The room temperature plummeted, and Liao Mingze felt a sudden chill creep over his skin.
When two players died last night, Liao Mingze had already deduced that there were likely two evil ghosts in the game.
But last night, his gaze was drawn to the fine black lines on Xia Gu's neck. Seeing the lines, he instinctively assumed Xia Gu was a ghost.
In reality, he had been fooled by the evil ghost.
From Xie He's analysis, he suddenly understood.
The fine black lines on Xia Gu's neck were actually the strongest indication that Xia Gu wasn't the evil ghost.
An evil ghost wouldn't be so easily exposed; its ability to hide among the players showed that this evil ghost was very cunning.
It would do everything it could to minimize its suspicion.
On the contrary, the person who acted most naturally… was most likely the evil ghost.
Liao Mingze hadn't expected that Xie He would figure this out so quickly in that critical moment.
Liao Mingze secretly clenched the [Snake Bone Whip] card. A flash of light appeared on the card, and the Snake Bone Whip materialized in his palm.
The whip was entirely covered in a pure black sheen, exuding an inviolable, powerful force.
After the door closed, "Yu You" seemed to shrink completely, his skin drooping, and only a bloodied ghost baby emerged from his body.
The ghost baby hissed, opening its mouth full of fine, sharp teeth, and lunged at Liao Mingze!
***
On the other side, in the corridor.
The player still bound in the corridor had mutated. The veins on his face were bulging, his eyes had turned a cloudy grayish-white, and he was constantly emitting low, panting "hoarse" sounds, drool dripping from his mouth.
Xie He quickly walked towards him, searching his pockets.
Xia Gu rushed over from the other end, panting and bending over: "Brother, they, they—"
Only at this moment, in the dim light of the corridor, did he see the black lines spreading across his arm. Xia Gu's face showed fear, and he quickly explained, "How could this be?! Brother, I'm alive, brother, I'm really human!"
Xie He was still searching through his things. The bound man struggled incessantly, drool dripping from his lips, his bared fangs nearly biting Xia Gu's fragile carotid artery several times.
Xie He's tone remained calm: "I know you're the third surviving player, and Yu You is the evil little boy."
Xia Gu uttered an "Ah?" and fell silent.
His heart was filled with complex emotions.
He was both surprised that Xie He would believe him, covered in fine black lines, and incredulous that his roommate, with whom he spent every day, was an evil ghost. His mind went completely blank.
The sounds in the distance grew closer. Xia Gu's forehead was covered in cold sweat. He instinctively tugged at Xie He's sleeve, anxiously reminding him, "Brother, they're...they're coming!"
The mutated "players" had caught up.
"Heh, heh..." The light bulb in the narrow stairwell flickered precariously. Two men and a woman were approaching. Their pupils were completely hollow, a grayish-white. The light flickered across their faces, making them look eerie and terrifying.
A chilling aura emanated from them, making one feel as if they were in an ice cellar.
"Heh, heh..." They swarmed towards the two stiffly, their mouths widening to reveal a dense mass of sharp teeth.
Closer and closer—
Meanwhile, beside Xie He and the others, the sounds of fierce fighting came from the blind box room, the door bulging open. With a loud "Bang!", sharp cracks appeared on the door, as if the evil ghost and Liao Mingze might burst out at any moment!
Now caught in a pincer movement, Xia Gu was on the verge of despair when Xie He finally pulled something from the player's pocket and said in a low voice,
"Found it, let's go."
The mutated players ran faster and faster. Just as they were about to catch up, Xie He led Xia Gu quickly into the mistress's room and slammed the door shut.
Bang bang bang!!!
The banging on the door outside continued, like rapid, heavy drumbeats!
Xie He and Xia Gu climbed down from the balcony and hid in the storeroom.
The storeroom was now pitch black, barely illuminated by the moonlight streaming through the window, giving it a gloomy appearance.
Last time he was here, Xie He was already familiar with the room's layout. The souls of the infant ghosts were now contained within candles and wouldn't attack them.
"Go to that cabinet!" Time was of the essence, Xie He quickly pointed to a place for Xia Gu.
After Xia Gu cowered into the cabinet, Xie He hid behind a storage shelf.
He clutched the dagger he'd taken from the bespectacled man earlier that day, constantly checking the time on his phone.
It was 11:50pm.
The most important thing now was to buy time.
Hiding in the cabinet, Xia Gu's heart was pounding, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"Hah, hah..." A few moments later, a sound came from the window.
Those strange sounds drifted in through the window, growing clearer in the silent room. He could even hear the things drooling and rummaging through drawers and cabinets!
The sounds drew closer, right next to his ear.
"Hah, hah..."
Xie He could clearly hear the "players" approaching; the debris on the ground creaked under their shoes.
The footsteps suddenly stopped!
They stopped in front of the solid shelf where he was hiding, and time seemed to stand still.
In the darkness, Xie He's dark eyes were wide open, his breath caught, his gaze fixed on the shelf. His hand was already gripping the dagger, ready for a desperate fight.
Suddenly.
Thump!!
A sound came from outside, like something had been knocked over.
It was Xia Gu!
Then came a series of rapid footsteps, and the creaking sound of a door opening.
The "players" immediately turned and chased after Xia Gu.
After the rapid footsteps, Xie He was left alone behind the shelf, and the surroundings fell into a deathly silence once more.
Xie He: "!"
He gripped the dagger, never expecting things to turn out this way.
That timid boy, who couldn't even look people in the eye when he spoke, and who stuttered constantly, actually dared to divert the ghosts' attention for him at this moment.
At that moment, Xie He felt a strange, aching, throbbing emotion welling up inside him.
"Aaaaaaahhhhhh!!" A scream suddenly came from outside the door. Xia Gu had clearly been captured, and he shouted hoarsely, "Run! Run—"
The boy was going through puberty, his voice still somewhat immature and shrill.
Xie He knew Xia Gu was speaking to him.
He didn't escape through the window, but rushed out. He watched as the players tackled the thin Xia Gu to the ground, their bloodied mouths opening to devour him!
In that critical moment, Xie He rushed forward, twirling the dagger between his fingers, his eyes fierce, and swiftly… stabbed down hard!
He deftly plunged the dagger in, his eyes reflecting a dark, bloodshot light.
A splatter of blood landed on the beauty mark at the corner of his eye. Xie He merely squinted slightly, the silver stud in his earlobe gleaming coldly under the light.
He stabbed through several players in succession; since they were now ghosts, killing them wouldn't matter!
However, these four players, after becoming ghosts, had their physical strength, power, and reaction speed all enhanced. Even with black blood spurting from their wounds, they were completely unkillable, only howling incessantly, sounding particularly chilling.
Xia Gu had no fighting ability whatsoever. He had already done his best to hold onto one mutated player, his body covered in sweat from the fight, trembling violently, his face pale with fear, but he still couldn't subdue the ghost players.
Xie He was also gradually struggling against four opponents, a thin layer of sweat gradually forming on his back!
Tick-tock, tick-tock—
Xie He had been listening intently to the time.
Ten, nine, eight—
One!!
Finally, the clock struck midnight again, its sound particularly deafening in the night!
A powerful suction swept over him, making Xie He feel dizzy, yet a faint smile played on his lips.
He was finally about to escape those mutated "players."
It was time to open the blind boxes!
Tick-tock. Tick-tock—
The clock in the blind box room rang out. Like the last chime of a temple bell at dawn and dusk, the lingering sound was like a murmuring chant.
Everyone was once again drawn into a blind box.
This time, the outer cardboard of all the blind boxes had been removed, leaving only a thin glass dome. The players could unexpectedly see outside; under the dim yellow light, the surrounding environment was clearly visible.
The ghost had been exposed and no longer bothered to hide; it now desperately wanted everyone to witness its devouring of the players.
The ghostly aura shrieked once more outside the blind boxes, excitedly roaring and swirling.
Standing before the players was… “Yu You,” no, to be precise, a ghost! This one was clearly far more cunning and ferocious than the previous one; its eyes were bloodshot, and its entire body emanated a dense ghostly aura.
Its head clicked and clacked, drool dripping from its mouth, as if it were choosing which player to draw tonight.
Xie He turned his head to look.
Eight players were contained in the twelve blind boxes.
The players who had already turned into ghosts had also been drawn into the blind boxes. They were completely mutated, howling and scratching inside, leaving gruesome, blood-stained claw marks on the inner walls of the boxes.
Xie He's eyes turned completely cold.
He hadn't expected the game to be so malicious, stuffing these demonized players into the blind boxes as well.
It was hard to imagine the horrific scene that would unfold when they escaped from the blind boxes at the end!
Liao Mingze... was also in a blind box.
Liao Mingze was covered in wounds, blood dripping from his arms, looking rather disheveled.
He had actually survived the battle with the evil ghost; no wonder he was a veteran player.
***
Liao Mingze glanced coldly at Xie He, his eyes filled with hatred. Xie He had actually thrown him out to hold off the most difficult evil ghost—how hateful!!
He clutched his injured arm, wincing in pain.
But a few seconds later, thinking of something else, he gradually calmed down, even unable to hide his joy.
That day, the clue slip Liao Mingze received read: [Trigger the evil ghost's death mechanism].
On the back of the slip was:
[1. The person who hides the doll will be randomly selected by the evil ghost that night; 2. The person who eats the doll will be randomly selected by the evil ghost that night.]
At noon, to ensure everything went smoothly, Liao Mingze had already placed the severed finger of the doll that triggered the death mechanism in the pockets of Xie He, Yu You, Xia Gu, and others.
The game rules were: [Every night, an evil ghost will come and take away a blind box doll. If the wrong doll is drawn, it will eat it.]
Based on the events of the past few days, an evil ghost would only eat one player; he just needed to wait until it ate Xie He or Xia Gu.
As for himself, he hadn't eaten any dolls, and none of his pockets were filled with them.
Liao Mingze was also constantly on guard, wary of Xie He, ensuring he had no chance to put a doll on himself.
He was absolutely safe tonight!
Thinking this, Liao Mingze breathed a sigh of relief, his mood brightening, casually awaiting the show.
***
The little evil ghost boy abruptly stopped turning his head with a final "click," staring fiercely at Liao Mingze.
Liao Mingze felt a chill run down his spine. Why was the evil ghost suddenly looking at him?!
Impossible, this is impossible.
The evil ghost has absolutely no chance of winning tonight!
But then the evil ghost suddenly pointed at his blind box, grinning wickedly, "I want that blind box!"
"!"
The blind box lit up instantly.
Liao Mingze broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly and tremblingly patted his pockets.
He hadn't given Xie He a chance to get close.
He was extremely perceptive; it was impossible for someone to have put something in his pocket without him noticing!
He searched his pocket thoroughly.
But suddenly he discovered in his pocket...
A...doll!
He instantly felt a chill run down his spine, fear filling his eyes. He trembled and slumped limply inside the blind box.
This is impossible!!!
The evil ghost's sinister laughter could already be heard clearly.
Liao Mingze refused to believe it, his fingertips trembling as he kept saying, "Impossible, how could there be anything in my pocket..."
!
He suddenly remembered that at dinner, he had cheerfully picked up the cookies from the table and stuffed them into his pocket.
He had cookies in his pocket!
But now, the cookies were gone…only a blind box doll remained!
He frantically turned his gaze to Xie He, only to see Xie He looking back at him, his eyes a listless black. For the first time ever, he felt an overwhelming fear of Xie He!
Xie He, however, looked at him and smiled faintly.
That was the second function of his upgraded meal card.
Function 2: [Turns anything (except people and ghosts) into food.]
He used his meal card to turn the blind box doll into cookies and place them on the table.
When Liao Mingze picked up the cookies, Xie He merely glanced up, pretending not to see.
As long as Liao Mingze harbored murderous intent towards him, he would conveniently take the cookies from the table to sustain himself for the remaining days after killing Xie He.
It was Liao Mingze who wanted to kill Xie He, which was why he actively took the doll that triggered the death mechanism.
Therefore.
It was Liao Mingze who killed himself!
The comments section erupted in astonishment:
[Wow, it's a blind box doll! I gasped!]
[Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap!!! This guy, you thought you predicted everything, but I predicted your prediction! Amazing! Amazing!]
[Those who harm others ultimately harm themselves, *shakes head helplessly*.]
[Tch, I thought the veteran player was pretty good at dealing with the demon earlier. *Mourning.jpg*
The evil ghost extended its claws and swiftly tore apart Liao Mingze's blind box.
Although Liao Mingze tightly gripped the snake bone whip, the ghost ripped his hand and wrist off in just a few seconds! He was slammed to the ground.
A sharp pain shot through his body.
The ghost quickly tore a huge black hole in his body with its claws!
Liao Mingze groaned in pain, his lips trembling as he tried to speak, his eyes darkening with an unprecedented despair!
This was a killing spree under the game's rules. To ensure the rule of "one ghost eats one player when opening blind boxes" was absolutely correct, he had no chance against the ghost in this situation!
He instinctively and mechanically looked at Xie He, only to see Xie He muttering something.
This is…?
Suddenly, Liao Mingze saw a dazzling white light emanate from the ghost's abdomen.
That was a symbol of power to ward off ghosts! It was hope!
A final glimmer of light ignited in Liao Mingze's eyes. He suddenly remembered that the mistress had once possessed a cross capable of warding off ghosts. The cross must have fallen into Xie He's hands, and he must have ground it into powder and stuffed it into the mistress's corpse!
And this ghost, hating the mistress, had seized the opportunity to devour the remaining parts of her body, hence the cross within it.
Liao Mingze was secretly overjoyed—there was hope!
As long as Xie He continued chanting the cross incantation, he could completely suppress the evil ghost.
He could definitely get out alive!!
However, he saw Xie He looking down at everything from above, his eyes pitch black.
Xie He suddenly stopped.
Xie He looked at Liao Mingze, his speech slowing, gently scratching his brow, chuckling softly, unable to recall the incantation.
A terrifying thought suddenly dawned on Liao Mingze's mind. He trembled with pain all over, even able to hear his own rapid heartbeat.
He was sweating profusely, his clothes disheveled, and he cried out incoherently, "Save me, Xie He!! Ten SSR cards!! I'll give you all my cards, I'll give them to you as soon as we get out—!!! Save me!!"
Xie He, however, sat inside the blind box, toying with a dagger, watching him indifferently, his expression languid. "You want to kill me, don't you?" he said lazily.
As he spoke, he pointed the tip of the knife at his heart, then whispered, "Ah, it hurts so much just thinking about it."
But his tone was calm, as if he were stating something insignificant.
Liao Mingze's heart sank, the color draining from his face. He forced a laugh, "N-How could that be? How could I possibly want to kill you…"
At this moment, he had completely lost the confidence he once possessed as a veteran player, looking utterly pathetic.
Xie He continued, "The time with the mistress, and today too. Today you put severed fingers from blind box dolls in everyone's pockets. Just now, I checked, and you even put one in the pocket of the player I tied up—I removed those severed fingers."
Xie He suddenly understood, thoughtfully saying, "Ah, I get it. This is your path to victory. You know the game doesn't have dead ends; at least one person will survive. So, you want to use the game rules to make everyone die for you. And you, the last player, will escape."
From the beginning, Liao Mingze had been manipulating all the players. He gained prestige and the players' trust, but that wasn't his ultimate goal.
All he wanted was to live.
Regardless of the despicable means.
Gaining everyone's trust was only to make it easier for him to act against the players!
So, today, after obtaining that clue note,
Liao Mingze placed death-triggering dolls in everyone's clothes, leaving none untouched.
Even if Zhang Che were still alive, he'd definitely have a death-triggering doll in his pocket.
That's the calculated Liao Mingze.
Xie He, "I don't believe someone who wouldn't even save their own partner."
Liao Mingze was speechless, his face ashen.
Xie He tilted his head, looking at him thoughtfully, and commented seriously, "Oh, right, I forgot to tell you. You look like a big, burgundy cake right now, or maybe a soufflé, with a bursting, golden-brown filling."
Finally, Xie He leaned against the blind box and gave him a lazy smile.
"I can't remember the rest of the incantation, I need to think about it for a while."
"First, I wish you a pleasant life."
A magnetic voice echoed in the blind box room, pleasant to the ear, yet tinged with a chilling smile.
Liao Mingze's mind went blank, his legs felt weak and powerless.
"Aa..."
His hands didn't need to be stained with blood; a mere smile was enough to make the ghosts bow down before him…
“Pfft—”
Immediately afterward, scalding blood splattered everywhere. Liao Mingze was covered in cold sweat, his eyes utterly black with death!
The live chat, which had been holding its breath, had completely exploded:
[Holy crap!!! This guy is a Silver player, right? He got killed by a Bronze newbie right at the start?!?]
[So crazy, so crazy, hiss…keep going!!]
[Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap! The guy helped Xia Gu earlier, and I thought he was kind. I didn't expect that when someone messed with him, he wouldn't hesitate to kill them in return. So ruthless, so ruthless! I couldn't help but follow him!!]
[There's no need to sympathize with a bad guy; he stole from others and got himself killed. Following the guy +1.]
[Follow +1.]
System notification: [Congratulations to player Xie He! Current fan count: 1202, points +120]
[Reward card: Please draw.]
Xie He lifted his thin eyelids and glanced at the card, his slender fingers picking it up.
Author's Note:
Liao Mingze: Why did the doll return to my pocket? T_T
Xie He (lazily): Defeat magic with magic.
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