Chapter Nine: The Terrifying Orbic

Night descended like a tide.
The streets were sparse with people, cold and desolate, the lamps on either side emitting only faint glimmers. The wind howled, and occasionally, a stray cat searching for food darted across the road.
Longze Yue patrolled one of the streets alone, moving cautiously with a powerful TPC-issued flashlight in hand.
A sudden sound—
“Who’s there?!”
Yue spun around sharply, but found nothing behind him. A night cat, carrying a half-eaten piece of bread, darted past the garbage bin next to him.
“So it was just a stray cat…” Yue scratched his head and continued his patrol.
He hadn’t told anyone that Obik sold buckwheat noodles at night. Though this world had become chaotic and strayed far from the original story, Yue would never reveal information about the monsters unless absolutely necessary. If a monster from the source material appeared, he preferred to keep events as close to the original as possible, thereby retaining control over the unfolding plot.
“Obik sells buckwheat noodles at night!”
Suddenly, New City’s voice rang out over the radio, shouting after being attacked by Obik.
“So things are still unfolding according to the original plot,” Yue smiled faintly. He had no intention of rushing to help; Da Gu and the others were enough, and he himself had only been forcibly added to the Victory Team.
“But should I save Obik…?” Yue felt a headache coming on. When he’d watched this episode in his previous world, Obik’s story had moved him deeply. Yet if he saved Obik now, he had nowhere to send him—the old village was gone, and there was no going back.
“Forget it, I’ll just play it by ear!”
Yue slowly walked in the direction of Da Gu and the others, ready to assist should anything unexpected occur.
“Dragon, Obik is fleeing toward the area you’re responsible for!”
Da Gu’s voice suddenly came through the radio.
“Ah, understood!” Yue replied quickly.
“It seems things have deviated slightly from the original…”
He pondered as he cautiously watched for Obik’s appearance.
“Come play~ Play with Obik!”
Yue turned helplessly, “Obik, we meet again.”
“Why is it you again? Why aren’t you afraid of me? How do you know about me?!”
Obik, dragging his noodle cart, voiced his confusion all at once.
“I can’t tell you. But rest assured, I mean you no harm. I just hope you’ll stop.”
“My plan cannot be halted!”
Obik grew angry, snatched off his white wig, revealing his bald head.
“Are you not afraid I’ll kill you, young man?”
Suddenly, Obik produced a flute and aimed it at a street lamp. A bolt of lightning shot out, destroying the lamp and enveloping the area in deeper darkness.
“You won’t kill anyone. You’re a kind person, you only wish for your village to return to what it once was—I know all of this, Obik!”
Yue spoke calmly to him.
Obik’s pupils contracted; how could this young man know him so well?
As Obik hesitated, the sound of a car engine approached. Yue glanced around, “You should go, my teammates will be here soon, or you’ll be in trouble again. But I truly hope you’ll reconsider.”
Obik stared in surprise for a few seconds, then a puff of white smoke flashed, and he disappeared into the darkness with his cart.
Ten seconds later—
Screech—
A car’s tires stopped abruptly, producing a harsh sound as they scraped the ground.
“We’re still a step too late!”
Lena, driving the Victory Team’s special Drum vehicle, led the group in a rush.
As the Drum patrol car screeched to a halt beside him and the team began to disembark, Yue scratched the back of his head, “Sorry, Obik escaped.”
Everyone cast him a disdainful glance—the kind that said, “You’re Ultraman, how could you let Obik get away?”
“Don’t worry, we don’t fail that easily,” Da Gu said confidently, raising the monster tracker in his hand.
“Da Gu, was it you who tossed the monster tracker into Obik’s pot…?”
Ekujing still hadn’t realized it was his own invention.
Yue covered his mouth, stifling a laugh. As someone who knew the plot, he was aware the tracker had already been expelled from Obik’s pot through an old well on Yanno Street, since the pot and the well were connected. But Yue chose not to reveal this.
The sky showed the first pale light of dawn. The sun’s vigor warmed every inch of land.
Yanno Street.
“Strange, the device clearly shows it’s around here,” Ekujing said, focused on the tracker in his hand.
“Hey, don’t tell me the monster tracker’s broken, Ekujing?” New City grumbled.
“Nonsense… My inventions are always effective and durable!” Ekujing retorted, still watching the device.
Everyone watched the two banter helplessly.
“Are you looking for this?”
Suddenly, a slightly overweight middle-aged man dressed like a mage appeared before them, holding the monster tracker in his right hand.
“Yes, that’s it—but how did it end up with you?” Ekujing was baffled.
“Oh, well, last night I was performing rites at a patron’s home, and on my way back I found this…”
The mage began to ramble.
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“So, the pot… and the well are connected?!” New City exclaimed.
“From darkness to darkness.”
Commander Songfang mused.
“Then, it’s possible the girl was transported from the city to here using that passage,” Lena analyzed.
“You’re speaking of Young Master Ayan, aren’t you?” the mage said.
“Ayan?” Everyone was puzzled. “That’s right, the one you call Obik.”
The mage coughed a few times, turned and thumped his back, then continued, “Long ago, Young Master Ayan lived in the dark corners of this area.”
The group walked and listened quietly to the mage’s tale.
.............
“The girl attacked by Obik lives at this hospital, so… Ah, what a coincidence, the Victory Team is here—I’ll go interview them now.”
A young, beautiful reporter wearing glasses was hosting a live broadcast when she noticed the team’s arrival.
“So many people—what are they doing?”
At that moment, Ekujing sat bewildered in the car, staring at the crowd gathering outside and sneezing.
He glanced at the snowflakes falling from the sky and shivered, “It’s really cold today…”
After listening to the mage’s story, the group had intended to visit the girl attacked by Obik at the hospital and learn about the incident, but found the hospital surrounded by a crowd.
As soon as they stepped out, they were besieged by curious onlookers and bombarded with questions.
“Her face turned white—is that true?”
A girl with blunt bangs questioned Yue as he was surrounded.
“Ah, no, it’s not like that,” Yue answered hurriedly.
“She must’ve been drained of blood!”
“I heard she was hit by the pot first, then drained,” an elderly man told those nearby.
“She can’t possibly survive!”
“Mister, is it true that Obik wears a pot on his head?”
A little boy asked Ekujing timidly, lollipop in hand and eyes wide.
“Let me tell you, pots aren’t meant to be worn on your head…”
Ekujing began lecturing the boy with mock seriousness.
The bustling crowd made everyone feel suffocated.
“Ahem… Please, everyone quiet down and listen! The young man who saw Obik is still alive…”
Yue found a stool from somewhere and stood upon it to address the crowd, exuding a leader’s presence.
After his speech, the crowd finally understood.
“Ah, that’s terrifying!”
Someone exclaimed, and the crowd dispersed in a rush.
“Don’t go out at night!”
Yue reminded them anxiously.
“Whew, talking to them is more exhausting than fighting monsters!”
Da Gu wiped sweat from his brow and looked at those still discussing Obik, his brows raised.
“I get it!” Da Gu suddenly shouted.
“Obik did all this to make everyone afraid!”
He explained earnestly, “In a place swarming with rumors, if the town really has a victim, chaos will ensue!”
Yue looked at Da Gu with admiration.
“Your analytical skills are impressive! So that’s why Obik sent the girl back, isn’t it?”
Suddenly, a strange sound of a flute echoed through the town.
“Obik is here!”
The crowd panicked and fled.
Twilight had already fallen, and a dazzling beam streaked across the sky…