《Death Spiral [Infinite Flow]》


 CH 1

    Chapter 1 ¨C §Þ§Ñ§ä§â§×§ê§Ü§Ñ 1


    (Translator- I¡¯ve written some notes about what to expect from this story at the very end, please read. It does contain some very minor spoilers but will give you a good idea if the story is for you.)


    Friday, 10 p.m.


    Xu RenDong, who had just finished working overtime to write his report, left his company building. It was late night during early summer and the stars were low. There was a refreshing fragrance of plants in the night air and Xu RenDong took large, greedy breaths in. Then slowly breathed out to expel the stuffy feelings inside his chest.


    Huh¡­ I¡¯m a little tired.


    The parking lot was opposite him and the traffic lights were still red. He rubbed his eyes and stood patiently in front of the zebra crossing. The traffic lights soon jumped into the green. He took a step forward and that¡¯s when the scenery suddenly shook, like a drop of water falling into a calm lake, and then his whole field of view blurred in an instant. He instinctively rubbed his eyes while hearing a sharp braking sound and screams erupting around him.


    ¡°Be careful!¡±


    ¡°Quickly, move away!¡±


    There¡¯s a car coming?!


    The sense of crisis was like the crack of a whip, instantly stirring up his adrenaline. Xu RenDong opened his eyes wide and instinctively backed away two steps. Then he looked towards the source of the sound of the brakes. As soon as he looked though, his sense of fear was replaced by a feeling of shock. Instantly, goosebumps shot up on his skin.


    An elevator? {Also known as a lift, the type that looks like a metallic box, not a stairwell.}


    Yes, it was a rectangular shaped elevator that had come hurtling down at high speed and then breaked abruptly after landing on the ground.


    The elevator was empty and the metallic sides reflected a cold silver glow. The elevator doors were closed and there was a metal button on the side. It looked like an ordinary, ubiquitous elevator.


    But it¡¯s not ordinary to almost be flattened by an elevator while crossing the road, okay?


    Xu RenDong¡¯s face changed because he realized this was not the only weird thing that had just happened!


    Just now, two girls had screamed at him to be careful. They were still standing there, their faces full of panic and worry, mouth wide open. Their hands were pointing in the direction of the elevator. Yet their entire persons appeared to be frozen solid; they kept the exaggerated action and exuded a strange dead air.


    Behind them, a bent over old man was walking his dog. His left foot was lifted and he hadn¡¯t put it down yet. At the supermarket across the road, the clerk had just picked up the customer¡¯s money and several coins slipped between their fingers and remained stationary in the air.


    It¡¯s like someone had pressed the stop button and everyone was frozen in time. The whole world had fallen silent. Xu RenDong had a horrifying momentary illusion that he had suddenly entered a wax museum and that the people in front of him were not flesh and blood living people at all, but instead cold wax figures.


    In this sudden strange world, Xu RenDong¡¯s heartbeat and breathing sped up suddenly. He forced himself to calm down and look around with caution. At the same time a question flashed through him:


    Why can I still move?


    He moved his fingers and didn¡¯t feel anything unusual. He took two more steps to confirm what was going on around him but he didn¡¯t expect to suddenly run into something invisible. His foot kicked something that he couldn¡¯t see, making a banging noise.


    Xu RenDong frowned again, tentatively reaching forward. He touched something hard and which felt like a wall. But there was really nothing in front of him.


    He fumbled along the air wall, and finally realized two minutes later that he was surrounded by it.


    No, to be more precise, he was trapped by three walls made of air and the elevator door.


    A strange feeling crawled down his back like a snake, cold and creepy.


    Fortunately, Xu RenDong had a calm and self-sufficient nature. Although he was scared, he didn¡¯t panic. He pounded the air wall hard, only to hear a suffocating sound. Theair wall seemed to be motionless. Then he set his sights on the elevator that appeared out of thin air.


    The time outside the air wall was still and inside there was only an elevator. Therefore there was only one choice left for him.


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t hesitate to press the elevator button.


    ¡°Ding.¡±


    The elevator door opened at once.


    The insides of the elevator had the same texture of the silver-grey metal body. The blurred surface vaguely reflected Xu RenDong¡¯s wide shoulders and narrow waist. He went in and felt a bit claustrophobic in the small elevator space.


    In this situation, if he tore his throat screaming, nobody would come to save him. He could only rely on himself.


    After he entered, the elevator door quickly closed and a low motor sounded.


    That was unexplainable because from the outside the elevator was a bare metal box with no wiring or cables ¨C so where could it go?


    Where will it take him?


    He could only take it one step at a time.


    Four rectangular walls, each metal surface vaguely reflected his figure. Xu RenDong inexplicably felt his chest tighten. He loosened his tie and then unbuttoned his suit jacket button by button.


    After taking off his jacket, he habitually checked his neckline. His shirt buttons were carefully buttoned up right to the top.


    He tidied up his dark blue suit jacket slightly and held it in his arms. Soon, however, he put his suit jacket back on.


    Because it was cold.


    The temperature in the elevator was dropping rapidly, obviously no longer belonging to the temperature of early summer. At the same time, a line emerged in the the air: §Þ§Ñ§ä§â§×§ê§Ü§Ñ.


    Is this¡­ Russian?


    Xu RenDong reached out to touch the line and found that it seemed to be just a projection and wasn¡¯t solid.


    Ding! Something rang again. He felt the elevator stop and then the door opened slowly.


    In front of him was an endless white. The bitter cold wind poured into the elevator. Xu RenDong pulled tight his suit jacket and couldn¡¯t help taking a deep breath. The air was full of the smell of ice and snow and it was very sobering.


    Instead of rushing out, he looked quietly at the scene outside the elevator.


    It was a forest and heavy snow bent the branches. From time to time snow dropped from the branches and fell with a snap to the ground. The ground is also thick with snow and not far from him was a row of footprints, sloping into the depths of the forest.


    The sky was floating with goose-down-like snowflakes but the footprints were deep and clear. It seemed that whomever made this footprint had done so not long ago.


    Xu RenDong took out his mobile phone to look. There was no signal. The screen showed the time standing frozen at 10:10 on Friday. It was 10:10 p.m but right now, outside the elevator, it was a gloomy evening. Although the snow was heavy, you could still see the sunset above the forest.


    This wasn¡¯t really Russia, right?


    Even for Russia, the time difference was not right.


    In any case, he couldn¡¯t continue to sit back and wait.


    Xu RenDong stepped out of the elevator. As soon as he left the elevator, he felt an emptiness from behind him. Looking back again, the elevator had disappeared. Just as it had appeared out of thin air, it suddenly disappeared again.


    The snow didn¡¯t even leave any trace of it, only showing the footprints that Xu RenDong made when he had walked out. This time, Xu RenDong was not too surprised but instead felt like it was ¡®just as he expected¡¯.


    It¡¯s freezing, snowy and very cold. Xu RenDong only wore a summer suit, and simply could not withstand the cold. But he did not shrink or shrivel into himself. He still wore that calm and self-sufficient expression, even in the cold wind he did not want to show a face of weakness.


    His lips had just the right amount of thickness. If he smiled, he should have been quite good-looking but at this time his lips were thinned due to the cold and slightly raised, showing an abstinent expression.


    He stopped wasting his time and walked quickly in the direction of the set of footprints.


    Just as he was leaning over to check it, he suddenly heard a cry from the depths of the forest.


    ¡°Ahhhhhh, I was wrong, I¡¯m wrong, here take it back, I shouldn¡¯t have taken it, don¡¯t chase me anymore ahhhhhhh¡­¡±


    The cry was sharp and high, the lung capacity was amazing. Listening to it, it was full of the vitality of a young person. But the contents were very messy and Xu RenDong immediately understood one message from it: This person was in danger!


    And the source of sound happened to come from the direction of the footsteps.


    Xu RenDong immediately began running quickly with all the strength of his legs. The snow was so deep that every step of the way it got stuck in the soft snow. Xu RenDong followed the footprints, with the fastest speed forward possible, while trying to think about what the young man may have encountered.


    A bear? A kidnapper? Or something more unnatural? ¡­¡­ Anyway, he had to hurry up and save him!


    The footprints were getting clearer and clearer.


    Xu RenDong heard his own rough gasping and thumping heartbeat. Cold air poured into his lungs and chilled his aching throat.


    He soon stopped for lack of strength and gasped against a big tree. At the same time as his breathing slowed down, he heard a strange sound.


    Pu. Pu. Pu.


    It sounded slowly and heavy, like something hard striking on something soft.


    That sound was coming from not far away.


    Xu RenDong gasped. He clutched his chest where his heart was beating furiously and carefully made his way towards the source of the sound.


    As the sky darkened, the snow reflected a dazzlingly faint sunlight but the dark trees mingled together and he couldn¡¯t see too far away. Xu RenDong squinted slowly as he approached. He found that the source of the sound was a small open clearing in the forest.


    There is a stone monument in the middle of the clearing. In front of the stone, a tall figure was kneeling and had his back to him. He was swinging something in his hand and hitting the ground over and over again, making that unpleasant noise.


    Trying to propel himself forward, Xu RenDong suddenly stumbled and fell heavily into the snow. His fall was loud enough that the figure in the open space immediately stopped what it was doing and stood up.


    He saw it clearly. It turned out it was a tall, burly and frightening looking man.


    In this cold snow, the burly man was only wearing a thick vest. From the side, two stout and block-like arms were exposed, full of bulging muscles.


    He also had a khaki sack over his head, which had two holes pierced in it to reveal a pair of blood-stained eyes.


    The burly man stood about two meters high and was holding a huge sledgehammer in his hand. The hammer was dripping with blood. The bright red blood fell down into the snow and melted a sizzling hole of red, looking particularly striking.


    This image was so violent that two words immediately emerged in Xu RenDong¡¯s brain ¨C a butcher.


    Xu RenDong glanced quickly at the ground and saw what the butcher had been knocking at before.


    That¡¯s ¡ª a body!


    A young man in a grey hoodie was lying alone in the open snow. The man¡¯s whole upper body was soaked in blood. The place above his neck, where his skull should have been, was gone. Left behind was only a fuzzy piece of flesh and blood, mixed with brain and bone fragments, sticky on the ground.


    A large area of snow under the man was dyed red and he looked like a gigantic red rose. From afar there was a perverted kind of beauty.


    The air filled with a strong stench of blood. Xu RenDong fought the desire to vomit and his heart was filled with only one word!


    Run!


    He quickly clambered up from the snow, only to hear the butcher make a click, click, click noise from his throat.


    Then, the butcher man strode towards him!


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart beat suddenly accelerated. He instinctively turned around and ran. Fear turned into a bitter chill which flowed down his back. To reduce resistance, he attempted to step on his previous footprints every step of the way. But the butcher behind him kept following, his heavy body banging into the snow.


    He was getting closer and closer!


    He was going to catch up!


    His heart almost bursting in his chest, Xu RenDong ran as quickly as possible, trying to resist the urge to turn around.


    In his rush to escape, he quickly lost his sense of direction and when he could no longer find his own footprints, his feet began to sink into the snow, slowing down his pace more and more!


    ¡°Click, click, click¡­¡±


    The sound that was squeezed out of the vocal cords was right behind Xu RenDong!


    Don¡¯t look back! Run! Run hard!


    Adrenaline ran through him and the cells all over his body were clamoring to release all the energy. Xu RenDong refused to give up even the last glimmer of hope, gasping for breath, desperately running.


    However ¨C from the back of his head suddenly came the sharp sensation of pain!


    A strong attack came from behind, hit him out of balance and he plunged headfirst into the snow!


    Get up! Fast! Get up!


    There was a burst of blackness in front of him and a loud banging in his ears. Xu RenDong tried to hold on, but felt something behind him. Immediately after he was hit hard again on the same part of the back of his head.


    ¡°Uh!¡± This time, he could no longer get up.


    ¡­¡­Blood.


    Itchy, warm liquid flowed down bis ears and cheeks  and reddened the snow in front of him.


    After a whirlwind of blows, he was turned over. The strong butcher sat heavily on his stomach, almost squeezing out his intestines.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Xu RenDong¡¯s throat moved slightly and he weakly attempted to push the butcher.


    The butcher ignored his futile resistance and stared at him with blood-red eyes. Then slowly he raised the sledgehammer in his hands.


    Bang!


    The hammer smashed over the bridge of his nose!


    Xu RenDong clearly heard the sound of his nose bone shattering, the sorrowful sound of bones breaking. His vision quickly twisted as the bones around his eyes were probably also broken and his eyes were twisted in strange directions by the flesh.


    ¡°¡­¡­ Uh¡­¡± He was in so much pain that he almost collapsed. His hands desperately grasped the ground below him, only catching fistfulls of soft snow.


    His remaining vision caught a hint of motion, followed by another bang and the sledgehammer fell again! This time it hit him on the left cheek and his left eye was immediately pulverized. As the sledgehammer lifted from his face, it pulled up a bright red sticky thing.


    It hurts!


    Xu¡¯s heart almost broke in his chest. He had bitten his lips and his mouth was full of blood. There seemed to be something in his throat that wanted to rush out. He wanted to cry for help but his throat could only squeeze out a bubble of gas. ¡°Er, uh¡­¡±


    The groans seemed to make the butcher excited. The sticky big hands touched his blood-stained face, kneaded his swollen, broken lips, and even put his hand into his mouth, pinched his tongue, and pulled it out hard.


    His tongue was about to be pulled out..


    Xu RenDong pulled his arm in despair and tried to push him away.


    The butcher pulled his tongue a few times and couldn¡¯t pull it out, so he had to give up.


    Then, he lifted the sledgehammer again!


    Bang!


    This time, the smashing sound became dull, probably because the meat was already destroyed. His skull was no longer able to protect the fragile brain.


    He clearly felt his blood, consciousness and life flow away from him, little by little. The pain gradually faded but strangely, he could still see things in his right eye.


    He saw a big, blood-stained hand, digging into his left forehead and then that hand picked up something, twisted it in his hand and crushed it.


    Pa-da. The soft shapeless things fell onto his face, warm and soft.


    In a moment, he suddenly understood what it was.


    It was his brain.


    ***


    ***


    From the translator:


    The author wrote some notes here but I¡¯ll put them after mine just this once as I think her notes are a bit easy to misunderstand when translated and I want to make it clearer.


    There are some minor spoilers below but I recommend reading to see if you want to read this novel:

 CH 2

    Chapter 2 ¨C §Þ§Ñ§ä§â§×§ê§Ü§Ñ 2


    As if he had fallen from a high altitude, his body shook suddenly. Xu RenDong opened his eyes and saw with shock, an expanse of silver-gray metal.


    ¡­¡­ The elevator?


    He gasped and found himself in an elevator again. This elevator was no different from the one that brought him here but didn¡¯t that elevator disappear?


    ¡­ No, more importantly, wasn¡¯t he dead?


    He touched his still aching face but found no blood. The nasal bridge bones that should have been sunken in also stood upright as if the terrible killing blow just before was only a nightmare.


    What was going on?


    The experience of being smashed by a sledgehammer was so terrifying that he found it difficult to calm down and think about the situation before him calmly.


    Xu RenDong breathed deeply, feeling conflicted. He slowly got up from the ground and suddenly heard a ¡°ding¡±. The elevator doors opened and outside the door was the familiar white snow and bottomless forest. The biting cold hit again and he instinctively wanted to wrap his jacket tightly around himself but found that he was not wearing his jacket but was instead holding it in his arms.


    He suddenly had a very bad conjecture in his heart.


    The cold wind whimpered and his body was losing temperature rapidly. He put on his suit jacket but his body was still shaking slightly. There was still a sense of fear in his brain from remembering his skull shattering and his brain exploding. Right now, he didn¡¯t dare walk out of the elevator at all.


    Can this elevator door be closed? Could he go someplace else?


    Xu RenDong felt around the inside of the elevator¡¯s walls, trying to find a button or a hidden mechanism. Before he could find anything, a familiar voice suddenly sounded in the distance.


    ¡°Ahhhhhh, I was wrong, I¡¯m wrong, here take it back, I shouldn¡¯t have taken it, don¡¯t chase me anymore ahhhhhhh¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s expression changed and he turned to look at the forest. The sky was dark but there was still a row of footprints on the ground that stretched crookedly into the depths of the forest. The difference from the previous one was that by this time the footprints had been covered by the flying snow and had become a little fuzzy.


    This scream reminded Xu RenDong again of the terrible experience of being smashed in his head by the heavy sledgehammer. He gritted his teeth and fumbled around in the elevator again. No, he still couldn¡¯t find anything.


    He couldn¡¯t go on like this! If he stayed here, he would only freeze to death!


    Xu RenDong took a few deep breaths, forcibly pushed away the horror of the sledgehammer hitting his face from his mind. He forced himself to turn his head and leave the elevator.


    The heavy snow was still flying and the original deep footprints were gradually being covered. Before long, there would be no trace.


    That man¡­


    Xu RenDong suppressed the strange, uncomfortable feeling in his heart and deliberately avoided the footprints, looking for another way.


    His thin suit jacket was completely unable to withstand the cold and his body heat was lost little by little. The darker the sky, the greater the snowfall. Xu RenDong was alert to the surrounding movement while advancing.


    He didn¡¯t know how long it took but eventually Xu RenDong could no longer stand it. His stiff leg caught on something and his entire person fell onto the ground.


    His face sank into the thick snow, unexpectedly feeling warm.


    Huh?


    Xu RenDong held up a handful of snow in confusion and wiped it on his face. Really, it¡¯s warm. He suddenly felt like he had returned to the company¡¯s parking lot, which was extremely hot due to poor ventilation and he was sweating profusely when he went in to retrieve his car. {Author¡¯s note (which I¡¯m expanding on) explains this is a physiological reaction to freezing when the disorientated brain actually misinterprets it as heat, causing a phenomena known as ¡°paradoxical undressing¡± where the victim actually tries off their clothes off as they think they are burning.}


    It¡¯s so hot¡­


    His consciousness blurring, Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help tearing at his clothes. The suit jacket, tie, and shirt were all torn apart by him, revealing his white skin. A few snowflakes fell on the right abdominal muscles and gradually melted into water, sliding down along a beautiful waistline.


    ¡°Ha¡­¡± Xu RenDong narrowed his eyes and let out a pleasant sigh.


    After a while, the snow falling on him no longer melted.


    The exquisite sculptural body was stiff and motionless.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­!¡±


    The blood vessels all over his body were hot and painful like they were being burned.


    His body seemed to be bitten by 10,000 ants, stabbing and numb. Xu RenDong opened his eyes and was surprised to see the familiar scene again.


    The elevator.


    He has to hurry up and save that guy! Right now there should still be enough time!


    Xu RenDong put on his coat and quickly ran out of the elevator.


    This time he didn¡¯t waste too much time in the elevator and sped up as he pursued the footprints in the snow. So when he came to the small clearing in the forest, the man in the gray hoodie was still standing up and was unharmed.


    This time, Xu RenDong could see that there was a big stone stele in the middle of the clearing. Upon it was a small wooden doll. The body of the doll was painted with colorful lacquer, the color was bright and the body was round like an egg. There was an exaggerated smile on its face and the corners of its bright red mouth cracked behind its ears, making it look very disconcerting.


    Such a weird object appeared in such a weird place and the man actually dared to reach for it. Xu RenDong immediately yelled: ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡±


    The man in gray was startled by the sudden shout but his finger had already touched the doll. At the same time, Xu RenDong¡¯s face changed and his highly strained nerves keenly caught sight of a black mist that was approaching.


    ¡°Run!¡± Xu RenDong could see the black mist was coalescing into a form. He grabbed the gray-clothed man¡¯s arm and pulled him to run away.


    ¡°Hey you¨C¡± The gray-clothed man was shocked, his expression suddenly changed but before he had time to ask questions, the huge figure of the butcher holding a giant hammer was reflected in his shrinking pupils.


    When Xu RenDong thought of the giant sledgehammer, he only felt a faint pain in the bridge of his nose and his heart itched.


    ¡°What the hell is that!¡± The gray-clothed man reacted very quickly and began running with his very long legs, rushing forward like a rabbit. Instead of the other way around, Xu RenDong ended up being the one that was dragged forward by him and almost fell over. He let go of his arm and the two men rushed for their lives.


    Behind them was the thumping footsteps of the butcher. When Xu RenDong heard this sound, his whole body was numb and his brain trembled. He panicked for a while and almost ran into a tree.


    ¡°Here!¡± The man in gray pulled him aside and helped him avoid it. ¡°Run along this road!¡±


    The physique of the man in gray didn¡¯t appear to be strong but he was in fact very strong. Xu RenDong was almost forcibly turned aside by him and only then did he notice that there was a faint path along the ground. The two of them ran desperately along the path. After an unknown period of time, the sound of footsteps behind them gradually became quieter. The gray-clothed man looked backwards and his running speed slowed down.


    He can¡¯t run anymore?


    Xu RenDong was also a little weak but he still reached out to the other person, trying to pull him along. Unexpectedly, the grey-clothed man stopped completely, looked back at the forest, scratched his head and said: ¡°It seems like it¡¯s not chasing us anymore.¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback and turned his head. Sure enough, the tall figure in the distance could still be seen walking slowly but instead of chasing them, he went back in the opposite direction.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably this.¡± The gray-clothed man raised his hand. He was holding the wooden doll while grinning.


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t expect that despite being in such a dire emergency situation, he still hadn¡¯t forgotten to take the wooden doll. He couldn¡¯t help being surprised: ¡°Why do you want to take this?¡±


    The man in gray replied in a matter-of-fact way: ¡°Of course you have to take things that you see on the way. You have to get up close and examine it. What if it¡¯s a key prop?¡±


    Xu RenDong was stunned: ¡°Prop?¡±


    The man in gray¡¯s eyes glimmered animatedly: ¡°Right, right, look at this scene, this boss, what does it look like? Doesn¡¯t it look like a multiplayer instance?¡±


    Xu RenDong was totally confused: ¡°What¡¯s a multiplayer instance?¡±


    The man in gray responded: ¡°Or it could be a¡­ realistic reality show? An escape room or something?¡± He looked around enthusiastically. ¡°Maybe there is a camera hidden somewhere! The butcher just now may have been dressed up by a staff member, wow, that muscle, that body shape, that hammer¡­ it¡¯s very exciting!¡±


    Xu RenDong looked at him and thought, Yes it¡¯s very exciting. So exciting that the two of us have died three times in a row.


    But he didn¡¯t say this out loud. He looked at the man¡¯s attitude, it was clear he didn¡¯t seem to have any memories of his previous death. It seems that this person has also been ¡°reset¡±. That being the case, it¡¯s useless to say any more.


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s safe here. Let¡¯s talk as we walk.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± The man in gray nodded. He followed Xu RenDong and continued along the path, ¡°Thank you for saving me just now.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Xu RenDong asked.


    ¡°Lian Qiao.¡± The man in gray said, ¡°But it¡¯s not the same as the term for ¡®Forsythia¡¯ in Chinese medicine. It¡¯s the ¡®Qiao¡¯ from Xiao Qiao. What about you?¡± {Xiao Qiao is a character from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.}


    ¡°Xu RenDong.¡±


    Lian Qiao suddenly said ¡°Huh¡± and sounded pleasantly surprised. ¡°Is it the ¡®RenDong¡¯ from honeysuckle?¡± {RenDong¡¯s name actually means ¡°Endure Winter¡±. The honeysuckle, which grows in winter, also goes by the alternative name ¡°ren dong flower¡± i.e. ¡°endure winter flower¡±.}


    ¡­ What honeysuckle? Xu RenDong didn¡¯t know what he was talking about. He explained: ¡°It¡¯s RenDong from ¡®enduring winter¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Lian Qiao showed a little disappointment.


    Except I died twice more than you.


    The two stopped talking and walked in silence for a while with only the sound of rustling snow in their ears. The sky darkened quickly and the two took out their mobile phones to illuminate their surroundings. Sure enough, their mobile phone still had no signal so they were unable to ask for help from the outside world and were unable to locate where they were via GPS. They could only look at the time.


    It was now half past eleven in the evening. Lifting his head, Xu RenDong saw that the night was thick and black as ink. The heavy snow was still flying, falling across their faces and was icy cold.


    Lian Qiao suddenly said, ¡°Look! There¡¯s a house over there!¡±


    Xu RenDong looked in the direction he was pointing and sure enough there was a three-story wooden hut in the forest.


    Lian Qiao stared at the hut and said, ¡°The chimney above is smoking and the windows are bright¡­ so maybe the fireplace is lit. The snow on the roof is so thick. It looks like a fairy tale and feels a bit cozy doesn¡¯t it? ¡­Ah, did you see that? A figure flashed past the window! There are people in this house! I just don¡¯t know if it¡¯s an enemy or a friend.¡±


    Xu RenDong was about to speak but Lian Qiao looked around and said: ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be any other houses around here. It¡¯s too cold so we must find a place to warm up, or we will freeze to death. Let¡¯s just go over and see.¡±


    ¡­ He finally finished speaking. Why was this person so long-winded?


    Xu RenDong thought about it and had nothing more to add, so he could only say, ¡°En.¡±


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    Note 1: People who freeze to death will feel hot before they die, so many corpses on the snow-capped mountains are disheveled and smiling. This physiological mechanism is currently unclear. It seems that the brain is frozen and sends out the wrong signal¡­


    Note 2: Honeysuckle, also known as ren dong flower, double flower. Xu RenDong has lived under this name for more than 20 years but he doesn¡¯t even know this, which means¡­hehehe.


    ***


    T/N: If you would like to support me or read advanced chapters of my translations (including the entire first arc of Death Spiral which has been fully translated), please consider buying me a Ko-Fi.

 CH 3

    Chapter 3 ¨C §Þ§Ñ§ä§â§×§ê§Ü§Ñ 3


    The two walked over to the cabin and knocked on the door. Soon, a thin middle-aged man opened it. His cheeks were deeply sunken and his face was yellowish and thin. The middle-aged man looked behind them and asked, ¡°Is there anyone else with you?¡±


    This seems to be the hut where hunters live during winter. The house was decorated with some animal fur. The fireplace is burning and making crackling noises.


    There were more than a dozen people crowded inside the house, both men and women. At this time, they all raised their heads to look at Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao. Xu RenDong said: ¡°No, it¡¯s just the two of us. Sorry for the intrusion¡­¡±


    The excessive tension of his nerves made his observation skills keen. He noticed that the two young girls suddenly changed their expressions after seeing his face and then immediately lowered their heads, not daring to look at him. Another young man showed a very subtle expression when he saw the girls¡¯ reaction.


    ¡­ How come all these people seemed so suspicious?


    The middle-aged man smiled kindly: ¡°Come in first.¡±


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao looked at each other and walked into the warm cabin.


    The dozen or so people sat around the dining table without saying a word. The middle-aged man who had just opened the door greeted him and said, ¡°Hello, my name is Yuan XueMing. You can sit here.¡±


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao also reported their names. Yuan XueMing nodded in greeting but the others didn¡¯t respond. They had complicated expressions on their faces. The atmosphere in this room was very strange. Xu RenDong was about to speak when Yuan XueMing said: ¡°Is it your first time in the elevator?¡±


    Them too?


    So did all these people come through that unreasonable elevator? Also, what did the ¡°first time¡± mean?


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t know whether he counted as the ¡°first time¡± or the ¡°third time¡±, so he remained silent. Lian Qiao nodded, his entire face filled with question marks.


    The other people also nodded. Yuan XueMing said: ¡°So it seems that everyone here is a newcomer but I¡¯m an old player. This should be all of us so let me explain what¡¯s going on. You probably already figured out that this is not our world and want to leave. But before we can do that, we have to find the elevator and the button.¡±


    ¡°But the elevator has disappeared.¡± Someone spoke up.


    Yuan XueMing said: ¡°That¡¯s the entry elevator. There will also be an exit elevator somewhere around here, but the elevator has no button. We need to find the button and install it on the elevator and only then can we leave.¡±


    As soon as we heard the word ¡®leave¡¯, everyone¡¯s mood seemed to improve at last. Someone yelled: ¡°Then let¡¯s find it now! I don¡¯t want to stay in this ghost world for a minute longer!¡±


    At the same time, a woman said suspiciously, ¡°Isn¡¯t this a reality TV show?¡± She looked around, probably looking for hidden cameras. ¡°I warn you, I was brought here without my consent. This is kidnapping! It¡¯s illegal!¡±


    A man said, ¡°Are you serious? Didn¡¯t you see the elevator disappear before your eyes?¡±


    The woman snorted coldly, ¡°It may be an illusion trick or some type of mechanism. I just got kidnapped and I don¡¯t know the situation. It¡¯s easy to get tricked.¡±


    Lian Qiao also suspected this earlier. At this point, everyone¡¯s hearts began to waver. After all, it¡¯s much easier to accept being cheated and kidnapped than suddenly travelling to another world. Thinking about it this way was also an escape mentality.


    Yuan XueMing sighed helplessly.


    As a person who has died tragically twice, Xu RenDong has no doubt about the horror of this world so he understands Yuan XueMing¡¯s feelings at this time very well. So he said: ¡°This is really not the real world.¡±


    Everyone looked at him in unison.


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°Because I have already¡­¡±


    The word ¡°died¡± had not yet been spoken when he suddenly felt a pain in his mouth. His tongue was pinned and he couldn¡¯t move it. His expression changed drastically but he found that not only could he not make a sound, he couldn¡¯t even open his mouth.


    However, in the eyes of others, it was as if he had suddenly remembered something and suddenly choked back his words.


    The woman sneered and said: ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Cat got your tongue? Keep talking.¡±


    Xu RenDong tried a few more times but his mouth became immobile like it was filled with paste. But apart from being unable to speak, there is nothing unusual about his body. Could it be that some mysterious force was stopping him?


    What does this mean?


    Seeing Xu RenDong wanted to say something but hesitated, everyone believed the woman¡¯s words even more. The irritable man from before was even more upset and said violently: ¡°Fuck your mother! Can¡¯t continue acting is it! I think you¡¯re a spy on the inside!¡±


    Xu RenDong frowned. He could not defend himself but fortunately, the impatient man did not keep staring at him. Instead, he looked around and shouted angrily: ¡°What about the other staff! Get out and show yourselves! What kind of dog show is this! I¡¯m going to take you all to court!¡±


    Suddenly Lian Qiao, who had been silent, laughed out loud. Xu RenDong glanced at him and Lian Qiao leaned into his ear. He suppressed a smile and whispered: ¡°If the staff really come out, I¡¯m afraid they will smash this dog¡¯s head with a sledgehammer.¡±


    This image immediately appeared in Xu RenDong¡¯s mind. After seeing the huge figure of the butcher, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a headache.


    ¡°What are you two whispering about!¡± The impatient man jumped up. His face was black and he looked really angry.


    Xu RenDong frowned but just as he was about to explain, someone suddenly knocked loudly on the wooden door.


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao were shocked and looked at each other at the same time.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Lian Qiao cursed in a low voice, ¡°He couldn¡¯t really have chased us here, right?!¡±


    Xu RenDong shook his head. At the same time Yuan XueMing had already reached the door. Xu RenDong had no time to stop him before he had already opened the door.


    As soon as the door opened, everyone was stunned. Because it was not a person standing outside the door but instead a rabbit.


    A gray rabbit with fluffy fur, about half the height of a person.


    The rabbit was standing on his hind legs in a human-like pose and he was also wearing a shiny, golden tuxedo. It looked like he was going to a party. He glanced at Yuan XueMing with sly eyes and then scanned the people in the house. Then, the pink three-petaled mouth suddenly moved.


    ¡°You must help me!¡±


    The rabbit could actually talk?


    Everyone in the house was shocked.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Fuck! Rabbits can actually speak human words!¡­Well, it must be common settings, common settings.¡± {Gamer term again.}


    The gray rabbit sucked in his little pink nose, seeming to have turbulent emotions. He cried, ¡°The holiday is coming but the gift I prepared for everyone is gone! You guys have to help me find it! Otherwise, I won¡¯t be able to celebrate the holiday festival!¡±


    Lian Qiao was a little excited, and whispered: ¡°Here it is, I knew who would get sent on a mission!¡±


    Yuan XueMing asked, ¡°When is the festival?¡±


    The rabbit replied: ¡°In seven days.¡±


    Yuan XueMing asked again: ¡°What is the gift? How many are there?¡±


    The rabbit stared at him with round eyes and confidently said: ¡°The gift is a surprise! So of course I can¡¯t tell you!¡±


    Yuan XueMing was helpless: ¡°If you don¡¯t tell us, how can we help you find it?¡±


    At this time, Lian Qiao suddenly took out the wooden doll with an eager smile and asked, ¡°Is this it?¡±


    When the rabbit saw the doll, his eyes brightened. His hairy lips suddenly grinned, revealing a weird smile that was similar to the wooden doll: ¡°So you already found a gift huh? Since you promised to help, you must work hard! You can¡¯t slack off! The holiday festival is almost here!¡±


    After saying this, the rabbit turned around and crouched down on the ground. He kicked his hind leg and jumped away.


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao complained in a low voice: ¡°Obviously he can speak human words and stand up like a person. So why in the end, does he still have to jump around on all fours? Yes, it truly is a rabbit.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help but look at Lian Qiao again. Lian Qiao¡¯s real-time commentary really gave the situation the atmosphere of a horror game. If he had not tragically died twice already, he would have been inclined to believe that this really was a crappy, large-scale, live-action, horror game.


    Yuan XueMing turned around and said to everyone: ¡°You should all understand what to do, right?¡±


    The previous doubtful woman was still unwilling to accept the facts in front of her and sneered: ¡°Do you want to trick me? This rabbit is either a kid in a suit or a robot! Let me tell you, I¡­¡±


    Yuan XueMing looked at her. The expression on his face was a bit complicated: ¡°If you still don¡¯t want to believe it, please feel free to think whatever on your own. You can do what you want or go where you want to go. I won¡¯t stop you.¡±


    Although his voice was gentle, there was something else in his eyes. A subtle look.


    Lian Qiao whispered: ¡°His eyes seem to be looking at a dead person¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong suddenly understood why Yuan XueMing¡¯s eyes looked so uncomfortable.


    The woman glared at him harshly, turned her head and went upstairs. The high-heeled shoes creaked on the old stairs, grating on everyone¡¯s nerves.


    Yuan XueMing said, ¡°It¡¯s too late today. Let¡¯s each pick a room and rest early.¡±


    The irritable man was so annoyed he was practically climbing the wall by this time: ¡°Didn¡¯t that rabbit want us to hurry up and find some gifts? It¡¯s just wooden dolls that look like that, right? Let¡¯s hurry to find them all so we can go back!¡±


    Yuan XueMing sighed: ¡°The time limit is seven days so don¡¯t rush right now. And it¡¯ s also dangerous at night. I don¡¯t recommend going out.¡± After a pause, he changed his tone and said in a deep voice, ¡°After all, this place is haunted.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s expressions changed as soon as these words came out. Everyone wanted to ask more questions but Yuan XueMing was reluctant to say any more. He just told everyone to rest earlier so they had no choice but to go upstairs.


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao came together and were naturally divided into the same room. The hunter¡¯s cabin looks dilapidated but it was fairly clean. As soon as Lian Qiao entered the room, he turned the cabinets inside out and found winter clothes and thick quilts inside.


    Xu RenDong wanted to remind Lian Qiao not to touch things randomly but he was only wearing a thin shirt and suit and by this time he was shivering. Reluctantly he took the clothes Lian Qiao handed over and then made the bed with him. Soon after, the two got into their bed.


    This bed was very spacious, more than large enough to sleep two adult men. Xu RenDong felt cold under the bed but his sleepiness still surged. He had worked overtime until midnight and had experienced so many things in a short period of time. At this time, it can be said that he was exhausted physically and mentally and nearly fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.


    Lian Qiao lay beside Xu RenDong and continued his self-commentary: ¡°This should be the smallest one of the matryoshka dolls, since there¡¯s no seam in the middle. But as for how many matryoshka dolls there are, it¡¯s still unknown.¡±


    Matryoshka? {Also known as Babushka dolls.}


    Xu RenDong looked around in a daze and found that Lian Xi was holding the wooden doll picked from the stone tablet in his hand. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder: ¡°This is a matryoshka?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it? Wasn¡¯t it written in the elevator?¡± Lian Qiao murmured and Xu RenDong was stunned.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Lian Qiao repeated: ¡°§Þ§Ñ§ä§â§×§ê§Ü§Ñ, it means matryoshka doll.¡±


    Xu RenDong asked: ¡°You speak Russian?¡±


    ¡°No but I know this word.¡± Lian Qiao seemed to want to take the wooden doll apart but couldn¡¯t. After playing with it for a while, he finally gave up.


    Xu RenDong watched him study the matryoshka and his sleepiness came again. Just when he was about to fall asleep, Lian Qiao suddenly said pitifully, ¡°Brother, I can¡¯t sleep¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong felt very tired but he still patiently suggested, ¡°Count sheep.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Sheep are useless. Do you know why there is a saying that if one cannot sleep, one should count sheep? Because sheep and sleep are pronounced similarly in English, so foreigners count sheep if they can¡¯t sleep¡­ That means Chinese people should count ¡®dumplings¡¯.¡± {Shui jiao which sounds like the Chinese word for sleep.}


    Xu RenDong easily agreed: ¡°Then count dumplings.¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°It¡¯s useless¡­ I haven¡¯t reached the right point on my body clock. I should still be running at this point.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Running in the middle of the night?¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°Yes. I do my live broadcast at 11 o¡¯clock every day, then I go for a run. Then I come back to take a shower¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Broadcast?¡± Excessive fatigue made him lose his thinking ability. He only felt that he had become a parrot, repeating the key words in Lian Qiao¡¯s sentences foolishly.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Ah, I forgot to say, I am a live streaming game host and my daily job is to play games online. By the way, I think this world is also like a game. You see, the rabbit is an NPC and it released a gift collection main line mission for us. That Brother Sledgehammer is the first miniboss¡­¡±


    Brother Sledgehammer¡­ refers to the butcher who killed him with a hammer, right?


    Xu RenDong felt that the name was quite vivid and also a bit comical. The shadow of his face being hit by a sledgehammer was alleviated a little.


    At this point, Xu RenDong remembered another important thing. His person was immediately energetic.


    ¡°Lian Qiao.¡± He interrupted, ¡°Actually I have already¡­¡±


    This time, before the word ¡°died¡± reached his lips, his tongue had frozen.


    Sure enough, it¡¯s still the case.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lian Qiao turned his head, only to see his hesitant expression.


    Xu RenDong only felt numb in his mouth and it took a while to regain the ability to speak. Lian Qiao misunderstood and even apologized: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, you¡¯re sleepy, right? I¡¯m too noisy¡­ I¡¯m sorry, don¡¯t mind me. Actually, I¡¯m still a little scared but I feel better when I talk to you. Oh. Hey, you have a bit of an ¡°imprinting¡± effect on me. After all, you are the first person I met in this world¡­


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Imprinting effect? ¡°He suddenly realized that in front of Lian Qiao, he could not get rid of the fate of being a parrot.


    On the contrary, Lian Qiao was a little embarrassed: ¡°Uh, it¡¯s the nestling complex, do you know it? After a bird is born, he will take the first thing he sees as his parent and become very dependent on it and want to keep following behind it.¡±


    Xu RenDong immediately understood and calmly interrupted him: ¡°Isn¡¯t the first person you met Brother Sledgehammer? ¡°


    Lian Qiao was silent for a moment: ¡°¡­You¡¯re right. But Brother Sledgehammer is so ugly, I don¡¯t want to recognize him as my father. ¡°


    Xu RenDong also fell into a confused silence. Based on the context, he judged that Lian Qiao was praising him for being better-looking than Brother Sledgehammer and that he was more suitable to be his father¡­ but he couldn¡¯t feel happy because of this.


    ¡°How old are you?¡± Xu RenDong finally thought of a question to ask.


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°25. How about you?¡±


    ¡°28.¡± Xu RenDong said seriously, ¡°I¡¯m only 3 years older than you. I¡¯m not appropriate to be your father.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± After a while, he added, ¡°You make a lot of sense.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Xu RenDong said, ¡°So go to sleep.¡±


    Lian Qiao turned his head and saw Xu RenDong close his eyes, his thick eyelashes black as crow feathers. He fell asleep soon and the distant expression that always seemed to keep others thousands of miles away finally relaxed and his thin lips also softened.


    This unguarded handsome sleeping face struck Lian Qiao like a bolt of lightning, leaving only a word in his head.


    Ahhhhhhhhhh so beautiful!


    ***


    T/N: If you would like to support me or read advanced chapters of my translations (including the entire first arc of Death Spiral which has been fully translated), please consider buying me a Ko-Fi.

 CH 4

    Chapter 4 ¨C §Þ§Ñ§ä§â§×§ê§Ü§Ñ 4


    In the early morning of the next day, Xu RenDong woke up feeling very cold. Beside him, Lian Qiao was sleeping soundly. Xu RenDong turned his head, glanced at him and suddenly his heart moved.


    There was a strangely familiar feeling, as though he¡¯d seen him before somewhere.


    Xu RenDong thought about it for a while but couldn¡¯t think of any time when the two of them might have met. But since Lian Qiao is a live streamer, maybe he may have come across his photos online accidentally.


    In his sleep, Lian Qiao seemed to perceive he was being watched. He suddenly opened his eyes. His black and white eyes appeared stark. Xu RenDong was taken aback and subconsciously turned away, pretending to look at the snow scene outside the window.


    ¡°Um¡­¡± Lian Qiao rubbed his eyes and sat up. He looked around, saw Xu RenDong and said in confusion, ¡°Brother RenDong, I felt like something was staring at me¡­¡± He even shivered. Rubbing his arms, he mumbled, ¡°It felt horrible, my hair is standing up.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Xu RenDong refused to admit that he was the ¡°thing¡± that Lian Qiao was referring to and said very calmly, ¡°It¡¯s so cold in the room, it¡¯s practically freezing.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. ¡°Lian Qiao nodded. He suddenly sneezed, then sniffed, ¡°It¡¯s quite cold.¡±


    Xu RenDong still felt very embarrassed so he quickly sat up and put on his clothes: ¡°It¡¯s only half past six so I don¡¯t know if other people are awake. I¡¯m going to find out if there¡¯s anything to eat.¡±


    Lian Qiao jumped up and shivered; ¡°Wait, wait, I¡¯ll come with you! Don¡¯t leave me alone, I¡¯m scared!¡±


    The two did a lap around the house but even after they finished, the other people hadn¡¯t woken up yet. There was bread and milk in the kitchen. The bread was hard and the milk cold. Xu RenDong found a small pot to heat the milk up slightly, when Lian Qiao suddenly said, ¡°This is Leba.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Xu RenDong looked back and saw Lian Qiao break the round loaf into two pieces, revealing the extra fine texture inside the bread. Lian Qiao weighed the weight of the bread and said with certainty: ¡°This is Leba, a traditional Russian food. Leba is much heavier than ordinary bread so it¡¯s easy to distinguish.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Are you saying that we¡¯re in Russia?¡± As soon as he said this, he realized that this conclusion was unreasonable. Yesterday, everything had fully proved that this is not the real world but he still wants a logical explanation in his subconscious mind.


    This was just his consciousness playing tricks on him.


    Sure enough, Lian Qiao shook his head and refuted it: ¡°I don¡¯t think it is. But this may be a hint. After all, there was Russian written in the elevator and the key prop is a Russian doll. But what is this trying to tell us?¡±


    Xu RenDong certainly didn¡¯t know.


    Xu RenDong poured warm milk into the cup and the two of them had a warm breakfast. Gradually, their bodies warmed up. He was about to go upstairs to wake up others when a woman¡¯s scream suddenly came from upstairs.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhh-¡°


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao looked at each other and ran upstairs quickly.


    The source of the sound was from the second floor. There was a pale woman standing in front of the door to a room, shaking all over. Xu RenDong recognized this woman as the one who had questioned Yuan XueMing last night. Her name was Xu Hong. Lian Qiao asked: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Something¡­ something happened¡­¡± Xu Hong tremblingly pointed to the ground. The two followed her fingers and found a large patch of dark red blood seeping through the crack underneath in the door. The blood stain had dried up and even turned into ice. Judging from the amount of bleeding, the person in the door was probably already dead.


    Xu RenDong turned the door handle but found it was locked. He looked back at Lian Qiao and said, ¡°Let¡¯s break the door down.¡±


    Lian Qiao nodded. With a loud bang, the wooden door burst open. Xu RenDong stepped into a pool of blood and almost slipped. Fortunately, Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes and hands were quick and grabbed him. Xu RenDong subconsciously wanted to thank him but the words died when he saw the scene in front of him.


    The amount of bleeding in the room was much more spectacular than the bloodstain beneath the door. The floor, the bed, the windows¡­ even the ceiling was splattered with blood. A large number of bright red meat was scattered on the floor, and the bones and blood vessels at the fracture sites were clearly visible. In fact, if it was just meat then it¡¯s  okay, after all everyone has seen a butcher¡¯s shop at the market. But the thing was, this meat is also mixed with fingers, eyeballs, hair and other things with human characteristics. It let people know straight away that they were looking at the corpse of a human. That¡¯s what made it terrifying.


    Fortunately, Xu RenDong¡¯s psychological quality is not bad. After all, he personally died twice tragically, so seeing a broken corpse is still within his tolerance level.


    Probably because the room had been sealed shut all night, now the escaped smell of blood was so strong that it made the eyes water. Xu RenDong coughed twice while covering his nose and mouth. He turned his head and was about to say something when he saw that Lian Qiao¡¯s face was pale and his eyes were about to pop out.


    Then¡­


    ¡°Hic.¡±


    He. Was. So. Scared. He. Hiccuped.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    The others heard the sound of the screams and arrived one after another. Seeing the horror in the room, they were shocked at first and then each of them looked at Xu Hong, who was shivering outside the room and showed a surprised expression as if trying to say; ¡°Oh so, you¡¯re not the one who died.¡±


    This made Xu Hong angry: ¡°What are you looking at!¡±


    The crowd turned their eyes away in silence, pretending to be contemplating the murder scene.


    Xu RenDong walked out with Lian Qiao who was still hiccuping and met Yuan XueMing.


    ¡°Someone died?¡± Yuan XueMing was also very calm. He seemed to be used to something like this. ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡±


    Xu RenDong glanced at Xu Hong. Xu Hong hadn¡¯t recovered from her anger yet and said in a testy manner: ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Did you hear anything at night?¡± Yuan XueMing asked her, ¡°You live in the next room, right?¡±


    Xu Hong said that last night she fell asleep very early and heard nothing. Yuan XueMing entered the room to inspect the corpse but soon he was choked by the smell of blood, and walked out frowning.


    ¡°Both people are dead.¡± He said, ¡°Let¡¯s go downstairs first to eat.¡±


    Everyone was shocked that he was still thinking about eating at this time. A girl asked: ¡°Don¡¯t we need to do¡­ an autopsy?¡±


    Yuan XueMing said helplessly: ¡°Ghosts kill people, what¡¯s the point of an autopsy? Is it that you want to know if the ghost tore them apart with their bare hands or chewed them to bits with their teeth?¡±


    His words made good sense. Xu RenDong nodded in agreement.


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡±


    Yuan XueMing calmed down and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go hunt for the ¡®gifts¡¯ after eating. The most important thing is to finish the task so we can leave as early as possible.¡±


    Everyone no longer had any objections and so went downstairs.


    Lian Qiao suddenly said: ¡°I, I¡¯ve already eaten¡­ hic.¡±


    Yuan XueMing subconsciously looked at the corpse in the room, the expression on his face instantly suspicious. Knowing that he was misunderstood, Xu RenDong quickly explained: ¡°We ate downstairs. There is bread and milk in the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Oh.¡± Yuan XueMing gave Lian Qiao a deep look and then left.


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°I want to check the corpse again.¡±


    Xu RenDong was a little surprised. But Lian Qiao hiccuped again and then walked, trembling, into the room. He bent down and carefully observed the corpse on the ground. He was uncomfortable with the smell of blood and his brows were slightly furrowed but his eyes were still eager to try.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to get something from downstairs.¡± He ran down the stairs and soon came back holding a knife and fork in his hand.


    Xu RenDong felt flabbergasted: ¡°What are you doing with a knife and fork?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Because I couldn¡¯t find any chopsticks.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°???¡±


    What¡¯s wrong, haven¡¯t you eaten enough for breakfast?


    Lian Qiao had a kind of fascinated excitement. He didn¡¯t notice Xu RenDong¡¯s frozen face and carried his knife and fork into the room full of broken corpses. He walked carefully to the middle of a corpse, squatted on the ground and began looking through the corpse, turning things around and studying it. Xu RenDong realized that he was doing an autopsy.


    But an autopsy with a knife and fork¡­ is really abnormal.


    After a while, Lian Qiao announced his conclusion: ¡°This corpse was gnawed to pieces by teeth and the tooth prints are still there.¡±


    ¡°Gnawed?¡± Xu RenDong was surprised, ¡°Wasn¡¯t he killed by a ghost? Could it have been a bear?¡±


    ¡°No. Look at the scene of the crime. The doors and windows were locked so it was a sealed room.¡± He pointed to the door of the room that was knocked open by them, ¡°It¡¯s  impossible for ordinary beasts to come in. And the tooth marks on the corpse are very small¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong was very surprised: ¡°The tooth marks are small?¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s face was not very pretty: ¡°Yes. Compared to large beasts, I think it¡¯s more like¡­ a rabbit. A big rabbit.¡±


    Xu RenDong suddenly envisioned a gray rabbit with a human arm in between his teeth and chewing down like he was eating a carrot. The image made his back feel cold.


    Lian Qiao threw the knife and fork aside, walked out of the room and closed the door. He wiped the sweat from his face, showing a thoughtful expression.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°What are you thinking?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°When I did the autopsy just now, there was a familiar melody stuck in my mind, but I can¡¯t remember what it was exactly¡­ it looks like this¡­. Hmm~mmmmmm¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong was silent for a moment: ¡°¡­ A Bite of China.¡± {Name of a popular TV show which introduced different types of Chinese cuisine.}


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­oh.¡±


    Two seconds later, Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t control himself anymore and burst out laughing.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Xu RenDong laughed, ¡°You¡¯re so scared that you started to hiccup when you saw the dead, and you can still think of food shows during an autopsy. Are you courageous or cowardly?¡±


    Lian Qiao made a face ¡°Actually, I¡¯m a coward but my audience loves to watch me play horror games so I have no choice¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded, ¡°It¡¯s not easy for you.¡±


    Lian Qiao asked, ¡°That¡¯s right, Brother RenDong, what do you do?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°I¡¯m an ordinary¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao suddenly said: ¡°Male high school student?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Financial analyst.¡±


    Lian Qiao said, disappointed, ¡°Oh. Brother RenDong you¡¯re so good-looking and you have such a good body. I thought you were a star or a model.¡±


    Xu RenDong ignored the compliment but the previous sentence still preyed on his mind. He frowned and asked, ¡°I¡¯m already 28, how can I still be a high school student? Do I look like someone who repeats grades a lot?¡±


    Lian Qiao hurriedly said, ¡°No, no, um, actually this is a pit. Because in Japanese anime, the hero who saves the world is always an ordinary male high school student so¡­¡±


    He surreptitiously glanced at Xu RenDong. When he found that he was not angry, he smiled and his eyes curved, ¡°But Brother RenDong has good skin and looks really tender. If you said you¡¯re a college student, I¡¯d believe you.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Yesterday you wanted to call me dad.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°I did not! I deny it!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go down and discuss with the others.¡±


    After going to the first floor, Xu RenDong told everyone about Lian Qiao¡¯s discovery. Yuan XueMing said: ¡°It¡¯s possible for rabbits to kill. But don¡¯t worry too much. Although there are ghosts in the world here, they have conditions for killing.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes lit up: ¡°Just like the rules of a game?¡±


    Yuan XueMing: ¡°Yes, it¡¯s like the rules of a game. But they don¡¯t tell us the rules so we have to find out on our own. The rules of each world are also different, and there¡¯s no pattern that can be found. We have to wait until people die to figure out what the death conditions are. So it¡¯s useless to worry.¡±


    Someone nervously said, ¡°Then perhaps eating the bread can also¡­..¡±


    After hearing this, everyone threw down the bread in their hands. Yuan XueMing said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if I will die if I eat it. I only know that I will be hungry if I don¡¯t eat it.¡±


    Everyone looked at the bread with complicated expressions on their faces, it was unknown what they were thinking.


    After dinner, Yuan XueMing suggested that everyone explore the house separately to see if they can find any more matryoshka. Since Yuan XueMing was a veteran, everyone has regarded him as the leader of the team and obeyed his instructions. Even Xu Hong, who had a temper, followed everyone obediently.


    It didn¡¯t take long for them to make some new discoveries.


    ¡°There is a doll in the kitchen!¡±


    ¡°There is a basement here! But it¡¯s locked and can¡¯t be opened!¡±


    Everyone explored the whole house, even the room belonging to the dead men, but couldn¡¯t find the key to the basement or more information. So they gathered in the kitchen to study the new wooden doll together.


    This doll was a bit bigger than the one in Lian Qiao¡¯s hand. It also had the same weird smile. However this one looked more like a matryoshka than Lian Qiao¡¯s one because it had a seam in the middle which looked like it could be unscrewed.


    Lian Qiao shook the matryoshka and there was a gurgling noise inside. He said: ¡°There seems to be something in it.¡±


    ¡°Is it the key to the basement?¡± Everyone was curious about it, but no one made any move to open it. After all, they don¡¯t know if ¡°opening the matryoshka¡± was a death condition. Who wanted to be the one to take the risk?


    Lian Qiao stretched out his hand to take the doll and was about to unscrew it when Xu RenDong pressed his hand. He said, ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Lian Qiao was taken aback but by then Xu RenDong had already unscrewed the doll. Inside was a small compass.


    It wasn¡¯t the key so everyone was a little disappointed. Yuan XueMing also frowned.


    But¡­ a compass?


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao looked at each other. For some reason they both had the strong impression that they were thinking the same thing as the other person.


    ***


    T/N: If you would like to support me or read advanced chapters of my translations (including the entire first arc of Death Spiral which has been fully translated), please consider buying me a Ko-Fi.

 CH 5

    Xu RenDong said, ¡°Now that we have a compass, it means¡­¡± ¡®


    Lian Qiao: ¡°The main mission is encouraging us to explore new areas on the map.¡±


    When people heard what they were saying, they looked surprised and probably thought that the way they expressed things was strange. But Yuan XueMing nodded: ¡°I know what you mean. I was going to go outside and see what was out there anyway but now it¡¯s better to have a compass.¡±


    In the real world, how many dolls are in a set of matryoshka was not set. Usually it would be not less than five and no more than a dozen. At present, they only had two and it was clear the task was still far from being completed. They all agreed with Yuan XueMing¡¯s decision. Not wanting to waste anymore time, they wrapped themselves up in thick winter clothes and followed Yuan XueMing out to explore.


    Xu RenDong handed a thick coat to Lian Qiao however Lian Qiao waved his hand, saying he wanted to search the house again. Xu RenDong asked: ¡°Haven¡¯t we already done that?¡±


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°They¡¯re not experienced so I¡¯m scared they might have missed something. So I want to search again just in case.¡±


    After saying that, he began to rummage through the house again. Xu RenDong noticed that he paid a lot of attention even to obscure places such as the back of the refrigerator, under the cabinet and even examined the bottom of the table to see if there was anything hidden under the table board. Anyway, he moved any furniture that could be moved and didn¡¯t let go of any hole or crevice.


    As Lian Qiao searched, he also talked about what he was doing. He said things like; ¡°Why is this table so light, it must not be solid wood¡±, or ¡°This cabinet is so dirty, there might be cockroaches inside¡±. His mouth talked non-stop. Xu RenDong answered a few times at first but then discovered that Lian Qiao was talking to himself and not to him at all.


    Probably this is an occupational disease, as a game anchor he can not let the live broadcast room go silent. However it was also good under the current circumstances. Right now in this big hunter¡¯s cabin, there were only the two of them. Outside the snow fell and the wind howled. Even though all the doors and windows were closed, the atmosphere was still quite depressing. However Lian Qiao¡¯s running commentary helped Xu RenDong¡¯s mood relax quite a lot.


    In his careful search, Lian Qiao really found a third doll. It was hidden behind a curtain in a corner so hadn¡¯t been discovered previously.


    ¡°We really missed one.¡± Xu RenDong was very surprised. But thinking about it, this position was very hidden. No matter if the curtains were open or closed, it would still block the view of it, so not finding it was also normal.


    Lian Qiao gave a happy smile. ¡°Usually props are hidden in these kinds of hard-to-see places. Once you¡¯re familiar with how it works, you can almost predict where they¡¯ll be.¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded. He picked up the new doll. Lian Qiao said, ¡°Brother RenDong, I¡¯ll open this one.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°You are not afraid to trigger a death condition?¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°It¡¯s not fair for you to do it all on your own.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s three views were very positive, which was very pleasing. Xu RenDong felt he was right to save him.


    Lian Qiao unscrewed the doll and found it contained a key.


    The only locked room in the house is the basement. Lian Qiao and Xu RenDong looked at each other, and both laughed.


    The two men successfully opened the basement and found it was a dark storage


    room. The dust flew and the two people coughed madly. The debris on the ground was in a mess; there were light bulbs, a crowbar, beer bottles¡­ There was a bit of everything, but nothing that seemed useful for the time being. Lian Qiao was ecstatic. He wanted to pick up and examine everything. He also kept commenting, muttering, ¡°Aiya, if I¡¯d known this was going to happen, I would have brought a backpack. I really made a loss¡­.¡±


    Xu RenDong helpless: ¡°Are you broken?¡±


    What¡¯s the use of these things?


    Lian Qiao picked up the crowbar and showed his faith in it: ¡°How can you say it¡¯s useless! This is the Holy Sword of Physics!


    Xu RenDong: ¡°The what of physics?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s half¡­¡± Lian Qiao didn¡¯t know how to explain it and changed his words. {Author¡¯s note says this is a reference to the game Half-Life, where a scientist character wielded a crowbar as his weapon.}


    ¡°For example, if you encounter a box that can¡¯t be opened, you can use the crowbar to pry it open. You can even use it to attack people, the attack power is not light but high! It¡¯s really a godly weapon!¡±


    Xu RenDong really hadn¡¯t considered these features. As a white-collar office worker, he¡¯d never really even seen a crowbar, much less considered it¡¯s 100 uses. However Lian Qiao¡¯s fine skin also didn¡¯t make him look like someone who often does rough work with crowbars.


    Xu RenDong thought for a moment then asked: ¡°You got this knowledge also from playing games?¡±


    ¡°En!¡±


    Lian Qiao smiled and curved his eyebrows, looking rather proud. He fell into a state of fan excitement, wanting to touch everything. He looked like a child who had run into a supermarket, looking at the shelves full of goods, wanting to stuff everything into his shopping cart.


    Xu RenDong thought these odds and ends might be really useful and so did not question him anymore, and even used his mobile phone as a flashlight to help Lian Qiao see better.


    Soon, Lian Qiao made another major discovery.


    ¡°Here¡¯s a ladder!¡± He bent over to pick up a ladder from the ground but his fingers were still hooked around the crowbar and he looked a bit off balance.


    Xu RenDong can¡¯t watch anymore. He reached out and said, ¡°Let me take the crowbar.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Lian Qiao smiled and happily carried the ladder upstairs. Xu RenDong looked at his eagerness to try and felt puzzled: ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°Last night I saw a bird¡¯s nest outside the house, there may be hidden dolls in there. I¡¯ll climb up and have a look.¡±


    Xu RenDong followed Lian Qiao outside and, sure enough, there was a bird¡¯s nest in a big tree outside in the yard.


    Last night they were chased by Brother Sledgehammer for such a long time, they ran so much he felt like his lungs were about to seize up but Lian Qiao still paid enough attention to notice the bird¡¯s nest? That meant his observation skills must have been really detailed and powerful.


    It was like he¡¯d read the script before¡­.


    Also this morning, when he peeked at him, Lian Qiao woke up straight away. Was he  simply sensitive or could he have been pretending to sleep?


    A feeling of discomfort gushed inside Xu RenDong¡¯s heart. He couldn¡¯t help looking around, wanting to find some evidence to deny his guess. He was relieved when he found that the room where they¡¯d stayed last night was facing this tree. Anyone looking out of the window could see the bird¡¯s nest at a glance.


    Discovering this, Xu RenDong inexplicably felt more at ease. By this time Lian Qiao had set up a ladder and climbed up the tree. As soon as he got to the top of the tree, he shouted excitedly, ¡°Brother RenDong, Brother RenDong there¡¯s really one here! A fourth doll!¡± He removed the doll from the bird¡¯s nest and shook it happily.


    He shook it so hard the entire ladder shook. Xu RenDong hastened to hold the ladder, helpless: ¡°You come down first, be careful.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Lian Qiao laughed and carefully returned to the ground step by step.


    This time there are two wrapped candies inside the doll.


    It looked just like regular candy and the sugar paper reflected a dreamy glow. It was difficult to see if it was edible.


    ¡°The first two dolls of things have pointed us in the direction of the next doll, ¡± Lian Qiao fell into contemplation, ¡°I wonder what this candy is suggesting?¡±


    Xu RenDong thought about it and asked, ¡°In your game, what is this kind of thing generally used for?¡±


    Lian Qiao looked at him. He didn¡¯t reveal his thoughts but his clear eyes curved into crescents.


    ¡°It¡¯s usually HP, ¡± he said. ¡°Or it could be a gift used to give to others to increase relationship points.¡±


    Xu RenDong thought for a moment but couldn¡¯t draw any conclusions from it. Lian Qiao said: ¡°It¡¯s just two candies, let¡¯s keep one each on us and maybe it will be useful down the track.¡±


    Xu RenDong agreed.


    The interior of the house has been pretty much all explored. There was still time and the snow had stopped so the two decided to follow the footprints to find their  other companions.


    They walked in the snow for god knows how long and just as Xu RenDong was getting tired of the unchanging snowy white scenery, a rundown church finally appeared before his eyes. The church¡¯s architectural style was unique. It was not a Gothic spire, not a Byzantine dome, but had a round bottom, a sharp upper body and threaded roofs.


    It looked like a chocolate from the ¡°Kisses¡± brand.


    Lian Qiao recalled reading ¡°The History of Western Architecture¡± in college: ¡°This should be a Russian church, I remember it was called an ¡®onion dome¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Russia again?¡±


    Lian Qiao touched his chin and said thoughtfully, ¡°What do you think it means? All the details that suggest Russia?¡±


    Xu RenDong shook his head: ¡°I can¡¯t guess. Let¡¯s just wait and see.¡±


    The two men walked into the church and immediately discovered a huge cross of Jesus. Jesus on the cross hung above their heads, his hands and feet nailed. On closer inspection there seemed to be dried blood around the nails. The church was very big and there seemed to be another room at the back. Yuan XueMing, along with a few other people, came out and saw them. They looked a bit surprised.


    Xu RenDong told them what they¡¯d found at the house. Yuan XueMing was even more surprised and complimented Lian Qiao profusely. The group that broke off to explore the surrounding area had also come back. Yue XueMing said, ¡°We¡¯ve also found another doll here, so that¡¯s five right?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s in it?¡±


    ¡°Open it up and see?¡± The man with the impatient nature began to rush them again. Xu RenDong remembers this man¡¯s name was Zhao Lin. Zhao Lin¡¯s face was anxious but neither he, nor anyone else, made a move. They all just looked at Xu RenDong.


    It seems that even if someone has already set an example, people are still not willing to do anything to risk themselves.


    This is also human nature. Xu RenDong didn¡¯t think much about it. He took the set and unscrewed it. There were two more wrapped candies inside. .


    The crowd was surprised: ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Candy again? ¡°


    ¡°How come it¡¯s the same as the fourth one?¡±


    Xu RenDong noticed that Lian Qiao¡¯s face slightly changed. So he pressed close to him and whispered: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Lian Qiao sighed: ¡°Now we¡¯re going to get it. Before a big battle, the game will always load you up with supplies¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°?¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°I feel like something¡¯s going to happen soon¡­¡± He sighed again, ¡°Hopefully I¡¯m thinking too much. Anyway, be careful.¡±


    People were still studying the candy. Lian Qiao walked to Yuan XueMing¡¯s side and said he wanted to go back. Yuan XueMing looked at the sky which was gradually darkening and nodded in agreement. He turned to announce the return trip to everyone. At this point he was already the leader of the team so there was no objection to his decision.


    But everyone¡¯s expressions sank as soon as they opened the door. It was snowing heavily outside. It was still sunny when they came in but now the wind was whistling and the snow was blowing.


    The large snow particles caused pain when they hit the face and it seemed unsuitable for travelling in.


    Lian Qiao looked at the heavy snow and was depressed.


    Xu RenDong whispered, ¡°Is that what you¡¯re worried about?¡±


    Lian Qiao nodded.


    Xu RenDong asked again: ¡°What will happen if there¡¯s a snowstorm?¡±


    Lian Qiao whispered, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± But there¡¯s certainly nothing good waiting for them in the snow.


    Xu Hong wrapped her arms around herself, her voice slightly trembling: ¡°Why don¡¯t we wait for the snow to die down, then go¡­¡± She was a woman and wasn¡¯t wearing as much, she naturally did not want to brave such a big snowstorm.


    Yuan XueMing mused: ¡°If we don¡¯t go now, it¡¯s going to get dark. We won¡¯t be able to get back tonight.¡±


    Someone suggested: ¡°Let¡¯s just stay here for the night then. It¡¯s a church, maybe it¡¯s safer than our Hunter Lodge¡­¡± But he hadn¡¯t even finished his sentence before a girl screamed, ¡°Look! Jesus is bleeding a lot, it¡¯s a bloodbath!¡±


    The crowd turned back in unison, only to see that the nails on Jesus¡¯ limbs began to bleed. Blood flowed down the cross and it was very disturbing to see a dark red pool of blood converging underneath the statue.


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°It¡¯s over. Even Jesus can¡¯t hold it down. It seems that the ghost here is more powerful than a god.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s faces were very ugly. Yuan XueMing said firmly, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    This time everyone stopped arguing. They just wrapped up their coats and followed Yuan XueMing silently.


    Before leaving, Lian Qiao looked back and took a deep look at the church. Xu RenDong asked: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Lian Qiao: ¡°Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t bring the beer bottles from the basement to collect the blood. It might be useful. ¡®The Blood of Jesus¡¯ ¨C just the sound of it makes it seem like an important prop!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao added, ¡°But since even Jesus himself was angered enough to start bleeding, probably the blood won¡¯t be that useful. Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Outside the gray, snow particles flew inside a fog. Yuan XueMing held the compass in his hands and walked at the very front. The crowd was nervous in the bitter cold. No one spoke and all that was left to hear was the whistling of the wind and snow.


    The atmosphere became very grim. Lian Qiao came to Xu RenDong¡¯s side, rubbed his eyes and said: ¡°Brother RenDong, I can¡¯t see the way.¡±


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t speak. He also felt the fog in front of him, gray and white everywhere. Even the forms of his companions near him seemed vague. Thinking about it, he grabbed Lian Qiao¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Stay close to me.¡±


    Lian Qiao looked grateful. As if he were clutching a life-saving straw, he immediately hugged his hand. Xu RenDong only felt a warm hand ¨C he wasn¡¯t not wearing gloves so he really felt a lot warmer with Lian Qiao¡¯s hug.


    At the same time, he suddenly noticed that although Lian Qiao looked thin, he had strong muscles in his arms. He was not as skinny as Xu RenDong had imagined.


    He exuded a warm and strong feeling, like a big golden retriever.


    Perhaps because it was too cold, both of them felt very stiff and couldn¡¯t take large steps. Seeing their companions in front get farther and farther away, Lian Qiao shouted, ¡°Wait for us!¡± The other people ignored them and walked forward without saying a word.


    Lian Qiao panicked and tried his best to catch up with them. Clearly his speed has accelerated but the distance between them did not narrow. Xu RenDong immediately reacted: ¡°There is a problem with the snow, don¡¯t waste your efforts.¡±


    Lian Qiao panted and watched their companion disappear from view. Lian Qiao then hugged his arm and uneasily said: ¡°Brother RenDong, I am a little afraid.¡±


    Xu RenDong has been frozen to death once. So he knew very clearly what the end would be if you became lost in the snow. His own heart was feeling very heavy,but as the older person he felt like he needed to comfort Lian Qiao. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, you can hold onto me.¡±


    ¡°En.¡±


    Lian Qiao pressed closer to him. The corners of his mouth slightly up and couldn¡¯t hide the smile that went all the way up to his eyes.

 CH 6

    The two men held each other¡¯s backs and moved forward slowly in the snow. Xu RenDong has long since lost his sense of direction, only feeling snow covering him on all sides and having no idea where to walk.


    Lian Qiao suddenly looked around, hesitated, then said: ¡°Brother RenDong, can you hear something?¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart sank: ¡°No. What can you hear?¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s face was not very good: ¡°It sounds a bit like the grinding of teeth¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong listened and sure enough within the sound of the whistling wind, he vaguely heard an unpleasant sound. It sounded like the friction sound caused by forcing the molar teeth to grind together. Lian Qiao squinted his eyes and tried to find the source of the sound admist the wind and snow. Soon he widened his eyes and pointed: ¡°Over there!¡±


    Xu RenDong looked, only to see a dark shadow looming in the curtain of snow. It was dark colored and the whole thing looked like a mass of twisted black lines. It was rather like a child with brain problems had painted crazy graffiti using black crayons. What¡¯s even more frightening is that the mass of black lines was still twisting, approaching them at terrible speed!


    Xu RenDong immediately reacted: ¡°Run!¡±


    But before the word even finished coming out of his mouth, Lian Qiao had already snatched him around the arm and pulled him, running wildly.


    ¡°What is that, ahhhhh!¡± Lian Qiao was frightening. As he ran, he looked back, his voice pitch rising. ¡°Ahhhhh! Brother, run fast! It¡¯s a ghost!¡±


    Xu RenDong did not hold back and also ran as fast as he could. The mosaic-like shadow chased a dozen meters behind them. Then, as if grinning, the upper part of it cracked from the middle, revealing two rows of sharp and thin fangs!


    If you get bitten by such a big mouth, then you¡¯d definitely be chewed in half!


    The shadow kept making horrible grinding noises¡­. It really pushed the human ear beyond the limit of endurance. Xu RenDong¡¯s heart was bursting as he ran forward with all his might. However he¡¯d been trekking in the snow for too long and his strength was already depleted. Right now, his chest was rolling violently and the cold wind poured straight into his lungs, stabbing him in the airway like a knife.


    ¡°Run fast, run, run! Brother RenDong, I¡¯m so scared!¡± Lian Qiao was about to cry. He was in excellent physical condition, running like a cheetah, however he was slowed down because he was dragging Xu RenDong.


    Xu RenDong wanted to tell him to let him go and run away by himself. But suddenly he felt the cold hair behind his head stand to attention and his sense of crisis instantly increased. That mass of black mosaics has caught up!


    Lian Qiao probably felt it too and when he looked back, he was so scared he fell to the ground on his knees and closed his eyes with a ¡°Oh!¡±. His behaviour surprised XuRenDong. He thought, the monster is already right in front of you, what¡¯s the point of closing your eyes and pretending not to look? Isn¡¯t this behaviour tantamount to looking for death?


    However what he did not expect was that Lian Qiao¡¯s next action was actually to pull out the crowbar and suddenly strike out against the mosaic!


    Peng!


    The blakc mosaic¡¯s body shuddered and it was knocked out of balance and thrown into the snow!


    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± Lian Qiao, who was holding a crowbar, was still waving it around with his eyes closed. He was screaming, ¡°Don¡¯t kill me, don¡¯t kill me, don¡¯t kill me!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    Mosaic lying in the snow: ¡°¡­¡±


    One man and one ghost faced each other, it seemed both didn¡¯t expect what had happened. Unexpectedly, it was Lian Qiao who reacted first. He opened his eyes, took in the situation, grabbed Xu RenDong and turned to run again.


    Xu RenDong only felt that Lian Qiao¡¯s strength was so strong that he was completely being dragged forward by him. A normal person would slow down more and more when they kept running, however Lian Qiao was the opposite. His screams seemed to have the effect of giving himself constant injections of stimulants and he didn¡¯t slow down at all. Even though he was dragging an already strengthless Xu RenDong, Lian Qiao¡¯s two long legs flew over the snow like they were flying, so fast that if this was an animation of Ben and Jerry it would probably be represented by a 360 degree spinning wheel. Snowflakes splashed all around them, flinging onto the face of the black mosaic as it followed them.


    Mosaic:  ¡°!!!


    It¡¯s molars had been grinded so hard for it that all the grooves had been worn down. It was clearly in a rage of ¡°wanting to kill but cannot kill¡±, and the target was also right in front of his eyes!


    Right now, Xu RenDong was in no state to judge the direction they were travelling in. He could only keep his eyes on the road to prevent himself from suddenly tripping over stones and dragging Lian Qiao down with him.


    So all the way, for goodness knows how long, he had no idea where he was going until the familiar cottage suddenly appeared before his eyes. Xu RenDong automatically looked for the big tree in front of the door and found it. There was even the ladder under the tree, in the same position Lian Qiao had left it. The bird¡¯s nest was there too, where Lian Qiao had found the hidden doll.


    This is¡­ the hunters cabin?


    They actually made it back?!


    Not waiting for him to react from his shock, Lian Qiao dragged him to the door of the hut, opened it and entered. With his back hand he locked and bolted the door. The movement was very smooth as if he¡¯d practiced it a thousand times.


    But after accomplishing this, he fell paralysed to the ground and said with a crying voice: ¡°Are we safe? Did we get back to the safe house?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong could only feel a bloody taste in his mouth. His violent breathing could not immediately calm down so for a while he couldn¡¯t speak. He looked out of the window.  Outside the house it was still snowing and the world was white, but the dark shadow did not seem to be there any more and he could also not hear the grinding teeth.


    ¡°Should be safe¡­¡± Xu RenDong managed to choke the hoarse words out. He looked out of the window and suddenly felt something was wrong. He frowned, ¡°There¡¯s something in the yard.¡±


    He squinted his eyes and tried to discern what it was. It was a rolling, gray-white shadow, about a man¡¯s height and nearly indistinguishable from the gray snow. But because of its proximity to the cottage, one was barely able to recognize the outline.


    Lian Qiao was still rolling around the ground crying, his four limbs in the air. ¡°My crowbar¡­ I need my crowbar¡­¡±


    ¡­¡­


    You were scared this much but you still want to go head to head with the monster outside¡­ Are all game hosts crazy like this?


    Xu RenDong stared outside for a moment and said, ¡°I think¡­ it¡¯s a snowman.¡±


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°Ah?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°There¡¯s a snowman outside.¡±


    Lian Qiao calmed down a little, stood up against the wall and looked out of the window. He muttered, ¡°There wasn¡¯t any snowman when we left, was there?¡±


    Xu RenDong also felt something was wrong but still nodded: ¡°Yes, there was no snowman before.¡±


    The two men fell into a strange silence. All of them had gone out to explore, so who made this snowman? Why make it? He doesn¡¯t believe there were people in the team who still had the time or mentality to make a snowman to play at this time.


    After a moment, Xu RenDong said, ¡°Just forget it for now. Let¡¯s just take it one step at a time. I¡¯ll build up the fireplace and you keep a lookout to see if anyone else comes back.¡±


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t move, looking at him with plaintive eyes. Xu RenDong felt inexplicable: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Lian Qiao whispered: ¡°Brother RenDong, I¡¯m scared¡­.¡±


    Xu RenDong was about to say, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just wait for me to light a fire¡±, when Lian Qiao unexpectedly continued, ¡°Where did you put my crowbar? I¡¯m not afraid if I have my holy sword!¡±


    Xu RenDong suddenly felt Lian Qiao was really interesting. He was a collection of contradictions. If you said he was bold¡­ then again he could also cry from being scared of ghosts. But then if you said he was cowardly¡­ he also said that as long as he had his weapon on hand, he was scared of nothing. He even dared to fight the ghost. This person was really interesting. Xu RenDong, ¡°The crowbar is beside the door, over there.¡±


    Lian Qiao took the crowbar and went upstairs without saying a word. Xu RenDong crouched in front of the fireplace to make a fire. Soon the crackling wood sound helped ease his mind.


    It wasn¡¯t long before Lian Qiao came downstairs again: ¡°No one else has come back?¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°Let¡¯s keep waiting.¡±


    The two sat in the living room and waited. About an hour later, there was a bang on the door. Someone shouted: ¡°Open the door! Open the door! ¡°


    The voice was familiar and belonged to someone in the team. Lian Qiao immediately opened the door and several people stumbled in. Lian Qiao quickly locked the door behind them again.


    These people looked to be in a state of shock, clearly they had encountered something bad in the snow. Xu RenDong poured them some hot milk and asked, ¡°Where are the others?¡±


    A young man named Wang Yuan panicked and said: ¡°I don¡¯t know, we got separated from Brother Yuan¡­ something was chasing us from behind!¡±


    Brother Yuan naturally refers to Yuan XueMing.


    Although Yuan XueMing had the compass with him, he was being chased by a ghost so he probably didn¡¯t have any time to check his direction. He could only get rid of the ghost, then look for a way back to the house.


    By contrast, Lian Qiao was running blind covered with tears and snot and actually made it all the way back. They were even the first to arrive, as if Lian Qiao had the map in his heart. He must be really lucky or else¡­.


    That very uncomfortable feeling rose in Xu RenDong¡¯s heart again. He couldn¡¯t help but glance at Lian Qiao and found him standing at the window, still looking out at the snowman. His expression was a little heavy.


    As if he perceived something, Lian Qiao suddenly looked back, looking at Xu RenDong. The look seemed to say; hey, what are you looking at me for?


    Xu RenDong felt uncomfortable and retracted his gaze. Lian Qiao smiled at him after he turned his head.


    ¡°What the hell did we do wrong?¡± A woman¡¯s weak cry suddenly sounded, breaking the silence in the hut. Her name was Jiang Li. She was Wang Yuan¡¯s girlfriend. At this point she was in tears, trembling and looking out of control: ¡°What step did we do wrong?¡± Why is that thing chasing us?


    ¡°Who knows.¡± Xu RenDong said.


    Wang Yuan put his arm around her shoulder and comforted her softly. Jiang Li was sobbing and her mood had collapsed. In this strange atmosphere, everyone kept


    silent. The wind and snow outside the house were still whistling, showing no signs of stopping. Just when everyone thought Yuan XueMing had had an accident, there was finally a knock on the door. Yuan XueMing¡¯s hoarse voice came: ¡°Is there anyone in there? Open the door!¡±


    There were several others together with Yuan XueMing. Xu RenDong counted the number of people present and frowned: ¡°One is missing.¡±


    Yuan XueMing sighed, ¡°It¡¯s Zhao Lin. Soon after he left the church, he got separated from us.¡±


    The crowd exchanged looks. It turned out that everyone got lost in the wind and snow, and was chased by the black monster. Fortunately, the hunters cabin was not too far from the church and combined with Yuan XueMing¡¯s compass, they finally found the right way back. As for Zhao Lin, he wasn¡¯t so lucky.


    However, just in case, Xu RenDong asked if anyone knew who made the snowman outside the door. As a result, everyone¡¯s face became worse, Xu Hong¡¯s voice barked sharply: ¡°Snowman? Someone actually made a snowman in this kind of situation?! Who is it?! ¡°Her eyes were red, almost neurotically so, and everyone silently looked away from her hot gaze.  Xu Hong refused to let go, shouting: ¡°Say it ah! Who built it! Just come out and confess! Come on!¡±


    It was clear that her sanity was beginning to collapse. Xu RenDong had to try to smooth things over: ¡°Maybe this snowman was here before we came, only we didn¡¯t notice.¡±


    Xu Hong reluctantly accepted this statement but her mood was still very bad. She pushed away the food in front of her and said with a gloomy face, ¡°I don¡¯t want it.¡± She went upstairs alone.


    The snowman¡¯s affair made the already depressed atmosphere even heavier.


    Yuan XueMing pacified them: ¡°Today we all worked hard. After dinner, rest early. Tomorrow we will need to continue to find more dolls. Hold on a little longer, as long as we finish the task, we can leave.¡±


    The word ¡°leave¡± rekindled the hope in everyone¡¯s hearts, though it was extremely weak. The crowd looked everywhere and ate a meal of dry bread that had no taste. After dinner, everyone went back to their rooms one after another. Xu RenDong was about to go when Lian Qiao suddenly pulled him: ¡°Brother RenDong, I¡¯m still worried about that snowman. Let¡¯s go out and have a look.¡±


    Xu RenDong looked out at the dark night outside and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid?¡±


    Lian Qiao clenched the crowbar: ¡°Even if I¡¯m scared, I still need to go. I can¡¯t just sit here and wait to die.¡±


    Xu RenDong looked at him but the doubt in his heart had not dissipated.


    He wrapped his coat and went out the door with Lian Qiao.


    The snowman was right beside the door. It was impossible that they could have not seen it going in and out, so Xu RenDong¡¯s sentence of ¡°maybe we didn¡¯t notice¡± was absolutely not valid. Unfortunately, they were all so afraid that they chose escapism, preferring to believe a lie that simply did not hold water.


    The light from the cottage lit up the snowman.


    The two approached cautiously and the look on their faces became more and more ugly.


    The snowman is the height of a person and the body is made of one big and one small snowball. It was tightly packed and looked very strong. The horror is that the snowman¡¯s face is full of bits of everything. Its eyes were made from a pair of blood-stained eyeballs, which clearly belonged to a real person. The nose was a frozen stiff finger, and the mouth was a crooked and twisted intestine, stained with blood, red and brightly colored from ear to ear. The expression was very similar to the doll.


    Was this the sixth matryoshka doll? The idea flashed through Xu RenDong¡¯s mind but was quickly dismissed. The first five sets they found were sorted by size and could be folded into each other one by one. This snow body type was too different so it absolutely cannot be one of the set.


    So what was it for?


    Lian Qiao stares at the snowman¡¯s strange face: ¡°Is this made of the corpse from the second floor?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Maybe.¡±


    Lian Qiao doesn¡¯t know what to think. A moment later, he gave a shiver. Holding his arm, he said, ¡°It¡¯s so cold, let¡¯s go back first.¡±


    The two went back upstairs. Others had closed their doors and gone to rest already. The second-floor corridor was dark and the whistling outside the house was becoming more and more permeable. The room with the corpse was the first by the stairs. Xu RenDong knew that Lian Qiao was afraid of the body and so deliberately accelerated his pace. But Lian Qiao suddenly stopped, turned his head, and sniffed carefully.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Xu RenDong looked back: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think the smell of blood is gone?¡± Lian Qiao sniffed again and soon found himself a reasonable explanation, ¡°Is it because I¡¯m getting too used to this smell?¡±


    Xu RenDong was silent for a moment, then took out his cell phone to open the flashlight and aimed it at the dead men¡¯s room. He said, ¡°The blood is gone.¡±


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t speak but the expression on his face changed somewhat. The fear in his eyes disappeared and was replaced by what could be called excitement.


    Xu RenDong held up his mobile phone and lit the room. Sure enough, not only outside the house, but all the blood and corpses inside the house were gone. The room was as clean as if nothing had happened. The smell of blood disappeared completely.


    ¡°Did anyone come to the hunters cabin while we were out? Not only did they make the snowman but they also cleaned up the body?¡±  Xu RenDong wondered out loud, then denied it. ¡°No, it can¡¯t be. Even if they clean it up carefully, it¡¯s impossible not to leave a single trace. At least the blood between the gaps in the floorboards won¡¯t be cleaned.¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°The body was erased.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°?¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes lit up in the dark: ¡°It¡¯s like playing a monster game. The system automatically refreshes every once in a while to clean up the monster¡¯s bodies. Otherwise the whole world would be full of corpses and players won¡¯t be able to play well.


    Xu RenDong understood his meaning but felt a little uncomfortable with the phrase ¡°the whole world would be full of corpses¡±. He couldn¡¯t speak for a moment.


    Lian Qiao suddenly said, ¡°Wait, wait, then that means that¡¯s not right¡­¡± He turned back downstairs. ¡°I¡¯m going out again.¡±


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    Note: Safe House: Some escape classes, shooting games will set up a safe house on the map  where players can take a short break, adjust equipment, restore physical strength and so on.

 CH 7

    Xu RenDong followed Lian Qiao outside the house. He saw Lian Qiao standing in front of the snowman, staring at the face made out of human organs. Xu RenDong immediately realized what had caused his reaction: If the corpse on the second floor had completely disappeared, where did the human organs on the snowman¡¯s face come from?


    Lian Qiao looked at it for a while, then suddenly raised the crowbar and slammed it at the snowman¡¯s body!


    Xu RenDong was startled but before he had time to speak, he saw snow flying around and a lot of meat was revealed in the place where he had been hit by the crowbar!


    The piece of meat had been frozen stiff by the snow and showed a dark red color like frozen meat. Lian Qiao used the crowbar to poke away the snow outside it and pieces of meat were scattered all over the floor. A person¡¯s head was rolled out from it.


    The man¡¯s head was bloodstained and the two eye sockets were hollow. The eyeballs were also gone.


    ¡°Is this¡­ Zhao Lin?¡± Xu RenDong was shocked.


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°¡­it should be.¡± When he spoke, mist came out of his mouth and his voice trembled slightly. It was unknown if he was cold or excited.


    Xu RenDong frowned. He was not surprised by Zhao Lin¡¯s death but how did his corpse come to be here?


    Lian Qiao muttered; ¡°Sorry, sorry¡±. He turned the corpse over a few times around with a crowbar. He wasn¡¯t quite sure what he was looking for. After a while, he didn¡¯t seem to find anything. He raised his head and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go and inform everyone.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Okay.¡±


    Not long after everyone fell asleep, they were awoken with more bad news. Their expressions were very gloomy. This time Jiang Li collapsed again, pointing to Yuan XueMing¡¯s nose and screaming, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that people wouldn¡¯t die during the day!¡±


    Yuan XueMing said, ¡°I never said that.¡±


    Her boyfriend Wang Yuan tried to comfort her but Jiang Li was out of control. She cried out: ¡°Three people died in one day! How could this world be so difficult! Last time it was obviously-¡°


    Wang Yuan¡¯s expression changed, and Yuan XueMing had already frowned, ¡°Last time? So this isn¡¯t your first time? You¡¯ve been before?¡±


    Knowing that she had made a mistake, Jiang Li flinched beside her boyfriend and stopped talking. Everyone stared at them questioningly. Wang Yuan knew that he could no longer hide it so he had to admit honestly: ¡°Yes, we are not newcomers¡­this is the second time we have come in.¡±


    Yuan XueMing asked, ¡°Why did you hide it?¡±


    Wang Yuan sneered: ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t know? You old-timers will use newcomers to test the conditions of death. In that case, why should we tell the truth? Why should we be your guinea pigs?¡±


    It was like a stone that stirred a tidal wave. Everyone was shocked and began to reflect on whether indeed they had been used by Yuan XueMing.


    Yuan XueMing was startled: ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­¡± But everyone was thinking about it now and when they looked at Yuan XueMing, their eyes were not as trusting as before.


    Lian Qiao and Xu RenDong hadn¡¯t followed the main group for the past two days so they didn¡¯t know if Yuan XueMing had ever done such a thing. Yuan XueMing sighed: ¡°If you don¡¯t want to believe me, then I won¡¯t force you. But there is only one thing, I hope you won¡¯t¡­¡± He seemed to think of something, and stopped halfway through his words and changed the subject abruptly. ¡°Forget it. Just protect yourselves well. I¡¯ll go up and rest first.¡±


    Jiang Li¡¯s eyes were red and Wang Yuan put his arms around her, soothing her softly. They left too.


    Everyone sat in the living room for a while, looking at each other, not knowing what to say. They were all strangers at first and were suddenly thrown headlong into this terrifying world of ghosts. They finally found some spirit but now they fell apart¡­ Regarding Yuan XueMing, everyone¡¯s mood was complicated. He was like their big brother, patiently explaining the rules here and telling everyone what to do next. However who knew if he had a hidden agenda?


    He gained everyone¡¯s trust so easily and it was also lost very easily.


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao returned to their room, feeling a little heavy. The two of them took off their clothes and lay on their bed. They listened to the cold wind outside the window, unable to sleep for a while.


    Lian Qiao played with the three dolls they collected and suddenly said, ¡°Brother RenDong, do you think we can really leave here after we gather the dolls?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Didn¡¯t Yuan XueMing say that in order to leave we need to find the elevator and the button? We haven¡¯t found either of these two things¡­ So will they be one of the task rewards? Will it be one or both? This world is really like a horror game and I feel like we¡­.¡±


    Xu RenDong listened to his chatter and felt more and more sleepy. But he still had his guard up and could sleep at ease. So he responded half-heartedly, accidentally interrupting Lian Qiao mid sentence.


    Lian Qiao heard his low ¡°Yeah¡± and mistakenly thought he was getting annoyed with him. He became anxious, ¡°Brother RenDong, do you think that I spend all day thinking about games and aren¡¯t serious?¡­ You are a financial professional, every day you are in contact with leaders in society who are as good and as capable as you are. Do you think being a game anchor is not a¡­ proper vocation?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°No. Isn¡¯t playing games your job and career? The online anchor industry has good prospects now. ¡°


    Lian Qiao was moved: ¡°Brother RenDong, you¡¯re so kind! It would be great if my dad was as enlightened as you! Then I wouldn¡¯t have been kicked out of my house¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong suddenly opened his eyes, looking at him with a complicated expression. ¡°Lian Qiao, I¡¯m only three years older than you. I¡¯m not really fit to be your father.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± He fell into the pit he dug himself several times. He said, ¡°That¡¯s not how I feel about you¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t hold back to sleep and didn¡¯t hear what he said.


    Lian Qiao had no choice but to stare at the ceiling in a daze. His body clock hadn¡¯t reached sleeping time yet so he couldn¡¯t sleep. Although he brought a mobile phone, he didn¡¯t dare to play casually for fear that he¡¯d run out of battery. Time passed slowly, and when Lian Qiao was feeling a little sleepy, he heard a very soft voice.


    Click, click, click. It was like something soft was patting on the ground.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s hair straightened up suddenly and almost jumped out of the bed. It didn¡¯t matter if he couldn¡¯t help himself because when he sat up, he actually met a pair of dark eyes.


    ¡°¡­Hey!¡± Lian Qiao was so frightened that he couldn¡¯t even scream. He felt like a duck whose throat had been pinched.


    In the darkness, the thing took a step forward and something moved on top of its head. With the moonlight, Lian Qiao could see clearly that it was the gray-haired rabbit who could speak human words. The rabbit¡¯s slick eyes looked deeply at him and the pink hare lips moved. ¡°Have you been looking properly for the gifts?¡±


    Lian Qiao was speechless for a while and the rabbit stared at him, gray-faced. Suddenly, his hair began to turn black. It made the kind of crunch that resembled the clenching of its back molars and the hairy rabbit¡¯s head slowly transformed into twisted black threads bit by bit, looking exactly the same as the black graffiti that was chasing them in the snow during the day.


    ¡°Have. You. Been. Looking. Properly. For. The. Gifts?¡± The rabbit grinned, as if expecting something. His eyes stared vigorously and the eyeballs actually rolled down with a gu-lu-gu-lu.


    Lian Qiao shivered with fright and tremblingly took out the matryoshka doll. He presented it in the supplicating position that a little demon would use when addressing the king of the mountain. ¡°Yes, yes, yes! We¡¯ve been looking properly!¡±


    When the rabbit saw the matryoshka, he curled his lips unhappily. Then he tucked his dark eyeballs back into his eye sockets but he didn¡¯t take the doll. He then turned his head slightly and looked at Xu RenDong who was sleeping.


    Lian Qiao pushed him awake. Xu RenDong let out a ¡°huh¡± and when he saw the rabbit head close at hand, his eyes widened suddenly. The rabbit asked again: ¡°Have you been looking properly for the gifts?¡±


    Xu RenDong felt something hot in his hands as Lian Qiao quietly stuffed a hard thing into it. He then raised his hand to show the rabbit, ¡°Yes, yes, yes, look we¡¯ve been good!¡±


    The rabbit sucked in his little pink nose and looked very upset but he didn¡¯t scare them anymore. He just turned around, lay down on the ground, kicked off with his hind legs and left.  The pattering sound turned out to be its footsteps. It quickly disappeared into the darkness. The door didn¡¯t open. It was unknown how he¡¯d gotten in or where he¡¯d gone.


    Xu RenDong noticed that Lian Qiao had given him a matryoshka doll. Lian Qiao was still holding his hands, his palms sweating slightly.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Xu RenDong asked.


    Lian Qiao sighed: ¡°I know what the conditions of death are.¡±


    Xu RenDong wanted to ask when Lian Qiao suddenly said, ¡°Brother RenDong, I¡¯m a little scared. Can I be closer to you?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°The rabbit is gone, what are you afraid of?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°I¡¯m afraid of other things.¡±


    Xu RenDong gradually figured out what happened and realized that Lian Qiao had saved his life again. Suddenly he felt a little guilty.


    He thought for a while then pulled open his quilt and said: ¡°You can sleep with me.¡±


    Lian Qiao smiled, climbed closer to him and gently hugged his arm. The beautiful eyes were bent into a pair of crescents and a warm smile overflowed, making people feel gentle. Xu RenDong was a bit cold at first but Lian Qiao¡¯s embrace was wrapped in a lot of warmth. Like a docile big cat with a furry, warm and soft belly and its breath was full of warmth.


    Xu RenDong fell asleep soon.


    The next morning, the two heard some noise outside their room. When they came out, they found everyone gathered at the door of the room next to them.


    ¡°Someone died again.¡± Yuan XueMing said, ¡°It¡¯s still the same as yesterday. The corpse has been eviscerated.¡±


    ¡­ Did the rabbit leave their room last night and go next door?


    Xu RenDong looked at the scene of flesh and blood flying across the room and felt that the number of pieces of meat was much less than yesterday. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder: ¡°This time only one person died?¡± When Yuan XueMing first allocated the room, it was shared by two people. Right now he showed a bitter smile.


    Another girl in the team whispered: ¡°She originally slept with me in the same room.  Last night¡­ after what happened, she suspected that I was also an experienced player so she moved out by herself.¡±


    It seems it wasn¡¯t only Yuan XueMing. Everyone had had a crisis of trust in each other.


    Xu RenDong noticed that Xu Hong was not present and suddenly remembered that Xu Hong had a temper and left when she divided the room. She should also be living in a room alone. So he asked, ¡°Where is Xu Hong?¡±


    Everyone woke up as though they were in a dream, only to realize that they had forgotten to notify her about what happened. There was suddenly the creak of high heel shoes on the stairs and an unhappy voice said: ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    It was Xu Hong.


    Everyone showed a look of wonder like: ¡°Oh, you are still alive¡±. Xu Hong was furious: ¡°What kind of expression do you guys have! Why are you all staring at me!¡±


    Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t hold back and laughed loudly: ¡°It¡¯s nothing, it¡¯s just that I think you are actually pretty good¡­¡±


    Everyone agreed. Xu Hong was furious and wanted to beat Lian Qiao up but Lian Qiao quickly apologized and hid behind Xu RenDong in a panic. Xu RenDong glanced at him and said, ¡°What are you afraid of? You have the Holy Sword of Physics.¡±


    Lian Qiao was taken aback and said helplessly: ¡°I can¡¯t hit a woman¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°If she attacks you first, it¡¯s not called hitting a woman. It¡¯s called self-defense.¡±


    Lian Qiao suddenly realized: ¡°What you said makes sense.¡± Then he took out his crowbar.


    Xu Hong: ¡°¡­¡± Her attitude changed within one second and she returned to the crowd with a black face.


    When Lian Qiao made such a fuss, the atmosphere suddenly eased a little. Everyone decided to go down to eat first.  Anyway, the person was already dead so there was no point staying here.


    Without Yuan XueMing¡¯s conversation, everyone was quiet and had nothing to say. Lian Qiao suddenly took out the three dolls they had collected, put them on the table, and then asked: ¡°Now we have five dolls in total. Who has the other two?¡±


    ¡°I have them.¡± Yuan XueMing quickly took them out and placed them on the table.


    Five matryoshka dolls were lined up. Except for the smallest doll, all dolls have a seam that can be unscrewed. So far, the four dolls have contained; a compass, a key and four candies. Lian Qiao said: ¡°Actually, I have an idea about the conditions of death¡­¡±


    He recounted the rabbit¡¯s night visit last night and concluded: ¡°I guess the conditions of death in this world is that you do not have a matryoshka. So the most reasonable course of action would be to spread the dolls amongst as many people as possible.¡±


    Everyone looked at the dolls on the table. Yuan XueMing looked around and took a matryoshka first: ¡°I found this one and want to keep it. Is that okay?¡±


    Everyone didn¡¯t look happy but they couldn¡¯t say anything . Immediately another girl snatched away a matryoshka quickly: ¡°Then I found this one and I want to take it too!¡±


    There are now three dolls left on the table. Lian Qiao moved two of them to him and Xu RenDong and said: ¡°These three were found by Brother RenDong and I, so we¡¯ll take two. As for the last one¡­¡± He looked up at the crowd with hesitation on his face.


    Everyone looked at him with bated breath, hoping that he could give this doll to them. Lian Qiao glanced at Xu RenDong and Xu RenDong nodded at him, indicating that it was up to him to decide.


    Lian Qiao thought for a while and looked at the woman from the couple last night.


    ¡°Jiang Li.¡± He said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you have experienced before but now I still hope that we can trust each other, okay?¡±


    Jiang Li was overjoyed and nodded vigorously. Lian Qiao said: ¡°I¡¯ll give this matryoshka to you. Let¡¯s stop talking about old-timers and newcomers and guinea pigs. Let¡¯s work together and escape from this world.¡±


    ¡°Okay! Thank you! Thank you!¡± Jiang Li almost cried with joy. Wang Yuan beside her was also very grateful and couldn¡¯t stop thanking Lian Qiao.


    After the distribution of the five dolls, there were still quite a few people who do not have dolls, including Wang Yuan, Xu Hong, and a few people who have no sense of existence. In addition to Wang Yuan, several other people had opinions about Lian Qiao¡¯s decision. Xu Hong even cursed directly: ¡°They were so horrible yesterday and you actually gave them a doll today? Is there a problem with your brain?¡±


    Lian Qiao helplessly: ¡°I¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong said coldly: ¡°Is it your business?¡±


    Xu Hong glared at him angrily but Xu RenDong¡¯s expression was calm: ¡°If you have time to fight, it is better to set off early to find another doll.¡±


    Xu Hong was not convinced and wanted to curse again. Suddenly she saw Lian Qiao pull out the crowbar gently and place it on the table.


    Xu Hong: ¡°¡­¡±


    This was pretty much a thinly veiled threat so everyone stopped talking. Yuan XueMing seemed to find this scene very interesting and cast an admiring look at Lian Qiao and Xu RenDong.


    Xu Hong got up and left, asking who would like to go with her. No one spoke up. Xu Hong gritted her teeth, slammed the door and left the cabin by himself.


    Yuan XueMing asked, ¡°Will anyone follow me? I plan to go to the east to search today.¡±


    People who didn¡¯t hadn¡¯t found a matryoshka nodded one after another, saying that they were still willing to follow Brother Yuan. They spoke sincerely but in fact everyone knew that if Yuan XueMing didn¡¯t have the compass, it was probably unlikely that they¡¯d follow him.


    The other girl with a matryoshka frankly stated that she didn¡¯t want to go out.


    Yuan XueMing looked at Lian Qiao: ¡°What about you?¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°I want to go to the church again.¡±


    Yuan XueMing: ¡°Do you still remember the way? Or should I take you first¡­¡±


    Jiang Li suddenly interrupted: ¡°I know the way, I¡¯ll go with you.¡± She looked at Lian Qiao sincerely, ¡°I¡¯ll take you there to thank you. I really, sincerely, want to thank you for giving me the matryoshka.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re our benefactor. ¡± Wang Yuan looked at Jiang Li affectionately, holding her fingers tenderly.


    Lian Qiao gazed at the couple who were passing out dog food without asking others for permission and suddenly turned to look at Xu RenDong. Xu RenDong felt his gaze was a bit weird: ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± {Dog food = public displays of affection.}


    Lian Qiao asked, ¡°Brother RenDong, do you have a partner?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°No.¡±


    Lian Qiao smiled. He curved his eyebrows and said: ¡°What a coincidence, I don¡¯t have one as well.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± What¡¯s there to be so happy about, this silly boy.


    The group of four left to go to the church. As they did so, Yuan XueMing looked at their retreating backs and his expression looked worried.

 CH 8

    The snow today was much lighter than the day before and it was much easier to see. Perhaps because they had been chased by a monster yesterday and it had left a psychological shadow, but the four of them were a little nervous the whole way. They were scared that they¡¯d hear the scalp-tingling sound of grinding teeth in the wind again.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Jiang Li, who was walking in the middle of the group, called out suddenly and fell to the ground.


    ¡°Ah Li!¡± Wang Yuan hurried to help her, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you okay?¡±


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao looked back and saw Jiang Li standing next to a rock. Most of the rock was covered by white snow and it seemed Jiang Li accidentally tripped.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Xu RenDong squatted down, ¡°Can you still go on?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­¡± Jiang Li gave a strong smile, ¡°I just twisted it a little bit, it¡¯s okay.¡± She tried to stand up but a look of pain flashed through her face. Wang Yuan was very anxious. He found a branch and wanted to splint her up but he couldn¡¯t find a suitable bandage for a while.


    ¡°Use my tie.¡± Xu RenDong pulled out the tie and handed it to Jiang Li.


    Jiang Li was taken aback for a moment, hesitated, and seemed reluctant to take it. Wang Yuan took it over, thanked him again and again. He used it to affix the branch to her ankle. However he was clumsy and the branches were tied crookedly. Not only did they not help fix her ankle but actually caused Jiang Li more pain.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll do it myself.¡± Jiang Li said softly, bowing her head and bandaging herself. She seemed to be very good at doing it. She moved dexterously and skillfully. She quickly fixed the injured joint and stood up with Wang Yuan¡¯s help.


    ¡°Where did you learn to bandage?¡± Xu RenDong looked at the neat bandage, this technique was obviously professional.


    Jiang Li explained, ¡°I¡¯m a doctor.¡±


    Lian Qiao asked, ¡°Is the church still far away? Do you guys want to go back first and we will go there ourselves?¡±


    Jiang Li said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. There is still a long way ahead. Well¡­ or maybe Ah Yuan can lead you? In case you get lost¡­¡±


    Wang Yuan helplessly said: ¡°How can I leave you in danger by yourself?¡±


    Jiang Li looked guilty. Xu RenDong said, ¡°Let¡¯s go together. When you get to the church, you can sit down and rest. Lian Qiao and I will go in to explore.¡±


    Jiang Li nodded happily and the other two had no objection. So the four set off again. After about ten minutes, they finally arrived at the church.


    This was a medium-sized church and the first thing you saw when you entered the gate was a spacious and solemn chapel. The rows of benches were neatly arranged, covered with dust. Jesus on the cross still bowed his head and looked compassionate. The blood on the ground was still there and it had dried out. There were a few animal paw prints on the blood stain. Lian Qiao inspected it and speculated that they were rabbit paws.


    It seems that their decision to leave the church yesterday was correct. The black mosaic rabbit came out from this church.


    Wang Yuan helped Jiang Li to the side of the bench and carefully wiped the dust off the chair to let her sit down and rest. Lian Qiao said: ¡°You wait for us here. Brother RenDong and I will take a look around.¡±


    Xu RenDong glanced at the statue of Jesus, turned his head and said, ¡°If something happens, you should run away first.¡±


    Jiang Li waved her hand quickly and said, ¡°Go ahead. We¡¯ll be okay.¡± Lian Qiao picked up a crowbar and explored this church with Xu RenDong.


    They walked around in the chapel first and found nothing of note. Then they came to a side corridor. This corridor is very long, with candle-shaped electric lights on the wall. The inside of the lamps was dirty, full of aging tungsten wire. The circuit also seems to be in poor contact and the lights flickered and dimmed, giving people an uncomfortable feeling.


    There were no windows in this corridor and if the lights were off it would be pitch black. There were two doors in the corridor and they were far apart. Xu RenDong pushed open one and found that vestments, sacred objects and other religious items were displayed inside. Lian Qiao was originally a little scared, holding the crowbar tightly but suddenly got excited again when he saw this scene. He didn¡¯t even need the crowbar and touched everything with his hands.


    ¡°Wow! A Bible! Wow! The Holy Grail! Wow! Longinus Spear!¡± Everything Lian Qiao saw he loved. He wanted to hold them all in his hands. He turned his head and saw a closet. He was so excited that he couldn¡¯t help himself, ¡°Wow! A priest costume! A real priest costume!¡±


    Xu RenDong said helplessly: ¡°You don¡¯t want to take all these things, do you?¡±


    Lian Qiao was holding this large pile of dusty religious articles and asked hopefully: ¡°Can¡¯t I?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°No. This is stealing.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°How can my brave actions be called stealing! Searching! This is called searching!¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°¡­Your statement is not much better.¡± {The term I translated as ¡°searching¡± in Chinese can also mean taking/ransaking.}


    Lian Qiao hugged his babies tightly with a reluctant expression like a hamster protecting its food. Xu RenDong said: ¡°Let it go, you can¡¯t take all so many things away. What if there is a ghost chasing you, you¡¯ll still end up throwing it all away.¡±


    Lian Qiao thought of the horrible scene of being chased by ghosts in the past two days. His expression was a little shaken.


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°Be good.¡±


    This sentence seemed to strike Lian Qiao at a sensitive point. Lian Qiao opened his eyes wide and said ¡°Fuck!¡± in a low voice. His face suddenly turned red and he finally put the things down obediently.


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°You¡¯re covered in dust, pat yourself down.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lian Qiao obediently began to pat the dust but the corners of his mouth were still raised.


    Xu RenDong put the religious items back one by one and looked back at Lian Qiao¡¯s smile. He suddenly felt that there was a mischievous feeling in that smile. Xu RenDong looked at him from top to bottom and then pointed to his bulging trouser pockets: ¡°What have you got hidden there?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± He was exposed so Lian Qiao reluctantly took out a piece of holy cake.


    Xu RenDong was speechless. The holy cake was all green with mildew. It had been left there for goodness knows how long and it was still covered with ashes. Lian Qiao¡¯s problem of picking up rubbish was really extreme.


    Seeing that the trouser pocket on the other side was also full, Xu RenDong frowned, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, this is my doll.¡± Lian Qiao took out the doll neatly as proof of his innocence. He unscrewed it and showed it to him, ¡°I didn¡¯t hide anything inside it either¡­Huh?¡±


    There were two candies inside the doll. At this time, some tan greasy liquid oozed from the gaps in the sugar paper, which not only stained the sugar paper but also stuck to the inner wall of the doll. Lian Qiao took out the candy and thinned his mouth in disgust: ¡°That¡¯s disgusting¡­¡±


    ¡°This is chocolate, isn¡¯t it?¡± Xu RenDong said, ¡°It must have been melted by you.¡±


    Lian Qiao said annoyedly: ¡°It turned out to be chocolate! Now that I know, I wish I had eaten it! I really wanted to eat chocolate yesterday¡­¡± After all, the roof of this church looks like Kisses Chocolate.


    ¡°Wait until you get out to eat, you can eat as much as you want.¡± Xu RenDong saw that there was nothing to investigate in this room and turned his head to walk out.


    Lian Qiao chased him: ¡°Brother RenDong, Brother RenDong, can we still meet after we get out?¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°Let¡¯s get out first then see.¡±


    Lian Qiao looked a little lost: ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    The other door in the corridor led to the prayer room. This room was not big and contained only two chairs and a small crawl space for people to pray and confess. The space was dark. Lian Qiao turned on the flashlight of his mobile phone and got in to check it. He crawled out with a bitter face: ¡°It¡¯s smelly inside with the smell of chest hair.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t help but think: What does chest hair smell like?


    The two looked around carefully in the prayer room but they couldn¡¯t find anything of value so they had to go back to the corridor.


    ¡°Are there any other rooms here?¡± Lian Qiao asked.


    Xu RenDong visualized the structure of the church: ¡°The width of the sacristy and the prayer room are the same as those of the chapel. This church should have a layout in the shape of a ¡®Ä¿¡¯¡­but the corridor is already in the end.¡± He knocked on the corridor. At the end of the wall, they heard a dull echo, ¡°This wall seems to be solid.¡±


    ¡°The shape of a ¡®Ä¿¡¯?¡± Lian Qiao wrote a word in the palm of his hand, showing a thoughtful expression. He looked at the door of the prayer room and then looked at the door of the sacristy at the other end of the corridor. Suddenly, there was a flash of inspiration, and he said cheerfully, ¡°I see! These two rooms¡ª ¡±


    All of a sudden, the lights in the corridor suddenly went out and their entire field of vision went black!


    Lian Qiao¡¯s voice stopped abruptly. Xu RenDong was startled and subconsciously reached in his direction: ¡°Lian Qiao! Where are you? You¡ªum!¡±


    Someone covered his mouth and he was dragged back! Xu RenDong was caught off guard and was dragged backwards a few steps. There was endless darkness in front of him but for some reason, he felt something shaking.


    Immediately afterwards, a cold thing stuck to his neck.


    No good!


    The alarm bells were ringing in his heart and Xu RenDong instinctively wanted to push away the hand covering his mouth. He found that the hand was very small, like a woman¡¯s hand, but it firmly tightened around his mouth and nose to prevent him from making a sound.


    Then, the cold thing severely cut into his neck!


    Fear was like a piece of ice suddenly stuck to his back, causing him to shiver and his entire body stiffened.


    At first, he didn¡¯t feel the pain. He just heard the faint wind. Hu-hu. It¡¯s like the sound of the sea when you put a conch shell to your ear.


    ¡°Uh, uh¡­¡± He wanted to call for help but he could only make a soft noise like the sound of the wind.


    Some warm liquid splashed onto his chin and chest, wetting his clothes and pants. The wind grew louder and he began to feel pain. There was a sharp pain from his neck and the wound seemed to be pulled open by some force. Little by little, it was torn bigger. He instinctively covered his neck and touched the bloody hole that was constantly gushing. The wound was long and deep, almost cutting him apart.


    Despair was like a big hand, squeezing his soft and fragile heart vigorously. He tried to block the opening in his throat but accidentally touched his broken trachea. It was a kind of soft and hard, and under the moistening of the warm liquid, the trachea slid away from his fingers.


    He inserted his finger into his own trachea.


    Suddenly his vision lit up as if someone had turned on the light switch. Xu RenDong found that he was in a room he had never seen before. The room was empty except for a silver-gray elevator that was standing abruptly in the middle of it.


    Elevator¡­ There was an elevator here¡­ But where was he?


    A man stood by the elevator. The man saw him and ran towards him in shock. It wasn¡¯t him the man was looking at in shock but the person behind him.


    ¡°You¡­¡± He only said this word and immediately closed his mouth as if he realized something and glanced to one side.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes were a little fuzzy but he still recognized the man¡¯s face.


    Wang Yuan.


    Then the person who cut my neck must be¡­


    That person was behind him. Xu RenDong turned his head hard and found that Wang Yuan was looking at the wall. There was nothing on the wall but beyond the wall there was a faint sound of Lian Qiao¡¯s shaky voice.


    ¡°Brother RenDong? Where are you? Brother RenDong¡­¡±


    I am here.


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t make any sound and could only reach out his hand towards the wall. He saw that his entire arm was soaked in blood and the blood on his neck was still gushing, like a small fountain, hot and humid, slippery and very warm. There was blood pouring into his throat, fishy and painful and it made him cough. The coughing action in turn tore open the neck wound, pulling the opening wider and wider. He could almost hear the sound of the skin tearing.


    It hurts¡­


    His lips moved, and he tried to shout countless times but could only feel more blood pouring out of his neck.


    It couldn¡¯t be blocked and couldn¡¯t be stopped. The carotid artery was like a broken water pipe, constantly gushing like crazy.


    The blood loss made him confused and he could no longer stand so his body leaned softly on the person behind. That person slowly put him on the ground and so he could finally see who was hurting him.


    Jiang Li. It really was Jiang Li.


    That beautiful face had long lost its previous tenderness and it was cold and decisive. There were also a few drops of blood splashed on it.


    And she even still had his tie on her ankle.


    ¡­It hurts¡­ I feel dizzy¡­ The whole world started to spin.


    Jiang Li¡¯s hand was full of blood and her head was lowered as she fumbled around on his body. Wang Yuan knelt down beside Xu RenDong and asked with a trembling voice, ¡°Ah Li why¡­ how could you¡­¡±


    Jiang Li reached into Xu RenDong¡¯s inner pocket and gave Wang Yuan a paranoid look: ¡°I can¡¯t just watch you die.¡±


    At the same time, Lian Qiao behind the wall cried out: ¡°Brother RenDong¡­ I¡¯m so scared¡­ Where are you¡­ I¡¯m so scared¡­ Don¡¯t leave me¡­¡±


    I¡¯m here. I didn¡¯t leave you.


    Xu RenDong stretched out his hand weakly but couldn¡¯t reach the wall. His eyes began to darken and his vision gradually blurred.


    ¡°I found it!¡± Jiang Li lowered her voice but couldn¡¯t suppress the joy in it. She lifted up the blood-stained doll with joy, like a little girl eager to be praised, ¡°Ah Yuan, you will not die! You have a doll, we can leave here together!¡±


    Wang Yuan looked at her with a complex expression but after a moment, he took the doll with trembling fingers. He lowered his head and said softly to Xu RenDong, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t see anything. He lost too much blood and his body gradually became stiff and cold, as if the blood remaining in his veins had begun to clot. For an instant, he felt that he was lying in the snow and there was whiteness everywhere. He no longer felt pain, just despair.


    In this chilling despair, the last voice he heard was the whine of Lian Qiao, like a baby bird.


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave me¡­¡±


    The author has something to say:


    Note 1: The Holy Grail and the Longinus Spear are both the sacred artifacts of Jesus. This kind of thing will be displayed symbolically in the sacristy of the church. Everyone knows the Holy Grail, and Longinus¡¯s Spear, in popular science, is considered the spear that once pierced Jesus Christ. According to the Bible, when Jesus was nailed to the cross, a centurion injured his flanks with a piercing. This centurion was called Longinus. When the blood of Jesus dripped into Langinus¡¯ eyes, Langinus was instantly influenced. After that, he gave up his original identity and became a monk with the ability to perform miracles. Later he became a saint known as ¡°St. Ronchinus¡±.


    Note 2: Regarding cutting the throat. The anatomical structure of the neck is the trachea in front (that is, where the laryngeal knot is located), and the carotid arteries on both sides are on both sides of the trachea. Most people will choose to wipe the neck directly in front, but the trachea is actually cut. Because Jiang Li knew anatomy, and the carotid artery could not be accurately located in the darkness, so she cut deep and cut the trachea along with the carotid artery, causing severe severance injuries. After the trachea leaks, people can¡¯t talk, and it can also prevent Lian Qiao from hearing a call for help. In addition, regarding the previous ¡°hearing the sound of conch shell¡±, in fact, the sound similar to the tide heard by the conch in the ear is the echo of the blood flow in the blood vessel of the ear in the conch. I haven¡¯t personally heard the sound of blood soaking up close, so I can only use this sound to compare¡­

 CH 9

    Xu RenDong opened his eyes suddenly: ¡°Lian Qiao!¡±


    His shouts echoed back and forth in the metal elevator, shaking his eardrums. Xu RenDong never knew that he could still make such a terrible voice. He sat in the silver-gray elevator and stroked his neck blankly. The skin there was smooth, soft, and intact, with no trace of being cut.


    ¡­ I came back again?


    He slowly got up and his suit jacket slipped from his arms. The surrounding air temperature dropped little by little and soon, ¡°ding¡±, the elevator door opened again.


    Outside the door was the unchanging snow scene.


    As if nothing had happened, as if the pain he experienced was only an illusory dream.


    But¡­


    He lowered his head and saw his tie on his chest. He still clearly remembered this tie wrapped around Jiang Li¡¯s ankle when he was lying on the ground with his blood flowing. He had been terrified of dying and he had no time to think about it. It was only now that he realized he had been betrayed.


    He was betrayed by someone he had helped.


    Xu RenDong clenched his fists and dug his nails into his palms.


    The anger seemed to become solid and it stuck hard on his chest, making him breathless. For a moment, he didn¡¯t even want to leave the elevator. Anyway, no matter how hard he struggled, he was going to die, so what was the point?


    Why doesn¡¯t he just accept fate¡¯s arrangement and die here quietly¡­ Why doesn¡¯t he just stay trapped in this place forever¡­ Why?


    Obviously, other people in the team do not have the ability to resurrect after death, otherwise there would be no dead people in this world. But why was he the only one to resurrect?


    Why did he have to experience the pain of death repeatedly? What did he do wrong? Is one tragic death not enough?


    Why me?


    Despair robbed him of the temperature of his heart bit by bit, making him feel cold from the inside out. He hugged his arms in silence but suddenly there was a strange and familiar feeling in his heart.


    ¡­ He remembered the feeling of Lian Qiao holding his arm.


    Oh, Lian Qiao!


    Xu RenDong looked out of the elevator, and sure enough the trail of footprints were still there in the snow.


    The world will reset after he is resurrected, that is to say-


    Lian Qiao was now in danger!


    Before the brain understood what was happening, his body had already reacted. He strode out of the elevator and began to run wildly along the footprints into the snow.


    The forest was as silent as ever and he could only hear his own gasps and footsteps in the snow. Xu RenDong didn¡¯t know how long he ran until his chest was so painful that his lungs were about to split and there was a smell of blood in his throat. Finally he saw the figure standing in front of the stone stele in the clearing.


    ¡°Lian Qiao!¡± He shouted with all his strength, ¡°Don¡¯t touch the doll!¡±


    ¡°¡­?!¡± The slender boy withdrew his hands like an electric shock. He turned around and opened his eyes in surprise. ¡°Who are you, who are you?¡±


    Xu RenDong ran to him, panting violently, clutching his chest. He couldn¡¯t speak for a while, so he grabbed Lian Qiao¡¯s hand and motioned for him to stay away from the doll.


    Lian Qiao flinched as if he wanted to withdraw his hand but didn¡¯t dare. There was a little terror in those eyes that were always smiling. He asked timidly: ¡°How do you know my name?¡±


    That¡¯s right, the world has reset so Lian Qiao doesn¡¯t remember him anymore.


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°I know you, I¡­¡±


    This time, his voice was cut off before the key part was mentioned. His throat seemed to be blocked by a blood clot, so hard that it hurt.


    ¡°¡­?¡± Lian Qiao looked at him anxiously, his long eyelashes blinking like bird wings. Obviously, he was scared.


    He is afraid of me.


    He doesn¡¯t remember me anymore, he has lost all his memories¡­


    He doesn¡¯t remember me anymore.


    Xu RenDong suddenly felt a pain in his heart. His hand grasping Lian Qiao¡¯s let go  little by little.


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t have malicious intentions.¡± Xu RenDong¡¯s throat felt bitter.


    ¡°Um¡­¡± Lian Qiao showed a thoughtful expression and quietly rubbed his wrist. Seeing his red wrist, Xu RenDong realized that he had grasped it too hard just now and had hurt Lian Qiao.


    He was about to apologize but then Lian Qiao rubbed his nose and asked embarrassedly: ¡°Have you watched my live broadcast?¡±


    Xu RenDong was silent for a moment, then said, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Lian Qiao muttered, ¡°I actually have such a good-looking male fan¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t hear clearly: ¡°What?¡±


    Lian Qiao smiled. He seemed a little shy so he changed the subject: ¡°Where is this?¡± He looked at the doll on the stone tablet. ¡°And why don¡¯t you let me touch this?¡±


    Xu RenDong tried to explain to him the elevator and the ghost world and found that there was no hindrance this time. But when wanted to mention the rabbit and the task of collecting matryoshka, his voice was stopped again. It seems that he cannot reveal this part yet.


    After the initial surprise, Lian Qiao gradually calmed down and walked side by side with him towards the hunters cabin. The closer they got to the cottage, the more complicated Xu RenDong¡¯s mood became. He knew that he was about to meet that group of people again; the kind Yuan XueMing, the violent Xu Hong, several people who had already died and¡­ Jiang Li.


    Jiang Li who had repaid his kindness with violence, Jiang Li who had brutally killed him.


    He didn¡¯t know with what mood to face her and Wang Yuan.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Lian Qiao spoke suddenly, interrupting his contemplation. ¡°I don¡¯t know what your name is?¡±


    Xu RenDong told him and Lian Qiao said ¡°Huh¡± in surprise, ¡°Is it the RenDong from honeysuckle?¡±


    This exact same line pierced Xu RenDong¡¯s heart again. The corner of his lips twitched and he smiled bitterly. ¡°It¡¯s RenDong that means ¡®endures winter¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Lian Qiao showed the same disappointed expression as last time.


    When they came to the hunter¡¯s cabin, Yuan XueMing opened the door for them. Just like last time, after the rabbit released the mission, Yuan XueMing briefly explained the rules of the world. Then Xu Hong got angry and stormed upstairs.


    This time, Xu RenDong quietly paid attention to the reactions of Jiang Li and Wang Yuan and found that they were like water droplets merging into the river, perfectly mixed in with the crowd. When others were flustered, they were also flustered. When others were nervous, they were also nervous. They behaved very naturally, not like old-timers who have already experienced one world before.


    No, maybe they still lied about their own experience. With such an acting ability and such a clean killing technique, if Jiang Li were not naturally gifted, she would have experienced more than one terrifying world.


    As he thought this, Xu RenDong¡¯s expression became colder. He didn¡¯t notice that he slightly pursed his lips and there was a kind of indifference and distance in his eyes.


    ¡°¡­¡± Lian Qiao originally wanted to say something but he couldn¡¯t help but shrink back when he saw his repelling attitude.


    Everyone looked different and fell silent, leaving only the crackling of the firewood in the fireplace.


    Yuan XueMing said: ¡°Let¡¯s pick a room and rest early.¡±


    Xu RenDong offered to share a room with Lian Qiao, and before everyone else, picked the one with the hidden doll.


    He didn¡¯t rush to get the doll behind the curtain but opened the cabinet and took out the winter clothes and quilt from inside. Lian Qiao made the bed with him and then lay down  under the blankets. Xu RenDong glanced at the time, it was half past eleven. Lian Qiao¡¯s body clock hasn¡¯t reached sleeping time yet and it is estimated that he would take another half an hour to fall asleep.


    Although Xu RenDong was tired, he still cheered up secretly and waited for Lian Qiao to chat to him. Unexpectedly this time Lian Qiao just stared at the ceiling in a daze. After a while, he turned around and fell asleep with his back to him.


    ¡°¡­¡± Xu RenDong noticed the anxiety and precaution in this small action and couldn¡¯t help but feel lost.


    Xu RenDong waited until Lian Qiao was asleep and got up quietly. After finally covering up the bed and putting on a thick coat, Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help shivering and looked back at Lian Qiao with some nostalgia.


    Sleep well.


    Although the rabbit wouldn¡¯t come to their room on the first night, there were still matters to deal with just in case. He unscrewed the doll in the corner, took out the key to the basement and gently hid the doll on Lian Qiao¡¯s body.


    After doing this, he went downstairs alone in the midnight chill.


    Acting according to the original play-through, he climbed to the top of the tree with the help of a ladder and successfully got the doll from the nest. Like last time, there were two chocolates in the matryoshka. Xu RenDong touched this hard candy and suddenly remembered what Lian Qiao said: The roof of the church seems to be like Kisses chocolate.


    He didn¡¯t know if this chocolate tasted delicious or not.


    When he was about to return to the house, he thought of something and went to the basement again and took the crowbar.


    Everyone was sleeping peacefully in the room and the lights were not turned on in the stairs so it was too dark to see anything. Xu RenDong took out his mobile phone and lit it with a torch. As soon as he went to the second floor, he ran into a gray-haired rabbit covered in blood.


    ¡°¡­¡± Xu RenDong looked at the room with bleeding stains.


    ¡°¡­¡± The rabbit looked at the crowbar in his hand.


    The atmosphere suddenly fell into a deadlock.


    The rabbit sniffed its pink nose and the three-lobed mouth was pouted, showing a slightly tangled expression. It reluctantly said: ¡°You, do you¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong took out the matryoshka that he had just bought and shook it before it¡¯s eyes. The rabbit saw the matryoshka clearly and let out a long sigh of relief. It seemed to be happy so it kicked off again.


    As Xu RenDong watched it disappear into the darkness, he suddenly felt that it seemed a bit like a hard-working worker who had completed today¡¯s tasklist and didn¡¯t want to work overtime.


    It kind of made him feel¡­. more ordinary?


    In the early morning of the next day, the crowd fell into panic again after discovering the body. Sure enough, Lian Qiao was shocked into hiccupping again and it took a long time to relieve it. After breakfast, Yuan XueMing led everyone in the house looking for  matryoshka and easily found the one in the kitchen cabinet. So the compass was found again.


    ¡°We also saw one on the way here.¡± Xu RenDong said calmly, ¡°but there seemed to be something guarding this matryoshka. I didn¡¯t think it was right so I didn¡¯t take it.¡±


    After this rebirth, Xu RenDong concealed that he had a doll in his hands. He couldn¡¯t trust others but he also didn¡¯t want to deprive others of the right to survive. Therefore, he only collected the two hidden dolls that were not easy to find and left all the easy-to-get dolls for everyone else.


    Yuan XueMing asked the location and nodded: ¡°Then let¡¯s go get this doll first.¡±


    Xu RenDong casually found an excuse to say that he didn¡¯t want to go and Lian Qiao expressed that he wanted to explore the house again. Yuan XueMing didn¡¯t force it. Everyone followed him and set off. Xu RenDong noticed that Jiang Li glanced at him when she was walking away. Xu RenDong looked back coldly and Jiang Li immediately turned her head away.


    While Lian Qiao was overturning the box and the cabinet, Xu RenDong bent down, picked up the crowbar from behind the curtain and pretended to be surprised: ¡°Hey, there is a stick here.¡±


    When Lian Qiao saw the crowbar, his eyes flashed: ¡°The Holy Sword of Physics.¡±


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help but raise the corners of his mouth but still asked faintly: ¡°Is it useful?¡±


    ¡± Yes, it is! Super useful!¡± Lian Qiao was excited and gave him a rundown of the 100 uses of crowbars. Then he looked at him blankly with a ¡°want¡± expression on his face.


    ¡°Then you take it.¡± Xu RenDong said.


    Lian Qiao said in surprise: ¡°Really? But you found it¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°It¡¯s dirty, I don¡¯t want it.¡±


    Lian Qiao happily held the crowbar in his arms. His heart-felt satisfaction reminded Xu RenDong of a hamster with a bulging mouth full of food. Xu RenDong recalled his sad expression in the sacristy of the church with all the things he wanted to take but couldn¡¯t. Suddenly he wanted to ask something, ¡°Do you have hamster disease? Do you like hoarding things?¡±


    Lian Qiao was stunned: ¡°How do you know¡­¡±


    He quickly reacted again, ¡°Oh right right, you watch me live!¡±


    Xu RenDong smiled without explaining. He glanced at the curtain, stretched out his hand and pulled the whole curtain off. Lian Qiao opened his eyes wide in surprise and saw Xu RenDong shaking off the dust on the curtains saying, ¡°This cloth can temporarily serve as a sack.¡± He thought for a while, untied the tie on his neck, and tied the four corners of the curtain together with the tie. ¡°This way it shouldn¡¯t break.¡±


    Lian Qiao was stunned by his operation and said happily: ¡°Really! Brother RenDong, you are amazing!¡­ But your tie¡­¡± He stared at Xu RenDong¡¯s slightly exposed neckline and delicate collarbone. It was unknown what he was thinking and he looked away uncomfortably, ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold? Your neck¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong threw the simple sac to him and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, you take it.¡±


    Lian Qiao covered his face: ¡°What should I do, it feels like I¡¯m being dominated by a wave of true fan love¡­.¡±


    Xu RenDong did not hear clearly: ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, nothing.¡± Lian Qiao carried the crowbar in one hand and held the sack in the other. When he touched the dark tie with his fingertips, he found that there was still some residue temperature on it. The thought that this tie and that beautiful collarbone had only been separated by a thin layer of shirt¡­ Lian Qiao felt like his fingertips were going numb. An itchy feeling spread from his fingertips and crawled into his heart.


    Xu RenDong had already walked out of the room: ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a look outside.¡±


    Lian Qiao looked at his back, quickly rubbed his face and solemnly warned himself: ¡°No, no, I don¡¯t **** fans!¡±

 CH 10

    The snow outside has stopped. Xu RenDong followed the direction of his memory and took Lian Qiao to the church. The helmet-like church roof unique to Russia appeared in front of him and Lian Qiao was surprised and swallowed.


    ¡°It looks like Kisses chocolate¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong has been waiting for these words for a long time. He took out two chocolates and dangled them in front of Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes: ¡°I happen to have these but they¡¯re not Kisses. Want them?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lian Qiao was surprised and quickly smiled. He said honestly, ¡°Yes!¡±


    Xu RenDong gave him both pieces of chocolate and Lian Qiao asked with some confusion: ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to eat one?¡±


    Xu RenDong was about to say he didn¡¯t want one but after thinking about it, he felt that it was not appropriate. After all, he was still a stranger to Lian Qiao at this time and Lian Qiao might be worried if the chocolate contained some sort of problem. So he took back a piece of chocolate, opened up the candy wrapper and put it in his mouth.


    The chocolate  was too sweet and cloying. Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help but frown quietly.


    At the same time when Lian Qiao had the chocolate in his mouth, he showed a heartfelt happy expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s sweet.¡± He smiled so that his eyes were curled up, ¡°Brother RenDong, thank you.¡±


    Xu RenDong saw that he liked it so very much. If he had known he would have given him the other piece too.


    After sharing the chocolate, the two walked into the church. The chapel was empty at this time and Jesus on the cross bowed his eyes. His expression of compassion was as if he hadn¡¯t changed it in a thousand years. The benches were messy and the chapel was so dusty that it obviously had been left unattended for a long time.


    Xu RenDong pretended to look around in the chapel and then offered to look at the back. When he got to the dim corridor, Xu RenDong remembered the feeling of the cold blade against his neck in the darkness and his body trembled instinctively.


    Lian Qiao looked at his bare neck and frowned, ¡°Are you still cold?¡± He reached out to remove the tie from his sack, ¡°I¡¯ll give it back to you.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Xu RenDong didn¡¯t want to remember too much so he opened the door of the sacristy. The exhibits inside successfully diverted Lian Qiao¡¯s attention. He wowed and rushed in with excitement. Xu RenDong stepped back and said, ¡°You search this one, I¡¯ll go next door.¡±


    Taking advantage of Lian Qiao¡¯s search in the sacristy, Xu RenDong began to fumble around on the corridor walls. He recalled the place where his throat had been cut and very quickly his hand touched something ¡®empty¡¯. His hand actually penetrated the wall!


    Xu RenDong was surprised. He originally thought there was some kind of mechanism here but he didn¡¯t expect that part of the wall could be passed through as though it were made of thin air. He probed around it and found that the gap was about one person wide. From the outside it looked like  a normal wall but there seems to be a lot of space inside.


    Sure enough, this church is not a ¡°Ä¿¡± type structure, but instead there was a room hidden between the sacristy and the prayer room. Lian Qiao should have discovered this already last time but before he could confirm it, Jiang Li took the first step, extinguished the lights in the corridor, dragged him into the secret room and cut his throat.


    At this point, Xu RenDong felt that his throat was itchy and the horror of being cut was still clearly engraved in his body. He suddenly felt very uncomfortable and was extremely reluctant to go in alone so he called out: ¡°Lian Qiao.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m coming, I¡¯m coming!¡± At this time, Lian Qiao looked like a migrant worker during the Spring Festival, with a simple burlap sack made from curtains piled full like a hill on his body. However he didn¡¯t seem to think it was heavy at all. He ran over with a bright smile and a spring in his step, as though he was about to burst into the song ¡°Good Luck¡±.


    Looking at his radiant face, Xu RenDong was afraid that he had probably already emptied the sacristy


    What a sin, a sin.


    Xu RenDong shook his hand and when Lian Qiao saw that half of his arm was buried in the wall, he couldn¡¯t help but exclaim: ¡°This is a hidden room?!¡±


    Xu RenDong took out his phone and turned on the flashlight: ¡°Let¡¯s go in and take a look.¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait. ¡°Lian Qiao stared at the wall and took a deep breath, ¡°Let me psychologically prepare myself¡­¡±


    People are always afraid when facing the unknown, although it should be mentioned that Lian Qiao was already very courageous. However, Xu RenDong already knew what he was dealing with so he stretched out his arm naturally.


    Lian Qiao was taken aback: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°Hold me.¡±


    Lian Qiao glanced at him in surprise. His brain filled in a few gaps, then he flushed vigorously, stammered and backed away a few steps.  He waved his hand, ¡°Com-comrade! Please respect yourself! This is a ghost situation ah! Don¡¯t you know the horror film¡¯s laws of death?¡±


    {Author¡¯s note says that the phrase ¡®Hold me¡¯ or ¡®Hug me¡¯, common in Japanese hentai, can also be interpreted as ¡®f*** me¡¯ lol. Lian Qiao¡¯s brain is being dirty and then he said they can¡¯t because usually couples that have sex in horror movies always die lol.}


    Xu RenDong was confused and raised his arm again: ¡°I mean, if you¡¯re scared, just hold my hand.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Lian Qiao stared at him with big eyes, suddenly took a breath, covered his face and looking terribly ashamed, began to cry. ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°?¡± He had no idea what was happening so could only coldly watch him howl.


    Lian Qiao peeped at Xu RenDong from the crevices of his fingers and realized that he was still looking at himself, so he burst out in shame and shouted again.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t want to waste any more time so he grabbed Lian Qiao¡¯s arm and forcibly dragged Lian Qiao in. Before Lian Qiao could react, his whole person had already passed through the wall and the sound stopped abruptly. There was a dark room in front of him. Xu RenDong held his mobile phone aloft, lighting it using the flashlight.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lian Qiao was suddenly dazzled by a burst of metal reflections. When he could see what the silver-gray thing was, he couldn¡¯t help but be overjoyed, ¡°It¡¯s the elevator! We found the elevator!¡±


    Xu RenDong said ¡°Yeah¡±. He was still looking for the light switch when suddenly the whole room suddenly lit up.


    The circumstances were special when he was dragged in last time. Xu RenDong didn¡¯t have time to observe this place carefully and only then discovered that it was a very empty room. There was nothing in the room except the elevator, not even dust on the floor. The surrounding walls were dazzling white and even the ceiling and the ground were snow white, giving people the feeling of being in a different dimensional space.


    But there were no lights and no switches. Where did the light come from?


    Xu RenDong was puzzled and walked around the elevator. This exit elevator looked exactly the same as the entrance elevator that had sent them in. The fuselage was square and the silver-white metal surface reflected the cold light. The only difference is that the buttons on the elevator were gone, leaving only a circular dent. It seems that Yuan XueMing wasn¡¯t lying to them, they really had to find both the elevator and the elevator button to get out of here.


    Now that the elevator is found, what about the button?


    Before Xu RenDong had time to think, he suddenly heard voices from outside. The two left the hidden room and found that Yuan XueMing and his party had also come to the church. Yuan XueMing asked: ¡°Did you find anything?¡±


    Xu RenDong took them to see the elevator. Everyone was very pleasantly surprised: ¡°Great! Finding the elevator is half the battle won!¡±


    ¡°Next, just collect the dolls, right? Then after that the rabbit will give us the button, right?¡±


    Hope was like a warm flame, illuminating everyone¡¯s face. Yuan XueMing also gave Xu RenDong another approving glance: ¡°You found such a hidden place.¡± After a pause, he asked, ¡°Have you seen the other rooms?


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°I have already searched the sacristy and ransack-.. I mean, explored it. I didn¡¯t find anything useful.¡± Speaking calmly while the huge package was about to slide down his shoulders¡­


    Everyone looked at his bulging backpack with complicated eyes.


    Xu RenDong turned his head silently, inexplicably feeling like an adult who had not educated his child well. Yang XueMing coughed and said, ¡°Then let¡¯s hurry up and search the rest now. ¡°


    Soon, they found the doll in the prayer pavilion. At this time Yuan XueMing was still the leader of the team and the doll was naturally handed over to him.


    Xu RenDong recalled the blizzard they encountered after leaving last time and urged: ¡°Let¡¯s go back early, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s going to snow later.¡±


    Yuan XueMing agreed. Everyone wrapped up their winter clothes again and started the journey. Before leaving, Lian Qiao turned his head and took a deep look at Jesus on the cross. Xu RenDong looked at him with a solemn expression and his heart suddenly tightened, thinking that Jesus was bleeding again but upon a closer look, it wasn¡¯t. After all, they set off earlier this time and the blizzard was still a long way off.


    Xu RenDong asked: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°I was thinking, what exactly is the ¡®holiday¡¯ that the rabbit is referring to.¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback. He was reborn so many times but he never thought about this problem. He always thought that the holiday festival that the rabbit said was just a time limit, meaning that they must find all the dolls within seven days, otherwise¡­


    Otherwise, no one knows what will happen. But obviously, it won¡¯t be anything good.


    At this moment, Yuan XueMing, the leader of the team and who was holding the compass in his hand, turned around and said: ¡°You two, keep up! Be careful not to fall behind!¡±


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao hurried to catch up with the team.


    This time, everyone rushed back to the hut before the blizzard. Today, they not only found a new doll but also found the escape elevator, which was quite rewarding. Everyone was in high spirits but unfortunately the only food in this house was Leba and milk, so there was no way to celebrate with a big meal.


    After dinner, it got dark. Everyone sat around the fire and chatted happily. It hasn¡¯t been two days since they met each other and they were clearly in a world where ghosts and monsters were rampant. Someone had even just died this morning but everyone tacitly ignored these facts and was completely immersed in the joy of hope.


    Xu RenDong sat in the corner and played with the hard wooden matryoshka in his pocket. He knew that at this time they didn¡¯t know that people would continue to die tonight. Their happiness stemmed from ignorance and the harmonious and friendly atmosphere at this moment was like a fleeting meteor flashing across the night sky. Soon, they would fall into a new round of fear because of a new death.


    Ignorance was sad and pathetic.


    But how about knowing the result but being unable to change it?


    Xu RenDong sat alone in the silent darkness. He didn¡¯t realize that at this time, his body exuded an aura that no one could get close to, silently rejecting people and relegating them thousands of miles away. Although everyone was talking and laughing, no one came to talk to him. Even the two young girls who were fascinated by his looks just watched from a distance, not daring to come close.


    Only Lian Qiao sat beside him. Seeing that he seemed to be in a bad mood, he didn¡¯t force a conversation with him. He just sat there quietly, accompanying him. Guessing that the milk in his hand was cold, he handed him a warm cup.


    The tea party ended like this. Everyone went back to their rooms to rest.


    Lian Qiao still stuck to his body clock and eventually went to sleep. Xu RenDong listened to the even breathing of the person next to him and somehow he felt quite settled. Gradually, he became drowsy.


    However, halfway between being asleep and awake, Xu RenDong suddenly heard a faint scream. The voice was full of despair but it was faint because it was some distance away.


    Xu RenDong woke up suddenly, pricked up his ears and listened to the voice outside. The screams quickly disappeared, replaced by disturbing silence.


    Deathly silence, representing death.


    Lian Qiao slept very heavily and was not awakened by this faint scream. Xu RenDong forced himself to close his eyes but after that he could no longer fall asleep. He simply got out of the bed and went outside to breathe. Unexpectedly, as soon as he opened the door, he saw a flash of light by the corridor window.


    ¡°Hey.¡± In the darkness, Yuan XueMing turned his head and let out a breath of smoke leisurely, ¡°Can¡¯t sleep?¡±


    Xu RenDon : ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Yuan XueMing took out the cigarette box: ¡°Want one?¡±


    Xu RenDong usually restrained himself and rarely smoked. But watching Yuan XueMing¡¯s relaxed posture leaning on the window sill and smoking, he suddenly wanted to indulge. So he walked over and took a cigarette. Unexpectedly, Yuan XueMing¡¯s next sentence made Xu RenDong¡¯s nerves tense again.


    ¡°You lied, didn¡¯t you?¡±

 CH 11

    Xu RenDong was unable to judge what Yuan XueMing meant by ¡°lied¡± for a while so he remained silent, hiding his expression in the darkness.


    Yuan XueMing took a deep puff of smoke and narrowed his eyes in satisfaction. He blew out a circular puff with great enjoyment and then said slowly: ¡°You are definitely not a newcomer.¡±


    Xu RenDong thought for a while and said, ¡°Yes, this is my¡­fourth time.¡±


    This time, his mouth did not lock up. It wasn¡¯t sealed like before. So he understood that he could not tell others about the rebirth after death but he could lie.


    Yuan XueMing nodded: ¡°No wonder you¡¯re so calm, you turned out to be a fourth-time veteran.¡± He handed over a lighter, lit a cigarette for Xu RenDong and then enjoyed his own tobacco.


    The two of them smoked at the window together in silence. Although it was something harmful to the body, it eased their tight nerves and made this deadly night less difficult.


    Xu RenDong asked: ¡°Why do you have insomnia?¡±


    Yuan XueMing replied: ¡°In the real world, I¡¯m lying in the ICU 24 hours a day. I really slept too much. Now that I have the opportunity, I want to walk and move around as much as possible.¡±


    Xu RenDong said in surprise: ¡°You mean you are seriously ill and bedridden but in here you¡¯re healthy?¡± He looked at Yuan XueMing again and found that his cheeks were sunken, his eye circles were black and his complexion was slightly bluish. In the dim yellow light, he really did look sick.


    After entering this world, Yuan XueMing¡¯s mental and physical strength were normal in all aspects so no one thought about it and only assumed he hadn¡¯t slept well. Who could have imagined that he was lying in the intensive care unit in reality?


    Yuan XueMing smiled and said: ¡°It¡¯s more than a serious illness. I¡¯m actually dying. Only in this world of ghosts and monsters do I have a personality. Once I leave and return to the real world, I will fall into a coma again.¡± He stroked his neck with his finger and mimicked making an incision, ¡°Tracheal intubation, have you heard of it? It requires general anesthesia.¡±


    Xu RenDong saw him making gestures on his neck and was immediately reminded of his bad memories. His back was suddenly cold and he always felt that someone would stretch out their hands from behind, drag him into the darkness and then slit his throat.


    He couldn¡¯t help but glance backwards. He happened to see Lian Qiao sleeping peacefully in the bed from the crack of the opened door. For some reason, his heart suddenly calmed down. If felt as if, as long as Lian Qiao was behind him, then he didn¡¯t need to be scared.


    Xu RenDong asked, ¡°What illness do you have?¡±


    ¡°Multiple organ failure.¡± Yuan XueMing smiled. When his cigarette burned out, he took another cigarette from the cigarette case and lit it. Under the faint moonlight, Xu RenDong could see that the cigarette was some kind of expensive brand. Yuan XueMing continued, ¡°Actually, I should have died a long time ago but my family couldn¡¯t let me go so I was pushed into the ICU. My heart, lungs, and kidneys are all no longer good. Every day I have red blood cells, platelets and albumin infusions, relying on these things to hang onto my life. Don¡¯t even mention it, I¡¯m at the best hospital in the country, the best ICU, the technology is really good. Even my body, which is rotten from the inside out, has dragged on for several months. It¡¯s great to be rich.¡±


    Xu RenDong suddenly didn¡¯t know what to say.


    ¡°Guess what I was thinking about when I saw the elevator for the first time?¡± Yuan XueMing¡¯s tone was calm and even a little humorous. ¡°I thought: The Underworld is really advancing with the times now and even sent an elevator to pick people up to go to hell. ¡­ I never expected that the elevator did send me to hell but it¡¯s not the kind of hell I imagined.¡±


    Xu RenDong asked, ¡°When was the first time you entered the elevator?¡±


    Yuan XueMing turned his head and glanced at him, revealing a gentle but helpless smile: ¡°Young man, did you know that there are two types of general anesthesia; deep anesthesia and light anesthesia? Deep anesthesia is complete anesthesia, just like going to sleep completely, people are totally unaware of their surroundings. And light anesthesia just allows you to not feel pain. Your body can¡¯t move but your consciousness is still clear.¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback. This didn¡¯t answer his question but the implications made him feel terrified.


    Yuan XueMing looked at the snowfield outside the window and slowly said: ¡°Every morning, you can hear the doctors and nurses doing their hand-over and hear them walk around. The interns will practice on you. Although the needle sticks don¡¯t hurt, you can hear them discuss how come they can¡¯t find the blood vessels yet, whether they should change direction or not. There¡¯s always people needing to get rescued in the middle of the night. You can hear the doctor on duty doing CPR, all of them panting and tired to death. Whether or not that patient has been successfully rescued or has been relieved from this world, you will have to wait for the next day to find out. Although the person with light anesthesia is conscious, it is still anesthesia after all. You will feel dizzy and the soul seems like it¡¯s floating outside the body. It is connected to the instrument by the infusion tubes. You just wait and wait in a daze, you can hear everything, know everything, just like you are having a lucid dream. You can¡¯t feel the presence of your body¡­ but you are awake.¡± He paused, his smile finally revealed a little sadness, ¡°Think about it, in this state, how could I remember the first time I got into the elevator? When was it?¡±


    Xu RenDong was silent. Yuan XueMing smiled and said, ¡°So in fact, I am still a little grateful for this ghost world. Although it is easy to die here, only here can I feel that I am a person again and that I am still alive.¡±


    His cigarette ran out again. So he took out the third cigarette. Xu RenDong forgot that there was still a cigarette in his hand and at this time the cigarette butt almost burned to his fingers. He simply pinched the cigarette and felt a little complicated for a moment. He lowered his eyes and said, ¡°Take that doll with you and don¡¯t give it to others.¡±


    Yuan XueMing said, ¡°I know, this doll will save my life.¡±


    Xu RenDong was surprised. Yuan XueMing explained: ¡°If you play a lot, you will have a general understanding of the routines here. Like this kind of key prop, it will either kill you or save you. Since the two who died yesterday didn¡¯t have a doll on them, then it proves that the doll can be used to save lives.¡±


    Xu RenDong suddenly felt cold. He remembered that in the last reincarnation, Jiang Li accused Yuan XueMing of using a newcomer to test the conditions of death. At that time, he thought it was Jiang Li who was out of control and overly suspicious but now it seems that Yuan XueMing clearly had such thoughts.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s voice couldn¡¯t help but also became cold: ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you tell everyone?¡±


    Yuan XueMing smiled and shook his head: ¡°You are still inexperienced. What¡¯s the use of telling them? There are only three dolls in total but our team has a total of more than a dozen people. Speak out so everyone will fight each other and shed blood? Everyone wants to save their own life. My life is close to an end. Some people here are young and vigorous, with a lot of life to live. Others, like Xu Hong, can¡¯t die even though she tries so hard. Things are just so strange and fickle. Who can make sense of it?¡± {He¡¯s pointing out that Xu Hong often does things which make people feel like she should be the first one to die; get angry, go off on her own etc etc, not that she actually wants to die or anything.}


    Xu RenDong¡¯s face was cold and he didn¡¯t say a thing. This didn¡¯t anger Yuan XueMing. Instead, he patted him on the shoulder and said in an elder¡¯s cordial tone: ¡°You are still young, maybe you can¡¯t accept this but these are the facts. This is destiny.¡±


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help thinking: Then why is my destiny to die repeatedly? Why me, why only me?


    What did I do wrong to have to go through all this pain?


    Yuan XueMing saw that his face was very bad and comforted him: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We are also destined. If I find a doll again, I will definitely give it to you.¡±


    Xu RenDong resisted and said coldly: ¡°No need.¡±


    Yuan XueMing smiled. ¡°So you and your little friend already have a matryoshka?¡±


    Xu RenDong was shocked. He immediately realized that he was being tricked into revealing something and his expression couldn¡¯t help but change. Yuan XueMing saw his reaction, laughed and said: ¡°¡­ Didn¡¯t I say it? You still lack experience. It¡¯s okay not to want to harm anyone else but you can¡¯t not be on the defence. You should be more careful from now on.¡±


    After he said that, he paced away leisurely and left Xu RenDong alone in the corridor in a complicated mood.


    Is Yuan XueMing an enemy or a friend? He still couldn¡¯t tell.


    Are these old-timers who have experienced the world of ghosts so unfathomable? Jiang Li, Wang Yuan, Yuan XueMing¡­ all of them are very contemplative, plotting every step. If it were not for the ability to reset the world, Xu RenDong would probably die without knowing how he died.


    ¡ªSo how about Lian Qiao?


    Xu RenDong felt his heart constrict and his chest felt uncomfortable. He opened the door and returned to the bed and saw Lian Qiao was still asleep. Lian Qiao slept like an unsuspecting baby, even smacking his lips, like there was a sweet aftertaste in his mouth. There was also a smile at the corner of his lips.


    Suddenly, Xu RenDong had a very familiar feeling, which made him feel more relieved. There wasn¡¯t any reason to think Lian Qiao wasn¡¯t trustworthy.


    Lian Qiao was the only one who he could trust.


    For the first time in his life, Xu RenDong decided to abandon his reason and trust his instincts.


    The next day, Xu RenDong slept in on a rare occasion. He was awakened by Lian Qiao. Lian Qiao told him anxiously that it was noisy outside and that something might have happened again. ¡°Let¡¯s go out and have a look.¡±


    Xu RenDong had anticipated this. He stood up and said: ¡°Okay.¡±


    Sure enough, everyone in the hallway was gathered in front of the door to a certain room. They were whispering to each other and their expressions were not very good. Yuan XueMing was among them and he smiled at Xu RenDong. Xu RenDong looked away in silence.


    It was the two girls who died this time, the two who stared at Xu RenDong last night but never dared to talk to him. Xu RenDong naturally didn¡¯t understand the thoughts of these girls. He only felt that now that they were dead, it was really pitiful to be stared at and commented on by everyone.


    The laughter last night was like an anesthetic and everyone deliberately forgot that they were still in danger. But now, death has come again to shatter everyone¡¯s dreams. Uneasy emotions once again spread in everyone¡¯s hearts.


    Someone collapsed and yelled questioningly: ¡°What are the conditions for ghosts to kill? If this continues, we will all be killed before we can gather all the dolls!¡±


    Xu Hong sneered, staring at Yuan XueMing and said: ¡°Who knows? Didn¡¯t he say that the conditions in each world are different?¡±


    Yuan XueMing ignored her provocation and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the east to search today. I still think that the most important thing is to finish the task as soon as possible and leave.¡±


    Everyone had no objections so they packed their bags and prepared to go out and explore.


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao also returned to their room. Lian Qiao silently stuffed the crowbar into the backpack and then showed a somewhat hesitant expression, looking at him eagerly.


    Xu RenDong asked: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°Brother RenDong, the four people who died yesterday and today have one thing in common, that is they didn¡¯t find a matryoshka. Do you think¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t expect Lian Qiao to guess the conditions of death so quickly. He thought for a while and felt that there was no need to hide from Lian Qiao, so he nodded: ¡°I also think that the death condition is probably this. Actually, I heard the conversation between the rabbit and the two girls last night.¡± He couldn¡¯t tell Lian Qiao that he had experienced death several times so he could only lie. ¡°I heard the rabbit ask them if they had found a matryoshka.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s expression changed: ¡°Then they just¡­?¡±


    Xu RenDong said, ¡°Yeah. ¡°


    Lian Qiao frowned, his expression getting more and more solemn. Xu RenDong thought he was scared so he soothed: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I actually found a matryoshka long ago and put one on you. The two of us should be okay for now.¡±


    Lian Qiao opened his eyes in surprise. He fumbled around on his body and really found a matryoshka. This was the one in the basement, it was only a little bigger than the smallest doll so Xu RenDong was able to hide on him without him knowing it.


    Lian Qiao pinched the doll in his hand and poked it in the face with his fingers. He whispered: ¡°Brother RenDong, when did you hide it? Why didn¡¯t I know about it?¡±


    Xu RenDong said, ¡°While you were sleeping.¡±


    Lian Qiao suddenly snorted and covered his face: ¡°While the ignorant boy was asleep, the man beside him actually did that to him¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± What the hell was this silly boy going on about?


    Lian Qiao moved his finger slightly, and quietly glanced at him from the gap between his fingers: ¡°Brother RenDong, you are so good to me. Do you by any chance have a longstanding secret crush on me?¡±


    Xu RenDong thought seriously and said, ¡°No.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Oh.¡± He put down his hands in disappointment.


    Xu RenDong looked at him and suddenly remembered the night when they first met, Lian Qiao called it the ¡°imprinting effect¡±. He was saved by him and he happened to be the first person he met in this world so Lian Qiao relied on him like a newborn baby bird and trusted him.


    That happened a long time ago and this time Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t remember it anymore. After the world was reset, Lian Qiao¡¯s memory of him was also erased. Nothing was left.


    But Xu RenDong still remembers.


    So he looked into Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes and said seriously: ¡°I treat you well because you are the first little bird I have encountered in this world.¡±


    Lian Qiao was taken aback for a moment and subconsciously looked down somewhere. He looked and then muttered: ¡°I¡¯m not that little.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± Young man, why are your thoughts so dirty?

 CH 12

    After everyone gathered in the living room, the team led by Yuan XueMing set out again to look for more matryoshkas. There was no snow that day but the sky was gray and it was possible that there might be a sudden snowfall later.


    Everyone leaned in close to each other and followed Yuan XueMing without saying a word. The atmosphere was a little depressing. They were like a group of penguins who needed to snuggle together to resist the cold. But as soon as they encounter something, they would immediately transform into wolves baring their teeth, questioning and condemning their companions, even killing them.


    Xu RenDong walked at the end of the team. He whispered into Lian Qiao¡¯s ear: ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone about the conditions of death.¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°I understand. If this is the condition of death then the most dangerous thing is not rabbits but human beings.¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback. He didn¡¯t expect that Lian Qiao, who was younger than him and looked like a frivolous person, actually understood people¡¯s hearts better than him. In that case, he didn¡¯t need to say any more and felt inexplicably at ease.


    Yuan XueMing held the compass and walked with everyone in a fixed direction for a long time but they still didn¡¯t see any buildings. The surrounding trees were getting sparser and it seems that they have reached the edge of the forest.


    Everyone was a little tired so they proposed to stop and rest. They took out the dry bread and milk they brought with them but it was cold and snowy and the milk was also cold. It felt really uncomfortable to drink it.


    Xu RenDong touched the cold milk bottle and hesitated. His stomach was not good, and drinking ice milk made him prone to diarrhea. But due to the intensity of the trek, if he didn¡¯t eat or drink, his body may not be able to take it. Just as he was about to bite the bullet and take a couple of sips, Lian Qiao suddenly handed him a glass bottle of milk.


    ¡°Brother RenDong, you can drink this, it¡¯s warm.¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback. He remembered that the kitchen was filled with milk in cartons but he didn¡¯t see any in glass bottles. Lian Qiao guessed what he was thinking and explained: ¡°I filled it in the glass bottle I found at the church¡­ I washed this bottle carefully and even blanched it with boiling water so it¡¯s not dirty.¡± He put the milk bottle into Xu RenDong¡¯s hand and said, ¡°This way you won¡¯t have diarrhea after drinking it.¡±


    Xu RenDong found that there was still a little bit of temperature on the glass bottle. Only then did he understand that Lian Qiao hid the bottle of milk next to his skin, and warmed the milk with his body temperature along the walk, before taking it out to give to him.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart warmed but he was a little puzzled: ¡°How do you know I can¡¯t drink ice milk?¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±


    Xu RenDong was stunned again. He thought about it carefully and ascertained that he has never mentioned any problems with his stomach since the first time he saw Lian Qiao. So he said very firmly: ¡°I haven¡¯t said it. You must have confused me with someone else.¡±


    Lian Qiao looked blank: ¡°Impossible, I only know you here¡­ and only for two or three days. How could I have gotten it wrong?¡± He was a little unconvinced, racking his brains and thinking, ¡°When did you tell me¡­I feel like you told me personally.¡±


    Xu RenDong thought this was very strange. But because he couldn¡¯t figure it out for a while. Lian Qiao quickly gave up and said aggrieved: ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry about it. Anyway, your stomach is really bad¡­ I finally got it warm¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong touched the warm glass bottle and his heart also became very warm. He decided to stop worrying about these small things. He opened the bottle cap, raised his head and took a few big mouthfuls.


    Lian Qiao looked at the slightly moving Adam¡¯s apple on his snow-white neck. He suddenly thought that Xu RenDong was swallowing a milky white liquid with his own body temperature into his throat. He suddenly uttered a very embarrassed ¡°Ah!¡± and then buried his face in his hands.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°It¡¯s nothing! You drink slowly, don¡¯t choke.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help but imagine Xu RenDong choking. Tears would overflow from the corners of the slightly flushed eyes and his soft lips were stained with milky white liquid. His body was trembling slightly from choking. That scene¡­Lian Qiao felt he was about to get a hard-on and was so scared that he quickly took a gulp of ice milk to calm himself down.


    A small man stood up suddenly and asked stridently: ¡°Is anyone going to pee?¡±


    Xu Hong mocked him mercilessly: ¡°Are you a female student? Do you need someone to go with you when you go to the bathroom?¡±


    The man said angrily: ¡°What¡¯s wrong with being careful? Aren¡¯t you afraid of death?¡±


    Xu Hong snorted coldly, ¡°Then you go a little further, needles make me faint.¡±


    Everyone was confused about the relationship between peeing and fainting but the man realized first and went red. {As in, she¡¯s saying his junk looks like a needle lol.} The man had already seen her horrible temper and didn¡¯t want to bother with her anymore. He gritted his teeth and turned his head away. A couple of other men in the team followed him silently and entered the woods.


    The women looked at the men who were leaving. They probably also wanted to pee but they were too embarrassed to do it around a bunch of strange men or in the wild.


    Lian Qiao was weak and raised his hand: ¡°I want to go too.¡± He found that Xu RenDong was watching him and emphasized with a guilty heart: ¡°I¡¯m really going to pee!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Go on, I¡¯m not going to stop you.¡±


    Lian Qiao glanced at him with a weird expression and ran away quickly.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± Sometimes he felt that Lian Qiao was really suspicious.


    At this time, Yuan XueMing and Xu RenDong were the only two men left. Yuan XueMing walked up to Xu RenDong and said with a smile: ¡°Why don¡¯t you accompany your little buddy?¡±


    Xu RenDong was confused: ¡°Why do I need to go with him? He is not a kid anymore.¡±


    Yuan XueMing looked at him meaningfully. ¡°You are protecting him like this so I thought you would treat him like a child.¡±


    Xu RenDong felt that these words were thoughtless so he didn¡¯t answer and just  silently stuffed the dry bread into his mouth, trying to regain his strength.


    After a while, he suddenly felt something was wrong. Why was Lian Qiao and the others gone for so long? Just when he was starting to worry, he saw some men running out of the woods yelling. Naturally, Lian Qiao was running the fastest. After all, he had the longest legs and his one step was equivalent to two steps from others. Previously, the other men were already jealous of his good looking face and body but now they found out that his physical fitness was also great. No matter how hard they ran, they couldn¡¯t keep up with him and couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit resentful.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡± Lian Qiao rushed to Xu RenDong, grabbed his hand and ran off again.


    Xu RenDong has become accustomed to the mode of being dragged while running so he immediately fully coordinated and even remembered to grab Lian Qiao¡¯s sack with his other hand.


    Although not everyone was sure what was happening, seeing this group of men panicking so hard, they didn¡¯t question it and knew they just had to run now. So the group didn¡¯t care about packing up their things, they just started fleeing for their lives. Everyone still had lingering fears about the dead body from the morning and now they all ran like crazy. No one dared to look back to see if there was an invisible monster chasing behind him.


    It was unknown how many kilometres they ran. The girls were the first to be unable to hold on and their speed gradually slowed down. Jiang Li plopped and fell directly to the ground. She clutched her ankle with a painful expression and it seemed that she really did sprain it this time.


    Xu RenDong noticed a big rock hidden in the snow beside her feet and thought in silence: Ha, this is karma.


    Without hesitation, Wang Yuan turned his head and ran back to Jiang Li¡¯s side. Xu RenDong felt that Lian Qiao also slowed down and turned around frequently, as if he was wondering whether to stop and wait for them. Others ignored the couple and continued to run wildly.


    Everyone ran further. Then the girls really couldn¡¯t hold on anymore, one by one they knelt down in the snow, clutching their chests and gasping for breath. The expression on their faces was desperate.


    Yuan XueMing first stopped and guarded the girls. Somehow a wooden log appeared in his hand and he was staring at the rear warily. Seeing this, the other men also walked back. A little man asked in shock, ¡°It, it didn¡¯t catch up?¡±


    Xu Hong gasped, and sneered: ¡°Even if, it ¡­ did catch up¡­ hu, hu ¡­there is that pair of little lovers back there¡­ what are you afraid of? ¡± She had obviously run out of breath but was still able to dole out ridicule, which really showed how proficient she was in this area.


    The small man was furious: ¡°You just glared at me, right?¡±


    Xu Hong snorted from her nose, turned her head, and seemed too disdainful to look at him again. The man stepped forward two steps and was about to hit her when Yuan XueMing grabbed him and said in a deep voice: ¡°What are you fighting about at a time like this¡­ aren¡¯t you scared of dying?¡±


    The man glared at Xu Hong fiercely then turned his head and walked away. Yuan XueMing glanced at the men who had gone into the woods and asked, ¡°What did you see?¡±


    A man said: ¡°We found a matryoshka but¡­¡± He was embarrassed, as if he didn¡¯t know how to describe the scene he saw.


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°What came out of the matryoshka was a cloud of black mist. The person holding the matryoshka had no time to hide and was drawn into the black mist and was twisted into shreds.¡±


    Although his description was brief, it was extremely vivid. The bloody scene immediately appeared before everyone¡¯s eyes and their faces became ugly. At this time, Wang Yuan supported Jiang Li and limped to keep up with the large group of people. Seeing everyone¡¯s expressions, Wang Yuan asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why did you all stop?¡±


    No one answered him. After a while, Yuan XueMing groaned: ¡°Since that thing isn¡¯t chasing us anymore, I want to go back and see if I can pick up the matryoshka. The women can rest here.¡± He looked at the men present, ¡°Which of you wants to go with me and show me the place where the accident happened?¡±


    The men didn¡¯t speak. Lian Qiao glanced at Xu RenDong. Xu RenDong asked: ¡°Do you want to go?¡±


    Lian Qiao nodded and pursed his lips a little nervously and said, ¡°I want to go, but I¡¯m a bit¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°I¡¯ll come with you.¡±


    Lian Qiao was moved to tears: ¡°Brother RenDong, why are you so good to me?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Because in this world, you are the first small¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s expression was instant sorrowful: ¡°I¡¯m not small, I¡¯m really not small¡­ Shall I take off my pants tonight to show you?¡±


    Xu RenDong was silent for a moment, then changed his words: ¡°Well, you are the first big bird I have encountered in this world.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± Why on earth are you so obsessed with birds?


    As a result, Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao were the only ones willing to go with Yuan XueMing to reclaim the matryoshka. They followed the footprints they left when they ran away. They walked for a long time before returning to the place where the accident happened.


    Xu RenDong saw the corpse of the victim at a glance. As Lian Qiao said, the corpse was twisted into shreds. And it happened to be done in a 360 circle. The head and feet were still on the same surface but the body now formed a complete twisted spiral. The man died in a terrible state. The entire spinal column was broken and the dislocation of broken bones pierced through the skin, revealing a section of white bones. The blood soaked his clothes and dyed the snow into a huge red flower. The scene was extremely horrible.


    Looking at the scene, Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help but remember Lian Qiao being smashed to death in the head by Brother Sledgehammer the first two times he¡¯d come out of the elevator. He couldn¡¯t help but turn his head, glancing at Lian Qiao. But what he saw suddenly made him want to laugh. He saw Lian Qiao covering his mouth and twitching his shoulders, not crying, but hiccupping.


    He couldn¡¯t stop his hiccups and his face was very aggrieved. He looked at Xu RenDong as if begging for help but Xu RenDong spread his hands, indicating that he didn¡¯t know how to stop the hiccups. Just accept it ba.


    Yuan XueMing picked up the unscrewed doll from the foot of the corpse. At this time, the doll was empty and the black mist was missing. Lian Qiao suddenly showed a very subtle expression when he saw him holding the matryoshka in his hand. He was about to talk but he choked again and it turned into a big hiccup.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± Hold it back, don¡¯t laugh, there is still a tragic dead body here.


    As soon as Yuan XueMing put the doll in his pocket, Lian Qiao managed to get out, ¡°Brother Yuan, you¡¯d better wipe it with snow first¡­hic, this doll has just been peed on.¡±


    Yuan XueMing¡¯s face twisted. Lian Qiao explained: ¡°When we peed, the urine poured into the snow and that¡¯s when we saw the matryoshka. So¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong noticed that Lian Qiao suddenly stopped hiccuping, showing that the fear in his heart had been replaced by other emotions. Xu RenDong wanted to laugh a little  but he felt that it was very impolite to laugh now so he held back and cast an upright and sympathetic look at Yuan XueMing.


    Yuan XueMing¡¯s mouth twitched for a while and he said painfully: ¡°Forget it, I¡¯ve already put it in my pocket. Just, just leave it for now.¡±


    Lian Qiao sincerely suggested, ¡°Then don¡¯t forget to wash your hands when you go back and before you eat any bread.¡±


    Yuan XueMing and Xu RenDong had a tasteful picture in their minds at the same time.


    Yuan XueMing: ¡°¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t hold back anymore and laughed. Yuan XueMing gave them a complex expression and said: ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go back and gather with the others.¡±


    Lian Qiao asked: ¡°Shall we still continue going east?¡±


    Yuan XueMing: ¡°That¡¯s my intention, why?¡±


    Lian Qiao glanced at the corpse on the ground and sighed: ¡°Now there are dolls hidden in the snow. Do you know what that means?¡±


    Yuan XueMing narrowed his eyes: ¡°What does it mean?¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°It means that this instance is actually very difficult. We may all die here.¡±

 CH 13

    When Lian Qiao said this, Xu RenDong and Yuan XueMing cast surprised glances at him at the same time.


    Lian Qiao continued: ¡°There were no markings around this doll in the snow, otherwise I would have seen it. The trees next to the doll are also very common and have no special characteristics. That is to say, the doll was completely randomly distributed and it¡¯s also hidden inside the snow. We were really lucky to find it. But this kind of luck cannot be duplicated. If the other dolls are like this, even if there is only one other, then we may never find it. Do you understand what I mean?¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded and Yuan XueMing was silent. Lian Qiao said, ¡°Also, there are ghosts inside the matryoshka which we have never encountered before.¡±


    Yuan XueMing said, ¡°Then let¡¯s not open them.¡±


    Lian Qiao shook his head, ¡°No, have you forgotten how we got the compass? If we didn¡¯t get the compass, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to find the church. Even if we find it, it¡¯s easy to get lost in the snow. So there is a probability that there will be props that are helpful to us inside the matryoshka. However, it is also possible to open a trap. But before opening the matryoshka, we won¡¯t know which one it is and whether or not to avoid it.¡±


    Xu RenDong suddenly thought of something: ¡°Lian Qiao, do you still remember Brother Sledgehammer who guards the smallest doll? If we prepare in advance then we may be able to avoid the trap.¡±


    In this reincarnation, it was another person in the team who picked up the smallest doll. Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao did not directly encounter Brother Sledgehammer but they learned from the statements of other teammates that Brother Sledgehammer was the same as last time.


    Lian Qiao understood and said: ¡°I know what you mean. Brother Sledgehammer is a treasure guard. He has a defensive range so even if the treasure is stolen, as long as you leave his defensive range, he won¡¯t keep chasing you.¡± He paused, and sighed helplessly, ¡°But this time is different. This ghost killed as soon as it came out. It belongs to the ¡°kill at first sight¡± type. You can¡¯t hide from this type, even if it was me¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao has the best physical fitness and the fastest on-the-spot reaction in the entire team. He witnessed the killing process of black graffiti and knew how terrifying the traps in the dolls were. Since even he can¡¯t avoid it, it¡¯s impossible for anyone else in the team to do it.


    The game terminology in his remarks was a bit too much. Xu RenDong can only roughly understand it and Yuan XueMing was at a loss. When Lian Qiao explained to Yuan XueMing, Xu RenDong had an idea in his heart: Since they couldn¡¯t hide from the ¡°kill at first sight¡± monsters, then shouldn¡¯t he be the one to open the dolls in the future?


    Anyway, after he died he could be reborn and every time the world was reset. However the things that came out of the dolls were fixed. He really wasn¡¯t a Holy Mother and didn¡¯t want to sacrifice himself to protect others but he also wanted to leave this ghost world as soon as possible.


    He has been trapped here for too long. After so many deaths and resets, he has experienced more horror and pain than anyone else. He was afraid his psyche would collapse if he continued it much longer. So he put forward his ideas frankly.


    As soon as Xu RenDong finished speaking, the faces of Yuan XueMing and Lian Qiao changed.


    Lian Qiao said immediately: ¡°No!¡± The tone was decisive and there was no room for negotiation.


    Xu RenDong said calmly: ¡°Now that everyone knows that there will be ghosts in the matryoshka then probably no one will dare to open them. But someone has to do it, we can¡¯t sit around and wait.¡±


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°Then it can¡¯t always be you. It¡¯s not fair.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Lian Qiao was very agitated: ¡°I care!¡±


    Xu RenDong gave Lian Qiao a surprised look. He found that even though Lian Qiao had a tough attitude this time around, his eyes still showed strong anxiety. He thought for a while and felt that there was only one reason why Lian Qiao¡¯s reaction was so intense. He was afraid that if Xu RenDong died, there would be no one to protect him. So he soothed him by saying: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if something happens to me, Brother Yuan will take care of you.¡± He turned to look at Yuan XueMing, ¡°Right, Brother Yuan?¡±


    Yuan XueMing nodded, ¡°You can rest assured about this. But I don¡¯t understand why you want to do this?¡±


    Xu RenDong hadn¡¯t replied when Lian Qiao grabbed his hand that Xu RenDong had put on his face and said angrily: ¡°I¡¯m not worried about that! It¡¯s unfair, you know? Everyone wants to get out. Why should you be the one to take a risk and sacrifice yourself? What makes you so great?¡±


    Lian Qiao became more excited as he spoke.. Even his eyes became slightly red. He was obviously angry but because of this slightly fragile look, he also seemed to be aggrieved to the point of crying.


    Xu RenDong suddenly felt very confused. He didn¡¯t understand why Lian Qiao was feeling wronged? What was he angry about?


    Wasn¡¯t there no previous memory? To Lian Qiao, he should be just a stranger he met by chance. Why was he reacting so much?


    Lian Qiao grasped his hand hard, pinched his wrist so that he was forced to look at him and said: ¡°If you have to do this, then I¡¯ll do it with you and we will take turns.¡±


    Xu RenDong sighed: ¡°Why bother? I have my own reasons.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes were red but his eyes were firm: ¡°I also have my reasons.¡±


    Xu RenDong said, ¡°Believe me, I have a way to save my life. I won¡¯t have an accident.¡±


    Lian Qiao ¡°I won¡¯t agree!¡±


    Xu RenDong felt helpless.


    Yuan XueMing watched these two people silently and suddenly laughed: ¡°I really don¡¯t understand you. Now there are 13 people left in our team but there are only six matryoshka dolls found. Since the condition for the rabbit to kill is that you don¡¯t have a doll, then the remaining seven people should be rushing to open the doll, otherwise why should it be given to them? So why are you two rushing ahead?¡±


    Lian Qiao sighed, ¡°I have considered this situation like you¡¯ve said too. But if that¡¯s the case, do you think the others would be more willing to take the risk to open a new doll or be more willing to take advantage of their teammates¡¯ lack of attention?¡± {ie, they¡¯d probably rather try to steal/snatch an existing doll off someone else rather than find a new one and have to open it.}


    Xu RenDong frowned and touched his neck subconsciously. He again thought of Jiang Li who had killed him.


    Yuan XueMing spread his hands and said: ¡°It¡¯s about the same. Anyway, there are still four days left within the time limit. If we don¡¯t find a complete set of dolls, everyone will die in the end. It¡¯s only a matter of dying earlier or dying later, it depends on your ability.¡±


    This discussion had no results and it is up to everyone to decide their own fate in the end. So the three of them returned to the team in silence and talked about the content of the discussion just now. Everyone went silent after listening and the already depressed atmosphere became more solemn at this time. The seven people who did not have a doll so far all stared at Yuan XueMing.


    Yuan XueMing said: ¡°I know what you are thinking. I don¡¯t think anyone is thinking about finding any new matryoshka anymore so let¡¯s go back for today.¡±


    It started to snow again on the way back but fortunately it wasn¡¯t a storm this time but only light snow. The fine snowflakes floated over the face and quickly melted. When everyone returned to the hunter¡¯s lodge, a thin layer of ice had formed on their eyebrows.


    But everyone¡¯s heart is colder than their bodies.


    After lighting the fireplace, Yuan XueMing generously took out four matryoshka dolls. He took out the one he found and gave the other two to their respective discoverers. Since the discoverer of the fourth doll has been twisted into shreds, he let the remaining seven people play ¡®guess the box¡¯ to determine the winner and the person who won kept the doll.


    Later Yuan XueMing announced: If you find a doll in the future, it will belong to the discoverer. But the discoverer has the right to give the matryoshka to another person.


    Everyone has no opinion on this, just tacit understanding of each other. When they looked at each other, their guards were up.


    Yuan XueMing did not mention the two dolls that Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao kept privately, which greatly reduced the threat of their teammates to them. Xu RenDong was very grateful for this but still dared not regard Yuan XueMing as a partner.


    After a day of trekking, everyone was tired. Xu RenDong returned to his room, feeling his muscles were sore. He sat on the edge of the bed and kneaded his calves to relax his body.


    Lian Qiao went to the kitchen and boiled two cups of hot milk to give him and appeared as though he wanted to have a long conversation with him. But seeing Xu RenDong¡¯s tired face, he dismissed the idea and lay down to sleep with him .


    After going to bed, he kept tossing and turning, and couldn¡¯t sleep even after the sleeping time on his body clock passed. Xu RenDong fell asleep very early. He slept until at midnight when he was awakened by a piteous scream. The two people jumped off the bed at almost the exact same time.


    ¡°Is it Jiang Li?¡± Lian Qiao looked at the door of the room with a hint of pity.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Xu RenDong said. ¡°The two of them still don¡¯t have a doll.¡±


    Lian Qiao was silent. Sitting side by side on the bed, the two heard a woman¡¯s scream, a man¡¯s low growl then chaotic footsteps and the sound of tables and chairs falling over from a room not far away. The series of noises seemed particularly harsh in the silent night. No one proposed going over to save them. After all, the two of them knew better than anyone else how helpless they were in front of the ghosts.


    Lian Qiao listened for a while with his ears upright and suddenly called out in a low voice: ¡°Brother RenDong.¡±


    Xu RenDong said, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯m here.¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°I¡¯m not afraid, I¡¯m thinking about what you said during the day. Your words made it seem like you were ready to die. Isn¡¯t there anything in your world worthy of living for? I¡¯m not talking about this place, I¡¯m talking about the real world outside.¡±


    Xu RenDong was silent. He suddenly realized that what Lian Qiao said might not be wrong.


    He was an orphan and grew up in an orphanage. Because of his excellent grades, he completed his studies on a scholarship. After graduating from university, he successfully entered a financial company. On the surface, his life was beautiful and smooth but when he came home every day and faced an empty apartment, he always felt empty in his heart.


    No one was waiting for him to go back. Perhaps even if he died here quietly, no one would care.


    Although he has a stoic character, he has been alone for so many years and his heart still felt loneliness.


    Lian Qiao said suddenly: ¡°But I don¡¯t want you to die.¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback and Lian Qiao said: ¡°It might be weird for me to say it since we have only known each other for two or three days, but I think you are very familiar¡­ Where could we have met before? Is it just that we both forgot?¡±


    He turned his head and stared at Xu RenDong with a confused, questioning and expectant look.


    Xu RenDong looked at him and thought: You forgot, I didn¡¯t.


    ¡°But if we see each other often, maybe we will remember it one day?¡± Lian Qiao looked at him seriously, ¡°It¡¯s just like a toy that I hid away when I was a child. When I grow up, I can¡¯t remember it at all but there¡¯s always a chance I¡¯ll find it again. Then I¡¯ll look at it and think; hey back then I really liked playing with this. Eventually I¡¯ll remember it. And isn¡¯t the feeling of discovering something you¡¯ve forgotten before pretty great?¡±


    Xu RenDong smiled. The little bit of sorrow and grief inside his heart suddenly disappeared. He pulled on the quilt: ¡°Let¡¯s talk about this when we get out.¡±


    Lian Qiao curved his eyes: ¡°Yeah.¡±


    When Xu RenDong closed his eyes, he felt something big and warm very close to him.


    That night, he slept exceptionally peacefully.


    The author has something to say:


    I really want to sleep in the blanket with a large dog x


    Jinjiang Literature and the author wish my dear readers and friends: Peace and happiness during the Spring Festival holiday! At the same time, we warmly remind everyone to wash hands frequently, wear masks, ventilate more and gather less!


    Don¡¯t go out and read novels at home! Love you guys!

 CH 14

    The next day.


    It was the fourth day since they¡¯d come into the world and people were already used to the discovery of bodies in the morning. When they saw the blood seeping out from under the door, they just lifted their legs and walked past it. It seemed they thought that even the effort of having to open the door to check if the person inside was living or dead was pointless.


    Yuan XueMing, as the recognized leader, still went inside to check. Xu RenDong didn¡¯t  want to see the death of Jiang Li so he just waited for Yuan XueMing to come out and asked: ¡°Are they both dead?¡±


    Yuan XueMing said, ¡°Yes. Wang Yuan was really a man.¡±


    Xu RenDong asked: ¡°What?¡±


    Yuan XueMing: ¡°He held Jiang Li in his arms all the way until he died. All the flesh on his body was gnawed, there wasn¡¯t a shred of clean meat left, but he didn¡¯t let go.¡±


    This little couple really loved each other deeply. Xu RenDong recalled that Jiang Li had also killed him for Wang Yuan and felt complicated. He didn¡¯t speak again.


    The two men came downstairs and before they even reached the kitchen, they heard a violent quarrel.


    ¡°Are you trying to burn me?¡± The short man that Xu Hong had quarreled with yesterday slapped the milk onto the ground, the expression on his face both ferocious and proud. ¡°Is it because I guessed correctly and won yesterday, so you resent me?¡±


    Xu Hong was handing out milk to everyone. She turned to look at the stains on the floor and said coldly, ¡°Then don¡¯t drink it. Clean the floor too in case a dirty floor is also a death condition. You just got the doll, then it would really be a waste.¡±


    Xu RenDong realized that the two of them had an argument just because the milk was too hot. Yesterday after that quarrel, the two of them still had anger in their hearts, plus the small-hearted man had won the doll and felt immediately smug as though he¡¯d won a battle over Xu Hong. As for Xu Hong, she didn¡¯t make any more drastic moves, but was unwilling to let go of him with her mouth.


    The two people argued and looked like they were about to get into another physical fight. Yuan XueMing came forward and advised: ¡°Hey, why are you fighting again? Aren¡¯t there more important things to worry about?


    Xu Hong, holding her glass of milk, sat down coldly in the farthest place from the man.


    Xu RenDong went to Lian Qiao¡¯s  side. Lian Qiao had helped him get breakfast and handed it to him, whispering, ¡°The milk is a little hot, you be careful.¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded.


    Lian Qiao muttered, ¡°That man is a bit crazy. Does he really think Xu Hong wants to burn him to death so that she can inherit his doll?¡± This statement made Xu RenDong want to laugh a little. But because Xu Hong was sitting opposite him, he could only raise his mouth very restrainedly.


    Yuan XueMing: ¡°Today I want to go south to explore, are there any objections?¡±


    Yuan XueMing, as a veteran, was also the oldest of these groups. In the past when he made a decision no one objected. But this time, someone quickly raised their hand. It was the little man who said, ¡°I¡¯m not feeling well, I don¡¯t want to go today.¡±


    People looked askance at each other and their faces had changed.  Two others said the same thing: ¡°Me too!¡±


    All three happen to have dolls in their possession and their meaning is obvious: now that they already have a doll, it is safer for the time being to stay in the house. As for exploration, it was better to let other people go.


    Xu Hong coldly said: ¡°Oh, you guys are very good at self-protection. Very admirable!¡±


    The little man was very proud: ¡°I admire you too. You¡¯re going to die soon and are still so calm.¡±


    Others who also didn¡¯t have a doll heard these words and showed anger on their faces. A hot-tempered, tall man even slapped the table and stood straight up: ¡°What the hell are you saying!¡±


    The little man saw this man was in shape and knew that he would lose in a fight so he hurriedly apologized: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, big brother, I don¡¯t mean you. I just can¡¯t get used to that woman, there¡¯s no other meaning.¡±


    The strong man¡¯s face twisted. Xu Hong sneered: ¡°Leave him alone. If we can¡¯t find the complete set of dolls, everyone will die.¡±


    Seeing the team fall apart, Yuan XueMing didn¡¯t look anxious. He had already anticipated the situation and ate breakfast on his own. Xu Hong suddenly turned her head and looked at him and said, ¡°Brother Yuan.¡±


    This way of speaking surprised Yuan XueMing.


    Since she came to the world, Xu Hong had been loath to deal with anyone. Today she was actually so polite to him, it was clear that she wanted something.


    Xu Hong said, ¡°Today I¡¯m not going with you. I want to go north. Let¡¯s split up, maybe the probability of finding a set is a little higher. You are the backbone of the team and also a veteran, so everyone would want to go with you. So can you lend me the compass today so that I can also get a bit of backing for my team?¡±


    Yuan XueMing was surprised and even Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao began to look at Xu


    Hong differently. They thought Xu Hong was a sharp and small-minded woman with a bad temper, but they didn¡¯t expect that when she needed to be calm she was also capable of doing it. She had thought about the situation calmly and didn¡¯t panic, and her request was not excessive and could even be considered reasonable.


    The team began to appreciate this woman more.


    By contrast, the three men who wanted to stay home to keep their lives just because they already had a doll were too small-minded.


    So, with the exception of the three men, the crowd was divided into two teams. One team went south, one team went north, looking for more dolls.


    In the evening however both teams returned without success. It had been a futile day and they had neither found new dolls nor new buildings. They walked a dozen kilometers in two different directions, only to see the snow and more snow, as if only snow remained in this world. The day was wasted.


    At night, everyone was so depressed that they didn¡¯t even have much fun eating dinner. Only Xu Hong is still swallowing dry bread mouthful by mouthful. She even found a pen and paper and hand drew a map of the explored area in a rough picture.


    Two more people were killed by rabbits that night. This time, almost everyone heard the screams of the two men before they died. Then a girl broke down and didn¡¯t even put on her coat before running out of the hut crying. Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao stood in the window, watching the girl run farther and farther, no one spoke. By the next morning, the girl still hadn¡¯t returned.


    The crowd gathered in the dining room, knowing that time was running out for them. However, yesterday¡¯s futility made everyone¡¯s morale extremely low so when Yuan XueMing and Xu Hong discussed the next step to explore, someone laughed bitterly: ¡°Still want go out? What¡¯s the point! If I have to die, I¡¯d rather die in a warm house than freeze to death outside!¡±


    No one answered but it was clear that everyone was affected by the negativity. There were too few people willing to go out to explore, not enough to form two teams. So on this day, there were only six people willing to go out including Xu RenDong. They marched toward the unexplored west side and looked very carefully the whole way. They even flipped the snow with branches in the hopes that they would come across a doll by chance just like last time.


    Unfortunately, this time they still didn¡¯t find anything. As they dejectedly returned to the hut, the last light of hope in the eyes of the remaining companions was extinguished. This time, even Yuan XueMing has lost his appeal, because of the people who didn¡¯t have a doll, all had died except Xu Hong.


    Yuan XueMing asked Xu Hong: ¡°Do you want to go again?¡±


    Xu Hong said: ¡°Of course, we still have time.¡±


    Yuan XueMing smiled bitterly: ¡°But we¡¯ve already been to all the places we can go.¡±


    Xu Hong was silent. At dawn, they found that Xu Hong had disappeared. Even until evening she didn¡¯t return, so no one knew where she had gone. No one knew if she had been killed by a rabbit or died in a trap. But there wasn¡¯t any time to worry about that, because one more night would be the end of the rabbit¡¯s seven day period. That night everyone had insomnia, most people hadn¡¯t been able to eat for two or three days. They were all like straw men, completely numb with no sense of life.


    Only the three of them: Xu RenDong, Yuan XueMing and Lian Qiao were still eating and drinking. It was only that they were kept up at night by the howls and wails of their teammates. Xu RenDong was not afraid because he was used to it. Yuan XueMing was someone who in the real world had one foot in the coffin, so he was ambivalent about being in a situation of life and death.


    Liam Qiao was also calm which made Xu RenDong surprised.


    He asked Lian Qiao: ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid?¡±


    Lian Qiao hugged the crowbar and said with child-like ferocity, ¡°I think we can still put up a fight!¡±


    Finally, it was the day of the final judgment.


    In the morning, the crowd went downstairs in silence, standing like dark shadows. Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao were in good spirits. Lian Qiao even ate more than usual, filling up his strength in preparation for a fight.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been eating Leba for seven days, I feel like I¡¯m going to throw up!¡± Lian Qiao said this while viciously gnawing bread and chugging milk.¡±When I go out, first I¡¯m going to eat hot pot, then a barbeque and at night I¡¯m going to eat a family feast!¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded silently. After so many reincarnations, he couldn¡¯t remember how many days he had eaten bread. Now when he sees Leba he wants to vomit and his desire to get out was definitely stronger than everyone else present.


    When the other people looked at the two of them who still had the ability to joke around, there was a hint of envy in their lifeless eyes.


    Just as Lian Qiao was worrying whether or not he was going to get constipation due to the lack of eating vegetables, the door suddenly sounded. There were three sharp knocks and all of a sudden everyone¡¯s body tightened up.


    Everyone¡¯s eyes focused on Yuan XueMing and Yuan XueMing also did not shirk his duties. He got up and said: ¡°I will open the door.¡±


    The crowd nodded in despair. Yuan XueMing opened the door and they saw the rabbit in the gold tuxedo. He was even wearing a top hat today and really looked dressed up and ready to celebrate the holiday. Standing on both hind legs and excitedly holding his front paws, the rabbit asked, ¡°Have you gathered all the gifts together?¡±


    The people in the room took out their doll sets and put them on the table one by one. The rabbit opened his mouth: ¡°Very good, very good! You¡¯re all obedient!¡±


    It has a very pleasant and lively tone. Had it not been for a few drops of dark red blood on the rabbit¡¯s lips, he would have looked like a true-blue, friendly celebration mascot.


    But all of us have seen the tragedy of their companions being broken to pieces and naturally will not be confused by this illusion. Everyone bowed their heads and dared not look at the rabbit. They only felt chilled.


    Sure enough, when the rabbit counted only six dolls on the table, his furry face instantly twisted.


    ¡°Why are there only these?¡±


    Its voice became sharp and shrill and the gray rabbit¡¯s hair stood up, looking like an angry cat with its tail in the air. Although its body was like a cat, the two long rabbit ears stood upright on its head like tombstones. At this point it becomes like a mutated evil experiment, both deformed and strange, with a strong feeling of malice all over it.


    The faces of the people have become extremely ugly but in the tense atmosphere, they didn¡¯t dare to speak, for fear that the rabbit would pounce on them in the next second and tear them to pieces.


    At this point Lian Qiao suddenly spoke, ¡°You calm down. The rest of the set, it¡¯s all here on me.¡±


    The author has something to say: ¡°High danger warning ahead, non-combatants immediately withdraw!¡±

 CH 15

    The rabbit¡¯s expression immediately eased up and the black hair which had been standing up like needles returned to softness. He sniffed his powdery nose and said in a soft tone, ¡°Then bring it out quickly, it¡¯s almost time for the celebrations to begin!¡±


    Lian Qiao put his hand into his pocket. Xu RenDong, on the side, suddenly asked: ¡°What kind of festival is it today?¡±


    As soon as he asked this, the rabbit squirmed. His lips slightly cocked up, making an expression that seemed to be laughing. Of course, no one can read anything from this rabbit¡¯s face. Fortunately, Xu RenDong didn¡¯t expect to get an answer because the moment the rabbit turned around, Lian Qiao suddenly pulled out a crowbar from behind his back and smacked it into the rabbit¡¯s head.


    Bang!


    The rabbit was caught off guard and was smashed in the head. But the sound of a crowbar hitting it on the head was strange and particularly crisp, like the sound of a vase falling to the ground and breaking. Little by little, the rabbit twisted his head back, his neck clicked, and his mouth made an unpleasant grinding sound.


    ¡°How dare you hit me?¡± The rabbit ground his back teeth and asked in a dark manner.


    ¡°Idiot! Do I need to pick a good date to hit you?¡± At this critical juncture, Lian Qiao still had the mind to tell jokes. But the movement of his hand was not slow. He aimed at the center of the rabbit body, brandishing the crowbar like a bat and slammed it into the rabbit again.


    There was that weird, crisp noise again that the rabbit flew straight up like a baseball that had been hit, and slammed into the fireplace wall. Lian Qiao¡¯s strength was great and from the heavy collision it was obvious that he¡¯d hit the rabbit hard.


    But as soon as it touched the ground, it jumped up like a spring and pounced towards Lian Qiao.


    The hit just now in the chest was obviously not as damaging as the one on its head in the beginning. At this point it had shed its cute disguise and sharp fangs protruded from its mouth. The fangs obviously did not belong to a herbivore and there were even shreds of meat still stuck in the teeth, making people shudder. If you were bitten by this pair of fangs, even your flesh and bones will be gnawed to pieces!


    Fortunately, Xu RenDong was already prepared. As soon as Lian Qiao sent the rabbit flying, he grabbed a thick piece of wood from the fireplace. The moment the rabbit jumped up from the ground, Xu RenDong reacted quickly and smacked it in its stomach, immediately sending it back into the wall!


    After that he didn¡¯t let go but used the log to pin the rabbit against the wall. The rabbit was furious but because its four feet were off the ground, it couldn¡¯t find a purchase point and could only bite and claw at Xu RenDong, trying to tear off his skin with its sharp claws.


    Xu RenDong looked very pitiful as he both ahd to try to suppress the rabbit while struggling to escape the rabbit¡¯s attack. He didn¡¯t think that the rabbit¡¯s little body contained such a powerful force. As an adult man, he couldn¡¯t even suppress a rabbit.


    ¡°Brother Yuan!¡± Xu RenDong called. ¡°Help!¡±


    Everyone was stunned by this violent duo. Even Yuan XueMing didn¡¯t think that they¡¯d actually dare to attack the rabbit. But Yuan XueMing reacted quickly and immediately rushed to the other side of the rabbit and helped Xu RenDong by holding down the other side of the log. Meanwhile Lian Qiao, who was brandishing the crowbar, swung again towards the rabbit!


    Lian Qiao gritted his teeth and slammed it repeatedly into the rabbit¡¯s head.


    The rabbit struggled angrily, and Yuan XueMing and Xu RenDong could barely suppress him. The rabbit¡¯s four legs struggled madly in the air. Lian Qiao dodged but was kicked several times in the stomach. His clothes were soon scratched by the claws and blood seeped out of the wounds, and the wound was close to his intestines!


    ¡°Lian Qiao! Don¡¯t just hit f***ing hit it¡¯s head!¡± Xu RenDong was so panicked that even swear words came out. ¡°Cripple it! Break all four of its legs!¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just die!¡± Lian Qiao was almost crying. The rabbit¡¯s head was smashed so badly that his eyes had rotted into sauce and it continued to stare hatefully at Lian Qiao. His hands and legs also didn¡¯t stop moving so Lian Qiao followed Xu RenDong¡¯s instructions and focused on them instead.


    Only a few squeals were heard and the rabbit¡¯s legs made a cracked sound of porcelain. Lian Qiao wasted one after the other, until the four rabbit legs were crushed by him. Only when fur was the only thing left connecting the limbs, did he dare to stop.


    However even though its entire¡¯s body¡¯s joints were broken, the rabbit still burst out in a struggle of amazing strength. The bloody and fuzzy body struggled like a dying fish against the two people holding it down.


    Xu RenDong exclaimed: ¡°Brother Yuan, hold on!¡±


    Yuan XueMing gritted his teeth, and he didn¡¯t even have the time to talk.


    The rabbit stared viciously at Lian Qiao. It¡¯s features were already so distorted it couldn¡¯t be recognized but Lian Qiao could feel its strong resentment.


    If the two people let go, then probably the rabbit would turn into a knife made of flesh and bone, and impale him until his brain juice was flowing and splashed onto the ground.


    Lian Qiao was frightened by his own imagination and closed his eyes and wailed louder than anyone else while also continuing to beat the rabbit with more force than anyone else.


    The onlookers were stunned. They watched Lian Qiao swing the crowbar repeatedly in the air with such enormous force that the two ends of the wooden log that Yuan XueMing and Xu RenDong were holding shook violently. The two people look pitiful, both being knocked around by him but not daring to let go.


    An unknown amount of time later, Xu RenDong finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Lian Qiao.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Ahhhhhhh! Why aren¡¯t you dying!! Why don¡¯t you die!!!!¡±


    Xu RenDong said helplessly: ¡°Lian Qiao, it¡¯s dead! You¡¯re beating me and Brother Yuan now.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Huh?¡± Lian Qiao opened his eyes and finally stopped. He was so scared his eyes were red but behind the log, the rabbit had already been turned into a weak, helpless lump of rotten meat.


    Xu RenDong and Yuan XueMing let go of the log and the fuzzy flesh and blood thing snapped and fell to the ground. At this time the rabbit hair has been stained with blood, so much so that the original color could not be seen. All the smashed internal organs had been squeezed out of the ruined fur, giving off an animal¡¯s unique stench.


    The rabbit¡¯s head, which had been hit in a series of blows by Lian Qiao, had almost been crushed into stuffing. The mass contained red blood, white brain matter, gray rabbit hair and two wet, sticky black eyes and a small pink tongue hanging outside. Even more frightening was that the whole rabbit mass was still spasming and twitching. It was unknown if it was just a muscle reaction or if it was not fully dead.


    The picture was so disgusting that several people vomited.


    ¡°¡­¡­ Goddamn.¡± Lian Qiao was stunned by his masterpiece and grunted, swallowing. ¡°There should be a mosaic here, otherwise the video won¡¯t can¡¯t be broadcasted.¡±


    Xu RenDong, whose face was splashed with blood, and Yuan XueMing: ¡°¡­..¡±


    ¡°Is it dead?¡± A man who just vomited, turned his head and took a look. Then turned back around and vomited again.


    Yuan XueMing took the log and sorted through the meat on the ground. ¡°If it¡¯s still not dead, then we have no chance.¡±


    Xu RenDong agreed. Although the rabbit is only half a person tall, its strength was amazing and it¡¯s vitality was also extremely fierce.  If it hadn¡¯t been for Lian Qiao¡¯s sudden fierce and fast attack which caught it off guard, the three of them definitely wouldn¡¯t have been able to beat it.


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°I think we should add one more injury.¡±


    Xu RenDong can¡¯t help but admire Lian Qiao. He thought; Young people are really fierce. The rabbit has already been smashed into meat sauce by you, even if you want to injure it one more time, where are you going to start?


    Yuan XueMing was also surprised: ¡°What kind of injury?¡±


    Lian Qiao stared at the fresh rabbit meat and touched his chin: ¡°Maybe¡­ turn it into rabbit soup? We should really change our diet.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s faces went green and red and a whole assortment of colors in a flash. Each expression was more thrilling than the last. The person who had been vomiting just now felt his legs become wobbly and he nearly knelt down in front of Lian Qiao.


    Xu RenDong thought hard for a moment: ¡°Better not. I have a bad stomach and probably can¡¯t digest it.¡±


    Other people: ¡°¡­..¡± Your focus is totally wrong ah! No wonder the two of you can be friends!


    Yuan XueMing coughed: ¡°Okay, let¡¯s be serious. The rabbit is dead now but the elevator button hasn¡¯t been found. We can¡¯t let our guard down yet.¡±


    Still, the mood relaxed. After all, their biggest threat was dead and it was only a matter of time before they would find the button. The fire of hope was rekindled in their hearts and they found the courage to live again.


    ¡°What about this thing?¡± Lian Qiao pointed to the rotten meat on the ground and looked at the crackling fireplace, ¡°Should we burn it?¡±


    The crowd was unanimous in their approval. However, since the rabbit meat sauce was still spasming, none of them wanted to get close to it. Such a terrible creature, who dared to clean it up with their bare hands?


    Even the ferocious Lian Qiao didn¡¯t feel up to it. He coughed and saisd, ¡°Lets look to see if there¡¯s a broom or a mop or something in the house.¡±


    The crowd obediently went to find tools to clean up the body. The three people, including Xu RenDong, were left at the table. They were too nervous and their adrenaline too high. Their muscles were tightly wound and all their strength was gone. They could only sit, sweating.


    ¡°How¡¯s the injury on your stomach?¡± Xu RenDong reached out to open Lian Qiao¡¯s coat to look at the wound but Lian Qiao held his wrist with his hand.


    ¡°Your hands¡­¡± He looked at Xu RenDong¡¯s hands which had been pricked with wooden splinters and his eyebrows wrinkled tightly.


    Just now he had used a lot of force to suppress the rabbit. The log was very rough and in the process many splinters got stuck to Xu RenDong¡¯s palm. There were many and some were stuck very deeply, probably damaging the blood vessels. Right now Xu R enDong¡¯s entire palm was filled with blood and the tender meat was lacerated. However he didn¡¯t look concerned at all.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Xu RenDong¡¯s first reaction was that he shouldn¡¯t use his dirty hands to touch Lian Qiao¡¯s wound so he wanted to retract his hands. However he didn¡¯t expect Lian Qiao to grab onto him. It was forceful but gentle at the same time, it didn¡¯t hurt but at the same time didn¡¯t let him escape.


    ¡°¡­¡± Lian Qiao frowned, ¡°Just endure for a second, I¡¯ll pull the splinters out for you.¡±


    Xu RenDong refused: ¡°Your injury is more serious and it was also made by the rabbit. It could get infected¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Mine don¡¯t hurt either.¡±


    Lian Qiao suddenly felt desperate. He actually smacked himself in the stomach a few times and insisted, ¡°Mine really don¡¯t hurt! I listened to you so many times, can¡¯t you listen to me just once!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± Young man, you are really vicious. You won¡¯t even let yourself go.


    At this time Yuan XueMing really cannot watch any longer. He extended his two palms. ¡°You two stop arguing. Okay, both of yours don¡¯t hurt but mine do. Hurry and pull mine out first!¡±


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao: ¡­¡±


    The other team members found a broom and returned to the living room. They saw the wonderful scene of Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao attending Yuan XueMing. Lian Qiao¡¯s face was full of resentment and his movements were simple and rough. Every time he pulled out a splinter, Yuan XueMing hissed and sucked in cold air. Xu RenDong thought his actions were because of him, so he became even more gentle. A single piece of wood would take ten minutes to remove slowly. And he said things like, ¡°Brother Yuan, are you okay?¡± ¡°Brother Yuan, just bear it a little bit longer.¡± So Yuan XueMing could clearly feel each inch of splinter sliding through his wound bit by bit.


    In pain, Yuan XueMing finally pulled back both of his hands: ¡°Forget it, it doesn¡¯t hurt anymore.¡±


    Everyone laughed. In the warm hut, the atmosphere was peaceful. But in this laughter, Lian Qiao suddenly moved his ears. He frowned, leaned somewhat uneasily close to Xu RenDong: ¡°Brother RenDong, can you hear something?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Hmm?


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t finish speaking. As if he had suddenly remembered something, he turned his head backwards and his pupils shrank.


    Ku-chi-ku-chi-ku-chi.


    The sound of teeth grinding came from the rabbit¡¯s bloody and rotten form.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Fuck.¡±


    ***


    The author has something to say: Boss has a second form.


    Surprise, no surprise?Thanks to the little angels for their long reviews!

 CH 16

    Xu RenDong turned his head and saw a vague black mist floating on top of the mass of meat in the fireplace. The black mist gathered and formed at an extremely fast speed, and countless twisted black lines could be vaguely seen in the black mist. The black lines were like a dark graffiti made on a sketch paper by a child with a mental problem.


    Of course no one was going to wait for it to take shape. Xu RenDong reacted first and pulled Lian Qiao backwards. Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t help hiccuping but his reaction was quick and both he and Xu RenDong both retreated towards the door.


    At the same time, Yuan XueMing also ordered an evacuation. Everyone was happily collecting the boss¡¯ corpse just now but they didn¡¯t expect the boss would cheat death and escape from the corpse in the blink of an eye. Obviously, the rabbit¡¯s current state was more fierce and terrifying than before. After only listening to their heart ping-ponging for a second, the cleaning tools in everyone¡¯s hands fell out one after another and everyone screamed and fled.


    Lian Qiao, who had reached the door first, stretched out his hand to push the door  but his expression changed. Xu RenDong asked: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Lian Qiao almost cried : ¡°I can¡¯t open it!¡±


    Xu RenDong made a decisive decision: ¡°Break it down!¡±


    Lian Qiao understood, and quickly yelled out ¡°1-2-3!¡± The two men rushed the door together. However, the quality of the wooden door, which doesn¡¯t look too strong, was surprisingly good at the moment. No matter how hard the two people tried, the door remained motionless.


    Looking closely, there was also a faint black line around the door. It seems that this only exit has been controlled by the black mist and it didn¡¯t want them to run away.


    When everyone saw this, their hearts became even more desperate. Looking back at the black line, the outline of a rabbit could be seen. It looked a lot bigger than before and was not about the size of a human adult. Add to that frantically twisting black threads, densely packed like a snake and it was extremely disturbing.


    The eyeballs that were smashed into meat sauce just now turned into two black spirals, which were bottomless and were filled with a neurotic morbidity. Those chaotic and dark eyes remind people of the dangerous beasts that are quietly approaching in the dark cave without the fire and light. It was a primitive fear imprinted in the depths of human genes, the fear of the unknown and of darkness.


    Everyone was crowded around the door, which was very convenient for the rabbit¡¯s attack. They saw the black mass rush forward and it bit the shoulder of the nearest person with just one bite. It didn¡¯t use much force and easily tore the man¡¯s entire arm from the shoulder joint and swallowed it into his mouth, chewing it like a chicken drumstick.


    The man screamed in pain, clutching his broken arm tightly, turning his head to escape. Unexpectedly, the black threads behind him stretched out suddenly, drawing him into the black mist with tentacle-like arms. The dense lines were like maggots, gnawing his flesh and blood quickly. The man screamed again and again but within a few seconds, he had lost all his flesh and blood and had been turned into bones. He fell to the ground with a snap.


    The others were shocked to see their companion die tragically in front of them. Yuan XueMing yelled, ¡°Everyone scatter!¡± Everyone woke up and ran as far as possible from the mass-like dark shape.


    Xu RenDong looked around and found that Lian Qiao¡¯s crowbar had fallen not far from the dining table. He was about to pick it up but he didn¡¯t expect that the black rabbit aimed at him at the next target and rushed at him at a speed far beyond that of humans!


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t dodge but just as he was about to be swallowed by the shadow, a strong force came from behind as Lian Qiao violently pushed him aside. Lian Qiao himself took advantage of this recoil to avoid the black rabbit¡¯s menacing pounce. However, the push at this critical juncture allowed Xu RenDong to avoid the rabbit¡¯s attack but he lost his balance and fell heavily to the ground.


    He was about to get up when he discovered that the crowbar was just within reach of him. Xu RenDong did not hesitate to reach out and picked up the crowbar. With a backhand throw, he pitched it towards Lian Qiao and yelled: ¡°Lian Qiao!¡±


    The crowbar rotated 360 degrees in the air and as though it were in slow motion, everyone watched it closely holding their breath.


    It was unknown if it was Lian Qiao¡¯s quick reaction or if he and Xu RenDong had some kind of tacit understanding. When Xu RenDong called out his name, Lian Qiao immediately raised his land and caught the crowbar steadily.


    Joy flashed through Lian Qiao¡¯s expression on his face. He became determined and his hiccups finally ceased. He clenched the crowbar tightly and had just made up his mind to kill the violent black rabbit again when a tightly controlled, pained sound made by Xu RenDong came from beside him.


    ¡°Uh!¡±


    It turned out that Xu RenDong threw his weapon just now but failed to escape the second attack by the black rabbit. The group of frantically twisting black threads had climbed up his calves and quickly began to bite his flesh and blood like a maggot attached to his bones. Even the thick winter pants could not prevent the erosion of the black threads and his white, porcelain skin was quickly eaten up, revealing bright red muscles and pale tendons.


    Blood poured out like a broken faucet. Xu RenDong was sweating with pain and struggling to move backwards. The black threads wrapped tightly around his calf, moving along with his body, without any intention of letting go. Instead, it followed the calf and spread upward at a terrifying speed.


    ¡°Brother RenDong!¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes were red, and the scream ripped out from his throat. He held the crowbar high and waved it at the black rabbit. At the same time, Yuan XueMing also pulled at Xu RenDong¡¯s upper body, desperately trying to drag him back.


    Lian Qiao almost exhausted all his strength and hit the black rabbit hard on the forehead. However, what he didn¡¯t expect was that his hit hit the rabbit¡¯s head accurately but it seemed to be swept away and the crowbar passed directly through the black twisted threads. The reaction force of the crowbar swing was so great that Lian Qiao almost lost his balance and nearly fell directly into the black rabbit.


    He staggered a few steps and as soon as he looked up, he saw that Xu RenDong¡¯s calf had been chewed to the point that only bones were left. The picture was so cruel that Lian Qiao almost went mad and struck the rabbit a few more times. It¡¯s a pity that the physical attack has completely lost its effect on the black rabbit right now. No matter how hard he hit, the black lines were like mist, dissipating slightly when the crowbar passed by and soon gathering again without suffering any harm.


    ¡°Lian Qiao run!¡± Xu RenDong had already bit his lips under the severe pain and it was swollen and bleeding. He pushed Yuan XueMing too: ¡°You get out of here, don¡¯t worry about me.¡±


    Yuan XueMing hesitated but Lian Qiao said with a strangled cry: ¡°I won¡¯t!¡±


    In that instant, the black rabbit had completely eaten Xu RenDong¡¯s calf and the black thread was about to reach his knees. Xu RenDong knew that every second counted. Since he couldn¡¯t convince Lian Qiao to leave, he could only think of another way. In an instant, something flashed into his mind like lightning. Xu RenDong cruelly gritted his teeth and said: ¡°Break my leg, hurry up!¡±


    At that moment, Xu RenDong clearly saw tears welling up in Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes. Huge teardrops ran across his cheeks and dropped to the floor.


    However, Lian Qiao did not hesitate. He bit his lip, stepped forward and raised the crowbar high.


    Bang!


    The metal crowbar hit Xu RenDong¡¯s leg bones heavily. The leg bone has been chewed out of shape and only a layer of translucent fascia is connected. At this time, it was hit hard by a crowbar and broke easily.


    Fortunately, the pain nerves were mainly concentrated on the skin and just breaking the leg bones did not cause too much pain. Xu RenDong watched as his left leg was amputated and at the same time felt lighter. Yuan XueMing dragged him away quickly.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s half amputated limb couldn¡¯t help dripping blood, leaving long blood stains. The black rabbit lay on the ground, sucking his flesh and blood and even made a sound of swallowing.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes were red and he didn¡¯t even look at the black rabbit. He ran straight towards Xu RenDong.


    The others scattered, fleeing for their lives. Some raised chairs and madly hammered at the fragile windows. However, the window glass has also been entangled with black thread and had become as solid as a rock. Some panicked and ran up to the second floor and the floor made a thumping sound of running back and forth, but unfortunately they could not find a way to escape and soon ran down again with a desperate expression.


    While the black rabbit was still licking the floor greedily, Xu RenDong, supported by Yuan XueMing, stood up with difficulty on one foot. Lian Qiao had already rushed in front of him, bent over and pulled him over his shoulders.


    Xu RenDong was shocked: ¡°Lian Qiao, you¡­¡± He subconsciously hoped that Lian Qiao would leave him behind and run for his life but Lian Qiao was holding his waist with one hand and his other intact calf with one hand. Xu RenDong felt that his hands were shaking slightly but the three words ¡°just leave me¡± were useless anyway.


    Xu RenDong felt guilty. He felt that he shouldn¡¯t have sustained such a serious injury in front of Lian Qiao, let alone ask Lian Qiao to personally break his leg. He knew very well that this guilt did not stem from his dragging down Lian Qiao but another, very complicated and deep emotion.


    The severe pain of a broken leg gave Xu RenDong no time to think about it. He suppressed the pain, gritted his teeth and said to Yuan XueMing: ¡°Go to the basement! There is a skylight in the basement which leads directly to the outside!¡±


    Without saying anything,  Lian Qiao ran towards the stairs while carrying him. Yuan XueMing followed closely and ordered everyone: ¡°Go to the basement!¡±


    Unexpectedly, at this critical juncture, someone asked: ¡°Isn¡¯t the basement door locked? How do we¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong was about to explain but saw the man had already screamed and was gnawed into his arms by the black rabbit. Xu RenDong knew that there was no time to waste at this time. He immediately took out the key in his arms and shouted: ¡°Lian Qiao!¡±


    Lian Qiao accepted the key with great understanding and at the same time he had already ran to the basement door. His movements were extremely fluid and very quickly he opened the closed door of the basement.


    He rushed in carrying Xu RenDong. His eyes quickly fixed on the skylight in the corner. Probably because this window is a bit far from the black rabbit, it has not been affected by the black fog yet. Yuan XueMing also noticed this. He quickly picked up the debris on the ground and slammed it against the skylight.


    Clang!


    The sound of glass shattering was extremely harsh but at this time it became everyone¡¯s hope. Everyone swarmed the basement one by one and the two behind were captured by the rabbit, screaming endlessly.


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°Find something to step on!¡±


    Lian Qiao looked up at the skylight which was the height of two people: ¡°You go up first!¡±


    Xu RenDong was silent but this silence only lasted for a short while. He quickly said: ¡°Okay.¡± So Lian Qiao held his waist and let him step on his shoulders. Xu RenDong climbed onto the skylight.


    Xu RenDong has only one leg left. The part below the knee of the left leg was empty and only the torn piece of cloth was slowly drifting.


    ¡°Is it safe up there?¡± Lian Qiao held Xu RenDong¡¯s remaining right foot with both hands. He raised his head and the blood from the severed limb dripped onto his face. The warmth was shocking.


    Xu RenDong, who climbed out of the skylight, looked around quickly and confirmed that the surrounding snowfields had nothing unusual so he immediately turned around and reached out to Lian Qiao below: ¡°Safe! Grab onto me!¡±


    Lian Qiao had already found something to step onto. With Xu RenDong¡¯s help, he braced with both hands and easily jumped out of the skylight. Then he turned his head and stretched out his arms to his friends: ¡°Quick! Next one!¡±


    Beyond the skylight are two anxious faces looking up but neither of them belonged to Yuan XueMing. Both of them stretched out their hands towards him, like birds waiting to be fed, with the same desperate eagerness. Lian Qiao didn¡¯t know which one to grab first. At the same time, Yuan XueMing¡¯s roar came from deep below: ¡°Hurry up! The door will not hold for long!.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s expression changed: ¡°Brother Yuan is blocking the door?!¡±


    ¡°Yes! He said he will stay behind  and let us go first!¡± The speaker looked at the partner next to him anxiously and then made a move that no one could have imagined- he pushed the person next to him to the ground and then jumped up. He forcibly held Lian Qiao¡¯s hand, ¡°Hurry up and pull me up!¡±


    Lian Qiao was caught off guard and was almost dragged back into the basement by him. Fortunately, Xu RenDong quickly grabbed him. Lian Qiao was dragged tightly by the man and from this position, Xu Rendong couldn¡¯t pull him up. When the man saw this, he became more anxious, clinging to Lian Qiao¡¯s arm with both hands, using him as a life-saving rope and wanted to climb up over him like this.


    Lian Qiao shouted: ¡°Let go first! I¡¯m going to be dragged down by you! You let go first and I will pull you up right away!¡±


    The man was panicked and had lost all his reason. All he could think about was climbing up. But after all, he was physically weak and apart from dragging Lian Qiao down bit by bit, he couldn¡¯t climb up much.


    At the same time, the teammate who had just been pushed away suddenly screamed. The man turned his head, not knowing what he saw and his face instantly turned pale.


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao also changed their expressions: Has the black rabbit come in?! So Yuan XueMing might have already¨C


    ¡°I¡¯m going to fall!¡± Lian Qiao was almost begging, ¡°Seriously, you let go first and I¡¯ll pull you up right away! You will die like this!¡±


    Xu RenDong used his own body to hold Lian Qiao down firmly. He had lost a leg and the snow beneath him gave him no support. The thick white snow even began to melt in the warm blood and it became slippery. He saw that even half of Lian Qiao¡¯s body was dragged back into the skylight and he yelled anxiously: ¡°Lian Qiao! I can¡¯t hold on much longer!¡±


    Hearing Xu RenDong¡¯s call, Lian Qiao remembered that he was still pressing on him. If he falls, Xu RenDong will definitely be dragged down by him. At this point, Lian Qiao¡¯s expression became fierce and his eyes burst out with a beast-like murderous intent. He yelled at the man below: ¡°You fucking won¡¯t let go? If you don¡¯t let go, I¡¯ll come down and kill you!¡±


    Before the words fell, he heard a scream. Xu RenDong only felt that something became loose and then Lian Qiao pulled his arm back. The killing intent in his eyes was gone and only a deep panic was left. Xu RenDong still didn¡¯t understand what had happened and then he saw tremblingly that attached to Lian Qiao¡¯s arm was a severed hand. It was a wrist that belonged to a man, the broken blood vessels and bones were clearly visible, and the five fingers were still tightly clasped as if he was unwilling to let go of the life-saving straw until he died.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s face was pale and he threw the broken wrist on the ground. Then he bent down in silence, put Xu RenDong up on his shoulders again and began to run wildly into the snow.


    The screams in the basement had all stopped. Xu RenDong lay on Lian Qiao¡¯s back and said, ¡°They are all dead.¡±


    Not a question, but a statement.


    ¡°Yes¡­only¡­we are left¡­¡± Lian Qiao gasped violently. Just like this, he carried an adult man who was approximately the same height and body shape as him to run in the snow. Even though Lian Qiao was physically strong, he gradually became weak.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°En.¡±


    At this time, Lian Qiao didn¡¯t have the ferocious look on his body at all and his expression was as fragile as a newborn baby cat. He sniffed and then said in a crying voice, ¡°Brother RenDong, you¡­Don¡¯t be afraid, we¡¯ll be fine¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong was silent. He had already seen a black shadow floating in the snow in the distance. The frantically twisting black lines are particularly eye-catching in the white snow, like a clumsy and crazy children¡¯s painting, like the most primitive fear in the human heart.


    Lian Qiao was clearly frightened to death himself and was about to cry but was still comforting him: ¡°Brother RenDong, when we find a hiding spot, I will bandage you right away¡­ It¡¯s okay¡­ I heard Brother Yuan said that when we escape this world, our body will be restored to its original state¡­ You won¡¯t be disabled¡­ Don¡¯t be afraid¡­ We will be fine¡­¡±


    The shadow kept approaching.


    Xu RenDong listened to Lian Qiao¡¯s unconvincing, even pitiful sound words of comfort and for some reason, he was really not afraid.


    Last night¡¯s snow had fallen all night and the snow on the ground was already thick. Lian Qiao carried Xu RenDong and every step he took left deep footprints in the snow. Xu RenDong lay on Lian Qiao¡¯s back, feeling very warm. He looked down at these two rows of footprints and suddenly remembered that when he first came into this world, the first thing he saw was Lian Qiao¡¯s footprints.


    At that time, how could he think that he, a big man measuring 1.85 meters, could be carried like a sack and that the other person could still run wildly?


    Lian Qiao was like a broken recorder, madly repeating himself : ¡°We will be fine¡­We will be fine¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong listened to Lian Qiao¡¯s violent panting, and his body followed Lian Qiao¡¯s body to move up and down. He suddenly thought this scene was quite interesting but it was a pity that no one would see it except him and Lian Qiao.


    Except for him, no one would remember it.


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t feel any regret. He even raised the corner of his mouth slightly, touched Lian Qiao¡¯s hair and said, ¡°You keep running forward, don¡¯t look back.¡±


    The repetition finally cut off as Lian Qiao screamed: ¡°No!¡±


    Xu RenDong said again: ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, you¡¯ll be fine, don¡¯t look back.¡±


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t hear the deep meaning of these words for a while. When he reacted, Xu RenDong pushed him away hard and fell heavily into the snow. Lian Qiao was taken aback and stopped immediately.


    Xu RenDong yelled: ¡°Run!¡±


    Lian Qiao turned around. His eyes, which were always smiling with curved brows, were now overflowing with countless complex emotions. Sadness, pain, despair¡­and anger.


    Xu RenDong had no time to think about where the anger was coming from. He shouted again: ¡°Lian Qiao run! Be good!¡±


    Lian Qiao stood still and was motionless. He didn¡¯t leave him to run away. He just stood there, trembling all over, glaring at him with extremely angry eyes.


    ¡°Liar!¡± Lian Qiao shouted with red eyes.


    Xu RenDong was scolded inexplicably. He wanted to ask: How am I a liar? But he suddenly felt a chill in the back of his neck. The familiar and terrifying sound of teeth grinding came from the back of his neck. Then, there was a sharp pain in the neck. His skin, muscles, and even cervical spine were all bitten off.


    Under this tremendous force, he fell backwards and saw the gray sky and the heavy snow fluttering in the sky. The black twisted lines obscured his vision like dark clouds, and he soon couldn¡¯t feel his face. Only a piece of blood red was seen.


    Before the whole world was shrouded in darkness, the last voice he heard was Lian Qiao¡¯s screaming cry ripped from a bloody throat.,


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that we were going to go out together?! Xu RenDong, you¡¯re a fucking liar!¡±


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    It¡¯s all the fault of there not being a save point before the boss battle.

 CH 17

    Xu RenDong opened his eyes suddenly in the darkness. The silver-gray elevator reflected the icy metal light and ice and snow penetrated through the cracks in the door, making him shiver with cold.


    He sat up in a daze and saw his suit jacket was still hanging on his arm. The back of the neck was still aching and he stretched out his hand and touched it to confirm that the bite of the deep bone had disappeared and that his skin and muscles were still tightly attached to the neck. His body was restored to its best condition but his heart was as uncomfortable as if it were being smashed by a hammer.


    The elevator was quiet but Lian Qiao¡¯s hoarse cry echoed in his ears.


    Liar!


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t understand how he became such a big liar. I was trying to save you and you scolded me, is that logical?


    After getting angry, Xu RenDong thought about it and calmed down. Lian Qiao was right. He had obviously promised him to work hard to live together but in the end he decided on his own to choose to die. That was indeed dishonest.


    But at the same time he was very helpless. At that time they were at the end of the road and the blackened rabbit was chasing after them. Seeing that Lian Qiao was about to fall to the ground, the situation was extremely critical and there was no turning point in the situation. Either he died alone or he died together with Lian Qiao. Since he¡¯s going to die no matter what, why drag Lian Qiao down with him?


    He knows the pain of death better than anyone else. Of course, what is more painful than death is dying and then dying again.


    Xu RenDong thought very calmly. Although his current situation is a bit miserable, he is sure that watching others suffer will not make him feel better. Therefore, even if he were to make another choice now, he would still push Lian Qiao away.


    Anyway, as long as he dies, the world will reset. Lian Qiao wouldn¡¯t remember his treachery and he didn¡¯t need to see this little guy die tragically in front of him. It was pretty good.


    This seemed a bit selfish, Xu RenDong admitted. But his existence was already so miserable. What¡¯s wrong with being a little selfish?


    He decided to forgive himself a little.


    At some point, the elevator doors have already opened. The cold wind mixed with ice and snow poured into the elevator. Xu RenDong shivered with the cold and quickly put on his suit jacket. He suddenly saw the footprints in the snow in the distance and his heart suddenly became tight: No! He forgot that Lian Qiao was about to meet Brother Sledgehammer at this time!


    Xu RenDong immediately ran wildly, blaming himself along the way. Damn, how could he forget this? Is it because he survived too long this time?


    That¡¯s right, after saving Lian Qiao the last time, they survived in the ghost world for seven days. He almost forgot about being trapped in the death circle. If Lian Qiao died tragically because of his mistake¡­


    Xu RenDong was unwilling to think about it, but ran wildly in the snow at his fastest speed. He kept urging himself in his heart, hurry up! He was afraid he was going to be a step too late and that when he saw Lian Qiao, there would only be a broken corpse.


    That absolutely cannot be!


    He wanted to get to Lian Qiao¡¯s side as soon as possible so he didn¡¯t even have time to remove the tree branches from in front of him. Several times he was cut in his face by a tree branch and once it almost even pierced his eye. He didn¡¯t care about that, he only felt short of breath and his heartbeat was so violent that it was about to jump out of his chest.


    Hurry up!


    The trees in the field of view became sparser. He didn¡¯t know how long it took before he finally came close to the clearing. At the same time, he heard a familiar scream.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhh, I was wrong, I¡¯m wrong, here take it back, I shouldn¡¯t have taken it, don¡¯t chase me anymore ahhhhhhh¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s limbs were slender and powerful and when he ran, he looked like a sturdy tiger. There was an aggrieved expression of panic on his face and he looked like an unweaned kitten. Behind him, the tall and mighty Brother Sledgehammer chased him vigorously, the sledgehammer in his hand kept falling but Lian Qiao dodged him every time. Brother Sledgehammer screamed with anger. Lian Qiao was so frightened by the deafening roar that he almost cried, covering his ears, and actually started to circle around the stele with Brother Sledgehammer in a circle.


    Still alive¡­ still just alive.


    However, this cat-and-mouse scene is a bit funny. Xu RenDong¡¯s worried heart just let go and the corners of his mouth immediately rose again.


    He looked around, picked up a thick log and ran towards Lian Qiao quickly. Lian Qiao turned around and was dizzy. He suddenly saw a person emerge from the woods. Before he had time to react, he saw that person shout: ¡°Get out of the way!¡±


    Lian Qiao was startled and instinctively ducked aside. Xu RenDong bent over, swept the log and hit Brother Sledgehammer¡¯s calf hard. Brother Sledgehammer also didn¡¯t expect someone would suddenly appear in the middle of his kill. He didn¡¯t have time to brake and his calf was smashed by Xu RenDong. His huge body suddenly lost his balance and fell heavily into the snow, falling like a dog face-first into its own shit. Snowflakes flew up all around him and a deep and fat figure was implanted into the snow. The picture was actually a bit funny.


    Lian Qiao was stunned by this operation. Because he was surprised, he didn¡¯t have the time to escape but stood still and even clapped with an admiring expression of: ¡°Big boss, big boss.¡±


    Xu RenDong glanced at him speechlessly, grabbed his hand and ran. Lian Qiao started running wildly with him, still muttering excitedly: ¡°Brother, your QTE is awesome! Beautiful! I want to crop it out as a video material! Oh, I didn¡¯t record it! What a pity!¡±


    ¡­¡­He really is very long-winded. Xu RenDong was out of breath but Lian Qiao was still chatting excitedly. Obviously the speed of running was not slower than him, but Lian Qiao looked relaxed and comfortable. He probably didn¡¯t have a correct understanding of the terrifying monster behind him who could smash his head open with a sledgehammer at any time. But this is not Lian Qiao¡¯s fault, after all he doesn¡¯t remember that he has suffered two headshots and the vision of Brother Sledgehammer falling over was indeed very joyful.


    In fact, even Xu RenDong himself couldn¡¯t help but raise his mouth slightly. The haze that still shrouded his heart a moment ago had all dissipated by this time.


    This time, Brother Sledgehammer still chased them a certain distance and then stopped, turned his head and returned to the forest. When the two realized this, they gradually slowed down.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Lian Qiao said, ¡°I was chased by him in circles just now. If you hadn¡¯t come to the rescue then I guess my body would be cold by now.¡±


    Xu RenDong was suddenly curious: ¡°You can run. So fast, why not run in a straight line? He can¡¯t catch up with you so why do you have to go around in circles with him? What if he suddenly turns around?¡±


    ¡ªIs there any reason why he had to run in a circle? Xu RenDong has subconsciously regarded Lian Qiao as a master of reasoning, believing that he can observe details that ordinary people can¡¯t notice. So if Lian Qiao ran around the stele, then there must be some reason behind it.


    After all, all the hidden dolls before were found by Lian Qiao and Xu RenDong trusted Lian Qiao very much. He even wanted to call him the boss!


    Unexpectedly, Lian Qiao was taken aback and fell into deep thought.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°?¡±


    After a long while, Lian Qiao nodded painfully: ¡°What you said makes sense.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao scratched his hair embarrassedly: ¡°Isn¡¯t it because I was terrified? Suddenly seeing this kind of horror game classic boss in real life, I was so scared I almost peed.¡±


    Xu RenDong thought a little: ¡°No, you¡¯re not scared.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°You didn¡¯t hiccup. ¡°


    Lian Qiao was shocked: ¡°How do you know¡­¡±


    Anyway, he had already been scolded and called a liar. So Xu RenDong lied very frankly: ¡°I am your fan, I watch your live broadcast every day.¡±


    Lian Qiao watched blankly. Looking at his face, he couldn¡¯t help but mutter: ¡°Fuck, I actually have such a good-looking¡­¡± Before he finished speaking, he gulped.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­?¡±


    Lian Qiao turned his head awkwardly and wiped his mouth with a guilty conscience.


    The two walked side by side along the path in the forest, and soon saw the hunter¡¯s cabin. Xu RenDong thought of a very important question: ¡°Did you take the doll on the stone tablet?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°I took it.¡± He took out the smallest doll from his pocket, ¡°Do you know what this is for?¡±


    Xu RenDong was unable to spoil the rabbit¡¯s task in advance. After thinking about it, he said, ¡°The Russian language for matryoshka was written in the elevator that sent me so I think this should be a very important object.¡±


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t seem surprised that he could read Russian and nodded in agreement: ¡°I think so too. By the way, I don¡¯t know what your name is.¡±


    There was a polite smile on his face and his beautiful eyes reflected Xu RenDong¡¯s figure. Those eyes were soft and warm, with a little curiosity and a little anticipation of meeting a new person. His curved smile was contagious and people couldn¡¯t help but want to smile with him. But Xu RenDong somehow felt that something was missing.


    ¡°My name is Xu RenDong,¡± After a pause, he added, ¡°It means enduring the cold winter.¡±


    Lian Qiao was surprised: ¡°Enduring the winter?¡±


    Probably because the weather is too cold and the smile of the person next to him is too warm, Xu RenDong suddenly had the urge to tell Lian Qiao about himself.


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s weird, why would a parent give their child such a name?¡± Snow fell on Xu RenDong¡¯s eyelashes. It quickly melted into water and brushed across his cheeks in a cool manner. He wiped it away and said, ¡°I am an orphan and I was abandoned at the entrance of the orphanage soon after I was born. It happened to be the coldest time in winter and everyone was afraid that I would not be able to survive, so they named me RenDong, hoping I could survive this trial.¡±


    Lian Qiao fell into silence. Xu RenDong turned his head to look and found him frowning as if he didn¡¯t know what to say. Xu RenDong suddenly felt a pain in his heart. He realized that at this time Lian Qiao and he had just met and were strangers. He had started talking about his personal life too abruptly so the other person found it confusing and didn¡¯t know how to respond.


    It is normal for Lian Qiao to feel embarrassed and overwhelmed. After all, Lian Qiao no longer has the memory of them confronting death together, however Xu RenDong still unconsciously regards Lian Qiao as a life and death friend. Lian Qiao probably thought he was being too familiar.


    It¡¯s his fault for inexplicably wanting to talk. Without thinking if the other person wanted to hear it all not, he just started talking. He was being rude.


    At this moment Xu RenDong suddenly realized what he felt was missing when Lian Qiao looked at him just now. It was trust, intimacy, and the bond of being through the trials of life and death together.


    Lian Qiao doesn¡¯t remember him anymore. He doesn¡¯t remember anything anymore.


    But this was inevitable and it was also good in a way that he didn¡¯t remember anything. It meant that he didn¡¯t have those painful and miserable memories, which was a good thing.


    Nonetheless, Xu RenDong still felt a little lost.


    He didn¡¯t want to do something embarrassing so he smiled and changed the subject: ¡°Let¡¯s go quickly, it¡¯s too cold.¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°Then¡­ what do I call you? Can I call you Brother RenDong?¡±


    Xu RenDong glanced at him restrainedly, and said briefly: ¡°Yes.¡±


    Although this word was neither light nor heavy, paired with Xu RenDong¡¯s handsome and cold face, it made people not dare to get close. Lian Qiao was stunned, in his head he thought over and over: It¡¯s over, it¡¯s over! This big beauty has probably misunderstood and thinks that my lust has been ignited by his beauty and I want to f*** my fan, wuwuwu, I¡¯m not like that, really I¡¯m not¡­


    So Lian Qiao was silent all the way and followed the iceberg beauty in an obedient manner like a chicken, for fear that he would say something wrong and make the other person angry.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± He really doesn¡¯t remember a thing, it¡¯s heartbreakingly cold.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°???¡±


    I didn¡¯t say anything, why do you seem to be even more unhappy???


    Under this weird atmosphere, the two came to the hunter¡¯s cabin. The rabbit in the little golden tuxedo was already standing at the door and had raised his little furry paw and was about to knock on the door.


    Xu RenDong was in a bad mood and pushed the rabbit away: ¡°You wait a second, let me go in first.¡±


    The rabbit who was pushed away  and fell onto its butt: ¡°???¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°???? ??? ¡°It turns out this iceberg beauty was also violent¡­. Wait? How can this rabbit walk upright? Was it going to knock on the door?


    Xu RenDong knocked on the door coldly. Yuan XueMing, who came to answer the door, saw the two of them and was just about to say hello when he saw the rabbit who just got up from the snow and was patting away the snow from it¡¯s behind with a bewildered expression.


    People sitting at the table: All had dumbstruck faces.


    Yuan XueMing said with difficulty: ¡°You¡­ three came together?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°I came alone and met these two on the road. I¡¯m not familiar with them.¡±


    Lian Qiao suddenly panicked: Ahhhhhhhhhh! What the hell did I do wrong, why did you suddenly de-fan me without saying anything!!!


    The rabbit had not yet recovered from the shock of being pushed aside just as he first appeared on the stage. As he was slapping the snow off his fur, he was still looking at Xu RenDong with an expression of ¡°You are a goddamn talent¡±.


    Xu RenDong went straight into the house without looking back. Lian Qiao painfully followed behind him, mired in grief.


    Yuan XueMing looked at these two weird people and suddenly felt that he had lost his confidence as an old-timer.


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    Note: QTE: QTE is the abbreviation of Quick Time Event. QTE is divided into two types. The first is a system that tests the player¡¯s immediate response. In the actual game process, the player needs to quickly respond to the buttons that appear on the game screen and press the button corresponding to what¡¯s happening on the screen. There are single buttons and combination buttons. The second type is a specific or random symbol that moves quickly back and forth in a certain length. The player needs to press the corresponding button when the symbol moves into the effective area, otherwise, they have to start again. The above is taken from Baidu Encyclopedia.

 CH 18

    The appearance of Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao instantly changed the atmosphere in the room.


    These two men were both taller than 1.85 meters tall and their looks were also outstanding. Standing side by side, they unexpectedly matched each other.


    Xu RenDong was cool and handsome, elegant and self-contained. Even his shirt buttons were carefully buttoned up to the very top. There was a cold and abstinent air all about him which was very alluring. When a young and ignorant girl sees him, she will inevitably think that he is a high mountain flower that can only be seen from afar. However those with a little more experience will see at a glance that this seemingly powerful indifference is just the thin ice wall that he uses to protect his soft inner heart which is fragile and transparent. If he steps too close to the flame then this ice wall will melt. If you take an awl and knocked it, it will break. It¡¯s just that this juxtaposition between strong and fragile was the most fascinating thing and made people unable to help thinking about him and wanting to abuse him. They wanted to test how much he can endure, but also at the same time wanted to spoil him, protect him and care for him. What kind of softness could he have hiding inside his heart?


    Lian Qiao has a completely opposite temperament. He looked like a young child  with curved eyes, gazing at the people in the room with undisguised curiosity. He wore comfortable and soft sportswear as if he had just returned from the basketball court, and was full of vigor and vitality. There is a youthful feeling about him and the corners of the eyebrows are slightly droopy so that even when he was not smiling, he looked gentle and kind, making people involuntarily want to get closer.


    Several of the people in the audience were young girls. Seeing these two rare and beautiful young people come together on stage, the girls are so excited that they forget where they are. They could only look back and forth and blush quietly.


    Men: ¡°¡­¡± Oh women.


    Not to mention the men, even the rabbit at the door noticed the strange atmosphere. It snorted unhappily and muttered: ¡°You are really the worst players I have ever seen¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s ears perked up, it keenly caught what the rabbit had said: ¡°Players?¡±


    The rabbit didn¡¯t reply, just bowed his head to clean his beautiful little gold tuxedo and solemnly explained the task requirements. It was still the same sentence: Within the seven-day time limit, find the gifts and give it to him. After the mission was released, the rabbit was about to leave. Xu RenDong suddenly remembered the last round of doubts he and Lian Qiao had when they joined forces to kill the rabbit, so he asked: ¡°What is the holiday festival in seven days?¡±


    The rabbit showed the same weird smile as the previous time. He didn¡¯t answer him and just jumped away.


    After the rabbit left, everyone sat around the dining table and started discussing the next plan. Xu Hong screwed up her face and left as usual. Jiang Li and Wang Yuan trembled and shivered, pretending to be newcomers. Yuan XueMing continued to implement the ¡®Big Brother setting¡¯ and patiently explained the rules of the world to everyone. Everyone listened carefully. Xu RenDong was the only one thinking about these reincarnations and trying to piece together the clues.


    He hadn¡¯t paid much attention to the concept of the holiday festival before. If it hadn¡¯t been for Lian Qiao mentioning it several times, coupled with the subtle reaction of the rabbit, he would probably only take this ¡®festival¡¯ as an excuse for the time limit. However, thinking about it now, there are many details that suggest that the festival does not seem to be that simple. But what holiday festival is it?


    Xu RenDong¡¯s first reaction was Christmas because it was winter and there was a statue of Jesus in the church. But what does Christmas have to do with Russian dolls?


    Then he thought of Easter. Easter is also a Christian holiday to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus, and there is also a tradition of a bunny handing out eggs. But the question remains. What is the connection between Easter and the matryoshka?


    Xu RenDong felt that his reasoning was missing a very important link but no matter how carefully he thought about it, he couldn¡¯t find the key clue to fill the gap. When he came back to his senses, only Lian Qiao was left beside him. The others all went upstairs to rest after allocating rooms.


    Lian Qiao asked him: ¡°Brother RenDong, what are you thinking about?¡±


    Xu RenDong recalled the locations of the dolls and casually lied: ¡°I want to look for  some supper.¡±


    Lian Qiao was taken aback and turned towards the Leba on the table. ¡°Isn¡¯t it just this¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong waved his hand: ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat that stuff. Look to see if there¡¯s anything else to eat.¡± Then he walked straight to the cabinet, opened the cabinet door  and calmly took out the second doll.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­Fuck?! Is your luck so good? Just opening a cabinet and a task item appears?!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Suddenly I am not hungry anymore, let¡¯s go to sleep.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­ok my idol, what you say goes.¡±


    The two went back to their room and got into their bed. Xu RenDong was still thinking about the holiday. Lian Qiao looked at his serious face and didn¡¯t dare to talk casually, so he took out the doll he got from Brother Sledgehammer and played with it in his hands.


    After playing for a while, he suddenly remembered something, and turned to ask: ¡°Brother RenDong, can you show me your doll you just now?¡±


    Xu RenDong gave him the doll. Lian Qiao said, ¡°There is a seam in the middle of your matryoshka and it seems that it can be unscrewed.¡±


    Xu RenDong remembered that this matryoshka was equipped with a compass, which was not dangerous so he said, ¡°Unscrew it and take a look.¡±


    Lian Qiao opened the matryoshka  and was very pleasantly surprised after discovering the compass. He examined the small compass over and over again and it didn¡¯t take long for him to say: ¡°There seems to be a compartment under this.¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback. In the previous reincarnation, the compass had been in Yuan XueMing¡¯s hands and he had never looked at it carefully. At this time, looking along the place where Lian Qiao¡¯s finger was, there was indeed a thin gap behind the back of the compass dial. However there are no buttons or buckles around this gap. To open it, they would have to forcibly pry it open with a blade. But after opening it, it was possible the dial might not fit back and the compass might become useless.


    If there was something hidden in the compartment that would be good, however it could also be that there was nothing and they would waste a precious item in vain.


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°Don¡¯t touch it for now and we will discuss it with the others tomorrow.¡±


    Lian Qiao agreed. Soon he remembered something: ¡°Why do you have items in your doll but my doll can¡¯t be opened?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Yours is the smallest doll. The other dolls have seams that can be unscrewed to fit another doll inside. So how could the smallest doll still have a seam on its body?¡±


    Lian Qiao mumbled unhappily: ¡°Then don¡¯t I lose out??¡±


    Xu RenDong said, ¡°It¡¯s already good that there was nothing dangerous inside it.. It¡¯s not easy to survive here. Don¡¯t be greedy.¡±


    Lian Qiao nodded obediently: ¡°That makes sense, you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°Go to sleep.¡± Xu RenDong said.


    ¡°Oh -¡± Lian Qiao was a little bit lost and stretched his tone. Two seconds later, he thought of something, ¡°By the way, Brother RenDong¡­¡±


    He turned his head and found that Xu RenDong was already asleep.


    So fast!


    Because Lian Qiao¡¯s body clock hadn¡¯t arrived at its sleeping time yet, he didn¡¯t feel sleepy at all so he had to stare at the ceiling.


    The room was quiet enough to hear the beating of their hearts. Lian Qiao turned his head and saw Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes were closed and his thick eyelashes were black as crow feathers. He slept very deeply, the expression that always turned away thousands of miles away finally relaxed and his thin lips seemed to be softened.


    However, this unsuspecting beautiful sleeping face struck Lian Qiao like a bolt of lightning, leaving only a word in his head.


    Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh so beautiful!


    The thought that such a good-looking man is actually a fan of his made Lian Qiao¡¯s heart ripple and his stomach began to bubble as though it were filled with coke, and even his breath became sweet and saccharine.


    Although I¡¯m not allowed to f*** a fan, Lian Qiao thought honestly, however I can still spoil a fan!


    The next morning, the two went downstairs. Lian Qiao heated two cups of milk and put one in front of Xu RenDong. Unexpectedly Xu RenDong frowned and pushed the milk away.


    Lian Qiao asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to drink milk?¡±


    Xu RenDong, who has been drinking milk for more than ten days, said: ¡°No. I feel sick when I smell it.¡±


    Lian Qiao brought Leba again but this time even before he could speak, Xu RenDong got up and left the table evasively. He said with a strange expression: ¡°I¡¯ll just drink some plain water.¡±


    Lian Qiao stopped with his hand in the air, feeling very embarrassed.


    Xu RenDong poured a glass of boiling water and didn¡¯t even return to the dining table. Instead, he walked to the window and stared at the snowy scenery outside. The graceful and upright figure is like a cold sculpture, with a sense of alienation that no one should come close.


    When other people saw this scene, they didn¡¯t dare to talk to him. They only thought that this man was beautiful but although he was beautiful, he was too cold and impossible to get close to.


    However, some people seem to be noble and unpredictable on the surface, but as the days wore on, it would be clear it was just a facade and they were just the same as everyone else.


    In contrast, Lian Qiao who wore his heart on his sleeve was much more likable. After being inexplicably rejected by Xu RenDong, he gnawed the bread sullenly, as depressed as a puppy drenched in rain. The two young girls who had an initial good impression of Xu RenDong now turned their attention to Lian Qiao and greeted him one after the other. The other men sneered at the situation, complaining that girls are all face-cons and hated that they didn¡¯t have good enough ¡®skin¡¯ to compete.


    Yuan XueMing came by and saw these subtle expressions of everyone in his eyes. Although he didn¡¯t say anything, he sighed in his heart: This group of newcomers are really relaxed, there was no sense of tension at all.


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t intend to hook up with the little girls and after eating two bites of bread, he lost interest and went back upstairs.


    Only when hearing Lian Qiao¡¯s heavy footsteps, did Xu RenDong realize that he seemed a little unhappy. He was surprised but just as he was thinking about this, he heard Lian Qiao¡¯s tragic cry erupt from upstairs. ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    Everyone¡¯s faces changed and they ran upstairs. They saw Lian Qiao stumbling back down from the second floor, his face pale, and he said: ¡°Something¡¯s wrong, hic, on the second floor it looks like, hic, someone died!¡±


    As soon as Xu RenDong saw Lian Qiao hiccuping, he knew what had happened upstairs. Everyone else was shocked. Yuan XueMing said solemnly: ¡°Let¡¯s go up and take a look.¡±


    Xu RenDong said ¡°En¡±, picked up two slices of bread and walked towards the stairs.


    Everyone: You¡¯re still thinking about eating at a time like this?!


    Unexpectedly, Xu RenDong took the bread and went over to the shivering Lian Qiao. He stuffed the bread into his mouth and successfully blocked a hiccup that was coming out.


    Everyone:? ? ? What kind of move is this?


    Lian Qiao:? ? ? It seems like¡­ it works?


    He was frightened into hiccuping first by the corpse on the ground and now his mouth was suddenly stuffed with bread. He got another shock. Two negatives turned into a positive and the hiccups actually stopped.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s mouth was filled with bread, and he couldn¡¯t help reflecting on his life. He looked like a philosophical hamster. Yuan XueMing looked at the two people who were still fooling around and couldn¡¯t help but have the same thoughts as the rabbit in his heart: You are really the worst newcomers I have ever seen!


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    No matter how many times they come back, face-cons will fall for the trap of beauty.

 CH 19

    Victims had already begun to appear and so everyone¡¯s mood became very bad. After inspecting the corpse, Yuan XueMing announced: ¡°It¡¯s better to start the task as soon as possible otherwise I¡¯m afraid there will be more and more victims.¡±


    Xu RenDong took out the compass: ¡°This may be useful, I found it in the kitchen yesterday.¡±


    With a compass, they won¡¯t get lost in the snow when they go out to explore. Everyone¡¯s tension eased slightly but Lian Qiao glanced at Xu RenDong thoughtfully. He only said that he found the compass but he did not mention the matryoshka. Lian Qiao thought a little and then he understood.


    Under Xu RenDong¡¯s guidance, everyone quickly found the dolls and the elevator in the hidden room in the church. In the process, although realizing that some people will inevitably be sacrificed, finding the elevator was still equivalent to having half succeeded. So everyone¡¯s emotions gradually stabilized. In addition, they found several dolls very quickly this time and so even though there were only four days left, their mentality was very optimistic. They were convinced that they would be able to get out.


    Only Xu RenDong knews that as time went on, everyone would become more desperate day by day, because he would no longer know where the next doll was. If they can¡¯t find new clues then they could only watch the time pass just like the previous time, until the end of the seven days when the rabbit would appear and wipe them all out.


    On this day, everyone followed Xu RenDong as usual and explored everywhere. Although nothing was found this afternoon, everyone¡¯s morale was still high and they talked about tomorrow¡¯s plans.


    Only Xu RenDong remained silent, holding the compass and walking alone at the forefront of the team. Obviously there were so many teammates around him but he still looked like he was walking alone in the snow, alone and helpless. Lian Qiao followed, looked at him silently and finally couldn¡¯t help catching up to him and crying out: ¡°Brother RenDong.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Looking at his beautiful light brown eyes, Lian Qiao¡¯s heart inexplicably palpitated. He felt that he had no words to say but just wanted to strike up a conversation. But he had already been seen through and all the topics he had prepared dried up in his throat.


    Xu RenDong looked at him quietly, without rushing him or looking irritated. Lian Qiao suddenly found that Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes were very focused when he looked at people and he even turned his head slightly as if he were listening carefully. It can be seen from this little action that he respects others very much. Moreover, this is not an arrogant attitude and instead he was unconsciously revealing a good upbringing.


    There are two sources of nurturing, one is from the parent¡¯s teaching and the other is from the person¡¯s innate qualities. Xu RenDong was an orphan and Lian Qiao thought most likely the orphanage would not be so careful when teaching him. So obviously, his upbringing is the result of his own self-discipline.


    At this point, Lian Qiao¡¯s favorability for him soared. He felt that although Xu RenDong looked a bit cold, he was not actually an arrogant or rude person. He felt a little happy suddenly.


    He settled down his feelings and said, ¡°Do you think that the doll that was buried in the snow just now is a bit strange?¡±


    He was talking about the doll which contained a twisting monster that killed at first sight.


    Xu RenDong nodded: ¡°I understand what you mean. If the remaining dolls are as hard to find as this one and there are monsters hidden in them, then we are really in a bad spot and I¡¯m afraid we will all die here.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°So you also think the same as me. It¡¯s strange though. Do you remember that when the rabbit came to release the task on the first day, he accidentally said the word ¡°player¡±?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Do you still think this is a game?¡± ¡°


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Yes. There are NPCs with missions and tasks, monsters that guard treasures, traps, and time limits for escaping from the dungeon¡­. These settings are too similar to a game. Other than that, the most critical point are the rules.¡±


    Xu RenDong was puzzled: ¡°What rules?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Any game must have rules, otherwise it cannot be called a game. For example, in flying chess you can only take off after six o¡¯clock. If two planes of different camps meet in the same grid, one will crash. In the end, the party that reaches the end first with all planes wins. This is the rules of flying chess and the entire game is based on the rules. Otherwise you can¡¯t play the game. Rules are the most important component of a game. Don¡¯t you think that the death condition mentioned by Brother Yuan is actually a rule?¡± {I¡¯m not sure about this game flying chess so I could only translate the rules approximately. If anyone knows better please tell me.}


    Xu RenDong had always believed that Lian Qiao¡¯s thinking about the world of ghosts and monsters as a game was a naive idea. After all, people were really dead so it was beyond the level of playing games. But now listening to his analysis like this, it did sound interesting.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Go on.¡±


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°Then let¡¯s treat this ghost world as a game for the time being. There are two rules that we know of: one is to find all the dolls and give them to the rabbit within a time limit of seven days. The second is that if you don¡¯t have a doll, you will be killed by the rabbit. But the problem now is that finding all the dolls is almost impossible. In fact, all games must follow a basic rule, which is that the game cannot be unwinnable. It can be difficult, it can set up obstacles for you, but there can¡¯t be no way to solve it. And don¡¯t you remember, the rabbit said ¡°find a gift¡± and not ¡°find the dolls¡±. And also in fact, the rabbit never promised that after we find the dolls, that we can leave. So I think perhaps our assumptions were wrong from the very beginning. Maybe the condition for escape is not finding all the dolls?¡±


    Xu RenDong finally understood and nodded: ¡°Yes. Our real goal is to find the elevator and the button but the question is where is the button?¡±


    Lian Qiao pondered for a moment and said, ¡°I want to go back to the stele and see if Brother Sledgehammer is still there.¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll come with you.¡±


    Lian Qiao was surprised that he agreed without the slightest hesitation and asked in astonishment: ¡°Don¡¯t you want to ask me why I want to go back? After all, Brother Sledgehammer is quite dangerous¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°I know you have good instincts and I trust your judgment.¡±


    Lian Qiao turned his head to look at him and smiled with curved eyes.


    Dinner is still Leba and milk. Xu RenDong was tired of eating it a long time ago, and now he feels sick just by seeing these two things. But because of their plan that evening, he forced himself to eat some to replenish his strength.


    But if he doesn¡¯t get out this time, he is afraid that he¡¯ll go crazy. Not only will he be crazy but he will also be constipated. That would be extremely inelegant.


    After everyone went back to the room to rest, Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao quietly put on their coats, equipped the crowbar and stepped into the forest again.


    The small road in the forest has long been covered by thick snow. Fortunately, Xu RenDong has walked back and forth several times on this road and can roughly remember the direction. After walking for an unknown amount of time, the two finally came to the clearing area where they saw the standing stone stele from a distance, as well as the tall figure walking back and forth near the stele.


    At this time, four days have passed since they took away the matryoshka but Brother Sledgehammer was still wandering in place. There have been several snowfalls in the past few days and Brother Sledgehammer was already covered with snow. It kept falling as he walked. There was even ice on his eyebrows and hair, which looked pitiful.


    Xu RenDong was a little surprised and gently said to Lian Qiao on the side: ¡°You guessed it, he is really still there.¡±


    Lian Qiao took out the smallest doll and said thoughtfully: ¡°Look, doesn¡¯t this look like an egg?¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback. This doll is round and colorful and if you ignore the weird smiley face pattern, it really looked similar to the shape of an egg. Xu RenDong doesn¡¯t quite understand: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Lian Qiao whispered: ¡°I have been thinking these days, why is rabbit not willing to tell us what the holiday will be in seven days? I¡¯m guessing that it is Christmas or Easter, Easter is more likely. But why does the rabbit refuse to admit it?¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded, this is also a question he has been thinking about.


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°So I guess that this ¡®festival¡¯ may be a clue to clear the instance so it¡¯s not willing to tell us easily. Do you remember that in the elevator that sent us here, ¡°matryoshka¡± was written in Russian? This should also be a clue for clearing the instance but because we immediately found a doll, everyone did not pay attention to it. I also did not think about it until today, when one of the dolls contained a trap, and I suddenly understood. These matryoshka are actually not dolls, but eggs.¡±


    Xu RenDong was a little surprised: ¡°Like easter bunny eggs?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Yes. The significance of an easter egg is a surprise. Didn¡¯t we always think that matryoshka were positive items before? As a result, a ghost came out this time and we were all truly surprised.¡±


    Xu RenDong thought for a moment: ¡°I think your explanation is a bit far-fetched, and the easter egg concept seems a bit forced.¡±


    Lian Qiao smiled and said, ¡°From one point of view, it may indeed seem far-fetched. But there is another point¡­ Did you know that the matryoshka was made to celebrate Easter in the beginning?¡±


    Xu RenDong was startled.


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°The original Russian matryoshka were not a set of small dolls within larger dolls but a hen within a crown, an egg within a hen, a yolk within an egg and the innermost layer contained a piece of chocolate. Later on, a painter called¡­¡± He suddenly got stuck, thinking for a while, scratching his hair a little embarrassingly, ¡°It¡¯s over, I forgot what the painter was called.¡±


    Xu RenDong said helplessly, ¡°It¡¯s not important, continue. ¡°


    Lian Qiao:¡± Well it doesn¡¯t matter anyway, after a series of changes and improvements, matryoshka has become what it is today. I guess the tip of the elevator being in Russian was to emphasize the importance of the origin of the nesting dolls, which is the key to the puzzle ¨C the matryoshka is not just a matryoshka but also an Easter egg. So¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao stared at the giant hammer in the hands of Brother Sledgehammer, his expression suddenly excited: ¡°I have a bold idea.¡±


    Xu RenDong smiled: ¡°I do too.¡±


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t expect Xu RenDong to go along with him. He was a little surprised and a little bit overjoyed. He looked at Xu RenDong with a gentle smile in his eyes: ¡°But this is very risky. If there is really nothing inside this doll, then it¡¯s the equivalent to destroying a key prop and then all of us are doomed¡­. ¡°


    Xu RenDong comforted him: ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯re all already doomed anyway. ¡°


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡­ What you say also makes sense.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°The question is, how do you plan to get the sledgehammer off him?¡±


    Lian Qiao raised the corners of his mouth slightly: ¡°Let me ¡®seduce¡¯ him.¡±


    ¡­ Seduce him?


    Xu RenDong looked at the big-waisted Big Hammer, and then at the thin-skinned and tender Lian Qiao. Suddenly a lot of bad associations occurred. He frowned, grabbed the eager Lian Qiao and said in a deep voice: ¡°You can¡¯t go.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Xu RenDong said displeased: ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be this kind of person. For this kind of small thing, you¡¯re going to betray your body? What will your parents think?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± He finally realized that Xu RenDong had misunderstood and couldn¡¯t help laughing out loud. ¡°No, no, no, I mean to bait him and make him run after him. Then can you help me put the doll on the stone tablet? Then I will lead him back over to the stele then dodge his attack so that he will use his hammer to smash the matryoshka. ¡®Seduce¡¯ is a game term, I usually say it casually so I didn¡¯t realize what it sounded like.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± He silently turned his head, there was a moment of silence, and he managed to say the word ¡°oh¡±.


    He thought he was the other person having nasty thoughts, but didn¡¯t expect it was actually him that was thinking too much. He was wrong to accuse others. Xu RenDong now felt so embarrassed his face hurt.


    Lian Qiao added fuel to the fire: ¡°Oh, I also didn¡¯t expect you to be this kind of person¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s ears reddened at a speed visible to the naked eye.


    Lian Qiao looked at Xu RenDong who was embarrassed that he turned stiff, and only thought he was so very cute. Suddenly wanted to tease him and even wanted to boldly touch his ears.


    Lian Qiao faintly knew that this was not good and that Brother RenDong might get angry. But he couldn¡¯t control himself. When he reacted, his hand was already reaching Xu RenDong¡¯s earlobe and was only a thin distance away from the small and soft tender skin.


    Gu-dong.


    Lian Qiao swallowed nervously and excitedly.


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    It is already conceivable that the comment area is full of screams of [Touch him!] and [Get on top of him!]

 CH 20

    However before Lian Qiao¡¯s salty pig hands could touch the tender earlobe, Xu RenDong suddenly lowered his head and pulled out the crowbar from his bag.


    Lian Qiao was taken aback by him. He folded his hands and immediately confessed: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry! I won¡¯t dare anymore!¡±


    Xu RenDong was confused: ¡°What don¡¯t you dare? Didn¡¯t you want to seduce him? It¡¯s getting late. If  you want to do it, let¡¯s do it quickly!¡±


    Lian Qiao was taken aback and realized that Xu RenDong hadn¡¯t noticed his actions before. So he hurried to bend down and took the crowbar in a sense of righteousness, and said in a spirited manner: ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Be careful.¡±


    Lian Qiao ran behind Brother Sledgehammer and shouted at him: ¡°Hey!¡± At the same time, he bent down and held up a pile of white snow.


    Brother Sledgehammer turned around and was smashed by a snowball. He instantly became furious.


    Lian Qiao ran away after hitting him, shouting as he ran, ¡°Come on, come after me! If you can catch me, I¡¯ll let you¡­Ah!¡± He caught himself before he finished. His brain supplied disgusting images and he changed his words with a look of disgust. ¡°Even if you catch me, I won¡¯t let you do anything! I reject your ugliness!¡±


    Xu RenDong hiding behind the tree: ¡°¡­¡±  You¡¯re still in the mood to play around? If you don¡¯t joke, will you die?


    It was unknown if Brother Sledgehammer understood his words. He snarled and chased Lian Qiao. His large and cumbersome body made ¡°don don don don¡± sound as it ran and even the earth shook slightly.


    Xu RenDong made a decisive decision and quickly rushed to the side of the stone monument, placing the doll in a prominent position. He had to say Lian Qiao had sufficiently thought things through. This doll was small and extremely strong. They had tried other methods before coming here. No matter whether they used the back of a knife or a stone, they couldn¡¯t break this doll. Probably only Brother Sledgehammer¡¯s sledgehammer could break it. This stele is placed here, just like a cutting board. Otherwise, if the doll is placed on the ground and the ground is covered with soft snow, even the sledgehammer will not be able to smash it.


    After Xu RenDong placed the doll, he shouted: ¡°Lian Qiao!¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s response came from a distance. Xu RenDong knew that he was okay and felt relieved. He quickly hid back in his hiding place.


    He saw Lian Qiao running again toward the stele and Brother Sledgehammer was not far behind him. Lian Qiao ran extremely fast, Brother Sledgehammer naturally couldn¡¯t catch up with him but whenever the distance between the two of them was pulled apart, Lian Qiao would slow down appropriately so that Brother Sledgehammer thought he had a chance and moved towards him while swinging a heavy hammer. However, Lian Qiao reacted very quickly and was always able to dodge cleverly before the sledgehammer hit him. Brother Sledgehammer attacked several times but was not even able to touch a hair on his head so his anger grew greater and greater and the swing of his giant hammer became more and more violent.


    Xu RenDong was frightened as he watched from the sidelines. He knew that Lian Qiao was deliberately stimulating Brother Sledgehammer so that he would lose his mind and wouldn¡¯t figure out his true intentions. But this also put Lian Qiao himself in greater danger. Although in terms of physical strength, Lian Qiao was still quite energetic, but there is no doubt that he is terribly scared. The sound of the sledgehammer brushed his ears time and time again and although he was able to avoid it every time, his face became paler.


    Xu RenDong even saw him shiver clearly. But now Xu RenDong can¡¯t do anything so he can only clench his fists and wait for an opportunity.


    Finally, Lian Qiao ran to the side of the stele. He deliberately slowed down so that Brother Sledgehammer could catch up. Lian Qiao¡¯s body happened to be blocking the stone tablet. Brother Sledgehammer was so excited that he was exhausted.


    This time, Lian Qiao didn¡¯t dodge immediately but waited until the moment the sledgehammer almost hit him before suddenly turning his head. At the same time, both of his hands were supported on the stone tablet and then he propelled himself away with as much force as possible and fell heavily into the snow.


    There is only one chance! Lian Qiao was sacrificing his chance of escape to ensure that the sledgehammer would hit the doll!


    Xu RenDong stared at Brother Sledgehammer, seeing him hit the stone tablet with his hammer but because the stone tablet was blocked by the body of the sledgehammer, the result was not visible.


    Did it hit the matryoshka? He clenched his fists nervously, his nails sinking into his flesh. But then he saw Lian Qiao who fell into the snow make a happy face and shout, ¡°Brother RenDong!¡±


    Xu RenDong knew that he had succeeded and ran out immediately, holding a big rock in his hand and threw it towards Brother Sledgehammer.


    At the same time, he ordered Lian Qiao: ¡°Run!¡±


    The location where Lian Qiao fell was too close to Brother Sledgehammer. Xu RenDong wanted to attract Brother Sledgehammer¡¯s attention to give Lian Qiao time to escape. The stone was thrown out and hit Brother Sledgehammer¡¯s back. Unexpectedly, Brother Sledgehammer had thick muscles so even when such a heavy stone hit him, it was as though it hit a wall and his huge body didn¡¯t move at all. Brother Sledgehammer didn¡¯t even look back at him but immediately raised the sledgehammer again and turned his head to hit Lian Qiao who was on the ground.


    ¡°Lian Qiao!¡± Xu RenDong screamed, his heart jumping into his throat.


    Lian Qiao watched the sledgehammer hit towards him with a pale face. He had no time to get up so he had to roll over on the spot and barely escaped the catastrophe. He obviously couldn¡¯t take care of himself but he desperately shouted at Xu RenDong: ¡°Leave me! Get the button!¡±


    Xu RenDong turned his head and looked at the stone tablet, only to realize that the doll had been broken. Among the wood fragments, a silver-gray object was coldly reflecting metallic light. At this time, Lian Qiao used his hands and feet to get up from the ground and ran wildly. When he was embarrassed, he actually turned around and threw a snowball at Brother Sledgehammer, and cried out, ¡°Come on! Chase me! Hic!¡±


    Brother Sledgehammer was furious, raised the giant hammer and started chasing him again.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart shuddered, knowing that Lian Qiao was creating an opportunity for him. He no longer hesitated and just grabbed the button, turned and ran towards the hunter¡¯s cabin.


    The direction of Lian Qiao¡¯s escape was completely opposite to that of the cabin. At this time, the night was getting late and there was heavy snow in the sky. Xu RenDong became more and more disturbed as he ran. He couldn¡¯t calm down his frantic heartbeat until he got back to the hunter¡¯s cabin.


    Would Lian Qiao come back safely? After a while, Brother Sledgehammer should stop chasing just like before right? But Lian Qiao was already terrified. He was hiccuping while running, would that affect his performance and let Brother Sledgehammer catch up to him? If that happens..


    Xu RenDong forced himself to calm down and walked to the table. He pulled a chair to sit down but he was shaking all over, unable to control himself.


    Xu RenDong sat alone in the dark. He didn¡¯t light the fireplace and he didn¡¯t close the door. The cold wind swept across the hall wrapped in snowflakes, easily taking away the only remaining temperature on his body. The longer he waited, the colder his heart became. Just when he couldn¡¯t wait any longer and wanted to go back to find Lian Qiao, there was a rush of footsteps outside the house.


    Xu RenDong almost jumped up. As soon as he turned around, he felt a large object barrel into his arms, it was hot and sweaty like a frightened little animal.


    It¡¯s just that this little animal is a bit big and aggressive and knocked him to the ground with a bang.


    A familiar and warm feeling suddenly surged in his heart. Despite being dizzy, Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help but raise the corners of his mouth. He patted Lian Qiao¡¯s back lightly and calmly said: ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay, you¡¯re back.¡± As soon as he spoke, he realized that his voice was trembling and he couldn¡¯t help feeling funny.


    Lian Qiao was crying, sobbing with hiccups. ¡°Wuwuwuwu¡­¡± he cried: ¡°Brother RenDong ¡­¡­ wuwuwu¡­ I lost the crowbar¡­.¡±


    Xu RenDong was shocked for a moment then laughed. ¡°What do you need the crowbar for?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°I¡¯m afraid without the crowbar!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯m here.¡± Xu RenDong raised his hand and wiped his tears, feeling underneath his fingertips flesh that was soft and warm, full of fresh vitality. Xu RenDong has never had such close contact with anyone before and this feeling made his heart throb so much that he felt out of breath.


    It¡¯s a bit uncomfortable, but he didn¡¯t reject this feeling.


    ¡°It¡¯s all over,¡± he realized that his tone had become gentle, ¡°We can leave here.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Lian Qiao smiled and his brows curled but more tears fell out of his eyes.


    The tear happened to fall on Xu RenDong¡¯s face and both of them were taken aback. Lian Qiao reacted first, wiping him hurriedly.


    Xu RenDong coughed in embarrassment: ¡°It¡¯s okay, don¡¯t wipe it. You¡­get off me first.¡±


    Lian Qiao noticed that he was riding on Xu RenDong¡¯s waist in a very ambiguous posture. His brain immediately supplied a 100,000 word scene that couldn¡¯t be spoken out loud and he was so scared that he quickly got up from Xu RenDong. He was scared his lower organ would expose his dirty mind theatre.


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t think much, he turned his head and went upstairs. He said, ¡°I¡¯m going to inform everyone.¡±


    Lian Qiao was taken aback and caught up with him: ¡°Would you like to leave now?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lian Qiao still wanted to speak but Xu RenDong had already hurried upstairs. After all, the night was the time for the rabbit to kill. He was afraid that he would be one step too late and there would be two more victims in the team.


    Lian Qiao watched his back disappear on the second floor, feeling a little disappointed. He pressed his lips together unwillingly. He rubbed his eyes and recalled the scene where Xu RenDong wiped his tears just now. He couldn¡¯t help but feel sweet in his heart and smiled crookedly.


    When everyone heard that they had found the button, they were all ecstatic. Without further ado, everyone immediately lit a torch and rushed to the church overnight.


    Xu RenDong quietly counted the number of people. There were nearly 20 people when they came to this world and nearly half of them had died by this time. But anyway, it¡¯s good to be able to get out alive. After all, these people are just strangers and this experience was a nightmare. They all wanted to return to the real world, forget the nightmare and have a fresh beginning.


    Tomorrow everyone will wake up to a beautiful morning without facing terrible ghosts, without worrying about whether they would be the one to die today. They would return to the embrace of the people who are waiting for them back home, eat home-cooked and delicious food, and go to work. They would return to their ordinary and preciously mundane lives.


    Xu RenDong put the round button into the groove on the elevator and heard a click. The button fits in perfectly, emitting a faint white light. At the same time, the elevator door opened with a jingle and inside was a dazzling white light. It looked so holy and full of hope.


    Everyone was overjoyed and some even cried with joy. Yuan XueMing said: ¡°Okay, it¡¯s over, we can go back together now. It¡¯s fate that we got to know each other this time.¡±


    Everyone nodded when they heard the words and walked into the elevator one by one.


    The elevator has a lot of space, enough to accommodate everyone. Xu RenDong watched everyone enter. Among these people, there was no Xu Hong, no Jiang Li or Wang Yuan. Suddenly he felt a complex emotion in his heart which prevented him from lifting his feet and stepping into this elevator that led to hope.


    He deeply remembered that Xu Hong did not give up hope until the end and worked hard to determinedly find the last chance. He remembered Jiang Li¡¯s almost crazy paranoia and deep love when she slit his throat. He remembered that Wang Yuan was shredded by the rabbit until not even a single piece of flesh was left but he protected Jiang Li in his arms until he died. He knows that those other people who died, whose names he didn¡¯t know and who didn¡¯t have much sense of existence, also had their own names, their own stories, their own lives, people who loved them and whom they loved in return.


    When Xu RenDong watched everyone enter the elevator, a thought suddenly occurred in his heart.


    Lian Qiao seemed to sense something and suddenly became uneasy: ¡°Brother RenDong, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    Xu RenDong said, ¡°You go first, I still have something to do.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°I¡¯ll stay with you.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡± No, I have to do it alone.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°But I want to¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong interrupted him: ¡°Go on, can¡¯t you see everyone is waiting for you?¡±


    Lian Qiao turned around and everyone was standing in the elevator and looking at him blankly.


    Yuan XueMing stretched out his hand to block the elevator door and gave Xu RenDong a surprised look: ¡°Are you really going to stay?¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded. Yuan XueMing said: ¡°Then Lian Qiao, let¡¯s go first.¡±


    Lian Qiao shook his head and was about to speak. Xu RenDong gave him a little push, deliberately using a hurtful tone and said impatiently: ¡°Get, don¡¯t get in my way. ¡°


    Lian Qiao was taken aback and he felt Xu RenDong¡¯s indifference was in order to build another ice wall between them, abruptly blocking him out.


    He didn¡¯t understand why this was happening. He thought Xu RenDong would comfort him softly and tell him not to be afraid, telling him that it was all over. But now it seemed as though he never wanted to see him again, and even turned around and left without looking back.


    Xu RenDong seems to have no feelings for him at all.


    ¡­¡­Is it because I was too passionate? It turned out that our relationship was far from reaching the level I thought.


    Lian Qiao felt his chest was stuffy, sour and uncomfortable. Yuan XueMing was still urging: ¡°Come on. He knows what he¡¯s doing, you don¡¯t have to worry about him.¡±


    Lian Qiao took a deep look at Xu RenDong¡¯s back until Xu RenDong¡¯s figure disappeared behind the wall and could no longer be seen. Lian Qiao then lowered his head and walked into the elevator.


    In the corridor separated by a wall, Xu RenDong heard the sound of the elevator doors closing, feeling relieved. He let out a long breath.


    When Lian Qiao left just now, he did not show the slightest emotion because he knew that they would meet again soon.


    Xu RenDong walked into the chapel, sat down on the bench and looked up for a while at the statue of Jesus with solemn eyes. After a while, he began to take off his clothes. The thick padded jacket, sweater and suit jacket, until only a thin silk shirt was left on his upper body.


    Then he took a knife out of his pocket. The tip of the knife touched his heart, and the throbbing beat moved along the blade into the palm of his hand. He clearly felt the beating of his heart, calmly and forcefully. He has never had such a clear and strong cognition: that he is still alive and that his life was so vivid.


    What a wonderful experience.


    Thinking like this, he used his hand to calmly send the icy blade into his heart.


    He thrust it in and then pulled it out.


    Blood, fresh and warm, spurted out


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    The instance hasn¡¯t been cleared yet, it will not be cleared within 20 chapters. In fact the first instance is so difficult. After all, Honeysuckle is not familiar with what¡¯s happening in the beginning~ Don¡¯t worry, he won¡¯t turn into a Virgin Mary! Don¡¯t abandon the story~~


    T/N: This is the last reincarnation, hold on (there¡¯s 5 more chapters left in this instance). Next chapter is from LQ¡¯s perspective instead of XRD¡¯s again.

 CH 21

    ¡°Ding.¡± The elevator door opened, revealing a white world in front of Lian Qiao. The sky was gray and it was impossible to tell what time it was but it was obviously not the 10 o¡¯clock in the evening shown on his phone.


    Lian Qiao poked out his head cautiously and immediately shivered in the cold wind. He held his arms and looked at the environment outside. There was a forest not far away with snow so thick that it looked like it would break the overwhelmed branches at any time. The north wind howled, the shadows of the trees were faint and he couldn¡¯t see what was in the depths of the forest.


    There was silence everywhere and Lian Qiao could only hear the whistling of the north wind and his own thumping heartbeat. But this violent heartbeat was not because of fear but because of excitement.


    My goodness, isn¡¯t this the standard beginning of a horror movie? Did I cross over?


    Did he cross into a book, or a movie or a game? At the thought of games, Lian Qiao was overwhelmed with excitement. He didn¡¯t even care about the cold anymore and walked out of the elevator happily.


    The moment he left the elevator, the entire elevator disappeared. Just as weird as when it appeared out of thin air. However, not only did Lian Qiao not panic, he even thought this special effect was very good and definitely no expenses had been spared.


    So what should he do next? Where is the beginner¡¯s task? Was there a tutorial?


    Lian Qiao thought happily as he walked towards the woods. Soon he discovered that there was a path at the entrance of the woods. The path seems to have been cleaned not long ago so despite the heavy snow in the sky, the shape of the path can be seen in the black and white mottle, adding a bit of winter atmosphere.


    But if it is later, the snow will completely cover the trail. If you lose your way in this icy world, it is estimated that you will get hypothermia and die soon.


    -It seems to be a time-limited path. The beginner¡¯s task should be up ahead.


    Lian Qiao nodded clearly, sped up his pace and started to walk along the path. Sure enough, the path quickly led him to a clearing in the forest. In the center of the clearing, there was a half-person-high stone stele without any words or patterns on it. It was bare and uncarved. But Lian Qiao immediately noticed a small round object on the top of the stele, which looked like an egg from a distance.


    He looked around and didn¡¯t see any NPCs or hints. So pretending to be courageous, he walked towards the stele. After getting closer, he could see that there was a small Russian doll on the stele. The matryoshka had a weird smile on her face and the corners of her mouth were grinning all the way up to her ears, quite like the slit-mouthed girl in a horror movie which made it look quite ominous.


    Lian Qiao immediately remembered the Russian word in the elevator just now: Matryoshka. Obviously, this is a key prop.


    He was about to pick up the matryoshka when he suddenly felt someone approaching behind him. At the same time, someone pressed his hand: ¡°Wait.¡±


    It was a cool and pleasant voice. Lian Qiao felt that the voice sounded a bit familiar so he turned his head. After seeing the man¡¯s face clearly, his heart trembled.


    He had never seen such a good-looking man before. His facial features are profound and exquisite, no matter what angle you look at, they looked like a masterpiece carefully crafted by a master, so perfect that you couldn¡¯t find a trace of a flaw. The man¡¯s lips were slightly pursed but they were just right. If he laughed, it would be easy for people to fall for him. However, maybe because of the cold weather or some other reason, there is a kind of indifference and alienation in his expression. He seemed taciturn, cold and self-sufficient, quietly rejecting people thousands of miles away.


    ¡ªLike a handsome priest sitting by a rose bush, holding a Bible in his hand.


    He seemed unaware of his beautiful appearance, so his gentlemanly manner was entwined with a trace of abstinence.


    However, this man was pressing his hand and staring at him quietly. Lian Qiao felt that he was looking into his heart and he suddenly felt flustered.


    The eyes seemed like they contained a thousand words but the man was silent. After a while he looked away and whispered: ¡°I¡¯m a veteran player, listen to me¡±


    Lian Qiao was taken aback: ¡°Player? This is really a game?¡±


    The man said, ¡°It can be understood that way.¡±


    Lian Qiao immediately nodded obediently: ¡°Hello boss! Please take this newbie along please!¡±


    The man glanced at him again. Lian Qiao wasn¡¯t sure if it was his own illusion but a smile seemed to flash across those deep eyes.


    Following the man¡¯s instructions, Lian Qiao picked up a wooden stick as a weapon and hid behind the big tree designated by the man. The man walked to the stone tablet, picked up the doll and then looked around vigilantly.


    Soon, Lian Qiao felt that the atmosphere around him was different. It seemed that something was rushing out of the darkness.


    He followed the voice and saw a huge butcher with a sledgehammer weighing several kilograms in his hand, walking toward the man aggressively.


    The beautiful man looked calm with no expression on his face. He didn¡¯t even escape but stood quietly in front of the stone monument.


    The sledgehammer man came faster and faster, and the sledgehammer in his hand was also raised high above his head. The man raised his head and looked at him coldly, completely unmoved.


    At that moment, there was a martyr-like determination in his eyes. He seemed to have become a saint in the religious mural, a noble soul who, even in the face of death, never bowed his head. Therefore, his beauty was sacred and sublime and even more thrilling, making people feel that the next second he will abandon this body for the faith in his heart and leave the mortal world.


    Lian Qiao looked at him, only to feel that he had been heavily hit in his heart a few times. But inexplicably, he felt as though he had seen him look even better before.


    Not this inhuman kind of beauty, but a more vivid, lovable and familiar kind of beauty¡­ the kind that felt within reach.


    This strange feeling only lasted for a short while. When Lian Qiao saw the sledgehammer was about to hit the man¡¯s head, his heart leapt into his throat. The moment the sledgehammer brushed against his hair, the man suddenly turned his head and ducked, avoiding the sledgehammer attack at the very last moment before death!


    At the same time, with a bang, the sledgehammer slammed on the stone tablet. Something had been broken. Lian Qiao immediately reacted, it was the matryoshka just now!


    What was going on? Breaking important props in the beginning?


    Lian Qiao was full of doubts and saw the man bend over and walk around behind the stele. Brother Sledgehammer raised the sledgehammer again and was about to smash it down again but at this critical juncture, the man reached out and grabbed something on the stone tablet, then turned his head and ran towards Lian Qiao.


    ¡°Run!¡± the man ordered.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± What? Is it over?


    Who am I? What should I be doing? Why am I holding this wooden log in my hands?


    Although he was full of doubts, he still followed the boss¡¯s instructions and began to run wildly. Brother Sledgehammer roared and followed the two of them closely, his heavy body shook the ground slightly and gave people a strong sense of oppression.


    Lian Qiao ran side by side with the boss with a dazed expression. He didn¡¯t know how long he ran before the boss glanced back and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay now.¡±


    Lian Qiao stopped again with a dazed expression only to find that Brother Sledgehammer was standing far away, with a very depressed expression and staring at them both. Then the huge figure melted like ice and snow and gradually disappeared.


    What the hell? He just disappeared like that? Didn¡¯t he need to fight?


    Lian Qiao continued to be confused.


    The boss looked at the place where Brother Sledgehammer disappeared, and suddenly said: ¡°Sure enough, his use is to smash the egg.¡± {I think Brother Sledgehammer disappeared this time instead of walking back to the stele, because his purpose in the instance has been fulfilled.}


    Lian Qiao: ¡°???¡± He had 10,000 questions in his head at this time but as a senior gamer, he knew that big bosses hated newbies that asked a lot of questions the most so he closed his mouth obediently and waited for the big boss to give instructions for the next step.


    Unexpectedly, the boss turned his head and said with some doubts: ¡°Don¡¯t you want to ask me something?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Uh, what should I ask?¡±


    The boss was silent for a moment: ¡°For example, who am I? What is this place? Who was that chasing us just now?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°???¡± Why did it get even more confusing? He didn¡¯t understand the situation.


    When Lian Qiao was about to ask another question, the big boss raised his mouth slightly. His smile was so attractive that Lian Qiao¡¯s IQ plummeted and he immediately forgot what he wanted to say, there was only a row of big words left in his mind:


    Ahhhhhhhhh! How can he be so beautiful!! He¡¯s just an immortal come down to earth!!! Ahhh!!


    Pretty much standard fare brainless star-chasing.


    Just when Lian Qiao was about to transcend, the man stared at him and said seriously: ¡°I am not ¡®big boss¡¯. My name is Xu RenDong.¡±


    Lian Qiao was taken aback. RenDong? Like honeysuckle?


    Just as he was thinking this, the man smiled again and added: ¡°Yes RenDong like the other name used for honeysuckle.¡±


    He actually knew what I was thinking!


    This kind of wonderful tacit understanding is more lethal than the big brother¡¯s smile. Lian Qiao only felt that the arrows pierced his heart and each arrow was engraved with ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhh!¡±. He was holding his heart, and a dense barrage floated in his mind: ¡°Oh no! It¡¯s the feeling of my heart moving!¡± {A popular phrase used to indicate that you are falling in love.}


    Xu RenDong naturally couldn¡¯t see the bullet screen in his brain but asked a little strangely: ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t you have something to say?¡±


    Huh? What do you want me to say?


    Lian Qiao thought for a while, and praised sincerely, ¡°Immortal, it must have been hard descending to earth.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± He showed a helpless expression of ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you are talking about¡±. Lian Qiao realized his gaffe, then turned his head awkwardly and wiped his mouth with a guilty conscience.


    The boss probably thought he was not good at communicating so he changed the subject and said, ¡°There is a hunter¡¯s cabin in front. Let¡¯s go and see if there is anyone there.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Good idea, boss.¡±


    Xu RenDong turned his head and glanced at him. Somehow, a trace of loss flashed in his eyes.


    Lian Qiao was shocked: What did I do wrong? Don¡¯t be disappointed with me. I am a very strong student. If you tell me what you don¡¯t like, I will change!


    However, the boss didn¡¯t say anything after all and just hurried away in silence. Lian Qiao didn¡¯t dare to make any trouble so he had to follow him quietly with his tail tucked in.


    The two walked along the path for a while and, as expected, a wooden house appeared in front of them. The miraculous thing was that there was a gray rabbit standing on two legs at the door of the wooden house. The rabbit was about half a person tall and he was wearing a little golden tuxedo which looked very cute.


    The rabbit is knocking on the door with his furry front paws. Unexpectedly, the boss suddenly stepped forward and kicked the rabbit away.


    Rabbit: ¡°???¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°???¡± Does the boss treat all small animals so rudely?!


    At the same time, the wooden door opened and a middle-aged man walked out and saw the two of them. He was about to say hello when he suddenly spotted the dumbfounded rabbit sitting in the snow. The middle-aged man¡¯s face showed the shocked expression, ¡°Who am I and what am I looking at?¡± x 3.


    ¡°Um, you¡­¡± the middle-aged man hesitated.


    The boss took a silver-gray object from his pocket and showed it to the man. Then calmly said: ¡°I have found the button. Don¡¯t waste any more time, let¡¯s go to the elevator.¡±


    The middle-aged man: ¡°¡­¡±


    The rabbit just got up from the ground and was slapping the snow from his hair. Hearing these words, the rabbit¡¯s face also showed a dazed expression of ¡°Who am I and what am I looking at?¡±


    As a rabbit, it is really embarrassing for him to be able to make such a complicated expression.


    Just when everyone¡¯s face was dumbfounded, the big boss turned around coldly: ¡°Don¡¯t you want to go? If you don¡¯t want to, I¡¯ll go myself.¡±


    Everyone: ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Lian Qiao discovered that there were still more than a dozen people inside the house. At this moment, everyone filed out, rubbing the shoulders of the middle-aged man and following the boss one by one. Lian Qiao hurried to catch up, closely following the big brother, to consolidate his position as the number one younger brother.


    In front of the cabin, only the middle-aged man stood stupidly, exchanging glances with the rabbit who was sitting in the snow and couldn¡¯t get up.


    One person and one rabbit looked at each other for a while, then the middle-aged man also turned his head to follow.


    Rabbit: ¡°¡­¡± He was like an abandoned rag doll.


    Lian Qiao thought the rabbit looked very pitiful but instead of feeling sympathy, he even wanted to laugh.


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    This reincarnation is switched to Lian Qiao¡¯s perspective~


    Feel the love of honest fans


    You have to ask me why I arranged RenDong¡¯s suicide, here it was just to write this.


    Are you happy?!

 CH 22

    Everyone held their mobile phones to illuminate the darkness, whispering and following behind the boss. Lian Qiao learned from their conversation that they were now in a world where there were ghosts and monsters and they needed to find an elevator and an elevator button to leave.


    At this time Lian Qiao realized that the metal object hidden in the doll that Brother Sledgehammer smashed was the elevator button.


    The man who opened the door for them was called Yuan XueMing. He claimed to be an old-timer and this was his third time entering the world of ghosts and monsters. At this moment, he quietly approached Lian Qiao and staring at Xu RenDong¡¯s tall and slender back, he asked in a low voice, ¡°You came with him? Do you guys know each other outside?¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°I don¡¯t know him. I met him soon after getting out of the elevator. He says he knows me from my live broadcast.¡±


    Yuan XueMing: ¡°What about the button?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Just picked it up outside.¡±


    Yuan XueMing: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao also had something to ask him: ¡°What happened to the rabbit just now?¡±


    Yuan XueMing said: ¡°I thought that the rabbit was here to give us a task. Generally speaking, we can only leave here only after completing the task. But no one has ever just left the elevator and found the button within an hour. This is incredible.¡±


    Hearing his praise of the boss, Lian Qiao inexplicably felt very proud: ¡°Yes! Our boss is amazing!¡±


    Yuan XueMing smiled: ¡°Didn¡¯t you just meet? How come you have turned into his younger brother already.¡±


    Lian Qiao tapped his chest proudly: ¡°Isn¡¯t it because our big brother is too charismatic!


    Yuan XueMing smiled, shook his head and said: ¡°Oh, you¡¯re really a child ¡°


    With the godly big boss guiding them, the church soon appeared in view of everyone. Lian Qiao looked up and felt that the round top of the tower looked like Kisses chocolate. He felt a bit hungry when he looked at it.


    When he returned to his senses, he suddenly discovered that the big boss who was supposed to be leading the way had stopped at some point and had turned his head back to look at him. Lian Qiao leaned forward like a little concubine who had been summoned: ¡°Big boss, are you looking for me?¡±


    When Xu RenDong heard those two words ¡°big boss¡±, the words he was going to say were abruptly swallowed back by him into his stomach. He turned his head indifferently: ¡°No.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­oh.¡± How come the big boss was hot and cold?


    No he could understand, important people were always very unpredictable!


    Lian Qiao only felt the big boss was even cooler than usual so he carefully clamped his tail and followed the boss into the church cautiously.


    This church was not big. The first thing they saw when they entered was the chapel  with a tall cross upon which Jesus was nailed. Jesus looked solemn and had a compassionate expression.


    The boss instructed them to break up into groups and search but everyone wanted to be in the group with the boss. Especially those little girls, their eyes were lit up like stars in the milky way and they were blushing like they were looking at their first love, it was very cute.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s mind was full of melon eating. He was too lazy to fight with them and also felt he had nothing to fight with. However, just as he was studying the statue of Jesus, Xu RenDong¡¯s cold and pleasant voice suddenly came from behind him.


    ¡°Lian Qiao, come here.¡±


    Lian Qiao walked through the crowd with a dazed expression when he heard this and walked over to Xu RenDong. The girls were full of envy, jealousy and hate but when they looked at Lian Qiao¡¯s extremely cute face, they showed the expression of ¡°if it¡¯s you, then we have nothing¡± and dispersed.


    Lian Qiao realized that Xu RenDong gave him special treatment and couldn¡¯t help but feel excited. But when he thought about it, he also felt it was a bit strange. He had never revealed his sexuality in the live broadcast. Fans probably didn¡¯t know that he was bent¡­


    Lian Qiao sighed in his heart: I¡¯m thinking too much, he takes special care of me because he¡¯s my fan. I must not misunderstand this pure fan love.


    Otherwise, he would be too embarrassed.


    So he adjusted his mood and followed Xu RenDong into the side corridor.


    The lights in this corridor were very dim which was pretty scary to be honest. But the boss was close at hand and Lian Qiao felt reassured. He even thought: ¡®There¡¯s nothing to be scared of anymore¡¯. {Please see author¡¯s note at the end, I didn¡¯t put it here because it¡¯s a bit long.}


    As soon as this sentence flashed through his mind, he suddenly realized that he had set a flag and had a bad feeling. But with the big boss by his side, that shouldn¡¯t happen right?


    He subconsciously glanced at the big boss beside him but he didn¡¯t expect that the big boss stopped and cast him a look that seemed to be holding back a smile.


    Lian Qiao was stared at by those smiling eyes, and felt that the tip of his heart was trembling. The feeling of electricity spread all over his body. Unexpectedly, the next second, the boss suddenly stretched out his hand and pushed him hard against the wall!


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­Fuck?!¡±


    He was taken aback and fell back without any resistance. He thought it¡¯s over, I¡¯m definitely going to hit the wall now. What does the big boss want? How come he made a move without saying anything? Didn¡¯t we already agree that it was pure fan love?


    Lian Qiao staggered back a few steps, thinking that he was about to hit a hard and cold wall but unexpectedly found that there was nothing behind him. The 10,000 word barrage in his heart hadn¡¯t finished yet but the scene in front of him suddenly flashed. The corridor and the boss were gone, replaced by a white wall.


    After Lian Qiao stood still, he fell into a daze and couldn¡¯t help but swear a few more times. He turned his head and saw that he was in a square room. The room was white everywhere no matter where he looked. Only behind him stood a silver-gray elevator, which was coldly reflecting the metallic light.


    Wait, elevator? Isn¡¯t this what they are looking for!


    Lian Qiao was stunned, his mouth open wide enoughn to fit a full set of Russian dolls. He was about to call for the big boss, but then he heard the boss¡¯s voice from behind the wall: ¡°Lian Qiao? Are you still alive?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here, inside! I¡¯m fine!¡­Uh, I seem to have found the elevator!¡± He scratched his head. Before he could figure out what was going on, a slender and straight leg appeared in the wall in front of him. The line of the legs was perfect, wrapped in dark suit pants. It looked dignified and upright, but had a kind of abstinent beauty.


    Soon, Xu RenDong walked out of the snow-white wall. The scene was like an ancient Greek god who got up from a milk bath; elegant, handsome and breathtaking. Lian Qiao was hit by a beauty attack and immediately forgave the big boss for his inexplicable violence before. He even had the desire to be kicked again by his long legs.


    Seeing his obsessive look, Xu RenDong was taken aback for a while and then asked apologetically: ¡°You¡­did you bump your head?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± It¡¯s too embarrassing to say it¡¯s because I¡¯ve become addicted to the big boss¡¯ beauty.


    But it didn¡¯t seem to be any better to admit that he had become stupid by banging his head. So he remained silent, feeling complicated, and didn¡¯t want to explain.


    Seeing that he didn¡¯t deny it, Xu RenDong¡¯s face showed a little guilt.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± he said, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to use so much force. Did I hurt you?¡±


    He reached out to Lian Qiao, as if he wanted to see where he had been injured. Lian Qiao suddenly felt happy and he cleverly moved his head up towards his touch: ¡°It hurts, it hurts! It hurts!¡±


    It hurts a lot! Big boss, touch it and make it feel better!


    Lian Qiao closed his eyes and was about to enjoy the big boss¡¯s caress but then heard Yuan XueMing¡¯s question from outside the wall: ¡°What¡¯s the situation inside? Are you guys okay?¡±


    Xu RenDong immediately retracted his hand.


    Lian Qiao craned his neck and waited to be touched: ¡°¡­¡± Master Yuan, you¡¯re really hateful.


    Xu RenDong explained the situation to the outside through the wall. Immediately afterwards, he saw Yuan XueMing poking his head out of the snow-white wall.


    Lian Qiao thought coldly: Oh, like a pig¡¯s head on a chopping board.


    Yuan XueMing on the chopping board: ¡°Why are you looking at me with such a look? It¡¯s scary¡­.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°No, you¡¯re thinking too much.¡±


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t notice the weird atmosphere between these two people. He just took the button, clicked it on the groove next to the elevator and said: ¡°Call everyone in, let¡¯s leave.¡±


    What? Is this the end?!  What about the large-scale live-action decryption escape game? How come he just cleared the level while lying down and hadn¡¯t even solved any puzzles?


    A barrage of ¡°I¡¯ve just taken off my pants and now you show me this?¡± comments flashed through Lian Qiao¡¯s mind. It was the kind that was in large and colorful font.


    Before he finished roaring inside, Yuan XueMing said, ¡°No, how come this button isn¡¯t lighting up?¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback and looked in the direction of his fingers. Sure enough, after the button was installed, nothing happened. Yuan XueMing said: ¡°It¡¯s supposed to glow.¡±


    Xu RenDong frowned. He went up and pressed the button but the elevator did not respond. Both people fell silent.


    Lian Qiao was a little confused: ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    Yuan XueMing: ¡°I don¡¯t know, I have never encountered this situation. Normally, you can find the button and install it and then you can leave. Why? This time¡­¡± He paused and glanced at Xu RenDong, ¡°But this time it is indeed very strange. No one has ever been able to find an elevator and a button at the same time within an hour. Who are you?¡±


    Xu RenDong Said: ¡°I am a veteran player, this is the sixth time I have come in.¡±


    Yuan XueMing immediately understood the weight of the words and the doubt in his eyes disappeared instantly, replaced by a look of admiration. Instead, he asked in a tone indicating he wanted to have a discussion: ¡°Then why do you think the elevator can¡¯t open?¡±


    Xu RenDong looked at the elevator without speaking.


    Lian Qiao courageously interjected: ¡°Is it because there¡¯s no electricity?¡±


    Yuan XueMing said helplessly: ¡°This elevator doesn¡¯t even have cables. Do you think it needs electricity?¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be real electricity. Maybe a special method is needed to activate it? For example, randomly select a lucky spectator to be a sacrifice?¡±


    The other two were lost in thought, unaware of the horror in his light and fluttering sentence. Yuan XueMing murmured: ¡°Impossible, all the elevators I encountered before are directly usable, it¡¯s never¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t help but glance at Xu RenDong again. This time it was not a questioning look but more like asking for help.


    Lian Qiao looked at the boss expectantly, guessing whether the boss would take out another magical item from a fourth-dimensional pocket.


    Unexpectedly, Xu RenDong was silent for a moment and just said: ¡°Then let¡¯s go back today.¡±


    Yuan XueMing could only nod.


    The three of them walked through the wall, returned to the corridor and saw that everyone was staring at them in anticipation. After everyone learned that the elevator was not usable, they fell into a depression.


    Back to the hunter¡¯s cabin, everyone was surprised to find that the gray rabbit was still sitting in the snow, covered with snow, looking pitiful like an unemployed worker.


    However, when it saw everyone coming back dejectedly, that rabbit¡¯s face changed in an instant. It slapped snow off its butt, jumped up and said very happily: ¡°So you haven¡¯t left yet!¡±


    No one answered him, and the rabbit triumphantly announced: ¡°Then you will stay and celebrate the holiday with me in seven days. The gifts I prepared are all gone, you must¡­¡±


    Before he finished speaking, Xu RenDong shoved it aside impatiently and walked straight into the house.


    The rabbit who had fallen onto his butt again: ¡°¡­..¡±


    Yuan XueMing coughed: ¡°Go ahead.¡± And he stretched out his hand to the rabbit in a friendly manner, trying to pull the rabbit out of the snow.


    He stretched out his hand out of goodwill, but as a game boss, the rabbit was even more infuriated at having received sympathy from a player.


    ¡°Find the gifts and give them to me!¡± It yelled out and almost gritted its molars. After roaring, he turned his head and lay down on the ground, kicked its hind legs and jumped away like a real rabbit.


    Yuan XueMing watched it run while the snow on the rabbit fur was still falling, he suddenly sighed and said with emotion: ¡°It¡¯s not easy for him either.¡±


    Everyone nodded in sympathy but only Lian Qiao nodded proudly. He thought: Humph! Who told him to pretend to be cool in front of our big boss. He deserves it!


    Everyone entered the house one by one. Xu RenDong, who entered the house first and had already lit the fire in the fireplace. He turned around and asked faintly, ¡°Is everyone here?¡±


    Everyone looked at each other. Yuan XueMing said, ¡°Everyone is here.¡±


    Xu RenDong said : ¡°Split rooms, sleep, and start looking for a matryoshka tomorrow.¡±


    His words were brief and straightforward but they were also confident beyond doubt. Everyone was struck dumb and nodded, waiting for Xu RenDong to allocate them a room.


    Lian Qiao, who had struck the boss¡¯ thunder point multiple times, didn¡¯t dare to expect to share a room with the boss. He only hoped that the boss would not assign him to the middle-aged uncle Yuan XueMing. After all, this uncle looked sick and gloomy with a temperament like he was about to die. Sleeping with him in the same room, he might get nightmares. {Striking someone¡¯s thunder point means poking at their sensitive spot, basically irritating them without quite realizing it.}


    Lian Qiao was praying secretly in his heart only to hear Xu RenDong say indifferently: ¡°You choose your own roommates.¡±


    At the same time, Lian Qiao felt that someone was approaching. He raised his head in surprise, not knowing when Xu RenDong had already come over to him and declared in a natural tone:


    ¡°Lian Qiao, you sleep with me.¡±


    ¡ªOh no, my heart moved.


    Oh no, my heart moved. Oh no, my heart moved. Oh no, my heart moved. Oh no, my heart moved. Oh no, my heart moved. Oh no, my heart moved. Oh no, my heart moved. Oh no, my heart moved. Oh no, my heart moved. Oh no, my heart moved. Oh no, my heart moved. Oh no, my heart moved¡­.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s barrage machine has already chosen to commit suicide under the bombardment of the large amount of repeated information. His sanity also went to committ suicide together.


    He was so shocked that the boss pulled him into the room, turned off the light and had already gone to sleep before he could react.


    What the fuck, the big boss actually made the bed for me! What the fuck, the big boss actually lay down next to me! What the fucking boss said good night to me! What the fuck, the big boss actually fell asleep next to me!


    What the fuck, I¡¯m actually-


    Hard?!


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    Note: ¡®There is nothing to be afraid of¡¯: This comes from ¡°Magical Girl Madoka Magica¡± and is the classic quote of Tomoe Mami. After saying this, this senior sister was decapitated by the witch and since then has given rise to many ¡°headless senior sister¡± sayings such as ¡°cherish the senior sister who still has a head¡± and so forth. The most famous is that this saying ¡®There is nothing to be afraid of¡¯ is raising a flag, and indicates that something bad will soon happen.

 CH 23

    Due to both his spirit and body being stirred into a frenzy, Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t fall asleep until the early hours of the morning.


    When he opened his eyes again, he found that the big boss beside him had disappeared. Lian Qiao jumped up from the bed like a spring. He didn¡¯t sleep well last night and this action was too violent. He was dizzy and almost fell backwards. He rubbed his eyes and finally calmed down, only to find that the boss was standing by the edge of the window sill, staring out the window silently.


    The boss seemed to be thinking in a daze and didn¡¯t even hear the sound of him getting up. Lian Qiao was about to say hello to the boss when he suddenly felt that he didn¡¯t look quite right.


    He saw Xu RenDong leaning against the window sill, his posture looking very relaxed. However the line on his back was still elegant and straight. He looked like a ballerina, even at rest he was still dignified.


    However, there was also a trace of fatigue in this dignity. Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t tell exactly. Like a white swan drinking by the lake, his neck is still beautiful and long and his wings are still white and flawless. But in fact, he was already exhausted and his throat was parched. Perhaps he didn¡¯t even have the strength to fly again. Once the danger came again, he would not make any struggles to resist, and would only accept death gracefully and calmly.


    Because he was already too tired.


    Xu RenDong obviously just stood there by the window and Lian Qiao had no idea where his thoughts were coming from. The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt, as if there was something he had to do but hadn¡¯t done. His heart was sour and swollen and his chest was stuffy and painful. It seemed that something could no longer be restrained and wanted to gush out.


    Just when he made up his mind to ask what Xu RenDong was thinking, Xu RenDong suddenly looked over. The gloom in his eyes was fleeting and he returned to his usual appearance.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± he said.


    Lian Qiao was about to say ¡°Big brother, you¡¯re up early¡± when he suddenly felt that the words ¡°big brother¡± sounded too frivolous at this time. So he omitted the honorific title and changed his words: ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°Catch.¡± Xu RenDong suddenly said this and at the same time he picked up a long object from beside the wall and threw it at Lian Qiao.


    Lian Qiao reflexively caught it and looked down. It turned out to be a metal crowbar.


    ¡°The Holy Sword of Physics!¡± Lian Qiao exclaimed.


    Xu RenDong smiled slightly: ¡°Yes. The Holy Sword of Physics.¡±


    ¡°Where did you find it? Is this for me? What about you?¡± Lian Qiao was surprised and forgot the newcomer rule of ¡°Don¡¯t ask a million questions of the big boss¡±. He couldn¡¯t hold back all the doubts and excitement in his heart.


    Fortunately, Xu RenDong didn¡¯t get annoyed but didn¡¯t answer him either. He just said gently: ¡°Put your clothes on and let¡¯s have breakfast.¡±


    Lian Qiao reluctantly picked up the crowbar and followed him happily. When the two people came down the stairs and walked to the second floor, Xu RenDong suddenly stopped and pointed to the room at the top of the stairs and said, ¡°Is that blood oozing under the door?¡±


    Lian Qiao looked in the direction of his fingers and as expected there was a large area of ??dried blood on the ground and it had even formed a dark red ice ball. According to the laws of horror movies, something must have happened to the people inside the room. Judging from the amount of bleeding, the scene inside should be extremely bloody.


    Hsss- it felt scary, he didn¡¯t want to go in!


    But he didn¡¯t get in, he might miss some important information. At least he needed to find out who the dead person was and what their corpse looked like.


    But he was still a little scared!


    Unexpectedly, before Lian Qiao had finished pumping himself up mentally, Xu RenDong had already walked to the door of the room, raised his long legs and kicked the door open.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°?!¡± Fuck! Boss, calm down! You can easily be killed by opening the door like this!


    The door of the room was not very strong and was kicked to pieces all at once. Xu RenDong glanced inside and his expression was very calm. When Lian Qiao saw his calm expression he became bolder, leaned forward and said, ¡°This¡­¡±


    Before he finished speaking, Xu RenDong suddenly raised his hand and pressed it over his eyes.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°???¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Hold the crowbar.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­oh.¡± Although he didn¡¯t know why, he still clenched the crowbar obediently.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°There are two people inside who have been broken into pieces so be mentally prepared. When you¡¯re ready, let me know.¡±


    Lian Qiao only felt that Xu RenDong¡¯s hands on his eyes were delicate and slightly cold. This was the first time he had had physical contact with Xu RenDong and he couldn¡¯t help swallowing nervously: ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    Xu RenDong slowly removed his hand. Even though Lian Qiao was mentally prepared, when he opened his eyes, he was still taken aback by the sight of the room.


    The whole room seemed to be fished out of a blood tank; the floor, walls, ceiling¡­there was blood everywhere and there was almost not a single clean place. A large number of corpse parts and internal organs were scattered on the ground and the original shape could no longer be distinguished. The smell of blood was mixed with the stench of internal organs, even if Lian Qiao had expected what he would see, his throat was still choked up by the strong smell. He instinctively covered his mouth and backed away.


    He just staggered two steps before he felt a warmth in his shoulders. Xu RenDong held his shoulders and supported him: ¡°Yes, there is progress.¡±


    His tone seemed to be holding back a smile. Lian Qiao felt confused but then he heard Xu RenDong say again: ¡°It seems that chocolate is not needed this time.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°What? What kind of chocolate?¡± He was still thinking about the church roof that looked like Kisses last night. The greedy worm in his belly was immediately hooked out.


    Xu RenDong said regretfully, ¡°I thought you would at least scream even if you didn¡¯t hiccup, but now it looks like¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao reacted quickly. He yelled with the spirit of good acting, ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh someone¡¯s dead ah!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao thought that he didn¡¯t look scared enough or maybe not cute enough, so he wasn¡¯t being adequately lovable. So he cupped his hands around his cheek like in the painting ¡°The Scream¡±: ¡°Ahhhhh! Someone come help! Someone died! Ahhhh!¡±


    Xu RenDong was amused by his exaggerated performance. He immediately took out the chocolate: ¡°Okay stop making trouble, I¡¯ll give it to you.¡±


    Lian Qiao was extremely surprised: ¡°Really!¡± He happily stretched out his hand but before touching the chocolate, he shrank back with embarrassment, ¡°Did you bring this chocolate in?¡±


    The boss didn¡¯t look like someone who liked to eat sweets. Chocolate melted easily and was generally only carried by people with low blood sugar. If the boss brought chocolate in because he had low blood sugar, then he would be too embarrassed to take it.


    Xu RenDong said casually: ¡°No, I picked it up on the side of the road.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Lian Qiao got the answer he wanted and immediately threw his worries out the window and took the chocolate with a grin.


    The chocolate melted in his mouth and the strong cocoa aroma spread through his entire mouth instantly. Even his saliva became sweet. Lian Qiao sipped the chocolate contentedly and did not forget to thank him: ¡°It¡¯s so sweet, thank you.¡±


    Xu RenDong looked at his curved eyes and smiling face. His mood suddenly improved.


    At this time, other people who heard the screams also rushed to the scene. No one needed to explain the situation. Everyone knew what was going on as soon as they looked at the horrible state of flesh and blood in the room and their complexions suddenly became ugly.


    Yuan XueMing sighed: ¡°It seems that finding the elevator and buttons is not enough this time. We still have to follow the task step by step.¡±


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t say a word. He really doesn¡¯t understand why the elevator couldn¡¯t run? Was it true what Yuan XueMing said? Had he jumped too many steps at once, and the world wouldn¡¯t allow him to cheat??


    For others, this was the first time they had such a close encounter with death. And it was a very miserable and tragic death of being ripped apart too. All their faces were very bad. At this time, Yuan XueMing took out the demeanor of a big brother, comforted everyone and then took them downstairs to eat.


    Xu RenDong glanced deeply into the room before going downstairs. This time he still failed to record the names of the two men and only vaguely remembered that the young man in blue was a truck driver. The other man in black was a college student who was still studying. They were both still very young.


    He thought he could save everyone, but in the end he still failed to prevent death from occurring.


    He regarded himself as the savior of the world but in fact he was only just a mortal. He even gave up the chance of escape that was in front of him and chose to commit suicide to save others¡­ Now it seemed ridiculous.


    He was too arrogant.


    Xu RenDong thought this way and inadvertently showed fatigue again. Lian Qiao looked at him quietly, feeling inexplicably hurt.


    He thought about what he could do for him so he ran downstairs and found a small milk pot in the kitchen. He boiled the milk to the right temperature and brought it to Xu RenDong, wanting to please him: ¡°Big boss, do you want to drink milk?¡±


    He never thought that the smell of milk made Xu RenDong suddenly cranky:¡±No, take it away!¡±


    Lian Qiao:.¡± ¡­¡­ Okay. ¡°


    Damn! It turns out that the big boss doesn¡¯t like to drink milk!


    But when the boss looked angry, he also looked a little cute. Lian Qiao felt that Xu RenDong at this time no longer had the cold, priest-like abstinence, but looked more human.


    Think about it like this; he was also a picky eater!


    Lian Qiao suddenly felt that the boss was cuter and it was simply too charming!  Then he felt embarrassed about his ¡°M¡± {masochistic} tendencies. He had obviously just been scolded but inexplicably felt like he liked the big boss even more!


    Geez.


    After breakfast, everyone decided to go to the church again. Xu RenDong, who had not eaten breakfast, seemed to be in a bad mood. Lian Qiao didn¡¯t dare to speak too much and the whole way was as quiet as a chicken.


    After arriving at the church, the crowd divided into two groups and explored the church separately. Xu RenDong did not participate in the exploration but sat on the bench in the chapel with no interest, raising his head and staring at Jesus. His expression was depressed and he didn¡¯t say what he was thinking.


    Lian Qiao saw that his previous anger seemed to have disappeared so he dared to move forward, and asked very dogmatically: ¡°Big boss, are you hungry? Do you want to eat a piece of bread?¡± and took out his specially prepared Leba bread for the big boss.


    When Xu RenDong saw the bread, he immediately covered his mouth and retched.


    Lian Qiao was shocked: ¡°Are you okay, big boss?!¡±


    Xu RenDong took a deep breath and said desperately, ¡°You stay away from me.¡±


    Lian Qiao stepped back ten steps sadly: ¡± ¡­Okay.¡±


    It¡¯s over. He had successfully angered the boss again. But the boss is really picky. He doesn¡¯t drink milk or eat bread. Was he an exclusive Chinese food eater?


    In any case, if he really continued to make trouble like this, the boss¡¯s affection for him might really drop to a negative value. He didn¡¯t dare to wander around in front of the boss anymore and decided to start exploring this church. As soon as he arrived in the hallway behind the chapel, he remembered the incident of being pushed into the wall by the boss yesterday.


    By the way, he hadn¡¯t figured out yet why  the boss would violently attack him?


    ¡­It may be that I stepped on a certain thunder spot of the boss unknowingly.


    Alas, he obviously wanted to spoil his fan but in the end he provoked his thunder every time he opened his mouth. It was better to be a cold idol type who didn¡¯t speak.


    The more Lian Qiao thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt. He decided to find a corner to squat down in and feel sorry for himself. He remembered that the hidden room behind the wall was very suitable for growing mushrooms in, so he felt along the wall and found the location of the hidden room. He held his breath and walked into the wall.


    One minute later.


    ¡°Fuck! Big boss! Come here!¡± Lian Qiao yelled and ran back to the chapel. He almost couldn¡¯t break in time and nearly knocked into Xu RenDong on the bench.


    Xu RenDong grabbed him with quick eyes and hands. Seeing that he was so flustered, he didn¡¯t mind the distasteful title and just asked: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°The elevator! Uh¡­¡± Lian Qiao struggled with his words and said, ¡°The elevator is here!¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback. Lian Qiao scratched his head: ¡°The elevator button is glowing. I pressed it once and the elevator door opened! Do you think we can clear the instance?¡±


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    Lian Qiao triggers a passive skill: precise thunder stepping.


    Favorability -10.


    Lian Qiao triggers a passive skill: stepping on thunder for two combos.


    Favorability -10.

 CH 24

    After hearing his words, everyone rushed to the hidden room. Sure enough, the elevator door opened and a warm, faint white light was emitted from the button.


    Xu RenDong asked: ¡°What did you do?¡±


    Lian Qiao raised his hands to show his innocence: ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything! As soon as I came in, I saw that the button was on and so I pressed it¡­other than that I really didn¡¯t do anything!¡±


    Xu RenDong and Yuan XueMing looked at each other, both thinking: What on earth is going on?


    Is the suddenly opened elevator the real way out or is it another trap? In this world, reasoning and guessing alone are useless. This means that someone must be a guinea pig and check it out.


    Everyone also understood this so they all remained silent. At this time, they were so close to escaping, so who wanted to take a risk now?


    Xu RenDong felt that the elevator was likely to be safe but he could not find a suitable reason to persuade everyone of it. So it seemed he could only act as the guinea pig this time.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll¡­¡± Xu RenDong just spokle when Yuan XueMing interrupted him:


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback. Yuan XueMing was a complicated existence and his attitude towards Xu RenDong has always been neither like an enemy nor a friend, making him feel unpredictable. At this time, why would he take the initiative to take his place to risk his life?


    ¡°Brother Yuan, do you really want to do this?¡± ¡°You are so great!¡± ¡°Brother Yuan, you¡¯re a real man!¡± Everyone was moved by his righteous action and they kept praising him but no one asked to accompany him inside either.


    Yuan XueMing probably knew what these people were thinking. Therefore, he didn¡¯t respond to anyone¡¯s flattery. He just smiled and then walked over to Xu RenDong: ¡°If the elevator really works, this may be the last time we can talk. Xu RenDong, if you¡¯re not lying and you¡¯re really a veteran player who has been through six times¡­ Then I admire you very much.¡±


    Xu RenDong was a little puzzled: ¡°Admire me?¡± As far as this reincarnation is concerned, he doesn¡¯t think he has done anything worthy of admiration.


    ¡°You are very strong. You could have left us alone to escape but then we could only have waited to die. Thank you for coming back to save us.¡± He casually glanced behind him at the celebrating crowd and said expressionlessly, ¡°You can see that can¡¯t you? People who are weak always think it¡¯s only fair that people who are strong should work harder. If you help them once, they won¡¯t think about repaying you but only hope that you¡¯ll continue helping them forever. However this is unfair. So. I am very grateful to you. You have experienced so much but are still willing to help underdogs like us.¡±


    These words made Xu RenDong¡¯s heart feel turbulent. Although Yuan XueMing was a critically ill patient who relies on machines to sustain his life in the real world, and didn¡¯t seem to care about his own life and death, he has always been a good-natured and reliable big brother in this world of ghosts and monsters. Despite criticism, he always did what he thought needed to be done. Xu RenDong felt that it was inappropriate to use the term ¡°weak¡± to describe him.


    However, Yuan XueMing frankly admitted his weakness and said such words of gratitude, which made Xu RenDong start to respect him from the bottom of his heart.


    ¡°Take care.¡± Xu RenDong said, ¡°If we are fated, let us meet again.¡±


    Yuan XueMing smiled gently at Xu RenDong, then turned his head and walked into the elevator.


    Everyone watched as the elevator doors closed, making a deep running sound. Time seemed to be stretched for a long time and everyone stared at the elevator with bated breath, for fear that Yuan XueMing¡¯s screams would come from inside in the next second.


    An unknown amount of time later, the faint motor noise disappeared and the elevator returned to calm again.


    Xu RenDong raised his hand and pressed the button. Ding! The elevator door opened again. It was empty inside, there was no one there.


    Everyone was overjoyed: ¡°There is nothing wrong with Brother Yuan!¡±


    ¡°The elevator really works! Great!¡±


    Jiang Li said cheerfully: ¡°It¡¯s not too late, let¡¯s go!¡± She and Wang Yuan smiled at each other and stepped into the elevator side by side.


    Xu RenDong also nodded and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what will happen if we continue to drag it on. Everyone, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Everyone was about to enter but at this time someone questioned again: ¡°Wait! Even if Brother Yuan¡¯s body isn¡¯t here, it cannot prove that the elevator can really send us back to the real world! What if¡­ it sends us to an even more dangerous place!¡±


    Xu RenDong frowned, not knowing how to persuade them but at this time Xu Hong coldly snorted: ¡°Then what do you want to do? Stay here and wait for death like a coward?¡±


    The man was angry. ¡°Is it wrong to be careful? Can you guarantee that this elevator is not a trap?¡±


    Xu Hong stepped into the elevator, mocking him without looking back, ¡°Then you stay. A retracting head tortoise will always be a retracting head tortoise, shrink your head back and stay alive. In ten thousand years you¡¯ll still be a tortoise.¡± {Retracting head tortoise/turtle is a euphemism for being a coward, since every time you experience danger you  can just retract your head back into your shell.}


    Although these words were rude and savage, they hit the nail on the head. The man went red in the face due to her mockery and could no longer speak.


    Xu RenDong found that the first few people who entered the elevator were all familiar faces and he suddenly couldn¡¯t help but smile. Sure enough, a person with a clear personality and decisive actions will always leave a deep memory. Those mediocre people whose names cannot be remembered by him are still in the background even if they reincarnate dozens of times.


    After an ideological struggle, everyone walked into the elevator one after another, and even the man who had been scolded at him gave in at the end.


    Xu RenDong went in at the end but found that Lian Qiao was standing outside and didn¡¯t mean to come in.


    Xu RenDong called him: ¡°Lian Qiao?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°I want to stay for a while.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Why?¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡± Didn¡¯t the rabbit set us a task? It was looking for a gift or something. Well, I¡¯m a bit curious, what will happen if I collect all the gifts and hand them over?¡±


    This question has indeed troubled Xu RenDong for a long time. At this time everyone except Lian Qiao was already waiting in the elevator. Xu RenDong thought for a while and left the elevator again.


    Lian Qiao was taken aback. Xu RenDong turned his head and said: ¡°You go first, I will stay with him.¡±


    Jiang Li in the elevator nodded and was about to close the door. Lian Qiao suddenly stepped forward, reached out his hand to block the elevator door. He turned his head to Xu RenDong and said, ¡°No, no, it¡¯s okay. I can do it myself. You can go. You don¡¯t need to accompany me.¡± He clenched the crowbar in his hand and said confidently, ¡°Anyway, I have the crowbar for self-defense. I am very effective, so you don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡±


    Xu RenDong recalled the scene of him wailing while smashing the rabbit into meat sauce: ¡°Yes, I¡¯m really not worried about you.¡±


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t expect Xu RenDong to agree with him so easily. The atmosphere suddenly became embarrassed and he was speechless for a while.


    ¡°Are you coming or not?¡± Someone in the elevator couldn¡¯t help speaking out.


    Lian Qiao hesitated for a moment but what else could he say? Xu RenDong had already pushed his hand away. The elevator door closed slowly, and a sentence came floating from inside: ¡°Thank you. Goodbye.¡± {Zai Jian = Goodbye, also literally means ¡°See you again/later.¡±}


    Xu RenDong looked up and saw it was Jiang Li who said this. His hair stood on end and he thought: Forget it, I don¡¯t want to see you again.


    He touched his neck subconsciously and suddenly remembered that he hadn¡¯t found out why Jiang Li would repay his good deed by enmity, cutting his throat. In fact, he has always wanted to get an answer. For example, she might be pregnant. Or perhaps there was a bedridden elderly person in her family who was reliant on her as an economic pillar. In conclusion, he still hoped that Jiang Li had some sort of difficulty, and so betrayed him who had saved her life.


    But at the moment the elevator door closed, he saw Jiang Li and Wang Yuan¡¯s hands clasped tightly together and both of them showed contented and happy expressions on their faces. At that moment, he suddenly understood that they just wanted to live.


    They wanted to live, wanted to live together with the person they loved. This kind of thing doesn¡¯t need a special reason at all.


    Wanting to live is a reason in itself.


    Xu RenDong felt relieved suddenly and his mood became calm. He looked at the elevator and didn¡¯t speak, and Lian Qiao also didn¡¯t take the initiative to speak. He just looked at him quietly and calmly. A faint smile gradually formed at the corners of his mouth.


    Finally, the sound of the elevator stopped and everything returned to silence. There were only two of them left in the whole world.


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Lian Qiao walked side by side with him: ¡°Yeah.¡±


    The two explored the church again. Among the six dolls known so far, one has been smashed by Brother Sledgehammer and the other is a first-time killer doll with a trap. It was still in the snow and they hadn¡¯t taken it. The remaining four were now in their hands.


    The two people sat on the benches in the chapel and began to discuss what to do next. Xu RenDong remembered that Lian Qiao had previously questioned whether there was something hidden on the back of the compass, so he found a knife, inserted the tip of the knife into the gap in the dial and tried to pry the dial open.


    Lian Qiao watched him remove the compass, not worried that they would lose their way without the compass. He was just curious, why did Xu RenDong want to stay? Although the boss said that he was not worried about him, his actual actions were now to accompany him to find the dolls?


    Why?


    An unnoticeable gentle look glimmered in Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes.


    The internal structure of the compass was very simple, it was just a small magnetic needle fixed on the dial. But after removing the watch dial, the two were surprised to find that there was another pointer hidden on the back of the compass.


    The compass on the front has red and blue ends, pointing to the north and south respectively. The one on the back is directly made into the shape of an arrow. No matter how the dial turns, it points straight in a certain direction, neither north-south nor east-west.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go and see?¡± Lian Qiao asked.


    Xu RenDong nodded. The two of them wrapped their coats tightly and left the church following the direction of the arrow.


    The arrow pointed to the edge of the forest. Xu RenDong felt more and more familiar as he walked and he had roughly guessed the result in his heart. Sure enough, the arrow finally led them to the edge of a big tree. The tree was not special and it did not look any different from other surrounding trees. Xu RenDong leaned down and pulled away the snow on the ground, and found a matryoshka with a faint sense of caution. This was the first-time killer doll with the twisting monster who wrung people to death.


    Lian Qiao said in surprise: ¡°Does this pointer refer to the position of the remaining dolls?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°It is possible.¡±


    Lian Qiao said again: ¡°Look, the direction of the arrow has changed! It seems that the next doll is in that direction! Let¡¯s go look for it.¡±


    Xu RenDong glanced in the direction he was pointing, and stretched out his hand to hold the eager Lian Qiao: ¡°This direction is the opposite of our hunter¡¯s cabin. It¡¯s getting late, today let¡¯s just go back and rest first otherwise I¡¯m afraid that we won¡¯t find a place to stay before dark. We will freeze to death if we sleep outside on such a cold day.¡±


    Lian Qiao naturally agreed.


    Although there was no compass to guide him, Xu RenDong was already very familiar with the terrain. Soon after, the two returned to the hunter¡¯s cabin, both exhausted.


    As soon as they lit the fireplace, there was a blizzard outside. The north wind slapped the windows like a real entity, making an uncomfortable agitation. The matches in the fireplace were crackling and the light of the fire illuminated the room especially warmly, as if it was completely isolated from the cold.


    Lian Qiao squatted in front of the fireplace, playing with the fire fork and suddenly said: ¡°It¡¯s like we¡¯re on vacation.¡±


    Xu RenDong turned around when he heard the words and saw Lian Qiao¡¯s whole body shrouded in the warm light of fire with a smile at the corner of his mouth. His demeanor was gentle and made people want to smile together with him.


    The scene is so warm and peaceful that Xu RenDong has the same idea: that they seem like a vacationing¡­ couple¡­


    However, this subtle and charming emotion completely disappeared at dinner.


    Xu RenDong ate Leba and milk with a desperate heart, and deeply realized that his love for Lian Qiao must be true. If he left here with the big group today, then by now he would have already returned to the real world to eat and drink and would no longer need to continue to eat bread!


    What is the difference between this behavior and willing to eat shit for the sake of a girlfriend?


    Fortunately, Lian Qiao is a boy, otherwise he would really suspect he was in love with the other person.


    ***


    {T/N: Ending of instance next chapter.}

 CH 25

    Everything went smoothly the next few days. Under the guidance of the arrow, the two quickly found four other dolls. During this period, the rabbit still visited them once every night. On the first night he was dumbfounded and asked them where all the others had gone. After that he only came to ask in a perfunctory manner, ¡°Still looking right? Then I¡¯ll be going okay.¡±


    Then he really left.


    It seems that the rabbit was quite helpless. If it weren¡¯t for the two of them still wandering here, it is estimated that the rabbit would have knocked off work early.


    After the tenth doll was found, the arrow disappeared. It seems that there were no more dolls. When they gave all the dolls to the rabbit, the rabbit was really happy and even thanked them sincerely. He very readily took out a small gift box tied with a butterfly ribbon, saying that it was an extra award.


    Lian Qiao took the gift box and was surprised: ¡°You¡¯re giving it to us so easily? I thought you would make things difficult for us again for the sake of it..¡±


    The rabbit looked at him contemptuously: ¡°Make things difficult for you? Why would I do that? I want to go get rid of you as soon as possible and go home to sleep. You two troublemakers, I can¡¯t kill you and you won¡¯t leave either. It¡¯s really annoying!¡±


    As a dog in the finance industry who often has to work overtime, Xu RenDong can say that he understands the rabbit very well.


    Lian Qiao opened the gift and couldn¡¯t help being surprised: ¡°This is¡­ a key?¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback, watching him lift a brass key from the gift box. The key is simple in shape and had no decoration on it, except that there are two words engraved on the handle:


    Lian Qiao.


    Lian Qiao saw that there was his own name on it and couldn¡¯t help being shocked: ¡°Fuck, does this thing bind on pick up!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°What¡¯s bind on pickup?¡±


    Lian Qiao explained it to him. This is a saying in online games that when the player picks up an item, the system automatically binds the item to the player. Unless it is unbound by other means, the item cannot be traded or given to others.


    Xu RenDong nodded. Lian Qiao turned his head and asked the rabbit: ¡°Is this key used to open a treasure chest?¡±


    Rabbit: ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s useless to me anyway.¡± Lian Qiao said thoughtfully, ¡°So, does this mean this is a prop that can be used in future instances?¡±


    The rabbit spread his hands as if saying: Don¡¯t ask me, this is beyond my scope of cognition.


    It seems that it really doesn¡¯t know and it was useless to ask more questions. When Xu RenDong came back to his senses, the rabbit had already hopped away. That back figure is really lively, vividly expressing the euphoria of the working dog finally ushering in the weekend.


    Although there were still puzzles left to be solved, they can finally leave.


    The two went to the elevator and until the elevator door closed, Xu RenDong still had a sense of unreality. He can¡¯t remember how long he has been in this ghost world and it took him a while to remember where and what he was doing before he came in.


    The silver-white metal elevator reflected icy light, which was a scene he would see again every time he died. He almost has a delusion: that in here was the reality and the outside world was the illusion.


    ¡ªHe had really been trapped for too long, so long that mental problems had begun to appear. It was probably best to see a psychiatrist after going out but what could he tell them? Say that he saw ghosts and died miserably so many times that it left a shadow in his heart?


    If he couldn¡¯t tell the truth, how could he talk about it? The knot in his heart would never be able to be unraveled and his mental condition will only get worse and worse.


    Xu RenDong thought this and then Lian Qiao, beside him, suddenly said: ¡°Brother RenDong, after we go out, can we still¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart trembled when he heard the long-lost name. He was about to speak when he suddenly heard a strange voice.


    ¡°¡­is¡­you want¡­¡±


    Who was talking? Was there someone else in the elevator?!


    Xu RenDong straightened his body instinctively and looked around but he couldn¡¯t find anything unusual. The voice was low and hoarse, like yellow sand whimpering in the desert, it was intermittent and could only be heard sometimes.


    Xu RenDong frowned. Seeing the wary look on his face, Lian Qiao immediately misunderstood. He swallowed what he wanted to say.


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t have time to think about where his little emotions were coming from. He just asked anxiously: ¡°Did you hear it?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­Huh?¡±


    Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t hear it? Could it be this voice was talking directly into his head?


    At the same time, the voice continued: ¡°You will experience countless tortures, but this is not¡­, it is¡­, when you reach¡­, you will understand¡­¡±


    Experience countless deaths and tortures?


    ¡­Sure enough, it was a message for him.


    For some reason, Xu RenDong intuitively believed that the voice was not malicious. It seemed as though it was forcibly restraining a certain strong emotion. It was depressed, choked, desperate but hopeful, and the last sentence it said was:


    ¡°¡­ live on.¡±


    Then it stopped abruptly.


    Obviously, the voice wanted to tell him something, but it was blocked by something like a static.


    Xu RenDong quickly sorted it out inwardly: *** is ***, you want ***. You will experience countless tortures, but this is not ***, it is ***. When you reach ***, you will understand ***. *** live on.


    Except for the phrase ¡°you will experience countless torture¡±, all other keywords had been deliberately erased.


    This information must be very important. But Xu RenDong cannot draw any conclusions for the time being. He just secretly wrote down these words in his head, intending to puzzle it over after leaving the ghost world.


    When he recovered, Lian Qiao was looking at him in an aggrieved manner. Xu RenDong then recalled that Lian Qiao had said something just now and was about to ask him about it but then he heard a ¡°ding¡±. The elevator door opened.


    The two looked out the door at the same time, only to see a soft and warm white light, nothing else could be seen. The white light made people feel extremely at ease, as if they had returned to the embrace of their mother and all dangers were gone.


    It was finally over¡­


    No, it¡¯s not totally over but only temporary.


    Xu RenDong looked at the bright light and was full of emotion in his heart. After thinking about it, he took out his mobile phone from his pocket: ¡°Let¡¯s add each other on WeChat.¡±


    Lian Qiao was taken aback and then opened his mouth in surprise. He looked like a hamster had dropped the nut in its mouth in surprise. Xu RenDong didn¡¯t understand why he reacted so strongly, so he explained: ¡°This matter is not over yet. You are smart, capable and adaptable, however I¡ª ¡±


    It¡¯s a pity, even if he was only thinking about the matter of his reincarnations, his tongue became stiff and numb. Xu RenDong was accustomed to this and had to dispel the idea of ??confessing the truth.


    So he could only tell a lie: ¡°¡­You are a very good newcomer, I admire you. I hope you can cooperate with me in the future.¡±


    Lian Qiao looked at him blankly and a trace of disappointment flashed in his eyes. But he quickly took out his mobile phone and added him as a WeChat friend.


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°I live in City A, how about you?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°I¡¯m in City B. I¡¯ll come to find you.¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded and sent him the location of his home. After Lian Qiao confirmed the position, he curved his eyes and smiled again: ¡°Then, Brother RenDong, I¡¯ll come to find you.¡±


    Xu RenDong heard that familiar name again and a warm current surged in his heart. There was also something else, an unspeakable emotion lingering in his chest. He suddenly felt a little uncomfortable and avoiding Lian Qiao¡¯s gaze, he turned his head and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go out together.¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°Okay.¡±


    Xu RenDong took a deep breath and then walked into the elevator side by side with Lian Qiao.


    The warm white light instantly surrounded the two of them and the light was so bright that it caused a momentary dizziness. After the dizziness passed, Xu RenDong opened his eyes and found that the light had faded. The elevator and Lian Qiao had both vanished. He was standing on the street at night.


    Across the road are two panicked girls. Behind them, an old man was walking a puppy and his raised left foot landed steadily on the ground. In the supermarket across the road, the clerk had just taken the customer¡¯s money and a few coins slipped from his fingers and fell onto the glass counter.


    ¡­ He really was back. Back to the moment he left.


    But soon, a strong sense of crisis hit him!


    The nerves of Xu RenDong¡¯s whole body straightened almost instantly. He turned his head instinctively and saw a large truck barrelling towards him! The headlights of the truck were so bright that he couldn¡¯t open his eyes. His adrenaline surged, his heartbeat suddenly accelerated and his heart was pounding and painful. He wanted to evade it but his muscles seemed to be filled with cement and he couldn¡¯t move an inch. He was like a frightened chicken, standing rigidly in place, unable to make any movements.


    Seeing that the truck was about to hit him, Xu RenDong felt cold in his limbs and the blood in his body was losing temperature.


    Time seems to be stretched out very long. He heard the screams of girls, the brakes of tires rubbing against the ground and the barking of dogs. He raised his head amidst the noisy commotion and met the eyes of the driver of the truck.


    At that moment, both of their faces showed an expression of horror at the same time.


    It¡¯s you?!


    The truck driver, as if waking up from a dream, turned the steering wheel vigorously. Xu RenDong was still frozen by unknown forces and was unable to move the slightest. He only felt a hot wind blowing from his side, followed by a loud noise.


    ¡°Boom!¡±


    The source of the sound was not far from him, and at the same time he realized that he was able to move, so he immediately turned around. After seeing the sight in front of him clearly, his pupils suddenly shrank and the huge shock made him feel cold and his hair stand up straight. The horror turned into an entity, impacting his heart, causing his heart to tremble with his body.


    ¡ªThe big truck had lost its balance while making a sharp turn, and the whole truck crashed into the shop by the side of the road! The lights in the shop were all off and it was pitch black. Only black smoke was seen from the front of the smashed truck. The driver¡¯s fate was uncertain!


    The scene of the driver¡¯s eyes facing each other resurfaced. Xu RenDong¡¯s legs softened and he fell directly to the ground. People around him took out their mobile phones, took pictures and dialled 120. Xu RenDong suppressed his fear and forced himself to get up from the ground and stagger  towards the truck.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go there! Danger!¡±A kind passer-by stepped forward and pulled him but Xu RenDong pushed him away and stubbornly ran to the front of the car.  He saw that the front of the car had collapsed and the door was deformed into a twisted shape. It couldn¡¯t be opened no matter how much it was pulled. The truck cab was too high and Xu RenDong was standing on the ground, unable to see what was inside. At this time, the truck engine was full of smoke, the nose was full of gasoline and there was even a faint sparkle. Xu RenDong ignored the danger and climbed onto the front of the car with his hands and feet.


    This was something he must confirm! It was very important!


    ¡°It¡¯s going to explode! Run!¡± The kind-hearted man rushed forward again and forcibly pulled him down. But between the sparks and fire, Xu RenDong had already seen what he needed to see clearly.


    ¡ªBlue clothing, a familiar face. Bloodstained and unconscious.


    That was the young man whose body was torn apart by rabbits on the first night! That was the person he wanted to save but failed to save!


    Xu RenDong only felt that his brain was blank and he was dragged to a safe place. Then a ball of fire suddenly appeared in front of him! The huge explosion shook him back to his senses. Only then did he feel the heat rushing over his face. The truck had been swallowed by the raging fire and the driver in the truck was definitely dead.


    All the way until 119, 120, and 110 all arrived and the police pulled him aside to question him, Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t fully recover. He only felt that everything had happened too suddenly and it was too strange. His brain simply refused to accept it, let alone be able to analyze it. He couldn¡¯t respond to any of the police officer¡¯s questions at all.


    The police thought he was in shock and left after getting his contact information. The medical staff bandaged Xu RenDong¡¯s wound and told him that he only had a bruise and no broken bones. However, whether the internal organs have been affected by the shockwave of the explosion still needed to be checked to make sure.  Xu RenDong sat in the ambulance, listening to the sound of police sirens and suddenly felt that all this was unreal.


    Was he really back in reality? Or was this a new ghost world?


    Xu RenDong suddenly felt extremely tired. Really too tired, he has no strength to struggle anymore. So, under the surprised eyes of the medical staff, he lay down on the stretcher, curled up and hugged himself helplessly, then fell asleep.

 CH 26

    The silver-gray metal elevator reflected the cold light.


    It was a familiar image.


    Xu RenDong stared blankly at the scene in front of him and for a moment he couldn¡¯t remember how many times he had died tragically.


    How did he die? Where was everyone else?


    His brain was blank. Ding, the elevator door opened suddenly. There is a glare of light outside. The light was so dazzling that he had to raise his hand to cover it.


    He wanted to walk towards the light but he suddenly heard a sharp brake sound as if some large vehicle was approaching him at high speed.


    Xu RenDong shuddered and opened his eyes suddenly. The glare disappeared at that moment and the truck was nowhere to be seen. However, what he saw was far more terrifying than the worst nightmare!


    -Corpses. There were corpses all over the ground.


    A corpse whose head was smashed by a sledgehammer and the brain was dashed onto the ground. A corpse covered with snow and frozen purple. The neck was almost severed, the corpse was still gushing blood. The broken bone of his left leg was exposed  and the back of his neck was bitten and full of holes. A corpse with a sharp knife stuck in its heart.


    There were corpses that were bitten to pieces, corpses that were twisted into twists with all their spine broken, corpses that were burned to charcoal by fire and were still smoking¡­


    All corpses have the same face.


    ¡ªAll the corpses were him!


    Standing in the middle of the corpses, Xu RenDong saw the horrified, desperate, sad and numb look on each one of his dead faces. The horror of dying once again twisted his heart. He started to feel cold and shivered uncontrollably. A big cold hand was closing over his skin, internal organs and blood vessels, robbing him of his little remaining body temperature and destroying his final sanity bit by bit.


    Don¡¯t¡­it hurts¡­I don¡¯t want to die!


    He hugged himself helplessly and curled himself up into a ball. This must be a nightmare, just wake up, just wake up¡­


    While he was comforting himself in this way, various voices rang in his ears. The dull sound of his head being smashed, the rustle of falling snow, the whirring sound of blood spurting out and the muffled sound of a crowbar hitting his leg¡­ all the sounds mixed together and hit his eardrums like a tidal wave. His brain trembled as well and it looked like ten thousand cicadas fluttering their wings at the same time, causing him to have a splitting headache.


    No¡­ I don¡¯t want it¡­


    A heavy hammer rubbed against his scalp and the cold wind swept across his cheeks like a knife. The exposed trachea prevented the vocal cords from screaming and the sharp teeth of the animals gnawed at the back of his neck.


    All kinds of near-death experiences came together and finally awakened the deepest horror in his heart¡ª


    ¡± ¡ª¡ªNo !¡±


    Xu RenDong sat up suddenly from the bed, panting in shock. In the darkness, he couldn¡¯t remember where he was. He could only hear his heart beating frantically, his breathing was intense and he could barely breathe.


    He was sweating all over and even his muscles became sore and numb because of too much tension.


    He couldn¡¯t see anything and he sat in a daze for a while, only to realize that he was inside a warm bed. There is a little shining green light at the head of the bed, which was his mobile phone charging.


    His breathing gradually calmed down and reason slowly returned to his brain. Xu RenDong remembered that he was in his own home. After returning from the world of ghosts and monsters, he felt extremely tired.


    ¡­He didn¡¯t know how long had passed.


    His head was still swollen and painful. Xu RenDong held his forehead and closed his eyes for a while, then took a deep breath and picked up his phone.


    The time displayed on the phone was seven o¡¯clock in the evening on Sunday, two full days have passed since the accident. He has been asleep for the past two days. Although his mind and body were extremely exhausted, his sleep was not stable. There were always ghosts dangling in his dreams, as if he was not yet out of danger. He even saw the tragedy of his death.


    He thought he could bear it but really he was barely holding on. When he was alone and dreamed in the middle of the night, the fear of death dragged him into the abyss of immortality, allowing him to clearly see his own fragility and helplessness.


    ¡­If this goes on, he would go crazy sooner or later.


    But he didn¡¯t have much time to adjust. He still had to go to work tomorrow. The work scheduled for him still needs to be completed, otherwise it will affect the progress of his colleagues and the entire project. He can¡¯t drag others down.


    The company he works for is a well-known financial analysis firm which has a heavy workload and often requires overtime. Therefore, even on weekends, colleagues and managers sent him a lot of messages, however he had been too tired to pay attention to them. At this time, Xu RenDong looked through the messages one by one and his body gradually woke up. He felt a little hungry so he opened the takeaway software.


    At least there is no need to eat bread and milk anymore. Xu RenDong thought with satisfaction.


    As he browsed the menu, a message popped up at the top of the screen.


    Lian Qiao: Brother RenDong, are you home yet?


    As soon as he saw the word ¡°Lian Qiao¡±, Xu RenDong felt as though he¡¯d fallen into a momentary trance. He clicked on the dialog box and found that Lian Qiao had sent him several messages intermittently over the past two days but he hadn¡¯t looked at a single one.


    The last message read: Can I wait for you at your door?


    Lian Qiao was waiting for him at his door?


    This message was sent two hours ago¡­ Was he still at the door now?


    ¡ªIt¡¯s been so long, so he shouldn¡¯t be waiting anymore.


    Although not daring to expect anything, Xu RenDong got up immediately and hurriedly walked towards the door. After two steps, he walked back and glanced in the mirror. He didn¡¯t even change his clothes after he came back and he was still wearing the same shirt and suit he had been wearing that day. After sleeping dizzily for two days straight, the shirt has long wrinkled. Xu RenDong wanted to change his clothes but felt an inexplicable anxiety in his heart. In the end, he did not delay but directly opened the door.


    ¡°Woah sulfur fire! And the sickle! It¡¯s over, it¡¯s over, I don¡¯t have enough blood left to change¡­. Ah? Can I change it? How? Tell me in the barrage¡­.¡±


    A tall and sunny boy appeared in front of Xu RenDong. He was sitting down on the stairs by himself, holding onto a laptop and playing games. He was wearing headphones and staring at the screen. The light on his face kept flashing and he didn¡¯t even notice Xu RenDong had opened the door.


    He was a standard young person who was addicted to playing on the internet.


    The appearance of Lian Qiao focused on playing games strongly gave off the impression of the real world, of an ordinary and peaceful life. Such a reassuring picture was in sharp contrast with the terrifying nightmare from a moment ago. Xu RenDong was unwilling to call out to him for a while. He even felt a little greedy and wanted to watch him quietly for a while.


    Lian Qiao played a game of fighting monsters. The style is quite cute and cartoonish, but the content was pretty bad. He was controlling a bald man who was attacking monsters by shooting tears. The monsters were all terrible things, such as various organs, pieces of meat, and other indescribable things. The game scene is also very weird. At first, it was an ordinary cellar but then it turned into a bloody room. Blood began to drip on the walls, and the ground was full of maggots. The soundtrack, which was lively and simple in the beginning, gradually became dark and horrible, just like the special effects from a horror film.


    Xu RenDong was wondering how it was that Lian Qiao, with his level of courage, was managing to endure it. Sure enough, as the picture became more and more bloody, Lian Qiao looked more and more troubled. At first he would still chat with the audience with a smile but gradually his words became less and less, and in the end he was scared into tears. He fled from the monsters while crying.


    ¡°Ahhhhhh don¡¯t chase me! Don¡¯t chase me, my legs are short! Ahhhh! I¡¯m stuck in the corner! Ahhhhh!¡±


    Seeing that this little villain Lian Qiao was forced into the corner by a bunch of monsters, Xu RenDong thought he was about to be killed. He did not expect that Lian Qiao would suddenly manipulate the little villain character to twist left and right, avoiding all the monsters in a thrilling manner. At the same time, tear bullets were fired continuously. It seemed random but the result was that every shot hit a monster.


    In a blink of an eye, all the monsters were killed and Lian Qiao didn¡¯t even lose a drop of blood. Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help but be amazed.


    After this move, it became temporarily safe. Lian Qiao clutched his chest and gasped, and said in shock, ¡°No, I have to slow down,  I was scared to death¡­¡±


    He was frightened to death but still played so well. If it wasn¡¯t because Lian Qiao¡¯s talking still sounded like he was crying, Xu RenDong almost suspected that he was acting. At the same time, a lot of barrage flashed on the screen:


    ¡°Host, you are a God!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re awesome! Your pre-judgment ability is amazing!¡±


    ¡°Aoaoaoaoaoao your crying tone is so cute! Ah-Qiao, hug hug! Don¡¯t be scared! You¡¯re the fattest!¡±


    ¡°Your crying sounds so cute, I want to X  you!¡±


    ¡°Hey in front! You¡¯re too rude! Milk Qiao¡¯s Knights Unite! Pulling out our swords!¡± {Milk Qiao is LQ¡¯s online name, Milk Qiao¡¯s Knights I assume is his fangroup lol.}


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± What are these things, how come he understands less and less.


    Lian Qiao unscrewed a bottle of mineral water and drank several sips. He even brought his own ham sausage and after biting open the package, he chewed and chatted with his audience. Xu RenDong looked at his self-satisfied appearance. It seemed that he had already taken the corridor in front of his apartment as an Internet cafe. It was only missing a store owner to make him a bowl of instant noodles.


    ¡°I¡¯m really scared, I wasn¡¯t pretending.¡± Lian Qiao looked at the audience¡¯s questioning on the barrage and said aggrievedly, ¡°Should I put the microphone next to my heart and let you hear my heartbeat?¡± He then really took his headphones off and pressed the microphone close to his heart.


    The barrage suddenly exploded.


    ¡°Oh oh oh Ah-Qiao¡¯s heartbeat!¡±


    ¡°Oh no, it¡¯s the feeling of my heart moving!¡±


    ¡°This heart rate must be at least 120, host calm down. Don¡¯t be scared¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah-Qiao don¡¯t be afraid! We are with you. ¡°


    ¡°Don¡¯t you just want coins? Take it! I¡¯ll use my on family¡¯s wealth to give it to you ah!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± It¡¯s just a heartbeat, you young people are really too excitable.


    Having said that, although Lian Qiao played an action game with horror elements, as an audience member, Xu RenDong did not feel scared but smiled throughout the whole thing. On one hand, Lian Qiao¡¯s skills are excellent, no matter how urgent the situation is, he can turn desperation into success which makes people feel at ease and not nervous at all. On the other hand, Lian Qiao¡¯s frightened appearance was really cute. While cryingly begging the monster for mercy, he still killed all the monsters with his backhand. The contrast was too big, and it was unexpectedly a little¡­cute?


    As someone who has no interest in video games, Xu RenDong watched Lian Qiao playing games for more than half an hour with relish, which showed that was indeed very interesting.


    And while looking at him, the sense of despair that had been pressing in his heart over the past two days had quietly disappeared. He even forgot about having nightmares.


    At this time, Lian Qiao had put on the headphones back again and watched the barrage seriously. He then replied into the air: ¡°Tonight ah, I¡¯ll be logging off earlier tonight¡­ Well, I have something on. I¡¯m waiting at the door of my friend¡¯s house. Well¡­ he seems to be a ¡®current charge¡¯ and is very busy at work so hasn¡¯t returned home yet¡­ Yes, he works so hard¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart jumped. En? Is this talking about him?


    ¡®Current charge¡¯?


    Xu RenDong immediately took out his mobile phone and looked up the meaning of ¡°current charge¡± very eagerly.


    ¡ªCurrent charge (¥ê¥¢charge) refers to people who live to the fullest in the real world. The full sentence is ¡°a successful person who lives a very charged and fulfilling life¡± It was not formal Japanese but an online language used by young people, meaning ¡°someone who¡¯s real life is very fulfilling¡±.


    Xu RenDong thought for a while and corrected out loud: ¡°I¡¯m just busy, not a current charge.¡±


    Lian Qiao swore then turned his head in shock. He finally discovered the big boss RenDong who was sitting on a stool behind him and peeping at him.


    ¡°So you are at home! Ren¡ª¡± He was just about to say it when he thought of something and quickly changed his words, ¡°Uh, wait a minute, I¡¯ll close the mic first.¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded. He saw Lian Qiao take off the headphones and begin to tap the keyboard, his hand speed was staggering. At the same time, another 10,000 barrage flashed on the screen.


    ¡°Wow! Whose voice is this! It sounds so good!¡±


    ¡°The voice of a male god! My ears are pregnant!¡±


    ¡°Aoaoaoao is this the host¡¯s friend!¡±


    ¡°Suddenly excited.jpg¡±


    Xu RenDong doesn¡¯t quite understand these internet terms but he was very concerned about the phrase ¡°my ears are pregnant¡±, so he immediately took out his phone and went to Baidu.


    Ears are pregnant: Describes the situation when you hear a certain sound or music, you feel like you have been pricked in your ear¡¯s G-spot, which makes you feel as if you are about to orgasm. It is a compliment and used to describe a beautiful sound making your ¡°ears pregnant¡±.


    ¡­¡­Although this metaphor is a bit vulgar, the imagery is very vivid.


    He didn¡¯t think his voice was that nice but this sentence was quite interesting so he learned it.


    Lian Qiao turned off the live broadcast and turned his head to see Xu RenDong nodding frequently at the entry ¡°ears are pregnant¡±, looking quite pleased with himself. Lian Qiao felt amused inexplicably: ¡°Brother RenDong, what are you doing?¡±


    Xu RenDong said earnestly: ¡°Learning.¡±


    ¡­ The brain circuits of the boss are still so strange. But he is so cute!


    Xu RenDong turned sideways and let Lian Qiao enter the house then closed the door smoothly. Lian Qiao looked at Xu RenDong¡¯s apartment and knew that Xu RenDong lived alone. He heard the sound of Xu RenDong closing the door and ten thousand indescribable scenes suddenly appeared in his mind.


    He hurriedly suppressed these evil thoughts and coughed: ¡°By the way, Brother RenDong I found something related to that elevator¡­¡±


    As soon as he heard the words ¡®elevator¡¯, the terrifying dream of corpses all over the floor appeared in front of Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes again. He frowned unconsciously and sighed, ¡°Sit down and talk.¡±


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    Note: Sulfur fire and sickle are powerful props in ¡°The Binding of Isaac¡±. In the devil room, you can use the upper limit of the health bar and the devil trade to exchange for certain items. If the health bar is high enough to exchange, the character will die on the spot. However, certain items will increase the upper limit of the health bar after starting, so different results can be achieved according to the different transaction sequence. The game scene described is also from ¡°The Binding of Isaac¡±.

 CH 27

    Lian Qiao flipped open his laptop and opened a social media article: ¡°Two days ago, a large truck swerved into a shop on the side of the road in order to avoid a pedestrian and crashed. The driver was killed. Did you know?¡±


    {Author didn¡¯t mention it again but if you remember from the first chapter, XRD crossed at a pedestrian crossing when it indicated it was safe to walk. He didn¡¯t run out in front of the truck. Thought I¡¯d mention it again since I forgot myself.}


    Xu RenDong nodded, ¡°I know. I was the pedestrian.¡±


    Lian Qiao was not surprised by this and instead sighed and said, ¡°Sure enough, that Mr. Xu on the news was you. That truck driver was one of our teammates, you should have discovered that too.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°I thought that the people who died there were completely dead. I didn¡¯t expect that they would die again when they returned to reality.¡±


    Lian Qiao sighed, ¡°Yes, do you remember the other person who died with him, that young man? I found him as well. He happened to be a friend of my friend. He drank to death on Friday night.¡±


    Xu RenDong fell into silence. Lian Qiao turned his head and looked at him thoughtfully: ¡°It¡¯s not surprising that the two of them died but the person that the big truck driver almost ran into was really you. That¡¯s too much of a coincidence¡­ Can you tell me what happened that day?¡±


    Xu RenDong told Lian Qiao what had happened that night. After Lian Qiao heard it, he showed a thoughtful expression.


    ¡°Actually, I found some of the other people in the team over the past few days.¡± Lian Qiao said, ¡°I asked them and they all experienced a similar situation to ours. They all saw the elevator after encountering a life and death situation. Some said they were running away from gangsters when they saw the elevator and ran in without even thinking about it. Some fell into the water and almost drowned. As for me, I was running at night and accidentally fell into a ditch. I didn¡¯t feel anything at the time but only after coming out from the elevator did I discover there was a broken steel bar near where I fell, just a few centimeters away from my neck. And Brother RenDong, you had a car accident. Coincidentally, the person who nearly hit you was also with you and entered the world of ghosts and monsters together.¡±


    Xu RenDong said in deep thought, ¡°So¡­ the elevator is a test for a dying person? If you can pass the test, then you can cheat death?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°You can interpret it like that. But there¡¯s something else I thought of. It¡¯s not necessarily correct and is just my guess.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Go on.¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°Brother RenDong, do you remember that after you found the elevator and the button, the elevator didn¡¯t work. After the truck driver died, the elevator suddenly started working.¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s face sank, ¡°You mean the exit will only open after someone dies?¡±


    Lian Qiao thought for a while, then shook his head: ¡°I think it may not be that simple. The big truck driver crashed in order to avoid you. If he didn¡¯t turn his steering wheel then the person who would have died was not him but you. So I guess¡­¡± He hesitated and sighed. ¡°I think because in the real world there is a conflict between you and him. One of you has to die. And you happened to enter the same ghost world. That meant the world cannot let you both live because it would conflict with the events of the real world. Therefore, the elevator couldn¡¯t be used until he was dead.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s analysis was very reasonable but after Xu RenDong heard it, his brows wrinkled deeper. The argument of survival conflict is reasonable but the problem is that he can be resurrected indefinitely after death and the truck driver obviously can¡¯t.


    In other words, in the life-and-death game between him and the truck driver, only he can be the winner. Wasn¡¯t that unfair? If he were the intended winner, it was very disgraceful to win through this kind of underhanded method. And the victory prize was the precious chance of survival. This made Xu RenDong feel even more embarrassed. He felt like a cheater who had robbed another person¡¯s life in a despicable manner without even realizing it.


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t want to think anymore and said: ¡°By the way, when I got out of the elevator, didn¡¯t I ask if you heard any noise? In fact, at that time¡­¡±


    He repeated the vague words he heard. Aside, Lian Qiao immediately took out his phone and recorded it: *** is ***, you want ***. You will experience countless tortures, but this is not ***, it is ***. When you reach ***, you will understand ***. *** Live on.


    Lian Qiao studied this passage over and over, then shook his head and said, ¡°No, there is too much key information missing and I don¡¯t know what it¡¯s talking about¡­ Well, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s like a special phrase? All keywords fragments have been coded. It is estimated that more keywords will be unlocked by clearing the following instances.¡±


    Xu RenDong asked, ¡°Is there anyone else in this situation?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°None of the people I talked to mentioned anything like this. Of course, it¡¯s also possible that they deliberately kept it from me. By the way, Brother RenDong, haven¡¯t you been in the elevator six times? Is this the first time you¡¯ve heard this? Oh right, I also inquired about the key that the rabbit gave us. The things in the instance cannot be brought out unless they are hidden items. Hidden items are very rare. It is difficult for people to simply survive, let alone find hidden items. But if you can find one, it will be of great help to the subsequent instances. Brother RenDong, have you gotten any hidden items before?¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback and deeply realized what the words ¡°if you tell one lie, you will need to tell countless more lies to cover it up¡± meant.


    Although he did experience the world of ghosts and monsters six times, they were all in the same instance. He really didn¡¯t grasp any useful information, let alone any hidden items.


    At this time, Xu RenDong suddenly realized that  in fact, all those dolls were found by Lian Qiao. The conditions for killing the rabbits were also inferred by Lian Qiao. Even now, Lian Qiao is trying to figure out the mechanism of the ghost world little by little through various clues.


    Not to mention intelligence, even his physical strength was much worse than Lian Qiao¡¯s. Lian Qiao ran faster than the rabbit and fought more fiercely than Brother Sledgehammer. Apart from being timid, he had no shortcomings.


    Lian Qiao called him the big boss but in fact the big boss was himself.


    Xu RenDong fell silent. Lian Qiao misunderstood and quickly apologized: ¡°Big brother, I was wrong. Everyone should have their own hidden weapons. I shouldn¡¯t have just asked about it. I¡¯m sorry, big boss.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± Although he knew it was unintentional, Lian Qiao¡¯s ¡°big boss¡± sounded like mockery.


    Fortunately at this time, Xu RenDong¡¯s takeaway order arrived. He quickly asked Lian Qiao to eat together.


    Lian Qiao was very surprised: ¡°Huh? Brother RenDong, I thought you¡¯d be the type to make your own meals.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°I¡¯m busy with work and don¡¯t have time to do it. Also I don¡¯t know how.¡±


    Xu RenDong handed him the disposable chopsticks. Lian Qiao took the chopsticks and lowered his head and didn¡¯t show what he was thinking.


    Xu RenDong asked: ¡°What¡¯s wrong, doesn¡¯t it suit your tastes?¡±


    Lian Qiao said hurriedly: ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ well, there is something, I actually wanted to say it this whole time but I feel a little embarrassed.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°It¡¯s okay, what do you want to say?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Um¡­ well, I¡¯m not trying to invade your privacy, really. Or trying to act familiar. But when I first met you, I really had a very familiar feeling. Have we met before? ¡°


    Xu RenDong was startled and an impulse suddenly surged in his heart. He wanted to tell Lian Qiao how they were reborn and died together several times. But as soon as this thought arose in his heart, his lips began to tingle and his tongue was stiff as if it had been cemented.


    Sure enough, it was still the case even after returning to the real world.


    He couldn¡¯t say even a word so he could only shake his head in silence.


    Lian Qiao thoughtfully said, ¡°Well, then it might be d¨¦j¨¤ vu.¡±


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t hear clearly: ¡°What?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°D¨¦j¨¤ vu is¡­well, it¡¯s a form of visual perception. For example, when you go to a place you¡¯ve never been to but you feel familiar as if you¡¯ve been there before or perhaps like you¡¯d seen it in a dream. Some people say that this is a memory from a previous life and others say it¡¯s just an illusion of the brain. Anyway, the specific physiological mechanism has not been figured out yet.¡±


    Xu RenDong felt more bitter in his heart when he heard him say this. He pursed his lips, and said lightly: ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°But it¡¯s still very strange.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°What¡¯s strange?¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°I feel like I know many things about you. For example, I think¡­¡± He paused and then he seemed a little embarrassed to say it.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°It¡¯s okay, just go ahead.¡±


    Lian Qiao lowered his head and fidgeted with the rice. He whispered: ¡°I think you are a very family-conscious person who would cook in an apron. But you just said you don¡¯t.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Probably that day I made the bed for you so you have this illusion. I really don¡¯t know how to cook.¡±


    Lian Qiao shook his head: ¡°It¡¯s not just that.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Lian Qiao ¡°Do you still remember that on the second day in the ghost world, you didn¡¯t eat breakfast? I brought you milk and bread and I made you angry.¡±


    Xu RenDong suddenly wrinkled reflexively when he heard the words bread and milk. Lian Qiao hurriedly apologized: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to annoy you. I really didn¡¯t know that you don¡¯t eat these two things. But I always feel¡­ well, do you have stomach problems? Like because you often don¡¯t eat on time so you have stomach aches easily? And you can¡¯t eat anything that¡¯s too cold?


    Xu RenDong really was surprised now. He also remembered that during one of the reincarnations, Lian Qiao once said that he knew that his stomach was not good and that he could not drink cold milk. He even deliberately used his body temperature to help him warm up the milk.


    At that time he thought Lian Qiao had mistaken him for someone else. But in the last reincarnation, Lian Qiao followed him almost the whole time and he had not been in contact with anyone else. He was also very sure that he had never mentioned his physical condition to Lian Qiao.


    How did Lian Qiao know?


    Xu RenDong pondered for a moment: ¡°What else do you know about me?¡±


    Lian Qiao sighed, ¡°There must be something wrong with me. We have just met each other not long ago but sometimes I will think of something when I look at you¡­ But it is also possible that it¡¯s just my own brain making up things. After all, sometimes I guess wrongly. Like how you don¡¯t know how to cook but I feel like I¡¯ve seen you wearing an apron.¡±


    Xu RenDong frowned unconsciously. He is very sure that he has never worn an apron from birth up until now, let alone wear it in front of another person.


    Lian Qiao misunderstood what he meant by frowning and quickly raised his hands to show his innocence: ¡°Brother RenDong, don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m not a ¡®stoka¡¯.¡± {Last word said in Japan-lish=stalker.}


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡¯Stoka¡¯?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Uh, you know some that¡­ follows you, stalks you, quietly observes your every move. That kind of¡­ weirdo.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­you young people have such strange notions.¡±


    Lian Qiao aggrieved: ¡°I really didn¡¯t stalk you! I really¡­ I don¡¯t know why, anyway, I just think¡­ that you are so familiar.¡±


    The phrase ¡°you are so familiar¡± was like a cat¡¯s paw, gently scratching Xu RenDong¡¯s heart. Xu RenDong only felt a faint sorrow and grief in his chest which made him want to talk and confess all his thoughts to Lian Qiao. But he couldn¡¯t.


    He could only suppress his emotions and said with extreme restraint: ¡°I also think that you are familiar too. Maybe we have seen each other somewhere but we have forgotten about it.¡±


    That was actually what Lian Qiao said to him in a certain reincarnation. But now Lian Qiao has forgotten about it.


    Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t hear the words he was thinking.  He only curved his eyes and smiled: ¡°Then we must be thankful for the instance, otherwise we might never have had a chance to meet again.¡±


    Xu RenDong smiled and said nothing.


    It¡¯s still early after dinner. Lian Qiao asked to borrow his home¡¯s wifi and electricity socket for a while. Since he hadn¡¯t completed his live broadcasting time quota today yet. Xu RenDong poured him a glass of water and curiously sat beside him on the sofa: ¡°Do you hosts have time quotas too?¡±


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°Yes, streaming hosts who have signed a contract must ensure that they broadcast live for more than two hours a day. I usually broadcast live from 8 to 10 in the evening. Ah¡­ but you¡¯ve watched my live broadcast so you should know this.¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback and then he remembered that he had lied casually before by saying that he was a fan of Lian Qiao. Suddenly he had a guilty conscience so he turned his eyes away and said: ¡°Well since you are busy, I won¡¯t disturb you.¡±


    He walked silently elsewhere in order to ease the embarrassment and casually looked for a book to read.


    Lian Qiao saw him reading so he deliberately lowered his voice. Like a thief, he whispered to his audience to explain: ¡°I¡¯m back now. But there¡¯s someone next to me so I can¡¯t talk too loudly. Can you guys hear me like this?¡±


    His audience expressed they could. Some viewers who weren¡¯t too familiar with him asked in the barrage: ¡°Are your parents outside? Host, have you finished your summer homework?


    Lian Qiao ignored it. His voice was soft and cute and he is often misunderstood as being younger than he actually was. His old fans knew though and would help him explain.


    Unexpectedly, as soon as Lian Qiao clicked on the game, the barrage suddenly started to swipe across the screen.


    Host turn around! Your parents are sending you fruit!


    Host turn around! Your parents are coming to check your homework!


    Host turn around! Your parents are coming to confiscate your computer!


    Lian Qiao thought: My parent is studying hard by himself! He thought about it and felt it was quite funny. He couldn¡¯t help but really turned his head back and glance at Xu RenDong.


    After looking, he couldn¡¯t help being stunned. He saw Xu RenDong sitting on the side of the round and small coffee table. The floor-standing table lamp shed warm yellow light from above his head, setting off the charming facial features more deeply and more profoundly.


    Right now, Xu RenDong was like a handsome priest sitting among the rose bushes, holding a Bible in his hand. When he lowered his head to read, his expression was very focused, as if the world outside the book had nothing to do with him. His thick eyelashes were black like crow feathers, blinking slowly, and each stroke seemed to lightly sweep the tip of Lian Qiao¡¯s heart, making his heart itchy.


    He didn¡¯t know how long he watched until Xu RenDong noticed something and raised his head in confusion. Then Lian Qiao suddenly retracted his eyes, his heart pounding for fear that he would find him peeking at him.


    Xu RenDong probably thought that he was thinking too much so he adjusted his sitting posture and continued reading with his head down.


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t dare to move and sat stiffly for a while to make sure that Xu RenDong was not suspicious of him. Only then did he turn his attention back to the live broadcast. Since he hadn¡¯t operated the game for a long time, the live broadcast room had exploded in this time and the audience was frantically swiping the screen: It¡¯s over, it¡¯s over, the host has been taken away by his parents. It¡¯s over, it¡¯s over, the host¡¯s computer was confiscated.


    Lian Qiao stared blankly at the barrage that was about to overflow the screen, and a line of big words floated in his heart.


    It¡¯s over, it¡¯s over, the host has really become an obsessed idiot.


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    Note: Stoka: Originally English stalker, referring to the stalker and the follower. Japanese directly transliterates imported words. If you understand the pronunciation of Japanese English, it becomes su to ka, and the semantics also extend to stalkers and idiots. Network terms are sometimes abbreviated as stk directly. Another: Even though Lian Qiao knows a little bit about everything, he is mainly a Japanese-style host. When explaining stk, the ¡°Oyuki¡± he mentioned unconsciously is actually a Japanese 18-ban H-GAME¡­


    Don¡¯t ask me why I know it, I am good at searching information. Doghead.jpg

 CH 28

    The next day, Lian Qiao rented the apartment opposite Xu RenDong.


    The apartment opposite Xu RenDong was already empty. The landlord was eager to find a new tenant and Lian Qiao was anxious to move in. So the two hit it off and quickly signed a rental contract. When Xu RenDong came home from work at night, Lian Qiao had finished cleaning and had started to move things in.


    Lian Qiao was anxious of course because of the ghost world. According to his investigation, this elevator will appear every once in a while, forcibly sending people into the world of ghosts. Supposedly after clearing a certain number of instances, you can get rid of the elevator completely and your life will be smooth sailing in the future. But the number of times was unknown because, until now, he couldn¡¯t find anyone who claimed to have cleared all the instances.


    Are the instances too difficult and hence no one has successfully cleared them all or was it for some particular reason that the person who had cleared them didn¡¯t want to let their name be known and preferred to stay anonymous?


    He didn¡¯t know.


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    The world of ghosts and monsters in the future will only get harder and harder and those who can survive are rare. Therefore, the two decided to enter the world of ghosts and monsters together so they could rely on each other.


    On the surface they talked about cooperation but in fact, both of them are thinking the same thing: Hugging a thigh.


    Lian Qiao thought that Xu RenDong was the boss, and Xu RenDong knew that Lian Qiao himself was the actual boss. To be honest, Xu RenDong was not a person who liked to be fake but due to the restriction of his rebirths, he couldn¡¯t tell the truth so he can only hold back.


    Being forced to be a fake boss was actually quite uncomfortable.


    After a few calm days, Xu RenDong returned to his normal working condition. Every day from 5AM to 9PM, he was very busy. Although his body is tired, the spirit gradually relaxed. After all, there were no ghosts in the company and no teammates who would kill him if they didn¡¯t agree with him. This is in sharp contrast with the ghost world and he deeply felt the superiority of a civilized society.


    That night, Xu RenDong returned home at half past nine. After eating, he had nothing to do, he suddenly remembered something. At this point, Lian Qiao should be broadcasting live. So he found Lian Qiao¡¯s live broadcast platform, registered an account and clicked on Lian Qiao¡¯s live broadcast room.


    Lian Qiao was still playing that bloody game. He seems to have adapted to this style of graphics and was no longer scared by the monsters. Instead he was chatting with the audience, laughing and joking.


    Xu RenDong watched for a while and gradually figured it out. In the process of exploring the map, this player can pick up a variety of props and continue to grow stronger. Gradually they would change from being chased by monsters to chasing down monsters. Xu RenDong watched him play a few games and found that every time he cleared a level or died, the game would generate a brand new map. The monsters, terrain, and props encountered on the road were all different from before.


    There were many kinds of props in this game. Xu RenDong watched him play for half an hour and hardly encountered any duplicate props. Therefore, every reopening is a brand new game experience. It was no wonder he would get addicted to it.


    Xu RenDong thought that this game was really interesting but unfortunately he had no energy or time to play. Besides, watching Lian Qiao playing games is far more fun than playing it by himself. After all, Lian Qiao had good skills and no matter how bad the props were or how strong the monster is, he could always make a comeback. And if he was lucky and encountered a good item, he would ascend to heaven in one step and become an existence that was stronger than the boss. Watching him abuse all the monsters was very cool.


    Seeing that it was almost ten o¡¯clock and Lian Qiao was about to finish his broadcast, Xu RenDong went to take a bath. When he came out of the bathroom, he found that Lian Qiao had quit the game but had turned one the camera and was chatting to the audience with a smile. The barrage was full of comments like: ¡°Milk Qiao has finally shown his face again, I am deeply grateful.¡±, ¡°I want to possess this second¡¯s Milk Qiao!¡±, ¡°The host is so cute, I want to X him!¡±. There were also comments like, ¡°My screen is dirty, I need to lick lick¡± and other similar terrible comments.


    Who are these people watching the live broadcast?


    Xu RenDong felt inexplicably unhappy. He unplugged his earphones and was about to turn off the computer but suddenly heard in the live broadcast room, Lian Qiao speaking in a soft and gentle tone: ¡°¡­He respects others very much and when talking with anyone, he looks at them very seriously. It makes people feel that he is listening to you attentively. ¡±


    Huh, he wasn¡¯t talking about games anymore?


    Xu RenDong was a little surprised and couldn¡¯t help but go back to the screen.


    He saw Lian Qiao speaking in the live broadcast room with a reminiscent look. There was a small smile on his mouth which made his expression look particularly gentle: ¡°¡­His eyes are also very beautiful, black and white and so very bright. How do I say it¡­ I¡¯ve seen a sentence before that goes ¡°Inside a pool of white mercury, two pills of black mercury are kept.¡± It¡¯s like that kind of feeling.¡±¡± {This is from a Classic poem, my translation is probably not accurate.}


    The bullet screen was filled with comments: ¡°What the hell is mercury?¡± and a bunch of hahahahas. Suddenly a line of distinctive line appeared in the barrage,


    ¡° ¡®That pair of eyes are like autumn water, cold stars or pearls. Like a pool of white mercury, there are two pills of black mercury within.¡¯ ¨C The Travels of Lao Can.¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback. It turns out that Lian Qiao¡¯s words have a source? He was shocked that Lian Qiao had actually read The Travels of Lao Can. He really saw a different side of this internet addicted youth.


    When Lian Qiao also saw this passage, he said happily: ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it.¡± He looked at the barrage and read it again seriously, ¡°That pair of eyes are like autumn water, cold stars, or pearls. Like a pool of white mercury, there are two pills of black mercury within.¡±


    The tone of his reading the passage sounds like a poetic recitation, every pause is just right and every syllable has a long aftertaste. The feelings are naturally revealed every word but they weren¡¯t exaggerated. The gentle voice seemed to be gently massaging the ears, which made people feel very pleasant.


    When Lian Qiao was reading aloud, the number of barrages obviously decreased. All the way until he stopped speaking, Xu RenDong was spellbound. Even after he was still immersed in a slight feeling of intoxication. He heard Lian Qiao said say gently:


    ¡°When I read this paragraph before, I couldn¡¯t really understand it. Why would the author think of using mercury as a metaphor for the eyes? It¡¯s strange, even a bit scary. After all, mercury is poisonous¡­ But after I saw him, I realized that human eyes can look so beautiful, really like mercury, and are so radiant¡­ I wonder if you have ever seen mercury flowing, it¡¯s shiny silver, liquid metal, glowing while flowing¡­ It¡¯s so beautiful.¡±


    The barrage were all stunned by his description and started to frantically bombard the screen, begging Lian Qiao to release the photo of this fairy person.


    Lian Qiao replied proudly and firmly: ¡°I won¡¯t!¡±


    The barrage was full of wails.


    Xu RenDong watched Lian Qiao interact with the audience and couldn¡¯t help but feel amused.


    At this moment, someone in the barrage asked: ¡°Who is the host talking about?¡± ¡°Is it a celebrity?¡± ¡°Seeking pictures to see the truth!¡±


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    A few seconds later, a large number of barrages floated by.


    ¡°Newcomer in the front,  you don¡¯t even know about Milk Qiao¡¯s Goddess?¡± {Although it¡¯s written that Lian Qiao says ¡°he¡±, there is no difference to ¡®he¡¯ and ¡®she¡¯ when said out loud in Chinese, i.e. the audience will assume he¡¯s talking about a woman.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the girl Milk Qiao has a crush on!¡±


    ¡°Fuck, Ah-Qiao has a crush? Why don¡¯t I know! Within three minutes, I want all the information on this lucky girl!¡±


    ¡°I really want to know what this goddess is like ahhhhhhhhhhh¡±


    ¡°Pleading for you guys to appear in the frame together! Pleading for a stream together! Hurry up and let us see your goddess!¡±


    Crush? Goddess?


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help being curious. His gaze searched through the dense barrage and, after a while, he finally found the answer.


    ¡°It¡¯s HuaHua oh. The goddess of Milk Qiao, HuaHua~¡± {Hua means flower. Remember RenDong is an alternate name for the honeysuckle flower.}


    HuaHua? Sounds like a dog¡¯s name¡­


    No, no, this is Lian Qiao¡¯s goddess. Be serious!


    Lian Qiao suddenly uttered ¡°Ah¡± before returning to the soft cotton candy-like voice: ¡°You guys are making me hungry! Humph, I won¡¯t go running tonight! I¡¯m going to have a barbecue!¡±


    Only then did XuRenDong realize that the barrage was densely packed and was filled with a lot of ¡°burn¡± characters. There are also some strange and weird sentences on the screen, such as ¡°where is my tiger skin skirt¡±, ¡°true love does not burn¡±, ¡°I want one with cumin, thank you¡±.


    These sentences were soon covered by layers of ¡°Burn!!!¡± and the screen was full of red flames. Xu RenDong was almost blinded by it. Then Lian Qiao laughed and said, ¡°Okay, okay, sprinkle the host with cumin, set it up and roast it. You can¡¯t eat it anyway.¡±


    In Xu RenDong¡¯s mind floated the image of a group of wild men wearing tiger skin skirts and dancing around the fire, but what is on the fire is not barbecue but Lian Qiao and there is a word ¡°HuaHua¡± over his head¡­


    A matchstick person.


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t imagine what the girl Lian Qiao liked would be like, so he could only make up a stick figure with matchsticks.


    After this wave of ¡°burn¡± characters passed, everyone began to write ¡°Ask HuaHua out to eat!¡±. Lian Qiao bent his eyes and laughed: ¡°It¡¯s so late, he might already be asleep.¡±


    The barrage immediately changed direction. Xu RenDong blinked and suddenly hundreds of comments like ¡°If you don¡¯t ask her out, you¡¯re a coward!¡± and even a few ¡°woof woof woof woof!¡± and ¡°dog food is so delicious¡± assaulted his eyes.


    Xu RenDong ws too dazzled and closed his laptop. After a while, his phone vibrated. He looked down and saw that it was a message from Lian Qiao.


    ¡°Brother RenDong, are you asleep? Do you want to have barbecue together?¡±


    Xu RenDong was confused. Aren¡¯t you going to ask HuaHua out? Did you get the wrong person?


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    He thought about it calmly and quickly came up with the answer: Oh, it must be that HuaHua is asleep. After all, girls needed to have beauty sleep.


    Xu RenDong felt his stomach. He didn¡¯t have the habit of eating supper but the word ¡°burn¡± on the computer screen just now gave him a mental push and he felt a little hungry.


    Then he would go eat. After all, they have become neighbors and it¡¯s not bad to have supper to increase their relationship with each other.


    When he walked out of the apartment, Lian Qiao happened to open up his door. As soon as he saw him, Lian Qiao curved his eyes and smiled. He spoke joyfully: ¡°Brother RenDong.¡±


    He was like a marshmallow, sweetly melting into people¡¯s hearts. Looking at him made you unable to not smile. Xu RenDong nodded at him and said, ¡°Good evening.¡±


    Lian Qiao smiled and greeted him: ¡°Let¡¯s¡­¡±


    However the smile in his eyes disappeared instantly in the next second. Because-


    The stairs vanished.


    What was supposed to be a staircase had turned into two elevators standing side by side.


    The silver-gray metal body reflected icy light. The chill rose little by little from behind, cruel and merciless, breaking the vision of beautiful daily life.


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    Lian Qiao: Hey~ the favorability level rose +5! How come~~~


    RenDong: Because you have culture.


    Lian Qiao: Then why is it -5 again wuwuwuwu¡­.


    RenDong: Because you eat supper and have bad living habits.


    Lian Qiao:? ? ? ? ? ?

 CH 29

    Because of the limited space in the corridor, the two elevators were closely attached to each other and looked quite strange. In an act of tacit understanding, the two of them did not mention the barbecue again but instead put all their thoughts onto the elevator.


    The two elevators were exactly the same and there was no difference in appearance. Xu RenDong suddenly thought of something. He turned his head, walked towards Lian Qiao and stretched out his hand towards him. He touched Lian Qiao¡¯s shoulder and there was nothing in the way. That meant that the air wall that restricted his movement on the road the first time did not appear this time.


    Lian Qiao was suddenly touched by Xu RenDong and was taken aback for a moment. Then he quickly realized his intention. So he also reached out to explore. Unexpectedly, as soon as he stretched out his hand, he heard a bang as though he had hit something.


    Lian Qiao immediately said: ¡°There¡¯s a wall here.¡±


    Xu RenDong tried to walk back to the door of his apartment. ¡°There¡¯s one here too¡±


    It seemed that they were stuck together with the elevator in the space between the two apartments. It had formed a confined space with the two of them locked inside. Fortunately, their two spaces were fused together rather than independent of each other. Otherwise they probably would not be able to see each other.


    The two looked at the two identical elevators in front of them and couldn¡¯t help falling into contemplation.


    Lian Qiao asked: ¡°Will these two elevators lead to the same place?¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°I don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t encountered such a situation before.¡±


    Lian Qiao was a little surprised: ¡°You have never teamed up with others before?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Lian Qiao suddenly curved his eyes and smiled. He didn¡¯t say anything, just walked to the front of the two elevators and pressed the two buttons respectively.


    Both doors opened. As before, it was empty inside. Only the metal body reflected a cold light. The two people stood outside the elevator and looked for a while but they couldn¡¯t see anything.


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°We can only try it and see.¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded: ¡°Let¡¯s go in together.¡± As he spoke, he approached Lian Qiao, ¡°Stay close to me. I¡¯m afraid the elevator door will suddenly close.¡±


    Lian Qiao was startled by his sudden approach and hissed as he drew his breath in sharply.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°No¡­nothing.¡± He turned his face slightly and looked at their arms which were touching. He could feel the other person¡¯s body temperature through his shirt and it made Lian Qiao¡¯s heart beat wildly.


    ¡­ Did he do it on purpose?


    Lian Qiao quietly glanced at Xu RenDong again but sure enough, the patient¡¯s entire attention was on the elevator.


    Lian Qiao took a deep breath and suppressed his frantic heartbeat. Then the elevator doors closed and started to make a low running sound.


    One second before he was still in his warm and comfortable home, thinking about what to eat for supper. The next second after he was forced to enter the elevator to face an unknown horror again. Xu RenDong¡¯s mood was inevitably a little heavy. For a moment, only silence remained in the elevator.


    Before long, two words appeared in front of them: Esophagus.


    These two big characters appeared out of thin air, just like the original ¡°Matryoshka¡±. Like a trick of light and shadow, it could be seen but not touched. It¡¯s just that this word looked bad and didn¡¯t conjure up any good images.


    Xu RenDong was silent for a moment and then asked Lian Qiao: ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Lian Qiao rubbed his stomach: ¡°I¡¯m even more hungry¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao stared at the word ¡°esophagus¡± and swallowed his saliva: ¡°I want to eat aorta {sounds gross but is a common hotpot ingredient, along with intestines etc}. I also want to eat lamb skewers, lamb kidneys, grilled chicken hearts, grilled chicken wings, grilled eggplant and enoki mushrooms¡­¡± He stared at the prompt phrase and became sincerely hungry.


    Xu RenDong had no choice but to say, ¡°Okay, when we get out, we¡¯ll go eat.¡±


    He really wanted to bow down to Lian Qiao. In this situation he could still think about barbeque meat. But thanks to Lian Qiao¡¯s presence, Xu RenDong¡¯s heavy heart gradually became clear again.


    In fact, he is not ready to go to the world of ghosts and die repeatedly. If he is alone here today, he is afraid he would fall into an abyss of negative emotions and be unable to extricate himself.


    But it¡¯s different with Lian Qiao. Xu RenDong even raised the corners of his mouth slightly and looked forward to the barbecue after leaving here.


    However, it didn¡¯t take long for him to begin to feel something was wrong.


    ¡°Lian Qiao?¡± He just called out, only to see Lian Qiao¡¯s face change.


    ¡°Brother RenDong, you are getting smaller!¡±


    Xu RenDong looked down and sure enough, his body was shrinking rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye. The sleeves and trousers have become very long and loose and hung down softly. At the same time, the same changes were happening to Lian Qiao. They watched as their bodies shrank and the elevator ceiling moved further and further away from them. Soon, their small bodies couldn¡¯t hold up the adult clothes any longer so they had to use their hands to pull the clothes around them to prevent it falling down and leaving them naked.


    When the body finally stopped changing, they found that they had both become children.


    At this time, Lian Qiao seemed to be about five years old. He was a little boy with a silly face, looking as though snot was about to run out of his nose at any second.


    Xu RenDong frowned, ¡°Are you okay?¡± As soon as he uttered the words, he realized that his voice had also become tender and soft. He couldn¡¯t help being taken aback. Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t help it anymore and laughed out loud.


    ¡°Brother RenDong, you have become so cute!¡± He excitedly pulled Xu RenDong to the elevator door, ¡°Look at you, I¡¯m still taller than you!¡±


    Xu RenDong could barely see through the reflective metal surface. Two figures, one big and one small. At this time, Lian Qiao was indeed half a head taller than him. But the reflection of the elevator was very vague. He really couldn¡¯t see what he had become, so he had to judge based on his height. He was probably three or four years old.


    How could this be? Xu RenDong wanted to ask his question very much but he knew that Lian Qiao had no answer. He could only sigh.


    Lian Qiao looked at the big boss who was half a head shorter than him. Feeling suddenly bold, he stretched out his hand to squeeze the big boss¡¯ soft cheek.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­what are you doing?¡±


    Lian Qiao exclaimed from the bottom of his heart: ¡°It feels so good¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡­¡± When Lian Qiao said that, he was also a little curious, so he raised his hand and pinched himself. His face is indeed soft and tender, like a pudding and was full of collagen.


    Lian Qiao looked at Xu RenDong who was pinching his own cheek with a serious expression. He couldn¡¯t help but smile. He curled his eyes and muttered softly, ¡°You are so cute.¡±


    Xu RenDong suddenly felt that his behavior was quite naive. He turned his head away and said sternly: ¡°We¡¯re almost there, get ready.¡±


    Lian Qiao said okay but he couldn¡¯t help continuing to smile and take secret glances at him.


    Hearing the ding sound, the elevator door opened immediately. What unfolded in front of the two of them was a dark scene with a gothic setting.


    A huge rusty iron gate stood in front of them. Behind the iron gate was a building similar to a monastery. Although the monastery was dilapidated, it was extremely magnificent and the outer walls were too high to be seen over. Withered ivy vines covered the wall, looking lifeless and extremely gloomy.


    Xu RenDong was thinking, how could there be such a high wall? Lian Qiao suddenly stood on tiptoe and sighed: ¡°It¡¯s over, the dwarf¡¯s perspective is really uncomfortable.¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback: ¡°The dwarf¡¯s perspective?¡±


    Lian Qiao realized that he had started speaking gibberish again and hurried to explain: ¡°In other words, because we have all become children and are too short, everything around us will feel unnaturally tall and big. So our visibility will also be limited. We¡¯d better find a small bench or something similar as soon as possible to help us explore later. Something that can be carried around and which we can step on. Otherwise we will not find all the items placed in high places.¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded. He hadn¡¯t gotten used to this young child¡¯s body. Although he can understand the visual difference, he would probably forget to pay attention to any clues that were high up if Lian Qiao hadn¡¯t reminded him.


    At this time, he again felt the benefits of entering the ghost world with Lian Qiao and couldn¡¯t help feeling at ease.


    The two walked out of the elevator and found that a dozen children had gathered around the iron gate. They were probably their teammates this time.


    Xu RenDong swept around and found that the eldest of these people was only six or seven years old. The youngest had even turned into a baby and was being held by a girl. Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help frowning when he saw the baby. Shrinking the entire team is one matter but someone even turned into a baby? That was too much!


    These teammates also looked different. Xu RenDong judged from their facial expressions that about half of this group of people were newcomers. They didn¡¯t understand the situation clearly and were crying anxiously while questioning the people around them. They made a lot of noise and were loud and messy. The other half was silent, watching the newcomers making noise with cold eyes. They should be experienced players.


    Compared with the last time in this world, the number of old players has increased significantly. Does this mean that the instance clearing conditions this time will be more difficult?


    At this time, a thin and withered old woman came out of the monastery. She was wearing a black and white nun¡¯s gown, wrapped tightly all over her body, leaving only a sallow face exposed. Seeing the group of children at the door, the old nun snorted from her nose in a weird manner and her fish-like eyes swam up and down the children: ¡°You returned so late! I should just close this door and let you all die outside. I should lock you out and let the monster tear you apart and eat you all!¡±


    The woman was shrivelled like the withered vines on the wall and her voice was as sharp as a knife scraping across metal. After hearing her scolding, nobody said anything at first but then a chubby little boy stepped forward and took the initiative to admit his mistake: ¡°I¡¯m sorry auntie. We won¡¯t do it again.¡±


    When everyone saw this, a trace of astonishment flashed across their faces. The old players were the first to react, rushing forward and joining in: ¡°Yes, auntie, we know we were wrong! Please forgive us!¡±


    However, the old nun ignored the children¡¯s flattery and just swept her gaze across them using eyes like dead fish. She snorted from her nose: ¡°No one is allowed to eat tonight. Reflect well on your wrongdoings!¡± After speaking, she turned his head and walked towards the monastery.


    The children looked at each other. The little fat child who had just taken the lead in admitting his mistake sighed helplessly. He smiled at everyone and encouraged: ¡°Don¡¯t be discouraged, it¡¯s just the beginning. Let¡¯s go in.¡±


    This little fat child was so calm and composed, he was obviously an old player. His comforting words immediately made the fearful newcomers find a source of comfort and they eagerly followed him.


    The children walked into the courtyard silently. Just when the girl holding the baby was about to step into the door, the little fat child stretched out his hand and said with a serious face: ¡°I advise you to leave him here.¡±


    The girl was only four or five years old at this time. Her short chubby arms hugged the baby, looking very strained. She asked, ¡°Why?¡±


    The little fat kid said, ¡°He has become like this and certainly won¡¯t be able to help us.  I don¡¯t know if his intelligence has deteriorated. If he cries at a critical moment, maybe he will cause a big problem for us.¡±


    The little fat kid was very calm and his analysis made a lot of sense. After he said this, he glanced at the other old players, obviously wanting to get their support. One of the thin girls said coolly, ¡°That¡¯s right. Please don¡¯t be a Virgin Mary at a time like this. You might think you¡¯re being kind by saving him now, but then perhaps he¡¯ll kill the entire team. That¡¯s how it was in my last world. There are always a few idiots who think they are the saviors but the result was¡­humph.¡±


    Xu RenDong felt that he had been shot while lying down.


    The girl was instantly angry: ¡°Damn you, I¡¯m taking him! If you are afraid of death, stay away from me. Don¡¯t fucking point your fingers randomly!¡±


    Everyone was stunned by this sudden explosion of anger. Xu RenDong was secretly impressed. Amazing, he thought. So you can also answer in this kind of way.


    At this time, Lian Qiao suddenly interrupted: ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate to abandon teammates at the beginning. Once you start the game, the team¡¯s atmosphere won¡¯t be right. Haven¡¯t you ever thought that when you yourself becomes extraneous, other teammates will also abandon you without hesitation? Is that really what you want?¡±


    The thin girl said coldly: ¡°That¡¯s just fate.¡±


    Lian Qiao sighed and looked at Xu RenDong. Xu RenDong understood what he wanted and nodded at him. Lian Qiao understood, turned around and announced to everyone: ¡°It¡¯s not easy to come to an agreement at this time. Let¡¯s split up for the time being.¡±


    The two people walked to the girl and the baby tacitly at the same time.


    The others couldn¡¯t argue with them so they agreed. So everyone kept their distance quietly and entered the monastery one after another.

 CH 30

    The old nun was already waiting for them inside and seeing them come in after such a long time, gave them another scolding. She took them to the room on the second floor and warned them not to make trouble at night or they would be kicked out.


    When she was about to leave, Xu RenDong suddenly remembered something and asked, ¡°Will there really be monsters at night? Will they eat people?¡±


    The old nun let out a hoarse laugh which sounded like a saw cutting a piece of moldy old wood. Listening to it made everyone¡¯s ears feel uncomfortable: ¡°Don¡¯t disobedient children deserve to be punished?¡± She scanned the children one by one with those dead fish eyes, ¡°Bad children are eaten and good children are left. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s correct?¡±


    Her words made everyone¡¯s hearts tremble. The old nun was pleased to see that some of the newcomers were scared to death. She made that unpleasant chuckle again and walked away, still laughing.


    The newcomers were immersed in fear, and the old players already began to think about the possible meaning of the nun¡¯s words. It¡¯s a pity that there were too few clues and it was really impossible to reason anything yet.


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao went with the girl to the next bedroom. This bedroom was the same as the previous room and had several bunk beds for children. Obviously, these rooms have been unused for a long time and there was a musty smell in the air. It made people feel very uncomfortable. The sheets and quilts were also cold and hard.


    Fortunately, the weather was not too cold at this time. Otherwise, if you sleep here for one night, you would most likely get sick.


    This monastery was an old building of course there wasn¡¯t any electrical lighting. There was only an old kerosene lamp inside the room. Xu RenDong had only seen this thing on TV and didn¡¯t know how to work it. Lian Qiao was familiar with it, however, and lit a fire in one or two strokes. The small bedroom was finally brightened up.


    Now that they had light, the first thing to do was of course to search the room. This time they were lucky and they found a small school bag under the bed as well as some small toys such as skipping ropes and sandbags. All of the things were dirty and covered with a heavy layer of dust but Lian Qiao treated them like treasures. He put them in the small school bag and happily carried it on his shoulder. He looked like a schoolboy going out for a spring outing.


    Xu RenDong knew that he was suffering from hamster syndrome again {hoarding?} and was too lazy to complain about him. He only helped him pat the ashes off his schoolbag.


    The search was now complete. The girl held the baby, chose a slightly cleaner bed and sat down. She sighed: ¡°Goddamn, ??I¡¯m really exhausted. I was just in the middle of my C-section and suddenly ended up in this ghostly place? I¡¯m so tired! That¡¯s right, I haven¡¯t introduced myself yet. My name is Ye QingLiu.¡±


    Wait, what-?! In the middle of a C-section?! {Caesarean section.}


    No wonder she was so obsessed with babies¡­ but how come she was so sturdy right after giving birth? She did not even look afraid of falling into a world of ghosts and even dared to swear at old players. Is this what a newbie should look like?


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t help but glance at each other. This girl was amazing and definitely must be a talent in the world of newcomers.


    The two also reported their names. Lian Qiao asked: ¡°By the way, where did this baby come from? Did someone bring it out from the elevator?¡±


    Ye QingLiu said, ¡°I don¡¯t think so. As soon as I came out, I saw this child lying at the gate of the monastery. He looked like an abandoned infant. The others ignored him so I picked him up.¡±


    The words ¡°abandoned infant¡± once again evoked the memories of Xu RenDong.


    He was an orphan himself and grew up in an orphanage. According to the director of the orphanage, he was also abandoned at the entrance of the orphanage. At that time, he was just born, his umbilical cord was not cut off and he was covered in blood. It was still snowing that day and when he was found, he was completely purple. He almost didn¡¯t survive that winter night.


    How cruel did a mother have to be to abandon a newborn baby in the snow?


    Lian Qiao suddenly said: ¡°So after this cool teammate turned into a baby, how did he get out of the elevator? His swaddle was tightly wrapped so he couldn¡¯t have climbed out himself. Could it be that the elevator can forcibly eject people?¡±


    Xu RenDong came back to his senses and followed his thoughts: ¡°Do you suspect that he is not a teammate but an NPC?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Not necessarily an NPC, he might be a prop.¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡± ¡­¡­¡± Your game anchors are really broad-minded.


    When Ye QingLiu heard that the baby might just be a prop, she was immediately upset: ¡°A goddamn prop!? What a waste of my motherly feelings!¡±


    Xu RenDong soothed: ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with him being a prop. If he really was a  teammate then before shrinking, he might have been a middle-aged uncle. You¡¯ve been holding him in your arms for so long, isn¡¯t it embarrassing?¡±


    Ye QingLiu: ¡°¡­what you said makes sense.¡± Then she threw down the baby on the side of the bed and looked disgusted.


    Xu RenDong helplessly: ¡°You change your face too quickly. If it¡¯s a baby, you hold it in your arms but if it¡¯s an uncle, you throw it away? Do uncles have no human rights? How can you¡­¡±


    Ye QingLiu interrupted him coldly: ¡°Because I am a bitch with double standards.¡±


    Xu RenDong was speechless.


    Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t help but admire her. No wonder this woman was admired by the big boss! She did everything cleanly and even dared to scold the big boss! Awesome!


    Ye QingLiu stared at the two people for a while and didn¡¯t show her thoughts. Then all of a sudden she took out her phone and took a selfie with them. Then she fell into contemplation while staring at the screen.


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao were once again in shock. What both of them were thinking was: Sister QingLiu, you¡¯re not drafting up a social media post right now are you? So you can go back and show off the world of ghosts and monsters to your friends and invite them to visit right?


    While the two were admiring Ye QingLiu, she raised his head and glanced at them, and said in a depressed manner: ¡°Everyone else just shrunk normally, how come you two got to use the beauty filter?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Xu RenDong was also confused.


    Ye QingLiu pointed the phone at them, clicked and took a group photo of two of them. She said very stuffily, ¡°Look for yourself.¡±


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao leaned over. They saw two pink sculpture-like objects on the screen, one large and one small. The two boys looked like a pair of soft and cute little angels. Lian Qiao scratched his head, suddenly a little embarrassed and didn¡¯t know what to say.


    Xu RenDong stared at the photo for a while and was puzzled: ¡°What¡¯s the issue? This is what I looked like when I was a kid.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Uh, me too.¡±


    Ye QingLiu: ¡°¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong glanced at her and asked kindly, ¡°Did you not become what you looked like as a kid? You became uglier?¡±


    Ye QingLiu felt like knives were getting stuck into her heart. She said angrily: ¡°Okay, okay, it¡¯s really irritating to know that you two are beautiful! Let¡¯s not talk anymore! I want to sleep!¡±


    Then she pulled the quilt, went to bed and fell asleep soundly.


    Although Ye QingLiu disliked the baby, she still fulfilled her duties as a temporary mother and lay on the same bed with the baby in her arms. Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao each slept on their own small bed.


    After turning off the lights, Xu RenDong tossed and turned on the bed. He was too hungry to sleep. It didn¡¯t take long for him to hear the sound of gu-lu-gu-lu coming from near him as Lian Qiao¡¯s stomach began to make noises. Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help but find it funny.


    ¡°Not asleep yet?¡± He said softly.


    Although he and Lian Qiao were sleeping on two separate beds, their heads were facing the same direction. Therefore, as long as you speak in a low voice, the other party can hear you and will not wake up Ye QingLiu who was sleeping in the opposite direction.


    Lian Qiao wailed and rubbed his stomach in distress: ¡°I¡¯m so hungry, I want to eat meat.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°We should bring some food in next time.¡± If he brings his own food, he can adjust his diet and the tragedy for the first world with milk and bread that made him want to vomit won¡¯t happen again.


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°Actually, I thought of this too. I prepared a big backpack full of snacks. But I didn¡¯t expect this instance to be opened so soon and I didn¡¯t bring my crowbar¡­ It¡¯s over, I¡¯m so scared.¡±


    Xu RenDong said comfortingly: ¡°Look at our current body shape, even if you did bring a crowbar, it¡¯s probably of little use.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Well, that makes sense. I think this instance reduces our size to prevent us from taking on the monsters head on. In fact, there are also horror games of this type. You don¡¯t use weapons or attacks, you can clear the game by solving puzzles and exploring. When you encounter monsters you can¡¯t fight but can only run. The focus of this game is decryption and it wants to create a powerless atmosphere of horror. After all, if you can open WuShuang, it¡¯s not scary to kill monsters at all. {See author¡¯s notes at the end, reference to game Dynasty Warriors.}


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Isn¡¯t this kind of game very difficult?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°No. Because this kind of game usually has settings. For example, you run the fastest in the whole game. As long as you don¡¯t get lost or fall into a trap, the monster will never catch up to you.¡±


    Xu RenDong was silent for a moment: ¡°Now I am three years old and you are five years old. Do you think we would run fast? ¡°


    Lian Qiao woke up from a dream: ¡°¡­Fuck! That¡¯s true!¡±


    Xu RenDong was amused by his reaction of just realizing it now: ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, let¡¯s take it one step at a time. Go to bed early.¡±


    Lian Qiao took a few deep breaths. Afterwards he still shuddered and confessed: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m still afraid, I can¡¯t sleep. I always feel like someone is outside¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong helplessly: ¡°Don¡¯t think about it.¡±


    Lian Qiao asked carefully: ¡°Can I come over and sleep with you¡­?¡±


    Xu RenDong reflected for a moment. Lian Qiao was so scared and frightened by himself. He had to take the responsibility so he shuffled around in his bed and said, ¡°All right. ¡°


    Lian Qiao¡¯s reaction was fast. He quickly rolled up the quilt and jumped onto his bed excitedly. The bed was not very strong and when he jumped up so forcefully, the bed board immediately made a creaking sound as if it wasn¡¯t able to bear the weight and would collapse the next second.


    Xu RenDong glanced at him speechlessly and Lian Qiao hissed inwardly. The two did not dare to move for a while and straightened their bodies for fear that the bed would collapse when they moved slightly.


    The bed creaked and groaned for a while, and Ye QingLiu¡¯s sleepy voice came from the opposite side: ¡°What¡¯s that noise¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong apologized to her: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, this bed is not very strong.¡±


    Ye QingLiu mumbled in dissatisfaction: ¡°You two, can¡¯t you just bear it for one night? You¡¯re such beasts¡­.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± Sister, what are you talking about? Why can¡¯t I understand you?


    Lian Qiao looked at the ceiling innocently, indicating that he didn¡¯t understand as well.


    Unexpectedly, this sound not only awakened Ye QingLiu but also awakened the baby beside her. He breathed in a few times then started to cry.


    Ye QingLiu jumped up immediately: ¡°What¡¯s the matter, where¡¯s the alarm?¡± The she noticed that the loud and harsh sound originated from the baby beside her. Her expression immediately calmed down, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you, scared me to death. Come now.¡± She picked up the baby and coaxed it softly.


    Although Ye QingLiu was a true tomboy, she had just become a mother after all. She treated the baby with patience and gentleness. However, no matter how she coaxed, the baby kept crying.


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao carefully stepped down from the rickety wooden bed. Lian Qiao asked: ¡°What¡¯s the matter with him?¡±


    Ye QingLiu: ¡°I don¡¯t know, I am also a mother for the first time. I have no experience. I think he¡¯s probably hungry.¡±


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao looked at Ye QingLiu very straightforwardly. Ye QingLiu immediately became angry: ¡°What are you looking at! Do you expect a three-year-old Lolita to feed the baby? Do I look like I have milk?!¡±


    Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t help but glance at her very flat chest. Ye QingLiu noticed his gaze and became even more angry. She picked up a pillow and hit him in the face: ¡°Hurry up and find milk powder!¡±


    Lian Qiao, who was only five years old at the moment, was hit face to face by such a big pillow. He fell stunned onto his butt on the ground. Xu RenDong didn¡¯t know whether he should laugh or cry and helped him up. ¡°Okay, we¡¯re going to find the milk powder. Be careful by yourself.¡±


    Ye QingLiu shooed them away like flies.


    The two people carried a kerosene lamp and walked into the corridor. The entire orphanage had antique lighting like candles and oil lamps. The range of light was extremely limited. At this time, the corridor was dark and the wooden floor boards made a creaking noise when they were stepped on which sounded quite piercing. Xu RenDong held the kerosene lamp high, illuminating the distance as much as possible.


    Lian Qiao did not know when it was that he began to hug Xu RenDong¡¯s arm as he warily gazed at their surroundings. This posture was very awkward. After all, the five-year-old Lian Qiao was half a head taller than the three-year-old so that Xu RenDong was almost carried away by him.


    After bearing it for a while, Xu RenDong asked vaguely: ¡°Would you like to hold the kerosene lamp?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Oh.¡± He took the oil lamp and held it high, holding Xu RenDong¡¯s arm tightly with his other hand.


    The kerosene lamp can only illuminate a small circle around them. Darkness was like two giant beasts with fangs, silently lurking before and behind them. It seemed that as long as they lowered their guard the slightest, the beast would pounce out at them and scare them.


    Lian Qiao was so nervous that he was sweating all over and his back was chilly as if something terrible was stuck on it. He couldn¡¯t help grasping Xu RenDong¡¯s arm tightly. He only felt that the little boy¡¯s arm was soft and tender and it was more comfortable to pinch it than usual. He immediately felt better.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± It hurts to be pinched.


    Forget it, it¡¯s not the first time that Lian Qiao has been cowardly. Just let him pinch.


    Two children, one large and one small, were shrouded in a faint halo of light. Xu RenDong actually smelled a warm smell from the swaying shadow of the lamp.


    Obviously the feeling of ¡°warmth¡± should have no smell. He knew what he was smelling was just kerosene but he just couldn¡¯t help feeling warm. Just like in the world of matryoshka dolls when Lian Qiao was squatting in front of the fireplace. He had lit a fire and said to him with his eyebrows curving: We are like a couple on vacation. At that time, the fire dancing on Lian Qiao¡¯s face and the pine scent of wood in the air were all full of warmth.


    It made people feel so attached.


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    Note 1: WuShuang: Refers to the ¡°Dynasty Warriors¡± series, opening Wushuang is equivalent to zooming in. Due to the large difference in strength between generals and ordinary soldiers, even in non-hell difficulty, they can turn enemies into a pile of bones with a small hand movement, hence being called moving.


    Note 2: I put a note here just to emphasize that Lian Qiao said at the time that ¡°we seem to be on vacation¡± and did not mention ¡°couple¡±. The word ¡°couple¡± was actually used by RenDong but the boss hasn¡¯t realized it yet. *Spreads hands*.

 CH 31

    The kitchen was on the first floor and the two found more candlesticks in the kitchen  so they lit them up one by one. The candlelight dispelled the beastly darkness at once.


    ¡°It¡¯s safe here.¡± Lian Qiao looked around the kitchen in the candlelight and rubbed his hands in excitement, ¡°A new area is unlocked! Let¡¯s start searching!¡±


    Xu RenDong smiled and raised the candlestick to illuminate the area for him.


    Soon, they found milk powder and boiled water. When Xu RenDong was about to make milk, Lian Qiao stopped him: ¡°No, no, you can¡¯t use boiling water. If the water temperature is too high, the protein will be denatured.¡±


    Xu RenDong thought about it and it did seem that he had learned this in high school chemistry so he stopped: ¡°What should I do then?¡±


    Lian Qiao looked around but didn¡¯t find any cooled boiled water. He said: ¡°Then we have to wait here for a while, let the boiling water cool down and then pour it in.¡±


    So the two stood on the edge of the sink and took turns to blow in the glass. The night in the monastery was very quiet. At this time, the kitchen was illuminated by a swaying candle and there was warm water and milk powder on the table. The scene before him was not gloomy but a little warm.


    Xu RenDong repeatedly checked the water temperature with the back of his hand. He looked very serious as if he was not waiting to make milk powder, but was instead working as an academic researcher. Lian Qiao looked at him and couldn¡¯t help but smile with his eyes curved.


    Xu RenDong asked: ¡°What are you smiling about?¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°I think we are like a pair of new parents who were so troubled by the child not sleeping that we got up in the middle of the night to make him milk.¡±


    Xu RenDong was silent for a moment: ¡°¡­you saying this with a five-year-old face looks very strange.¡±


    Lian Qiao was taken aback. He looked down at his fleshy short hands and short legs, and spoke in a pained manner: ¡°It is quite strange¡­ Ai, I miss my long legs and my crowbar.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± He began to think that Lian Qiao was really very suitable to be a horror game host. He was still in the mood to joke around no matter what the environment was.


    However, being beside him was very joyful.


    The water temperature dropped slowly but it was far from enough to make milk powder. Gradually, Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t sit still and continued to search around to see if he could find anything of value. While looking around, he chatted with Xu RenDong:


    ¡°Hey Brother RenDong, didn¡¯t you say that you lived in an orphanage when you were young? Can you tell me what it was like?¡±


    Xu RenDong stroked the hot water cup. If anything it was¡­ ¡°Probably the condensed version of human suffering. Many children have disabilities or they were intellectually disabled so¡­¡±


    He paused and Lian Qiao continued: ¡°So no one wanted to adopt them?¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°No, on the contrary, those defective children are easily adopted.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­Huh?¡±


    Xu RenDong stared at the steaming heat from the water glass with a faint smile on the corner of his mouth: ¡°As for me, I didn¡¯t look miserable enough. I was physically sound and not ugly. People who are loving think that children like me are easily adopted by others, so they all chose those miserable children. As a result of one thing and another, I grew up. Once I was older and people thought I was in a rebellious phase, no one wanted me. Anyway, I¡¯m already so old so what¡¯s the point of adopting me¡­. Actually no one ever told me why no one wanted to adopt me and this is all just my conjecture. Maybe those parents had other considerations but I just interpreted it this way. Perhaps I just looked like I didn¡¯t need help and was fine on my own.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± How come it wasn¡¯t what he expected?


    He originally thought it would be miserable to spend one¡¯s childhood in an orphanage, and wanted to take this opportunity to comfort Xu RenDong. But listening to Xu RenDong¡¯s description, it seems that apart from no one wanting to adopt him, there were no other painful experiences. Therefore, Xu RenDong was calm when he spoke and even had a little bit of a self-deprecating tone of voice.


    However, it was precisely his ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m okay¡± attitude that made Lian Qiao¡¯s heart twist.


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t understand why this was the case. When he came back to his senses, he had already walked up to Xu RenDong and stretched out his hand to rub his hair.


    Xu RenDong was taken aback and said helplessly: ¡°You calm down, don¡¯t forget that I am older than you.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s fingers froze and felt a bit embarrassed. He blushed and retracted his hand. He turned his head to one side and changed the subject: ¡°The water is cold so you can make milk from the powder now.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Okay.¡±


    After the milk was made, the two raised the kerosene lamp and went back towards the second floor. The milk bottle in Xu RenDong¡¯s hand exuded a strong scent of milk. Lian Qiao was holding a kerosene lamp for lighting while sniffing the milk scent in the air. He couldn¡¯t help but mutter: ¡°I¡¯m so hungry¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°Take care of the lamp. There¡¯s no way to block the wind and  the flame may easily go out.¡±


    As soon as he spoke, a gust of yin wind blew from behind the two of them and it directly extinguished the kerosene lamp.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­Big boss, your words are too powerful.¡±


    Xu RenDong was silent for a moment and suddenly heard a soft rustling sound from behind them. The sound was like a snake crawling in the sand, dull and raspy. It was especially clear in the silent monastery.


    Xu RenDong looked towards the sound and a ¡®thing¡¯ appeared little by little in the moonlight cast by the window. Xu RenDong finally saw that it was a white figure with a snake¡¯s tail and a human body. A thick and long tail swayed behind it and its dry and loose skin hung on its bones like a bag. Its slender limbs were amazingly long. But its belly bulged slightly, looking like a spider with a snake tail.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s gaze slowly moved upwards along the slender body. He was mentally prepared but after seeing that ¡®thing¡¯s¡¯ face, he still felt numb in his hands and feet. His blood chilled.


    ¡ªThere was no mouth and no nose on that pale face!


    No, it¡¯s not exactly that there was no mouth and nose, but instead of organs it had only two big black holes. Above the infiltrating black hole, two bloody eyeballs were stuck abruptly on its face. The monster has no eyelids so the eyeballs were like a pair of unmatched decorations, loosely dangling in the eye sockets. It looked indescribably bizarre.


    Lian Qiao clearly saw the creepy white monster,and his breathing suddenly rose. He fumbled in the darkness and finally caught Xu RenDong¡¯s hand.


    Xu RenDong lowered his voice: ¡°Let¡¯s run to the gate. After we go out, we will split up. One person will lead him away and the other will come back to inform everyone.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Hic.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao said in a crying voice: ¡°I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t stop, hic..¡±


    Xu RenDong sighed, ¡°Be prepared, I count one, two and three.¡±


    Lian Qiao shook his hand firmly: ¡°RenDong, hic¡­ be careful!¡±


    Xu RenDong ¡°You too. One, two¡­three!¡±


    Right after he spoke, Xu RenDong threw the bottle into the distance. The monster was immediately attracted by the sound of the milk bottle rolling, turning its head and rushing towards the corner. The two of them were no longer frozen but ran towards the door as fast as their legs could carry them.


    Xu RenDong opened the door and ran into the yard. The moon was dark at this time, but the scene in the yard was still very clear. The huge iron gate and the wall covered with vines stood quietly.


    He glanced back at the pale snake-shaped monster. The monster has given up the bottle and started chasing them. It was unknown if they were running too slow or the monster was moving too fast. In a blink of an eye, the monster had almost caught up to them. Xu RenDong ran and said, ¡°After I go out, I will go to the left and you will go to the right!¡±


    Lian Qiao exclaimed, ¡°Brother RenDong, the gate is locked!¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback. At this moment they ran to the big iron gate and saw a big rusty iron lock hanging on the door. They obviously didn¡¯t lock it when they entered the monastery. Could it be that the old nun came out and locked it while they were resting?


    The two shook the iron gate vigorously but the iron gate did not move. The white basilisk behind him has already approached step by step, blocking their way of retreat. Those weird eyeballs stared at them and a scary smile broke out of the dark mouth.


    Xu RenDong panicked and instinctively avoided the basilisk¡¯s gaze. He looked around and shouted: ¡°Find something to break the lock!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too late!¡± Lian Qiao suddenly stood up and protected him, pushing Xu RenDong  behind him.


    Xu RenDong was startled and subconsciously grabbed the back of Lian Qiao¡¯s clothes: ¡°Lian Qiao!¡±


    When he shouted, the pale snake-shaped monster had already pinched Lian Qiao¡¯s neck!


    It was definitely not a human hand, each nail was as sharp as a blade and there were many dark brown blood stains in the fingers. Xu RenDong watched as Lian Qiao was pinched up by the neck and his small body struggled desperately. Xu RenDong immediately hugged Lian Qiao¡¯s legs, trying to pull him back down but Lian Qiao pushed him hard.


    ¡°Go¡­¡± He squeezed a few words from his throat, his voice was faint and hoarse, ¡°Abandon me¡­ you go¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong was shaking all over: ¡°Damn you!¡±


    Deprived of fear and reason, he rushed forward and kicked the monster with all his strength. However, right now he is only a three-year-old child. The basilisk remained motionless under his kick but instead pinched Lian Qiao¡¯s neck tighter and tighter. His little body was lifted farther and farther from the ground.


    The white basilisk opened its mouth wide and bit Lian Qiao¡¯s soft and drooping calf. Then, it turned its head sharply and started to tear at him hard!


    It was going to tear Lian Qiao¡¯s leg straight off his torso!


    Lian Qiao gradually lost consciousness due to lack of oxygen but was forcibly awakened by the tearing pain. He struggled weakly again but the struggle of the five-year-old child was like an ant shaking a tree in front of the white monster and of course was of no use.


    ¡°Uh, uh¡­¡± His poor throat couldn¡¯t even make a scream and could only make a faint gasp.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes reddened anxiously and he opened his mouth toward the monster¡¯s snake body and bit down. His teeth seemed to sink into a pile of rotten meat. It was limp and he couldn¡¯t bite it off. Only a strong fishy smell came over him.


    The monster grabbed his hair and tried to pull him away. His head felt incredible pain as if his whole scalp was about to be lifted off. Xu RenDong didn¡¯t care about nausea or pain, no matter how the monster pulled, he wouldn¡¯t let go.


    ¡°Ren-RenDong¡­¡± Lian Qiao, who was held up in the air, stretched out his hand towards Xu RenDong in pain but couldn¡¯t reach him. Lian Qiao¡¯s cheeks turned purple due to suffocation and his short legs fluttered in the air less and less. He has almost no strength left to struggle.


    At the same time, Xu RenDong¡¯s head was let loose but then the back of his neck was suddenly cold. Immediately afterwards, something wrapped around his neck, pulling him back abruptly. He still refused to let go but the cool thing was so frightening that it  directly looped around his thin neck and squeezed it tightly, almost crushing his Adam¡¯s apple!


    Only then did he clearly see that it was the monster¡¯s snake tail that was tightening around his neck!


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help coughing and was forced to let go with his mouth. His body was lifted off the ground immediately. He felt dizzy, the world was spinning, and even the small figure of Lian Qiao flashed in front of him.


    Almost at the same time, his back slammed into the wall!


    ¡°Hmm!¡± He fell to the ground, feeling his bones being crushed. His back was so painful that he could hardly stand up.


    The monster still tore at Lian Qiao¡¯s left leg. Xu RenDong propped himself up forcibly and gropped for something that could be used as a weapon. But- there was nothing! The yard was overgrown with weeds and there was only rubble on the ground. There wasn¡¯t even any larger rocks!


    He could only watch the basilisk pinch Lian Qiao¡¯s neck tightly, bite his calf and tug hard. Lian Qiao¡¯s complexion was blue and purple and he was unable to struggle anymore. Xu RenDong could almost hear the slight clicking sound from his bones.


    ¡ªHe was afraid that in a few seconds, even if Lian Qiao¡¯s leg was not torn off, then his throat would still be crushed by those ghostly claws!


    Xu RenDong was in a state of confusion and trembled all over. A sense of despair more terrifying than near death enveloped him. At some point, his face was streaming with tears and his vision began to blur.


    Just at this moment, a faint sound suddenly came from a distance.


    ¡°Wu-oh¨C¡°


    The sound was like a cat meowing. Xu RenDong didn¡¯t realize what it was for a while. Unexpectedly, after hearing this sound, the white basilisk let go of Lian Qiao and ran towards the monastery with a terrifying speed!


    Xu RenDong was stunned for half a second. Lian Qiao fell into the grass, clutching his neck and coughing. Xu RenDong was overjoyed and stumbled to Lian Qiao¡¯s side. He knelt down with a groan and stretched out his arms to pull Lian Qiao into his arms.


    The Lian Qiao in his arms could not even cough. Xu RenDong stroked his back with trembling fingers. Trying to speak as clearly as possible he said: ¡°It¡¯s all right, it¡¯s all right, it¡¯s gone ¡­¡­ you¡¯ll be all right,¡±


    ¡°RenDong, Keke ¡­Brother RenDong¡­¡± Lian Qiao breathed faintly and grabbed his clothes with his fingers almost convulsively. ¡°My leg hurts¡­ it¡¯s dislocated¡­ {See Author¡¯s Note 1.}


    Xu RenDong hurriedly opened Lian Qiao¡¯s clothes. Sure enough, there was a bone in his hip protruding out at an abnormal angle and it hurt just to look at it. Xu RenDong suddenly panicked. What should he do? How does one deal with a dislocation?


    He has never regretted so much that he hadn¡¯t studied medicine in the first place! (Note 2)


    Lian Qiao grabbed his hand. He gasped and said: ¡°Help me, help me reposition my joint¡­¡±


    From his tone, Xu RenDong heard that he seemed to know the repositioning technique so he quickly said: ¡°Tell me how and I¡¯ll do it!¡±


    Lian Qiao nodded. He motioned for Xu RenDong to lift his knee and, while supporting the knee socket, jerk it up forcefully. Xu RenDon followed his instructions. As soon as he jerked hard, Lian Qiao gasped with pain.


    Xu RenDong panicked immediately: ¡°Did I do it wrong? Did I use too much force?¡±


    Lian Qiao was in too much pain to say a complete sentence: ¡°No, you did it right¡­just¡­not enough energy¡­¡± He gasped. ¡°You have to push up forcefully¡­ the bones¡­ to get back into the joint cavity¡­ You must use force¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong gritted his teeth; ¡°You bear it then.¡±


    Lian Qiao took a deep breath and nodded his head. He subconsciously grasped the corner of his clothes with fingers.


    This time Xu RenDong was ruthless, exhausting all his strength and lifted it up desperately. Lian Qiao screamed in pain, just like the scream of a small animal when it was dying. But after hearing a soft click, the joint finally returned to its original position.


    Xu RenDong said hurriedly: ¡°How is it? Is it still painful?¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s face was pale but he smiled at him: ¡°It¡¯s better. Thank you.¡±


    Xu RenDong helped him to stand up: ¡°Can you walk? Is there any fracture? ?¡±


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°It¡¯s okay, I can walk. The dislocation is a minor injury. As long as it is reset, it will not affect movement.¡±


    ¡°What about the skin trauma?¡± Xu RenDong then realized afterwards. The monster just took his entire calf and bit it into its mouth. He should have checked the wound on Lian Qiao¡¯s leg before repositioning it.


    Unexpectedly, Lian Qiao still shook his head: ¡°It didn¡¯t have teeth so it didn¡¯t bite me.¡±


    Xu RenDong still felt uneasy and bent down, trying to lift his trouser legs. Lian Qiao dodged from side to side to prevent his actions.


    Xu RenDong frowned, grabbed Lian Qiao¡¯s ankle and was about to tell him to stop making trouble but suddenly felt some type of foreign body in his mouth. He bowed his head and spit out. Unexpectedly, he spat out two teeth.


    Lian Qiao was stunned by his sudden spitting of teeth and looked at him in a dumbfounded manner. Xu RenDong only felt that his gums were itchy and when he reached out his hand, a few more teeth fell out.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­Big brother, what are you doing?¡±


    Xu RenDong stared at the pile of small teeth for a long time: ¡°I lost my baby teeth. Maybe just now I bit down too hard.¡±


    Lian Qiao was silent for a moment: ¡°Big brother, do you know that wind goes through your mouth when you talk just now?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s mouth twitched slightly. He actually wanted to laugh but he didn¡¯t dare. He could only turn his head and smiled where Xu RenDong could not see it.


    However, his trembling shoulders still exposed the fact that he was laughing wildly.


    Xu RenDong gave him a depressed look. He threw all the baby teeth into the weeds. Seeing that he was angry, Lian Qiao quickly arrested his smile and forcibly changed the subject: ¡°By the way, where did the monster go? How come it suddenly let us go?¡±


    Xu RenDong remembered the serious issue at hand. Suddenly from the second stroy they heard a loud exclamation. The two looked up and saw a slender and terrifying ghost flashing across the only lit up window on the second floor.


    ¡ªYe QingLiu was in trouble!


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao looked at each other and ran towards the monastery without hesitation.


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    Lian Qiao: Are you bigger than me? {Bigger and older is the same word in Chinese.}


    RenDong: Yeah.


    Lian Qiao: I don¡¯t believe it! ! ! You take it off!!!


    RenDong:? ? ? ? ? ?


    Note 1: Compared with adults, children are more prone to dislocation and easier to reposition. Here Lian Qiao has a hip dislocation caused by direct violence on the hip. The reduction technique described in the article is feasible. However, in real life, it is best to go to the hospital to confirm the degree and specific location of the dislocation, and treat it symptomatically.


    Note 2: I have never regretted that I did not study medicine: There are many stories circulating in the medical field, such as ¡°you will be struck by lightning if you persuade people to learn medicine¡±, ¡°I must have had water in my brain when I first chose the major¡±, ¡°As long as this major is selected, studying every day is like the college entrance examination¡±¡­ RenDong¡¯s phrase is probably something that only medical students can get.

 CH 32

    When the two of them rushed back to the second floor, they ran into a group of children running down the stairs. Xu RenDong looked for Ye QingLiu but couldn¡¯t see her. He grabbed the little fat kid that was closest to him. ¡°Where is Ye QingLiu and the baby?¡±


    The little fat kid shook off his hand angrily: ¡°I told you he would be the death of us! But you insisted on looking for death!¡±


    {Although we do find out this person¡¯s name later, he¡¯s still mostly just referred to as ¡°fat kid¡±. Chinese people do not really understand the concept of fat shaming being wrong. Hopefully no one will get too offended.}


    He gave Xu RenDong a hard shove. Xu RenDong was unprepared and staggered back a few steps. If it weren¡¯t for Lian Qiao¡¯s quick reflexes in grabbing him, he would have been pushed down. Lian Qiao got angry at once. He went up and kicked the little fat kid to the ground: ¡°Talk properly! Why use your fists!¡±


    The little fat kid: ¡°¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± There was nothing wrong with Lian Qiao¡¯s words, he moved his feet and not his fists.


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    The little fat kid was at a loss and was completely overwhelmed by Lian Qiao¡¯s momentum. Angrily he replied, ¡°They are still upstairs.¡±


    The two looked towards the second floor together and saw the door of their room open and there was a figure moving inside. Ye QingLiu screamed loudly. It seemed she was still alive.


    Xu RenDong said to the little fat kid: ¡°The gate in the courtyard is locked and can¡¯t be opened. Go and find out if there is anything to step on and see if you can climb out over the wall.¡±


    The little fat kid got up and scrambled outside.


    Xu RenDong turned his head and looked at Lian Qiao: ¡°Are your legs okay?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°It¡¯s okay to kick ten little fat kids but it¡¯s a bit more difficult to kick that monster.¡±


    Xu RenDong said, ¡°Then let¡¯s go up and save her.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Okay.¡±


    They went to the second floor. Sure enough, the slender and pale basilisk had forced Ye QingLiu to the corner. Ye QingLiu couldn¡¯t run fast with the baby. Fortunately, her size was small and she dodged the attack of the basilisk several times in a thrilling manner.


    Seeing a big table in the middle of the  room Xu RenDong suddenly remembered the scene where Lian Qiao and Brother Sledgehammer circled around the stone tablet in the previous world. He shouted: ¡°Run around the table and find a chance to escape!¡±


    Ye QingLiu hurriedly responded. A gleam of surprise and a smile flashed through Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes. He untied the small school bag from his back, lowered his head and rummaged through it.


    Soon, he took out a roll of skipping rope and handed one end of the rope to Xu RenDong: ¡°Brother RenDong, let¡¯s stay at the door and trip it over!¡±


    Xu RenDong immediately understood and stood on both sides of the door with Lian Qiao.


    Inside the house, Ye QingLiu was circling the pale basilisk with difficulty. When the basilisk went to the left, she went to the right. When the monster went to the right, she turned around and ran to the left. She always stayed at the opposite end of the table as the basilisk, staring at it with her huge eyes.


    After a few laps of such a confrontation, the white basilisk became furious. It roared,  reached out and lifted up the table. Just listening to the loud noise, the heavy wooden table had been slammed aside. Ye QingLiu took the opportunity to run out of the room.


    She didn¡¯t pay attention to where Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao had gone. At this time, she stepped out of the door and saw two people standing on either side of the door. She was taken aback: ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Lian Qiao said anxiously: ¡°Run what for? Hurry up and look ah!¡± {Lian Qiao¡¯s words are jumbled.}


    Ye QingLiu: ¡°???¡±


    Xu RenDong glanced at Lian Qiao speechlessly and corrected: ¡°What are you looking at? Hurry up and run!¡±


    Ye QingLiu reacted, hugged the baby and ran downstairs. The white basilisk in the room immediately chased after her. The two calculated the timing and pulled back and tightened the skipping rope forcefully at the same time. As the white basilisk chased Ye QingLiu out of the room, its lower half was caught by the rope and its upper half rushed forward and then fell heavily face down into the ground. Dust flew up from the ground. It was a success!


    Xu RenDong decisively dropped the rope: ¡°Run!¡±


    Lian Qiao stepped over the back of the basilisk and made a run for it.


    The white basilisk was caught in the trap and was already extremely angry. After being stepped on by the little bastard Lian Qiao, its anger became even worse. It howled and got up and ran after the two children.


    At this time, Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao had already run to the lower half of the stairs. Lian Qiao suddenly turned around and sprinkled something on the floor behind him. Xu RenDong was taken aback but Lian Qiao had already grabbed his hand and started running again. There was an excited and expectant smile on his face.


    The basilisk was chasing down the stairs, its thick and long tail twisting frantically as if parading in the water. It was extremely fast and, in a flash, it had reached the place where Lian Qiao had stopped just now. Suddenly, without quite knowing what happened, the snake¡¯s waist was tilted and it¡¯s entire body lost balance again.


    The whole body of the basilisk fell backwards and the back of its head slammed on the steps but its body still couldn¡¯t help sliding down. It thumped down step by step and fell to the very bottom. The monster was dumbfounded.


    Xu RenDong was also stunned. The image was so funny that he couldn¡¯t help but laugh out loud.


    But Lian Qiao, the instigator, said solemnly: ¡°Big boss, be serious. Run for your life!¡± When he said that, he pulled Xu RenDong up and continued to run towards the door.


    The two ran out of the monastery, looking all around them for the gate. The original atmosphere of despair actually became lightened because of Lian Qiao¡¯s prank. It made people unable to help but laugh. Xu RenDong smiled and asked, ¡°What did you throw on the ground?¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°Sand.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Where did it come from?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Isn¡¯t there a small sandbag in our room? I took it.¡±


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help but sigh, he didn¡¯t expect sandbags to be useful. Lian Qiao was really smart and quite mischievous. He even bullied monsters until they had no dignity.


    The two closed the door and heard Ye QingLiu¡¯s call from behind: ¡°Come on, over here!¡±


    They ran to the courtyard and saw a big box in the corner of the courtyard wall. A girl stepped on the box and was trying to climb the wall. There was a seven-year-old boy on top of the wall. He stretched his arms and tried to pull her up. Xu RenDong remembered the boy¡¯s name was Ren GaoFei and he was the tallest in their group of children.


    Ye QingLiu was standing next to him holding the baby. Xu RenDong asked, ¡°Where are the others?¡±


    Ye QingLiu said, ¡°They are all outside the wall!¡±


    The monster was still banging the door. The old wooden door was not strong and it was about to be smashed. At this time Ren GaoFei had already pulled the little girl up to the wall. The girl didn¡¯t stay on the wall for too long. She took a deep breath and leaped bravely towards the outside of the wall. The people outside screamed: ¡°Got her, got her. Is there anyone inside still?¡±


    ¡°Has the monster come out yet? Hurry up!¡± Ren GaoFei turned his head. Ye QingLiu had climbed onto the big box and lifted the baby aloft. Unexpectedly, Ren GaoFei frowned when he saw the baby. Instead of picking up the baby, he looked at Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao: ¡°Quick, you guys come up first!¡±


    The three of them instantly understood what he meant. He didn¡¯t want to take the baby and be dragged down by it.


    Ye QingLiu was furious and was about to throw a fit. Xu RenDong snatched the baby from her arms and said, ¡°You go up first, and I will pass the baby to you.¡± He raised his head and asked Ren GaoFei, ¡°Is this all right? Don¡¯t waste time!¡±


    Ren GaoFei had no choice but to reach out to pull up Ye QingLiu. However, Ye QingLiu was not tall enough and even if she stood on tiptoe, she couldn¡¯t reach Ren GaoFei¡¯s hand.


    Lian Qiao stepped forward decisively, holding Ye QingLiu¡¯s butt and pushing her upwards. Ye QingLiu made a ¡°ying!¡± noise. Xu RenDong was thinking about how she managed to make that kind of pitch come out when Ren GaoFei grabbed Ye QingLiu¡¯s hand and pulled her up onto the wall.


    There was a loud noise suddenly behind him. Xu RenDong looked back and saw that the wooden door of the monastery had been smashed into a big hole. A pale, slender arm stretched out from the hole, grabbing the wooden board and crushing it hard. Just listening to the noise, the wooden board had been smashed to pieces.


    The white basilisk leaned out from the doorway, its bloody eyeballs rolled around and quickly caught the children¡¯s figures. It¡¯s black hole-like mouth grinned terribly.


    Ren GaoFei saw the monster break the door and his face suddenly changed: ¡°I don¡¯t care anymore! Climb out yourself!¡± Then he turned and jumped off the wall. After landing, he shouted, ¡°It¡¯s catching up! Run!¡±


    Outside the wall there was a commotion.


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t have time to look at his back, trying to stretch his arms and lift the baby high. Ye QingLiu also bent down helplessly, too small to reach it. Xu RenDong suddenly felt lighter as Lian Qiao was lifting him up by his ass.


    Xu RenDong instantly understood why Ye QingLiu made such a cry when she was pushed up just now. The touch on his butt was really subtle and the tingling sensation climbed all the way from the tail vertebrae to the tip of his head. Even he couldn¡¯t help but want to kick Lian Qiao away.


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    With Lian Qiao pushing from the bottom, Ye QingLiu finally caught the baby. However, the color of joy stayed on her face for only a moment and when she turned around, her face suddenly became pale. There was no one outside the wall! Everyone had run away! There was no one answering her below!


    This wall was as high as two adults so don¡¯t talk about a child holding a baby. Even if an adult leapt from here, they would definitely break bones!


    Lian Qiao grabbed Xu RenDong¡¯s feet and put them on his shoulders: ¡°Brother RenDong, you go up too!¡±


    Xu RenDong was too small and there is still a long distance from the wall. He asked Ye QingLiu for help: ¡°Grab my hand!¡±


    Unexpectedly, Ye QingLiu hesitated for a moment then instead ran along the wall holding the baby in her arms. Xu RenDong was stunned and suddenly felt the chill from his back as if a needle had pierced into his bone marrow. He looked back and saw that the pale monster had reached a distance of one metre behind them and could break his neck as long as it stretched out its hand.


    However, the monster¡¯s gaze was chasing Ye QingLiu who was running. It let them go, turning its head to chase after Ye QingLiu.


    Ye QingLiu ran away holding the baby. Due to the narrow wall, she would easily fall off if she wasn¡¯t careful so she was forced to slow down. With this delay, the pale monster immediately caught up with her. The slender ghost claw caught her and hooked the baby easily.


    Ye QingLiu screamed, clinging to the baby and not letting go, pulling it back from the monster. At this time Lian Qiao understood what was going on. He gritted his teeth and said: ¡°Leave her, Brother RenDong. You go up!¡±


    Xu RenDong stretched out his arms desperately: ¡°I can¡¯t reach it!¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Step on my hand! Be careful!¡± As he said, he grabbed Xu RenDong¡¯s feet and violently lifted him a dozen centimeters higher.


    Now Xu RenDong finally caught the edge of the wall. He felt Lian Qiao¡¯s arm tremble under his feet and knew he couldn¡¯t last much longer. He gritted his teeth and desperately grabbed the wall, trying to climb up with his hands and feet. But there was a dull and heavy muffled noise not far away.


    A crack.


    He instinctively glanced at the source of the sound but was shocked by the scene in front of him and almost fell off.


    Ye QingLiu fell to the ground head down. Her neck was broken and blood was gurgling out of her mouth and nose. Her eyes were wide and her eyes were full of anger and unwillingness. Her small body was still twitching slightly and with every twitch, more blood flowed out of her face.


    The baby who had landed in the monster¡¯s arms was crying. The white basilisk completely ignored the baby¡¯s crying, took it to its mouth and bit the baby¡¯s head with one gulp.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart leapt into his throat. He felt like time had stopped flowing. But the basilisk¡¯s movements were not reduced at all, it grabbed the baby¡¯s body with both hands and pulled hard. The baby¡¯s neck was instantly bloody and broken. The head had been torn off alive!


    Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes and ears were full of the sight of the monster chewing on the baby¡¯s head. The scene was so terrifying that he started to sweat all over. He tried to force himself to be calm but his sweat-soaked fingers couldn¡¯t help slipping and could no longer grasp the wall.


    He heard his own trembling voice: ¡°Lian Qiao¡­I¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Brother RenDong.¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s voice was unexpectedly calm, ¡°Even if it¡¯s death, let¡¯s be together.¡±


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t see him but his heart felt extremely agitated. There was a strong emotion there that could not be expressed.


    At the same time, the basilisk not far away suddenly stopped swallowing the baby. It stared blankly at the headless baby in its hand, as if thinking about something. Then suddenly it raised its head and let out an ear piercing shriek.


    The sound pierced into the ears of the two men like steel needles. Xu RenDong instinctively covered his ears, only to feel air underneath his feet. Lian Qiao could no longer hold him so he suddenly lost his balance and fell down. However, in the next second, he fell into a warm embrace. Lian Qiao caught him and immediately wrapped him up in his arms.


    The basilisk is still screaming and shrieking. Although Lian Qiao used his body to shield him as much as possible, the harsh sound still penetrated Xu RenDong¡¯s eardrums. The sharp needle-like pain pierced his head and his head swelled like it was about to be split open. Xu RenDong felt that the world was spinning and he wanted to faint to death. He couldn¡¯t help but grasp Lian Qiao¡¯s shirt tightly but found that Lian Qiao¡¯s body was convulsing. Suddenly he began to choke violently.


    Along with Lian Qiao¡¯s cough, Xu RenDong felt a heat on his back. A large amount of warm liquid instantly soaked his clothes. He raised his head in a panic and saw that Lian Qiao¡¯s mouth was full of blood. Every time he coughed, he would choke up a lot of blood and internal organ fragments.


    Pain went through Xu RenDong. Just as he was about to speak, a sharp pain suddenly came from his left eye and half of his vision disappeared instantly. He instinctively touched his left eye and his hands covered with slimy blood. He felt something rolling out of his eye sockets and hanging down his face. He reached out his hand and touched it. It was a round ball and was still connected to his eye socket.


    That is- it was his eyeball!


    An unprecedented great fear instantly crushed his heart. His muscles trembled, he couldn¡¯t control it at all and even his teeth were chattering. The basilisk¡¯s sorrowful shriek continued and the shrill cry was like a spoon that was digging and plucking into his brain. He had a terrible headache and he felt fluid, probably blood, constantly pouring out of his left eye socket. He was in a complete panic, completely at a loss and could only try to press his eyeball back to his socket. But blood still kept pouring out of his eyes.


    What to do, what to do, what to do¡­ It¡¯s terrible¡­ It hurts¡­ I can¡¯t stand it anymore, what should I do, it¡¯s so painful¡­ How long will it last¡­


    ¡­ It hurts¡­


    Xu RenDong held his left helplessly. His eyes, his entire palm was soaked with blood. He was so scared that he wanted to cry and scream but he didn¡¯t dare. His body has been completely reduced to a plaything of fear and the big cold hand of the god of death stroked every inch of his trembling skin. He couldn¡¯t resist and he could only tremble.


    He is like a pigeon whose wings have been plucked out of feathers and cut off. The pink flesh is exposed unobstructed, fragile and tender, shining with wetness.


    Just when Xu RenDong was about to collapse, Lian Qiao hugged him harder. He was  like a mother holding a baby, gently supporting the back of his head and pressing him in his arms.


    Lian Qiao was still coughing up blood and every time he coughed, his body would tremble. Despite this, his lifting motion was extremely gentle, with a strong sense of comfort, giving Xu RenDong¡¯s fearful heart that was about to burst a bit of comfort.


    He didn¡¯t know how long it took before that horrible cry finally stopped. The two people¡¯s minds were blank. Lian Qiao reacted first and looked back at the basilisk. They saw the white basilisk sitting paralyzed on the ground, holding the headless baby in both hands, and its shoulders were trembling as if it was sobbing.


    Lian Qiao said helplessly, ¡°Why is it crying¡­I want to cry¡­¡± His voice was already hoarse. The violent cough choked his throat and prevented him from speaking normally.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s left eye was completely invisible. He pressed his left eye and dared not let go for fear that his eyeball would fall out if he let go. Relying on the left eye, he saw that Lian Qiao¡¯s pale face was covered with blood and blood was still gushing from his nose and ears. Even the front of his chest was stained with blood.


    Lian Qiao touched the back of his hand and said softly, ¡°Brother RenDong, I¡¯m out of strength.¡±


    Xu RenDong was speechless. His body was still shaking, his muscles were convulsing constantly and he couldn¡¯t stand up at all. The fear and pain had completely deprived him of his ability to act and he had no strength to resist. Only death awaited him.


    Perhaps there was also the terrible torture before death.


    At this point, Xu RenDong shuddered even more. He has died several times and what he fears most is not death but pain. His head was smashed by a sledgehammer, his throat was cut by a knife and he was torn to pieces by sharp teeth¡­ These fatal injuries not only took his life but also left severe damage to his soul. Every time he thought of it, he was scared that even his brain trembled.


    Lian Qiao suddenly curved his eyes and laughed. He gently wiped the blood stains on Xu RenDong¡¯s face and then took Xu RenDong into his arms again. He said softly: ¡°Sure enough, you also get scared too¡­.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s embrace was so warm and so reassuring. Xu RenDong leaned on his chest, feeling suddenly sad and wronged, just wanting to hold him and cry. But he didn¡¯t dare, he didn¡¯t even dare to let go of the hand on his left eye. He was afraid that his eyes would roll out and he was afraid that Lian Qiao would see his hollow eye sockets and drooping eyelids. He was so embarrassed now that he didn¡¯t want Lian Qiao to see it.


    So he buried his head deep into Lian Qiao¡¯s chest, greedily enjoying this last embrace.


    Lian Qiao touched his head and said, ¡°Can I sing a song for you?¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded. At the same time he heard the rustle of a stout snake¡¯s tail twisting on the ground. It was getting closer and closer¡­


    Lian Qiao gently stroked his hair to prevent him from being distracted by the approaching danger. Then he smiled and began to sing: ¡°Two tigers, two tigers, running fast, running fast¡­¡±


    Why this song? {It¡¯s a common children¡¯s song in China.}


    Xu RenDong wanted to ask but couldn¡¯t bear to interrupt the last song. He quietly leaned in Lian Qiao¡¯s arms and soon knew the answer.


    ¡°One has no eyes and one has no tail. It¡¯s so strange, it¡¯s so strange¡­¡±


    The basilisk approached step by step, wailing lowly. However in Lian Qiao¡¯s innocent childish voice, there was no trace of sadness or despair.


    Lian Qiao sang hoarsely, entwining Xu RenDong¡¯s hair with his fingers and couldn¡¯t put him down. He really wanted to keep singing like this, holding the person in his arms. But his body became heavier and heavier, his consciousness gradually blurred and he even started to lose his voice.


    While dying, Lian Qiao had a bold idea. He lowered his head and kissed Xu RenDong on the top of his head.


    The singing stopped abruptly.


    Xu RenDong felt his body sink. Lian Qiao leaned heavily on him like a warm and soft bag.


    Lian Qiao had died.

 CH 33

    Chapter 33 ¨C Esophagus 5


    As if falling from a high altitude, his body shook suddenly.


    Xu RenDong looked at the void blankly. There was a sound in his ear and he couldn¡¯t tell what it was for a while. His head was empty, as if there was a big hole dug out by an electric drill and he couldn¡¯t remember anything.


    He only remembered Lian Qiao leaning softly on him, his body warm. There was no trace of anger.


    He didn¡¯t remember anything else and he didn¡¯t even know how he died.


    He didn¡¯t know how long it took before his brain finally awakened from the stimulus of death. He finally heard what the chattering voice next to him was saying.


    ¡°Lamb skewers, lamb kidneys, grilled chicken hearts, grilled chicken wings, grilled eggplants, enoki mushrooms¡­¡±


    This voice-


    Xu RenDong looked back suddenly and saw Lian Qiao swallowing while looking at the word ¡°Esophagus¡±. At this time, Lian Qiao hadn¡¯t gotten smaller. He was still in his twenties but there was still a childlike innocence and gentleness in his expression.


    He¡¯s still alive¡­


    He¡¯s still alive!


    How wonderful.


    Xu RenDong suddenly felt his eyes become astringent but couldn¡¯t help but raise the corners of his mouth.


    For the first time, Xu RenDong felt lucky that he was reborn. Fortunately, everything can be done again, and he still has a chance to recover. He can save Lian Qiao and Ye QingLiu¡­ and return to the real world safely with them.


    As long as the death spiral continues¡­ and as long as he makes good use of his death.


    ¡°¡­Brother RenDong?¡± Lian Qiao looked at him in surprise, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Your eyes are so red.¡±


    Xu RenDong smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m hungry too.¡±


    Lian Qiao was inexplicably: ¡°¡­Ah?¡±


    Before Lian Qiao could figure out the relationship between hunger and red eyes, the bodies of the two people began to shrink at a speed visible to the naked eye. This time Xu RenDong had already gained experience and calmly rolled up the long-sleeved trouser legs. His calm and Lian Qiao¡¯s fuss formed a sharp contrast. All the way until they stopped transforming, Lian Qiao was still in a state of shock and excitement.


    ¡°Look, Brother RenDong!¡± Lian Qiao took him to the elevator door, ¡°I am taller than you!¡±


    Through the reflective metal surface, Xu RenDong saw two children, one big and one small, holding hands. Lian Qiao¡¯s palms were warm and soft, and the shoulders that were close to each other spread the heat of each other¡¯s bodies. This feeling was so warm and made him feel a little dazed for a while.


    Lian Qiao suddenly squeezed his face. Xu RenDong was shocked and pushed Lian Qiao¡¯s hand away. Lian Qiao was taken aback by him and hurriedly apologized: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I was wrong! You are too cute now, I couldn¡¯t hold it back¡­ I¡¯m sorry I was wrong! I won¡¯t dare anymore!¡±


    Xu RenDong quickly realized that he had overreacted. He was actually not disgusted by  Lian Qiao pinching his face but he hadn¡¯t fully recovered from the shadow of death. Right now he was like a frightened bird, even a little bit of excitement could make him jump.


    But Xu RenDong was embarrassed that Lian Qiao had misunderstood. The five-year-old Lian Qiao looked a bit stupid, like a soft dumpling who easy to pinch and bully. Xu RenDong suddenly felt mischievous. He made his face stern, pretending to be unhappy, and beckoned to Lian Qiao: ¡°Come here.¡±


    Lian Qiao was immediately stunned, showing a face like he was scared of being punished by his parents but dared not to disobey. He had an obedient aggrieved expression but still leaned in obediently.


    Xu RenDong raised his hand, and Lian Qiao shrank his shoulders and closed his eyes when he thought he was going to hit him. But Xu RenDong just poked his cheek with his finger and then squeezed his face.


    It felt better than expected. It¡¯s soft and smooth, like egg pudding. Xu RenDong did not hold back and squeezed a few more times.


    Lian Qiao opened his eyes blankly and found that despite the serious face of the boss, the corners of his mouth were slightly tilted and his look of joy was extremely cute. Lian Qiao¡¯s heart twisted around a little captured deer. He rubbed his cheek forward like a dog and said happily and generously: ¡°Brother RenDong, you can pinch here too!¡±


    Xu RenDong frankly accepted his kindness. He rubbed his cheeks and kneaded it like a dough. Lian Qiao was well-behaved throughout the whole process. He wished he could lie down so XuRenDong could touch his belly. The feeling was really addicting. It was not until the elevator door opened with a ¡°ding¡± that Xu RenDong retracted his hand and coughed embarrassingly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Lian Qiao followed him out: ¡°Brother RenDong, are you not angry?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°No.¡±


    Lian Qiao wagged his tail happily.


    The two came to the gate of the monastery side by side. Xu RenDong saw the familiar Ye QingLiu people again. This time, everyone had another disagreement on whether to take the baby to act. Ye QingLiu was stubborn and the little fat kid formed a gang against her. No one would give in and soon an argument began.


    Looking at the baby in Ye QingLiu¡¯s hands, Xu RenDong suddenly thought of a question:


    Why did the white basilisk scream suddenly after eating the baby?


    Although the reason was not clear, it is certain that once the basilisk screamed, no one present could escape. At that time, the sound wave made Lian Qiao directly vomit blood. Even though he was protected by Lian Qiao, he still had severe headaches and nausea and even his eyes fell out.


    He guessed that after the brain was subjected to strong stimulation, the intracranial pressure rapidly increased, causing the blood vessels to rupture and the massive gushing blood directly squeezed his eyeball out of his eye socket.


    At that time, they were too close to the basilisk and were the first to bear the brunt, so they suffered extremely serious internal injuries. But the other people separated by a wall were probably not much better. After all, everyone has short legs and can¡¯t run far. The sound¡¯s penetrating power was too strong. Anyone within a few hundred meters would be disabled, unless they were an immortal.


    ¡ªIn other words, if the baby is eaten, it will directly lead to the destruction of all party members.


    There was no doubt that they must ensure the safety of the baby. Xu RenDong remembered that when the white basilisk was chasing them, when it heard the baby cry, it immediately dropped Lian Qiao from its mouth. It seems that the white basilisk was more interested in eating the baby compared to the four or five year old children. This meant the person with the baby was more likely to be hunted down by the basilisk. However, as long as the baby didn¡¯t cry, they still had a chance.


    After Xu RenDong figured this out, he spoke up to stop people who were quarreling.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fight.¡± He said, ¡°I¡¯ll take the baby. I won¡¯t stay together with you and I will be responsible for what happens.¡±


    Everyone, including Lian Qiao, was stunned.


    Ye QingLiu hugged the baby tightly: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    The little fat kid also suspiciously said: ¡°What do you want to do?¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°I have an idea in my heart.¡± He paused and looked around the people coldly, ¡°I am a veteran player, this is the eighth time I have come in.¡±


    All those who have experienced the world of ghosts know what the ¡°eighth time¡± means and the old players fell silent. Ye QingLiu is a newcomer and still doesn¡¯t understand the weight of these words but she can see that Xu RenDong has overwhelmed everyone in his aura. She hesitated for a moment and said with uncertainty: ¡°You will really protect him? You won¡¯t throw him away while I¡¯m not paying attention?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The corners of Xu RenDong mouth raised and he showed a self-deprecating smile that seemed out of place on his childish face, ¡°I am an abandoned baby myself. Believe me, I won¡¯t do the same thing as my parents.¡±


    Ye QingLiu breathed a sigh of relief. Lian Qiao took a deep look at Xu RenDong and there was an inexplicable emotion in his eyes.


    In the end Xu RenDong¡¯s proposal was unanimously approved and Ye QingLiu handed the baby over to him. Soon, the old nun appeared and accused them strangely again. Everyone followed the old nun into the monastery with different expressions on their faces and they all made their own plans in their hearts.


    When everyone stepped through the gate of the monastery, Xu RenDong heard an almost inaudible click from behind. He looked back and found that the big iron gate in the yard had been locked.


    It turned out that it was not locked by the nun.


    It seems that the scope of activities this time is limited to the inside of the monastery, which should mean that the elevator and buttons are inside the monastery.


    Like last time, the old nun led the children into the big bedroom and left. Xu RenDong left the team according to his agreement. He picked up the baby and walked out. Lian Qiao followed without hesitation.


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°You stay here, don¡¯t follow me.¡±


    Lian Qiao puzzled: ¡°Why?¡±


    Xu RenDong said coldly: ¡°Don¡¯t you understand me? I will act alone this time.¡±


    Lian Qiao was frozen: ¡°But haven¡¯t we already formed a team?¡­ I thought when you said ¡°I¡±, you meant ¡°us¡±.¡±


    The confusion in his eyes gradually turned into grief and injury. Xu RenDong looked at the rain-drenched puppy-like eyes and felt it was quite hard to bear. He sighed and his attitude softened: ¡°You¡¯re right, we are already in a team. Can you promise to be obedient?¡±


    Lian Qiao nodded vigorously, patted his chest and swore: ¡°Absolutely obedient! I will do whatever you say and listen to whatever you say! As long as you let me¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong smiled and interrupted him: ¡°Then stay obediently and don¡¯t follow me. Just tonight, eh?¡±


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t expect Xu RenDong to dig a hole for him. He was stunned for a while.


    Xu RenDong asked: ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you would listen to me?¡±


    Lian Qiao looked at him helplessly and nodded reluctantly.


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°Go back, go to bed early. It¡¯s dark outside, don¡¯t come out no matter what happens.¡±


    Lian Qiao noticed that the corridor was dark and there was no light at all. The ghostly atmosphere was like a cold mist, invading the skin, immediately arousing a layer of goosebumps. Lian Qiao became obedient within a second. He held his arms and said: ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll go in. Brother RenDong, you must be careful.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°You too.¡±


    He finally got Lian Qiao out of the way. Xu RenDong held the baby and went down to the first floor to make milk from milk powder for the baby.


    When the hot water cooled down, Xu RenDong recalled Lian Qiao¡¯s reluctance. Lian Qiao relied on him very much. He was obviously the stronger one, but he always liked to follow his ass. Lian Qiao worshipped him foolishly and listened to him foolishly.


    Like a silly bird, he didn¡¯t even know he¡¯d followed the wrong parent.


    Xu RenDong thought about it. He raised the corners of his mouth subconsciously, and the expression in his eyes was colored with a gentle smile.


    When he recovered, the water temperature was almost right. This time, the baby was fed by Xu RenDong before starving and crying. It fell into a peaceful sleep.


    Although the milk bottle is empty, the whole kitchen is still filled with a strong milk fragrance. Xu RenDong never knew that milk powder could be so fragrant and his stomach groaned. But he is not in the mood to drink milk powder now.


    Although the baby was full, the scent of milk will attract the basilisk. This three-year-old body was unable to fight on its own, let alone with a baby. There was only a dead end when encountering a basilisk.


    What can be done about it?


    ¡­If it were Lian Qiao, what would he do?


    When he was about to wash the baby bottle, Xu RenDong suddenly had an idea. So he went to the living room and while still holding the baby, climbed into a cabinet. He left the bottle outside the cabinet.


    He closed the cabinet door and inside it was completely dark. Xu RenDong held the sleeping baby in his arms and waited quietly.


    Soon after, he heard a soft rustle outside. The sound was like a snake crawling in the desert. It was dull and hoarse, and it was especially clear in the silent monastery.


    The white basilisk was crawling towards the cabinet.

 CH 34

    Chapter 34 ¨C Esophagus 6


    The crawling sound of the basilisk immediately evoked Xu RenDong¡¯s bad memories. His heartbeat suddenly accelerated and he couldn¡¯t help holding the baby in his arms more tightly. Fortunately, the baby slept soundly and breathed lightly and evenly. It shouldn¡¯t cry suddenly.


    Through the narrow door of the cabinet, Xu RenDong could just make out the figure of the basilisk. Its slender human body looked pale in the moonlight, like a corpse with blood drained, with the thick snake tail trailing behind. The image was very incongruous. There was still no mouth or nose on that person¡¯s face and the three black holes were bottomless. The two bloodshot eyeballs were rolling in the eye sockets. Because there were no eyelids, the eyeballs were always exposed to the air and they looked dry and very strange.


    The basilisk stood still in front of the cabinet and suddenly bent down. The pale and shriveled face suddenly approached, magnifying the sense of horror hundreds of times. Xu RenDong was shocked and instinctively wanted to retreat but he forced himself to hold it back. This cabinet was made of wood and was very old. He would make a noise when he moved it and then he would be dead. Therefore, he could only keep his position close to the cabinet door, holding his breath and nervously watch the basilisk from the crack in the door.


    If his guess was wrong, then the price is death.


    Fortunately, it¡¯s only death. He still has a chance to come back.


    The two dark nostrils on the basilisk¡¯s face twitched a few times, as if smelling something. Soon, it lowered its head and finally noticed the baby bottle on the ground. It seemed to be a little confused, looking at the baby bottle and then at the cabinet.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart touched his throat, and watched the basilisk stretch out its long, slender fingers like bones. Fortunately, it still chose a feeding bottle.


    There is a small half bottle of prepared milk powder left in the bottle. The white basilisk picked up the baby bottle, tilted his head and looked at it for a while and then made a move that Xu RenDong could not understand.


    Read this story at the original site whiteskytranslations DOT wordpress DOT com.


    ¡ªIt actually stuffed the entire milk bottle into its mouth.


    Xu RenDong was dumbfounded. Without the hindrance of teeth, the basilisk easily contained the entire bottle in his mouth. But the bottle is as thick as a child¡¯s arm, even if it can fit in the mouth, can it still be swallowed in the throat? (See Author¡¯s note at the end.)


    Sure enough, the pale and slender throat of the basilisk undulated a few times. After all, it could not swallow the bottle directly. It had to spit out the bottle, hold the top of the bottle in its hand and begin to tear at it like a chicken leg.


    Of course it cannot be torn apart. The glass bottle is very firm, sticky with saliva, and  very slippery. The basilisk didn¡¯t have teeth yet and couldn¡¯t bite it. It made several frustrated noises and was so angry that it let out an angry growl.


    It is pitiful to have no teeth and pitiful to have no brain. So far, Xu RenDong can be sure that this basilisk has very low intelligence, almost acting according to instinct. In this case, although they couldn¡¯t confront it head-on, they could still subdue it easily with some traps. In the beginning, Lian Qiao used small things like skipping ropes and sandbags to play around with the basilisk. It seems that as long as they did not confront it head-on, they still have an advantage.


    Xu RenDong calmed down a bit and suddenly there was a crisp sound in his ear. The sound of glass cracking almost resounded through the entire monastery. It turned out that the basilisk couldn¡¯t swallow the bottle so it smashed the bottle with anger.


    The glass shattered and the milky white milk flowed everywhere. A rich milky scent was exuded. Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help swallowing, only to feel that his stomach was empty and the noisy hunger rushed to his throat, scratching his heart.


    After the white basilisk smashed the bottle, it turned and left. Just as Xu RenDong was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the basilisk seemed to remember something and suddenly turned back. That pale face suddenly leaned in front of Xu RenDong!


    If it weren¡¯t for the cabinet door, Xu RenDong would be face to face with it. His heart pounded wildly, almost breaking in his chest.


    The basilisk¡¯s dark nostrils throbbed and its dry and red eyes turned left and right, looking inside through the crack of the door. This distance is too close so let alone stepping back, Xu RenDong didn¡¯t even dare to breathe. He could only confront the basilisk through the thin cabinet door, praying in the dark that the basilisk would not see him.


    ¡ªWait, darkness?


    Xu RenDong suddenly had a plan. He suppressed his fear and, instead of backing up, he cautiously leaned forward and blocked the door with his body.


    As long as there are no gaps, the moonlight from the outside can¡¯t penetrate, and the basilisk can¡¯t see anything.


    However, Xu RenDong would no longer be able to peer at the basilisk through the crack of the door. He clung to the cabinet door, his breath full of the stench from the mouth of the basilisk. It smelled like animal internal organs  that had been soaked in blood for more than ten days. Xu RenDong breathed gently but the stench stayed in his nose for a long time and he was so sick that he was about to vomit.


    Read this story at the original site whiteskytranslations DOT wordpress DOT com.


    He was more worried about the smell waking up the baby than the vomiting he couldn¡¯t control himself. He gently covered the baby¡¯s nose and mouth, trying to prevent the odor from entering. As for whether it would work or not would depend on if the heavens favored him.


    Xu RenDong was holding a time bomb in his hand and was in close contact with the basilisk through a thin wooden door. The basilisk outside was silent and Xu RenDong¡¯s heartbeat beat fiercely for fear that the basilisk could hear his heartbeat through the wooden door.


    He tried to calm down, telling himself that at most he would die, at most he would start all over again, there was nothing to fear. But when he thought of death, the fear engraved in the depths of his soul climbed up his back, ascending up his spine section by section.


    He was like a cat caught by the back of his neck, his hair exploded with tension. He was so confused that he couldn¡¯t stop a series of thoughts coming into his mind.


    Was the basilisk still at the door? Would it directly open the cabinet door? If he is found, could he escape?


    Time crawled by very slowly. Every second was extended indefinitely. Just when Xu RenDong¡¯s nerves were tense to the extreme, almost breaking off, he heard the basilisk exhale a long breath.


    A lot of stench came in, Xu RenDong held his breath immediately. At the same time he heard a soft wandering sound.


    It was gone.


    As if exhausted, Xu RenDong¡¯s whole body relaxed.


    After a two-second delay, he forced himself to regain his energy, carefully adjusted his posture and peek out from the crack of the door again. However, his vision from the crack of the door was limited after all and he couldn¡¯t see where the basilisk had gone. Xu RenDong huddled up in the darkness holding the baby and couldn¡¯t help but feel a little worried.


    Everyone must have heard the movement of smashing the baby bottle. He wondered if anyone would come to check it out. What he worried about the most was Lian Qiao. With Lian Qiao¡¯s temperament, even if he is afraid, he will have the courage to come to check on the situation. Not to mention that he and Lian Qiao are not together and so Lian Qiao might come out to look for him out of concern.


    If Lian Qiao came out at this moment and just happened to encounter the white basilisk, it would definitely be a dead end.


    Although he specifically told Lian Qiao not to go out, he didn¡¯t know if Lian Qiao would abide by the agreement between them. Xu RenDong raised his ears and listened to the movement outside the cabinet. He faintly heard the footsteps of the basilisk, as if it were  walking away, but he couldn¡¯t tell the specific direction. The more he waited, the more disturbed he became and he desperately wanted to go back to the second floor in the dark to see if Lian Qiao was sleeping honestly.


    But he did not dare to act rashly. He is still holding a baby in his hand and if this ancestor woke up and started to cry, everyone would be buried with him.


    In this way, in the deadly darkness, Xu RenDong kept his heart in his throat, for fear that he would hear Lian Qiao¡¯s scream in the next second.


    He didn¡¯t know how long it took until he could no longer hear sounds outside. He was slightly relieved but he didn¡¯t dare to relax his vigilance completely. The baby was asleep in his arms, breathing evenly. Xu RenDong closed his eyes in the dark and began to organize his thoughts.


    His guess was correct, the basilisk was attracted to the smell of milk. In order to verify this, he deliberately brought the milk bottle out of the kitchen. But the baby also had the smell of milk after drinking the milk powder so he put the bottle at the door of the cupboard and hid in with the baby by himself.


    Sure enough, the basilisk was attracted to the cabinet by the smell of milk. But Xu RenDong didn¡¯t expect it was still able to detect a milk scent outside the bottle. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that the basilisk smashed the bottle by mistake and filled up the entire room with the smell of milk, his simple idea of hiding in the cabinet probably would not have worked.


    Based on the response of the basilisk, it can be concluded that the major target of the white basilisk was the baby. Then the conditions for death in this world should be like this: the baby is hungry and cries -> it is fed with powdered milk -> the scent of milk attracts the basilisk -> the basilisk screams after swallowing the baby-> all team members die.


    Not only the scent of milk but the cries of the baby can also attract the basilisk. In other words, even if the baby is not fed milk and keeps on crying, the basilisk will find them sooner or later.


    Two plans suddenly appeared in Xu RenDong¡¯s mind. One is to find other substitutes to feed the baby and the other is¡­ to kill the baby.


    Of course, the latter was immediately rejected by him. Not to mention that the baby might be a living teammate, even if he is really a ¡°prop¡± as Lian Qiao thought, it should have other uses and shouldn¡¯t be killed casually. Since this time the world has reduced all of them into children and deprived them of their combat effectiveness, it is clear that the rules this time is that no force can be used nor can violence be used to solve puzzles.


    What¡¯s more, their ultimate goal was to find the elevator and the button and escape from this world, not to live shiveringly under the shadow of ghosts.


    ¡ª By the way, this time he had no clue where the elevator was.


    In his last reincarnation, they didn¡¯t even survive the first night and all died quickly. Xu RenDong realized at this time that the NPC hadn¡¯t issued a task to them this time so that they didn¡¯t know what to do next.


    In the previous doll world, although the clearance condition was not actually to complete the task, the rabbit still pointed them in a certain direction. But now, the old nun just took them into the monastery and put them to sleep. She didn¡¯t say anything else. Are the elevators and buttons hidden in the monastery so they just had to look for them?


    Was it so simple?


    Xu RenDong felt it was unlikely. He recalled the text that appeared in the elevator: Esophagus. Regarding this word, he really couldn¡¯t connect with the world of ghosts and monsters in front of him, so he had to give up.


    Let¡¯s explore the monastery well tomorrow¡­ and discuss with Lian Qiao again¡­


    Amidst the baby¡¯s gentle and even breathing, Xu RenDong gradually became sleepy. He hugged the baby, leaned in the cupboard and fell asleep like this.


    He didn¡¯t know how long he slept before Xu RenDong vaguely heard someone calling him: ¡°RenDong.. Are you there¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao?


    Xu RenDong opened his eyes and there was still darkness in the cabinet and nothing to see. He heard Lian Qiao calling him outside so he picked up the baby and cautiously opened the cabinet door: ¡°I¡¯m here.¡±


    In the living room, a small figure was looking around. Lian Qiao turned around when he heard this and said in surprise: ¡°Brother RenDong! You¡¯re okay!¡±


    He greeted him happily. Xu RenDong wanted to climb out of the cabinet, but he felt sore and numb. Lian Qiao reached out to him: ¡°I¡¯ll hold the baby.¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded. Lian Qiao took the baby and found that the baby was still asleep, so he asked: ¡°Were you hiding here all night?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± There are ten thousand ants crawling through his limbs. Xu RenDong rubbed his sour arm and told Lian Qiao what happened last night. He suddenly noticed that the light in the living room was very dark and the surroundings were very quiet. It seemed that there were only two of them in the entire monastery. He couldn¡¯t help being surprised, ¡°Where are the others?¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°Still sleeping.¡± He looked at Xu RenDong, his eyes showed admiration, ¡°Fortunately, I listened to you and didn¡¯t go out at night otherwise my body would be cold by now. I heard the sound of the baby bottle breaking and I was a little worried about you. But then I thought ¨C you¡¯re a big boss, it¡¯s not my place to worry. Since you¡¯re so confident, it must have been planned. Sure enough, you found out the death condition on the first day. You¡¯re really amazing!¡±


    Xu RenDong thought to himself, there¡¯s nothing amazing about it. No matter how stupid people were, if they died a few times they will surely know what happened. Therefore, he just treated Lian Qiao¡¯s compliment casually and didn¡¯t take it to heart.


    After he got out of the cabinet, he went to the main entrance of the monastery. When he opened the door and saw that the big iron door in the yard was still locked. The chain was cold and the morning dew was still condensed on it.


    At this time, the sky had brightened but the sun was still hiding behind the clouds and refused to show its head. From the cracks in the iron railings, you could see that there is a thick fog outside the courtyard wall. The gray-white fog was abnormally thick and the visible distance was less than one meter. Regardless of whether there was something hidden in the fog, Xu RenDong didn¡¯t want to take the risk.


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    ¡°It seems that the dungeon area this time is limited to the monastery.¡± Lian Qiao walked to Xu RenDong¡¯s side with the baby and looked at the thick fog outside with him.


    ¡°I think so too.¡± Xu RenDong glanced at him and inadvertently noticed that he had a pair of dark circles under his eyes.


    He didn¡¯t sleep well last night?


    Xu RenDong suddenly had a flash in his heart- was it because he was so worried that he could not fall asleep?


    No wonder he ran out to look for him even before the sun had risen?


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart suddenly softened. In the slightly cold morning air, he felt a burst of warmth slowly flowing from his heart to his limbs. There was an indescribable comfort.


    At this moment, he suddenly heard a gurgling belly sound coming from beside him. Lian Qiao touched his belly and said very sadly: ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so hungry¡­ I want to eat barbecue.¡±


    ¡­ It turned out that he was just too hungry to sleep.


    Xu RenDong thought calmly: Sure enough, I¡¯m thinking too much. How could he be so worried about me that he can¡¯t sleep? We aren¡¯t very familiar.


    At this moment of thinking this, Xu RenDong¡¯s memory suddenly became a little confused. He turned his head and asked: ¡°Lian Qiao, how long have we known each other?¡±


    Lian Qiao was taken aback, he counted on his hand: ¡°Today is exactly two weeks. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing.¡± Xu RenDong¡¯s throat felt blocked but he didn¡¯t know what to say so he smiled in a restrained manner, ¡°Go back to the kitchen and find something to eat.¡±


    ***


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    Note: This description of gnawing a baby bottle is nothing at all. When I write down the four words as thick as a child¡¯s arm, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s right.

 CH 35

    Chapter 35 ¨C Esophagus 7


    The two went back to the kitchen and rummaged around but they didn¡¯t find any food. There were dishes, knives, forks and other tableware in the cabinet but it had been covered with dust and even spider webs had formed.


    There was only one bag of milk powder which is probably enough for the baby to eat for five or six days.


    ¡°Don¡¯t the NPCs here need to eat?¡± Lian Qiao was so hungry that he was irritated, and paced around in the kitchen like a headless fly. ¡°How can this be? We are all starving¡­ This game experience is too bad, I want to complain!¡±


    Xu RenDong felt dizzy looking at him and pushed the kettle in front of him: ¡°Drink some water to fill your stomach. Maybe the nun will bring us something to eat in a while.¡±


    ¡°I see nothing. ¡°Lian Qiao sat down with a sigh, holding up a cup of water to drink, ¡°You can tell at first glance that that witch is not a real nun. Didn¡¯t she say that there are cannibal monsters here? Do you think she treats us as sacrifices? I wonder if we are a sacrifice to some evil god. After all, the instance prompt was ¡®esophagus¡¯¡­¡± The more he thought about it, the more creepy he felt it was and shivered.


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    Lian Qiao guessed right, the monsters in this instance indeed ate people. Xu RenDong nodded but just as he was about to speak, he suddenly saw the old nun standing outside the door and staring straight at them with her muddy eyes. Xu RenDong was startled, and whispered: ¡°Lian Qiao.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s the matter?¡± Lian Qiao looked back when he saw that his face was not so good, he was also shocked.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± The old nun walked into the kitchen, her skinny body like a piece of dead wood. They could smell the musty smell on her as she approached. She looked at the two with an unpleasant look, and smiled gloomily, ¡°Want to steal something to eat?¡±


    ¡°Just drinking water.¡± Xu RenDong answered neither humble nor overbearing. He picked up the baby and looked at the old nun coldly, ¡°What should we do today?¡±


    ¡°As usual, we will attend class in the morning and do handicrafts in the afternoon. ¡°Well, don¡¯t dawdle here. Go and call other little bastards, I¡¯m going to give you your lessons.¡±


    ¡°Lessons straight away?¡± Lian Qiao asked in surprise, ¡°What about breakfast?¡±


    ¡°You uncultivated bugs still want to eat breakfast?¡± The old nun glared at him, and suddenly pulled out a pointer from behind, ¡°It seems that I have to teach you well what the rules are here!¡±


    The pointer was just ordinary sized but in the eyes of three or five-year-old children, it looked extraordinarily long and thick. Lian Qiao¡¯s face was unconvinced and he was about to talk back. Xu RenDong hurriedly pulled him and whispered: ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense with her, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Lian Qiao picked up the baby and followed him reluctantly to leave.


    While going up the stairs, Lian Qiao was still muttering: ¡°What kind of trash NPC is that, it is a personal attack¡­ if you don¡¯t give something to eat, you¡¯re scum!¡±


    Xu RenDong helplessly: ¡°You have time to be angry with the NPC, why don¡¯t you think where the elevator and the button could be?¡±


    ¡°Big brother, you are right.¡± Lian Qiao piously accepted the suggestion and then thought about it again, ¡°But the problem of not eating is really serious. With our body shape, it is estimated that we will not last three days¡­ ¡­Could it be that the time limit this time is three days?¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded: ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡±


    Lian Qiao sighed, ¡°It¡¯s over, I have to be hungry for three days¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s expression instantly changed.


    ¡ªIf there is really nothing to eat in this world, doesn¡¯t it mean¡­ he might be hungry for dozens of days?!


    That¡¯s not even as good as bread and milk every day!


    When he thought of this, Xu RenDong felt more hungry and his stomach tingled faintly.


    At the instructions of the old nun, the children gathered in the living room. The old nun pulled out a small blackboard from nowhere and started to teach everyone seriously. The children sat on the hard floor and watched the old nun write on the blackboard with chalk and found that the content she taught was limited to addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of numerals from 1-10. They suddenly looked confused.


    ¡°Fuck, math?!¡± The little fat kid exclaimed.


    Lian Qiao corrected him painfully: ¡°Strictly speaking, this should be called counting.¡±


    The newcomer in the team asked in a low voice: ¡°We really need to attend classes here? Isn¡¯t this a waste of time, why not hurry up and explore the monastery?¡±


    The little fat kid sighed, ¡°Generally speaking, it is best not to resist NPC casually. After all, anything can happen in the world of ghosts and monsters. Right now she looks like a human but it¡¯s hard to say what she will become if she is irritated.¡±


    An image appeared in front of Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes suddenly of the rabbit turning into the graffiti black rabbit. He couldn¡¯t help but agree.


    Although they didn¡¯t dare to disobey the NPC, the kindergarten-level arithmetic class didn¡¯t really interest anyone. What¡¯s more, after entering this world, no one has had a single grain of rice to eat. Not only were they hungry but the ears were also poisoned by the old nun¡¯s grating voice, which was really a torment.


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao tried their best to stay positive at first, wanting to see if there was some useful information in the nun¡¯s lecture. But the nun talked dryly for more than an hour and she was really only teaching arithmetic. The two of them began to lose their attention gradually and became lethargic.


    The only one who took the class seriously was Ye QingLiu. When the nuns announced the dismissal of class and allowed them to move freely, Ye QingLiu said with satisfaction: ¡°This can be regarded as prenatal education, no loss to me.¡±


    After hearing this, everyone felt baffled. Xu RenDong suddenly remembered that Ye QingLiu had said that she happened to be having a C-section when she entered the elevator and his face became a little ugly: ¡°¡­your child is still in your stomach?¡±


    Ye QingLiu: ¡°Yeah, I was just in the middle of it and everything around me stopped moving. An elevator appeared in the operating room for no apparent reason. So what can I do, I can only enter the elevator with my stomach open.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­what about your child?¡±


    Ye QingLiu: ¡°I don¡¯t know, I have shrunk into a baby girl so of course my belly disappeared.¡± She pointed to the baby in Xu RenDong¡¯s arms, ¡°So I thought this was my baby at first but you guys said it was a teammate. Anyway this baby looks ugly so if you say it¡¯s a teammate then it¡¯s a teammate.¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao glanced at the baby¡¯s wrinkled little face then looked up at the tender and soft baby Xu RenDong. It¡¯s not that this baby is particularly ugly, it¡¯s just that our Boss RenDong is too cute.


    The deadly part was the comparison!


    After some embarrassment, everyone agreed not to delay chatting and to start searching the monastery.


    This monastery has only two floors but there are many rooms on each floor. There were living rooms, kitchens, prayer rooms, confinement rooms and so forth on the first floor alone, so they decided to split up to explore. Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao were naturally a team. Ye QingLiu wanted to follow the baby and joined their team.


    Surprisingly, Ye QingLiu¡¯s shocking remarks actually helped her establish a bit of reputation in the team. Two newcomer sisters came over and asked to be in the team with them. The reason was that Sister QingLiu was frank and direct. Rather than being with the old players, who hid everything and looked at people with gloomy eyes, they would rather stay with Ye QingLiu who was also a newcomer. Besides, Ye QingLiu¡¯s team also has Boss RenDong and safety is still guaranteed.


    The trick of declaring that he is a veteran player is really time-tested. Today¡¯s five-man team still regarded Xu RenDong as their boss. Xu RenDong took everyone to explore carefully but no clue was found. A mass of little things was stuffed into Lian Qiao¡¯s small schoolbag. Xu RenDong had seen Lian Qiao¡¯s use of skipping rope and sandbags to set traps, and it was so powerful that he no longer dared to look down upon these seemingly useless gadgets.


    There were a few children¡¯s bedrooms on the second floor where they lived. There was  also the nun¡¯s bedroom, where the nun was sleeping at this time, and they couldn¡¯t get in. Next to the nun¡¯s bedroom was the study room. It seems that no one has come in for a long time. When the door was pushed open, the room was full of flying dust.


    The tall bookshelves were full of books. These bookshelves are too big for the children and they could only reach the third rung from the bottom. Fortunately, Lian Qiao found a small bench in the corner of the room. Everyone pushed the bench together to the edge of the bookshelf. They stepped on the small bench and climbed onto the table. They confirmed that there was nothing but dust on the top of the bookshelf, and then they began to read the books on the shelf.


    ¡°Fuck, what kind of language is this?¡± Ye QingLiu turned a few pages and exclaimed.


    Everyone looked at the book they had gotten and all showed a surprised look.


    ¡°This seems to be Greek?¡± Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao looked at each other. The latter immediately spread his hands, saying that he couldn¡¯t understand it either.


    ¡°How can we read it?¡± Ye QingLiu asked.


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°There may be an instruction manual on this bookshelf. Take a look at each book and try your luck.¡±


    Lian Qiao nodded, ¡°In addition, I was thinking that the basic rules of the game is that it can¡¯t be unsolvable. If this bookshelf contains important information, it is impossible to restrict us with a foreign language. So I guess there may be a special book here. Let¡¯s look for it patiently.¡±


    The three girls listened to him and immediately began to look up carefully. This kind of careful searching takes a lot of time and even though the five of them worked together, it took more than an hour to search through only one shelf of books.


    Turning around, Xu RenDong gradually felt an urge to urinate. Obviously, this is the credit of those glasses of water this morning.


    Xu RenDong climbed up and down. He was really unable to hold back,so he had to whisper to Lian Qiao: ¡°I¡¯m going to the bathroom.¡±


    Lian Qiao said that he had been holding back for a long time and went with him. The two came to the end of the corridor together where there was a bathroom.


    The bathroom was dirty and smelly, and the tiles and walls were so yellow and black that people did not dare to think about what caused these stains. Fishy smelling and turbid water still accumulated on the toilet and bathtub. It really made people reluctant to approach it.


    Fortunately, the urinal is still clean and barely usable. However when Xu RenDong walked towards the urinal, he discovered a very serious problem: he could not reach it.


    He is in a three-year-old small body and the urinal is almost level with his forehead. How could he pee in it?


    ¡°¡­¡± Lian Qiao smothered a smile and proposed honestly, ¡°Why don¡¯t I hold you?¡±


    Xu RenDong instantly supplied the terrible picture of Lian Qiao holding him while helping him pee and his face became extremely ugly.


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t dare to take the joke further and quickly changed his words: ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s go back and get a small bench. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be able to reach it either.¡±


    Xu RenDong breathed a sigh of relief: ¡°Okay.¡±


    So the two of them got a stool from the study. Xu RenDong felt a little embarrassed inexplicably. He held the small bench and lowered his head while following Lian Qiao without saying a word.


    A three-year-old boy and a five-year-old boy walked side by side and the old wooden floor creaked. Lian Qiao looked back at him, and suddenly smiled with curved eyebrows: ¡°You look so good. You were so cute as a little boy.¡±


    Xu RenDong : ¡°Aren¡¯t you the same?¡±


    ¡°Different . ¡°Lian Qiao made no secret of his eyes and clearly wrote the word ¡°like¡± in his expression. He looked at Xu RenDong with a smile, and said, ¡°You are so good and soft, who doesn¡¯t want to hug you and pinch you? Why are you so good-looking?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Xu RenDong¡¯s ears became read at a speed visible to the naked eye.


    He turned away and thought calmly: Oh, turns out that Lian Qiao likes children so much.

 CH 36

    Chapter 36 ¨C Esophagus 8


    When the two returned to the study again, the three girls all stood up excitedly.


    Ye QingLiu stuffed a book into Xu RenDong¡¯s hands: ¡°Look at this!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Lian Qiao approached and saw that the cover was still written in Greek, but the contents contained a lot of pictures. ¡°Huh? A picture book?¡±


    Xu RenDong turned a few pages: ¡°It seems to be a fairy tale. Look, there is someone here holding a trident.¡±


    ¡°Poseidon, the sea god!¡± Lian Qiao immediately understood what he meant and pointed to the other one. It was a man with a spear and a big shield. ¡°This should be Zeus and he is holding the ¡®Thunder¡¯ spear and the ¡®Aegis¡¯ shield.¡±


    Xu RenDong quickly flipped through the entire book and found that there were barely any words in this book. Almost all of it was pictures. If there are clues hidden on this shelf, then this picture book is undoubtedly the best possibility. He spread the book on the table so that everyone could look for clues together.


    The five children gathered around the table and looked at the picture books together, and the atmosphere was unexpectedly warm.


    From the content point of view, this picture book is indeed about Greek mythology. For example; Prometheus stealing fire, Hercules obtaining the golden apples, and Sisyphus pushing megaliths (See Author¡¯s Note)¡­


    Even if they didn¡¯t have any formal schooling on Greek mythology, these mythological stories have been more or less heard by them when they were young.  Therefore, even though there was no text, just by looking at the pictures everyone knows roughly what these stories are telling. But the last story in the picture book made everyone a bit confused. The pictures showed a beautiful woman. At first she and Zeus hugged but another goddess suddenly descended from the sky and turned the beautiful woman into a cannibal monster. What is most worrying is that she was depicted as eating children.


    ¡°Who is this?¡± Ye QingLiu scratched his head and pointed to the goddess who had fallen from the sky. ¡°I think this looks like Zeus¡¯s wife who came to catch him cheating¡­ But hasn¡¯t Zeus cheated many times? Which one is this?¡±


    Xu RenDong shook his head. His knowledge of Greek mythology was limited to the stories he had heard when he was a child. Lian Qiao suddenly said, ¡°It¡¯s Lamia.¡±


    Lamia?


    No one had heard the name before and everyone immediately looked at Lian Qiao. Lian Qiao organized his thoughts and began to tell the story of Lamia.


    It turned out that Lamia was favored by Zeus because of her beauty and became his mistress. But Hera, who was jealous, killed all Lamia¡¯s children in anger and cursed her, turning her into a terrifying basilisk. Under the influence of the curse, Lamia started hunting and devouring children everywhere. In order to make her suffer endlessly, Hera even deprived her of sleep, so that she could not close her eyes, and would keep on seeing the scene of her son being killed. That way she would lose control of her emotions and keep killing people.


    ¡°Can¡¯t close her eyes?¡± Xu RenDong recalled the blood-red eyes of the white basilisk without eyelids, and couldn¡¯t help feeling his skin crawl. ¡°This story is indeed similar to the boss from this instance.¡±


    ¡°But there is still a problem.¡± Lian Qiao With a thoughtful expression, ¡°The clue of this instance is ¡®esophagus¡¯¡­what does that mean?¡±


    Xu RenDong shook his head. Ye QingLiu was suddenly indignant: ¡°Zeus, what a scumbag! You hook up with women all day long and ruin the girls who have been with you terribly! This queen, Hera, is crazy too. If a scumbag cheats on you you should beat up the scumbag. What¡¯s the point of torturing the mistress? It¡¯s best if you can join forces with the mistress to abuse the scumbag!¡±


    Xu RenDong was helpless. The three views in ancient Greece are different from modern day, and the issue of extramarital sex is not as restrictive as it is now. Ye QingLiu¡¯s mind was focused on Zeus¡¯s scumbaggery and it is also true that men and women place different emphasis on things.


    Lian Qiao nodded and said: ¡°You are right. In fact, Zeus also thinks he is a bit of a scumbag. He felt ashamed and wanted to compensate Lamia. But he has a strict wife  and he dare not disobey his wife and directly lift the curse. In the end, he looked for a compromise. He gave Lamia the ability to ¡°take off her eyes.¡± Lamia can sleep when she takes off her eyes, so that she can get a short respite from the endless killing and pain.¡±


    After listening, everyone was silent. It seems that this time¡¯s boss Lamia is actually a victim but as the target of her wrath,  no one could really stand on her side and sympathize with her.


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°According to the myth, Lamia comes out to hunt children at night. During the day she takes off her eyeballs to sleep. At present, it seems that this boss does indeed act like this.¡±


    Everyone nodded.


    ¡°Then the problem is here.¡± Lian Qiao paused, looking at Xu RenDong.


    Xu RenDong understood what he meant in an instant.


    Since Lamia sleeps during the day, if they steal her eyeballs while she is asleep, will that mean she will be unable to hunt them down?


    At this point, he exchanged glances with Lian Qiao. Lian Qiao smiled with his eyes curved, confirming that the two people had the same thing in their hearts.


    The other three newcomer girls haven¡¯t reacted yet. Ye QingLiu was even more annoyed and said: ¡°What are you both doing with your eyes, can you make things clearer? We outsiders don¡¯t have your tacit understanding.¡±


    The words ¡°tacit understanding¡± inexplicably made Xu RenDong feel good. But he was not in a hurry to explain and just said with a smile: ¡°I guess the other people have almost finished exploring too. Let¡¯s gather together and share the information we have collected.¡±


    The other group was a team headed by that little fat kid and had more than ten people. In addition to the little fat kid who was good at talking, there was also Ran GaoFei, the biggest kid. There were also several other players who were veterans. Their team was large and under the leadership of the old players, they split up to explore all the rooms on the first floor.


    At the call of the Boss RenDong, everyone gathered in the study on the second floor. A dozen or so three- to five-year-olds sat in a circle on the carpet, having a serious meeting.


    Xu RenDong first talked about the information gained by their group. Sure enough, everyone had a terrible expression on their faces after listening to Lamia¡¯s story. Although Lian Qiao suggested that he could sneak attack while Lamia took off his eyeballs, because no one has found Lamia¡¯s hiding place so far, so right now the sneak attack is impossible.


    ¡°What about you? Did you find anything?¡± Xu RenDong asked.


    The little fat kid said with a frowning face: ¡°Our reward isn¡¯t as big as yours. We have carefully checked every room and found no clues.¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded and the little fat kid said again: ¡°The only gain is a bag of milk powder. I brought it here.¡±


    Xu RenDong saw that it was the bag of milk powder in the kitchen. Before leaving the kitchen in the morning, he hid the milk powder in an inconspicuous place. But since half of their team members are old players, it¡¯s normal to find the milk powder.


    He took it easily, and was surprised to find that the bag was much lighter than last night.


    ¡°Did you drink the milk powder?!¡± Xu RenDong¡¯s face changed suddenly.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± There was a hint of arrogance and pride in the little fat kid¡¯s expression. He glanced over Xu RenDong¡¯s five-person team, pretending to be considerate, ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry, I have left plenty for you guys. Half a cup per person should be okay right?¡± He said and gave his teammates a wink. ¡°Everyone in our team only drank a half cup, right?¡±


    Little Fatty¡¯s teammates nodded. Xu RenDong¡¯s heart sank, knowing that these people would be dead soon.


    Obviously, the behavior of the little fat kid is to establish himself and make everyone feel that there was something to gain by being with him. They deliberately left only a little milk powder so that Ye QingLiu and the three newcomers would regret being on the wrong team. They might even give up and switch to his team. Also when he said he ¡°didn¡¯t find any clues¡±, that wasn¡¯t necessarily true. How XuRenDong had stupidly told all the information they had found.


    ¡­ His scheming was good, but it¡¯s a pity that the little fat kid didn¡¯t know that drinking milk powder was a condition of death.


    Xu RenDong felt a deep weakness: ¡°You are obviously a veteran player, how dare you eat anything here? And also let everyone else eat too¡­.¡±


    The little fat kid misunderstood the reason for his helplessness and smiled slyly. ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know, you have also eaten it secretly! There was powder on the mouth of the powdered milk bag!¡± He looked at Xu RenDong, then glanced at Lian Qiao contemptuously, ¡°You two disappeared early in the morning. You must have been hiding in the kitchen and stole the milk powder! Afterwards, you even hid the milk powder. You should be ashamed of yourselves!¡±


    Xu RenDong was speechless. He hid the powdered milk because he was afraid that some newcomers would eat the powdered milk secretly and trigger the death condition. As for the veteran players, he thought that experienced people would not easily take the risk, let alone eat milk powder. Unexpectedly, it was self-defeating and caused the old players to misunderstand that he hid the food for his own benefit and on the basis that ¡°he has eaten it and he is still alive¡±, he confidently shared it with all his partners.


    Then, all these dozens of people would die tonight.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s silence made the little fat kid even more arrogant and domineering. He turned around and said to his teammates: ¡°Oh, look, some people are relying on their rich experience to bully innocent newcomers. If I didn¡¯t see through his tricks in time, everyone would still be hungry!¡±


    Ren GaoFei also coldly snorted, ¡°Oh, the human heart is sinister.¡±


    The three newcomers on Xu RenDong¡¯s side also didn¡¯t know the death conditions. At this time, they looked at each other with hesitation on their faces. Xu RenDong was afraid that they could not help the temptation of food and was about to tell the truth about the milk powder but Lian Qiao gently squeezed his hand and gave him a ¡°don¡¯t¡± wink.


    Xu RenDong was taken aback. Lian Qiao said: ¡°Brother RenDong, let¡¯s go down and take a look. I¡¯m not reassured about the rooms they explored, let¡¯s go and explore again.¡±


    The little fat kid was furious when he heard the words and the fat on his face wrinkled together: ¡°Are you suspicious of me? Do you know how many times I have cleared instances? You are just a rookie who came in for the second time. It¡¯s not your turn to  speak here! ¡°


    Speaking like this with the body of a five-year-old child, it seemed very contrary. And yet it made people feel very uncomfortable.


    Xu RenDong wanted to argue with him but Lian Qiao stopped him with his eyes. Xu RenDong realized that Lian Qiao had other plans so he ignored Little Fatty¡¯s provocation and nodded to Lian Qiao: ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡± The two held hands and walked out the door, leaving Little Fatty gritted his teeth with anger. From Behind the two people he roared: ¡°Why are you like this?! Do you still have a way to survive like this!¡±


    Xu RenDong paused. There was joy on the little fat kid¡¯s face, thinking that he was changing his mind, but Xu RenDong just turned around and called out: ¡°QingLiu.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m coming!¡± Ye QingLiu picked up the baby to follow. After taking two steps and turning back, she picked up the remaining half bag of milk powder and said, ¡°Thank you.¡± Then she chased Xu RenDong without turning her head.


    Little Fatty¡¯s eyes were furious. He turned his head and stared at the remaining two newcomer girls: ¡°What about you two?¡±


    The two girls looked at each other, and one asked timidly: ¡°Can we still join your team?¡±


    The other held her and whispered: ¡°But the milk powder is in Sister QingLiu¡¯s hands¡­¡±


    The little fat kid¡¯s face changed in a second and his expression softened: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, food is not a problem.¡± He took out another small bag from his pocket which was full of white powder. His eyes were sly and full of  triumphant light, ¡°There was more than one bag of powdered milk in the monastery, all the rest of them are here!¡±


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    Note: Sisyphus pushes the megalith: Sisyphus is a character in Greek mythology, similar to the more tragic King Oedipus, Sisyphus is the founder and king of Corinth. He even kidnapped the god of death once, leaving the world without death. In the end, Sisyphus offended the gods. In order to punish Sisyphus, the gods asked him to push a boulder to the top of the mountain. Because the boulder was too heavy, he would always roll down the mountain before reaching the top of the mountain. Just repeat and do it endlessly¡ªthe gods believe that there is no harsher punishment than to perform this kind of ineffective and hopeless labor. Sisyphus¡¯ life was slowly exhausted in such an ineffective and hopeless work. ¡ª¡ªThe above is taken from Baidu Encyclopedia. Many works refer to this story, such as the movie ¡°Horror Cruise¡± and the game ¡°Stones of Destiny¡±.

 CH 37

    Chapter 37 ¨C Esophagus 9


    Zhang DunDun was very satisfied with the current situation.


    Under his leadership, his teammates gathered all the food in the monastery and they were now all in his hands. Although it was just a few bags of milk powder, it wasn¡¯t a small achievement.


    He discovered that the nun deliberately refused to feed them. If this continues, then these three to five year olds will not last for three days. The milk powder hidden everywhere was obviously a precious supply item. With milk powder, they can maintain their physical strength and whether it was for exploring puzzles or evading the monster¡¯s pursuit, they could have more confidence.


    But he just didn¡¯t understand why that guy named Xu RenDong always looked down on him?!


    Obviously they were both veteran players so they should work together! Doesn¡¯t he understand that fighting will only make him die faster?


    And that Lian Qiao dared to question his ability! A mere rookie, what right does he have to make irresponsible remarks towards him? Doesn¡¯t he know how much danger he has gone through to live until now!


    The most irritating one was that Ye QingLiu, who took his milk powder and was not grateful at all! Fortunately, he had anticipated this long ago.


    Zhang DunDun¡¯s mouth raised in a smug smile.


    It was not milk powder that he handed to Ye QingLiu but wall dust. It was his mockery of all those who looked down on him.


    A thick smell of milk wafted from the kitchen. A dozen friends gathered around the dining table, a dozen pairs of eyes staring at him expectantly and gazing at the powdered milk in his hand. This feeling of being the center of attention made Zhang DunDun feel great about himself.


    He was in such a good mood that when Ren GaoFei called him ¡°Little Fat Brother¡±, he was not angry and just glared at Ren GaoFei.


    ¡°How many times have you said it, don¡¯t call me that!¡±


    Ren GaoFei smiled helplessly: ¡°You refuse to tell us what your name is so what should we call you then?¡±


    Zhang DunDun frowned and said in displeasure: ¡°What do you know? How can I reveal my true identity so easily?¡± He stirred the powdered milk in the glass, revealing the mannerisms of an old man which did not match his appearance currently. ¡°You guys ah, you are all too inexperienced. As someone who¡¯s been around before, I advise you not to tell others your real name casually, let alone trust others.¡± He paused and sighed, ¡°After all, there are not many good old-timers like me.¡±


    ¡°Fat¡­ ¡°Ren GaoFei almost called him the wrong thing again but fortunately stopped his words in a timely manner, corrected himself and said, ¡°Brother, you¡¯re right. ¡°


    All the hungry children were staring at the milk powder. ZhangDunDun couldn¡¯t help but respond with a satisfied smile. He pushed the glass in front of the children and announced, ¡°Okay, the milk powder is ready. Now everyone have a sip. Be careful, don¡¯t be greedy and save some for others. Don¡¯t be selfish.¡±


    Everyone showed a surprised expression: ¡°Why can we only have one sip?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t we have several bags of milk powder?¡± ¡°One sip is not enough!¡±


    Zhang DunDun frowned but immediately stretched out his expression again and made it more pleasant. He explained: ¡°It¡¯s the second day now. We don¡¯t have a clue about the world at all. We don¡¯t know how long we will spend here! You have all seen it, and right now this is all the food in the monatery. If we don¡¯t ration them I¡¯m afraid¡­.¡± He sighed, his chubby little hand hooked, and brought all the bags of milk powder on the table to his chest. ¡°Trust me things will turn out bad. People will be forced to do things they don¡¯t want. But let¡¯s not let it become like that, okay?¡±


    The children understood what he meant, although they were still a little bit dissatisfied in their hearts. But they also think that he makes sense. After all, he is an old player who has stepped into the world of ghosts and monsters many times, so they still need to listen to his advice.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I agree.¡± A thin girl first stretched out her hand, raised the glass and said, ¡°Everyone let¡¯s keep our heads up. I¡¯ll only drink a small sip.¡±


    Under all eyes, she really only drank a small sip of milk powder and then immediately passed the glass to the next person.


    Zhang DunDun said with satisfaction: ¡°Thank you for making a good start.¡±


    As a result, under the leadership of the old players, everyone followed the rules and simply took one sip. Although this sip of milk powder is just a drop in the bucket, for everyone who has not eaten for a whole day and night, this milk powder is extraordinarily sweet. Everyone couldn¡¯t help but smack their lips, enjoying the lingering scent of milk between their lips and teeth.


    As the leader of the team, Zhang DunDun naturally did not abuse his power. He just added some hot water after the milk powder in the cup reached the bottom and drank the remaining milk in the cup into his belly. This action once again won the hearts and minds of his followers and a little girl was even so moved that her eyes blushed and she choked and said: ¡°Fat brother, fortunately you¡¯re here!¡±


    Zhang DunDun heard this harsh name again. Looking intently, he saw this girl was one of the ones who had defected from Xu RenDong¡¯s team. His heart became even more unhappy. He felt it was necessary to emphasize the importance of this matter and was about to speak but suddenly saw a pale face flashing outside the door.


    Zhang DunDun was shocked and suddenly chills down on his back. When he looked carefully, he realized that it was the old nun again. Then he thought about it. A dozen teammates who support and love him are all around him. What does he need to be afraid of a NPC for? With confidence in his heart, he smiled and said, ¡°Auntie, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    The children were surprised when they heard the word ¡°Auntie¡±. The old nun ordered them to not eat but they gathered here to steal milk powder and were caught. They didn¡¯t know how the old nun would punish them. Everyone¡¯s hearts were tight and the faces of the newcomers showed uncontrollable panic. Even the old players¡¯ eyes were erratic and they didn¡¯t dare to look at the old nun.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± the old nun asked darkly.


    Zhang DunDun had already hidden the milk powder behind him. At this time, he was very calm and pointed to the kettle and said: ¡°We are drinking water. Didn¡¯t you say we need to be punished so we can¡¯t eat? We got too hungry so we could only drink some cold water to satisfy our hunger.¡±


    ¡°Drink water?¡± The old nun let out a rustle of laughter from her dry throat, and her fish-like eyes swept across everyone present. ¡°Drink water? Hahahahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°Fat brother¡­¡± That new girl who had defected flinched and looked at him with fear.


    Zhang DunDun glared at the girl, and whispered displeasedly: ¡°What are you afraid of? We haven¡¯t done anything wrong.¡± He raised his head and looked straight at the old nun without fear, ¡°Auntie, is there anything else? If not, we want to go upstairs to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Hahahahaha¡­ drink water? Hahahahaha¡­¡± The old nun repeated the word ¡°drink water¡± and left with a strange smile. The laughter echoed in the quiet and dark monastery, and it was particularly harsh. Everyone was horrified, including Zhang DunDun.


    But Zhang DunDun didn¡¯t show the slightest cowardice because the new girl had already cast admiring eyes on him: ¡°Fat brother, you are so amazing! Are you really not afraid of her at all?¡±


    Zhang DunDun showed a deep smile. Then his smile disappeared  and he solemnly said: ¡°Okay, let¡¯s be safe for the time being. Just in case, I will keep this milk powder first. After all, I have the most experience here, so let me take care of any dangers.¡±


    The old nun has not allowed them to eat and they will be punished if she discovered they have secretly hidden milk powder. So everyone nodded and agreed to hand over the milk powder to him for safekeeping. The eyes of the newcomers flashed with gratitude, but the old players knew what was up: This little fad kid appeared to mean well but in fact, he just wanted to hold the most precious food tightly in his own hands.


    Zhang DunDun continued: ¡°I have one more thing to announce.¡± He touched the smooth surface of the milk powder packaging bag and said sincerely, ¡°Since everyone is willing to entrust such precious things to me, it can be seen that everyone indeed trusts me very much. Then I have to show some sincerity and stop concealing my identity. I will make it clear that I am Zhang E¡¯Yun, means ¡®the cloud moving forward¡¯.¡±


    The name ¡°E¡¯Yun¡± was a bit strange and at first when he spoke no one reacted until he explained the meaning of his name. Then the newcomer girl beside him covered her mouth and exclaimed: ¡°Are you the Zhang E¡¯Yun who just won an award?!¡±


    Zhang DunDun nodded humbly.


    Ren GaoFei said in surprise: ¡°Do you know him?¡±


    The new girl said: ¡°Zhang E¡¯Yun the great writer! He just won the XX Literature Award, and it was in the newspaper two days ago!¡± She looked around in surprise, ¡°You all don¡¯t you know him?¡±


    ¡°Zhang E¡¯Yun¡­¡± The thin little girl thought for a moment then glanced suspiciously at Zhang DunDun, ¡°That writer who is said to be a classically beautiful man?¡±


    Zhang DunDun modestly gave a little bow. ¡°I don¡¯t dare claim such things. It¡¯s just my media friends creating a bit of a fuss.¡±


    ¡°I just knew that Brother Fat¡­¡­¡­ cough. ¡°Ren GaoFei quickly corrected himself,¡± I knew our Brother Zhang was extraordinary and turns out you¡¯re a great writer! No wonder your mind is so clear and your thinking so careful. It seems we¡¯re really saved this time!


    Everyone showered him with praise. Zhang DunDun made a low-key gesture and thanked everyone. The corners of his mouth raised slightly,and his eyes were wise and deep. He felt that the expressions that he had practiced for many years finally came of use- of course, he wasn¡¯t practicing for this moment.


    He prepared for an upcoming TV interview.


    For the video interview, he even started a hunger strike to lose weight three days ago. Even though he was already very thin and he didn¡¯t look like he did when he was a child, he was still dissatisfied. He hopes that he could be even thinner and more listless looking, so he can truly display classical beauty and conform to the beautiful name of ¡°Drinking with the Clouds¡± that he has made for himself.


    He wants to show his perfect self in front of everyone so that those who look down on him and those who scolded him for being a fat piggy would be shocked. They would regret their whole lives for having looked down on him, being rude to him and offending him! He wanted to make them cry and deeply regret why they chose to laugh at him and bully him back then. At that time no one stood by him and no one said a word for him.


    He is about to fulfill his long-cherished wish of many years but why, just at this time,  did the elevator appear? !


    When he was desperately dieting and exercising, when he was writing all night, when he was toasting and drinking with the committee members in order to win the nomination for the literary award, he had already experienced the ghost world several times. He knew what the appearance of the elevator meant and he also knew that he might not have the luck to survive the next time.


    But why did it happen at this time!


    ¡­He must not die!


    When everyone had gotten into their beds and had gone to sleep, Zhang DunDun quietly reached into the powdered milk bag and took out the dry powdered milk bit by bit.


    He moistened his mouth with saliva, trying not to let himself make any noise. He has estimated that according to the ration he announced, the dozen or so people around him will experience fatigue, edema and even coma after three days due to severe malnutrition. But he can maintain the normal operation of the body with enough milk powder.


    He was the most familiar with dieting. Dieting was simply his best friend. When he didn¡¯t have the courage to go to the gym, when those people provoked him at the class reunion, when he got on the elevator and it indicated it was overweight, leading to strangers looking at him with disgust¡­ only dieting lent him a helping hand. Only dieting helped him lose weight.


    Really, it¡¯s really not easy for him to lose weight. Three generations of his ancestors were all goddamn fatties. His whole family shamelessly indulged the fat on their bodies. Even his biological parents stupidly named him ¡°Zhang DunDun.¡± How disgusting and vulgar! He hated this name, hated his family and hated everything that put him in a miserable place.


    When he sacrificed his health, overdrew his life and even gave up his dignity and bowed his knees, he finally appeared in front of the crowd with a brand-new position and body and slapped them in the face fiercely.


    So how could he die?


    Zhang DunDun swallowed the dry powdered milk viciously, his bulging chest filled with resentment and sadistic pleasure. He could already see the panicked expression on the faces of the people who mocked him.


    Thinking about it, he couldn¡¯t help but grin and smiled triumphantly.


    He smiled so happily that he didn¡¯t notice the slender and pale ghostly figure next to the door.

 CH 38

    Chapter 38 ¨C Esophagus 10


    Late at night, the air inside the wardrobe became depressed and dull.


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao hid inside the closet. The space was small. They huddled very close and could hear each other¡¯s breathing.


    Ye QingLiu and the baby hid inside another closet. They had already fed the baby milk powder and it would not be hungry for a while. As for the smell of milk, there were so many children outside who had stolen milk powder. Lamia probably wouldn¡¯t notice this little baby anymore. Ye QingLiu had difficulty carrying the baby, so she agreed to wait with the baby until the other two had found Lamia¡¯s hiding place, the elevator and button, before coming out.


    The closet was pitch black. It was unknown how long they waited in this silent darkness until Lian Qiao said softly and suddenly:


    ¡°It¡¯s starting.¡±


    Xu RenDong sighed inwardly.


    What Lian Qiao meant was that the massacre had begun. Sure enough, after he finished saying these words, Xu RenDong¡¯s ears caught a faint exclamation which sounded like a child¡¯s neck unsuspectingly being caught during sleep. A gasp had been squeezed out of his throat.


    Then there was the sound of something falling from a height. With a bang, it hit the floor hard.


    As with this crash as a signal, the commotion began. Screaming, knocking over tables and chairs, running¡­ the entire second floor was in chaos. Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao hid in the closet and so were unable to see the situation outside, but just from the noises, it was easy to imagine the tragedy outside.


    ¡°Brother RenDong.¡± Lian Qiao suddenly spoke. He asked in a low voice, ¡°I decided on my own not to let you tell them the condition of death. Will you blame me?¡±


    Xu RenDong asked, ¡°Why would I?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Lian Qiao was silent for a moment, ¡°I know you wanted to save everyone. But at the time, it was already too late. Even if we told them the truth, it would only make them panic for nothing. Maybe they would still get furious and want to pull us down too. I don¡¯t want to die with them, so¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong knew that he felt guilty and reiterated: ¡°I don¡¯t blame you.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Xu RenDong smiled: ¡°I¡¯m just an ordinary person, not a god. I can¡¯t save everyone. You¡¯re the same.¡±


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t speak any more. In the darkness, Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t see his face clearly and didn¡¯t know what his expression was at this time. The closet suddenly descended into a suffocating silence and only the noisy crying from outside could be heard. It was a mess.


    Listening to their miserable voices, Xu RenDong¡¯s mood was unexpectedly calm. People wanted to die, he couldn¡¯t stop them. As for those unfortunately standing on the wrong team¡­ well, they only be said to be unlucky.


    After all, he died more times than everyone here combined. When speaking of misery, who was more miserable than him? He doesn¡¯t have the leisurely heart to sympathize with others.


    Lian Qiao suddenly said: ¡°Brother RenDong, have you experienced this kind of predicament before?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Such as¡­ the elevator and the buttons are still missing and most of your teammates are dead. All that¡¯s left are two rookies¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help but smile when Lian Qiao heard call himself a rookie: ¡°Why do you rate yourself so low?¡±


    Lian Qiao said piously: ¡°Because last time I won by lying down because of you. This time too. You discovered that the food was the condition of death and so on. I was completely lost¡­¡±


    Before Xu RenDong had time to speak, Lian Qiao quickly began to resolve himself, muttering to himself. ¡°But you are right, big boss, although I might not be that great however perhaps there is something inside me that I haven¡¯t discovered yet. Big boss, you know how to discern a real pearl frome fakes right, and so you discovered me. After all, if I were trash, why would you take the initiative to form a team with me¡­?¡±


    Xu RenDong thought about it seriously: ¡°¡­because I am your fan?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s words blocked Lian Qiao¡¯s subsequent long speech back into his stomach, choking him speechless. There was a suffocating silence in the dark closet. After a while, as insensible as Xu RenDong was, he still noticed the embarrassment in the air. He was about to say something to ease the atmosphere but Lian Qiao suddenly laughed lowly.


    ¡°Brother RenDong, you are so funny.¡±


    Xu RenDong is very self-aware: ¡°I am obviously the kind of person that stops a conversation in its tracks, how am I interesting?¡±


    Lian Qiao suppressed his laughter to a very low volume. In the tightly spaced closet, the low laughter that lingered sounded a bit ambiguous.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s breath was close to his ears, making Xu RenDong¡¯s ears itchy. This sensation felt weird and made him uncomfortable so he changed his posture and moved his body farther away from Lian Qiao without saying a word.


    At this moment, a loud noise suddenly came from outside¡ª


    Boom!


    Something hit the closet!


    ¡°Ah¡± Lian Qiao exclaimed comically like a screaming chicken being pinched around his neck. At the same time, he grabbed Xu RenDong¡¯s hand abruptly and Xu RenDong was shocked- how did he locate his hand in the dark so accurately?


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t know what was happening outside so he didn¡¯t dare to act rashly. He held Lian Qiao¡¯s hand back. Lian Qiao¡¯s palms quickly swelled with cold sweat within a short time, making Xu RenDong¡¯s hands clammy. Even through this thin layer of sweat, he could feel Lian Qiao¡¯s fear.


    Lian Qiao was so nervous that he was short of breath. Xu RenDong pressed his arm to comfort him and silently pressed his ear to the cabinet door.


    Through the thick wooden door of the wardrobe, the sound outside felt unreal. He faintly heard a vague ¡°ka-cha-ka-cha¡± sound, like the noise a wild animal made when chewing on crunchy bones. This association creeped him out, but he knew his guess was likely to be correct because otherwise he couldn¡¯t hear the children¡¯s cries anymore.


    ¡ªLamia eats children. 80% of the children, the ones who stole the milk powder, have been slaughtered by her. And now, it was time for her to enjoy a delicious meal!


    Xu RenDong restrained the nausea in his stomach and took a deep breath. Lian Qiao probably guessed the situation outside so he tried his best to restrain his fear and not let his precious physical strength be wasted on trembling.


    The uncomfortable chewing sound lasted for a long time, until the two people hiding in the closet were all stiff as sculptures. Lamia was satisfied and gradually walked away with her belly round.


    The two people counted the seconds silently in their hearts. At a certain moment, the two squeezed each other¡¯s palms tacitly at the same time.


    Confirming each other¡¯s determination, Xu RenDong raised his hand and cautiously pushed open the wooden door of the closet.


    ¡°Hss¡­¡± The scene in front of them caused the two to take an indrawn breath at the same time. Then they were choked by the smell of blood.


    The whole room was covered with messy corpses. The children¡¯s room was covered with what looked like wicked red paint. There was blood and internal organs scattered everywhere. Some of the people¡¯s upper and lower bodies have been separated, half on the bed and half on the ground, with their pink intestines hanging outside. Some people¡¯s chest has been chewed off in half, and the ribs are shattered like butterflies with the heart and lungs gone. There were more fragments of corpses so distorted that it was impossible to tell what organ it had been, and the owner of the corpse can only be reluctantly guessed from the clothes they were wearing.


    Although Xu RenDong had been mentally prepared to see this, he was still shocked by the tragic scene. He had just taken a step and then, without knowing what he was stepping on, he slipped and fell forward suddenly. Fortunately, Lian Qiao grabbed him quickly. Xu RenDong fell back into Lian Qiao¡¯s arms and felt Lian Qiao¡¯s chest rise and fall violently as if he had seen something very bad.


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help but want to turn his head but Lian Qiao covered his eyes and whispered: ¡°Don¡¯t look, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Xu RenDong realized that what he had stepped on just now was definitely not something good. But he was still unable to ask softly and curiously, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Lian Qiao frowned slightly and sighed, ¡°Little Fatty¡¯s head. It¡¯s probably this thing that hit the cabinet just now. Let¡¯s leave it alone. Let¡¯s go or else we won¡¯t be able to catch up with Lamia.¡±


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t have imagined that what he stepped on was the head of his teammate and a chill suddenly rose from the soles of his feet. He was in a daze, almost being dragged forward by Lian Qiao. However, the less he dared to think about it, the more he couldn¡¯t help but recall the touch of his feet just now. Soft, bumpy¡­ was that the little fat kid¡¯s face? The cheeks and lips were soft and the raised part was his nose?


    Suddenly, there was a rush of nausea in his stomach. Xu RenDong covered his mouth and blocked the retching sound in his throat.


    Lian Qiao glanced back at him with an unbearable expression in his eyes. He comforted him: ¡°Don¡¯t think about it, you didn¡¯t mean it.¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded and signaled that he was okay, but the feeling of nausea still came up in bursts. He forced himself to focus on tracking Lamia. Lamia hadn¡¯t gone far, and the two of them hid lightly behind the door frame. From a distance, they saw the slender and pale figure going downstairs, still carrying an arm in each of her hands. As she walked, there was a ¡°crack¡± and nibbling noises.


    At this time, it was late at night. Only the children¡¯s room in the entire monastery was lit and the rest was dark. The two followed Lamia cautiously. They dared not follow too close for fear of being discovered. All the way until Lamia walked to the corner of the lobby on the first floor did the two then dare to quietly go downstairs. They hid behind the big sofa and continued to peek out.


    Lamia didn¡¯t know anything about the two of them following, probably because the pleasure of the massacre made her relax her vigilance. She touched her round belly, sashayed to the end of the hall and stopped in front of the tall wall.


    ¡°Is there some kind of mechanism there?¡± Lian Qiao frowned and lowered his voice, ¡°It¡¯s impossible, I checked that wall before and there was nothing.¡±


    Xu RenDong shook his head, indicating that he didn¡¯t know.


    They saw Lamia stretch out her slender and pale fingers. She drew a picture on the wall. The wall was gray, and when she stroked her fingers up, she actually left a white vertical line on the wall. Immediately afterwards, she drew two horizontal lines and one more vertical line. In the end, a white frame appeared on the gray wall. The frame was about the size of a person and it looked very clear in the moonlight.


    What was she doing?


    RenDong Lian Qiao held their breath for fear of missing the slightest detail. When Lamia raised her hand and pushed, the wall in the middle of the white frame was silently recessed, revealing a bottomless tunnel.


    She actually drew a door out of thin air!


    Just as the two were feeling amazed, Lamia had bent down and crawled into the tunnel. The door was closed immediately after her. It was tightly attached to the wall and it was restored as before. The entire monastery fell silent, as if nothing had happened except for the faint smell of blood in the air.


    Lamia disappeared, along with the mysterious door.


    Xu RenDong went to the front of the gray wall and touched the place where the door had appeared. There was nothing. The wall was gray and, like his brain at this time, totally blank.


    Lamia¡¯s secret room was hidden behind here but how could they get in?


    If they couldn¡¯t attack Lamia when she took off her eyeballs to rest, then how could they, two 35-year-old children, have a chance to win? Is this world really so difficult with no way out for them?


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help frowning. His finger ran across the wall unconsciously, imitating Lamia, and he drew a vertical line on the wall.


    Lian Qiao looked at his fat baby arm and suddenly smiled: ¡°Brother RenDong, if we paint a door our size, Lamia will definitely get stuck and won¡¯t be able to get out.¡±


    Xu RenDong immediately produced an image of Lamia stuck inside a tiny, child-sized door with her huge belly bulging and trapped. He couldn¡¯t help laughing: ¡°You¡¯re right. But how do we paint the door?¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes were bright, like a shrewd little leopard: ¡°Do you remember the old nun? Didn¡¯t she teach us that lesson?¡±


    Xu RenDong was stunned. Something in his heart flashed and he immediately understood what he meant.


    Lian Qiao smiled: ¡°If this doesn¡¯t work, then we can only hold hands and wait for death.¡±


    Xu RenDong also smiled: ¡°Okay, let¡¯s try it then.¡±


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    Painting a stalk in tribute to the movie ¡°Pan¡¯s Labyrinth¡± which is also the source of inspiration for Lamia.


    Lamia: This fat head is not tasty, bah.

 CH 39

    Chapter 39 ¨C Esophagus 11


    The place where the old nun taught the children was in the living room. Not long ago, the scene of more than a dozen children sitting around the blackboard was still vivid but now most of their teammates had already died. The strong smell of blood in the monastery still filled the nostrils of Lian Qiao and Xu RenDong and the atmosphere was painful and depressing. .


    The teaching aids used by the old nun were piled on the table. Pointers, small blackboards, blackboard erasers, and most importantly-


    ¡°There is only so much chalk?¡± Lian Qiao frowned when he looked at the chalk that was already half used. He tried to break it but the chalk was too short to break it. If you break it forcibly, it would probably shatter into powder.


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°It¡¯s okay, this is enough.¡±


    Lian Qiao turned around and handed the chalk head to Xu RenDong: ¡°Then Brother RenDong, you take it.¡±


    According to the picture book, Lamia would take off her eyeballs during the day to go to sleep. Fortunately, it was already late at night and they only had to wait a little longer before it would be dawn. However, the bedroom on the second floor was full of corpses and they had no choice but to curl up on the sofa on the first floor, barely closing their eyes to rest.


    There was still a strong smell of blood floating in the air and no one could rest well in that kind of environment. Fortunately, this tormenting light sleep didn¡¯t go on for too long. After more than an hour, the first ray of morning sunlight hit Xu RenDong¡¯s face.


    Xu RenDong opened his eyes and found that Lian Qiao was already awake. Obviously, he didn¡¯t get a good rest either and his face looked haggard. The two did not speak but silently glanced at each other. Then they got up and walked towards the end of the corridor.


    Xu RenDong took out the chalk and began to draw lines on the wall. Both of them stared at the chalk head and their breathing could not help becoming anxious. Fortunately, as the chalk ran across the wall, smooth cracks gradually appeared on the wall. Soon, the four straight lines connected to form a box. The four cracks were also connected together, turning the box into a stone door that could be pushed open.


    Xu RenDong breathed a sigh of relief and put the chalk away: ¡°Sure enough, the chalk is for this purpose.¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, why would the old nun give us a class?¡± Lian Qiao smiled, ¡°Brother RenDong, have you ever heard a saying? In a good game, none of the details of the script are useless. This instance appears to have very little information but in fact, when you think about it carefully, there are actually a lot of hints.¡±


    Xu RenDong smiled and put his hand on the door: ¡°Get ready, I¡¯m opening the door.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Okay.¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s hand gently pressed and the small door was pushed open without hindrance, revealing the inner corridor. Xu RenDong raised the kerosene lamp to shine inwards and found that the inside of the tunnel was far higher than the small door. It was dark and looked like the bottomless throat of some kind of prehistoric behemoth.


    The two walked into the small door. Sure enough, as soon as they entered, the small door closed behind them and disappeared. Behind them became an uneven stone wall, as if they were in a cave. The traces of the chalk door were nowhere to be found.


    Although this was something that he had long expected, Xu RenDong still felt his heart sink. He felt extremely uneasy. He held the kerosene lamp high, illuminating the inside of the cave. They saw the tunnel winding around and it appeared to go down into the depths, and where it led was impossible to see.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes were filled with uncontrollable excitement. He lowered his voice and said with a smile: ¡°I¡¯m going to fight the boss!¡±


    Xu RenDong did not answer.


    Lian Qiao muttered to himself: ¡°However, based on what¡¯s happened so far to our team, it¡¯s clear that we¡¯re not supposed to beat up the boss. The boss is supposed to beat up us.¡±


    At this kind of time, he was still so long-winded. Probably this was the professional illness of a comical and popular horror game host. Xu RenDong shook his head but couldn¡¯t help but raise the corners of his mouth slightly.


    The corridor is long and narrow, with hard stone walls on all sides. The faint light of the kerosene lamp flickered across the stone wall, illuminating two small shadows leaning against each other.


    Fortunately, there was no fork in the pathway and it led all the way to the end. The two were cautious, trying not to make noises with their footsteps. With their hearts beating madly, they walked for an unknown amount of time before the tunnel gradually became wider. At last, a spacious cave appeared.


    After walking in the suffocating passage for so long, both of them felt a sudden sense of openness. They were mentally prepared for the monster they were about to face but when they really saw the scene in the cave, they couldn¡¯t help but be stunned.


    There was a long dining table in the middle of the cave. The table is covered with snow-white napkins embroidered with delicate patterns. A dazzling array of food was laid out: fresh fruits, steaming barbecue meat, oily and crispy bread¡­ Just standing so far away, the aroma of the food stilk wafted over.


    Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t help swallowing, his eyes staring.


    ¡°It may be a trap, be careful.¡± Xu RenDong said in a low voice but his stomach growled unconvincingly.


    All up, they hadn¡¯t eaten a single grain of rice for three days. For Xu RenDong, this hunger was doubled. Compared to his body, the hunger in his heart made him more anxious. He could hardly look away from the tempting food. His stomach cramped up and secreted stomach acid frantically as if it were digesting itself.


    I¡¯m so hungry¡­ I must eat something¡­ So hungry¡­


    ¡°Brother RenDong!¡± Lian Qiao whispered and pressed his hand.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart shuddered and his body shook suddenly. Only then did he wake up. He was surprised to find that he was standing in front of the dining table, reaching out his hand to the food as if bewitched. His fingertips were about to touch a piece of roasted lamb leg. If it hadn¡¯t been for Lian Qiao stopping him in time, then probably he would have grabbed the barbeque and munched down on it.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± Xu RenDong apologized in a low voice, ¡°I¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao shook his head: ¡°I understand. Brother RenDong, look over there.¡±


    Xu RenDong looked in the direction of Lian Qiao¡¯s finger and saw that, at the other end of the dining table, was a girl with a beautiful face.


    The girl was dressed in an ancient Greek-style white toga and the soft cloth wrapped around her body to set off her elegant figure. The girl¡¯s complexion was like honey, smooth and tender and she nodded slightly while sitting quietly at the table. Her hands were motionlessly resting on her leg while she slept.


    ¡°This is what Lamia was like¡­¡± Xu RenDong said softly.


    Lian Qiao nodded: ¡°She is asleep. I guess if you stole the food just now, she would probably immediately wake up.¡±


    The two crept to Lamia¡¯s side and found that the girl¡¯s eyes were closed but her eye sockets were deeply sunken. Her hands were spread on her knee and there was an eyeball in each palm.


    And behind the girl, in the middle of the stone wall, there was a silver-white metal elevator!


    Lian Qiao suddenly leaned into Xu RenDong¡¯s ear and chuckled softly, ¡°Sure enough, it¡¯s the place where the final boss fight is. Even the instance exit is directly set here.¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded and said with lips: ¡°The question is. where is the button?¡±


    Lian Qiao was still clinging to him, his lips almost touching his earlobe: ¡°Kill the boss  and then maybe the button will drop directly. Otherwise, Brother RenDong, you can draw the door with chalk first. Let me steal the eyeballs. She will wake up and run after me. Our door is painted very small and it will be ideal to get her stuck. After that, we can do whatever we want. . Even if she doesn¡¯t get stuck, it will take time for her to draw the door and chase us again. She has no eyes and can¡¯t see so we can avoid her easily.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Okay.¡±


    Lian Qiao said softly, ¡°Go.¡± ¡°


    For some reason, this gentle ¡°Go¡± made ripples in Xu RenDong¡¯s heart. He suppressed the strange emotion and walked in the direction of the entrance without looking back.


    That little piece of chalk head was held tightly in his palm. He recalled Lian Qiao¡¯s instructions and simulated the battle plan in his head. At the same time he couldn¡¯t help sighing that Lian Qiao was really smart and could always think of ways to deal with the basilisk.


    Lian Qiao was really a contradictory guy. He usually smiled and didn¡¯t appear serious, and occasionally will be so scared that he will scream out loud. However at critical moments he is always so reliable and so reassuring.


    Also, he is three years younger than me! Xu RenDong thought of this for some reason. He couldn¡¯t help but look back at Lian Qiao. Seeing him looking back, Lian Qiao asked him a question with smiling eyes: What are you looking at me for?


    Xu RenDong avoided his eyes unconsciously, and was about to continue walking but suddenly heard a familiar sound.


    ¡°Gululululu¡­¡±


    It was the bowel sounds made by a hungry stomach. Echoing in the empty cave, it seemed particularly loud. However, this time, the source of the sound was not Xu RenDong but Lian Qiao who was standing beside Lamia.


    Their faces changed at the same time and turned to look at Lamia. Sure enough, Lamia¡¯s eyelids quivered in her sleep and her slender index finger rolled up slightly as if she wanted to put her eyes back into her eye sockets!


    She had woken up!


    Lian Qiao shouted: ¡°Run!¡± At the same time, he quickly reached for the eyeball in Lamia¡¯s palm.


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t have time to think about it. He turned his head and ran towards the entrance, shouting: ¡°Leave the eyes alone, just run!¡±


    Lian Qiao had already moved. He stretched out his hand and grabbed the eyeball in Lamia¡¯s palm. Unfortunately, standing on Lamia¡¯s side, he could only get the eyeball that was closer to him. He grabbed Lamia¡¯s left eye in his hand, then no longer hesitated and turned to run after Xu RenDong.


    Lamia suddenly woke up. Her eyelids suddenly opened, revealing a pair of hollow scarlet eye sockets. The ten fingers of her hands squeezed closed and she had already discovered that her left eye had been stolen. However, she was not in a hurry to put her right eye on, but quickly reached out with her left hand!


    ¡°Uh!¡± Lian Qiao was caught off guard and was caught by Lamia by the back of the neck!


    Xu RenDong looked back, pale with shock. Before he spoke, Lian Qiao roared, ¡°Leave me alone, run!¡± He raised his hand and threw Lamia¡¯s left eye at Xu RenDong!


    Xu RenDong raised his hands, and caught his eyeball. The eyeball were still warm, wet and slimy, and felt very bad in the hand. He ignored his nausea and stared at Lian Qiao with red eyes.


    Lian Qiao has been pinched by Lamia and placed over her knees. At this time, Lamia hadn¡¯t put her eyeballs on yet and except for the scary empty eye sockets, her whole body still looked like a girl. When Lian Qiao was pressed onto her lap, he looked like a child that the girl was playing with. However, Lian Qiao¡¯s face was determined, and he had already said his final words with his eyes: Go away, you can¡¯t save me.


    Xu RenDong bit his lower lip fiercely and forced himself to run towards the entrance. A deep and dull voice came from behind, like bones being crushed by a heavy object. Mixed in was Lian Qiao restrained and painful gasps, but he did not groan and did not even moan. He just gritted his teeth and suffocated the screams in his throat.


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t dare to think about what Lian Qiao was suffering at this time. He forced himself to concentrate and run with all his strength in the direction he came. His young body, which had not eaten for several days, was already exhausted. He squeezed out the last trace of energy in his muscles and ran desperately.


    He couldn¡¯t let Lian Qiao¡¯s plan go to waste.


    The elevator has been found. Now as long as he ran out and as long as he could escape the current catastrophe, he might be able to find the button soon. In this way he can reset the world and go back to save Lian Qiao and pass the instance unscathed with him¡­ He can¡¯t waste this opportunity that Lian Qiao sacrificed himself to win for him.


    The tortuous corridor seemed so long at this time. Xu RenDong almost tripped over the gravel on the ground several times. In a panic, he could hardly maintain his balance. Lian Qiao¡¯s voice was no longer audible. Instead, he heard the sound of chewing, gurgling, swallowing, and then a satisfied sigh.


    His vision gradually blurred. Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes were sour and he finally saw the stone wall at the end of the tunnel.


    Without hesitation, he threw the kerosene lamp aside, took out the chalk and began to draw lines on the stone wall.


    There was a clatter of footsteps behind him. It was Lamia who caught up. Xu RenDong drew white lines, but felt itchy in his left hand. It was Lamia¡¯s eyeball that were twisting and wriggling!


    The twisting eyeball was trying to break free out of his palm. Xu RenDong grabbed it tightly. Lamia¡¯s footsteps were getting closer, his hands began to tremble uncontrollably and the white lines he drew were no longer straight.


    Calm down! Calm down! You still have time!


    He tried to ignore the footsteps close at hand but the more he forced himself, the more his hands shook. Finally, only the last vertical line remained in the door frame. He grabbed the chalk and swiped it down vigorously- then a sharp pain came from his fingertips!


    Xu RenDong retracted his hand painfully, only to find that his finger hit a jagged sharp corner and had been cut.


    The chalk fell onto the ground. Xu RenDong knelt on the ground, looking around. The kerosene lamp flickered and there was gravel everywhere on the ground. The little chalk tip was nowhere to be found.


    Xu RenDong put his hands on the ground and watched the blood flow in his right hand. Suddenly he felt that he had no strength to stand up anymore.


    He smelled a hot bloody smell and felt something approaching from behind him. Somehow, he suddenly stopped being afraid, but felt relieved.


    The kerosene lamp just went out when he was picked up from the ground by the neck. Looking at the dark cave, Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help letting out a desperate laugh.


    ¡°Haha¡­ha¡­hahahahahaha!¡±


    His wrist was twisted in the opposite direction,and the joint ligament broke. Unconsciously letting go of his fingers, Lamia snatched her eye from him.


    When his body was about to be torn in half, Xu RenDong closed his eyes with a smile. He thought to himself:


    After leaving Lian Qiao, I couldn¡¯t even survive for one minute on my own. I really am useless.

 CH 40

    Chapter 40 ¨C Esophagus 12


    Xu RenDong woke up inside the elevator.


    The silver-white body of the elevator shone with cold metallic light. Two shadows, whose bodies have not yet shrunk, were reflected. They stood side by side and Xu RenDong heard the familiar voice speak.


    ¡°I want to eat aorta¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes were wet. He stared at Lian Qiao and his voice slightly dumb: ¡°Okay.¡±


    Lian Qiao who was reciting the names of all the dishes he wanted to eat was taken aback when he heard these words: ¡°Brother RenDong, what¡¯s wrong with your eyes? They¡¯re so red.¡±


    Xu RenDong shook his head: ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I just suddenly felt that I¡¯m really a rookie.¡±


    Lian Qiao suddenly panicked, ¡°Ah? Why would you¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong interrupted him: ¡°Don¡¯t call me ¡®Big Boss¡¯ again. I¡¯m just an ordinary person.¡±


    Lian Qiao said piously: ¡°But you are a big boss who has cleared many instances¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong did not hesitate: ¡°I was just tricking you.¡±


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    Lian Qiao opened his eyes wide and said, ¡°Ah???¡±


    Xu RenDong smiled and changed the subject: ¡°How come your clothes got bigger?¡±


    Lian Qiao looked down and began to yell as his body shrank.


    It is the third time that Xu RenDong  has experienced that which Conan experienced. {Anime Detective Conan.} There was no fluctuation inside his heart and he even wanted to eat hotpot aorta too. But he still put on a look of surprise to demonstrate that he was indeed an ordinary person and had no idea something like this would happen.


    By the time the two were reduced to the size of children, Lian Qiao still couldn¡¯t accept the reality that Xu RenDong wasn¡¯t a bigwig. But this didn¡¯t prevent him from following Xu RenDong.


    On the way to the monastery, Xu RenDong compiled the information he had so far in his heart.


    First of all, the hint of the word ¡°esophagus¡± refers to the tragic woman Lamia from Greek mythology. She was cursed by Queen Hera because of her affair with Zeus into becoming a monster that eats children. And because of Zeus¡¯s mercy, she could only fall asleep when she took off her eyes to enjoy a moment of peace.


    Lamia is also the executor of the death condition. There were two conditions that triggered death. One was drinking milk powder. The milk flavor will attract Lamia but if the baby is killed, Lamia will go crazy and kill everyone present with sound waves. It can be speculated that the baby was not a player but a ¡°prop¡± that existed in this world. As for how the baby prop should be used, he still had no clue.


    The exit elevator to escape from this world of ghosts has been found. It was right in the cave where Lamia was hiding. But the critical elevator button still hadn¡¯t dropped and this was the last puzzle left.


    Including the secret cave, the entire monastery has been explored. So was there some  special task that needed to be completed first before the button would drop?


    Xu RenDong recalled that in the previous world, the elevator button was obtained by  smashing the smallest doll with the hammer of Brother Sledgehammer. However, in this world, the NPC did not give them any task hints. It seems that there were other secrets hidden in this monastery.


    As he sorted through his thoughts, Xu RenDong¡¯s heart gradually became clearer. He already had an idea about the action plan this time.


    They arrived at the monastery gate for the third time. As always, the old nun appeared and scolded them. Ye QingLiu was standing within the team with the baby in her arms. Her eyes were full of curiosity as if she was more curious about this ghost world than scared.


    The little fat kid again asked to abandon the baby. This time Xu RenDong took the initiative to stand out and say: ¡°This baby is not a teammate but a prop.¡±


    The little fat kid glared at him in a displeased manner. ¡°What evidence do you have for saying that?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°No evidence, just my guess. You can believe it or not.¡±


    The little fat kid: ¡°¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong stretched out his hands: ¡°If you don¡¯t want it, just give it to me.¡±


    The little fat kid looked at Xu RenDong. The cogs in his brain turned and he immediately changed his tune. He said, ¡°No, no. I was wrong brother, I was too impulsive. After all, I¡¯ve never encountered any world that used living people as props.¡± His eyes looked at Xu RenDong with a little flattery. ¡°Brother, can I ask how many times have you come in?¡±


    Xu RenDong calmly lied: ¡°This is my first time.¡±


    The little fat kid is not stupid. He knew this was an obvious lie. His face suddenly changed and his fleshy skin twitched visibly. He noticed Xu RenDong¡¯s hostility so he no longer took the initiative to woo him. He just hugged the baby tightly in his arms and said with a smile: ¡°Okay. Then I will hold onto this baby. You are too small and I¡¯m afraid if you hold it, you won¡¯t be able to move.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Oh, okay. Then you work hard.¡±


    Little Fatty: ¡°???¡± So easy?


    How come he felt like he¡¯d fallen into a trap?


    Xu RenDong¡¯s idea is also very simple. Anyway, as long as this baby is fed he won¡¯t cry so whoever holds it is all the same. He can save a bit of energy by handing him over to the little fat kid. As for the others, they couldn¡¯t figure him out. They thought that this beautiful and rude boy was too strange. You could say that he was mean but actually when he had discussions with you, he was very polite. But if you said that he was easy-going it didn¡¯t seem right either, because he would sometimes speak and behave very arrogantly as if he is simply too lazy to talk nonsense with you.


    Just when everyone was thinking about whether Xu RenDong was an enemy or a friend, Xu RenDong himself had walked into the monastery without looking back.


    Even though Lian Qiao had doubts in his heart, he didn¡¯t ask much but only obediently followed Xu RenDong. Everyone was silent for a while and then Ren GaoFei, the tallest boy in the team, said: ¡°Everyone be careful. This person¡­¡±


    He sighed and didn¡¯t finish his sentence as if he didn¡¯t quite know how to evaluate Xu RenDong. The little fat kid said: ¡°This person is not simple.¡± He hugged the baby in his arms tightly.


    The moon rose quickly and the children fell asleep in the room arranged by the old nun in the middle of the night.


    This time, Xu RenDong did not leave the large group but also did not deliberately integrate with them. He didn¡¯t bother to have a good relationship with Little Fatty and the others. He is already very tired and doesn¡¯t want to bother about the messy interpersonal relationships. He just wanted to solve this puzzle quickly so he could leave this ghost world.


    Then¡­ go have a barbecue with Lian Qiao.


    Lying on the icy bed, Xu RenDong listened to the breathing of the children around him. He calculated the timing in his heart. When the children were all asleep, he tiptoed out of bed. Before leaving the room, he confirmed that the baby was also asleep. Then  he picked up the kerosene lamp he¡¯d prepared in advance and quietly went to the first floor.


    The cold of the night seeped into his skin. Xu RenDong touched his arm and found that he had goosebumps. At the same time, there was a turbulence inside his stomach and a feeling of anxiety surged to his throat.


    So hungry.


    Although the body has recovered to the best state when he first entered this world of ghosts, the hunger in the heart has not been alleviated. He must find something to eat. Besides, even if he could bear it, how about Lian Qiao and the baby? What about the little fat kid?


    You can¡¯t eat the milk powder. There is a lot of food hidden in Lamia¡¯s cave but it is clear that stealing the food there will also alarm Lamia and cause her to launch a killing spree. So what should he do?


    Xu RenDong recalled that Lian Qiao once tripped Lamia with a rope and used sand to make Lamia slide down the stairs. Although those tricks were not subtle, they were very effective.


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    If it was Lian Qiao, what would he do?


    Xu RenDong soon had a plan.


    He first went to the kitchen on the first floor and made a small bottle of milk powder. The tempting aroma of milk quickly rose, almost filling the entire kitchen. He endured the twisting in his stomach and swallowing his saliva, quickly wrapped the bottle in his clothes and walked quickly toward the gate of the monastery.


    This time he did not wait for the milk powder to cool because the milk powder was not for the baby. The milk powder brewed in boiling water was piping hot in his hands but was also particularly fragrant.


    Xu RenDong went to the gate. Like the last time, a heavy giant lock hung on the rusty gate and it was chilling in the moonlight. Outside the monastery was still the thick fog. His field of vision was only one meter away and nothing could be seen beyond that.


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t hesitate too much. He unscrewed the bottle cap and pierced the bottle using the iron gate railing. With a flick of his wrist, most of the bottle of milk powder was spilled onto the ground. He threw the baby bottle out and heard a crisp ¡°ping¡± as the glass baby bottle fell to the ground. It rolled around a few times then came to a stop.


    After dropping the baby bottle, he immediately ran back to the monastery and slid into the cupboard to hide himself. At this time, the whole body was still covered with cold dampness and night dew. Xu RenDong hugged himself in the dark cabinet, touched his stomach and prayed that it would not growl at a critical moment.


    It didn¡¯t take long for ¡°patter patter¡± footsteps to sound in the large and empty living room. Lamia had appeared.


    Through the crack in the cupboard door, Xu RenDong saw Lamia walking straight to the entrance. The milk bottle outside the iron gate was absolutely attractive to her. She didn¡¯t stay long in the living room so naturally she did not find Xu RenDong. Xu RenDong waited inside the cabinet for a while until Lamia walked into the courtyard. Then he got out quietly.


    When Lamia came to the big iron gate, she immediately found that the milk scent came from the bottle on the ground. But as Xu RenDong expected, her IQ was not enough to recognize that this was just a baby bottle and not a child so she still stretched out her arm from the gap in the railing, trying to reach the baby bottle on the floor of the other side.


    The slender and pale arm looked like a wrinkled snake in the moonlight. Xu RenDong had calculated the position carefully and so the place where the milk bottle fell just exceeded the reach of Lamia¡¯s fingers. No matter how hard Lamia stretched out her arms, her fingertips were always only a little short of the bottle. This made her particularly annoyed and instead squeezed her shoulders into the railing gap harder.


    With her IQ, it is estimated that this problem will not be solved for a while. Xu RenDong was very confident about this.


    So he stopped peeping and instead quickly went to the gray wall at the end of the corridor.


    He found the chalk in advance. Since the old nun hadn¡¯t taught them yet, the chalk was still long and whole. He held the chalk tightly in his hand and his hands were no longer trembling as he did last time. Xu RenDong calmly drew four horizontal and vertical white lines on the wall. With a slight noise, the rock door was pushed aside. The familiar dark cave appeared in front of him.


    Xu RenDong took a deep breath. He raised the kerosene lamp and walked into the cave. The stone gate then closed like a giant beast behind him, opening its big black mouth and engulfing the little child.


    While Xu RenDong was searching in a cave full of food with a small backpack, Lian Qiao was standing by the window in the children¡¯s room on the second floor, looking out into the courtyard.


    What was that white thing? It has long hands and feet and a thin body with a long snake tail behind him¡­


    Many monsters with similar images appeared in Lian Qiao¡¯s mind but he was not sure which was correct. That white thing was trying very hard to squeeze its body out of the gap in the railing. Even though its hands had stretched out so much, it still couldn¡¯t reach the white round thing that was on the ground, reflected in the moonlight. It seems that that thing is very important to it.


    But what was it exactly?


    Lian Qiao narrowed his eyes. He stared at the thing for a long time and finally  came to the realization that it was a baby bottle. The milk bottle has been knocked over, and the white flowers on the ground were full of milk that was still steaming hot.


    Lian Qiao thought for a moment then glanced back at the crib.


    The baby was still sleeping soundly.


    Lian Qiao suddenly understood something. He showed a surprised expression of realization. Immediately afterwards, he frowned again.

 CH 41

    Chapter 41 ¨C Esophagus 13


    Lian Qiao waited quietly in the dark. After an unknown period of time, he finally heard the sound of soft footsteps in the corridor.


    He felt more at ease. He pulled his quilt up and closed his eyes, pretending that he had been asleep this whole time. The bedroom door opened and closed and then Lian Qiao quickly felt someone approaching. A warm little hand pushed him gently.


    ¡°Lian Qiao, wake up.¡± The voice was low and soft, like a lover¡¯s caress.


    Lian Qiao pretended not to hear. The boy called a few more times and when he saw that Lian Qiao wasn¡¯t responding, he sighed slightly. Then Lian Qiao heard the rustling of his clothes and wasn¡¯t sure what the other person was doing.


    Are you undressing? Do you want to sleep with me?


    Lian Qiao¡¯s heartbeat was fierce and he couldn¡¯t help but get excited. Just when he couldn¡¯t keep acting any longer, the scent of roasted meat burst through the tip of his nose.


    Eh?!


    Lian Qiao opened his eyes in surprise and suddenly something hot and fragrant poked him on the lips. He licked it subconsciously- it was a roast lamb leg!


    ¡°Eat.¡± Xu RenDong said softly.


    Lian Qiao got up from the bed cautiously, trying not to make any noise. He took the roast lamb leg and asked in confusion: ¡°Brother RenDong, where did you get this?¡±


    In the darkness, he couldn¡¯t see Xu RenDong¡¯s face but felt that Xu RenDong was smiling at him.


    ¡°Stole it from the Boss.¡± Xu RenDong whispered, ¡°I will explain it to you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lian Qiao nodded. He held the roast lamb leg and chewed happily.


    After a slight noise, Xu RenDong sat down next to him on the bed. In the darkness, it was impossible to see even someone close clearly but Lian Qiao sensed that Xu RenDong was eating something while holding something else in his hand. He suddenly felt that they were like two students living on campus, sneakily eating supper after the lights had been turned off. They dared not to make a sound for fear of being discovered by the dorm monitor.


    Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t help but raise the corners of his mouth as he looked at Xu RenDong in the dark. Although he couldn¡¯t see anything, just listening to the faint sound of chewing and swallowing from that direction made Lian Qiao feel an indescribable sense of excitement.


    The strange feelings seeded inside his heart took advantage of the night to grow unscrupulously.


    Just when Lian Qiao was about to lose control and wanted to do something, Xu RenDong suddenly said: ¡°Are you finished?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Here¡¯s a handkerchief, wipe your mouth.¡±


    Lian Qiao froze. He felt Xu RenDong groping in the dark but couldn¡¯t find him. So he stretched out his hand intuitively and quickly grabbed Xu RenDong¡¯s hand. Those were the tender and soft hands of a child.


    Lian Qiao was suddenly shocked and his whole body froze.


    Xu RenDong gave him the handkerchief and then quickly retracted his hand. Lian Qiao held the handkerchief which had some residual warmth and thought blankly: What am I thinking? Did I really just get lustful over a three-year-old child?


    A five-year-old child, towards a three-year-old child? That¡¯s really terrible.


    The physiological discomfort was like a tide flooding Lian Qiao¡¯s mind. Immersed in a strong sensation of self-blame, he spent a sleepless night.


    The next day, Lian Qiao woke up with a pair of heavy dark circles under his eyes. He saw Ye QingLiu feeding the baby rice cereal. The little fat kid was asking questions about the rice cereal that just suddenly appeared. Ye QingLiu spread her hands and indicated that she didn¡¯t know. It was on the table when she woke up.


    Little fat kid: ¡°Only rice cereal? Was there nothing else?¡±


    Ye QingLiu: ¡°Only rice cereal.¡±


    The little fat kid was not satisfied with the answer. He frowned and muttered: ¡°Impossible. I thought I smelled barbecue meat last night. Was it¡­ a dream?¡±


    Lian Qiao turned his head guiltily but Xu RenDong said with certainty: ¡°You were definitely dreaming.¡±


    The little fat kid wanted to ask other people but Lian Qiao hurriedly interjected: ¡°Yes, I can smell food too. But mine is hotpot.¡±


    Ye QingLiu glanced at him contemptuously. ¡°Dream on, where the hell would hotpot come from?¡±


    The little fat kid still looked suspicious but in the end he didn¡¯t say anymore.


    At this time, the sky was just getting bright and the children woke up one after another. They discussed what to do today. Before long, the old nun suddenly appeared at the door of the room.


    Xu RenDong caught a glimpse of the nun and immediately stood in front of Ye QingLiu. He calmly blocked the old nun¡¯s line of sight with his body to prevent her from  seeing the rice paste in Ye QingLiu¡¯s hand. The old nun looked around with her muddy eyes like dead fish, her haggard lips twisting.


    ¡°Little bastards, follow me!¡± She knocked on the door frame with a pointer and spoke  with a stern expression. ¡°Don¡¯t dilly-dally and come downstairs!¡± The children looked at each other uncomfortably. No one dared to disobey the NPC and they followed her obediently through the building.


    When she came to the living room on the first floor, the old nun pointed to the blackboard and asked who stole the chalk. The children were very surprised. After all, they had only gotten to the monastery last night. In the dark, no one had even noticed there was a blackboard in the corner of the living room. So who would steal the chalk?


    Xu RenDong stood silently in the crowd without saying a word.


    The old nun asked to no avail and sneered: ¡°Hehe, okay! You little rascals are all so dishonest! Then be punished together! Stand up for me one by one and hold out your hands!¡±


    She fiddled with the pointer in her hands, staring at the children darkly. Obviously she was not about to show mercy. The children looked at each other and the timid ones had stood up obediently, waiting for the old nun to come and punish them.


    Xu RenDong suddenly noticed that the little fat kid glanced at him. His eyes were not quite right, Xu RenDong¡¯s heart suddenly tightened and then sure enough, the little fat kid turned to the old nun and said, ¡°Mother nun, actually last night¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong calmly interrupted him: ¡°Last night, the baby seemed to be hungry and was crying all the time.¡±


    The little fat kid was taken aback and squinted. He looked at Xu RenDong with his eyes narrowed. The old nun heard that the baby was crying. Her expression showed a subtle change and then she asked with interest: ¡°Oh? Did you feed it?¡±


    Xu RenDong looked directly at the old nun¡¯s muddy eyes: ¡°I just fed it some water and it took a long time to stop crying. So I was thinking we need to find something better to feed it today. It¡¯s too small. If we don¡¯t feed it properly today, it will definitely not be able to hold on. ¡°


    A dark smile flashed across the old nun¡¯s face: ¡°You are pretty thoughtful, huh? Okay then I will spare you this time. There is milk powder in the kitchen, so you can feed it that!¡±


    After she finished speaking, she walked upstairs slowly. The children watched her back until she returned to her room and locked the door behind her with a click. Only then did everyone¡¯s mood slightly relax.


    The little fat kid suddenly grabbed Xu RenDong by the collar: ¡°You took the chalk, right?! I told you not to act arbitrarily! You almost killed us just now!¡±


    Xu RenDong lied without hesitation: ¡°It wasn¡¯t me. ¡°


    The little fat kid said angrily:¡±Who else if not you!¡±


    Lian Qiao approached and advised: ¡°We are all on the same team, so what are you up in arms for? Let him go, if you have something to say, say it calmly.¡±


    The fat child glanced at him but didn¡¯t let go of Xu RenDong. Xu RenDong frowned and was about to resist when Lian Qiao took the lead and stepped on the fat kid¡¯s feet!


    ¡°Ouch!¡± The little fat kid jumped up with pain when his big toe was stepped on. His hands naturally loosened.


    Lian Qiao retracted his foot with an innocent look: ¡°See, using physical force isn¡¯t good right? It will ruin the harmonious atmosphere.¡±


    All the children: ¡°¡­¡± You really treat yourself as a five-year-old kid!


    Xu RenDong was amused by Lian Qiao¡¯s childish behavior. He suddenly discovered that Lian Qiao had a lot of insidious tricks. Although they weren¡¯t exactly ¡®righteous¡¯, they were very effective! Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help giving him a thumbs up in his heart and then said to everyone: ¡°Okay, let¡¯s not waste time. While the NPC is not here, let¡¯s hurry up and split up to explore the place.¡±


    The little fat kid glared at him angrily however reason prevailed and he eventually took Ren GaoFei and the others upstairs. Xu RenDong took his small team to the kitchen on the first floor. He pretended to rummage through the cabinets and quickly found the milk powder bag.


    Ye QingLiu walked over: ¡°This is the milk powder that the old nun was talking about?¡± The baby she was holding in her arms had already woken up and was sucking her finger. Ye QingLiu took her finger out of the baby¡¯s mouth and whispered, ¡°That¡¯s unhygienic. Don¡¯t eat hands.¡±


    ¡°I suspect this is a trap.¡± Xu RenDong groaned, ¡°When the old nun mentioned the milk powder, her facial expression wasn¡¯t quite right. It was like she was anticipating something. She even skipped the corporal punishment and went directly back to her room to hide. I think there¡¯s definitely a problem here.¡±


    The group of newcomers all came to a realization that they needed to think carefully or would easily get tricked. Luckily Xu RenDong was here.


    Xu RenDong breathed a sigh of relief that his lie worked. He put the milk powder away and when he looked up, he met Lian Qiao¡¯s thoughtful eyes.


    Xu RenDong remembered that he had promised to give Lian Qiao an answer as to where he¡¯d gone last night so he walked to Lian Qiao and whispered: ¡°I will take you someplace.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes lit up.


    Xu RenDong distracted everyone and then took Lian Qiao alone to the white wall at the end of the living room corridor. He took out the chalk and began to draw the door on the wall. Lian Qiao suppressed his excitement while acting as a lookout for him. He muttered: ¡°Is this where the game¡¯s boss lives? Brother RenDong, you are really good. This is only the first day and you¡¯ve already found food and even where the boss is. How many things did you do last night?¡±


    Xu RenDong smiled and said nothing. When the four white lines formed a box on the wall, a wonderful change appeared. The chalk line quickly corroded the wall like a chemical liquid and the depression of the lines quickly became a gap. Xu RenDong pushed gently and the rectangular wall was pushed open like a door, revealing an unfathomable dark cave behind the wall.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡± Lian Qiao exclaimed, ¡°I¡¯ve seen this design in games. I didn¡¯t expect to see it in reality. The effect is so great! It has the feeling of a children¡¯s fantasy novel!¡±


    Just as he stretched out his neck to look inside the dark cave, Xu RenDong suddenly took out a chicken leg and asked, ¡°Are you hungry?¡±


    Lian Qiao was confused: ¡°Not hungry.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Oh, then eat a chicken leg anyway.¡±


    Lian Qiao was suddenly stuffed with a drumstick in his mouth. His face was suddenly bewildered. But under Xu RenDong¡¯s ardent gaze, he still gnawed off the chicken leg honestly and burped when he was full.


    Xu RenDong nodded in satisfaction: ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go in.¡±


    Lian Qiao thought to himself: Today the big boss is really strange, indulging in feeding all kinds of meat. What kind of hobby is this?


    It¡¯s really puzzling.


    Two children, one large and one small, crawled into the cave. The stone gate drawn in chalk quickly closed behind them. Just like a drop of water falling into the lake, the crack of the door quickly merged with the uneven stone wall and the traces of chalk completely disappeared.


    Lian Qiao stroked the stone wall and said in admiration: ¡°It¡¯s like a fairy tale¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong found that Lian Qiao was a lot more talkative and lively than when they  came last time. Of course, the last time they came here the other teammates were all dead so of course he wouldn¡¯t be in a good mood. This time, Lian Qiao had just begun to explore and hadn¡¯t experienced pain and torture. His curiosity about this world was far greater than his fear. He walked into the cave where the monster was hiding like a child exploring a treasure cave.


    Xu RenDong suddenly developed a strong desire to protect him. He raised the kerosene lamp and walked forward. He was just about to instruct Lian Qiao to follow him when Lian Qiao suddenly took the kerosene lamp from his hand and walked ahead.


    Xu RenDong was taken aback.


    Lian Qiao, who was a head taller than him, raised the kerosene lamp high and the warm yellow dispelled the darkness in front of him. His free hand slightly reached out in the direction of Xu RenDong and the palm was facing up, as if he were waiting for Xu RenDong to put something onto it.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°???¡± What do you want?


    He looked at Lian Qiao¡¯s hand, pondered for a moment and put the remaining half of chalk onto Lian Qiao¡¯s hand.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°???¡±


    He glanced at Xu RenDong in surprise and then, after thinking about something unknown for a moment, took a deep breath and said with a dry smile: ¡°Ahaha, yes, yes. I just wanted to see the chalk. Brother RenDong, you are so smart! I just want to see what¡¯s so magical about this chalk, how come you can make a door with your bare hands¡­Ahahahaha¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong looked at him strangely. ¡°We¡¯re going to meet the boss soon so I know you¡¯re very excited. But you¡¯d better calm down, there¡¯s dangerous things coming up.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Lian Qiao was speechless for a while and then nodded with a pained expression.

 CH 42

    Chapter 42 ¨C Esophagus 14


    When Xu RenDong got to the end of the cave, his vision suddenly opened up. The huge dining table was full of food and the beautiful Greek girl nodded silently at the end of the dining table, her long flaxen hair draped softly on her shoulders.


    The food on the table was dazzling and colorful. The girl at the table had a serene and sweet face. This could have been an exotic still life portrait but the girl¡¯s empty eyes and palms, each holding an eyeball, added cold and cruel metaphors to this painting. It made people feel very uncomfortable when they looked at it. A silver-white elevator stood behind the girl, looking even more abrupt.


    Xu RenDong retold Lian Qiao¡¯s battle plan from last time back to him. After Lian Qiao listened, a strange look flashed through his eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s a coincidence, the plan in my heart is like this.¡±


    When Xu RenDong heard him say that, he felt like he had stolen the results of Lian Qiao¡¯s efforts. He suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. But he could only say: ¡°Right now it shouldn¡¯t be too late so let¡¯s do it.¡±


    This time, Lian Qiao stole the eyeballs smoothly. The sleeping Greek girl didn¡¯t notice and still sat with her head down. It was Lian Qiao who frowned after the theft, looking down at the two eyeballs in his hand with disgust.


    Xu RenDong recalled the sensation of his wet and slimy eyeballs squirming in his palms and cast a sympathetic look at Lian Qiao. When he saw Lian Qiao had succeeded, he turned and walked in the direction he came from. Lian Qiao ran to catch up, leaned to his ear and whispered: ¡°Wait, I have an idea.¡±


    Xu RenDong looked at him, puzzled. Lian Qiao put the two eyeballs in his pockets then took out half of the chalk. He walked to the edge of the stone wall closest to him. However, he only pressed the chalk head against the stone wall and did not draw anything.


    Lian Qiao looked back at Xu RenDong, asking for advice in his eyes. Xu RenDong immediately understood what he meant: If they painted a new door here, and not where they came from, where would this door lead?


    You can¡¯t guess. You won¡¯t know unless you try it.


    Xu RenDong nodded in agreement and Lian Qiao started painting the door. Soon, a small door less than half a meter appeared on the stone wall. The two looked at each other, took a deep breath and pushed the door open together.


    What appeared in front of him was a bedroom he had never seen before. The tables and chairs were all furnished in the same style as the monastery. It was gray and dirty and there was an uncomfortable gloom everywhere.


    In the next second, they saw the old nun sitting on the bed gnawing corn.


    Lian Qiao & Xu RenDong: ¡°???¡±


    Old nun: ¡°?????¡±


    Unexpectedly, he opened a door in the cave and ended up in the old nun¡¯s bedroom!


    But why was she gnawing corn? Does this monastery still hide corn cobs? Then why didn¡¯t we find any¡­ Wait, did NPCs also want to eat?


    The old nun was in shock at having been discovered stealing food. Her eyes widened like a fish, her mouth was half open and there was still half of her chewed corn in her mouth. Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao were also in great shock.


    In this way, both parties were silent for a few seconds. Then Lian Qiao reacted first.


    ¡°Excuse me, goodbye!¡± Lian Qiao suddenly dragged Xu RenDong backwards.


    These words were like a basin of cold water and the old nun woke up in an instant. The expression on her face immediately became fierce and she jumped out of the bed and rushed towards the two of them.


    Xu RenDong had already retreated into the cave. Lian Qiao was about to reach out to close the stone gate. There was a sudden pain on the back of his hand and he was gripped by the old nun¡¯s bone-like fingers!


    At the same time, the old nun shouted angrily: ¡°Little bastard, where did you come from!¡±


    She roared and her voice was sharp and harsh, echoing in the deep cave, stabbing at people¡¯s ears. Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao were shocked and, at the same time, they looked at the Greek girl behind the dining table. Sure enough, under the stimulus of this huge sound, the girl¡¯s originally drooping head suddenly lifted and her sunken eye sockets were aimed at where the sound came from!


    Lamia had awakened!


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao suddenly fell into a dilemma where they were stuck with wolves in front and tigers in the back. The two hesitated for only a second and then Lian Qiao used the strength of the old nun¡¯s grasp to pull Xu RenDong back over: ¡°Come back!¡±


    Xu RenDong suddenly jumped back into the bedroom. Seeing this, the old nun grabbed him with her withered hands like eagle claws. Xu RenDong relied on his small body, bent over and hid, using both hands and feet to sneak between the old nun¡¯s legs.


    At this time, Lian Qiao¡¯s hand was still held tightly by the old nun. The old nun was furious and with a violent force, she pulled Lian Qiao out of the cave and slammed him against the wall. Lian Qiao let out a muffled snort and slid from the wall to the ground but, ignoring the pain, he got up and shouted: ¡°Close the door, close the door! Close the door!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Xu RenDong had already rushed back to the door at this time and slammed the door closed with one push. Seeing that the stone door was about to close, a pale hand suddenly stretched out from the cave! The hand grabbed the stone door and slowly pushed the door open again.


    Lamia had caught up!


    Xu RenDong was shocked and slammed the rock door with all his strength, trying to push Lamia backwards. Lamia¡¯s pale palm was stuck in the crack of the door and was pinched several times by the stone door. The palm was pinched flat but, as if she could not feel anything, she clung to the door frame firmly.


    The old nun was also shocked when she saw this: ¡°You, you¡­¡± She screamed. At the same time, Lamia had already pushed open the stone door and poked her head from behind the door. At this moment, she was no longer the beautiful girl. Blood began to shed from her empty eye sockets and the skin on her face was like a weathered rock, which was lifted and dropped piece by piece. The delicate facial features quickly distorted and turned into a terrifying monster in a flash.


    A vicious look suddenly flashed in the old nun¡¯s eyes. Her withered claws stretched out towards Xu RenDong and grabbed him by the collar. Xu RenDong struggled in mid-air, and his two short and chubby legs flopped desperately, but they couldn¡¯t kick the old nun.


    The old nun snorted and threw Xu RenDong towards Lamia!


    ¡°Xu RenDong!¡± Lian Qiao screamed heartbreakingly, rushing towards the rock door with his hands and feet. However, it was too late. Lamia had grabbed Xu RenDong and pulled him towards her chest!


    Lian Qiao tried his best and finally caught Xu RenDong¡¯s wrist. He supported the edge of the stone door with his feet and firmly grasped Xu RenDong in his hands. Lamia held on to Xu RenDong with so much strength that Lian Qiao desperately resisted the door frame to prevent Xu RenDong from being completely dragged in. Fortunately, the door frame was opened small. He spread his legs against the door frame, using his knees as the fulcrum, relying on the strength of his joints and ligaments, forcibly competing with Lamia.


    Xu RenDong was held tightly in his arms by Lamia and those two pale arms wrapped around his chest like a python, making him breathless. Lian Qiao put his knees against the rock door and the joints of his legs were twisted into terrible angles. Xu RenDong could hear his bones cry from such a distance and it seemed that if they were pulled just one inch further they would crack and break.


    Xu RenDong tried to squeeze out a few words from his throat, ¡°Lian Qiao¡­ let go¡­¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t!¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s fingers turned pale because of too much force. Instead of letting go, he turned towards him. Xu RenDong stretched out his other hand, ¡°Catch my hand! Hurry up!¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s vision was blocked by Lamia. He vaguely saw a tall shadow behind Lian Qiao approaching and he was anxious: ¡°Lian Qiao¡­ Behind¡­behind¡­behind¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t take care of that right now. He just desperately grabbed at Xu RenDong¡¯s hand. Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in his back and his whole body trembled: ¡°Uhhh!¡±


    Lian Qiao turned his head and saw that the old nun had quietly walked up behind him. At this time, the old nun raised her leg again and kicked him hard in the back! The pointed leather shoes kicked him on the soft underbelly of his waist, kicking him to the side!


    ¡­Woo¡­¡± Lian Qiao curled up in pain, followed by a lightness in his hands¨CXu RenDong had been dragged into the cave by Lamia!


    ¡°Xu RenDong!¡± Lian Qiao screamed and stretched out his hand towards the dark cave but couldn¡¯t catch anything anymore. Hearing a loud crash, Xu RenDong groaned as if he had been thrown to the ground.


    At the same time, Lian Qiao felt the danger approaching in the dark. His nervous reflexes were faster than thinking. He stepped back abruptly but saw Lamia¡¯s pale and withered claws rushing out of the cave again! Fortunately, the stone gate painted by Lian Qiao was small and Lamia¡¯s body got stuck. She couldn¡¯t get out. He saw her two pale arms stretch out from the cave, twisting frantically like a python.


    The old nun screamed in surprise. She backed up and her body hit the table and chair. She quickly turned around to push the table and chair, trying to block the stone door.


    The cave was pitch black and Xu RenDong¡¯s life or death was uncertain. Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes were red. He gave the old nun a fierce look and suddenly took out the chalk.


    ¡°What do you want?!¡± The old nun exclaimed, trying to stop him. Lian Qiao dodged like a cat and the chalk in his hand had already drawn an arc on the wall!


    The arc just connected to the edge of the stone gate. The white chalk line quickly corroded the bedroom wall like sulfuric acid. The Lamia in the cave broke with force and the stone gate crumbled like a biscuit piece!


    The opening connecting the cave and the bedroom had doubled in an instant!


    The old nun screamed in horror and desperately pushed the table and chairs toward the hole. But it was too late, Lamia had crawled out of the cave. Her eyeballs were stolen so she couldn¡¯t see anything. The bloody and empty big eye sockets looked blankly and quickly locked onto the panicked old nun. She then rushed towards her. The old nun tried to block her with a table but Lamia easily overturned her.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhh-¡± Lamia bit the old nun in the neck. {T/N: Like I know that Lamia has no teeth according to the previous chapter so I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s happening here, maybe she¡¯s just  using her gums to tear the head directly probably.}


    Lian Qiao ignored the screaming scream behind him. He turned his head and jumped back into the dark cave. With the light in the bedroom, he finally saw that Xu RenDong was curled up in the corner of the cave. A sharp stone pierced deep in his calf and blood was dripping. The injury felt painful just by looking at it but Xu RenDong didn¡¯t make a sound from beginning to end. He just gritted his teeth and endured it silently.


    Lian Qiao only like needles were stabbing his heart. He pulled up Xu RenDong and whispered: ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Xu RenDong was startled, staring at Lian Qiao blankly. His heart was suddenly sour. His whole body was painful to death but he didn¡¯t dare to scream when he bit his lip, because he was afraid that Lian Qiao would come to rescue him when he heard him call for help.


    But even so, Lian Qiao had jumped down without hesitation to come save him.


    The situation was urgent and there wasn¡¯t any time to think about it. Xu RenDong endured the severe pain in his calf, limped and ran towards him. The hole connecting the bedroom was like a drop of water on the arid ground, quickly shrinking and disappearing. The screams of the old nun and Lamia¡¯s chewing also gradually disappeared.


    The cave fell into darkness immediately.


    They didn¡¯t know where the kerosene lamp had fallen. The cave was pitch black and they couldn¡¯t see anything. Xu RenDong was almost carried by Lian Qiao and couldn¡¯t tell the direction at all. His toes kicked the stones on the ground from time to time and he almost fell off several times, but he was grasped tightly by Lian Qiao.


    How could Lian Qiao have such great strength? Obviously, he had become a child just like him so how could so much strength burst out of a small body?


    The child who was not much older than himself was gasping and a violent heartbeat thumped between the two clinging bodies. For some reason, Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help but want to laugh.


    Lian Qiao stopped suddenly as if he had noticed something. He listened for a while and whispered: ¡°Fuck, are you laughing? You scared me to death.¡±


    In the darkness, Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t see the face of Lian Qiao which must have been close by. Since Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t see him, he smiled boldly and even asked a little happily: ¡°Where are we going? Do you still know the way?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m going just by feeling.¡± Lian Qiao yanked him to his side and set off again. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid Brother Xu RenDong. I have a good sense of direction. Do you know ¡°Escape¡±? And ¡°Resident Evil 7¡å or anything like that? Those kinds of horror games don¡¯t have any maps! And the vision is very dark and you¡¯re often chased by monsters. But I never got lost. As long as I walk the road again, I¡­¡±


    Next second, there was a boom!


    Lian Qiao was shocked and fell silent instantly.


    Xu RenDong said nervously: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± His muscles tightened, and he was alert to the surroundings, ¡°Is Lamia is catching up?¡±


    Lian Qiao was silent for a moment: ¡°¡­No, I hit the wall. My nose hurts a bit. Let me slow down for a bit.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    Two seconds later, Xu RenDong burst into laughter. The laughter echoed in the cave, creating a reverberation effect which sounded very magical.


    Lian Qiao helpless: ¡°Big brother, can you be serious, we haven¡¯t escaped yet.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°I know, but¡­hahahahahahahaha¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong laughed until his stomach was sour and almost couldn¡¯t stand up straight. Lian Qiao could only stop to wait for him. Xu RenDong didn¡¯t know why he couldn¡¯t control himself, he hadn¡¯t laughed like this in a long time. Even tears came out and his throat became hoarse.


    Fortunately, it was dark here and Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t see him.


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Lian Qiao sighed helplessly. He continued to lead Xu RenDong forward. Xu RenDong only noticed that when they had already clasped hands.


    Like two children, returning from an adventure in a treasure cave.


    ¡°It should be here.¡± Lian Qiao stood at the end of the road and took out the chalk from his body, ¡°I¡¯ll draw the door.¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes were wet and he looked at him with a smile in the dark: ¡°Okay.¡±


    A moment later, after a slight noise, the redrawn stone gate was slowly pushed open. The familiar hallway of the living room appeared in front of them.


    Xu RenDong quietly wiped away his tears.


    Back in the corridor of the monastery, the two turned their heads at the same time, silently watching the gap between the stone gates shrinking little by little until it disappeared completely. The wall quickly became as intact as before as if nothing had happened. They were finally safe again.


    Lian Qiao suddenly said in pain: ¡°So, can the situation just now be summed up as, we ran to our deaths and somehow ended up killing the nun?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°You are right.¡±


    Lian Qiao immediately said: ¡± If someone else asks¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°We will pretend that we don¡¯t know anything.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Okay.


    The two of them looked at each other and laughed again.

 CH 43

    Chapter 43 ¨C Esophagus 15


    The two walked through the corridor and found that the entire first floor was empty. They didn¡¯t know where Ye QingLiu and the others had gone. Lian Qiao helped Xu RenDong sit down on the sofa in the living room. Looking back, there was a bloody trail the entire way. Xu RenDong still had a rock pierced inside his calf. The stone was very sharp and plunged deeply into his flesh and stained his trousers black.


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°You sit here, I¡¯ll find something to bandage you with.¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded and pulled out the sharp rock from his calf. It was painful and he couldn¡¯t help hissing.


    Lian Qiao turned his head when he heard the sound and saw that the wound on Xu RenDong¡¯s leg suddenly began to spray blood. He was shocked: ¡°Fuck! Why did you pull it out!¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°It hurts to have it inside, it¡¯s much better now.¡±


    Lian Qiao squatted down quickly to apply pressure to the wound but the blood kept coming out, constantly squirting out from his fingers. Lian Qiao panicked and said: ¡°It¡¯s over, the artery is broken!¡± He suddenly raised his head and stared at Xu RenDong angrily, ¡°You don¡¯t have any common sense! Foreign objects inserted into the body can¡¯t be pulled out randomly, don¡¯t you know!?¡±


    Xu RenDong : ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t know.¡±


    Lian Qiao was so angry that he couldn¡¯t speak. He looked around, looking for something cleaner for emergency bandaging but he didn¡¯t dare to leave Xu RenDong¡¯s wound for fear that it would bleed more as soon as he let go. Xu RenDong saw that he was so nervous and finally felt a little embarrassed: ¡°I¡¯ll press it down myself.¡±


    Lian Qiao glared at him again and suddenly his eyes fell on his waist: ¡°Where is your belt?¡±


    Since his body became a child, his clothes became too big on him. Xu RenDong lifted his shirt and looked down. His belt was also wrapped loosely around his waist. He was embarrassed: ¡°You want to use my belt to stop the bleeding? Then I can¡¯t tie up my pants¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao snorted angrily: ¡°You asked for it! Hurry up, take out the belt and fasten it until your knees cannot bend!¡±


    Xu RenDong asked puzzledly as he pulled out his belt, ¡°Why can¡¯t I bend my knees?¡±


    ¡°This is called proximal compression to stop bleeding. You wait and I will add something to cushion it.¡± Before he tightened the belt, Lian Qiao took out a handkerchief and put it between the belt and Xu RenDong¡¯s knee and then helped him tighten it together. While doing this, Lian Qiao was still giving him a lecture, ¡°Blood flows from the heart to the limbs. If the blood vessels in the heart are compressed then the blood flowing down will be less and so it¡¯s easier to clot.¡±


    Xu RenDong looked down at his calf: ¡°Well, it¡¯s not spraying anymore.¡±


    Lian Qiao was speechless when he saw him speak so calmly. But the blood under the calf was still flowing. Lian Qiao stared at it for a while and said, ¡°This won¡¯t work, I still have to find something to wrap it.¡±


    Xu RenDong turned his head and looked at the windows: ¡°The curtains?¡±


    Lian Qiao looked disgusted: ¡°Too dirty. It¡¯s all gray and moldy.¡± He thought for a while then took off his coat and wrapped it around Xu RenDong¡¯s calf, frowning and said, ¡°I can only take care of it like this first. At least stop the blood¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong watched as he wrapped his legs into a big mallet and said helplessly: ¡°Now I can¡¯t close my legs because of you.¡±


    Lian Qiao was taken aback suddenly and raised his head. He stared at him blankly.


    Xu RenDong was confused: ¡°Why are you blushing?¡±


    ¡°No, no, nothing¡­¡± Lian Qiao turned his face away in embarrassment. Even the roots of his ears were blushing.


    After Lian Qiao bandaged him, he immediately stood aside. He turned his back to Xu RenDong and said, ¡°You take a rest, I¡¯ll call someone.¡± After that, he ran upstairs.


    Xu RenDong tried to get up. His legs no longer hurt so much but because the bandage was so tight, the whole calf was stiff and his knees couldn¡¯t bend. This kind of thing greatly restricted his movement and if he encountered danger again, he would definitely become a burden.


    Xu RenDong sighed, thinking that he wouldn¡¯t have pulled it out if he knew. It was better to leave it inside.


    Before long, Lian Qiao came downstairs with a bunch of children. Seeing Xu RenDong¡¯s injury, the little fat kid exclaimed: ¡°Where did you go? What happened to that old nun?¡±


    Xu RenDong lied calmly: ¡°I accidentally fell and hit a sharp piece of rock. What happened to the old nun?¡±


    The little fat kid was suspicious and did not answer. Ye QingLiu said: ¡°When we split up to explore, we suddenly heard a woman screaming upstairs. We ran up and saw it was the old nun¡¯s room. But her room was locked and we couldn¡¯t get in. There were a lot of noises inside. It sounded quite chaotic but then it went quiet after a while. I¡¯m afraid she might be dead.¡±


    Lian Qiao exclaimed very playfully, ¡°What? The NPC died? Who killed her?¡±


    The little fat kid sneered: ¡°That¡¯s what we wanted to ask you! Where did you two go?¡±


    Xu RenDong took out the bloody sharp rock and said innocently, ¡°I really fell down. Look, the stone is still here. ¡°


    Little fat kid: ¡°¡­¡±


    Ye QingLiu walked up with the baby and looked at the stone curiously. Then she looked at Xu RenDong¡¯s bloody calf. She sucked in a breath of cold air but the calm Xu RenDong gave her a thumbs up.


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this. How did exploring the map go?¡±


    Ye QingLiu said that they didn¡¯t find anything on the first floor. The little fat kid said, ¡°We found this in the study on the second floor.¡±


    He took out a book. Xu RenDong looked at it and saw that it was the picture book about Greek mythology. The little fat kid said: ¡°This picture book mentions a monster called ¡®Lamia¡¯, which should be the ¡®esophagus¡¯ mentioned by the elevator.¡±


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help being surprised: ¡°Why do you think that?¡±


    The little fat kid smiled lightly. He laughed: ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you know? The original meaning of the word ¡®lamia¡¯ in ancient Greek is ¡®esophagus¡¯.¡±


    Xu RenDong was shocked. He originally thought that only Lian Qiao would know this kind of trivia.


    Xu RenDong gave Lian Qiao a disappointed look.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°???¡±


    Xu RenDong shook his head, sighed, and turned to look at the little fat kid: ¡°Then what do you think the clearance conditions are?¡±


    The little fat kid was taken aback and quickly said with anger: ¡°How would I know that? This is just the first day. That¡¯s the clue, but how can I just figure out the clearance condition like that.¡± He seemed to think that Xu RenDong¡¯s question was very rude so he sneered, ¡°Don¡¯t just think about clearing the instance just yet, first think about how to save your life!¡±


    Xu RenDong thought about it. All the milk powder and chalk was with him and the old nun had died. The little fat kid had no chance to die so he said sincerely: ¡°You make a lot of sense.¡±


    The little fat kid: ¡°¡­¡± Why is this guy¡¯s attitude so strange? Why is there the scent of sarcasm in his sincere expression?


    Lian Qiao had been sitting on the sofa looking at the picture book but suddenly raised his head and said, ¡°Actually, I have an idea¡­¡±


    Before he could finish talking, the baby in Ye QingLiu¡¯s arms suddenly opened its mouth and wailed.


    Xu RenDong was shocked and looked towards the second floor subconsciously. Fortunately, there was no movement on the second floor and the end of the corridor was empty. Lamia did not appear. He didn¡¯t know if it was because it was daytime or because they stole Lamia¡¯s eyes. In short, this time the baby¡¯s cry did not attract Lamia.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s face changed and he pressed his trouser pocket with one hand. That trouser pocket is where Lamia¡¯s eyeballs are hidden. Xu RenDong asked in a low voice: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°The eyeballs are moving.¡±


    Xu RenDong frowned and the nerves in his body tightened again.


    Ye QingLiu coaxed the baby and the other children stared at the baby. The little fat kid covered his ears and said in dissatisfaction: ¡°It¡¯s so noisy! He¡¯s crying so loudly, who knows if it will attract anything!¡±


    Xu RenDong wanted to ask for the baby to be given to him but suddenly realized that the little fat kid was antagonistic towards him so if he just asked for the baby, he definitely wouldn¡¯t give it to him. Lian Qiao spoke first: ¡°Is he hungry? Little fatty, you should quickly find something to feed him with!¡±


    Who knows which part of this sentence poked the little fat kid¡¯s sensitive spot. In any case he was immediately furious and his voice went up an octave: ¡°Why should I feed it?! Why?! I said at the beginning not to take it! It¡¯s you guys who wanted to bring this burdensome thing. And now you want me to be responsible for it?!¡±


    After he spoke he took a step forward. He snatched the baby from Ye QingLiu¡¯s arms and stuffed it into Xu RenDong¡¯s arms.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°???¡±


    Little Fatty: ¡°In the beginning, you said you wanted to bring it! Now you can handle it yourself! I don¡¯t care!¡± After that, he called his friends and asked everyone to follow him to the second floor to continue to explore. They hadn¡¯t finished looking at the books on the shelf yet.


    Xu RenDong was stunned and couldn¡¯t help casting an admiring look at Lian Qiao. Lian Qiao nodded at him implicitly.


    Ye QingLiu was the last to leave. She was very reluctant, turning around frequently. Xu RenDong said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will take care of it.¡± Thus Ye QingLiu followed the little fat kid and the others upstairs.


    Until everyone left, Lian Qiao smiled, eyes bright and full of pride that his plan had succeeded: ¡°Brother RenDong, aren¡¯t I smart?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Very.¡±


    Lian Qiao smiled and stretched out his hand towards Xu RenDong. ¡°Let me hug.¡±


    Xu RenDong handed the baby to him. Lian Qiao hugged the baby with one hand and then stretched out another hand towards him.


    Xu RenDong looked at him incomprehensibly, thinking: I already gave the baby to you, the chalk is with you and Lamia¡¯s eyeballs were also given to you¡­. What else do you want?


    Lian Qiao waited for a long time. Seeing that Xu RenDong didn¡¯t respond, he finally couldn¡¯t help it. He reached out and grabbed Xu RenDong¡¯s arm.


    ¡°You have an injury on your leg¡­ I will help you.¡±


    He said this very low and lightly and hid his face behind the baby¡¯s swaddling. Xu RenDong almost didn¡¯t hear what he said.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Xu RenDong said gratefully.


    In this way, Lian Qiao went to the kitchen with the baby in one hand and Xu RenDong in the other.


    Xu RenDong had some rice cereal stolen from the cave. He heated the rice cereal a bit and fed it to the baby but the baby refused to eat it. He fed it and gave it water again but the baby cried louder and refused to eat anything.


    Xu RenDong was out of options and said to Lian Qiao, ¡°You coax him.¡±


    Lian Qiao helplessly: ¡°I don¡¯t know how to coax a child¡­¡± Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he took something out of his trouser pocket and held it up in front of the baby. He smiled, ¡°Come on, let me give you a toy!¡±


    Xu RenDong looked at it and it turned out that it was the two bloody eyeballs. For a while, he was speechless: ¡°You are so¡­¡±


    Unexpectedly, the baby saw those two eyeballs and actually stopped crying. It stretched out its small hand toward the eyeball and, when Lian Qiao gave him the eyeball, it held it and looked very happy.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± This baby is terrible!


    Lian Qiao said suddenly: ¡°Brother RenDong, you threw a bottle outside the monastery last night to tempt Lamia over. Was there milk powder in the bottle?¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback: ¡°So you saw it?¡­Yes there was milk powder. What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°This milk powder should be used to feed the baby but if the baby eats it, it will attract Lamia right?¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Now, Lamia¡¯s eyeballs respond to the baby¡¯s cry. The baby is not afraid to see this eyeball but instead behaves intimately with it. Does this mean¡­?¡±


    Xu RenDong finally understood what he meant and said in surprise: ¡°This baby is Lamia¡¯s child?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my guess.¡± Lian Qiao showed a reminiscent expression, ¡°According to  the picture book, Lamia became crazy because of eating her own child so she went about everywhere eating other children.¡±


    At this point, all the clues are connected in a line. No wonder the milk smell and the baby¡¯s cry can attract Lamia. No wonder Lamia utters such a sorrowful cry after eating the baby. It turns out that this baby is the biological child that Lamia has been looking for!


    Xu RenDong realized this but soon fell into another thought: ¡°Then how can Lamia regain her sanity?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡± Return the child to her.¡±


    Xu RenDong shook her head: ¡°No. She can¡¯t tell which one is her own child. She will eat the baby directly if you give it to her.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡± Lian Qiao touched his chin, ¡°I remember in the picture book, Lamia only knew that it was her baby after eating it. So perhaps she might have to eat it first¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong was about to say, ¡°If that happens we will all die¡±, but the root of his tongue suddenly became numb. He realized that this would expose the fact that he had died before in this manner so he had to change his words bluntly: ¡°No.¡±


    Lian Qiao puzzled: ¡°Why?¡±


    Xu RenDong reluctantly found a reason: ¡°In case you¡¯re wrong, we can¡¯t go back.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Well¡­you have a point. Then let¡¯s take a step back.¡±


    Xu RenDong asked in surprise and expectation: ¡°How?¡±


    Lian Qiao poked the fat baby¡¯s hand: ¡°We can tear an arm for her to eat.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t hide the shock on his face and was silent for a long time. Then he said, ¡°You¡¯re messed up in the head.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Then what do you want to do!¡±


    Xu RenDong looked at the baby but couldn¡¯t think of a better way for a while, so he sighed. The baby seemed to have understood Lian Qiao¡¯s words and was upset. He started crying again. Lian Qiao shook his little hand and coaxed: ¡°Don¡¯t cry, aren¡¯t your mother¡¯s eyeballs in your hands? Be good, don¡¯t cry.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± You are so perverted!


    No matter how the two coaxed, the baby wouldn¡¯t stop crying. This time Lian Qiao irritability hugged his head: ¡°Ahhhhhhh it¡¯s so noisy, my ears are ringing!¡±


    Equally helpless Xu RenDong could only sigh wistfully.


    Two unmarried men were at a loss when it came to a crying baby. No one knew what he was crying, let alone what to do next. They could only look at each other and endure the evil sound.


    Suddenly, a soft and cute Lolita spoke from behind them: ¡°Why is it still crying?¡±


    The two turned their heads and at the same time showed a wide-eyed expression like they¡¯d seen a goddess: ¡°Ye QingLiu!¡±


    Ye QingLiu walked to the baby and looked suspiciously at the two people: ¡°Did you feed it?¡±


    Lian Qiao said grievously: ¡°We did! We gave it water and rice cereal and it doesn¡¯t want to eat it. I¡¯ve coaxed it too and gave it a toy¡­¡±


    Before finishing speaking, Ye QingLiu suddenly screamed: ¡°Fuck! What did you give it!¡± She grabbed the two eyeballs in the baby¡¯s hand and threw them to the ground in horror. She cursed frantically, ¡°You two are perverted!¡±


    That eyeball bounced on the ground twice. Lian Qiao quickly bent over to pick it up. Xu RenDong took a step back in silence, indicating: I had nothing to do with him, it was him. I¡¯m not the one who¡¯s abnormal.


    Ye QingLiu glared at Xu RenDong and scolded again: ¡°Two perverts.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± He coughed awkwardly, ¡°Forget about us, quickly think of a way to stop him crying. ¡°


    Ye QingLiu picked up the baby and coaxed it for a while, but the baby still kept crying. She thought for a while and suddenly put her hand under the baby¡¯s swaddle, showing a very subtle expression: ¡°¡­We seem to have forgotten a very important thing.¡±


    Xu RenDong & Lian Qiao: ¡°?¡±


    Ye QingLiu said painfully: ¡°People not only have to eat but also need to shit.¡±


    Xu RenDong & Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­!¡± It suddenly dawned upon them!


    So the three children gathered around the table and hurriedly took apart the baby¡¯s swaddling. As soon as the diaper was taken out, a hot stench wafted out. The three children pinched their noses at the same time, Ye QingLiu even turned her head, gagging: ¡°Damn, it¡¯s not my own child¡¯s shit, it looks so disgusting¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong also felt very sick and instinctively avoided the sight. Lian Qiao suddenly pointed at the baby and exclaimed: ¡°Fuck! Brother RenDong, look at this!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­I don¡¯t want to see it.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°No! You want to see it!¡± He suddenly fought hard to grab Xu RenDong¡¯s face and turned it towards the baby¡¯s belly and said, ¡°Look! What is this!¡±


    Xu RenDong was forced to look helplessly and couldn¡¯t help being shocked.


    On the baby¡¯s belly button, there is a short, pink strip of meat! Dark red blood vessels were faintly visible on the meat strips which were pulsating slightly with the baby¡¯s crying.


    It was the umbilical cord!


    Xu RenDong turned his head and looked at Lian Qiao, who happened to be looking back at him with uncontrollable excitement in his eyes.


    ¡°I have a bold idea!¡± Lian Qiao said.


    ¡°Me too.¡± Xu RenDong said.


    Ye QingLiu: ¡°Bold idea my ass!¡± She glared and gave each of them a smack. She said fiercely, ¡°Hurry up and change the diaper! It stinks so bad!¡±

 CH 44

    Chapter 44 ¨C Esophagus 16


    Without further ado and after changing the diaper, Lian Qiao immediately found scissors and cut the baby¡¯s umbilical cord with a snip.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Xu RenDong got up and walked towards the corridor but suddenly felt a strong dizziness. He hurriedly supported the table and stopped himself from suddenly falling over.


    ¡°Brother RenDong?¡± Lian Qiao discarded the scissors and ran over. His face changed slightly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± He seemed to think of something and bent down to look at Xu RenDong¡¯s injured leg. As soon as he touched it with his hand, he was shocked.


    The coat used for dressing was actually soaked in Xu RenDong¡¯s blood! Right now, the whole coat was heavy and wet, almost slipping off Xu RenDong¡¯s legs.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m just a little dizzy¡­ I¡¯ll just sit for a while.¡± Xu RenDong gasped as he spoke. He lowered his head and leaned against the table. He felt his eyelids were heavy and he was cold all over. He only wanted to find a place to lie down and sleep for a while.


    Ye QingLiu stood beside him with the baby in his arms and said mercilessly: ¡°Sit for a while. You won¡¯t open your eyes once you¡¯ve closed them.¡±


    Xu RenDong smiled bitterly. He was very tired now and no longer wanted to speak.


    ¡°¡­¡± Lian Qiao was silent for a moment. Then he suddenly grabbed the baby in Ye QingLiu¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Hey, what are you doing!¡± Ye QingLiu was startled by him and was about to snatch it back but was stopped by Lian Qiao¡¯s dark and cold eyes.


    ¡°Hurry up, there¡¯s no time to talk nonsense.¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s speech became very fast. He held the baby in one hand and grabbed the slimy and bloody umbilical cord on the table with the other. He said without looking back, ¡°You support him and follow me. Let¡¯s go to the elevator.¡± After speaking, he walked out of the kitchen quickly.


    Ye QingLiu said in shock: ¡°What the hell? You¡¯ve found the elevator?!¡±


    Although she didn¡¯t know what was going on, she still grabbed Xu RenDong and followed Lian Qiao closely.


    ¡°Fuck, you are really heavy.¡± Ye QingLiu put Xu RenDong on her shoulders. As someone who had the same three-year old body, she found it very difficult to support him. A long trail of blood trailed behind the two.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Xu RenDong just said these four words and began to puff again.


    Ye QingLiu looked back at the shocking bloodstain, shook her head and sighed: ¡°Oh forget it, you should save some effort and speak less.¡±


    Lian Qiao hurried to the end of the corridor. He took out the chalk and drew on it. The door opened neatly on the wall as Ye QingLiu watched with shock. Then he turned and hugged Xu RenDong, helping him into the cave and then pulled Ye QingLiu inside too. The rock door quickly closed behind the three.


    ¡°Fuck! What is all this?¡± Ye QingLiu asked Xu RenDong incredulously, ¡°You found so many things, why didn¡¯t you tell us?! What else did you do?¡± His eyes widened in horror, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you killed the old nun?¡±


    Xu RenDong smiled bitterly: ¡°It¡¯s a long story. If we can get out, I will tell you slowly.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Ye QingLiu¡¯s attitude was quite refreshing. She tugged Xu RenDong¡¯s arm to prevent him from slipping off her young shoulders, ¡°When we get out, you have to come and drink my son¡¯s full moon wine.¡± {Celebration when Chinese babies turn one month old.}


    Xu RenDong smiled weakly: ¡°Okay.¡±


    At this time, Lian Qiao suddenly turned his head and took a deep look at Xu RenDong but he didn¡¯t say anything. He just turned around and continued to lead the way in silence.


    Following the light at the end of the tunnel, the three quickly reached the end of the cave. At this time, Lamia had turned into a peaceful young girl again. She was sitting down in front of the white dining table full of food. Her hands were once again lying flat on her knees but the upturned palms were empty.


    ¡°You two wait for me here.¡± Lian Qiao turned around and took out the piece of chalk which only one third left. He habitually handed the chalk to Xu RenDong but seeing Xu RenDong¡¯s pale face, his hand paused in mid-air and then he handed it to Ye QingLiu, ¡°You take this. If something goes wrong, just do what I did earlier. Draw a door and take him out. Do you understand?¡±


    I don¡¯t understand.¡± Ye QingLiu asked straightforwardly, ¡°What on earth do you want to do? What¡¯s considered ¡®something gone wrong¡¯?¡±


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°If I die then something¡¯s gone wrong.¡±


    Ye QingLiu:¡± ¡­¡­ ¡± Yes, that answer was very simple and easy to understand.


    Xu RenDong only felt that his body was getting colder and colder. His vision turned black for a while. He watched with a daze as Lian Qiao walked towards Lamia but his brain had lost the ability to think. He was speechless and so tired that he just wanted to sleep.


    Relying on Lamia¡¯s lack of eyeballs, Lian Qiao boldly walked in front of Lamia. The baby was asleep in his arms. Lian Qiao glanced at the baby, took a deep breath, and then took out the umbilical cord and stuffed it into Lamia¡¯s mouth.


    Ye QingLiu, who was watching from a distance, couldn¡¯t help but let out a: ¡°Fuck!¡±.


    Lamia didn¡¯t respond at first. Soon, she was awakened by the stench of the foreign body in her mouth. The first reaction was to suck in, put the umbilical cord in, and chew.


    The three people present: ¡°¡­¡±


    Before everyone¡¯s nausea had subsided, Lamia probably also felt nauseous. She suddenly stopped chewing and vomited with ah ¡°ugh!¡±. She vomited a large pool of red and yellow, sticky and hot stuff from her mouth. It was cold in the cave and the pool of vomit was still steaming. The three of them felt like they were going to vomit out just by looking at it.


    Lamia raised her head instantly after vomiting and her eyelids trembled violently. The expression on her face was shocked and then angry. She screamed bitterly, clutching around with her two pale hands, seemingly trying to find her eyeballs.


    She pushed the tableware and food on the table to the ground, making a crashing noise. The sound of ceramic shattering was particularly shocking in the cave and the expression on Lamia¡¯s face became more and more ferocious. Lian Qiao held the baby, swiftly avoiding Lamia¡¯s waving arms, shouting at her: ¡°Lamia! Your son is with me! He¡¯s still alive!¡±


    Lamia heard his voice. Instead of calming down, she let out a sharper shout and rushed in Lian Qiao¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Sure enough, you don¡¯t understand Chinese, you¡¯re illiterate!¡± Lian Qiao frowned. He backed up and shook the baby vigorously, ¡°Quick, call mom! Your mom is here!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The baby was swayed and shaken. It woke up slowly, opened a pair of big black eyes and stared at him stupidly.


    Lian Qiao scolded: ¡°Damn, this one is even more illiterate and can¡¯t even speak.¡±


    Ye QingLiu in the distance: ¡°¡­¡± Are your requirements for NPCs too high?


    Lian Qiao was chased by Lamia and fled in horror. The baby in his arms seemed to think it was fun to dangle like this. Not only did he not cry but even giggled. Lamia was still screaming, waving her long, pointed nails in the air and almost scratched Lian Qiao¡¯s back several times.


    Lian Qiao ran around the dining table and Lamia chased around the dining table. One person and one monster played cat and mouse for two minutes before Lian Qiao got angry.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you! Even if you don¡¯t know how to call mom, at least you should be able to cry right!¡± He roughly pulled the baby out of the swaddle and holding his feet upside down, he slapped the baby¡¯s butt, ¡°Come on, cry!¡±


    The baby was suddenly stimulated by the cold and was beaten on the buttocks a few more times. He finally burst into tears.


    ¡°Wuuuuuu-¡± The puffy cry echoed in the cave, producing countless echoes.


    ¡°Wuwuwuwuwuwu-!¡±


    Lian Qiaoand Ye QingLiu¡¯s ears hurt due to shock and they quickly covered their ears. Lamia couldn¡¯t help but be stunned when she heard the cry and she stood there in a daze.


    Lian Qiao took this opportunity to squeeze the baby into her arms. He even patted Lamia¡¯s shoulder boldly: ¡°Congratulations, it¡¯s a boy.¡±


    Lamia lowered her head, crying with empty eyes while looking towards the baby in her trembling arms. Soon, she fell to her knees, hugged the baby tightly and began to cry loudly. Lamia¡¯s shrill cry and the baby¡¯s cry mixed together and it sounded very strange. But after crying, her voice gradually softened and the sharp nails on her hands slowly disappeared.


    Lian Qiao silently retreated back to Xu RenDong and Ye QingLiu. While staring at Lamia, he encouraged Xu RenDong and said, ¡°Brother RenDong, hold on. It won¡¯t be long now.¡±


    Xu RenDong has no strength to speak or even look with his eyes. Everything felt dizzy. But he nodded slightly.


    Amidst the crying, Lamia gradually transformed back from being a bloody and fierce monster into that young and beautiful Greek girl. Although her eye sockets are still empty without eyeballs, the expression on her face has become gentle, full of maternal brilliance. She pressed her face to the baby¡¯s little face, lifted the corner of her mouth slightly and smiled.


    At this moment, the three people had the same idea: She¡¯s so beautiful.


    No wonder that scumbag Zeus was attracted to her.


    But all she experienced was not her fault. It¡¯s not her fault that she was born beautiful. It¡¯s Zeus who coveted her beauty and Hera who got jealous.


    This Virgin Mary-like scene did not last long. The figure of Lamia and the baby gradually faded, like a drop of ink falling into a pool and quickly disappearing into the air. Behind her, the table of food was quickly corrupted and weathered as if the fast forward button was pressed and finally turned into a mass of ashes. Then the entire table collapsed.


    Finally, everything was over.


    But the most critical button did not drop. Lian Qiao waited anxiously for a while but didn¡¯t see any shiny objects falling from the sky and there was nothing where Lamia and the baby had disappeared.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± He walked up and down irritably, looking around, ¡°Where¡¯s the button? Where¡¯s the button?¡±


    ¡°Calm down¡­¡± Ye QingLiu tried to calm him down but suddenly felt something sink onto her shoulder. It was Xu RenDong¡¯s head. She was shocked and, when she moved her shoulder, Xu RenDong¡¯s head slid off. Ye QingLiu hurriedly held his head and yelled, ¡°Lian Qiao! Lian Qiao, come here! Your big brother isn¡¯t doing so good!¡±


    Lian Qiao ran over and reached out to touch Xu RenDong¡¯s pulse and his face suddenly turned pale. Xu RenDong¡¯s pulse has become very weak and his heart rate was fast, which meant that he was on the verge of going into shock.


    Xu RenDong blinked his eyes slowly and pulled out a smile with difficulty. His voice was as thin as a spring: ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­¡±


    It¡¯s okay. He thought to himself, when I die, we will begin again.


    Lian Qiao was obviously flustered and even his voice began to tremble: ¡°What the hell¡­ how could there be no button, how could it be¡­¡± He was shaking all over. He sat down on the ground and his eyes wandered around in a daze. He subconsciously looked around, ¡°Impossible, it must be there, it must be¡­¡±


    Suddenly, his gaze focused on a place behind the dining table. He quickly got up and ran towards there. However, after not running two steps, his legs went weak and he fell down. So instead he got on his hands and feet and crawled over.


    Ye QingLiu looked at Xu RenDong worriedly and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead for him. But when she looked at Lian Qiao again, she couldn¡¯t help being stunned.


    Lian Qiao knelt in front of Lamia¡¯s vomit and he was turning through the pile of vomit with his hands!


    ¡°You¡­¡± Ye QingLiu sighed sympathetically. She thought: Lian Qiao must have gone insane.


    Xu RenDong was getting heavier and heavier on her shoulders. His breathing was growing weaker and weaker and she could hardly see his chest going up and down. Ye QingLiu thought for a while and began to imitate how her mother took care of her when she was a child. She lightly patted Xu RenDong¡¯s arm.


    She remembered that he said that was an orphan. Since that was the case, then at least she could give him some comfort in the last moments of his life.


    Thinking like this, Ye QingLiu calmed down and said, ¡°Go to sleep, there¡¯s a good boy.¡±


    Xu RenDong, whose vision was gradually blurring, raised the corners of his mouth slightly. He said softly: ¡°Thank you¡­¡±


    Ye QingLiu sighed in her heart.


    However, Lian Qiao in the distance suddenly yelled: ¡°I found it!¡±


    Ye QingLiu was shocked. She turned her head to look and saw Lian Qiao raise his hand high with a shiny silver thing clutched inside.


    The elevator button!


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t say anything more. He almost jumped up from the ground, and ran to the elevator not far away with large strides. The silver-white metal elevator glowed silently. Lian Qiao pressed the silver button of the same texture against the elevator wall. He heard a ¡°ding¡± and the elevator door opened.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Lian Qiao immediately doubled back, bending over to hold Xu RenDong.


    All of this happened so suddenly that Ye QingLiu¡¯s brain didn¡¯t react but her body reactively followed Lian Qiao into the elevator. Only when the elevator door slowly closed in front of her eyes, did Ye QingLiu utter a ¡°fuck¡± and stretched out her hand to block the door.


    ¡°What about the others?!¡± she asked.


    Lian Qiao took out the chalk and stuffed it into her hand: ¡°I¡¯ll give this to you!¡±


    Ye QingLiu: ¡°Huh?¡±


    She still hadn¡¯t figured out why Lian Qiao gave her the chalk when she felt a pain blossom in her butt. Lian Qiao had kicked her out of the elevator!


    ¡°???¡± Ye QingLiu turned around, looking at the closed elevator door with a dazed expression.


    After more than ten seconds, she reacted: ¡°Fuck!¡± She knocked hard on the elevator door, ¡°Wait! Let¡¯s leave a WeChat contact first! I still want to invite you guys to drink my full moon wine!¡±


    She knocked accidentally on the elevator button. She heard a ¡°ding¡± sound and the elevator door opened again. However, the inside of the elevator was already empty and the interior of the silver-white elevator were like three mirrors, vaguely reflecting her.


    Ye QingLiu faced the elevator for a while and cursed: ¡°You slipped away so fast, fuck.¡±

 CH 45

    Chapter 45 ¨C Esophagus 17


    After Lian Qiao entered the elevator holding Xu RenDong, his frantically beating heart finally eased.


    He constantly stared at Xu RenDong¡¯s chest, confirming that he was still breathing. He also rested his hand on Xu RenDong¡¯s carotid artery, for fear that the weak pulse which was almost intangible would disappear the next second. Fortunately, after entering the elevator, Xu RenDong¡¯s vital signs stabilized and his complexion gradually improved.


    Soon, Lian Qiao discovered that Xu RenDong¡¯s body was getting heavier and heavier. Not only his weight but also Xu RenDong¡¯s height and appearance were also gradually turning back into an adult.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s heart finally settled down. Once the tight threads in his brain became loose, his body lost its strength. He slid down against the elevator wall, letting Xu RenDong pillow on his lap. The elevator made a low noise and Xu RenDong still did not wake up. Lian Qiao looked down at him and his heart suddenly moved.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s appearance was changing at a speed visible to the naked eye. His baby fat gradually faded and the cheekbones and jaw began to appear more contoured. His facial features became deeper and deeper, and this Adam¡¯s apple bulged out bit by bit, slowly transforming his appearance into that of an adult man.


    It should have taken more than ten years to change from a boy to a man but Lian Qiao witnessed all this in just a dozen seconds. He watched quietly and there was an unspeakable sense of happiness in his heart, as if¡­ as if he had..


    As if he had personally witnessed Xu RenDong¡¯s growing up. It seemed that all the missed and lost time he could have had with Xu RenDong had all been compensated to him.


    ¡°¡­Heh.¡± Lian Qiao let out a low and pleasant sigh. He hooked his mouth slightly and gently stroked Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes with his fingers. The movement was extremely gentle and he felt as if he was touching the most precious treasure in the world. Even just a light touch might harm him.


    That¡¯s right¡­ what about the injury to his leg?!


    Lian Qiao suddenly woke up from his thoughts. He turned to look at Xu RenDong¡¯s calf. Fortunately, the deep wound that showed bone was gone. The skin has also returned to a smooth and beautiful appearance, which made people want to touch it.


    Xu RenDong must rarely exercise because his legs were so white. The calf is straight and straight, with smooth lines, no obvious muscles, and looked as delicate as a girl¡¯s.


    The shape of the ankle was very beautiful, it was thin and could be held in the palm of one hand. The ankle was so white¡­


    He wanted to lick it.


    ¡°What the hell am I thinking!¡± Lian Qiao held his forehead, ashamed of his dirty thoughts. He turned his head and saw that Xu RenDong was still unconscious and had not awakened. The guilt in his heart became more serious.


    At this moment, Xu RenDong¡¯s lips moved suddenly.


    ¡°Brother RenDong?¡± Lian Qiao called out in surprise but Xu RenDong didn¡¯t wake up. However underneath his eyelids, his eyes moved slightly.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s lips were still moving: ¡°¡­is¡­you want¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Lian Qiao leaned down and heard Xu RenDong¡¯s weak breath saying:


    ¡°You will experience countless¡­ tortures¡­¡±


    ¡°But it is not a punishment¡­¡±


    ¡°When you reach.. you will understand¡­¡±


    ¡°Live on¡­¡±


    ¡°Live¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong repeated the last sentence twice and stopped talking. Lian Qiao was confused when he heard it then suddenly remembered that Xu RenDong had said that when they came out of the Russian matryoshka instance, he heard a strange series of sentences in the elevator which seemed to be the same as these.


    Lian Qiao quickly took out his phone and opened the memo. At that time, Xu RenDong wrote down the sentence like this: *** is ***, you want ***. You will experience countless tortures, but this is not ***, it is ***. When you reach ***, you will understand ***. *** live on.


    And this time, compared with the last time, there were several more keywords.


    ¡°But this is not a punishment.¡±


    You will experience countless tortures, but this is not a punishment¡­ so what was it?


    Lian Qiao immediately realized that new keywords would be unlocked every time he cleared an instance. There must be some major secret behind this passage but they still had a long way to go to solve the mystery.


    Where did this information come from? What did it want to tell them? Why did only  Brother RenDong receive such a message and not anybody else?


    All in all, the answer can only be obtained after completing all the instances.


    Eight keyword fragments were still missing. Does this mean that there were eight more instances? If these eight instances were cleared, would they be able to completely return to real life and be safe and happy from then on?


    Lian Qiao thought about it while recording this passage on his cell phone. When he finished typing the last word, there was a ¡°ding¡± above his head. The elevator doors opened.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± The person lying on his knees suddenly moved.


    ¡°Brother RenDong!¡± Lian Qiao was overjoyed. This time Xu RenDong really woke up.


    ¡°¡­Hu¡­¡± Xu RenDong got up from the ground, rubbed his forehead and let out a long breath. He looked around and saw that the elevator door had opened and outside the door was a familiar apartment building. He couldn¡¯t help but sigh again.


    ¡°We are finally back.¡± Xu RenDong said.


    Lian Qiao pulled him up from the ground and said with a smile, ¡°Yes, we are back! We have successfully completed another instance~¡±


    The two walked out of the elevator side by side. The elevator door quickly closed behind them and then the entire elevator disappeared silently. When Xu RenDong looked back again, there was already the familiar building staircase behind him. Since he got a job after graduating, he has had to walk on these stairs twice a day to and from work. He couldn¡¯t count how many times he¡¯s walked on them. But at that moment, he felt as though he could not remember the feeling of walking on these stairs at all.


    ¡°How are you feeling now? Is  your leg okay?¡± Lian Qiao was still a little worried and helped him to walk to his apartment. ¡°Go in and rest.¡±


    Xu RenDong stopped at his door and shook his head: ¡± No, there is still something to do.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Huh? What is it?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Eating barbecue.¡±


    Lian Qiao was taken aback and then smiled with his eyes curved.


    The night market downstairs was very lively. Barbecue, spicy soup, hand-cooked cakes, there was a bit of everything. There was a university town nearby and many students came out for supper in the evening so it was very lively. After ten o¡¯clock, there were still a lot of voices.


    The two found a spot on the barbecue stall and Lian Qiao ordered almost everything on the menu. There was choking smoke from the barbecue, making the surrounding air hot and the two people quickly got hot and began sweating. While drinking a cold beer, Lian Qiao told Xu RenDong about the button.


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°Only you could have thought of that. How can this instance be so disgusting, actually wanting people to fish for the button in vomit.¡±


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°In fact, I should have realized it easily. After Lamia found her son, she disappeared along with him and the dining table disappeared too. The only thing left was the vomit. According to routine, it should be investigated. But my mind was a mess at the time. I thought that after finishing this task, the button would drop directly but it didn¡¯t happen. At the time I felt completely lost.¡±


    Xu RenDong was confused due to excessive blood loss. He remembered that Lian Qiao was walking around in the cave irritably. Ye QingLiu patted his arm to comfort him and then nothing else. At this point, Xu RenDong suddenly remembered: ¡°By the way, where is Ye QingLiu? Was there anyone else?¡±


    Lian Qiao was shocked and said with a guilty conscience that everything was settled and that everybody came out without incident. Xu RenDong smiled and said: ¡°Ye QingLiu is also a heroine. Right now, she should still be in the operating room right? I wonder if she gave birth to a son or a daughter¡­ It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll know when she invites us to have full moon wine.¡±


    Lian Qiao nodded obediently.


    After that, he explained to Xu RenDong what he said while unconscious in the elevator. Xu RenDong fell into contemplation after hearing it. The two people discussed it but still couldn¡¯t figure out any clues, so they could only put the matter aside for the time being.


    According to the results of Lian Qiao¡¯s investigation, the next time they entered the next ghost instance should be in one month. Until then, they could have a good rest and prepare the equipment needed to bring into the next instance. If nothing else, then at least they needed to prepare food. Xu RenDong strongly agreed with this.


    ¡°By the way, are you free next weekend?¡± Lian Qiao suddenly put down the lamb skewers in his hand and smiled a little shyly. ¡°There is an exhibition at the Exhibition Center¡­ Well, it¡¯s a games and animation exhibition and they¡¯ve asked me to be a guest and gave me a VIP ticket.¡±


    Xu RenDong took out his phone and opened the calendar. He checked the time and said, ¡°I don¡¯t need to go to work that day. But¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao heard the ¡°but¡± and his heart was immediately filled with loss. However he still waited for the final hammer to fall with a smile. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°But our company is¡­how do you say it?¡± Xu RenDong thought for a while and explained seriously, ¡°You know I am a Financial Analyst and my job is to regularly summarize and analyze the latest financial information. I usually do it when I¡¯m at work. But if there is any news after work, I have to follow up quickly and write a report immediately. So I can¡¯t promise I can visit the entire exhibition with you¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao looked at his black and white eyes, which were as clear as mercury, and saw his serious expression. His heart suddenly softened into a pool of water.


    Xu RenDong still said: ¡°Or I could bring my laptop. Is there wifi at the venue? If necessary, I can find a place to sit down and do work. You can continue to look around and we can go home together when the exhibition is over. Will that work?¡±


    Lian Qiao only felt that he was drowning in Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes. He softly said: ¡°Okay.¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°Then send me the location of the venue, I can see how long it will take to drive there.¡±


    Lian Qiao suddenly realized: ¡°Hey! You have a car?¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded. Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t help thinking about the scene of the two of them being alone in the small space in the car and couldn¡¯t help but giggle out loud.


    Xu RenDong seemed to notice something and suddenly asked in surprise: ¡°What¡¯s bulging in your pants?¡±


    ¡°Fuck?!¡± Lian Qiao was shocked. How could I react so fast? How come I didn¡¯t feel it at all? Could it be that I, within seconds,¡­ ahhhh!


    But when he looked down at the crotch, he was surprised to find that Xu RenDong¡¯s  ¡°bulging place¡± did not mean his indescribable spot but instead his trouser pocket?


    Lian Qiao put his hand into his trouser pocket. Then his face suddenly changed and he couldn¡¯t help but yell again: ¡°Fuck!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Xu RenDong also became nervous.


    Lian Qiao frowned, then glanced around cautiously. He then pulled the stool in front of Xu RenDong and quietly stretched his hand from under the table. Xu RenDong looked down and then his back suddenly tensed. The hot barbecue stall seemed to have suddenly turned into an ice cave.


    ¡°We seem to have accidentally¡­ brought Lamia¡¯s eyes out.¡± Lian Qiao said helplessly.

 CH 46

    Chapter 46 ¨C Eyeballs


    No one thought that Lamia¡¯s eyes were actually a special prop that could be brought out of an instance. Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao quickly finished their supper and returned to the apartment. Xu RenDong took out the brass key he obtained in the world of the Russian dolls and sat on the sofa with Lian Qiao to discuss.


    ¡°The styles of these two things are different.¡± Lian Qiao poked Lamia¡¯s eyeballs. The eyes were bloody and slimy and it felt quite disgusting to hold in his hand. In contrast, the brass key was much more normal. If you didn¡¯t say it, no one could tell that this was  something brought from the world of ghosts and monsters.


    ¡°Is there anything similar in the games you play?¡± Xu RenDong asked.


    Lian Qiao nodded: ¡°Yes. The eyeballs that drop from a monster are mostly used as materials for enchanting, and sometimes they can be sold as collectibles to a store.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Enchanting?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°It¡¯s to strengthen weapons or add special attributes to weapons¡­ Oh, yes.¡± He seemed to think of something and said with some disgust, ¡°In some games, you can even eat your eyes to directly strengthen character attributes¡­ For example, add more strength, physique¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong stared at the eyeballs on the table wide-eyed. He said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat it.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°I don¡¯t want to either!¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°Then¡­  maybe you should try with the crowbar?¡±


    Lian Qiao thought the conversation was funny: ¡°Will the eyeballs enchant a crowbar and increase the hit rate? Hahahahaha¡­¡± While smiling, he brought the crowbar out and placed it next to the eyeball. After making a few gestures, nothing happened.


    Xu RenDong was a little disappointed: ¡°It¡¯s not for that.¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°I guess it¡¯s not. After all, there are no holes punched in this crowbar. How can the eyeball be equipped?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Punched?¡±


    So Lian Qiao taught him a series of game terms such as blacksmith punching. After hearing this, Xu RenDong said seriously: ¡°Then I will buy an electric drill tomorrow and come back and try it.¡±


    ¡°Hahahahahaha I doubt it!¡± Lian Qiao put his eyeballs on the crowbar again and gestured, ¡°Look, this crowbar is so thin and the eyeballs are so big, there is no way to put the eyeballs in.¡±


    Xu RenDong thought for a while and pointed to the hook at the end of the crowbar: ¡°What about this place?¡±


    Lian Qiao laughed: ¡°If I put it here then it will turn into a staff! No way, I am a melee warrior not a melee mage! I don¡¯t want to knock the monster on the head with a staff!¡±


    Xu RenDong pondered for a moment and then made up his mind: ¡°Then let¡¯s just eat it and see.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    He originally thought Xu RenDong was joking but he didn¡¯t expect Xu RenDong to really grab an eyeball to want to put it in his mouth. Lian Qiao exclaimed and quickly snatched it from him.


    ¡°Fuck! How could you eat something like this indiscriminately!¡± Lian Qiao held the two eyeballs to his chest and said in shock, ¡°You are too crazy! Even if this thing is not poisonous, at least it is not clean! Eating it might give you gastroenteritis. What are you thinking!¡±


    ¡°You make a lot of sense.¡± Xu RenDong nodded, ¡°Then let¡¯s wash it first and eat.¡±


    Lian Qiao was silent for a moment and said deeply: ¡°¡­Sometimes I really can¡¯t keep up with your thinking. ¡°


    Xu RenDong finally realized that the behavior of gnawing his eyes was too abnormal so he gave up the exploration of what the eyeballs were for and got up to go to the kitchen to find fruits to eat.


    Lian Qiao sat on the sofa and continued to study his eyeballs. He looked carefully at the ceiling chandelier. He suddenly moved in his heart and wanted to get closer to see if there was something in this eyeball. As soon as he aimed his pupils at himself, his eyes suddenly went black.


    ¡°FML!¡± Lian Qiao shouted in a panic, ¡°Ahhhhhhh Brother RenDong, help help!¡±


    ¡°What happened?!¡± Xu RenDong hurriedly shook off the water on his hands and ran towards the living room.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see through my left eye!¡± Lian Qiao yelled while covering his left eye. Xu RenDong didn¡¯t know what to do but then Lian Qiao suddenly changed his expression, ¡°Huh? It¡¯s strange, it doesn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    ¡°Let me see.¡± Xu RenDong leaned over and pulled down the palm Lian Qiao was using to cover the front of his eyes. When Lian Qiao removed his hand, Xu RenDong gasped in horror.


    Seeing his expression, Lian Qiao was so scared that he didn¡¯t dare to move: ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s happened to my eye?¡±


    Xu RenDong asked, ¡°Are you not uncomfortable now? How do you feel?¡±


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°It¡¯s not uncomfortable at all but my field of vision has become very strange¡­¡± He shook his head up and down and his eyeballs rolled around, ¡°The left field of vision seems to be fixed, eh¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong took out his phone, adjusted it to selfie mode and held it in front of Lian Qiao. ¡°See for yourself.¡±


    Lian Qiao looked intently and almost dropped the phone in fright- there were two pupils in his left eye!


    ¡°Fuck! 8vo!¡± Lian Qiao called. {See Authors Note at the bottom}


    Xu RenDong: ¡°What?¡±


    Lian Qiao laughed loudly: ¡°It looks so funny! 8vo!¡±


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t know what he was excited about and felt worried and helpless: ¡°Are your eyes really okay?¡±


    Lian Qiao blinked, those asymmetric pupils looked very strange: ¡°It should be okay, I don¡¯t feel uncomfortable at all. It¡¯s just that the angle of view is very strange, um¡­how do you put it¡­ah!¡± He seemed to notice something. He bent over and picked up the other eyeball on the coffee table and said excitedly: ¡°I know! I know what the use of these eyeballs are!¡±


    ¡°En?¡±


    Lian Qiao thought about it, holding the other one in his hand. He handed this eyeball to Xu RenDong: ¡°Brother RenDong, you will know if you try! Just aim your eyes at the pupil of this eyeball. Don¡¯t be afraid, it won¡¯t hurt.¡±


    Xu RenDong did as he said. It went dark in front of him and he subconsciously covered his right eye. But soon, a strange change occurred.


    His vision split into two halves. On the left he saw what was right in front of his own eyes and on the right- he actually saw himself in the field of vision on the right!


    ¡°Hehe.¡± Lian Qiao tilted his head and looked at him with a grin. Xu RenDong¡¯s vision on the right also tilted and he immediately understood what Lian Qiao meant.


    This pair of eyeballs can share vision!


    Xu RenDong tried to roll his eyes and indeed, as Lian Qiao said, he didn¡¯t feel any discomfort at all. However, the feeling that his vision was split in half was so strange that he couldn¡¯t accept it at all and soon couldn¡¯t help but want to rub his eyes.


    Unexpectedly, under the stimulation of the rubbing, the eyeball of the right eye actually fell out directly.


    Xu RenDong was taken aback. Fortunately, it was Lamia¡¯s eyeball that fell out, not his own. He calmed down and said to Lian Qiao, ¡°It seems that it can be taken out at any time, which is quite convenient.¡±


    Lian Qiao rubbed his eyes as he followed his example. Sure enough, his eyeball also fell back into the palm of his hand.


    Really, ha ha ha ha, really convenient!¡± Lian Qiao looks very excited, ¡°We have a hidden prop, so cool! In the next instances, we must find all the hidden props! Otherwise it will really be a big loss!¡±


    He suddenly widened his eyes: ¡°Oh no!¡±


    Xu RenDong was startled by him: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Lian Qiao said with great annoyance: ¡°We should also have a hidden reward for killing the old nun! It¡¯s over, this is over. I missed it and there is no way to go back and get it! Ahhhhhh! So annoying!¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded with sympathy: ¡°You¡¯re right. Why didn¡¯t you think of going back and searching? This is not in line with your habit ah.¡±


    Lian Qiao was silent for a moment: ¡°¡­Did you forget that you were about to die at that time?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao looked upset and said in an unhappy voice, ¡°Oh that¡¯s right. That¡¯s not it. Originally it wasn¡¯t a critical situation, but because someone decided to pull out the rock blocking the artery, the blood suddenly spurted out and you suddenly became critical.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Why don¡¯t you learn a little bit of common medical knowledge? Don¡¯t do that kind of thing again otherwise I¡¯m going to be scared to death by you.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Okay.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s expression relaxed a little. Xu RenDong changed the subject and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, what do you mean by 8vo?¡±


    Lian Qiao laughed again: ¡°Ah that. There is a horror game called ¡°Angels of Killing¡± and there is a villain in it who wears two fake eyes that have two pupils.¡± Lian Qiao made an ¡°8¡± gesture and placed it on his left eye and firmed a small circle of ¡°o¡± on his right eye, ¡°It looks like this! So everyone nicknamed him 8vo, isn¡¯t it very vivid!¡±


    Xu RenDong stared at him for a while and said, ¡°You are not 8vo.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°You are 8v0.¡± {o was replaced with 0.}


    Lian Qiao blinked in confusion. Suddenly he realized that Xu RenDong was complimenting him for having big eyes and suddenly he became happy again and laughed.


    Lamia¡¯s visual sharing function greatly piqued the two¡¯s interest. Afterwards they studied the brass key again but this time they found nothing. So the two decided to take both of these things when they entered the elevator next time and try to use them if they had a chance.


    The time was approaching midnight and Lian Qiao was sleepy. After bidding farewell to Xu RenDong, he got up to go back to his own apartment. Xu RenDong was stunned for a moment before realizing that they didn¡¯t live together in the real world. Although it was right across the hall and very close, there was still a distance.


    He walked to the door of the apartment to send Lian Qiao off. He watched Lian Qiao walk to the opposite side and take out the key to open the door. He suddenly felt that the scene seemed familiar.


    Xu RenDong felt an indescribable feeling in his heart. At this moment, Lian Qiao suddenly turned around and glanced at him with a strange look.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Xu RenDong asked.


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t answer for a while but frowned slightly, seeming to be confused. Soon, he shook his head and smiled. He said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the gaming exhibition next weekend, don¡¯t forget!¡±


    ¡°Okay. Good night.¡±


    The corners of Lian Qiao¡¯s mouth were raised and his smile almost overflowed. ¡°Good night.¡±


    Xu RenDong returned to his apartment. He saw two tea cups on the table and the fruit in the fruit plate had all eaten clean. A thought flashed through his mind.


    He can buy a whole watermelon in the future.


    The phone in his trouser pocket suddenly vibrated. Xu RenDong looked down and saw that it was a few news links shared by his colleague Wang XiaoGang on the work chat group.


    Wang XiaoGang: Work, comrades! Get up to work overtime!


    Xu RenDong has long been accustomed to this kind of sudden overtime. He immediately turned on the laptop and entered a working state. After reading the news link shared by his colleagues, he returned to the interface of the WeChat work group and saw a bunch of people wailing in the chat. Everyone was complaining that their good weekend plans had fallen through again.


    Xu RenDong watched the messages popping out one by one and suddenly thought that the avatars of his colleagues were quite interesting. Wang XiaoGang¡¯s avatar was a husky with his head tilted and his tongue stuck out. It had a silly expression. Gu XuFeng¡¯s avatar is his ID photo. Just look at his profile picture and you could see his suit was neat and he looked very scholarly. However when chatting in the group he loved to use emojis commonly used by little girls. Liu JiaQi used a certain male celebrity¡¯s picture and claimed it was her husband but Xu RenDong didn¡¯t know the name of that celebrity.


    Xu RenDong realized that he had never paid attention to the avatars of his colleagues before and also never paid attention to their speaking habits or preferences. The communication between him and his colleagues was always limited to work. He did not chat to them and was not interested in the celebrity gossip and entertainment activities they chatted about. Over time, they would only talk to him about work.


    However, this time, looking at the chat records flashing on the screen, Xu RenDong clicked on the emoji in the input method for the first time.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°So-angry-but-I-still-have-to-maintain-my-smile-(crossed out). Work-makes-me-happy.Jpg.¡± {Xu RenDong sent one of those stickers that has text attached, if you don¡¯t use WeChat they have lots of large and expressive stickers with cartoon characters etc. It doesn¡¯t actually look like the normal emoji/emoticon but that¡¯s the closest translation so I¡¯ll be using it.}


    After he posted this picture, the WeChat group fell into silence.


    After a second.


    Wang XiaoGang: ¡°?¡±


    Gu XuFeng: ¡°???¡±


    Liu JiaQi: ¡± Fuck was Xu RenDong hacked? He actually used an emoticon?!


    Wang XiaoGang: ¡± Fuck I¡¯ve seen the boss use this picture before! Could it be the boss is using his phone to spy on us?!¡±


    Wang XiaoGang withdrew a message.


    Wang XiaoGang withdrew a message.


    Liu JiaQi withdrew a message.


    Gu XuFeng withdrew a message.


    Wang XiaoGang: ¡°We¡¯re dead, we¡¯re dead. Messages sent more than two minutes ago cannot be withdrawn.¡±


    Liu JiaQi: ¡± Working overtime makes me happy!¡±


    Gu XuFeng: ¡°Working overtime makes me happy!¡±


    Wang Xiaogang: ¡°No more chatter, I¡¯m going to go do the report.¡±


    Liu JiaQi: ¡± I¡¯ve already written half of mine.¡±


    Gu XuFeng: ¡°I¡¯ve finished writing mine.¡±


    Wang XiaoGang: ¡°¡­!!!¡±


    The WeChat group suddenly stopped vibrating. Everyone stopped talking and started to diligently do their work.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    He really was a topic terminator. He suddenly felt that it would be better for him not to speak.


    Xu RenDong silently threw the phone aside and began to work.


    It was not until half an hour later when the report was completed that his narrowed mouth returned to normal curvature.


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    RenDong: an old man who tried to pretend to be a young man but was seen through in a second.

 CH 47

    Chapter 47 ¨C Watermelon


    Over the next few days, Xu RenDong resumed his normal working schedule. This time it was different to last time. He had become accustomed to the rhythm of the ghost world and did not manifest any obvious trauma after coming out. He thought about it and it was probably because the number of deaths this time was relatively small.


    Calculating it, he died five times the previous time and only two times this time. The progress was obvious.


    After nine deaths in the ghost world and after returning to his real life, he regained his enthusiasm for work. He never knew how the percussive sound of a computer keyboard could be so sweet before and how the unchanging office scene could be so reassuring. Even his fierce female boss looked pleasing to the eye, transforming from a violent shrew into an amiable elder.


    After all, when the boss gets angry the most she would do is throw a folder at your face. She won¡¯t actually take out a hatchet and hack you to death.


    So amiable!


    With this level of ideological awareness, Xu RenDong¡¯s work efficiency has improved a lot.


    However, in the eyes of his colleagues, Xu RenDong¡¯s changes were incredible. This beautiful man who looks like a star entered this large financial firm after graduating from a prestigious school. After being assigned to this small department, he has always been diligent and conscientious. He rarely communicated with anyone outside of work.


    In their profession, people usually change jobs every six months or so and salary increases are achieved through job-hopping. But it has been four years since Xu RenDong graduated. In the past four years, the colleagues around him have changed wave after wave and even his immediate boss has changed from a bald middle-aged person to a sexy, arrogant sister. However, Xu RenDong has been staying in this position honestly, never bringing up promotions or salary increases, and never asking to change departments.


    Speaking of which, the other colleagues in the department are now all his juniors. Liu JiaQi was trained by him during her internship period, so strictly speaking she could call him ¡°Master¡±. However, everyone including Liu JiaQi, couldn¡¯t get close to him. This is not because Xu RenDong was cold and ignored people. On the contrary, Xu RenDong was serious and reliable at work, meticulous when doing things and very patient when it came to teaching newcomers. It¡¯s hard to find any shortcomings in him.


    But it was precisely because there were no shortcomings that everyone felt like this person was difficult to approach.


    He didn¡¯t smoke, drink, stay up late, or be greedy. He didn¡¯t have any bad habits but he doesn¡¯t judge other people¡¯s preferences. Whether it is women, football, cars that men love to talk about, or gossip, weight loss, or shopping that women love to talk about, anything you say to him, he will look at you with those deep and calm eyes. He would listen to you seriously and then¡­ there was no more.


    He doesn¡¯t seem to be interested in anything.


    He doesn¡¯t even use emoticons on WeChat!


    Naturally, everyone in the department kept away from him. Even the girls in other departments of the company who initially had designs on him, after being frustrated by his various polite and estranged demeanour, gave up. They said that the male god should just stay a male god in the sky, and that they would look for a mortal to date instead. He really was too high.


    You can only look from a distance and can¡¯t play with it.  That¡¯s what Xu RenDong was like.


    However, right now Xu RenDong actually posted an emoticon in the work group, ¡°So-angry-but-I-still-have-to-maintain-my-smile-(crossed out). Work-makes-me-happy.jpg¡±.


    Everyone was so horrified that the first reaction was not ¡°Oh my God, Xu RenDong also collects emoji¡± but ¡°Fuck Xu RenDong has been hacked, it must not be him!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t until the next day when everyone discovered that it was not the boss who had stolen Xu RenDong¡¯s phone last night. Then they realized afterwards that Xu RenDong seemed to be a little different from before.


    The one who felt this most was Liu JiaQi. Because when she asked if anyone wanted to order milk tea with her, Xu RenDong actually said that he wanted to see the menu!


    When Xu RenDong took her mobile phone and browsed the takeaway interface, Liu JiaQi was moved to tears. Oh my! Does Xu RenDong drink milk tea?


    ¡°This¡­ what is a Dragon Ball?¡± Xu RenDong¡¯s question interrupted the outpouring of tears in Liu JiaQi¡¯s brain.


    Liu JiaQi glanced at the phone: ¡°Oh this. It¡¯s an ingredient in milk tea, it¡¯s a¡­er, something similar to pearls.¡±


    Xu RenDong asked again, ¡°What is HanTian and AiYu?¡± Liu JiaQi explained them one by one. After listening to her, Xu RenDong thought about it carefully and ordered a few ingredients to add and then returned her phone: ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± Liu JiaQi saw that he wanted to try everything like a child and couldn¡¯t help it. She smiled like an old mother: ¡°If you want it all, you can order this- ¡°everything in a cup¡± ¨C it has everything but the price is cheaper than if you order it separately!¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Let me change it.¡± Xu RenDong leaned over, held up her hand holding the phone and swiped the screen a few more times, changing the drink he ordered to ¡°a cup of everything¡±.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s palms were warm and dry and Liu JiaQi was suddenly touched by him. Her whole body seemed to be electrified. Until Xu RenDong sat back in the chair to continue working, the delicate and soft touch on the back of her hand still lingered.


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Liu JiaQi was secretly startled, ¡°Why are you being so strange all of a sudden!¡±


    Liu JiaQi finally calmed down and returned to her desk. Her phone vibrated and she received a red envelope from Xu RenDong. It was marked as milk tea money and the comment added was ¡°thank you¡±.


    Liu JiaQi looked at the red envelope pattern behind Xu RenDong¡¯s name and couldn¡¯t help but make a face.


    Oh my! Xu RenDong actually gave me a red envelope!


    Everyone knows that Xu RenDong didn¡¯t know about red envelopes. Don¡¯t even talk about grabbing red envelopes in the departmental chat group, even when the head of the company at the company¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve dinner passed out awards to every person according to the number of heads, Xu RenDong person would not even click on it. Because he was so removed from everybody so they almost had no interactions involving money. Hence of course they never used red envelopes with him.


    But now, he actually sent her milk tea money!


    She wanted to make a post to her circle of friends to record this historic moment!


    Of course, Liu JiaQi was still very reserved. She did not post it to the high-profile Moments, but shared it privately with her little sisters group. However, as a male god who never showed any fireworks, Xu RenDong¡¯s milk tea news quickly spread throughout the company. Some people even quietly ran out of their department and through a gap in the middle of the frosted glass door, secretly observed whether or not Xu RenDong was really drinking milk tea.


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t notice any of this at all. He just thought that the milk tea was too sweet and the ingredients in it were even sweeter. He glanced at Liu JiaQi¡¯s table, thinking no wonder Liu JiaQi¡¯s milk tea contains only one kind of pearl.


    Liu JiaQi was gossiping with her sisters on WeChat and suddenly she noticed the gaze from a distance. Looking up, it turned out to be Xu RenDong. The two of their eyes met  and the corners of Xu RenDong¡¯s mouth curled up slightly, forming a beautiful arc. He seemed a little shy and quickly turned his head away. Liu JiaQi¡¯s heart immediately exploded.


    Ahhhhhhhhhhh he was peeping at me ahhhh!


    Liu JiaQi lowered her head ripplingly, flicked her fingers, and reported to her little sisters in excitement: Is the senior suddenly interested in me?! Hahahahahaha!


    But in fact the only feeling that was in Xu RenDong¡¯s heart at this moment was:  embarrassment.


    Why is it that every time he took a peek at others, he would be discovered? Lian Qiao¡¯s innate keenness was already enough to deal with, how come Liu JiaQi¡¯s was also so good?


    Xu RenDong thought for a while and clicked on Liu JiaQi¡¯s circle of friends. From top to bottom, the content was: ah, this is delicious. Oh that¡¯s delicious too. Ah ah ah.  Everything is delicious. {It¡¯s all food.}


    Xu RenDong recalled how Lian Qiao behaved at the barbecue stall, ¡°Ah, ah, I want this, ah, ah, I want that, ah, ah, I want it all¡±. After some rigorous thinking, he thought it was love. This keen insight must be developed by people who love to forage food. After all, they have to look around and listen in all directions when they¡¯re walking around. That way they can find the best restaurants at the earliest opportunity.


    Well, it was a very reasonable conclusion.


    At this time, Wang XiaoGang happened to pass by Xu RenDong¡¯s desk and glanced at him unintentionally: Fuck?! Isn¡¯t this Jiaqi¡¯s circle of friends? !


    Xu RenDong was actually looking at Liu JiaQi¡¯s circle of friends?!


    Wang XiaoGang suppressed his excitement. He returned to his seat calmly, took out his mobile phone calmly, and quietly announced his discovery to their small inter-department group chat which didn¡¯t have Xu RenDong in it.


    Liu JiaQi: ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhh!¡±


    Gu XuFeng: ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    The isolated Xu RenDong suddenly felt the atmosphere around him become weird. He raised his head suspiciously and the other three immediately put down their phones with solemn expressions and started typing on the keyboard.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± Was I being too paranoid?


    Anyway, it¡¯s not like these people would kill him. Right now he was in a law-abiding society.


    Thinking this way puts him at ease. Xu RenDong drank the overly sweet milk tea and continued the work at hand.


    Today was Friday. It was unknown what kind of good thing happened to the boss but she actually came out at four o¡¯clock and announced that everyone could go home early if they were finished with their work. Xu RenDong¡¯s work was almost done. Seeing that his colleagues were still happily playing on their phones, he said goodbye to them and left the company.


    It was early summer and the sun shone bright and hot onto his body. Xu RenDong went to the underground garage to pick up his car but the temperature inside the car didn¡¯t  drop for some time. He was soon sweating.


    Xu RenDong opened the window a little, letting the warm wind blow in. The shadows of the trees on the urban roads were mottled and the June sunlight shone through the gaps between the leaves on the windshield for a while, right into Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes making him a little dizzy. He heard cicadas screaming and suddenly he felt like he was in a good mood.


    He had a memory of when he was a child in the orphanage, running and playing with his friends on the lawn in the yard.


    That was when he was very young and he hadn¡¯t yet noticed that he was the only one no one wanted to adopt. At that time he was still very happy and didn¡¯t think he was any different from others. He also didn¡¯t think that those little friends who lacked hands and feet, had crooked facial features, or even couldn¡¯t even speak, were any different from him.


    It was great back then.


    That time seemed like a lifetime ago.


    Xu RenDong stopped the car in front of the traffic lights. He watched the beating countdown and sighed softly.


    There was a young couple who were crossing the zebra in a playful manner. The girl laughed brightly and leapt up to hit the boy on his head. The boy hid his head and ducked with a smile on his face. From time to time he pulled the girl a bit and said: ¡°Be careful! There¡¯s cars around!¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s gaze couldn¡¯t help following them until the car behind him honked the horn impatiently.


    He recovered and quickly started the car up. Suddenly, he noticed a fruit shop on the side of the road.


    His heart suddenly moving, Xu RenDong didn¡¯t hesitate. Instead he turned around and stopped in front of the fruit shop. Before long, he settled the bill and returned to the car holding a fat watermelon.


    He liked watermelon very much. He likes the sweet taste, fresh and watery taste. When he was young, he liked to eat watermelon at the orphanage but the conditions at the orphanage were not so good. Each child could only get a small slice of watermelon. He always hoped that he could hold half a watermelon and dig at it with a spoon. This wish lasted until he grew up.


    After gaining economic independence and although he had money to buy watermelon, he encountered a new problem: he could not eat so much by himself.


    Even if it was a small watermelon, he usually can only eat half of it and the other half can only be put in the refrigerator. But even if he took the watermelon out of the fridge and waited for it to return to room temperature, he would still get diarrhea after eating it. His stomach has always been weak.


    In fact, it was not only watermelon but also other food. It¡¯s too monotonous to order one dish when you eat alone but he couldn¡¯t eat two dishes on his own. This state of being made him feel quite lonely.


    But things were different now.


    Putting the watermelon in the passenger seat, Xu RenDong sent a WeChat message to Lian Qiao: I bought a watermelon, do you want some?


    After waiting for a while, Lian Qiao did not reply. Xu RenDong thought for a while, fastened a seat belt around the watermelon, then started the car and drove towards the apartment. However, when he returned to the apartment holding the watermelon, Lian Qiao, who used to reply to messages within seconds, still hadn¡¯t replied.


    He looked at the time: it was already five o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Even if Lian Qiao slept in, he couldn¡¯t sleep in this late. Could it be that he went out?


    Xu RenDong sent another message: Are you at home?


    The green, black and shiny watermelon was quietly placed on the table. Xu RenDong stared at the watermelon for a long time, then picked up the phone again. Lian Qiao still hadn¡¯t replied. Suddenly he felt a little uneasy. He got up and, walking out of his house, approached Lian Qiao¡¯s door and knocked on it.


    ¡°Lian Qiao? Are you there? Lian Qiao?¡±


    There was still no reply.


    The feeling of anxiety became stronger. Xu RenDong dialed the voice call and waited for the other person to answer. However a few minutes passed and there was still no response from Lian Qiao¡¯s side. Xu RenDong looked at Lian Qiao¡¯s portrait on the screen and then at the shut door of his apartment. A terrible thought suddenly occurred in his heart.


    ¡ªCould it be that Lian Qiao entered the elevator again?


    No, no, after entering the elevator, the time outside stops flowing. Therefore, in the eyes of outsiders, this person would not disappear, and they would not even notice any abnormality.


    Unless¡ª


    Unless¡ªhe has already had an accident!


    In the warm and bright June day, Xu RenDong felt like he had instantly been plunged into an ice cave.


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    Lian Qiao: You didn¡¯t take me along when you ordered milk tea, I¡¯m ignoring you! (Misunderstanding)


    The girl is not cannon fodder, there are not many scenes with her. It¡¯s purely for comic relief, don¡¯t worry.


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    RenDong: an old man who tried to pretend to be a young man but was seen through in a second.

 CH 48

    Chapter 48 ¨C Jumping Balconies


    Xu RenDong made a decisive decision. He returned to his apartment and made straight for the balcony.


    In the apartment building they are renting, the balconies of the two neighboring houses were the same level but they were separated by a distance of about two meters. Xu RenDong went to the balcony and looked around. There was no obstruction between the two balconies and there were no fences to climb. To reach Lian Qiao¡¯s balcony, you could only jump from here.


    He climbed onto his own guardrail without much thought. The guardrail is more than half a meter high but it was nothing compared to the height of the six-story apartment building. Xu RenDong resisted the urge to look down but still felt dizzy instinctively.


    He calmed down, took a deep breath and suddenly heard a loud roar when he was about to jump.


    ¡°Hey! What are you doing!¡± A voice came from downstairs.


    Xu RenDong glanced down instinctively and after this glance, his scalp suddenly became numb. It was too high up. The six-story building was really too high. The two balconies were empty and unobstructed. If you fall down and smash it straight to the ground, you will definitely be crushed!


    At this moment, on the lawn downstairs, an uncle walking the dog was waving his hand vigorously at him. He shouted anxiously: ¡°Hey! What are you doing! Come down! Don¡¯t be impulsive!¡±


    Xu RenDong felt the uncle¡¯s kindness. He adjusted his breathing and returned his  attention to the balcony opposite.


    He couldn¡¯t waste time. Lian Qiao may have been in an accident¡­ If he could get to him quicker, then he might be able to save him!


    Jump!


    Xu RenDong gritted his teeth, kicked back hard and jumped into the air.


    At that moment, he only felt that the wind brushing his ears had become icy, making his bones tremble. Time was stretched long like a piece of bubble gum and the scene in front of him became like a slow motion movie, moving frame by frame in front of his eyes.


    Balcony. Balcony. Balcony.


    He tried to lean forward and leapt to the highest point. He was still a short distance away from the guardrail.


    Balcony. Balcony. Balcony.


    He began to fall.


    The cold wind swept into his collar, his blood seemed to freeze and then even his heart seemed to forget to beat.


    The balcony.


    He stretched out his hand desperately, trying to grab the guardrail. But the guardrail was moving away from him.


    He was going to fall down. He was going to die.


    Ah, it¡¯s fine. This was not the world of ghosts and monsters, this was reality. If he died, then he would really be dead and would not resurrect again. That was good too, he didn¡¯t have to suffer anymore. Anyway if he fell from such a high place, he would just be smashed into meatloaf. It would be fast and painless.


    At the height of a six-story building, how long will the free fall time be?


    One floor is 3 meters and so six floors is 18 meters. The distance formula for uniform linear motion is 1/2gt^2, then the time should be¡­


    The root of 3.6.


    Can¡¯t figure it out, he needed a calculator.


    Xu RenDong even wanted to laugh for a moment. But the next moment, he suddenly thought: Oh, the watermelon has not been eaten yet.


    It wa a pity. He wanted to eat it with Lian Qiao¡­


    ¡°¡­!¡± By the time he reacted, his fingers had already grabbed a small piece of wall protruding below the balcony.


    This was a spontaneous reflex behavior of the body. Xu RenDong didn¡¯t even understand what happened just now. He only felt that his fingers were tight, his joints exhausted all his strength and he was gripping the protrusion tightly. He raised his head in confusion, and saw that his hands had begun to turn pale due to excessive force.


    There was a scream from downstairs and it seemed that more and more people had gathered.


    Belated fear pierced into the heart like a sharp knife. Xu RenDong found that his legs were empty and had no support. He suddenly felt very insecure. Of course, the whole person was hanging on the six-story wall, it was definitely very insecure. He has no time to think about that now, he just wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. So he kicked his feet on the wall a few times, trying to lift his body up.


    However, his act backfired. Ordinary leather shoes couldn¡¯t provide enough friction at all and his body slipped downward instead.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°Be careful!¡±


    The voices of people downstairs were calling. It seemed someone had dialed 110.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart was beating as hard as he could and he felt his palms become sweaty. If this dragged on, he would definitely lose his life. Gritting his teeth, he decided to fight to the death. So he kicked his feet hard again and at the same time, his left hand pressed down and his right hand stretched up to the upper cylindrical fence.


    Got it!


    There was another exclamation downstairs. Xu RenDong ignored those noises, moved his hands and feet together, and finally climbed onto the balcony smoothly.


    When he finally reached Lian Qiao¡¯s balcony, he only felt that his bones were falling apart and the joints of his fingers were burning with pain. He couldn¡¯t pay attention to that now, he only wanted to confirm Lian Qiao¡¯s safety.


    But when he wanted to open the balcony door, he saw an unexpected scene through the transparent floor-to-ceiling glass door.


    ¡ªLian Qiao was standing in the living room with his back to the balcony.


    He had a violin in his hand.


    The middle of the violin was hollowed out and the style looked very unique. Lian Qiao was wearing headphones, holding the violin in one hand and the bow in the other. The bow pressed down on the strings, giving out a deep and gentle tone. Lian Qiao¡¯s bow movements were as graceful and smooth as a dancer.


    Standing outside the glass door, Xu RenDong looked at the Lian Qiao immersed in his own world.


    From this angle, he couldn¡¯t see Lian Qiao¡¯s expression but he could see his body swinging slightly with the melody as if he himself has become part of the violin, playing with himself. When the music reached a climax, the rhythm became faster and faster.  The ever-changing notes flowed from his fingertips and the gesture of the bow swaying up and down was very passionate. Even at such a distance, Xu RenDong could feel every inch of Lian Qiao¡¯s tight nerves and every inch of trembling skin. He has merged with the sound of the violin.


    Finally, the song ended.


    The slender bow hung to his side, and the violin from his shoulders was also removed. Lian Qiao put the violin on the table carefully, stretched his waist greatly and relaxed his posture.


    Xu RenDong suddenly felt very embarrassed. What was he doing? A high-altitude long jump only to peep at someone practicing violin?


    Was this¡­ the behavior of a stalker?


    He took two steps back and looked around subconsciously, trying to hide. However, the balcony was clean, and even the drying rack was empty, so he couldn¡¯t hide. The only way was to jump back again.


    Just as Xu RenDong raised his leg to cross the fence, there was a sudden commotion behind him. The glass door was pulled open.


    ¡°Huh?! Ren¡­ Brother RenDong?¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.  ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Xu RenDong only felt his scalp go numb and turned his head in embarrassment.


    When people were extremely embarrassed, they couldn¡¯t think well. Xu RenDong didn¡¯t hesitate to make a fuss: ¡°Why don¡¯t you answer my call?¡±


    Lian Qiao was taken aback: ¡°Huh?¡± He quickly took out his cell phone and said in surprise, ¡°Did you call me? I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t hear it¡­¡±


    Hearing Lian Qiao¡¯s apology, Xu RenDong suddenly felt his actions were reasonable and was confident again. He turned around and said pretentiously, ¡°I knocked on the door and I couldn¡¯t hear you. I thought you had an accident. Do you know how much I¡ª¡±


    He was inexplicably flustered. He didn¡¯t want to say the word ¡°worried¡± so he wrinkled his brows deeper and accused more severely: ¡°Do you know how angry I am? I thought that my time spent training a newcomer was again in vain!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sorry! I¡¯m practicing on livestream and I can¡¯t hear with earphones on¡­ Ah!¡± Lian Qiao suddenly remembered something, turned and ran into the house, ¡°I¡¯ll turn off the live broadcast first!¡±


    Xu RenDong  saw him running away. He felt relieved and shouted at Lian Qiao: ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. You can continue the live broadcast.¡± After speaking, he habitually began to turn the balcony again.


    ¡°Hey?¡± Lian Qiao ran out humbly and saw that Xu RenDong had stepped out of the balcony with one leg and couldn¡¯t help being shocked, ¡°What are you doing, big boss! Come down!¡± He rushed up and hugged Xu RenDong. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡±


    Xu RenDong said coldly, ¡°I¡¯m going home.¡±


    Lian Qiao pointed at the door: ¡°If you want to go home, go through the door! What are you doing climbing the balcony?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Xu RenDong was silent for a moment, he felt so embarrassed that his nerves were itchy. He was really speechless so he could only walk towards the door with his head hanging sullenly.


    Lian Qiao seemed to perceive something and chased him: ¡°Wait, Brother RenDong¡­¡±


    His answer to him was a heavy ¡°bang!¡±


    Lian Qiao was almost slapped on the nose by the door and stepped back several steps in fright. Being slammed in the face by the door in his own home, this experience is really amazing. He scratched his head, feeling that everything that happened just now was too sudden and he hadn¡¯t quite figured out the situation.


    He took out his cell phone again and checked the message Xu RenDong had sent him. Two hours ago, he said that he bought a watermelon and asked him if he wanted to eat it. Half an hour ago, he asked him if he was at home. Then there was a voice call.


    The next step was probably knocking on his door and finding that no one responded, so he thought he had an accident right?


    Lian Qiao suddenly felt sweet and the corners of his mouth couldn¡¯t help but curve up.


    He was so worried about me¡­


    Hehehehehehehe.


    Lian Qiao happily walked to the balcony to close the glass door. Suddenly his heart moved. He came to the edge of the fence and found that it was noisy downstairs, many people were watching, and some people were pointing towards him. He went over to the side of Xu RenDong¡¯s house again and found that there was nothing between the two balconies. The bottom fell straight down. He felt that his legs were weak just by looking down.


    Xu RenDong actually jumped from the opposite side.


    Was he suicidal?!


    The initial joy faded and Lian Qiao frowned quickly.


    Even if you can¡¯t get a response by knocking, you can beat the door or try to knock it down. You could also dial 110 to call the police. Would normal people jump directly on the balcony?


    Human beings instinctively protect themselves when faced with danger. For example, standing at such a high position and looking down, people will have weak legs, urinary urgency and feel that they are about to fall. So they would reflexively step back. This was the physiological mechanism of the brain¡¯s self-protection.


    Therefore, besides ¡°worrying about him¡±, Xu RenDong¡¯s behavior of jumping off the balcony at such a disadvantage also revealed something else about him.


    Xu RenDong has become accustomed to living under the threat of death that his body no longer reflexively avoids danger.


    ¡­ What kind of things has he experienced?


    Lian Qiao suddenly felt a suffocating heartache. He only knew that Xu RenDong had cleared many instances but he had never realized so deeply that every clearance was an escape from death, and that it would cause a double injury both to the body and the mind.


    Everything Xu RenDong had experienced has unknowingly changed him.


    He was not even afraid of death.


    No wonder he could rush up to fight the boss in the dungeon without hesitation, no wonder he would pull out the rock directly when he injured his leg¡­


    Lian Qiao subconsciously walked to the door and wanted to ask Xu RenDong about it. He didn¡¯t know what exactly to ask, he just wanted to see him and wanted to talk to him.


    However, as soon as his hand pressed the doorknob, there was a knock on the door.


    Lian Qiao opened the door and was surprised to find that Xu RenDong was standing in front of his house, holding half a watermelon in each hand. The flesh of the melon is red and sweet at first glance and the water is shining brightly.


    Xu RenDong has recovered his calm. He said in his usual manner. ¡°I can¡¯t eat it all so I¡¯ll  give you half.¡±


    Half a watermelon was suddenly stuffed into Lian Qiao¡¯s hands. His hands felt cold and the refreshing fragrance of watermelon drifted into his nose. His heart suddenly softened into a puddle of water and his eyes filled with tenderness.


    ¡°Brother RenDong¡­¡±


    Before the words fell, there was a rush of footsteps on the stairs.


    A group of police officers rushed to the sixth floor and quickly surrounded the two. One of the officers, who looked like a captain, stepped forward and stared at them with a stinky expression.


    ¡°Was it you that jumped across the balcony just now? Tell me, were you trying to jump off the building or commit a robbery?¡±


    Xu RenDong & Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    The captain glanced at the watermelon in the hands of the two and snorted coldly: ¡°Don¡¯t eat it yet. Come back to the police station with me to make a statement!¡±


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    RenDong: an old man who tried to pretend to be a young man but was seen through in a second.

 CH 49

    Chapter 49 ¨C Visiting the Gaming Exhibition


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao sat in the back of a police car, each holding half a watermelon in their hands. Both people thought this scene was a bit funny and after holding back for a long time, they couldn¡¯t help bursting into laughter.


    The two police officers with them looked at each other helplessly, thinking that these days the world was getting weirder and weirder.


    The incident of Xu RenDong jumping on the balcony caused quite a stir in the community. Fortunately, no one was injured and public safety was not endangered. The two honestly explained the reasons at the Public Security Bureau, and then the police let them go home.


    Xu RenDong felt quite guilty about this. It was all due to his impulsiveness and had caused such a big fuss. Over the next few days, he was too embarrassed to even talk to Lian Qiao and stayed at the company working overtime as much as possible. Lian Qiao was also busy preparing for his performance at the gaming exhibition and did not notice Xu RenDong¡¯s deliberate avoidance. So during this time, the two would only meet on the stairs at night. One pretended to work overtime and went home late on purpose, and the other practiced violin until his hand felt broken and had to go out for a run to relax.


    Soon, the agreed upon gaming exhibition arrived.


    Lian Qiao received an invitation from the organizer to appear as a guest. His event was scheduled in the afternoon but Lian Qiao still wanted to visit the exhibition in the morning. Thus, Xu RenDong and he had an appointment to meet at 8 o¡¯clock in the morning.


    Walking out of the house, Xu RenDong saw at a glance that Lian Qiao was dragging two suitcases with one hand and had a violin case on his back. He was a little surprised: ¡°Why do you need to bring so many things?¡±


    Lian Qiao pointed to one of the black suitcases: ¡°This one is empty. It¡¯s going to be used for things I buy at the exhibition.¡± He pointed to the white suitcase, ¡°This is for my cosplay costume and props.¡±


    Xu RenDong laughed. ¡°You are really well prepared. ¡°


    Lian Qiao smiled and swiftly picked up a suitcase in each hand. There was a violin case on his back that was swaying and all looked a bit unstable as he made his way down the stairs. Xu RenDong stopped him: ¡°I¡¯ll help you hold something¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lian Qiao handed over the empty suitcase.


    Xu RenDong put the two suitcases in the trunk of his car. After getting in the car, he saw Lian Qiao put the violin case on the back seat. He even solemnly fastened the seatbelt around the case.


    For some reason, something moved in his heart and felt that the scene seemed familiar¡­. That¡¯s right, he had also fastened the seat belt around the watermelon like this.


    When he did it, he didn¡¯t feel much. How come it was so funny to see others doing it?


    Xu RenDong slightly curved his mouth. Sitting in the driver¡¯s seat, he drove Lian Qiao to the exhibition venue. Before getting out of the car, Lian Qiao put on a black mask and handed Xu RenDong one as well.


    Xu RenDong was confused: ¡°Why wear a mask? ¡°


    Lian Qiao smiled embarrassedly: ¡°If you don¡¯t wear it, you¡¯ll get stopped easily.¡±


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t understand their rules for visiting the exhibition but since Lian Qiao did, he followed his instructions.


    After arriving outside the venue, Xu RenDong was immediately shocked by the excitement and hustle and bustle. Right now it was still before the official admission time so everyone was lined up in the fence in an orderly manner. The queue was like a greedy snake formed after playing ¡°Snakes and Ladders¡± for one hour. It snaked around the entire square.


    Fortunately, Lian Qiao had a VIP entry pass and he took Xu RenDong through the special entranceway which attracted the enviable eyes of the surrounding crowd. Suddenly someone called out, ¡°Is that Milk Qiao?¡± ¡°


    ¡°Yes it¡¯s Ah-Qiao! Ahhhhhhhhh! Ah-Qiao is already here ah!¡±


    ¡°Ah-Qiao, Ah-Qiao look over here! I¡¯m your male fan! Begging for an autograph ahhhhh!¡±


    Lian Qiao whispered: ¡°Fuck, even like this they can still recognize me.¡± He turned around. Curving his eyes into a smile, he was ready for business.


    That group of people all seemed to be his fans. Lian Qiao greeted them all with a smile, and when he was about to leave, the fans immediately noticed the violin case behind him and began to scream again.


    ¡°Ahhhh, it¡¯s a violin! In my lifetime, I can finally see the scene of Ah-Qiao playing the violin!¡±


    ¡°Did you not see the preview? It is said to be a cosplay violin solo! At two o¡¯clock in the afternoon!¡±


    ¡°Hey, who¡¯s the person by Ah-Qiao¡¯s side? His eyes are so beautiful! Does anyone recognize him?¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhh how come I can¡¯t enter the venue yet! I can¡¯t wait any longer!¡±


    ¡°Ah-Qiao, Ah-Qiao can we have an autograph! Can we have a group photo ahhhh!¡±


    Xu RenDong watched with great interest as Lian Qiao finally managed to deal with these enthusiastic fans and walked towards him quickly.


    ¡°Walk walk walk, don¡¯t look back!¡± Lian Qiao dragged Xu RenDong to the venue. Somehow his ears were a little red. ¡°Wear a mask, don¡¯t let them see your face!¡±


    ¡°It turns out you¡¯re so popular.¡± Xu RenDong smiled, ¡°No wonder I have to wear a mask, it was disrespectful to ask why before.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help it. If I¡¯m recognized every two steps, I won¡¯t be able to properly explore the venue.¡± Lian Qiao showed his VIP pass to the guard at the door and quickly dragged Xu RenDong into the exhibition hall.


    The exhibition hall was very empty at this time and mostly only staff were walking around. All the booths had been set up and visitors could only wait for the admission time to come. As soon as Lian Qiao entered the venue, he headed straight to the VR area. Along the way he explained to Xu RenDong: ¡°This company has done a great job with VR! Every time you want to experience it, you have to line up for a long time! Let¡¯s hurry up while there are only a few people¡­ Ah.¡±


    When they came to the VR exhibition area, the two discovered that there was already a line. Several people held selfie sticks and mobile phones in their hands. Xu RenDong noticed that those selfie sticks were not the same as those commonly seen outside. The structure was very exquisite and seems to have the function of shock absorption.


    Seeing him staring at those people, Lian Qiao explained in a low voice: ¡°These are also gaming anchors. They are live streaming now. If you don¡¯t want to end up online then stay away from them.¡±


    Xu RenDong asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t you live broadcast as well?¡±


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°If I broadcast, I won¡¯t have time to hang out with you.¡±


    He looked at Xu RenDong and the tenderness in his eyes were like spring water, rippling out in circles.


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°Indeed, it would be very troublesome if we got separated in such a big venue. All your stuff is in my car and it would be bad if it affected your performance.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    The ripples hit a stone and were abruptly bounced back.


    Fortunately, at this time the group of anchors lining up at the VR gate spotted Lian Qiao. They yelled ¡°Ah-Qiao! Ah-Qiao!¡± Lian Qiao caught onto the live-saving straw to help him cover up his embarrassment. He quickly said, ¡°I¡¯ll go and say hello to them.¡± He rushed off.


    The exhibition soon officially began. Lian Qiao took Xu RenDong around and introduced him to various game categories and gameplay, as if he were the master of this exhibition. At first, Lian Qiao would personally play a few times but he didn¡¯t expect to break the game record by playing casually. Then people started to gather around him and someone immediately recognized him.


    Once recognized, he would have to sign autographs and pose for photos. This was repeated several times  and the two of them couldn¡¯t explore properly. Seeing the clock pointing at twelve o¡¯clock, Lian Qiao said helplessly: ¡°Let¡¯s go have lunch¡­¡±


    The venue provided lunch to the staff. Lian Qiao took him to the internal rest area, where there were only staff and guests, and casual visitors could not enter. Lian Qiao finally took off his mask and slumped on the table listlessly.


    ¡°I have to go get my make-up done and change my clothes after lunch. I won¡¯t have time to play anymore¡­.¡±


    Xu RenDong tried to comfort him. Just then two young people, a boy and a girl, walked in through the door. When they saw Lian Qiao, they ran over with a smile.


    ¡°Hey!¡± The girl came up and rubbed Lian Qiao¡¯s head. ¡°I knew you¡¯d be here!¡±


    The boy was much quieter. He sat down next to Lian Qiao and asked softly: ¡°Did you come in the morning?¡±


    Lian Qiao immediately became more spirited. ¡°Yeah yeah! I came before it even started! Ah, let me introduce to you, this is my family¡¯s-¡± Before saying the words ¡°big boss¡±, he suddenly felt that it was not appropriate. So he had to change his words forcibly, ¡°-my family¡¯s neighbor. His name is Xu RenDong.¡±


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t notice the strangeness. He smiled at Lian Qiao¡¯s two friends and nodded: ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Neighbor?¡± The girl was a little surprised and then suddenly realized, ¡°Oh, oh, is it the one you¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao interrupted her quickly. ¡°Yes! The one I told you about, my neighbor after I moved!¡±


    ¡°Oh~¡± The girl showed a subtle smile and she glanced at the boy tacitly.


    The boy politely stretched out his hand to Xu RenDong: ¡°Hello, my name is WeiLan, I am a costume prop artist.¡±


    Xu RenDong shook his hand, thinking if the word ¡°Wei¡± was his surname. The girl beside him  smiled and said: ¡°I¡¯m Koala Sauce, I¡¯m a makeup girl~¡±


    Xu RenDong then realized that the names they said were their screen names.


    ¡°Have you eaten?¡± Lian Qiao asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve eaten already.¡± Koala Sauce glanced at his seat, ¡°Hey, where¡¯s your violin?¡±


    ¡°In the car, I¡¯ll get it later.¡± Lian Qiao began to talk to them about the afternoon activities. There were many terms that Xu RenDong didn¡¯t understand, so he lowered his head and ate silently.


    After dinner, Xu RenDong accompanied Lian Qiao back to the car to get the big suitcase containing the props. When he returned to the venue again, Lian Qiao pointed to the large stage in the center of the venue and said: ¡°I will be performing here in a little while. I asked Koala Sauce to reserve a place for you. It is in the VIP area near the backstage. You must come and watch me perform!¡±


    The afternoon performance had not officially started yet but the seats in the front of the stage were almost full. Those who come late could only stand at the back and watch. A promotional CG was being played on the big screen on the stage. It was an action game with exquisite graphics that were full of impact. The audience in the audience exclaimed from time to time. Xu RenDong thought it looked very interesting so he told Lian Qiao not to mind him and to go ahead and do his business.


    After Lian Qiao left, Xu RenDong walked around the venue. There were people everywhere. You had to line up if you want to try anything out. Xu RenDong felt a little bored so he went to the corridor outside the venue. There was a rest area for visitors in the corridor, providing snacks and drinks. Xu RenDong looked for the location of the bathroom and was about to head there when he saw a familiar figure flash by his eyes.


    It was the cute girl he saw at noon, called Koala¡­. Koala Sauce.


    Koala Sauce was wearing a Japanese-style school uniform with double ponytails. She was jumping and dancing, her skirt was swaying and it looked very eye-catching. Xu RenDong wanted to say hello to her but then saw Koala Sauce sashay into the bathroom.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s gaze swept across the sign on the wall inadvertently¡ª wait, how come it was the men¡¯s bathroom? !


    He was taken aback, thinking he saw wrong. But when he walked in, it was indeed the  men¡¯s bathroom. The women¡¯s bathroom was on the other side, a few meters away.


    ¡­ Was Koala Sauce a man? !


    Xu RenDong was shocked to the core. He stood rooted to the spot and stood at the door of the bathroom blankly. Before long, two tall girls passed him, one in a white witch costume and the other in a sailor suit. They talked and laughed, then walked into the men¡¯s bathroom naturally.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°?¡±


    Was there any unspoken rule here that men and women exchange bathrooms?


    He ran to the door of the women¡¯s bathroom next door in disbelief, silently observing the people coming and going. To his surprise, there were also men and women who went into the women¡¯s bathroom.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°???¡±


    He was completely confused about the situation.


    At this time, the Koala Sauce bounced out of the men¡¯s bathroom. She saw Xu RenDong immediately and ran over to greet him enthusiastically.


    ¡°What a coincidence, we meet again!¡± She smiled and looked up at Xu RenDong who was a head taller than her. ¡°The afternoon performance is about to begin! I¡¯ll take you to your seat!¡±


    The voice of Koala Sauce was sweet and soft and was completely female. Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help looking at her neck, wanting to see if there was any Adam¡¯s apple. Only then did he notice that she was wearing a mask around her neck, just covering her throat.


    Xu RenDong looked at her in a complicated mood and asked with difficulty: ¡°Um¡­ which bathroom should I go into?¡±


    Koala Sauce was taken aback: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Xu RenDong was entangled and didn¡¯t know how to express his difficulties. Koala Sauce reacted and laughed heartily: ¡°I see, did you see me entering the men¡¯s bathroom?¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded. Koala Sauce pulled the mask down on his neck a little, leaned in and said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m a boy, but I prefer to wear women¡¯s clothing~¡±


    {Hi, so I¡¯m not sure if Koala Sauce is transgender or just likes to wear womens clothing for cosplay reasons. However the author has changed the pronoun from ¡°she¡± to ¡°he¡± so I¡¯m just following the original text. Hope no one will get offended.}


    When he leaned in, his voice had become much lower but it still sounded like a boy who hadn¡¯t gone through puberty yet.


    Xu RenDong was not accustomed to getting so close to someone. He fought the urge to take a step back and asked curiously: ¡°Then what¡¯s the matter with your voice?¡±


    Koala Sauce said, ¡°This is my pseudo-voice.¡± He squeezed his throat and made several different voices. His smile was quite proud, ¡°I can do a loli girl voice, a young girl¡¯s voice, and a mature sister¡¯s voice too! I can do them all! Of course I can also do a young boy or an uncle as well!¡±


    Xu RenDong expressed his heartfelt admiration.


    Koala Sauce said: ¡°Okay, you go to the bathroom! The performance is about to begin.¡±


    Xu RenDong walked into the men¡¯s bathroom and looked around. He found a row of¡­ colorful people standing in front of the urinal. Not only were the clothes on their body colorful, but their hair was too. There were even fluorescent colors. He suddenly felt that he was out of place among them and he felt a bit embarrassed to go pee with them. However, he couldn¡¯t hold back his need to urinate so he could only bite the bullet and walked to the front of the urinal.


    To his left was a female¡­ boy in a blood-stained doctor¡¯s uniform. To his right was a man in a blue one-piece swimsuit.


    ¡­Wait, a swimsuit?! Then down below wasn¡¯t it¡­.


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help but peeked to the right. He saw the big brother tugging the crotch of his swimsuit to the side and unhurriedly took out a magnificent little brother.


    ¡­ Okay I understand the logic now, but why is it so big!


    Xu RenDong was so shocked that he forgot he was still peeing. He watched the man next door solve his physical problem and swiftly pushed the little brother back. He carefully arranged the lower body of his swimsuit. Xu RenDong stared blankly at the little brother disappearing into the swimsuit. The appearance was flat and smooth, with no PS traces! {PS= photoshop, I think he¡¯s talking about the smoothing effect people use on photos.}


    This¡­ Where was that thing hiding? !


    Perceiving Xu RenDong¡¯s gaze, the man in the swimsuit winked at him and then suddenly said with a vigorous baritone: ¡°Little brother, what are you looking at?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°?????!!!¡±


    His three views had been greatly challenged.


    It wasn¡¯t until the swimsuit man left the bathroom with a laugh that Xu RenDong realized that he was still standing in front of the urinal in a daze. He blushed immediately and hurried to wash his hands and also his face while he was there. Only then did he barely regain his composure and walked out of the bathroom.


    However, as soon as he came out, he saw the swimsuit man and Koala Sauce chatting and laughing. The man in the swimsuit raised two fingers, which were more than ten centimeters in length. Koala-chan covered her mouth in surprise, chuckled and glanced at the bathroom. He happened to meet Xu RenDong¡¯s gaze and the Koala Sauce immediately showed a meaningful smile.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    Although he didn¡¯t know what they were talking about, he felt very embarrassed¡­


    Fortunately, the swimsuit man left soon and Xu RenDong¡¯s embarrassment gradually eased. On the way back to the stage, Koala Sauce suddenly said: ¡°Ah-Qiao is a gentle and considerate guy who takes care of other people¡¯s feelings.¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded and said, ¡°En, he has a very good personality¡­ But why are you suddenly saying this?¡±


    Koala Sauce smiled slyly: ¡°You need to give him more vitamins, otherwise the corners of his mouth will easily crack. Hehehehe.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°???¡±


    He didn¡¯t understand what they were talking about at all.

 CH 50

    Chapter 50 ¨C Brother, am I Beautiful?


    When Xu RenDong arrived at his seat, the performance activities had just begun. Lian Qiao¡¯s performance was after two game trials. Xu RenDong didn¡¯t understand the content of these two games. His attention was completely taken away by Koala Sauce who was screaming in excitement next to him. In contrast, WeiLan is too quiet. Even when the demonstration reached the most exciting point, he only smiled lightly. He looked completely like a lady from a well-to-do family.


    Wait, he wouldn¡¯t be a girl, would he?!


    Xu RenDong looked at WeiLan with lingering fear and confirmed the existence of an Adam¡¯s apple. Somehow he felt a complex mood that was both comforted and, at the same time, disappointed.


    Finally it was Lian Qiao¡¯s turn to go on. The staff quickly rushed to the stage and arranged some simple traditional Chinese-style scenery. When Xu RenDong looked at it from the side, it just looked like colorful cardboard and didn¡¯t seem realistic. However, the audience in the audience suddenly became excited.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh Ah-Qiao ah!¡±


    ¡°Finally it¡¯s Ah-Qiao¡¯s turn!¡±


    ¡°FML my phone is running out of battery! Who has a charging pack? Lend it to me fast!¡±


    The audience was whispering and talking frantically. On the big stage, the screen suddenly turned black and the audience fell silent. Xu RenDong wondered if there was an accident in the live broadcast. Suddenly a gorgeous title appeared on the screen:


    [Sun Quan, The Emperor]


    {This is a Chinese Vocaloid song. Links below.


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJms1CGHjn8 ¨C With lyrics


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPduT7DMdNo ¨C Violin cover}


    At the same time, a passionate note sounded from behind the curtain. It was like a sharp arrow bursting out from the air!


    Just a title and a note made the audience burst into excitement once more. The screams one after another erupted spontaneously at the venue. Everyone stared at the stage excitedly, wondering whe! Lian Qiao would come out.


    The violin performance didn¡¯t stop. The powerful melody shot directly from the instrument into the eardrums of the listeners. Every note stirred their nerves and the atmosphere suddenly ignited. Finally, under the rapt attention of the audience, Lian Qiao walked out slowly from the side of the stage while playing the violin.


    He was wearing a blue-gray uniform, and the armor plate on his chest looked very light and did not affect his playing. He wore a purple-gray wig on the top of his head and it was twisted into two small buns, looking like small butterfly bows. A few strands of long hair hung down to his chest, in sharp contrast with the blue armor and it swayed gently and rhythmically with the movement of his bow.


    An MV animation was simultaneously being played on the big screen behind Lian Qiao. As the MV screen kept flashing, Xu RenDong gradually understood that this song was about Sun Quan during the Three Kingdoms period and it was Sun Quan that Lian Qiao cosplaying. {Sun Quan is one of the major characters from ¡°Romance of the Three Kingdoms¡± which has been adapted into a lot of different mediums.}


    This was¡­. Ancient period costume right? Playing the violin in a period costume? It felt kind of weird.


    However, the audience around him clearly didn¡¯t think so. Everyone raised the objects in their hands and shook them to the melody. There were mobile phones, posters, dolls¡­ there was even a game console in the back row. The movements were neat and tidy as if they had been rehearsed. Xu RenDong felt that he recognized this scene and soon remembered, oh, this is called ¡°fans support¡±.


    Looking at Koala Sauce and WeiLan next to him, one had bright eyes and was crying with excitement, the other was holding a mobile phone while recording. On the surface he looked calm but his two legs under the table couldn¡¯t be controlled and were shaking like crazy.


    ¡­.Was it worth it?


    Although Xu RenDong felt that Lian Qiao played the violin very well, he was still far away from being able to touch people so much that they would cry.


    However, it was undeniable that the song was full of rhythm and the melody was also very catchy. In addition, the MV¡¯s screen angle of view was repeatedly switched, giving people a very passionate feeling. Lian Qiao¡¯s violin performance brought a completely different feeling to the scene. The bow in his hand seemed to arouse the emotions of the audience and push the atmosphere towards a climax.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s body shook slightly with the rhythm and Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes could not help but follow the movement of his violin bow. Others were listening to the song and watching the MV, but Xu RenDong suddenly noticed that Lian Qiao¡¯s posture was very handsome. His strong wrist moved back and forth, like a willow branch that has just been drawn, soft but also tenacious. The bow moved freely and neatly. The young man stood with the violin and bow and was filled with enthusiasm.


    At this moment, he really seemed to be a young monarch on the battlefield.


    ¡­¡­He looked good.


    Xu RenDong stared at Lian Qiao¡¯s wrist unconsciously until the end of the performance, when the violin bow dragged out the last note and Lian Qiao then slowly dropped his hand. Applause broke out in the venue immediately!


    Amidst the thunderous applause, Lian Qiao¡¯s mouth raised his mouth and suddenly looked over towards him.


    Lian Qiao was like someone who had just finished playing basketball. His chest rose and fell and he was panting slightly, but his eyes were bright. His eyes passed through countless audience members, through the exploding air in the venue, through all the noise and disturbance, and steadily met Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes. With eyes that couldn¡¯t hide his excitement, the corners of his mouth turned slightly upwards, his chest kept undulating, and then he proudly and silently said to Xu RenDong:


    Compliment me.


    Obviously Lian Qiao was the one who stood in the center of the stage and received everyone¡¯s attention but the look in his eyes made Xu RenDong feel as if the spotlight was instead focused on him.


    Xu RenDong looked at his smiling face and couldn¡¯t help but smile back. The performance was successfully completed and he was sincerely happy for Lian Qiao. He even felt a little proud. However, before this joy could continue to ferment, a scene suddenly flashed before Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes.


    In the scene Lian Qiao was sitting on top of him, pressing down on his shoulders with both hands, pressing him to the ground. Lian Qiao looked down at him and his eyes were heavy with killing intent.


    The next second, a dagger appeared in Lian Qiao¡¯s hand. He clenched the dagger with both hands, raised it high, and then stabbed it downwards!


    That sharp knife pierced Xu RenDong¡¯s chest. There was a sharp pain and then the pressure of dying spread throughout his chest. He could even feel the pain of his heart tearing as it beat desperately against the blade.


    This scene flashed before his eyes. When Xu RenDong came back to his senses, he found that he was still below the stage. On the stage, Lian Qiao was gone, replaced by the event host and two other guests.


    Xu RenDong panted in shock and couldn¡¯t help but press his hand against his heart.


    What just happened? What did I just see?


    Koala Sauce suddenly sideled over. He smiled and said: ¡°Lian Qiao has gone to the locker room to change his clothes! He wants you to go backstage to find him and said he wants to keep exploring around with you.¡±


    On the way to the locker room, Xu RenDong kept thinking about the scene he saw just now. It was clear, Lian Qiao had killed him with his own two hands. He also didn¡¯t hesitate or feel sad when he did it. Recalling the strong killing intent in Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes, Xu RenDong felt cold even now.


    He didn¡¯t believe that Lian Qiao would do such a thing, but then why would he see such a scene?


    Xu RenDong suppressed his doubts, knocked on the door and walked into the locker room.


    ¡°Brother RenDong, you¡¯re here!¡±


    Lian Qiao was still wearing that antique military uniform and ran over, looking like a small terracotta warrior. The locker room was not large and it was separated from the venue by plastic panels. It should have been temporarily built for the needs of the exhibition. The dressing room was small, but mirrors, dressing tables, tables and chairs, and even washing sinks were all available. At this time, there were a few cosplay costumes piled on the sofa. Xu RenDong had no place to sit so he had to stand by the door.


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you changed your clothes yet?¡± Xu RenDong asked.


    ¡°There is a knotted strap at the back of this armor. I can¡¯t untie it by myself.¡± Lian Qiao turned around and exposed his back. ¡°Can you help me?¡±


    That scene suddenly appeared before Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes again: Lian Qiao¡¯s cold eyes when he killed him. Now looking at Lian Qiao¡¯s back, he suddenly thought:


    It would be easy to kill him right now when he has his guard down¡­


    Xu RenDong was taken aback by his own thoughts. He forced himself to stop thinking about it and reached out to find the knotted strap in Lian Qiao¡¯s armor.


    The inside of the armor was hot. Xu RenDong touched it for a while but couldn¡¯t find the strap. He said: ¡°Stop moving around, I can¡¯t find it like this.¡±


    Lian Qiao forced a smile and said, ¡°But I¡¯m so itchy¡­ I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m particularly ticklish, hahahahahahaha¡­¡±


    The more Lian Qiao laughed, the itchier he felt. His body is so sensitive that he practically couldn¡¯t touch a thing. He laughed and avoided wherever Xu RenDong touched. Xu RenDong was annoyed. He reached out, covered Lian Qiao¡¯s mouth and gave him an angry look.


    ¡°Stop laughing!¡±


    At the same time, he seized the opportunity to fumble around on Lian Qiao¡¯s back.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s mouth was covered. His eyes opened wide and his cheeks were flushed. Although he himself took the initiative to ask Xu RenDong for help, he didn¡¯t expect it to become like this. He was almost held in Xu RenDong¡¯s arms and his mouth was covered, as though he were about to be forced to do something¡­.


    Lian Qiao was so excited that his eyes flashed: Hurry! Do it! Don¡¯t pity me because I am a delicate flower!


    Do it! Use force! Quickly! Right now!


    However, the scene of ten thousand words that had filled his brain didn¡¯t occur and Xu RenDong quickly found the knot. He stopped covering Lian Qiao¡¯s mouth and reached in with both hands to untie the knot. The physical contact between the two was minimized instantly.


    Lian Qiao: Yingyingyingying, disappointed. {Yingyingyingying is a crying noise.}


    Desiring to be penetrated by a lethal weapon. Lian Qiao didn¡¯t know that the Xu RenDong who was standing behind was also restraining the desire to use lethal weapons. {Just in case it¡¯s confusing or it bothers you, LQ is the gong but when he gets excited he often has a little girl mentality lol.}


    It¡¯s just that the two people have different definitions of the word ¡°weapon¡±¡­


    Fortunately, the armor became loose and Xu RenDong can easily untie the ropes. He lifted the armor up and Lian Qiao shrank his neck down. The armor was taken off.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Xu RenDong breathed a sigh of relief and sat down on the sofa. Only then did he discover that Lian Qiao was still wearing a complicated uniform under his armor. The shirt is very close to the body and it was embroidered with dark gold patterns. Even though when Lian Qiao wore the armor plate, these exquisite embroideries were completely concealed and wsa completely invisible to the audience when he was performing on stage. However, even so, the people who made the costume still embroidered these patterns meticulously, as if this costume is not a cosplay prop, but a real uniform.


    He remembered that this costume and props were prepared by WeiLan. The boy looked quiet and inconspicuous and he did not expect that he would put so much effort into making the costume.


    Xu RenDong stared at the pattern on the shirt in a daze. Lian Qiao tilted his head to look at him and a smirk suddenly appeared at the corner of his mouth.


    He stretched out his fingers, lifted up Xu RenDong¡¯s chin and said with a smile: ¡°Brother~ Is Quan-er beautiful~?¡± {Quan-er is a cutesy nickname for Sun Quan, the character LQ is cosplaying. This sentence has an additional meaning which will be explained in a second.}


    Xu RenDong looked up at Lian Qiao and was suddenly surprised to see that Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes were green. He quickly realized that he was wearing cosmetic contact lenses, but these eyes were so beautiful, like some kind of precious mineral, both radiant and dazzling.


    His attention was completely attracted by these eyes and he stared at Lian Qiao blankly for a long time. So that when he came back to his senses, he blushed slightly in embarrassment.


    Lian Qiao was still looking at him with a smile, as if waiting for a response. Xu RenDong recalled just now, Lian Qiao seemed to say something like ¡°Is Quan-er beautiful?¡± Wait, does this ¡°Quan-er¡± refer to Sun Quan from the song ¡°Sun Quan, the Emperor¡±?


    Xu RenDong suddenly realized. Looking at Lian Qiao again, he finally read a trace of expectation from Lian Qiao¡¯s expression.


    Was Lian Qiao waiting for him to co-operate and act out something with him¡­?


    But he didn¡¯t know how to act.


    Xu RenDong made a decisive decision and took out his phone to search Baidu. When Lian Qiao saw this, he was taken aback and had a bad feeling. Immediately afterwards, Xu RenDong looked at his phone and began to read in a low voice.


    ¡°I smiled and started to dance, just like the courtesans from the brothel. My footsteps circled the room with light steps. Every moment, every look, was filled with charm¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s expression changed instantly.


    Xu RenDong felt this sentence was a bit weird. He glanced at Lian Qiao suspiciously but insisted on continuing to read: ¡°As I danced, I started to take off my clothes and finally there was only one piece of clothing that barely covered my thigh. On the last spin, I sat down on my elder brother¡¯s lap. I smiled and hooked my brother¡¯s neck¡­¡± {Brother in Chinese is an intimate way of calling any male that¡¯s older than you in the same generation, not necessarily blood related.}


    Lian Qiao rushed forward: ¡°Ahhhhhh, don¡¯t read it!¡±


    However, it was too late and Xu RenDong said the last words softly: ¡°Brother, is Quan-er beautiful?¡±


    Lian Qiao collapsed instantly. He covered his face and knelt down in front of Xu RenDong.


    Xu RenDong looked down at Lian Qiao. A minute ago, Lian Qiao was still hooking his chin and looking down at him condescendingly, but now he is kneeling on the ground too ashamed to get up. This really was a turn of events.


    Xu RenDong also had no intention of bullying him. In order to resolve the embarrassment, Xu RenDong took the initiative to say: ¡°So, you actually like to read this kind of novel.¡± {obviously this is from some kind of novel inspired by Three Kingdoms and not the original text. Sun Quan is definitely not a courtesan in that one!}


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Ying!¡±


    His whole person suddenly rolled up like a watermelon!


    Xu RenDong saw that the situation was not right. Knowing that he had said something wrong, he coughed: ¡°Sorry, I shouldn¡¯t judge your reading preferences casually¡­ I wrote down the title of the book and I will read it carefully when I go back¡­ ¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!¡±


    The watermelon began to roll on the ground holding its head!


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± He was at a complete loss as to what to do.


    Lian Qiao covered his face, crying out while rolling around on the ground. He even knocked into the sofa and the table. The scene was very chaotic for a while. Xu RenDong carefully retracted his legs towards the sofa to prevent himself from accidentally hurting Lian Qiao.


    Lian Qiao rolled on the ground for ten minutes and finally stopped, exhausted. He lay on the ground panting with red eyes, staring at Xu RenDong sadly. At the same time, the door of the locker room suddenly opened and Koala Sauce and WeiLan walked in while talking and laughing. They saw Lian Qiao lying on the ground gasping and froze, shocked


    Xu RenDong took the initiative to explain: ¡°It¡¯s like this, just now he¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡± Suddenly a new round of tumbling began!


    Xu RenDong & Koala Sauce & WeiLan: ¡°???¡±


    After another ten minutes, the two finally figured out what happened just now. Lian Qiao chewed his sleeve and felt wronged. Koala Sauce laughed and patted his shoulder to comfort him. Xu RenDong said that he was going outside to get a breath of fresh air. WeiLan carefully sorted out the armor and shirt that Lian Qiao took off, and patiently patted every inch of dust on it.


    He put his exquisite clothes aside and then took out a leather whip from his suitcase and looked at Lian Qiao gloomily.


    ¡°Is this a good reason for soiling the clothes?¡±

 CH 51

    Chapter 51 ¨C Butterflies in the Stomach 1


    The exhibition came to a successful close but afterwards Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help but keep thinking about the scene of Lian Qiao killing him. He didn¡¯t know what was wrong with him. Was it a stressful illusion caused by too much anxiety, or was it something that really happened between him and Lian Qiao?


    That¡¯s right, when he was in the matryoshka world, he had actually been suspicious of Lian Qiao in the beginning because Lian Qiao could accurately find all the dolls every time, just as if he had read the script. At that time, he persuaded himself otherwise by reasoning that ¡°Lian Qiao was good at playing games¡±, but now that he thinks about it, it still felt a bit inexplicable.


    After all, who in their right mind would treat this kind of thing as a game when they first encounter it? This was a terrifying world that could really kill people.


    What was more suspicious was the two different states of being that Lian Qiao would switch back and forth between when faced with ghosts. One moment he was so scared he was hiccuping and trembling, but the next moment he could pick up the crowbar and fight a ghost. These two states of  being were completely different and separate from each other.


    And even if there was a ghost chasing after him, and even though he had his eyes closed, Lian Qiao could accurately find the right path in the snow. He could even set a trap for the ghost on the way. So could his so-called fear only be something that he was making up? Otherwise how could it be that he didn¡¯t even take a single wrong step?


    All in all, there are too many suspicious things about Lian Qiao.


    However, at the very beginning, it was Xu RenDong who rescued Lian Qiao himself. If he didn¡¯t do anything, Lian Qiao would have been tragically killed by Brother Sledgehammer.


    It wasn¡¯t that he thought Lian Qiao should be grateful to him for this and so should never betray him. It was just that¡­


    How could he put it? It was like a bird that he had personally taken out from its nest. So regardless, he would feel affection towards it. Even if the bird pecked him, he wouldn¡¯t be able to bear to dash it to its death.


    ¡­.But what if the thing he rescued was not a little bird, but a frozen snake?


    Recalling the murderous look in Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes as he held the dagger in his hands, Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help but feel a chill from the bottom of his heart.


    So what should he do now?


    His conflicted mood lasted for a long time but Xu RenDong still couldn¡¯t find any answer in his heart. So these days, he subconsciously avoided Lian Qiao and stayed at the company to work overtime as much as possible. In the eyes of colleagues in the office, Xu RenDong suddenly turned back into an iceberg. Don¡¯t think about ordering bubble tea together, he would even take his lunch and eat it alone in the stairwell.  Everyone began to look at Liu JiaQi with suspicion, wondering if something had happened between them.


    Liu JiaQi: It¡¯s not me! I haven¡¯t done anything!


    Soon Friday arrived again. There wasn¡¯t much work to do and Xu RenDong¡¯s colleagues were all chatting about where they planned to go during the weekend. Xu RenDong felt unable to fit into this atmosphere so he returned home early.


    Back home, it felt extremely stuffy. He opened the windows, loosened his tie and sat on the sofa with his eyes closed. In summer, the cicadas cried noisily and the sound was hoarse and unrelenting. Xu RenDong leaned on the sofa and gradually fell asleep. When he woke up, the sky outside was still bright. He looked at the time, it was six o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Only about twenty minutes had passed since he got home and sat down.


    Did he only sleep for twenty minutes? He thought it had been for a long time¡­


    Xu RenDong felt energetic. He stood up and moved around. Suddenly he felt that something was wrong.


    It was too quiet and there wasn¡¯t any sound. Where were the cicadas?


    An intense anxiety hit him like a heavy hammer. His heart thumped until he walked to the window, looked out, and finally confirmed that his fears had become reality.


    On the road, the traffic was at a standstill.


    People¡¯s faces still have the expression they held before time was frozen. Some were laughing and others were irritated, but they were as still as specimen samples tacked to a board. The more life-like their expressions were, the more weird they look now in this still-life world. It felt like everyone had turned into a dummy and that these dummies appeared like they could move the next second.


    Xu RenDong heard his breathing gradually quicken. He turned around slowly and finally and reluctantly looked at the silver-white elevator in the corner of the living room.


    Didn¡¯t Lian Qiao say that the next instance would be a month from now? Then how¡­


    That¡¯s right, it seems it has been a month.


    A few days ago, Lian Qiao had reminded him that it was nearly time to enter the next instance. But he did not respond immediately. He hadn¡¯t figured out how to face Lian Qiao so the matter was put on hold.


    At this time the elevator really appeared in front of him and Xu RenDong suddenly panicked. What should he do if Lian Qiao was not by his side?


    He wasn¡¯t worried that he won¡¯t be able to pass the instance without Lian Qiao. For him, as long as he dies a few more times, he will eventually find a way out. But what about Lian Qiao?!


    Xu RenDong immediately ran to the door and tried to turn the doorknob but the doorknob was like a fake plastic toy and couldn¡¯t turn it. He took out his cell phone again to call Lian Qiao and soon found out, to his despair, that the cell phone had no signal.


    What could he do? Lian Qiao and him won¡¯t enter the same world and Lian Qiao could die out there!


    Although he suspected Lian Qiao, he had never contemplated Lian Qiao¡¯s death!


    At this moment, Xu RenDong¡¯s inner panic had been replaced by regret. He blamed himself deeply and slammed his hand hard against the security door and it made a crisp banging noise.. It was clear that this was not the sound of the security door itself but instead of the invisible air wall. The air wall had completely isolated him from the outside world. He couldn¡¯t get out and Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t get in.


    Time has stopped and he was imprisoned here. The only thing he can do is walk into his elevator.


    He has no way to interfere with Lian Qiao¡¯s world.


    Xu RenDong took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. Right now, he could only hope that Lian Qiao can survive in his world out there.


    Feeling almost numb, Xu RenDong walked to his elevator. He reached out to press the button. The silver-white button lit up and soon the elevator made a ¡°ding¡± sound. The silver-white metal door opened in front of him.


    Just as he was about to step into the elevator, from the corner of his eye he suddenly caught a glimpse of the backpack under the coffee table.


    Wait, wasn¡¯t that¨C


    Xu RenDong immediately retracted his legs, turned his head and ran towards the coffee table. It was a large mountaineering bag with bulging compartments but the weight was not heavy.


    This was the backpack that Lian Qiao had prepared for him.


    Xu RenDong opened the zipper with a clatter and saw that it was full of food, dry food, snacks, water, and even a small bottle of Laoganma {chilli sauce beloved by Chinese peeps lol}. In the other compartment, there was a Swiss army knife, a flashlight, the brass key of unknown purpose, and¡­


    Lamia¡¯s eyeball!


    Xu RenDong stretched out his hand and fumbled in the compartment and finally grasped the eyeball. He finally felt at ease: This showed that the other eyeball was with Lian Qiao and that they could contact each other!


    Xu RenDong immediately equipped his eyes. After a brief period of discomfort, the vision of both eyes split into two immediately. On one side was the living room of the apartment he was in and on the other side it was pitch black and he couldn¡¯t see anything.


    ¡°Lian Qiao?¡± Xu RenDong tried calling out but there was no response.


    He hesitated for a moment then picked up his backpack again and walked into the elevator. The elevator doors closed behind him and the elevator quickly moved up, making a slight vibration.


    The black vision of the left eye shook and soon an identical silver-white elevator appeared.


    ¡°Lian Qiao!¡± Xu RenDong was overjoyed. The fact that the eyeball didn¡¯t react just now was because time was standing still. Before he walked into the elevator, his time had stopped flowing and so the Lian Qiao outside was also frozen. But once they entered the world of ghosts and monsters, they also entered the same timeline again.


    The field of vision of the left eye was turning as if observing the elevator. Xu RenDong waited patiently for a while but Lian Qiao still didn¡¯t speak. He thought it was weird and tried to call him again but Lian Qiao remained silent.


    A bad thought rose in Xu RenDong¡¯s heart. Before he could verify his guess, a mountaineering bag entered the left field of vision. Lian Qiao opened the zipper of the hiking bag, took out the phone from the inside and quickly tapped a line on the screen with his fingers.


    ¡°Brother RenDong, fortunately you brought your backpack! Can you hear me?¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart sank and thought; It¡¯s just as I guessed. He sighed, took out his phone and tapped to answer: ¡°I can¡¯t hear you.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°It¡¯s over. As expected, we can only share vision and not sound.¡± There was also a frustrated emoji behind it.


    When Xu RenDong saw that emoji, Lian Qiao¡¯s frustrated face appeared vividly in front of him. His mood suddenly improved.


    Through Lamia¡¯s eyeballs, the time axis of the two ghost worlds can be connected together. In this case, once the time on his side is reset, even the time on Lian Qiao¡¯s side would be reset.


    Xu RenDong gradually regained his equilibrium. He calmed down, raised his head and saw five words appearing out of thin air in front of him:


    ¡°Butterflies in the Stomach.¡±


    {I should say now that the Chinese doesn¡¯t differentiate between plural and singular, so it could also be ¡°butterfly¡± (singular) in the stomach.  But since the english phrase is butterflies in my stomach (plural), I¡¯ve gone with this in the arc.}


    This was the prompt this time.


    At the same time, he saw the tip from Lian Qiao:  ¡®Skeleton in the Cupboard¡¯. {LQ¡¯s prompt is written in English. XRD¡¯s in Chinese.}


    ¡®Skeleton in the Cupboard?¡¯ What does that mean?


    Xu RenDong felt the vision on the left shake. Lian Qiao seemed very excited. He quickly typed on his phone with his fingers: ¡°Skeleton in the Cupboard! {LQ translated it to Chinese}. I learned about this from an article in the third volume of New Concepts!¡± {I think this is an English textbook, i.e. for Chinese people to learn English.}


    Xu RenDong said: ¡± ¡°


    Lian Qiao: ¡°It means that there is a skeleton hidden in the cabinet of a seemingly normal family. This is an English idiom and the extended meaning is ¡®the ugly family secrets that outsiders don¡¯t know¡¯.¡±


    Lian Qiao opened an Encyclopedia app on his phone and began to search for ¡°Butterflies in the Stomach¡±. Soon, the search results appeared in front of Xu RenDong.


    Butterflies in one¡¯s stomach: refers to the feeling of flapping wings of a butterfly inside the stomach. It describes a constant feeling of fear, tension, and anxiety. The usage is similar to the Chinese ¡°seven ups and eight downs¡± and ¡°extremely uneasy¡±. It can also be used to describe the feeling of rapid heartbeat when the heart speeds up.


    After reading this explanation, the two fell silent at the same time.


    Although Lian Qiao¡¯s ¡°skeleton in the cupboard¡± sounded terrible, from a sensory point of view, Xu RenDong¡¯s ¡°butterfly in the stomach¡± felt even more uncomfortable. Just looking at these words can make up for the feeling of a butterfly flapping its wings inside the stomach and stirring up the gastric juice. Xu RenDong even felt itchy in his stomach as if a butterfly was really about to fly out of his throat.


    At the same time, the metal door in front of him made a ¡°ding¡± sound. The door opened.


    Outside the door was a gloomy alley, the ground was full of garbage. Dirty black water flowed out of the garbage bags, flies were flying and a sour smell permeated the air. Above his head was a gray sky which was very gloomy and made people feel depressed.


    In the left field of vision, Lian Qiao was facing a gorgeous vintage Gothic castle. The castle stood on the edge of the wilderness and behind it was a ten thousand feet cliff. Below the cliff was the sea and the dark gray water screamed against the cliff face. The entire castle looked about to crumble away.


    Looking at it now, neither side looked any better than the other.


    Even so, they had to keep moving forward. Xu RenDong took a deep breath and typed two words: ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The vision on the left suddenly moved up and down quickly.


    The visual fields of the left and right eyes were different. This sense of dissonance aggravated a feeling of dizziness. Xu RenDong was dizzy and almost vomited. He quickly realized that it was Lian Qiao nodding.


    So he chose the fastest way to inform Lian Qiao: He also nodded vigorously.


    Two seconds later, the field of vision of the left eye changed to the ground. Immediately afterwards, a mass of vomit appeared on the ground.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± How come you vomited just like this?


    In the next second, a palm appeared in the left eye, quickly zooming in, obscuring the field of vision. The left eye went blank.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao was really considerate.


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    Last chapter, a lot of people asked why Lian Qiao was imagining himself as the one being penetrated.


    Because RenDong is behind him, there¡¯s no way Lian Qiao can imagine himself bending back 360 degrees to screw RenDong ahahhahahahaha.


    Also the author is really good at getting locked.


    Don¡¯t spoil anyone! Don¡¯t get spoiled! Please take care of others¡¯ reading experience!


    T/N: This is the only instance where XRD and LR are not physically together I¡¯m pretty sure. It¡¯s also the shortest arc at 10 or 11 chapters.

 CH 52.1

    Chapter 52 Part 1 ¨C Butterflies in the Stomach 2


    {This chapter is split into 2 coz it¡¯s super long, twice the size of a normal chapter at 6800+ characters. Anything over 6000 characters I¡¯ll split into 2 chapters, I think there¡¯s only 3 such chapters in the entire story.}


    Xu RenDong walked out of the elevator. This was a dark and narrow alley with a disgusting smell floating in the air like the smell of putrefaction mixed with burning coal. He clutched his nose and walked out of the alley. He found himself in a street with people coming and going. On the streets were all kinds of shops and there were vendors pushing mobile trucks to sell them.


    The people walking around him were all blond and blue-eyed foreigners, dressed in British-style olden-day costumes. {I just want to ͲÛ/complain about something here, how come when Chinese people imagine/describe Westerners, they¡¯re always blonde and blue-eyed? As a Chinese person I don¡¯t understand this. There are so many famous Western celebrities in China who aren¡¯t blonde and blue-eyed¡­.}


    The vendors wore shirts and vests and the gentlemen wore top hats and tuxedos. Ladies wore all kinds of tulle long skirts and they carefully carried the skirts to avoid them being splashed by the dirty water on the ground.


    Xu RenDong noticed that the signs of the shops on both sides were written in flowery English. The roar of a huge steam turbine could be heard in the distance and a towering chimney was billowing black smoke. It seems that the world this time was set in Britain during the Industrial Revolution.


    But was it actually an open world?


    At the same time, Lian Qiao from the left-eye perspective had already begun to head towards the castle on his side.


    Xu RenDong was wondering where he should go next and soon heard shouts coming from behind him.


    ¡°Hey! You just got off the boat, right? Don¡¯t wander around, keep up!¡±


    Chinese?


    Xu RenDong looked towards the voice in surprise and found that at some point, a group of Chinese people had appeared on the street. The one at the front was the one who was talking to him. It was a young man with a beret and his expression was a little impatient. He walked up to Xu RenDong and said in a dissatisfied manner: ¡°What are you running around! Hurry up and follow me to the factory dormitory!¡±


    The factory¡­? It seems that the setting this time was Chinese workers who travelled by ferry to Britain to find work.


    Behind the man was a dozen men and women with differing appearances however they were all wearing modern clothes so they were probably his teammates this time around. Xu RenDong joined the group and walked behind the man with the beret.


    ¡°How many instances have you been through?¡± Someone in the team struck up a conversation with him, it was a man in his thirties. His appearance was ordinary, the kind that can¡¯t be recognized in the crowd. He seemed very gentle and polite.


    Lian Qiao in his left eye suddenly typed three words on his phone: experienced player.


    Xu RenDong calmly looked at the man in front of him and cautiously replied: ¡°It¡¯s my third time. How about you?¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± After he said this, he smiled at Xu RenDong. ¡°You look very nervous. Relax, this instance won¡¯t be too difficult.¡±


    Xu RenDong was a little surprised: ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    The man said, ¡°You can tell by the number of people in our team. The difficulty of the instance is based on the number of people. There are only ten people in total this time, so it shouldn¡¯t be too difficult.¡±


    Xu RenDong counted the number of teammates surreptitiously and just as the man said, not counting the man in the beret who was leading them, there were a total of five men and five women. There were exactly ten people. Five of them looked upset and had the expression that showed they didn¡¯t know what was happening. You could tell at first glance that they were newcomers.


    Lian Qiao in the vision of his left eye typed out a line: ¡°This man definitely wants to form an alliance with you.¡±


    Since other people were present, Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t take out his mobile phone to type a reply so he could only nod slightly to show he agreed.


    At this moment, the man seemed to notice something suddenly. A hint of surprise flashed across his face: ¡°Your eyes¡­?¡±


    Xu RenDong subconsciously covered his left eye with his hand. He said in a deliberately calm manner, ¡°You mean this? It¡¯s a congenital deformity I¡¯ve had since birth. Sorry if it scares you.¡±


    ¡°No, I should apologize. I was being too forward, I¡¯m sorry.¡± The man apologized in a gentlemanly manner and asked with concern, ¡°Does it affect your eyesight?¡± ¡°


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°It doesn¡¯t affect¡­¡± After thinking about it, he added, ¡°It does a little bit but I¡¯m used to it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± The man seemed to be relieved, ¡°If you have a physical defect then it¡¯ll be harder for you to find someone to form an alliance with.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Oh, is that so?¡±


    The man stared into his eyes earnestly, showing a sincere expression of admiration: ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful¡­ it¡¯s a pity.¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback. He wasn¡¯t used to being praised so bluntly about his appearance and the other person was also a man at that. Xu RenDong momentarily didn¡¯t know what to say but his left eye flashed and, from the other side, Lian Qiao typed frantically.


    ¡°Don¡¯t answer! Don¡¯t answer! Don¡¯t answer!!!¡± (Author¡¯s note says this refers to something from Liu CiXin¡¯s novel ¡°The Three Body Problem¡±.)


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± You can¡¯t hear right? Why is your reaction so big?


    After that, Xu RenDong stopped talking and the man also did not continue to talk to him. The group of people followed the beret man to the dormitory in silence. The veteran players were paying attention to the surrounding environment and refused to let go of the slightest clue. The newcomers shivered nervously and it seemed they had been warned about the dangers they were about to face.


    As they walked, the original bustling streets gradually disappeared and were replaced by a dilapidated scene. The stall vendors were gone and there were a few broken-down houses scattered on both sides of the street, all crumbling. It was clearly the slums.


    The dormitory building was not far from the entrance of the slum. A small three-story building, the exterior wall looked very dilapidated and the windows were also broken. The beret man led everyone into the room and instructed everyone to wait on the first floor while he went to call the doctor. After telling them that, he thumped his way up to the second floor.


    There is a musty smell in the house which indicated that it had not been inhabited for a long time. There was dust and cobwebs everywhere and practically no place to go. As soon as the beret man was gone, everyone immediately began to chatter in low voices.


    ¡°What does the instance prompt mean this time?¡± ¡°Did you find any clues?¡± ¡°Butterflies in the stomach sounds so disgusting¡­¡± ¡°The NPC said he was going to get the doctor? Why call a doctor for?¡±


    Xu RenDong was looking around the layout of the house. The first floor of this dormitory building was a lobby. Other than a few crooked tables, chairs and a dusty front desk, there was nothing else special.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°There is a wall calendar on the wall with writing on it. Remember to check it out. There may be something in the drawer under the front desk. The electric fan on the ceiling seems to be unstable and may fall off at any time. Try not to go under the electric fan.¡±


    ¡­ So in Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes, there were in fact so many things worth paying attention to? The vision of professional gamers is really different.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s fingers were still typing words quickly, Xu RenDong took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention to him and quietly took out his mobile phone: ¡°Stop focusing on me.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Oh, okay. Let me show you the environment here^^.¡±


    The angle of view turned and what appeared in the left eye was a magnificent medieval-style living room. The tables and chairs were all made of leather and there were huge crystal chandeliers on the ceiling. A lot of people were gathered in front of a man who looked like a housekeeper and seemed to be listening to him.


    This was the inside of the Gothic castle.


    Xu RenDong counted the number of teammates on Lian Qiao¡¯s side. There were 22 in total, more than double the number on his side. This showed that Lian Qiao¡¯s instance was much more difficult than his.


    Xu RenDong typed to tell Lian Qiao to be careful and then the sound of footsteps on the stairs drew his attention back to his side. He saw two men walking down the second floor one after the other. The beret man was the leader and he was talking happily with the person behind him. When everyone saw what the other person was wearing, they were all taken aback.


    The so-called ¡°doctor¡± did not wear an ordinary white coat but instead a white robe like a monk. The robe was attached to a white hood and both of his wrists were tied with ropes. He wore long white gloves on his hands, presumably to facilitate certain operations. What¡¯s more noticeable was that he was wearing an exaggerated beak mask. The beak was sharp and long and looked like it could stab people to death. Behind the beak were two dark goggles and it was impossible to see what the person behind the mask looked like.


    Everyone fell silent.


    Lian Qiao was suddenly excited, and started typing frantically: ¡°Ahhhhh! Doctor Birdbeak! It must be steampunk!!! I just knew that factories and the industrial revolution and bird beak doctors must be steampunk!!! Ahhhh I want to come to your instance too! I don¡¯t want to play in the castle. It¡¯s so gloomy and boring!!!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± He tried to roll his eyes to warn Lian Qiao to calm down but it was a pity that Lian Qiao didn¡¯t seem to get it. He can only ignore the words coming from his left eye and tried to focus on his right eye.


    The beret man chatted and laughed with Doctor Birdbeak in English. But when he turned his head and looked at everyone, the smile on the beret man¡¯s face disappeared instantly. Then he spoke in a weird tone of voice.


    ¡°Next, the doctor will conduct a physical examination for each of you to make sure that you are not carrying that damned plague! Now line up for me one by one and come over to this side to be examined!¡±


    The NPC gave an order and everyone lined up obediently. Doctor Birdbeak, holding a stethoscope and a small torch, checked everyone¡¯s body one by one. He didn¡¯t make any excessive examinations and seemed to be really just confirming if they had any disease. Soon, the last person passed the medical examination without any problem. Doctor Birdbeak nodded to the beret man, picked up his exam kit and left the dormitory.


    After their check ups, the beret man arranged rooms and beds for everyone. After placing their luggage down, he then took them outside to the factory.


    The factory was located in the suburbs. Fortunately, the slum area is already on the edge of the town. It only takes about ten minutes to walk from the dormitory to the factory. From afar, everyone saw several chimneys towering into the clouds and continuously spitting black smoke into the sky. The sky was lead-grey and it was hard to see whether the clouds were too thick or the sky was just originally this color. There was also a river next to the factory with dark and muddy water. After walking a few steps, you can see a sewage pipe draining waste water into the river.


    There were traces of industrial pollution everywhere in this small town which made  everyone feel very uncomfortable. The closer you got to the factory, the stronger the smell of burning coal in the air was. Some people even began to choke and cough.

 CH 52.2

    Chapter 52 Part 2 ¨C Butterflies in the Stomach 2


    When they finally got to the entrance of the factory, they saw several towering buildings standing in the open space. From the entrance they couldn¡¯t see the roof. There were people in guard uniforms guarding the factory gates and the beret man warned everyone that they are not allowed to leave the factory privately during working hours. They were also not allowed to arrive late or leave early. Everyone nodded.  It seemed this factory was the main venue of the instance.


    As soon as they entered the factory, they felt a wave of heat. Flames swayed across everyone¡¯s faces, reflecting everyone¡¯s look of surprise. It turned out that at the center of the factory was a huge molten pool. The orange-red liquid was slowly flowing through the pool. The conveyor tracks on both sides continuously poured unknown objects into the molten slurry. There were pipes below to transport the molten slurry to other locations.


    Above the molten pool, there were countless huge gears that connected into each other. Steel bars of different thicknesses were connected to the gears. All the steel bars extended to different places and finally disappeared in the darkness. It was unknown where they went. When the gears rotated, these steel bars also worked together at their respective frequencies and angles. The mechanical gear converts the power provided by the steam into mechanical energy, thereby driving the operation of the entire factory, forming an original and sophisticated industrial production line.


    Everyone was shocked by the simple and rugged industrial panorama until the beret man yelled at them. After that everyone came back to their senses.


    ¡°What are you all in a daze for! Come and say hello to the foreman!¡±


    At that point everyone noticed that there was another small middle-aged man beside the beret man. This man had a foreign face. Although he was small, he has very strong muscles. The clothes on his chest and arms are tight and he looks a lot like a giant mouse that escaped from a laboratory.


    The foreman looked fierce. He interrupted the beret man and spoke a few words in English coldly.


    Some people in the team couldn¡¯t understand what he was talking about and asked nervously. The beret man immediately translated: ¡°The foreman said, now that the contract is signed, to not waste time and go to your workshop to begin working immediately!¡±


    Everyone whispered again.


    ¡°What? Start work? Are we really going to work here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s terrible here, I want to go home¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just listen to the NPC and work here for a day. Otherwise, what else can we do?¡±


    Everyone was chattering and arguing. Suddenly, the rat-like foreman drew a whip from nowhere and slammed it against the ground. Snap! A huge whip reverberated inside the factory, shaking everyone¡¯s eardrums and immediately silenced them all.


    The foreman sneered and glanced around. He cursed in an extremely unfriendly tone. The beret man on the side looked a little ugly but he didn¡¯t translate what the foreman said. He just half-heartedly coaxed them by saying: ¡°Okay, okay, don¡¯t make a ruckus, go to work obediently.¡±


    Everyone looked at each other, feeling speechless. The beret man took a piece of paper handed to him by the foreman and led everyone to their workshops.


    There were already several workers working in each workshop. Everyone was shocked at first glance, thinking that there are so many living people hidden here. A closer look revealed that these workers had numb expressions and stiff movements. It turns out that these are not real people but wooden dolls wearing worker costumes!


    The clothes on their bodies were covered with black oil stains and their bare fingers and wrists were all spherical joints. They did not respond to the crowd¡¯s arrival, but mechanically repeated the simple actions of screwing and oiling.


    The jointed puppets worked in silence. Only the rumbling sound of mechanical crawlers could be heard in the workshop and everything else was very quiet. However, the quieter it was, the stranger the atmosphere became.


    The girl assigned to the first workshop was a newcomer named Zhang XiaoXiao. When she learned that she had to be alone in this workshop for eight hours, she immediately protested.


    ¡°No, no! I¡¯m here for the first time¡­ This is my first time¡­¡± She was so anxious that she almost cried, looking at the nine teammates around her. However she didn¡¯t know who to turn to for help. ¡°Please, I beg you, don¡¯t leave me alone, I¡¯m so scared¡­¡±


    The beret man waved his hand impatiently, ignoring her cries.


    Zhang XiaoXiao immediately slumped on the ground and started crying. However, before the cries even had time to ferment, the foreman on the side suddenly raised his whip and walked towards her.


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and was about to step forward to help but was suddenly squeezed away. He was stunned and discovered that the man who had chatted to him earlier pushed everyone aside and walked towards the girl.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid.¡± He first calmed the girl in a low voice and then made a ¡°stop¡± gesture at the eyeing foreman. He said in fluent English, ¡°Don¡¯t do that please, be a gentleman.¡±


    The foreman was surprised. Looking at him, he seemed very surprised that a migrant worker could speak English. Fortunately, he did not continue to embarrass the girl but cursed in a low voice and let the beret man handle the matter.


    The beret man walked up to the two of them with an unhappy look and stared at the girl: ¡°What are you doing? Weeping and crying! If you want to cry so much, do it when you go back!¡±


    The man who had intervened pulled the beret man over and seemed to be negotiating something with him. The beret man quickly compromised and said impatiently to him: ¡°Then you stay here! The others, follow me!¡±


    The girl was taken aback and looked at the beret man with tears in her eyes. She didn¡¯t quite understand what he meant.


    The man who had intervened helped her stand up and said in a gentle voice: ¡°I told him to change my work position with yours. There is also a girl in my workshop, so you won¡¯t need to be alone.¡±


    The girl was very grateful and thanked him profusely. Soon she became uneasy again: ¡°Then what will happen to you if you are here alone? Didn¡¯t you say¡­ didn¡¯t you say that you could die¡­¡±


    The man smiled at her: ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, anyway I¡¯m a man. If anything happens, I can run faster than you.¡± He turned his back slightly to everyone and seemed to say something else to the girl but his voice was too soft for everyone to hear. The girl nodded vigorously, her eyes flashing with excitement.


    As a result, the man was left alone in this workshop.


    Xu RenDong feels that this person was quite gracious and knew how to take care of women and disadvantaged people. He was neither reckless nor cowardly when facing fierce NPCs. He solved things beautifully and tried his best to cooperate with others. At this point, he suddenly remembered that he still didn¡¯t know the name of this person but it was a pity that the beret man kept urging everyone forward so he couldn¡¯t turn around and ask.


    He would just call him: ¡°the gentleman¡± for now.


    Soon everyone was assigned to their corresponding workshops. There wasn¡¯t any problem with not knowing what to do, they just had to follow the joint dolls in the workshop. Xu RenDong and a man with glasses were assigned to the boiler room. The task of their group is the simplest. Just monitor the boiler and avoid explosions.


    Before the beret man left, he solemnly warned everyone that they was not allowed to leave their workplace during working hours. The foreman would be patrolling everywhere. If he discovered someone being lazy, he would have the whip ready.


    After the beret man and the foreman left, only Xu RenDong and the man with glasses were left in the boiler room. Xu RenDong looked around the environment here and discovered nothing special. He was just about to ask the man with glasses for his opinion when he discovered to his surprise that he was actually sitting on the ground with a thick book in his hands.


    Xu RenDong said in shock: ¡°What are you¡­?¡±


    The glasses man pushed his spectacles and said helplessly: ¡°I¡¯m about to take an exam soon and I don¡¯t want to fail it. See how I¡¯m so bald? It¡¯s because I¡¯m a hardworking medical monk. Take pity on me oh great boss and just let me be a salted fish.¡± {Salted fish = someone that is lazy.}


    Xu RenDong discovered that although his appearance was very young, his hairline was already very dangerous thin. He really was only a step away from baldness.


    Xu RenDong was speechless for a while. The medical student ignored him and devoted himself to memorizing the book: ¡°Ginseng tastes sweet and nourishes vitality, quenches thirst, promotes body fluids and regulates nutrition¡­ Astragalus¡­ Astragalus¡­¡± He looked down at the book and continued to recite, ¡°Astragalus heats up the sweat and consolidates the surface, sore can produce muscle qi deficiency¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong listened in silence for a while then couldn¡¯t help but say: ¡°You study Chinese medicine?¡±


    The medical student said: ¡°You got it. More specifically, it is a combination of Chinese and Western medicine.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Then why don¡¯t you prescribe some Chinese medicine to replenish your  hair¡­ Uh, nourish your kidney?¡±


    The medical student glowered at him, ¡°Heh, do you think I¡¯m not eating it?¡±


    In the next second, he burst out suddenly. He threw the book in his hand on the ground and stomped his feet: ¡°Isn¡¯t it just that the fucking speed of repairing hair that can¡¯t keep up with the speed of hair loss! Ah?! Integrated Chinese and Western medicine! God fucking Integrated Chinese and Western medicine! The end of term examinations for the Chinese and Western medicine courses are going to do me in! Fucking Chinese medicine and Western medicine is about to split my personality!¡± {LOL I feel like this is the author¡¯s own thoughts hahahaha¡­}


    Xu RenDong was startled by him. The next second, the medical student bent down again to pick up the book. He patted it briskly and then embraced it religiously. He mumbled: ¡°Forget it, passing is the most important, passing is the most important¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± It felt very sincere.


    Seeing that the medical student was obsessed with studying, Xu RenDong didn¡¯t bother any longer. He directly took out his mobile phone to talk to Lian Qiao. He briefly summarized the information he had so far and asked: How is your situation over there?


    Lian Qiao: My side is a battle for inheritance. We play the role of detectives to find the murderer of the old patriarch. The progress is very fast and three people have already died.


    Xu RenDong was shocked: Three people have died in just over one hour?!


    Lian Qiao: One NPC and two teammates. The teammates ran out by themselves and we couldn¡¯t stop them. The butler shot them in the head and they fell into the sea.


    Xu RenDong: What about the NPC?


    Lian Qiao: It was the housekeeper who was thrown into the sea by my headshot.


    Xu RenDong: Your headshot? Where did you get the gun?


    Lian Qiao: I snatched it from the housekeeper¡­ Oh, you didn¡¯t see it. The scene was a bit chaotic at the time. I was afraid that you would get dizzy so I removed Lamia¡¯s eyes.


    Xu RenDong: ¡­. Killing the NPC as soon as you go in, aren¡¯t you afraid of missing key information?


    Lian Qiao: It¡¯s okay. When I pointed the gun at the head of the housekeeper, he quickly said everything he could possibly say.


    Xu RenDong: ¡­


    Lian Qiao: I don¡¯t have to be circumspect when questioning other NPCs now. After all, I have a gun.


    Xu RenDong: ¡­


    He suddenly felt that he was stupid to have worried about Lian Qiao. So he straightforwardly accepted Lian Qiao¡¯s kindness and listened to him analyze his instance for him.


    Lian Qiao: There is a foreman on patrol¡­ hm, let me think about it. The foreman does not allow you to be lazy at work, so if he catches you during the patrol, then he will whip you. The beret man also only said ¡°You are not allowed to leave your post during working hours¡± but he did not set a quota for the work you need to complete. Besides that, Brother RenDong, your boiler room position has no output at all so you just need to leave the medical monk to watch over things. So actually you can leave your post to explore the factory, as long as you avoid the foreman. However, there are guards at the gate so you can only explore the inside of the factory and cannot go out.


    Xu RenDong: Yes, that¡¯s what I think too.


    Lian Qiao: It¡¯s best to come here to take a look at the factory again at night. If you can escape the guards and enter the factory, you can explore freely without being disturbed.


    Xu RenDong was a little surprised. He didn¡¯t expect this.


    Lian Qiao continued typing: The instance clearance prompt is the ¡°butterflies in the stomach¡±. We already know the literal meaning but we still can¡¯t guess what it is  exactly hinting out¡­. But the sound of it makes my insides churn and it doesn¡¯t feel good. Brother RenDong, you have to be careful.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s words were stern. Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help but nod, but then he stopped and calmly typed the word ¡°En¡± into the phone.


    Lian Qiao: Big boss, how is my performance this time! Is it better than the previous two instances?! ~~~~


    Looking at the rippling waves, Xu RenDong had already envisioned the appearance of Lian Qiao raising his tail high and begging for praise. Xu RenDong raised the corners of his mouth slightly and there was some tenderness in his cold and handsome eyebrows. The smile on the lips was like spring water and the clearness of the ice melted with a little warmth and sweetness.


    The medical student on the side glanced at him inadvertently and suddenly he was taken aback.


    Fuck, why is this man so good-looking?


    It¡¯s over, it¡¯s over, he¡¯s about to be bent¡­.


    The medical student hurriedly buried his head back in the book, beginning to memorize it with his undivided attention and daring not to look up again.


    Xu RenDong was unaware of this. After contacting Lian Qiao, Xu RenDong put away his mobile phone and said to the medical student who was sitting on the ground: ¡°I¡¯m going out to explore the factory. You will stay here to watch the place¡­ uh, to memorize your book.¡±


    The medical student looked up, startled, and clasped his hands in a solemn thankful gesture. ¡°I am grateful!¡± He immediately lowered his head and immersed himself in the ocean of knowledge.


    Xu RenDong found the Swiss Army Knife from his backpack, held it in his hand, and took a deep breath. As he was about to leave the sultry boiler room, the corner of his eye suddenly caught a figure at the end of the corridor. He immediately retreated subconsciously and closed the door smoothly.


    Leaning behind the door of the boiler room, he listened carefully to the heavy footsteps outside, getting closer and closer¡­


    The foreman was coming.

 CH 53

    Chapter 53 ¨C Butterflies in the Stomach 3


    Xu RenDong made a decisive decision. He hid his backpack, walked to the side of the boiler and pretended to study the boiler. The heavy door was pushed open and the foreman walked into the boiler room. Xu RenDong turned his head back pretending to be surprised.


    He saw the foreman holding a pen and paper in his hand. The whip was hanging around his waist. He pointed at Xu RenDong with the tip of his pen and then pointed at the medical student who was sitting on the floor memorizing the book. He made two ticks on the paper, muttered something in a low voice and soon left.


    The door of the boiler room swung shut and Xu RenDong breathed a sigh of relief.


    He turned his head to look at the medical student who was immersed in rote learning. He sighed from the bottom of his heart: ¡°You are so amazing, you can still learn by recitation in this kind of environment.¡±


    The medical student was addicted to his studies and ignored him. Xu RenDong thought he was indeed very boring. He dug out the backpack from the corner and cautiously walked out of the boiler room.


    The foreman hadn¡¯t gone far and the sound of his footsteps was nearby. Xu RenDong¡¯s location was in the middle of the corridor. He listened to the sound and made sure that the foreman was on his left. Next he faced two choices: whether to go to the left and quietly follow behind the foreman, or to go to the right and avoid the foreman?


    Xu RenDong quickly made a decision. As soon as his toes turned to the left, Lian Qiao sent him a message: Go to the left. First explore the foreman¡¯s patrol route. It will be convenient to help you hide later.


    It turned out that Lian Qiao was thinking the same as him. The corner of Xu RenDong¡¯s mouth lifted and he followed the foreman silently.


    The factory was divided into two parts, above ground and underground. The underground area was very complicated, with all kinds of fork roads extending in all directions and easily made people confused. If there was no map, you would easily get lost.


    The structure above ground was much simpler. It was basically a structure with an inner circle and an outer square. The molten pool is located in the center of the factory, and above it is a giant gear that is constantly operating, which together form a central circular area. Four straight corridors form a square around the central area. The workshops were all located on the outside of the corridor, with metal fences on the insides. Standing on the edge of the fence, it seemed that you could reach the huge metal gear in mid-air with one hand. The rough but delicate industrial vista was startling. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he was in the world of ghosts, Xu RenDong would definitely stop and admire this giant machine that can almost be called a work of art.


    There were three floors in the workshop above ground. Actually there seemed to be another floor above that, but it was blocked by mechanical gears and the ceiling. The specific situation couldn¡¯t be seen.


    The boiler room where Xu RenDong worked was located in the only underground station and his other teammates were in the upstairs workshops. Probably because of this, the foreman started from the boiler room and patrolled up layer by layer.


    As soon as he arrived in the first workshop on the first floor, the foreman pushed open the door and glanced inward, the expression on his face became ugly. He raised the notepad in his hand and made a heavy cross somewhere. Then he turned to the next workshop.


    Xu RenDong cautiously followed behind the foreman. When he passed by the first workshop, he glanced inside and found that only the NPC workers in this workshop were working numbly. The teammates who were originally assigned here were gone. No wonder the foreman was so angry, it turns out that he had caught someone wagging work.


    Xu RenDong recalled that this was the place where the gentleman and Zhang XiaoXiao had exchanged places. Where did the gentleman go?


    The foreman walked towards the next workshop with a sullen face but within two steps, the door of the second workshop opened automatically and a middle-aged man crept out sneakily.


    The middle-aged man is also one of his teammates. He looked around in a sneaky manner and when he turned his head and saw the gloomy foreman, he was so frightened that he took a sharp breath in. He backed away but was picked up by a foreman like a chicken and thrown to the ground.


    With a loud bang, the middle-aged man fell heavily to the ground and his facial features were all twisted in pain.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry! I was wrong! I¡¯ll go back to work right away!¡± The middle-aged man begged for mercy while struggling to get up from the ground. The foreman didn¡¯t give him a chance to atone for his sins and immediately drew the whip around his waist and smacked it down as soon as he raised his hand.


    The whip pierced the air with a whistling sound which made people feel pain just by listening to it. The man on the ground was struck by a whip on his leg and suddenly clutched his thigh and screamed. The foreman had a gloomy expression and whipped him a second, then a third time. The middle-aged man sobbed and cried,  rolling around while trying to avoid the whip falling from the sky. The foreman condescendingly watched the agonized reaction of the middle-aged man and a perverted smile appeared on his fierce face.


    Should I go to save him?


    Xu RenDong hid in the dark and quickly denied it. The only weapon in his hand was the small Swiss army knife and he had no chance of winning against ¡®Mr Schwarzenegger the Foreman¡¯. What¡¯s more, he was also right now in the state of leaving his post and if he was seen by the foreman, he would definitely be punished.


    At the same time, Lian Qiao in his left eye also typed two words: Don¡¯t go.


    Xu RenDong nodded slightly and motioned that he knew. He suddenly noticed that people in other workshops had also poked their heads out, watching the corporal punishment from a distance. The sad screams of the middle-aged man echoed in the factory, like a terrifying midnight opera, filled with horror.


    It was unknown how long it took before the foreman exhaled a long breath and finally put down his whip in a contented manner. The man on the ground was covered in blood, his skin was bare and he was still motionless.


    He had actually been beaten to death.


    The foreman went up and kicked him and the man did not respond. The foreman looked at the blood on his leather shoes, cursed something in a low voice, then rubbed his leather shoes on the man¡¯s clothes, and left proudly.


    His cavalier manner when it came to killing was very obvious. Onlookers in the other workshops saw the foreman continue patrolling and hurriedly hid in their workshops, waiting for him to pass.


    Lian Qiao said: It seems that this is the condition of death. Don¡¯t get caught.


    Xu RenDong sighed inwardly. After regaining his spirits, he continued through the bloodstains to follow the foreman.


    There were several workshops on this floor but only two had living people assigned. The others only had joint dolls working. Xu RenDong noticed that the foreman did not only inspect workshops with living people but inspected every single workshop. The speed of his patrol was very slow. Xu RenDong estimated that it would take him about twenty minutes to patrol one floor.


    There is nothing unusual on the second floor, everyone was doing their job. However, as soon as the foreman reached the third floor, a whistle sounded in the center of the factory.


    The sound was like boiling water, it was high and harsh like a knife stuck through the eardrums. Xu RenDong covered his ears, wondering if he guessed wrongly? But seeing the foreman¡¯s face change, he immediately ran to the edge of the fence and looked towards the gear area in the center. Xu RenDong noticed that the biggest gears had stopped rotating, as if something had caused them to become stuck.


    The foreman cursed angrily and ran to the control room. He quickly heard his grumpy roar on the radio, saying that there was a safety incident. He ordered everyone to gather on the first floor immediately.


    Security incident? Could it be¡­


    After the foreman left, Xu RenDong also went to the edge of the fence. He squinted his eyes and looked towards the central gear. This time he finally saw clearly what was stuck in the gear.


    A bloody corpse.


    After half an hour, everyone gathered next to the molten pool on the first floor. The beret man, who had already returned from the town, hurried over when he got the news. He apologized to the foreman profusely. The foreman scolded him with a slap in the face, and continued to direct the NPC worker to operate the robotic arm to take out the corpse in the gear.


    The body was badly damaged, the torso was almost crushed by gears and the spine was broken into several pieces. There was a big hole in its stomach and all the internal organs were falling out. Part of it fell into the molten pool below and it was burned out with a hissing noise.


    Despite all this, it was easy to tell that this was a female corpse.


    The crowd stood silently beside the corpse. There were only seven people present. Other than the middle-aged man who was whipped to death, only Zhang XiaoXiao and the gentleman were missing. The female corpse was obviously Zhang XiaoXiao and so the gentleman¡­


    ¡°It must be that man!¡± A girl suddenly called out, ¡°I was in a group with this girl! She left, saying she was going to find that man but something like this ended up happening! Now that man is gone too so he must have a guilty conscience!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessarily true.¡± Another person muttered, ¡°Maybe he was also killed, it¡¯s just that his body has not been found.¡±


    ¡°Yes, there may be more than one death condition this time. Or should we look again, maybe there is still a corpse hidden inside the gears?¡±


    Everyone talked about it and only Xu RenDong stood silently next to the corpse.


    Lian Qiao was suddenly excited: VR autopsy, exciting!


    Xu RenDong ignored Lian Qiao and moved closer to observe the fragmented corpse. The body was covered with blood and the crushed internal organs gave off a suffocating stench, which was very disgusting. Xu RenDong felt itchy in his throat and forced himself to observe the corpse carefully.


    Although the corpse was crushed by gears, the big hole in the stomach was a bit strange. The edge of the wound was very flat. It didn¡¯t look like it was crushed by a machine but more like it was cut open by something sharp.


    Lian Qiao: What is that? Inside the stomach, look carefully.


    Xu RenDong looked at the corpse¡¯s stomach. The stomach pouch was also crushed by gears, leaving only the upper half connected to the esophagus. But because of this, the stomach contents were completely exposed. A few gray-white objects the size of a thumb lid can be clearly seen on the stomach wall.


    Xu RenDong resisted the feeling of discomfort and looked closer. He saw that the off-white objects were round and short, with a circle of lines on it which looked like¡­


    A chrysalis? !


    The pupae were attached to the stomach wall and they were even squirming slightly. They didn¡¯t seem to notice that the owner of the stomach pouch had died and were still greedily absorbing the body¡¯s nutrients.


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help it anymore. He walked to the side, bent over and vomited.


    The teammates behind him noticed his strangeness and came over to ask him what was going on. Xu RenDong told everyone about his findings and everyone¡¯s expressions suddenly changed.


    ¡°Pupae? Do butterflies really grow in the stomach?!¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, that other man probably also met a terrible end. I just don¡¯t know what they did to end up like this¡­¡±


    ¡°This is horrible¡­. It¡¯s terrible! I can¡¯t stand it anymore! I want to go home! I want to go home wuwuwuwuwu¡­¡±


    The beret man suddenly exclaimed: ¡°Quiet! Quiet! The foreman knows that it must be terrible to lose a compatriot on the first day and that you must be feeling down. So he¡¯s kindly allowed you to go back to rest in the afternoon and come back to work tomorrow!¡±


    Everyone was a little surprised but they all accepted this decision. The girl who was crying to go home also choked to a halt and stood tightly in the middle of the group, indicating she was going to follow the crowd.


    On the way back to the dormitory, everyone was still whispering, discussing what had just happened. He suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to take off Lamia¡¯s eyeball when he vomited and Lian Qiao must have seen the indecent picture.


    He felt embarrassed and his first reaction was to apologize to Lian Qiao. However Lian Qiao had already written him a message asking: Are you okay? There are water and wet wipes in the bag.


    Xu RenDong took out the wet wipes from his backpack and wiped his face. Then he took out his phone and replied: I¡¯m fine. Sorry to let you see something terrible.


    Lian Qiao: It¡¯s okay. An autopsy is a necessary process. The corpse carries a lot of information.


    Xu RenDong: I¡¯m not talking about the corpse¡­


    Lian Qiao: Uh¡­ that¡¯s okay, didn¡¯t I also vomit and you saw it too? We are even.


    Xu RenDong thought that: en, Lian Qiao made a lot of sense. He couldn¡¯t help but nod his head.  The vision of his left eye suddenly flashed and a fountain of vomit flashed in front of him, spraying forward in a parabolic shape, and finally fell on the ground and turned into a yellow and greasy puddle.


    This first-person visual effect is too realistic. This fountain of vomit seems to be sprayed out of his own mouth. Xu RenDong felt his throat greasy and almost vomited again along with him. {LOL I think the author is way too realistic when repetitively describing probably what she feels is an inevitable physiological reaction from a medical standpoint haha.}


    He panicked and only then realized he had also made the mistake of nodding. Xu RenDong hurriedly typed to apologize. Lian Qiao vomited for a long time before tapping a line tremblingly. ¡°Now I have earned it.¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback, staring at the words ¡°I earned it¡± for a while before he understood what Lian Qiao meant. He couldn¡¯t help but laugh.


    After returning to the dormitory, everyone gathered together to discuss what had just happened. Xu RenDong told what he saw when he followed the foreman and everyone had different opinions. The biggest point of disagreement is where the gentleman has gone and whether he was dead or alive.


    There was no answer at all based on the current clues. In the end, everyone decided to wait for the opportunity tomorrow and sneak out to explore the factory. The method is also very simple, just sneak out after the foreman has inspected their room. The foreman started patrolling from the boiler room on the first floor. It took about 20 minutes to patrol the first floor. There are three floors of workshops on the ground. This cycle takes one hour. That is to say, as long as you are present to punch the card when the foreman checks on you, after that there will be an hour of exploration time. During that period all they had to do was carefully avoid the foreman¡¯s patrol route and then return to the post before the foreman¡¯s next patrol round.


    Judging from the number of participants, this instance should not be difficult. But three people died on the first day and everyone¡¯s hearts were very heavy. After discussing all this, it was already evening. There is no electricity in this small broken apartment and only candles could be lit at night. It was of course impossible to take a bath and everyone only lay down in their own sweat and oil.


    Xu RenDong closed his eyes and suddenly noticed that in the field of vision of his left eye, Lian Qiao was sandwiching a piece of silver-white metal between his two fingers, which he was dangling to attract his attention.


    The elevator button?! He found it so soon? !


    Xu RenDong hadn¡¯t even gotten over his surprise yet when the angle of view moved slowly and the elevator appeared in his field of view. Lian Qiao pushed the button into the groove beside the elevator door and then made a ¡°V¡± gesture.


    Xu RenDong was so shocked that he watched Lian Qiao¡¯s teammates walk into the elevator one by one, and then the elevator doors closed slowly but Lian Qiao did not enter.


    He sat down leaning on the elevator, took out his mobile phone and typed: I¡¯ve done it, how about you?


    Xu RenDong felt like he had been given a big mental hit. He finally calmed down, and replied: No progress.


    Lian Qiao: I was playing a boss in the afternoon and didn¡¯t pay attention to your situation. What did you guys talk about?


    Xu RenDong repeated the content of their conversations. After Lian Qiao finished listening, he took out a gun from his bag and said regretfully: It would be great if I could send this to you.


    Xu RenDong: ¡­ Kill the foreman with one shot so I can explore freely, right?


    Lian Qiao: That¡¯s right!


    Xu RenDong was amused by his simple and violent methods. However, thinking about it carefully, if everyone worked together, it would not be impossible to kill the foreman. But it was possible that the foreman, like the black rabbit of the matryoshka instance, could be resurrected immediately after being killed and may enter a second form. This would be terrifying.


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao chatted casually for a while. They felt a little tired. After putting down the mobile phone, Xu RenDong was about to go to sleep when he saw that the medical student was still sitting at the table, studying diligently to the flickering flame of the candle.


    He really didn¡¯t have it easy.


    Xu RenDong sighed inwardly and slowly fell asleep.


    When he woke up, he felt sore all over, as if he had been beaten. His muscles and bones felt very rigid. His eyes were dry and it was hard to open them because of the strong light. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, thinking: The sun is up so high, how come no one has come to urge us to go to work?


    He finally got used to the light, opened his eyes little by little and found that there was a silvery white wall in front of him. His shadow reflected on the metal plate and it was a familiar scene.


    The elevator.


    Xu RenDong was shocked and suddenly jumped up from the ground. He looked around in amazement, making sure that this was the elevator when he came. The five characters ¡°Butterflies in the Stomach¡± appeared in front of him. Lian Qiao in his left field of vision was typing fast with his mobile phone in his hands.


    ¡°Butterflies in one¡¯s stomach: refers to the flapping wings of a butterfly inside the stomach, describing a constant feeling of fear, tension, and anxiety.¡±


    Xu RenDong looked at all this blankly and suddenly felt an itching in his stomach, as if something was squirming up to his esophagus. He couldn¡¯t help it anymore so he bent down and retched violently.

 CH 54

    Chapter 54 ¨C Butterflies in the Stomach


    The imaginary butterflies did not emerge out of his throat. Xu RenDong leaned on the elevator door, panting and trying to calm his emotions. At this point, even if he closed his eyes, he could still see the text messages written by Lian Qiao in the left eye field of vision:


    What¡¯s wrong? What happened?


    How are you doing right now? There are water and wet wipes in the bag.


    Xu RenDong touched his cheek and found that he was sweating coldly. He leaned against the cold elevator fuselage and gradually calmed down. He told Lian Qiao that he was okay.


    The elevator door opened and the narrow and dirty alley was still outside the door. The streets outside the alley were crowded with people and it was a bustling scene. Looking around, you could vaguely see the billowing black smoke rising from the factory chimney in the distance. Everything looked so normal.


    Xu RenDong did not get out of the elevator for a long time because he needed time to calm down.


    Since the world has reset, it meant that he already died once. But how come he had no memory of it at all? This time, could ghosts kill people silently in their sleep? What exactly were the conditions of death?


    No, it was not necessarily a ghost which killed him. It may have been one of his teammates. But what was the motive?


    His brain was filled with questions but he didn¡¯t have any clues to answer them.


    Xu RenDong sighed and walked out of the elevator helplessly.


    When he walked onto the street, the beret man stopped him again. Xu RenDong joined the team with the calmest expression possible and soon the gentleman came over to chat to him again.


    Xu RenDong stared at his every move carefully, trying to find clues from it, but the gentleman behaved very normally and he couldn¡¯t see any problems. Xu RenDong thought for a while and then went to the back of the team and found the medical student.


    The medical student was holding a book in his hand. He was walking and memorizing it with his head down and seemed completely unaware of Xu RenDong¡¯s arrival. Xu RenDong took the initiative to say hello to him. When the medical student looked up, he was shocked to see two pupils in Xu RenDong¡¯s left eye.


    ¡°You¡­ Is this the legendary double pupil deformity?!¡± The medical student was both shocked and overjoyed, ¡°Fuck! Great! The first time I saw a living double pupil deformity!¡±


    Xu RenDong tried to change the topic from his eyes to the medical student. The student readily reported his name, age, school, department and relationship status (single). He seemed like a very naive and honest person. But obviously he was more interested in Lamia¡¯s eyes, staring constantly at Xu RenDong¡¯s left eye so closely that his entire person was about to stick to Xu RenDong¡¯s body.


    Lian Qiao: Damn it! What is this man! His fat face is almost occupying the entire field of vision! Big boss, quickly tell him to get away!


    Xu RenDong was forced by him to back away and felt a little embarrassed. He was about to push the medical student away when a hand suddenly appeared in front of him, and patted the medical student on his shoulder to stop him.


    Obviously, this was a man¡¯s hand with distinct joints and short nails almost sinking into the flesh. This hand was very white, the light blue blood vessels stood out clearly on the back of the hand. It can be said to look very masculine.


    But what made Xu RenDong care about was that three fingers of this hand: the thumb, index finger and middle finger were abnormally dry, and the deep part of the nail was slightly white, for unknown reasons.


    The left eye¡¯s angle of view suddenly flickered and Lian Qiao typed out two words: A teacher?


    Xu RenDong suddenly realized: Yes! Teachers often come into contact with chalk so they often have to wash their hands, so their hands will be extremely dry. There will also be chalk dust left in the crevices of the fingers.


    He looked up along this hand and found that it was the gentleman standing in front of him.


    The gentleman glanced at the book in the hands of the medical student and gave a friendly smile to the medical student: ¡°Are you a doctor? I understand your excitement when you see a rare patient, but can you take into account the other person¡¯s feelings a little bit?¡±


    Only then did the medical student realize. He repeatedly apologized to Xu RenDong. Xu RenDong said that it wasn¡¯t a big deal and then returned to his original position beside the gentleman. He continued to walk slowly towards the factory with the beret man.


    Along the way, Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help but peek at the gentleman¡¯s right hand, thinking that it is no wonder that he was so mannerly,  turns out he was a teacher.


    Finally, the group of people reached the factory again. Everything was the same as last time and everyone was quickly assigned to their respective workstations and started to work.


    In the stuffy boiler room, Xu RenDong once again put on his backpack. Before leaving, he took a deep look at the medical student. The guy was still burying his head in memorizing, in a posture of ¡°Nothing in the world can stop me from studying¡±. This time Xu RenDong became more mindful and sprinkled a thin layer of coal ash on the floor at the entrance of the boiler room. The lights in the boiler room are dim and the soot scattered on the ground can¡¯t be noticed if you don¡¯t look carefully. But once the people inside walked out, there would be traces on the coal ash.


    After arriving on the first floor, Xu RenDong did not continue to follow the foreman, but went from another direction to the top of the stairs and went directly to the third floor.


    He remembered that Zhang XiaoXiao and the gentleman exchanged positions on the third floor. While the foreman was still patrolling on the first floor, he was the first to find Zhang XiaoXiao in the corridor on the third floor.


    ¡°You¨C¡± Zhang XiaoXiao was taken aback by Xu RenDong¡¯s sudden appearance, and asked with her eyes wide, ¡°You, what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Go back to your workshop first, the foreman will be here soon.¡± Xu RenDong watched the surroundings vigilantly, making sure that there were no other people nearby.


    Zhang XiaoXiao felt shocked when she thought of the muscular foreman so she hurried back to her workshop. Seeing her return, the girl in her group was surprised: ¡°How come you came back? Weren¡¯t you going to find¡­¡± When she saw Xu RenDong, who was following Zhang XiaoXiao, the expression on her face was even more surprised, ¡°Huh? What are you doing?¡±


    Xu RenDong casually made up an excuse while observing this workshop. In addition to these two girls, there was also a row of jointed dolls in the workshop. The mechanical crawler keeps running and the workpieces are continuously transported to the front. The articulated dolls also handle the workpieces in an orderly manner like a machine, without reacting to the additional outsiders in their workshop.


    If you don¡¯t look closely, these jointed dolls looked almost the same as real people. But once you notice their exposed spherical joints, you will immediately feel uneasy and even fearful.


    What is even more peculiar was, it was unknown what structure these wooden dolls were made from, but they could accurately grab the workpiece on the conveyor track and hold it in their hand for fine operation. There seemed to be more than a dozen souls hidden in the dozens of jointed dolls. They worked silently, tirelessly, and never complained. There was only the rumble of mechanical operation in the whole workshop, which felt dull and weird.


    Xu RenDong cautiously went to the back of the conveyor track and squatted behind the jointed dolls. Sure enough, even if he did something abnormal like this, the joint doll did not respond. Not long after, the door of the workshop was kicked open with a loud bang. Both girls were taken aback.


    Xu RenDong hid behind the doll so most of his vision was obscured. He could only see the foreman¡¯s feet. The foreman stood at the door, muttered something with his mouth, then quickly turned his head and left.


    As soon as the foreman left, Xu RenDong immediately walked out from behind the doll and found that Zhang XiaoXiao had retreated to the corner of the wall farthest from the conveyor track.


    She was very afraid of these dolls. She crossed her arms tightly and said with a trembling voice: ¡°I don¡¯t want to stay here anymore. It¡¯s terrible here¡­ I want to go find him¡­¡±


    The other girl was quite surprised. She said disdainfully: ¡°It¡¯s just a dummy, what are you afraid of? Also, I think it¡¯s better not to believe that man so easily. In this kind of place, people who take the initiative to approach others are definitely not good people. Why don¡¯t you think about why he wants to help you? You¡¯re not a big beauty and you¡¯re not giving him money. Why would he risk helping you?¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°I happen to be also looking for him regarding something. I will go with Zhang XiaoXiao.¡± He turned his head and looked at the other girl, ¡°What about you? Are you okay to stay here alone?¡±


    The girl was taken aback when she heard his words. She seemed very reluctant but she didn¡¯t want to slap herself on her face so she insisted: ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m good alone. If something happens, I will call for help.¡±


    Xu RenDong remembered that in the workshop next door, there was a male teammate. If she called for help, then that person should be able to come and help right away. So he nodded and left the workshop with Zhang XiaoXiao.


    The foreman had almost reached the opposite corridor. Xu RenDong and Zhang XiaoXiao walked quickly to the top of the stairs with the cover of the huge gear in the center area. Going down to the corner of the second floor, Xu RenDong felt something white flash in the corner of his eyes. He subconsciously had a bad feeling and quickly pulled Zhang XiaoXiao back behind him.


    ¡°What?¡­Um!¡± Zhang XiaoXiao¡¯s mouth was covered by Xu RenDong¡¯s hand. He watched anxiously as he made a gesture to her to be quiet.


    Xu RenDong cautiously poked his head from behind the wall and saw a white figure walking out from the corner of the corridor. The man was wearing a white robe similar to a monk and his wrists and ankles were tied tightly with rubber bands, as if to facilitate certain operations. The white hood covered his face and only a long black beak could be seen from the side, which was so pointed that it looked as though he could pierce people to death. The man was still carrying a man on his shoulders, who seemed to have lost consciousness and was collapsed on the man¡¯s shoulders like a sack.


    Doctor Birdbeak? Why was he here? And who was the man on his shoulder?


    Due to the angle problem, Xu RenDong can only see the lower part of the man¡¯s body. He noticed a section of intestines hanging down from the man¡¯s abdomen, dangling as Doctor Birdbeak walked. Doctor Birdbeak¡¯s snow-white robe was also soaked with blood and a pair of scary scissors hung around his waist. The edge of the knife was dripping blood.


    ¡°That can¡¯t be¡­¡± Zhang XiaoXiao¡¯s voice trembled, ¡°Could it be that he already¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong did not answer. He was afraid the corpse on the shoulder of the beak was indeed the gentleman. His chest and stomach had been opened up and it looked exactly the same as Zhang XiaoXiao¡¯s original death.


    Lian Qiao wrote suddenly: In case you are found, don¡¯t fight, just run upstairs.


    Xu RenDong was taken aback. Upstairs? But isn¡¯t the foreman upstairs?


    Before he could comprehend Lian Qiao¡¯s words, Doctor Birdbeak had already carried the body of the gentleman to the edge of the fence in the central area. He lifted his hand and easily pushed the body down.


    Below it was the molten pool where the heat wave was tumbling!


    The orange-red molten slurry wrapped around the corpse like silk and, within a second, flames ignited on the corpse. The fire scorched the clothes and hair of the corpse and a puff of black smoke emerged. The ultra-high temperature burning caused the body to quickly seep oil and crackle. In the roar of the factory machinery, the faint cracking sound was not obvious but both Xu RenDong and Zhang XiaoXiao could hear it very clearly.


    In just a few seconds, the body has been burned into human-shaped charcoal. As the viscous molten slurry flowed slowly, the humanoid charcoal was broken into dozens of pieces which floated on the surface of the molten slurry. Before long, the charcoal was burnt red again and gradually merged into the molten pool, as if nothing had happened.


    Zhang XiaoXiao was crying. She wiped her tears and trembling, suddenly asked: ¡°What¡¯s that in his hand¡­?¡±


    Xu RenDong narrowed his eyes and was horrified to find that Doctor Birdbeak was holding a bloody organ in his hands.


    A stomach.


    Doctor Birdbeak grabbed the opening under the stomach pouch with his gloved fingers and pulled it hard. The stomach pouch was torn apart by him, revealing the pink gastric mucosa. Doctor Birdbeak seemed to be very interested in the structure of the stomach and played with it over and over in his hands. The blood dripped down the gloves and dyed his chest red, looking crazy and cruel.


    The scene was too stimulating and even Xu RenDong had physical discomfort. He frowned and wanted to take Zhang XiaoXiao away but saw Zhang XiaoXiao was grasping her throat with one hand and her belly with the other. Her shoulders were twitching and her face was filled with pain.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Xu RenDong had a very bad premonition. Before he could react, Zhang XiaoXiao suddenly widened her eyes and vomited out with a ¡°Ugh!¡±.


    However, what she vomited out did not fall to the ground but fluttered away flying with wings!


    It was a moth!


    With its wings spread, it was about the size of a fist. The fluffy gray-white moth slowly flew away in a graceful posture that was incompatible with the surrounding environment.


    Zhang XiaoXiao saw that she had vomited a moth and her face was pale. Immediately afterwards, her pupils shrank suddenly and she covered her mouth. More moths tried to get out of her mouth and her mouth was full of the sound of moth flapping wings. Even a gray wing had been squeezed out between her fingers.


    Xu RenDong was so horrified that he couldn¡¯t speak until a sentence appeared in his left eye: Run! ! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!


    Recalled by this long string of exclamation marks, Xu RenDong came back to his senses. He instinctively turned his head and glanced in the direction of Doctor Birdbeak. He found to his horror that the first moth Zhang XiaoXiao vomited had already flown in front of Doctor Birdbeak!


    Doctor Birdbeak stretched out his hand to catch the moth. He opened his palm, took a look, immediately turned his head and looked straight at Xu RenDong.


    ¡°Run!¡± Xu RenDong shouted violently. He grabbed Zhang XiaoXiao, turned and ran towards the stairs.


    Up or down?


    Up or down? !


    There were rapid footsteps behind him. Before he could think about it, Xu RenDong made a hasty decision.

 CH 55

    Chapter 55 ¨C Butterflies in the Stomach


    Up!


    Xu RenDong grabbed Zhang XiaoXiao¡¯s wrist and raced up the stairs.


    Zhang XiaoXiao covered her mouth with one hand and couldn¡¯t run fast, but he couldn¡¯t expect too much from her right now. After all, her mouth is full of living moths and it made his skin crawl just thinking about it. The footsteps behind him were getting closer and Xu RenDong anxiously exerted all his strength and almost dragged Zhang XiaoXiao upstairs abruptly.


    The foreman was on the third floor. Xu RenDong had no choice but to continue running towards the fourth floor. As they came around the corner of the stairs, both of them felt something dazzle their eyes. The light in front of them was too bright and both of them automatically shut their eyes.


    Xu RenDong opened his eyes first. The entrance was a straight long corridor, with incandescent lamps on the top of the corridor. It was no wonder it was so bright. There were offices on both sides and the blinds are tightly drawn, making it impossible to see what¡¯s inside.


    Before he could think about it, Xu RenDong rushed to the office closest to him and turned the doorknob. The door opened suddenly.


    He was about to go in to hide when Lian Qiao suddenly said: Close the door! Change to another room!


    Xu RenDong was puzzled but there was no time to ask questions. He instinctively followed Lian Qiao¡¯s instructions.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s fingers raced across the screen: The second to last one!


    Xu RenDong did not hesitate and pulled Zhang XiaoXiao towards the second to last room at the end of the corridor. He turned the doorknob and only heard a few clicks. It turned out the door was locked! At the same time, Lian Qiao types: Opposite you!


    Reluctantly, Xu RenDong turned around and went to the room on the opposite side.  This time the door could be opened, he hurriedly dragged Zhang XiaoXiao inside and closed the door swiftly.


    It was pitch black in the office. Xu RenDong just took a step when his thigh hit the corner of the table, causing him to groan with pain.


    Zhang XiaoXiao said in horror: ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Are you okay?¡±


    Xu RenDong whispered: ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± He touched the table and then took Zhang XiaoXiao to hide under the table.


    As soon as the two of them hid, they heard a loud bang from the corridor. It was the sound of the door being kicked open.


    Zhang XiaoXiao trembled in shock and suddenly grabbed Xu RenDong¡¯s arm, pinching her nails into the flesh. Xu RenDong frowned slightly and said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, it¡¯s not this one.¡±


    The voice should be the first room near the stairs, which was the room he originally wanted to hide in.


    Now he understood. The normal first reaction of people was to hide in the nearest room. So Doctor Birdbeak would also go to the first office to search first. Once he failed to find them, then he may search room by room or he might go directly to the last room at the end of the corridor. As for the second to last room, there was a high probability that it would be the last one he would search!


    In such a stressful situation, Lian Qiao was able to find the best solution so quickly. He was like a battle-hardened agent.


    Was he innately intuitive or¡­.


    From a distance came the sound of tables and chairs overturning and glass breaking. It seemed that Doctor Birdbeak was smashing the cabinets in the first office. Xu RenDong and Zhang XiaoXiao hid under the table and they couldn¡¯t see anything in the dark. They could only hear each other¡¯s oppressive and trembling gasps.


    Zhang XiaoXiao clutched his arm desperately, her nails almost sinking into the flesh. Xu RenDong slowly fumbled the ground beside him, trying to find something to use as a weapon. Soon, the distant table and chair tipping over disappeared, replaced by a low, sharp, metallic sharp sound dragging across the floor.


    ¡ªIt is the big scissors, the scissors that stabbed the gentleman¡¯s stomach and dug out his stomach!


    Zhang XiaoXiao was trembling all over. Her panting sound became visibly intense.


    Xu RenDong bit his lip. He didn¡¯t touch anything except dust on the ground. Right now they both don¡¯t have any weapons on them. Once Birdbeak entered the room, it  would only be a matter of time before they were found. What should he do then?


    In the field of vision of the left eye, Lian Qiao¡¯s fingers moved nervously on the keyboard but he did not press even a single letter for a long time. It seems that even Lian Qiao was out of ideas at this time.


    He really made a bad move. He¡¯s afraid that he could only reset again.


    Xu RenDong thought so resignedly and let out a long sigh. But soon, he found that his fingers were shaking.


    Not only his fingers but his arms, thighs, and the muscles all over his body were trembling.


    What was wrong? What was he so afraid of? It was not like it was his first time¡­.


    His body was shaking uncontrollably, Xu RenDong closed his eyes in the dark, trying to calm down. But no matter how he comforted himself, his body still trembled. His throat was itchy, his body was sweating and even his cheeks began to feel sore.


    He quickly realized that the reason his cheeks were sore was because he had clenched his teeth too tightly. And his teeth were clenched because they were also chattering.


    At this moment, apart from the gasping and heartbeat sound of the two people, the only thing that can be heard is the sound of the big scissors dragging on the ground. Doctor Birdbeak seemed to be deliberately making this sound to create panic and his goal was indeed achieved. Both people¡¯s brains supplied them with images of Doctor Birdbeak covered in blood holding the large scissors and approaching them step by step.


    Lian Qiao suddenly moved his finger and typed the words: ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid¡±. The corner of Xu RenDong¡¯s mouth twitched and he made a wry smile.


    How could he not be afraid? Although he could come back to life if he died, it would still hurt if he was fatally injured.


    Sha-sha. The sound was coming closer and closer.


    Sure enough, Doctor Bird Beak did come into their room but went straight to the last office first.


    The sound of the scissors scraping against the floor stopped. In the suffocating silence, even time has become stagnant.


    Xu RenDong took a deep breath. He raised his hand and pressed his left eye, trying to remove Lamia¡¯s eyeball. If death was unavoidable, then at least he didn¡¯t want Lian Qiao to witness the scene of him being cut up.


    At this moment, the vision of his left eye suddenly shook and Lian Qiao quickly typed: When he goes in, you run!


    Xu RenDong suddenly woke up: Yes! They still have one last chance! Just take advantage of when Doctor Birdbeak goes into the last room and flee.


    He had to grasp the timing accurately and not hesitate.


    Xu RenDong grabbed Zhang XiaoXiao beside him and, carefully avoiding the debris around his feet, went back to the door of the room. Zhang XiaoXiao just shivered and looked like a lamb ready to be slaughtered. Xu RenDong held her tightly with one hand and pressed the other hand on the doorknob, ready to rush out at any time.


    As long as Doctor Birdbeak walked into the next room¡­ as soon as he heard the sound of him opening the door, he had to immediately¡ª


    Click.


    The moment the sound wave reached the eardrum, Xu RenDong pressed the doorknob in a reflexive manner. However, in the next second, all his blood froze.


    Before he could press down the door handle, it had already turned.


    Birdbeak had chosen this room!


    His heart had almost stopped beating. Xu RenDong¡¯s muscles were in a state of rigidity. He was unable to move and was nervous enough to vomit. Zhang XiaoXiao was so terrified that she forgot to breathe. Her entire body was shocked and dumbfounded.


    The cold fingertips of the god of death touched their backs and both of them got goosebumps at the same time. At this moment, a loud shout suddenly came from the distance in the corridor!


    It was the voice of the foreman!


    The door handle instantly bounced back to its original position and again made a light ¡°click¡±. Immediately afterwards, there was the clicking sound of the opening and closing of the scissors and chaotic fighting sounds from outside the door.


    Xu RenDong and Zhang XiaoXiao, separated by a door, listened to the sound in the corridor with bated breath. Soon, there was a rapid sound of footsteps outside, and another set of footsteps followed. Both gradually disappeared at the end of the corridor.


    The corridor fell into dead silence, leaving only the heartbeats of the two in the darkness clearly audible.


    Xu RenDong was cold all over and his palms were full of cold sweat. He moved his fingers and slowly released Zhang XiaoXiao¡¯s arm. But Zhang XiaoXiao immediately grabbed him back and her nails dug into his flesh again.


    It hurts.


    Xu RenDong suddenly missed Lian Qiao very strongly. Even though Lian Qiao would also hold his hands so strongly it would hurt, at least he wouldn¡¯t pierce the skin.


    The two said nothing in the dark. It was unknown how long it took before Xu RenDong sighed and said in a low voice: ¡°They should both be gone.¡±


    Zhang XiaoXiao trembled: ¡°Then¡­what shall we do now?¡±


    Xu RenDong thought for a while, turned around and found the flashlight from his backpack. At the same time, Lian Qiao excitedly typed four words: ¡°Since you¡¯re already here.¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°Let¡¯s search the place.¡±


    Zhang XiaoXiao: ¡°???¡± Are you serious?!


    Before he focused on searching, Xu RenDong took a look around the stairs and confirmed that the foreman and the Doctor Birdbeak were no longer nearby. Zhang XiaoXiao held the phone and turned it on the flashlight mode. She followed Xu RenDong into the first office, looked at the desks, chairs and bookcases that had been turned over by Birdbeak and asked in confusion, ¡°What are you looking for?¡±


    Xu RenDong uprighted a table and opened the drawer inside.


    ¡°Looking for clues to clear the instance.¡±


    ¡°Clues to clear the instance?¡± Zhang XiaoXiao also began to look at the shelves on the side. She suddenly thought of something, ¡°By the way, wasn¡¯t there a sentence in the elevator at the beginning? Butterflies in the stomach¡­ ¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°En, that¡¯s this instance¡¯s prompt.¡± Speaking of butterflies, he only just remembered and asked, ¡°Are you okay just now? What about the moths in your mouth? Did you swallow them all down? Do you want some water to rinse your mouth?¡±


    Zhang XiaoXiao looked shocked: ¡°Rinse my mouth¡­¡± In the next second, her expression became extremely weird again.


    ¡°The moths are gone,¡± she said.


    Xu RenDong did not understand: ¡°What do you mean, gone?¡±


    Zhang XiaoXiao said, ¡°They¡¯re just¡­ gone.¡± She frowned, with a complicated expression, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. When I was running away, I could feel something moving in my throat the whole time. When I hid under the table, my throat felt the same as when I first spat out that moth. So I kept covering my mouth for fear of spitting out more moth but now¡­ ¡°


    She paused for a moment and licked her mouth with her tongue. She said, ¡°Now there¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Xu RenDong mused: ¡°This may be related to the instance prompt but why was it moths rather than butterflies?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! I just thought of something!¡± Zhang XiaoXiao slapped her thigh. ¡°Butterflies in my stomach! In German it¡¯s ¡°Schmetterlinge im Bauch haben!¡± I just memorized this when I was studying today!¡±


    The string of foreign words came so fast that Xu RenDong did not hear clearly: ¡°What studying? You¡¯re learning German?¡±


    Zhang XiaoXiao said: ¡°Yes, I¡¯m learning German. I have an exam in a few days so I¡¯m studying every day. When I first saw it written in Chinese, I didn¡¯t think of it. But now that I think about it, ¡°Schmetterlinge im Bauch haben¡± also means to fall into a river of love.¡±


    Xu RenDong recalled the information he and Lian Qiao checked together. He added: ¡°There is still tension and fear.¡±


    Zhang XiaoXiao: ¡°Yes, yes. Anyway, it¡¯s just used to describe the feeling of an accelerated heartbeat.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Then why did you vomit a moth?¡±


    Zhang XiaoXiao: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    After thinking about it, Xu RenDong still couldn¡¯t guess what the prompt was saying. He continued to search the office and looked at Lian Qiao¡¯s side when he was distracted. In the left field of vision was a Victorian draped bed with an old man in pajamas lying in it. The old man¡¯s face was blue and gray, with blood on the corners of his mouth. It looked like he had been dead for a long time.


    Lian Qiao and a group of people were standing around the big bed, seeming to be discussing something. Seeing people¡¯s lips move, Xu RenDong tried to read what they were saying through their lips but he immediately gave up. It turned out that the movement of his lower lip at a normal rate of speech was so fast that he could not keep up.


    Suddenly, the corpse on the bed moved its fingers. The eyes of the dead old man flew open and he jumped off the bed. Thin fingers grabbed the neck of the man closest to him!


    A zombie?!


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart tightened and his breathing became quicker.


    The vision in his left eye shook badly showing that Lian Qiao was dodging. The violent shaking produced a motion sickness-like effect. Xu RenDong felt nauseous and quickly covered his mouth, almost vomiting.


    The next second, his eye went dark. Lian Qiao had removed Lamia¡¯s eyeball.


    The left eye returned to a normal field of vision and it was a little uncomfortable for a while. Xu RenDong held the table, still feeling dizzy in his head. He immediately realized that Lian Qiao had cut off visual sharing in order to not to affect him but like this, he couldn¡¯t see Lian Qiao¡¯s situation.


    Unexpectedly, his worry gradually subsided. Lian Qiao could easily handle a zombie in a small area. It was best not to bother him at this time.


    He believed in Lian Qiao¡¯s combat effectiveness.


    Xu RenDong and Zhang XiaoXiao continued to explore the fourth floor, searching all the rooms in the corridor that could be opened. The structures of these offices were similar and there were no obvious clues inside them. The only valuable item was a key in a drawer that said ¡®Director¡¯s Room¡¯ on it. When the two came to the end of the corridor, they found the ¡®Director¡¯s Office¡¯ sign hanging at the door of the last office that could not be opened.


    Xu RenDong aimed the key into the keyhole and was about to turn it. Zhang XiaoXiao suddenly moved her nose and pointed to the corner of the wall in surprise: ¡°What is that? Is it food?¡±


    Xu RenDong looked around and found that in the corner was what looked like a food basket. Zhang XiaoXiao lifted the cover and took a look. They found that it was stuffed with sandwiches and milk.


    Zhang XiaoXiao was still wondering why there would be food here. Suddenly a line appeared in Xu RenDong¡¯s mind:


    Before a big battle, the game will always load you up with supplies!


    ¡­. Maybe he should reconsider. If his heart was constantly stimulated this way, it would definitely collapse.


    He withdrew his hand silently and put the key back into his pocket. I yield.

 CH 56

    Chapter 56 ¨C Butterflies in the Stomach


    It had been nearly an hour since he¡¯d left his work station so Xu RenDong decided to go back first.


    Before going into the boiler room, he squatted down to examine the soot at the door. The coal ash still kept its original appearance, with no traces of being trampled on. It seems that the medical student has not left the boiler room during all this time.


    Xu RenDong opened the door and entered. Sure enough, the medical student was still sitting on the ground and reciting his book.


    ¡°Ginseng has a sweet taste and nourishes vitality, quenches thirst, promotes body fluids and regulates nutrition and health. Astragalus heats up sweat and solidifies the surface, supports sores and promotes muscle qi deficiency. Atractylodes is sweet and warms the spleen and strengthens the stomach. Li Qiao, Bai HuaTan hydrates the red water channel¡­¡±


    He already seemed much more proficient at reciting it than earlier. So it can be said that his efforts were in earnest.


    Xu RenDong thought it was better not to disturb him. He went to the console and  pretended to start working, but in his mind he was sorting out the clues he had found so far.


    Just now when they were in danger, both he and Zhang XiaoXiao felt nervous and nauseous. Zhang XiaoXiao¡¯s reaction was more serious than his and she directly spat out live moths. But the prompt is clearly ¡°butterfly¡±, so why did moths appear? That is one problem.


    In addition, Doctor Birdbeak and the foreman seemed to be opposed to each other. The Doctor¡¯s combat effectiveness was not as good as the foreman, otherwise he would not have chosen to run away. Xu RenDong originally thought that the foreman was the boss of this dungeon and that the death condition was also related to the foreman. But now there was an additional force which confused him.


    He always felt that the most critical mystery in this instance had not yet been solved but he had no clue what it was. But still today he still made good progress. Not only did he get the key to the factory director¡¯s room but Zhang XiaoXiao also survived.


    At night, the medical student was still studying. Unlike last time, Zhang XiaoXiao also slept with them in the same room that night. After the events of that day, Zhang XiaoXiao¡¯s dependence on the gentleman has been transferred to Xu RenDong. After all, the gentleman had turned into coal and was melted in the molten pool and it was impossible for her to keep relying on him.


    Lian Qiao put on Lamia¡¯s eye again. He had cleared the instance and sat alone in front of the elevator, wanting to wait for Xu RenDong to pass the instance and go out together.


    ¡°It turns out that the prompt this time is not as simple as I thought. The prompt was the skeleton in the cupboard. We did find a skeleton in the cupboard. But the skeleton here also implies another thing, which is the skeleton key. That has the meaning of a ¡®master key¡¯. In the end, we used a finger bone of the skeleton as the key to open the secret room in the castle and that completed the puzzle solving¡­¡±


    ¡°I did not expect this at all and that finger bone was also not noticed by me. Fortunately there was a middle school student in the team who thought of this concept. Afterwards, we checked the cupboard carefully and then discovered that the skeleton finger bone can be used as a key. In fact, if you think about it, this instance is quite difficult. If nobody understood this allusion, then it would have been impossible to pass this level.¡±


    ¡°Brother RenDong, what¡¯s happening on your side? Did you find any clues afterwards?¡±


    Xu RenDong explained what had happened during the day. Soon after he returned to the boiler room, the foreman came around for a second patrol. The foreman was wounded and his expression was stinky but he didn¡¯t mention Doctor Birdbeak. Doctor Birdbeak also never showed up again. Just like that the day passed and then they got off work. Only after everyone returned to the dormitory did they discover that only Xu RenDong and Zhang XiaoXiao left their work stations to explore the factory. The other middle-aged man who tried to be absent from work was caught red handed by the foreman as soon as he walked out of the workshop and was beaten to death with a whip. After watching the torture, the others did not dare to come out again, so they did not get any useful information or even know Doctor Birdbeak was presesnt.


    {Some people might be wondering why XRD didn¡¯t try to save the middle-aged man. I think the whole reason we went through so many reincarnations in the first arc was so that XRD can understand that it¡¯s impossible to save everybody, since you never know if saving that person could indirectly cause another¡¯s death, etc.}


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°So I plan to go there again in the evening.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°I agree. You have a lot of pig teammates this time so it¡¯s better to go on your own. You can do it by yourself, big boss. I believe in you.¡±


    Xu RenDong thought: Don¡¯t call me boss anymore, it¡¯s embarrassing.


    The deep night enveloped this industrial town. Xu RenDong waited until everyone else had fallen asleep and left the dormitory quietly.


    At this time it was close to two o¡¯clock in the morning and there were no street lights in the town. Fortunately, the moon tonight was big and round, illuminating the road in front of him. Being accustomed to the brightly lit lights in the city, now that Xu RenDong was walking on the dirt road shining in the moonlight, he felt quite tranquil as though he had gone back in time.


    When Xu RenDong looked up at the moon, he found that there was also a moon in his left eye. At this moment, Lian Qiao was also looking up at the moon. Xu RenDong suddenly had an illusion that Lian Qiao was by his side, looking up at the same sky with him.


    When he got to the edge of the town, he could see a huge shadow from a distance. It was the darkened factory. In the guard room at the entrance of the factory, a man with a beard was dozing off. Xu RenDong bent over, tiptoed quietly passed the guard room and entered the factory alone. He closed the factory door behind him.


    Molten liquid surged in the molten pool and the orange-red glow illuminated the entire central area. Xu RenDong felt warmth on his face. This feeling dispelled the anxiety of walking alone at night. Nevertheless, he walked very carefully. The factory in the middle of the night was very quiet, so quiet that only the sound of his own footsteps could be heard. It didn¡¯t take long before he got to the director¡¯s room on the fourth floor.  Holding the steel bar picked up on the road in his hand, took a deep breath and opened the door of the director¡¯s room with the key.


    Unlike what he had imagined, nothing in the factory director¡¯s room rushed out to attack him. Xu RenDong protected his body with a steel rod in one hand and raised the flashlight in the other. He cautiously entered the factory director¡¯s room.


    The decoration of this room was clearly more luxurious than those in the offices outside. The furniture was made of solid wood and the wallpaper is painted with dark patterns. Directly facing the door was a set of leather tables and chairs, with a stack of drawings on the table and a few documents on the side. It was unknown if the owner went out too hurriedly but the lid of the ink bottle was not closed. A quill pen was still inserted in it.


    Xu RenDong walked behind the table and his eyes lit up. It turned out that what was spread out on the table was the floor plan of the entire factory. He turned to the part of the underground area and found that the underground area was indeed as he expected.  The terrain is very complicated and, simply put, it was a maze. There were many dead ends and some places were marked with strange symbols.


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°Did you see the escape sign? It¡¯s in the deepest part of the maze. That should be where the elevator is.¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded gently. Picking up the quill in the ink bottle, starting from the deep end of the maze, he drew the route to the beginning of the maze. He used his mobile phone to take photos of the map and save it. Then he began to investigate the folder next to it.


    In the folder was a stack of employee information. On the first page was the cruel foreman. In the photo, his eyes were fierce and a bloodthirsty sense of violence almost rushed out from the photo. On the side; the name, age, and work history of the foreman was recorded in handwriting. Xu RenDong read it briefly, turned to the next page, and was stunned.


    On the second page was Doctor Birdbeak!


    Unlike the previous page, the photo of Doctor Birdbeak was painted over with a big cross in red paint. The text is also blurry and illegible and it is impossible to recognize what was originally written.


    The whole face of the person in the photo was hiding behind the beak mask. The black goggles appeared bottomless, like two black holes, and made people feel flustered. Xu RenDong suddenly had a horrible feeling, as if he were not the only person in the factory director¡¯s room. He suddenly raised his head and looked around. He couldn¡¯t help squeezing the steel rod in his hand.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you hear anything?¡±


    Xu RenDong sighed, ¡°No, I¡¯m too nervous.¡±


    Continuing to look at the file, the next few pages were all the joint dolls in the workshop. He was surprised to find that these dolls had different names. Even the gender and family situation were clearly written. Nothing was repeated. It was obviously a dummy, but it was made out like a real, living person. Xu RenDong recalled the numbness of those jointed dolls working in the workshop and couldn¡¯t help but feel a chill.


    It is worth noting that the bottom of each joint puppet¡¯s data is marked with a line of words in capital letters, which translates to: 17 hours of work and 7 hours of rest. Because the work is too hard, you must not disturb them during their break.


    This appeared to be some kind of hint. Xu RenDong recorded it in his heart.


    Turning back again, the remaining pages were almost completely blank, except that there was a different symbol in the middle of each page. Xu RenDong thought they looked familiar and Lian Qiao suddenly said: ¡°The signs on the map!¡±


    Xu RenDong suddenly realized. He took out the map and saw that, as he expected, all these symbols had appeared in the underground maze.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­ So this is an illustrated monster appendix.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°That is to say, you haven¡¯t encountered these monsters in the maze yet, so the appendix is blank and waiting for you to encounter them. Once you do, their information will appear here.


    Xu RenDong thought for a while, then turned back to the page of Doctor Birdbeak. He looked at the red cross in the photo.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°This cross may mean ¡®deceased¡¯.¡±


    Was he beaten to death by the foreman?


    Xu RenDong pondered and said: ¡°I always get the feeling that something is wrong.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Xu RenDong has too many mysteries in his heart. For example, who was it that killed him in his sleep the first time around in the dormitory? Another example, what taboo did the gentleman violate to cause him to be thrown into the lava by Doctor Birdbeak?


    Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have any way to answer these questions. Xu RenDong could only sigh and refocus his attention on the drawings in front of him.


    He estimated the distance from the entrance to the end of the maze. Even if he successfully avoided the unknown monsters on the road, it would be impossible to go back and forth within an hour. So he typed on the phone: ¡°I¡¯m going underground now.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll direct you on the way.¡±


    Xu RenDong put the folder in his backpack. Holding the steel rod, he cautiously headed towards the underground area. When passing by the molten pool on the first floor, he subconsciously glanced into the molten pool. The fire blazed up high and even though it was so far away, the heat wave on his face still burned his cheeks.


    The scene of the gentleman falling into the molten pool and turning into ash was still vivid. The strange face of Doctor Birdbeak and his big scissors also appeared in front of him, awakening a certain indescribable sense of fear.


    He retracted his gaze, suppressed the faint anxiety in his heart and walked quickly toward the underground entrance.


    As a result, he did not notice that behind him, the factory door he had previously closed with his own hands was now cracked open.

 CH 57

    Chapter 57 ¨C Butterflies in the Stomach


    The starting point of the underground labyrinth was the boiler room. Further down from there was a curved narrow corridor. There were no lights underground, nor could the fire from the molten pool illuminate down here, so the entire corridor was dark like a tomb with an open mouth.


    Although the location of the power control room was marked on the factory drawings, Xu RenDong did not intend to turn the switch on. If he did that, then all the underground lights would be flooded on and the monsters would all be awoken. If, at that time, all the monsters rushed out collectively to have a battle royale, that would be way too exciting for his health. So he raised his flashlight and walked slowly into the darkness.


    The flashlight could only illuminate a small area. The underground road was long and winding, and the ceiling was low and made people feel claustrophobic. Benefiting from Lian Qiao¡¯s instructions, Xu RenDong didn¡¯t encounter one dead end and headed towards the finish line smoothly. After walking like this for a few minutes, he suddenly heard a dull sound.


    His attention has always been primed to hear anything so although the sound was low and muffled, he still caught it. Xu RenDong stopped and looked around himself vigilantly. A few seconds later, there was another muffled sound in front of him.


    Boom.


    This time Xu RenDong heard it clearly. Although the sound was dull, it had a metallic texture. It sounded like an iron block hitting the ground. And it seems¡­ the distance was a little closer than before?


    It didn¡¯t take long for the metal bang to sound again. This time, Xu RenDong was sure: the thing that made the sound was approaching him!


    The muscles in his entire body tightened instantly. The flashlight shone in the distance, and there was a wall at the end of the corridor. There was nothing in the area to see. The banging sound was still getting closer and the frequency of the collisions was getting faster and faster.


    Lian Qiao, who couldn¡¯t share his hearing, didn¡¯t know what was going on. However, based on the visual images sent back by Xu RenDong, he inferred the general situation, and quickly responded: ¡°Run back, then go left and then right. After three intersections, there is room. You can hide there.¡±


    Xu RenDong was about to turn around when suddenly a huge silver-gray object flashed in the edge of his vision. He heard a loud noise: Bang! The thing rushed out the corner of the corridor and hit the wall directly!


    The entire corridor shook and dust even began to fall from the ceiling. Xu RenDong stabilized his body and turned his head to look. He was stunned by the sight in front of him.


    He saw a huge metallic object standing at the end of the corridor. The object was made in the shape of a pair of ¡°dragon phoenix twins¡± {boy and girl} and each baby was almost as tall as an adult. The babies faced each other in a 6/9 position, with their chests and abdomens glued together. Their head, hands and feet were twisted backward in an unnatural position, and all four feet landed on the ground, forming an extremely distorted posture.


    Even stranger was that, no matter if you looked horizontally or vertically, there were two bodies connected underneath the head of the baby boy and girl. So people would have a sense of confusion: Are these two babies or four babies?


    Xu RenDong was horrified by the sight and his figure couldn¡¯t help but freeze. At this moment, the Siamese babies twisted their hands and feet, turned stiffly ninety degrees  and pointed the baby girl¡¯s head at Xu RenDong.


    From this point of view, the metal block became a normal baby girl again. She had an exaggerated smile on her face and plump hands and feet. She looked almost innocent. Since it had hard, metallic outsides, as well as another body attached to its back, its movements were extremely stiff and the range of movements was very small.


    But by no means did it mean this creature was not dangerous. Xu RenDong stopped hesitating, turned his head and ran. The heavy impact sounded again instantly behind him.


    Boom!


    Then came- bang bang bang bang!


    Xu RenDong looked backwards and couldn¡¯t help but feel cold all over. The blood in his whole body solidified almost instantly. At this time, it was the baby boy with his head up and staring straight at him. The baby girl¡¯s head and back were facing him, supporting the ground with the top of her head and legs. Her waist was raised high and bent into the shape of a bridge.


    It turned out that the Siamese baby couldn¡¯t walk normally but rolled back and forth!


    Due to its huge size, every time the Siamese baby¡¯s  head hits the ground, it causes a lot of vibration. Dust kept falling from the ceiling and powder on the walls on both sides slipped, as if the entire corridor would collapse the next second.


    Xu RenDong gritted his teeth. He ran and soon reached the first corner.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Left!¡±


    The Siamese babies rolled very fast but the disadvantage was that their movements were very inflexible. As soon as Xu RenDong turned the corner, he heard a loud noise. The conjoined twins hit the wall again!


    However, this time the impact sound was very close, almost touching the back of his head. He could even feel the wind caused by the metal giant baby rolling.


    He didn¡¯t dare to think too much other than the directions. He ran to the next intersection with all his strength.


    The Siamese giant babies turned slowly after hitting the wall, and then rolled up at an astonishing speed. Xu RenDong had gotten to the second intersection and Lian Qiao inputted: ¡°Left!¡±


    Left and right, left and right. Xu RenDong turned right without hesitation but a wall suddenly appeared in front of him. He was shocked and then he noticed that Lian Qiao written ¡°Left!¡±


    It was left and right, not right and left!


    This was a dead end!


    Xu RenDong was about to turn around but he heard a sound behind him¡ªBang!


    He turned stiffly and the giant Siamese babies close at hand slowly turned their body towards him with the same stiff movement.


    They looked at each other. There was an exaggerated and terrifying smile on the Siamese babies¡¯ face and the metallic body reflected a cold light under the flashlight.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s breathing was short and his heart almost jumped out of his throat. He instinctively stepped back and suddenly felt itchy in his stomach, like countless fingers rubbing against his stomach mucosa, making him nauseous and wanting to gag.


    Was it moth pupae? Were moths starting to reproduce in his stomach?


    This thought made Xu RenDong cold all over. He tightly grasped his only weapon, the steel rod, in his hand but the palms had long been soaked with sweat and were sticky and clammy.


    A line of words suddenly popped up in the vision of the left eye: ¡°Pre-judgment! Anti-reverse!¡± (Note)


    Pre-judgment? Anti-reverse? Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t understand the meaning of these two words but the sentence that Lian Qiao wrote made him suddenly realize that at this moment, he was not alone!


    Although Lian Qiao was not by his side, Lian Qiao is still doing his best to help him!


    There was a burst of courage in his chest. Xu RenDong steadied his mind, staring at the Siamese babies, waiting for their next roll. The Siamese Babies stood at the intersection, their huge metallic body completely sealing off Xu RenDong¡¯s escape routes. They seemed to realize this too. The baby girl had an exaggerated smile on her face and the corners of her mouth were almost cracked behind her ears.


    This time the Siamese babies did not rush towards him at high speed but rolled forward half a circle, turning into a weird posture with its head down and feet up. Then they rolled forward half a circle and the baby boy¡¯s head appeared, still staring at Xu RenDong with a weird smile.


    Boom. Boom. Boom.


    The metallic Siamese Babies rolled forward at an extremely slow speed, giving people a huge sense of oppression. They expected that Xu RenDong had nowhere to escape, so they were not in a hurry to rush to run him over. Instead, they leisurely began to play with him. Xu RenDong was forced to retreat step by step and soon his back was pressed against the wall. He really has no way out.


    However, in these few laps that the giant Siamese Babies was slowly rolling towards him, he had already seen its body structure clearly!


    The Siamese Babies were only one step away from him. Just as the giant metal babies were about to run over his body, Xu RenDong squeezed the steel rod then swung it forward. He twisted his body and aimed at the gap between the two belly buttons of the Siamese Babies and forced the steel rod between them!


    The chest and abdomen of the two babies were connected together except for a gap at the belly button. There, there was a hollow the thickness of an arm. Xu RenDong inserted the stick into it, just filling up the small space between the belly buttons. The Siamese Babies shook their entire body and their movement stopped. Then there was a slight sound coming from their middle.


    Click.


    The giant Siamese Babies stood stiffly in place and then several more ¡°clicks¡± followed.


    Xu RenDong gasped and stared at it, seeing anger and frustration on the lifeless metallic baby face. However, no matter how hard it struggled, it couldn¡¯t make any movements except the ¡°click¡± sound from between its bodies.


    Of course. Because most of their bodies were made of hard metal that was glued together. Two babies- no, it should be said that they are four babies sharing two hands and two feet ¨C could move completely by relying on their exquisite internal mechanical structure. And the most critical position of this mechanical structure was the hole in the belly button.


    When it slowly approached just now, Xu RenDong noticed that every time it made a movement, a piece of metal would protrude from the hole. The metal blocks at different positions and different angles represent different actions. Only when the Siamese Babies returned to the initial state of motionlessness would the metal blocks be completely retracted into the body. Then the middle of the belly button would return to being a complete circle.


    Therefore, if the hole is blocked with a steel rod, then the metal block will be stuck and unable to be pushed out. Therefore the giant Siamese Babies will be unable to move.


    By the time Xu RenDong¡¯s breathing gradually subsided, the giant Siamese Babies were still ¡°clicking¡± but had not moved forward even half a step. It seemed that it was defeated for the time being.


    Xu RenDong bypassed the Siamese Babies, carefully winding his body around its giant steel bars, and returned to the original corridor. The baby boy facing back at him stared at him dejectedly, furious that it couldn¡¯t kill him.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Our boss has a hundred ways to deal with you and you can do nothing!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± Stop bragging. To tell you the truth, I was almost killed by them just now.


    Continuing to walk deeper into the maze, Xu RenDong¡¯s mood gradually calmed down. The nausea of ??crawling insects inside his stomach also disappeared. Lian Qiao said suddenly: ¡°By the way, let¡¯s take a look at the employee information, the monster illustration book should be updated!¡±


    Xu RenDong opened the employee information folder and found that text was displayed on top of one of the blank pages that was marked with the diagram of a well. The picture of the giant Siamese babies was also posted on the upper right corner.


    The name column on the side read: SI XI REN. {Written in English letters.}


    The English description below translates to saying that this is an ancient toy from the far east, named SI XI REN. It had a peculiar shape. It was a cute baby no matter which direction you look; up, down, left, or right. The Chinese believe that these four babies imply four happy things: sudden rain in a drought, meeting old friends in a strange place, wedding night, and achieving first place in the exam.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Rain in a drought, meeting an old friend in a far away land, and when the bridal night is in bloom, and achieving the top place in the exam?¡± {LQ basically interpreted the ¡®English¡¯ general description using common Chinese sayings.}


    Xu RenDong suddenly realized and finally understood the meaning of the name written in English -¡°Four Happiness Person¡±.


    Turns out that this employee was a fellow Chinaman.


    He put the folder away and clicked on the maze map on the phone. Sure enough, the location where he encountered SiXiRen was exactly near the well marked on the map. It seems that he and Lian Qiao were right. Every page in the employee information corresponded to a monster in the factory. The monster information will only appear in the folder if they have seen it with their own eyes.


    In other words, he has a high probability of meeting all the monsters.


    Just thinking about it made him exhausted.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°I don¡¯t know if there will be a hidden reward with the complete collection of monster illustrations?¡±


    ¡­I don¡¯t want it, okay?


    Xu RenDong sighed: ¡°Is there a way to avoid the places marked?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°There is a forced instance clearance method, I think we can give it a try¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Tell me.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Find an electric drill, punch the ground and go directly to the bottom.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± That was indeed violent. Truly worthy of a person who was keen to kill NPCs. Their brain circuits are definitely not the same as others.


    Xu RenDong sighed and said, ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s take the normal route.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Then you have to be careful. There¡¯s a monster on the right in the next intersection.¡±


    The mood just relaxed and now became tense again. Xu RenDong stopped to take a deep breath.


    This time the situation was worse than before, because he had no weapons in his hand.


    The author has something to say:


    {MTL} Note: Pre-judgment & Anti-reverse: Pre-judgment refers to pre-judging the position and releasing skills at the position where the enemy is about to arrive. Anti-counterfeiting refers to defensive counterattack, that is, defending at the moment the enemy launches an attack. In some games, there is a counterattack effect when the defense is perfect. {/MTL}

 CH 58

    Chapter 58 ¨C Butterflies in the Stomach


    After turning right, there was a long corridor. Xu RenDong raised his flashlight and proceeded cautiously. He has been in the underground labyrinth for more than half an hour and his eyes have almost adapted to the dark environment. He could see everything clearly as long as the flashlight was shining.


    He swept the flashlight away and suddenly something moved in his field of vision. Xu RenDong once again shone the light straight ahead and saw a large number of jointed dolls far in the distance. He was immediately taken aback.


    The pile of jointed dolls were tightly packed in the corridor with a myriad of different positions, blocking the corridor completely. After being illuminated by the light from the flashlight, they also seemed to be frightened. One by one the dolls twisted here and there and then suddenly all their joints twisted frantically!


    It didn¡¯t look like they were welcoming him at all but more like they were rushing towards him with bitterness and a desire to kill him.


    Xu RenDong gasped: There¡¯s so many of them! How can I fight them!?


    He glanced and there were at least 30 jointed dolls squeezed in here. Those in the front row reacted the fastest, rushing towards him at a frightening speed. Xu RenDong turned his head and ran without hesitation. The flashlight in his hand also turned, illuminating the direction when he came.


    Lian Qiao had already given instructions. This time he did not speak left and right in Chinese but used arrow symbols instead. Xu RenDong ran out according to the instructions for a while and then suddenly felt that the pressure behind him disappeared. The frantic footsteps had also somehow disappeared.


    Xu RenDong looked back in surprise. Lian Qiao asked: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°They¡¯re not chasing.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Is there a defensive range?¡±


    Xu RenDong did not answer. The joint dolls were located in the only pathway to the end and he had no choice but to go through them. Therefore he turned back towards the corridor with the jointed dolls again and felt the surrounding air around him was stagnant and there wasn¡¯t any sound. It seems that the dolls have really stopped moving.


    Standing on the corner, Xu RenDong leaned his back against the wall, carefully shining his flashlight at the dolls. As soon as the light entered their eyes, the dolls instantly turned their heads and stared directly at the flashlight. The uncoordinated limbs also began to twist again, rushing towards him at a pace that was really terrifying.


    Xu RenDong was shocked and instinctively turned his head to run away. After running two steps, he found that the dolls behind him had stopped chasing him again.


    What happened? They wouldn¡¯t chase as long as your back was facing them?


    Lian Qiao was suddenly excited: ¡°SCP 173!¡± (See Author¡¯s Note at the end.)


    Xu RenDong: ¡°?¡±


    He didn¡¯t have time to think about what Lian Qiao was excited about but looked down at the flashlight in his hand. Suddenly there was an idea in his heart.


    He turned around and pointed the flashlight again at a figure tens of meters away. The moment the light fell on the dolls, the dolls immediately gained life and ran furiously.


    This time, Xu RenDong did not turn his head to escape but pressed the flashlight switch again. With only a click, the entire corridor plunged into darkness. The running sound of the joint doll also stopped very cleanly.


    Got it, so turned out it was the light.


    Xu RenDong immediately recalled the description on the employee¡¯s profile: Working hours are 17 hours and rest time is 7 hours. Because their work was too hard, you must not disturb them during their break.


    It seems that this is the place where the jointed dolls rest. Once they are stimulated by light, they will violently want to beat up people.


    ¡­ Angry about being woken up, probably?


    Yes, this was reasonable.


    It seemed that as long as he didn¡¯t turn on the flashlight, he could avoid retaliation. In that case, this obstacle was not too difficult, you could just walk past them in the dark.


    After turning off the flashlight, the entire corridor was plunged into complete darkness. Not to mention that he couldn¡¯t see his fingers, Xu RenDong almost couldn¡¯t feel the existence of his body. He walked along the wall towards the pile of dolls and Lian Qiao wrote: ¡°This trash camera doesn¡¯t have infrared night vision.¡±


    Xu RenDong did not reply.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Big brother, what are you doing?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    After a moment of speechlessness, Lian Qiao suddenly realized: ¡°Oh, oh, it¡¯s light, right?!¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded in the dark. It was unknown if his meaning has been passed on. In short, Lian Qiao didn¡¯t type again for a while.


    Suddenly his toe hit something hard. Xu RenDong¡¯s heart shuddered and reflexively stepped back. Probably because he was in a completely dark environment, his nerves were highly strung. Just such a small stimulus actually made him stiffen. His chest tightened and palpitated. It took a long time before he mustered the courage to move on.


    He adjusted his direction and avoided the doll he had just ran into. Suddenly, there was another punch in the stomach.


    Like a frightened cat, Xu RenDong curled up and took a big step back. His heart was beating wildly and burst in his chest. Even the roots of the teeth began to feel numb  and his head was full of cold sweat.


    He wanted to turn on the flashlight to see what was going on but he couldn¡¯t. Therefore, he could only carefully touch forward to confirm the situation in the dark. It turned out that it was a doll frozen in a running position with his fist outstretched. Xu RenDong had just run into his fist just now. In fact, the speed was not fast but because of his tense concentration and tightness of his abdominal muscles, he has the illusion of being hit in the stomach with a punch.


    It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. As long as he doesn¡¯t turn on the lights, they won¡¯t move.


    Xu RenDong tried to calm down but his frantic heartbeat couldn¡¯t calm down. His chest was so tight that he really didn¡¯t want to stay in the dark anymore. So he forced himself to cheer up and stepped out into the darkness again.


    The reaction of the articulated doll to the light seems to be related to the intensity of the light. The doll that was standing in the front row was directly exposed to direct exposure, so it reacted most intensely and ran the fastest. After Xu RenDong passed a few scattered dolls, he soon came to the most concentrated part of the jointed dolls.


    He stretched out his left foot and kicked something with his left foot. Stretched out his right foot and kicked something with his right foot. After adjusting the direction, he stretched out his hand toward the darkness but found that there were dolls everywhere, blocking the path.


    Although the dolls are crowded together, because each doll has a slender figure and distorted movement, and after receiving the light stimulus just now, the original dense formation had been disrupted so it was feasible to pass through them. But this meant that he had to make a lot of physical contact with the dolls, groping all the way through the gaps.


    ¡­Don¡¯t be afraid, they won¡¯t move.


    Xu RenDong tried his best to comfort himself in his heart but when he squeezed against a cold doll and was forced to assume the same twisted posture, he felt his scalp numb again. His tongue was stupefied and even his breathing became stiff.


    ¡­¡­How can you not be afraid, how do you do something like that?


    He was squeezed in between dozens of puppets. In case the lights were accidentally turned on, even if the puppets did not attack him, they could just twist his chest and crush his limbs.


    At this moment, he wished extremely that Lian Qiao was by his side. Even if he was just groping in the dark with him, even if he was just standing beside him quietly, he would feel much better.


    It was too uncomfortable to be alone in the dark.


    Suddenly, in the vision of his left eye, Lian Qiao moved his fingers and quickly typed out a line: ¡°I¡¯ll sing a song for you.¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback. Sing? What song could you sing at a time like this? And also they couldn¡¯t share sound so how could he even hear Lian Qiao singing?


    He saw Lian Qiao say: ¡°Now, please enjoy the theme song of Journey to the West: Sound of Cloud Palace. Let¡¯s begin.¡±


    ¡°Diu-diu-diu!¡±


    ¡°Den-den-deng-deng-den-den-deng, den-den-deng-deng-den-den-deng, den-den-deng-deng-den-den-deng, diu-diu-diu! Diu-diu! Den¨Cden-deng-deng-den-den-deng¡­.¡±


    {This song is just music with no lyrics but a very recognizable tune that people can recall easily:


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biTzhToldz4. It¡¯s a very heroic song, suitable for bolstering courage!}


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    You can actually transmit music like  this?!


    Seeing that magical line ¡°den-den-deng-deng¡±, Xu RenDong¡¯s mind actually echoed the melody of the theme song of Journey to the West. This song was so familiar that Lian Qiao just had to prompt him and Xu RenDong automatically completed the whole song, complete with a picture of Monkey King riding through the clouds.


    Inside his heart he couldn¡¯t help humming: ¡°Dang! Dang! Dang-dang-dang-dang¨C dang-dang-dang!¡±


    With Journey to the West as the background music, the previous sense of horror was instantly wiped out. Before he knew it, Xu RenDong had already walked out of the puppet formation.


    He walked along the wall for a while and after passing the corner, he was finally able to pull out the flashlight. His vision regained its brightness and Xu RenDong let out a long sigh of relief.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°You got out!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Yes, thank you. But why did you suddenly think of singing?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°The labyrinth is so dark and you can¡¯t turn on the lights. There were a lot of dolls around. Just watching from here made me feel terrible. So I thought you might also be scared. But there is no one around you and you can¡¯t talk to me. You can only walk in the dark alone. This will make you feel helpless right?¡±


    Xu RenDong looked at the phrase ¡°walk in the dark alone¡± and the most vulnerable part of his heart was suddenly poked and became sour.


    In the vision of the left eye, Lian Qiao¡¯s finger moved again.


    ¡°Shall we live together?¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback.


    Lian Qiao quickly deleted the jargon and hurriedly corrected: ¡°I¡¯m not talking about cohabitation {the phrase is commonly used by a couple who have decided to start living together romantically}, I¡¯m talking about simply living together. Then we don¡¯t have to enter separate instances¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°I will move over or you will move over and live with me, okay?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    Looking at the phrase ¡°Okay?¡±, he seemed to hear Lian Qiao¡¯s soft voice ringing in his ears. He could even imagine Lian Qiao pulling his sleeves, looking at him in anticipation and anxiously asking him: ¡°Okay?¡±


    Suddenly a tickling sensation rose in his stomach. It was warm like a kitten¡¯s paw gently scratching at him.


    Immediately afterwards, his throat felt itchy. Suddenly, he vomited.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°???¡±


    However, there was no vomit in front of him. When Xu RenDong opened his eyes, he saw a royal blue butterfly flying in front of him. The butterfly was very small and the scales on its wings were shining with fragments of light. It fluttered leisurely in the dark.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°?????!!!¡±


    Xu RenDong stretched out his hand in a daze. The butterfly swayed and slowly landed on his palm.


    Then it disappeared. Only a piece of silver-white round metal remained in the palm.


    The elevator button.


    Butterflies¡­ Ah, that¡¯s how it is. ¡°Butterflies in the stomach¡± refers to the feeling of rapid heartbeat when falling in love.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Brother RenDong¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s blood rushed to his cheeks and he almost couldn¡¯t breathe. The metal button lay hard in his palm and he squeezed it tightly, finally calming down.


    Even though Lian Qiao did not speak, Xu RenDong gradually calmed down on his own.


    He suddenly remembered that Lian Qiao has a girl who he likes, called HuaHua.


    The butterfly just now was like Xu RenDong¡¯s confession, as if he was bluntly proclaiming: I like you. But¡­ Lian Qiao liked girls.


    Lian Qiao must have been shocked to be suddenly confessed to be a person from the same sex. But he was so gentle that he didn¡¯t want to say hurtful words so he remained silent.


    By the way, the ¡°living together¡± he just proposed should be just for safety reasons. There really is no other meaning, just Xu RenDong thinking too much.


    ¡­ He shouldn¡¯t make it any more difficult for Lian Qiao. If this continued, they wouldn¡¯t even be able to stay friends.


    A strong sense of shame blocked his chest and bitterness was mixed inside it. Xu RenDong took a deep breath, trying to think about how to make Lian Qiao forget about what he just saw but then Lian Qiao suddenly inputted:


    ¡°If I was by your side right now, I would definitely push you against the wall and press you down hard¡­¡±


    Before he finished speaking, Xu RenDong suddenly raised his head¡ª an unknown monster appeared in front of him. He instinctively took up his weapon and stepped forward. Lian Qiao deleted the sentence and changed it to ¡°Forget it, focus on killing monsters. Let¡¯s talk when you come out.¡±


    Xu RenDong thought sadly while fighting monsters: This time they definitely couldn¡¯t be friends any longer! He actually wants to push me against the wall and beat me hard!


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    Who will tell RenDong what Lian Qiao wants to do after pushing him to the wall?


    Note: SCP 173: The SCP Foundation is a series of works about various supernatural phenomena, individuals and other events. Due to the large number of authors and global oriented, qualified articles can be accepted. The core setting is to confine anomalies, individuals, events, etc. into the Foundation for ¡°containment¡± to prevent harm to humans. One of the more famous SCP 173 is a humanoid object made of concrete and steel. When it is in front of you, you must keep looking at it without blinking. Once it is not in anyone¡¯s field of vision, it will instantly twist your neck.

 CH 59

    Chapter 59 ¨C Butterflies in the Stomach


    Only the Heavens knew what Xu RenDong experienced.


    In the next three hours, he encountered seven or eight different monsters and finally filled up all the blank pages in the employee¡¯s profiles.


    The unknown marks on the map have all been resolved but the anticipated hidden reward did not appear. Xu RenDong held the folder in his hand, confirming that he had seen the monsters from every single page and finally heaved a sigh of relief in his heart.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°We¡¯re almost at the end, add oil.¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded slightly and opened the door of a certain room as per Lian Qiao¡¯s instructions. This seemed to be the central fan control room and inside a huge fan was blowing. Above his head were crisscrossed ventilation ducts and cold water ducts. The pipes were all already rusty and the yellowed rusty water kept dripping, making puddles everywhere on the ground.


    Lian Qiao was suddenly excited: ¡°Ventilation ducts! I want to climb through them!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°???¡± What¡¯s kind of strange hobby is climbing through ventilation ducts?


    They were still a few hundred meters away from the end and, according to the map, he should turn left at the next intersection. However, when Xu RenDong looked around he did not find the next door or passage.


    It was a dead end?


    Lian Qiao: ¡°This should be a straight road.¡± He zoomed in on the map in his mobile phone and confirmed the location again, ¡°Look, this ventilation duct is right in front of you.¡±


    Xu RenDong looked back. He had come through the door and was now facing a wall. According to the straight road indicated on the map, unless he took the ventilation duct, he could only drill a hole in the wall.


    He pulled over a chair and climbed onto it. The fan on the opening of the ventilation duct was still spinning and rustling and the hot wind was blowing.


    Xu RenDong went over to the console, pulled a lever and stopped all the fans. He climbed onto the chair again, removed the fan on the opening of the ventilation duct, then turned on his flashlight to shine inwards. The inside was dark and bottomless. The diameter of the pipe was not big or small, just enough to allow an adult to get in. But once inside, it would be very difficult to turn around and come out again.


    Just imagine crawling in the pipe made Xu RenDong feel depressed. He could hardly breathe.


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°Feels so kindly, hahahahaha.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Where is the kindness?¡± It¡¯s obviously scary, okay.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°I remember a certain escape game¡­ that game is super horrible! Your battery runs out all the time, making you very anxious. But as long as you get into the ventilation duct, it is safe and the monsters behind will not continue to chase you. So when I see ventilation ducts, it¡¯s like meeting my mother! Feels so familiar and kind!¡±


    No wonder he wants to climb inside when he sees ventilation ducts, it turns out it¡¯s a harbor of love.


    Xu RenDong was about to climb in but Lian Qiao stopped him: ¡°Wait, don¡¯t worry. I think you can go back first, take a break, and then bring your teammates with you. Although there are no strange indicators on the map, there may be traps in the pipeline.¡±


    Xu RenDong glanced at the time, only to realize that it was six o¡¯clock and he actually stayed in the underground labyrinth all night. Only after Lian Qiao mentioned it did he realize he was exhausted both physically and mentally. He encountered too many dangers along the way and he was now completely running on adrenaline. At this time, the tense string in his mind slackened and his whole body was extremely exhausted.


    He exhaled a long breath: ¡°I¡¯ll listen to you.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°By the way, I can¡¯t help but want to ask you what happened just now¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°What?¡±


    He moved the chair back to the distance, restarted the fan, and tried his best to restore the control room to its original appearance. After doing all this, he saw two words appearing on Lian Qiao¡¯s phone:


    ¡°Butterfly.¡±


    Xu RenDong recalled the way that butterfly was flying in front of him and the bitterness came to his heart again. He didn¡¯t want to talk about it, so he turned the doorknob, and lowered his head and typed in: ¡°Didn¡¯t you say we can talk about it when we go out?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Oh¡­ Then you have to make up to me!¡±


    Make it up to him? For what?


    Make it up to him with his death?


    Xu RenDong smiled bitterly, not knowing what to say.


    As soon as he raised his head, something shimmering with cold came towards him. He didn¡¯t even have time to see what it was but felt a sharp pain pierce through his eyes. It went dark and he immediately lost consciousness.


    ¡­


    After an unknown period of time, Xu RenDong woke up in severe pain.


    It was foggy and he couldn¡¯t see clearly. The pain all over his body was terrible, like being every inch of his bones had been smashed with a hammer. The pain was so extreme that he didn¡¯t even have the strength to struggle.


    He tried to force himself awake and blinked vigorously. Tears slipped from the corners of his eyes and his vision finally became clearer. He lowered his head to see why it hurts so much. The sight in front of him went through him like an electric shock.


    He had been opened up.


    The skin from below the breastbone to the pubic bone was cut with scissors, pulled to the sides, and fixed in the flesh with clips. His entire abdominal cavity was completely exposed and the tender red intestines slowly squirmed like newborn snakes. As he breathed more and more violently, the flesh-red snake gradually slipped out of his abdominal cavity and slid to the base of his thigh. Blood gushed all over the place. He then noticed that his legs were tied with rope and his hands were tied behind his back.


    Because his shoulders were folded in completely opposite directions, his joints had been dislocated and his shoulders sunk unnaturally. Both shoulders were hanging loosely. However, the pain of dislocation was nothing compared to the wound on the stomach.


    The pain was too strong and the picture in front of him was too stimulating, Xu RenDong¡¯s brain was completely blank and he was unable to think at all. He raised his head blankly and looked around, not knowing where he was. He saw a huge pair of scissors on the ground and a tool hammer on the side. A man in white, covered in blood, stood in front of him with a mask on his head and a long beak on his face.


    It turned out to be Doctor Birdbeak.... Xu RenDong thought in a daze.


    Doctor Birdbeak noticed his movement and tilted his head slightly: ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡±


    There seemed to be something wrong¡­ something strange¡­ something seemed to be wrong somewhere¡­


    Xu RenDong blinked slowly and saw Doctor Birdbeak squat down in front of him and reached out to wipe the cold sweat from his face.


    ¡°I wanted to wait until you woke up but you fainted for too long so I couldn¡¯t wait.¡± There was a dull voice from the beak mask.


    Something was strange¡­what was wrong¡­


    Doctor Birdbeak¡¯s gloved fingers strayed to the corner of his eyes, lingering there with interest. He stroked Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes: ¡°Little rascal, it¡¯s not a good habit to lie from the beginning. I thought your eyes were so beautiful naturally but it turned out it was just a prop.¡±


    Eyes? ¡­By the way, his eyes¡­


    Xu RenDong finally understood what was wrong. It turned out that the vision of his left and right eyes had returned to being synchronized and Lamia¡¯s eyeball had disappeared.


    It¡¯s okay if was gone¡­ if Lian Qiao didn¡¯t see the tragedy of him being cut open, it would be a blessing among the misfortunes¡­.


    There was a tingling pain on his face. It was Doctor Birdbeak poking his cheek with a pair of scissors. Xu RenDong turned his head instinctively. Doctor Birdbeak¡¯s expression changed. He stared at him with dark eyes and asked, ¡°Are you afraid?¡±


    Xu RenDong did not speak, he felt that his vitality was gradually fading with the loss of blood.


    Doctor Bird Beak suddenly reached into his stomach, stroked his stomach and asked again, ¡°Are you afraid?¡±


    The delicate internal organs are directly touched by the gloves and the feeling is indescribable. Xu RenDong opened his mouth and wanted to ask him what he was going to do. In the next second, he heard a click and there was a sudden pain in his stomach!


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes turned black with pain. The creaking sound in his ear kept ringing and the pain in his stomach became more and more severe, making him wish he could die straight away.


    He didn¡¯t know how long passed before the terrible sound finally stopped.


    There was a pleasant sigh from the mask. Doctor Birdbeak held up a flesh colored red thing with both hands and asked happily: ¡°Now, are you afraid?¡±


    When Xu RenDong saw what he was holding, his pupils suddenly shrank!


    That was- his stomach!


    Since he had not eaten for a long time, his stomach was only the size of a fist, lying softly in the palm of Doctor Birdbeak, looking like a hairless mouse.


    Doctor Birdbeak held small scissors and cut his stomach in front of him. The stomach pouch folds opened, revealing the empty interior. The folds of the gastric mucosa are full of yellow viscous liquid, probably gastric acid. The air was suddenly filled with a strong sour taste.


    Doctor Birdbeak carefully examined his stomach and gave a dissatisfying ¡°tsk¡±. Xu RenDong watched as Doctor Birdbeak threw his stomach on the ground, like throwing away a piece of garbage.


    ¡°Are there really butterflies¡­?¡± Doctor Birdbeak muttered to himself and suddenly poked Xu RenDong in the face with scissors.


    Xu RenDong was about to faint but the sharp pain from his face made him wake up again.


    ¡°Hey.¡± Doctor Birdbeak asked, ¡°Why are there only moths and no butterflies? You were the one who was with Zhang XiaoXiao that time, right? Why did she have only moths in her belly and no butterflies?¡±


    Excess blood loss made his consciousness blur. Xu RenDong understood his words with some difficulty. Zhang XiaoXiao? Moths? Butterflies? His brain can¡¯t think at all and he could only note down what Doctor Birdbeak was saying as much as possible.


    ¡°Where is the butterfly?¡± Doctor Birdbeak asked again.


    It was getting more and more difficult to concentrate. Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes gradually drifted and his senses and consciousness began to gradually flat away from him. Doctor Birdbeak stared into his eyes and seemed to finally realize that he was dying.  He sighed in disappointment, turned around to pick up the stomach on the ground and played with it over and over in his hand.


    After playing for a while, he suddenly remembered something. He took the scissors again and cut a few times on Xu RenDong¡¯s intestines. Fortunately, Xu RenDong no longer felt the pain at this time as his soul was leaving the body and he was about to be liberated.


    Just when he felt fortunate, the corner of his eye swept over to something, causing the last trace of his remaining consciousness to be riddled with tears and anxiety.


    On the table facing him, there was an eyeball.


    Lamia¡¯s eye.


    ¡ªLian Qiao had seen the entire process of his death.


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    Don¡¯t play with your mobile phone when you are playing in an instance.


    Note: Ventilation duct: refers to ¡°Escape Outlast¡±.

 CH 60

    Chapter 60 ¨C Butterflies in the Stomach


    Xu RenDong woke up in the elevator.


    After an initial trance, his mood gradually calmed down. He laughed at himself somewhat and thought: I really did apologize to Lian Qiao with my death.


    Forget it, don¡¯t think about it anymore. Let¡¯s clear the instance first.


    He sorted out his thoughts and quickly realized a key point: Shouldn¡¯t Doctor Birdbeak be dead?


    This thought immediately triggered something and all the clues he¡¯d gathered so far began to connect together.


    In the employee profile, the photo of Doctor Birdbeak was marked with a red cross. At first he thought it was the foreman who killed Doctor Birdbeak. Now thinking about it, the real Doctor Birdbeak probably died earlier and the one who pursued him in the factory was someone else pretending to be him.


    The first thing Doctor Birdbeak did after catching him was to gouge out Lamia¡¯s eyeball. Only two people were interested in his eyeball: the medical student and the gentleman. The medical student¡¯s suspicion has been eliminated, so it could only be the gentleman who was pretending to be Doctor Birdbeak.


    He originally thought that the corpse that Doctor Birdbeak threw into the molten pool was the gentleman but in fact he did not see the face. As for the height and shape, the distance was too far and he couldn¡¯t see clearly. It seemed that that was actually the real Doctor Birdbeak who had been killed and the gentleman replaced him after putting on his clothes, creating the illusion that he was missing and fooling everybody.


    No wonder the Doctor Birdbeak was particularly obsessed with the ¡°butterflies¡± and even directly killed people. After all, the clearance prompt was ¡°butterflies in the stomach¡±!


    At this point, Xu RenDong took a deep breath. He noticed that his breathing was irregular but he knew that this time it was not because of fear.


    It was because of anger.


    Being killed by the same person twice was an insult to his dignity as a nine time boss!


    Lian Qiao in the left eye field of vision was browsing the encyclopedia app and a paragraph was displayed on the screen:


    ¡°Butterflies in one¡¯s stomach: refers to the flapping wings of a butterfly in the stomach, describing a constant feeling of fear, tension, and anxiety.¡±


    Xu RenDong interrupted him: ¡°Lian Qiao.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Huh? What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Take off your eyeball.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°??? Why?!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°You have been with me for so long so it¡¯s time to test you. I want to see if you can pass this instance by yourself.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°A surprise test?! Why didn¡¯t you tell me in advance so I can review!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°If I give you advance notice can it still be called a surprise test?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°QAQ¡±.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Well okay¡­ I¡¯ll work hard¡­¡±


    Even though Lian Qiao felt wronged, Xu RenDong decisively took off Lamia¡¯s eyeball. Then he picked up his backpack and strode out of the elevator.


    Once again he found himself in a medieval industrial town, with familiar muddy streets and familiar air pollution. The familiar beret man brought the familiar teammates to him and the familiar gentleman still had a polite smile on his face.


    Xu RenDong walked into the team blankly and followed the gentleman. The gentleman glanced at him but did not strike up a conversation and did not seem to have any interest in him.


    Xu RenDong remembered that when he saw the gentleman before, the gentleman stared at his face and said, ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful, it¡¯s a pity.¡± Thinking about it now, he wasn¡¯t talking about his appearance but admiring the double pupil in his left eye.


    He actually liked something so deformed, what a pervert.


    Xu RenDong squinted his eyes and didn¡¯t take the initiative to speak. He just followed the large group to the factory silently.


    He made a few minor moves when being assigned positions and was successfully assigned to the same workshop as the gentleman. After everyone left, the workshop suddenly became quiet and only the joint dolls beside the conveyor track were working mechanically.


    This was an assembly workshop. The main work was to fix several pieces together with nails. Xu RenDong stared at the tool hammer in the hand of the jointed doll and the gentleman beside him curiously asked, ¡°What are you looking at?¡±


    Xu RenDong glanced at him: ¡°Heh.¡±


    The gentleman sensed his hostility and asked in confusion: ¡°Have we met before? Why do you seem to hate me?¡±


    Xu RenDong stared at him and said with a look of disgust: ¡°You misunderstand, I am a person who has a bad attitude towards everyone. Because I¡¯m rude.¡±


    Gentleman: ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t know how to deal with Xu RenDong so sighed helplessly and took out a bottle of mineral water from his pocket. He shook it in front of Xu RenDong: ¡°Want some?¡±


    Xu RenDong refused decisively. The gentleman shook his head, smiled and opened the bottle cap. He took a sip in front of Xu RenDong and said sincerely: ¡°It¡¯s not poisoned,  don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Xu RenDong said coldly: ¡°Why are you still in the mood to drink water? Don¡¯t you want to explore the factory?¡±


    The gentleman was taken aback and sighed helplessly again: ¡°You are so impatient, not at all like an experienced player¡­¡± Even so, he put the mineral water bottle away, turned and walked towards the door.


    As soon as he turned around, Xu RenDong suddenly grabbed the tool hammer from the joint doll¡¯s hand and rushed up to hit the back of the gentleman¡¯s head with the hammer.


    Joint doll: ¡°???¡±


    Gentleman: ¡°?!¡± He turned his head, his eyes widened in surprise, blood dripping from his head.


    Then he fainted.


    After a while, the gentleman woke up and found himself tied to a pillar. Xu RenDong squatted in front of him, holding a bottle of mineral water in his hand and asked him coldly, ¡°Want some?¡±


    The gentleman struggled and said angrily: ¡°What are you doing? Why did you tie me up?!¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s face was dark: ¡°Want to drink water?¡±


    The gentleman looked at the tool hammer in his hand and swallowed: ¡°¡­no, I¡¯m not thirsty, thank you.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Why are you so polite? I hate polite people.¡± After speaking, he pried open the gentleman¡¯s mouth and poured the bottle of mineral water into it.


    Gentleman: ¡°Gulugulugluglugu¡­ hicc.¡±


    Xu RenDong threw away the mineral water bottle and found that the gentleman¡¯s face had changed, his expression mixed with shock and panic. Xu RenDong asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t it not poisoned? What are you afraid of?¡±


    The gentleman asked in horror: ¡°What on earth are you trying to do? Is there some kind of misunderstanding between us? Isn¡¯t this the first time we¡¯ve met?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°You are right. This is the first time we met. But I just feel like you¡¯re not pleasing to my eyes so I want to beat you up.¡±


    He raised the tool hammer and weighed it. The feeling was not satisfactory. So after looking around in the workshop, he was happy to find a mace. Although he didn¡¯t know why there was a mace here, he felt very satisfied.


    The mace weighed more than ten kilograms and was full of nails. Xu RenDong raised his mace in both hands, feeling that this weapon was a bit cumbersome to hold and too heavy. He couldn¡¯t control his strength and direction. It is estimated that if he used this,  the gentleman¡¯s entire head would turn to rot.


    The gentleman¡¯s eyes were full of horror: ¡°Wait, don¡¯t do it! I can explain¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong stopped and looked at him thoughtfully.


    The gentleman showed an excited expression: ¡°We can form an alliance! I am a veteran player, I will definitely be able to help you! I¡¯ll do whatever you ask me to do!¡±


    When Xu RenDong found what he wanted in the toolbox so he raised the corner of his mouth and smiled. He asked, ¡°Is that right?¡±


    The gentleman nodded vigorously.


    Xu RenDong leaned in his ear and whispered softly: ¡°Then, can you please shut up?¡±


    The gentleman was taken aback and finally realized that Xu RenDong was determined to kill him. He shouted in fear: ¡°Help! Someone¡¯s killing people! Help¡ª¡± Before the words fell, Xu RenDong slapped a piece of duct tape on his mouth. It sealed the gentleman¡¯s mouth tightly!


    Gentleman: ¡°Wuwuwuwuwuwu!¡±


    Xu RenDong raised his mace high. This time he didn¡¯t hesitate any more and directly smashed it down!


    Gentleman: ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Xu RenDong looked at his bloody shoulders: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I missed. Let me try again.¡±


    Gentleman: ¡°Ugh!!!!¡±


    The shoulder on the other side was also smashed. Xu RenDong apologized without sincerity: ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve used a mace so I¡¯m not very skilled. Please be considerate.¡±


    Gentleman:¡±¡­¡­¡±


    In this way, Xu RenDong beat him casually. By the time Xu RenDong returned to his senses, the gentleman had died.


    Xu RenDong was a little surprised. He deliberately avoided important organs and the mace almost only hit the bones and joints. Judging from his experience of many deaths, this level of beating does not constitute a fatal injury. Was the gentleman scared to death?


    So you¡¯re not afraid when you kill, but your courage when being killed is so small?


    ¡­It seems that there is nothing wrong with this either.


    Xu RenDong threw away the blood-stained mace and squatted down to check the gentleman¡¯s vital signs. The heartbeat and breathing was gone. Just in case, he also slit the gentleman¡¯s carotid artery.


    He heard that the pressure of the carotid artery was enough to spray the blood up to the ceiling but when he cut it, the blood just gurgled out without the spectacular fountain show he imagined. This showed that the gentleman¡¯s heart had already stopped beating. And the color of the blood was abnormally black. It is estimated that the bottle of mineral water was indeed poisonous.


    He was thoroughly dead now.


    Xu RenDong felt relieved and was about to leave when the door of the workshop was suddenly kicked open.


    The foreman held the sign-in pad in his hand, looked at the corpse on the ground and then at Xu RenDong with a shocked look on his face.


    Xu RenDong immediately turned around and walked to the conveyor track. He mixed in the joint dolls and began to assemble the work pieces.


    Foreman:¡±¡­¡­¡±


    He glanced at the blood-stained mace beside Xu RenDong and his expression suddenly became very complicated.


    Xu RenDong turned his head and asked impatiently: ¡°Aren¡¯t you here to check the post?¡±


    The foreman nodded.


    Xu RenDong pointed to the corpse on the ground: ¡°I¡¯m working and he¡¯s being lazy. Quickly give him a cross mark and deduct his salary.¡±


    Foreman: ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Are you finished? Hurry up if you¡¯re finished, I¡¯m busy.¡±


    Foreman: ¡°¡­¡± Why does he feel that he has no sense of power?!


    Xu RenDong, who was in a state of irritability, exuded a murderous aura. Even a fierce person like the foreman was a little afraid of his aura and, after putting a cross next to the gentleman¡¯s name, he obediently left.


    Xu RenDong lowered his head to organize his clothes and after confirming that there was no blood on his body, he put on Lamia¡¯s eyeball again.


    As he went by each of the workshops and asked everyone to gather by the molten pool, he asked Lian Qiao: ¡°How is the situation over there?¡±


    ¡°Two teammates died and an NPC butler. But the butler gave us some important information before he died¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Keep working hard. My side is almost over.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°?????!!! So fast?! Aren¡¯t we only half an hour into this instance?!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Hurry up, don¡¯t let me wait at the elevator entrance for too long.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­Okay boss, I will try my best QAQ.¡±


    Before long, everyone gathered at the side of the molten pool. A middle-aged man asked suspiciously: ¡°What are you calling us here for? What happened to the man with you?¡±


    The medical student also added: ¡°Don¡¯t be long-winded, focus on the key points, I have to go back to recite my book.¡± After that, he lowered his head and carried on reading.


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°I found the elevator, follow me.¡±


    Everyone was shocked: ¡°You found it so soon?¡± ¡°What about the button? Where is the button?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t the foreman tell us not to leave the workstation¡­¡±


    The middle-aged man asked sternly: ¡°Why should we believe you? First tell me, where is the teammate that was with you?!¡±


    Xu RenDong said coldly: ¡°Believe it or don¡¯t believe it, it¡¯s up to you.¡± After speaking, he turned his head and left, too lazy to talk to this group of people.


    The people behind him looked at each other, not knowing what to do. The middle-aged man also looked dumbfounded. He didn¡¯t expect Xu RenDong to be so tough and not give a single word of explanation.


    Only the medical student, with the textbook in his hand and still immersed in memorization, followed without raising his head. He was still muttering: ¡°Ginseng has a sweet taste and nourishes vitality, quenches thirst, promotes body fluids and regulates nutrition. Astragalus¡­ Astragalus¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong casually continued: ¡°Astragalus heats up the sweat and consolidates the surface, sore can cause muscle qi deficiency.¡±


    The medical student raised his head in shock and was full of joy: ¡°Are you a colleague too?!¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°No. It¡¯s just that a bald man once memorized this passage a hundred times in front of me so I remembered it.¡±


    The medical student touched his hairline and thought with relief: Well, fortunately I am not bald. He¡¯s not talking about me.


    When everyone saw Xu RenDong actually leave and didn¡¯t look at all as though he was just trying to scare them, then after a little struggle, they all followed. That middle-aged man walked at the end, still cursing and saying things like: ¡°You¡¯re going to drag us down, what¡¯s with your attitude, why should everyone believe you?¡±


    Xu RenDong heard him and turned to throw a sentence to him: ¡°Just because I¡¯m a big boss who has cleared nine instances.¡±


    As soon as this statement was made, the old players in the team hissed and took in a deep breath. The middle-aged man was also shocked but still said unconvincingly: ¡°Then you tell me! It¡¯s only been half an hour! How did you find the elevator?! How do you know this is not a trap!¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    Middle-aged man: ¡°Why?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Because I¡¯m a mysterious boss who doesn¡¯t like to talk.¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡±


    The middle-aged man jumped his feet with anger and rushed up to him. Xu RenDong instantly pulled out the mace from the bag, shook the meat scraps in the cracks of the nails, raised his eyes and asked coldly, ¡°What do you want to do?¡±


    Middle-aged man: ¡°¡­No, nothing. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be left behind so I just wanted to run up a bit.¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡± How come they felt that this nine-time boss was more terrifying than the foreman!


    Xu RenDong carried the bloody mace and walked into the underground labyrinth with a  murderous aura. The crowd followed him silently, not daring to breathe.


    The identity of a big boss was really convenient, Xu RenDong thought.


    An hour later, all the monsters in the underground labyrinth were knocked out. When Xu RenDong came to the final ventilation duct, the expressions on everyone¡¯s faces had changed from shock to being accustomed to it.


    Once they accepted the nine-level boss setting, it doesn¡¯t seem to be a strange thing for one person to take out ten monsters.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Big brother, are you in a bad mood today¡­ why are you suddenly so cruel¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong operated the console, stopped all the fans in the ventilation ducts and then took out his mobile phone and replied: ¡°No. Sing a song for me to listen.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Huh???¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Sing the theme song of Journey to the West: The Sound of Cloud Palace.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°How do I sing?!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°I¡¯ll give you the tune. Diudiudiu.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Dengdengdendendengdengden.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°???¡±


    Xu RenDong was suddenly extremely irritable, wanting to crawl through the screen,  grab Lian Qiao¡¯s collar and ask him: Why can¡¯t you understand it! Do you want me to sing the entire song to you?


    If you don¡¯t make my heart move, how can I vomit butterflies!


    At this point, he was suddenly stunned.


    ¡­¡­ no, that¡¯s wrong. He almost forgot that Lian Qiao didn¡¯t like men. He needed to keep his distance from him otherwise they wouldn¡¯t even be able to be friends.


    At this moment, Xu RenDong suddenly understood why he was so irritable and so angry.


    He had fallen into a love that would never bear fruit. For the first time in his life his heart had moved, but it was only destined to end in tragedy.


    His heart felt stuffy. It was like a lemon exploding in his chest, sour and swollen.


    Xu RenDong put the phone back into his backpack, pulled the chair and placed it under the ventilation duct. He turned his head and said to the people: ¡°Come on. After this duct, we will arrive at the elevator.¡±


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    Lian Qiao: I am not as good at flirting as the myself from last week. What should I do? I¡¯m very anxious, waiting online.


    ***

 CH 61

    Chapter 61 ¨C Butterflies in the Stomach


    Xu RenDong climbed into the ventilation duct and everyone else climbed onto the chairs and followed closely behind him.


    The ventilation duct was slightly narrow, just large enough to accommodate an adult crawling. So everyone lined up in a straight line and slowly followed Xu RenDong to crawl in a single file.


    Xu RenDong still had an impression of the factory map. He remembered that although there were many forks in the last section of the ventilation duct, there was no need to turn. As long as he kept moving forward, he could reach the end. The only problem was that the pipe was too stuffy and looked endless. The journey was as depressing as Xu RenDong imagined.


    He climbed in the front with a flashlight, stopping from time to time to remove the exhaust fans that he encountered. The fan was large and the edges of the iron sheets were sharp. They could easily scratch your hands if you weren¡¯t careful. Obviously no one had been by to clean it previously so the fan was full of greasy dirt and was even a little hot. Xu RenDong removed the fifth fan and looked ahead cautiously. He was about to climb forward when he heard a rumbling sound from the inside of the pipe.


    Immediately afterwards, the air in the pipe began to flow quickly!


    Someone restarted the fan? !


    Xu RenDong was shocked and the teammates behind him were even more so: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t there no way ahead?¡± ¡°Who did it? Was it the foreman?¡±


    The middle-aged man at the end of the line yelled: ¡°I knew this guy wasn¡¯t reliable! Let¡¯s quit now!¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°Don¡¯t freak out! Calm down!¡± But his words were meaningless. Everyone had already begun retreating under the stimulus of the middle-aged man and began to backtrack while making frightened noises.


    Because the pipe was narrow and you could not simply turn around, everyone crawled out backwards at a very slow speed. After the fan was turned on, the duct became even hotter and hot wind blew on their faces. The wind was still mixed with a lot of dust and the smell of engine oil. Everyone had to cover their mouths and noses and even then they coughed, choking.


    Xu RenDong squinted his eyes and wondered if these people didn¡¯t have brains? The person outside turned on the fan to force them out, which meant that person must still be in the control room now. If they retreated now, wouldn¡¯t they just run into that person?


    Sure enough, the screams of the middle-aged man soon came from the end of the pipe.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    The rest of the team panicked and asked the people behind them: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°What¡¯s happening back there?!¡±


    The screams of the middle-aged man continued. The girl closest to the middle-aged man cried out: ¡°There is someone behind us! Someone stabbed him with a knife! Go forward! Quickly! Don¡¯t go back!¡±


    Agonized screams and cries came from behind them in the ventilation duct and the sound was extraordinarily piercing. Everyone was so shocked that they turned their heads and continued to crawl forward in a hurry, shouting: ¡°Go forward! Go!¡± ¡°Hurry up! Someone is catching up from behind!¡±


    The teammates soon returned behind Xu RenDong. Everyone rushed forward for a while and soon came to the next fan. The fan was operating at high speed and the metal fan blades blurred as they turned. It was impossible to remove this fan.


    Xu RenDong was pushed by the people behind, almost directly into the fan. Furious, he turned his head and shouted: ¡°Don¡¯t push! There is a meat grinder up front!¡±


    Following him was the medical student, who also helped shout: ¡°Wait! Calm down! Let¡¯s find a solution!¡±


    The screams of the middle-aged man became weaker and weaker. Before long, the girl also let out a sorrowful wail. While she was dying, she let out a desperate cry:


    ¡°Why is it you! How come you¡ª¡± After that, there was no more sound.


    Everyone¡¯s hearts clenched. In the darkness, their breathing was abnormally rapid. The smell of sweat and engine oil mixed together, making people feel breathless.


    There was no time to hesitate. Xu RenDong took out a steel rod from his backpack and stabbed it in the whirling fan.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Be careful of shrapnel!¡±


    After making a harsh scratching sound, the steel rod was twisted into bits by the high-speed rotating fan. In an instant, flames blazed everywhere. Broken steel pieces splashed out through the air, slashing across Xu RenDong¡¯s palm and scraping off several pieces of meat. Suddenly a sharp pain came from the back of his hand but Xu RenDong did not let go but, still holding the steel rod, slammed it in deeper.


    Broken steel flew around and several of them flew to the faces of teammates behind. An angry roar came from behind: ¡°What are you doing! Hurry up and remove the fan!¡±


    ¡°Boo¨C¡± The fan made a metallic wail and the twisted steel rod finally stuck in a gap and the fan came to a halt.


    The back of Xu RenDong¡¯s hands were dripping with blood. In the deepest wounds, even the white tendons could be seen. He was about to dismantle the fan when he heard a ¡°oh!¡± behind him and someone vomited. Then he heard something wing-like flutter by his ears.


    Xu RenDong instinctively stretched out his hand and something itchy fell onto his palm.  He focused his gaze and saw it was a big gray moth!


    However, the moth stayed in his hands for only a moment before, in the next second, it turned into a round metal object shining with silver light.


    The elevator button!


    Can even moths turn into buttons?


    Before he could think about it, he stuffed the button into his pocket, unloaded the fan at the fastest speed then turned his head and said, ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Everyone immediately followed. The medical student saw that the ground that Xu RenDong had crawled through was full of blood. He was shocked: ¡°Are your hands okay? With this amount of bleeding, your arteries are probably broken!¡±


    Xu RenDong crawled forward and asked without looking back, ¡°Are there any large arteries on the back of the hand?¡±


    Medical students: ¡°¡­No, they are all relatively small.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Then it¡¯s okay, I won¡¯t die for a while.¡±


    Medical student: ¡°¡­¡± You deserve to be a nine-time boss, your mental fortitude is commendable. You won¡¯t even blink if your hands are chopped off.


    An exclamation sound came from behind again: ¡°Somebody¡¯s body has been dragged away! That person behind is about to catch up! Up ahead, hurry up!¡±


    When everyone heard this, they were even more shocked. They all crawled forward in  panic, fearing that after the person behind them died, it would be their turn next. After removing the fan, Xu RenDong did not throw it away but took it all the way to the next fan port, using the previous fan to block the next fan.


    It was obviously only a few hundred meters away but at this time the duct looked extremely long and endless. Xu RenDong focused all of his attention on removing the fan, without any time to care about what was happening behind him. He only knew that the medical student was still behind him, so at least the thing behind had not caught up to him yet.


    But what was the thing that was hunting them down?


    There was no time to think about it. As Xu RenDong started to remove the last fan, his eyes suddenly lit up!


    The exit was here!


    He jumped out of the ventilation duct and suddenly felt light. His folded body stretched out. There was a bright room in front of him and a silver-white elevator stood alone in the middle of the room, waiting for them.


    The medical student followed and jumped down to the ground with a puff. He was overjoyed after seeing the elevator: ¡°The elevator is really here!¡±


    Xu RenDong took out the button and slapped it on the elevator groove. After a ¡°ding¡± sound, the elevator door opened.


    The teammates crawled out of the pipe one by one. Holding a mace in his hand, Xu RenDong stood at the exit and asked one by one, ¡°Is there anyone behind you?¡±


    The last one who came out was Zhang XiaoXiao. Her face was pale and her voice was trembling: ¡°There¡¯s no one else! The person chasing us has a large pair of scissors in his hand. I heard him hacking the person behind me¡­¡±


    Before she finished speaking, she covered her mouth with another retching noise. Moth wings could be seen fluttering in the gap between her fingers.


    ¡­ It¡¯s you again, it turns out you really are a reliable supplier of moths.


    Xu RenDong gave her a push. He pointed to the elevator and said, ¡°You go first.¡±


    Zhang XiaoXiao covered her mouth and said vaguely: ¡°Aren¡¯t you coming?¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°I want to wait for someone.¡±


    Zhang XiaoXiao was shocked and said: ¡°Wait for who? The people left behind must already be dead! Are you going back to rescue them?!¡±


    Xu RenDong saw in his left eye that Lian Qiao had already started beating the boss. Lian Qiao was facing the enemy so he had to stay here. If something happened to Lian Qiao, he could still take care of him. If he went into the elevator, he would be powerless.


    He couldn¡¯t explain this to Zhang XiaoXiao so he could only say with a cold face: ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. Hurry up and don¡¯t get in my way.¡±


    Zhang XiaoXiao glanced at the elevator. The others were already waiting in the elevator, their faces full of anxiety. They kept urging her to come up quickly. Zhang XiaoXiao rushed into the elevator.


    When the elevator door was about to close, the medical student inside suddenly ran out again. As everyone watched, shocked, the elevator door closed. The medical student was left outside.


    Xu RenDong said in surprise: ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Medical student: ¡°After thinking about it, I still feel that I can¡¯t just forget about it.¡± He was unable to help himself and grabbed Xu RenDong¡¯s hand. He asked, ¡°Big brother, do you have alcohol gauze?¡±


    Xu RenDong realized that he wanted to bandage his wound. He turned around: ¡°There is some in the backpack.¡±


    The medical student unzipped the zipper and while looking for the alcohol gauze, he grinned and said, ¡°Hey! You are quite well equipped. You really deserve the name Nine-Instance Boss.¡±


    Xu RenDong fixed his eyes on the ventilation duct and allowed the medical students to bandage his wounds. It didn¡¯t take long for the metal fragments stuck in the palm of the hand to be taken out. Then both hands were tied with gauze and didn¡¯t hurt as much when moving.


    After the medical student bandaged him up, he immediately ran into the elevator without any nostalgia. He waved to Xu RenDong from the elevator door that was about to close: ¡°Thank you big boss. Come to XX Chinese Medicine Hospital to find me if you are sick in the future.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± I don¡¯t want to see you, okay?


    After the medical student left, the small room returned to silence. Xu RenDong once again turned his attention back to the ventilation duct but, after waiting for so long, there wasn¡¯t any movement from inside.


    He aimed his flashlight into it but the pipe was dark and bottomless. There was nothing to be seen in the areas that the light could reach. No matter how he looked he couldn¡¯t discover anything.


    Why wasn¡¯t the monster chasing after them? Did it think that because everyone cleared the instance so it knocked off work early?


    Xu RenDong felt a strange sensation in his heart. At this moment, there was a shining silver thing in the field of vision of his left eye. It shook and then a line of text appeared on the phone screen:


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve cleared the level! The total time is 5 hours and 23 minutes! Big brother, how is it going with you?¡±


    Xu RenDong glanced into the ventilation duct again. It was dark and silent. He wasn¡¯t sure if there was anything inside the ventilation duct and he didn¡¯t have the courage to climb in again to check.


    Forget it, it wasn¡¯t necessary.


    Xu RenDong continued to stare at the exit of the duct as he stepped backwards into the elevator step by step. But up until the elevator door slowly closed in front of him, nothing strange got out of the pipe. There was the low running noise of the elevator and Xu RenDong finally breathed a sigh of relief.


    It¡¯s finally over¡­


    He took out his cell phone and was about to notify Lian Qiao when a trace of anxiety suddenly flashed through his heart.


    He remembered that the girl at the end of the line yelled ¡°Why is it you¡± before she died. If it was the foreman or a monster who was chasing them, why would she say such a thing?


    Was it a gentleman?!


    Xu RenDong was taken aback by his own thoughts but quickly calmed himself down. He had repeatedly confirmed that the gentleman had no vital signs and had even stabbed him a few more times for good measure. If all of this couldn¡¯t kill him, then there was only one explanation.


    The gentleman was not a person from the real world but must be a monster that belonged here.


    In any case, as long as he leaves the instance, then the gentleman can no longer affect him.


    At this point, Xu RenDong settled down. He chatted with Lian Qiao casually and soon the elevator arrived.


    After the clearance this time, the hoarse and deep mysterious sound appeared in his mind again. He immediately took out his phone and recorded it:


    ¡°*** is ***, you want to ***. You will experience countless tortures, but this is not a punishment, it is ***. When you reach the ending point, you will understand ***.*** to live.¡±


    The new keyword unlocked this time was ¡°ending point¡±. Xu RenDong was a little disappointed. The new information was as good as no information. Who was the one that was setting the keywords? Were they just trying to make up the number of words?


    He got out of the elevator and returned to the familiar apartment. The time in the real world began to flow again.


    At the same time, in a certain city, in a certain corner of the world that Xu RenDong didn¡¯t know about, a man appeared beside the highway out of thin air.


    Cars sped past him. The man turned his head and glanced into the darkness and something seemed to disappear behind him. He let out a sound tinged with  dissatisfaction and took out a wooden doll from his pocket.


    The doll was only the size of a palm and the drawn features were very vivid. Especially that face, the features were as fine as a real person¡¯s. Even the look of horror was exactly the same as a living person.


    Such a realistic looking wooden doll can be regarded as a work of art. But at this time countless cracks appeared throughout the doll¡¯s limbs and a large area of ??blackness appeared in its throat. The doll truly looked like it was once alive and had a horrified look on its face. It looked as though it had died not long ago.


    The man just glanced at it once then threw the doll into the farmland behind him. His face was gloomy and filled with unhappiness. His hands rubbed irritably together and fine white chalky substance fell from his fingers.


    The man stood by the highway for a while and then suddenly climbed over the fence and walked towards the middle of the highway.


    The car that was speeding down the road saw a figure in the distance. It desperately honked its horn but the man remained motionless, seemingly indifferent to the oncoming crisis.


    The sharp sound of brakes screeched across the road. The driver¡¯s heart beat wildly. He had no time to brake and evade. He could only watch the man getting closer and closer to him. Finally, he saw the man¡¯s face clearly. It was a plain face with no discernable characteristics and was easily forgettable. However, strangely, there was a smile on the man¡¯s face. An eerie smile of excitement.


    Just as the car was about to hit the man, time stopped.


    The elevator belonging to the man appeared again.

 CH 62

    Chapter 62 ¨C Kiss Marks


    After returning to the apartment, Xu RenDong¡¯s first reaction was to go across the hall to find Lian Qiao. However as soon as he opened the door, a fist flew towards his eyes. Xu RenDong took a step back instinctively and reached into the backpack with his backhand.


    ¡­Huh, where¡¯s my mace?


    ¡°Brother RenDong! Calm down! It¡¯s me!¡± Lian Qiao was taken aback by his reaction and quickly withdrew his hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t want to hit you. I just wanted to knock on the door!¡±


    Xu RenDong thought: Liar! You obviously want to punch me against the wall! You rebellious little brother! {Referring to the previous life when XRD misunderstood LQ¡¯s ¡®I want to push you against the wall¡¯¡­.}


    Xu RenDong suppressed his unhappiness and said, turning sideways, ¡°Come in.¡±


    The two sat down on the sofa and Lian Qiao asked excitedly: ¡°How is it? How many points would you give me?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°What?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°A surprise test! Didn¡¯t you say you want to test me?¡± He became anxious afterwards, ¡°If I didn¡¯t pass the instance, would you not want me anymore?¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°Not necessarily.¡±


    Lian Qiao breathed a sigh of relief.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°If you didn¡¯t pass the instance, you would be dead.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong suddenly remembered something and subconsciously touched his left eye, ¡°Lamia¡¯s eyeballs are gone.¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°Mine¡¯s gone too. It seems that this is a one-time consumable item. By the way Brother RenDong, what¡¯s your instance like this time? Tell me.¡±


    Xu RenDong gave a brief explanation and, afterwards, Lian Qiao described his own instance. Then he showed a thoughtful expression.


    Xu RenDong wanted to ask him what he was thinking but suddenly something flickered in his heart and he changed the way he was thinking. He narrowed his eyes and made a deep gesture: ¡°Did you finally notice something?¡±


    Lian Qiao was shocked: ¡°So this is testing me too?! Big boss, can you give me a heads up if you¡¯re going to test me in the future!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°No.¡± How can I tell you in advance if I, the person giving the test, can¡¯t even keep up with you, the candidate¡¯s, thinking!


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Alright¡­¡± He sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯m wondering if there will be a special player in each instance.¡±


    Special player? Xu RenDong¡¯s heart felt tight. He pretended to be calm and asked, ¡°How are they special?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°How do I put it¡­ Let¡¯s use my instance this time as an example, the skeleton in the cabinet. At first glance, it refers to that article in New Concepts but it actually is reminding us that the skeleton key is in the cabinet and also that the skeleton key is a master key. That¡¯s the meaning in English. But if you are unaware of this English meaning, you wouldn¡¯t be able to guess it. Brother RenDong it¡¯s the same on your side, the butterflies in the stomach. If not for checking the information, who the hell would know what it means?¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded: ¡°Go on.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Strangely enough, within the instance, there are people present who understand these things. Mine is a middle school student who was studying New Concepts and, on your side, it¡¯s that girl who speaks German. In our last instance, with Lamia, wasn¡¯t the prompt ¡®esophagus¡¯? The etymology of Lamia¡¯s name is ¡®esophagus¡¯, which we didn¡¯t notice even when we checked the information. But after we left the instance, I accidentally came across a book sale. The title of the book was ¡°Esophagus¡±, and the content was also related to Lamia. Guess who the author was?¡±


    Xu RenDong originally thought that the ¡°special player¡± meant him who could read save files after death, but it turned out it wasn¡¯t. He thought for a while then said: ¡°That little fat guy?¡±


    Lian Qiao smiled and said, ¡°Yes! You would have never have thought that Little Fatty was actually a recent celebrity internet writer!¡± He took out his phone and opened Weibo, ¡°Look! He¡¯s actually a beautiful youth! As expected, fat people are all potential good stocks. I almost didn¡¯t recognize him!¡±


    Xu RenDong glanced at it. The man in the photo, who had an aura of poetically wasting away, indeed bore some similarities to the little fat kid in his memory, but their temperaments were very different.


    It seemed that Lian Qiao¡¯s inference was not wrong. At least one person in each instance knows the specific meaning of the clearance prompt, but what did that signify?


    Xu RenDong really didn¡¯t understand that well but he couldn¡¯t lose the presence of the boss so he looked at Lian Qiao with an expression of ¡°you finally understand¡±. Lian Qiao said, in realization,¡±So big brother, did you take me with you because of this? Because I am the special player from the ¡®Russian doll¡¯ instance?!¡±


    ¡­ Is that right? No wonder he couldn¡¯t survive as soon as Lian Qiao died.


    Xu RenDong nodded deeply.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s eyebrows drooped: ¡°Oh, that¡¯s it, I thought it was because I was talented, clever and ingenious and that¡¯s why you chose me¡­ So I¡¯m just a tool then, wuwuwu.¡±


    No, you misunderstand! I really want to hug your thighs because of your talents and cleverness!


    Because he had to maintain the image of being a big brother, Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t tell the truth so he wrapped his arms around himself and smiled coldly: ¡°Heh.¡±


    Lian Qiao looked at his unpredictable attitude and suddenly became clear again: ¡°But you didn¡¯t use me up and throw me away, which means I¡¯m still a bit useful! Yes, you said that you are cultivating new people and will even give me surprise tests to test my growth progress¡­Big brother, you are actually nurturing me with your heart, aren¡¯t you!¡±


    It¡¯s so good to have the identity of a big boss!


    Seeing that Lian Qiao was moved to tears by the conclusions of his own brain, Xu RenDong suppressed a smile and patted Lian Qiao¡¯s shoulder meaningfully: ¡°It¡¯s good that you know.¡±


    The two chatted for a while and then, when the hour hand pointed to eight o¡¯clock, Lian Qiao stood up and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll be going back first! It¡¯s going to be time for me to broadcast soon.¡±


    Xu RenDong escorted him to the door and looked at his leaving back. Suddenly he felt as though something deep in his soul was pulling away from him little by little. The lemon in his heart went ¡®peng¡¯ and exploded again. It was dull and painful, and there was an unspeakable sorrow.


    He couldn¡¯t help but cry: ¡°Lian Qiao.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lian Qiao turned his head with his eyebrows bent into a nice arc, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°Move over and live with me.¡±


    Lian Qiao opened his eyes wide and his face was full of shock. Time seemed to stand still and Xu RenDong heard 10,000 butterflies flapping their wings inside his chest.


    He suppressed the fierce heartbeat and said, in the flattest tone he could manage, ¡°You have passed the exam and I recognize your ability. Let¡¯s enter future instances together.¡±


    Like fireworks blooming in the night sky, after a brief period of splendor, the expression on Lian Qiao¡¯s face returned to dimness again. However, this loss lasted only a moment and he soon smiled again: ¡°Okay.¡±


    Xu RenDong also returned to his apartment. As soon as Lian Qiao left, the whole apartment suddenly became quiet. He started to miss Lian Qiao¡¯s noisy voice a little.


    However, he actually said it. He actually took the initiative to ask Lian Qiao to move in¡­ what was he thinking¡­


    Xu RenDong¡¯s face was slightly hot. He touched his face and warned himself strenuously: It¡¯s just living together for safety reasons. Don¡¯t think too much!


    The next day, Lian Qiao said he wanted to cook and eat together in the evening. Xu RenDong got home from work early and knocked on the door of Lian Qiao¡¯s apartment. Lian Qiao didn¡¯t respond to the knock or the WeChat message he sent. This time Xu RenDong had experience and directly opened the live broadcast platform and entered Lian Qiao¡¯s live broadcast room. Sure enough, Lian Qiao was live-streaming grocery shopping in the supermarket.


    ¡°Look, does it look like the flower thrown by the bride at the wedding?¡± Lian Qiao held a broccoli flower and swayed it. A passing auntie could be seen casting a disgusted look at him through the lens.


    The audience in the barrage are all ¡°hahahahaha¡±.


    ¡°Broccoli is also a flower, there¡¯s no problem!¡±


    ¡°You look so good-looking, everything you say is right!¡±


    ¡°What the hell, is it really good to send such green flowers hahahaha!¡± {refers to the Chinese slang ¡®wearing a green hat¡¯, meaning being cheated on.}


    ¡°The anchor won¡¯t play games today? Have you changed to broadcasting eating?¡±


    While Lian Qiao was shopping for food and chatting with the audience members, Xu RenDong watched silently and suddenly noticed a few strange patterns under the live broadcast room. As soon as he moved the mouse up, a text description jumped out on the icon. It turns out that this was a reward in the live broadcast room and it needs to be recharged and exchanged into platform currency before it could be purchased.


    Xu RenDong clicked on all the props in this row and a line of shiny special characters floated in the barrage, saying that the so-and-so audience had rewarded whichever props. Xu RenDong saw his ID and was shocked. He didn¡¯t want Lian Qiao to know that he was spying on his grocery shopping. Fortunately, there were many people giving rewards to Lian Qiao and Xu RenDong was not very conspicuous in the crowd.


    He was relieved. At this time, Lian Qiao had already selected the dishes and was lining up to weigh in front of the electronic scale.


    Someone in the barrage asked him why he was so happy today and if something good had happened. Lian Qiao smiled without saying a word.


    Everyone began to guess what happened. Xu RenDong knew that this meal was being made for him. He looked at the mess in the barrage where guesses and conjectures of every type were being made and felt a secret happiness in his heart, as if he had secretly eaten a candy behind everyone¡¯s back.


    But before Xu RenDong could be happy for long, he saw Lian Qiao say joyfully: ¡°The truth is that there was a qualitative leap between HuaHua and me!¡±


    HuaHua?


    Xu RenDong sprayed water on the table.


    Yesterday, you just escaped from the instance and today, you already made a leap with the goddess. You really are talented.


    Xu RenDong felt more sour and depressed the more he thought about it, so he closed his laptop with a ¡°plop¡±. After a while, he sat back in front of the computer in a fury and contacted the live broadcast platform customer service to ask if he could refund the reward.


    Customer service: ¡°Dear, it¡¯s not possible. According to the service agreement, it is confirmed that the rewards sent cannot be withdrawn.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°I pressed the wrong button.¡±


    Customer service: ¡°My dear, I¡¯ll check it for you here. You have rewarded the anchor with ten props with different prices within two minutes. You mean you pressed all ten buttons incorrectly, is that right?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± He only felt that his face was slapped and his heart became more angry. He just went for it and said, ¡°Yes! My hands were shaking!¡±


    Customer service: ¡°Sorry, dear, refunds are not possible. However, I suggest you go to the neurology department. Frequent hand shaking may be a symptom of Parkinson¡¯s disease!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    What he needs now is not a neurology department, he should go to the psychiatric department to calm down.


    Half an hour later, Lian Qiao sent a message: ¡°I¡¯m going home after I finished shopping! Would you like to come over now?¡±


    Xu RenDong appeared at the door of Lian Qiao¡¯s house with a gloomy expression. As soon as Lian Qiao opened the door, he was startled by the murderous look on his face.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Lian Qiao subconsciously picked up the cooking shovel and stood holding it in front of him to defend himself, ¡°Brother¡­. RenDong? What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Xu RenDong glared at him silently and then said for a while, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, the weather is too hot and my mood isn¡¯t good.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Lian Qiao suddenly realized, ¡°Then I¡¯ll get you something to drink! Is Coca-Cola okay?¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded and Lian Qiao took two cans of Coke and put them on the coffee table in front of him. Xu RenDong saw that the coffee table was piled up with freshly bought vegetables and meat and that he hadn¡¯t even had time to unpack it. It seems that Lian Qiao really sent him a message as soon as he got home.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s mood suddenly improved a lot and his expression eased. He was about to ask if he needed his help. He saw Lian Qiao fanning his neckline while wiping his sweat, saying ¡°It¡¯s too hot, too hot. The air conditioner works too slowly.¡±


    Xu RenDong glanced at his neck inadvertently and unexpectedly saw a small pink mark.


    ¡­ Calm down, don¡¯t think too much. It shouldn¡¯t be that kind of explicit thing I¡¯m imagining. Lian Qiao is not so frivolous.


    Xu RenDong took a deep breath and then, on Lian Qiao¡¯s collarbone on the same side, a small pink trace could also be seen.


    ¡­. Fuck! How is this not frivolous! It¡¯s pretty much a manwhore! That coquettish bitch HuaHua! What did you do to Lian Qiao in broad daylight!


    Murderous aura instantly filled the entire apartment. Lian Qiao shivered for no apparent reason, holding his arms in surprise and said: ¡°Hey, why is the air conditioner so powerful all of a sudden?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Heh.¡±

 CH 63

    Chapter 63 ¨C Welfare Institute


    {T/N: There¡¯s no Welfare Institute in this chapter, so not sure why the author named the chapter this¡­}


    Lian Qiao stuck his tongue out and puffed a few times like a dog to get rid of the heat, before he finally realized that the atmosphere was not quite right.


    ¡°Uh, big boss¡­¡± Lian Qiao said weakly, ¡°Did I do something wrong?¡± He aimed his eyes at the vegetables on the table, wondering if there were foods that the boss would not eat in the things he had bought?


    Didn¡¯t he say he wasn¡¯t a picky eater!?


    ¡­No, wait, this was a trap! The boss was obviously super picky!


    Lian Qiao suddenly remembered that in the matryoshka instance, the big boss looked disgusted when he saw leba and milk. He felt a cold sweat drop down his back. It¡¯s over, he had made a fatal mistake!


    It¡¯s not that the big boss wasn¡¯t a picky eater. He was a picky eater that refused to admit it!


    This time I really stepped on thunder!


    Lian Qiao opened the bag tremblingly and reconfirmed the ingredients he bought: pork, chicken, shrimp, tomatoes, greens, asparagus¡­ Which one was the thunder point of the big boss?


    Lian Qiao glanced at the boss in a cowardly manner and found that the latter was squinting and staring at him unhappily.


    Lian Qiao was about to cry: ¡°Big brother, what did I do wrong? Can you give me a hint?¡±


    The beautiful eyes narrowed into sharp arcs and Xu RenDong¡¯s eyebrows were murderous: ¡°What is a qualitative leap?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Huh?¡± He was stunned for a moment before reacting, ¡°Did you watch my live broadcast?! Weren¡¯t you at work?¡±


    Xu RenDong stood up suddenly and, using his long legs, crossed the coffee table and leaned down towards Lian Qiao. Lian Qiao subconsciously wanted to hide but his back was pressed against the back of the sofa, leaving him nowhere to escape. He only felt his chest tighten as Xu RenDong grabbed his collar and almost lifted him up.


    ¡°Is it this?¡± Xu RenDong glanced at his neck and then stared at him coldly.


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Lian Qiao looked at the handsome face inches away from him. His brain shut down for a few seconds and he couldn¡¯t think of anything. Following Xu RenDong¡¯s gaze, he lowered his head to see a small reddish mark on his collarbone. He asked in confusion, ¡°You mean this?¡±


    When Xu RenDong let go, Lian Qiao fell back and bounced against the sofa. Xu RenDong put his hands on the back of the sofa in a condescending manner, staring at him with an unhappy expression: ¡°There is also some on your neck.¡±


    Lian Qiao was so pressed against the sofa tightly by him, if he brought his legs even just a bit closer together, he could touch the tight muscles under Xu RenDong¡¯s thin suit pants. The body temperature transmitted through the clothes was shockingly hot. This scene was too ambiguous and Lian Qiao instantly opened up an indescribable brain hole, repeating a sentence in his head:


    I¡¯m going to be fucked, fucked, fucked, fucked¡­


    Seeing that he did not answer, Xu RenDong¡¯s expression grew gloomy: ¡°Talk.¡±


    Lian Qiao was taken aback by his gloomy expression, only to realize that the boss didn¡¯t want to fuck him but wanted to kill him instead. He quickly put away his evil thoughts, sat upright, pointed to the two red marks on his neck and collarbone and said, ¡°Reporting to the boss, this is the ¡®kiss of a violin¡¯.¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback: ¡°What?¡±


    Lian Qiao raised his left hand and imitated the posture of holding the violin: ¡°It¡¯s just a depression caused by the violin after practicing for a long time¡­ Well, I¡¯m not a professional and I usually don¡¯t practice a whole lot, so there¡¯s only a little red mark. If  you don¡¯t believe it, you can touch it!¡±


    He grabbed the boss¡¯s hand and put it on his collarbone. Xu RenDong opened his eyes wide in surprise, letting him grab his fingers and stroke his collarbone.


    Obviously he still looked murderous just a few seconds ago, but how come now he looked like a kitten whose belly had been touched by a human for the first time. The beautiful brown pupils were full of shock, dazed and confused.


    It just changed within a second!


    Lian Qiao¡¯s soul suddenly had a flash of inspiration and he understood something. The corner of his mouth curled up and the smile in his eyes couldn¡¯t stop flowing: ¡°Did you misunderstand something? About HuaHua¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s expression instantly changed when he heard the word ¡°HuaHua¡±. He propped himself up in a panic, trying to get up from Lian Qiao but was grabbed by Lian Qiao and fell back into his arms again.


    Xu RenDong frowned and struggled: ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Lian Qiao curled his lips in disappointment: ¡°I thought you understood, turns out we don¡¯t have such tacit understanding?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°What?¡±


    Lian Qiao poked his forehead lightly and Xu RenDong became angry, thinking that this little brother is really getting more and more unruly. He was just about to slap Lian Qiao¡¯s hand away when he heard him say: ¡°Your name in Chinese medicine is: RenDong flower, honeysuckle, don¡¯t you know?¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback.


    Lian Qiao used his fingertips to draw a circle on his forehead softly and his voice was low and gentle: ¡°It¡¯s not convenient to reveal real names in the live broadcast room so I call you HuaHua. If you don¡¯t like it, then I¡¯ll change it to DongDong in the future. ¡°


    Xu RenDong looked at him blankly, still feeling like something was wrong: ¡°¡­but isn¡¯t HuaHua a girl?¡±


    Lian Qiao helpless: ¡°When did I say that HuaHua is a girl?¡±


    Xu RenDong thought about it and it seemed that he really hadn¡¯t heard Lian Qiao personally say HuaHua¡¯s gender.


    Lian Qiao sighed: ¡°I just didn¡¯t emphasize that HuaHua is a man¡­ I can¡¯t come out in front of the entire live broadcast room.¡± When he said this, he seemed a little embarrassed. He turned his head and said softly, ¡°Before meeting you, I also didn¡¯t know I was bent.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Xu RenDong tightened his fingers unconsciously while lightly grasping the material in front of his chest and said in a very small voice, ¡°¡­Me too.¡±


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t hear clearly: ¡°Huh? What did you say?¡±


    There was a flush of redness on Xu RenDong¡¯s face. He got up in a panic and said ¡°I¡¯m going to wash the vegetables.¡± He picked up the vegetables from the table and walked towards the sink. His pace was steady, his posture graceful, it looked as though nothing had happened just now.


    Had it not been for his still red ears then Lian Qiao would have believed it.


    Lian Qiao recalled the tone of that sentence and approximately guessed what he had said. Then a gentle smile appeared at the corner of his mouth as he walked over and hugged Xu RenDong from behind.


    Xu RenDong turned back in surprise and his earlobe just brushed Lian Qiao¡¯s lips. It went numb for a while.


    Lian Qiao put his head on his shoulder, sniffed the gentle fragrance from Xu RenDong¡¯s body and felt extremely satisfied. He didn¡¯t speak and just hugged Xu RenDong¡¯s waist loosely.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s back was close to Lian Qiao¡¯s chest and there were only two thin layers of clothes between the two. Their body temperature passed between each other. The faucet was still dripping water but the heartbeats of the two people gradually overlapped, so that every beat could be felt clearly. The air was filled with a sweet and lazy smell, which made people feel sunken in a romantic muddle.


    Suddenly, there was a numbness on the back of his waist and there was something hard pressed against it. Xu RenDong¡¯s body went soft and he grasped the edge of the tabletop hard so that he wouldn¡¯t collapse.


    After a while, Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t hold back anymore. He said, ¡°Brother RenDong, someone is calling you.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    He took the phone out of his back waist pocket, and it really was indeed vibrating. Xu RenDong realized that he had misunderstood just now and his face instantly became hot but his expression suddenly changed after seeing the caller ID.


    He pushed Lian Qiao away: ¡°I¡¯ll go answer the phone.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s arms were empty suddenly and he looked reluctantly at Xu RenDong as he walked to the balcony. He vaguely heard him call ¡°Teacher¡± to the person on the other end of the phone. Lian Qiao didn¡¯t think much and, with a smile on his face, continued to wash the vegetables in the sink.


    A few minutes later, Xu RenDong finished the call and came back. Lian Qiao smiled and said, ¡°Brother RenDong, tonight we¡¯ll¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong interrupted him: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I have to go do something. I can¡¯t eat dinner with you.¡±


    Lian Qiao was taken aback and after realizing Xu RenDong¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look good, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Who made the call just now? Is it something to do with the company?¡±


    Xu RenDong looked away unconsciously. His thick eyelashes drooped down, hiding his slightly disturbed look. He was silent for a long time and finally he shook his head and said briefly: ¡°No.¡±


    When Lian Qiao saw that he didn¡¯t mean to explain, he stopped asking and just nodded. He said: ¡°Okay. If you need my help, please let me know at any time.¡±


    Xu RenDong said ¡°En¡±. His gaze didn¡¯t meet Lian Qiao¡¯s and, continuing to avoid his gaze, turned and left Lian Qiao¡¯s house.


    The sound of closing the door seemed to cut the connection between the two and the apartment suddenly became quiet. The faucet was still splashing water and Lian Qiao looked at the fresh shrimps jumping in the pool. He wished he could dig a hole in his forehead and pour the water out to raise the shrimps. {There¡¯s water in your head = way of saying you¡¯re stupid, or you¡¯ve done something stupid.}


    Ahhhhhh, if I had known then I wouldn¡¯t have reminded him that he had a call! It was a rare, good atmosphere! Just the last step was left!


    ¡­However, the location of the phone is really subtle. If Xu RenDong didn¡¯t answer the phone, he might lose control.


    Ah, mobile phone vibration was really a treasure of mankind.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s daydreams coalesced together and quickly transformed him into a hard-boiled pervert.

 CH 64

    Another image chapter, again if you need me to MTL into another language just leave me a comment below.


    If you¡¯re on PC, I recommend enlarging your screen size (Ctrl & +), if you¡¯re on mobile just enlarge the screen using two fingers and put in landscape mode if necessary). Sorry I tried various ways to make the text bigger but couldn¡¯t.


    ***

 CH 65

    Chapter 65 ¨C Three People Make a Tiger 1


    After the elevator stopped, what appeared in front of the three of them was a dark and vintage looking living room.


    The living room was very spacious and there were a dozen people standing inside it. This time, their teammates were relatively young and the expressions on their faces were quite calm. It seemed that there were not many newcomers. The three of them entered the living room and looked around. They found that there was no exit from the living room, only a staircase leading upstairs.


    Of course there were no windows. Several oil paintings were hung on a wall with dark green wallpaper and the crystal chandelier was covered with dust. It was obvious that no one had cleaned it for a long time. The gorgeous fabric sofas had also turned gray, no wonder everybody was standing and no one sat down.


    Although this living room is magnificent, it revealed a gloomy atmosphere throughout,  like the residence of a fallen aristocrat prior to his death. Once the person left, the tea would turn cold, and only empty shelves would be left behind. There was a sense of hopelessness in the future.


    Everyone looked at each other. The three people including Xu RenDong came in together and so it was obvious they knew each other. There were also four men and women who looked like college students. They stood close to each other and should know each other. The remaining few people stood scattered about. They clutched their chests and looked on coldly, their expressions and movements faintly revealing rejection and defensiveness.


    After a brief observation, Xu RenDong already had a number in his heart. There were a total of fifteen players this time, so the difficulty should not be high.


    ¡°Is everyone here?¡± A boy emerged out of the four-member group of college students. He was handsome and had a strong physique, resembling an energetic little sun. He looked around at everyone, showing a mouthful of brilliant white teeth, ¡°Let¡¯s introduce ourselves. I¡¯ll go first. We few are members of X University¡¯s Film Club and I am the President.¡±


    After he finished the sentence ¡°I am the President¡±, he paused for some time. Everyone was waiting for him to say his real name but he turned his head and smiled at the partner behind him, motioning for his partner to come up.


    The other three young men and women also introduced themselves. They were club members A, B and C.


    They obviously brought up the subject of self-introduction but they did not use their real names but only pseudonyms, making people feel they were quite insincere. Nobody showed obvious displeasure however and just followed their example and gave themselves a code name.


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao looked at each other and followed this custom. Lian Qiao said: ¡°My name is Qiao Mu.¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°My name is¡­ HuaHua.¡±


    Lian Qiao was taken aback and cast a smiling glance at him. His eyes were gentle as a stream of spring water, which made people want to drown willingly within it.


    Xu RenDong was disturbed by that glance and suddenly remembered that Zhong Xiu was still by his side. He instantly calmed down, coughed and said to the others, ¡°Which of you was the first to arrive?¡±


    A young man code-named ¡°Rock Monk¡± {Rock as in Rock music} suddenly raised his hand and with his palm flat and facing the crowd, made a grabbing action out of thin air. This action was too exaggerated and everyone followed him subconsciously. His action seemed to grab everyone¡¯s attention, making them react suddenly.


    You think you¡¯re some kind of idol!? Everyone¡¯s faces sank and were speechless with embarrassment.


    Rock Monk had a shaved head with a little green stubble and there were six bright burned circular scars on his head. Wearing a yellow monk robe and black cloth monk shoes, he looked like a serious monk, but actually he was not serious at all.


    As soon as he opened his mouth, freestyle rap emerged. Since the author is too lazy to compile it, the translation was essentially: ¡°The first one here is this cool and poor monk.¡±


    Everyone fell into silence. After a while, Xu RenDong finally said, ¡°Then did you discover anything?¡±


    Rock Monk said another line of rap which basically translated as he completely didn¡¯t know what this place was, but he felt at ease when he came. So he just decided to sit down and started chanting until everyone else came.


    After listening, everyone¡¯s faces changed. This brain-dead monk was actually a rookie? It¡¯s over, it¡¯s over, this newcomer has a pit in his brain and will definitely die.


    Everyone didn¡¯t want to listen to the monk¡¯s embarrassing rap without accompaniment, so they decided to explore the house first. The fifteen people divided into two groups  and, after a rough exploration, they quickly figured out the situation of the villa.


    They started in the living room on the first floor. The living room was connected to a kitchen. There were a lot of ingredients stored in the kitchen. Fifteen people can eat it for a week. There are six guest rooms on the second floor and third floor. Although the furniture is old, it is still clean and complete with water and electricity. It was totally livable. Further up was a huge balcony surrounded by glass.


    There were fifteen stools in the middle of the glass room, forming a circle. It looked a bit ritualistic. This glass room was transparent and should have an excellent view, but the outside it was pitch black. Even if the light is on, only the people reflected on the glass could be seen. The outside was absolutely dark and nothing could be seen.


    This villa was like an isolated island in the dark. Once you enter you can¡¯t get out again, giving people a sense of isolation and horror. Everyone looked at each other and even the faces of the old players were covered with an ominous cloud.


    ¡°Hey, there is a piece of paper here.¡± Lian Qiao walked to one of the chairs with sharp eyes. He reached out and picked up a piece of paper.


    Everyone came over to listen to Lian Qiao read:


    ¡°Instructions for the Courage Training Camp: 1. The theme of this event: the deepest horror within the heart. 2. The content of the event: Please turn off the lights at 00:00 every night and share a ghost story in the glass room and face the horror within the story. Every night at least one story must be shared. 3. A friendly reminder:  Stories cannot be repeated, someone will die oh. The story cannot be not scary, someone will die oh. 4. Just joking ah.¡± {Written/read in a cutesy tone.}


    Everyone¡¯s faces fell more and more. Finally someone couldn¡¯t help but curse: ¡°Just read it properly! Why are you pretending to be cute? Are you sick in the head?¡± After saying that he glared at the Rock Monk.


    Rock Monk glared back confidently: ¡°Don¡¯t scold this poor monk. This poor monk has a bad temper. If you scold me, I will beat you.¡± He rolled up the sleeves of the monk¡¯s clothes, revealing his strong biceps. {Um, I¡¯m not sure why he¡¯s glaring at Rock Monk when LQ is the one reading¡­., I checked the original text, there¡¯s no mistake.}


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡± He actually has tattoos!


    I get tattoos, I beat people, I sing rap, but still know that I¡¯m a good monk!


    Lian Qiao helplessly said, ¡°That¡¯s how it is written on the paper, read it for yourself.¡± He circulated the paper to everyone. Only then did everyone believe that the task was written so cutely and couldn¡¯t help feeling speechless.


    The mission paper was passed around and returned to Lian Qiao¡¯s hand. Lian Qiao¡¯s face changed suddenly when he touched the paper and took back his hand quickly. The next instant, white smoke appeared on the paper and then a flame burst out. The person who handed over the paper was also taken aback and let go with a cursed ¡°fuck!¡±. The burning paper fluttered and fell to the ground, already turned to ashes.


    A ghostly wind blew from nowhere, blowing away the ashes.


    Everyone¡¯s faces were pretty ugly. Xu RenDong asked, ¡°Is your hand okay?¡±


    Lian Qiao looked at his fingers carefully and confirmed that he was not injured, so he smiled and shook his head towards Xu RenDong.


    President Little Sun said: ¡°Why are the things written on this paper so sloppy? This is the first time I have encountered such a trivial task.¡± He looked at everyone expectantly, ¡°Have any of you encountered something similar?¡±


    Everyone shook their heads.


    President Little Sun didn¡¯t seem to be too disappointed. On the contrary, he showed an expression of ¡°just as I thought.¡± He thought for a while and asked: ¡°What time is it?¡±


    Everyone took out their mobile phones and was surprised to find that the time had become 23:55 in the evening, only five minutes before the ghost story time that was written on the paper.


    ¡°How the hell is this enough time for us to prepare?¡± Someone said, ¡°What would happen if we don¡¯t tell ghost stories?¡±


    No one could give them an answer.


    ¡°Then¡­ should we tell one?¡± A timid girl, member A, hesitantly looked at President Little Sun.


    The president¡¯s handsome and good looking face didn¡¯t have the slightest entanglement. He smiled heartily: ¡°Of course. The mission instructions are so clear. If we don¡¯t follow it, then what else should we do here?¡±


    Member A said softly and quietly: ¡°But what if there¡¯s a ghost¡­¡±


    As the president was trying to comfort him, Rock Monk suddenly put his hands together. He shook his head and said: ¡°Amitabha. Benefactor, don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    Everyone was thinking that the monk had finally said something proper but then they heard his next stence: ¡°In this world, there are no ghosts. But if people gossip too much, it really will turn into a ghost.¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡±


    Member A turned pale when he was so scared. The smile on President Little Sun¡¯s face also became a little bit embarrassing. He turned around and looked around the crowd. He asked politely, ¡°Anyway, let me try some water? If something happens to me, please take care of my members.¡±


    Since someone is willing to take the risk then of course the others had no opinion. Although Members ABC next to President Little Sun said moving words to him, no one really stopped him. It can be said that this was a very plastic friendship.


    So everyone took their seats. Xu RenDong sat between Lian Qiao and Zhong Xiu. President Little Sun stood next to the light switch and said, ¡°I will turn off the light.¡±


    Everyone took a deep breath and nodded.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s hand suddenly warmed. It was Lian Qiao who holding his hand. He turned his head in surprise and saw Lian Qiao cast an awkward but polite smile at him. At the same time he covered his mouth with his other hand.


    ¡­¡­Are you afraid that you will be scared into hiccupping?


    Xu RenDong smiled. He was just about to turn his hand and hold him back when suddenly he felt a gaze on his back, making him feel uncomfortable. He turned his head and saw that Zhong Xiu was looking at the hands they held together with a warm gaze.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± His face flushed and he slapped Lian Qiao¡¯s hands away without hesitation. Pretending to be angry, he said, ¡°Put your hands on your lap and sit up straight! So unruly, what kind of person are you!¡±


    Speaking of this, he sat up straight like a primary school student listening attentively.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Ying-ying-ying-ying!¡± He glared at Zhong Xiu, who met his gaze but showed a kindly auntie-like smile.


    What are you laughing at! You shameless mistress!


    Lian Qiao straightened up and was about to stimulate this shameless mistress but then he head a ¡°pa¡± sound and the room fell into darkness within an instant. The surrounding glass seems to have disappeared and the darkness inside and outside the glass room merged into one, giving the illusion of being in a dark wilderness. There was even a cold wind coming from behind.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Lian Qiao instantly stiffened, becoming a screaming chicken pinched around his neck.


    Everyone felt hairy and several of them shivered uncontrollably. In the darkness, fifteen breathing sounded one after another. They didn¡¯t know where the strong wind came from outside the glass room but it blew the windows, like a typhoon passing by, or like a night of a hundred ghosts, sobbing and crying.


    In the dark, anything could happen. No one knows the consequences of telling this story. The only certainty is that something terrible will happen.


    It is the unknown that was the most terrifying.


    President Little Sun cleared his throat and broke the silence with a warm and magnetic voice: ¡°Then, I will tell you the first ghost story.¡±


    The ghost story hadn¡¯t even started and just the opening remark made Lian Qiao so nervous that his body was stiff and his scalp felt numb. All kinds of horror games he had played before rose into his mind. With the whistling of the squally wind on the window, his whole person felt not good.


    His heartbeat is getting more and more violent, and his breathing is getting faster and faster. Just when he was about to be scared to death by himself, his hands suddenly warmed. He was taken aback, and instinctively wanted to retract, but his hand was tightly held.


    The hand that held him was dry and warm, slender and strong, with a reassuring sense of familiarity.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s heart trembled, only feeling sweet to the tip of his heart. Even his breathing became sweet and greasy.


    He clasped the man¡¯s fingers back. The man seemed to be taken aback, his fingers froze slightly. Soon, he clasped his fingers tightly. With palms touching, they can feel each other¡¯s body temperature. In this boundless darkness, they became the only reliance on each other.


    However, this sweet charm lasted for only a moment. The next second, Lian Qiao heard Zhong Xiu¡¯s gentle inquiry in the dark.


    ¡°RenDong, are you afraid? If you are afraid, you can sit over here a little bit.¡±


    Like a cat that had its tail stepped on, Xu RenDong retracted his hand with a ¡°swish¡±.


    Lian Qiao snarled frantically in his heart: What the fuck is wrong with you! You old witch, are you trying to cultivate into a light bulb spirit!? {Light bulb = same meaning as a third wheel.}


    ***

 CH 66

    Chapter 66 ¨C Three People Make a Tiger 2


    The story told by the president took place in a block called ¡°Elm Street¡±. {Yes it¡¯s Nightmare on Elm Street. I don¡¯t know if the plot is accurate to the movie, I¡¯m just translating what the author has written.}


    The heroine of the story, Nancy, was an ordinary girl who lived on Elm Street. One day, she had a terrible dream. She dreamed of herself on Elm Street. Everything around her was so familiar but at the same time very strange. There was no one else on the ghostly streets. All the houses had locked windows and doors and it was completely dark. She tried to knock on the doors of several neighbors but no one answered.


    Just as she was feeling very confused, she found someone following behind her. She turned her head sharply and saw a man with scars on his face and fingers like razors! The man smiled slyly and approached her step by step. Nancy screamed and turned her head to ran. But no matter where she ran to, the weird scarred man was able to find her accurately. Just as Nancy was growing exhausted and was about to be killed by the weird scarred man, she was suddenly awakened by the sound of an alarm clock. Turns out that everything was just a dream.


    Because the experience in the dream was so horrible, Nancy had no energy all day. When she was walking absently around campus, she overheard her classmates discussing a nightmare they¡¯d had. In the dream, a man with a scar face was chasing them and his hand was as sharp as a razor. It turns out that all the children on Elm Street had experienced the same nightmare!


    Soon after, the friends around Nancy died one after another. They died in a miserable way, their throats or stomachs were cut with a sharp weapon. The police were helpless because the children were all sleeping peacefully in their homes when the tragedy occured. Nancy tried to tell the police that it was the strange man with the scarred face from her dream that killed them, but the police sneered at her, thinking that Nancy was daydreaming.


    The pursuit in the dream continued. Nancy knew that there was only one way to survive, and that was to stay awake and not dream. Due to a long-term lack of sleep, Nancy¡¯s physical condition was getting worse and worse. Both parents thought she had a mental problem and took her to the hospital. In the hospital, the doctor injected her with tranquilizers and forced her to fall asleep. Nancy in her dream returned to the misty Elm Street again. Although there was no one on the street, she knew that there was a pair of eyes looking at her, grinning in the dark¡­


    Just as the story reached this part, the surrounding lights suddenly came on with a ¡°snap¡±. Everyone who was listening attentively to the story was shocked and the fluorescent lights illuminated everyone¡¯s pale faces.


    President Little Sun was astonished: ¡°I haven¡¯t finished the story yet. What¡¯s going on?¡± The


    Rock Monk held the prayer beads in one hand and muttered like an old sage: ¡°Maybe your story was not terrifying, and ghosts cannot listen to it anymore. ¡°


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡± If you¡¯re not scared then why did you take out the prayer beads for!


    President Little Sun tried to turn off the light again but found that no matter how he pressed it, the light could not be turned off. According to the mission instructions, ghost stories can only be told after turning off the lights. Now that the lights can¡¯t be turned off, he doesn¡¯t dare to go on rashly.


    Xu RenDong wanted to ask Lian Qiao what he thought but then saw Lian Qiao staring at the president, showing a thoughtful look. Not only Lian Qiao, but the three members of their film club A, B, and C also have expressions of hesitation. One of the male members, B, couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°President, isn¡¯t this the story in the movie ¡°Nightmare on Elm Street¡± that we just watched?¡±


    President Little Sun nodded. The delicate member A grabbed the president¡¯s sleeve with a pale face and said with a trembling, ¡°But¡­ didn¡¯t it say that plagiarism is not allowed on that piece of paper? Why are you¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao suddenly interrupted: ¡°No, it didn¡¯t say no plagiarism. What the paper says is ¡®stories cannot be repeated¡¯.¡±


    Everyone was taken aback and recalled the content on the paper. It seemed it was indeed the case.


    The president touched his nose embarrassedly: ¡°After all, I only had five minutes. If you want me to totally create a ghost story within that time, I can¡¯t do it!¡±


    Member A finally breathed a sigh of relief and smiled weakly: ¡°Fortunately, you are fine.¡±


    Xu RenDong saw that the soft and lovely member A was acting coquettish while pulling the president¡¯s sleeve. He speculated that they were also a couple. Lian Qiao suddenly poked his arm and leaned in and said in a low voice, ¡°Look at the other woman in their movie club, that member C.¡±


    Xu RenDong looked across and found that member C had beautiful and moving eyes. She glanced at the president a few times and her eyes seemed to have an expression of being wronged but not knowing where to vent. The president calmly pulled his sleeve out of member A¡¯s hand and then said to the other members: ¡°I¡¯m sorry for worrying you guys.¡±


    When he said this, he was facing everyone, but his eyes were looking at the male member B.


    ¡­This relationship was a bit complicated!


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart felt tired and turned to Lian Qiao. who was watching the show, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be nosy.¡±


    He didn¡¯t mean much by his words but the listener seemed to understand a whole other meaning. Lian Qiao looked at Zhong Xiu meaningfully and said with a sneer: ¡°Indeed, our internal problems have not even been resolved yet.¡±


    Xu RenDong felt confused: ¡°What internal problems?¡±


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t answer but just leaned in his ear. He whispered in a low voice: ¡°That president is very cunning. Don¡¯t just take it at face value that he jumped out to be the first guinea pig. In fact, he has already figured out the rules. This story can be copied from elsewhere but a previously told story cannot be repeated. We don¡¯t know yet how the rules determine what is counted as ¡°repetition¡±. So in fact it is safest for him to be the first to tell a story.¡±


    Lian Qiao got too close and his lips almost rubbed against Xu RenDong¡¯s earlobe. Every time he said a word, his hot and humid breath blew into Xu RenDong¡¯s ears, making him hot and itchy. He wanted to duck his head and hide. But what Lian Qiao was saying was serious and so he had to listen. The wet feeling crawled along his ears, making him feel itchy.


    ¡°¡­Anyway, let¡¯s just wait and see what happens.¡± Lian Qiao saw Xu RenDong¡¯s ears become red and sat upright contentedly. Lian Qiao knew that Xu RenDong had thin skin {easily embarrassed} and doing this in front of everyone was already enough. Anything further would touch his bottom line, which was counterproductive.


    At this time, Xu RenDong also secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He thought that it was only him that had evil thoughts in his heart and did not realize that Lian Qiao was deliberately teasing him. He stabilized his mind and looked at the other people: ¡°It¡¯s half past twelve and the lights can¡¯t be turned off. The story can¡¯t be told anymore. Why don¡¯t we all rest tonight?¡±


    Everyone discussed it and agreed there wasn¡¯t anything else that could be done. So they got up and went to the guest rooms.


    When it came time to divide up the rooms, Xu RenDong fell into the Shura field again. {Chinese phrase meaning romantic/dramatic entanglements¡­ think jealous lovers fighting with each other.}


    There were six rooms in total, all of which are double-bed rooms with only one quilt on the bed. Everyone rummaged through the entire villa but couldn¡¯t find any extra beds or bedding, which meant that these fifteen people could only sleep in groups of three or two.


    Zhong Xiu actively proposed: ¡°I¡¯ll go find another woman to sleep with.¡±


    Xu RenDong frowned. There were all sorts of people in this team and it was quite messy. He would be worried about Zhong Xiu staying alone with others. To be honest, he didn¡¯t intend to forgive Zhong Xiu but he didn¡¯t hate her so much that he wanted to watch her die.


    He quickly made a decision: ¡°You live with us. You are ill, so you sleep on the bed. Us two men will sleep on the floor.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Lian Qiao almost immediately rejected it. ¡°You get cold easily. If you sleep on the floor, you will definitely get a cold. What¡¯s more, there are no blankets here and the temperature is low at night. Even if it was me I may not be able to stand it.¡±


    After Zhong Xiu heard this, she seemed to think that Lian Qiao was right and nodded with a smile. Then she turned her head and said to Xu RenDong, ¡°So I should go sleep with someone else.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°No, don¡¯t worry. We will only be on the floor one night. Probably someone will be dead tomorrow and there will be a bed available.¡±


    When Lian Qiao and Zhong Xiu heard this, they cast shocked looks at Xu RenDong at the same time. There will be a vacant bed when someone is dead. Although this statement is true, it sounds so harsh.


    Xu RenDong also realized what he said was not appropriate and turned away awkwardly. However he still insisted: ¡°Anyway, you must live with me.¡±


    Lian Qiao pouted and said coldly: ¡°Then in that case why don¡¯t I move out and the two of you sleep together.¡±


    This time Xu RenDong and Zhong Xiu cast shocked eyes at him at the same time.


    Xu RenDong was so angry that his brain was sore. However he was helpless so he could only curse softly: ¡°Why are you making things more difficult for¡­¡±


    Zhong Xiu: ¡°So I should leave¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°No, you are welcome. You are a woman and I will take care of you, so I will move.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°This is nonsense! Is this the time to make a joke? Don¡¯t fight, I¡¯m going to sleep on the floor with Lian Qiao and that¡¯s it.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Who the hell is messing around? You can¡¯t sleep on the floor!¡±


    The three people just pushed each other around and no one could convince anyone. Xu RenDong was so angry with them that he wanted to rush out to kill two people and grab a quilt back. They were at a stalemate like this for a while and Lian Qiao suddenly sat down on the bed with an unhappy expression: ¡°Forget it, don¡¯t argue anymore!¡±


    The other two people thought he was going to step back and their expressions loosened. But then Lian Qiao took out his pen and paper and said in a sulky manner: ¡°Let¡¯s Shura Field in here, isn¡¯t there a more powerful Shura Field outside? Let¡¯s the three of us make a bet and see what the upgraded version of Shura Field will result in. Whoever wins, we will listen to them!¡±


    Xu RenDong and Zhong Xiu looked at each other with blank expressions on their faces, thinking in their hearts: What is a Shura Field?


    Their shared confused glance at each other stirred up Lian Qiao¡¯s feelings even more violently. He gritted his teeth to write and draw on the paper so hard that he almost pierced the white paper.


    Regarding the room arrangement of the two men and two women in the film agency, the three made the following three guesses.


    Zhong Xiu: Two men and two women, do I still need to guess? It must be one room for two men and one room for two women.


    Xu RenDong: No, you don¡¯t know how complicated their relationship is. The two women like the president, and they will fight if they live in the same room. The male B looked very loyal and reassuring, so I think it should be two females and male member B, two females on the bed and the male member on the floor, watching them to make sure they don¡¯t fight. As for President Flower Heart {playboy}, he is the instigator. So he should guard an empty room alone. The ghost will haunt him in the middle of the night and scare him to death. This is just punishment!


    Zhong Xiu and Lian Qiao complained silently in their hearts: In order to maintain world peace, you are also very creative.


    After some careful calculations, Lian Qiao thought that President Little Sun was a central air-conditioning man with a heart-warming heart, thus he was hanging delicate girl A and glamorous girl C at the same time. He didn¡¯t want to let go of these two girls. The remaining male member B is a simple naive follower who has no knowledge of the president¡¯s scumbag behavior. In order to maintain his image of greatness and integrity, the president must not favor one another, then the answer is obvious- The four of them must have slept in bed together! Sleep sideways!


    Xu RenDong & Zhong Xiu: ¡°¡­¡± Your brain circuit is also very strange.


    The three bet their own money and they decided to leave the result in the hands of fate. They went to the corridor together and knocked on the two rooms of the four-person group of the film agency.


    They knocked on the first room and no one opened the door. Instead, a furry head protruded from another room next door.


    President Flower Heart Warm Man asked: ¡°Are you looking for us?¡±


    Xu RenDong and Zhong Xiu sighed in their hearts at the same time: It¡¯s over, it seems that Lian Qiao won.


    Lian Qiao was triumphant but, to be fair, he asked about their four person sleeping configuration.


    President Warm Man scratched his hair and seemed a bit embarrassed.  However he let them in anyway. When Xu RenDong and the three entered the room, they were shocked to find that the delicate woman A, the innocent man B, and the glamorous woman C were lying on the bed side by side. There was also a quilt on the floor, which was brought over from the next room.


    RenDong¡¯s three person group were stunned by this unexpected result.


    President Warm Man explained: ¡°In fact, we did encounter a problem when we divided the room. All three of them confessed to me¡­¡±


    RenDong & Lian Qiao & Zhong Xiu: ¡°They? Three?!¡±


    The innocent Member B on the bed made a high pitch noise and bit the corner of the quilt before retracting behind it. {Author actually wrote ¡°C¡± but I¡¯m pretty sure she meant ¡°B¡± because he¡¯s the only guy. She also later admits she got confused with the letters. However I¡¯ll fix it up in my translation so it makes more sense.}


    President Warm Man watched the human figure bulging in the quilt indulgently, and said affectionately: ¡°Actually, I have had a crush on Little B for a long time but I dared  not confess because I was afraid he would hate me and we would not even be able to be friends after I confessed. So I¡¯m really happy he was able to confide his feelings to me today.¡±


    RenDong & Lian Qiao & Zhong Xiu: ¡°¡­¡± The three of them looked at Female A and Female C sympathetically, now understanding why they clearly slept on comfortable beds. But both of them had the expression of eating shit.


    Withdrawing from the high-level Shura field, the three of them once again were in a difficult situation. This is all right, their circle is too messy and no one guessed it correctly.


    But this inspired Xu RenDong. When Zhong Xiu and Lian Qiao pushed each other over who would sleep where again, Xu RenDong categorically said: ¡°No one will move, the three of us will sleep together.¡±


    Lian Qiao & Zhong Xiu: ¡°???¡±


    Xu RenDong ¡°The four of them can all fit together in one room and so the three of us must be able to.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­ Is this a question of whether or not we can fit?!¡±


    However, no matter how Lian Qiao argued, Xu RenDong who had already suffered enough because of this sleep problem, resolutely rejected any further proposal he made.  Finally Lian Qiao surrendered and lay down on the bed puffed up with anger.


    Xu RenDong slept in the middle. On one side was the unfamiliar biological mother, on the other side was the lover who had just confirmed the relationship. It is not appropriate for him to lean on either side. So he laid his legs together and folded his hands, lying still like an Egyptian pharaoh, stuck between the two in an absolutely centered position. He didn¡¯t touch either side.


    Zhong Xiu softly said, ¡°Good night¡± and then turned off the light with a snap.


    The room plunged into darkness and two even breathing sounds came from both sides. Xu RenDong stared straight at the ceiling, losing sleep.


    Of course Lian Qiao also had insomnia. What is the experience of sleeping in a bed with boyfriend and boyfriend¡¯s ex-girlfriend? Needless to say, of course you would be crazy jealous!


    Although it was just a simple sleeping in the same bed and nothing would probably happen, they are still covered with the same quilt! Who knows if there will be any small moves in the middle of the night! He trusted Xu RenDong very much and knew that he was not that kind of person, but as for that woman he couldn¡¯t tell.


    Just as she was about to die, she called her ex to the bedside. Wasn¡¯t it very clear that she wanted to be the eternal white moonlight in RenDong¡¯s heart!


    Lian Qiao was itching with anger and suddenly felt that it was necessary to take an oath of sovereignty. So he reached out quietly and tentatively touched Xu RenDong¡¯s shoulder. Xu RenDong did not evade or show resistance. He boldly continued forward, crawling his fingers across RenDong¡¯s shoulder, slid to the collarbone, neck¡­ Finally, he stayed at the corners of RenDong¡¯s lips, rubbing gently with his fingertips.


    Xu RenDong still didn¡¯t respond¡­ No, he seemed to pursed his lips slightly.


    Sure enough, he hadn¡¯t fallen asleep.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s mouth hooked and slowly leaned towards him. The fresh smell of shower gel penetrates into the nasal cavity which smelt particularly good.


    After living together, they shared the same bottle of shower gel, so Xu RenDong smelled like him. When Lian Qiao thought of this, his heart was filled with tenderness. Although the jealousy hadn¡¯t passed yet, he was really overwhelmed at this moment and wanted to kiss Xu RenDong.


    Getting closer and closer, he could feel Xu RenDong¡¯s breathing gradually getting faster. Lian Qiao¡¯s heartbeat was gradually becoming more violent. He closed his eyes and leaned in little by little, finally about to kiss his soft lips.


    At this moment, Xu RenDong suddenly slapped his face with a slap.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°???¡±


    With a dazed expression on his face, Xu RenDong abruptly pushed his face away.


    In the darkness, he couldn¡¯t see Xu RenDong¡¯s expression clearly but he could feel the same rapid breathing. Immediately afterwards, he heard Xu RenDong¡¯s suppressed angry hiss: ¡°Sleep!¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Ying-ying-ying!¡±


    Grievously Lian Qiao turned around and turned his back towards Xu RenDong. He deliberately made a lot of noise to show that he was angry and wanted the big boss to kiss him. However, RenDong ignored him.


    After a while, Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t hold it any longer, turned back and pulled the sleeve of RenDong as if he felt wronged.


    Xu RenDong still didn¡¯t respond much and Lian Qiao hooked his little finger with his finger and gently caressed him as though trying to gain favor.


    ¡°¡­¡± Xu RenDong sighed lowly, feeling helpless. He curled up his fingers slightly and held Lian Qiao¡¯s fingertips loosely.


    Lian Qiao felt that he was holding on to the cusp of his heart and his lips felt so sweet that he wanted to laugh. He was like a large dog with a big bone, holding his beloved treasure in his arms and closing his eyes happily.


    It was unknown how long it took when, just as Lian Qiao was still hovering in the happy clouds, he suddenly heard a soft female voice from the other side of the bed.


    ¡°Is he asleep?¡±


    In the darkness, Lian Qiao felt Xu RenDong turn his head slightly, glance at him, and then whisper, ¡°En¡±.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s entire person instantly went into shock.


    ***

 CH 67

    Chapter 67 ¨C Three People Make a Tiger 3


    Lian Qiao pretended to not have heard a thing, continuing to breathe evenly beside Xu RenDong. He wanted to see what kind of play the ex planned to make in front of him, the current partner.


    He heard Zhong Xiu ask softly: ¡°Have you been¡­ have you been doing well recently?¡±


    Lian Qiao sneered in his heart: Heh, asking although you already know the answer. With me here, how can he not be good?


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Not good.¡±


    Lian Qiao:?


    Zhong Xiu did not answer and the room fell into a strange silence. After a while, Xu RenDong said again: ¡°However, it is better than you.¡±


    Lian Qiao suddenly regained his confidence. He felt that the next sentence of RenDong should be the famous face slapping phrase: ¡°I can rest assured now that I know you¡¯re not doing well!¡± This would show that Brother RenDong no longer has any feelings for his ex!


    Come on! I¡¯m with you! Curse her fiercely!


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t know you had such a bad life. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ???


    Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t wait to jump up and grab Xu RenDong by the collar and shake him: Yes she¡¯s sick and has cancer! But so what! It¡¯s none of your business. What are you apologizing for? !


    Of course, Lian Qiao did not do this. In order to overhear more conversations and better anger himself, he chose to continue to pretend to be asleep.


    Zhong Xiu smiled bitterly: ¡°I deliberately concealed it from you¡­ I didn¡¯t intend to appear in your life again.¡±


    Lian Qiao was a little surprised when he heard this. Listening to this, it seems that the news of Zhong Xiu¡¯s serious illness didn¡¯t seem to have been told to RenDong by her initiative? Who would it be, then?


    ¡­Forget it, it doesn¡¯t matter who the microphone was. Lian Qiao recalled hearing the gossip of nurses in the hospital, saying that Zhong Xiu had no family members. After being diagnosed with cancer, she always came to see the doctor by herself and all her pains were carried by herself. He suddenly felt that this woman was really pitiful. In other words, if he were RenDong, he would also come to see her for the last time.


    But Xu RenDong said coldly: ¡°I really didn¡¯t plan to come to see you, what does your death have to do with me?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ??????


    Boss, why don¡¯t you play your cards according to logic!


    Zhong Xiu asked the same question as Lian Qiao: ¡°Then why are you still here?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± Suddenly he stopped talking.


    Lian Qiao: Don¡¯t be silent, boss! Keep cursing her!


    Lian Qiao only felt that his heart was being pushed around in a roller coaster and, while following the two people¡¯s conversation, continued to whirl uphill and downhill 360 degrees. It nearly stimulated him into having a heart attack. He anxiously awaited Xu RenDong¡¯s answer, wondering what kind of mood Xu RenDong was holding when he went to see Zhong Xiu for the last time. However, deep down in his heart, he was vaguely scared, afraid to hear the answer he didn¡¯t want.


    Ten thousand years seem to have passed.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± Still did not speak.


    Lian Qiao was almost suffocated and, when he almost couldn¡¯t help jumping up, a woman¡¯s scream suddenly came from outside.


    It was unknown if it was an illusion but Lian Qiao seemed to hear Xu RenDong breathe a sigh of relief.


    Xu RenDong immediately pushed him ¡°Lian Qiao!! Wake up, something¡¯s wrong.¡±


    Lian Qiao pretended to wake up groggily, his dramatic acting was very authentic. ¡°Ah what? Who is yelling?¡±


    Just then there was a pop sound. Zhong Xiu had turned on the light. Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t adapt to the sudden light and was still rubbing his eyes when Zhong Xiu had already opened the door. She stood in the corridor looking around.


    ¡°It¡¯s coming from the room of those people in the film club.¡± Zhong Xiu said.


    When the three people reached the room where the accident occurred, the hallway was already full of people. However, everyone gathered around the door of the room and did not go in.


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao pushed through the crowd and squeezed to the front. A bloody person suddenly rushed up in front of him, Xu RenDong¡¯s heart leapt but, before he had time to react, Lian Qiao had already kicked out reflexively but then he heard a familiar cry.


    ¡°Don¡¯t kick! It¡¯s me!¡±


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao both froze: Isn¡¯t this President Little Sun?


    They saw the president clutching his kicked belly and rushing forward again but this time he knelt in front of Xu RenDong and he hugged Xu RenDong¡¯s thigh.


    ¡°Please save her! I didn¡¯t mean it¡­ I really didn¡¯t know it would happen!¡±


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao¡¯s attention had been attracted by the screams of the woman on the bed. They saw the delicate female member A lying on the snow-white bed alone, covered in blood, writhing frantically. She was covered with wounds all over her body, as if she had been slashed away by something sharp. Even bones could be seen in the deepest part of the wound and blood gurgled out of the blood vessels like a small fountain.


    Even more shocking was that the wounds on her body were increasing one after another! Just in full view, the original intact skin splintered automatically again, and more blood poured out!


    Member A closed her eyes tightly, her expression was miserable and the cries emanating from her were absolutely heartrending. No wonder everyone stood outside and refused to come in. Who could handle such a bloody scene?


    Xu RenDong glanced around the room. Except for the president who hugged his thighs, the other two members were shrinking and shivering in a corner. All three of them were splattered with blood, especially the president who was totally immersed in blood. It seemed that he had tried to rescue member A but it had no effect except that he was sprayed with blood all over.


    Xu RenDong lifted the president from the ground. The president at this time was no longer the warm little sun. His whole body was shaking like a sieve and even his teeth were chattering up and down. The expression of horror exposed his helplessness. If Xu RenDong hadn¡¯t been holding him, he would knelt down on his weakened legs.


    Xu RenDong frowned: ¡°Please explain what¡¯s going on, hurry!¡±


    He shook the president vigorously to calm the president. The president swallowed, and his voice trembled: ¡°It¡¯s Freddy¡­ Freddy is here¡­ He is chasing her in her dream!¡±


    Freddy?


    Xu RenDong frowned, he had never heard the name. Member A¡¯s screams continued. Xu RenDong turned his head and looked towards the bed but saw Lian Qiao walk to the bed. He straddled Member A using his long legs and sat directly on her chest.


    Then he raised his hand and started to slap member A¡¯s face left and right.


    Everyone: ¡°???¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s movements were not at all muddle-headed, as if he regularly took his little sisters to slap the mistress every day. His movements were so skillful. Even Xu RenDong was stunned by the constant sound of slaps on the face. He instinctively wanted to step forward to stop him but suddenly realized that Lian Qiao wanted to wake her up!


    Just now, the president mentioned the ¡°dream¡± just now. Although member A struggled and twisted, her eyes never opened. This shows that she was indeed trapped in a dream!


    ¡°It¡¯s useless, it¡¯s useless!¡± President Little Sun collapsed again, slumping on the ground with his head lowered, ¡°I tried it all, I can¡¯t wake her up¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s hand stopped in the air.


    Sure enough, even though she had been slapped a dozen times, the female member still had her eyes closed tightly. Her crying voice was getting smaller and smaller, and, because she had lost too much blood, even the struggle had turned into twitching.


    Lian Qiao came down from the bed and said guiltily, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    It was unknown who he was apologizing to. No one in the room spoke, only the faint screams of the female member and the sobbing of three other members of the film club could be heard.


    Xu RenDong beckoned to tell Lian Qiao to come back. Lian Qiao was full of blood, his head was downcast and his mouth was still muttering: ¡°Why is it like this? In the movie, they can be woken up¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong was looking for something to wipe the blood on him. Hearing this sentence, he suddenly looked up: ¡°Movie?¡±


    ¡°En, ¡®Nightmare on Elm Street¡¯.¡± Lian Qiao glanced at the other three film club members who were sitting slumped on the ground. He had a thoughtful expression.  ¡°What the president said just now is Freddy. That¡¯s the scarred man in ¡®Nightmare on Elm Street¡¯ who can kill in dreams. The person who enters the dream with him can¡¯t wake up by themselves and will be killed with a razor. But if there is an outsider¡¯s intervention, they should be able to be woken up¡­¡±


    Just as the two were talking, the screams on the bed suddenly stopped. Everyone looked at the bed in unison and saw that the woman was full of blood and tears, her expression was horrified, her mouth was wide open and she was already motionless.


    The blood soaked the sheets and even the carpet below was wet. If you hadn¡¯t seen it with your own eyes, who would have imagined that there was so much blood hidden in a person¡¯s body.


    In this way, a female college student in her twenties was actually drained of blood right in front of them. Everyone heard her scream before she died, saw her writhing in pain and despair and finally witnessed that all her struggles were in vain. No one could save her and she died inside her dream.


    ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s not like this¡­ it shouldn¡¯t be like this¡­¡± The president¡¯s face was desperate, blood and tears mixed on his face, streaming down his neck. His emotions had collapsed, his eyes gradually blurred and he seemed to be about to faint.


    Lian Qiao suddenly went up and kicked him. He asked brusquely: ¡°There are so many ghost stories to tell, why do you have to pick this one?¡±


    The president was so stimulated that his soul was forcibly pulled back into his body. He looked panicked, his lips trembled, and he didn¡¯t speak.


    Lian Qiao narrowed his eyes and a cold murderous intent flashed across his originally smiling eyes. Xu RenDong¡¯s heart suddenly tightened and he recalled the Lian Qiao who had killed him in his hallucination. At this moment, the murderous look on Lian Qiao¡¯s face was no different from then.


    He saw Lian Qiao stretch out his hand and he easily pulled the 1.9-meter tall president from the ground. Immediately after he pushed the president against the wall. Everyone heard the heavily muffled sound of the president¡¯s head hitting the wal, and it made their scalps tingle.


    Lian Qiao pinched his neck, slowly tightening his fingers, and his eyes were cold: ¡°Three people make a tiger, is it your experience?¡±


    When Lian Qiao said the word ¡°experience¡±, Zhong Xiu, who had been silent all this time, suddenly changed her face. There was a little more shock in her eyes when looking at Lian Qiao.


    The president grabbed Lian Qiao¡¯s arm in pain, desperately begging for mercy. Lian Qiao didn¡¯t let him go but slammed his head against the wall harder. Bang Bang Bang, three times in succession. There was immediately a visible red mark on the wall.


    ¡°Lian Qiao!¡± Xu RenDong felt that Lian Qiao was in a bad mood and quickly stepped forward to stop him, ¡°Calm down! What¡¯s going on, tell me!¡±


    When Lian Qiao heard his voice, he seemed to be awakened suddenly and showed a brief blank expression. He involuntarily let go of his hand and the president slid down from the wall to the ground and quickly climbed to the corner on his hands and feet, shivering with the other two members.


    Xu RenDong asked: ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you? Why are you going crazy?¡±


    Lian Qiao looked down at his hand, his eyes full of surprise and disbelief. After a long while, he said dully: ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t mean to blame him but Lian Qiao¡¯s violent behavior just made him scared. Lian Qiao didn¡¯t show any mercy at all. If he hadn¡¯t stopped him in time, then he was afraid that the president would have had his brains bashed out by now. At that time, Lian Qiao was full of violent hostility and looked as though he had no problem doing something like that.


    ¡­ as if this was not the first time he¡¯d killed someone.


    Xu RenDong clearly felt fear and hostility radiating around him. He turned his head and saw the horror in everyone¡¯s eyes. At this time, everyone¡¯s fear of Lian Qiao was even greater than Freddy¡¯s murder in a dream. Everyone was backing away quietly, and some even put their hands in their pockets calmly, probably already holding their weapons.


    If this continues, then Lian Qiao will become the target of public criticism.


    Xu RenDong dragged Lian Qiao to his side: ¡°Let¡¯s go back first.¡±


    Lian Qiao was dragged by him. He lowered his head and gave an obedient ¡°En¡±.


    Xu RenDong led Lian Qiao to the door and everyone silently gave way to them. Zhong Xiu followed behind without saying a word, her eyes fixed on Lian Qiao¡¯s back and her expression faintly worried.


    Everyone watched the group of three walk out of the room. Even when Lian Qiao turned his head suddenly, everyone was taken aback and showed a guarded expression. Xu RenDong clenched his arm subconsciously, for fear that he would suddenly go crazy again and commit some violent behavior.


    Lian Qiao seemed to be stung by their behavior, showing his wounded eyes. However, he quickly said: ¡°Don¡¯t sleep at night, you will die.¡±


    Everyone looked at each other. Although they understood what he meant, they didn¡¯t know what expression to make at this time. Lian Qiao didn¡¯t speak any more and just lowered his head, following Xu RenDong in silence like a prisoner.


    ***

 CH 68

    Chapter 68 ¨C Three People Make a Tiger 4


    After returning to the room, Zhong Xiu immediately found towels and clean clothes, and asked Lian Qiao to clean up.


    When Lian Qiao came out of the shower, his body was no longer bloody. He seemed to have sorted his mood out and sat in front of Xu RenDong very obediently.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t control myself just now, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Xu RenDong looked at him carefully, feeling that he had become the familiar Lian Qiao again. His hair was wet and it hadn¡¯t had time to dry yet. His eyes were also clean and clear. There was a softness in his expression, which made people feel very comfortable.


    He turned his head and glanced at Zhong Xiu who was sitting on the bed. Zhong Xiu also nodded affirmatively, thinking that Lian Qiao was not threatening at this time.


    Xu RenDong had no intention of interrogating him but went to the bathroom and took out a dry towel, throwing it at him: ¡°Wipe your hair first, don¡¯t catch the cold.¡±


    Lian Qiao grabbed the towel and rubbed it like a dog that had been in the rain. He wiped it for a while, then carefully exposed a pair of eyes from the towel: ¡°Aren¡¯t you angry with me?¡±


    Xu RenDong smiled: ¡°What have I got to be angry with? It was not me that you beat.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Lian Qiao retracted his head again. From within the towel, he said dully, ¡°¡­but I lost control of my emotions and doing that kind of thing might cause us trouble.¡±


    ¡°What were you thinking?¡± Xu RenDong thought about the scene at the time and muttered. ¡°I also think that the president was not right, but member A was indeed killed in a dream. Do you think member A was killed by him?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Lian Qiao shook his head and thought about it. He said again, ¡°Actually, we can¡¯t for sure say he wasn¡¯t. What does ¡®Three People Make a Tiger¡¯ mean? There¡¯s no way he doesn¡¯t know. Now Freddy in ¡°Nightmare on Elm Street¡± has become a reality, which also confirms our conjectures.¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded. ¡°Three People Make a Tiger¡± is an idiom. It alludes to the story of three people who lied about the existence of a tiger in the city. Those who listened to it believed it to be true. Metaphorically speaking, if there are more and more people involved, they will slowly treat rumors as facts.¡±


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°I¡¯ve inquired and found out that their film society gathers together to watch movies on a regular basis. Since entering the elevator, they often watch horror movies to make themselves more courageous. That means the president obviously had so many choices to choose from, but he chose ¡°Nightmare on Elm Street¡±. The ghost of Freddy in ¡°Nightmare on Elm Street¡± can kill people in their dreams. It¡¯s impossible to guard against him. Freddy in the dream is almost invincible and there is no way to kill him in reality. Doesn¡¯t that mean he deliberately chose a ¡®Hell¡¯ difficulty level?¡±


    Lian Qiao paused, frowning deeper, ¡°And when this ghost story was concreted into reality, the difficulty has actually increased. The person dreaming cannot wake up by themselves and the people around him also can¡¯t wake them up. That means that as long as Freddy enters their dream state, that person will undoubtedly die.¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded and said: ¡°What you say makes sense. But now it¡¯s done, no matter what his intentions are, we are all facing the same predicament. No matter what ability he has, it is impossible to manipulate ghosts. Who¡¯s dream will Freddy enter? Dreams should be random and not controlled by anyone.¡±


    Lian Qiao lowered his head and said glumly, ¡°What if one of them is you?¡±


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t know how to answer. Lian Qiao drooped his head and said in a low voice: ¡°If you have an accident in front of me, I can only watch without being able to do anything¡­ It¡¯s better to kill me directly.¡±


    Xu RenDong suddenly remembered the last time he was caught by Doctor Bird Beak. When Doctor Bird Beak killed him, Lian Qiao saw everything clearly and completely through Lamia¡¯s eyeballs. What was Lian Qiao thinking at that time?


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t dare to think about it. He could only be thankful that Lian Qiao had lost his memory after the world was reset. If he didn¡¯t remember it then it didn¡¯t exist. Anyway, he was still standing in front of Lian Qiao. As long as both of them are still alive, what¡¯s the big deal if he suffered a bit of flesh and blood?


    Xu RenDong sighed. He raised his hand and rubbed Lian Qiao¡¯s hair. Feeling that the roots of his hair were still wet, he took a towel and continued to wipe him.


    Lian Qiao obediently lowered his head, letting him rub his head with a towel and messing up his hair. After a while, Xu RenDong touched his hair again and felt it was almost done. Lian Qiao¡¯s hair felt good and the tips of his hair were still slightly moist. However they make the hair even softer.


    Lian Qiao raised his eyes and looked at him like a puppy. Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help combing his hair with his fingers gently, like a caress. His eyes became gentle unconsciously and his light brown eyes were full of Lian Qiao.


    Lian Qiao suddenly curved his eyes and laughed. That smile was as gorgeous as summer flowers, so bright that it shone directly into people¡¯s hearts.


    But his words were shocking: ¡°Let¡¯s take a bath together next time.¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback and his face instantly changed. He turned his head stiffly and glanced at Zhong Xiu who was sitting on the bed.


    Zhong Xiu silently shrank to the head of the bed: ¡°It¡¯s okay, you can continue to treat me as if I don¡¯t exist.¡±


    When she said this, Lian Qiao felt embarrassed. Both he and Xu RenDong sat upright in silence, not looking at each other tacitly, like two students engaged in an early romance and who had been caught by the teacher.


    Zhong Xiu seemed to think they were so funny and looked at them for a while with a smile. Soon, Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t hold back anymore and jumped up sloppily.


    ¡°Let¡¯s play cards.¡±


    No one could sleep anymore and the three of them played ¡®Fight the Landlord¡¯ all night. The next morning, everyone was tired with bloodshot eyes, but no one dared to sleep.


    Zhong Xiu suggested eating something and they all agreed. When the three of them came to the corridor, they suddenly noticed that the door of the film club room was open, and there was a voice in the room. Xu RenDong walked over curiously and saw the film club trio come out laughing and talking.


    Xu RenDong was wondering how they managed to adjust their mentality so well but when he saw President Little Sun turning around, he respectfully made a ¡°please¡± action. Suddenly a bald headed man with a rosary on his neck and wearing a monk¡¯s robe appeared in the crowd. It was Rock Monk.


    Rock Monk walked out briskly and naturally walked in the forefront side by side with the president, seemingly to have formed an indestructible revolutionary friendship.


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao looked at each other, thinking in their hearts: Did we miss something?


    There were already many people sitting in the restaurant. There was some simple food on the table, steaming hot. It was unknown who made it. Xu RenDong¡¯s group of three sat down and noticed that the expressions on everyone¡¯s faces were weird. He couldn¡¯t help feeling surprised.


    Xu RenDong asked: ¡°What¡¯s going on, what¡¯s happened?¡±


    A girl with dark circles under her eyes said: ¡°It was noisy last night, who was singing¡­¡±


    Rock Monk suddenly said, ¡°It¡¯s warm and lonely~ ¡°


    Everyone was taken aback and only President Little Sun clapped happily: ¡°Okay! The master¡¯s voice has a wide range and sounds like a bell, which is really amazing!¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡± What are you saying? What kind of bullshit is that?


    The dark eyed girl glared at Rock Monk then transferred the glare to Xu RenDong: ¡°And you, were you three playing cards? I will draw a tortoise for a while and fight against the landlord! This kind of thing happened, but you still have the mind to play games!¡±


    Xu RenDong coughed awkwardly. Lian Qiao was upset so he shot back, ¡°I can¡¯t sleep at night so why can¡¯t I find something to do? Should we just be sitting and glaring at each other?¡±


    The girl immediately got angry when she heard this. She slapped the table and pointed at President Little Sun angrily: ¡°It¡¯s all your fault! Who told you to tell ¡®Nightmare on Elm Street¡¯!? Now, it¡¯s not only killed your friend but is dragging us all down into the water!¡±


    President Little Sun was suddenly cue¡¯d and the cloud on his face suddenly grew. The other two members B and C also recalled the tragic death of their compatriot and looked away one after another. They didn¡¯t speak up for the President.


    At this time, it was Rock Monk who came out to relieve the siege: ¡°Amitabha, this benefactor should not be angry. Nothing good will come out of anger.¡± He kindly urged people not to be angry, but his next words were even more infuriating. ¡°Although everyone may die here, however at least this time there is a poor monk in the team. As long as this poor monk does not die first, then he will hold a parting ceremony for you and you will not turn into a lonely ghost. What a wonderful and gratifying reward, there is no need to give thanks.¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡± Haha.


    The girl was so angry that she couldn¡¯t come up with a response. She turned her head and left. Now that the curtain of the farce came down, everyone wanted to change the subject but then they heard menacing footsteps coming from the kitchen.


    When everyone turned their heads, they saw the dark-eyed girl holding two kitchen knives in both hands and, with a murderous expression, rushed towards the monk fiercely!


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Rock Monk changed his expression instantly. He jumped up from his chair like a spring and started to run away.


    Everyone was taken aback and they all scattered one after the other, fearing that they would get caught in the crossfire. Xu RenDong took Lian Qiao and Zhong Xiu and hid in a corner, watching the girl and the monk playing cat-and-mouse. He helplessly said: ¡°This is crazy.¡±


    He had been worried that Lian Qiao¡¯s actions would cause everyone to panic yesterday and turn him into a target of public criticism. He didn¡¯t expect that this girl would suddenly storm off because of a small quarrel, then pick up a kitchen knife and directly begin attacking people! Suddenly memories came to his mind and he thought of another study woman ¨C Ye QingLiu. He couldn¡¯t help but sigh and think: Are all the girls nowadays so vicious?


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°She didn¡¯t sleep all night and her mood collapsed.¡±


    Zhong Xiu nodded: ¡°Yes. The atmosphere will only get worse and worse.¡±


    In the end, the girl failed to hack the monk. His movements were very flexible and he was slippery like a fish and unable to be caught. The girl was very frustrated and chased him for half an hour without even touching a corner of his clothes. She finally vented her anger. Then she threw the kitchen knife down and went back upstairs to her room in anger.


    Nobody was in the mood to eat and so they went back to their rooms one after another. Soon after, Xu RenDong¡¯s door was knocked upon and he opened the door to see that it was President Little Sun.


    When he saw Lian Qiao, his expression trembled, but he still asked sincerely, ¡°Master wants to promote Dharma, come and listen?¡±


    Anyway, they had nothing better to do so the three of them went to the film club¡¯s room. They saw everyone from the film club sitting on the ground, looking up at Rock Monk on the bed. The monk crossed his legs, put one hand on his lap, pinched his fingers in the position of a lotus seal, and with the other hand¡­ he was playing with a mobile phone.


    Lian Qiao was happy in an instant: ¡°This master is interesting, I like it!¡± He immediately joined the congregation and sat beside the film club believes, waiting expectantly for the master to give a lecture.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s forehead bounced with blue veins: ¡°This is just nonsense.¡±


    Zhong Xiu smiled: ¡°Religious belief is also a spiritual support, you should listen to it.¡±


    Xu RenDong only felt that both the old and the young in his family were poisoned by feudal superstition. He really felt a sense of middle-aged powerlessness and frustration. What else can he do? Of course, he could only sit down and listen.


    Rock Monk swiped his phone for a while. Suddenly he showed a happy expression and muttered ¡°found it¡±. Xu RenDong thought he had finally found the speech of feudal superstition but, unexpectedly, the monk poked something with his finger and music switched on.


    This is actually a rock accompaniment that plays repeatedly. The monk instantly came alive, jumped up from the bed, clenched a fist in one hand to act as a microphone, waved the other hand in front of everyone and made a signature ¡°eye-catching¡± action.


    ¡°Hey man, what¡¯s up! Let me recite ¡°Prajna Heart Sutra Rock ¡± for everyone! (Note)¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°???¡±


    With the strong sense of rhythm played by drums and bass, Rock Monk began to sing vigorously : ¡°Buddha! Say! Mo! Ke! Prajna! Bo! Luo! Honey! Heart! Sutra!¡±


    Next is a fast-paced rap song, sung too fast for Xu RenDong to hear clearly. He just vaguely heard a few words ¡°Color is emptiness and emptiness is color¡±. The more he listened, the worse his face became.


    What the hell is this! It really is the Heart Sutra!


    Is it really good to use rock music to recite scriptures! Wouldn¡¯t the Buddha be angry!


    He wanted to find someone who felt the same way as him but found that everyone around him looked very ¡®high¡¯. The film club members held two chopsticks in each hand and followed the monk one by one. Lian Qiao went even further, jumping up and twisting with the monk¡¯s rhythm. Even the gentle and elderly Zhong Xiu swayed gently to the melody with a smile.


    ¡­This is crazy.


    Xu RenDong, as the only person present who was still sensible, felt a sense of powerlessness. But Lian Qiao and Zhong Xiu refused to leave, and he was worried about leaving them both in this place where the demons danced wildly. He listened patiently for a while and then began to feel that the monk sang quite sensibly. Although the entire Buddhist scripture was in unintelligible ancient Chinese, however once the monk rapped long enough, Xu RenDong actually began to hear the rhythm from the heart scripture and couldn¡¯t help but shake his legs. .


    It¡¯s over, I¡¯m also poisoned.


    But this is also good. Xu RenDong looked at the excited smiles of the people and there was no tiredness from having been awake all night on their faces. There was no panic of imminent disaster. He suddenly realized that Rock Monk was cheering everyone up in disguise.


    Although this monk was irritating, he is actually pretty good.


    In this way, Xu RenDong listened to the rock and roll Buddhist scripture concert with gratitude. Everyone was still immersed in the joy and excitement. The monk suddenly took out a bowl from behind and slammed it in front of everyone. Pointing at himself, he said confidently: ¡°I, monk, give money!¡±


    It turned out he wanted to be given alms!


    No, he should be called a street performer¡­ but what he sang is indeed a Buddhist scripture¡­


    Xu RenDong¡¯s whole body felt confused as he watched everyone pay. Lian Qiao scratched his head and said in embarrassment, ¡°I don¡¯t have cash, can I pay with my mobile phone?¡±


    The monk instantly took out a QR code and handed it to Lian Qiao with a smile.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± Your Buddhism really keeps pace with the times.


    Zhong Xiu went up and said, ¡°How do I pay? I don¡¯t have any cash.¡±


    Lian Qiao patiently explained to her: ¡°There is no signal here. You can take a photo of this QR code first and, when you get out, use the photo to identify the QR code to transfer the money to the master¡­¡±


    Seeing Lian Qiao showing Zhong Xiu¡¯s QR code transfer, Xu RenDong realized that the Dharma had resolved the hatred in Lian Qiao¡¯s heart and he was able to get along with Zhong Xiu!


    Dharma is so effective!


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    Note: Prajna Heart Sutra rock: There is really this song. Hatsune Miku-Prajna Heart ½U¥í¥Ã¥¯.


    I forgot to write at the end that I got confused between members A, B and C.


    ***

 CH 69

    Chapter 69 ¨C Three People Make a Tiger 5


    The flow of time became strange. Most of the people in the villa had nothing to do all day and felt that time passed extremely slowly, one day was like a year. However, when the hands of the clock slowly started moving towards midnight, they would stare at it and hope that the second hand would move a little bit slower, wishing that time would stop right then and there.


    The crowd once again gathered in the glass room on the top floor. Outside the glass room was still the endless darkness and the sense of despair of being on an isolated island once again enveloped everyone. Only this time, everyone¡¯s mood was heavier than last night.


    Ghost stories told in this place will come true. Like ghosts in the dream of the first story, they have made everyone so scared that they can¡¯t sleep. If there was another monster tonight, everyone¡¯s situation would become even more difficult.


    But the instruction paper clearly requires them to tell a story every night. If they didn¡¯t tell a story, they were afraid that they would all be punished. This was a custom in the ghost world. Although, even if you do the task honestly, you may not live, however you will definitely die if you don¡¯t do it.


    In the end, what could they do?


    The crowd sat in the center of the glass room. There were only 14 people sitting on the original 15 chairs. The night outside the glass room was just as dim as their situation at that time.


    Lian Qiao glanced at the clock and said, ¡°There is one minute left. If you don¡¯t tell a story now, it will be too late.¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded. Everyone remained silent and no one wanted to speak.


    The stagnant atmosphere made everyone feel extremely depressed. The wind whizzed past and made a whining sound, as if something in the dark was howling and flapping against the window. The movie club trio leaned together tremblingly and Rock Monk was holding his rosary and turning the beads one by one with his eyes closed. His lips moved but it was unknown what he was chanting.


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t feel much in his heart. He wanted to see what would happen if he didn¡¯t tell the story. The worst result was nothing but complete destruction. As long as you die happily, it¡¯s not a bad thing. The beginning of this reincarnation was ruined by the president¡¯s ghost story. Ghosts within dreams were too difficult to deal with. He hadn¡¯t slept for more than 30 hours and his body couldn¡¯t hold on much longer.


    The worst was Zhong Xiu, who was a seriously ill patient. Although she had regained some stamina after entering the elevator world, she was still within the end game of her battle. At this moment, her complexion was extremely bad and she was scarily white. Combined with her skinny figure, she looked like a skeleton and was even more scary than the whistling demon wind outside.


    ¡°It will be over soon.¡± Xu RenDong said lightly, not knowing who he was comforting.


    As soon as his voice fell, he heard a ¡°click¡±. The lights in the entire glass room went out.


    No one had touched the switch. Everyone took a breath at the same time when the lights went out and then they felt the cold wind blow into their necks. The helplessness of being in the wilderness returned. Everyone in the darkness grabbed at the people around them in horror. Someone tried to turn on their mobile phone flashlight but found that the phone could not turn on.


    The lights are turned off forcibly. Xu RenDong thought this calmly and then suddenly found that the back of his hand had become hot. Lian Qiao had grabbed his hand tightly.


    How can he always accurately locate me in the dark?


    Xu RenDong wanted to laugh inexplicably.


    All kinds of sounds intertwined in the dark: everyone¡¯s teeth chattering, rapid breathing, rustling clothes rubbing, and the noise of the wind beating against the windows¡­ The irritability in everyone¡¯s hearts was compounded by this grating sound. Step by step, they pushed themselves into the peak of fear.


    At this moment, the floor shook violently!


    Xu RenDong got up immediately and heard the sound of the chair falling to the ground behind him: ¡°Earthquake?¡±


    Everyone got up. No one could see what was happening in the dark and their breathing was chaotic.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s calm voice came from the left: ¡°The house is shaking.¡±


    The glass frame above his head made a strange sound like twisting steel bars, and the floor tiles under his feet began to crack and bulge. Everyone felt that the sky was spinning around and they stood unsteadily before falling to the ground.


    ¡°What are you doing in a daze, run!¡± It was unknown who shouted but everyone recovered and quickly got up from the ground again.


    It didn¡¯t take long for there to be ¡°pop¡± sounds around them. Several people ran into and slammed against the glass wall curtaining them, screaming incessantly.


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao didn¡¯t intend to move. They all knew clearly in their hearts that if the house was really going to collapse, it would be useless to escape wherever they went. The surrounding shouts and footsteps were chaotic, but Lian Qiao leaned into Xu RenDong¡¯s ear and whispered:


    ¡°Air wall.¡±


    Xu RenDong said ¡°En¡±. He also noticed that the glass room was obviously very spacious, and everyone was running in different directions, but each of them seemed to bump into a wall and was bounced back. The collision sounds sounded very close to them. It was   afraid what they hit was not the real glass wall around them but an invisible air wall.


    Sure enough, the punishment for violating the mission¡¯s requirements is not so simple that you could simply run away to avoid it.


    Just when Xu RenDong was thinking about it, there was a loud noise above his head. Lian Qiao exclaimed: ¡°RenDong!¡±


    Before he could react, Xu RenDong was thrown over by Lian Qiao and pressed under him. There was the sound of huge glass falling to the ground in front of him and there were even many glass shards hitting Xu RenDong¡¯s body. Fortunately, behind the clothes, the glass shards did not scratch him. He quickly stretched out his hand to confirm Lian Qiao¡¯s safety.


    ¡°Lian Qiao? Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay, how about you?¡± Lian Qiao helped him to sit up and slowly pulled him into his arms, feeling him up and down unconsciously, ¡°Have you been hit?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. After Xu RenDong finished speaking, he suddenly felt that his pants were wet, and some hot liquid was flowing down the floor tiles. He stretched out his hand to touch it and felt a warm and slippery texture. The air was filled with a strong smell of blood.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart tightened: ¡°Zhong Xiu!¡±


    He actually forgot Zhong Xiu!


    After the lights went out, Xu RenDong had been waiting for some abnormality to appear. Zhong Xiu didn¡¯t make any sound from beginning to end and she also didn¡¯t hold his arm tightly like Lian Qiao. Her presence was so underwhelming that Xu RenDong accidentally forgot her existence.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart was instantly filled with guilt. Fortunately, Zhong Xiu¡¯s response came from not far away.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay¡­Ugh!¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart followed closely after hearing that muffled hum. He subconsciously broke free from Lian Qiao¡¯s grasp and ran to the source of the sound. Lian Qiao felt his arms become empty and stretched out to grab him but touched nothing but air.


    ¡°¡­¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s fingers slowly tightened and his eyes narrowed dangerously. It was a pity that no one noticed his subtle changes in the darkness.


    ¡°Where are you!?¡± Xu RenDong fumbled forward and quickly touched a thin body.


    ¡°Why are you¡­¡± Zhong Xiu whispered in surprise. Before she could finish speaking, there was a bursting sound above their heads.


    Xu RenDong raised his hand to shield her without thinking, only to feel severe pain in his arm. He gritted his teeth and stifled the cry of pain in his throat, pulling Zhong Xiu into the corner. The chaos around them hadn¡¯t stopped. The sound of men and women crying was chaotic and there is also the sound of glass being stepped on. Seeing nothing in the darkness, he guarded Zhong Xiu behind him. The glass and steel bars over their heads no longer hit them but he was kicked several times by people running around him.


    This was not the way to do it. Xu RenDong yelled: ¡°Don¡¯t run!¡±


    But before he could get the next sentence out, another infuriated roar overwhelmed his voice:


    ¡°All of you fuckers listen to me and freeze! Stop moving!¡±


    Everyone was shocked by the violence in that voice and froze. The shaking of the ground continued and the cracks on the ground were getting bigger and bigger. It seemed as though the house was about to be split down the middle at any minute. The glass over their heads also kept falling and crashing to the ground. It was frightening to hear.


    Only then did Xu RenDong react. The cry had come from Rock Monk. His voice is strong and magnetic, very recognizable, like a shooting star across the night sky, instantly grabbing everyone¡¯s attention.


    After a pause of less than a second, the monk slowly said: ¡°The story I am going to tell today is a fairy tale.¡±


    Is he going to tell a ghost story? At this time?!


    Everyone felt both anticipation and fear concurrently. What they anticipated was that the earthquake may soon stop because of his story. The fear was that everything he said would come true.


    However, there is no better method at this moment. Everyone stopped in place, without saying a word, waiting for the monk¡¯s next words.


    What the monk was telling was a fairy tale named ¡°Juniper Tree¡±. The protagonist of the fairy tale was a little boy who lost his mother in his childhood. Like all unfortunate fairy tales, the boy¡¯s father married a vicious woman who became his stepmother. The stepmother also brought a little sister named Marlene. The vicious stepmother treated the boy very harshly and his father was indifferent to this, however the cute little Marlene still maintained her innocence and treated the boy as her own brother.


    One day, the stepmother bought some apples. The boy became very hungry when he saw it. The stepmother said: The apples are in the box, go and get it yourself. Just as the boy stretched his head into the box, the evil stepmother suddenly exerted a vicious force and heavily closed the box, breaking the boy¡¯s neck while he was still alive. Little Marlene was terrified when she saw her brother¡¯s head separated from his body but the evil stepmother warned her not to tell her father. At night, after their father came back, the cruel stepmother boiled the boy¡¯s body into a broth. The father, who didn¡¯t know about it, thought the broth was exceptionally delicious so he drank the broth without leaving even a mouthful, spit out the bones, and threw it under the table.


    Little Marlene felt distressed for her brother so she knelt under the table, collected the boy¡¯s bones one by one with a silk handkerchief, and buried them under the juniper tree at the door of the house. Suddenly a golden bird appeared on the tree and the bird waved its wings and left the juniper berry tree.


    It flew into the city and sang as it flew:


    My mother, she killed me,


    My father, he ate me,


    My sister, Little Marlene,


    She picked up all my bones and


    Wrapped them in a silk handkerchief and,


    Buried me under that juniper tree.


    Kywitt, kywitt, what a beautiful bird I have become!


    The singing of the birds was so sweet that a jeweler in the city poked his heads out. He asked the bird to sing it for him again and the bird said: only if you give me a gold necklace. The jeweler gave him the gold necklace and so he sang the song again and then flew away with the gold necklace.


    It flew and flew and came to the shoemaker¡¯s window. The shoemaker was attracted by its singing and exchanged a pair of red dancing shoes, asking it to sing for himself. The bird got the red shoes and flew to the front of a mill.


    This time, when the owner of the mill begged it to sing again, the bird¡¯s request was a millstone.


    Finally, the bird returned to the juniper berry tree. ¡°My mother she killed me, my father he ate me¡­¡± It sang and sang constantly, finally attracting his father¡¯s attention.


    The father came to the tree, looked up at the bird, and uttered some compliments. The bird let go of its claws and a gold necklace fell into his father¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Something really weird happened.¡± The father murmured when he returned home, ¡°A bird sang a strange song and gave me a golden necklace!¡±


    Little Marlene was also attracted by the singing and came under the juniper berry tree. The golden bird released the other paw and a pair of red dancing shoes fell in front of little Marlene.


    ¡°Look mother, the bird gave me a pair of red dancing shoes!¡± She told her mother excitedly.


    The evil woman was feeling guilty about killing her stepson and she was restless all day. After hearing the words of her husband and daughter, she decided to also meet this magical bird.


    When she followed the song to the juniper tree and raised her head¡ª


    ¡°A grinding disc fell from the sky and killed her.¡±


    The monk¡¯s deep and powerful voice stopped abruptly. The story was over.


    Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, as early as the half of the story, the shaking of the floor had already gradually subsided. By the end of the story, the surroundings had returned to normal. It was like a baby who had been crying and restless in the dark, and which had finally been comforted and returned to slumber.


    However, Xu RenDong sighed softly.


    Although this fairy tale was weird, it was not very scary. The bad guys were punished in the end and there were no horror elements like ghosts, monsters or beasts within the whole story.


    Obviously, this was a test: Would a story that was not horrific count as a completed task?


    At this moment, with a ¡°click¡± sound, the lights suddenly turned on automatically. The cold incandescent light illuminated the glass room and everyone¡¯s expressions were also lit up. Their eyes were rejuvenated.


    Xu RenDong slowly adapted to the sudden light and quickly observed the surroundings: Lian Qiao was standing not far away and was unscathed other than his clothes being a bit messy. There was a pool of blood on the ground and a man was lying down in the center of the pool of blood. There was a large piece of glass shards stuck in the back of his neck. He had been smashed to death on the spot when the ceiling fell in.


    His heart felt relief when he saw the dead body and he then turned to look at Zhong Xiu. As expected, she only had minor bruises. It seemed that the pool of blood he felt earlier did not come from Zhong Xiu. It was just a false alarm.


    The crowd was scattered around and everyone had more or less a couple of injuries on their bodies. The ground was full of shattered glass and steel, a total mess. Rock Monk stood in the middle of the ruins with a shiny bald head and a clean yellow monk robe without any wrinkles. Compared to the sorry sight cut by others, he seemed to  be completely removed from his surroundings, as if none of these worldly things could hurt him.


    Xu RenDong marveled how he could be so lucky. Was he really protected by the Buddha? But then he saw him fold his hands and closed his eyes. He said in a pious voice: ¡°Amitabha, if I don¡¯t go to hell then who would go to hell?¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback and then someone screamed: ¡°Monk, your legs!¡±


    Xu RenDong looked down and saw that the monk¡¯s feet had frozen into ice. The cold air climbed up the calf and quickly spread over the knees, then his waist, then chest¡­


    The monk smiled heartily at everyone, stretched out a somewhat stiff arm, and waved boldly to them all. Everyone¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t help but focus on him and he clenched his fists contentedly, as if he were a performer in the middle of the stage, holding everyone¡¯s attention in his hands.


    ¡°This humble monk will go one step before you, I will be waiting for you in the land of bliss.¡± The monk left his last annoying words before his humble expression finally froze over and he became a lifeless ice sculpture.


    Afterwards, countless cracks appeared on him. With a snap, he shattered onto the ground.


    The monk died so suddenly that no one could accept it. They all stared at the broken ice ballast in his place with mixed feelings in their hearts. They didn¡¯t know what to say.


    However, the events of tonight should have temporarily passed. The monk told a ghost story that was not terrible and violated the mission requirements. All punishment fell on him alone. His self-sacrifice allowed everyone to figure out the rules of the game. This was even more significant for Xu RenDong.


    Xu RenDong stared at the pile of crushed ice ballast on the ground and couldn¡¯t calm down for a long time.


    Suddenly Lian Qiao¡¯s voice sounded behind him.


    ¡°You are injured.¡±


    The voice was suppressed and very low, sounding faintly irritated. Xu RenDong turned around in surprise and saw Lian Qiao staring straight at his left arm.


    Xu RenDong looked down, only to realize that a large cut had been made on his left arm at some unknown time. The blood was dripping down.


    Zhong Xiu cried out. She didn¡¯t realize Xu RenDong was injured until then. She held up Xu RenDong¡¯s hand in a panic and said worriedly: ¡°How is it? Can you still move?¡±


    Xu RenDong moved his fingers and fortunately it didn¡¯t seem like any muscles or bones had been hurt. He casually said: ¡°It¡¯s okay, there was a glass that fell just now, I blocked it¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao suddenly stepped forward and pulled Xu RenDong hard. He abruptly seized his arm from Zhong Xiu¡¯s grasp. The action was very rough, completely ignoring Xu RenDong¡¯s hand injury. Xu RenDong felt so much pain that his facial features were distorted. With a trembling voice he asked, ¡°What are you doing!¡±


    Lian Qiao gave him a ferocious look, gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Going to bandage it!¡±


    ***

 CH 70

    Chapter 70 ¨C Three People Make a Tiger 6


    The three returned to the room. Lian Qiao pushed Xu RenDong onto the bed with a very bad attitude. Xu RenDong was about to talk to him about what had happened when Lian Qiao grabbed the medicine bag and even pounded the bedside table heavily.


    Xu RenDong felt a bit inexplicable. He thought; Is this how you treat the wounded?


    He wasn¡¯t sure how angry Lian Qiao was but silently made mental preparations to be roughed up. Lian Qiao dragged a stool over heavily, sat down in front of the bed and asked him to stretch out his hand. Xu RenDong took a deep breath and quietly gritted his teeth, only to feel a cold feeling on his arms when his sleeves were opened up. But Lian Qiao¡¯s movements were extremely gentle.


    ¡°Fortunately, it¡¯s not deep.¡± Lian Qiao glanced at the wound and quickly made a judgment.


    Xu RenDong was still wondering why his movements were so light but then there was a sizzling noise. Lian Qiao had poured a bottle with some unknown liquid onto his wound. Numerous bubbles immediately appeared on the wound. Xu RenDong winced in pain but was pressed hard by Lian Qiao.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move, just bear it.¡± At some unknown time, Lian Qiao¡¯s voice has returned to its usual gentleness. He lowered his head, carefully washed the wound with the syrup and softly explained, ¡°This is hydrogen peroxide, a disinfectant.¡±


    Xu RenDong gasped in air, ¡°¡­I thought it was alcohol.¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°Alcohol will hurt more. Now hospitals seldom use alcohol to clean wounds.¡± He washed Xu RenDong¡¯s wound several times with hydrogen peroxide and then changed another bottle of transparent potion. This time it ran over the wound  without any discomfort, it was cool and comfortable.


    Xu RenDong realized that even though Lian Qiao was fierce with his words, he was extremely careful in his actions and was scared of hurting him. Feeling sweet in his heart, he quietly stretched out his hands and let him clean up his wounds. Zhong Xiu watched from the side and suddenly said: ¡°You are so proficient in your movements, do you have a lot of experience?¡±


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t raise his head. He said flatly: ¡°I have seen it a lot in the media.¡±


    Zhong Xiu smiled and said, ¡°You are really knowledgeable.¡±


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t answer but looked at Xu RenDong instead and said, ¡°I¡¯ll open it a bit and see if there are any glass pieces inside.  Just bear it and it will be over quickly.¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded. Lian Qiao asked him to put his arm on his lap and carefully opened the deep hole in his forearm. Most of the glass pieces had been washed away by the potion. Lian Qiao carefully observed the inside of the wound and confirmed that there was no residual glass inside. Then he breathed a sigh of relief: ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wrap it up for you.¡±


    Compared with cleaning the wound, bandaging it almost doesn¡¯t hurt at all. Xu RenDong watched him wrap his arm in gauze, tie a neat knot and finally pulled it slightly, asking if it felt tight.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    Lian Qiao let out a long sigh of relief, showing exhaustion on his face.


    Xu RenDong took out his phone and looked at the time. It was already half past twelve. The three of them hadn¡¯t closed their eyes for two consecutive days and had experienced so many things all at once. They were already exhausted physically and mentally. At this time, his nerves relaxed and a feeling of exhaustion enveloped his entire body. Xu RenDong didn¡¯t hold back and yawned.


    Lian Qiao sighed: ¡°This is not the way to go, we can¡¯t stay awake forever.¡±


    Xu RenDong thought for a while and asked: ¡°I haven¡¯t seen the movie. How were the  ghosts and monsters finally resolved in the movie?¡±


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°There are seven movies in total and the solution for each is different. Some involve dragging the ghost into reality and some look for his corpse to destroy him. But just think about the fact that there are seven movies. This ghost really can¡¯t be killed.¡±


    Xu RenDong sighed. The ghost story given by the president was indeed too difficult. They have been holding on for so long and, if this continues, not only their bodies but their minds will also collapse. Then he said: ¡°Then we might as well just go to sleep and kill it in our dreams.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Yes, but¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°He will only enter one person¡¯s dreamland at a time. If you meet him, you will have to fight alone. I am worried about you.¡±


    Xu RenDong thought that it would be good if he was the one chosen. Anyway, the instance will be reset after he dies. When the time comes, it will be easier for everyone to start afresh. So he smiled at Lian Qiao and put on his usual boss gesture: ¡°What my  strength is like, you¡¯re still not clear?¡±


    Lian Qiao glanced at the bandage on his arm and said quietly, ¡°You are strong but you have bad luck. Also you don¡¯t have any medical knowledge and you¡¯re not even scared of pain¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t refute it so he had no choice but to say: ¡°¡­ In short, it¡¯s been decided. Anyway, I can¡¯t escape so it¡¯s better to rest early.¡± He lay down in the bed and was about to tell Zhong Xiu to come rest but then he saw Zhong Xiu glanced at Lian Qiao thoughtfully. Then she winked at him.


    It seemed that she had something she wanted to say?


    ¡­.Was it something she can¡¯t talk about in front of Lian Qiao?


    Xu RenDong narrowed his eyes and a trace of anxiety flashed in his heart. Zhong Xiu then said: ¡°Two people died tonight so there should be a room available. I will move out.¡±


    Xu RenDong felt that Zhong Xiu¡¯s words had a hidden message and so he didn¡¯t say a word for a while. Lian Qiao didn¡¯t stop her this time but said indifferently: ¡°Well, it¡¯s really too crowded for three people to sleep together. After all, he still has injuries on his hands.¡±


    Zhong Xiu bent down, touched Xu RenDong¡¯s hand gently and stared at him with her eyes. She said: ¡°Then you guys have a good rest, I¡¯ll go first.¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°Okay.¡±


    As soon as Zhong Xiu walked out of the door, Lian Qiao immediately closed the door behind her and locked it with a snap. Xu RenDong had a bad premonition and, sure enough, when Lian Qiao turned around he had that ferocious expression on his face again.


    Xu RenDong instinctively shrank back but Lian Qiao pulled him by his tie and asked angrily: ¡°Why did you push me away just now?¡±


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t quite understand, ¡°Huh? ¡°


    Lian Qiao glared at him: ¡°I would use my life to save you but you actually went to save her?¡± He deliberately poked the bandage on Xu RenDong¡¯s arm but actually carefully avoided the location of the wound, still looking upset. He emphasized, ¡°And you even got hurt!¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°The situation was urgent at the time and I didn¡¯t think so much. Besides, this little injury¡­¡±


    He wanted to say that he was used to getting hurt but Lian Qiao pushed him onto the bed and interrupted viciously, ¡°Little injury, my ass! Are you missing pain nerves or do you have a brain problem? You almost hurt a tendon, don¡¯t you know?¡±


    Xu RenDong thought he was making a fuss. Anyway, as long as he doesn¡¯t die, all wounds can heal after the instance ends. But seeing that Lian Qiao was seriously angry, he thought it was better not to say this.


    Lian Qiao leaned down, leaned against his neck and wrapped his arms loosely around it. He said dully: ¡°I can¡¯t bear you even getting a little scratch but you are hurt like this for her. Can¡¯t you think about it from my perspective? Why do you want to make me feel so bad?¡±


    Xu RenDong finally realized what the source of the problem was.


    It turns out that Lian Qiao was jealous!


    Jealous of his mother!


    He wasn¡¯t being vulgar {¡®Ta Ma¡¯ i.e. ¡°His/Her Mother¡± is also used as a swear word}. Lian Qiao was really eating him and his mother¡¯s vinegar!


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help but want to laugh but soon felt embarrassed again. He didn¡¯t want to tell Lian Qiao that Zhong Xiu was his biological mother. After all, he himself hadn¡¯t accepted this fact. Besides, Zhong Xiu was only thirteen years older than him. She looked so young so would Lian Qiao really believe his words?


    And Zhong Xiu probably also didn¡¯t want this matter to be publicized. After all, giving birth at the age of thirteen is a terrible thing for any girl.


    Xu RenDong sighed. He stroked Lian Qiao¡¯s hair lightly, running his fingers between the soft strands of hair. He finds that he likes to stroke Lian Qiao¡¯s hair more and more, and every time he does this, he feels satisfied and that his chest is filled with warmth.


    With his hair messed up, Lian Qiao raised his head from his chest and looked at him meaningfully: ¡°Don¡¯t do this again in the future.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± Does he really dislike me touching his hair? !


    Xu RenDong was shocked and awkwardly retracted his paw from Lian Qiao¡¯s head. Lian Qiao was taken aback and quickly grabbed his hand, put it back on his head and said,  blushing, ¡°I don¡¯t mean this!¡± He curled his lips and pointed out the door, ¡°I mean, don¡¯t do things that make me jealous again. I¡¯ll be really angry next time! The kind that can¡¯t be coaxed!¡±


    Xu RenDong was amused by him: ¡°Okay.¡±


    Lian Qiao happily hugged him and clung to him for a while. Xu RenDong said: ¡°I want to drink water.¡±


    Lian Qiao immediately got up and went to the bathroom to boil water. Xu RenDong paid attention to Lian Qiao¡¯s movements while opening the left hand that he had always held tightly.


    ¡ªJust now, when Zhong Xiu held his hand, she had stuffed a small note in his left hand.


    At this time, Xu RenDong opened the note and saw two lines written on it:


    ¡°Come to my room at night, I have something very important to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Be careful of Lian Qiao. He has a problem.¡±


    Xu RenDong looked at it silently. With the phrase ¡°he has a problem¡±, he raised his eyes to look at Lian Qiao who was pouring water. The hallucination reappeared in his mind, the hallucination of Lian Qiao killing him.


    Lian Qiao walked towards him while holding the glass of water. Xu RenDong tightened his fingers calmly and held the note tightly in his palm again. Lian Qiao put the water cup on the bedside table and said, ¡°The boiling water I just poured is still hot. Drink it later.¡±


    ¡°Suddenly I feel a little sleepy and don¡¯t want to drink it anymore.¡± Xu RenDong got into the quilt and rubbed his eyes.


    ¡°Then go to sleep.¡± Lian Qiao lay down beside him and hugged him loosely, ¡°Come on, hold my hand. Maybe we can enter the same dream.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Xu RenDong felt a little guilty inexplicably. He moved to the side and whispered, ¡°It¡¯s too hot.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­Okay.¡± He only thought Xu RenDong was shy and didn¡¯t force it anymore. He raised his hand and switched off the light. He said, ¡°Good night.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°En.¡±


    Since Xu RenDong said no, Lian Qiao just lay on the side and didn¡¯t make any more moves. Xu RenDong opened his eyes in the dark, listening to Lian Qiao¡¯s breathing and waiting for him to fall asleep.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s body gradually relaxed and his breathing became even and slow. In the dark, Xu RenDong¡¯s hearing became extremely sensitive. He could even hear Lian Qiao¡¯s heartbeat, so close to him, calm and powerful.


    If it was under normal circumstances, he would definitely be able to sleep peacefully amidst such a heartbeat.


    But at this time, Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help raising his hand and touching his heart. His own heart was beating violently and it was aching.


    He suddenly had an urge to wake up Lian Qiao and ask him clearly what was going on. But- what should he ask?


    Ask him: Why I¡¯m having such hallucinations? Ask him if he has ever killed him before?


    What a ridiculous question.


    ¡­ He could only go and hear what Zhong Xiu had to say first.


    He waited patiently for more than an hour until he could confirm that Lian Qiao was fast asleep. Then he quietly opened the quilt and got out of the bed.


    ***

 CH 71

    Chapter 71 ¨C Three People Make a Tiger 7


    Xu RenDong went to Zhong Xiu¡¯s room and, as expected, Zhong Xiu hadn¡¯t slept yet. She was sitting on the sofa, waiting patiently for him to come.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Xu RenDong closed the door and dropped the lock smoothly.


    Zhong Xiu let him sit down and poured him a glass of water. She then took an object from her pocket and threw it towards Xu RenDong¡¯s hand. She asked, ¡°Have you seen this before?¡±


    Xu RenDong looked down. It was a wooden doll. It was carved in the shape of a young man with wide eyes and a frightened expression. The expressions and movements of the puppet appeared lifelike as though there was a soul hidden inside the rough wooden body. The feeling was quite terrifying.


    He thought of the matryoshka dolls in the Russian matryoshka doll instance and intuitively felt that the doll¡¯s body was full of ominous feelings, and that it must be related to the elevator world.


    Seeing his reaction, Zhong Xiu guessed his answer and sighed. ¡°You really don¡¯t know?  This is a stand-in doll and taking it with you can give you an extra life.¡±


    This really was a good thing. It was a pity that he didn¡¯t need it. Xu RenDong threw the puppet back and asked, ¡°Is this a hidden item?¡±


    Zhong Xiu said, ¡°No, this is¡­¡± She hesitated for a moment and then took a deep breath. ¡°In fact, every instance is related to someone¡¯s personal experience and this person is the key player in that instance. You should know something about this, right?¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded. Lian Qiao had analyzed this with him before. No matter how strange the clearance prompt appeared, someone in the team would always know what it meant. Lian Qiao himself was the key player in the Russian doll instance and no one but him knew the meaning of the Russian language. In the Esophagus and Butterfly in the Stomach instances, the corresponding key players could also be found, namely Little Fatty and Zhang XiaoXiao.


    Zhong Xiu: ¡°Then, did you know that if you kill the key player personally, you can imprison his soul and make him die for you?¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback. No wonder that puppet was full of fear and malice. It turned out that there was a dead soul hidden inside.


    Xu RenDong felt deeply uneasy in his heart. But he still asked in a calm tone: ¡°Why are you telling me this? What does this have to do with Lian Qiao?¡±


    Zhong Xiu smiled bitterly: ¡°Have you forgotten? When Lian Qiao attacked the president the other day, he asked him if ¡®Three People Make a Tiger¡¯ was his experience. This shows that Lian Qiao should know about people being made into puppets. ¡°


    Xu RenDong: ¡°So what?¡±


    Zhong Xiu looked at him deeply: ¡°Everyone who knows this secret has killed someone before. Judging by Lian Qiao¡¯s behavior, it shouldn¡¯t be his first time.¡±


    Xu RenDong frowned: ¡°Then you¡­¡±


    Zhong Xiu showed a complicated smile: ¡°Of course I¡¯m the same.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    He could not imagine that such a delicate patient as Zhong Xiu could actually kill. As for Lian Qiao, after getting to know him for so long, he has already realized that Lian Qiao was not as well-behaved and harmless as he appeared on the surface. Once pushed into corner, Lian Qiao would suddenly transform into a different person, full of brutal and murderous aura. Even Xu RenDong felt scared by that fierceness.


    Xu RenDong was silent for a moment and said: ¡°Maybe another player told him.¡±


    Zhong Xiu shook her head helplessly: ¡°If it were you, would you reveal this secret? After all, everyone could become a key player. The less people know about this, the better.¡±


    She looked at him with an expression of ¡°I¡¯ve already said this much and you¡¯re still sunk into an obsession and refuse to understand¡±. Xu RenDong also read another meaning from her expression: ¡°If I was not your mother, I would not tell you this.¡±


    However, Xu RenDong¡¯s mood was unexpectedly calm. He even breathed a sigh of relief: ¡°That¡¯s all you wanted to say?¡±


    Zhong Xiu was taken aback.


    Xu RenDong smiled slightly: ¡°I was wondering what you wanted to say, it turned out it was just this. Everyone has a secret, even me, and there are things I can¡¯t tell him as well. I don¡¯t want to question him just because of this.¡±


    Zhong Xiu stared at him. Not wanting to give up, she asked: ¡°What if he wants to make a move against you?¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°I will always trust him until he betrays me.¡±


    A trace of helplessness flashed through Zhong Xiu¡¯s eyes. She sighed: ¡°Sure enough, you and him¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s face suddenly went red but he felt that there was no need to hide it anymore. So he plucked up the courage and looked straight into her eyes calmly: ¡°Me and him are indeed in the kind of relationship you¡¯re thinking of.¡±


    Zhong Xiu sighed again. After a while, she shook her head and smiled, seemingly to have accepted the answer.


    ¡°Then hold onto this.¡± She handed the wooden doll over again. ¡°Just in case.¡±


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t reach out. ¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡±


    Zhong Xiu said helplessly: ¡°I know you hate me but this is a matter related to your life and death. Don¡¯t be angry at this moment, okay?¡±


    Xu RenDong lowered his eyes and stroked the teacup with his fingers. He looked at the bow tie Lian Qiao had given him on his left arm and the corners of his mouth raised slightly.


    He said in a self-mocking tone, ¡°Actually, I just discovered that I don¡¯t hate you that much.¡± Zhong Xiu followed his gaze and saw the injury on his arm and immediately understood what he meant. She bowed her head and said nothing.


    Xu RenDong smiled suddenly: ¡°To tell you the truth, when I learned that you weren¡¯t living well, it made me feel a bit relieved.¡±


    Zhong Xiu: ¡°¡­¡± She was speechless for a while and shook her head. ¡°Saying something like this, it really makes it sound like I¡¯m your ex-girlfriend.¡±


    Xu RenDong thought: Turns out you¡¯re so witty, you can actually come up with the same thing as Lian Qiao.


    After this, the two changed the subject and tacitly stopped talking about Lian Qiao. After chatting, Xu RenDong felt more comfortable in his heart. They talked about each other¡¯s current situation and, as they chatted, their sleepiness surged again.


    As Xu RenDong continued to answer Zhong Xiu¡¯s questions, her voice gradually subsided. Unconsciously, her voice started floating from far away. Xu RenDong also felt his eyelids become heavy and his lips become stiff. He couldn¡¯t muster up the strength to talk any more.


    He leaned on the sofa, feeling as though he was floating on a cloud. His whole body was  light and fluttering and it felt as though, just as long as you could close your eyes, you would enter Heaven.


    ***


    A biting chill made Xu RenDong wake up instantly.


    He opened his eyes suddenly and found himself standing in the middle of the road. There was a dark night and a dim moon hanging in the sky, looking very far away. He looked around blankly and found that this was a street that was very difficult to see. It was filled with white mist and felt chilled to the bones. On both sides are houses, one after another, all of which have doors and windows locked. They loomed dark, like huge mouth openings of wild animals.


    ¡°Nightmare on Elm Street¡±?! He really entered the street in the horror movie?!


    A sound suddenly came from behind him, like a glass bottle rolling on the ground. Xu RenDong¡¯s hair stood up in an instant and he ran forward instinctively. He ran all the way down the street and the cool mist slapped against his face, condensing into cold and wet water droplets.


    He clearly felt something was chasing him behind. He didn¡¯t need to look back to know that it was Freddy. Xu RenDong paid attention to his surroundings while running, looking for weapons or a place to hide. He suddenly felt something was wrong with him.


    This house¡­ Hadn¡¯t he already seen it just now?


    Red roof, white house, Christmas wreath hanging on the door. He kept it in his mind and ran forward for a while. It didn¡¯t take long for the house to appear on the side of the road again. The same red roof and white wall, the same Christmas wreath, and even the slightly skewed mailbox on the lawn.


    The street view was repeating?


    ¡­Was it a repeat or a loop?


    Xu RenDong was suddenly shocked and the voice that had been chasing him behind had disappeared. His heart shuddered and he stopped immediately. He heard the wind rush by him and something brushed his neck and swept past!


    The mist was blown away by this note and what appeared in front of his eyes were five shimmering razors!


    ¡°¡­¡± Xu RenDong¡¯s breath felt as though it was blocked in his throat by ice. He stepped back reflexively and finally saw Freddy hiding in the mist. He saw a tall white man standing in front of him with a grinning expression, his face was full of scars. His facial features were distorted, like burnt wax. Freddy looked down at the razor in his hand, showing a rather regretful expression.


    Then, he pounced at Xu RenDong again!


    Xu RenDong turned his head and ran, his heart beating so fast that it almost smashed inside his chest. The air here was too thin. He felt severe pain in his lungs as he ran. Every breath of air he inhaled plunged into his chest like a knife and his physical exertion was astonishingly fast. Before long, the surrounding street scenes began to repeat again and the small red-roofed house appeared in front of him again.


    There¡¯s no way to escape, instead he could only try to hide!


    He rushed towards the house without hesitation. Fortunately, the door was not locked. When he entered the room, he closed the door with his backhand, locked and blocked the door in one go. The door panel was immediately kicked heavily and the cabinet used to block the door was shaken into fragments and it was obvious that it would not last long. Xu RenDong didn¡¯t think much about it. He picked up the baseball bat behind the door and held it in his hand. He turned and ran up to the second floor. Freddy slammed the door aggressively with¡±bang bang¡± noises. Soon, the door frame was smashed loose, and the cabinet blocking the door was also knocked back bit by bit.


    Xu RenDong hid in the closet in the bedroom on the second floor, covering his mouth hard to prevent the violent gasps from revealing his position. The door downstairs was finally knocked open by Freddy and heavy footsteps echoed in the living room and kitchen, revealing the anxious and violent footsteps of the owner.


    Xu RenDong hid in the small closet and felt his heart beating fiercely. There was a sharp tingling sensation in his heart. He pressed his heart with one hand, forcing himself to calm down and listen to the movement outside.


    Freddy swayed around on the first floor, couldn¡¯t find him and quickly arrived at the bedroom on the second floor. Xu RenDong deliberately opened the window before hiding in the closet. At this time, the window was still shaking slightly, making a humming sound. He felt Freddy walk to the window and stood there for a while, probably also bewildered by the illusion he left behind. Xu RenDong prayed silently. As long as he waited for Freddy to leave, he could take a breather and think about how to wake up from this terrible dream.


    However, in the next second, a sharp blade slammed into the cabinet!


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t dodge and a cut was made on his face. Blood began flowing. His heart contracted suddenly and the pain made him feel almost breathless. The razor retreated and then another razor pierced in from a different angle!


    Fortunately, the razor didn¡¯t hit him this time. Xu RenDong didn¡¯t have time to think. Almost instinctively pushed open the cabinet door. Freddy¡¯s razor was still stuck in the door of the cabinet. Xu RenDong took advantage of him and grabbed the top of the cabinet when he was trapped and pulled the cabinet down. With a loud bang, the fallen cabinet stirred up a lot of dust and trapped Freddy underneath. And Xu RenDong had already rushed out of the bedroom.


    What to do, what to do next? How could he wake up from this dream?


    Xu RenDong was dripping with cold sweat and his palms were wet and slippery. He could barely hold onto the baseball bat. He returned to the empty street again and ran instinctively. His brain was spinning fast and he kept looking around, for fear that Fred would suddenly appear again.


    Suddenly, a big tree on the roadside crashed down!


    Xu RenDong relied on his instinct to stop in his tracks abruptly in front of the tree trunk. At the same time, the cold hair on the back of his neck stood up and he instinctively felt something pounce him from behind.


    Xu RenDong suddenly turned around and there was suddenly a sharp pain in his abdomen.


    ¡°Ugh!¡± He lowered his head and saw that a long, narrow and sharp razor had pierced deeply into his stomach!


    Freddy rotated the razor, grinning from his mouth. The severe colic in the internal organs made Xu RenDong almost faint. He bit his teeth and with a dying burst of energy, he clenched the bat and hit Freddy in the head hard. With this blow, Freddy was decapitated and his head rolled sideways. The bald head hit an obstacle on the street and it was unknown where it disappeared to.


    Freddy lost his head and his body couldn¡¯t move for a while. Xu RenDong raised his foot and kicked him away. The razor also fell from his stomach.


    Xu RenDong was in so much pain he could hardly breathe. However, there is no time for rest at this time. He covered his bloody belly, turned and scrambled across the tree trunk, and continued to run forward.


    The night has never been so long.


    ***

 CH 72

    Chapter 72 ¨C Three People Make a Tiger 8


    Lian Qiao and Zhong Xiu stood by the bed, watching Xu RenDong anxiously. Xu RenDong, who was lying on the bed, had his eyes closed tightly and the sheets under him were soaked in blood. He covered his stomach with one hand and waved with the other, as if he were fighting with something invisible.


    Lian Qiao was panicked, wishing to rush into his dream and fight alongside him. But at this time Lian Qiao, like Zhong Xiu, could do nothing but wait anxiously. He didn¡¯t even dare to touch Xu RenDong as he didn¡¯t know if this would affect Xu RenDong¡¯s actions in his dream, making him unable to avoid the next fatal attack.


    This feeling of powerlessness was like a big rock, weighing heavily on Lian Qiao¡¯s heart and making him almost breathless.


    Zhong Xiu had already burst into tears. Then she stuffed something into Xu RenDong¡¯s hand and held his hand tightly. Lian Qiao frowned and pushed Zhong Xiu away: ¡°What are you doing!¡±


    With red eyes, Zhong Xiu pointed to the thing in Xu RenDong¡¯s hand and asked sharply: ¡°Don¡¯t you know what I¡¯m doing?!¡±


    Lian Qiao looked in the direction she was indicating and saw a lifelike wooden doll lying quietly beside Xu RenDong. Xu RenDong¡¯s hands kept moving and he accidentally pushed away the puppet. The puppet rolled down from the bed with a horrified expression. Zhong Xiu jumped over to catch it and put it back into Xu RenDong¡¯s hands again.


    Lian Qiao narrowed his eyes: ¡°What is this? A prop?¡±


    Zhong Xiu was taken aback: ¡°¡­you don¡¯t know what this is?¡±


    Lian Qiao was irritated: ¡°What I know doesn¡¯t matter. The key is, can this thing save him or not?¡±


    Zhong Xiu was silent. Xu RenDong had been moving around and couldn¡¯t hold the doll at all. She doesn¡¯t know if this was useful but now she has no other way.


    Time crawled by like sticky mud and every minute was extremely slow. Lian Qiao had to look at his phone almost every minute. Since he was awakened by Zhong Xiu at five o¡¯clock in the morning and saw Xu RenDong falling into a nightmare, half an hour had already passed.


    During this half an hour, Xu RenDong first showed a bloody mark on his face and then a big hole appeared out of nowhere on his stomach. He covered his stomach with his hands and small plumes of blood continued to gush out from between his fingers, quickly soaking his clothes and sheets into blood red. This amount of bleeding was  shocking just to look at. Lian Qiao tried countless ways to wake him up but they were all in vain. Xu RenDong always had his eyes closed tightly, frowning deeply, breathing sometimes quickly and sometimes suddenly holding it in, as if suffocating.


    The thing that Lian Qiao feared the most still happened. He could only watch Xu RenDong suffer but he couldn¡¯t do anything. This made him feel extremely desperate.


    The two stared at Xu RenDong and no one spoke. The room was suffocating and depressing, and only Xu RenDong¡¯s violent gasping sound could be heard. There were occasional painful grunts. Whenever Xu RenDong uttered a painful cry, the two people beside him couldn¡¯t help but want to step forward, but they could only suppress this impulse abruptly.


    Fresh wounds continued to appear on Xu RenDong¡¯s body and his face became paler. Everyone could see that Xu RenDong¡¯s physical strength was gradually becoming weakened. The rise and fall of his chest would often suddenly stop and the extent of struggle and twisting was getting smaller and smaller. The expressions on Lian Qiao and Zhong Xiu¡¯s faces became increasingly desperate.


    It was unknown how long it took but suddenly the wooden doll in Xu RenDong¡¯s hand made a soft ¡°click¡±. Lian Qiao and Zhong Xiu looked at Xu RenDong¡¯s palm together  and saw that the doll¡¯s head split from the middle and that the crack continued to extend down the bridge of the nose and throat. Soon, the whole doll was completely split in half and fell onto the bed.


    And then, at the same time.


    ¡°Ugh-¡± Xu RenDong opened his eyes suddenly, taking a long breath of air as if he were a drowning person that finally surfaced.


    ¡°RenDong!¡± Lian Qiao almost threw himself in front of him, overjoyed. ¡°You finally woke up!¡±


    The light brown flickered stiffly. Xu RenDong hadn¡¯t fully awakened from the nightmare and just stared at the ceiling blankly. The wounds on his body were healing quickly, the big hole in his stomach disappeared and only shocking blood stains remained on his clothes.


    Zhong Xiu breathed a sigh of relief and silently put away the cracked wooden doll.


    It took a long time for Xu RenDong to relax and his dry lips moved up and down. Lian Qiao quickly bent down and put his ear to his lips.


    Xu RenDong said in a whisper: ¡°Water¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get it!¡± Lian Qiao quickly brought a water glass and helped him sit up.


    Xu RenDong seemed to have just escaped from the desert, gulping out a whole glass of water. Finally, the pupils of the vague eyes gradually gained focus. He glanced at Lian Qiao blankly, then at Zhong Xiu and suddenly his face changed. He covered his head with his hands.


    ¡°Does it still hurt?¡± Lian Qiao tugged him into his arms and spoke soothingly. ¡°It¡¯s okay, you¡¯re awake, he can¡¯t catch you anymore, you¡¯re safe, you¡¯re okay¡­¡± He kept on repeating the phrase ¡°you¡¯re okay¡±. His voice gradually changed from tremor to calmness, as if he was comforting Xu RenDong at the same time as himself.


    Xu RenDong had a splitting headache. He remembered that he was chased by Freddy on Elm Street just now. A big hole was opened in his stomach and he was stabbed more than a dozen times in his hands and feet. But Freddy was not in a hurry to kill him and kept letting him run away in a game of cat and mouse, repeatedly returning to stab him a few more times here and there. He eventually fell to the ground with exhaustion. Freddy also got tired of playing and gave him a fatal blow to the head, splitting his head in half.


    The touch of the brain plasma leaking from the gap in the skull still lingered on his nerve endings. Xu RenDong rubbed his forehead, only to feel that his scalp was numb, and the deep part of his brain was still trembling slightly.


    But why was he still alive?


    He thought he would be in the elevator when he saw Lian Qiao again but he never expected that he was still lying on the bed in the bedroom. He didn¡¯t react for a while, then turned his head and glanced at Zhong Xiu. He asked in surprise: ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Zhong Xiu was taken aback, showing a somewhat subtle expression. Xu RenDong suddenly felt that the atmosphere was not right and then heard Lian Qiao¡¯s voice, which was suppressing anger, say: ¡°¡­This is her room.¡±


    Xu RenDong widened his eyes in surprise and reconfirmed his surrounding environment. He realized this was indeed the room after Zhong Xiu moved out into. He remembered that last night he sneaked out to see Zhong Xiu in the middle of the night, and then fell asleep in Zhong Xiu¡¯s room. When Zhong Xiu was also asleep, she was probably awakened by his screams in his dream and so had called Lian Qiao to come over.


    He looked down at himself. The big hole in his stomach was gone and his left arm didn¡¯t hurt anymore. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder: ¡°How come all my injuries are healed¡­?¡±


    ¡°I used a doll,¡± Zhong Xiu whispered. .


    It turns out that using a doll can not only resurrect someone but also heal all injuries. Xu RenDong feels that this item is much easier to use than his rebirth ability, at least the instance doesn¡¯t need to be completely restarted and it would save so much time.


    After all, it was something obtained at the cost of a human life. This key player¡¯s death is very valuable.


    Xu RenDong suddenly had an impulse to go kill the president and grab his doll.


    ¡­¡­Wait, wait¡­


    At this moment, something flashed across Xu RenDong¡¯s mind and made him feel extremely uneasy. But he couldn¡¯t capture what it was for a while but only felt that it was something very important.


    His head started to hurt again.


    He frowned unconsciously and his gaze stayed on Zhong Xiu unconsciously. Zhong Xiu got the wrong idea and cautiously apologized: ¡°Sorry, I used the doll rashly on my own accord¡­¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong recovered and casually asked: ¡°You¡¯ve still got a few?¡±


    Zhong Xiu: ¡°No.¡±


    This meant that Zhong Xiu used the only life-saving item she had on him.


    Xu RenDong felt a very complicated emotion in her heart. He turned his head and stopped looking at her. However he said in a low voice: ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Zhong Xiu smiled and didn¡¯t answer.


    Lian Qiao beside him suddenly said, ¡°Are you done?¡± His voice was a little cold, completely different from usual.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Lian Qiao grabbed his arm and dragged him up from the bed: ¡°I have something to tell you, come with me.¡±


    Xu RenDong was confused and he was dragged back to their bedroom. Lian Qiao slammed the door heavily and the door frame shook. Xu RenDong felt that Lian Qiao was extremely irritable at this moment and shrank back subconsciously.


    Sure enough, when Lian Qiao turned around, his brows were furrowed and his eyes were full of mania. He looked so fierce that it appeared like he would jump on him in the next second. His voice was low, suppressing fury: ¡°What the hell are you trying to do!?¡±


    Xu RenDong felt inexplicable: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Lian Qiao narrowed his eyes and stepped closer. Xu RenDong stepped back subconsciously. Soon his back felt cold and he was forced to a corner. This feeling of having nowhere to run made him panic. He instinctively wanted to turn his head and run away but Lian Qiao suddenly pressed his shoulders hard and pressed him against the wall.


    ¡°Wu!¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s movements were very rough. Xu RenDong¡¯s shoulder was hurt by him so he couldn¡¯t help but push him back. ¡°You have something you want to say?!¡±


    Lian Qiao sneered: ¡°Haven¡¯t I already said it? Did you listen? You just promised me not to see her but when I fell asleep, you ran to her room to have a private meeting with her?!¡±


    Xu RenDong was surprised. He wanted to explain but once he opened his mouth, nothing came out.


    What should he say? He went to Zhong Xiu because Zhong Xiu warned him that there was a problem with Lian Qiao and asked him to be careful regarding Lian Qiao?


    Lian Qiao looked at Xu RenDong¡¯s hesitant expression and a look of injury flashed in his eyes. He almost gritted his teeth and asked, ¡°You still have old feelings for her, then what am I?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°You misunderstood! She is not¡ª¡±


    Lian Qiao interrupted him: ¡°Misunderstanding! It was her on the phone that day right!?¡±


    Lian Qiao meant the day they confirmed the relationship. Xu RenDong denied decisively: ¡°No! That day¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao became more and more frantic: ¡°You¡¯re lying! I heard you calling her ¡°Teacher¡± on the phone!¡±


    He didn¡¯t listen to the explanation at all and tightened his fingers on Xu RenDong¡¯s shoulder. Xu RenDong was pinched painfully and his emotions became irritable: ¡°I said it¡¯s not! That¡¯s the teacher from my orphanage!  The person that raised me!¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes were shocked: ¡°She raised you? Then you got together?¡± The shock in his eyes instantly turned into fury, ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean she¡¯s a fucking pedophile?! What the hell did that woman do to you!? What did you guys actually do-¡±


    The word ¡°pedophile¡± caused Xu RenDong to have a strong physical aversion. In addition to his anger, he felt himself lose a bit of control and sternly cursed: ¡°Can¡¯t you fucking talk human! Why are you going crazy! Can¡¯t you calm down and listen to me to explain!¡± He pushed Lian Qiao hard, trying to escape from under the pressure of his clutches but Lian Qiao appeared to have lost his mind and pressed his shoulders desperately, almost crushing his joints.


    Lian Qiao yelled at him: ¡°No! I only know now that I am such a big idiot! I shouldn¡¯t have let you answer the phone that day! I should have pushed you onto basin and fucked you until cried and begged for mercy. Fuck you until you don¡¯t have the energy to find someone else!¡±


    Xu RenDong was stunned by these explicit words and then, before he could react, something heavy fell onto his body. A soft thing was pressed on his lips and heat suffused his face.


    ¡°¡­¡± Xu RenDong opened his eyes wide and forgot to resist.


    Lian Qiao clung to his body and kissed him fiercely as if he were a conquering army. He forced Xu RenDong in a corner with no escape from the assault.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Xu RenDong¡¯s shoulders were sore that he struggled instinctively. Once he freed his shoulder, Lian Qiao finally loosened his grip. However, the next second, he grabbed Xu RenDong¡¯s hands and held them high above his head, forcing him to assume an irresistible posture.


    Xu RenDong felt extremely ashamed but was robbed of his logic by Lian Qiao¡¯s wild and rude kiss. He was soft all over and was almost unable to stand up. If it hadn¡¯t been for Lian Qiao holding him down, it was afraid that he would have already slid down the wall.


    He felt that it was not the time to do this kind of thing, but¡­


    But his body couldn¡¯t help being excited and even the tip of his heart trembled.


    He couldn¡¯t help responding to Lian Qiao¡¯s kiss, accepting the stormy offensive. Under his young and clumsy acceptance, Lian Qiao gradually became less rough and his lips and teeth were stained with gentle and lingering meanings.


    Xu RenDong wanted to put his arms around his neck and kiss him well. He moved his wrists but Lian Qiao misunderstood what he wanted and instead squeezed him harder.


    Xu RenDong was crushed by him and frowned slightly. The two love of them clearly reciprocated each other¡¯s feelings but somehow, something like this was forced to happen¡­. Lian Qiao was really¡­.


    His brain felt a little hypoxic. Xu RenDong can¡¯t think of any words to describe Lian Qiao but just felt the situation was both funny and helpless.


    His body is light and fluttering, as if standing in the clouds. Lian Qiao¡¯s hot body temperature came from between two close bodies and the same scorching breath slapped on the tip of Xu RenDong¡¯s nose, causing his breathing to become more rapid. There were waves of dizziness in the depths of his brain and he gradually couldn¡¯t breathe, thinking dizzily:


    So this is kissing ah¡­.


    It¡¯s so sweet.


    Xu RenDong closed his eyes in the sweet dizziness and felt the kiss with all his body and mind. His breathing became shorter and shorter and he felt a little tight in his chest. But whenever he wanted to take a big breath, Lian Qiao would take the opportunity to dive deeper and block his breath.


    So dizzy¡­ I can¡¯t breathe¡­


    Xu RenDong struggled weakly and Lian Qiao still held him tightly, without any signs of relaxing. His chest was also so crushed that he couldn¡¯t move. He could only lift up the only movable leg and kicked Lian Qiao lightly. It was unknown where he kicked but Lian Qiao finally moved.


    The breath that was close at hand suddenly became heavy. Immediately afterwards, Lian Qiao released his hand and pinched his waist.


    RenDong¡¯s entire body was soft.


    ¡­ Was this him paying back a grievance?


    Xu RenDong thought about this helplessly as his consciousness gradually drifted.


    Finally¡­


    There was a biting chill which made his whole person come back awake.


    Xu RenDong opened his eyes suddenly, staring blankly at the mist that filled the surroundings and the familiar small house with a red roof and white walls in front of him.


    Five shimmering razors emerged from the fog and, at the same time, there was a surprised voice.


    ¡°You actually dared to come back.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°???¡±


    His reaction was full of anger: Fuck I was just fainted, I wasn¡¯t going to sleep okay!?


    ***

 CH 73

    Chapter 73 ¨C Three People Make a Tiger 9


    Without any suspense at all, Xu RenDong was quickly killed by Freddy.


    Back inside the elevator, he hadn¡¯t yet recovered from the pain. It was only when Zhong Xiu said quietly, ¡°I am his former teacher¡­¡± that Xu RenDong raised his head and saw a strange color flashing through Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes. He suddenly realized what he was thinking about. Xu RenDong became instantly angry, slapped Lian Qiao¡¯s arm and coldly said: ¡°Don¡¯t think weird thoughts, she is not my ex.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°???¡± I haven¡¯t said anything!


    When they got to the living room of the villa, they saw the familiar scene again. The four members of the film club were huddled together and Rock Monk shook his head with the music inside his headphones, immersed in his own little world. The others sat or stood, all with different expressions.


    After some self-introduction, everyone explored around separately and finally gathered in the sun room on the top floor. Outside the glass curtain wall was still bottomless darkness and the wild wind roared, making people feel cold. Fifteen chairs were arranged in a circle and a piece of paper was placed on one of the chairs.


    Xu RenDong walked straight to the chair and picked up the note. The same content was on the note: Notes for the Courage Training Camp: 1. The theme of this issue: the deepest horror in the heart. 2. Activity content: Please turn off the lights at 00:00 every night, share a ghost story in the glass room and face the horror in your heart. Share at least one story every night. 3. Friendly reminder: The story cannot be repeated, someone will die. The story must not be not scary, someone will die. 4. Just kidding.


    Xu RenDong repeatedly scanned the contents of the paper while summarizing the information he had so far.


    Ghost stories must be told every night. This is a hard requirement. If you don¡¯t do it, there will be an earthquake and it would directly be GAME OVER for all the members. The ghost story told will come true if it was scary. The ghost will come to kill people in reality according to the setting of the story. However if the story was not scary, then the narrator will become an ice sculpture and shatter on the spot.


    In this way, either a new horror element was added every day or a person was killed on the spot. Regardless of whether the horror story was true or not, the difficulty of the instance increases exponentially. The most important thing is the start. Xu RenDong was very miserable in the last reincarnation because the idiot president chose a very difficult ¡®hell level¡¯ start. The setting of ¡°Nightmare on Elm Street¡± was simply incomprehensible. Even if you escape via a puppet, you will still be killed by Freddy the second time you fall asleep.


    When he thought of this, he felt so angry but had nowhere to express it.


    After everyone circulated the note, the note spontaneously ignited once again, turned into ash and drifted away with the wind. The president immediately said: ¡°Anyway, should I try it out first? If anything happens to me¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong immediately kicked him and knocked him to the ground.


    President: ¡°???¡±


    Everyone: ¡°???¡± Why did you start with a fight?


    Xu RenDong spoke calmly under the horrified and suspicious eyes of everyone. He spoke with a serious and earnest voice: ¡°Don¡¯t say such things, it¡¯s unlucky. Don¡¯t you know what ¡®Three People Make a Tiger¡¯ means? If you want to curse yourself, please close the door and say curse words only you can hear.¡±


    Everyone opened their eyes wide in surprise and the president¡¯s mouth was also wide open. He sat on the ground and forgot to stand up.


    Lian Qiao feels that this scene is very familiar-oh, come to think of it, Boss RenDong in the Russian matryoshka instance also came up and kicked the rabbit over. At that time, the rabbit was sitting on the ground just like this, looking up at the big boss dazedly.


    ¡­ The boss still has a violent temper.


    But thinking about it, the boss made a lot of sense! ¡®Three People Make a Tiger¡¯, literally speaking, means that a lie that three people circulated will become true. Putting it in the world of ghosts, it is not impossible it will raise a FLAG that will be harvested within seconds.


    It turns out that the boss was saving people!


    Lian Qiao looked at Xu RenDong with a sense of pride in his eyes and the corners of his lips were slightly raised.


    Xu RenDong ignored the shocked gazes of everyone and calmly announced: ¡°I¡¯ll tell the first story. If you want to ask why, because I am a nine-level boss.¡±


    Everyone was stunned by his domineering declaration and thought to themselves that it was really amazing that someone could survive the nine instances and so they didn¡¯t dare to speak immediately.


    Therefore, Xu RenDong successfully overthrew the boss from his position and became the first teller of ghost stories.


    Xu RenDong had a general idea about how to start the game this time. The hour hand just moved towards twelve o¡¯clock, all the lights went out instantly and the glass room plunged into absolute darkness again. The people present couldn¡¯t help exclaiming, Xu RenDong took a deep breath and began to tell his story.


    ¡°A long, long time ago, there was a little boy who lost his mother. Like all fairy tales, his father soon married another woman and a stepmother entered the door. Not long after there was also a lovely sister named Marian¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong chose the ¡°Juniper Tree¡± story told by Rock Monk but he didn¡¯t copy the original story exactly and slightly altered it instead.


    In the darkness, the crowd sat in a circle. Xu RenDong slowly paced in a circle behind everyone. His voice was low and dull, coming and going, near and far, as unpredictable as the wind slapped on the window.


    Everyone listened attentively to this ghostly tone,and felt that their backs were cold, as if something had creeped up on their backs.


    ¡°¡­The stepmother said, ¡®The apple is in the box, go get it yourself¡¯. The little boy poke his head into the box innocently after hearing what he said. At this moment, the stepmother suddenly closed the lid of the box with force¡ª¡±


    Xu RenDong happened to come to the glass door. He grabbed the door frame and slammed the door shut. Everyone was unprepared and was so frightened by the loud noise that some people even fell from their chairs with weak legs.


    Xu RenDong listened with satisfaction to the rapid gasps of the crowd and continued to describe in a creepy voice: ¡°The little boy¡¯s neck was crushed by the box like this. Poor boy, his head grunted and rolled into the box. Blood sprayed out from the broken neck, soaking the whole head red, really looking like a red apple.¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡± I know it¡¯s not real, but why are the sound effects so good!


    The story went on. Xu RenDong walked farther and farther on the deliberately scary path, scratching the glass with his nails for a while, making a harsh noise, and then strangling someone¡¯s neck with a sleeve, telling him that a gold necklace had fallen from the tree.


    Finally, the story was about to enter the climax at the end.


    ¡°This vicious woman felt guilty about killing her stepson. She has been restless all day. After listening to her husband and daughter, she decided to meet this magical bird too¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s voice became lower and lower and he drifted faintly behind the crowd. His fingers ran across the back of the crowd if nothing happened, evoking a wave of tremors. In this immersive 5D ghost movie, everyone was so scared that they did not dare to breathe loudly. They were all in a cold sweat, tremblingly and waiting for the end of the story.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Then, a millstone fell from the sky¨C¡°


    At this moment, all the lights suddenly turned on!


    Xu RenDong was taken aback and the chair held high in his hand stopped abruptly in the air.


    Why was it over? He also wanted to randomly pick a lucky spectator and kill him on the spot. Speaking of which, who knew who this lucky audience member would be¡­


    Xu RenDong looked down and met the president¡¯s horrified eyes.


    The next second, the president paled and passed out with a ¡°Ying!¡°.


    Xu RenDong put down his chair silently, spreading his hands in a gesture of: ¡°You all saw it, I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong regretted it in his heart. If he had known it was the president he was standing behind then who cared if the lights came on or not, if he slammed the chair down he could still pick up a doll for nothing. What a loss.


    The more he thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt so that when he returned to Lian Qiao, he was full of grievances.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± Why are you so irritable today, big boss?


    The other three members of the film club hurriedly stepped forward to help the president up. The two women and one man called the president at the same time. The scene was very moving. The people present were a little bit unwilling to watch it and all averted their faces in embarrassment.


    Rock Monk said: ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°It should be. The mission is over, go back and rest.¡± After thinking about it, he added, ¡°By the way, if you see a box, don¡¯t just stretch your head inside.¡±


    Lian Qiao suddenly stretched out his hand and said weakly, ¡°¡­Is it that kind of box?¡±


    Everyone looked in the direction of his fingers and instantly all their faces changed.  They saw a dark wooden box suddenly appear in front of the empty glass door. The box looked similar to the treasure box in the game, about the size of a suitcase. Everyone looked at each other and they all had the same thought in their hearts: The ghost story has come true!


    Xu RenDong was not surprised by this and, on the contrary, he was very happy. At this time, the explanation can be omitted and everyone should now have a deep understanding of what ¡°Three People Make a Tiger¡¯ actually means.


    Everyone went over to the wooden box and suddenly heard a ¡°creak¡±. The wooden box unexpectedly opened its lid. It was dark inside and you can¡¯t see the inside from any angle. Someone took out the phone and turned it into a flashlight mode to shine into it, but the wooden box actually looked like a black hole, swallowing all the light and it still looked dark.


    Lian Qiao was surprised: ¡°Huh, a black body?¡±


    Xu RenDong gave him a surprised look, and Lian Qiao explained: ¡°This is a physics concept. It means that once light enters the black body, it will be refracted countless times and finally all the light will be trapped inside the black body and cannot be caught by the eyes of people outside. Therefore, from the outside, the inside of the black body is absolutely dark.¡±


    Everyone was surprised and Zhong Xiu also said admiringly: ¡°You are so knowledgeable.¡±


    Xu RenDong has become accustomed to Lian Qiao¡¯s knowledge reserve so he is very calm. Unexpectedly, Lian Qiao frowned and touched his chin and mused: ¡°But the black body shouldn¡¯t be this structure, it doesn¡¯t conform to the laws of physics¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong said with a laugh: ¡°There are even ghosts here and you are still entangled with the laws of physics?¡±


    Lian Qiao thought about it and laughed: ¡°You¡¯re right, I¡¯m the one whose thinking too much.¡±


    Suddenly someone reacted: ¡°Fortunately, there were no ghosts in the story you just told! Otherwise¡­¡±


    It suddenly dawned upon everyone and they became frightened and admiring of Xu RenDong¡¯s intellect. Xu RenDong glanced at the president of the film club quietly. The poor child had just woken up and was being embraced left and right. When he was glared coldly by the boss, his eyes rolled back and he fainted again.


    ¡­What the heck?


    Xu RenDong recalled the courageous performance of the president in the last reincarnation and quickly understood: he was acting.


    Sure enough, the president¡¯s second fainting caused strong dissatisfaction among the three members of the film club. The gay member B walked over angrily and pointed his finger at Xu RenDong¡¯s nose and cursed: ¡°Why are you like this! Why are you targeting our president? Are you jealous of our president who is tall and handsome!¡±


    ¡­. This is really ¡®mirages appear in the eyes of lovers¡¯.


    Xu RenDong glanced at the president on the ground, thinking that your president is not as good as Lian Qiao. He totally overlooked the fact that he himself has opened the 800x lover filter.


    Member B pointed with his index and little fingers together and scolded for quite a while. Xu RenDong felt impatient and frowned. But just at that moment Lian Qiao picked up a chair, stared coldly at Member B and directly threatened: ¡°Keep scolding and I¡¯ll send you directly to heaven.¡±


    Member B was schooled and his small face paled. He scrambled back to his friends and the other two girls stared at them with resentment, trying to kill them with their eyes.


    Xu RenDong felt that this was not good so he said to everyone: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my friend can¡¯t control his emotions.¡±


    Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the boss is still magnanimous.


    Xu RenDong said again in the next sentence: ¡°So you should be polite to me. If you call me names, he will attack you.¡±


    Lian Qiao threw his chair to the ground and, in a voice that was both milky and fierce, barked: ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡±


    Rock Monk suddenly laughed and patted the two hard on the shoulders: ¡°You are really unique, I like it!¡±


    After such a farce, everyone was a little tired. Especially Xu RenDong who had not rested for four or five days in a row. After finally falling asleep and being chased by Freddy all night in his dream, his entire person was simply not good.


    The reason he fainted was mostly because of physical exhaustion.


    Xu RenDong would never admit that he fainted due to Lian Qiao¡¯s kiss. What a joke, this is not in line with his personality as a nine-level boss!


    In short, he can finally sleep well tonight. Xu RenDong lay down between Lian Qiao and Zhong Xiu and said ¡°good night¡± happily. He almost fell asleep as soon as he touched the pillow and, before long, a restless paw touched his collarbone.


    Without any hesitation, Xu RenDong kicked Lian Qiao down.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Hey! Boss, I was wrong!¡±


    After a while, Zhong Xiu: ¡°RenDong, are you asleep?¡±


    Xu RenDong woke up in a daze, raised his foot and kicked Zhong Xiu down. .


    Zhong Xiu: ¡°???¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Hahahahaha! No one is spared by the Gods!¡±


    The night was finally quiet.


    ***

 CH 74

    Chapter 74 ¨C Three People Make a Tiger 10


    Xu RenDong thought he would be able to get a good night¡¯s sleep that night but he didn¡¯t expect to be woken up again at two o¡¯clock in the morning.


    The film club quartet had made a fool of themselves again.


    When Xu RenDong¡¯s trio arrived, a large crowd of onlookers had already gathered outside the film club¡¯s room again. It was a familiar scene singing a familiar tune. Just like before the president rushed over and was kicked away by Lian Qiao.


    Unlike last time, this time there was no woman covered in wounds screaming on the bed. It was still the cowardly and delicate Member A who had the accident but the scene of the crime was changed to the bathroom. A headless female body was lying on the toilet. Her hands were hanging by her side and her neck was like a broken faucet, blood was gurgling out, turning the floor tiles of the toilet into a bright and dazzling red.


    Member A¡¯s method of death was exactly the same as that of the little boy in Xu RenDong¡¯s ghost story and everyone¡¯s expressions changed when they saw it.


    ¡°Fuck, wasn¡¯t it a box? How did it become a toilet?!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t even use the toilet? What should we do! Damn, I want to pee right now!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s miserable but I kind of want to laugh. ¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong looked at the president helplessly: ¡°What¡¯s going on this time again?¡±


    Everyone: ¡°?¡± Why do you mean by ¡®again¡¯?


    The president wiped the blood and tears on his face: ¡°She, she got up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet and then her head was snapped off by the toilet lid¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong glanced into the toilet. It was clean and there was no head: ¡°Where is the other end?¡±


    The President spoke in shock: ¡°There was a hand that came from inside and¡­ dragged the head inside¡­¡±


    ¡°Hand?¡± Xu RenDong was stunned. ¡°How can there be a hand?¡±


    The president didn¡¯t answer. Xu RenDong looked at the other two people in the film company and they turned their heads silently with embarrassed expressions on their faces. After a while, the gay member B whispered: ¡°She didn¡¯t dare to go to the toilet alone so the president made a joke with her and said are you afraid that there will be hands coming from inside the toilet¡­¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡± You are really talented, you even dare to make such a joke at such a time.


    Lian Qiao touched his chin and said, ¡°It seems that ¡®Three People Make a Tiger¡¯ really is three people becoming a tiger. Not only does the ghost story told at twelve o¡¯clock become true but as long as ghost stories are told that more than three people hear, they will become true.¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­Doesn¡¯t this make things fucking harder?!¡±


    Xu RenDong felt helpless and gave the president a dark look: ¡°You guys are so free that you actually have time to discuss if there are hands in the toilet?¡±


    The president: ¡°Because we came in we were watching ¡®The Night of Returning Soul¡¯¡­.¡± {English title is ¡°Out of the Dark¡±, movie is from 1995.}


    Xu RenDong: ¡°?¡±


    Lian Qiao explained it to him: ¡°A horror movie with actor Stephen Chow.¡±


    President: ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it! ¡°The Night of Returning Soul¡¯¡¯!¡± When he heard this, he instantly became energetic, ¡°You have seen it too, what a coincidence!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± How many ghost movies did you watch before you came in?


    But he never dared to ask this question. If he reported a string of ghost movies like the dishes from a recipe, then it would be all over and they could just meet in the elevator again.


    Thinking of this, he couldn¡¯t help but glare at the president: Sure enough, I should have killed you first!


    The president was so frightened by Xu RenDong¡¯s murderous eyes that his legs softened and he knelt down directly to him. Immediately, a show started again. While beating his chest, he cried, ¡°It¡¯s all my fault! I killed her! I¡¯m not a competent president! Wuwuwuwu¡­.¡±


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t bother to pay attention to him but saw Lian Qiao staring at the toilet with a thoughtful expression. He suddenly turned his head and asked, ¡°Is there any chocolate?¡±


    ¡°I have some, I¡¯ll go get it.¡± A girl went back to her room and brought two pieces of chocolate over, ¡°What do you want chocolate for?¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°I want to do an experiment. You all get out of the way.¡±


    Xu RenDong showed puzzled eyes and Lian Qiao smiled at him: ¡°I want to go and ¡®seduce¡¯.¡± {Game terminology from first arc, referring to laying a trap. Not sure if I¡¯ve translated it the way gamers would, sorry.}


    Xu RenDong understood instantly. He nodded and took two steps back with everyone. He saw Lian Qiao bend down, apologize to the female corpse and then slowly laid her down on the floor tiles. He took out a piece of chocolate and then imitated the corpse of a woman, lying on the toilet seat and poking his head in.


    Almost at the moment when he probed, everyone only felt a flash in front of them and a pale hand rushed out of the toilet and went straight for Lian Qiao¡¯s face!


    Everyone was shocked. Fortunately, Lian Qiao¡¯s reaction was very fast and before the hands touched him, he ducked back. There was still a ¡°fuck¡± expletive from his mouth. Xu RenDong¡¯s heart was tight and he was about to step forward to help but then saw Lian Qiao raise his hand and throw the chocolate to those hands reaching out. The moment the hand was hit by the chocolate, everyone clearly heard an eerie scream. Immediately after that, the hand seemed to have been splashed with sulfuric acid and hot steam came out from top to bottom. It gradually shrunk into a strangely shaped piece of meat and fell back into the toilet.


    Everyone was in shock: ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°What happened just now?¡± ¡°How does this work? The ghost was killed by chocolate?¡±


    Xu RenDong pulled Lian Qiao up from the ground and looked him up and down to make sure he was not injured: ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Lian Qiao waved his hand: ¡°It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s just that the toilet water splashed on my face so I couldn¡¯t help but swear.¡±


    Xu RenDong was speechless for a while, then wiped his face with a towel. Everyone asked curiously: ¡°Why are ghosts afraid of chocolate?¡±


    Lian Qiao asked in surprise, ¡°Have you never watched ¡°The Night of Returning Soul¡±?¡±


    He looked around and everyone except the film club members shook their heads, including Xu RenDong and Zhong Xiu. Lian Qiao explained: ¡°¡®You need to use plastic wrap to catch ghosts and chocolate to kill ghosts¡¯, this is a classic line from ¡°The Night of Returning Soul¡±. Doesn¡¯t Master Xing also have a pot of flowers that can be used to hunt ghosts¡­ Really, none of you have seen it? Not even when you were young?¡±


    Everyone looked at each other. Xu RenDong pondered for a moment: ¡°You mean that the ghosts who come from ghost stories to reality will completely adhere to the setting of the story?¡±


    ¡°It should be.¡± Lian Qiao nodded, ¡°However, the difficulty seems to increase otherwise, the toilet lid will not be able to trap people.¡±


    The crowd fell silent. Rock Monk sighed: ¡°Later on, won¡¯t telling ghost stories become more and more difficult?¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go back to rest now.¡± He hadn¡¯t slept enough and was sleepy now.


    Everyone expressed their approval and left the room one after another.


    Xu RenDong thought for a while, then turned back. The three people in the film club were crying and collecting the corpse of Member A. When they saw Xu RenDong coming back, they were so frightened that they immediately stopped talking. Especially the president who had to kneel when his legs became weak.


    Xu RenDong picked him up by the collar and said coldly: ¡°From now on, you are not allowed to speak. If you dare to say another word, I will sew up your mouth with a needle. You should have seen¡­¡± He wanted to find an example from a movie to give the president a sense of the imagery but he got stuck for two seconds and couldn¡¯t come up with a title. He had no choice but to answer in an embarrassed yet cool manner, ¡°¡­that movie.¡±


    The president didn¡¯t know what to do and his face paled instantly. He nodded profusely.


    Xu RenDong was very satisfied with his response and threw him to the ground casually, then left gracefully. Zhong Xiu, who had been watching this, suddenly tugged Lian Qiao¡¯s sleeve and whispered: ¡°Is he usually like this¡­?¡±


    Lian Qiao asked: ¡°? What do you mean?¡±


    Zhong Xiu didn¡¯t know how to phrase her thoughts and felt tangled for a moment. Eventually she said: ¡°Like¡­ if he finds someone unpleasant he will take action on the spot¡­ both secretly and obviously having a killing intent and not bothering to hide it at all¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao thought: How could this be? My family¡¯s RenDong is gentle, kind and lovely, and even looks this beautiful, just like an angel.


    But thinking about the various actions of the boss RenDong against the president, Zhong Xiu seems to be right¡­


    Lian Qiao suddenly had a flash of inspiration and was immediately possessed by the soul of an actor. He began to wail with a sad face: ¡°Yeah! He¡¯s just a scum! It¡¯s like this at home usually, he punches and kicks me if he¡¯s unhappy with me just a little bit and domestically abuses me every day! Wuwuwuwu, these days can¡¯t be lived¡­ You were right when you left him¡­¡±


    Zhong Xiu¡¯s expression changed and, as if being pricked by an invisible needle, she said gloomily: ¡°Is that so? I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Lian Qiao: Huh??? Why are you apologizing for his domestic violence?


    Who do you think you are! What right do you have to apologize for him!


    Looking at Zhong Xiu¡¯s dejected back, the more Lian Qiao thought about it, the more wrong it felt. He felt like the top of his head had turned green and his breath was filled with the fragrance of the grassland.


    After everyone left, inside the film club¡¯s room.


    The president leaned against the wall sullenly and the other two members looked at each other, not knowing what to say.


    Although they knew that the corpse would disappear automatically even if it was merely discarded, the dead Member A was their friend after all and she had died in the bathroom, just behind a door.


    After briefly handling the corpse, the three of them kept the same posture and remained silent for a long time.


    Gay member B comforted: ¡°President, don¡¯t blame yourself too much. No one wants something like this to happen. As a human being, the most important thing is to be happy¡­¡±


    The glamorous Member C mocked: ¡°Do you also want to make a bowl of noodles for him to eat?¡±


    As soon as her voice fell, there was the sound of rumbling stomachs in the room. The president touched his stomach embarrassedly: ¡°I¡¯m really hungry.¡±


    Gay member B said shyly: ¡°Then I¡¯ll give you something to eat.¡±


    The glamorous Member C showed a look of disgust: ¡°Can you be more nauseating?¡±


    Seeing that the two were about to quarrel again, the president quickly settled the matter: ¡°Okay, okay, stop arguing.¡± He instructed Member B to cook three bowls of instant noodles and he stayed in the room to appease Member C.


    Although Member B was a little reluctant, he still listened to the president¡¯s words and went away obediently. He went downstairs alone and the kitchen was silent. Although the lights were on, it appeared even more eerie and empty.


    Member B felt a little nervous, and just wanted to cook the noodles as quickly as possible and return to the warm President Little Sun. He quickly found three packs of instant noodles, poured the water into the pot but couldn¡¯t light it when he tried to light the fire.


    Was it out of gas?


    He studied it for a while. If he couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on, he couldn¡¯t cook. So he went to look for the kettle. He remembered that someone had boiled water here during the day. But now the kettle is gone, maybe someone who had no ethics had taken it to their room.


    What could he do? He can¡¯t even make instant noodles to eat?


    Member B had an idea and suddenly remembered reading how to cook instant noodles in a microwave oven from the Internet. He reopened the three boxes of instant noodles, added water and seasoning, then placed them into the microwave and pressed the start button.


    With the sound of ¡°hum¨C¡°, a warm orange light lit up in the microwave. Member B watched the three boxes of instant noodles swirl in the microwave and had a warm feeling of returning home.


    Suddenly there was a ¡°Bang¡±!


    The door behind him closed suddenly.


    Member B was terrified. He swallowed and wanted to look back to see what was going on behind him but the hair at the back of his neck rose up and he was afraid to look back due to fear.


    It should be all right. Someone had just died so it¡¯s impossible to have another incident so soon¡­


    He silently comforted himself in his heart, staring straight at the microwave oven. Hot steam was gradually coming out of the instant noodle paper cover and it is estimated that it will be ready soon.


    It¡¯s almost too fast. There were still two minutes¡­ one minute¡­ 30 seconds¡­ it¡¯s a little hot, why is this kitchen so stuffy all of a sudden? Oh, no window and no ventilation. It is estimated that the door was blown closed by the wind just now¡­ The room will become stuffy when the door is closed¡­


    His eyes were fixed on the timer and he counted down silently in his heart: 10, 9, 8¡­


    But how to get the three cups of instant noodles? Got to find a plate¡­


    Tick, tick, tick, tick, the timer hand finally came to the number ¡°0¡±. However, the expected ¡°ding¡± sound did not appear. The instant noodles in the microwave were still spinning and the orange-yellow light was hot and dazzling.


    Member B was taken aback for a moment, then reached out and twisted the timer. The timer has indeed reached the end. He tried to twist it in the opposite direction again, but it still wouldn¡¯t work.


    ¡­ What happened?


    The room was getting hotter and hotter and beads of sweat began to ooze out of Member B¡¯s head. The anxiety in his heart began to ferment frantically. He was short of breath and directly went to open the door of the microwave oven. There was a ¡°click¡± and the microwave opened.


    A heat wave came, accompanied by the tempting aroma of instant noodles. Member B¡¯s stomach also growled.


    There didn¡¯t seem to be anything unusual, he must be thinking too much.


    As he put the instant noodles on a tray, he laughed at his own thoughts. When he came to the door, he freed his hand to turn the doorknob-


    ¡°Hssss!¡± He retracted his hand in pain and the tray in his hand fell to the ground with a bang. The instant noodles were all overturned, the steaming soup was spilled all over the place and a few noodles were also stained on Member B¡¯s trouser legs and shoes.


    However, he didn¡¯t care about the noodles and just looked down at his fingers in horror. His fingers were scalded into several blisters within an instant, and a piece of skin even fell off his fingertips! But this was not because the instant noodles were too hot, instant noodles couldn¡¯t get this hot.


    Startled, he moved his gaze to the doorknob in disbelief.


    The copper door handle turned red! The skin on his finger was still stuck to it and it was slowly curling and carbonizing. Finally it turned black.


    Member B was choked by fear, unable to even cry out for help. He took a few steps back trembling, bumped into something, and then let out another scream.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhh!¡±


    Scaled, he jumped back and hurriedly touched his lower back. There was blood in his hands. There was also a big hole in his clothes.


    What¡¯s going on¡­.?


    His breathing is getting hotter and hotter. Every breath he took in was like lava, burning his respiratory tract the entire way. He was soon out of breath, grabbing his neck and breathing heavily. The light in the microwave oven had turned blood red at some point, and even though the door was open, the empty tray was still spinning. The cabinet was still making a low-pitched sound of ¡°hum¨C¡°.


    Member B threw himself in front of the microwave oven, twisted the knob desperately, and tried to turn off the microwave oven. The knob was also terribly hot, his fingers made a ¡°sizzling¡± sound and even white gas came out. But at this time he couldn¡¯t care about the pain in his fingers. He tried all his strength to turn the knob but no matter how many times he tried, the microwave tray kept spinning.


    The hot air burned his vocal cords and he couldn¡¯t make a sound. Covering his neck, he stumbled back towards the door, trying to kick it open. The door didn¡¯t move at all.


    The temperature in the kitchen was getting higher and higher and blisters formed all over his body. They grew bigger at a speed visible to the naked eye.


    Helpless, he had no choice but to go out and slammed into the door¡ª


    ¡°Zilazilazila¡ª¡±


    He stuck to the door, making a barbecue-like sound.


    ¡°¡­¡± Member B rolled his eyes from the heat and almost lost consciousness within an instant. But the more pain he felt, the more sober he became. He could clearly hear the sound of his skin and muscles being scorched.


    It hurts¡­it hurts¡­why is it so painful¡­


    Hot steam kept coming out of him and water kept evaporating. Before long, he no longer had the strength to struggle. His whole body was stuck to the red-hot door, turning into a scorched and fragrant teppanyaki.


    At the same time, on the second floor, in the film club room.


    The glamorous Member C sat down beside the bed and accidentally kicked something. She bent down and picked it up, surprised: ¡°Hey, why is the electric kettle here?¡±


    The president came over, took the kettle and said casually, ¡°Isn¡¯t this available in every room?¡±


    The glamorous member C was a little suspicious: ¡°Really? How come I remember that when we came, there was only one kettle in the kitchen in the whole house¡­¡±


    The president played with the electric kettle and a strange color flashed through his eyes. He paused for a moment and in the end smiled, ¡°It¡¯s such a big house, how can there only be one kettle? How come he hasn¡¯t come back yet? Even that little fool should be able to do something like that.¡±


    Little Fool was said affectionately and the cold-faced Member C¡¯s face sank instantly.


    The president didn¡¯t seem to notice her change in expression. With a properly worried look on his face, he said: ¡°I¡¯m a little worried. I¡¯ll go down and check on him.¡±


    ***

 CH 75

    Chapter 75 ¨C Three People Make a Tiger 11


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t sleep for long when he was once again woken up from a dream. Someone else from the film club actually died again but this time it was a particularly tragic death. That sissy Member B was like a burnt gingerbread man. He was stuck behind the kitchen door and couldn¡¯t even be pulled off.


    Rock Monk expressed his intention to read a scripture. Accompanied by the crying of the president and the coldly glamorous Member C, Rock Monk began to perform the rites for the gingerbread man. The kitchen instantly turned into a mourning hall and everyone silently retreated.


    Everyone gathered around the table and looked at the time. It was five in the morning. Too many things had happened that night and everyone looked haggard, as if they had aged ten years overnight.


    A girl was combing her hair silently and, after a while, a large mass of hair loss appeared in the palm of her hand. It was dark, messy and looked weird. She threw her hair into the trash can and said angrily: ¡°Damn, I¡¯m going to go bald! Why is this instance so difficult! Does it still want people to live?¡±


    Xu RenDong was awakened several times and his mood was very bad. He glanced into the kitchen and said coldly: ¡°The instance is not difficult, the main problem is that there are too many pig teammates.¡±


    Everyone nodded in agreement. This four-member film club has occupied all the death spots so far and all the deaths are caused by themselves. They are simply a suicide squad. The key point being that if you want to commit suicide, just commit suicde. Don¡¯t forcibly increase the difficulty for the entire team! Right now, not only could the toilet not be used, but even the microwave oven was useless. Although that ghost was afraid of chocolate, there was simply not enough chocolate. If you let it drag on then don¡¯t talk about ghosts, the daily physiological needs alone can suffocate everyone to death.


    Xu RenDong folded his arms around his chest, his face solemn: ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the elevator and the button. Does anyone have any ideas?¡±


    He also felt that this instance was not smooth. There¡¯s already been eleven chapters {T/N: Yes author actually wrote this!} and there was still no clue about either the elevator or the button, which is really frustrating.


    The nameless passersbys all looked at each other very hard and finally shook their heads.


    Xu RenDong looked at Lian Qiao: ¡°How about you?¡±


    Lian Qiao stared at the hair-loss girl thoughtfully. Xu RenDong shouted again: ¡°Lian Qiao?¡±


    Lian Qiao came back to his senses: ¡°¡­I have an idea but it¡¯s a little risky.¡±


    Xu RenDong thought in his heart: Have you ever had an idea that wasn¡¯t dangerous?


    He was used to Lian Qiao¡¯s routine but the others didn¡¯t care much about it. The hair loss girl grabbed a handful of her hair irritably: ¡°Tell us first so we can decide!¡±


    Lian Qiao shook his head: ¡°I can¡¯t say it, it will make it more difficult. You just need to cooperate with me.¡±


    Someone questioned: ¡°You haven¡¯t even said the plan so how can we cooperate with you? Why do you want us to risk our lives?¡±


    Xu RenDong was annoyed by him and sneered: ¡°So you don¡¯t want to listen to him, right? Do you have any other plans? Otherwise, should we all just sit here and wait to die?¡±


    The man pointed to the kitchen and said unconvinced, ¡°How do I know if he is a pig teammate? In case he is like the others in the kitchen and has brain problems, what should I do? Don¡¯t forget, if the difficulty of the instance increases, not only will we suffer but we can also die too!¡±


    Xu RenDong was too lazy to pay attention to him and was about to ask Lian Qiao how they wanted them to cooperate, when Zhong Xiu suddenly replied softly: ¡°Then just die ah.¡±


    There was no anger, sarcasm or other emotions on her face. She even seemed sincere, as if she really felt that if she died then she¡¯s dead, what¡¯s the big deal? Was this something worth fighting about?


    Everyone was stunned. They didn¡¯t expect Zhong Xiu, a soft-spoken woman, to say such a thing.


    Only Lian Qiao, looking at her, gradually revealed a subtle emotion in his eyes.


    So similar.


    When she said those words, her demeanor and tone were exactly the same as those of Xu RenDong in the beginning. That kind of world-weariness, that kind of indifference, that kind of not taking one¡¯s own life seriously, that kind of peace of mind as if everything in the world was no longer worth nostalgic so that ¡®Even if I die now¡­¡¯


    He had heard that when two people have been together for a long time, they will become more and more like one another.


    Of course, today¡¯s Xu RenDong is no longer like that. He was like a priest who stepped down from the altar, put down the Bible and took off his ascetic robe. He was stained with the colors of the world and there was a gentle smile in his eyebrows and eyes.


    Since they had gotten to know each other, his whole person has become more alive. Become more like a ¡°person¡±.


    This is what Lian Qiao is most proud of. But at this moment, he actually saw the former Xu RenDong in Zhong Xiu.


    What does this mean?


    That means it¡¯s time to be jealous.


    Suddenly, the kitchen door opened. Rock Monk came out and saw the complicated expressions on everyone¡¯s faces. He couldn¡¯t help but be surprised: ¡°What are you talking about, so serious?¡±


    Zhong Xiu said, ¡°We¡¯re talking about what to do next.¡±


    Rock Monk pulled out the chair to the table. While sitting down, he rubbed his forehead a little tiredly but he still asked, ¡°What have you discussed?¡±


    Everyone looked at Lian Qiao in unison. This time, the person who had questioned before actually no longer objected but just waited quietly for Lian Qiao to speak.


    Lian Qiao glanced at Xu RenDong and Xu RenDong nodded to him.


    Lian Qiao took a deep breath and became serious: ¡°I¡¯ll tell the story tonight. Everyone, have a good rest during the day and keep your spirits up. At night we will have a big battle.¡±


    According to Lian Qiao¡¯s instructions, everyone went back to their rooms and continued going to bed. RenDong¡¯s group of three returned to their room. Zhong Xiu said that she wanted to take a shower so she went to the bathroom.


    Xu RenDong leaned on the head of the bed, sorting out his thoughts. Lian Qiao pricked up his ears and, when there was the sound of water in the bathroom, he rushed to the bed like a large dog, resting his head on Xu RenDong¡¯s shoulder, and his warm breath breathed on his face.


    ¡°RenDong, RenDong,  are you curious about what story I¡¯m going to tell tonight?¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s chin was a little sharp, causing Xu RenDong¡¯s shoulders to hurt. He shook Lian Qiao¡¯s head, adjusted it into a comfortable position, and rubbed Lian Qiao¡¯s hair: ¡°Why don¡¯t you call me ¡®Brother¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Because the three words together don¡¯t go well together {Brother RenDong} and it¡¯s not intimate!¡± Lian Qiao pouted. ¡°That¡¯s not the point! Quickly ask me: What good idea did you come up with?¡±


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help laughing: ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that giving spoilers will increase the difficulty?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s in the case of ¡®Three People Make a Tiger¡¯ and the boss will be summoned ahead of time. But now¡­¡± He glanced at the bathroom and laughed, ¡°Now we are a two person world!¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s hair was so fluffy that it tickled Xu RenDong¡¯s cheeks. He rubbed Lian Qiao¡¯s hair and his mood softened again: ¡°Then tell me, what good ideas have you come up with?¡±


    Lian Qiao smiled slyly: ¡°Hey, let me give you a hint first so you can guess!¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°Okay.¡±


    Lian Qiao turned off the light and told Xu RenDong to get into the quilt to hide and act like he was very timid. Xu RenDong did so. The bed was dark, hot and stuffy. But how to pretend to be afraid?


    Xu RenDong thought for a while and said seriously: ¡°Yingyingying, I¡¯m so scared.¡±


    A chuckle came from the end of the bed. Soon, Lian Qiao covered his mouth and muffled his laugh. Xu RenDong guessed he was up to some trick when he suddenly felt cold under his feet and the quilt was lifted by a corner.


    ¡­  What was that for?


    Just when he thought Lian Qiao was going to get in, something cool touched his ankle. Xu RenDong kicked out subconsciously and actually kicked in the air. Xu RenDong was stunned for a moment, only to feel the cold air running down his ankle, into his pants, along his calf, over his knee, and gradually up¡­


    A strange feeling built up that he had never experienced before. Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help thinking about a lot of things and his face was quietly hot. He knew that Lian Qiao was deliberately doing something bad so he couldn¡¯t help being a little annoyed and called out softly, ¡°Lian Qiao.¡±


    This low voice stopped him.


    When Xu RenDong didn¡¯t want to do something, Lian Qiao would definitely stop at the end and would not force it on him ¨C except for the time when his emotions were out of control of course.


    The coolness really didn¡¯t climb up further but the gap in the corners got bigger and bigger. The wind blew in from his feet.


    Xu RenDong felt Lian Qiao¡¯s approach, like a big cat pounced on its prey. This kind of imagination made him a little nervous and feel a little anticipation. He felt that he shouldn¡¯t think so much but he couldn¡¯t control it. Annoyed, he gritted his teeth, raised his hand and turned on the light. The lights came on and a furry head emerged from the bed.


    Xu RenDong looked at Lian Qiao who was lying on top of him speechlessly: ¡°Are you making a ghost movie or a porn movie?¡±


    Lian Qiao said solemnly: ¡°This is a scene from a classic horror movie, haven¡¯t you seen it?¡±


    Xu RenDong Said: ¡°I haven¡¯t seen it.¡±


    Lian Qiao poked the tip of his nose and said with a smile: ¡°Oh so you haven¡¯t watched horror movies but you¡¯ve seen a lot of X-rated movies, is that it?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± Knowing that Lian Qiao was deliberately teasing him, Xu RenDong still blushed. He turned his face awkwardly, exposing the roots of his red ears in front of Lian Qiao.


    The petite, bright red earlobes were like a tempting crime. Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes darkened, he pressed his body down and said with a low smile, ¡°Brother RenDong, I don¡¯t watch porn. Is this how the seduction scene goes in all your adult films?¡±


    Xu RenDong was annoyed and panted slightly. He pushed him: ¡°Go down! Go to sleep!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Lian Qiao wrapped his arms around him like an octopus, buried his head in his neck and sniffed the smell of his body like a coquettish big cat.


    ¡°I like the smell of your shower gel.¡± Lian Qiao said softly, ¡°What I like more is that we have the same smell. It makes me feel that I am very close to you, it makes me feel that I belong to you and you belong to me.¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart softened again.


    Lian Qiao lightly rubbed his earlobe with his lips and whispered in his ear, ¡°RenDong, I want to kiss you.¡±


    How could the sensitive part of the earlobe stand up to this provocation? Xu RenDong was disturbed by his rubbing. In a trance, he only felt that his whole body was hot. His body was so soft that he couldn¡¯t exert his strength and he couldn¡¯t even push him away.


    Xu RenDong recalled the dizzy feeling when he was kissed by Lian Qiao, unable to resist and could only let him do anything he wanted.


    But it¡¯s not a bad feeling.


    The air was permeated with sweetness. Xu RenDong lowered his eyes, turned his head slightly and said ¡°En¡±.


    After receiving the agreement, Lian Qiao raised the corner of his mouth and leaned over gently. The hot breath brushed against the skin, making the faces of both people itchy, and the cusps of their hearts were also hot and itchy, extremely restless.


    Suddenly, the bathroom door opened. Zhong Xiu walked out while wiping her hair: ¡°I¡¯ve washed, do you want to¡­¡±


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    With a loud noise, Lian Qiao rolled to the ground!


    Zhong Xiu: ¡°???¡±


    Xu RenDong lifted the quilt and got out of bed neatly. As soon as his feet landed, he suddenly felt something strange somewhere on his body and his expression changed immediately. He picked up the quilt from the bed and wrapped it around him. His whole person was wrapped like a silkworm chrysalis and he walked by Zhong Xiu with a blank expression.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to take a shower.¡±


    Zhong Xiu: ¡°???¡± You wrap up like this to take a shower? Are you cold or hot?


    Lian Qiao was kicked to the ground. He was still unhappy at first but when he saw Xu RenDong wrapping himself up like this, he instantly understood. He just sat on the ground and laughed.


    Zhong Xiu looked at Lian Qiao in astonishment and then looked at the bathroom where the sound of water could be heard. She had a confused expression on her face.


    What had happened during her absence?


    ***

 CH 76

    Chapter 76 ¨C Three People Make a Tiger 12


    Midnight came around again.


    After a good night¡¯s sleep, everyone went to the glass room on the top floor. The pitch-black box was still at the door and everyone resisted the urge to look in when they passed by, so as to not to get their necks snapped like Member A. The night was as thick as permanent ink and the gust of wind beat against the windows, making the glass rattle. It was unknown if it was an illusion but the glass room tonight gave people a shaky feeling of unease.


    Everyone sat in a circle with a worried look on their faces. What was different from usual was that this time everyone deliberately moved the stool away from the only two remaining members of the film club, as if their presence was an ominous sign. The president and the showy beauty Member C naturally found that they were isolated. The two simply got closer, sticking close together as if they were dependent on each other.


    Rock Monk held a rosary in his left hand and a copper bowl in his right. It¡¯s just that this posture was not for begging for alms, but more like holding a brick to move a brick. He was already ready to smash down. He also looked a little nervous and he kept muttering and reciting the scriptures from his mouth. Everyone listened without saying a word and their bodies couldn¡¯t help but turn to him, as if they wanted to rub some of Buddha¡¯s light and glory.


    The hour hand finally pointed to twelve o¡¯clock. With a click, the lights went out and the glass room fell into complete darkness. The helpless feeling of being on an isolated island once again enveloped everyone.


    Xu RenDong pursed his lips. Sure enough, no matter how many times he experienced it, he still hated the darkness. Lian Qiao squeezed Xu RenDong¡¯s hand lightly and then stood up. He said slowly, ¡°What I¡¯m going to tell today is a true story that happened to me.¡±


    In the darkness, Xu RenDong heard the chair move. There was a slight sound of movement. He felt Lian Qiao pick up the chair but instead of creating a stereo effect around everyone like Xu RenDong had, Lian Qiao went straight to the center of the crowd. So everyone felt that Lian Qiao was talking to himself, as if he was muttering late at night.


    ¡°When I just graduated from school, I was looking for a place to live. At that time, I was very ashamed and embarrassed to ask my parents for money, so I couldn¡¯t afford a house that was too expensive. I was a person who had never experienced hardship so I went around in circles, not willing to live in old, small and dilapidated homes. After looking and looking, I actually found a place. The location of this house was very remote. It was a small single-family building and there were no other residents around. The house was  quite old but better than fully furnished. The rent was also cheap. It¡¯s strange that I was the only one who wanted to rent such a nice house. The owner explained that he had been keeping the house empty until recently. So I was the only tenant for now.¡±


    ¡°This kind of nonsense, even a foolish young man like me who has no social experience will not believe it. There must be something wrong with this house, either it is a haunted house or something else has happened there. But I have been educated in Marxism-Leninism since I was a child. Being an atheist, of course I didn¡¯t mind it. As long as the rent is cheap and there are no other tenants, I¡¯m just fine.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how I moved into this house.¡±


    ¡°The house has a total of three floors. The first floor is a living room and kitchen, the second floor has several bedrooms and the third floor is a glass sunroom. If you come in  during the day, the lighting is very good. But if you come at night, it will be a bit scary. Only my house is lit within 100 meters. It makes me feel as if I am standing on an isolated island, surrounded by an endless dark sea. Especially on windy days, it will be like now, hu¡­hu ¡­like something howling just out of sight, like a beast scratching on the windowpane with its claws.¡±


    At this moment, a gust of wind blew from the window. The windows were shaking, as if something were really banging on the windows.


    Everyone gradually understood that Lian Qiao¡¯s story happened in the villa where they were. Being in the place where the ghost story took place gave everyone a peculiar sense of substitution. In the darkness, everyone seemed to follow Lian Qiao¡¯s perspective, walking past the empty bedrooms and observing the villa.


    ¡°I was a materialist until that night.¡±


    ¡°It was a Friday night and I was exhausted. I went back to the apartment, lay on the bed and fell asleep. After some time, I was struck by a strange noise. I woke up. The sound was like the glass ball I played with when I was a child, tuk, tuk, tuk, bouncing on the ground one by one. When it finally stopped bouncing, it rolled off somewhere.¡±


    At this moment, everyone heard the sound of ¡°tuk, tuk, tuk¡± actually coming from above their heads. Everyone was so frightened that they gasped but Xu RenDong realized what it was. It wasn¡¯t some marbles bouncing on the ground but the sound of Lian Qiao hitting the ceiling with his knuckles.


    He smiled silently in the dark. No wonder Lian Qiao wanted to move a chair over, but it turned out to be a footrest to be able to knock on the ceiling. Lian Qiao learned from him really well. Even the sound effects were well matched.


    Lian Qiao knocked a few times, crept down from the chair and continued:


    ¡°I know this situation very well. I checked the house¡¯s information thoroughly before and it seems that the sound that sounds like marbles was actually the wooden structure between the floors aging. In the dead of night, the sound of the wood curling sounds like glass marbles. I didn¡¯t take it seriously and so, just when I was about to go back to sleep, suddenly there was another sound ¨C footsteps from the ceiling.¡±


    ¡°The footsteps were very loud. It was hurried, like a child chasing a glass ball. I was taken aback and I couldn¡¯t help but have questions in my heart: There couldn¡¯t really be a bear child running up there right? So I went to the sun room and looked everywhere. But there weren¡¯t any children anywhere. Sure enough, I was thinking too much. It must be because the house is too old so that¡¯s why it makes a strange noise. I must call the landlord tomorrow and ask him to find someone to fix it. However, just when I turned around to go back downstairs¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao stopped suddenly. Everyone was fascinated and, when he stopped, everyone held their breath involuntarily, pricked up their ears, and listened to what he had to say next.


    After a while, Lian Qiao lowered his voice and there was a hint of fear in his tone:


    ¡°As I watched helplessly, a glass bead rolled down the stairs in front of my eyes.¡±


    At the same time, in everyone¡¯s ears rang a sound:


    ¡°Tuk.¡±


    It was the sound of glass marbles rolling down the stairs.


    ¡°Tuk¡­tuk¡­tuk. tuk. tuk.¡± The marbles rolled faster and faster and every impact seemed to hit everyone¡¯s heart, making everyone feel cold.


    Everyone gasped in horror. Xu RenDong was also surprised but quickly calmed down: this must be a prop that Lian Qiao secretly prepared to create a terrifying atmosphere.


    However, at this time, Lian Qiao was also in a turmoil in his heart.


    If the light is turned on at this time, Xu RenDong would have seen Lian Qiao¡¯s face go pale within an instant.


    He really didn¡¯t make that sound. No matter how good he is, he can¡¯t make the sound of marbles, which means¡­


    His ghost story has begun to turn into a reality!


    This time, the fake fear turned into real fear. Lian Qiao resisted the urge to hiccup and continued to say in that frightened tone: ¡°I¡­I¡¯m pretty sure, when I checked the glass room just now, the floor was clean¡­ There was nothing around at all. So I felt very scared: where did this marble come from?¡±


    He swallowed quietly, trying to suppress the trembling in his voice: ¡°The marble rolled  very fast. I chased after the marble and ran downstairs. But, just after the corner, the sound of the marbles disappeared. I wanted to see if the marbles rolled under the TV cabinet but when I lay on the ground, I saw a pair of eyes staring at me from under the cabinet!¡±


    ¡°There is only a gap of two or three centimeters under the cabinet and it is absolutely impossible to hide a person. I was so frightened that I screamed out and crawled back. A very terrifying sound came from the depths of my throat.¡±


    Lian Qiao took a deep breath and strangled his neck in the darkness.


    ¡°Gegegegege¡­¡±


    Hearing this, Xu RenDong finally understood that Lian Qiao was telling the story of ¡°The Grudge¡±.


    Although Xu RenDong doesn¡¯t watch horror movies, he has heard of this classic Japanese horror movie. The female ghost Kayako in ¡°The Grudge¡± was a housewife before her death. Her husband suspected her of cheating so he beat her to death. Her  body was packed in sacks and hidden in the attic on the ceiling. Therefore, the ghost of Kayako always lingered in this house and everyone who entered the house would be cursed and killed by Kayako.


    The iconic sound effect when Kayako appears is the kind of ¡°cluck¡± sound that is similar to choking. Therefore, after Lian Qiao¡¯s imitation, the image of the pale Kayako crawling on the ground with her arms dragging appeared in everyone¡¯s mind.


    However, why did Lian Qiao choose ¡°The Grudge¡±? Xu RenDong remembered that in the ¡°The Grudge¡± series of films, Kayako was also an almost invincible existence. However, the advantage of Japanese-style horror is that it is about a kind of psychological horror. Ghosts were always following you little by little, using various means to scare you and make you die in despair from a mental breakdown, rather than killing you directly.


    ¡­It is at least much better than the bloody, violent monsters in American horror movies.


    Suddenly there was a rustling sound on the glass behind him and it actually started to rain outside. The rain quickly became heavier and the pea-sized raindrops kept beating on the windows, as if someone in the endless darkness was irritably tapping on the windows with their fingers. No one dared to look back and no one dared to stand up to confirm the situation outside the window. Lian Qiao was distracted by the manic rain and, after a while, he spoke again.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t live in that house anymore.¡±


    ¡°I escaped from the house. I found the landlord that night and asked to cancel the lease. The landlord was very angry and said that the contract was signed, so how could I go back on it? No matter how I argued, he was determined and rejected me. I had to stay outside for one night. For the next few days, I didn¡¯t dare to go back to the apartment so I continued to argue with the landlord. However, even if I lived in a hotel, there would still be strange sounds in the room at night. Because of the strange sounds, I couldn¡¯t sleep well all night and my spirit was about to collapse.¡±


    ¡°My friend saw that I was haggard and suggested that I go on a trip to relax. I accepted the suggestion and went to a hot spring hotel in the mountains. The hotel was very simple and the hot springs were also relaxing. The miraculous thing was that while staying there, those terrible noises at night never appeared again. I was so happy that I decided to celebrate and had a drink with the hotel owner. After the owner got drunk, he took out a videotape and said to me: I have something good here, do you want to watch it together? I agreed¡­¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡± It seems that everyone had already guessed what he was going to say next.


    Sure enough, after some foreshadowing, Lian Qiao quickly got to the key point: ¡°¡­There was a dead wood forest in the picture. In the middle of the dead wood forest, there was standing an¡­¡±


    Everyone couldn¡¯t help holding their breath and a sense of picture began to appear in their minds. .


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­Elevator.¡±


    Everyone: ¡°???¡± A goddamn elevator? Shouldn¡¯t it be a well? {In case it¡¯s not clear they think he¡¯s talking about Sadako/The Ring}


    Lian Qiao seemed to feel embarrassed. Holding back a smile, he said, ¡°I also thought it was very abrupt but the scene at that time was so strange. In short, in the middle of the deadwood forest was an elevator, a silver-gray metal elevator. I could see very clearly that it was the same as the elevator in the apartment I rent.¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡± Your setting is too deliberate!


    Lian Qiao continued: ¡°Just when I was wondering, a pair of pale arms suddenly stretched out from the elevator door and pulled the elevator door open. It was a woman in a white dress with long hair covering her face. She stood there without saying a word, looking very intimidating. I couldn¡¯t watch it anymore so I turned off the TV.¡±


    ¡°Just then, the hotel phone rang suddenly.¡± Lian Qiao suddenly sped up, he seemed to want to end the story as soon as possible, ¡°There was a female ghost on the phone who told me that I would definitely die in her hands in seven days. What can I do? Of course I could only hang up the phone and ignore her. I was still very scared. I heard that the curse can be transferred by showing the video to others so I brought the video back from the hotel. But I am a gentle and kind little cutie, how could I harm others? So the video was taken by me and thrown into the apartment¡­ under the TV in the living room on the first floor of the apartment. Oh, by the way, I found a silver-gray metal button in the videotape box, which seems to match the elevator in the videotape. Just like that, I was confused again. After a few days, for some reason, I returned to the apartment.¡±


    ¡°¡ªAnd today, it happens to be the seventh day.¡± Just as his voice fell, ¡°pa!¡± the light turned on.


    Lian Qiao stood quietly in the center of the crowd and slowly turned his eyes to Xu RenDong. However, Xu RenDong stared straight at his feet and, after a while, he was relieved after confirming that he had not turned into an ice sculpture.


    The president of the film club suddenly said, ¡°Sadako vs. Kayako?¡± {In case you didn¡¯t know Japan made a Freddy vs Jason type versus movie with the two ghosts from The Grudge and The Ring duking it out.}


    Lian Qiao gave him a thumbs up and said with a smile, ¡°You have really watched countless films.¡±


    Everyone: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    The president explained: ¡°This¡­ is also a horror movie. The protagonist violated the curse of two female ghosts at the same time. Although it sounds a bit funny, it really is a horror movie.¡±


    Everyone was shocked: ¡°This still counts?¡± But they seemed to understand why Lian Qiao told this story.


    The president¡¯s expression was complicated: ¡°But are you sure this is okay? You have changed the plot to something else and actually let Sadako climb out of the elevator¡­ Is this really possible¡­¡±


    Everyone also questioned, thinking that Lian Qiao¡¯s operation was too bold.


    Xu RenDong, who had been silent all the time, suddenly raised his hand and pointed at the door. He said coldly, ¡°Are you all blind?¡±


    Everyone looked in the direction of Xu RenDong¡¯s fingers and, at the same time, they were stunned.


    ***

 CH 77

    Chapter 77 ¨C Three People Make a Tiger 13


    They saw a silver-gray metal elevator standing quietly beside the stairs behind the glass door.


    Everyone approached in surprise and reached out to touch the elevator body. The familiar cold texture is indeed the kind of elevator they took to enter and exit the instance. However, the elevator button was dark and, no matter how much everyone pressed it, the elevator door did not open.


    The lights overhead suddenly flickered. Immediately afterwards, a faint white shadow was reflected on the elevator door. The small shadow flashed past and everyone was startled. When they turned around, there was no one behind them. The spacious glass room was silent and only the slight hurried gasps of everyone could be heard.


    ¡°It¡¯s Toshio¡­¡± The coquettish Member C of the film club said in horror. ¡°Toshio is here and his mother Kayako is about to appear!¡± {For anyone that hasn¡¯t watched Ju On/The Grudge (I recommend Ju On: Origins on Netflix btw~~), Toshio is a little boy ghost. Kayako is his mom. They even have an instagram page: kayakowithtoshio. Check it out!}


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°Then stop talking nonsense, hurry up and find the video tape.¡±


    Everyone then reacted and spread out on the first floor to search. Sure enough, just as according to the setting in Lian Qiao¡¯s story, they soon found a black videotape in the TV cabinet. There just happened to be an old-fashioned video player under the TV. Lian Qiao put the videotape in and saw a black screen on the TV screen, reflecting the faces of everyone with a myriad of different expressions.


    Suddenly, the lights in the living room went out. At the same time the TV became a snow screen and made a rustling noise. Everyone tacitly hid behind the sofa together. After all, Sadako might climb out of the TV any moment and no one wanted to be attacked by the female ghost.


    However, after waiting for a while, there was still only static on the screen and that annoying noise.


    Lian Qiao was leaning against the back of the sofa, frowning. He said, ¡°Why isn¡¯t Sadako out yet, is she acting like a big shot?¡±


    Before he finished speaking, there was the sound of glass marbles rolling suddenly down the stairs. Immediately afterwards, there was the sound of footsteps on the ceiling, the sound of a child running barefoot while chasing the glass beads. The dim light from the TV flickered on everyone¡¯s faces, illuminating their pale and frightened expressions.


    Lian Qiao suddenly tightened his body: ¡°Ah!¡±


    The cry sounded like a screaming chicken that was strangled by the neck. Xu RenDong turned his head and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Lian Qiao tried hard to keep his voice calm: ¡°Something¡­ rolled against my feet.¡±


    The light was too dim, and Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t see the situation on his side: ¡°Is it a glass marble?¡±


    ¡°The size doesn¡¯t seem right¡­ ¡­¡± He took a few deep breaths but his teeth were still chattering: ¡°I feel like it¡¯s a human head¡­ Toshio¡¯s head.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Xu RenDong was a little disappointed, ¡°If it¡¯s not Kayako, then kick it away.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°I kicked it away .¡±


    RenDong said: ¡°Keep waiting for his mom.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Okay.¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡±


    Kayako¡¯s threat was getting closer and closer but Sadako was slow to appear. The faces of everyone illuminated by the TV gradually showed anxiety. Xu RenDong was quite calm and even took out his mobile phone and started reading e-books. The backlight of the mobile phone illuminated his face with its delicate facial features and focused expression. It didn¡¯t look like he was about to go into battle at all.


    Zhong Xiu on the left suddenly chuckled: ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid?¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°It¡¯s useless to be afraid, what will come will always come.¡±


    Zhong Xiu sighed: ¡°You are only so young, how can you look down on life and death?¡±


    Xu RenDong said, ¡°I¡¯m not looking down on life and death, I¡¯m just used to it.¡±


    He was just used to dying. It sounds a bit miserable but, in fact, it¡¯s really just like getting used to it.


    Zhong Xiu seemed to have heard something from these words. She turned her head and glanced at him in surprise. Xu RenDong didn¡¯t want to talk about this topic again so he said casually: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we can definitely get out alive.¡±


    Zhong Xiu smiled faintly, looking at him with a complicated look in his eyes. She moved her lips and whispered something.


    ¡°What?¡± Xu RenDong didn¡¯t hear clearly and leaned in subconsciously but his neck suddenly tightened ¨C Lian Qiao was pulling him back by his tie.


    ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t exist?¡± Lian Qiao narrowed her eyes, looking very unhappy.


    Xu RenDong coughed and said displeasedly, ¡°What are you doing¡ª¡± Before he finished speaking, Lian Qiao pressed the back of Xu RenDong¡¯s head and pressed him against himself.


    A hot breath quickly approached and a manic possessiveness swept over. Xu RenDong¡¯s pupils shrank suddenly and he instantly remembered the painful experience after being forcibly kissed last time. He raised his hand to cover his mouth in a conditioned reflex and so Lian Qiao kissed the back of his hand.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    The forced kiss was predicted! It was also defended! So embarrassing!


    Xu RenDong frowned: ¡°Calm down, there are ghosts about.¡±


    Lian Qiao turned his head stiffly, his heart full of ashes.


    But then he heard Xu RenDong say helplessly and indulgently: ¡°Is it alright to just kiss for a minute this time?¡±


    Lian Qiao was stunned and turned around in surprise. He suddenly felt warmth approaching. The warm and dry fingertips rubbed the corner of his mouth a few times, as if searching for a suitable position and finally stopped on his lips.


    Xu RenDong turned his face over, took aim, and then seriously put a kiss onto Lian Qiao¡¯s lips.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes widened. He didn¡¯t expect that Xu RenDong prevented his forced kiss with one hand but actually returned it with the other. And this kiss¡­ how should I put it¡­ it¡¯s short and green, so innocent yet so vivid¡­ why is it¡­


    So cute¡­.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s lips curled into a smile. He gradually became short of breath and said in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s bad.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Lian Qiao gasped, ¡°I¡¯m having thoughts.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± He blushed to the tips of his ears and said angrily, ¡°Calm down!¡±


    Lian Qiao was suffocating and gasping even harder. His eyes twinkled and he looked at Xu RenDong and said with a low smile: ¡°Why are you so bad? Telling me to calm down, what are you doing with your hands?¡±


    Xu RenDong was stunned: ¡°What am I doing?¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes were dark and he said dumbly: ¡°Your hands are so cold¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± He silently raised his hands to prove his innocence.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s face changed instantly. Looking down, a pale white woman covered in blood was lying on his lap. She raised her head and opened her mouth with a sinister smile.


    ¡°Giggle giggle giggle¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­Fuck!¡± Anger suddenly exploded and he kicked Kayako who was on his leg, and scolded, ¡°I was almost scared into impotence by you!


    Kayako was kicked off the sofa and fell down with a clatter, like a lump of boneless rotten meat, lying softly on the ground. When had this female ghost ever suffered from this type of grievance before? Lying on the ground she raised a head full of blood and  stared at Lian Qiao with resentment. It was supposed to be an extremely terrifying picture but it was a little funny because of the shoe print on her pale face.


    Lian Qiao was still a little scared when he thought about it and hid behind Xu RenDong, instantly transforming into a coward: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have kicked you in the face, now you¡¯re mutilated.¡±


    Kayako was even more furious when she heard this and opened her mouth. With her mouth wide open, she quickly crawled towards Lian Qiao. She was like a high paraplegic patient. Her entire lower body was lying on the ground softly and she only supported her upper body with two arms, but she crawled at a speed that violated the laws of physics. In an instant, she climbed to Lian Qiao¡¯s feet and grabbed Lian Qiao as fast as lightning!


    Everyone was stunned by this sight and Lian Qiao was so frightened that he was trembling and stunned. Xu RenDong was really convinced by Lian Qiao¡¯s ability to provoke a boss. He reached out and dragged Lian Qiao to his side and, at the same time, he stepped forward and aimed another kick at Kayako¡¯s face.


    Kayako was kicked in the head again but this time she was not kicked away. After being humiliated twice in a row, Kayaoko¡¯s anger has accumulated to its peak. She turned her head back bit by bit stiffly,and the ¡°cluck, cluck¡± sound in her throat became more and more manic. Her two eyes were as dark as an abyss and there were even blood and tears from the corners of her eyes.


    ¡°What are you doing? Run!¡± Xu RenDong gave an order, grabbing Zhong Xiu with his left hand and Lian Qiao with his right hand. He then ran away.


    Everyone screamed in panic: ¡°Where are you going?!¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°I¡¯m buying time!¡± He rushed to the edge of the elevator and pressed the button desperately. However, the elevator door still did not open. It seemed that they could only enter the elevator when Sadako came out.


    There was a sudden scream from behind him. Xu RenDong turned back and saw that Kayako was lying on someone¡¯s back and her pale arms were wrapped around the person¡¯s shoulders but the person¡¯s neck had been twisted off. However, at this time, that person was not completely dead. A pair of bloodshot eyes opened and they were controlled by Kayako, and walked towards them with a twist in their step.


    This picture was extremely terrifying. A young man with a crooked neck was still coughing up blood from his throat but, behind him, was a pale female ghost. His painful and hopeless face gradually enveloped a layer of black air and, gradually, the pained expression turned into resentment. His eyes turned into black holes like Kayako¡¯s and when he rolled his eyes, he stared at Xu RenDong stubbornly.


    Both Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao searched for weapons subconsciously. Zhong Xiu took the lead. She picked up a floor lamp and smashed it on the man¡¯s head without hesitation. The man was smashed backwards and, when he fell to the ground, Kayako behind him suddenly disappeared. The black qi that shrouded the victim¡¯s face also disappeared. He became bloodless, his eyes rolled back, and he was obviously dead.


    Everyone¡¯s heart froze and they all instinctively stepped back. Suddenly, a girl screamed: ¡°Help ¨C ah!!¡±


    Everyone looked at her and saw two white arms seeping out from the wall behind her, one hooked her waist and the other covering her waist. It held her mouth so that she couldn¡¯t even let out a scream. The girl shook her head and struggled desperately, kicking her hands and feet but the arms behind her were clasping her tightly like iron tongs, dragging her into the wall. The dark green wall has become like a swamp, and half of her body has been integrated into the wall and she was about to sink in completely.


    ¡°Mmmmmph! Mmmm!¡± The girl burst into tears, calling for help vaguely in her mouth. Everyone could clearly see that Kayako stuck out her head from on top of her and her long black hair hung down, covering the girl¡¯s face. Kayako¡¯s white eyes stared at everyone resentfully, threatening everyone silently.


    At this moment, no one dared to lend a helping hand. But then there was a loud yell and then Rock Monk rushed up, grabbed the girl¡¯s arm and threw the rosary on Kayako¡¯s head.


    It¡¯s a pity that the rosary didn¡¯t have any effect on Kayako but only angered her more. Kayako screamed and grabbed Rock Monk abruptly. Just when the pale fingers touched the monk, Xu RenDong shouted, ¡°Let go!¡± At the same time, he tightened the monk¡¯s collar and pulled him to his side.


    Rock Monk loosened his hand and was dragged behind by Xu RenDong. The girl was also dragged into the wall by Kayako within an instant. A moment later, the screams disappeared. There was nothing on the dark green wallpaper and such a big living person disappeared like she had never existed.


    The living room fell into a suffocating silence. Everyone looked at each other in dismay, not knowing where Kayako would appear from the next second. The rustling sound of static was still emitting from the TV and the flickering light shone on everyone¡¯s faces. Everyone¡¯s faces were extremely ugly.


    Suddenly, Lian Qiao¡¯s face was filled with joy. He pointed at the elevator and said, ¡°Sadako is coming out!¡±


    Everyone looked at the elevator in unison. Sure enough, there was a gap in the middle of the elevator door. Five withered fingers stretched out from inside and opened the elevator door bit by bit.


    Everyone was ecstatic, the elevator finally opened, which meant they were only one step away from escaping! Everyone didn¡¯t dare to act rashly, watching as the gap got bigger and bigger and a barefoot woman in a long white dress gradually appeared behind the door. The woman lowered her head and her waterfall-like long hair completely covered her face. No facial expression could be seen.


    President A cheered: ¡°It¡¯s really Sadako!¡± {I think the author really can¡¯t remember/differentiate between who is the President and who is A, B and C lol.}


    Immediately afterwards, he made a move that surprised everyone ¨C he actually rushed up and helped Sadako to open the door.


    Sadako in the elevator: ¡°¡­¡± Is there something wrong with this person¡¯s brain?


    The elevator door was quickly forcibly opened and Sadako in a white dress lowered her head but stood in the elevator and didn¡¯t come out. President A couldn¡¯t wait any longer, he stretched out his hand and dragged: ¡°Come out quickly!¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡± Have you forgotten that she is also a ghost!


    Sure enough, the moment President A touched Sadako¡¯s arm, Sadako suddenly raised her head. One eye suddenly appeared in the long black hair and there was only a little black eye in the large white eye. The eyeballs turned strangely and happened to meet President A. President A¡¯s eyes widened suddenly and the muscles on his face spasmed. He grabbed his neck hard and a hard gasping sound came out of his throat.


    Sadako stopped looking at him, lowered her head again, and walked out of the elevator slowly with her long hair hanging down. As President A grabbed his neck with both hands, his eyes and tongue began to bulge out. He quickly rolled his eyes and then fell heavily to the ground with a thud.


    He actually strangled himself to death!


    The crowd was horrified. Kayako was already terrifying enough and Sadako can kill people by just glancing at them! Everyone¡¯s legs became weak and they fell to the ground. The cowardly had already urinated and cried out, ¡°I can¡¯t take it anymore! Help! Who will help me!¡±


    The man¡¯s cry attracted Sadako¡¯s attention. Sadako turned her head slightly and walked towards the man slowly. The man screamed and crawled back, accidentally bumped into the TV cabinet and finally broke down, covering his face and crying.


    Suddenly, Sadako seemed to notice something, and suddenly rushed in front of the man, her long black hair almost covering his face. The man gasped and, before he had time to react, a pair of pale arms suddenly came from deep inside the TV cabinet, pulling him by the collar and dragging him inside!


    They saw that the man¡¯s neck was being strangled and he was almost breathless. Sadako almost pressed her face to his face and her black hair twisted into his mouth and ears as if it were alive. The man grabbed his collar with one hand and tried desperately to pull Sadako¡¯s hair out of his mouth with the other. Two female ghosts were rushing to kill him and he was caught in the middle, unable to advance or retreat, so he could only die in despair.


    Everyone¡¯s heart froze ¨C let¡¯s start! Sadako vs. Kayako! This is the best time to escape!


    Amid the whimpering of the poor bastard who was competed by the female ghost, everyone rushed towards the elevator. Lian Qiao ran the fastest but, just as he ran to the edge of the elevator, Sadako had already put down the poor bastard and rushed towards the elevator!


    Sadako had already sensed their intentions and flew towards everyone. Even if they had time to run into the elevator, they wouldn¡¯t have time to close the door! Sadako would enter the elevator with them!


    Xu RenDong made a decisive decision and pushed Lian Qiao into the elevator: ¡°You go first!¡± At the same time, he grabbed the floor lamp in Zhong Xiu¡¯s hand and slammed it at Sadako!


    Between the light and flint, the lamp hit Sadako, blocking Sadako¡¯s offensive a little. Seeing that this move was effective, Xu RenDong was about to continue the attack but heard Zhong Xiu screaming from behind him.


    At the same time, the elevator made a heavy roar.


    Bang dang!


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart jumped and he turned his head in disbelief. His heart instantly clenched.


    The elevator doors were closed.


    Half of Lian Qiao¡¯s body was still outside but the elevator door had slammed shut tightly.


    Half of Lian Qiao¡¯s body slowly slid down the door and a lot of blood spurted out like a broken faucet. The entire elevator door was sprayed with blood, turning it into a sticky bloody door. Half of Lian Qiao¡¯s body finally slipped to the ground and fell into a pool of his own blood. The muscles of his legs were still spasming and the intestines flowed out from the cut in his waist.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s pupils shrank suddenly and his brain went blank for a moment. He felt the blood all over his body being drained all at once, his ears were buzzing, his eyes were black and he couldn¡¯t see anything clearly.


    He only saw Lian Qiao who was cut in half.


    Suddenly there was a sharp pain from his wrist. Xu RenDong lowered his head blankly and saw the black hair wrapped around his arm. Not only that, his chest and waist were all densely packed with hair. Sadako smiled darkly behind his ears, her black hair slid up her skin, got into his nose and mouth, blocked his breathing and stabbed his internal organs.


    Soon, his eyes were also covered by black hair. A second before he lost consciousness, he saw Zhong Xiu crying and running towards him. Then he was suffocated and was dragged into the darkness by Kayako mercilessly.


    Everything was over again.


    ***

 CH 78

    Chapter 78 ¨C Three People Make a Tiger 14


    The metal body inside the silver-gray elevator reflected a cold light. The elevator was not big and the three people stood together, making the space even more narrow.


    ¡°I¡¯m his¡­ former teacher.¡±


    After Zhong Xiu said this, she gave Xu RenDong a deep look. Xu RenDong was slightly stunned and, when he heard these words, he seemed to be shocked. His thick eyelashes trembled slightly like butterfly wings, appearing too fragile to withstand even a single attack.


    He seemed unable to restrain himself and his eyes went red quickly. Then he turned his face away, not daring to meet Zhong Xiu¡¯s eyes.


    Lian Qiao watched silently and couldn¡¯t help but make up a 100,000-character abusive campus love story.


    He remembered that Zhong Xiu was thirteen years older than Xu RenDong, so that meant that when Xu RenDong was in high school, Zhong Xiu was only in her twenties¡­ A female teacher who had just graduated and a cold and silent male student¡­ it was unknown when or how they fell in love secretly but, due to ethical and moral constraints, the two eventually separated. Meeting after many years, the boy had grown into an elegant and powerful man whereas the life of the female teacher had come to an end like a candle in the wind. Seeing the female teacher on the hospital bed, the scenes of the past would emerge and the man could no longer pretend to be indifferent and finally revealed his fragile and soft core¡­


    What kind of peerless and poignant love story is this?


    Lian Qiao imagined that Xu RenDong was tortured so much that he couldn¡¯t breathe, that he knelt on the ground and trembled, that he was tortured until late at night when he was drunk and when, after giving up, he vomited blood on the white sheets. Lian Qiao suddenly felt a little emotional.


    Whilst licking the vinegar jar, Lian Qiao made up his mind and his thoughts gradually changed.


    This time the instance is called ¡°Three People Make a Tiger¡±. Lian Qiao had some guesses about this in his heart but he still needed proof. When he walked out of the elevator, he saw a retro and dark living room with a dozen people standing inside it. Xu RenDong had told him that the difficulty of the dungeon was related to the number of players. Lian Qiao counted and felt that this copy was not too difficult.


    There was no exit in this living room and only a staircase leading to the top, which gave off a very depressing feeling. Of course, there were no windows or anything. When he looked around, he could see dark green wallpaper with several landscape oil paintings hanging upon it. The crystal chandeliers on the ceiling were covered with dust and the fabric sofa was also dusty. It looked like no one had cleaned it for a long time.


    Although there were no doors and windows, the wind howling outside can still be heard. Lian Qiao touched the thick wall, turned his head and said to Xu RenDong: ¡°The Manor in the Snowstorm.¡±


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Xu RenDong seemed to be out of shape, raised his head and glanced at him blankly.


    Just as Lian Qiao was about to explain, a man on the sofa¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up and interjected: ¡°It¡¯s like the isolated island mode ¨C it refers to a murder incident in which a group of people are trapped in a closed environment and cannot leave. It is a classic murder mystery set-up. Do you also like solving mysteries?¡±


    Lian Qiao looked him up and down. This man looked sunny and handsome with a strong physique like a little sun. Just at first glance, you could tell he must be popular with girls. There were three other men and women who looked like college students beside him. It was obvious he was the center of the group and they were his followers.


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°I¡¯ve read a bit.¡±


    The man came over and said with a hearty smile: ¡°We should be all gathered together now. Let¡¯s not delay any further and introduce ourselves.¡±


    He turned his head and pointed to the three behind him: ¡°We few are members of the X Film Club and I¡¯m the president. These three are my members: A, B and C.¡±


    Lian Qiao thought this person was kind but it turned out they didn¡¯t even want to say their real name and instead used pseudonyms instead. It felt very insincere. He leaned into Xu RenDong¡¯s ear and whispered, ¡°Then we won¡¯t say our real name either.¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded.


    Lian Qiao was eager to give himself a cool ID but Xu RenDong had already pointed to himself and announced: ¡°I¡¯m the Nine-Time Boss.¡± He then pointed to Lian Qiao and Zhong Xiu and said, ¡°This is my male and female follower.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    Zhong Xiu: ¡°¡­¡± She suddenly felt sad. Was Xu RenDong usually so flamboyant? How did he fit into society?


    After self-introductions, everyone had an initial impression of each other, so they began to explore the map. Lian Qiao quickly noticed Xu RenDong¡¯s abnormality. He looked extraordinarily absent today and appeared always in a trance. His eyes were erratic and when they met Lian Qiao¡¯s by chance, they immediately shifted away as though he was  afraid to face him.


    ¡­ This is quite normal, after all, his ex-girlfriend was here. And Zhong Xiu probably didn¡¯t know that Xu RenDong had bent and so Xu RenDong was probably embarrassed to say it.


    Thinking of this, Lian Qiao suddenly felt a little bit of pleasure. ¡°It was only after I broke up with you that I found out that I like men.¡± This kind of plot is quite exciting to think about. When Zhong Xiu knew, no doubt she would vomit blood, hahahaha.


    When they came to the second floor, everyone pushed open several doors and found that there were guest rooms on this floor. The room looks like ordinary bedrooms and the furnishings were similar but you still need to observe them carefully. When Lian Qiao lay on the ground to check the bottom of the bed, he heard Zhong Xiu asking in a low voice. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? You¡¯re so distracted.¡±


    Xu RenDong quickly replied, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just a little tired.¡±


    Zhong Xiu sighed: ¡°You have to take good care of yourself.¡±


    Xu RenDong gave a low ¡°En¡±.


    ¡­Fuck, as soon as I turn around you start to have a secret relationship! What kind of behavior is this!


    Lian Qiao bounced off the ground in an instant, intending to swear an oath of sovereignty. However, Xu RenDong had already walked away to fiddle with the wardrobe and Zhong Xiu had also gone to the other side. Lian Qiao choked the jealousy in his throat. He was unable to vent and his lungs hurt with anger.


    Lian Qiao was angry. It happened that President Little Sun walked up to him and asked him if he had found any valuable clues.


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°Not yet.¡±


    President Little Sun said that he didn¡¯t find anything so he casually asked about the situation of Lian Qiao¡¯s three people. Lian Qiao was a little wary of this and changed the subject: ¡°The four of you agreed to come in together?¡±


    The president said: ¡°Pretty much. When the elevator first appeared we were together and afterwards when the elevator appeared again it was similar. We often meet together to avoid being alone. This time as well, we were watching horror movies in the club activity room¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao became interested: ¡°You have seen ghosts with your own eyes, yet you still dare to watch horror movies?¡±


    The president sighed: ¡°Isn¡¯t it because I¡¯ve seen a ghost so I want to watch more and practice my courage? And when you watch ghost movies, you are the audience, not the protagonist, so you don¡¯t have a sense of danger. You feel quite safe. Not like here¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao felt the same way and asked casually, ¡°Then what movies have you watched recently, I¡¯ll go and see it too.¡±


    The president: ¡°Nightmare on Elm Street.¡±


    Not far away, Xu RenDong suddenly raised his head when he heard these words. His face changed greatly. He walked towards them quickly but, before he could stop them, the president had already said the next sentence:


    ¡°Also Night of the Soul Return.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao looked at Xu RenDong¡¯s livid face and felt confused: ¡°Brother RenDong, what¡¯s the matter with you?¡±


    ¡°¡­Come with me.¡± Xu RenDong almost gritted his teeth when he said these words, He turned his head and walked towards the door.


    Lian Qiao felt confused and followed him into the corridor. Xu RenDong pulled him into the opposite room and took him back to the door.


    The room was empty and silent and only the breathing of the two of them could be heard. Lian Qiao watched him lock the door and couldn¡¯t help his heart from beating faster.


    Although he didn¡¯t know what Brother RenDong wanted to do, the act of locking the door was so exciting! It feels like something indescribable was about to happen!


    Lian Qiao was so excited that he rubbed his hands like a fly but then he heard Xu RenDong say: ¡°Don¡¯t talk to that president, he is a shit stirrer.¡±


    Lian Qiao was stunned: ¡°Ah? Why?¡±


    Xu RenDong frowned, as if he was looking for a reasonable explanation. After a long while, he gave up, curled his lips and said, ¡°There¡¯s no reason, I just don¡¯t like him.¡±


    This was too childish. Lian Qiao thought it was funny and cute. Suddenly, Lian Qiao suddenly realized: ¡°Are you jealous?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­No.¡±


    Lian Qiao stepped closer until he was pressed against the wall. Just as he was about to attack him, Xu RenDong slapped his hand away and said unhappily, ¡°Speak properly, don¡¯t hit people.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± Embarrassed.


    He coughed and said, ¡°Did you think I was eating your ex-girlfriend¡¯s vinegar, so I deliberately flirted with other people to anger you?¡±


    Xu RenDong was surprised: ¡°Does this kind of move exist?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    Looking at him, he didn¡¯t look proud at all. Lian Qiao realized he was probably just making a big deal out of nothing. He was embarrassed and annoyed. His face suddenly turned red and he said angrily: ¡°Okay, you are not jealous. But I am indeed jealous!¡±


    Xu RenDong sighed: ¡°I know. You can¡¯t get over this hurdle, right?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Of course I can¡¯t get over it!¡± He angrily poked the top of his head, ¡°Look at this green prairie, who can stand it?!¡±


    Xu RenDong grabbed his finger and put it on his hair before kneading it. This action has a strong soothing meaning which made Lian Qiao feel good. He couldn¡¯t help squinting his eyes and felt he had turned into a dog, laying flat with his belly exposed, feeling very happy.


    At the same time, he heard Xu RenDong whispering: ¡°Stop thinking about it, okay? I don¡¯t have that kind of relationship with her.¡±


    Lian Qiao asked: ¡°Then what kind of relationship do you have? What happened to you before?¡±


    After a moment of silence, Xu RenDong gave a wry and self-deprecating smile: ¡°It¡¯s a very bad thing. It¡¯s so bad that I can¡¯t say it. Don¡¯t force me, okay?¡±


    His voice was low and soft, almost begging. At this time, he looked so fragile, as if he had removed all disguise and all his strength and held out his beating heart in both of his hands. His heart was soft and juicy and, when it was touched, it would tremble and ooze blood.


    It was untouchable but he still held it out and showed it to Lian Qiao.


    Lian Qiao looked at him and there was an abusive impulse in his heart. He suddenly wanted to be violent to him, wanted to hold that soft and juicy heart tightly, knead it, play with it, and see what gorgeous colors it would show in the end.


    ¡­ Completely like a pervert.


    Lian Qiao stabilized his mind, suppressed the perverted possessiveness in his heart and said with a smile, ¡°Okay, I believe you.¡±


    Xu RenDong breathed a sigh of relief.


    Lian Qiao asked, ¡°Can I hug you now?¡±


    Xu RenDong blushed, said ¡°en¡± and took the initiative to hug his waist.


    Lian Qiao pulled his whole body into his arms and let him rest his head on his shoulder. Xu RenDong¡¯s body was warm and thin. Men¡¯s bodies are not as soft as women¡¯s and they are hard to hold but Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t let go.


    He smelled the scent of the shower gel on Xu RenDong¡¯s body which was a refreshing lemon scent with a little sweetness. He also used this body wash because they lived together.


    Thinking of this, Lian Qiao felt very good and his heart was filled with tenderness. He hugged Xu RenDong. He was satisfied just by hugging and he didn¡¯t make any movements below the neck.


    The two embraced quietly, neither of them wanting to break the sweetness. After some time, there was a knock on the door.


    ¡°RenDong? Lian Qiao? Are you inside?¡±


    It was Zhong Xiu.


    When Xu RenDong heard the words, he pushed Lian Qiao away instantly and his face turned red, like crimson paint dizzy in the water.


    Lian Qiao was still immersed in happy thoughts. He watched Xu RenDong tidy up his clothes with an embarrassed expression. He didn¡¯t know whether it was because he was nervous or shy, even his fingers were shaking slightly. He patted his chest hard, as if he was patting off something dirty, then lowered his voice and said to Lian Qiao seriously, ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense after you go outside.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± How come your reaction looks like you just sexually assaulted me?


    Xu RenDong coughed and opened the door. Zhong Xiu asked a few concerned questions and Xu RenDong responded vaguely. He immediately stated that he wanted to continue exploring.


    It¡¯s obviously an open and consensual relationship but, because of Xu RenDong¡¯s excessive tension, it felt like an affair. Lian Qiao followed behind the two and, the more he thought about it, the more he felt that something was wrong.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s reaction, no matter how you look at it, looks like being caught in bed!


    But if this was the case¡ªLian Qiao suddenly thought: Obviously Zhong Xiu came first, then I am actually the mistress. And I¡¯m even a male mistress.


    Thinking about it this way, he actually felt a bit pleased?!

 CH 79

    Chapter 79 ¨C Three People Make a Tiger 15


    The second and third floors had almost been completely explored and this time there were no additional clues found. Everyone finally gathered in the sun room on the top floor. Outside the glass curtain wall was a bottomless darkness which surrounded the bare sunroom, making it feel like an island. The wild wind slapped against the windows and the entire glass house looked like it was going to crumble.


    Fifteen chairs formed a circle that looks like some kind of cult ritual. There was a task paper on one of the chairs. Xu RenDong picked up the note and read the words that he had read before countless times:


    ¡°Instructions for the Courage Training Camp: 1. The theme of this event: the deepest horror within the heart. 2. The content of the event: Please turn off the lights at 00:00 every night and share a ghost story in the glass room and face the horror within the story. Every night at least one story must be shared. 3. A friendly reminder:  Stories cannot be repeated, someone will die oh. The story cannot be not scary, someone will die oh. 4. Just joking ah.¡±


    Xu RenDong has almost memorized this sentence. After reading it again he handed the note to the next person and then fell into thought.


    This instance, there were two ways to die. One being that the ghost story you told was not scary enough, in that case the narrator would be frozen into ice and die on the spot. The second being that the ghost story came true and everyone will die according to the setting of the story. However, once a ghost story is established, not only will the ghosts within it come to life, but some key settings will also come true. The proof of this was when Lian Qiao deliberately added the element of the ¡°elevator¡± to Sadako¡¯s story.


    The problem with that lay in the prior setting of Xu RenDong¡¯s ¡°Juniper Tree¡± story ¨C being that you can¡¯t look into the box, otherwise your head will be broken off. He didn¡¯t realize that the elevator was also in the category of a ¡°box¡± and hence when Lian Qiao entered the elevator, he was chopped into two and died tragically in front of his eyes.


    The situation this time was worse than last time. In his rebirth, he had been out of shape and unable to recover from the mental blow of Lian Qiao being cut in half in front of him. So he wasn¡¯t on guard against the troublemaker President and he actually already mentioned the names of the two movies: Nightmare on Elm Street and Night of the Soul Return already.


    Just Nightmare on Elm Street was already a headache. Now that two horror movies were put together, it was not at all unlikely that the entire team would get wiped out in one night.


    Xu RenDong glanced at the time. There were only two minutes left until midnight. President Little Sun took a step forward and was about to speak when Xu RenDong interrupted him: ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll give it a go first. If something happens to me, please take care of my two little followers for me.


    President Little Sun had a stunned expression of ¡°how come you stole my line¡± but since this was a Nine-Time Boss, he didn¡¯t dare to make trouble. Lian Qiao was a little worried. He came over and asked in a low voice, ¡°Brother RenDong, what do you want to do?¡±


    Xu RenDong glanced at him: ¡°Wipe your ass.¡± {I think the English/Chinese meaning should be the same? In case it¡¯s not clear, it means he¡¯s cleaning up after Lian Qiao¡¯s mess ¨C i.e. when he allowed President Little Sun to talk about the horror movies before.}


    Lian Qiao: ¡°???¡±


    Ten thousand questions in Lian Qiao¡¯s heart didn¡¯t get a chance to be expressed before the lights in the glass room suddenly went out. His eyes couldn¡¯t adapt to the sudden darkness and Lian Qiao was dazedly pushed into the chair by Xu RenDong, only to hear Xu RenDong¡¯s low and sweet voice in the darkness: ¡°Sit well, believe in me.¡±


    Lian Qiao was so overwhelmed by his charisma that he couldn¡¯t close his legs.


    He suddenly felt that being beaten by the irritable and mad Xu RenDong and pushed against the wall was quite exciting! It would be even better if he could beat him until he has no strength to resist and then treat him like a crying rag doll¡­


    Wow! So exciting!


    Wait, I seem to be heading off into another direction¡¯s pervert¡­.


    Of course Xu RenDong doesn¡¯t know what indescribable things are in Lian Qiao¡¯s head at this moment. He walked to the center of the circle surrounded by chairs in the dark. After he felt that everyone had taken their seats, he calmed down and began to tell his story.


    ¡°I am a financial analyst. This job is very stressful and there is endless data to read and endless reports to write every day. Not only that but my interpersonal relationship in the company is still very poor and I don¡¯t know how to communicate with my boss. I don¡¯t get along with my colleagues so I have been living a very depressed life.¡±


    ¡°My only sustenance is when I go to bed at night, I pray that I can have a good dream. In the dream, I am omnipotent and the pleasure of controlling everything balances the pain of the day. ¡°


    ¡°But even so, the burdens of life gradually overwhelmed me. The negative energy in my heart was accumulating and I had to find something else to vent.


    ¡°I began to look for violent images on the internet¡­ murders, car crashes, natural disasters¡­ Those broken human bodies excited me. The bones were white, the fat was orange-yellow and they looked sticky and slippery. The blood vessels were different in thickness but they are all fragile and, if they were broken, they would bleed. If it is the carotid artery, the blood can be sprayed to the ceiling¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong slowly described the images as he screened his memory. These detailed descriptions brought to life the fragmented human bodies in front of everyone¡¯s eyes  and everyone couldn¡¯t help feeling a little terrified. At the same time they began to wonder: Does this man really have this hobby? Otherwise, how could he know the details so clearly?


    No one knew that Xu RenDong¡¯s knowledge of human anatomy was all due to the things he had seen with his own eyes. He had personally experienced what it was like to have his carotid artery cut.


    ¡°¡­Gradually, I stopped being satisfied with pictures and videos on the Internet. I really wanted to experience the thrill in person.¡±


    ¡°I bought a rabbit and it was very docile and good-tempered. But when I sliced its ears, its limbs were kicking all over the place and rabbit fur was flying all over the bathroom. I accidentally let it get away and it was bloody and messed up the living room of my house. I had a hard time chasing it so I could cut up its belly.¡±


    ¡°This taught me a good lesson. In the future when I buy frogs, chickens, cats and dogs, I will tie them up first so they don¡¯t have the ability to escape. But I still don¡¯t feel satisfied. The scissors and kitchen knives dull easily. When it comes to using a whetstone or buying new instruments, it¡¯s very troublesome.¡±


    ¡°I thought¡­ if only my hand could be integrated with the blade. This was the thought that I had before I fell asleep.¡±


    Hearing this, someone took a breath of air and seemed to have guessed the direction the story was heading in. Xu RenDong paused for a moment, letting fear brew in everyone¡¯s heart and then said with a smile and a slightly excited tone:


    ¡°After I entered a dream, my wish came true.¡±


    ¡°In my dream, my hands turned into razors. They were so sharp that they glowed coldly in the moonlight. I admired these new ¡®hands¡¯ with satisfaction. I tried to cut my arm and the blood immediately spurted out.¡±


    ¡°I knew it was in a dream and I knew that I was omnipotent in my dream, so I didn¡¯t feel anything was strange. I was walking in the streets at night. Walking and walking, I came to a strange place. In that place, I saw my boss hugging a woman and looking like they were having a great time. After I looked closely, I realized that the woman was actually a popular actress.¡±


    ¡°This is the world of dreams and it looked like my boss was also having a good dream.¡±


    ¡°Since it was in the dream, it doesn¡¯t matter what I do. So I stabbed my finger, which was a razor, into his body slowly. He made an unpleasant cry like a pig being killed and, while holding his neck, asked me why and what I was doing there. At the same time his blood sprayed to the ceiling¡­ As I said before, the pressure on the carotid artery is very high and, even if you cover the wound with your hand, the blood will spray out from your fingers and spray up higher and higher¡­¡±


    ¡°He wanted to escape and I also wanted him to escape because I like the feeling of chasing my prey- and because I was thinking that, suddenly an elevator appeared in front of him. It was a silver elevator and the door was open. He was covered in blood and ran in while staggering. While pressing the close button, he looked at me in horror. How should I describe his expression at the time?¡±


    Xu RenDong thought about it very deeply. His lips curved and, in a tone of enjoyment and pleasure, he said: ¡°When the elevator door was about to close and I forced it open with a razor, his expression was really funny.¡±


    This description of the abused and murdered boss made everyone¡¯s blood run cold. How could you know such a thing so clearly?


    Everyone ¨C even Zhong Xiu and Lian Qiao ¨C couldn¡¯t help but start to wonder: Was this a story or real?


    In the darkness, Xu RenDong gently stroked his neck, recalling the feeling when Jiang Li stabbed his artery and trachea with a knife. Unconsciously, a wry smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.


    ¡°¡­looking at the dismembered body of my boss, I felt such a sense of relief and all my stress was swept away. I woke up content and went to work. Strangely, my boss was late that day. That guy, who always likes to dock my pay for being late, didn¡¯t even show up at noon. In the afternoon, a few police officers suddenly came to the company and said they would invite a few people back to assist in the investigation. Only then did everyone know that the boss died last night.¡±


    ¡°The way the boss died was exactly the same as in my dream. At two o¡¯clock in the morning, he was stabbed to death in his sleep. The murderer stabbed him more than a dozen times with a sharp blade and every time the blade passed right through him. The most terrifying thing was that the knife wound in the neck pierced the carotid artery and trachea, and blood spurted everywhere.¡±


    ¡°The strangest thing was that there was no trace of the murderer left at the scene.¡±


    ¡°No fingerprints, no footprints, there was not even a clue as to the murder weapon. There were no signs of damage to the doors, locks and windows. The police suspected that an acquaintance committed the crime but after some investigation, everyone was cleared of suspicion.¡±


    ¡°It is reasonable to say that with such a large amount of bleeding, the murderer should have been splashed with blood when he committed the murder. When he left, he would have left some traces in the corridor. But no, there was nothing. The murderer evaporated like water droplets, leaving no traces behind.¡±


    ¡°All afternoon, my colleagues were discussing the murder case. The familiar boss was killed in such a bloody way, which made everyone feel both scared and excited. I also pretended to be scared and mixed in with them and listened to their various tales about the case as well as their analysis and guesses. I held in my laughter until I got home from work.¡±


    ¡°So I can really enter other people¡¯s dreams.¡±


    ¡°So, if I kill them in my dreams, they will die in reality.¡±


    Xu When Ren Dong said this, he suddenly stopped. Everyone listened with bated breath, wondering what terrible words he was going to say next.


    However, Xu RenDong just smiled and said lightly: ¡°Since then, I have become a gentle and kind person. I don¡¯t need to buy small animals anymore.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a ¡°click¡±. The light in the glass room turned back on.


    Everyone was taken aback by the sudden light on. Someone trembled and said: ¡°Who, who turned on the light?¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°No one, it turned on by itself.¡± He glanced down at his legs and there was no trace of freezing. It seemed that the story was scary enough and he had passed.


    Everyone¡¯s faces were pale and they looked at each other. They all saw fear and suspicion on each other¡¯s faces.


    President Little Sun couldn¡¯t help but say: ¡°The story you just told¡­ it¡¯s a little bit similar to ¡°Nightmare on Elm Street¡±? Murder in a dream or something like that¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong narrowed his eyes: ¡°You mean to say I plagiarized it?¡±


    The president¡¯s face still had the scars from his violent beating just before. Seeing Xu RenDong picking up his chair and walking towards him again, the president quickly begged for mercy: ¡°No, no, no, I didn¡¯t mean that you plagiarized it¡­¡±


    {I reviewed it and there¡¯s really no scene of XRD beating the President this time around, I assume the author got confused with the previous reincarnation or perhaps you can assume that the same thing happened as last time, she just didn¡¯t write it again.}


    Xu RenDong was satisfied. He put down the chair and suddenly noticed that everyone was looking at him with a panicked look.


    Rock Monk said deeply: ¡°So you are a crazy murderer.¡±


    Xu RenDong ¡°¡­¡± You are too straightforward. He replied kindly, ¡°No, it¡¯s just a story.¡±


    Rock Monk: ¡°Really? I don¡¯t believe it.¡±


    Xu RenDong pointed to the blue-faced president and said sincerely: ¡°I just beat this person violently in front of you, which fully proves that I am not a gentle and kind person. Therefore, it can be seen that I am not the murderer in the story. Do you understand?¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡± Your reasoning is really well-founded and convincing!


    When Lian Qiao heard this, the expression on his face was very complicated.


    To be honest, he thought that Xu RenDong really was gentle and kind in real life, but he occasionally turned violent when he was playing an instance¡­ He used to think that this is the unique personality charm of Boss RenDong, but now that he thought about it more, was this not the typical personality of a perverted murderer? He would usually pretend to be harmless to humans and animals but, once he entered a non-natural environment, he would let himself go!


    Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t help shivering, thinking: What have I fallen in love with?


    After the story was told, there was no change in the glass room. Everyone waited for a while and then decided to rest first.


    When they went downstairs, everyone deliberately kept their distance from Xu RenDong. Only Lian Qiao and Zhong Xiu followed him. Xu RenDong deliberately said ¡°Good night, have a good dream¡± before everyone went back to the room. When everyone heard these words, their faces became even more ugly and they quickly closed the door so that they would not have to see him.


    Once they were in the room and had closed the door, Zhong Xiu sighed: ¡°Why do you want to make yourself into a target?¡±


    Xu RenDong said helplessly: ¡°It¡¯s just a story, really. Didn¡¯t you listen to the President? I copied the setting of ¡®Nightmare on Elm Street¡¯.¡±


    Zhong Xiu shook his head: ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that. Not only this story, but also your attitude towards the president. If you do that as soon as you arrive, everyone¡¯s impression of you will be bad. They will think that you are rude and reckless and won¡¯t cooperate with you. In this way, you will become the target of public criticism. If something happens, everyone will be the first to push you out to sacrifice you.¡±


    Xu RenDong did not speak but only listened. Lian Qiao said in displeasure, ¡°Why are you so naggy, like an old mother.¡±


    Hearing this, Xu RenDong and Zhong Xiu looked at him in unison and there was a hint of surprise in their eyes. Lian Qiao felt confused: ¡°What, did I say something wrong?¡±


    Xu RenDong coughed unnaturally: ¡°No¡­ no.¡± He quickly realized that nothing was appropriate to say at the moment so he quickly changed the subject. ¡°Let¡¯s go to rest early. I¡¯m tired.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Zhong Xiu grabbed the towel, ¡°I¡¯ll go wash my face.¡±


    She slammed the bathroom door and left the room to Lian Qiao and him. Xu RenDong¡¯s heart skipped a beat, thinking how could this woman be so unkind?


    Sure enough, Lian Qiao¡¯s ghostly voice floated from beside his ear: ¡°Brother RenDong, do you have an Oedipus complex?¡± {I.e. if he¡¯s attracted to older women that remind him of his mother, LQ doesn¡¯t know ZX is actually XRD¡¯s mum.}


    Xu RenDong¡¯s forehead burst into blue veins: ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? Didn¡¯t you promise me not to be jealous?¡±


    The bed next to him was pushed down and Lian Qiao crawled up to him and put his head in front of him: ¡°No, I can¡¯t help it. Unless you kiss me to soothe my wounded heart.¡±


    ¡­ What jealousy, this is clearly just robbery. Xu RenDong had no choice but to hold up Lian Qiao¡¯s chin and place a light kiss on his lips.


    ¡°Okay, go to sleep.¡± Xu RenDong blushed, pulled the quilt and wanted to lie down.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s too perfunctory!¡± Lian Qiao pressed up and wrapped his whole body in the quilt. Xu RenDong was so restrained that he couldn¡¯t move. He only felt that he had turned into a silkworm chrysalis. Before he had time to complete his transformation, his cocoon was forcibly broken. His body is still trapped in the cocoon but his head stuck  out, disturbed and helpless.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make trouble¡­¡± Xu RenDong struggled but Lian Qiao was still pressed down on him tightly. He was so overwhelmed that he was suddenly a little scared, but inexplicably also felt a sense of expectation.


    As for what he was expecting, he couldn¡¯t tell exactly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I won¡¯t mess around.¡± Lian Qiao poked his blushing cheeks and the smile in his eyes was dazzling. ¡°I just want to show you what a ¡®soothing kiss¡¯ is, okay?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Xu RenDong only felt the blood all over his body rushing to his cheeks which made him at a loss. He felt as though he had a fever. His head was dizzy, his body was soft and he didn¡¯t have any strength. He nodded dazedly.


    At this time, Xu RenDong was obedient and soft, and Lian Qiao simply fell in love with this part of him. His warm and dry fingertips rubbed the corner of his mouth a few times, as if looking for a suitable position, and finally stopped on his lips.


    Then, there was a kiss that was as gentle as spring water.


    Xu RenDong was immersed in the tenderness that was almost drowning and thought in a daze: It turns out that Lian Qiao likes to touch my lips before kissing¡­ Where did this habit come from¡­?


    The next second.


    ¡°I¡¯ve washed up, do you want to¡­¡± Zhong Xiu opened the door and saw two people on top of each other. She didn¡¯t have time to react before she heard a muffled groan¡ª


    With great effort, Xu RenDong kicked Lian Qiao out of bed again.


    ¡°¡­¡± No matter how sluggish Zhong Xiu was, she understood what had just happened. She touched her nose awkwardly and hastily beat a retreat back to the bathroom. ¡°I forgot to brush my teeth.¡±


    She closed the door again and even considerately locked it behind her.


    Xu RenDong was sitting on the bed holding his forehead. How was it that he would be caught red-handed every time and had to keep kicking Lian Qiao out of bed¡­ He felt a little embarrassed.


    Lian Qiao propped himself up against the edge of the bed and said faintly: ¡°Do you know where you kicked just now¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°It almost broke. If you can¡¯t use it in the future, then you will regret it later¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°???¡±


    Huh? Can¡¯t be used? What can¡¯t be used? Aren¡¯t his hands and feet all fine? Where did he kick exactly?

 CH 80

    Chapter 80 ¨C Three People Make a Tiger 16


    After some tossing and turning, the three finally fell asleep.


    Xu RenDong had no psychological burden and quickly fell asleep. Before he knew it, he found himself standing in the corridor of the guest room. On the left was the room where the three of them live and, on the right, was the room with the four members of the movie club. The corridor was quiet and empty but there was no feeling of terror and depression. Instead, it made him feel very comfortable and he had the feeling that no one could interfere with what he wanted to do.


    Is this a dream? Is this what it¡¯s like to be a boss?


    Very comfortable!


    He tried turning the doorknob and the door opened without making any noise. Zhong Xiu and Lian Qiao were still sleeping and a human figure was hollowed out between them as if a transparent person was lying there. Xu RenDong knew that it was his own body.


    So how do you get into someone else¡¯s dream?


    Xu RenDong touched Zhong Xiu¡¯s arm. He immediately felt a pull from his hand that was dragging him in the direction of Zhong Xiu. Xu RenDong hurriedly retracted his hand. It was just as he expected, he could enter someone¡¯s dream by touching them.


    After thinking about it, he decided to do an experiment first. He turned his head and walked to the room of the film club¡¯s group of four.


    This time, he didn¡¯t even open the door but walked directly through the wall. As the master of dreams, there was nothing unusual about going through walls. However, when he entered the room, he was taken aback by the sight in front of him.


    The four people from the film company were lying side by side on a big bed. What kind of configuration was this?


    Xu RenDong remembered that the relationship between men and women was complicated between these four people. He didn¡¯t know how they could sleep together.


    But now is not the time to gossip about this. Xu RenDong stepped forward and touched the president¡¯s arm. Soon, a huge suction force pulled him towards the president. Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes darkened and, when he opened his eyes again, the surrounding scenes  had completely changed.


    He found himself on the top floor of a school building. In front of him was a classroom. The door was closed and there was a rumbling subwoofer. After listening to it for a while, Xu RenDong realized that it seemed to be playing a horror movie with various horror sound effects accompanied by constant screams. Occasionally laughter and talking could also be heard.


    Since it is playing a movie, it should be very dark inside¡­


    Xu RenDong imagined that he was at one with the darkness and then passed through the door.


    As he expected, a horror movie was being played on a projector in the classroom. Several young people sat on the podium, both men and women, all of them staring at the projection screen, completely unaware of Xu RenDong¡¯s arrival.


    But¡­


    Xu RenDong frowned. Why are there five people here?


    The president and members A, B, and C are here but there was also another woman, let¡¯s call her girl D for the time being. Girl D looks similar in age to the other four and should also be a member of the film club.


    It doesn¡¯t matter why girl D appeared here. Xu RenDong decided to find the elevator first. He went through the wall again to the outside of the classroom. This classroom is located on the sixth floor of the school building. Outside the school building was an endless darkness, just like the glass room on the top floor of the villa.


    Xu RenDong walked around the corridor and quickly found the elevator. This elevator was exactly the same as the one they take in and out of the instance and the elevator button was also lit. The elevator was at the end of the hallway but the problem is that the classroom where the film studio was located was on the other side of the hallway and there is a staircase outside the classroom.


    How could he drive them all into the elevator?


    Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes fell on the fire extinguisher on the side.


    Inside the classroom, the zombie on the screen stretched out its long nails and slammed into the male protagonist¡¯s neck. The male protagonist was strangled with feet lifted off the ground. The hand holding the zombie twisted in pain. Accompanied by the screams of the heroine of the movie, the background music became more and more tense.


    ¡°Ah, ah, I don¡¯t want to watch it anymore!¡± Member A leaned against the president¡¯s shoulder with a squeak and her petite body trembled like a frightened deer, ¡°President, why do you want to show us this kind of film?¡±


    The president laughed: ¡°Because the theme this time is Zombie Horror Night!¡± He moved his shoulders and moved away from Member A very naturally, ¡°Your chin is too sharp, it makes my shoulders hurt!¡±


    Member A grumbled unhappily. She opened her mouth and grumbled, ¡°What a straight man¡­¡± {When Chinese people say ¡°zhi nan¡±/ ¡°straight man¡±, it doesn¡¯t just mean the person is straight but also that they are a typical dude i.e. insensitive, not romantic etc.}


    The president turned a deaf ear. He just turned his head and threw a faint smile at girl D.


    Girl D blushed and bowed her head silently.


    The president moved his nose suddenly and frowned, ¡°Hey, do you smell something?¡±


    Several other people also sniffed the air. Member B said in shock: ¡°It seems like a fire! There is smoke underneath the door!¡±


    Everyone was startled and looked towards the door. Sure enough, there was thick smoke rising from the crack of the door. The president rushed to the door immediately, turned the door handle and his face changed instantly: ¡°The door is locked!¡±


    ¡°What, what do you mean?¡± Everyone was shocked, ¡°Who locked it?¡±


    ¡°Did someone deliberately cause a fire to burn us inside?¡± Member A turned pale with fright.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go out first!¡± The president slammed into the door of the classroom but the door seemed to be nailed to the wall and barely moved. The other male member B hurriedly came up to help. The two shouted ¡®¡°One, two, three¡± and, at the same time, slammed into the door, but the door remained motionless.


    ¡°Get out of the way!¡± A feminine voice shouted, it came from girl D.


    The president and member B hurriedly turned aside and, when they turned around, they saw the girl D raised a seat and smashed it hard at the door handle! She smashed it several times. The doorknob rattled under her efforts and finally twisted and deformed little by little.


    Under the surprised eyes of everyone, with a bang, the entire door handle was smashed. Girl D stretched out her hand and the loose door lock fell from the door.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, let¡¯s go!¡± Girl D looked back and smiled, her eyes just happening to meet the president¡¯s.


    ¡°Go!¡± The president greeted her with a smile and pushed open the classroom door with her. As soon as the door opened, a heat wave rushed in. The president only felt that the flames rushed directly into the trachea, causing him to cough violently, and he subconsciously retreated.


    ¡°Cough, cough, cough¡­¡± Girl D was also choked into tears.


    ¡°The fire is so big!¡± The fire was reflected on everyone¡¯s faces and everyone was horrified to find that the entire classroom was swallowed by flames. Don¡¯t mention the stairs, even the ceiling was burning. Pieces of fire kept falling down.


    The apocalyptic scene instantly deprived everyone of their strength. They are all college students who have never seen the world and the usual fire drills were just like playing games at home. How could they know how to escape when they are really in a fire?


    The dark smoke kept pouring into the classroom and everyone was choked into tears.


    At the same time, Xu RenDong stood at the entrance of the stairs, holding a fire extinguisher to put out the fire with a feeling of embarrassment.


    Why is the fire so big¡­? He just went to the chemistry laboratory to find a few bottles of flammable materials and dumped them in the corridor but he didn¡¯t expect that the whole corridor was suddenly set on fire.


    Of course, as the boss of the dream, he wasn¡¯t affected by the fire. However the fire was too big, how could those little bastards escape!


    Despite Xu RenDong¡¯s efforts to control the fire, the flames spread quickly. Soon, the classroom was also on fire. The students screamed and backed away and even had the urge to jump from the windows to escape.


    ¡°No!¡± The president hugged the impulsive member A, ¡°The floor is too high! You will die if you jump off!¡±


    Member A cried in his arms: ¡°What should I do then! I¡¯m so scared! What should I do! ¡°


    Crush, rush out¡­cough¡­¡± Girl D found mineral water for everyone, ¡°Pour it on your clothes, cover your mouth and nose with your sleeves, let¡¯s rush out!¡±


    Member A cried, ¡°But the stairs are burning. It¡¯s over!¡±


    Girl D: ¡°I think the fire started from this side and it shouldn¡¯t have reached the elevator! The elevator in the school building is a fire escape. As long as we run over there, we will be saved!¡±


    Everyone suddenly realized and quickly followed girl D¡¯s example and wetted themselves.


    ¡°Go quickly, you must be fast! Otherwise, you will be suffocated by the thick smoke!¡± Girl D has a weak appearance but a stoic personality. She took a deep breath and rushed out of the classroom.


    The president was about to follow but was pulled by his sleeve by member A.


    ¡°President! I¡¯m afraid!¡± Member A had tears in her eyes.


    The president stomped his foot: ¡°Stop dawdling!¡± He put his arms around Member A¡¯s shoulder and pushed her to run forward.


    As soon as the four of them rushed out of the classroom, they heard a loud noise above their heads. Everyone was shocked and watched helplessly as a large piece of steel plate smashed down on their heads, hitting girl D and knocking her to the ground.


    The president wailed and rushed to the side of girl D, trying to push the steel plate away. However, the weight of the steel plate was astonishing so, no matter how hard he tried, the steel plate was firmly pressed onto girl D¡¯s back.


    ¡°Hnn¡­¡± Girl D gritted her teeth, sweating all over her face. She raised her little face with difficulty and said with anger, ¡°Leave me alone, just go¡­¡±


    ¡°No! No!¡± The president looked like a mad wolf. He grabbed girl D¡¯s arms, kicked the steel plate behind her and shouted to the other members, ¡°What are you doing, come and help!¡±


    The three looked at each other. Member A said hesitantly: ¡°The fire is too big¡­¡±


    The other two also nodded. The president said angrily: ¡°What do you mean!?¡±


    The three of them looked at each other and came up to pull him: ¡°Since she told you to let go, don¡¯t waste her kindness!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! The fire is about to burn over here!¡±


    ¡°If we don¡¯t leave, all of us will die here!¡±


    The president struggled, screaming constantly, but was dragged away from girl D by the three of them.


    Girl D was pressed under the huge steel plate and blood slowly seeped out from under her, dyeing her white collar red. Under the light of the fire, she showed a poignant smile to the president and said in a low, inaudible voice, ¡°Go ba.¡±


    The president was forced to leave in despair.


    Not long after he left, the girl¡¯s head drooped weakly. She lay in a pool of her own blood with a bitter smile on her beautiful young cheeks.


    At the other end of the corridor, Xu RenDong watched all this silently. After the film club¡¯s group of four entered the elevator, the surrounding scene suddenly blurred like a stirred lake. It seems that they have successfully escaped and so this dream world was  about to disappear.


    Xu RenDong felt a suction and knew he was about to leave this dream. He glanced at the girl one last time but suddenly found that the girl¡¯s body was gone. In its place was a piece of paper that appeared to have writing on it.


    Fighting against the suction, he reached out and picked up the paper. He saw that it read:


    ¡°Notice:¡±


    ¡°In response to the fire incident that occurred on the 5th floor of the XX school building of our school on XX, XX, XX, the case has been reported. It has been confirmed that the five students involved are all film students in our school. A member of the club was using a projector to watch a movie in the classroom on the fifth floor at the time of the incident. This behavior was unauthorized without the approval of the school and there was no instructor present at the time. Due to the improper operation of girl D, the equipment caught fire. The fire quickly spread and could not be extinguished. Five students tried to escape from the teaching building in a panic. During this process, girl D was hit by falling building materials and died on the spot. The other four students suffered slightly injured.¡±


    ¡°This is very unfortunate for girl D. The school deeply regrets her death. However, the cause of this incident was that the students operated the equipment without the consent of the school, which caused the school building to catch fire, causing huge loss of life and property. The circumstances will be treated seriously. The students of the film club, as well as its responsible teachers, will be dealt with in the following manner¡­¡±


    The so-called serious treatment was just a demerit. The fire almost destroyed the entire school building and caused huge economic losses to the school. However, since girl D, who was the main responsible person, had died, the four survivors were treated extremely tolerantly and reasonably. But¡­ it still felt like there was something wrong.


    The scene in front of him quickly blurred. Xu RenDong¡¯s vision blurred and then he returned to reality. He looked down and saw that the piece of paper in his hand was gone but there were still some black marks left on his fingertips. He twisted his fingers and found that there were only ashes.


    At this moment, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration and understood what was wrong.


    This dream was too real, it is obviously not a simple dream, but a common memory of the four people. The fire in the dream was set by Xu RenDong so in the real world, how did the fire start?


    It definitely wasn¡¯t girl D. When the fire started, she was the only one who remained calm and cool while organizing an escape. How could such a calm girl just operate the projector casually and cause the whole school building to catch fire? The fire must have had another cause.


    ¡°Three People Make a Tiger¡± ¨C was this what they meant?


    After girl D died, the other three put all the blame on girl D in order to avoid punishment. And the president obviously admires girl D.


    ¡­¡­I see. No wonder the president wanted to find a way to kill those three people.


    Xu RenDong sighed and left this story behind.


    The room of the film club¡¯s group of four was empty so it could be seen that they really  did leave here through the elevator in their dreams. After Xu RenDong confirmed that this method was effective, he quickly returned to his room.


    Zhong Xiu and Lian Qiao were still sleeping peacefully, not realizing that there was one person gone from the bed. Xu RenDong looked back and forth and suddenly felt like he was in a bit of a pickle.


    Is this the typical scenario of when ¡°me and your mother fall into the water, who will you save first?¡±


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t want to waste time so he took out a coin from his pocket and tossed it. Taking a look, it was a ¡°1¡±.


    That¡¯s Lian Qiao.


    Xu RenDong walked to Lian Qiao¡¯s side and lightly touched his arm. Soon, a familiar pull came from the hand. He entered Lian Qiao¡¯s dream.


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    Focus: Lian Qiao is a 1! {i.e. Gong lol}

 CH 81

    Chapter 81 ¨C Three People Make a Tiger 17


    When he opened his eyes, Xu RenDong found himself in an abandoned city.


    The city was deserted and the streets were overgrown with grass. Huge vines climbed all over the tall buildings and even snaked through the broken glass windows and went into the interiors of the buildings. It seems that this place has been abandoned for a long time. Not only is it occupied by plants but even animals used it as a home. Deer and wild boars walked on the cracked asphalt road and occasionally lowered their heads to nibble on the grass growing from the cracks in the ground. Birds chirped gently in the shade of greenery and, from time to time, large flocks of birds were startled and streaked across the sky. This is a scene that cannot be seen in modern cities.


    Xu RenDong was shocked by this scene as soon as he opened his eyes. He never imagined that an abandoned city would have such a beautiful vista. Buildings, streets, rusted cars, there were traces of human life everywhere but nature has come back, step by step, to reclaim it. Wild animals and plants have become the masters here, strolling around here and growing wildly, as if this place has been their home since ancient times.


    There were no human voices around or noises of a modern city. All that haunted his ears were the whispers of the wind blowing through the grass and the flapping wings of birds flying in the sky.


    The philosophical implications of this moved Xu RenDong but right now he didn¡¯t really have time to think about it. He looked around, looking for traces of Lian Qiao¡¯s whereabouts. Soon, at the edge of a water pond in the center of the city, he saw two figures.


    It was a piece of clear and translucent water that appeared in the middle of an abandoned city. It didn¡¯t seem strange at all. Xu RenDong looked from a distance and recognized Lian Qiao at a glance. He was wearing a black combat uniform with a pure black katana sword on his back and he was holding a long fishing rod. He was probably taking a break between battles.


    And behind him, there was someone with wings¡­


    It was himself with wings!


    Xu RenDong opened his eyes in disbelief. He took another look to make sure that the bird man behind Lian Qiao had a face exactly the same as his own!


    No, it was not exactly the same. That Xu RenDong not only had a pair of white and flawless wings but even the holy light slowly sprinkled from the top of his head. There was a silver notch between his eyebrows, which was really beautiful. Although his facial features and demeanor were very similar to his own, with the addition of the pair of wings and the holy light, the Xu RenDong next to Lian Qiao really seemed like an angel from mythology and was shockingly beautiful.


    ¡­Is that what he looked like in Lian Qiao¡¯s mind?


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help blushing.


    As he stood stunned, Lian Qiao¡¯s fishing rod was hooked. With a twist of his wrist, the fishing rod drew a beautiful arc in the air. A big fish landed in front of him. He took off the fish and happily showed it off to the angel beside him. The angel smiled at him but said nothing.


    Lian Qiao took the angel¡¯s hand, said something with a smile, and then the two walked in a certain direction.


    The angel slowly flapped its white wings and floated gracefully in mid-air with both his feet only lightly touching the ground with his toes. The holy light above his head scattered all the way and fell into the grass and turned into silver-white debris. Lian Qiao was all in black, from his battle uniform to his long sword. Occasionally, small robots appeared on the road, roaring ¡°I¡¯ll kill you¡± in an electronically synthesized voice  and waving their robotic arms towards the two of them. Lian Qiao pulled out the long katana behind his back and cut the little robot into pieces neatly. The mechanical parts were scattered all over the place and soon they automatically flew into the small backpack around Lian Qiao¡¯s waist.


    ¡°There are mechanical lifeforms everywhere, it¡¯s so annoying.¡± Lian Qiao put away the long sword and took the angel¡¯s hand. He curved his eyes and smiled again, ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll take you someplace.¡±


    The angel smiled back at him in return.


    Xu RenDong followed from a distance and saw Lian Qiao and the angel kissing each other and experienced the wonderful sensation of growing green grass on his own head. He wanted to send Lian Qiao away as soon as possible but all along the way, he didn¡¯t see the elevator. He could only wait and see what would happen.


    As he walked, the scene in front of him changed and a playground appeared. It was unknown when it got dark and there were mechanical clowns parading around in the playground. They played different musical instruments and passed by Lian Qiao and the angel but didn¡¯t appear to want to attack them. From time to time, ribbons floated over the shoulders of the two of them and Lian Qiao gently brushed them away for the angel.


    In the night sky, fireworks rose one by one, illuminating the castles and roller coasters in the distance. The castle has a very unique shape, with a huge love-shaped hole dug out in the middle and had a strange beauty. The roller coaster rumbled onto the track and rushed down quickly but there was no one on the roller coaster. The thrilling track could not elicit any screams so it seemed empty and lonely.


    Lian Qiao turned his head to the side and said something to the angel.


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t hear a word. He only saw the fireworks in the air illuminating the angel¡¯s face. The angel raised the corner of his mouth slightly and his eyes were full of smiles.


    That smile was like the spring breeze blowing the willow branches, so soft and intoxicating. Even Xu RenDong, who was used to seeing his own appearance, couldn¡¯t help but be taken aback.


    Lian Qiao stared blankly at the angel and, as if being pulled by an invisible thread, leaned over bit by bit. He closed his eyes, raised his head and kissed the corner of the angel¡¯s lips reverently. Then he opened his eyes carefully to see the angel¡¯s reaction.


    The angel smiled and acquiesced to him.


    Lian Qiao laughed, stretched his hand around the angel¡¯s neck and kissed him affectionately. Fireworks bloomed behind the two of them and the castle was bright and dark. It was as romantic as a fairy tale.


    Xu RenDong hid in the dark and peeped, feeling that the top of his head was green. But the angel did have his face and this was in Lian Qiao¡¯s dream, so to Lian Qiao, it was Xu RenDong himself¡­ Strictly speaking, this really can¡¯t be counted as a betrayal.


    Xu RenDong fell into a strange philosophical thinking.


    The two clingy people finally separated and there was even a trace of water on the corner of their mouths. Xu RenDong was stunned for a moment and, when he realized what was going on, he blushed madly.


    ¡°You are so sweet.¡± Lian Qiao rubbed the corner of the angel¡¯s mouth obsessively, his eyes darkening, ¡°Let¡¯s do it, shall we?¡±


    ¡­ This was too much!


    A burning sense of shame surged up. Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t take it any longer, and decided to break up this dog male and male pair. He looked at the shapes of the mechanical clowns around him and, after thinking a bit, changed his clothes.


    As his body grew larger, the viewing angle gradually increased. The surrounding scenery was constantly sinking. He looked down at himself, at his all-metal body. The joints were constructed of gears and there was a mechanical core inside to provide energy, so it was not difficult to drive this huge mechanical body.


    When he took a step, the ground shook.


    ¡°What¡¯s that sound?¡± Lian Qiao was immediately startled. He turned around and saw the huge mechanical creature  that was dozens of meters high. The expression on his face changed from dissatisfaction to surprise.


    ¡°Elite monsters?¡± Lian Qiao took out his katana and said to the angel eagerly, ¡°Switch to defensive mode, don¡¯t take the initiative to attack. Wait for me to come back.¡±


    A few lines of code flashed in the angel¡¯s eyes. He closed his eyes and, when he opened them again, he nodded towards Lian Qiao.


    Lian Qiao kissed the angel on the forehead and then charged towards the giant machine aggressively.


    A certain giant machine: ¡°¡­¡± I made myself green. I really want to ¡°eat vinegar¡± (be jealous) but I can¡¯t, I¡¯m angry!


    Xu RenDong decided to take out his anger on the scumbag Lian Qiao. He waved his heavy mechanical arm and smashed it hard at Lian Qiao. Lian Qiao was very responsive, and his movements were so fast that he almost turned into two people. He avoided the punch long before he landed. The fist of the huge mechanical lifeform smashed into the air, causing a burst of dust. Xu RenDong turned to look for Lian Qiao¡¯s whereabouts  but heard a metal crash behind him. Then, the thick steel plate was split open, revealing the internal gear structure.


    ¡­ Katana swords can also cut steel?! This is too unscientific!


    The huge mechanical lifeform turned around lumberingly and saw the nimble black figure wielding a long knife in mid-air, slashing everywhere. The samurai sword looked inconspicuous but it slashed the huge machine incarnated by Xu RenDong into flames. Xu RenDong tried to catch Lian Qiao several times but, because of his slow movement, he always missed the air.


    Although Lian Qiao¡¯s movements are agile, unfortunately the difference in body size between the two is too great. For a while, the samurai sword was still unable to inflict fatal damage to the huge machinery. While fighting against Lian Qiao, Xu RenDong surveyed the surrounding terrain.


    Even though he had already stood so high, he still didn¡¯t see the elevator. Where was the elevator in Lian Qiao¡¯s dream?


    Lian Qiao¡¯s movements are agile, his offensive is fierce and the huge machine really can¡¯t kill him. Xu RenDong wanted to give up and didn¡¯t want to waste any more time. But he heard Lian Qiao excitedly say: ¡°This monster is so hard, it will definitely drop good things!¡± He turned his head and shouted at the angel: ¡°RenDong, switch the attack mode! Cover me, I will hack him!¡±


    Two silver-white long knives appeared, flapping their wings and flying towards here. At the same time, Lian Qiao stood still, clenched his hands loosely and placed his fists in front of his chest. Sparks burst out from the electromagnetic gloves and a laser shot directly aimed at the inner core of the giant machine!


    Xu RenDong was startled, knowing that Lian Qiao was coming now, so he quickly turned his head and ran away. Suddenly, a red box jumped out in front of him: ¡°Warning! Hacker invasion detected!¡±


    Xu RenDong tried to eliminate the hacker program running around in his body, but a red box popped out in front of him:


    ¡°Warning! The control of the left robotic arm has been lost!¡±


    Xu RenDong was shocked and then there was a loud bang on the left. He was shocked to find that the left mechanical arm had been forcibly separated from the giant mechanical body. It was controlled by an aperture and was floating in the air.


    Before Xu RenDong could react, the robotic arm had already clenched its fist and slammed into his own face! The head of the giant machine was smashed to the side and the whole body lost its balance and fell heavily onto the ground. This move is no better than a samurai sword. It was simply a huge lethal force and, all of a sudden, Xu RenDong, who was hiding inside the machine, was dizzy.


    ¡­you, this is domestic violence!


    Hacker programs multiplied frantically in Xu RenDong¡¯s body. He has done his best to resist the virus but he can¡¯t resist all of it.


    This way, Lian Qiao manipulated the captured mechanical arm and pressed the giant machine to the ground and beat him wildly. Xu RenDong, who suffered domestic violence, was furious. He heard his body being smashed, parts and firelight flying around. It didn¡¯t take long for the huge machine dozens of meters high to be dismantled to the point of iron lumps and a lot of sparkling rare props exploded around.


    As for Xu RenDong, he abandoned the body long before he was divided and hid back in the darkness.


    Xu RenDong was deeply in pain. He didn¡¯t expect Lian Qiao to be so strong in his dream, he actually couldn¡¯t beat him! He could only wait angrily for Lian Qiao to pick up the props, watching Lian Qiao happily holding a lot of things to show the angel. Then he took the angel¡¯s hand again, ran to the castle where the love heart was dug out, and watched the fireworks tirelessly.


    ¡­It was really irritating!


    Fine, don¡¯t leave! You two stay here and continue to be clingy and crooked!


    Xu RenDong mobilized his thoughts angrily and was about to leave Lian Qiao¡¯s dream, when he heard Lian Qiao say: ¡°Actually, I wanted to bring you here for a long time but I was afraid that you would call me naive. Although it¡¯s just a game¡­¡±


    The roller coaster rumbled. The ground passed in front of you and the gorgeous fireworks lit up the night sky. The huge castle stood silently, the heart-shaped void filled with fireworks.


    ¡°¡­But it¡¯s really beautiful here.¡±


    Xu RenDong stopped and turned around. He looked at Lian Qiao from a distance, and found that when Lian Qiao said this, there were stars flashing in his eyes.


    Lian Qiao is like an innocent and sincere child, holding his favorite things out to the person he likes the most, wanting to share with him, but he was afraid that the other person would not like it and that he would laugh at him.


    That cautious appearance was like a green fruit stained with dew, sweet and sour, and the juice was full of the sweetness of first love.


    How can he not be distracted?


    Xu RenDong raised the corners of his mouth slightly, stared at Lian Qiao from a distance and said silently, ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Lian Qiao suddenly remembered something and smiled with curved eyebrows, ¡°There is a hidden easter egg in the castle. Let me show you!¡± Then he took the angel¡¯s hand and ran towards the castle.


    Xu RenDong disappeared and followed quietly. Passing through the ornate castle gate, you would be greeted by a spacious ballroom. Different from the gorgeous exterior, the interior of the castle is scattered, as if there had been a war, and the ground was full of corpses of mechanical creatures.


    Lian Qiao ignored these and went straight to the small door beside the ballroom. It was a downward staircase and the long and narrow corridor spread to the depths. Several mechanical creatures sprang out of the darkness, all of which were quickly killed by Lian Qiao¡¯s sword.


    ¡°The protagonist of this game is an artificial man, which was created to fight against mechanical creatures. The game officially announced a theme song. The MV was shot with real scenery. Press the button to smash and destroy the dolls. All the corpses are piled up together, like a mountain of garbage. The whole MV has a kind of cruel and violent beauty.¡±


    Lian Qiao cleaned up the mechanical creatures that jumped out, whilst simplifying the game plot and explaining it to the angel. In the dark corridor, the samurai sword slashed a lot of sparks on the metal body of the mechanical creature and the sound of metal collision was endless. The scene that was supposed to be gloomy and depressing was less terrifying because of Lian Qiao¡¯s beautiful fighting moves.


    ¡°When I cleared the level for the first time, I was so shocked by the ending that I couldn¡¯t fall asleep all night.¡±


    ¡°Later, I found this hidden easter egg when I played the second time. It¡¯s this inconspicuous little door. You just go all the way to the end and take the elevator down. Then you will arrive at the wreckage mountain from the MV.¡±


    Xu RenDong had been quietly following and, when he heard the word ¡°elevator¡±, he suddenly raised his head.


    The two finally came to the end of the corridor. He saw an elevator standing at the end. The elevator was different from the one they usually saw. It was rusted and very shabby, and matched the surrounding scene very well.


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. He looked for the elevator that he couldn¡¯t find for a long time and it turned out to be hidden here. It¡¯s no wonder, this is Lian Qiao¡¯s dream. Lian Qiao restored the game scene in the dream, so it is reasonable for the elevator to appear as an easter egg.


    Lian Qiao pressed the button. With a heavy roar, the elevator door opened. He and the angel smiled at each other and stepped into the elevator hand in hand.


    The moment he walked into the elevator, Xu RenDong¡¯s heart tightened, for fear that Lian Qiao would be cut in half by the elevator again. Fortunately, there was no abnormality this time. The elevator door slowly closed and Lian Qiao and the angel disappeared behind the door.


    Immediately afterwards, like a drop of ink falling into clear water, everything around was stirred and twisted.


    Xu RenDong finally felt at ease, knowing that Lian Qiao had left. Sure enough, when he returned to the room, Zhong Xiu was the only one left on the bed.


    Everything went very smoothly and it was just a matter of driving everyone into the elevator one by one.


    Xu RenDong came to Zhong Xiu¡¯s side and gently pressed her arm. The familiar attraction pulled him into a dream and, at the same time, a strong emotion poured into his chest, cold and sharp. The pain made him breathless and tears flowed instantly.


    What is going on? What kind of dream is Zhong Xiu having?


    Xu RenDong narrowed his eyes and there was a bad premonition in his heart.


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    The game is ¡°Nier: Mechanical Age¡± {probably Nier: Automata} and the theme song MV is Amazarashi¡¯s Life ¤Ë¤Õ¤µ¤ï¤·¤¤.

 CH 82

    Chapter 82 ¨C Three People Make a Tiger 18


    The night was as thick as ink that could not be melted and the cold air came from all directions. Xu RenDong was shivering from the cold and narrowed his eyes to look at the environment surrounding him.


    This was a wilderness. The heavy snow was flying and the snowflakes were blowing head-on. It seemed to weigh heavily on the face, making people unable to open their eyes. There was a big house in the distance that was brightly lit and the yellow halo looked extra warm in the snowy night, making people involuntarily want to get close.


    Where is this? Where was Zhong Xiu?


    Xu RenDong looked around and soon found a figure walking alone in the wind and snow.


    It was a thin and small child who wore her hair in two ponytails. Even in this icy world, the child was only wearing a thin single coat. She was alone, walking in the deep snow. Snow fell on her hair, melted and then was refrozen into ice, freezing the two ponytails and making them hard and heavy.


    Xu RenDong was shocked when he saw her. He followed silently, finally seeing the child¡¯s face. Her face was flushed red with ice crystals on her eyelashes. Her facial features had not yet grown but he could already tell that she had a beautiful bone structure.


    It¡¯s Zhong Xiu. Zhong Xiu at the age of thirteen.


    Xu RenDong looked down and saw a baby in her arms. The baby was wrinkled all over.  His face was purple and it was unknown if the cause was hypoxia or freezing. All in all, it was a pretty ugly baby and not flattering at all.


    The baby was crying and writhing, trying to break free from Zhong Xiu¡¯s arms. The thirteen-year-old Zhong Xiu was still a child and didn¡¯t know how to hold a child at all. She tugged at the swaddling clothes and hurriedly wrapped it tightly around the baby, holding the back of its head with one hand and clutching it close to her chest. Perhaps because of hearing the familiar heartbeat, the baby finally stopped crying and quietly fell asleep in Zhong Xiu¡¯s arms.


    ¡­is that me?


    I was just born.


    Xu RenDong was shocked when he looked at himself in the swaddling clothes. His mind was blank for a while and he was overwhelmed. He could only follow Zhong Xiu silently to see where she was going.


    Zhong Xiu held the baby in her arms and made her way through the heavy snow with difficulty. Her face was whiter than snow and bloodless. The wind and snow came from all directions, Zhong Xiu shivered and tightened her jacket but cold sweat dripped from her forehead.


    Obviously she was already exhausted and she would stop after walking a few steps, exhaling a big mouthful of white breath. But each time she rested for only a few seconds before quickly perking up again, taking a deep breath and moving on. Xu RenDong suddenly noticed that there was a wet mark under her trousers. Xu RenDong was very familiar with this color ¨C it was blood.


    Sure enough, it didn¡¯t take long before the soaked cloth couldn¡¯t take more. Blood flowed down her ankles, creating shocking red footprints in the pure white snow.     shocking.


    Xu RenDong pursed his lips and had an urge to help her but he quickly realized it wasn¡¯t possible. How could he help her?


    This was her memory, something which happened more than 20 years ago and it was useless to do anything now. What¡¯s more, the place she was now heading¡­


    Sure enough, when Zhong Xiu finally arrived at the brightly lit place, a familiar building appeared in front of her.


    ¨C Welfare Institute. Sure enough, it¡¯s the welfare home.


    This was indeed the snowy night he was born, the snowy night he almost died.


    Xu RenDong watched helplessly as Zhong Xiu put his infant self at the door of the orphanage. After knocking on the door a few times, she left without looking back. She was still walking slowly and her thin body seemed to be weaker than before, as if she would fall down in the next second.


    The baby that suddenly left his mother¡¯s arms was so cold that he burst into tears. When Zhong Xiu heard the cry, her footsteps stopped, but she did not look back. The baby was not comforted and cried more. He kicked his little hands and feet. The quilt was quickly kicked away and the delicate hands and feet were exposed.


    Frostbite. In severe cases, necrosis and amputation are required.


    Xu RenDong stood in the darkness and watched all this silently. Snowflakes fell on the baby and accumulated more and more until he turned into a little white snowman. Xu RenDong could almost imagine the weight of the snow piled up on his body¡ª¡ª


    No, it was not imagination but memory. What he remembered was the icy, heavy feeling of snow on his body.


    He also remembered that he had frostbite when he was a child and his hands and feet were rotten. It was able to heal slowly thanks to the principal who applied ointment to him and soaked him with traditional Chinese medicine every day.


    Fortunately, the principal came out immediately after hearing the doorbell. Wrapped in thick cotton pajamas, she cried out when she saw the baby on the ground, ran over and picked him up. But in just a few minutes, the baby was already frozen stiff and even his cries had become weak.


    The principal held the baby tightly in her arms and looked around, but couldn¡¯t find who had left the child.


    The principal sighed and walked quickly towards the orphanage with the baby in her  arms. Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes followed her and his mood was extremely complicated.


    Whatever, let¡¯s drive Zhong Xiu into the elevator first.


    In the dream, he is omnipotent after all. After thinking about it, he conjured a chainsaw for himself and put on a hood. After changing into the costume of a chainsaw killer, Xu RenDong closed his eyes. Within the span of a thought, he walked up behind Zhong Xiu.


    Despite being unburdened by the baby, Zhong Xiu did not feel much relieved. She was panting harder and walking more slowly. Xu RenDong quietly went around in front of her and yanked the chainsaw to pull the wire. The sawtooth spun at a high speed, making a low, terrifying hum.


    Zhong Xiu raised her head in surprise when she heard the sound. There was a hint of horror on her pale and bloodless face. She opened her eyes wide and the tall figure of the masked man was reflected in her clear eyes.


    Xu RenDong held a chainsaw and approached step by step. Zhong Xiu was so frightened that her legs went weak and she fell to the ground into the snow. A large area of ??blood quickly smeared under her and the red was dazzling.


    ¡­her bleeding still hasn¡¯t stopped?


    Xu RenDong felt a stabbing in his heart and his movements slowed. Zhong Xiu raised a small face full of fear but foolishly didn¡¯t know how to escape. Xu RenDong raised the chainsaw high and was about to cut her down. Zhong Xiu screamed and covered her face with his hands.


    Hey you, run away!


    Xu RenDong was helpless. He could only pretend that the chainsaw was stuck by the branch above his head and made an appearance of trying to pull it out. Zhong Xiu was stunned for two seconds and then she came to her senses. She scrambled up and stumbled back towards the orphanage. Xu RenDong trotted behind her, already thinking about who he would go to next after sending Zhong Xiu away.


    Zhong Xiu finally ran to the front of the orphanage with the buzzing sound of the chainsaw chasing her. The welfare home was brightly lit and the yellow halo gave people a sense of security. Even Xu RenDong felt reassured when he saw it. Unexpectedly, Zhong Xiu suddenly stopped while running. Xu RenDong almost didn¡¯t stop in time and nearly hit her, so he quickly put away the chainsaw for fear of accidentally splitting Zhong Xiu in half.


    What exactly do you want to do?!


    Xu RenDong frowned and watched as Zhong Xiu turned around and ran towards the wilderness again.


    Instead of asking for help, you run to a place where there was no one. Is there a problem with your brain?


    The snowstorm is getting bigger and bigger. If he keeps running like this, he doesn¡¯t know whether Zhong Xiu will freeze to death first or die from excessive blood loss first. Xu RenDong frowned and pulled the wire fiercely, turning the sawtooth. He came to Zhong Xiu in a flash and blocked her way again.


    Zhong Xiu screamed. This time, instead of sitting down, she turned her head and ran in another direction¡ªstill with her back to the orphanage.


    She seemed panicked but still deliberately avoided the orphanage?!


    Xu RenDong was puzzled. He flashed a few more times and rushed Zhong Xiu in the direction of the orphanage. However, Zhong Xiu was still determined to run into the wilderness, no matter how he couldn¡¯t stop her.


    Are you looking for death!?


    Xu RenDong gradually lost patience and was too lazy to play the game of cat and mouse again. He stopped playing and picked up Zhong Xiu who was like a chicken, and let her struggle and kick. The blizzard was getting bigger and bigger and it hurt his face. Xu RenDong simply took off the cape, wrapped Zhong Xiu inside, and then carried her on his back like a sack.


    Zhong Xiu kept kicking and beating behind him but she was a thirteen-year-old child who was extremely weak due to excessive blood loss. Her kicking and beating were like being scratched by a kitten, it didn¡¯t have any lethality.


    Xu RenDong quickly came to the orphanage and opened the door. The warmth hit his face, instantly melting the ice and snow on his face. The familiar sight in the orphanage warmed his heart. He felt as if he could get shelter as long as he returned here and all harm would be blocked.


    Zhong Xiu was still struggling slightly behind him and Xu RenDong knew that she wasn¡¯t dead yet. But there wasn¡¯t much time because her blood had flowed down the cloak on Xu RenDong¡¯s back, making his entire back wet and sticky.


    How can a child bleed so much?


    Xu RenDong had an indescribable feeling in his heart. He suppressed his emotions and looked around for the elevator. All he could see were familiar sights. Toys were scattered on the ground and children¡¯s paintings were posted on the walls. It was the place where he lived for more than ten years.


    But¡ªthere was no elevator.


    In reality, the welfare home does not have an elevator. But why wasn¡¯t it here now?


    In Zhong Xiu¡¯s dream, there was only the building of the orphanage. The place outside the orphanage was a wilderness. How could there be an elevator?


    But where would it be if it wasn¡¯t here?


    Behind him, Zhong Xiu¡¯s movements became weaker and weaker and he could hardly hear her panting. Xu RenDong¡¯s heart was tight ¨C Zhong Xiu was dying and there was no time left.


    Xu RenDong had no time to think about it and teleported with a thought to the principal¡¯s room. The principal was wiping the blood from the baby with a hot towel. Xu RenDong shoved the half-dead Zhong Xiu into the principal¡¯s arms, ignoring her stunned expression and directly urged his mind to leave the dream.


    The huge suction instantly captured Xu RenDong. After a brief dizziness, he opened his eyes and was back in the room.


    He immediately leaned over to check on Zhong Xiu¡¯s situation. Fortunately, although she looked bad, she was still breathing. At least she was not dead yet.


    Xu RenDong breathed a sigh of relief and quickly frowned again.


    What happened to Zhong Xiu? Why was there no elevator in her dream?


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help looking at the other side of the big bed. The sheets were crumpled and the human figure could still be vaguely seen but the bed was empty. It made him feel empty and uneasy.


    He frowned tightly and sighed again.


    There weren¡¯t any other options. Lian Qiao has left and he had no one to discuss things with. He could only figure things out on his own.

 CH 83

    Chapter 83 ¨C Three People Make a Tiger 19


    Xu RenDong felt upset. He had no clue what was going on with Zhong Xiu. In desperation, he had to send others out first.


    The dream of Rock Monk was simple. He sang rap while he was working and was chased and beaten by the family of the deceased. After running a few streets, he successfully found the elevator and got out cleanly. The others were similarly simple, because Xu RenDong had repeatedly emphasized the ¡°elevator¡± in his story, so everyone had an elevator in their dream.


    In the end, only Zhong Xiu was left.


    Zhong Xiu lay on the big bed alone. She was sleeping quietly and her breathing was much smoother than before. Xu RenDong decided to try again so he closed his eyes and held Zhong Xiu¡¯s hand again.


    The familiar dizziness struck again and a powerful suction pulled him into a dream.


    This time, before he opened his eyes, he could already hear the noisy voices around him, the sound of sadness mixed with joy.


    This is a mourning hall and it is decorated in white everywhere. On the offering table was a gray and white photo of an old lady with a kind smile.


    In front of the offering table, a girl wearing hemp was kneeling with filial piety in front of the copper basin and was burning paper money. This girl was thirteen-year-old Xiao Zhong Xiu. But the strange thing was that there were more than a dozen knives stuck in her back, all of which sank deep into her back and her blood soaked the sackcloth. All the while Zhong Xiu seemed to be unaware of this and just numbly threw paper money into the copper basin.


    Xu RenDong turned his eyes and saw that outside the mourning hall, there were several men and women who looked like villagers and who were whispering.


    ¡°Actually hooking up with men at such a young age, tsk tsk tsk¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve felt there was something wrong with her for a long time. She kept saying she only gained weight, but look what happened. What did I say, this little girl is a slut. Messing around with people everywhere and even made her stomach big¡­¡±


    ¡°I heard that the little misbegotten bastard was strangled by her when it was born. I don¡¯t even know if it¡¯s a boy or a girl. This little slut is cruel¡­¡±


    As the villagers whispered, imaginary blades flew over to Zhong Xiu one by one. Zhong Xiu turned her back to everyone and her slender back was slightly hunched. She remained silent as each blade was inserted into her back.


    Xu RenDong stood in the darkness, biting his lip hard.


    ¡­Why do you have to endure it silently? You should refute them and tell them that this is not the case.


    Why not protest? Is what they say the truth? Are you really¡­


    Am I really a misbegotten bastard?


    Xu RenDong knew very little about his own life. In fact, even the principal didn¡¯t know what happened to Zhong Xiu that year. She only knew that when Zhong Xiu gave birth to Xu RenDong, she left him at the gate of the orphanage and did not even leave any token in the infant swaddling so that they could recognize each other in the future.


    Although Zhong Xiu came to visit the orphanage several times after this incident, she never took the initiative to bring up what happened and so the principal also did not ask much. Therefore, Xu RenDong¡¯s understanding of Zhong Xiu was limited to ¡°she is my biological mother¡± and ¡°she is dying¡±.


    At this moment, Xu RenDong saw Zhong Xiu¡¯s past experience in her dream. He felt both pain and hatred in his heart. He really hated that Zhong Xiu was only thirteen years old at the time and yet still had to suffer these rumors. But he also deplored Zhong Xiu for not refuting or resisting. Isn¡¯t silence the same as acquiescence? Is what the villagers say really true? Is that what she is trying to express?


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t accept it.


    The villagers were still pointing at Zhong Xiu. Xu RenDong¡¯s blood surged up. He couldn¡¯t watch it any longer and rushed out of the darkness. He angrily tugged at the collars of the villagers but, as soon as his fingertips touched the villagers, the scene in front of him changed. He actually returned to the darkness.


    A man and a woman were quarreling behind him.


    Xu RenDong turned around and found that the surrounding scene was no longer a mourning hall, but instead a small and crowded bedroom. The bedroom was full of clutter. It was well organized but the place was too small, which made people feel depressed.


    A middle-aged man and woman stood by the bed and quarreled, pointing their fingers at each other and yelling at each other.


    ¡°It¡¯s all your fault! If you hadn¡¯t gone out to work, how could that girl do such a thing!¡±


    ¡°You still have the face to blame me? If it wasn¡¯t for you who can¡¯t make any money, why would I, a woman, need to go out to work so hard?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you who didn¡¯t teach her well!¡±


    ¡°This is your family¡¯s seed! So if something goes wrong, blame me for not teaching her well? What about you!¡±


    Are they Zhong Xiu¡¯s parents?


    That is, my maternal grandparents.


    Xu RenDong watched all this in silence, with a complicated mood.


    The pair of men and women quarreled fiercely. As the argument became worse, they picked up the sundries on the table and threw them onto the ground. The utensils fell to the ground, making a ping-pong sound. The sound was like a steel needle in the ear and it hurt Xu RenDong¡¯s brain.


    In the corner, the skinny girl squatted on the ground, already covering her ears with her hands.


    Her body curled up into a small ball, leaning against the corner of the wall and was still shrinking inward, as if trying to find a safe place. But the next second, a big dark hand picked her up from the corner, grabbed her by the hair, and slammed her head against the wall.


    ¡°You bitch! You are so shameful, how will our family go out to see people in the future!¡±


    ¡°Shame! Go to hell! Go to hell!¡±


    The rough male voice resounded like thunder. Zhong Xiu was pressed tightly and her head was slammed against the wall, making a shocking thud.


    Zhong Xiu cried, ¡°Stop hitting! Dad! Please! Stop hitting me! It¡¯s not my fault! He forced me!¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback.


    He? who?


    Xu RenDong pricked up his ears and wanted to continue listening. However, the man didn¡¯t give Zhong Xiu a chance to explain. He tugged at Zhong Xiu¡¯s hair and slammed her against the wall even harder. Soon there was blood on the wall. On Zhong Xiu¡¯s forehead, blood and broken hair were stuck together.


    The man was still scolding: ¡°Our family¡¯s face has been disgraced by you! Go to hell! Go to hell!¡±


    Zhong Xiu struggled desperately, turned her head to the side with difficulty and asked the woman for help: ¡°Mom! Help! Me! I was forced, I was bullied¡­ I¡¯m not¡­¡±


    The woman sneered, ¡°Then why does he bully you instead of bullying others? Isn¡¯t it because of you!¡±


    Zhong Xiu heard this sentence and her eyes widened in astonishment. The next second, those big eyes full of shock and pain were slammed into the wall. Zhong Xiu covered her eyes and screamed.


    This scream was like the cry of a cub dying. Xu RenDong instantly recovered from his shock. Only then did he realize that he should save people, but when he reached out to Zhong Xiu, the surrounding scene changed again. He had jumped again.


    This time, he arrived at a school. In the classroom, a dozen children surrounded Zhong Xiu and wanted to take off her pants. Zhong Xiu screamed, desperately pulling up her pants. Several boys pressed her on the desk, pressing her hands and feet firmly. The girls coaxed: ¡°Quick, take off her pants! Look at what the ¡®down there¡¯ of a woman who has given birth looks like!¡±


    ¡°Can you smell anything? It stinks! My mother said that slut women will be rotten under the skin! The bottom of Zhong Xiu must have been rotten ages ago!¡±


    Even though they were all teenagers, they spit out the cruelest words from their innocent mouths. Xu RenDong was heartbroken and rushed forward to pull away these little devils. But when he reached out, the children all disappeared.


    In its place was a young woman with glasses.


    Zhong Xiu lowered her head and stood in front of her, her face flushed red.


    ¡°Teacher, please, don¡¯t make me drop out¡­¡±


    The female teacher frowned in displeasure, pushed up her glasses and said, ¡°No, the principal has already said that it is not good for you to stay here. The other students will learn bad habits from you.¡±


    There was another knife on Zhong Xiu¡¯s back. She bit her lip and whispered: ¡°But, it¡¯s not my fault¡­ I really didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    The female teacher was full of disgust: ¡°If you didn¡¯t go out to be wild at night, why would these people be staring at you now? Huh?¡±


    With tears in her eyes, Zhong Xiu explained with red eyes, ¡°No, it¡¯s because grandma was ill. I went to get a doctor for grandma¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t explain.¡± The female teacher was impatient. She waved her hands, ¡°If you refuse to inform your parents, then I¡¯ll tell your parents in person! What¡¯s their phone number?¡±


    Seeing the female teacher pick up the phone, Zhong Xiu was anxious and afraid. Kneeling in front of the female teacher, she grabbed the female teacher¡¯s clothes with trembling little hands, Zhong Xiu cried and begged: ¡°Teacher, no, please don¡¯t¡­ I promise you, I will tell them myself, I will tell my parents when I get home¡­¡±


    The female teacher was satisfied. She took out the corner of her clothes from Zhong Xiu¡¯s hand and said lightly, ¡°This teacher doesn¡¯t want to embarrass you¡­¡±


    In the darkness, Xu RenDong felt unbearable heartache.


    It turned out that so many things happened back then¡­ She was only thirteen years old, why did she have to go through all this?


    Xu RenDong only felt anger surging in his chest, making him want to roar, rush out and beat the female teacher to the ground. But he knew he couldn¡¯t. For some unknown reason, he couldn¡¯t interfere with Zhong Xiu¡¯s memories. Once he gets his hands on it, the scene changes. He couldn¡¯t help her at all.


    The hostile anger surged in Xu RenDong¡¯s body, causing his blood to rise up, almost making him spit out a mouthful of blood.


    Zhong Xiu said goodbye to the female teacher and left the school with a small school bag on her back. Xu RenDong suppressed his emotions and followed her closely.


    It was dark outside. Zhong Xiu raised her face and looked at the pitch-black sky, as if some bad memory had been awakened. She shivered abruptly and then walked quickly towards the house.


    Outside the school was a dirt road with fields on both sides, densely planted with crops. When Zhong Xiu passed a cornfield, she obviously quickened her pace. The corn was taller than hers and it was like a forest in the dark, making people afraid to step into it.


    Occasionally the wind blew and there was a rustling sound in the cornfield. Zhong Xiu was so frightened that her whole body froze, shaking all over and unable to move. It took a while for her to recover and continue to hurry along.


    Xu RenDong followed her silently, feeling heavy in her heart.


    Zhong Xiu finally returned home. Fortunately, her parents were not at home. No one was at home.


    Zhong Xiu went straight to the mourning hall, wiped the black and white photo on the offering table, then sat on the ground and stared blankly at the photo.


    There were dozens of sharp knives stuck in her back and the blood from the wounds had dried up. She just sat holding her knees like a little hedgehog, licking her wounds alone.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart was broken when he saw it. He couldn¡¯t bear it any longer, and called out in a low voice, ¡°Zhong Xiu.¡±


    Zhong Xiu was shocked when she heard a man¡¯s voice. She instinctively shrank back, looking in horror at Xu RenDong who walked out of the darkness: ¡°You¡­you¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong reassured: ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid,¡± His throat was bitter so his voice became hoarse and low, ¡°I have no ill intentions, don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    Zhong Xiu curled up in a corner of the mourning hall, her eyes still full of panic.


    Xu RenDong sighed, put incense sticks in front of the black and white photo, closed his eyes again and bowed devoutly. Zhong Xiu saw that his expression was solemn and he was dressed like a man from the big city so her curiosity gradually prevailed over her fear.


    ¡°You¡­ do you know my grandma?¡± Zhong Xiu asked timidly.


    Xu RenDong thought for a while and nodded.


    The two chatted for a while. Xu RenDong¡¯s elegant and gentle conversation made Zhong Xiu gradually let go of her vigilance. The expression on her face relaxed. Probably because she has suffered indignity and violence for a long time, it is rare for someone to talk to her so politely, so she cherished it very much.


    Xu RenDong felt that he had gotten a little closer to her so he carefully turned the topic around to that matter: ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call the police?¡±


    Zhong Xiu lowered her head and looked at her shoes: ¡°I only knew that I was bullied at that time but I didn¡¯t know that I would have a baby. People often don¡¯t treat me well and my grandmother always told me to be patient. She said to be patient for a while. Everything seemed calm so this time I thought I could endure it¡­¡±


    She stroked her belly in a trance: ¡°But my belly got bigger and bigger and it became more and more obvious. I didn¡¯t feel right but I didn¡¯t dare tell my grandma. Grandma still thought I was gaining weight and scolded me for being lazy.¡±


    Xu RenDong was silent for a moment: ¡°Then why did you give birth? Why didn¡¯t you get rid of it?¡±


    Zhong Xiu raised her face, her big eyes full of puzzlement: ¡°What do you mean by ¡®get rid of it¡¯?¡±


    Xu RenDong said, ¡°I mean¡­ abortion.¡±


    Zhong Xiu tilted her head but still didn¡¯t understand.


    Xu RenDong was stunned for a moment and then he realized that Zhong Xiu didn¡¯t know about abortion. He glanced at the offering table subconsciously and immediately understood the reason.


    Zhong Xiu¡¯s parents worked outside all year round and ignored her. Zhong Xiu was brought up by her grandmother since she was a child. Naturally, the old lady in the countryside didn¡¯t know what sex education was and so Zhong Xiu didn¡¯t understand what had happened after she was ¡°bullied¡± and she didn¡¯t even know that she could still have an abortion.


    It was not until the pregnancy in October, when the fruit was ripe, and Zhong Xiu secretly gave birth to the child, that everyone understood what happened. So they came to accuse Zhong Xiu.


    From the beginning to the end, no one asked who the hell actually had actually assaulted this teenage girl. Who the hell was it who dragged a girl who was looking for a doctor for her grandmother into the cornfield and committed a crime worse than a beast.


    Zhong Xiu listened to Xu RenDong¡¯s explanation of the meaning of the abortion, and nodded thoughtfully: ¡°It turns out that it can still be like this.¡± She touched her stomach again, rather annoyed, ¡°If I had known earlier, it would have been better to abort him. ¡°


    Xu RenDong felt bitterness in his mouth and was almost speechless. After a long time, he asked: ¡°You hate him so much, why didn¡¯t you strangle him to death as soon as he was born?¡±


    Zhong Xiu suddenly smiled: ¡°I thought about it.¡±


    The fluttering words ¡°I thought about it¡± were like a heavy hammer, hitting Xu RenDong¡¯s heart hard.


    Xu RenDong smiled bitterly. But then Zhong Xiu spoke again: ¡°But look at him. So small, wrinkled and so pitiful. Forget about it, he didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡±


    Xu RenDong was silent. Zhong Xiu looked up at him, suddenly remembered something, and asked with a smile, ¡°By the way, I don¡¯t know your name yet. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    Xu RenDong opened his mouth but couldn¡¯t say a word. The emotions in his heart surged out and he could no longer face Zhong Xiu. So he turned his head and left the mourning hall.


    After leaving Zhong Xiu¡¯s house, Xu RenDong walked alone on the country road. The stars were low in the sky and there were no lights on the dirt road. He could barely see the road in the dim moonlight. The cornfields on both sides were sealed and rustled, reminding Xu RenDong of something very bad. He quickened his pace and left here.


    After being blown by the cold wind for a while, he finally remembered his mission. He searched around the village for a long time but still found nothing.


    There was no elevator.


    In Zhong Xiu¡¯s dream, there was still no elevator. What exactly was going on?

 CH 84

    Chapter 84 ¨C Three People Make a Tiger 20


    Xu RenDong moved his thoughts and left Zhong Xiu¡¯s dream.


    Back in the room again, Xu RenDong felt like he was in a trance. He hadn¡¯t been able to recover from the hopeless and helpless mood in Zhong Xiu¡¯s dream.


    Zhong Xiu was still sleeping peacefully. It was unknown what she was dreaming about but there was a smile at the corners of her mouth. Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t smile. He woke up Zhong Xiu and told her what had happened.


    Zhong Xiu looked at the empty big bed next to her and asked, ¡°Is it just me?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Yes.¡±


    Zhong Xiu breathed a sigh of relief: ¡°Fortunately I¡¯m still here, otherwise you won¡¯t be able to get out. ¡°


    Xu RenDong was taken aback. Zhong Xiu said: ¡°If you are the only one left in the end,  how can you control yourself so as to find the elevator in your dream?¡±


    Only then did Xu RenDong realize the problem. Yes, if everyone was gone then Xu RenDong was the only one who could save himself. But he couldn¡¯t stay conscious inside his own dream and, just like Zhong Xiu, he wouldn¡¯t be able to find the elevator.


    Then he will be trapped in this instance forever. All his efforts would be lost.


    Seeing Xu RenDong¡¯s grave face, Zhong Xiu reassured him: ¡°Let¡¯s try again. This time it will definitely work.¡±


    Xu RenDong had no other choice but to agree.


    This time, Zhong Xiu took a long time to fall asleep. Xu RenDong was also drowsy after waiting for so long. After finally waiting for Zhong Xiu to fall asleep, he went into the bathroom and poured cold water on his face before entering Zhong Xiu¡¯s dream.


    It was different from before. This dream made him feel much brighter and less depressed than earlier. Xu RenDong opened his eyes and saw a long corridor. The hallways were bright and clean and the tiles have been cleaned spotless. There were many rooms on either side of the corridor. Xu RenDong thought it looked familiar, and immediately realized that this was the hospital.


    He passed the nurse¡¯s station and the doctor¡¯s office and found no one inside. There was a wall clock on the wall of the nurse¡¯s station, which showed that the time was two in the morning. At this time, everything was silent except for the lights in the corridor, all the wards were pitch black and it was unknown if anyone was inside.


    Where was Zhong Xiu?


    Xu RenDong thought back. He remembered that, in the real world, Zhong Xiu lived in the emergency room facing the nurse station. The emergency room was easy to recognize as it had a large transparent glass door which made it convenient for nurses and doctors to check the patient¡¯s condition at any time.


    Xu RenDong quickly arrived at the rescue room but the scene inside surprised him.


    He saw that the emergency rescue room was occupied by a huge red piece of meat. The piece of meat filled the room and the blood vessels on the surface of the piece of meat could be seen crisscrossing through the glass. This thing seemed to be alive, pulsing slightly. You could smell the stench of hot air from it through the glass.


    Xu RenDong frowned. On the side of the hallway was a cart with some first aid medicines on it. Xu RenDong found a pair of scissors in the cart drawer. After thinking about it, he put on gloves and a mask and then walked towards the emergency room.


    The chunk of meat had completely blocked the door to the emergency room. Xu RenDong aimed at the slightly pulsating meat ball and stabbed it with a pair of scissors. The piece of meat shrank suddenly in pain but its entire body was stuck in the rescue room, unable to move, so Xu RenDong had to cut at it.


    Xu RenDong cut a few cuts and found that the piece of meat was not solid. It is closer to a sac, with elastic muscle on the surface and was fluid-filled inside. Xu RenDong poked it with scissors and the bag was broken. The scarlet liquid spurted out instantly, Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t dodge in time and was splashed all over his face. Fortunately he was wearing a mask, otherwise it would be a bloody scene.


    The red liquid was pouring out of the meat sac. It was unknown what that liquid was, but it was thinner than blood and it is mixed with many floc-like impurities, giving off a strong stench. Xu RenDong was too lazy to figure out what it was. He wore gloves and opened the opening to allow the liquid inside to flow out faster. The scarlet stinky liquid quickly pooled on the ground, making it sticky and disgusting. Xu RenDong took out his flashlight and looked inside.


    ¡°Zhong Xiu?¡±


    The meat sac was sticky, with blood vessels and minced meat everywhere. Through the dense muscle fibers, Xu RenDong saw a woman in a hospital gown in the middle of the meat sac, which was Zhong Xiu. He was overjoyed but, when the flashlight illuminated her body, Xu RenDong was taken aback again.


    He saw countless blood vessels connected to her body like a red spider web, tightly wrapping her in it. On the red spider web, there were countless white things twisting and crawling slowly.


    What was that? Maggots?


    Xu RenDong was so shocked by this scene that he was speechless. He stabilized his mind and looked intently, only to realize that the white things were not maggots but pills.


    Round pills with blood on them. For some reason, they seemed to be alive, slowly wriggling on Zhong Xiu. Wherever he passed, the smoke rose up like a scorching fire, and there was a burnt smell in the air.


    Where the pills crawled, the red cobwebs quickly turned gray and withered, falling down in small pieces. But soon the surrounding blood vessels grew wildly again, quickly filling the previous gaps and the new spider webs were even denser than before. So more pills rushed there, more flesh was scorched and the entire meat sac was almost filled with scorched mist.


    Zhong Xiu, who was in the center of the meat sac, had a pale face, her eyes were tightly closed and her face was full of pain.


    Xu RenDong finally understood that this nightmare originated from Zhong Xiu¡¯s cancer. It is a portrayal of her struggle with the disease.


    This huge chunk of flesh was the tumor which constantly sucked nutrients from her through the fine blood vessels. The pills were chemotherapy drugs which killed off tumor cells and caused huge damage to her body.


    Zhong Xiu was inside it and her body was the battlefield.


    Was it true that she has been in such pain all her life? From when she was a child up until now?


    What evil did she do in her last life that she had to suffer so much in this life?


    Xu RenDong was silent for a moment. He turned around and looked for a handy tool on the treatment car. Soon, he found a scalpel. He tore the crack in the meat sac wide then took a deep breath and got into the meat sac.


    As soon as you enter, a strong stench blows in your face. This was the smell of raw meat mixed with blood and water that had been fermented for a week in the power-off refrigerator and the mask couldn¡¯t stop it. The stench was like a drill bit, moving all the way through his nostrils and through the cover of his brain. Xu RenDong was blackened by the smoke and it took a while to get used to the stench. He clenched his nose and forced his way forward in the flesh sac.


    Under his feet were soft pieces of meat, which was slippery and sticky when he stepped on it. It was easy to sleep if he was not careful. Xu RenDong used a scalpel to cut open the blood vessels that were in the way,but the blood vessels were like magic vines in fairy tales. After cutting one, more roots came forward, almost entangling Xu RenDong. Fortunately, Xu RenDong was quick-witted and cut off as many as possible before being entangled by blood vessels.


    After a long time, he finally arrived at Zhong Xiu.


    There were several thick blood vessels on Zhong Xiu¡¯s body, which drilled out from her neck, collarbone, chest and abdomen. Those blood vessels are pulsing slightly, like bright red snakes, intertwined with each other intricately. Xu RenDong did not dare to touch these blood vessels rashly. After thinking about it, he twisted up a white tablet and put it on one of the blood vessels.


    Immediately there was a sharp pain from his fingertips. Xu RenDong looked down and saw that the tablet actually corroded the gloves and burned a small brown scar on the pulp of his finger. Xu RenDong waved his hand and let the blue smoke from his fingertips dissipate. The sharp burning pain still stayed on the fingertips, lingering.


    What pain? He didn¡¯t have time for pain right now!


    Xu RenDong narrowed his eyes and ignored the burn on his hand. He continued to put the pills on the blood vessels. The burnt smell in the air became heavier, not only from Xu RenDong¡¯s hands, but also from the red snake-like blood vessels on Zhong Xiu¡¯s body. As soon as the blood vessels met the pills, they seemed to have been stripped of their vitality and immediately turned gray and withered, like dead wood. The gray-white blood vessel web peeled off piece by piece and it didn¡¯t take long for Zhong Xiu to fall off the spider web and was caught by Xu RenDong.


    ¡°Hey.¡± Xu RenDong called out but felt his words were inappropriate so he changed them. ¡°Zhong Xiu, wake up.¡±


    Zhong Xiu leaned against his arm, slowly opened her eyes and raised her head weakly to look at him. Then she asked angrily: ¡°Who are you¡­?¡±


    Xu RenDong was slightly startled. It turns out that Zhong Xiu in this dream doesn¡¯t know him?


    No problem, just find the elevator.


    Xu RenDong thought about it and decided to continue to play the perverted murderer. He touched Zhong Xiu¡¯s cheek with the scalpel, rubbed the blood on her face and said sullenly, ¡°You don¡¯t know me but I want to play a game with you¡­¡±


    Zhong Xiu: ¡°Don¡¯t make trouble, I¡¯m so tired.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°???¡±


    Zhong Xiu pushed him, slipped down from his arms and sat softly on the ground. The flesh on the ground was still squirming and Zhong Xiu frowned slightly, as if she disliked the blood and stained her hospital gown. She only heard a low sigh: ¡°I¡¯m going to trouble the nurse again¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong felt that his identity as a murderer had been insulted and he rudely kicked Zhong Xiu with his toes: ¡°Hey, do you think I¡¯m joking? Do you want me to make you suffer a little¡­¡±


    Zhong Xiu interrupted him lazily: ¡°If you want to kill, just kill me. Stop with all this nonsense.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± I have played the perverted murderer so many times and you are the first to talk to me like that!


    Xu RenDong was speechless for a while. Staying in the meat sac like this was not the way so he grabbed Zhong Xiu and, ignoring her resistance, carried her outside the rescue room. Just after leaving the emergency room, Zhong Xiu fell to the ground again with a clatter. She did not seem to want to pay mind to him at all.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the nurse?¡± Zhong Xiu glanced at the nurse station and turned to ask Xu RenDong.


    Xu RenDong sneered: ¡°I killed them all.¡±


    Zhong Xiu was stunned and frowned. Xu RenDong was about to threaten her that if she didn¡¯t cooperate then she would also end up like that but then Zhong Xiu took out a pair of scissors from the cart, shot over like electricity and plunged into Xu RenDong¡¯s calf with a puff.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°???¡± What?! You want to stab me?!


    Frightened, he quickly took two steps back and pulled the scissors out of his legs. Relying on his being the dream boss, the wound on his calf healed quickly. Although the pain was not painful, Zhong Xiu¡¯s blow caused huge damage to his heart. So much so that when Zhong Xiu stood up holding the scissors, he felt a little scared.


    ¡°They are all good girls.¡± Zhong Xiu¡¯s voice was choked and the blackness in her eyes deepened, ¡°Why do you want to harm them?¡±


    Everything around them seemed to be affected by some kind of induction,and they all trembled slightly. She just leaned against the wall and stood softly and weakly, but her body exuded a strong murderous aura, which was terrifying.


    Xu RenDong heard a soft sound behind him and he subconsciously tilted his head to avoid it. The moment he turned his head, he saw a scalpel flying past his cheek and the blade cut a small hole in his face. Xu RenDong was startled by the cold pain.


    At the same time, all kinds of sharp objects flew from all directions. Blades, needles, scissors, all medical supplies and even blood on them. As if attracted by a magnetic field, these sharp objects all flew to Zhong Xiu. Zhong Xiu held a bone saw and walked staggeringly towards Xu RenDong.


    ¡­Lady, you¡¯ve got the wrong script!


    Xu RenDong was shocked and subconsciously wanted to run but then he thought that he was the actual boss. What was he afraid of, he just had to go up and confront her!


    So he picked up a metal bench near him and smashed it at Zhong Xiu aggressively.


    The next second.


    Bang-bang-bang.


    The metal bench was cut in half and fell to the ground. What fell after that was Xu RenDong¡¯s half arm.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± Let¡¯s run!


    He clutched the bleeding half of his arm, feeling extremely desolate in his heart.


    What crime have I done!

 CH 85

    Chapter 85 ¨C Three People Make a Tiger 21 (End Instance)


    Xu RenDong ran wildly in the corridor with his broken arm. Zhong Xiu held a bone saw and chased after him while staggering.


    Although Zhong Xiu walked slowly, she was full of murderous aura. Xu RenDong only felt like there was a light following his back and did not dare to make trouble. He ran to the end of the corridor where there was an escape door. Xu RenDong almost slammed into it but the door didn¡¯t move at all.


    It was locked?


    As soon as he looked up, he saw that the lights above the escape door were red and he couldn¡¯t help but curse.


    Zhong Xiu was already following behind him. Xu RenDong only felt the chill invade his back. When he turned around, he saw Zhong Xiu holding the bone saw high and slashing at him with resentment.


    With his back close to the escape door, Xu RenDong had nowhere to escape.


    It¡¯s over! The boss who has no power to even strangle a chicken will be killed by a player!


    At the moment of despair, Xu RenDong suddenly had a flash of inspiration ¨C Wait, I¡¯m the boss! I can teleport!


    Just when the bone saw was about to cut his head, Xu RenDong closed his eyes and focused his thoughts. Sure enough, the next second he had appeared on the other side of the corridor.


    Zhong Xiu slashed the air with the saw and couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. Looking again, that person actually disappeared into thin air and appeared out of thin air at a place more than ten meters away from her.


    Zhong Xiu frowned slightly, picked up the bone saw and chased after him again.


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t dare to confront her head-on. He saw an open ward and rushed in without hesitation. When entering the room, he locked the lock on the way, quickly observed the room environment and then hid under a bed.


    Not long after, Zhong Xiu kicked the door open. Xu RenDong lay on the ground and felt a slight itch on the broken arm. The broken arm had grown back.


    As expected of a boss, it¡¯s really convenient. Xu RenDong sighed inwardly. In the past, he hated this kind of boss who couldn¡¯t be beaten to death and would respawn after a while but now he realizes how cool this regenerative ability is.


    However, just being cool is useless. Xu RenDong¡¯s ears suddenly exploded with a loud noise coming from the top of his head. He was shocked and instinctively rolled to the side, only to see that the hospital bed that was hiding just now had been split in half.


    Was Zhong Xiu so cruel!


    As soon as Xu RenDong looked up, he met Zhong Xiu¡¯s eyes. With a sad expression, she took the bone saw and walked towards Xu RenDong step by step.


    ¡°Why do you want to kill them? They are still so young and have a great future waiting for them¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong opened his mouth but, before he had time to explain, it was dark before his eyes, and the bone saw slashed again. He hurriedly dodged and rolled on the spot awkwardly, barely dodging this. Zhong Xiu missed a hit, leaned against the wall and began to gasp. It can be seen that she is very weak and her strength was fueled by hatred.


    She blocked the exit of the ward. Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t escape so he gritted his teeth and rushed into the bathroom of the ward.


    This bathroom was a dead end. Zhong Xiu kicked hard outside the door and threatened: ¡°I count 123, if you don¡¯t come out, I¡¯ll break into the door.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± Why does it feel like I¡¯m someone who failed the exam and was chased by my mother wanting to punch a schoolboy?


    Zhong Xiu: ¡°1, 2¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong looked at the toilet in front of him and suddenly had an idea.


    Zhong Xiu: ¡°3!¡±


    Bang! The heavy object hit the door so hard that the door frame shook. Xu RenDong hurriedly dodged and heard a loud noise again, only to see the half-bone saw stuck in the door. Zhong Xiu opened the door abruptly.


    Do all terminally ill cancer patients still have so much energy?


    Time was running out. Xu RenDong turned to face the mirror, took a deep breath, closed his eyes and wiped his face. When he opened his eyes again, he had changed.


    He turned himself into Lian Qiao. Looking at the familiar face in the mirror, Xu RenDong immediately felt at ease.


    Zhong Xiu was still banging on the door, splitting a big hole out of the door. She drew the bone saw from the doorway and was about to look in. Xu RenDong pressed the flush button of the toilet, pretending to be impatient and scolding: ¡°What¡¯s the point of urging! Is urging a number two useful!?¡± {Uh, poop :)}


    Zhong Xiu was stunned. Xu RenDong was actually also stunned for a moment ¨C he wasn¡¯t used to Lian Qiao¡¯s voice coming out of his throat. It felt weird.


    Xu RenDong gathered up his courage, took the initiative to open the door and went out. He stared at Zhong Xiu and said, ¡°What¡¯s the huge rush! Can¡¯t you even just wait a second!?¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s voice was too soft. Even when he puffed up his voice, it still sounded like he was acting like a spoiled child, giving people the impression that he is very easy to bully.


    Zhong Xiu: ¡°???¡±


    She looked inside the bathroom and at the blood-stained bone saw in her hand. She was in a trance by this sudden turn of events.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Zhong Xiu asked blankly.


    ¡°I came with a friend to visit the patient.¡± Xu RenDong pretended to be indifferent, and quietly glanced at Zhong Xiu from the corner of his eye. Zhong Xiu frowned slightly, as if sensing  something was wrong. But she was in a dream after all and her reasoning was not online, so she accepted this reality.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Zhong Xiu nodded, and his face returned to that sullen expression. She threw the bone saw away and walked out like a wandering soul.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Xu RenDong stopped her. Following Lian Qiao¡¯s example, he looked at Zhong Xiu with innocent and innocent eyes, ¡°I¡¯m lost, can you do me a favor and take me to the elevator?¡±


    Zhong Xiu agreed. The two walked out of the ward and passed the nurse¡¯s station. Zhong Xiu glanced at the empty nurse station and said casually, ¡°Why is there no one at the nurse station?¡±


    Xu RenDong felt nervous, for fear that she would remember what happened just now. Fortunately, Zhong Xiu muttered to herself again again: ¡°Maybe they went to do a rescue¡­¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, there was a loud noise from the ward beside him.


    ¡°Increase the epinephrine!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the blood pressure?¡±


    ¡°The blood pressure is still falling!¡±


    ¡°Give another shot of nicotine! Turn up the dopamine pump! Call the interns to come over and prepare for CPR!¡±


    Zhong Xiu and Xu RenDong stood at the door of the ward, watching a large group of white lab coats being busy. The patient on the hospital bed had turned ashes and all the instruments around were beeping.


    Xu RenDong was a little surprised. When he escaped just now, he had passed by this ward, and there was no one in it. It wasn¡¯t until Zhong Xiu said, ¡°Maybe there¡¯s a rescue¡± that patients and medical staff appeared out of thin air. It seems that Zhong Xiu¡¯s ability to control the dreams was far superior to him, no wonder he can¡¯t beat Zhong Xiu.


    It¡¯s not really his fault, it¡¯s really Zhong Xiu who is too powerful okay!


    Zhong Xiu watched for a while and then muttered: ¡°Don¡¯t save me, it hurts to do CPR on the chest, the ribs will all be broken.¡±


    Xu RenDong was stunned: ¡°Can doing CPR break the ribs?¡±


    Zhong Xiu smiled. She didn¡¯t answer and just said, ¡°Don¡¯t look, let¡¯s go.¡± Then she walked towards the escape exit.


    Xu RenDong followed. When he got to the door of the escape passage, he looked up and saw that the escape sign above was still bright red. Xu RenDong said: ¡°This door is locked, do you have the key?¡±


    Zhong Xiu said, ¡°You don¡¯t need the key, just press this button.¡± She reached out and pressed a white button on the wall. The escape sign on the door immediately turned green.


    It turned out that it was opened like this¡­


    Xu RenDong rarely went to the hospital so he really didn¡¯t know that the hospital passages used this kind of electronic lock.


    The door opened and behind it was the escape elevator. Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes lit up. Zhong Xiu said: ¡°Okay, you can go down by yourself.¡± After that, she went back.


    Xu RenDong grabbed her and said, ¡°Come with me. You will die if you stay here.¡±


    Zhong Xiu looked at him and suddenly laughed, ¡°I know.¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback.


    Zhong Xiu pointed to the sign of the oncology department outside the escape elevator and said, ¡°Everyone who comes here will inevitably die in the end.¡±


    Xu RenDong said, ¡°I don¡¯t mean that. As long as you get out of this elevator with me, you can live a few more days.¡±


    Zhong Xiu smiled and shook her head. Xu RenDong still wanted to persuade her but saw Zhong Xiu pull out a pack of cigarettes and ask him, ¡°Do you smoke?¡±


    Xu RenDong frowned: ¡°You are so ill and you still smoke?¡±


    Zhong Xiu shrugged indifferently: ¡°I¡¯m going to die anyway, so why care about this?¡± She lit a cigarette by herself, walked to the window and looked out at the scenery outside. From here, you can actually see the busy traffic outside. It was a bustling scene.


    Zhong Xiu was so skinny that the smallest hospital gown was bigger than her body. From behind, she looked like a bad girl who skipped class and smoked. It¡¯s just that the side of the face is too pale and there is no girl¡¯s normal ruddy face. On the contrary, her appearance was weak and delicate.


    Xu RenDong was silent for a moment and then stretched out his hand to her: ¡°Give me one too. Tell me, why don¡¯t you want to go?¡±


    Zhong Xiu smiled and handed the cigarette over: ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to live a long life. You may not believe it when you hear it but I have never had good luck in my life. The first half of my life, I was a shame to my family and the second half of my life, I was a burden to others. I tried and struggled but it was all to no avail. I still ended up here.¡±


    She pointed to the wall where the sign still read ¡°Oncology Department¡±. She smiled softly: ¡°I don¡¯t want to suffer any more so I want to give up handsomely.¡±


    Xu RenDong asked: ¡°Is there nothing in this world worth your nostalgia?¡±


    As soon as the words came out, his heart skipped a beat. He suddenly remembered that a long time ago, Lian Qiao had asked him this sentence: Is there nothing in this world worthy of your nostalgia?


    At that time, in order to leave the instance as soon as possible, he offered to take risks. Lian Qiao said he looked as if he was ready to die, as if he was no longer attached to anything.


    ¡­what a mockery.


    Xu RenDong thought bitterly. It turned out that I was so similar to her.


    Luckily, I met Lian Qiao. And her misfortune is that she has never been able to await the arrival of someone who can save her.


    Xu RenDong took a deep breath, looked at Zhong Xiu and said earnestly: ¡°You still have a son.¡±


    Zhong Xiu shook his head: ¡°Forget it, I already owe him so much, why bother him again?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Money is not the problem, he has savings.¡±


    Zhong Xiu smiled softly: ¡°He still needs to get married¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong pursed his lips and lit the cigarette. Taking a deep breath, he mustered up his courage and said, ¡°He¡­ won¡¯t get married. He is gay.¡±


    Zhong Xiu was not surprised but showed an extremely loving smile to Xu RenDong: ¡°Actually, I have seen through it long ago. Now, you are his partner, right?¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s hand shook and the cigarette went out.


    He hurried to pick it up and then remembered that he had turned into Lian Qiao¡¯s appearance. So Zhong Xiu had already seen through it? He thought they were perfectly disguised¡­


    Xu RenDong coughed. Through the glass, he saw his own reflection. He put Lian Qiao¡¯s face on his face and with Lian Qiao¡¯s voice, he replied softly: ¡°¡­ En.¡±


    Zhong Xiu admired his reddish profile and praised generously: ¡°His tastes are very good.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    Zhong Xiu: ¡°You have good tastes too and you two are a good match.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± This topic is really embarrassing.


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t answer so he forcibly changed the subject and said, ¡°Don¡¯t talk about this. Since you know who I am, just listen to me and follow me.¡±


    Zhong Xiu sighed and said quietly: ¡°People always die. I have no courage or strength to live anymore. Why do you want to force me?¡±


    Xu RenDong turned his head. Zhong Xiu smiled slightly: ¡°I¡¯ve been at the mercy of others all my life and now I¡¯m at the end of my life, let me be the master for myself once, okay?¡±


    Xu RenDong stared at her silently, no despair and depression could be seen on her face. Some were just calm and indifferent. She was not driven to a dead end by illness nor was she deprived of hope by fate. She was just tired.


    Xu RenDong suddenly understood why, in the previous dream, the elevator could not be found anywhere ¨C because she was begging for death.


    She never thought about leaving and she never thought she would be saved. So in her dream, there was never a way out.


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Xu RenDong sighed, ¡°If this is your final decision, I respect you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± The smile in Zhong Xiu¡¯s eyes was as gentle as the milky way.


    But Xu RenDong turned his head away and stopped looking at her. The cigarette in his hand had burned to the end and his fingertips are burning. He pinched the cigarette and said, ¡°Then I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    ¡°Wait, there is one more thing I want to ask you.¡± Zhong Xiu suddenly remembered something, and untied something from her neck, ¡°Please help me give him this.¡±


    Xu RenDong took it and looked down, it was a small longevity lock. The lock body is dark gold and looks very old, even the corners are a little worn. It looks like it has been worn close to the body for many years.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart trembled slightly and asked: ¡°This¡­ when he was born, did you prepare it for him?¡±


    Zhong Xiu: ¡°No. This is a special item I found in the last instance.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    The emotion in his heart disappeared in an instant and he coughed awkwardly: ¡°Okay, I thank you for him.¡±


    Zhong Xiu pressed the elevator button and said with a smile: ¡°Go on.¡±


    The elevator door opened in front of the two and Xu RenDong held the longevity lock tightly in his palm. He walked into the elevator alone.


    Zhong Xiu smiled and watched the elevator slowly close. Xu RenDong looked down at the longevity lock and suddenly became suspicious. He reached out to stop the elevator and asked, ¡°Since you don¡¯t want to live anymore, why didn¡¯t you give up in the first place?¡±


    Zhong Xiu smiled and said nothing.


    Seeing that she had no intention of answering, Xu RenDong silently retracted his hand and watched the elevator door closed.


    At the last moment, Zhong Xiu let out a low sigh from outside the elevator.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong was shocked and suddenly understood the answer to that question. He subconsciously wanted to open the elevator door but it was too late. The elevator was already running and, no matter what he did, it was irreversible ¨C Zhong Xiu was left there forever.


    Xu RenDong glanced at the longevity lock in his hand and hung it around his neck. At the same time, the low, hoarse voice resounded in his ears again.


    ***

 CH 86

    Chapter 86 ¨C Death Certificate


    The voice was unbelievably hoarse, whimpering like desert sand, as if suppressing some kind of strong emotion.


    ¡°*** is ***, you want to ***. You will experience countless tortures, but this is not a punishment, but a reward. When you reach the ending point, you will understand ***. *** Live.¡±


    Xu RenDong quickly jotted this sentence down on his phone.


    Compared with the last time, the key word unlocked this time was ¡°reward¡±.


    You will go through countless tortures, but this is not a punishment but is a reward. Xu RenDong now understood the meaning of this sentence. He had thought that rebirth after death was a punishment because he would suffer the pain of death repeatedly and taste the despair deep into his bones. And now he is grateful for it. If it weren¡¯t for this, he wouldn¡¯t be able to save Lian Qiao again and again, nor would he be able to walk into Zhong Xiu¡¯s heart.


    Rebirth is indeed a reward. But where does this reward come from? What is this sentence?


    Is it a reminder for him?


    From who?


    The voice was so hoarse that he couldn¡¯t tell whose voice it was. Whoever it is, that person must know about his rebirth after death and is trying to give him a hint. It¡¯s just that for some reason, all the keywords have been erased and he has to successfully escape each instance to get more information.


    Moreover, judging from the number of mosaiced words, he still has a long way to go.


    ¡­what will happen when all the keywords are unlocked?


    It¡¯s useless to think about it here. Xu RenDong put away the phone and left the elevator.


    Returning to reality, he was briefly stunned by the sight in front of him¡ªthe emergency room was still in front of him, with bright incandescent lamps hanging above his head. The surrounding doctors and nurses were busy, all with solemn and serious expressions on their faces. The hospital bed in the middle was shrouded in airtightness by curtains  and doctors came in and out from time to time, speaking in professional medical terms.


    The patients and their families in other beds were a little terrified by the battle and no one spoke. In the emergency room, there were only the voices of doctors and nurses talking and the noise of various monitoring instruments.


    ¡°Brother RenDong.¡± Lian Qiao walked behind Xu RenDong and whispered, ¡°You came out too.¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded.


    Lian Qiao glanced inside the bed curtain: ¡°Where¡¯s Zhong Xiu?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°She didn¡¯t come out.¡±


    Lian Qiao was taken aback.


    Xu RenDong said, ¡°She didn¡¯t want to live anymore so she stayed inside.¡±


    Lian Qiao felt that all this happened too suddenly and didn¡¯t want to understand. Suddenly, a doctor shouted, ¡°Where is the family member? Have you contacted a family member?¡±


    Without waiting for the nurse to answer, Xu RenDong stepped forward and said naturally, ¡°I am her family member.¡±


    The doctor glanced at him and didn¡¯t ask any further questions, just asked Xu RenDong to decide whether or not to continue the resuscitation. Xu RenDong said: ¡°No, just help her to go quietly.¡±


    The doctor then took out a consent form for the ¡®Do not Resuscitate¡¯ order and asked him to sign it.


    Lian Qiao stood by the side, watching all this silently. Just now, Xu RenDong answered ¡°I am her family member¡± without hesitation which made Lian Qiao very uncomfortable. But at times like this, he couldn¡¯t be jealous of the dead.


    ¡­after all, the person was already dead.


    As soon as Xu RenDong signed the signature, the doctor announced to stop chest compressions. Soon, the ECG monitor made a long ¡°beep¡± sound and the screen became a straight line. The doctor took the electrocardiogram and announced the time of death.


    Lian Qiao glanced at Xu RenDong quietly, seeing that his expression was calm and there was no sorrow or joy, so he couldn¡¯t guess Xu RenDong¡¯s thoughts for a while.


    The doctor called Xu RenDong into the office and issued a death certificate. Lian Qiao had nothing to do and stood in the emergency room waiting. The nurses pulled all kinds of instruments off Zhong Xiu¡¯s body. Lian Qiao accidentally saw a pair of blue-gray feet from inside the curtain. He was shocked and turned his face away subconsciously.


    This is the first time he has seen a dead person in reality, not to mention that the other party has a special identity. He was in a complicated mood at the moment and he didn¡¯t know what to do.


    However, Zhong Xiu didn¡¯t seem to have any other family members and it seemed that Xu RenDong meant to help deal with the funeral arrangements. Lian Qiao stayed with the nurse and asked if the hospital could send a car to transport the body. The nurse pointed to the door and said, ¡°Talk to them¡±


    Lian Qiao realized that there were already several middle-aged men and women outside. After inquiring, it turned out that they all provided one-stop funeral services. They stay inside the hospital all year round and when a patient in a bed is dying, they wait outside in advance to make it easier for their family members to call upon them.


    Lian Qiao just arranged for the transfer of the body when Xu RenDong just came out of the office. Knowing that Lian Qiao had arranged everything, Xu RenDong smiled at him and thanked him.


    ¡°Do you know where her house is?¡± Lian Qiao said, ¡°Would you like to bring the body back to her house first and set up a mourning hall to do the rituals? ¡­ Oh, no.¡± He quickly realized that it was wrong, ¡°You didn¡¯t get the key to her house.¡±


    Xu RenDong was very decisive: ¡°I will send her directly to the crematorium.¡±


    Lian Qiao was stunned: ¡°What about the funeral?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°It will be done after she is burned. I will contact the cemetery first.¡±


    After finishing this sentence, he walked towards the funeral people and Lian Qiao pulled him back: ¡°Wait, did you notify her other family members? Can you just decide for her like this? It doesn¡¯t seem appropriate.¡±


    Xu RenDong smiled: ¡°She has no other family members.¡±


    Zhong Xiu¡¯s body was sent to the funeral home. As the incident happened suddenly, there was no way to buy a casket so the only option was to cremate first and temporarily put her ashes in a storage cabinet. It was also the first time Xu RenDong did this kind of thing. Fortunately there were people from the funeral company who helped in the whole process. As long as you paid for it, you don¡¯t need to worry too much.


    When Xu RenDong made these decisions, his expression was very calm, as if he was not dealing with the funeral for the deceased, but simply thinking about what to eat tonight.


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t understand his mind so he didn¡¯t attempt to guess and just accompanied him quietly.


    The funeral home staff pressed the cremation button and Zhong Xiu¡¯s body was turned into a small urn. Xu RenDong held the urn in his hand, walked out of the funeral home, suddenly raised his head and looked at the hot sun in the sky.


    ¡°I should be in formal clothes,¡± he muttered.


    Lian Qiao immediately took out his mobile phone: ¡°I¡¯ll ask my friend to deliver it right away.¡±


    Xu RenDong stopped him: ¡°No need. That¡¯s okay.¡±


    The two got into the car and went to the ashes storage place.


    In the quiet and solemn exhibition room, countless urns are neatly arranged. From the hospital to here, the whole process only takes a few hours. Zhong Xiu changed from a big living person into a pile of ashes. Xu RenDong held the urn in both hands and put it into the small compartment belonging to Zhong Xiu. The two stood in front of the storage rack for a while and Xu RenDong stared at the portrait of Zhong Xiu. He remained silent for a long time.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s heart ached little by little.


    It¡¯s over. He thought. Zhong Xiu has completely become RenDong¡¯s white moonlight.


    How can he fight, how could he fight a dead person?


    Lian Qiao was so aggrieved that he felt quite dull. Then Xu RenDong suddenly said, ¡°She is my mother.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Oh.¡±


    It took two seconds for him to react. Lian Qiao widened his eyes in shock: ¡°Eh?!¡±


    Xu RenDong put the flower tribute in front of the portrait and said, ¡°Zhong Xiu is my mother.¡±


    Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t believe it: ¡°Your mother? Your mother? What a second, doesn¡¯t that make her my mother-in-¡ª¡± Before he finished speaking, he covered his mouth and glanced at the portrait with a guilty conscience.


    Xu RenDong smiled and said, ¡°She already realized it. Your jealousy was so obvious that even a blind person could tell.¡±


    Lian Qiao coughed awkwardly.


    The dead are gone but the living will continue to live. After dealing with Zhong Xiu¡¯s funeral, the two returned to the city and, as soon as they entered the room, they both collapsed exhausted on the sofa.


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao leaned side by side. Xu RenDong explained to Lian Qiao the cause and effect of this instance.


    Lian Qiao suddenly realized: ¡°I was thinking how come I cleared the instance as soon as I woke up, it really was you!¡± Then he was a little dissatisfied, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you discuss it with me first, what if this method doesn¡¯t work? What if you go to someone¡¯s dream and can¡¯t get out?¡±


    Xu RenDong lit a cigarette: ¡°It¡¯s rare to see someone as strong as Zhong Xiu. However, Zhong Xiu is indeed beyond my expectations. I didn¡¯t expect her to be so angry when she fights. It was amazing.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean her.¡± Lian Qiao sighed and his eyes fell on the cigarette between Xu RenDong¡¯s fingers.


    Xu RenDong immediately pinched the cigarette: ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    He rarely smoked in front of Lian Qiao because Lian Qiao didn¡¯t smoke and he didn¡¯t want Lian Qiao to smell second-hand smoke.


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°Give me one.¡± He reached for the cigarette case on the table.


    Xu RenDong was taken aback. He patted his hand and stuffed the cigarette case back into his pocket: ¡°Of all the things you could learn, you pick this?¡±


    Lian Qiao pouted: ¡°I¡¯m not a child anymore, why not?¡±


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t say anything. He had to take out another cigarette. Lian Qiao lit a cigarette and, as soon as he took a puff, he was choked to tears. He coughed and said, ¡°It¡¯s so choking¡­cough¡­tastes burnt¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s shoulders shook as Lian Qiao coughed. He was afraid that he would burn himself so he snatched the cigarette and snuffed it out again. He patted him on the back and asked in a funny and good-natured way: ¡°Who told you to smoke? You¡¯re just asking for trouble.¡±


    Lian Qiao coughed until his eyes turned red: ¡°I¡¯m already 25.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°You have to smoke just because you¡¯re 25?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± Lian Qiao was at a loss for words but suddenly pulled over Xu RenDong and hugged him tightly.


    Xu RenDong felt inexplicable and raised his head in confusion: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°RenDong.¡± Lian Qiao buried his head in his neck and said glumly, ¡°When I woke up from a dream, do you know how scared I was? I found that I was alone in the elevator and you disappeared.¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°At that time, I couldn¡¯t think of a better way. Besides, I didn¡¯t know if it would work or not. I just tried it.¡±


    Lian Qiao sighed. His voice was low, like a request: ¡°Don¡¯t do this in the future anymore, okay? Don¡¯t always carry everything alone. Even if there is danger, it¡¯s better for us to share the burden than for you to do it alone.¡±


    Xu RenDong leaned against his chest and heard his violent heartbeat. Deep and powerful, it hit his eardrum and made his heart suddenly soften.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Lian Qiao hugged him tighter, almost pressing him into his body.


    It was midsummer at this time, the cicadas were screeching outside the window and the room was hot without the air conditioner. The two hugged for a while until they were too hot, so they separated.


    Xu RenDong went to turn on the air conditioner, poured ice water and came back. He saw Lian Qiao flipping through the calendar. Xu RenDong sat down, took a sip of water and then heard Lian Qiao say: ¡°The Qixi Festival is coming soon.¡± {Also known as Tanabata Festival i.e. sort of like Asian Valentine¡¯s day, celebrating the annual meeting of the mythological Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.}


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart skipped a beat. His face was slightly red and he asked him, ¡°And so?¡±


    Lian Qiao hugged him again and their two bodies were hot and pressed together. The sweat was oozing from each other¡¯s skin and it was slippery and hot.


    Lian Qiao licked his sweaty earlobe and said, ¡°Should we do something special for our first Valentine¡¯s Day?¡±

 CH 87

    Chapter 87 ¨C Qixi


    Chinese Valentine¡¯s Day was approaching and major businesses were starting to engage in festive activities. Lian Qiao hadn¡¯t yet figured out how to celebrate that day when he  suddenly received an invitation from the live broadcast platform to invite him to go to City B. {Most likely Beijing}.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s this game.¡± Lian Qiao clicked on a mobile game, pointed at the handsome male portrait on the screen and said a little embarrassedly, ¡°I have dubbed this game before.  This Qixi Festival, the website will mainly be promoting this game, so they want me to go to B city to participate in a live event. I have asked the platform and they said I can bring my family members as long as we pay our own expenses, so do you¡­¡±


    Before Lian Qiao finished speaking, Xu RenDong touched the screen curiously and the game voice played immediately.


    ¡°Why am I so infatuated with you and can¡¯t stop falling for you¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong found it very interesting as the affectionate and familiar voice sounded in the game. Lian Qiao became shy, covered his face and grabbed the phone: ¡°Don¡¯t listen, I¡¯m so ashamed¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong smiled and said, ¡°Then why don¡¯t you say it to me now?¡±


    ¡°How can I say it?¡±


    ¡°You can say it to a recording but you can¡¯t say it to me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s different, I don¡¯t care about the microphone, I just¡­¡± Lian Qiao blushed as he spoke and his voice dropped.


    Xu RenDong suddenly had a bad intention and wanted to bully him a little, so he approached and asked him: ¡°What did you say? I can¡¯t hear clearly.¡±


    Lian Qiao simply broke the jar, raised his head and said aggressively: ¡°If I say it to you I will get hard!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t expect to get such an answer and his face suddenly turned red to the base of his ears. Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t help laughing when he saw the cute blush on Xu RenDong¡¯s  fair neck.


    ¡°You want to tease but you¡¯re shy after being teased. How can you be so cute.¡±


    As he spoke, he put his arms around Xu RenDong and gave him a kiss on his neck.


    Xu RenDong blushed and pushed him away: ¡°Let¡¯s talk business. How many days are we going to go to City B?¡±


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°The event is only for one day, it¡¯s on the night of Qixi Festival. But I plan to stay for a few more days and take you to play around B City. It¡¯ll be like a vacation.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll ask for leave.¡±


    The next day Xu RenDong went to the leader to ask for leave but was told that there was a project to be completed ahead of schedule. Not only could he not ask for leave but he even had to work overtime. Xu RenDong told Lian Qiao about it. Although Lian Qiao was depressed, he still told Xu RenDong to focus on work. Anyway, City B is not far away so he could come back the same night after participating in the event and the two people could still spend the Qixi Festival together.


    So, on the night of the Qixi Festival.


    The colleagues complained about having to work overtime. Fortunately, the company gave them a late-night snack benefit, which just barely comforted everyone¡¯s hearts.


    Xu RenDong looked at the time and Lian Qiao was almost on stage. He put on his headphones and turned on the live broadcast platform. On the homepage of the platform was the entrance to the Qixi Festival live broadcast. When Xu RenDong clicked in, the screen was instantly filled with barrages. It was so colorful that he was almost blinded. He barely recognizes a few sentences:


    ¡°Hahahahaha sexy Ah-Qiao is online and almost caused a crash, so exciting!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s over! It¡¯s over! There was a live accident! They actually didn¡¯t trigger the product after a 100 streak, how low is this probability!¡±


    ¡°This game is so fun. I want to charge one billion! (Fifty cents per line, deleted in parentheses)¡±


    ¡°Ah-Qiao, don¡¯t cry, it¡¯s almost at the bottom, it will definitely trigger soon!¡±


    ¡°What kind of experience is it when you can¡¯t draw yourself hahahahaha!¡±


    In the room, two hosts, a man and a woman, were already laughing and lying on the table. On the electronic screen on the side was a mobile game card drawing interface, and on the home page was the five-star card dubbed by Lian Qiao. And Lian Qiao himself had a bitter face and muttered in his mouth: ¡°I don¡¯t believe it, I don¡¯t believe it, you must have adjusted the explosion rate for me, how could I be so unlucky!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I can¡¯t even draw myself!¡± He said after another ten rounds. There was a flash of light on the screen: Three stars, three stars, three stars¡­ The whole screen was full of three star cards. Don¡¯t mention five stars, there were not even any four stars.


    Although Xu RenDong didn¡¯t understand the rules of the game very well, looking at the barrages full of ¡°hahahaha¡±, he could tell how miserable Lian Qiao was.


    ¡°Last shot!¡± Lian Qiao thumped the table angrily. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t trigger, I¡¯ll eat it live¡ª¡±


    Before he finished speaking, a row of three stars flashed across the card draw interface. At the same time, 10,000 words of ¡°shit¡± floated across the barrage. Lian Qiao was embarrassed and the two hosts next to him couldn¡¯t help laughing.


    Male host: ¡°It¡¯s over, it¡¯s really going to be a live broadcast of the accident, we can¡¯t broadcast this, hahahahaha!¡±


    The female host covered her mouth: ¡°I want to make a solemn statement here, we really didn¡¯t secretly change the explosion rate for the effect of the show. Ah-Qiao is really a bit unlucky today¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s embarrassment filled the whole live broadcast room with a happy air. The popularity of the live broadcast room was getting higher and higher and many people came here just to see how many times Lian Qiao has to draw to get himself. Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help laughing when he saw it and when he thought about it, he also went to download the game.


    After a brief novice guide, he opened the card drawing interface and pressed the ten consecutive button. Just listening to BlingBling twice, two bright five-star cards popped up on the screen.


    One is Lian Qiao, and the other is Lian Qiao.


    ¡­are we playing the same game?


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.


    Colleague Liu JiaQi happened to be passing by and, attracted by the laughter, she  subconsciously glanced at Xu RenDong¡¯s mobile phone screen. The sight shocked her ¨C what did she see! Isn¡¯t this the most popular girl¡¯s pure love game recently!


    Liu JiaQi looked at Xu RenDong in a neat and meticulous suit and couldn¡¯t imagine that he would smirk at the paper man. The beauty of the iceberg man collapsed instantly and Liu JiaQi sighed in despair: ¡°So you actually like this¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong was startled, took off his headphones and turned around. Seeing Liu JiaQi¡¯s expression, he knew that she had misunderstood. Xu RenDong was quite embarrassed but he couldn¡¯t explain it, so he had to cough: ¡°I saw it by chance and just wanted to try playing it¡­¡±


    He shook his mouse and wanted to work immediately to show that he was still a mature person in society. But he forgot that what was on the screen was half of the novel he had just read.


    ¡°Dong Zhuo¡¯s life is very hard. He was born with the back of a tiger and a mountain of flesh, but in this chaotic world, he is like a small flower. It has been beaten by wind and rain, and its petals fall off piece by piece


    I hate this kind of self.


    Temptation? Have you ever thought of tempting someone? The Confucian scholars who ranted were everywhere. Dong Zhuo was harassed since he was a child. He still couldn¡¯t escape the pursuit and destruction of the Confucian scholars¡­¡±


    Liu JiaQi: ¡°¡­¡±


    Who would have thought that Xu RenDong, the flower of the high mountains, was secretly reading this kind of thing!


    Liu JiaQi only felt that her three views had collapsed and five thunders hit the top. Thousands of words were condensed into one sentence: ¡°So you also like this¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong held his forehead: ¡°You may not believe it but my friend likes this so that¡¯s why I read it.¡±


    At the exhibition, Lian Qiao cosplayed Sun Quan, sat on his lap in a circle, and read to him the classic lines from ¡°Brother Quan Mei¡±. Afterwards, he checked the information and found that ¡°Brother Quan Mei¡± is a famous online novel set in the Three Kingdoms era. He bit the bullet and finished reading the book but he still didn¡¯t quite understand why Lian Qiao liked this kind of thing.


    So, he also downloaded other books recommended by netizens. In addition to this ¡°Dong JiaoHua¡±, there are also ¡°Daddy Pi Nuan¡±, ¡°Liang QiRan¡± and so on (see author¡¯s note). He didn¡¯t even have time to look through them all.


    Liu JiaQi was speechless at this. In fact, it doesn¡¯t matter if you are addicted to girl games. After all, Xu RenDong looks so good-looking, these little hobbies will not detract from him but instead make him look more cute. But it¡¯s different if you like to read thunder texts of the Three Kingdoms. This is an aesthetic flaw!


    {Um¡­ so ¡®stepping on thunder¡¯ means basically touching someone¡¯s bottom line/or something they are really sensitive about, when a text has ¡®thunder¡¯ it means that there are some things inside the text that really may bother people. I think in this case because Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a serious and respected work, and Three Kingdoms is a genuine historical time with actual historical figures, popular online novels which ship characters together, change the gender of characters, or basically distort history are called ¡®thunder texts¡¯ because they contain a lot of ¡®thunder¡¯ XD.}


    And it¡¯s still Qixi! Whilst working overtime! Openly reading it on the company computer! What is this picture! Was it in order to let others discover his hobby and publicly execute him!


    It¡¯s simply perverted!


    Liu JiaQi secretly clenched the small gift in her pocket. She thought that it¡¯s fortunate that she didn¡¯t confess otherwise it would be too painful.


    What kind of ¡®thing¡¯ do I have a crush on¡­


    She secretly sighed that it is no wonder that Xu RenDong is so good-looking but has no girlfriend. It turned out that there was a problem with his brain. She left while shaking her head.


    When other colleagues saw Liu JiaQi¡¯s reaction, they came over curiously and asked her what was wrong. Liu JiaQi shook her head and sighed, saying forget it, everyone has their own hobbies. As a result, everyone was more curious and they all ran to Xu RenDong to ask him what happened just now.


    No matter how slow Xu RenDong was, he still felt embarrassed. He quickly turned off the computer, got up and said, ¡°I¡¯m done, I¡¯ll go first.¡±


    Then, ignoring everyone¡¯s surprise, he quickly packed up and left.


    When he went downstairs, his phone vibrated in my pocket. Xu RenDong saw that it was Lian Qiao and the corner of his mouth raised a smile involuntarily. Lian Qiao called to tell him that the event was over.


    Xu RenDong responded and told him what happened just now. Lian Qiao was shocked: ¡°What! You actually went to see it!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Isn¡¯t it because you like it?¡±


    Lian Qiao immediately denied three times in a row: ¡°I don¡¯t, it¡¯s not! Don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­Well, I misunderstood.¡±


    On the phone, Lian Qiao was silent for a moment and then suddenly laughed.


    ¡°Brother RenDong, why are you so cute¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong is standing at the door of the underground garage. Hearing this, his face became slightly hot and he changed the subject: ¡°When will you be coming home?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°I just got on the high-speed rail and it will get back to City A in half an hour. Then I¡¯ll take a taxi back¡­another ten or twenty minutes.¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up at the station.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°No need, it¡¯s too far to go from your company to the station. You¡¯re tired from overtime, go home and wait for me first. I¡¯ve prepared a little surprise for you, guess what it is?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Can¡¯t guess, give me a hint?¡±


    Lian Qiao smiled meaningfully: ¡°Ear or tail, which one do you like?¡±


    Xu RenDong seriously thought about it. After thinking for a while: ¡°I like both.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­hs.¡± He took a deep breath and suddenly laughed in a low voice, ¡°You are so greedy.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°???¡± Weren¡¯t you the one who asked me? Can¡¯t I like both?


    Lian Qiao refused to give any more hints so Xu RenDong didn¡¯t ask any more questions. He honestly went home and waited for him. At the same time, the anticipation and curiosity in his heart grew stronger.


    Ears and tail? What could it be?


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    {MTL translation below} Dong Jiaohua¡¯s passage is quoted from. . . . In fact, I don¡¯t know the title of the book, but there is such an article anyway.


    Note: Lei Wen of the Three Kingdoms, there are poems as proof:


    Jia Guose, Yu Tianxiang, heroic mother Cao Prime Minister.


    Dad Pi Nuan, Yi climbed the wall, and smiled shyly.


    Liang was sad, prepared for Xiaoxiang, and gave birth to a child like Jiang as a substitute.


    Super wild, the cloud is sad, and the beard below is long.


    Brother Quanmei, She Lu busy, and Zi Jingzi rolled out of bed together.


    Good family policy, abused yellow, Gongjin¡¯s hip waves illuminate the river.


    Jiao Hua Dong, Wen Hou tasted, tears and tears were flowing from the original mother.


    In terms of Lei Wen, whoever is stronger will be the king except for the Three Kingdoms.


    Do not go to Baidu. {/MTL translation end.}

 CH 88

    Chapter 88 ¨C Shameful Things


    Xu RenDong returned home and waited for an hour but Lian Qiao did not come back.


    After waiting for more than half an hour and just as Xu RenDong was about to call Lian Qiao, the phone vibrated and Lian Qiao called him first. However when the call connected, it was not Lian Qiao¡¯s voice that appeared on the other end.


    ¡°Hello, are you Lian Qiao¡¯s family member? This is the XX hospital¡­¡±


    When Xu RenDong arrived at the hospital, the emergency room was already full of people. In addition to medical staff, there were also traffic police and several middle-aged people. Those middle-aged people all smelled of alcohol and their faces were solemn, as if they knew a disaster was coming.


    A policeman was standing beside Lian Qiao¡¯s bed with his head bowed, recording a statement for him.


    Xu RenDong pushed the crowd away and went straight to Lian Qiao: ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    He was asking Lian Qiao while looking over him. There was an IV in Lian Qiao¡¯s arm and his injuries had been treated well: a Band-Aid was attached to his right forehead and a gauze was wrapped around his left arm. The most serious injury was on his left leg. The originally straight and fair calf was already swollen beyond recognition. Although it was treated simply, one could see that the injury was not minor by looking at the purple-red hematoma.


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°I was bumped when I crossed the road.¡± He noticed that Xu RenDong was staring at his calf and said hurriedly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s all right. Well I fell, I bumped it and got a small injury.¡±


    The policeman snorted, ¡°Yes it¡¯s a minor injury for sure, so minor that the bones are broken in two.¡± He pointed at the depressed middle-aged men behind him with a fountain pen, ¡°The other party was drunk driving and ran a red light. Fortunately, he was in the city and couldn¡¯t drive fast otherwise you would have lost your life.¡±


    After the police recorded the statement, the middle-aged men were taken away. A white coated doctor came over and asked Xu RenDong: ¡°Are you his family member? He has a broken leg and needs surgery. If you want to do it here, he needs to be admitted as an inpatient and a family member needs to sign.¡±


    Xu RenDong hesitated for a moment and Lian Qiao quickly replied: ¡°Yes, he is a family member, he can sign for me.¡±


    Xu RenDong frowned and said, ¡°Where are your parents? Did you inform them?¡±


    Lian Qiao whispered: ¡°I don¡¯t want to tell them. ¡°¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°How can you hide such a big thing? Where is your cell phone? I¡¯ll call for you.¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t!¡± Lian Qiao quickly hid the cell phone. His movement was too big and he pulled his injury. He immediately grimaced in pain.


    Xu RenDong held him down: ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll listen to you. Don¡¯t move, just lie down.¡± Since Lian Qiao didn¡¯t want to, he didn¡¯t persuade him any more. He turned his head to the doctor and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go and sign it.¡±


    The doctor nodded and pulled Xu RenDong aside to explain the precautions and possible risks of the operation. After Xu RenDong signed, he returned to Lian Qiao. Lian Qiao lay obediently on the hospital bed, his eyes watery and clear. If it weren¡¯t for the gauze wrapped around him, he wouldn¡¯t look like a sick man.


    Xu RenDong sighed and lightly touched the Band-Aid on his forehead with his fingertips: ¡°This is the surprise you want to give me?¡±


    Lian Qiao carefully held his fingertips: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I made you worry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the other party¡¯s fault, what are you apologizing for? Does it still hurt?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It doesn¡¯t hurt if I don¡¯t move.¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded: ¡°The doctor said that the operation cannot be performed yet and the swelling will disappear. You¡¯re sure that you don¡¯t want to call your mom or dad?¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s mouth was flat: ¡°If they come here they will only scold me.¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°It¡¯s not good to hide such a big thing from them.¡±


    Lian Qiao was silent for a moment: ¡°¡­To tell you the truth, in fact I actually ran away from home.¡±


    Xu RenDong was surprised.


    It turned out that Lian Qiao started to be a game host when he was in college. He became more and more popular and made a lot of money. Gradually, he had the intention of becoming a full-time anchor after graduation. When his parents found out, they were furious, thinking that it wasn¡¯t reliable to play games all day. Lian Qiao showed them the balance of his bank card but his parents still didn¡¯t agree, thinking it was just a momentary luck and that it wasn¡¯t a serious job after all.


    Lian Qiao had a falling out with his parents. After graduation, he didn¡¯t go back and rented a house directly outside until he met Xu RenDong.


    After saying this, Lian Qiao sighed: ¡°They thought it was degenerate to play games all day long and now that I¡¯m bent as well, they must think that I¡¯ve been led astray¡­¡± He held Xu RenDong¡¯s hand, his tone very apologetic, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    In Lian Qiao¡¯s heart, he had already met Zhong Xiu and so, if he rounded things up, it meant he had met Xu RenDong¡¯s parents. Then the next step should be to bring Xu RenDong to see his parents. It¡¯s a pity that the internal conflict between him and his parents has not been resolved and, at this moment, he really does not dare to add new conflicts.


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t think about it so much and just asked: ¡°Then what career do they want you to do?¡±


    Lian Qiao was taken aback: ¡°Uh¡­ finance or something? Some profession that sounds good and makes a lot of money.¡±


    Xu RenDong breathed a sigh of relief: ¡°Then you take me to see them. This way they will know that it is the same in any profession and people in finance can also be bent.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°???¡± What is this magical brain circuit?


    When he came back to his senses, he couldn¡¯t help laughing. The laughter caused dissatisfaction among the surrounding medical staff and the nurse came over with a serious face and asked him to be quiet. Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao apologized. Not long after, the hospitalization certificate was completed and the nurse came over to push the bed and transferred him to the orthopedic ward upstairs.


    Lian Qiao lived in a single room. This ward is fully equipped with a refrigerator and microwave, and the room is quite large. Of course, the cost is several times more expensive than the ordinary three-person ward.


    After the ward was settled, the doctor on duty came over to inquire about his condition. Then told him that his CT results had come out and his internal organs were not damaged. His forehead and arm were only scratched, and it will be fine after a few days. The biggest problem was still his left leg.


    ¡°Look, this is the tibia, it¡¯s called the tibial plateau and it¡¯s here that¡¯s broken.¡± The doctor pointed to the film and explained the condition to Lian Qiao and Xu RenDong. ¡°The operation can only help you put together the broken bones and fix it from the inside with steel nails. You can get out of bed within a week after the operation but this leg cannot be used forcefully, and you need to rely on crutches. When the bones grow slowly, come to the hospital for a minor operation to remove the steel nails.¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded. Lian Qiao was a little uneasy and asked the doctor how long he would be on crutches.


    The doctor said, ¡°At least three months.¡±


    After the doctor left, Xu RenDong comforted: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can apply to work from home to take care of your injury and you don¡¯t need to worry about the rest.¡±


    Lian Qiao shook his head: ¡°I¡¯m not worried about that¡­¡± He gently pulled on Xu RenDong¡¯s sleeve and whispered, ¡°What about the instances? If I go in with a lame leg, it will drag you down.¡±


    Xu RenDong smiled: ¡°This is not a problem. When I¡¯m with you, what do you have to be afraid of? Think about it, after you followed me, what time did you not lie down and win?¡±


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°The Lamia time¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± He really forgot.


    Lian Qiao held his fingertips and rubbed it tenderly and lovingly but he was complaining: ¡°You idiot, you have no medical knowledge and you are not afraid of pain. A stone was inserted in your leg and you pulled it out by yourself. You made yourself go into a massive hemorrhage and went into shock, have you forgotten?¡±


    Xu RenDong coughed awkwardly: ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s just take it one day at a time.¡± He glanced at the time, it was half past one in the morning. Then he pulled the curtain around the bed to let Lian Qiao sleep.


    Xu RenDong went to the nurse station to borrow an escort bed and was about to lie down when Lian Qiao reached out and lifted the curtain and whispered, ¡°Brother RenDong¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Xu RenDong leaned over and found Lian Qiao blushing. He touched his forehead worriedly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you have a fever?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Lian Qiao struggled for a while but finally said shamefully, ¡°¡­I want to pee.¡±


    Xu RenDong was prepared for this, took out a urinal and handed it to him: ¡°The doctor said all your physiological needs need to be solved on the bed.¡±


    ¡°¡­Broken legs are really troublesome.¡± Lian Qiao whispered. He took the urinal and said, ¡°Don¡¯t look, go outside the curtain.¡±


    Xu RenDong was helpless: ¡°What¡¯s there to be shy about?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°I might not be able to release it if you¡¯re looking at me.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°???¡±


    Although he didn¡¯t quite understand, Xu RenDong still pulled the curtain tightly then went outside and waited. A low sound of water soon came from inside the curtain.


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t feel anything at first until Lian Qiao handed out the urinal, Xu RenDong reached out to pick it up. He felt the warmth through a layer of plastic and he suddenly blushed.


    Lian Qiao hurriedly said, ¡°That, I didn¡¯t¡­ I didn¡¯t leak¡­ and I wiped it off with a piece of paper¡­¡± He explained at a loss, too embarrassed to know what to do. In the end, he could only hold out an apology, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s dirty.¡± Xu RenDong lowered his head, finished this sentence quickly, turned his head and ran into the bathroom.


    Lian Qiao recalled that sentence and the fleeting blush at the corner of his eyes. He  suddenly felt very happy.


    A few days later, Lian Qiao¡¯s leg swelling had just about come down and he went onto the operating table. This is a very simple operation. Xu RenDong has long gotten the details of the entire operation process from the chief surgeon and also knows that this operation is very mature and extremely safe. But when he actually came to the waiting area for the family members of the operation and saw Lian Qiao¡¯s name appearing in the column ¡°under operation¡± on the electronic screen, he was still very uneasy.


    He waited on pins and needles outside the operating room for hours before Lian Qiao was finally pushed out. He seemed to be in good spirits and he shared his surgical experience with Xu RenDong all the way back to the ward.


    ¡°The feeling of being half numb is amazing. I can feel them playing with my bones but it doesn¡¯t hurt at all!¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s still scary. Seeing them with hammers and drills, it seems that they are not doing surgery but woodworking. ¡­it¡¯s very scary¡­¡±


    ¡°Later, when they sewed me up, a junior doctor came to do it. He also praised my legs for being good-looking and wanted to sew my wounds a little better, hahahaha!¡±


    However, his energeticness didn¡¯t last long. In the evening, Lian Qiao began to have a fever. The nurse came over to measure the temperature and it was 38.1 degrees. The doctor said that this low-grade fever was normal. This is the absorption heat after the operation. As long as it does not exceed 38.5 degrees, no special treatment is required.


    Although the body temperature was not high, Lian Qiao was very uncomfortable. The anesthetic gradually dissipated and the incision started to hurt. He was lying on the bed moving around, feeling uncomfortable no matter what.


    Xu RenDong went to call the doctor again. The doctor said that this is a process that must be experienced after the operation and it is good to endure it. He even gave Lian Qiao a sleeping pill. So Xu RenDong could only go back to the ward, talk to Lian Qiao, and coax him to sleep.


    Lian Qiao felt uncomfortably burning, tossed and turned for a while and finally woke up in pain. After doing this a few times, he couldn¡¯t fall asleep again.


    Xu RenDong was with him and tiredness gradually appeared on his face. After all, he had been waiting outside the operating room during the day and he even took the time to write a few reports to the company. It was approaching the early morning, and Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t hold it anymore.


    Lian Qiao felt distressed and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, you can go to sleep first. Just close the curtain and I will play with my phone for a while.¡±


    Xu RenDong said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid you will burn up again later.¡±


    ¡°If I feel uncomfortable, I¡¯ll ring the bell myself to call the nurse.¡±


    Xu RenDong took the thermometer out of Lian Qiao¡¯s armpit, glanced at it and sighed, ¡°38.4 degrees, if your body temperature doesn¡¯t go down, how can I sleep?


    ¡°If  you continue forcing yourself to stay awake, how can my body temperature come down?¡±


    ¡°Then what should I do?¡±


    Lian Qiao hooked his fingers towards him and Xu RenDong walked over. Lian Qiao hooked his neck and acted coquettishly: ¡°Let me hug you, okay?¡±


    Xu RenDong glanced at the hospital bed: ¡°The bed is too small, I¡¯m afraid it will hurt your wound.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t. Lian Qiao moved to the side and gently tugged at the corner of his clothes, ¡°Come on, give me a hug. If I hold you, I won¡¯t move around.¡±


    Xu RenDong also made sense after thinking about it. If Lian Qiao hugged him to sleep then if he was in any discomfort, Xu RenDong could wake up immediately. So he cautiously climbed into bed. This hospital bed is quite spacious for one person but it is a bit crowded for two people. Luckily there are rails on either side of the bed. Lian Qiao took off the pillow and let Xu RenDong rest on his arm. Xu RenDong faced him and saw him smiling with curved eyes, looking content. That smile would make anyone feel sweet just by looking at it.


    Xu RenDong touched his forehead again. It was still a little hot. Suddenly, all kinds of pity rose in his heart. He leaned up and kissed Lian Qiao¡¯s forehead lightly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t kiss me¡­¡± Lian Qiao protested in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯ll have other thoughts.¡±


    Xu RenDong was a little embarrassed and apologized to him. When Lian Qiao heard the ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡±, he laughed again, stroked the corner of his lips and said, ¡°Why are you so cute.¡±


    After speaking, he held his face and kissed him with a ¡°mua¡±.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± We agreed not to kiss!


    If they continued being clingy with each other, it would never end. Xu RenDong turned around abruptly, turned his back to Lian Qiao and said, ¡°Sleep!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lian Qiao replied with a low smile, leaned over and hugged him tightly, buried his head in his neck and whispered softly: ¡°You are my special medicine, I will be fine tomorrow.¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart was so soft. The two fell asleep hugging each other.


    When 6AM in the morning came, the nurses were on duty to do rounds. A large group of nurses came to the ward chatting together. As soon as the curtain was opened, they saw two big men cuddling on the same bed. The scene was very awkward for a while.


    On that day, the entire hospital¡¯s internal WeChat group was going crazy: a pair of handsome young men in a certain ward of the Orthopedics and Traumatology Department. A leg was broken and they still insisted on getting up to stuff. The disabled were really strong!


    ***

 CH 89

    Chapter 89 ¨C Without a Key 1


    The ward round incident made Xu RenDong unable to lift his head in front of the doctor. He couldn¡¯t help being annoyed with himself. How could he give into Lian Qiao¡¯s nonsense at that time and actually climb into his hospital bed to hug him to sleep.


    Fortunately, Lian Qiao¡¯s low-grade fever subsided the next day and he had been recovering well since then. On the fifth day after the operation, he was able to get out of bed but he was not able to use his crutches well and walked very slowly. The orthopedic surgeon explained some precautions and let him go home to recuperate on his own. The two of them were discharged from the hospital and quickly packed up to go home.


    In the end, Lian Qiao was young and the injury was on his leg, so the impact on daily life was not too big. A few days after returning home, he went back to the computer to continue his live broadcasts. The audience in the live broadcast room knew that he had a car accident and sent their condolences one after another. Of course condolences are rewards. Lian Qiao¡¯s accident can be considered a blessing in disguise. During the live broadcast post-injury, his popularity actually climbed to the top of the platform and it was even more lively than before he was injured.


    Xu RenDong took a long vacation from the office. On the one hand, it was to take care of Lian Qiao and, on the other hand, he had long had such an intention. They have only a rough idea of ??when the elevator will appear but they don¡¯t know the exact time. It¡¯s not good to ask for leave all the time so he simply applied to work from home completely. Anyway, the internet network is so convenient nowadays and so his work is completely unaffected.


    In this way, his working hours have become very free. He usually watched Lian Qiao play games when he was free and even started learning how to cook. It¡¯s a pity that he doesn¡¯t have any talent in this area. Lian Qiao would compliment him on his ¡®delicious food¡¯ at first but, after a few days of persistence, he finally surrendered.


    Calm days pass like flowing water. Finally, it¡¯s time to enter the instance again.


    Lian Qiao was standing in front of the elevator on crutches. Xu RenDong put on the backpack and said to him, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    After this period of practice, Lian Qiao¡¯s walking speed was much faster than when he was just discharged from the hospital. But in the end he still needed to hold onto the crutches and his movements were still greatly restricted. He felt very uneasy about this and was scared that he would drag Xu RenDong down. Xu RenDong used his usual trick of pretending to be a domineering boss and telling Lian Qiao he only needed to lie down to win as long as Xu RenDong was there.


    There was a low running sound in the elevator. Soon, six big characters appeared in front of the two of them: LOCK WITHOUT A KEY.


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao frowned at the same time. A lock that doesn¡¯t require a key, what does that mean? A fingerprint lock? A pupil lock?


    The two checked the information for a while and all they could find were those modern technologies. No matter how they looked at it, it didn¡¯t feel right.


    Lian Qiao suddenly had a flash of inspiration and found something in his backpack: ¡°Brother RenDong, do you think it has something to do with this?¡±


    It was the hidden prop that the rabbit in the ¡°Russian Dolls¡± instance had given them.


    A brass key with ¡°Lian Qiao¡± written on it.


    Xu RenDong thought for a while and then shook his head: ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. After all, it¡¯s a ¡®lock without a key¡¯ and so the key point should be the ¡®lock¡¯ and not the key.¡±


    Lian Qiao sighed and put the key away carefully, mumbling: ¡°Oh, I wonder when this key can be used¡­¡±


    With doubts, the two walked out of the elevator.


    What came into view was a huge ring-shaped building resembling a Fujian Tulou. {The ¡®tulou¡¯ is a special type of ancient dwelling from Fujian province of China associated with Hakka people, it is made of earth/brick and is very large and circular in shape with many levels with people living inside. People still live there today although most are also tourist destinations. My mum is from Fujian (although not Hakka) and so we went to visit some last time we were there, they were so cool! I¡¯ll insert a picture at the end).


    The tulou was decorated with colorful lights, with red lanterns and red ribbons hanging everywhere and the whole tulou was shrouded in a festive red. Strangely, this tulou is particularly tall. Xu RenDong sized it up with a glance and saw there were about nine floors.


    In reality, it is impossible for a Fujian Tulou to be built so high, because it will affect the lighting on the ground floor. At this time, it was night and a full moon hung in the sky.  It was clear and cold, and rows of red lanterns hung on the tulou, which made it even more monstrous looking.


    All around it was an endless white mist and there was nowhere to go except the tulou. Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao looked at each other and walked to the entrance of the tulou side by side.


    As soon as they entered, both of them were stunned.


    Why are there so many people!


    They saw a large group of people standing on the large circular open space in the middle of the tulou. Xu RenDong hurriedly counted and, as far as he could see, there were at least fifty people. There are still a few shadowy figures on the top of the tulou, probably the daring ones that have already gone up to explore. There were still people coming through the entrance and so the number was still increasing.


    As the number of people increased, the expressions on everyone¡¯s faces became more and more ugly. The difficulty of the instance is related to the number of participants. With so many players in this instance, the difficulty is hard to imagine and probably akin to ascending to the sky.


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao stood outside the crowd. Both of them have outstanding temperaments and appearances so they stood out from the crowd wherever they stood,  attracting everyone¡¯s attention. Under normal circumstances, newcomer girls would often rush over with blushes and beg to work with them. This time, however, no one took the initiative to talk to them.


    Maybe it¡¯s because Lian Qiao was on crutches. Everyone¡¯s eyes stayed on his left leg for a moment and there was a brief regret in their eyes, and then they looked away and stopped paying attention to them.


    Lian Qiao sighed: ¡°I knew it¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them, just observe the environment first.¡± Xu RenDong looked around. The location where they are now is the bottom floor of the tulou. According to the information from the encyclopedia, this location is called ¡°Xiatang¡±.


    There is a dark green circular pool in the middle of the lower hall. The pool was so deep that it was impossible to see the bottom. Just standing on the edge of the pool gave people the illusion of being caught by something. Therefore, everyone stood far away from the water pool and stayed together as a group to try to ease the tense atmosphere.


    Lian Qiao suddenly stretched out his hand and pointed: ¡°There seems to be someone above.¡±


    Xu RenDong looked up and saw a vague figure on the ninth floor, walking down the stairs one by one. Soon, other people also discovered the figure, stopped whispering, raised their heads and stared at the figure.


    As the figure approached, everyone gradually saw that it was an old lady with a plump figure and a red dress. The old lady was wearing a cardigan and cropped pants. Her sleeves and trousers were extremely wide but the wrists and ankles are slender and slender, which is extremely incommensurate with the thick waist. At first glance, she  looked like a scarecrow full of weeds and was extremely weird.


    Everyone watched her helplessly as she walked around and down the stairs. No one dared to speak, as if the old lady would turn into a ghost if they made a noise, and rush up and begin tearing people to pieces.


    After a long time, the old lady finally came to the center of the hall. She walked towards the crowd and they all turned away, just like Moses parting the Red Sea.


    The atmosphere became solemn for a while.


    The old lady looked around and her facial features that seemed to be smiling, but at the same time not, stuck to her face like a paper paste.


    ¡°Is everyone here?¡± she asked.


    Everyone looked at each other but no one answered her.


    The old lady spoke to herself and answered, ¡°Everyone is here.¡± Then she clapped her hands. Everyone suddenly heard a rumbling sound behind them. It turned out that the two walls at the entrance of the tulou were slowly moving, like a clumsy python slowly biting its tail. It didn¡¯t take long for the entrance to close. The two walls were tightly closed together, just as if the entrance had never existed.


    Everyone¡¯s face sank, knowing that they would not be able to go out any longer. Those with poor mental capacity, seeing this scenario, were so frightened that they cried on the spot.


    The old lady didn¡¯t care about everyone¡¯s reaction. She just smiled and said: ¡°Dear guests, since we are gathered here, it is fate. Please come with me and stay in our tulou for a few days!¡±


    She clapped her palms again. All the rooms on the tulou suddenly lit up at the same time, sweeping away the previous gloom. There was a faint sound of music coming from nowhere. At this time, the tulou really seemed to be welcoming a group of distinguished guests and those big red lanterns didn¡¯t look so scary anymore.


    However, when the old lady led everyone into their rooms and pushed open the door, everyone was startled again.


    The room was also a traditional old-fashioned bedroom. There was a girl standing beside the large carved bed. The girl was only fifteen or sixteen years old. She had a beautiful appearance and an enchanting figure. Her brow and smile were captivating.


    There was such a girl in every room. Although she was very beautiful, she had a demonic aura all over her body. These girls stood in front of the carved bed with low eyebrows and pleasing eyes, waiting for the guests, giving people the illusion that they were in the story of Liaozhai and that if they got too near to her, they would be sucked of yang energy. {Liaozhai is a famous book of collated Chinese supernatural/horror fairy tales by Pu Songling, written in 1740. A lot of the stories revolve around demons, ghosts etc. According to legends, often female ghosts/demons will seduce human men in order to suck yang essence from them, leaving them dead or close to death. For example the movie ¡°Painted Skin¡± is based on a story from Liaozhai.}


    Everyone asked the old lady what this was about and the old lady smiled and said, ¡°Since guests are here, we naturally have to entertain them. These children are here to take care of your daily life and are your servants. If you like them, it¡¯s okay to have them as well. ¡°


    When Lian Qiao and Xu RenDong heard this, their faces didn¡¯t look good. What the heck, does this instance even provide sexual services?


    The two of them are in love with each other and naturally other people couldn¡¯t enter their eyes. Other people may not be the same.


    This time the team was too large and mixed. Some people have long been attracted by the beauty of those girls and when the old lady said ¡°it¡¯s okay¡±, a wretched smile appeared on their faces. It¡¯s just that this is a world of terror after all and, even if those people have evil thoughts in their hearts, they don¡¯t dare to do anything. Although the lust in their hearts was heavy, in the end, the need to survive trumps everything else.


    And furthermore, these beautiful girls might look human at the moment but who knows what they will become at night.


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao were assigned to a certain bedroom in the middle levels. There was also a beautiful young girl in their bedroom and, when she saw them entering the room, greeted them with a smile. The two were tired of seeing the old lady and, after the old lady left, they drove the girl out of the room and let her hang out with the mosquitoes outside the door.


    Xu RenDong observed the furnishings in the room. The large carved bed was hung with drapery and, in front of the bed, was a table carved with images of the Eight Immortals  with a set of tea and four benches beside it. The doors and windows were all covered with a layer of paper over the wooden skeleton and appeared like they could be pierced with a light poke. There were also some vases, scrolls and other decorations. On the whole, it gives the impression that you have walked into the costume film studio but you can¡¯t tell exactly what dynasty it was.


    The two sat down at the table and lit candles. There was tea on the table and when Lian Qiao touched it, it was still hot. It seems that the owner of this place is indeed ready to welcome them, preparing everything and just waiting for the guests to use it.


    ¡°This instance is so strange¡­¡± Lian Qiao leaned his cane against the table and pointed to the door with his finger, ¡°Is that girl sent by the old woman to watch over us?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible. But I¡¯m more concerned about the number of people in this instance.¡± Xu RenDong frowned, ¡°When everyone gathered together, I counted again. Including us, there are eighty-one people.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I also counted eighty-one.¡±


    Having said this, the two were silent in unison.


    Previously, all the instances had around 20 people, no more than 30 at most. This time, more than 80 people came at one time and so the difficulty was hard to imagine.


    For Xu RenDong, it doesn¡¯t make much difference how difficult the dungeon is. Anyway if he dies, he can start all over again and, after a few more tries, he can finally get out. What he is afraid of most is pig teammates. {Uh, this term has come up before and I realize I haven¡¯t explained it. Basically teammates that create trouble for you and are more a hindrance than help.} Just like President Little Sun from last time, he talked about ¡°Nightmare on Elm Street¡± as soon as he came in and abruptly increased the difficulty of the instance by several levels. And he is still a young man. In order to avenge Girl D, he deliberately wanted to kill the other three members, resulting in Xu RenDong also being dragged down into the water and suffering a big loss.


    Among the eighty-one players this time, there are newbies who can¡¯t figure out the situation, old players who have their own thoughts, and idiots who can¡¯t withstand the beauty of the servant girls. Without even mentioning the difficulty of the instance itself, the complex player composition alone was already overwhelming.


    What¡¯s more, Lian Qiao was also lame.


    The situation was very serious, Xu RenDong didn¡¯t want Lian Qiao to worry too much, so he said: ¡°Go to rest early. You sleep on the other side.¡±


    Lian Qiao nodded.


    ***


    T/N: I just want to pop in a little warning here. This novel is somewhat more realistic than most danmei/BL novels in that the heroes are quite flawed and very human. I know many people read danmei because it is comforting and feels good to follow a MC and ML that makes very little mistakes or wrong judgments (particularly regarding each other) and have flawless tacit understanding, however it¡¯s not the case here. I¡¯d say this instance is a bit darker than the others so far. Just a little warning for our more idealistic readers who may find it jarring.

 CH 90

    Chapter 90 ¨C Without a Key 2


    There was a wooden shelf in the corner with a wooden basin on it and a mirror which seemed to be used for grooming. As soon as Xu RenDong picked up the wooden basin, the girl knocked on the door and asked if they needed her to help them fetch water.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart tensed and he looked at Lian Qiao, understanding the worry from the other person¡¯s eyes.


    This girl really watched their every move. It was unknown what the purpose of their monitoring was because even if the death condition was triggered without anyone seeing it, the damned person would still die.


    Not long after, the girl brought two wooden barrels. One bucket of hot water, one bucket of cold water. As soon as the bucket was brought into the room, the two of them smelled a fishy smell. Xu RenDong frowned and said, ¡°Where did you get the water?¡±


    The girl said, ¡°It¡¯s the water pool in the lower hall.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°This water is so fishy, ??how can I use it?¡±


    The girl bowed: ¡°Please forgive me. When we eat, drink and wash in the tulou, all we use is the water from the pool. If the guests dislike it, we can only wait for it to rain and send a little servant to collect the rain.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The two had no choice but to wash their faces with water full of fishy smell. As for gargling¡­ although the water looks clear, who knows if there is anything dirty in it.


    After washing, the girl was kicked out again. When Xu RenDong closed the door, he looked around and found that most of the people in other rooms drove the girl out. Although these girls are young and beautiful, they are strange after all and no one who was even a little sensible would approach them.


    So there was a beautiful girl standing outside each bedroom. As soon as Xu RenDong came out, more than a dozen girls turned their heads in unison, their movements neatly like robots. They stared straight at Xu RenDong, smiled and asked in unison: ¡°Guest, do you have any orders?¡±


    This scene was too strange, Xu RenDong was apprehensive and quickly returned to the room.


    He lay down on the outside of Lian Qiao, thinking about the scene just now in his mind. Suddenly he heard Lian Qiao whisper: ¡°Brother RenDong, that pool is freshwater.¡±


    Xu RenDong immediately understood. That¡¯s right, the water in the pool is fishy because there are fish in it. In this case, it must be freshwater, otherwise the fish cannot survive in it.


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°Let¡¯s go out and have a look when it¡¯s late at night.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Okay.¡±


    Even so, Xu RenDong was very uneasy. There were more than a dozen young girls standing in the corridor, all of whom were the eyes of the old lady. How do they avoid these people and explore the tulou? He can only hope that these NPCs will also sleep at night.


    Xu RenDong set an alarm clock for three in the morning and wanted to rest as much as possible. But he was uneasy in his heart and he couldn¡¯t sleep no matter what. After tossing and turning for some time, he noticed that the person beside him was a little bit unusual.


    Lian Qiao kept turning over, seemingly irritable. Xu RenDong was just about to ask him what was wrong, when he suddenly heard some strange sounds coming from the outside.


    ¡°Uh¡­ uh¡­ guest, guest be lighter¡­ ah¡­¡± It was the girls¡¯ voice.


    ¡°Guest, guest¡­ woo¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong was shocked. It was unknown when it started but suddenly the outside was filled with indescribable voices. Xu RenDong blushed instantly and scolded in a low voice: ¡°These people are just crazy! Can¡¯t they just endure it for a bit?!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Lian Qiao didn¡¯t speak, just turned around and turned his back to him.


    Xu RenDong felt the heat beside him and, when he reached out and touched it, Lian Qiao¡¯s back was terribly hot. He suddenly became nervous: ¡°Lian Qiao? Are you uncomfortable?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡± Lian Qiao avoided his hand and shrank back into the bed, almost sticking to the wall.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Lian Qiao didn¡¯t speak but his breathing became heavier.


    Xu RenDong listened to his panting and suddenly understood. His face suddenly became hot. He got up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go give them a talking to.¡± {XRD thinks LQ is reacting to the sounds outside.}


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Lian Qiao grabbed him and panted, ¡°Something¡¯s wrong¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s palm was terribly hot, as if he had a high fever. Xu RenDong frowned and reached out to touch Lian Qiao¡¯s forehead but Lian Qiao grabbed his wrist tightly and dragged him back into the bed.


    Xu RenDong was caught off guard and fell into his arms, only to feel the hot breath blowing towards him. It was deliberately suppressed breathing, full of meaning.


    ¡°Lian Qiao, you¡­¡± Xu RenDong was stunned for a while and was a little overwhelmed.


    However, in the next second, Lian Qiao pushed him away again, sat up with his knees in his arms and tried his best to shrink his entire body into the corner of the wall.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± He said in a hoarse voice, ¡°I can¡¯t control it¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong suddenly realized: ¡°Have you been tricked?!¡± {Uh, I can¡¯t find the right word for this right now, basically fallen prey to a scam/trick/plot.}


    ¡°En¡­¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s voice was inaudible. He seemed extremely restrained but still couldn¡¯t control his breathing.


    Just by hearing the sound, he knew he was in a bad state right now. Xu RenDong tried hard to recall everything that happened after he came here but he really couldn¡¯t think of what caused him to be affected. If it is the water in that pool, then Xu RenDong has also used it himself, why doesn¡¯t he feel anything?


    In this way, the people in the other rooms are probably not weak-willed but just caught by the same trick as Lian Qiao. Everyone seems to have taken spring medicine {aphrodisiac} collectively and they all began to ¡®X¡¯ at the same time. If it wasn¡¯t for Lian Qiao¡¯s strong self-control, he probably would also attack the girl outside the door.


    Xu RenDong was puzzled. But what¡¯s important now is not to find out the reason but¡­ to help Lian Qiao solve the problem.


    Thinking of this, Xu RenDong¡¯s face became terribly hot. The opening words also became stumbling: ¡°Then, now¡­ what should I do?¡±


    ¡°You stay away from me¡­ I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t help it¡­¡± Lian Qiao was hot all over, her brows were wrinkled and his expression was extremely tormented.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s light flashed: ¡°Take a cold shower?¡±


    He just got up when he suddenly realized that there was no place to take a bath here. This tulou is a traditional building without any modern equipment, not even a flushable  toilet. There is only an old wooden toilet in the bedroom.


    There wasn¡¯t much time to think. He picked up the pool of water he just used to wash his face, and poured a bucket of cold water directly on Lian Qiao¡¯s head. Lian Qiao was soaked all of a sudden and the white T-shirt was wetly attached to his body, outlining his strong and beautiful chest muscles.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s throat tightened and he quickly turned his face away.


    However, when the bucket of water went down, Lian Qiao was still very uncomfortable. He huddled against the wall, fingers tugging at the corners of his shirt, trying to pull his T-shirt down. But he couldn¡¯t help but want to stretch his hand there.


    Xu RenDong listened to his suppressed breathing and struggled in his heart.


    After a while, he walked to the bed and hugged Lian Qiao.


    Lian Qiao immediately hugged him tightly, greedily inhaling the smell on his body. Xu RenDong kissed his forehead, reached out to take off his clothes but Lian Qiao held down his hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡± Lian Qiao was forced to redden his eyes but he still tried to maintain his last sense of reason: ¡°If something goes wrong, there must be some trick within it¡­ Maybe this is the condition of death¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Then what should I do?¡±


    Lian Qiao desperately resisted the urge to press him under him, took a few deep breaths and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°You blow out the candle.¡±


    Xu RenDong did as instructed. In the darkness, he asked, ¡°And then?¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. Don¡¯t come here.¡±


    Xu RenDong stood still. He heard a rustling sound.


    He roughly guessed what Lian Qiao was going to do and his face became hot. Sure enough, Lian Qiao was breathing intermittently from the darkness. The breathing was extremely low, accompanied by a faint sound of liquid.


    A picture immediately appeared in Xu RenDong¡¯s mind.


    The next room was still chaotic and Lian Qiao, who was close at hand, was hiding in the dark and doing this kind of thing. Under this double stimulus, Xu RenDong was also tormented. He tried to keep his composure and warned himself not to think wildly.


    If you mess around here, you will die!


    In order to keep calm, Xu RenDong recited the Buddhist scriptures reverently.


    After an unknown amount of time, the sounds on the bed finally stopped. Xu RenDong was relieved but heard Lian Qiao cry with a voice: ¡°Brother RenDong, what should I do, it won¡¯t come out¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong lost his sense of normality in an instant and his whole person was full of primitive impulses.


    He bit his lip hard, and said calmly with the smell of blood in his mouth: ¡°Is your method maybe incorrect?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Lian Qiao was angered by him into laughter.


    Listening to his laugh, Xu RenDong suddenly felt that what he said was inappropriate, so he coughed awkwardly: ¡°Then why don¡¯t you continue?¡±


    Lian Qiao sighed in pain: ¡°I¡¯m afraid this poison can only be solved by papapapa¡­ I¡¯m really wrong. When I used to read that protagonists in martial arts novels were caught with the spring medicine, I also complained why they couldn¡¯t solve it by themselves. Can this medicine really recognize whether you are with the heroine or with your hand¡­  Now I know, it turns out that it can really recognize it¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong listened to him complaining for a while then suddenly said: ¡°Are you not as uncomfortable as before?¡±


    Lian Qiao was stunned: ¡°It seems so. I was so uncomfortable just now, I can¡¯t wait to f*** you until your four limbs face the sky. But now it¡¯s better, now I just want to¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­stop, no need to describe.¡±


    Lian Qiao shut up.


    The candles had already been blown out and there was only a little moonlight in the room at this time. Both sat in the dark, listening to each other¡¯s subtle breathing. The hot and sweet feeling that filled the air before has gradually faded away.


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°Brother RenDong, you should tie me up, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to control it again.¡±


    Xu RenDong found the climbing rope from the backpack. This time Lian Qiao¡¯s movement was restricted, so he was fully prepared and stuffed everything he might use into his backpack. He tied Lian Qiao tightly. Although Lian Qiao was suffering, it was better to suffer than to die.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s clothes were still wet against his body and now that he was tied tightly by the climbing rope, his chest and abdominal muscles were beautifully highlighted. After Xu RenDong was tied, he turned his head away, not daring to look at it.


    Lian Qiao has a temperament between a youth and an adult male. Like a green and plump fruit, his body has already fully developed but his mood remained in the youthful stage: pure and enthusiastic. It makes people both want to engage in a pure romance with him but also at the same time go crazy with him, indulging both the happiness of youth and the joys of the flesh at the same time.


    At this moment, the green fruit was covered with icing sugar. The intermittent gasps were sweet cream and the moist eyes were intoxicating rum. There¡¯s a sweet invitation all over him and although you know it was fake¡ª


    You know he¡¯s actually clean and clear, and that his cloying sweetness was just heavy icing that¡¯s been forced upon him.


    But how can you resist and not bite?


    Xu RenDong sat and drank tea for a while but he couldn¡¯t hold back after all. He coughed, got up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go outside and take in some fresh air.¡±


    Lian Qiao twisted on the bed like a snake, burying his head in the quilt: ¡°¡­ Un¡­¡±


    It was unknown if that was a response or just a moan. Xu RenDong¡¯s face turned red again, he pushed open the door and went out.


    The corridor was empty, and the girls who had been kicked out of the room were gone. All the rooms were lit and there were terrible noises. Xu RenDong looked at the red lanterns hanging on the tulou and suddenly felt it was very fitting.


    Wasn¡¯t this like the red light district?


    However, taking this opportunity, he can explore the tulou.


    The tulou is round and the sky seen from here is also round. Coupled with the water pool in the middle, there are circles everywhere, making people dizzy.


    Xu RenDong planned to go upstairs to have a look. When he looked up, he suddenly noticed that there was a figure on the opposite roof.


    It was a young man in a black Tang suit. His short hair iwas neat and tidy.


    He stood up straight with his hands on his back. The wild wind blew his clothes but he remained motionless just like the sculptures on the roof of the Forbidden City. It seemed as though he had experienced hundreds of years of wind and frost, vicissitudes and perseverance.


    Xu RenDong had an impression of this person. He was also one of the players this time. He was quiet and inconspicuous in the crowd. He just didn¡¯t know why he was standing on the roof?


    Go and ask him.


    Xu RenDong looked around and was walking towards the stairs. With a glance out of the corner of his eyes, he suddenly noticed that the man had turned around and was looking towards him.


    Xu RenDong met his eyes from afar and was shocked.


    He was laughing.


    The night wind was blowing and the moon was dark. The man stood alone on the roof, his clothes fluttered and the corner of his mouth twitched as he gazed at Xu RenDong. His long and narrow phoenix eyes narrowed slightly and a touch of gold flashed within his eyes.


    The demonic aura surrounding him soared to the sky.


    ***

 CH 91

    Chapter 91 ¨C Without a Key 3


    Xu RenDong felt his chest tighten. Looking closely, he saw the man jumped down from the eaves on the roof and landed lightly in the corridor.


    The position he was standing on was the ninth floor. That is, it was the upper level which was four floors above from Xu RenDong. Even so, Xu RenDong clearly saw the golden light flashing in his eyes. This was very incredible and Xu RenDong doesn¡¯t quite understand why.


    Xu RenDong quickened his pace and ran upstairs. Every time he went up a floor, he would glance up at the ninth floor. The man in the Tang suit was still standing there, with his hands behind his back, looking at him with a smile, patiently waiting for him to come.


    Xu RenDong climbed to the ninth floor in one go. Indescribable sounds came from the rooms that passed by along the way. He felt very strange. There were as many as 81 players this time and now it seemed that only he and the man in the Tang suit were unaffected. Why was this? Was there anything different about him and the man in the Tang suit?


    When he was still more than ten meters away from the man, Xu RenDong slowed down and calmed down his intense breathing. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the man carefully. Just as he appeared from a distance, the man was dressed in a Tang suit which was black from head to toe. There was even a pair of black cloth shoes on his feet. The Tang suit was of high quality, embroidered with silver threads and, at first glance, in the image of a dragon flying through the clouds. When he got closer, he could see clearly that the embroidered panel was actually a snake. The snake¡¯s scales were thinly outlined by silver lines, which shimmered faintly in the moonlight. Each snake was embroidered with great detail and lifelike. But they all closed their eyes as if asleep.


    Although this Tang suit is gorgeous, it has a strong demonic aura and makes one feel very uncomfortable.


    Xu RenDong looked up and suddenly realized that the man was also looking at him. He couldn¡¯t help being surprised.


    The man smiled slightly and said to the beautiful girl behind him, ¡°Go, pour a cup of tea.¡±


    The girl saluted the two of them and went into the room to pour tea.


    The man walked to the edge of the railing and leaned on it casually. His tone was full of laziness and leisure: ¡°It¡¯s too stuffy in the room, let¡¯s talk here.¡±


    Xu RenDong frowned: ¡°You¡­¡± He had too many questions to know which one to ask. He opened his mouth but didn¡¯t know where to start.


    The man curled his lips and said with a smile: ¡°You must be curious why I am not affected. Similarly, I am also curious about you. Let me introduce myself first. My name is Shi JianChuan. This is my ninth time participating.¡±


    Xu RenDong was startled. He has always called himself a ¡°Nine Level Boss¡± but this was the first time he really saw someone who had come in for nine times.


    Xu RenDong felt that this person was unfathomable, so it was better not to lie rashly. So he reported his name and honestly explained the times he had cleared an instance.


    At this moment, the maid came out with a tray. Shi JianChuan took the teacup, made a ¡°please¡± gesture to Xu RenDong and then drank the tea leisurely. He didn¡¯t dismiss the  girl so she held the tray and stood respectfully to one side.


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t drink tea. He glanced at the girl and said, ¡°You won¡¯t ask her to retire?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Shi JianChuan said with a smile, ¡°If the death condition is really triggered, even if no one sees it, the punishment that should come will still comee. Besides, these girls don¡¯t exist for this purpose.¡±


    His eyes drifted to the next room and he smiled leisurely again.


    In the surrounding rooms, the sounds of joy have not stopped. Shi JianChuan¡¯s meaning was obvious ¨C those girls are there to let the guests vent their beastly desires.


    Xu RenDong frowned. In fact, he also felt this but the silent NPC standing next to him still made him uncomfortable. Seeing this, Shi JianChuan sighed softly, put the teacup back on the tray and waved the girl away.


    Xu RenDong looked at his appearance as he gave orders and said with some amusement: ¡°You seem to be the master here.¡±


    Shi JianChuan stretched out a finger that was as white as jade and shook it in front of him: ¡°No, you¡¯re wrong. I¡¯m a guest and so are you. These girls obey us because of their master¡¯s orders. This is the host¡¯s way of hospitality.¡±


    Hospitality?


    Xu RenDong inexplicably felt that when Shi JianChuan said this word, he glanced at him vaguely and observed his reaction. That look makes people uncomfortable, like some kind of cold-blooded animal looking at its prey.


    ¡­that¡¯s right, it¡¯s like a snake.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get down to business, let¡¯s exchange information.¡± Xu RenDong didn¡¯t want to beat around the bush with him and went straight to the point, ¡°What do you want to know from me?¡±


    Shi JianChuan looked at him but his face showed disappointment. He shook his head and sighed, ¡°I already know.¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback.


    Shi JianChuan said regretfully, ¡°It¡¯s probably just luck that you survived to the fifth stage. Unfortunately, that¡¯s the end of it.¡± After saying that, he turned back to the house, looking like he didn¡¯t want to talk to anyone anymore.


    Xu RenDong felt that this person was simply inexplicable. His attitude was extremely unpleasant and he wished he could go up and kick him.


    ¡­But after thinking about it¡­ he is after all a real Nine Time Boss so let¡¯s just forget it and not be impulsive.


    Since this person didn¡¯t want to talk to him, Xu RenDong didn¡¯t bother to talk nonsense with him. So he turned around and walked towards the stairs. However, before taking a few steps, he heard Shi JianChuan calling behind him: ¡°Hey.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Shi JianChuan folded his arms and said with a smile: ¡°I thought about it and then changed my mind. Since you can come to me at this time, you are still somewhat special. Let me give you a hint. As to whether you can use it or not, it depends on your own ability.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± Why is this man so pretentious?


    He took a deep breath and suppressed the unhappiness in his heart: ¡°Tell me then.¡±


    Shi JianChuan looked into his eyes and smiled, ¡°Do you know how my floor is different from other floors?¡±


    Different? Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes quickly swept up and down the tulou but he did not notice anything special about this floor.


    ¡°Sigh.¡± Shi JianChuan sighed softly again, shook his head and said, ¡°You¡¯re so slow, I really don¡¯t know how you got to the fifth instance. Think slowly, I¡¯ll go first.¡±


    This time he really left. The girl behind him saluted Xu RenDong and followed him into the bedroom.


    Although this person was annoying but, judging by his appearance, it didn¡¯t seem that he was lying. But it does not rule out the possibility that he was being deliberately misleading.


    Anyway, let¡¯s take a good look at this floor first.


    Xu RenDong looked around and reconfirmed the surrounding environment. This floor was the top floor of the tulou and further up is the roof which is where Shi JianChuan stood at the beginning. Up to now, Xu RenDong still doesn¡¯t know what he was doing up there, let alone how he got there, because this is already the top floor and there are no more stairs to go up.


    Other than that, this floor doesn¡¯t seem to be much different from the others. According to the encyclopedia, the upper floors are called ¡°shangtang¡± and are generally used for sacrificial activities. When Xu RenDong came over just now, he also saw a large room similar to an ancestral hall. The door was open and there were more than a dozen tablets on display as well as incense offerings. The other rooms are ordinary rooms, all the doors are closed, and the sound coming out is unbearable.


    If there is any difference between this place and other places, it is probably that there is an ancestral hall on this floor. Therefore, Xu RenDong decided to visit the ancestral hall first.


    The ancestral hall was very spacious, almost three or four times the size of the guest room. Just as Xu RenDong was about to step in, a red shadow flashed in front of him.


    The old lady with bound feet suddenly appeared, reached out to stop him and said sullenly: ¡°Guest, don¡¯t enter here.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Why?¡±


    The old lady said: ¡°This is the ancestral hall of our ancestors, it¡¯s not good for outsiders to go in. It will be unlucky.¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s gaze went over the thin arm of the old lady and looked at the dozen or so tablets on the incense case. The candles flickered and it was impossible to see what was written on it. He had to ask: ¡°Then, has anyone else been inside?¡±


    The old lady smiled: ¡°Of course not. This old person has been guarding here for a long time, so as not to let guests enter by mistake.¡±


    ¡°Has Shi JianChuan ever been here?¡±


    ¡°No. No one can come in, this is the rule here..¡±


    Xu RenDong looked up and down the old lady with bound feet. He felt that she exuded a ghostly spirit which was not very easy to deal with, so he withdrew from the ancestral hall.


    Since Shi JianChuan has never been here, the ¡°different place between this floor and other floors¡± should not be here.


    Xu RenDong thought about it for a long time but still had no clue so he had to go back to his room first.


    As soon as he opened the door, Lian Qiao jumped up in shock: ¡°Who is it?!¡±


    Xu RenDong said, ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± He walked to the bed and saw Lian Qiao, who was tied up with five knots, still lying on the bed. He felt a little surprised. He sat on the edge of the bed, reached out and wiped the sweat from Lian Qiao¡¯s forehead, ¡°Are you feeling better?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve calmed down completely.¡± Lian Qiao said deeply, ¡°I¡¯m just a little worried¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Well ?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°If you hold it in for so long, will it be bad?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± At this time, you are still worried about this, you are really a special one.


    He tapped Lian Qiao on the head and then told Lian Qiao what had happened just now. Lian Qiao twisted and sat up from the bed but still leaned back against the wall, far away from Xu RenDong. He said: ¡°Why is this Shi JianChuan so annoying, if you want to give a hint, just give it properly. What¡¯s the point of being so unclear?¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded. Lian Qiao said angrily: ¡°He¡¯s also a Nine Time Boss, why is there such a big difference! Like Brother RenDong, you never speak cruelly and you will always lead everyone through the customs in minutes without injury. This is what a real boss should be like!!¡±


    Xu RenDong was a little embarrassed because, after all, he cheated using rebirth but Shi JianChuan was a real nine time boss. Having said that, what skills does Shi JianChuan have to be able to enter nine times unscathed?


    More importantly, what did the hint he gave mean?


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°Let¡¯s go and see when it¡¯s dawn tomorrow. It¡¯s too dark at night, maybe we have overlooked something. Brother RenDong, you must be tired after running around all night. Come and sleep.¡±


    Now that Lian Qiao said that, Xu RenDong was really sleepy. He glanced at the time and saw it was four o¡¯clock in the morning. There was still a little time to get shuteye before dawn. He lay down beside Lian Qiao and, recalling the terrifying temperature on Lian Qiao¡¯s body just before, and asked worriedly, ¡°Are you feeling any discomfort now?¡±


    Lian Qiao was silent for a moment: ¡°Does being wet in the pants count?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± Let¡¯s hurry up and rest.


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    RenDong: You actually peed your pants, favorability -10. (incorrect)


    ***

 CH 92

    Chapter 92 ¨C Without a Key 4


    As soon as it was dawn, Xu RenDong was awakened by a scream.


    He¡¯s already used to waking up in this manner ¨C someone died and had been found, hence the scream.


    As for the dead, there was no shortage of them in this world. As long as you¡¯re used to it, it¡¯s fine.


    Lian Qiao was tied up with a rope all night. His body was sore and he almost knelt down on the ground when he got out of the bed. He leaned on his cane with one hand and hooked Xu RenDong¡¯s shoulder with the other. The two people washed up simply and went outside to see what happened.


    The two of them were taken aback when they went out. They saw more than a dozen young girls standing in the corridor, their faces still stained with the satisfaction of the afterglow of sex. However they were wearing burlap mourning clothing to demonstrate their filial piety. It was unknown when they had changed into the white mourning clothing.


    There were more than a dozen rooms in the middle hall. Only the maid from Xu RenDong¡¯s room was wearing her original clothing. The other rooms were silent and their doors were closed. Only the maids stood at the door. They heard the sound of Xu RenDong opening the door and looked over in unison. More than a dozen faces showed strange smiles at the same time, which made people shudder.


    Lian Qiao sucked in a breath of air: ¡°Damn it, they¡¯re scary.¡±


    Xu RenDong comforted: ¡°Actually, it¡¯s fine now, if you saw it at night it would be even scarier. ¡°


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± That¡¯s not comforting, okay ?


    The screams came from upstairs. Lian Qiao had difficulty moving and it was very difficult to go up and down the stairs. So when the two got upstairs, a dozen people had already gathered there.


    A girl was sitting at the door of the room crying and everyone surrounded her with ugly expressions.


    Shi JianChuan was among them but he was the only one who was still smiling, leaning on the railing with a slack look like he was totally relaxed.


    Xu RenDong stepped forward and asked, ¡°What happened? ¡°


    Shi JianChuan: ¡°Someone died~.¡±


    Xu RenDong pushed the crowd away and wanted to see the corpse. As soon as he approached the door, he saw two pale corpses lying on the bed with no clothes on. He was shocked and retreated subconsciously. Shi JianChuan smiled behind him: ¡± Huh, haven¡¯t you seen a naked corpse before?¡±


    Xu RenDong frowned and didn¡¯t want to pay attention to him. Lian Qiao leaned over and asked in a low voice, ¡°Is this Shi JianChuan? ¡°


    Xu RenDong nodded. Lian Qiao said: ¡°No wonder. He looks the most annoying in this group of people. ¡°


    The girl in the center of the crowd cried hoarsely and the others whispered something. Xu RenDong vaguely heard the words ¡°sale¡± and ¡°price¡± and felt strange in his heart, so he went over to inquire. Only then did he learn that the deceased were two veterans, the girl was a newcomer and paid them a lot of money to protect her. Unexpectedly, these two died first.


    In fact, far more than these two people died last night. On the way over just now, there were one or two corpses in the room where the young girls in burlap mourning clothes were standing. That is to say, all those who could not resist temptation had died.


    It seems that Lian Qiao guessed right and this was a death condition. Xu RenDong estimated that at least 60 people died last night. This number shocked him.


    Lian Qiao leaned on a cane and squeezed hard into the room to examine the body. Not long after, he limped back with a very strange expression on his face.


    Xu RenDong asked: ¡± What did you see? ¡°


    Lian Qiao hesitated: ¡°They are a pair of women ¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong was stunned for a moment and did not understand.


    Lian Qiao looked a little embarrassed and whispered, ¡± The two women are players. I don¡¯t know why, anyway, they both ¡­ er and then died. Probably they are a couple like us¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong widened his eyes in astonishment, shocked inside. After a while, he said ¡°oh¡± and didn¡¯t know what else to say.


    The two were silent for a long time. The girl at the door was hoarse from crying but no one came to comfort her. Everyone¡¯s faces were very gloomy. After all, sixty people died in one fell swoop last night so it was hard to imagine how difficult this instance is. Whether they could survive the night was still unknown. Who has the time to comfort a stranger at this moment?


    After overcoming the psychological barrier, Xu RenDong also went in to check the bodies. Sure enough as Lian Qiao said, the two young women were lying on each other¡¯s backs and there were still some indescribable marks left on their bodies. However their skin had turned into the blue-gray peculiar to corpses and there were corpse spots in some places. It was clear they had been dead for hours.


    There was no trauma on the corpse and there was no trace of blood around it, so the specific cause of death could not be seen.


    ¡°It is estimated that they died suddenly. ¡± Lian Qiao said.


    Xu RenDong agreed.


    ¡°As for the conditions of death, they had sex last night. I thought it was only that you can¡¯t have sex with the maids but it seems we can¡¯t have sex with our companions either.¡± Lian Qiao stuck out his tongue. ¡°Fortunately, we held back. ¡°


    Xu RenDong coughed awkwardly, turned around and said to the others: ¡°This is the end of the matter, everyone, don¡¯t gather here again. Take advantage of the dawn to explore this tulou. ¡°


    Almost all of the surviving people are old players and they have no problem with Xu RenDong¡¯s proposal. The crying girl finally stopped sobbing and when she heard Xu RenDong¡¯s words, she turned her eyes to him, her eyes full of begging.


    Xu RenDong understood what she wanted but at this time Lian Qiao was injured and it was not easy for him to protect Lian Qiao, let alone carry a new person. So he could only turn his face away and avoid the girl¡¯s eyes. When the girl saw this, she knew that she had no way out so she couldn¡¯t help but begin to cry again.


    Xu RenDong found this unbearable in his heart but Lian Qiao suddenly said, ¡°Where¡¯s Shi JianChuan? ¡°


    Xu RenDong was immediately distracted. He looked around and did not see the lazy man in the black Tang suit. He asked a few people around and they all said they didn¡¯t pay attention to him.


    It was strange to say the least. Shi JianChuan, who dressed in such a bizarre manner, should be very eye-catching. But he melted into the sea like a drop of water and disappeared silently. Not only did no one notice where he went, they didn¡¯t even remember if he had ever been here.


    Lian Qiao showed a thoughtful look but didn¡¯t say anything, just let Xu RenDong accompany him to explore the tulou.


    It was midnight when they got out of the elevator last night. The whole tulou was covered with red lanterns, like a ghost brothel. At this time, the sky was bright and the bright sunlight came in from the middle and shot directly into the circular pool on the ground floor. At this time, the water of the lake was green and transparent. Green algae floated in the water, which made it look dense and lush. From time to time, fish burrowed out of the water and so it looked somewhat lively, not as gloomy as last night.


    The two started from the first floor and went up layer by layer. The structure of each floor of this tulou is almost the same, with more than a dozen rooms in a circle, and a red lantern hangs every few steps in the corridor. Those maids dressed in burlap mourning clothing were still standing in front of the guest rooms and, when someone passed by, these bewitching girls saluted them with a smile.


    Everyone knew that behind them, the closed doors were filled with corpses. Therefore, everyone quickened their pace and did not want to stay too much in front of the rooms.


    Lian Qiao was actually terrified but he really couldn¡¯t walk fast so he just observed the tulou carefully.


    Xu RenDong picked out a few dead rooms and went in to check. Like the dead girls, the deceased were all naked and died without dignity. As for the guest rooms themselves, they were all the same, similar to the one where Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao lived.


    So the two focused their exploration on the ninth floor.


    70-80% of the people who lived on this floor also died. Besides Shi JianChuan, there were two other survivors. Both of them are girls and they both lived alone in a room last night. Although they also felt unbearably hot last night, they were able to hold themselves back.


    Lian Qiao sighed: ¡°At this time, the physical advantages of women are reflected ¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong felt a bit helpless and funny. Lian Qiao was joking but actually he made a lot of sense. Almost all of the twenty survivors were women. There were only a handful of men, four or five. It can be seen that in this kind of thing, women¡¯s endurance was  indeed stronger than men¡¯s.


    The two chatted casually but their eyes wandered around, looking for possible clues. After a while, they came to the front of the ancestral hall again.


    Xu RenDong wanted to go in last night but was discouraged by the old lady with bound feet. At this time, the door of the ancestral hall was still open and when standing by the door, you can see the tablets on the long incense cases. It was almost noon at this time, when the sun was at its peak but the ancestral hall was still dim and dark, and no light could get in. It was all illuminated by the candles on the incense table.


    It was impossible to see what was inside clearly from the outside. It¡¯s just that the old lady with the bound feet couldn¡¯t be seen and it was unknown if she was still inside.


    The two stood at the door and looked at each other. Xu RenDong said: ¡°Try again ? ¡°


    Lian Qiao nodded and raised his leg to step in. Xu RenDong stopped him: ¡°Wait for me at the door, help me keep a lookout. ¡°


    Lian Qiao hesitated. He then looked down at the cane in his hand and didn¡¯t insist much. He just said, ¡°Then you be careful.¡±


    ¡°En.¡±


    Xu RenDong took out a crowbar from his bag, held it tightly in his hand and lifted his leg across the threshold.


    As soon as he entered, the dark and oppressive feeling was like a blanket, pressing down heavily. There was an indescribable smell in the air, as if the incense candle was moldy and, as the candle was burning, the mold was scorched at the same time. It felt very uncomfortable.


    This time, the old lady didn¡¯t jump out of the darkness to stop him again. However, Xu RenDong did not dare to turn on the flashlight, for fear of disturbing something else. He could only look around the inside of the ancestral hall carefully by the swaying candle flame on the incense table.


    The entire ancestral hall had no windows and there was no other entrance or exit except the door behind it. No wonder it was so dark here that the outside light can¡¯t get in. There were several scrolls hanging on the surrounding walls. Xu RenDong narrowed his eyes to see and vaguely saw the portraits of men in Ming and Qing costumes, which were probably portraits of the tulou ancestors.


    There are incense candles and fruits on the incense table. There was also a tripod incense burner with three sandalwood sticks inside it. The candles flickered, illuminating the tablet on the case. Xu RenDong took a closer look and was a little surprised.


    It turns out that this incense case has five levels. Up and down, dozens of tablets are enshrined! Xu RenDong quickly counted and found that there were exactly 9¡Á9=81 tablets. His heart skipped a beat. He quickly read the tablet from the beginning to end and, fortunately, he and Lian Qiao¡¯s names were not found in it.


    Among the eighty-one tablets, there  were no names of Shi JianChuan and the others. So it seemed that it was not set up for the players. Xu RenDong took a closer look and felt that something was wrong.


    The order of the tablets ¡­ seems to be out of order?


    It stands to reason that the top of the incense case should be the ancestor from the highest generation. But the name of that person appeared on a certain tablet in the row below and it was written as the son of so-and-so. It is obviously against the rules that the son¡¯s tablet is placed higher than that of his father.


    There are many more mistakes like this. Xu RenDong intuitively felt that there was a mystery here, so he started to adjust the positions of the two tablets at hand. As soon as his fingers touched the tablet, he felt a burst of cold air climb up to his fingertips, which made his hair stand on end and instantly retracted his hand.


    Lian Qiao asked at the door: ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you all right? ¡°


    Xu RenDong clenched the crowbar and looked around vigilantly but did not notice anything unusual. He moved his fingers and found there were no injuries. He showed it to Lian Qiao to reassure him.


    But when he went to touch the tablet again, he still felt the chill attack. It seems that there is indeed a problem with this tablet but it will not cause substantial damage to him for some time.


    If so, then just go for it.


    Xu RenDong immediately started to adjust the order of the tablets.

 CH 93

    Chapter 93 ¨C Without a Key 5


    The surrounding atmosphere had clearly changed. The dark and oppressive atmosphere in the ancestral hall became stronger and stronger and the darkness almost turned into a reality, wrapping him so heavily that he couldn¡¯t breathe. The door was clearly behind him and Lian Qiao was standing at the door. Even the candles on the incense table began to sway, as fragile as a boat in the sea, and felt as though they would be extinguished at any moment.


    The more tablets Xu RenDong switches, the darker the ancestral hall becomes. It didn¡¯t take long for it to be so dark that even the tablets on the top floor could not be seen clearly.


    There were too many tablets and the relationship between the generations was chaotic. Xu RenDong occupied himself in sorting out the order and suddenly his scalp became numb. He felt that someone was looking at him from above his head. He raised his head suddenly, only to see a pitch-black nothingness, like an abyss.


    It¡¯s getting worse. He couldn¡¯t stay here long!


    Xu RenDong increased his speed. Although he was in a hurry, he knew clearly that he must not be chaotic at this time. If the order was wrong, he was afraid that the thing on top of his head would kill him on the spot.


    Xu RenDong focused all his attention on the tablets. Lian Qiao suddenly said from the door: ¡°Brother RenDong, come out quickly!¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes jumped on the eighty-one tablets and his brain was running fast: ¡°Almost, coming soon!¡±


    Lian Qiao said anxiously: ¡°It¡¯s too late, the old lady is coming upstairs. It¡¯s over!¡±


    Xu RenDong heard the words and no longer hesitated. He immediately turned around and ran to the door. Suddenly, it was dark in front of him and he saw the two doors at the entrance of the ancestral hall begin to swing shut in front of him!


    Xu RenDong was shocked. The ancestral hall became darker and darker and he felt the pressure on the top of his head obviously increased. His heart became more and more anxious. However, he was still two or three meters away from the door. Seeing that the last ray of light was about to disappear, a steel object was suddenly inserted into the crack of the gate ¨C it was Lian Qiao¡¯s crutch!


    ¡°Quick!¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s anxious voice came from the crack of the door, ¡°She¡¯s coming up soon!¡±


    With that crutch, Lian Qiao forced the door open by a dozen centimeters. The distance he pried was just enough for Xu RenDong to squeeze out and Xu RenDong squeezed through the door without hesitation.


    Within an instant, Xu RenDong squeezed most of his body out of the door. Lian Qiao¡¯s face beamed with joy. However, Xu RenDong¡¯s expression changed ¨C something cold quietly climbed up his back, grabbing the back of his neck and dragged him back towards the ancestral hall!


    With all his strength, he moved his body out of the door and Lian Qiao freed his hand to pull him. However, the thing in the darkness refused to let go and pressed firmly on his neck, pulling him inward.


    That thing was so powerful that almost the entire upper body of Xu RenDong was pulled back. Lian Qiao clung to his clothes tightly, not daring to relax in the slightest. But because of this, he couldn¡¯t continue to use the crutches, so that the two doors pressed tightly against Xu RenDong, trapping him in the middle and making him unable to move.


    Xu RenDong was so overwhelmed that he felt that his chest was about to be crushed, and the pain made him frown and bite his lips. Lian Qiao¡¯s heart ached when he saw this. He put his crutches against his back, stepped on the door frame and, with a violent force, pried the two doors open a few inches.


    At the same time, he squeezed into the crack of the door with one hand, held Xu RenDong¡¯s shoulder tightly and used his arm as a lever to force Xu RenDong out!


    ¡°You¡ª¡± Xu RenDong only had time to say this word, his body had already lost his center of gravity and he and Lian Qiao both fell to the ground. With a bang behind him, the metal crutch snapped and fell to the ground with a bang.


    Lian Qiao bounced off the ground almost instantly and nervously touched Xu RenDong¡¯s arm and chest: ¡°Are you okay? Are you injured?¡±


    Xu RenDong grabbed his hand and his eyes fell on his arm.


    He saw a deep dent on the solid and beautiful forearm. The dent was so deep that the skin was crushed to a horrific marinade.


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t speak, just avoided his injury and carefully helped him up. Lian Qiao had no crutches and could not stand steadily. So he could only put the barest pressure on the ground with his toes.


    Xu RenDong turned to look at the stairs. There were voices coming from there.


    Time was running out.


    Xu RenDong turned around, grabbed Lian Qiao¡¯s hand and put it on his shoulder.


    ¡°Come up. I¡¯ll carry you.¡±


    Lian Qiao hesitated for only half a second and immediately made a decision. He approached Xu RenDong¡¯s back, kicked off with his right foot and was caught by Xu RenDong firmly until his entire person lay on his back.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s height of 1.8 meters was half a head taller than Xu RenDong and his body was stronger than the other person¡¯s. Holding such a person on his back was really stressful. Xu RenDong shouldered his body and almost fell.


    Lian Qiao immediately said: ¡°I¡¯d better come down.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Xu RenDong took a deep breath, exerted strength with both hands and lifted Lian Qiao up, ¡°Hold me tight.¡±


    Lian Qiao knew that at this time they were out of options so he didn¡¯t dare to move any more. He could only hug his neck tightly.


    Xu RenDong tried hard to stabilize and found a hiding place as fast as possible. Just as the two people hid, a red shadow appeared on the stairs. Sure enough, it was the old lady with bound feet.


    Unexpectedly, there was someone beside her.


    Lian Qiao lowered his voice: ¡°Shi JianChuan?¡±


    Xu RenDong narrowed his eyes. Next to the old lady with little feet, it was indeed Shi JianChuan wearing a black Tang suit. He saw Shi JianChuan¡¯s face full of spring breeze, chatting and laughing with the old lady while strolling over.


    When she came to the front of the ancestral hall, the old lady seemed to notice something and her face changed suddenly. She walked fast with her little feet and, in a blink of an eye, the door of the ancestral hall was pushed open. The two doors that weighed more than a thousand feet just now were as light as nothing in her hands. The door opened in response with a ¡°squeaking¡± sound. The red shadow flashed and the old lady had already jumped into the hall.


    Her movements were as vigorous as an eagle swooping in, not at all like an old lady with bound feet.


    Shi JianChuan glanced at the cane with interest, then folded his arms and leaned lazily against the pillar, as if he was waiting to watch a play.


    There was a ping-pong-pong sound in the ancestral hall, probably something on the incense case that hit the ground. The old lady searched the ancestral hall for a while, but when she didn¡¯t see anyone, she withdrew. She folded her hands and bowed to the tablets a few times, then closed the door again.


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao hid not far away, frightened. Fortunately, they hid early, if they were caught by the old lady, it¡¯s afraid they would have died by now.


    Shi JianChuan was still leaning against the pillar, smiling. Seeing the old lady come out, he said something with a smile. Surprisingly, when the old lady heard his words, she immediately smiled as if she had forgotten all the things that happened just now.


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao looked at each other, thinking in their hearts: This is really not easy.


    While the old lady and Shi JianChuan were talking, Xu Ren Dong and Lian Qiao carefully bypassed the ancestral hall and went downstairs in the opposite direction.


    Lian Qiao has no crutches and it was inconvenient to move. Xu RenDong held his shoulders and returned to the room step by step. Lian Qiao was afraid that he would struggle, so he tried his best to land on the ground with his right foot. When he returned to the room, Xu RenDong was fine but Lian Qiao was out of breath.


    He was sweating profusely. It was unknown if it was from tiredness or pain. Xu RenDong saw it and his heart twitched.


    If he had known this, he should have committed suicide at random on the day of his accident¡­


    As soon as this thought flashed in his heart, Xu RenDong was immediately shocked. He thought of a question:


    If he died in the real world, would he be resurrected in an elevator?


    He dared not to try to answer this question.


    The two rested for a while and Lian Qiao suddenly said: ¡°Brother RenDong, do you think that Shi JianChuan deliberately lured the old woman away so that we could go into the ancestral hall to explore?¡±


    Xu RenDong put down the teacup in his hand and wrinkled his forehead. He thought that there might be some truth to what Lian Qiao was saying.


    Last night, Shi JianChuan hinted that there was something unusual to him about the ninth floor. He always thought it was in reference to the ancestral hall. But according to the old lady with bound feet, Shi JianChuan had never entered the ancestral hall. Then the hint should not refer to the things in the ancestral hall.


    Perhaps when Shi JianChuan wanted to enter the ancestral hall, he was also blocked by the old lady with bound feet. But he was alone and did not dare to take risks lightly. So while everyone was exploring the tulou, he tried to lure the old lady away so that others could enter the ancestral hall.


    ¡°However, would he really be so kind?¡± Xu RenDong pondered, ¡°I always feel that things will not be so simple.¡±


    The two discussed the next countermeasures. First of all, they had to find something to replace the crutches, otherwise since Lian Qiao was lame and encountered danger, he wouldn¡¯t be able to run away. They had to find a way to enter the ancestral hall again. There was also a circular pool in the middle of the lower hall. The water is so deep and bottomless that it always makes people feel that there is something hidden underneath. For better or worse, they had to see it.


    Just as he was thinking about this, there was a knock on the door.


    Xu RenDong opened the door with a ¡°squeak¡± and saw a beautiful maid salute him. She said with a smile: ¡°The master told me to tell the two that a banquet has been set up on the xiatang square and is ready to welcome the guests. Please wash up first and don¡¯t look down on the poor food. You must be sure to come.¡±


    Xu RenDong said, ¡°I see¡±, then closed the door and returned.


    Lian Qiao pouted and said, ¡°Who dares to eat this banquet?¡±


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t speak yet. Lian Qiao tilted his head for a while and then muttered to himself: ¡°But it¡¯s hard to say¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°You¡¯re afraid like last time, the body will lose control?¡±


    Lian Qiao nodded.


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°You can¡¯t hide in here. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    When the two of them went out, they saw a person walking out of a room on the opposite earth building. That was one of the few survivors. The incident last night caused heavy losses to the entire team and now there are only a dozen or so people left. Most of them are girls.


    Xu RenDong noticed that all the dead rooms had disappeared. The original location of the door became a gray wall, as if the room never existed. The maids who were standing at the door were nowhere to be seen. So there are only a dozen or so rooms left in the entire nine-story tulou, which appeared extremely irregular from a distance.


    Compared with the neat red lanterns under the eaves, it looks even more bizarre. Even in the daytime, it appeared ghostly.


    When Lian Qiao walked to the stairs, he suddenly noticed something and turned his head and said ¡°Huh¡±.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Lian Qiao turned around and limped towards the railing. He raised his hand and touched the red lantern under the eaves: ¡°Why doesn¡¯t this lantern light up?¡±

 CH 94

    Chapter 94 ¨C Without a Key 6


    Xu RenDong looked up. As Lian Qiao said, in this row of red lanterns, only the one at the stairwell was extinguished.


    It¡¯s daytime, so the lights shouldn¡¯t be lit. But the maids did not blow out the lanterns just because it was dawn and so all the other lanterns were still lit. The sun was shining brightly and the light of the candle in the lantern was very dim due to the sunlight. At first glance, it was difficult to perceive the flickering light of the candle.


    If it weren¡¯t for Lian Qiao¡¯s astonishing eyesight, he wouldn¡¯t have seen that there was something different about this lantern.


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°I¡¯ll climb up and have a look.¡±


    The lantern was hanging high on the eaves. Even Lian Qiao, who was 1.85 meters tall, could barely reach the bottom of the lantern. Xu RenDong found a stool, climbed up the railing, reached up and took off the lantern.


    The lantern was huge. He held it in his arms and climbed down cautiously. The two looked down at the lantern and saw that the red lantern was empty. It was like a big mouth, with only a brass candlestick at the bottom. There was still some solidified candle wax on the candlestick and it appeared to have been extinguished for a long time.


    Just looking at this lantern, he can¡¯t see anything unusual. Xu RenDong took down the lanterns on the left and right sides together and then discovered something strange.


    It turned out that the two lanterns on the left and right were lit with candles with thick bowls. The candle was more than ten centimeters long and could burn for at least a day or two.


    Obviously, the candle at the entrance of the stairs did not burn out by itself. Someone took the candle out.


    ¡°Why would you take the candle?¡± Lian Qiao touched his chin and was very puzzled, ¡°Is there anything special about this candle?¡±


    Special? Different?


    This sentence made Xu RenDong suddenly enlightened: ¡°Shi JianChuan?¡±


    Lian Qiao also understood: ¡°Let¡¯s go to the ninth floor to see.¡± He was about to limp upstairs.


    Xu RenDong stopped him and told him to wait. He ran up to the ninth floor by himself. Sure enough, the lantern on top of the stairs on the ninth floor was also extinguished. He took off the lantern and saw that the candle inside was also missing.


    It seems there is something wrong with this candle.


    Xu RenDong was about to go to see if the candle on top of the stairs on the eighth floor was still there but, when he turned around, he bumped into someone head-on.


    Xu RenDong took two steps back subconsciously and was about to apologize when he suddenly saw that it was just anyone he bumped into but the old lady with bound feet!


    The old lady with bound feet was still wearing that red dress. Her chubby figure was tightly wrapped in the red dress and looked both ridiculous and weird. It was unknown what crazy mood possessed her but, at this time, a thick layer of white powder was applied to her face like an unevenly painted earth wall. Bits of powder fell off when she grinned.


    Her lips were painted bright red like blood just like her red clothes, dazzlingly vivid.


    The little-footed lady was so old that it was impossible to tell her actual age. But at this time she was wearing heavy makeup and dressed like a funeral paper figurine. It was strange and shocking to see.


    ¡°Guest, aren¡¯t you seated for the banquet yet?¡± The old lady stared straight at Xu RenDong, her eyes gloomy.


    Xu RenDong secretly suppressed his violent heartbeat and pretended to be light and calm. He looked around, and said, ¡°I came to see if there¡¯s still anyone here.¡±


    The old lady smiled and said, ¡°Everyone is waiting for you below.¡±


    This sentence sounded strangely uncomfortable. It was inconvenient for Xu RenDong to continue exploring in front of the old lady so he said, ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡±


    So the little old lady stretched out an arm and hooked Xu RenDong¡¯s arm. Xu RenDong only felt that he was entangled by a wet and cold dry branch. A cold and damp feeling climbed up his arm.


    Although it felt disgusting, it was too trivial to make him throw off the old woman. Xu RenDong kept his face calm and let the old lady use him as a support. They went downstairs layer by layer.


    Lian Qiao should have been waiting for him on the third floor. However, when he reached the fourth floor, Lian Qiao came up to meet him: ¡°Brother RenDong, guess what¡ª¡±


    His voice stopped abruptly when he saw the old lady.


    Even without Xu RenDong winking at him, Lian Qiao immediately changed the subject and greeted the old lady.


    The old lady chatted with him then suddenly noticed something and asked him with a sideways gaze, ¡°This guest, where did your crutches go?¡±


    Lian Qiao was standing against the wall and his face changed slightly when he heard this.


    Xu RenDong flicked away the old lady¡¯s hand and walked to Lian Qiao¡¯s side, pampering and scolding in a realistic manner: ¡°Look at you, do you have to act like a spoiled child all the time? Now look, we¡¯ve been made a joke off.¡±


    It appeared like a whisper between lovers but just happened to be overheard by the old lady. A look of disgust appeared on her face.


    Seeing this, Lian Qiao immediately understood, hooked Xu RenDong¡¯s neck, raised his slender fingers and said: ¡°I just wanted you to hold me~¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Xu RenDong shivered and suddenly got goosebumps.


    The old lady with bound feet couldn¡¯t stand it any longer and said dryly: ¡°Guests, please come to the banquet with this old one.¡± Then she turned her head and went downstairs by herself.


    The two supported each other and followed the old lady slowly downstairs. Xu RenDong recovered from his goosebumps and asked him: ¡°Why are you not waiting for me on the third floor and running up alone?¡±


    ¡°Anyway, I was idle.¡± Lian Qiao whispered, ¡°Guess what I found out?¡±


    Xu RenDong thought about it and said, ¡°Is there something wrong with the candle?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lian Qiao leaned closer and whispered in his ear, ¡°In the lantern facing the stairs, the candles inside are different from other lanterns. It¡¯s a hollow circle.¡±


    Lian Qiao clenched his fist loosely, making a circle: ¡°It¡¯s about this big.¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°I was looking at the lantern on top of the stairs when I went upstairs just now. Except for the ninth floor and the third floor where we live, the lanterns on other floors are all lit. The candles inside should still be there.¡±


    ¡°Our lantern above the third floor stairwell was still lit last night. If it went out, we would definitely have noticed it. In other words, the candle on the third floor only disappeared today.¡± Xu RenDong frowned. ¡°Did someone take it away, or did it disappear on its own?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But it¡¯s possible¡­¡± Lian Qiao stopped before he finished speaking, as if he was stuck on some thought.


    Xu RenDong turned his head to look at him, quietly waiting for his next words. However, even until the two people got to the open space in the hall, Lian Qiao did not say what he was thinking.


    More than a dozen round tables have been placed in the open space, all of which are covered with bright red tablecloths and the dishes have not yet been served. There were people sitting at two of the tables and the rest of the dozen or so tables had empty stools.


    Everyone¡¯s faces were gloomy and they remained deadly silent. After all, only 20 of the 81-person team were still alive. Who would be in the mood for a banquet at such a time?


    At this time, when they saw the old lady with the heavy makeup and bound feet, everyone¡¯s complexion changed and their eyes showed various expressions such as confusion, fear, and disgust. Only Shi JianChuan had a calm demeanor. He beckoned with a smile and let Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao sit at his table.


    There were two empty seats directly beside Shi JianChuan. It was unknown if he specially reserved it for Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao, or if just no one wanted to sit with him. Xu RenDong didn¡¯t care about this and sat down beside him with Lian Qiao.


    Someone on the table asked, ¡°What are you doing, why are you here so late?¡±


    Xu RenDong said lightly: ¡°My friend¡¯s legs and feet are injured so of course he walks slowly.¡± He looked around, ¡°Everyone else is here?¡±


    Shi JianChuan smiled . He said: ¡°All the living are here. It¡¯s unknown if the dead are here.¡±


    After hearing this, everyone could not help but glance around, as if the empty tables and chairs were really full of people who had just died. Full of fresh ghosts. Although the noon sun was shining straight down, everyone felt a coldness and chill down their backsides.


    One person said angrily: ¡°Why are you scaring people? Is this necessary?!¡±


    Shi JianChuan shrugged: ¡°It¡¯s not like there¡¯s never been ghosts before.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be noisy.¡± Xu RenDong spoke out to discourage the quarrel that was about to break out, ¡°The old lady is here.¡±


    Everyone turned around, only to find that the old lady in red with little feet was holding a glass of wine and walking between the two tables.


    ¡°It¡¯s a great honor for all the guests to be present today.¡± The old lady smiled so red her lips were grinning behind her ears. The wrinkles on her face were terrifyingly deep. She raised the wine glass over her head, ¡°I don¡¯t have much to say so I¡¯ll give you a toast.¡±


    Everyone looked at each other and their eyes fell on the small wine glass in front of them. The wine was orange-yellow like amber, with a fragrant aroma that looks very attractive. But who would dare to drink the wine prepared by the old lady in red with bound feet?


    No one made a move and the atmosphere stiffened for a while. The old lady was not angry. She drank the wine happily and then clapped her hands, ¡°Let¡¯s serve the food.¡± Then a beautiful maid came out of the hall holding the dishes.


    Before those maids approached, a fishy smell was already blowing. Xu RenDong frowned and was about to speak but found that Lian Qiao was staring straight at the tray in the maid¡¯s hand with a strange look in his eyes.


    ¡°Lian Qiao?¡± Xu RenDong whispered.


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t answer.


    On the contrary, Shi JianChuan turned his head and gave Xu RenDong a thoughtful look.


    The maids walked to the table one by one and put down the dishes. Xu RenDong was shocked when he saw it. He saw that all the dinner plates were full of dead fish and rotten shrimp. The white maggots wriggled and the stench made people want to vomit.


    Everyone seemed to be possessed. Not only did they not show disgust but their eyes showed longing and ecstasy. Some people even couldn¡¯t bear it and reached out to grab the rotten fish within which the maggots were twisting.


    Xu RenDong frowned and was about to stop them when he heard Shi JianChuan say: ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them, just look after yourself.¡±


    Xu RenDong turned his head in surprise but saw Shi JianChuan slapped Lian Qiao¡¯s hand off the chopsticks. He said with a smile: ¡°¡­and your friends.¡±


    Xu RenDong then reacted and quickly held down Lian Qiao to stop him from eating the dishes on the table. Lian Qiao struggled for a while and asked in puzzlement: ¡°Brother RenDong, what are you doing?¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°There is something wrong with the dish, don¡¯t eat it.¡±


    Lian Qiao swallowed: ¡°But it¡¯s delicious¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong grabbed his restless hands and said in a deep voice, ¡°Be obedient.¡±


    Lian Qiao stopped struggling but kept glancing at the dishes and gulping at those dead fish and rotten meat.


    It seemed that Lian Qiao had been bewitched and only relied on a trace of remaining rationality to reluctantly suppress his appetite. The others were not dissuaded and were already feasting on the food. They devoured the rotten dead fish one by one and even discarded their chopsticks and directly held a fish head with their hands, biting into the  bones of the fish.


    Maggots kept falling out of the fish heads. The yellow-white juice flowed down the corners of their mouths. They had long since ignored their composure and were rushing to eat, their expressions full of a drug-like intoxication.


    This was not a good situation. Xu RenDong¡¯s brain was running fast and his hands were not idle either. He took out the climbing rope from his backpack and tied Lian Qiao¡¯s hands again.


    Lian Qiao was very unhappy about this and scolded uncharacteristically: ¡°What are you doing? Why are you tying me up? Why don¡¯t you let me eat?¡±


    The knot that Xu RenDong tied was actually a live knot. This was the way Lian Qiao himself taught him. But at this time, Lian Qiao had already forgotten how to break free from the knot. He twisted and even bit his teeth, completely losing his sense of being an adult.


    Just as Xu RenDong was trying to reason with Lian Qiao, Shi JianChuan¡¯s leisurely, almost lazy voice came from the side: ¡°Why do you need to spend all this time? Why don¡¯t you just give him another one?¡±


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Give him what?¡±


    Shi JianChuan asked, ¡°Which floor¡¯s did you take?¡±


    Xu RenDong suddenly felt enlightened: ¡°You took the candle from the lantern?¡±


    Shi JianChuan heard this and his eyes showed surprise: ¡°Didn¡¯t you take one? Then why are you okay?¡±


    Xu RenDong chewed on the meaning of the words and finally understood. He immediately pulled up Lian Qiao and dragged him away.


    Lian Qiao struggled. The old lady in red with little feet also noticed the strangeness and ran after them: ¡°Guest, where are you going?¡±


    Xu RenDong casually said, ¡°Going to the toilet. What, do you want to follow?¡±


    The old lady with the bound feet was stunned and then immediately smirked and said, ¡°No, no. Take your time, guest.¡±


    Xu RenDong dragged Lian Qiao and walked towards the stairs without looking back. Seeing what happened, Shi JianChuan followed them. The little-footed old lady frowned and stretched out her hand to stop it: ¡°Mr. Shi, why are you leaving the table too?¡±


    Shi JianChuan smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to watch the fun.¡±


    The old lady asked, ¡°There are so many people here, isn¡¯t it lively enough?¡±


    Shi JianChuan threw a glance at the gobbling crowd and said calmly, ¡°A group of dead people, it¡¯s boring.¡±


    The old lady heard the words with a strange look on her face. She didn¡¯t stop him and just let him go.

 CH 95

    Chapter 95 ¨C Without a Key 7


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t cooperate and there was also an injury on his leg. Xu RenDong didn¡¯t dare to pull him hard but was also afraid that if he let go Lian Qiao would run away.


    Shi JianChuan was rather leisurely. He took out a folding fan out of nowhere and slowly fanned himself. He just followed Xu RenDong with a smile, without any intention of helping. Xu RenDong naturally wouldn¡¯t ask him for any help.


    After finally dragging Lian Qiao up to the second floor, Xu RenDong was already exhausted. He dug out another rope from the mountaineering bag, intending to tie Lian Qiao to a column temporarily. Lian Qiao refused to be tied and punched and kicked Xu RenDong. Xu RenDong was patient at first and tied him while trying to avoid domestic violence. However, Lian Qiao struggled so hard that the rope could not be tied at all and Xu RenDong ended up with several teeth marks on his arm.


    Xu RenDong suddenly got angry, took out a crowbar and knocked Lian Qiao unconscious. With a plop, Lian Qiao fell to the ground. Xu RenDong dropped the crowbar and patted himself off, feeling quite satisfied.


    Shi JianChuan was stunned: ¡°¡­I couldn¡¯t tell but you are actually very ruthless.¡±


    Xu RenDong glanced at him, turned his head and left without saying a word.


    Shi JianChuan followed him very naturally: ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Looking for a stool.¡±


    ¡°Oh so you can¡¯t reach the lantern.¡± Shi JianChuan said with a smile. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask me for help? I can help hold you up.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± He really didn¡¯t want to pay attention to this person, so he walked forward without looking back.


    There were stools inside the room. However, Xu RenDong circled around the second floor and found that there was no guest room on this floor. On the entire second floor, except for a kitchen and a public thatched hut, there were no guest rooms at all.


    ¡°Everyone on this floor is dead.¡± Shi JianChuan shook his fan and said, ¡°The guest rooms disappeared along with the corpses.¡±


    Xu RenDong said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go upstairs.¡± Then he turned and walked towards the stairs.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Shi JianChuan suddenly asked, ¡°What was in the ancestral hall?¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback for a moment, thinking how do you know I entered the ancestral hall? But he didn¡¯t want to be passive in front of Shi JianChuan, so he asked indifferently: ¡°Why do you want to know?¡±


    Shi JianChuan sighed: ¡°Stop pretending. I¡¯ve already distracted the old lady for you, so I¡¯m qualified to ask you this.¡±


    Xu RenDong was surprised: ¡°What do you mean by ¡®distracted the old lady for me¡¯? When did I ask you to do that?¡±


    Shi JianChuan shook his head: ¡°After I gave you a reminder last night, didn¡¯t you go to the entrance of the ancestral hall? It was a pity that the old lady was guarding the door so you couldn¡¯t get in.¡±


    ¡°Why do you want to help me?¡±


    ¡°You are helping me as well. I also want to know what¡¯s inside the ancestral hall.¡±


    ¡°Then why do you think I will definitely tell you?¡±


    Shi JianChuan smiled: ¡°You and I have no conflict of interest. Everyone wants to live, right?¡±


    Xu RenDong was silent. Shi JianChuan said again: ¡°I also took the candle from your third floor. If I hadn¡¯t kindly tipped you off, how could you have noticed that the candle was a key prop?¡±


    Sure enough¡­


    After noticing the candle on the third floor disappeared, Xu RenDong had guessed it might be Shi JianChuan giving him a hint. He just didn¡¯t understand why Shi JianChuan wanted to help him. Also, if he wanted to help then why didn¡¯t he just state his intentions outright and resort to playing these kinds of tricks?


    Shi JianChuan was really unpredictable. Xu RenDong¡¯s inner vigilance towards him increased by another point.


    Having said that, Xu RenDong felt that he could share the experience in the ancestral hall with him. So the two walked back and talked about various things.


    However, when Xu RenDong returned to the stairway, he was shocked ¨C Lian Qiao was gone!


    Xu RenDong smacked himself on the head. He looked around, everything was clean and there was no sign of a fight but Lian Qiao was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°Did he run away?¡± Shi JianChuan closed the folding fan with a ¡°pop¡±, his expression serious.


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t care about anything else at this time, and said quickly: ¡°I¡¯ll go to the kitchen to see, you help me go upstairs to look for him¡± After saying that, he ran towards the kitchen.


    There was a sound of ¡°OK¡± from behind and Shi JianChuan headed upstairs.


    The kitchen is on the other side of the circular tulou. As Xu RenDong ran wildly, he scolded himself in his heart: How could he forget to tie up Lian Qiao!


    Lian Qiao¡¯s physical fitness was good but he didn¡¯t dare to use a heavy hand so he would not be knocked out by the crowbar for long. Of course Lian Qiao ran away when he woke up! This was bad!


    How could he be so stupid!


    Xu RenDong was in a state of turmoil and when he ran to the kitchen door and saw the familiar figure in a casual sweater, he at first felt relieved which was then followed by shock.


    Lian Qiao was eating!


    What was he eating?!


    Xu RenDong rushed in and grabbed Lian Qiao. He saw Lian Qiao¡¯s bound hands holding a large piece of rotten meat, trying to stuff it into his mouth.


    The piece of meat was so rotten that the shape could not even be seen and the dense maggots twisted around on it, making Xu RenDong¡¯s scalp explode.


    ¡°Don¡¯t eat it!¡± Xu RenDong roared and grabbed the rotten meat.


    ¡°Hmm!¡± Lian Qiao was suddenly deprived of food and fury flashed in his eyes. Soon, however, his attention was drawn to other foods on the stove.


    He grabbed a large lobster and snapped its head off. The lobster¡¯s body had rotted into a pool of water and a viscous yellow-green slurry was dripping down. Lian Qiao was very excited, raised the lobster shell with bright eyes, opened his mouth and poured it in.


    Xu RenDong hurried to grab it but this time Lian Qiao learned it well. Before his hand could touch the lobster shell, he raised his foot and kicked Xu RenDong hard, actually kicking Xu RenDong out several meters away.


    Lian Qiao lost his mind and this kick was a serious one. Xu RenDong felt that his internal organs were twisted together and he couldn¡¯t get up for a long time while covering his stomach.


    ¡°You¡­you fuck¡­¡± Xu RenDong got angry, took out a crowbar and was about to knock Lian Qiao out by repeating his old trick when, from the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw something. His heart skipped a beat, his instinctive reaction was faster than his thinking and he had already sprang out.


    ¡°Be careful!¡± He threw himself on Lian Qiao and pressed Lian Qiao down.


    At the same time, his back froze¡ªhe could clearly feel the muscle fibers being torn.


    ¡°Ugh!¡± He and Lian Qiao fell heavily on the ground. Only then did the pain come slowly.


    A large piece of meat was torn off from Xu RenDong¡¯s back. However, he didn¡¯t have time to look at the wound at all because he felt that the thing behind him lunged at him again!


    Lian Qiao still held the lobster shell and refused to let go with an intoxicated look on his face. Xu RenDong endured the severe back pain, hugged Lian Qiao tightly and rolled on the spot. Hearing a muffled sound beside him, the thing flew into the air and hit the ground heavily.


    Xu RenDong tried his best to pull Lian Qiao up from the ground and retreated while pulling. With the sunlight coming in from outside the door, he could see clearly that the one who attacked him was a monster as tall as a person.


    It was a greenish murloc {I had to google this, it¡¯s a fish headed monster and looks gross!}. The fish head was huge and the two fish eyes were flat and inlaid on both sides of the head, looking dull. However, the wide open mouth was covered with sharp fangs, which made  Xu RenDong¡¯s scalp go numb.


    The murlocs had webbed fingers on their hands and feet, which were wet and dripping with sticky mucus. It had just missed and soon turned around and rushed towards them again.


    Xu RenDong dragged Lian Qiao left and right to dodge, the image was very awkward. Pots and pans in the kitchen were knocked to the ground, making ping-pong sounds. Xu RenDong looked around for an opportunity and made a run for the door. As soon as he stepped out, the momentum suddenly stopped.


    At the same time, there was a severe pain in his left shoulder!


    The stench of hot air hit his neck and he didn¡¯t have to look back to know that it was the murloc who bit him. As soon as Xu RenDong gritted his teeth, he pushed Lian Qiao out of the door with all his might, picked up the crowbar and swung it back at the murloc.


    Lian Qiao fell heavily to the ground. The fall seemed to make him sober but he still didn¡¯t regain his senses. He just sat on the ground and stared blankly at Xu RenDong.


    ¡°Go!¡± Xu RenDong shouted.


    Lian Qiao turned a deaf ear but stood up and walked slowly towards the kitchen.


    Xu RenDong hit the murloc over the head with the crowbar but the murloc¡¯s skin was as hard as a crocodile. The crowbar made a rattling noise but the murloc didn¡¯t let go.


    It wasn¡¯t until there was a tearing sound that Xu RenDong¡¯s shoulders loosened when a large piece of meat was torn off by him.


    Xu RenDong was in so much pain that he nearly fainted, however he didn¡¯t dare lose his focus.  As soon as he got loose, he stabbed the crowbar into the murloc¡¯s eyes. The murloc was chewing raw meat when his eyes were suddenly hit hard and he was furious. The sharp webbed claws waved wildly. Xu RenDong clutched his wound and just took a step back when he was immediately grabbed again from the front.


    Seeing the mouth full of fangs biting towards him, Xu RenDong raised the crowbar in front of him. However, the crowbar was bitten off by the murloc!


    The murloc spit out the crowbar and slapped Xu RenDong¡¯s forehead with his claws. The front claws were thick and thick like bear paws. This time, Xu RenDong¡¯s body completely turned over and he hit the ground heavily. Immediately, his vision turned black and he couldn¡¯t stand up.


    ¡°Lian Qiao¡­¡± Xu RenDong called out to Lian Qiao for help vaguely with blood in his mouth but got no response. He struggled to get up but, the next second, the dark green murloc appeared in front of him again. He only felt that his chest and thighs were under heavy pressure at the same time. The murloc fixed him with two thick front claws, opened his mouth full of fangs and quickly bit him in his stomach!


    There was no pain at first. It was not until the murloc raised his head with a fleshy pink intestine hanging from the corner of his mouth, that Xu RenDong felt severe pain and his whole body began to tremble.


    He grabbed the murloc¡¯s front claws, trying desperately to move it away from his chest. However, the murloc remained immovable and even lowered his head again, biting into his internal organs.


    It hurts!


    The sound of chewing on raw meat filled his ears. Xu RenDong¡¯s body was convulsed with pain and the ground in front of him turned black but he was still trying to roll his eyes to find Lian Qiao¡¯s figure.


    Finally, he saw Lian Qiao ¨C in front of a cauldron.


    He didn¡¯t know what was in the pot but Lian Qiao was stuffing the contents of the pot into his mouth piece by piece. He didn¡¯t look over from beginning to end, even though Xu RenDong was being tortured by slow slicing, he didn¡¯t look back.


    Amidst the despair, Xu RenDong felt a little bit comical.


    Why are you so greedy? I¡¯m about to be eaten and you¡¯re still eating alone behind my back.


    Xu RenDong was in so much pain that he could not make a sound, only the sound of gasping from the depths of his throat was left. The murloc gnawed wildly in his stomach, making his body flop around. Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t even struggle.


    It took all his strength just to endure the pain.


    At this moment, the murloc on his body seemed to notice something and suddenly stopped gnawing. It raised its head and looked back in confusion. In a blink of an eye, its entire body flew up and slammed into the wall!


    Xu RenDong turned his head with difficulty and saw a figure in a Tang suit at the door.


    ¡°If I had known, I should have come to the kitchen instead.¡± Shi JianChuan sighed. He  glanced at Xu RenDong sympathetically. Immediately afterwards, he took out something from his arms and threw it at Lian Qiao.


    Xu RenDong vaguely knew what he was throwing at Lian Qiao but he didn¡¯t have the strength to stop it. A few shadows flashed quickly in front of his eyes and something flew around. He couldn¡¯t see clearly and only heard the murloc roaring, fighting with something.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the murloc¡¯s huge body to fall to the ground and the surroundings to become quiet.


    Xu RenDong heard that someone was vomiting. The man vomited so badly that he almost vomited out his bile. But then, the man rushed to his side and called him in a hoarse voice:


    ¡°RenDong! You¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong turned his eyes slightly and saw a panicked face.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s mouth was still stained with dirty vomit, his eyes were red, his whole body was shaking and he looked very miserable.


    Shi JianChuan bent down to examine his injuries. In fact, just by looking at the intestines and blood flowing all over the floor, he knew that it was helpless. But Shi JianChuan didn¡¯t say it in front of Lian Qiao and just patted him on the shoulder.


    Lian Qiao picked up Xu RenDong from the ground. The blood quickly soaked Lian Qiao¡¯s clothes and trousers and he found in despair that Xu RenDong¡¯s body had become so light, his shoulders were bitten to expose his bones and there was a big hole in his stomach. The gnawed internal organs leaked out of the stomach and the blood gurgled, and could not be stopped.


    He hugged Xu RenDong tightly, his voice trembling.


    ¡°What happened, why is this happening¡­ RenDong¡­ RenDong¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s lips moved and he wanted to speak but couldn¡¯t make a sound.


    What did you say?¡± Lian Qiao hurriedly put his ear to his lips and heard a whisper like a gossamer silk.


    ¡°¡­It hurts¡­help me¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao trembled all over, with a look of severe pain in his eyes: ¡°No¡­don¡¯t¡­¡± His voice was choked and his whole body was shaking, ¡°You don¡¯t want to die¡­ Don¡¯t¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong gasped hard. His injuries were lifeless but the pain was so intense that he couldn¡¯t even pass out. He didn¡¯t know how long this torture would last but he couldn¡¯t bear it for a second longer.


    It really hurts. There was pain all over.


    Why wasn¡¯t he dead yet?


    ¡°Help him end the pain.¡± Shi JianChuan took out a dagger from somewhere, ¡°If you can¡¯t do it, I can help you.¡±


    Xu RenDong turned his face slightly and cast a grateful look at Shi JianChuan. .


    ¡°¡­No need.¡± Lian Qiao suddenly seemed to be a different person and said in a cold voice, ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    When Lian Qiao took the dagger, Xu RenDong suddenly thought: Isn¡¯t this too cruel?


    Wouldn¡¯t it be too cruel to ask Lian Qiao to kill him with his own hands?


    At this moment of thought, Lian Qiao had put him on the ground, raised his dagger high and stabbed him in the heart!


    The chill invaded and his fragile heart burst instantly. Xu RenDong¡¯s pupils shrank suddenly and, at the moment when his life passed away, Lian Qiao¡¯s face was clearly reflected in his pupils.


    Murderous eyes.


    There was a feeling of deja vu.

 CH 96

    Chapter 96 ¨C Without a Key 8


    Xu RenDong woke up in the elevator.


    His shadow was reflected on the familiar silver-white metal body. This scene had been repeated countless times, like a maggot on the tarsus, and had become his deepest nightmare.


    Xu RenDong unconsciously touched his heart. The severe pain of being pierced through the heart by the dagger still lingered in his mind and his scalp was slightly numb. It could not be relieved for a while.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it¡­¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s soft muttering sounded in his ear, ¡°What the hell is a lock that doesn¡¯t need a key¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong was inexplicably startled. He turned his head to the side and looked at Lian Qiao blankly.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lian Qiao was taken aback by his strange reaction and looked at him with wide eyes in confusion, ¡°Did you think of something?¡±


    Xu RenDong retracted his gaze and said nothing.


    The scene where Lian Qiao killed him just now was exactly the same as the scene that flashed in his mind at the comic exhibition.


    Why?


    Why did that flashing hallucination actually happen? Why were there no traces of sadness when Lian Qiao attacked him?


    Xu RenDong clearly remembered his last expression. It was full of murderous rage and was terrifying. His soaring hostility was as though he were not facing a lover he was about to lose but¡­ his enemy.


    Maybe Lian Qiao just didn¡¯t want him to suffer, so he stabbed him cleanly and ended his life in the quickest way. Maybe after he died, Lian Qiao would hug his body and cry. Or maybe Lian Qiao was in shock and couldn¡¯t accept such a blow mentally, so he showed such an abnormal reaction¡­


    But¡­but¡­


    Xu RenDong imagined countless possibilities but the sense of loss in his heart could not be resolved.


    Xu RenDong suddenly remembered what Zhong Xiu had reminded him: Lian Qiao hid a lot of things from him.


    Lian Qiao was actually not as innocent and harmless as he appeared on the surface.


    ¡°Ding¡±, the elevator door opened, interrupting Xu RenDong¡¯s thoughts.


    Xu RenDong took a deep breath and walked out of the elevator. Lian Qiao followed behind on crutches, looking at his back thoughtfully.


    The huge tulou covered the sky and the moon was displayed in front of them again. The gloomy wind was blowing and hundreds of red lanterns were hung high, swaying slowly in the night wind. There was a ghostly atmosphere in the air.


    Eighty-one players stood in groups in twos and threes on the lower xiatang square. The circular pool in the middle of the square was bottomless and the dark green pool water exuded a faint fishy smell, as if to imply that there is something terrifying hidden in the pool and made people afraid to approach it.


    Everyone was still shocked that there were so many players in this instance and the old lady in red with bound feet soon made her debut.


    After a brief greeting, the old lady took everyone upstairs. One reason was to introduce the tulou and the other was to allocate rooms. After everyone settled down, the old lady floated away and left everyone to have a good rest.


    Rest was impossible. After all, whether or not one could stay alive was a problem and no one was here to holiday. Everyone took the time to go out and explore.


    Well it¡¯s called ¡®exploring¡¯ but really it was just running around like headless flies.


    The ancestral hall on the ninth floor was guarded by the old lady in red and no one could enter. Although the water pool on xiatang square was of concern, everyone stood by the pool for a while and no one dared to go into the water to find out what was inside, so they could only disperse.


    As for the kitchen on the second floor, the murloc was agile and could swallow living people. If someone came across it, they would naturally yell. At this time, it was noisy outside but it was all the sound of people going up and down the stairs. As for the screaming and crying, it was never heard.


    ¡°The sound insulation of this floor is too bad.¡± Lian Qiao pricked up his ears and listened to the footsteps on the stairs not far away, ¡°There are people walking upstairs in the middle of the night. It¡¯s not a problem of being scared to death but being disturbed to death.¡±


    Xu RenDong lightly took a sip of tea and organized his thoughts in his mind.


    Lian Qiao tilted his head to look at him and asked, ¡°Brother RenDong, when are we going to explore the map?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go later.¡± Xu RenDong said, ¡°It¡¯s too chaotic outside at the moment and will cause a ruckus.¡±


    Lian Qiao said ¡°oh¡±. After a while, he couldn¡¯t sit still, took up his crutches and stood up: ¡°I¡¯ll go check outside to see if anyone has found anything useful.¡±


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t stop him and so Lian Qiao went alone. Xu RenDong remained in the room drinking tea.


    After more than an hour, Lian Qiao came back angrily.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Lian Qiao pouted, ¡°There are too many people and you can¡¯t see anything when everyone is crowded together. Just a bunch of people running amok like locusts, making a mess everywhere. I thought the old woman would get angry. But she actually didn¡¯t do a thing. Now they are all tired from tossing about and the maids are cleaning up the mess.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I said we should go out later.¡± Xu RenDong said lightly, poured him a cup of tea, ¡°Drink some water. ¡°


    Lian Qiao drank the tea and turned to glance at the silhouette of the girl at the window.


    ¡°These girls look scary. They seem to have only one expression, that really creepy smile. But they seem to be really here to serve us. I just passed a room and saw a girl who was washing someone¡¯s feet¡­ I don¡¯t know how that person can think of it¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong listened quietly and responded from time to time. The night was getting dark and the surroundings were quiet. Everyone seemed to have stopped.


    Lian Qiao rubbed his eyes, yawned and asked, ¡°Brother RenDong, aren¡¯t we going to explore the place? I¡¯m a little sleepy¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong glanced at the time: ¡°It¡¯s still early. Let¡¯s go to bed first.


    ¡± Hmm¡­¡± Lian Qiao blinked his eyes slowly, his head drooping lower and lower, ¡°Brother RenDong, this instance is so difficult¡­if¡­¡±


    He seemed so sleepy that he couldn¡¯t even open his mouth and his mutterings were becoming lighter and lighter, and was only vaguely audible: ¡°¡­don¡¯t¡­save¡­uh¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong removed the teacup in his hand, stretched out his hand and caught Lian Qiao¡¯s shaky head.


    Lian Qiao has fallen into a deep sleep, making a uniform ¡°hu, hu¡± (snoring) sound. He gently put Lian Qiao¡¯s chin on the table and stared at Lian Qiao¡¯s sleeping face.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s sleeping face was a little childish, his brows and eyes were completely relaxed and he looked like an unsuspecting baby. Xu RenDong watched for a while, took out the climbing rope from the backpack, flattened Lian Qiao¡¯s body and tied him firmly to the bench.


    Even though he was tied like a roast suckling pig, Lian Qiao was not awakened.


    Because Xu RenDong put sleeping pills in the tea.


    This sleeping pill was actually put into the backpack by Lian Qiao in case of emergency. Of course he would not have thought that Xu RenDong would actually give him drugs.


    As soon as Xu RenDong opened the door, the maid who was waiting outside the door greeted him and bowed to him: ¡°Guest, if you need anything, please tell this slave.¡±


    Xu RenDong suddenly noticed countless eyes. He narrowed his eyes and looked around. He saw more than a dozen beautiful girls standing in the corridor of the TULOU, all of whom were driven out of the guest room by everyone. These girls were so beautiful and enchanting but everyone was reluctant to stay in the same room with them. Therefore, this row of girls stood in the corridor like candles in the night and, when they heard Xu RenDong come out of his room, they turned their heads in unison.


    ¡°Guest.¡±


    ¡°Guest.¡±


    ¡°Guest.¡±


    ¡­


    One after another the word, like broken tapes, came out from the dozen or so mouths. The maids all had slightly stiff smiles on their faces and a dozen eyes were staring straight at this place. Anyone would feel horrified.


    Xu RenDong got goosebumps all over but his face remained calm. He suddenly had an idea so he said to the maid next to him: ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    The maid said, ¡°This slave is called Yuan Zhu.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Xu RenDong pointed to the maids in the corridor and ordered Yuan Zhu, ¡°You tell them to turn their backs and don¡¯t look at me.¡±


    The maid bowed slightly and replied, ¡°Yes.¡± However, before she could speak to the crowd, the girls all turned around in unison. The movements were uniform, like sunflowers chasing the sun.


    It seemed that these maids really obeyed his words and did not dare to question or disobey him. He just didn¡¯t know where their bottom line was.


    Xu RenDong waved again: ¡°Yuan Zhu, come here. Kneel down on all fours.¡±


    Following his instructions, YuanZhu obediently knelt beside the railing. She lowered her head, her bangs hung down, covering half of her face, so he couldn¡¯t see her expression.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move for a while. I want to climb up on your back.¡± Xu RenDong ordered.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Yuan Zhu nodded meekly and even adjusted her posture slightly to make her body more stable.


    Xu RenDong raised his foot and stepped lightly on the back of the kite bamboo. It was obviously a girl¡¯s back, slender and weak, unable to bear the weight of an adult male at all. But Yuan Zhu didn¡¯t question his order in the slightest. Just because he said so, she did it. Even if she will get hurt if it goes on like this.


    Xu RenDong hesitated for a while but finally retracted his feet.


    Even if the opponent is an NPC, he really can¡¯t do it. So he said, ¡°Forget it, get up.¡±


    Yuan Zhu got up from the ground and the fox eyes that slanted upwards looked at him shyly and timidly, very lovable.


    Xu RenDong pointed to the red lantern above her head and said, ¡°Go find a stool, climb up and help me take off this lantern.¡±


    Yuan Zhu did as she was told. Soon, the lantern arrived in Xu RenDong¡¯s hands.


    As Lian Qiao said before, there was a strangely shaped candle in the lantern. Lian Qiao said it was a ring but Xu RenDong originally thought it was a hollow cylinder. Only now did he know that it was really a ring.


    The white candle ring is erected on the candlestick, with a small candle burning at the top, which is particularly fragile after losing the shelter of the lampshade. Xu RenDong blew lightly and the candle went out.


    He peeled off the candles from the outer layer of the ring. The residual heat of burning remains on the candle, so it was very soft and easy to peel. Soon, white debris fell to the ground and the contents of the candle were exposed.


    It was a silver ring. It is engraved with fine textures, like some kind of inscription or a totem. The lighting was not good so he couldn¡¯t see clearly.


    Xu RenDong thought it was a bracelet at first but it didn¡¯t look like it in size. The diameter of this ring was about half the size of an ordinary bracelet. Don¡¯t mention an adult man like Xu RenDong, even a girl with a slender wrist bone can¡¯t wear it. Of course, this is also definitely not the size of a ring for the finger.


    Xu RenDong looked at it for a while but really couldn¡¯t understand what it was.


    The only certainty is that it protects the wearer from evil.


    ¡ªThis candle is so different so it was obviously the key prop. And when everyone was under the control of evil, only Shi JianChuan and him were unaffected. At that time, Shi JianChuan thought logically that he also carried such a prop. It can be seen that Shi JianChuan is immune to control precisely because this ring was on his body.


    ¡­but what about him?


    There was no ring on his body at that time so why didn¡¯t he indulge in meat and appetite like Lian Qiao and everyone else?


    What was secretly protecting him?


    Could it be¡­


    Xu RenDong sighed softly. He went back to the room and stuffed the ring into Lian Qiao¡¯s pocket.


    When he came out again, the maids who were driven out still had their backs turned to Xu RenDong, showing him only dreamy slender backs. Xu RenDong knew that soon  everyone would lose their minds and drag these girls into the room to do some beastly things.


    He didn¡¯t want to think about it, so he turned his head and went upstairs.


    Go to see Shi JianChuan.


    ***

 CH 97

    Chapter 97 ¨C Without a Key 9


    The guest room that Xu RenDong lived in was on the third floor. Going up the stairs, he had to do several circles to get to the ninth floor.


    All was silent at this time. There were no birds chirping or cicadas chirping in this ghostly place and only the whirring of the wind could be heard.


    Unlike the horror story villa last time, this tulou was leaking. When Xu RenDong was walking on the stairs, the cool cold wind poured into his neck and downwards, making his entire back chilled.


    As he was walking, he suddenly heard a sound other than the wind. At first it was a few odd splatters and then it became more regular. When he circled around and came back to the corridor, the rain outside the railing had already drifted onto his face.


    It was raining?


    Xu RenDong was stunned.


    Did it rain last time? How come he had no impression of it?


    Xu RenDong glanced at the time. At this time last time, he should still be in the room. At that time, he and Lian Qiao were both overwhelmed by the torture of the aphrodisiac so they probably didn¡¯t pay attention to whether it was raining outside.


    Still, Xu RenDong felt a strange feeling in his heart. He kept going up. The rain was getting heavier and heavier and soon it was like pebbles falling from the air, falling to the ground with a thud.


    A wild wind was blowing with rain and the wind in the hallway became cold and damp, making people feel uncomfortable.


    When Xu RenDong arrived at the ninth floor, there was already a storm outside. Even when he was walking under the eaves, the rain that blew in had already soaked him. Xu RenDong originally felt a little hot but at this time he couldn¡¯t help shivering.


    There are also rows of maids standing in the corridor on the ninth floor. They all stood quietly beside the railing and their bodies were naturally soaked. The rain dripped down their hair and their clothes clung to their bodies, outlining their graceful girlish figures.


    They were originally expressionless but when they saw Xu RenDong, they raised the corners of their mouths and smiled lightly.


    Xu RenDong ignored them and walked straight to Shi JianChuan¡¯s room. A swaying figure appeared on the paper-pasted window paper. Xu RenDong knocked on the carved wooden door a few times and soon a maid came to answer the door.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to find¡­¡± Before Xu RenDong finished speaking, a gleaming white figure flashed behind the maid.


    Xu RenDong was startled. Looking closely, it was a shirtless man. The man turned his back to him, his skin was as white as jade, and the luster was warm and beautiful. The two shoulder blades spread out like butterflies and his waistline was deep. It was a good figure with wide shoulders and a narrow waist.


    Xu RenDong was taken aback. The man turned his head and gave him a warm smile.


    ¡°Looking for me?¡±


    Xu RenDong frowned slightly. What was Shi JianChuan doing in there with the maid? With no clothes on¡­


    The maid saluted him and slowly backed away. Shi JianChuan picked up the teapot on the table, poured a cup of tea and said leisurely: ¡°What are you doing at the door? Come in and sit.¡±


    ¡°¡­Sorry for disturbing you.¡± Xu RenDong said a little uncomfortably. He stepped back, stood outside the door and said, ¡°You should put on your clothes first.¡±


    Shi JianChuan sighed, ¡°I can¡¯t wear my clothes anymore.¡±


    ¡­So violent?


    In Xu RenDong¡¯s mind, the scene of the black-gold dark-patterned Tang suit being torn into strips of cloth came to mind but suddenly he felt that something was wrong- why was the one who was getting his clothes torn, Shi JianChuan?


    He couldn¡¯t help looking at the maid and was stunned to find that the maid was neatly dressed. Her makeup and hairstyle were not messed up at all.


    Which are they playing at¡­


    Xu RenDong was at a loss but then he heard Shi JianChuan say with a smile, ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±


    Shi JianChuan raised his hand and pointed to the inside of the house. Xu RenDong followed his finger subconsciously and saw a black Tang suit hanging on the hanger, wet and dripping with water. Only then did he realize that Shi JianChuan¡¯s clothing was wet so that¡¯s why he was walking around the house topless.


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help but sigh with relief. Shi JianChuan looked at him with interest and saw the slight change in his expression.


    This feeling of being stared at was very uncomfortable. Xu RenDong felt like there was a cold snake crawling along his skin. He quickly schooled his expression, waved his hand to tell the maid to go out and close the door.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to make an alliance with you.¡± Xu RenDong said bluntly.


    Shi JianChuan was noncommittal and just ordered the maid to light a brazier. He said, ¡°Your clothes are also wet. Take it off and bake it?¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Xu RenDong thought about how to gain Shi JianChuan¡¯s trust and said slowly, ¡°You took the ring at the entrance of the stairs, right?¡±


    Shi JianChuan¡¯s eyes changed slightly and then he pursed his lips and smiled: ¡°You actually noticed this? I knew you were not simple. How many times?¡±


    How many times had he been through this one? Xu RenDong looked directly at him and lied without hesitation: ¡°Nine times.¡±


    Before Shi JianChuan could open his mouth, Xu RenDong added: ¡°I know it¡¯s also the ninth time for you. Among the eighty-one people, there are at least 60 of them who can¡¯t survive tonight. The rest are all ordinary people. If you want to find someone to form an alliance with, I am the best choice.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Shi JianChuan looked at him with interest. ¡°How do you know that I need to form an alliance? Since I dare to come in alone, of course I have my trump card.¡±


    ¡°Because¡­¡± Xu RenDong slowed his words, his eyes still staring at Shi JianChuan, ¡°By yourself, you can¡¯t enter the ancestral hall.¡±


    Shi JianChuan narrowed his eyes and finally stopped smiling.


    It looked like he was finally getting serious. Xu RenDong was at peace in his heart.


    This is a confrontation, a confrontation of their auras. Shi JianChuan is smart and alert, and his strength is outstanding. Xu RenDong still doesn¡¯t know what trump card he has in his hand. What¡¯s more, Shi JianChuan was a legitimate Nine Level boss. He had more experience in instance clearances than Xu RenDong. If he can get Shi JianChuan¡¯s help, he will save a lot of trouble in this instance.


    But Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t let himself be led by his nose. Shi JianChuan was cunning and his character was unpredictable, so it was hard to guarantee that he would not have other thoughts secretly.


    All in all, Xu RenDong was forced to pretend today. He had to get Shi JianChuan to join him and obey him.


    Therefore, Xu RenDong stared at Shi JianChuan with a calm and confident look.


    After an unknown amount of time, Shi JianChuan finally sighed softly.


    Then he nodded.


    Xu RenDong breathed a sigh of relief. He only heard Shi JianChuan: ¡°I can cooperate with you. Tell me about your plan.¡±


    Xu RenDong told him the next plan. After Shi JianChuan heard it, he raised his eyebrows in surprise: ¡°Then what after?¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°No afterwards. Let¡¯s live through tonight before talking about it.¡±


    Shi JianChuan laughed: ¡°You don¡¯t even have the confidence to live through tonight? Why do I feel cheated?¡±


    Having said that, Shi Jian Chuan did not go back on his word. The two agreed on the specific details of the plan and Shi JianChuan didn¡¯t dither-dather any more. He reached out and put on the black Tang suit that was on the hanger.


    The Tang suit was not completely dry yet. It was wrinkled and looked a little miserable. Even so, Shi JianChuan patiently buttoned the buttons one by one and carefully smoothed out the folds at the corners of his clothes with his fingers.


    Xu RenDong looked at the lifelike dark silver snake pattern on the Tang suit and suddenly said: ¡°These are not ordinary clothes, right?¡±


    Shi JianChuan moved his hands, raised his eyes and smiled: ¡°Your eyes are good.¡± But he didn¡¯t explain what was so special about his clothing.


    Xu RenDong was too lazy to inquire. The two walked out the door and it was still stormy outside. The rain was heavy, as if the sky had tipped pots of beans down. The roar of thunder was accompanied by the sound of rain beating on the building. It was terrifying to hear.


    Amid the sound of the wind and rain, bad sounds could be faintly heard from the guest rooms on both sides.


    Xu RenDong knew that Lian Qiao had a ring on his body and should not be affected by desire but he was inexplicably still uneasy.


    He suppressed his thoughts, forcing himself to turn his attention back to the front.


    There was only one maid left in the corridor and it was the one who served Shi JianChuan. When Shi JianChuan wagged his fingers, the maid lowered her eyes and leaned towards him.


    Shi JianChuan whispered something in her ear. The maid nodded with a smile, then walked into the house and closed the door again.


    Xu RenDong glanced at him in surprise and Shi JianChuan asked with a smile, ¡°Want to know what I told her?¡±


    Xu RenDong said, ¡°It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t want to tell me.¡±


    Shi JianChuan smiled and said nothing. When he came to the corner of the corridor, according to the agreed plan, Xu RenDong hid in the dark. Only then did Shi JianChuan say, ¡°I told her to go back in the room and find a quiet way to off herself.¡±


    Xu RenDong was shocked, so shocked that he was speechless.


    Shi Jian Chuan said gently: ¡°Although she is obedient, she is the old lady¡¯s person after all. Keeping her around will get in the way.¡±


    Xu RenDong was silent for a moment, then said coldly: ¡°If she is willing to kill herself that means she will naturally obey your other orders. Why don¡¯t you tell her not to tell on you?¡±


    ¡°You believe her?¡±


    ¡°She is just an NPC and will strictly follow the rules.¡±


    ¡°Since she is an NPC, why do you feel bad?¡±


    Xu RenDong was silent again.


    Shi Jian Chuan said calmly, ¡°Actually, my intention is not really to kill her to hide secrets. When I said she¡¯s in the way it¡¯s just because I think she looks dull and is disgusting.¡±


    As he spoke, he slanted his long and narrow phoenix eyes, full of water mist. A gleam of golden color flashed in his swirling eyes: ¡°She¡¯s just a puppet, how can she be as interesting as you?¡±


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t want to listen to him any more and waved his hand: ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Shi JianChuan took two steps away and then looked back and smiled again: ¡°Your reaction makes me a little curious. How did you survive to the ninth level?¡±


    Xu RenDong just wanted to smash a brick on his forehead and send him on his way.


    According to the plan, Shi JianChuan arrived at the entrance of the ancestral hall alone. Before he could step in, a thin arm stretched out abruptly in the darkness and stopped him abruptly.


    ¡°Guest.¡± The sullen face of the old lady in red with the bound feet appeared at the door, ¡°This is the ancestral hall, it is not allowed for outsiders to enter. It is not auspicious.¡±


    Shi JianChuan smiled and leaned over to say something in the old lady¡¯s ear. The old lady¡¯s expression immediately eased but she still shook her head firmly.


    Shi JianChuan sighed, with a look of pity on his face and said a few words in a low voice. The old lady¡¯s expression was a little shaken and, after a while, she actually walked out of the ancestral hall.


    Shi JianChuan reached out to help her with a calm demeanor. The old lady was also not polite, her fingers like dry claws tightly grasping Shi JianChuan¡¯s arm. The two of them walked towards the stairs chatting and laughing.


    Xu RenDong hid in the dark place on the other end and couldn¡¯t help but sigh. He was very curious about what Shi JianChuan said to actually persuade the old lady to leave the ancestral hall.


    After the two went downstairs, Xu RenDong no longer hesitated, his figure flashed, and he was already in the ancestral hall.


    The wind and rain outside the building was raging but the ancestral hall was still quiet. The air seemed to be stagnant and no wind and rain could blow in.


    The incense case was covered with green smoke and the two candles were separated on both sides. There are three sticks of incense sticks on the censer, half of which are already burned. Eighty-one tablets stood quietly and the names on the tablets were densely packed, like eighty-one pairs of eyes peeping at him in the dark.


    Xu RenDong took a deep breath and walked to the incense table. The moment he reached out and touched the tablet, the back of his neck suddenly froze.


    He heard a hoarse hum from overhead in the darkness.


    Like a mocking laugh.


    ***

 CH 98

    Chapter 98 ¨C Without a Key 10


    Xu RenDong knew that the thing in the dark would not hurt him immediately. But if he made a wrong move then he would die here.


    After all, this time, Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t come to save him.


    Xu RenDong stabilized his mind and began to adjust the order of the tablets. With his  previous experience, this time he moved much faster. It¡¯s just that the last time he came during the day but this time it was at night. The light in the ancestral hall was much dimmer.


    The candle flames in the incense burner also seemed to be shaking extremely violently. Xu RenDong stared at the tablet for a long time and felt that his eyes were a bit blurry. He could try to perk himself up to the best of his ability and force himself to concentrate all his attention.


    As time went on, the darkness in the ancestral hall became more and more intense. This actually felt very strange: the darkness was obviously an insubstantial thing but once Xu RenDong was within it, he could really feel the weight of the darkness on his body.


    It was a feeling of depression that almost got inside his pores, making people extremely uncomfortable.


    What¡¯s more, he was still in the rain. At this time, his clothes and pants were all wet, cold and damp against his body. He suddenly had the illusion that he was in the lair of some kind of cold-blooded animal. His body¡¯s instinct made him want to escape immediately but he couldn¡¯t.


    He must be calm, rational and arrange the eighty-one tablets according to their seniority. He had to place them in the correct positions, one by one.


    While sorting out the relationship of seniority in his mind, Xu RenDong adjusted the order of the tablets swiftly. The faint scent of sandalwood penetrated into his nose. When he first entered the ancestral hall, he felt the smell was a little pungent. Now he was getting used to it.


    He subconsciously reached out to the incense burner, trying to smother the sandalwood. His heart suddenly froze¡ª he heard the snicker from above his head again.


    This time the sound seemed to be different from the previous one. It was a dull old man¡¯s voice previously but now it sounded much younger. This is by no means a good sign, because it means that there is more than one ¡®thing¡¯ hiding in the ceiling.


    ¡­ It could even be eighty-one ¡®things¡¯ or even ninety-nine.


    This scene suddenly appeared in Xu RenDong¡¯s mind: Eighty-one ghosts were crowded on a small area of the ceiling. They were usually locked inside the ancestral hall, lonely as snow and now finally a stranger came in. Now all the creatures were lining up. One would so ¡°Ho!¡± and the other would say ¡°Ha!¡± Taking turns to scare him.


    It¡¯s kind of funny to think about it that way.


    ¡­Wait, at such a critical moment, why am I still thinking about humorous things?


    He was really spoiled by Lian Qiao.


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help raising the corners of his mouth and the tight string in his heart relaxed a little. Once he relaxed, he suddenly noticed that the sandalwood in the incense burner had only burned to a small amount.


    He thought to himself: Should he add more incense?


    In addition to fruit, tobacco and alcohol, there is also a small bundle of sandalwood on the incense table. He took out three sticks from it and bowed devoutly to the tablet three times.


    Every time he bowed, he felt the invisible pressure on his shoulders lessen. When he inserted three sticks of sandalwood into the incense burner, the suffocating feeling in the ancestral hall disappeared.


    Obviously the light did not change but Xu RenDong felt that his heart suddenly brightened. Even the air started to flow again. The strong wind wrapped in rain blew in from outside the door, which was cool, but unexpectedly gave Xu RenDong a sense of security.


    It seems that placing incense here is the right move.


    Xu RenDong breathed a sigh of relief and refocused on the tablets.


    Without the repression of that invisible pressure, his rhythm of adjusting the tablet positions also sped up a lot. Before long, all the tablets were back where they were supposed to be.


    When Xu RenDong stood on tiptoe and put the last ancestral tablet on the top of the incense case, he heard a disappointed sigh from above his head. It was followed by a ¡°click¡± sound, as if it had triggered some kind of wooden mechanism.


    Before Xu RenDong could react, something hit him on the head.


    ¡°Hee hee¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong covered his head and glanced at the ceiling helplessly. Then he picked up the wooden box that fell on the ground.


    He opened it and inside was a silver¡­ oval ring?


    It was really difficult for Xu RenDong to describe what this thing was. It is roughly an oblong oval shape, with one end slightly raised and the other end twisted into a triangle. There is also a small handle at the back of the triangle, presumably for ease of holding.


    However, what is the use of holding this thing?


    Xu RenDong was scrutinizing it carefully when suddenly his ankles went cold. He was startled and subconsciously raised his foot and kicked outwards, trying to throw the thing away. However, the thing was wrapped around his ankle and he couldn¡¯t get rid of it.


    Xu RenDong took out the crowbar without hesitation and was about to swing it, but suddenly saw that what was wrapped around his ankle was a snow-white snake.


    The snake was as white as jade and if it wasn¡¯t for the red mouth open and hissing, it would definitely be regarded as a lifelike jade sculpture.


    The little white snake wrapped around his ankle coolly but did not climb up. Even when Xu RenDong looked at it in astonishment, he slowly let go and slipped off the back of his feet.


    This snake looked a little familiar¡­


    The little snake was crawling slowly on the ground and suddenly turned around, staring at Xu RenDong with a pair of black eyes. Xu RenDong felt that the snake didn¡¯t mean to hurt him and suddenly thought: Does it want me to follow it?


    So Xu RenDong followed it. The little snake stopped from time to time and turned around to confirm whether Xu RenDong was keeping up. It didn¡¯t take long for Xu RenDong to come to Shi JianChuan¡¯s room.


    This snake was indeed sent by Shi JianChuan.


    The black Tang suit embroidered with the dark silver snake pattern appeared in front of Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes. It¡¯s no wonder that Shi JianChuan wanted to wear it even when it hadn¡¯t dried yet. It turned out that this thing has such a magical effect.


    It must be a hidden tool.


    Xu RenDong thought so, and reached out and pushed open the door. Suddenly it was dark. He couldn¡¯t help being surprised, and instinctively took two steps back, only then did he see what was shaking slightly in front of him.


    A hanged corpse.


    It was the corpse of the maid who was ordered to commit suicide by Shi JianChuan.


    The female corpse hung upright on the beam and seemed to have been dead for some time. The moment Xu RenDong opened the door, the strong wind rushed into the house wrapped in rainwater and shook the female corpse.


    A pair of small feet pointed down and there was a kicked stool on the ground. Xu RenDong raised his head and saw the maid with her head tilted, her charming face had turned pale, her bright red tongue was sticking out and a faint smile still hung on the corner of her mouth.


    Lightning and thunder rang out outside the house, illuminating the female corpse as a terrifyingly pale white. It was supposed to be a terrifying scene but Xu RenDong¡¯s mood was a bit complicated.


    There was a burst of laughter not far away. Xu RenDong heard that it was Shi JianChuan¡¯s voice. He immediately closed the door and hid.


    Shi JianChuan and the old lady with little feet walked up to him, chatting and laughing. When she came to the door of the ancestral hall, the old lady seemed to notice something and suddenly pushed the door inwards.


    ¡°Who came in?!¡± The old lady looked around in the ancestral hall and found no clues. She ran out angrily and cursed on her hips, ¡°Who stole the treasure in the ancestral hall!¡±


    Shi JianChuan pretended to be surprised: ¡°What? There are treasures in the ancestral hall?¡±


    The old woman reacted. Her dry claws moved like lightning and grabbed Shi JianChuan¡¯s neck: ¡°Yes! It was you!¡±


    Shi JianChuan frowned slightly and before he made any obvious movements, the old lady screamed and let go.


    ¡°How can you have such a thing!¡± the old lady screamed, shaking her wrist desperately. There was a small white snake wrapped around her arm and the sharp snake teeth bit deeply into her wrist, just at the tendon. As a result, her entire palm could not move and  even the skin around her wrist quickly festered.


    Shi JianChuan sighed: ¡°You just lost something so I know you¡¯re in a panic.¡± He raised his eyebrows, his long and narrow phoenix eyes no longer provocative but flashed a dangerous golden color, ¡°But how can you suspect an honored guest? Have you forgotten who you are?¡±


    ¡°You, you¡­¡± The old lady clutched her wrist, frightened. She couldn¡¯t stop backing away, watching in horror as the purple-red patch on her wrist rapidly expanded, spreading up her entire arm.


    In the blink of an eye, her entire forearm was festering and rotten, her flesh turned into dark red blood and it fell wetly. Even the bones inside were stained black!


    The old lady let out a desperate scream. Shi JianChuan sighed again. His voice was still lazy, as if he had no energy: ¡°Okay, don¡¯t waste your time here. Since you¡¯ve lost something, go find it elsewhere.¡±


    After speaking, he raised his hand and hooked his fingers at the snake. The little snake let go, raised his head and glanced back at Shi JianChuan. Then it turned into a faint light and disappeared suddenly.


    At this time, if someone had excellent eyesight, they would definitely be able to see that light flying towards Shi JianChuan, turning into the dark silver serpentine pattern on his black Tang suit.


    It was a pity that there was no third person present in the corridor at this time except Shi JianChuan and the old lady with bound feet.


    The old lady clutched her broken arm and stumbled away. Shi JianChuan stood by the railing, watching the storm outside. He suddenly stretched out his hand and spread open his palm flat, as if to catch the rain.


    It was raining heavily. Almost instantly, his entire palm was filled with rainwater, and even his sleeves were completely soaked.


    Shi JianChuan glanced at the palm of his hand thoughtfully, then flicked his sleeves and walked neatly towards his room.


    Xu RenDong, who was waiting in the guest room, naturally did not see those scenes. All he heard was that the door was opened with a ¡°squeak¡±, followed by a scolding.


    ¡°Fuck!¡±


    In an instant, a silver light burst out. Several silver rays of light flew towards the female corpse on the roof beam and in the next second, a snow-white giant python appeared out of nowhere, wrapped around the female corpse and bared its fangs. It opened its mouth and bit her neck!


    While Xu RenDong was shocked, he quickly calmed down. He said coldly: ¡°She is already dead, you don¡¯t need to kill her again.¡±


    Standing at the door of the room was naturally Shi JianChuan. He was stunned for a moment, stroking his chest and still in shock. Hearing what Xu RenDong said, he frowned and looked at the female corpse in front of him and then he understood what was going on.


    ¡°¡­I thought she would cut her wrist or something.¡± Shi JianChuan said angrily, ¡°Who would have known she would make such a big show.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± He really really still wanted to hit him over the head with a brick.


    ¡°Speaking of business.¡± Shi JianChuan pushed the female corpse away and sat calmly in front of Xu RenDong, ¡°What did you find in the ancestral hall?¡±


    The giant python wrapped around the female corpse faded away and quickly turned into a mist. It disappeared without a trace. Xu RenDong looked away from the female corpse and briefly explained what he had just experienced. Then he took out the silver object and showed it to him.


    ¡°Just this one? Nothing else?¡± Shi JianChuan stroked the silver object with his fingertips and the expression on his face was unpredictable.


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°Just this one. Do you know what this is?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Shi JianChuan was silent for a moment, then reluctantly said, ¡°To tell you the truth, I don¡¯t know what this is.¡±


    Xu RenDong was instantly disappointed. He thought that a real Nine Level Boss would be super powerful, but it turned out to be nothing much.


    He wasn¡¯t even as good as Lian Qiao.


    Shi JianChuan noticed his disdain and his expression became a little embarrassed. He suddenly remembered something and changed the subject: ¡°By the way, where is your friend?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s in the room.¡± Xu RenDong said, ¡°I tied him up, it¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Which floor do you live on? ¡°


    The third floor.¡±


    ¡°Oh, then you¡¯d better go down and see him.¡± Shi JianChuan turned on the folding fan with a snap and his tone became calm again, ¡°The tulou has no drainage outlet, and the rainwater has all accumulated in the yard. When I went down just now, the stagnant water had backed up onto the second floor.¡±

 CH 99

    Chapter 99 ¨C Without a Key 11


    When Xu RenDong arrived on the third floor, the rain had already risen up to his knees.


    It is unimaginable that the amount of precipitation in this torrential rain was so large that it flooded the third floor in just a few hours?!


    Shi JianChuan didn¡¯t come down with him. Time was running out and Xu RenDong didn¡¯t ask him what he was going to do.


    Xu RenDong rushed to the third floor in astate of great anxiety and when he saw the amount of water, his face was pale and his heart was cold. Rain poured in from outside the railing. The water level was already higher than the top of the railing and at this time the sky was still pouring rain. The turbid rainwater kept pouring in from the railing and the loud sound of raindrops was alarming.


    Xu RenDong waded into the water without hesitation. The rain was icy cold and the stings hurt his joints. In just a few seconds, the stagnant water has climbed from the knees to the thighs. There was a lot of resistance in the water. Xu RenDong struggled through it and headed desperately towards his room. After a long time, he finally opened the door.


    ¡°Lian Qiao!¡±


    The candles had long since been extinguished and the room was pitch black, making it impossible to see anything. Xu RenDong was in a hurry to get inside so he didn¡¯t notice the threshold of the door under the water, tripped and pitched forward into the water.


    He made a big mistake. He took in a big mouthful of water as he fell into it. The smelly rainwater poured down his windpipe, causing him to cough and vomit. He didn¡¯t pay attention to this and shouted while coughing: ¡°Cough, Lian Qiao! Where are you, Lian Qiao!¡±


    There was no response.


    The rain flooded the furniture and the wooden tables and chairs were floating in the water. Xu RenDong pushed aside the table and chairs, looked around in haste and finally found Lian Qiao in the corner.


    He almost swam to Lian Qiao¡¯s side. He saw that Lian Qiao was immersed in the water, top to bottom. His eyes were closed and he was still tied to the bench. But fortunately this bench was here, otherwise he would have sunk into the bottom of the water long ago and would not be found anywhere.


    Xu RenDong caught Lian Qiao with one hand and cut the climbing rope with a knife. He shivered and hugged Lian Qiao who was cold all over in his arms ¨C fortunately, he was still breathing!


    ¡°Lian Qiao! Wake up! Wake up!¡± Xu RenDong swam towards the door with Lian Qiao on his back, calling out to him continuously. At this time, he regretted very much why he gave Lian Qiao sleeping pills. He almost killed Lian Qiao!


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Lian Qiao finally woke up leisurely under Xu RenDong¡¯s repeated calls. He lay on Xu RenDong¡¯s back and stared at the dark waters around him in a daze. Just as he was about to speak, water poured into his mouth, causing him to cough loudly, ¡°Cough, cough, cough¡­¡°


    ¡°Come up!¡± Xu RenDong pushed him hard and lifted him abruptly away from the water..


    Lian Qiao instinctively hugged his neck and asked in a weak voice, ¡°Brother RenDong¡­how¡­cough! What¡¯s going on¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t know how to explain, so he could only say: ¡°Hold onto me tight first! I¡¯ll take you to a safe place!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s head suddenly sank and his head bumped against Xu RenDong¡¯s head. The arm around his neck loosened a lot.


    ¡°Lian Qiao?!¡± Xu RenDong was shocked and quickly grabbed him.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sleepy¡­¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s voice was inaudible. ¡°I don¡¯t have the strength¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Is it because of the sleeping pills? The sleeping pills still haven¡¯t worn off yet? Or¡­or did he use the wrong dose and caused the sleeping pill to have an anesthetic effect? !


    Xu RenDong gritted his teeth. Now is not the time to blame yourself, the most important thing was to save Lian Qiao!


    He pushed away the water with one hand and folded the other hand, supporting Lian Qiao¡¯s thigh. Lian Qiao was leaning heavily on his back and the arms around his neck were flabby.


    The rain is still pouring down. The icy stagnant water had flooded his waist. Xu RenDong came out of the room and went straight to the stairs. He glanced outside inadvertently and couldn¡¯t help being astonished.


    This rain was not normal! Even in typhoon weather, it is impossible for the precipitation to reach more than ten meters in just a few hours! What is this concept? It¡¯s almost like a tsunami!


    The exit of the tulou has long been closed and there is no drainage pipe. Now all the rainwater has accumulated inside and the tulou has been turned into a large pool. They were trapped inside it and could not escape. They could only watch the water rise higher and higher until they drowned!


    Wait ¨C what about the others?


    Xu RenDong looked around while swimming towards the stairs. To his surprise, the doors of all guest rooms were still closed and the chaotic escape scene he imagined did not appear.


    There were no bodies floating in the water either. Where have all those people gone?


    They wouldn¡¯t be still in the room would they¡­


    After finally reaching the entrance of the stairs, Xu RenDong was overjoyed and ran up the stairs in the water. However, as soon as he got out of the water, he felt extremely heavy. It turned out that he had buoyancy support in the water just now, so he could easily carry Lian Qiao on his back. At this time, he exited the water and naturally felt that Lian Qiao behind him was more than ten thousand pounds. His legs were weak and he almost fell back into the water.


    ¡°Urk¡­¡± Xu RenDong grabbed the stairs with one hand, forcing every ounce of strength in his muscles. His forehead was bruised with blue veins, his teeth were clenched, and the roots of his teeth hurt.


    ¡°Brother RenDong¡­ let me down¡­¡± Lian Qiao said intermittently, pushing him gently with his hand.


    Xu RenDong squeezed out two words from between his teeth: ¡°Don¡¯t move! Hold on tight to me!¡±


    Just as he turned around, the corner of his eyes saw a gleam of white sweep past. He turned around in surprise and saw a small snow-white snake sprang out of the water. The snake seemed to have come up from the bottom of the water, with something hooked on its tail.


    The little white snake climbed up the railing, climbed under the eaves, circled around the lantern and then continued to climb up the eaves.


    It moved quickly,and the little snake body quickly disappeared in front of Xu RenDong. Despite this, Xu RenDong could still see clearly ¨C what was hooked on its tail was actually a silver ring.


    Xu RenDong carried Lian Qiao on his back and continued to walk up the stairs, his brain running fast: that should be the submerged ring on the second floor. Shi JianChuan wants to collect all the rings? Doesn¡¯t he already have one as a talisman?


    Wait, this tulou has a total of nine floors and each floor has a ring, which means there are nine in total¡­ The number of tablets in the ancestral hall is also nine, nine x nine = eighty-one¡­


    ¡°Nine¡± must mean some kind of special meaning!


    But the instance prompt is clearly ¡°a lock without a key¡±. What is the relationship between ¡°nine¡± and the ¡°lock¡±?


    Xu RenDong struggled to carry Lian Qiao to the fourth floor. The stagnant water has not yet reached here but the rainstorm has already wet all the lanterns, the corridor was also wet and there are ponds everywhere. If you step on it accidentally, anyone would slip.


    Within the sound of wind and rain, the sound of intercourse in the room could be heard faintly. Those people were so engrossed in lust that they didn¡¯t even notice the violent storm outside, no wonder they were drowned inside the room.


    As soon as he stepped on the floor, Xu RenDong felt soft and fell forward. Lian Qiao rolled down from behind him and let out a grunt.


    ¡°Lian Qiao!¡± Xu RenDong hurriedly reached out to him but suddenly felt a strong dizziness. He turned around quickly and subconsciously supported the ground with his hands, so as to not himself fall.


    ¡°Brother RenDong¡­¡± Lian Qiao crawled over with difficulty, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you¡­¡±


    There was thunder and lightning outside, and the wind swept through the tulou, making a whimper. The cold wind slapped his body with rain and Xu RenDong felt cold all over and even shivered.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± His lips were purple and he took a deep breath to pull Lian Qiao up from the ground, ¡°Let¡¯s go, continue up.¡±


    Lian Qiao reluctantly raised his hand and touched his forehead. His eyes became bitter: ¡°You have a high fever.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t come on so fast.¡± Xu RenDong denied it very decisively. Although he was drenched in the rain and went down into the cold water to save someone, it was only a matter of two or three hours. How could it be possible to suddenly have a fever and become unsteady?


    ¡°¡­¡± Lian Qiao suddenly changed his face and pushed him hard.


    The two of them had no strength. When Lian Qiao pushed him like this, not only did he fall down again but even went back several steps.


    ¡°You leave me alone, you go!¡± Lian Qiao bit his lip fiercely, forcing himself to gather his energy. ¡°If this goes on, both of us will die!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make trouble!¡± Xu RenDong said angrily, reaching out to pull him, ¡°You get up!¡±


    Lian Qiao struggled but fortunately, because of the anesthetic effect of sleeping pills, he couldn¡¯t do anything decisive. Xu RenDong had just pulled him up from the ground when he suddenly heard a scream behind him.


    The scream of a woman!


    Xu RenDong turned back and saw that the corridor was still empty. The big red lanterns, which had been doused by the rain, twisted wildly in the wind, banging against the eaves. The woman lost her voice after a scream.


    Immediately afterwards, another scream came from the other direction!


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    This time, it¡¯s a man?


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart skipped a beat. What happened? What was going on?


    ¡°Wu¡­ uh¡­¡± Lian Qiao in his arms suddenly twisted in pain, a strange moan squeezed out of his throat. He suddenly grabbed Xu RenDong¡¯s shirt, his eyes were red and his brows were locked, as if he was struggling with something.


    With Lian Qiao like this, how could he let go? Xu RenDong hugged Lian Qiao tightly and dragged him upstairs abruptly. There was a sudden banging noise on the roof, mixed with the crying and screaming of men and women.


    What¡¯s going on up there? Why is it so noisy?


    Xu RenDong was stunned for a moment. Just when he was stunned, there was a sudden ¡°squeak¡± sound beside him.


    A man covered in blood came out of the room. He had no clothes on, and there were still traces of teeth marks on his lower body. However, he was holding a bloody thing in his hand.


    A heart. A heart that was still beating.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s pupils shrank suddenly. He subconsciously protected Lian Qiao behind him and, at the same time, was shocked to find that there were successive ¡°squeaks¡± all  around him.


    One door after another opened and dozens of people covered in blood came into the corridor one after another. They were originally expressionless but when they looked at each other, they became furious and rushed towards each other to fight.


    Fists and feet landed on the flesh and made a dull sound. Everyone fought together, waving tables and chairs, vases, and scissors in their hands. In an instant, blood splattered everywhere. The screams were endless and the corridors were filled with blood.


    The terrifying scream resounded throughout the tulou, instantly covering the sound of wind and rain, turning this place into a purgatory on earth!


    Crazy! They are all crazy!


    Xu RenDong took a deep breath, took out a crowbar from his backpack and prepared for battle.


    ¡°Lian Qiao.¡± He whispered, ¡°Follow¡­ hmm!¡±


    Before the word ¡°me¡± could be said, a pair of hands stretched out from behind and strangled him tightly!


    Xu RenDong¡¯s pupils shrank suddenly and he subconsciously raised the crowbar but stopped after seeing the other party¡¯s face clearly.


    Lian Qiao?!


    The person who was strangling his neck was actually Lian Qiao?!


    At this time, Lian Qiao had obviously lost his mind. He stared at Xu RenDong with red eyes, a terrifying grin at the corner of his mouth. He squeezed Xu RenDong¡¯s neck with both hands and tightened his fingers inch by inch. Xu RenDong heard ¡°click¡± and ¡°crack¡±, and it was his fragile neck bone that was screaming.


    ¡°Uh¡­uh¡­¡± Xu RenDong¡¯s throat was stuck and he couldn¡¯t make a sound.


    With a bang, the crowbar fell to the ground. Xu RenDong tried to pull Lian Qiao¡¯s hand away but it was in vain.


    When he saw the bloodthirsty cruelty in Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes, he knew that Lian Qiao was not in control of himself.


    But¡­why¡­


    Didn¡¯t he already have a ring¡­


    Xu RenDong¡¯s chest heaved violently, trying to inhale even a trace of air. But no matter how much he struggled, Lian Qiao¡¯s fingers were constantly tightening¡­ His slender trachea was so compressed that there was no gap and even the neck bones were about to be crushed.


    The lack of oxygen in the brain made Xu RenDong confused and the severe pain and suffocation repeatedly awakened him. He was forced to hang on the line between life and death, swaying from side to side. It was excruciatingly painful.


    Xu RenDong was strangled by Lian Qiao and his feet left the ground. He was forced to lean back, unable to see Lian Qiao¡¯s face. He could only see the pitch-black ceiling, the drenched red lantern, the violent storm outside and¡­


    Wait, what was that?


    On the verge of death, something froze in Xu RenDong¡¯s heart.


    He saw a snow-white giant python dozens of meters long in the air.


    The body of the python was as thick as a giant tree, circling and rising from the water. There was a man standing above the huge snake head, in a black Tang suit.


    Shi JianChuan?!


    There seemed to be something in his hand¡­flickering¡­


    A ¡°click¡± sound came from his neck. Like something had shattered completely. The crisp cracking sound was transmitted to the brain along the bones. Xu RenDong suddenly felt that his body lost weight and his entire person became lighter.


    The last sight he saw was a black shadow flying out of the dark and slamming into Shi JianChuan who was above the python.


    A cloud of blood erupted in the air.


    Then, the overwhelming darkness struck again.


    It was all over again.

 CH 100

    Chapter 100 ¨C Without a Key 12


    Xu RenDong woke up in the elevator.


    ¡°Uh¡ª¡± He took a long breath, like a drowning man resurfacing


    Xu RenDong stroked his neck in shock, as if there were still bruises there lingering from the broken neck bone. His mind is very confused now and his eyes were full of the strange pictures he saw before he died and he can¡¯t come back to his senses for a while.


    Until Lian Qiao discovered his abnormality: ¡°Brother RenDong?¡±


    ¡°¡­!¡± Xu RenDong raised his eyes in shock, just in time to meet Lian Qiao¡¯s worried eyes, ¡°¡­It¡¯s okay, I was thinking about something.¡±


    Xu RenDong involuntarily took a small step back. He didn¡¯t realize it himself,but Lian Qiao was sensitively aware of his defenses and unease.


    ¡­¡­What happened?


    Why was he¡­ afraid of me?


    Lian Qiao was silent for a moment and, in the end, did not ask. He just turned his head and looked at the large characters that appeared in the air.


    ¡°Lock without a key¡±.


    The two didn¡¯t speak any more, their expressions a little stiff. In this way they walked out of the elevator, each with their own thoughts.


    On the way to the tulou, Xu RenDong sorted out the clues he had so far in his heart.


    The first was the images he saw before he died.


    What is that flashing thing in Shi JianChuan¡¯s hand? What was it that jumped at him in the air? Was Shi JianChuan killed by that thing?


    Also, why did the teammates in the guest room suddenly go crazy and start killing each other? Lian Qiao clearly had a ring on his body, so why did he become out of control to the point that he even strangled him to death.


    At this moment, Xu RenDong suddenly remembered the little snake he saw on the third floor.


    That¡¯s right, the ring!


    The ring on the tail of the little snake was not from the lantern on the second floor at all but was stolen from Lian Qiao!


    It stole Lian Qiao¡¯s ring while he was swimming in the water with Lian Qiao on his back!


    It was Shi JianChuan who betrayed him!


    Xu RenDong only felt a heat in his chest and a burst of anger rushed up. At this time, the two happened to walk into the earth building and a crowd of black people appeared in front of them. Xu RenDong found the man in the black Tang suit in the crowd at a glance.


    He walked straight over, took out a brick and smashed it on Shi JianChuan¡¯s forehead.


    Shi JianChuan: ¡°???¡±


    Everyone: ¡°???!!!¡±


    This brick was picked up by Xu RenDong on the road. Who would have thought that this beautiful man who looked like a flower of high mountains would actually come up and smash people with a brick? !


    Shi JianChuan didn¡¯t have any expectation of this at all and the weird little snake didn¡¯t come out to bite back. He was stunned that Xu RenDong succeeded.


    ¡°You¡­ who are you! Why are you beating me?!¡± Shi JianChuan covered the place where the bricks hit, his head full of blood and question marks.


    ¡°Heh.¡± Xu RenDong snorted coldly and told a big lie, ¡°We¡¯ve met in the previous instance, did you forget? Even if you¡¯ve forgotten, I haven¡¯t! How many hidden props do you have and how many teammates have you killed? You still have the face to pretend that you don¡¯t know me?!¡±


    The more he scolded, the more angry he became and the more he scolded, the more he got into the act. As he spoke, he lifted the brick and faced Shi JianChuan again. When everyone heard this, they looked sideways and pointed at Shi JianChuan. Shi JianChuan was naturally bewildered and Lian Qiao was equally bewildered as he was.


    What? Xu RenDong knows this person? And had even been tricked by him!?


    How was that possible?!


    No, I have to help him.


    Lian Qiao reacted quickly, limping to Xu RenDong¡¯s side with a cane and said without a second¡¯s pause: ¡°Yes! Even my leg was broken by you! You didn¡¯t expect it right!? I actually still survived!¡±


    Shi JianChuan: ¡°??????¡±


    Xu RenDong, who didn¡¯t expect that Lian Qiao would come to help, was stunned for a moment: ¡°¡­Eh?¡±


    There were some people standing beside Shi JianChuan but now they all retreated silently. One, they didn¡¯t want to stand with someone who was so scummy that he would pit his teammates and Two, they were afraid that the three people would start fighting and innocent people would get caught in the crossfire.


    So, poor Shi JianChuan covered the wound on his head and was cooperatively scolded by Lian Qiao. In front of everyone¡¯s eyes, he couldn¡¯t let the snake out to kill them both. He had to stand there and be scolded by them both.


    ¡°You two, calm down first.¡± Shi JianChuan tried to explain, ¡°I never¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, keep pretending.¡± Xu RenDong sneered, ¡°You think because everyone is dead, the things you did won¡¯t matter. That no one will know!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Lian Qiao echoed angrily, ¡°If we don¡¯t know you, why would we frame you as soon as we come in here!¡±


    Shi JianChuan: ¡°¡­¡± I also want to know why!


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± He turned his head, glanced at Lian Qiao and felt strange in his heart: Yes, Lian Qiao doesn¡¯t know why he framed someone else who why did he come to help me?


    One was deliberately framing another, and the second person helped provide glue to piece everything together even better. Shi JianChuan was naturally at a loss for words. Fortunately, Xu RenDong gradually calmed down and did not call on everyone to work together to kill this bastard. After all, that snake of Shi JianChuan¡¯s was extremely powerful and if he really wanted to make a move, even eighty people together were not his opponents.


    As for the other people, when they entered the instance to see so many players, they were originally already under a lot of mental pressure and the thread in their hearts had been wound tightly. Suddenly there was a good show to watch so everyone was naturally addicted to eating melons, secretly wanting to see these three fight.


    Everyone watched the fun and watched so intently that when the old lady with bound feet walked down the stairs behind everyone, she stood for a long time without anybody noticing her- not a single person paid her any attention.


    The old lady was also at a loss: Who am I and where am I? Is this a horror instance?  Why the hell is everyone ignoring me?


    ¡°Cough, cough everyone¡­¡± The old lady¡¯s hoarse voice was completely suppressed by the noisy Lian Qiao. Lian Qiao¡¯s continual imaginative complaints became more and more vigorous and he had already compiled the story of the seventh teammate Shi JianChuan killed.


    ¡°Everyone!¡± The old lady stomped her feet in anger and her voice suddenly became high and shrill. ¡°Don¡¯t watch the fun! Turn around and listen to me!¡±


    Only then did everyone realize that there was an old lady in red with bound feet standing behind them and they couldn¡¯t help but take in a breath of shock.


    The old lady finally regained some of the majesty of the little boss. She cleared her throat and was about to speak but was suddenly pushed away: ¡°Get out of the way!¡±


    The old lady was stunned.


    This time, all eighty people in the audience, including Shi JianChuan and Lian Qiao, were all stunned.


    Lian Qiao was the first to react. He said: ¡°Shit¡± and quickly chased after him: ¡°Brother RenDong, wait for me! Where are you going? Don¡¯t you want to listen to the NPC¡¯s announcement¡­¡±


    Everyone watched as the lame Lian Qiao jogged and chased after the man.


    The old lady with bound feet suddenly fell into an extremely embarrassing situation. She turned around in a daze and saw that everyone was looking at each other in bemusement. The old lady opened her mouth and suddenly realized that she didn¡¯t know what to say.


    No matter what she said, it was impossible to restore her dignity!


    Who was this little bastard! He gave her such a disgrace at the beginning!


    See if she doesn¡¯t kill him!


    Lian Qiao leaned on crutches and climbed the stairs with great difficulty. Xu RenDong walked without looking back and already reached the fourth floor in one breath. Lian Qiao had 10,000 reasons in his heart but he didn¡¯t dare to ask.


    Because the boss was in a bad mood.


    Although he doesn¡¯t know why, the boss does have this¡­ this habit.


    There were not many opportunities for him to enter the instance together with Xu RenDong. But he found that sometimes Xu RenDong loses his temper inexplicably and then inexplicably leads him to lie down and win.


    But if the boss doesn¡¯t lose his temper, this game will be very difficult¡­


    He thought hard enough to crack his head open but he still couldn¡¯t understand why.In short, it is better not to stimulate the big boss now.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s left leg was broken and he couldn¡¯t use force. He could only tap the ground lightly with his toes,and most of his body weight was on the crutches in his right leg and left hand. Every time he went up the stairs, he had to step on his right leg first and then move his left leg up with the support of a cane.


    His physical fitness is good but he has not specially trained how to go up the stairs with a lame leg. In addition, the steps of the tulou were so high that he will soon be unable to bear it.


    After finally climbing up to the fourth floor, his arms were already shaking. He had to rest against the wall.


    He didn¡¯t know where Xu RenDong went¡­


    Lian Qiao was anxious and a little aggrieved. He raised his head and looked up but unexpectedly saw a flashing figure in the corner upstairs.


    Huh? Was he on the fifth floor?


    Lian QIao was instantly motivated. With a bang, he clambered up another layer.


    ¡­but the fifth floor was empty.


    Lian Qiao looked around. The sky above the circular corridor is empty and only a series of red lanterns floating in the night sky, strangely infiltrating.


    He glanced up nervously. The familiar corner of the clothes flashed by again.


    Are you on the sixth floor¡­


    Lian Qiao took a deep breath, stumbled, and just climbed another floor.


    Lian Qiao, who came to the sixth floor, was out of breath, and his arms were too sore to lift. He could only lean against the wall, panting like a large dog.


    At this moment, he heard light footsteps above his head. This walking frequency was very familiar. He would eavesdrop behind his bedroom door every night, wondering if the person next door to him had fallen asleep or was taking a shower¡­


    Like a pervert.


    Lian Qiao vaguely felt that Xu RenDong was deliberately trolling him but there was no evidence. He could only whimper in his heart and continue to climb up.


    There was, of course, no big boss on the seventh floor.


    Not even on the eighth floor.


    The ninth floor, it¡¯s almost the ninth floor! After the ninth floor, it has to be over!


    Lian Qiao was too tired to straighten his back. He gasped heavily and moved to the railing in great embarrassment. Looking up, it was the roof. There was nothing but tiles on the roof. A moon hung miserably in the sky, illuminating Lian Qiao¡¯s miserable face.


    When he was on the eighth floor just now, he heard Xu RenDong walking upstairs. Since there are no stairs to go up to the roof, Xu RenDong must be on this floor!


    Probably in one of the rooms?


    Although he didn¡¯t know what the boss was angry about, Lian Qiao decided to honestly accept the punishment of the boss based on the good quality of ¡°stand up when you are beaten¡±. Holding his crutches, he moved with difficulty to the door of the first room on the left side of the stairs and knocked on the door three times.


    ¡°Brother RenDong, are you there?¡± After waiting for three seconds, there was no response.


    Lian Qiao turned his head and walked towards the next room.


    ¡°Knock knock knock¡±.


    ¡°Brother RenDong?¡±


    The next one.


    ¡°Knock knock knock¡±.


    ¡°Brother RenDong? Are you angry? I know I¡¯m wrong, but¡­ um, I don¡¯t know what I did wrong, can you tell me¡­?¡±


    Next.


    ¡­


    There was a ¡°squeak¡± sound. Xu RenDong came out of the first room on the right side of the stairs and looked helplessly at Lian Qiao who had chosen the wrong direction.


    Lian Qiao had already knocked on the doors of five or six rooms and, at this time, had already walked to the opposite side of the circular earth building, so he didn¡¯t notice Xu RenDong come out of this room at all.


    Xu RenDong watched him search for the door while loudly admitting his mistake and felt both angry and funny.


    In the end, Xu RenDong had no choice but to call him over from the opposite side.


    Lian Qiao, who was picked up, sat at the table honestly and watched Xu RenDong rush out the glamorous maid who had been waiting in the room. He felt uneasy for a while but it was followed by a burst of excitement.


    Hey hey hey, although I don¡¯t know what I did wrong, is the big boss going to punish me inside the room? Hehehehehe¡­..


    Sure enough, when Xu RenDong came back from the door, he was holding a dazzling silver circle in his hand.


    Lian Qiao suddenly made up the 100,000-word imprisonment play and was so excited that his whole person could not describe it. But¡­why was this ring so small, it¡¯s not suitable to wear on hands or feet. And there is only one ring¡­


    Could it be that it was worn on¡­?!


    No, it¡¯s too exciting, too exciting.


    Lian Qiao swallowed his saliva and recited the law of death in horror movies repeatedly. However, his eyes couldn¡¯t hide the expectation at all and two flushes flew onto his cheeks. His excitement was beyond words.


    He saw Xu RenDong walk up to him, take his hand and put the silver ring in his hand.


    ¡°You keep this one, it¡¯s a life-saving tool this time around.¡±


    Lian Qiao was stunned and couldn¡¯t help being disappointed, but his heart was still warm and sweet.


    ¡°Okay.¡± He raised his head with a smile and took advantage of the situation to hold Xu RenDong¡¯s hand. He wanted to ask him why he was angry just now and, at the same time, coax him as well.


    But Xu RenDong pulled back his hand bluntly, turned around, and said calmly and clearly: ¡°We will act separately this time. Take care of yourself.¡±


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    RenDong: [Putting out nine rings] Putting ¡°nine¡± and ¡°lock¡± together, what do you think of?


    Lian Qiao: [swallows saliva] Nine¡­ Kowloon Lock x Hoops? {Kowloon is a place in Hong Kong, Kowloon is written as ¡°Nine Dragons¡±. I¡¯m not exactly sure what this means but knowing LQ, it¡¯s probably some sex thing lol.}


    RenDong: ? ? ?

 CH 101

    Chapter 101 ¨C Without a Key 13


    Before Lian Qiao could recover from the shock, Xu RenDong had already left the room and closed the door.


    Lian Qiao subconsciously wanted to chase him but accidentally tripped over the crutches that were lying against the stool. His entire person slammed to the ground with a bang and fell, dizzy.


    He lay on the ground. The bluestone floor was icy cold and his heart was also cold.


    He really didn¡¯t know what he had done wrong. Obviously everything had still been fine when he¡¯d stepped in with his front foot, why was it that when he lifted his back foot everything went wrong?! {Basically everything was still okay a few minutes ago, then suddenly things changed abruptly.}


    And¡­ Didn¡¯t Xu RenDong comfort him and say ¡°don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll protect you¡± before coming in? Why did he go back on his word in the blink of an eye¡­ and tell him to get out?


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t want to believe that he was abandoned. He told himself: RenDong must have his own considerations and he must want to be separated from him for some special plan.


    But¡­


    Fuck! How could he not be sad!


    Lian Qiao got up from the ground, gritted his teeth and poured himself a cup of tea angrily. The tea was freshly brewed. He didn¡¯t pay attention when he held it in his hand. He poured it directly into his mouth, and immediately spit it out with a ¡°ow¡± when his lips were scalded.


    It was so hot that he suddenly calmed down.


    No, he shouldn¡¯t be so impulsive. He needs to think about it, what should he do next?


    Lian Qiao put the ring that Xu RenDong gave him in his hand and looked at it carefully. The ring was made of silver and looked neither like a bracelet nor a ring in size. The silver ring was engraved with complicated and complex patterns which were too fine to be seen clearly.


    He decisively took out his mobile phone, turned on the camera lens and zoomed in on the screen. Using the camera function of his mobile phone, he could clearly see a line of small words hidden inside the pattern.


    ÒÔÉ«Ê̾ý£¬Åξý³¤Áô / ¡°If you judge a man by appearance/sexual characteristics, you can only pray for the man to stay a long time.¡±


    {Errr¡­ extremely hard to translate and sounds significantly more awkward in English. For Chinese speakers, the Chinese is: ÒÔÉ«Ê̾ý£¬Åξý³¤Áô. The first half of the sentence is in reference to the Chinese saying ¡°ÒÔÉ«Ê̾ý¶Ì£¬ÒÔ²ÅÊ̾ý³¤¡±, basically meaning if you chose a man based on his appearance/sexual characteristics (how good looking, buff, sexy blah blah he looks), your marriage will be short. But if you chose a man based on his talent/skills, your marriage will be long.


    Going onwards, I¡¯m just going to use Chinese now that I¡¯ve explained the meaning.}


    Huh? What does this mean?


    Lian Qiao stared at the first part of the phrase ¡°ÒÔÉ«Ê̾ý¡± and thought: Is this ring really for attaching to that thing?


    There was a chill from down below. He quickly pushed the bad thought out of his mind. After thinking for a moment, he put the ring on his body and decided to go out and explore first.


    Just as he was about to go out, his keen ears suddenly caught a strange noise.


    Lian Qiao turned his ears to listen,and the more he listened, the more wrong it seemed. His face was burned all the way to the roots of his ears.


    What¡¯s going on next door! You just entered the instance and now you want to¡­. papapa?!


    He went out the door angrily and yelled at the door next door. The pair inside didn¡¯t react at all and were still shouting shamelessly.


    Lian Qiao was simply stunned by their shamelessness and was about to kick open the door when he suddenly realized that the bad sounds were not only coming from this room.


    From the entire corridor, from all the rooms, there were actually ah ah ahhh!


    Have these people all gone mad?! Is this the right time to make an appointment to have sex?!


    As someone who didn¡¯t fit in, Lian Qiao is both shocked and embarrassed. He stood bewildered in the hallway, his ears filled with bad sounds. Hearing them made him blush and his entire person felt indescribable.


    Wait, wait, what about RenDong?


    He wouldn¡¯t be in one of these rooms¡­


    As soon as Lian Qiao thought about it, the blood all over his body rushed to his brain instantly. He shouted loudly: ¡°Xu RenDong!¡± Before he finished speaking, he kicked the door open!


    After two seconds.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, you continue, you continue¡­¡±


    There was a pair of strange men and women in the room. Apologizing, Lian Qiao walked backwards and left the room, kicking aside several pieces of clothing on the way. He looked down subconsciously and saw it was a belly pocket. {A traditional type of clothing worn by Chinese girls as lingerie. Diamond shape at the chest and tied up at the back, google ¡®dudou¡¯ to see images. No longer common in modern society.}


    Um? Belly pocket? Who would come to fight an instance in a belly pocket? Is it some kind of fetish?!


    He backed out of the room and closed the door, still wondering. But the loud roar of the next door next door instantly attracted his attention again.


    The urge to catch an adulterer instantly robs him of reason. With a loud ¡°hey¡±, he rushed to the second room and kicked the door open again.


    This time, there were actually two women inside? !


    ¡°Sorry, sorry, sorry!¡± Lian Qiao covered his eyes and stepped back but his eyes could still peek from behind his fingers.


    ¨C A belly pocket, another belly pocket. Why is it here too?


    Back in the corridor again, with the cool evening wind blowing, many thoughts flashed through Lian Qiao¡¯s mind.


    Although he has never been in a relationship with a girl, he still has the most basic common sense ¨C modern day girls wear underwear instead of a belly pocket. Moreover, the style of belly pocket in the two rooms is exactly the same. The red satin material looks strange no matter how you look at it.


    There wasn¡¯t any doubt, it was the maid¡¯s belly pocket.


    On the first night of entering the instance, it stands to reason that everyone should still be exploring the map separately, but why did they all suddenly get involved with the maid? How can it happen like this?


    It was unreasonable.


    A word suddenly flashed in Lian Qiao¡¯s mind: ¡°ÒÔÉ«Ê̾ý£¬Åξý³¤Áô¡±


    ÒÔÉ«Ê̾ý£¬ÅÎ, ¾ý, ³¤, Áô?!


    Lian Qiao was startled. Although he didn¡¯t know what happened at the moment, he knew ¨C Xu RenDong might be in danger! {Second half of the sentence ¡°Åξý³¤Áô¡± means ¡®hope the man stays a long time¡¯, i.e. if the man has sex with them then he¡¯s going to stay with them for a long time¡­ i.e. never, ever leave. Also ¾ý/¡°jun¡± refers to husband/partner and although usually used for men, I suppose in this case refers to female instance players as well.}


    If he was with the maid at the moment, then¡ª¡ª


    ¡°RenDong! Where are you, RenDong!¡± Lian Qiao shouted out of control, rushed to the third room and kicked the door hard. The door was not kicked open when he stepped on it and at the same time there was severe pain from his left leg!


    He actually forgot that he still had a wound on his leg! How did he kick two doors in a row open just now? !


    As soon as Lian Qiao gritted his teeth, he picked up his cane and bashed it against the door.


    ¡°Xu RenDong, you fucking come out for me! Aren¡¯t you gay? What the hell are you doing behind my back! Come out!¡±


    The people inside just did their business, ignoring Lian Qiao.


    The panting was intermittent but the door was in the way so Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t tell if it was Xu RenDong inside. His eyes went red and he desperately swung his cane, not caring about his broken leg.


    ¡°Xu RenDong! Come out! Come out! Fuck your mother! Fuck!¡±


    He didn¡¯t know how many times he smashed before the wooden door finally made a big hole for him. He threw his cane with a bang and was about to go inside when he heard a low voice in the distance.


    ¡°Who are you scolding?!¡±


    Lian Qiao was overjoyed and turned around quickly. He saw Xu RenDong standing in the corridor not far away. The moonlight hooked on his handsome face and his eyebrows were deep, like a distant mountain.


    He was like a piece of cold and transparent ice, no one was cleaner than him and no one could get him dirty.


    Lian Qiao suddenly felt a heat in his chest and various emotions filled his chest. He couldn¡¯t help but raise the corner of his mouth. He grabbed the railing, and then limped and ran towards Xu RenDong with joy.


    However, Lian Qiao suddenly stopped before he could say the words ¡°RenDong¡±.


    He saw a hand, a hand that was as white as jade, but clearly articulated and belonged to a man, slowly wrapping around Xu RenDong¡¯s waist from behind.


    It was the man in the black Tang suit.


    Lian Qiao hadn¡¯t noticed it before, but only now did he realize that there was a strangeness in the man¡¯s eyebrows.


    The man hugged Xu RenDong from behind and licked his ear. The tip of his tongue was red as blood and the corner of his mouth was smiling.


    Lian Qiao was stunned. His chest seemed to be emptied all of a sudden and he couldn¡¯t breathe.


    To his surprise, the next second, Xu RenDong frowned and punched the man in the face with a backhand.


    ¡°Hmm!¡± The man in the Tang suit fell down, covering his face.


    ¡­ what kind of scenario was this?!


    Lian Qiao looked at Xu RenDong, who strode towards him and dragged him from the ground by his collar. He scolded: ¡°Who were you scolding just now? Are you crazy? Go and wash your mouth with soap!¡±


    Lian Qiao stared blankly at Xu RenDong who was close at hand. His eyes shifted from Xu RenDong¡¯s face to his ears. Suddenly, Lian Qiao hugged Xu RenDong¡¯s head and rubbed his ear with his sleeve.


    ¡°???¡± This time it was Xu RenDong¡¯s turn to be stunned.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s actions were rude and merciless, and the cloth rubbed hard on Xu RenDong¡¯s earlobe, making it hurt.


    ¡°What are you doing!¡± Xu RenDong got angry and pushed Lian Qiao away.


    ¡°I also want to ask what you are doing!¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s anger rushed up. He stretched out his hand and pointed into the distance, ¡°Who is he! Didn¡¯t you beat him just now? Why are you making up now! Xu RenDong, what¡¯s wrong with you?!¡±


    Xu RenDong blushed and touched his ears. Finally he realized that Lian Qiao was jealous.


    ¡°No.¡± He explained subconsciously, ¡°You misunderstood, he¡­¡±


    ¡°What misunderstanding! I fucking saw it with my own eyes!¡± Lian Qiao was so angry that he threw his crutches on the ground, making a loud bang. ¡°Fuck! Now I know why you want to drive me away! You wanted to go meet up with your ¡®old friend¡¯ right? Co-author, you met your old friend, right? It must have been hard for you to act in such a big scene before right?! I actually cooperated with you! I¡¯m such a big idiot!¡±


    ¡°Lian Qiao!¡± Xu RenDong frowned and pressed him against the wall, ¡°Calm down! Listen to me!¡±


    ¡°No! Listen to your mom!¡± Lian Qio had really gone crazy. Each sentence touched upon Xu RenDong¡¯s ¡®unmentionable¡¯ mom.  ¡°What else do you have to explain?! I¡¯ve caught you in bed¡ª¡±


    Before Lian Qiao could finish speaking, Xu RenDong punched him in the face, hitting him so hard his head turned away.


    ¡°Shut the fuck up! Stop fucking talking about my mom!¡±


    With a burning face, Lian Qiao covered his face and looked at the furious Xu RenDong in shock.


    What happened? How can someone who was caught in the act still behave so rudely?


    Xu RenDong was also mad at him and felt a lot more refreshed after punching him. He suppressed his emotions and explained patiently: ¡°You only saw him kissing me, did you seen me kissing him? He is suffering from¡­¡±


    Before he finished speaking, Xu RenDong saw Lian Qiao¡¯s face change. At the same time, he felt someone approaching behind him and subconsciously twisted his body to avoid it.


    Lian Qiao wasn¡¯t as sensitive as he was. Not only was he dragging a broken leg, he had also thrown his crutches away himself. Now he couldn¡¯t even dodge when the person who came towards him slammed squarely into his arms.


    ¡°What, what are you doing?!¡± Lian Qiao looked at the man in the Tang suit who threw himself into his arms in shock.


    He saw the man raise his head and hook the corner of his mouth with a charming smile. Then he closed his eyes, raised his head and kissed Lian Qiao¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Ahhhhh let go! Get the hell out of here! Help! Brother RenDong, save me ahhhhh!¡±


    Lian Qiao punched and kicked the man, but the man stuck to him like an octopus and did not let go. Lian Qiao was pressed against the wall and kissed by him and he couldn¡¯t break free.


    Being witnessed by Xu RenDong doing this kind of thing with another man made Lian Qiao nearly die of anger.


    Where was his dignity?!


    Lian Qiao was embarrassed and furiously turned to Xu RenDong for help but he didn¡¯t expect that the latter would stand beside him coldly with his arms folded and even snorted coldly.


    ¡°You know it¡¯s a misunderstanding now?¡±


    Lian Qiao shouted: ¡°I know, I know! Help me! Oh, don¡¯t kiss me¡­ Fuck your mother, it¡¯s disgusting¡­ Get away!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°You know you were wrong?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°I was wrong, I was wrong! Fuck! Where the hell are you touching? I¡¯m going to chop your hand off!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Apologize to me.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sorry, sorry! Woo¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Apologize to my mother.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­Yes, sorry to your mother!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao was about to cry: ¡°I¡¯m wrong, I was bad! Brother RenDong, please save me! I can¡¯t take it anymore! Won¡¯t you be jealous?¡±


    Xu RenDong spread his hands: ¡°If he doesn¡¯t torture you, he will torture me. You don¡¯t want to misunderstand again do you?¡±


    Lian Qiao resisted the Tang suit man who attacked him. He was so aggrieved by Xu RenDong¡¯s questions that he was actually forced to tears.


    Xu RenDong saw that he was really stimulated and the anger in his heart disappeared immediately. He immediately took out a brick and smashed it onto the back of Shi JianChuan¡¯s head.


    ¡°Hmmphh!¡± Shi JianChuan groaned, clutched the back of his head and fell down.


    Lian Qiao gasped heavily, looking down at Shi JianChuan in shock.


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°You pin him down first, don¡¯t let him hurt others. I¡¯ll look for it right away¡­ try to find the antidote.¡± Then he turned his head and ran towards the stairs.


    ¡°Hey¡ª¡± Seeing that Shi JianChuan hadn¡¯t totally fainted, Lian Qiao was anxious again, ¡°Brother RenDong, don¡¯t go! I can¡¯t hold him down!¡±


    Xu RenDong threw down his words without looking back. ¡°If you can¡¯t pin him down just kick his lower half until it calms down! It¡¯s alright to be ruthless, anyway I¡¯m not familiar with him!¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Eh?!!¡±


    Xu RenDong ran away in a hurry.


    Lian Qiao looked down at Shi JianChuan, who was twisted like a snake on the ground and suddenly let out a wicked laugh.


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    RenDong: He is suffering from¡­


    Be heavier. It¡¯s a test.

 CH 102

    Chapter 102 ¨C Without a Key 14


    When Xu RenDong took off the ring and returned to the ninth floor, Shi JianChuan had passed out. He was foaming at the mouth and his body was still twitching slightly.


    Xu RenDong was stunned for a moment: ¡°You¡­what did you do to him?¡±


    Lian Qiao leaned on crutches and said very cleverly: ¡°I asked him to calm down and then calm down again¡­ a few more times.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­ ¡­¡± He suddenly felt that Shi JianChuan was also very pitiful.


    Xu RenDong leaned down and stuffed the ring into Shi JianChuan¡¯s hand. Shi JianChuan didn¡¯t wake up so it seemed that he was really abused. It became a little bit awkward when Lian Qiao saw the ring and instantly became jealous again.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the amulet you gave me?!¡± Lian Qiao shouted angrily, ¡°Why are you giving it to him now?¡±


    Xu RenDong frowned. He suddenly found that when Lian Qiao was jealous, he turned into a fool and couldn¡¯t even understand such a simple thing.


    Thinking of this, he was inexplicably wanting to laugh. However, he also felt that this was not the opportune time to laugh so he stiffened his face and stretched out his hand to point under the eaves.


    ¡°What?¡± Although Lian Qiao was not happy, he still looked in the direction of Xu RenDong¡¯s finger. He finally found the abnormality, ¡°¡­Why doesn¡¯t that lantern light up?¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°This ring is hidden in the lantern. There is one on each floor so I just went downstairs to get it.¡±


    Lian Qiao suddenly realized: ¡°So that¡¯s it! But how do you know this is a life-saving tool?¡±


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t answer this question. He ignored it directly, changed the subject and said, ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s go back to the room first.¡± Then he lifted Shi JianChuan, who was totally unconscious, from the ground.


    When Lian Qiao saw this, he felt a little unhappy in his heart. But thinking that this person was in fact knocked out by himself, there was nothing more to say.


    Xu RenDong carried Shi JianChuan back to the guest room and threw him on the bed casually. Shi JianChuan snorted twice in a daze and it seemed that he would not be able to wake up for a while.


    Lian Qiao felt a pain in his legs just now and he couldn¡¯t walk at all so the two had to sit down and rest. Xu RenDong asked, ¡°What do you want with me?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Ah?¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°You kicked the door down all the way and scolded loud enough for the entire street to hear just now, aren¡¯t you looking for me?¡±


    Lian Qiao blushed and coughed awkwardly: ¡°Cough, I was just worried about you, isn¡¯t that normal? Oh¡­ that¡¯s right!¡± He suddenly remembered something, ¡°What is the sentence written on the ring you gave to Shi JianChuan?¡±


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help but be curious: ¡°What sentence?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Lian Qiao took out his mobile phone and showed him the enlarged photo just now, ¡°This one is written ¡®ÒÔÉ«Ê̾ý£¬Åξý³¤Áô¡®. Everyone suddenly started to have sex, no matter what it doesn¡¯t seem right. So I suspect it has something to do with this ring¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s expression changed and then he got up and retrieved Shi JianChuan¡¯s ring.


    This ring was taken from the eighth floor. Using Lian Qiao¡¯s method, he saw the small words carved into it:


    ¡°ÔÚÌì±ÈÒí£¬Ô¸½áÁ¬Àí¡±


    {¡°In the sky as Biyi birds, willing to join together as Lianzhi¡± I¡¯m going to be using the Chinese sentence going forward to avoid using the awkward English translation.


    This is a reference to ancient poem ³¤ºÞ¸è. There¡¯s a line in this poem that says: ¡°In the sky I would like to be a Biyi bird, and on the ground I want to be as Lianzhi¡±. The Biyi bird is a bird in ancient legend where the male and female bird is said to only have one eye and one wing, hence they can only fly when together. Similarly the Lianzhi is two trees with different roots but connected branches. So it is a metaphor for a husband and wife being willing to join together, being loyal to each other and becoming inseparable from each other.}


    It turns out that the rings on each floor are different!


    Xu RenDong was startled and many things flashed through his mind.


    No wonder there was a heavy rain inexplicably in the last reincarnation, no wonder everyone would suddenly turn violent when having sex with the maids¡­ All of this is because the ring was taken away, triggering a specific curse.


    Xu RenDong suddenly understood why even Shi JianChuan was affected this time.


    He thought that the lust DEBUFF was spontaneously generated at a certain time. So his plan was this: deliberately cause a riot before the old lady appeared on stage, divert everyone¡¯s attention and naturally avoid the old lady and go upstairs alone. This way, when the old lady took people around to their rooms in the tulou, he could enter the ancestral hall in advance, use the time to arrange the order of the tablets and obtain the object in the wooden box.


    The plan so far has been smooth. Not long after he left the ancestral hall, the old lady took everyone to go up the nine levels. As everyone was settling in, he quietly took the ring from the ninth floor to give Lian Qiao. He then planned to talk to Shi JianChuan. Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the room, he was thrown down by the delirious Shi JianChuan.


    In fact, that¡¯s because the ring on the ninth floor is ¡°ÒÔÉ«Ê̾ý£¬Åξý³¤Áô¡± {The first ring, the one that has a sexual connotation}. As soon as he took off the ring, he triggered the DEBUFF. This time around, Shi JianChuan did not have the ring on his body so of course he would be affected.


    After finally getting rid of Shi JianChuan, he heard Lian Qiao go crazy in the corridor again, kicking down the door and scolding his mother.


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t stand this the most so he got angry and went to Lian Qiao to settle accounts. And then¡­ well what happened happened.


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help but glance at Shi JianChuan who was unconscious on the bed, feeling a little bit sorry for him.


    But it was also a fact that Shi JianChuan betrayed himself in the last reincarnation. Now with this, the two of them can be considered clear.


    Xu RenDong came back to his senses and found that Lian Qiao was staring at the two rings in his hand. He also muttered in his mouth: ¡°ÔÚÌì±ÈÒí£¬Ô¸½áÁ¬Àí {second ring}¡­ What does this mean? Is it to force us to marry those girls?¡­¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Xu RenDong said without thinking, ¡°You can¡¯t touch those maids. If you touch them, you will die.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s expression suddenly became very strange: ¡°How do you know? Have you touched them?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Xu RenDong was at a loss for words. Restricted by his rebirth, he couldn¡¯t tell the truth about what he had experienced before so he had to bite the bullet and forcibly answer, ¡°¡­I can¡¯t touch anyway. Even if ghosts don¡¯t kill me, you definitely will.¡±


    Lian Qiao was stunned and when he realized that he was talking about the incident before when he was kicking down the door and trying to ¡®catch him in the act¡¯, he couldn¡¯t help blushing and muttered in a low voice, ¡°Who told you to leave me and run away¡­I don¡¯t know if something happened to you, what do you expect me to do¡­?¡±


    Xu RenDong suddenly felt a little guilty when he heard this.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s out-of-control and crazy actions clearly showed that he liked him, cared about him, and protected him on the cusp of his heart. Even though he had tormented Lian Qiao unreasonably before and even used a tough attitude to part ways with Lian Qiao, but when he was in danger, Lian Qiao still came running like a madman to help him.


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t really understand his feelings for Lian Qiao and Lian Qiao¡¯s feelings for him.


    Emotions are inherently incomprehensible.


    In contrast, escape games may be simpler.


    Xu RenDong finally took out that thing and put it on the table.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Lian Qiao blinked in surprise.


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°I found it in the ancestral hall. Do you recognize what it is?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Lian Qiao took the strangely shaped silver oval ring in his hand and looked at it carefully, ¡°It looks familiar, like I¡¯ve seen it before¡­ wait.¡±


    His eyes lit up and he put the previous two rings on the flat ring. The ring slid down along the raised end of the flat ring and it happened to fit onto the flat ring.


    Now even Xu RenDong understood it and couldn¡¯t help but whisper: ¡°Nine Ring Links!¡±


    Lian Qiao shook his head: ¡°No, that¡¯s not right. Something is missing.¡± The two rings slid back and forth along the flat ring, ¡°Nine Ring Links is an educational toy and has a specific formula in order to solve it and put all the links through. But you see, this bare little ring can be directly put on without any obstacles¡­ It¡¯s hard to explain, let me show you the picture.¡±


    Then he opened the encyclopedia he had already downloaded on his phone and clicked on the entry ¡°Nine Ring Links¡±.


    Seeing the picture, Xu RenDong immediately understood what he meant. It turned out that the long flat ring was called the ring handle and the nine small rings were indeed set on the ring handle. However, the rings are not isolated from each other but are connected in series with each other and the lower end is fixed with a copper plate, which greatly reduced the movable angle of the rings.


    Therefore, the real Nine Link Rings simply are not as easy as they are now where you can easily thread the ring onto the ring handle. Whether it is to split up or restore the nine-chain links, a set of precise and repeated processes is required.


    As for the specific solution, it was too complicated. There are detailed instructions on the encyclopedia. The large paragraph of text is too long and there are mathematical symbols mixed in it. Xu RenDong did not bother looking at it.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that we can only start solving it if we have the complete set of rings¡­¡± Lian Qiao hesitated for a while, raised his head and there was something very complicated in his eyes, ¡°Brother RenDong, do you understand what this means?¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded solemnly.


    Taking off the ring from the lantern will trigger a DEBUFF and only the person carrying the ring would be unaffected.


    If you want to clear the level, you must collect all nine rings. That means Shi JianChuan will definitely betray them in order to steal the rings from Lian Qiao.


    In fact, what Shi JianChuan did was also reasonable. After all, in this instance, fundamentally speaking, only one person can survive.


    It is the person who holds the Nine Linked Rings in his hand.


    Nine times nine equals eighty-one, but nine divided by nine equals one. {Saying which references the old abacus system, metaphor for things returning to their place.}


    This is where this instance is really difficult.


    Lian Qiao fell silent. He turned his head and stared at the flickering candle on the table. The bright and extinguishing firelight reflected on his face incomparably soft but there was a deep emotion in his demeanor, which made people feel inexplicably sad.


    ¡°Is this why you want to separate from me?¡± Lian Qiao asked.


    Xu RenDong did not speak. He didn¡¯t know how to answer and he didn¡¯t know what Lian Qiao meant by ¡°this¡±.


    Are the two of them thinking the same thing now?


    In fact, sometimes silence is the answer. Lian Qiao smiled, suddenly stood up, crossed the table and kissed his forehead lightly.


    The kiss was as light as a cloud and the soft and warm touch didn¡¯t last for a moment and disappeared immediately.


    ¡°I¡¯ll listen to you.¡± After Lian Qiao finished saying this, he put the rings and the handle on the table, then got up and left.


    Xu RenDong was shocked. He chased out subconsciously, reached out and grabbed Lian Qiao¡¯s hand: ¡°Lian Qiao!¡±


    Lian Qiao turned around and smiled with crooked eyebrows: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°I don¡¯t need a ring, I¡­¡±


    ¡°RenDong.¡± Lian Qiao interrupted him, his eyes were gentle and warm, ¡°Do you remember, in the first instance, you saved me. Without you, I wouldn¡¯t be alive now. So you don¡¯t have to blame yourself, just treat it as my returning this life to you. Don¡¯t be sad, I¡¯m willing.¡±


    Seeing his self-sacrificing divine expression, Xu RenDong felt a burst of anger inexplicably.


    ¡°How do you only owe me one life?!¡± His voice rose involuntarily, becoming sharp and shrill, ¡°I¡ª¡±


    I can die for you without hesitation, even if I¡¯m scared of death, even if it hurts to the point of collapse to die, I died for you countless times!


    What about you?


    You didn¡¯t even frown when you killed me!


    Do you think you owe me only one life? !


    You owe me more than you can count!


    He had a thousand words to say but his voice stopped abruptly in the next second.


    He knew he had violated a taboo. It¡¯s impossible for him to say what he has been through and so, for some unknown fucking reason, he¡¯ll always have to bear the pain alone!


    He couldn¡¯t speak and the pain in his heart became stronger. He couldn¡¯t hold back any longer and suddenly pressed Lian Qiao against the wall, biting him on the shoulder!


    Xu RenDong bit hard. Lian Qiao was stunned. He didn¡¯t feel any pain at first and then he couldn¡¯t help but gasp.


    It was a real bite!


    Lian Qiao¡¯s whole body was curled up in pain and Xu RenDong was biting hard, as if he really wanted to bite a piece of meat off his shoulder. Lian Qiao was completely stunned. He couldn¡¯t figure out how Xu RenDong, who was always calm and self-contained, would do such a thing, how could he be so emotional ¨C biting him? !


    Although the pain was terrifying, Lian Qiao didn¡¯t resist. He just gritted his teeth silently and even raised his hand to gently pat Xu RenDong¡¯s back.


    Xu RenDong felt his caress and, as if he was even more stimulated, bit down with more strength. The sharp canine teeth pierced the skin directly and Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t hold back and let out a ¡°woo¡±.


    He screamed in pain and Xu RenDong finally let go. His teeth still didn¡¯t leave his shoulder and he said vaguely, ¡°Hold me.¡±


    Lian Qiao was stunned for a moment.


    Was this¡­ him being coquettish?


    The aggrieved ¡°hold me¡± sentence made Lian Qiao¡¯s heart melt. He immediately hugged Xu RenDong tightly in his arms and couldn¡¯t help kissing his hair.


    The two people¡¯s chests were pressed against each other and they clearly felt each other¡¯s body temperature.


    Xu RenDong was no longer angry. He had finished venting but he was still a little aggrieved.


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t ask why. He could feel it and was terribly distressed.


    The emotions of the two of them gradually calmed down but they were still reluctant to let go, so they kept hugging each other quietly.


    Until a lazy and helpless voice came from behind.


    ¡°How long are you guys planning to be intimate in someone else¡¯s room?¡±

 CH 103

    Chapter 103 ¨C Without a Key 15


    Shi JianChuan was awake?!


    The two let go of each other within an instant like an electric shock and turned around at the same time with a high degree of tacit understanding and without looking at each other.


    Xu RenDong coughed and said as calmly as possible: ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡±


    Shi JianChuan smiled and said, ¡°Yes. How long do you think I¡¯ve been awake?¡±


    Xu RenDong instantly lost steam and his face was immediately stained with two flushes. He picked up the teacup on the table embarrassedly and used tea to ease his shame but accidentally caught a glimpse of Lian Qiao¡¯s frown.


    Xu RenDong was surprised. He saw Lian Qiao turned his head and glanced at the door. He said abruptly: ¡°The sounds outside have stopped.¡±


    The sounds outside?


    Xu RenDong listened carefully. Sure enough, the cries that originally filled the corridor had been silenced at some point. I¡¯m afraid those people are probably in great danger. Why is Lian Qiao mentioning this now?


    Shi JianChuan bit his lip and smiled: ¡°So what?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I beat you up just now.¡± Lian Qiao pouted. ¡°But you have to blame yourself for accidentally being cursed and acting crazy towards Boss RenDong. You should already know our boss has a violent temper¡­ In short, I¡¯m sorry. Since you¡¯re okay, we¡¯ll go first.¡±


    He calmly threw a glance at Xu RenDong.


    Xu RenDong understood. He hummed very cooperatively and walked towards the door with nobility and grace.


    Shi JianChuan was still smiling but a playful look gradually appeared in his eyes. He didn¡¯t speak, didn¡¯t make any movement, just leaned on the bedpost with a smile and looked at their backs.


    However, when Xu RenDong was about to open the door, Lian Qiao suddenly grabbed his hand: ¡°Be careful!¡±


    Xu RenDong was startled and suddenly heard two hissing sounds in his ears. Looking closely, only then did he realize that in the shadow on the carved window pane was a small snake. The snake was completely white and a pair of dark round eyes stared at him coldly. If Lian Qiao hadn¡¯t reminded him in time, his hand would have just fallen into the snake¡¯s mouth.


    Snap. Behind him, Shi JianChuan suddenly opened the folding fan and shook it slowly.


    He sighed. Lazily and amusedly, he repeated his sentence just now: ¡°Guess how long have I been awake? How many things have I heard?


    Xu RenDong was startled as he suddenly realized the meaning of these words.


    He has heard all about the Nine Linked Rings!


    In Xu RenDong¡¯s mind, lightning flashed in an instant. He quickly thought: two of the rings are on them and the most crucial ring handle (the flat ring from the ancestral hall) is also on them. Since Shi JianChuan already knew about the existence of the Nine Linked Rings, he was bound to compete with them for the only chance of survival.


    But they couldn¡¯t beat Shi JianChuan at all!


    Not to mention Lian Qiao being injured, even if both of them were in their best condition, they would have no chance of winning against the fantastic and treacherous white snake on Shi JianChuan! Shi JianChuan was too strong, it was impossible for them to confront him head-on.


    So what should they do now?


    There is only one chance of survival and Shi JianChuan wouldn¡¯t just give up. What if he  wants to grab it? Does he have any other cards to negotiate? Is there any other way¡­ his  heart was getting more and more anxious. Because Xu RenDong found out that he really has no other choices.


    Shi JianChuan didn¡¯t need to cooperate with them at all. He was strong enough and smart enough that he could easily pass the level without a partner.


    This is the strength of the real Nine Level boss.


    Compared with him, the two of them are simply kindergarten children!


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart sank little by little. He even gave up on himself and thought: it¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll just redo everything. Now that Shi JianChuan knew about this, it was impossible for them to survive¡­ just die and start over¡­


    At this moment, he suddenly heard Lian Qiao take a deep breath.


    Inexplicably, Xu RenDong calmed down. He felt that Lian Qiao must have thought of a solution. This gave him a strong sense of security.


    He turned his head to look at Lian Qiao and saw Lian Qiao¡¯s expression was calm, neither humble nor arrogant: ¡°You can¡¯t pass this instance alone.¡±


    He said it with great certainty, as if he was stating a law of physics.


    Shi JianChuan leaned against the bedpost, still looking lazy and idle but there was a hint of curiosity in his eyes: ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Because¡­¡± Lian Qiao paused and his voice was low, ¡°¡­there is a ring that I¡¯ve hidden.¡±


    Shi JianChuan was taken aback. Xu RenDong was also stunned and his eyes suddenly widened.


    Lian Qiao hid a ring from him? When did this happen?


    Then when he took the initiative to hand over the ring and the ring handle just now¡­ was he just being a fool?


    Lian Qiao ignored the two people¡¯s shock and continued to say calmly: ¡°I felt that the lantern was not right when I went upstairs just now. At the lantern at the entrance of the stairs, the halo of the candle inside was obviously different from other lanterns. I climbed up and took a look. I found that this candle is very special and may be useful. Just in case, I hid one¡­ I didn¡¯t even tell him about it.¡±


    Lian Qiao glanced at Xu RenDong quickly. Xu RenDong felt a heavy blow in his heart and his chest was suddenly so tight that he could hardly breathe.


    ¡°Then you¡­¡± Xu RenDong said with difficulty, word by word, ¡°Just now¡­¡±


    Shi JianChuan suddenly sneered: ¡°So the tender love just now was a lie. He was lying to you and is also guarding against you.¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s expression changed and his eyes shot at Shi JianChuan as sharp as a knife.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to intervene in my affairs with him.¡± Xu RenDong said coldly.


    Unexpectedly, Lian Qiao did not deny it. He even lowered his head slightly and sighed softly, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for you, he wouldn¡¯t have known about this. After all, I really like him.¡±


    He sighed softly and regretfully. But Xu RenDong¡¯s heart was cut into pieces by the gentle knife.


    Shi JianChuan looked at Xu RenDong biting his lips and enduring the pain and seemed to find it all very interesting.


    ¡°There is a loophole in what you said.¡± Shi JianChuan¡¯s playful gaze shifted to Lian Qiao and he said with a smile, ¡°You hid a ring but eventually he would find out regardless. Because if you can¡¯t make up the nine rings, no one can get out. Unless¡­¡± He waved his folding fan leisurely and there was a cruel pleasure in the smile on his lips, ¡°Unless, you¡¯ve already decided to kill him when he¡¯s not expecting it and take all the rings back. In this way, you will survive on your own. And he won¡¯t know you betrayed him even until he dies.¡±


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t speak.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart was ashes but he didn¡¯t want to show his pain to others. Therefore, he said to Shi JianChuan indifferently: ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about me and him. If you want to grab the ring, just grab it. What are you talking about?¡±


    Lian Qiao suddenly stepped forward and put himself between him and Shi JianChuan.


    ¡°I have a way to let us all live.¡±


    Xu RenDong suddenly had a glimmer of hope in his heart. Was there any way to really keep everybody alive?


    He could only listen to Lian Qiao: ¡°After I find the elevator, I will use the fastest speed to put together the nine chains. During this period, you protect me from outside interference. This way we can escape together.¡±


    Shi JianChuan laughed: ¡°First let¡¯s not talk about why I¡¯ve given up all nine rings¡­. Just say all nine rings are indeed on you, then I will be affected by the curse. At that time, I will not even be able to protect myself, how is it possible to protect you?¡±


    ¡°You can.¡± Lian Qiao picked up the backpack on the table and took out something from the dark compartment, ¡°Because I will give you this.¡±


    When the two clearly saw the thing in his hand, everyone¡¯s faces changed.


    It turned out to be a ¨C a doll!


    After killing the key player, the avatar that imprisoned the opponent¡¯s soul!


    Shi JianChuan glanced at the puppet, thoughtfully. Soon he laughed again: ¡°You actually  have this.¡±


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°Since you recognize it, you should know what it is for. After you are cursed, as long as you just die and resurrect, all the curses on your body will be lifted.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Shi JianChuan lowered his eyes and tapped the back of his hand with the handle of the folding fan, as if he was considering, ¡± ¡®Just die and resurrect¡¯ ¨C it¡¯s easy for you to say¡­¡±


    His words were quite sarcastic but neither did he reject the offer.


    Because, Lian Qiao¡¯s plan was feasible and was the only way.


    Although Shi JianChuan was forced to die, if he refused to cooperate, he might never find the ring that was hidden by Lian Qiao. That would be a lose-lose result.


    And, as per Lian Qiao¡¯s proposal, although Shi JianChuan would suffer a loss, there was still a chance of life in the end.


    He was taken by Lian Qiao.


    It¡¯s just¡­ in this case¡­


    Shi JianChuan suddenly raised his folding fan and pointed at Xu RenDong: ¡°What about him? In your plan, he will definitely die.¡±


    Xu RenDong was suffocated. He couldn¡¯t think anymore and could only stare at Lian Qiao blankly, waiting for his answer.


    But Lian Qiao was silent.


    In this silence, Xu RenDong¡¯s heart sank little by little.


    Finally, Lian Qiao whispered: ¡°This instance is too difficult. Being able to keep two people alive is the limit of what I can do. I can¡¯t keep a third person.¡±


    Xu RenDong smiled bitterly.


    Sure enough, the ¡°we¡± that Lian Qiao said did not include him.


    He never thought that Lian Qiao would have such deep schemes. He never thought that there would be such a day when Lian Qiao said ¡°we¡± and did not include him.


    And a moment ago, just a few minutes ago, they were still hugging each other tightly, loving each other.


    He really thought that Lian Qiao wanted to give him all the things and give him the only chance of survival. He even lost his temper because of Lian Qiao¡¯s childish self-sacrifice. He thought that Lian Qiao was so stupid¡­


    Turns out it was just a lie. It turned out that when Lian Qiao was holding him and kissing him, he had already decided to kill him.


    The stupid person was himself.


    ¡­


    Xu RenDong doesn¡¯t want to listen to the negotiations between Lian Qiao and Shi JianChuan. He suddenly felt very tired, so he dropped the ring and the handle and left the room.


    Shi JianChuan and Lian Qiao didn¡¯t stop him. Presumably for them, he was useless.


    He went back to his room and fell asleep.


    He was so tired that he never rested after entering this instance. His scalp was numb  and the back of the head felt a dull pain as if it was being smashed with a hammer.


    He was terribly uncomfortable but he couldn¡¯t really fall asleep. When he was half asleep, he heard a creak and the door was pushed open. He was too lazy to open his eyes. Then the bed sank slightly. Someone sat down beside the bed.


    ¡°RenDong.¡± It was undoubtedly Lian Qiao¡¯s voice, ¡°If I said that I didn¡¯t hide the ring from you on purpose and just didn¡¯t get time to tell you, would you believe it?¡±


    Xu RenDong knew that he couldn¡¯t fool Lian Qiao by pretending to be asleep so he had no choice but to open his eyes. When he opened them, his eyes were dry and tingling and he really wanted to drop some eye drops in there.


    Lian Qiao took out the ring and the ring handle, put it on his hand and asked carefully, ¡°Do you know the solution to the nine linked rings?¡±


    Xu RenDong rubbed his eyes, thinking in his heart: it would be great if there were eye drops. I really want eye drops.


    Lian Qiao was silent for a moment, then took out his mobile phone, opened an interface and held it in front of him: ¡°This is the solution formula. You must memorize it, figure out the steps in your heart and move quickly. The timing will be very urgent¡­¡±


    Why was he saying these strange things? He is the one who wants to cooperate with Shi JianChuan. What is Xu RenDong supposed to do with this solution?


    It was as if he wanted to give Xu RenDong the chance to live again.


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t want to guess the truth of what he said. He was a little curious but at the same time not so curious. He just asked casually: ¡°Who did you kill? When was it?¡±


    Lian Qiao was stunned: ¡°What?¡­Who killed who?¡±


    Xu RenDong calmly said: ¡°It¡¯s already at this time, is it still necessary to act? Zhong Xiu warned me a long time ago when she realized you knew about the term ¡®key players¡¯ She wanted me to be careful about you but I didn¡¯t take it to heart until now.¡±


    At that time, Xu RenDong had thought firmly: Even if he has something to hide from me, I will trust him until the day he actually betrays me.


    Now, that day has come.


    Xu RenDong finally understood that there are things in the world that are far more painful than death.


    Lian Qiao was extremely shocked: ¡°When did she tell you?¡­What ¡®key player¡¯? I really don¡¯t know. All I know is that this doll can save lives. It was Zhong Xiu who told me¡­¡± Lian Qiao suddenly changed and he looked flustered and at a loss, ¡°Yes, in the last instance, you fell asleep at night and I saw Zhong Xiu secretly stuffing this thing onto you. I was worried that she would harm you so I had a fight with her. So she told me the purpose of this puppet¡­ But I still didn¡¯t believe her so I secretly hid the puppet while she was asleep¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s expression finally changed a little. But he was moved not because of Lian Qiao¡¯s explanation but because he heard about Zhong Xiu.


    About his mother.


    ¡°Later I learned that she is your mother so she wouldn¡¯t harm you¡­ But I didn¡¯t dare tell you that I quarreled with your mother, after all, she is already dead¡­ So I never said anything about the doll¡­¡± Lian Qiao suddenly remembered something and he pointed to the backpack, ¡°But the doll was always in the backpack, it was always on you! It was left to you by your mother and I never thought of using it to protect myself! Everything I said, it was really just to deceive Shi JianChuan!¡±


    He grabbed the ring on the bed, shoved it into Xu RenDong¡¯s hand and then held Xu RenDong¡¯s hand tightly with both hands.


    ¡°Can you trust me once? I really have no choice¡­¡± Lian Qiao begged in a low voice, almost in despair, ¡°I lied but I was lying to him! I didn¡¯t lie to you! Don¡¯t you believe me? I¡¯ll take you to get the ring I¡¯ve hidden and then you can find another place to hide it. That way you can¡­¡±


    So, he really did hide one.


    Xu RenDong felt an almost thrilling pain in his heart and thought to himself: When he gave me the ring and made the self-sacrificing gesture, he had already left a way out for himself.


    And I was actually so grateful.


    If it wasn¡¯t for Shi JianChuan tearing down his pretenses, he was afraid that he would die before discovering his betrayal. After being reborn, I don¡¯t know how to face the ¡°loving¡± him.


    It was all really very, very sad.


    Xu RenDong interrupted him calmly: ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes were red and his voice was slightly hoarse: ¡°Don¡¯t be angry with me at this time, okay? What do you want me to do so that you¡¯ll believe me¡­ so that you¡¯ll  forgive me?¡±


    Xu RenDong looked down at the hands that Lian Qiao was holding tightly and said lightly, ¡°I¡¯m not mad at you, I really don¡¯t need it.¡±


    Little by little, he pulled his own hands out of Lian Qiao¡¯s hand and his tone was so calm that even he was surprised: ¡°Did you forget what I said? I don¡¯t need a ring. I won¡¯t be affected by the curse so you can put the Nine Ring Links together with confidence. Don¡¯t mind me.¡±


    Lian Qiao was stunned.


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°You can do whatever you want, I don¡¯t want to worry about it anymore. I¡¯m so tired, I just want to sleep now. Can you let me sleep?¡±


    Lian Qiao was still dumbfounded, as if he couldn¡¯t understand what he said. Just looked at him.


    Seeing that he didn¡¯t leave, Xu RenDong had to get up from the bed: ¡°Forget it. You have limited mobility so this room is for you. I¡¯ll go find another place.¡± He stood up, turned his head and walked towards the door.


    Lian Qiao suddenly lost control of his emotions and rushed over to hug him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go!¡± Lian Qiao hugged his waist tightly, his eyes were red and his voice was choked. Every word was like weeping blood, ¡°Do you¡­ do you want me to commit suicide in front of you so that¡­ you¡¯ll believe me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not necessary.¡± Xu RenDong opened his fingers little by little and said without turning his head, ¡°I won¡¯t be able to get out even if you die. I won¡¯t be able to find the elevator.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡ª¡± Lian Qiao refused to let go but held on to him even more stubbornly, ¡°I¡¯ll come to you when I find the elevator! When we go out together, let¡¯s sit down, and then have a good ¡­ talk about it.¡±


    Talk about it ¡­


    The appearance of their living room suddenly emerged in Xu RenDong¡¯s mind. He recalled the fabric sofa that was so soft that it dented deeply, the small wall lamp that was warm and sleepy and the two cups of tea steaming slightly on his lap. The familiar and reassuring smell that could be smelt on the clothes, the hair, the neck and earlobes.


    But all this tenderness turned into a ridiculous lie when Lian Qiao decided to betray him.


    He was so tired that he was tired even thinking about it.


    Speaking of which, after entering this instance, it seemed he hadn¡¯t slept for four or five days. No wonder he was so tired.


    He suddenly felt aggrieved, his eyes turned red with grievance and he almost pleaded: ¡°I just want to sleep. Why don¡¯t you even let me sleep? I just want to have a good night¡¯s sleep¡­ Please let me go, okay?¡±


    Lian Qiao was shocked and finally let go.


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t have the strength to look back at him and just stumbled away.


    ***


    T/N:


    I hope you guys aren¡¯t too upset by this chapter. I know XRD is being really stubborn but just think about his psychological standpoint. He¡¯s still reeling from being ¡®killed¡¯ by LQ in the previous instance and although he knows it¡¯s not LQ¡¯s fault, it definitely still leaves a dent in your psyche. Plus he¡¯s super tired, exhausted and not thinking straight. And yes he¡¯s a little bit dumb when it comes to emotions since he¡¯s quite imperfect. I think this author is sometimes a little bit TOO realistic when it comes to her character¡¯s actions and motivations, usually reading BL/danmei is like being in a safe bubble where MC/ML is always OP and infallible but this is more like real life I guess. She¡¯s kind of dedicated to making flawed people like real life people¡­ it is a bit jarring sometimes I admit.

 CH 104

    Chapter 104 ¨C Without a Key 16


    Xu RenDong casually found an empty room, drove the maid away and fell asleep.


    This time he finally managed to fall asleep. He had a long dream. There was nothing in this dream, only a black sweetness. When he woke up, he was in good spirits and his mood had recovered from the dull, almost numb pain. Only then did he realize that he was really tired.


    He couldn¡¯t remember how long since he¡¯d had a good rest like this. He seemed accustomed to this prolonged state of mental strain. Every time something like this happened, it was like a race against time, a race against death.


    Every time he wakes up in the elevator, his body has returned to its best state but his spirit is like a piece of iron that has been bent over and over again. It has become white and stiff and he does not know when it will break.


    So when Lian Qiao offered to sacrifice himself, he would easily lose control and lose his temper with Lian Qiao.


    So when Lian Qiao abandoned him and chose Shi JianChuan, he also didn¡¯t do anything other than find a place to sleep.


    He suddenly realized that his spirit had actually collapsed. He was so sick that he wanted to die and he didn¡¯t want to struggle anymore.


    But death is nothing but a rebirth. He can¡¯t even die.


    In any case, he finally got a good night¡¯s sleep and he regained some strength. He was able to calmly examine his current state.


    He heard very loud noises from outside. The wind and rain slapped on the doors and windows, with the sound of sharp arrows breaking through the air and the sound of insects flapping their wings. Some men and women were crying and screaming but the sounds soon disappeared into nothing.


    Gradually, a reddish liquid seeped in from under the crack of the door. It¡¯s rain mixed with blood.


    Xu RenDong was very calm listening to the voices outside. He believed in the strength of Lian Qiao and Shi JianChuan. If these two cooperated, they would definitely find a way out. And since he is not affected by the curse, he just needs to sit back and enjoy their achievements.


    Thinking of this, he couldn¡¯t help caressing his chest and hooking his fingers lightly. With that, he hooked out the longevity lock around his neck.


    The longevity lock had a simple and plain style with delicate cloud patterns carved on it. He squeezed the longevity lock in the palm of his hand and it felt heavy and rigid, like a mother¡¯s love turned into a reality.


    ¡­what a ridiculous thought.


    He used to think that the one who hurt him the most was Zhong Xiu. Zhong Xiu brought him 20 years of loneliness and unwillingness, but at the end of her life, she left him the most precious thing ¨C she gave him a way out.


    He also once thought that the one who loved him the most and hated to see him hurt the most was Lian Qiao. But what about now?


    Xu RenDong sat on the edge of the bed for a while and suddenly heard a knock on the door. He hid the longevity lock behind his shirt and before he could ask who was outside, he heard a hoarse voice shout:


    ¡°Open the door, cough, Ren, Ren Dong, come out!¡±


    It was Lian Qiao.


    Just by hearing the sound, he knew that he was seriously injured. Xu RenDong got up and went to the door, opened it and there was a bloody smell so thick that he choked his nose.


    He saw Lian Qiao holding the door and standing on one leg with difficulty. An arrow was stuck in his injured left leg. The long sharp arrow pierced through his thigh and the blood stained his entire trouser leg red.


    Fortunately it was the broken leg. If the other one got injured, he would only be able to crawl on the ground.


    Xu RenDong looked away from Lian Qiao¡¯s legs and suddenly noticed the corridor behind Lian Qiao. The railings were filled with slanted wooden arrows. The sharp arrows were all deeply inserted into the surfaces, showing how powerful the arrows were. From the angle, it seems that it was shot from the air towards the surrounding of the tulou, so the entire interior of the tulou was filled with arrows.


    At this time, the entire tulou was already embroiled in a bloody storm. The wind was blowing hard outside and the rain was thundering. There were corpses everywhere in the tulou, some with their necks and heads cut off, some with torn stomachs and intestines. Bright pieces of red meat were scattered everywhere, it was impossible to tell if they used to be individual people.


    The rain has flooded the floor. There was a strange mist in the air and a faint rancid stench. A giant snake circled in the pool and the sky was dark. A group of black giant birds circled around the giant snake.


    ¡°I found the elevator, cough, cough, let¡¯s go!¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s face was pale and blood oozed from his eyes and ears. It was unknown what he had experienced. He stretched out his hand to pull Xu RenDong but what he stretched out was not an intact palm, but a piece of bone!


    Xu RenDong was startled and subconsciously wanted to help him. Lian Qiao suddenly withdrew his hand, turned around and gritted his teeth. He said, ¡°Follow me!¡±


    His left leg was seriously injured and it was unknown where his crutch had gone. He could only hold on to the railing and move forward step by step with difficulty.


    After Xu RenDong slept for such a long time, his numb heart also recovered and he had the ability to feel heartache again. So he was very distressed.


    Enduring distress while forcing yourself not to act will only make yourself more uncomfortable. So Xu RenDong reached out to him and pulled Lian Qiao onto his shoulders.


    ¡°¡­¡± Lian Qiao glanced at him blankly and then his eyes suddenly turned red.


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t want to look at him so he turned his head to look at the sky and changed the topic bluntly: ¡°What is that?¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s breath was unsteady and a line of blood was coughing up from the corners of his lips. He took Xu RenDong to the edge of a broken railing and stopped, ¡°The elevator is in the water, let¡¯s jump down together.¡±


    Xu RenDong looked down at the dark and deep water: ¡°In the pool?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Xu RenDong estimated the distance from here to the bottom of the water in his heart. The elevator should be at the bottom of the pool. If he added the height of the rainwater on the submerged floor, it was unknown how deep it was.


    Seeing his hesitation, Lian Qiao broke free from his hand: ¡°I have calculated it already. According to our lung capacity, it should be enough to swim to the elevator¡­cough, but the water level is rising fast and we can¡¯t delay. Then it will be too late.¡±


    While coughing, Lian Qiao moved his body up the gap in the railing: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll go down first.¡±


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go down together.¡± Xu RenDong went around to the other side and grabbed his still intact arm.


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t speak anymore, just took a deep breath while trembling slightly.


    Xu RenDong closed his eyes. The next second, the two held hands and jumped into the water together.


    The deep pool formed by the rain was freezing cold. Xu RenDong held his breath and opened his eyes in the pool. The pool water was a turbid green and light from nowhere shot down on the water, illuminating the shallow water.


    The water was very dirty and it stung when it got into the eyes. But at this time, he couldn¡¯t care about it so much so Xu RenDong endured the discomfort of his eyes, held his breath and went downstream.


    The further down he went, the dimmer the light got. At first, the roars of fighting above the water could be heard but, gradually, those sounds became erratic, like a boat swaying further and further away.


    Xu RenDong vaguely saw something in the slightly dark place below. Only when he swam close did he see clearly that it was actually a pale floating corpse!


    It was unknown how long since the floating corpse had died and its entire body was soaked white. It looks like the body was a male corpse but the facial features were blurred. I was unknown if it was smashed by a blunt object or eaten by a school of fish. The original appearance couldn¡¯t be seen at all.


    Lian Qiao tugged at his arm and took him to swim in the other direction.


    The oxygen remaining in his lungs was getting less and less and his nostrils contracted unconsciously, struggling to breathe. Xu RenDong tried to hold his breath but the more he dived, the greater the water pressure outside. Water squeezed into his nose desperately and there was a dull pain in the depths of his ears. He couldn¡¯t help worrying about his eardrum being burst and the pool water pouring into his brain from his ear canal.


    After another dive, however, fortunately what he feared did not happen.


    The human body was much tougher than he imagined. Despite his growing thirst for air, he was able to hold on and was able to slowly paddle while remaining conscious.


    In contrast, Lian Qiao must be working much harder than him.


    Lian Qiao was seriously injured and he was already coughing up blood desperately whilst he was on the shore. Now that he was underwater, it was unknown how he was enduring it.


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help turning his head to look at Lian Qiao. The light in the water swayed on Lian Qiao¡¯s face. The blood on his face had already been washed away but his color was so bad that he didn¡¯t look much better than the floating corpse.


    After all, there was a sharp arrow piercing through the muscle on his leg and he had to struggle to dive into this cold and dirty pool. Lian Qiao was obviously in a lot of pain.


    Xu RenDong felt a stab in his heart ¨C if he didn¡¯t choose to escape on his own these few days but found a way to work with Lian Qiao, then maybe Lian Qiao wouldn¡¯t have suffered such a serious injury¡­


    Thinking of this, Xu RenDong stiffly restrained own feelings.


    Who hasn¡¯t suffered an injury of this magnitude?


    No one even knows about the injuries he has suffered, the inhuman pain he has suffered, and everything he has sacrificed.


    Perhaps it is precisely because he doesn¡¯t know that makes Lian Qiao capable of betraying him without telling him¡­ It makes all his sacrifices seem so ridiculous.


    Really, so very ridiculous.


    Xu RenDong looked away indifferently, no longer looking at Lian Qiao¡¯s pale face. Lian Qiao didn¡¯t notice the gaze of the person beside him but just kicked through the water with difficulty and tried to dive down.


    Suddenly, his expression brightened.


    Xu RenDong looked forward and saw a huge silver-white metal block standing in front of him.


    The elevator!


    Xu RenDong also felt joy in his heart. Then he thought: the elevator has been found, then what about the button?


    Lian Qiao¡¯s expression suddenly changed and he stretched out his hand in front of him. Xu RenDong was stunned, not knowing what he meant.


    Lian Qiao seemed to be enduring something. He frowned, opened his fingers and put something into his palm.


    It was the button.


    There¡¯s nothing wrong with that touch, it¡¯s just the button.


    The elevator was close at hand and it was silent underwater. Xu RenDong glanced at Lian Qiao sideways and found that Lian Qiao was covering his mouth and his body trembled. Red blood seeped out from between his fingers and quickly spread into the pool.


    It was very buoyant in deep water. Lian Qiao coughed badly and his entire person began to float up quickly. Xu RenDong hurriedly grabbed him but only caught a corner of his clothes. Lian Qiao coughed so badly that he couldn¡¯t swim by himself so Xu RenDong had no choice but to grab the corner of his clothes and try to pull Lian Qiao back.


    After finally pulling him to his side, Xu RenDong grabbed the elevator door, and finally managed to stabilise them.


    Liam Qiao was still holding back his cough. He covered his mouth and nose, revealing only the top half of his face but he smiled and raised his eyebrows.


    Xu RenDong was about to install the button when he accidentally caught a glimpse of Lian Qiao¡¯s smile. His heart was pierced for no reason and it was sore and painful.


    However, in the next second, the smile in Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes disappeared.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart thumped. He sensed something was not right and he wanted to hide, but Lian Qiao grabbed his arm.


    What was he going to do? !


    Xu RenDong tried desperately to withdraw his hand, but was pulled closer and closer by Lian Qiao. He was shocked and touched the knife on his body subconsciously but unfortunately Lian Qiao had already pulled him to the front with that grasping force. Before Xu RenDong drew out the knife, Lian Qiao had already left him behind!


    He, in the end ¨C


    Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes were shocked and pained, and he vigorously shook his arms, trying to turn around in the water. But when he turned back, he saw a bright red floating in the water.


    Blood. A lot of blood, more blood, exploded from behind him.


    Xu RenDong was instantly icy cold. A biting cold pain came from his limbs.


    He finally turned around and saw Lian Qiao¡¯s body that had been chomped in two within the waters that was close by.


    A large amount of blood smeared the vision. A mouth of fine and sharp teeth gradually receded from behind Lian Qiao¡¯s waist and disappeared into the darkness. Xu RenDong recognized the pair of teeth, they were the murlocs, the murlocs who had bitten him so hard that he wanted to die.


    It turned out that ¨C Lian Qiao was trying to save him ¨C


    Pushing him away was so he could die in his stead!


    ¡°Go-!¡± Lian Qiao hadn¡¯t died yet so he shouted with all his strength. The blood and water mixed with the bubbles, carrying his last words, and rushed towards Xu RenDong.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s scalp was numb and his whole body was stiff. He watched Lian Qiao¡¯s exposed intestines float in the water and watched as Lian Qiao turned into two pieces of lifeless flesh, sinking little by little.


    Xu RenDong wanted to cry but the pool of water was too heavy, pressing his tears back into his eyes.


    He also wanted to shout loudly but when he opened his mouth, cold water with a bloody smell poured into his nose and the intense pain caused him to faint.


    In fact, he actually knew it deep down in his heart.


    How could Lian Qiao betray him, how could he abandon him to pave the way for himself?


    He was just in too much pain and there was no one who could share his pain. He could only deliberately bite back at Lian Qiao, he wanted Lian Qiao to feel the same pain as him and taste the same taste of despair as him.


    But¡­but¡­


    His tattered heart, which was obviously riddled with holes, turned out could still hurt more.


    -But wasn¡¯t that as it should be? Because he loves Lian Qiao.


    How can you relieve your pain by hurting someone you love?


    ¡­


    Fortunately, everything can be done all over again.


    At this moment, Xu RenDong suddenly understood the meaning of that sentence.


    ¡°You will experience countless tortures, but this is not a punishment, it is a reward.¡±


    It really is a reward.


    Xu RenDong pulled the corner of his mouth and drew a wry smile. At the same time he released his fingers slightly.


    The hard metal buttons slipped from his fingers, followed the current and sank into the depths of the pool. It soon disappeared.


    There was less and less oxygen remaining in his body. The bloody pool water poured back into him, filling his entire lungs with the smell of Lian Qiao, cold and painful.


    Let it be all over again.

 CH 105

    Chapter 105 ¨C Without a Key 17


    ¡°The lock without a key¡±.


    These six words slowly appeared in front of him. Lian Qiao was thinking about what it meant when he saw the man beside him curl up as if in pain.


    Lian Qiao was shocked.


    ¡°Brother RenDong?¡± He hurriedly leaned over and saw Xu RenDong was slightly bent over and was clenching the front of his left chest with both hands. Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t help but feel nervous, saying, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Is your heart uncomfortable?¡±


    Xu RenDong gritted his teeth and seemed to be enduring great pain. He slowly raised his gaze and his bloodshot eyes startled Lian Qiao. Lian Qiao hurriedly helped him sit down, holding him tightly while pouring out the contents of his backpack.


    He had some emergency medicine in his backpack. Lian Qiao quickly found the quick-acting heart-saving pill but his hands were shaking too hard to open the lid. He was so anxious that he was about to cry.


    ¡°Lian¡­ Lian Qiao¡­¡± The person in his arms squeezed out a small noise from the depths of his throat. Lian Qiao felt a chill from his wrist, Xu RenDong had already pressed down his trembling hand and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°It¡¯s alright¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you¡­¡± Lian Qiao saw that his face had relaxed a little and knew he had recovered but he still felt anxious and said uneasily, ¡°What happened just now? Did you have any problems with your heart before?¡±


    Xu RenDong had clutched his shirt so hard just now that the area around the heart was still wrinkled and he couldn¡¯t smooth it out no matter what.


    Lian Qiao anxiously waited for his answer. After a long time, what came was a faint smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡±


    Of course, this kind of perfunctory answer could not satisfy Lian Qiao. Lian Qiao frowned and was about to ask further but Xu RenDong hooked his neck, pulled him in, raised his head and kissed his lips.


    Lian Qiao was stunned.


    He had never seen Xu RenDong being so proactive.


    Xu RenDong had always been cold and abstinent, like a priest sitting among the rose bushes holding a Bible, as if the world had nothing to do with him.


    However, at this time, Xu RenDong, who was cold and abstinent, not only took the initiative to kiss him but even after the lingering kiss was over, buried his head between Lian Qiao¡¯s neck and sniffed his smell greedily.


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry, caressed his hair lovingly, and asked softly, ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you?¡±


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t answer directly but said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t ask any further, just touched him like this hair, like soothing a kitten that lacked love. After a long time, Xu RenDong finally opened his mouth and said, ¡°I almost died just now. When I was about to die, I realized how much I love you.¡±


    Although the latter sentence was affectionate, Lian Qiao¡¯s attention was all on the first part of the sentence. He shook his hands in shock and almost pulled Xu RenDong¡¯s hair down.


    If he knew that Xu RenDong hadn¡¯t ¡°almost died just now¡± but in fact had already ¡°died just now¡±, it¡¯s afraid Xu RenDong already would have gotten alopecia.


    ¡°Have you ever been in this situation before?¡± Lian Qiao didn¡¯t know the truth, so he naturally thought that Xu RenDong was talking about the ¡®heart attack¡¯ that happened just now. ¡°Or have other people in your family¡­ uh¡­¡± He wanted to ask Xu RenDong about other people in his family and if they had a history of heart problems. However he suddenly remembered that Xu RenDong¡¯s only relative had just passed away, so he cut off the conversation abruptly.


    Xu RenDong shook his head, thought for a while and nodded again: ¡°I had it once before.¡±


    ¡°Then go to the hospital to check it out after you go out.¡± Lian Qiao raised his hand to stroke his cheek and his eyes flashed with worry, ¡°You really almost scared me to death just now.¡±


    Xu RenDong smiled and, without speaking, he bent down and cleaned up the things on the ground with Lian Qiao.


    Just now, Lian Qiao shook everything out of his backpack in a panic and the debris was scattered all over the place. There were tools like swiss army knives, climbing ropes, flashlights and edibles like mineral water, compressed biscuits and chocolate. There are also several bottles of medicine in it. Other than the sleeping pills, Xu RenDong doesn¡¯t recognize the other medications.


    ¡ªWhere did Lian Qiao get these medications? Where had he obtained so much medical knowledge?


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t think much, just picked it up and threw it into the backpack.


    After putting things away, Lian Qiao suddenly made a ¡°huh¡± sound.


    Xu RenDong turned his head and saw that Lian Qiao was holding a brass key in his hand.


    It was the hidden reward given by the rabbit after they had collected all the nesting dolls in the first instance of the Russian matryoshka. He saw Lian Qiao looking up at the big characters ¡°lock without a key¡± floating in the air and muttered in disappointment: ¡°It¡¯s a pity that it is a lock without a key, not a key without a lock¡­¡±


    After he said this, Xu RenDong also suddenly thought: What is this key used for?


    This key didn¡¯t seem to have a use anywhere and Lian Qiao¡¯s name was also engraved on it, which was very confusing. But along the way, Xu RenDong has also inquired about it from others but no one has heard of this kind of key, let alone know the function of it.


    After a long time, the two of them almost forgot about it. If they hadn¡¯t tossed it out from the depths of the backpack today, it would probably take until the Year of the Monkey to remember they had it.


    The brass key was simple in shape, just like the golden keys commonly found in fairy tale books. Except for the word ¡°Lian Qiao¡± engraved on it, there is really nothing special about it. The two stared at the key for a while, then sighed and put the key away again.


    The elevator door was already open. The night outside the door is as cold as water and the cold wind blew in, making people feel cold.


    After packing up, Lian Qiao habitually put on his backpack but it was grabbed by Xu RenDong.


    ¡°Let me do it. You have an injury on your leg.¡± Xu RenDong threw the backpack on his body, his movements were neat and tidy. His brows were light and he had returned to the abstinent look that seemed not concerned with human affairs.


    Lian Qiao recalled the warm and soft touch between his lips and tongue. He felt that the disparity was quite large and immediately fell in love with him even more.


    As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, the elevator door behind him quietly closed  and then the entire elevator disappeared. Lian Qiao looked at the huge earthen building illuminated by red lanterns under the mountains in the distance. He felt a gloomy wind blowing, it was strange and terrifying. He turned his head to look at Xu RenDong but the latter was calm, as if he had seen this scene thousands of times.


    As expected of Boss RenDong!


    Lian Qiao followed silently beside him and there was a kind of pride coursing through his heart. Walking on, he suddenly thought: How many instances has Ren Dong entered?


    Since the first time they met, Xu RenDong had also called himself a ¡°Nine Level Boss¡±. But now that they have passed so many dungeons together¡­ This ¡°nine¡± has never changed.


    Could it be that within the circle of bigshots, ¡°Nine Levels¡± is like a black belt in Taekwondo, is it a rank?


    Thinking that the big guys might form a circle of their own, Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t help but yearn for it. This was like an online game. The top masters in the server all knew each other. When they gathered together, it must be an extremely dazzling scene.


    It¡¯s a pity that Lian Qiao¡¯s relaxed and happy mood didn¡¯t last long. As soon as he stepped into the tulou and saw the dense crowd of players in the lower hall, he suddenly had a bad feeling.


    What the hell! Why so many people this time!


    The difficulty of the dungeon is proportional to the number of participants. There are at least 80 people in this messy place!


    Lian Qiao glanced at Ren Dong in panic and, sure enough, the latter was still calm and unperturbed.


    As expected of the Boss RenDong¡­ he must have seen this battle scene before, otherwise how could he be so calm!


    Lian Qiao limped behind Xu RenDong and everyone around looked at them in surprise. Someone pointed to Xu RenDong and whispered. Lian Qiao assumed the listeners were probably secretly happy, because they were glad that this instance had ¡°Nine Level Boss¡± which meant that the chance of survival was greatly improved. {Don¡¯t ask me how the other people know XRD is a nine level boss, I don¡¯t think they actually do, this is probably all just LQ¡¯s overactive imagination.}


    But when this fortunate wind was spreading, it suddenly changed in the middle. Everyone glanced at Lian Qiao, the lame man beside Xu RenDong, with a little more doubt and dissatisfaction in their eyes.


    Those who are curious and feel happy, Lian Qiao can understand, but those who are unhappy make Lian Qiao feel even more unhappy.


    What¡¯s wrong! Isn¡¯t it just that I¡¯m lame!


    I¡¯m lame and dragging my RenDong back but it¡¯s none of your business! What¡¯s the point of you showing me such a face!?


    Lian Qiao raised his head proudly, with an expression of ¡°I am the leg pendant of the boss, I don¡¯t care what you think of me¡± and leaned firmly on Xu RenDong. Xu RenDong didn¡¯t seem to notice anything and was just surprised why he was leaned upon so suddenly.


    A playful spirit suddenly possessed Lian Qiao¡¯s body and he thinned his mouth and said in an aggrieved tone: ¡°Brother RenDong, it hurts~¡±


    Xu RenDong frowned, then leaned down and rolled up his trouser legs: ¡°Where does it hurt? Is it the wound or is it pain from the bone inside?¡±


    ¡°The wound also hurts and the bone also hurts~¡± Lian Qiao, a big man about 1.8 meters tall, whimpered and acted coquettishly, making everyone feel sick. However, the much-anticipated ¡°Nine Level Boss¡± disregarded his identity, squatted on the ground and felt his leg, looking extremely distressed.


    It¡¯s over. A pair of male and male dogs, the crowd thought desperately.


    This kind of love-brained boss can¡¯t be counted on. Want him to save you? Forget it, it¡¯s already good if he doesn¡¯t pull you back to make you carry his sweetheart.


    Lian Qiao was very happy when he saw the expression on everyone¡¯s faces that made them look like they had eaten shit. After all, there may still be a need for cooperation in the future, and Lian  Qiao didn¡¯t intend to disgust everyone too much so he closed the show and said to Xu RenDong with a smile, ¡°Okay, it doesn¡¯t hurt anymore.¡±


    Xu RenDong was not at ease and bent down Lian Qiao¡¯s wound and looked at it carefully. He finally raised his head and said, ¡°It really doesn¡¯t hurt anymore?¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    Xu RenDong asked, ¡°Can you walk? Can you swim? How long can you hold on?¡±


    Lian Qiao felt confused: ¡°Swimming? Why do I need to swim?¡± But he saw Xu RenDong¡¯s serious face, clearly not joking, he answered seriously, ¡°If it¡¯s in the water¡­ I can last for about ten minutes.¡±


    ¡°That should be enough.¡± Xu RenDong nodded.


    Lian Qiao rubbed his head in confusion but then he saw Xu RenDong turn around and shout towards a person in the corner: ¡°Shi JianChuan.¡±


    Where the lights in the corner could not be found, a person slowly walked out of the darkness. The man was wearing a black Tang suit with a dark silver snake pattern embroidered on it and there was a leisurely attitude in his demeanor.


    It¡¯s just that there was a little surprise mixed in with that leisure at this moment.


    Shi JianChuan waved a folding fan and walked over in a complacent manner. He glanced at Xu RenDong sideways and asked with a smile, ¡°You know me?¡±


    ¡°I have something to talk to you about.¡± Xu RenDong pointed to the corner, ¡°Let¡¯s go to a quiet place and talk.¡±


    Shi JianChuan made a ¡°pop¡± sound as he shut the fan. Then he answered ¡°Okay¡± with interest and followed Xu RenDong to the dark place.


    Everyone stared helplessly and their hearts were puzzled. Lian Qiao was the first to react and followed on crutches, but was stopped by Xu RenDong. He said softly, ¡°Just stand here, don¡¯t move.¡±


    Lian Qiao looked very awkward as if he had been stuffed with a mouthful of oranges.


    As if Xu RenDong knew what he was thinking, he stretched out his hand and pointed to the top of the tulou: ¡°Look over there.¡±


    At this time, not only Lian Qiao but everyone¡¯s eyes followed Xu RenDong¡¯s fingers. They saw an old lady in red with bound feet floating down from the gray-black ring-shaped tulou like a ghost. The red lantern, her pale face and the gloomy wind under the bleak moonlight made everyone¡¯s heart tremble.


    It¡¯s coming!


    They didn¡¯t know if she was a ghost or an NPC but anyway it¡¯s definitely not a good thing and she¡¯s here!


    Lian Qiao opened his mouth and was about to speak but, when he turned his head, he found that Xu RenDong had long since disappeared.


    Along with him disappeared, there was that demonic man whom he had never met, what was his name¡­ Shi JianChuan?


    Lian Qiao suddenly felt a sense of loss. Not only the feeling of being abandoned by a lover but the sense of loss a good student in a class would feel when they had dropped a huge amount in rankings.


    He suddenly felt that Xu RenDong had gone a long way before he knew it and he, limping and trying his best, could never catch up.


    When did the distance between them become so great?


    And he didn¡¯t even realize?


    Sadness and grievance were like stones thrown into the lake. There were no strong winds and waves but the circles of ripples could not be calmed down for a long time.

 CH 106

    Chapter 106 ¨C Without a Key 18


    The old lady in red with bound feet took everyone to visit the tulou and, after arranging somewhere for everyone to stay, disappeared.


    The layout of the guest rooms was similar to each other, with mahogany furniture and Ming-style beds and gave off a heavy sense of age. In addition, there was no electric lighting here and everything was only illuminated by a candle on the table, which added a strong classical feeling to the place.


    Lian Qiao glanced at the smiling maid in the traditional clothing beside the bed and kept on panicking.


    Why did RenDong leave and why didn¡¯t he come back?


    After a quick calculation, RenDong and the man named Shi JianChuan had been away for about two hours¡ª two hours! Raw rice would have turned into more than just cooked rice, it would have already been cooked into a crockpot!


    The more Lian Qiao waited, the more restless he became. Just when he couldn¡¯t help but want to go to look for a certain someone, the wooden door creaked and Xu RenDong pushed the door open and came inside.


    ¡°RenDong!¡± Lian Qiao was so surprised that he forgot both crutches, ¡°You finally¡ªuh!¡±


    The consequences of forgetting the crutches were obvious. He lost his balance as soon as he stood up and fell forward. Fortunately, Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes were quick and held him up. He felt both comical and angry and asked: ¡°What are you so anxious about? You don¡¯t even remember that your leg is lame?¡±


    Lian Qiao raised his head from his arms and was about to speak with a smile. But suddenly he smelled a bloody smell and his face changed suddenly.


    ¡°Are you injured?!¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes quickly swept across Xu RenDong¡¯s body and soon found several unnatural indentations on his sleeves. Lian Qiao held up his arm, only to hear a ¡°hiss¡± sound as Xu RenDong gasped and subconsciously drew back his hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I was caught by the door.¡± Xu RenDong said.


    ¡°Caught by the door?¡± Lian Qiao was surprised at first and then became angry, ¡°Did Shi JianChuan do something rude to you? I¡¯ll go and settle accounts with him!¡±


    Xu RenDong laughed and said: ¡°What are you thinking of? I really just got clamped by the door.¡± He thought for a while and waved the maid out. The maid lowered her brows and responded in a pleasing voice. She then backed out backwards, left the guest room  and closed the door behind her.


    Only then did Xu RenDong say: ¡°I went to the ancestral hall to play a small game. I didn¡¯t move quickly enough and got clamped by the door.¡±


    The ancestral hall?


    Lian Qiao thought about it. When the old lady in red led them around to visit the tulou, they did pass an ancestral hall. At that time, the old lady said that this was where the memorial tablets of their ancestors were located and outsiders were discouraged from entering. Hence, she only let everyone take a look from afar. At that time, from across the thick carved wooden door, he could only see the candles flickering inside. The tablets on the incense case exuded an ominous aura and he felt horrified just standing by the door.


    RenDong actually went in? By himself?


    Or¡­ did he go in with Shi JianChuan?


    Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t help but want to ask: Why did you leave me and go on an adventure with someone else? But before the words came out, the answer had already emerged within his mind.


    -Because I am a burden.


    Don¡¯t even mention his lame leg, even if he was strong and healthy, to RenDong, he is just an inexperienced piece of trash. And that Shi JianChuan was obviously a veteran, so it was a more reasonable decision for RenDong to choose to go with Shi JianChuan.


    Therefore, Lian Qiao did not express the anxiety and dissatisfaction in his heart in the end but only gently rolled up the sleeves of RenDong and checked his wound.


    As soon as the sleeves were rolled up, Lian Qiao frowned deeply.


    The injury on RenDong¡¯s arm was more than can be encompassed by the light-hearted sentence ¡°I was clamped by the door¡±. From his elbow to his shoulder, a shockingly large bruise covered the originally fair skin, making it look like a zombie resurrected from the grave in a movie, bruised and terrifying. The flesh was stretched in several places and there was a shocking broken wound. The blood had mostly clotted but pale pink residue was still oozing out.


    How the hell was this ¡°clamped by the door¡±, this is obviously a situation where the flesh has been violently smashed!


    Lian Qiao felt distressed and hurriedly pulled out the bandages and iodoform from the backpack to disinfect and bandage the wound. RenDong smiled and stopped him: ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡±


    Lian Qiao was inexplicable: ¡°No need? What do you mean there¡¯s no need?¡±


    Xu RenDong said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about bandaging it because anyway¡­¡± But before he finished speaking, he drooped his eyes and closed his mouth, as if he had remembered something.


    Lian Qiao thought he was acting weird and frowned and asked, ¡°What happened just now? What the hell are you doing with Shi JianChuan?¡±


    Xu RenDong smiled slightly, raised his hand and drew something from his neck. Lian Qiao looked down and saw that it was a red rope with a delicate and small longevity lock hanging from it.


    He had seen this longevity lock before. It was something Zhong Xiu had left for RenDong. He just didn¡¯t know what the purpose of taking it out was.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s right arm was seriously injured and couldn¡¯t be moved. He had to hold the longevity lock in front of Lian Qiao with left hand and said, ¡°Put this on.¡±


    Lian Qiao felt that there was something wrong with Xu RenDong today. First, he fell ill in the elevator, then hugged him and kissed him wildly, and now he wanted to give him his mother¡¯s relics as if he were dying. No matter how you looked at it, there seemed to be a big problem.


    Lian Qiao refused to answer and looked at him with burning eyes: ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    Xu RenDong suddenly glanced outside the door and his face changed slightly: ¡°It¡¯s starting to rain already¡­ It¡¯s really fast.¡±


    Lian Qiao was quite dissatisfied when he heard Xu RenDong changing the subject so bluntly. He intended to stay on topic and planned to have a good talk with him. Unexpectedly, Xu RenDong rudely shoved the longevity lock into his arms and said coldly: ¡°Why is there so much nonsense? If I tell you to wear it, you should just wear it! Or are you not listening to me!?¡±


    Lian Qiao opened his mouth. But, under the unhappy gaze of Xu RenDong, he still put on the longevity lock obediently.


    The longevity lock had been worn by Xu RenDong and still carried his body warmth. Lian Qiao imitated him and put the longevity lock close to his body. He sighed in a low voice as if resigned: ¡°I will naturally listen to what you say but you have to tell me, what exactly are your intentions?¡±


    He raised his eyes again. When he looked again, he was surprised to find that the anger in Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes had long since disappeared. It was replaced by a quiet, soft smile.


    Xu RenDong raised his hand and caressed his cheek gently, his eyes were deep as if he wanted to say a thousand words.


    Lian Qiao suddenly felt very uneasy in her heart and was about to open his mouth when he suddenly smelled a strange fragrance from his nose. Then the back of his neck sank, and RenDong actually hooked his neck and kissed him.


    Xu RenDong had a faint fragrance like the earth after rain, like grass moistened by rain, like distant mountains soaked by a curtain of rain. This smell was familiar to Lian Qiao  but, at this time, the smell of RenDong was mixed with the sweet fragrance in the air, coalescing into an indescribably seductive feeling.


    Just like a plant that has grown lonely for thousands of years on a snowy mountain, and then suddenly a fragrant and sweet fruit grows. The juice was fragrant and the color was gorgeous, which made people wish to reach out and touch the delicate and soft fruit, then taste it carefully in their mouth.


    Lian Qiao was taken away by this kiss. It was the person he held at the tip of his heart and at the moment he was being so proactive, how could he hold back. Therefore, when Xu RenDong¡¯s right hand touched his chest and although he was slightly confused, he did not resist.


    Just as the two of them were kissing inseparably, there was a sudden flash of lightning and thunder from outside the house. The snow-white electric light brightened Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes and his thinking suddenly became clear.


    -Something was wrong.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s right hand was seriously injured and even the flesh was turned over. How could he hug and touch him like he didn¡¯t feel any pain at this time?


    Lian Qiao hurriedly opened his eyes and met Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes. He could not help but become shocked at a glance.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes suddenly turned blood red!


    At this time, if there was still any passion in his eyes, then it was clearly a murderous passion! Lian Qiao¡¯s heart froze but, before he could react, he suddenly felt his throat tighten. The hands that had caressed him before now tightly clamped around his neck!


    Bang! Lian Qiao fell backwards and fell to the ground along with Xu RenDong and the chair.


    ¡°Uh¡­RenDong¡­cough, cough¡­¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s neck was squeezed so hard that the vision in front of him turned black. He tried to pry off RenDong¡¯s fingers but still took into account his injury. However, he only felt that his neck was being pinched tighter and tighter and he could almost hear the screams of the neck bones rubbing against each other.


    Xu RenDong grinned and showed a wicked smile, as if he was very satisfied with Lian Qiao¡¯s pain. He sat on Lian Qiao¡¯s chest, pressing Lian Qiao tightly to prevent him from struggling. A pair of hands slowly tightened and the wound on the right arm that had already stopped bleeding opened again. The blood dripped down Lian Qiao¡¯s face.


    Not right! RenDong was being controlled!


    Lian Qiao was not only strangled around the neck but his chest was also tightly pressed, and he couldn¡¯t breathe at all. Under the severe suffocation, the cells of his entire body were screaming for oxygen. Lian Qiao kept kicking his legs and the dizziness hit his meninges. He knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to last more than a few seconds like this and would die soon.


    However, when he was about to die, what he thought of was not himself, but RenDong ¨C how painful would it be if RenDong woke up and found that he had killed his lover with his own hands?


    Thinking of this, Lian Qiao didn¡¯t know where the strength came from. He suddenly raised his waist and pushed Xu RenDong up abruptly!


    Xu RenDong lost his balance and fell forward. His hands subconsciously went to break his fall from the ground, naturally also releasing the restraint on Lian Qiao. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Lian Qiao fled to the side in a haphazard manner and could finally heave a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Ha, ha¡­¡± Lian Qiao gasped for breath while clutching his neck that had been strangled purple. Xu RenDong moved rapidly and jumped up from the ground, before rushing over again with red eyes. Lian Qiao crawled towards the backpack on his hands and feet, reached out to fumble inside and immediately pulled out a crowbar.


    The crowbar has a bent head and a sharp tip, which is a handy weapon that can be used both for attack and defense. However, as soon as he felt the cold touch, Lian Qiao froze again. He was afraid of hurting Xu RenDong and even more afraid that he would miss the correct moment and kill RenDong by mistake. Using this moment of hesitation, the irrational Xu RenDong had already rushed in front of him, grabbing his blood-stained hands.


    Lian Qiao swung the crowbar horizontally against RenDong¡¯s neck. RenDong¡¯s eyes rolled up immediately and he coughed repeatedly. Lian Qiao was so distressed that he didn¡¯t dare to touch him. He just pressed him against the wall with a crowbar and fixed his hands, making him unable to move.


    The crowbar pressed down on RenDong¡¯s chest and wrist. He struggled and twisted desperately and a beast-like roar came out of his throat. Lian Qiao didn¡¯t know how he became like this. While suppressing him, he called out in a hurry and pity: ¡°RenDong, wake up! Can you hear me? RenDong!¡±


    However, Xu RenDong just couldn¡¯t stop struggling. His two long legs kicked indiscriminately, kicking hard against Lian Qiao¡¯s waist and legs, almost breaking his bones.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s calls were fruitless and Xu RenDong was still utterly irrational like a beast. He twisted frantically, suddenly raised his leg, and his knee hit Lian Qiao hard. The most vulnerable part of the man¡¯s body was suddenly hit hard and Lian Qiao shuddered, almost kneeling down.


    ¡°Xu RenDong! You¡¯re fucking crazy!¡± Lian Qiao was furious, ¡°Are you trying to murder your husband!?¡±


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t understand what he was saying at all. He only knew that he was yelling at himself, so he shouted back even louder : ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Lian Qiao finally gave up the idea of ??cherishing him, pressed his shoulder, and raised his leg sharply, aiming at the top. Xu RenDong immediately softened, covered his crotch with both hands and knelt down while whimpering.


    Lian Qiao had gotten instant revenge but he felt uncomfortable. Seeing Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes reddened with tears in the corners of his eyes, he felt distressed again and quickly squatted down and coaxed: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m wrong¡­¡±


    While coaxing him verbally, he picked up the climbing rope in his hand and tied Xu RenDong strictly a few times over.


    After Xu RenDong recovered from the pain of his precious jewels, he suddenly realized that his hands and feet were tied. He was immediately furious. With his teeth and claws, he tried to pounce on Lian Qiao again but, because his hands and feet were tied, he lost his focus and fell limply into Lian Qiao¡¯s arms.


    ¡ªAt first glance, he seemed almost like a spoiled child.


    If he hadn¡¯t then tried to bite Lian Qiao¡¯s neck, Lian Qiao would have thought he was conscious.


    Xu RenDong, who was tightly bound by the climbing rope, had no attack power. Even with a slight push from Lian Qiao, he fell back into the distance. No matter how he ground his teeth, he couldn¡¯t bite anyone.


    Lian Qiao was still soft-hearted. Holding him upright, he turned his head and took out another roll of tape from his backpack. With a tearing sound, a section was torn off and slapped on Xu RenDong¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Woo? Woohoo!¡± Xu RenDong was furious, but this time he couldn¡¯t even open his mouth.


    Lian Qiao finally took him into his arms and caressed his head: ¡°Be good, don¡¯t make trouble.¡± It was as if he was comforting a grumpy little tiger.


    ¡°Woo woo!¡± Xu RenDong made a not-so-docile voice from his throat and his head snapped around, trying to break free from Lian Qiao¡¯s arms.


    Lian Qiao suddenly made a ¡°hiss¡± and said with a cold breath: ¡°Don¡¯t move, it still hurts where you kicked me¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong seemed to wake up suddenly after hearing this, suddenly raised his head and a pair of black and white eyes stared straight at him.


    Lian Qiao was overjoyed: ¡°RenDong?¡±


    Before he had time to say the following words, Lian Qiao only felt that RenDong¡¯s face suddenly drew closer and then there was bang, followed by a sharp pain from his eye socket ¨C Xu RenDong actually gave him a head butt!


    He¡¯s obviously not awake yet!


    Lian Qiao quickly held down Xu RenDong who was jumping around. Xu RenDong had succeeded in giving him a blow and was obviously very proud. There was a narrowed smile in his bloodshot eyes.


    Lian Qiao was really helpless against such a RenDong. He sighed, stroked RenDong¡¯s messy and sweaty hair, sighed pitifully and sadly: ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes were as bright as autumn water and he stared at him without blinking. Lian Qiao was about to lift him up when suddenly he heard two bangs from behind him. The dust and wood in the house suddenly flew up and two wooden front doors fell to the ground!


    What?!


    Lian Qiao only felt a flash of white light and his hands were suddenly empty. Where was Xu RenDong?


    Lian Qiao was shocked: ¡°RenDong?!¡±


    He hurriedly got up and chased out of the house, only to see a snow-white giant python in the corridor, dragging Xu RenDong whilst crawling quickly!


    Where did this monster come from and dared to snatch his RenDong!


    Lian Qiao was in a hurry. He grabbed the crowbar and chased after him. Suddenly, several people flashed in front of him, all of them with red eyes, rushing towards him with their teeth and claws.


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t have time to think about what the hell these people were doing. He knocked them unconscious with a crowbar, then dragged his lame leg and stumbled to chase the big snake away.


    He was completely focused on Xu RenDong, unaware that it was pouring rain outside the tulou, covering the sky and the moon. What hovered in the sky was not a billowing dark cloud, but a giant black bird with sharp beaks and claws.


    It hovered in the dark night sky.

 CH 107

    Chapter 107 ¨C Without a Key 19


    Lian Qiao was in such a hurry to save RenDong that his lame leg didn¡¯t seem to hurt anymore. He ran wildly for a while, mindlessly chasing the big snake down several floors.


    From time to time, people would pop up to block him along the way. Lian Qiao thought that these people were deliberately ambushing him at first but soon found out that something was wrong. They didn¡¯t seem to be targeting him specifically but would beat anyone that they come across. If they couldn¡¯t beat, they would try to bite, completely having lost their minds.


    Although he can¡¯t name them, Lian Qiao knows that these people are the players this time. It seems that RenDong is not the only one being controlled, but why was he the only one who was not affected?


    Could it be that¡­


    Lian Qiao felt that the longevity lock on his chest was faintly hot. He somewhat understood RenDong¡¯s previous strange behavior.


    The situation was urgent and he didn¡¯t have time to think about it. He picked up the crowbar and swung it down fiercely. The metal hit flesh and made a dull sound. The other party fell down and couldn¡¯t stand up again.


    However, when one person fell, more people gathered to take their place. These background chess players were weak chickens even when they were conscious. Lian Qiao went on a rampage with a ruthless energy, blocking and killing Gods and Buddhas, knocking over a dozen people along the way, before finally running out of steam.


    ¡°Damn it! This is endless!¡± Lian Qiao was panting against the wall. He was surrounded by a group of people and he watched with anxiety as the big snake swept away Xu RenDong.


    Just when he was about to go out and kill out a blood path, he suddenly heard a scream from behind the crowd. Everyone was shocked and when they looked backwards, they saw a man frantically waving his limbs around, his face full of horror. Behind him, a big black bird flapped its wings and a gust of wind blew up, literally grabbing the 100-pound adult man right off the ground!


    ¡°Help!¡± Although the man lost his mind, he still knew how to call for help. He waved his hands and feet in the air in vain, trying to escape from the claws of the giant bird. The giant bird was shaken by him and suddenly made a strange cry. Immediately afterwards, the man let out a terrifying scream.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh¡ª¡±


    The giant¡¯s birds claws had swept out and actually completely pierced the man¡¯s shoulder. The man¡¯s shoulder blades were nailed to the claws, and the blood instantly stained his shirt!


    When everyone saw this, they couldn¡¯t help but tremble and they all shrank back a few steps. Although Lian Qiao was equally astonished but, because he was more worried about RenDong, he took the opportunity to run away. There were a few more screams from behind him, accompanied by the flapping of wings. There was no need to look back to know that some other people had been taken away by the black giant bird.


    Lian Qiao ran downstairs anxiously and looked around in a hurry but did not see the shadow of white snake and Xu RenDong. He turned his head and ran to the next floor. As soon as he got out of the stairs, he saw something falling from the air.


    The thing fell so fast that Lian Qiao didn¡¯t see it clearly for a moment. After half a second, another thing fell from the sky.


    This time he saw it clearly and the blood all over his body instantly condensed into ice.


    That was¡ªhalf of a man¡ª


    It was the man who had just been dragged into the sky by the giant bird. At this point, he had been torn in half while alive and each half thrown down one after the other. The one that fell first was the left half of his body, and the one that fell at this moment was the other side.


    A head was attached to a bit of flesh and it hung down crookedly from the neck. He was not completely dead yet and even briefly glanced at Lian Qiao when he was falling rapidly.


    Seeing his tragic death, Lian Qiao felt his throat tighten and his hands and feet stiff. The blood filled the air instantly, making him almost breathless.


    No, he can¡¯t stop here.


    He had to go and save RenDong!


    Lian Qiao forced himself to move, clenched the crowbar and moved his legs again. However, as soon as he turned around, he heard an ominous sound of wings flapping behind him.


    He is being stalked by that strange bird!


    Without even looking back, Lian Qiao turned around and ran towards the stairs. But suddenly another strange bird flew in front of him and landed in front of him. The huge wings shook off the rain and the dark bird eyes stared at him coldly.


    Lian Qiao felt cold all over. These strange birds were huge. It can easily lift an adult man into the air, tear it apart and throw it down. It was a natural-born killer. Lian Qiao can¡¯t even deal with a single strange bird so don¡¯t talk about being boxed in by one in the front and one in the back.


    Lian Qiao clenched the crowbar tightly and quickly glanced outside the tulou. He estimated that he was on the second floor of the tulou and so if he jumped from here, there might be a chance of survival. But when he looked down, he couldn¡¯t help but be shocked.


    His guess wasn¡¯t wrong. He was indeed on the second floor. But downstairs was not a flat and open hall but instead a deep pool!


    No, it wasn¡¯t a deep pool. It was the rainwater that had accumulated in the lower hall and had nowhere to drain and so actually merged with the pool in the center of the lower hall!


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t realize until this moment that the rain was astonishingly heavy. In just a few minutes, the rainfall reached dozens of centimeters! If things go on like this, flooding the second floor will happen in a matter of blink of an eye!


    What to do?!


    If he rashly jumped into the pool and couldn¡¯t move conveniently, then the strange bird could catch him as easily as catching fish. But if he doesn¡¯t jump, the two monster birds that are pressing step by step will tear him to shreds on the spot!


    But he still didn¡¯t know if RenDong was alive or dead! So he can¡¯t die here!


    Lian Qiao involuntarily touched the longevity lock hidden on his chest. The small and delicate longevity lock, with a slight body temperature, lay firmly on his chest.


    He must save RenDong and return the longevity lock to RenDong!


    Thinking of this, Lian Qiao gritted his teeth, threw away the crowbar and quickly reached into his backpack with one hand.


    The two strange birds on the left and right seemed to sense something, raised their heads and screamed strangely. They then flapped their wings and rushed towards him! In an instant, a bloody storm rushed towards his face, with a ruthless savagery that would kill with one blow  and countless dead souls under its claws!


    At this moment of life and death, Lian Qiao finally touched something in his backpack. The thing was firm in the palm of his hand, giving people an inexplicable sense of security. Lian Qiao¡¯s palm was a little hot and he took a deep breath, feeling that something was being pulled from the depths of his body.


    Suddenly, his waist felt cold.


    Lian Qiao opened his eyes in astonishment and looked down to see something snowy white on his waist. Before he could react, his entire person was dragged forward and straight into a guest room. The two strange birds on the left and right fluttered in the air, then flapped their wings and turned around to chase after them.


    Lian Qiao felt his vision go blurry and he fell to the ground. There was a bang behind him and the two wooden doors closed together!


    ¡°You?!¡± Lian Qiao turned around and saw a person he could never have imagined, ¡°Shi JianChuan?!¡±


    He saw the man in a black Tang suit sitting on the big carved bed. The man seemed to have no bones all over his body, leaning against the bed rails lazily and idly. He turned his head when he heard the words and smiled slowly: ¡°En?¡±


    Before Lian Qiao could express his doubts, he heard two bangs from the door. It turned out that the two strange birds were chasing after them, using their huge bodies to hit the door hard!


    Lian Qiao hurriedly got up from the ground and was about to find something to block the door when he heard Shi JianChuan say lazily, ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±


    Lian Qiao was puzzled. The next second, he suddenly felt the danger approaching and subconsciously retreated three steps.


    Woosh.


    A sharp arrow penetrated the wooden door and nailed to the bluestone floor tile with a sonorous force!


    Lian Qiao was shocked and could not help but take a few steps back. He instantly heard the sound of sharp weapons flying through the air from outside and thousands of sharp arrows shot from all directions, immediately nailing the two strange birds to the wooden door!


    The strange bird died before they could even let out a scream. But the sharp arrows kept coming and, within an instant, hundreds of arrows were nailed to the door, not only piercing the strange bird into a specimen but even knocking down the entire wooden door!


    Lian Qiao stood cautiously against the wall, not even daring to let out the air. He glanced at Shi JianChuan with a lingering fear and finally understood why Shi JianChuan was sitting on the bed.


    The carved queen bed is located in the deepest part of the room. Although the arrow was aggressive, it could not hit the large carved bed due to the limited range.


    With sharp eyes, Lian Qiao suddenly realized that there was still someone lying on the bed behind Shi JianChuan. With a tall physique, you can tell who it is at a glance. Just at this moment, the arrow formation stopped and Lian Qiao shouted ¡°RenDong!¡± and ran towards the big bed.


    Shi JianChuan didn¡¯t stop him. Instead, he got up leisurely and generously moved out of the way.


    Lian Qiao threw himself in front of RenDong and checked his situation up and down. RenDong¡¯s eyes were blood red and he still hadn¡¯t regained his senses. Fortunately, he was tied up with climbing ropes so he only struggled and couldn¡¯t escape. Lian Qiao felt distressed when he saw that his clothes were in tatters and there were bruises everywhere.


    Lian Qiao wanted to ask Shi JianChuan what was going on. When he turned around, he saw a small silver-white snake crawling out of the dark, with a circular object hooked onto its tail. Shi JianChuan bent down and stretched out his hand towards the little snake. The little snake rubbed his head affectionately against his hand and then handed over the ring into his hand.


    Lian Qiao recognized at a glance that this snake was the same type as the giant python that stole RenDong and couldn¡¯t help but get furious: ¡°Shi JianChuan! What are you trying to do?!¡±


    Shi JianChuan ignored him, just turned his head and glanced outside the house at a glance. It was a mess outside and there were corpses everywhere. Some strange birds and some players were all pierced by long sharp arrows and nailed to the ground. The blood flowed into rivers, and the stench of blood that could not disperse from the majestic and heavy rain rushed to the face, making people want to cough.


    A jet-black feather floated before his eyes. Shi JianChuan took it with a hand and with the wiggle of two fingers, the feathers instantly turned into powder and dispersed with the wind.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Gu eagle¡­¡± Shi JianChuan sighed softly, suddenly withdrew his gaze, turned his head and said to Lian Qiao, ¡°Time is running out.¡± {Gu is a type of witchcraft/poison associated with the Miao tribal people of China.}


    Lian Qiao saw Shi JianChuan walking towards them and subconsciously protected RenDong behind him. He said with wide eyes, ¡°What do you want?!¡±


    Shi JianChuan said, ¡°He asked me to take you away.¡±


    Lian Qiao was stunned: ¡°He?¡±


    Shi JianChuan smiled and pointed to the bed from a distance: ¡°Yes, Xu RenDong, he asked me to take you away.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ what do you mean?¡± Lian Qiao felt that his brain was down and he couldn¡¯t react for a while. ¡°He asked you to take me away? ¡­You have formed an alliance? Then why did you kidnap him?¡±


    ¡°This was his plan.¡±


    Lian Qiao immediately retorted: ¡°You lied! If he had such a plan, why wouldn¡¯t he discuss it with me in advance?


    ¡°Naturally there is a reason why I can¡¯t tell you.¡± After Shi JianChuan finished speaking, he glanced outside the house again. The rain outside seemed to be a little heavier than before. Looking at the rain that day, Shi JianChuan suddenly sighed leisurely and said to Lian Qiao, ¡°He originally pledged his wealth and life to me, and asked me to take you away. But just now I saw what you have in your hands and I suddenly feel pity for him.¡±


    Lian Qiao narrowed his eyes. The thing he took out from the backpack just now was still clutched firmly in the palm of his hand. He couldn¡¯t help tightening his fingers and gripped it tightly.


    Shi JianChuan said with a smile: ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous, I won¡¯t rob you. That¡¯s your key and it¡¯s useless for me to take it.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s expression changed when he heard these words: ¡°So you also¡­¡±


    He only needed to say this much. Shi JianChuan already understood what he meant, smiled and nodded.


    The tension in Lian Qiao¡¯s heart eased a little but his face turned cold. He opened his fist and what lay quietly in the palm of his hand was the brass key.


    It was the key they found in the matryoshka instance with the words ¡°Lian Qiao¡± engraved on it.


    Lian Qiao put the key in his backpack and put it away. Seeing his cautious look, Shi JianChuan shook his head and sighed, ¡°I feel pity for him because it¡¯s clear he doesn¡¯t understand what this key means.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s expression was indifferent. There was such an extreme difference on the face that usually had curved and expressive eyebrows and eyes. If Xu RenDong saw it, he would have been extremely surprised.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t need to know.¡± Lian Qiao said coldly.


    Shi JianChuan sighed again, ¡°Whatever.¡± He bent down and took off another ring from the tail of a little white snake that appeared out of nowhere. At the same time, there was an unusually dull creaking sound from the floor below. Lian Qiao¡¯s face changed and he subconsciously protected Xu RenDong beside him. Shi JianChuan was calm and took out a few more rings from his sleeves.


    Lian Qiao looked at it coldly and suddenly said, ¡°Nine linked rings?¡±


    Shi JianChuan nodded with a smile, but his hands kept moving: ¡°Yes, Nine linked rings. In Ancient China, this was also called ¡®scheme to keep guests¡¯ . It was often a toy that the host family used to keep their guests entertained. It somehow traveled to Venice and gained an interesting nickname¡­¡±


    He flipped his fingers and his fingers that were as white as jade shuttled between several rings, and, after a while, he put the nine rings on the base in an orderly manner. At the same time, the voice fell.


    ¡°A lock without a key.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s heart skipped a beat when he heard it. The lock without a key originally referred to the Nine Linked Rings. It¡¯s just such an obscure knowledge, how could Shi JianChuan know?


    Shi JianChuan seemed to see through what he was thinking, and smiled slightly: ¡°Yes, I am the key player in this instance. This is also my last instance.¡±


    Lian Qiao was greatly surprised. He suddenly had a lot of questions to ask but saw a flash of silver light in Shi JianChuan¡¯s hand and the perfectly spliced ??nine chains had disappeared. In its place was a small round metal button and a brass key.


    The key and Lian Qiao¡¯s are the same shape, the only difference is that the words ¡°Shi JianChuan¡± was engraved on it.


    ¡°How could you¡ª¡± Lian Qiao blurted out, ¡°There is a second key?!¡±


    Shi JianChuan looked a little surprised: ¡°Second key? What do you mean?¡±


    Lian Qiao asked suspiciously, ¡°If you haven¡¯t gotten the key yet, how did you know the origin of the key? Did someone tell you this secret?¡±


    Shi JianChuan squinted at him and then seemed to understand something. He asked with great interest, ¡°Could it be that you don¡¯t know what you lost in the end?¡±


    Lian Qiao was stunned for a moment. He only felt that his head was in a daze and he didn¡¯t understand at all. Shi JianChuan looked at his face and already obtained the answer in his heart. Thus he stopped chatting with him, just waved his sleeves with a smile: ¡°Let¡¯s go, go and open the exit. I¡¯ll take you two to leave.¡±


    Lian Qiao had ten thousand doubts in his heart but seeing that the entire tulou was rumbling and shaking, he was afraid that it was soon about to collapse. He quickly carried Xu RenDong on his back and followed Shi JianChuan out of the room.


    The rain was pouring and the stagnant water had overflowed the railing from the second floor, almost pouring in. Shi JianChuan jumped onto the railing and looked about to jump into the pool. It looked like the exit was under that pool of water.


    Lian Qiao suddenly remembered what Xu RenDong had asked him a few hours ago: Can you swim? How long can you endure?


    Could it be¡­


    ¡°What are you doing? Let¡¯s go.¡± Shi JianChuan opened his mouth lazily, waved his hand and a giant python suddenly wrapped itself around Lian Qiao and RenDong and dragged them into the water.


    The icy pool water instantly wrapped the two of them. Lian Qiao held his breath, holding Xu RenDong with one hand and pinching his nose in the other. RenDong was not awake yet and was still struggling. Fortunately, the snow-white python was tightly wrapped around his waist and he could not break free.


    Shi JianChuan was not far below. He hooked the snake¡¯s head with both hands and was led down by the giant python. Suddenly, a black shadow appeared in the water. Shi Jian didn¡¯t even look at it and, with a wave of his hand, several white snakes emerged from his sleeves and bit the black shadow head on.


    The black shadow struggled with the white snake and soon fell behind. The giant python was still swimming towards the depths with the three of them. Soon, a silver-white elevator appeared in front of him.


    The three quickly entered the elevator. The elevator door closed behind him, cutting off the cold and dark pool. Lian Qiao finally breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the low rumbling sound of the elevator running.


    At the same time, his neck suddenly felt light. He reached out and touched it subconsciously, but the longevity lock was gone.


    It turns out that this is also a one-time use, consumable item?


    Lian Qiao was feeling regret when Xu RenDong suddenly let out a light hum behind him. Lian Qiao hurried to take a look and found that his eyes had finally recovered consciousness. Lian Qiao quickly untied the climbing rope on his body, carefully tore off the tape on his mouth and asked eagerly, ¡°How are you? Are you okay?¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded, turned to look at Shi JianChuan and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°It was a mutually beneficial cooperation, there is nothing to be thankful for.¡± Shi JianChuan said briskly, ¡°If it¡¯s so destined, we¡¯ll meet again.¡±


    At this time, the elevator door opened and the sky was bright outside. They had returned to the real world. Shi JianChuan was about to leave immediately but Lian Qiao grabbed him and said, ¡°Wait, I have something to ask you!¡±


    Shi JianChuan ruthlessly shook him off: ¡°I won¡¯t tell you. ¡°


    Lian Qiao was stunned.


    Shi JianChuan said confidently: ¡°I have cleared all the instances and I won¡¯t come in again. Whether you two are dead or alive is none of my business.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± It made a lot of sense.


    Xu RenDong coughed and said to resolve the embarrassment: ¡°In short, thank you. Goodbye.¡±


    Shi JianChuan was very satisfied with Xu RenDong¡¯s reaction and nodded with a smile. He remembered something and said to Xu RenDong: ¡°That¡¯s right, the puppet is all used up. You were right. When it came to triggering all the debuffs in one go, it¡¯s something even I can¡¯t bear. I was too arrogant. So I can¡¯t return the puppet to you. Instead, I¡¯ll give you an amulet I drew  myself.¡±


    As he spoke, he threw a small bag over.


    Xu RenDong took it, raised his head and said, ¡°No, you are really strong. Without you, no one would be able to clear this instance.¡±


    Shi JianChuan raised his eyebrows and smiled: ¡°Have you ever thought that it is precisely because of my existence that this instance became so difficult?¡±


    Xu RenDong was stunned. Shi JianChuan laughed, and with long legs, left the elevator.


    Lian Qiao murmured in a low voice, ¡°Who do you think you are, being all cryptic and shit.¡± He took Xu RenDong¡¯s hand and stepped out of the elevator together.


    The elevator door closed behind the two of them and then the entire elevator disappeared out of thin air. In front of him was a warm and familiar home. As soon as they came back here, it was as if all the cells in his body relaxed. Lian Qiao collapsed on the sofa heavily, hugging his calf and groaning. His crutches were thrown away during the instance and at this moment it was as though he suddenly remembered his leg was still injured and immediately began acting like a spoiled child.


    RenDong coaxed him for a while and also felt quite tired. So the two of them washed up and fell asleep together. The two of them hugged each other tightly in the bed and their passions couldn¡¯t help being aroused. The two people clung to each other and passed a sweaty night.


    Early in the morning, Xu RenDong had a dry mouth. He went to the kitchen to pour water and suddenly caught a glimpse of the bag that Shi JianChuan gave him. Inside was a small wooden placard with a bunch of ghostly drawn symbols on it. He didn¡¯t know what it meant.


    It was ugly as hell. It seems that it was really painted by Shi JianChuan himself.


    Xu RenDong smiled slightly and put away the wooden placard. Suddenly he found that there was a note hidden in the kit, with a short line written on it:


    ¡°Lian Qiao has hidden secrets, you should guard against him.¡±


    Xu RenDong threw the note away, rubbing his sore lower back. He thought: You¡¯re indeed right, he does have a lot of hidden secrets.


    I mean, for example you definitely can¡¯t tell how big he is just by looking at his face. He was so big that Xu RenDong¡¯s belly was almost pushed out of shape.


    {T/N: Yes, it¡¯s what you think it means! ^_^}

 CH 108

    Chapter 108 ¨C Without a Key 20


    Since Xu RenDong came out unconscious this time and Lian Qiao had even put tape around his mouth, there was no one to hear the vague sentence from the elevator. But anyway there¡¯s no use getting caught up on this and Xu RenDong was too lazy to care.


    Back in the present world, the days passed peacefully. The two spent a quiet and sweet weekend at home and arrived at the hospital early on Monday.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s foot injury had not yet reached the time of review but Xu RenDong was worried that he had exerted himself too much in the instance, which would affect the long-term prognosis, so he made an appointment with the chief surgeon in advance.


    The Orthopedics and Traumatology Department was overcrowded and each wounded person was also accompanied by at least one family member, so the entire waiting area was a mess. Xu  RenDong registered Lian Qiao¡¯s name and planned to find a place to sit down and wait, but Lian Qiao said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Cardiology Department first.¡±


    Xu RenDong was stunned: ¡°What¡¯s the point of going there?¡±


    Lian Qiao said in surprise: ¡°What? You forgot? You promised me that you will come to the Cardiology Department after the instance finishes to find out what¡¯s going on with your heart.¡±


    Xu RenDong just remembered that he had been resurrected in the elevator and during this resurrection, the pain in his heart was so painful that his entire person curled up into a ball and he was unable to stand upright for a long time.


    He didn¡¯t take it seriously. After all, he had experienced more pain than this before. But Lian Qiao insisted on taking him to check so he didn¡¯t resist.


    The Number 1 Cardiology specialist was naturally hard to get in to see. Xu RenDong also is a new patient. Without an appointment, naturally he wouldn¡¯t be able to add his name to the registration list. Lian Qiao was limping around and said he wanted to go to the triage desk to find out which specialist consultant was better. RenDong tugged at his sleeve and shook his head. {Um I¡¯m not sure why or if it¡¯s a reprinting error, or the author is getting lazy but she often just writes RenDong instead of Xu RenDong from now on, and not just in the context of Lian Qiao referring to him by a shorter name as they¡¯re more intimate. She seems to do it just randomly. I¡¯ll just follow her lead.)


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to see a consultant, you can just call a regular registrar. I¡¯m so young, what could be wrong with my heart?¡±


    In fact, he knew why he felt a pain in his heart- Lian Qiao had just died tragically in front of him in the last reincarnation. Heartache was a strange thing. It¡¯s only that he can¡¯t tell this to Lian Qiao so he could only pretend to be nonchalant and uncaring about his illness.


    Lian Qiao frowned, obviously unwilling to agree. The nurse in front of the triage table pushed on her glasses and interjected: ¡°It¡¯s your first time here, so you really don¡¯t need to rush to see a specialist. Go and see a registrar first, they will ask you about your condition and do the appropriate tests. Then when the test results come out, you can see a specialist then. It will save a lot of time.¡±


    Lian Qiao thought about it and agreed. The two went to the registration window to line up again and got an ordinary number from the Cardiology Department. This time, Xu RenDong¡¯s name was quickly called in the broadcast and he was arranged to go to the last clinic room in the corridor to see a doctor.


    ¡°Hello.¡± As soon as Xu RenDong entered the room, he habitually said hello.


    There was a stack of medical records and a desktop computer on the desk. The young female doctor with a ponytail raised her head from behind the desktop, she had clear eyes behind black-rimmed glasses. The moment she saw Xu RenDong, her pupils shrank slightly.


    ¡°It¡¯s you?¡±


    ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Lian Qiao and the female doctor exclaimed out loud at the same time but Xu RenDong was stunned into silence. He looked at the female doctor and then at Lian Qiao: ¡°You know each other?¡±


    After hearing this, Lian Qiao was even more surprised. He opened his eyes wide and pointed his hand to the desk: ¡°Jiang Li! You don¡¯t know her? The one from the Russian matryoshka instance!¡±


    Xu RenDong followed his fingers and saw a name placard on the desk. The words ¡°Jiang Li,  Attending Physician¡± were written on it. The Russian matryoshka was his first instance, which was 400,000 words away {lol yes author wrote this} and he certainly did not remember the face of this woman. But as soon as he saw the word ¡°Jiang Li¡±, he subconsciously felt a chill in his neck and remembered this person.


    Wasn¡¯t this the one who sliced his neck, repaying his kindness with revenge?!


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help but change his face and said ¡°oh¡± in a complicated mood.


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s review your illness first.¡± Jiang Li was wearing a white coat and was still professional. She glanced at the registration form in Lian Qiao¡¯s hand, clicked the mouse and Xu RenDong¡¯s medical information appeared on the computer screen. She started typing on the keyboard while inquiring, ¡°What¡¯s making you feel uncomfortable?¡±


    Xu RenDong was not comfortable but he really didn¡¯t dare to see Jiang Li as a doctor. He was even more afraid that his ID card, home address and other information would be displayed on the computer. Lian Qiao knew nothing about the tragedies he had experienced and in fact felt as though he¡¯d run into an acquaintance, and told her Xu RenDong¡¯s situation with great peace of mind.


    Jiang Li recounted the details while recording: ¡°It¡¯s been in pain before, but it has gotten worse recently?¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded.


    Jiang Li gave out a bunch of checklists and explained to him what tests he should do, the reasons behind doing it, how and where to have the tests done and how long it would take to get the report¡­ Her tone was calm, patient and meticulous. She didn¡¯t mention the instance, as if Xu RenDong was just an unfamiliar, regular patient.


    When the two left the clinic, Xu RenDong was still in a trance and had an unreal feeling. On the contrary, Lian Qiao had already begun to search for the location of the blood test window.


    Lian Qiao was leaning on crutches, obviously he was still a crippled injured person but he held a checklist and took Xu RenDong to go around and find the places he needed. Xu RenDong saw that he was familiar with the map and seemed to be familiar with the hospital setting. When queuing at the door of the electrocardiogram room, he asked, ¡°Is there anyone in your family who is a doctor?¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s expression suffocated, then he turned his head and smiled at him: ¡°Yes. Both my parents are.¡±


    Xu RenDong let out an ¡°oh¡± without thinking much and moved his eyes to the distance. However, Lian Qiao slowly moved the two crutches together, freeing up one hand,and gently held RenDong¡¯s hand.


    There were people coming and going in the corridor. Lian Qiao had his sleeves covered and no one would notice that the two young men secretly intertwined their fingers.


    RenDong felt a little strange and looked at him inquiringly. Lian Qiao touched his nose and said uneasy and apologetically, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I should have brought you home earlier to meet my parents but¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong remembered that they had talked about this topic. Although Lian Qiao was an internet celebrity broadcaster with millions of fans, he was actually also a runaway from home. His parents think that playing games was not a proper job, not to mention staying at home all day and doing live broadcasts. The conflict has not been resolved even until now and bringing a boyfriend back at such a time to ¡®meet the parents¡¯ was obviously adding fuel to the fire.


    Xu RenDong was not in a hurry to see his parents but felt that, as an older person, he should give Lian Qiao some help and advice. Unfortunately, he was an orphan himself and had no experience in this area. He really can¡¯t think of anything.


    Fortunately, the ECG room called Xu RenDong¡¯s name at this time and halted this awkward topic.


    Pulling the curtain around him, Xu RenDong took off his shirt and lay on the examination bed. He was examined by a very young female doctor. She was wearing a cap and mask, obscuring her face and only showing a pair of big black eyes. She was shy and embarrassed to look at him.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little cold, please bear with it.¡± The young female doctor whispered and then neatly connected the instrument to his chest.


    Xu RenDong looked at the ceiling, still thinking about what happened just now. Suddenly he heard the little doctor say ¡°Huh?¡±.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there any problem?¡± Xu RenDong turned his head to the side. The little doctor stared at the computer screen, her delicate brows furrowed deeply.


    As soon as she opened her mouth, she said reassuringly ¡°There is a small problem on the electrocardiogram, don¡¯t worry, let me call your outpatient doctor first.¡±


    Xu RenDong was used to seeing big winds and waves. He doesn¡¯t care about such small problems as heart disease. He stared at the pale fluorescent lamps on the ceiling, his heart like stillwater and vaguely heard the little doctor say to the other end of the phone:


    ¡°The ST segment is elevated¡­ um, but it doesn¡¯t look like an acute myocardial infarction¡­ No medical history? I didn¡¯t check it before. Then it¡¯s hard to say¡­¡±


    When the little doctor came back, Xu RenDong had already put on his clothes. He sat on the examination bed and looked at the petite female doctor calmly: ¡°How is it?¡±


    The  little doctor said, ¡°Dr. Jiang asked you to do another echocardiography¡­ Well, it¡¯s the echocardiography of the heart. She said that the referral was already given to you.¡±


    Xu RenDong wasn¡¯t sure if Lian Qiao¡¯s list of referrals had ultrasound of the heart so he called him in. Lian Qiao felt that Ren Dong had been inside for much longer than the others and had long grown uneasy in his heart. Now that he was called in, he was even more nervous.


    The little doctor showed them the way to the ultrasound room and at the end she comforted: ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, it¡¯s nothing major, just to rule out other problems.¡±


    Xu RenDong had a very good impression of this little girl.


    When they came to the ultrasound room, a large number of people lined up again. This time he was examined by a middle-aged bald male doctor, who was not as gentle and meticulous as the little doctor.


    The male doctor squeezed some ice-cold transparent liquid on his chest and then took the instrument and smeared it on his chest. It was both uncomfortable and felt weirdly cold and itchy. After the examination was over, the male doctor threw a stack of paper wipes at him and said with a blank face: ¡°It¡¯s done. Wipe it yourself off.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± He felt as though he had encountered a ruthless scumbag.


    The report came out quickly. Lian Qiao frowned when he saw it.


    Although Xu RenDong could not understand all the medical jargon but just by seeing the words ¡°reduction in function¡± and ¡°lack of movement¡±, he knew that his heart was not normal.


    After the two completed all the inspections, they went to Jiang Li with the report. Jiang Li was sitting in front of the computer and as soon as she saw Xu RenDong, she said, ¡°I have already read the report on the computer. There is something wrong with your heart¡­¡± She paused for a while, as if she was considering her words carefully and then gestured with her eyes. Lian Qiao closed the door of the clinic.


    Lian Qiao quickly closed the door and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the problem? Is it serious?¡±


    Jiang Li didn¡¯t answer him, just looked at Xu RenDong and said, ¡°Have you been emotionally stimulated recently?¡±


    Xu RenDong thought about it and said: ¡°I¡¯ve been a little anxious.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just anxiety.¡± Jiang Li took out a pen and paper and drew an electrocardiogram on the white paper, ¡°Look, a normal person¡¯s electrocardiogram looks like this. And yours¡ª¡± she pointed at the strange-shaped waveforms on Xu RenDong¡¯s ECG and said, ¡°When you look at these waves, doesn¡¯t it look a bit like a crock pot?¡±


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao got together to look at the ECG and it did appear somewhat interesting.


    Jiang Li said: ¡°This is a very special waveform, indicating that you may have a very rare heart disease. The Japanese who discovered this disease named it after the ECG image, they called it ¡®octopus pot cardiomyopathy¡¯. Because this electrocardiogram looks very much like the pot the Japanese use to catch octopus. In fact, this disease has a more popular name¡­¡±


    ¡°¡ªBroken Heart Syndrome.¡± {Also known as Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy.}


    Lian Qiao was stunned and immediately turned to look at Xu RenDong. Xu RenDong was not very surprised by the result. He nodded and easily accepted the reality. He asked, ¡°Is it fatal? Is there any treatment I can do?¡±


    Jiang Li smiled: ¡°It¡¯s not that serious. This kind of disease usually doesn¡¯t show any symptoms. You will only get sick when your mood fluctuates violently. But the problem is¡­ you know.¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded calmly. In the instances, ghosts were rampant and people would die at every turn.


    You can¡¯t bring rosary beads to chant 24 hours in order to keep your mind calm.


    Lian Qiao frowned. His lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but he didn¡¯t say anything.


    Jiang Li said there was no cure for the disease. The disease was originally caused by severe emotional stimulation. As long as it was not stimulated that would be the best and there was no possibility of total cure. She prescribed some emergency medicine for RenDong and was about to habitually remind him of a few things {probably to rest and stay calm} but then remembered it was impossible for Xu RenDong. So she didn¡¯t say anything.


    The two were about to leave the clinic but Jiang Li stopped them again and suddenly asked, ¡°Do you remember Yuan XueMing?¡±


    Xu RenDong thought for a while,and finally remembered the big brother-like character in the first instance.


    Jiang Li said: ¡°He lives in the ICU of our hospital. Do you want to go see him?¡±


    Xu RenDong turned to look at Lian Qiao: ¡°Want to go?¡±


    Since Jiang Li announced his diagnosis, he felt that Lian Qiao was in a very heavy mood. He thought perhaps it was better to go home early to coax Lian Qiao. Unexpectedly, Lian Qiao had returned to his usual expression at this moment, smiled slightly at him and said, ¡°Since we¡¯re already here.¡±


    Okay, then let¡¯s go.


    ICU visits are only half an hour each day. It stands to reason that family and friends are not allowed to enter the ICU during non-visiting hours but Jiang Li wore a white coat and led the two of them through the staff passage. They entered the intensive care unit without any obstacles.


    A nurse sat in front of each bed in the ICU, lowering her head to record something. They looked up from time to time to glance at the monitor. Yuan XueMing¡¯s bed was in the innermost one. Lian Qiao and RenDong walked all the way and found that all the patients were in comas, with tubes inserted all over their bodies. The atmosphere was very depressing.


    Coming to Yuan XueMing¡¯s bed, Xu RenDong saw a completely unfamiliar face. The man on the bed had sunken cheeks and his face was as blue and black as a dead man. Only the beating numbers on the monitor proved that he was not dead.


    Although Yuan XueMing in memory was sickly, he was far less frightening looking than at this time. Xu RenDong recalled what Yuan XueMing said at the beginning, ¡°Only here, do I feel that I am still alive¡±. He was very emotional.


    Jiang Li still had something to do, so she entrusted the two to Yuan XueMing¡¯s ward doctor and left.


    After all, Xu RenDong was not Yuan XueMing¡¯s family. The ward doctor has been in charge of Yuan XueMing for several months. He had never before seen these two people among Yuan XueMing¡¯s family members so he couldn¡¯t help but be a little curious: ¡°Are you acquaintances of Jiang Li?¡±


    Xu RenDong casually said ¡°yes¡±. The ward doctor suddenly sighed and said, ¡°Jiang Li is also a pitiful person.¡±


    RenDong and Lian Qiao exchanged a surprise glance at each other. Only then did they learn from the doctor that Jiang Li¡¯s boyfriend passed away not long ago.


    No, it¡¯s not actually her boyfriend. The more accurate term should be her husband. A few months ago when they returned from the doll instance, Jiang Li married her boyfriend. Jiang Li was a young up and coming doctor in the hospital, considered one of the backbones of the busy cardiology department. She treated patients on the front line every day and didn¡¯t even have time to go on a honeymoon.


    They had planned to take a marriage leave at the end of the year to make up for this regret. Unexpectedly, Jiang Li¡¯s husband died just after the schedule was set.


    The cause of death was simple: acute myocardial infarction.


    Coincidentally, Jiang Li was on the night shift in the hospital that night and happened to rescue a patient with acute myocardial infarction. In the early hours of the morning, when she came out of the operating room and informed the patient¡¯s family that the operation was successful, she received a call from her father-in-law, telling her that her husband had gone.


    According to her father-in-law, his son felt chest tightness and discomfort before going to bed at night but he didn¡¯t take it seriously. The old couple thought that their daughter-in-law was a doctor and planned to tell her the next day when their daughter-in-law came home. They didn¡¯t expect that this delay would be forever.


    ¡°Acute myocardial infarction. Although this problem is urgent, there are some early signs. If Jiang Li was not on the night shift that day, maybe she could have found out earlier. If her husband was sent for emergency surgery, his life would be saved. It¡¯s a pity¡­¡± The doctor said.


    It sounds like he missed the chance for rescue but Xu RenDong feels that the real cause of Jiang Li¡¯s lover¡¯s death may not be a heart attack, but something he encountered in an instance. As for why Jiang Li did not enter the instance with her lover that night but stayed on the night shift in the hospital, it was unknown.


    Xu RenDong recalled the short contact with Jiang Li just now and could not see the slightest sign of grief in her. Back then, in order to save her lover, Jiang Li sliced up her benefactor Xu RenDong without hesitation. Now that her lover has died suddenly, it was impossible for her not to be sad.


    Xu RenDong suddenly thought that Jiang Li had just said that broken heart syndrome was a very rare disease.


    It was so rare and yet she was able to diagnose it at a glance. Did you study this disease specifically, or¡­


    When they came out of the ICU, the sun was just right. Xu RenDong turned his head and saw that the sun had painted Lian Qiao¡¯s profile with a layer of gold light. He looked like a beautiful teenager in a Japanese drama and had a gentle sadness about him.


    Aware of his gaze, Lian Qiao suddenly turned around. His eyebrows curved and a warm smile appeared. The sadness disappeared.


    Xu RenDong stared at him for a long time and suddenly thought: I can¡¯t die.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s sadness and worries disappeared as soon as he left the hospital. But Lian Qiao¡¯s thousands of sorrows would really start at this time.


    A few days later, Lian Qiao suddenly packed up and said he was going home.


    Xu RenDong asked: Why do you suddenly want to go home? How soon will you be back?


    Lian Qiao pulled the suitcase and said with a smile: ¡°Do I still need a reason to go home?¡±


    Xu RenDong felt that what he said made sense and overlooked the fact that he had never answered the second question.

 CH 109

    Chapter 109 ¨C Without a Key 21


    After Lian Qiao left, Xu RenDong returned to work at his company. He has been on leave for too long and felt that his working days were a lifetime away. However after several days of extra shifts, he returned to his original state. It¡¯s just that when he came home from a busy day, the lights were dark and he didn¡¯t have a hot meal to eat, which made him feel very lonely.


    As the saying goes: If I had never seen the light then I could have endured the darkness. After Xu RenDong experienced the warmth of home, he could no longer be without Lian Qiao.


    On this day, Xu RenDong finally finished the previously accumulated work and had a rare moment of free time. He opened his internet browser to see what was the latest news. For some reason, he suddenly thought of something and entered the three words ¡°Nine Linked Rings¡± in the search box. A whole bunch of random results popped up quickly on the screen.


    Among them, what attracted his attention was a paper on the historical origin of the Nine Linked Rings. And the author¡¯s signature turned out to be ¡°Shi JianChuan¡±.


    Xu RenDong followed the links and found Shi JianChuan¡¯s personal information. He was surprised to find that Shi JianChuan turned out to be a university teaching assistant and his main focus was folklore research.


    ¡­He really couldn¡¯t have guessed that such a coquettish person was actually a high-level intellectual.


    The university where Shi JianChuan worked was in this city. Xu RenDong thought that there were still many things he wanted to ask him so he left the company early one day and went to his campus.


    Although this college was a famous school, folklore was not a popular major and so the college office was very remote. Xu RenDong entered the campus, inquired around and wandered around for quite a while before finding the location of the Folklore College. It was an old building that was five stories high. The decoration style was from decades ago. There was a thick layer of ivy on the wall. This ivy was probably older than Xu RenDong.


    The surrounding trees were lush and there was no one passing by. Xu RenDong looked up, only to feel that this old building was eerie, like a haunted house and the white figure in the window on the third floor also looked like a ghost¡­


    Eh? How did this man move around on the window?


    Xu RenDong watched it for two minutes and felt strange. Suddenly, another face appeared behind the figure, startling Xu RenDong.


    The man in the back was obviously taken aback. The eyes of the two briefly exchanged in the air. In the next second, there was only a clatter. The first man opened the window, strode out with his long legs and jumped out from the third floor with the aura of wanting to kill someone!


    Xu RenDong was stunned.


    The man that was still standing upstairs was also shocked.


    With a ¡°bang¡± the man with white clothes fell freely to the ground and was momentarily also stunned by his fall.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± I¡¯m not here to catch an adulterer in the act, why are you jumping out of buildings? Even if you want to jump off a building, you shouldn¡¯t jump in front of me!


    What if you hit me! What kind of behavior is this!?


    Although he didn¡¯t quite understand this person¡¯s brain circuit but, out of humanitarianism, Xu RenDong quickly ran up to confirm his safety. Taking a closer look, the man¡¯s skin was glowing white and he was naked like a white snake. Xu RenDong was abruptly frightened by his own association and shivered. He suddenly heard footsteps in the corridor, looked up and saw a Shi JianChuan running down from above.


    Shi JianChuan greeted him when he saw him: ¡°Yo, you managed to track me all the way here, pretty good.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± Can you put on your clothes before talking?


    Shi JianChuan turned his head to confirm the injury of the man on the ground. Seeing that he didn¡¯t seem to be seriously injured and there was just a scratch on his forehead, he carried him back into the building with a smile.


    Xu RenDong followed him upstairs and asked,¡±Is his head okay?¡± Meaning both meanings.{I.e. Is his head wound okay, plus does he have a mental problem?}


    Shi JianChuan didn¡¯t turn his head back: ¡°He¡¯s okay. It¡¯s just that he¡¯s been a snake for a long time and forgot how to be a human being.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­ ¡± I feel like I just heard something amazing!


    The Folklore Teaching and Research Office was on the third floor, where the white snake jumped off the building just now. Xu RenDong felt that the fact that the two of them were doing ¡®it¡¯ in the school was an insult to academia and his face was a little ugly unconsciously.


    Shi JianChuan poured him a cup of tea and politely asked him to sit down. He then said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t mind. I¡¯ve been holding back for a long time so I was really lustful. As a result, I couldn¡¯t control my passions.¡±


    Xu RenDong was stunned and his teacup almost fell to the ground. It was the first time he saw such a shameless person that could say such things so lightly, as though he were talking about something else entirely.


    Xu RenDong recovered from the embarrassment and suddenly became afraid.


    He remembered that when he was in the dungeon, he always thought that the white snake was Shi JianChuan¡¯s summoned beast or some kind of special effect of a prop. The biggest object of suspicion was of course the black Tang suit embroidered with snake patterns, so much so that he wanted to steal it for a while¡­


    Fortunately, he didn¡¯t. Otherwise if the White Snake was summoned and saw at first glance that he wasn¡¯t Shi JianChuan, he might have just bitten him to death.


    The water boiled and the aroma of tea rose from the tea cup. Shi JianChuan took a sip of tea, narrowed his eyes contentedly and asked, ¡°Did you come to ask me some questions?¡±


    Xu RenDong said, ¡°Yes.¡± He rationalized his thoughts and sat upright, ¡°You said that you have cleared all the instances, so¡­¡±


    Shi JianChuan interrupted him: ¡°My props are all used up. There are seven instance levels. Don¡¯t kill key players for dolls. That¡¯s it. Good luck.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    His words were short and fast, as if he had been preparing them long ago, waiting for Xu RenDong to ask.


    After Xu RenDong thought about it, he really had nothing to ask. He had no choice but to say to him, ¡°What about afterwards? What are you going to do?¡±


    {I know it seems like there¡¯s some missing info here but honestly it¡¯s not me, I¡¯m just translating what the author wrote. She really didn¡¯t have XRD ask any more questions or explain anything further at this point¡­ I haven¡¯t skipped anything here.}


    Shi JianChuan glanced at the fair-skinned man beside him with a smile in his eyes: ¡°The future is uncertain, live one day at a time.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± This was truly a speech that fitted this person¡¯s character.


    Shi JianChuan was flirtatious but the fair-skinned man was quite restrained. He didn¡¯t make any outrageous reaction after hearing this. He just quietly put his head on Shi JianChuan¡¯s shoulder, probably a habit he left behind when he was a snake. .


    In front of Xu RenDong, Shi JianChuan politely did not unleash his passions on the spot but just smiled and touched the man¡¯s face.


    Xu RenDong was suddenly a little curious: ¡°Because all the instances have been cleared, so he lost his ability and can¡¯t change back to a snake?¡±


    Shi JianChuan¡¯s face suddenly changed slightly and a strange brilliance flashed in his eyes. He seemed to think of something but seemingly dismissed it with a smile.


    ¡°No.¡± Shi JianChuan said while smiling, ¡°It¡¯s not that he lost the ability to transform back into a snake but that he has regained his human body.¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback for a moment. Regained? Does that mean that the white snake was originally a human but turned into a snake for some reason?


    Shi JianChuan quickly changed the subject, as if he didn¡¯t want to talk anymore about it. Xu RenDong thought that Shi JianChuan might also have something to hide, just like he couldn¡¯t talk to people about his reincarnations after death.


    After that, Xu RenDong chatted with the two casually and said goodbye to them.


    When he walked out of the hospital building, it was already dark. Xu RenDong looked back at the third floor subconsciously and found that Shi JianChuan was pulling at the curtains, smiling at him.


    Looking at this situation, I am afraid that it will not be a single day and night. {As in¡­ the duration of them doing ¡®it¡¯.}


    Xu RenDong smiled, shook his head and left the college.


    Unknowingly at some time, autumn had set in. The night wind was bleak and the leaves were rustling. Xu RenDong felt a little cold so he closed the car window. Turning to one side and seeing the empty passenger seat, he suddenly felt lonely.


    He missed him.


    He hadn¡¯t seen Lian Qiao for a few days and today he was stuffed with dog food by Shi JianChuan, so Xu RenDong was naturally feeling lonely.


    Lian Qiao had contacted him off and on these days. He knew that Lian Qiao had gone home to tell his parents the truth. Lian Qiao¡¯s parents were doctors. They were very busy at work. They work night shifts and hold academic conferences sometimes so they rarely spend time at home together.


    Lian Qiao was waiting for an opportunity to talk to his parents about his future.


    He didn¡¯t know how it was going.


    Xu RenDong suddenly couldn¡¯t restrain his thoughts, so he called Lian Qiao, however Lian Qiao¡¯s phone was turned off. He sent a WeChat and didn¡¯t get a reply. Xu RenDong felt nervous for a while. He remembered what had happened last time and when he looked at his watch, it was indeed time for Lian Qiao¡¯s live broadcast again.


    He took a deep breath. When he got home, he entered the live broadcast room.


    Unexpectedly, the live broadcast room was actually a black screen.


    The anxiety in his heart suddenly increased. When he saw the barrage, everyone was also asking why the anchor was not online today, why the anchor was not online yesterday and why the anchor has not been online for three consecutive days. Was his contract terminated?


    Xu RenDong stared at the barrage for a while but no one could answer these questions.


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t live stream for three days. He remembered that Lian Qiao had said that he had signed a contract with a live broadcast platform and had to live broadcast for more than two hours a day. He also had a phone call with Lian Qiao yesterday and the day before yesterday. Lian Qiao on the other end of the phone was still complaining that his parents were too busy and he didn¡¯t know when he would be able to talk about the topic. Today, however, there was no news at all.


    It seems that probably¡­ their talk has collapsed.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart sank little by little.


    He called Lian Qiao¡¯s friends one by one. Those were all people who Lian Qiao met online. They knew very little about Lian Qiao¡¯s real life information. Some didn¡¯t even know Lian Qiao¡¯s real name, let alone where his family lived.


    Xu RenDong worked all night and found nothing. He wanted to go to the police station to report the case. But thinking about it, Lian Qiao most likely just failed to negotiate with his parents and was locked up in solitary confinement. The police station could not interfere in other people¡¯s family affairs.


    So, early the next morning, Xu RenDong went to the headquarters of the live broadcast platform Lian Qiao signed to find Lian Qiao¡¯s identity information. Unsurprisingly, the headquarters also refused to provide information because the relationship between Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao could not be determined and the platform signed a non-disclosure agreement with the broadcaster. The real information of the broadcaster could not be leaked to outsiders.


    Outsiders.


    As if Xu RenDong was hit in the head, his heart throbbed again.


    It was only at this moment that he suddenly realized that he knew too little about Lian Qiao. He only knew that Lian Qiao was an internet livestreamer, that he lived in City B and that his parents were doctors¡­ But what about other than that?


    Did Lian Qiao have siblings? What was his major in college? Besides those people on the Internet, what friends does he have in reality?


    He knew nothing.


    Xu RenDong grew up in an orphanage and had very simple social relationships. He never thought that Lian Qiao had any other social identity besides being his lover. He was always waiting, accepting, but never realized that he should actually ask anything.


    There was only Lian Qiao in his world but there were many, many more people in Lian Qiao¡¯s world.


    A terrible thought suddenly flashed through his mind.


    ¡ªIf Lian Qiao died, who else can prove that the two of them once fell in love?


    Xu RenDong sat in the cafe outside the platform headquarters, chills all over and his heart throbbed. He quickly took the medicine that Jiang Li prescribed for him and ordered a cup of hot coffee, forcing himself to calmly think about what to do next.


    He had to find Lian Qiao, or Lian Qiao¡¯s career would be ruined.


    Since he said to go home, it must be in City B. But the question is that City B is so big and where was Lian Qiao¡¯s home?


    Xu RenDong pondered for a long time and finally took a deep breath. He picked up the phone and dialed his boss¡¯s number.


    ¡°Sorry, I need to take a few more days off.¡±


    ¡°Three days? ¡­ Actually, three days may not be enough. At least a week.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I see. Then I¡¯ll just resign.¡±


    ¡°I understand the seriousness of this matter and I will bear the consequences myself. As for the liquidated damages, I¡¯ll have to get back to you after I come back from my urgent matter.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Thank you. I¡¯m really sorry.¡±

 CH 110

    Chapter 110 ¨C The Search


    The next day, Xu RenDong arrived in City B alone.


    His idea was simple: since he couldn¡¯t find Lian Qiao, he would go look for Lian Qiao¡¯s father.


    Although his knowledge of Lian Qiao and his father is limited to his being a doctor, the surname ¡°Lian¡± was quite rare. There are only dozens of large and small hospitals in City B. Even if Xu RenDong goes to each one by one to investigate, he will always be able to find this ¡°Doctor Lian¡±!


    This was easier said than done. Firstly, he browsed through the official websites of all the hospitals he could find, trying to find Lian Qiao and his father in the specialists  introductory pages. He found a few ¡°Doctor Lian¡¯s¡± but when he looked at the photo, they didn¡¯t look like Lian Qiao.


    He made a field trip to various hospitals and didn¡¯t find Lian Qiao¡¯s father but instead found ¡°Dr. Lin¡± and ¡°Dr. Nian¡±.


    Three days passed quickly without Xu RenDong finding anything and Lian Qiao still didn¡¯t contact him. Every night Xu RenDong opened the live broadcast room and stared at the empty black screen in a daze.


    He thought that Lian Qiao must be in a panic right now and it was unknown if he would do something impulsive.


    The more he thought about it, the more worried he became. Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t sleep at night. The next morning, he embarked on a journey to find ¡°Doctor Lian¡± again.


    This time, he changed his mind. Every time he went to a hospital, instead of asking the nurses at the doctor¡¯s desk, he went to the scalper near the registration window.


    The bigger the hospital, the busier the nurses and they don¡¯t have much time to take care of him. The scalper is different. Seeing Xu RenDong¡¯s extraordinary temperament, he knows that he is a master who was willing to pay for information. Xu RenDong soon got some important information.


    There is an expert consultant surnamed Lian in XX Hospital who just returned from a meeting from the provinces. He will be at his specialist clinic tomorrow!


    So Xu RenDong paid another sum of money and got registered to see Director Lian. He arrived at the hospital early the next morning.


    The specialist clinic was extremely busy and there was a huge crowd of people in the waiting area, all of them waiting impatiently. Xu RenDong looked at the consultation room from a distance and, at a glance, he saw Director Lian surrounded by several interns. His heart skipped a beat. {¡®Director¡¯ is being used for a high level, specialist consultant doctor.}


    That¡¯s right! This is Lian Qiao¡¯s dad!


    Those facial features, that demeanor, it is simply the middle-aged elite version of Lian Qiao in society!


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart beat faster and he couldn¡¯t help walking towards the consultation room, but was stopped by the nurse at the triage table.


    ¡°What¡¯s the hurry! Wait until your number is called before you go in!¡±


    Xu RenDong wanted to explain but other patients also called out.


    ¡°Yeah! You¡¯re young, you don¡¯t have any manners at all! Don¡¯t you know how to line up!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a handsome young man, but unfortunately he hasn¡¯t been brought up well!¡±


    Xu RenDong was anxious but he could only keep his temper and wait for the doctor honestly. He waited from 7:30 to 11:30. Seeing that there were more than 40 numbers to arrive, he finally couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. He took the registration slip and asked the nurse, ¡°When will the specialist clinic end? How long will it take to see me?¡±


    The nurse had been busy all morning and must have been exhausted. She waved her hand impatiently and said, ¡°He will see you when he sees you. The director won¡¯t get off work until he has called all the numbers, don¡¯t worry!¡±


    Xu RenDong returned to his seat angrily, thinking that it¡¯s no wonder that Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t find a chance to communicate with his parents. His dad was so busy that don¡¯t even think about parent-child communication, he probably didn¡¯t even have time to eat.


    Sure enough, when Xu RenDong¡¯s name finally sounded on the radio, it was already half past one in the afternoon.


    Xu RenDong entered the consultation room and the row of interns around Director Lian raised their heads in unison. The eyes of the two girls lit up, as if they had seen a rare sight. Director Lian just glanced at him quickly and asked him to sit down a little tiredly.


    Xu RenDong got straight to the point and said that he was not actually here to see a doctor but to talk about Lian Qiao. Director Lian¡¯s expression changed. Due to the presence of the interns, he had to say solemnly: ¡°Okay. I still have a few patients to see here. Please go to the vacant consultation room next door and wait for a while. I will come right away.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s father didn¡¯t throw his cup onto the ground and tell him to get lost on the spot, which made Xu RenDong feel a little at ease. He followed his instructions and waited obediently next door. After another half hour, Director Lian finally came.


    He closed the door with his backhand when he came in and didn¡¯t bring the intern in with him. Xu RenDong quickly got up and introduced himself solemnly: ¡°Hello, Uncle Lian, I¡¯m Lian Qiao¡¯s friend Xu RenDong.¡±


    Director Lian looked him up and down: ¡°What do you want with me?¡±


    Looking at his reaction, it seemed he wasn¡¯t aware of Xu RenDong¡¯s identity. Xu RenDong thought for a while and said, ¡°I can¡¯t contact him so I got a little worried. Is he at home now?¡±


    Director Lian said decisively: ¡°No.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Before he left, he told me that he¡¯s going home because he had something to discuss with you. Didn¡¯t you see him?¡±


    Director Lian snorted coldly: ¡°He came back but then he left again. I don¡¯t know where he is now.¡±


    Xu RenDong pretended to panic and took out his mobile phone: ¡°Then you have to call the police quickly! If all of us can¡¯t contact him, something might have happened to him!¡±


    Director Lian was shocked when he saw this and quickly stepped forward to stop him: ¡°No, no, no need to call the police¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong was surprised and asked very sincerely: ¡°Why?¡±


    Director Lian coughed: ¡°Actually¡­ he is at home. There¡¯s some things going on at home so he probably didn¡¯t have time to contact you¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong asked sincerely again: ¡°What¡¯s going on at home?¡±


    Director Lian: ¡°Cough, this, it¡¯s not convenient to say¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong said repeatedly: ¡°Understand¡­¡± The conversation changed, and he said, ¡°Actually, the reason I came to look for him is also a bit of a personal matter. I have to talk to him face to face¡­¡±


    Director Lian: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Cough, this, it¡¯s not convenient to talk about¡­¡±


    Director Lian: ¡°¡­¡± How come it feels that this young man set him up!?


    Under Xu RenDong¡¯s half-coaxing and half-deception, Director Lian, who had a guilty conscience, finally agreed to take Xu RenDong home. Xu RenDong was overjoyed but his face remained impassive. Getting into the car of Lian Qiao¡¯s father, Xu RenDong behaved politely and courteously the whole way, with the attitude of a humble junior.


    On the way, he even figured out to spring Lian Qiao out of his confinement.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s family lived in a high-end community near the suburbs, with a huge green area. It was evening and the sun was just right. Many residents took their children and dogs out to enjoy the grassy areas.


    The car drove to a residential building and stopped. Lian Qiao¡¯s father led Xu RenDong up to the seventh floor and, as soon as the door opened, a middle-aged woman in an apron greeted them.


    Xu RenDong said ¡°Hello Auntie¡± but Director Lian said that this was their nanny. He left the nanny to greet Xu RenDong and went to the inner bedroom by himself.


    Xu RenDong noticed that before he entered the bedroom, he took out a key to unlock it.


    Soon, there was a quarrel in the bedroom.


    They were too far apart and Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t hear the content of the quarrel. He couldn¡¯t even tell if it was Lian Qiao¡¯s voice. The nanny was pouring tea for him and, when she heard the quarrel, shook her head with a sigh. Xu RenDong tried to ask her about Lian Qiao¡¯s situation but the nanny kept silent, apparently Lian Qiao¡¯s father had already ordered it.


    However, Xu RenDong¡¯s guess was soon confirmed.


    Papapa¡­ a sound of slippers hitting the floor. A man ran out of the bedroom in a hurry and, while running, he turned around and shouted, ¡°Dad, you are breaking the law! You can¡¯t shut me up like this!¡± He ran so fast that he even lost one of his slippers. Xu RenDong got up to meet him and the man accidentally bumped into him and fell into his arms.


    Fuck!¡± Lian Qiao was taken aback and subconsciously wanted to struggle. However, Xu RenDong hugged him tightly and said with a trembling voice:


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s me.¡±


    Lian Qiao opened her eyes in disbelief and countless emotions flashed in her eyes, as if there were thousands of words he wanted to say. However, when he opened his mouth, he just shouted with a crying voice: ¡°Brother RenDong!¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Xu RenDong felt that his voice was a little choked. He forced himself to act like an adult and touched Lian Qiao¡¯s head soothingly, ¡°I¡¯m here to save you.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s father followed closely. As soon as he entered the living room, he saw his son hugging the man and his jaw dropped in shock. At this time, he completely lost the demeanor of ¡°Specialist Director Lian¡±. He pointed at Xu RenDong and, forgetting etiquette, said with trembling fingers: ¡°You, you¡­ what are you doing?!¡±


    Xu RenDong took a deep breath. As the older party, he felt that he had to stand up to protect Lian Qiao at this time.


    However, before he could speak, Lian Qiao suddenly took a step forward and held his hand as if showing off: ¡°¡ªHe is my partner!¡± When he said this, everyone present was stunned.


    Without considering Lian Qiao¡¯s father, even Xu RenDong felt that Lian Qiao¡¯s coming out of the closet was too sudden and did not give people enough psychological preparation. The nanny aunt who was eating melons silently also walked away silently at this time. As a nanny for a high-level intellectual family, she naturally knew which melons can be eaten and which ones will cost her her job.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s father was clearly in great shock which made Xu RenDong feel a little embarrassed. He was afraid that the old man would be too stimulated and his heart would not be able to bear it, so he wanted to help him sit down and said politely, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, let¡¯s sit down and talk about it properly, okay?¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s father angrily threw away his hand: ¡°Is this your home or my home, when is it your turn to invite me to sit down?!¡±


    Xu RenDong felt that what he said was very reasonable, so he turned to look at Lian Qiao.


    Lian Qiao understood and said sincerely: ¡°Then let me talk to you. Dad, sit down first and let¡¯s have a good talk, shall we?¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s father looked at his son¡¯s sincere and innocent eyes and suddenly remembered that Xu RenDong was there. He remembered it was the exact same expression Xu RenDong had when he was running him around in circles at the hospital and couldn¡¯t help bristling with anger. He shouted angrily: ¡°I don¡¯t want to sit!¡±


    Lian Qiao & RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    RenDong: ¡°Then let¡¯s stand and talk.¡±


    Lian Qiao was fluent in kindness: ¡± Alright, let¡¯s stand and talk.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s father: ¡°¡­¡± What are you, some kind of parrot!? I¡¯m really pissed off!


    Although the old father was angry, he finally sat down and started negotiations with the two young people.


    When Lian Qiao came home this time, his original intention was to first deal with the problems left over from before, cultivate his feelings with his parents for a few days to ease the relationship and then introduce RenDong to them. Unexpectedly, this first step fell apart. The furious old father not only did not agree with him to continue being a livestreamer, he even confined him and and only fed him three meals of porridge a day to force him to calm down.


    Now RenDong fell out of the sky and while he was there to save him, it also disrupted his plans. So Lian Qiao had no choice but to push through. In a resigned manner he said, ¡°I don¡¯t have to be a livestreamer but you have to accept RenDong and admit that he is my partner and a member of our family.¡±


    The  old father refused decisively: ¡°No.¡±


    Lian Qiao was taken aback for a moment . .


    RenDong voluntarily gave in: ¡°We can talk about us later but his live broadcast can¡¯t be delayed any longer. Let him resume the live broadcast first¡­¡±


    The old father interrupted cruelly: ¡°No.¡±


    RenDong was also stunned.


    The old father glared at the two of them: ¡°Work and marriage are all important things in life, how can there be any room to bargain?¡±


    Lian Qiao was also angry: ¡°This is not good and that is not good, are you trying to force me to death? !¡±


    The old father roared: ¡°You don¡¯t listen to this and you don¡¯t listen to that, I think you¡¯re the one who wants to kill me!¡±


    Although Xu RenDong wasn¡¯t great at knowing how to deal with family relations, he knows that at this moment the swords are drawn and that it was impossible to reach a mediation. He frowned and was about to persuade Lian Qiao to calm down but then Lian Qiao suddenly shot up and shouted in an out of control manner, ¡°Then I will die and show you!¡±


    Very quickly, Lian Qiao jumped up onto the balcony.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s father was shocked: ¡°What are you doing? Come down quickly!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t!¡± Lian Qiao was so angry that not only did he not listen to the persuasion, he even continued to climb up the railing with his hands and feet.


    ¡°Lian Qiao!¡± Xu RenDong scolded sharply, ¡°Don¡¯t make trouble, come down!¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s scolding was obviously more effective than his old dad¡¯s. Lian Qiao¡¯s figure was stunned and his expression was obviously cowardly.


    The old father hurried to coax him and said a few persuasive things through clenched teeth but Lian Qiao was still clung to the railing, looking like a child throwing a tantrum. Xu RenDong didn¡¯t talk nonsense with him and just decided to grab him.


    The old father was still worried about whether Ren Dong¡¯s rash action would irritate Lian Qiao. He didn¡¯t expect that Lian Qiao would not dare to hide. He curled up like a kitten and obediently let Xu RenDong grab his arm and start dragging him in.


    While climbing down along the pole, he smiled flatteringly: ¡°There¡¯s no way I would really jump, I was just trying to scare him¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong scolded: ¡°You are crazy! You are joking with your own life! Is this something that can be used for fun?!¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s mouth was flat and he said aggrievedly, ¡°Aren¡¯t I doing this for you¡­¡±


    Standing on the side, the old dad¡¯s heart felt even more so when he saw this man had trained his son to act like a grandson.. However, there is no way for him to do anything now, the most important thing was to save his son.


    Lian Qiao was dragged by Xu RenDong¡¯s arm and moved in little by little. Even his father quickly reached out to help him.


    Seeing that he was about to climb back through the window, Lian Qiao grinned and, with a grin, was about to throw himself into the arms of RenDong. Suddenly, for some reason, his foot slipped. His entire person didn¡¯t have time to react and he quickly fell back.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s pupils shrank suddenly and he exclaimed: ¡°Lian Qiao!¡±


    In the  flash of light, not only did RenDong not let go but clung onto Lian Qiao even more tightly. So of course he was dragged down with him.


    ¡°Son!¡ª¡± Father Lian shouted heart-rendingly, watching the two young men fall from the seventh floor.


    At this moment, time came to an abrupt end¡ª


    In a place that not even Lian Qiao¡¯s father  could see, a silver-white metal door slowly opened in mid-air.


    Without warning, the two young people hugged each other tightly and fell into the open elevator.


    Bang!


    The elevator doors closed immediately.

 CH 111

    Chapter 111 ¨C Temple of the Five Internal Organs 1


    ¡°Wu¡­¡±


    The two of them fell apart. Lian Qiao rubbed the back of the head that hurt from the fall, and before the black haze in front of his eyes disappeared, he felt a pair of trembling hands hug him tightly.


    There was a violent gasp beside his ear and, in a chest that was close to him, a heart was beating wildly. Lian Qiao felt extremely guilty, hugged Xu RenDong back and apologized in a low voice: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, RenDong, I scared you, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong opened his mouth but couldn¡¯t say a word. Lian Qiao found that his body was cold and his body was trembling uncontrollably. He felt distressed immediately and he quickly stroked his back and coaxed softly: ¡°It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s alright, we¡¯re all alright. Don¡¯t be afraid, Brother RenDong, we are all fine¡­ it¡¯s alright¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s frantic heartbeat gradually subsided. The first thing he did after he regained his strength was to push Lian Qiao away and scold: ¡°Fuck you, what ¡®it¡¯s alright¡¯?! Who told you it¡¯s alright! You fucking almost died, don¡¯t you know! If there was no elevator, if¡ª¡± He didn¡¯t finish his sentence because suddenly he couldn¡¯t catch his breath and he covered his chest in pain.


    Lian Qiao was startled and rushed forward: ¡°Don¡¯t get angry! I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s all my fault! Where¡¯s your medicine? Where is the medicine? Is it on your body?¡± After a while of randomly feeling around, he soon found the bottle of life-saving medicine.


    Xu RenDong clutched the left side of his chest, his heart hurt so much that he was speechless. Lian Qiao hurriedly poured out the pills and stuffed them into RenDong¡¯s mouth. RenDong put the tablet under his tongue but his chest was still in terrible pain. Every beat seemed to tear his heart apart. The pain was so painful that he could not wait to die.


    Lian Qiao hugged RenDong and guilt and self-blame drowned him completely. He wanted to suffer in place of RenDong but he couldn¡¯t do it at all. Fortunately, the pills took effect very quickly. Within two minutes, Xu RenDong¡¯s breathing rate gradually eased and his face was not as pale as before.


    Xu RenDong pushed Lian Qiao away again and stood up with a stagger. Knowing that he was angry, Lian Qiao didn¡¯t dare to help him. He just raised his head and looked at him with wet eyes.


    Lian Qiao was like a large dog that had been locked outside. He knew that he had done something wrong to make his owner unhappy, so he sat on the ground obediently and let the rain wet his fur and blow his body frozen, but he didn¡¯t even dare shake off the water droplets.


    Xu RenDong knew that he was deliberately pretending to be pitiful and begging for mercy but, after staring at him for a while, he couldn¡¯t voice his accusations after all. After a long while, he sighed and dragged Lian Qiao up by the collar.


    ¡°Get up. What do you look like, sitting on the ground?¡±


    In the end, he was soft-hearted.


    Facing Lian Qiao, his heart was always soft and when it was touched, water would leak out. He couldn¡¯t control it.


    Lian Qiao got the amnesty he wanted and knew that Xu RenDong still loved him. His tail was lifted up all of a sudden. He jumped up and hugged Xu RenDong, burying his head in the neck of RenDong as if to please him, acting like a spoiled child and begged for mercy: ¡°I know I¡¯m  wrong and I won¡¯t dare to do it again. You can punish me again when I get home, okay?¡±


    After he said that, he pecked his neck and made Xu RenDong feel itchy for a while, from the roots of his ears to the tip of his heart.


    After the conflict was resolved, the two of them settled down and turned to look at the instance prompt that appeared in the air. Although they didn¡¯t know why the elevator appeared just at that time, but now that they were here, they had to clear the instance before they could go out.


    The prompt this time was very simple, with only three words, but it made the two of them get goosebumps on the spot.


    ¡°Temple of the Five Internal Organs¡±.


    Not a good phrase by any means. What¡¯s more, they didn¡¯t have any of their things with them this time, which increased the difficulty of the instance clearance.


    The two were silent for a moment and Lian Qiao suddenly said ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± again in a low voice.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Don¡¯t apologize any more.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes were wet: ¡°You don¡¯t blame me?¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°I will wait until I get home, and then I¡¯ll punish you severely.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s thoughts suddenly changed. What wet puppy being caught in the rain? His eyes immediately flashed and turned in a green light like a hungry wolf.


    There is only one word left on the whole body: Greedy.


    No matter what the road ahead, there was always the first step. The elevator door opened with a ¡°ding¡± and the two of them were greeted by darkness that could not be seen through.


    The elevator door closed behind him and the last ray of light disappeared. The two stood there for a while and were surprised to find that it was really black.


    What¡¯s even more strange is that there seemed to be no one around. Lian Qiao tried to shout twice but there was no response, not even an echo. It seems that the field was very expansive and that the players were scattered.


    ¡°What the hell¡­¡± Lian Qiao muttered and squeezed Xu RenDong¡¯s hand lightly.


    Since stepping into the darkness, the two of them have never let go of their hands. Lian Qiao¡¯s action seemed to confirm that Xu RenDong was still by his side.


    Xu RenDong narrowed his eyes, trying to identify the surrounding situation. Without light, of course nothing can be seen. He took out his phone and pressed the Home button. The phone made a sound of unlocking but the screen did not light up.


    Xu RenDong felt that Lian Qiao turned his head towards this side. He asked with a little surprise: ¡°The phone is broken?¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    He tried a few more times. The phone repeatedly made sounds of unlocking and locking the screen. The touch screen also vibrated normally but the screen was always black. He couldn¡¯t even make out the outline of the phone.


    The anxiety in his heart was gradually confirmed. Xu RenDong sighed and said in the direction of Lian Qiao: ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not that the phone is broken but that we are blind.¡±


    Lian Qiao was silent. In the darkness, Xu RenDong could not see his face but only heard him sigh.


    ¡°It¡¯s over. This instance is a disaster.¡±


    Not to mention that there may be a murderer in the darkness, just standing in the pitch black was scary enough. What¡¯s more, they were still unarmed this time and were completely powerless in the face of danger.


    Although Xu RenDong knew that he had to move forward, he found inexplicably that he also couldn¡¯t move forward. He never knew that vision was so important to him that, after suddenly becoming blind, he was so insecure that he couldn¡¯t walk.


    Until Lian Qiao suddenly clenched his hand: ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    In the darkness, Lian Qiao¡¯s voice was particularly low and sweet, like a looming light which made him suddenly have courage.


    Xu RenDong took a deep breath and took steps towards the endless darkness.


    Not long after the two set off, Xu RenDong¡¯s mood gradually calmed down. He asked in a low voice, ¡°Is this a forest?¡±


    There was the soft touch of the moist soil under his feet and occasionally he stepped on the branches, making a light ¡°crack¡± sound. From time to time something brushed across his cheek. It was soft to the touch, probably a twig that had just sprouted.


    Although he couldn¡¯t see it, he could still feel that he and Lian Qiao were walking through a forest in early spring.


    However Lian Qiao said: ¡°Not necessarily.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Why not?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°It¡¯s too quiet, there are no insects and birds, it¡¯s not normal.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Maybe because it¡¯s night time?¡±


    Lian Qiao was silent for a moment and then said: ¡°That¡¯s possible. But the flow of air is also very strange.¡±


    Xu RenDong was a little surprised: ¡°The flow of air?¡± But he couldn¡¯t feel the wind here at all.


    Lian Qiao hesitated and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s my illusion but I always feel that there is a slight wind blowing in a certain direction. Perhaps¡­¡±


    Before he could finish his words, the two of them went tense at the same time¡ª behind them, there seemed to be something rustling and crawling?


    Was it a snake? A beast? Or a ghost?


    Forget about it, run first!


    The two ran wildly at the same time. The road ahead was endless darkness and the branches and leaves were barrelled into head on, almost poking into Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes several times. He was so shocked that he was covered in cold sweat and his body was stiff.


    ¡°Let me go first!¡± Lian Qiao stepped up and used his body to help Xu RenDong clear the way.


    Xu RenDong followed closely and heard Lian Qiao groaning in a low voice from time to time, apparently his body was scratched by a branch. Lian Qiao was sweating coldly as he held his hand tightly but his fingers were clenched even tighter, whether it was because of tension or pain.


    Although the two ran desperately, the thing behind them still caught up. Xu RenDong smelled a cold rancid smell, like an animal carcass soaking and rotting in the mud. The rustling sound seemed to ring through his ears and Xu RenDong could even feel that the thing stretch out its claws toward them and was about to pull him down into the abyss.


    It can¡¯t go on like this!


    Xu RenDong steadied his heart, stretched out his hand toward the void and grabbed onto an oncoming branch. The thickness of the branch was suitable and turned into a wooden stick in his hand. Xu RenDong made a violent effort to break the branch. However, the expected ¡°click¡± sound did not appear. At the same time, he felt a cold and rough thing wrapped around his arm and lifted him off the ground!


    ¡°RenDong!¡± Lian Qiao exclaimed, holding onto him tightly.


    Xu RenDong was lifted in mid-air and his entire arm was entangled by the ghostly creature, almost tearing him apart. He endured the severe pain in his shoulder and arm and shouted to Lian Qiao: ¡°Let go!¡±


    ¡± I¡ª¡± The word ¡°won¡¯t¡± was not spoken but instead he heard a muffled groan: ¡°Oh!¡±


    Lian Qiao let go of his hand. Xu RenDong suddenly felt a chill in his heart and desperately stretched out his hand there but he couldn¡¯t touch Lian Qiao.


    He didn¡¯t know what was going on in the darkness so he could only shout in panic: ¡°Lian Qiao! Lian Qiao, what¡¯s wrong with you! Where are you!¡±


    Xu RenDong was still hanging in the air by the ghostly thing. He kept kicking and kicking, trying to break free but the things squeezing his arms were getting tighter and tighter, almost breaking his bones. Xu RenDong endured the severe pain to try and pull away but when he touched the thing, he discovered in horror that it was a piece of rattan.


    It was cold and flexible. It was like rough cane and was as thick as an arm. It entangled him and dragged him off the ground!


    Just when Xu RenDong touched the rattan, another rattan suddenly jumped out from the darkness, entangling his other arm, forcing him to open his arms.


    Xu RenDong was pulled apart by the two vines. He felt that his arm was about to be torn off alive. The severe pain made him scream out of control: ¡°Lian Qiao¡ª¡± In the darkness, there was still no response.


    All you can hear is¡ª click, click.


    It was the sound of a dislocated shoulder.


    ¡°Ugh¡ª¡± Xu RenDong was in so much pain that he couldn¡¯t make a sound. His neck fell back unconsciously. Before he knew it, his legs were also entangled in the branches. He was forced to open his body and his entire person was hanging in the air like the ¡°big¡±/´ó character.


    The bones of his limbs were pulled out of the joints inch by inch, followed by the sound of tendon rupture. Xu RenDong was in despair. Tears and snot wet his whole face. He just wanted this torture to end soon, end soon.


    Let me die¨C


    So he rejoiced when the vines crawled up his neck.


    I can finally die ¨C


    Click, click, click.


    It was the sound of a broken neck.

 CH 112

    Xu RenDong woke up in the elevator.


    The joints all over the body still bore the severe pain from being fractured. Xu RenDong¡¯s muscles were stiff and he didn¡¯t dare to move. His entire person had not woken up from the horror of being torn apart alive.


    ¡°Brother RenDong?¡± Lian Qiao held his hands and rubbed it gently, ¡°Why are your hands so cold all of a sudden?¡±


    Xu RenDong raised his eyes in shock. Lian Qiao¡¯s body temperature came from the palm of his hand and he finally gradually calmed down. He calmed down, suppressed the ups and downs of his emotions and said in as calm a voice as possible, ¡°¡­I¡¯m okay.¡±


    Lian Qiao took his hands, sighed and gently rubbed them to warm him. Xu RenDong¡¯s arms and elbows were numb. He pulled his hands back unnaturally and clenched his fists a few times, and it felt better. Seeing his strange reaction, Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t help frowning and staring at him.


    ¡°Brother RenDong, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve always wanted to ask you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Are you¡­¡±


    Before Lian Qiao finished speaking, Xu RenDong suddenly changed his face. He felt nauseous for no reason,and immediately bent down and retched.


    Lian Qiao was taken aback by him and hurriedly patted his back to give him comfort. Xu RenDong retched for a while but didn¡¯t spit out anything. His face was pale with cold sweat and looked very miserable.


    Xu RenDong slowed down, panted slightly and asked, ¡°What were you just saying?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± A trace of complicated emotions flashed in Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes but soon he shook his head and sighed, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, forget it.¡±


    Xu RenDong wanted to ask more but then he heard a ¡°ding¡± and the elevator door opened.


    There was still endless darkness behind the door. The darkness devoured everything, not only the light but it seemed that even if you stretched out your hand, it would be cut off by the darkness.


    The bottomless darkness made Xu RenDong instinctively fearful. Although he was in the bright elevator at this time, he had begun to breathe quickly, his heart beat faster and even his back was sweating.


    I don¡¯t want to go out.


    I don¡¯t want to leave here.


    A voice inside kept screaming. His body seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, causing him to take a step back subconsciously.


    ¡°RenDong?¡± Lian Qiao immediately noticed his strangeness, reached out to support him and said worriedly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you see anything?¡±


    Xu RenDong shook his head. The fact that he couldn¡¯t see anything made him even more frightened.


    RenDong¡¯s state is obviously not right. Lian Qiao suddenly had a strong desire to protect him. He held RenDong¡¯s hand tightly and said bravely, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯ll go ahead, you just follow me.¡±


    Unexpectedly, this sentence stimulated Xu RenDong. He raised his head sharply and pulled Lian Qiao back forcefully.


    ¡°No!¡±


    Xu RenDong had overreacted and the pulling force was so strong that he almost threw Lian Qiao back into the elevator bodily. Lian Qiao staggered a few times and stood up, looking at him with a dazed expression.


    What¡¯s going on? Wasn¡¯t I just trying to look cool?


    He saw Xu RenDong close his eyes and take a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, he had returned to his usual calm and unruffled appearance.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look for death.¡± He dropped a cold sentence and walked out of the elevator alone.


    Lian Qiao stayed for a while but feared they would get lost so he quickly chased after him. The elevator door closed behind him, engulfing the last ray of light. Lian Qiao fell into absolute darkness. He was stunned for a moment and then bumped into a thin and straight back.


    ¡°Listen to my footsteps, follow closely.¡± Xu RenDong¡¯s voice was low and sweet, like an invisible light in the dark, causing Lian Qiao¡¯s hanging heart to suddenly fall.


    Lian Qiao stretched out his hand towards the darkness ahead, wanting to hold him, but he was avoided by RenDong.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hold onto me.¡± RenDong paused and then ordered a little stiffly, ¡°Run if you are in danger. Don¡¯t¡­don¡¯t drag me down.¡±


    Lian Qiao was still for a while, his outstretched hand frozen in the darkness.


    Xu RenDong did not explain and did not give him time to relax. The footsteps sounded again, Xu RenDong stepped on the dead branches and fallen leaves, and slowly walked forward.


    Lian Qiao was helpless and had to keep up.


    There was no doubt that Xu RenDong was both disgusted and afraid of this darkness. He really wanted to get out as soon as possible, not even a second more was tolerable. Therefore, although he stumbled, he kept urging Lian Qiao to go quickly. But when he tripped over a big tree root, Lian Qiao finally couldn¡¯t help it and asked him, ¡°What are you in such a hurry for?¡±


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t answer, patted the dirt on his body and stood up.


    Lian Qiao smelled a hot bloody smell, frowned and said, ¡°Are you injured?¡±


    Xu RenDong said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, just a scratch.¡±


    Lian Qiao suddenly got angry, grabbed him, and started touching his feet. He scolded fiercely: ¡°Fuck you! Can you bleed so much if it¡¯s just a scratch? Do you think I¡¯m an idiot? You¡ª¡± The scolding stopped abruptly because he touched Xu RenDong¡¯s arm and felt a long wound.


    The wound was at least one centimeter deep and it stretched from the wrist to the elbow, dripping with blood. His thin shirt was torn long ago and the cloth strips hung down on both sides, soaked with blood and mud, no wonder there was such a strong bloody smell.


    Lian Qiao was afraid of causing him pain so he didn¡¯t dare to touch him again, but his tone was angry and pitiful: ¡°Are you made of stone! You have such a big wound¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong was extremely alienated: ¡°I don¡¯t feel pain.¡±


    Lian Qiao was so angered that he ended up laughing instead: ¡°Okay! You¡¯re not afraid of pain, so don¡¯t say it hurts then!¡±


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t know what he wanted to do but felt his arm being pulled over by him and then the next moment, Lian Qiao put his fingertips into his wound .


    ¡°Hmm!¡± Xu RenDong subconsciously exclaimed and his entire person curled up.


    ¡°Stand still! Don¡¯t move!¡± Lian Qiao sneered, ¡°Wasn¡¯t it painless?¡±


    Having said that, the movements of his hands were lighter. Xu RenDong felt his fingers move slowly in the wound and, when he touched the leaves and stones, he picked out the foreign bodies and continued to explore inside, making a slippery and sticky sound.


    The wound was abruptly enlarged, which was tantamount to secondary injury to Xu RenDong.


    He gritted his teeth. He quickly realized that Lian Qiao was debriding him.


    In fact, Xu RenDong also knew in his heart that he was seriously injured by this fall. When he lost his balance, he instinctively supported the ground with his hands but a dead branch was stuck on the ground. The dead branch was sharp and rough and it made a big cut in his arm. There was a sharp pain as he pulled the dead stick out of the wound. But it was only that moment.


    Compared with tearing the joints alive, what was a mere branch inserted into the arm? The only thing that Xu RenDong was fortunate about was that the dead branch was inserted into his arm instead of his chest, otherwise¡­


    Otherwise, he could only continue walking with the dead branch inserted.


    Of course, Lian Qiao didn¡¯t know what Xu RenDong was thinking but Xu RenDong also couldn¡¯t guess what Lian Qiao was thinking. Therefore, when Lian Qiao stuffed the blood-stained dry branch into his hand, Xu RenDong looked confused.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°Be a guide for the blind.¡±


    Xu RenDong was stunned and touched the dead branch up and down, only to find that the dead branch was connected to a section of the trunk, which was a fork near the root of the tree. No  wonder it was so hard.


    But why was this tree trunk so strange?


    ¡°Was this tree split by someone?¡± Xu RenDong stroked the abrupt section on the other side of the tree trunk, wondering if someone else passed by here not long ago.


    But Lian Qiao said: ¡°It¡¯s not like splitting from the side, it seems to be split from the middle.¡±


    Xu RenDong touched it carefully again,and felt that Lian Qiao¡¯s words were very reasonable. The trunk of this tree has a rough section and is broken from the center along the grain of growth. But judging from the thickness, at least three people could have fit around it arm to arm, and for some reason it had cracked in the middle.


    Did it get struck by lightning?


    Was there still thunder in this ghostly place?


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t intend to waste time on such details so he leaned on the trunk and stood up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s keep going.¡±


    Lian Qiao walked to the position in front of him and said, ¡°I¡¯ll open the way.¡±


    Xu RenDong said. : ¡°No need.¡±


    Lian Qiao knew Xu RenDong¡¯s stubbornness and didn¡¯t insist. He just sighed and said in a low voice: ¡°When will you be able to rely on me¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t hear clearly, and asked in the dark: ¡°What?¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°You¡­ Forget it. It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    The two went on their way again.


    With the guide stick, it becomes much easier to open the way. This thing can also be used as a weapon if necessary. In fact, Xu RenDong thought the same thing in the last reincarnation but he just reached out his hand and caught the deadly vine. After that he was directly ¡°pulled apart by five horses¡±, what a tragedy. {Reference to an ancient Chinese torture/execution tactic where they¡¯d attach a horse to all your limbs and your bed, then get the horse to run in different directions.} If he hadn¡¯t just picked up this dead branch by chance this time, he wouldn¡¯t have dared to touch the surrounding plants.


    Xu RenDong remembered that the last time they walked not far before there was a rustling sound behind them. Thinking about it now, it was probably the vines chasing after him. Therefore, along the way, Xu RenDong was careful to watch out, always paying attention to the movement around him. However, the rustling sound did not appear this time.


    Instead, they heard a scream came from far, far away. ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!¡±


    Should they try to save somebody? As soon as such an idea appeared, the sound returned to silence. No matter how much they listened, there was no sound.


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s too late.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Well in that case let¡¯s change direction and bypass that side.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Okay.¡±


    Although the killing in the distance had already ended, the turbulence in the hearts of the two was difficult to calm down for a long time. The instance this time was very special. The entrance was this dark forest. They have not encountered a single player until now and even had the suspicion that there was no one else in this instance other than them at all.


    However, the screams just now proved beyond a doubt that there were other players in this instance.


    So, are these people completely dispersed or they are already¡­


    ¡°Fortunately, we came together¡­¡± Lian Qiao suddenly stepped up and got closer to RenDong, ¡°If I came in alone, probably now I¡¯ve already been scared to death.¡±


    Xu RenDong was silent for a moment, then said, ¡°If I were alone, I probably wouldn¡¯t even be able to get out of the door so I¡¯d just live in the elevator.¡±


    Somehow, the scene of Xu RenDong squatting in the elevator and eating hot pot appeared in Lian Qiao¡¯s mind. He couldn¡¯t help laughing.


    Xu RenDong asked in surprise: ¡°What are you laughing at?¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s hand passed through the darkness and pinched his face accurately: ¡°No. I won¡¯t leave you alone.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­ En. ¡°


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Let¡¯s have a hot pot after going out.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­Huh?¡± The topic jumped too fast!


    Lian Qiao intentionally made him happy and made Xu RenDong feel a lot more relaxed. However, there were screams and yells from time to time in the distance, and the atmosphere soon became solemn again.


    The two stopped from time to time and listened for a while, but then it seemed there was nothing for them to do. So they could only continue along the road.


    The screams of others were miserable but it also showed that the danger was still far away, and they could feel at ease. It¡¯s just that the atmosphere wasn¡¯t suitable for joking around anymore.


    After walking for another ten minutes, Lian Qiao suddenly said: ¡°Brother RenDong, don¡¯t you think this forest is strange?¡±


    Xu RenDong recalled what he said in the last reincarnation,and copied him: ¡°It¡¯s too quiet, there¡¯s no insects and no birds?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not just that¡­ give me your hand.¡±


    Xu RenDong did as he was told.


    Lian Qiao grabbed his hand and kissed him. Xu RenDong only felt an itch in his palm, Lian Qiao quickly licked his palm with the tip of his tongue and the numb feeling instantly climbed up his back.


    ¡°¡­Lian Qiao!¡± Xu RenDong was embarrassed and annoyed and subconsciously retracted his hand, ¡°You¡­ what are you doing!¡±


    Lian Qiao said solemnly: ¡°Spread your arms and stretch them up.¡±


    Xu RenDong still felt confused but did as he said. As soon as he raised his palm, he immediately understood Lian Qiao¡¯s intention.


    It¡¯s the wind.


    This forest is deep and depressing. Perhaps it was because of the loss of vision. Along the way, Xu RenDong always felt that the air was very stagnant and airtight. At this time, there was a little saliva on the palm of his hand and, after a while, he realized that there was actually wind here.


    But what does this mean?

 CH 113

    Xu RenDong pondered for a while but couldn¡¯t keep up with Lian Qiao¡¯s train of thought. Although he felt like a rookie, he still asked honestly, ¡°So there is wind, what does that mean? Is this a forest?¡±


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°Actually I didn¡¯t notice the wind at first, I just smelled a weird smell.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Um.. it was smelly, like something rotten¡­but not like a junkyard. There seems to be a little earthy fragrance mixed in it, just like the earth after the rain¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong suddenly understood. The smell he was talking about was probably the swamp stench from the pile of rustling vines when they were tortured and killed in the last reincarnation.


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help but feel tight in his chest and took a deep breath inwards.


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°But not anymore. Because we are going downwind.¡±


    Downwind?


    Xu RenDong suddenly realized. If the swamp stench came from the killing vines, then as they kept walking and the stench got weaker and lighter, it meant that they were getting further and further away from the vines. No wonder they only heard screams in the distance and the vines never caught up with them.


    In fact, the difficulty of this instance was that it took away everyone¡¯s eyesight and made everyone run around in the dark forest. The vines obviously do not need vision, so chasing down players is like an eagle catching a chicken.


    Fortunately, the forest was vast and the players were scattered. The vines were rushing to and fro, and it was inevitable that one would lose sight of the other. It seems that this is the breakthrough of this instance.


    RenDong clarified his thoughts and couldn¡¯t help but marvel at Lian Qiao¡¯s calmness and agility of mind. He reached out to the darkness and stroked Lian Qiao¡¯s hair rewardingly.


    Lian Qiao smiled, grabbed his hand and pecked his palm again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make trouble.¡± Ren Dong smiled and pulled back his hand, ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up and clear the instance, so we can go to eat hot pot earlier.¡±


    Lian Qiao replied with a smile. Even though he couldn¡¯t see anything in the dark, Xu RenDong could still imagine how his eyebrows were curved and his heart suddenly burst with sweetness.


    He calmed down, clenched the guide stick and faced the ground a little forward. Suddenly, an ominous premonition caught in his heart.


    Was there something on the ground ahead? It didn¡¯t feel right to the touch. Not as soft as earth, nor as hard as tree roots.


    With a flash of inspiration, Xu RenDong suddenly woke up.


    ¨C That was a leather shoe!


    In front of him, stood a silent man!


    Xu RenDong retracted his hand like an electric shock but it was too late. Something caught him. He heard a mocking chuckle, followed by a chill on his wrist and a dull thud from the darkness.


    -It hurts!


    When he moved, the grasp finally retracted. Xu RenDong endured the severe pain and dragged Lian Qiao back, his painful arm curled up in front of his chest and his clothes soon became wet.


    What happened? Why is it so wet? Why is there so much blood ¨C


    ¡°RenDong?!¡± Lian Qiao exclaimed, subconsciously protecting him in front of him, but accidentally touched the wound on his wrist.


    ¡°Hmm!¡± Xu RenDong trembled in pain and could hardly stay upright.


    A strong smell of blood quickly evaporated in the air. The bloody smell was so heavy that Xu RenDong choked and coughed. He lost feeling in his entire left hand and instinctively tried to  touch it with his right hand but couldn¡¯t feel anything.


    My¡ªhand¡ª


    Xu RenDong felt like he was falling into an ice cave and his entire body started to tremble.


    My¡­my left hand¡­disappeared¡­


    He felt the blood vessels that were spewing blood, the wet and sticky muscles, the sharp broken bones¡­but he couldn¡¯t touch his own hand.


    My hand was cut off¡­


    Xu RenDong wanted to tell Lian Qiao about this but when he opened his mouth, he couldn¡¯t say a word anyway.


    Tremble. The only reaction he could muster was trembling.


    It hurts¡­


    ¡°Be careful!¡± He didn¡¯t know what happened but Lian Qiao suddenly pushed him back. Xu RenDong fell heavily to the ground and then Lian Qiao fell on top of him.


    His broken wrist accidentally touched the dead branches of the soil, causing a sharp pain. Xu RenDong pulled back his wrist with a scream and covered his chest, trembling.


    Lian Qiao suddenly pushed him: ¡°Come on!¡±


    At this time, Xu RenDong had lost the ability to think under the double blow of body and spirit. He was pushed by Lian Qiao and rolled to the side. He finally stood up, clutching his wrists, only then did he notice the sound of fighting near him.


    ¡°Lian Qiao!¡± Xu RenDong trembled and screamed, ¡°Be careful! He has a knife!¡±


    Lian Qiao obviously had no time to care about RenDong. In the darkness, the sound of sharp objects breaking through the air was constantly heard, mixed with Lian Qiao¡¯s groaning and the sound of fabric tearing. Even if you can¡¯t see anything, you can imagine how much Lian Qiao suffered, being empty-handed in this fight.


    Xu RenDong was furious. The initial fiery pain in the broken wrist was gone, replaced by a biting numbness. The body temperature seemed to be lost along with the blood and a large amount of blood poured out like a fountain, splashing into the soil like rain. Xu RenDong quickly became dizzy. He bit his lip hard, forcing himself to be alert, and then rushed towards the fight.


    There was only one other person!


    If the other party is also a player, he should have lost his sight like them! Even if the other party had weapons, if they had lost their eyesight then it may be difficult to subdue the two of them together! What¡¯s more, RenDong would put his life on the line to fight and even if he couldn¡¯t defeat him, he could at least block his attack with his body!


    Just as RenDong rushed forward like a broken vessel, a strange sound suddenly caught in his ears.


    Shasha, the sound of rustling¡­


    Before he could tell what the sound was, there was a sudden piercing pain from the broken wrist of his left hand!


    ¡°Ow!¡± This severe pain was unusual. Even with an endurance as strong as Xu RenDong¡¯s, all his strength was taken away by the pain and his entire body fell onto the ground without any strength!


    He instinctively touched the broken wrist but at the broken place that should have been empty, he felt something soft and cold.


    It was the vines!


    This was not good! The vines were catching up! Once entangled, he would be dismembered!


    The terrifying memory of the last reincarnation grabbed him instantly. Xu RenDong hurriedly pulled the vines and the vines were indeed pulled loose by him. However, at the same time, a more severe stinging pain came from the depths of his arm!


    ¡°Ohhhh¡­¡± Xu RenDong was in so much pain that his whole body curled up and he didn¡¯t even have the strength to make a sound.


    It hurts! This arm hurt! It was as if the bones and veins had been torn out alive¡­


    The association made him shiver. Xu RenDong was covered in cold sweat, trembling to touch the vines and suddenly realized that the vines had indeed drilled into his broken wrist again.


    It ¨C burrowed into my body ¨C


    It bulged through his arms so quickly that it could feel the twisted branches through the skin. Xu RenDong was afraid and hurt and shouted desperately: ¡°Lian Qiao! Lian Qiao! Help me! Come and save me!¡±


    He called several times but Lian Qiao never responded.


    The vines were still digging in. It was past the elbow. It¡¯s almost over his shoulder.


    Xu RenDong held his shoulders in fear and pinched the flesh on his arms, afraid that the vines would continue to drill up. His arm was so swollen that it almost exploded. He had no time to care about the outcome of the fight on the side. He could only cry like a lost child, crying in despair, ¡°Lian Qiao! Help me!¡±


    Lian Qiao never responded¡­


    A pair of leather shoes, stepping on the wet soil, came towards him.


    Xu RenDong raised his face and looked at the darkness above his head with blood and tears on his face. He has completely lost the ability to think. He was like a white rabbit that had been stripped of its fur, his pink muscles trembling in the icy air, so pitiful that he was powerless to resist.


    He already knew that Lian Qiao was not standing in front of him. Lian Qiao would not listen to his screams and remain indifferent.


    Therefore, he almost looked up at the man in the dark with anticipation and joy.


    Kill me. Quickly kill me and set me free.


    The corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably and raised slightly. He stretched out his hand to the man in the dark, begging death as if he were praying to a god.


    However, that person just chuckled and said, ¡°What a coincidence, so you are here too.¡±


    Xu RenDong was stunned.


    The outstretched hand fluttered. The leather shoes clicked on the dead branches and leaves. The man left quickly.


    However, the surrounding rustling did not stop, but kept approaching and gathering.


    ¡°No¡­don¡¯t go!¡± Xu RenDong screamed desperately, trying to chase the man but, just as he was about to get up, a huge force on his waist pulled him back to the spot. Immediately afterwards, a cold and rough rattan got into his mouth.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Xu RenDong¡¯s voice was blocked and he couldn¡¯t make a sound for a moment.


    Countless vines gathered along the smell of blood. Climb up on his body, looking for a hole in which to root.


    Then, burrow in, suck the flesh and grow like crazy.


    After a while, there was a ¡°crack¡±.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s body was split from the middle.


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhh¡ª!¡±


    Xu RenDong woke up in the elevator. At practically the same time he gave an uncontrollable scream.


    Lian Qiao was taken aback by him and said in a panic, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, RenDong? RenDong?¡±


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t seem to hear his voice at all, just covered his face and curled up, screaming and hiding in the corner. Lian Qiao hurriedly looked around. The elevator door hadn¡¯t opened yet and the metal case was running smoothly. Apart from the scary words ¡°Temple of the Five Internal Organs¡± floating in the air, there was really nothing to be afraid of.


    But Xu RenDong¡¯s fear is real. At this moment, he was like a child awakened from a nightmare. He forgot to even cry when he was too frightened and only instinctively escaped and screamed out of control.


    Lian Qiao was very anxious: ¡°Brother RenDong? What¡¯s wrong with you? What did you see?¡±


    Before Xu RenDong could answer him, a ¡°ding¡± sounded suddenly behind him. It was the elevator door that opened. Lian Qiao turned back subconsciously and saw the bottomless darkness outside the elevator door and his heart sank. At the same time, Xu RenDong screamed again.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡± He screamed as though his heart was broken. Lian Qiao hurriedly took him into his arms and coaxed: ¡°Okay, okay, we won¡¯t go out if you don¡¯t want to. We will stay here and not go anywhere. You are safe. RenDong, you are safe, I am here. I¡¯m here, did you hear me? You are safe!¡±


    Xu RenDong held his arm tightly and the force of his fingers was enough to squash meat into pulp. Although Lian Qiao didn¡¯t know why he was like this but, seeing how frightened he was, he subconsciously repeated the words ¡°you are safe¡±.


    Xu RenDong listened and it really worked. The fingers that were holding him loosened a little, but they still held him tightly and tremblingly.


    Lian Qiao stroked his back, kissed his hair, and coaxed softly, ¡°It¡¯s alright, you¡¯re safe. Don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯m by your side, I¡¯ll protect you¡­¡±


    It was unknown which sentence stimulated Xu RenDong but he raised his head suddenly. His eyes were red and he looked at Lian Qiao with tears. Lian Qiao felt a pain in his heart from the pain in Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes, so he could not help hugging him tightly again and said to him in a calm and powerful voice: ¡°No matter what you¡¯ve been through, everything is over. RenDong, it¡¯s all right.¡±


    Xu RenDong leaned in his arms dumbly and finally stopped screaming. After a while, he burst into tears.


    This is the first time that Lian Qiao has seen him cry.


    No, it should be said that before this, he never thought that there would be a time when RenDong would collapse and cry.


    RenDong was like a flower on a snowy mountain or a tree on a clifftop. Growing alone and tenaciously, no matter how hard the blow is, he can always survive.


    But at this moment, the string in his heart suddenly broke.


    Like an overwhelmed camel who suddenly found itself carrying a thousand tons of straw on its back. Like a crumbling wooden bridge when suddenly 10,000 tanks drove up.


    He collapsed completely. Screaming, crying, like a runaway mental patient.


    And Lian Qiao didn¡¯t even know why he collapsed.


    He was fine a minute ago. Why did it suddenly break out like he was waking up from a dream?


    ¡­Speaking of which, this situation has actually happened more than once.


    Lian Qiao had already noticed that every time he entered the elevator, Xu RenDong¡¯s mood would undergo a subtle change. Sometimes it suddenly becomes indifferent and paranoid, and people could not get close, or sometimes he would show a vulnerable side inexplicably and act cute as a kitten towards him.


    It was very strange.


    RenDong must have experienced something alone whilst he was unaware of it.


    Could it be that¡­


    A strange thought flashed through Lian Qiao¡¯s mind. However, the person in his arms was still crying and, at this moment, he really couldn¡¯t ask.


    RenDong sat on the ground and refused to get up, Lian Qiao hugged him until his legs became numb. But RenDong¡¯s mood has not yet calmed down and so Lian Qiao can only endure it. After a long time, until the numbness spread to the waist, Lian Qiao finally couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Are you feeling better?¡±


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t speak, just buried his head in his chest again.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s heart melted.


    Hug! Keep hugging! What leg numbness! I can chop off the legs if you like!


    He really has no way to endure this kind of coquettish Xu RenDong. He felt full of pity and love, as though he couldn¡¯t help but want to hold him in his mouth and heart.


    The elevator door behind him had been open for ten minutes and the cold wind kept pouring in, making Lian Qiao¡¯s back feel cold. Lian Qiao was afraid that RenDong would feel cold so he changed his posture and wrapped the person tightly in his coat.


    Xu RenDong leaned against Lian Qiao¡¯s warm chest and his breathing finally became steady.


    He didn¡¯t know how long it took but Lian Qiao was shivering from the cold wind, and only felt that the whole person had kidney deficiency.


    ¡°RenDong?¡± Lian Qiao called softly.


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t respond.


    Lian Qiao called out again in a low voice but Xu RenDong still didn¡¯t speak. What answered him was the soft, soft purr of a kitten.


    Xu RenDong had fallen asleep. In his sleep, he did not forget to grab his sleeve and rub his neck affectionately with the tip of his nose.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± Damn, why is he so cute!


    Sleep! Keep sleeping!


    What kidney deficiency? If you like, both kidneys will be cut off for you!

 CH 114

    Chapter 114 ¨C Temple of the Five Internal Organs 4


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao. One really dared to sleep at a time like this and the other dared to  accompany them.


    So that venerable instance of darkness had to keep its door open wide and wait for them for more than an hour before Xu RenDong woke up from his deep sleep.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake!¡± Lian Qiao moved his stiff body but his expression was extremely satisfied.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes were slightly red and swollen, obviously from crying hard just now. He rubbed his eyes and replied in a hoarse voice, ¡°I¡¯ve woken up.¡±


    Lian Qiao patted his head with a smile, as if to praise him for his great sleep. Xu RenDong looked at him blankly, as if he didn¡¯t quite remember what happened just now.


    Since he doesn¡¯t remember, Lian Qiao has no intention of reminding him of his misery. He staggered to his feet, rubbed his numb legs and asked, ¡°Are you ready? Are we going out now, or do you want to keep waiting?¡±


    Xu RenDong looked out of the elevator subconsciously. When he saw the bottomless darkness, his eyes shrank painfully. He quickly lowered his head, opened his mouth several times but didn¡¯t speak.


    Lian Qiao sensed his alienation and suddenly laughed.


    ¡°It¡¯s the first time I saw you cry and, to be honest, I¡¯m a little happy.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao seemed to realize that what he said was very perverted, so he coughed awkwardly and corrected himself: ¡°I mean, ah, since it was the first time I saw your vulnerable side¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s face was slightly red and he looked away and said, ¡°Are you disappointed?¡±


    ¡°Disappointed? Why would I be disappointed?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°I am obviously older than you but I can¡¯t even control my emotions¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao was both distressed and amused when he heard this. He rubbed RenDong¡¯s hair and said with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re only a few years older than me so stop saying things like that. Besides, everyone has emotional breakdowns and¡­¡±


    He paused and said slowly in a more gentle and firm tone: ¡°You don¡¯t have to be strong all the time. Although I¡¯m younger than you, I¡¯m already an adult. Try to rely on me occasionally, okay?¡±


    Xu RenDong was stunned.


    In his more than 20 years of life, no one has ever said to him ¡°you don¡¯t have to be strong all the time¡±. He grew up in an orphanage. Although the principal treated him well, he always felt inferior because of his origins.


    He was an abandoned child. His biological mother didn¡¯t want him and neither did those who wanted to adopt orphans.


    He always felt that he was worthless.


    So he suppressed his desires and swallowed his pain alone. He felt that he was not qualified to ask for anything, nor was he qualified to complain. Even if he was injured, he just wanted to hide in a corner and lick his wound silently.


    Until he met Lian Qiao.


    It was not until he met Lian Qiao that he realized that he could also be depended on and loved. So he desperately protected Lian Qiao and tried to show the maturity of an older person. He wanted Lian Qiao to live happily and to be a boy who never grew up without any worries.


    But such a Lian Qiao suddenly said to him: You don¡¯t have to be strong all the time, you can also rely on me.


    Xu RenDong felt warm in his chest and his whole heart seemed to be soaked in a hot spring, so comfortable that it was about to melt. He raised his mouth slightly, raised his hand to stroke Lian Qiao¡¯s eyebrows and said softly, ¡°You are already a grown up huh¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes darkened. He leaned into Xu RenDong¡¯s ear and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°It¡¯s so big that it can¡¯t even be held with one hand, of course I¡¯m an adult.¡±


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t understand it at first, until he noticed the malicious smile in Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes and his pornographic tone of voice. He couldn¡¯t help blushing slightly and pushed him away both angry and amused.


    Seeing that his mood had eased, Lian Qiao finally felt relieved and decided to go out to challenge the instance.


    If the elevator has a soul, it must be full of tears at this time: Please think of me!


    Lian Qiao was about to step out of the elevator but Xu RenDong stopped him and said, ¡°We have to find a weapon or we will surely die.¡±


    A weapon?


    Where can they find a weapon in this empty elevator?


    Lian Qiao looked around. His expression brightened and his eyes were fixed on the elevator door.


    A vigorous miracle happened. With a loud bang, Lian Qiao broke a piece of the door down with his bare hands. It was not too small, not too big, just the right size for a dragon saber.


    Elevator: ¡­ You may as well forget about me.


    RenDong looked at the half of the elevator door with a horrific expression on his face, thinking to himself: Lian Qiao, an adult, has really done something not adult-like. {Ie. a crime a think?}


    Despite being mentally prepared, Xu RenDong still felt stiff all over when he stepped into the darkness again.


    This is natural. Not to mention that Xu RenDong has died twice here, any normal person who is suddenly thrown into a large unfamiliar forest and loses his eyesight will panic.


    Lian Qiao was actually afraid but he knew that he had become Xu RenDong¡¯s support, so he still felt a sense of accomplishment even though he was nervous. This secret feeling of happiness forcibly suppressed his fear.


    The two walked in the dark for a long time. This time, like last time, the two walked in the direction of the wind. I don¡¯t know if it was a coincidence or not, but as they walked downwind, the swampy smell in the air became less and less. The screams of human beings were still heard from time to time in the distance. Lian Qiao was still nervous at first but when he heard the voices getting further and further away from him, he calmed down.


    He tried to tell some jokes to lighten the atmosphere. Xu RenDong kept chatting with him and a doubt gradually emerged in his heart:


    The ¡®five internal organs¡¯ literally refers to the heart, liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys. The folk saying ¡°worship at the temple of the five internal organs¡± refers to having a good meal and making your internal organs happy and satisfied. But the dark forest, the vines, being blind, none of it appeared directly related to the ¡°five internals organs¡±.


    Why is this instance called the ¡°Temple of the Five Internal Organs¡±?


    Xu RenDong fell into contemplation.


    Until a voice sounded in the dark.


    ¡°Hey. Up in front.¡±


    Xu RenDong was startled. This voice ¨C why is this voice so familiar? Who was it?


    Although the owner of the voice has not yet been recognized, Xu RenDong¡¯s back was already covered in white sweat. He tensed up instinctively, squeezed Lian Qiao¡¯s arm and silently reminded him to be careful.


    Lian Qiao gestured back with a handshake. He opened his mouth and said, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    In the darkness, the man said in a very kind tone: ¡°I am also a player this time.¡±


    Lian Qiao identified the man¡¯s position by his voice and pulled Xu RenDong two steps back quietly. The feet stepped on the dead branches and fallen leaves on the ground, making a small sound. The man heard it, chuckled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous, I am alone. Besides, this instance is so difficult, I can¡¯t manage it by myself and I finally met a living person. How could it hurt you?¡±


    ¡°What you say makes sense.¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s tone was sincere but he raised the dragon saber in his hand.


    The man sighed: ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to trust me, I just want to walk with you. This place is so weird, it¡¯s enough to drive me crazy.¡±


    These words were polite, presumably the other party was a gentlemanly person. It was this elegant and polite manner that allowed Xu RenDong to finally confirm the identity of this person.


    It¡¯s that gentleman who kills without blinking an eye!


    In the ¡°Butterfly in the Stomach¡± instance, the gentleman took pleasure in killing,and killed an unknown number of teammates. He even dismembered Xu RenDong alive, just to see if there were butterflies in his stomach.


    But¡ªisn¡¯t the gentleman already dead?!


    Xu RenDong not only smashed him to pieces with a sledgehammer but also fed him a whole bottle of poison. He only left after confirming that his heartbeat, pulse and breathing were all gone. Even like this he couldn¡¯t be killed which showed this person was too perverted!


    Wait.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart skipped a beat.


    Perhaps the gentleman was not not dead, but merely resurrected! He has killed so many people, there must be a puppet on him! And there¡¯s a good chance there¡¯s more than one!


    This is bad!


    He beat the gentleman to death and must have left a strong impression on the gentleman! He  didn¡¯t expect to meet him again one day. It¡¯s most likely this is the person who cut off his hand in the last reincarnation!


    Xu RenDong had a cold sweat on his back and an uncontrollable sense of fear was born in his heart.


    No. He needed to calm down, calm down.


    He probably hasn¡¯t recognized me yet, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t so easily ask to go with me.


    Fortunately, everyone is blind and so he can¡¯t see me¡­ but he must remember my voice. I must not speak otherwise he will recognize it!


    Xu RenDong bit his lip and was about to order Lian Qiao to refuse but Lian Qiao said, ¡°Okay.¡±


    Xu RenDong was taken aback. Why is Lian Qiao making the decision by himself all of a sudden?


    Why didn¡¯t you ask me what I want?!


    Lian Qiao said again: ¡°It¡¯s better to have a companion on the road. We can chat and relieve  boredom and I guess we won¡¯t be so afraid.¡±


    After hearing this, Xu RenDong suddenly understood.


    The gentleman appeared quietly beside them and, if he hadn¡¯t taken the initiative to speak, they wouldn¡¯t even notice that there was a third person around. Thus, if the gentleman wanted to accompany them no matter what, he can merely stalk them undetected if they disagree.


    Darkness was bad for everyone. Instead of leaving a scourge to follow them in secret, it is better to promise him readily and talk to him all the way. Not only can they try to get clues from his speech but they can also take precautions in the situation of him wanting to pull something.


    At this time, Xu RenDong sighed again that Lian Qiao was very thoughtful and managed to think this far in the blink of an eye. In contrast, he was three years older than him, but his mind is far from mature. Truly he was the ¡°stupid brother¡±.


    It¡¯s a pity that it was convenient for Xu RenDong to speak and he couldn¡¯t use gestures to tell Lian Qiao the history between him and this gentlemen. He could only follow Lian Qiao quietly, pretending that he didn¡¯t exist.


    It is impossible not to exist, no matter how lightly he steps, the sound of stepping on the dead leaves cannot be concealed.


    The gentleman quickly asked: ¡°There is another friend here, why doesn¡¯t he speak?¡±


    Xu RenDong was silent. Lian Qiao said: ¡°He doesn¡¯t want to talk to you.¡±


    Gentleman: ¡°Why? Did I say something wrong to make this friend unhappy? If so, I¡¯ll apologize to you in advance. I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    Lian Qiao : ¡°It¡¯s not necessary. My partner has a cold personality and usually doesn¡¯t like to talk to people.¡±


    Gentleman: ¡°So you are a couple. You sound quite young, how old are you?¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°Twenty-four.


    The gentleman asked, ¡°What about the young lady?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°What young lady?¡±


    The gentleman hesitated for a moment: ¡°You¡­ your partner.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°There is no young lady. He is a man, we are gay.¡±


    Gentleman: ¡°¡­Sorry, I didn¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, you are blind after all.¡±


    Gentleman: ¡°¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong raised the corners of his mouth silently in the dark. Although Lian Qiao doesn¡¯t his new and old hatreds, he seems to have a natural hostility to gentlemen. Perhaps this is the tacit understanding between lovers.


    The direction of airflow was always in one direction. The three of them walked forward in the dark in the direction of the downwind. It was unknown how long they had gone when Lian Qiao suddenly stopped.


    ¡°Do you think¡­the smell is getting stronger?¡±

 CH 115

    Chapter 115 ¨C Temple of the Five Internal Organs 5


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help being surprised when he heard these words.


    His sense of smell was not very sensitive so he just followed Lian Qiao¡¯s lead. Now Lian Qiao said that the smell had become heavier so he sniffed hard but he still couldn¡¯t detect anything strange in the air.


    Also, what smell was Lian Qiao referring to? The smell of mud? Or the smell of blood?


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t ask aloud but fortunately the gentleman said, ¡°Indeed. The smell of blood and mud has become heavier.¡±


    If the smell of blood alone has become heavier, it may just be that there is someone with an injury ahead. But if the smell of mud also became heavier then it¡¯s likely that the killing vines are also nearby.


    A haze rose in the hearts of the three at the same time. They originally used this breeze as a direction guide. Now that they know that there are vines ahead, should they go forward?


    Lian Qiao was hesitant: ¡°From the smell alone, you can¡¯t determine the distance. If we want to avoid the vines, it¡¯s best to make a big circle and avoid it completely. But¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong knew that he was worried that he would not be able to persist, so he shook Lian Qiao¡¯s hand, indicating that he was fine.


    The gentleman said, ¡°Why should we avoid it? You and I have weapons at hand. When you meet a god, you kill the god, and when you meet a Buddha, you kill the Buddha.¡±


    This is exactly like something he would say. Xu RenDong thought to himself: No wonder in the butterfly instance, the gentleman killed Doctor Bird Beak as soon as he appeared. He really doesn¡¯t care whether he can pass the customs or whether or not there was any danger.


    Lian Qiao obviously didn¡¯t buy into this and said rather unhappily: ¡°This is the world of ghosts and monsters. I don¡¯t know if the gods and Buddhas can kill me, but anyway I can¡¯t kill ghosts.¡±


    ¡°This whole time we haven¡¯t run into any danger. Don¡¯t tell me you really think we can easily just pass the customs by avoiding the vines. This is not the first time you have come in, right? So don¡¯t be naive, when has such a good thing happened?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°It has.¡±


    Gentleman: ¡°?¡±


    Lian Qiao : ¡°My partner took me to lie down and win several times.¡± {Lie down and win is a Chinese phrase meaning your teammates/partner are so powerful that you can get carried through the game and win without doing anything.}


    Gentleman: ¡°???¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Not only was everyone unscathed but we also cleared the level quickly. The fastest one took about an hour¡­¡±


    Gentleman: ¡°¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help coughing awkwardly, signaling Lian Qiao to stop boasting. In fact, the gentleman was right, the instance was indeed impossible to pass easily. Lian Qiao¡¯s injury-free clearance was based on the countless pains of RenDong.


    Although Lian Qiao did not agree with the gentleman¡¯s statement, the three of them continued to move towards the smell of bloody mud in the end. First, Xu RenDong felt that he could not escape and, secondly, he wanted to find a chance to kill the gentleman.


    No matter how many puppets are hidden on him, he will kill him every time he sees him.


    The three of them proceeded cautiously with their own thoughts.


    The stench was getting stronger and stronger, to a disturbing level. The sound of the vine branches rubbing against each other was faintly heard in the wind. It sounded sticky, like a snail crawling through the ears and the three of them all had goosebumps.


    It was unknown how far they walked before suddenly the strings in the hearts of the three people trembled violently at the same time.


    In front of them ¨C it was suddenly bright.


    Xu RenDong rubbed his eyes and looked around in disbelief. From the wet and blurry vision, he saw that Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes were wide open with a look of shock and astonishment.


    The gentleman on the side squinted slightly. It seemed that his eyesight had only suddenly recovered and he had not yet adapted to the light.


    It should have been gratifying to have regained a lost sight but the faces of the three of them changed and no one spoke.


    Because everyone was stunned by the sight in front of them.


    Blood, corpses, vines.


    Blood everywhere, dead people everywhere, vines everywhere.


    These people died horribly. Some had their hands and feet cut off, revealing the white bones. Some had their necks cut open, leaving only a thin layer of flesh and blood attached to their bodies and some had their eyes and internal organs gouged out.


    What was even more terrifying was that countless vines were crawling and slitterring along the corpse like snakes. When they found a blood hole, they began to burrow inside and soon most of the vines forced themselves inside, almost bursting the corpse open.


    The green leaves were stained with blood, bright red and dazzling. The branches twisted wildly like crazy. There is even a small mouth at the end of each branch, which is covered with fine sharp teeth. With this sharp little mouth, it¡¯s no wonder that the vine can burrow into the flesh so quickly.


    It¡¯s not burrowing at all, it¡¯s just gnawing all the way in.


    A hellish scene suddenly appeared in front of him and although Xu RenDong had had hundred of battles, his scalp was still numb and his legs weak. Lian Qiao was so shocked that he couldn¡¯t speak. He was like a chicken strangled by the neck, he forced a sharp and thin voice out of his throat: ¡°Control-control-¡°


    Xu RenDong grabbed him and moved back. However, as soon as he took a step back, it was immediately dark in front of him.


    ¡°Hey!¡ª¡± Now Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t pronounce the syllable and he was completely dumbfounded.


    Xu RenDong was also shocked. But he quickly reacted and took another step forward. Sure enough, vision was restored in an instant.


    He looked at the ground subconsciously, only to realize that they were standing at the junction of the forest and a bluestone floor. This bluestone slab stretches forward and it appears to be a platform. It was in the center of the bluestone platform that the killing vines had dinner together.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s undulating chest gradually subsided. He narrowed his eyes, looked over the corpses on the ground and found a bronze door standing abruptly at the end of the platform. The door was open and there was a fog behind it, and nothing could be seen. The gentleman was standing by the bronze door, reaching out to the mist.


    After a while, he retracted his hand and looked at his palm thoughtfully: ¡°It¡¯s very hot inside.¡±


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao carefully avoided the vines and came to the bronze door. The gentleman glanced back at the two of them, his expression didn¡¯t change but Xu RenDong¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Fortunately he had already made preparations.


    Soon after the gentleman joined the team, he secretly smeared mud all over his head. At this time, the mud was dry and it was sticking dirty to his hair and clothes. Anyone who saw it would think that he had accidentally fallen in the mud.


    Although his face was covered, it was better not to open your mouth to be on the safe side. So he turned to look at Lian Qiao, waiting for Lian Qiao to speak.


    Lian Qiao had recovered from the shock of being blind for a while. When he saw the bronze door, his eyes lit up immediately and he began feeling it and sticking to it like an octopus.


    ¡°Wow this feeling¡­ it¡¯s heavy and cool, it must be bronze!¡­ This pattern is so delicate, could it be some kind of spell formation¡­ Maybe there is a mechanism¡­ Hey! There is blood on it!¡±


    He tossed his hands in the air. But after the toss was over, he continued to fumble around with his eyes shining brightly.


    Lian Qiao was chattering with excitement, apparently his livestreaming attributes were awakened and he began babbling non-stop. A hint of surprise flashed in the gentleman¡¯s eyes, while Ren Dong shook his head. He thought that since Lian Qiao hadn¡¯t been able to live broadcast for several days, he was probably feeling very pent up.


    The gentleman listened to him for a long time and finally couldn¡¯t help but say: ¡°Cough, friend, you¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lian Qiao ignored him at all, his eyes fixed on the bronze door, frowning, ¡°Here, there are some characters.¡±


    This bronze door was made up of two doors. Xu RenDong came over and studied the door carefully. He saw the complicated patterns on the bronze door which appeared dazzling. The place where Lian Qiao pointed was in the middle of the door and the carving seemed to be different from the surrounding ones.


    Lian Qiao said again: ¡°This seems to be half a character.¡±


    A gentleman¡¯s voice came from behind another door: ¡°I have half a character here too.¡±


    Lian Qiao ran over to look, not knowing what he would see. Suddenly he let out a strange cry and in a voice of great disgust said, ¡°Why are you so disgusting!¡±


    The gentleman shrugged. It turned out that he touched the blood on the ground with his fingers, and copied the half character onto his right palm. The blood on the ground was mixed with the sap of the vines and it was sticky and dirty. It was really unknown how he could tolerate it.


    This was a cruel man. He was cruel to others and also cruel to himself.


    Xu RenDong silently commented this in heart and quietly affixed a label onto him.


    The gentleman smiled politely at him, then raised his head and copied the left half of the word on the bronze door, stroke by stroke. He raised his head in a very serious, even religious manner, giving people the illusion that he was an archaeologist.


    Xu RenDong watched coldly from the side. Taking this opportunity, he quietly walked to Lian Qiao¡¯s side and whispered in his ear, ¡°This man is a pervert, be careful.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Lian Qiao glanced at the gentleman and said with a slight pursed lips, ¡°I recognize him. The person with chalk dust in their fingernails.¡±


    Xu RenDong was stunned for a moment, suddenly a little confused in his heart.


    He remembered that in the Butterfly instance, he was brutally dismembered by the gentleman and then immediately killed the gentleman after being reborn. It stands to reason that Lian Qiao should not remember the gentleman, because he took off Lamia¡¯s eyeballs before he began to abuse the gentleman.


    Could it be that he mentioned the chalk dust to Lian Qiao but forgot?


    There were not many strokes in that character and the gentleman quickly finished copying it. With a ¡°tsk¡±, he spread his palms in front of the two of them.


    In the palm of his hand, there was the word ¡°Xia¡± written in blood. {ÏÄ, means summer, could also be a name.}


    ¡°Xia?¡± Lian Qiao frowned and murmured, ¡°Xia¡­¡±


    The gentleman said, ¡°I stretched out my hand into the mist just now and it was really hot inside the door, like summer.¡±


    These words sank in.


    Although they didn¡¯t know what ¡°Xia¡± meant exactly, it was clear that this instance was not finished yet. Since there was a ¡°summer¡±, there at least must be an ¡°autumn¡± and ¡°winter¡±. And the forest they just left seemed to be ¡°spring¡±.


    The gentleman said: ¡°Let¡¯s go, we don¡¯t have a choice anyway.¡±


    On the bluestone floor, the vines were still twisting and turning, eating the flesh and blood of the dead. The bones were gnawed to make a disgusting sound. They wondered if the vines would attack the living again when the dead were all eaten.


    None of the three wanted to stay here any longer. The gentleman stepped into the bronze gate with a calm expression and his figure was immediately engulfed by the white mist.


    RenDong looked at Lian Qiao and followed.


    It was wet inside the white mist and the water vapor climbed up to the skin. The clammy and cold feeling was physiologically uncomfortable. Fortunately, this feeling did not last long and soon the water vapor dissipated. The two of them suddenly found themselves in a place of light.


    Then, a heat wave hit their face!


    It was so hot!


    There was a fire in front of them. It looks like a large shopping mall and the corridors were very spacious. There were all kinds of goods in the shops on both sides. At this time however, the entire mall was shrouded in raging flames. Black smoke billowed from the plastic shelves and the glass guardrails had almost melted. The escalator had broken down in the middle and the whole thing teetered with a disturbing creaking sound.


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t know what to do. He took in a big mouthful of hot air and coughed desperately. Xu RenDong subconsciously wanted to speak but suddenly felt his mouth was stiff and his tongue could not move.


    ¡°Ah, ahh¡­¡± No matter how hard he tried, it was always a vague monophonic sound.


    Xu RenDong was extremely surprised. Could it be that the first level is to make people blind  and this one is to make them mute?


    Lian Qiao tried hard to suppress his cough and his wheezing quickly subsided. He raised his head, probably wanting to say that he was fine but when he opened his mouth, he could only call out ¡°Aah¡± twice.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s face changed. Xu RenDong smiled wryly and spread his hands, indicating that it had nothing to do with him.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Not far away, the gentleman folded his arms and looked at the fire thoughtfully. Thinking about it, he couldn¡¯t speak either, so he just snorted and motioned for them to follow.


    The three covered their mouths and noses and walked towards the escape stairs. However, as soon as the fire door was opened, a thick plume of smoke rushed out, causing the three of them to cough again. There was also a faint fire in the escape stairs. It seems that the fire protection measures in this shopping mall are not in place and the fire door had not been properly sealed at all.


    Helpless, the three could only find another way out.


    They are now probably on the third floor of the mall. This floor was full of clothing stores. The mannequins¡¯s hair and clothes were on fire and they are burned with crackling noises, as if they were dancing in the firelight. The clothes were all flammable, so this layer of fire was very strong. It quickly spread from the store to the corridor.


    Thick smoke billowed, oxygen was burned, consumed and became suffocatingly thin. Although RenDong had the intention of murdering the gentleman, this was not the right time. Don¡¯t talk about killing someone, he was struggling enough just trying to breathe. What¡¯s more, the gentleman was unfathomable. Who knows what props are hidden on his body. If he was rashly killed, it would not be worth the loss.


    If possible, Xu RenDong does not want to step into the dark forest again in this life.


    The three of them bent down, lowered their posture as much as possible and moved forward quickly. When they came to a crossroads, Lian Qiao suddenly grabbed RenDong and pointed to the street sign and called ¡°Aah¡±. RenDong looked up and saw the direction of the bathroom marked on the street sign. He immediately understood and turned decisively.


    The gentleman followed suit.


    When the three came to the bathroom, the first thing they did was turn on the faucet. The sound of rushing water suddenly resounded and the three of them felt at ease. They hurriedly wet their clothes with water and then covered their mouths and noses with a damp cloth.


    It was unknown if the water vapor in the bathroom was too heavy or if the fire had not spread here. Compared with the fire scene outside, the bathroom was cool and comfortable, making people reluctant to leave.


    All three were choked by the thick smoke and their faces were disgraced. In a pinch like this, grooming is of course secondary. But when Xu RenDong calmly glanced at the mirror, he thought: very good, now the mud is mixed with soot and the face is even more tightly obscured. Now don¡¯t talk about the gentleman, even Lian Qiao wouldn¡¯t recognize him.


    Lian Qiao noticed this slightly smug expression on his face and saw through his thoughts magically, thinking: No no no, you are thinking too much. With your cold star and autumn water eyes, towering nose bridge, palm-sized face and model-like figure, do you think a little mud and dust can cover your handsomeness and beauty!


    So Lian Qiao walked up to him without saying a word, pressed his head, patted his chest, pinched his stomach and motioned him to bow his head and hold his chest out.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± What are you doing?


    Lian Qiao grinned, brows and eyes curved, naughty like an urchin. Suddenly, his eyes passed through Xu RenDong¡¯s shoulders and fell into the compartment not far away. His face suddenly changed.


    Xu RenDong turned back and saw a pool of blood slowly flowing out of the deepest cubicle.


    The blood was still flowing, as if alive, slowly crawling over brick after brick, gradually converging into a pool of blood.


    RenDong and Lian Qiao looked at each other and picked up a mop from the pool as a weapon. The gentleman had already reached the front of the cubicle.


    He stood carefully by the pool of blood so that the blood would not stain his leather shoes. Then, he raised his foot and kicked the door open.


    They heard a bang. The thin wooden partition almost fell down. The door opened slowly and the three walked in, frowning at the same time.


    A male corpse was sitting on the toilet with a pale face facing the three of them. His chest and stomach were all torn open,and the wound was drawn from the neck to the navel. All the intestinal organs inside leaked out, exuding the unique smell of internal organs.


    Looking closely, his chest was empty, as if it had been hollowed out by a wild beast. Two large pieces of pink lungs and a whole liver were all in the trash, like a sewer basket next to a chicken-killing stall. It¡¯s just that the shape is clearly human, which made it all the more disgusting.


    Previously, the three of them were choked by the thick smoke and did not smell the blood. At this time, the door was suddenly opened and the bloody smell mixed with the odor of internal organs rushed towards them, causing the three of them to cover their noses at the same time, and their brows were furrowed.


    When Lian Qiao and the gentleman squatted down to study the pile of internal organs, Xu RenDong¡¯s brows furrowed even deeper.


    There was no room for so many people in the small cubicle. Xu RenDong was so dizzy that he coughed and walked out. He turned to push the doors of the other cubicles and quickly determined that this was the only one with a dead person and the other compartments were clean.


    How on earth did this man die? Could it be that there are still evil spirits in this fire scene?


    It didn¡¯t take long for Lian Qiao and the gentleman to complete the autopsy. The two stood up but their expressions were very different.


    Lian Qiao seemed to be thinking of something. The gentleman appeared calm but under the calm surface, there were turbulent waves. Xu RenDong keenly captured a trace of excitement in his eyes as well as the violent ups and downs of his chest.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Ah, ah?¡± What did you find?


    Lian Qiao opened his mouth and said ¡°ah¡± but what he wanted to express was obviously inexpressible using a single syllable. So he turned on the water faucet, dipped his finger in water and wrote on the mirror:


    ¡°The heart¡­¡±


    The mirror was too smooth and the water droplets quickly slipped off the mirror surface, so it was a little difficult for Lian Qiao to write. The gentleman didn¡¯t have the patience, so he smeared blood and wrote on the mirror:


    ¡°He just died not long ago, I¡¯m going to go chase.¡±


    After writing, he didn¡¯t even bother to wash his hands. He turned his head and ran out, rushing without looking back.


    Lian Qiao and RenDong was stunned.


    The moment he turned around, Xu RenDong clearly saw a smile on the corner of his mouth. That smile was a mixture of excitement and ecstasy, obviously not a normal person¡¯s reaction to seeing a corpse.


    Anyway, he was originally a pervert, so it would be better if he left. Xu RenDong¡¯s tense mood finally relaxed a little, turned his head to look in the mirror and found that Lian Qiao had finished writing the words in water.


    ¡°The heart is gone.¡±

 CH 116

    Chapter 116 ¨C Temple of the Five Internal Organs 6


    The heart?


    RenDong returned to the cubicle to take a look. Sure enough, the heart could not be found anywhere on the ground or in the trash can. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that the sternum of the corpse had also been broken off.


    It seems that the murderer wanted to open his chest at first but the ribs were too hard to break open, so he cut his stomach open and pulled out the heart from below.


    But why take away the heart?


    Suddenly, the three big characters ¡°Temple of the Five Organs¡± jumped into his mind. Xu RenDong suddenly felt a chill.


    Lian Qiao probably thought of this just now and that¡¯s why he showed that expression.


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t want to stay here any longer, so he turned to look for Lian Qiao but was surprised to find that Lian Qiao was squatting beside the utility/storage room, as though he were a hungry tiger searching for food.


    He took not only rags, mops, toilet paper and even air fresheners. It was unknown from where he had found an apron. The apron had a big pocket on the chest and it was stuffed full at this time. He wore the apron and looked a little bit like a pregnant woman with a strange fetus.


    Xu RenDong pushed at him helplessly. He thought: the fire had almost burnt to the door of the house and you¡¯re still in the mood to search for objects.


    Instead of stopping, Lian Qiao accelerated the movements in his hands. At this moment, the expression on his face was exactly the same as that of a gentleman: excited, ecstatic, with a perverted light in his eyes.


    What kind of sentiment is this? Even the toilet was not spared.


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t stop him, so he had to squat down to pack things with him, so that they could run away as soon as possible. Lian Qiao was overjoyed, turned his head and kissed him on the face, his eyes full of love.


    ¡­ my face is full of mud and you can kiss me.


    Although Xu RenDong thought this, the corners of his mouth raised slightly.


    The two started working together and they quickly scoured the utility room. When he got up to leave, Xu RenDong felt hair on his back inexplicably. When he looked back, he found that the utility room was facing the dead person¡¯s cubicle. When the two of them were happily searching, the dead corpse in the back was facing them like this.


    It¡¯s a little embarrassing to think about.


    Xu RenDong pulled Lian Qiao and was about to leave when his ears suddenly caught an unusual sound.


    ¡°Wu, wu, wuuu¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s hearing was far better than his, so naturally he heard it and suddenly turned his head and looked at the cubicle next to the utility room.


    The cubicle door was half closed. Through the crack of the door, you can see a corner of a red dress on the snow-white floor tiles.


    Xu RenDong was very sure that there was nothing in this cubicle when he was patrolling just now, so where did the red skirt come from? Coupled with the girl¡¯s cry that was standard in this horror movie, there is no doubt that it was haunted.


    So what are you waiting for, run!


    The two made a decisive decision and ran away. However, according to the unified law of all horror movies, the bathroom door naturally could be opened at this time.


    Lian Qiao desperately tried to pull, kicking when he couldn¡¯t make it move, but the door remained motionless. Xu RenDong watched Lian Qiao say the word ¡°fuck¡± with his mouth but of course he couldn¡¯t make any sound. He couldn¡¯t help but laugh for a while.


    Lian Qiao turned around angrily and clenched the mop he had just grabbed. If you can¡¯t escape the ghost, then just beat it!


    Xu RenDong was calm. He even survived the dark forest, so why would be afraid of this female ghost who strayed into the men¡¯s toilet?


    So the two men were aggressive and rushed back to the haunted cubicle. Lian Qiao raised his foot and kicked the door open. The red dress flashed and disappeared immediately.


    Xu RenDong felt a chill behind his back again. He turned his head, facing the dead face hanging upside down.


    The little girl in red was hanging upside down on the ceiling, her long hair hanging down, looking quite supple. The little girl was bleeding from seven orifices, with a sinister smile on her pale little face and a red tongue was licking and flicking, making people worry that she would lick off the white powder on her face.


    Xu RenDong looked at her for half a second, then his eyes involuntarily passed through her and fell on the hollowed-out corpse on the opposite side.


    ¡­Really, compared to the corpse, this female ghost was not scary at all.


    To be fair, it¡¯s just that the seven orifices were bleeding. It¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t bled before. I was even blown open by the vines so who is afraid of who!


    So Xu RenDong picked up the rag and smeared it into the little girl ghost¡¯s face, pushed the ghost face away in disgust and walked out of the cubicle without looking back.


    Female ghost: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao was stunned by this feat and, for a while, he didn¡¯t know whether to applaud  RenDong or feel distressed for the female ghost.


    The female ghost was probably just intern level. She turned her head to scare Lian Qiao. This time she also added some real skills: the corner of her mouth twitched and stretched to the back of her ear. The hands painted with red nail polish also grabbed Lian Qiao suddenly and drove straight to the opposite door.


    ¡­To be honest, he had been frightened by the corpse before and so the mental damage caused by the ghost girl was really not that big. Lian Qiao tilted his head and, with a dexterity that shocked her, he easily escaped the female ghost¡¯s grasp. As soon as the female ghost realized she couldn¡¯t catch him, she was obviously hit hard and screamed strangely, waving her hands in the air.


    Lian Qiao had to crouch down to avoid her scratching. The cubicle was very small, Lian Qiao dodged left and right, accidentally bumped into the wall, covered his head and screamed. The female ghost was overjoyed when she saw this and rushed towards him, only to hear a ¡°poof¡± sound.


    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± The female ghost covered her eyes, screamed and retracted to the ceiling, like a big red snake with its tail stepped on.


    Lian Qiao got up from the ground and put the air freshener back in his pocket very preciously. Suddenly he saw Xu RenDong holding a sharp fire axe, rushing over murderously.


    Xu RenDong looked around and his surprised eyes seemed to ask: Where is the ghost?


    Lian Qiao jumped up and touched the axe in his hand in surprise. His excited expression seemed to ask: Where did you find this treasure?


    Although no ghosts were hit, the fire axe can also be used to chop doors. Xu RenDong was full of anger and smashed the door into a smash with two bangs. Lian Qiao followed carefully, and realized with hindsight: RenDong doesn¡¯t seem to be in a good mood¡­ What¡¯s the matter? Hasn¡¯t the ghost been beaten away?


    Just as Lian Qiao stepped out of the bathroom, the back of his neck suddenly became cold. He reached out to touch it subconsciously and found that it was blood.


    ¡­ oh, can you please give it a rest!


    This time, Lian Qiao was angry. He turned around in a hurry and was really about to lay into the ghost but then saw a faint figure floating in the air. Looking at the face, it was a little familiar¡­


    Familiar eyes, really familiar, as if he had only seen it not long ago¡­


    Lian Qiao suddenly realized and his heart suddenly jumped into throat.


    Isn¡¯t this the dead man whose whole body was hollowed out!


    Had he already turned into a ghost? So fast!


    Lian Qiao tugged at RenDong¡¯s sleeve. RenDong turned around and saw a fresh dead ghost floating in the air, frowned and then reacted the same as Lian Qiao.


    ¨C Pick up the fire axe and kill him.


    The dead ghost was obviously afraid and stepped back while waving his hands. His mouth opened ¡°ah, ah¡±, as if trying to say something.


    RenDong and Lian Qiao looked at each other, feeling that this fresh dead ghost didn¡¯t seem to have any ill will towards them. So they temporarily halted their murderous aura to see what the dead ghost wanted to do.


    They saw the dead ghost point at his empty chest and made a movement of opening and pulling it out. It¡¯s understandable, that¡¯s how he died. But next, he pointed to the position of his heart, and made another gesture of holding his hands up.


    This was more confusing.


    RenDong frowned, seeing Lian Qiao beside him at a loss. The ghost was obviously in a hurry, his mouth kept moving ¡°ah, ah¡± and his hands were constantly waving in the air, as if he wanted to lift something up.


    The two watched for a long time but they really couldn¡¯t understand. The firelight shone on the white mist-like body of the dead ghost and the dead ghost gradually began fading away as if evaporating. He probably knew that he didn¡¯t have much time and was eager to explain his last words. His expression suddenly brightened under his anger. He waved his hand and motioned for the two to go back to the bathroom.


    The two followed him to the pool and immediately understood his intentions. Sure enough, the dead ghost reached out and dipped his hand in his broken stomach, dipping his hands full of blood and then wrote on the mirror. First horizontally, then vertically. The two of them stared at the mirror and saw that the blood-dipped fingers were writing quickly, but the figure of the dead ghost was getting lighter and lighter.


    In the end, only a bloody character was left on the mirror.


    ¡°South.¡± {ÄÏ}


    ¡­South? What was this half-assed tip?


    Can you fucking finish writing it and die! It is better not to give this half clue that is unclear!


    Both of them had blue veins on their foreheads. RenDong stared at the word ¡°south¡± for half a second, then suddenly walked aggressively towards the innermost cubicle and walked straight to the corpse.


    ¡­ Wait, are you going to beat the corpse!


    Lian Qiao quickly stopped him: Big brother, forget it, he was also trying his best!


    However, Xu RenDong didn¡¯t listen to him at all.


    Lian Qiao turned his head helplessly, a little hesitant to look at it.


    However, the imagined beating did not materialize. Lian Qiao turned around in surprise, only to see Xu RenDong¡¯s hands stained with blood, with a solemn expression. And the corpse, which had fallen crookedly, had npw been straightened. Even the dead eyes had been closed at some point.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s heart was shocked, and then he laughed in a low voice.


    What was I thinking¡­


    After wasting so long in the bathroom, the fire outside has already intensified, almost singing their eyebrows. Fortunately, it is not far from the intersection and on the other forked path, although thick smoke was billowing, had not completely burned.


    Their clothes were soaked with water and they covered their mouths and noses with wet towels. They rushed fearlessly and quickly found the stairs along the escape signs.


    Fortunately, the fire door on this side was closed. Lian Qiao kicked open the fire door and felt a lot of fresh air.


    The two ran down without hesitation and when they reached the ground floor, they found that there was no door on the first floor at all.


    At the end of the stairs was a wall. The gray-white cement wall was bare and had nothing. It was a dead end.


    Lian Qiao made a ¡°fuck¡± mouth shape again.


    If you can¡¯t go down, try going up. Xu RenDong was about to pull Lian Qiao away, but found that he couldn¡¯t pull him. Looking back, Lian Qiao was staring at the ground with a thoughtful expression.


    Xu RenDong lowered his head and found that the floor tiles in front of the cement wall were indeed different from those on the stairs, and were actually dark red.


    That red is quite like the color of blood after it has dried up. RenDong bent down and touched the floor tiles and found that the floor tiles were very dry and clean. There was no trace of blood soaking. Lian Qiao sniffed, as if to confirm whether there was any blood here. He quickly shook his head.


    It seems that they were thinking too much. This floor tile is not blood-stained red, it was simply red itself.


    But why was there a big red floor tile so abruptly here?


    Lian Qiao touched the bare gray wall but couldn¡¯t find any mechanism. Xu RenDong also checked the surroundings and couldn¡¯t find anything special.


    They¡¯re sure there¡¯s something special about this place but they can¡¯t crack it right now. Helpless, the two decided to go elsewhere to find clues.


    The place where they came out was the third floor of the shopping mall, mainly clothing stores, so the fire was particularly raging. At this time, the first floor that the two entered was the jewelry area, most of which were incombustible, so the fire on this floor was much smaller, allowing them to explore carefully.


    The glass windows were full of jewels. The two just took a quick glance and ran to the next counter. Although the fire was small, the smoke was strong enough to trigger the fire-extinguishing sprinkler system, so it was wet and full of puddles. The fluorescent lights were all extinguished and only the escape sign on the wall was glowing green.


    The two first came to the gate of the mall. Unsurprisingly, the door couldn¡¯t be opened at all, and it didn¡¯t look like it could be split with an axe. So the two turned their heads to find another way out.


    The first floor of the shopping mall has always been the place with the largest traffic, so in addition to jewelry, the shops on the first floor also have many luxury brands such as cosmetics and perfumes. The two passed by a coffee shop that started with ¡°S¡± and Lian Qiao suddenly pulled him in.


    Xu RenDong glanced at him and, seeing his excited expression, knew that he wanted to search again.

 CH 117

    Chapter 117 ¨C Temple of the Five Internal Organs 7


    To be honest, after running around in a fire for so long, Xu RenDong also felt parched and wanted to find a drink. So the two entered the coffee shop and went straight to the bar.


    The decoration style of the store was the same as in reality, giving people a very familiar feeling. There was no lighting in the store and so the two turned on their mobile phones, feeling like two thieves.


    Lian Qiao bent down and was about to get into the bar when suddenly a cold light flashed in front of his eyes and his figure suddenly halted. RenDong leaned forward in surprise and saw a bright sharp knife under the entrance of the bar.


    The knife was fixed in the middle of the entrance with tape and the tip of the knife was facing out. It was obvious that someone deliberately placed it here in an attempt to hurt someone else.


    Lian Qiao and RenDong looked at each other with complicated expressions.


    With an unhappy expression on his face, Lian Qiao carefully avoided the knife and went into the bar. Xu RenDong didn¡¯t follow but stood outside the bar holding up his mobile phone to illuminate him.


    The cabinet was full of various coffee beans and there were coffee machines, measuring cups, and mugs on the table. Lian Qiao didn¡¯t spend time and effort to make coffee but instead just collected some distilled water in a paper cup and handed it to RenDong from across the bar. Then he went to the freezer to get cake.


    The two quickly replenished their energy and cautiously left the cafe.


    After that, they found a small first-aid kit, bottled water, flashlights and other supplies on the first floor and even a crowbar. With the crowbar in hand, Lian Qiao felt instantly refreshed and as though there was nothing to be afraid of anymore.


    But, at the same time, they also encountered more pitfalls. Either there was oil on the ground near the broken display case so that if you slipped, you would hit broken glass or there was a knife hidden in a narrow shadowy space. The blade was always facing outwards, waiting for some fool to hit it.


    These traps, though clumsy, were full of maliciousness. It can be seen that the person who set these traps was in a rush but their desire to kill others was very sincere.


    At first Xu RenDong thought it was done by the gentleman but, on second thought, the gentleman has not been reduced to such low level methods. What¡¯s more, with the gentleman¡¯s temperament, if he just fell and slammed into the knife¡¯s edge, the gentlemen would probably think his method of death was too ordinary and not satisfy his perverted desires.


    Also, the disembodied corpse in the bathroom on the third floor was obviously not killed by the gentleman.


    Although the bathroom is haunted, the ability of the little ghost in red was obvious to everyone, and she has little ability other than to scare people. It is also suspicious that the heart of the corpse is missing. After all, this dungeon is called ¡°Temple of the Five Organ¡±. He thinks that someone has probably found a clue to clear the instance and so they wanted to kill people to dig out their hearts.


    So, is the person who set the trap the murderer who digs out hearts?


    Xu RenDong thought for a while but there was no clear answer. For now, he just had to keep exploring this mall.


    The second floor was the children¡¯s area. In addition to children¡¯s clothing and toys, there was also a large indoor skating rink.


    Although the two soaked their clothes with water, the scorching flames still caused great damage. In this enclosed mall, oxygen was consumed by the flames and became extremely thin. The lack of oxygen made people dizzy and, with the thick smoke, the rare precious oxygen was wasted when they were coughing.


    Fortunately, all the ice in the ice skating rink melted into water and the fire could not spread for a while. The two stumbled into the skating rink and stepped on the pond.


    ¡°Hu, hu¡­¡± Lian Qiao gasped and typed on the mobile phone, ¡°What is that?¡±


    RenDong was also out of breath. Everything was fuzzy in front of his eyes and he couldn¡¯t see far in front at all so he had to shake his head and express that he didn¡¯t know.


    Lian Qiao took a deep breath: ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look.¡±


    RenDong wanted him to take a rest before going again but the hand he stretched out came back empty. He really didn¡¯t have the strength to chase Lian Qiao, so he could only lean against the wall and gasp for breath.


    The fire scorched everything, making people feel restless. The firelight illuminated the glass fence brightly and Lian Qiao stepped on the pond. moving towards the center, walking firmly  with a wonderful sense of ritual.


    RenDong narrowed his eyes. The cool air finally relieved him and he was able to see what was in the middle of the skating rink.


    It looked like a corpse. There was a large pool of red around it, which should be blood, but it did not melt into the ice water.


    Could it be that¡­ before the ice melted, the blood had already solidified?


    Soon, Lian Qiao returned from doing an autopsy. Xu RenDong raised his mobile phone and showed him the words on the screen: Missing the heart?


    Lian Qiao nodded with a very strange expression. He typed a few words on his phone: And the tongue.


    The tongue?


    Xu RenDong was very surprised.


    What was this murderer trying to do? From the heart and to the tongue, there were quite a lot of tricks.


    Lian Qiao seemed to have thought of something and was searching for information. Suddenly, the ears of the two caught a scream at the same time.


    ¡°Ahhhh-¡°


    The voice sounded from far away. The surrounding fire was crackling and sparking, blocking both hearing and vision.


    The two ran towards the general direction of the sound and found that the sound came from the escape stairs. The two were worried about whether someone had been killed when they heard another sharp scream from under the stairs.


    ¡°Ahhhh-¡°


    They were still alive!


    The two rushed downstairs quickly to find blood tickling all over the stairs. The bloodstain spread all the way to the bottom level, leading the two to the dark red floor tile they had found before.


    Revisiting the old place, the two opened their eyes at the same time, unable to believe what they saw.


    They saw that the gray and bare wall had turned into an open crimson door at this time!


    Behind the door was fog. The door is engraved with a pattern similar to that of the bronze door, and there are texts in the center of the left and right doors. Strangely, two Chinese characters were written on the door this time.


    ¡°Long Summer¡±


    After ¡°summer¡±, it wasn¡¯t ¡°autumn¡± but ¡°long summer¡±?


    What the heck¡­


    RenDong bit his lip, feeling that the development of things went against his own speculation. Lian Qiao didn¡¯t respond but just confirmed the surrounding environment and tried to find clues.


    Soon, he found something and gently tugged on the sleeve of RenDong.


    RenDong looked down and felt nauseated.


    They saw a long, flat tongue lying on the ground, the end of which was still oozing blood.  Apparently it had just been pulled out of the mouth of a living person.


    The tongue was here so what about the heart?


    Xu RenDong looked at Lian Qiao, who shook his head.


    Why was the tongue still here but the heart was gone? What happened to the person who was trying to call for help? Where did he go? What has he been through?


    There is also the word ¡°South¡± left by the ghost of the dead man in the bathroom before he disappeared¡­ Suspicions emerged one after another. Xu RenDong only felt as though his head was in the clouds and couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of it.


    Lian Qiao suddenly tugged at his sleeve again and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Just go to the next scene like this?


    There was no doubt that if you went through this door, you would enter another fantastic and treacherous place. Xu RenDong instinctively resisted but he also knew that he had no other choice.


    So, full of doubts, the two crossed the brick red door and entered the world of ¡°Long Summer¡±.


    Going through the fog again, the cold water vapor trapped on the skin, still giving people goosebumps. Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help grasping Lian Qiao¡¯s arm.


    The familiar scene shocked Lian Qiao¡¯s heart.


    Isn¡¯t this the same as when they first met? It¡¯s just that the identities and positions have been exchanged and the worried person has become RenDong, while the strong and confident person has become Lian Qiao.


    Once inside the mist, their tongues resumed function. Lian Qiao was elated for a moment and said with smugness: ¡°No matter what is behind the fog, I will not shout out.¡±


    However, reality immediately taught him who was the greater one of the two.


    Because the next second, Lian Qiao suddenly stepped onto empty air.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhh-¡°


    He screamed.


    The ground suddenly disappeared, replaced by a smooth, sloping pipe. The two of them couldn¡¯t help but be caught off guard, they all fell into the pipeline, lost their balance immediately and began to slide down rapidly.


    Fortunately, Xu RenDong had been holding his hand tightly so, at this moment, Lian Qiao pulled him back and into his arms.


    This pipe was like a slide, straight and smooth all the way, there is not even a place to climb or hold onto. The pipe went down almost 90 degrees vertically, so no matter how the two of them supported the pipe wall with their hands, the falling trend did not diminish at all.


    They didn¡¯t know what was at the end of the pipe. But just rushing straight down at this height and rate, even if the ground below was just ordinary, they would still be smashed into pieces.


    ¡°RenDong!¡± Lian Qiao was in a panic. ¡°Hold on to me!¡± Then he took out a knife from his pocket and slammed it into the wall of the tube!


    It was the kitchen knife he picked up from the coffee shop. He didn¡¯t know what brand it was  but it was extremely sharp anyway. However, the sharp knife, which was shining with cold light, still failed to pierce the wall of the tube and the two continued to slide down at a very fast speed.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Lian Qiao cursed, clenching the kitchen knife and stabbing the pipe wall repeatedly. The blade rubbed against the wall of the tube, making a screeching noise. The speed of the two fell faster and faster and the physiological panic caused by the weightlessness took over their bodies and mind. If they were ordinary people, they would have already pissed their pants.


    Fortunately, RenDong is not an ordinary person. He stretched out his hand from Lian Qiao¡¯s arms with difficulty: ¡°Give it to me!¡±


    Lian Qiao decisively gave him the knife. Xu RenDong clenched the handle of the knife tightly  and stabbed down fiercely with a ferocious aura that came from nowhere.


    Speaking of strength, Xu RenDong was not stronger than Lian Qiao. But RenDong was tortured to death so many times that he felt that even if it was God blocking him, he would kill God. He has been killed so many times by stupid ghosts and dumb snakes on his journey. If he died on a slide this time, it would be a shame.


    Fortunately, the author took his face into consideration {lol!!} and this stab of RenDong really pierced the hard wall of the tube. The blade instantly sank into the wall of the tube and was deeply nailed to the slide.


    However, the two fell too fast, how could a small kitchen knife be able to stop them? The weight of the two people, plus the huge gravitational potential energy, were all pressed on the arms of RenDong. Hearing a click, Xu RenDong¡¯s arm made a crisp sound. RenDong snorted, unable to hold the blade anymore and fell down with Lian Qiao.


    This time, the straight fall turned into a rampage. The two people slammed into the pipe, and their heads were bleeding. Lian Qiao struggled to protect RenDong in his arms and his heart almost jumped out of his throat. However, the pain of the violent collision made it difficult for him to concentrate and he couldn¡¯t think of any solution at all.


    I¡¯m going to fall, I¡¯m falling, I¡¯m falling, I¡¯m falling!


    Even if there was a soft padded landing at the bottom, the potential energy of the collision would crush the internal organs of RenDong and he would not be able to survive!


    I¡¯m going to fall, I¡¯m falling, I¡¯m falling, I¡¯m falling! What to do!


    Although he knew it was useless, Lian Qiao still tried his best to adjust his posture and let RenDong lie on top of him. The pipes above moved away quickly, showing how fast they were falling. Lian Qiao knew that he would definitely die so he held a jade-like determination and confessed loudly at the last moment of his life:


    ¡°RenDong! I love¡ª¡±


    Before  he could finish speaking, Xu RenDong¡¯s expression suddenly changed. Then he pulled him into his arms and successfully blocked his unfinished words with his chest muscles.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Meow meow meow?¡±

 CH 118

    Chapter 118 ¨C Temple of the Five Internal Organs 8


    Before Lian Qiao could react, there was a sudden pain from his back!


    ¡°Wooo!¡± He was in so much pain that he was forced into tears. He felt that his whole body was broken and that it was so painful that he couldn¡¯t move.


    His chest and back were particularly painful and it¡¯s unknown how many ribs he broke¡­ However, the crucial neck and back of the head don¡¯t appear to be injured?


    Lian Qiao moved his neck and was surprised to find that he hadn¡¯t broken his spine. He was astonished when he heard a rattle like the grinding of teeth. He suddenly realized that he had an arm under his neck and also on the back of his head.


    Lian Qiao exclaimed: ¡°RenDong!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t¨C¡± even his voice trembled, ¡°Don¡¯t move! There is sand all around!¡±


    Lian Qiao was stunned for a moment, only to realize that the touch under his body was not quite right.


    It was too soft. No wonder how they fell down at such a fast speed without being torn apart. It turned out that the soft sand buffered the force. Coupled with the knife in the middle that blocked the fall, they ended up with mere fractures.


    Even in these few seconds, Lian Qiao could feel that they were sinking slowly in the sand. His  ears were full of rustling sounds, as if sand had flowed into them. Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t help shivering, and subconsciously lowered his voice and asked, ¡°Are you okay? Can you move?¡±


    Xu RenDong took a deep breath: ¡°¡­Yes.¡±


    He carefully moved his body and got off Lian Qiao. Lian Qiao¡¯s blocked vision finally returned to normal, allowing him to observe the surrounding environment.


    He saw the yellow sand all around. A dim sun hung in the sky, almost connecting with the yellow sand. The end of this desert cannot be seen but there was the faint shadow of the city in the distance, however it¡¯s unknown if it was a mirage or not.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, take your time.¡± Lian Qiao lay down flat in the sand, minimizing the ups and downs of his chest. The fall just now had caused most of him to sink into the sand. At this time, the sand had already covered his earlobe and was almost pouring into the ear hole. His ears were so itchy that he was going crazy but he didn¡¯t dare to reach out and scratch them.


    If he acts rashly, it¡¯s not just ears, all the holes in his body that can be entered might become firmly filled.


    Xu RenDong also tried to slow down his sinking. However, the sand was too delicate and, after finally getting off Lian Qiao, Xu RenDong¡¯s instep sank into the sand.


    He couldn¡¯t exert himself in the sand and he always felt like he was sinking. His arms were dislocated again and he couldn¡¯t keep his balance at all. He simply gave up on himself and stood upright in the sand like a club.


    Lian Qiao looked at it and laughed: ¡°Why are you so nervous? Just relax a little and keep your balance.¡±


    Xu RenDong lowered his arms helplessly and the two dislocated arms swayed to and fro, as if saying: What else can I do?


    Lian Qiao knew that a dislocation was far more painful than a broken bone. If it¡¯s a broken bone, it¡¯s broken and it won¡¯t hurt if you don¡¯t touch it. Dislocation is different. The dislocated joint is like a fried chicken, screaming wildly while pecking: pain pain pain! Reset me now!


    It would force you to want to deal with the injury quickly. Don¡¯t look at how nonchalant RenDong looks with two dislocated arms, maybe his teeth are about to be bitten off.


    He¡¯s an idiot when it comes to getting hurt. He don¡¯t know how to avoid it and he doesn¡¯t know how to cry when he¡¯s hurt. If you want to help him, he will wave his hand and say that he¡¯s fine, that it¡¯s all good, that he can get a little bit more injured.


    Look, now he can¡¯t even hold my hand.


    ian Qiao got up from the sand while holding back a smile. His movements were slow, but so gentle that the quicksand seemed to have no effect on him.


    He stood firm on the sand surface, took a deep breath, and came over to reset Xu RenDong.


    With just a few clicks, the dislocated bone returned to the joint cavity. Xu RenDong breathed a sigh of relief and his expression relaxed. After all, there was Lian Qiao Dang¡¯s back just now. Although he had gotten a shock and his internal organs hurt, his only real injury was only a dislocation.


    Lian Qiao looked around, pointed not far away and said, ¡°Go over there first.¡±


    u RenDong followed his gaze and saw a circular pipe extending diagonally from the sand to the sky, like a closed slide. It¡¯s just that this slide is too long and too high and the other end is hidden in the yellow sand, which appeared shocking.


    He couldn¡¯t help but exclaim: ¡°So high and we didn¡¯t die!¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Almost but not quite. Does your arm still hurt?¡±


    Xu RenDong shook his head, indicating that he was fine. Lian Qiao was worried and came over to confirm his injury. As soon as his hand was raised, he bared his teeth with a ¡°hiss¡± and his entire person froze, not daring to move.


    Xu RenDong was shocked: ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Lian Qiao waved his hand hurriedly, but smiled reluctantly, ¡°I just broke a few bones¡­ er, it¡¯s not necessarily broken, it may be a bone fracture. That¡¯s it.¡±


    In order to reassure Xu RenDong, he deliberately moved his limbs: ¡°Look, it¡¯s fine, I can still move.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Xu RenDong was silent.


    They fell from the slide just now, and at such a fast speed, even with a buffer, they couldn¡¯t escape unscathed. Lian Qiao made himself into a meat pad and naturally bore the brunt of it.


    The force of the fall was so great that the injury Lian Qiao suffered was obviously not something that could be summed up in a light-hearted sentence ¡°a few broken bones¡±.


    How badly was he injured?


    ¡­ do you want to do it all over again?


    Stepping into that dark forest again¡­ Falling from the sky again¡­


    Xu RenDong bit his lip and remained silent. Lian Qiao thought he felt guilty, so he came over and hugged him and said, ¡°Don¡¯t blame yourself, you can¡¯t do anything about it. Someone has to be at the bottom, either you or me. Fortunately, I¡¯m rough and fleshy, if it was you¡­ ¡­¡±


    When he said this, he hugged him tightly as if he was afraid and said aggrievedly: ¡°No, my heart hurts to death just thinking about it. So please don¡¯t make me out to be the scapegoat.¡±


    Lian Qiao was ignorant but he happened to poke at Xu RenDong¡¯s sore spot. He was stunned  and his eyes flashed with extremely complicated emotions.


    He opened his mouth to say something but he couldn¡¯t say anything. He just silently stretched out his hand and hugged him back.


    Lian Qiao put his head on his shoulder, enjoying this sweet and warm hug but he did not notice that Xu RenDong¡¯s lips trembled slightly. His eyes were red and he was about to cry.


    Suddenly, there was a banging noise above the two of them.


    The two immediately separated and looked up together. Xu RenDong took this opportunity to rub his eyes quietly.


    They heard the banging noise getting closer and closer, and there was a faint feeling of vibration from the pipeline. He looks like something is falling down. When it was close to the ground, the end of the slide made a very gentle arc and the clanging sound became dull.


    After some collision, a humanoid object flew out from the mouth of the pipe. Because of this section of the curve, this unfortunate man was almost parallel to the ground when he flew out. He was like a big stupid bird who failed to make an emergency landing, gliding all the way and sinking all the way into the sand. When he finally stopped, most of his body had sunk into the sand and his mouth kept spitting out, ¡°bah bah bah bah¡±, apparently gnawing on a mouthful of sand.


    RenDong and Lian Qiao looked at each other. It seems that they just rolled down like this.


    It was very ugly. Fortunately no one saw it.


    The unlucky man was frightened to death by the slide and suddenly fell into quicksand again. Suddenly, his entire body was not well and he slapped the sand noodles like a chicken in soup. It¡¯s okay if he doesn¡¯t struggle but struggling makes him sink very quickly.


    Seeing that he was about to drown in the sand, Lian Qiao hurriedly threw the backpack in front of the hapless man and shouted, ¡°Grab the bag! Don¡¯t move! Grab the bag and slowly climb out!¡±


    The backpack was like a piece of driftwood. The hapless man had an overjoyed expression and hurriedly grabbed it. Fortunately, the cross-sectional area of ??the backpack is very large and it can fully support the weight of an adult on the sand. So the hapless man crawled out tremblingly.


    Although the sand is soft, it is not so easy to sink once a balance is found.


    The hapless man walked cautiously this way. Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes swept across him quickly, confirming that there was no place to hide weapons on his body and he should be a unfortunate figure who posed no threat.


    Everyone gave each other their names. The unlucky person can be called ¡®Unlucky Guy¡¯ and appeared, at first glance, as a passerby who will die soon. So the three continued to discuss things around the slide.


    Turns out the unlucky guy wasn¡¯t actually too unlucky He made a mistake in the dark forest and, every time he encountered a murderous vine, someone else happened to nearby to block the killing blow. Even in the fire scene, he always happened to run into a ghost killing someone and he just took advantage of the chaos to escape. By the time he found the fire escape, the brick red door on the ground floor had already opened. So there was basically no injury along the way except for eating sand when he flew out of the slide.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Lian Qiao interrupted him, ¡°You said you still found an explosion-proof shield in the shopping mall?¡±


    The unlucky guy shrank: ¡°Yes¡­ I think that although the shield can¡¯t prevent ghosts, it is always feels comforting and reassuring in my heart when I hold it in my hand¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s expression changed: ¡°Where¡¯s the shield now?¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, there was a sudden clanging sound from the top of the three of them. Everyone looked up and saw that the long and straight pipe vibrated slightly, as if someone had fallen down in a rampage.


    A look of anticipation flashed across the unlucky guy¡¯s face. RenDong and Lian Qiao looked at each other, but their faces were not good.


    Sure enough, the next second, a strange dull sound suddenly came out of the pipe. The voice was hard to describe but it was inexplicably creepy. The sound then split into two, dong dong dong, banging noises and soon reached the three of them.


    Crack.¡±


    A thigh flew out.


    Immediately afterwards, an incomplete man rushed out of the pipe with splashing blood and slid far away in the quicksand along the last gentle slope of the slide.


    The faces of the three of them turned pale in an instant.


    The man was obviously dead. After falling into the quicksand, he remained motionless, only the blood gurgled and seeped into the sand, dyeing a large area of ??red.


    The distance between the dead body and his thigh was about ten meters and it was inserted into the sand in such a major way. The picture was extremely cruel.


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao looked at each other and frowned. The unlucky guy was dumbfounded, grabbed his head and said, ¡°Hey, why is this person¡­ how did he break?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°???¡± You seriously don¡¯t know?


    The two looked at the hapless man in shock. The unlucky guy hadn¡¯t reacted yet and asked suspiciously, ¡°What are you all looking at me for?¡±


    At the same time, a familiar sound suddenly came from above the three of them.


    Bang bang bang bang!


    Someone else was falling.


    At a slightly lower position than before, the sound split into two halves again. Then, another split person flew out of the slide.


    This time, in addition to the two corpses, there was also an explosion-proof shield. The shield has sharp edges and the transparent shield body has long been dyed blood red, with a ring of minced meat hanging around it.


    This time, the dumb as the unlucky guy was, he also understood. The shield was stuck straight in the middle of the slide {as in he¡¯d used it to break his fall and obviously left it stuck inside the slide}. The man above fell down at a high speed and was cut in half by the shield.


    The principle was very simple but the scene was too miserable. The three of them stared at the broken corpse on the ground and they were all shocked and speechless.


    After a long time, Lian Qiao finally spoke.


    ¡°At least the shield came down.¡±


    ***

 CH 119

    Chapter 119 ¨C Temple of the Five Internal Organs 9


    The unlucky guy was on the verge of collapse and when he heard Lian Qiao¡¯s words, he cried out ¡°oh¡± and burst into tears.


    Although the unfortunate act was unintentional, he accidentally caused the shield to get stuck in the pipe and indeed killed two people. If it wasn¡¯t for the shield just happening to get smashed down just now, it would probably have killed even more players.


    It was so miserable. After finally surviving the dark forest and the fire field, they was hacked by the shield left by a pig teammate. Who could they find to reason with?


    Therefore, Lian Qiao didn¡¯t bother to comfort him and let the unlucky guy cry.


    The unlucky guy was crying, apparently not daring to touch the shield again. Xu RenDong picked up the shield, wiped the blood on it and looked around. He saw that the yellow sand was long and the desert seemed to be endless, spreading to the horizon. A round yellow sun hung  directly overhead. It would be very difficult to rely on the sun to identify the direction.


    Where to go next?


    He was about to ask Lian Qiao what he thought when he saw Lian Qiao pull out a plastic bag from his backpack, squat next to the shredded corpse and start cutting into the meat with a knife.


    Xu RenDong was taken aback, his first reaction was that Lian Qiao was doing an autopsy. But what¡¯s the point? Wasn¡¯t the cause of death of these two very clear?


    Soon he found out that Lian Qiao wasn¡¯t doing an autopsy ¡ª he was doing a dissection.


    He cut off a large piece of meat from the dead man¡¯s thigh, stuffed it into a plastic bag and turned to dig through the guts on the other half of the body. Xu RenDong narrowed his eyes and roughly guessed what he was doing.


    Despite this, he still felt that dismembering the body on the spot in front of the unlucky guy was a bit¡­


    Sure enough, the unlucky guy was so frightened by Lian Qiao¡¯s actions that he sniffled and shivered: ¡°You, what are you doing¡­ ¡­?¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s hands were covered in blood and he didn¡¯t lift his head amid the shredded corpses on the ground: ¡°If I were you, I wouldn¡¯t ask such stupid things.¡±


    The unlucky guy: ¡°Hey!¡±


    Lian Qiao cut a piece of meat off that broken thigh and stuffed it in a plastic bag. He turned his head to the other half of his body and dug out some unknown internal organs. The unlucky guy looked pale and unconsciously cast his eyes towards Xu RenDong for help.


    Xu RenDong thought to himself what¡¯s the use of you asking me for help, isn¡¯t it obvious that me and him are together?


    He was too lazy to deal with the unlucky guy, so he walked over to Lian Qiao, took out the mineral water and helped wash the blood on his hands.


    The unlucky guy: ¡°¡­¡± It¡¯s over, the division of labor between these two people is clear, it seems that this is not their first crime!


    When Lian Qiao stuffed the collected pieces of meat into his backpack, the unlucky guy¡¯s legs had already gone weak and he was about to cry again.


    Fear did a good job of dispelling his guilt and he had long forgotten about the shield. Seeing Lian Qiao cast a glance at him, the unlucky guy knelt down in fright and begged for mercy: ¡°Please don¡¯t kill me, I can do anything! I¡¯m very obedient! Please let me go!¡±


    Lian Qiao did not speak. Instead, he just raised his hand to his lips and made a zipper action.


    The unlucky guy understood and immediately shut up, becoming as quiet as a chicken.


    Lian Qiao nodded with satisfaction, turned to Xu RenDong and said, ¡°Did you want to say something just now?¡±


    Xu RenDong pointed at the sun overhead: ¡°Do you know how to identify the direction according to the sun?¡±


    Lian Qiao raised her head and glanced at the sky, then shook his head: ¡°No. The sun is too blurry.¡±


    Xu RenDong thought for a while: ¡°Then, let¡¯s go in the direction of the extension of the pipeline?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°We can try.¡±


    This desert is endless and no matter where you look, it seems to be the same scenery. The biggest fear in the desert was getting lost. Not to mention the lack of food and water, the hot sun alone was enough to kill people.


    The two of them had only spent a little time beside the pipe but their mouths were already dry. If you really want to get out of this desert, you would probably have to shed a layer of skin.


    So the two stopped wasting time and immediately set off towards the extension of the pipe outlet.


    Neither of them paid any attention to the unlucky guy. The unlucky guy looked at the few remaining corpses in the sand and then looked at the boundless desert. After gritting his teeth, he finally followed.


    The desert was hot from the sun. The three of them trudged through the sand and it didn¡¯t take long for them to start sweating profusely.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s cheeks were tanned red. Lian Qiao handed over a bottle of water, looked back at the footprints when he came, and said, ¡°Our speed is a bit slow. If we continue at this speed, we will definitely die of thirst.¡±


    Although Xu RenDong was unbearably thirsty, he was extremely restrained. He took a sip of water: ¡°I can¡¯t hurry. The faster you go, the more you will consume.¡± Then he returned the mineral water to Lian Qiao.


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t answer but said, ¡°You drink more.¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°We don¡¯t have much stock, so save it.¡±


    Lian Qiao smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, drink it.¡±


    Xu RenDong wrinkled his forehead. When Lian Qiao saw his frown, he knew what he was thinking, shook his head and smiled: ¡°Do you think I have to endure myself not to drink, so that you can drink more?¡±


    Xu RenDong was stunned, his ears slightly red: ¡°¡­ ¡°Isn¡¯t that it?¡±


    Lian Qiao laughed, cupped his hand holding the mineral water bottle with both hands, put his lips together and took a few gulps.


    ¡°Do you believe it now?¡± Lian Qiao let go of his hand with a smile, ¡°Drink more. Your lips are cracked.¡±


    Xu RenDong licked his lips subconsciously and it smelled of rust. Looking at Lian Qiao¡¯s smiling face, he suddenly understood.


    ¡ªLian Qiao must have found something out. But he didn¡¯t say it directly, did he just want to see if they had a tacit understanding?


    So Re Dong no longer insisted but gulped water while sorting out the clues so far in his heart.


    Xu RenDong looked around again. Although they had been heading in this direction for half an hour, the surrounding scenery remained the same. The pipe connected to the sky was far away, and the air was so hot that the pipe in the distance was blurred and looked like a long, writhing gray worm.


    There is nothing in this desert but this pipe. What did Lian Qiao find?


    Xu RenDong recalled Lian Qiao¡¯s actions a moment ago and suddenly remembered ¨C that¡¯s right, footprints!


    Lian Qiao calculated their travel speed based on their footprints and came to the conclusion that no matter how fast they walked, with the supplies on hand, they would never be able to get out of this desert.


    But isn¡¯t this an absolute dead end?


    In the first two levels, the materials that can be collected are extremely limited. Even a scavenger like Lian Qiao only found one backpack¡¯s worth of supplies, so don¡¯t talk about others. Since everyone had absolutely insufficient supplies, no one could get out of this desert.


    Therefore, if you want to leave here, it is definitely not due to patience and perseverance. It is not possible to pass the instance by conserving materials.


    ¡ªThe absence of ghosts means that the difficulty is not in the battle. The absence of animals and plants means that this level is not a test of their desert survival ability.


    Then, the point of this level, without a doubt, was to solve a mystery again.


    But what was the mystery?


    The only answer Xu RenDong could think of was ¡°the location of the door¡±.


    The end of the dark forest was the bronze door, and the end of the mall of fire was the brick red door, so what color door will the end of this desert be?


    No matter what color it was, it was hidden in the desert and impossible to easily find it with the naked eye. What¡¯s more, the desert is boundless. Even if a large number of people are sent to carry out an inch by inch search, the probability of being able to find it is very small.


    It seems that there are other key clues that they haven¡¯t found yet.


    Having been with Lian Qiao for so long, Xu RenDong also began to learn to use game thinking to consider problems. All of the above reasoning was done in an instant. He screwed on the cap of the mineral water bottle and he already had a general idea in his mind.


    The unlucky guy naturally didn¡¯t know what the two bosses were thinking, and he didn¡¯t have the time to guess the boss¡¯s thoughts. He watched the two drinking water eagerly, feeling that his throat was so dry that it was about to burn. But Lian Qiao didn¡¯t allow him to speak, and he couldn¡¯t beat the two big men, so he didn¡¯t dare to grab it. So he had to desperately lick his chapped lips, trying to use his miserable appearance to win the sympathy of the big bosses.


    Xu RenDong casually threw the remaining half bottle of water to him, turned his head to Lian Qiao and said, ¡°I want to go back to the pipeline and have a look.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes widened in surprise and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.


    ¡°You really know what I¡¯m thinking.¡±


    RenDong smiled: ¡°Is there any need to ask?¡±


    Lian Qiao smiled and his eyes moved. There was a love that couldn¡¯t be hidden in the brows of his eyes.


    The unlucky guy gulped water and seeing the two big bosses looking at each other, there were 10,000 grass and mud horses running in his heart, but he didn¡¯t dare to say anything.


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao were going to turn back and, although the unlucky guy felt strange,  he didn¡¯t dare not follow. So the three of them walked in the direction of the pipeline along the footprints when they came.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if any new players have fallen.¡± Lian Qiao said casually.


    Xu RenDong suddenly remembered a question, frowned and said: ¡°Speaking of which, how many initial players are there in this dungeon?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. A large number of people died in the dark forest and a few died at the fire scene¡­ It¡¯s really not easy. The few who survived were even split by the shield¡­¡± Lian Qiao felt amused as he spoke, turned his head and glanced at the unlucky guy, ¡°It¡¯s really tragic.¡± The unlucky guy thought: Big boss, why are you suddenly ¡°cue-ing¡± me, I don¡¯t have anything to say, I already know I¡¯m wrong, what do you still want from me?


    ¡°Then¡­¡± The figure of a gentleman flashed in Xu RenDong¡¯s mind, ¡°How many people are walking ahead of us?¡±


    Lian Qiao shrugged.


    Xu RenDong also sighed. There was no answer to this question but it is very disturbing.


    It¡¯s a pity that the gentleman left the team quickly after entering the fire, failing to give Xu RenDong a chance to kill him. RenDong knew that this mistake would bring him a major crisis in the future but there was nothing he could do.


    At that time, the fire was too big, oxygen was scarce, and he and Lian Qiao didn¡¯t have any weapons and equipment. If he really wanted to try something, the gentleman wouldn¡¯t be the one who died.


    The two chatted casually and the unlucky guy followed behind like a small tail. The pipeline is getting closer and closer and the extremely gentle slide buffer belt can be clearly seen.


    Suddenly, a sound appeared in the sky.


    ¡°Click¡±.


    Lian Qiao and RenDong were stunned and immediately stopped. The unlucky guy instantly became nervous and hid behind the two of them nervously: ¡°What¡¯s the matter? What¡¯s the situation?¡±


    Lian Qiao grabbed Xu RenDong¡¯s arm and whispered, ¡°The sand is not right.¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded. He also found that the sand under his feet seemed to be a little looser than before.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Run?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Run.¡±


    The two took a deep breath and started running towards the pipe. The unlucky guy turned pale in shock, screaming ¡°Why are you running?! What happened¡± , all the while running wildly with the big guys.


    It¡¯s a pity that the unfortunate guy does not walk as lightly as the two big bosses. He sank deep into the sand with every step so he ran extra hard and was quickly left behind by the big guys.


    ¡°Wooo, wait for me!¡± The unlucky guy cried and shed tears.


    Lian Qiao roared without turning his head: ¡°Why are you crying! If you have the strength to cry, you might as well run!¡±


    The unlucky guy still doesn¡¯t understand why they wanted to run ¨C the sand is loose, isn¡¯t it easier to sink if you act rashly at this time? But seeing the big guys running, he didn¡¯t dare not to chase. Anyway, following the pace of the big guys, the survival rate was always higher.


    At this moment, the sound in the air rang again.


    ¡°Click.¡±


    ¡°Click, click.¡±


    ¡°Click, click, click¡­¡±


    The weird sound got louder and faster, like a gear turning inside a machine. The sand under the three of them became looser and even began to flow backwards like a tide.


    At the same time, all three felt a strange suction coming from the rear. It didn¡¯t feel like something was tugging at them but an¡­ all-round suction.


    That suction made their running movements unnatural, making it difficult to maintain balance. The sand under their feet was also getting slippery and it was difficult to find footing. The three of them continued to sink as they ran and their speed dropped significantly.


    The unlucky guy cried: ¡°It¡¯s over! We¡¯re going to sink!¡±


    RenDong didn¡¯t even say a word to Lian Qiao,but just desperately ran against the suction behind him and ran towards the pipe as quickly as possible.


    Getting closer to the pipeline. When Xu RenDong looked up, he was inexplicably surprised.


    What¡¯s wrong with this pipe¡­? !


    Originally, the upper end of the pipe was almost straight into the sky but, at this time, the entire pipe was slowly falling down, and the angle formed with the ground kept getting smaller and smaller!


    This pipe was not going to fall from the sky, was it?!


    ***

 CH 120

    Chapter 120 ¨C Temple of the Five Internal Organs 10


    Xu RenDong was terrified but did not dare to slow down. The suction behind them was getting stronger and stronger and the sand under their feet kept sliding back. They couldn¡¯t keep their balance at all.


    Seeing the pipeline getting closer, the buffer slide gradually exposed its sandy surface. The exit of the slide kept rising into the sky.


    The pipe was really about to fall!


    After finally running to the edge of the slide, Lian Qiao grabbed the edge of the slide and at the same time reached out to RenDong: ¡°Grab me!¡±


    Xu RenDong held his hand without hesitation and took advantage of Lian Qiao¡¯s strength to climb up the slide.


    The unlucky guy wasn¡¯t so lucky. He fell far behind and was still several dozen meters away from the slide. He had already lost his balance in the quicksand and most of his body sank into the sand, crying and struggling as he sank deeper and deeper.


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao finally climbed onto the slide, gasping for breath in shock. They looked back and saw that the unlucky guy was being swept backwards wrapped in quicksand. He had sunk so much that only his head was exposed.


    He was going to be buried alive!


    Xu RenDong bit his lip but knew that he couldn¡¯t save him so he turned around and focused on other things.


    ¡°The pipe is still going down.¡± He said to Lian Qiao, ¡°Hold on and be careful not to slip off.¡±


    ¡°¡­En¡­¡± Lian Qiao replied but his eyes still followed the unlucky guy. At this time, the unlucky guy has been swept out a few hundred meters away, leaving only a tuft of hair on the top of his head left exposed outside. His body was probably already cold.


    The disturbing ¡°click¡± in mid-air continued but the frequency gradually slowed down. However the suction from behind has not diminished. The sand flowed back at a faster speed, almost like a tidal wave and was very choppy.


    Xu RenDong glanced backwards and suddenly felt that something was wrong.


    He had thought that something might be making such a big move under the desert, causing the sand to run and the pipes to collapse. At this time, it seems that this is not the case.


    The angle between the pipe and the sand surface was indeed gradually decreasing. Now it was close to 30 degrees, almost lying flat against the sand surface. And the weird suction that has been pulling them has also changed. Originally, it was dragging them to the rear but now it seems to be dragging them down, so that the two had to cling tightly to the wall of the tube so they didn¡¯t slide down. .


    ¡°¡­The direction of gravity has changed?¡± Xu RenDong came to this answer after pondering.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Not necessarily. Maybe the entire whole space has been reversed¡­ But the direction of gravity is a relative concept so you¡¯re not wrong to say this.¡±


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help but be afraid for a while. Fortunately, they turned back in time and climbed up the pipeline at the critical moment. Otherwise, they must be just like the unlucky guy now, wrapped in the surging quicksand and rushing towards god knows where.


    Death was death, and it was also a painful death. Xu RenDong felt chills just thinking about the feeling of hot sand pouring down his nose. Besides, for him, death is not the end. He had to go to the dark forest to suffer again.


    Lian Qiao looked up and said thoughtfully, ¡°The sound has stopped.¡±


    Xu RenDong came back to his senses, only to find that the ¡°click¡± sound that had just been hovering in the air had disappeared.


    ¡°What kind of sound was that?¡± Xu RenDong retrieved his memory, ¡°I always felt it sounded a little familiar¡­ like some kind of machine¡­¡±


    ¡°I also think it sounds like the sound of mechanical gears.¡± Lian Qiao touched his chin, ¡°Could this be a hint of something?¡±


    Xu RenDong looked around. The flow of the desert also stopped at this point and the pipe was no longer inclined. The change in the direction of gravity caused the entire desert to sink beneath them. At this point, the pipes became perpendicular to the desert again ¨C the position of the slide where they were located was the dividing point. There was no sand above the dividing point and, below the dividing point, there was a flat sand surface.


    Xu RenDong lowered one foot and tried to step on the sand surface. The touch from his toes told him that the softness of the gravel had returned to its original state.


    Lian Qiao jumped down from the pipe, moved his limbs and said, ¡°I¡¯m exhausted from running just now, come down and rest for a while.¡±


    He took out some food from his backpack and distributed it to Xu RenDong. Xu RenDong nibbled on the sandwich, still looking thoughtful.


    ¡°If the desert can suddenly flow, the only safe place is this pipe.¡± He reached out and knocked on the wall of the pipe, frowning at the hard and crisp metal knock, ¡°But we can¡¯t stay here forever. Where¡¯s the door? ¡°


    Lian Qiao suddenly thought: ¡°Would you like to climb up and have a look?¡±


    Xu RenDong laughed: ¡°How to climb? And even if I can climb up, wouldn¡¯t I just go back to the previous door?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ if you say it like that, it makes sense.¡± Lian Qiao stretched his waist and sighed, ¡°Looking at the hint, this instance has five levels. I¡¯m so tired and don¡¯t even have time to rest.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s rest for a while now. Anyway, this is a stable point and while we are here, we can also see if any new teammates will fall down.¡±


    After speaking, Xu RenDong sat on the ground, leaning against the wall of the pipe and began to close his eyes and rest.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes lit up and said coquettishly: ¡°RenDong, can you give me a knee pillow?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°What is a knee pillow?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Just let me sleep on your lap.¡±


    Hearing that, Xu RenDong tilted his head and thought for a while. When he realized what Lian Qiao was saying, he knelt on the ground and made a ¡°come¡± gesture.


    Lian Qiao lay down with joy, resting his head on his lap and his whole body was rippling with excitement.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this awkward?¡± Xu RenDong knew that he was thin and had no flesh on his legs, so he always felt that this sleeping position would not be comfortable.


    But Lian Qiao said with satisfaction: ¡°No!¡±


    Xu RenDong lowered his head and met Lian Qiao Liangjing¡¯s puppy dog eyes. This perspective is very strange, it made Xu RenDong¡¯s heart move and he had an inexplicable urge to kiss him.


    ¡­Unfortunately, his body was not flexible enough to bend down.


    Xu RenDong was a little ashamed and turned away stiffly. To ease the embarrassment, he picked up mineral water to drink.


    Lian Qiao looked up at him. From this angle, you can see that the beautiful Adam¡¯s apple loosens up and down and there is a soft thud in the throat. Lian Qiao looked at it and 10,000 dirty thoughts appeared in his mind.


    He also couldn¡¯t help covering his face: no, no, no, no more, or I¡¯ll be hard again.


    However, although he knew intellectually that he couldn¡¯t be emotional, emotionally he couldn¡¯t help it at all. He quietly continued to peep through his fingers, while scolding himself with contempt: People are just drinking water with integrity, what are you thinking about, you pervert!


    But having said that, RenDong is so beautiful¡­


    Lian Qiao was fascinated by it, raised his hand unconsciously and touched his Adam¡¯s apple in a daze.


    RenDong drank half of the water and felt an itchy neck. Looking down, it was Lian Qiao who was touching him and he was shocked and spurted out a mouthful of water.


    Most of the mineral water was sprayed on Lian Qiao¡¯s face and Lian Qiao sobered up instantly, retracting his hand like an electric shock.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­what are you doing?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± Ah, ah, ah, it¡¯s so embarrassing! How can you ask me!


    An eerie silence spread between the two. Lian Qiao covered his face and didn¡¯t dare to look at RenDong at all and could not wait to curl himself into a snail shell.


    RenDong looked down and saw Lian Qiao¡¯s earlobes that were so red that they were burning. His heart moved, as if he understood something.


    Lian Qiao was covering his face to escape reality and suddenly felt his earlobe being pinched. He was shocked and quietly peeked at RenDong from between his fingers, facing a pair of eyes that were as bright as autumn water.


    Get up.¡± Xu RenDong said.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s heart trembled. He saw the pair of soft lips that he had described countless times  mov slightly and softly spit out two words.


    ¡°I want to kiss you.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°!!!¡±


    Ah ah ah, can you restrain yourself a little bit! Even if you can restrain me,, I can¡¯t restrain myself!


    ***


    After an indescribably deep kiss, both were satisfied.


    Xu RenDong was a little thirsty from his kiss and couldn¡¯t help but pick up the mineral water bottle again and took a few sips.


    ¡°I¡¯m thirsty too.¡± Lian Qiao leaned over and rubbed his furry head on his cheek affectionately, ¡°Feed me.¡±


    Xu RenDong smiled and brought the mouth of the mineral water bottle to his lips. Lian Qiao sucked the mouth of the bottle and looked very happy, like a puppy being fed. Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help rubbing his hair.


    Lian Qiao squinted his eyes contentedly.


    RenDong¡¯s eyes were subconsciously chasing the mineral water bottle and suddenly he thought of something, reached out and took the water bottle in front of him.


    Lian Qiao was taken aback: ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there something wrong with the water?¡±


    No, he drank half a bottle just now and it was fine.


    RenDong shook his head and said thoughtfully, ¡°I have an idea.¡±


    ¡°You say it.¡±


    RenDong said, ¡°That clicking sound, could it be a clock? The second hand moves with this kind of clicking sound.¡±


    Lian Qiao suddenly realized: ¡°No wonder it sounds familiar, it turns out to be the sound of the clock running!¡±


    ¡°But the clock and the desert¡­¡± Xu RenDong didn¡¯t finish his words before there was a sudden flash in his mind.


    Clocks ¨C clocks and deserts!


    It¡¯s an hourglass!


    Yes, this desert is a giant hourglass! No wonder quicksand turned around after the clock clicked ¨C that¡¯s because the cycle is over and the hourglass is upside down!


    RenDong had a vague picture in his heart. He took out a pen from his backpack, put it upright in the sand and turned the mineral water bottle across, next to the pen: ¡°Suppose this is the pipe. This is the hourglass.¡±


    He erected the water bottle little by little until it turned ninety degrees and was parallel to the pencil: ¡°Look, isn¡¯t this what we just experienced? All the sand leaked down, because the hourglass stood upright.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes widened and his eyes were full of surprises, ¡°My target is worthy of being a Nine Level boss. He even knows this!¡±


    Lian Qiao stretched out his hand and pointed to the level of the half-bottle of water: ¡°So, the midpoint of this hourglass is where we are now¡­ the stable point!¡±


    RenDong: ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then the door should be here?¡± Lian Qiao pointed to the position of the mineral water bottle cap and immediately denied himself, ¡°No, it may be the other end. But it is also possible that there are exits on both sides. Maybe there will be branch routes here?¡±


    Xu RenDong stared at the pencil. He looked at the mineral water bottle for a long time and sighed: ¡°The question is, how do we get to these two ends? No matter how the hourglass turns over, the sand will always be below and the outlet will always be above. There is no leverage on the outer wall of this pipe and we can¡¯t climb up. ¡°


    ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t need to climb.¡± Lian Qiao smiled and was about to explain when a familiar sound suddenly came from the sky.


    Click.


    Xu RenDong reflexively stood up from the ground. Lian Qiao took out a climbing rope, passed it through the lower end of the pipe and tied it in a dead knot. Then he turned over and jumped on the pipe.


    Xu RenDong was still a little puzzled but Lian Qiao had reached out to him with bright eyes, like a little adventurer looking for treasure.


    ¡°Come, RenDong, come with me.¡±

 CH 121

    With the sound of the second hand in the sky, the entire desert began to reverse. Xu RenDong grabbed Lian Qiao¡¯s hand and jumped onto the pipe. As soon as he got to the center of gravity, he became a little unstable and was hugged by Lian Qiao.


    ¡°Stay steady.¡± Lian Qiao tied the end of the climbing rope in a dead knot on his wrist and then taught him how to lower his center of gravity. ¡°The pipe will slowly fall down in a while and we can start running up.¡±


    Xu RenDong suddenly became enlightened.


    Yes! Last time the hourglass was turned upside down and they watched the pipe slant. This should be an optical illusion, because they use the sand they are in as a frame of reference and so when the sand flowed, it caused them to look at the pipe from a different angle.


    However, as the sand moved, the direction of gravity they felt also changed.


    Xu RenDong remembered that when the hourglass turned over last time, the first thing they felt was the suction from the back¡ªno, or rather, it¡¯s the gravity from the back!


    It stands to reason that if the direction of gravity does not change, it should always remain perpendicular to the pipe. They should always feel a downward force. But in fact, when the hourglass flips, the direction of gravity suddenly changes ninety degrees.


    And the hourglass turned exactly ninety degrees in the end!


    This shows that the source of gravity is the bottom of the hourglass! Once the hourglass starts to reverse, gravity will turn first! That¡¯s why they have the illusion of being ¡°pulled back by some kind of gravitational force¡±!


    In fact, it is no longer from ¡°behind¡±, but from ¡°below¡±!


    So, this time the gravity flips ¨C it will be perpendicular to the pipe again!


    Lian Qiao was really smart. Although he didn¡¯t solve the puzzle this time, as long as he lightly thought about it, he was instantly enlightened and had already figured out a solution.


    Sure enough, as the clicking sound became more frequent, Xu RenDong felt that his body was slowly getting lighter.


    The change in the direction of gravity made both of them feel light on their feet and  they lost their balance. Fortunately, Lian Qiao was already prepared. He used the climbing rope to go around the pipe, tied a knot in the middle and the two people held both ends in their hands. This way, even if you lose your balance and fall off the pipe, you can pull back against the climbing rope.


    ¡°Run!¡±


    Lian Qiao gave an order and the two began to run up the pipe.


    This feeling was amazing. Xu RenDong felt like an astronaut, just without the uniform. Even though the pipe was standing upright, he was able to step on the pipe and run up instead of sliding down.


    He heard the sound of sand flowing behind him and couldn¡¯t help but turn his head to see an extremely spectacular sight.


    The whole desert was floating upwards.


    Sand rose slowly, swaying at first, like thousands of dandelions scattered in the air. With the inclination of the angle and the increase of gravity, the sand became like rain falling to the sky, flying straight and fast into the sky.


    The whole world was falling upwards.


    The two were shocked by this breathtaking beauty and they kept turning back while running, staring at the magnificent sand and rain.


    Yes, the desert has become sand rain. One after another, falling into the sky.


    Inadvertently, Xu RenDong met Lian Qiao¡¯s gaze. Both of them saw the uncontrollably excited smiles on each other¡¯s faces.


    ¡°I suddenly want to sing you a song!¡± Lian Qiao shouted with a smile.


    ¡°Go back and sing¡ª¡± Xu RenDong also responded with a smile, ¡°Wait for us to go out together!¡±


    ¡°Okay¡ª¡± Lian Qiao frowned.


    So the two stopped being distracted, but took the time to run towards the other end of the pipeline.


    The change in the direction of gravity made walking on the pipe wall similar to walking on the ground. The wall of the pipe was very smooth but luckily they had Lian Qiao¡¯s climbing rope for protection. Xu RenDong slipped down several times but was dragged up by Lian Qiao, avoiding the tragedy of going up with the sand rain.


    Running on the pipe wall is much easier than trekking in the desert but, after all, it is still a desert climate, dry and hot. The two ran all the way, panting like dogs. After an indeterminate amount of time, their eyes lit up.


    It¡¯s the door!


    They saw a dark golden door, floating out of thin air on the edge of the pipe. The metal texture was warm and cool, standing in the middle of the scorching flames, looking out of place.


    The scorching sun scorched the wind and the sand to a very high temperature. The two of them had been running wildly and their dry mouths were indescribable. They only felt that the lobes of their lungs were about to be scorched, and the cells in their bodies were like sizzling poached eggs on a frying pan.


    ¡°What¡¯s written on the door?¡± RenDong panted slightly, his vision blurred.


    ¡°He¡­fire¡­it¡¯s ¡®autumn¡¯!¡± {LQ is reading the two parts of the character separately, Chinese characters are often made up of other characters next to each other or on top of each other.} Lian Qiao murmured thoughtfully after confirming the words on the dark gold gate, ¡°It really is the four seasons¡­¡±


    RenDong said in confusion, ¡°Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. If you add ¡®Long Summer¡¯, it is obviously five seasons, so why is it four?¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°If there was no ¡®Long Summer¡¯, I would also think that what is written on the door was just the ordinary spring, summer, autumn and winter. But since there is ¡®Long Summer¡¯, then it corresponds to the five internal organs.¡±


    RenDong was still at a loss.


    At this point, the clicking sound in mid-air was over and the desert was calm again. Standing on the metal platform, Lian Qiao felt that there was no danger here, so he patiently explained to RenDong.


    He took out his mobile phone, quickly typed in the five words ¡°spring, summer, long summer, autumn and winter¡±, then pointed to ¡°spring¡± and said, ¡°In ancient times, the four seasons corresponded to the south, east, and northwest respectively. For example, spring corresponds to the east, and the corresponding color is green.¡±


    RenDong nodded. He has also heard something about north east south west, green dragon, white tigers or something like that. The question was why was there an additional ¡°Long Summer¡±?


    ¡°As for this Long Summer¡­¡± Lian Qiao thought about it, and wrote ¡°ÖС± {means midde} under the word ¡°Long Summer¡± {³¤ÏÄ}.


    As soon as he finished writing, RenDong couldn¡¯t help but recite: ¡°North east south west¡­ white in the middle?¡±


    Lian Qiao laughed out loud: ¡°No, no, this is not mahjong¡­ Well, not entirely. The north east south west in mahjong actually corresponds to ancient Chinese philosophical thoughts. In fact, it¡¯s like this, there are indeed only four of these directions and seasons, but in order to correspond with the five elements, ¡®Long Summer¡¯ and ¡®ÖС¯ are added to them.¡± {I¡¯m not too sure what they mean sorry¡­ maybe something to do with mahjong.}


    RenDong suddenly felt enlightened: ¡°This also corresponds to the five internal organs?¡±


    ¡°Yes. .¡± Lian Qiao showed a happy smile of ¡°I¡¯m a good partner¡±, ¡°In this case, we can make up this kind of correspondence.¡±


    He wrote these five lines on the sand:


    Spring ¨C wood ¨C liver ¨C east .


    Summer ¨C Fire ¨C Heart ¨C South.


    Long Summer ¨C soil ¨C spleen ¨C central/middle.


    Autumn ¨C Gold ¨C Lung ¨C West.


    Winter ¨C water ¨C kidney ¨C north.


    Xu RenDong stared at the five-line characters for a long time: ¡°No wonder there are so many corpses with their guts hollowed out along the way.¡±


    Lian Qiao sighed: ¡°I¡¯m afraid they have all been sacrificed.¡±


    He subconsciously looked at the door. In the engraved pattern, the scarlet blood was shocking. The blood must have been stained not long ago. Xu RenDong stretched out his hand, the dark brown blood was still a little sticky.


    He suddenly remembered the message that the fresh dead ghost who died tragically in the bathroom in the fire mall gave before he disappeared.


    It turned out that it was not ¡°South/ÄÏ¡±, but the unfinished ¡°Offering/Ïס± character! That person wanted to remind them that only the sacrifice of organs can open the door to the next level and,  at the same time, he was also alerting them that someone was going to harm them!


    Where do the organs come from? Of course from the living!


    They didn¡¯t know how many players there were in this instance. Regardless of the total number, it¡¯s likely most of them have died in the dark forest. There were very few people who can enter the second ¡°heart¡± gate, not to mention that there were still three more gates of ¡°earth¡±, ¡°gold¡± and ¡°water¡± left.


    No wonder Lian Qiao collects fresh corpses by the pipe, because you could never have enough organs.


    It can be seen that the murderer who hollowed out other¡¯s internal organs must be waiting for them out front!


    Thinking of this, Xu RenDong froze suddenly.


    In this instance, in addition to the gentleman, there was another murderer.


    He recalled the excited, bloodthirsty look in the gentleman¡¯s eyes when he saw the dismembered corpses. At this moment, he suddenly understood the gentleman¡¯s thoughts.


    This is a serial killer who sees another serial killer, emotional tears springing into their eyes.


    It¡¯s unknown if these two murderers will sympathize with each other or kill each other, or could they hold some kind of perverted killing competition?


    RenDong told Lian Qiao what he thought. Lian Qiao shook his head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t try to understand what the killer is thinking. When you fully understand him, you are not far from being a pervert yourself.¡±


    He made a lot of sense.


    Behind the golden gate was still a thick white fog that can¡¯t be opened. There was no sense of danger behind the white fog.


    Lian Qiao looked at the door and lowered his head in dejection: ¡°Oh, I thought we were fast enough but I didn¡¯t expect someone to be faster than us!¡±


    Xu RenDong said: ¡°The front two doors were opened long ago by others and now they are kept open. It¡¯s expected that someone is leading from the front.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°I wonder if the first person to open the door can get the hidden reward¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong was stunned, and suddenly remembered that they hadn¡¯t gotten any hidden items for a long time.


    Except for the brass key in the first doll instance and Lamia¡¯s eyeballs in the second instance, they came out empty-handed the following times.


    Don¡¯t kid, you have to do your best just to come out alive, how can you find the hidden props?


    Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao have been together for some time and they have also played a lot of games together. At this time, he understands Lian Qiao¡¯s obsession with hidden items and achievements. What¡¯s more, Lamia¡¯s eyeballs were so easy to use. If there was no such thing, he might have had a nervous breakdown in the butterfly instance.


    So he thought for a while and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we just walk through the pipeline for a while without entering the door?¡±


    The Gold gate was not at the end of the pipeline. There was more pipeline behind it, which extends into the cloud layer. It¡¯s unknown what¡¯s beyond the cloud layer.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes lit up with eagerness written all over his face. But soon he shook his head again.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s too late. If we continue to run forward, we won¡¯t be able to turn back before the hourglass flips again. The direction of gravity will change again and we won¡¯t be able to come back.¡±


    Xu RenDong thought to himself: What are you afraid of, at most I¡¯ll die and we can restart.


    But he couldn¡¯t say it.


    So he looked into Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes and said earnestly, ¡°With me here, you don¡¯t need hidden props. I am your strongest prop.¡±


    Lian Qiao was amused by his sudden confession and reached out to rub his hair, Sweetly said: ¡°Well, it¡¯s enough for me to have you, my Nine Level Boss.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± When you worship your boss, how dare you rub the boss¡¯ head! What ill manners is this!


    The two men dithered for a while in front of the door. After going through everything, they stepped into the mist side by side.


    The cool and humid mist permeated the skin, and was indescribably cold.


    Lian Qiao shrank his neck and stuck out his tongue: ¡°Fortunately, it was late autumn when we came in and we wore a lot of clothes, otherwise¡­ uh!¡±


    He stopped abruptly before he finished speaking.


    The white fog just dissipated in front of him. RenDong looked around in surprise, only to see Lian Qiao covering his mouth with a strange expression.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Seeing his strange expression, RenDong became alert subconsciously. Looking around, it was a wilderness. The wasteland is littered with sparse stone and dead trees, the weeds are chlorosis, and it looked bleak.


    The view of the wasteland is surprisingly wide. At a glance, RenDong didn¡¯t see anything that could pose a threat but Lian Qiao¡¯s face became worse and worse, and his expression became solemn.


    Without waiting for RenDong to ask again, Lian Qiao spread out his palm covering his mouth. When RenDong looked down, there was actually a small pool of blood in the palm of his hand!


    RenDong was startled and was about to speak when he heard a whimper of wind. Then there was a pain in his face. He reached out to touch it subconsciously, and his expression changed greatly.


    Blood.


    There was a slash across his face!


    ¡°¡­Someone was waiting and ambushed us?¡± Xu RenDong looked around in amazement. However, with them as the center, in a radius of several hundred meters, there was nothing but dry grass. There were no rocks or trees to hide in.


    Lian Qiao slowly shook his head: ¡°It¡¯s not a human being.¡±


    RenDong: ¡°A ghost?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid¡­ I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not¡­¡± Lian Qiao suddenly covered his mouth and coughed. Soon, blood oozed from his fingers.


    RenDong turned pale with fright. He just opened his mouth when suddenly he felt like his throat was cut by a knife. A tear-like sore stretched from the throat all the way into the lungs. He also covered his mouth and coughed violently.


    ¡°Cough, cough, cough¡­¡±


    The two coughed for a while, blood in their hands. After finally coughing for a while, the two were surprised to find that there were several more bloody slashes on each other¡¯s faces.


    The wounds were very shallow, like being scratched by a cat. It¡¯s just that this cat has a very bad temper. In the blink of an eye, it scratched the faces of the two of them more than a dozen times, and blood was drawn every time.


    Lian Qiao was stunned for a moment. Then he suddenly thought of something, took off his jacket decisively and pulled RenDong to his side:


    ¡°Quick! Get in!¡±


    RenDong reacted quickly and hid in his coat along with Lian Qiao.


    The two seemed to be sheltering from the rain at this time but, apart from the whistling wind, there were no raindrops in the wilderness. Still, every now and then, the bare palms felt tingling. Occasionally there was a sound of torn fabrics on the coat, as if invisible knives were flying in the air.


    ¡°Sure enough¡­¡± ¡®¡¯


    The two were so close that Lian Qiao¡¯s lips almost rubbed the earlobe of RenDong. The slightly deep voice caressed his eardrum.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s the wind.¡± Lian Qiao said.


    At this time, the wind blew out more than a dozen holes on their faces and their bodies were not doing much better. In fact, these superficial wounds were all fine. The key is that the air inhaled into the lungs also seems to carry a knife, scraping the lobes of the lungs alive, so they kept vomiting blood.


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help but want to sigh but he didn¡¯t dare to take a deep breath, so he could only whisper, ¡°Is autumn so scary?¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°I can¡¯t see like this.¡± He tried to pull his jacket away a little but as soon as he showed his head, a slash appeared on his forehead, which made him quickly retract his head.


    Xu RenDong frowned: ¡°This wind is too evil. Be careful, don¡¯t hurt your eyes.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°I¡¯m not worried about this wind.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking, the person walking in front of us, where are they hiding?¡±


    In an instant, Xu RenDong¡¯s mind was like a flash of lightning. Many clues were connected in series, pointing to the same answer.


    He couldn¡¯t help but blurt out: ¡°The gentleman and the murderer are waiting for us to deliver¡­¡±


    Before he finished speaking, Xu RenDong suddenly felt a chill in his heart. Immediately afterwards, Lian Qiao¡¯s terrified and angry expression came into view.


    Xu RenDong touched his back subconsciously, the blood was hot. He touched a knife.


    Unlike the invisible blades in the wind, it was a real sharp knife. The blade completely sank into his back, almost rubbing his spine. In an instant, he seemed to have been drained of all his strength and his whole body fell down softly.


    Before he fell, Lian Qiao jumped up and hugged him, and at the same time let out a roar that didn¡¯t sound like a human voice from behind him.


    ¡°You actually ¨C I¡¯m going to kill you! I¡¯m going to kill you!¡±


    Seeing Lian Qiao¡¯s instantly soaring murderous aura, Xu RenDong suddenly felt extremely distant. He felt like a bystander, feeling no pain, no sadness and unwillingness. He saw Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes redden with anger and murderous intent and he felt like he was looking at a stranger.


    He even thought with some self-deprecation: Now I¡¯ve put my foot into it. {Uh what¡¯s the saying where you say something and then it tends to come true?}

 CH 122

    Chapter 122 ¨C Temple of the Five Internal Organs 12


    When Xu RenDong woke up¡­


    It actually wasn¡¯t in the elevator!


    Xu RenDong looked at the turbulent sky and the low hanging trees as though in a trance. Before he could accept the fact that he was not dead, he heard a shrill scream from not far away.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhh-¡°


    The voice was a bit familiar.


    He had heard screaming countless times, everyone screamed like this and it was nothing special. But this time was different. He felt that the voice was very familiar, as if he had just heard it a hundred thousand words ago {Author is once again breaking the fourth wall, i.e. referencing how many chapters/words ago this character appeared.}.


    Following the sound of the screaming, he saw a young man in a blood-stained jersey sitting on the ground, screaming and dodging attacks. That face looked a little familiar.


    Looking up, a more familiar crowbar came into view. The crowbar was stained red and apparently it had already tasted blood. At this moment, the crowbar was raised high, and Lian Qiao, who was holding the crowbar, had a cold expression and murderous eyes.


    At this moment, Xu RenDong suddenly remembered something and cried out: ¡°Lian Qiao! Stop!¡±


    Saaa-


    The sound of a sharp weapon breaking through the air stopped abruptly.


    Lian Qiao turned around in astonishment and saw Xu RenDong had awoken. He immediately ran towards him, throwing down the crowbar.


    ¡°RenDong!¡± Lian Qiao seemed to want to hold him in his arms, but was afraid of hurting him, so he could only stare at him with stiff hands.


    However, Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes went beyond him and fell on the man in the jersey.


    The man had obviously been beaten, not only was his nose bruised, but his jersey was covered in blood. The scars were all made by the crowbar one by one, but there was no fatal injury. The crowbar was bent at one end and pointed at one end. So if Lian Qiao really wanted to, there would have been 100,000 blood holes in his body.


    Xu RenDong just didn¡¯t know if Lian Qiao was showing mercy or just didn¡¯t want to give him a quick death.


    Xu RenDong pursed his lips, ignoring the subtle unease in his heart. He looked at the man in the jersey and wanted to say, ¡°How come it¡¯s you?¡± Unexpectedly, the man¡¯s eyes widened and he shouted:


    ¡°How come it¡¯s you!¡±


    Xu RenDong was robbed of his lines, which made him a little embarrassed. He straightened up his back and could only muster the reply: ¡°It really is you.¡±


    Lian Qiao looked at the two suspiciously while worrying about his injury: ¡°Do you know each other?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°I met him in a previous instance. The ¡®butterfly in the stomach¡¯.¡±


    Lian Qiao was reminded by him, and then looked at the other person carefully and suddenly realized: ¡°Oh! That bald medical student!¡±


    He saw that the man in the jersey was only in his early twenties but his hairline had quietly retreated. Who could he be if not the hard-working medical student who recited his textbook until becoming bald?


    Although the medical student was very sensitive towards the the adjective of ¡°bald¡±, he was beaten up by Lian Qiao not long ago and so he didn¡¯t dare to make trouble at this time. He shivered and said: ¡°Boss I¡¯m sorry, if I knew it was you , I wouldn¡¯t have stabbed you.¡±


    Lian Qiao narrowed his eyes: ¡°You mean you would have stabbed me instead if you knew?¡± Then he picked up a crowbar and wanted to commit murder on the spot.


    Although the medical student was beaten to the point of having only half of his life left, he was very calm at this threatening move by Lian Qiao. He said matter-of-factly, ¡°Well, I have to kill someone  or where can I find the internal organs?¡±


    After he said this, both Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao paused.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°So you were the one who killed all those people?¡±


    RenDong: ¡°So¡­you killed those people.¡±


    The medical student said nonchalantly, ¡°What else can I do? Regarding the first door, if it wasn¡¯t for me sacrificing the organs of the dead, the door would not have opened at all and everyone can only die together! Moreover, the dead from this level cannot be brought to the next level, and fresh ones must be sacrificed every time! What else do you think I can do? I¡¯m just an ordinary person and I want to live too!¡±


    When Lian Qiao heard the sentence ¡°I want to live too¡±, he got angry and scolded, ¡°You want to live, don¡¯t other people want to live too!?¡± But the medical student pouted and replied, ¡°I still have midterm exams. I haven¡¯t even had time to memorize my textbook!¡±


    They could never have imagined that at this time, the bald medical student was still thinking about exams and memorization. RenDong Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t help being stunned by his single-minded devotion and even forgot to swear at him.


    Seeing that the two bosses were moved by his diligence, the medical student said sincerely: ¡°Why don¡¯t you do it like this? You cooperate with me. There was someone ahead of you. That person is a pervert and he forced me to lie in ambush here to plot against you. So let¡¯s join forces and conspire against him.¡±


    Lian Qiao said viciously: ¡°Cooperate your mom!¡± He pointed at RenDong and cursed angrily, ¡°You stabbed my partner when you came up and you still have the fucking face to talk to me about cooperation? I¡¯ll fucking kill you first!¡± Then he lifted up the fellow again.


    Seeing his murderous aura, the medical student knew that he was for real this time. He hurriedly begged RenDong for mercy: ¡°Boss, persuade him! Tell him to calm down!¡±


    RenDong: ¡°I think he is quite calm. After all, it¡¯s easier to kill you than the gentleman. Isn¡¯t that what you said? You have to kill someone anyway, otherwise how will you pass this level?¡±


    Medical student: ¡°¡­¡±


    RenDong: ¡°By the way, what should be sacrificed this level? The nose? Or the lungs? Forget it, who cares? Just cut it all, pack them up and take them away.¡±


    Medical student: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao has already picked up the crowbar, grinding the stick to the pig and sheep.


    The medical student suddenly broke down and cried, ¡°Are you crazy! You can even kill a doctor! I am a doctor and I can save people! Do you have any fucking conscience! Killing a doctor! Are you guys some kind of medical community haters!¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± You¡¯ve gone too far.


    Lian Qiao suddenly stopped, it was unknown which sentence he was hit by.


    ¡°Are you a doctor?¡± Lian Qiao asked coldly.


    The medical student nodded like a rattle.


    Lian Qiao suddenly stretched out his hand and pointed at RenDong, his eyes full of murderous aura. He roared at the medical student, ¡°Then why did you fucking stab him! You black-hearted doctor! I¡¯ll kill you!¡± After that, it was another flurry of the crowbar.


    ¡°Wu! Wuhuuu!¡±


    So, in front of Xu RenDong, the medical student was beaten again.


    This time Xu RenDong was sure that Lian Qiao didn¡¯t mean to kill him. He really planned to leave him a dog¡¯s life and abuse him thoroughly.


    It¡¯s a pity that Xu RenDong has died so many times and was no longer a Virgin Mary. The wound on his lower back still hurt terribly and it¡¯s unknown if his kidneys were damage. At this moment, he really was not in the mood to repay grievances with virtue.


    When the anger in their hearts was almost gone, the medical student was already almost dead. One, his face was swollen like a pig¡¯s head and two, he also had several broken ribs. He was huddled on the ground like a worm, crying and whimpering.


    Lian Qiao was out of breath and RenDong finally said, ¡°Okay, take a break.¡±


    Lian Qiao stomped on his neck: ¡°I¡¯m not tired!¡±


    The  medical student shouted, ¡°But I¡¯m tired!¡±


    Lian Qiao heard him crying and his anger was aroused again. He was about to raise the crowbar to make persistent efforts but he heard RenDong coughing. RenDong propped himself up with difficulty and said, ¡°Look at yourself, how many wounds have you got on your body?¡±


    Lian Qiao then reacted. Just now, he was furious and his mind was hit by adrenaline, completely ignoring the soft knives in the wind. At this moment, not only was his body covered in blood, but his clothes were cut into rags, swaying in the autumn wind.


    The mouth is also full of rusty taste. He wiped it casually, only to realize that his face was covered in blood.


    Lian Qiao quickly regained his composure. He poured out a lot of first-aid medicines from the bag and the bottles and jars were scattered all over the place. It was the same pile that he had scavenged in the first-aid kit in the shopping mall.


    Lian Qiao dragged the medical student in front of the pair of things, pointed at the bottles and said, ¡°Quickly see what medicine can be used to stop bleeding, reduce inflammation and relieve pain¡­ No, you¡¯d better bandage him first. I¡¯ll assist you.¡±


    The medical student glanced at the knife on RenDong¡¯s waist, and said with some embarrassment: ¡°Cough, this¡­ it¡¯s not easy to bandage with the knife in that position.¡±


    RenDong calmly said: ¡°Then I¡¯ll pull it out.¡± He grabbed it nonchalantly.


    Lian Qiao and the medical student were shocked and at the same time. They stopped him and exclaimed: ¡°Don¡¯t move! Pull it out and it¡¯s over!


    ¡°You can¡¯t just pull out the knife from the wound! Once you pull it out, it will bleed a lot! It will kill people!¡±


    RenDong then remembered that such a thing had happened before. He once pulled out the stone inserted in his leg in the ¡®Esophagus¡¯ instance, which directly caused blood in the aorta to spurt out and he later went into hemorrhagic shock. Lian Qiao was terrified.


    Looking at Lian Qiao¡¯s worried and angry face, he felt a little embarrassed. He then pursed his lips and whispered, ¡°But it hurts when it¡¯s inserted¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao was stunned and, for some reason, his face suddenly turned red.


    ¡°You, what are you doing at this time¡­¡± He stuttered inexplicably, making RenDong also feel confused.


    ¡°What am I doing?¡± RenDong asked.


    Lian Qiao suddenly became annoyed and said ¡°Ai!¡± in a low and husky voice. He turned his head and said to the medical student, ¡°What are you looking at? Come over to heal him!¡±


    The medical student was just having a good time watching the play but suddenly his life was in danger again. He could only do his best to bandage and wrap up the wounds. To be honest, he was just a sophomore in medical school and had just finished the basic theory of Chinese medicine and general anatomy. Of course he was not good at surgical operations such as debridement and suturing and hemostasis by compression, but at this moment he didn¡¯t dare say this.


    In line with the principle of whoever was the one who created the problem being the one that should fix it, the medical student resolutely wrapped bandages around the waist of RenDong. Lian Qiao was very dissatisfied when he saw the mess he made. Seeing that he was unable to tie the knot, in a fit of rage, he was possessed by the spirit of an overbearing president and scolded coldly: ¡°If anything happens to him, I will bury you with him!¡±


    This was the classic line of a medical community hater! {This is a specific Chinese term used for people who like to kick up a fuss in hospitals/act aggressive towards medical staff. There has been a lot of negative news in Chinese media about these types of unreasonable people.}


    The medical student was almost in tears.


    After a simple dressing, the medical student found two bottles of medicine from the pile of medicines. In fact, he didn¡¯t quite know what these medicines were but he just took two bottles at random and fooled Lian Qiao into telling Lian Qiao that this bottle stops bleeding and the other bottle relieves pain.


    Even though Lian Qiao¡¯s parents practice medicine, he is not a doctor after all so he had no choice but to believe the lies of the medical students and give the medicine to RenDong to eat.


    It was unknown if the medical student might have accidentally made the right choice while guessing. After taking the medicine, the pain in the lower back was obviously improved and the pain in the lungs didn¡¯t seem to be as strong.


    The cold wind howled and the soft knives in the wind kept scratching the skin and flesh, making everyone¡¯s faces smeared with blood. They looked like disciples of the Beggar Gang who had just stolen some meat buns. RenDong tried to stand up and walked two steps: ¡°Okay, keep walking.¡±


    Lian Qiao supported him worriedly: ¡°Let me carry you.¡±


    RenDong shook his head. There was a knife in the wind and it had already cut everyone¡¯s throat and lungs. They would vomit blood from time to time just standing in the wind and talking so it would be the equivalent of Lian Qiao swallowing blades if he was carrying him on the road.


    The medical student was dumbfounded while swallowing dog food when they saw what these two people were like with each other. He stabbed him in the waist. A normal person would have fainted long ago. Was it that Xu RenDong, the big Nine Level Boss, had an endurance beyond ordinary people, or was it¡­ the power of love?


    He looked at the endless wilderness in the distance and suddenly felt sad. He couldn¡¯t help thinking: When can I go back to the library to continue my self-study?


    What about my Physiology and Pathology? Long time no see, I miss them.


    At this moment, a slender cold light passed by.


    The medical student closed his eyes subconsciously and then thought: Closing your eyes when you are in danger, this physiological reflex is really terrible!


    Fortunately, he was not the only one with a keen sense of response and observation. Long before the medical student closed his eyes, Lian Qiao noticed the sharp cold light coming from nowhere.


    His physical reflexes was very interesting.


    Without hesitation, he pulled over the medical student and blocked a blow.

 CH 123

    Chapter 123 ¨C Temple of the Five Internal Organs 13


    ¡°Wuuu!¡±


    The medical student only felt a stab, as if an awl had pierced his chest. He immediately covered his chest and bent down, screaming nonstop.


    Lian Qiao protected RenDong behind him and held the medical student in front of them, staring straight at a large rock several meters away.


    The color of this stone was very similar to that of the wasteland and it is not noticeable at first glance, so it is very suitable for hiding. Lian Qiao has noticed it for a long time, so he has been vigilant. Only in this way could he be so quick with his reflexes and pull the medical student to block the knife at the critical moment.


    RenDong was guarded by Lian Qiao and was still standing a little unsteady. He narrowed his eyes and stared at the big rock with Lian Qiao. He whispered, ¡°The gentleman?¡±


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t answer but called to the big stone, ¡°Come out!¡±


    Before the person behind the stone came out, he made a low sigh. Even if RenDong turned to ash he would still recognize this voice. It was undoubtedly the gentleman.


    They saw the gentleman slowly walk out from behind the stone, with rags flying all over his body. At first glance, he looked like a bloody man. Thinking about it, he had been lying in ambush behind the stone for a long time and the holes were forcibly scraped by the wind blade.


    His face was also blurred with blood but his voice was still polite: ¡°Hello, we meet again.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes fell on his hand and sneered: ¡°A nail gun?¡±


    The gentleman raised the object in his hand and smiled happily: ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a nail gun. The firing speed is 500 meters per second, it is difficult for you to escape.¡±


    Hearing this, RenDong was a little curious about the living situation of the medical student. He bent down and patted the medical student¡¯s back and asked, ¡°Are you still alive?¡±


    The medical student clutched his chest and shook his head in pain. RenDong just turned over his body and saw the large bloodstain where he was covering with his hands. It seems that the nail really hit his chest, causing a lot of damage.


    RenDong shoved the medicine he had just taken into the medical student¡¯s hand. Seeing that it was a painkiller, the medical student was stunned for a moment and a very complicated emotion flashed in his eyes.


    RenDong didn¡¯t think much about it and once again turned his attention to the gentleman.


    The gentleman said with a smile: ¡°When in front of an enemy, you are still thinking about taking care of the traitor. You are really a good person.


    ¡°Stop wasting time.¡± Lian Qiao clutched the crowbar, while being slashed on all sides by the wind blade. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    The gentleman raised his hands in a gesture of surrender and smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous, I have no ill intentions.¡±


    Lian Qiao glanced at the half-dead medical student and said, ¡°You two are really from the same school of thought. After hurting people, you still have the face to say that you have no malicious intentions.¡±


    The gentleman sighed: ¡°Just now I did but I really don¡¯t any more.¡±


    They heard a ¡°pop¡± sound. The gentlemen threw the nail gun from his hand to the ground voluntarily and then helplessly shrugged: ¡°I¡¯m not trying to hide it. As you can see, my nails have been used up. You have three people and I only have one. I can never beat you in an empty-handed fight. So it¡¯s better for me to come out and negotiate.¡±


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help showing a little surprise after hearing this.


    He looked at the gentleman as if he did not recognize him. Thinking about it carefully, it was probably because his face was covered in blood and the wind blade hurt his throat and his voice was hoarse, so the gentleman didn¡¯t realize that they were mortal enemies.


    In this way, perhaps the gentleman is really here to negotiate.


    At this moment, RenDong suddenly felt that something touched his palm. Looking down, it turned out to be the pale medical student, his lips moved and he said something silently.


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t notice the small movements of the people behind him. He sneered at the gentleman: ¡°Since you are already helpless, why should I cooperate with you?¡± He pointed to the dying medical student, ¡°He is still alive. Not only that but he is obedient, can be a meat shield  and can also cure diseases. What about you? What use are you?¡±


    The gentleman noticed his contempt and hostility but didn¡¯t take it personally. He still smiled humbly and said politely: ¡°Although I can¡¯t cure diseases, I am also a veteran player who has cleared several levels. When it comes to being useful, I think brains are more important than a meat shield right? Not to mention¡­¡± He rolled his eyes, his eyes fell on Xu RenDong and the corner of his mouth smiled even more, ¡°Not to mention this friend was seriously injured. The road ahead is not to walk. With me at your side, you can spend your concentration on taking care of him. Isn¡¯t it the best of both worlds?¡±


    Lian Qiao glanced at the half-dead medical student and nodded: ¡°Indeed. This knife was stabbed by that idiotic boy. I should stab him to death for revenge.¡±


    The medical student was horrified . He was shocked to see Lian Qiao moving his wrists and wanted to ask for mercy, but then he saw Lian Qiao glance back at the gentleman. Lian Qiao  said indifferently: ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t like you either!¡±


    Before he finished speaking, Lian Qiao had already jumped out like a cheetah!


    No one expected that Lian Qiao would suddenly attack at this time. The gentleman opened his eyes suddenly and subconsciously stepped back to dodge. However, Lian Qiao¡¯s explosiveness was astonishing and he rushed in front of him in three or two steps. The crowbar was raised high and it swung in front of the gentleman in an instant.


    However, a cold light suddenly burst out in the air!


    RenDong exclaimed: ¡°Lian Qiao be careful!¡±


    Only a dull sound was heard, as if a sharp weapon had pierced into the flesh. Lian Qiao¡¯s movements froze and the whole person instantly stood on the spot like an ice sculpture.


    The next second, he fell straight back. His eyes were wide open and a steel nail was embedded between his eyebrows!


    The gentleman held the second nail gun he pulled out of nowhere, raised his foot, and kicked Lian Qiao¡¯s body. The steel nails gleamed with silver light and fresh blood poured out from the blood hole between the eyebrows. Lian Qiao turned his eyes up and didn¡¯t move, and he died suddenly on the spot!


    ¡°Lian Qiao!¡± RenDong let out a cry that was almost a scream. He ignored the wound on his waist, crawled to Lian Qiao¡¯s side with his hands and feet and hugged his body tremblingly.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s body was terribly heavy and his limbs were as soft and heavy as they were filled with mercury. Xu RenDong was heartbroken, holding him to cry tearlessly.


    In a trance, Xu RenDong was suddenly picked up by the collar. He struggled subconsciously and accidentally tore the wound on his lower back, causing him to curl up in pain.


    A big cold hand caressed his cheek and wiped it indiscriminately. Then there was a chuckle above his head.


    ¡°Sure enough, it¡¯s you.¡±


    The gentleman smiled and looked at the desperately struggling RenDong, as if he were looking at an energetic prey. RenDong knew that he had no way out, so he turned his heart away, pulled out the knife in his lower back with his backhand and stabbed toward the gentleman¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Heh.¡± The gentleman chuckled lightly, dodging the desperate blow with ease.


    He threw Xu RenDong on the ground like a torn sack. Xu RenDong fell heavily to the ground, and his internal organs were convulsed in pain.


    His back felt smooth and greasy and it was unknown how much blood was shed. The late pain occupied all of his brain and he tried his best not to faint. As for fighting? He couldn¡¯t think at all.


    It hurts¡­ It hurts¡­


    When he was occupied by severe pain, from his ears that kept ringing he heard a vague question and answer. Those words were light but, like a heavy hammer, they slammed hard on his heart that was about to shatter.


    ¡°Can you still feel more pain?¡±


    ¡°You can still feel more pain.¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes darkened. A dark shadow pressed down and sat on his chest, pressing down on his lungs and making him unable to breathe. He struggled instinctively and suddenly felt his wrist get cold. Something hard pressed against his wrist.


    Snap!


    ¨Cit hurts!


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Xu RenDong was too sore to make much of a sound, so he could only squeeze out a wailing from the depths of his throat. There was a piercing pain in the middle of his wrist. He tried desperately to withdraw his hand but found that his wrist had been pinned to the ground.


    A steel nail pierced his wrist.


    The diabolical whisper sounded again.


    ¡°You can still feel more pain, you can still feel more pain¡­¡±


    Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap.


    Elbows, shoulders.


    Then the wrist, elbow, shoulder on the other side.


    The gentleman fired a total of six shots and nailed both Xu RenDong¡¯s arms to the ground. The steel nails more than ten centimeters long penetrated deep into the bones, penetrated the flesh, and spattered blood all over the place. Xu RenDong was in so much pain that he spasmed and every twitch of his body would affect the nailed place, making him almost collapse in pain. HE could even beg for death.


    Tears had already washed away the blood on RenDong¡¯s face. His expression was distorted and didn¡¯t even look human. The gentleman looked at him carefully like a work of art, savoring every bit of his pain.


    ¡°¡­!¡± Xu RenDong suddenly felt something hot on his lips and suddenly opened his eyes wide.


    The gentleman actually- was kissing him!


    He turned his head desperately, trying to avoid the disgusting kiss. The gentleman squeezed his chin tightly, sucking the smell of blood on his lips greedily.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s hands and feet were firmly nailed and there was a heart-piercing pain when he moved. There were a lot of tears in his eyes all of a sudden, and the already beautiful eyes were heavily painted with a layer of brutal beauty.


    A rough tongue licked the corners of his eyes. The gentleman tasted his tears mixed with blood and his eyes gradually showed a drug-like intoxication.


    ¡°Ah¡­ you can still¡­¡±


    The nail gun moved down slowly, aiming at Xu RenDong¡¯s stomach. Xu RenDong had already anticipated what would happen next. He gasped for breath, staring at the sky with dull eyes and even lost the strength to moan.


    All of a sudden.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    A loud noise exploded from above!


    The gentleman¡¯s head tilted and then his whole person was tilted to one side. He toppled off  RenDong and fell heavily to the ground. His body twitched and then he stopped moving.


    Then, there were several loud noises.


    Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!


    One by one, like the sound of metal hitting the bone. Mixed with the sound of blood splashing, it was soft and sticky, disgusting.


    Xu RenDong turned his head to the side with difficulty and saw a familiar figure who was wielding a crowbar fiercely and desperately.


    ¡°Lian¡­Qiao¡­¡± he called in a hoarse voice.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes were red and didn¡¯t seem to hear at all. He just kept smashing at the gentleman, until the gentleman¡¯s skull shattered and his brain spattered, until the head and neck were completely separated, and until the rotten flesh on the ground could no longer be seen as a human figure. Even then, he did not stop.


    Flesh, brains and bone splattered all over his face, but he didn¡¯t notice it at all. He just continued to mechanically destroy the gentleman¡¯s body.


    At this time, Lian Qiao was full of murderous aura and he had turned into an Asura. There was only hatred in his eyes.


    RenDong only felt that his eyelids were getting heavier. His lips moved but he no longer had the strength to call out to him. A man stumbled not far away, pushed Lian Qiao hard and Lian Qiao fell to the ground.


    ¡°Enough! How long do you want to whip the corpse!¡± The medical student pointed at RenDong and roared at Lian Qiao, ¡°He¡¯s dying! Come and see him first!¡±


    Lian Qiao fell to the ground and, in a trance, raised his face. He didn¡¯t seem to understand what the medical student was saying until the medical student took him to Xu RenDong. He looked down and saw the pale face of RenDong. Then he woke up like a dream and climbed to the side of RenDong, trembling.


    ¡°Hold on¡­ RenDong¡­¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s voice was fighting, trying to pick him up but he found that both his arms were nailed to the ground. His heart couldn¡¯t help tearing and while trembling, he tried to use the crowbar to pry at the nails, ¡°You hold on¡­ hold on, I¡¯ll take you out!¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s lips twitched. He wanted to say ¡®I¡¯m in pain, just let me die.¡¯ But seeing Lian Qiao¡¯s face full of blood and tears, he couldn¡¯t say anything.


    Lian Qiao suddenly remembered something and hurriedly said to the medical student: ¡°Did you give him the doll he stuffed me with just now?¡±


    The medical student nodded with a solemn expression: ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you have anything else!¡± Lian Qiao interrupted him eagerly, ¡°Any other props? Tell me what you have on your body!¡±


    The medical student sighed heavily: ¡°No, I really don¡¯t have any more. With such a doll, I just want to repay my favor¡­ I didn¡¯t expect that he would give it to you.¡±


    Lian Qiao bit his lip fiercely, turned his head and threw himself at the gentleman again.


    The medical student frowned and said, ¡°Calm down! What¡¯s the use of revenge now!¡­Huh?¡±


    He thought Lian Qiao was in a hurry and wanted to continue whipping the corpse, but he didn¡¯t expect Lian Qiao to start feeling up the gentlemen from top to bottom. Apparently he was looking to see if the gentleman still had a doll.


    But Lian Qiao found nothing but a box of nails.


    The last hope was broken again and Lian Qiao¡¯s face turned ashen.


    The medical student sighed again. Just now, at the juncture of life and death, RenDong handed him a bottle of painkillers, which moved him greatly. He thought that he didn¡¯t have much fighting power, so he might as well take a gamble on Big Boss RenDon. He secretly gave the only doll in his collection to RenDong. Unexpectedly, RenDong gave Lian Qiao the doll. This enabled Lian Qiao to resurrect on the spot and kill the gentleman.


    Unfortunately, there weren¡¯t any more dolls. They had no choice, and Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t be saved.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you out¡­ I¡¯ll definitely take you out¡­¡± Lian Qiao repeated like a murmur, carrying the RenDong on his back and walking forward.


    Even with his little medical knowledge, the medical student knew that RenDong wouldn¡¯t last long. He wanted to persuade Lian Qiao to stop fussing and say goodbye to RenDong. But Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t hear it. He cut out the gentleman¡¯s internal organs cleanly and threw them to the medical students, then stubbornly carried the RenDong on his back and started running into the wilderness.


    The sharp knives in the wind seemed to be denser, wiping the corner of Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes several times. Lian Qiao didn¡¯t duck as though he couldn¡¯t feel pain, letting the wind blade scrape his cheek, stab his lung and even cut off half of his earlobe.


    The medical student followed closely behind, holding a bag of bloody internal organs, trembling with fear. Lian Qiao¡¯s half ear that was cut off almost slapped him on the face. He was scared to death. He just thought that this person was crazy and really didn¡¯t care about his life.


    He didn¡¯t know how Lian Qiao was able to identify the direction in the wilderness. After running for more than half an hour, a black door appeared in front of the two of them. The word ¡°winter¡± was written in characters, indicating the end of this level.


    Lian Qiao snatched the internal organs from the medical student and threw the lungs, intestines and other viscera at the door. Blood splashed everywhere and the stench of blood choked the medical student out of breath.


    The door seemed to sense something. When the internal organs slid down the door, bit by bit, they swallowed the lungs.


    The rest of the internal organs slid to the ground and piled up into a small mountain of dark red meat.


    The black door opened slowly and behind the door was still an unpredictable mist. The medical student had seen this scene four times but, at this time, he was inexplicably shocked.


    Lian Qiao glanced at him and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The medical student was in a complicated mood and raised his hand to probe the breath of the man on Lian Qiao¡¯s back. Surprisingly, Xu RenDong was still breathing. Although weak, he was  indeed alive.


    ¡­will he survive to the next exit?


    Can he survive until the next unlucky person comes along to donate his kidneys?


    The medical student was hesitant and finally did not have the courage to take that step. After all, they have been delayed by the lungs for so long, and so far they have not encountered other players. But the kidney level will still need a kidney. Where does this kidney come from?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Lian Qiao seemed to see through his thoughts and said coldly, ¡°We can use mine. Let¡¯s go.¡±

 CH 124

    Chapter 124 ¨C Temple of the Five Internal Organs 14 (End Instance)


    Xu RenDong woke up in the elevator.


    There was a familiar low roar beside his ears which was the sound of the elevator running. He opened his eyes and saw the silver-white metal ceiling. His faint shadow was reflected on the ceiling. He blinked in a trance and didn¡¯t come back to his senses for a long time.


    He felt excruciating pain all over but the pain was slowly fading. RenDong tried to move and found himself lying on the floor. His back was covered in cold sweat.


    ¡­¡­What was going on? Lian Qiao succeeded?


    He was struggling to get up when he heard a hoarse voice.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡±


    The voice was a little unfamiliar.


    RenDong looked back blankly and saw the medical student who was sitting beside him. He was suddenly very uneasy in his heart and, when he looked around, his heart suddenly jumped wildly.


    ¡°Lian¡­cough cough¡­¡± RenDong clutched his chest and forcibly held back the dramatic cough. He rushed over and grabbed the medical student¡¯s collar, ¡°Where¡¯s Lian Qiao?!¡±


    The medical student lowered his head and whispered: ¡°He¡­ he asked me to take you away first¡­¡±


    RenDong asked sharply: ¡°Why? Why doesn¡¯t he just come with? Isn¡¯t the door already open?!¡±


    The medical student didn¡¯t know what to say. A trace of fear flashed in his eyes and he said in a trembling voice, ¡°Because the gentlemen won¡¯t go away and he caught up to us again!¡±


    RenDong was startled and felt like he fell into an ice cave.


    How is that possible? Lian Qiao has already killed him to that point,  how can the gentleman still survive? Besides, there are no dolls on the gentleman anymore¡­


    Wait. Could it be that when the gentleman died, the last puppet on his body happened to be used?! But what about the doll remains? Didn¡¯t Lian Qiao have already search his body? Where was he hiding it?


    Xu RenDong¡¯s body was cold. He felt that all the blood in his body was being drawn away bit by bit, and he had almost no strength to stand.


    ¡°Then¡­then he¡­¡± The question was difficult. Xu RenDong actually didn¡¯t know what he wanted to ask. His mind went blank and he just wanted to cry, to weep.


    The medical student couldn¡¯t bear to see him like this. He patted him on the shoulder and comforted: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. When I left, he was fighting with the gentleman. He was just afraid that something would happen to you, so he asked me to take you away first.


    Biting his lip hard, Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes turned red and said, ¡°What about the kidney?¡±


    The medical student was stunned, but did not speak.


    RenDong stared at him, and asked every word: ¡°Whose kidney did we use in the end?¡±


    The medical student looked away silently, not daring to look at him.


    The answer spoke for itself.


    The last kidney was dug out from Lian Qiao¡¯s body.


    In order to let him go first, Lian Qiao stayed alone to fight the gentleman. He even bore the  wound of digging out his kidney while alive!


    ¡°Why¡­didn¡¯t you use mine¡­¡± RenDong grabbed the medical student¡¯s shoulder and asked repeatedly and crazily. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you use mine? I can¡¯t feel pain anyway and I¡¯m already half dead anyway, why didn¡¯t  you use mine? Why¡­¡±


    ¡°He refused!¡± The medical student was suddenly furious and shook off RenDong¡¯s hand, ¡°I persuaded him 10,000 times! He would die rather than agree! How the hell do I know why!¡±


    Xu RenDong fell to the ground in a daze while the medical students continued to scold him.


    ¡°If he was willing to dig out your kidney, he wouldn¡¯t be beaten to death by the gentleman at all! Oral painkillers simply can¡¯t achieve that level of anesthesia at all! Even if the gentleman didn¡¯t catch up, he would have lost half his life! I don¡¯t know why he wouldn¡¯t! His brain is sick! You are obviously in a coma and you won¡¯t feel any pain at all! But he just refused!¡±


    Xu RenDong was scolded in the face but his emotions gradually calmed down.


    ¡°The time in the elevator is still.¡± Xu RenDong said.


    ¡°Ah?¡± The medical student was baffled and didn¡¯t understand why he suddenly said this.


    ¡°The time in the elevator stands still, so as long as I go out, I can see him. He must be fine because I have  already caught him.¡± Xu RenDong repeated paranoidly and stubbornly in a very determined tone, ¡°I¡¯ve caught him already.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡± The medical student felt that his mental state was not right and was a little worried, ¡°You calm down¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong said in a deep voice: ¡°I¡¯m very calm. Before entering the elevator, I was with him. When he fell, I grabbed him. I caught him, I fell with him. I¡¯ll see him as long as I go out.¡±


    The medical students couldn¡¯t understand his words at all but only understood the phrase ¡°as long as I go out, I can see him¡±.


    The medical student actually wanted to say: Even if he is still alive outside, you will only see him for the last time.


    After all, when they left the instance, Lian Qiao¡¯s fate could be encompassed by the world ¡°miserable¡±.


    It was simply torture.


    The gentleman was an absolute pervert. He has a thousand ways to torture people and he can make people regret that they were born. What¡¯s more, Lian Qiao¡¯s kidney was harvested while alive and he had a big hole in his waist, bleeding profuse blood. Even if the gentleman didn¡¯t kill him and just delayed him for a while, Lian Qiao would bleed to death on his own.


    Was there any way to survive this?


    The medical student struggled for a moment but never had the heart to tell the truth.


    Soon, the elevator made a soft ¡°ding¡± sound. As soon as the door opened, Xu RenDong walked out without looking back.


    The moment he stepped out of the elevator, his eyes suddenly opened up. The direction of gravity suddenly changed and he first felt a weightless dizziness. The surrounding scenery was rapidly regressing and he saw that he and Lian Qiao were falling, falling from the balcony of Lian Qiao¡¯s house to the ground.


    ¡°Lian Qiao¡­¡± Xu RenDong raised the corner of his mouth,and his eyes fell on the clasped hands of the two.


    Caught him.


    He caught Lian Qiao before he fell into the elevator. Time in the elevator stood still, so after leaving the elevator, he and Lian Qiao¡¯s hands were also tightly clasped together.


    They would fall together. Whether in life or death, they would be together.


    Xu RenDong suddenly felt an indescribable satisfaction in his heart. That¡¯s it. Whether it¡¯s life or death, as long as we¡¯re together, it¡¯s fine.


    When he looked at Lian Qiao with tearful eyes, he found that Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes were erratic and there was no expression on his face.


    He looked like he was sleepwalking. His eyes were dead and there was no emotion that could be captured. He looked like someone immersed in a dream that he couldn¡¯t wake up from, just in a trance, just letting himself fall.


    He even loosened his fingers slightly, without the strength to hold back.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s pupils shrank suddenly. Everything around him was going backwards faster and faster, the wind took away the temperature of his body and he felt the world spinning.


    Don¡¯t let go. Don¡¯t let go!


    RenDong desperately grabbed hold of him. But Lian Qiao¡¯s fingers slipped from his fingertips little by little and his cold sweaty fingers couldn¡¯t catch him at all.


    Don¡¯t¡­don¡¯t!


    RenDong desperately reached out to him, trying to hug him tightly. Suddenly, there was a loud noise from below!


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    ¡°Hmm!¡± RenDong was stunned for not knowing what he bumped into. The huge recoil made him bounce and he was in pain all over his body, especially his two arms were hurting terribly.


    ¡°Lian Qiao¡­ Lian Qiao!¡± He ignored the pain and got up with his hands and feet on the ground. However, a burst of dizziness struck him suddenly and he fell back darkly, barely breathing.


    There was a burst of screaming all around.


    Immediately afterwards.


    Snap.


    It was very dull, the sound of something soft and heavy hitting the concrete floor.


    The screams came and went, like needles piercing into the eardrums.


    Xu RenDong gritted his teeth, endured the dizziness and vomiting of the concussion and struggled to get up.


    Everything around him was spinning. He barely made out that there was a net under him. It was the awning of the store doing business downstairs. For some reason, it was so strong that it was able to catch him who fell from a tall building.


    However, he was caught at the edge of the awning. Most of his body was in the awning, with his arms exposed. The huge impact of the fall caused both arms to fold in opposite directions, and his hands were empty. No Lian Qiao.


    No Lian Qiao.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s mind went blank. For a while, he couldn¡¯t remember where he was or what happened just now.


    He just crawled forward instinctively. With the folded arm in severe pain, he forced his body to crawl forward.


    Soon, he fell off the edge of the awning cloth and hit the ground hard.


    There was another exclamation around.


    The sun above his head dimmed, as if someone surrounded him. He couldn¡¯t hear what the people around him were saying, he just felt it was very noisy.


    No one dared to help him and he didn¡¯t need anyone to help him. He staggered to his feet, looked around in a hurry and muttered, ¡°Where¡­cough, cough¡­¡±


    The blood choked out of his throat.


    He wanted to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth but found that his arm was broken and he couldn¡¯t lift it at all.


    He had no choice but to ask the people around him vaguely with a blood-stained face, ¡°Where is he? Where is he?¡±


    When passers-by saw his hands were bent back and his bones were exposed, they could not help but retreat in horror. At this time, Xu RenDong was disheveled and in a trance. No matter how you looked at it, he looked crazy. He stumbled forward while muttering ¡°where?¡±.


    With every step he took, the crowd in front of him took a big step back.


    Finally someone couldn¡¯t help it and whispered the way: ¡°The person who fell with you is over there.¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes were blurred and he could hardly see the direction of the man¡¯s fingers. He wanted to lean in and have a good look,but the man screamed and ran away. Xu RenDong also wanted to ask others. But the others all dispersed.


    After dispersing, he finally saw that there were a lot of people not far away, chatting around something.


    It must be Lian Qiao¡­ Lian Qiao must be there!


    Xu RenDong ran towards the center of the crowd. The arm swayed, and the broken place was excruciatingly painful. He unexpectedly felt very refreshed, it didn¡¯t matter anyway.


    Nothing mattered.


    With such cruel pleasure, he rushed to the periphery of the crowd.


    Everyone was in a mess and so they didn¡¯t notice the ¡°lunatic¡± approaching. Xu RenDong desperately wanted to squeeze in, opened his mouth and shouted, ¡°Let me¡­cough, let me in!¡±


    The crowd of onlookers who blocked his way turned around and suddenly saw his blood-stained face. They made way for him immediately.


    However, the people that were crowding the inside were immersed in some kind of perverted excitement, completely ignoring the faint pleas behind them.


    Xu RenDong suddenly went crazy and shouted with all his strength: ¡°Let me in! I¡¯m his family member! Get out of the way!¡± After speaking, he used his half-crippled shoulders to push the person in front of him.


    The person blocking the way was taken aback by him, and when he looked at this person again, he was full of murderous aura, as if he really wanted to kill the person blocking him. Everyone was horrified and silently gave way.


    RenDong finally came to the center of the crowd.


    The first thing he saw was a man lying on the ground. Looking at the clothes and body shape, it was Lian Qiao.


    A man squatted in front of Lian Qiao so RenDong couldn¡¯t see Lian Qiao¡¯s face. The man held the phone in one hand and felt Lian Qiao with the other, as if he was following 120¡¯s instructions to rescue him. {120 is China¡¯s emergency number, aka 911 or 000.}


    Looking at the back of the stranger, RenDong suddenly lost all courage.


    He felt that it was all over and he forgot to even breathe.


    The tinnitus in his ears was so severe that he began to lose his hearing. His field of vision was gradually covered by something dark red, probably the blood dripping from his head.


    Unfortunately, his hand was broken and he couldn¡¯t wipe it.


    Forget it, don¡¯t look. What¡¯s the point, I¡¯d rather die.


    Although he didn¡¯t know if he could be resurrected in reality. But¡ª so what?


    He was already in that kind of state, nailed to the ground like a nail. You can¡¯t feel the flow of time, you can¡¯t feel the blood, you can¡¯t feel the oxygen, you can¡¯t feel the suffocation.


    He doesn¡¯t even feel alive.


    Until a white shadow rushed over, the white coat completely blocked his sight. A pair of rubber-gloved hands dangled in front of him like flies.


    He didn¡¯t know how to react, so he just stood there blankly.


    The white clothed man seemed to say something but he couldn¡¯t hear it. He seemed to be making some gestures towards him, which he did not understand.


    Eventually, he was lifted by several people and placed onto a stretcher. The world was spinning and he saw the fiery red maple leaves disappear in an instant. The sky was crystal clear and it was a beautiful autumn scene.


    He was tucked into a red and white car, and the sky was replaced by a snow-white roof.


    Someone took off his clothes and attached an instrument to his chest. Someone slapped him in the face and spoke loudly. Someone moved his broken arm and it hurt a little, but not too much.


    Someone got in through the rear of the car, blocking the light and making the car dark.


    ¡°Let me in! I¡¯m a family member! Don¡¯t stop me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine! Let me in! I want to get in this car!¡±


    ¡°¡­ RenDong!¡±


    Xu RenDong was shocked, as if his soul suddenly returned to his body. He felt the world rush back in again.


    The man pushed away the white coat, pushed away the mess, and stumbled towards him.


    Like a reckless little beast, the warmth was blowing in his face. It hurt so much that he couldn¡¯t move, couldn¡¯t breathe.


    ¡°RenDong!¡±


    The man¡¯s eyes were red and he was out of breath, crying and scolding: ¡°How the hell are you worse off than me! Didn¡¯t you come out first! How did you fall like this!¡±


    ¡± ¡­¡± Xu RenDong¡¯s dazed eyes wandered around, and it took a long time to focus.


    The focus of the line of sight fell on a familiar face.


    ¡°Lian¡­Qiao¡­¡± He struggled to squeeze two words out of his throat.


    ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± Lian Qiao cried out louder and tried desperately to get into his arms like a face-hugging bug.


    ¡°Uh¡ª¡± RenDong finally lost his focus again. He tried his best to squeeze out the last sentence from the depths of his throat:


    ¡°You¡¯re going to crush me¡­¡±

 CH 125

    Chapter 125 ¨C Recognition


    Lian Qiao¡¯s father arrived at the hospital twenty minutes later.


    Because Lian Qiao insisted on riding in the same car with RenDong, poor Father Lian was forced to drive by himself and follow behind the ambulance. Although his heart was extremely panicked, he didn¡¯t have the ambulance¡¯s ability to defy traffic laws. So he was stuck on the road and arrived at the hospital 20 minutes afterwards.


    In the emergency room, Xu RenDong was bound with bandages, waiting for emergency surgery. Lian Qiao¡¯s head was covered with a white gauze and there was a little blood on the gauze, but it was only a scratch.


    Although the two fell together, one fell on the awning and the other fell to the ground. However, Lian Qiao¡¯s injury was less severe.


    The onlookers analyzed afterwards that it was probably because Xu RenDong was holding Lian Qiao in the air and refused to let go, so when he fell on the awning, both arms of his arms were broken but it had the effect of breaking Lian Qiao¡¯s fall.


    Despite this, the emergency doctor still hopes that Lian Qiao will do a head CT to see if there is anything wrong with his brain. Lian Qiao was 100% sure that he was fine and refused to leave Xu RenDong for half a step. He has to accompany RenDong, sign the consent form for his operation and wait for his parents to come over and be criticized. How can he have time for an examination?


    Therefore, when Lian Qiao¡¯s father hurried to the hospital, he saw the emergency doctor and nurses pulling at Lian Qiao.


    ¡°I said I¡¯m fine! Do I look like I¡¯m in distress!? ¡­ I¡¯ll sign a waiver! Don¡¯t worry, I definitely won¡¯t sue you guys! If you don¡¯t trust me, can¡¯t you trust my parents?!¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s father¡¯s face was pale . The ground rushed in front of him and he trembled all over, completely speechless.


    Lian Qiao suddenly felt a burst of pressure, subconsciously shrank and cried out cowardly, ¡°¡­Dad.¡±


    Xu RenDong, who was tied up by bandages, raised his eyelids and turned his head to look over with difficulty. His mouth moved but no sound came out.


    ¡°You¡­you¡­¡± Father Lian looked at Lian Qiao and then at Xu RenDong, his brimming emotions couldn¡¯t be expressed at all.


    This farce was entirely caused by Lian Qiao. If it wasn¡¯t for Lian Qiao pretending to jump off the building, how could they fall off the balcony? That young man named Xu RenDong was badly harmed by their stupid child!


    To be honest, when Xu RenDong went to save Lian Qiao regardless of his own safety, Father Lian was really touched.


    Even if he was Lian Qiao¡¯s biological father, he had to ask himself if at the time he would have been able to rush to save him as Xu RenDong had without thinking. He¡¯s a doctor, he¡¯s seen too many deaths, and he knows exactly what it means to fall from such a high floor.


    The moment Lian Qiao fell off the balcony, he had already pronounced Lian Qiao¡¯s death in his heart.


    This is his rational thinking and his habit of indifference. It was because of his years of experience and instinct in practicing medicine.


    Looking back now, he actually felt guilty.


    Fortunately, the little bastard is fine ¨C can a skin injury still be called an injury? Just disinfect it for two days and you¡¯ll be fine. The other young man was different.


    Father Lian glanced at the medical records and accurately judged how badly Xu RenDong was injured.


    Falling from a height causes multiple injuries and they are not as simple as broken bones. The human brain was like soft tofu inside a coconut shell. The skull outside is hard but, under the huge impact, even if the skull is not broken, the brain inside will be shaken and broken. What¡¯s more, he has symptoms such as dizziness, severe vomiting and limited vision. His brain is obviously damaged.


    As for the extent of the injury, you have to look at the CT film.


    At this time, the emergency doctor had recognized Director Lian and rushed over in a hurry. After greeting him politely, he began to report his medical history: ¡°The patient on the bed was seriously injured. Because of the high fall, he has suffered multiple injuries. All possible hemostatic measures have been used and the operating room has been notified to arrange the operation.¡± After he briefly reported Xu RenDong¡¯s condition, he turned to look at Lian Qiao with a somewhat embarrassed look on his face, ¡°As for your son¡­ he refuses to do an examination. But our emergency doctors have taken a look and said¡­ he just has a scratch.¡±


    Director Lian glanced at Lian Qiao and said nothing.


    The emergency doctor clearly noticed Director Lian¡¯s displeasure,and immediately became uneasy, but did not know how to remedy it.


    Lian Qiao is the precious son of Director Lian. The two people fell from the same place, one looked close to breaking, how could the other be unscathed? Even if he looks unscathed, there may be some hidden brain hemorrhage. If you don¡¯t check it out carefully now and something happens later, who¡¯s to blame?


    Anyway, it can¡¯t be counted on the head of Young Master Lian who refused to be checked!


    While complaining inwardly, the emergency doctor quietly glanced at the other beds in the emergency room. It would be better if the patient¡¯s condition suddenly deteriorated at this time.


    Director Lian seemed to sense the embarrassment of this colleague and waved his hand to let him go. Although Xu RenDong¡¯s situation was not optimistic, but, with one of the director of the hospital guarding his bedside, he is much safer than in the hands of a small emergency doctor.


    Father Lian stared at Xu RenDong, the bandaged weirdo, and the more he looked at him, the more strange it became: Xu RenDong who fell on the awning was injured like this, how did their idiot son come through unscathed?


    Did he give birth to a spring?


    ¡°Dad?¡­Dad!¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s repeated calls finally pulled Father Lian back from his strange imaginations.


    Father Lian stared at the monitor, thinking about the follow-up treatment plan quickly in his heart and asked angrily: ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Can you help me contact Uncle X? I want to ask him to be the main surgeon for this operation¡­¡± {X is written in English, ¡°X¡± is often used as a substitute when authors cannot be bothered to think of a random name lol.}


    Lian Qiao shrank his shoulders, like a child who knew he did something wrong ¨C no, this stupid thing was indeed a child who had done something wrong!


    Father Lian snorted heavily when he thought of this.


    X is Father Lian¡¯s college classmate. Not only was he the best orthopedic specialist in the province, and he specializes in this kind of severe fractures. To be reasonable, although this young man was seriously injured, his main problem now is not the bone injury ¨C who are you kidding, his whole person was about to fall apart, and you still care about his bones? It was more important to stop his internal bleeding and save the brain first!


    Besides, how should he tell his colleague about what happened?


    Say that my son jumped off the building and his boyfriend wanted to die together with him. Could you please come to do a surgery on his boyfriend?


    The more Father Lian thought about it, the more angry he became. He raised his hand and wanted to beat Lian Qiao. Lian Qiao subconsciously closed his eyes and shrank his neck but stopped his movement of dodging abruptly in the middle. He bit his lip but instead of stepping back, he knelt down to his dad with a thud.


    ¡°Dad! Please! I don¡¯t want him to be disabled! Please help me contact Uncle X, please!¡±


    Father Lian: ¡°¡­¡±


    The emergency room was originally crowded, the patient¡¯s family members and the medical staff were doing their own things. Not many people noticed what was going on with others. It¡¯s a pity that Director Lian walks with wind and he has the aura of a great expert, which is noticeable as soon as he enters the emergency room. Coupled with the compliments of the emergency doctor, the identity of the chief director and the uniqueness of this patient which was really showy.


    At this moment, Lian Qiao¡¯s kneeling was really dramatic and immediately attracted everyone¡¯s attention. Whether it was the family members who accompanied patients by their bedsides, the medical staff rushing about, and even the critically ill patients, they all opened their eyes curiously.


    Gossip is like a shot of adrenaline, everyone¡¯s attention is instantly concentrated, their hearing has been raised several grades and everyone¡¯s observation ability reached the peak of civilization within an instant. The busy rescue room finally recovered its solemnity from the noise of the vegetable market.


    Father Lian is a well-known person and his old face can¡¯t withstand the shame when his son makes such a scene in public. He hurriedly pulled his son up and cursed in a low voice: ¡°Stand well! What are you trying to do?!¡±


    Lian Qiao insisted: ¡°Then call Uncle X quickly!¡±


    Father Lian said angrily: ¡°His bones are not a priority here! You first¡­¡±


    Before he could finish speaking, Lian Qiao hurriedly interrupted: ¡°He¡¯s dying! How is it not a priority!?¡±


    A weird father begets a weird son. Father Lian was frustrated into anger, slapped him in the face, and said furiously: ¡°Shut up for me! Will you fucking take a look at the monitor! His blood pressure is so low that he¡¯s going into hemorrhagic shock and you¡¯re still concerned about fractures!? Don¡¯t you understand the priorities here?!¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s head was turned by the slap, just at the right angle to see the monitor in front of the bed. The monitor kept beeping in the ambulance and Lian Qiao never took it seriously. Only now did he realize that Xu RenDong¡¯s blood pressure was terrifyingly low. Moreover, Xu RenDong¡¯s face was as pale as paper, his eyes were always closed and he hadn¡¯t spoken for a long time.


    Lian Qiao took a breath and his heart twitched suddenly.


    At the same time, the ECG monitor seemed to cooperate with him and suddenly a straight line was drawn.


    Cardiac arrest!


    ¡°Dad!¡± Lian Qiao screamed, ¡°He has no heartbeat!¡±


    ¡°I know! I¡¯m not fucking blind!¡± Director Lian yanked the curtain and blocked the eyes of those watching the show in the emergency room. The situation was extremely urgent but he quickly calmed down, exuding the majestic aura of a senior director, ¡°Come to rescue! CPR, prepare for defibrillation! Open another venous access!¡±


    The doctors and nurses in the emergency room rushed quickly over. They pushed the instrument carts, inserted the equipment and injected the needle.


    Lian Qiao stood beside the bed in panic, at a loss. Father Lian took the lead, assumed a CPR posture, leaned over and pressed on the chest of RenDong.


    Just listening to the ¡°crack¡± sound, RenDong¡¯s ribs instantly made a crisp sound.


    ¡°Dad!¡± Lian Qiao screamed again and broke his voice, ¡°Take it easy! It¡¯s broken!¡±


    Director Lian was so furious that he kicked his son out of the curtain with one foot and shouted angrily, ¡°Get out and don¡¯t get in the way! The depth needs to be 5 cm, don¡¯t you fucking understand!¡±


    Lian Qiao was almost kicked to the ground by his father, staggering a few times and finally stood up. He watched helplessly as people in white coats came and went, the curtain blocked the rescue bed and he couldn¡¯t see RenDong¡¯s situation. The monitor was beeping non-stop and his  father¡¯s majestic voice could be heard inside.


    ¡°Prepare to defibrillate! Move aside!¡±


    ¡°Okay! Keep up compressions!¡±


    ¡°Stop! Let me see¡­ No! He hasn¡¯t come back! Keep pressing!¡±


    Lian Qiao was frightened when he heard it from outside the curtain. Time is like a knife, slowly gouging out his heart. After what seemed like 10,000 years, his father finally ¡°pulled¡±aside and opened the curtain. His gaze swept across the audience like a machine gun and quickly focused on Lian Qiao.


    ¡°What are you still doing! Hurry up and contact his family!¡± Director Lian growled.


    Lian Qiao is about to say that he has no family, I am his family. Then the angry old father added angrily:


    ¡°Also! Call your mother! Tell her to free up a bed in the ICU and prepare to accept a patient!¡±

 CH 126

    Chapter 126 ¨C Guardianship


    After a flurry of nervous activity, the comatose Xu RenDong was pushed into the ICU.


    The ICU, or the Intensive Care Unit, was a special department that provided advanced life support for all kinds of critically ill patients. Lian Qiao¡¯s mother, Director Qiao, is the director of the ICU department of this hospital. She was not on duty today. She was attending an academic conference out of town and, when she heard that her son had been in an accident, was rushing back in a hurry.


    Father Lian¡¯s rescue was very effective. Xu RenDong had recovered his heartbeat and breathing, but his vital signs were still unstable. He was hurt very badly.


    A group of white lab coats pushed a flat cart and transported Xu RenDong from the emergency room to the ICU. The medical staff in the ICU had received notice some time ago and came out from a distance to meet them, helping them to push the cart and asking loudly about the condition.


    Father Lian quickly explained to the ICU doctor everything he knew, who then turned his head and began to issue doctor¡¯s orders to the nurse.


    As soon as the ambulance was pushed into the intensive care department, the door of the department closed automatically. This is the rule of the ICU: family members can only visit for half an hour every day, and the rest of the time they wait by the door. This big iron door was closed most of the time and it was only briefly opened when patients entered and left.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s thoughts were all on Xu RenDong. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw that the door of the ICU was full of patients¡¯ family members and his heart jumped.


    It was not the first time he came to the ICU, but he never thought that one day he would come in as a family member of a patient.


    The ups and downs have not yet subsided, and he was stopped by his father as soon as tried to go inside.


    ¡°You want to go in? Go and change your clothes first!¡±


    Lian Qiao was taken aback. The little nurse next to him quickly explained: ¡°You need to change into sterile clothes when you enter the ward! Come on, I¡¯ll take you there!¡±


    Lian Qiao saw that all the doctors and nurses in the ward were wearing green sterile clothes and then realized that it was not appropriate to wear casual clothes. As for his father, as soon as Director Lian stepped into the ward, a little doctor came up to hand over a white coat. Director Lian stretched out his hand and fished it up. The size was just right. Obviously, the ICU doctors had prepared it for him in advance after getting the news.


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t understand why his father could enter in a white coat but he had to change into sterile clothes. But now is not the time to think about it, he honestly followed the nurse to change his clothes.


    The clothes and trousers were replaced with green sterile clothes and the shoes were replaced with non-slip slippers specially provided by the ICU. Fortunately, the ICU has a constant temperature all year round, so he didn¡¯t feel cold wearing this suit. Lian Qiao ran out of the locker room and went straight to the ward. From a distance, he saw a lot of people around a certain bed, including his father.


    The ICU was full of critically ill patients and everyone had a monitor beside their bed, so as Lian Qiao ran over, the whole way his  ears were full of beeping. He squeezed into the pile of doctors and nurses and finally saw RenDong. He also saw several young nurses cutting his pants.


    The nurse¡¯s movements were quick and efficient, this was obviously something she was used to. In just a few seconds, Xu RenDong had been cleaned up and lay like a white fish, naked and alone.


    RenDong was unaware of this. His eyes were closed as he let the nurses toss him out. His male¡¯s organs were unobstructed, shaking gently with the flipping movement.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s heart skipped a beat. RenDong really cared about his face. At this time, the most private parts of the body were exposed like this and were being observed by a large group of people. With his pride, he wouldn¡¯t be able to bear it. Then he said cautiously, ¡°Is it necessary to clean him so thoroughly? Can he keep some pants?¡±


    Director Lian glanced at him strangely and hummed, ¡°What is he going to do with his pants? Hurry up, get the catheterization ready.¡±


    The surrounding nurses got the order and moved swiftly. Disinfection of the skin, dismantling of catheterization packs. Before Lian Qiao could react, he saw a little nurse pick up the little head of RenDong¡¯s penis, flip her instrument down, aimed at the little hole and shoved the urine tube into it.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s head felt like it had exploded. He was so shocked that he couldn¡¯t say anything at all: ¡°This goes in there? Don¡¯t you use anesthesia? If not, won¡¯t he be in pain¡­¡±


    Director Lian suddenly became angry and roared: ¡°Where are you babbling about? What nonsense! Has his family been found? When will they arrive? I want to talk to them!¡±


    In front of this group of medical staff, Lian Qiao did not dare to come out of the closet, so he had no choice but to make some excuses: ¡°The family members haven¡¯t been found yet¡­ But I¡¯ll sign the signature! Do you want to do surgery? I¡¯ll sign!¡±


    Director Lian glanced dismissively at him, just ordered him to try to continue to contact Xu RenDog¡¯s family and kicked him out of the patient area.


    There was also a large transparent office between the ward and the iron gate of the ICU. Doctors usually work here, while writing medical records and observing patients from transparent glass.


    It¡¯s not the first time that Lian Qiao has been here. The head nurse asked him to pour his own tea and asked casually, ¡°How are you related to this person?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my¡­¡± The words twitched on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn¡¯t say it.


    It¡¯s not that he didn¡¯t have the courage to come out but this is the hospital where his parents work.


    His parents are people with status and status. Every move of their family will be fueled by jealousy and turned into exaggerated gossip, which will spread throughout the hospital and even the entire medical system within an instant.


    Gossip is terrifying and no one knows how it will turn out in the end. He can give everything for RenDong, but he must also consider his parents.


    Lian Qiao felt extremely useless and changed his words angrily, ¡°It¡¯s my good friend, the kind that is very good. So it doesn¡¯t matter, I can sign it. Head nurse, can you tell my dad for me? Don¡¯t delay the operation, let me sign first, I will take any risks.¡±


    The head nurse shook his head: ¡°Don¡¯t blame your father, he is protecting you by scolding you. Don¡¯t mention a friend, even if it was the immediate family who signs, sometimes there are disputes. You should contact his family as soon as possible. Where is he from and are his parents out of town? If they really can¡¯t make it, it¡¯s okay to do it over the phone. I think the risk of his surgery is not small.¡±


    Lian Qiao heard: ¡°The risk is not small¡± and his attention was instantly diverted. He said anxiously: ¡°How big is the risk? What are they doing now?¡±


    The head nurse said: ¡°You have to talk to your dad about the specifics. He is the trauma expert. Don¡¯t think about it for now but contact the family as soon as possible! You really can¡¯t afford this responsibility!¡± After speaking, she left in a hurry and went back to the ward.


    Lian Qiao was leaning on the transparent glass, looking inside eagerly. Helpless, a lot of doctors and nurses surrounded RenDong tightly. Other than the fact that he knew everyone was busy with the rescue, he couldn¡¯t see anything.


    His father always left him only a back to see. Although the back was tall and steady, and his body exudes the arrogance of a senior director, Lian Qiao felt uneasy and his heart was pounding. If he was hooked up to an ECG monitor, it would probably be making alarms widely.


    But what can he do for RenDong now?


    RenDong lay naked on the hospital bed, surrounded by a lot of instruments and a lot of strangers wearing masks and hats. He was tossed around like an object by the nurse and pressed like a dough by the doctor. His two arms were still broken! How painful and helpless he must be.


    But what can I do for him?


    Lian Qiao clenched his fists and was full of anger at himself.


    He hated himself for being self-willed and fooling around, causing RenDong to fall like this. He hated himself for not being able to suffer for RenDong, so he could only look at RenDong suffering.


    He slammed the wall hard. His hand didn¡¯t feel pain, but his stomach hurt.


    The pain was piercing, as if the action of hammering the wall had affected a nerve. In fact, he felt a little sick to his stomach along the way but RenDong was hurt so badly, how could he have the mind to take care of himself.


    No pain, no pain!


    He bit his lip, still lying on the big glass, staring inside like a gecko without blinking.


    It scared the medical staff who passed by.


    Ten minutes later, Director Lian roared loudly and kicked him out of the office on the grounds that it would affect the normal work of the ward.


    This was fine. Lian Qiao was kicked out of the gates of the ward and reduced to staying with other family members.


    According to regulations, family members can only visit the ICU for half an hour a day. However, the doctors inside would come out at any time to talk to and sign documents with the family members. Hence many family members squatted outside the ICU, anxiously waiting for the door to open and receive their sentencing.


    Just now, everyone saw the scene where someone was hurriedly sent into the ICU. Lian Qiao, a newcomer, was also a young and handsome junior and hence has received a lot of attention from the family members.


    Several family members came over and asked him who he was and how he was able to get into the ICU. They also told him the many rules and regulations for getting into the ICU. For example, the daily visiting time was 3 o¡¯clock in the afternoon and he has to change his clothes at the door before entering. Also every three to five days money would need to be transferred into the hospital¡¯s account, otherwise if the patient¡¯s account got frozen then the doctor¡¯s would not be able to prescribe any medication.


    Although these family members were well-intentioned, the chatter surrounding him made Lian Qiao dizzy. Lian Qiao responded silently but his stomach still hurt. He covered his stomach unconsciously, thinking in a trance: Will RenDong be alright? Will RenDong be all right¡­?


    After all, he just got out of the elevator¡­ It should be a blessing in disguise¡­


    But if he really comes to the point of life and death, will he immediately re-enter the elevator?


    Will he go into the elevator alone?! Like Yuan XueMing?!


    Damn it! He forgot about that! How could he leave RenDong alone!


    Thinking of this, Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t breathe. He immediately got up and went to ring the doorbell of the ICU. He said to the camera: ¡°Let me in, hurry up!¡±


    The  little nurse¡¯s timid voice came from the walkie-talkie: ¡°Your dad¡­ er, Director Lian won¡¯t let me, he said you¡¯re in the way¡­ ¡°¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao pleaded, ¡°No, I¡¯ll be obedient, just let me stay by his side, I promise¡­¡± Having said this, he suddenly squatted down holding his stomach, sweating all over his body.


    On the walkie-talkie, the little nurse continued to apologize. The ICU doors remained locked.


    The family members of other patients around him gathered around him. Some cared about him, and some accused the ICU medical staff of being inhumane. With all the incessant chattering, Lian Qiao felt dizzy.


    In the midst of incomparable irritability, he heard a familiar voice.


    ¡°Why are you squatting here?¡±


    Lian Qiao raised her head in embarrassment with cold sweat and tears and saw a familiar face bathed in sunlight.


    ¡°Mom!¡± The appearance of his mother was like a shot of adrenaline, making him feel no pain anywhere. He stood up abruptly, pointed at the door and complained, ¡°He won¡¯t let me in!¡±


    This middle-aged woman was valiant and walked with wind. The family members around her recognize her at a glance.


    ¡ªIsn¡¯t this the chief director of the ICU, Director Qiao! {Yup Lian Qiao¡¯s name is literally just his mum and dad¡¯s surnames put together.}


    The young man who called her ¡°Mom¡±¡­


    When the family members who felt pity for him a while ago saw that this young descendant turned out to be from a super-connected family, they couldn¡¯t help but shrink their hands and back away in embarrassment.


    Several family members politely called ¡°Director Qiao¡±. Lian Qiao¡¯s mother nodded to them as a greeting, then carted her son off to the staff passage next to him.


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation? Why are you squatting outside and crying in sterile clothes?¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s mother said casually while swiping her card to open the door, ¡°Aren¡¯t you embarrassed?¡±


    With a twist of her lips, she shook his head and said, ¡°You are really annoying and affecting the rescue team. Have his family members been found yet?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not important.¡± Lian Qiao was anxious and wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, ¡°I have to stay by his side.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s mother changed into her work clothes and took Lian Qiao into the patient area again. This time, Lian Qiao has behaved well and was determined to keep his mouth shut and stop being a nuisance.


    However, when he saw RenDong, his mood was still a little broken.


    RenDong was still lying naked, with tubes all over his body. HIs two arms was simply bandaged with gauze. So the bones were invisible but the joints were strangely shaped, blood oozing out of the gauze and they still appeared shocking. A young doctor in full gear, gloves and a hat, was putting a needle in his thigh.


    At this time, Director Lian had gone somewhere and only the doctors and nurses of the ICU were left by the bedside.


    It was unknown if it was because of excessive blood loss or too low body temperature but RenDong was as pale as paper. His skin was almost transparent and it¡¯s unknown how many needles had pierced his thigh, leaving several blue-purple needle holes. Lian Qiao¡¯s scalp was numb when he saw it and only felt that his thighs were also hurting. He couldn¡¯t help but whisper, ¡°What are they doing? Why is he getting so many needles?¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s mother glanced over briefly: ¡°A femoral vein puncture in order to put a tube into it to facilitate fluid rehydration. The ones on the side are arterial blood gas. They need to be dynamically reviewed, so they are punctured a lot.¡±


    After she finished speaking, she ignored Lian Qiao and went over. She asked the young doctor: ¡°Why don¡¯t you do the subclavian vein?¡±


    The young doctor was sweating profusely and his face was embarrassed: ¡°The condition of the blood vessels is very poor and I can¡¯t get it under the clavicle. Even if I can, I can¡¯t do it three times. Director Lian explained that the patient¡¯s pain should be minimized as much as possible. It¡¯s painful so don¡¯t puncture the same place repeatedly, so¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s mother pursed her lips: ¡°He doesn¡¯t know shit. Let me do it.¡±


    The sentence ¡°He doesn¡¯t know shit¡± made everyone in the ICU hide behind the mask and snicker. There is no doubt that Director Lian and his wife are deeply in love. However, one is a cowboy surgeon and the other was a careful ICU doctor. Dissing each other was common and everyone was long accustomed to it. The two directors didn¡¯t mind being joked about either, as long as they didn¡¯t laugh too loudly.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s mother put on her gloves and hat, reached out and touched the groin of RenDong, probably looking for blood vessels. She quickly set the position, picked up the puncture needle, and pushed down for a while. The dark red venous blood immediately poured into the needle.


    Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Subsequently, the guide wire, catheter, and tube sealing solution were delivered in turn. Lian Qiao¡¯s mother flipped her fingers, placed the tube neatly and completed a beautiful deep vein puncture.


    The crowd started applauding her. However Lian Qiao was a little unable to stand and needed to grab the fence beside the bed to just barely stabilize his body.


    His stomach started to hurt again, he felt bloated and wanted to vomit.


    Did he eat something bad¡­how come at such a time¡­


    His damned digestive system!


    Everyone¡¯s attention was on Xu RenDong but no one noticed that Lian Qiao, who was silent beside him, was as pale as paper.

 CH 127

    Chapter 127 ¨C A Clear Conscience


    A group of doctors surrounded Director Qiao and were reporting the condition to her. The nurses began to clean up the mess, throwing away all the blood-stained cotton balls and gauze disinfection wipes.


    Lian Qiao watched silently by the side. He felt like RenDong was akin to a fish that had been cut open on a chopping board. Thus, all the hidden parts were exposed in front of people without any dignity.


    The ICU is like that. Lian Qiao¡¯s mother was the chief director of the ICU. He has heard the saying for many years: In the ICU, saving lives is the most important thing. As for dignity, what is that? Everything has to give way to saving lives!


    What¡¯s more, although the ICU seems to have a large number of medical staff, it is actually still short of manpower. Everyone was busy with rescuing patients, who cares whether you wear clothes or have privacy?


    As long as a person enters the ICU, he will be forced to lose everything that is a ¡°human¡± and instantly turns into a ¡°creature¡± with vital signs and various inspection values .


    Lian Qiao knew this but couldn¡¯t help but feel heartbroken. He knew that RenDong really cared about ¡®face¡¯ and, even when wearing a shirt, he would carefully button the button to the top one. How could he bear to be looked at from the beginning to the end?


    How could he accept himself¡­not to be seen as a ¡°human¡±?


    So Lian Qiao quickly covered RenDong with a quilt to cover his miserable and dignified body when the nurse finished cleaning him up.  His fingers accidentally touched RenDong and the fingertips were cold. Lian Qiao¡¯s heart seemed to be repeatedly drilled and crushed by a screwdriver. He knew that RenDong would suffer all this because of him, but how could he atone for it?


    There was no way for him to suffer for RenDong and he can¡¯t even relieve even the slightest bit of pain for RenDong. He could only watch the needle pierce RenDong¡¯s skin time and time again, and watch the cold liquid pour into his blood vessels. He couldn¡¯t even hug him to comfort him.


    ¨C Because RenDong can¡¯t hear him.


    RenDong¡¯s eyes were closed and his long eyelashes were hanging down like two small brushes. There was no blood on his face and he looked like a bone china doll that had been sealed for a hundred years, with a shocking brutal beauty.


    Lian Qiao wanted to touch his face. As soon as he reached out his hand, he was stopped by his mother.


    ¡°Wear gloves!¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s mother¡¯s face sank, her tone suddenly fierce. ¡°Don¡¯t touch him with dirty hands! What¡¯s your sterility principle!¡±


    Lian Qiao was startled and quickly retracted his hand. The nurse next to him handed over the gloves wisely. Lian Qiao put on the gloves clumsily but did not dare to act rashly.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s mother¡¯s expression softened: ¡°If you want to accompany him, you can, but you must always remember the principle of sterility.¡± As she spoke, her voice softened, ¡°He is very weak now and can¡¯t stand infection. So you have to be extra careful with him.¡±


    Lian Qiao finally realized his powerlessness.


    He can¡¯t do anything. He could only stand by the side honestly and listen to everyone discussing RenDong¡¯s condition.


    The monitor still beeped once or twice from time to time, either the blood pressure was down or the heart rate was fast. The doctors at the bedside adjusted their doctor¡¯s orders from time to time, and the nurses implemented them on the spot. Between them they finally managed to stabilize RenDong¡¯s vital signs.


    Everyone discussed it for about ten minutes, and Director Qiao¡¯s expression became more and more solemn.


    Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t understand the medical terminology but just looking at his mother¡¯s face made his heart twitch again.


    Before everyone could discuss the result, the nurse¡¯s desk suddenly rang with a rapid phone ring. The sound was like a reminder and startled Lian Qiao.


    The nurse picked up the phone, answered a few words, then raised her head and shouted over, ¡°Director Qiao! It¡¯s critical!¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s mother frowned, quickly walked to the nurse station, took the receiver and chatted with the other end of the phone. The doctors at the bedside took out their mobile phones one after another.


    Lian Qiao was so frightened by the word ¡°critical¡± that his lips trembled but he didn¡¯t dare to ask questions. He looked around nervously and saw young doctors opening electronic examination sheets on their mobile apps. Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t read the words in them and all he could see were red arrows all over. Up and down, like a chaotic heartbeat on a monitor.


    The young doctors discussed in a low voice. Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t understand, so he could only grab the fence beside the bed, anxiously waiting for his mother to explain to him.


    At this point, he finally understood how the family members who were waiting outside the ICU felt.


    Time was like stagnant mud, bit by bit dragging Lian Qiao into the abyss of anxiety. After an unknown amount of time, his mother finally hung up the phone and turned around and walked towards them.


    Lian Qiao looked at her uneasily.


    However, his mother didn¡¯t look at him, she just turned her head and asked the doctor who did the puncture: ¡°Have you marked it as serious?¡±


    The young doctor said, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Mother Lian said, ¡°Change it to critical.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s face changed greatly.


    Even people without medical knowledge know what it means to be critically ill.


    At this time, Xu RenDong has received the best advanced life support in the ICU: tracheal intubation, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, pressurized blood transfusion and high-dose rescue drugs. But even so, his heartbeat, blood pressure, pulse oxygen, and several vital signs all went up and down.


    Don¡¯t talk about Lian Qiao, even if he was a blind man, just by listening to the alarm sound of the monitor, he knew that RenDong was dying.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s heart was beating wildly and he looked at his mother in panic: ¡°Mom¡­he¡­¡± His expression was helpless and fearful, as if he was not a twenty-five-year-old adult at the moment, but a weak child afraid of being left behind.


    The young doctor on the side suddenly came up and whispered to Director Qiao: ¡°Director, no one has signed the notice of critical illness¡­¡±


    Even the mother said in a deep voice, ¡°I know. Report it to the medical department and handle it according to the process of having no family members. Open a green channel for him. Let¡¯s save him first.¡±


    Lian Qiao was shocked and realized that RenDong needed him, which made him instantly regain his identity as an adult. He gritted his teeth and stressed: ¡°I can sign! He is an orphan, and he can¡¯t find any immediate family members! I¡¯ll just sign!¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s mother frowned and reached out to pull him: ¡°Come, come with me to the office.¡±


    Lian Qiao grabbed the bed rails tightly: ¡°No, I want to stay here!¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s mother said solemnly: ¡°I have something to tell you.¡±


    Lian Qiao still refused to let go, his voice trembled slightly: ¡°I know¡­but I can¡¯t leave him, I really¡­ Mom, please.¡±


    Mother Lian sighed. The surrounding medical staff also walked away wisely, until there was only Lian Qiao and his mother left at the bedside of RenDong.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡± Mother Lian lowered her voice, stared at the monitor and said to Lian Qiao with a serious expression, ¡°Signing means you¡¯re legally responsible, why should you make decisions for his family?¡±


    Lian Qiao blurted out: ¡°But he has no family! He only has me!¡±


    Mother Lian narrowed her eyes and looked at him with burning eyes.


    At this point, Lian Qiao did not intend to hide it any more: ¡°Mom, in fact, him and I¡­¡±


    It was unexpected but Mother Lian was not much surprised. She even raised her hand to interrupt him: ¡°No need to explain. On my way here, your dad has already told me. You are both willing to sacrifice your lives for love, what else can your dad and I say?¡±


    Lian Qiao was dumbfounded. He didn¡¯t expect that his parents had acquiesced in his relationship with Xu RenDong. It¡¯s just that this permission came too late and the price was too high.


    Mother Lian looked at his dumbfounded face, shook her head and said, ¡°You haven¡¯t found a girlfriend for so many years, I have long suspected that you are gay, but it¡¯s not good to ask you directly.¡± Then she said helplessly, ¡°But honestly, if you want to find a boyfriend, you can find a boyfriend but can¡¯t you find one from a sound family! What¡¯s the deal with finding an orphan?¡±


    Lian Qiao refused to accept this: ¡°What¡¯s wrong with an orphan!¡±


    Mother Lian: ¡°He won¡¯t have the place to go complain if he is wronged by you in the future. So it will be left to me to stand up for him!¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°???¡± Why is the plot going in a different direction from what he imagined?


    ¡°By the way,¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s mother said suddenly, ¡°Although your father and I can accept it, your relationship is not recognized by the law. If you want to sign for him now, you can only sign as a friend. Do you understand what that means?¡±


    Lian Qiao pondered for a moment and nodded.


    Friends are not spouses after all. At this time, there are no immediate family members around RenDong, so Lian Qiao can naturally sign for him as a friend. But if something goes wrong in the future, RenDong¡¯s company bosses, the dean of the orphanage and even the biological father who deserved to be killed with a thousand knives can all come to him to settle accounts.


    There is no doubt that as long as there is still a chance, Lian Qiao will spare no effort to save  RenDong. But what if?


    In case fate is not on his side, in case he will eventually lose RenDong, can he bear the extra burden of blame within the pain of bereavement?


    ¡ªThe accusation from other relatives and friends of RenDong?


    If those people really come to the door, not only Lian Qiao, but even the hospital where Lian Qiao¡¯s parents are located will be pulled into the water. Today, when the doctor-patient relationship is so tense that once the hospital is brought to court, it will not only be forced to pay huge sums of money to settle the matter, but it will also have a notorious reputation for being negligent towards human lives.


    And the special relationship between Lian Qiao and RenDong will make Lian Qiao suffer ridicule and criticism after his death, making Lian Qiao¡¯s pain even higher.


    In fact, it was with these considerations in mind that Lian Qiao¡¯s parents had been reluctant to let him sign.


    But after careful consideration, Lian Qiao solemnly said to his mother, ¡°I am willing to take all the responsibilities, let me sign it.¡±


    Mother Lian sighed: ¡°Actually, it doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t sign this. You don¡¯t have to worry about the rescue. We will all take care of the treatment. It won¡¯t matter whether you sign or not. To be honest with you, although the situation is serious, we have seen a lot in the ICU. After all, he is young. As long as his vital signs can be stabilized and he gets on the operating table, his life is likely to be saved. So you don¡¯t need to¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao shook his head. Slowly but firmly, he interrupted mother: ¡°Mom, I understand. But I want to take this responsibility for him. Even if the law does not recognize our relationship, we have already recognized each other as partners in our hearts. If I back down here now, then even if he wakes up, I will have no face to see him with.¡±


    ¡°No matter what the result is, I want to have a clear conscience. I am willing to take all the responsibility for this.¡±


    ¡°Mom, please fulfill my request.¡±


    Mother Lian was silent.


    Lian Qiao anxiously waited for his mother¡¯s answer. Regardless of whether his parents agree or not, he has to take this responsibility for RenDong. But if he can, he still hopes to have the support of his parents.


    No matter what the future holds, he hopes that RenDong will be recognized by his family.


    RenDong was an orphan since he was a child and he never knew what it was like to be loved by his parents. Although he met Zhong Xiu later on, they only got along for a while before Zhong Xiu abandoned him again.


    The missing piece in his life will never be made up for.


    So Lian Qiao always wanted to give him a home. It¡¯s not just a small home for the two of them, but a complete home with parents and elders.


    He hoped that his parents would truly accept RenDong instead of being forced to accept him under the threat of life and death.


    However, the mother just stared at Lian Qiao with a complicated expression, as if she wanted to look into his soul through his eyes.


    Lian Qiao was stared at by his mother like an ant on a steamer. He couldn¡¯t escape and he couldn¡¯t die for a while. Just strung up in the air.


    After a long time, my mother finally sighed.


    ¡°Okay. If you want to zuo to death, then just do it.¡±


    With the unremitting efforts of the ICU medical staff, Xu RenDong¡¯s vital signs finally stabilized temporarily. Lian Qiao nimbly signed the signature and accompanied RenDong into the operating room.


    The operation was already arranged by Director Lian and the whole hospital was mobilized. The bosses of the extracerebral and extracardiac general surgery department have been waiting for a long time to wash their hands and change their clothes.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s situation was complicated. The first was a fall from a height injury, which caused most of his bones to be broken and his brain damaged. The CT scan was okay, the amount of cerebral hemorrhage was not too much, and a craniotomy could be done.


    Then there are two more problems: First, Xu RenDong has a lot of internal bleeding. Various organs were ruptured to varying degrees, so that even his stomach bulged slightly and it was full of blood. To this end, Director Lian applied for a large number of blood transfusions for him, all the way from the emergency room to the ICU, and a carload of intraoperative blood was also prepared in the operating room.


    The second problem is that Xu RenDong has a history of heart disease. This creates two big troubles. One is that his heart may not be able to handle large infusions for a short period of time and heart failure could develop at any time during the procedure. Another is the risk of anesthesia. The worst case is that he will have cardiac arrest as soon as the anesthesia hits. At that time, not only will he not be able to perform surgery, he may not even be able to control his heartbeat and he will die on the stage directly.


    After listening to his father¡¯s explanation, Lian Qiao expressed his knowledge and understanding, and then announced: ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯ll take care of what happens.¡±


    Director Lian became angry again, and roared, ¡°Is this something you say something so nonchalantly? Can you really take responsibility for anything!? If something happens to you can your mother and I just leave you alone? Do we not still have to wipe your ass?!¡±


    Lian Qiao thought about it for a while: ¡°Then I can only apologize with death.¡±


    These words were said very seriously and he looked like he was ready to die at any time. It was unknown where he learned this attitude from. This attitude of indifference to his own life made Director Lian so angry that he raised his palm and prepared to beat him on the spot.


    Unexpectedly, before the slap fell on his body, Lian Qiao swayed and fell down with a thud.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s father: ¡°???¡± How dare you touch porcelain with your father? {¡®Touch porcelain¡¯ is Chinese netspeak for someone who is deliberately on the lookout to sue someone else: imagine deliberately running into another person holding porcelain, dropping it and asking them to pay you.}


    The little doctors around rushed over and took out a blood pressure monitor. They were shocked: ¡°Director Lian, it¡¯s not good! Blood pressure is 50/30! Your son is in hemorrhagic shock!¡±

 CH 128

    Chapter 128 ¨C A Filial Son by the Bedside


    Both RenDong and Lian Qiao ended up on the operating table.


    Was it a coincidence? When RenDong¡¯s belly was opened, there was a pool of blood. When Lian Qiao¡¯s belly was opened, there was also a pool of blood.


    The reason is simple: a ruptured spleen.


    The spleen is an organ that is very fragile and easily ruptured by external forces. It has a rich blood supply, so it is easy for it to bleed when injured. But this part is not sensitive to pain, so although the stomach was bleeding, the pain was not great. Lian Qiao was able to endure until he fell into hemorrhagic shock with a thud.


    The operating room exploded on the spot.


    The patient, RenDong, hadn¡¯t even gotten onto the operating table yet before this family member of his, Lian Qiao, collapsed first. It was a major operation for a ruptured spleen. Lian Qiao¡¯s father was so angry that he scolded him and called him a bastard on the spot for causing trouble. After scolding, he found that the muscles in the corners of his colleagues¡¯ eyes were twitching slightly, obviously because they wanted to laugh and didn¡¯t dare to, only then did he realize that he accidentally scolded himself.


    Curses were curses, but this idiot son and this idiot son¡¯s partner still needed to be rescued.


    So the two operating rooms are left and right. Director Lian, as the number one expert in trauma surgery in the province, went to Xu RenDong for a while and went back to his idiot son for a while. He was very busy going back and forth.


    To be honest, although the rupture of the spleen may sound terrible, in Director Lian¡¯s view, it was not a problem.


    If the spleen is ruptured, then it¡¯s ruptured. If the bleeding was massive then a blood transfusion was needed. Wasn¡¯t it a coincidence that Xu RenDong next door has the exact same blood type as him and they¡¯d already ordered a massive amount of that blood type for his operation in advance. It was very convenient, just a little expensive.


    Of course, in the face of life, dignity is not a thing, so how can money still be a thing?


    In short, the elite backbone of the whole hospital was busy and finally saved these two people.


    Director Lian threw away the surgical gown when he got out of the surgery and went back to his  department angrily. The next steps would be up to the ICU. He can¡¯t get involved and he has no courage to intervene. His wife was number one in the ICU. Although he is the chief director of surgery, he specializes in surgery, and the divisions between departments are like mountains. If he went to the ICU, he would be disliked just like Lian Qiao and kicked out just like him.


    That would be humiliating.


    As a result, two comatose young people were pushed into the ICU one after the other.


    Now it was Lian Qiao¡¯s turn to be stripped and intubated. It can be said his wish was fulfilled.


    Although the two have both undergone major operations one after another, Lian Qiao¡¯s injury was indeed much lighter than that of RenDong. About five hours after the operation, Lian Qiao¡¯s anesthesia wore off and he woke up in a trance with pain.


    He opened his eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling, his dry lips moving slightly.


    The little nurse on the side was pleasantly surprised: ¡°Director Qiao, Director Qiao, look, your son is awake!¡±


    Director Qiao next to the computer was instructing the young doctor to adjust her doctor¡¯s orders, and she heard the words without raising her head: ¡°It¡¯s about time to wake up.¡± She didn¡¯t have any intention to look at her son at all.


    The little nurse stuck her tongue out. She didn¡¯t know about Director Qiao¡¯s parent-child relationship and she didn¡¯t dare to ask. But then she saw Lian Qiao struggling on the bed, he had lifted the quilt and was about to get up.


    ¡°Hey, what are you doing!¡± The little nurse hurriedly held him down.


    ¡°Where is he¡­¡± Lian Qiao had just been rescued from hemorrhagic shock, but his face was still as pale as a zombie and he couldn¡¯t exert any strength. He struggled a few times but he couldn¡¯t break free from the little nurse¡¯s hand, so he could only ask sadly, ¡°How is he¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right next to you!¡± The little nurse pressed him while moving the curtain up so he can see the scene behind him.


    Lian Qiao turned his head and only saw a high bed rail, and could not help frowning.


    The bed rails in the ICU are specially made, so high that he can¡¯t see the situation on the other side when he is lying in the bed.


    The little nurse said: ¡°Be obedient, don¡¯t make trouble, I¡¯ll put the bed rail down for you.¡±


    Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t help nodding and then the little nurse pressed the hidden button on the side of the bed and, with a click, the bed rail came down.


    Lian Qiao was finally able to see the RenDong he was longing for.


    The bed of RenDong was also like a fence, so only a little of his outline could be seen from over here. But just from the tip of his nose, Lian Qiao recognized that it was his RenDong.


    Lian Qiao turned her head with difficulty and looked at the monitor beside Ren Dong¡¯s bed. Fortunately, the vital signs were close to normal. The surgery was presumably successful.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s heart finally fell back down to earth and he let out a long breath.


    The little nurse asked, ¡°How are you feeling?¡±


    Lian Qiao blinked blankly, only to realize that something was indeed wrong with himself. He looked down at the tube that had been inserted into him and said in surprise, ¡°Why am I lying down?¡± He tried to move and immediately yelled out.


    The little nurse was shocked and said, ¡°You just found out?¡±


    Lian Qiao then learned that he was not born with a natural talent of coming through accidents unscathed, but suffered an internal injury without knowing it. His spleen was completely cut open and he underwent a major laparotomy. There was now a drainage tube attached to his stomach.


    The nurse picked up the drainage bag next to him and showed it to him. It was a big bag with a red and yellow substance, and it looked disgusting.


    Lian Qiao stared at the drainage bag for a while, then asked, ¡°Did I do the surgery together with him?¡±


    Nurse: ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Are the operating rooms together?¡±


    Nurse: ¡°Huh? ¡°


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t know what to think. His entire person suddenly panicked and he stammered and asked: ¡°Surgery¡­ How far is the operating table? Mine and his operating table¡­¡±


    The nurse looked confused: ¡°What¡¯s the point of asking this? Of course it¡¯s one person per operating theater.¡±


    Could it be that even this eldest son wants to create a double operating room for couples?


    The nurse was secretly laughing in her mind but Lian Qiao suddenly opened his legs and rolled off the bed!


    ¡°Damn it!¡± The nurse was so shocked that she exploded, ¡°What are you doing? You said you wouldn¡¯t make trouble!¡± While calling for help, she struggled to hold Lian Qiao with both hands to prevent the confused Lian Qiao from falling to the ground.


    What a joke! There are seven or eight tubes attached to him. If he really wants to jump away, wouldn¡¯t it be all ripped out?!


    The nurses around were also shocked. After all, the bed rail was put down by the little nurse herself. If there was a major accident such as a patient falling to the ground, the responsibility would all be on the nurse.


    A group of nurses ran over screaming, trying to get Lian Qiao back to the bed.


    Lian Qiao struggled desperately: ¡°Leave me alone, let me go to him, please¡­ I must go¡­ Let me get closer to him¡­¡±


    The head nurse said angrily: ¡°You are already next to him, what else do you want!¡±


    The nurses then instructed the nurses to tie his hands and feet and fix him to the bed.


    Lian Qiao was about to cry without tears. What could he do? Could Ren Dong have already entered the elevator? Just when they were operating together¡­ why did he faint? Why couldn¡¯t he hold on for a while?


    He should have persisted until RenDong got off the operating table! During the operation is the most dangerous time for RenDong! And he wasn¡¯t by Ren Dong¡¯s side!


    Why did he faint at that time?


    Lian Qiao was so anxious that he was full of remorse and anxiety. While struggling, he begged bitterly: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it was my fault, please let me go, let me go over to him, let me¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± The crowd surrounding the hospital bed suddenly separated as Director Qiao walked over with a frown.


    As soon as Lian Qiao saw his mother, it was like seeing a savior and he almost cried out: ¡°Mom! You let them let me go! Can you let me get closer to him! He will have an accident if I¡¯m not by his side! Mommy! please¡­¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s mom turned her head to look at RenDong¡¯s monitor and said to Lian Qiao: ¡°He¡¯s fine. It¡¯s you that¡¯s the problem, the wound will burst if you move around and will need to be stitched up again.¡±


    ¡°No, no¡­¡± Lian Qiao was so anxious that tears fell, ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine, Mom, let me¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s mother ignored him and told the nurse, ¡°Take a temperature.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± The little nurse hurriedly brought an ear thermometer and put it into Lian Qiao¡¯s ear. She  exclaimed, ¡°39.8 degrees!¡± {Celsius for my American readers


    Although Lian Qiao had a fever, the medical staff around him showed an expression of ¡°Oh, no wonder¡±. Lian Qiao¡¯s mother was relieved: ¡°Oh, it turned out to be a fever, no wonder you are talking nonsense. I thought your brain was broken. I was just thinking, how come there was nothing shown  on the brain MRI¡­¡±


    So, disregarding Lian Qiao¡¯s wishes, Lian Qiao;s mother gave him antibiotics and fever-reducing injections selflessly and then, also out of motherly love, upped his anaesthetic and sedatives so that he fell into a drowsy sleep. Thus the first first postoperative day passed peacefully.


    When Lian Qiao woke up again, his fever had subsided. He was so numb with a large dose of sedative that his brain hurt and, looking at the snow-white ceiling, it took him a long time to remember where he was.


    At this time, there was no one around, and the high bed board was pulled on both sides, and he couldn¡¯t see anything. He could only open his mouth to call: ¡°Is there anyone¡­ Someone¡­ Mom¡­¡±


    Soon, the little nurse¡¯s face appeared in his field of vision.


    The nurse was obviously frightened by him last time and said with a gloomy face: ¡°What do you want this time?¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s voice was hoarse: ¡°How is he¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s doing great.¡± Probably the last accident had caused the nurse to get scolded, so she was extremely impatient with Lian Qiao now, ¡°Leave him alone and focus on healing yourself first.¡±


    After that, she left.


    Lian Qiao shouted again but no one came. He heard footsteps coming and going around him, and heard doctors and nurses talking loudly, but no one paid him any attention.


    ¡­ Is this how their ICU treats patients! Why is their service attitude so bad!


    Lian Qiao thought angrily and tried to sit up by himself. Then sadly found that he was wearing special gloves on his hands, one end was tied under the bed rail, and his ankles were also tied with ropes. The range of motion of his hands and feet was very limited and he can¡¯t get up at all.


    He called again for a long time, but no one paid him any attention. He had to turn his head and craned his neck with difficulty to look at the monitor next door.


    It¡¯s okay, the heart is still beating.


    Just can¡¯t see his face, so he felt a little worried.


    Lian Qiao was lying in the airtight senior hospital bed and was forced to calm down. He gradually realized that his worries were unnecessary.


    If RenDong really did trigger the elevator on the operating table, there¡¯s nothing he can do now. RenDong was still alive, which means that he either survived the elevator or didn¡¯t go there at all.


    As for now, RenDong is lying beside him. Although the bed spacing in the ICU is large, it is only one or two meters apart. He remembered that when Zhong Xiu opened the elevator, he was actually standing at the door of the ward and was still sucked in. Thus, given the distance between him and Ren Dong now, if the elevator really opened, he should be able to feel it.


    He was so anxious that he had forgotten himself.


    Once the string in the heart was relaxed, the pain in the body will rise back up.


    It hurts so much¡­ his stomach seems to be split open, it hurts from the inside to the outside¡­


    He really wanted to touch his stomach to see what kind of injury it was, but his hands and feet were tied. He just sighed and closed his eyes to rest.


    But as soon as he closed his eyes, a terrible thought suddenly appeared in his mind.


    ¨C Did they lie to him?


    Wouldn¡¯t it be because¡­the person next to him wasn¡¯t RenDong at all?!


    Would RenDong be already¡­


    Thinking of this, Lian Qiao¡¯s heartbeat suddenly accelerated and he shouted again: ¡°Is there anyone? Can anyone help me? Where¡¯s my mother? Let me see him! Let me see him!¡±


    The alarm on the monitor by his bedside also went off, by the time help arrived his heart rated had exceeded 120.


    There were footsteps around. The little nurse came over, reached out her hand and turned off the alarm and said angrily, ¡°What the hell are you trying to do!¡±


    The nurse seemed to be in her early twenties, probably even younger than him. Lian Qiao opened his mouth, knowing that his life and death was in the hands of this bed nurse so he carefully begged: ¡°I¡¯ve already been tied up like this, what can I do? You help me, let me take a look at him, okay? I beg you, I will repay you when I go out.¡±


    The nurse said in displeased manner, ¡°He hasn¡¯t woken up yet, what¡¯s so good about looking at him.¡±


    Lian Qiao hesitated for a while but finally he asked what he was most worried about: ¡°¡­Is it really Xu RenDong? Is Xu RenDong really still alive?


    ¡°He¡¯s alive! How about I push his monitor in front of you?¡±


    Lian Qiao was overjoyed when he heard the words: ¡°Really? Thank you then!¡±


    The little nurse was originally angry but Lian Qiao was unexpectedly good-natured. In a bit of shock, the little nurse said: ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll push his monitor in front of you. But we agreed, you are not allowed to scream any more! I¡¯m very busy!¡±


    Lian Qiao nodded quickly, indicating that he would be good.


    So RenDong¡¯s monitor was really pushed in front of him.


    The bed rail was so high that Lian Qiao had to lift his neck hard to see the full view of the monitor. The nurse was kind and put a pillow under his neck before leaving.


    So Lian Qiao stared at the monitor. As soon as there was any problem with the vital signs of RenDong, he called out louder than the monitor.


    In the end, all the doctors and nurses were so annoyed by him that they applied to a superior doctor, that is, Lian Qiao¡¯s mother, who told them to give Lian Qiao a sedative.


    The world was finally quiet again.

 CH 129.1

    Chapter 129 Part 1 ¨C The Will


    {This chapter is split into two as more than 6000 characters.}


    After all, Lian Qiao was young and had a good physique. Although he had a high fever for a few days after the splenectomy, he survived after taking a bunch of advanced antibiotics.


    Apart from the fact that he had lost weight and had a large scar on his stomach, he looked like a normal person¡ªor rather, pretended to be a normal person.


    He tried to show that he was in good shape and finally got his mother¡¯s approval to allow him to sit beside the RenDong bed to accompany him instead of being locked in his own hospital bed.


    These days, it was all he thought about day and night: wanting to see RenDong across the bed. At this time, he finally saw him but his heart was twisted into a ball.


    RenDong¡¯s operation was very successful but it did not change the fact that he was seriously ill. Xu RenDong, who returned to the ICU, had also developed a high fever. He had used all the medicines he could use, but his body temperature was still uncontrollable, hovering around 40 degrees. Lian Qiao¡¯s mother guessed that it was a central fever, so she put an ice blanket machine on him.


    The working principle of the ice blanket machine was very simple. It was a blanket placed under the body. Once the temperature rise is detected, it will automatically cool down and physically cool down the body.


    This is to avoid burning out the brain due to high heat.


    Although the cooling effect of the ice blanket machine was good, the problem was that it was too icy. From time to time, Lian Qiao stretched out his hands to RenDong¡¯s back, touching his ice-like back and was always worried that he would suffer from the root cause of back pain. Fortunately, as time passed, the treatment gradually became effective, the number of RenDong¡¯s  fevers decreased and the working frequency of the ice blanket machine became lower and lower.


    But RenDong never woke up.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s mother said that it was because the injury was too severe and the internal environment of the body was out of balance and he had not yet recovered. Therefore, his heartbeat has been very fast, so fast that people worry that his heart will burst from fatigue in the next second; his lung function was also extremely poor and he can¡¯t do without a ventilator. After a long time, he would develop pneumonia. The overall situation was not very good.


    RenDong wouldn¡¯t be able to get out of the ICU within a short period of time but Lian Qiao recovered steadily day by day. So he dragged a pipe and stayed by RenDong¡¯s bedside, acting as a full-time escort.


    After all, Lian Qiao was considered an ICU patient and it was really outrageous to let a patient accompany another patient. Fortunately, Lian Qiao¡¯s parents are from the hospital and Lian Qiao¡¯s mother said, ¡°Ignore him and let him do what he wants, he is in atonement.¡± Since his mother already said this, what else can others say?


    So Lian Qiao just took care of his own injuries while accompanying RenDong to heal his injuries.


    Time flew by.


    During this time in the ICU, Lian Qiao has fully seen how they treat patients. It¡¯s not to say that patients are not respected. Some medical operations really are not conducive to being respectful.


    For example, nurses turn patients over every day to check for bedsores.


    The so-called bedsores are when the muscles and bones press against each other after being in bed for a long time, causing local skin damage. Because the nutritional status of bedridden patients is not very good, in the case of bedsores, it will be difficult to heal, and in severe cases, it will even rot into the bones. Therefore, as long as there are conditions, the patient must be turned over frequently to avoid long-term compression in the same place, affecting their blood supply.


    The most likely place for bedsores is, of course, the buttocks.


    At the beginning, Lian Qiao felt that it was a very obscene thing to look at people¡¯s butts every day. Under the repeated bombardment of his own mother and nurses, Lian Qiao also began to gradually accept the nursing routine of the ICU and cooperated with the nurses to turn over.


    RenDong lay in the ICU for more than a month, but his ass was still as smooth as ever, with no red marks at all. Even the head nurse praised Lian Qiao for taking care of his well, which reduced a lot of pain for RenDong.


    Turning him over was actually fine, but what bothered Lian Qiao the most was another daily check: the GSC score.


    This is a score for the state of consciousness of a comatose patient, involving items such as whether they can respond, whether they can cooperate with opening eyes, whether there is a pain response, and so on. The unconscious RenDong was naturally unable to respond and open his eyes. As for the pain response¡­


    They actually had to pinch the nipples! It is said that it is more sensitive to pain here, so¡­


    Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes almost popped out the first time he saw the nurse make this move. After the head nurse finished pinching one then the other, she also invited everyone to come and pinch together to see the symmetry and asymmetry of the response.


    Lian Qiao only felt that RenDong¡¯s little head was about to be swollen by them and was distressed. The head nurse said again with a smile: ¡°When you were in a coma, we also pinched you like this.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    ICU patients really have no human rights!


    Although there were no human rights, it is true that ICU provides the best possible care. Lian Qiao saw that RenDong¡¯s condition was getting better day by day and the consciousness score climbed higher. From the initial lack of response, to the moment when the eyeballs can move under the eyelids and finally he can snort vaguely, Lian Qiao¡¯s heart was akin to the rejuvenation of the earth, his temperature has gradually recovered and a smile finally grew on his face.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s mother looked at him and shook his head.


    Alas, this kid really likes him.


    Lian Qiao, regardless of himself, was someone who had undergone major surgery and stayed by the bedside of RenDong day and night. On the one hand, it was to escort him, and on the other hand, he was afraid of RenDong ending up in the elevator and wanted to go in with him.


    After a long, long time, RenDong finally opened his eyes.


    Lian Qiao was so moved that he announced on the spot that he would fast and pray to Buddha, and was beaten by his biological parents. Although RenDong woke up, his physical condition was still very poor. He was transferred to the general ward and stayed for a long time before being discharged.


    Lian Qiao was so happy that he wanted to set off firecrackers but his parents were very calm. After all, they had expected this result long ago, and the release of RenDong from the hospital was considered a psychological burden for them.


    They always feel guilty about RenDong in their hearts. After all, RenDong fell from the building to save their bastard son. In the end, the brat just had a spleen cut off but RenDong jumped across the gates of hell repeatedly, tossing for more than two months.


    Fortunately, in the end, RenDong was cured and discharged from the hospital. If something happened to RenDong, Lian Qiao and his parents didn¡¯t know how to atone for their sins ¨C even worse, they didn¡¯t even know who to atone for their sins to.


    Ai. RenDong is so pitiful. Not only did he have no father or mother, but he was also bullied by their pig son.


    It was so pitiful!


    Due to the long-term bed rest, RenDong¡¯s muscles have greatly atrophied and his whole person was thin and out of shape, like a skeleton. Lian Qiao could not wait to carry his princess upstairs and only gave up after RenDong¡¯s stern refusal.


    They went back to Lian Qiao¡¯s house. It was a working day and Lian Qiao¡¯s parents couldn¡¯t leave, so they sent them to the door of the hospital. After seeing them get in the car, they went back to their respective departments and busied themselves. At this time, the house was empty.


    For the past two months, it was not only Lian Qiao who has not returned home even a day. Lian Qiao¡¯s parents often spent their days and nights in the ICU, so this house was not occupied for long stretches of time. The furniture, tables and chairs were cold. However, in order to welcome the RenDong, they had already invited someone over to their house to clean it in advance and fresh vegetables and fruits were also prepared in the refrigerator, just waiting for the RenDong to come home and enjoy life.


    Lian Qiao helped him into the room, treating him tenderly as if he were afraid of his melting and falling. RenDong was not used to being treated like this and told him to go do his own thing. Lian Qiao said, with a smile, that serving you is the only thing I have to do now.


    RenDong asked: ¡°What about your live broadcast room?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°The contract with the platform has been terminated.¡±


    Although RenDong had expected it, he still frowned slightly. Lian Qiao hurriedly said: ¡°I¡¯m not canceling the contract just for you. Don¡¯t we still have an instance that we haven¡¯t finished playing? I don¡¯t have the heart to broadcast at this time. Let¡¯s talk about it when the dust has settled.¡±


    RenDong was silent for a moment and then suddenly laughed.


    ¡°Actually, I also resigned.¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°I know. The leader of your company has visited you. He also asked me when you will be better and whether you are willing to return to their company.¡±


    RenDong was noncommittal, just smiled and said: ¡°Oops, so both of us are homeless now. I¡¯m going to have to trouble your parents.¡±


    ¡°No trouble, no trouble, I have enough money saved.¡± In order to reassure him, Lian Qiao took out his mobile phone and opened the balance on the spot to show him, ¡°Look, count, there are so many zeros! I¡¯m rich, don¡¯t worry!¡±


    This way of coaxing people can be said to be very straightforward.


    RenDong¡¯s heart softened into a pool of water and there was nothing to say for a while, so he pulled Lian Qiao¡¯s sleeve and said, ¡°Hug me.¡±


    Lian Qiao was hooked by these words, X fire suddenly came up and he threw himself on the bed like a hungry tiger. But he was afraid of hurting RenDong so he moved to his side with extreme caution. He gently covered him with a soft quilt before taking him into his arms.


    RenDong struggled with little strength but couldn¡¯t break free. He was wrapped in the quilt and muttered: ¡°I don¡¯t want to be separated by the blanket¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao was stunned, then coughed awkwardly: ¡°I¡¯m used to aseptic operation, before touching you. I want you to be safe and isolated¡­¡± He lifted the quilt and got into the quilt, hugged RenDong in his arms and carefully tucked the edges of the quilt down, for fear of a cold wind getting in.


    From his almost paranoid cautiousness, RenDong felt his worries and unease from these days. His heart was like a hot water bag, very warm. RenDong buried his head in his chest, feeling his breath for a long time,and suddenly wanted to tell him that he could actually hear the sounds around him.


    He heard Lian Qiao repeating everyday, like a machine, ¡°When will he wake up?¡± He heard the doctor yelling and giving orders to other patients during the rescue. He heard Lian Qiao¡¯s mother say ¡°Give him a shot, drag him over to this bed and don¡¯t let him sleep here¡±, and he heard Lian Qiao¡¯s father angrily scolding Lian Qiao, ¡°What¡¯s the use of knowing what¡¯s wrong now, when he wakes up, kneel down and apologize to him.¡±


    Although he couldn¡¯t feel his body, he knew from Lian Qiao¡¯s ramblings how many tubes of blood had been drawn from him that day, how many needles had been stabbed into him. He knew that Lian Qiao would turn him over and massage him every day to avoid bedsores and muscle atrophy as much as possible. He even vaguely felt that when his heart stopped beating again that Lian Qiao and other doctors came to give him chest compressions, and there seemed to be hot tears falling onto his chest.

 CH 129.2

    Chapter 129 Part 2 ¨C The Will


    Days and nights in the ICU, like a revolving lantern, flashed before RenDong¡¯s eyes. Countless emotions rolled in his chest, and they rose to his mouth, and finally there was only one sentence left to say:


    ¡°I missed you so much.¡±


    Lian Qiao gently stroked his hair. After a long time, a crying ¡°en¡± word came out.


    RenDong raised his head slightly and said, ¡°I want to kiss you but I don¡¯t have the strength.¡±


    Lian Qiao immediately held his face and kissed him.


    The corners of RenDong¡¯s mouth twitched slightly. After kissing enough, he said, ¡°I want to hug you but I don¡¯t have the strength.¡±


    Lian Qiao rolled around on the bed with him in his arms.


    After rolling around enough, RenDong said: ¡°I want to go¡­¡± {Chinese sentence is also the same as saying ¡°I want to be on¡±¡­}


    Lian Qiao suddenly turned pale and covered his mouth: ¡°No, you don¡¯t want it! If you think about it any more, the text will get locked!¡± {Lian Qiao thinks that RenDong is about to say ¡°I want to on top of you¡±/have sex¡­ and yes author is breaking fourth wall again.}


    RenDong: ¡°¡­I just want to go to the bathroom.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    RenDong: ¡°Where did you think I wanted to go?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± Why did you get better at driving after lying down for two months! {Driving is Chinese euphemism for having sex.}


    After that, of course, the two did not drive, but went to the bathroom together in harmony and integrity and then began to watch TV in harmony and integrity.


    After staying in the ICU for a long time, their ears were usually filled with the beeps of various monitors and the sounds of doctors and nurses resuscitating. At this time, RenDong was finally able to watch TV and even the commercials felt particularly good-looking.


    After watching it with gusto for a while, RenDong suddenly remembered something, turned his head and asked, ¡°By the way, how did you get out in the end?¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Lian Qiao was peeling the medicine pills for RenDong and didn¡¯t respond initially when he heard the words, ¡± What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­that¡­¡± RenDong felt that his brain was not bright after a long sleep, and after thinking for a while, he remembered the name of the copy, ¡°¡­ Temple of the Five Internal Organs.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­. oh.¡± Lian Qiao suddenly realized, ¡°That ah. I killed the gentleman and came out.¡±


    RenDong opened his mouth and wanted to ask for details but his heart suddenly twitched, thinking of something more important.


    ¡°You should have used my kidney at that time,¡± RenDong said, ¡°because I was in a coma and wouldn¡¯t be in pain. Besides, at that time, you weren¡¯t sure if you could open the door and leave immediately after sacrificing your kidney. What if there was any other danger? At that time, you are the only fighting force in our team, you shouldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao interrupted him: ¡°I understand the reasoning, but I can¡¯t do it.¡±


    RenDong was taken aback.


    Lian Qiao lowered his head and peeled the oranges. He repeated calmly: ¡°I can¡¯t do it.¡±


    RenDong sighed: ¡°I know you feel bad for me. But you also know that as soon as the instance is released, I will¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao asked: ¡°Then what if it was you?¡±


    RenDong was stunned again.


    Lian Qiao put the orange in his mouth and said with a smile, ¡°If it was you who was awake at the time, would you dig out my kidney?¡±


    It was only now that he suddenly realized ¨C yes, if he switched sides, if he was the one who needed to make a choice at the time, he would also have dug out his kidney without hesitation.


    Injuring Lian Qiao is far more painful than his own injury. He is willing to sacrifice everything for Lian Qiao.


    But on the other hand, when Lian Qiao sacrificed for him, he accused Lian Qiao of being unreasonable?


    What is he doing¡­


    enDong¡¯s heart was filled with self-blame, so he could only sigh and whisper, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Lian Qiao suddenly smiled bitterly: ¡°What are you apologizing for? It¡¯s obviously me who should apologize.


    RenDong was very confused and showed a puzzled look full of question marks. Lian Qiao said, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for me messing around, how could we have fallen from the seventh floor? In the end, it¡¯s all my fault¡­¡±


    So he was talking about this. RenDong smiled and said, ¡°If you didn¡¯t mention it, I would have forgotten.¡±


    Lian Qiao sighed and hugged him. The man in his arms was as thin as a skeleton, which made his heart ache.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to compensate you¡­ When you were in the ICU, I felt that it wouldn¡¯t be a pity if I died 10,000 times but what¡¯s the use of blaming myself, I can¡¯t bear hardships for you, I can¡¯t atone for my sins¡­ really¡­ a kidney is nothing. If it can be exchanged for your safety, I can dig out everything for you¡­¡±


    He was repenting. He was repenting for his reckless impulse but the big mistake had been made  and apology and remorse were useless.


    RenDong¡¯s injuries in reality cannot be fully healed and he can only be nursed slowly. He will be left with sequelae and he will suffer from illness for the rest of his life.


    At this moment, Xu RenDong suddenly had a very strange thought in his heart: he thought, from now on, Lian Qiao will be bound by guilt. Lian Qiao will always be kind to him and never leave him.


    ¡­But is this really good?


    Guilt is a form of self-torture, he knows it well. He also caused Lian Qiao to die tragically because of his own mistakes, because of his doubt, willfulness and ignorance. At that time, he was so guilty that he could not wait to die.


    So he understood Lian Qiao¡¯s current mood very well.


    However, unlike himself, Lian Qiao will not be reborn, he has no chance to make up for his faults, he will always bear this self-blame and become a prisoner willingly.


    This wasn¡¯t fair.


    This was not the love that Xu RenDong wanted.


    So he sighed, rubbed Lian Qiao¡¯s hair, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s not mention this again. Let¡¯s not blame ourselves, okay?¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes turned red: ¡°But¡­¡±


    Xu RenDong thought for a while. After thinking about it, he asked: ¡°Do you still feel sorry for me and want to be punished?¡±


    Lian Qiao nodded.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Then stretch out your hand.¡±


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t even think about it and stretched out his hand obediently.


    Xu RenDong grabbed his hand and took a bite on the back of his hand. Lian Qiao bit his lip in pain but went against his physical instinct and pushed his hand in further, as if hoping that he would bite harder.


    Xu RenDong loosened his teeth, saw the deep teeth marks on the back of Lian Qiao¡¯s hand and said with a smile: ¡°Okay, the penalty has been passed. Let¡¯s turn the page.¡±


    Lian Qiao then remembered what RenDong said to him when he first entered the elevator :


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize. When you get home, I will punish you properly.¡±


    In fact, RenDong never blamed him. Even the so-called punishment just made him feel better.


    The emotions that had been suppressed in his heart these days finally broke through the barrier and rushed out. Lian Qiao threw himself into RenDong¡¯s arms and burst into tears.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s cry made RenDong laugh.


    It was like a child. RenDong hugged him, bowed his head and kissed gently on top of his head.


    After an unknown amount of time, Lian Qiao finally cried enough but still clung to his arms. He was clingy and crooked, unwilling to let go. In fact, RenDong was not willing to let him go either. They haven¡¯t been close to him for so many days and RenDong also missed him terribly.


    It wasn¡¯t until RenDong¡¯s back became sore and he had to shift his body gently. Lian Qiao immediately noticed his exhaustion, so he took a cushion and let him lie down.


    RenDong smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m not so weak. By the way¡ª¡± He remembered the unfinished topic before, ¡°Is the gentleman dead?¡±


    When the gentleman was mentioned, Lian Qiao became angry and gritted his teeth: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he is already dead. He can¡¯t be any more dead!¡±


    RenDong sighed, ¡°I always thought he wouldn¡¯t be able to die.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°This time is different. This time I saw his death on TV.¡±


    ¡°TV?¡± RenDong was quite surprised. Few of the people who died in the instances in the past were featured on TV. The dungeon usually arranges a very natural way of death for the deceased in reality. For example, if Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao failed to clear the customs this time, they would fall from the building and die. Of course, it seems to outsiders that they committed lovers suicide together. They were also homosexuals. Actually if they wanted to be on TV, they probably could.


    Lian Qiao took out his mobile phone: ¡°I¡¯ll show you.¡±


    He clicked on a video, which was a news article from two months ago, which happened to be the day they fell from the building.


    An elementary school teacher was found hanging in the teacher¡¯s apartment, the news said. The door to the room was locked and the only key was in the teacher¡¯s pocket. Along with the key was a suicide note, which was identified as the teacher¡¯s handwriting. This shows that the teacher had indeed committed suicide.


    The more RenDong looked at it, the more furious his heart became.


    Judging from the photos given by the TV station, there is no doubt that the teacher who committed suicide was indeed the gentleman. But¡­ how could he kill himself?


    Why would he kill himself?


    Lian Qiao affirmed: ¡°It is indeed suicide. I also thought it was suspicious, so I asked an acquaintance to go to the police to inquire about the news. It¡¯s confirmed. There is no doubt that it was suicide and the surveillance has proved that it was the gentleman who bought the rope and went inby himself. The house was locked. Unless there are ghosts in the real world, there is no second possibility.¡±


    RenDong was silent for a moment: ¡°I guessed that he was a teacher but he is actually an elementary school teacher¡­ Are the children he teaches okay?¡±


    Lian Qiao smiled: ¡°They¡¯re okay. In fact, he is very cowardly in reality. I have read the suicide note that was in his pocket and it is full of complaints. He was bullied by the parents of the students, suppressed by the leaders of the school and was beaten down by the society. That¡¯s why he wanted to commit suicide. The writing is good and the people who see it will be so sad for him that they will want to cry.¡±


    RenDong felt a surge of anger and scolded: ¡°What¡¯s sad about it!? If you¡¯re shriveled up inside, is there a reason to take revenge on society?¡±


    Lian Qiao shrugged: ¡°It seems that he wanted to pull some people down with him before he died. After this incident was exposed, the media and the Internet scolded those parents and leaders, causing everyone to lose their jobs. It was a big mess. ¡°


    RenDong: ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you take the suicide note?¡±


    Lian Qiao sighed: ¡°It¡¯s useless. This suicide note was brought into the instance from reality. I took it from the instance but it returned to his pocket as soon as he got out of the elevator. He was obviously prepared. If he doesn¡¯t die, he will take revenge on the society in the copy, and if he dies, he will take revenge on the society in reality. Anyway, his mind is dark and he wants to take revenge on society no matter what.¡± He just wished he could beat the gentleman to death a few more times.


    The gentleman¡¯s affair didn¡¯t affect RenDong for long. At night, Lian Qiao¡¯s parents came back. RenDong¡¯s attention was instantly diverted.


    ¡°Lian¡­¡± Facing Lian Qiao¡¯s parents, RenDong stammered for a long time. Several titles were on the tip of his tongue, and finally he could only shout twice, ¡°Director Lian, Director Qiao.¡±


    The two chief directors also felt a little embarrassed. A patient who they gave just personally discharged during the day was waiting for them in their home at night. They also felt that their identities could not be changed for a while and they did not know how to speak to him.


    Lian Qiao quietly squeezed RenDong¡¯s hand under the dining table and said encouragingly: ¡°Don¡¯t be a stranger, you can change the way you call them.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s original intention was to resolve the embarrassment, but he never expected, when the three people present heard this, it was like being struck by lightning.


    RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± What should I call then¡­. father-in-law and mother-in-law or¡­.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s mother: ¡°¡­¡± Am I a mother-in-law or a mother-in-law? {So the MIL on the woman¡¯s side and the MIL on the father¡¯s side is called differently in Chinese.}


    Lian Qiao¡¯s dad: ¡°¡­¡± I don¡¯t even want to know if my son is the top or the bottom, okay?!

 CH 130

    Chapter 130 ¨C Recognizing Relatives


    The two directors looked at each other, both yelling at each with their eyes that the other person should speak first. After some to and fro, Father Lian was defeated. He coughed and changed the subject: ¡°You¡­ how do you feel?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°It¡¯s good. I¡¯m very grateful to you and your wife for your care these days.¡±


    Father Lian: ¡°Cough, we only did what we should. Does your arm still hurt?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore.¡±


    Father Lian: ¡°Have you taken the painkillers?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°I did.¡±


    Some words, once asked, will trigger a specific questioning routine. So Father Lian instinctively asked a series of questions such as ¡°How many painkillers did you take?¡± ¡°Is there any other pain?¡± ¡°Is your chest still tight?¡±


    It sounds like care, but it¡¯s actually just like performing a ward round.


    It was not until RenDong explained his condition from the beginning to the end that Father Lian finished shooting off his questions like a series of bullets, only to realize that his wife and son had already covered their mouths and had been snickering for a long time.


    ¡°What are you laughing at!¡± Father Lian became angry, ¡°I haven¡¯t been to the ICU to do rounds for a few days. Why shouldn¡¯t I ask about the situation!¡±


    ¡°What? Ward rounds? You, a surgeon who makes five-minute ward rounds every day, have the nerve to question our ICU?¡±


    Generally speaking, surgery focuses on surgery, and things outside of surgery are considered extraneous. Especially in the daily work of ward rounds, it¡¯s treated like wind walking. If they could, the surgeons probably would choose to stand at the door of the ward and just shout ¡°Is everything all good?!¡± They all wanted to hurry up and finish the ward rounds so they could go back to surgery.


    ICU was the exact opposite. Each patient had a complex medical history and a serious condition. Not to mention the ceremonial director¡¯s big rounds, even the daily rounds of the junior doctors were so meticulous that they couldn¡¯t wait to analyze the patient from their hair to their fingertips, staring at each patient for a long time.


    Therefore, Mother Lian used these words to attack Father Lian and Father Lian was unable to make a comeback.


    Father Lian was defeated by his wife, so he could only turn his head to take it out on his son: ¡°Why are you laughing!¡± He searched around and quickly found the place where he wanted to add to his sins, ¡°Look at this dish, the soup is clear and watery, how can it be nutritious? Enough? Your¡­ your¡­¡± He was stuck ¡°your¡± for a long time and was embarrassed to say the next words so he had to forcefully change his words, ¡°Xiao-Xu {Little Xu}¡®s bones haven¡¯t healed yet and he lost so much weight in the ICU, why don¡¯t you give him more nutritional support!¡±


    Lian Qiao had expected this trick and immediately took out an ICU nutrition guide. He said cheaply: ¡°I followed the guide to prepare him a meal. Dad, look, tell me what¡¯s inappropriate and I¡¯ll adjust it right away.¡±


    Father Lian: ¡°¡­¡± When did this bastard learn from his mother!


    Oh, that¡¯s right, he has been observing and studying in the ICU for two months. It¡¯s enough time for even a fool to learn something¡­


    At this point, Father Lian felt a subtle jealousy in his heart.


    He and his wife are both busy with work, so they were not very close to their son. Later, his son ran away from home because of work and the parent-child relationship became even more rigid.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s return this time brought them a series of shocks one after another. Fortunately, the two chief directors have been working in the clinic for many years and they have weathered many big storms. Xu RenDong also lived up to their expectations and was discharged from the hospital beautifully. This paragraph finally turned the page. Now they were back to the old problem:


    How to deal with this parent-child relationship?


    Now it seems that his son has been frittering away in the ICU for two months, and his relationship with his mother was growing. This made the old father feel indignant.


    Obviously I came first! I was the one who sent the people to the hospital and I directed the rescue in the emergency room. This director even participated in the compressions himself! How come this stinky boy only remembers his mom!


    Although RenDong didn¡¯t live in their surgery department but, as the chief surgical director who manages all kinds of things every day, he also found time to go to the ICU for ward rounds every week¡­ no, to care and inquire about RenDong! Hasn¡¯t he done enough!


    What¡¯s more, it¡¯s not that he doesn¡¯t know the stupid business of the ICU! Although Mother Lian was the director of the ICU, she only checked the room once a week. Otherwise she was usually writing reports or attending academic conferences. How can she spend so much time in the wards. Usually she will just instruct the ward doctors to keep a close eye on things, what else can she do?


    What can¡¯t be done!


    The more Father Lian thought about it, the more angry he became. He subconsciously exuded the domineering air of a senior director and put down his chopsticks with a gloomy expression.


    Xu RenDong was startled, wondering if the sudden gloom of Father Lian had something to do with him. He glanced at Lian Qiao anxiously, and Lian Qiao immediately protected him like a calf and said, ¡°Dad! Why are you putting on such a fierce face! You¡¯re scaring him!¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s mother knew that this father and son would not handle the parent-child relationship well. Seeing the tense atmosphere, she hurriedly came to the rescue and said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s eat! The dishes are getting cold!¡±


    So everyone ate.


    However, the two chief directors developed a bad habit of eating too fast in the hospital. After about two minutes, the two bowls of white rice were finished.


    Lian Qiao & RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    Seeing the bowl in front of him that had only two or three bites taken out of it, RenDong doubted himself again.


    Do they not want to eat with me¡­


    After the two directors finished eating, they raised their heads one after another. The four pairs of eyes looked at each other, and everyone fell into embarrassment again.


    Everyone has seen the wind and waves, so it stands to reason that they should not be so restrained. But this situation was a little more subtle. RenDong had been hurt by Lian Qiao to his extent. He had just been discharged from their ICU and immediately turned into a new family member who was sitting at a table with them to eat. This change, who can accept it?


    When it comes to emotional intelligence, Lian Qiao mothers EQ¡¯s was a little bit higher. She  thought for a while, switched to the gentle and kind channel and said to Xu RenDong: ¡°Eat more and eat slowly. You have suffered during this period of time. You have lost more than 20 pounds, so you have to make up for it.¡±


    This is true. Xu RenDong was originally a well-proportioned and slender body. After struggling in the ICU for so long, he had already lost his human form. Lian Qiao¡¯s mother was used to seeing such patients, so she was very active in adding vegetables to his bowl and began to teach Lian Qiao what to cook for him these days.


    Lian Qiao nodded again and again.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s mother¡¯s gentle and kind advice reminded RenDong of the director of his orphanage. The dean was like a mother¡¯s existence to him and, at this time, Mother Lian¡­ Xu RenDong can¡¯t really describe how he feels. A little flattered, and a little sad.


    He thought that if Zhong Xiu was still alive, she might have touched his arm like this and said distressedly that you are thin and you are suffering.


    The three chatted at home and the atmosphere quickly became harmonious, with a little sense of home. Only the father was left aside.


    The anger was already over, he just didn¡¯t know what to say.


    He is used to his identity as the head of the department. Usually he is making official statements or giving doctor¡¯s advice. It feels strange to say anything in this situation. He was never a doctor who would pretend to comfort patients. For him, the most important thing is to do the surgery well and let the patient recover and leave the hospital as soon as possible. As for the appeasement conversation, that¡¯s a matter for the junior doctor¡¯s below him. He didn¡¯t even have time to do the surgery, how could he have time to chat with people?


    Fortunately, Director Lian is a department director after all and his learning ability is still very strong. After some observation, he immediately summed up his wife¡¯s speaking routine.


    Heh, wasn¡¯t it just being concerned with their lives?


    Eat well, dress well, have fun, don¡¯t worry about money, don¡¯t worry about sickness.


    It¡¯s easy, I can do it too!


    Eating, clothing, travel, and illness have all been discussed by his wife, so there is only one choice left!


    Director Lian was very happy and said happily, ¡°Xiao-Xu¡­¡±


    RenDong and Mother Lian were chatting warml, but when Director Lian cue-ed in , he immediately responded politely: ¡°Yes?¡±


    Father Lian: ¡°Where are you staying tonight?¡±


    RenDong: ¡°¡­?¡± Does this mean you want to drive me away?


    Mother Lian: ¡°?¡± Of course he¡¯s going to live in our house, where else?


    Lian Qiao: ¡°???¡± Of course he¡¯s going to live in my room, where else?


    The three looked at each other and the atmosphere dropped to freezing point in an instant.


    Director Lian: ¡°???¡± What¡¯s wrong, what did I say wrong?


    Although Lian Qiao¡¯s parents are two-stringed clubs, it was clear that Lian Qiao¡¯s father had a lower emotional intelligence and was a mace.


    Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t bear it any longer, and suppressed his anger: ¡°Dad! Are you full? I¡¯ll give you another bowl of rice!¡±


    Father Lian was surprised: ¡°I¡¯m full.¡±


    Mother Lian: ¡°No, you¡¯re not.¡± She filled his rice bowl with another bowl of vegetables.


    Father Lian stared at the hill-like rice bowl and fell into deep thought. After a while, he suddenly realized:


    Oh, they were trying to shut him up!


    After some failed parent-child communication, Father Lian accepted his fate. He felt that he should not pretend to be polite to his son.


    He was used to being a director and a leader, but had never learned how to be a father. Now things had turned out like this, the existing son hadn¡¯t been settled yet and another son had fallen from the sky.


    His own son was so angry that he ran away from home. Then this porcelain son who fell from the sky was very fragile. He was recovering from a serious illness and had a history of heart disease, so he should not be neglected.


    It¡¯s better to stop playing house and go back to the hospital to be on duty.


    Father Lian pretended to answer a phone call. His acting skills were extremely poor, saying that there was an emergency operation in the hospital, and he was going to go. He told RenDong to  eat slowly and recuperate. Before leaving, he felt that the meal was extremely pitiful and didn¡¯t show the honor of being an elder. So he deliberately turned back and stuffed a big red envelope into Xu RenDong¡¯s hand.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­?¡±


    Director Lian suddenly regained the confidence of being an elder and a director, and returned to the hospital to work overtime confidently.


    After Father Lian left, Mother Lian suddenly felt that she was alone. She actually doesn¡¯t know how to get along with Xu RenDong. After all, Xu RenDong has been seen by her from  inside  to  outside. Now she feels uncomfortable when she sees Xu RenDong in clothes.


    Not long after, Mother Lian also made an excuse and left the house. Both she and her husband acted like model workers.


    In the end, there was only RenDong and Lian Qiao left in the family.


    The surroundings suddenly quieted down. RenDong and Lian Qiao looked at each other, first with a wry smile, then burst into laughter.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind them, my parents have some problems with their brain circuits.¡± Lian Qiao said a little proudly, ¡°I¡¯m the only normal person in our family.¡±


    RenDong suddenly remembered that when they first met, he was also accused of having a strange brain circuit. Lian Qiao repeatedly complained about it. He couldn¡¯t help but sighed: ¡°No wonder you behaved so cordially when you saw me¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°?¡±


    RenDong thought about it and laughed.


    After the meal was over, Lian Qiao started to clear the table. RenDong wanted to help but his bones hadn¡¯t healed yet and Lian Qiao refused to let him do any housework. He could only swing his arms around, watching Lian Qiao wash the dishes nimbly.


    ¡°Do you usually cook and wash dishes in your family?¡± Xu RenDong, leaning on the refrigerator, suddenly asked.


    Lian Qiao turned on the tap. The warm water washed away the oil on his hands. He washed the dishes skillfully and said casually: ¡°Yes. My parents and two clinicians work night shifts every five days on average, and they can¡¯t come back after night shifts. It¡¯s normal to stay in the hospital for fifty or sixty hours. It¡¯s normal for me not to see them for four or five days.¡±


    ¡°Since childhood?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Lian Qiao raised his face, showing a look of memory, ¡°It¡¯s been since I can remember. My mother gave birth to me late and, after giving birth, wanted to catch up in her career so she only took a month off for breastfeeding. So after a month, I was weaned and lived with my grandparents when I was young. Later, when my grandparents left, I moved here.¡± The memory on his face gradually became more smug and his tone was brisk, ¡°I was in elementary school at that time. Heh, I was already omnipotent when it came to housework! Cooking, washing clothes, mopping the floor, I can do anything, I was so smart!¡±


    He became more and more proud, turned his head and smiled and said, ¡°So you don¡¯t have to worry about housework in the future! Just leave it to me. You just do what you like.¡±


    RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± He had a complicated expression and, after several hesitations, he finally told what was in his heart, ¡°¡­you have both parents, how could you live such a childhood? It¡¯s not even as good as mine.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± After thinking about it, it was indeed true.


    The two were silent for a moment. They looked at each other and suddenly laughed again.


    ¡°Forget it.¡± Lian Qiao wiped the water droplets on his face, smiling with frowning eyes, ¡°Anyway, the two of us will become a small family in the future. We depend on each other and no one will be left out.¡±


    Xu RenDong looked at him and smiled warmly. Suddenly his heart moved. He walked over, quietly, resting his head on his shoulder.


    Lian Qiao turned his face sideways and kissed the tip of his nose lightly. But he heard a sigh.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    RenDong: ¡°I want to hug you. But it can¡¯t be lifted.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­?¡±


    He was blank for a few seconds before realizing what RenDong was referring to. Then he yelled: ¡°That¡¯s not called ¡®it can¡¯t be lifted¡¯, it¡¯s just because your hand is broken so you can¡¯t lift it up!¡±


    Xu RenDong was stunned, and it was only then that he realized that he had said the wrong thing. Immediately, his face became hot and a sweet blush spread from his ears to the tip of his eyebrows.


    He bit Lian Qiao¡¯s ear: ¡°I have a bad brain, forgive me.¡± The voice was low and soft, scratching Lian Qiao¡¯s eardrum like a kitten¡¯s claws.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s rational brain string was broken in an instant.


    Then the whole kitchen scene became indescribable.


    ***


    T/N: Unfortunately that¡¯s the end of the lovey-dovey interlude and a new arc begins next chapter.

 CH 131

    Chapter 131 ¨C 1992-2020


    This is actually the last arc but don¡¯t get too excited because there are a whopping 77 chapters in this arc haha, followed by some wrap up chapters.


    RenDong lived in Lian Qiao¡¯s house for a long time and his physical condition improved day by day.


    With nothing to do, RenDong began to play games with Lian Qiao. RenDong himself was not very interested in games. He has lived for more than 20 years and has hardly touched video games, so his skill was terrible. However, with the experience of the ghost dungeons, RenDong was very handy when it came to playing puzzle games.


    Lian Qiao had to deliberately guide and patiently cultivate his game awareness. When RenDong discovered this, he thought sadly: It¡¯s over, he has finally discovered the fact that I¡¯m a rookie.


    In their spare time, the two would also discuss the ghost instances.


    The Temple of the Five Organs was their sixth instance. It was already difficult to pass that one, what will happen in the seventh instance?


    Although the existence of the gentleman made the Temple of the Five Organs a lot more difficult, even if there was no gentleman, the dungeon itself was very difficult. After all, clearing the instance requires sacrificing organs, which forced them to fight each other. Under this premise, there is not much difference whether the gentlemen was there or not.


    The gentlemen simply liked to torture people before eviscerating them. It was really the instance that wanted them to die!


    ¡°Speaking of which¡­¡± Lian Qiao thoughtfully while peeling the fruit, ¡°Isn¡¯t that instance of the Nine Linked Rings the last level for Shi JianChuan? I think now that that instance was actually quite difficult. If it weren¡¯t for having Shi JianChuan as a plug-in, how would we clear the instance?¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded. Not to mention those ghosts with high combat power, just collecting rings with debuffs was an impossible task for just the two of them.


    For them, the fifth level¡¯s difficulty greatly decreased due the existence of Shi JianChuan and the subsequent dungeons will also become more and more difficult.


    It was simply horrific.


    These days, every time the two talk about the instances, there is a faint haze in their hearts. Lian Qiao worried about how to explain to their parents if something happened to the two of them. RenDong was worried about how many times he would have to die tragically before he could find a way out.


    Suffering is certain. RenDong figured it out and saw through it.


    Rebirth healed his body and could even heal his heart. In a sense, he is invincible.


    It¡¯s just that this ¡°invincibility¡±¡­ was quite miserable.


    While cultivating game awareness, RenDong was also working hard to exercise. However, he has just recovered from a serious illness and his so-called exercise was only at the level of ¡°rehabilitation¡±. Lian Qiao didn¡¯t dare to let him use too much force. After all, almost half of the bones in his body were broken. If the old injury recurred when the dungeon was approaching, it would not be worth the loss.


    After the discussion, Lian Qiao decided to write a suicide note first, explaining his legacy clearly. Since he couldn¡¯t give his parents an explanation, he could only give them a sum of money.


    RenDong knew that the two of them would survive under his rebirth plug-in, but in order to cooperate with Lian Qiao, he also wanted to write a suicide note and donate all the money he had saved over the years to the orphanage.


    The two hid their suicide notes and lived as usual.


    After RenDong got better, the two of them picked a day with good weather and went to X University to visit Shi JianChuan. They wanted to ask the real boss who has cleared the instances, what advice he has for them. It would be even better if he had some leftover treasures to pass onto them, since they were useless to him anyway.


    Unexpectedly, Shi JianChuan has a habit of indulging in vices during the daytime. He was unable to get up and refused to see guests.


    Since it was a matter of life and death,  Lian Qiao didn¡¯t care so much and continued to knock madly on the door. The two inside grew impatient by his rushing them and finally opened the door a crack. With a flushed face and uneven breathing, Shi JianChuan stuck his head out from the crack of the door, his long and narrow eyebrows drenched in a dissatisfied blush. He scolded Lian Qiao extremely violently and then spread his hands.


    ¡°Don¡¯t have anything. After the instance released me, I¡¯ve used up all my props and I have nothing left.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao wanted to ask more but Shi JianChuan said impatiently: ¡°What else is there to ask? If you really have no more options, why don¡¯t you just use the key?¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s muscles in the corners of his eyes twitched imperceptibly. Xu RenDong was stunned for a second and then he remembered that they still had a brass key of unknown use.


    ¡°What is the key for?¡± Xu RenDong asked.


    When he said these words, Shi JianChuan seemed to remember something. There was a hint of hidden meaning in his eyes. The corner of his mouth twitched and he glanced at Lian Qiao if he didn¡¯t know anything and said, ¡°The key, of course, is used to open the lock.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°What lock? Where is it?¡±


    Shi JianChuan: ¡°When you encounter it, you will naturally know.¡±


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t help frowning slightly. These words were the equivalent of saying nothing at all and it was obvious that he was deliberately hiding something. With Shi JianChuan¡¯s sly personality, he knew that this person liked to cheat. So if he doesn¡¯t want to say something, even if you kill him, he won¡¯t say it.


    The point is that they really can¡¯t beat him. Otherwise, even if there was no way to extort a confession by torture, it would feel very good to beat him up just to vent his anger.


    Shi JianChuan didn¡¯t want to say any more. A jade-white arm stretched out from the door and hooked him back. Although the arm was a little weirdly white, its muscles were strong and graceful. It obviously belonged to a sturdy young man.


    RenDong and Lian Qiao left the indescribable office, thinking about the key all the way back.


    Lian Qiao was driving the car and, when he looked in the mirror, he found that RenDong was in the passenger seat studying the brass key. RenDong¡¯s fingers slowly stroked the word ¡°Lian Qiao¡± engraved on it and suddenly said, ¡°This key must be very important to you.¡±


    Lian Qiao was inexplicably panicked and some unspeakable emotions flashed in his eyes. . He moved his lips but didn¡¯t speak for a moment. It took him a long time to reply with the word ¡°En¡±.


    RenDong sighed softly: ¡°It¡¯s a pity that there are too few clues.¡±


    Lian Qiao rarely talked to him out of whimsy. He just stared at the road ahead and said lightly: ¡°Even if you find that lock, you still don¡¯t know what¡¯s behind it. Don¡¯t think too much about it, let¡¯s take it step by step.¡±


    There was no other way. Xu RenDong had no choice but to nod.


    The deadline for entering the instance was getting closer and closer. The two are busy preparing. After all, RenDong was young and his body recovered quickly. Coupled with the scientific guidance of the ICU nutrition guide, his physical strength greatly improved.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s parents rarely came home so, although he lived in Lian Qiao¡¯s house, he rarely met the two chief directors. One night, Lian Qiao¡¯s mother solemnly called RenDong into a room, closed the door and chatted for a long time. RenDong looked weird when he came out but Lian Qiao¡¯s mother was relieved, with joy written all over her face.


    Lian Qiao nervously pulled RenDong aside and asked what his mother said to him.


    RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± He took out two boxes of things from his pocket, stared at Lian Qiao faintly and said, ¡°Your mother asked me to take protective measures to protect myself.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°???¡± Lian Qiao looked at the printed words ¡®ultra-thin 0.01¡¯. He felt heat burst in front of his eyes and couldn¡¯t help becoming angry. He said, ¡°Damn! What does she mean! Can¡¯t she trust her own son? She thinks I would go out to play around?¡±


    After he said that he began to swear more and wanted to go find his mother to prove his innocence.


    ¡°Hey, wait!¡± RenDong laughed at him, ¡°That¡¯s not what she meant. Your mother said, even if you are not sick, that¡­ the mucous membrane is relatively fragile and easy to wear out. And¡­ there is a pollution channel. If it becomes broken, it will easily get infected so it¡¯s better to lubricate and protect¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s head hurt when he heard this.


    ¡°What the hell¡­¡± His face was hot and he muttered in a low voice, ¡°How can my mother not be embarrassed to tell you this, even if she¡¯s not embarrassed to say it, I¡¯m embarrassed to listen!¡±


    RenDong looked at the tips of his slightly red ears and felt that Lian Qiao was very cute. Suddenly thinking of playing with him, he stared into his eyes and said seriously: ¡°Your mother also said that the dirt is not only infectious diseases, but also bacteria and fungi. She told you to¡­ wash more before use and it¡¯s even better if you can use alcohol to disinfect it.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± Just listening to it makes me feel cold.


    Is this really his real mother? Was he adopted?!


    Lian Qiao was in a trance when RenDong suddenly asked, ¡°By the way, where is your suicide note?¡±


    ¡°Here.¡± Lian Qiao stretched out his hand and took down a book on the shelf, which contained his suicide note, ¡°¡­what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Xu RenDong said, ¡°I thought about it and we should destroy the suicide note. ¡°


    Lian Qiao¡¯s hand slammed through the book.


    ¡°No matter how well written the suicide note is, it can¡¯t make up for the pain of losing a child.¡± RenDong took out his suicide note from his pocket, rubbed the envelope lightly with his fingers and then tore it mercilessly, ¡°We must come out alive.¡±


    Lian Qiao stared at him and then gradually raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°You finally¡­¡±


    Before he finished speaking, Lian Qiao stopped.


    Xu RenDong looked at him inquiringly. Lian Qiao shook his head with a smile, didn¡¯t speak, just tore up his suicide note. Then he came over and hugged him and said, ¡°Okay. We must come out alive.¡±


    ¡­


    The calm days passed by and it was finally time to enter the last instance.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s parents happened to be absent that day. The two of them put on their backpacks, packed all the equipment they could imagine and waited quietly for the arrival of the elevator at the home.


    At eleven o¡¯clock in the evening, the air suddenly stagnated.


    A silver-white elevator suddenly appeared in the living room. Everything around seemed to have changed but at the same time it seemed that nothing had changed. The elevator was close at hand. The two stood up from the sofa and Lian Qiao even picked two strawberries from the coffee table fruit bowl.


    One was stuffed into his mouth and the other was handed to RenDong¡¯s mouth.


    RenDong opened his mouth to eat. It was a fresh winter strawberry, which had a refreshing sweetness and slid all the way into the stomach from the tip of the tongue.


    ¡°It¡¯s delicious.¡± Lian Qiao said.


    RenDong smiled slightly: ¡°When we come out, go buy some more.¡±


    Lian Qiao squeezed his hand and said yes with a smile. So the two were no longer nostalgic, took a deep breath, raised their legs and stepped into the elevator.


    As soon as the two stepped into the elevator, the door closed automatically and then there was the low sound of a motor running around. This scene was very familiar, as if it has been experienced thousands of times.


    In the low roar of the elevator, neither of them spoke, but held each other¡¯s hands tightly.


    Soon, a few large characters appeared out of thin air in front of the two of them.


    ¡ª¡ª¡±1992-2020.¡±


    That string of numbers was like a projection, hanging in the air without any support. The two stared at the numbers for a while, both slightly startled.


    ¡°This is¡­?¡± Lian Qiao didn¡¯t know what to think then his expression changed slightly. He turned his head and asked RenDong, ¡°You were born in 1992¡­ right?¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded solemnly.


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t speak anymore, just bit his lip and lowered his eyes.


    1992-2020.


    1992 was RenDong¡¯s birthday and 2020 is this year.


    Then, 1992-2020¡­ Before he could think too much, RenDong suddenly exclaimed in a low voice: ¡°Lian Qiao!¡±


    Lian Qiao raised his head, only to see RenDong looking down at his palm. He saw that the white jade-like hand was unexpectedly becoming smaller at a speed visible to the naked eye!


    This scene seemed familiar. Lian Qiao¡¯s pupils shrank and he looked at his body subconsciously. His body has not changed in any way and was still the size of an adult.


    However, just as he blinked, RenDong had shrunk at an astonishing speed. The jacket and sweatpants all slipped off the body and RenDong had to hold on to it. His now immature face was flushed red.


    RenDong spoke again, his voice already as shrill as a child¡¯s: ¡°Why is it only me this time!¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± He was also at a loss and could only helplessly watch RenDong shrinking and shrinking.


    Shrinking to the point where the small hands can¡¯t hold the belt anymore and the short legs can¡¯t support the body.


    Shrinking to the point that the whole person has become a dry and thin mass, his little face is purplish red. He had a mouth but no teeth and when he opens his mouth he can only cry.


    ¡°Waaaa¡ª¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± He can¡¯t even speak?!


    RenDong¡¯s shrinking speed is unbelievable but at least he stopped at the infant stage. Otherwise, Lian Qiao is really worried that if he shrank more, he would turn into a fertilized egg. How can he take care of him then ¨C keep him in a water bottle?!


    Lian Qiao hurriedly picked up the baby and wrapped him in clothes. The clothes still had the body temperature of RenDong but RenDong¡¯s body had turned into a purplish baby.


    It¡¯s so ugly¡­


    Although rationality told Lian Qiao that all newborn babies are like this since after all, they had just been pushed through a birth canal¡­ however this was really too ugly!


    Dry and shriveled, with wrinkled skin, like an old purple potato.


    Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t accept that his handsome  partner had turned into a purple potato! And this purple potato can¡¯t speak yet, only knows how to cry!


    ¡°Waaaaa¡ª¡± When Wrinkled Purple Potato cried, his eyes and mouth huddled together, making him even uglier.


    The baby¡¯s cry echoed loudly especially in a small space like an elevator. The sound waves bounced back and forth, shaking Lian Qiao¡¯s brain.


    Just at this moment, the elevator door suddenly opened, startling Lian Qiao. Lian Qiao was shocked to find that he didn¡¯t hear the usual ¡°ding¡± sound, because all the sounds around him were drowned out by the crying!


    Why are you crying!


    Lian Qiao was at a loss for a long while holding the crying purple potato and finally decided: Who cares, let¡¯s go out and see what¡¯s going on first. No matter how noisy it was, this was  RenDong. He had to take good care of him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I will definitely take you out.¡± Lian Qiao touched Little RenDong¡¯s wrinkled face, wanting to give him a soothing kiss. However, after doing psychological construction for a long time, he still couldn¡¯t kiss.


    What¡¯s with this feeling of being a dad¡­


    Lian Qiao sighed in his heart, gave up struggling, hugged the baby and stepped out of the elevator.


    The next second, his hands were empty.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lian Qiao looked at his empty hands in shock.


    Where¡¯s ¨C Ren -Dong -?


    Did he really become a fertilized egg?!

 CH 132

    Lian Qiao looked around in horror and found himself in the open snow. The goose feather snow slapped randomly on his face and quickly melted into water.


    Lian Qiao wiped the snow on his face in a trance and his heart throbbed. The alarm bells in his head rang loudly.


    RenDong!


    RenDong ¨C where did you go?!


    There was no sticky feeling in his hands. Obviously, RenDong did not really become a fertilized egg, but disappeared from his hands into thin air.


    Lian Qiao looked around in a panic and, except for the vast white earth, there was no shadow of RenDong. Naturally, the elevator has long since disappeared and there are no roads or footprints around. It was as if he was the only person left in this world, accompanied by only the deep-seated cold.


    That, and anxiety.


    RenDong has turned into a baby ¨C where will he go? Where can he go?


    How could he disappear¡­


    1992-2020, what does it mean, is it really as he guessed¡­


    Lian Qiao can¡¯t think about it. In any case, the priority is to find RenDong!


    He forced himself to calm down but his frantic heartbeat still couldn¡¯t stop. The exhaled air turned into a white mist and the snow under his feet was cold and soft, making a rustling sound when he stepped on it, giving off an unreal feeling.


    Lian Qiao walked forward with one foot deep and one foot shallow. He didn¡¯t really know where to go, he just didn¡¯t want to stay where he was.


    It was late at night, it was snowing again and the temperature was terribly low. The goose feather snow fell one after another, and soon two small piles of snow accumulated on Lian Qiao¡¯s shoulders.


    Fortunately, it was also winter in the real world when they entered the elevator, so Lian Qiao was not too cold in his jacket. He was just worried about RenDong.


    Lian Qiao held a strong flashlight high and shouted as he walked: ¡°RenDong ¨C where are you ¨C RenDong ¨C Xu ¨C RenDong ¨C Dong -¡°


    His bare hands were red from the cold and the tips of the fingers seemed to be split, numb and painful. Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t care less about the cold and called out to RenDong. Soon, there was a yellow halo from the corner of his eyes. The warm yellow light, like that seen by the little match girl before her death, gave an unreal warmth.


    The snow melted on the eyelashes, soaking the vision. Lian Qiao rubbed his eyes with his frozen hands and looked intently, but the halo was gone.


    Whatever that halo was, it was a clue. Lian Qiao walked towards there subconsciously but his ears suddenly caught an unusual sound.


    Cha, Cha, Cha, Cha.


    Footsteps?


    Lian Qiao turned his head sideways but was blinded by a flash of light. He subconsciously raised his hand to cover it, squinting his eyes from the gap between his fingers to look at the person coming.


    He saw a young woman in a down jacket, holding her mobile phone as a flashlight, staggering towards this side.


    ¡°Hey! You are also a player, right!¡± The only person who would ask this question was also a player.


    However, Lian Qiao frowned and said nothing.


    Although he was in a hurry to find RenDong just now, he was on guard all the way and was always vigilant. Although this wilderness was snowing heavily and the visibility was extremely poor, it was still open and there was nothing to block it. Whilst he was so vigilant, how could this woman suddenly appear at a distance of no more than ten meters from him?


    Was this woman human or ghost?


    Do ghosts lie nowadays?


    After all, people always lie, so why can¡¯t ghosts fool people?


    Lian Qiao silently clenched the crowbar in his backpack, thinking that whether you are a human or a ghost, if you dare to hinder me from finding that person, I will kill you.


    The girl ran in front of him and when she saw his hands in the backpack, she knew that he was guarding himself. She opened her eyes wide and round and said, ¡°Why are you so nervous? I don¡¯t want to do anything to you. Have you seen anyone else? How difficult is this instance?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Lian Qiao squinted at her. This was a girl in her twenties, young and energetic.  Her cheeks were red from the cold, like a small apple. If that¡¯s the case, just call her Little Apple.


    Little Apple pursed her lips, looking puffed up: ¡°Can you put away your weapons first? How can  I talk to you like this?¡±


    Lian Qiao saw that the girl was empty-handed and she didn¡¯t seem to have anything hidden on her body. But that was by appearances only. Who knows if she can do Wing Chun or Preying Mantis First or something {names of martial arts styles}, after all, no ordinary person can survive this dungeon.


    Therefore, Lian Qiao shook his head very frankly: ¡°No. Who knows whether you are a human or a ghost.¡±


    Little Apple was speechless for a while, and then pouted: ¡°You big man, you are actually afraid of me like this, really¡­¡± She snorted. Then she changed the subject and said, ¡°By the way, have you seen that house?¡±


    ¡°The house?¡± Lian Qiao subconsciously remembered the warm yellow halo he had just glimpsed. Thinking about it now, it did seem to have the outline of a house.


    ¡°It was behind you.¡± Little Apple scratched her head, ¡°It was there just now but when I ran over, it disappeared. What happened?¡±


    Lian Qiao was stunned.


    The halo he had just seen was from the south and Little Apple came from the west but said the house was behind him¡ªwhich was north?


    This was the wrong direction.


    Is the location of the house erratic, or¡­


    Lian Qiao was lost in thought. Little Apple suddenly shouted: ¡°Hey! There¡¯s the house again!¡±


    Lian Qiao suddenly looked up and saw a big brightly lit house standing in the misty snow. The yellow halo looks extra warm in the snowy night, making people want to get close involuntarily.


    And this time, the house was on the east side.


    Lian Qiao was confident that his sense of direction would not be wrong. He already had an answer faintly in his heart and walked quickly towards the east.


    Little Apple quickly followed.


    Sure enough, they didn¡¯t go far to the east before the big house with the yellow lights suddenly disappeared again.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Little Apple rubbed her eyes in disbelief.


    Lian Qian looked around, pointed to the south and said, ¡°It¡¯s there.¡±


    Little Apple was stunned: ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t intend to explain and just hurried forward. Little Apple didn¡¯t know that he was in a hurry to find RenDong and just thought he was being reckless and couldn¡¯t help saying: ¡°Slow down! Maybe there are some clues on the road¡­ Hey! Wait!¡±


    Lian Qiao asked impatiently: ¡°Why?!¡±


    Little Apple said angrily: ¡°There is blood on the ground! Didn¡¯t you see it?!¡±


    Sure enough, in the white snow, there were bloodstains all the way. The blood seemed to be fresh and hot, as if it had just dripped down, melting the thick snow into holes. The amount of bleeding was huge and it looked shocking.


    The direction of the bloodstain was consistent with the location of the house, as if it were guiding them somewhere. But is the road ahead safe or uncertain?


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t even look back and said coldly, ¡°I¡¯m not blind, of course I saw it.¡±


    Seeing that he was walking non-stop, Little Apple still chased him towards the house and walked along the blood trail. She couldn¡¯t help but say angrily: ¡°What are you doing in such a hurry! Are you in a hurry to reincarnate?! You don¡¯t even know anything about the house and you¡¯re desperately chasing after it. What if there are ghosts in it!¡±


    During the conversation, the location of the house changed again. Lian Qiao moved for a while, and looked around for the location of the house. Little Apple chased after him angrily and grabbed him.


    ¡°Hey! Can you calm down? What are you in a hurry for?¡±


    Lian Qiao was extremely irritable and threw her hand away: ¡°Don¡¯t bother me! I¡¯m looking for someone!¡±


    Little Apple suddenly realized: ¡°You are separated from your friend. What do they look like?¡±


    When Lian Qiao heard this, he hurriedly asked, ¡°Have you seen someone else on the way here?¡±


    ¡°Someone else¡­¡± Little Apple¡¯s expression was a little hesitant.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s heart sank and he quickly caught the unbearable look in her eyes: ¡°¡­is it a corpse?¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Little Apple nodded and then semiled. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. Tell me about your friend first. ?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°It¡¯s a baby. A boy.¡±


    Little Apple: ¡°¡­?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°A crimson-purple, ugly newborn baby.¡±


    Little Apple¡¯s face was weird: ¡°You¡­ your son?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± He wanted to say that it was his ¡®person¡¯ but he couldn¡¯t.


    He never thought that when he came out to his parents, he could confidently say that RenDong was his person but now that RenDong has become a purple potato, he can¡¯t say it anymore!


    Ai! He is a shameless dog!


    The two looked at each other with mixed feelings for a moment. Little Apple gave up and coughed twice: ¡°Okay, then that dead person was not your friend. It was an ordinary adult woman¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao felt relieved when he heard that it was a woman. But RenDong was still missing and the string in his heart could never be loosened.


    ¡°Thank you for telling me this.¡± Lian Qiao slowed down and stepped towards the house that had changed positions again, ¡°But I still have to find him.¡±


    Little Apple followed. She found that Lian Qiao¡¯s footsteps slowed down a little and it was less difficult for her to follow.


    Was this a reward for my information?


    Little Apple chuckled.


    The house changed position every few minutes but you just had to walk towards the halo and the house would be slightly closer to them each time it appeared.


    The two walked quickly in the snow for a while and they could already see that it was a small two-story western-style bungalow. Although it was a western-style building, it looks very dilapidated, like it was some years old. There is also a yard in front of the western-style building, surrounded by a low wall.


    Lian Qiao felt that this bungalow looked familiar, but he couldn¡¯t remember where he had seen it before.


    There was more and more blood on the ground. It was as if an invisible person was always walking in front of them, bleeding all the way, guiding them with blood. Very dedicated.


    But no matter how fast they walked, they could never catch up with that person. The bungalow was already close at hand.


    The closer he got to the bungalow, the more nervous Little Apple became. She had no equipment on her body and no fighting power, so she could only rely on Lian Qiao, whom she had met by chance. However, Lian Qiao was obviously looking for RenDong and wouldn¡¯t distract himself to protect her. In case there is really something in that western bungalow, she can only rely on herself.


    Now the western bungalow was already fifty meters away. When the bungalow changed its position again, Little Apple took the time to ask: ¡°Can you give me a weapon? If something happens, I can help you.¡±


    Lian Qiao was searching for the house¡¯s new position. He reached into the backpack nonchalantly and took out a watermelon knife.


    Although the watermelon knife was not 40 meters long, it was sharp enough. Cutting a human head was not much more laborious than cutting a watermelon and it can be said to be a good weapon for killing people.


    Little Apple took it in horror and stammered: ¡°You, is your bag full of knives¡­¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Lian Qiao answered simply and simply. At the same time, he took out a crowbar simply and efficiently. He answered her question with action, ¡°Not only knives but also this.¡±


    Little Apple couldn¡¯t help staring at the crowbar. After confirming that there was no human blood or human hair on it, she breathed a sigh of relief. But on second thought, the person who would bring so many weapons into an instance must be a violent instance clearance individual, the crowbar could have been washed and there might be any number of lives upon it.


    Little Apple suddenly felt that the watermelon knife in her hand was also heavier than a thousand tons, and it was like the weight of a dead person.


    Lian Qiao glanced at her coolly: ¡°What?¡±


    Little Apple: ¡°No¡­¡± She shuddered and quickly changed the subject, ¡°Look! The house has appeared!¡±


    Lian Qiao ignored her and turned to face the bungalow and ran away.


    Seeing his back in a hurry to find his son, Little Apple couldn¡¯t help but sigh: Although this man is a bit reckless, he is still a really good father!

 CH 133

    Chapter 133 ¨C 1992-2020


    The two rushed to the front of the small courtyard of the bungalow, only to see that the courtyard door was locked tightly and there was an unknown dark mass on the ground at the door.


    Little Apple couldn¡¯t help but slow down. Lian Qiao was overjoyed when he saw it and ran over like crazy.


    ¡°RenDong!¡±


    He rushed over to pick up the baby but his face suddenly changed. Little Apple leaned over and asked curiously: ¡°This is your son?¡±


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t answer but just patted the baby¡¯s face lightly. He said with a trembling voice: ¡°RenDong¡­ RenDong, wake up¡­¡±


    Little Apple turned to the baby. Look, the baby¡¯s eyes were closed and it was already purple with cold. The entire little face was wrinkled into a ball, it was ugly as hell.


    No matter how Lian Qiao called it, the baby remained motionless, as if dead.


    Little Apple patted him on the shoulder: ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Lian Qiao ignored her. All his attention was on RenDong and he was terrified.


    Little RenDong never responded. Lian Qiao tremblingly reached to measure his breathing but couldn¡¯t feel it because his fingers were too cold. He bit his lip and reached into the jacket that wrapped the baby. On the slender neck of the little RenDong, he actually felt a slight pulse that was almost non-existent.


    RenDong was alive!


    Lian Qiao showed ecstasy, quickly tore off his coat and stuffed RenDong into it. Then he raised his foot and kicked the courtyard door.


    ¡°Open the door! Open the door quickly! Open the door!¡±


    In the brightly lit small bungalow, there seemed to be a figure flickering in front of the window. Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t wait, took out a crowbar and smashed the door lock and ran into the house.


    Little Apple was stunned by these actions and thought: Lian Qiao was really violent. Wouldn¡¯t this trigger a death trap?


    The baby was so frozen that it is obvious that he can¡¯t live anymore, but Lian Qiao still doesn¡¯t give up, which shows that a father¡¯s love is like a mountain!


    She guessed it was probably the only son left by his deceased wife¡­


    Little Apple was thinking about it and was about to raise her legs to follow, when she suddenly felt her feet go numb. An unspeakable coldness rushed straight from the soles of her feet to the sky, making her want to shiver, but¡ª


    She couldn¡¯t shiver.


    Not only her feet, but her hands, her face and her lips couldn¡¯t move at all. The biting cold froze her whole body and she clearly felt that her heartbeat was getting slower and slower, and the oxygen in her blood was getting less and less.


    The whole world seemed to freeze. Whether it¡¯s herself or Lian Qiao who was running wildly.


    In the yard, the two people stood fixedly in place, like ice sculptures.


    Snowflakes were still falling, landing on her eyelashes and on Lian Qiao¡¯s hair. However, the snowflakes will not melt anymore, because the body temperature of these two people was lower than that of ice and snow.


    The last scene she saw was a middle-aged woman coming out of the bungalow, with a kind and frightened face.


    Then. Click.


    Click, click, click, click.


    Both ice sculptures were broken.


    ¡­


    The elevator was running quietly and smoothly, and suddenly it shook slightly.


    This was something that happened every time and Lian Qiao was used to it. But RenDong couldn¡¯t seem to get used to it, because every time the elevator vibrated, he would gasp in shock.


    It was the same this time.


    Lian Qiao looked at RenDong, meeting his dazed eyes. Lian Qiao was about to comfort him but then RenDong opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something.


    Lian Qiao stopped and waited for him to speak.


    However, after waiting for a long time, RenDong only moved his lips, unable to say anything. There was an unspeakable emotion in his eyes, as though thousands of words lingered on the tip of his tongue but in the end he only said one inexplicable sentence.


    ¡°Do you still remember why I couldn¡¯t forgive Zhong Xiu?¡±


    Lian Qiao was in a daze when he saw that RenDong suddenly began to shrink. In the blink of an eye, he shrank into a baby.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°???¡±


    Little RenDong lay naked in the pile of clothes, crying like a purple sweet potato. It took Lian Qiao a while to come back to his senses and convince himself that this dry piece of purple potato was his precious RenDong.


    He bent down to pick up the purple sweet potato, his heart trembled inexplicably.


    It was so light.


    Was RenDong so thin when he was born?


    He remembered that his mother said that a normal baby should weigh 6 to 8 catties at birth. Lian Qiao weighed him and it felt like RenDong didn¡¯t even weigh 5 catties. Was he a premature baby?


    A sudden flake of ice on his cheek interrupted Lian Qiao¡¯s reverie. He reached out to touch it in surprise and felt cold water drops on his face.


    ¡­Snow water?


    Lian Qiao raised his head, only to realize that the elevator door had opened at some point. The wind and snow from outside blew in and fell on his face and turned into snow water.


    Probably the baby¡¯s crying covered up the sound of the elevator door opening, so he didn¡¯t notice the door opening.


    Although RenDong was light in weight, his voice was still very loud when he cried!


    With an inexplicable sense of joy, Lian Qiao hugged RenDong tightly, walked out of the elevator with a smile on his face.


    However, the moment he stepped out of the elevator, his hands were empty. The baby in his arms disappeared.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°???¡±


    He stood in the snow in a daze, looking at his empty hands in a daze.


    What about my partner? What about such a big object that was here just now? !


    It wouldn¡¯t shrink into a fertilized egg would it?!


    ¡­


    After some philosophical speculation, Lian Qiao once again judged that the RenDong just disappeared and did not become a fertilized egg that died tragically on the spot. He calmed himself down for a while, and soon noticed the erratic small western-style building in the heavy snow and subconsciously walked towards the western-style building.


    Although he was worried about RenDong, the bigger doubt hanging in his mind was¡ªwhy did RenDong say that?


    ¡°Do you still remember why I couldn¡¯t forgive Zhong Xiu?¡±


    Zhong Xiu was RenDong¡¯s mother, who had already died in the copy of ¡°Three People Make a  Tiger¡±. Why did RenDong suddenly mention her? Is it because seeing the number 1992 reminds me of his birth?


    ¡­ and there was something else.


    Wasn¡¯t the reason why RenDong couldn¡¯t forgive his mother because she abandoned him?


    He remembered that RenDong said that his mother abandoned him at the gate of the orphanage on a winter night. That winter night was so cold that he barely made it through. The director of the orphanage named him ¡°RenDong¡±, hoping that he could endure the first cold winter in his life.


    A winter night¡­ the winter of 1992¡­


    Could it be¡­? !


    Lian Qiao¡¯s heart tightened and he started running towards the bungalow.


    He recognized it! That two-story bungalow was the orphanage where RenDong stayed!


    If the dungeon prompt this time really was pointing to RenDong;s life, then the baby RenDong must be at the gate of the orphanage!


    He would freeze to death!


    With shortness of breath and beating heart, Lian Qiao ran all the way, chasing after the bungalow. The bungalow would change its location every few minutes and, without even thinking about it, he turned around and chased after it like a hound.


    There seemed to be a few figures flashing by on the road and some people wanted to stop him, but he ignored them. He didn¡¯t even have time to care about the inexplicably extra bloodstains on the ground.


    There was only one thought in his mind: Hurry up and save RenDong! He was going to freeze to death!


    The wind was fierce and cold. The ice and snow poured into his lungs, and the lung tubes were frozen and painful. This was nothing, his lungs were cut by a real wind blade.


    Lian Qiao ran almost out of breath, chasing the two-story bungalow all the way. After an unknown amount of time, the bungalow was finally in sight.


    Lian Qiao caught a glimpse of the lonely little figure on the steps of the courtyard door and his heart was pulled violently, the pain was so painful that his heart was about to break.


    ¡°RenDong!¡± He rushed over to pick up the little RenDong, nervously confirming the safety of RenDong.


    RenDong was so cold that his eyes were closed tightly, his little face turned purple and he was a little more lifeless than before. He was cold all over,and there were still snowflakes on his face. Lian Qiao hurriedly unbuttoned his shirt, put RenDong inside and then pulled up the jacket again, wrapping the whole body of RenDong inside.


    Fortunately, Lian Qiao ran wildly just now and part of the physical energy consumed was converted into heat. His chest was burning hot and the temperature was quickly transmitted to RenDong. Little RenDong lay on his chest and gradually recovered. But his swollen eyelids couldn¡¯t be opened, so he could only open her mouth and cry,


    ¡°Waa¡­ waa wa¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s heart was broken when he heard it. While coaxing RenDong, he frantically knocked on the door of the orphanage. The door was almost knocked down by him before the principal finally ran out wearing a cotton jacket.


    ¡°Who are you? What are you doing here so late? ¨C Oh! This child!¡± The principal was suspicious at first, but upon seeing RenDong in Lian Qiao¡¯s arms, her expression turned from suspicion to worry and she quickly led Lian Qiao into the room. ¡°Quick! Come in and warm up! This child is dying!¡±


    The principal was kind-hearted and she didn¡¯t care about the identity of the big and small person. After welcoming the two, she quickly boiled water. While it was cooking, she also took the time to bring a set of clean clothes.


    The snow on Lian Qiao¡¯s body has melted and the jacket is already soaked. At this time, he took the clothes prepared by the principal and was very grateful.


    Little RenDong gradually regained his body temperature in his arms. His complexion was still extremely bad, purple and red, like a little mouse whose eyes hadn¡¯t opened. Lian Qiao stood beside the crib worriedly, while the other children in the orphanage gathered around one by one and looked at them curiously.


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t have the heart to take care of other things and focused on RenDong. According to the principal, newborn children can only drink milk. But he didn¡¯t know if it was because RenDong was too cold because, as soon as he took in the warm milk powder, he spit it out with a ¡°woooo¡±.


    Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t prevent himself from getting spit all over. He didn¡¯t care about his dirty body so he hurriedly slapped RenDong on the back first. Little RenDong choked for a while, his face turning blue. The principal couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, rushed over and hugged RenDong upright, giving him comfort with a special technique. Only then did Little RenDong calm down slowly.


    Lian Qiao stared nervously, while silently remembering the principal¡¯s technique.


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± The principal returned the little RenDong to Lian Qiao and instructed him how to hold the baby to make the baby comfortable. Lian Qiao suddenly realized that it was no wonder that Little RenDong was always crying in his hands. It turned out that he was holding the child incorrectly.


    It¡¯s hard for him to say it but he¡¯s an old maid¡­uh no, he¡¯s a gay guy and didn¡¯t plan to have a baby, but now he¡¯s forced to nurse his partner. Before the shock of becoming a father was over, he had already become a full-time dad. Although Lian Qiao¡¯s mental strength was strong, he can¡¯t stand this roller coaster-like chain of stimulation.


    Therefore, Lian Qiao was still in a daze until now, without a sense of reality.


    RenDong was too small and fragile. Even in thick swaddling clothes, he was still so small. Lian Qiao was holding a large quilt, with the small ball of RenDong wrapped in the middle. This dumpling was not the white and tender kind, but a dry purple potato dumpling. It looked pitiful.


    If you hadn¡¯t seen it with your own eyes, who would have believed that this ugly baby could grow into the beauty RenDong!


    Under the scientific feeding method, Little RenDong finally finished drinking the milk powder and fell into a deep sleep. Lian Qiao drove away the onlookers and the room suddenly fell silent.


    Little RenDong was lying in the cradle, still tiny. Lian Qiao gently pushed the cradle, and gradually calmed down.


    So be it. No matter how ugly it is, it was still his precious RenDong, the one he loves most.


    But RenDong actually looked like this when he was a child¡­


    Lian Qiao watched, the corners of his mouth raised slightly. If you look closely, you can see that his eyebrows and eyes are a bit like he was when he was an adult. Little RenDong¡¯s face was just a little wrinkled and his complexion was a little pale. His eyelashes are still quite long, and his facial features are also well-formed.


    He still sucks his mouth when he sleeps! Cute!


    Lian Qiao, who was equipped with his own beauty filter, looked more and more at Little Purple Potato and couldn¡¯t help feeling happier.


    As soon as his mood relaxed, the fatigue rose up. Lian Qiao soon couldn¡¯t open his eyelids and even the little cradle became so heavy that it was hard to push it.


    The principal has already prepared a clean bed for him. Lian Qiao pulled the cradle to the head of the bed, within reach of his hand and lay down on the bed by himself. He closed my eyes and lay down for a while, but felt empty in his heart.


    What was missing was self-evident.


    So he got up again, carefully picked up the little RenDong from the cradle and put him on his bed beside him.


    Little RenDong slept very deeply and was not disturbed at all. Lian Qiao listened to the strange, slightly rapid breathing on the pillow, and finally his heart settled down again.


    It¡¯s RenDong. It¡¯s his RenDong.


    Lian Qiao raised the corners of his mouth, gently embraced the baby, and soon fell asleep.


    Half an hour later.


    Little RenDong opened his eyes in a state of depression and was shocked to find that Lian Qiao¡¯s arm was pressing on his chest, which was as heavy as Mount Tai.


    ¡°Wuuuuuuu!¡± Little RenDong could not speak. The five little fingers that could not be opened were clenched into fists, pushing and shoving Lian Qiao weakly.


    However, Lian Qiao slept like a dead pig. Instead of waking up, he even habitually reached out and hugged Little RenDong deeply into his arms.


    RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    So¡­ stuffy¡­!


    His little head was completely covered by the quilt and blocked by Lian Qiao¡¯s chest muscles, so he couldn¡¯t breathe at all!


    Little RenDong struggled desperately under the blanket but was crushed to death. The struggle consumed more oxygen, and soon he became dizzy and didn¡¯t even have the energy to cry.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Little RenDong weakly opened his mouth wide, breathing heavily like a fish being dragged ashore.


    It¡¯s horrible.


    Although he was unable to speak, Xu RenDong, whose mind was still normal, thought desperately and angrily at this moment: It¡¯s too miserable, was going to be smothered to death by Lian Qiao!


    Lian Qiao was such an idiot! Do you really know how to raise a kid!?


    *******


    The author has something to say:


    Lian Qiao: No I don¡¯t!

 CH 134

    Chapter 134 ¨C 1992-2020


    Lian Qiao had a strange dream.


    He dreamed that he planted a field of purple sweet potatoes, worked hard in the field every day, sweated, filled the purple sweet potatoes with delicious nutrient solution, and was very happy.


    Suddenly one day, a purple potato vine stood up from the ground. Like the beanstalk in the fairy tale of Jack and the Beanstalk, it leapt up into the sky.


    How can this be? His precious purple potato was not yet ripe and he has not tasted its soft and firm insides, how can it run away!


    So Lian Qiao rushed forward and grabbed his precious purple potato. The purple sweet potato vine was still growing, sending his whole body to the sky. Lian Qiao hugged his precious purple potato tightly and dared not let go. The baby purple sweet potato struggled a bit and the whole purple sweet potato became more and more purple, more and more purple¡­


    It went from purple to black.


    Lian Qiao thought: It¡¯s over, this purple potato is poisonous, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t eat it.


    As soon as he thought of this, he was inexplicably startled. Immediately afterwards, his whole body was shocked, like falling into a cloud. His whole person woke up in a cold sweat.


    When he woke up, he found that RenDong was pressed under the blanket by him and he was about to suffocate to death. Immediately shocked, he quickly hugged Little RenDong and fanned him while apologizing.


    Poor RenDong¡¯s bitter face has turned a purplish red, almost black, and he has the temperament of a sweet potato in a dream. The small mouth moved and panted for a long time and then gradually regained his strength. He rolled his eyes at Lian Qiao.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± He already learned to roll his eyes even before talking, it feels a little scary.


    Lian Qiao said sorry to RenDong 10,000 times in embarrassment and guilt and then carefully put him back on the small bed. Seeing that RenDong still refused to sleep, a pair of small swollen eyes stared straight at him, obviously angry.


    Lian Qiao felt that just saying sorry was not sincere, so he knocked on the principal¡¯s door and asked her where the washboard was.


    principal: ¡°???¡± What kind of clothes do you want to wash in the middle of the night?


    Although he didn¡¯t know why, the kind principal still gave him a washboard in response to his request. So Lian Qiao knelt down in front of the cradle with a plop, and pushed RenDong¡¯s cradle very piously while torturing himself.


    Little RenDong in the Cradle: ¡°¡­¡± What¡¯s the use of kneeling on the washboard? Can I suffer less if you kneel? !


    Although RenDong didn¡¯t relieve his anger, he couldn¡¯t blame Lian Qiao for thinking of it. After all, Lian Qiao didn¡¯t have any experience in raising a baby. What¡¯s more, he wanted to get closer to him and protect him better when he was put on the bed.


    Little RenDong was lying in the cradle and seeing Lian Qiao kneeling on the washboard whilst yawning again and again, his heart softened all of a sudden.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Lian Qiao was so sleepy that he couldn¡¯t open his eyes, and apologized as if he was still chanting, ¡°I won¡¯t next time¡­¡±


    Little RenDong stretched out his hand from the swaddle with difficulty, trying to grab his fingers. However, the fingers of newborns are too short and the immature palms cannot be opened at all. He could barely grasp Lian Qiao¡¯s fingertips and gently scratched Lian Qiao¡¯s fingertips.


    ¡°¡­¡± Lian Qiao didn¡¯t notice this. He leaned against the bed rail, his head drooping little by little. The hand was still pushing the cradle, it seems that muscle memory has been formed.


    From RenDong¡¯s perspective, the whole world shakes slightly with Lian Qiao¡¯s movements. The frequency of the slow shaking made him feel a little dizzy and sleepy, but it was very comfortable. It was kind of strange, but it made him very nostalgic for the warmth.


    RenDong slowly fell asleep amidst the flickering tenderness. There was peace in my heart that he had never had before.


    The next day.


    Before dawn, Lian Qiao woke up. He was so exhausted last night that he knelt on the washboard and fell asleep. At this time, his legs were numb from kneeling and his waist was sore and painful.


    How was RenDong?


    The cradle was close at hand but, due to the angle, the face of little RenDong cannot be seen.


    Lian Qiao stood up in a hurry. His whole body lost his strength and leaned to one side, almost falling down. He managed to stand up with the help of the bed rail, feeling dizzy for a while.


    Amidst the tinnitus, he caught a strange sound.


    ¡°Hoo, hoo, hoo¡­¡±


    The source of the voice seems to be a cradle?


    Lian Qiao hurriedly pulled the cradle, only to find that the baby RenDong was panting heavily. The small mouth was opened as far as possible and a snoring sound came out of the throat. The wrinkled little face was flushed red and the eyes were closed tightly, spinning around under the eyelids. It looked a little scary.


    Did he have a fever? !


    Lian Qiao stretched out his hand to touch him and his heart suddenly sank.


    RenDong¡¯s forehead was terribly hot, and there was a whistling sound in his throat, like bellows. Lian Qiao called him a few times but, instead of waking up, Little RenDong even looked up and rolled his eyes.


    Immediately afterwards, the little hands and feet began to twitch. Lian Qiao instinctively held him down, fearing that he would fall out of the cradle.


    But he can¡¯t hold it down at all! The small twitching of the limbs soon turned into a big twitching of the muscles of the whole body. The small body jumped wildly like a fish on the chopping board and even foamed from the mouth!


    Lian Qiao panicked immediately, and hurriedly went to the principal with RenDong in his arms. While banging on the door of the principal¡¯s bedroom, he shouted in tears: ¡°principal! Come out quickly! RenDong is bad! He can¡¯t stop seizing!


    Putting on a padded jacket, the principal opened the door barefoot.


    Seeing RenDong twitching constantly, she said decisively: ¡°It¡¯s a febrile convulsion! Take off his clothes quickly and cool him down!¡±


    Lian Qiao hesitated: ¡°He¡¯s burning like this and still needs to take off his clothes? Isn¡¯t that¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°Take it off!¡± The principal raised her eyebrows and there was a bit of determination in her kindly eyes. She didn¡¯t give Lian Qiao a chance to think and directly grabbed RenDong and put him on the bed, pulled off the swaddling clothes, revealing his bare buttocks.


    RenDong was still twitching, his small face was contorted and there was a gurgling sound in his  throat, which made people feel flustered.


    ¡°Find something for him to bite! Chopsticks or towels, don¡¯t let him bite his tongue!¡± The principal said this and then opened the closet with her hand and took out the medical box from it.


    In a hurry, Lian Qiao didn¡¯t bother to look for chopsticks, so he opened RenDong¡¯s small mouth and stuffed his fingers into it.


    RenDong, who was twitching, opened his mouth without hesitation and bit Lian Qiao hard. The little child¡¯s teeth were already pointed. Although they were not strong enough to bite off his fingers, the muscles twitched and stiffened with amazing strength and those little fangs directly bit Lian Qiao¡¯s fingers. Blood flowed.


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t care about the pain and just slightly touched RenDong¡¯s face. He was afraid that blood would flow into RenDong¡¯s mouth and choke him. He turned his face so he wouldn¡¯t  drink blood.


    At this time, the principal finally found the medicine and stuffed it into RenDong¡¯s mouth.     Lian Qiao exclaimed: ¡°Why is it a pill! How can he take medicine now? Is there no antipyretic patch? Or an antipyretic suppository?!¡±


    The principal was stunned: ¡°What antipyretic patch?¡±


    Lian Qiao remembered that this time should be in the 90s, how could a poor social welfare institution have antipyretic patches!


    Helpless, he could only cooperate with the principal and feed the pills together. As expected, RenDong choked, coughed desperately, and coughed out the pills within a few moments.


    The principal ordered: ¡°Again!¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s heart was bleeding. In desperation, he suddenly had a lightbulb moment. He pointed to the snow outside the door and said, ¡°Just lower his body temperature, right? Then apply an ice pack to him?!¡±


    The principal was surprised and, after thinking for only a second, she said decisively: ¡°Let¡¯s try it!¡±


    The two made a quick decision, picked up RenDong and rushed downstairs. Lian Qiao grabbed a handful of snow in the yard and squeezed it tightly, the fluffy snowflakes turned into lumps of ice in his hands. He took the small towel from the principal, wrapped ice cubes in the towel and placed it on RenDong¡¯s forehead.


    Using this method, he put three more ice packs on RenDong¡¯s armpit and chest respectively.


    The physical cooling was very effective and RenDong gradually became less scary. After changing several rounds of ice packs, Little RenDong finally stopped convulsing. Both breathed a sigh of relief.


    Everyone else in the orphanage ran out to watch the excitement. Only then did Lian Qiao notice that, besides the children, there were other people in the orphanage. It looked like it was other players this time, probably people who had arrived at the orphanage one after another last night.


    Lian Qiao had no time to take care of others but just took the little RenDong back to the room and put it back on the little cradle.


    Although Little RenDong stopped burning, he still didn¡¯t wake up. His whole little face was flushed red and his mouth opened and closed, panting desperately like a dying fish. His immature chest rose and fell, and he struggled to breathe. His whole body seemed deflated.


    Although his body was kept cold by the ice pack, his panting never stopped. He didn¡¯t wake up either.


    After more than an hour, Little RenDong no longer had the strength to breathe. His throat let out a low cry like a kitten begging for help, his eyes were closed tightly and his two little hands waved unconsciously in the air, as if trying to grab something.


    Lian Qiao grabbed his little hand and called desperately: ¡°RenDong!¡±


    However, RenDong did not wake up at all.


    The panting sound gradually became weaker, and the low meowing like a kitten was finally inaudible. With all his might, the young RenDong sucked in his last breath¡ªand then, something got stuck, and he couldn¡¯t breathe anymore.


    Immediately, the little hands and feet went limp. His whole little body relaxed.


    The immature lungs that were overworked slowly exhaled their last breath.


    RenDong was dead.


    Lian Qiao felt like falling into an ice cave, feeling dizzy and disassociated. His heart ached so badly that he couldn¡¯t breathe.


    At the same time, the expressions of the other onlookers suddenly changed. They covered their chests one after another, their eyes widened, and they all opened their mouths to breathe heavily.


    ¡°Ha, ha¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh¡ª¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    In an instant, the air in the whole world seemed to be sucked dry, and everyone could not breathe.


    From suffocation to the depletion of the last trace of oxygen in the body. Everyone experienced an extremely slow and painful death process.


    When death came, Lian Qiao knelt beside the cradle, still holding RenDong¡¯s little hand.


    When he slid down, the cradle was knocked over by him. The cold little body rolled out of its swaddling clothes.


    Lian Qiao exhausted his last bit of strength and hugged RenDong into his arms. Like hugging a piece of ice, like hugging a knife. It was like stabbing a knife out of the freezer into his heart, it was terribly cold and painful.


    Lian Qiao died in extreme pain.

 CH 135

    Chapter 135 ¨C 1992-2020


    The elevator was running quietly and smoothly, and then suddenly it shook slightly.


    This was something that happened every time. Lian Qiao was already used to it. But RenDong couldn¡¯t seem to get used to it, because every time the elevator vibrated, he would gasp in shock.


    It was the same this time.


    Lian Qiao looked at RenDong, meeting his dazed eyes. Lian Qiao was about to comfort him, but RenDong spoke first.


    ¡°Lian Qiao.¡± His breath was a little unsteady and his eyes were extremely complicated and unpredictable. As if he had to say something extremely seriously next.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s heart trembled and he said seriously: ¡°I¡¯m here.¡±


    Xu RenDong stared at him, and asked very deeply: ¡°If we have a child, what will you do?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­???¡±


    What, what? A child? Can we still have kids?!


    Could it be that you¡­


    No, no, he has already experienced it and RenDong definitely did not have a magical double-X physique {errr female? Or maybe intersex? Could be referring Klinefelter syndrome, ie XXY}.


    Could it be¡­ that RenDong had an illegitimate child?! And wanted him to accept it and take over as a father?!


    No, no, no, it¡¯s not right, this can¡¯t be called ¡°our child¡±¡­ this is called a ¡°bastard¡±! {Hopefully this is not triggering for people! Chinese people are a bit backwards lol and I think this is from the perspective of LQ thinking that XRD has been with someone other than him. Obviously illegitimate kids are not bastards!!}


    Lian Qiao was dumbfounded and creatively imagined countless possibilities. When he came back to his senses, RenDong had disappeared. In its place was a wrinkled baby crying in a pile of laundry.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­Huh?!!!¡±


    Where the hell did this come from? What happened to RenDong?!


    Lian Qiao¡¯s brain shut down in an instant and he stood there for a while before finally realizing that this wrinkled baby seemed to be RenDong¡­


    He picked up the little purple sweet potato essence from the pile of clothes and felt that the world was so wonderful.


    He had imagined 10,000 stories about urban ethics but he never expected that it would be a science fiction or fantasy story that would turn into a reality.


    Once again, as he walked out of the elevator with the baby in his arms, his hands were suddenly empty. He was dazed in the open snow.


    After a moment, he walked towards the yellow halo in a trance. He thought to himself, forget it, my brain is no longer enough, let¡¯s act according to instinct.


    This time, Lian Qiao also didn¡¯t waste much time on the road. He quickly picked up RenDong at the gate of the orphanage and hurriedly handed him over to the principal. The principal said that the unlucky child was frozen, so they needed to hurry up and warm him up. So she boiled water for cooking, prepared a change of clothes for both the older and younger person, and then closed the door to let the two of them have a good rest.


    Sitting in the warm bedroom of the orphanage, Lian Qiao hadn¡¯t calmed down from his trance. He looked at the little RenDong in the cradle and the little RenDong looked at him with burning eyes. After a long time, Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t help asking:


    ¡°What on earth did you mean?¡±


    Little RenDong: ¡°¡­ ah?¡±


    Lian Qiao was sullen: ¡°Do you¡­ want a child?¡±


    Little RenDong: ¡°???¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°But you and I will never have children.¡±


    Little RenDong: ¡°Woo¡­ ah¡­¡± What the hell are you thinking??


    Lian Qiao looked melancholy and gently pushed the little cradle, with sadness written all over his face: ¡°Didn¡¯t you think about this when you decided to be with me? We won¡¯t have offspring if we are gay!¡±


    Little RenDong: ¡± ¡­¡± It¡¯s over, Lian Qiao seems to have misunderstood something¡­


    RenDong was shaken dizzily by him and opened his mouth wide to try to explain to him, but no matter how hard he tried, what he uttered was always a single syllable with unclear meaning.


    Lian Qiao stared at RenDong for a while and asked suspiciously: ¡°You are working so hard, are you trying to tell me something?¡±


    Little RenDong: ¡°Ah¡­ ah¡­!¡± some!


    Lian Qiao thought about it for a while and suddenly his expression changed drastically, and he dared not say anything: ¡°Could it be that you already have one outside?!¡±


    Little RenDong: ¡°???¡± What the hell are you thinking?!


    Lian Qiao was so angry with his own brain that he paced back and forth in the room with his hips akimbo, unable to calm down for a long time.


    The little RenDong in the cradle was already speechless. He stared at Lian Qiao with hatred, hoping that Lian Qiao could understand the anger in his eyes.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°What¡¯s the use of apologizing to me now. Forget it, it¡¯s done. You can bring it back¡­ is it male or female?¡±


    RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± I¡¯m afraid you have problems not only with your brain, but I also question your eyesight.


    In the end, Little RenDong gave up the idea of ??communicating with him and chose the simplest and rudest way.


    ¡°Waaaaaa¡ª¡± He opened his toothless mouth and cried out at the highest volume.


    ¡°Hey, why are you crying?¡± After all, Lian Qiao still felt sorry for him and hurriedly took the little RenDong out of the cradle, shaking him gently like a child, while complaining, ¡°I didn¡¯t cry when the top of my head was so green, why don¡¯t you cry?¡± I¡¯m supposed to cry first!


    Little RenDong: ¡°¡­Wow! Whoa whoah!¡±


    After tossing for a long time, Lian Qiao didn¡¯t understand what Little RenDong was doing. RenDong completely despaired of him. Fuck tacit understanding! It¡¯s all shit when it came to people with holes in their brain!


    How much did Lian Qiao want to be green-ed?! He had almost even picked out the name of illegitimate child already!


    The lights in the room were yellow. When the two were messing around, the door suddenly opened slightly.


    Lian Qiao closed his mouth vigilantly and took a step back holding RenDong. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the door, only to see a kind and gentle face peeking through the crack of the door.


    ¡°I heard the cry of the child, so I guessed that you were still awake. Sure enough.¡±


    It turned out to be the principal.


    To RenDong, the principal is almost like a mother. As soon as Little RenDong heard the headmaster¡¯s voice, he immediately stopped crying. A pair of small red and swollen eyes looked at the principal without blinking and there seemed to be nostalgia in his eyes.


    Lian Qiao did not relax his vigilance. After all, this is inside the instance, not the real world outside. On the outside, the principal is his half-mother, but in the instance, who knows what the hell she is.


    So he replied in a manner that was neither rude nor humble: ¡°I haven¡¯t slept yet. What do you need?¡±


    The principal came over and stretched out her hand to him very naturally: ¡°The child keeps crying, maybe it¡¯s time to change the diaper. Let me see.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± When is it your turn to change my partner¡¯s diaper!


    He frowned and rejected the principal¡¯s kindness, and said that he had already checked right now and he hadn¡¯t peed. The headmaster said again: ¡°That he may be sick.¡± Then she raised his hand to touch the forehead of little RenDong.


    Instinctively, Lian Qiao didn¡¯t want her to touch RenDong, so he took a step ahead and reached out to cover RenDong¡¯s forehead. He was terrified when he touched it.


    ¡ªRenDong¡¯s forehead was actually scorching hot!


    Just now he thought that RenDong was crying because he lost his temper, but he didn¡¯t notice that RenDong had a fever!


    At this time, Lian Qiao lowered his precautions and hurriedly asked the principal for help: ¡°He has a fever! What should I do?!¡±


    Fortunately, the principal didn¡¯t mind his previous rudeness, but frowned and said: ¡°This is terrible. He caught a cold when he was born and he might develop pneumonia!¡±


    Lian Qiao blurted out, ¡°Is there a hospital nearby?¡±


    The principal shook her head. Lian Qiao suddenly remembered that this was in the instance, there would only be ghosts outside, how could there be a hospital?


    He felt suddenly suffocated: worry and regret welling up in his heart at the same time.


    It¡¯s all his fault! If only he had found out sooner¡­ No, if he had arrived earlier, RenDong wouldn¡¯t have been lying alone in the snow for so long!


    Seeing him blaming himself, the principal comforted him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have medicine here, give him some medicine first.¡±


    Lian Qiao bit his lips: ¡°Can such a small infant take medicine?¡±


    The principal sighed: ¡°We can only try it.¡±


    The principal fetched the medical kit from the room and fed the little RenDong the medicine. Little RenDong was unexpectedly very cooperative and swallowed the pills as soon as they were crushed into his mouth. He even opened his mouth full of anticipation, with a look of ¡°I want more¡±.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± He cried for a long time, turns out he was begging for medicine!


    What a quirk!


    Lian Qiao stayed by RenDong¡¯s side in fear, fearing that RenDong would get pneumonia or feel uncomfortable after taking the medicine. Fortunately, the medicine was very effective, and little RenDong¡¯s body temperature gradually dropped, and his breathing became very even.


    Little RenDong closed his eyes and slept very peacefully. Lian Qiao finally calmed down and was about to rest when the principal knocked on the door again.


    ¡°Some people came from outside one after another. They lost their way in the snow like you. I wonder if you know any of them.¡±


    Lian Qiao was taken aback and immediately realized that these were probably his teammates this time.


    He subconsciously glanced at RenDong. RenDong slept soundly.


    He was reluctant to disturb RenDong¡¯s rest but he was even more unwilling to leave him. He picked up the little RenDong from the cradle and said to the principal: ¡°Then I¡¯ll go down and have a look.¡±


    The three of them came to the living room on the first floor. There were already more than a dozen men and women sitting or standing in front of the stove. Everyone was vigilant and they all carried some equipment on their bodies.


    There were also people who were injured, with blood all over their faces and bodies. It was unknown what happened to them.


    Seeing Lian Qiao coming down from the second floor with Little RenDong in his arms, everyone stared at him with different expressions. The principal introduced RenDong to everyone and asked everyone: ¡°Do you know each other?¡±


    No one spoke.


    The principal frowned slightly and glanced upstairs. Lian Qiao followed her gaze, and saw other children in the orphanage running out of the room one after another, peeping over the fence. The children¡¯s eyes were curious and clear. In contrast, the adults in the living room who were guarding each other looked particularly gloomy.


    There was a little worry in the principal¡¯s eyes: ¡°What the hell are you guys¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao hurriedly said: ¡°Actually, we know each other.¡±


    Everyone was stunned and the principal was also stunned: ¡°Then¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°We¡­we are in the same expedition team, and we got separated halfway because of disagreements. Fortunately, everyone found this place.¡± After finishing speaking, he looked around and winked at everyone quietly, ¡°Isn¡¯t that so?¡±


    Someone quickly responded and continued: ¡°Yes, yes. Fortunately, we found this place. Otherwise we won¡¯t be able to meet up!¡±


    The remaining few people looked at each other with suspicion flashing in their eyes. But since everyone started to cooperate with Lian Qiao in acting, these people also nodded along with everyone.


    Only then did the principal heave a sigh of relief: ¡°So that¡¯s the case, I thought you guys were some kind of strange gang.¡± She dispelled her suspicions and a gentle expression appeared on her face again, ¡°In this orphanage, except for me, the rest of the people are all children.  I am really afraid of meeting bad people.¡±


    The principal apologized to everyone, because she almost wanted to call the police just now. Now that the misunderstanding is resolved, everyone can stay here for the time being and wait for the wind and snow to pass.


    ¡°Fortunately, there are many rooms here.¡± The principal smiled softly and even the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes were full of kindness. She allocated rooms for everyone and then went to work in the kitchen, saying that she wanted to get everyone something to eat.


    So everyone unloaded their equipment, changed into clean clothes, and regrouped in the living room.


    Taking advantage of the principal¡¯s busy time in the kitchen, everyone finally opened their mouths to speak honestly.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with this baby?¡± A muscular man with a scar on his face stared at Little RenDong with an unfriendly expression.


    Lian Qiao said frankly: ¡°It¡¯s my partner.¡±


    Everyone looked at Lian Qiao in shock and then at the child in his arms who was obviously not even a month old. ¡°What are you doing, you pervert?¡± was written all over their faces.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°You may not believe it but he is already 28 years old.¡±


    Everyone: ¡°We really don¡¯t believe it. You beast.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± I¡¯m wronged.

 CH 136

    Chapter 136 ¨C 1992-2020


    After some explanations, everyone finally reluctantly believed that Lian Qiao wasn¡¯t just making this up, and that his partner had actually somehow turned into a baby.


    ¡°Then this is¡­¡± Scarface was obviously an old player, so he understood after listening. He frowned, looking quite brutal with his face full of scarred flesh. ¡°Is your partner the key player?¡±


    There were almost no newcomers in the house at this time. The rookies lost their way in the snow and died. Only veteran players can find this place keenly. Therefore, when Scarface mentioned ¡°key player¡±, the expression of ¡°just as I thought¡± appeared on several people¡¯s faces.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Yes.¡±


    By killing key players, you can get a life-saving puppet. Although this is a secret that is not passed on, it is expected that some people in this group of old players will know about it. The fact that Lian Qiao admitted it so readily caused a subtle look in some people¡¯s eyes.


    Lian Qiao naturally knew what they were thinking, but he was not afraid at all. He said very calmly: ¡°The name of the instance is 1992-2020. My partner was born in 1992 and this year happens to be 2020. He is the only person in our group who became small so there is no doubt that he is the key person in this dungeon. It¡¯s too obvious that even if I want to hide it, I can¡¯t¡ª but I want to see, which of you dares to touch him?


    An old player who knew the secret lowered his eyes calmly.


    It¡¯s true. 1992-2020 was just like the years of birth and death on a tombstone. If it is 1992 now, who would dare to attack the key player before 2020?


    It will undoubtedly trigger a BAD ENDING for all players on the spot.


    Everyone was silent for a moment. Suddenly someone asked, ¡°Are we going to spend 28 years in this instance?¡±


    This was a young girl with bright eyes and her cheeks were red from the cold, like a small apple.


    In that case, just call her Little Apple. Lian Qiao thought to himself.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be so long.¡± Lian Qiao said with certainty, ¡°There has never been a dungeon that lasted so long. I guess the flow of time here is different, maybe one day is a year.¡±


    That made sense.


    Everyone nodded and chatted with each other in low voices.


    Little Apple stared at the baby in Lian Qiao¡¯s arms and slowly asked: ¡°What about after 28 days?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°I will find a way.¡±


    Everyone raised their heads and looked at him with strange eyes. Everyone here is an old player, and some routines are already familiar. 1992-2020, this was an obvious hint. There is no doubt that it refers to letting this child live to age 28 safely.


    And then?


    Is it just that we have to keep him until the age of 28 or do they have to kill him on the day he turns 28?


    Since Lian Qiao claimed to be this person¡¯s partner, he would definitely protect him. Just saying ¡°I will find a way¡± wasn¡¯t really reassuring. What can he do? Whether he can live to that day is not certain!


    Everyone had different expressions and they all had their own thoughts in their hearts.


    There are many old players, which is not good. Everyone was plotting against each other and competing for the pitifully small chance of survival. Even if the instance does not require them to kill each other, they will try their best to remove obstacles for themselves.


    Lian Qiao knew this well.


    In fact, he could have denied his lover relationship with RenDong and pretended to be a passerby, so as not to put himself in such a dangerous situation. But he doesn¡¯t want to.


    He doesn¡¯t want to pretend in order to save himself and he can¡¯t do it.


    Even if RenDong becomes like this, it is still his RenDong. He couldn¡¯t hide his love for this little purple sweet potato, not to mention that RenDong would grow up day by day and return to the appearance he remembered him by?


    So, fuck everything- he will kill anyone who dares to stop him.


    There are only a dozen players this time, what is there to be scared of!?


    This time, he entered the dungeon after making sufficient preparations. There was not only XXX in the bag, but also OOO and YYYY! All are dangerous weapons controlled by the state!


    Who! Is! Afraid! Of! Who!


    Probably Lian Qiao¡¯s unintentional murderous aura frightened everyone, and everyone subconsciously looked away when they met his eyes.


    The atmosphere became subtle. At this moment, the principal just came out of the kitchen with the dinner plate. Seeing this, she was a little surprised and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you? Why don¡¯t you talk?¡±


    Lian Qiao grinned but before he could stop his murderous look, his smile turned into a sinister grin: ¡°Because we¡¯re hungry!¡±


    The principal¡¯s hands shook with fright  and the food almost fell from her hands. She put down the dinner plate down while trembling slightly, coughed dryly and said, ¡°Then, eat quickly! There is still food in the kitchen, if there is not enough, I¡¯ll add more!¡±


    After finishing speaking, she quickly returned to the kitchen.


    The food is hot and fragrant. Everyone has been running around in the snow all night and they are already starving. Little Apple immediately picked up the chopsticks and said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll talk about these things later. Let¡¯s eat first!¡± Then she started eating like crazy.


    The appearance of her eating and drinking stimulated everyone¡¯s appetite again. Everyone also picked up the bowls and chopsticks one after another and began to feast on them.


    Lian Qiao said ¡°I¡¯m full¡± and went upstairs with RenDong in his arms.


    Those children in the orphanage who are not afraid of death are still squatting in the corridor on the second floor to watch them. Lian Qiao glanced at them, and the children, whether because they were shy or frightened, scattered to their rooms. There was only one little girl left, with big clear and bright eyes. She raised her small face and asked him, ¡°Big brother, what¡¯s your little brother¡¯s name?¡±


    Lian Qiao curbed his anger, bent down and smiled at the little girl. Said: ¡°His name is RenDong. The RenDong of the RenDong {honeysuckle} flower.¡±


    The little girl looked curiously at the baby purple sweet potato essence, as if she wanted to touch him but didn¡¯t dare. Lian Qiao knew that this child was not a living person but just an NPC, but guessing that she might also have been RenDong¡¯s playmate as a child, tenderness rose inexplicably in his heart, and he was also full of patience for this girl.


    ¡°You can touch his face.¡± Lian Qiao lightly poked RenDong¡¯s wrinkled little face. RenDong was still sleeping soundly and didn¡¯t wake up from such a gentle touch.


    Encouraged by Lian Qiao, the little girl touched RenDong¡¯s face cautiously and pleasantly.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± the little girl exclaimed contentedly, ¡°It¡¯s so soft. It¡¯s really as soft as the stamen of a honeysuckle flower!¡±


    Lian Qiao smiled at her and was about to leave when a thought flashed in his mind and he thought of something.


    He knelt down in front of the girl again, looked her in the eye, looked into her eyes and asked, ¡°Have you seen honeysuckle flowers before?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Honeysuckle? We have it in our yard!¡± The little girl stretched out her hand and pointed out the window. She pouted and said, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that it¡¯s snowing now so you can¡¯t see anything. There are a lot of honeysuckle flowers planted in our yard! Every year the principal will take us to pick honeysuckle together, saying that it is a traditional Chinese medicine and we can sell them for money. After selling them for money, we can eat delicious food!¡±


    Lian Qiao was stunned, and many, many thoughts flashed in his mind.


    An indescribable strange emotion came to mind. Lian Qiao felt that he needed time to gather his thoughts, so he said goodbye to the little girl and went back to the room.


    For the second half of the day, he stayed by RenDong¡¯s cradle, not daring to fall asleep. Fortunately, the night was peaceful, RenDong no longer had a fever and his breathing was even and steady. It seemed that he had passed this difficulty.


    The next day, the sky gradually brightened.


    Lian Qiao was leaning against the side of the bed in a daze, when a line of words suddenly flashed before his eyes.


    ¡°1993.¡±


    He was taken aback, and quickly rubbed his dry eyes to confirm that it was not a hallucination. A line of barrage really appeared in front of him out of thin air.


    Sure enough¡­ a day is a year!


    He hastily stood up. Feeling dizzy for a while, he managed to stand still and quickly picked up RenDong from the cradle.


    Little RenDong was still sleeping and the temperature on his forehead was normal. Compared with last night, he has obviously grown up a bit, his face is no longer wrinkled and shriveled, but has turned into a cute little baby.


    The little purple sweet potato instantly turned into a little angel!


    Lian Qiao was extremely excited, holding the little RenDong and looking left and right, loving it.


    RenDong was awakened by his shaking and woke up with his lips pouted. Seeing that his face was full of excitement, little RenDong¡¯s big eyes flashed with doubts.


    ¡°You¡¯ve grown up!¡± Lian Qiao was full of joy, wishing he could throw RenDong into the sky, ¡°You¡¯re one year old!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Little RenDong opened his mouth but still could only utter a single syllable.


    Although RenDong still can¡¯t speak, the sharp-eyed Lian Qiao has already noticed that there are a few small bumps bulging on the tender red gums of the little RenDong. One of them has been pierced by a deciduous tooth, revealing a small white tip.


    He¡¯s teething!


    Lian Qiao was so excited that he held the little RenDong and spun 360 degrees on the spot. Little RenDong was shaken dizzy by him and babbled in a dissatisfied manner. His fleshy little hand was scratching in the air so Lian Qiao held the little hand and found that RenDong¡¯s five fingers could be fully opened. No matter how hard it was to suppress the joy, he was so happy that he let out an ¡°Aw¡±.


    Little RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± Calm down, can you stop throwing me around. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m going to get a concussion.


    After Lian Qiao finished being high, someone knocked on the door and called him to eat. When he went downstairs, he found that everyone was already sitting at the dining table waiting for him.


    The principal was still busy in the kitchen, preparing porridge and snacks for everyone. All the people here seemed to think that it was only natural for the principal to be busy on their behalf and none of them got up to help.


    Lian Qiao was grateful to the principal, so he ran into the kitchen and asked, ¡°Is there anything I can do?¡±


    You¡¯re awake.¡± The wrinkles at the corners of the principal¡¯s eyes also slightly curved when she smiled. The years have left extremely gentle marks on her face. Her kind eyes fell on Little RenDong and she asked, ¡°How is he? Did he have a fever again?¡±


    ¡°No, he¡¯s fine.¡± Lian Qiao solemnly thanked, ¡°Your medicine is very useful, thank you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just giving it a try, what happens is the child¡¯s fate.¡± The principal smiled and teased Little RenDong for a while, then went on to prepare food. She didn¡¯t seem surprised that RenDong had grown overnight and Lian Qiao noticed that there seemed to be a little more silver hair at her temples than last night.


    It seems that time in this world is passing at a high speed and NPCs will simply go along with it.


    Lian Qiao was inexplicably sad in his heart and then felt that this sentiment was ridiculous.


    Since little RenDong has grown up, the principal has prepared some extra food for little RenDong. Lian Qiao hugged little RenDong on his lap and took a small spoon to feed him bit by bit. Then he proudly boasted: ¡°Our RenDong is really good, not a picky eater at all!¡±


    RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± I just shrank, I¡¯m not a real baby, thank you very much.


    Although RenDong wasn¡¯t picky about food, Lian Qiao noticed that his little eyebrows were wrinkled as he ate.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Lian Qiao put down the spoon and patted Little RenDong¡¯s back according to the way the principal taught him, ¡°Choking?¡±


    Little RenDong shook his head. His soft lips pursed slightly and he licked his gums with his tongue. After a while, he opened his mouth and yelled ¡°ah, ah¡± twice.


    ¡°Let me take a look.¡± Lian Qiao leaned over and saw that there were still a few small bumps on the gums of Little RenDong. Other than that there was no change. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder, ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you? Do you have a toothache?¡±


    Little RenDong nodded, then shook his head again .


    Lian Qiao became more and more confused.


    Others at the dinner table came over one after another to study what happened to Little RenDong. Soon, a middle-aged woman said: ¡°It is estimated that the deciduous teeth cannot grow and the gums hurt.¡±


    At this moment the principal came out of the kitchen. She is the most experienced person here with children. After she saw RenDong, she also affirmed what the middle-aged woman said.


    ¡°Then what to do?¡± Lian Qiao immediately became nervous, ¡°Will it cause inflammation?¡±


    He had read anatomy books and knew that the nerves of the teeth are connected to the brain. If there is a problem with the teeth, the infection might spread to the brain. That would be dangerous.


    The principal said: ¡°As long as the deciduous teeth can break out smoothly, it doesn¡¯t matter. Let¡¯s take a look. If it doesn¡¯t work, we can only cut the gums.¡±


    Cut the gums?! It hurts to even hear it!


    Lian Qiao subconsciously held the little RenDong in his arms: ¡°No, no, let¡¯s take another look.¡±


    Was there any way to ease the baby¡¯s teeth?

 CH 137

    Chapter 137 ¨C 1992-2020


    It¡¯s unknown what the NPCs in this world are thinking. The children in the orphanage were very shy when they saw people last night but today they played with everyone familiarly.


    RenDong was the key player in this dungeon but he does not represent the clearance itself. You still have to find buttons and elevators to clear the instance. Therefore, after eating, the players split up to explore the orphanage.


    Lian Qiao remembered the honeysuckle flowers that the little girl had mentioned last night and carried Little RenDong into the yard. As soon as the sun hit his body, he felt hot, and only then did he realize that the snow in the yard had melted. It seems that the early spring has arrived overnight. Although the cold spring was still expected to be cold, it is not as harsh as the deep winter after all.


    He didn¡¯t have time to look at it last night and noticed that there were many flowers and plants planted in the yard at this time, but none of them had bloomed yet. He would never recognize something like honeysuckle if it wasn¡¯t in bloom, so he simply gave up exploring and sat on a swing to bask in the sun with RenDong.


    There were two or three other people in the yard, touching here and there, trying to find clues.


    Lian Qiao was not in such a hurry to leave here as they were, so he swayed on the swing with Little RenDong in his arms. Little RenDong was coaxed to sleep by him and Lian Qiao himself was drowsy from the sun. There is a cool aroma unique to early spring in the air, which is a little intoxicating under the thin sunlight that happens to be everywhere.


    When the mood was relaxing, a swear word suddenly burst out not far away.


    ¡°Fuck!¡±


    Lian Qiao opened his eyes dissatisfied and his first reaction was to see if RenDong was scared. Fortunately, Little RenDong was wrapped tightly in swaddling clothes, with a ball of wool hat on his head, and his ears were blocked, so he was not frightened.


    Lian Qiao looked at the source of the voice.


    He saw a man with a scarred face standing at the door of western style house. He was the one who scolded ¡°Fuck¡±.


    On the other side, Little Apple was standing at the gate of the yard, originally facing the direction outside the door but when she heard the voice, she turned around suddenly, her face full of shock.


    Lian Qiao walked over with Little RenDong in his arms: ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Knife Scar¡¯s face was full of flesh, but he couldn¡¯t hide the horror in his eyes.


    In contrast, Little Apple was much calmer, walked slowly from the courtyard door and said: ¡°There is a problem with this courtyard. He wanted to go out just now but he disappeared as soon as he stepped out of the courtyard door. When he reappeared, he was at the door of the house.¡±


    Transportation?


    Lian Qiao nodded: ¡°You hit the border of the map and was teleported back.¡±


    Scarface: ¡°???¡±


    Little Apple understood and smiled sweetly: ¡°I was just about to say that too.¡±


    Scarface looked at Lian Qiao, then looked at Little Apple again and couldn¡¯t help but say: ¡°You two can still laugh? This house is ghostly! We are trapped!¡±


    Lian Qiao shrugged: ¡°This is not the first time I have seen a ghost, what am I afraid of? ¡°


    Little Apple: ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Besides, there are ghosts outside, why go out?¡±


    Little Apple: ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Scarface: ¡°¡­¡± How about you two stop singing in tune with each other?


    Little RenDong in Lian Qiao¡¯s arms suddenly woke up. The thick eyelashes like a small fan fluttered a few times and his eyes wandered between Lian Qiao and Little Apple. In his infancy, where Lian Qiao could not see, RenDong quietly clenched his small fists.


    Although he is not a lover of chorus singing, he still had to ¡®enjoy¡¯ Lian Qiao singing in front of him with others¡­.


    Hmmmph! If it wasn¡¯t for my lack of teeth¡­


    Little RenDong licked his gums, thinking depressingly: Why haven¡¯t these teeth grown yet, it hurts so much. My gums are swollen.


    Scarface told the rest of the house about his discovery. Most people are very calm because, after all, they are not newcomers, so it is not so easy to make a fuss. It was only then that Scarface realized that he was the most impatient of the group of people, he couldn¡¯t help feeling he¡¯d lost face and walked away with a dark expression.


    Everyone exchanged information and found that there were no special clues in the bungalow. Don¡¯t mention secret rooms or secret mechanisms, they didn¡¯t even see a single ghost, which was disappointing.


    ¡°Anyway, we have to ensure that this child grows up safely.¡± The middle-aged woman who spoke was the one who appeared in the morning. She has long hair, so let¡¯s call her Auntie Long-hair. The long-haired aunt leaned in front of Little RenDong, ¡°Has he teethed yet?¡±


    Lian Qiao sighed, ¡°Not yet.¡± He had just looked at it and the bumps on Little RenDong¡¯s gums were still there, and the gums were swollen, but the deciduous teeth didn¡¯t look like they intended to sprout at all.


    Was the only solution to cut open the gums? Why couldn¡¯t you take some anti-inflammatory drugs first¡­


    The long-haired aunt shook her head and vetoed his proposal: ¡°What¡¯s the use of anti-inflammatory drugs? His teeth won¡¯t grow out and he will have a fever sooner or later. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s an improvement. You should find him something to grind his teeth with. Our child was like this when he was a child, the deciduous teeth never came out and the doctor said they had no choice but to cut the gums. I was reluctant so I just gave him teething biscuits.¡±


    Lian Qiao hurried to ask the principal if she had any teething biscuits. The principal shook her head, and Lian Qiao just remembered that it is now 1993, how can raising a child be as expensive as it was in 2020, and even have teething biscuits? It¡¯s good to even have something to eat.


    Lian Qiao was depressed but the principal said: ¡°There are no teething biscuits, but there are shrimp crackers.¡±


    Shrimp crackers?!


    Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes lit up immediately and childhood memories flowed away like a flood.


    That¡¯s right! He ate this as a kid too! The so-called shrimp sticks were a kind of puffed food. They are not really made of shrimp meat, but they are just filled with shrimp powder, which has the umami taste of shrimp. He ate it as a snack as a kid.


    The texture of the shrimp sticks is slightly hard, and the taste is good, which is perfect for grinding your teeth.


    Lian Qiao immediately asked the director for shrimp crackers and fed them to RenDong.


    Little RenDong¡¯s gums were swollen uncomfortably, not to mention he wanted to get his teeth out as soon as possible so that he could sing in chorus with Lian Qiao, so he ate the shrimp crackers very cooperatively. He doesn¡¯t have a single tooth, so he can only use his gums to grind a little bit. Although this process is a bit painful, RenDong is not afraid of pain.


    Toothache is better than brain suppuration!


    Lian Qiao hugged the little RenDong on his lap, and fed shrimp sticks into his mouth one by one. Seeing the little mouth bulging and moving, Lian Qiao suddenly felt tenderness in his heart. He remembered what RenDong had said to him in the elevator.


    What would you do if we had kids?


    ¡ªif they had a child, he couldn¡¯t imagine how he would pamper it. He will give it everything he can, and he will watch it grow up, grow into his and RenDong¡¯s looks little by little. What a happy thing it should be¡­.


    If only they could have children¡­


    Many absurd ideas flashed through Lian Qiao¡¯s mind and some of them were illegal. But he immediately vetoed himself.


    No matter how advanced the technology was, if he and RenDong wanted to have children, a third person would be necessary to intervene. And he absolutely couldn¡¯t accept that.


    He loved that child only because it was the continuation of his and RenDong¡¯s life. What he cherishes most will always be RenDong. There is no room for a third person to intervene between them.


    Let alone a woman, even if it¡¯s just an egg!


    Lian Qiao was so immersed in the joy of cutting off his children and grandchildren that he didn¡¯t notice that a shrimp cracker had slipped from Xiao RenDong¡¯s hand.


    The principal had already gone out, she had to wash and dry clothes for the other children and was very busy. There were only Lian Qiao and RenDong in the room at this time.


    Therefore, when Lian Qiao realized that something was wrong with Little RenDong, Little RenDong¡¯s face was already purple and his little hands and feet were struggling.


    Lian Qiao was shocked and his first reaction was to touch his forehead. Surprisingly, RenDong¡¯s forehead was cool and he didn¡¯t have a fever.


    Lian Qiao was stunned, quickly put him on the bed, and called out to the principal. He didn¡¯t dare to take half a step away from RenDong but he didn¡¯t know what to do, so he could only desperately call for help.


    Just a moment after he called for help, the little RenDong had already broken free from its swaddling clothes. The chubby hands and feet were constantly twisting in the air, he seemed to be in extreme pain and his little face was wrinkled into a ball. His lips were blue, obviously in a state of severe hypoxia.


    Lian Qiao was at a loss, and almost cried, ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you? What¡¯s the matter with you, RenDong, tell me!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­uh¡­¡± Little RenDong struggled to make a sound from his throat. Too bad that doesn¡¯t make a meaningful sentence at all. Lian Qiao still didn¡¯t know what happened to him, only that he couldn¡¯t breathe and was about to suffocate to death.


    Why? Obviously there was no fever and no pneumonia, why is this happening?


    Lian Qiao looked around in panic and finally found the half-pack of shrimp crackers thrown on the ground by Little RenDong.


    ¡ªWas there something wrong with the shrimp crackers?


    His first reaction was that the shrimp crackers were poisonous and the principal wanted to kill RenDong¡­but before RenDong ate the shrimp crackers, he had already tasted it! It was impossible for it to be poisonous!


    What the hell is going on¡­


    There was a chaotic sound of footsteps on the stairs. Lian Qiao thought it was the principal who came, and looked back expectantly, but what he saw was the group of useless teammates.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?!¡± Seeing the accident of a key player, everyone was very nervous. They swarmed over to ask questions.


    Lian Qiao said angrily: ¡°Go to the principal quickly! Find her to save him!¡±


    ¡°Pat him on the back!¡±


    Lian Qiao finally came to his senses, quickly hugged RenDong, and patted him on the back forcefully.


    His small body swayed back and forth as he was patted but RenDong didn¡¯t even cough. Instead he struggled and writhed in extreme irritability, heis face full of pain.


    Lian Qiao was afraid that he would really suffocate to death if he continued to delay, so he didn¡¯t care so much at the moment, he directly lifted RenDong upside down, lifted his two legs and shook vigorously, trying to dislodge what was stuck in his throat.


    The few people around also knew the importance of the key player, so they hurriedly patted his backs together.


    But no matter how hard everyone tried, RenDong didn¡¯t spit out anything. His small mouth opened and closed, as if he wanted to speak, but he could neither make a sound nor cough.


    Not even cry.


    He could only writhe and struggle helplessly and instinctively, using all his body language to say two words:


    Pain.


    Little Apple¡¯s face was pale at this time and she said anxiously: ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him, how could he be like this¡­¡±


    Scarface sat on the ground directly, holding his head in a broken mood and shouting: ¡± It¡¯s over, it¡¯s over! He¡¯s going to die! We¡¯re going to die too!¡±


    Everyone was silent and only Lian Qiao was still desperately patting him on the back.


    Perhaps it was because of being upside down but RenDng¡¯s purple face gradually swelled up. Lian Qiao felt that something was wrong, so he quickly put him down and let him lie flat on the bed. This didn¡¯t make Little RenDong feel much better.


    His cheeks were swollen like steamed buns and even his little lips were swollen and protruding, showing a strange color.


    That lip color¡­was unique. The middle of the two lips is pale and swollen, but the outer circle is darker red, like a bad lip liner.


    Lian Qiao was awakened by this strange change. He recalled a sentence that his mother, who was an emergency and critical care specialist, had mentioned by chance.


    ¨C Pale and edematous mucous membrane of the lips.


    Pale edema¡­ pale edema¡­ what was it?


    The surrounding noises and RenDong¡¯s painful expression hindered Lian Qiao¡¯s memory. He roared angrily ¡°Stop arguing!¡± then picked up RenDong and rushed downstairs.


    He can only go to the principal! Only the principal can do it! Only the principal can save him!


    RenDong¡¯s small body is as light as nothing in Lian Qiao¡¯s hands and, even though he was one year old, he was still very thin. Lian Qiao took three steps in parallel, almost jumping down the stairs. He rushed out of the mansion and saw the principal drying the quilt outside the yard.


    The outside of the yard ¨C


    No, no, no!


    Little RenDong¡¯s struggle became smaller and smaller, almost turning into intermittent twitching. The small face was wrinkled into a ball, like an ugly orange. Lian Qiao looked down at him, felt a sudden tug in his heart, stopped thinking about it, picked up RenDong and rushed towards the gate of the courtyard.


    ¡°Principal, hurry up¡ª¡±


    He just yelled when he suddenly felt that something grabbed his neck and stuck the words he wanted to yell in his throat.


    Lian Qiao was startled and his figure suddenly stopped. He had a terrible premonition in his heart and, at the same time, he felt that RenDong seemed¡­ to stop moving¡­


    He couldn¡¯t believe it was true. However, when his eyes slowly fell on RenDong¡¯s face, the pale face that caught his eyes still ruthlessly tore out a big hole in his heart.


    Not moving.


    No more struggling, no more twitching, not even the heaving of that small chest.


    Little RenDong¡¯s tense expression finally relaxed, his eyelids drooped, revealing a little bit of white. His face and lips were so swollen that they were almost translucent, like water balloons that were about to burst.


    At the same time, Lian Qiao felt something stuck in his throat, which made him want to cough, but he couldn¡¯t cough it out.


    He instinctively grabbed at his throat, trying to pull the thing out, but he still held the tiny corpse of RenDong in one hand and refused to let go. The thing in his throat seemed to be growing, and soon blocked his entire throat, making him unable to speak, unable to breathe, no matter how hard his chest heaved and his lungs tried, he couldn¡¯t breathe even a little air¨C


    Quickly the vision in front of his eyes blackened and he became dizzy.


    The principal¡¯s figure flashed past. She was still drying clothes outside the orphanage and didn¡¯t notice the commotion over here.


    Lian Qiao held RenDong¡¯s body in his arms until he died, though the little body was red and swollen like a queer little pink giant.


    At that moment, Lian Qiao suddenly remembered.


    Oh, it¡¯s laryngeal edema.


    Pale lips and mucous membranes, and edema in the throat¡ªit¡¯s systemic edema caused by  allergic anaphylaxis.

 CH 138

    Chapter 138 ¨C 1992-2020


    The elevator was running quietly and smoothly. Suddenly it shook slightly.


    This is something that happens every time and Lian Qiaowas used to it. But RenDong couldn¡¯t seem to get used to it, because every time the elevator vibrated, he would gasp in shock.


    It was the same this time.


    Lian Qiao looked at RenDong, meeting his dazed eyes.


    Lian Qiao was about to speak when RenDong¡¯s expression suddenly changed. His melancholy and trance temperament disappeared instantly, replaced by a burst of anger.


    ¡°Why is it so easy for me to¡ª!¡± Before he finished speaking, his voice stopped abruptly, as if his throat was choked by an invisible hand.


    Lian Qiao was stunned by this unexpected outburst and, before he could react, RenDong changed the subject and yelled at him angrily: ¡°Babies are very fragile! Don¡¯t feed them indiscriminately!¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°???¡±


    ¡­


    After a lot of tossing, Lian Qiao, in a daze, finally picked up the bitter little purple potato from the entrance of the orphanage.


    This time, the little purple sweet potato behaved well, crying wildly all night, constantly attracting Lian Qiao¡¯s attention. He didn¡¯t care how tired or haggard Lian Qiao was, he wanted Lian Qiao to put all his attention on him, take good care of the baby and stop doing any other nonsense.


    Lian Qiao was so disturbed that he didn¡¯t sleep a wink all night. Several times he pushed the cradle and was about to pass out but Little RenDong cried out and forcefully pulled him back from sleep.


    But every time he picked up little RenDong, fed him, took his temperature and checked his diaper¡­ after this set of procedures, he found that there was nothing wrong with RenDong. He really cried just because he wanted to! He just wants to make trouble! He just won¡¯t let him sleep!


    After coming down several times, Lian Qiao almost had a nervous breakdown.


    ¡°Ancestor, what¡¯s wrong with you¡­¡± Lian Qiao lay on the side of the cradle pitifully with two huge dark circles under his eyes, ¡°What did I do wrong that you want to torment me like this¡­¡±


    Little RenDong stared at him but didn¡¯t speak.


    Lian Qiao and the baby stared at each other for a long time and the lover filter activated on its own. He could only think that although the little purple sweet potato spirit was ugly, it was also cute and ugly.


    No matter how noisy it is, it is also his RenDong.


    It¡¯s his baby RenDong!


    Lian Qiao smiled at the little monster in the cradle with boundless love and tolerance. Then touched his forehead for the 101th time, pinched his little face, and biu biu shot him a gentle gaze for the 101th time.


    RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± Are you really not angry?


    Little RenDong seemed a little embarrassed, thinned his mouth and turned his head away. He thought to myself: Hm! You really have no principles! Don¡¯t you know you¡¯ll spoil a child if you bring them up like this?


    Fortunately, everything was safe and sound after all.


    Little RenDong managed to live until 1993 and, at the moment when the sun rose, he also grew up.


    If RenDong hadn¡¯t kept making noises to keep Lian Qiao from sleeping, Lian Qiao really wouldn¡¯t have seen this scene. Of course, this change was far more shocking than pleasant to Lian Qiao.


    Because RenDong doesn¡¯t just grow up all at once but, like a snake shedding its skin, the whole body is split from the middle, and a bigger child emerges from the inside.


    The layer of skin that he shed off gradually became translucent as it fell off and soon disappeared.


    ¡°¡­¡± Lian Qiao slowly closed his mouth in shock and breathed a sigh of relief.


    Fortunately it disappeared. If this layer of skin doesn¡¯t disappear, what should he do?


    That¡¯s¡­the shed skin of RenDong! Can he just throw it in the trash? Is it wet waste or hazardous waste? !


    Lian Qiao survived the initial shock and quickly accepted the fact that RenDong grows one year older every day. However, when he tried to grind RenDong¡¯s teeth, RenDong refused to touch the shrimp crackers. Lian Qiao said it was for his own good but RenDong refused to eat it and even slapped the bag of shrimp crackers onto his face.


    Lian Qiao began to wonder if his intelligence had also regressed!


    Why are you so disobedient!


    All in all, out of inexplicable stubbornness, RenDong insisted on drinking only milk powder and not touching anything else. He was already thin and small but now it¡¯s even worse, his teeth can¡¯t even grow out.


    He always likes to point fingers and make gestures to Lian Qiao. Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t understand, so he babbled to Lian Qiao. His small mouth opened without a single tooth in it, which made him feel inexplicably happy. Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t help laughing all the time, so Little RenDong gave him a slap in the face.


    What kind of attack power can a one-year-old child have? Lian Qiao just thinks that chubby little hand was extremely cute and he can¡¯t help but grab RenDong¡¯s little hand and put it to his mouth to kiss. This made little RenDong even more angry and stretched out his little feet to kick him in the face.


    Lian Qiao: Aiyooooooo this little foot foot is so cute too! Give me a kiss!


    The crowd silently watching: ¡°You still say you not a pervert?! You beast!¡±


    Little RenDong, who was crying wildly, finally escaped the allergy to shrimp crackers. Soon, night fell.


    On this day, everyone explored everywhere, but no one could find any useful clues. And Lian Qiao was obsessed with bringing up the baby and had no intention of helping at all. He could only hope time would go slower, so that he could love Little RenDong more.


    At night, Little RenDong, who had been playing around all day, was exhausted. He lay drowsy in Lian Qiao¡¯s arms. Lian Qiao sat in the living room with everyone, discussing what to do next.


    In fact, there was nothing to discuss. There are no clues in the orphanage, and the name of the instance was clear enough.


    To at least let RenDong live until 2020!


    Everyone really had nothing to say and finally turned their attention to Lian Qiao.


    Little Apple asked: ¡°Do you have any thoughts?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­Huh?¡±


    Suddenly being cue-ed, he hadn¡¯t transformed from his ¡®father¡¯ identity and subconsciously looked at everyone with a loving gaze.


    Everyone inexplicably felt the ridicule of ¡°I am your father¡± and felt slightly upset. The man with the scar was already grumpy and this subtle discomfort suddenly magnified it infinitely in his heart. He slapped the table and burst out angrily: ¡°Fuck your mother, can you be serious? Do you still want to go out?!¡±


    The clanging sound directly woke up Little RenDong from his sound sleep. Little RenDong opened his eyes in a bewilderment, eyes filled with moisture, and Lian Qiao said coldly: ¡°Speak up if you have something to say but don¡¯t be loud, you scared him.¡±


    The man with the scar didn¡¯t expect Lian Qiao, this seemingly frail young man, to be not afraid of him at all. He was taken aback for a moment but immediately felt he¡¯d lost face. He kicked off the stool and rushed up to Lian Qiao, pulling Lian Qiao up by his collar: ¡°What are you talking about? Do you dare to say it again¡ª¡±


    His voice was cut off.


    Boom!


    The scarred man¡¯s brain buzzed and he felt his forehead itch. When he touched it, it turned out to be blood.


    He opened his eyes wide in shock and looked at his bloody hands in disbelief. Only then did he notice that Lian Qiao had pulled out a crowbar at some point. The crowbar was still stained with blood¡ªhis blood!


    Fuck!


    I was just fucking trying to scare you, and you¡¯re fucking trying to kill me!


    ¡°¡­¡± The man with the scar didn¡¯t have time to speak, his eyes rolled back and he passed out.


    Suddenly there was a sudden change. Everyone was shocked, including baby RenDong. Only Lian Qiao remained calm, flicked the blood off the crowbar and stared at everyone indifferently.


    No one expected that Lian Qiao, a warm and sunny boy, would be so ruthless, decisive and merciless in his actions. Although the man with the scar was not very polite, he had done anything deserving of death. Lian Qiao¡¯s operation changed everyone¡¯s opinion of him instantly, and everyone had different expressions and thoughts.


    Little Apple seems to be very used to this kind of thing. She bent down to check the scar man¡¯s injury, turned her head and smiled at everyone, ¡°It¡¯s okay, he¡¯s just passed out.¡±


    The long-haired auntie also came to her senses, and hurried to the scarred man¡¯s side: ¡°He¡¯s bleeding so much, is he okay?¡±


    Lian Qiao suddenly took a step forward. Everyone was shocked, subconsciously retreating. Lian Qiao ignored the crowd, went straight to the dining table, picked up a rag from the corner of the table, threw it to Little Apple and said, ¡°Press his wound for a while. A small wound like that will stop bleeding immediately.¡±


    Little Apple was not polite and took it. The rag was pressed against the scarred man¡¯s head. Although Lian Qiao¡¯s attack was ruthless, he did not intend to kill, so there was only a blood bag bulging on the scar man¡¯s head instead of a blood hole.


    As soon as Little Apple pressed it, the man with the scar woke up, screaming in pain.


    Lian Qiao gave him a cool look and the man with the scar immediately stopped talking.


    When the long-haired auntie saw that the man with the scar was indeed fine, she got up and sighed: ¡°Oh, what¡¯s going with us! We haven¡¯t even found a way out and we¡¯re already fighting among ourselves. How will we live in the future?


    Lian Qiao put away the crowbar, lowered his eyes and said lightly: ¡°We are grasshoppers on the same rope. But if a grasshopper wants to bite me, I can¡¯t let him mess around.¡±


    Little Apple also coaxed: ¡°Okay, stop talking. He was beaten to the ground by you, so let¡¯s put it behind us now.¡±


    Hearing this, the man with the scar flashed a trace of displeasure in his eyes and blurted out: ¡°Obviously he attacked me first! And you¡¯re still on his side?¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡± You were the first to strike, have you forgotten?


    Little Apple was also very disappointed with the scarred man. She shook her head and sighed: ¡°You really don¡¯t know what to do. Do you think that, in this kind of place, people will still reason with you? No. Everyone will always follow the powerful people.¡±


    After finishing speaking, she immediately lent action to her words and left the man with the scar and stood by Lian Qiao¡¯s side.


    The man with the scar opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but everyone has already started discussing tomorrow¡¯s matter.


    The man with the scar was lying on the ground alone, suddenly feeling helpless.


    Among the people in this circle, only the baby in Lian Qiao¡¯s arms looked straight at him. But this baby was inextricably linked to Lian Qiao and the man with the scar hated it from the bottom of his heart. He snorted coldly and, while Lian Qiao was not paying attention, he secretly glared at him fiercely.


    Unexpectedly, not only was Lian Qiao not afraid of him, but even this immature child who had just turned one year old was indifferent to his deterrence.


    The baby¡¯s eyes were burning and the jet-black eyes were staring straight at him. There was an expression that could be called solemn on the fleshy little face. The scarred man thought the baby¡¯s seriousness was ridiculous. At the same time he felt an itch on his face, as if something had dripped down.


    Could it be that the blood flowed down again?


    He scratched his face subconsciously, but he didn¡¯t feel any blood, but a shiny, sticky, unknown liquid slid down. When he smelt it, it actually was a little bit smelly.


    As he was surprised, he suddenly saw the baby raise his little hand and gently tug at Lian Qiao¡¯s sleeve.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lian Qiao lowered his head, his eyes were full of tenderness.


    ¡°Ah¡­ there¡¯s¡­¡± The baby pointed to the man with the scar and uttered an ambiguous monosyllable.


    Lian Qiao leaned close to the baby¡¯s mouth and listened patiently to him jumping out word by word. After listening, his expression sank, and he also turned to look at the man with the scar.


    The crowd couldn¡¯t help but follow and look at it together. The man with the scar thought: Hey, you¡¯re so young and already know how to dob people in? He felt a bit guilty but he refused to show timidity, so he said sternly, ¡°What are you doing! You haven¡¯t played enough so you want to play again?!¡±


    Lian Qiao stared at him for half a second: ¡°No.¡±


    The man with the scar: ¡°Then why are you all staring at me!?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Because you have a ghost on your head.¡±

 CH 139

    Chapter 139 ¨C 1992-2020


    As soon as these words came out, everyone¡¯s expressions changed in unison.


    The man with the scar turned pale with fright. Even so, he tried to keep his composure and cast a quick glance upward.


    He glanced up very quickly, afraid of seeing something terrible. However, at a glance, there was nothing to be seen except the ceiling.


    Everyone also looked there nervously, whispering: ¡°What did you see?¡± and ¡°There¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Hearing this, the man with the scar felt more at ease and said with a sneer, ¡°What are you trying to do- scare me?¡±


    Lian Qiao shrugged: ¡°Why should I scare you? If I want to kill you, I will do it directly. Why would I need to scare you?¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡± You are indeed a unified amalgamation of knowledge and action.


    Scarface also felt that what he said was very reasonable but, as the one who was being attacked, he still couldn¡¯t swallow the anger in his heart. He pointed to Lian Qiao¡¯s nose and was about to yell at him when he suddenly felt his cheeks heat up. Something slapped onto his face again.


    The man with the scar was irritated and wiped his hand around casually. He opened his mouth and said: ¡°You¡­¡±


    Before he finished speaking, a bloody mouth appeared in mid-air without warning and the man with the scar was bitten by the open mouth!


    Before the man with the scar could react, his body twitched and he fell to the ground. His neck cavity was like a broken faucet, bleeding desperately, splashing a large amount of blood red onto  the ground. The headless corpse twitched on the ground, like a fish that had been disemboweled but didn¡¯t know it was dead.


    Everyone was horrified, watching a ghost hanging upside down from the ceiling.


    It was a pale man in ragged clothes. His limbs are as thin as bamboo poles but his belly was as big as a drum. At first glance, it looks like a spider with a big belly. However, he didn¡¯t spin the silk, he just puffed out his cheeks and chewed.


    The man was huge, with a mouth that opened like a washbasin, so it was effortless to chew the head of a living person. With an expression of extreme enjoyment on his pale face, he chewed the head until it cracked and bone fragments kept falling out from the corners of his mouth.


    Everyone watched him swallow the human head, even the minced meat that leaked from the corner of his mouth. Slender fingers wiped the blood red lips and greedily stuffed the minced meat back into his mouth. The man¡¯s expression changed from enjoyment to satisfaction and he swallowed all his flesh and blood.


    Everyone was dumbfounded, standing on the spot like a puppet.


    They didn¡¯t react until Lian Qiao slowly said: ¡°It turned out to be a hungry ghost.¡±


    Then everyone realized that it was a ghost!


    Someone yelled, ¡°Why are you still standing there for, run away!!¡± Everyone scattered and fled in all directions as if awakened from a dream. Some ran outside, some ran to the kitchen and others ran upstairs in a panic.


    However, the little bastards on the second floor who were watching the fun had long since hid in their rooms and the principal was also missing, perhaps hiding with the children.


    The hungry ghost didn¡¯t rush to chase them either but threw himself on the man with the scar and frantically devoured the rest of his body.


    In a blink of an eye, the people next to Lian Qiao disappeared. The only sound left in the living room was the chewing sound of the hungry ghost.


    Lian Qiao glanced at Little Apple, the last person next to him, and asked in surprise: ¡°Why didn¡¯t you run?¡±


    Little Apple curled her lips: ¡°It¡¯s useless to run, you can¡¯t get out anyway. It¡¯s better to fight.¡± She was holding the watermelon knife that Lian Qiao lent her.


    The watermelon knife was dozens of centimeters long, sharp and polished, and when it was taken out in the living room at this moment, it could be said to be extremely murderous.


    After saying that, Little Apple picked up the watermelon knife and marched up. He saw her raise the knife and slash down. The watermelon knife chopped off the hungry ghost in his middle. However, the hungry ghost still gnawed on the corpse like he was unconscious, without even turning his head.


    It turned out that the hungry ghost had no substance. No matter how hard Little Apple slashed, it merely went through the phantom and couldn¡¯t do any harm to the hungry ghost.


    She couldn¡¯t make a blow and was terrified, but she didn¡¯t freeze and immediately retreated to Lian Qiao¡¯s side.


    Lian Qiao frowned slightly and was about to speak when heard Little Apple say: ¡°Tsk, it actually has ¡®physical immunity¡¯.¡±


    Physical immunity?


    It was rare to hear game terms and Lian Qiao was pleasantly surprised. He suppressed a smile and asked: ¡°Then what should we do? Do you know magic?¡±


    ¡°What are you thinking, of course not.¡± Little Apple gave him a blank look and reached out to pull him, ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s get out of here! This is a ¡®plot killing¡¯! (Note)¡±. {Game terms again, not sure if my translation is correct as I don¡¯t play online games.}


    ¡°Wait.¡± Lian Qiao remained motionless but handed the baby into her arms, ¡°Hold him for a second, let me try.¡± Then he put his hand into the backpack.


    Little Apple¡¯s eyes lit up, expecting him to bring out some peerless treasure, but he never expected that what Lian Qiao held in his hand was still the classic crowbar.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you dumb?!¡± Little Apple was very disappointed, ¡°I thought you were going to take out a Vajra Pestle!¡± {Buddhist/Ancient Indian weapon.}


    ¡°Let me just try it!¡± Before Lian Qiao finished speaking, he had already rushed out.


    The hungry ghost had already gnawed the corpse to pieces, leaving only bits of flesh and bones on the ground. At this moment, he just turned his head and salivated at the two lively people.


    Lian Qiao waved the crowbar and rushed towards him. The hungry ghost didn¡¯t take it seriously at first and smiled slyly, neither dodging nor dodging. But the moment he saw the crowbar clearly, his face changed suddenly and he shrank his neck to hide.


    He was actually afraid of crowbars!


    As soon as Lian Qiao slammed it towards him, he immediately changed direction and threw it at the hungry ghost again. This time the hungry ghost not only dodged ahead of time but even crawled to the corner of the house extremely nimbly with both hands and feet. He bared its teeth and growled at him.


    This hungry ghost was obviously very afraid of crowbars. Little Apple was stunned and blurted out: ¡°How come?!¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°It¡¯s been ¡®consecrated¡¯.¡± {Game term again, sorry not sure if my translation is correct, probably not.}


    Little Apple: ¡°???¡±


    Lian Qiao was too lazy to explain. He picked up the crowbar and charged aggressively at the hungry ghost. The hungry ghost glared at him viciously, then turned his head and slammed itself into the wall. Like milk falling into water, it disappeared without a sound.


    Lian Qiao held a crowbar and stared at the empty wall, feeling lost.


    Little Apple chuckled, ¡°It¡¯s all your fault. You didn¡¯t take out the crowbar earlier, so the monster slipped away.¡±


    She said that the ¡°monster¡± slipped away, not the ¡°ghost¡±. There was no doubt about this familiar tone.


    Lian Qiao raised the corners of his mouth: ¡°You also like to play games?¡±


    Little Apple was taken aback, then smiled: ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m a game geek¡­ What about you?¡±


    A strong sense of intimacy rose in Lian Qiao¡¯s heart. But now is not the time to recognize relatives so he quickly walked back to Little Apple, stretched out his hand and said, ¡°Give him back to me.¡±


    ¡°No, let me hug him for a while. This kid is so cute.¡± Little Apple smiled. She dodged and pinched Little RenDong¡¯s face, ¡°Ah, this little face feels so good, I¡¯ve long wanted to¡­ Wuuu!¡±


    Little RenDong actually bit her finger!


    Little Apple felt the pain and quickly withdrew her hand. In a moment of carelessness, the hand holding the little RenDong loosened and the swaddle slipped from her arms!


    The two were shocked immediately. Fortunately, Lian Qiao reacted quickly and caught RenDong with quick eyes and hands, thus avoiding a tragedy.


    Even though there was no danger, Lian Qiao was still in a cold sweat from fear. His heart was beating wildly, he tightly held RenDong in his arms and yelled at Little Apple: ¡°What are you doing! Idiot, you can¡¯t even hold a child!¡± He didn¡¯t finish speaking before-


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    Lian Qiao felt the pain in his hands and subconsciously wanted to let go but reacted in the next second, tightened his arms instead, and once again took Little RenDong into his arms.


    He lowered his head in a daze and was shocked to find that RenDong had actually bitten him hard!


    Lian Qiao¡¯s first reaction was why did you bite me but what he blurted out¡ª


    ¡°You have teeth?!¡±


    Little RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    RenDong was shocked by his wonderful reaction and couldn¡¯t help letting go in a daze.


    Lian Qiao instantly forgot the tooth marks on his fingers and carefully opened RenDong¡¯s mouth to count the teeth in his mouth. Immediately he excitedly said: ¡°You have teeth! You have three teeth! Finally, hahahaha!¡±


    RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± He turned his head awkwardly, smacked his lips, and did not speak.


    Lian Qiao was immersed in the joy that the baby had finally grown teeth. He kissed and squeezed Little RenDong, wishing to throw him into the sky. Little Apple rubbed her fingertips which hurt from being bitten and said suspiciously: ¡°Your son¡­ no, is there something wrong with your partner? Why does he like biting for no reason?¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s mood was turbulent and the sound of his voice was raised in the end: ¡°I don¡¯t know ah~¡±


    Little Apple: ¡°¡­¡± This old father seems to have something wrong with his brain.


    After the hungry ghost ran away, it never appeared again. Those teammates who had fled in all directions came back one after another and were extremely surprised after hearing the explanations of the two.


    A seemingly useless baby can actually see ghosts? Well, after all, it¡¯s a child, and it¡¯s normal to see things that others can¡¯t.


    A crowbar that has been ¡®consecrated¡¯ can actually beat ghosts? Uh¡­it seems to make sense. But how did Lian Qiao bring the crowbar to the Buddha to bless it?


    Can this thing still be ¡®consecrated¡¯?


    In any case, the crisis was temporarily lifted. The director of the orphanage only came down at this time and asked everyone in surprise: ¡°Everyone, it¡¯s so late, don¡¯t you need to rest?¡±


    Everyone thought: You can speak casually now but just now weren¡¯t you hiding by yourself behind a locked door? The principal looked really upright, as if that really hadn¡¯t happened. She even said with a pleasant face: ¡°If you still don¡¯t want to sleep, please chat softly, the children are going to sleep.¡±


    This group of people really have a strong psychological quality. The downstairs was haunted but they actually fell asleep in a blink of an eye.


    Having said that, the principal might be on the same side as ghosts, after all, they are all NPCs¡­


    These old players who have been abused by dungeons have PTSD so they were always vigilant. They not only guarded against each other but also guarded against NPCs. Lian Qiao was too lazy to talk to this group of people, so he went back upstairs with Little RenDong in his arms.


    Back in the bedroom, Lian Qiao carefully locked the door. Turning around, his heart jumped inexplicably, feeling if someone had been in this room.


    He then looked carefully at the room.


    This room was not big but it was well equipped with tables, chairs, bed and cabinets. The decoration was very warm. There are two beds and both are adult beds. It stands to reason that one more person can live here but, for some reason, the principal did not arrange other players to live in this room, but left it alone for Lian Qiao and Little RenDong.


    Lian Qiao quickly found the reason why he felt strange.


    On the only small table in the room, there was a small plate. He walked over with RenDong in his arms and saw a few bear biscuits on the plate.


    ¡­Who secretly gave them cookies while they were away?


    Lian Qiao picked up a biscuit and looked at it in surprise. The shape of this biscuit was simple and it didn¡¯t smell very fragrant. In modern day it is estimated that it is a cheap product that costs a few yuan a pack. But in the ¡¯90s, it was a rarity.


    Lian Qiao looked at it for a long time and didn¡¯t see any tricks but little RenDong in his arms yelled ¡°ah, ah¡± twice and stretched out his fleshy arms towards the biscuit.


    Lian Qiao thought he wanted to study biscuits too, so he handed one over. Unexpectedly, RenDong took the biscuit and stuffed it into his mouth directly.


    Lian Qiao was shocked and subconsciously grabbed it: ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t eat it! What if it¡¯s poisonous!¡±


    But Little RenDong shook his head. His pair of black eyes were bright, brimming with tears. He hugged the biscuit and gnawed it bit by bit with his only three deciduous teeth. Tears were always rolling in his eyes.


    Lian Qiao was stunned and suddenly his heart skipped a beat.


    ¡°This¡­is the room where you lived since childhood?¡±


    Little RenDong nodded.


    Lian Qiao suddenly understood.


    Who that person was who, on a snowy night in cold winter insisted on walking to the orphanage, bleeding all the way.


    It¡¯s Zhong Xiu.


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    Plot killing: When inevitable failure of a battle is arranged due to the needs of the plot in RPG games. For example, during the novice period, when encountering a powerful boss from the late stage, although the protagonist can engage in a fight, the boss is far stronger than the player and  it is impossible to win. Even if the player wins the battle through super-high combat skills and cheating, he will be directly ¡°defeated¡± by the plot.


    ***

 CH 140

    Chapter 140 ¨C 1992-2020


    Lian Qiao was feeling emotional when three sounds of ¡°du du du¡± suddenly sounded from behind. It sounded like someone knocking on the wooden door with their knuckles.


    Lian Qiao became vigilant for a moment, put little RenDong in the cradle, picked up the crowbar and walked to the door by himself.


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    There was no answer from behind the door.


    Lian Qiao asked a few more times but there was still no sound from behind the door.


    Since the other party didn¡¯t speak, of course Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t just open the door casually. He returned to RenDong, only to see little RenDong sitting up in the cradle, staring at the door thoughtfully.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lian Qiao touched his little head, ¡°What did you see again?¡±


    Little RenDong frowned, stared at the door for a while and finally shook his head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, no matter what¡¯s outside, I am here.¡± Lian Qiao took him out of the cradle and let him sit on his lap.


    Little RenDong, which has just turned one year old, has not grown much hair yet. What he has is short, soft and sticks to his head, which feels very good to the touch. Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t put it down and fondled it for a long time, until Little RenDong couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and turned his head away.


    Still touching! Aren¡¯t you scared I¡¯ll go bald!


    Lian Qiao read this sentence from Little RenDong¡¯s eyes and couldn¡¯t help laughing out loud.


    After eating the plate of bear biscuits, Little RenDong was drowsy. After all, it is a child who has just turned one year old, so it is very reasonable to eat, sleep and eat again after sleeping. Lian Qiao wanted to carry him to the bed to sleep together but Little RenDong kicked him in the face so hard and refused to go into the bed. Lian Qiao had no choice but to pull the cradle to the head of the bed where he could reach it. He put one hand on the cradle, then turned off the light and went to sleep.


    Little RenDong soon fell asleep. Lian Qiao listened to the light cat-like breathing and suddenly thought: In the previous instance, RenDong seemed to never have slept so soundly.


    Although Boss RenDong carried him to win every time, he could feel the extreme anxiety secretly hidden under RenDong¡¯s seemingly easy-going coldness.


    Especially the last time¡ªthey hadn¡¯t even officially stepped into the dungeon and, while they were still in the elevator, RenDong suddenly had an emotional breakdown.


    In fact, he has been under a lot of psychological pressure, but he just doesn¡¯t say it or admit it.


    He always does this. No matter what he encountered, no matter how painful it was, he gritted his teeth and endured it.


    He would even say calmly: I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine.


    I can still hurt more.


    How can people not love someone like this?


    But¡­


    In the darkness, Lian Qiao blinked slowly, staring at the innocent sleeping face of the baby in the cradle.


    But¡­it is precisely this kind of RenDong that sometimes makes him sometimes unable to help wanting to¡­


    Want-to-hurt-harm-


    Wanting to hear his screams. Wanting to see his miserable appearance. Wanting to hold him down and feel his struggle and resistance in his own hands.


    Wanted to see how much pain he would have to suffer to¡ª


    Have a total breakdown.


    Lian Qiao was startled by his own thoughts. His back was instantly drenched in cold sweat and he was shocked about his own thoughts.


    Was it because the room was too dark? Still¡­


    His hand couldn¡¯t help reaching out to his chest, touching a hard object through his shirt.


    That brass key.


    The key carries his body temperature and the simple shape can be felt through the shirt.


    Shi JianChuan said that the key is naturally used to unlock a lock.


    So, what is hidden behind that lock of his¡­


    Lian Qiao was thinking in a trance. Suddenly, a strange voice sounded in the quiet bedroom.


    ¡°Du, du, du.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Who was it? Who is knocking again?


    Lian Qiao glanced at the cradle and Little RenDong was still sleeping. He didn¡¯t want to wake up RenDong so he got off the bed lightly and walked towards the door.


    In early spring, when the warmth is turning cold again, the cool wind blows over Lian Qiao¡¯s exposed ankles, which makes him tremble. Lian Qiao took two steps and suddenly felt something was wrong.


    Why did the knock on the door just now seem¡­ a little closer?


    Although the lights were not turned on, Lian Qiao knew the distance from the bed to the door.


    The knock on the door he heard just now didn¡¯t seem to come from outside the door, but¡­


    From inside the door?


    With this in mind, Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t worry about bothering RenDong anymore. He picked up RenDong and pulled out the crowbar at the same time, staring vigilantly at the darkness in front of him.


    The light switch in the bedroom was next to the door so it was not wise to turn it on right now. So he gently woke up Little RenDong and said in a low voice: ¡°RenDong, look, where is the ghost?¡±


    Little RenDong woke up in a daze and, when he heard the word ¡°ghost¡±, his whole body instantly woke up.


    He opened his eyes wide, rolled his dark eyes around, and soon shook his head in confusion.


    ¡°No?¡± Lian Qiao was surprised. He remembered the knock on the door before the lights were turned off. At that time, RenDong also stared at the door for a while but didn¡¯t see anything.


    Could it be that he was thinking too much? It wasn¡¯t a ghost at all, but a mischievous kid?


    ¡­ Then this kid is really idle.


    Lian Qiao hugged Little RenDong and waited for a while holding a crowbar. There was nothing abnormal in the room but the cool wind in early spring made his back feel chilly. He confirmed with RenDong several times, but RenDong shook his head all the time, saying that he didn¡¯t see anything.


    Lian Qiao had no choice but to give up and go back to sleep.


    This time, he was worried about letting RenDong sleep in the cradle alone. Although RenDong was reluctant, he still pulled little RenDong into his bed to sleep together.


    The bedroom returned to calm in the dark. Little RenDong soon fell asleep again, purring softly like a kitten.


    Lian Qiao remained vigilant at first. Not long after, he was also infected by RenDong¡¯s drowsiness and fell into a drowsy state.


    He gradually became a little confused, unable to tell whether the person next to him was his lover or his child.


    There was a warm but unfamiliar milky fragrance on Little RenDong. While half asleep and half awake, Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t help leaning over to touch RenDong¡¯s soft little face. He felt extremely at ease and satisfied, as if he had accidentally obtained a treasure that he could never get in his life.


    ¡ªUntil that weird sound broke the calm again.


    ¡°Du, du, du.¡±


    The sound of knuckles tapping on wood.


    ¡°¡­Fuck!¡± Lian Qiao was awakened from a sweet dream and instantly blew up. He turned his head and yelled towards the door, ¡°Which bastard are you, staying awake in the middle of the night pretending to be Wang ZuXian! (Note)¡±


    Little RenDong, who was on his side, was startled awake by his yelling and struggled in his arms.


    Lian Qiao patted Little RenDong on the back comfortingly, while continuing to curse at the door: ¡°Knock! Knock again! Knock again and I¡¯ll come out and kill you!¡±


    Probably his scolding voice sounded too loud and scary at night, Little RenDong actually cried ¡°Wuuu!¡±. Lian Qiao was shocked and quickly comforted him: ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯m not trying to hurt you, don¡¯t be afraid, don¡¯t be afraid¡­¡±


    Little RenDong didn¡¯t listen and his fleshy little body kept writhing in Lian Qiao¡¯s arms, trying to crawl out. Fearing that he would fall, Lian Qiao hugged him even closer and coaxed him in a panic: ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? What do you want? I¡¯ll get you what you want. Don¡¯t run around¡­¡±


    Little RenDong babbled, desperately stretched out his hand towards the bed and tried to crawl out of Lian Qiao¡¯s arms. Lian Qiao turned his head and saw the backpack by the bed and finally realized what RenDong wanted.


    The ghost ¨C it¡¯s really here!


    Lian Qiao pulled out the crowbar from the backpack in a snap and placed it in front of him and RenDong. Only then did Little RenDong stop struggling and his little fleshy hands grabbed the shirt of his chest, staring straight ahead with his dark eyes.


    There was no light in the room and there was only darkness as far as the eye could see.


    Lian Qiao opened his eyes wide. Due to the poor lighting, his pupils also dilated, trying to capture even the slightest strangeness.


    One big and one small waited silently and vigilantly for a moment and finally the weird noise appeared again.


    ¡°Du, du, du.¡±


    This time, the sound of knocking on the board was very close, as though it came from under the cradle. The cradle was touched by something and it shook slightly, making a ¡°crack¡ª¡ªsqueak¡ª¡± sound.


    Without hesitation, Lian Qiao kicked the cradle away and at the same time swung the crowbar, aiming at the source of the noise in a critical blow.


    He couldn¡¯t perceive the location of the ghost so he could only wave it around. Fortunately, the crowbar was long enough. Even if it was swung wildly, the attack range was wide enough. He felt the crowbar hit something and then a sharp female scream rang out from his ears. ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaah!¡¯


    Lian Qiao suppressed his discomfort and swung the crowbar vigorously as though he was chasing flies. This time however his luck was not so good and the crowbar missed hitting anything. Instead, a hand came from deep under the bed and suddenly grabbed his ankle!


    Lian Qiao was startled, subconsciously raised the crowbar to hit underneath him. When he looked, he froze in horror.


    It turned out that the bottom of the bed had been densely covered with arms at some point. It was obviously a woman¡¯s arm, long and thin, like countless writhing white snakes. The tips of the nails were all painted with bright red nail polish, and they were rushing from the bed desperately.


    ¡°Damn!¡± Lian Qiao screamed in fright, immediately lost his fighting power, and hid on top of the bed tremblingly.


    Little RenDong in his arms couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes, roaring wildly in his heart: What are you hiding from! There is a wall behind, where can you hide?!¡±


    Lian Qiao crawled to the end of the bed, screaming in a crying voice while crawling: ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t, don¡¯t come here! Hiccup¡ª¡±


    RenDong¡¯s heart skipped a beat.


    It¡¯s over! He¡¯s hiccuping!


    After hundreds of thousands of words, the author finally remembered this setting! This shows how scared Lian Qiao is at this time! {Lol.}


    Little RenDong struggled vigorously in his arms, trying to say: What are you afraid of if you have a crowbar that¡¯s been consecrated? However, Lian Qiao, who was so frightened into hiccups, had lost his mind and has forgotten everything except screaming.


    Although those ghost hands were weak against his crowbar, Lian Qiao was so frightened that he retreated steadily, and the ghost hands pushed forward layer by layer, crawling from the edge of the bed to the middle. The fast climber has already climbed onto Lian Qiao¡¯s calf.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!¡±


    RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    In desperation, RenDong could only use his killing move.


    ¡°Waaaaaahhhh¨C¡°


    Cry!


    The baby¡¯s crying was loud, like an air-raid siren sounding suddenly and Lian Qiao shivered.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s original intention was to wake up other players by crying, which is equivalent to calling for help. However, when he was crying, Lian Qiao suddenly caught some courage. HIs pupils trembled and suddenly he grabbed the crowbar and slammed it hard on his leg.


    Crack!


    There was a creepy bone breaking sound and it exploded from Lian Qiao¡¯s leg.


    Little RenDong froze for a moment, forgetting to continue crying. He saw a cold light flickering in front of my eyes, and heard the crackling sound beside his ears.


    Lian Qiao raised his stick and knocked off dozens of arms surrounding them like a whack-a-mole.


    RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± Isn¡¯t this quite capable of fighting!


    Lian Qiao was overly stimulated and even though those ghost hands could not move, he still beat them with red eyes, almost smashing the ghost hands into meat paste.


    Seeing this situation, the rest of the ghost hands trembled in fright, twisted and disappeared into the corner of the floor.


    ¡°Ah, ah¡­¡± RenDong stretched out his fleshy little hand, trying to reach Lian Qiao¡¯s hand, but Lian Qiao was still whipping the corpses like crazy.


    Until there was another knock on the door.


    ¡°Du, du, du!¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Fuck! How dare you come again?!¡±


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    Note: Don¡¯t sleep and pretend to be Wang ZuXian: It¡¯s something from the movie ¡°East and West¡±. The character played by Wang ZuXian liked to be sneaky in the middle of the night and others made jokes about ¡°staying awake in the middle of the night pretending to be Wang ZuXian¡±. Wang ZuXian also replied: ¡°Wang ZuXian? Who is that!?¡±


    ***

 CH 141

    Chapter 141 ¨C 1992-2020


    Lian Qiao jumped out of bed in a hurry, stepped on the severed hand in a murderous mood, rushed to the door and opened the door.


    ¡°Are you okay¡ªah!¡± A scream came out and Little Apple could be seen outside the door. As soon as the door was opened, she saw the crowbar being thrown at her head. The worry on her face instantly turned into panic, which made her raise her hand to fight, ¡°Wait! Calm down! It¡¯s me!¡±


    The crowbar pierced the air but stopped just before knocking Little Apple into two pieces.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s pupils shrank suddenly and it was difficult for him to adapt to the light in the corridor. He subconsciously wanted to raise his hand to cover his eyes but found that he was holding RenDong in his left hand and the crowbar in his right hand. The crowbar was still dripping blood and he couldn¡¯t spare his hand to cover his eyes.


    He had no choice but to squint his eyes, look at the crowd of people in the corridor, and ask coldly: ¡°What?¡±


    Little Apple took two steps back in shock, patted her chest and said angrily, ¡°Should I be the one asking why? You want to kill someone?!¡±


    Lian Qiao stared at everyone coldly. His murderous aura was still intact and the crowbar in his hand was still stained with flesh and blood. One look at him could tell that he had just gone through a lot of killing. Everyone was shocked by his expression. After a while, only one person spoke weakly.


    ¡°We, we heard noises in your room, so we came to take a look¡­¡±


    It was the long-haired aunt who spoke. Auntie Long Hair was very experienced in raising children and has put a lot of effort into taking care of Little RenDong, so Lian Qiao has a good impression of her.


    At this time, Lian Qiao gradually recovered from the killing spree. He finally realized that something was wrong with him just now but he couldn¡¯t say it just like that, so he could only pull out a stiff smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, it was just a ghost.¡±


    Everyone turned pale instantly.


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t intend to scare them, so he added: ¡°I¡¯ve already beaten it to death.¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡± Damn it, the ghost was beaten to death by you, how ruthless you are!


    Seeing that everyone¡¯s faces became more ugly, Lian Qiao felt extremely tired. He didn¡¯t want to bother with it anymore, so he retreated into the room and said, ¡°It¡¯s all right now, go back to sleep.¡±


    He was about to close the door when a hand came through the door. The long, slender arms and fair skin reminded Lian Qiao of the ghost hand that he had beaten away just now.


    A sense of disgust suddenly rose in Lian Qiao¡¯s heart and he couldn¡¯t help frowning. Looking up, it was Little Apple who stopped him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel at ease after thinking about it.¡± Little Apple¡¯s eyes were full of worry and it didn¡¯t look fake. ¡°The key player is in your hands, in case there is any accident¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao interrupted coldly: ¡°There will be no accident. I will protect him with my life.¡± Then he was about to close the door again.


    Little Apple attempted to squeeze in half her body and said, frowning, ¡°I¡¯m not questioning your feelings for him, but your power alone is limited after all. Wouldn¡¯t it be better for everyone to stay and help?¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s mouth twitched into a sneer. He glanced at everyone arrogantly and thought: What help are you guys?


    However, when these words surfaced in his mind just now, he was startled.


    How could I¡­ have this kind of thought¡­


    When did I become like this?


    Lian Qiao was surprised by his weird state of mind but his face remained calm. He pretended to be persuaded, reluctantly allowed Little Apple and Aunt Long Hair in and said, ¡°Then you two stay. I can¡¯t trust the others.¡±


    The other people didn¡¯t even have names and thought that there probably wasn¡¯t much allocated in the script to them, so they all headed off angrily. {Author loves to break the fourth wall¡­}


    It was certain that Lian Qiao¡¯s actions aroused the disgust of everyone. But he didn¡¯t care either.


    Everyone protected RenDong, but only because he was the key player. When the critical moment came, they would sacrifice RenDong without hesitation. These people are not trustworthy.


    He kept Little Apple and Aunt Long Hair behind. Firstly, he felt that Little Apple had a straightforward personality, simple and direct, and secondly, Auntie Long Hair had experience in raising children, so that he would not make the deadly mistakes of a novice parent.


    So the three of them went back to the room and locked the door again.


    The three of them were vigilant for a while and found that there was nothing unusual in the room. It¡¯s been a long night and they can¡¯t spend every moment like this. They needed to take some time to rest.


    Fortunately, there was still a bed in the room. Little Apple and Auntie Long-hair can squeeze   together, so there is no problem. Lian Qiao was no longer sleepy and paced back and forth in the room with Little RenDong in his arms, seemingly trying to put Little RenDong to sleep, but in fact he was thinking why he lost his composure just now.


    This was not the first time.


    He found himself in a¡­ strange state sometimes. There was a faint surge of hostility in his heart  and when that hostility broke through his reason and surged out, he couldn¡¯t control his actions at all.


    Lian Qiao paced back and forth, gently shaking the baby in his arms like a robot. However, Little RenDong seemed to have sensed something was wrong and never fell asleep. After an unknown period of time, Lian Qiao came back from the trance, only to realize that Little RenDong had kept his eyes open, staring at him steadfastly.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you sleep too?¡± Lian Qiao lowered his voice and glanced at the other side of the bed. Little Apple and Auntie Long-hair are already asleep.


    ¡°Ah, ah¡­¡± Little RenDong still couldn¡¯t say a complete sentence but just stretched out her fleshy little hand, trying to reach his face.


    Lian Qiao hooked his mouth and bowed his head to meet his little hand.


    The palm of a child who has just turned one year old is warm and soft, like a ball of tender buns just out of the oven. Lian Qiao enjoyed the feeling of RenDong stroking his cheek very much. He knew that RenDong had sensed his strangeness, so he was comforting him like this.


    But at the same time, there was a complex sense of anxiety in his heart.


    If only RenDong hadn¡¯t turned into a baby.


    If at this moment, I could really hug him, listen to the powerful heartbeat in his chest, and smell the familiar fragrance of shower gel on his body¡­ that would be great.


    Or¡­or at least hear his voice.


    At this moment, Lian Qiao was confused, eager to hear RenDong¡¯s calm and steady voice. Even though RenDong was only three years older than him, even though sometimes RenDong was more fragile, paranoid, and childish than him but, in his heart, he still relied on RenDong.


    Just like RenDong also gradually began to rely on him.


    They have identified each other as their only companions. It has nothing to do with age, experience, money, status, and those things. They just simply depended on each other.


    He missed his RenDong.


    Lian Qiao lowered his head deeply and pressed his face against RenDong¡¯s little face. Little RenDong blinked slowly and his thick and long eyelashes scraped across Lian Qiao¡¯s face like a small brush, itching him.


    It was hot.


    Was Lian Qiao crying?


    It didn¡¯t seem like he was really crying. It was just like being a confused little beast, desperately shrinking its body into its lair, trying to find even a little bit of comfort.


    ¡°¡­¡± Little RenDong opened his mouth but he couldn¡¯t say anything after all. He just raised his little hand and hugged Lian Qiao¡¯s head with difficulty.


    Then, he kissed him on the forehead with a ¡°chirp¡±.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°!!!¡± Instantly revived with full blood!


    Little Apple beside him was groggy and seeing that the two were still at it, she couldn¡¯t help but said: ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to sleep yet¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes, sleeping now!¡± Lian Qiao smiled like a silly son of a landlord¡¯s family. He obediently ran over to turn off the late and bounced back to the bed.


    Little Apple: ¡°???¡± It¡¯s over, the problem in this person¡¯s mind seems to have worsened.


    Will it be okay if we sleep in the same room with him?!


    So now it was Little Apple who suffered from insomnia, trembling all night, and did not fall asleep until dawn.


    When the first ray of sunlight shone into the room in the morning, a line of subtitles popped up in front of everyone¡¯s eyes:


    ¡°1994.¡±


    Little Apple immediately opened her eyes, thinking: Thank god this night was over. Just as she was feeling relieved, when she turned her head, she saw an even more terrifying scene.


    RenDong split open.


    Molted.


    ¡°Aaaaaaaaah!!!¡ª¡ª¡¯


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Everyone hurried over when they heard the screams. However, the door was locked, so everyone had to worry outside.


    Lian Qiao showed a ¡°what¡¯s the big deal¡± look in his eyes and lowered his head to carefully arrange the baby RenDong¡¯s swaddling clothes.


    His body has grown a lot bigger than before and the swaddling clothes can no longer hold him. It¡¯s time to wear children¡¯s clothes.


    Lian Qiao opened the door and explained clearly to everyone. Everyone didn¡¯t have the chance to see the scene where RenDong split in two, so they naturally felt that Little Apple was making a fuss over nothing. Even the long-haired aunt comforted: ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, don¡¯t be afraid, it¡¯s a good thing to grow up! This shows that we are getting closer and closer to the instance clearance!¡±


    Little Apple: ¡°¡­¡± Auntie, if you didn¡¯t sleep in and woke up earlier, I guarantee you will be as energetic as me right now.


    Lian Qiao went to the principal to ask for children¡¯s clothes. The principal was not at all surprised by the growth rate of RenDong and happily helped Lian Qiao change clothes for RenDong.


    Whilst  the principal changed RenDong¡¯s clothes, RenDong was obedient and clever, like a little angel. But when Lian Qiao wanted to change his pants, Little RenDong firmly held down the diaper and said word by word: ¡°I, do it, myself!¡±


    Lian Qiao was overjoyed: ¡°You can talk !¡±


    RenDong: ¡°En.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°It just sounds a bit lispy. ¡±


    RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± Can I fucking not know that I¡¯m lisping?! How can this be my fault?!


    Lian Qiao laughed and opened RenDong¡¯s small mouth to see how many teeth he had grown. The tender red gums are almost full and there are only two front teeth left, no wonder he was lisping.


    Lian Qiao felt that Little RenDong was extremely cute at this time. He held his little face and couldn¡¯t put him down. RenDong was also very dissatisfied and pushed him away angrily, saying: ¡°I go to the to-let!¡± {Umm he¡¯s lisping, dunno how to express his.}


    Lian Qiao: ¡°I will accompany you.¡±


    RenDong: ¡°No!¡±


    As he said that, he grabbed the underwear that the principal had prepared for him and ran into the bathroom unsteadily.


    The door of the toilet slammed shut but Lian Qiao was not unhappy at all. Instead, he looked at the toilet like an old father, his eyes were full of kindness, and he was quite a pervert.


    The principal found a few more sets of children¡¯s clothes, all of which were old and had been washed white, obviously taken from the other children who couldn¡¯t fit them anymore. The principal said apologetically: ¡°We only have these old clothes, can you just make do for now.¡±


    Lian Qiao took the clothes, caressing the patch with cartoon patterns on it, thinking tenderly in his heart: Maybe this is really the clothes worn by RenDong?


    Thinking of this, he unconsciously raised the corners of his mouth. There is tenderness in the eyes and eyebrows.


    The principal saw him like this and, although she was curious, she didn¡¯t ask him about his relationship with RenDong. It can be said that she was a very restrained NPC. The two sat on the bed and the principal taught Lian Qiao to fold the children¡¯s clothes, chatting casually about the weather, food and other topics.


    After a while, Lian Qiao suddenly turned his head to look at the bathroom, frowned and said, ¡°Why hasn¡¯t he come out yet?¡±


    ***

 CH 142

    Chapter 142 ¨C 1992-2020


    The principal: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, maybe he¡¯s doing a number 2.¡±


    Lian Qiao originally wanted to get up to have a look but, after listening to the principal¡¯s words, he sat down again in embarrassment.


    After waiting for a few more minutes, Lian Qiao still couldn¡¯t feel at ease and finally couldn¡¯t bear it any longer. He knocked on RenDong¡¯s door.


    ¡°RenDong?¡± He asked softly, ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    There was a baby-like response from Little RenDong inside: ¡°Go away! Don¡¯t rush me!¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± It seems that he really was doing a number 2.


    Although he got the answer, Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t feel at ease for some reason and he didn¡¯t want to talk nonsense anymore, so he squatted at the door of the bathroom, waiting for RenDong to come out.


    About ten minutes later, the doorknob finally turned. Lian Qiao jumped up in surprise, which frightened little RenDong.


    ¡°You, you, what are you doing!¡± Little RenDong panicked and his two little hands shrank back, there was no doubt that he was hiding something.


    Lian Qiao thought that there was indeed a problem. He looked up and down and RenDong didn¡¯t look like he was injured, but the little padded jacket on his chest was quite wet.


    Those were new clothes.


    ¡°What were you doing in there?¡± Lian Qiao walked in and looked around curiously.


    Every time he took a step forward, Little RenDong took a step back until he was forced to the edge of the basin. With a bang, he accidentally kicked over a small bench.


    The basin was as high as half a person and Little RenDong was only two years old at this time, so he definitely couldn¡¯t reach the pool. No wonder he needed a bench.


    Lian Qiao pointed to the big water stain on his chest: ¡°You washed your hands and it became like this?¡±


    Little RenDong nodded quickly but his face was flushed red from the neck to the ears.


    He was undoubtedly lying!


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Why don¡¯t you call me if you can¡¯t reach it? Isn¡¯t it much easier if I hold you up?¡±


    RenDong: ¡°¡­I¡­I didn¡¯t think of that¡­¡± He turned her head away, not daring to meet Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes.


    There¡¯s no doubt! Definitely lying!


    Lian Qiao squatted down and looked at him, and poked his little cheek with great interest: ¡°Little cutie, what are you trying to hide?¡±


    Using the body of a two-year-old child to say such words and make such an expression, even if RenDong didn¡¯t mean it, there was a hint of coquettishness in his eyes and brows.


    This was just cheating!


    Lian Qiao softened on the spot.


    ¡°Okay, okay, I won¡¯t ask.¡± He leaned over and kissed Little RenDong on the forehead, then reached out to hug him, ¡°Let¡¯s go out¡­ Huh?¡±


    Like a tail, the whole person jumped in his arms.


    Lian Qiao only felt that his hands were cold and he didn¡¯t know what he touched. He hugged Little RenDong with one hand and freed his other hand to look at it. He saw the glistening water on his fingertips.


    RenDong¡¯s back got wet too? What happened?


    In the next moment, Lian Qiao immediately realized¡ªoh, it wasn¡¯t that his back was wet, it was what he was hiding behind him¡ª that was wet!


    Seeing the two lingering inside for a long time, the principal outside the room walked to the door of the bathroom and asked curiously, ¡°What are you doing in there?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Little RenDong opened his eyes wide, opened his mouth but was unable to speak.


    Lian Qiao put Little RenDong on his lap, poked behind him, and easily got the things he hid behind his back.


    Little RenDong was still holding onto it, the corners of his eyes were flushed, and he begged with water vapor: ¡°Don¡¯t look¡­ Please¡­¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t laugh at you, dear.¡± Lian Qiao kissed him on the forehead again and said, ¡°I¡¯ll wash it for you.¡±


    Little RenDong¡¯s eyes trembled slightly, as if the apex of his heart also trembled. He bit his water-red lips, finally made up his mind, and let go.


    Lian Qiao took the wet little pants from his hand.


    The fact that he¡¯s embarrassed like this, there was only one answer, and that was that he peed his pants. RenDong concealed it and refused to come out, because he wanted to wash his pants by himself.


    It¡¯s normal for a two-year-old child to pee his pants, and Lian Qiao didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong. However, this was too embarrassing for RenDong. After all, he is not a real child, he is a 28-year-old adult! How could he accept that he wet my pants!


    But¡­


    Seeing Lian Qiao rubbing the pants naturally, although RenDong¡¯s face was hot, his heart was warm and filled with something.


    Lian Qiao asked him with a smile while washing: ¡°What is there to be embarrassed about? It¡¯s just a pair of trousers. Don¡¯t I also wash the clothes at home?¡±


    RenDong flattened his mouth and said in a small voice: ¡°But¡­ it¡¯s dirty¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Because it¡¯s you, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s dirty.¡±


    Little RenDong opened his mouth, so moved that he didn¡¯t know what to say.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°So you don¡¯t have to be ashamed. I can wash your pants for you now and when you get older and do other things to dirty your pantspants in your sleep, I will wash them for you without any hesitation. ¡°


    Little RenDong: ¡°¡­?¡± Other things? What things?


    When he realized, the emotion disappeared in an instant. With a dark face, Little RenDong stood on tiptoe and pinched Lian Qiao¡¯s ass. Lian Qiao groaned and flicked water drops on his face with a smile. Little RenDong covered his face to hide but was soon caught by Lian Qiao and hugged.


    ¡°I love you.¡± He whispered in his ear suddenly.


    RenDong was startled.


    Lian Qiao rubbed his immature and soft cheeks and said softly: ¡°No matter what you become, I will love you.¡±


    RenDong hugged his neck, feeling his warm and deep attachment.


    He¡­ maybe noticed something. Was he scared?


    What was he afraid of?


    RenDong faintly felt that Lian Qiao was confirming something, eagerly, beggingly wanting to confirm something. So he also rubbed Lian Qiao¡¯s cheek and said earnestly, ¡°No matter what you become, I will love you too.¡±


    The corner of Lian Qiao¡¯s mouth curled up and he smiled with his eyes bent.


    Throughout the day, it was still calm. Lian Qiao monopolized Little RenDong and didn¡¯t give others the chance to help raise him. The other players had nothing to do, so they helped the principal take care of other children in the orphanage.


    Indeed, just as RenDong said, the children in this orphanage, other than him, all have more or less some kind of defect. For example, half of the ear was missing, or they were deaf-mute, or they were lame. There were some that were even more excessive.


    The girl that talked to Lian Qiao earlier and told him that the yard was full of honeysuckle flowers, although she had sound limbs and good hearing and eyesight, also had convulsions from time to time.


    ¡°Is it epilepsy?¡± Lian Qiao asked, ¡°Something happened while she was in utero?¡±


    The director shook her head and sighed, ¡°No. She has a steel needle in her brain, which was  inserted too deep. The doctor said it can¡¯t be removed.¡±


    After hearing this, everyone was shocked. Only then did I know that the little girl was born in a sexist, patriarchal family. The mother gave birth to three girls in a row. The first two died unfortunately, so the mother loved this little one very much.


    However, the grandma wanted to hug a grandson, after all.


    At that time, the little girl was only one year old when her grandmother ruthlessly inserted several steel needles into her head. Because there was a superstitious saying in their hometown: if the soul of a baby girl is nailed down, she will not be reborn in this family again.


    The steel needle was covered by hair and no one noticed it. It wasn¡¯t until the child¡¯s crying turned into continuous convulsions that the parents rushed the child to the hospital that they knew the truth. It turned out that not only the little girl was abused but the first two children also died in a similar manner.


    The hospital wanted to call the police but it was the old grandmother at home who started everything. This was a family matter, even if the police came, they probably wouldn¡¯t do much. So they had to give up.


    The parents had a big fight over it. The mother took her daughter and left this cruel home. Unfortunately, not long after, the mother who raised her daughter alone, was overworked and died of a sudden illness. Before she died, she left a will that stated not to send the child back to that demon family, otherwise she would come for revenge even if she turned into a ghost.


    The neighboring folk made trouble because of this. This baby has a needle in her brain, she will get sick from time to time, and she killed her own mother. Who dared to take her in?


    So the village made the decision and sent her to the orphanage.


    The girl¡¯s life experience is so pitiful, so everyone is moved with compassion. Little Apple was so abused in her heart that she burst into tears and said through gritted teeth that people were really awful. So everyone turned their attention to the children, as if they really came to the orphanage to do volunteer work, rather than being in a crisis and unable to extricate themselves.


    In the blink of an eye it was night-time again.


    At this time, it was about the end of spring and the beginning of summer. The night was no longer cold but rather hot. Everyone was drinking tea and chatting in the yard, with the cool breeze blowing, which was rare and leisurely.


    The honeysuckle (RenDong) flowers in the yard had sprouted. The children were playing under the grape arbor and the adults were holding teacups to discuss the instance. They didn¡¯t shy away from the children at all.


    In the past two days, they almost searched the orphanage up and down, but found nothing. This orphanage was basically the same as the one in reality, except for the difference in time flow, it is simply an ordinary orphanage that cannot be more ordinary.


    Realizing this, everyone felt complicated.


    On the bright side, this means that the key to this dungeon was not solving puzzles ¨C the key is the key player, just keep him alive until he is 28 years old. But the question is, how many disasters will he encounter before he turns 28?


    In case they make a mistake and cause Xu RenDong to have an accident, is there any way to remedy it?


    Therefore, the focus of the discussion tonight is to ask Lian Qiao to cede custody and not let Xu RenDong¡¯s safety depend on him alone.


    ¡°Anyway, we are all experienced veteran players.¡± Auntie Long Hair earnestly persuaded, ¡°Although we are not as good as you, we won¡¯t slow you down either. I think you should give us a little trust. After all, everyone¡¯s goal is the same.¡±


    Lian Qiao hugged Little RenDong on his lap, played with the short hair on his forehead and said nothing.


    Aunt Long Hair wanted to persuade him again but Little Apple sighed, ¡°Forget it, if he refuses, let¡¯s stop forcing him.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t say that¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. He always avoids us, what if something goes wrong, just in case? Can he take this responsibility?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t want to take over the child completely. What I think we should do is arrange shifts and let someone accompany you at all times. You still take care of the child and we will be by your side at all times to help you check the door and so on. At least let us help¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao still didn¡¯t answer.


    His fingers were wrapped around RenDong¡¯s soft hair and his fingertips were gently massaging RenDong¡¯s small head, making RenDong drowsy.


    No one knew what Lian Qiao was thinking, but he could already understand his answer from his silence.


    Everyone sighed. At this time, the headmaster came out wearing a thin coat and beckoned the children to go back to bed. The children gathered around the principal as if seeing their mother. Looking at the sad-faced people in the courtyard, the principal asked curiously, ¡°Is there anything bothering you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Unexpectedly, it was Lian Qiao who answered the question.


    Everyone looked at the gentle smile on Lian Qiao¡¯s face in surprise and heard his polite voice: ¡°We¡¯re just enjoying the evening breeze and chatting for a while. You take the children to bed first. We will talk softly.¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡± Why are you treating an NPC better than us! Are you an undercover agent sent by the instance!


    The principal didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with Lian Qiao¡¯s attitude. She just smiled,  nodded, and led the children inside.


    Lian Qiao turned his head to look at everyone. His face returned to a cold expression that stated: No one should try to snatch this child from me.


    Everyone knew that it would be useless to persuade them any further, so they couldn¡¯t help but feel dejected.


    Suddenly someone touched his face with his hand, looked up at the sky in surprise and said ¡°Huh? Is it raining?¡±


    Auntie Long Hair: ¡°It¡¯s raining? Then let¡¯s go back and rest early.¡±


    Little Apple also looked up at the sky. She said suspiciously: ¡°The night sky is quite clear and cloudless, where is the rain coming from?¡±


    The man from before twirled the crystal clear liquid on his fingertips and said with a strange expression: ¡°Why is this rain sticky? It also stinks¡­¡±


    At the same time, Little RenDong woke up from sleep, his face changed slightly and he suddenly turned to look at the person who said it was raining. HIs small mouth opened slightly, and hurriedly spit out a sentence.


    ¡°It¡¯s not rain, it¡¯s¡­¡±


    Before Little RenDong finished speaking, Lian Qiao stood up holding him and took a few steps back.


    Then he calmed down and said: ¡°Since you say that you are useful, then prove it to me. This ghost, you can find a way to beat it yourself. I will not take action.¡±


    ***

 CH 143

    Chapter 143 ¨C 1992-2020


    Everyone panicked when they heard it.


    Although they are all veteran players, however just because they are veteran players means they know how terrifying ghosts are and that they are not something ordinary people can face.


    At this time, everyone looked at the sky. In the dark night, the moon and stars are sparse, but no ghosts can be seen. However, Little RenDong¡¯s reaction really proved the existence of a ghost.


    Isn¡¯t this fucking more scary!


    Everyone¡¯s faces were pale.


    Someone immediately collapsed, pointed at Lian Qiao and cursed: ¡°What do you mean! Are you planning to just watch us die!¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Not exactly.¡±


    After saying that he quirked his lips towards Little Apple and took something out of his backpack: ¡°Here, take it.¡±


    Everyone saw something passing them by in the air like an arc. After being dazed, Little Apple subconsciously caught it and her hand felt heavy. It turned out to be the blessed crowbar!


    Lian Qiao said indifferently: ¡°I have lent you all my ghost treasure. What to do next is up to you.¡±


    Then he pulled a wicker chair and sat down with the appearance of a big lord looking down from way up high, as if nothing mattered to him.


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡± Why are you so calm, do you have some kind of freaking deal with this ghost!


    Before everyone had time to question this, they heard a scream.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!¡±


    It was the person whose face was dripped with rainwater!


    He saw a cloud of black mist hanging over his head, covering his entire head like blood droplets. There was a creepy chewing sound in the black mist and the man let out a shrill and inhuman scream, dancing and writhing like a headless fly.


    Everyone took a big step back spontaneously and, with this person as the center, a large circle with a diameter of more than ten meters was emptied.


    The man struggled and twisted in the middle of the big circle and soon fell to the ground with a thud. Blood flowed from his neck, soaking his clothes and pants. He fell to the ground and was still twitching, like a fish that had been disembowelled. Although his life was gone, his muscles still had nerve reflexes.


    Something gradually emerged from the black mist.


    They saw a monster with slender limbs and a belly as big as a drum lying on the ground, feasting on the corpse. It turned out to be the starving ghost that Lian Qiao beat off that night!


    It was the same as last time. The hungry ghost only showed its original shape after harvesting a human head and it was hard to guard against.


    The hungry ghost chewed up the human flesh and bones and swallowed it with a gulp, showing a happy expression on his face after eating.


    Everyone watched with horror, knowing that the hungry ghost was physically immune and ordinary weapons are useless against it. Lian Qiao¡¯s blessed crowbar must be used. Then someone pushed Little Apple and said: ¡°Quickly, go!¡±


    Little Apple was actually about to go up but, when the person pushed her, she became angry and said angrily, ¡°I¡¯m a fucking girl! Why make me do it and not do it yourself! You scumbag man!¡±


    A trace of embarrassment flashed across the scumbag¡¯s eyes but he quickly said confidently: ¡°The crowbar is in your hands so who else can go except you!¡±


    Little Apple didn¡¯t hesitate  and threw the crowbar to him without hesitation: ¡°Then you go!¡±


    The scumbag: ¡°¡­¡±


    One corpse is not enough for a hungry ghost. Its mouth was so huge that it chewed up the corpse in just a few mouthfuls, leaving only minced meat and bones. The ground was like a cloud of blood exploding and the blood flowed horizontally, mixed with the stench of internal organs, making the scene extremely bloody.


    The hungry ghost stretched out its scarlet tongue and licked its lips, then turned around and looked greedily at everyone. The backs of the crowd immediately got goosebumps and they quickly hid behind the scumbag, pushed him forward hurriedly and said, ¡°Don¡¯t refuse! Go up!¡±  and ¡°You have the crowbar, what are you afraid of, are you a man?!¡±


    The scumbag was forced to have no choice but to bite the bullet and rush forward, yelling to perk himself up.


    Seeing someone rushing towards him, the hungry ghost¡¯s eyes lit up. But when he saw the crowbar in the scumbag¡¯s hand, he immediately became apprehensive. He tilted its head to avoid the scumbag¡¯s seemingly brave blow but which was actually full of openings. The hungry ghost pinched the scumbag¡¯s wrist and, with a click, the scumbag¡¯s wrist was snapped off!


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!¡± The severe pain from the severed wrist made the scumbag lose his attack power in an instant.


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡± Damn, even though I know that letting you go is sending you to die, who expected that you can also hand over the weapon to the enemy!


    The hungry ghost pinched the scumbag man¡¯s broken hand, holding a crowbar in his broken hand. Although the scene was a bit funny, everyone¡¯s faces were pale and they couldn¡¯t laugh.


    Only Lian Qiao, who was sitting on a wicker chair in the distance watching the battle, burst out laughing.


    ¡°This is too good.¡±


    Little RenDong sat on Lian Qiao¡¯s lap, looking at the panicked and angry crowd with worried and puzzled eyes. In fact, he didn¡¯t quite understand why Lian Qiao made such a move¡ª although these players were useless, there was no need to let them die.


    Xu RenDong always felt that a human life is a human life after all. If it can be saved, it should be saved. In the past, Lian Qiao also agreed with this point, but why this time¡­


    Lian Qiao hugged him, stroked his hair gently with his fingers and said in a low voice: ¡°Do you want to ask me, why didn¡¯t I save them?¡±


    Little RenDong nodded but then shook his head again.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°What do you mean by nodding and shaking your head?¡±


    Little RenDong looked at the ground, as black as a crow¡¯s feathers drooping low and he said in a childish but heavy voice, ¡°Because I¡¯m a burden. Just by yourself, you can¡¯t protect everyone well.¡±


    Lian Qiao smiled slightly after hearing this. He held up RenDong¡¯s small face, looked into his eyes, and asked, ¡°You¡¯re feeling guilty again, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Little RenDong lowered his eyebrows and said nothing.


    Lian Qiao stared at him and said seriously: ¡°The reason I don¡¯t want to make a move is indeed because of you but it is not because you are a burden but because, other than you, everyone is an outcast in my eyes.¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s dark eyes were filled with shock. He wanted to speak but Lian Qiao pressed his lips with a finger.


    ¡°Hush.¡± ??Lian Qiao caressed those soft lips with some attachment and when his eyes slowly moved away, his voice became cold, ¡°Stop talking, just watch.¡±


    While the two people were distracted, the battle situation in the yard changed drastically again.


    The crowbar was snatched away by the hungry ghost and everyone lost their magic weapon, so they had to flee in all directions. Some dared to pick up the hoes in the yard to fight the hungry ghosts but ordinary iron tools couldn¡¯t do any harm at all. As soon as the hoe went down, although the hungry ghost was split in two, his figure flickered and he recovered immediately. The hoe was like being thrown in water, other than a little splash, it couldn¡¯t even stir up a wave.


    On the contrary, the person who attacked was held by the throat by the hungry ghost and held up high. The hungry ghost opened its bloody mouth wide and with the tilt of his head ¨C


    Bit the man in two with one bite.


    Everyone¡¯s heart shattered. They wanted to run back to the orphanage to hide but were shocked to find that the door was locked and no matter how hard they tried to break the door, it couldn¡¯t be opened.


    ¡°Fuck! That fucking woman!¡± Everyone cursed the principal. However, scolding is merely scolding, and doesn¡¯t change the crisis they are in presently.


    Fortunately, the hungry ghost was far more interested in food than killing people. He stuffed the bitten body into his mouth and swallowed it whole. Too much flesh and blood slipped from the corner of his mouth, covering the hungry ghost in blood, making it even more terrifying.


    The long-haired aunt had already collapsed, her legs were weak and she fell to the ground, covering her face and crying terribly. The others were also on the verge of collapse, retreating to the corner of the wall one after another, trembling with their backs against the wall.


    There is an enchantment in this courtyard and they can¡¯t get out, so how can they escape?


    Can they only wait to die?!


    Everyone was full of despair. Even Little Apple was fighting with trembling, her face pale.


    However, unlike everyone else, Little Apple never gave up hope even though she was afraid. She looked around, as if trying to find a solution. Soon her eyes fell on the courtyard door.


    The courtyard door was open. Little Apple thought of something and her eyes lit up. She moved towards the courtyard door little by little.


    On the other side of the yard, Lian Qiao and RenDong, who were watching the fun, looked at each other and they both saw a look of appreciation in each other¡¯s eyes.


    I see. Little Apple is pretty smart.


    But it was just that she couldn¡¯t do it on her own and needed help.


    Little RenDong gently pushed Lian Qiao, and said: ¡°Go and help her.¡±


    Lian Qiao got up and said, ¡°Okay.¡±


    After saying that, he picked up Little RenDong and walked towards the small western building calmly.


    The gate of the western bungalow was locked tightly so no one hid there. Everyone scattered around the yard, looking at Lian Qiao, who had suddenly appeared, in surprise.


    Was Lian Qiao finally going to help? !


    Hope and doubt flashed in everyone¡¯s eyes at the same time. After all, the only crowbar in Lian Qiao¡¯s hand that was blessed had been snatched by the hungry ghost. Lian Qiao was only a mortal. How can he confront the hungry ghost head-on?


    The hungry ghost successively devoured the man who had been cut in half and the man with the broken wrist. Two living people were devoured in an instant, leaving only a large pool of flesh and blood on the ground, which gathered into a terrifying pool of muddy blood.


    The hungry ghost wiped his mouth contentedly, raised his head and his greedy eyes scanned the audience again.


    Who should I eat next?


    His eyes wandered over the crowd. Everyone he saw was terrified and the hairs on their backs stood on end, like a cat whose tail was stepped on.


    Lian Qiao suddenly made a sound at this moment.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    He held Little RenDong in one hand, raised his other hand and hooked his fingers at the hungry ghost.


    ¡°Come here.¡±


    Everyone was shocked, wondering what Lian Qiao intended to do with his bare hands. Only Little Apple next to the courtyard gate met his gaze from a distance across the entire courtyard.


    Four eyes interlaced. The corners of their mouths raised.


    ¡°¡­¡± Only the corner of Little RenDong¡¯s mouth curled down.


    The hungry ghost naturally didn¡¯t know that the two were plotting behind his back. Seeing the baby in Lian Qiao¡¯s arms, his appetite greatly increased. He salivated and jumped at Lian Qiao with all his hands and feet.


    Lian Qiao watched seemingly helplessly as the two-person tall monster rushed towards him but remained motionless. Little RenDong in his arms also showed no fear on his face, just quietly leaned against his chest, as if he was willing to bear it with Lian Qiao even if the mountain collapsed in front of him.


    Everyone¡¯s hearts were in their throats and they yelled frantically: What are you doing, you idiot! It¡¯s fine if you want to die, why drag the key player to die together!


    That¡¯s our lifeline!


    However, at this moment, even if other people wanted to rush up to save someone, it was too late. The hungry ghost had already pounced in front of him, its pale arms as thin as spider legs grabbed Lian Qiao¡¯s arms and was about to snatch RenDong away in seconds!


    Little RenDong reflexively closed his eyes. At the same time, Lian Qiao raised a hand and gently covered Little RenDong¡¯s eyes.


    Then his lips moved and he said something quickly.

 CH 144

    Chapter 144 ¨C 1992-2020


    Everyone was standing close to the walls and stood very far away. They couldn¡¯t hear what Lian Qiao was saying at all.


    Unexpectedly when the hungry ghost, who was close at hand, heard those words, it was as if someone had punched him on the head. The ghost¡¯s entire froze in place and stopped moving.


    Almost at the same time, a person jumped out of the locked door of the small bungalow!


    It was Little Apple!


    They saw Little Apple jumping out like a leopard, making a lightning strike and snatching the crowbar from the hungry ghost¡¯s hand!


    It turned out that the hungry ghost couldn¡¯t touch the crowbar so he also couldn¡¯t throw it away easily. That¡¯s why he kept holding the scumbag¡¯s severed wrist in his hand. The severed wrist remained in the same posture as was when it left the body, holding the crowbar tightly all the time. It¡¯s not that anyone else didn¡¯t think about snatching back the crowbar but the hungry ghost was quick and lethal, so no one dared to go head-to-head with it in order to snatch it.


    Fortunately, there was blood on the severed wrist and the crowbar was slippery. Little Apple teleported through the gate and suddenly appeared in front of the hungry ghost. The hungry ghost couldn¡¯t dodge in time and she immediately got the crowbar easily. {Remember trying to go out one side makes you ¡®teleport¡¯ inside again on the other side, which was established in the previous chapters. Just like a video game when you leave the designated area.}


    It was not only the Hungry Ghost but also the other players were dumbfounded by this series of operations.


    The hungry ghost was even more stunned. It turned its head slowly and. before it recovered from the upheaval, it saw a sharp cold light piercing through the air.


    Bang!


    A golden light flashed faintly in the cold light. The crowbar fell on his head and the head of the hungry ghost was smashed flat on the spot!


    ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaahhhh¡ª¡ª¡¯ this time, with a smashed head, it writhed frantically.


    It was like a frightened long-legged spider, its hands and feet were dancing wildly but, because its head was smashed, it couldn¡¯t see the direction clearly, so it could only run around.


    Lian Qiao and Little Apple had already escaped. Seeing the hungry ghost wandering around in the courtyard, the rest of the people screamed and ran away.


    Not long after, the hungry ghost¡¯s head seemed to be boiling and a puff of white smoke came out. Soon, the hungry ghost foamed at the mouth and collapsed convulsively.


    Its giant spider-like body quickly melted into blood, mixing with the puddle of flesh and blood on the ground, making it inseparable.


    There was a disgusting sour smell in the air, as if a drunkard had vomited up what he ate last night and the smell was almost irritating even to the eyes. Everyone didn¡¯t dare to approach it for a while, until the white smoke dissipated and the smell in the air became slightly lighter, then they boldly stepped forward to check.


    ¡°He, he should be dead, right?¡± The strong man pinched his nose and asked cautiously.


    Lian Qiao stood far away holding little RenDong, showing no intention of going over. He frowned, still covering Little RenDong¡¯s nose and mouth with one hand, but his attention was no longer in the yard.


    ¡°The principal is really¡­¡± Lian Qiao looked at the small western building, quite dissatisfied, ¡°It¡¯s not yet curfew time, why lock the door?¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡± Is it time to think about this? Boss, please, come here first to add an extra stab to make sure the corpse is dead, okay?


    Everyone waited anxiously for a while but the pool of blood on the ground showed no intention of being resurrected. Only then did everyone heave a sigh of relief that their lives had been spared.


    Lian Qiao knocked on the door a few times but no one came to answer the door. He couldn¡¯t help muttering in a low voice, complaining about the principal¡¯s handiwork and eldery people¡¯s sleeping habits, why did she go to bed so early?


    Little Apple smiled at him and admired sincerely: ¡°You are really amazing.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Lian Qiao glanced at her angrily, ¡°What?¡±


    Little Apple said, ¡°I just walked to the gate of the courtyard and you figured out what I wanted to do. Thank you for cooperating with me.¡±


    ¡°You discovered the enchantment in the yard,¡± Lian Qiao said lightly, ¡°Since you knew that you would be teleported back if you went out, you quietly ran to the gate of the yard at this time. You must be trying to use the portal.¡±


    Little Apple covered her mouth and smiled, ¡°I just didn¡¯t expect that we have such tacit understanding.¡±


    Before Lian Qiao could speak, Little RenDong in his arms suddenly spoke.


    ¡°Who has a tacit understanding with you?¡± The black eyes stared straight at her and the two little hands of little RenDong were tightly clutching the front of Lian Qiao¡¯s chest, looking like a food protector. He stared at Little Apple and said word by word, ¡°This is Just, Basic, Common, Sense!¡±


    Little Apple: ¡°¡­Pfft.¡±


    What to do! Although she knew that this kid was eating vinegar, he was so serious when he spoke, so cute!


    If even Little Apple found him cute, of course Lian Qiao was beaming with joy and his heart melted into water. He pecked RenDong¡¯s forehead and then rubbed RenDong¡¯s cheek in a fawning manner and said, ¡°Okay, don¡¯t be angry. She didn¡¯t do it on purpose~¡±


    Little Apple: ¡°¡­¡± What do you mean ¡°she didn¡¯t do it on purpose¡±? Your kid is eating vinegar and you¡¯re blaming me? Is your brain broken?


    After seeing the mischief of these three people, the people who were originally in fear finally relaxed their tense mood. Everyone couldn¡¯t help but think with peace of mind: Lian Qiao is still a big boss after all and so, when it¡¯s time to make a move¡­


    Cough, although three people already died and it was a little bit late, but they still made a move after all!


    ¡°By the way, boss.¡± Little Apple turned her head and asked Lian Qiao as if remembering something, ¡°What did you say to the ghost just now that frightened it so much?¡±


    Lian Qiao smiled slightly: ¡°The Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra.¡±


    Little Apple: ¡°???¡± What are you talking about???


    Lian Qiao: ¡°It¡¯s the Buddhist scripture that says: ¡®form is emptiness and emptiness is form¡¯.¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡±


    Little Apple was stunned for a while and said angrily, ¡°Since you know that chanting is useful, why didn¡¯t you tell us earlier?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°You tell me, can you memorize it? Come on, tell me, what else do you know in the Heart Sutra besides ¡®form is emptiness and emptiness is form¡¯?¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡± This question is beyond their capability!


    Little Apple asked suspiciously: ¡°Then why do you know how to recite it? Could it be that you are a lay disciple of Shaolin Temple?¡± Her weird eyes lingered on Little RenDong, ¡°¡­Aren¡¯t you gay? Buddhism allows homosexuality?¡±


    Lian Qiao : ¡°¡­Of course not, what are you thinking? I was just brainwashed by a monk who loves to sing rock and roll, and listened to the rock version of the Heart Sutra 180 times.¡± With a small nose and crooked eyebrows, he said: ¡°Isn¡¯t that so?¡±


    The corner of Little RenDong¡¯s mouth curled up and the face of Rock Monk appeared in the depths of his memory.


    ¡­¡­wait.


    At that moment, a flash of thought flashed through his mind. The thought flashed so fast that,  before he had time to catch it, he heard another scream from behind.


    ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    ¡­ Everyone¡¯s expressions changed and they looked in unison towards the source of the screams. They saw a petite girl standing next to the grape arbor with her head tilted to one side, and a huge blood hole on her neck, bleeding madly!


    The girl screamed and tried her best to block the hole. However, her neck was almost bitten off  and the veins gushed out a fountain of blood like a broken fire hydrant.


    The blood loss was huge and she soon became exhausted and collapsed to the ground.


    The upheaval happened suddenly and everyone was caught off guard. Lian Qiao was stunned.


    Only Little RenDong was the first to react, pointing in the direction of the grape trellis, the child¡¯s voice was sharp: ¡°Lian Qiao! There is still another hungry ghost!¡±


    There is still another one?!


    Without hesitation, Lian Qiao grabbed the crowbar from Little Apple and rushed towards the grape arbor.


    The characteristic of hungry ghosts is that, after killing someone, they will eat the corpse first. So without even thinking about it, Lian Qiao raised the crowbar high and smashed it down on the head of the dead woman.


    Sure enough, with a bang, the crowbar burst into a burst of golden light out of thin air and slashed into what appeared to be an empty place!


    ¡°Woooooooooooo..!!.¡± A ghostly cry pierced the eardrums.


    Lian Qiao frowned and immediately backed away.


    Little RenDong pointed to the front right and said anxiously: ¡°Over there!¡±


    Although Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t see the ghost, he followed the direction of RenDong¡¯s finger and slashed the crowbar horizontally. This time, the crowbar hit something firmly again. There was another scream in the air, followed by a blunt bang, as if something soft fell to the ground.


    Lian Qiao held the crowbar in front of him, not daring to relax his vigilance. Little RenDong stared at the front with wide eyes, looked for a while and then said: ¡°It¡¯s not moving.¡±


    Gradually, a human figure gradually appeared on the ground in front of the two. The stench of rotting vomit floated in the air again, but this time the smell was much weaker than before.


    Unlike the previous hungry ghost, this hungry ghost was obviously smaller in size and appeared somewhat closer to a normal person. It was wearing a thick winter coat and looked familiar.


    Immediately someone screamed.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the man with the scar?! How could he¡ª¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s eyebrows jumped.


    Little RenDong and him looked at each other with solemn expressions.


    The man with the scar turned into blood little by little and soon the ghost corpse disappeared. There was only a puddle of rotten blood left on the ground.


    Everyone was silent, walked forward slowly, and stood behind Lian Qiao.


    Lian Qiao looked down at the pool of blood and it was unknown what he was thinking. A strange silence hung over everyone¡¯s heads and the feeling of depression almost became a reality, making people breathless.


    After a long time, Little Apple said: ¡°People who are eaten by hungry ghosts¡­ will also become hungry ghosts, right?¡±


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t answer.


    It was Little RenDong in his arms, who glanced at everyone, and said two words slowly in a childish voice: ¡°Not necessarily.¡±


    When everyone heard it, they were all relieved. But then RenDong continued:


    ¡°But probably, in this dungeon, all the people killed by ghosts will become ghosts.¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡±


    Everyone felt extremely suffocated after hearing this. Only Lian Qiao burst out laughing, rubbed RenDong¡¯s little head helplessly, and said dotingly: ¡°You, why are you setting up flags? Have you forgotten that your mouth is also ¡®blessed¡¯?¡±


    Everyone: ¡°?? ?¡± How is that everything in your family is consecrated? Do you really have a goddamn deal with the temple?!


    Little RenDong knew that he was complaining about his crow¡¯s mouth so he sighed and said in a heavy tone that didn¡¯t match his childish voice: ¡°Whether my guess is right or not, it¡¯s always better to be careful.¡±


    Everyone was silent.


    The wind in late spring and early summer blew coolly behind everyone. A gust of wind blows the grass and the flowers, birds and cicadas sing. The sense of weirdness spread quietly in everyone¡¯s hearts like vines.


    Lying in Lian Qiao¡¯s arms, Little RenDong took a deep breath, and said solemnly: ¡°So, please try your best to live and don¡¯t shit/die.¡± {RenDong¡¯s childish lisp makes ¡®die¡¯/¡¯si¡¯ sound like shit/¡¯shi¡¯.}


    The crowd: ¡°¡­¡±


    The originally weird and chilling atmosphere, under the influence of the child¡¯s lisp, instantly became funny.


    No tension at all¡ª shit!


    It¡¯s still scary, okay?


    Wanting to laugh but not daring to laugh makes everyone feel even more aggrieved!

 CH 145

    Chapter 145 ¨C 1992-2020


    Xu RenDong¡¯s mouth really was ¡®blessed¡¯, everything he said came true. A few days after that incident, the teammates who were killed by the hungry ghosts turned into ghosts one after another and came back to scare people again.


    Although Lian Qiao¡¯s combat prowess was superb and could take on one ghost easily, a group of ghosts is hard to fight. What¡¯s more, he has to spare one arm to hold Little RenDong, which was  equivalent to abolishing half of his martial arts.


    Therefore, within four days, all teammates except for Little Apple had died.


    It¡¯s not that Lian Qiao preferred Little Apple, it¡¯s really that Little Apple was quite powerful, dancing with a watermelon knife like a tiger ¨C in the past few days, they have seen some other new ghosts besides hungry ghosts. For example, the long-haired female ghost walking around holding her head, or the vicious little girl hiding in the toilet and stealing your toilet paper. These ghosts are not as hard to fight as hungry ghosts and the watermelon knife can do actual damage to them, so Little Apple has been a big help.


    Lian Qiao discovered a rule: whatever ghost type kills someone, that person will turn into that type of ghost the next day. Unfortunately, this experience is of little use. Regardless of whether they were a native ghost or a ghost transformed from one of his teammates, anyway, just come and I will kill you one by one, and send you with boundless Dharma into the West.


    Fortunately, the ghosts only appeared at night. The daytime is basically very peaceful, as long as you avoid killing yourself.


    During these turbulent days, Little RenDong grew up day by day.


    Little Apple finally got used to the cracking and molting growth process of RenDong, but she still felt that Lian Qiao, who was full of anticipation to enjoy this process, was very perverted. To be honest, Little RenDong does look better the longer he grows up but it really is too weird for him to split once a day. Forgive her for not having a ¡®love filter¡¯, it¡¯s really hard to accept.


    On the sixth day, the principal touched Little RenDong¡¯s head and said that he could go to school soon. The three were still puzzled but the next morning, when the subtitle of ¡°1999¡± rose out of nowhere as usual, the three opened their eyes and were all stunned.


    Where the fuck was this?!


    Two big people and one small person stood in the middle of the road with three blank faces, looking at the heavy traffic and congestion around them.


    The sound of the horn that was close at hand was loud and rhythmic, as if scolding them: ¡°stupid¡±. The three of them looked at the busy city in a daze, feeling unreal as though they hadn¡¯t woken up yet.


    The driver closest to the three of them finally couldn¡¯t bear it any longer. He jumped out of the car, pointed at the three of them and cursed: ¡°What are you doing in the middle of the road? Does your family own the road? Why don¡¯t you let people send their children to school¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Hearing the word ¡°children¡±, Lian Qiao suddenly got excited, pulled Little RenDong and Little Apple and walked quickly to the sidewalk.


    At this time, Little RenDong was already seven years old and he was growing very fast, reaching Lian Qiao¡¯s waist. He is still childish with baby fat on his face, but his heart is still that of a 28-year-old youth, so his eyes often reveal a calmness that does not match his appearance.


    Little Apple hasn¡¯t changed much¡ªexcept for the watermelon knife on her waist, like a little girl who is ready to fight at any time.


    The two were still in a daze, in a trance.


    Lian Qiao looked around, suddenly pointed to the front and said, ¡°RenDong, is that your elementary school?¡±


    Little RenDong was taken aback and looked towards where his finger was pointing. The familiar school gate appeared in front of his eyes, awakening many memories. He nodded involuntarily, a strange emotion welling up in his heart.


    He can¡¯t say it¡¯s exactly nostalgia, and he can¡¯t say it¡¯s exactly alienation.


    If he had to describe it, it would be¡­ empty.


    He grew up in an orphanage with a healthy body and limbs but no one was willing to adopt him, so he doubted himself and developed a withdrawn character. Now he knows that it was because the principal did not let anyone adopt him for a long time, she was waiting for Zhong Xiu to pick him up one day.


    ¡ªBut at that time, he really thought it was his own problem.


    He has always felt that there is some kind of defect in himself, which is different from other children who are missing arms and legs. Even the physically handicapped were adopted. There must be something bigger wrong with him, that¡¯s why no one wanted him.


    He also confided his inner confusion to the principal. Of course, it was impossible for the principal to tell him about his mother¡¯s misery when he was seven or eight years old, so she had to be vague. He sensed something sensitively from the principal¡¯s gentleness, which he felt like confirmed his conjectures even more.


    ¡ªHe, wasn¡¯t, worthy.


    But in the end, how does one become worthy?


    He doesn¡¯t know, and no one can tell him.


    Thus, the young Xu RenDong spent his precocious childhood in confusion and bewilderment.


    For six years in elementary school, he had no friends. For some reason, other children were secretly afraid of him. Over time, no one played with him anymore. The good teachers took special care of him seeing that he was always alone. However, this kindness in turn caused him to misunderstand. He thought that the principal must have told them something about him, so they treated him specially.


    Looking back now, Xu RenDong has no memory of what happened in elementary school. Probably the brain screened the memory without authorization and deleted those repressed and helpless times from the memory.


    The only thing he remembered was this school gate.


    ¡­back to the present.


    Seeing RenDong¡¯s expression in a trance, Lian Qiao rubbed his hair and laughed as if he hadn¡¯t reacted from the scene change, ¡°The map has changed, it¡¯s normal. It just so happens that the orphanage was getting boring so it¡¯s time to change the place. Let¡¯s see if there are any clues.¡±


    Little RenDong came back to his senses and let out a ¡°en¡±.


    So Lian Qiao and Little Apple walked on both sides of RenDong, protecting him across the road. In 1999, there were not so many cars on the road, but more bicycles and pedestrians. Even so, this is the world inside the elevator after all so who knows what ghosts will appear on the road.


    The duo¡¯s fears didn¡¯t materialize. At this time, it was about the rush hour for school, adults and children were in a hurry on the road and they didn¡¯t care what these three people were doing. Lian Qiao led Little RenDong to the school gate and was about to go in, but was stopped by elementary school students at the gate.


    ¡°Wait! Where¡¯s your red scarf!¡± The kid came up to him, with two stripes pinned to his arm, and he seemed to be a young cadre of the Communist Youth League.


    Lian Qiao was stunned for a moment and then remembered that elementary school students had to wear red scarves to school. The two adults looked at each other, slightly embarrassed.


    RenDong is still more interesting. He said sincerely to the little cadre, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I forgot to bring it.¡±


    The little cadre asked, ¡°What¡¯s your name and which class are you in?¡±


    He wrote it down in his notebook and then said: ¡°Don¡¯t forget it in the future! If you don¡¯t wear a red scarf, your class marks will be deducted!¡±


    These children¡¯s words made the three of them laugh. Lian Qiao and Little Apple recalled things from their primary school days but RenDong on the other hand only smiled and didn¡¯t really recall any memories.


    The three of them were about to continue walking in when the young cadre stared round and stopped him again: ¡°Hey! What are you doing?¡±


    The three of them were all taken aback. Lian Qiao said: ¡°Sending him to school.¡±


    The young cadre said: ¡°Parents are not allowed in.¡±


    Lian Qiao was taken aback. At this time, a young female teacher came from the other side of the school gate, she looked very gentle and asked the small cadre, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    The small cadre told the truth. The female teacher said to Lian Qiao and co: ¡°The child has been delivered, the two parents please go back! Our school does not allow parents to come in, this is also for the safety of all students.¡±


    Lian Qiao frowned. On the other hand, Little Apple hid the watermelon knife on her waist rather unnaturally and said with a smile on his face, ¡°Uh, can you accommodate us a bit? Our family¡¯s kid is coming to school for the first time today and we are afraid that he won¡¯t get used to it¡­¡±


    Our, family¡¯s, kid?


    Who and whose family?


    The seven-year-old Little RenDong narrowed her eyes and gave Little Apple a displeased look. Little Apple knew that she had touched RenDong reverse scale again and quietly stuck out her tongue.


    The female teacher said: ¡°That¡¯s not allowed. Rules are rules. Except for the open day of the Parents¡¯ Association, parents are not allowed to enter the campus at other times.¡±


    She was resolute and refused to let it go. The three of them stood in a stalemate at the school gate.


    Soon, two security guards in the guard booth also came over and asked the female teacher what happened.


    Before the female teacher finished speaking, Lian Qiao said coldly: ¡°I must go in.¡±


    The female teacher said helplessly, ¡°This parent, why are you being so unreasonable¡­¡±


    The two burly security guards saw that Lian Qiao would not listen so one returned to the sentry box and picked up the phone to call the police, while the other took out a rubber roller and stared at him intently.


    And Lian Qiao had already reached into his backpack, ready to strike at any time.


    RenDong felt that there was no room for change in the matter and was afraid that Lian Qiao¡¯s reckless behavior would trigger the death condition, so he gently tugged Lian Qiao¡¯s sleeve, signaling him not to act rashly.


    Little Apple looked anxiously at the security guard, then at Lian Qiao and softly persuaded: ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s wait and see what happens.¡±


    Lian Qiao looked gloomy and glanced at her, displeased. Those eyes were so sharp that it made Little Apple tremble.


    ¡ªHe really could kill.


    That¡¯s what it felt like to her.


    Seeing that Lian Qiao refused to back down, RenDong had no choice but to use his trump card. He hugged Lian Qiao¡¯s arm, stood on tiptoe, blushed and called in a low voice:


    ¡°Daddy.¡±


    Lian Qiao was shocked. The frosty air from head to toe dissipated instantly.


    ¡°You, you¡­¡± Lian Qiao stared at him in disbelief, his whole body suddenly looked like a shrimp fished out of a hot pot, red from the tip of the tail to the tips of the hair.


    Little RenDong blushed too. He lightly tugged on Lian Qiao¡¯s arm and when he bent down, he whispered in his ear: ¡°Don¡¯t make trouble, be good.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Uh¡­uh¡­¡±


    What else can he say!


    That ¡°Daddy¡± screamed so loudly that Lian Qiao¡¯s bones were crisp. He never thought that RenDong could¡­ still play this kind of play?


    Lian Qiao¡¯s whole heart was soaked in spring water and he was in a trance. He didn¡¯t react until the female teacher walked into the campus holding RenDong¡¯s hand and shouted at the little back: ¡°RenDong¡ª¡±


    Little RenDong turned around: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Lian Qiao wanted to tell him to be careful but soon thought, how can he be careful when he is a seven-year-old child?


    So Lian Qiao untied the mountaineering bag behind his back and threw it towards the campus: ¡°You forgot to take your schoolbag!¡±


    Xiao RenDong watched the giant mountaineering bag that was about the same height as him fly towards him, his face turned pale with fright and he quickly backed away . Fortunately, the female teacher was in charge and caught the backpack first, avoiding the tragedy of RenDong being crushed to death by Lian Qiao¡¯s love on the spot.


    Little RenDong regained his strength from being frightened and yelled at Lian Qiao angrily: ¡°Can you be more careful!¡±


    How silly was that move.


    There¡¯s no way. Right now Lian Qiao was in a confusion of spring water. Wasn¡¯t RenDong to blame himself? Why say ¡®Daddy¡¯ for no good reason!?


    So, the two watched Little RenDong enter the campus and disappeared around the corner of the teaching building.


    Little Apple asked anxiously: ¡°Can he do it alone¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao sighed: ¡°Even if he can¡¯t, he has to. I mean, I can¡¯t really kill the whole school, can I?¡±


    Little Apple: ¡°???¡± Was he really planning to use the crowbar to slaughter the entire school?!


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Since Lian Qiao let go, he turned around and walked towards the road without nostalgia.


    Little Apple chased after him with question marks all over her head: ¡°Where are you going? Aren¡¯t you staying here until he finishes school?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still a long time before school ends and we can¡¯t get in anyway.¡± Lian Qiao stood at the crossroads, looking around, his eyes sweeping around like a sniper rifle scope, ¡°We might as well take this time to explore here. Maybe we can find new clues.¡±

 CH 146

    Chapter 146 ¨C 1992-2020


    Although they finally got out of the orphanage, the range of activities available was very small, practically only on one street.


    The street where XX Primary School is located is only one or two kilometers from the beginning to the end. In addition to the primary school, there are various stationery stores, snack bars and several residential buildings on both sides of the road. It took only ten minutes for Lian Qiao and Little Apple to walk from one end of the street to the other and they already had a rough idea of ??the layout of the whole street.


    Like the orphanage, there are barriers at the end of the street, and if you step out, you will be teleported back to the other side of the street. It seems that the scenes in this dungeon all have this routine. As RenDong grows up, new scenes will be unlocked in the future.


    There are pros and cons to this setup. The advantage is that the scene is small and it is more convenient to collect clues. The disadvantages are also obvious. Once a ghost appears, there is nowhere to hide.


    Fortunately, their teammates are almost dead. In addition to being haunted by ghosts, they don¡¯t need to be wary of teammates for the time being.


    The two walked into the stationery store next to the elementary school and began to look for clues. The proprietress was a chubby, middle-aged woman, amiable and kind, and she is good at doing business with elementary school students. At this time, the peak period of schooling had just passed and her business was very deserted. Seeing this young pair, she was very happy to chat with them.


    Little Apple asked a few words casually and quickly understood the situation of the elementary school.


    It turned out that the orphanage was in the school district of this elementary school, so when Little RenDong reached the right age, he automatically entered this school. In those days, school districts were not as strict as they are now. After RenDong finishes elementary school, there will be a small entrance exam to decide which junior high school to enter.


    Although the schools at that time were known as quality education, the examinations were still based on examinations. In order not to let their children lose at the starting line, many parents have sharpened their heads and sent their children to special classes since elementary school. The same is true for XX Primary School. Excellent teachers are all flocking to the special classes but the quality of teaching in the class where Little RenDong is located was really worrying.


    After hearing this, Little Apple felt infinitely moved. She is a few years younger than RenDong  but they were born in similar ages and she has also gone through this road of entrance exams. Thinking about it now, she misses it very much.


    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t your RenDong¡­¡± Little Apple turned her head but, before finishing her sentence, she suddenly realized that Lian Qiao was absent-minded, so she changed her words in surprise, ¡°Did you find something?¡±


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t answer for a moment, just frowning and not revealing what he was thinking. Until Little Apple patted him on the shoulder, Lian Qiao was taken aback and subconsciously wanted to take out the crowbar. However, the crowbar was in the backpack and RenDong had already brought it into school. When he pulled it out with his backhand, it turned out to be empty and he couldn¡¯t help being shocked.


    Little Apple said: ¡°Calm down, don¡¯t be surprised, okay? It¡¯s daytime now!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Lian Qiao came back to his senses, looked around, and found that the fat proprietress was looking at him in surprise.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Lian Qiao coughed unnaturally and asked Little Apple, ¡°What did you say?¡±


    Little Apple stuck out her tongue, ¡°I was so scared by you, I forgot what I wanted to say.¡±


    Lian Qiao casually let out an ¡°oh¡± and suddenly remembered something. He walked up to the fat proprietress, and asked: ¡°Boss, how is your business normally?¡±


    She laughed and said, ¡°Of course it¡¯s good! Our location is good, close to the school. Every day after school, students flock in and business is booming!¡±


    Lian Qiao glanced at the food basket on the counter, then pointed to the bread inside and said: ¡°These snacks are also very popular with children, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The bread here is all custom-made from the bakery. For children, it must be fresh and hygienic!¡± The fat proprietress smiled. She looked amicable, with sincere enthusiasm in her  words, ¡°But sometimes the business is so good that the bakery doesn¡¯t even have time to deliver the goods!¡±


    ¡°My child also like to eat this kind of small bread.¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s brows tilted up and bent into a gentle arc, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that their school is tightly controlled and parents are not allowed to come in and out during school hours. Alas, I¡¯m really afraid that he will be hungry during class!¡±


    Little Apple: ¡°¡­¡± Although I don¡¯t know what you are doing but you are really getting into the play.


    The fat proprietress had a good impression of Lian Qiao already and, when she heard what he said as a good father, she immediately said enthusiastically: ¡°Aiya, then why don¡¯t you give him some pocket money and let him buy it himself!¡±


    ¡°Can he come out during class time?¡±


    The fat proprietress smiled and leaned over, lowered her voice and said mysteriously: ¡°Actually, the back door of our store is open to the school. You tell him, if he wants to eat, come and knock on the back door!¡±


    As soon as the words came out, Little Apple¡¯s eyes lit up instantly.


    It turned out that Lian Qiao wasn¡¯t talking nonsense!


    The guards prevented Lian Qiao from entering the school, so Lian Qiao wanted to find an alternate way in! But as a stranger, if he rashly asked the proprietress if there was a back door, the proprietress would definitely not say out of vigilance! No wonder he wants to get close to the proprietress and pretend to be a parent!


    At this time, Little Apple sincerely admired Lian Qiao. For the first time, she realized that Lian Qiao not only had explosive force but his mind was also extremely powerful!


    Lian Qiao chatted with the proprietress for a while and, seeing that there were no more clues to uncover in the store, left with Little Apple.


    As soon as he left the shop, the smile on Lian Qiao¡¯s face disappeared instantly. He narrowed his eyes slightly, his pupils focused on another building like a sniper scope, then he pointed ahead and said, ¡°Go to that snack bar and have a look.¡±


    Seeing his face change in a second, Little Apple suddenly had another feeling in his heart. A strange feeling.


    This person¡­ seems a little unfathomable?


    When encountering something related to Xu RenDong, Lian Qiao will burst out with infinite tenderness and infinite courage. But as soon as he turned around, he would immediately calm down again. When he is calm, he is like an experienced hunter. His eyes are like scopes that can always grasp the key points at the first time. Every step he takes and every decision he makes is extremely correct and timely, just like ¡­


    It¡¯s like holding the perfect pass strategy in your hand.


    Could it be¡­


    When Little Apple thought of this, she felt a little creeped out. But soon she pushed the horrible thought out of her mind.


    Perfect strategy? How is that possible!


    After playing the instance together for so many days, she witnessed Lian Qiao¡¯s dangers in battle. Lian Qiao¡¯s victory is not without price ¨C he still has three ghost hand prints on his back!


    That¡¯s the curse placed on him by the vicious little girl who stole the toilet paper. Before the little girl died, she cursed him to die three days later. At that time, Lian Qiao stepped on her ghost head and cursed: ¡°Three days? I¡¯ll turn you into ashes right now! Let¡¯s see what you will do to me in three days!¡±


    However, even though the little girl was defeated, a ghostly handprint appeared strangely on Lian Qiao¡¯s back.


    Three days later, Lian Qiao already had three ghostly handprints on his back. Xu RenDong didn¡¯t know about this matter and Lian Qiao didn¡¯t allow her to talk about it.


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t care about the ghost hand prints and, after entering the snack bar at this time, he began to inquire about the news with a smile.


    Is he really not worried that he will die, or has he already thought of a way around it?


    Thinking of this, Little Apple was puzzled again. Did Lian Qiao have something hidden up his sleeve?


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t get any useful information in the snack bar but he didn¡¯t come out empty-handed. He took two boxes of steamed xialongbao buns from the boss and pushed one of them in front of Little Apple.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat something to replenish your strength.¡±


    Little Apple picked up the chopsticks but had no appetite to eat. Lian Qiao glanced at her, obviously noticed the worry in her eyes, but didn¡¯t ask her, just pointed to an abandoned building at the end of the street: ¡°I plan to go there in a while, it might be dangerous. You can stay and wait for me here.¡±


    But Apple let out a chuckle: ¡°I said, why did you treat me to steamed xiaolongbao? It turned out to be a supply refuel before the battle.¡± There must be supplies before the battle¡­


    Hearing this, something seemed to come to Lian Qiao¡¯s mind, the corners of his mouth slightly curled up and his eyes filled with a gentle smile.


    No matter how stupid Little Apple is, she knows that he is thinking of Xu RenDong. The sudden dog food caught her off guard, she felt like a stick had been stuck in her throat and the steamed buns in her hand were no longer fragrant.


    Little Apple was also very courageous. The abandoned building was an unfinished building and the upper half was empty and not yet closed. The lower half is fenced off to prevent outsiders from entering. There is also a sign outside the fence: Danger! Don¡¯t come near!


    Lian Qiao walked around to the back of the unfinished building and found a hole in the iron fence. There are rust spots around the hole and there are also traces of artificial tearing. It looked like it was just a small rust hole at first but, because no one took care of it, so it was opened up by many people. At this time, even adults can easily get into the hole.


    There is also a sign at the entrance of the hole which says: ¡°Dangerous! Do not enter!¡±


    Lian Qiao frowned and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t there anyone taking care of this? There is an elementary school next to it. If you think it is dangerous, seal the hole! What¡¯s the use of putting up a sign!¡±


    Little Apple said helplessly, ¡°It¡¯s just a setup to invite you to take a look¡­ do you really think you¡¯re a parent?¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s face was full of displeasure, too lazy to answer Little Apple. He lowered its head and climbed into the hole. Little Apple followed. When she looked up, she was facing the entrance of the unfinished building.


    The inside of the entrance was pitch black, like a beast opening its mouth wide, its black throat bottomless. It¡¯s a classic horror game scene.


    Little Apple felt a little apprehensive. It¡¯s not that she has never played horror games and she is also a frequent visitor to haunted houses, but all of them are based on the premise of knowing that she is absolutely safe.


    But it¡¯s different now. This is a world haunted anytime, anywhere! Except for the three of them, the other dozen or so people were all dead!


    ¡ªNo, in fact, there should be more than a dozen dead people. She learned from Lian Qiao that this is the last dungeon for the two of them and so the difficulty must be Hell Level, so there cannot be only a dozen or so players participating.


    There was only one answer: as early as the first winter night, countless players got lost in the snow, or froze to death, or were slaughtered by ghosts.


    They didn¡¯t even get to meet the other teammates!


    Little Apple took deep breaths repeatedly, doing mental preparation for herself. Lian Qiao didn¡¯t have as much psychological burden as her and had already checked the surrounding environment.


    Soon, he found a plastic foam box in the pile of broken bricks and rubble.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± Little Apple looked at the food left in the white foam box in surprise, ¡°¡­a boxed  lunch?¡±


    Lian Qiao just glanced at it, and quickly said: ¡°The food is still fresh. That means there¡¯s someone inside.¡±

 CH 147

    Chapter 147 ¨C 1992-2020


    Someone!?


    Who was it?!


    Little Apple¡¯s first reaction was surprise: Was it another player who had been teleported with them? But after thinking about it, that wasn¡¯t right. All other players except them should be dead. Even if someone survived in the wild, why didn¡¯t they come to join them for so many days?


    What¡¯s more, the first snowy night was so cold and there were also probably ghosts hiding in the snow. Even if there were no ghosts, normal people would not be able to survive the night in the snow!


    So, who was eating lunch here just a moment ago?


    Little Apple couldn¡¯t help but clench the watermelon knife behind her back. Lian Qiao didn¡¯t say anything, just bent down and continued to rummage through the construction waste.


    Little Apple asked: ¡°What are you looking for?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°A weapon.¡±


    Little Apple was stunned for a moment, then remembered that Lian Qiao¡¯s consecrated crowbar had already been given to Xu RenDong. This was the only anti-ghost treasure in the ghost world.


    Lian Qiao not only gave up the crowbar, but also threw all the equipment in the backpack. At the moment, the two of them only have a watermelon knife on them. If they really want to fight,  Lian Qiao will suffer a lot.


    Little Apple quickly handed him the watermelon knife: ¡°Then I¡¯ll give this back to you!¡± Who was she kidding, Lian Qiao¡¯s fighting power was much stronger than hers so she wouldn¡¯t lose out!


    As long as Lian Qiao survived, she would have a chance to escape. What¡¯s more, if Lian Qiao died, don¡¯t worry about ghosts, Xu RenDong would surely kill her after school!


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t take it but carefully rummaged through the rubble. Quickly, he grabbed a brick and weighed it in his hand.


    ¡°Well, I can use this.¡±


    Little Apple: ¡°¡­¡± Is it really appropriate to knock ghosts with bricks?


    In the end, Lian Qiao¡¯s actions were deliberate. He was not satisfied with one brick¡ªhe found several bricks and stuffed them into his coat pocket.


    The bricks of that era were solid bricks of conscience and were very heavy. Lian Qiao saw that Little Apple was worried, so he generously gave her two pieces, telling her that the bricks can not only be used to hit people but also can be thrown as a hidden weapon and was very useful.


    Little Apple: ¡°¡­¡± I understand the truth of your words but I really can¡¯t lift these two bricks!


    Under Little Apple¡¯s stern refusal, Lian Qiao had no choice but to stuff the two beautifully shaped bricks back into his pocket, then turned around and walked towards the unfinished building. Little Apple caught up and asked in surprise, ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired, walking with so many bricks on your back?


    ¡°They¡¯re okay.¡± Lian Qiao didn¡¯t even turn around. ¡°These days I¡¯ve gotten used to holding the baby and my arm has gotten stronger, my family¡¯s baby is much heavier than this.¡±


    Little Apple: ¡°¡­Indeed.¡±


    It has to be said, Lian Qiao looks quite handsome holding the baby with one hand.


    The two entered the unfinished building and saw only darkness in front of them. Reasonably, their mobile phones had torches but it¡¯s a pity that they have been in the instance for many days now and their mobile phones have long since run out of battery. The flashlight that Lian Qiao brought in was with RenDong as well so now he had to feel around in the dark.


    Fortunately, the structure of the unfinished building was relatively simple. Once inside, it was a large empty room, with holes in the walls all around, through which a little light came in.


    The two narrowed their eyes and, with the little light, they could barely make out the scene in the hall.


    They didn¡¯t know what the building was originally built for. Broken bricks and tiles were scattered on the ground and there were exposed wires on the wall. There seemed to be an electric light. Lian Qiao groped for a while on the unpainted wall and found the light switch. He  tapped it but the light didn¡¯t come on.


    There was no electricity.


    This is also normal.


    The wind from the street blew in through the hole in the wall and it was cool. At this time, the rush hour for work and school has passed, the road has become quiet and even the wind brings a sense of desertion. Little Apple felt chills on her back and couldn¡¯t help rubbing her arms, and complaining: ¡°It¡¯s too dark here, I can¡¯t see anything clearly.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s voice came from the darkness, clear and calm: ¡°It might be better to go upstairs.¡±


    You still want to go upstairs? !


    Little Apple instinctively didn¡¯t want to go but she clearly knew that it was impossible not to go. If you don¡¯t go into the tiger¡¯s den, you won¡¯t catch the tiger¡¯s cubs. If there are any key clues hidden in this scene, then the clues will definitely not be lying in the sun waiting for them to find them.


    It¡¯s useless to be afraid so she decided to go herself.


    Lian Qiao wouldn¡¯t cheat her but he also wouldn¡¯t protect her like he did with RenDong, so she could only be careful and follow Lian Qiao upstairs.


    The stairs were very narrow, quite characteristic of that era. There was all sorts of rubbish strewn about on the steps but it was too dim to see clearly. Little Apple held her breath and took every step extremely carefully, for fear of making any noise and disturbing the things upstairs.


    It was unknown whether it was because of Lian Qiao¡¯s good night vision or his boldness, but the darkness didn¡¯t affect his speed at all. But after a few steps, he will stop and wait for Little Apple.


    So, in just a dozen steps, the two walked for several minutes and finally came to the second floor.


    The second floor was better lit than the first but it¡¯s still a large, empty room with nothing special besides construction debris.


    Lian Qiao planned to go further up. Little Apple asked in a low voice: ¡°Are we going to the top?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± For some reason, Lian Qiao didn¡¯t reply immediately.


    Little Apple waited for his answer in amazement, vaguely feeling that his breathing rate was a little fast.


    Something was not quite right.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Little Apple whispered, ¡°Did you find anything?¡±


    ¡°¡­No.¡± Lian Qiao finally spoke, his voice trembling slightly, ¡°¡­It hurts a little.¡±


    ¡°Hurts?¡± Little Apple asked first. She didn¡¯t know why but she felt panicked. ¡°Your back?¡±


    Lian Qiao gave a low ¡°en¡±. He took another deep breath and then said: ¡°It has been in pain for three days. It hurts quite a lot now..¡±


    Little Apple was shocked. She thought the ghost claw print was just a mark and only now did she realize it also had a damage effect?! But she couldn¡¯t tell at all that Lian Qiao had been enduring it all this time!


    Was it because he was scared Xu RenDong would be worried? But this kind of thing is a matter of life and death, and he still wanted to conceal it, it¡¯s really-


    Thinking of this, Little Apple was startled again.


    No, in fact, what Lian Qiao is thinking, she understood.


    Even if Xu RenDong was told about the ghost hand print, so what? What can he do to save Lian Qiao?


    It¡¯s just adding to the trouble.


    Little Apple felt complicated and didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment. Lian Qiao didn¡¯t care what she was thinking and just walked up without saying a word.


    Little Apple raised her head, looked at the faint figure in the darkness and suddenly felt sore in her heart.


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± As soon as Little Apple opened her mouth, she felt a hand wave in front of her eyes.


    ¡°Shh! Don¡¯t talk yet!¡± Lian Qiao slapped her mouth, which startled Little Apple so much that she almost fell off the steps.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s palms were hot and slightly damp with sweat. Little Apple¡¯s face became hot and she couldn¡¯t help pursing her lips. Inadvertently, her lips touched Lian Qiao¡¯s palm and she suddenly felt that there were many strange dents in Lian Qiao¡¯s palm.


    Like¡­ fingernail marks?


    Little Apple¡¯s heart skipped a beat¡ª was he in such pain?


    Has he always endured like this?


    Lian Qiao really deserves to be a family with Xu RenDong. He shouldn¡¯t be called Lian Qiao, he should be called Xu RenTong {¡°RenTong¡± is ¡°Endure Pain¡±. ¡°RenDong¡± if you remember, is ¡°Endure Cold/Winter¡±.}


    It¡¯s so strange. RIght now it was an emergency but there were many strange thoughts in Little Apple¡¯s mind. She couldn¡¯t help raising the corners of her mouth and smiling slightly.


    Lian Qiao seemed to be wary of something and didn¡¯t notice Little Apple¡¯s strangeness. He took two steps down, retreated into Little Apple and whispered in her ear, ¡°Do you hear¡­ the singing?¡±


    Little Apple was taken aback and quickly listened intently. With Lian Qiao¡¯s reminder, she finally noticed a strange sound coming from above the stairs.


    The voice was exactly as Lian Qiao said, like a singing voice. But the melody was extremely strange, sometimes high-pitched, sometimes low-pitched and the tune dragged on for a long time but also sometimes stopped abruptly.


    The singing was very far away, ethereal and uncertain. The person who sang was probably on the fourth floor so they couldn¡¯t make out the lyrics. This person should also be unaware of their arrival.


    Little Apple¡¯s heartbeat suddenly accelerated. Suppressing her frantic heartbeat, she asked in a low voice: ¡°What should we do?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Beat him.¡±


    Little Apple: ¡°¡­¡±


    He just said it and immediately followed up with action. Lian Qiao quickly sprinted up to the fourth floor, grabbed a brick and threw it at the source of the singing. While smashing it down, he shouted: ¡°Form is emptiness! Emptiness is form!¡± The sudden chanting echoed in the empty and dark building and, although it was absurd, it actually sounded a bit righteous.


    Little Apple: ¡°???¡± Throwing bricks with consecration on the spot? You really don¡¯t delay when it comes to beating people and ghosts!


    The shadow in the darkness also seemed to be stunned for a moment, before being hit by a brick in the head and falling to the ground with a bang.


    Hearing the sound of falling to the ground, Little Apple immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Then she thought: wait no, I should add an extra stab in for security!


    She took out a watermelon knife and was about to rush forward but was stopped by Lian Qiao.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Lian Qiao said, ¡°He¡¯s already fainted.¡±


    Little Apple said in amazement, ¡°Then why don¡¯t you hurry up and add an extra knife while he¡¯s paralyzed?¡± (Note)


    Lian Qiao said helplessly: ¡°Why are you in such a hurry to silence him? What if he¡¯s an NPC who provides clues?¡±


    Little Apple: ¡°You¡¯re the one who said to beat him!¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°I said beat him but I didn¡¯t say kill him. Come on, help me drag him out and see who it is.¡±


    The structure of the fourth floor is different from the three floors below. It was divided into two rooms, one large and one small. The big room leads to the stairs, which is where they rushed up. But the big room was airtight and pitch black. There was a little light in the small room.


    So they each dragged an arm and dragged the man into the small room.


    As soon as Little Apple touched him, she knew that this guy was a man and he was quite a burly man. The warm body temperature, rough and soft skin all prove that this is a living person, not a ghost.


    Little Apple wondered while dragging the person, why was this person hiding in the dark and singing, was he trying to scare himself?


    And when the two of them dragged him to a bright place, they were even more surprised.


    This was actually a monk!


    Wearing a bright yellow monk robe, with six scars on the top of his head and a string of sandalwood rosary beads hanging around his neck, he looks like an through-and-through monk!


    Little Apple was stunned and turned to look at Lian Qiao, only to find that Lian Qiao also looked shocked.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the goddamn Rock¡­¡± Before he could finish speaking, Lian Qiao¡¯s face suddenly changed, his fingers clutched his chest tightly and he knelt down on the ground frowning.


    Little Apple was shocked. At the same time, a crisp sound was heard, which seemed to be the sound of a glass bottle falling to the ground. She turned around in surpris, and saw a bottle of ¡°XX Soy Milk¡± rolling away from Lian Qiao¡¯s feet on the ground. Not far away, there is a plastic bag on the ground. Inside the plastic bag were two boxes of lunch, unopened and still steaming.


    The packaging of the lunch box was exactly the same as the one they saw in the garbage dump downstairs.


    Before Little Apple could react, he suddenly heard someone¡¯s voice on the stairs.


    There are still other people?! Was it a friend of the monk?


    Little Apple turned pale with shock. At this time, the monk fell to the ground, his head was covered with blood and his status was unknown. Lian Qiao knelt on the ground, clutching his chest, dripping with cold sweat, trembling all over, but three bloody handprints slowly appeared on his back.


    And the voice on the stairs was getting closer! Judging by the sound, there were several people, laughing and talking raucously.


    Faintly, there also seemed to be another shrill, thin, kitten-like voice. ¡°No, no,¡± it called out.


    What to do!?


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    Note: Paralysis: Indicates the state in which a character cannot act after casting a certain skill/receiving specific damage.

 CH 148

    Chapter 148 ¨C 1992-2020


    Little Apple panicked and didn¡¯t know what to do.


    Are these people the monk¡¯s associates? If they find that the monk is missing, will they come to find him?!


    Should she run?


    But what about Lian Qiao? Why did the curse activate at this time!


    Little Apple felt like she had a ball of cement in her head, too thick to be stirred. She couldn¡¯t use her brain at all and was sweating profusely, so she had to ask Lian Qiao for help tremblingly.


    ¡°Lian, Lian Qiao!¡± Little Apple tried her best to hold back her crying, ¡°What to do! What to do!¡±


    ¡°¡­ Hu¡­ hu¡­¡± Lian Qiao gasped for breath, without a trace of blood on his face, but he was still fighting. He raised his hand and pointed to the hole in the wall, ¡°Block¡­ hu¡­ Block the hole¡­¡±


    Little Apple ran to the wall without thinking but immediately felt overwhelmed.


    Block the hole? Use what to block?


    That¡¯s right! Clothes!


    Fortunately, they were still wearing the old clothes given to them by the principal. The clothes were full of patchwork. Little Apple gritted her teeth, tore the patches to pieces and stuffed them into the wall in clumps. It didn¡¯t take long before the holes in the entire wall were completely blocked.


    The light-transmitting wall hole was blocked and the small room immediately became dark.


    ¡°What next?!¡±


    Little Apple turned her head anxiously but in the darkness she couldn¡¯t see where Lian Qiao was.


    When she couldn¡¯t see Lian Qiao, she was even more shaken. Fortunately, Lian Qiao immediately gave her the next step.


    ¡°Next¡­ Hu¡­ Don¡¯t, don¡¯t talk¡­¡±


    Little Apple sniffed, holding back tears: ¡°¡­Hmmphh!¡±


    She tried her best to restrain the trembling of her body and groped towards the direction of Lian Qiao¡¯s voice. When she crawled over, she accidentally bumped into the monk on the ground and the soft touch of his body scared her to death. Fortunately, Lian Qiao sensed her approach and took the initiative to give her a hand.


    ¡°Here.¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s voice was thin and inaudible.


    Lian Qiao tugged at her sleeve. That movement was very light but it made Little Apple feel at ease like never before. She bit her lips tightly, holding back her tears, avoided the monk as carefully as possible and crawled to Lian Qiao¡¯s side.


    The footsteps on the stairs were getting closer and closer, and they had reached the fourth floor.


    Little Apple didn¡¯t even dare to breathe and was even afraid of the sound of her heartbeat being overheard. Lian Qiao beside her didn¡¯t seem to care so much, still taking slow and long deep breaths. The sound of breathing trembled slightly, he was obviously enduring great pain.


    There was a flickering light outside the small room, like a flashlight. The group of people chatted, laughed and spoke a dialect, but Little Apple couldn¡¯t understand what they were saying.


    It¡¯s just that there are far more people in this group than she imagined. It seems that there are at least¡­ seven or eight?


    The light of the torch was flickering but this group of people didn¡¯t notice it. They still walked upstairs. Little Apple felt relieved and was about to breathe a sigh of relief when suddenly someone shouted loudly on the stairs.


    ¡°Fuck!¡±


    Even with a dialect, any Chinese person can understand this countrified curse word. Immediately afterwards, the man murmured something again and everyone around him burst into laughter.


    Little Apple¡¯s nerves tensed up again in an instant. She listened intently, breathlessly, wondering what was going on outside. However, she didn¡¯t dare to poke her head out to take a peek and could only try to discern the situation outside from the voices.


    ¡°Uh¡­uh!¡± Amidst the series of scolding and laughter, there was a faint meowing sound of a kitten.


    Little Apple wondered what was going on and then heard a few blunt sounds, which seemed to be the sound of metal hitting the flesh. The meowing of the kitten stopped abruptly and the men burst into laughter again, talking in gibberish dialect, laughing and walking upstairs.


    After the group of people walked away, Little Apple finally let out a long sigh of relief.


    She felt dizzy for a while and then realized that she had been holding her breath.


    At the same time, the person beside him let out a weak moan.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    Little Apple felt that the person next to him had fallen limply, so she quickly reached out to help him. However, as soon as she stretched out her hand, her fingertips suddenly touched something cold and sharp.


    Little Apple retracted her hand in shock. The weird touch still lingers on the fingertips, lingering.


    It was cold, sharp, and seemed to be touched by something warm and greasy¡­


    Little Apple was startled by the smell of hot blood rising into the air. Shocked, she couldn¡¯t help but lose her voice: ¡°Lian Qiao, you¡ª¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s weak panting came from the concrete floor and he no longer had the strength to speak.


    Restraining the fear in her heart, Little Apple reached out to him again. This time, even when she touched that weird thing, she didn¡¯t back down. So she quickly discovered what the cold and sharp thing on Lian Qiao¡¯s chest was.


    It was a hand.


    Three fingers were extended, with pointed nails, the hands of a child.


    The ghost claw was covered with blood and it was firmly inserted into Lian Qiao¡¯s chest. It turned out that the curse was actually like this, and it turned out that there was really no salvation!


    Little Apple burst into tears instantly. She wanted to cry but her voice was choked in her throat, so she could only kneel in front of Lian Qiao, trying to block the bloody hole in Lian Qiao¡¯s chest with her hands.


    Hot blood poured out of the blood hole continuously. The ghost claws sensed the stranger¡¯s approach and the three ghost claws twisted together.


    Lian Qiao snorted, obviously in extreme pain.


    Little Apple¡¯s heart trembled and she quickly withdrew her hand, not daring to touch him again. She really didn¡¯t know what to do at this time. Hot tears infected her entire face and she burst into tears like rain, sobbing uncontrollably.


    ¡°Lian Qiao, don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t die¡­ what will he do if you die¡­ don¡¯t die!¡±


    Even if he didn¡¯t hear the person¡¯s name, just hearing the word ¡°he¡± knocked sense back into Lian Qiao. He forcibly pulled himself back from the brink of unconsciousness.


    ¡°¡­¡± A faint voice came from the darkness.


    Little Apple didn¡¯t care about the ferocious and twisted claws on Lian Qiao¡¯s chest and quickly put her ears towards the noise, holding back her tears and said, ¡°What are you trying to say? Tell me, I¡¯m listening!¡±


    ¡°Help¡­him¡­¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s throat was blocked by surging blood and he could only utter indistinct syllables, ¡°Save him¡­ save¡­ him¡­¡±


    ¡°I will definitely save him! I will do my best to rescue him!¡± Little Apple suddenly had a strong impulse in her heart. She hugged Lian Qiao in her arms, dragged him to the stairs and said,  while suppressing crying, ¡°You hold on! Hold on a little longer! I¡¯ll take you to see him for the last time!¡±


    ¡°Cough¡­cough Cough¡­¡± Lian Qiao coughed violently as he moved rashly and irritated his badly injured lungs. He coughed so hard it seemed he was going to cough both lungs out of his throat.


    Coughing and retching, he started vomiting again. It¡¯s just that in the dark, it¡¯s impossible to see whether he vomited blood or internal organs.


    Little Apple couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and finally collapsed, covering her mouth and crying loudly.


    ¡°Wuuuuu¡­¡­¡± The suppressed and desperate cries echoed in the dark room, mixed with the weaker coughing of the man.


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ cry¡­¡± Lian Qiao stretched out his hand to her with difficulty and gently pushed her with bloody fingers, ¡°You¡­ alone¡­ go¡­¡±


    ¡°Wu¡­ wu wu¡­Lian Qiao¡­¡± Little Apple hated herself so much that she could only cry, she thought how great it would be if Xu RenDong was here! Lian Qiao was so strong, a man who can stand side by side with Lian Qiao must also be strong!


    ¡ªIf that person was here instead of her, would Lian Qiao still die?!


    But there is no if in the world!


    Little Apple desperately covered her mouth, fearing that the crying would disturb the people above. She crazily hated herself and hated her own incompetence, but she finally forced herself to calm down, forced herself to ask Lian Qiao tremblingly in a hoarse voice: ¡°What else do you want me to¡­ tell him¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± In the darkness, Lian Qiao seemed to smile slightly, and then exhausted his last bit of tenderness and said, ¡°Help me¡­bring him a Xiaolongbao¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ it¡¯s delicious.¡±


    After saying these three words, there was no sound around.


    Little Apple was stunned. Like being suddenly thrown into a -20 degree freezer, her whole person was frozen into ice from head to toe.


    Lian Qiao died.


    There was no need to confirm, Lian Qiao was dead.


    Little Apple stood up in a trance and walked towards the stairs.


    She didn¡¯t know how she got outside the building. Outside the unfinished building, it was already dark. Had it been such a long time?


    What¡¯s the time now? Has Xu RenDong finished class yet?


    ¡­Let¡¯s go buy Xiaolongbao first.


    Delicious. Really tasty. He will definitely like it.


    After a day of class, he must be hungry.


    But Lian Qiao¡ª


    Lian Qiao¡ªwas dead¡ª


    Little Apple walked to the edge of the fence, saw the pile of construction waste on the ground, remembered that Lian Qiao was still looking for weapons here a moment ago and even handed her two bricks with a smile. She broke down in tears again.  ¡°Wuuuuuuuuuuuu¡­¡±


    Suddenly, her eyelids twitched.


    Little Apple was stunned, feeling as if her eyelids were lifted by a pair of invisible hands.


    What, what¡¯s going on?


    She touched her left eye in horror. The next second, her left eye went black and severe pain came suddenly!


    ¡°Ahhhh!¡± It hurts! It hurts!


    Hot and sticky stuff came out of her eye. Little Apple lowered her head tremblingly and saw a red, white and white thing lying in his palm.


    Her¡ªher¡ª


    Eye¡ªball¡ª


    Great fear seized her heart within an instant. Before she could catch her breath, the eyelid of her right eye was opened by an invisible hand.


    And then.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!¡±


    Little Apple could no longer see anything and her whole world fell into eternal darkness.     What happened and why? It hurts, it hurts¡­ Who will save me¡­


    Xu RenDong, go find Xu RenDong! He might have a way!


    Following the memory before losing her eyes, Little Apple stumbled and ran outside but bumped into an iron fence.


    Where was the exit? Where is that hole?!


    With blood-stained hands groping wildly on the iron fence, Little Apple wept uncontrollably and was so frightened that she couldn¡¯t breathe.


    It hurts! It hurts! Who can help me!


    She frantically called for help in her heart, but what responded to her was not redemption but two ¡°clicking¡± noises.


    Suddenly she couldn¡¯t feel anything with her hands.


    ¡­¡­What?


    What about the fence? Where is the fence, why can¡¯t I touch it.


    Then severe pain came from her wrist, Little Apple didn¡¯t realize that it was her two hands that fell to the ground with two slapping noises.


    Fortunately, she didn¡¯t suffer the pain of her wrists being broken for long. Because her legs were also suddenly broken.


    ¡­¡­ Why?


    Little Apple that lost both her hands and feet was like a broken china doll. She fell on the abandoned construction site, staring at the sky with empty eye sockets.


    Why? Why did it become like this?


    The excruciating pain and massive blood loss cut off her senses. In the severe dizziness, she thought in great confusion:


    Why? Why did I become like this?


    Who did these things to me?


    ¡­ Now, I can¡¯t even buy Xiaolongbao.


    {If it¡¯s not clear, XRD just died in the manner that Little Apple did, hence why she suffered the same fate as him. There will be more information about how it happened later on.}

 CH 149

    Chapter 149 ¨C 1992-2020


    The elevator was running quietly and smoothly, and suddenly it shook slightly.


    This is something that happens every time and Lian Qiao is used to it. But RenDong couldn¡¯t seem to get used to it, because every time the elevator vibrated, he would gasp in shock.


    It was the same this time.


    Lian Qiao looked at RenDong, meeting his dazed eyes.


    Lian Qiao was about to speak when RenDong¡¯s face suddenly darkened. He rushed up and grabbed his collar, saying angrily: ¡°Can you show some love to me?!¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Huh???¡±


    RenDong trembled with anger. He yelled at Lian Qiao with a softer and more childlike voice: ¡°Don¡¯t let me wait for you at the school gate alone! I will be¡ª¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°? ??¡±


    Before he could react, Xu RenDong had shrunk into a wrinkled baby.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°???????¡±


    He looked at the purple sweet potato essence curled up in a pile of clothes, and was so shocked that he was stunned.


    Little RenDong that turned into a purple potato seemed to be still angry, crying non-stop. It took Lian Qiao a long time to do a good job of mental construction, and accept the fact that this ugly baby was RenDong.


    He carefully picked up the little purple sweet potato, but the purple sweet potato was still crying and kicking him desperately.


    ¡­What are you angry about?


    Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t figure it out, he really didn¡¯t know how he had offended RenDong again. Wasn¡¯t it fine a minute ago? Aren¡¯t they still holding hands and each other¡¯s soulmates?


    Why did you suddenly leave me alone and become Purple Sweet Potato Essence!


    Even the species has changed drastically, hey!


    ¡­


    After a lot of tossing, Little RenDong finally grew to be six years old again.


    For the past six days, Lian Qiao has been trembling all the time, not knowing what he did wrong. It was unknown what kind of anger RenDong was harboring and he didn¡¯t want to talk to him.


    If asked, he refused to speak as if his mouth was stuck. And every time Lian Qiao asked, RenDong would be even angrier. Sometimes when he gets angry, he even grabs his arm and bites it.


    ¡°Does it hurt when I bite your hand?!¡± RenDong said viciously, like a hungry wolf.


    Lian Qiao looked at the six-year-old kid messing around with him, feeling confused and loving him at the same time. He sighed, pampering and helplessly stroking RenDong¡¯s hair.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you¡­¡±


    RenDong hummed, turned his back and stopped looking at him.


    The six-year-old child has not yet shed the baby fat, and his back is round, like a red panda. Lian Qiao looked at his back and his tenderness resurfaced.


    However, this tender feeling was broken by RenDong¡¯s sour words.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take care of your children?¡± It should have been a question but it was in a declarative tone. It¡¯s just that the statement contained endless sorrow and complaints, like a lonely kitten, struggling alone in the dark and calling for help, getting


    There was no response.


    Lian Qiao was stunned for a moment. Then he asked with a wry smile: ¡°Why are you saying this?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Little RenDong didn¡¯t speak but just lowered his head deeply.


    Although Lian Qiao didn¡¯t understand what he was thinking, he clearly sensed his sadness. He opened his arms and hugged him from behind.


    A six-year-old child was only so big in his arms. It wasn¡¯t the thin and slender figure in memory, but it made Lian Qiao feel an inexplicable nostalgia.


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t ask any more questions, just rested his chin on RenDong¡¯s little head, and hugged him quietly.


    An unknown amount of time passed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Little RenDong suddenly choked up and spoke.


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t know what he was sorry for. The warm and moist touch on his arm diverted Lian Qiao¡¯s attention and made his whole heart shudder.


    ¡°You¡­¡± He wanted to ask why you were crying but he had a faint feeling in his heart and knew that RenDong would not say it.


    RenDong was hiding something from him and he has always known it.


    But so what?


    So Lian Qiao said: ¡°You cry. I will accompany you.¡±


    Little RenDong turned around and threw herself into his arms, crying heartily.


    The next day.


    When the first ray of sunshine in the morning was accompanied by the subtitles of ¡°1999¡± on their faces, the three of them felt a flash in front of their eyes and when they opened their eyes again, they were already on the busy street.


    Lian Qiao glanced at XX Elementary School across the road, turned around and asked, ¡°RenDong, is this your elementary school?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°No.¡±


    Lian Qiao & Little Apple: ¡°Huh???¡±


    However if RenDong says it¡¯s not then it¡¯s not. So Lian Qiao and Little Apple lost their way forward in an instant, not knowing what to do next.


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Give me a knife.¡±


    Lian Qiao took out a three-edged bloodletting knife from his backpack and asked in surprise, ¡°Why do you want a knife for?¡±


    Xu RenDong put the three-edged knife in his pocket and raised his head, looking far away at the abandoned building at the end of the street.


    ¡°I need to go and destroy a criminal group.¡±


    Lian Qiao & Little Apple: ¡°???¡±


    The street where XX Elementary School was located was lined with various buildings such as stationery stores, snack bars, small hotels, and residential buildings. Every place was worth exploring. It was unknown why Boss RenDong only took a fancy to that unfinished building.


    Lian Qiao and Little Apple followed RenDong to the unfinished building in a daze. RenDong walked around to the hole in the iron fence with ease, stepped in with his short legs and got inside.


    The two behind quickly followed. When Little Apple raised her head and saw the dark entrance of the building, she couldn¡¯t help but fold her arms and flinch. She said, ¡°What kind of place is this¡­¡±


    RenDong didn¡¯t speak but a sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth.


    Although Lian Qiao didn¡¯t know what RenDong was thinking, he trusted RenDong unconditionally. RenDong said he wanted to go upstairs, so he picked up a crowbar and flashlight to escort RenDong up. This building was an unfinished building, there was no electricity and there were holes everywhere in the wall, and there was a whistling sound of air leakage.


    The three of them stepped on the construction waste all the way upstairs. When they reached the fifth floor, the three of them heard someone talking from above.


    There were about five or six people above, speaking a dialect that they didn¡¯t know. They were babbling and it was unknown what they were saying. Little RenDong stopped onto the fourth floor and the three of them slowed down, quietly lying on the stairs to peep.


    They saw that the lamps were lit in the large empty room. Although there were lights, the ground was still littered with construction debris. It seems that these people did not live here but were just squatting here temporarily.


    There are four men and one woman in the room, all dressed in ordinary clothes, with smiles on their faces. It¡¯s just that there was a hint of malice in those smiles, which made people quite uncomfortable.


    These people formed a circle. There was also a child in the middle, who was kneeling on the ground and shivering.


    Lian Qiao and Little Apple were shocked when they first saw the child. This was a severely disabled child! The eye sockets were empty and there were no eyeballs. Both hands and feet are strangely shaped. It was unknown if it had a congenital defect or it was the result of some misfortune encountered after birth.


    The little disabled child was dressed in rags and looked like a beggar. He held a broken bowl in his dirty little hands and there were some coins and paper money in the bowl.


    He held up the bowl with great effort and handed the money in the bowl to the man in front of him. Obviously, the man was dissatisfied with this, swearing and cursing, he overturned the bowl, picked up the little beggar from the ground and whipped him with a belt.


    Little Apple¡¯s eyes turned red when she saw it and she immediately covered her mouth, afraid that she would cry out.


    Lian Qiao narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice: ¡°Harvesting and cutting¡­¡± (Note) {I¡¯ll put the note here instead of just at the bottom since it¡¯s significant; this is a Chinese term for an illegal practice where a criminal gang will kidnap/buy a healthy child and mutilate them in order to make them look more pitiful, so as to garner sympathy from people when they go out to beg. There¡¯s been records of these types of criminal beggar gangs in history.}


    RenDong: ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Call the police? Or¡­¡±


    RenDong shook his head and opened his mouth slightly: ¡°Kill them.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Okay.¡±


    After the words fell, Lian Qiao had already picked up the crowbar and jumped out. Little Apple was taken aback by his ability to do just what he said and what shocked her even more was that the seven-year-old Little RenDong actually held a three-edged knife and followed him to do it.


    You two really are¡­ a perfect match!


    Little Apple was in a complicated mood. But even children were involved, how can she hide behind as an adult? Immediately, she took out the watermelon knife and joined the battle bravely.


    The group of people didn¡¯t expect a group of armed lunatics to pop out from behind and there was even a child who was carved like a jade carved in the middle. For a moment, everyone had no time to react and was instantly killed.


    The battle ended quickly¡ªno, it should be said to be a one-sided massacre rather than a battle.


    Xu RenDong originally wanted to save one life for questioning, but he didn¡¯t expect Lian Qiao to smash the skulls of the five adults in a row. The attack was so ruthless that he didn¡¯t treat the opponents as human beings.


    Little RenDong walked up to one of them, stretched out his hand to feel his breathing and made sure that the last person was dead. He said helplessly, ¡°Why did you kill them all? What if they have clues?¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s killing intent had not yet retreated and, at this time, his whole body is covered with blood, just an Asura. He wiped off the red and white brain matter on his face casually and said nonchalantly: ¡°They speak in a dialect and can¡¯t be understood, so what¡¯s the point of asking?¡±


    RenDong: ¡°¡­are they not allowed to also speak Mandarin?¡±


    Lian Qiao pointed to the corner: ¡°There, isn¡¯t there another one there?¡±


    The mistreated little beggar couldn¡¯t see anything and only knew that strangers had come, but didn¡¯t know what happened. When Lian Qiao walked in front of him, the little beggar screamed and hid back. His grotesquely twisted thin arms and legs struggled desperately, looking like a misshapen little monster. Lian Qiao paused, as if being stung by something. His face quickly calmed down and his voice became soft.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯m here to save you.¡± The seven-year-old Little RenDong followed behind him, looking up at him slightly. There is an indescribable complex emotion in the eyes.


    It was late autumn at this time and the sky was already very cold, but the little beggar was still wearing a single shirt with holes. Lian Qiao took off his coat and wrapped it around the little beggar. The little beggar flinched and wanted to hide, Lian Qiao sighed, patted his head and said: ¡°Little friend, you have suffered. Don¡¯t be afraid, you have been saved. We will call the police immediately and take you to find your mom and dad.¡±


    When the little beggar heard ¡°Mom and Dad¡±, tears welled up in his empty eyes. Crystal tears ran across his dirty little face, making him look extremely pitiful.


    Little Apple couldn¡¯t bear it anymore, covered her mouth and began to cry. Xu RenDong watched quietly, thinking calmly in his heart: It turns out that after the eyeballs are gouged out, you can still cry.


    Lian Qiao asked, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    The little beggar called ¡°Ah, ah¡± several times, but was speechless.


    Lian Qiao froze for a moment, then turned around stiffly, and said to Xu RenDong: ¡°He has no tongue.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s go to the police station.¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Lian Qiao subconsciously wanted to hug Little RenDong, but the outstretched hand stopped in mid-air. He turned his head and glanced at Little RenDong.


    Little RenDong smiled slightly: ¡°What are you looking at me for? I can walk by myself, you can hold him.¡±


    Lian Qiao nodded, picked up the little beggar and went downstairs.


    On the way to the police station, passers-by cast strange glances at them. From the whispers of passers-by, they learned that the disabled child begged beside the school every day.


    The child was severely disabled and looked pitiful, so the parents who came to pick up the child from school couldn¡¯t bear it and they always gave him some money at first. But after a long time, everyone got used to it. After all, no family was rich in those days, so there was no spare money to help beggars every day.


    As a result, large and small injuries began to appear on the little beggar¡¯s body.


    At first, it was just a bruise on the skin. Later, the wound gradually ulcerated and pus flowed out, and the smell was unbearable. Everyone was even more reluctant to approach him.


    All the way until the statement was recorded at the police station, Little Apple didn¡¯t recover from the depression.


    ¡°How can there be such people¡­ Do they still have a conscience? How can they have the heart to do this kind of business!¡±


    Lian Qiao remained silent. But Little RenDong had already regained his composure, looked back at the police station thoughtfully and said in a low voice: ¡°I wonder if the corpses will vanish. I¡¯m scared of the police blaming us.¡±


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. The police don¡¯t seem very powerful and they don¡¯t even have guns. If they really turn on us, I¡¯m not scared.¡±


    RenDong sighed: ¡°It¡¯s not necessary. At present, the police are still reliable. When necessary, we can¡­¡± He didn¡¯t finish and frowned instead, ¡°Little Apple, what¡¯s the matter with you?¡±


    Little Apple squatted down covering her chest. Her forehead was dripping with cold sweat and her face was already pale, so she raised her pale face and forced a smile.


    ¡°My curse has finally come true,¡± she said.


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    Harvesting and cutting: It is the most vicious and vicious of professional beggars. Artificially create some disabled or ¡°monsters¡± as a pretense to win the sympathy of the world, so as to obtain a lot of money from passers-by. Excerpted from Baidu Encyclopedia.

 CH 150

    Chapter 150 ¨C 1992-2020


    As soon as Little Apple finished speaking, her face suddenly changed.


    Three ghost claws came out of her chest abruptly!


    Lian Qiao and RenDong were shocked. Lian Qiao immediately took out the crowbar but as soon as the crowbar got close to Little Apple, the three ghost claws twisted wildly as if frightened, which messed up Little Apple¡¯s chest cavity. Little Apple screamed in pain and Lian Qiao was so frightened that he didn¡¯t dare to move any more, so he quickly put away the crowbar.


    This change happened in the blink of an eye. The two of them had no time to react and Little Apple had already fallen to the ground, motionless.


    The ghost claw didn¡¯t seem to realize that the host was dead and the bright red claws were still writhing wildly. At this moment, Lian Qiao finally didn¡¯t have to worry about it and picked up the crowbar and smashed the ghost¡¯s hand. The ghost hand was hit hard and it quickly rotted like a withered plant. There were only three big holes left in Little Apple¡¯s chest and blood was still bubbling out.


    Little Apple still had her eyes open, with a somewhat puzzled look on her pale face. The corners of her mouth were raised slightly, not knowing what she was laughing at.


    She was dead.


    Lian Qiao and Little RenDong looked at each other, seeing helplessness in each other¡¯s eyes.


    It was a curse left by a vicious little female ghost who likes to hide in the toilet to scare people. In fact, that female ghost was not difficult to beat, Lian Qiao beat her ghost head off in minutes. But Little Apple¡¯s brain was weird for some reason and she insisted on going up to ¡°add a knife¡±.


    It was nothing at first but when she went to stab the ghost, all the venomous curses of the little ghost were concentrated on her. The next day, a scarlet hand print appeared on her back.


    The little female ghost declared that after three days she would surely die. For the past three days, Lian Qiao and RenDong tried every means to try to lift the curse. But no matter chanting scriptures or dancing to the gods, the number of ghost claw prints still increased day by day. Little Apple suffered so much that she didn¡¯t sleep for three whole days and was tortured unspeakably.


    At this time the curse was finally fulfilled. Lian Qiao and RenDong felt sad, but couldn¡¯t help thinking: She was finally freed.


    Little Apple¡¯s death did not cause much trouble because her body disappeared quickly. Lian Qiao quickly left the scene with Little RenDong but encountered difficulties for the subsequent itinerary.


    Where should they go next? What to do?


    Logically speaking, the seven-year-old Little RenDong should be studying at this time. But RenDong skipped class all morning so it was pointless to go for half a day in the afternoon. What¡¯s more, the whole team was dead and only the two of them were left. Lian Qiao was worried about RenDong going to school alone.


    The two had no choice but to explore the entire area along the street. The abandoned building can be skipped but there are still many places worth exploring. Time passed by and it was evening in the blink of an eye.


    The two settled their dinner at the snack bar and then went to the small hotel to ask for a room.


    In 1999, no ID card was required for accommodation, and the price was cheap. They didn¡¯t have much money on them and all they had was given by the dean of the orphanage the day before they entered school. They had to conserve their money.


    The two only wanted the smallest room. As night fell, one big and one small lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling with wide-open eyes. The condition of this hotel was very poor, there was not even a black and white TV set. The small wooden bed was not strong and creaked when one turned over. The only good thing is that it¡¯s fairly clean.


    Little Apple was gone and they felt somewhat lonely in their hearts. It¡¯s not because the whole team is dead and only the two of them are left, but because Little Apple was indeed a lovely girl. What¡¯s more, her way of death can be regarded as blocking the knife for Lian Qiao.


    When RenDong was a baby, he had been eating vinegar all this time. Now that he couldn¡¯t eat apple cider vinegar anymore, he felt an indescribable discomfort in his heart.


    The two lay on the bed for a while, really bored. Lian Qiao got up and got out of bed.


    RenDong: ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Going to the toilet.¡±


    Little RenDong said ¡°Oh¡± and continued to stare at the ceiling.


    Not long after, Lian Qiao yelled in the toilet: ¡°RenDong! No paper!¡±


    Little RenDong jumped off the bed, rummaged through the box and found a roll of toilet paper. He walked outside the toilet and knocked on the door. Lian Qiao opened the door a crack and reached out to pick up the paper.


    After a while, Lian Qiao came out and complained: ¡°There is no bath in this bathroom, so we will just have to clean ourselves simply.¡±


    Today was autumn so tomorrow will be winter. A small hotel in 1999 could not afford the luxury of an air conditioner so RenDong said, ¡°It¡¯s cold anyway, so just wipe yourself off, so you don¡¯t catch a cold.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lian Qiao climbed onto the bed and hugged Xiao RenDong.


    Anyway, there was nothing to do, so the two went to bed early. Little RenDong fell asleep for a while and suddenly felt a gurgling stomach, a little uncomfortable. He gently pushed Lian Qiao away and jumped out of bed.


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t wake up. RenDong carefully padded inside and slowly closed the toilet door.


    He looked around and found that the toilet was indeed as Lian Qiao said, quite simple. There are no facilities other than a flush toilet and a sink.


    RenDong found a basin and climbed up to the toilet. The toilet seat was cold, which made his little butt shrink back and he sat down again with a ¡°hiss¡±.


    Soon, RenDong solved his problem. Probably because the Xiaolongbao at night was so delicious, he couldn¡¯t help eating too much, his stomach couldn¡¯t bear it, so he had some diarrhea. Little RenDong pinched his nose with a little disgust and turned to the toilet paper basket beside him. The outstretched little hand suddenly stopped in mid-air.


    Hey, where¡¯s the toilet paper?


    ¡­ Was Lian Qiao so wasteful, when he was just given a whole new roll of toilet paper and he used it all up?


    RenDong frowned and then subconsciously glanced into the trash can. At this glance, his heart skipped a beat.


    There was no large pile of waste paper in the trash can as he had imagined.


    And this scene was a bit familiar¡­


    A ¡°hee hee¡± laugh suddenly sounded from the corner of the toilet. RenDong¡¯s hair stood on end and he slowly turned back. Sure enough, he saw a girl squatting on the ground in the corner.


    Little. Apple.


    ¡­¡­Yes. Whoever is killed by a ghost will become that kind of ghost.


    Little Apple was cursed to death by the vicious little ghost who stole toilet paper, so after she died, she also became a vicious big ghost who loves to steal toilet paper.


    With a twitch of veins on Little RenDong¡¯s forehead, he opened her mouth and shouted: ¡°Lian¡ª¡ª Qiao¡ª¡ª¡±


    Lian Qiao, who was outside the door, woke up instantly and rushed towards the toilet: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Little RenDong calmly said: ¡°Little Apple¡¯s corpse has turned.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Huh?!!!¡±


    Shocked for less than a second, Lian Qiao quickly understood, and said in embarrassment: ¡°She, she came to steal your toilet paper?¡±


    Little RenDong: ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­Then I¡¯ll get you another roll.¡±


    Little RenDong¡¯s forehead was bursting with veins and he said angrily, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you come in and save me?!¡±


    Lian Qiao had already turned around to look for the paper, but when he heard this sentence, he suddenly realized, and coughed in embarrassment: ¡°Ahem, yes, I forgot.¡±


    It was Little Apple who turned into a ghost this time. Just a little while ago she had blocked a knife for them, so Lian Qiao subconsciously felt that Little Apple would not hurt RenDong. But RenDong was right. After becoming a ghost, she was no longer that person. Little Apple was already dead and the one squatting in the corner with a smirk is¡­


    Ghost Apple.


    Lian Qiao quickly adjusted his mentality, picked up the crowbar and kicked open the door, rushing in aggressively.


    ¡°Where is it?!¡±


    Little RenDong raised his hand and pointed. As soon as Lian Qiao turned his head, Ghost Apple screamed as if she had been blinded by something and escaped into the wall.


    Lian Qiao looked down at the crowbar, and sighed: ¡°If I had known it would be so powerful after the consecration, I should have brought all eighteen weapons into the temple and consecrated them all.¡±


    Little RenDong: ¡°You¡­¡± He opened his mouth. He seemed to want to ask something, but couldn¡¯t say it.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Do you want to ask me how this crowbar was blessed?¡± He smiled wryly and stretched out his hand to rub Little RenDong¡¯s head, ¡°It was when you were lying in the ICU, I went to the temple for you¡­¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Little RenDong slapped his hand away and said helplessly, ¡°I want to ask you when you will bring me the paper. My bare buttocks are so cold.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t help but look down. After taking a look, he instantly realized that RenDong is only seven years old now, so he can¡¯t look! So he immediately covered his eyes, touched the wall and backed out, ¡°Wait, I¡¯ll come again right away!¡±


    Lian Qiao had just handed the toilet paper to RenDong, when suddenly three knocks came from behind him.


    Who?!


    Lian Qiao became vigilant in an instant and walked to the door with a crowbar. Little RenDong hurriedly put on his pants and ran out, being protected by Lian Qiao.


    Lian Qiao asked: ¡°Excuse me, who is it?¡± A young and gentle female voice answered quickly outside the door: ¡°Hi, this is Xu RenDong¡¯s home, right? I am his class teacher, Mrs. Wang.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    Because he was too shocked, he couldn¡¯t help but turn around and complain to Little RenDong: ¡°This is obviously a hotel, is your class teacher mentally retarded?¡±


    Little RenDong: ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t even report for class today. How can the homeroom teacher be here? I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s a female ghost masquerading.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°It makes sense.¡±


    He responded and pretended to open the door, while sticking the crowbar behind the door.


    Logically speaking, at this distance, if the opponent was a ghost, she should have avoided it and started screaming. But Teacher Wang behind the door was not afraid at all and still quietly waited for him to open the door.


    It seems to be just an ordinary NPC.


    Lian Qiao hid the crowbar behind his back and opened the door. Behind the door was a young and beautiful female teacher who seemed to have just graduated from university, exuding a youthful and invincible atmosphere.


    She pushed her glasses and asked with a smile: ¡°Hi, are you Xu RenDong¡¯s parents? Is it convenient to let me in?¡±


    Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t help but look back at the small hotel room, wondering in his mind: What do you think, is it convenient or not?


    RenDong hid behind Lian Qiao, poking out a small head. The big black eyes looked at the female teacher curiously and warily. Teacher Wang misunderstood and quickly waved her hands and said: ¡°RenDong, don¡¯t be nervous, the teacher is not here to interview your home! The teacher is just here to see you.¡±


    When Lian Qiao heard this, he immediately lost his temper.


    Fuck, is ¡°RenDong¡± something you can call?


    His face darkened and he slammed the door shut. He didn¡¯t hide the crowbar anymore, he just threw it on the bed in a big way and then said to Mr. Wang very rudely: ¡°You saw it too, our house is small and there is no place for you to sit. Please forgive me.¡±


    After finishing speaking, he sat on the bed with little RenDong in his arms, with an expression of ¡°you can just stand¡±.


    The teacher didn¡¯t mind and was still smiling, which showed that the college students of that era were indeed well-educated.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll be leaving soon. I¡¯m here today for two reasons. One is that RenDong didn¡¯t come to class today, so I wanted to see how he was.¡±


    Lian Qiao hugged little RenDong into his arms and said coldly: ¡°He¡¯s fine, you saw it. What about the second one?¡±


    Little RenDong struggled in his arms but failed. He had no choice but to let him continue to mess around.


    Fortunately, Teacher Wang is also really blind, turning a blind eye to Lian Qiao¡¯s rudeness. She opened the briefcase that she had been carrying all the time, took out a stack of exercise books from it and handed it to RenDong with a smile.


    ¡°The second and most important purpose is to send you homework.¡±


    Lian Qiao & RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    This, is this¡­ the long-awaited dungeon mission?


    Writing elementary school homework?!

 CH 151

    Chapter 151 ¨C 1992-2020


    Teacher Wang kept her word. She said she wanted to talk about two things and did exactly that. She left after she finished speaking, without dragging her feet at all.


    The door slammed shut, leaving Lian Qiao and Little RenDong in a daze staring at the mountain of primary school students¡¯ homework.


    ¡°This¡­ is this a day¡¯s homework?¡± Lian Qiao took a finger and stroked it. It was more than ten centimeters thick


    RenDong sat in front of the small table, raised his posture seriously and said, while opening his homework book, ¡°It¡¯s just homework for primary school students. With the two of our educational backgrounds, we should be able to¡­ eh???¡±


    His voice stopped abruptly. RenDong stared at the homework book with a dazed face and his eyes almost popped out.


    ¡°What did you see?¡± Lian Qiao came over curiously and found that it was a math exercise book.


    Why are first grade questions so difficult? They were all questions with pictures. Even the writing was marked in pinyin, so it shouldn¡¯t be too difficult.


    However, among a bunch of 1+1s, there turned out to be such a question:


    ¡°Mom bought 5 cakes and distributed them to 4 children. What type of division is reasonable?¡±


    There are five circles drawn under the title, indicating five cakes.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± 1+1 has not been mastered yet! What¡¯s this about cake!


    RenDong raised his forehead and said helplessly: ¡°Do you know this topic?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°I don¡¯t know how to divide five cakes into four, but I can divide five people into four cakes.¡±


    RenDong: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°First hack a kid to death, and then¡­¡±


    RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    Little RenDong frowned, obviously very dissatisfied with this answer. Lian Qiao coughed and said sternly, ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s do our homework quickly. I¡¯ll help you Baidu¡­ ouch!¡±


    He took out his mobile phone and remembered that their mobile phones had long been out of battery. There was no internet in this world, so he couldn¡¯t help but bow his head.


    Immediately, Little RenDong¡¯s mind came up with famous aphorisms such as ¡°There are roads in the mountains of books, hard work is the path, and the sea of ??learning is endless¡­ Turn back to the shore¡± and so on. He didn¡¯t want to take shortcuts anymore, so he spread out his homework one by one, sorted them into categories and began to assign tasks to himself and Lian Qiao.


    There are nine subjects in total. Chinese, Mathematics, English, Nature, Society, Labor Skills, Art, History, Morality.


    Everyone is familiar with the three subjects of Chinese, Mathematics and English. Nature, society, art, and history can be regarded as quality education, and the homework is not difficult. The labor skills are all manual work, Lian Qiao had skill in this area, so it was naturally left to him.


    Morality was even simpler. Opening the exercise booklet, there was a task list inside.


    1. Help mom and dad wash the dishes.


    2. Help mom and dad to do the laundry.


    3. Ask mom and dad to tell a bedtime story about honesty.


    ¡­It seemed to be quite simple.


    The two of them planned to do the most difficult Chinese, Mathematics, and English first, and then do other things in between to adjust their mood. Unexpectedly, when the two were tortured to death by elementary school mathematics, they were surprised to find that the seemingly simplest morality homework was actually the most difficult!


    Each task is followed by a box asking parents to check off the child after completing the task. Of course, RenDong wouldn¡¯t really run out in the middle of the night to find dishes to wash so he just checked it off casually. However, as soon as he checked the dishwashing task, the third task suddenly turned blood red and a big red cross appeared in the box behind it.


    RenDong was startled.


    The word ¡°honesty¡± in the third task was like two slaps across his face: please note that this is not rhetorical.


    Lian Qiao and RenDong really and clearly heard two sounds of ¡°pa, pa¡±. Soon, two big red palm prints appeared on RenDong¡¯s pink little face.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Lian Qiao exploded in an instant, and held up RenDong¡¯s little face in distress, ¡°Are you okay!¡±


    Little RenDong was stunned by the divine palm and couldn¡¯t react for a while.


    Lian Qiao was furious, stretched out his hand to protect RenDong in his arms, then threw the morality workbook on the ground and crushed it hard with the soles of his feet.


    ¡°What a piece of crap! How dare you do this?! I @#£¤% you!!!¡±


    Lian Qiao breathed out into a homework book. Little RenDong struggled lightly in his arms, tugged at his sleeves and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be impulsive, I have to hand in my homework tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t go to this school! F* this school!¡± Lian Qiao tried to pull the homework book apart. He was so angry he wanted to throw the words and numbers onto the table and step on them directly.


    RenDong hurriedly protected the fruits of his labor and said angrily: ¡°Calm down! What are you doing!¡±


    Lian Qiao pointed to the homework book that was more than ten centimeters thick on the table  and scolded: ¡°This idiot woman doesn¡¯t even want you to finish your homework! It¡¯s a fucking year¡¯s worth! Even if you try to, you can¡¯t finish it! And what¡¯s this shit, you can¡¯t tick it off if you haven¡¯t done it? Then how can you finish it! It¡¯s the middle of the night. How can I find a mother for you?!¡±


    RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± So you already acquiesced that you are my father?


    But after hearing Lian Qiao¡¯s words, he quickly realized that Lian Qiao wasn¡¯t losing his temper randomly. Lian Qiao was already convinced that they would not be able to finish their homework tonight, and there was no doubt that he would be criticized by the teacher when he went to school tomorrow. As for whether there will be additional punishment¡­


    Don¡¯t even ask, there must be.


    So Lian Qiao was angry, but it wasn¡¯t about homework. He was angry at his own powerlessness.


    If it¡¯s only about language and math, it¡¯s fine. Two adults with college degrees can do it and complete it before dawn. If it¡¯s only morality it¡¯s also okay. Since the teacher has recognized Lian Qiao as his father, then he can also complete these tasks with RenDong.


    The point is that they only have a few hours left and the pile of homework for the nine subjects was as high as a hill. It is absolutely impossible to finish everything before going to school tomorrow.


    Doesn¡¯t this mean that RenDong will go to school to die!


    But the NPC has come to take the initiative to set them a task¡­ Just like the collection of dolls released by the rabbit in the Matryoshka instance, although it was not a real clearance condition, the doll itself was a hint. In addition, if you really completed the task, you can also get hidden props ¡­


    Wait, hidden props!


    Lian Qiao suddenly had a thought and his eyes involuntarily glanced at the backpack.


    That key¡­ his brass key¡­


    It¡¯s already the last instance, do you want to use it?


    However, if it is used up, he will¡­


    RenDong didn¡¯t notice his strangeness and only thought that he was depressed, so he climbed onto his lap and rubbed his cheek with the tip of his nose to comfort him.


    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t be angry. Let¡¯s take a step at a time, shall we?¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s heart skipped a beat, with an inexplicable sense of guilt. His fingers curled up, not daring to touch RenDong.


    In order to avoid RenDong getting suspicious, he had to cough in embarrassment: ¡°You, be careful¡­you are only seven years old, don¡¯t do this kind of action! I¡¯m not made of copper!¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Little RenDong stared at him with a reddened face. Suddenly he wanted to play a trick on him so he gently poked his cheek with his fingertips and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you my father now? What¡¯s wrong with me kissing you?¡±


    After saying that, he closed his eyes. He closed his eyes and kissed Lian Qiao on the cheek with a ¡°muah~¡±.


    This time Lian Qiao really exploded. The fine hairs stood up all the way from the back to the tailbone, and the tips of his ears and nose were all red with embarrassment.


    ¡°Go away!¡± Lian Qiao pushed RenDong away in shame and indignation, bent down and picked up the trampled moral workbook, ¡°Don¡¯t affect my improvement of ideological and moral awareness! You are too, hurry up and do homework!¡±


    RenDong smiled, knowing that Lian Qiao¡¯s emotions had recovered. After that, he picked up the pen again.


    As much as Lian Qiao was inspired, an impossible mission was still an impossible mission. The two of them stayed up all night and in the end they still hadn¡¯t finished the math homework.


    Math was so hard!


    It¡¯s only the first grade of elementary school! Why is it so difficult!


    Lian Qiao suddenly became deeply worried about RenDong¡¯s future studies. The next day, the morning sun came with the subtitles of ¡°2000¡± blurred and Lian Qiao worriedly sent RenDong to school. On the way, he couldn¡¯t help but ask: ¡°How about¡­can I hire you a tutor?¡±


    RenDong: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Is there an entrance exam or something after¡­¡±


    RenDong: ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t taking the exam enough? Do you really want me to go to a key high school?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Even if it¡¯s not for the exam, it would be great to find a college student tutor and let him help with the homework.¡±


    Little RenDong stood in front of the school gate, raised his face and asked sincerely: ¡°Then do you have money for this?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± Indeed, no!


    The two of them barely survived by relying on the support of the director of the orphanage. After that, there will be a long time to go. If they spend money to hire a tutor, what will happen to their basic necessities of life!


    Although he knew that Little RenDong had no intention of mocking him, Lian Qiao was deeply hurt as an old father. He bid farewell to Little RenDong with tears in his eyes, and made up his mind when he turned around.


    Make money! He must make money!


    Set a small goal and earn himself 100 million first! He can¡¯t let the child suffer, so he must find a hundred or eighty tutors to help him with his homework!


    He raised his head bitterly but fortunately he saw the recruitment notice hanging on the door of the snack bar across the road at a glance.


    Lian Qiao has excellent eyesight and, across the road, he saw a sign that read: We are looking for a cook. Full board and lodging, daily salary.


    Isn¡¯t this tailor-made for them players!


    Lian Qiao happily crossed the road and was about to run into the snack bar to ask questions, when a tall figure suddenly flashed in front of him, blocking him and the recruitment notice.


    That person seemed to have been attracted by the recruitment notice and was also carefully studying the contents of the notice.


    Lian Qiao thought that the NPCs were really realistic. There were even some who compete with players for jobs. It¡¯s too real! However, when he raised his head, he was surprised to see¡­


    A bald head with a discernible radiance.


    Bald head, monk robes, cloth shoes. That tall figure interprets two words from beginning to end:


    A monk.


    ¡­Are you here for alms?


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t expect that the completion of this scene was so high, and there would be such a high-level monk NPC who could ask for alms. Standing blankly behind the monk, he intuitively felt that this was an important person, and that some extra bounty mission might be triggered. Just as he was about to start a conversation, he heard the monk shout angrily towards the inside.


    ¡°Boss! Are you hiring a chef here?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°?¡±


    The monk: ¡°Do you think I can do it!¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°???¡±

 CH 152

    Chapter 152 ¨C 1992-2020


    This voice was full of vigor, like a bell, and jolted Lian Qiao¡¯s eardrums. He thought that the monk¡¯s chanting was not bad and that the sound waves could probably even kill ghosts.


    Super hardcore physics!


    At this moment, Lian Qiao suddenly thought that since according to the setting of this instance,  Buddhism was absolutely lethal to ghosts, how come the curse on Little Apple¡¯s body could not be lifted? Was it because they were not sincere enough and their skills were not in place?


    What if they replaced themselves with a real monk chanting sutras?


    Thinking of this, Lian Qiao felt a little sad in his heart¡ª forget it, Little Apple was already dead, so what¡¯s the use of thinking about it? However this monk was still useful, he was this place¡¯s only-


    Magic attack!


    ¡­ Is this monk considered physics or magic? Lian Qiao felt a little confused.


    No matter what, let¡¯s brush up the favorability first.


    Lian Qiao raised his head and smiled heartily at the monk: ¡°Brother, are you looking for work too?¡±


    The monk turned his head when he heard this. With sword eyebrows and star eyes, he looked radiant. As the saying goes, a flat head is the most effective barrier for testing whether a guy is handsome. In fact, a bald head has even higher requirements for appearance. It¡¯s not only about the face, but also about the shape of the head.


    The head of this monk is very good, round and glossy, like a peeled egg.


    Lian Qiao felt inexplicably familiar when he saw the egghead. But looking closely at the monk¡¯s face, he couldn¡¯t remember where he had seen him before.


    There seemed to be a ball of paste in his mind, in which was stuck the answer. This feeling was very uncomfortable, like he had stayed up all night memorizing books and then gone into the examination room the next day. Looking down at the test paper, he could clearly remember he has memorized it before but he just can¡¯t remember it.


    The monk also looked him up and down. Just when Lian Qiao thought that the monk was going to recognize him, the monk¡¯s eyes lit up and he held his hands and said expectantly: ¡°Benefactor! Do you have any money! The poor monk is about to starve to death!¡±


    ¡­ Is this really the case? Did you really come for alms?!


    Lian Qiao felt a little disgusted by being touched by a strange monk, so he pulled his hand away little by little, and said angrily: ¡°To tell you the truth, I am also looking for a job¡­ Wait a minute?¡±


    His eyes were filled with a familiar emotion.


    When villagers saw a fellow from the same village, they would become teary-eyed!


    Lian Qiao finally realized: ¡°Are you a player too?!¡±


    Monk: ¡°Yeah!¡±


    Lian Qiao was instantly stunned. There are still players living outside? How is this possible!


    He was about to ask the monk how he survived the orphanage, when the owner of the snack shop came out of the kitchen and asked, ¡°Who? Who wants to be a chef?¡±


    The monk immediately pushed Lian Qiao away. He raised his hand high and said: ¡°Me, me, me! Boss, it¡¯s me!¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± What happened to the love between fellow villagers!


    He staggered a few times before standing still, thinking that if you are unkind, don¡¯t blame me for being unrighteous. Then he jumped past the monk with cat-like agility, flashed in front of the boss and said pitifully: ¡°Boss, I am also here to find a job. I came from out of town to find work. You saw me yesterday right? I have a seven year old child. I need this job more than he does!¡±


    Lian Qiao had a baby face but, at this moment, in order to find work, the soul of a dramatist had possessed him. His eyes immediately went red. The boss saw that he was so pitiful at such a young age, and remembered the pink and jade-carved child he had seen yesterday, and instantly softened his heart, announcing on the spot that the job would belong to him.


    The monk didn¡¯t want to fight, so he turned around and left.


    After walking a few steps, he suddenly slapped his forehead and said, ¡°Hey, why did I forget, I¡¯m still a monk!¡± Then he turned back and asked expectantly, ¡°Boss, do you have any rituals you need to do at home?¡±


    Boss: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± Can you monks still solicit business like this?


    This is simply not human speech. The boss got angry on the spot and angrily grabbed the monk¡¯s collar to settle accounts with him. The monk was quick to admit his mistakes, bowing to the boss and chanting Buddha¡¯s name in a grand manner. After finally getting forgiveness from the boss, the monk left the snack bar and left a sincere sentence before leaving:


    ¡°Call me anytime you need me!¡±


    The  boss was so angry that he picked up the rolling pin and chased him out.


    Lian Qiao thought to himself that this monk really didn¡¯t know how to do anything correctly and he easily won first place. But the monk¡¯s affairs can be put aside for now, the most important thing right now is to make money.


    RenDong entered the school and was not allowed to leave halfway through. School was not over until 4:30 in the afternoon. The snack bar was just across from XX Primary School. Except for the stationery store next to the school gate, there was no place closer to RenDong.


    Lian Qiao thought about RenDong in his heart and spent the whole day worrying.


    The owner of the snack bar was a good man, he gave money readily, and was concerned about his life. From chatting with the boss, he learned that XX Primary School was a public school that wasn¡¯t too good or too poor, and has three classes: gifted class class, ordinary class, and district class. The best teachers are naturally concentrated in the gifted class, and children like RenDong, who are directly allocated to school according to the school district, can enter the ordinary class if the parents pay for it, otherwise they can only dawdle in the district class .


    Therefore, there is a bad atmosphere in the school, that is, there is a chain of contempt between each class. The gifted class looked down on the ordinary class, thinking that they were all scumbags. The ordinary class looked down on the district class, and thought that the parents of the district class are all migrant workers with no money and position. The district class showed a polarization of contempt and longing for the gifted class. On the one hand, they felt that they were nerds who could only study and, on the other hand, they secretly envied them, thinking that they would definitely be able to enter key middle schools in the future.


    That¡¯s the way education was in those days. Although they talk about quality education, they are actually fighting for grades and teaching resources. As a result, not only parents and teachers compete with each other in the school, but even children who are not deeply involved in the world are also influenced by what they see and hear, and learn the bad habits of adults.


    The daughter of the owner of the snack bar was also studying in XX Primary School. She is already in the sixth grade and is preparing for the junior high school entrance examination.


    Seeing the end of school time approaching, Lian Qiao was not thinking about chatting, but subconsciously remembered what the boss said. If you play RPG a lot, you will develop this habit. You are good at catching clues from the NPC¡¯s lines. Maybe you will get some hidden information to trigger some hidden tasks?


    As soon as school ended, the snack bar ushered in a big wave of business. The boss¡¯s daughter was old enough to go back to the shop to help out as soon as school was over. Only then did Lian Qiao have time to pick up RenDong.


    During the rush hour after school, there are huge crowds of people at the gate of XX Primary School and there is a lot of traffic. Lian Qiao felt that he was submerged in the sea of ??people, and, fearing that RenDong would not find him, he pushed forward desperately and squeezed into the school with all his might.


    Seeing the turbulent crowd, the school security rushed up to maintain order and wanted to drive Lian Qiao out. Batch after batch of elementary school students came out of the teaching building. Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes swept back and forth like a machine gun and he saw his precious RenDong at a glance.


    Alas, who made their family¡¯s RenDong stand out from the wind at a young age, stand out from the crowd. He had an independent aura with a fairy-like temperament that can¡¯t be compared with those elementary school chickens around!


    Lian Qiao pushed away the security guard who came up to stop him and greeted him like a husky, wagging his tail and said, ¡°RenDong RenDong, you¡¯re out of class!¡±


    Seeing Lian Qiao wearing two billowing armbands, RenDong couldn¡¯t help being surprised, ¡°Where did you go?¡±


    Lian Qiao said with a smile: ¡°I work in the snack bar opposite. I found a house, we don¡¯t need to stay in a hotel!¡± He went to pick up his school bag.


    Unexpectedly, Little RenDong stood back, tightly clutching the strap of the schoolbag with his  small hands and said with an unnatural expression: ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll hold it by myself.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh.¡± Lian Qiao went to hold his hand, ¡± Then we¡­¡±


    However, RenDong avoided him again and said with a slight flush on his face, ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t hold hands¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao was stunned for a moment, thinking that he was embarrassed to be intimate with him at school, smiled and rubbed his hair: ¡°OK. I¡¯ll show you our new home.¡±


    Lian Qiao put his arm around his shoulders. This time, RenDong didn¡¯t dodge any more, but secretly bit his lip and a thoughtful look flashed in his eyes.


    As soon as he walked out of the school gate, RenDong suddenly said: ¡°I want to go to the stationery store.¡±


    Lian Qiao turned around and walked into the stationery store without saying a word. At this time, the stationery store was full of children, and the business was booming. This place is called a stationery store but, in fact, there are all kinds of toys and snacks, and the variety in the store is updated quickly, so it is full of great attractions for children and they insist on visiting after school every day.


    Lian Qiao thought: RenDong must also have liked to come to this kind of small shop when he was a child but at that time he had no pocket money, so he could only watch but not buy. As soon as he thought of this, his heart felt soft and aching, so he touched Little RenDong¡¯s head and said, ¡°Just say what you want to buy, I have money.¡±


    RenDong rolled his eyeballs and searched for something on the shelves.


    Quickly, he pointed to the shelf and said, ¡°I want a pair of gloves.¡±


    ¡­Gloves?


    Lian Qiao was very surprised.


    RenDong was not afraid of the cold. In the outside world, no matter how cold it is, he doesn¡¯t wear gloves. Why does he suddenly want to buy gloves now?


    Could it be¡­  he was acting spoiled?


    In Lian Qiao¡¯s mind, the scene of Little RenDong wearing plush gloves and a woolen hat making a snowman in the snow was instantly transformed by his brain supply.


    ¡°Buy, buy, buy!¡± Lian Qiao took out the money neatly, and immediately bought the most expensive plush gloves and hat in the shop.


    ¡°No¡­¡± RenDong originally wanted to say that there is no need to buy such a good one but seeing Lian Qiao¡¯s hidden expectation, RenDong¡¯s face blushed inexplicably, and he couldn¡¯t say the word of refusal.


    The accommodation provided by the owner of the snack bar is on the second floor of the snack bar. Lian Qiao asked Little RenDong to go upstairs to rest first and then went downstairs to help the boss in the kitchen. After finally getting through the rush hour after school, Lian Qiao was already sweating profusely. The two of them simply ate something and then began to perform today¡¯s ideological and moral tasks:


    -Take a walk after dinner with mom and dad.


    Lian Qiao was now very used to being an old father. It was already winter at this time, so one big and one small were walking along the road and saw the white mist from their mouths steaming in the night sky.


    The street lights were all yellow and the two shadows, one big and one small, were stretched very long.


    Because of the close proximity, the howling north wind became less cold.


    They had already surveyed the entire street yesterday, so today they were really just walking without any intention of investigating. After entering the instance, they have been cautious and careful at every step and they have not felt this kind of relaxed and lazy mood for a long time.


    Both felt extremely relaxed. Big hands holding small hands, there was a strange but nostalgic tenderness.


    While walking, a strange singing sound suddenly came from a distance. The singing was high-pitched for a while and low-pitched for a while, but when you listen carefully, there are some cadences.


    The two narrowed their eyes and looked into the distance. They saw a group of people around the street corner, and the singing came from this crowd.


    When they got closer, they were suddenly blinded by the light.


    They saw a shining human head under the shining street lamp. Of course, the head did not hang out of thin air and there was a bright yellow monk¡¯s robe underneath.


    The tall and mighty monk held a broken porcelain bowl in one hand, and quickly clicked on the phone with his thumb. He muttered from his mouth: ¡°Wait, wait, I¡¯ll find it soon¡­ Hey, there it is!¡±


    RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± This is a familiar scene.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± His cell phone still has power!

 CH 153

    Chapter 153 ¨C 1992-2020


    All they could hear was the drum from the monk¡¯s cell phone, which turned out to be a Peking Opera drum.


    The monk cleared his throat, followed the rhythm and began to sing:


    ¡°I recite ~ pass ~ go ~ count, in order to seek ~ great ~ Dharma ~! Even if you are ~ world, country, king, don¡¯t be greedy ~ five, desire, joy!¡±


    The surrounding audience: ¡°???¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°???¡± This, this scripture, why does it seem to be¡­ ¡°The Lotus Sutra¡±?!


    RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± Well, it really is a familiar recipe and a familiar taste¡­


    Only by listening to the accompaniment of Peking Opera, the monk sang ¡°The Lotus Sutra¡± with gusto. Although the crowd around looked dumbfounded, they gradually recognized the sound and some people couldn¡¯t help but shout: ¡°Good¡±!


    To be reasonable, when listening to a monk¡¯s lecture, one should hold a pious heart¡­ but the monk himself was not serious! So everyone enjoyed themselves and someone even went to the small shop next door to bring a bag of melon seeds and distribute them to everyone.


    As Little RenDong listened, a smile could not help but appear on the corner of his mouth.


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°I have seen this monk before¡­¡±


    He wanted to say that this fake monk actually dared to come rob me for a job today but he didn¡¯t expect that Little RenDong interrupted with a smile: ¡°Of course you have seen him. Isn¡¯t this Rock Monk?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Ah? What Rock Monk?¡±


    RenDong: ¡°In the instance ¡°Three People Make a Tiger¡­ ah.¡± As soon as he said that, he suddenly realized he¡¯d made a mistake.


    In the copy of ¡°Three People Make a Tiger¡± where the ghost stories told would come true, in the end Xu RenDong finally chooses to be the boss himself and sent everyone into the elevator in their dreams. So Lian Qiao was led by him to win while lying down¡ª he came out after a nap, so he truly was literally lying down.


    Except for Zhong Xiu who chose to end her life, all the other members passed the level without injury, so it is understandable that Lian Qiao can¡¯t remember the Rock Monk. After all, for Lian Qiao, he had only met the monk once and the monk had never sung rock and roll in front of him.


    No wonder he doesn¡¯t remember.


    But this monk was also really strange. He was still firmly a fan of rock music last time, why did he suddenly change to Beijing Opera now?


    He really covers a wide range of Buddhism and was boundless.


    At this time, the monk just finished singing the Beijing opera version of ¡°The Lotus Sutra¡± and everyone cheered and threw money into his bowl. The monk was very happy to collect the money. But then suddenly an old man appeared in the distance, holding a big broom, rushing towards them.


    The old man with a big cotton jacket and cotton trousers looked like an ordinary old man who came out for a walk after dinner. It¡¯s just that it was unknown why he was so arrogant, and was holding the broom up like he wanted to smash the monk into a meatloaf.


    The monk¡¯s first reaction was to turn his head and run away but when he turned around, he seemed to remember something, turned around again, raised his hand and lightly caught the old man¡¯s broom.


    ¡°Amitabha, be kind.¡± The monk grabbed the broom with one hand and made out the Buddha¡¯s seal with the other. ¡°Fortunately, this poor monk is tall and mighty.¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡± Hey, I thought you were going to say some Buddhist scriptures about mercy and forgiveness.


    The old man was already angry when his broom was taken away. Seeing that the monk was calm and composed, with an expression of; ¡°you come here, you can kill me if you have the ability¡±, he suddenly became even more angry, pointed at the monk¡¯s nose and began to scold him loudly. Only then did everyone understand that the old man was a devout Buddhist. He came out for a walk after dinner and overheard a monk singing ¡°The Lotus Sutra¡± with the accompaniment of Beijing opera. Doesn¡¯t this defile Buddha? At that time, he rushed home and took out the broom to teach this fake monk a lesson.


    It¡¯s a pity that the difference in strength between the two is too great, and the old man can only throw a fit, relying on being old to draw sympathy. After hearing the ins and outs, the onlookers also felt that the old man was messing around, no matter how he raged, no one came out to help him. The old man got angry, stomped his feet and cursed:


    ¡°Wait! I¡¯ll call the police and call the police to arrest you!¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡± Are you serious?


    Monk: ¡°The poor monk is so scared¡±


    All: ¡°¡­¡± You really¡­ he¡¯s so old, can¡¯t you just play along!


    The old man ran away after uttering these harsh words and it was unknown whether he really called the police or slipped home after realizing that he was beaten. The onlookers saw that there was no excitement, so they gradually dispersed.


    The monk clasped his hands together, said goodbye politely to all the judges, packed his things and was ready to leave.


    Little RenDong called him: ¡°Hello.¡±


    The clear and bright child¡¯s voice was very clear in the quiet winter night. The monk turned his head in surprise, looked at Little RenDong, then at Lian Qiao, and said in surprise: ¡°Aren¡¯t you¡­¡±


    RenDong thought he was going to say words like ¡°my savior¡± or ¡°Nine Level Boss¡± and was waiting to listen to his praise, when the monk raised his eyebrows and turned to stare at Lian Qiao.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the bastard who robbed me of my job during the daytime!¡±


    Lian Qiao also frowned, and immediately rolled up his sleeves: ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± You two have really forgotten each other in this world!


    Seeing that the two were about to fight, RenDong hurriedly tried to intervene and offered to apologize. He invited the monk to their house as a guest.


    ¡°Home?¡± The monk raised his eyebrows, ¡°Is it the accommodation provided by the snack bar?¡±


    RenDong felt as if she had accidentally stepped on a thunderbolt again, and was about to say something to remedy it, but saw the monk slobbered, wiped his mouth and said: ¡°Then¡­ ¡­Is there anything to eat?¡±


    RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re really amazing.¡±


    So, one big and one small went out for a walk, and picked up a Rock¡­ Ah no, a Peking Opera Monk back.


    When the three of them returned to the snack bar, the owner of the snack bar had gone to sleep. Lian Qiao found something for him to eat casually,but he didn¡¯t expect the monk to eat three big bowls of rice in a row. Then he touched his round belly and said Amitabha with satisfaction.


    The monk just had a dispute with the owner of the snack bar in the morning so Lian Qiao hurried upstairs with the monk for fear of causing a misunderstanding.


    The accommodation conditions on the second floor of the snack bar are not much better than that of the small dilapidated hotel, but at least they can take a shower. After visiting the place where they lived, the monk said enviously: ¡°If I had come five minutes earlier, this place would have belonged to me!¡±


    RenDong asked him where he lived now but the monk sighed and said where else he could live, since he had no money. He had no choice but to make do with the unfinished building at the end of the street. The building was dark and cold, but there were several shelters overhead to keep out the wind and rain.


    RenDong froze for a moment, thinking to himself: Why didn¡¯t I see you when I entered the unfinished building twice? So he asked him if he knew about the beggars gang.


    The monk said he had never seen those people. But today, the police went to the unfinished building to collect evidence, as if they were investigating the case.


    The monk doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s lying. It appears that both times they just happened to miss him.


    RenDong: ¡°Then where were you before? In the¡­ the few days when we were all in the orphanage.¡±


    The monk scratched his forehead: ¡°What orphanage? Weren¡¯t we all in a forest before? The fog was so thick, I couldn¡¯t get out the whole time and I thought I was going to starve to death inside.¡±


    RenDong: ¡°¡­Did you encounter ghosts?¡±


    Monk: ¡°They seemed to be there but also didn¡¯t¡­ Sometimes at night, when I¡¯m afraid since I was alone, I sang Buddhist scriptures to embolden myself. Maybe I sang so well that the ghosts don¡¯t have the heart to bother me, hahahaha¡­¡±


    RenDong & Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± This monk really hit on the right answer by mistake, his luck is really good!


    The mystery is finally solved. It turned out that the monk was a ¡®lost gem that had escaped from the army¡¯. And this gem was really a big treasure, not only can he chant scriptures but he also¡­ can also chant scriptures with Peking Opera!


    RenDong decisively expressed the hope that he would stay and help everyone pass the instance together. Although Lian Qiao was not happy to see this monk, he couldn¡¯t say anything. After all, the monk is the only magical combat power in this dungeon, and the advantages of him staying will always outweigh the disadvantages.


    There was only one bed in the room, and it was impossible for Lian Qiao to take RenDong to sleep on the floor. The monk was generous, found a cushion and meditated on the ground. He said: you don¡¯t need to worry about me, I¡¯ll take care of myself.


    Lian Qiao coldly tossed a stack of colored cardboards over: ¡°Whatever, come over here to do handicrafts in order to pay for the accommodation fee!¡±


    Monk: ¡°???¡±


    Little RenDong coughed and explained: ¡°This is my homework, I really can¡¯t finish it, so we need your help.¡±


    ¡°Help? You should have told me earlier.¡± The monk was straightforward and immediately picked up the scissors and started cutting the jammed paper according to the pattern. But judging by his clumsy appearance, it seems that he has never done such delicate work before. It didn¡¯t take long for that shiny round head to be covered with beads of sweat, and the paper-cutting posture became more and more awkward.


    Lian Qiao peeped quietly at him, secretly amused.


    Little RenDong tugged at his sleeve helplessly, Lian Qiao hurriedly put away his expression of schadenfreude, and started to do homework in a serious manner.


    After a while, the monk probably couldn¡¯t do it anymore, so he dropped the scissors and got up and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to the bathroom.¡±


    The bathroom in the snack bar was at the stairs on the second floor. The monk closed the door, leaving only RenDong and Lian Qiao in the room.


    Lian Qiao let out a long breath, lay down on the small table, and raised his poor puppy eyes: ¡°How long do you plan to let him stay?¡±


    RenDong said: ¡°We can discuss with the boss tomorrow to let him live here from now on.  Anyway, he can sing to earn money so we don¡¯t worry about food. We¡¯ll just give him a place to sleep.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Then he¡¯s really a shining¡­ ¡±


    RenDong: ¡°Light bulb?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Braised egg.¡±


    ¡­ It is a very spiritual use of the word.


    RenDong saw the monk¡¯s gleaming round head and couldn¡¯t help laughing.


    It happened that he was tired from doing his homework, so he followed Lian Qiao¡¯s example and lay face to face with him on the small table. Looking at each other, both of them rolled their eyes with a smile.


    Xu RenDong looked at him, his heart was filled with tenderness, he couldn¡¯t help stretching out his hand and gently traced his eyebrows and eyes. Lian Qiao enjoyed it so much that he even squinted his eyes.


    ¡°By the way.¡± Lian Qiao poked his little hand suddenly, and asked, ¡°Why are you so afraid of the cold today, you haven¡¯t even taken off your gloves?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Little RenDong¡¯s eyes flashed a strange look. He silently took his little hand with the plush glove out of Lian Qiao¡¯s palm and lied a little guilty, ¡°¡­because I like it.¡±


    Lian Qiao stared at him thoughtfully.


    RenDong bit his lips uncomfortably: ¡°Well¡­ because¡­ I was poor when I was a child. I never had gloves, and every winter I got frostbite, so¡­¡±


    His eyes wandered and his fingers quietly twisted the corners of his clothes. His eyes and brows were full of signs of lying.


    But Lian Qiao was persuaded by him. Lian Qiao never heard about the hardships he endured when he was a child. At this moment, his heart was so painful that he was mad, and he immediately hugged him into his arms, and said softly: ¡°You don¡¯t have to suffer this kind of suffering anymore. I will always be here in the future. ¡°


    ¡­ Mmm.¡± Little RenDong leaned against his chest, feeling guilty for lying in her heart, but also extremely sweet.


    After a while, the monk came back. The two of them jumped up from the small table with a guilty conscience and arranged their clothes.


    Obviously they just hugged each other and did nothing, yet they felt uneasy about being caught cheating.


    In order to relieve his guilty conscience, Lian Qiao even asked uncharacteristically concerned: ¡°Why have you been here for so long?¡±


    ¡°Hei, I don¡¯t even want to talk about it.¡± The monk held some prayer beads in his fingers and his face looked resigned. ¡°There was a female ghost in the toilet trying to steal my toilet paper. Scared me to death.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Oh, sorry, I forgot to tell you, it was¡­¡±


    Monk: ¡°It¡¯s okay. I have already recited a set of mantras to exorcize her.¡±


    Lian Qiao & RenDong: ¡°Huh???¡±

 CH 154

    Chapter 154 ¨C 1992-2020


    It has to be said that the Monk is really powerful. Just by him being there, the number of little ghosts who came to harass them in the middle of the night decreased significantly.


    Although RenDong¡¯s homework efficiency has been improved, the amount of homework was astonishingly large. The next day, little RenDong had dark circles under his eyes and still had to go to school with unfinished homework.


    The owner of the snack bar had a grudge against the Peking Opera Monk and initially refused to allow him to stay. But Lian Qiao said the Monk doesn¡¯t need to be paid, just provide food and sleep. The owner of the snack bar reluctantly agreed.


    Although the Monk is a straight steel man who doesn¡¯t know how to say the right thing, he was handy as a cook. With the help of Lian Qiao and him in the snack bar, the boss no longer needs to do anything himself. After the rush hour, he can leisurely chat with the neighbors in the neighborhood.


    Only Lian Qiao and the Monk were left in the store.


    Lian Qiao was kneading the dough absent-mindedly, keeping his eyes on the school opposite him. He looked up at the wall clock every few minutes and realized that there was still a lot of time before school finished, so he sighed and continued kneading the dough.


    The Monk moved a stool, sat in front of him and asked excitedly: ¡°What¡¯s the matter with the orphanage you mentioned yesterday? Tell me?¡±


    Lian Qiao casually said something perfunctory. The Monk saw that he was not interested so he changed the subject and asked again: ¡°What is your relationship with that key player? I think you two are very close.¡±


    Hearing this, Lian Qiao felt very happy so he smiled a little to the Monk, said: ¡°He is my partner.¡±


    The Monk calculated and was shocked: ¡°You¡¯re a pedophile!¡±


    Lian Qiao threw a handful of dough onto his face. He said coldly: ¡°You¡¯re the pedophile! He just shrunk in the dungeon! He¡¯s already 28! He¡¯s three years older than me!¡±


    ¡°¡­But he¡¯s only 8 years old now.¡± The Monk turned his head and glanced at the school name of XX Elementary School and felt a chill, ¡°Don¡¯t you feel uncomfortable holding him to sleep at night¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao picked up the kitchen knife in an instant and his murderous aura surged. The Monk was taken aback and begged for mercy. Lian Qiao suddenly thought of something and his furious expression suddenly eased.


    He gradually put down the kitchen knife, lowered his eyebrows and said, ¡°If I said that I don¡¯t have any evil thoughts about him right now, would you believe me?¡±


    The Monk said, ¡°I believe it!¡±


    Of course I believe everything you say while you¡¯re holding the kitchen knife!


    Lian Qiao lowered his head, continued to knead his dough and said lightly: ¡°He suffered too much when he was a child. It is a rare opportunity for him to grow up again and I want to make it up to him.¡±


    The Monk was stunned for a moment and gradually restrained a smile.


    ¡°Amitabha.¡± He clasped his hands together and finally there was a little compassion in his eyes and brows, ¡°All living beings suffer. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    Lian Qiao smiled, didn¡¯t speak, just turned his head and looked at the clock on the wall again. He curled his lips and said: ¡°Why is it only half past ten?¡±


    ¡°By the way, this poor Monk learned a piece of gossip.¡± The Monk suddenly came over and said mysteriously, ¡°The lady boss and the principal of the stationery store next to the school are relatives.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°So?¡±


    Monk: ¡°The school doesn¡¯t let students leave school halfway and doesn¡¯t allow students to bring snacks into the campus¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°So?¡±


    The Monk suddenly raised his palm with one hand, closed his eyes and recited compassionately: ¡°Amitabha¡±. Lian Qiao was surprised but saw that his right hand pinched out the lotus print, and his index finger and middle finger were quickly exchanging back and forth.


    Making a pose asking for money.


    Lian Qiao rolled his eyes and took out a stack of banknotes from his pocket.


    The Monk saw it through the cracks in his eyelids and immediately smiled and reached out to take it. With a bang, Lian Qiao smashed a kitchen knife between his hand and the money, causing the Monk to withdraw his hand in fright.


    ¡°Tell me what the gossip is first.¡± Lian Qiao calmly said, ¡°I¡¯ll decide whether to give you the  money or chop you up.¡±


    Monk: ¡°¡­¡±


    Ten minutes later.


    With his good looks and acting skills, Lian Qiao quickly won the trust of the proprietress of the stationery shop and entered the campus through the back door of the stationery shop.


    It happened to be class time at this time and the campus was very empty. Lian Qiao felt extremely excited when he stepped into the campus¡ªhe could finally go to peep¡­ah no, he could go to secretly protect RenDong!


    What does Little RenDong look like when listening to lectures in class? Do you put your little hands on your knees obediently?


    Does he get along well with his classmates? Has he been bullied?


    It¡¯s almost eleven o¡¯clock. Is he hungry? Is the school lunch delicious?


    With the mood of an old father, Lian Qiao sneaked through the campus and went straight to RenDong¡¯s class. The second grade was located on the second floor of the teaching building and the district class is at the end of the corridor. At this time, there are young teachers in every classroom giving lectures, the windows are bright and clean and the corridors are empty.


    Lian Qiao bent over and walked quickly through the classrooms. His heart was so excited that it was about to jump out of his chest.


    He¡¯s almost there! It¡¯s almost there! He will see him soon!


    Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t help showing a smile that was a little perverted with excitement. If the teaching director passed by now, he would definitely call the police and arrest him as a perverted pedophile.


    Fortunately, years of stealth games are not for nothing. Lian Qiao came to the gate of the district class easily and, with his beating heartbeat echoing in his ears,  a sharp curse pierced his eardrum like a steel needle.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t do your homework again?! Xu RenDong, do you still want to learn?!¡±


    Lian Qiao was shocked, as if his ears had been stabbed.


    He crept under the window sill and poked his head out quietly. He saw dozens of primary school students sitting in the classroom, all of them sitting upright, their little hands obediently placed on the small table and their eyes staring at the podium without blinking.


    The strange thing is that there are no facial features on the faces of those children.


    A few people had their names written on their faces, while others had only a flat human skin with no eyes, nose or mouth. At first glance, they look like poor-quality dolls whose artist had forgotten to draw their facial features but, upon closer inspection, the chests of those faceless children rose and fell slightly, and they can breathe.


    This scene is like a nightmare¡ªdoes RenDong study in such an environment every day? !


    The scolding from the podium continued. Lian Qiao forced himself to turn his eyes away with heartache and fear, and his eyes finally fell on the skinny child by the podium.


    That was his RenDong. The little RenDong that kept his back straight at all times.


    In front of RenDong stood a middle-aged woman with a fierce expression, not at all an amiable teacher. She cursed loudly and slapped the podium. Under this double noise even Lian Qiao, who was standing outside the classroom, felt his eardrums go numb.  So what about Little RenDong who was so close at hand?


    Lian Qiao immediately felt angry. He was about to rush in to rescue RenDong but he heard a childish and cold voice from the podium.


    ¡°Have you scolded enough?¡±


    Lian Qiao was taken aback and then slowed down. He saw Little RenDong raise his head, with a slight mockery and indifference on his face. There was no fear in his eyes, and he stretched out his two small gloved hands and said lightly: ¡°If you want to punish, go ahead and punish, don¡¯t waste time.¡±


    The  female teacher was furious: ¡°You! How dare you contradict the teacher?! This uneducated little bastard, today I have to teach you a lesson and let you know what will happen if you contradict the teacher!¡±


    She spoke and pulled off RenDong¡¯s gloves.


    Little RenDong frowned slightly. At the same time, the classroom darkened and a figure appeared at the door, blocking the sunlight from outside.


    Little RenDong subconsciously turned his head and his expression changed instantly: ¡°You, you¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao narrowed his eyes and his gaze fell on his little hand.


    He saw that the delicate and soft little hand was red and swollen. The palm was swollen so much it was almost transparent.


    The middle-aged female teacher held a pointer in her hand and the pointer had not yet fallen ¨C obviously, the injury on Little RenDong¡¯s hand had already occurred.


    ¡­¡­when?


    Since when did he hide such a serious injury from me? !


    Lian Qiao¡¯s face was full of clouds and his eyes quickly swept across the woolen gloves, and he understood everything within an instant.


    Little RenDong, who had not been moved by the threat of the female teacher, saw Lian Qiao at this time but, as if he had seen a ghost, his expression flinched and he subconsciously hid back.


    Lian Qiao approached step by step. RenDong was forced to step back step by step until he hit the podium.


    Little RenDong felt panic from the bottom of his heart. Even he himself wondered ¨C why should he be afraid?


    Why was he so afraid of Lian Qiao?


    The middle-aged female teacher said angrily: ¡°Who are you? Who allowed you to come in?!¡±


    Lian Qiao stopped, turned his head slightly and glanced at the female teacher condescendingly: ¡°You hit him?¡±


    ¡°I warn you, this is school! It¡¯s class time now!¡± The female teacher picked up the phone on the table and threatened, ¡°If you don¡¯t go out again, I will¡­¡±


    Before she finished speaking, Lian Qiao lifted his long leg and kicked her to the ground!


    The female teacher screamed again and again, clutching her stomach and rolling on the ground, calling for help. Hearing her scream, Lian Qiao became even more gloomy. He stood condescendingly in front of the female teacher, put his hands in his trouser pockets and kicked the female teacher hard in the stomach!


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± the female teacher cried, curling up with her stomach in her arms. Lian Qiao squinted her eyes, ignored the female teacher¡¯s begging for mercy and instead kicked and beat her desperately again and again.


    Under the podium, those faceless primary school students all watched silently, motionless. In the entire classroom, only the blunt and muffled sound of being kicked and beaten continued to circle.


    Little RenDong was so dumbfounded that he forgot to go up to stop him.


    Because he didn¡¯t finish his homework, he was physically punished by the teacher and his palm was hit. It was because he was worried about Lian Qiao¡¯s impulsiveness that he bought gloves to cover the wound on his hand but he didn¡¯t expect to be exposed.


    He expected Lian Qiao to be angry, but he didn¡¯t expect Lian Qiao to really get so, so¡­ angry.


    He was so cruel!


    It would be fine if he was dealing with ghosts, but the one screaming and begging for mercy at his feet was indeed an ordinary human NPC. Although corporal punishment of elementary school students has gone too far, it is not a crime that deserves death!


    ¨Cright?! Lian Qiao¡¯s posture was simply intending to beat the teacher to death!


    That¡¯s why RenDong was terrified.


    He was really killing people!


    Thinking of this, Little RenDong trembled all over, but he came to his senses. He rushed to Lian Qiao and grabbed Lian Qiao¡¯s arm desperately.


    ¡°Calm down! Lian Qiao! Stop!¡±


    Lian Qiao still kicked the female teacher expressionlessly as if he didn¡¯t hear him.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s attack was extremely ruthless, not only kicking towards the weak abdomen and back, but also hitting the female teacher¡¯s face several times. The female teacher screamed terribly but Lian Qiao remained unmoved. His eyes were cold and disgusted, like looking at a pool of rotten meat.


    There are a large number of peripheral nerves gathered on the face. If the face is kicked, the person will experience unbearable pain and will faint instantly. At this time, the female teacher not only had a bruised nose and a swollen face, but blood was oozing from her lips and nose. Her eyesight had begun to blur, she was dying and she was afraid she would die on the spot if o one rescued her!


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t hold Lian Qiao back at all. In desperation, he had no choice but to throw himself in front of the female teacher, trying to use himself to wake up Lian Qiao¡¯s reason.


    ¡°Lian Qiao, stay your fucking hand!¡± Xu RenDong yelled, ¡°Did you hear that¡ªhmm!¡±


    Before he could finish speaking, Lian Qiao kicked him in the stomach, kicking him so completely that he flew out, viciously hitting the corner of the podium!


    The abdomen was the most vulnerable part of the human body. At this time, he was in the shape of a child again, without the protection of his abdominal muscles, his delicate internal organs seemed to have been directly kicked to pieces. What¡¯s more, the deadly spine directly hit the sharp corner of the podium, causing him a huge panic in an instant-he was about to be kicked to death!


    Little RenDong slid down from the podium, the pain made his whole body convulse. He clutched his stomach and curled up, the severe pain had made him careless of other things, and the strong dizziness took away his sanity.


    There was a gasping sound above his head. Then there was a sound of messy footsteps and something hit the blackboard backwards.


    Little RenDong raised her head with difficulty, looking up into Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes.


    Their eyes met, and he saw panic, shock, guilt, and¡­ fear in Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes.


    Why¡­ fear?


    Before losing consciousness and falling to the ground, Little RenDong thought in a daze: Is what Lian Qiao is afraid of, and what he is afraid of, the same thing?


    What was it?

 CH 155

    Chapter 155 ¨C 1992-2020


    In a small room on the second floor of the snack bar, the air was so stagnant it almost felt solid.


    Lian Qiao sat by the bed and looked down at the sleepy little RenDong with a complicated expression. He didn¡¯t say a word for a long time.


    The Monk looked to the side for a while and couldn¡¯t help saying: ¡°You were at school, what on earth¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t even turn his head, obviously not intending to answer. The Monk knew it was useless so he didn¡¯t ask any more questions. He just sighed and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve taken a look at him and his injury isn¡¯t too serious. It¡¯s just that he was too young and couldn¡¯t stand the stimulation, so he passed out from the pain.


    It was unknown which one of his words stimulated Lian Qiao. Lian Qiao¡¯s eye muscles twitched, as if being stung, and his face turned pale again.


    The Monk didn¡¯t dare to speak anymore, so he coughed and said he was going to go help the boss. Then he went downstairs.


    There were only two people, one big and one small, left in the room.


    Lian Qiao wanted to touch Little RenDong¡¯s head but, just as he stretched out his hand, he retracted like an electric shock.


    He recalled the feeling of kicking RenDong. When faced with such a soft and fragile body, he actually¡­ was able to do it?


    To be honest, he doesn¡¯t remember what happened just then. The only thing that stayed in his  memory was the uncontrollable anger and killing intent.


    He wanted to kill that woman! He wanted to tear her into pieces and make her die in the greatest pain!


    The murderous frenzy occupied his mind, so much so that he even forgot¡ªwhy did he want to kill her?


    When Little RenDong pounced on the woman, he didn¡¯t think to stop at all. Nothing could stop him, he must kill her!


    It wasn¡¯t until the little body was kicked out by him and hit hard on the sharp corner of the podium, until Little RenDong curled up on the ground trembling, that he suddenly woke up¡ª


    What did I do?


    What am I doing¡­


    Lian Qiao no longer remembered how he escaped from school. He hugged Little RenDong and didn¡¯t even know where to go.


    RenDong lay softly in his arms, so small like a milk dog that hasn¡¯t grown up. But his face was pale and his eyes were closed tightly, as if he was about to die. Lian Qiao only felt that his heart had been gouged out alive and felt nothing but pain.


    Why was this happening?


    Why do I¡­


    He wanted to take RenDong to see a doctor, but there was no hospital or clinic on this block. Eventually, with nowhere to go, he ended up at the snack bar.


    The Monk was taken aback by what happened and thought there was a ghost in the school. How should he explain to the Monk that it was he who hurt RenDong?


    More than ten minutes have passed since he gently placed little RenDong on the bed. RenDong didn¡¯t show signs of waking up, still breathing weakly and showing no reaction at all.


    Lian Qiao was almost desperate.


    What should he do? What if RenDong couldn¡¯t wake up¡­


    At this moment, Lian Qiao¡¯s heart seemed to be frying in a frying pan, sizzling and burning.


    After several seconds that felt like years, he heard heavy and hurried footsteps running up from downstairs.


    ¡°It¡¯s bad, it¡¯s bad!¡± The Monk pushed open the door and said in a rough voice, ¡°The police are here to arrest you! You¡­do you want to run?¡±


    Lian Qiao was taken aback: ¡°The police?¡±


    The Monk: ¡°Yes! They said you beat someone at school¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao remembered what he did to the female teacher. His brows could not help but wrinkle.


    So what if he hit her? She didn¡¯t die so what¡¯s the point of making a fuss¡­


    Wait. If the police here will come to enforce the law, will the doctors here also save lives and heal the wounded?


    Lian Qiao instantly had the urge to jump out the window with RenDong to find a doctor. But just as he stretched out his hand, his eyes fell on RenDong¡¯s pale face and his heart seemed to be slashed by a knife.


    No, no, he can¡¯t move him casually¡­ His spine may also be injured and moving it rashly will aggravate the injury!


    At this point, he took a deep breath, grabbed the backpack next to the bed and stuffed it to the  Monk: ¡°I will give you all the equipment, you call 120 and send him to the hospital!¡±


    The Monk: ¡°¡­ huh?¡± The Monk was puzzled, ¡°W-what? I mean the police are here to arrest you! It¡¯s 110, not 120!¡± {I think 110 is police, 120 is ambulance.}


    Lian Qiao raised his eyebrows irritably: ¡°I know! I¡¯ll go with 110, you go with 120! Send him off to the hospital! Is there anything else you don¡¯t understand?!¡±


    The Monk glanced at the little RenDong on the bed, and said with some hesitation: ¡°You really want to go with 110? I don¡¯t know what they will do when they take you away¡­¡±


    Suddenly there was another sound of chaotic footsteps on the stairs and judging by the sound, it was more than one person. It appeared to be the police.


    ¡°I beat someone, so I¡¯m going to go to the detention center for a while.¡± Lian Qiao glanced at the stairs and quickly explained to the Monk, ¡°But since the police will enforce the law, the hospital will definitely save people! Don¡¯t hesitate, hurry up and call 120 for the ambulance to come get you! I gave you all the equipment, you must protect him for me!¡±


    The Monk held the hiking bag full of equipment, looked at Lian Qiao and then at Little RenDong, still a little dazed.


    The door of the room was kicked open suddenly and a group of uniformed policemen rushed in, instantly pushing Lian Qiao down.


    ¡°Fuck! Seriously!¡± The Monk was taken aback and hid aside with his backpack in his arms.


    Fortunately, the only target of the group of police was Lian Qiao. They handcuffed Lian Qiao with a click and were about to take him away on the spot. Lian Qiao struggled to turn his head and shouted: ¡°He is the key player! You must protect him! Wait for me to come out!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± The Monk accepted the order under the critical circumstances. Although the Monk didn¡¯t fully understand the situation, he readily agreed.


    The policemen rudely dragged Lian Qiao downstairs. The owner of the snack bar on the first floor watched nervously and couldn¡¯t help but ask the policeman, ¡°What did he do? Is it serious?¡±


    The policemen all shook their heads, saying they had no comment.


    A police car with flashing lights was parked outside the snack bar. Lian Qiao was pushed into the police car amidst the blaring siren. Fortunately, at the last second before the door closed, he saw the Monk running downstairs and asking the boss where his phone was because he wanted to call 120.


    Although the Monk was rough, but time was of the essence and there was no one else to entrust him to.


    Lian Qiao felt at ease. Immediately afterwards, the car door closed. Two policemen sandwiched him and drove the police car towards the Public Security Bureau.


    They just went to the Public Security Bureau not long ago, when they beat up the beggar group. This time Lian Qiao, as a criminal suspect who maliciously hurt others, received a completely different and rough treatment.


    Confessions were recorded, confessions were made, and charges were drawn. After completing a set of simple procedures, the police threw him into the detention room of the detention center.


    The detention center is located in the backyard of the police station and the place is very small. Although this was not a prison and only a place to temporarily detain prisoners, the room is also decorated like a prison.


    It was a simple square room with a large bed against the wall. There was no bathroom. Three walls, one iron fence. A policeman sat outside the fence with a baton on the table.


    Lian Qiao was pushed and shoved inside and, with a sweep of his gaze, he had already figured out the entire environment of the detention center.


    With a bang, the iron door of the detention room was locked again. The policeman who sent him turned around to leave but Lian Qiao slammed the iron gate and said, ¡°Hey! Wait!¡±


    The policeman asked angrily, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°How long do you intend to keep me here for?¡± Lian Qiao was worried about RenDong and was already plotting his escape route.


    Unexpectedly, the policeman said: ¡°Wait for the injury appraisal! You bastard, you actually sneaked into the school in broad daylight to beat people, and even beat up their teacher in front of a bunch of elementary school students! Don¡¯t you know how much psychological harm you will cause the children?! You bastard! You are like a pig and a dog!¡±


    The policeman scolded him indignantly but Lian Qiao only heard one key word: injury appraisal.


    It seems that this instance has a very high degree of replication of the real world. Not only do professions such as police and doctors exist, but they basically operate according to the laws of reality.


    This put him at ease. If RenDong reaches the hospital, he should be able to receive reasonable treatment. Even if it is haunted, he didn¡¯t need to be afraid because the Monk was there and everything would be solved after reading the scriptures.


    Lian Qiao was a little relieved. Walking to the hardboard bed, he picked a clean corner and sat down.


    He was the only one in this detention room. He was still worried about whether there would be a prison riot situation or something like that, and he was ready for a fight, but unfortunately the dungeon didn¡¯t give him room to play. So he had to sit in the cell alone and wait idly for the time to pass.


    After an unknown amount of time, a policeman came and told him that the injury was appraised and the female teacher was left with a second-degree disability. However, his family has reached a settlement with the victim and the victim is willing to forgive him. So he only needs to stay in the bureau for a day before he can come out.


    This ¡°day¡± is obviously also adjusted by the flow rate of time.


    Even so, Lian Qiao was restless. He didn¡¯t know what happened to RenDong and why didn¡¯t the Monk come over to make a report to him?


    Unfortunately, no matter how irritable he was, he could only endure it. This instance was legit and he couldn¡¯t mess around. Although this small police station is understaffed, if he really kills people indiscriminately, maybe hundreds of armed policemen will come out to suppress him in the instance. At that time, it will not be something that he can deal with recklessly.


    Lian Qiao sat on the hard plank bed and glanced at the guarding policeman through the iron fence. The guarding policeman held a Gu Long novel {famous Chinese wuxia novelist}, read it with gusto and didn¡¯t want to talk to him. Lian Qiao tried to get close to him and failed several times.


    Helpless, he could only lie on the bed, staring at the ceiling in a daze.


    Even the NPC had novels to read, but he doesn¡¯t have a mobile phone to play with! It¡¯s really¡­


    Hey, wait a minute.


    In previous dungeons, would the NPC¡¯s details be so refined?


    Of the NPCs he has encountered so far, the one with the fullest character set is the director of the orphanage. As an NPC who was very close to RenDong in reality, the principal has always taken special care of RenDong. Along the way, he and Little Apple have also received a lot of care from the dean.


    He always thought it was because of the principal¡¯s special status, so she had a lot of scenes.


    Thinking about it now, it seems that not only the principal, but also the other NPCs in this dungeon are particularly¡­exquisite?


    This level of detail  does not refer to the appearance of the characters but to the design of their personalities. Not to mention the owner of the stationery store and snack bar, even the policeman in this detention center has a setting of ¡°loves to read Gu Long¡¯s novels¡±.


    If he hadn¡¯t beaten the female teacher violently on the spur of the moment, he would never have had the opportunity to enter the detention center. So what is the use of this setting? Does ¡°loves to read Gu Long¡¯s novels¡± have even the slightest effect on advancing the progress of the instance?


    ¡­ useless settings?


    In the instances so far, it seems that there has never been such a large number of detailed¡­useless settings¡­


    Why?


    Lian Qiao vaguely felt that he had caught a certain clue, but the clue disappeared in his mind  and it was difficult for him to say exactly what he thought of.


    While thinking hard, time passed unconsciously.


    After an unknown amount of time, the policeman came over and knocked on the iron gate with a baton.


    ¡°Hey! Wake up, someone is here to see you.¡±


    The clanging sound of metal clashes brought back Lian Qiao¡¯s sanity. He raised his head and saw a shiny bald head at the gate of the detention center.


    The Monk? !


    Lian Qiao jumped up from the bed, full of surprises: ¡°You finally¡ª¡±


    Before he finished speaking, his pupils tightened suddenly.


    There was no RenDong.


    There is no RenDong beside the Monk.


    What happened to RenDong? Where did he go? How is he?!


    Lian Qiao was flustered and looked into the Monk¡¯s compassionate eyes in disbelief.


    ¡°Amitabha.¡± The Monk clasped his hands together and sighed, ¡°Benefactor, this poor monk is here to bring you bad news.¡±

 CH 156

    Chapter 156 ¨C 1992-2020


    Bad news?


    Lian Qiao gasped for breath, his voice trembling: ¡°He, he¡­¡±


    The Monk held a rosary and walked in front of him with his palms folded. Lian Qiao suddenly felt terribly tight in his chest. But no matter how hard he tried, what he inhaled was like fake air  and the oppressive feeling in his lungs could not be relieved at all.


    ¡°Hu¡­hu¡­¡± Lian Qiao frowned, pressing his chest with one hand and grabbing the railing with the other. His fingers were so tense that his ten fingers turned white. He gasped for breath and said with difficulty, ¡°He¡­how¡­what¡¯s wrong¡­¡±


    Seeing that he was in such panic, the Monk couldn¡¯t help being stunned for a moment and hurriedly stepped forward and said, ¡°Benefactor, calm down! He¡¯s fine, he¡¯s already awake. I was just trying to scare you! He¡¯s fine!¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s tense heart finally relaxed.


    But his lungs didn¡¯t.


    For some reason, he still felt terribly suffocated. Severe hypoxia brought a sense of near-death, and he had the illusion of drowning. His fingers holding on to the railing kept tightening but he couldn¡¯t help sliding down.


    It¡¯s so stuffy¡­so uncomfortable¡­why is there no oxygen¡­ he was already breathing so hard¡­


    He heard a bellow-like wheeze from the depths of his throat and he couldn¡¯t stop panting, but the sense of suffocation didn¡¯t ease in the slightest. Instead, his body became weaker and weaker, his muscles became sore and his vision turned black. He was so uncomfortable that he  wished he could die.


    The Monk and the policeman watched him slide down the iron fence in shock. The policeman  hurriedly took out the keys and wanted to open the door to save him. Then his outstretched hand stopped in mid-air.


    The Monk said anxiously: ¡°What are you doing standing there! Open the door!¡±


    The little policeman was sweating profusely with a hesitant expression on his face: ¡°No, I can¡¯t open the door casually¡­ What if he is pretending?¡±


    ¡°Then what if he is really going to die?!¡± The Monk stared angrily and then snatched the key from the policeman, ¡°He was about to be released after serving his sentence, so there¡¯s no need to pretend to be sick now!¡±


    As soon as the police heard that, he thought it was reasonable so he stopped insisting and helped The Monk open the cell door together.


    Lian Qiao had fallen to the ground, panting like a dying fish. His expression was pained, his eyes glazed and it was unknown what he was looking for.


    When he caught sight of the figure of the Monk, he suddenly reached out, grabbed the Monk¡¯s robe and got up from the ground.


    ¡°You, you said¡­ hu¡­he¡­ hu¡­ hu¡­he¡­¡±


    The Monk said urgently, ¡°He¡¯s fine! What about you? How are you!¡±


    Lian Qiao struggled to bring up a smile. His chest still heaved violently, as if the 21% oxygen in the air was not enough for him to breathe.


    The Monk was sweating profusely and kept saying ¡°Amitabha¡±, ¡°Don¡¯t scare me, my almsgiver! Amitabha, I have sinned¡­don¡¯t die because of me!¡±


    Lian Qiao grabbed his collar, gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Then you¡­hu¡­why¡­you lied to me¡­hu¡­he¡¯s obviously¡­he¡¯s obviously fine!¡±


    The Monk: ¡°Oh! The Monks isn¡¯t lying, how could I lie to you! I really have bad news. Here it is!¡±


    Lian Qiao opened his eyes wide, his pupils shrank, and his breathing became short of breath again. The Monk hurriedly said: ¡°Don¡¯t worry! The bad news I¡¯m talking about is that he was expelled from school! It¡¯s okay! What¡¯s the big deal? It¡¯s okay!¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes. I think I¡¯m going to be angered to death by you.


    Although Lian Qiao was panting badly, he was still in good spirits. The little policeman saw that he had no intention of escaping from prison, so he hurried to inform his superiors.


    But when the leaders of the Public Security Bureau arrived, Lian Qiao¡¯s breathing gradually calmed down.


    Not only was the Monk surprised, Lian Qiao himself was confused. He didn¡¯t expect that just the word ¡°bad news¡± could frighten him like this¡ªbut it didn¡¯t seem to be just fear but also panic.


    He seems to have heard his mother say that if a person is too emotional, he can indeed gasp himself to death. (Note)


    When he calmed down completely, he couldn¡¯t help calling the Monk in front of him and scolding him.


    The Monk was also very wronged: I only said three words ¡®bad news¡¯, and you made up the rest by yourself. You are frightened by the content of your own brain supplement but you are going to blame me instead!


    Why don¡¯t you scold yourself instead!


    Seeing that Lian Qiao had fully recovered, the little policeman heaved a sigh of relief, locked the cell door again and sat back at the desk to continue reading his Gu Long novel.


    The detention room was not a real prison, and the Monks can come to visit. Anyway, the Monk can¡¯t do anything in front of him and this prisoner is about to be released after serving his sentence, so there is really no need to die in order to escape from prison.


    The Monk glanced back and was a little surprised to see that the little policeman really didn¡¯t care about them.


    ¡°I even bought cigarettes to bribe him¡­¡± He touched his bald head and said with some disappointment, ¡°Who knew they let me in right away. Well, it¡¯s a waste of money.¡±


    ¡°People in those days were innocent. Police aren¡¯t as corrupt as they are now.¡± Lian Qiao frowned, ¡°Tell me honestly, how is he doing now?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s fine, he¡¯s really fine.¡± The Monk was really afraid of Lian Qiao and he realized that Lian Qiao¡¯s concern for RenDong¡¯s concern had surpassed everything, ¡°Really, the only bad news is a notice of withdrawal from school. Oh and he has grown up.¡±


    Speaking of this, the Monk seemed to recall something terrible and his expression suddenly became weird.


    He leaned over and asked Lian Qiao in a low voice through the iron fence: ¡°Why is he like a snake and can shed his skin?¡±


    This morning, the subtitles of the new era had already been printed. Lian Qiao expected that the Monk would be startled by RenDong but this time he not only did not sympathize with him but also gloated a little.


    Seeing him like this, the Monk immediately came to his senses: ¡°Oh! You already knew but you didn¡¯t tell me!¡±


    ¡°How could I have time?¡± Lian Qiao pouted and changed the subject, ¡°By the way, how could the school expel him?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it your fault? You rushed into the school and beat up their class teacher. Of course the school will punish him. But fortunately, the class teacher was at fault first and the principal knew she was in the wrong, so he¡¯s not going to sue you.¡±


    When the Monk said this, his eyes were a little weak.


    In fact, the reason for the principal¡¯s concession was not only the teacher¡¯s corporal punishment of the students but also the fact that Little RenDong was also lying in the hospital right now and his situation was not good.


    However, the Monk absolutely dared not tell Lian Qiao about this.


    Although Xu RenDong looked fine yesterday, several bones were broken in his waist and back and his internal organs were almost punctured. The hospital issued a serious illness notice to him in the middle of the night. Fortunately, early the next morning, after shedding his skin, he changed his body and recovered completely in an instant.


    He would be released from the hospital this afternoon, about the same time as Lian Qiao was released from prison.


    The Monk glanced at Lian Qiao and, seeing that he didn¡¯t notice anything unusual, he sighed and said, ¡°The troubles are still to come. The owner of the snack bar thinks you have violent tendencies, so she dare not let you continue to work in their house. The hospital over here also issued a bill for medical expenses. To be honest, the amount is not too big and the charges are quite reasonable, but the problem is that the three of us really have no money!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Lian Qiao didn¡¯t speak for a while. His brows were furrowed, as if he was thinking about something.


    The Monk comforted: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Let¡¯s find a solution to the money issue. If it doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll go to the street again¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you think¡­¡± Lian Qiao interrupted him thoughtfully, ¡°That this instance is too real?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± The Monk was puzzled.


    ¡°How many dungeons have you experienced?¡± Lian Qiao asked.


    The Monk recalled: ¡°Four.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever encountered such a realistic instance? This instance is almost exactly the same as the outside except that the map is limited and it will be haunted at night.¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it¡­¡± The Monk also frowned, ¡°Indeed. I also think this dungeon is not the same as the previous one¡­ After I called 120 yesterday, an ambulance really came to pick me up. I was stunned.¡±


    ¡°But there are some unreasonable things.¡± Lian Qiao said, ¡°When I entered their school, I saw other students in his class who were all faceless. At that time, I thought they were ghosts, but at that time it was daytime. And those faceless elementary school students don¡¯t seem to want to hurt him¡­ He actually went to class with those things for two days.¡±


    Speaking of this, Lian Qiao frowned even deeper: ¡°There is also corporal punishment. The thing is, why didn¡¯t he tell me? Why did he hide it from me?¡±


    The Monk showed a rather shocked look.


    Why did he lie to you? You still haven¡¯t figured it out?!


    You look at the iron fence in front of you, touch your conscience and say it again: haven¡¯t you figured it out yet!?


    ¡°In short, there are many strange things about this dungeon.¡± Lian Qiao ignored his strange eyes and concluded with a solemn expression, ¡°I feel that there is some key information missing but I have to think about it.


    ¡°Stay honest and talk about it when you come out.¡± The Monk glanced into the empty detention room and said, ¡°Okay, I have come to see you. The environment of your situation is not bad, suitable for living. Your family¡¯s kid can rest assured now. I¡¯ll be leaving first.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lian Qiao said goodbye to him without hesitation.


    But just as the Monk took two steps, Lian Qiao called out to him again: ¡°Hey, wait, I have something to ask you.¡±


    The Monk: ¡°What?¡±


    Lian Qiao showed hesitation, opened his mouth several times, but couldn¡¯t speak the words.


    The Monk waved his hand impatiently and said: ¡°Oh, look at you. Do you want to ask him if he blames you?¡±


    Lian Qiao was stunned: ¡°He told you everything?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, didn¡¯t you accidentally hurt him when you hit someone? I can¡¯t understand you guys who are flirting around and being coy. You didn¡¯t mean it and he knows that. The result is one of you is too embarrassed to come visit and the other is too embarrassed to ask about the other, aren¡¯t you two just making trouble for yourselves?¡± The Monk waved his hands again with a look of disgust, ¡°Okay, okay, don¡¯t get entangled and tell him when you come out. I¡¯m going.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Lian Qiao stood in front of the iron railing, watching the Monk leave helplessly with extremely complicated emotions in his heart.


    As expected, RenDong didn¡¯t blame him.


    No matter how he hurt RenDong, RenDong would not blame him. Just because RenDong felt that he didn¡¯t do it on purpose.


    But even if it wasn¡¯t intentional¡­ the damage he caused to RenDong was real.


    Lian Qiao suddenly realized: RenDong loves him too much. He loved him so much that he would lose his principles, he can accept and tolerate him without any bottom line.


    This made Lian Qiao feel an indescribable joy. But in the midst of this happiness, there is a faint feeling of uneasiness.


    He was very afraid of himself and if he would, when he wasn¡¯t conscious of it, cause more harm to RenDong.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s heart sank little by little and his eyes drooped. He inadvertently caught a glimpse of the Gu Long novel in the policeman¡¯s hand and his heart skipped a beat. That weird feeling came to mind again.


    Useless settings¡­


    Is this novel really a useless setting?


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    Note: Lian Qiao¡¯s condition is called hyperventilation syndrome, also known as hyperventilation syndrome. It is a physiological and psychological reaction caused by acute anxiety. During the attack, the patient will feel rapid heartbeat, palpitations and sweating. Because he cannot feel his breathing, he will breathe faster, causing carbon dioxide to be continuously discharged and the concentration will become too low, causing secondary respiratory symptoms and symptoms of alkalosis. It can cause numbness in the hands and feet and, in severe cases, the limbs can twitch. The treatment method is very simple, just give him a paper bag, let him breathe into the paper bag and inhale the exhaled carbon dioxide. However, if the condition is severe, medication may be required.

 CH 157

    Chapter 157 ¨C 1992-2020


    Just in case, Lian Qiao stole the Gu Long novel before leaving the detention center.


    When he came out, he realized that the outside had changed. In addition to the original block, a whole new street appeared out of thin air.


    In the new block, there were hospitals, game halls, Internet cafes, hair salons and other facilities. There was also a primary school called OO Primary School. But looking at the decoration of the school gate, it seems that it was a bad school that was not popular.


    The most obvious sign was that the gate of OO Primary School was always open, and students gp in and out at any time. The security guards smoked and played cards in the sentry box, not caring about their jobs.


    On the way to the hospital, Lian Qiao observed the surrounding environment along the way. Doubts popped up one after another.


    Was it because RenDong was expelled from XX primary school, so a new primary school was unlocked? Does he have to go to school? How about not going to school?


    Also, as for the most critical elevator and button, so far there was no clue. What is the meaning of this instance? It can¡¯t really be set up for RenDong to experience a happy childhood, right?


    The hospital was located at the end of the new block. It was a small community hospital with extremely poor medical resources. When Lian Qiao walked into the hospital, he happened to see the Monk bargaining with the staff at the toll office.


    ¡°This monk doesn¡¯t lie. If I say I have no money, I really have no money¡­ No, no, I intend to renege on my debts but I just want to have a discussion with you, can I just delay for two more days?¡±


    Lian Qiao went over and patted him. Pleasantly surprised, the Monk said: ¡°Yo, you were released.¡±


    ¡°En, where is he?¡± Lian Qiao asked.


    The Monk showed him the way. Lian Qiao walked to the front of the ward and wanted to knock on the door but his outstretched hand stopped in mid-air.


    While he was hesitating, the door of the ward was pulled open. Little RenDong stood behind the door and smiled at him.


    ¡°You have finally been released after serving your sentence.¡±


    Little RenDong has grown up by another year and the features on his face are longer than before. He looks more like an adult. Lian Qiao¡¯s heart softened and sour emotions filled his chest. He really wanted to hug RenDong but his body was stiff, as if he had been poured lead water.


    RenDong said: ¡°Come in, why are you standing there?¡± He stretched out her hand to pull him.


    The soft little hands felt slightly cold. Lian Qiao was dragged to the front of the hospital bed  and he was still a little dazed. Lian Qiao didn¡¯t sit down obediently until RenDong pulled a stool over and ordered him to sit down.


    Little RenDong climbed onto the bed, wrapped himself in a quilt, and rubbed his little hands to keep warm. Only then did Lian Qiao come back to his senses and realize that it was winter again. RenDong didn¡¯t have enough clothes and had crawled out of the bed to open the door for him, so he must be freezing.


    Lian Qiao subconsciously held his hand, put it to his lips and breathed lightly into his hand.


    ¡°¡­¡± Little RenDong¡¯s eyes were shining while looking at him, a touch of tenderness that gradually faded away.


    Lian Qiao met his eyes and immediately panicked. His face blushed inexplicably and he quickly lowered his head.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± He bowed his head deeply, with a look of pleading guilty, ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± RenDong interrupted him, put his small face in front of him, and said softly, ¡°Hug me and I¡¯ll forgive you.¡±


    Lian Qiao was taken aback. Immediately, he hugged him into his arms.


    ¡°RenDong¡­¡± Lian Qiao almost wanted to crush him into his body but was afraid of hurting him. He was only nine years old, a child. The feeling of holding him was so strange, but still¡­ this is his RenDong.


    RenDong also stretched out his short hands, hugging his waist with difficulty.


    Alas, this body is really inconvenient, even if you want to hug someone, your hands are too short.


    In fact, he originally wanted to say ¡°kiss me and I will forgive you¡±, but in this body¡­ not only Lian Qiao, he himself also felt awkward.


    It would be great if he could grow up quicker, he really wants to get close to Lian Qiao.


    The two hugged each other for a while and suddenly a bald man appeared outside the ward. The Monk saw these two people from a long distance, embracing each other tightly like a father and son reunited after a long absence. The scene was very moving. But knowing the true relationship between the two, he couldn¡¯t help but think viciously: I want to see if you can stick to the bottom line of morality!


    As a result, after peeping for a long time, the two of them just hugged each other, without any movement below the neck.


    The Monk left, disappointed.


    The two of them were not aware of this at all. After hugging for an unknown amount of time, Little RenDong finally struggled.


    ¡°¡­ my back hurts.¡± He blushed and whispered.


    Lian Qiao hurriedly put him back on the bed, covered him with a quilt and said with a blushing face: ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    RenDong laughed, ¡°Stop apologizing, let¡¯s just move on from this. That¡¯s right,¡± he changed the subject and asked: ¡°Did you find anything in the detention center?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes!¡± Lian Qiao immediately took out the Gu Long novel he had brought along from his pocket, ¡°I found a policeman who likes to read novels.¡±


    ¡± ¡­?¡± Little RenDong raised his eyebrows in surprise, ¡°A novel? Is it a clue?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    RenDong said: ¡°Let me take a look.¡±


    He took the novel and studied it carefully.


    The cover of the novel has a sense of age, which is the kind often seen in XinHua Bookstore when they were children. There is no problem with the content layout and printing batches. The feel to the touch is also normal, and it was made of paper that was common in that era.


    RenDong studied for a while but didn¡¯t see anything special, and said in confusion: ¡°What did you see?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything either. I think this book is very ordinary.¡±


    Little RenDong: ¡°¡­ ¡­?¡± Why does he feel that Lian Qiao is a little weird today, as if his brain circuit is not normal?


    Wait, is he out of order, or am I too stupid to follow his train of thought?


    Judging from the painful experience of RenDong¡¯s multiple rebirths, there was no doubt that Lian Qiao was a big boss and that he (RenDong) was the one who was a rookie. So at this time RenDong had to give in to the boss and asked expectantly: ¡°So?¡±


    Lian Qiao still said: ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t think there are any clues in this book.¡±


    Xu RenDong was now really dazed: ¡°Didn¡¯t you steal this book yourself? Why did you steal it if there¡¯s no clue?¡±


    Or did you just want to read a novel to relax after raising a baby?!


    RenDong had a weird expression and a subtle complex emotion arose in his heart. Lian Qiao didn¡¯t notice this, just touched the cover of the novel, and said thoughtfully: ¡°When I was in the detention room, the policeman kept holding the novel in front of me. According to the nature of previous instances, there must be some clue in this novel. But¡­ I can¡¯t find anything special about this book.¡±


    Lian Qiao paused, then continued: ¡°My dad also liked to read Gu Long back then, and there were several sets of Gu Long¡¯s complete works on the bookshelf at home. I have seen this version of the book before and it is exactly the same as the one on my bookshelf in terms of content and style, without any difference.¡±


    RenDong looked down at the book, lost in thought.


    ¡°So¡­¡± RenDong said slowly, ¡°What do you want to say?¡±


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t speak.


    Little RenDong raised his head, staring at him with dark eyes: ¡°If you think of something, just say it. There is nothing to hide.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not hiding anything. It¡¯s just a vague feeling.¡± Lian Qiao smiled and reached out to rub his hair, ¡°The reason why this book appears here may be because, in reality, it really exists.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± RenDong¡¯s eyes twitched slightly, ¡°You mean, this is reality¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°It¡¯s a refraction of reality.¡±


    RenDong froze.


    Refraction? Why refraction?


    Lian Qiao played with his hair with his fingertips. At this time, Little RenDong was only nine years old, with soft and short hair. Lian Qiao easily messed up his hair.


    ¡°When light passes from one medium to another, refraction occurs. The path of light is changed.¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s voice was soft and slow, like a patient teacher, ¡°But light is still light and is a  medium¡­¡±


    RenDong pushed his hand away impatiently and interrupted: ¡°Speaking in human language. I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Only then did Lian Qiao realize that he had accidentally pretended to be academic. In fact, he didn¡¯t mean to show off his knowledge. He was a science student and subconsciously regarded knowledge of physics as common sense. He didn¡¯t take into account that RenDong¡¯s field of knowledge did not overlap with his.


    He coughed with some embarrassment: ¡°Well, to put it simply, most of the things in this instance are the same as in reality. It feels like splicing your memory and cognition then piecing it together¡­ or condensing it all together and boiling it down to parts¡­¡±


    Is this any more understandable than refraction!?


    Little RenDong curled his lips but the unhappiness in his heart gradually dissipated.


    ¡°Because I am the key player this time, the world is centered on me?¡± Little RenDong touched his chin, lost in thought, ¡°But isn¡¯t this obvious? Every morning the subtitles follow my growth, so it¡¯s only logical that the world revolves around me.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°No, that¡¯s not the point. I think one difference between this dungeon and the previous ones is that the ghosts this time can be defeated and are easier to fight. Especially after meeting the Peking Opera Monk, we are no longer threatened by ghosts.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± RenDong nodded, and was about to say that this is a good thing, but a flash of lightning suddenly flashed in his mind.


    ¡ªNo, this may not be a good thing.


    Thinking back carefully, none of his several deaths so far was caused by a ghost.


    The first time, he was directly frozen to death in front of the orphanage as a baby, the second time was due to pneumonia, the third time was an allergic reaction to shrimp crackers, and the fourth time he was abducted and sold to a beggar group before being mutilated to death¡­


    It can be said that these methods of death make sense even in reality!


    Is this the so-called ¡°refraction of reality¡±?


    In other words, the danger of this instance was not ghosts, but reasonable deaths based on reality.


    But what does this mean¡­ Why is this dungeon so different from the past ones? Just because he was a key player?


    No, that¡¯s not right. In ¡°Lock Without a Key¡±, Shi JianChuan was also the key player. But that dungeon was weird and bizarre, not only all kinds of incredible monsters and curses appeared, even the weather became extremely abnormal. A heavy rain can submerge the entire tulou within a few hours. How can this be possible in reality?


    So, why is this instance so special?


    ¡­Could this be the key to solving the puzzle?


    At this time, RenDong also had the same thought as Lian Qiao: a very important link was missing in the reasoning, so that it was impossible to integrate the fragments in front of him into a complete puzzle.


    Little RenDong held his chin, with a solemn expression, lost in thought. Lian Qiao looked at him and burst out laughing.


    RenDong raised his eyes: ¡°What are you laughing at?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I just looked at you and remembered a Japanese anime. ¡±


    RenDong: ¡°What??¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Hahaha, it feels like a flag has been set up. Fortunately, you have dropped out of school and you are now a primary school dropout. ¡±


    RenDong: ¡°??????¡± What are you talking about?


    Just when the two were laughing and laughing, the door of the ward was pushed open. A shining bald head poked in, squinted and asked with a smile, ¡°Are you all done?¡±


    ¡­ It¡¯s as if we were doing something shady.


    Little RenDong frowned. Lian Qiao was not very happy when he heard this and said coldly: ¡°Why? Do you have some more bad news for me?¡±


    The Monk walked in, took out a piece of paper from his pocket and said, ¡°There is a piece of news. But I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s good or bad. See for yourself.¡±


    He held the paper up in front of the two of them. When the two looked at it, they saw that it was written on the top: ¡°Admission Notice.¡± The signature was OO Elementary School.


    RenDong took the admission notice and said in surprise: ¡°Didn¡¯t I just get dropped out of XX elementary school? Why did another OO elementary school pop up?¡±


    Lian Qiao supported his forehead.


    It¡¯s over, it¡¯s over, I really became a pupil of the Death God {Shinigami} Primary School.


    However, there is at least one advantage of the Death God Primary School and that is that the primary school student himself will not die.


    That was enough.


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    Note: Shinigami Primary School student: Refers to Conan.

 CH 158

    Chapter 158 ¨C 1992-2020


    If this dungeon is really running according to the rules of the real world, then there was no doubt ¨C


    RenDong must complete the nine-year compulsory education!


    Xu RenDong really never expected that he, a top student who graduated from a prestigious school, would go to the world of ghosts and monsters and re-enroll in elementary school.


    What¡¯s even more annoying is that he actually doesn¡¯t know how to do these elementary school questions!


    The hospital kicked them out because they owed too much money. The three of them had nowhere to go, so they decided to split up: the Monk went to find board and lodging, Lian Qiao accompanied RenDong to investigate OO elementary school. Later on they will meet back up at the gate of OO Elementary School later.


    Unlike XX Elementary School, this OO Elementary School was obviously a school in a dilapidated area. Although there were also advanced classes, ordinary classes, and district classes, there is only one class for both the advanced and ordinary class and the rest are all district classes.


    The area where the orphanage is located happens to have two district primary schools, one is XX Primary School and the other is OO Primary School. Although both are schools in the same area, the style of study of XX Primary School was obviously better than that of OO Primary School. This can be seen from the school gate.


    Previously Lian Qiao was surrounded and blocked by the school¡¯s security guards who refused to let him in. However, at this time, the two were standing at the gate of OO Elementary School  and the security guard in the reception room didn¡¯t even bother to raise their eyelids.


    The school gate was wide open and elementary school students came in and out from time to time, talking and laughing, walking side by side. None of them wore school uniforms and they were dressed in different ways. From the point of view of dress, the gap between rich and poor is also obvious.


    Surprisingly, the elementary school students in this school have faces!


    Not only did they have faces, some of the girls had makeup on, which made Lian Qiao and RenDong turn pale with fright¡ªisn¡¯t this an elementary school? How old are these little girls?


    Not even twelve years old!


    Lian Qiao pulled RenDong on the spot and left: ¡°No, you can¡¯t go to this school.¡±


    RenDong sighed: ¡°What can I do if I don¡¯t go? You really want me to drop out?¡±


    Lian Qiao remembered that RenDong¡¯s expulsion from school was his own fault and he was punched with guilt immediately. He said sullenly: ¡°I¡¯ll go and plead with the principal of XX primary school and tell him to take you back.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not necessary.¡± Little RenDong smiled, stood on tiptoe and tried to pinch his face. But the nine-year-old¡¯s body was too short and he couldn¡¯t even reach Lian Qiao¡¯s shoulders.


    Lian Qiao took the initiative to squat down and put his face in front of him.


    The afterglow of the setting sun passed through Lian Qiao¡¯s hair, plating a layer of golden edges on his outline. He squatted down like a docile big golden retriever, exuding a warm and gentle temperament from his whole body. Little RenDong stared at him, seeing the guilt and sadness in his eyes.


    He looked like a dog who was locked up at home for a day and was so bored that he rummaged through the trash can. He knew that he had done something wrong, he felt wronged and uneasy, so he honestly waited for his master¡¯s punishment.


    This kind of him was actually the same person as the fierce and violent man who wanted to kill someone that other day.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t blame you, I know you are for me, so don¡¯t feel guilty, okay?¡± Little RenDong¡¯s eyes  were bright and the setting sun also turned his eyes into gold, with a kind of divine beauty like an angel.


    That coquettish ¡°okay?¡± instantly melted Lian Qiao. He couldn¡¯t help raising the corners of his mouth. He leaned over and kissed RenDong on the forehead.


    RenDong¡¯s little face turned red all of a sudden. He pushed Lian Qiao, and said in a low voice, ¡°Be reserved! You¡¯re at a school!¡±


    Sure enough, Lian Qiao¡¯s involuntary kiss attracted the attention of the students at the school gate. Lian Qiao ignored this and patted his head with a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. They will treat me as your father.¡± Lian Qiao smiled for a while, then frowned again, ¡°Oh! When will you grow up¡­¡±


    RenDong also sighed: ¡°It will take time.¡±


    As long as I don¡¯t die¡­ as time passes, I will eventually grow up.


    The two packed up their emotions and went to the principal¡¯s office with the admission notice. Surprisingly, the principal¡¯s office was¡­ empty.


    They went to the Academic Affairs Office again and found that the Academic Affairs Office was also locked. After some inquiring, they found out that the group of leaders had skipped work and slipped away.


    ¡­ Is this school reliable or not?


    Lian Qiao once again had the urge to kneel down to the principal of XX Primary School. Fortunately, the security guard in the reception room at the school gate intervened and told them that since they got the notice, they can just come to class tomorrow without any formalities.


    The matter of admission was settled. But the two are not in a hurry to meet the monk and they also want to take the time to explore the school.


    There was no doubt that studying was the main task of Little RenDong right now, and there is no guarantee that there are any clues hidden in the school. Lian Qiao had no chance to explore XX Elementary School before and RenDong was also locked in the classroom. He went to class every day and went home to do homework, so he had no chance to explore the campus. This time, the management of OO Primary School was extremely loose, so the two took the opportunity to study the school carefully.


    The school covers an area similar to that of XX Primary School. The teaching building was similar in style, nothing special. It¡¯s not time for school to end yet but there is no one in the classroom. Most of the students have gone home in twos and threes, and those who stay in the classroom are punks who refuse to go home. Wearing flashy clothes and chasing and fighting in the classroom, it¡¯s like they can¡¯t wait to put the label of ¡°bear child¡± on their foreheads.


    There was a library and an activity room in the school, but there are big iron chains hanging on the door, which looked like it has been dusty for a long time. The more Lian Qiao looked at it,


    the more worried he became. This school is too bad. It¡¯s clear to see that the children here will become spoiled. Was it really okay for RenDong to study here?


    Xu RenDong was helpless. He just shrank and was not really a kid. His mind was already 28 years old. If he can be spoiled by a group of brats, it would be too shameful.


    The two walked around the school but still couldn¡¯t find any useful clues, so they walked towards the school gate, intending to meet the monk.


    ¡°Speaking of which, the students in this school actually have faces.¡± Lian Qiao said as he walked, ¡°Is it because you are not familiar with this school, so the dungeon automatically draws faces for them?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps¡­¡± At this time, RenDong already had a rough guess as to why the children of XX Elementary School had no faces.


    If the world is really centered on him, then this may be a reflection of his heart.


    During the six years he studied in XX Primary School, due to his withdrawn personality, not only did he have no friends, he even couldn¡¯t remember the faces of his classmates. This past was gloomy for him, so his brain subconsciously felt that it was a bad memory and deliberately sealed it up.


    At first, he thought that the lack of face of the students was to create a scary effect, but now that he wanted to understand the reason, he felt even more uncomfortable.


    It¡¯s like¡­ cutting his heart open and laying it out in front of everyone. Let everyone know how arrogant and withdrawn he used to be.


    He felt a vague sense of shame. It was like running naked.


    Lian Qiao glanced at him and found that he blushed silently. Even the little earlobe was completely red, like a ripe cherry.


    Lian Qiao felt baffled and didn¡¯t know what he was ashamed of. But based on his understanding of RenDong, even if he asks now, RenDong won¡¯t say anything.


    After the two met up with the monk, they found a place to sit down and exchange information.


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t find any useful clues but the monk brought good news. He found a family who had just died and wanted to conduct a ceremony. He has already made an agreement with them that he will go over tonight and read sutras for them overnight.


    As for game halls, Internet cafes, and shampoo shops, they are not recruiting people. They still owe money at the hospital and don¡¯t know how to live in the future.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about the future¡­¡± The monk sighed, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about tonight. I will go to someone¡¯s house to read scriptures so I don¡¯t have to worry about food and drink. But I can¡¯t take you two. What will you two do at night?¡±


    Lian Qiao was gearing up: ¡°Robbery?¡±


    Little RenDong pushed him back on the seat: ¡°Calm down, you just got out of the prison, do you want to go in again?¡±


    ¡°This is also a way.¡± Lian Qiao said solemnly, ¡°The prison also provides food and drink, which is a good place to go. It¡¯s just a bit boring.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Little RenDong sighed bitterly.


    Seeing his indescribable expression, Lian Qiao suddenly laughed.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m joking.¡± He pinched RenDong¡¯s small face and said with a smile, ¡°You still have to go to school, how could I go to jail? If your classmates find out, how will you be able to face people?¡±


    Little RenDong curled his lips: ¡°You are really into the show, you really think of yourself as my father.¡± Ignoring that he had already acquiesced to the old father setting of Lian Qiao a moment ago.


    However, Lian Qiao will take his self-esteem into consideration, which is very useful for RenDong.


    That night, one big and one small slept on the street, and the situation was very bleak.


    In fact, they are not completely without options. The unfinished building in the old block is still there and the beggar gang has also been destroyed. They can move in anytime. But RenDong has a psychological shadow regarding that place. Besides, there was no electricity there and the lights were dark at night. They still don¡¯t know what will happen.


    They also tried to seek help from nearby residents. But as soon as the residents saw Lian Qiao, they frowned and drove them out of the house. It turned out that the neighbors have already spread the story of Lian Qiao beating up the teacher. Everyone has a very bad impression of Lian Qiao and, even if he has a child, they were unwilling to help him.


    Therefore, the two could only hide under the eaves of the closed shop, barely finding a place to cover their heads.


    RenDong was so weak that Lian Qiao wrapped him in his coat all night for fear that he would catch a cold. The only good news is that this night was not haunted¡ªin fact, it can¡¯t be called totally not haunted. They did see a few white ghosts floating in the street but those lonely ghosts didn¡¯t seem to be interested in them and just wandered the streets aimlessly.


    The so-called wandering soul is probably like this.


    Finally, the next morning, the monk finished his ritual and brought money and food. RenDong Lian Qiao hadn¡¯t had any water or rice all day and was so hungry that their eyes turned into stars looking at him. They immediately devoured the food.


    However, the hard times have only just begun.


    Since Lian Qiao has a bad reputation, no one was willing to offer him a job. He couldn¡¯t really go out to rob, so he had to go to the streets and alleys every day to inquire about the news, looking for clues to pass the instance. The job of making money was handed over to the monk, but the monk can¡¯t afford to support two adults and one child; three people with one salary.


    Just solving the accommodation problem has already wiped out the family¡¯s wealth, so the three of them often go hungry. It was a miserable day.


    Lian Qiao blamed himself deeply for this.


    RenDong didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with it. Anyway, he was used to being hungry ¨C he had practiced it in the Esophagus instance.


    Suffering returns to suffering, and time still passes at an even speed. Two days later, RenDong was promoted to OO Junior High School.


    This school was the junior high school attached to OO Elementary School and RenDong was directly promoted without passing the entrance examination. Since the primary school and junior high school of OO School are within the same campus, no new scenes were unlocked on this day.


    While there were no new scenes, oddly enough, the original police station was gone.


    What does that mean? It was unknown.


    Lian Qiao had a vague premonition. On the first day of the new semester, when he delivered RenDong to the school gate, he was reluctant to hand over the small schoolbag in his hand to RenDong.


    RenDong was already thirteen years old and his slightly childish facial features had faintly revealed the handsomeness of an adult. Due to malnutrition, he looks a little thin, but his figure is still tall and straight. Standing among the group of students in strange clothes, he looked as out of place as Zhilan Yushu {Refers to a very talented disciple from a Classical Chinese novel: ¡°A New Account of the Tales of the World¡±}.


    Lian Qiao glanced uneasily at those unruly classmates around him and said, worried: ¡°I¡¯d better come to accompany you to class. I have nothing to do anyway.¡±


    Little RenDong shook his head: ¡°No. Today you go to investigate why the police station disappeared. I¡¯m a little concerned about it.¡±


    Lian Qiao frowned, wanting to say something else. RenDong suddenly stood on tiptoe, stretched out his little hand and flicked on his forehead.


    ¡°Finally I¡¯m tall enough.¡± Little RenDong smiled and, on his childish face, there was a kind of softness that didn¡¯t match his age, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m already thirteen years old, I can run when I¡¯m in danger. I¡¯ve brought the monk¡¯s buddhist scriptures so I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Ever since he knew that RenDong was a key player, the monk gave him a Buddhist scripture to ward off evil spirits.


    Lian Qiao really couldn¡¯t find a reason to stay. He was a little unsure if he was overly anxious. Now the two people¡¯s hard life is caused by him alone and the guilt that he is full of has accumulated until now, but in fact it has not completely dissipated.


    Even if RenDong doesn¡¯t blame him, was there really nothing wrong with him?


    ¡­ Maybe he needs to adjust his mentality. He can¡¯t always make RenDong worry about him.


    Lian Qiao was finally persuaded and handed over his schoolbag. Little RenDong raised the corners of his mouth, turned around and asked Lian Qiao to carry his school bag coquettishly.


    Turning around, Little RenDong suddenly met a person¡¯s eyes.


    It was a girl with heavy makeup, who looked about his age. Because of the terrible makeup on her face, it was hard to see what she actually looked like.


    The girl was sitting by the window in the classroom, blowing bubble gum in boredom. She glanced out of the window inadvertently and, just like that, she met RenDong¡¯s eyes.


    Her lipsticked lips lifted slightly, as if she saw something interesting.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lian Qiao behind him put a backpack on RenDong¡¯s back, squatted down again and straightened his collar for him. This series of actions are so smooth and practiced that it really seemed that he was a mature old father.


    The brief staring at each other through the window was just a coincidence and Xu RenDong didn¡¯t think much about it. His attention quickly returned to Lian Qiao.


    ¡°Go.¡± He raised his hand and rubbed Lian Qiao¡¯s hair.


    Lian Qiao was like a big golden retriever being caressed by his master. His worries were temporarily relieved, so he stood up and left the school.

 CH 159

    Chapter 159 ¨C 1992-2020


    Following RenDong¡¯s proposal, Lian Qiao went to investigate the disappearing police station. The answer he got was surprisingly simple: it had moved.


    As for why it moved, the people in the neighborhood gave various guesses, most which sounded unbelievable. Anyway, the conclusion being that the police station had just moved away.


    The residents are not very happy about this. They thought that, without the police station on the block, the level of law and order will be seriously reduced. What¡¯s more, there was also OO School on this street!


    It was not the first time that Lian Qiao has heard residents complain about OO school. To put it simply, the school was too broken, the student management was extremely inadequate and a lot of hooligans have been trained and all the school leaders eat sh**. {As in they turn a blind eye to the schoolkid¡¯s bad behavior}.


    OO school WAS the worst school in this area. The teachers don¡¯t want to teach, the students don¡¯t want to learn, everyone was here only  because they needed to complete the nine-year compulsory education. It was also true that the blame cannot be fully placed on the school leaders.


    The more Lian Qiao listened, the more disturbed he became. Pretty much, he had left little RenDong in a wolf¡¯s den!


    Just when he was getting restless and couldn¡¯t help but want to go to school to bring RenDong back, Little RenDong came home by himself.


    ¡°The teacher said I can come home to nap at noon.¡± Little RenDong stood at the door with his school bag on his back, looking cute and sensible. {China has the tradition of a midday siesta. They work later into the night as well.}


    Lian Qiao hurriedly welcomed him in and asked: ¡°How is the school?¡±


    Little RenDong said: ¡°It¡¯s nothing, it¡¯s just an ordinary junior high school.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Your classmates and teachers didn¡¯t bully you, did they?¡±


    RenDong laughed: ¡°Why are you so anxious? Like a helicopter parent. Why would they bully me on the first day? And this school doesn¡¯t pay attention to teaching, even if I can¡¯t finish my homework, the teacher won¡¯t punish me.¡± He raised his little hand and patted Lian Qiao¡¯s head as if to comfort him. ¡°You can rest assured.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Lian Qiao breathed a sigh of relief.


    ¡°By the way, there was a physical education class this morning. After class, I found a lot of envelopes in my table drawer.¡± RenDong took the schoolbag, unzipped it and it was full of letters, ¡°I opened two and they were confession letters. You help me with¡­¡±


    Before he finished speaking, Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes widened: ¡°Confession?! Is that the confession I¡¯m thinking of? Didn¡¯t you only go to school for half a day? And isn¡¯t this a junior high school? You¡¯re only in the first year of junior high?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± RenDong was very calm, ¡°I also thought it¡¯s strange that someone confessed to me so quickly but the time here goes by fast. Half a day should represent half a semester and it makes sense that way.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    RenDong poured out those pink envelopes, opened them and said: ¡°Help me take a look together, maybe there are some clues inside.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­Don¡¯t you think you are a bit of a scumbag like this? Who am I to you? You actually want me to read the confession letter with you?¡±


    RenDong: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Lian Qiao looked at his innocent and pure big eyes and thought: Forget it. RenDong is always slow like this in this respect. So, with a self-inflicted sourness, he began to read the letters with RenDong.


    These junior high school girls were surprisingly bold and there are many bold statements in their confession letters. However many of them are also quite innocent. The central idea was  basically that I noticed you when you first came to school and I have been secretly in love with you for a long time and I don¡¯t know if I can get together with you.


    This ¡°long time¡± is about half a year for them, but it is only half a day for RenDong and Lian Qiao. So these letters are awkward to look at.


    In order to find clues, the two still bit the bullet and read all the letters.


    Unfortunately, apart from knowing that RenDong was a heartthrob at school, the two of them couldn¡¯t find any other useful information at all. They didn¡¯t even know who sent the letters.


    Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t help complaining: ¡°Why do these people get together to confess their love? Could it be that they were queuing up to stuff letters into your drawer while you were in PE class?¡±


    Little RenDong imagined the scene and was amused.


    ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s treat it as a food subsidy for the instance.¡± He opened a piece of chocolate and stuffed it into Lian Qiao¡¯s mouth.


    It was a small gift placed in an envelope. The two opened more than a dozen letters,and two pieces of chocolate rolled out of one of them.


    In the past few days, the two of them lacked food and clothing and they were both very hungry. Even though RenDong didn¡¯t like sweets, they couldn¡¯t resist the temptation at this time, and ate another piece of chocolate.


    Lian Qiao ate the chocolate given by his love rival, feeling that he had lost the principle of being a human being and was quite depressed.


    RenDong noticed his frustration and changed the subject: ¡°By the way, how is the police station investigation going?¡±


    Lian Qiao told him the results of the investigation. RenDong pondered: ¡°Just moved away? Don¡¯t even know where it moved to? ¡­Why?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Did the police station move when you were young?¡±


    RenDong said: ¡°I don¡¯t remember.¡±


    ¡°En.. That is very strange.¡± Lian Qiao frowned, ¡°I always feel that it is not a good thing that the police station has moved.¡±


    ¡°Well, we can only take one step at a time,¡± Little RenDong looked at the time, got up and said, ¡°It¡¯s getting late, I have to go back to school.¡±


    Lian Qiao hooked his hand, reluctantly said: ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that the school rules are very loose? Can¡¯t you go later?¡±


    ¡°The teacher said that there is a math competition in the second year of junior high. If you get good grades you can represent the school in the competition and there will be bonuses. I don¡¯t think other people are interested in the competition and there will definitely not be many people who sign up. I will take the test casually and I might be able to enter the school team. If I get some type of scholarship, I can use it to supplement the family income, okay?¡±


    ¡°Mathematics competition¡­ hsss¡­¡± Lian Qiao shuddered just hearing it, as if recalling the fear of being dominated by mathematics when he was a child, ¡°If it is too difficult, you can give up, the competition training class is terrible¡­¡±


    RenDong sighed, poked his cheek and said, ¡°You can¡¯t do it if you don¡¯t work hard. Who made you not be able to ¡®feed me until I¡¯m full¡¯?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­don¡¯t say such things with a child¡¯s body!¡±


    RenDong was surprised : ¡°What kind of thing?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡±


    Sometimes he really doubts whether RenDong is born slow in this respect, or if he is a tiger pretending to be a pig,  pretending to be innocent after flirting.


    If it¡¯s the latter, then it¡¯s really¡­too¡­too¡­


    Too exciting!


    Lian Qiao covered his face, too excited to think about it.


    RenDong looked at him blushing to the base of his neck inexplicably and suddenly wondered whether he really had a generation gap with Lian Qiao. Why was it that he always couldn¡¯t understand what he was thinking?


    After RenDong went to school, Lian Qiao stayed at home and didn¡¯t know what to do in the afternoon. The table was covered with torn letter papers, which were an eyesore to him and he stuffed them into the trash can.


    Although he felt a little sorry for the girl¡¯s heart by doing this-but, fuck it! A mere NPC, how dare you think of our RenDong! You¡¯re way too brave!


    The more Lian Qiao thought about it, the more unhappy he became and he decided to chat with the monk to discuss the concerns of adolescent boys and girls.


    He took the garbage with him when he went out. The garbage recycling station was at the end of the street. When Lian Qiao was walking towards the recycling station with a garbage bag, he overheard the laughter of several girls.


    The laughter was presumptuous and wild, without the restraint of a girl at all. Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t help but glance into the alley and saw a group of girls gathered together. There seemed to be someone squatting on the ground in the middle of them. The standing girls kicked the person on the ground from time to time, giggling at the way the person was stumbling around.


    ¡­school bullying?


    Yo, finally there was a subplot.


    Lian Qiao was eager to go up to save someone but when he walked in, he suddenly found that two of the girls were wearing what looked like RenDong¡¯s junior high school uniforms.


    There are bad girls in his school?!


    ¡­¡­All right. This is no surprise either.


    Just when Lian Qiao was in a daze, the girls had already noticed him and they all turned their heads and asked with hot eye makeup, ¡°Uncle, what are you doing?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°???¡±


    Uncle?!


    Lian Qiao suppressed his anger and said kindly: ¡°I¡¯ll give you a chance to do it again. What did you call me?¡±


    The girls said in unison: ¡°Uncle.¡± They looked at each other again, chirping and laughing. They discussed whether or not Lian Qiao was stupid right in front of him.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± Where is my crowbar?


    Forget it, just a few unscrupulous girls, why would he need to use a crowbar! Just when he rolled up his sleeves to prepare to give them a slap, he felt his pants being pulled.


    Looking down, it was a girl with a blue nose and a swollen face.


    This girl was also wearing a school uniform but she had delicate features and no makeup. She was obviously a child of a good family.


    The girl knelt on the ground, raised her little face and said sadly, ¡°Please go, I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m really fine¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± Girl, you misunderstood, I want to beat them for myself, not to save you!


    At this time, one of the group of bad girls stepped out. It seemed to be the Queen Bee {literally ¡°big sister¡±, basically the girl boss of the group.}


    Lian Qiao looked at her, and really didn¡¯t want to call her ¡°Queen Bee¡± because she was too young!


    Judging by her figure, she is probably only in the first or second year of junior high school. Girls at this age, no matter what features they are born with, will be youthful and lovely. But because she put on heavy makeup that was extremely unsuitable for her and forced herself to be coquettish, she looked like a monster instead.


    Lian Qiao had to lower his head slightly to meet her gaze. He thought helplessly: Hey, I¡¯m already twice her age! In this way, it seems that it is not wrong to be called uncle by her.


    The little monster didn¡¯t seem to like the angle of looking up and asked viciously: ¡°Are you here to save her? Don¡¯t you know that this bitch¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao interrupted her: ¡°No. I don¡¯t know. You misunderstood .¡±


    The little monster: ¡°¡­?¡±


    Lian Qiao held up the garbage bag to prove his innocence: ¡°I just came out to throw garbage, I was just passing by.¡±


    He blocked the mocking words that the little monster had prepared and she suddenly became furious. She slapped the garbage bag away.


    Lian Qiao was caught off guard and dropped the garbage bag. The envelopes and letter papers flew out one after another. This scene looks quite beautiful, like a bloody romance drama. Lian Qiao and the little monster were stunned in the paper rain.


    Lian Qiao thought to himself, you really dare to do something, what if my garbage bag is not letter paper but toilet paper? !


    As for the little monster¡­ she was probably stunned by the huge number of pink confession letters. She stood there for a long time without reacting.


    Several other unscrupulous girls were also shocked and they were dumbfounded. Lian Qiao coughed in embarrassment and was about to drag the little girl away first. When he turned around, he was shocked to find that the girl had slipped away!


    Fuck! So you really are a bitch! {it¡¯s more like ¡®ungrateful wretch¡¯ but writing that in a modern spoken sentence sounds a bit off.}


    It was unknown where Lian Qiao¡¯s anger came from. It just so happened that those bad girls also came back to their senses, surrounded him and looked at him maliciously.


    Two of them were bold enough to even take out fruit knives with an expression of ¡°Don¡¯t you think I¡¯m vicious?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± Why are you girls of twelve or thirteen years old trying to gang up on me, a twenty-five-year-old ¡°uncle¡±?


    Lian Qiao silently clenched the watermelon knife hidden behind his waist. Just when he was seriously thinking about whether ¡°beating a female NPC¡± counts as ¡°beating a woman¡±, the irritable little monster suddenly kicked over the oil drum on the roadside, making a loud bang.


    ¡°Go!¡± She gave an order and the group of unscrupulous girls followed her away resentfully.


    Lian Qiao scratched his head, not knowing why.


    Was the female monster sensitive? Did she know that he had a 40-meter sword hidden in me? {This is netspeak, from a news headline incorrectly published by Tencent which put ¡®meters¡¯ instead of ¡®centimeters¡¯ resulting in some funny pictures drawn of people with 40m swords lol.}


    Or, she thought it was boring to beat me up in a group, so she decided to catch the little bitch first and beat her up again?


    ¡­According to the routine, Lian Qiao should save the little bitch here which may trigger some hidden plot. But he already called the little bitch a little bitch in his heart. He was so disappointed in that girl¡¯s character that he really didn¡¯t intend to be such a fake good person.


    Lian Qiao sighed at the confession letters scattered on the ground, finally bent down, picked up the envelopes and letter papers one by one and put them into the bag.


    When picking them up, his attention was attracted by one of the letters. It was a confession letter written with a fountain pen with glitter. The handwriting was ugly and wild, but the ink is beautiful and shines brightly in the sun.


    Lian Qiao was impressed by the letter. It seemed that there had been two pieces of chocolate hidden in this envelope. He and RenDong ate it together.


    Recalling the scene when RenDong stuffed the chocolate into his mouth, Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t help but curl the corners of his mouth, revealing a gentle smile.


    RenDong¡­sometimes he is very slow, unable to detect other people¡¯s thoughts but sometimes he can accurately hold his heart tightly.


    With just one movement, all his dissatisfaction and sorrow were resolved.  His heart fell from the jar of vinegar into honey again.


    Why was his RenDong so cute?

 CH 160

    Chapter 160 ¨C 1992-2020


    In the afternoon of that day, Lian Qiao went to the school gate early to wait but RenDong didn¡¯t come out for a long time.


    As soon as the school bell rang, elementary and middle school students came out in groups of twos and threes. Some were picked up by the parents, others walked home together. Lian Qiao waited desperately but he couldn¡¯t find the figure that he was missing.


    ¡­ Nothing would have happened, right?


    Lian Qiao went straight to RenDong¡¯s class. There were still a few students on duty chasing and playing around in the class, Lian Qiao stopped one at random and asked him if he knew where RenDong was.


    When the child heard RenDong¡¯s name, the corner of his mouth curled up, revealing a weird smile.


    ¡°He¡¯s in the toilet.¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s heart tightened at the sight of that weird smile and he hurried to the toilet. The toilet was located at the end of the corridor, and toilets for men and women are located on different floors. Lian Qiao ran to the nearest men¡¯s restroom and shouted as soon as he entered:


    ¡°RenDong! Are you here? RenDong!¡±


    The boys who were urinating in front of the urinal were startled by him and they all turned their heads with faces full of frightened expressions.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes quickly swept over everyone, making sure that RenDong was not among them. The uneasiness in his heart became more and more intense, he grabbed another child, shook his shoulder and asked: ¡°Where is Xu RenDong?! Have you seen him? Where is Xu RenDong?!¡± The boy was frightened all over.


    Trembling, he asked, ¡°Xu, what Xu? I don¡¯t know him!¡±


    Lian Qiao was extremely irritable and threw the child out casually. He threw the boy against the wall and he fell, screaming. The other boys trembled when they saw this and the timid ones were already crying.


    Lian Qiao was even more impatient due to the crying. He kicked open the doors of every compartment angrily, missing one or both.


    All the compartments are empty! RenDong was not here!


    Was that little bastard lying?


    A surge of anger rose in Lian Qiao¡¯s heart. He quickly ran back to the class. The junior high school students who were chasing and fighting had already left, and the little brat was still sweeping the floor quietly with a broom.


    Lian Qiao rushed up and grabbed him by the collar, lifted him up and off the ground.


    ¡°Where, Is, He!¡±


    Every word seemed to erupt from the depths of a volcano, with uncontrollable rage and impulsiveness. Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes were red as if he was about to drip blood and all the cells in his body were screaming crazily ¨C


    If he talks nonsense, he will be killed! kill him!


    Unexpectedly, the junior high school student was not afraid at all, but laughed wildly with a distorted expression.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t lie to you! Hahahahaha¡­¡± The junior high school student¡¯s eyes were full of malicious ecstasy, ¡°He¡¯s in the toilet, he¡¯s really in the toilet! He¡¯s in¡ªthe women¡¯s toilet¡ªhahahahahaha!¡±


    Startled, Lian Qiao subconsciously let go of his hand. The junior high school student fell heavily to the ground but laughed even more wildly.


    Womens toilet? Why is it the women¡¯s toilet?


    Lian Qiao¡¯s mind was blank for a while, unable to think. He walked out of the classroom stiffly, forcing himself to pull himself together.


    The women¡¯s restroom, that¡¯s upstairs. But why would RenDong go there?


    The alarm bells in his heart were ringing like a death knell. Lian Qiao felt cold all over and the malicious smile of the junior high school student kept flashing in front of his eyes. He stumbled and ran up to the second floor.


    As soon as he passed the corner of the stairs, he saw a few girls talking and laughing, walking towards him.


    Those girls were obviously only twelve or thirteen years old, but they deliberately imitated adults in their attire. One by one, with heavy makeup, looked like a female monster who had fallen into a makeup palette.


    One of them, he had only seen a while ago.


    The girls had obviously just come out of the women¡¯s bathroom with water on their hands. When they saw Lian Qiao, there was a burst of piercing and sharp laughter. Pointing at him, as if seeing some big joke.


    Lian Qiao suddenly had a terrible premonition in his heart. The premonition made him tremble all over, he couldn¡¯t move, and stood on the spot like a wooden stake.


    When the girls passed him laughingly, he heard the little monster tugging at the corners of his mouth, showing a contemptuous and mocking smile.


    ¡°You guys are really disgusting.¡±


    Those five words, like a heavy hammer, severely smashed Lian Qiao¡¯s heart.


    You, guys, are, really, disgusting.


    Who is ¡®you guys¡¯?


    It was him¡ªand RenDong¡ª


    The sneering laughter of the girls faded around the corner. Lian Qiao suddenly felt a tightness in his throat, and then his eyes began to darken, his body swayed and he almost couldn¡¯t stand upright.


    He was in so much pain that he couldn¡¯t exert all his strength, so he had to hold on to the wall and walk forward bit by bit.


    RenDong¡­was RenDong still there¡­


    Is he¡­in the women¡¯s bathroom¡­


    Every time Lian Qiao takes a step towards the women¡¯s room, the bright red female pattern cuts out a piece of flesh in his heart. After an unknown amount of time, he finally came to the front of the women¡¯s toilet.


    It was quiet inside, there was no sound at all.


    No, it was not completely silent. There is the sound of dripping water. It¡¯s the faucet that¡¯s not turned off.


    Was he in there? He¡¯s not in there, is he? How could he be in the women¡¯s bathroom?


    Lian Qiao suddenly felt out of breath, as if a rope was strangling his throat. He covered his neck, so uncomfortable that he wanted to cry. But what made him even more uncomfortable was that he knew that he had to go in.


    He has to¡­ go find RenDong¡­


    The feeling of suffocation was getting stronger and stronger. Lian Qiao felt dizzy, but still held on, leaning on the wall, and walked into the women¡¯s toilet.


    There are only cubicles in the women¡¯s restroom. As he expected, there was a faucet that was not turned off properly and it kept dripping.


    He didn¡¯t know why but he went to tighten the faucet like an obsessive-compulsive disorder.


    The dripping sound died away. But the fear in my heart was still there.


    Not here. He won¡¯t be here.


    ¡°Squeak¡±. Lian Qiao pushed open the door of the first compartment.


    He breathed a sigh of relief. RenDong is not there.


    With an eerie feeling bordering on joy, he reached for the second compartment.


    ¡°Squeak¡ªah¡ª¡±


    The door was half-opened, but was blocked by something.


    The thing behind the door is soft, and it can still be pushed open if it is pushed hard. But¡­ but¡­


    Terrible thoughts flooded his mind, and Lian Qiao felt the rope around his neck tightened, making him breathless. His heart was beating wildly, almost smashing hs chest. Panting with difficulty, he squeezed his body in through the crack of the door, into the small female toilet cubicle.


    Then he saw RenDong.


    Thirteen-year-old Little RenDong, wearing a red skirt, with his upper body naked and who had been hanged to death.


    ¡­


    The elevator was running quietly and smoothly and suddenly it shook slightly.


    This is something that happens every time and Lian Qiao was used to it. But RenDong couldn¡¯t seem to get used to it, because every time the elevator vibrated, he would gasp in shock.


    It was the same this time.


    Lian Qiao looked at RenDong, meeting his dazed eyes.


    Lian Qiao was about to speak when RenDong¡¯s expression darkened suddenly. He rushed up and grabbed him by the collar, shouting angrily:


    ¡°Don¡¯t fall in love early! Don¡¯t fall in love early! Don¡¯t fall in love early!¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°???¡±


    Before he recovered from the bewilderment, RenDong had quickly completed the shrinking process. There was only a wrinkled purple sweet potato essence left on the floor who was crying loudly and the sound was so loud that the sound waves bounced back and forth in the elevator, shaking Lian Qiao¡¯s eardrums to shatter.


    After a difficult parenting process, Little RenDong finally grew up to be three years old, at the age where he could speak.


    The first thing he said was: ¡°Lian Qiao, let¡¯s break up for now.¡±


    It took a full two minutes to realize ¨C RenDong wanted to break up with him!


    ¡°Why, why?¡± Lian Qiao stuttered in shock, ¡°You, you, no, I, what did I do wrong? Was the way I raised the child wrong? Can you forgive me? I¡¯m inexperienced and I really don¡¯t know how to take care of children¡­¡±


    ¡°No.¡± RenDong interrupted him coldly, ¡°It¡¯s not because of this.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°That¡¯s because of what?¡±


    RenDong: ¡°Because puppy love is not good. Yes, I want to study hard and get into a good school.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°???¡±


    At first, Lian Qiao thought that RenDong was joking¡ªalthough he really didn¡¯t know what was so funny about this terrible joke. But soon he discovered that RenDong was really alienating him!


    He wouldn¡¯t let him feed him, wouldn¡¯t let him wash his clothes, wouldn¡¯t even let him hug him!


    Lian Qiao was going crazy. He silently wrote down what he had done in the past three days on the paper, studied it over and over a hundred and eighty times and still couldn¡¯t figure out what he did wrong to make RenDong so angry.


    Why do you want to break up?! I was wrong, can I change it? ! You tell me where I went wrong!


    However, whenever he begged bitterly, RenDong would reply him extremely coldly:


    ¡°No. You haven¡¯t done anything wrong. Don¡¯t disturb me, I want to study.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Hey!¡±


    What¡¯s wrong with you, big boss! How did you turn into an unreasonable and troublesome girlfriend!


    Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t figure it out. He could only understand that RenDong had his own plans and had to alienate him for some special reason. Still, he was very restless.


    His partner suddenly became his son, which was already a pain in the ass. Now his son has actually entered the rebellious period! It¡¯s such a bad day!


    Lian Qiao was restless, so restless he had to drink cold water to calm himself down. As a result, his death was very effective and he had diarrhea that night.


    ¡°Woo¡­¡± The intestines rumbled continuously, with convulsions and colic. Lian Qiao curled up on the bed with his hands on his stomach, coquettishly saying to RenDong, ¡°RenDong, my stomach hurts!¡±


    Little RenDong was reading at the desk. At this time, he was only four years old but he had already started to preview his primary school homework. Fortunately, there are textbooks left by other children in the orphanage, so Little RenDong has been studying at his desk for the past two days.


    Hearing Lian Qiao¡¯s call, he frowned and put down his pen, went to the bed and touched Lian Qiao¡¯s stomach.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you try to make me worry less?¡± Little RenDong complained, but his little hands rubbed Lian Qiao¡¯s stomach round and round, so that he could feel better.


    Lian Qiao was very grateful for this, contentedly like a dog lying flat and letting go.


    ¡°I¡¯m so short of love that my stomach hurts!¡± As a patient, he acted coquettishly and confidently, ¡°I¡¯ll be fine if you pamper me!¡±


    ¡°¡­you obviously did it to yourself by drinking cold water.¡± Little RenDong¡¯s face was helpless, but he still put his hands to his mouth, breathed lightly for a while, covered the heat with their hands again, and continued to rub Lian Qiao¡¯s stomach.


    ¡°Hey hey hey.¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s heart almost melted after being rubbed. RenDong still cared about it! That means his indifference these days is just PLAY! It must be part of some great plan!


    Thinking of this, Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t help being a little excited.


    If it¡¯s a plan, then¡­it doesn¡¯t matter  it doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s tied up and handcuffed or something!


    After all, the big picture is the most important thing! His concentration is so poor, what if he ruined the plan!


    It¡¯s a pity that before he formally made a suggestion to RenDong, his intestines suddenly convulsed, causing him to gasp in pain.


    ¡°Hiss ¨C I want to go to the bathroom!¡± He almost jumped up from the bed, clutching his belly and ran to the bathroom.


    Little RenDong shook his head and sighed. Just as he was about to sit back at the desk and continue reading, he suddenly remembered something.


    Today is the fourth day in the orphanage. What happened on the fourth day last time?


    Oh, it seems to be¡­


    At the same time, Lian Qiao yelled from the bathroom.


    ¡°RenDong! There¡¯s no¡ªpaper¡ªin the bathroom¡ª¡±

 CH 161

    Chapter 161 ¨C 1992-2020


    Lian Qiao was sitting on the toilet, flipping through the e-books on his phone in boredom.


    There were no puzzles to solve in this instance. At present, it seems that the only requirement was to guard RenDong until 2020. Downloading an encyclopedia on the mobile phone seemed to be the only way to relieve boredom in the bathroom.


    In the end, it¡¯s a bad habit. Lian Qiao has been used to reading in the bathroom since he was a child. Most of his messy miscellaneous knowledge comes from toilet reading materials. Of course, after the popularity of smartphones, he also learned a lot from online sources.


    There was no Internet in the ghost world so he can only read offline e-books. Although rationality told him that even with a power bank, the battery of the mobile phone should be saved, but how could he go to the bathroom without using his mobile phone!


    As an unrepentant nerd, how could he do it!


    After the body is emptied of toxins, the stomach feels much better. Lian Qiao rubbed his empty stomach and couldn¡¯t help shouting out again: ¡°Ren-dong-there¡¯s-no paper, did you hear me?¡±


    There was no response from outside.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s heart tightened: RenDong would be unsafe, right?


    As soon as he thought of this, he wished he could rush out immediately to confirm RenDong¡¯s safety. However, the cool feeling on his butt made him calm down instantly.


    No¡­ I can¡¯t get up like this!


    So embarrassing!


    In desperation, he could only continue to shout outside: ¡°RenDong¡ª¡ªRenDong¡ªare you there? Ren¡ª¡ª Dong¡ª¡ª¡±


    There was still no answer.


    ¡­Damn it! Did something really happen?!


    So¡­ find something else to wipe first?


    Lian Qiao looked around, only to find that there was nothing in the shabby bathroom¡ªother than RenDong¡¯s face towel.


    What a joke! How can I use that!


    What¡¯s more, the towel rack is far away and even if he wanted to get the towel, he would have to stand up first¡­


    Lian Qiao sat on the toilet and couldn¡¯t help blaming himself: his worry about RenDong actually wasn¡¯t enough to simply make him lift his pants and stand up!


    He said he loves RenDong but his love turned out to be nothing more than that! He is a hypocritical scumbag!


    Lian Qiao lowered his head in shame but suddenly saw a touch of red in the corner of his eyes.


    ¡­¡­Huh?


    He turned his head in surprise, facing a pair of dark eyes in the upper corner.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Lian Qiao gasped for a moment.


    It was a little girl in a red dress. Her skin was so white that it was almost transparent and there was no blood on one face. With crooked teeth, she gave him a mischievous grin.


    The little girl had no whites in her eyes, only a pair of dark eyeballs. She just hugged her knees and curled up in the corner of the bathroom, slowly lifting something towards him.


    ¨Ctoilet paper.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­Fuck.¡±


    He really never expected that there would be such a LOW ghost in this world ¨C actually stealing his toilet paper!


    But what hurt Lian Qiaodan was that even though the little girl was only a few steps away from him, he could do nothing to her! He can only stare like this, watching her succeed in her prank!


    When had Lian Qiao suffered from this kind of anger!


    He gritted his teeth angrily but there was nothing he could do. This little ghost was really vicious! Seeing that he didn¡¯t dare to jump up and smash her ghostly head, she actually squatted not far away with a roll of paper and laughed at him!


    How can there be such a disgusting female ghost!


    Lian Qiao thought for a moment calmly and made a very rational decision.


    He yelled at the top of his voice: ¡°Ren-dong-help! Haunted-ghost-la-haunted ahhhhhh!¡±


    At the same time, there were two knocks on the door suddenly. Lian Qiao was overjoyed: ¡°RenDong?¡±


    ¡°Uh, no.¡± A familiar female voice came from outside. It was Little Apple, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Do you.. er, do you need help?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± Why did you come here? Where¡¯s my family¡¯s RenDong?


    Facing Little Apple¡¯s concerned question, he was in a dilemma and his face was sour with embarrassment.


    Originally, there were only him and RenDong in this room, so he didn¡¯t lock the door when he went to the bathroom. If he was willing to accept Little Apple¡¯s help, the doorknob would open with just a twist¡­ But the problem is, he doesn¡¯t want to!


    Even if it¡¯s just to open a crack, he doesn¡¯t want to!


    Then he will be dirty! Not good enough for RenDong!


    But what can he do if he doesn¡¯t ask Little Apple for help! He can¡¯t be suffocated on the toilet by a roll of toilet paper!


    It was all RenDong¡¯s fault! Where did RenDong go? Did RenDong not love him anymore and didn¡¯t even want to help him get toilet paper!


    Thinking about the pattern of PLAY these days, Lian Qiao felt more and more wronged. His  mouth was flattened and he was about to cry.


    At this time, Little Apple outside the door suddenly said again: ¡°Huh? Where have you been?¡±


    A clear and soft child¡¯s voice replied: ¡°I went to get toilet paper.¡±


    RenDong!


    Lian Qiao¡¯s expression was instantly lit up and his whole body was refreshed. He couldn¡¯t help but shout outside: ¡°RenDong! Come and save me! There is a ghost here!¡±


    ¡°What?! Is there really a ghost?¡± The first one who answered was Little Apple and she spoke in shock, ¡°Wait! Someone come help!¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Damn it! Don¡¯t! No need! Just let RenDong¡ª¡± Before he finished speaking, he suddenly realized that Little RenDong was only four years old right now!


    How could he save him? Could it be that Little RenDong is going to fight ghosts with a crowbar that is taller than himself?


    Lian Qiao looked at the corner in despair and found that the smile on the corner of the little ghost¡¯s mouth was even more rippling.


    Ahhhhhhhh how does this female ghost understand people¡¯s hearts so well! She completely grasped my weakness!


    Just when Lian Qiao was at a loss, Little RenDong¡¯s wintery voice sounded again.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. He was joking, you go out first.¡±


    Little Apple: ¡°But¡­¡±


    RenDong: ¡°This is his hobby. He just likes to act like a baby on the toilet, so ignore him.¡±


    Little Apple: ¡°??? ¡°


    Lian Qiao: ¡°??????¡± Acting like a baby on the toilet?! Why does his comment seem full of bad connotations?


    Lian Qiao instantly filled his brain with an indescribable picture of 100,000 words and couldn¡¯t help but feel his whole body rippling.


    But in the next second, he suddenly remembered that there was a gloomy vicious little female ghost staring at him in the corner and he wilted instantly.


    Light footsteps sounded outside the door and it sounded like RenDong.


    Lian Qiao asked nervously: ¡°Is she gone?¡±


    RenDong: ¡°Gone.¡±


    The doorknob turned and the bathroom door opened. Lian Qiao clamped her legs shyly, pointed at the female ghost in the corner and complained, ¡°It¡¯s her! She stole my toilet paper! She bullied me!¡±


    Little RenDong turned her head and looked at the corner, blinking his big black and white eyes. He said: ¡°Ah?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­?¡± Why did you say ¡°Ah¡± with your mouth but there is no surprise on your face?


    Little RenDong rubbed his eyes, stared at the corner of the wall as if he was blind, and said stiffly: ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± That¡¯s right. (Note)


    Lian Qiao stared suspiciously at Little RenDong, the only information he could get from that face pretending to be scared was: RenDong¡¯s acting skills are really bad!


    While keeping an eye out for the female ghost in the corner, Lian Qiao took the toilet paper from RenDong, quickly wiped his butt, pulled up his pants and jumped up.


    After delivering the paper, RenDong went back to the desk and continued to study like a normal person, as if he really didn¡¯t see anything unusual in the bathroom.


    When Lian Qiao walked out of the bathroom, he suddenly remembered that he hadn¡¯t washed his hands, so he couldn¡¯t help hesitating. He didn¡¯t want to wash his hands in front of the sink with his back to the little ghost¡­. God knows what he would see in the mirror¡­


    But when he looked at the corner again, he found that the corner was empty. The little ghost was gone.


    ¡­¡­Eh? She really just left like this?


    In disbelief, he looked the entire bathroom up, down, left, and right, then ran into the bedroom, studying the entire room carefully. He was sure that the vicious little ghost had really left.


    Could it be that this female ghost really came out to steal toilet paper¡­ And after the prank succeeded, she resolutely left?


    Doesn¡¯t she want to kill anyone?


    Lian Qiao felt inexplicably empty.


    He returned to RenDong in bewilderment, puzzled.


    Little RenDong looked down at the book, turned a page and said calmly: ¡°She doesn¡¯t hurt anyone, so you can let her go.¡±


    According to Lian Qiao¡¯s habit, if you encounter this kind of ghost in the instance, it must be beaten to death on the spot. But this little female ghost was a bit special, she doesn¡¯t seem to have any malicious intentions¡­ Ah bah, there was a malicious intention, stealing toilet paper is malicious!


    But her malice seems to be limited to this¡­


    To be honest, Lian Qiao was trapped on the toilet just now, not to mention that he didn¡¯t have a weapon at hand and he wasn¡¯t even wearing pants. If the little ghost really wanted to do something to him, Lian Qiao would have absolutely no chance to resist and it would be too late for him to ask for help. However, the female ghost was really just squatting in the corner and watching him make a fool of himself. The more embarrassed he was, the happier she was.


    Was she really just a naughty little girl?


    After thinking about it, Lian Qiao suddenly felt relieved.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Lian Qiao sighed, ¡°Maybe I¡¯m just a real person fighting ghosts and playing with inertial thinking. If it¡¯s in the game, when encountering this kind of NPC, many times you don¡¯t need to confront her directly but rely on dialogue to unlock a solution.¡± For example plot clues or hidden storylines. And this kind of kid who was easy to fight at first glance, maybe it¡¯s fishing for a reaction. She doesn¡¯t seem to be lethal but if you really kill her, she may blow herself up and launch a full-screen attack or a curse or something, which will cause even further harm.


    Little RenDong put down his pen, turned his head sideways and looked at him thoughtfully.


    Sure enough, as long as he calmed down, Lian Qiao could think of this. His game awareness has become instinct, allowing him to subconsciously avoid many dangers. In the dungeons of Matryoshka and Esophagus, Lian Qiao fully demonstrated his talent as a game player.


    But in this dungeon, Xu RenDong clearly felt that he was anxious.


    Out of some unresolved anxiety, Lian Qiao was always in a state of impatience. Once there was a possible danger, he rushed forward without thinking, lost his rational judgment and instead detonated the bomb that would not have exploded otherwise.


    Lian Qiao naturally didn¡¯t know what RenDong was thinking, so he asked in surprise: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Xu RenDong smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just suddenly realized that I haven¡¯t heard you mention games for a long time.¡±


    Lian Qiao sighed: ¡°It¡¯s true that I haven¡¯t touched games for a long time. You hadn¡¯t fully recovered yet and the instance time was coming around. How could I think about gaming?¡±


    Xu RenDong showed a look of reminiscence, with a smile on the corner of his mouth: ¡°I remember when I first met you, every time I watched you play an instance, you always seemed very excited. Everyone else was suffering but you seem to be really enjoying it. So much so that I often wonder if you are the big boss behind the scenes who is just hiding your identity.¡±


    Lian Qiao was helpless: ¡°Isn¡¯t it because I thought I hugged a thigh? You were so kind to me in the first instance and you even said that you were a Nine-Level Boss¡­ I thought I could follow behind you and got excited.¡± He angrily poked RenDong¡¯s soft little face, ¡°I don¡¯t know that you are a fake boss, not worthy of your name at all. You are obviously about to collapse, but you still grit your teeth and say that you are fine. Sigh! I really dare not think about what kind of hard life you lived before you met me.¡±


    RenDong: ¡°I haven¡¯t entered any instances before I met you but it¡¯s not so hard.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    His tenderness was blocked by the straight man RenDong¡¯s speech and suddenly he felt a mouthful of old blood choked in his throat, unable to swallow or spit it out. He couldn¡¯t help showing a helpless smile: ¡°You¡­¡±


    RenDong said: ¡°Fortunately, this is the last instance. When this instance is over, we will¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao blurted out: ¡°Go back to your hometown and get married?¡±


    As soon as he said it, he immediately realized that he had set a flag and shut up quickly.


    Old man Xu RenDong didn¡¯t get this and was slightly startled when he heard the words: ¡°¡­Married?¡±


    Lian Qiao felt that this topic could not be discussed any further and was about to change the subject, but saw RenDong frowning. He thought about it seriously and then said: ¡°It¡¯s not impossible to get married. We can apply for immigration and go to a country where gay marriage is legal to register. But as for the wedding¡­¡± He hesitated and said, ¡°Your parents are people with status. It may be difficult for us to have a formal marriage ceremony.¡±


    Lian Qiao was stunned. He subconsciously wanted to say that he didn¡¯t mean it, but seeing RenDong¡¯s serious expression, his heart suddenly felt soft and painful. He was speechless for a while then silently hugged RenDong into his arms. He sighed lowly: ¡°You, why do you make people¡¯s hearts ache so much?¡±


    RenDong was puzzled: ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who said you wanted to get married?¡±


    Lian Qiao chuckled: ¡°Okay, okay, let¡¯s get married. When you grow up, we¡¯ll get married.¡±


    RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    He looked down at his chubby little body and only then remembered that he was only four years old at this time. It is really inappropriate to say such things with the face of a child. Then he pushed Lian Qiao away with a blushing face and said angrily, ¡°Don¡¯t disturb me, I want to read a book!¡±


    Lian Qiao smiled, stopped bothering him, opened the e-book he had just read halfway and continued reading.


    This book was called ¡°Angela Carter¡¯s Strange Tales¡± and it tells about the ghost stories collected by the author from all over the world. It feels a bit like a collection of fairy tales similar to ¡°Arabian Nights¡± but the content was very bizarre, full of explosive and eye-popping plots.


    When Lian Qiao saw a story about rabbits, a strange feeling suddenly flashed in his mind.


    ¡ªBy the way, didn¡¯t RenDong just now say ¡°I haven¡¯t entered an instance before I met you¡±?


    That meant that the ¡°Matryoshka¡± was the instance copy he had encountered. But why¡­


    Lian Qiao thought back and found that his memory was a little fuzzy. He remembered¡­ RenDong¡¯s performance that time was very amazing and, within half an hour after entering the dungeon, he found all the buttons and elevators, so that when he declared that he was a big boss, no one doubted him.


    Although he confided the truth to Lian Qiao in the second copy of the Esophagus and said that his claim that he was a Nine-Level Boss was just for fooling others but¡­


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    Something flashed through his brain, setting his nerves on fire.


    ***


    The author has something to say:


    {MTL} Note: stick reading: stick reading, refers to: 1. When reading Chinese, there is no return to reading according to the rebate, but a direct reading method. 2. The dialogue in the play lacks emotional ups and downs, like reading aloud. {/MTL}

 CH 162

    Chapter 162 ¨C 1992-2020


    RenDong heard the muffled groan, turned around and saw Lian Qiao covering the back of his head in pain. He asked in surprise and worry: ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you have a headache?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Lian Qiao frowned and slowly adjusted his breathing.


    At that moment, he felt a weird feeling as if his scalp had been tugged on by someone. But now suddenly it¡¯s fine again.


    RenDong jumped off the small chair, went around behind him and touched his head: ¡°Where does it hurt? Here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it doesn¡¯t hurt anymore.¡± Lian Qiao said, ¡°It might be a migraine.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be a cold, right? You got diarrhea and caught a cold¡­¡± Although RenDong felt that Lian Qiao¡¯s physique was not weak, he still suggested asking the dean for some cold medicine.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s headache had completely healed but, at the insistence of RenDong, he still took some medicine.


    RenDong watched him finish taking the medicine and then raised his little hand to touch Lian Qiao¡¯s forehead, the worry in his eyes finally receded a little. Then he went back to the desk to read the primary school math book that he had been studying all night.


    Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t help laughing as he looked at the little back who was obsessed with studying.


    Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to break up?


    Why do you still spoil me so much?


    Three days later, RenDong was seven years old and entered elementary school. The surrounding scene also changed, from the orphanage to a whole block.


    Everyone was caught off guard by this sudden change. RenDong has already experienced it several times so he was naturally calm. To his surprise, Lian Qiao was also very calm, as if he had expected this.


    Since RenDong has mastered the weakness of ghosts ¡®being afraid of Buddhist scriptures¡¯, the survival rate of their teammates this time has been greatly improved. Currently, including Little Apple, Auntie Long-hair, and Scarface Man, there are a total of thirteen teammates. If the Beijing opera monk picked up from the unfinished building was included, there were fourteen people in total.


    According to the plan, everyone went to find a job separately to solve the problem of board and lodging.


    Since there were so many people, this time around the economic conditions were not as tight as last time. Little RenDong was finally able to concentrate on his studies, avoid being sent to a garbage school and being retaliated against by the problem girl when all her love turned to hate.


    Since RenDong was concentrating on studying, Lian Qiao co-operated with him, served him with delicious food and drinks every day, and escorted him to and from school.


    XX Primary School was rigorous in academics, had a good school spirit and occupied a stable and peaceful campus, which gave Xu RenDong the illusion that he is really studying in the real world.


    Although the homework in elementary school was simple, Xu RenDong still needed to do a year¡¯s worth of homework every day. So Lian Qiao mobilized the strength of his teammates to help with homework. Even so, the pressure on RenDong still hasn¡¯t eased ¨C if he wants to enter XX junior high school, he still has to take the junior entrance exam. No one in the examination room can help him and he still has to learn it all by himself.


    To be reasonable, although it is only a primary school test¡­ but, as a social animal who had graduated many years ago, Xu RenDong found it really tiring to do this kind of questions. Therefore, after homework every day, Xu RenDong has to preview the homework that will follow and even started preparing for the junior high school exam in the fourth grade.


    He was so busy with his studies that when Xu RenDong came back from elementary school every day, he had to study hard until late at night, only breaking for a simple meal. Seeing him study so hard, Lian Qiao finally understood why he would say ¡°don¡¯t fall in love early¡± in the elevator.


    He couldn¡¯t even finish memorization, so what kind of love affair can he have! A waste of time!


    So even though Lian Qiao was worried to death, he didn¡¯t dare to ask him about school affairs, for fear of delaying his study, just like an anxious single father.


    Xu RenDong sometimes wonders if Zhong Xiu hadn¡¯t abandoned him back then, would she have been like Lian Qiao? Clearly being worried to death and wanting to ask him what happened at school during the day, but afraid of affecting his study so having to hold back and not daring to open her mouth.


    ¡ªHowever, Xu RenDong thought too much.


    After all, Lian Qiao was his partner, not really his father. Lian Qiao¡¯s love for him was far beyond his imagination!


    After the junior high school exam, RenDong was promoted to XX Middle School with a good school spirit and unlocked a new neighborhood. At the same time, Lian Qiao managed to enter XX Middle School and became a janitor!


    On the first day of junior high school, thirteen-year-old Xu RenDong ‡å‡å looked at Lian Qiao, who was wearing his janitorial overalls, with fascination. Lian Qiao was quite satisfied with this outfit and said triumphantly: ¡°This way, I can go to school with you logically!¡±


    RenDong: ¡°No, you can¡¯t. You have to sweep the floor.¡±


    Indeed, the school recruited Lian Qiao not to be RenDong¡¯s full-time nanny. Instead, Lian Qiao was contracted to clean the entire teaching building and had to run up and down to clean it constantly.


    Only then did Lian Qiao realize how destructive junior high school brats are. He had just swept up the dust and garbage on the ground but, when class finished, all the brats came roaring out, trampling over his just cleaned floors with their iron hoofs, and all the garbage returned to its original place.


    And the trash can he just emptied, as long as there is a recess, the trash can will be refilled. If he doesn¡¯t show up to replace the trash bag in time, there will be food scraps and packaging bags scattered all over the side of the trash can.


    These bear kids are already difficult to deal with, and their rubbish school leaders (staff) are even more difficult to deal with. The principal was always idle and constantly ran out to inspect his work. When he saw a piece of waste paper or a pencil stub in the corridor, he would call Lian Qiao over to give him a lesson, regardless of whether the thing was something some annoying kid had just thrown out of a window three seconds ago.


    Lian Qiao was furious enough but the principal threatened to fire him, so Lian Qiao had to endure the humiliation in order to stay with RenDong.


    After bearing the burden of humiliation¡ªof course there would be pay offs.


    With the status of a janitor, Lian Qiao can freely enter and leave the school gate every day. So, during the lunch break, he went to the snack bar to buy the Xiaolongbao and small wontons that RenDong loves and delivered them to RenDong hot.


    Junior high school was far more stressful than elementary school. In order to get into a good high school, RenDong needs to spend more time studying. Therefore, even if it is a short lunch break, RenDong has to seize the time to memorize.


    The stairs leading to the school rooftop were originally blocked all year round, but Lian Qiao, the cleaner, held the key and could easily go up. Lian Qiao put RenDong on his lap and lay down to rest for a while. RenDong handed him the book in his hand and said, ¡°Help me recite this book.¡±


    Lian Qiao glanced at it, it was a Chinese text and it was on the page of ¡°The Story of Peach Blossom Spring¡±. RenDong closed his eyes and quickly recited in a low voice: ¡°I was shocked when I saw the fisherman, and asked where I came from. If I answered it, I would return home¡­ um¡­ return home¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao laughed: ¡°Return home and then?¡±


    RenDong got the reminder, and immediately recalled: ¡°Well¡­ I have to return home, set up wine and kill chickens for food. I heard about this person in the village, so I came to ask. During the chaos of Qin Dynasty, he led his wife, Yiren, to this desperate situation, and did not come out again, so he separated himself from outsiders¡­errr¡­¡±


    At this point, he got stuck again.


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°People in Peach Blossom Spring are isolated from the outside world, and they don¡¯t know what day and night are. It¡¯s rare to see an outsider, so what would they ask them?¡±


    RenDong suddenly realized: ¡°Ask the year!¡± Then he recited it smoothly.


    After stumbling through the recitation, RenDong held the book again and read ¡°The Story of Peach Blossom Spring¡± several times. Then he sighed: ¡°Oh, I¡¯m getting older and my memory is not as good as that of a child. I can¡¯t even memorize such a short article¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao stroked his hair and said softly, ¡°You have only read it a few times and you can basically remember it. Memorizing at this level is actually pretty good. What¡¯s more, you have to memorize the entire junior high school ancient prose syllabus in one breath, which is very difficult for anyone to do.¡±


    ¡°But I must do it.¡±


    A trace of exhaustion flashed in RenDong¡¯s eyes but, forcibly pulling himself together, he lifted the book up again.


    Lian Qiao pressed his book back down: ¡°You¡¯re tired, take a break. It¡¯s not efficient to memorize like this.¡± Then, he raised his hand to cover RenDong¡¯s eyes, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a massage, you close your eyes.¡±


    RenDong heard the words and closed his eyes. He felt that Lian Qiao¡¯s palm was warm and it was very comfortable when covering his eyes.


    Lian Qiao shielded him from the midday sun with one hand and massaged his acupuncture points on his head with the other. In fact, Lian Qiao didn¡¯t learn this specifically but he watched it a few times when his parents went to the old Chinese doctor they knew for a massage.


    Clearly, the technique of stealing has paid off. Little RenDong¡¯s tense body softened obviously, and his breathing rate also slowed down.


    Lian Qiao looked down at the relaxed little RenDong and couldn¡¯t help sighing: ¡°Why are you so obsessed with studying?¡±


    RenDong was about to fall asleep and, after hearing this, he replied in a daze: ¡°I want to get into my Alma mater and study finance. Then I will be able to make money¡­ to support you¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao laughed dumbly, and the movements of his hands became softer: ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you can¡¯t fall in love early?¡±


    Little RenDong turned over. Perhaps because he smelled a familiar smell, he buried his face in Lian Qiao¡¯s clothes. He said vaguely: ¡°When you go to college, it¡¯s not considered early love¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao took off his coat, covered him and then gently hooked the back of his neck to prevent him from slipping off his legs.


    This posture is a bit strenuous for Lian Qiao and he would get a backache easily. But Lian Qiao was happy with it.


    He looked at the sky and saw that the sky was clear and blue. The sun shone on his face lazily, making him sleepy too.


    However, the lunch break was only half an hour after all. Soon, RenDong woke up from his deep sleep, rubbed his eyes and needed to go back to the classroom again.


    Lian Qiao packed himself up and went to work as his cleaner.


    After all, he is smart. After working on this job for two days, he has already summed up the routine, figured out the time rule for the bear child to spoil the fruits of his labor, and the inspection route led by the principal.


    Therefore, at this moment, even though this school leader just about lay on the ground with a magnifying glass, but actually couldn¡¯t find a speck of dust.


    The leader snorted, got up from the floor tiles and took out a banknote.


    Lian Qiao: ¡°!¡± There are bonuses!


    He happily took the banknotes and was about to thank the principal but saw the principal pushed his glasses and ordered in an official voice: ¡°Go, buy me a pack of cigarettes.¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°¡­¡± This bastard school principal is a bastard after all. Wasn¡¯t smoking forbidden in the school!


    Lian Qiao accepted the task honestly and scolded the dog leader ten thousand times in his heart.


    There was no canteen in the school, but the proprietress of the stationery store was related to the principal, so the back door was open so that students could come to buy snacks at any time. Lian Qiao came in through the back of the stationery store but was told that the kind of cigarettes the leader wanted were out of stock.


    He had no choice but to walk out of the school gate.


    The proprietress said that there is a tobacco shop in the alley opposite the OO Middle School next door, and there might be some there. So Lian Qiao went to the next block with the cash, and, sure enough, he found the shop deep in the alley.


    When he bought cigarettes and planned to go back to school, he suddenly heard a burst of wanton laughter.


    It sounds like a very young girl. The laughter was mixed with unbearable insults such as ¡°bitch¡± and ¡°slut¡±. Lian Qiao was excited for a while, wondering if he bumped into a hidden mission?


    He quietly approached and found that it was a group of girls in heavy make-up and strange clothes, beating an innocent girl in school uniform.


    Huh? School bullying?


    According to the routine, if he saves that pure little white flower at this moment, some special plot should be triggered. Lian Qiao was gearing up for a moment and stepped forward excitedly like a fly rubbing his hands.


    Just as he was about to yell, he suddenly noticed that the girl who spoke the loudest was wearing a red skirt.


    A severe burning pain like electricity suddenly came from the depths of the brain!


    ¡°Oh!¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao exhaled in pain and squatted down covering the back of his head.


    ¡­


    It was unknown how long time had passed.


    Lian Qiao opened his eyes in a daze, feeling stickiness \on his eyelids. He subconsciously stretched out his hand and felt that his hand was bright red.


    ¡­¡­Blood?


    Lian Qiao licked the sticky and smelly liquid and frowned in disgust.


    Deep in the brain there is a dull pain like burning. He rubbed the back of his head and, after seeing the scene around him clearly, he froze for an instant.


    Corpses¡ªlots of¡ªcorpses!


    In the depths of the alley, corpses lay in a mess. Looking at their attire, it was exactly the bad girls he had just seen. The innocent girl in the school uniform was also among them.


    It¡¯s just that at this moment, whether it¡¯s makeup or no makeup, all the faces are pale. Blood and scars became the only shocking decorations on their faces. The same is true of the bodies, which had countless stab wounds, and the bones can even be seen. The person who did it must have a deep hatred for them, otherwise how could they have dealt such a heavy hand?


    There was a thick and pungent smell of blood in the air. Lian Qiao subconsciously covered his mouth and backed away, accidentally stepped on a pool of blood then slipped and fell.


    He was terrified and frantically got up from the pool of blood, but suddenly found that he was holding a knife in his hand!


    The watermelon knife!


    Lian Qiao stared blankly at the blood-stained watermelon knife. The edge of the blade has been cut over and over, and it seemed that it has been repeatedly chopped on something hard with great force.


    Very hard¡­like bones¡­


    Clang. The watermelon knife fell to the ground.


    Lian Qiao looked at his blood-red hands trembling, trying to think desperately, but he still couldn¡¯t remember what happened just now.


    Did I kill someone? Did I kill them¡­


    Why¡­what happened¡­even if they provoked me, I shouldn¡¯t have killed them all on the spot, and it was still so cruel, almost like venting anger¡­


    Why I can¡¯t remember at all?


    Lian Qiao covered his face in pain. The sticky and cold blood on his palm stained his face, and he was so suffocated by the smell that he wanted to cry.


    His chest felt hot.


    He fumbled towards his neck in a daze, and hanging along the red rope, he drew out a brass key.

 CH 163

    Chapter 163 ¨C 1992-2020


    On this day, unlike normally, Lian Qiao didn¡¯t come to pick up Xu RenDong up after class.


    Xu RenDong went back to the house to see that the others hadn¡¯t come back yet, but the door was unlocked. He went straight to Lian Qiao and his room on the second floor, opened the door and went in. He saw Lian Qiao lying on the bed.


    ¡°Hu¡­¡± RenDong heaved a sigh of relief, threw his schoolbag on the chair and walked towards Lian Qiao. As he did so, he asked: ¡°What did you do in the afternoon, why didn¡¯t you wait for me after school?¡±


    But when he walked to the bed, he found that Lian Qiao was not quite right. There were two abnormal flushes on his face, his lips fluttered slightly and his breathing was short of breath. RenDong stretched out his hand to touch it and found that his forehead was extremely hot, so he hurriedly found a thermometer and stuffed it into Lian Qiao mouth. Then he went to get  antipyretics.


    When he got towels and medicine, the thermometer reached the requisite time. He took it out and looked: forty degrees!


    ¡°Lian Qiao? Lian Qiao?¡± He tried to push Lian Qiao but Lian Qiao didn¡¯t respond at all.


    RenDong panicked at the moment. With Lian Qiao¡¯s physique, it¡¯s impossible for him to get sick for no reason and his fever is so high, he must have encountered something. He bit his lip and forced himself to calm down. First he squeezed a cool towel to cover Lian Qiao¡¯s forehead and then took out the antipyretic medicine.


    ¡°Lian Qiao, take the medicine, come on, and open your mouth.¡± Xu RenDong was only thirteen or fourteen years old at the time and it was very strenuous to help Lian Qiao, an 1.85 meter adult.


    But Lian Qiao had fainted from the fever, his whole body was limp and he didn¡¯t respond at all. Xu RenDong simply let Lian Qiao lean in his arms, then stretched out his hand to open Lian Qiao¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Lian Qiao, wake up, you¡¯ll be fine after taking the medicine¡­¡± He tried to feed him the medicine but it didn¡¯t work at all. Although the pill was stuffed inside, Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t swallow it at all.


    Even if water was poured into Lian Qiao¡¯s mouth, the water just overflowed from the corner of his mouth. He couldn¡¯t swallow it at all!


    What to do?!


    The person in his arms lay like a volcanic rock. Xu RenDong gritted his teeth and picked him up from the bed.


    ¡°Lian Qiao, wake up, I¡¯ll take you to the hospital¡ªuh!¡±


    As soon as Xu RenDong carried him to the edge of the bed, Lian Qiao fell forward heavily. RenDong was afraid that he would fall, so he hurriedly stood in front of him. Unexpectedly, the size gap between the two was too big and Lian Qiao directly crushed him.


    ¡°Wu¡­¡± Xu RenDong was pressed under him, unable to move.


    This body is too small to exert strength at all. Xu RenDong struggled desperately but Lian Qiao, who was unconscious, was as heavy as a mountain, pressing firmly on his chest, making it difficult for him to even breathe.


    ¡°Lian¡­ Qiao¡­¡± The thin arm tried to push him away but, no matter how hard he pushed, Lian Qiao didn¡¯t move.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart was beating wildly, his eyes turned black. He has never hated himself for being so thin and small. Could it be that he is going to die here?


    At this time, footsteps suddenly sounded in the corridor. Xu RenDong looked towards the door asking for help and met Little Apple¡¯s surprised eyes.


    ¡°Why is the door of your room open¡­huh?¡± Little Apple¡¯s expression changed when she saw the scene in the room clearly.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± She rushed over, overturned Lian Qiao and quickly helped Xu RenDong up, ¡°Are you okay?!¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s face was purple, but he didn¡¯t care about breathing. He turned to pull Lian Qiao and said to Little Apple: ¡°Help me get him to the bed!¡±


    Little Apple did so.


    Lian Qiao was the type who looks thin in clothes and fleshy without. He usually looks tall and thin, but you really have to try to lift him to know how this person is a dead weight. One big and one small managed to move Lian Qiao back to the bed and by then they were already panting and sweating profusely.


    Little Apple asked: ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    RenDong: ¡°I don¡¯t know, he has a high fever. I want to take him to the hospital.¡±


    ¡°Hospital?¡± Little Apple asked in surprise, ¡°Is there a hospital here?¡±


    Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t explain. Just as he was about to go downstairs to call 120, he heard the person on the bed make a soft noise.


    This sound was like a call, Xu RenDong immediately turned around and rushed back to the bed.


    ¡°Lian Qiao? Are you awake? Can you hear me?¡± He worriedly touched Lian Qiao¡¯s face but saw that Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes were still closed. Under the eyelids, the eyeballs trembled, as if he was stuck in a nightmare and couldn¡¯t wake up.


    ¡°Ren¡­ Dong¡­¡± Although Lian Qiao was unconscious, he squeezed out these two words from the back of his throat.


    Xu RenDong felt a pain in his heart, grabbed his hand and said: ¡°I¡¯m here. I¡¯m here. What¡¯s wrong with you? Tell me, and I¡¯ll take you to the hospital right away.¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s lips moved, and his breath was as thin as silk: ¡°For me¡­for me¡­¡±


    RenDong put his ear to his lips and heard a few intermittent words.


    ¡°Live¡­for me¡­¡±


    Live¡­ for me?!


    The familiar sentence made Xu RenDong feel like he had fallen into an ice cave within an instant.


    Before he could think about it, a few more footsteps sounded in the corridor.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    The monk and the long-haired auntie came back. Seeing Lian Qiao¡¯s half-dead appearance, they were taken aback.


    Little Apple explained: ¡°He has a fever and is talking nonsense. Do you know what he did in the afternoon? Why did he suddenly develop a fever?¡± Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads.


    The long-haired auntie reached out and touched Lian Qiao¡¯s forehead, and said in surprise: ¡°The fever is so severe! Have you given him antipyretic medicine?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t feed it.¡± Xu RenDong turned to look at the crowd, ¡°He has to go to the hospital! Hurry up and help, I¡¯ll call 120!¡±


    ¡°Hospital?¡± Everyone was surprised again. This is no wonder because, after all, there was no hospital in this block.


    Xu RenDong gritted his teeth and decided to call himself. Just as he was about to get up, his arms suddenly sank. It was Lian Qiao who held him firmly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go¡­don¡¯t leave me¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao was unconscious from the fever, his face was flushed and his voice was choked. Xu RenDong¡¯s heart was soft and aching, so he had to sit back again, hold his hand and coax him: ¡°I won¡¯t go, don¡¯t be afraid, I won¡¯t go. I¡¯ll stay here with you. Lian Qiao, open your eyes and look at me. ¡°


    Lian Qiao was still unconscious, just holding his arm and crying.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart was broken by his crying and he didn¡¯t know what to do. The long-haired aunt behind suddenly said: ¡°He still has to take medicine.¡±


    RenDong frowned and said, ¡°But he¡­¡±


    The long-haired auntie: ¡°Give it to him that way. Like a fever suppository.¡±


    RenDong was stunned. Not everyone understood.


    The long-haired auntie seemed to be a different person at this time. She resolutely pushed back the crowd and closed the door with her backhand. Then she opened another antipyretic and said to Xu RenDong, ¡°Take off his pants.¡±


    Xu RenDong finally understood and hurriedly stopped her: ¡°Okay, I got it. I¡¯ll get it! Auntie, you can go out too!¡±


    Auntie Long-Hair didn¡¯t insist, she quickly withdrew after teaching him how to stuff the medicine.


    Xu RenDong carefully stuffed him with medicine. Lian Qiao probably felt uncomfortable, kicking his legs desperately, as if trying to kick something out. At the same time, he covered himself with his hands.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move, I¡¯ll put on your pants.¡± Xu RenDong coaxed him softly, while pressing his legs, he put on the pants with difficulty.


    After doing all this with great difficulty, RenDong was so tired that he was out of breath.


    Children¡¯s physical fitness was really poor and the difference in size really can¡¯t be achieved by relying on great strength. With his small body, let alone holding down Lian Qiao¡¯s legs, he was almost kicked out by him several times.


    Fortunately, after putting on the pants, Lian Qiao behaved better.


    It seems that even if he loses consciousness, he knows to cover his pants to keep his innocence. RenDong couldn¡¯t help laughing.


    He reopened the door to let everyone in. Everyone discussed and said that they were looking for clues separately in the afternoon. They didn¡¯t know when Lian Qiao came back, let alone what he had experienced.


    RenDong still hoped to go to the hospital but, as soon as he got up, Lian Qiao began to cry, holding his arm and saying ¡®don¡¯t leave me¡¯. Even if others wanted to help him, they couldn¡¯t.


    RenDong really couldn¡¯t bear to push him away. Auntie Long-Hair said: ¡°Anyway, the medicine is stuffed in so let¡¯s just observe first.¡±


    So RenDong stayed by the bed all night.


    In the evening, Auntie Long Hair, Little Apple, the Monk and the others came to accompany him in turn, brought him something to eat, and checked on Lian Qiao¡¯s situation. Lian Qiao still didn¡¯t wake up, his cheeks were flushed with fever,and he was talking nonsense in a daze.


    However, he never said the bastard words ¡°live for me¡± again, at most he was crying and acting like a baby.


    Xu RenDong was sitting at the desk doing homework but his mind was all on Lian Qiao and turned around practically every five minutes to see if he was awake. There was no time to do homework, let alone review and preview. But the college entrance examination was coming so he must work hard.


    The tormenting night passed. The homework was finally finished at five o¡¯clock in the morning, but Lian Qiao hadn¡¯t woken up yet.


    At dawn, RenDong changed his body. Auntie Long-hair got sick leave from the school and stayed by Lian Qiao¡¯s bedside.


    But Lian Qiao still didn¡¯t wake up.


    Just when Xu RenDong was going crazy with anxiety, on the eve of the college entrance examination, at two o¡¯clock in the morning, Lian Qiao finally made a movement.


    ¡°Water¡­¡±


    RenDong almost jumped off the chair and rushed to the bed: ¡°Lian Qiao! You finally woke up¡ªthe water is here, you sit up, and I will feed you!¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes were still closed but he was already able to cooperate with movements and sat up slowly by himself.


    RenDong touched his sweaty back, and finally heaved a sigh of relief.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s lips were dry and, as soon as he touched the rim of the glass, he instinctively hugged the water glass and drank it. Afraid that he would choke, RenDong pressed down the water glass slightly, and said softly: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, drink slowly and be careful of choking.¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s mouth was indeed ¡®blessed¡¯. As soon as he was reminded, Lian Qiao really choked and coughed non-stop.


    RenDong hurriedly patted him on the back. Lian Qiao coughed for a while and regained his strength. Opening his eyes in a daze, his gaze finally fell on RenDong in front of him.


    ¡°Ren¡­ Dong?¡± He called out in confusion, questioningly.


    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Xu RenDong thought to himself, he has grown a few years and his appearance has changed a lot, no wonder he looks strange. He held his hand and asked softly, ¡°How do you feel now?¡±


    Lian Qiao stared at him and, for some reason, his eyes suddenly turned red.


    RenDong thought that he was suffering physically and was feeling wronged, so tried to coax him, but then was dragged into his arms without realizing it. Before he could react, his lips felt hot.


    RenDong opened his eyes wide and subconsciously wanted to push him away, but immediately thought: I¡¯m already seventeen years old, it¡¯s okay.


    As soon as he acquiesced, Lian Qiao went further. It was a kiss so hot that both of them felt suffocated. Lian Qiao kissed him deeply like the rest of his life, breathing heavily, pressing the back of his head to deepen the kiss. RenDong only felt that the depths of his soul had been pushed by him and couldn¡¯t help but feel his heart tremble and his whole body was soft in his arms.


    After an unknown amount of time, this kiss, which was so fanatical that it could be called predatory, finally came to an end. RenDong leaned against his chest and couldn¡¯t stop panting, but Lian Qiao didn¡¯t let him go, kissing his forehead and the top of his hair continuously with gentle kisses that were almost trembling. It seemed that he would lose him in the next second.


    Lian Qiao had just recovered from his fever, but there was still heat left in his body. RenDong was so hot that he had to push him away, blushing and angrily said: ¡°Have you kissed enough? Are you not hungry after sleeping for three days? All you can think about is kissing me?¡±


    Lian Qiao laughed suddenly, bit his earlobe and said with a low smile: ¡°Yes.¡±


    RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± Why does he feel that he has dug a hole for himself.


    RenDong showed him his proud self-control on the spot, firmly pushed Lian Qiao away, got up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll make you hot porridge.¡±


    Lian Qiao hooked his fingers reluctantly and said softly: ¡± I don¡¯t want porridge. I want you.¡±


    RenDong: ¡°Don¡¯t make trouble.¡± After finishing speaking, he left him cruelly and went downstairs to heat the porridge.


    After RenDong left, the smile on Lian Qiao¡¯s face slowly disappeared. He touched his face in a daze and his eyes darkened.

 CH 164

    Chapter 164 ¨C 1992-2020


    When Xu RenDong came downstairs, everyone knew that Lian Qiao had woken up and they all came to visit him. Seeing that he was in a good state of mind, they asked him what happened that day.


    Lian Qiao held the porridge bowl and didn¡¯t speak.


    Little Apple said empathetically, ¡°Is it inconvenient to say?¡±


    Lian Qiao nodded.


    Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay. Scarface was not very happy and said: ¡°What¡¯s there to hide? What happened to you? Is it a human or a ghost? Tell everyone! What if there are clues?¡±


    Little Apple frowned, thinking: why is this scarred man so KY? Just as she was about to speak, Xu RenDong said coldly: ¡°Even if there are clues, calm down. Of course he has his reasons for not wanting to say it.¡±


    Then he got up to see off the guest and said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯m thanking everyone on his behalf. Please go back.¡±


    Everyone had no choice but to leave.


    Little Apple has no intention of being a light bulb but she still felt a little uneasy. Standing at the door, she hesitated and said, ¡°If you need my help, just ask.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Facing Little Apple, RenDong¡¯s tone softened. He thanked her sincerely, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    After Little Apple left, RenDong locked the door, turned to Lian Qiao and said, ¡°You eat first, and I will read a book.¡±


    Lian Qiao was a little surprised: ¡°Don¡¯t you want to ask me what happened that day?¡±


    RenDong smiled: ¡°If it¡¯s necessary, you will tell me.¡± He opened the book and said lightly, ¡°Your life is more important than anything else. I will study my textbook now.¡±


    Lian Qiao looked at his back, his expression was a little dazed.


    At this time, Xu RenDong was about seventeen or eighteen years old and he had already grown very tall. Looking from here, his back looked very thin and straight, like a new branch in early summer, with a little tenderness in it and was in the most beautiful years of his life.


    The lines of his side face are soft, the childishness of a boy is not lost, but there is a calm temperament of an adult in his eyebrows and eyes.


    So beautiful.


    Lian Qiao looked at him and couldn¡¯t help being crazy.


    Suddenly, the eyes became hot. Lian Qiao stretched out his hand to wipe it but the back of his hand was wet.


    He wept.


    In fact, when he passed out with a high fever, his eyes were already swollen from crying. Lian Qiao rubbed his sore and swollen eyes, pulled the corners of his mouth and smiled.


    The meaning of that smile was unknown, as if it were mixed with thousands of emotions that couldn¡¯t be said.


    The next day.


    No matter how hard Xu RenDong worked, the college entrance examination is a college entrance examination after all. The syllabus for the three-year high school exam was not something he could memorize in three nights. What¡¯s more, during these three days, he was often distracted because he was looking after Lian Qiao. The review process was delayed again and again and he was unable to review the entire syllabus by the time he entered the examination room.


    Fortunately because he still had some background knowledge from his real life, the final results of the college entrance examination were not too bad. Although it is far from the standard of his alma mater, it is still much higher than average.


    Just after Xu RenDong finished the exam, the rankings were immediately announced. In the afternoon, the postman delivered the admission notice.


    The moment the notice was handed in, the scene had already changed to a university campus¡ªthe instance changed so rapidly that everyone almost didn¡¯t even have time to change clothes.


    The new scene this time is an entire university campus. It covers a very large area. There are seven or eight teaching buildings alone, as well as libraries, cafeterias, university student activity centers, education supermarkets and even a mountain in the back, which sounded  dangerous upon hearing.


    A dozen or so players opened their eyes, stunned by the grand scene.


    It was about three o¡¯clock in the afternoon, which happened to be the time of getting out of class. The college students walked towards the dormitory building in groups of twos and threes with their books in their arms. The laughter was full of youthful atmosphere, which made this group of players with an average age of 30 feel ashamed. They only felt that they were old uncles and aunts, so they couldn¡¯t help but hide on the side of the road, so as not to arouse the suspicion of the college students.


    Humans are weird. When facing elementary school students and junior high school students, they can calmly regard themselves as an elder; but when facing college students who are only seven or eight years younger than them, they strongly felt that they were old.


    At this time Xu RenDong was eighteen years old. Compared with yesterday, his facial features were a little longer.


    Standing in the shade of the camphor tree, he opened the acceptance letter sent by the courier to confirm the location of his dormitory.


    He was so good-looking that, just standing with his head bowed like that, he attracted all the sideways glances of passing girls. His eyebrows are like distant mountains, his eyes are like waves in autumn water. His concentration was so charming ¨C as though just through concentrating on other things, it would make people jealous and unable to help shouting in their hearts: Look at me, just look at me.


    However, he was unaware of this and was still doing his own thing, immersed in his own world.


    Like a priest sitting alone among rose bushes with a Bible in his hand, the world is nothing but sacredness, nothing can enter his eyes and no evil can get close to him.


    Lian Qiao stared at him and a strange color gradually appeared in his eyes.


    ¡°RenDong.¡± He suddenly called out.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Xu RenDong raised his eyes, his black and white eyes looked over, like cold stars, like jewels, like white mercury within which there were two pills of black mercury.


    Lian Qiao was throbbing just being looked at by those eyes: ¡°¡­it¡¯s nothing. I just wanted to call you.¡±


    RenDong was not annoyed and instead smiled slightly, lowered his head and continued to look through his admission notice.


    The people on the side were still observing the surrounding environment and they hadn¡¯t noticed the secret feelings between the two. Only Little Apple, whose eyes fell on Lian Qiao, seemed to have a wry smile in his eyes.


    ¡°I found it. My dormitory is in¡­ Building No. 2.¡± RenDong found an access control card from the courier bag, ¡°The dormitory number is 602 and it says to go to the dormitory management station to find the auntie to get the key.¡±


    Everyone spontaneously and consciously stopped students to ask for directions and find the location of Building No. 2. A group of people went to the dormitory in a mighty manner, just as though they were an entire village escorting the ¡®hope of the village¡¯ to attend school.


    Lian Qiao observed this and a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth. Sure enough, everyone was stopped at the gate of the dormitory management station.


    ¡°You guys, what are you doing here?¡± The dormitory auntie raised her eyebrows, her expression unkind.


    Everyone explained that they were sending a student to school and the auntie of the dormitory looked suspiciously at everyone: ¡°Only one parent is allowed to enter the dormitory when sending new students to school. Who is his parent?¡±


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡± Although everyone is no longer young, if anyone was old enough to pretend to be Xu RenDong¡¯s parents, they weren¡¯t willing to admit it.


    At this time, Lian Qiao stepped forward without hesitation.


    ¡°His parents are busy.¡± Lian Qiao spoke to this aunt in an obedient and sweet manner. ¡°I am his brother and I will send him up. The others will not go in, just wait here. Auntie, do you think that¡¯s okay?¡±


    Lian Qiao had a baby face and his clear doe eyes blinked. He immediately won the favor of the dormitory aunt. The auntie stepped aside and let him go. As for the rest of them, they could only stand at the gate of the dormitory management station and look at each other, smiling wryly.


    The dormitory was on the sixth floor. There is no elevator and it was a bit tiring to climb up. The two pushed open the door and saw that there were upper and lower beds inside. All four beds are still vacant, and none of the roommates have arrived.


    Lian Qiao clicked his tongue: ¡°If I knew it earlier, I would have said I was your roommate.¡±


    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± RenDong smiled, and shook the accommodation card in front of him, ¡°This has my identity information on it. Since I have this, that means your identity needs to be authenticated to enter the dormitory building, so how could it be possible for you to come in so  casually? What¡¯s more, even if you sneak in, if you don¡¯t leave at the stipulated time, the death condition may be triggered.¡±


    Lian Qiao shrugged, looking indifferent. ¡°Whatever, I¡¯ve already come in anyway.¡± He glanced at the stairs and saw that no one was passing by, so he kicked the door shut with his foot and then opened his arms towards RenDong.


    ¡°Hug me.¡± He said coquettishly.


    Xu RenDong came over and hugged him.


    Lian Qiao rested his head on his shoulder and rubbed the tip of his nose against his nose. His eye circles were quietly red again.


    ¡°I missed you so much.¡± There was a nasal sound in the words.


    Xu RenDong was taken aback for a moment and quickly realized that he was probably talking about the three days he spent in a coma. Not seeing him every day was like three seasons had passed. He wrapped her arms around him and said softly, ¡°I miss you too.¡±


    Lian Qiao sighed softly. Then he smiled and took a deep breath.


    ¡°You¡¯ve finally grown up.¡± He sniffed the warm breath on RenDong¡¯s neck and his eyes brightened, ¡°Can we do some adult things?¡±


    Xu RenDong blushed and whispered: ¡°Don¡¯t do it here, someone will come.¡±


    Lian Qiao locked the door behind his back: ¡°This way there will be no interruptions.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± RenDong turned his face away and the slightly red ears were completely exposed to Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes, ignorantly hooking people. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­they are still waiting outside¡­¡±


    ¡°Let them wait.¡± Lian Qiao stroked his earlobe fascinatedly, and kissed him lightly, ¡°We need time to manage, our, personal, affairs.¡±


    ¡­


    The dormitory downstairs.


    The weather in early autumn was still very hot and the sun shone through the gaps in the leaves, soon making everyone sweat profusely.


    The man with the scar gritted his teeth: ¡°What are they doing upstairs? Why don¡¯t they come down?¡±


    Little Apple said: ¡°Maybe they are exploring a new area.¡±


    Everyone said: ¡°Then let¡¯s explore too.¡±


    ¡°Yes, this scene It¡¯s so big, maybe the elevator is here, so we have to look for it!¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, we don¡¯t have a clue where the button is even now¡­¡±


    Darkness was far away and the sun was shining, ghosts wouldn¡¯t dare come out and hurt people. So everyone teamed up in groups of two and explored the campus separately.


    Little Apple was in a group with the Monk and was assigned to the library. The Monk has a straightforward personality and his words are always confronting. In the entire team, only Little Apple had a decent relationship with him. So the two were assigned together without hesitation.


    However, just after the two turned away, the long-haired aunt quietly winked at everyone. Everyone understood one after another and, after confirming that the other two people were not looking, they followed Auntie Long-Hair calmly.


    Ten minutes later, everyone arrived at the gymnasium opposite the library. After entering, they  realized that there were huge crowds of people. It turned out that today is the first day of school, and the freshmen have to come to collect books and bedding.


    Fortunately, there were many people coming and going at this moment and many of them were parents of students, so this group of older people who were obviously not students did not attract attention, and smoothly entered the depths of the gymnasium.


    Everyone found an empty room to enter, locked the door cautiously and sat down in a circle.


    ¡°Come on, what do you want us to discuss?¡± The man with the scar took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it with a click.


    The long-haired aunt said kindly: ¡°Smoking is prohibited in the gymnasium, so stop smoking. It will be troublesome if the smoke detector is triggered.¡±


    The man with the scar gave her a displeased look, but it was undeniable that she had a point so reluctantly spit out the cigarette and stuffed the lighter back into his pocket.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll just say it straight.¡± Aunt Long-Hair smiled slightly and turned to look at the crowd, ¡°I invite everyone to come here today to discuss the most important issue, that is¡ª on the day of 2020, should we do anything? ¡°


    Everyone was silent for a while and no one spoke.


    Auntie Long-Hair said: ¡°Everyone is not a novice anymore. This dungeon is called 1992-2020, which corresponds to the key player Xu RenDong. There is no doubt about that. The problem is, Xu RenDong is growing up day by day. What will happen? Will the elevator and the button appear out of nowhere?¡± She smiled wryly and shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t think something this good will happen, do you?¡±


    ¡°Okay, stop beating around the bush.¡± Scarface had a bad temper and interrupted her impatiently. ¡°We can all think of this. You just want to kill him, don¡¯t you?¡±


    The long-haired aunt stared at him and her usually gentle eyes suddenly became sharp at this moment.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± She said slowly, ¡°I want to clarify one thing. It¡¯s not ¡®I¡¯ who wants to kill him, but ¡®we¡¯ have to kill him in order to escape.¡±


    Someone interjected: ¡°Why do we have to kill him? Does this instance have some sort of enmity with him, why is he always being attacked?¡±


    Another person said: ¡°I¡¯ve thought about this too. The direction of the dungeon is too obvious this time so maybe it¡¯s a trap instead. What if we guessed wrong?¡±


    After all, the old players are not as brainless as the newcomers and they also have a certain understanding of the fickle nature of the instances. Everyone was discussing and they all had their own ideas about the instance clearance conditions. The long-haired aunt coughed lightly, lowered her eyes and said, ¡°Anyway, he is the key player after all. The key players have some special clues in their hands but he definitely won¡¯t take the initiative to say it. In short, killing the key player, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.¡±


    As soon as she said this, those who understood immediately understood.


    Killing a key player in the dungeon can imprison the opponent¡¯s soul and obtain a sacrificial doll. Even if Xu RenDong didn¡¯t spawn the elevator and buttons after his death, at least one puppet would drop.


    The preciousness of dolls was self-evident. The old players who knew the existence of the puppets lowered their eyes tacitly, for fear that others would see through their minds.


    As for those unaware players, they interpreted the so-called ¡°advantages outweigh the disadvantages¡± as extorting a confession from Xu RenDong by torture and asking him to say the special clues he knew.


    Auntie Long-hair said this very skillfully, not only did she not reveal the existence of the doll, but also confused everyone.


    Everyone lowered their heads, lost in thought.


    Although they were strangers to Xu RenDong, they had, after all, watched him grow up these days. Seeing that he has grown from a baby in their arms to a young and upright man and then thinking about killing him¡­. Obviously they all had some concerns in their hearts.


    But¡ªa stranger is a stranger after all. No matter how fond you are of strangers, it is not as important as your own life.


    The instance reminder was very clear, Xu RenDong¡¯s life will come to an abrupt end at the age of 28. This is the request of the instance and they don¡¯t want to contradict it.


    It wasn¡¯t that they aimed at Xu RenDong, it was Xu RenDong¡¯s bad luck. Who made him the key player?


    As a result, everyone quickly voted in favor of Auntie Long-Hair¡¯s proposal.


    ¡°However, can we really kill him?¡± Someone said, ¡°Not to mention Lian Qiao, Xu RenDong himself is also a big boss who has passed through several levels. It is difficult for just the few of us to take them on.¡±


    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s also the Monk and Little Apple. They have a good relationship with them, so they  probably wouldn¡¯t agree¡­¡±


    Aunt Long-Hair laughed and said, ¡°That¡¯s why I called everyone together today. We can¡­¡±


    Everyone couldn¡¯t help it. They leaned over and listened to Auntie Long-hair¡¯s plan.


    On the other side, the library.


    ¡°This Little Apple, why has she been gone for so long¡­.¡± The monk sat on the steps in front of the library with a piece of roasted wheat in his mouth.


    His shiny bald head caught the attention of all the college students. Everyone who walked past him couldn¡¯t help but look at him once more. The monk stopped one person with a smile, and asked: ¡°Hey, classmate, how can I get to the gymnasium?


    The student pointed out the direction and said, ¡°What do you need to go to the gymnasium for?¡±


    ¡°Books and bedding.¡± The monk put his hands together, his expression slightly embarrassed, ¡°Amitabha, the poor monk just remembered that we monks don¡¯t tell lies but sometimes the female benefactor would. She said there¡¯s ¡®no need¡¯ but now that I think about it, maybe she didn¡¯t really mean that.. I¡¯ve sinned, I¡¯ve sinned, Amitabha.¡±


    Student: ¡°¡­¡± So did you really let that female benefactor go to carry books and bedding alone?


    You are such a straight man.

 CH 165

    Chapter 165 ¨C 1992-2020


    It¡¯s unknown if it was because he had held it in for too long but today Lian Qiao was extremely ruthless, forcing RenDong to beg him to finish with red eyes before he let RenDong go.


    His roommates had already knocked on the door for a long time. RenDong hurriedly put on his clothes but his body was still so soft that he had no strength at all. Lian Qiao dressed quickly and went to open the door in a dignified manner. He was not shy at all, talking and laughing with everyone in a familiar tone like a normal person, so that everyone thought he was their new roommate.


    RenDong huddled in the corner, like a little wife who had been taken advantage of, biting the quilt and daring not to speak.


    It soon got late so the three roommates finished packing their luggage and asked RenDong if they wanted to go to the cafeteria for dinner together.


    RenDong hadn¡¯t had time to clean it up yet. His body was sticky and uncomfortable and he couldn¡¯t help showing embarrassment. Lian Qiao immediately continued: ¡°He is not in good health. I¡¯ll go buy food for him as I¡¯m leaving anyway. Please help me bring the food to him later, okay?¡±


    The three roommates nodded kindly and accepted that Xu RenDong was a weak and beautiful boy¡ªafter all, he huddled under the quilt from the beginning until now and it was his brother who sent him to school and helped pack his luggage. If not being frail and sick, what else could it be?


    Not only weak, but also delicate. Fortunately his brother was an interesting person and he has become buddies with everyone within a short time. The three roommates decided to take care of this soft and delicate little roommate for the sake of his elder brother.


    Everyone took their meal cards and was about to leave. RenDong was worried and chased after him staggeringly, asking Lian Qiao, ¡°Where will you live at night?¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°I¡¯ll go find the others first. There should be a school hotel open to the public.¡± His eyes stayed on RenDong¡¯s narrow waist for a moment and he smiled knowingly, ¡°You have a good rest, I will come to you tomorrow morning.¡±


    Xu RenDong frowned: ¡°Come tomorrow? Don¡¯t I need to go to class?¡±


    Lian Qiao said, ¡°I meant to pick you up for class. What do you think?¡±


    RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± Am I overthinking it?


    He glanced at the three roommates with a guilty conscience and didn¡¯t dare to ask any more questions. He said ¡°Yes¡± and said goodbye to brother Lian Qiao.


    After Lian Qiao and his roommate left, the dormitory suddenly became quiet. It was completely dark outside. RenDong was not hungry but his body was sticky and uncomfortable. He hurried to take a shower and thankfully the dormitory was in good condition and had a separate bathroom. What if the school only had a public bathhouse?


    RenDong blushed and cleaned himself. He thought: what happened to Lian Qiao, did he forget the law of death in horror movies?


    In previous dungeons, Lian Qiao would stop at critical moments no matter how emotional he got. After all, survival is the most important thing, as long as you can survive, you can do what you want after you go out.


    But this time¡­ as the hot water rushed to his body, and RenDong¡¯s fingers caressed the hickey marks, feeling helpless and shy in his heart.


    He really did it hard today. Fortunately, this body is young, so it should be able to recover after a short rest.


    After finishing his grooming, RenDong simply tidied up his luggage. In fact, there¡¯s not much, just two sets of clothes and the rest are survival equipment they brought in from the outside world.


    In this reincarnation, he studied hard, not only avoided the tragedy of entering the trash school and had even won a handsome scholarship.


    Due to the large number of teammates, their combined part-time income was also very considerable. So this time, everyone¡¯s quality of life has been significantly improved. Not only can they eat enough but we still had money to buy daily necessities.


    It can be seen that it is always good to study hard and work hard.


    But¡ªwhy?


    Why was this instance so¡­down-to-earth?


    Since it was discovered that ghosts are afraid of Buddhist scriptures, the threat of ghosts to them has actually been very small. What¡¯s more, there was a powerful monk on the team now, so it can be said that no one is afraid of evil spirits. In fact, none of RenDong¡¯s deaths so far has been related to ghosts.


    His death was all based on¡­ all kinds of zuo himself to death.


    The main one was Lian Qiao¡¯s death.


    Thinking of this, RenDong couldn¡¯t help but sigh.


    This is their last dungeon and it is conceivable how difficult it is. It is normal for Lian Qiao to be anxious, but it is a pity that he cannot tell him the ultimate cheat of the death cycle and so that Lian Qiao was always in a state of anxiety.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s emotions were too tense but he refused to show it. Before he knew it, he became reckless and impatient. Especially when he was in danger¡­


    RenDong knows that he is Lian Qiao¡¯s Achilles¡¯ heel. Lian Qiao loved him so much, so as long as he was involved in anything, Lian Qiao would immediately lose his mind.


    In fact, was Lian Qiao not also his Achilles heel? But losing his mind has no good results after all, RenDong has already proved with countless tragic deaths that the instance this time really cannot be passed via ignorance and recklessness.


    Xu RenDong dried his hair, went to the balcony and let the evening wind blow his cheeks.


    In the night of early autumn, there was still the residual warmth of midsummer. The evening wind blew his half-wet hair, which felt very refreshing.


    Standing on the balcony on the sixth floor, you can overlook most of the campus. The dormitory was facing the teaching area. At this moment, those teaching buildings are still brightly lit and students who study hard can be seen from the windows. There were also people rushing in the square and on the road with books in their hands, heading towards the library, probably for evening self-study.


    Although this school was not as famous as his alma mater, it was a good school and had a good academic style. The major that Xu RenDong was admitted to was the same as before, the Department of Finance. This made him relieved ¨C at least he didn¡¯t have to be so tired during college. He has been engaged in financial work after graduation and he is very familiar with the professional content.


    But having said that, this dungeon always gave him a subtle feeling.


    He found that if he followed his original life trajectory, the probability of death would be much smaller. For example, he had to enter the orphanage on that snowy night, otherwise he would freeze to death; for example, he had to enter XX junior high school for the junior high school exam, otherwise he would be reduced to OO junior high school and be bullied to death on campus.


    So, if he followed the original life trajectory¡­would he meet that big truck again at the age of 28?


    He still deeply remembered that after coming out of the Matryoshka instance, he was almost killed by a truck. However, the driver of the big truck turned out to be the man in blue who died on the first night in the nesting dolls instance. This caused him a lot of psychological blows and it also made him understand that there is a limitation of ¡°survival conflict¡± in some dungeons. Either you die or I die. It is impossible to achieve a perfect ending where all members survive.


    So if the truck actually hits him when he turns 28¡­ will the elevator still be there?


    ¡­wait, the elevator?


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart suddenly trembled.


    Isn¡¯t the elevator what they¡¯ve been looking for? Could it be that when the truck hits him this time, the elevator that appears is not the entrance, but the exit?


    But where is the button key?


    Xu RenDong thought about it but still had no idea. Looking at the dark night sky, he felt a mess in his heart. There was a faint sense of anxiety, which made him miss Lian Qiao uncontrollably.


    ¡­ Tsk. A few minutes ago, he complained that Lian Qiao was too anxious, obviously he was also very anxious.


    However, he lived with Lian Qiao long before the relationship was confirmed and in all subsequent instances they always slept in the same room. But from today onwards, he had to live separately so of course it was difficult for him to get used to it.


    Xu RenDong unconsciously stroked the hickey on his collarbone, recalling the absurd incident in the afternoon.


    Although Lian Qiao played a bit ruthlessly, he had to say¡­it felt great.


    In the past, Lian Qiao was always gentle and considerate in bed, afraid of hurting him and would listen to his orders. But today¡¯s Lian Qiao was crazy, even though he had begged him to stop with red eyes, Lian Qiao still fought hard for a long time before going out.


    Xu RenDong was really driven into a panic, almost crying. At the same time, however, he was pushed to a pinnacle he had never experienced before.


    ¡­Is it still possible to do it like this? He knew it for the first time.


    RenDong unknowingly indulged in charming memories again. When he came back to his senses, he couldn¡¯t help but blush and secretly sighed that he had been thinking wildly for so long. He calmed down again, returned to his desk and suddenly glanced at the computer on his teammate¡¯s desk.


    ¡­By the way, in this day and age, students from good families have already started to bring laptops to school.


    RenDong remembered that when he was a freshman, he had no idea about laptops. In the third year of junior high school, the price of notebooks has been greatly reduced and many student computers have appeared, so almost everyone around has one.


    As for RenDong himself, due to his lack of cash, he didn¡¯t buy one for himself with the money from part-time jobs until in his senior year, when he was writing a thesis.


    Wait, thesis?!


    RenDong¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly remembered that one can¡¯t graduate from university just by passing the exam, one has to defend a thesis after submitting it!


    If the condition for getting out of the elevator is to be hit by a big truck at the age of 28, then he leaves the company parking lot at that time- but if he fails to graduate with honors, he may not be able to enter the original company! After that, life will go on another trajectory!


    It¡¯s over, this paper must be written! And the grade point during college must be 4!


    When Xu RenDong thought of this, he broke out in a cold sweat.


    Grades are ok. But what about the thesis!


    He has even forgotten the topic of his undergraduate thesis, how could he write a thesis in four days?!


    He doesn¡¯t even have a laptop!


    RenDong drank a big mouthful of cold water to calm himself down. Then he sat down at his desk, pulled out a piece of paper and started planning.


    The computer is not urgent for the time being, the school library has a computer, as long as you bring a USB flash drive, you can write and save as you go. But the problem is that the computer room is only open during the day and it closes at 10 o¡¯clock in the evening¡­ After 10 o¡¯clock, you can go to the all-night study room to read and study. After all, the final exam is coming in a blink of an eye, and the final exam is not only finance, but also various public basic courses. He is not so good that he can get 90 points in all the exams blind.


    Also, the daytime classes must be taken without leaving the class, otherwise, not to mention that you can¡¯t get the usual points, some perverted teachers will directly disqualify you from the exam and make you fail!


    It¡¯s over, it¡¯s over, it¡¯s over, I thought it would be easier when I went to college- no way!


    Xu RenDong looked at the dense time schedule on the paper and his head suddenly became dizzy.


    Although the evening breeze was cool and the world gradually became silent, he couldn¡¯t sit still any longer and so he quickly dressed neatly and went out to study tremblingly.

 CH 166

    Chapter 166 ¨C 1992-2020


    That day RenDong studied all night in the study room. Seeing that it was not early, he simply washed up in the bathroom and then hurried to the classroom.


    He met his three roommates in the classroom. The roommates were surprised and asked him where he had been and why he didn¡¯t return home at night on the first day of school.


    With panda eyes on his face, Xu RenDong pointed at the book expressionlessly: ¡°Self-study.¡±


    Roommates: ¡°?¡± You have already started self-study before class even started? You are too studious!


    Is this the so-called ¡°I haven¡¯t started previewing yet, the masters have already started reviewing¡±?!


    Looking at the shocked and yearning eyes of his roommates, Xu RenDong not only did not feel the slightest fluctuation in his heart, he even wanted to eat a steamed bun.


    ¡°By the way.¡± Roommate A suddenly said, ¡°Your brother came to look for you just now, did you tell him that you were self-studying?¡±


    RenDong was startled, and then remembered that he was obsessed with studying and forgot that Lian Qiao was coming to pick him up. He subconsciously got up and wanted to find Lian Qiao, but the class bell rang just at this time. The middle-aged female teacher wearing black-rimmed glasses stepped into the classroom expressionlessly and opened her mouth to take attendance.


    ¡­ In a glance, it could be seen that this woman was hard to get along with. If he walked out of the classroom in front of her now, she would probably fail him on the spot.


    RenDong had no choice but to sit down again. He thought to himself, he must get a mobile phone after class, otherwise it would be too inconvenient to contact each other.


    A large class lasts more than two hours, with a ten-minute break in between. As soon as the break bell rang, RenDong rushed out of the classroom. As soon as he rushed to the stairs, he heard a familiar voice from behind.


    ¡°RenDong!¡±


    Xu RenDong turned around, only to see Lian Qiao standing behind him, walking towards him. It seems that he has been waiting outside the classroom for a long time.


    The person I wanted to run to meet turned out to be right in front of me. There seemed to be melting honey flowing in RenDong¡¯s heart. He couldn¡¯t help but raise the corners of his mouth, and went forward.


    ¡°I was going to find you.¡± He said with a smile, but his tone was apologetic, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I went to study in the all-night study room yesterday and I didn¡¯t have time to tell you. I made you worry¡­ um!¡±


    He didn¡¯t finish his sentence. Lian Qiao suddenly raised his hand and lightly pressed his fingertips on his lips.


    ¡°I¡¯m really worried. I¡¯m going crazy with worry.¡± Lian Qiao stared at him, his eyes moved slowly, and finally fell on his lips, ¡°So you have to make it up to me, you have to make it up to me.¡±


    That playful gaze seemed like a living entity, giving RenDong the illusion that he was caressing himself with his gaze.


    RenDong¡¯s face flushed red. He pursed his lips uncomfortably, grabbed Lian Qiao¡¯s hand and pulled it away from his lips.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say such things here.¡± RenDong glanced guiltily at the passing college students, while blaming Lian Qiao, his heart beat violently.


    Lian Qiao smiled and said ¡°OK¡±. Then he said: ¡°By the way, there is bad news.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Little Apple is dead.¡±


    ¡­


    Xu RenDong didn¡¯t feel like attending classes any more, so he went to ask the teacher for a leave of absence and hurried to the school¡¯s back mountain with Lian Qiao.


    The body was discovered this morning, around the time when Xu RenDong went from the library to the classroom. At that time, Lian Qiao went to the dormitory to pick him up, but he didn¡¯t see anyone. He was anxious and went everywhere to look for him and accidentally found the body of Little Apple in the back mountain.


    Seeing the corpse, Lian Qiao calmed down instead, thinking that RenDong must be in class at this time, so he went to the teaching building.


    This back and forth wasted a lot of time. Other students had already passed by, found the body and called the police. At this time, the crime scene was cordoned off and there was a large group of students watching, but the police stopped them from entering.


    RenDong and Lian Qiao stood in the crowd and heard the college students discussing.


    ¡°Who is this girl? Which department is she from?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, does anyone know her?¡±


    ¡°I heard that the death was terrible¡­ the flesh on the neck was hollowed out¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah? So scary? Is it a perverted killer?¡±


    ¡°What are the school security guards doing? Why did they let the killer in?¡±


    When RenDong heard this, he felt very uncomfortable. He asked Lian Qiao: ¡°Have you notified the others?¡±


    Lian Qiao shook his head: ¡°Not yet. Everyone is scattered all over the school and I had no time to notify them one by one.¡±


    ¡°This time the scene is too big.¡± RenDong sighed. ¡°We have to buy a mobile phone to make it easier to communicate.¡±


    On the way to the library yesterday, he saw shopfronts of the three major operators in the school. Although the mobile phone brought in from the outside world has no signal but since there is a business office in the school, the mobile phones bought in the instance may be usable.


    Lian Qiao shook his head: ¡°No. I went to see about it. You need an ID card to get a mobile phone number. We didn¡¯t bring any of them.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    Indeed, who would come in with an ID card to an instance.


    This instance is too realistic. If it wasn¡¯t for the speed of time, he would have wondered if he was dreaming and if this was in fact the real world.


    The police guarded the scene closely, presumably they couldn¡¯t get in easily. It was inconvenient to talk in the crowd, so RenDong and Lian Qiao retreated, found another secluded place on the back hill and sat down to discuss.


    ¡°Have you done an autopsy?¡± RenDong asked.


    Lian Qiao sighed: ¡°At that time, I was afraid that something would happen to you and I was in a hurry to find you, so how could I have the heart for an autopsy?¡±


    RenDong felt guilty again. He explained his thoughts to Lian Qiao. Lian Qiao smiled and said: ¡°I don¡¯t blame you. You are right, in fact, I have already felt this way. This dungeon seems to want you to live your life again¡­ Thinking about it, you only met me when you stepped into the elevator and it seems like it was meant to be. Isn¡¯t this amazing?¡±


    ¡°But, isn¡¯t this just¡­¡± RenDong was halfway through speaking, and suddenly felt his tongue stiffen, making it difficult to utter a sound.


    It was here again, the long-lost feeling.


    Isn¡¯t it just like reincarnation when the end and the beginning are joined together?


    Maybe this instance really has some connection with his death cycle, so he was forced to silence?


    Lian Qiao stared at him, thinking of something, a strange color flashing in his eyes.


    ¡°What do you want to say?¡± Lian Qiao walked in front of him, raised his chin and looked down at him with a smile on his lips, ¡°Are you afraid that after entering the elevator, you will meet another me?¡±


    RenDong was stunned by what he said.


    What do you mean? Meet another Lian Qiao after entering the elevator?


    ¡­So, there is indeed such a possibility. If he guessed wrong and the elevator was not an exit but another entrance, then¡­


    Xu RenDong became more and more frightened as he thought about it, his back was hairy, and cold sweat broke out all over his body.


    Lian Qiao suddenly smiled lowly, leaned down and kissed his forehead.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid.¡± Lian Qiao said softly, ¡°No matter how many times we meet, I will still love you.¡±


    The familiar warm breath made RenDong feel at ease. He put his arms around Lian Qiao¡¯s waist, buried his head on Lian Qiao¡¯s chest, absorbing the warmth of Lian Qiao¡¯s body with some unease. Lian Qiao hugged him and stroked his back, like comforting a child who is afraid of the dark.


    Taking advantage of the lunch break, Lian Qiao and RenDong went separately to find people around the school and asked everyone to gather in the campus cafe.


    Surprisingly, no one was too surprised by this.


    ¡°Sure enough, something happened¡­¡± The monk said in a deep voice.


    RenDong was surprised: ¡°¡®Sure enough¡¯? Did you guys already know?¡±


    Aunt Long-Hair sighed: ¡°Actually, she didn¡¯t come back last night¡­¡±


    RenDong looked at Lian Qiao, Lian Qiao nodded and said: ¡°Yes. We all stayed in the campus hotel last night but Little Apple didn¡¯t show up for a long time. Everyone went out to search for her at night but couldn¡¯t find her. At that time, we guessed whether something happened to her.¡±


    RenDong was silent for a moment, and asked: ¡°After I entered the dormitory yesterday, what have you been doing?¡±


    He and Lian Qiao messed around in the dormitory all afternoon yesterday, and then he went to study all night.. He didn¡¯t know that Little Apple died tragically during this time. Thinking of this, Xu RenDong felt guilty.


    Everyone didn¡¯t notice his emotions and reported their whereabouts yesterday. It turned out that everyone was divided into two groups and explored the campus separately. The monk was in the group with Little Apple but Little Apple left the library halfway because she heard that the gymnasium was distributing books and bedding. She wanted to help RenDong get his things.


    Xu RenDong frowned: ¡°You let her go alone?¡±


    The monk lowered his head: ¡°It¡¯s the poor monk who didn¡¯t think about it. I¡¯m at fault.¡±


    RenDong still wanted to talk,but Lian Qiao tugged at his sleeve and said: ¡± Don¡¯t blame him either. Little Apple disappeared yesterday and even after everyone had given up, he was the only one who searched outside all night.¡±


    No wonder the monk¡¯s eyes are dark and his face is haggard. RenDong sighed, and said lightly: ¡°What right do I have to blame him?¡±


    Lian Qiao smiled and rubbed his hair: ¡°Don¡¯t pursue responsibility, let¡¯s talk about business.¡± He turned his eyes to everyone and said, ¡°Now the scene of the crime has been sealed off by the police and we can¡¯t get in. I didn¡¯t have time for an autopsy when I found the body, so I can only give a general impression of what happened.¡±


    Everyone sat up straight and became serious.


    Lian Qiao pointed to his own neck: ¡°The fatal injury was here. There was a big gash in the neck  and the carotid artery was broken. She must have died of excessive blood loss.¡±


    RenDong recalled what he had just heard at the scene: ¡°There seems to be a rumor among the students that the flesh on Little Apple¡¯s neck has been hollowed out?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lian Qiao nodded, ¡°It looked like she was bitten by a wild animal. A large piece of flesh on the neck was gone and only a layer of skin remains.¡±


    RenDong: ¡°Are there any other wounds? ¡°


    Lian Qiao: ¡°It¡¯s too late to take a closer look but there shouldn¡¯t be any.¡±


    RenDong: ¡°It looks like a one-shot kill.¡±


    Everyone frowned.


    ¡°Beast? What kind of beast can there be on the back mountain?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s a beast and not a ghost?¡±


    ¡°But Little Apple can recite Buddhist scriptures, so even if she encounters a ghost, she won¡¯t be killed in one blow.¡±


    Xu RenDong was silent as he listened to the discussion. He felt that Little Apple¡¯s death was very strange and there were many doubts.


    First, the body of Little Apple appeared in the back mountain. Why there? Did she go there by herself, or was she thrown into the back mountain after she died?


    ¡ªIs it necessary for ghosts to throw away the corpse?


    Secondly, Little Apple and the Monk separated in the evening, the reason was to go to the gymnasium to get books and bedding. So¡­ what happened to the stuff?


    If she was killed in the gymnasium, then the back mountain should only be a place for dumping the body and the books and bedding may be left in the gymnasium. But if she was killed after coming out of the gym, where are the books and bedding she received?


    If these things can be found, will they be able to find the scene of the first crime and thus learn the real cause of Little Apple¡¯s death?


    Xu RenDong frowned and was organizing his thoughts, but Lian Qiao suddenly spoke heavily, interrupting his thinking.


    ¡°I think¡­¡± Lian Qiao looked around, his gaze was like a sniper rifle scope, coldly falling on everyone¡¯s face, ¡°The one who killed Little Apple was not a ghost.¡±


    ¡°It was a human being.¡±

 CH 167

    Chapter 167 ¨C 1992-2020


    As soon as these words came out, everyone¡¯s expressions changed.


    The Monk said in a deep voice: ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very simple.¡± Lian Qiao said, ¡°Because Little Apple is not stupid. She wouldn¡¯t go to a place like the back mountain alone.¡±


    Xu RenDong nodded: ¡°Indeed. It¡¯s not possible that the body was thrown there after death. The way she died, the amount of bleeding was too great, it¡¯s impossible to transport it to the mountain without a trace and the scene¡­¡± He looked at Lian Qiao questioningly, ¡°There was a lot of blood loss at the scene, right?¡±


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°There is a lot of blood on the side of the body. If the body was thrown after death, there would not be so much blood at the scene. So I think the back mountain is the scene of the murder.¡±


    With this first-hand information from Lian Qiao, it solved a doubt in RenDong¡¯s heart. If the reasoning is based on the premise of ¡°the back mountain is the murder scene¡±, then many things will be logical.


    First of all, Little Apple and the monk were separated to go to the gymnasium to get books and bedding. It is inconvenient to hold the books and quilts in your arms. It is reasonable to say that she would take them to the dormitory as soon as she received them, but RenDong did not receive them and did not hear from the dormitory manager that someone had sent him something. It can be seen from this that something happened to Little Apple when she was picking up the things, which caused her to go to the back mountain instead of looking for RenDong.


    No matter how you think about it, the back mountain is a dangerous place. So for Little Apple to agree to the invitation, it meant that the person who invited her is someone she knows and trusts.


    Then the answer is very simple.


    Xu RenDong narrowed his eyes and looked at his teammates one by one. At this time, everyone had weird expressions, and it was unknown what they were thinking.


    The long-haired aunt sighed and said helplessly: ¡°What are you talking about? You mean, there is a murderer among us who killed Little Apple? But what reason do we have to kill her?¡±


    Lian Qiao pursed his lips: ¡°As for this, you have to ask yourself.¡±


    The man with the scar said angrily: ¡°What are you trying to do, sow discord?¡± He was about to get violent.


    Aunt Long-Hair stopped him and gently advised: ¡°Don¡¯t get angry everybody, don¡¯t get excited, calm down.¡± She turned to look at Lian Qiao with sincere eyes, ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you say that. Everyone¡¯s goals are the same and everyone wants to get out alive. Now there are only eight days left before the successful escape and we still have overcome all the difficulties ahead, why do we suddenly have internal strife at this time?¡±


    Lian Qiao said lazily: ¡°Internal strife? Finding the murderer and bringing them to justice is ¡®internal strife¡¯ to you?¡±


    Aunt Long-Hair¡¯s complexion darkened and her voice became sharp: ¡°What exactly do you want to do?¡±


    Xu RenDong felt that the atmosphere was too tense, which was not conducive to getting along with each other in the future, so he called out in a low voice: ¡°Lian Qiao.¡±


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t look at him but grabbed his hand with his backhand and held it tightly.


    What I want to do is very simple. There is only one thing from the beginning to the end.¡± Lian Qiao looked at the crowd calmly, ¡°It is to live with him.¡±


    The long-haired aunt¡¯s expression softened: ¡°Then our purpose is the same! Everyone just wants to live, so why¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Lian Qiao sneered, ¡°Then let me ask you, what did you do last night?¡±


    Aunt Long-Hair was taken aback: ¡°Last night, didn¡¯t everyone go out to find Little Apple?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°I mean before that. Little Apple should have separated from the monk around five o¡¯clock in the afternoon, right?¡±


    He glanced at the monk. The monk nodded.


    Lian Qiao continued: ¡°Everyone noticed that Little Apple disappeared at 8 o¡¯clock in the evening. In other words, Little Apple¡¯s accident should have occurred between 5:00 and 8:00. Let me ask you, what have you been doing during this time? What?¡±


    Everyone looked at each other. The long-haired aunt expressed displeasure: ¡°In the end, you are still doubting us, is that what interests you?¡±


    Lian Qiao sneered: ¡°Don¡¯t worry about whether it¡¯s interesting or not. Just tell me what you¡¯re doing and whether you have an alibi.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The long-haired aunt gritted her teeth, ¡°I was in the hotel room. The girl who lives with me can prove it.¡± As she spoke, she raised her hand and pointed at a certain girl who nodded quickly.


    ¡°Yes, yes, we can provide an alibi for each other. We were taking turns taking showers at the time.¡± The girl said.


    Lian Qiao curled his lips, seemingly dissatisfied with the answer, but he couldn¡¯t find anything wrong. He turned his head to look at the man with the scar again: ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°I was smoking on the balcony.¡± The man with the scar widened his eyes viciously, showing a fierce look, ¡°I live alone, and no one can give me an alibi. What, does this mean I definitely killed someone!?¡±


    This poor monk can prove it.¡± The monk interrupted suddenly, ¡°When the poor monk returned to the hotel at eight o¡¯clock, he saw the benefactor smoking on the balcony. The cigarette was thrown from the balcony. The poor monk was in a bad mood at the time and felt that the benefactor was not very moral, so he went to the door and told him off.¡±


    Audience: ¡°¡­Indeed, we can provide proof of this. At that time, it was more than just ¡®telling him off¡¯. If we hadn¡¯t helped mediate the situation, the monk would have sent him to heaven.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± No wonder Scarface has a few new wounds on his face today.


    The old man with the scar blushed and slapped the table angrily, ¡°There¡¯s no need to talk about such things!¡±


    Xu RenDong coughed and asked the monk, ¡°What about you? What were you doing outside?¡±


    Before the monk could speak, Lian Qiao answered for him: ¡°Actually, it was the monk who discovered that Little Apple was missing. He originally made an appointment with Little Apple to meet in the library, but Little Apple never came back. He couldn¡¯t wait, so he went to the gymnasium to find her and was told the books and quilts had been distributed long ago, and the gymnasium was closed at that time. Worried that something might happen to Little Apple, he searched around the school but he couldn¡¯t find her anywhere. Then he returned to the hotel and told everyone that Little Apple was missing. ¡°


    ¡°Yes.¡± The monk sighed, clasped his hands together and said, ¡°Amitabha, if I knew this would happen, this poor monk should have gone with her.¡±


    Next, the rest of the people said that they stayed in the hotel from 5:00 to 8:00 and never went out. Since everyone lives together, they can provide each other¡¯s alibi.


    ¡°Let me sort out my thoughts.¡± Xu RenDong took out a pen and paper, drew a rough map of the school and marked everyone¡¯s activity route.


    Aunt Long-Hair suddenly said: ¡°Wait, there is one person missing.¡±


    RenDong looked up in surprise, only to see Aunt Long-Hair staring at Lian Qiao with burning eyes: ¡°Where were you during that time from five o¡¯clock to eight o¡¯clock?¡± \


    ¡°We were together.¡± Lian Qiao pouted towards RenDong.


    RenDong nodded: ¡°En, we were together¡­ tidying up the room.¡±


    Long-haired aunt said suspiciously: ¡°Tidying up the room? It takes so long? Didn¡¯t you go up at two or three o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Did you tidy up until eight o¡¯clock?¡±


    RenDong coughed awkwardly. He knows that this reason cannot be justified, but he can¡¯t say frankly that we DOI, right?


    ¡°He has three roommates.¡± Lian Qiao took a step forward, quietly protecting RenDong behind his back, ¡°I have talked with those three people for a long time because I want to see if there are any clues. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can go to them now to confirm ¡°


    The monk said: ¡°Then did you get anything?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°No, they are just ordinary passer-by NPCs. After chatting, I came out and went to the cafeteria to buy him a meal and asked the three roommates to take it home. Then I went back to the hotel, just in time for you to come back to inform everyone that Little Apple is missing.¡±


    If Little Apple was really killed by his teammates, then Lian Qiao is the least likely to be the murderer. Xu RenDong knows that Apple is also a veteran gamer and has always had a good relationship with Lian Qiao. What¡¯s more, not only did the two of them have no conflict of interest, but Little Apple had also helped them a lot, so Lian Qiao¡¯s suspicion could be ruled out.


    So here comes the problem. Who is the murderer?


    RenDong stared at the simple diagram on the paper, lost in thought.


    Everyone also gathered together and stared at the schematic diagram for a while, but couldn¡¯t offer any comments.


    The long-haired aunt sighed: ¡°From this point of view, everyone has an alibi.¡± She looked at Lian Qiao with helplessness in her eyes, ¡°Can you rest assured now? The one who killed Little Apple really wasn¡¯t us. Why do you think it was human beings who killed her? Obviously this is a world where ghosts do exist and she died so badly¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao pursed her lips and remained silent.


    RenDong frowned and pondered for a moment, feeling clueless. He thought for a while, and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we change our thinking¡ªwhat is the motive for killing people?¡±


    Little Apple is sweet and cute, with a cheerful and enthusiastic personality, which was lovable. She has a good relationship with everyone in the team, who would want to kill her?


    The monk said: ¡°Maybe¡­she found something in the gymnasium?¡±


    Everyone¡¯s expressions changed slightly when they heard this.


    ¡°What can there be in the gymnasium?¡± Aunt Long-Hair looked at everyone hesitantly, as if recalling, ¡°I remember that it was¡­you who went to explore the gymnasium yesterday?¡± She pointed to a man and a woman. , ¡°Did you find anything?¡±


    The two of them immediately shook their heads like rattles: ¡°No, no. We didn¡¯t find anything.¡±


    The long-haired aunt asked again: ¡°Then did you see Little Apple?¡±


    The other party still shook their heads.


    The long-haired aunt sighed, looked at Lian Qiao and spread her hands and said, ¡°Then there is no way to verify it.¡±


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t speak, but just lowered his head and played with the teacup in his hand.


    After thinking about it, RenDong still felt that Little Apple¡¯s death was full of doubts, but now he didn¡¯t have the slightest clue. He glanced at the time and sighed: ¡°I still have class later, so I have to go.¡±


    He briefly told everyone about his conjecture about the elevator and everyone was instantly refreshed, saying that you should go to class quickly and study is important.


    Lian Qiao got up to see him off. It was about 1:30 at this time, approaching the afternoon class time, and there were many students on the road. On the way from the cafe to the teaching building, the two kept silent in a very tacit understanding.


    RenDong was still thinking about Little Apple, and as for Lian Qiao¡­


    He didn¡¯t know what Lian Qiao was thinking.


    Arriving at the bottom of the teaching building, RenDong finally couldn¡¯t bear it any longer and pulled Lian Qiao to the corner of the bicycle garage.


    ¡°I¡¯m a little worried about you.¡± RenDong looked around and made sure that there was no one around, then sighed and said, ¡°Since you doubt them, it¡¯s fine to keep it in your heart, why bother to say it? This way you will alert them and create risk to yourself¡­ Do you really think they killed Little Apple?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because they had a motive for killing.¡±


    RenDong was taken aback: ¡°What motive?¡±


    Lian Qiao smiled wryly and raised his hand to caress his cheek. ¡°Their motive is of course you. Don¡¯t you understand what 1992-2020 means?¡±


    RenDong was silent for a moment, then said, ¡°I understand. But at least until 2020, they won¡¯t attack me.¡±


    ¡°So they attack others.¡± Lian Qiao sighed softly, ¡°Little Apple and the monk are friends with us. I guess they dare not directly attack me, so they first find a way to pry our allies away. They will wait until both Little Apple and the monk are dead, then the next target will be me.¡±


    RenDong fell silent again. This time, it was a long time before he spoke.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say sorry.¡± Lian Qiao looked at him with a smile, his eyes were shining like stars, ¡°If the key player this time is me, you will stand by my side no matter what, right?¡±


    RenDong looked at him and his heart suddenly softened into a puddle of water. He didn¡¯t know what to say, so he reached out to Lian Qiao and hugged him.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He leaned on Lian Qiao¡¯s shoulder and replied in a low voice, ¡°I will always be by your side.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± He didn¡¯t know which of these words touched Lian Qiao but the muscles at the corners of his mouth twitched slightly and an inexplicable complex emotion flashed in his eyes.


    ¡°Go to class quickly, you¡¯re going to be late.¡± Lian Qiao kissed his earlobe and whispered in his ear, ¡°Come to the library after class and pay back what you owe me.¡±


    Xu RenDong was inexplicable: ¡°What do I owe you?¡±


    Lian Qiao smiled, ¡°You¡¯ll know when you come.¡±

 CH 168

    Chapter 168 ¨C 1992-2020


    The advanced math class in the afternoon ends at half past four. After class, Xu RenDong¡¯s head felt as big as a bucket.


    Whilst he was studying, he had no choice but to take advanced math and he worked hard to get a passable grade. At this time, he had to go through the hellish advanced math test again and he wanted to die.


    What¡¯s more, there is not only advanced math at the end of the term but also various rote-learn  subjects. Moreover, he hasn¡¯t started writing his thesis yet and he has to find time to search for information, decide on a topic and he has to do a PPT for his defense after writing the thesis. How can there be time to do all of this?


    Xu RenDong wished he could turn one minute into two minutes. After class, he hurried to the library, only thinking about studying and completely forgot what Lian Qiao told him before class.


    It was already half past five in the evening when Lian Qiao found him.


    At that time, Xu RenDong was looking for information behind the last row of bookshelves. It was dinner time and there was no one in the library. RenDong was immersed in the books, unaware of the person who was gradually approaching him.


    It wasn¡¯t until the man snatched his book away that RenDong was startled and looked up in a daze.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you for a long time.¡± Lian Qiao pouted, aggrieved, like a puppy abandoned by its owner.


    Only then did RenDong remember that he had neglected him again and quickly apologized.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want your apology, I¡¯m angry.¡± Lian Qiao turned around angrily, pretending to leave.


    RenDong¡¯s heart twitched and he hurriedly grabbed him: ¡°Hey, don¡¯t go.¡±


    Lian Qiao refused to listen and wanted to break free from him. RenDong had no choice but to hug him from behind, begging for mercy in a soft voice: ¡°I was wrong. What can I do so you will forgive me?¡±


    Lian Qiao lowered his head and suddenly smiled.


    ¡°I want you to remember me.¡± He said, ¡°I want you to think of me all the time.¡±


    RenDong was taken aback. How is this possible?


    Although Lian Qiao said this in a coquettish tone among lovers, RenDong always believed that if he promised, he must do it, otherwise it would be better not to agree.


    So he hesitated and said cautiously: ¡°Can I change it? I can¡¯t think about you all the time. There are always other things to distract me. Like now, I have to prepare for exams and papers¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t speak.


    RenDong was afraid that he would make him angry again but he didn¡¯t know what to do. He could only kiss the back of his neck flatteringly and whispered: ¡°I don¡¯t know how to talk, I¡¯m sorry. Don¡¯t be angry with me, okay?¡±


    Lian Qiao smiled softly again, and then turned around.


    RenDong thought that his anger had calmed down but when he looked up, he saw him smiling and said playfully, ¡°Not okay.¡±


    ¡°¡ªUnless you make it up to me. And give me a lot of compensation.¡±


    ¡­


    Coming out of the library , RenDong has been unable to stand still.


    He was about to be driven crazy by Lian Qiao.


    Lian Qiao was simply not human, actually behind the bookshelf¡­


    Although it was dinner time and there was almost no one in the library, there were still sounds!


    RenDong had to cover his mouth, almost biting his lip. The beast didn¡¯t let him go and bit his earlobe and said: ¡°Call out.¡± Otherwise, I will take away the row of books in front of you.


    To be honest, Lian Qao probably didn¡¯t need to do it. Xu RenDong almost turned the bookshelf over just by lying on it.


    While RenDong was worried that the bookshelves would fall down like dominoes and he was also afraid that the students passing by would hear the abnormality over here. His nerves were tense all the time and, coupled with the man¡¯s vicious teasing, RenDong soon collapsed physically and mentally, crying in dismay.


    It¡¯s really crying.


    He has been played to the brim and the books on the bookshelves are stained. He felt that it was very bad to do something like this but there was nothing he could do. No matter how much he begged, Lian Qiao didn¡¯t listen to him and just kept moving. The inexplicable grievance made him whimper and cry, but the tears were kissed away in the next second.


    A voice so gentle as to drown people rang in his ears.


    ¡°Stop crying, I won¡¯t mess with you, okay?¡±


    The more he was comforted by such tenderness, the more RenDong wanted to cry. His long-standing psychological defense collapsed at this moment, his heart was too soft to be touched and tears trembled as soon as he touched it.


    However, Lian Qiao quickly changed his tone again, lowered his voice and said hoarsely: ¡°If you cry again, I can¡¯t help but do you¡­¡±


    RenDong didn¡¯t dare to cry anymore.


    After finally ending the torment, Lian Qiao supported him and staggered towards the dormitory. Faced with the strange gazes of passers-by, RenDong lowered his head all the way, urging him to hurry up.


    When they got to the door of the dormitory, they found that the door was locked.


    At eleven o¡¯clock, the access control had already passed and the door was of course locked. Not only can you not get in but will also be recorded down as having not returned home at night.


    RenDong looked desperately at the reception room. It was pitch black, the auntie in charge must have gone to sleep.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you wake her up.¡± Lian Qiao opened his mouth to shout but RenDong slapped him to cover his mouth.


    ¡°Stop making trouble!¡± RenDong was ashamed and annoyed, so angry that he wanted to strangle him to death, ¡°Forget it, I won¡¯t go back to the dormitory. I¡­ I¡¯ll go back to the classroom for self-study.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes darkened, grabbed his hand and narrowed his eyes, ¡°What are you doing in the study room like this? Are you not afraid of being seen by some messy people?¡±


    RenDong suppressed his anger: ¡°Isn¡¯t the reason I look like this because of you?!¡±


    Xu RenDong, who was getting angry, didn¡¯t know how flattering his words were. Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t help laughing and said helplessly and dotingly: ¡°Why are you so cute?¡±


    RenDong: ¡°?¡± You¡¯re so cute, I really want to kill you!


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault, so I¡¯ll make it up to you, okay?¡± Lian Qiao smiled and leaned over, rubbing his cheek lightly like a puppy, ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± I want to stop moving, really.


    Lian Qiao flirted with him for a while and found that RenDong was still angry. Knowing that he had played too much this time,  he pursed his mouth again, aggrieved and said: ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­don¡¯t be angry.¡±


    RenDong sighed and said in a long-suffering tone: ¡°Then what do you think I should do now?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Go to the hotel?¡±


    RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± Can¡¯t help showing the shocked eyes of ¡°you young people have really good physical strength¡±.


    Lian Qiao coughed: ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that. You have to take a bath or you¡¯ll get sick.¡±


    RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± Although what he said made sense, he always felt that he was an ignorant boy being tricked.


    Lian Qiao looked at his suspicious eyes, felt aggrieved again and said pitifully: ¡°Believe me. I promise I won¡¯t touch you tonight, okay?¡±


    RenDong asked suspiciously: ¡°Really?¡±


    Lian Qiao hesitated. After a while, he asked cautiously: ¡°Is it okay to just hug you to sleep? I won¡¯t do anything else, just¡­just hug you.¡±


    When he said this, his eyes were wet, like a little puppy soaked in rain. RenDong hated seeing him like this the most and his heart softened all of a sudden.


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± RenDong secretly hated himself for not living up to expectations, so he put up his airs, poked Lian Qiao¡¯s cheek solemnly and said, ¡°You must keep your promise.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Lian Qiao smiled instantly.


    The next second, Lian Qiao, picked up RenDong in a princess hug and ran to the hotel.


    You!¡± RenDong turned pale with fright and hugged his neck in fright, ¡°You agreed to just hug and do nothing else!¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Princess hugs are also hugs! Hehehehehe¡­¡±


    RenDong: ¡± ¡­¡­¡± Impressed. You young people really know how to play.


    What else could he do? He could only bury his head on Lian Qiao¡¯s chest and cover his face to prevent passers-by from recognizing him.


    Fortunately, it was indeed late at night and they hardly met anyone on the way to the hotel. Despite this, RenDong was still blushing and, when the light in the hotel lobby shone on his face, he was so nervous that he burrowed into Lian Qiao¡¯s arms, wishing he could curl up into a watermelon bug.


    Lian Qiao knew that he was thin-faced, so he had already taken off his coat and put it on him, covering his face. Therefore, through Lian Qiao¡¯s coat, RenDong heard the Monk¡¯s shocked voice from the lobby.


    ¡°You, what things did you steal back?¡±


    Xu RenDong who was stolen back: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao said helplessly, ¡°Are you stupid? You don¡¯t understand this? Can¡¯t you just pretend you didn¡¯t see anything?¡±


    Monk: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao was about to go upstairs with RenDong in his arms when he suddenly turned around and said, ¡°By the way, what are you doing sitting here in the middle of the night?¡±


    The monk said, ¡°The poor monk is chanting sutras for Little Apple¡¯s passing.¡±


    Hearing Little Apple¡¯s name, Xu RenDong suddenly felt very uncomfortable. He lightly grabbed the shirt of Lian Qiao¡¯s chest. Lian Qiao sighed softly and said to the monk: ¡°Then you go ahead, I¡¯m going up.¡±


    When he came to the room on the second floor, Lian Qiao kicked the door. Hearing the click of the door being locked, RenDong finally felt relieved and finally took his head out of his coat.


    ¡°The relationship between Monk and Little Apple is so good,¡± he said.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lian Qiao walked to the bed and bent down to put him down. Seeing his melancholy expression, he rubbed his hair and said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t think about it, go take a shower and go to bed early. You still have class at eight o¡¯clock tomorrow.¡±


    Looking at the time, RenDong saw that it was half past eleven and couldn¡¯t help getting angry again.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t study well today.¡± He was so angry that he wanted to grab Lian Qiao¡¯s arm and take a bite. ¡°I can¡¯t do this again in the future! I really won¡¯t be able to graduate!¡±


    ¡°Then I will accompany you to study all night tomorrow, okay? Sleep well today.¡± Lian Qiao smiled at him in a good temper and leaned over to kiss his face, ¡°You have to rest, you can¡¯t stay up all night every day. You will be exhausted.¡±


    RenDong said: ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s just a few days. Just get it over with.¡±


    Lian Qiao looked into his eyes: ¡°You are like this every time, you are too cruel to yourself and you don¡¯t seem to treat yourself as a human being. Promise me, don¡¯t be so demanding of yourself, okay?¡±


    RenDong felt that what he said was inexplicable. It was just studying all night, don¡¯t all college students cram like this at the end of the semester? Can this be called ¡®demanding of yourself¡¯?


    But seeing his serious eyes with a trace of worry, RenDong¡¯s heart softened again and he was not willing to refute him.


    ¡°Okay, I promise you.¡± RenDong nodded obediently.


    Lian Qiao smiled and lowered his head to kiss him again. This kiss was very sweet, so sweet that it almost made people sink.


    RenDong was dazed by his kiss and thought, a little perplexed: Why does he like to kiss me so much these two days?


    With the help of Lian Qiao, RenDong took a warm bath and cleaned his body completely. Lian Qiao really kept his word and never did anything out of the ordinary. The two lay on the bed, Lian Qiao hugged him from behind, put his head on the back of his neck and said good night to him.


    This posture has a taste of piety and dependence. RenDong only felt the warmth and firmness of the embrace behind him, like a docile and tame big cat.


    Lian Qiao wrapped his arms around his chest and interlocked his fingers. RenDong grabbed his hand and placed it on his heart and suddenly felt that even if he gouged out his heart, he would still be willing.


    The next day. RenDong woke up in the faint morning light.


    The back of his neck was a little cold and he reached out to touch it. It turned out to be wet.


    ¡­ Lian Qiao drooling in sleep? ! He didn¡¯t have this habit before!


    RenDong turned around amusedly, only to find that the side beside him was already empty. When he reached out and touched it, the bed was also cold. Lian Qiao has been up for some time.


    RenDong was confused and was about to get up to look for him, when he suddenly noticed that a large area of ??the pillow beside him was soaked.


    ¡­Is the amount of saliva so big? Is there something wrong with him?


    The scene of Lian Qiao drooling greedily while hugging him to sleep emerged in Xu RenDong¡¯s mind and he couldn¡¯t help feeling a chill. He sighed and thought to himself: This person is as immature as a three-year-old child, what else can I do? Of course I can only help him clean up the mess! He took off the pillowcase and planned to wash it.


    However, the pillowcase didn¡¯t smell as bad as he had imagined.


    He was a little surprised, and took the pillowcase to the tip of his nose and sniffed it. Indeed¡­no smell.


    ¡­Is it because Lian Qiao is in good health and has good eating habits so the liquid has no taste?


    No, obviously yesterday¡­


    Xu RenDong suddenly thought of those stained books on the bookshelf. He couldn¡¯t help feeling ashamed, blushed and didn¡¯t dare to think about it anymore.

 CH 169

    Chapter 169 ¨C 1992-2020


    RenDong had just finished washing the pillowcase when Lian Qiao came back from outside with a bowl of steaming beef noodles.


    ¡°RenDong?¡± He put the noodle bowl on the table and poked his head into the bathroom in surprise, ¡°What are you doing in there?¡±


    Thinking that Lian Qiao might be embarrassed, RenDong shook off the water drops and said, ¡°I¡¯m brushing my teeth and washing my face.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Lian Qiao responded, smiling, ¡°Come out and have breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Why are you up so early?¡± RenDong glanced at his watch and it was only half past seven. As soon as he walked out of the bathroom, the smell of beef noodles hit his nostrils, which whet RenDong¡¯s appetite and his stomach growled.


    With a ¡°snap¡±, Lian Qiao took apart the disposable chopsticks and handed them to him: ¡°I was afraid that you would go to bed late and have no time to eat breakfast, so I got up early and bought you a bowl of noodles.¡± RenDong felt warm and smiled.


    After breakfast, RenDong was about to go to class but saw a person running over in a hurry.


    ¡°It¡¯s not good, it¡¯s not good!¡± The man lowered his voice, looking around like a thief.


    RenDong recognized this as one of his teammates and couldn¡¯t help being surprised: ¡°What?¡±


    The man said: ¡°Someone else died! Come quickly!¡±


    RenDong was startled and couldn¡¯t help turning his head away to look at Lian Qiao. He saw the same shock in Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes.


    RenDong and Lian Qiao followed the man to the room at the end of the corridor. The door was closed, the man knocked on the door three times, one short, four times and said ¡°it¡¯s me¡± to the door. The door opened a crack.


    A pair of vigilant eyes appeared from the crack of the door, it was the long-haired aunt.


    ¡°It¡¯s you guys.¡± Aunt Long-Hair was slightly relieved when she saw that it was RenDong and Lian Qiao. But she didn¡¯t relax her vigilance but took a cautious look at the corridor, then opened the door and beckoned the three of them to come in, ¡°Hurry up and don¡¯t let anyone see you.¡±


    This secretive look made RenDong feel very strange. It¡¯s not the first time he¡¯s seen a dead person, why did he feel so sneaky and surprised?


    After entering the door, RenDong realized that everyone was gathered in this room. But for some reason, everyone crowded together and stood near the door. It seems that there is something terrible inside the room, which made people afraid to approach.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± RenDong asked.


    Everyone covered their noses and turned their heads one after another to make way for them: ¡°See for yourself!¡±


    RenDong and Lian Qiao walked into the crowd for a look. They were immediately shocked speechless by the scene in front of him.


    They saw a man and a woman lying side by side on the bed. Both of them were neatly dressed, with their hands folded on their chests, like sleeping Egyptian pharaohs. However, what was frightening was that the necks of both of them were dripping with blood. Upon closer inspection, the neck bones and muscles had been hollowed out, leaving only a thin layer of skin connecting the body and head.


    The sheets and mattresses were soaked in blood, which had dried up and turned dark red. Two dark red blood flowers bloomed under the two of them and the walls and ceiling were also sprayed with blood. The whole room seemed to be fished out of a sea of ??blood, which was extremely terrifying.


    Judging by the amount of bleeding, the necks of these two people should have been hollowed out while they were still alive, otherwise the blood would not have splashed all over the ceiling.


    It¡¯s been a long time since he had seen such an exciting scene and RenDong was a little uncomfortable. He held his nose, feeling like he would vomit if he stayed any longer. For some reason, he remembered the scene when he saw the bloody scene for the first time in the Matryoshka instance and couldn¡¯t help turning his face away. He glanced at Lian Qiao worriedly.


    Unexpectedly, Lian Qiao was very calm. Not only did he not hiccup as he used to when he was frightened back then, he even stared straight at the two dead people without blinking his eyes.


    He has really grown up a lot.


    RenDong secretly sighed in her heart: And me? After going through so many dungeons, have I grown into a real boss?


    Just when RenDong was feeling emotional, Lian Qiao had quickly confirmed the situation on the scene, turned to Aunt Long-Hair and said, ¡°When did you find out?¡±


    Aunt Long-Hair: ¡°Just now. They didn¡¯t come down during breakfast, so I came to knock on the door , found the door open, and¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao glanced at the crowd. They nodded quickly and said in agreement: ¡°Yes, yes, yes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just as she said.¡±


    Lian Qiao squinted at the long-haired aunt and said mockingly: ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you again. ¡°


    The long-haired aunt bit her lip and didn¡¯t answer.


    RenDong was taken aback. He clearly felt that Lian Qiao was hostile to Auntie Long-Hair. Why? Is it because Auntie Long-Hair disagrees with him? Obviously, the relationship was still very harmonious during the orphanage¡­


    Lian Qiao is not such a small-minded person and he will not target anyone just because of a disagreement. Unless¡­


    RenDong frowned and his eyes fell on the two corpses again.


    He remembered that the two were a young couple. However, unlike Jiang Li and the others back then, these two are really a pair of little wallflowers. It seemed that they had only entered the elevator world for the second time. They were completely lucky and found the orphanage by mistake on the wintery night of 1992. Since then, they have been hiding behind everyone¡¯s back  and they have been trembling until now.


    They seem almost transparent because they have hardly ever expressed their opinions on their own initiative these days. Having said that, this dungeon was very strict from the very beginning and pure rookies couldn¡¯t survive until the next day. They are the youngest in the team, so it¡¯s understandable to hang out with the big guys.


    It is precisely because of their lack of experience and timidity that these two people live with extra care. In contrast, RenDong felt that the man with the scar and the Peking opera monk had a much higher chance of dying compared to them.


    However, the reality is that the quick-witted Little Apple was dead, and the cautious little transparent people are also dead.


    The death methods of these three people are almost exactly the same, all of them have their necks hollowed out, leaving only a layer of skin. Regardless of whether the murderer is a human or a ghost, there must be something in common among these three people.


    What is it then?


    RenDong subconsciously walked towards the corpse, wanting to study it more carefully. He just raised his leg but he was caught by someone.


    ¡°Don¡¯t step on the blood.¡± Lian Qiao said.


    RenDong took a step back, stood back on the clean carpet and asked in surprise: ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the blood?¡±


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°Blood is nothing, but if you step on the blood, it will destroy the scene. If the police come, it is inevitable that they will interrogate people.¡±


    RenDong was taken aback for a moment and suddenly understood why the person looked around like a thief when he came to inform them just now, and why Auntie Long-Hair let them in only after confirming that there was no one around.


    In this instance, the police system was up and running. In the past reincarnation, Lian Qiao was arrested and locked up in the detention center for several days for beating his teacher. When Little Apple died, the police also arrived quickly, not only pulling up the cordon but even notifying all the teachers and students in the school not to spread rumors until the case was clarified. It can be said to be very close to reality.


    According to this line of thinking, if the two deceased were made public at this time, the police would definitely question them. Even if they were proven innocent, RenDong¡¯s college time will be wasted when the police station¡¯s procedures are completed.


    After thinking about this, RenDong suddenly had a different view of these teammates.


    He would not be surprised at all if this point was brought up by Lian Qiao. But this time, everyone had already considered so much before Lian Qiao even arrived.


    RenDong subconsciously took a deep breath but was choked by the bloody smell. The room was originally small but at this time there were so many people crowded in it. The carbon dioxide exhaled by the living and the stench from the dead mixed together, making the air extremely turbid.


    RenDong coughed twice and Lian Qiao pulled him over and said in a low voice: ¡°You go to class first and leave it to me here.¡±


    RenDong shook his head: ¡°It¡¯s okay, I can ask for leave.¡± Need to listen.


    Lian Qiao smiled: ¡°Are you still worried about me?¡±


    RenDong looked at him strangely: ¡°Of course not, I just want to¡­¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t want to.¡± Lian Qiao gently interrupted him, ¡°Your energy alone is limited, and it is impossible to take care of everything. You forgot what you promised me? Don¡¯t be too hard on yourself.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± RenDong was speechless for a while. He knew that Lian Qiao felt sorry for him but he always had an uneasy feeling.


    Although Lian Qiao sent him to class, he was worried about him being alone, so he asked the Monk to accompany him.


    After Xu RenDong left, Lian Qiao surveyed the scene again. However when RenDong was not around, he became mute and no matter what others told him, he would stare back coldly without saying a word. The hostility was simply palpable.


    After the autopsy, he didn¡¯t say what he¡¯d discovered and left the hotel without saying a word. It seemed that he was heading to the back mountain.


    Everyone was in a bad mood, so they went to the backyard of the hotel to breathe. This courtyard is extremely secluded and no one came here. Everyone was basking in the sun, their expressions were listless, and no one spoke.


    After an unknown amount of time, the long-haired aunt broke the silence.


    ¡°I think we have to do it as soon as possible. He doesn¡¯t trust us anymore.¡±


    The ¡°he¡± in her mouth obviously refers to Lian Qiao.


    After hearing this, everyone lowered their heads silently, not knowing what they were thinking. The man with the scar sneered, and said, ¡°If I change my mind now, will my neck be chopped off and thrown on the street tomorrow?¡±


    The long-haired aunt narrowed her eyes: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Scarface put out the cigarette butt: ¡°Don¡¯t pretend. Didn¡¯t you kill them? They were just too timid to do anything. You are afraid that they will leak the secret to Lian Qiao, so you acted first to kill them, right?¡±


    Auntie Long-Hair opened her eyes wide: ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? How could I kill someone?¡±


    The man with the scar laughed loudly: ¡°How could it be possible? Do you have the guts to say that? Isn¡¯t what you¡¯re discussing with us now about killing people?¡±


    The long-haired Auntie was at a loss for words. Someone glared at the man with the scar and said, ¡°Why? Now that things have come to a head, are you going to defect and stand by Lian Qiao and the others?¡±


    The man with the scar sneered: ¡°I don¡¯t know which side I¡¯m on, I just can¡¯t understand her behavior!¡± He pointed at the long-haired aunt¡¯s nose and cursed, ¡°You killed Little Apple too! We were discussing how to trap Lian Qiao at the gym that day. You said you heard voices outside but when you went out to look around, you said there was no one there. Did you plan to kill Little Apple at that time?!¡±


    The long-haired aunt turned pale and sharply retorted: ¡°You¡¯re falsely accusing me! How could I kill Little Apple? Wasn¡¯t I with you when she had an accident? What¡¯s more, why do you think that the person who killed Little Apple must be a person? Who knows if she was unlucky and triggered some death conditions!¡±


    Scarface: ¡°Then tell me, what did she do?¡±


    Long-haired aunt: ¡°How should I know?¡±


    Scarface: ¡°Hehe, you can¡¯t even make it up!¡±


    The Long-Haired Aunt was furious: ¡°You¡­! ¡°She raised her hand, as if to hit the scarred man. Unexpectedly, the man with the scar would not dodge or dodge but instead greeted her with his head held high.


    ¡°Are you so angry that you want to hit me? Are you going to kill me on the spot?¡± The man with the scar became more and more angry, stepped forward and grabbed her by the neck, ¡°Okay, I want to see, can you kill me first or can I kill you first!¡±


    ¡°Woo¡­¡± Auntie Long-hair is a weak woman after all and was strangled by the tall scarred man, like a chicken being pinched in his hand. She looked around for help but found that everyone lowered their heads and avoided her eyes.


    The long-haired aunt felt a chill in her heart. She suddenly realized that what she had lost was not only the trust of Lian Qiao¡ªeveryone was not on her side anymore!


    As soon as she thought about it, she immediately burst into tears.


    ¡°How could you do this¡­ woo woo¡­ I don¡¯t want to die, my son is still in junior high school!¡± With tears in her eyes, she begged the man with the scar, ¡°You let me go, I was wrong! Please let me go! Woooooo¡­¡±


    Scar¡¯s face was a bit machismo and he was only acting impulsively when he started to attack Auntie Long-hair so, when he heard her pleading for mercy, he let go of his hand with a cold snort.


    The long-haired aunt fell to the ground, still crying.


    ¡°I really didn¡¯t kill Little Apple. I have such a good relationship with her. How can you say that about me¡­¡±


    The man with the scar saw her crying heart-piercingly and his face was a little helpless, hesitantly asked: ¡°Really? It¡¯s not you?¡±


    Aunt Long-Hair cried, ¡°It¡¯s not me! How many times do you want me to tell you, it¡¯s really not me! I didn¡¯t kill those two people today! How could I, a woman like me, kill them!¡±


    It seemed to make sense. However, those who can survive to the present are all old players and no one knows what cards the opponent has in their hands. Therefore, everyone just listened to Aunt Long-Hair¡¯s confession casually and didn¡¯t really believe it.


    ¡°Okay, stop arguing.¡± Someone said, ¡°If you quarrel again, people will hear you.¡±


    The man with the scar snorted: ¡°Anyway, if you have any plans in the future, you don¡¯t need to include me. I won¡¯t go either way and I won¡¯t be an informant either. That¡¯s it.¡± He put his hands in his pockets and left with an annoyed expression on his face.


    Everyone in the courtyard looked at each other in blank dismay, with complicated emotions. Only Auntie Long-Hair was left crying in the secluded yard, which was very annoying.


    Fortunately, Auntie Long-Hair only cried for a few minutes and stopped crying when she saw that no one was comforting her.


    ¡°It¡¯s really not me.¡± She choked up and made a conclusion.


    Suddenly someone in the team said: ¡°Actually, I think everyone was led astray by Lian Qiao. He doesn¡¯t trust us, so he thinks that Little Apple was killed by us. But what if? What if Little Apple was really killed by a ghost?¡±


    These words resonated with two or three people, and soon someone asked: ¡°But what are the conditions for death?¡±


    Everyone fell into silence again.


    No one knows what Little Apple did before she died. As for the two who died today, after having dinner with everyone yesterday, they went back to their room and locked the door to rest. What they are doing hiding in the room, I am afraid only the ghosts know.


    This instance was different from the past. Although everyone is not a novice, they are still confused.


    On the first winter night, there were only a handful of people who could enter the orphanage to escape the severe cold so, until now, no one knows how many initial players there were, and how many people died in obscurity on the first night. The difficulty of the instance is directly related to the number of participants. Of course, it also has a certain relationship with the key players themselves.


    Now, everyone already knows that this dungeon is the final dungeon of Xu RenDong and Lian Qiao, so the difficulty must be extremely high. But how hard is it? No one has an idea.


    After all, the so-called veteran players had participated in, at the most, three dungeons.


    The copy of the elevator world was too difficult for ordinary people, really too difficult. Most people can¡¯t even survive the first instance.


    Even if these people are old players, how many of them really passed the level with their own abilities? A lot of people are just lucky enough to be brought along by big bosses, so how many wise decisions can they be expected to make?


    In the silence of the crowd, the long-haired aunt who was sitting on the ground twitched the corners of her mouth and smiled mockingly. Soon, the mockery disappeared. When she raised her eyes again, she put on a pitiful expression again.


    ¡°I think¡­if it is really ghosts who kill people, it will be beneficial to us instead.¡±


    Everyone was a little surprised. Aunt Long-Hair slowly said: ¡°Although we don¡¯t know the conditions of death, Lian Qiao and Xu RenDong and the others also don¡¯t know! Then if Lian Qiao dies at this time, he should die in the same way as Little Apple and the others¡­¡±


    Everyone¡¯s expressions changed. With a bright mind, they blurted out: ¡°In this way Xu RenDong will think that Lian Qiao was also killed by a ghost and won¡¯t suspect us!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Auntie Long-hair restrained the urge to raise the corners of her mouth and still said cautiously, ¡°Although this is very sorry for Xu RenDong, there is nothing else we can do. After all, it is not our decision who will be the key player. Xu RenDong is just unlucky¡­ If we want to escape, he must die¡­ ¡°


    Auntie Long-Hair knew that she had lost everyone¡¯s trust, so she took every step of the way and was extremely careful in every word. She used ¡°we¡± instead of ¡°I¡± as personal pronouns and tried her best to bring everyone back to the same side.


    After hearing this, everyone fell into deep thought.


    Auntie Long-hair had a point. The instance prompt was too clear, Xu RenDong must die. And Lian Qiao will never let this happen. If you want to sacrifice Xu RenDong, you must kill Lian Qiao first. But once Xu RenDong finds out that Lian Qiao was killed by them, Xu RenDong will inevitably do radical things. At that time, if he committed suicide early, everyone would be capsized into the gutter.


    Therefore, it is the best choice to encircle and wipe out Lian Qiao in the name of ghosts.


    But¡­


    But what if they really guessed wrong?


    There is only one life, and no one can afford it.


    Everyone was silent for a long time, each thinking. In the end, half of the remaining eight players agreed with Aunt Long-Hair¡¯s strategy and decided to trick Lian Qiao to the back mountain on the grounds of finding clues, surround and kill him. After that they would cut off his neck, pretending that a ghost had killed him. The other half chose to quit and said that they would remain neutral like the scarred man, neither help nor inform Lian Qiao or RenDong.


    ¡­¡­Ah.


    The long-haired aunt looked at the backs of the four people who had abstained from voting and left slowly and thought contemptuously:


    You say you want to be neutral but what you want is just to sit back and enjoy the benefits.


    Humans, who clearly yearn for a way out, still stand on the moral high ground, for fear of getting their hands dirty.


    It¡¯s ridiculous.


    ¡°But¡­¡± The four people left to help were three men and one woman. At this time, the only girl hesitated and said, ¡°Can we really kill Lian Qiao? He is a big boss after all¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have been preparing for a long time.¡± The long-haired aunt smiled softly and took out a glass bottle from her pocket, ¡°I stole it when I was exploring the chemical laboratory.¡±


    The bottle contained a transparent greasy liquid, the cap was tightly sealed, and three words were written on the white label:


    Concentrated sulfuric acid.

 CH 170

    Chapter 170 ¨C 1992-2020


    When the finance profession class was over, Lian Qiao was already waiting outside the classroom.


    He came to pick up RenDong for dinner.


    Xu RenDong walked out of the classroom and saw the familiar figure at a glance and a smile like a newborn spring bloomed on his face involuntarily. The Monk on the side looked secretly amused and wondered if this young couple had realized that they really regarded this place as a university campus to fall in love?


    On the way to the cafeteria, RenDong whispered to Lian Qiao.


    ¡°Did you find anything about those two corpses?¡±


    ¡°No, they are very like Little Apple with their necks gouged out. Not to mention whether the murderer was a human or a ghost, I suspect there are some key clues on the necks, so that¡¯s why the three people¡¯s necks were all hollowed out.¡±


    RenDong subconsciously touched his neck: ¡°There are clues on the neck¡­¡±


    For some reason, he suddenly remembered Lian Qiao¡¯s friend named ¡°Koala Sauce¡±. Back then at the game show, Koala Sauce wore a cute little skirt and covered his Adam¡¯s apple with a mask. He couldn¡¯t recognize him as a boy at all.


    As soon as he thought of this, he felt as if he had been separated from another world.


    Those ordinary and beautiful lives seem to have been a long, long time ago¡­


    Xu RenDong felt a little melancholy for a while. At this time, the three of them happened to walk to the entrance of the cafeteria when they suddenly heard a scream from above their heads.


    ¡°Be careful!¡±


    RenDong raised his head subconsciously and, before he could see anything clearly, he was suddenly pulled aside!


    ¡°Oh!¡± RenDong was caught off guard and slammed into a warm chest. At the same time, he heard a loud bang and a huge window pane shattered at his feet!


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Lian Qiao hugged him tightly, his arms trembling slightly due to excessive force.


    RenDong heard Lian Qiao¡¯s violent and manic heartbeat in his chest and wanted to raise his head to say that he was fine but unexpectedly Lian Qiao pushed him away in the next second, and rushed up to the second floor of the cafeteria three steps at a time.


    RenDong¡¯s heart skipped a beat and he hurried to catch up. The Monk was dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events and when he saw RenDong running away, he came back to his senses and ran upstairs too.


    Before RenDong reached the second floor, he heard Lian Qiao shouted furiously: ¡°What the hell do you want?! You want to die!¡±


    RenDong was taken aback. He saw Lian Qiao holding a young man by the collar, cursing furiously. The man was dressed in white, probably the manager of the cafeteria. At this time, Lian Qiao grabbed his collar and his toes were almost off the ground. He was so scared that his face turned pale and he repeatedly begged for mercy.


    RenDong immediately noticed the empty window sill. Half of the window was missing and it seemed that it was the half window that fell and hit him in front of him just now. Fortunately, Lian Qiao reacted quickly, otherwise he would be hit in the head by the thick glass half as tall as a person. A bloody head would be a considered light injury if that happened, or possibly the brain may be directly smashed.


    After a moment of fear, RenDong suddenly heard exclamations from the surrounding crowd.


    ¡°What are you doing!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be impulsive! Calm down!¡± ¡°Why are you like this!¡±


    Only then did RenDong realize that at this moment Lian Qiao actually pinned the canteen manager on the window sill and grabbed his clothes to try to kill him by pushing him out!


    ¡°You know you¡¯re afraid now? Why didn¡¯t you take a look when you opened the window just now? Huh?¡± Lian Qiao lowered his voice, with a cold and murderous look in his voice.


    Most of the canteen manager was outside of the window, twitching his hands and feet in fright, clawing at the window sill desperately. He was about to cry from fright and begged Lian Qiao for mercy tearfully.


    And Lian Qiao not only showed no mercy, but even slowly tortured him, pushing him further bit by bit!


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t want to scare him at all!


    He really wanted to kill him!


    The college students watching nearby were eager to try to save people but they were afraid that it would be self-defeating. RenDong pushed away the crowd and rushed forward, shouting: ¡°Lian Qiao, I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t be impulsive, put him down first!¡±


    Lian Qiao narrowed his eyes and glanced at RenDong displeasedly. RenDong¡¯s heart skipped a beat at that glance and he actually had the urge to back away.


    ¡ª because he sensed danger.


    He actually sensed danger from Lian Qiao! So much that he did not dare approach!


    Something is wrong. Something is wrong with Lian Qiao!


    RenDong gritted his teeth. Instead of retreating, he stepped forward and grabbed Lian Qiao¡¯s arm: ¡°Come back! Don¡¯t mess around!¡±


    Lian Qiao¡¯s arm was like a vise, pinching the canteen manager tightly. He squinted at RenDong, his eyes full of indifference: ¡°What are you doing? It¡¯s just killing an NPC, is there any need to be so angry?¡±


    RenDong yelled angrily: ¡°Fuck! Lian Qiao, please wake up! What are you crazy about! Let go quickly!¡±


    Lian Qiao stared at him and then, as if suddenly remembering something, the muscles in the corners of his eyes twitched slightly.


    Immediately, he let go. The wailing and howling cafeteria manager finally broke free and crawled back into the cafeteria on hands and feet.


    The college students around were pointing at Lian Qiao and someone had already called 110 and notified the security. Lian Qiao lowered his head and remained silent.


    RenDong was afraid that he would really provoke the police, so he hurriedly dragged Lian Qiao away. Turning around, he saw the Monk standing at the stairs, staring at Lian Qiao with a complicated expression.


    RenDong was also in the same complicated mood. He dragged Lian Qiao and whispered ¡°Let¡¯s go¡± to the Monk. The Monk sighed and followed.


    It was already close to meal time and the three of them walked towards the teaching building against the flow of people flocking to the cafeteria. RenDong found an empty classroom, closed the front and back doors, and pushed Lian Qiao on the seat.


    Lian Qiao still kept his head down, like a pupil who did something wrong. He pursed his lips and said nothing.


    Seeing this scene, RenDong felt familiar. He remembered that Lian Qiao lost control in the instance in Three People Make a Tiger. At that time, it was also because he sensed the danger. Like a tiger whose tail was stepped on, he burst into a murderous aura in an instant and he couldn¡¯t stop it.


    But this time, it seems to be different from that time¡­


    He couldn¡¯t say what exactly was different but RenDong always felt something was wrong.


    The Monk stood aside with his arms folded and sighed, ¡°Benefactor, what are you thinking? Why did you do that in public?¡±


    Lian Qiao remained silent.


    RenDong caught a glimpse of his hands under the table, fingers curled up slightly, pinching his pants uneasily. There was a sudden throbbing pain somewhere in his heart and he couldn¡¯t help but take a step forward to stand in front of Lian Qiao.


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to him.¡± RenDong said to the Monk, ¡°You go to eat first.¡±


    The Monk showed worry, frowned and said, ¡°I¡¯m not at ease.¡±


    RenDong smiled: ¡°What are you worried about? You can¡¯t be worried that he will do something to me?¡±


    The Monk: ¡°It¡¯s not good. You have seen what he can do when he goes crazy.¡±


    RenDong said: ¡°No, no matter how crazy he goes, he won¡¯t hurt me. You go.¡±


    The Monk was unable to resist him, he had to leave with a sigh and closed the door quietly.


    There was silence in the empty classroom. RenDong sat down next to Lian Qiao and gently raised his chin: ¡°Raise your head and look at me. What are you doing with your head down? Now you know you¡¯re wrong?¡±


    Lian Qiao raised his eyes and the circles of his eyes turned red at some point .


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He started crying.


    RenDong couldn¡¯t stand his crying the most and his heart became soft.


    But recalling what Lian Qiao did just now, RenDong still calmed down and asked seriously: ¡°Why did you do that just now?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know.¡± Lian Qiao avoided his gaze and his flickering eyes showed confusion and restlessness.  ¡°When I came to my senses¡­¡±


    RenDong sighed.


    It was the same as in Three People Make a Tiger. Lian Qiao suddenly lost control and didn¡¯t know what he was doing. All the onlookers clearly saw his killing intent but he himself was terrified like a frightened little animal after waking up.


    RenDong still doesn¡¯t know the reason for Lian Qiao¡¯s abnormal phenomenon. He even wondered if Lian Qiao had a hidden dual personality and that the violent personality would only appear when he was in danger?


    A complex emotion of bitterness and sweetness appeared in RenDong¡¯s heart and he couldn¡¯t help lowering his eyes. Lian Qiao seemed to see through his mind, gently tugged at his sleeve, choked up and said, ¡°If I become another person, you¡­would you¡­¡±


    RenDong interrupted him, holding his fingers behind his back: ¡°You are you. No matter what you become, I will love you.¡±


    Lian Qiao stared at him with red eyes and suddenly grabbed him and hugged him tightly.


    RenDong felt him resting his head on her shoulder, rubbing his neck greedily. This is Lian Qiao¡¯s favorite little trick, acting like a cub, sniffing the scent of his lover.


    Every time he rubs against him like this, RenDong¡¯s heart always softens into a puddle of water. RenDong sighed, embraced him tenderly and used his body to give him the most direct comfort.


    Therefore, he didn¡¯t see that the man in his arms curled up the corner of his mouth and showed a sad and self-deprecating smile.


    At three o¡¯clock in the afternoon, Xu RenDong was supposed to make an opening report. He hurried, and finally made the opening PPT before three o¡¯clock.


    This was a challenge for him. For several hours, his attention was all focused on the computer, and he didn¡¯t even drink a sip of water. After finally finishing the opening report, he had no time to check it, so he had to rush to the college building to attend the opening report meeting.


    At this time, all the classmates gathered in the hospital building and everyone went in and reported according to the order of drawing lots. Everyone was a little nervous. After all, it was related to graduation. If the topic did not pass, it would have to be redesigned, which would affect the progress of the graduation thesis.


    RenDong was not worried about the thesis. He has already recalled the content of his thesis back then and, as long as he collects and sorts out the relevant information, he can restore the thesis back to the way it was then seventy to eighty percent.


    It was the final exams that made him anxious. The timing was really too close. He would finish all the final exams in one sitting tomorrow morning and participate in the defense in the afternoon. Then came the campus job fair.


    Compressing the four years of college into four days¡­ even if he is a superman, he would collapse and he is not superman.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have something to eat first.¡± While queuing up to draw lots, Lian Qiao gave him a box of biscuits and a bottle of mineral water.


    He had bought this from the vending machine next door. RenDong unpacked the biscuit package, only to realize that his stomach had been rumbling this whole time.


    They originally went to the cafeteria to have lunch but they didn¡¯t expect that kind of thing to happen. At that time, he was in a hurry to pull Lian Qiao away and so he forgot to eat. Later, he concentrated on writing his dissertation and now Lian Qiao helped him sort out the materials and notes so he also hadn¡¯t eaten until now.


    Thinking of this, RenDong felt a little guilty and said: ¡°It¡¯s over in a while. After that, let¡¯s go eat something delicious.¡±


    When Lian Qiao heard this, his eyes lit up and his brows curved: ¡°Okay! What do you want to eat?¡±


    ¡°Well, what do you want to eat?¡±


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t hesitate: ¡°Hot pot!¡±


    Hot pot? RenDong thought for a while, nodded and said: ¡°Okay. The mini hot pot in the second canteen, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lian Qiao said with a smile, ¡°Your roommate said that the mini hot pot in the window is very good and cheap, especially delicious!¡±


    ¡°Okay, then go eat hot pot.¡± After RenDong finished speaking, he heard a teacher calling him outside the meeting room.


    ¡°Xu RenDong¡ª¡ªis Xu RenDong here? You¡¯re next!¡±


    RenDong got up and walked towards the conference room. After taking two steps, he was a little worried and turned back to Lian Qiao. He said, ¡°You wait for me here. I¡¯ll be back soon. You mustn¡¯t leave.¡±


    Lian Qiao nodded obediently: ¡°I am here and won¡¯t go anywhere. I will wait for you to pick me up to eat hot pot.¡±


    RenDong felt that Lian Qiao was like a child at that moment and his heart was suddenly full of all sorts of tenderness that was hard to express. Unfortunately, the teacher at the door of the meeting room was already getting impatient and called him several times in a row, his voice getting louder and louder, saying that he would be disqualified if he didn¡¯t come right now.


    RenDong suddenly felt an urge ¨C fuck the opening report, I don¡¯t want to study anymore!


    Lian Qiao tilted his head and his eyes sparkled: ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You can¡¯t bear to leave me even for a few minutes?¡±


    RenDong sighed softly: ¡°I want to tie a rope around you, hold you, and keep you from leaving me even one step for even  a few minutes.¡±


    Lian Qiao was taken aback and a trace of extremely complicated emotions suddenly flashed in his eyes.


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    The subtle expression on his face flashed and soon changed into a mischievous smile: ¡°Don¡¯t say such things here, it makes me want to kiss you so much.¡±


    RenDong looked and saw all the college students coming to and fro, and couldn¡¯t help but blush.


    Lian Qiao pushed him and said, ¡°Go quickly, it will only take a few minutes.¡±


    RenDong sighed and finally took the materials and entered the meeting room.


    However, after entering, he discovered that the group in front hadn¡¯t finished their reports yet. More than a dozen experts lined up in front of the large conference table and a lonely student was sitting on the other side of the conference table, talking through their PPT. The few remaining students sat in the other row at the back, all looking down at their scripts with nervous expressions.


    RenDong felt that he came in early but the teacher in charge of calling the number had already closed the door, so he couldn¡¯t get out. Helpless, he had no choice but to sit down and wait, hoping that it would be over soon so that he could go out and have hot pot with Lian Qiao.


    Fortunately, everyone¡¯s reporting time was limited to five minutes. RenDong waited in the meeting room for half an hour before it was his turn to present. He finished the report cleanly and was unanimously approved by the expert group. The proposal was successfully passed but he couldn¡¯t even wait for the expert group to sign it. After entrusting it to the proposal secretary, he hurried back to the waiting hall.


    At this moment, there were not as many people in the hall as before. He looked around and the thing he was most worried about happened.


    Lian Qiao was gone.


    RenDong called his name and searched everywhere. Soon, the teacher responsible for maintaining order rushed to him and scolded him, telling him to keep quiet and not to yell about. RenDong ignored him and walked away with a cold face.


    However, there was no sign of Lian Qiao in either the lounge or the bathroom. The uneasiness in RenDong¡¯s heart became more and more intense. In a panic, he heard someone calling his name.


    Looking up, it turned out to be his three roommates.


    RenDong felt like he was grabbing a life-saving straw and hurriedly asked: ¡°Have you seen Lian Qiao?¡±


    The three roommates looked at each other: ¡°Lian Qiao?¡±


    RenDong: ¡°It¡¯s¡­my brother. You met when the school started. ¡°


    One of the roommates suddenly realized: ¡°Oh, your brother. I saw him, he was still waiting for you here just now.¡±


    RenDong¡¯s face was overjoyed: ¡°Then where is he now?¡±


    The roommate thought for a while, and said: ¡°An auntie with long hair came to get him and they left after a few words together. It seemed that they were going to the back mountain¡­¡±


    Back mountain? Auntie with long hair?


    Suddenly, the alarm bells rang in RenDong¡¯s heart. He ran towards the back of the mountain, and couldn¡¯t help thinking angrily: Didn¡¯t you agree to wait here and not go anywhere? Lian Qiao, you big liar!


    When I find you, I must tie a collar around your neck! Holding you all the time, so that you can¡¯t leave me even one step!

 CH 171

    Chapter 171 ¨C 1992-2020


    On the way to the back mountain, Xu RenDong happened to meet the Monk who was wandering around aimlessly.


    Seeing that he was in a hurry and he was alone again, the Monk asked in surprise: ¡°Where¡¯s Lian Qiao?¡±


    RenDong hurried to the back mountain, walking non-stop: ¡°Something may have happened to him! Are you going to the back mountain with me? ¡°


    When the Monk heard ¡°back mountain¡±, he also felt that something was wrong, so he followed RenDong¡¯s footsteps and asked, ¡°What is he doing at the back mountain?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, it seems that Auntie Long-Hair came to him.¡±


    ¡°They found some clues and asked him to go and see?¡±


    RenDong immediately vetoed: ¡°Impossible! Are there any clues that we must rush to see immediately? Lian Qiao promised to wait for me outside! But he left me alone. Let¡¯s go, there must be a problem!¡±


    The Monk felt that what he said made sense but he still comforted him: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Maybe there is something urgent that requires him to go right away?¡±


    ¡°Before, he wanted nothing to do with Aunt Long-Hair. So, how could he be persuaded by Aunt Long-Hair so easily?¡± RenDong bit his lip, ¡°I suspect¡­that woman threatened him in some way¡­that¡¯s why he left me¡­¡±


    After finishing the sentence, this time the Monk felt that comfort was useless, so he stepped forward and said, ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s run quickly!¡±


    The two hurried to the back mountain, only to find that the entrance of the back mountain had been cordoned off . It turned out that after the Little Apple case, the police were unable to solve the case for a long time. Considering the safety of the students, the school surrounded all the entrances and exits of the back mountain with iron fences and the students were not allowed to enter.


    The fence was as high as two people and showed no signs of damage. RenDong just glanced at it and started to climb up with his hands and feet.


    ¡°Hey, wait! Don¡¯t be impulsive!¡± The Monk saw that the fence was full of spikes and couldn¡¯t help but exclaim, ¡°Since this side is locked, they may not necessarily have gone in! Don¡¯t rush to climb!¡±


    At this time, RenDong had climbed to the top of the fence and was carefully climbing over the spikes. When he opened his mouth, he was calm and composed: ¡°I¡¯ll go in alone, you help me look in other places!¡±


    The Monk was stunned: ¡°Other places? Where can I look?¡±


    RenDong simply jumped down from a height of more than two meters. He fell to the ground with a loud bang but got up immediately regardless of the pain and ran up the mountain while shouting back: ¡°Go to the hotel and ask other people! See if they know what Auntie Long-hair is doing!¡±


    ¡°OK!¡± the Monk replied and couldn¡¯t help but glance at the fence that was as tall as two people. Xu RenDong jumped from such a high place and didn¡¯t even make a sound. Could it be that he really didn¡¯t feel pain?


    Without any time to think about it, the Monk turned his head and ran towards the hotel.


    Xu RenDong ran desperately, heading towards the crime scene in his memory. Along the way, he looked around vigilantly and nervously, for fear of seeing blood, traces of fighting or injury.


    Aunt Long-Hair obviously has no good intentions when inviting Lian Qiao to come to the back mountain at this time! How could Lian Qiao agree? Why is he so stupid!


    And didn¡¯t he agree to wait for him? Can¡¯t we go together when he comes out?


    The soles of his feet hurt as if they were being torn, because he had injured his nerves when he  jumped off the fence just now. Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t care less. When he jumped down just now, he discovered that there were footprints behind the fence and there were more than one pair. This shows that someone really did pass by the fence not long ago!


    When he came last time, he clearly felt that the crime scene was very close to the entrance of the back mountain but this time it was as far away as the sky. RenDong ran towards the scene of the crime with all his strength, but there was no trace of fighting and killing along the way.


    But his heart was always hanging in the air, beating wildly in his chest. Finally, he came to a clearing. The yellow cordon pulled by the police fell to the ground, dirty and covered with mud. He ran over but, after seeing the scene in front of him clearly, his pupils shrank suddenly.


    There were several people lying in disorder on the ground, all with messy knife wounds on their bodies. Some had half their heads chopped off and some were cut from the throat to the navel, and their internal organs flowed out. Aunt Long-Hair was also among them. She had the most and the deepest wounds on her body, almost cut into several sections.


    RenDong¡¯s scalp exploded all of a sudden and he had no time to look at these teammates, but just stumbled inside.


    Lian Qiao, where is Lian Qiao? Where is Lian Qiao¡­


    The air was filled with the smell of blood, mixed with a strange smell. The smell was very familiar but Xu RenDong couldn¡¯t remember what it was.


    He walked in a trance deep into the woods. Soon, a figure leaning against a big tree came into view.


    ¡°Lian Qiao!¡± RenDong was overjoyed and threw himself in front of Lian Qiao, ¡°How are you? What happened?¡±


    Lian Qiao was covered in blood, his face was pale and his eyes were closed. He opened his eyes.


    ¡°RenDong¡­¡± His lips moved, and he replied in a low voice.


    RenDong quickly looked at him up and down. He found that although his face was covered with blood, it was all other people¡¯s blood splashed on it. He reached out to hug him. However, just as he stretched out his hand to his back, he heard a ¡°hiss¡± and Lian Qiao trembled in pain. RenDong quickly retracted his hands, only to realize that his hands were covered with blood. Lian Qiao¡¯s back was already soaked in blood.


    It turned out that he was still injured! No wonder he looks so pale!


    ¡°Hold on! I¡¯ll take you to the hospital!¡± RenDong passed through his knees with one hand, hooked his neck with the other and carefully hugged him horizontally.


    Lian Qiao bit his lip and leaned against his chest like a doll, so obedient that it made people feel distressed.


    Only then did RenDong realize that there was an extremely long knife wound on his back, from his shoulder to his lower back. Fortunately, the wound was not deep and did not hurt the muscles and bones. However, the flesh was turned out and the blood was flowing, which looked shocking.


    RenDong¡¯s heart was in a mess. He hugged Lian Qiao and, when he walked past the corpses, he accidentally caught a glimpse of a glass bottle. At that glance, he couldn¡¯t help being shocked.


    It turned out to be a chemical reagent bottle with ¡°concentrated sulfuric acid¡± written on it!


    The bottle fell from Auntie Long-hair¡¯s hand and the bottle was already empty. The transparent viscous liquid flowed all over the ground, corroding the fallen leaves and soil into a black paste. It turns out that the strange smell in the air was a burnt smell, which is the special smell emitted after concentrated sulfuric acid burns and corrodes objects!


    RenDong hurriedly asked: ¡°Did you touch the sulfuric acid?¡±


    Lian Qiao turned pale and shook his head with a smile: ¡°No. They wanted to throw sulfuric acid on me but fortunately I dodged quickly.¡±


    Hearing what he said, RenDong already understood something in his heart. .


    It¡¯s likely that Aunt Long-Hair and the others used some kind of lie to trick him into coming to the back mountain so that they could work together to kill him. Fortunately, Lian Qiao¡¯s combat effectiveness is superb. Even though it was one against five, he managed to survive.


    However, he didn¡¯t expect that woman to be so vicious- she actually prepared concentrated sulfuric acid!


    RenDong couldn¡¯t imagine Lian Qiao being splashed with concentrated sulfuric acid. He was terribly frightened and couldn¡¯t help tightening his arms around him. He wanted to go back and chop those corpses with hatred in his heart.


    ¡°Wu¡­ Take it easy¡­¡± The person in his arms struggled slightly.


    RenDong was surprised, and quickly apologized: ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°Let me down so I can walk. I just hurt my back but my leg is fine. I can walk by myself.¡±


    RenDong refused at first, but the way down the mountain was too long. Lian Qiao¡¯s body was heavy and he soon became unable to support him. He had no choice but to put the man down carefully and repeatedly check whether there were other injuries on his body.


    Lian Qiao obediently let him check. After some confirmation, RenDong finally breathed a sigh of relief.


    Indeed, Lian Qiao only had the wound on his back. The concentrated sulfuric acid did not touch him at all. And the blood from the injury on his back has gradually stopped but the flesh was turned outward, which looks terrible.


    RenDong¡¯s heart seemed to be clenched tightly, throbbing with pain. He helped Lian Qiao to walk down the mountain and said with pity and resentment: ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wait for me? If I was with you, they wouldn¡¯t dare to do anything.¡±


    ¡°There will be a day.¡± Lian Qiao sighed, ¡°Actually, I pretended to be fooled on purpose and came to the appointment. They would have attacked me sooner or later. Since that¡¯s the case, why not take this opportunity to get rid of them and save trouble in the future.¡±


    RenDong bit his lips: ¡°What if you were the one who died?¡±


    Lian Qiao raised the corner of his mouth and said with a little pride: ¡°You still don¡¯t know my strength?¡±


    RenDong suppressed his anger and said: ¡°What strength do you have? If you¡¯re so awesome, why are you still being hacked? If I came late, would you have died there?¡±


    The two happened to walk to the railing at the exit of the back mountain and RenDong pointed at the fence that was as high as the two of them. He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Even if you can insist on going down the mountain alone, can you still climb over this railing? Are you not afraid of being pierced on the spikes?!¡±


    Lian Qiao glanced at the spikes on the top of the railing. He then whispered: ¡°This thorn can¡¯t kill anyone¡­¡±


    RenDong laughed back angrily, let go of his hands simply and spread his own hands, saying: ¡°Okay! You are amazing, so then you can climb by yourself!¡±


    Lian Qiao only then realized he was really angry and quickly tugged on his sleeve, begging pitifully: ¡°I was wrong, I should have discussed it with you first. I won¡¯t take risks alone in the future, don¡¯t be angry, okay?¡±


    RenDong originally intended to teach him a lesson but when he saw him leaning forward, clinging to him and acting softly, and thinking that his back was still injured, he couldn¡¯t bear it for a while.


    Xu RenDong sighed, raised his hand to wipe the blood on Lian Qiao¡¯s face and found a big rock for him to sit on.


    Lian Qiao raised his head and asked curiously: ¡°What do you want to do?¡±


    RenDong: ¡°Open the door.¡±


    After speaking, he grabbed the iron railing and pulled it out hard.


    There was a big iron chain hanging on the iron gate, which rattled when he pulled it. Lian Qiao thought it looked funny and was about to speak out to dissuade him, but he heard a bang.


    The big iron gate actually fell down in response!


    Lian Qiao was stunned. RenDong clapped his hands and turned around, helped him up again and walked out.


    Lian Qiao looked at the fallen iron gate and was shocked: ¡°Is it a miracle!?¡±


    When did RenDong have such great strength? Was this his set-up?


    ¡°No.¡± RenDong stepped on the iron gate and walked over without looking back, ¡°The iron gate is rusty and not strong. I guessed it could be knocked open with a strong impact.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh.¡± Lian Qiao listened to his tone and felt that his anger had not subsided, so he dared not say naughty words and obediently let him go.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s injury looked like he was hacked in a fight. He was afraid that the incident would become a big issue and attract the police, so he suggested not going to the hospital, but to go directly to the hotel to bandage himself. Anyway, gauze, alcohol, and antibiotics are all in their backpacks.


    Back at the hotel, everyone saw the injured Lian Qiao with a very strange expression.


    The Monk rushed out to greet Lian Qiao and confirmed Lian Qiao¡¯s injury. Then he also showed that strange expression and asked: ¡°Where are the others?¡±


    RenDong: ¡°They are all dead.¡±


    The Monk: ¡°Where are the bodies? Are they still in the back mountain?¡±


    RenDong said coldly: ¡°Why are you asking? You plan to recite sutras for them?¡±


    The Monk sighed: ¡°How could I? This poor monk is not the Holy Mother. This kind of bad guy who entraps his teammates will go to hell even if I give him salvation. I want to collect the corpses, that¡¯s all. The five corpses are spread out there, it doesn¡¯t look good. We can¡¯t escape if the police find out.¡±


    RenDong: ¡°Okay, you go.¡±


    After that, regardless of other people¡¯s subtle eyes, he just led Lian Qiao and went upstairs.

 CH 172

    Chapter 172 ¨C 1992-2020


    Back in the room, RenDong carefully inspected Lian Qiao¡¯s injuries.


    Apart from some bruises, the only injury was the knife wound on his back. RenDong didn¡¯t intend to ask about the specific situation at that time but just said: ¡°In the future, you are not allowed to act alone.¡±


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°Okay.¡±


    RenDong took out bandages and alcohol from his backpack, and cleaned and changed his dressing. When changing the dressing, Lian Qiao didn¡¯t say a word and remained quiet like a ceramic doll. RenDong knew that he was afraid that he would feel sorry for him, but with such a long cut on his white back, how could RenDong not feel sorry for him?


    As if aware of the gaze from behind, Lian Qiao asked softly, ¡°RenDong? Are you okay? I¡¯m a little cold.¡±


    Xu RenDong could only look away and help him put on his clothes.


    There were anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers in the backpack. RenDong took them out for him and then asked Lian Qiao to lie down and rest. Lian Qiao shook his head and asked, ¡°Have you finished your thesis yet?¡±


    RenDong said, ¡°Is this the time to think about that? Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°No. In case you don¡¯t graduate¡­¡±


    RenDong frowned. Lian Qiao was right. If he failed to graduate, he might miss the elevator. But he doesn¡¯t have a computer, so he has to go to the library to write his thesis. How could he leave Lian Qiao and go to the library alone at this time?


    Lian Qiao held the water glass, gulped down the warm boiled water in it and said, ¡°I¡¯ll accompany you to the library. I¡¯m fine, I¡¯ll just drink more hot water.¡±


    RenDong said helplessly, ¡°You were cut down. A knife wound can be solved by just drinking more hot water?¡±


    Lian Qiao: ¡°Drink water to restore blood and replenish magic?¡± {I think game speech.}


    RenDong: ¡°?¡± Hearing this witty remark, instead of feeling funny, he became angry again.


    Looking at his expression, Lian Qiao knew that his joke was not at the right time so he took out his trump card and hugged him coquettishly.


    At this time, the door was knocked suddenly. It was the Monk who had returned.


    The Monk opened the door and came in and saw the two people who were tired and crooked at a glance. He said with a smile: ¡°Oh, you are in good spirits, it seems that you are all right.¡±


    RenDong sat up straight and asked lightly: ¡°Have you finished collecting the corpses? Where did you throw them?¡±


    The Monk said: ¡°There happened to be a hole behind the forest, I pushed the body in and buried them together.¡± Then he turned his head to look at Lian Qiao and sighed, ¡°You really don¡¯t look like someone who could do something like that. Look at you, you look so weak and scholarly but you actually took down five people by yourself easily. Powerful!¡±


    RenDong frowned and wondered: Are you blind? What do you mean ¡®easily¡¯, can¡¯t you see the knife wound on his back? But after thinking about it, Auntie Long-Hair came prepared. She had  concentrated sulfuric acid hidden in her hand and she probably planned to splash Lian Qiao¡¯s face as soon as she came up, so as to blind him first. Although Lian Qiao was on guard against them, there were five of them after all¡­ How did Lian Qiao kill all five of them in one go?


    Also, how those five people died¡­


    At this moment, RenDong recalled the death of those five people and suddenly felt a strange feeling in his heart.


    If it was just to save his life, did those people need to die so badly? Especially the long-haired aunt, who was almost cut into pieces. In the eyes of ordinary people, this can already be said to be torture.


    However, Lian Qiao himself was injured, it is impossible for him to have the energy to flog the corpses after killing those five people.


    RenDong frowned, feeling that things might not be as simple as they seemed on the surface. He thought for a while and asked the Monk, ¡°What do the other people in the hotel say?¡±


    The Monk said, ¡°When you went up the back mountain, I came back and asked them if they knew the whereabouts of Lian Qiao. They were all evasive and I beat them up. Only after suffering did they become honest.¡±


    The Monk said that the team split into two camps and now that the group that wanted to kill Lian Qiao has been killed by Lian Qiao, what would the rest do?


    RenDong was silent.


    The Monk said: ¡°Actually, it¡¯s understandable for them to do this. After all, after staying in the dungeon for more than 20 days, there are no clues to the elevator or the button. The direction of the dungeon prompt is so obvious¡­¡±


    RenDong suddenly smiled and asked: ¡°What about you?¡±


    Monk: ¡°What about me?¡±


    RenDong: ¡°If you really have to kill me to get out, will you kill me?¡±


    The Monk said without hesitation: ¡°Kill.¡±


    RenDong laughed: ¡°You are not hiding it. Aren¡¯t you afraid that I will kill you first?¡±


    The Monk put his hands together and said, ¡°Amitabha, I want to kill you, but you also kill me, isn¡¯t this fair?¡± After a pause, he returned to a normal tone of voice, ¡°Actually, no one is at fault, the fault is this fucking dungeon. I know that some dungeons have key players, but how can there be someone like you? First let everyone protect you until you are 28 years old and then kill you? That¡¯s fucked¡­¡±


    He thought about it but couldn¡¯t find any suitable words, so he scratched his head irritably, and said something indiscriminately: ¡°¡­fucked.¡±


    RenDong sighed: ¡± Don¡¯t worry about it anymore. Let me tell you the truth, even if you kill me, you won¡¯t be able to get out.¡±


    As soon as the words came out, the Monk immediately opened his eyes wide in surprise: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    RenDong thought for a while and for some way to explain it without talking about the death cycle. But Lian Qiao said coldly: ¡°Because if he dies, I will take all of you to bury him.¡±


    RenDong: ¡°¡­¡±


    The Monk: ¡°¡­¡±


    The two fell into silence at the same time, although the reasons for the silence were quite different.


    Lian Qiao squinted at the Monk, his eyes full of arrogance: ¡°I will say it clearly. You have already seen the fate of those who tried to attack him. Don¡¯t make trouble anymore, at least you can live a few more days. Since you are so free and if you have time, why don¡¯t you look for the elevator and the buttons, and stop thinking about him.¡±


    The Monk suddenly smiled, rolled up his sleeves and showed his plump biceps. He said: ¡°Since you said that, I¡¯m curious¡­ who will win a fight between us? This poor Monk is not talented but he  has learned kung fu for a few years¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao immediately lifted the quilt: ¡°Okay. Come and try!¡±


    Seeing that this direction was getting more and more strange, RenDong quickly pushed Lian Qiao back on the bed, pulled the Monk away and said helplessly: ¡°Can you two be more mature? Don¡¯t be like children and talk nonsense. Right now I don¡¯t have time to talk nonsense with you, I have to go write a thesis.¡±


    The Monk said that what he said made sense, so he left the room to convey Lian Qiao¡¯s words to others.


    RenDong returned to the bed, rubbing Lian Qiao¡¯s hair pamperingly and helplessly: ¡°The Monk is not a bad person, so don¡¯t take your anger out on him. You have killed everyone who tried to harm you. As for the rest¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao interrupted him: ¡°The Monk is testing me.¡±


    RenDong was taken aback.


    Lian Qiao stared at the direction where the Monk left, and said every word: ¡°He is testing me. If he can beat me, he will have nothing to fear and he can stand on the moral high ground and continue to act as a judge to uphold justice. If he loses¡­ ¡­¡±


    RenDong was surprised: ¡°Why do you think so? The Monk is not this kind of person.¡±


    Lian Qiao asked back: ¡°How do you know he is not?¡±


    Because he became an ice sculpture to sacrifice himself to save others¡­. However, before he could utter the words, RenDong suddenly felt as if his throat had been filled with paste and his tongue was too stiff to move.


    RenDong couldn¡¯t help but smile bitterly. How long will he keep this secret?


    RenDong¡¯s hesitation seemed speechless to Lian Qiao. So Lian Qiao changed the topic, got up and said: ¡°Go to the library, there will be no seats if it¡¯s late.¡±


    RenDong frowned: ¡°But your injury¡­¡±


    ¡°This injury may look scary but it¡¯s actually not deep. After all, I am flexible and I can hide in time. To be honest, I am fine. Don¡¯t talk about accompanying you in self-study, even if it is¡­¡± Lian Qiao suddenly came over, bit his ear and said, ¡°As long as you want, I can even right now make you cry and beg for mercy, want to try it?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± RenDong remembered the absurd things in the library that day, couldn¡¯t help but blush and pushed him away angrily, ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you these days? Your mind is full of¡­all¡­¡± He didn¡¯t know how to finish.


    Lian Qiao stopped teasing him. After all, time was running out and the two quickly went to the library.


    Sure enough, the computer room at this point was already overcrowded. The two walked back and forth several times, and finally found a spot to sit. RenDong sat down and got to work writing his paper.


    What he wrote was his graduation thesis from back then. The outline of the thesis has been roughly written silently, and the materials have been collected. All he needs to do now is to integrate the sentences. Having said that, the dissertation word limit is still there. RenDong hasn¡¯t touched this thing for many years, and it is inevitable to stumble when writing it.


    The computer room is open until ten o¡¯clock in the evening. According to the time schedule of the dungeon world, the thesis will be handed in early tomorrow morning, the final exam will be held in the morning and the graduation defense will be held at noon. If all goes well, he can officially graduate in the afternoon and get a certificate.


    To be honest, it was stressful. RenDong concentrated on this wholeheartedly, his eyes staring at the computer screen almost without blinking. Lian Qiao was there to help him sort out his notes, reducing the obstacles in his review.


    It¡¯s unknown how long it took but the first draft of the thesis was finally written silently. RenDong stretched, seeing that it was only nine o¡¯clock and he¡¯d made it in time. He let out a long breath.


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°Let¡¯s take a break.¡±


    RenDong shook his head: ¡°No need.¡± Then he buried herself in the thesis and started the first round of revisions.


    Modifying and polishing is much easier than silently writing the full text. Before ten o¡¯clock, RenDong completed three rounds of revisions and format adjustments. At this time, there was no one in the computer room. Students who plan to study all night have moved to the all-night study room.


    Lian Qiao had already helped him reserve a seat in the all-night study room in advance. The two ate something simple and then moved to the next battlefield.


    With the notes that Lian Qiao helped organize, Xu RenDong¡¯s review was more effective. Although Lian Qiao was not a major in this field, he is a smart person after all. After reading the textbook at a glance, he can quickly grasp the key points and list them clearly. Therefore, although the review task is heavy, Xu RenDong has read all the syllabus in advance.


    When he was about to do the second brush, Lian Qiao pressed his hand: ¡°Enough, let¡¯s take a rest.¡±


    RenDong subconsciously wanted to say that it¡¯s okay and that he wasn¡¯t tired but suddenly noticed that Lian Qiao¡¯s face was a little haggard. He then remembered Lian Qiao was injured and still actually stayed with him most of the night. Feeling guilty all of a sudden, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll accompany you back to the hotel. I can also read in the hotel.¡±


    Lian Qiao sighed, ¡°The lights in the hotel room are too dark. If you read all night, your eyes will go blind.¡±


    ¡°What should I do then?¡± RenDong frowned, ¡°Your injury¡­¡±


    In the all-night study room, everyone was buried in their studies, and it was extremely quiet. So even though the two lowered their voices, someone still looked over.


    RenDong made an apologetic gesture, and persuaded softly again: ¡°Go back.¡±


    Lian Qiao lay on the table, tilted his head to look at him: ¡°If you feel sorry for me, just touch me.¡±


    RenDong reached out and rubbed his hair.


    Lian Qiao suddenly smiled, grabbed his hand and kissed it on his lips, then suppressed his voice and said, ¡°It¡¯s not here. It¡¯s below.¡±

 CH 173

    Chapter 173 ¨C 1992-2020


    There are so many people in the study room and even though everyone is studying hard, as long as they make a little noise, everyone will be alarmed.


    RenDong bit his lip, thinking how could Lian Qiao make such an exaggerated request?


    But looking at Lian Qiao¡¯s pale face and thinking about the horrific wound on his back, RenDong¡¯s heart softened again.


    RenDong wanted to make a quick decision, so he gave up and did as he said. Lian Qiao chuckled and whispered in his ear, ¡°You don¡¯t even know how to do something bad properly?¡± Then he took off his coat and put it on his legs.


    With the cover of the coat, RenDong feels a little more at ease. He never thought that Lian Qiao would push his luck and extend his hand in the same way.


    RenDong almost screamed out and subconsciously wanted to withdraw his hand. Lian Qiao grabbed him, frowned and said: ¡°Don¡¯t move around. The coat is about to fall off.¡±


    RenDong looked around in panic, almost pleading in his eyes. Lian Qiao seemed to think that he was very funny, lying on the table, looking at him with a smile, but gradually tightened his hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡± RenDong couldn¡¯t take it anymore, begging for mercy in a trembling voice and bent down.


    ¡°Then you move too.¡± Lian Qiao said.


    RenDong¡¯s eyes were reddened by him, humiliated and unwilling. He didn¡¯t want his appearance to be seen by the person provoking him, so he also lay down on the table and buried his face in his arms.


    Lian Qiao tilted his head, admiring his bright and small earlobes.


    The two of them were doing shameless things under the cover of their coats. After a while, both of them lost control. RenDong was coaxed into the bathroom by Lian Qiao and, when the door was closed, they started to mess around.


    Lian Qiao had an injury on his body and RenDong refused at first but couldn¡¯t help Lian Qiao¡¯s tricks and so, in a rare occasion, moved by himself.


    RenDong is persevering by nature and usually refuses to grunt even if it hurts. This time he took the initiative and couldn¡¯t bear it psychologically. Instead, his eyes were red and he whimpered. Lian Qiao hugged him from behind, covered his mouth and said with a low laugh,


    ¡°Don¡¯t shout. You¡¯ll be heard.¡±


    RenDong was about to be driven crazy and wanting to let it out quickly, he fell into his trap again. Lian Qiao was finally emotional and regained the initiative, causing the partition to rattle.


    This is great. Not only was RenDong unable to study, even the wound on Lian Qiao¡¯s back was opened.


    At last, the two came out of the library in embarrassment and went back to the hotel against the cold wind.


    RenDong felt ashamed and angry, while preparing the gauze iodophor, while complaining about Lian Qiao¡¯s mischief. Lian Qiao was finally honest and sat on the bed with his back facing him, exposing the wound on his back.


    When RenDong turned his head and saw the blood-stained gauze on his back, his heart softened again.


    ¡°You¡­you are really¡­¡± RenDong sighed softly, and said helplessly and pitifully, ¡°Can¡¯t you bear it? It¡¯s just a few days away. Wait until we get out, wouldn¡¯t I do what you want¡­¡± When he thought what would happen after they got out, his face turned red.


    Lian Qiao lowered his head slightly and murmured in a low voice: ¡°When we get out¡­¡±


    Hearing these words, RenDong¡¯s heart inexplicably twitched. He felt that there was an indescribable¡­ sadness in Lian Qiao¡¯s tone?


    Was it sadness? Or was he overthinking it?


    He thought that Lian Qiao was probably afraid that they would not be able to get out, so he kissed the back of his neck and said softly: ¡°I will take you out. Believe me, I will definitely be able to.¡± Lian Qiao smiled softly.


    RenDong didn¡¯t waste any more time and gently tore off the blood-stained gauze. The gauze was soaked in blood but it was easy to tear and it was heavy to hold. The shocking knife wound on Lian Qiao¡¯s back came into view again, which made RenDong¡¯s heart ache, but he had to face it head-on.


    He carefully wiped the blood around the knife wound with a clean cotton ball, trying not to touch the wound. But Lian Qiao said: ¡°It¡¯s okay, just take a cotton ball and dip it in iodophor and wipe it inside. Otherwise, it will easily get inflamed.¡±


    RenDong was stunned: ¡°Wipe it inside? Wouldn¡¯t it hurt?¡±


    Lian Qiao said: ¡°I can bear it. It¡¯s better than getting a fever.¡±


    RenDong frowned: ¡°Isn¡¯t there anti-inflammatory medicine? Why don¡¯t you take more medicine¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s useless. If it¡¯s really infected, this oral medicine won¡¯t work at all.¡± Lian Qiao turned his head and smiled at him. ¡°Come on, I can bear it.¡±


    RenDong had no choice but to do as he said.


    The cotton balls stained with povidone iodine had turned tan. He held the cotton ball with tweezers and held it close to the wound. When he really wanted to stuff it in, his hands trembled a little.


    He took a deep breath, gently opened the skin around the wound and stuffed the cotton ball in. He felt the tension of Lian Qiao¡¯s muscles and he, at the same time, grasped the bed sheet under him tightly.


    Still say it doesn¡¯t hurt? Obviously it hurts like hell.


    RenDong gritted his teeth, thinking that the beginning has already begun, so it¡¯s better to end it sooner. Within a heartbeat, he wiped the sterile cotton ball back and forth in the wound, taking away the exudate and blood in the wound.


    Lian Qiao never said a word but RenDong felt the same pain, feeling like his back was being cut by a knife.


    He stared at the wound, guilt crept up his chest again and again. He thought it would be fine if he kept an eye on Lian Qiao and didn¡¯t let him go to the appointment alone. Although this was Lian Qiao¡¯s own intention, he still didn¡¯t want Lian Qiao to suffer even the slightest injury.


    Although he didn¡¯t know who was the one who cut Lian Qiao, he had obviously avenged himself on the spot. RenDong sighed softly and was about to cover it with gauze, when a thought flashed in his mind. He felt that the knife wound was a bit strange.


    This knife was from the right shoulder to the left shoulder blade and the knife wound was nearly 20 centimeters. The depth is not too deep and the cutting edge is also very neat. There is no doubt that it was cut open by a sharp knife.


    But¡­ he always felt that there was something weird¡­


    RenDong thought about it carefully. The few corpses he saw on the back mountain today were also cut by sharp knives. Daggers, kitchen knives, watermelon knives and other weapons were also scattered at the scene. So he didn¡¯t think much at that time, nor did he carefully examine the wounds of the corpse.


    Thinking about it now, the knife wounds on those corpses were all crooked. After all, they didn¡¯t stand still while waiting to be cut and would of course resist when being cut, so all the wounds left were crooked and twisted. None of them were as straight as Lian Qiao¡¯s.


    RenDong thought of this and immediately understood where the sense of dissonance came from.


    The injury on Lian Qiao¡¯s back was long and straight, with a neat and shallow incision. To be honest, the injury was not serious. And the cut was so beautiful, it was as beautiful as a knife slowly cutting open the skin.


    The angle from the right shoulder to the left shoulder blade is also¡­ no, what if it is the other way around, from the left shoulder blade to the right shoulder?


    Wouldn¡¯t that be¡­ very easy to oneself?


    RenDong was taken aback by his own thought, and then shook his head mockingly: Why, would Lian Qiao cut himself with a knife?


    What was he plotting? Wanting to get his sympathy?


    ¡°¡­RenDong?¡± As if sensing something, Lian Qiao tilted his head and called him softly.


    RenDong put that strange thought behind him, sprinkled some Yunnan Baiyao on his wound, then covered the gauze again and said, ¡°Okay.¡±


    Lian Qiao let out a long breath. It seems that he has been holding his breath just now.


    RenDong put on his clothes and got up to pour him a cup of hot water. With this movement, he suddenly realized that his back was still sticky. He couldn¡¯t help but blush, turned around and walked towards the bathroom and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to take a shower.¡±


    Lian Qiao sat on the bed and said good-bye obediently.


    The hot water washed away the things that should not have appeared in his body and also took away the fatigue from RenDong¡¯s body. He couldn¡¯t help staying in the bathroom for a while longer and his mind gradually emptied and drifted away, making him curious about what would happen on that day in 2020.


    From the moment ¡°1992-2020¡± appeared in the elevator, he knew that he was a key player in this instance. This string of numbers seems to be so unknown that the numbers of the year of birth and death are so unknown, anyone who reads it will think in that direction. Fortunately, 2020 is still far away and no one dares to act rashly before then.


    But what will happen in 2020?


    There is no doubt that the remaining players will attack in groups. He is the key player and so  even if you can¡¯t get the button if you kill him, you can at least get a puppet doll. For other players, this operation is not a loss. But they never thought that Xu RenDong had the ability to reset after death. In other words, his death is definitely not the final condition for opening the door of life ¨C after all, once he dies, the entire instance will be reset.


    It is a pity that this cannot be told to anyone.


    But where is the way out?


    Something is bound to happen that day in 2020. He now has a clue about the elevator, but what about the button?


    Xu RenDong suddenly had a terrible idea in his heart.


    What if¡­ What if the dungeon this time is a hedging game?


    From the reminder of the dungeon to the subsequent development, the whole dungeon world revolves around him, which naturally isolates him from ordinary players. If Lian Qiao hadn¡¯t stood firm by his side, he would probably have been publicly targeted by now.


    No, in fact, the current situation is that he and Lian Qiao have become publicly targeted.


    Then, the intention of the copy seems to be to want him to fight against everyone. So¡­ could it be that he gets the button by killing all the other players?


    In this case, isn¡¯t he the only one who can escape?


    But isn¡¯t it impossible to set an absolute dead end in the game? If he was the only one who could escape, then for the others¡­


    At this point, Xu RenDong suddenly shuddered.


    No, in fact he has experienced it ¨C a copy where only one person can escape.


    In ¡°The Lock Without a Key¡±, among the ninety-nine and eighty-one players, the only one who can actually meet the escape conditions is Shi JianChuan.


    Shi JianChuan once said that the difficulty of the dungeon will be adjusted due to the existence of special participants. Shi JianChuan was a real boss, so the dungeon was surprisingly difficult. The elevator can only be opened by piecing together the nine chains but collecting the nine chains will trigger the nine-story debuff. The rings that guard against the debuff must be concentrated on one person and the others can only be slaughtered.


    Although the longevity lock given by Zhong Xiu can also resist debuffs, in addition to the mental control of forced eating and forced estrus, the debuffs also have group damage such as heavy rain, gu carvings and flying arrows. Even though RenDong was wearing the longevity lock, he couldn¡¯t avoid these attacks. But Shi JianChuan was different. The White Snake has excellent combat power, can attack and defend, and can separate into countless small snakes, pick up all the rings in one go and seize the opportunity to open the elevator. Shi JianChuan himself, as a folklorist, also has a lot of research on the Nine Rings and can solve the puzzle within the shortest time.


    Fundamentally speaking, only Shi JianChuan can pass this dungeon. He and Lian Qiao were ¡°brought¡± out by Shi JianChuan by relying on the longevity lock and the doll.


    So will this dungeon also follow this routine?


    An instance that only he can escape¡­


    The bathroom was steaming and the scalding hot water rushed on his back, burning RenDong¡¯s skin red. RenDong still felt cold, so he kept turning up the temperature of the hot water.


    If this is really the case, then¡­


    Then he will just live here forever.


    He would never sacrifice Lian Qiao!


    But Lian Qiao was so clever that he must have thought of this. Would he¡­


    No!


    Xu RenDong turned on the faucet, wiped his body indiscriminately and stumbled out.


    Seeing him in a hurry, Lian Qiao couldn¡¯t help being surprised: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    RenDong told him what he thought and, after Lian Qiao listened, he tilted his head to look at him: ¡°Are you afraid that I will commit suicide in exchange for your escape?¡±


    Xu RenDong¡¯s eyes trembled. Just hearing the word ¡°suicide¡± from Lian Qiao¡¯s mouth, he felt heartbroken to death.


    ¡°You can¡¯t do this, you can¡¯t have this kind of thought.¡± RenDong grabbed his hand, fingers trembling uncontrollably, ¡°If you die, I will definitely follow you to die! You can¡¯t¡­you can¡¯t¡­ ¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao stared at him. Xu RenDong¡¯s expression was fragile and the circles of his eyes were red. At this moment, he was terrified and helpless, like a pigeon whose wings had been plucked and its wings cut off. The tender pink flesh was exposed without any cover, fragile and tender, glistening with wet water.


    That look of despair and begging, even though it is endearing, makes people¡­


    Want to abuse.


    A gloomy light flashed in Lian Qiao¡¯s eyes, but it was fleeting. He raised a warm smile and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I won¡¯t do something like that. Didn¡¯t we agree to live together before we came in?¡±


    RenDong nodded desperately as if he had grasped a life-saving straw.


    Lian Qiao¡¯s gaze slowly moved to the corner of his mouth, full of fascination, like a caress. RenDong seemed to have sensed something and moved forward to kiss him with his eyes closed.


    Xu RenDong raised his face slightly, like a devout believer. Holding his own heart in both hands, tremblingly begging him to accept it, begging his god not to abandon him.


    Lian Qiao raised the corner of his mouth, stretched out his hand, wrapped his waist around his waist, and lifted it up lightly.


    ¡°Come up.¡±


    RenDong¡¯s body trembled, but without any resistance, he sat up obediently.

 CH 174

    Chapter 174 ¨C 1992-2020


    It was another night of absurdity. By the time Lian Qiao had his fill of fun, RenDong had been turned into a puddle of ooze, with bad marks all over his body and he didn¡¯t even have the strength to lift his fingers.


    RenDong was really tired, his scalp was numb, his consciousness was floating in mid-air and he couldn¡¯t really fall asleep. Lian Qiao hugged him tightly, his arms were so tight that he couldn¡¯t breathe. RenDong didn¡¯t have the strength to struggle but thought in a trance that it would be good if he strangled him to death. It¡¯s good no matter what.


    In this way, the long night finally passed. It was daybreak.


    After daybreak, the old body cracked open and Xu RenDong appeared to be reborn. The bad marks on his body disappeared.


    Lian Qiao looked at his smooth and clean skin, with an annoyed expression on his face: ¡°I feel like I had a spring dream and I woke up with nothing.¡±


    Xu RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± What else do you want! Do you want me to go out and meet people like this?! Did you forget that I have a final exam and thesis defense today!


    The two went downstairs to have breakfast and found everyone sitting in the dining room. The round table was full of breakfast but no one moved their chopsticks. Everyone originally lowered their heads but when they saw RenDong coming, their eyes fell on them in unison.


    No wonder. After all, Aunt Long-Hair and the others besieged Lian Qiao yesterday but Lian Qiao easily countered and killed them. The only surviving players today are the Scarfaced Man, the Monk, four passers-by and RenDong. {Passerby is a Chinese term for an unimportant character, i.e. the nameless other teammates.}


    The future is uncertain but Lian Qiao¡¯s combat effectiveness has been repeatedly verified. No matter what the instance clearance conditions are, none of these remaining people will ever want to challenge him again. What¡¯s more, Lian Qiao returned to Xu RenDong¡¯s side with injuries, which greatly stimulated Xu RenDong. If they dare to act rashly again, maybe the key players will kill them by himself.


    RenDong naturally guessed what they were thinking and he didn¡¯t bother to care about it. Instead, the Monk asked about Lian Qiao¡¯s injury and Lian Qiao smiled and said that it would be fine for another ten rounds. Everyone naturally understood that he could go for ten more but Xu RenDong blushed quietly and pinched him under the table.


    ¡­Speaking of which, is it really okay for them to do it so frequently?


    His body can recover every morning but Lian Qiao¡­ are young men all in such good physical conditions! It¡¯s been almost every day for the past few days¡­ No, they did it several times in a row yesterday!


    ¡ªlike the craziness before the end of the world.


    Xu RenDong¡¯s heart skipped a beat. At this moment, Lian Qiao seemed to have noticed something and held his hand under the table.


    RenDong met his eyes in a daze and Lian Qiao said softly: ¡°Hurry up and have breakfast, you have a lot of things to do today.¡±


    He questioned Lian Qiao and Lian Qiao had already seriously promised him that he would not do anything that would make him sad.


    If he continued to ask now, wouldn¡¯t it be the same as not trusting Lian Qiao?


    He has decided not to doubt Lian Qiao anymore but Lian Qiao has become really strange recently. This change made RenDong very uneasy, even a little scared.


    RenDong finished his breakfast in a dull manner and the two of them came out of the hotel after preparing things for defense and exam.


    The Monk followed and said that the atmosphere in the team was not good and he didn¡¯t want to stay with them.


    Lian Qiao cast a sideways glance at him and said, ¡°You want to spy on us.¡±


    RenDong was a little surprised. He never understood where Lian Qiao¡¯s hostility towards the Monk came from but things had come to this point, it wasn¡¯t wrong to be defensive, so he didn¡¯t speak and waited quietly for the Monk¡¯s answer.


    The Monk scratched his head and smiled narrowly. Finally, he said very straightforwardly: ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m here to spy on you.¡±


    To spy on ¡°you¡±?


    The Monk¡¯s eyes fell on Lian Qiao calmly, which made RenDong feel very uncomfortable. Before Lian Qiao said anything, RenDong had already taken a step forward as if protecting a calf, blocking the Monk¡¯s sight with his body and said calmly: ¡°Whatever you want, come along if you like.¡±


    Xu RenDong has a very full schedule today. The final exam in the morning, the defense in the afternoon, followed by the school recruitment. The three went to the examination room together but RenDong went in alone, while the other two waited outside.


    Several courses were tested together, which made Xu RenDong very stressed. Fortunately, most of the content is familiar to him and cramming can be considered somewhat effective. After the exam, he reckoned that he could get seventy or eighty points. In a few minutes, the result was announced on the radio. The three of them went to the results bulletin board to check and it turned out that the score was about the same as Xu RenDong¡¯s estimated score.


    After a hasty lunch, Xu RenDong rushed to defend this thesis.


    The defense process is similar to yesterday¡¯s question opening, the only difference is that everyone¡¯s reporting time is a little longer, so the waiting time in line is also longer.


    The lecture theater was used as a waiting hall and was full of people. Everyone is facing the laptop, checking for the last time whether there is any delay in their PPT. RenDong didn¡¯t have his own computer, so he had to go to the public computer at the podium to debug the PPT. After a simple debugging, someone else was waiting to use the computer.. He had no choice but to go back to his seat and do the final rehearsal against the handwritten speech.


    Lian Qiao saw that among the college students around him, RenDong was the only one who didn¡¯t have a computer. Then he sighed and said: ¡°I knew it, I should have provided you with a computer.¡±


    RenDong smiled and was about to say it¡¯s okay but Lian Qiao raised the corners of his mouth again and glanced over playfully: ¡°However, if you have your own then you wouldn¡¯t have to go to the library and the all-night study room anymore. What a pity.¡±


    RenDong: ¡°¡­¡± With a vein on his forehead, he said angrily, ¡°Don¡¯t bother me anymore.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lian Qiao said softly. In response, he glanced to the side if there was nothing there.


    RenDong involuntarily followed his gaze and saw that the Monk was chatting with the surrounding college students. After all, it is rare to see a Monk on a university campus and he attracts attention wherever he goes.


    But the Monk, even though he had a heated debate with the female college students, still paid attention to Lian Qiao¡¯s side. Lian Qiao just glanced at him and the Monk sensed it sensitively, and asked him with a smile, ¡°What?¡±


    Lian Qiao clicked his tongue and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you a Monk? Why do you still flirt with female college students?¡±


    The Monk clasped his hands together and said, ¡°Amitabha, can the matter of becoming a monk be called flirting? The poor Monk is preaching Buddhism!¡±


    Lian Qiao smiled and ignored him. Instead, he turned around and said to RenDong: ¡°Let¡¯s rehearse again, I¡¯ll help you read the manuscript.¡±


    RenDong nodded and began to rehearse the manuscript. Lian Qiao came over and took a pen to draw on his manuscript.


    After an hour, RenDong entered the defense classroom with his speech. Lian Qiao and the Monk were still waiting for him in the lecture theater.


    However, when the defense was over, RenDong didn¡¯t go back immediately but turned around and left through the small door on the other side of the teaching building. Five minutes later, he came to the laboratory building of the Department of Chemistry.


    Laboratory 307 at the end of the corridor on the third floor¡­


    It¡¯s the final defense time, so there is no one in the laboratory building and the entire corridor is empty. RenDong went straight to 307 and found that it was a large laboratory for teaching. Several experimental tables are neatly arranged in the large classroom, with a blackboard at one end and reagent cabinets and disposal pools at the other end.


    The windows are bright and clean, and the wind blows the light-shielding curtains fluttering slowly. RenDong came to the reagent cabinet and saw a lock on the door. He tried to pull the glass cabinet door and was surprised to find that the lock was broken.


    He opened the glass cabinet and looked through the reagent bottles one by one.


    There are several types of reagent bottles, including transparent glass bottles, brown glass bottles and white plastic bottles. All bottles are labeled with the labels facing outwards for easy finding. Xu RenDong found that there was a gap in the concentrated acid column, next to the concentrated nitric acid. Probably what was once stored there was the concentrated sulfuric acid that was stolen by the long-haired aunt.


    RenDong narrowed his eyes slightly. His eyes continued to move, and it didn¡¯t take long before he found what he was looking for.


    It was a transparent glass reagent bottle and the liquid contained in it was also clear and transparent. The label read: 30% NaCN. Exactly what he was looking for.


    RenDong put away the bottle carefully and went to another cabinet to get gloves and a dropper.


    Was there anything else he needed? That¡¯s all.


    RenDong took out the speech and looked at the message that Lian Qiao had left for him. After confirming that it was correct, he left the laboratory building.


    He returned to the defense hall of the Department of Finance. The Monk and Lian Qiao were still waiting for him in the lecture theater.


    ¡°Did everything go well?¡± Lian Qiao raised his head and smiled at him.


    Lian Qiao obviously had a deeper meaning. RenDong nodded, ¡°Mmm¡±.


    The Monk came over and patted him on the shoulder happily: ¡°Okay! Then wait to receive the diploma! You have really worked hard. When the job fair is over, let¡¯s go back and have a big meal for you to celebrate!¡±


    Looking at the Monk¡¯s hearty smile, Xu RenDong felt inexplicably guilty.


    Lian Qiao squeezed his hand and said softly, ¡°Why are your palms sweaty? It¡¯s not the first time you¡¯re defending your thesis, do you need to be so nervous?¡± Then he took the backpack gently and carefully from his hand .


    ¡°¡­¡± RenDong glanced at him and suddenly felt a strange emotion in his heart.


    The campus job fair is held in the Student Activity Center. There were huge crowds of people here and hundreds of recruiting units. There was a long queue in front of each booth and the fresh graduates held several resumes in their hands, excited and nervous, and delivered them around.


    Xu RenDong went straight to the target, which was the financial firm he worked for in the real world. As an old employee who has worked there for several years, he clearly knows the company¡¯s recruitment requirements. Therefore, after a brief conversation with the on-site recruiter; joy and approval appeared on the recruiter¡¯s face. The stone in RenDong¡¯s heart finally fell.


    Done.


    This time, he can really relax for a while¡­


    It was already sunset. On the way back to the hotel after coming out of the university student activity center, Xu RenDong felt physically and mentally exhausted, and his pace dragged very slowly. The Monk and Lian Qiao walked around him. Lian Qiao held his hand and the Monk was lamenting college life.


    ¡°It¡¯s not easy for you college students. Final exams, dissertation defenses, and making resumes to find a job, everything makes people feel a little discouraged.¡±


    Lian Qiao sighed: ¡°What¡¯s more, these things have to be done in one day . ¡°He gave RenDong a pitying look, ¡°You¡¯re exhausted.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± RenDong responded habitually.


    Lian Qiao smiled: ¡°You will always say ¡®it¡¯s okay¡¯ but obviously you are exhausted. When will you realize that you are just an ordinary person, and you will also be tired, hurt and collapse?¡±


    RenDong was taken aback. Turning around, he stared blankly at him.


    The orange-red sunset dyed Lian Qiao¡¯s facial features extremely softly. Xu RenDong¡¯s shadow was clearly reflected in his eyes. It was a small figure but it seemed that he couldn¡¯t hold anything else.


    RenDong asked almost subconsciously: ¡°Are you¡­¡±


    Lian Qiao didn¡¯t let him finish, but pulled him to the side and put a light kiss on his lips.


    The Monk turned his head away very consciously, curled his lips and thought: Do you want to feed me dog food? Pah!


    The hotel was close at hand and the Monk quickened his pace. He said ¡°Come back quickly when you are done¡±. He entered the hotel first.


    The two stood and kissed under the setting sun. Soon, Lian Qiao let him go.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Lian Qiao smiled and took his hand.


    However, the direction he walked was not the main entrance of the hotel.


    It was the kitchen.