Yama Rising

“How did it go?” Ryu Changmin immediately asked with concern.

It revealed the image of a passageway - a massive one at that.

The road appeared to stretch on endlessly into the horizon. A tall iron gate stood at the other end of the road.

It exuded an air of piety. That said, whether the road, lamp, or even the eye-catching door, everything appeared somewhat illusory. Meanwhile, anyone could tell that the vicinity was also filled with dense Yin energy.

As soon as he saw it, an ominous feeling rose in Ryu Changmin’s heart, “Gonjiam Asylum.”

Gonjiam Asylum was well known throughout all of Daehan, and it naturally needed no introductions.

Their mission was to beat the MV Sewol into submission, and they had obviously succeeded. MV Sewol was likewise a peculiar object.

“You’re just in time. Come over and listen to the plan.” Qin Ye nodded slightly back at them. Then, just as he was about to continue, Ryu Changmin interjected with widened eyes, “... Could you hang on a minute?”

Deep breaths… Ryu Changmin took several deep breaths and composed his thoughts… and then bellowed, “These are all the people participating in this plan of yours?!”

Bloody hell… Where the heck did this kid come from?!

However, he’d overexerted himself, and he simply didn’t have the energy to respond and fend for himself. Instead, he simply glanced up at Qin Ye pleadingly. At once Qin Ye frowned back at Ryu Changmin, “What do you mean he appears to be a deadweight?”

“He is a deadweight!”

“Haa--...” Ryu Changmin snorted angrily. Yin energy spewed from his nostrils as he chuckled coldly, “I was a fool to have believed you…”

“Nobody’s a deadweight in this plan of mine.”

“Gonjiam Asylum sits beyond these doors. Perhaps one might ask - isn’t it the same if we enter it from elsewhere?” He swept a glance around, before declaring affirmatively, “So, let me make it clear once and for all… You can never enter the real Gonjiam Asylum without going through these gates!”

Everyone exchanged glances. Ryu Changmin also grew silent and listened on intently.

“MV Sewol.” Kwon Kyung-ho responded through gritted teeth.

Everyone fell deep into thought. Moments later, Wang Chenghao’s hand abruptly shot up into the air, “Are you saying that… it can be seen by ordinary human beings?”

SHIT!

“From the onset, I’ve always wondered how the MV Sewol was supposed to go the distance and travel right into the Gonjiam Asylum without being discovered by anyone. After all, not only is it large, its mode of travel is peculiar, and it would even have to pass through some of the more important parts of Daehan. So, how was it supposed to do so?”

“Meanwhile, their destination is the Gonjiam Asylum. Don’t you find that strange?”

“That’s right!” Qin Ye licked his lips with excitement, “This vessel cannot possibly fit in that dilapidated building that we’ve seen! And that aside, what about all the living dead that have been transported from Pusan to Gyeonggi Province all this while? Gonjiam Asylum looks no larger than a fart-sized mental hospital, so how could it possibly contain millions of living dead?”

“That’s right!” Qin Ye snapped his fingers, “It’s a special passageway, similar to a rift between the mortal realm and the netherworld. But to be more precise, it probably exists in a special space between the mortal realm and the netherworld. We can’t discount this possibility because Gonjiam Asylum sits directly above the largest rift to the underworld. The emergence of a unique feature in the geography wouldn’t be surprising at all! And if this were the case, it’s practically impossible to enter such a unique space from the mortal realm unless Gonjiam Asylum were demolished to reveal the rift beneath it.”

As he explained these things, he couldn’t help but sigh with amazement. How long did Tsar Arturo spend drafting up this script of death? Every seemingly useless or irrelevant detail turned out to play an indispensable role in the administration of the entire script.

I guess I’ve still got much to learn.

“Naturally!” Qin Ye declared affirmatively.

“Richard.” Qin Ye suppressed the swelling excitement in his heart as he explained patiently, “Sure, these might all have been conjectures before I’d conducted the search on his soul. But after the fact, I know for certain that these conjectures are absolutely spot on!”

“Unfortunately for them, Ahn Somi’s death was also the start of a chain reaction, setting off the butterfly effect. Rumyantsev was worried that Mukov would learn of something if he simply entrusted Mukov to the works of No. 3 as well, so at the same time, he sent Richard, his chief intelligence officer to monitor the situation and keep a close watch on him. This is the reason why we saw both parties on board the MV Sewol earlier.”

Silence.

Qin Ye grew silent.

In fact, there were still some things he didn’t have the answers to, such as what would happen if someone recognized the script of death and proceeded to ruin it. At the very least, he now knew that nothing would happen if someone knew the true contents of the script of death, just like how he did.

The plan that he had in mind would require the joint efforts of everyone present, and he naturally needed everyone to be on the exact same page as him. Thus, he took great pains to explain everything in detail.

Oda Nobutada raised his eyebrows quizzically, “Perhaps it’s because the MV Sewol can transport more living dead? Or perhaps… now that they’re getting closer to the end of October, they’re preparing to detonate this bomb sitting right underneath everyone, and for that reason, they’re consolidating their forces?”

He paused for a moment, “The MV Sewol represents the other half of Choi Tae-min! That’s his coffin! This is why the MV Sewol bears the appearance of Choi Tae-min in the first place!”

“In other words, his coffin is the only place he can exist right now. But when he finally enters the captain’s cabin of the MV Sewol - the exact site where the cultists once decided to sacrifice everyone, then he will finally be able to break away from his current earthbound form and take on the true form of the seventh on the list of special Yin spirits, the Spirit of Mutilated Corpses, otherwise known as the Odious Spirit of Filth!”

“The MV Sewol is too large to be able to enter the rift that sits beneath the Gonjiam Asylum. Don’t forget that that’s also the holding place for millions of living dead. It would be a waste of space sending the MV Sewol over too early. Besides, it’s also not in their interest to release Choi Tae-min too early on. After all, keeping him there and under restraint would also act as a constant reminder to Choi Tae-min to always remember who his master and creator was. You may be a monster, but you’d best be thankful to the one who gave you life again!”