At the end of the road, where the forest branched off, Luo Yu had been standing there for quite a while.
She was lost. How pitiful.
The Evil God observed His delicate, fragile, endearing human follower with amusement. It is a curious thing, to watch a creature that cannot see you stumble about in confusion—rather like watching a kitten chase its own tail, if one were being charitable. "If she would but humbly kiss the back of My hand," He thought, "and ask Me with pitiful grace, I should be delighted to point her in the right direction."
But when would she realize that the one standing beside her was the very God she worshiped with such devotion? When, indeed. Some realizations come slowly, and some never come at all.
Once, to be rid of a nuisance, the Evil God had callously wiped Luo Yu's memory. Now He found Himself regretting that decision—faintly at first, then more deeply. Regret is a strange thing in a God; one might almost call it a human thing, and He would not thank you for it.
...No. Not a nuisance. Rather, He found her... intriguing.
"I shall raise her with care," He mused, "much as humans keep a songbird to while away the hours—until, of course, they tire of its song."
Time passed. Luo Yu still hesitated at the fork in the path.
Ah, how slow she was.
The God took pity. He gathered her hand and steered her toward the left path.
"This way," He coaxed softly.
But Luo Yu wrinkled her nose, unimpressed. "How would you know?"
Of course He would know. He was a God, and Gods know these things. It is rather the point of being a God.
He pushed her shoulder forward.
The God knew everything.
As for Luo Yu—she just felt tired. With the Bone Whistle on her, she actually knew which direction to go. The reason she'd been lingering was simple: she was trying to figure out how to shake the clingy shadow at her side. Shadows, as anyone who has ever had one knows, are terribly difficult to shake.
Over and over, that face had seduced her. But Luo Yu never forgot: the one following her wasn't a Player—it was an NPC. And an NPC whose intentions were a complete unknown. One might as well trust a cat to guard a birdcage.
She wasn't reckless enough to be alone in the heart of the Small Woods with a stranger—one whose origins were murky, whose goals were unclear, and whose only known quality was an impossibly handsome face.
...Though admittedly, she'd made plenty of compromises for that face. One does, when the face is handsome enough.
But it ended here.
She absolutely, absolutely had to ditch him.
Luo Yu gently pulled her hand free from the man's grasp, then quickened her pace, putting herself safely out of his reach. It is a delicate art, extricating oneself from a god without causing offense, and Luo Yu was learning it on the job.
Deeper in the woods, the school's paved stone path had vanished, replaced by muddy trails left by security patrols. Occasionally, she spotted signs hanging from branches: "SWAMP AHEAD" and "STUDENTS - KEEP OUT." Signs, as everyone knows, are meant to be ignored; otherwise, there would be no point in having them.
Luo Yu carefully oriented herself and confirmed her escape route.
Then she spun around dramatically, pointing behind the man with exaggerated alarm: "Look! A wolf!"
The man obediently turned his head. "Hm? Where?"
He sensed no living creature nearby, so her shout caught him slightly off guard. It is a rare thing to catch a God off guard, and Luo Yu had managed it without even trying.
Luo Yu froze for half a second—then bolted.
She was fast, using the trees as cover until she'd left him far behind. Speed, she had found, was often the answer to problems that had no other solution.
A few minutes later, she stopped beside a thick tree trunk to catch her breath, still half-disbelieving what had just happened.
Honestly, she hadn't expected the man to be so gullible.
Her plan had been to startle him for just a moment, then—wham, wham!—knock him out cold with two solid punches and run.
Instead, he'd actually turned around like an obedient fool.
Luo Yu couldn't help wondering: if she told him next time there was a pig flying behind him, would he fall for that too? It is a question that reveals much about the asker's character.
"So dumb," she muttered. "This NPC."
Maybe this was what they called a beautiful dummy.
She laughed softly to herself—"Heh heh"—and cleared her mind. Laughter, she had found, was a good way to clear the mind. It was also a good way to avoid thinking about the consequences of one's actions, which was sometimes even better.
Now. Time for business.
Checking that no one was watching, she pulled the Bone Whistle pendant from her chest, wiped the mouthpiece clean, and raised it to her lips. The mouthpiece, she had learned, was the most important part of any whistle—a lesson that had cost her dearly to learn.
The Bone Whistle let out a few short, sharp notes.
Before long, white mist began to rise among the trees. On the other side of that mist, a low wolf howl echoed back.
Just as she'd expected.
Luo Yu's eyes gleamed. She tucked the whistle away and set off toward the sound. The gleam in one's eyes is often the first sign of trouble; Luo Yu did not know this, or did not care.
But in these dense woods, the Bone Whistle's call reached more than just wild wolves. Even as Luo Yu followed the sound, the monsters were following hers. It is a law of the universe that every call has its echo, and every echo has its source.
"The intruder—the one called Luo Yu," Fatty said. "She's discovered the Wolf Pack's secret."
He was scraped and battered, looking rough—but his injuries weren't severe. His companions, though, were another story. Their wounds went down to the bone. They were barely clinging to life, unable to maintain their human disguises. A monster without its disguise is like a king without his crown—still dangerous, but somehow less impressive.
Sun Heng had done this to them.
Brainless as he was, Sun Heng's physical strength was inversely proportional to his intellect. Among his fellow Players, he ranked among the strongest. There is a certain fairness in the universe, one might observe: the stupid are often strong, and the clever are often weak. It keeps things interesting.
He'd crippled several monsters and wounded even the strongest among them—Fatty.
In an ordinary fight, most monsters would have retreated. Unfortunately, this pack had no fear of death and barely any human emotion. Even as their comrades lay dying, they attacked like mad dogs, never hesitating. One might admire their courage, if one did not know better.
Sun Heng had no choice. Before his stamina ran out, he forced himself to use his most precious Life-saving Item: the Peace Talisman.
Burn the talisman, and it would cleanse all supernatural effects from the Player. If the Player was in mortal danger, it would randomly teleport them to the nearest safe location. A useful thing, talismans—provided you had one and were willing to use it.
This talisman could have saved Yang Tian.
But in the end, Sun Heng used it on himself. Some people save others; some people save themselves. Sun Heng, it appeared, was the latter sort.
And so Fatty watched helplessly as the dying Sun Heng pulled a lighter from his pocket, lit a strange yellow slip of paper, and vanished from their encirclement. The prey had escaped. Fatty was deeply displeased.
But luckily, the heavens seemed to have noticed his misfortune—and sent compensation. The heavens, Fatty had observed, were always sending compensation. It was rather their way of admitting they had made a mistake.
"They're all beyond saving," Fatty ordered. "Clean them up, then follow me."
At the command, the monsters swarmed forward, devouring their gravely wounded comrades whole. There was no ceremony, no sentiment—just the business of survival, efficiently conducted.
Then they fell into line behind Fatty, heading toward the direction of the Bone Whistle.
Not tasty.
The monsters advanced, dragging trails of drool. Their own kind tasted foul. Humans were fragrant—delicious. There is no accounting for taste, as the saying goes, though in this case the saying was rather more literal than usual.
"Wipe your mouths," Fatty scolded. "You stink."
Fatty considered himself a monster above petty appetites. Unlike the others, he didn't hunger for human flesh. He preferred the thrill of watching intruders twist in agony, revealing their despair just before death. It was, if you will, a more refined cruelty—the cruelty of the connoisseur.
That girl Luo Yu had pushed him hard before...
He wondered what pathetic face she'd make when she finally despaired.
Fatty grinned silently, unaware that in the very moment this cruel fantasy was born, fate had already sealed his death. Fate, as everyone knows, has a sense of humor—though it is rarely the sort that makes one laugh.
On the other side, Luo Yu found herself blocked by an expanse of swamp.
The marsh gave her an unnerving feeling. One glance, and she felt the phantom sensation of being swallowed by dark mud—too vivid, too real, as if she'd actually been consumed by a swamp before. Memory is a strange thing; sometimes it remembers things that never happened.
She didn't dare rush in. Instead, she stopped at the edge, searching for a safe path across. Caution, she had learned, was the better part of valor—or at least the part that kept you alive.
Before long, she heard the crack of breaking branches deeper in the Small Woods. Someone was approaching.
School staff? A surviving Player?
And more importantly: Player or Monster?
Luo Yu saw a crowd of vague humanoid shapes coming toward her. At the head stood a stout figure—maybe that Fatty guy.
Her heart tightened. She turned and ran in the opposite direction.
No more thinking. Hide first. Thinking, she had discovered, was often the enemy of action—and action was what she needed now.
Summary:
Luo Yu escapes the Evil God's presence by tricking him with a false wolf sighting, then uses the Bone Whistle to summon wild wolves. Fatty and his monster pack intercept the call, having survived a brutal fight with Sun Heng. As Fatty pursues Luo Yu, she finds herself trapped at a swamp's edge with pursuers closing in.
Trivia:
- The Evil God originally erased Luo Yu's memory to avoid being bothered, but now regrets it.
- Luo Yu knows the Bone Whistle attracts monsters as well as wolves.
- Fatty's pack eats their own wounded without hesitation.
- Sun Heng could have saved Yang Tian with the Peace Talisman but chose to use it on himself.
- The swamp triggers a visceral fear in Luo Yu that suggests she has been swallowed by it before.
Notes:
• Luo Yu - A female player inserted into the game world. Tasked with uncovering the school's mysteries. Possesses keen observational skills and analytical thinking. Shows empathy but remains pragmatic about survival. At the time of this chapter, she has already encountered a teacher-monster and survived an attack, leading her to understand the game's true threat. A female player trapped in the Escape Game at Qinggang High. Has lost her memory of events prior to her arrival. Must either uncover the school's secret or survive seven days. Physically slender and not particularly strong. A hopeless sucker for beautiful faces, she cannot bring herself to hate someone attractive even when they're trying to kill her. Maintains a self-deprecating, wry sense of humor even in mortal danger. A player who observes rather than leads. She notices the subtleties in group dynamics and feels mildly disgusted by Yang Tian's showy behavior. Quiet and perceptive. Female protagonist trapped in the Escape Game. A high school student with a bold, flirtatious streak, she is drawn to the handsome cashier without understanding why. Currently suffering from memory loss regarding the previous night's events. Appears carefree but is observant of the school's oppressive atmosphere.
• A - A student from South Middle School described as an idol who has been recruited into R's high school squad.
• S - A first-year student at District 13 High School who has taken B from North Middle into his squad.
• M - A first-year student at District 13 High School and the childhood friend of Anonymous Student 0006, described as an atavistic strong-female who looks plain but possesses significant power.
• T - A first-year student at District 13 High School who has recruited K and N from East Middle into his group.
• B - A student originally from North Middle School who was added to S's group.
• N - A student from East Middle with an eccentric personality who entered National High School due to complex family circumstances and used herself as leverage to negotiate a protective agreement for K.
• R - A first-year student at District 13 High School who has successfully built a squad and added multiple girls, including M and A, into his group.
• K - A student from East Middle who followed N to National High School out of care, successfully remaining pure through N's protection until a misunderstanding involving Anonymous Student 0008 led to her capitulation.
• Sun Heng - Scar-faced veteran leader of the main player faction. Pragmatic and calculating, uses other players as disposable assets. Previously had Yang Tian attached, his interest in Luo Yu fuels her jealousy. Subtly predatory toward female players, gave Luo Yu a rules handbook, warns rule-breaking = death. Luo Yu trusts his warning.
• Yang Tian - A beautiful woman who survived two Escape Games by leveraging her looks to attach to powerful players. Aligned with Sun Heng, she shares a class with him and acts as his vocal supporter. Calculating and possessive, she views Luo Yu as a threat, displaying hostility and jealousy. Flirtatious and sharp-tongued, she taunts others to assert her position.