Chapter 4: Chapter 4 Master Batu
In the Underworld, there was no true sense of day and night, but at certain times, the artificial light overhead would extinguish. At this moment, the residents of the Underworld would light lamps or candles, signaling the arrival of nighttime.
At this hour, many places in the Underworld would become even more lively. The entire order of the Underworld would become more chaotic. Ordinary people would close their doors, turn off their lights, and quietly wait for the next ‘day’ to come.
When ‘night’ fell, Master Batu’s department store would also close.
There were four rooms upstairs in the department store. Master Batu and Mia each occupied one room, and now one had been cleaned out for Xu Mo and his sister. Mia, after laying out the mattress, stood up, patted her hands, and said to Xu Mo, “Xu Mo, if you need anything, let me know.”
The room was very clean, not large, about fifteen square meters, but it was much better than his own house. Xu Mo shook his head and said, “No, thank you, Miss Mia.”
“Then you should rest early. Call me if you need anything. I live in the room opposite.” Mia gave a sweet smile, then looked at Yaoer and said, “Yaoer, you should rest early too.”
“Thank you, Sister Mia,” Yaoer said obediently. Mia smiled and pinched her cheek, then left the room and closed the door. Taking a deep breath, the smile on her face turned into worry. She did not dare bring up what had happened today, hoping only that Xu Mo and his sister could recover quickly.
“Brother, Yaoer likes Sister Mia,” the little girl looked up at Xu Mo and said in a childish voice.
Xu Mo rubbed her head and said softly, “Sister Mia likes Yaoer too.”
“Yes,” the girl nodded happily. “Brother, do you like Sister Mia?”
“Of course,” Xu Mo nodded. “Now lie down and sleep.”
“Brother, stay with me,” the girl looked at Xu Mo with her big eyes.
“Okay, brother won’t go,” Xu Mo nodded. Yaoer then lay down, burrowing into Xu Mo’s arms and quickly falling asleep.
Xu Mo couldn’t sleep, staring blankly at the light on the ceiling. In less than a day, it felt like he had experienced so much. He had come to a completely unfamiliar world and gone through life and death.
If it weren’t for Mia and Master Batu taking them in, he might have been in even worse shape.
“Phew…” Xu Mo took a deep breath.
At this moment, he heard singing. It was coming from upstairs; it was Mia’s voice. She obviously wasn’t asleep either and had gone to the rooftop to sing.
The singing was gentle, with a touch of sadness. Mia’s voice wasn’t loud, but Xu Mo could hear it clearly, perhaps because his hearing had become sharper.
Her voice was ethereal and pure, reminiscent of a diva from the previous world.
The song itself was beautiful. Although it was a different world with a different language, the appreciation of music seemed universal.
Xu Mo closed his eyes, quietly listening to the beautiful sound from this world.
Unconsciously, he seemed to see a scene: on the empty rooftop, surrounded by flowers and greenery, a girl sat on a rocking chair, quietly singing.
“Can I see it?” Xu Mo faintly felt that this was not an imagined scene but a real one. He sensed it, not just with his hearing; his perception seemed to reach places he couldn’t see.
In a state of concentrated spiritual power, his perception actually grew stronger. The singing became clearer, as if he was right next to Mia.
“How did I do that?”
Xu Mo was somewhat surprised. This world seemed to have some hidden power.
His mind was exceptionally clear at that moment. Xu Mo even had a thought. He retracted his perception and focused on the light above. Xu Mo could clearly perceive that the light moved slightly. He concentrated his spiritual power and continued to try.
“Sizzle…” The light flickered erratically, as if affected by something, and began to shake.
“Phew…”
Xu Mo suddenly opened his eyes, gasping for breath, staring at the light above. It didn’t go out again, but it was still shaking. Clearly, what had just happened was not an illusion; it was real.
Xu Mo suddenly felt very tired. The attempt just now had made his head weary, but his eyes were exceptionally bright, extremely surprised that he could influence the light!
Could it be that after coming to this world, his brain domain had undergone some changes? Could spiritual power touch the outside world?
Or perhaps, the humans in this world had evolved differently from those in the previous world, capable of awakening some supernatural abilities?
In the previous world, humans, though they dominated the planet, were very small in the face of the Universe. Would this world be different?
At this moment, Xu Mo felt this world was full of imagination, but first, he had to survive!
Given his current understanding of the Underworld, survival was not a simple task, especially since there were potential dangers. If the murderer did not intend to spare him, there might still be danger.
Without thinking further, Xu Mo closed his eyes.
In the middle of the night, the number of people on the street dwindled. Outside the department store, two figures appeared, heading to the window and prying it open.
Occasionally, someone would pass by on the road, but such things were not uncommon. No one would intervene, pretending not to see.
“That fat man’s daughter is very pretty. Should we go for a big hit?” whispered a tall, thin man as he pried the window.
“The fat man runs a store here; he probably isn’t simple,” another man said, frowning.
“With ‘perfume’ in hand, what are you afraid of? How long has it been since we had something fresh?”
The other man hesitated but nodded. “Try not to alarm the fat man.”
“Alright.”
While talking, their hands didn’t stop working. With a snap, the window was opened.
Xu Mo had already opened his eyes and sat up. He had heard their conversation clearly, his heart tightening. The chaos of the Underworld exceeded his expectations.
He needed to notify Master Batu.
In his perception, the two had already jumped into the department store and were rummaging through the counters.
Xu Mo concentrated his spiritual power, sensing Master Batu’s room.
“Sizzle…” As if an electric current passed, the light in Batu’s room flickered, causing Batu to open his eyes, showing a strange expression, but just for a moment. The light went out again.
At the same time, the lights downstairs behaved the same way.
“Who!” A slight exclamation came. One of the two ransacking the cabinets had bumped into the shelf, making a noise. The already dim light above made no sound again; it seemed like a false alarm. The two exchanged nervous glances.
At this moment, they heard heavy footsteps coming from upstairs.
They hid behind the shelves. One held a bottle of liquid, and the other a dagger.
“Come out.”
Batu’s cold voice rang out, but the two remained motionless, controlling their breath as best as they could.
Batu’s footsteps came closer. The two exchanged a look, then rushed out simultaneously. One sprayed ‘perfume’ at Batu, while the other raised a dagger and stabbed at Batu.
Batu directly held his breath and reached out with his left hand, catching the dagger. The sharp blade couldn’t pierce his skin.
With a mighty pull, the man holding the dagger leaned forward. Batu’s right hand directly cupped the man’s mouth, his large palm covering his entire face, preventing any sound.
He let go of the dagger with his left hand, placing it on the man’s shoulder. With enormous strength, he pinned the man’s body to the ground, immobilizing him. With a twist, a crisp sound followed. The man’s neck snapped, his face filled with horror.
The other man was scared out of his wits, turning to flee. But Batu, dropping the corpse, stepped forward and grabbed the other man’s shoulder.
“Spare…” The man tried to speak, but Batu covered his mouth with his other hand. Another twist. A crisp sound. The man’s neck also broke.
After finishing all this, Batu opened the door, grabbed the heads of both men with his huge hands, and dragged the bodies out.
Xu Mo had witnessed everything, his heart beating slightly. He knew Master Batu wasn’t an ordinary person to be able to run a department store here, but he hadn’t expected him to be ‘extraordinary’ to such an extent.
Lying down again, Xu Mo felt mentally fatigued. His thoughts could influence electrical currents. Who knew what else might happen in the future?
Master Batu returned not long after, closing the doors and windows securely and going back to his room. Instead of resting, he grumbled lightly, seemingly scolding himself for sleeping soundly. Sitting there, with his fat legs crossed with difficulty, Master Batu looked as if he was meditating.
“What is this?” Xu Mo, who had been observing Batu, showed a hint of curiosity. His spiritual power concentrated. He soon discovered that Master Batu was breathing in a peculiar rhythm. In this breathing, Master Batu quickly calmed down, his body motionless. Xu Mo faintly sensed that a unique Energy Field formed around him.
Having witnessed what had just happened, Xu Mo wasn’t surprised. This world had many ‘mysteries,’ entirely different from the previous world.
He memorized Master Batu’s breathing rhythm, then sat up and practiced breathing similarly. After a few attempts, Xu Mo entered an extraordinary state.
He felt his spiritual power seemingly expanding. He ‘saw’ farther, his perception sharpening, like countless pairs of eyes in the air, able to clearly sense everything around him.
The breathing Master Batu, the sleeping Miss Mia, the figures walking outside the department store, and the murmured conversations, none of it escaped his perception.
A peculiar magnetic field formed in his spiritual world, or rather an Energy Field. He couldn’t accurately describe it. He faintly sensed an invisible energy flowing in the air, even able to influence the Energy Field. His body was immersed in the Energy Field!