Chapter 28: A Massacre Triggered by a Stone – Section 8

Indeed, from the perspective of those including Black Hair, this was indeed a dead city. And an astonishingly large one at that.
A dead city isn’t really a city; it can only be called ruins. Yet all dead cities were once cities, as they all had long and storied histories and gave birth to brilliant civilizations. Without exception, they all vanished over time or were buried under the flames of war. In this world, most dead cities arose from interstellar wars—the destructive firepower of giant warships was often the direct cause.
This was the territory of the Rock People, yet here lay a dead city. Did this place have experienced fierce, even brutal, interstellar wars before the Moors arrived? Otherwise, where did this dead city come from?
Not only Blood Pupil was puzzled; everyone who saw this dead city, including Black Hair, was enveloped in profound confusion.
It was a vast dead city covering nearly 10,000 square kilometers. Even just by eye, they could tell of its former glory. The tallest ruins of buildings were almost as high as the surrounding mountains. Though ravaged by time, they still stood proudly in the cold wind, like immovable sentinels.
The walls of the dead city were made of gray limestone, matching the color of the planet’s surface. Yet they were exceptionally sturdy, with a mirror-like surface that reflected a cold, metallic glow under the faint starlight above. Even under the most critical inspection, not a single flaw could be found—after countless years, they remained as smooth as new!
In the direction the landing ship faced, Black Hair saw the city’s gates—a massive structure also built of gray limestone. Its height alone was astonishing, reaching a kilometer. The huge, thick door beams resembled towering pillars. Through these massive gates, Black Hair could even see the intricate streets inside the dead city and the houses damaged by time.
“Truly magnificent,” Blood Pupil murmured in awe as he stared at the city’s enormous, almost exaggerated gates.
In fact, in this era, massive buildings were already quite common. Not to mention the artificial space stations of the Moor Empire, which were already iconic in their own right. Their colossal size—comparable to that of several planets—seemed like a miracle from any angle.

Yet it paled in comparison to the overwhelming impact of this dead city before them. From Black Hair and Blood Eyes’ perspective, observing this dead city up close through a human’s eyes made that impact even more direct and difficult to control.
In fact, as they drove the landing craft through the city, they felt utterly insignificant, like ants.
“Such grandeur…” It was the voice of a Blood Wolf pirate. Behind him stood dozens of burly men, equally stunned.
Men who roamed the stars day after day, trading slaughter and blood for money, men who would laugh even knowing they might die next moment—now they all stared silently at this massive city around them.
The city was huge, yet utterly empty. The landing craft moved slowly but steadily down the silent streets. Though the surrounding buildings had become ruins, they still seemed to tell of their former glory. Their lines were harsh, and their material was cold limestone. But for some reason, everyone around Black Hair now found them vivid—as if they weren’t inanimate objects but living beings…
“Is this the civilization the Rockmen once had?” Blood Eyes suddenly asked in a low voice, gazing at the massive ruins around them.
“I don’t know. But maybe we should go take a look.” Black Hair also felt a sense of desolation. Being in this dead city, he could understand the regret of time’s mercilessness. Following his finger, Blood Eyes immediately spotted a tall tower.
It was a spire reaching into the clouds, the tallest structure in the dead city. It was the same one they had seen from afar outside the city. But now, up close, its aloofness became even more apparent. This tower stood at the end of the street they were on, in the center of an open circular plaza.
No one objected to Black Hair’s suggestion. The landing craft silently and steadily glided toward the plaza.
Suddenly… Blood Eyes grabbed Black Hair tightly by the arm.
“Head! What did you see just now?”
“What did I see?” Black Hair was startled by Blood Eyes’ sudden move and, seeing his serious expression, froze.
“Nothing. I didn’t see anything.”
“What about you? Did you see anything?” Blood Eyes turned to question the pirates behind him. Again, all they could do was shake their heads in unison. Black Hair, however, expressed dissatisfaction with Blood Eyes’ erratic behavior.

“What’s wrong with you, Bloodpupil? This is a dead city—what can you possibly see? It wasn’t a very long interstellar journey. Have your nerves gone haywire?”
“No. My head… I really did see a fleeting shadow just now. It was too fast; I couldn’t make out what it was. But it definitely existed!” Bloodpupil stubbornly shook his head, speaking with certainty.
Seeing his expression, Blackhair’s face also grew serious. With a light tap of his fingers, the landing craft stopped immediately. He then retrieved the footage from earlier. Yet no matter how they looked at it, they couldn’t find anything unusual. On the video, the dead city appeared desolate, as if haunted, with only their landing craft slowly moving through the empty streets. Apart from the barren ruins, there was only the cold wind.
After watching the entire video, Blackhair let out a long sigh.
“Bloodpupil, it seems you’re really nervous. Though this dead city is magnificent, it’s just ruins. You really don’t need to react like this.”
“Yes, Boss Bloodpupil, you’re too stressed. Relax—there’s nothing to worry about,” the pirates around him chimed in.
Clearly, they truly believed that the journey so far might have stressed Bloodpupil out. Their reassurances were well-intentioned. But to Bloodpupil, these kind words felt like a lack of trust, instantly turning his face red and lowering his voice.
“No, a shadow did appear just now. I won’t doubt my own eyes.”
“Are you… sure?” Blackhair stared at Bloodpupil for a moment before suddenly asking.
“I’m sure. Trust me, boss,” Bloodpupil replied firmly after taking a deep breath.
Now, all the Bloodwolf pirates fell silent. Perhaps they could joke around with Bloodpupil casually, but when this once-famous assassin was serious, no one dared ignore his opinion.
Not even Blackhair.
So his expression changed.
A warrior’s intuition! It made Blackhair suddenly believe Bloodpupil’s words. Although this was within the range of Mirage’s effects, since Bloodpupil was so certain, Blackhair had no reason not to trust him. Besides, he probably understood Mirage better than anyone else here.
Truth could be falsehood, and falsehood could be truth. In such a miraculous environment, what could a little video prove?
“Everyone, be on high alert! Twenty of you get into the mechs. The rest, take up combat positions.” Acting swiftly, Blackhair issued orders right away. Watching the Bloodwolf pirates move quickly, he turned to face Bloodpupil.

“Blood Pup, we’ll be at the base of the spire in a moment. Come down with me. Since you were able to detect something just now, I assume you can do it again. For some reason, I have a bad feeling. Perhaps you can help dispel it for me.”
“Head…” Seeing Black Hair trust him so much, Blood Pup couldn’t help but feel moved. He nodded firmly. “I understand, Head. Are you saying what I saw just now isn’t something that should normally exist?”
“I don’t deny it,” Black Hair nodded eagerly. “Nature is always so wonderful and awe-inspiring. I can’t dismiss aspects of it just because of my limited knowledge. You know, there are always things in this world that are hard to accept. But this time, it seems we have no choice but to face them.”
Looking at the terrified expressions of the Blood Wolf Pirates around him, Black Hair raised his voice further.
“What we’re entering now seems not to be a dead city, but… a place of demons.”
“What?” The remaining pirates exclaimed in unison, unable to believe their ears.
A place of demons? Was he referring to those places that only appear in novels, inhabited only by ghosts? No… don’t joke… This is a civilized world. Those things from novels… it’s absurd. Is the captain going crazy?
For a moment, all the pirates looked skeptical.
However, if Black Hair’s judgment was merely a guess, the surroundings did indeed seem similar. An empty city, desolate streets, a cold wind, and those city walls that had withstood countless years of erosion yet remained intact. Being alone in such a city even made the self-proclaimed tough Blood Wolf Pirates feel a chill deep in their hearts.
Better not speak of the strange and the supernatural.
It was fine when Black Hair didn’t mention it, but now that he had, all the pirates shuddered. The surroundings sparked some fantasies in them. The legends of ghosts they had heard before came to mind one after another, turning everyone’s face pale.
Just then, as if in response to Black Hair’s guess, from within the dead city…
Suddenly, shrill wails and furious roars rang out!