Mortal Dawn and Dusk, My Eternal Life - Chapter 28

The brief but intense gunshots, and Gu Mingxuan’s inhuman roar, quickly attracted the attention of other Chinese soldiers nearby.

“Gunshots! It’s from over there!”

“And… is that an animal’s cry?”

“Let’s go! Check it out! Are those Japs up to something again!”

A rush of hurried footsteps and shouts approached rapidly from a distance, heading towards Gu Mingxuan’s location.

Gu Mingxuan stood in a chaotic pool of blood, his chest still heaving violently. The memories belonging to “Gu Mingxuan” surged ceaselessly in his mind, assaulting his blank consciousness. Bits and pieces of military life, the faces and voices of comrades-in-arms, and… that deep-seated patriotism and unfulfilled mission… These unfamiliar memories intertwined with the blurred, pitch-black female figure in his mind and the fragmented pieces filled with pain and despair, making his head ache intensely, almost driving him back into madness.

But just then, the increasingly close shouts acted like a cool balm, somewhat calming his chaotic thoughts. He instinctively lowered his head to look at his beast-like claws, stained with blood and shredded flesh, and the faint dark golden demonic qi lingering around him.

No! I can’t let them see me like this!

This thought, like an instinct, surged from the depths of his heart. He didn’t know why he had this thought, but he knew that if those people saw him in his current state, it would cause immense trouble.

Almost instantly, the demonic changes on Gu Mingxuan’s body receded like a tide. His sharp nails retracted into his fingertips, his pale skin returned to its normal healthy color, and the terrifying demonic qi vanished without a trace. He transformed back into the young officer wearing a tattered military uniform, looking somewhat disheveled but with a hint of heroic spirit between his brows—Gu Mingxuan. Only, deep within his pitch-black eyes, a trace of imperceptible dark golden light still lingered, along with a sense of… ancient weariness and savagery that was utterly incongruous with this young body.

“General! It’s the General!”

“General, are you alright?!”

Several soldiers, also in tattered military uniforms, peered cautiously from behind the ruins, their rifles ready. When they saw Gu Mingxuan standing there, their faces instantly broke into expressions of surprise and joy. They quickly rushed over.

Leading them was a burly middle-aged man with a scar on his face, Gu Mingxuan’s adjutant, Zhang Meng. There was also a young soldier who looked only eighteen or nineteen, his face still showing a trace of childishness, Gu Mingxuan’s orderly, named Li Erniu.

Gu Mingxuan looked at these approaching figures, and the memories belonging to “Gu Mingxuan” allowed him to instantly recognize them. Zhang Meng, loyal and dependable, was his most trusted right-hand man on the battlefield. Li Erniu, clever and diligent, though young, was brave in combat and always looked up to him like an older brother. These familiar faces miraculously calmed his heart, which had been agitated by the confused memories.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but his throat was somewhat dry. He struggled to find “Gu Mingxuan’s” usual tone and manner of speaking from the chaotic memories.

“I… I’m fine,” he tried to make his voice sound calm. “I ran into a few Japs just now; they’ve already… been dealt with.” He pointed to the blurred corpses of the Japanese soldiers not far away.

Zhang Meng and Li Erniu followed his gaze. When they saw the gruesomely dead Japanese soldiers, they couldn’t help but gasp.

“Good heavens! General, you’re amazing! You took out so many Japs by yourself!” Li Erniu said with a look of admiration.

Although Zhang Meng was also somewhat surprised by Gu Mingxuan’s “achievements,” he was more concerned about Gu Mingxuan’s safety: “General, it’s not safe here. We should quickly retreat to the trench.”

Gu Mingxuan nodded. His mind was in turmoil, and he needed time to sort through these sudden memories, and also to figure out what had happened to him.

Flanked by Zhang Meng, Li Erniu, and the others, Gu Mingxuan began to walk towards their makeshift trench. Along the way, he tried to remain silent, carefully observing everything around him, striving to immerse himself in the identity of “Gu Mingxuan.” He found that he could naturally understand the soldiers’ conversations and recall many things related to them. It was as if he truly was the Gu Mingxuan who had died on the battlefield, only… he had some memories that didn’t belong to him, and some… powers that weren’t his.

However, just as he relaxed his guard a little, a sudden, indescribable sense of weakness and… hunger surged from deep within his body! It was… an extreme craving for life energy! His skin, in that instant, even seemed to become somewhat dry and dull. He instinctively clenched his fists, his nails leaving shallow indentations in his palms.

What’s happening? He had just experienced a “rebirth”; his body should have been full of power, so why did he suddenly feel so weak?

As this thought flashed, uncontrolled, some blurred and bloody images surfaced in his mind—
That pitch-black coffin…
The wolf demon’s heart implanted in his chest…
And… the dark golden qi that fused demonic power with some strange energy…

A terrifying realization, like a cold viper, coiled around his heart. The body he now possessed, or rather, the body that had “come alive,” its existence came at a price that was probably… not simple! He needed to… devour something to sustain this body’s vitality! Otherwise… his skin would wither and dull like parched earth, eventually… completely decaying!

This discovery made Gu Mingxuan’s heart sink. He instinctively glanced at Li Erniu walking beside him. The young soldier was cheerfully telling him something, his face beaming with the joy of surviving a catastrophe, completely unaware of the “General’s” abnormality. Gu Mingxuan could clearly feel a vigorous, vibrant… life force emanating from Li Erniu! That life force, to him, was like a spring in the desert, a flame in the darkness, filled with a fatal temptation! He could even feel that the “heart” within him was slightly agitated by the proximity of this life force!

No!

Gu Mingxuan suddenly bit the tip of his tongue. The sharp pain made him clear-headed again. He couldn’t do that! These people were “Gu Mingxuan’s” comrades-in-arms, brothers who fought and died alongside him! How could he… how could he lay hands on them?!

But if he didn’t consume life force, his body…

Gu Mingxuan’s heart was filled with conflict and struggle. He didn’t know who he was, nor why he had become like this. The only thing he was sure of was that he didn’t want to harm these people who trusted and relied on him. But at the same time, he also felt that intense craving for life force from the depths of his soul, and… the persistent pursuit of that blurred, pitch-black female figure.

“General? What’s wrong? You don’t look so good,” Li Erniu noticed Gu Mingxuan’s abnormality and asked with concern.

“N-nothing,” Gu Mingxuan forced a smile. “Maybe I was too tense just now; I’m a bit tired.”

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the bloodthirsty urge and the craving for life force within him. He knew that he had to find a solution to this problem as soon as possible. Otherwise, he would eventually become a true… monster.