Chapter 19: The Mind Flayer and the Army of Er Gou

“Oh my God, what the hell is that?”
Sheriff Hope stared in shock at the passageway in the wall. No one could remain composed at the sight of such a bizarre thing.
“It’s an interdimensional portal, Sheriff Hope—a gateway to another world,” Lin Xiao replied with a calm face. It was time to reveal part of the truth so he could enter the Shadow World and search for Will.
“Did I just hear you call this thing an ‘interdimensional portal’?”
Sheriff Hope turned to Lin Xiao, locking his gaze onto the young man, suddenly realizing that he knew things beyond his own understanding.
“Yes. This passage leads to a mysterious world—a world much like ours, but shrouded in shadow. That’s why it’s called the Shadow World. Actually, not only did my brother go missing last time, but I was also dragged into the Shadow World at home. I was lucky enough to find this passage and escape. Back then, I didn’t know Will had been taken in as well, so I didn’t rescue him.”
Sheriff Hope listened, skeptical but not entirely dismissive. There was no reason for Lin Xiao to lie, and his reaction upon seeing the portal certainly seemed genuine.
“So, this is why you’re here now?”
“Yes. I’m going in again to save Will.”
A look of realization crossed Sheriff Hope’s face. Clearly, Lin Xiao hadn’t just wandered into the lab by accident—he’d been planning this and was simply waiting for the right opportunity to follow through.
“Why didn’t you report this sooner? If you’d come to us earlier, we could have sent someone in to rescue Will,” the sheriff said, a hint of reproach in his voice. As Will’s brother, Lin Xiao seemed woefully irresponsible.
Lin Xiao shook his head.
“First, I couldn’t be sure Will was taken into the Shadow World. Second, this is a restricted laboratory—ordinary people aren’t allowed in. Third, I want to save my brother myself. I was the one who lost him.”
Sheriff Hope nodded slightly. He had to admit, it made sense. If Lin Xiao had come to the police before, claiming his brother had been dragged into another world, he’d have thought the young man was crazy. Only seeing it with his own eyes could convince him otherwise.
“Alright, let’s go in,” the sheriff decided, striding into the passageway.
Lin Xiao let out a breath of relief. His story had held up—there was no need to worry about his secret being exposed. As he saw the sheriff step through the portal, Lin Xiao hurried after him.
They entered the Shadow World once more. The laboratory building was still there, but the surroundings were shrouded in darkness and gloom. Snowflake-like particles drifted through the air—one of the key differences between this world and the real one.
“Do you know where Will is?”
Staring at the eerie environment, Sheriff Hope asked, his voice uncertain. Who could have imagined this passage really led to a mysterious world? His understanding of reality was being upended.
“He’s probably still near my house. Oh, and Sheriff Hope, this world isn’t as peaceful as it looks—there are creatures here, monsters like dogs, vicious and cruel,” Lin Xiao warned, half-intentionally. The demon lord may have been slain, but there were surely still demon dogs around—and, worst of all, the Mind Flayer.
According to the story, the Mind Flayer was supposed to appear in the second season. But with everything thrown into chaos, who knew if it might show up early?
The two hurried toward Jonathan’s house and soon reached the area. Lin Xiao was astonished to see that even in the Shadow World, his house had been burned to the ground—only ruined walls and charred remains were left behind.
“Will! Will, where are you?”
They both shouted at the top of their lungs, their voices echoing through the silent darkness, but no response came.
“Will should be nearby. Let’s check Byers’ Fort,” Lin Xiao said, pointing to the woods behind the house. Byers’ Fort was the small shelter Will had built as his secret hideout.
Back when Number Eleven used her powers, she’d said Will was in the woods—he was probably near the fort.
Sheriff Hope, for his part, was clearly shaken. Faced with such a strange situation, he had lost his bearings and could only follow Lin Xiao’s lead.
They strode into the woods, still calling Will’s name as they went. After more than ten minutes, a sharp cry echoed from deep in the trees, mixed with a familiar voice.
“Will! That’s Will’s voice!”
Lin Xiao exclaimed, racing toward the sound.
Sheriff Hope, hesitant but determined, followed. In all his four years in the town, he had never faced real danger—and his senses, dulled by drink and pills, were now slower than the young man’s.
“Will! Is that you?” Lin Xiao called as he ran, putting on the role of a concerned brother, though guilt gnawed at him.
“Brother, help us!”
Will’s voice replied. Moments later, two figures burst from the darkness—Will and Barbara—both running desperately as if something terrible was chasing them.
Lin Xiao immediately understood what it was:
Demon dogs.
A swarm—at least twenty of them—closed in from all sides, herding Will and Barbara like prey.
Lin Xiao’s heart leapt with joy at finding them, but fear quickly took over. So many demon dogs—if they swarmed, it would be over in an instant, not even giving him a chance to level up.
Beyond the demon dogs, he saw with horror a gigantic shadow looming above the trees, like a spider magnified hundreds of times. That was…
The Mind Flayer!
The second season’s ultimate boss—able to control the demon dogs, possess human hosts, and dominate their minds. It was the shadow monster that threatened to invade the human world—and now, it had appeared ahead of schedule.
“What have you gotten yourself into, my foolish brother?”
Without a second thought, Lin Xiao turned and ran. Sheriff Hope had just caught up; seeing the horde behind them, he didn’t need to know what those monsters were to understand they meant trouble. He spun around and ran as well.
“We have to get back to the portal—maybe we can use the terrain there to lose them!”
Lin Xiao shouted, leading the way toward the lab. He was fast; the other three, out of breath, struggled to keep up.
The demon dogs gained on them—soon only a dozen meters separated them from their prey. If they didn’t reach the portal in time, they would be overtaken. Lin Xiao slowed down to run beside Sheriff Hope and said,
“Give me your gun, Sheriff. I’ll hold them off.”
The sheriff’s eyes widened. He stopped, drew his pistol, and fired into the pack of demon dogs, shouting,
“I’m the sheriff—it’s my duty to protect the people. You go ahead, I’ll cover you!”
Will and Barbara started to stop as well, but Lin Xiao urged them on toward the lab.
Sheriff Hope shot down one demon dog, but the rest pressed forward, undeterred. The bullets ran out quickly.
As the demon dogs closed in, Lin Xiao whipped out two pistols from his belt, handing one to the sheriff—taken from his inventory, though the sheriff assumed he’d picked it up or bought it ahead of time. Saying nothing, he accepted the weapon and resumed firing.
There was no time to aim. Lin Xiao raised his gun, squeezed the trigger, and a bullet tore from the barrel, exploding the head of the nearest demon dog.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, for killing an LV1 demon dog. Source energy +2.]