A dog’s nose is highly sensitive, casually picking up scents and committing them to memory, even able to accurately determine their location.
And Yu Chi could conjure the shape of a girl from thin air.
Reaching out, his hand landed as expected on a softness, extending downward to the girl’s sensitive, trembling abdomen.
He knelt on one knee, leaning forward, his spine straightening the shirt, his mouth following the scent.
There was clearly nothing in front of him, yet he felt his mouth and nose stifled, as if pressed into a pond, suffocating as if drowning.
But ghosts don’t need to breathe anyway.
He dove deep to the bottom, opening his mouth, his tongue probing and stirring outside, sweetness dissolving in his mouth, saliva dripping to the ground.
Drip by drip.
“Why is there so much water in the air, baby?”
Yu Chi mumbled, his head still buried below, unable to resist teasing her, “Did hubby kiss you right?”
The hiding kitten, caught by the tail, refused to admit it was herself, thinking that if she buried her head under the blanket, the ghost wouldn’t come in, even fantasizing about driving him away.
Unfortunately, it was of little use, only earning a muffled chuckle from the wicked ghost.
This Yu Chi must have just brushed his teeth with mint toothpaste, the icy chill from his mouth practically freezing her from bottom to top.
The desk was sealed with a board below, leaving Jiang Yingxiao with nowhere to retreat. Clenching her teeth in silence, she lifted her leg to press against his shoulder, pushing outward.
Her knee bumped against the sideboard, only to be taken into the man’s mouth.
“Bang, bang—”
Outside the door, the person wielding a cleaver, seeing she wouldn’t come out, swung the weapon madly against the door, blow after blow, the vibrations making the girl tremble along.
Yu Chi accidentally swallowed some water, lifting his head satisfied, his tall nose bridge damp. “Don’t be afraid, hubby will drive him away.”
The ghost, ever conscientious, wiped the water off the floor with his sleeve. By the time he reached the door, he had regained his cold demeanor, just as the fragile wooden door gave way.
Splinters scattered everywhere, landing at Jiang Yingxiao’s feet, which she kicked away with trembling legs.
Outside, a long blade stood planted on the ground, the man’s black work pants tucked into boots, the muscles of his upper arms glistening with sweat, veins winding.
“What the hell did you lick?”
He Ming, not seeing the person he wanted, instead caught the familiar scent from the ghost’s mouth. Instinctively, he thought of the suspicious marks on the girl that day, his heart pounding with rage as he swung the blade.
The edge struck bone and shattered, the man exerting more force, cleanly severing one of the ghost’s arms along with flesh.
Yet the other merely raised an eyebrow as if feeling nothing, his empty left sleeve restoring itself seconds later, his expression still cold and calm.
“Of course, I licked what you wanted to but couldn’t.” Yu Chi chuckled lightly, lifting his arm to rotate his newly grown wrist, blocking the other’s fist before retaliating with the blade.
Each strike was ruthless, aimed at vital points.
Inside the room, there was a faint rustling sound, as if someone carefully put on shoes and placed their feet on the floor.
He Ming’s gaze paused at the board under the desk, distracted enough to take a blow, blood gushing from his abdomen.
Turning back, his eyes bloodshot with fury, his arm muscles tightened as he gritted out the words: “I’ll kill you.”
He had kept his eyes open all night watching Jiang Yingxiao, not daring to steal a kiss, and in the morning had only dared to lick her face before she woke. But now some wandering ghost had pinned her under a table, and no matter what it demanded, she could only struggle to comply.
The two fought viciously, gushing blood staining the floor, leaving several red shoe prints behind. The sound of soles scraping against the ground echoed through the hallway.
【Item remaining time: 4 minutes.】
Jiang Yingxiao crawled out from under the table and rubbed her legs. In her heart, she cursed Yu Chi’s mouth to freeze over, but hearing 076’s mechanical voice made her tense up again.
The two maniacs outside were locked in a fierce battle. If she appeared here now, she might be stabbed before she could even cry for help.
Better to seize the chance and leave early.
Fortunately, she was already on the first floor. She lifted her leg and climbed out through the window, timing her return to the Novice Village men’s locker room. She pulled the door open and hid inside stall number 4.
After all, the most dangerous place was the safest. That foolish He Ming would never expect her to come back here.
Hmph, as long as she stayed inside and didn’t leave, Xie Yingqi would surely be worn down by her.
The girl sat in the corner, carefully tidying her clothes, smoothing out the wrinkles bit by bit.
The porcelain-white skin on her hands was stained with dust from climbing through the window, and her small face was smudged with grime. Her knees were red and swollen from a fall, and they would likely turn black and blue by tomorrow.
Even reduced to fleeing for her life, the young lady still clung to her pitiful dignity.
Later, to build suspense, the official Towards Death team deliberately shut down the Live Streaming and opened betting on the game backend, heightening the audience’s anticipation.
But for Jiang Yingxiao, it only meant the Bullet Comments before her eyes vanished entirely, leaving her alone, huddled in the corner, waiting for the final outcome.
Just when she thought she wouldn’t see another living soul, the girl heard the man in the neighboring stall number 3 start clawing at the partition seam, grunting and howling wildly.
“Here, take it, just stop making noise.”
Startled for a moment, she took off her sock and tossed it into his hand, then grabbed his large hand and slapped it twice.
Damn jock, making such a racket—he’d draw everyone outside in.
Stall number 3 fell silent for a moment and indeed stopped making noise. Jiang Yingxiao heard him shift to a different sitting position, rubbing the sock in his hand.
The girl let out a sigh of relief, her lower abdomen rising and falling with her breathing. She had thought to lean against the wall and rest for a moment, but her only sanctuary was suddenly split open by a blade.
A man who looked like a malevolent ghost stood at the doorway, his expression dark and terrifying.
“You’re here.” Xie Yingqi’s long blade was stained with blood—whether human or ghost, it dripped steadily, pooling on the floor.
He took a step forward, and the blood on the blade dripped toward her, landing on the girl’s upturned eyelashes.
“You,” Jiang Yingxiao’s eyes widened as the drop of blood smeared across her eyelid and trickled down like a tear, “could you wait a couple of days before killing me?”
She looked up, meeting his eyes directly. Her pink, moist lips trembled with fear, and her lower eyelids lifted slightly, as if she was holding back tears with great effort to form a complete sentence.
Xie Yingqi’s thin eyelids lowered. He first glanced at her propped-up knees, then looked up to see the drop of malicious blood at the corner of her eye—a drop that seemed determined to kiss her even in death. He crouched down halfway and reached out to wipe it away.
The girl instinctively closed her eyes, the soft, vulnerable corner of her eye reddening from the rough calluses on his fingertips.
“I shouldn’t have waited until now.”
A low voice echoed in the cramped compartment. Hearing it, Jiang Yingxiao turned her face away, her dust-covered fingers clutching the hem of her skirt, not daring to make a sound.
He was finally going to kill her.
All she had left was a Dodge Cloak that could barely be used. But even if she dodged once, there would be a second attack. If she went out, she would still be caught by him.
She didn’t know if she could return to the Love Game after dying.
Although she often called her brother a big stupid pig, she missed him dearly. But now, she wasn’t even sure if she would ever see him again.
Lost in her chaotic thoughts, a pill was forced into her mouth. Its surface was smooth, and before she could react, it slid down her throat.
Who would have thought Xie Yingqi not only killed with a knife but also enjoyed using poison?
“I hate you the most.”
Jiang Yingxiao turned her face back, her eyes closed and her voice trembling. “You’re the most pretentious, the worst, and the most detestable person in the entire Horror Game. No one likes you.” She thought for a moment. “No one likes you in other games either.”
Her final words had to be harsh. That way, even if she died, he would be haunted by them, unable to make sense of it.
Hearing this, Xie Yingqi closed his eyes briefly, unbuttoned his shirt, and pressed her against the wall.
Holding the silk shirt, he wiped her dusty face under Jiang Yingxiao’s terrified gaze. Then he took her hand, wiping it over and over, as if trying to erase the traces of her injuries.
“I shouldn’t have waited until now,” he said again.
“I shouldn’t have let you go out, thinking you’d gain some experience and come back. Instead, you gained nothing, and even your underwear was stolen. Your skirt is so damn empty.”
“I should have fucked you hard in the classroom, so you’d know what kind of beasts are waiting in this game to chew you to pieces.”
“I am bad, both bad and pretentious. The whole game is filled with scum like me.”
With each word, Xie Yingqi moved closer to her. By the end, he was almost whispering into her ear.
His warm breath condensed into droplets on Jiang Yingxiao’s cheek. Uncomfortable, she turned her head away and wiped them off.
The man pressed his tongue against his cheek, then viciously moved his mouth to Jiang Yingxiao’s soft lips, biting them before his tongue slipped into her mouth, hooking and sucking on hers.
“You must hate me,” he said, pressing his nose against hers. “Stay far away from scum like me.”
He reached for the knife. Seeing Jiang Yingxiao’s terrified gaze, he laughed coldly, deliberately gesturing toward her hair before forcefully plunging the blade into his own heart.
Bright red blood splattered onto the girl’s freshly cleaned face, blooming like plum blossoms in the snow.
【Clearance Count 1/1】
【Congratulations to Player Number 23411 for completing the Instance “Saint Sonia,” earning 20,000 Points.】
【Mission Points Total: 9,000.】
【Live Streaming Donation Points Total: 5,420.】
【Total Points: 34,420. Please continue your efforts.】
【Congratulations on unlocking the achievement: Sixteen Deaths, One Life. As the sole surviving player, you are the undisputed Escape King.】
【Congratulations on unlocking the achievement: Ghost Hunter. No matter how hideous the ghost, they must kneel and polish your shoes upon your command.】
[Ahhhh, it’s finally released! I knew my wife was the best. Xie Yingqi is nothing!]
[Wasn’t I supposed to be grinding points with my Qi Shen? Logically, once I got the exam paper, I just needed to think about killing people to break the Instance’s protection, then instantly execute everyone to clear it. Why didn’t anything happen when I got the paper?]
[What reaction were you expecting? Your Qi Shen is impressively stupid. The moment you got the paper, all that was left on it was “I want to marry her, I want to marry her, I love her so much, I love her so much.” No wonder you couldn’t complete it.]
[All I can say is this Instance is too weak—bullying my wife like that. How dare they not let my wife bully them back?]
[The Instance is about to be cleared, and He Ming is still daydreaming with those two lousy photos of his. Your game’s boss is really something.]
[? Are you a He Ming anti-fan? You conveniently ignore Si Cheng holding onto the shirt he used to wipe the young lady’s mouth**, don’t you? And Yu Chi, stubbornly insisting on treating the second day of the Instance as his wedding anniversary, saying it was the day of his first kiss with his wife. Seriously, what’s wrong with his brain?]
[No one cares about Lu Duanzhuo? He can only survive by clinging to the footprints the young lady left behind.]
Author’s Note:
Anyway… let’s congratulate the Salt and Pepper Shrimp baby for clearing the Instance!