Su Ming had no intention of queuing with these living corpses. Although they bore no hostility, the decaying stench wafting from them made it clear they were not among the living.
For any living person, being surrounded by so many dead would inevitably feel unsettling, especially since they walked silently and mysteriously.
Their queue stretched endlessly to the horizon, like a series of long snakes converging from all directions, seemingly without end.
"Cloak, take me to that tunnel."
The Magic Floating Cloak obediently flew him upward, albeit a bit slowly. Whether it was due to some special restriction here, or because it was also injured just now, he couldn't tell.
Flying above, the black ground below came into view, dotted with bones and tombstones, evoking an indescribable feeling.
As he got closer to the black-and-white tunnel, he noticed it seemed to lead into the sky. Though it looked like the kind of tunnel children crawl through in amusement parks, none who entered emerged from the other side.
He landed at the tunnel's entrance, a place rather unremarkable, except for the ground being further flattened by the trampling of walking corpses, it was no different from other places in this world.
Su Ming cut the line, and the walking corpses made no protest, and he strode boldly into the black-and-white striped tunnel, after which the scene before him completely changed.
Though still framed by black and white walls, it was no longer a tunnel but more like the interior of a villa.
There were black sofas, a variety of home appliances, and things girls would enjoy, like plush toys and romance novels.
Su Ming had a good idea of where he was. Though hesitant at first, it seemed that after the Black Lantern detonated the Eclipse Star, he was sent directly in front of 'Death' itself.
This was the Exo Space of the DC Worldview, somewhere within the 'Divine Domain', a place whose exact location no one knows, but everyone passes through after death, the cycle point of life and death, a transit station.
This area had no name; some called it the 'Land of the Dying', others simply 'Death', much like Daniel's Dream Kingdom, recognized solely as 'Dream'.
The mistress of this place was 'Death', different from the Goddess of Death next door. She was neither human nor god but the embodiment of the cosmic cycle of 'Death and Life'.
Yet she had her own thoughts, her own emotions, appearing very much human.
And this black-and-white tunnel was called the 'Inevitable End', her home, her palace.
Time and dimensions held no meaning for her; she could even procure futuristic technological items. As the rule of life, with every person's death, she learned more and became increasingly human-like.
Su Ming pondered why he found himself here, knowing that neither the Netherworld, Death Territory, nor this place, was fitting for the living.
He didn't see any exits in the room, feeling trapped inside the palace.
He removed his helmet, feeling his shriveled face, sensing its slow self-healing, then sat on the sofa to wait.
Waiting for Death to meet him.
There was no smell of corpses here, despite the many skulls adorning the walls and room, the air felt calm, even carrying a faint scent.
Perhaps it came from the withered black flowers on the coffee table.
Then the wall rippled, and a small figure stepped out, dressed entirely in black, like an ordinary Gothic girl.
A black camisole, black leather pants, trailing a small black parasol.
All this made her skin appear dazzlingly white.
Unlike typical Gothic girls, her face constantly bore a warm smile, her right eyelid adorned with a pattern like the Eye of Horus, and a small silver pendant, the Ankh Cross, hung around her neck.
"Welcome, it's been thousands of years, finally, another living person has stepped into my domain."
She seemed pleased, tossing the parasol to a bony hand protruding from the wall, quickly striding over to the sofa, though there was nothing here to offer a living person in this realm of the dead.
"Death, though it's an accident to arrive here, I'm nonetheless pleased," Su Ming said politely, having no fear of death but clearly not feeling it was his time.
Death picked up her teddy bear from the sofa, gently stroking its head with her pale hands.
"This is no accident; it's destiny that's brought us together."
It sounded nice, like the meeting of a beautiful girl and a youth, but that's not what Death meant.
In the DC World, there are seven anthropomorphized cosmic forces, arranged by their order of appearance and age, though not related by blood, they are as close as family. They are called the Endless Clan.
They are Destiny, Death, Dream, Destruction, Desire, Despair, and Delirium.
The last time during the Metal event, Su Ming had met the current Sleep Demon Daniel, who endlessly chattered cryptically to Batman, causing chaos.
This time, it was Su Ming's turn to face Death directly, and judging by her words, it was Destiny, the eldest of the Endless Clan, who arranged this meeting.
There must be a purpose for this meeting, and to return to Earth, Su Ming needed to hear what Death intended to say.
"You can speak now, in the Main World on Earth, there's someone waiting for me."
"I am Death; as you seem to already know, you should also know my mission, to bring all things from life and return them to the world."
She playfully stuck her tongue out at Su Ming, endearingly cute, her dark hair cascading over her shoulders like black satin on snow.
"Yes, I know," Su Ming nodded in understanding, knowing that as a rule higher than gods, the Endless Clan could easily perceive events across the universe.
"Death takes life away, leaving nothing but memories; similar to me, there's also the Dream Realm." Death stroked the bear's fur, pressing its nose with her fingers.
Su Ming frowned; he had no fondness for Daniel, perhaps due to inheriting the previous Sleep Demon's memories or his own upbringing.
Daniel appeared very introverted and mystical, speaking like one in a dream, hard to discern his true intent.
But Death bringing him up now was certainly not without reason.
"What happened to him?"
Death shook her head with a smile, hugging the bear tightly, wrinkling her nose like a little girl.
"Just as dreams eventually disperse, he has vanished."