She was in the wrong - she'd lied to him before, after all.
And besides... she'd definitely shaken him off earlier, but he'd found her again without her noticing a thing. Crept up right behind her without a sound. No ordinary NPC should be capable of that.
Her instincts screamed that she was outmatched. So she stayed quiet, letting him hold her with that slightly too-familiar arm around her waist.
Whatever. At least he was gorgeous. Not exactly a loss.
A few minutes later -
"Would you quit squeezing my leg already!" Luo Yu snapped, her voice sharp with indignation.
That was flesh, not damn Play-Doh! He was kneading and rubbing, and of course he had to target the softest part of her inner thigh.
She was definitely bruised red by now.
Luo Yu shot him a furious glare, tears pricking at her eyes.
At first, she'd assumed he had some ulterior motive. But after being pinched and prodded without mercy for this long, she'd figured it out completely:
He was doing it because he thought it was fun.
Outrageous. Unforgivable.
"Quit pinching me!" she repeated, her voice pitching higher.
He showed no signs of stopping. Luo Yu kept protesting, but with monsters roaming below the tree, she didn't dare raise her voice - only managed to squeeze out a thin, reedy sound from her throat.
It came out like she was whining. Absolutely zero intimidation factor.
Humans are such a hassle.
The Evil God raised an eyebrow. He'd been planning to ignore her entirely - but then he caught sight of the tears clinging to the corners of Luo Yu's eyes.
He withdrew his hand without a word.
Crying. Her eyes are all red.
Kind of cute.
Like a tiny bird whose feathers had been ruffled, immediately flying into a rage and chirping up a storm. He recalled, from some distant fragment of memory, a bird he'd once known - a plump little shrike with a coat of pale yellow down.
It had a terrible temper. It had hopped right up and pecked through his finger.
So he'd stopped its time. Permanently. Tossed it into some forgotten corner of some forgotten world.
His gaze returned to the "little bird" before him now. She was craning her neck, peering down at the base of the tree, puzzled by the soulless monsters that walked right past her without noticing a thing.
Of course. Because He was here.
Of course. Because He was shielding her.
So then... would this bird behave?
Something stirred in him. He reached out, caught her sleek black hair, and gave it a gentle tug backward.
"Hey," he said, his tone deceptively light. "If you don't listen... I'll drop you down there too. Feed you to the monsters."
A muffled gasp of pain escaped her lips.
The little bird turned her head, clutching her precious "feathers" with a deep frown - and slowly, she bared her sharp little beak.
Not obedient.
The light in the Evil God's eyes dimmed. In the span of a breath, his amusement curdled into boredom.
Elsewhere -
Still reeling from the sudden attack, Luo Yu looked back at him in confusion.
She didn't understand why this grown man had suddenly started yanking her hair like a petulant little boy - and repeated a threat he'd already made before.
Seriously...
She'd been about to snap at him. Really let him have it.
But the moment she turned her face, she saw him leaning against the tree, one leg stretched out, one hand resting on his bent knee - the picture of effortless composure, as if the whole world could crumble and he wouldn't even flinch.
He looked up at her. His obsidian eyes gleamed.
A few loose strands of hair fell across his brow, stirred by the breeze - the perfect accent to that devastating face.
What a striking man.
What an absolutely magnificent face.
For one endless moment, the world fell completely silent. All she could hear was the thunder of her own heart.
Who was falling for him?
Who was being utterly undone by a pretty face?
Luo Yu blinked. Her expression softened in an instant. Her lashes fluttered, and a faint blush crept across her cheeks.
"Okay," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'll listen."
She repented. She'd actually been about to snap at someone this beautiful.
He paused. His eyelids lowered - then he fixed her with that dark, heavy gaze, studying her.
"And if I pinch your thigh?" he asked, the question laced with idle curiosity.
Luo Yu answered immediately: "That's fine."
"And... this?"
He'd caught a lock of her hair again, deliberately tugging it toward himself.
Not hard. But still - a little sting.
Luo Yu pressed her lips together. "That's fine too."
What else could she do? Sure, he was petty, vindictive, and held a grudge over every tiny thing - but he had a face that could get him forgiven for absolutely anything.
Luo Yu: Of course I'm forgiving him.
He laughed - a low, soft sound. His long fingers slipped through her hair, sliding down to rest against the back of her neck.
At the same moment, below the tree, the swamp began to change.
A thick fog rolled in, swift and violent, spreading across the entire marsh in the blink of an eye.
But it didn't rise upward - only reached about the height of a man before stopping. From above, it looked like a churning sea of clouds.
And inside that sea of clouds, the swamp came alive. It slithered forward like a serpent, devouring everything in its path -
Dead leaves and branches. Living trees.
And the monsters that had been so diligently searching for Luo Yu. And Fatty, pacing in frustration, unable to find his target.
None of them had expected the solid ground beneath their feet to suddenly transform into a treacherous bog.
By the time they realized, they were already sinking into the mire.
"The fog - hey - wait, I'm sinking into the swamp!" one monster shrieked, its voice cracking with terror.
"The swamp wasn't supposed to be here, how - how did - ahhh... it hurts, it hurts!" another howled, thrashing wildly.
"The swamp is moving - it's moving!" a third screamed, its eyes wide with disbelief.
"Son of a bitch - it's that Luo Yu! Everyone stay calm - " Fatty bellowed, trying to rally his troops.
The swamp glowed with an eerie green light, corroding everything trapped within it.
Monsters screamed and wailed, reverting to their ugly original forms as they thrashed in futile desperation. Pointless. In moments, they were gone - swallowed forever, leaving no trace behind.
When it was over, only the tree where Luo Yu sat remained standing.
The thick fog swallowed every sound.
Above the mist, Luo Yu heard nothing from below.
In fact, she hadn't even noticed the change at her feet.
Because...
Her eyes were locked on a certain Evil God. She couldn't look away.
Help - someone help -
Don't look at me like that...
She really - she had absolutely zero resistance to that kind of look.
"Mn..."
Luo Yu choked back a sound. She'd actually gotten emotional over his devastating beauty. How embarrassing.
Ah. Crying again.
The Evil God's smile deepened. He hooked a finger around the red cord at her throat and, with a slight flick, drew out the bone whistle she wore against her skin.
"You wanted to find the owner of this whistle?" he asked, his voice smooth and unhurried.
"Huh?" Luo Yu blinked, catching up a beat too late. "Yeah. Right."
She'd almost forgotten the whole point. Damn handsome faces - they were a menace.
She forced herself to look away, training her gaze on the ground below. But when she did, she froze.
Because beneath the tree, there was nothing left but an endless, rolling sea of white mist.
"Wha - what happened?" she stammered, her voice trembling.
Where was the swamp? Where were the monsters?
Where was the grove? The path?
Luo Yu stared at the landscape around her in utter confusion. She realized, with dawning horror, that the only thing left in her immediate vicinity was the forked tree beneath her feet.
"I..." She panicked for a moment - and looked to him for help.
He simply held the bone whistle, pressing it directly against her lips.
"Blow," he commanded, his voice soft but absolute.
Summary:
Luo Yu attempts to negotiate with the Evil God after he catches her hiding in a tree, quickly capitulating to his demands when confronted with his overwhelming beauty. He torments her with casual cruelty, pinching and pulling her hair while threatening to feed her to the monsters below. The swamp suddenly transforms into a deadly fog-filled mire that consumes all the monsters and Fatty, leaving only the tree and the Evil God untouched. He presses the bone whistle to her lips and commands her to blow it.
Trivia:
- The Evil God previously encountered a shrike that pecked him, which he "stopped the time of" permanently - foreshadowing what he might do to Luo Yu if she displeases him.
- The Evil God can shield Luo Yu from monster detection, as demonstrated by the soulless monsters walking right past her without noticing.
- The swamp transformation is triggered precisely when the Evil God touches Luo Yu's neck, suggesting He is directly responsible for the massacre.
- Fatty and all the monsters searching for Luo Yu are annihilated in the swamp's green glow, leaving no trace behind.
- Luo Yu is so distracted by the Evil God's beauty that she completely misses the apocalyptic event happening directly below her.
- The bone whistle is worn on a red cord around her neck and is the object she's been searching for throughout the game.
Notes:
• S - A first-year student at District 13 High School who has taken B from North Middle into his squad.
• A - A student from South Middle School described as an idol who has been recruited into R's high school squad.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.