Capital Two：The Creator's Game
The lights at the subway entrance flickered as Yu Yi disembarked.
Mottled corrosion crept over the low-rise buildings in this forgotten corner of the city - his home. Across the street loomed the glittering towers of ambition, that monument to desire which perpetually soured his mood. Holographic projections hovered above skyscrapers while loudspeakers droned missing persons bulletins, the entire city smothered under a deathly white haze.
A City had become restless lately.
"Too many disappearances these days," fragments of conversation pierced through Yu Yi's headphones despite his efforts. His dampened black strands escaped the cap's edge, water droplets trembling on lashes that fluttered with each twitching eyelid. The phone's blue glare reflected in his pupils as slender fingers typed "missing cases". The amber streetlight pulsed erratically, its rhythm synchronizing with his accelerating heartbeat.
Each disappearance shared eerie commonalities - church altar candles at crime scenes, vanishing moments coinciding with chapel bell tolls. Yet Yu Yi knew that church had burned down years ago. Zooming into news photos revealed translucent Morse code in the corner: 01.
"Impossible……" An invisible hand clenched his nerves. Could his brother be next?
He trusted neither detectives nor investigators - not after his parents vanished in similar circumstances decades ago. Their disappearance still saturated his soul like endless monsoon rains. Slamming his phone shut, he stared at the fog-blurred cobblestones as church bells echoed through his mind, angelic trumpets summoning…… summoning……
Countless insects seemed to gnaw at his consciousness. "I must investigate."
Dread crystallized into certainty - something would happen tonight. Clenching fists until nails bit flesh, he texted "Coming home late. Stay inside." repeatedly before deleting.
The thickening mist contorted tree branches into skeletal arms clawing at the sky, grotesque as humanity's insatiable greed masquerading as piety. Crunching leaves fell silent as blurred architecture emerged through fog - peeling white bricks strangled by vines, moss devouring forgotten glory.
A cruciform spire pierced the night, crows perched on shattered stained glass. Möbius strips intertwined overhead, forming ominous patterns that whispered of endless cycles. Inside the derelict chapel, debris-laden puddles mirrored the ashen sky like ruins' tears. Twelve fractured statues loomed in shadows beneath the Virgin Mary's towering effigy.
"Were there always this many?" Yu Yi frowned. Centipedes oozed through wall cracks, leaving phosphorescent trails. Faint blue letters glowed through scorch marks - Latin verses about bitter journeys reaching stars.
A gale howled through broken windows, slamming ancient doors. Altar candles flared simultaneously, casting writhing shadows that felt alive. Crimson light pooled at his feet as phones vibrated frantically - "ESCAPE!" glared from the screen before it died.
"Damned……" He barely breathed as a blood-red countdown overlay his vision: 10……9……3……
Scarlet radiance flooded the chapel. The crucifix crashed onto Mary's statue as statues rotated toward it. 2……1……
Bells tolled. Gears ground. An hourglass inverted. The Virgin's face melted into floor tiles, black tears staining cheeks. Blinding light coexisted with crimson haze as white feathers swirled. A girl emerged from debris, pale limbs unfolding crystalline wings - a seraph hovering in golden aura.
"Ch……Cherubim?"
Delicate laughter echoed as twelve one-winged angels clawed from stone. The girl spread arms to reveal golden eyes covering her skin. Fluttering feathers transformed into doves that kamikaze-dived into her thorn-encircled form. Blood dripped down brambles as mechanical words vibrated in Yu Yi's skull: "Fear not…… Obey…… Game begins."
Putrid decay permeated the air. Celestial fireworks erupted - beautiful comets that became falling nukes. Cities burned as screams harmonized with the seraph's electronic dirge. Beneath shattered marble, a cracked phone screen flickered:
[System Updated]
[Creator Reformation Plan: Activated]