Chapter 68: Turmoil 2
After dealing with the monster-Tomie, Marcus continued his return journey.
The vehicle was about to leave the Pine Forest and had already seen the highway.
However, Marcus noticed three figures about 150 feet to the right of the road's entrance, seemingly waiting quietly for something. Beside them was a grave with a headstone.
Marcus immediately recognized the slender girl in the middle – it was Tomie.
But the two beside her didn't seem human.
The one on the right was a disheveled old woman, her face like a dried-up, wrinkled apple, her mouth loosely open, her eyes sunken, staring at Tomie with an obsessive gaze. Her long, yellowed black fingernails were about a foot long.
The one on the left was a dark figure completely wrapped in black bandages, revealing empty, lifeless eyes. Its body was like a withered tree, the bandages leaving deep marks that writhed with each breath.
Marcus reluctantly floored the accelerator again; he didn't want any more trouble.
But had even supernatural creatures been infected and controlled by Tomie?
It's unclear how many times Tomie was dismembered before the two monsters were finally controlled, but since there were three, there was definitely more than one Tomie and more than two monsters around.
Judging from their actions, they seemed to be waiting for a new monster to revive.
The vehicle sped past at top speed, and Marcus glanced sideways, only to notice something amiss.
Tomie and the old woman had already fallen far behind, gradually shrinking and receding into the distance, accompanied by the trees lining the road.
Only the dark figure remained, standing quietly not far from the roadside, less than 100 feet from the speeding vehicle.
Under Marcus's gaze, it was once again left far behind. But because of the vehicle's movement, Marcus lost sight of the bandaged dark figure for a fleeting moment, and it suddenly reappeared, this time less than 30 feet from the police car.
So, it approached when out of sight; only by staring could it remain still?
Marcus simply kept his left eye on the road ahead and his right eye fixed on the direction of the passenger window.
As the vehicle moved forward, its visibility repeatedly slipped away, and the dark figure drew ever closer—20 feet, 15 feet.
A strange odor began to fill the air, a mixture of damp earth, rotting leaves, and decay.
Marcus slowly slowed down.
This distance was enough!
He slammed on the brakes, simultaneously jerking the steering wheel, adjusting the angle, and pulling the front of the car around, causing it to drift 120 degrees to a stop.
Throughout this process, Marcus's eyes remained fixed on the bandaged dark figure.
Then, he opened the car door, and at a distance of 12 feet, his right hand, gathering psychic energy, slowly probed closer.
As Marcus approached to 10 feet, the bandaged dark figure's arm moved, slowly rising, seemingly preparing to attack.
So Marcus tentatively took a half-step back.
The dark figure's arm slowly lowered again, standing motionless.
The bandages wrapped around its head and body, like coiled serpents.
However, the shadowy figure gave Marcus a sense of simplicity. It was like an insect—capable of movement but devoid of intelligence.
Like an ant finding food, it wouldn't consider who had it; as long as there was no immediate danger, it would be driven by instinct to approach the food.
Yet, it did possess some survival instincts, such as the ability to be repelled, and it knew fear.
In comparison, the intelligent monsters from other horror franchises were truly terrifying; the two were on completely different levels.
These creatures in this world were probably among the lowest tiers.
Marcus maintained a ten-foot distance, frantically compressing his psychic energy. Previously, he could only cover his arm, but after this period of practice, he could further compress it, condensing it to cover only his forearm.
Looking at the dazed, bandaged monster before him, Marcus had lost patience to continue the experiment. Who knew what other monsters controlled by Tomie might arrive if he delayed any longer?
"Well then, that's it!"
Marcus circled behind the shadowy figure.
The psychic energy gathered in his fist, like compressed power about to explode. As Marcus threw a punch, the speed was so fast that ordinary people could not see it with the naked eye. The force from the punch surged through the air.
It wasn't just one punch, but ten punches in quick succession, each accompanied by afterimages. The bandages strangely transformed into black mist, which then completely dissipated into the air.
A battle devoid of any sense of accomplishment.
Marcus continued driving, avoiding anything suspicious, and finally arrived at the research facility.
He changed into lab gear nearby before reaching the facility's entrance, but the atmosphere around him made him sense something was off.
The four armed guards on duty at the gate were incredibly intense!
They stood ramrod straight, their bodies tense, looking excessively excited.
The last time Marcus was here, they were all relaxed and casual, after all, it was in the middle of nowhere, deserted year-round.
Especially the eyes of these four guards, filled with infatuation and obsession, as if they were reminiscing about their most beloved, but this devotion carried a hint of madness.
If it were an ordinary woman, being stared at like that, she would probably agree to anything first out of fear.
Fear that she might accidentally provoke them and trigger their unstable behavior.
But afterwards, calling for help would definitely be necessary.
But now, the same look filled the eyes of all four guards.
"Director Richardson, you're back."
"Miss Tomie is inspecting inside. You'd better treat her well, or else watch out for my gun!"
One guard gave Marcus a warning look upon his return.
The other three also glared at him.
Was this how employees treated their boss?
Was this appropriate?
But this meant that Tomie had already entered the research facility.
He wondered if she was an outsider or someone who had escaped from the isolation room.
"How many Miss Tomies are there?"
Marcus asked the guard again, somewhat uncertain.
"Of course, one, my own Miss Tomie!"
One, that made things easier.
There were fewer than 20 guards here, posing no threat to Marcus. As long as it wasn't a full-scale Tomie swarm, Marcus wouldn't be afraid.
If it were hundreds of Tomies, he'd have to avoid them.
Just like when he crossed the bridge, he had no idea how much allure a massive Tomie swarm could possess.
Having obtained the information he wanted, Marcus ignored the guards, swiped his card, and entered the research facility.
The argument continued at the doorway.
"You're talking nonsense, that's my Tomie!"
"How did she become yours? You should all be dead!"
Marcus had just stepped into the hallway when six gunshots rang out from the doorway, but he paid them no heed.
"Director, you're back!"
A seductive voice called out, and Tomie, dressed in a white lab coat, emerged, holding a beaker in one hand.
The beaker contained a clump of ash, the surface of which had solidified into a grayish-black gelatinous mass.
But it was still writhing, bulging with small bubbles, which then hardened, filled in, and solidified into new flesh.
(End of Chapter)
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