convinced every word was a lie, fearing she'd bring some revolting disease. But I forced myself to be rational.

I thought, "She's desperate and extraordinary, and I need people right now. I could take her in, give her shelter. If I do, my squad gains another powerful member. People in dire straits are easily moved; I can use this. She's a hundred times more capable than Salvador, that brat."

The question was, where should I house her?

Perhaps I shouldn’t sell Henry’s mansion on the thirtieth floor. The curse has been lifted there, and as a living corpse, she likely wouldn’t be afraid. Gold is easy to find; talent is rare. I do need money, but maybe Michael is right—money is a fictional faith. One day, I’ll need talented people more.

I said, "If you help me solve this case, I can find you a place to stay."

She looked up at me, her eyes filled with distrust. My outrage flared: How could such a despicable creature refuse my kindness? Even a hint of reluctance was intolerable.

I wanted to rebuke her loudly, but held back. I said, "Trust me."

She replied, "Except for Tai, no one can stand the ghostfire, and no one has ever treated me kindly."

I forced a smile. "I can try."

She murmured, "Alright, things can’t get any worse anyway."

I almost wanted to scold her for her ingratitude.

If there truly was a Creator, surely all living things would be ranked, and she would undoubtedly be at the bottom, while I stood at the top. Where did she find the courage to be so rude to me? Are the lives of earthbound beetles not at my whim? Even those annoying blood-sucking bugs—I can crush them beneath my heel...

...

Of course, I fully understood this was the ghostfire trying to manipulate my thoughts. I was accustomed to mental assaults and believed these unjust notions would soon fade.

We walked toward the tavern; the deformed corpses had finally calmed down, and our journey was uneventful.

She told me, "Kolov created both Broken Bell and me—we’re siblings."

I asked, "Is Kolov himself a living corpse?"

She looked at me helplessly, as if thinking my question was foolish, nearly provoking my anger again.

She continued, "Living corpses... can share this cursed fire with other corpses through a ritual. It’s supposed to be a loving process, like human childbirth, but Kolov is a brutal monster. He created us only to feed his deformed corpses. So Broken Bell and I escaped from him.

But Kolov is ruthless—a butcher, a persistent shadow, never letting anyone go. We evaded him for over ten years, but he finally learned we were living in Black Coffin."

I asked, "I heard he does big business with the gangs inside Black Coffin, which is how he could sneak in so easily."

Soleis said, "Yes, he's the leader of a notorious bandit group on Gold State's wastelands, controlling vast territory, even managing to handle demons. He’s been trading with the Blood Pact gang for a long time."

I said, "Your whereabouts must have been leaked to him by the Blood Pact gang."

Soleis shook her head. "I don’t know. I rarely go out, and aside from Tai, avoid contact with anyone. They all call me Tai’s 'Plague Bride.' Because of me, Tai has been shunned and hated, but he never minded."

I couldn’t believe Tai could tolerate Soleis. To me, she was as repulsive as someone covered in snot. I knew this thought was terribly wrong, but it lingered.

I asked, "Why is Tai... unaffected? Did you make him into—"

Soleis appeared somewhat angry. "No. I would never do that to Tai. He even repeatedly asked me to make him like me, wanting to share my suffering, but I refused."

She added, "Tai is special—like someone destined to save me. He truly treated me as a wife. He would kiss me, embrace me, let me sleep in his arms. But now..."

I didn’t want to listen. I couldn’t bear to imagine any normal man daring to embrace her—the thought made my skin crawl.

Likewise, I didn’t want to hear any nonsense about Broken Bell and Rita’s true love.

Soleis cried bitterly. My heart softened, and I said, "Mourn, but right now the important thing is to find Kolov and Broken Bell. I suspect Broken Bell went to seek revenge on Kolov."

Soleis’s pupils widened, like an angry and startled cat. "That’s what I planned too, but Kolov is far beyond what Broken Bell and I can handle."

I asked, "Why doesn’t he just kill you? Why turn Tai into that...?"

Soleis replied, "That’s his cruelest method—his rule for punishing traitors. He turns your closest person into a deformed corpse, making it kill you. If that fails, he acts himself."

I asked, "Isn’t he afraid you’ll escape?"

Soleis shook her head, "He’s never afraid. He’s already set his sights on us. We can’t escape."

I sneered, "This time he’s miscalculated. Does he think this is his territory? This is Black Coffin—he’s challenging its authority. Don’t worry, I’ll call for reinforcements. He won’t escape."

Soleis cried out, "Reinforcements? No! You can’t do that! Broken Bell and I are Black citizens—we’ll be expelled."

...

I reassured her, telling her not to worry, that I’d handle everything.

Deep down, I thought there was nothing wrong with expelling her and Broken Bell—for they were pests, nuclear waste residue. But reason told me they were innocent, not filthy at all. I couldn’t do that.

I arrived at the tavern; Mirsay was already there, but Salvador was nowhere to be seen. Mirsay was shocked by my battered appearance and asked, "What did you run into? Wolves?"

I said, "Worse—lions." Then pointed to Soleis, who hid her face. "Soleis, this is Mirsay, the most trustworthy man I know. Mirsay, this is Soleis—a...special witness."

Mirsay hesitated, staring at Soleis. I’d only seen that expression when he was a child, after wetting the bed, looking at the stain with anger and frustration.

Soleis didn’t extend her hand, lips pressed tight. Mirsay's hand lingered on his sword hilt, then he said, "Hello," and sat.

Using the Vagha headset, I called, "Salvador! Can you hear me? Salvador?"

A strange, icy voice answered, "He hears you, but cannot reply."

Both Mirsay and I realized what had happened. I stayed calm and asked, "Kolov?"

Kolov said, "Ranger? I didn’t expect the ranger’s nose to be so sharp. Was it Somor or Tolle who betrayed me? Really, I should’ve cleaned up better."

I forced myself not to show any sign of panic. "Is Salvador hurt?"

Kolov replied, "Yes. He was brave—a fine soldier. He tried to arrest me, pointed his gun at me, and I...am not used to having guns pointed at me."

Salvador, the fool! Didn’t I tell him not to act on his own?

Kolov sighed, "It’s a vast world, a lawless world. Human death is no different from cattle and sheep. Why do rangers meddle?"

I said, "Because you murdered people in Black Coffin Town. Among the dead were rangers."

Kolov said, "That’s not quite accurate. I merely gave them another way to live. The ones who killed them were two other...ominous individuals."

Soleis shouted, "I will kill you, Kolov! I will not run anymore! I’ll spend my life hunting you, make you taste agony beyond belief!"

Kolov replied, "Ah...my child, have you been captured?"

I said, "Soleis is under ranger protection."

Kolov laughed, "Protection? No one can tolerate you for long. Soon, you’ll be doused in gasoline and burnt alive, from flesh to charcoal. My poor child, I know well the fate of our kind."

Soleis gritted her teeth, "Before that, you’ll die first! I want you to die worse than Tai!"

Kolov said, "That man’s name is Tai? He’s rare. Among humans, sometimes there are such people—your fated partner, who loves you with a passion greater than the curse of ghostfire. Yet people like that never live long, and always leave you grieving.

Did you know? Even as my blade severed his arm, he was still begging me to spare you—to forgive you, the traitor who betrayed me. His cries and wails, infused with love, sounded all the more beautiful."