《Nightmare Shuttle》


 Chapter 1 - Shuttle |The Beginning

    [3051 August 15, New Gregorian Calender]


    Plop...


    Plop.....


    Plo-...


    In the silent dorm, the eerie sound of water hitting the floor rung callously in the empty room. The torrential winds swept chillingly through the half open window, the creak of rotten wood echoing infinitely in the darkness.


    In every corner, there seemed so be something lurking, monstrous and terrifying.


    It reeked of death and fear.


    "EU-eurgh"


    "Ah-aha"


    The sudden sound of screams shattered the static silence, like the gears of a machine had started turning.


    Gradually, the silent space was filled with intermittent voices, the cries of despair and madness of the dead.


    Chu Yi, looked around indifferently.


    He stood in the middle of an empty room, the walls stained with rust. All around him, there were pools of reddish brown liquid. Maybe the rust had drained from the rain, maybe it was something else.


    He didnt care to find out.


    Brows furrowed with dissatisfaction,


    "Where was he?"


    All around him sounded the cries of death, as if was he was standing in the corridor of a crowded hospital , but he could see nothing.


    A minute ago, he had been looking down into the eyes of his latest victim, their grey pupils staring hopelessly back at him. The warm blood still dripping from his scalpel, a metallic scent drafting into his nose.


    His thin lips rose slightly as he recalled the sight of the life slowly fading away from their eyes.


    The sight of their blood cooling as it it dripped from their torn neck was beautiful. The darkness hidden in those empty pupils was truly enchanting.


    Lifeless and still.


    While reveling in his memories, he was snapped awake by the inorganic sound of a long crackle.


    Like a radio changing frequency, there was a minute of static, before a voice resounded.


    [Welcome to the Nightmare Shuttle, Passenger 50001]


    Chu Yi raised a brow, but didn''t mean to interrupt,


    [Congratulations on boarding your shuttle, here we provide you with the best experiences, and promise to meet all your wishes]


    [On your left, you will see a brochure, that will explain all the rules of this shuttle, you will be provided with a backpack with all the supplies you''ll need, and finally a map of all the chambers on this shuttle]


    [Your first task is to..]


    [ Find the missing ticket ]


    [ Failure to complete this, will result in being sent to the Red Chamber]


    [Before we begin, You must remember, ]


    [Don''t trust the Conductor]


    [Your countdown begins now]


    Afterwards, there was a another long static before it was radio silent once again. Throughout the entire process, Chu Yi listened stoically. An almost amused grin gracing his lips.


    In conclusion, he had been mysteriously transported to this so-called nightmare shuttle and was being forced to perform tasks. There had also been a bloody warning at the end that spelled of ill-boding.


    In the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a large, transparent screen,


    There was a countdown


    [5:00:00]


    It seems 5 hours was the limit.


    Looking around, Chu Yi also caught sight of a black book that appeared mysteriously in the previously bare room. As well as a bulging black backpack sitting at his feet.


    It seems that this system, had kidnapped him and then left him to fend for himselves, much like a scumbag patting his ass and leaving after the rice had been cooked.


    Lifting the heavy bag, he opened it to take a look.


    In it, there was a few cans of tinned food, a change of clothes, a quilt, a flashlight, a knife, a map and a playing card.


    It resembled the typical supplies that would be provided in the starting pack of an apocalyptic game. Nothing but the bare necessities.


    Grabbing the playing card, he quickly recognized it as the Queen of Spades, but after carefull inspection and seeing nothing of particular use, he placed it carelessly into his pocket.


    He would find out later.


    Stepping carefully over the mysteriously bloody puddles, he picked up the fragile book. There was no title, only a worn cover.


    On the antique pages read,


    [Welcome to Nightmare Shuttle]


    [Each and everyone one of you have been carefully selected and only the most desperate are given the opportunity to realize their dreams]


    [In Every instance, you are given a task to complete. You are required to complete the task before the countdown has ended]


    [Failure to complete the task, is punishable by being sent to the Chambers. Every chamber has a different probability of death


    Red Chamber: 50% chance of death


    Fire Chamber: 75% chance of death


    Hell Chamber: 100% chance of death]


    [Rewards are calculated based on the performance in each station. An evaluation of A+ to F- can be rewarded. Any evaluation below D will be deducted.]


    [Each passenger is given 50 coins at the beginning.]


    [World Coins can be exchanged to increase physical attributes, unlock bloodlines, purchase props and participate in hidden instances]


    [World Coins can also be rewarded or deducted based on damage to the instance, performance during the copy and by system evaluation]


    [If the coins fall below negative, you will be automatically sent into the Hell Chamber to be redeemed]


    [After each instance you will be stationed at Black City. Diffrent zones are given diffrent privileges.]


    [Finally]


    [Happy dreaming passengers]


    Chu Yi stood silently. The stoic mask on his face cracking to reveal his open bloody wounds.


    Desperate?


    Desperate?


    He could feel a manic laughter bubbling in his chest.


    It seems even this cold, silent system could detect his desperation.


    Yes, he was desperate.


    Desperate enough to die.


    His eyes grew red as he let loose a barking laugh. His face blending into the darkness of the silent room, the cold wind cutting into his skin.


    His laughter was like a festering wound, painful and sore.


    The scalpel that he still held in his hand, cut tightly into his flesh from his harsh grip. The stinging pain sending waves of euphoria into his mind.


    "HaahAhhhaHhah..aHhahahhAhhhaa"


    Desperate it said.


    Disgusting.


    Yet at the height of his mania there was an abrupt knocking.


    Slowly Turning to the door, a smile spread across his pale face.


    Alas, it seemed


    It has begun.


    [4:48:07]

 Chapter 2 - Hide And Go Die(1)

    Behind the rotting door stood a tall man with deep set Northern features. He resembled a police officer with the kind of face that would instantly set someone at ease.


    Bai Chuan carefully sized up this rather strange newcomer. Instantly noticing the bloody scalpel gripped between his pale fingertips.


    Unlike the other bumbling idiots that screamed and made a fuss after finding themselves here. This one only sported a welcoming grin.


    He seemed almost harmless if it was wasn''t for the warm blood dripping from his fingers.


    Bai Chuan had seen the dirtiest and darkest side of humanity in his previous copies. So he knew better than anyone else, that in the Nightmare Shuttle, desperate doesnt necessarily mean good.


    Chu Yi smelled of danger.


    For an instant he had the overwhelming urge to run but carefully shoved it back down. Running meant becoming a prey, and in the shuttle, there was nothing worse than being hunted from all sides.


    Moving his eyes away from those hands, Bai Chuan carefully examined the newcomer.


    He was tall and as thin as a bamboo pole, his face-


    Swallowing the gasp in his throat, he could feel his heart palpitating.


    This creature was truly..


    Too beautiful.


    The lines of his face seemed to be chiseled from the finest stones, his skin translucent even in the dim darkness. He was angelic yet his eyes were a bloody red, as if staring deep into an abyss of blood, pain and darkness, yet so enthralling you couldnt help but be pulled in. A small tear mole sat quietly under his eye, like a spot of ink on a blank canvas.


    His every feature was the perfect replica of God''s most precious work. Yet so perfect, it seemed broken. A beautiful yet blasphemous piece of divine art.


    His heart beat harder, the force of blood pumping made his ears ring.


    Bai Chuan stood fixatedly in a trance, staring into those pools of blood-like orbs , leaning almost unconsciously forward, as if he was facing an alter, willing to sacrifice himself to this evil spirit.


    Chu Yi stared boredly at the man before him, the smile already slipping from his face.


    He hated those eyes the most.


    Really hated them.


    His grip tightened on the scalpel, arm tensing as he prepared to gouge the pathetic mans pupils out.


    Still high in emotions from his interrupted kill.


    His hand raised slightly, fingers turning proficiently; the scalpel in his hand seemed to cry out in anticipation for the fresh baptism of blood,


    His bloody pupils flashed darkly as he swung!


    AHH-


    The sudden shrill scream startled Bai Chuan out of his reverie. Relying on instincts he only barely managed to avoid the sharp knife from stabbing into his eyes.


    Leaving behind a shallow cut trailing along the side of his face.


    He moved away from the newbie quickly, bumping into the newcomer whose scream had saved him from being blinded.


    It was a woman.


    Chu Yi stared indifferently at the two, there was no panic nor remorse from being caught. Only the disappointment of a failed kill.


    A few seconds of suffocating silence passed by, and when it seemed like no one would speak, Chu Yi suddenly broke out into a large grin, stepped forward and waved a pale hand.


    "Sorry about that Mr. , I just really disliked your eyes for a moment and wanted to crush them into bloody bits. I hope I didnt offend you. Terribly sorry"


    Bai Chuan and the woman stared speechless at the man in front of them.


    You almost blinded a man you just met , because you didn''t like his eyes. Do you really think a sorry is all it takes to forgive you?.


    Bai Chuan stared at Chu Yi for a second before letting out a nervous laugh.


    "Ah yes, Haha..understandable, understandable. People always told me, my eyes were a bit ugly. It''s fine. Haha...No worries....."


    Chu Yi let out a gentle laugh in accordance.


    "Oh right, let us go out to the trolley and meet with the others. I assume you are also a newcomer?. We can all discuss it together."


    Bai Chuan laughed again. He had a hunch that , if he didnt forgive him. His blood would spill onto the rotten floors instantly.


    Chu Yi nooded to indicate agreement before following behind the nervous Bai Chuan and the woman ,carrying his bag and the book.


    The train was dark and moldy, the occasional creak of the board underfoot, indicated that the train hadn''t been repaired in years. It was dirty and the air was heavy and seemed to press on them from all sides.


    After taking a few turns, they came out into an open compartment.


    The sign above the door read


    [Car 2, MD]


    In the car were 5 people. They immediately turned to stare at the newcomers.


    There was a visible lull when their eyes met Chu Yi, but the timely cough from Bai Chuan snapped them back.


    The one that seemed like the leader of the pack was the first to speak.


    "It seems that''s all the passengers are here. We can begin now."


    "You all have been given the rule book and you know that we are on the Nightmate Shuttle. I need not explain more."


    "What I will say, is that this is not some elaborate prank by a terrorist group or a TV show. If you die here, you really die."


    "Dont be disillusioned to believe that you can get out of here alive. Always be prepared for death."


    "If you panic, You die. If you scream, You die. If you refuse to believe , you die . And in the Nightmare Shuttle, dying isnt scary. It''s the last minutes before your death that is the most gruesome."


    "Completing your task is of utmost importance because being sent to the chambers is certain death. Even if you come out alive, you''d wish you were dead."


    "Welcome to the Nightmare Shuttle"


    There was pindrop silence.


    In this instance it seems that none of the newcomers were the type to deny reality. But they still all turned white at those words.


    One of the newcomers raised a hand trembling,


    "W-why were we picked?. I didnt ask to be sent here."


    The gruff leader only grunted sardonically.


    "You think any of us asked to be picked?."


    The timid newcomer shook his head like a rattle.


    "No one knows what the system uses to judge who to pick. All we know is that you must have desperately been yearning for something at the the moment you were picked. You could have been yearning for a new watch or even begging for life. Only the most desperate are the so-called Chosen ones."


    The timid newcomer fell silent. Most likely thinking about what the man said.


    Nobody spoke for a while.


    Bai Chuan looked around quietly, catching the eye of Chu Yi, who smiled back politely.


    With a shudder, he spoke up,


    " Let''s introduce ourselves and make this easier. My names Bai Chuan and I''ve experienced 2 copies"


    The gruff man who seemed to be the leader introduced him self as Chun Li


    "4 copies. This is my fifth"


    The red head woman who had interrupted Chu Yi earlier was called Zhan Xi and this was her second copy.


    The rest were the timid newcomer, Ren Yuanqing, a balding uncle Zhong Feng, and two college students Dan Bai and Wu Xin.


    When it was Chu Yi''s turn, he greeted them with a wide smile. Eye flashing darkly in anticipation,


    "My name is Chu Yi."


    "I look forward to playing with you."


    [4:38:56]

 Chapter 3 - Hide And Go Die(2)

    In the cacophony of silence that fell upon them, the sudden ringing of bells was particularly abrupt.


    The music that blasted from the old speakerboxes above them was crude and squeaky, resembling the sounds of nails scratching on a chalkboard.


    It left goosebumps along the skin and a harsh ringing in the ear.


    With a short crackle, the system sounded.


    [Welcome again passenger''s. Please find your seats as your ride will begin shortly. ]


    With a hurried shuffle, they settled into their seats. Ears perked attentively.


    [On this trip, you have each been provided with food and necessities to last 5 days. The trip, however will last 7. You will be given the opportunity to earn your food but only 3 people can earn this reward.]


    [Everyone has diffrent tasks, but beware amongst you is an dream destroyer.]


    [The task of the destroyer is to eliminate as many passengers as possible]


    [Main Task issued: Survive for 7 days.]


    [Side task issued: Find and eliminate the destroyer.]


    [Individual Task issued: Chu Yi, Bai Chuan, Chun Li, Zhan Xi, Ren Yuanqing, Zhong Feng, Dan Bai, Wu Xin]


    [The conductor will be here shortly to address any of your concerns.]


    [Have a safe trip passengers.]


    Another short crackle then it became silent.


    This system was really unreliable to say the least.


    The atmosphere became tense.


    The system had directly pit them against each other.


    One amongst them was a destroyer and food was limited.


    Among them only a few could survive.


    In the face of starvation, humans can be the cruelest creatures. Directly skinning and eating their own children wasn''t too farfetched, much less faced with a group of strangers.


    Chu Yi''s lips arched into a smirk. Licking his lips as he Imagined the delicious chaos and fear that would ensue.


    Looking around, the eyes of all the others were shifting, staring warily at each other whereas just a minute ago they had formed a dependence.It seems he wasn''t the only one with this idea.


    step.


    step..


    step....


    ''BANG!''


    The harsh sounds of footsteps resounded in the cabin before the rotting door of the compartment was directly slammed open.


    Standing in the doorway was a man.


    The conductor was here.


    It didnt seem like much of a man, as of a shadow. The feature of its face was blurry, only a strong piercing cruelty reflected in its pitch black eyes. The figure was shrouded in the deepest darkness where no light could penetrate into its depth. The open door carried with it a strong smell of blood. Suffocating and heavy.


    The moment it stepped past the threshold, the air in the compartment seemed to have been compressed to the limit.


    The shadow wore a dark red conductors uniform. They couldnt tell if it was the natural color or it had been stained with too much blood.


    The consequences of finding out would probably be gruesome.


    aAHHHHH-


    A scream shattered the silence


    One of the college students let out a piercing streak under the tense atmosphere


    Startled all eyes immediately turned towards the source. It was Wu Xin.


    What seemed to be a bloody tendril had crawled out of the darkness and wrapped around her leg unseen, the burning stench of charred flesh instantly flooded their noses.


    A bloody wound had appeared where the tentacle had touched, as if she had been doused with burning acid. The flesh and muscle around the edge of the wound burned and curled up. The acid had borrowed deep into her skin, with the top of her bone showing.


    By the time they looked back, the tendril had slithered back into the darkness.


    "Cough-"


    "Sorry about that passengers. One of our little friends got a bit naughty there and came out to play. Forgive him, hes just trying to be friendly."


    The conductor gave them what seemed to be a sheepish smile.


    If it wasn''t for the stench of blood and burnt flesh still permeating the air, and Wu Xin crying out in agony, they would have believed him.


    Bai Chuans eyes twitched.


    Why did this ''polite after doing bad things'' posture seemed vaguely familiar. He looked behind him,


    There was a chuckle.


    And sure enough, it was Chu Yi


    An amused smile spread across his pale face, his ruby eyes twinkling with twisted mirth.


    "Your pet seems very cute Mr. Conductor. You should let it out to play more often."


    Under the horrified eyes of the others. The conductor smiled back and agreed


    "Yes surely such a mischievous thing could use some play time."


    They both stared at each other chuckling.


    After a minute of silence and Wu Xins screams turning into whimpers. The conductor clapped his hand and said.


    "Alright passengers, the train to Black City will start in half an hour. After that time, there will be 3 stops to refuel on the 5th, 6th and 7th days."


    "Here are some rules to remember,


    1. Please refrain from venturing into the fuel chamber


    2. Do not open your eyes after 12


    3. Do not leave the train


    4. No wasting food ."


    "On and remember to not feed the pets."


    While stating the last one, there was an illusion that he was staring right at Chu Yi.


    With one last chuckle, he stated,


    "Your tickets will be collected at in 4 hours."


    Afterwards the conductor took a deep bow, eyes still trained on Chu Yi before walking gracefully out the door. His back blending into the shadows.


    Chu Yi stared at him as he walked away, the arc of lips growing wider as he left.


    It seems that trip was destined to be eventful.


    The cries of Wu Xin had gotten louder the moment the conductor had left. It was apparent she had been suppressing her pain out of fear. The other college student, Dan Bai who''s face was white, immediately threw up on the side.


    Chun Li, gave a complicated look to Chu Yi, before going over to help Wu Xin.


    Grabbing a water bottle from her nearby backpack, he washed away whatver the tendril had left behind before roughly tearing a a piece of cloth and binding the wound.


    It was the best they could do given the circumstances.


    After a sigh, he turned around to the rest of them,


    "From my experience,those three stops on the 5th, 6th and 7th definitely coincide with the 3 chances to get food. And it will definitely be the most dangerous part of this instance."


    "I wont say much because right now everyone needs to complete there own tasks. We can discuss the rest after we come back alive."


    Looking around at the ragtag group, he once again made eye contact with Chu Yi.


    His instincts honed from many life and death situations screamed danger.


    There was definitely something terrifying about this beautiful man.


    Looking away , he took one last look at the rest before beckoning to Bai Chuan and Zhan Xi before splitting off to look for clues on their own.


    Dan Bai and Ren Yuanqing were frantically trying to comfort Wu Xin and the middle aged Zhong Feng had said nothing since the beginning. Only trembling dumbly in his seat.


    With a smirk,


    Chu Yi unhurriedly stood up and stretched.


    His slender body making a graceful arc as he turned, making his way to the door that the conductor had just walked through.


    Something was telling him that this trip was going to change something.


    A bloodthirsty look shrouded his features, his red tongue leaving a wet trace as he licked his lips.


    It''s been a long time since he felt so curious.


    He looked forward to seeing the bloodshed.


    [4:06:57]

 Chapter 4 - Hide And Go Die(3)

    The rest of the train was dilapidated and old. The rustic windows, rotten floors, moldy seats; all gave the train an abandoned and desolate feel.


    Chu Yi strode through the open door leisurely, appearing in a deserted cabin. After carefully inspecting for no signs of life, he pulled out the small map of the train that he had been given.


    The train was divided into 5 sections:


    The dining cable, fuel chamber, cabins, seats and the conductors cabin at the front.


    There was nothing special about it immediately, however the crumbled map had a very conspicuous bloodstained tear on the left corner. As if someone had hurriedly ripped a piece off as they ran injured.


    Whatever section had been torn off was very close to the dining car and if that wasn''t clue enough, a drop of blood had spilled obscuring the name on top.


    D-12


    Dining.


    He didnt bother to search the rest of the cabin as he stepped past the dilapidated benches, and followed the directions towards D-12.


    None of the others had made it there as yet and the surroundings was dark and silent.


    Standing in front of the closed door, he could already smell a disgusting mixture of scents wafting into his nose.


    It was the smell of meat that been left out in the open for months or rather the rotten decay of a corpse.


    His nose scrunched in disgust. Chu Yi had always had the habit of dismembering and disposing of his prey as quickly as possible. After the initial euphoria recedes, the decaying scent of rotting meat had always disgusted him. His mild OCD disorder would also not permit him to keep disassembled body part around him.


    This was the first time he was faced with such a pungent odor.


    Anticipating the upcoming scene of carnage, he almost turned around and left.


    Almost because this was his new source of fun and rather he didn''t want to give it up so quickly.


    Taking a deep choking breath, he shoved the door open roughly.


    It was chaos.


    The dining car was filled with overturned tables and chairs. Splattered blood had already dried on the walls and there was an obvious squelch underfoot as he followed the disgusting scent to its source.


    The kitchen.


    The door was already cracked open and inside was a bloody scene of carnage that spoke worlds of the gruesome death of its victim.


    Severed limbs, half decayed were scattered on the floor, and black blood still dripped from the cabinets. The pots and utensils were overturned on the shelves and there were still ingredients, now rotting, that had been placed out to thaw.


    The person inside had obviously been preparing the meal for the passengers on board but met a cruel death soon thereafter.


    Large Flies and squirming maggots burrowed into what was left of the meat stuck to the bones. They had eaten right through the flesh and left brown stains everywhere to signal the decay.


    They crowded together like ants, so packed there were indistinguishable from each other . The incessant buzzing sound sending goosebumps along his spine.


    The awful smell was ten times worse as he stepped towards the victim.


    He stared disgustedly at the body for a few minutes before looking away. He couldnt bring himself to touch the thing and eventually settled for searching through the cabinets and the fridge.


    Unfortunately, he found nothing even after rummaging past the rotting vegetables and fruits. With eyes furrowed, he once again turned to the decaying skeleton on the ground.


    Would he really have to lay his hand on it?


    He stood there, indecisive. The disgust on his beautiful face tangible.


    No.


    With a heavy, disappointed sigh he turned around to leave, he would rather test his chances at the Red Chamber before wronging himself like that.


    Nevertheless, before he passed through the door, he felt his foot happen upon something.


    Looking down it was a skull.


    It had obviously not been there a moment ago but had mysteriously appeared in the darkness.


    With raised eyebrows he looked around, his red eyes flashing darkly.


    It was silent.


    He vaguely sensed something, glancing towards the corners and a smile spread across his pale lips.


    With a chuckle, he bent down to pick up the skull. It was definitely a lot cleaner than the corpse and was smooth to the touch.


    Thinking about it, that was even more terrifying.


    Someone had to consciously peel away the skin and scrape away the remaining meat and brain before it could get this clean.


    And only something or someone truly monstrous could be capable of that.


    Inside the skull, sat a crumbled piece of paper, torn from what seemed to be a journal.


    There was no name, only dates written on the tattered note.


    [November 13, 3018,


    It rained today again. The conductor gave us duck blood soup to warm us up. The train was quiet .]


    [November 15, 3018,


    It stopped raining. The lady that stayed beside me has disappeared. The conductor said she had just unboarded. But when did the train stop?]


    [November 18, 3018,


    Quiet. It''s so quiet. Why has the noises stopped. Only the sound of the train echoes at night]


    [November 21, 3018,


    The conductor said we need to refuel.


    It seems alot of us has unboarded. ]


    [November 26,3018,


    Ite raining again. There was no soup this time.]


    After that there were no more entries.


    The conductor held the biggest suspicion now and from this he could guess, that there was definitely a problem with food and with the train itself.


    Alas, throwing the skull to one side, he placed the paper in his bag.


    He still had to find his ticket.


    He looked at the map again, this time noticing that the dining car was right beside the conductors room, as if it had been deliberately placed there.


    Waiting for him to explore.


    After hesitating for a bit, he walked towards the door. His scalpel re-appearing in his hand.


    His black hair shrouded his face in dim shadows, his eyes becoming darker as he thought of the conductor.


    Something was telling him that the man could give him what he was looking for.


    Such a blatant invitation shouldn''t be ignored, right?


    There was silence as he left the room, only the occasional buzz of a fly echoing. What he didnt notice was the vague rustle that appeared behind him. Lurking In the darkness of the room appeared a bloody tendril. It arched, as if sensing something before turning towards the leaving back of its prey.


    A chuckle echoed vaguely in the shadows.


    Chu Yi wasnt the only one anticipating.


    [3:25:12]

 Chapter 5 - Hide And Go Die(4)

    There was definitely something off about the conductors cabin.


    Unlike the rest of the dilapidated train, this section of the train was modern and sleek. The walls seemed as if they had been newly painted, the floors didnt send out a rusty creak underfoot and there was the smell of new furniture, the kind of naseuating yet brand new scent that he was familiar.


    It was definitely off-putting and the bad feeling in his gut kept on increasing the closer he got to the door.


    Anyone else would have been breaking out into a cold sweat, only barely gritting their teeth to continue walking through the suffocating atmosphere.


    Chu Yi on the other hand grew more excited the creepier it became. Something about not knowing whether or not he was going to die sent pleasant tremors down his spine.


    He got closer and closer to the door, the anticipating light in his red eyes growing brighter the closer he got.


    With the only sound being his light footsteps stepping onto the hardwood floors. The harsh breathing and heavy footsteps suddenly coming from behind him was particularly abrupt.


    With eyes constricting, he swung his scalpel in the direction of the intruder.


    PU-Chi-


    There was the sound of a knife penetrating flesh, before a shrill scream rung out. It was obviously male but the high pitch could definitely put opera singers to shame.


    Turning elegantly on his heels, Chu Yi made eye contact with the unfortunate victim.


    To his suprise, who came into his vision wasn''t the gruff Chun Li or the timid Ren Yuanqing, it was the fat middle aged man Zhong Feng who had been trembling in fear back in the first cabin.


    There was a very conspicuous, stab wound on his shoulder and blood spurted like a fountain from the opening.


    It seems he had been unlucky enough to run directly into the blade of the scalpel but luckily avoided being stabbed directly in the neck.


    With regards to this, all Chu Yi had to say was,


    "Shut up. Your disturbing my fun"


    Zhong Feng had the mind to continue wailing, but as those red eyes glared at him annoyed, the rest of his screams got stuck in his throat.


    A cold shiver ran down his back, he had a stomach feeling that if he continued to scream, this man would swing again, but this time not on accident.


    With brows furrowed, Chu Yi continued walking towards the cabin. Unfortunately, the previous tension and excitement that he had built up was shattered by the glaring light bulb that continued to follow him.


    "Tha-that..where are we going?."


    Chu Yi stared at him harshly but disdained himself to answer


    "Conductors Cabin."


    Short and neat.


    There was a a very audible gasp behind him.


    It seems he wasnt the only one who had been warned by the system.


    Zhong Feng opened his mouth to question why. But thinking about it, this was very obviously a lunatic and asking dumb questions would probably get him killed before the system could take a swing.


    His heart palpitated in chest.


    In order to comfort himself, he started recounting what had been hunting him previously.


    "After we split up, the others left me in the cabin and I-I.. was too scared to leave, but after waiting for a bit the lights had started to flicker on the verge of going out and I got too scared to stay."


    Even though he was a coward, he knew that staying in the dark at this time would just be asking for death and could only hurry out to look for clues on his own.


    As he spoke through his words stutteringly, Chu Yi glanced at him meaningfully. A flash of suspicion passing through his eyes quickly. He didnt interrupt, only continued to listen to the story.


    Apparently afterwards, Zhong Feng had been making his way to the dining cart when he suddenly heard the sound of crackling. Then came the sounds of shrill screams and lunatic ravings that kept echoing in his ears, he kept looking around paranoid, breathing becoming heavy, his limbs shaking, palms sweaty-


    BANG!


    The sound of something falling from the sky echoed harshly as it met the floor.


    Zhong Feng had been sent directly into a panic and started running wildly in any random direction before chancing on Chu Yi. His words became bitter at this point as he looked at his still bleeding wound, reminded of the pain in his left arm.


    The cut was shallow enough to not endanger his life but it was definitely painful and he needed to wrap it. But he couldnt do it by himself and he didnt have the courage to ask Chu Yi for help, so he could only walk along pitifully like a kicked dog.


    Chu Yi didnt bother to speak to him anymore because by now they had arrived at the cabin.


    Standing in front of them was a large , mahogany door. The locks and bolts were free from rust, shining silver and had obviously been newly inserted.


    This door was glaringly out of place with the rest of the train. On a shining gold plaque embedded on the door read,


    [Conductors Cabin]


    Something about those words sent Zhong Feng into a panic. His breathing picking up behind him, eyes fixated on the door.


    "I-I dont th-think-"


    Chu Yu didnt give him a chance to continue speaking though.


    He had already pushed open the door, hands grasping tightly onto the scalpel in preparation for a fight.


    The air was tense and heavy as the door slowly creaked open to reveal-


    Nothing.


    There was no scary monster jumping out to scare them, no blood on the walls, no severed heads, no conductor waiting to kill them.


    Inside was just a standard room equipped with a large bed, some small cabinets and a closet.


    Plain and simple.


    Stepping cautiously into the room, he looked around and confirmed. The conductor really wasnt here.


    Zhong Feng caught sight of the flash of disappointment on his face after he realized this fact.


    His face scrunched into a mess as he stared at Chu Yis back.


    This man was very dangerous.


    Chu Yi got to work searching the cabin. At first glance there was nothing eye catching in the room.


    After searching the cabinets and under the bed extensively he still couldnt find anything noteworthy.


    He frowned unhappily , this was becoming troublesome.


    He turned his head to Zhong Feng who had been standing motionless in the corner and signalled him to start helping.


    Jerking, he immediately got to work checking the closets and the bed again.


    But even after employing help , nothing came up.


    "I- I..may I ask? What exactly are we looking for?."


    Right.


    He had forgotten to tell him.


    "Check if you see, a corner of a map or something like a crumbled piece of paper with blood stains on it."


    After a around half an hour of search, there was an loud exclamation.


    "I found it!."


    Chu Yi immediately walked over and took the piece of paper that he held in his hands.


    It was the part of the map that he had lost. Turning it over there was something written on it.


    Ticket.


    He had found the ticket.


    He looked at Zhing Feng who stared bact at him.


    "Where did you find it?."


    "Ah- , It was there, under the mattress of the bed."


    Chu Yi stared at the bed for a few moment before turning away.


    He had found the ticket but there was no prompt from the system to tell him that he had completed the task.


    He guessed that it would only be completed after the Conductor inspected it.


    It was now time to leave.


    The time on his countdown had already fallen into the last hour.


    [34:56:58]


    Boring.


    It wasnt as exciting as he anticipated and he couldn''t help pursing his lips in disappointment as he left.


    Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks.


    There was a hum.


    The hum was very low. A charming deep voice singing in a mumbled tone,he couldnt tell what it was saying but what he did know was that it was coming from the front.


    The deadly conductor was coming right towards them.


    Laughing happily, he grinned.


    He was waiting for him

 Chapter 6 - Hide And Go Die(5)

    "What a truly pleasant suprise this is, what seems to have brought you here, my dear visitors."


    His voice was sultry and low yet he aura spelled of fatal danger and death.


    The conductor stood smiling in front of Chu Yi, amusement singing through the shadows on his face.


    Chu Yi eyes bored into him, trying to make out his face through the smoky shadows blurring his features.


    He was destined to disappointment though as nothing could be made out, only the amusement at the bottom of the conductors eyes growing deeper.


    Tch.


    Chu Yi wasn''t terrified in the least and in fact took a step back into the room as if inciting the conductor into entering the room with him.


    And as expected the conductor took the bait.


    With deathly shadows trailing behind, the conductor walked into the clean room, The door slamming harshly behind him.


    The room was silent. It seemed that since the moment Chu Yi entered into this survival game he had been met with many bouts of speechless silence.


    This one however was particularly uncomfortable and Chu Yi felt himself tense at the feeling of danger that shrouded the room in a instant.


    This silence would have probably lasted much longer if it wasnt for the abrupt feeling of something wrapping around his leg.


    It wasnt slimy or unpleasant, instead it left a warm feeling on his leg, like a hot pack in the freezing cold of winter.


    Eyes downcast, Chu Yi''e made contact with the bloody tendril that had somehow crawled onto his leg while he had been having a stare off with the conductor.


    For some reason, he could tell that it was the same tentacle that had left a bloody wound on Wu Xin''s leg just a moment ago and he could also tell that this thing was acting coquettish to him.


    How ?


    By the way this thing started to let out short squeals reminiscent of a gerbil. It wasn''t unpleasant as per say, just somewhat unexpected. It arched charmingly along Chu Yi''s leg, rubbing itself along his shin.


    Chu Yi stared interestingly at the little thing for a solid moment before unexpectedly bending down and picking it up.


    Huh-


    There was a short gasp, presumably from the fat light bulb that still roamed within their presence but unlike with Wu Xin, there was no corrosive liquid to borrow into his flesh and bones, neither was there the disgusting smell of burning flesh.


    Instead the little tendril let out a few happy squeaks before burying himself into Chu Yi''s arm, turning quiet in comfort.


    Hiding in the corner, Zhong Feng stared at the dangerous bloody tendril and thought,


    ''Why does it seem so much like a cat''


    Zhong Feng hurriedly shook the absurd thought out of his head. Even if it was a cat, he still wasnt courageous enough to touch it.


    Under this weird atmosphere.


    The conductor was the first to speak u.


    "It seems the little thing had taken quite a liking to you. Like owner , like pet."


    Chu Yi suddenly glared at the conductor, something about the way the conductor spoke sounded strangely frivolous and flirty. It made him want to strangle someone.


    "Well Mr. Conductor, at least Little Red is ten times more pleasant to look at than the idiot hiding behind his shadows like a coward."


    The conductor chuckled happily, he seemed to find Chu Yi''s anger amusing but changed the topic quickly in order to pacify the angry little thing.


    "Well dear passenger, you havent told me as yet why you''re here sneaking around the Conductors Room without the owners permission"


    "Is it against the rules?."


    "Well no."


    "Then shut up."


    There was blatant annoyance in Chu Yi''s tone and even he, himself couldnt finger out why he had become so brash and childish.


    Just something about the conductor both excited and angered him.


    It was a complex emotion and-


    Emotion.


    Chu Yi suddenly paused in shock.


    Head snapping towards the man in front of him.


    This type of anger and excitement, he hasnt felt it in years.


    He had thought that the excitement was just from him finding something to distract him once again from the pain but from what he''s just realized, all his excitement seemed to stem from the conductor in front of him.


    From the first warning to now facing him alone, he seemed to have felt things he hadn''t felt in years.


    This-


    He opened his mouth to question him suprise but immediately swallowed that impulse down.


    Asking questions and seeking answers would break the illusion.


    He didnt want this..this feeling to fade right when it began.


    Chu Yi seemed calm but the hands that held Little Red unconsciously tightened a little. Only when the little tentacle sent out a short squeak to remind him, did he snap out of his daze.


    Turing away from the man in fron you him, Chu Yi proceeded to walk over to sit on the bed unfazed.


    The conductor had stood there, enjoying the rapid changes on Chu Yis face but when he saw him walk over to sit on his bed, he still couldnt help but lift an eyebrow in question.


    Chu Yi looked around the room, he hadn''t actually observed it in the process of searching for his ticket and only now did he notice the subtleties of the room.


    The colors of the pillows were red, the books on the cabinet had a red cover and even the carpet at the foot of the floor was red.


    In such a plainly decorated room, the color stood out particularly loud in the room.


    And Chu Yi, who sat elegantly on the plain sheets, with red eyes sparkling with intrest was actually perfectly in harmony with the rest. Like the brightest spot of colour on a black canvas.


    The conductor who was on the recieving end of this beauty was particularly enamoured and his black eyes stared obsessedly at Chu Yi.


    Unfortunately it wasn''t time yet. He could only endure a little more leaving his little demon to roam unfettered a little while longer.


    Chu Yi finally opened his mouth after looking around interestingly for a minute , but it was better he hadn''t said a word because the sentence that came out of his mouth sent tremors of shock down Zhong Fengs spine and even caused the conductors eyebrows to furrow in wonder.


    "Tonight, I''ll be sleeping with you."


    Yes he had decided. This was ''his'' fun and he was going to keep it at all costs.


    [10:29:11]

 Chapter 7 - Hide And Go Die(6)

    There was a short crackle before the scratchy and indifferent voice of the system rung throughout the entire train.


    [All passengers gather in Car 1, MD, in preparation for the start of the the first Instance ''Train''.]


    Chun Li listened with furrowed brows, beside him Bai Chuan was covered head to toe in blood, breathing heavily and an unconscious Zhan Xi laying limply on his back.


    Bai Chuan immediately sighed a breath of relief hearing the systems word. This nightmare was finally over.


    He stumbled even with the support of Chun Li, and carried Zhan Xi all the way to the first car. It was just as silent and empty as they had left it and there were no signs of those terrifying shadows.


    Placing Zhan Xi on an empty seat, he rummaged around for a piece of dry cloth and used it to wipe the blood from his face. Neither him nor Chun Li spoke as they waited for the others.


    Not long after came the sound of rushed panting, before the door was slammed open. In came Ren Yuanginq and Dan Bai, who were obviously injured but didn''t stop running. Wun Xi was no where to be found behind the two.


    They both had visible relief on their white faces, upon seeing the others before dropping into the seats.


    Ren Yuanqing burst out crying after a few moments of silence. His wails were loud and noisy and sounded particularly annoying in the quiet train.


    Bai Chuan who was already on edge couldnt help but yell,


    "SHUT UP YOU FUCKING IDIOT"


    Yuanqing stopped crying out of shock, his wails turning into quiet sniffles.


    They waited anxiously for the others but even after waiting for a long time, there was no sign of Chu Yi and Xhong Feng.


    Something had definitely happened to them and nine times out of ten they were killed.


    With a complicated face Chun Li turned away from the door.


    On the other hand, Bai Chuan''s left eyes twitched incessantly, he had a bad omen. Someone like Chu Yi, couldnt be killed so easily.


    [Timer stops at 00:00:00. The conductor will collect your tickets and the train will begin immediately. ]


    [The time is now 5:30:00, please evacuate to your rooms by 10:00:00. ]


    Again the unreliable system immediately disappeared after relaying the message, leaving all the actual work to its diligent employee.


    An absolute scum.


    Before they could ponder on the meaning of the 5 hours given by the system, three sets of footsteps sounded.


    Tap.


    Tap.


    Tap.


    The conductor was here but this time he wasn''t alone. Trailing behind the conductor was one beautiful but deadly serial killer and a balding middle aged light bulb.


    What the-


    The others fell into a short lull. Why were the newcomers suddenly in cohorts with the conductor, to the point where they could walk together back to the train instead of trying to kill each other in the most gruesome ways possible.


    No one said anything, only stared at Chu Yi. Unlike at the beginning this time not in appreciation of his beauty but the horror of seeing something inexplicable yet absolutely terrifying.


    Zhong Feng who lurked behind them was entirely ignored and he could only slink back to his seat pitifully.


    Chu Yi ignored the eyes of the rest and took a seat at the front indifferently.


    Right in front of the conductor, eyes never leaving his sight.


    The conductor himself seemed to stare meaningful into his red pupils before tearing his eyes away to address the rest of the passengers.


    He cut to the chase quickly, not rallying like the beginning. Obviously impatient.


    " The train will start immediately after the collection of tickets. Failure to show tickets will be punished accordingly."


    The conductors red conductors uniform seemed to turn an even bloodier red at the mention of punishments.


    Purposely bypassing Chu Yi, he started with Zhong Feng who nervously turned out an ID. The string around the badge was fully coated in blood but you could still vaguely make out the words ticket written in block print.


    The conductor indifferently collected the badge, only nodding slightly to acknowledge his approval.The rest in turn provided a bloody finger tattooed with the words ticket, a crumbled paper, a brochure, a vacation wristband and a bloody pair of shoes. All with the words ticket written on it..


    With a wave of his hands, the items disappeared into thin air. The conductor then turned slowly towards Chu Yi, a faux professional look on his face.


    "Ticket please."


    Chu Yi immediately glared at him before standing up angrily. Instead of handing him the ticket as expected, he actually reached out and embraced conductor tightly.


    The others once again fell into a strange lull . Why did they have the illusion of being force- fed fragrant dog food.


    When Chu Yi ended the hug after what felt like a eternity, the corner of the map mysteriously appeared in his hands.


    Shoving the damn thing to the conductor, he immediately returned to his seat. Very obviously unhappy.


    Who wouldn''t after having his tofu eaten so blatantly.


    There was obviously an ambiguous atmosphere here but Chu Yi wouldn''t take the initiative to open his mouth and Zhong Feng rather preferred to keep his small life . Therefore what happened in that short trip from the conductors room to the First Cabin would probably never be known.


    The smile on the conductors face immediately dropped after he turned back towards the others.


    They were such annoying eyesores. He preferred them dead and out of the way of him and his sweetheart.


    "The trains will start immediately. I wish you a happy trip. The fight for provisions will begin in 5 days. "


    With a happy smile towards Chu Yi, the conductor disappeared out of the door of the cabin.


    Chun Li broke the depressing atmosphere with a cough.


    "We''re all here. Let''s discuss each of our experiences so as to better understand the situation on the train."


    Chun Li began first, since neither Bai Chuan nor the still unconscious Zhan Xi had the right mindset to retell the horrors that happened in the short 5 hours that they were given.


    When they started out, at first the atmosphere was calm. By the second hour Zhan Xi and Bai Chuan had already found their ticket and they were on their last flight in search of Chun Li''s own. But that''s when things began to get weird. The lights began to flicker and dim every 30 seconds and each time the lights dimmed there would sound an eerie cacophony of ravings and madness in their ears. Even after the lights could turn on they could still here the sounds ringing in their heads, driving them positively crazy. But that wasn''t the worst of it.


    Zhan Xi suddenly started to to feel as if there was something hanging on her back. Looking around fearfully, she saw nothing, only the infinite darkness closing in around her. But the more she walked the heavier she felt until she couldn''t even move under the heavy weight hanging from her back. Bai Chuan had offered her a helping hand but not even that would work as she was slowly pushed toward the floor.


    But then the pain started, it began with a low ,numbing thrum throughout her legs before quickly spreading to her whole body. She tried to scream but it was like she was alone in a separate dimension. No sound came out of her mouth. She screamed silently in agony, feeling the bloody tears in her throat. Then the blood started to pool out of her mouth, her internal organs were being crushed by the heavy pressure on her back. She was slowly dying.


    But that was when the panicked Chun Li found the problem.


    It was in her shadows.


    Her own shadow had grown a life of it''s own and had hung from her back, hands clenched around her neck. Growing bigger as it absorbed her life force, slowly crushing her internal organs as it tried to take her place in the sun.


    They stood their frantically and could only watch as she slowly died in front of them. There was nothing they could do.


    On the verge of light and death, Bai Chuan noticed something. Everytime the lights turned on, the shadow dimmed for a brief moment. With a flash of inspiration. He grabbed the only flashlight from his backpack and shone it directly onto the shadow.


    Fortunately, his speculation proved right and the shadow twisted and screamed in pain under the torture of the light. Naturally, as a creature born into darkness, it was most afraid of light as it seared its skin and it eventually exploded into a shower of flesh and blood. Drenching Bai Chuan in its remains


    This signaled that minute later it would have killed Zhan Xi and taken her place.


    It left behind, the bloody finger that was used as Chun Li''s ticket


    Bai Chuan''s breathing had picked up heavily during Chun Li''s retelling. Distressed, he glanced at Zhan Xi


    Chu Yi stared at him meaningful. There was obviously something other than friendship between the two.


    Next it was Ruanqings groups turn.


    The first sentence out of his mouth sent the rest into shock


    "Wu Xin was devoured by t-ten- tentacles!!"


    Little Red ate someone?.

 Chapter 8 - Hide And Go Die(7)

    He could almost hear Little Reds wronged squeals at the back of his mind.


    It was so cute, how could such a little thing devour an entire person like that.


    Chu Yi chose to selectively ignore how it had cruelly burned into the flesh of Wu Xin at the beginning.


    Taking a deep shuddering breath, Ren Yunaqing continued on to describe how they had left Wu Xin sitting on a chair while they had been searching around the Bed Cabins. That was, until they heard a shrill and pained scream from where they had left her, running back frantically they happened upon Wu Xin being eaten alive by two humungous tentacles. After it caught sight of them, one of the tentacles flung aside the already half eaten Wu Xin and started chasing them.


    Typical example of throwing away the old for the new.


    They could only run away in absolute fear.


    The last thing they remembered of Wu Xin was the bloody intestines falling limply from her torn lower body. The blood and guts sending a loud splat as it hit the floor of the train. There was still a little life left in her eyes at that moment but when she saw the leaving backs of the two men, it quickly extinguished into hopeless despair.


    Dan Bai had started hyperventilating at that last sentence, he had obviously been traumatized by what he had seen.


    "From this we can guess two of the hidden rules in this instance. Every instance has hidden rules besides the ones given by the System NPC, they are generally just as dangerous as the system rules.


    1). Beware of your shadow


    2). Never stay too long on the dark


    Doing any of the above would lead to death in most cases."


    Chun Li''s gruff voice echoed in the room. He had anonymously being voted as leader and his rough but soothing presence gradually put the rest at ease.


    No one asked Chu Yi about his experience. Someone who could be on good terms with the conductor was definitely either a lunatic or the destroyer. Neither of which they wanted on their side and there was a subtle air of exclusion amongst the group.


    Chu Yi didnt care, still partially sulking thinking of all the ways he could dismember a particularly annoying conductor.


    Choooooooo-


    There was a rumble and crash, the loud shrill of air whistling though the chimney as the chamber fuel was shoveled with coal. Then came the echo of old engines turning, before the rickety train started with a jerk. Zhan Xi in particular who was unconscious was sent flying off the seats, shocking Bai Chuan.


    She let out a low groan as she woke from the pain.


    "Wh-what.."


    No one had time to cater to her however as the train quickly picked up speed. Flying at breakneck speed across the tracks.


    If it wasnt a system protected train, it would have probably already flew off the railways at the speed it was going, sending them all crashing into the deep valleys below to die a slow but sure death.


    After the train began, the room seemed to come alive. Around them came the sound of chattering friends, dishes clanking as the food carts ran along the train, the cries of children as there mothers hurried to hush them. A hub pub of people going about their day. It was as if they were really standing on a full train with a bunch of happy passengers going to their diffrent destination.


    Chu Yi thought of the journal entry that he had found.


    It kept mentioning how quiet the train had become and from the sounds echoing around him, he could guess that at least at the start of the journey, it was definitely not like that. Something had happened mid way that sent all the passengers, including the conductor to a gruesome death.


    The sounds gradually died down as the train settled into a stable speed. The floor under their feet occasionally rocking as they passed by the rail bumps.


    ''Grro-owl''


    The sound of someone''s empty stomach protesting sounded. It was only then that the passengers became aware of their hunger.


    From the moment they had entered the instance till now, they''ve been pressured under the tense atmosphere and only now when the tension had been alleviated somewhat were they reminded of their needs.


    Chu Yi himself felt the twinge of hunger settle on him as soon as he became aware of it.


    So with a rustle, everyone started to gather food from their bags.


    Military Grade Rations.


    There were instant noodles, oatmeal, pasta , rice, some canned beef and chicken, 5 bottles of water and a few packets of diffrent meat sauces. Only barely enough to last them 5 days, maybe a week if they scrounged.


    Without hesitation, the rest immediately began to unpack the cold rations. They werent the most palatable but they were too hungry to care at this point.


    Chu Yi on the other hand stared at the food in his hand a little confused. Although it looked no diffrent from the rest, the food in his hand had definitely been heated up and prepared beforehand. There were also more variety with even a can of marinated beef and a few packets of sweets hidden in the seams.


    Why did it seem to him that he was getting special treatment from the system.


    Was it his illusion?


    He decided to dwell over it later however, because at this point his stomach had started growling unsightly at the smell of food.


    The others couldn''t help but glance at him as he ate.The way his red lips would wrap around the spoon in his mouth, his pink tongue swiping unconsciously across those plump lips as it left. Enticing and Inviting them to ravish them hungrily. He lifted a pale hand as he chewed, brushing away the strand of silk hair that had fallen onto his beautiful face. He exuded charm and seduction, teasing them and playing with their minds. Looking past the danger on the surface, this deadly creature was truly too beautiful.


    Chu Yi felt the gazes on him, he glanced around casually, a light warning flashing in his eyes. Chun Li and the others immediately looked away, even though his warning looked casual. Light for them entailed far more than they could handle.


    They finished eating quickly, packing the rest of the food carefully into their bags.


    Bai Chuan held onto the weak Zhan Xi carefully and motioned towards the other before carefully walking towards the rooms.


    It was obvious that neither of them were in the mood to explore the secrets of the train.


    Chun Li hesitated for a moment before following leaving behind a,


    " I''d suggest you get some rest now, Tommorrow we''ll investigate the happenings on the train."


    Ren Yuanqing and Dan Bai stayed for a moment longer before leaving. Zhong Feng glanced at Chu Yi nervously before also making his way out.


    In the end only Chu Yi was left sitting in the dim room.


    With a rustle something that had been lurking in the darkness came swiftly slithering up to Chu Yi.


    Little Red had been waiting impatiently for the others to leave so that he can cuddle up to Chu Yi and act coquettish.


    With a chuckle, Chu Yi picked up the little thing.


    It was time to leave.


    He lifted his feet and started walking not in the direction of the rooms but though the door ,he had followed the conductor through.


    A psychopath wasnt necessarily a serial killer but a serial killer was definitely a psychopath and this serial killer would do anything feel alive even if it meant murdering in cold blood or gouging out the eyes of his victims.


    And if the conductor could give him that excitement , then to the conductor he''ll go.

 Chapter 9 - Hide And Go Die(8)

    The passage to the conductors cabin was brightly lit, as if waving a flashing, neon sign that screamed ''THE CONDUCTOR LIVES HERE''. A blatant invitation to the little evil spirit looking to spend the night.


    Chu Yi''s footsteps echoed in the empty corridor. Red eyes turning a brilliant shade of ruby by the time he got to the door.


    It opened automatically, creating a low creak as it invited the night visitor into its occupant.


    The conductors cabin had changed. The layout was no longer a plain and simple look with the occasional splash of red. Instead the room had been completely overtaken by the bright color.


    The sheets had tuned to a dark wine red, the walls painted in a burgundy hue, even the cabinets had become a dark reddish brown. Fully showing the occupants obsession with red.


    That occupant being the conductor.


    Sitting on the large bed in the middle of the room was the man himself. He had changed out of his regular lifeless uniform and now garbed a plain white robe, the only evidence to show that the previous simplicity still somewhat existed.


    He sported a meaningful smile on his face as he watched, laid back as Chu Yi entered the room, face unchanged but the excitement in his red eyes betraying him.


    The prey had taken the bait.


    Door slamming behind him, Chu Yi stopped at the edge of the bed, staring down into the dark eyes of the conductor.


    The shadows were still there but they had receded enough for him to make out enough of his features.


    Dark Gold eyes, high nose bridge, thin lips. His skin a golden sun-kissed color. The conductor was like a deadly lion. Beautiful yet cruel.


    No one spoke, the atmosphere slowly becoming suffused with an ambiguous undertone.


    Under this silence, the words that the conductor had said earlier flashed through his mind, his face abruptly turning to a beautiful shade of pink. A fire igniting in his eyes.


    It wasnt the same eyes he used to stare at his victims as their blood spilled onto the concrete floor but more like he had been embarrassed into anger.


    Lifting a foot, Chu Yi sent a kick towards the smug bastard wishing vehemently to crush him into the ground.


    Guessing his thoughts, with a wild laugh, the conductor grabbed onto that lithe foot and flipped Chu Yi onto the bed, arms resting teasingly on the sides of his head.


    "What do you think dear passenger, ready to take me up on that offer to fuck you into rethinking your statement earlier.?"


    The laughter was almost overflowing in his eyes.


    The more he spoke the angrier Chu Yi got, struggling and writhing unhappily underneath him.


    "Shh -shh- little birdie. If you keep writhing like that, I might just have to fuck you either way irregardless.."


    He immediately stopped, the blush on his face turning brighter.


    Chu Yi started regretting that he had been chasing after that excitement, why did he think that spending a night with this pervert would be a good idea.


    Scowling angrily he settled down underneath the conductor, refusing to beg him to get off.


    It was only then that the forgotten Little Red made his presence known.


    Squeakkkkkk-


    Both of them were startled, having forgotten the quiet creature still wrapped around Chu Yi''s arm.


    With another almost mocking chuckle, the conductor gave amnesty and moved away from Chu Yi.


    "Well then, it seems our little red is hungry. Why dont we feed him before going to bed, hmmm?."


    Although he rolled his eyes in annoyance, Chu Yi still grunted in agreement.


    The conductor stilled for a moment, a meaningful and mischievous smile spreading slowly across his lips.


    He didnt bother to remind Chu Yi and instead got up to grab a cup and a knife.


    Sitting back down, he pushed the cup to Chu Yi.


    "What are you doing?."


    The conductor didnt respond.


    Raising the knife, he slashed down abruptly.


    Splurt-


    Blood splashed.


    The conductor had cut a long wound along his arm, the blood instantly spilling, leaving bright red stains on his pure white robe.


    Chu Yi didn''t flinch, only watched in interest as the conductor pressed his arm on the cup and let the blood flow into the it.


    It only took a moment for the cup to be filled from the force of the flow, afterwards he moved his hand away from the cup and pressed his lips to the wound. Miraculously, the blood stopped flowing and he could visibly see the flesh around the wound wriggling and connecting again.


    With his lips still stained with his own blood, the conductor looked at him with a smile.


    "Want me to kiss you too?."


    Turning away as if he was burned, Chu Yi grabbed the cup and focused on feeding the little thing in his arms.


    The way it ate was to shove what looked like its head into the cup before sucking the blood up. He couldnt be sure because the little red was really just a warm, red glob that could squeak.


    He watched in amusement as the blood slowly drained from the cup, the little thing letting out a satisfied squeak.


    It even seemed to heat up in hands, letting out a comfortable warmth. Really just like a little hot pack.


    Then with a contented burp, the little thing slid out of Chu Yi''s arm and went wiggling into the darkness.


    He could only watch it go, not exactly happy to be left alone with Mr. Conductor.


    Tch-


    With a light cough to cover his laughter, the conductor laid down on the bed, patting the space beside him.


    "Since your here to sleep then come lie down, unless your really just here to-."


    Chu Yi immediately punched him in the chest cutting off his words,


    "Wheres the bathroom?."


    Since the moment Chu Yi had been transferred here, he had been running around heedlessly. He really needed a shower which may or may not have also been one of the reasons he chose to crash here.


    Rubbing his chest in pain , the conductor pressed a button, a door appearing beside the closet.


    With a twist of his head, Chu Yi strode gallantly into the bathroom, ignoring the idiot lying on the bed.


    After a minute, there came the sound of water running.


    Imagining the scene of delicate hands rubbing along pale skin inch by inch, caressing and washing even the most sensitive parts, long fingers twisting over those cherry nipples, the groans of-


    The conductor tortured himself with his own imagination for the next 30 minutes.


    By the time Chu Yi came out of the shower rubbing a a towel over his head the man looked drained.


    Eyebrows raised Chu Yi walked back towards him, lightly kicking him with his feet, white toes still faintly dyed a light pink from the heat.


    The conductor only groaned with resignation.


    Chu Yi didn''t bother to care about him anymore, who knows what sort of perverted thing this idiot was thinking.


    He laid down on his side of the bed, the smell of light cedarwood wafting into his nose.


    Eyes closing in exhaustion, he fell asleep shortly, along with the unique scent of the conductor.


    After hearing the light breathes coming from beside him, the conductor propped himself up to stare at Chu Yi.


    The little evil spirit doesnt even realize himself how vulnerable it was to sleep beside a man completely unguarded. The way he didnt have the urge to murder the conductor even after being stared at lustfully for so long.


    Thinking back to Bai Chuan who had been lost in his eyes but nearly lost his own, there was a big difference in treatment.


    Alot of the things that Chu Yi did today was completely uncharacteristic but seemed natural when it came to him. The forgetting of rules, the relaxing of vigilance, sleeping together.


    He chuckled, step by step his little demon was once again falling into the elaborate trap solely created for him, but maybe this time around, it would be willingly.

 Chapter 10 - Hide And Go Die(9)

    He was burning.


    The smoke around him was suffocating, he could feel the blazing heat scorching his entire body.


    The fire''s hot air hit him directly in the face, and his skin and muscle was rapidly burnt to coke. Starting from the hair of his head, it burned layer by layer until the white bones appeared underneath. His blood also began to boil, leaving bloody blisters on his skin and soon, his blood vessels burst rapidly and passed excruciatingly through his scorched flesh. All his meridians were cut off. He coughed a mouthful of ash, but couldn''t distinguish whether it was coming from the heart or the lung.


    Through the heartwrenching pain, he could hear what sounded like mournful screams, the despair dripping from their hoarse voice. His heart twisted painfully,


    Who was screaming?.


    Chu Yi..


    Chu Yi...


    CHU YI!!!


    With a gasp, his eyes snapped open, chest heaving as if he had just been pulled from underwater. He inhaled the cool air greedily, the taste of smoke still lingering on his throat as if he had really just burning alive in the hell like flames.


    There was no fire, no smell of burnt flesh, no heartwrenching screams of despair.


    He was alive.


    The conductor stared concernedly at him, watching with rapt attention as Chu Yi slowly calmed down.


    "Ok now?."


    Chu Yi nodded wordlessly, still feeling the remnant shocks of the bizarre dream.


    In his mind he seemed to smell the faint scent of cedarwood, but it passed too quick for him to catch.


    Who was it.?


    Shaking his head in resignation, he lifted his arms and stretched, his lithe figure resembling a lazy panther, a swift hunter of the night; the thin shirt he wore raising to reveal a slender yet powerful waist.


    Another K.O for the perverted beast in sheep''s clothing hiding in plain sight.


    He couldn''t stay here forever and despite the brief respite he felt, he was more interested in exploring the truths of the train than bickering heatedly with the conductor.


    Walking out of the room after an hour, he glanced back at the conductor, who was sitting pitifully on the bed, like a young wife sending her husband off to work reluctantly.


    He felt at twinge of pride at this thought, chin raising ever so slightly as he strutted like a arrogant peacock out the room.


    The smile was quickly wiped off his face though, as he once again resumed the role of deadly serial killer Chu Yi.


    Along the way, he happened upon Chun Li and the others and although inwardly they were wary of each other, on the surface they still proposed to search the train together.


    With a hypocritical amused grin, Chu Yi agreed.


    "Alright, Bai Dan and Ren Yuanqing had searched the storage yesterday, Zhong Feng the kitchen and we searched the Bed Cabins. Have any of you, found anything that could help us figure out the truth of what happened to the inhabitants of the train. Although the system only said to survive for 7 days, you have to remember, the system judges you on your performance and if your too passive. You might leave this instance alive but end up dead from losing your coins. So I''d suggest you not to hide anything that could be of use to us. The sooner we break the instance, the sooner we can get out of here."


    Ren Yuanqing hand rosed hesitantly,


    "Wu- Wu xin, before she died had f-found a picture in her room that she had shown us. It seems to be a picture of some the passengers that had been on this trip."


    [June. 31.2057]


    The date written on the picture frame was taken at the beginning of summer. Two groups of male and female college students smiled happily back at them, their faces radiant with the joy of youth, shining brightly under the hot summer sun.


    They were poised on a the backdrop of a mountain, standing at its peak, they laughed happily at the camera, reveling in the joy of summer.


    This was evidently a group of students but thinking back on the eerie almost paranoid writing on the paper in his backpack. He couldnt help but imagine, How painful must their deaths have been. Their joyful laughter morphing into howls of despair.


    After they each examined the picture and seeing no signs ofa any further clue, Chun Li pulled out the next evidence which was much more tragic. This time, it was a paper. A suicide note to be exact of a desperate female passenger.


    [Its been 8 long weeks since we boarded this train, there were 65 of us at beginning, now theres only 12.


    I can feel that my time was coming and yesterday the conductor told us again that they were running out of fuel. I don''t want to disappear like the rest, I dont know what''s happening beyond the void, I dont want to die, I don''t want to die- I DONT WANT TO DIE, but it''s the only...only thing I can do. I just wish they don''t throw my dead body into the fuel chambers, to burn into coal like the rest. It''s already midnight, Only god can save us now.]


    The entire paper was crumbled with the force of the pen, you could feel the writers desperation and despair. If death was better than disappearing, you could imagine the consequences that disappearing entailed.


    Sometimes being alive was worse than death itself.


    At the end of the paper was a single drop of blood. There was no need to explain what that entailed but the writer had not made it out alive.


    Silence. Only the rickety sound of the train passing along the tracks.


    When Chu Yi beame bored of the depressing atmosphere, he pulled out the journal entry that had been torn off and shoved it in to the hands of Chun Li.


    There was not to much to say after reading it and Chun Li only inhaled a sharp, painful breathe. Even though he had barely survived 4 copies through the skin of his teeth, each passing minute on this train left him terrified and he had a gut feeling that if he stayed still till the 5th day, he would die a rather terrible and painful death.


    They stopped dawdling immediately and the first place they decided to investigate was the dining car. It wasnt too far from where they were standing and it only took a minute for them to arrive.


    What caught Chu Yi off gaurd however was the fact that the corpse that had been lying decomposed in the kitchen, with maggots and flies buzzing noisily and laying their eggs on the mostly eaten corpse. Had somehow miraculously regrown its flesh and skin.


    Even though there were still bloody gashes on the dead body. It didnt seem as if it had been decaying for years and looked like a body that had just been murdered with the blood still radiating heat as it flowed from his blood vessel.


    If he hadn''t seen it previously, he would have been fooled too.


    In fact, the entire dining car had changed. The previously overturned chair and tables were now spread neatly in unison, the black stains on the walls and been wiped away to reveal the pristine tiles. Even the rusty doors and rotten wood floors seemed brand news


    It was almost as if...


    Time was flowing backwards

 Chapter 11 - Hide And Go Die(10)

    Chu Yi immediately walked outside the car, ignoring the inquiring gazes of the other passengers.


    Sure enough.


    The rest of the train had started reversing. There was an subtle sense of time radiating in the air and with the rate at which the decay was flowing backwards. By the 5th day, the entire train would have been reversed back into a optimal condition.


    And it also meant that all the deadly monsters that had broken out at that time, would come crawling back into the light.


    No one here was dumb and after Zhong Feng took the initiative to explain it to them, the blood drained from their face.


    So that''s why the food they had been given could only last five days. By that time, the train would have fully reversed and there would have been no need to scrounge for their own provisions but it also meant that there was definitely something up with the food.


    It may even have been what killed off the entire train. They needed to speed up the process.


    Dan Bai was on the verge of a mental breakdown. There was something that he had deliberately opted from mentioning when they had been telling their story.


    Wu Xin hadn''t actually died immediately upon chancing on the tentacles and they didnt run back to her only after hearing her dying screams.


    Instead, both him and Ren Yuanqing were actually on their way back to her when it happened.


    Wu Xin wasnt the one who had been targeted by the damn thing, in fact it was Ren Yuanqing.


    That timid newcomer that still stood tentatively by the door, had broke out with a sudden burst of strength at the sight of danger, grabbed onto the oncoming Wu Xin and flung her into the clutches of the bloody tentacle, instantly mauling her to death.


    Her dreadful and painful screams as she was toen in half still rung callously in his ear.


    "Kiddo, if yah don want'' a be hurt. I''d suggest yah keep ya strap shut. Got it?."


    The Ren Yuanqing that he had become familiar with was shattered. His voice metamorphosed into rough southern growl, the look on his face threatening a world of pain if he blew his cover. Eyes glinting darkly with cruelty.


    Under threat, Bai Dan didn''t blow his cover in front of the rest, but when the both of them left the car, Ren Yuanqing had stilled flashed a bloody knife across his throat.


    Evidently be would be the first to die, if something were to happen.


    As he slept, Wu Xin''s despair and resentment filled eyes kept flashing in his head, her bloody mouth screaming at him, questioning why he didnt help her as she burrowed into his flesh. He struggled vehemently to get rid of the scrawny hands that tore into him but could only watch as she ripped his organs one by one from his torso.


    He didn''t want to do this.


    It wasn''t his fault.


    Everywhere around him seem to come the cackling laughter of Wu Xin, she was-


    SHE WAS GOING TO KILL HIM.


    Limbs shaking, he glanced at the body on the floor and felt his heart stop.


    For a split moment the corpse on the ground seemed to have superimposed with Wu Xins face and was now staring back at him with cruel and wicked smile.


    There was a thud, shocking everyone.


    For some reason, Dan Bai had suddenly fainted right at the door, mouth frothing and limbs convulsing.


    With a panicked look, Ren Yuanqing hurriedly supported his frame.


    "Dan Bai had taken a big hit from Wu Xins death. I dont think he c-can continue. I''ll take him back to the cabins first."


    Ren Yuanqing didn''t wait for anyone to voice objections, insisting on dragging Dan Bai out immediately.


    It wasn''t uncharacteristic for newcomers to be overwhelmed by fear and paranoia so the others didn''t question it much, turning back to the dining cart.


    Chu Yi glanced suspiciously at Ren Yuanqings scurrying fingure before turning back to the kitchen.


    He looked down on the paper in his hands. It was labeled Recipe in glaring letters yet it was not really a recipe.


    Instead, It was a very detailed description of how a group of creatures had enjoyed themselves with a barbecue of human flesh.


    [Their wine was fermented with blood, and within the soup was a stew of human bones, remnants of their skin drifted up and down in the boiling liquid. Some of them had flesh that hadn''t yet fully broken apart, where one might be able to see what they looked like while still alive. The main course featured a beautiful live young woman. Her organs had been scrubbed clean, and yet she was made to barely hang on to life by sorcery. They cut slices directly off her body which were dipped in boiling soup, and while half raw with blood still seeping through, were eaten up with the accompaniment of agonized screams. At the end of the meal, all that was left of the young woman''s two legs were the pale white bones, but she was still alive, and her face as beautiful as ever.]


    This sounded more like a bloody folklore used to scare young children into being good but ith3 implications of putting it under Recipes spoke wonders to the bloody horror of the train.


    Click-


    Suddenly, the lights went out.


    The atmosphere immediately became tense and horrifying. If the lights were off then that means...


    Only the sound of heavy breathing echoed in the silent room.


    Only for a moment, then came the sounds of painful groans. Voice so weak, even screams failed to bubble to her throat.


    Bai Chuan who had been standing on guard immediately felt his face change. It was Zhan Xi.


    Because of the rule that you couldn''t be left alone for too long, she had dragged her already dying body with them.


    But now hearing these painful groans, it was obvious that her shadow had come out again to play.


    Where there was light, there would always be shadow. He couldn''t kill them all.


    There was the frantic sound of shuffling as Bai Chuan fought to find his flashlight, Chun Li tried to calm Zhan Xi down and Zhong Feng was comforting Zhan Xi and doing his best to keep her from giving up.


    Chu Yi..


    Chu Yi , was being squeezed by a humongous tentacle.

 Chapter 12 - Hide And Go Die(11)

    Amidst the chaos in the dark, noisy dining room, one particular participant was strangely quiet.


    Although said participant, Chu Yi would have preferred to speak but at the moment , his entire body was being suffocated by a humongous tentacle that seemed to have no qualms in completely blocking off his senses.


    It wasn''t painful to say the least, but he had been rendered completely blind and could only be carried around in the warm almost burning heat of the creature.


    He struggled slightly in its hold but that only prompted it to squeeze around him tighter.


    Afterwards he felt himself being lifted out of the dining room and away from the panicking group, knowing he could neither struggle nor resist he settled down in its hold.


    He didn''t sense any killing intent from the creature either and was honestly quite curious about where it intended to take him. Seeing as it had directly mauled Wu Xin to death, it definitely wasnt merciful, so what exactly had provoked this big guy into kidnapping him.


    Nonetheless, after what felt like a brief minute, he was released.


    He was still on the train judging from the sound of railways calling out from underneath the wheels, but in a hidden compartment hidden away from the rest of the passengers


    The room was brightly lit, and was littered with heaps of dead branches and straw.


    In the middle of the room sat large nest of the room and in it laid a gigantic egg.


    He seemed to see a glaring green field above the head of the tentacle who was meticulously checking the room for intruders.


    Generally Octupus and Squid-Like Creatures lay thousands of eggs the size and color of rice grains a year. Small enough to be stringed along into tiny sacs to hatch under their mothers care.


    This however was definitely not a squid egg. It was a dark black in colour, huge and at that moment had cracks being rendered all over it as whatever was inside started hatching.


    Why had he been taken here?.


    The humongous tentacle would obviously not answer and was busy tidying up the nest for birth.


    Crik- Crak


    He had been kidnapped here just in time, because at this moment the egg had started shaking , the large cracks along the the top of the egg spreading rapidly.


    BOOM-


    Out of the shell came a wet paw. It flailed around helplessly for a bit before grabbing onto the side of the egg. Tearing the shell sway bit by bit, it strenuously clawed it''s way through.


    CrRACK--


    Another paw, then with a large sound of shell breaking, it broke triumphantly out of the shell.


    What came into sight was a strange creature. It resembled the Cerberus from Greek mythology, with three vicious heads and yet its coat was adorned in pure golden, like an Angel''s armor. There was something harmonious yet opposing about it.


    It was as if a creature of pure evil and pure good had been meshed together, fusing and completing each other to create this-


    "Ankiron. Guardian of the Seven layers, overseer of the heavens. "


    A solemn and reverent voice sounded, a man standing above a group of of God to announce the birth of the divine creature.


    He didn''t know where this memory came from, but he instinctively repeated the name out loud.


    Ankiron.


    A sharp pain instantly assaulted his brain.


    He could feel a low throbbing erupt in his temples at the moment he uttered those words.


    Ankiron.


    He felt as if he had been stripped of something important but he couldnt remember what exactly he had lost.


    [Mama]


    What?


    He was instantly brought out of his thoughts. In his mind there resounded a sweet childish voice.


    [Mama]


    Who was it?


    Instinctively, he glanced at the the just born Cerebrus. Its golden eyes staring back innocently at him.


    [Mama]


    Who is your mother! You''re a mother! You''re whole family''s a mother!.


    He instantly figured out the ins and outs of the matter. As the first person that came into his sight, the little cherub had imprinted onto him and took him as his mother.


    What kind of fucked up bullshit was this.


    The damn tentacle that had still been roaming about just now, had instantly disappeared after the Cerebrus''s birth.


    Who could tell him what he was supposed to do in this situation.


    He couldn''t leave since the tentacle had been the one to bring him here, and he refused to be the mother of anything.


    Admittedly it was cute, with clear golden eyes dripping sweetly with honey, fur still wet with the embryonic fluid from the eggs, but giving off a pitiful air as it stared at its mother, wronged.


    But first of all, the gender was wrong.


    He was a man through and through and secondly


    They werent even of the same species, he knew nothing of how to take care of it.


    As if sensing its mothers reluctance, the little cherub started whimpering sadly, paws holding pitifully onto the shell. The words ''Poor and Helpless seemed to be written in block letters above its head''


    Although he refused to admit it. Chu Yi was a total --- and seeing its pitiful little face, he only lasted less than a minute before crumbling into a puddle of fluffy goo.


    Stepping over the cracked eggs, he heaved the Cerberus who was half his size out and into his arms.


    [Mama]


    With a black face, Chu Yi corrected it.


    [Papa, I''m your papa]


    [Mama!]


    [Papa]


    [Mama!!]


    Fuck it.


    The scum tentacle came back at this time but this time carried with it a guest.


    The conductor stood aloofly on it''s back staring down at Chu Yi who held the wet cherub in his hand.


    [Papa]


    There was silence before he burst into uproarious laughter, the deep, low rumble of his chest sending shivers down Chu Yi spine.


    Still didn''t stop him from flying into anger.


    He had a feeling that the conductor definitely had a hand in this and he was itching to scratch the smile off of his smug face.


    Through gritted teeth he asked,


    "What did you do?!."


    "Oh no no, my dear. I had nothing to do with this. It was you, who broke the rules"


    "What rule-"


    Suddenly he remembered.


    "Dont feed the pets."


    He fed the pets.


    Fuck.


    Lust really is a sin.

 Chapter 13 - Hide And Go Die(12)

    "Feeding Little Red my blood meant that it recognized you as its owner.Therefore when my tentacles decided to fetch its owner, it also brought you along."


    It did make some sense and Chu Yi could accept that explanation somewhat, although it didnt explain why it wasn''t his bood that allowed for ownership, he wouldnt be able to get the answer at this moment.


    "Now then , let''s talk about your punishment."


    Chu Yi did a double take-


    Yes.


    The conductor was entitled to punish him, in any which form he wanted. Which did not spell anything good for him.


    With dark eyes glinting menacingly, the conductor stepped slowly towards him.


    There were diffrent types of NPC in every game, you had the system NPC that would only rigidly repeat the same instructions, the target NPC that held key information and was important to every plot. Then you had the sentient NPC, someone outside the control of the system, with it''s own thoughts and feelings.


    The conductor was a sentient NPC, which meant that he could decide any punishment he wanted for his dear rule breaker.


    And Chu Yi would definitely not be sticking around for that.


    With a twist of his feet, he went bolting out of the door, Little cherub still being held onto his chest.


    With a ambiguous chuckle coming from behind, the conductor watched him go.


    It seemed the chase was on.


    While the two lovebirds were playing a game of Hide and Go Fuck, the other passengers on board were still frantically trying to save their lives.


    Bai Chuan had hurriedly flashed the light onto the shadow. But to his dismay, although it let out terrifying screams, it still refused to stop sucking Zhan Xi''s life force.


    His heart hurt terribly hearing Zhan Xi''s scream, not knowing whether to cry as he tried to still his shaking hands.


    They had been together since the last instance. She was a newcomer and he had already experienced his second instance, so there had been vast diffrences in their mentalities. They had been transferred into a deadly water instance where they had been trapped underneath a sealed glass tank and was given only a few days to figure out how to escape, else the oxygen tank would run out and they would cruelly suffocate to death. On his last ropes, Zhan Xi chose to share her oxygen tank with him and with it they finally managed to escape together. Even if it was only done in a split moment of kindness, even if it was because she hadn''t been tainted by the horrors of the shuttle, she still saved his life. Using his coins, he had purchased the right to enter the same instance with her, but now, instead of serving together, he had to watch her die right before his eyes.


    He felt a blood rising into his throat, the world around him stifling slowly, but right before she breathed her last, the shadow finally gave in. Letting out a shrill unwilling scream, it exploded into a mess of flesh and blood. With red eyes, Bai Chuan carefully gathered Zhan Xi, who was barely breathing into his arms. Heart pounding from the relief of escaping the claws of death.


    Chun Li stared at the shadows remains fearfully, it had definitely grown stronger. It seems that with the trains time reversing each day, the creatures of the night were being strengthened infinitely.


    With a deep sigh, he looked around exhausted and only then did he find that they were missing someone.


    He didn''t know when Chu Yi had left, whether he was dead or alive.


    It was only the second day of the instance but one person was dead, one missing and another on the verge of death.


    They still hadn''t figured out who was the imposter and even though everything pointed to Chu Yi, intuition prevented him from pointing a finger hastily.


    They stood exhausted for another hour, just feeling the wind blowing around them and listening to the rumbling of the tracks beneath the train. Then with a loud clap, Chun Li spoke up,


    "We can''t stay like this anymore. For every day, we stay on this train, the stronger the monsters we encounter are, we can only think of a solution before the 5th day or else some of us will have to be sacrificed on this train."


    The words were very cruel, but it was the truth. Bai Chuan, himself was especially aware of this, he could tell that Zhan Xi had been taken as a target by the shadow, and unless she died, it would only rise again and again everyday until she died.


    It was a deadly race against time.


    They sat there thinking about everything that they had found, trying to find a clue that would break the stalemate that they were in.


    Boom-


    It was the sound of a chair falling. All heads immediately swiveled into the direction of Zong Feng who had stood up excitedly, overturning the chair he had been sitting on.


    "The suicide note!!. There was a repetition of the number 12."


    Yes, the number 12 had been written twice on the note. First, there were twelve passengers left on the train and when she said,''Its already midnight''. Although those words seems to have just been casually put together . If you combined it with the conductors warning of not opening your eyes after 12, then there was definitely a problem there.


    But, they fell into a brief lull, that meant that they had to break the rules. It was definitely dangerous and they werent sure of the consequences of trying it.


    Zhong Feng stood still behind Bai Chuan and Zhan Xi. His lowered head hiding the evil glint shining in his beady eyes, his hand clenched tightly behind his back.


    "Its the only clue we have, unless you prefer to stay here like fish on a chopping board and wait for death. Well have to take the risk." The person who spoke up was Bai Chuan. He was definitely the most desperate and grasped tightly onto what seemed like there only hope of breaking the mystery around the train.


    With a nod, Chun Li agreed. Cowering would only lead to them dying. It was better to take matters into ther own hands and give themselves a fighting chance.


    With another sigh, Chun Li stared despondent at the blood and guts scattered around him.


    Yes it was the only thing they could do. Hopefully the conductor would be merciful.


    ****


    The life-threatening conductor in question was happily chasing around a little demon, eyes glistening like an old pervert, just minutes away from drooling at thoughts running through his head.


    Chu Yi ran haphazardly around the train, cursing lowly in his head.


    From the initial cold and desperate aura at the beginning, a deathly and pallid look in his eyes. Chu Yi seemed to have come alive, a rosy blush staining his beautiful face.


    But Chu Yi had no time to be pondering over this aspect. Thinking about the words of the conductor on the first day, he could feel his heart racing in either excitement or fright, he couldn''t tell.


    He just knew that if he didn''t run, he would probably be unable to explore the train tomorrow.

 Chapter 14 - Hide And Go Die(Extra)

    "Tonight, I''ll be sleeping with you."


    There was a brief lull in the room as they let the ridiculous words sink in.


    The conductor was shocked,


    "You want to sleep here? With me?"


    Chu Yi nodded calmly, an indifferent expression gracing his face.


    Even though he was momentarily shocked, it only took a second for the Conductor''s mind to start running in a wild direction.


    The opportunity was right in front of him and he would be a dog if he missed it before Chu Yi sobered up.


    Imagining Chu Yi''s hands tightly clenched onto the sheets in overwhelming pleasure, his hot breath ghosting along the peaks and valleys adorning his uppermost back, his hand tugging at his silk hair sending shocks of delicious pain lodging into the base of his skull.


    Fuck.


    He could feel the heat rising in his lower abdomen; the sleeping monster resting limply on his thigh, rising up at the thought of sliding its bulbous tip past the wet, swollen hole, making a squelching noise as it oozed out more juices from the heat consuming his body. The wetness dribbling down over his balls, gathering in the crease of his pale thighs.


    With a gentile smile, the conductor stared increasingly heated at Chu Yi.


    "Dear passenger, I will have to consult the system first."


    With a nod of approval, Chu Yi waited for the final judgement.


    [Ding.


    [NPC 0001, please state your issue]


    "I want to host dream passenger 50001 in the conductors cabin for a night."


    The system fell silent. This was the first it had to deal with a request like this and it briefly short-circuited, but after searching though its database, their really was no rules preventing NPC''s and passengers from staying together.


    It was just that those types of cohabitation usually ended in death,


    [NPC 0001, You have been granted permission to host passenger 50001 in your cabin.]


    With a grin, The conductor shut down the interface.


    "Well then, there passengers. It seems we''ll spend the night-"


    Before Chu Yi could nod, the conductor interrupted


    "-on the condition that you allow me to fuck you over and over again, until you can no longer feel your legs and your holes so swollen and gaping from the shape of my dick that it can no longer close, my cum still dripping from your insides.."


    ....What the fuck.


    Chu Yi''s entire faced turned into a charming red. Flames igniting in his ruby eyes.


    In a split second, he had already flew towards the conductor, ready to kill him by slowly extracting every bone in his body while still alive.


    The conductor seemed to have anticipated his attack, and blocked the kick that came flying to his head.


    Chuckling he continued to provoke him,


    "Or would you like me fuck you so hard, edging you over and over again so that when you finally cum you squirt like a woman, spewing cum and piss as you lose control of your bladder. "


    The more he talked the angrier Chu Yi became as the embarrassment flooded his body.


    He was going to kill this stupid NPC.


    The conductor kept provoking him perversely and only when he felt Chu Yi''s movements slow slightly from exhaustion did he stop.


    "Alright alright, little spirit. A hug will do just fine."


    With a angry huff, Chu Yi stopped, he could tell that he couldnt beat him and fighting anymore would just tire him out.


    He had half a mind to just leave but the mischievous glint in the conductors eyes prevented him from doing that out of pure spite.


    He grabbed the conductors and roughly pulled him into a hug.


    Face burning even brighter as he felt the hard length pressed up against him, grinding teasingly, perverted hands, grabbing lightly onto his ass. Shoving the conductor away, Chu Yi went for the door.


    "You''ve forgotten something dear."


    Turning around, Chu Yi saw to his dismay that the conductor held his ticket teasingly between his fingers. Waving it lightly at him,


    "I''ll need another hug as ransom. We''ll talk about the rest later."


    [All passengers gather in Car 1, MD, in preparation for the start of the the first Instance ''Train''.]

 Chapter 15 - Hide And Go Die(13)

    The night was dark and deep.


    Carrying bright flashlights in their hands, the group marched through the biting chilliness and tempestuous winds.


    Chu Yi stood slightly behind the group, a contemplative look on his face.


    The atmosphere was dark and complex. Everyone''s hearts were heavy, and a bad premonition kept haunting the back of their minds, but at this very moment, no one could put a finger on the emotion they were feeling, or why they were feeling this way; they just subconsciously knew that something dreadfully ominous was approaching.


    It was 12.


    As they walked through the dark train, they were assaulted with ever changing sound of death.


    One moment, if he had to describe it simply, it was like someone was smashing an extremely hard object in one strike with all of their might. Again, and again, and again¡­ But presumably, that hard object wasn''t particularly sturdy, because Chu Yi clearly heard a resounding crack, as if something just shattered into numerous fragmented pieces.


    The next it was the sound of a spoon scraping along putrid flesh with a sickening squelch, meticulously emptying the blood and guts leaving all that was left was as a gory peel of intact skin.


    There were no bones. No flesh or tissues. No hair. The corpses entire body had been hollowed out, and all that remained was his skin.


    Dan Bai envisioned the scenario, and his body broke out into goosebumps. Attempting to suppress the bile threatening to force its way up, he swallowed hard; his throat nervously bobbed up and down.


    With echoing footsteps, the group made their way to the dining room as they had agreed on earlier..


    Not a single spoken word broke this pantomime; it was only when the sticky, sloshing sounds of the wet mop being dragged across thick blood could be heard, did sound regurgitate into the space.


    In this obscuring darkness, the scene before their eyes wasn''t quite visible. However, because this hazy sight was still utterly terrifying, everyone had fixed all of their attention on it; they were completely engrossed with what they were seeing.


    There was someone standing before the door of the dining cart. Its features were blurred and unrecognizable innthe darkness but they could still smell the heavy metallic scent of blood assaulting their senses.


    With the squelch of the mop still wiping wetly on the wooden floor, it spoke up.


    "Why are you out of your rooms. Don''t you know not to venture out after 12. You''ll be in deep trouble if the conductor catches you."


    Chu Yi twitched at the mention of the conductor, ears cocking ever so slightly."


    This was a foreign creature, the train had been empty of life since the beginning, buy now there were being faced with something out of place in the deathly still train.


    This time Bai Chuan, carrying an unconscious Zhan Xi, was the first to speak up, fabricating a story on the spot,


    "We were just hungry and decided to get something to eat from the kitchen. It won''t take long and we will leave immediately after finding something to eat."


    They could feel the creature stare hauntingly at them for a long while, then it let out a rough, cackling laugh.


    "Well then, I''d suggest you hurry along to the dining car before the feast begins ."


    The feast.


    They immediately caught onto the key word, and felt a cold shiver run down their spine.


    The ominous premonition at the back of their mind, nagging them harder.


    Thanking the creature, they continued onto the dining car ignoring the way its dark eyes bored menacingly into their backs as they left.


    The car of the dining hall was brightly lit. Upon opening the door, the sight that befelled left them sucking in sharp intakes.


    People of all shapes and sizes laughed and chattered as they roamed the hall, bright smiles plastered on their faces. This would have truly been the typical scene of a lively ball. If it wasn''t for the rotting blood and viscera scattered along the floors. Each and every passenger on this train had died a gruesome death, some had their skin peeled leaving only drooping flesh and muscle, some had been chopped in half, with their still warm intestines trailing behind them as they crawled slowly on the ground!


    There was no deaths that were similar, yet they all wore the same polite flattering smile on their faces, it was as if they couldnt feel see the blood coagulating below their lifeless bodies.


    Dan Bai''s faced turned white in shock, then with a ugly hurl he began heaving out all the half-digested food he had eaten this day! The wet curdling sight of vomit splattering across the floor becoming increasingly vulgar as he coughed and dry heaved painfully loudly-


    With the light music stopping, all the dead heads turned towards them, some even twisting 180 degrees to stare hauntingly at their figures. The shuffle of flesh scraping across the floor coming to a pause, replaced by the cracking sound of joints twisting beyond their limits greeting them!


    Their was pungent smell of urine, it stinged their noses as Dan Bai suddenly wet himself in terror.


    With light disgust on his face, Chu Yi who had been standing the closet to him, shifted away disdainfully.


    The air was deadly still as they confronted the moving corpses before them, the smile on the their mangled, fleshy faces stretching widely.


    Time seemed to stretch into infinite


    Ding.


    The music began again,


    It was only then, when the light music began to play again did they shift their gazes away.


    With a sigh of bated relief, the tension drained away from their bodies.


    "Sh-should w-we go i-in?" RenYuanqing, whispered in a low voice. No one answered him. Even if there was no immediate danger, they still couldn''t get pass the visual disgust and nausea of wading through a sea of putrid flesh and guts.


    With a trembling voice, Dan Bai who still stood in a pool of his own piss asked if someone could follow him to the bathroom. They couldn''t fault him,


    the disgusting smell of urine and vomit staining the floors made them gag in discomfort. They had all consciously moved away, leaving an empty space in his vicinity.


    Zhong Feng volunteered to go, and the both of them inched cautiously to the bathroom. Flinching at every creak of wood underneath them.


    But with bated breath, they managed to get to the bathroom unharmed.


    Dan Bai cautiously surveyed the area. This unpleasant and nauseating bathroom made one feel awfully disturbed. Unrecognizable grease stains marked the entire floor. Whether it was the walls or the toilets, everything was repulsively filthy. Because the sky was getting darker, the lights on the ceiling lit up. When cast on the bathroom, the dull yellow glow emitted from the lights gave the impression that everything around them was being projected through an old, dirty lens filter.


    Zhong Feng urged him quietly to hurry up. The longer they stayed by themselves, the more dangerous it would become.


    ****


    Outside, their was an abrupt change in the situation.


    With light, resounding steps, someone had entered, standing high above the mass of rotting flesh and looking down at them!


    The conductor.


    Chu Yi felt his heart jump, but for far diffrent reasons than the others . He could feel a burning gaze casually drifting past him, there were no words exchanged but Chu Yi could sense a brooding ambiguity and darkness hidden in those eyes.


    "Alright passengers, its once again time to refuel. Fortunately, tonight we have a gracious guest who decided to contribute himself to the greater cause and fuel our journey onwards."


    Fuel?


    Who had volunteered to become fuel?


    Why would-


    Confused and disoriented, a terrifying thought that none of them wanted to admit flashed though their minds!


    ****


    Zhong Feng stood dazedly in the dim light of the bathroom, his usually timid and shifty eyes gradually settling in a cold light as he stared at Dan Bai washing his face in the filthy sink a step away.


    Deciding, He walked quietly step by step towards his unsuspecting victim, arm raising as the heavy hammer in his hand glinted coldly in the light of the bathroom. With a evil grin, he smashed down!


    ****


    No sooner had the conductor said that, there was a loud scream coming from the direction of the bathroom.


    Thinking of Dan Bai and Zhong Feng who had ventured out a while ago, there faces paled.


    Not long after Zhong Feng came running back, his face white with fear, panicking he ran stumblingly back to the group,


    Stuttering between heavy breathes he cried,


    "Dan Bai- Dan Bai''s b-been KILLED!".


    Chun Li''s faced turned grave, turning on his heels he ran to the bathroom. Thrown haphazardly into the toilet cubicle, Dan Bai lay there dead. His faced still twisted in utter horror and despair right before his death.


    His whole body lay strewn across the cold tiled floor, and his head seemed to have been bashed in by some instrument. Foul blood surrounded chunks of bone and macerated flesh meshed together, creating a noxious stage of grotesquerie. The cloudy white flesh of his brain still dripping quietly from where it had splashed onto the wall from the force of the blow!


    Even he himself, felt bile rise in his throat, but the thought that rose in his brain, was far more terrifying than the corpse in front of him,


    "Fucking hell.." As it eventually registered in his head, Chun Li, who rarely cursed before experiencing these incidents, spit out a string of unpleasant profanities. "Don''t tell me we''re the fuel?"

 Chapter 16 - Hide And Go Die(14)

    They didnt know how they managed to make their way back to the cabin.


    All the clues piling up in an instant, the quiet train, the suicide note, the recipe. This train didn''t run off coal, it ran off the foul, putrid blood and flesh of humans. Theres no need to think about where the recipe came in. The human heart was the most terrifying and disgusting thing. Once suspicion and paranoia bred, it wasnt far before all the darkness and filth was released.


    They could imagine at the moment the passengers realized their imminent death, their panicked clamors growing louder and louder; cynicism and suspicion spreading amongst the passengers, like a plague, insidiously haunting the depths of their mind and stealthily embedding a poisonous sense of dread deep inside their souls. The moment all hell was let loose.


    They spent the third day resting, because the harshest trial of the instance would be coming up.


    The fuel chamber.


    The Time came quickly.


    Nobody cowered at this critical moment. Only by venturing deep into the heart of the train would they be able to gives themselves a fighting chance.


    By this time, the train had already itself to almost brand new and they could occasionally hear the footsteps of awakened ghost passengers roaming unseen be in the cars.


    "Putting together all we''ve found in the past 3 days, we can conclude that the train runs on human flesh. Dan Bai''s untimely death could be seen from that. Theres three more days until the instance closes off. Its either were killed one by one in this train or we find a way to break it ourselves. This is our only chance and I dont believe anyone of us wants to give up our lives."


    Chun Li still left one thing unsaid. The imposter that had been forewarned by the system from the very beginning had never made an appearance. They couldn''t be sure when this hidden danger would break out but they could do nothing but wait for an opportunity.


    With another short grunt, they set off.


    The darkness stilled around the dim lights of the trains, outside the windows was the sight of an unusually bloody moon. Their shadows contrasting against the saffron of its light. No one spoke as they made a beeline for the fuel chamber.


    The corridor was silent, not even their footsteps echoed in the tiny space but the thick metallic smell of blood wafted suffocatingly into their nose.


    They turned the last corner and came upon the fuel chamber.


    Chun Li at the front stopped arubtly, face visibly contorting into silent horror.


    Chu Yi took a peek, only to see thick, crimson blood spilling from the crack between the closed door and ground, trickling along the floors of the corridor and forming into puddles.


    The amount of blooded needed to overflow from even the hinges of the door was phenomenal and the air smelled of resentment and hatred.


    No one volunteered to be the first to open the door, they all had a feeling atht whatever was behind it woukdnt be something they''ll be able to get over in this lifetime.


    Chun Looked around at the group, from the 7 they had started off with, they were only left with 4 Zhan only barely clinging to life with Bai Chuans support. The dismal group cut a sorry figure in the dark night, with clenched teeth, Chun Li made up his mind.


    Taking heaving strides towards the door, he yanked it open resolutely.


    At the sight of what came into view, even Chu Yi who stood quietly to the back the entire time, felt disgust.


    Piles upon piles of dead bodies stacked onto each other towering mountain of ground flesh. Many of them had been skinner while still alive only the decaying flesh and muscle left of their skinless corpse. Blood flowed like a river onto the floor, leaving bloody stains on the walls of the train, a fishy pungent smell the only thing to remind them that these things were once alive.


    There was a large fire that burned to the side, the orange flames reflecting onto the bodies a asjnsiter glow.


    It seemed yet that the system wasn''t cruel enough to force them to wade into the pile of flesh and blood in order to find clues because plastered against the door was a strip of paper.


    [1 Corpse = 1 day of travel]


    [1 Skin = 1 day of warmth]


    [1 Liter of blood= 1 day of food.]


    It was written in the manner of a equation. The diffrent parts of the human body providing diffrent necessities for the train. How it work wasnt much of a concern to them because at this moment , the skinless corpses had begun to move the minute Chun li had flung open the door.


    At first it was an occasional shuffle before quickly it snowballed it corpses spasming and twitching as they struggled to move.


    Bai Chuan was the first to react, feet moving before his brain could even catch up as he made a mad dash towards his room, Zhan Xi held firmly on his back.


    With a jerk, the others also quickly started to run. No one wanted to stay behind and face the stampede of skinless creatures that was bound to come.


    At this, Ren Yuanqing didn''t dare stay here any longer. He quickly turned on her heels and made a run for it. Wanting toreach his room, he dashed haphazardly, throughout the train,feet clomping heavily on the wooden boards. All that could be heard in the dim corridor were his loud footsteps and his labored pants.


    The timid expression had long been discarded at this life and death moment. Face twisting into a horrifying glare, ,


    "Clomp. Clomp. Clomp. Clomp."-The clear sound of his own wild footsteps reverberating throughout the empty train thundered in his ears. Throughout the hallways, Ren Yuanqing ran and ran and ran ... for a very long time ...


    And yet, the hallway in front of his eyes seemed to show no signs of end. It was as though he was merely running in circles, trapped in this nightmarish, eternal cycle.


    "Hahahahhahahaahhha"


    Eeeirie chuckles came from behind him, the loud sound of something crawling reverabted in this trapped space.


    "Hah. Hah. Hah." Ren Yuanqing violently gasped for air, taking in deep ragged breaths. His body was sweating intensely, as his energy had left him. Legs finally caving in underneath him, and he could no longer run.


    But in spite of him collapsing, the sounds of crawling still echoed all around him, replaying like a broken record.


    He could still see the wide open door, of the fuel chamber. The light of the fire shifting sinsiterly, beckoning and calling him to sacrifice himself to the the depths of the train. No sooner, Ren Yuanqing caught the faint stench of coal permeating in the air. His whole body was immediately wracked with tremors of horror. Paralyzed to the spot, he shakily turned his head around, only to see a dark shadow, quietiy standing at th foot of the corridor.


    With frantic fumbling, Ren Yuanqing desperately grabbed for something in his pocket, lungs threatening to collapse as the skinless creature advanced steadily onto him. A trail of putrid blood streaming behind it.


    Hah. Hah. Hah.


    The creature raised its arms, the light of the fire, glinting onto its sharp black nails, with a swing it cut down,


    "Ahhhhhh."


    There was a wail.


    At the very last moment, Ren Yuanqing had sprung a tiny blood red doll out of his pocket.


    The thing glowed brilliantly for a moment, and skinless creature let out a bloody screech, crawling away frantically from Ren Yuanqing.


    It wasnt long before it crawled out of sight.


    Chests still heaving from the life and death moment. Ren Yuanqing took a moment to rest, a triumphant grin once again gracing his lips.


    He was the child of fortune, he managed to survive plenty of moments like this with the help of his prop. With it none of these imbeciles stood a chance against him.


    Grinning he crawled up from the floor, ready to make his way back to the others.


    He turned around placing the little doll carefully into his pockets, his triumphant grin freezing as he caught sight of two blood red orbs staring back .


    Chu Yi had stood there watching the entire farce play out.


    "Well well well, if it isn''t a little imposter. How wonderful. Tell me Mr. Ren Yuanqing, how are you going to explain this now."


    Fuck.

 Chapter 17 - Hide And Go Die (15)

    Unfortunately Ren Yuanqing wasn''t actually a weak little sheep that would cower at the first sign of trouble. So with a sudden leap, he lunged towards Chu Yi, eyes flashing fiercely as he reached for the slender neck in front of him.


    He could already hear the fragile crack of Chu Yi''s neck breaking, the look in his eyes still carrying a glimmer of disbelief the moment he died.


    Click.


    Crack.


    There came the crisp sound of bones breaking. It wasn''t the sound of Chu Yi''s neck breaking unnaturally, it was , in fact the sound of Ren Yuanqings filthy hands being twisted in a obtuse angle, falling grotesquely onto his side.


    Ren Yuanqing still carried that gleeful smile on his face as he registered the pain in his arms, a horrible grimace slowly manifesting.


    With a scream he collapsed to the floor, spasming in excruciating pain,


    Ahh, ahh, ahh..


    His sharp squeals came out in short gasps as he forced down the wail in his throat down with sheer will. Screaming like a banshee would only attract monsters and he''d much rather die by the hands of a fellow human than be slowly stripped of his skin and turned into a pile of ground flesh.


    Looking up at Chu Yi who stood condescendingly above him with resentment. He tried to scream vulgar curses, still writhing his pain, but the words didnt have time to bubble out of his mouth before they slowly died down.


    There was something off about the man in front of him.


    As he stood above, him all the light seemed to avoid his figure, his beautiful face covered in shadows. His ruby eyes were devoid of life, as if something in him had been awakened and now, it was out for blood.


    Chu Yi''s divine beauty could rival that of a great god, but the diabolic aura he radiated was far from that of a benevolent saint. He was practically the living embodiment of despotism and antagonism. Like a bewitching flower hidden within the depths of the jungle, he was a gorgeous existence that warned others not to draw too close unless they wished to be pricked by its poisonous thorns.


    And at this moment he reeked of bloodlust and death.


    Slowly fear and dismay bled into Ren Yuanqings shifty eyes, no words could describe the pressure that pressed heavily onto him, breath staggering in his throat , even the pain forgotten in favor of staring paralyzed at the demon in from him.


    Yes demon.


    At this moment Chu Yi was a malevolent devil from hell, itching to devour the flesh and blood of its victims.


    Bending down Chu Yi slowly grabbed onto Ren Yuanqings shirt, a happy grin slipping onto his face.


    "Dear, dear. We have plenty of time to play tonight. I have alot of things I want to know. Won''t you accompany me?"


    Step by step he dragged Ren Yuanqing towards the fuel chamber, his beloved scalpel appearing in his hands.


    "HELP! HELP!"


    No matter how much he screamed and struggled, no one heard him and even if they did no one would turn back to help him.


    The smile on Chu Yi''s grew even wider as he listened.


    The system said he was desperate and desperate people are often the cruellest.


    With a slam, the door to the fuel chamber locked. Leaving only the desperate screams of a dying man echoing in the empty space.


    In the silent corridor, there came a rustle and with quiet footsteps, the conductor appeared,


    "My, my- it seems an ugly little sheep has been caught by the little devil. How amusing."


    Even though his words carried a hint of laughter, there was no smile on the conductors face.


    The disgusting inferior blood was tainting his baby''s hands.


    But with sigh, he left unwillingly, knowing that nothing would stop Chu Yi now.


    ****


    "We need to get out of here by tomorrow."


    Chun Li''s voice came out slightly trembling. An aftermath of barely escaping from the clutches of death, seeming to make up his mind, he spoke again.


    "Theres something I havent told you as yet. This instance is actually a death instance."


    Bai Chuans face slowly turned pale, eyes dilating into thin needles.


    "You don''t mean-"


    "Exactly, what I mean."


    Chun li sighed, he didn''t want it to turn out like this. Preferring to have kept this secret mum. The death instance was rare and the only reason he knew was because he had been given a clue beforehand. A death instance required that 3/4 of the participants to be sacrificed in the instance, even total annihilation wasn''t unheard of.


    Unless you figured out a way to get off the train beforehand, regardless of how many persons one on the train only about 3 would be left barely grasping onto life. He had gotten this clue outside the instance so he knew how dangerous it would get. And that''s why he, as a veteran who had seen plenty of deaths , had continously placed himself at the focus point.


    The only way they could survive was by uniting. Infighting would only get the killed faster.


    There was only 6 of them left , and the real instance hadn''t even started. That meant that the 7th day maybe only one of them would be left standing and no one wanted to gamble on their lives.


    Zhong Feng spoke up hesitantly at this moment,


    "What about the imposter."


    No one spoke for a moment and although he loathed to admit it, all points seemed to point towards the mysterious Chu Yi.


    From the beginning he had only taken a backseat in discussions and looked on playfully as they frantically tried to save their lives. Like a god standing above mortals. Only someone who had a trump card would be so confident , and on this train only someone like Chu Yi was the was the most likely suspect.


    But even though, they knew who the imposter was, they didn''t know exactly how to take him down and killing Chu Yi seemed like an unlikely task.


    Chun li could only gloss over the topic vaguely, very obviously avoiding the issue altogether.


    It was at this moment that, there was a low groan.


    Zhan Xi who had been in a coma for the entire thrilling race against death was finally reawakened.


    The first words out of her mouth sent low shockw down their spines in minutes,


    "We need to get off the train."


    At these words, there were slow, casual footsteps and out of the corner came a indifferent looking Chu Yi.


    If it wasnt for the blood stained handkerchief that he carried as he wiped away elegantly the spilled blood on his hands, they would have been still hard the leisure to admire his beauty.


    At this look, however only slight tremors ran though their body.


    Chun Li''s intuition told him that the 6 passengers on the train had now been reduced to 5.


    Chu Yi''s cool voice sounded.


    "Yes, we need to get off the train at the moment it stops to refuel."


    The train was awakening and by tomorrow all the dead passengers would be let loose

 Chapter 18 - Hide And Go Die(16)

    Ren Yuanqing in his last moments had definitely given him some truly useful clues.


    Whether or not those clues were forced out in pure agony is unknown, but Chu Yi had almost figured out the entire instance with little to no effort.


    With this clue, Ren Yuanqing had been confident in his survival and wanted to seek the most benefits, but who knew that he would forfeit his life not at the hands of the grotesque monsters in the instance but at the bloody hands of an incubus.


    Ren Yuanqing was the type of experienced Nightmare Shuttler that would fake inexperience in order to lower the vigilance of the other passengers and increase his survival chances. Under this mask, he had definitely taken the lives of no less passengers otherwise, how else would he have instantly made a split second decision to kill Chu Yi, obviously very experienced in the matter.


    Chu Yi was never merciful and Ren Yuanqings atrempt to get rid of the witness had triggered Chu Yi''s innate bloodthirst. He could hardly remember what happened in that short period of time, only recalling the sound of screams had been too annoying and with a swipe of hands had cut off the wagging tongue.


    Gladly, there was no sound after that.


    The way to break the instance was to find the only part of the train that hadn''t been tainted by time. There was a catch though because that part of the train wasn''t actually on the train itself, instead it was the train station. A part of the train that''s never been touched because the destination had never been changed.


    "In order for us to break the instance we need to get of the train and shut down the station, if not we''ll probably die here from either starvation or infighting."


    Chu Yi didn''t bother to sugarcoat his word, although he was clearly in a better mood, he still retained a subtle air of cruelty about him.


    They were all starving but consciously tried to push that feeling down.


    Chun Li also realized something, Chu Yi was strangely active. The words he had just said were more than he''s said throughout the entire train, it was almost as if....if he was running away from something.


    There was no time to dwell over such matters, as behind them came a cackling giggle and the wet squelch of flesh against wood.


    They weren''t entirely out of danger yet and they had to use every effort to evade the monsters and get back to their rooms. It acted as both a barrier and a shield to the horrors of the train, but with the ever growing strength of the monsters, they couldn''t be sure whether the room would hold up.


    By the time morning arrived, they were relieved to find out that they all survived the night, except for Even Yuanqing, but no one had the courage to question Chu Yi about it and could only turn a blind eye.


    Bai Chuan was the most relieved, even though the deadliest part of the instance was coming up,at least they were on the verge of leaving successfully . No one understood the amount of pressure he was under, it was hard enough to save his life much less another''s.


    For the first time, since they got on the train, morning light shone through the windows, a golden glow descending on the sleek train.


    There were no more rotten wooden floors, nor were there the incessant wails of weeping souls. It was quiet.


    But none of them appreciated this silence because it signalled that the time was near.


    The air seemed to press heavily on their shoulders, lungs struggling to intake sharp breath air under the rapid beating of their hearts.


    No one could guarantee that their choice was right, but no one wanted to gamble anyway.


    Tap.


    Tap.


    Tap.


    There needed no introduction, the missing conductor was here.


    With a eerie grin, he passed his gazed on the trembling bunch, eyes resting a tad longer on Chu Yi before finally looking away.


    "Its time to refuel the train, the last offering was a little unsatisfactory yet, but It''s a relief to know that all of you are so willing to work for the good of the train."


    The conductor didn''t bother to keep up appearances, it wasn''t hard to figure out the working of for train with a little common sense and courage.


    So with a snap of his fingers, the sound of the train coming to a screeching halt echoed.


    With a radio crackle, the unbecoming system finally made its appearance.


    [The train will now stop at the station. You have 30 minutes to prepare. The game that we will play today is Hide and Go seek, you must not be caught by the passengers on the train in a period of 3 hours. If you are caught, you will taken away by the conductor. The remaining shuttlers will be awarded with a days food. If all the passengers are caught, only one lucky survivor would be selected to pass the instance. Your time begins now.]


    The conductor smiled at them,adding to the already heavy atmosphere.


    "I''d suggest you run as fast as you can. Being caught by me, is no less gruesome than being caught by monsters."


    They immediately understood, they had 30 minutes to find the exit to the train and get off at the station, otherwise they would immediately be ripped apart and devoured by the dead passengers.


    Their hearts beat rapidly , even the fresh air of the train seemed to burn as it made it''s way to their lungs.


    This was now life and death .


    They immediately set off running, Chun Li who had memorized the map tacitly leading the group in the front, before them appeared a transparent screen just like the one at the start of the instance.


    [28:36:18]


    They started searching each carfrantically, for something ,anything that they could use as a exit.


    The time kept running down and adding to the tension, the clock above their heads let out periodic ticks to remind them that, time was running out and their death was nearing.


    "AHHHH-"


    Behind them came Bai Chuans agonized screams, from nowhere a tentacle had wrapped around his legs, trying to drag him away. Zhong Feng immediately grabbed into his arms and with ungodly strenght, ripped Bai Chuan away from the tentacle.


    A bloody ring of burnt flesh appeared on his leg and he stifled grimaces of pain, a look of agony in his eyes


    There was no time to stop though and Bai Chuan could only stagger along while enduring the pain.


    Although the passengers had still not been released, the threat of tentacles and their own shadows still haunted them.


    The tension was almost tangible, and their heavy breathing echoed in the corridors. They slammed open door after door, passing through the bedrooms, the dining carts, even the fuel chamber that was very different during the day, and still nothing. At this point despair was starting to leak into their eyes and Zhong Fengs hands had stated slowing as he pondered whether it would be good to give up and start hiding.


    Just then, Chu Yi spoke up,


    " Theres a hidden compartment in the train below, we can check there."


    Why did he wait until the moment everyone was about to give up, to tell this information they dint know. But regardless of this suspicion it was only thing they could go off of.


    [15:00:57 ].


    Sprinting, they followed Chu Yis direction to a hidden door in the very corner of the train and with a yank, they pulled it open to reveal a dark, narrow staircase.


    Then came the screams, accompanying the sound of their feet thumping down the staircase, came a cacophony of shrill screams and howls. Like they were stranded in a horde of evil spirits, their hatred and resentment filled eyes stared at them hungrily.


    The screams seem to have an hypnotic effect, their feet slowly stopping as they stood in s trance, eyes turning red with craze. Hands unconsciously reaching towards their own necks


    Suddenly , there was bright red glow, in the pocket of Chu Yi who had also been put into a trance, the bloody doll let interrupted him, the smell of metallic blood emanating out of its wooden figure .


    With a start, Chu Yi jerked out of his trance. Once it registered in his mind, his ruby eyes showed brightly in interest.


    Zhong Feng was next, a string of beads about his neck breaking into pieces.


    The rest woke up one by one, different life saving props lighting up consecutively.


    The time wasn''t long only a few minutes at most but this was fatal to the group


    [10:00:43]


    There was only ten minutes left. Bai Chuan felt the bile rising in his mouth, nauseous with nervousness as his arms strained against Zhan Xi''s weight on his back.


    Turning the last corner, they finally opened to the hidden compartment Chu Yi was familiar with.


    The rusty doors hadn''t changed with the reverting of the train and this was already good indication to the already on the verge of collapse shuttlers.


    [8:27:45]


    8 minutes.


    They flung open door after door open, the disappointment and despair creeping up each time they opened to an empty door.


    Finally, when they were on their last vestiges of hope, a door opened but instead of the familiar empty, decay-ridden room, there was only empty space leading out to a platform.


    They had found the exit.


    Relief flooded their tense bodies, euphoria coursing through their veins. They hadn''t made the wrong choice.


    No one spoke as they revelled in this moment.


    They were out.


    Bai Chuan took the first ecstatic step towards freedom,


    "Zhan Xi - were finally out."


    "Yes baby, were out."


    Bai Chuan froze, foot still hanging halfway off the train, absolute horror filling his face.


    The voice by his ear wasn''t the sweet,nasally voice of Zhan Xi. It was a kind of shrill, freezing wail of the undead.


    Bai Chuan felt his heart drop slowly into his stomach, he didn''t need to think anymore.


    Zhan Xi was definitely dead, taken over by her own shadows while still lying on her lovers back. She could only watch helplessly as she died, too weak to even let out a painful groan.


    Her last warning was her last words and an though he didn''t know how she figured it out, maybe it was just her last moment of clarity before her death.She was dead and the thought left him reeling in grief.


    The misfortune wasn''t done yet because right in front of the open door, crowds of dead passengers suddenly appeared,


    [4:37: 12]


    They let out greedy howls, saliva dripping along with their flesh and blood. It was the same passengers that had been dancing in the ball,but right now they weren''t restricted by anything, only waiting, anticipating as the timer went down.


    4 minutes to death.

 Chapter 19 - Hide And Go Die(17)

    Bai Chuan slowly lowered the thing from his back, eyes devoid of emotion,


    "Chuan Chuan what''s wrong."


    "Bai Chuan?"


    "Lao Chuan?"


    It seems Bai Chuan had been broken. He stood emotionless in from the exit, even as the thing lurking under Zhan Xi''s skin wound its arm charmingly around his neck


    They waited with bated breathes, bodies stilling with fear.


    But then Bai Chuan moved. His eyes blinked back to consciousness, with only terror underneath. From his lips came an awful wail, like a dying animal on the vestiges of death!


    The roar of the predator was finally descending!


    Chu Yi heard glass shattering¡ªWith an inhumane shreak, Zhan Xi was sent barreling into the group of passengers


    Blood fountained forth like the broken stamen of a flower!


    The entire station was filled with screaming, crying, roaring as their claws ripped heedlessly through flesh and bones.


    "Bai Chuan, Bai Chuan Bai Chuan."


    Like a broken record, even after her body could no longer be seen, ground to putrid flesh, the shrill voices still kept on repeating his name over and over again


    Bai Chuan stood where he was, He could still see Zhan Xi"s eyes, black and staring. In her pupils was pain, was opaque horror, was the question, why me?


    She was dead.


    Zhan Xi was dead.


    While they were still distracted, Zhong Feng who had been standing quitely on the side suddenly broke out with inhumane force and shoved Bai Chan out of the way! Flying out of the train in an instant before anyone could react, just in time for the timer to finally reach its end!


    [00:00:00]


    A wicked triumphant grin perched on his ugly face, laughed wildly, he shouted back hypocritically


    "Sorry bout that fella''s, I''m going to have to leave here first. Try to be smarter in your next life."


    With a cackle, the door of the exit slammed shut at that, their hope extinguishing right In front of their very eyes. Despair and horror blended into Chun Li''s and Bai Chuan.


    All the details that they missed suddenly became clear, Chu Yi also became sure of his guess.


    For one, when they first met, Zhong Feng had said that he had been left by himself in the empty car but considering that Bai Dan, Wu xin and Ren Yuanqing didn''t seem to be the type to leave someone by themselves, why would they leave him.


    When he was running around behind Chu Yi, he didn''t have time to complete his task, so how did he find his ticket unnoticed and even if he did have time why would he lie about being scared into running immediately after entering the dining car.


    And why would he be going to the conductors cabin since he knew the map judging from him searching the dining cart, no one in their right mind, scared or not, would willingly venture into the conductors room.


    And on the second day when Zhan Xi was in the verge of death for the second time, Zhong Feng had uncharacteristically stood behind her comforting her, but considering that behind Zhan Xi would have been the most dangerous place at that moment, why would he stand there?.


    There were so many why''s and what if''s but it was too late. They could already hear the sounds of footsteps dragging onto the floor towards them. They are going to die. Bai Chuan dropped limply onto the floor, light in his eyes already extinguished the moment Zhan Xi.


    It couldn''t be said that he loved her, it was more like she was a kind of spiritual sustenance, a pure kindness that he held onto to desperately to keep himself afloat in this terrifying world because he honestly didn''t know what he would become without that last bit of humanity.


    She was dead.


    Zhan Xi was truly dead.


    Chun Li let out a resigned sigh, this was already his 5th instance. He has seen virtually all the most painful ways to die. He was never a strong willed person and holding pathetically onto that last piece of strength was the only thing he could do to keep his life,


    When some people are are faced with imminent death, they try their best to fight it against their fate even at the moment they take their last breath, some people lose themselves to despair, numb and motionless waiting for the grim reaper to take them away and some decide to admit defeat, and run away cowardly.


    Behind that reliable steadfast mask, Chun Li was also such a coward. The hand that held the knife trembled violently as he brought it up to his neck.


    He would have definitely preferred a less painful death but it was the only thing he had on him.


    Violent gasps racked his figures, hot tears pooling in his eyes, pressing the knife deeper onto his neck, droplets of crimson blood spilling from the shallow wound. He could hear the footsteps drawing closer as he closed eye,


    Without a sound, he pressed down,


    "There''s another exit."


    GASP-


    As if he had been giving amnesty, Chun Li snapped his eyes open in an instant.


    Before him stood Chu Yi, who had been watching the changes of the two play out with amusement.


    And it was only at the very last moment did he speak up,


    " Why didn''t you say anything earlier!! "


    "Why should I-"


    Chu Yi was right, he neither had the responsibility or obligation to help anyone, but it still left a bad taste in Chun Li''s mouth. As if he had stripped bare and all his secrets exposed to the world.


    He wasn''t a kind, reliable strong leader, he was a poser hiding under a mask of courage to keep himself from cowering under the pressure of reality. The Chun Li before was just a perfectly honed mask, what they were seeing now was the real Chun Li.


    Chu Yi disdainfully turned away unhurriedly walking back up the stairs, towards the conductors room.


    It was the only other place on the train that had been untouched by time from the very beginning and therefore it was also the other exit of the train.


    As if it was sensing his decision, the sounds all around them seemed to pause and with nothing left to lose Chun Li and Bai Chuan.


    Da, Da, Da.


    All around them came only the sounds of their feta stepping onto the floor, no monsters assaulted them and their shadows didn''t try to steal their light either.


    They were in complete and utter silence.


    The door to the conductors room was wide open in invitation.


    Chu Yi stood at the door and for the first time, hesitation appeared on his face and although it quickly dissipated, it was clear enough to show that Chu Yi was scared.


    With a split second decision, he stepped headlong into the the room.


    One ..two.. three.


    Nothing.


    Chun Li and Bai Chuan followed behind him, slightly relieved that it was empty.


    They immediately set to work searching each corner of the room, Chu Yi didn''t wait for them to find it but immediately lifted the mattress where he had found his ticket.


    Underneath it hid, a red handcuff, a King of Hearts and a crumpled note.


    But before he could read it, Chun Li''s estactic cry from behind him.


    "We found it."


    The exit was placed in the closet.


    A narrow trap door that could only fit one person at a time.


    "Ahem-"


    Pindrop silence.


    Without the notice of anyone, the conductor had strolled casually into the room.


    There was nothing much to be said of their luck, being caught right in the act of escaping.


    Chu Yi, however instantly thought of another use of the handcuffs in his hands, so before anyone could react he had already advanced onto the conductor.


    With an audible click, the handcuffs appeared around the hands of the conductor.


    To Chun Li''s suprise the conductor didn''t fight back, only smiled happily at Chu Yi.


    "Go."


    Pulled away from his thoughts, Chun Li immediately dropped to the floor and started crawling through the narrow hole.


    He had already wasted one opportunity, there was zero chances of another appearing. Bai Chan was next, throwing a lifeless look in Chu Yi''s direction he left.


    [Ding.]


    [All passengers please be seated, the train will begin again in 10 minutes.]


    "Aren''t you going to leave dear passenger, there''s only 10 minutes left."


    It seemed the handcuffs on his had were somewhat special because as time moved along, blood started dripping slowly from his wrist.


    Chu Yi didn''t answer, a conflicted look appearing on his face.


    The only way he was able to get away on that day was because he had made a deal with the conductor.


    The only condition was,


    "At the end of the instance, think twice about whether you want stay here with me or not."


    He remembered the way the conductors sultry voice had been subtly serious. The light lilt at the end of his words disappearing.


    It was only now did he realize the difficulty, staying meant undoubtedly being fucked, leaving meant ignoring the plead in that voice.


    [All passengers please be seated, the train will begin again in 5 minutes.]


    The conductor didnt rush him, only waiting with anticipation.


    Finally, when only one minute was left, Chu Yi started for the exit.


    He had made his decision.


    The conductor couldn''t hide the disappointment in his eyes, a light sigh leaving his lips.


    It was ok, it was enough for him to have hesitated just for a moment.


    The handcuffs on his hands fell apart with a slight pull, with the he blood still dripping from his hands, the conductor stood up in preparation to leave the instance space.


    It was enough.


    ''Where are you going, giving up so fast?"


    The conductor paused, slight disbelief flashing across his face. Swiveling on his feet, he turned to see Chu Yi l, standing at the closet, a teasing smirk on his face.


    He didn''t know why he decided to stay, but at the moment he had walked towards the exit, he had caught sight of that unabashed disappointment and something in him ached .


    "Tell me now, Mr Conductor. How would you like to punish me. "


    [All passengers please be seated, the train will begin now]

 Chapter 20 - Hide And Go Die(END) M

    Tremors of pleasure ran beautifully along the taut body of Chu Yi. His face turning a charming red, tears dripping from his ruby orbs. It was beautiful how stressed he looked so wound tight and tense, clearly such a deadly creature yet so fragile as the shadows worked their way into him.


    A moment ago he had been cruelly tracing lines of blood along the conductor''s body.


    Reveling in the warm blood spilling onto his fingertips,


    Now he had Chu Yi clenching his jaw and nearly writhing on his fingers, too pent up and desperate to get out of his head to even pretend at playing the cruel and deadly demon, and it was a beautiful sight.


    Conductor loved to see him like this, loves to strip the armor away from him until he can''t do anything but feel, but it''s the sound of Chu Yi''''s muffled cries echoing off the walls that he wants even more.


    The malice in his eyes got deeper, he wanted this beautiful creature to break.


    Somehow, Chu Yi had managed to not make a single sound. His teeth clenched onto his red lips, leaving a bloody taste in on his tongue.


    The metallic taste of blood fueled his pleasure even more. He still had enough self control to keep his lips sealed up tight, and the conductor had no intention of letting that continue any longer than he can avoid it. Chu Yi was his and he needed to cement that into the very flesh of his demon. To make his body remember the taste of his shape until he can do nothing but accept him.


    And the best way to make Cody lose some of his duraplated control, drag a cry from his throat, a whimper from his lips, is to push him over the edge then drag him back up to the top, without letting him have even a second to breathe. Over, and over, and over, until he can''t hold onto anything but what he gives to him, lost to his own need. His eyes melting with pleasure and let the darkness in those depths be overwhelmed by him.


    He stroked the pale hand, griping tightly onto the sheets below, dragging his hands gently down the top of his thigh, sweeping a teasing stroke along the crease of Chu Yis hip with his thumb. "You broke the rules, Isnt it fair you should be punished?" he grinned, the rasp in his voice not quite breathless, but nearly.


    As Chu Yi''s broken lips part, no doubt to tell him exactly where to shove his punishment, he drags two fingers directly across his prostate, harsh and sudden. The only thing that leaves Chu Yis beautiful lips then is a rough but toneless gasp as he arches against the mattress, his hands jerking against the cuffs. His fragile neck stretched out like a swan on the midst of a dance with death.


    The conductor, hums, low and pleased at the sight of Chu Yi''s red eyes and open lips, his heaving chest and the sweat shining on his skin. His tongue leaving wet traces along his bloody lips. Slow and relentless he begins to circle his fingers around that spot, and Chu Yi''s hands twitch and he shivers, the straps creaking as he pulls against the cuffs.


    The same cuffs stilled stained with his blood.


    "I thought so," He says with just enough smug in his tone to make Chu Yi''s beautiful eyes narrow. "A naughty demon still needs to be punished."


    Conductor firms his hold on Chu Yi''s hip, arm tight on his thigh, leaving purple bruises on his fragile skin and sets to work, circling closer, pressing in. Chu Yi''s other leg, still hooked over his shoulder, twitches, sharp and sudden. Conductor leans into the pull, holding firm as Chu Yi''s arches beautifully again with a shuddering gasp. Chu Yi''s jade like cock was flushed, red and twitching against his abdomen as he shakes under his touch, his breath high in his throat. He''s close, desperate for it, his hips bucking helplessly, his pale skin shining with sweat.


    But it wasn''t enough for him.


    He wanted him to beg.


    "Do you want to cum now, Chu Yi?" He asks sweetly, teasing. He knows he''s getting somewhere when all he gets in response is a thump of Chu Yi''s heel against his back and a glare, Chu Yi''s red eyes torn between heated and furious. He could tell that Chu Yi wanted to both skin him alive at this moment and be fucked senseless by him.


    He chuckled .


    All the conductor needed to do is make sure arousal wins over irritation.


    Chu Yi should know by now he wasn''t going to let go. This was his evil little incubus and he was hell bent on owning every inch of his body. From his tight pink hole to his beautiful mouth above. He was going to fill it all up. He would stretch him out over the bunk, bare and vulnerable, and cuff his arms over his head.


    He was going to ruin him.


    "If you don''t tell me what you want, I can''t give it to you," he said darkly, flashing a sharp grin at Chu Yi''s flushed face. "This is your punishment baby. Come on baby, Beg for it." He pauses to give Chu Yi''s prostate another firm stroke, on the edge of too hard, and Chu Yi''s entire body jerks into a beautiful line, his head snapping back into the pillow as he tries in vain to buck his hips. His cock is flushed, dripping a puddle of precum pooling in the dip between Chu Yi''s hips. The conductors mouth is watering, the urge to lean over and get a taste of those beautiful lips rising.


    Instead he turns to mouth to the side of Chu Yi''s knee, teeth grazing across the pale skin over the bone, and growls, "Beg me. If you beg pretty enough, maybe I''ll even let you get away Scot free."


    Chu Yi hisses like an angry leopard, his leg jerking in the conductor''s hold, but it doesn''t jerk hard enough to break free. The leg on his shoulder stays right where it is; if anything, it''s holding on even tighter. Trembling in pleasure.


    But Chu Yi stays silent, and he grins. "Guess not," he says, black eyes flashing with lustful mirth "I''ll just entertain myself until you''re ready, then. Don''t worry, baby, we''ve got all night"


    With Chu Yi''s tacit permission, the conductor sets about his task of turning his little demon into a whimpering, shuddering creature of desperate need. Both fingers press into Chu Yi''s prostate, circling, rubbing, slow then faster then slower then slower still, shifting pace and pressure with each stroke. Chu Yi jerks under his hands, twisting against the mattress, and he can''t tell if he''s trying to get away or get closer.


    Chu Yi probably can''t either. His beautiful jaw is clenched tight, the tears flowing from his eyes, eyelashes trembling with need ,his nose flaring with his harsh, shaking breaths as he tries to hold out.


    The first crack is a sound. A muffled whine, high and faint and quickly extinguished.


    Beautiful.


    Chu Yi is staring blindly at the ceiling above them as the conductor works him over, his chest heaving, the two swollen pink cherries trembling with each breath. He


    watches, breathless with want, as his demon finally breaks. Oh so beautiful, as he crumbles onto his fingers.


    With the next stroke , Chu Yi arches against the bunk, the slender muscles of his arms straining as he pulls hard enough that for a moment, he was worried the straps won''t hold after all. But they do hold, and Chu Yi''s mouth finally opens on a sound somewhere between shout and sob, loud and beautiful and gloriously real.


    "There you are," He breathes, rewarding him with another finger sliding past his red rim. "Let me hear you, baby. What do you need?"


    "F-fuck you," Chu Yi gasps, his voice charming fragile ", I will burn you ali¡ª"


    The conductor cuts him off with a twist of his fingers, the rasp of his finger, caress over Chu Yi''s prostate, pressing almost painfully into the bunch of overstimulated nerves and it steals the breath right out of his Chu Yi''s mouth. He scrapes his teeth over Chu Yi''s knee again, watching as a blossoming red sets in, and presses his thumb against the soft skin behind Chu Yi''s balls on the next stroke, pressing just hard enough to be a threat, and growls, "Oh I know baby. But you need to be punished and little evil spirits dont get treats."


    Chu Yi choked out another moan, arching against the bed, his ruby eyes tight shut as he clenches down on the conductors fingers. He stops thrusting, pressed in as deep as he can go, and circles his thumb on Chu Yi''s perineum with the harsh touch he knows his baby was looking for. It''s too much and not enough at the same time, too hard and too slow.


    Chu Yi trembled, his throat working as he chews on his words, until he finally hisses, beneath white teeth "Please."


    He considers making him work for it, dragging it out until Chu Yi is begging, but the tight lines on his enchanting face and the way he isn''t meeting his eyes says that wouldn''t end the way he wants it to. More than likely, Chu Yi would bite a bloody wound through his neck.


    His little demon was dangerous after all.


    "I suppose that will do," He says, dark and pleased, smug in the way Chu Yi hated most.


    The conductor didn''t give him time for the irritation to bloom, though, he shoves his bent leg down on the mattress, wraps his fingers around his Chu Yi''s pretty little cock, and strips the orgasm from him with ruthless efficiency. It took barely a handful of strokes and a few deep, twisting thrusts of his rough fingers before Chu Yi came with a shattered shout, striping his own heaving chest with his cum as he shakes.


    The conductor watched in stunned awe as his demon unraveled before him. The darkness receding to reveal the fragile beauty blooming on his mottled chest.


    The conductor pressed a light, reverent kiss to Chu Yi''s quivering thigh, then pulls his hand free and shrugs it from his shoulder, lowering it slowly to rest against the mattress. He only needs to reach behind him to get his hand on the strap, and clips it to the cuff on Chu Yi''s thin ankle before he can twitch, pulling the other end tight until there''s just enough slack for comfort. The tension in Chu Yi''s muscles has started to trickle out of him, each hard shudder relaxing him further into the bunk as he stares blindly at the ceiling and blinks tears out of his eyes.


    It''s a good start.


    While Chu Yi'' is still trembling, his breathing harsh and wet, the conductor gets back to work. He slicks his own purple cock with a hiss as the night chill blew ruthlessly, not caring enough to wait for it to warm in his hand. He wipes the excess carelessly on the bunk; the sheets are already a loss at this point with all the sweat, and the cum dripping slowly down Chu Yi''s sides. His one free leg goes onto the conductor''s shoulder without resistance, draped limp and shaking over his back, and he lifts Chu Yi right off the bunk.


    He notes and disregards the hitch of Chu Yi''s breath, a low groan of pain, the twitch of his thigh. With one arm wrapped tight around that thin yet strong thigh, He eases himself into Chu Yi''s body with a low, satisfied groan.


    He was finally claiming his demon.


    The feeling of euphoria almost made him cum directly.


    He had been ignoring his own erection for nearly an hour at this point, and sinking the bulbous tip into the tight, wet heat after all that buildup is nearly too much. Thankfully he managed to breathe through it, pushing his release back with a determined clench of his jaw.


    His dark eyes overflowed with lust. He was going to ruin his demon once and for all. Edging him over and over again until the only thing Chu Yi can feel is the pleasure he gives him, then he can drag Chu Yi back up to the edge and keep him there until he''s s ready to go again.


    The deadly serial killer has left the room. Only Chu Yi is left in the conductors bunk, twitching in his cuffs, rocking helplessly onto his cock with what little leverage he can manage. The desperate, wavering moan that leaves his lips as he arches against the conductors brutal grip ,rings clear and sweet, no attempt to restrain it marring the sound. He follows it with a whine, choked and quiet but so very pretty, and he gives him an approving pat on the leg as he rocks his hips in a slow, deep drag. Chu Yi''s moans were beautiful.


    "I want you to count," The conductor says with a mischievous grin, Chu Yi blinks at him, dazed, his eyes wet and his red lips parted. "Today we''ll add up all the rules you''ve broken one by one. Dont worry though, we have all night to explore"

 Chapter 21 - Black City(1)

    [Player 50001, congratulations on successfully completing the derivative script <Train>, the system is in transit ... ]


    [Transfer is completed, rewards are being settled ... ... ]


    [1. Successfully completed the horror script <TRAIN (C)(Low Magic)(Upgraded Copy)> with 87% completion rate and obtained gold (A)rating;


    Successfully cracked the horror script <The Truth(C) (Low Magic)(Upgraded Copy)> With a cracking rate of 93% , Gold (A)rating;


    3. Find out the truth about the deaths on the train, Escape before the train reaches the station;


    4. Find the imposter and escape ;


    5. Other; rewards are as follows:


    Pseudo-spiritual Script Completion (Personal Mission) (Low magic)( Gold level), 75 world coins;


    Conductors Playing Cards (Rare) (low magic), Black treasure chest (low magic);


    Mary''s Widow Doll (Player Drop); (1/3 Uses Left)


    The Conductors Pet;


    Conductors Letter;


    30 World Coins;]


    [Evaluating Performance...]


    [Comprehensive Rating C+]


    [Instance Evaluating....]


    [Damage to Copy <(Low Level)(0%)>}


    [NPC Comprehensive Rating, Silver (B) Rating.]


    [Final Evaluation Gold (A) Rating]


    [Because player 50001 participates in the script task for the first time with a comprehensive rating of (B) ,World Coins will not be deducted. ]


    [Player 50001 physical condition: slightly injured.]


    [Player 50001 completes the first derivative script <Train (Low Magic)(C)>, rewards 30 world coins and a black iron treasure chest (low Magic)


    [No.50001 player derivative script <Train (Low Magic)> has a completion rate of 87%, a cracking 92%, a gold evaluation, and a reward of 12 contribution points; the physical fitness is improving ... the improvement is completed. ]


    [Player 50001 successfully completed the first initial mission, awarded: the title of Prepatory Player; task bar open; storage bar open; chat function closed; friend circle closed; system push closed; trading system closed; private park closed; game park closed; shopping mall closed; player forum open; auction field open; practice field closed ... ]


    [No. 50001, reserve player Chu Yi, the horror script <Train (Low Demons)> is settled, please continue to work hard to guide the game, see you next time! ]


    Next is the storage bar. The storage bar has a total of 50 cells, including: Conductors Playing Card(Summoning Card), , Black treasure chest (low magic), Madman''s Sword,(untradeable)(Natal soul-killing weapon (unnamed), The Conductors'' letter, Mary''s Widow doll, as well as 105 World coins and 12 contribution points.


    At the top of the storage column is the "Achievement" column. Inside is a gray screenshot of <Doll House>, covered with a Gold Medal of "Gold Evaluation".


    Below the "Achievement" column are the character attributes:


    Name: Chu Yi


    (Prepatory Player); Number: 50001; Title: None (available for official players); Race: Human; Physical State: Good; Physical Fitness: Excellent


    [Congratulations of completing your first Shuttle]


    [You can find your home in the provided zone, House 45, Zone BC 12]


    With a bright flash of light, Chu Yi opened his eyes on a large standing platform. All around him came dazzling glares of light as one by one the platform was filled with people.


    Some immediately collapsed to the floor in a heap of tears, others stood numbly, utterly suspended from reality, most were confused and disoriented, while the rest, immediately picked up and walked off the platform.


    It was easy to seperate the newbies from the veterans as they stepped away from the mass hysteria on the stand, not wanting to waste a minute.


    Some of the more calmer newcomers, followed them off, hurrying down the steps on the sides in haste.


    Chu Yi followed along, attracting looks from all sides . In the nightmare shuttle there were loads of different players; exotic superstars, sucessful executives, ordinary white collars but amongst them Chu Yi definitely stood out from the lot. Bright eyes narrowed into a glare, darkening to a saffron red, pursed pink lips, lithe frame, it was obvious that he was annoyed at being the center of attention but at this moment Chu Yi had no thoughts of starting a fight. The sharp pain in his indescribable parts as he walked, was enough to deter him from making any big moves.


    Following behind the veterans, they eventually came upon a large 8 story tower. It was rustic and strangely built and was entirely painted with black. On the sign outside, was engraved


    ''Life Tower ''


    One of the newcomers gathered up the courage to talk with one of the veterans and although he sounded slightly annoyed still explained it to the clueless bunch,


    "The life tower is the place to heal wounds and purchase system props and items."


    He didnt need to go on because most of the people here had seen RPG games, this was just like the in-game store of the game, where you''d level up and get stronger in order to beat the levels.


    Whereas in this case, you did it to survive through the horrors.


    With an extra pep in their step, the group hastened into the tower.


    On the first floor, of the semi decrepit hall, there was a large map to show all the important areas.


    On the second and third floor, was the medicine hall, 4th to 5th floor was the System Store and Exchange Window , 6th to 7th was the Casino and the 8th floor was a forbidden area marked out with a bloodied ''X''.


    Many of the people that managed to survive come out, more less with injuries to diffrent degrees, therefore most of them made a beeline for the medicine hall.


    The air was diffused with the familiar smell of bleach and disinfectant, typical stoic white walls and squeaky clean floors.


    Although there were hundreds of people walking through the halls simultaneously, the space seemed to be expanding infinitely to accommodate them, therefore no one felt crowded or rushed.


    In a straight albeit infinite line, stood NPC''s in nurse and doctor uniforms.


    [Would you like to spend 5 world coins to heal your wounds?.]


    Many of the newcomers faces turned green at that question, it was evident how important coins was to saving their lives and if for everytime they were injured they had to pay , it wouldn''t be long before they would be met with a situation where they were severely injured yet unable to seek treatment.


    But the system wasn''t humane enough to understand their inner turmoil and only the NPC''s cold robotic voice repeated the question firmly.


    The veterans on the other hand took the coins out with practiced ease, evidently having gotten used to this scene over time.


    With a flip of his wrist a stack of coins appeared sitting in his hands.


    It was a large copper coin the size of half his palm, with the picture of a steaming shuttle on the front and a mysterious pattern on the back.


    The nurse NPC took the coins from him indifferently, and with a wave of its hand, a golden yellow light shrouded Chu Yi''s figure.


    He cold feel something warm roaming though his veins, repairing and healing the torn muscles and blood vessels. It stopped particularly long at Chu Yi''s back acupuncture, and even though he knew it wasn''t a sentient thing, he still felt a light dusting of a blush rising onto his cheeks.


    It dissipated slowly after a while, leaving Chu Yi feeling refreshed.


    It was definitely worth its price per say but the others still felt a tinge of regret watching their hard earned money flying away like that.


    But there were other important matters at hand,


    The store.


    With hastened steps, all the newcomers immediately made their way to the second floor, as no one wanted to be left behind and possibly miss out anything.


    The veterans who now had the leisure to pay attention them, only watched with derision at their scurrying backs, as if waiting to see a big joke.


    They didn''t have to wait too long because not even a minute after climbing up the stairs, there came a cacophony of angry curses above them.


    These prices were bullshit.


    Many of the newcomers had at most 100 coins in their possession, but the price of even the cheapest item in the system store was almost 500 coins. Who the fuck could afford that.


    With unabashed smirks, one the experienced players politely pointed them to a tiny corner of the large screen exhibited in the room.


    [Newcomer Items]


    [Mystical flashlight (Low Level)]


    Quality: Common


    Use: 40 watt light, only shines when faced with evil spirits.


    Danger level: 0


    System Remarks: But it just be your last light before death


    Cost: 20 coins.]


    [Corpse Talisman (Low Level)]


    Quality: Common


    Use: To ward of the undead. Must be activated 2 minutes before undead arrives.


    Danger level : 10


    System Remarks:


    .


    Cost: 68 coins.]


    [Widow Spider (Low Level)]


    Quality: Common


    Use: To warn of any danger


    Danger level: 8


    System Remarks: <Might end up alerting the danger instead>


    Cost: 55 coins]


    The items were pretty much useless and the foreboding note at the end of each description reeked of cruel mockery.


    No one said anything, the items were not only useless but expensive too. At most they could by one of the items on the list. They still had to keep some just in case, they end up falling into the negative after performing badly in an instance.


    [Saints Bloodline (Legendary)]


    Use: Inherit the blood of the Pope and be clouded in the blessings of god.


    Wards away any evil spirits, exercises ghouls and wraiths and be provided with burning stamina in the presence of the sun.


    Danger level: 67


    Note: It''s exactly what it said it is.


    Cost: 1545 coins]


    The items on the 3rd floor was also way above the second floors and the prices were equivalent to 10 instances with exemplary performances. Without a hitch, the newcomers could only walk back dejectedly.


    It was at this point, came the recruitment.


    The veterans having watched the entire farce play out began to encroach on the disillusioned newbies.


    The general gist of it was,


    "You''ve seen how expensive the items are, right? and you can''t just not buy it. If you keep on not insisting then sooner or later you''ll die tragically in the instance."


    "Only by joining ''yada yada'' organization will you be able to survive. We''ll buy the items for you and the only thing you have to do is pay a set fee each week. We''ll even send other experienced shutters to take you threw the instance. With a fee of course but imagine...."


    First scaring them into tears, then enticing them with benefits.


    A typical carrot and stick strategy.


    Some of the recruiters made to approach Chu Yi, but before they could go up to entice the smiling beauty, he had already started walking out the halls.


    No one knew better than Chu Yi, how limited his patience was, and even though they tried to disguise it cleverly, he could still detect the traces of lust and desire in their filthy eyes.


    In such a world, where limitations are removed, the demons in people hearts festered and grew like an parasite.


    He had better things to do than starting bloodshed in unfamiliar territory. That would have to wait


    He needed some sleep because unfortunately for Chu Yi, his legs still felt damn weak.

 Chapter 22 - Black City(2)

    House 45, Zone BC 12.


    Black City was divided into 4 zones: A, BC, DE and F. In each zone there were different standard of living. You could essentially think of it as F-zone, the slums and A zone for the rich billionaires and CEOS. The infrastructure of the city was circularly built and in the very center of the city was where Chu Yi was currently standing.


    Following blindly alongside the horde of players, he finally happened upon the train center in the middle of the city. A modern, sleek shuttle waiting patiently to carry each passenger to their diffrent zone.


    Boarding the train and riding through the different district''s, the scenes Chu Yi saw reminded him of a dystopian era.


    The F-Zone was truly desolate and glum. The players only had dirty, limp tents to protect themselves from the biting winds. The people were numb and lifeless and even sitting here, enclosed, he could almost smell the scent musk and filth from the dirt and waste strewn haphazardly around the zone. Occasionally shrill screams and the scuffle of brawling fighters would echo out. The DE-zone wasn''t much of an improvement, the residents were only given tiny cots to live in and the prostitutes sending flirtatious grins to the hurrying passengers spoke words to the desolation of the players.


    The BC-Zone on the other had was a very steep upgrade,with large apartments and hotels evident on the streets. The people here didnt have the numb, disparaging look on their faces.


    His room was in a large apartment complex at the edge of the district, situated in a narrow corner. Two bedrooms, a kitchen and a tiny bathroom.


    Chu Yi looked at it in distaste. Even though it was miles apart from the slums, it still wasn''t much to speak of. In the real world, Chu Yi was a world renowned neurologist and had spent most of his life in luxury.


    Without much else to do, Chu Yi made a beeline for the bedroom. He was truly tired from the two extras days he had spent with the conductor. The ruthless man had forced him to repeat over and over again his mistakes until finally he was begging heedlessly for him to be lenient. It was definitely the most disgraceful stain in his life but right now he couldn''t be bothered to think of revenge.


    Rap. Rap. Rap


    Not even an hour later Chu Yi was unhappily woken up by a knock, even ignoring it in favor of falling back asleep didn''t work as the person on the other side was relentless. With an annoyed groan, he picked himself up off the bed.


    "Hello, My name is Wang Bao and I-


    There was no need to go on because with an angry sneer, Chu Yi slammed the door shut, leaving a speechless Wang Bao on the other side.


    But it wasn''t long before the knocking began again, Chu Yi on the other hand ignored and made for the bathroom


    A shower and 30 minutes later, Chu Yi finally opened the door for the poor man. The man on the other side seemed to have gotten the message loud and clear and didn''t bother with pesky introduction.


    "Here to deliver the general rules of the Nightmare Shuttle."


    He continued only after Chu Yi gave a nod of Acknowledgement.


    " The instances are divided into different levels, the one you''ve just passed is a C-Level instance with a Death Rating. "


    At this, the guide seemed to look at Chu Yi with some admiration.


    "Everybody is given 2 weeks to rest after each instance in the beginning, as you go up to higher levels, the time to rest gets longer. Afterwards you are given 30 minutes to get to the center to enter your door. You''re also given a clue to the next instance which should be right about now-"


    Right on time, a large wooden box appeared at the foot of the door and Wang Bao handed it to him with a smile.


    "You must have been to the Tower so I won''t preach about that, but I will advice you to join a organization as quickly as possible. The system items are mostly unattainable for ordinary people."


    "Killing is forbidden outside the door, otherwise you''ll be sent to the chambers after three warnings. Don''t look down at the death percentage that the system has shown you. There''s only two ways to leave the chambers , dead or half crazy. "


    Chu Yi raised a brow faintly, only sent to the chambers after three warnings, isn''t that basically three free passes to kill?


    The System was indeed insidious.


    Wang Bao had some fear on his face as he spoke about the chambers, reminiscing about the horrors he''d witnessed.


    "Contribution Points are something you''ll learn about after you become an official player. For now, you only have access to the Tower"


    "The first instance is individual but the rest of the instance you can form teams with special items and go through the instance together. The only downside is that only one person will get the reward."


    "Only certain things can be brought out of the instance and the system will have to be the judge of that.".


    Thinking about the conditions given by the recruiters at the center, it was obviously filled with malicious intent. What senior will take you through the instance , this was more like them taking you through the instance and you forfeiting your life Theyll take your awards leaving you helpless and weak with no choice but to continue relying on the seniors until you have nothing left to give and eventually dying a gruesome death.


    This was a vicous cycle designed to trick the naive newcomers.


    "Your rating at then of the instance will decide your zone, I''m guessing you''ve seen the conditions of the F-Zone right?, those are people who''ve either had continuously bad performance or barely have any coins in their possesion and can''t afford the basic necessity and healing. "


    "Although the system provides you with food, it''s barely palatable and I''d suggest you just purchase it from the stores around for about 1 coin each week."


    "Oh and it''s important to know that although residents from lower zones cant go to higher zones, residents from higher zones can go lower zones. So you cant go to Zone A, but you can travel to all the other zones."


    "Finally unless you''re truly desperate, I''d suggest you not to go 6th floor of the tower. Only people waiting pathetically for death, indulged in flesh and wine stay there."


    There was biting contempt in his voice was he spoke, hands waving lightly in tangible disgust.


    There was not much after that and Wang Bao only left a mild warning not to offend anybody wearing a purple turban as well as brochure of all the reliable organizations in the city before scurrying away like a fat rat to meet other newcomers. Apparently this was a task issued by the system to all veterans in exchange for 4 or 5 coins monthly.


    Mosquito meat was still meat at the end of the day.


    Annoyed Chu Yi turned away, throwing the already crumpled brochure into the bin. This was going to be troublesome.


    ARF! ARF!


    With a sudden loud bark, Chu Yi was snapped back to the present


    Only then did he remember the system props that had been placed in his room. Nothing had changed with the playing cards and the wooden doll still carried with it a trace of blood.


    Ankiron had somehow been reduced to the size of a palm, his three heads merging into one yet he still retained his golden fur. Now it just looked like a little lion and it stared happily at Chu Yi with wet golden orbs.


    Out of the corner of his eye, Chu Yi caught sight of a small slip of paper that had fallen onto the floor.


    Right .


    The slip of paper he had found under the mattress.


    Without much thought, Chu Yi unfurled the crumpled paper carelessly.


    ''Ruan Quiaxi''


    Chu Yi''s hands paused, instinctively tracing those words tenderly with his fingertips. He didn''t have to ponder, somehow he knew.


    This was the conductor'' name.


    Yet, It was as if something had snapped in him. A line that had been pulling him back breaking,


    All the illogical actions and emotions that he had been carrying out on the train came flooding at him. Chu Yi felt as if he had been in a long trance and it was only now that he had woken up that he realized.


    With a curse, Chu Yi was mortified by his own actions. He had fucking-


    He could almost hear the low chuckle of Ruan Quiaxi in his ears, as if mocking him for his naivete.


    Chu Yi sat their still for what seemed like hours and when he finally moved, it was to take the slip of paper and burn it silently on the stove.


    There was no emotion on his heave and he acted as if he wasn''t the one going through a grand upheavel a minute ago.


    What that man had done to him, he was going to find out, one way or another.


    With heavy footsteps, he grabbed the heavy box sitting to the side and opened it. Inside there was just a single piece of paper resting beside a tiny plush doll.


    [Dollhouse]

 Chapter 23 - Doll House(1)

    Chu Yi appeared in a narrow, green forest, a winding unbroken dirt road beneath his feet. Only a gloomy silence surrounded him and even the occasional rustle of dead leaves was almost jarring in the dim light.


    Walking alone, along the narrow path- eventually he bridged upon a large, dystopian-like castle.


    It wasn''t like the ones told in every ''once upon a time'' fairytale, this tower looked to have been taken straight from a page in hell!


    The castle grounds were beyond derelict and desolate, surrounded by unkempt bushes that hadn''t been trimmed in what seemed like forever and wild weeds that had grown uncontrollably. The greenery was so dense, with ivies sprouting all over, thickly enwreathing everything in its path and obstructing any ''visitors'' line of sight. Past the iron fence existed boundless, stifling fog, treacherously cloaking the area, seeming to threaten intruders with the horrible possibilities hidden amidst it. Just a mere glance left visitors ill at ease, wanting to stay far away from the foreboding fog.


    Outside the gate stood about 15 people, one of them was a currently sobbing girl, screaming in panicked hysteria!


    "Uwaaaa, why am I here? What the hell did you all do to me?!" "Why did you guys take me here!" It was a miracle that his first instance was relatively calm and there was no frantic newcomer amongst them ¡ªChu Yi was actually a bit surprised. He observed the young woman, haughtily dressed, wearing designer shoes and well manicured nails.


    Vain and well-off.


    Obviously someone who had been born into high society. Even as she wiped her tears, she was careful not to cry too hard or smudge her makeup.


    "You goddamn perverts, you guys must have kidnapped me. I''m going to call the cops and have you all arrested!!"


    There were one or two people who looked just as panicked as her but hadn''t yet dissolved into tears. None of the veterans bothered to comfort the girl, knowing that saying anything more would just create a bigger mess.


    With a rusty creak, the gate to the castle opened up and in front of them appeared a well dressed but old butler.


    There was nothing wrong with him at first glance but somehow there was an eerie feeling about him, that even suppressed the cries of the classy woman


    "Where in the world are we?" The sobbing woman had also been scared by the man before her, and she spoke: "are we filming a show? I''m really, really scared, can I please quit? I don''t want to play anymore, I''m begging you¡­"


    The butler smiled in response to her frenzy but didn''t respond, and with a hearty clap turned to the visitors.


    "You must be the young master''s new servants. "


    "Oh dear me, you must be tired, come in, come in."


    No one dared to disobey the man''s orders and could only follow behind in trepidation as he gave them a tour of the uncanny premises.


    The interior of the castle wasn''t as decrepit as the outside.


    A grand mahogany staircase stood in the center of the room leading up to a vacant second floor. The rest of the stairs branching out into the different sections of the castle.


    The first thing they noticed however was the stairs, the mahogany wood reflected an almost bloody glint.


    The staircase and floors was crafted from the same deep, alluring wood, that amplified their faint footsteps; every step they took issued a crisp clacking sound that echoed within the dreary castle grounds. There was more than one pathway to the top of the castle; there were even two old, moldering stone stairways on opposite sides of this dismal castle, leading from the first floor all the way to the roof.


    Most of the rooms in this ancient castle were locked, with only a few being accessible to outsiders. Almost all of the unrestricted rooms resembled small play rooms, where a wide variety of deranged and surreal dolls were chaotically scattered all over, arranged in an abstract manner. These dolls left viewers completely mystified at its ambiguous nature, some of they were created from wood , some cotton but each of them had a similar feature, but the most common ones were ragdolls. These ones were incomplete.


    The butler seemed to have noticed their gazes and exclaimed with a wave of his hands.


    "Oh yes, this castle has existed since the Days of Old Count Baron, the first owner of this land. Madam Baron was the fifth inheritor of this grand castle, and I''ve been serving here since the Madams birth. "


    "The doll''s that you see here, is just a little fancy hobby of the Madam. It''s her most prized collection."


    As if noticing their fascination, the old butler continued used to introduced the castle with a proud harumph but quicker than they could blink, changed faces.


    "Therefore I know every crook and cranny of this estate and if any of you get any bad ideas, I''ll know."


    Something about the way he kept a smile on his wrinkled face but his eyes showing a maniacal bloodthirst, send the already fragile newcomer into another bout of hysterics. Choked, suppressed sobs wracking her petite figure.


    The butler thankfully moved on to the important topic and told their actual purpose here.


    " Right then, You''ve all been invited here as the young masters temporary servants since the ungrateful white eyed woles had up and disappeared with the young masters favorite doll. The filthy wretches had even gone so far as to frighten the poor young master. Really, what a bunch of ungrateful rats-"


    After a long bout of cursing from the upset butler to the numbed players, he issued the rules of the castle,


    "The madam is very strict on time but she''s also a very kind madam. She allows you lowly servants to dine openly at the same table as her and even sleep in the hospitable bedrooms on the second floor. The only thing she asks is for you is to finish your tasks and play with the poor, frightened young master every once in a while to comfort his soul."


    Al first glance, their tasks it didn''t seem difficult but that was based on the premise that they didn''t die first. None of the veterans dared to underestimate the systems arrangement and most of them had already picked out some key clues from the butler''s words.


    ''Time''


    It was definitely important.


    "It shouldn''t be hard for you lot as I''ve been told your the best of the new batch of servants trained in the village . "


    "Now then, since we''ve gotten all of that out of the way, it''s already time for dinner and you can also greet the Madam as well."


    They followed the ghoulish butler in trepidation to the dining room and although they were already mentally prepared, they still felt a spine chilling tingle upon sight of the Madam


    Like the color fading from a ghastly painting until all that was left was an ashen hue. She was almost like a dark shadow sitting quietly at the head of the table.


    No, rather, it wasn''t a dark shadow but more like a large doll. With large coal black eyes, she stared dead at the shivering group, her hollow gaze resembling an inky abyss.


    There was a sharp squeal from beside Chu Yi as one of the newcomers who had been silent all along let out a frightened gasp.


    "S-s-she doesn''t have any eyes!!"


    Startled the group looked closer.


    Yes.


    They weren''t staring at her eyes, they were staring at the empty sockets in her skull.


    The group went pale


    "Disrespectful!!, it''s rude to stare so blatantly at the Madam like that. I''ll have your eyes gouged out for the offense you uncouth lot. "


    After being duly reprimanded by the angry butler , the others hurriedly took a seat at the table in dread.


    "I only ask you to serve my son well, he''s been terrible frightened by the disgraceful bunch. "


    The Madam gave what she felt was a kindly smile.


    Shuddering the group looked away, at the corner of that smile appeared a small rip as if cloth had been stretched too far and torn.


    The butler served them steaming steaks covered in what seemed to be delicous red sauce. However in the face of this, no one spoke for a solid moment as they stared at the meat, the same paranoid suspicion running through their minds but at the growing anger of the butler who stood behind them ,they could only bite the bullet and eat.


    What was strange was that throughout the entire dinner, there was no sight of that little young master whom they were to serve. A very contradictory thing compared to the Madams fond declaration of love at the start.


    However there was not enough clues right now and the butler and the Madam promptly dissapeared after the meal, leaving the new servants to their own devices.


    " Ex-Excuse me, but where are we?" With a nasty scowl, one of the veterans finally spoke up,


    "The Nightmare Shuttle."

 Chapter 24 - Doll House(2)

    The group wasn''t remotely as united as Chu Yi''s first instance as they immediately split off do their own thing. The veterans forming teams with veterans, leaving the helpless rookies to fend for themselves, and neither was Chu Yi interested in being the baby sitter for any of them.


    But it was only after they started exploring the castle, that they truly realize how big it was. Many of the rooms were restricted, with large padlocks closed firmly around the handles, but even then, the ones they could explore amounted up to thirty.


    What was uncanny about the rooms was that all of them seemed to have been built with the same template. Even the alignment of the floor boards were parallel down to the very angles. If it wasn''t for the different numbers on each of the wooden doors, they would have believed that they were just walking around in circles, exploring the same room over and over again.


    In each room, there was also something strange. On top of every bed lay a rag doll- The Madams Prized Collections, with incomplete limbs, some of them missing an arm, a leg or simply a finger but none of them were in fact whole. The situation, uncannily reminded them off the Madam, she also resembled that of an unfinished doll.


    While Checking each room thoroughly, the groups passed each other with slight hostility, no one could be sure when they would eventually turn against each other, and no one wanted to be the guinea pig to test that theory out.


    By the time the sky outside had started darkening, their search had already proved futile and in defeat, they could only reconvene in the dining hall.


    Ding- Ding-Ding,


    With a shrill din of a bell, the butler reappeared in the hall,


    "Tonight the madam has mercifully allowed you to rest for a night before your official duties begin tomorrow"


    When no one said anything in return, the butler harumphed coldy.


    "It seems you lot are just as ungrateful as the other darned wretches. "


    Immediately they returned a lacklustre a applause, faces turned up in strained smiles


    Gratified the butler turned away,


    "You can pick the rooms at your own behest tonight, just remember to leave everything intact"


    There was no need to say it, they could all hear the hidden threat.


    The players looked at each other before walking away tacitly.


    Although, there were no clues at the moment, there was no need to worry needlessly because everyone understood that on the first night, the first person to die was usually the precursor to discovering the secrets of the instance.


    They just didn''t know who''ll be the first unlucky victim or whether it would be themselves.


    Night had already descended and the dim lamps around the castle had been lit, reflecting dark shadows onto the plain walls.


    The timid newcomer that everyone disliked was called Wei Xi and she was the last one to pick a room- albeit helplessly- when no one offered to stay with her, this pig teammate.


    There was also a doll laying on her bed and with spiteful resentment, she harshly tossed the ugly doll to the floor, adding an additional kick for good measure before breaking once more into waterworks.


    No one would tell her where they were and those hateful men just ignored her pleas .


    She wanted to go home.


    What on earth do these things want to from her.


    Wei Xi, didn''t know how long she laid there, cowering under her sheets, unable to close her eyes to the paranoia.She could only keep crying miserably, waiting for morning to come


    Knock.


    KnOCK.


    KNOCK.


    Abruptly startled, the tears dried in her eyes in shock. There came three loud knocks on her door.


    Who would be idle enough to knock on her door in the middle of the night.


    With a trembling voice she called out,


    "W-who is it-"


    No one answered, only the knocking growing louder and more aggresive each second that she didnt open the door was her response. Eventually cruelly cascading into loud banging that sent her heart racing in shock!


    "If -If you don''t stop, you''ll wake the others-"


    No one answered.


    At this point she couldn''t deceive herself into believing that what was out there was a human and a with a frightened yelp she borrowed herself into sheets.


    "Pleasedontcome in, pleasedontcomein,pleasedontcomein!!"


    BOOM-BOOM-BOOM


    At this point, the knocks had turned into heavy banging on the door. The heavy wooden door only seemed fragile under the relentless force and creaked harshly under the impact of the creature and by the sounds of it wouldn''t be able to stand it for long. Whatever was outside was trying to force it''s way in!


    After a few minutes of panic and dread, she managed to forcefully calm herself down a bit and it was only then, did he she realize,


    The sounds weren''t coming from the door.


    The doors weren''t shaking.


    It was coming from the floors.


    Something was buried under the floor.


    Violent banging, came from the floorboards beneath her bed, shaking intensely with each strike, there was something clambering to break free from underneath!


    Tears streamed down her face pathetically,bubbling with her snot and gobble, the terrorized screams being hushed in her throat. Pleads and wails falling out of her lips in a incomprehensible mumbles.


    She didn''t want to die.


    The knocking grew in intensity every passing second, every creak of the board underneath her seemed to echo infinitely in the trapped room !


    Growing closer and closer and closer!!


    She felt faint.


    She was going to die.


    Then it stopped.


    The silence was deeply unsettling in the encompassing darkness. There was no banging for a good while.


    Is it gone, relieved, Wei Xi finally scrounged up the courage to peek a head over the bed to look.


    CHING-


    With the sharp sound of a blade drawing, she felt a flash of pain in her neck.


    Then nothing.


    Eyes wide open, she saw her body growing farther and farther away. The head tumbled into the far corner of the room leaving trails of foul blood in its wake.


    The last thing she saw was a beautiful rag doll dressed in pure white, dancing happily in the fountain of warm blood that spurted from her severed neck.


    She was dead.


    ***


    A scream woke Chu Yu up from his sleep and it didn''t take long for him to figure out something had happened or rather, someone had died.


    Eventually, the rest of the players found the the room from the direction of the screams and inside, the scene of carnage left several of the player with pale faces and both the newcomers with weak stomach vomited their entire guts out in seconds. Chunks of undigested steak still floating around in stomach acid.


    The smell was much more pungent and disgusting than the scent blood, and he sidestepped the duo with distaste.


    Chu Yi shifted around, changing his angle, and cast another glimpse at the door. At this one glance, he involuntarily raised a somewhat shocked eyebrow.


    Coagulated blood caked the entire room. A corpse were messily strewn across the floor. The degree of goriness and mutilation was beyond grotesque, to the point that one completely couldn''t recognize the original bodies. Rather than saying they were human beings, it was more accurate to say they were merely a hollow chuck of skinless meat. Blood trickled along the room, flowing all the way down to the floors outside. From the walls to the floorboards, there was hardly a single place on this third floor that was clean.


    Beside the mostly eaten corpse, or rather the rancid pile of ground flesh their was also a little doll dressed in a beautiful red dress much like the ones sitting in their rooms.


    After watching in speechless silence for a while, one of the veterans was much more big- hearted than the rest and after looking around for any signs of danger. Immediately started searching the room for clues regardless of the guarded gazes of the others.


    Sure enough, there was a diffrence from yesterday. In a hidden corner of the room appeared an aged newspaper.


    But with a sheepish grin, the man came back with it helplessly.


    "It seems that the paper was written solely in English-


    And?


    The man scratched his face,


    " My college entrance exam for English was only about 100 points."


    Flabbergasted , even Chu Yi had to look at the man with some equivalent disdain, getting 100 points was equivalent to sleeping for 3/4 of the exam and filling in random multiple choice answers five minutes before the test was over.


    Scornfully, The rest crowded around the paper to read it,


    [July 13 1997


    Editor: Anonymous


    Today, major crime syndicate in our town had been unearthed. 104 bodies of children were found. All of them branded with the words "Little Beggar Boys". They have kidnapped, beaten, and deliberately disabled and spread throughout the country to beg for a lifetime. None of the children could be identified as their organs and blood have been drained and sold onto the black market. We hereby send gratitude to out kind Madama Baron who has kindly offered her land to bury the bodies of the 104 tortured souls.]


    Immediately they thought of the sinister disabled dolls around the castle,


    "Fuck- dont tell me ?-"


    The man, Zhao Pengyu looked hideous having used his limited knowledge to guess at what the paper was been saying.


    Chu Yi looked at the newspaper in his hand and reiterated with a calm face: "Yes, the dolls here are all built with incomplete limbs. And the little beggars- they are all kidnapped children. Some were dug for their organs and died on the spot. Some had their bones broken many times, causing their bones to grow deformed, and sent to different places to beg. Those who couldn''t bear it all died there. Their distorted and gruesome corpses buried on the castle grounds."


    Zhao Pengyu''s expression cooled down and angrily cursed: "These beasts!" Look at the newspaper in Chu Yi''s hand, Zhao Pengyu, couldn''t help but pat the dust off his shoulder.


    Something had definitely happened in between the Madam and the 104 children. They just had to find out what exactly.


    "We just don''t know if what the newspaper read is exactly as it seems."


    It was at this point, that there came a low knock on the door, swiveling around they were startled to see a little boy in a soft white gown staring right back at them with a curious gleam in his big dark eyes.


    "Do you also you wanna play dollhouse?"

 Chapter 25 - Doll House(3)

    The little boy was beautiful as a custom-made porcelain doll, doughy obsidian eyes staring back at them cutely. Outisde the instance, his lovable appearance would have been adored and pampered by all ,but now such simple words were enough to send stinging chills down their spines.


    "Do you also want to play dollhouse."


    "Do you also want to play dollhouse."


    Like a scratched record, the little boy repeated the same invitation over and over again.


    And everytime he repeated the sinister words, they could the feel danger levels rising exponentially, a soft thump starting from the floorboards beneath them growing louder and louder and louder.


    The walls around them seemed to be collapsing in on each other every second and goosebumps crawled along their skin as childish giggles echoed unseen in their ears.


    Maybe if one of them agreed to play, the boy would stop but that also meant guaranteed death to that same person.


    No one was selfless enough to sacrifice their lives for unfamiliar strangers whom they just met.


    At this point, the walls had started bleeding, foul blood blossoming on the floor - oxygen levels were falling rapidly. Each breathe they took stinged sharply in their lungs. They shuffled hastily- trying to avoid being stained with the disgusting blood but soon the entire room was flooded in the liquid, blobs of ground flesh floating in it like meatballs in soup.


    "Hehehhehehehehhehe"


    "No one wants to play, no one wants to playyy"


    The boy started giggling happily, a beautiful grin spreading across his face. In a sing-song voice, he clapped his tiny hands in glee.


    "I''ll play."


    As if a pause button had been pressed, all movements stopped abruptly. Chu Yi looked dead in the boys eyes unfazed.


    The little boy observed him for a good moment before breaking out in a wide, sunny grin.


    "I knew you''d play. "


    Chu Yi was non-committal, only watching with casual indifference as everything in the room, returned to normal, even the dead players corpse or what was left of her corpse for that matter; had disappeared and the room reverted back to being the same parallel blocks.


    The little boy, presumably the little young master had already turned around to leave, dragging the doll dressed in a beautiful red dress with him.


    "Dollhouse starts at 5. Remember to be there big brother. Mommy hates when people are late."


    His voice was coquettish and sweet and seemed just like the innocent reminder of a well- behaved kid. Not like the particularly dangerous bear child a moment ago.


    The others looked at Chu Yi with varying reactions. Some were sympathetic, some were inquiring and some were mocking but they all had defaulted that Chu Yi was going to die.


    He didn''t care about their gazes however and took the lead walking out of the room.


    By the time the rest of them had followed him down to the Hall, the Butler was already waiting impatiently. A distorted scowl marring his already liver mortis like face.


    When he saw that they were all here, the scowl grew deeper but in the end he didn''t say anything other than throwing them a scalding look


    "Today we''ll be distributing your duties here at the castle. I''m sure each of you has already known your roles-


    Zhao Pengyu with a greater deal of courage than most was the first to interrupt,


    "Sorry but we haven''t yet been informed of our roles."


    The Steward stared at him as if looking at an ignorant imbecile and with a peeved scuff, he spat,


    "The dolls in your rooms were dressed according to your roles."


    With a harsh jolt, they realized,


    Yes.


    Each of the dolls had been dressed like the diffrent servants in any castle, and immediately they all furiously tried to recall the costumes of the dolls in their rooms.


    Chu Yi remembered that the little doll in his room, had been dressed like a jester. With large red tassels dropping onto its tiny face.


    Seeing that they''ve figured it out, the butler continued,


    "The Candle Lit Festival to worship the souls of the 104 children buried on the castle grounds will commence in 6 days. As the temporary servants of the manor, you must do your best to fulfill your tasks or else the children will be unhappy."


    There was a slight grimace in his tone, when the butler mentioned the children, a glassy look of fear passed quickly through his beady eyes.


    The butler was afraid.


    "Alright. Each group will carry out their tasks individually while the rest stay to accompany the Madam and Young Master and protect their safety."


    "Carpenters should go up to the forest behind the castle and chop wood to make the alter. Maidservants had launderesses are to clean the toys.


    The Kitchen Hand is to help the Carver prepare the meat.


    The Jesters should entertain the Madam and Young master.


    And the clerks should follow me to sign all the invitation letters to be sent out."


    Each task sounded deadly and strange and no one could say that they had a better chance of survival. There was about 3 people to each role, and only Chu Yi''s group had two.


    Evidently the dead girl, had been a jester.


    Surprisingly Zhao Pengyu was together with him, however he looked more or less apprehensive.


    He had already percieved that Chu Yi was a strong player but having saved all their lives a moment ago, he couldn''t be sure whether he could survive.


    If Chu Yi died, that left him alone to face all the dangers to come.


    He didn''t want to die.


    With a sputter, the untimely system made itself known.


    [In this instance, you are the temporary servants of the Baron estate tasked to help with the preparations for the Candle Lit Festival.]


    [You must ensure that you complete all tasks before the big day and keep the children happy.]


    [Main Task issued: Survive for 5 days.]


    [Side task issued: Find out the truth of the Baron Estate]


    [Hint: The young master really likes beautiful things.]


    The hint at the end reminded Chu Yi of the warning at the beginning of his first instance and for some strange reason he got the feeling that the system was subtly trying to make him wary of Ruan Quixi but he had instead become intrigued.


    Completely opposite to its intention


    He could almost hear the systems cries of grievance at that time.


    But the butler''s cough pulled him out of his musing.


    "The first group today is the Carpenters. The rest of you can stay. "


    The people who had been named included one of the newcomers Zhu Pengxing and at that moment he was as pale as a sheet. The rest didn''t look good either but managed to follow the butler out the room with composure.


    Everyone stared at their backs apprehensively,


    "Then..we''ll explore?"


    Their was nothing else they could do besides that and they once again split off into groups. This time according to their roles in the instance.


    Zhao Pengyu, glanced questionably at Chu Yi.


    He nodded to acknowledge him and they both set off in search .


    There was not much difference in the rooms from the day before and neither was their any unpredictable elements.


    Nothing seemed to have changed until Chu Yi got to the 18th room.


    In the middle of the room appeared a large, heavy trunk.


    It wasn''t empty however and they could occasionally discern muffled groans coming from inside the chest and the first thing that popped up in their minds, was that one of the players had been caught.


    "Open it?"Zhao Pengyu inquired,


    "Mmh."


    His instincts didn''t scream any danger.


    It was not a complicated lock and Chu Yi had it unlocked in mere seconds. But the moment the lock clicked open, Zhao Pengyu eyes widened; he saw what was inside the trunk.


    "Ah ..... ah ..... " The child whose body had been broken into a distorted shape in order to fit inside the box let out a faint groan. Her body was almost completely twisted around, stuffed into a snug fit inside the trunk in front of them. It was hard to ascertain if she was alive or not just by looking at her.


    Chu Yi frowned at the sight of this.


    Zhao Pengyu was about to step forward, wanting to take the child out, Chu Yi reached out an arm to stop him, "There''s no need, she is dead."


    Zhao Pengyu, "What ... but ... she ... "


    Chu Yi "Look at her neck."


    Zhao Pengyu looked at it and found that the child''s neck was bent at an abnormal angle. If a normal person had their neck bent at this angle, they would have already been dead. But inside the shuttle, made everything impossible, possible


    She''s one of the 104 beggar children.


    Zhao Pengyu had nothing to say and could only watch with some dread as the little girl in the trunk twisted pitifully, tongue rolling about outside, groaning helplessly.


    But there was no precedent of helping ghosts in the instance and Zhao Pengyu wasn''t about to become a heretic.


    Ding- Ding -Ding Dong


    At the same time that Zhao Pengyu slammed the trunk closed heartlessly, the clock outside striked.


    5 o''clock


    Zhao Pengyu immediately swiveled to look at Chu Yi worriedly,


    "Are you really going to that young master''s room?"


    Chu Yi could guess what he was worried about but he didn''t care anyways.


    "Its not like I can ''not'' go"


    Leaving behind this rhetoric, he turned away heedlessly, footsteps being guided imperceptibly to the young masters room.


    In his ears seem to echo the joyful laugh of the little boy


    "You''re my favorite toy."

 Chapter 26 - Doll House(4)

    [Five little ragdolls jumping on the bed


    One fell off and crushed his head


    Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,


    "Sew it back up, he won''t jump again!"


    Four little ragdolls jumping on the bed


    One fell off and broke his legs


    Mama called the doctor and the doctor said


    "Cut it all off, he won''t jump again!"


    Three little ragdolls jumping on the bed


    One fell off and bled from his neck


    Mama called the doctor and the doctor said


    "Glue it back up, he won''t jump again!"


    Two little ragdolls jumping on the bed


    One fell off and suffocated to death


    Mama called the doctor and the doctor said


    "Put a balloon in it, he won''t jump again!"


    One little ragdoll jumping on the bed


    He fell off and mama burned him to death


    Mama called the doctor and the doctor said


    "Put them in a coffin, the ragdolls are dead"]


    The young masters room was different. Elaborate curtains shrouded a large queen sized bed, precious antiques, luxurious furniture, padded walls- the entire place reeked of money.


    Standing expectantly at the door was the little young master, still wearing that long, pure white robe.


    He resembled a mental patient.


    A canary trapped in a golden cage.


    Chu Yi returned the boys eager gaze, stepping into the umcanny room with ease.


    "Do you reallyyy wanna play?"


    "Mmh."


    A brilliant smile broke out on his pale face and in one swift move, he vaulted into the arms of Chu Yi and under his suprised gaze forced him to sit on the bed behind him.


    Arms and feet wrapped around him like a little octopus, leaving no time for Chu Yi to react.


    Giggling the boy enjoyed the look of suprise on the beautiful face.


    "You''re my bestest doll you know and I want to play with you forever and ever and ever."


    There was a slight lilt at the end of his voice as he expressed his love childishly.


    The system''s reminder on the first day seemed to be playing out in plain sight, because if Chu Yi claimed to be number 2, no one would dare claim to be number 1.


    And under the suprising strength of the young masters, Chu Yi was helpless in breaking free and neither was he intrested in doing so.


    Holding steadily onto his waist, he looked thoughtfully at the little boy.


    Was this Ruan Quixi or not?


    Intuition was telling him no but all clues seemed to point to him , the most unique existence in the instance.


    For the first time he was doubting his own instincts and this was entirely due to Ruan Quixi and the strange state he had been in on the train.


    Neither of them spoke , the little boy was contented to cuddle in Chu Yi''s arms and he, himself was trying to find any trace of Ruan Quixi in the little face.


    This strange silence was only broken by a knock on the door. None of the players would be able to find this place so therefore there was only the possibility of an NPC left.


    "Young master, its time to take your medicine."


    The happy smile on the little boys face instantly cooled down. The look in his eyes dropping below the freezing point,the pale arms around his neck tightening imperceptibly.


    "Young master..Young master..Young master its time to take your medicine."


    The person on the other side repeated the same words mechanically, the knocking on the door never stopping for a minute.


    Finally, when it seemed that the young master had no intention to respond to her request, the maid outside, fished open a rusty key and unlocked the door herself.


    It was a very plainly dressed, middle aged woman and in her hands she held a large metal bowl.


    "Young master, its time to take your medicine."


    The woman had a kindly yet disturbing smile on her face as she advanced onto the young master, hands reaching out to drag him away from Chu Yi.


    Tch-


    With a quick twist of his slender hands, Chu Yi instantly broke the womans wrist.


    CrACK


    The sound of bones grinding and shattering horribly.


    A sickening snap sounded and the kindly look on the womans face distorted ugily. The sharp glare gave way to bitter resentment, her wrist bending unnaturally as it hung limply from her joint.


    "Heheheheehe"


    The Young master applauded loudly, happy to see the woman in pain.


    Unfortunately the bowl of medicine was still held steadily in her other hand and she once again admonished


    "Young master it''s time to take your medicine, otherwise the madam will be unhappy ."


    At this, the little master finally released his hold on Chu Yi and turned to the unassuming maid.


    Disgusted he grabbed the bowl and instead of drinking it under the expectant gaze of the maid, he flung it callously onto the floor.


    The medicine spilled out like coagulated blood, black and putrid, with a nauseating metallic smell.


    The maid screeched angrily with anger and made to slap him but the sharp pain in her wrist immediately reminded her of the other occupant in the room who was currently staring at her with an amused grin.


    Her other injured hand twinged in phantom pain,


    Scowling she turned away angrily


    "The madam will hear of this."


    Not forgetting to slam the door behind her.


    The young master watched her out still giggling before turning to Chu Yi


    "Let me tell you a secret brother, Only one little ragdoll survived in the end."


    Chu Yi''s eyes flashed with some thought but didn''t say out his guess, only a sadistic grin appearing on his face.


    Suddenly with a coquettish hum, the young master called out sweetly


    "Brother, where''s my doll "


    Doll?


    The only other doll in his possession was the widows doll that he picked up.


    Under the expectant gaze of the young master, Chu Yi pulled out the widow''s doll.


    Quickly the young master grabbed the doll from his hands while simultaneously shoving another doll into his chest.


    It was the red doll from the first players room.


    As if running away cheekily, the little young master immediately made a beeline for the door, happily shouting


    "Good luck." before Chu Yi could react.


    He stared at the beautiful doll. It was warm to the touch and felt like human skin, staring back at him with glassy eyes.


    It was as if....it was alive.


    ****


    After spending the day searching fruitlessly once again, they gathered back in the hall. When Chu Yi appeared in the hall, unharmed, more than one people gave him suprised and incredulous looks but in the end no one asked.


    Zhao Pengyu, himself released the breath he had been holding in relief.


    Not long after, appeared the butler and dragging behind him was an unconcious man covered in blood.


    The butler unceremoniously dropped him on the floor and turned to them.


    "Tomorrow, the Maids will clean the dolls"


    Paling, they watched as the butler walked away, a pep in his old step.


    Shortly afterwards, the unconscious man woke up and with a trembling voice described what happened.


    They planned to cut down trees in the mountain forest located on the outskirts of the castle.There was only a single trail leading to that area. Due to the weeds, the path became narrower and steep, allowing only one person to walk at a time.


    It was fairly easy going uphill, but they had reckoned that it would be increasingly challenging going down the mountains while lugging some cumbersome wood behind.


    Amongst the three of them, there was one person who had done some woodworking. It was a middle-aged man around his thirties named Zhang Wuin. He claimed to be carpenter and said that he was able to chop trees to create simple furniture. However, building a coffin wasn''t something he was knowledgeable about. He had walked ahead, selected a few trees, and began teaching everyone how to cut a tree down.


    It took several hours for the three of them to finish chopping the logs and once they had started descending the mountains, the hot humid weather had immediately turned to freezing cold.


    The mans name was Xiong Qi and considered himself the leader of the three people.


    The snow made the roads slippery, so everyone took extra precautions when walking.


    Up ahead, Xiong Qi had been carrying an oil lamp and opening up the path for the others carrying the log, constantly advising everyone to take it easy, but heard no reply.


    Originally, the snowflakes were but miniscule specks dotting the skies every once in a while, but on their way back, the snowflakes suddenly became larger, even fiercer, similarly to goose feathers fluttering around, shrouding the entire sky.


    The sound of the wind became louder, more deafening, to the point that its shrill howls pierced his ears. The falling snow obstructed most of Xion Qi vision; it was getting rather difficult to see the people behind of him.


    Then there was a scream.


    He had immediately took off, dashing to look behind. But by the time he had arrived at the scene, he came across a gruesome sight.


    Two of the three people who stepped forth to carry the log were dying. The newcomer,Zhu Peixing and Zhang Wuin. The bulky log had fallen on top them, slicing their bodies directly in half. And the most frightening part was that, despite their bodies being severed in half, they were still fully conscious. Thick blood bubbled from their mouths, yet they couldn''t let out a wretched scream of pain nor could they cry for help.


    Upon seeing this, Xiong Qi, the remaining one had limply fallen onto on the ground. A big wet stain around the crotch of his trousers, and incoherent blubbers flew out of his mouth. "Help! Help!"


    They were walking on the path, then, out of nowhere, they released their hold. The log slipped and fell directly onto the waists of the two people up front.


    Hearing a crunch from behind him and losing himself to fear, he had started running wildly, disappearing into the curtain of snow. The other two remained on the ground, dying. Soon, the light from their eyes vanished.


    Afterwards he had lost consciousness and appeared here after being dragged by the butler.


    "What should we do, ah ... " A woman on the team collapsed and started weeping, her miserable wails never ceased. "We''re all going to die in this awful place."


    It was then that there was the sound of a quiet laugh.


    Behind them appeared the Madam.

 Chapter 27 - Doll House(5)

    The entire group stepped back in shock, horror seeping into their pupils as they gazed at the humanoid figure standing behind them.


    The madam smiled at them kindly, a thin seam on her lip snapping from the unbound pressure. Beneath the flesh, they could faintly see what could only be a flash of white.


    Like the cotton stuffing in an old, worn-out ragoll.


    There was another sharp intake of air when the madams smile gradually grew wider, stretching until only a narrow Cheshire grin marred her face from ear to ear.


    And yet..there was no blood.


    Only the tiny sounds of thread snapping from her face, the flesh popping out like tiny strings holding her skin together together.


    "Hahaha"


    Seemingly satisfied with their horrified reactions, the madam generously pulled out a thick red thread from her pocket and with sharp nails bored a hole in her own lips before threading the string through with ease, yanking her lips close stitch by stitch.


    Then as if nothing had happened she continued to look at them with a graceful smile, saying in tandem,


    "Oh dear me, what a suprise. Two of your fellow servants decided to dedicate themselves in honor of the festival. The children will be very happy to hear the news."


    Their faces turned ugly.


    Dying meant your soiled corpse being dragged out and sacrificed in worship to what ever those 104 children represented.


    And even alive, they were forced to act there roles in a deadly game of house.


    "Alas, I cannot stay too long. My poor son has once again been afflicted with a bout of madness from fright. I must see to it that he takes his medicine. Run along now, a special feast will commence on the 6th"


    Dark sockets stared back at them with cruel amusement, leaving the shellshock bunch to revel in her announcement.


    Chu Yi looked at her back vacantly, the maid had come through on her promise to inform the Madam it seems.


    Night was already descending on the second day and soon they will be forced to go back to their rooms.


    Whether the monsters inside were better than the ones outside, they''d have to encounter it to verify


    They couldn''t stay so passive either. There was only 4 more days to the Festival and the general consensus among player was that the last days were usually the most dangerous.


    They had to do something.


    "Then let''s break into one of the restricted rooms?" someone suggested hesitatantly.


    Doing nothing will only lead to certain death, only by chancing the instance would they be given a chance to survive so without any other option, hey agreed.


    With only the dim light of the oil lamps to illuminate the quiet night, they walked noiselessly along the medieval staircase, a bloody light reflecting off the polished red mahogany.


    Their shadows flickered uneasily behind them, at times, they even seemed to creep up on their bodies maliciously before fading away with the light.


    On this almost infinite stairs, they walked and walked in the darkness until finally they arrived on the fifth floor of the tower with doors upon doors of locked room standing before them.


    The butler had not explicitly stated that they could not enter restricted rooms , only warning them of the consequence of taking something so they were all extremely careful. After some debating, Pei AngCi, one of the clerks, with some lockpicking experience volunteered to open one of the door.


    Zhao Pengyu had thrown a questioning look at Chu Yi when the other had not spoken up about his lock picking ability but quickly threw that doubt behind him.


    This was the Nightmare Shuttle, no one was obligated to risk their lives for others.


    Chu Yi stared at the pattern on the lock before them, for some reason he found it strangely familiar but no matter how much he tried to recall, the memory was fleeting.


    Creeakkkk-


    With a rusty creak, the door opened with a slight push. Inside the room looked the same as the others except, the rooms were coated in dirt and dust and the furniture had long deteriorated, leaving behind only a decayed shell.


    It was estimated that they had been here for a very long time.


    This was rather suprising because although the castle was decrepit and disheveled from the outside, the interior was filled to the brim with riches and wealth.


    Just the fact that they could afford 15 servants was enough to show their financial wealth.


    So why was it that these particular rooms were both locked and left to rot.


    Shortly after, a short exclamation came from Pei Angci who had been the first to enter. In his hands, he held a small picture frame.


    The others gathered around him too and after a quick observation, they too let out shocked gasps.


    In the frame was a picture of a young, beautiful girl standing beside a bearded, middle aged man. They both looked like aristocratic nobles and even though they were smiling in the picture, they till carried with them, a poised grace.


    What had caused them to be suprised wasn''t that fact but who the picture was of.


    It was the madam or rather what used to be the Madam.


    On a small corner of the frame was engraved with the names Elisa Baron and Count Baron.


    Signed June 18, 1767


    Chu Yi thought of the newspaper article on June 15, 1997 .


    230 years has passed since this picture had been taken.


    Then how was the Madam still alive or better yet what exactly had she used to sustain her immortality.


    Instinctively, the others also came to realize that this was an important clue, and one of them habitually put the frame into his own pocket to examine it later, but with a startled halt, stopped himself.


    Face paling with true fright, the man patted his chest with relief, pushing the frame away from him carefully.


    No one wanted to find out the consequences of stealing from the manor especially recalling the excited glint hidden in the butlers glare.


    Out of the corner of his eye, Chu Yi caught sight of something,


    A little doll faced them quietly,hidden beside the rotting wooden cabinet, glassy eyes staring hollowly at their backs.


    It was out of place in this crumbling environment.


    Anyone else would have have immediately notified the others, pointing out the obvious anomaly in the room.


    Chu Yi instead did the unexpected, moving away from the distracted players quietly, he towered over the little doll, staring into its blank eyes.


    Then he bent down.


    Grabbing the little thing by its legs, he dangled it quietly in front of him, bringing it closer and closer to his lips.


    Almost as if he was going to kiss it tenderly.


    There was no movement at first but as the doll was almost touching his lips, very quickly, a burning heat traveled from his pocket to all parts of his body. It wasn''t enough for it to hurt him but with most of the heat travelling to his hands, he quickly let go of the now struggling doll, dropping it hastily onto the floor.


    Chu Yi wasn''t frightened though, instead a wide maniac smile crossed his face.


    "Ahahahaha"


    Beautiful red eyes shedding its gloomy coat, laughing quietly to himself.


    He had found him.


    Now the true fun has begun

 Chapter 28 - Doll House(6)

    The morning descended quietly onto the lone tower, the harsh yellow sunlight reflecting a sharp glare along the castle walls.


    The weather was unexpectedly good today, the occasional tweet of passing birds sounding pleasant in the morning sky.


    Except the occupants inside the castle had no mood to appreciate this rare weather.


    Currently the butler was staring particularly pissed at the group of faux servants in front of him, a deep, ugly scowl marring his wrinkled face.


    Maybe it was because they had already met the death requirements yesterday, no one had died last night but looking at the current stance of the butler,made it seem like he wanted to immediately rip each of them apart, limb by limb.


    Although they tried their best to leave the room exactly as they found it , there was always going to be a place that they couldn''t restore. Knowing this, they weren''t particularly suprised to see the ugly look on the butlers face.


    Finally with a face looking like a fierce ghost, the man spat through gritted teeth,


    "This will be the last time, you insolent wretches. No doubt I will have you skinned and thrown into the fire pit with the pigs next time.."


    Then with stiff wave of his hand, he gestured for the three maids, a man named Wu Rong and two women named Tan Xinglan and Ye Yangzhi to follow him out.


    After a few steps, they dissapeared and no one could discern where they were.


    Zhao Pengyu turned to Chu Yi but hesitated to speak.


    Something about him had changed.


    It seemed that since yesterday, an invisible shackle had been removed.The previous deadly aura around him had been heightened exponentially and he could tell that the man was in an awful mood.


    The Chu Yi in Zhao Pengyu''s mouth was in fact in a bad mood.


    Yesterday he had still been immersed in the excitement of catching the man hiding in close proximity.


    He had never doubted the inexplicable premonition that he would follow him here but that excitement quickly cooled down.


    Having already been caught, the man turned unscrupulous.


    In the middle of the night, ghostly hands had never seized to stop roaming his body mischievously. Pinching and caressing. Whenever he would open his eyes, instead of stopping, the dirty rogue would only use more force, not letting him relax for a moment. Forcing Chu Yi to stay up all night and eventually getting up with deep dark circles in the morning.


    When he had inspected the doll this morning, he noticed that it had gotten bigger putting him in an even worse mood.


    There was no guarantee that the man wasn''t intentionally playing with him, tormenting him as he could only accept it helplessly.


    The more he thought about the more angry he got, a blazing fire bursting forth in his red eyes.


    But he quickly pushed down that anger, a deep chill surfacing in his eyes.


    One by one  he marked down all of Ruan Quixi''s ''good deeds.''


    He would revenge it later.


    ****


    In a dark empty space in the most hidden corner of the system, there was a slight ripple. The first movement in thousands of years.


    ''It'' seemed to sense something vaguely and with a low, deep laugh, it resumed its wait.


    Faster, Faster little demon.


    ****


    With increased urgency, Chu Yi didn''t bother to wait anymore.


    "Since the 104 children are buried on the castle grounds, let''s dig them up and see if we can find anything of use."


    The others players that were still in the middle of discussing their next plan of action, fell into a speechless lull at the abrupt words.


    All heads swiveled with disbelief to Chu Yi.


    "That-..why would we dig the graves. Isn''t that asking to be targeted."


    Unexpectedly it was Zhao Pengyu who explained,


    "There is obviously something off about the Madam and the children buried in the castle definitely have something to do with the Madam being alive. Only if we dig it up will we possibly find some clues."


    The others still hesitated. Digging graves was an ominous thing just by hearing the description much less the graves of the people buried on the castle grounds.


    Who knows what they would find there.


    "Are you planning to just follow the path given by the system and hope that out of the three people, you''ll be the lucky one to survive?"


    "Cowards."


    Distaste and disdain was almost tangible in Chu Yi''s voice and several of them with their cowardly thoughts exposed went red in the face.


    Yes.


    From the description and circumstances described by Xiong Qi, they had already discussed and concluded that only 1 out of the 3 people that went to perform would come back alive.


    And these few people, standing beside them, harboured thoughts of just following along with the system. No need to take unnecessary risks.


    These 5 people were also the ones with the most lacklustre performance when searching the rooms yesterday, muddling along, disinterested at the edge of the corner.


    Evidently they had decided a long time ago.


    The rest of the others who had been hesitating also woke up.


    Only one of them would survive from each group and no one could guarantee that they would be one of the lucky few.


    Although digging the graves sounded risky so was opening the restricted rooms.


    Seeing the cruel glare of the butler in the morning, it was especially clear that they would testing the limits if they did open another door.


    Without waiting for them to gather their thoughts, Chu Yi started walking to the door.


    He wasn''t planning to dig up all the graves anyways and only threw an olive branch because he hated getting dirty.


    Whether to come or not was up to them.


    Zhao Pengyu watched him leave, then with gritted teeth hurried to chase him out.


    This was a pure gamble and hopefully he hadn''t chose wrong.


    The rest also looked at each other quietly before following the two of them.


    They had no intention to wait for death.


    The five people that were left behind watched their leaving backs mockingly.


    "Tch. A bunch of fucking retards."


    "Yeah, yeah. Who the fuck would be so stupid to provoke the evil ghosts like this."


    "I bet they''ll soon come back crying when they hit an iron wall."


    "Following that little white face, I bet they''ll be the first to die."


    After several bouts of insults and jeers, the cowardly group finally managed to calm their panicking hearts and with a sneer each retired to their room, waiting to see the others fail.


    The graveyard was located at the back of the castle and was one fully covered in weeds and overgrown grass.Beneath their feet was sticky mud from the nearby swamp, green with algae and rich fungus.


    Gritting their teeth they managed to ease through the marsh and eventually come upon a wide open space.


    As far as the eye can see, there were rows upon rows of grave stones.


    They had evidently been left unattended because some of them were already crumbling and rusty from decay.


    What caught Chu Yi''s attention was the peculiarity of the graves stones.


    In the newspaper article before, it described the Madam as kind and benevolent, volunteering graciously to provide graves for the lost souls.


    So why were these graves unmarked?


    The question would only be answered after they started digging.


    Singling, they each picked a nearby grave and started carving up the soil.


    There was no shovels, which in hindsight they should have carried when they were inside ,but right now they could only use their hands.


    Fortuantely, The soil was moist and loose enough to not bruise and scrape their hands as they dug.


    Chu Yi stood behind Zhao Pengyu, watching him slave away at the ground with no intention of doing the same.


    Knowing that they were all smart people and there was no way they would deny his suggestion, he had already taken them as manual workers to do do all the dirty work from the get go.


    Zhao Pengyu could tell that Chu Yi was standing behind, the intensity of his gaze forcing a feverish blush on his face. He couldn''t help it, anyone under those charming eyes would feel their blood rushing and their head dizzying, even he a straight man felt faintly flattered by Chu Yi''s presence.


    Although his hands never stopped moving, Zhao Pengyu was already immersed in his own fantasy world and ge didnt even realize how much time had passed until he felt his hands hit something hard, looking around, he realized that Chu Yi had long walked away to view someone else''s progress and he couldn''t help but feel a flash of disappointment.


    Turning that disappointment off however, Zhao Pengyu turned to the coffin lid that faintly appeared in the dirt.


    Gods and Ghouls must have been at work when he somehow decided not to call on the others and instead worked the coffin out until it was fully displayed in front of him.


    With bated breath, he grabbed the edges, fingers white from the force and slowly pulled the tightly sealed coffin lid off.


    Finally with a loud clang, the top came flying off to the side.


    Chu Yi heard the noise drom the other side and turned back to look, walking over to Zhao Pengyu who stood dazed in front of the open coffin, faintly feeling that something was wrong.


    He came beside the still man who looked to have lost his soul and peered inside.


    He expected to maybe see brittle skeletal remains of the children or maybe some wicked bloody formation to extract their soul but what he didn''t expect was this.


    Empty.


    The coffin was empty.

 Chapter 29 - Doll House(7)

    Suffocating silence spread throughout the open marsh, with rows of gravestones as far as the eye can see. Inside these graves weren''t the rotting deformed skeleton of a dead child, instead there was only a silent coffin without a soul.


    Digging up the rest of the graves revealed the same thing, only empty coffins buried in shallow graves.


    So where were the children?


    No one could answer.


    Maybe only the Madam herself would know.


    By this time the sky had already started pulling in its cover, the surroundings of the marsh slowly turning dark and gloomy. They had recieved more questions than answers but they couldn''t stay here. Who knew what would crawl out of the ground and devour them if they did.


    With heavy footsteps they trudged back to the castle wearily.


    They could feel that time was encroaching on them but they had neither found any clues nor figured out a way to survive. By tomorrow the seeds of suspicions and paranoia buried in their hearts would undoubtedly spring up like weeds because if it was just as they discussed, only five people could make it to the final day. That meant of the fifteen people, ten would die.


    Quietly they joined the others gathering in the hall, waiting in trepidation for the butler as well as the surviving player to arrive,


    " Surprisingly you managed to survive so long even after courting death, It makes me wonder how much luck do you have...."


    "Must be tantalizing."


    It was a man sporting beady, swollen eyes, a tiny frame supporting a large head leaving for a particularly disjointed appearance. Right now this man was looking at them with mocking stare, a sarcastic sneer at the edge of his lips.


    Chu Yi''s group who had already been frazzled by the empty coffins, were immediately unhappy and one of them, who was already somewhat hotheaded; called Ran Sici, immediately quipped back viciously,


    "At least I, your grandfather is not a whimpering coward like you pieces of shit. I''d rather die with my eyes wide open than burying my head in the sand like a damn ostrich."


    "You-"


    Face first turning purple, then green, then white and finally red, the man opened his mouth to argue back fiercely but it was at this moment, there came the sound of footsteps dragging into the hall.


    Breath suffocated in his chest, the beady eyed man could only swallow this grievance sullenly.


    Except this time, all their faces quickly turned ugly upon the arrival of the butler.


    There was nothing strange about him as per say, however - there was no one behind him.


    Here, missing meant dead, therefore all the players who went out today were.most likely dead, completely overturning their previous conjecture.


    There was a momentary uproar amongst them, absolute dread seeping into their eyes, there was no way the system would have been so merciful.


    Contrasting against their hideous faces, the butler, himself, was exceedingly happy. Even the look in his eyes as he stared at them was somewhat kind.


    Like an old father staring at particularly filial sons.


    A shudder ran shakily up their spines, chilling them from the tips of their toes to their top of their heads, at the last newcomer directly broke down


    They were going to die here.


    The butler took in all their emotional disruptions with joy, only speaking when they eventually numbed.


    After throwing a scalding gaze at Chu Yi standing to the side, he said with wicked intent permeating his tone,


    "The oh-so wonderful jesters will put on a wonderful performance for the Madam and the young master tomorrow. All the players will be invited to participate in this grand gesture at noon."


    This was unprecedented news, all two groups before had been whisked away individually and no one knew where they had been taken to but this time they were actually being invited to participate in a individual task.


    This did not bode well for them and no one had to speak to notice the ominous premonition that this invitation beheld.


    With a sob, Xiong Qi who had been barely hanging on to sanity collapsed with a wail. He had been apart of the group that stayed behind, holed up in his room blubbering and whimpering from the nightmares of that night.


    Now he was being informed that he still had to face another instance, the string in his mind finally snapped under unbearable pressure.


    "Whywhywhywhywhy WHY DO I STILL HAVE TO DO THIS WHY WHY!!??"


    "why wont you let me go, please let me go. I can''t do this. They died, they died, they''re coming for me I''m going to die, die, die, DIE, DIE, DIE"


    "AHhahaHhahahahHa, Were all going to die. ALL OF US, JUST LIKE THEM"


    The fragile nerves of the group directly broke with his hysterical screams. And one of the men couldn''t help but send a harsh kick in the mans direction, a hideous look on his face.


    "SHUT UP IDIOT, fucking coward, why didnt you just die from the start huh? Save us from having to listen to your dumb wails."


    Xiong Qi didn''t acknowledge him either, but continued to wail in hysterics. With a targeted resentment the man began kicking him relentlessly, not sparing any force, vile curses and spats coming out of his hideous mouth


    Unexpectedly the others who had stayed behind, joined him, viciously beating the man, unremoresfully throwing all their fear and hatred at him couthly.


    Chu Yi stared at the panicked group with boredom, their hysterical and ugly expressions completely tearing any hope of peace, he looked away, catching sight of the gleeful butler still standing there, feeding off the high emotions with a wicked grin on his face resembling liver mortis.


    The butler caught his sight and stared back at him cruelly, a evil mirth flooding his eyes as he stared at Chu Yi.


    The chaos had already spread and even the previously logical bunch who had followed Chu Yi out, had descended into arguing and cursing in fear.


    None of them were able to hide the festering resentment and anger behind their eyes and the words they spat was more vicious than the other.


    Xiong Qi hadn''t survived because of luck,


    No.


    He had purposely been left out, to spread and be a catalyst for the seed of fear planted in the human hearts. To set off chaos in their midst.


    Around him, he could even faintly hear a low pulsing of a heartbeat.


    Ba-Dump. Ba-Dump. Ba-Dump


    It was like the castle was alive, feeding off the dark and filthy emotions of the players, milking them to create the most vilest of beings!


    He could hear a low childish giggle in his ears, like the little young master was sitting high above the rest, watching them descend into anger and fear with childish amusement.


    As if they.. they were a group of toys in a dollhouse.


    Dollhouse.


    The roles, the tasks.


    They were all just dolls for his amusement


    "AHHHH-"


    From behind him came a scream.


    The man who had been the first to kick Xiong Qi was currently grasping his neck frantically , blood spurting from his torn artery without stop, staining the .floors and walls a bright crimson red.


    The man held the wound painfully, mouth opening and closing like a dying fish on land, grasping for that last bit of air.


    There was absolute disbelief and horror in his eyes and by the time, he finally fell limply onto the floor he still couldn''t believed that he died so easily.


    His fallen body, revealed the crouching Xiong Qi, lips still firmly wrapped around a piece of bloody meat, a crazed almost maniacal look in his eyes, mumbling over and over again


    "Die- die- die-"


    Then with a wet gulp, he swallowed the piece of meat cleanly.


    There was a moment of silence before all the people in he room turned green.


    Turing away from the disgusting seen, they heaved alm the contents from their stomachs onto the floor, still heaving even when nothing was left.


    Xiong Qi grinned creepily at them, eyes moving skittishly in his skull, rolling up until only the whites of eyes were showing.


    The look in his gaze was so crazed it could no longer belong to a normal person. It even held the dark gleam of a beast, like a blunt knife, slicing into their nerves and making them go numb.


    Chu Yi on the other hand was more interested in something else. At the corner of the mans neck appeared a wrinkled patch of skin. It was rough and textured, obviously misplaced on the rest of his skin.


    Almost as if....it was patched on like that of a ripped doll.

 Chapter 30 - Doll House(8)

    "Kekekekeke"


    With a shrill laugh, the butler ended the farce in front of him with a clap.


    "Please remember to be on time, the Madam has always hated late guests."


    Another shrill mocking laugh, then he left , grabbing both feet of the dead player and dragging him away carelessly leaving a trail of foul blood to wet the carpets beneath.


    The coagulated blood resembled red earthworms. It was as if swarms of earthworms twisted and writhed, each segment of their fat bodies contracting one after another, forming a dark-red, moving sea dripping along the sides of his neck into the floor.


    Every time the butler would drag the dead corpse across the floor, a wet squelch would resound in his wake, squishing and trampling on the sea of worms.


    If the man was alive such a scene would have made him immediately crawl up from the ground and rush, crazed, out of the sea of worms. Every time his foot landed, he would hear a loud squelch, as countless earthworms were squashed beneath his feet, neverending as it dripped from his veins.


    But he was dead now and the blood was just blood.


    SNAP.


    It was like a switch had been turned off and in an instant, the craze and hysteria in the players eyes receded like a tide, leaving only frazzled confusion and fear.


    Xiong Qi, dropped to the floor in a dead faint, spasming terribly with saliva and blood foaming at his mouth.


    Uncontrollably, they stepped away from him in fear, although they had been mostly in a state of heightened anger, they could still remember the bloody and disgusting scene of Xiong Qi brutally tearing the neck of he other player and the chilling sound of him swallowing the flesh with a loud slurp.


    No matter how pitiful he looked right now, no one could muster any sympathy for him.


    They unconsciously looked around at each other, each remembering the vicious words and cruel curses a moment ago. Vehemently wishing for the most painful death and suffering to rain upon the rest, even willing to dity their own hands and do it themselves.


    Although no one spoke about it, there was obviously more vigilance and restlessness in their stares when they looked at each other.


    No one could be sure if it was really words said under unknown influence or the true filthy thoughts locked away in the darkest corner of their hearts


    Eventually they retired to their individual rooms in silence, some with more thoughts than others.


    Chu Yi from beginning to end stayed silent, it wasn''t that there weren''t persons who wanted to talk to him, it was just that whenever they''d look over at him inquiringly, he would stare at them back with a stoic, indiffrent gaze until they lost the courage to go over.


    This was still only a low level instance, and although there were some veterans who had already passed their 4th copy, most of the player were only on their second or third and hadn''t fostered that thick shameless skin that other experienced veterans would have.


    Closing the door behind him, Chu Yi took firm steps into the room, a frown abruptly appearing on his pale face. With a angry scowl, he reached into his pocket suddenly and threw the pesky doll still hiding there onto the wall.


    "Have you had enough fun yet."


    Chu Yi was practically foaming at the mouth, a mocking sneer at the corner of his mouth.


    When the doll still didn''t respond , the urge to kill grew stronger. Anger colouring his cheeks and the corner of his eyes a pale red.


    From the system space, he abruptly pulled out his beloved scalpel and with angry footsteps, approached step by step to the doll laying limply in the corner.


    The dim light of the room cast an ominous shadow along his face, ruby eyes glinting in subtle excitement behind the biting anger. The excitement of hunt, the catching of a long awaited prey. Fingers tightening ever so slightly onto the  blade, hiding the tiny tremors of his hands,


    He moved.


    With a harsh glint of light, the blade came sweeping down onto the fragile doll.


    The killing intent in his mind exploding to the limits.


    He didn''t seem to be facing just a puny doll but a precious sacrifice, neck lifted in honour to spill their crimson blood across his floor.


    "Naughty."


    Instantly the excitement cooled down in Chu Yi''s eyes as if it was just a mere illusion. An invisible force blocked the blow of the blade, preventing him from harming the doll.


    His raised arms slowly lowered and with hooded eyes he stared at the doll before him.


    This was the first time Chu Yi heard him speak in this instance. Unlike the conductors low, sultry voice, this voice was not rough nor hoarse, on the contrary, it was thick and elegant, with a long aristocratic charm, not hurried or slow, and it didn''t seem to come out of the mouth of a doll.


    The doll twitched for a moment before standing up jerkily under Chu Yi''s gaze, as if it was being controlled by the traut strings of a puppet master.


    The little thing turned its glassy eyes to Chu Yi, staring at him greedily.


    Chu Yi was neither suprised by this development nor flustered.


    If he had allowed him to severe the head from the body, that would mean that Raun Quixi did not need this vessel to survive but since he prevented him from doing so, it spoke of the opposite.


    Without batting an eye, Chu Yi turned away from the red- dressed doll, calmly putting away his scalpel.


    This turning off his emotions without a hitch was one of Chu Yi''s biggest advantage and throughout the course of his lifetime, it was this that prevented him from getting caught in the beginning befor eye perfected his craft.


    No one would be able to match that calm, gentle, highstanding neurosurgeon that saved hundreds of lives each year, to the maniac, seductive killer at night.


    Separating each reality and never blurring the line.


    From behind him, there was a pleased hum.


    Ruan Quixi wasn''t angry at being deceived either, just following along Chu Yi to the bed with jerky steps.


    "I know what you want to find out dear- why you acted so out of character when we first met."


    Yes.


    From the very beginning, Chu Yi wasn''t himself. He wasn''t a person that would follow along with his emotions so blindly.


    Excited and reckless.


    He hated the feeling of being out of control and if it wasn''t for needing answers, he would have long found Ruan Quixi and removed all the nerves in his body as painfully as possible.


    It wasn''t like he was some pure virgin either but having his thoughts and reactions controlled by a man unnoticed wasn''t a good feeling.


    Ruan Quixi, the old rogue, could tell what he was thinking and knew exactly what was making Chu Yi unhappy.


    With a deep almost hypnotic voice he-


    Completely infuriated Chu Yi.


    "If you let me fuck you again, I''ll tell you."


    "Fuck your mother!"


    Hissing between clenched teeth, Chu strode over grabbed the little doll and threw it outside with a slam.


    Taking deep, angry breaths, Chu Yi forced himself to calm down before blowing out the lamps and going to sleep.


    What turning off emotions at the speed of light, he''d rather incinerate that damn man immediately.

 Chapter 31 - Doll House (9)

    Morning rolled around very quickly and by the time the clock struck 8, all the players had gathered in the hall.


    No one spoke amongst them and they all spread out and distanced from each other. Previous alliances broken without a trace. Occassionally glares spotted with resentment would be shot in the direction of Chu Yi and Zhao Pengyu.


    After a sleepless night of brooding, many of them attributed their bad luck to Chu Yi and Zhao Pengyu. The original Jesters. Although, the butler had said it was only to watch a play, no one was naive enough to really think they wouldn''t be pitted


    Tonight,once again, no one had died. All 10 people were standing here whole and unharmed.


    This was in fact very unusual and the smarter ones among them could easily sense a deadly brewing conspiracy.


    It wasn''t long before they were proven right,


    "Today we''ll begin our Baron Estates most prided sport. "


    " Doll Hunt"


    "There are 103 dolls hidden on the estate, each with 5 clues.


    You will be locked inside the castle for 5 hours and you are required to find and collect 50 clues to get the key to the door, note that the clues must match up, if you cannot connect the clues, they are invalid. If you haven''t found the keys at the end of the timer, you will be locked into a room to play with the little dolls however they want.


    Only one person can open the door at a time.


    11 people can form a team of less than or equal to 4 people and can change team members at any time.


    One person will be killed each hour and clues will be given to others according to their will.


    The above rule is invalid if all the keys are found during the the hour.


    Jesters are given the most special privilege and are allowed to pick the honourable sacrifice each period, if you manage to kill the jester and take his hat, you''ll also become the Jester."


    The players immediately turned a deadly white. This was blatantly forcing them to die. Not only that, they were putting them each other. Trust was practically a illusion amongst the players at this point.


    Before they could rush out to secure a chance at survival however the butler stopped them immediately.


    "The Madam and Young Master has invited you all to have a sumptuous breakfast to replenish your energy before the hunt."


    " Oh praise their purest of soul, the Madam and the young master are so kindly indeed. Come with me and have them grace you with their compassion. "


    No matter how reluctant they were, they had to follow along the butler still singing praises for his virtuous masters, itching to lick the toes of their very fleeting reverence.


    Inside the grand dining hall, at the head of the long table seated the ashen, gloomy madam with the childishly cruel yet beautiful young master.


    No matter from which angle you looked at it, they didn''t seem like mother and son in the slightest.


    With only 10 seats left at the table and with tacitly understanding, they all beelined to the farthest chair from the two NPC.


    After scrambling and cursing with the butler still looking on in disdain, they managed to be seated. With Chu Yi unhurriedly taking a seat next to the young master, ignoring the eyes boring into him.


    Soon after, rows of faceless NPC''s came out, setting the metal trays in their hands on the table


    There was truly a rich array of food, with even a redwood branch barbeque. Lamb meat was skewered onto those branches, gradually seeping golden oil. A natural, crispy crust formed around the meat, completely enveloping the fresh lamb meat, ensuring that the juices would continue to overflow. When the lamb meat was fully roasted, fresh chili peppers were sprinkled on top, arousing the appetites and stomach acid of the people who loved spicy food.


    But at this moment, staring the meat in front of them, they only saw their possible ends. Sliced into pieces and burnt over a fire.


    The delicious food was tasteless and even nauseating in their mouth and looking at the only person who could still manage to eat gracefully, some jealousy couldn''t be hidden.


    Neither did Chu Yi care for their jealousy.


    They could only finish their food tastelessly, before waiting in trepidation for the game to begin.


    After an excruciating long hour, the madam finally put her fork down with a soft clang, a slow, steady grin making its way onto her face.


    "Without further ado my dearest guest, may the hunt begin."


    "AHHHHHHH-"


    Almsot immediately, from the seat beside him, Chu Yi heard an agonized scream. The man who also happened to have stayed behind yesterday, was now currently throwing up mouthfuls upon mouthfuls of blood between strangled screams , painful rashes spreading like fire across his skin, slowly as if a noose was being tied around his neck, bluish purples marks started appearing, strangling the very air in his lungs, the skin seemed to be peeling from his skeleton, and even then the hands never stopped, so very quickly the man''s scream died down into the silent howls, eyes bulging out cruelly, blood seeping from all his orifices. The pain was so bad he couldn''t even faint to ecape, he was forced to endure the pain of being skinned and strangled to death.


    He didn''t die immediately, instead he was left to slowly feel his lungs collapsing in on him, oesophagus being crushed gradually under the tremendous force, blood and urine forming to create a truly disgusting stench of death


    .


    When he finally breathed his last, eyes still wide open in anguish, he wa only left with a bloody skeleton, pieces of muscles and flesh still dangling like meat off of bones


    The others were still in shock, unable to even process the disgusting scene.


    It was all too sudden, there was no trigger or preparation at all.


    "Hehehheheheheh"


    The young master clapped his little hands happily, a wide grin on his face.


    "Do it again, do it again."


    At first they thought he was talking to the already dead man but after following his eyesight to the floor they quickly came to a realization.


    On the ground was a group of lovely dolls of all sizes, their furry bodies twitching in grotesque shapes. Obvious changes took place under their eyes. When the second laugh sounded, sharp fangs came out of the doll''s mouth, and sharp claws emerged from their palms.


    The soft hair became a barbed whip, swaying left and right in the air. The round ears turned into horns and pressed against the top of the head. At this moment, compared to the innocent and beautiful dolls prepared for children, they are more similar to demons crawling up from hell. This group of little demons howled and screamed, stepping on each other and climbing up. Their bodies are in one place, like a big demon that is almost higher than the high ceiling. The huge black shadow stretching out a wide, fan-like hand, and squeezing the man''s neck fiercely.


    They were all flabbergasted at this development,not knowing what terrible death flag the man had tripped over to die such a horrible death.


    Peng Qi, the man with the disproportionate head, suddenly thought of something, the man who died yesterday, was called Xu Jiayo and Xiong Qi that had gone crazy as well as the man before him were all part of the group that stayed behind -


    Cold sweat pooled slowly between his brows at the conjecture, teeth chattering loudly even as he wished to ignore this sudden fear because although he tried to brush it off and convince himself it was just a simple coincidence, a sinking gut feeling pooling in his stomach told him that he wasn''t far from the truth.


    With a trembling head, he glanced at the still dancing dolls uncionsciously, pupils instantly dilating into thin needles at the sight.


    Those creepy glass eyes were staring right at him. A hungry smile on their faces.


    "Who''s next, who''s next"


    "Who else wants to play"


    At this point, the young masters words had changed, instead forming a lovely death symphony especially made for him, eyes boring straight into Peng Qi''s, dark with glee.


    Peng Qi seemed to envision his own death.


    The him in the vision was standing the edge of the castle roof, swaying dangerously in the wind. A panicked and absolutely terrorized look in his eyes. He looked crazed, neurotic even.


    Just like the eyes Xiong Qi had used to stare at the man before tearing his neck off.


    Then there was the sound of sweet giggles before him and with snapped nerves, he jumped .


    Peng Qi saw himself fall headfirst into the shallow ground below him. Head bursting lke a rotten watermelon on all sides. The shallow pool of collected rainwater covering the base of the soil, rippling with threads of red and white filth. Only his body still twitched sporadically.


    By the time, he snapped out of it, Peng Qi had already watched himself die over and over again the same blood splattering and staining the floor of the earth, even the taste of fresh blood seemd to linger on his tongue.


    A anguished scream bubbled in his throat, eyes clouding in fear,


    "Kekekekeke."


    "Who''s next, who''s next,"


    Scrambling out of his chair, Peng Qi ran wildly out of the dining room, unable to think or even breath, a shrill scream shattering in his wake.


    The Madam only watched his pathetic figure leaving without query before turning unconcernerly the bewildered and fearful bunch before her with a smile.


    "The Hunt Begins now."

 Chapter 32 - Doll House(10)

    BOOM! BOOM!BOOM!


    From all sides of the castle came harsh thumps of metal hitting the floor. The exterior of the castle was suddenly enclosed with thick metal sheets, no light could penetrate in and the entire castle took on a gloomy, dark aura in an instant.


    The creepy giggling of childish laughter echoed all around them hauntingly, as if they were little playdolls being pulled along by invisible strings.


    Behind them both the madam and the young master had disappeared, leaving only the players stuck in the dim castle.


    In such a suffocating silence, on the side of his waist, Chu Yi felt something burning onto his skin. Before he could look, in the next second, the young masters shrill voice tuned in his ears.


    [The Jesters game is a little diffrent from the rest. You won''t get a timer as per say but on the side of your waist is a little mark. As time goes on, the mark will grow bigger and bigger until it finally takes over your whole body. When that happens you''ll be more beast than man. ]


    [Therefore, your task is to get out of the castle by sunset by finding the clues like the other servants . You must ensure that the children are very happy, or else you''ll have to play with them forever. You must fulfill there greatest wish.]


    Lifting up his shirt, there was a tiny butterfly mark situated right at his pelvis, occasionally the skin around the mark would wiggle quietly, moving the wings of the butterfly.


    Chu Yi lazily traced his finger along the lines of the butterfly, a subtle shiver racking his body at the touch. The skin there was very sensitive but Chu Yi insisted on touching it, a narrow smile showing up in his eyes.


    This was the type of excitement he pursued.


    Right now he could only hear the sound of his own heavy breathing, his heart beating slower, but heavier, puffing and puffing, as if it was about to smash through his chest. There was scarlet blood in front of him, his tyrannical intent was not dissipated, and his mind swept like a violent wind, trying to destroy everything.


    Breathe --


    A violent desire to kill from nowhere erupted.


    Longing to fight, longing to be kill, or perhaps longing to be killed- the dangerous temperament, contradictions of destruction and self destruction are all over , but compared with the fierce and dangerous appearance, Chu Yi''''s tone is unusually soft and gentle, like the whispers of the devil, tempting sentient beings.


    "Shall we begin?"


    Zhao Pengyu who also received the same notif, shivered when he looked at Chu Yi, a beautiful black rose has been born.


    The prey in front of him scattered like ants, unaware of the true danger that lurked behind them.


    Chu Yi waited unhurriedly in the hall, calmly leaning against the walls, watching them go with hooded eyes.


    It was a small bit of mercy for the body carnage that was bound to come.


    "Ba-DUMMM"


    Outside the castle was pouring rain and lightning, the branches and leaves of the wild peppercorns were


    dancing wildly and in a mess. Most of the branches were crushed and broken, and only half of the roots were still in the cracks. In the clanging sound, countless waterdrops fell, singing a holy song of death.


    Stretching his body, like a lithe panther getting ready for the hunt, he moved.


    Step by step he walked.


    It was time.


    ****


    Hiding on the third floor of the castle was Peng Qi. Truly deserving of his wits, the man had quickly found himself a meat shield amongst the players. Xiong Qi had already gone half mad with horror, mumbling incoherently, with drool leaking sideways from his mouth. It was an absurd miracle.how he was even alive till now and Peng Qi immediately took advantage of that fact and dragged him all the way to the third floor.


    He was probably the most frantic of the bunch of players because he, himself had seen how grotesque his death would be, brain matter splattering across the castle walls, if he didn''t leave quickly.


    At this moment, he was doing his best to pry open the doors of the restricted rooms, not caring even if the locks became damaged in the process. Everytime the door would open, he would shove a unresisting Xiong Qi into the door and let him bear the brunt of whatever would pop out before going in to to see if there were any dolls.


    He didn''t know if it was just Xiong Qi''s good luck but he had somehow managed to survive all the previous doors and right now , they were on their fifth lock.


    Peng Qi, belatedly realized that he had already managed to acquire 6 clues.


    This was definitely a cruel yet efficient method and with the rate he was going, maybe he would already have all his clues before the end of the second hour.


    Before he could continue, there came the sounds of footsteps making their way up the stairs, immediately his ears perked up vigilantly, arm tensed around the talisman in his hand.


    [<Name: Peach Symbol


    [Quality: Unique


    [Effect: concealed breath for half an hour]


    [Note: When you are in danger, crush the peach talisman and sprinkle it into the air, and you will be able to completely hide your breath.


    Danger level: 11 ]


    At any given moment, he was prepared to crush the symbol and immediately make a run for it.


    The clues meant nothing,if he had to die for it.


    When the first head appeared in view, however Peng Qi immediately let out a sigh of relief.


    Although a player wasn''t much better than a monster right now, at least he had a fair fighting chance against them.


    What appeared were two players, a male and a female.


    When they caught sight of Peng Qi and Xiong Qi, there was brief moment of consternation before they walked over.


    "Before we begin our search, let''s propose a temporary truce. We''ll search one side of the floor and you''ll search the other. Therefore we''re both even and there no reason for us to fight now."


    The man at the front decisively proposed a truce, there wasn''t much time in the first place and if they delayed it by fighting here, maybe none of them would be able to get out at the end.


    The true infighting hadn''t begun as yet.


    Peng Qi thought about it biefly before agreeing, getting out of the castle was the top priority right now.


    The two groups separated, with them taking the left left. Although they witnessed Peng Qi''s cruel method of ensuring his own safety, neither of them spoke up.


    Everyone had their own lives to protect, and taking care of others weren''t something they were keen to do.


    The woman was named Lui GiuPing and the man was An Xuefeng.


    Both of them had been acquaintances outside of the shuttle and had been fortunate enough to meet each other and form an team.


    They divided the labour easily, PingPing was in charge of opening the doors and the man would go in to see if their were any dangers.


    Seeing that Peng Qi hadn''t encountered any danger so far, they were somewhat relieved and in turn, sped up the frequency of opening the doors.


    Nevertheless, by the tenth door, they had only managed to find 4 clues. The clues resembling copper shards, sending a low jingle from the mans pocket.


    This would not work, 1 hour had already passed and so far, neither of them had managed to find enough shards and they were already starting to panic.


    When panic, started to set in, the huam nature would become truly vile,instead of continuing their futile search, they turned their gazes to Peng Qi who had already reached the 15th door and was leisurely counting the shards in his hands.


    As if sensing their intent, he immediately looked up them vigilantly, hands clenching at his side.


    An Xuefeng made up his mind after seeing that their were at least 20 shards in Peng Qi''s hand. With an ugly sneer, he spat,


    " You are really a good, really good indeed. Knowing that there are no clues on this side of the floor you purposely left it to us. Watching us make a fool of ourselves and wasting precious time."


    "You bitch. What luck to meet such an evil bastard like yourself, if I dont beat you to death today, I, your father, will change my name to yours."


    Without giving Peng Qi a chance to react, the man pulled out a huge silver bat, stained with a bloody mark.


    [Name: Widows Bat


    [Quality: Common


    [Effect: Once the bat touches flesh, the bat will automatically take over and continue to batter until the person is dead ]


    [Note: A lonely Widows murder weapon. After finding out her husband''s wayward affairs, she took his favorite bat and beat him to death.


    Danger level: 44 ]


    Seeing that things weren''t looking good, Peng Qi immediately started backing up, abandoning Xiong Qi, still standing in a daze in favor of avoiding the swinging bat.


    While they were fighting, stealthily, Lui GuiPing, made her way over to Peng Qi''s door, ignoring the other man standing outside, she immediately began a hasty search of the room.


    "Found it!"


    Grinning gleefully, she pulled out a broken doll from underneath the bed, two copper shards attached to its neck.


    Yanking it off happily, she the the fool to the side and immediately made a run for the door.


    But it was at that moment she felt the blood in her veins freeze over.


    What had once been an open door had now become sealed with glass. She slammed against the door in horror, but to her despair, the glass felt like fortified steel and no matter how much she pushed against, it stood their unbreakable.


    "AAHHHHHHHHHH"


    She slammed into the glass over and over again,, even as pain wrecked her body from the force.


    She didnt want to die.


    After what felt like eternity, the door moved but unfortunately it wasn''t as she hoped


    The door started moving inwards towards her.


    The glass had begun to close in .


    By this time, An Xuefeng had already noticed the trouble over here, and tried to help but even after slamming the bat against the glass, it didnt budge, only fine cracks appearing where the bat met the glass.


    Instead it began to speed up.


    The liberated, Peng Qi laughed at them with an evil sneer, now it was their turn to panic and run. He stood with crossed arms on the sides, watching the farce play out.


    Closer and Closer, the walls had already started crushing her body, a gradual heart-wrenching pain cruising through her body!


    She could still see the helpless despair in An Xuefengs eyes even when slamming the bat over and over again on the walls.


    The cracks on the glass grew bigger but with it the harder she was crushed!


    "No, no, no, no, no!"


    "Just a little more!"


    She should still be able to be saved, she should¡ª¡ª


    The glass was indeed fragile, breaking with a kick, but as it shattered, the glass wall suddenly sped up, closing shut!


    With a scream, bright red meat paste splattered across the walls of the completely closed glass corridor. Two bloody arms fell limply from the hands holding them to the ground.


    She''d become a true "person in the wall".


    The complete, sweaty handprints she''d just made were even still left on the inside of the glass.


    Dead silence.


    Even Peng Qi''s smile was wiped off his face. Although he was happy that she was dead, but this also reminded him of his own possibly gruesome death and looking at the pile of meat in front of him, he couldn''t bring himself to smile anymore.


    An Xuefeng stared numbly at the mess of ground flesh in front of him.


    She was dead.


    Clap- Clap- clap.


    "What a truly exciting play "


    Out of the shadows appeared a man, a white mask covering the lower half of his face.


    Even if the obstructive facial mask covered half his face, it could not damage his beauty at all. His skin was white as ice and snow, and the red of pupils of the eyes become darker and darker in excitement as he stared at them, the tails of his eyes slightly raised. They are obviously naturally attractive, but they are hidden by the cold, indifference especially when he looked over, the slight grin at the corner of his red lips was undisguised.


    "Let''s play another game ok?"

 Chapter 33 - Doll House (11)

    Kacha.


    Slowly lowering his head, Chu Yi moved his foot away from the source of the crack. It was a bone, somehow it had appeared in the silent corridor.


    These bone were full of cracks, fragile to the extreme, and it had become bone meal when crushed. Such white bones were densely packed, covering the entire corridor, like maggots on a slice of meat, sending disgusting shivers down their spine.


    The cold wind roared in, bringing a stale and sweet stench, like the smell of rotten fruit. The corridor was wide-open, a small, unfenced platform extended from the corridor. Chu Yi pushed aside the broken bones with his feet, and found that gold and silver gleamed under the bone fragments this time, which were fine grains of gold like sand.


    A finger rose to his lips, white fingers more charming and dazzling against the red lips.


    "Shhh, will you be quiet?"


    Chu Yi chuckled and asked, the fragments of the unknown corpse of the torn corpse lying underfoot.


    Click --


    WAh-


    Violent winds surged upwards sharply, madly rushing towards Chu Yi, desperately wishing to tear him apart.


    This kind of face-to-face madness and danger, watching everything unfold to his will is the most fascinating and intoxicating sensation for Chu Yi and it is difficult to extricate himself.


    Can bring him endless excitement.


    Kacha- Kacha- Kacha


    Cruelly he trampled the bones under his feet, grinding them to fine dust even as the violent cries raged around him.


    It was only when the the bones had been crushed to grains and the cries died down with a long unwilling scream did he stop.


    Straightening up, Chu Yi thoughtfully touched his heart. The devilish whisper just now was not because he was guilty of second stage disease, but that there was indeed babbling in his mind.


    Kill.


    Kill.


    Kill.


    Kill.


    A tyrannical sense of evil and destruction was continuously sprouting in his heart, growing louder and louder.


    It was darker than the night, and the surging energy of unknown terror surged all over his body. It was so terrifying that it made people tremble instinctively at first sight, and there was no resistance at all.


    Tick, tick.


    The clothes on Chu Yi''s upper body were completely shattered, revealing a pale, thin, unhealthy body. The dark red lines of his the mark were like thorns and rose vines, encircling from the lower abdomen. The sticky and dirty blood dripped from his fingertip naturally falling along the pale skins staining it a beautiful crimson red.


    Chu Yi casually scrubbed his blood-stained body. His pale skin rose and fell with his rapid breathing. The sharp nails left red scars on the fragile skin, demonstrating his calm disguise, the undispelled mania .


    For a moment, Chu Yi had the urge to lick blood, the bloody gas around him seemed to him supremely delicious. But thinking of how much dirt there was on the filthy unwashed monsters, Chu Yi silently withered. He picked up the scalpel, threw off the meat stuck on the blade, glancing to the side, he could see that it was piled with scarlet flesh and blood that wriggled like nematodes.


    CREEEEEE-


    From behind came a swift swoosh, a large claw falling from above him in ambush.


    Chu Yi instinctively took a step back,avoiding the sharp claw that would have undoubtedly cleaved into his skull.


    It was a huge scarlet monster, with scarlet horns growing on its head, looking just like a demon. Its body flew out uncontrollably after missing the kill


    Chu Yi didn''t stop there, pulling the spider rope gripped in his hand, he wrapped it in a circle, and went straight for the demons hideous headgear. The rope wrapped around the horns and with indescribable strength, like a bull being pulled, its head was forced to ground briefly, he dodged the attack from the claws, and inserted the long knife accurately and without error


    into the demons In the eye sockets.


    "GROOOOOOOWOOO-


    Its cry was was beast like and rough, agony and pain wracking its body as it trashed around, blood spurting form the wound.


    Blood drenched Chu Yi''s figue, only the whites of his eyes showing, his ruby pupils blending into the crimson blood.


    This made his whole body temperament somewhat changed. The charming and seductive person in the original text seemed to have a bit more diabolical all at once, as if a demon that suddenly came out of its abyss, and that cruelty was honed, and it was completely revealed.


    Chu Yi didn''t move his eyebrows, he just twisted his wrist cruelly, murmured and stirred the demons eyes, acting like those ordinary housewives stirring a pot of soup. A turbid yellow and white juice flowed from there, and the smell was pungent. Brain matter and rotten flesh spilling from the opening. Itwas as if he hadn''t seen or smelled it, his nose didn''t wrinkle.


    Thump-


    The body of the ghastly monster feel with a low roar, blood and white fluid from its mashed brain out dripping its eye socket.


    Then came the shedding.


    Its white bone split apart, the skin was severed from him, nerves shuddered, and invisible sharp white bone pierced across and cleaved apart his abdominal cavity. Chu Yi witnessed its heart tumble from its broken chest, and the crimson flesh the size of his fist continued to beat in the pool of blood.


    Badump, badump.


    Chu Yi had an unconscious desire to pick up its heart, but he saw his reflection in the pool of blood as he looked down.


    Red eyes brimming with mania and craze, a tyrannical need for blood. On his face, only a spot of messy black hair and blood stains remained. Chu Yi kicked the corpse casually, and his eyes returned to normal under the moonlight. On the pale hands, were growing beast-like sharp nails. The tips of the nails were stained with blood, and the blood dripped down the pale fingers, looking ferocious and coquettish.


    AH-


    AH-


    AH-


    The sound of another dying passenger echoed in empty space and no matter where he looked Chu Yi could see no one.


    Not long after that, the terrifying sound of tearing flesh and gulping came from not far away. The man was roaring and screaming, his fingernails madly scrabbleng against the ground, the sound they made clearly audible in the silent corridor.


    The screams grew weaker and weaker until only the sickening sound of flesh being chewed be heard.


    This scene has been repeated who knew how many times throughout he course of the hunt, driving their despairing listeners to madness.


    There seemed to be noisy and frightened human voices everywhere but they were all muffled, and it was hard to hear what was happening. More and more noisy sounds converged, and gradually condensed into a line of sound, slamming the ears of Chu Yi.


    The sharp and piercing voice of a child suddenly interrupted the chaotic shrills, like a smile but not a smile, like a cry but not a cry, anger and malice surged in, however Chu Yi''s heart wasn''t stunned.


    This voice has been following him since he ended up here.


    There were only 30 more minutes left to countdown.


    To find out how he reached here we''d have to go back to 3 hours ago.

 Chapter 34 - Doll House (12)

    Tick, tick, tick.


    As if a sharp steel cone was smashed into his head again and again, the severe pain like tearing the top of the skull, cruelly splitting his whole body from it, and then recombining and regrouped, like the stitches on a particularly painful wound, cyclically, the devil-like ticking sound swept Chu Yi''s entire consciousness, unable to escape, unable to dodge, like a tarsal maggot entangled in Chu Yi''s mind, making his head feel like its immersed in magma, surrounded by pain that exceeds a human threshold.


    Then like a tide it receded, as if that fire like pain was nothing but an illusion.


    It had been no more than half an hour since the start of the hunt, but Chu Yi could already feel his sanity deteriorating at the speed of light.


    There seemed to be noisy and frightened human voices in the castle, but they were all murmurs, and it was hard to hear what they were talking about. More and more noisy sounds converged, and gradually condensed into a line of sound, slamming against his skull.


    He ignored the pain however, a sado- masochistic grin instead surfacing on his face.


    They were already walking through the first floor, nevertheless there no sign of players.


    By his side, Zhao Pengyu didn''t have the same crazed resilience and a ugly grimace distorted his handsome features.


    With gritted teeth, he looked to Chu Yi.


    "What are we going to do. There are almost 400 rooms in the castle. If we rely on searching all of them, we''ll definitely clash with the other players, if we try to snatch them, who knows what they''ll do in desperation. And even then we have to prevent ourselves from being killed by them."


    Even though, the Jesters seemed as if they were the most glorious and advantageous amongst the players, they were in fact the most restrained.


    The players definitely would not trust them- who would trust someone that could decide your own life in an instant. Neither could they be wanton, the brand on their bodies was nothing more than a ticking timebomb that would lower their EQ and IQ.


    Thinking about it more and more, Zhao Pengyu couldn''t help but let out a string of vulgar curses.


    This was just pitting them against all sides.


    AH-AH-AHHH


    BANG!-


    Whilst he was brooding, one of the doors next to them went flying open with a bang and a vomit-inducing stench of burnt flesh came wafting into their noses.


    Zhao Pengyu immediately took on a defensive stance, from his hand appearing a red talisman.


    From the door, a burnt body came tumbling at their feet, it was scorched, with no facial features on its face, lips burned, and a distorted skull showing pale teeth staggered out. From inside the door, fiery flames swept out from the opened room, sending out a mixture of voices shrouded with countless panic and fear. The voice of despair and flailing hope.


    The heat was so high, they could feel it scorching their flesh but eventually it died down with the slamming shut of the door.


    Leaving only the corpse at their feet.


    Zhao Pengyu face turned even uglier, evidently the task of finding clue wasn''t as simple as it sounded.


    Behind each door, there deadly hidden dangers that could crush them in seconds.


    When he observed the corpse at their feet, he could vaguely recognize him as the locksmith from the second day , Pei AngCi.


    Evidently he had taken advantage of his ability to try and gain an advantage but instead had been burned to death in the doors.


    This was forcing them to fight against the players.


    Observing the dead body before him, Chu Yi suddenly took a step forward and from his system space pulled out a knife.


    It was covered in deep notches, that were jagged and sharp. The blade was dark red, as if it was covered in remnants of blood!


    [Name: Madman''s Sword(Elementary)]


    [Quality: Special]


    [Master: Chu Yi]


    [Special Category: Evolved]


    [A madman, dare to do things ordinary people do not dare, dare to do things ordinary people dare not do, you Regarding the rules as nothing, every strong is strong, there is no difficulty or danger that can trap you. Evolved from a scalpel knife that has tasted tok much blood


    Danger: Unknown]


    With the coins he had gotten in the last instance, Chu Yi had upgraded his beloved scalpel and turned it from an ordinary item into a real prop.


    When he had first entered the scene amd saw the danger level, he had mistakenly believed it was an evaluation of the lethality of the item but after a few inquiries, learned that in fact the Danger level was a measure of the items danger to the Master.


    That meant, whether or not the item would hurt or even kill their master. Taking out their souls, backstabbing and uniting with the enemy,


    anything that could any up with the player killed.


    If the danger level was too large, they had to come up with ways to restrict the iem in order to barely use it


    The danger level of his knife was unknown for a variety of factors that he couldn''t be sure of, so for now he had to put the matter aside.


    The reason he pulled out the knife was because of a vague premonition.


    Grasping the handle of the knife lightly, he hacked down cruelly onto the body.


    There was a whooshing sound as the bad cut through the air, gearing up to destroy what was left of the corpse.


    What-


    When the blade was almost touching the smoking flesh, an invisible force sprung up and prevented it. No matter how much force he exerted the blade would not move.


    He was right.


    From the end of the corridor came the sweet, playful laughter of a group children.


    At some unknown time, the corridor had already been filled with little wet handprints, but the prints that were left behind were very special. Those five fingers were stuck together, not like a normal child''s hand, but rather seeming like the webbed feet of a frog.


    The blood dropping and distorting from the corridor walls.


    The children that walked down the aisle, were all deformed and burnt.


    And on closer inspection, there was even half of a little head poking out the side of one of them, flesh melting and mixing together to form a grosteque and creepy image, a burnt right eye and an intact left eye staring straight at them.


    The shuffling and dragging of limbs, a hand that had melted to the point where only half of it was left, letting out a dull thud that made the skin on their scalp explode with goosebumps!


    Zhao Pengyu mmediately clapped a hand over his mouth to keep himself from crying out .


    Eyes widened in shock and horror.


    He can''t alarm these little ghosts.


    When the children came closer, almost skipping towards the duo, Zhoa Pengyu felt a tremor run through his body after observing them up close.


    "Take your heart," the children said with a smile, "take your heart and make soup."


    Zhao Pengyu took a step back uncontrollably but Chu Yi only stared straight into the eyes of the children.


    The closer they got, the heavier the smell of death.


    Finally they arrived at the dead man''s body, they grinned sweetly at the figures of Chu Yi and Zhaopengyu before viciously ripping the man apart.


    They took out the heart, it was still intact and fleeing a crimson red even though the other parts of his body had been burnt to a crisp. In the eyes of two, blood was slowly forming from the corners of Zhao Pengyu mouth, and immediately flowed out, like the internal organs of a shattered person, fragments of undecent internal organs-he expanded again. When they tore open his mouth, the blood spewing out made the people around him catch a piece of red by surprise, and he kept coming out like a fountain.


    This was all to surreal, the mans body had been burnt to only bones but inside skin, his organ were still entirely warm and alive.


    It was at this moment that Chu Yi threw down the knife fown and grabbed the long neck of one of the child with both hands. He twisted fiercely. There was only the cracking sound of the bone breaking, and the neck of the little boy was like a flesh-colored water pipe. Twisted and drooping, it twitched and seemed to be struggling, but Chu Yi clasped its long neck with both hands and tore it hard, actually tearing its neck abruptly!


    Blood gushed out, the little was completely dead, and yet the remaining children didn''t rush away. In an instant, only a spot of messy black hair and blood stains remained of the dead ghost Chu Yi dropped the corpse casually, and his eyes returned to normal under the dim light. On the pale hands, there were beast-like sharp nails. The tips of the nails were stained with blood, and the blood dripped down the pale fingers, looking ferocious and coquettish.


    "Kekekkekeke".


    "So fun! so fun! SO FUN!."


    From the hands of the children appeared a bloody copper shard. One of them skipped to Chu Yi and handed to it to him happily, a dark gleam in its childish eyes.


    "Let''s continue to play, theres only a hundred to go. If you cant catch us all, we''ll have to take you with us."


    "You''ll surely be the most beautiful doll. "


    "Kekekekkeke"


    Fulfill their greatest wish.


    What''s the would be the greatest wish of these children.


    And what do these copper shards represent.


    Sure enough it was this.

 Chapter 35 - Doll House (13)

    While Chu Yi was analyzing the rules of the hunt, beside him Zhao Pengyu was met with a sudden mishap.


    Without warning, the door that had originally slammed shut after burning Zhao PengCi to death sent out a low eery thump.


    Inside the crack at the seam of the dor, the room appeared dark and gloomy, on the contrary there were no signs of the previous raging flames.


    Zhao Pengyu rubbed his fingers together, and a small flame leapt up on his fingertips. A elementary level ability he had acquired after numerous dangers in the instance. He saw that in front of him, the door appeared to be pasted with strips of glaringly red seal tapes; they were red in a very peculiar way. For some reason, it reminded him of a shattered mirror.


    The surface of the wooden door was rough and bumpy, as though there was some kind of pattern in relief. Curious, Zhao Pengyu moved the tiny flame closer to one of the raised areas. As the fire illuminated the red door, he realized with a shocking horror - this was no relief, this was an explicitly clear handprint!


    Zhao Pengyu backed away a few steps instinctually, then raised his eyes to look at it, and saw that the entire surface of the iron door was covered with handprints, footprints, and other marks left from collisions of whatever else body part. As if ... as if there was somebody trapped inside, someone who repeatedly slammed their body against the door trying to break out!.


    In the darkness, the sound of flesh hitting wood continued to flow into Zhao Pengyu''s ears. Dull, frenzied, and spine-chilling.


    The hair on Zhao Pengyu''s nape all stood up on their ends. Goosebumps raising on his arms and yet bizarrely, under the shroud of this massive terror, it was as though the wooden door was a pitch-black hole, reaching out with its eerie pull. He not only did not turn and run away or callout, but couldn''t stop himself from reaching out to touch it.


    Chu Yi beside him, seemed to be seperated by an invisible wall and no matter how he tried to struggle or yell, there seemed to be a stone lodged in his throat preventing him from speaking.


    With horror, Zhao Pengyu stared at his uncontrollable hand as it was pulled towards the door.


    No matter how much courage he had before, at this moment, paralyzing fear racked his body.


    Just as his hand was about to make contact with the door, a shrill bell sounded by his ears, and a glaring light barged into the stiff mind. Zhao Pengyu''s consciousness swiftly pulled away.


    The instant before he woke up, he heard amongst the banging what sounded like an intensely pained sob, "Painful...so painful "


    Drenched in cold sweat, Zhao Pengyu''s opened his eyes. For a couple of seconds, his mind was still blank, before he realized that he had actually been standing with his face plastered onto the room door. He rubbed at the mark on his face left behind by the , and let out a stagnant breath, "Ahh so close ", grasping the tiny bell hidden in the sleeves of his clothes.


    A wild gust swept up Chu Yi''s long hair, in his head it was as though the enraged sacrifial souls was punishing him with the torture of a thousand cuts. His skin was the first to be torn apart, immediately followed by his flesh, which was carved off one thin slice at a time, revealing the vessels and bones underneath.


    The child cocked his head at Chu Yi, his once adorable face now barely recognizable. What remained of the flesh and skin on his face struggled to cover the white of his skull. Despite all this, Chu Yi could sense that he was still smiling. His exposed riba clung onto the tattered rags of his clothing


    Eventually, the nightmarish hell faded from his eyes, a warning and a prediction of how he would die.


    On his waist Chu Yi could feel the flesh surrounded the mark, slowly wriggle and turn as if something beneath his skin was crawling towards his heart.


    Zhao Pengyu was the first to speak, being able to survive in the Nightmare Shuttle, meant that at the very least, your ability to adapt and recover had to be very strong.


    "Now it''s very apparent that in order for us to get out, we have to kill the souls of the children still stuck in castle. "


    "Reliving."


    "What-"


    "They''re reliving their deaths."


    In an instant, understanding dawned on Zhao Pengyu''s face.


    The 104 dead children on the castle ground were never buried, instead their bodies had gone missing on the castle.


    From the beginning when they had found the little girl stuffed into a trunk, limbs twisted and broken in order to fit, they had been thrown a very blatant clue.


    All the children were reliving their deaths, relaying the same torture over and torture over again, experiencing their death but unable to change it.


    Maybe in the burning room, there was a child reliving the moment of being burnt to death, their flesh melting in agonizing pain.


    Killing the children, would relieve them from their death, opening the special doors was walking into the scene and witnessing the children''s death. Maybe the players had to find a way to save them.


    Therefore although both groups had the same objective, the way of going about it was diffrent.


    He also realised, This was an opportunity, the castle had regressed into a special state, that means that maybe they would encounter the cause of the children''s grievance and figure out what exactly had happened to their bodies.


    This would definitely help them survive the Candle-Lit festival two days from now.


    Chu Yi was satisfied with the comprehension skills shown by Zhao Pengyu. If he couldn''t even understand this simple objective , he wouldn''t mind just walking away to complete the task on his own,


    "Let''s separate first, in order to find the children, we still have to open the doors. Doing it individually would up the intensity. If you meet any of the players observe first, if theres an opportunity search the rooms for clues to the castle."


    Zhao Pengyu nodded decisively, separating was indeed the best choice, and staying together would only mean twice the danger , so before long his back disappeared along the second floor.


    Chu Yi watched him go, a sneer slowly surfacing on his face.


    "Are you coming out or not."


    "HONG!"


    Buzzing --


    The weird and penetrating humming sound occupies the whole space, such as the ten thousand maggot worms squirming, at this moment, the walls, the roof, and even the slabs are floating with mottled white spots, just like this The whole stilted building was built up by maggots. The dense, mildew-like black spots are actually countless pairs of eyes.


    What Chu Yi said just now touched a deep taboo.


    Countless doors slammed open and from them loud cheerful laughter spread out hauntingly. From the moment he had killed the first child, Chu Yi had sensed countless eyes staring at him with deep malice.


    Chu Yi didn''t lie when he said that killing the children was the best way to fulfill the task but he conveniently forgot to add something.


    Killing the children would also result in becoming the primary target of all of them.


    Throughout the instance, others may not have noticed it but Chu Yi wouldn''t be fooled.


    Zhao Pengyu was an extremely cold hearted player. When he didnt know, he could suggest to take the deformed child out of the trunk but once he realized it could conflict with his intrest, he heartlessly slammed the trunk shut instantly. Ignoring the ground flesh of the first dead victim and calmly searching for clues, and when the burnt body first appeared was able to instantly resume a defensive stance.


    There was also another important reason, that instantly blew Zhao Pengyu''s i''s loyal mask.


    On him, he smelled blood. A kind of aura that only belonged to a certain class of people. His hands were definitely stained with the blood of humans.


    He didn''t believe that such a cold-hearted, experienced and deadly player was a kind person.


    Being unguarded around such a man would definitely resulted in being abandoned once a conflict in interest appeared.


    Shrik!-


    From behind him, the body of a ghost child without its lower limbs was slowly split in half. A joyful smile still stretching at the corner of its mouth.


    "Again- AGAIN"


    There was no time to think about Zhao Pengyu''s matter, now he had to deal with this brigade of unruly, bear children.

 Chapter 36 - Doll House(14)

    Throughout the castle, different groups, different players, all of of them were slowly collapsing under the pressure of death.


    Some people wondered off alone, some huddled together in groups but they all had one thing in coming.


    They were desperate.


    This was the first time Lin Qiushi, the last newcomer who had somehow managed to survive, clearly sensed that the others had more than enough; they were all at the end of their tether. The overwhelming pressure of their looming deaths and the noxious paranoia that overcame them became the final straw.


    Shi XiaoDong seemed to have already predicted such a situation, so he wasn''t in the least surprised. Lin Qushi had been the one to ask at the very beginning where they were and Shi Xiadong had been the one to answer. Somehow throughout the 4 days, they had formed somewhat of a quasi- team and had naturally allied together searching the 4th floor along with two others. Nevertheless the seperate duo beside them had nowhere as much composure as even Lin Quishi. Shi Xiadong nonchalantly found a room to search by himself, ignoring as the individuals within the corridors grew increasingly unstable and agitated. All of a sudden, he parted his lips and softly reminded, "Have you already forgotten that there''s still a place with dolls?"


    This one sentence was like the first droplets of rain falling on arid land, moisturizing the dry atmosphere at once and cleansing the scorching pressure in the air. Bu Hua asked, "Where?"


    Lin Qiushi guessed, "The cemetery? But we also went searching their before. I just don''t know where the bodies in this castle are located, and I never found them."


    "Of course it isn''t the cemetery," Shi XiaoDong said.


    "In this world, the place where the dead are buried isn''t as simple as it seems."


    ****


    On the other side


    Wooden doors of the same color stood before every room in this building. The bulky doors were all of a vermillion shade, and the paint coating the surface had long been mottled. No one knew for how many years these doors had been used. There were stacks of coal and piles of debris haphazardly scattered about the staircase, giving the impression that this place was inhabited.


    In this obscuring darkness, the scene before their eyes wasn''t quite visible. However, because this hazy sight was still utterly terrifying, both of them had fixed all of their attention on it; they were completely engrossed with what they were seeing.


    This was a group of two, in fact they were also the the last two that had stayed behind during the grave search. After being isolated from the rest, they could only team up to search the floors in trepidation


    As this moment, they watched on as the relief sculpture inside the the open door began to contort and twist disturbingly, as if something was struggling to break free from it. This state of distortion lasted for a brief moment. They continued to gape as crooked, pale hands dug their way out of the relief sculpture. The two hands were incomparably huge. With curling fingernails painted a brilliant scarlet, the hands aimlessly groped around the empty space and eventually seized the wooden frame nearby.


    The instant they grasped the wooden door, these hands seemed to have found a point of focus. The creature began to exert more strength; it tugged on the wooden fence harder and sluggishly dragged its body and its head out of the door.


    "AHHHHHHH-"


    Snapping out of the disturbing trance the two immediately took flight, running for their pathetic lives as the grosteque hands chased from the open door.


    ****


    The mood of the group was getting worse by the second due to the 5 hour timer imposed on them. By the time the second hour rolled about, another conflict arose between the members of the team. Surprisingly, it was Bu Hua and Xiao Ke who ended up getting into a heated quarrel, simply because of the so-called unfairness. Bu Hua was in charge of opening the door and Xiao Ke was in charge of searching but eventually Xiao Ke, felt that it was too dangerous but neither would Bu Hua regress to opening the door. Xiao Ke lost his temper and angrily grabbed the props in his hands in a fit of pique, and moved to opening the doors by himself.


    Cynicism and hostility permeated the atmosphere. A single word, a slight action, and even a quick glance would cause all hell to break loose.


    Tick. Tick.


    Staring at Xiao Ke''s back, Lui Quishi face suddenly faded to a deadly white, mouth gaping in shock and horror. Not too long after, Shi XiaoDong and Bu Hua also turned up their faces in a ugly grimace.


    "This-this-this--"


    Xiao Ke noticed their faces and immediately panic shrouded his features.


    "What is it- What''s wrong-- Tell me!!"


    "The shadow on your back- we saw ... " Lin Qiushi swallowed, "it was a child."


    The man''s face was as white as a sheet. Terror stricken, he slowly turned his head around and gaped at the shadow beneath his face.


    It was true, it wasnt his shadow that reflected on the floor, it was smaller and thin, almost childlike.


    in his ears he seemed to hear little happy giggles.


    This wasn''t his shadow-


    His eyes were filled with sheer horror and despair.


    Trembles wracked his body, and jumbled whispers flew from his mouth. He vehemently denied it, "No, impossible, it''s impossible, it can''t be. How can this be? You two definitely have problems. It''s you, it must to be you ... " After saying this, he alertly shifted his eyes around and cautiously observed at his surroundings, as if afraid that the words he had uttered might''ve been overheard by others.


    "No- I have to find the dolls- the Dolls!!,"


    Xiao Ke snarled, "You definitely aren''t human, I''ve seen it all! I''m the normal one" He seemed to have broken down completely; his moods fluctuated so fast, he was easily provoked and he was prone to bouts of anger now he was faced with this. He simply lowered his head, grabbed the handle of the door and tore it open.


    At his feet dropped a corpse.It had been leaning against the door, eyes wide open as if it had been peeking on the guest on the other side.


    The child''s body was frozen stiff , but its appearance was as gruesome; the area where the abdomen was supposed to be connected to the waist was severed, and the spilling viscera and spine was fully exposed for all to see. Such a gruesome sight was beyond hair-raising.


    If Lin Qiushi had witnessed this scene the very moment he arrived to this world, he surely would''ve puked his guts out. But after spending so many days here fortifying himself with experience, Lin Qiushi gazed at this scene numbly; his heart didn''t give rise to the slightest palpitations. As a matter of fact, he even wanted to examine it from a closer range.


    "What is this- "


    No one could answer Li Quishi''s question because at this moment, the corpse on the floor move. The head twisted 180¡ã sound to face them, a wide bloody smile on its face.


    "BOO-"


    "Fuck, Shi XiaoDong didn''t have time to explain to them only take spitting out a callus, "Run!"


    "Kkekekekkeek"


    "Let''s play shall we-


    ****


    "Let''s play another game ok?"


    Chu Yi tilted his head slightly, watching the confused and vigilant expression on Peng Qi''s and An XueFengs face. It was only when he could see them starting to back away slowly in fear did he speak again.


    This time much more normally.


    "I didnt mean to scare you- (He did) I just wanted to propose an alliance."


    Maybe it was Chu Yi''s otherworldly face, maybe it was the sequelae of watching someone being crushed to death right in front of them or maybe it was the threat of death hanging right above them.


    So when Chu Yi proposed to search the least likely room, they agreed.


    With heavy trepidation, they left the floors, climbing the grand mahogany stairs and up to the only unexplored room in the castle.


    Similarly whether it be, by coincidence or not, all the other players were heading towards the same direction.


    Not unlike sheep''s being here into a pen, from all corners of the tower, footsteps made a straight line towards the center of the castle.


    The Madams room.

 Chapter 37 - Doll House(15)

    GASP!


    Ha- Ha- Ha-


    In the silent corridor, the sound of heavy breathing asaualted the once still air.


    Gathered together in the narrow space were most of the surviving players.


    Frantic, exhausted and frightened.


    None of them looked composed, therefore Chu Yi who appeared the calmest, stood out in the mess of players.


    Shi XiaoDong stared throughtfully at the man but refrained from speaking, hiding his true thoughts in his heat.


    Of the 17 people that came in, only 8 players were left yet ironically he true horror hadn''t even started yet.


    This instance was of unprecedented difficulty for a C Grade instance.


    But right now, there was something else that needed urgent attention.


    Both sides of the corridor was devoid of rooms.


    Instead at the very end of the corridor was a singular door.


    Heavy and frigid, the gas field around the door was raw, pressing heavily onto the players chest. Even the air that they breathed in was tinged with a deathly, stale taste.


    And this door had creaked open right under their paralyzed eyes, the pressurized air inside hitting them in the face, assaulting all of their senses.


    Chu Yi sniffed the air, detecting a faint fragrance. This scent was so vague and weak, but it was strikingly inharmonious with this environment.


    Using the dim light from the lamps.


    Chu Yi studied the decorations in room.


    The room wasn''t large, and its structure was quite simple. And yet it seemed more like a temple than a bedroom. Set directly in the center of the room was an incense altar as well a statue of a deity; a huge merit box lay beside those objects. There seemed to be something inscribed on the merit box, but because he was too far away, Chu Yi couldn''t distinguish those engravings.


    "Should..should we go in?"


    The person who asked this was Lui Quishi but even though he had asked, they all knew that they didnt have a choice.


    The minute they had stepped into the corridor, it was like a invisible force field had cordoned off the hall, this was to say they couldn''t leave and even if they somehow managed to force their way out, the monsters on the other side were just waiting to feast on their flesh.


    Neither had they forgotten the countdown


    "Come on." Shi XiaoDong uttered.


    Unconsciously he had become the defacto leader of the group.


    The players continued to move forward, stepping passed the threshold and headed towards the unbecoming deity.


    Underneath the stale, yet almost wickedly sweet scent of the room, they observed the statue. It was the figure of woman Though Lin Qiushi didn''t recognize this Bodhisattva, its appearance was benevolent; it emanated an air of altruism and carried the impression of one who''d deliver all living creatures from suffering, one who''d offer salvation to sentient being


    And yet they was something terribly off about it, the benelovent smile seemed almost conniving and bewitching under the light and the entire statue seemed disconcerting and faux.


    Shi XiaoDong boldly took two steps towards the statue. At a closer distance, he was now able to see the figure of the woman clearly. But the situation didn''t look too good. Goosebumps immediately appeared all over Shi XiaoDong''s body at the sight. The inside of the open mouth of the statue was layered with something black. At first, Shi XiaoDong thought it was nothing but shadows but no sooner, he discovered those things were languidly squirming around. At that very moment, he was so certain of it, he knew he couldn''t have mistaken it- the inside of the staue was filled with black hair.


    And at the foot of the statue, something seemed to have gotten entangled in these strands of hair.


    "Don''t come any nearer," Shi XiaoDong ordered. "Something isn''t right."


    "It doesn''t matter." Chu Yi''s voice was extremely soft; indifferently seductive, "It doesn''t matter. Ignoring it just means dying faster."


    It was the ugly truth but neither of them could deny it.


    Finally someone couldnt hold back his wrath. Having had enough of Chu Yi''s icy, contemptuous speech. Xiao Ke slammed his hands on the table and furiously snarled, "Saying that like you''d never harmed us on purpose! You clearly told the others to go dig up the coffins one by one to search! But if we had just completed the tasks, as they said to do,maybe this stupid hunt wouldn''t have been triggered, now look, all of us are going to die!-"


    Chu Yi coldly hissed, "What is a coffin used for?"


    Everyone was struck dumb.


    "None other than to hold the dead. What''s the use of a coffin without dead people?" A treacherous grin crept onto his face, and Chu Yi chuckled. With those deep eyes, turning on his face, the beautifull man looked frightfully eerie. "Furthermore, who''s to blame why you didn''t heed my advice?"


    Xiao Ke, "You fucking-"


    Xiao Ke shakily lifted a finger and pointed at each and every one of them. "There are so many people left. She has yet to eat her fill."


    "Eat her fill ... ?" When Chu Yi heard word ''eat'', he suddenly recalled the bloody remains of the corpses that had been chewed on the third floor.


    Xiao Ke immediately swallowed the words in his throat, face paling slightly. Almost at the same time, they all reached a similar consensus.


    He knew something.


    Chu Yi genuinely appreciate such a beautiful view. The renewed almost tangible vigilance and distrust ready to explode under the surface.


    If the time hadn''t been so short, he''d love to stay and appreciate the sight some more.


    In hindsight, maybe Chu Yi hadn''t been under control in the first instance, maybe a hidden stimulant had just forced his true nature to explode out exponentially.


    Cutting off the scene that was on the verge of collapsing, Chu Yi pointed out something .


    "There''s something on top of the diety."


    Instantly the attention was pulled away from Xiao Ke''s outburst, everyone refocusing on the stature in the center of the room.


    After careful observation, sure enough, as Chu Yi said, on top of the diety was a small box, situated on a wide platform a width away from the statue; the size of a jewelry box. It was inconspicuous amongst the heaps of incense and the grand diety.


    "But right now the question is," Shi XiaoDong spoke, "Who''s going to get it."


    This was a challenging question. No one wanted to risk their lives for someone else but at the same time, they needed someone to sacrifice themselves and find probably a fatal clue.


    Humans humans selfish like this, even at critical times, they were reluctant to work as a united front


    "Since you''re such a hero", Xiao Ke spat, "Why dont you go for it."


    This wasn''t out of his expectations but before Chu Yi could reply, someone else beat him to it.


    "No need. I''ll do it."


    The person who spoke was the innocuous newcomer Lui Quishi. Although his hand by side trembled terribly, he still firmly volunteered to take the risk.


    Beside him, Shi XiaoDong seemed hesitant, opening his mouth to object subconsciously, but after seeing the determined look, closed his mouth.


    In such a place, excessive protection wasn''t necessarily the best move.


    With bated breath, they could only watch as Lui Quishi carefully stepped past the hair covered object at the foot of the statue and carefully hoisted himself up along the grooves of the diety.


    It was fairly large and could support his weight without the worry of falling.


    Seeing that Lui Quishi was close to reaching the top as well, Shi XiaoDong glanced down at the kid and couldn''t help reminding, "Once you''re there, be careful."


    Lui Quishi bobbed his head and hummed, "Okay."


    Taking a deep breath, Lin Qiushi braced himself and with a pull, hoisted his body directly onto the platform. He had originally thought there would be half devoured, decaying corpses; however, he discovered that the platform was empty of what he''d expected-there was nothing.


    Well, that wasn''t necessarily correct; there wasn''t exactly nothing. To be precise, the corpses had been utterly devoured, from their hair down to their bones. Only the gory puddles of concealed blood, messily caking the platform and drying along the cracks revealed the grisly horrors that had transpired.


    The roof of the room should''ve been visible from where Lin Qiushi was standing on the platform; however, a thick layer of smog blanketed the ceiling, cloaking everything in his sight; before long, the scenery before his eyes turned hazy, distorting like a mirage.


    In the middle of the platform sat the small box.


    Unfortunately the platform was in fact connected to the statue and the box seemed to have formed a junction between the two.


    From where he was, he could tell that the floor, around the box wasn''t completely cement and seemed more like a layer of dry dirt had been filled in.


    This was inconsistent with the jaded walls of the diety and after a brief second of contemplation, gritted his teeth and decided to dig.


    When Shen Xiaodong who had been watching Lui Quisi from the start as he took apart the dirt floor saw this, he was first nervous, then startled when Quishi suddenly let out a shocked gasp, then started cursing madly, after witnessing what lay beneath it.


    "What''s the matter?" Upon hearing the boy''s cry of alarm, Shi XiaDong walked over to the diety, and strained to see hear what disturbed the boy so much, only to be rendered speechless by Lui Quishi discovery.


    The statue beneath the dirt floor was, hollowed out, then compactly inlaid and filled with contorted human skeletons. The skeletons were piled one after another, crushed into the cement and forced into unnatural positions. For every square feet of the statue, there were about three to four bodies.


    Children''s skeleton.


    "Hmm." Chu Yi wasn''t the least bit surprised at this scene. "I did say the bodies must be here somewhere."


    "We just found out where exactly."


    A benevolent diety paved with the body of dead children.


    Ironic.

 Chapter 38 - Doll House(16)

    "What should we do now...."


    The players looked around hesitantly.


    They found the missing bodies, now what should they do with them. They were trapped in the corridor and time was slowly ticking away.


    "Should we...search the bodies."


    No one had an answer for that question. Logically they knew that searching the bodies was the best course of action but emotionally they couldnt help but resist the idea.


    "What are you waiting for dumb bastards, its just some fucking bodies! Are you willing to wait for death here because of those things."


    Xiao Ke was the first to break the silence. With a ugly snarl, he shoved Bu Hua who was standing beside him to the side and stormed his way violently to the statue.


    "Fucking cowards."


    Then under the horrified gaze of the others, shoved the benevolent diety to the floor.


    CRASH!


    With a loud smash, the diety shattered into large pieces, shards of jade flying in all direction. From inside the statue, rotten bones came tumbling out, spilling out on the floor haphazardly.


    One of the shards came flying straight to Chu Yi but despite quickly moving away, the sharp jade still slit a shallow cut along his cheek, blood spilling from the line.


    Chu Yi paused.


    Licking the line of warm blood pooling on his lips, pink tongue stained a dazzling red and tasting the mentallic blood on his tongue, Chu Yi stared at Xiao Ke with a dark gaze.


    3 points condescending, 3 points amused and 4 points annoyed.


    Briefly he felt his pocket warm angrily.


    Under Chu Yi''s glare, the shadow underneath Xiao Ke''s feet undulated slightly. There was no longer only one existence hiding in his shadow.


    But for Chu Yi, this problem was simple.


    Why be angry with such a person?


    I gave you a choice, do you still want to blame me?


    Then go die.


    But the waste can still be used.


    At the same time, Chu Yi who had been paying attention to Xiao Ke movement, saw the man tremble.


    Xiao Ke panicked slightly at the sight of the shattered statue on the floor, fright and uncertainty glazing his erratic eyes, nevertheless when nothing happened even after a long while, he shoved that panic down with a mocking sneer.


    Looking contemptuous at the horrified looks on the others players and spat,


    "Cowards."


    Then he bent down and started sifting through the pile of bones, looking to see if there was any of the keys.


    The bones were fragile and with his rough movements, often made loud cracks.


    However, surprisingly, even after searching for a long time , nothing turned up, only Xiao Ke''s face turning progressively uglier.


    Had he really just shattered the diety for nothing.


    Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the changes in the others.


    Looking at the gazes of the players gradually taking on a pitying nature, humiliated anger burned within him.


    "FUCK!"


    In a fit of rage, he threw the skeleton in his hand to the side.


    Bunch of fucking retards, none of them will survive anyway. Who gives them the right to look down on him.


    Xiao Ke glared at the others, hands clenched into fists at his side.


    "Fuck you all!- none of you are going to surv-"


    Unfortunately, he didn''t get to finish the sentence because Xiao Ke noticed with alarm, that the eyes of the others had fallen from a somewhat condescending pity to a frightened disbelieving gaze.


    He froze.


    From behind his back, the sound of dry, bones rattling echoed, as if the dislocated and misplaced bones were being forcefully pushed back in place.


    Tap- Tap-


    A light cold tap was felt on his shoulder. The freezing touch sending cruel tremors down his spine.


    It reminded him of a stone, cold corpse, lifeless and frigid. Combined with the horrifying crack of bones connecting, Xiao Ke had a horrifying guess.


    Fuck.


    "AH-AH-AH!"


    Without turning around, Xiao Ke made a mad dash for the door, slamming against it, frantically trying to escape, however to his horror no matter how hard he slammed against the door, it refused to open.


    BOOM! BOOM!BOOM!


    From behind him loud footsteps echoed, the unknown creature approaching closer and closer! faster and faster!.


    Cold sweat burned his eyes and his limbs trembled in fear. He couldn''t see it but he could hear the sounds, the cackles of children that appeared.


    "Fuck! fuck! fuck!"


    Frantically he searched all over his body, hands refusing to cooperate, and still!


    "Come on! Come on! "


    He didn''t want to die!


    BOOM! BANG! KEKEKEKE!


    He could feel the monster''s icy breath, breathing down his neck, growing closer by the second, it was almost upon him!


    Yes!


    He finally found it. He managed to pull out a large grotesquely shaped lamp. Red as spilled blood.


    The minute it appeared, it seemed to drive away all the darkness surging around him and in an instant the horrifying cries l around him ceased.


    Xiao Ke gasped harshly, releasing the expired air in chest.


    He survived.


    He didn''t look back just yet, waiting with stilled horror for any trace of the monster.


    Nothing.


    He breathed out lightly.


    When he was sure that the monster had thoroughly been vanished, he let out a relieved sigh.


    That was close.


    He turned around slightly to examine the rest of the room, briefly wondering why the rest of the players were so silent.


    Had they all been killed already-


    "Boo."


    His pupils shrunk, In Xiao Ke''s horrified eyes, he caught sight of the creature.


    A skinless child, only its head carried a trace of life. The rest of the creature was just a mismatched assembly of bones. Grotesquely inhumane. Its head was like a small porcelain doll, no trace of blemish, glassy eyes and pale feature.


    Currently it was grinning at him cutely.


    "Got yah."


    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"


    ****


    Chu Yi only felt himself fall into a lulled darkness, as if he was falling headfirst from a ten foot cliff


    It was absolute darkness and the feeling of weightlessness would drive anyone to despair.


    Chu Yi only felt boundless happiness and freedom. He was falling quickly, and there was only a whistling sound in his ears. The thick darkness rushed toward his face, concealing all the light, and drowning him. Chu Yi did not feel the horror of suffocation.


    There was only pure happiness and satisfaction in his eyes, and he did not feel fear or any negative emotions. Only the stimulus and excitement that a leap brings him, and even peace. This seems to be another alien space, no one is disturbed, there is no noise, it belongs to Chu Yi alone.


    Unfortunately the leap didn''t last long the darkness resided, letting the pure light once again haunt his vision.


    "SCREEEEE!"


    There was no time to react, from a far , a hideous creature came barrelling toward him.


    Chu Yi could only side step the creature in hurry, dodging the incoming blow. The thing staggered slightly before turning and lunging again towards Chu Yi, large black claws swiping for his neck.


    Undoubtedly this was to kill.


    Splurt.


    The moevemt of the hand stopped right before Chu Yi''s face, shock filling the creatures eyes, then with a spurt , putrid black blood spilled from its torn neck.


    The same blood dripping from the knife gripped in Chu Yi''s hand.


    The body fell to the ground with a heavy thump and from beside the body, a copper shard fell.


    The silence was only brief however because from the end ot the corridor, another chilling screech sounded.


    The hunt had finally revealed it''s true appearance, stripping away the peaceful mask and bearing its hideous fangs.


    They weren''t the hunters


    They were the prey.

 Chapter 39 - Doll House (17)

    Chika!


    Splurt!


    Chika!


    Splurt!


    "Aaaaah, AAAAH-" Between the shrill, inhumane screech, there was the sound of sharp weaponry plunging into hard flesh.


    The rhythm of stabs repeated over and over again in the silent corridor, in the never ending stream of monsters, Chu Yi stood over a pile of ground ghoulish flesh. From the tingling excitement at the very beginning to now, Chu Yi had gradually grown tired of the recurrent fighting. The smile on his face fading away to a bored glare.


    Tick. Tick. Tick.


    In his ears, there would occasionally echo the sound of the countdown falling, anyone else would have fallen into a mindless timeloop, nervousness and exhaustion taking over slowly and persistently, until at some point, they couldn''t fight it anymore, their limbs refusing to move, leaving them only with the option of being mauled to death by the grotesque creatures.


    That initial adrenaline had indeed fallen to a low point, but Chu Yi had long mastered the art of using the simplest moves to kill, in order to save energy.


    "SCREEEEEE-"


    From behind him another huge scarlet demon, with bloody horns growing on its head, lunged for his head, without looking back, he twisted the knife behind him and inserted it deep into the things eye socket!


    Another splurt, another kill.


    "Sigh-"


    Kicking away the corpse at his feet, Chu Yi once again let out a bored rasp. Annoyance slowly creeping into his gaze.


    His chest, splashed with scarlet blood, rose and fell rapidly with his gasps.


    After killing another monster, Chu Yi was on the verge of explosion. A dark and angry aura emanating from him while he stood in the pools of blood and flesh.


    Luckily, at this moment the instance seemed to have taken mercy on Chu Yi and afterwards no more monsters appeared.


    50.


    Exactly 50 monsters had appeared and exactly 50 he had killed.


    That means he had collected exactly 50 copper shards, just enough to complete his task and after turning and observing them for a bit, he tried to piece them together.


    Click! Click!


    One click after another, the pieces slowly connected together to form a large copper coin lying in the middle of his palm.


    Interestingly enough, the coin resembled the player coins used in the tower of life in the city, with the inexplicably familiar pattern engraved on the top.


    But that wasn''t what caught his full attention.


    From his previous conjecture, he had come to the conclusion that , the way to obtain the shards was by killing the ghost children haunting the castle, but from he had observed, the monsters he had killed syill gave the same aharrds but he couldn''t connect the hideous 6 foot tall demons to the children.


    Either he had miscalculated and you could get the shards as long as you killed something or there were something wrong with the shards themselves.


    He tried to observe the coins but even after a while, could not pick out any obvious differences.


    In the end he could only throw the issue aside and look towards the front.


    After killing the 50th monster, the originally enclosed space had now opened up a large black door at the end of the corridor.


    There was no sound from inside the door, nether was there a corpse filled statue and yet the room had the same chilling, death- like air about it.


    Step. Step. Step


    The only thing he could hear apart from his slowly


    rising heart beat was his own footsteps, that already faded excitement slowly rising again under the influence of the hair raising atmosphere.


    Adrenaline pumped and goosebumps rose along the slender lines of his arms.


    The closer he got, the more he could hear the anguished wailing of a woman. This sorrowful cry was full of grief and heartbreak, as if this woman had encountered something terribly tragic.


    Under this chilling cry, Chu Yi entered the room.


    Unlike the other rooms ,that they had observed in the rest of the castle, in this confined space, the room was incongruous and different from the rest.


    Their were no signs of the previous luxury and this room was entirely constructed out wood. The planks on the floor were somewhat aged; they would suddenly creak and groan the moment one stepped on them. There were also some places that would tremble slightly, as if these boards could hardly support the weight of the human body.


    However, what specifically caught his attention was the potent stench of blood in the air.


    This sanguinary odor was so strong that it stung people''s noses. A feeling that was all but pleasant grew inside Chu Yi. Originally Chu Yi intended to explore the room, in search of an exit but when faced with the sight before, he couldn''t help but let out a disgusted sneer.


    Even though he had guessed the results, when faced with the full sight, he still felt contempt.


    Red lines drawn with fresh human blood ran along the wooden floorboards, with each point of the line connecting to form a hexagon in a typical sacrifical pattern. Each node was drawn in a difftent pattern, anti- clockwise and the pungent smell of blood hit him like a rock.


    At the very center of the array was a deep blood filled hole, he couldn''t measure the depths from here he was standing but a close estimate was more than 15 ft underground and 4 ft wide at minimum, the amount of blood needed to fill a hole that size, was astronomical.


    It didn''t take much brains to figure out the purpose of the pattern, neither was it hard to guess what the children''s bodies were used for.


    The ignorant journalist that had written the newspaper article lauding the absolute kindness of the Madam would never have guessed, what kind of darkness existed in the castle.


    Despite this unsettling feature, the room appeared normal albeit poor.


    Chu Yi had basically figured out most of ins and outs of this instance but he still needed some more information to make a absolute guess.


    With such a backstory, anyone would feel their hairs standing on its toes upon hearing it, little thought needed to imagine to terrifying incidents that happened in this place.


    "Do you wanna play?."


    The familiar eery question, interrupted his brooding thoughts.


    From behind him, the little young master crept up to Chu Yi''s back, standing on his tip toes to whisper childishly in Chu Yi''s ears.


    The little boys breath didn''t carry the warmth of the living but seemed more like a dead body.


    From the last time he had met him, the child had obviously deteriorated and although he still remained obvious human features, purple spots of what looked like liver mortis were starting to set in.


    In fact, compared to the other children in the castle, he definitely had the appearance but seeing as such, his death would probably have been the most gruesome.


    Because, in very sacrifice array, they all had something in ommon.


    A catalyst, the main sacrifice, the center; that would bear the brunt of every inch of extreme, excruciating pain inflicted on them.


    Staring at the purple spots of liver mortis marring that delicate face, Chu Yi answered softly,


    Once again agreeing,


    "Let''s play."

 Chapter 40 - Doll House(17.2) M

    Hah! Hah! Hah-


    In absolute darkness, the overwhelmed gasps of absolute pleasure reigned.


    A beautiful creature strained under the weight of shadows, face dyed an intoxicating red, the man could neither move nor speak, only feel under the phantom hands of an unknown creature.


    Chu Yi felt as if all his senses had been amplified by thousands, every touch, sent tingles of pleasure down his spine. Phantom fingers were pressing hard into his sides, and the pale male could feel the imprints, the tiny shadows were leaving on his flushed and sweaty skin. They tortured him in the most intoxicating way, the constant shocks of pleasure proving almost too much to bear.


    Fingers crawled up and something pressed deep into the butterfly mark marring his delicate skin-


    "Fuck-


    Chu Yi let out heated breath,


    It was painful as as if the whole person was thrown into flames and burned. The touch resembhed airtight flames, burning from the fragile skin to the blood vessels, and then to the internal organs, causing severe pain in the heart, as if they had been dug out by humans, leaving only a hollow.


    And yet pain mixed with warm pleasure, forming a brilliant symphony that made Chu Yi almost cum on the spot.


    He gripped the floor beneath him vain, bracing himself, as he clenched his eyes tightly shut to fight off the wave that was threatening to roll over him.


    One phantom hand after another retreated from its possessive place at Chu Yi''s hips and took turns running up and down his smooth, naked thigh. Chu Yi shivered, but he wasn''t cold, even if the only thing he was wearing was the blood stained shirt.


    Part of him regretted ever agreeing to play with the young master and in addition, the dark red butterfly that symbolized the countdown were far more sensitive than the rest of him and the touches paid extra attention to it but admittedly that part of him was suprressed , mainly because Chu Yi wasn''t able to concentrate with the sudden addition of unstopping nips and bites from phantom mouths, the hands still playing on top of his thigh.


    Chu Yi turned around, as far as that was possible with the mouths and hands snugly holding into limbs and looked to the side with clenched fist, and looked a the side. The doll was still there, the only one left after the young master had gone missing the instead he had entered the room. Although it seemed impossible, he could sense look on its face, it resembled the one on Ruan Quixi before, that hardly ever promised something good, his dark eyes full of passion as he traced them all over Chu Yi''s visage.


    Chu Yi found that the doll had never looked more like a king. In his mind, he pictured Ruan Quixi, a gigantic throne was enveloping him, but it wasn''t dwarfing him; rather, it looked like it had just been made for him. He wore his red and gold coat, not because he had to attend any King''s duties today, but because he could. The gold shimmer of his treasure was coating his face in an ethereal glow and the jewels in his crown shined the brightest. His chin was tipped up, not in arrogance but as a sign of royalty, Chu Yi squirming at his mercy , the most valuable possession he owned.


    He didn''t know where the sudden vision came but it felt like it was meant to be so.


    "GASP-"


    The man seemed to be dissatisfied with Chu Yi''s for he felt hands gently cup his face and a soft touch fell on his lips.


    Of course, the man wouldn''t keep it innocent for too long, because he greedily pressed his fingers into Chu Yi''s side, and at the same time, brushed the fingers into his crotch, just barely ghosting his aching stem.


    It was then that a deep, horse voice dripping with sultry lust sounded by his ear.


    "Think I can make you cum from this alone?"


    Ruan Quishi''s suggestion had heat pooling in Chu Yi guts. Oh, it was very enticing, this offer, but he could also feel his dignity being slowly stripped away by his hands.


    "By all means, try " Chu Yi said a hint of breathless challenge tangled in his breath. He couldn''t say more, Not when multiple hands was now caressing the tip of his clothed dick, the touch as soft as a breeze, while simultaneously grinding up into Chu Yi''s mark.


    He closed his eyes with a deep groan and let his head onto the floor, fucking himself into the hands.


    Ruan Quixi was now brutally grinding his nipples with a thumb and forefinger, going up to his pointed tip and down to his chest.


    His own dick was leaking onto the floor, trailing along his thighs and it looked like pearls had been woven into it. He was now full-on moaning, not caring if anyone might hear because he knows that this was an isolated space solely reserved for them. Craving for what he gave him and still demanding more and more.


    "Fuck" Chu Yi whimpered. The pleasure was threatening to overwhelm him, but he couldn''t stop staring in front of him, at the quiet doll, his determined stare on the verge of breaking.


    A thought flashed through his mind, an image of himself lying in a sea of gold and sparkles, naked safe for his crown, Ruan Quixi on top of him, bringing him to his greatest pleasure.


    Chu Yi suddenly realized.


    This was a painful feeling.


    Yet this was also a happy feeling.


    And the phantom fingers moved away from the front of his chest, along the way, from the collarbone, to the neck, to the chin, and then to the cheeks and forehead.


    There was a pause in the movement where the finger was, but in the end it fell again and stopped at Chu Yi Adam''s apple.


    "This ... in ... "


    Chu Yi could no longer hear anything, panting violently, pain swept through it, like a storm, pleasure trailing on its tail.


    No matter how he tried to suppress with one last final push into his mark, pleasure and pain erupted , until Chu Yi was coming untouched, coating his bloody shirt with more pearls.


    " Ha-


    "Ha-


    "Ha-


    Even as he rode out the aftertaste of pleasure, a frown still descended on Chu Yi''s face.


    He had been tricked again.

 Chapter 41 - Doll House (18)

    Gasp!


    Xiao Ke stood with his back plastered to the winding wall, his face a ghastly white.


    From somewhere, he could the creeping footsteps of the monsters approaching.


    There wasn''t much time left for the timer and if that bastard didn''t hurry up, he''d die here.


    "Fuck!"


    Staggering, Xiao Ke avoided the hairy arm that came swinging towards him, rolling forward embarrassingly before frantically crawling to his feet and running.


    Boom! Boom!


    The monster was slow but its stride was heavy and loud, Xiao Ke could imagine how cruelly he would be crushed to death if it caught him!


    "COME ON!"


    Unexpectedly, in such an isolated place, there was someone else inhabiting the fortress maze!


    Zhao Pengyu waved frantically to the despairing Xiao Ke, an anxious look on his face. He was standing before the door of the maze, an inconspicuous thinly veiled wooden door covered in dry leaves. It was slightly opened and Zhao Pengyu was using his utmost effort to keep it open, purple veins bulging on his neck from the force!


    Xiao Ke''s eyes lit up with a scorching light and he forced his exhausted limbs to run towards Zhao Pengyu.


    Hah! Hah!


    He could hear the large bull like monster getting nearer and his feet slowly becoming numb under the force, speed dropping gradually; gritting his teeth he made one last final burst and flung himself towards the door!


    He could feel his fingers grab onto the handle, a triumphant light bursting forth, he was going to survive!


    Yet before he could register his hard won victory, he felt himself suddenly being forcefully yanked back into the maze, despair and disbelief quickly clouding his pupils.


    Under his gaze, he could see the look on Zhao Pengyu''s face quickly changing and without further hesitation, he flung himself through the door, leaving the lone Xiao Ke to fend for himself.


    He didn''t even have time to curse before the door shut with a horrible bang!


    Cutting off all forms of escape!


    In this world, how can there be any existence that is truly good.


    The air around him was heavy and dark, the monster had disappeared and in his horrified gaze, he saw something quickly emerging from the shadow at his feet.


    It struggled and wiggled grotesquely under an invisible force, but nothing could stop and before long, the shadow quickly seperated from him.


    It stilled for a minute but he couldn''t be relieved because soon it began another struggle, quickly taking on another form.


    Under his bated breath, the other party stepped out of the darkness.


    The shadow quickly compressed and condensed the figure of a man. He had black hair and black clothes. He was tall, with a handsome face like a god, and under his high eyebrows, there were a pair of scarlet plumes. There was an almost inhuman cruelty in the depths of those eyes. At the moment it passed, the blood of Xiao Ke almost seemed to be freeze instantly.


    He shuddered back, but the man still walked towards him slowly.


    His expression was unwavering and his voice was low and low, like the vibrato of the strings swayed in the air: "I found you."


    Xiao Ke did not understand the meaning of his words, but he was caught by a certain characteristic in his voice. Frightened, the extreme fear for no reason grabbed his mind. This chilly feeling that seemed to be suppressed by the soul made him scared and almost unable to move his steps!


    The man walked up to him, slowly bent over and raised his right hand hanging beside him:


    "Did you hurt him with this hand?"


    Xiao Ke was almost speechless, and could only watch with horrified eyes , as his hand''s skin dried and cracked in an instant, revealing the bright red muscle tissue under it, and yet even a drop of blood did not ooze out. Then, the muscle under the skin twitched and contracted, like a layer of burnt and dried oil, it clung to the bone tightly- then he felt the pain.


    He hissed in despair and miserable horror. His voice was amplified by the hollow maze and echoed across the walls and collapsed in a heap.


    The man''s blood- colored eyes did not fluctuate at all, staring at him silently and coldly, asking softly,


    "Is there any other place?"


    Xiao Ke trembled on the ground holding his completely abolished hand, saliva and foam dripping from his gaping lips. There was a vague and pained groan stuck in his throat, that shivered because of fear, and his lungs made a ''hehe'' agitation like a bellow. Because of excessive panic, he could not say a word!


    "Time has passed too long so, I can''t smell the lingering blood on you." The man said faintly: "Since you don''t want to cooperate, I will have to do it myself."


    He raised a well-knotted hand and said. A firm grip in the void.


    A faint gray mist was pulled out from the front of the players forehead. Xiao Ke wailed in pain, and his entire body was twisted and deformed in the terrifying pain, as if he was suffering invisible torture.


    The man''s eyes narrowed slightly, as if he was reading something.


    A few minutes later, he raised his eyebrows, looked at the unhuman-shaped man lying on the ground, and whispered with a kind of cruel mercy:


    "If this is the case, then you have no need to exist."


    The  wall reflected the twisted limbs of Xiao Ke that shrank and dried in an instant, the faint ghost fire bounced a few times and then went out.


    The walls stilled stained with the putrid smell of burnt flesh.


    ****


    In an open corridor, floor stained with dried blood, Chu Yi stared into the the eyes of the little boy. An angry stare cruelly flashing across his face.


    There was a calm madness in his eyes, the dark pupils were like a bottomless abyss, and the demon imprisoned in them gave a malicious smile to the opponent.


    Beautiful to terrifying, coquettish to terrible.


    Under that beautiful almost inhuman appearance, there seemed to be an elusive madness jumping under his eyes, an unstable factor vaguely tossing, with a treacherous and fatal attraction, dangerous and terrible, innocent and pure.


    The surroundings fell into an unknown dead silence again, and every minute and every second contained the horrible silence before the storm.


    The scarlet lines were completely exposed, hugging his slender and pale limbs tightly like a vine, stretching out from the neckline with teeth and claws, and the extreme color impact became more and more thrilling in the darkness.


    At such a close distance, he could clearly see the eyes of the boy in front of him.


    He could almost sense the way it shifted guiltily, refusing to look at Chu Yi.


    He sneered angrily before walking heavily into the room, stepping carelessly on the array beath his feet.


    "How do I leave?"


    Eager to make up for his previous mistake, the young master quickly pointed to the blood pool in the center of the sacrifice.


    Chu Yi raised his eyesborws and hummed haughtily, ge couldn''t waste much more time, as their was only 5 minutes on the clock and for every passing second, he could feel the desire for destruction and murder rearing its ugly head.


    The previous venting was nowhere enough for him and he had a feeling that staying any longer would lead to unimaginable consequences.


    So without sparing another look to the pitiful child ghost, he held his breath and jumped feet first into the blood pool.


    The blood quickly submerged his head and the metallic scent flooded his nose, disappearing in the bloody current.


    Chu Yi felt as if he was falling forever.


    As if he was being pulled into a deep sea by invisible gravity, all the sounds were blocked on the distant water surface, and it seemed as if only the sound of his own heartbeat could be heard.


    The gurgling bubbles flicked over his ears and floated towards the top of his head.


    He couldn''t struggle, couldn''t breathe, and could only fall feebly into a deeper and colder abyss.


    There was a vague call from a distance.


    Chu Yi couldn''t hear what the other party was saying, but in the bottom of his heart, he just knew inexplicably that the other party was calling his own name.


    He opened his eyes sharply.


    As if a bubble wrapped around him was suddenly punctured, all sounds, colors, and disorderly lines rushed towards him, slamming his temples like a heavy hammer, making him unable to concentrate and think


    Chu Yi was struggling on the edge of suffocation. Under the pressure of layers of blood and grease, his five senses and six orifices were occupied by the strong odor of rust, as if to penetrate into his bones and internal organs, through every inch of his skin.


    Finally, he got rid of the swampy tug and pull around him, and struggled to get out.


    Chu Yi coughed hoarsely, while wiping the semi-dry blood that covered his eyes, nose and mouth, the dry and cold air swept through the trachea like a sharp blade and poured into his chest cavity.


    The smell of copper spread in his mouth, and it was unclear whether it comes from inside or outside the body.


    He staggered and stood still, blinking, looking around at the world around him through the black and red eyelashes that had been condensed into locks.


    Briefly he saw, A blood-red crescent moon hanging overhead.


    The steep and sharp edge of the abyss cuts the sky into two distinct halves, and the narrow antenna is dyed a quiet dark red by the moonlight. Where the moonlight cannot illuminate, the thick and unclear darkness surges and rolls, and the strong smell of blood almost xondensed into an entity.


    Very quiet.


    There was no human voice, no air currents, only the sticky sound of the blood swamp under my feet, flowing in the dark night.


    Clear light, reflected in the deep pupils. A cruel beauty that was almost primitive and brutal. The bright blood stained the lower half of his face, following the sharp arc of the jaw. It dripped down, winding down along the arc of the collarbone onto his chest, the tip of a pale pink tongue protrudes from the lips, gently sweeping across the bright lower lip, rolling away a few drops of blood.


    The vision was quickly replaced by the familiar system ground and around him, the figures of the dazed and disheveled players assaulted his eyes.


    The first thing that him was the smell.


    It was like the rotten odor of animal carcass, biting plasma transpired by high temperature, mixed with the mildew odor of deteriorating sewage, twisting into a terrifying odor that cannot be escaped, covering the whole land pervasively, like countless mosquitoes and flies are dancing. The noisy buzzing sounded unscrupulously, as if they were the masters here.


    Chu Yi looked around uncertainly and noticed that on the large dining table, slabs and plies of raw meat and dishes was piled up like a tower, giving off the disgusting scent.


    And sitting at the table was the Madam.

 Chapter 42 - Doll House(19)

    The Madam looked undeniably different, she seemed almost life-like, the rosy colour of health blooming on her face.


    Clouds of white wafted through the air from the food.


    The woman started, "You all must be starving, yes?" Well, fortunately, We made you all something delicious!" She pointed to the table with the piping hot bowl down. "Have a taste, won''t you?"


    It was a bowl of thick soup filled with delicious ingredient, however the most eye-catching ingredient of them all were the massive meatballs. There were plenty of meatballs to go around; some sank to the bottom of the bowl, others remained afloat, and some even bobbed beneath the surface only to rise back up, but all of them added to the rich taste of the soup, giving rise to an intense aroma that drifted throughout the room.


    And yet, not a single person moved to the table after catching sight of the fresh meatballs in the soup. Rather, the only thing that moved was the expression on their faces, gradually darkening and twisting into an uglier expression, an expression that exemplified the emotions that had soon took ahold of everyone''s heart-sheer horror and utter disgust.


    "Delicious."


    Not a single person moved; everyone was as frozen as a statue.


    Although the meatballs looked undeniably tantalizing, everyone was obviously thinking the same dreadful thing-just what kind of meat was used to make those meatballs?


    "Hm? How strange? Why won''t any of you eat this?"


    Utterly baffled, the Madam continued pestering them with questions. Carefully tucking her hair behind her ear and hunching her back forward, she took the initiative to pick up some chopsticks and soon reached for a meatball. "It''s very delicious."


    She raised her chopsticks to her mouth and gobbled the meatball whole. Bits of the juicy, blood-red meatball were stuck between her bright white teeth; the way she chewed loudly as the grease dripped down her lips made it seem as though the meatballs were unimaginably exquisite.


    Watching this nauseating scene stimulated Lui Quishi, once again leaving him with his hands tightly covering his mouth in an attempt to suppress his desire to hurl. The others'' complexions weren''t looking any better than hers, but the woman didn''t seem to notice this. She caught another meatball with her chopsticks and proceeded to stuff it into her mouth, her face colored with pure satisfaction as she ravenously swallowed it down.


    "Crunch. Crunch." With every meatball devoured, the hostess'' face grew more content. Issued from the depths of her mouth was a dull sound similar to that of fragile bones being chewed on. Lu Quishi finally couldn''t endure hearing that disturbing noise.


    Green vomit overflowing from the hand at his mouth


    Finally perceiving their terror, yet seemingly unable to understand the reason for their expressions of fear, the woman mumbled to herself, "Is the food served tasty ? But the children likes it, all of them like to eat it!"


    The air was filled with a deafening silence. No one breathed a word.


    "What a suprise!"


    Under the nervous and frightened eyes the absent butler manifested into the eyes of the players, ignoring them he made a beeline for the table.


    "Oh what a joy! Today''s kitchen has done an exemplary job for dinner. Bless, the Madam''s soul for allowing her faithful servant to feast with her on such a grand occasion!"


    Sitting at the end of the dining table, the butler stretched out a skinny and claw like hand and picked up the what resembled an oily human leg that had been roasted. The mouth that was large and oddly proportioned slowly opened, and the corners of his mouth almost split to the roots of the ears, revealing The sharp teeth are staggered, spreading towards the throat layer by layer.


    Like some kind of huge monster at this moment. Just looking at them makes people feel an inexplicable fear and tremor.


    All the players were pale, they couldn''t help feeling cold, and subconsciously held their breath.


    Their eyes were stuck in the heart ppounding horror scene. They couldn''t move anything. They could only watch the butler put the leg directly into his mouth, and his cheeks and throat were accompanied by a slow motion. Slowly chewing and wriggling, making scalp numbing gnawing and swallowing noises, the chewed minced meat and bone residue wrapped in thick grease dripping from the corners of his mouth, falling down on the snow white tablecloth.


    The scene before them is creepy.


    Expressionless male servant and maid appeared and placed the silver plates one by one on the table, and reached out their hands to lift the lid, revealing different dishes.


    Another soup, the white ribs exposed in the creamy-white soup, and the slices of the fresh and tender meat that are cut into his mouth are slowly dripping with pink sauce, wrapped in the tender grilled shoulder meat.


    The oily bacon is decorated with spicy mint white sauce.


    From the color matching to the fragrance, every dish is particularly attractive.


    But every player standing knows the ingredients of these dishes.


    Or at least they could guess, from the size and length of the meat, it was the flesh of children.


    They faces were shrouded in horror, as if their stomachs were overwhelmed, but they felt as if their feet was bound by this terrible sight, the mind is eroded and occupied, and the soul seems to be trembling and shrinking for in fear.


    "Oh -- "


    A player with low tolerance in his heart couldn''t help but bow his head and retche.


    He subconsciously stretched out his hand to the wall for support, but what he felt was something like soft and slippery creeping flesh. He couldn''t help but yell in horror, and walked back a few steps, if it weren''t for another player who quickly held him with quick reflexes, he might just have fallen to the ground.


    All the players were pale, they couldn''t help feeling cold, and subconsciously held their breath.


    Slowly chewing and wriggling, making terrifying gnawing and swallowing noises, the chewed minced meat and bone residue wrapped in thick grease


    pulled backband was slowly sent to the butlers mouth like a meat grinder.


    From the toes, to the thighs, to the hips, to the soft abdomen. Everything was eaten


    "Crack, crack."


    The sound of crushing bones seemed to be magnified several times by the second. The butler chewed and ate the internal organs arranged like a salad on the table, making a snort and grunting sound, splashing plasma and minced meat before their eyes. Most of the table was contaminated, and even players who were standing close were splashed.


    The butlers squinted in delight, greed and hunger shining on his face.


    At the beginning, the player could feel nauseous and disgusted, but by the time, the dinner was truly finished, they only had numb and silent faces.


    There is a mess everywhere.


    Then both the butler and the Madam stared hungrily at the players, a green ghostly light shining in their eyes.


    In an instant, the interior of the entire castle was like a huge picture tainted with blood, and the sticky and smelly blood flowing arbitrarily along the first-level steps.


    It was like an invisible water wave slowly rippling away, and a layer of a faint illusory image was gradually peeled away from the building surrounding them.


    Everyone watched the exquisitely colored wallpapers, gorgeous and complicated decorations, and extravagant and exquisite sculptures disappear in front of their own eyes like a mirrore-the scene in front of them made them breathe in cold air and a layer of cold sweat erupted.


    The walls and floor are like flesh and blood that has been stripped from a layer of skin. The scarlet surface is smooth and soft, as if thick and dark red blood is slowly leaking out all the time. It seems to be alive, with a strange pattern.


    Pulsating.


    Everything in the line of sight is dazzling scarlet.


    The narrow corridor was filled with the smell of decay and humidity, and the old-fashioned light bulbs above the head made a sizzling noise. The light in the dining room was dark, and under the flashing light, you could see the surroundings. The walls were mottled and covered with copper-red rust marks.


    The castle was slowly revealing its true appearance.

 Chapter 43 - Doll House(20)

    The illusion in front of them disappeared. The Madams face returned to its deathly, ashen pallor and the butler redisgusied himself in that strict, fanatic mask.


    However the castle still lost the glamor and glitter of luxury and had receded into a mottled, almost run-down state.


    Under the numb gazes of the remaining players they retreated into the mansion, not before leaving a haunting reminder that two roles had not been played out.


    Over a dozen persons came inband by this time, on the fourth day, half of them was dead.


    "We need to work together, if we all want to live."


    Shi XiaoDong spoke first, some regret staining his voice.


    The first mistake they made was being arrogant enough to think that this low level instance didn''t need any teamwork, nevertheless the instance quickly smacked them in face with their own weakness.


    If they continue to work alone, most of them would die here.


    "So far we can come to a certain conclusion, the Madam definitely took away those childrens bodies and it probably had something to do with how she was able to live so long."


    This was a typical horror movie plot but when they truly came intact with it, the horror and cruelty was expanded exponentially.


    "The bodies had never been placed in the coffin, neither had they been dug up. That goes to show that the Madam had an ulterior motive from the very beginning. The children might have not even been dead when they were first brought here but had been slowly tortured to death."


    Chu Yi slowly reiterated his thoughts


    "After a person dies, the corpse decays and produces gas to attract flies to lay eggs. If there is no accident, the first first fly larvae, known as maggots, can be seen within 24 hours. Another day, molting into second stage pupal, then third stage, adult fly.


    When a corpse is first buried clusters of eggs and adult flies are attracted to the corpse, but no pupae, combined with the average temperature, and other characteristics, such as the condition of the corpse and the characteristics of the abdomen, he can judge that the corpse had never been buried, because in the empty coffins that they had dug up, their was no fly residue or stench."


    The others turned slightly pale and something flashed through Shi XiaoDong''s eye.


    "So we can conclude that the dolls found around the castle are probably the souls of the dead children that have trapped somehow. Remember on the first day, the red doll had been found in the dead players room and how every doll had been placed in all of the restricted rooms."


    "There have been many horror stories about dolls moving and harming their owners, so dolls have always been a medium to channel souls."


    "Dolls have also been associated with immortality and beauty, therefore if the Madam had wanted to somehow prolong her life, sacrificing the souls of children and placing them in dolls to somehow power herself isn''t a forgone conjecture."


    "We just have to find out how she did it, and how to stop it."


    The others nodded in agreement, they had to find out how the sacrifice worked before the Candle Lit festival in seven days and possibly even destroyed it before then.


    "Let''s search, there isn''t much time till we have to go back to our rooms and we have to take every chance chance we get."


    Chu Yi hummed, before turning around and walking towards the stairs.


    They didn''t walk far before, at the end of the first floor, the silhouette of two children holding hands at the far end of the corridor stood, not knowing when they had appeared. The lamps like voice-controlled lights in the corridor lit up with the sound of everyone''s footsteps. Chu Yi raised his head and scanned the stairwell not far away, and then followed everyone behind to go up.


    The first floor fell silent for a moment.


    The flickering light in front of each room illuminated a small space in the narrow corridor, the air was full of blood and rancid smell, so harsh that it can almost be solidified, and standing at the foot of the door, a body lay blue-grey, with the belly torn open. The corpse was lying quietly in the middle of the corridor.


    Those long-dead, turbid eyes slowly turned one frame and looked at the empty stairwell.


    "Don''t stop"


    Before they could register the sight, under Chu Yi''s cold command, the group subconsciously picked up the pace and bypass the dead corpse.


    The cold, lifeless eyes watching as they climbed farther up the stairs.


    The layout of the second floor is exactly the same as that of the first floor. The only difference was that a dark red wallpaper was pasted on the wall, blurred and faded because of the long time. The color on it is mottled, as if it has been splashed with gushing blood.


    There was nothing on this floor and the players traveled unheeded up to the fifth floor.


    The Madams room.


    The brass-colored iron door was mottled and old and yet, through the gaps of the door, you could see remnants of the tall Gothic spires, and between the layered eaves, you could see the narrow and thin window creases with retro style.


    Unexpectedly, the door of the Madam''s room was wide open, and the light inside was dim but still lightly illuminated the entire room.


    Although the furniture in the room was rusty and old and the walls in need of repair, you could still see the traces of has-beens and riches.


    In the very middle of the room was an antique, retro style sofa sitting on a large chromatic carpet.


    On that dusty sofa, there were two people sitting side by side, like a family, close to each other- it would have seemed like a regular scene, if their stiff and upright bodies were ignored.


    Chu Yi walked around the sofa and looked at the two people sitting on the sofa.


    -It was the two players who had died under the hands of the doll''s.


    The corners of the mouths of the two people grinned to the base of their ears, and a weird and bright red smile was evoked. The almost identical expressions looked very crippled in the immediate environment. One had his left eyeball, and the other had her right eyeball scooped out. The dug out eyeballs were placed in their respective palms, the only remaining sluggish eyeball was bloodshot and silent, staring straight at the open door not far away, the blood slid down the crooked eye sockets, on the pale face It looks particularly dazzling.


    It was as if they were waiting for them.


    Two dolls were neatly placed on the small bench beside them, with sweet and innocent smiles on their slightly faded faces.


    The doll''s eye sockets were empty, one missing the left eye and the other missing the right eye.


    Such hints are already very obvious.


    Chu Yi stepped forward under the eyes of the players and placed the soft and creamy eyeballs of the two players into the doll''s eye sockets.


    CRASH!


    The players jumped, frightened. From beside them, an old bookshelf came slamming to the floor, scattering the antique papers and scrolls to the floor.


    "What''s that?"


    Shi XiaoDong reacted first and with a keen eyesight, spotted an inconspicuous black book in the center of the scattered books, out of sight in the see of brown scrolls and papers.


    He carefully stepped over the others and grabbed the book.


    "It''s the Castle''s Account book."


    They tried to open it but to their dismay, it was a locked book and could only be opened with a special key.


    "This is a big clue related to our survival so we have to find a way to open it."


    The others nodded in agreement.


    The players dispersed quickly, looking for any special items that might be the key.


    Chu Yi also followed the crowd slowly, and looked at the interior of the room that could be considered poor with cold eyes.


    Almost every restricted room in the castle had traces of the lives of children aged five to ten years old, scattered with toys, crayons, dolls, etc . as can be seen from various details, these rooms belong to families with children, only the first floor where they lived was diffrent but those houses seem to belong to servants.


    Such an estate that was visually on the verge of bankruptcy, how could they afford so many toys?

 Chapter 44 - Doll House (21)

    Under the threat of death, the players searched enthusiastically and not before long Lui Quishi yelled in triumph.


    "Found it!"


    In a small nook in the brown floorboard, a small brass key had been cleverly hidden from view. It was really only because Lui Quishi had somehow tripped and fell facing the tile, that they had managed to find it so quickly.


    The rest quickly gathered around the book and Shi Xiaodong inserted the small key with a soft click.


    The small account book opened up to a series of numbered ledgers dating from before July 13 1997 when the children first arrived.


    [June 27, 1997


    10€- Fresh Fruit for the Kitchen


    20€- Temporary Maid Salary


    70€- Madam''s Book


    35€- Soup for the Kitchen


    Total: 135€ ]


    [June 29, 1997


    5€- Young Master''s Piano Lessons


    20€- Rouge


    60€- Temporary Cook Salary


    100€- Dress for Madam Cherry''s Ball


    Total: 185€]


    [May 1, 1997


    100€- Rose Teapot


    48€-New Carpet for the Guest Bedroom


    35€- New Sheet for the Guest Bedroom


    200€- Fresh Fruits for the Kitchen


    40€- Gold Laquered Bracelet


    Total: 423€]


    [May 5, 1997


    200€- Poulty and Wine


    50€-Ciggarettes for the Guest


    70€- Red Light District


    300€- Madam''s personal purchase


    Total: 620€]


    Evidently the mansion wasn''t as glamorous and thriving as it made itself seem at first glance. A large castle such as this one should have been running on at least a 1000€ per week.


    Instantly they had noticed the subtle discrepancies. Before the beginning of May, the castle''s expense could have been considered frugal and even poor, relying on Temporary workers to get by and keep up the appearances of the Castle, but on May 1, there was an sudden and instant shift in spending, rather it could even be called fragulant and excessive.


    There was also some key words that they noticed. In that time frame, a special guest had appeared in the castle.


    Who exactly was this person, that could prompt a dying estate to milk itself to the greatest extent in order to serve such a special guest.


    Chu Yi thought of the sacrifice array and the deep blood pool in the Madams room and had a vague guess but he''d need to confirm it.


    "Let''s go, there ain''t much time left. If we want to find anything of importance we have to go to the place we''ve least considered."


    "Where''s that?"


    Chu Yi answered the question for Lui Quishi,


    "The young masters room."


    Shi XiaoDong threw a subtle glance at Chu Yi but nodded in agreement.


    "As a key NPC in this instance, we''ve interacted with the young master the least. More than likely he''d be our breakthrough point for this instance."


    The others nodded in agreement and without further ado, they made a beeline down to the Young Master''s room.


    It was the same as Chu Yi remembered, a room full of beautiful dolls, albeit now in varying states of disrepair, nevertheless compared to the rest of the castle, the young masters room was by far, the most fitting.


    The young master wasn''t there, the room was empty and devoid of life, giving the players the ability to explore.


    "We have only about half an hour left before sundown and before then we have to find something that would relate to the missing children."


    The rest hummed in agreement and set about ruffling through the room.


    Chu Yi observed the room quietly, and with steady feet, inched closer to the wall of the room.


    He reached out a slender hand and lightly ran his finger along the wall.


    From it, grey ash studded onto his fingers.


    Burn marks.


    Unnoticed, he flicked the ash from his fingers calmly and continued to search the room.


    Stained carpet, burn marks, spots of blood.


    All made for a poorly cleaned crime scene.


    Chu Yi noticed something out of place in the room, on ther very far corner sat a small hourglass.


    Except, the sand inside wasn''t moving.


    It seemed as if time had stood still and the hourglass was stuck forever in an endless loop.


    Time, this wasn''t the first time he had happened on it and it seemed the instance had a uncanny liking for time.


    He pondered for a moment before suddenly making a move, with quick determined strides, he walked over to desk, grabbed the suspended hourglass and flipped it over!


    Time restarted!


    Like the flip of a switch, the room stated speeding under the shocked cries of the players!


    The wallpaper peeled off revealing it''s bloody corners, the smell of astrid smoke snd dust burnt their noses and a scorching hot temperature rose frightenly in the room!


    The carpet on the floor disappeared to reveal a large bloody sacrifice array beneath their feet, the lines seemed to be pulsating like a heartbeat , wiggling and turning like the flesh and muscle beneath an open wound!


    The thick odor from a burning corpse was mixed into billowing black smoke, rushing towards the players standing there, mixed with the dark clouds of ash and burnt blood.


    A harsh scream rose in the sudden wind.


    The sharp whistle sound like a nail scraping through the glass instantly resounded through the world. The spiteful meaning contained in it made everyone''s scalp numb, it was like a grieving ghost, making the players unbearably raise their hands to block their ears, but still, the harsh hissing howl seemed to penetrate into the earholes abruptly, causing their brains to feel like it was about to explode.


    The floor beneath showed traces of flames.


    Like a ignited piece of paper, black dots of broken holes slowly appeared, and the hole slowly expanded and swallowed the players.


    "Do you want to play a little game?"


    That hauntingly childish voice seemed to break through the wall of sound and penetrated into their ear.


    "Do you want to play a little game!"


    Their was no time to think about it, so one by one the players nodded.


    Chu Yi stared unhappily at the little boy but the sharp pain in his ear, finally forced him to agree.


    The Young Master clapped his small pale hands happily and like a burning tide, the flames and smoke receded instantly. The room restoring itself to its previous appearance, as if the reading flames was nothing but an illusion.


    Gasping for breath, Shi XiaoDong spoke staggeringly to the NPC


    "What game are we playing."


    The little boy grinned with innocently dark eyes, still dressed in the long pure robes like a beautiful porcelain doll and laughed,


    "Let''s play guess the Dead Body"

 Chapter 45 - Doll House(22)

    Three dirty ragdolls appeared in the right hand of the little young master. To the players suprise, the doll''s were neither missing any limbs nor in a state of disrepair. The doll appeared hamless and cute.


    But it was this harmlessness that had all the players raising their vigilance to the max.


    In the other soft, white hand , appeared a small scroll of white paper.


    As if noticing their curiosity, the little boy waved the paper at them and sang,


    "This is the Madams most important treasure, if one of you manage to win this little game. I''ll show you."


    Before they could digest this information, Chu Yi spoke up.


    In a somewhat condescending voice he asked,


    "And how do we know that that paper is not just a random note. How can we be sure that it''ll be useful to us?"


    The other players looked at Chu Yi as if he was crazy, questioning the NPC was like asking for a death sentence. Not only would the favoribility instantly drop, who knows if the questions asked would be some sort of trigger that would set off the NPC.


    But what was even more unexpected was that, the little boy didn''t get angry as they''d thought, instead a sunny grin crossed his face.


    "You''re right mister, so here''s a little hint. The Madam loves her ''Five Emperors Coin'' . It''s up to you to figure it out~"


    He has a general understanding of this. Chu Yi remembered being shown the five copper coins of "Shunzhi , Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong and Jiaqing."


    If Chu Yi remembers correctly, these five copper coins are also known as the Five Emperors'' Coins. They were cast by five emperors during the heyday of the Qing Dynasty. They have the effects of exorcising evil spirits, preventing disasters, and praying for blessings. They also bear the titles of the five emperors of the Qing Dynasty. It is the most saight after among copper coins.


    There are also a lot of Five Emperor Coins on the market in reality, and the price is not very high, nevertheless Chu Yi feels that the set of Five Emperor Coins in the mouth of the young master, was definitely special.


    He also remembered something else, the ''Five Emperors Coins are also a medium to channel and hold luck, absorb luck and transfer the luck of a victim to another.


    Luck is a mysterious and unexplainable thing, holding a deep connection with fate. Good and Bad luck are two parts of an equilibrium. Too much good luck would drain the soul and attract karma , too much bad luck would collapse the physical body. When a bodies luck is exhausted, the only thing left is for the person to wait for death. Therefore the balance of good and bad luck was crucial in sustaining life.


    So how exactly is the Madam connected to this string of luck?


    Only by winning the game of the young master would the be eligible eligible find out.


    In a sing-song voice the master continued to explain the rules.


    "It''s a very simple game. For the three dolls in front you, each of you have three chances to point out the way you think they died. The right answer must be said consecutively and if by the end no-one has given the right answer, then one of you will be taken away to be my playmate."


    "Each player is given 10 minutes of time to think and afterwards, they won''t be allowed allowed communicate with the other players."


    "Whether the right answers were gven would be told only after the game has ended."


    "Simple right."


    Simple my ass.


    The players faces were ugly, this was tying their fates together, like grasshoppers on the same line. Even if only one player would be taken away, no one guarantee they wouldn''t be the hapless soul that would be dragged away to join the horror of the castle.


    Chu Yi looked thoughtfully at the little boy he had a hunch that if no one gave the right answer by the end of the game, he would be the one to be taken away.


    Just didn''t know if that was a ploy arranged by the wolfish rogue still hiding in the shadows.


    The Young Master stared back fearlessly, grinning his pearly white teeth at Chu Yi.


    There was an obvious loophole in this game however, even if one of the players got the answers wrong by combining and comparing the answers wouldn''t it be easy to eliminate the wrong answers directly and eventually figure out the correct one.


    However the players were quickly slapped in the face.


    After some push and pull, the first player, who happened to be Shi XiaoDong, went up; unfortunately immediately after, a soundless barrier suddenly appeared around him blocking the rest of players so that no matter how much they strained their ears, they couldn''t hear anything that Shi XiaoDong was saying.


    "Fuck this shit!"


    Bu Hua cursed with an unsightly look. Having drawn lots, he had been selected as the second person to go up. Initially he thought he could rely on and exploit this loophole to get some clues but now he could only rely on himself to go up.


    While the players were looking in with worried snd anxious eyes, Shi XiaoDong was faced with a dilemma.


    The dilemma?


    Well he really could not tell anything by looking at the doll''s in front of him. They neither had obvious scarring nor open cuts on their bodies that would clue him in on how the souls of these doll''s had possibly been killed.


    After thinking for a minute, Shi XiaoDong guessed that the clues to the death of these doll''s were hidden in their previous encounters during the past few days.


    He tried hard to think back about everything he had seen but to his dismay, the only thing he had encountered regarding the children was the ''girl in the box'' on the first day told by Chu Yi and the obscured ashes from the young masters room. He still lacked the clue to the third death.


    Unfortunately under the young masters dark gaze he couldn''t couldn''t for anymore time and could only helplessly answer,


    "My answer is-."


    ???


    Bu Hua walked towards the young master in trepidation, trying hard to think of anything that would help him, this was a life or death matter and selfishness could not be tolerated.


    Behind him Chu Yi, Lui Quishi, Xiong Qi, An Xuefeng and Peng Qi watched him go.


    These were all the remaining players left. Xiong Qi still existed in a half awake state and both An Xuefeng and Peng Qi had remained a low presence standing behind Chu Yi for the most part. Neither speaking up nor putting forward any suggestions.


    It was like they didn''t even exist.


    Chu Yi watched with cold eyes as Bu Hua advances step by step to the NPC , a small sneer gradually making its way onto his face, rising in a seductive arc.


    When Bu Hua was almost at the young master, the tension seemed to snap and the young master raised his hand with a light giggle.


    "Sorry Mister, only one person is allowed to play at a time."

 Chapter 46 - Doll House (23)

    In bewildered silence, Bu Hua stared  incomprehensively at the little boy standing before him.


    The words ''One person'' echoed in his head over and over again like a horrifying symphony, confused horror coloring his ashen face.


    "One- One person?! Who''s the other...other person."


    The Young Master answered in a childishly cruel voice,


    "It''s the person in your shadow, of course."


    All eyes turned to Bu Hua''s stagnant shadow.


    ''Won''t you come out mister."


    Silence.


    Under everyone''s confused and disbelieving eyes, the shadow below Bu Hua''s feet began to move.


    First a large distorted head, then a long shadowy arm, then the twisting legs until the thing hidden inside his shadow was fully  revealed to the eyes of the players.


    Heh.


    What a familiar operation.


    If he couldn''t guess the hidden identity of this player by now, he should just jump off a building and off himself before the other has the chance to.


    Some habits, even if you change to a diffrent face, couldn''t be erased.


    Even though he thought so, Chu Yi''s movememts didn''t pause for even a second. He reached out to catch the shadow that was suspended in midair before anyone could react.


    At this moment, the shadow felt its arm was caught.


    How-


    The cold palm was like an iron hoop, slowly exerting a force weighing more than a thousand catties. The intense pain made him materialize quickly and the now revealed face shouted in distorted pain "What the fuck are you doing? Quickly let me go."


    Chu Yi smiled and blinked, pulling him violently towards him, and then using his palm, he slammed the opponent''s arm in the opposite direction--the


    crisp bone cracking sound "click" sounded in the dark room.


    The player''s arm was broken solidly.


    "Done playing Zhong Feng"


    Zhang Feng disgusted as Zhao Pengyu, that was still screaming between shoked, choked, as if a rock had been shoved down his throat. His face paling quickly.


    The other players stared stared the farce before them, disregarding how Zhong Feng, got into Bu Hua''s shadow, the history between Chu Yi and the other man seemed complicated.


    Chu Yi suspected that this ability of his was the exclusive reward given by the system.


    It wasn''t unheard of for players to disguise themselves in the instance. It was a  layer of insurance for alot of them, because not everyone wanted their filthy and cowardly image that they may have in the game to coincide with whatever prestige they held outside in the black city.


    Killing, Looting, Betrayal and Murder was common in the Nightnare Shuttle, but unconsciously or consciously everyone wanted to keep a superficial and hypocritical mask of humanity. Losing that mask would make them feel uncomfortable and exposed, as if they were stripped bare in front of an audience , therefore  although,  disguising props were expensive, alot of people were willing to spend money buying it.


    Zhong Feng was one of those individuals


    Even though Zhong Feng was shocked,  he quickly calmed down in virtue of his experience in and out of the instance, putting on a naive and confused look, shaking his head frantically at Chu Yi


    "I- I - Don''t know who that is- , I-I never heard of this Zhong Feng."


    "Doesn''t matter, the big question though is were you hiding in Bu Hua''s shadow. What were you trying to accomplish. Taking advantage of someone else''s effort to pass the instance or maybe even...Murder?"


    The topic changed so quickly, Zhong Feng didn''t even have time to react, this wasn''t how the typical person would react.


    Their was no further questioning nor interrogation, as If Chu Yi had just been making an unimportant guess, moving on unconcerned when he didn''t get the desired answer.


    The others reacted quickly


    .


    It didn''t matter what kind of black history Chu Yi and the Zhao Pengyu, no, it should be called Zhong Feng had between them, it was more important to figure out the basis behind his actions.


    "Ahem!"


    "The game has not been completed, dear servants, it would be in your best interest to focus. Time is running out."


    The Little Young Master seemed unhappy at being ignored and quickly reminded the rest of their duties, an ominous threat tangible in his tone.


    Chu Yi stepped back and let go of Zhong Fengs hands, sending him a kind smile by the way.


    Bu Hua seemed to have lost whatever courage he had mustered up and under the young masters gleeful gaze, ventured trembling into the isolated space.


    The other players settled down, nevertheless whether unconsciously or unconsciously, they avoided the place where Zhong Feng was standing, a subtle air of rejection and hostility diffusing the room.


    The other man''s faces turned even uglier noticing the atmosphere in the room, sending a glare brimming with ill-intention in Chu Yi''s direction.


    For humans, it was always easier to place the blame on someone other than themselves. Chu Yi wasn''t the one who did bad things but Zhong Feng didn''t bother to reflect on his own mistakes or even figure out how Chu Yi had found out his identity but preferred to transfer his own hatred and failure onto Chu Yi for him to carry that black pot.


    Its like a terrorist putting a button in the hands of an innocent passerby, press the red button to explode to the left, and press the blue button to explode to the right.


    Standing in the middle of a crowded interway, the innocent passerby must make a choice, otherwise both sides will explode.


    But after a passerby makes a choice, the survivors will not appreciate him, but the relatives of the dead will hate him. Obviously it was the fault of the terrorist, but everyone still hated the passerby habitually.


    Why?


    Because of fear.


    A terroist is a person who is not bound by rules. This kind of person is very dangerous, and hating him is likely to lead to death. But hating the passers-by is much simpler. It can vent grievances without being retaliated. There is no danger. With so many benefits, why not hate the passers-by?


    Using this reasoning and substituting into the logic of self, there is so much benefit to blaming someone else, why not do that and ignore your own obvious shortcomings.


    Gradually, the other players went up and said their thoughts, Chu Yi was last after giving his answers, he


    walked up to the others on the sides, and waited for the final verdict.


    The invisible barrier around them disappeared and the isolated sounds flooded their senses once again.


    It was like a breath of fresh air after wading through a humid and muddy swamp.


    But the mud and dirt left over on their bodies was their fate.. They could either fail and sacrifice one of themselves or succeed and find the key to survive the instance.

 Chapter 47 - Doll House(24)

    Without waiting for them to adjust,


    Instantly the surrounding around them blurred and distorted. Like water stains on mirror, a layer of fog and mist curtaining their eyes and distorting their vision


    When their vision was finally restored, they found themselves standing in a room bare of furniture, all except for a bed and a desk.


    Having spent a few days here, they instantly recognized it as one of the rooms located in the castle.


    What was supposed to be a rich and aristocratic style room was stripped bare of its furnishing and left to collect dust, hidden and forgotten in an obscure part of the castle.


    Here, the story of the castle gradually appeared before their eyes.


    The Baron Estaste was the castle of the Famous Baron Richard with centuries of history and inheritance, having been ruled by one heir after another.


    However the castle, also has centuries of corruption and mismanagement.


    By the time, the castle fell into the hands of the Madam, it was nothing but  a rotten hollow shell that could only survive by the meager pension given out by the state , however even that small compensation would soon rotten away because of the incompetence and lackluster of her presiders.


    Like most of the heirs of the estate, the Madam was faced with a declining clan, no resources, no luck, and had to rely on buying temporary servants to keep the facade of the estate rather than admit to bankruptcy.


    Without good money, the estate would just continue to decline, like patchwork on cloth that would eventually unravel. The vicious circle was destined to eliminate the Baron from the ranks of the aristocracy.


    But the Madam willing?


    Absolutely not.


    Unlike the other previous male heirs, the Madam was intelligent and ambitious, she didn''t want to live like  a fat pig raised in a pen, just waiting to be slaughtered by the times.


    All she needed was a burst of luck.


    Under the introduction of her friends and colleagues, the Madam began to get in touch with the technique of borrowing luck, regulating her fortune by offering spiritual body.


    Soon after, the castle began to dawn, her achievements were being recognized, a continuous stream of awards and patents being sent down down her. Everything she wanted to do, she could.


    As she became more and more well known , her need for luck became more and more intense... Desire is like a bottomless pit, The Madam played more and more, and began to try to deal with evil spirits to fill the gaping hole of her needs.


    She became greedy, her own luck wasn''t enough anymore, she started dabbling in witchcraft, stealing and symphoning the fortune of others.


    But nothing good comes without a price.


    As her career reached its peak, the backlash followed. At first, she had nightmares all night and all night. Later, the things she dreamed of began to happen one after another in reality. Once she almost had her head chopped by the falling knife of the kitchenhand!


    If this goes on, the consequences would be disastrous... She didn''t want to use her life to fill it, so she invited a dark witch to her home.


    He was a man known for his vicious and cruel ways but that was exactly what she needed. After lathering him with riches and flattery, he finally agreed to help.


    But he needed a sacrifice.


    Alot of them.


    She must conceive a child that shared her blood, to become the final and greatest sacrifice.


    The Madam promised to give the witch all the ''sacrifice'' that he''d need.


    Like a prophecy, she chose the darkest day to conceive, drunk fresh crow blood every day during pregnancy, smear her belly with yin oil and wait for the sacrifice to "hatch".


    Even after the boy was born, she burned the curse into ashes, the bark of the willow tree the blood of the black dog and mixed it with milk to feed... The Madam finally cultivated her son into the most delicious sacrifice of evil spirits, waiting for the Candle Lit Festival when he was eight years old, to drained and sacrifice the blood of a very yin physique to completes the final sacrifice.


    But before that, she relied on the manpower of the estate, to one by one kidnap the children of the barren and closed off village.


    For this sacrifice, the Madam needed a 103 children, the pure and white souls to corrupt their souls and flesh with resentment  and breed the greatest supplement for the evil spirit and in return she would symphon the luck of a 103 children and live happily in her fantasy of wealth and prestige.


    Burned to death, stuffed into a tiny box ,drowned and skinned.


    Anything she could think of, she did.


    The innocent children were subjected to the most horrifying torture and became ghost of resentment after their death.


    The scene before them blurred and once again their eyes opened to the same room  but this time it wasn''t empty.


    The first thing Chu Yi saw after he opened his eyes was the fire, like a sharp and blazing knife, the scene in the fire became clearer and clearer.


    He couldnt feel the pain of the fire but somehow it was like a phantom pain was licking his skin, the charred scent of burned flesh and meat blasting into his face.


    Chu Yi opened his eyes after a long moment and, and he appeared as a bystander on the night of Candle Lit Festival many years ago.


    The Madms urging and frantic voice came from downstairs: "Sacrifice time is coming! The young master hasn''t changed his clothes yet?"


    "Madam! It''s not the young master in the room, it''s this..." The Butler appeared,  holding in his clawed hands , a humanoid doll in pajamas that shivered in the wind.


    The Madam immediately rushed upstairs, grabbed the doll and took a look, and threw it downstairs angrily: "Have the servants check the room, find him within five minutes, and the sacrifice ceremony can''t be delayed for half a second!"


    "Otherwise we will all die!" The Madams  facial features became distorted and terrifying because of anger and fear.


    The butler quickly gathered the servants, and they knocked down door after door in a frantically attempt to find the the master. The Madam walked along the corridor and put on a soft and sweet voice to coax the children: "Mingling come out, don''t play hide and seek with mother, you know, mother likes obedient children.


    " Mom knows that you are very good, you will not be late, and will not deliberately hide yourself."


    "Mom promises that everything will be okay after tonight, and you won''t be sad in the future, and you won''t need to take medicine."


    "Mingling , Did you hear what your mother said? Time is running out."


    "Mingling, you know mother hates being late. Only good boys who are always on time deserves mother''s love."


    "Mingling! Mingling!"


    The corridor was still quiet, and no one responded to the Madam, finally, she could no longer pretend to be calm, and her voice became stern and loud as she screeched, "Get out of here! You hide! What''s the use? You know that you will never escape!"


    "Not coming out! Are you waiting for me to find you myself, it won''t be as simple as punishment if I do!"


    Her voice had changed from a soft whisper to a naked threat.


    At this moment, the butler finally checked all the rooms and whispered a few words into the Madams ear. Her face was getting worse and worse, and in a fit she kicked the door open with her high heels.


    The same door to the room they were in


    She didn''t talk nonsense, went straight to the closet and yanked it open, angrily slapping Xiao Youyu who was hiding there


    "You really are hiding here!"


    "Are you angry?" Mingling face bruised with the red palm prints had a smile, he still hugged his legs and sat in her mother''s wardrobe with an innocent look.


    This was the Madam''s room


    "What kind of vicious bastard are you! To want to kill your own mother! Haven''t I raised you enough! It''s time for you to pay me back"


    She slapped him again.


    Mingling  smiled sweetly and raised his head: "I just wanted to surprise you."


    The Madam roughly took his hand and dragged him out of the closet: "I don''t like trouble-making children, don''t make a fool of yourself, there is no time. Do you know how terrible the consequences of being late are?"


    MingLing was dragged out abruptly, and his knee was torn by the side of the cabinet: "I know, our whole family will be killed by the witches evil spirits, right?"


    The Madam, whose facde was exposed, became stiff and looked angry. Staring at her son, she looked looked grim and terrifying: "Shut up for me, the sacrifice should be act like that of an sacrifice."


    "Mom, let''s stay together" Mingling not only did not shut up, but smiled sweetly like an angel. "I want my mother to stay with me in hell forever."


    The Madam suddenly became cold and


    looked at her angle faced son in horror: "What do you... mean?"


    " Let''s stay together, "Mingling took the Madams hand "The time is up, it''s too late."


    As soon as his voice fell, the altar was shaken, the wall full of curses cracked and collapsed, and the castle was surrounded by ghost fire without warning!


    Bai Yingzhi was so scared she felt faint "Butler! BUTLER! What''s going on!"


    "Impossible, obviously there are still five minutes until the time..." Bai Yingzhi subconsciously glanced at the hourglass in the bedroom , it was only half way through. "How could it be... you moved your hands and feet?!"


    As she said, she severely pinched Mingling''s neck, her fingers with crimson nail polish cut the child''s white flesh: "Did you move the hourglass? ! "


    Even through the pain of strangulation pain the little boy still bent lips happily, ignoring  the sense of suffocation.


    "I stole a few seconds from mother''s day  ... so... my mother will be able to follow me away from this world. "


    The Madam went crazy and her eyes, the red of an evil spirit: "I will kill you now...kill you!"


    "Let''s go to hell together, Let''s be happy"


    The fire spread quickly, and Mingling looked at his mother who was about to put him to death, Smiling, his bright pupils gradually lost the glimmer of life...


    The altar also collapsed and resolved, the putrid blood spilling like the tears of a wretched soul, the beating flames turned into evil spirits, the spirits of the long lost children hungry and fiercely devouring the mother and son in the room, as well as the creatures in the entire villa.

 Chapter 48 - Doll House (25)

    Chu Yi felt breathless.


    A slow yet numbing pain traveling up from the tips of his spine.


    He seemed to have replaced Mingling in this scene, his emotions substituted into his.


    Dark and reeking of death.


    It was a familiar feeling.


    That haunting pain that reared its ugly head in the darkness of the night.


    The same feeling he felt when he looked at a dying patient on a hospital bed.


    Hopeless, helpless, pleading but unable to be saved.


    The dark shadows whispered around the hospital bed, whispering terrifying words-weakness, failing organs, critical illness ... death. All the words seemed to turn into blank and mocking faces, spinning and curling in in the dark and hidden corners, dancing and laughing.


    Like pale, skeleton-like hands hanging down from the side of the bed, countless black shadows spreading  out from all around, entwining tightly like a spiders web.


    Can''t struggle, can''t move, can''t make a sound, can''t breathe.


    Like a helpless prey.


    Emotions have never been a tangible thing  for him, so he learned to absorb.


    Absorb the emotions of others, feed off of them like a parasite, taking and taking for he couldn''t feel on his own.


    He immersed himself in the emotions of others and reveled in it.


    He loved the taste of despair and pain because it was the purest and strongest emotion.


    It was like a lingering aftertaste that you would savor in your mouth, unwilling for it to fade away yet at the same looking for the next delicacy.


    And then he would pull them from that abyss, watching the despair fade away and light would penetrate their world.


    The darkness fading into a lighter hope.


    He was like a god, giving life anew.


    And yet that despair was like an addicting drug, so he chooses the dirtiest and filthiest hearts to feed his burning soul


    "Tch-"


    Chu Yi shook away those trifling thoughts and focused his attention onto the present situation.


    "What a fucking scumbag!"


    Still immersed in his emotions, Lui Quishi unexpectedly broke out, disgust and forbearance dripping from his voice.


    The others showed equal expressions of distaste.


    Such a mother was indeed worthy of death.


    Nevertheless what was to come eventually would never be a second late and the players quickly gave up struggling and waited for the next results obediently.


    Unexpectedly there wasn''t much suspense to this ending and after what seemed like a brief tension filled interlude, the young master clapped his hands happily and yelled congratulations under the startled gazes of the players.


    "This game was played well spectacularly and one of your fellow peers, had the intelligence and insight to guess all the answers correctly!"


    Although the young master didn''t mention specifically who did it, they each carried their own speculations in their hearts.


    Right now, the most important issue was the piece of paper held in the hands of the young master.


    This was related to the survival of the entire group and no one would disregard their own lives.


    "As agreed, the Madams most precious treasure will be given as an award for your bravery."


    With a snap, the paper flew from his hands and landed securely into the hands of Chu Yi.


    The parchment was old and browning ans seemed to be have ripped out of book but he could still vaguely make out what seemed to be a pentagon shaped symbol.


    Everyone else hurriedly surrounded Chu Yi, eyes glaring at the paper, this was a life-saving artefact


    Chu Yi on the other hand frowned, a flash of restraint turning quickly in his eyes .


    Skipping past the symbol, Chu Yi slowly read the words scribbled onto the end of the paper.


    The words were almost nonsensical, jumbled and combined together to form a sort of gibberish script.


    But he could still faintly make out some of the writing.


    [Ingredients


    100 liter of pure virgin blood


    Ashes of a bearded willow tree


    10 ml of a black cats blood


    Roots of a locust tree


    10 liters of the blood of a child born in the yin cycle sharing the blood of the bearer.


    Warning:


    The ceremony must be performed on the yin hour, on the yin month, in the yin year. To summon the divine body of the Akgul, a suitable vessel must be sacrificed. If the sacrifice is found unworthy, the caller must bear the devils fate.


    If the devil is summoned but the time has passed, the devil will be free from the summoner contract and will become a harbinger of chaos.


    The method of siphoning luck must be used with the purest luck from untainted souls.


    If resentment stains the stolen luck, the bearer will be cursed and eventually be drained of their luck, and their spiritual bodies will collapse, leading to death.


    Therefore the souls must be sealed within a suitable vessel


    After the luck is siphoned the souls carrying resentment must be revealed every year on the Candle Lit Festival, otherwise the stolen luck will backlash and kill the bearer.


    If the ritual is succesfully completed, a binding contract will be signed with the vassal of Akgul and the bearer will receive a hundred years of good luck. The five elements will be complete and the bearer will succeed in anything that they so desire.]


    All the ingredients mentioned were notorious for having connotation with the soul, luck and death but what was even more suprising was the risks of performing the ritual.


    There were so many red flags, that just one wrong step would lead to death.


    And yet the Madam, delirious in her need for wealth ignored all of this and used the cruelest method to find a way for herself.


    But still fell in the end.


    Their was already an obvious path pointed out before them and there was only one thing they needed to do in order to break the instance.


    Don''t worship at the festival.


    Then the souls would be freed.


    Lui Quishi was the first to exclaim.


    "This is it! This is the key to breaking the instance!"


    Chu Yi''s eyebrows frowned deeper.


    Nobody seemed to have realized a crucial point.


    The Madam was dead.


    The souls weren''t freed.


    Therefore who was receiving this luck.


    And it seemed from beginning to end, the mysterious witch who provided the ritual, never showed up.

 Chapter 49 - Doll House(26)

    Forget it.


    Chu Yi didn''t dwell on it any further


    He would reveal his wolf''s tail sooner or later.


    The ''he'' in Chu Yi''s mouth naturally referred to the witch but regardless of his absence, it was a still an absolute fact that breaking the taboo of the sacrifice and foregoing the Festival, would undoubtedly bring this vicious cycle to a stop and free the souls of the hapless children.


    A sudden thought flashed through Chu Yi''s head.


    Since the doll''s trapped the souls of the children, then was Ruan Quishi''s identity in this instance one of them?


    Chu Yi brushed away the inexplicable thought and sneered.


    Who cared about him anyways.


    For the next two days, as if the system was giving out amnesty, no one died nor suffered any life threatening injury, nevertheless this could just be a prelude to suffering, like the last supper in the chronicles of the Bible, the calm before the bloody storm.


    However, regardless of the fear and tension, there was nothing else they could do but wait.


    Wait for the final and resounding judgement.


    The 7th day


    The morning was unexpectedly bright, sunshine through the never ending fog of gloom, shining a stong and golden light on the castle walls. The darkness seemed to have resided, giving way to a ray of hope and light as they welcomed a new day. The sounds of twittering birds sounded loudly in the sunlight, the rustling of dewy leaves, and the occasional shake of the forest grounds, as if even nature was celebrating the dawn of a new day.


    And yet in the eyes of the awakening players, none of this could be appreciated. In fact some of them felt disgusted to see the light, as if such a day should have shrouded in the darkness, never to see the light.


    "Let''s go"


    Chu Yi withdrew his gaze from the open windows, an ironic sneer at the corner of his lips.


    The malicousness of the castle wasn''t missed by him.


    One by one the players gathered in the open hall.


    The solemn and gloomy looks on their face was particularly incompatible with the sudden brilliance of the castle.


    So when the butler arrived, faced with the faces devoid of any joy, it wasn''t a suprise, that the ever loyal butler, face quickly fell into hideous snarl.


    As if they had done the most hideous of crimes, he screeched shrilly,


    "What kind of servants are you! In such a joyous and goodly day, you show such dastardly faces in the house of the Madam!"


    "You should be hanged like the previous batched and your bones pulled to feed the hounds!"


    The players didn''t react much to the butlers screams, after days of getting along, they knew that regardless of whether their reactions were enthusiastic or not the butler would still find a reason to scream and criticize their loyalty.


    Today, no one was in the mood to entertain him and after a lackluster and sparse applause, the room quickly fell silent.


    The butlers face was hideous but as if he had remembered something happy, a splendid smile lit up his wrinkled face.


    "Today is the Candle Lit Festival, one of the most sacred and anticipated event of this castle and you this lucky batch, have the honor of witnessing the ceremony first hand!"


    The butler clapped his hands in celebration, the joy on his face, even made him look amiable and pleasant and yet the players faces quickly paled.


    Wasn''t this just an excuse to send them to death?


    They all knew it but there was no way to avoid it and they could watch sullenly as the butler performed his own one man show, complete with both a performance and applause.


    "First there must wide preparations for the ceremony, nothing must go wrong in face of such sacredness."


    "But nay, you lucky fellows have been given the opportunity to relax and wait for the ceremony to commence, such an honor yas been bestowed upon you!"


    The Madam herself wishes to present you with the most splendid ceremony ever held in the history of the castle!"


    For the following words, the players could hardly focus.


    This was the precursor to the final fight and the time they were given to relax was the buffer time that the instance gave them to find a way to live.


    It was only when the Butler walked away from the players, did they come to their senses.


    They looked around at each other.


    "What should we do now?, do we just wait for the ceremony and find a way to escape during the critical moment or do we find a way to escape now?"


    No one had the answer and both paths were risky and dangerous, there was no guarantee that one method was correct.


    Before Chu Yi could speak up and give them a suggestion, Shi Xiadong spoke first.


    "I have a tentative idea."


    Chu Yi raised an eyebrow and swallowed his words.


    Shi Xiadong continued under the curious eyes of the players


    "I have a hunch that the previous hunt was giving us a clue. The Little Young Master mentioned to us about the Five Emperors Coins and we''ve all agreed that it''s one of the top artefacts related to luck, But what exactly is he suggesting to us and what does the hunt have to do with it?"


    The players thoughts were slowly guided in that way


    Lui Quishi however was the first to burst out and with bright eyes he shouted,


    "The broken shards!"


    Shi Xiaodong nodded with a soft smile,


    "Yes! The broken shards. The Five Emperors Coin is a medium to store luck, but the shards we''ve collected are probably a whole of an Emperors Coins that have broken into tiny pieces."


    "If we find a way to fix the shards and then siphon back the luck stolen during the sacrifice, not only will the instance have a high degree of completion, not only will we have a sure fire method to stop the cycle, we''ll also have a high degree of completion for this instance!"


    "Yes! Brother Xiadong is awesome!"


    Under the enthusiastic and fanatical look of Lui Quishi, a big man like Shi XiaoDong unexpectedly blushed slightly.


    Although it was quick to disappear, it was long enough that even Chu Yi noticed.


    This pair was interesting.


    Zhong Feng stood to the side, watching the antics of the others, an inexplicable sneer on his face, especially when he looked closer at Chu Yi.


    "This method sounds grand and all, but you forgot to mention a few things. First of, who know if we can end up fixing the coin in the end and who''s to guarantee that we can use it to siphon the luck from the sacrifice. No matter how grand you make this sound, in the end, such a method is nothing more than whimsical thoughts that will end up leading to your death in the end."


    The cheers in Lui Quishi''s throat stuck, his face quickly turning red from anger.


    Even though, what he said was true in all fairness, it still felt particularly uncomfortable to the ears.


    Like a balloon that had been popped, the previous somewhat enthusiastic atmosphere quickly became stifled and heavy and no one spoke a word.


    A drak emotion arose in the heart of Chu Yi, indifferent and chilled, cold anger rising in his eyes.


    He wasn''t angry at Zhong Feng for speaking, he was angry at him for ruining the pure and hopeful emotions that had arisen.


    Before his thoughts could form however, Shi XiaoDong broke the depressing atmosphere.


    "Yes, this method isn''t plausible for the time being, so it can only be used as a backup. For now, we''ll all seperate and look for any additional clues before the ceremony officially begins."


    "Well meet back here in an hour."


    The others nodded in agreement but the previous hopeful atmosphere had already long cooled down.


    Lui Quishi frowned but didn''t say anything in the end.


    Unhappily following Shi Xiaodong, as the players slowly broke off.


    Chu Yi glanced meaningfully at the still sneering Zhong Feng before turning his back and leaving like the rest.


    He still had one last conjecture to verify.

 Chapter 50 - Doll House (27)

    An hour passed dully, and with grim faces the remaining players trickled back into the hall.


    Evidently nothing of critical evidence had been found.


    There was no other viable option, and regardless of how Lui Quishi''s face wrinkled in displeasure, they had no other choice other than to sit and wait for an opportunity.


    Not long after, the butler arrived, still sporting a enthusiastic smile on his wrinkled face.


    He didn''t say anything more instead with a clap of his claw like hands, he signaled them to follow him.


    The players looked at each other and nodded, they were on the last leg of this copy, it was either life and death that faced them


    Nervous and in trepidation, they followed the man towards the closed door of the dining room.


    He turned around one last time, eyeing the players walking behind him with beady eyes scanning them up and down, as if choosing the right angle to slice the flesh and meat off their bones.


    In the end, he grinned silently, turned around and pushed the large antique door open with a loud bang!


    What faced them wasn''t a scene of a gruesome carnage and blood, but intsead of making them feel relieved, such a normal setting was way more terrifying than if they had been shoved into a sea of flesh and blood.


    Because the unknown was sometimes far more terrifying than what they could see on the surface.


    Nevertheless what they faced was not any less terrifying.


    "Come in! Come in ! Such a wonderful feast has been prepared for you all. It''s your last day working here at the castle and as a parting gift, we are honored to have you participate in this festival with all of us!"


    On the long dining table, chairs had been placed to the side and in front of each chair was a large bowl filled with slabs of unidentified raw meat, blood still dripped from each piece of piece of meat.


    It was raw, disgusting and bloody and they still couldn''t be sure if it was animal meat.


    The players gulped and looked on in horror but still, no one moved.


    It was general knowledge that the first person to test the waters ,would generally end up as the victim.


    Nevertheless, before they could be forced to make a decision, someone else took the first step.


    Surprisingly it was neither, Chu Yi nor was it Shi XiaoDong, instead it was the previously overlooked player, Xiong Qi.


    The man seemed to have regained a brief moment of sobriety, however, the players had no time to react, before the man charged hungrily towards the dishes on the table.


    His eyes glinted with a savage, greedy and starved glare, wet drool spilling from the sides of his open mouth.


    Xiong Qi grabbed the first plate of meat with both hands and without blinking, shoved the entire slab of meat into his throat.


    As he chewed a blissful and serene expression came over his face, if you ignored the droplets of dark red blood and the sickening crunch of bones coming from his mouth, they could have decided themselves into believing that what he was eating was the most delicious food in the world.


    Instead, the players felt their stomach roll and their faces green.


    They could only watch as Xiong Qi continued to pile slab after slabs of meat into his mouth, even if the sides of lips tore from the pressure, he still retained that crazily joyous face!


    Yes.


    With the condition of Xiong Qi, there must be some sort of abnormality about him, if he managed to Live this long but whether unconsciously or consciously they all chose to avoid talking about it


    But now seeing the blood pooling onto the floor beneath him, indistinguishable from his own blood, they all felt a tinge of regret.


    Following right behind, Xiong Qi, was An Xuefeng and Peng Qi, even if they moved much more mechanically and slow, they still followed him, in stuffing slab after slab of meat into their mouth, no matter how much their lips tore and bled, they still never stopped smiling with joy!


    "Aren''t you going to enjoy the feast?"


    The Madam looked at the players seemingly curious.


    Beside her, the three players continued to play out a scene of madness.


    "Sorry to say Madam, we have a long journey home ahead of us and although we appreciate the gesture, we would prefer to skip along to the actual ceremony."


    The Madam stared bitingly at Chu Yi, who had a just spoken, nevertheless even under her glare, he still retained a polite and alienated smile.


    No one spoke for a moment and only the chewing of flesh echoed in the large room.


    "Very well then."


    The Madam was the first to give in, and with a snap of her pale fingers the meat in front of them disappeared.


    Xiong Qi, An Xuefeng and Peng Qi, stopped as if a button had been pressed, but with synchronized steps they each took a seat at the table, still holding on to that wide smile, bits of blood and meat still hanging in their teeth.


    "Sit."


    Chu Yi tool the first step, choosing a random seat at the end of the table, behind him Shi Xiaodong and Lui Quishi inched along.


    The rest hesitated but there were really no other way but to follow along.


    The minute they were all seated, the lamps in the room all switched out, leaving the players in pitch black.


    "I can''t move!"


    In the darkness, one of the players exclaimed in fright


    The other players tried to move but to their horror, they realized that they had also been bound to their chairs.


    Chu Yi turned his head but when he tried to move his fingers, he felt as if a heavy weight was lying on him.


    They were only allowed to move their heads.


    Chu Yi tilted his head, ignoring the slight anger in his heart, a interested smile on his face.


    Usually it was him that tied up his victims, he never knew that it would be his turn to experience it one day.


    Thankfully they didn''t have to wait long, one by one candles of all sizes lit up around them.


    They were everywhere, hundred of candles filled the whole room.


    The Candle lights were dazzling but no matter how bright they were, they couldn''t seem to penetrate into the darkness of the room.


    The Madam had changed out of her long drab robes and put on a beautiful scarlet dress, so red it looked as if blood was about glide off her dress at any second.


    The butler appeared behind her, his face now holding the same mechanical joyous smile as the possessed players.


    "Today we celebrate! Glorify and honor the lives of those poor souls resting on the land of this estate! We come here to pay respect and offer sacrifices to their restless souls! In hopes that they can continue to be blessed in the next life!"


    Instantly, Chu Yi noticed a key word.


    Sacrifice?


    Heh.


    This was his first time, being treated as a sacrifice.


    He was loving this game more and more.


    The Madam didn''t care for their thoughts, with a wave of hand, the darkness in the room surged up, whirl pools of black matter gathered before terrifying eyes, screams and screeches like the monsters hiding in the abyss, assaulted their ears, blood erupting from their ruptured ear drums!


    Above his head, Chu Yi felt as if something had gathered, then a tearing and agonizing pain came, it was if something was sucking out his soul!


    The pain distorted his beautiful face, but what came from his mouth wasn''t screams of pain but laughter!


    Crazy, painful but he was happy!


    He felt alive!

 Chapter 51 - Doll House(28)

    "AH AH AH AH!"


    "It hurts! It hurts!"


    Beside him, Bu Hua had already turned mad from pain, screaming in a distorted howl


    The others weren''t much better, muffled groans and supressed screams created a symphony of madness and fear.


    Admist the painful cries of the players, the voice of the Madam only grew more and more crazed, reverent, the words becoming unintelligible, eventually become hoarse heretical screeching!


    "What are we going to do!" Shi Xiadong forced out through gritted teeth.


    They couldn''t just sit here, wiping for death, even if the chances were slim.


    Unconsciously eyes turned towards Chu Yi.


    Shi Xiaodong''s eyes twitched looking at the almost deranged smile on Chu Yi''s beautiful face.


    It was like looking at a hungry beast, staring at its prey before the hunt begins.


    Shi Xiadong actually hesitated to call out his name, nevertheless nothing was more important than life at this point.


    "What do you think we should do now"


    Chu Yi titled his head towards the remaining players slightly, a playful smile slowly emerging onto his bloody lips, he opened his mouth, briefly revealing the soft, red tongue shyly hiding behind white teeth, before spitting out callously,


    "Burn it"


    "Right I also think we shou- wait what?"


    Chu Yi didn''t have to time nor the mood to explain, in his right hand appeared a queen of hearts, it lay there glinting with a bloody depraved light on his snow-white palms, the bloody glow shadowed his hand, slowly climbing up his body little by little, swaying by the candlelight, the red , like a greedy gaze, filthy and lustful, filled with an inexplicable gorgeous color.


    Red as a cinnabar mole, unreasonably printed on the top of that persons heart.


    The systems voice sounded in Chu Yi''s ears


    [Would you like to activate the (Conductors Playing Card) and summon the conductor ?]


    [Yes.]


    [The conductor (S-Level NPC) will be summoned to the (Doll Houese Copy). Card will expire in 10 minutes.]


    [The conductor had been summoned. Please prepare]


    Chu Yi felt a cool rush swarm over him quickly, then a familiar body, draped itself around him languidly.


    "Missed me so soon?"


    The conductor lazily buried himself into the side of Chu Yis pale neck, and took a deep long, breath.


    "You smell so fragrant my dear...."


    If Chu Yi could move, he would have slapped Qiaxi in the face.


    "Stop messing around and set this place on fire"


    "Such an extravagant request my dear, but don''t you think it''ll be too cruel an act to set this wonderful castle on fire."


    "Think about the children..."


    Chu Yi sneered.


    "You''re the last one to talk"


    The conductor chuckled, a bloody grin dazzling his deadly face.


    "Touch¨¨. As you please.....my dear"


    The Conductor stood up leisurely, he looked at the frantic Madam with a plain stare.


    Boring.


    "Ah! my dear has such food taste, it''d all look better brunt to the ground."


    From all around him, dark shadows surged up, like a dark disease, infesting all lives! tentacled limbs invaded everyone''s sight!


    The shadows reached into every crack and crevice of the castle, corrupting the darkness, tearing apart the castle!


    In the midst of the darkness, the conductor dressed in a bloody red suit, slowly raised a slender hand.


    Snap-


    The castle were set ablaze!


    Chu Yi felt the invisible shackles around him lift quietly,


    Slowly standing up from the wooden chair, he watched the world burn around him in awe, morbid excitement and fun hidden behind those usury indifferent orbs.


    "Do you like it my dear "


    Chu Yi took deep breath, reveling in the burnt fumes mixed with screams of horror.


    "I love it."


    The castle was like a piece of paper that had been set on fire.


    It spread rapidly and large burnt holes appeared on the walls.


    It was like waking up from a cruel fantasy.


    The conductor strolled slowly towards Chu Yi, the shadows at his feet tinged in a blood red.


    He stood before him, placing jointed hands on Chu Yis cheeks.


    Neither of them said a word, staring into similarly dark eyes of madness as the world collapsed at their feet.


    Never looking away from his eyes, the conductor dropped his head and under the blessing of death, kissed his rose.


    His rose.


    It was only a chaste kiss and yet it seemed to seal the most sacred of vows.


    Chu Yi didn''t move, only silently watching the man before him.


    The conductor rose once again, in the fiery glow of the blaze, his red suit was like a scarlet moon in the dark sky, bloody, dangerous and yet deadly seductive


    "I have to go now my dear, unfortunately our brief meeting has come to an end. But we will surely meet again."


    He smiled.


    A happy yet bloody grin and under Chu Yi''s silent stare, disintegrated into spots of dark matter, slowly falling onto the broken floor and disappearing into the unknown realms.


    Chu Yi stared at the place where he disappeared without any movement for a long time, it wasn''t until an anxious Lui Quishi grabbed onto his hand and yanked him in a direction out of the hall, did the brewing emotions in his eyes settle down.


    Behind them, the the Madam, the Butler, An Xuefeng, Peng Qi and Xiong Qi, all slowly turned towards the fleeing backs of the players, heads turning like empty mechanical toys


    Even if they''re skin fell of the bone like melted wax in the harsh heat, sizzling and burning, revealing the white skeleton underneath, they still showed that crazed happy smile.


    The players didn''t dare to turn back.


    "We need to leave quickly, we have to get to find a way to end this copy as soon as possible!"


    "What should we do now!"


    "Go to the servants quarters!" Shi Xiadong and Chu Yi yelled simultaneously


    Shi Xiaodong glanced at Chu Yi with approval and quickly led the players in that direction.


    The only other players left, Bu Hua, Zhong Feng and Lui Quishi were confused but didn''t miss a beat in following orders.


    They ran along the slowly collapsing halls, towards the most inconspicuous room in the castle.


    The previous servants quarters was nothing more than large room in the small corner of the second floor.


    There was nothing that seperated it from the other rooms in the house other than having 8 stacked in one room.


    But that was typical of the usual servants quarters back then.


    Therefore it was mostly overlooked by the players


    However the very beginning the systemhad hinted at a very vital clue.


    The butlers constant abuse and threats only served to remind them of one thing.


    The previous servants in the castle had stolen something very, very important from the Madam.

 Chapter 52 - Doll House (29)

    The servants room was diffrent from the rest of the manor rooms. Poor and shoddily built, in the most neglected corner of the castle, nevertheless carried evidence of being regular cleaned.


    However the experienced players were able to immediately spot a few discrepancies in the room.


    Servants were usually the lowest tier of people in a castle estate , howver, although this room still had the illusion of being run-down, the beds weren''t the same standard, hard and uncomfortable blocks that they were usually assigned instead they were soft and bouncy, which was a luxury, especially in this particular era, similarly, furniture and accessories common to servants had been switched out and replaced with aristocratic but subtle types that would still give the illusion of sevantry unnoticeable to others but still function to please their bearer.


    Evidently something or rather someone of importance had resided here.


    The servants room was like a separate isolated space cut off from the rest of the castle. Running through the Halls previously they could still feel the sting of smoke choking their nose and blocking their lungs, the heat from the rapidly decomposing walls scorching their skin.


    However the minute they had stepped into the room, a stiff biting chill washed over them, sending tiny goosebumps traveling up their spines.


    "Coffin"


    "It''s like a coffin."


    Uncharacteristically Bu Hua was the first to speak.


    With thin, trembling Lips, he mumbled with a pale face,


    "I-I work as a janitor at a hospital and one of my stops is at the morgue. This Cold reminds me of the temperature in the morgue, it''s needed to freeze dead corpses"


    "And it''s getting colder"


    The chilling sensation rose from the bottom of their feet to the tops of their head, quickly turning their faces ugly


    "At least we''re safe for now, we just have to quickly find what the servants had stolen and hand it back to the madam"


    Zhong Feng tried to assure the others


    Chu Yi didn''t have a sense of measure even in this dire situation, quickly tearing into Zhong Feng, removing any illusion of false hope they had, before it could fester


    "Stupid."


    " Right now at the speed at which the temperature is falling we''ll be faced with death from hyperthermia in less than 5 minutes and outside we''ll be looking at Burning to death"


    They ran away from the fire but now they were wading in deep waters.


    They could neither stay nor turn back.


    "Also who''s to say that the Madam is the true mastermind behind all of this."


    The air was silent for a second, then Shi Xiaodong Bu Hua, Lui Quishi and even Zhong Feng all turned grave.


    None of the players who had managed to get this far were stupid and once their thoughts was guided in the right direction, they quickly found the crux of the problem


    "Why didn''t you say anything earlier! "


    "If you had said something earlier, would we still be here running around in circles!"


    In desperation, Bu Hua''s fear quickly turned into unreasonable anger, turning the hatred onto Chu Yi.


    Seizing the opportunity, Zhong Feng immediately started instigating


    "Maybe he was just waiting, watching for us to reach a critical point and jump out to posture as Savior and then send us all to our deaths once we''ve treated him."


    "Only he, himself would know"


    Zhong Feng spoke meaningfully, with his identity of knowing Chu Yi from the previous copy, there was indeed some credibility in his words.


    Even if they didn''t fully believe him, subconsciously their vigilance against Chu Yi would rise.


    Bu Hua was a prime example of this.


    His eyes looking at Chu Yi turned increasingly dark, although supressed he could still feel the tendrils of malice sneaking like insects in a murky swamp


    Those eyes were ugly, evil and incompetent.


    He disliked them.


    Chu Yi watched the farce in front of him expressionlessly, dangerously teetering between calm and anger.


    Firstly, he had no evidence before, and even if he did


    ,if he had said something at the time there was no guarantee that they would take it seriously, maybe they would even ridicule him for thinking too much.


    Nevertheless he didn''t feel like explaining anything anything to the jumping clowns.


    The sudden heat in his pocket quickly brought his attention away from them.


    Dark, bloody pools tilted towards Shi XiaoDong and Lui Quishi direction, without observing their expression he mouthed something to them.


    Both of their faces changed after understanding what he said.


    Shi XiaoDong gave him a subtle nod and interrupted the still jumping Bu Hua.


    "Alright- Alright, we don''t have time to complain right now. Quickly look for anything that can help us get out of here ".


    Zhong Feng and Bu Hua immediately focused , there really was no time to argue.


    In the brief moment they had spent idling, the temperature had already fallen to below sub degree temperatures.


    The paleness on their face was longer from fright.


    The players quickly scattered around, looking under the beds and Dresser and it wasn''t before long that they heard a familiar shout.


    "Found it!"


    Lui Quishi exclaimed excitedly, holding up a broken piece of paper, frost had already started to gather on his eyelashes but it still couldn''t hide the brilliant light in his eyes.


    "You really do have an Emperors physique"


    Even Bu Hua had to exclaim in admiration.


    Shi Xiaodong''s face softened looking at Lui Quishi bright eyes, however after noticing the fingers that had turned purple, starting to tremble struggling to hold up the piece of parchment, the smile was quickly wiped off his face


    "Read it! Quickly!


    Lui Quishi nodded and scanned the page hastily, face slowly turning green the more he read


    "Fuck!"


    "What does it say?!"


    He quickly summarized it for them


    "The witch had disguised himself as one of the servants here under the care of the Madam to avoid attention. But the sacrifice he had given to the madam was missing the most crucial point!"


    "Not only does the sacrifice require a blood child with a Yin physique but the mother of the child must be sacrificed too!"


    "Two biting dogs! Hurting everyone else-"


    He didn''t get to finish talking however, as Bu Hua unceremoniously snatched the page from his hands


    "Who gives a fuck about that nonsense, does it say anything about how to leave here!"


    Lui Quishi frowned slightly at his callousness, the hand that was batted was faintly stiff and painful, nevertheless there was no time to argue


    "The paper only said that the most important part of the ritual is that it must be kept on the Yin year, The Yin Month and the Yin Day, otherwise the evil spirit to be Let loose!"


    " If the Madam was really just a sacrifice in all of this then that means that the witch must have done something to the ritual to make it work for him!"


    "Today is February 4, 1963-"


    "What?"


    Before Zhong Feng could hear what Lui Quishi had said clearly, Bu Hua jumped out to interrupt him once again.


    "Stop beating around the bush, how the fuck do we get out of here!"


    "Time "


    Behind them, a symphony of broken, childish voices sounded in sync suddenly


    Grating and jarrish to the ear.


    Goosebumps erupting from their skin, the players turned slowly towards the sounds.


    Zhong Feng quickly forgot what he had wanted to say, instead vigilantly taking out a prop


    A familiar Young Master dressed in a plain white robe, stood in front of a group of bloody disfigured children


    A joyful smile on his small face.


    He didn''t pay attention to the frightened faces of the others, instead his large eyes bored right into Chu Yi''s unflinching own.


    "Don''t you know this already big brother. Time can stop it all"


    Bu Hua and Zhong Feng turned to Chu Yi with speculation.


    Increasing hostility festering in their gazes.


    This newcomer was more difficult to deal with than they thought.


    Chu Yi didn''t care about the thoughts of others.


    He smiled playfully at the young master before him, a red tinged mouth opening to reveal a pink tongue that swiped over his lips, leaving behind an alluring wet trace


    "XingLing, won''t you lead the way. You failed once before, why not try one more time"


    There was freezing silence in the room immediately, a solemn pressure washing over them, only the sound of crackling as the woods beneath their feet started to split under the pressure of the cold.


    In the excruciatingly long silence, the sound of their own heart beats was deafeningly loud in their ears.


    Badum-


    Badum-


    Bad-


    "Go."


    The Young Master was the first to break the suffocating silence.


    Chu Yi grinned.


    "Where are we going XingLing" He asked knowingly,


    "To the Madams room. The sacrifice has started."


    Along with his voice, the children turned around simultaneously, walking back into the collapsing hall without care.


    Chu Yi glanced at Shi XiaoDong behind him once more before following XingLing into the burning flames.


    With a playful lilt hanging on the edge of his lips.


    Bloodthirsty and cruel, beautifully stained with sin.


    "Let''s end this shall we."

 Chapter 53 - Doll House (30)

    Grim and Desolate.


    Incomplete.


    Those words essentially summed up Chu Yi''s first impression of the castle.


    But now as he walked through the slowly collapsing halls, fiery red smoke billowing, stinging the hairs on the arms, the crackle of broken and charred wood falling apart beneath him, and the shadowy and illusive howls that whispered in his ears like a waking dream.


    He felt like this was how it was supposed to be.


    A Bloody, gnarlish nightmarish hell.


    Fit for monsters just like them.


    With the burning flame licking his skin, in a shallow trance he seemed to be transported to the day the castle burned.


    He wasn''t himself anymore.


    He had become one of the hapless participants in this dance of death.


    He couldn''t move, he couldn''t escape


    He was like a bird trapped in a cage


    The thick wood beneath him wasn''t immediately set aflame, and the fiery fire didn''t immediately char his delicate skin, however helplessly he realised instead of it being a mercy, it only increased the severity of his suffering. Chu Yi could feel the phantom heat surrounding him slowly increasing , from warm, bearable heat, to hot, to sweltering before jumping straight to scorching and hellish pain .


    No matter how he tried to twist and turn, he couldn''t escape the fire, with every surface becoming hot enough to cook his flesh , every movement mercilessly painful and yet he had no choice but to twist and thrash in a useless bid to escape under the fire''s tyranny.


    Soon the intense heat made it so just pressing his against the skin against the floor for too long would make it stick there like meat in a frying pan without oil. By this time Chu Yi, was screaming incoherently, bloody tears sizzling as they left his dry eyes. With his already limited movement in the small body , he eventually could no longer move an inch from pain, his flesh already stuck, patches of ripped skin and stringy membrane all that was left as evidence of his struggles, he was slowly but surely cooking through.


    The feeling of being burnt alive was unimaginable.


    His senses from where his body parts were touching the clay had already burnt away, he could no longer think of anything but the pain, the heat was slowly moving inwards to completely roast his entire body.


    And yet the smell of his own curdling flesh still surged into his own nose, reminding him of his nearing death . Chu Yi could not even cry, he tried to scream but to his terror he couldn''t even make a sound anymore, his mouth completely dried out.


    Cracks like a shattered porcelain vase, spread from his mouth to the rest of the face. The most terrifying part of this madness was that no matter how badly he was being burnt he knew he wouldn''t die. Because this wasn''t real. And yet the torture would not end even if he knew this, he would have to wait, in horror, until his skin peeled away from his bones, his flesh melted off his skin, until he was completely turnt to ash, enduring at least the ten minutes of the sheer agony it would take to lose all the fluids from one''s body!


    By the end of it Chu Yi felt as if couldn''t even breath, as the smoke from the fire and crackling wood,with his own cooked flesh because his only sustinent to live.


    Even amongst the blinding terror and pain of his last moment''s alive , he hysterically smiled through his torment, his resentment the only thing he could cling onto.


    Finally, mercifully, he died.


    It was a feeling of pain before eventually a merciful darkness takes over his senses.


    Death was a relief, floating in an endless void, unable to think, to feel to-


    Chu Yi! Chu Yi!


    Crack!


    The hand with distinct bones was abnormally pale, clenched tightly into a strong fist, fingertips completely white with restraint nevertheless the manical smile on Chu Yis face never dropped


    What he cared for wasn''t the pain but the overwhelming feeling of anger and resentment that poured over him, drowning the rationality and logic that he prided himself in.


    He could neither escape nor pull away from the rage of emotions .


    Even if only momentary, the feeling intoxicated him.


    The emotions left a wonderful tingling sensation in his stomach and he even felt faintly dissatisfied when he was pulled out of the illusion abruptly.


    "Are you OK?"


    In the face of the silent worry on Lui Quishis face, he could only nod his head resigned.


    "Then let''s continue"


    This time around, the sweltering heat didn''t hold, as much fascination to him and with a impassive face, he stepped over the falling debris, ignoring the flames that licked at his face.


    "We''re here."


    The Young Master stopped quietly before a locked door.


    Unscathed in the chaos.


    It was a place they''ve explored time and time again and each time, the scenes behind the door only got more and more terrifying.


    The Madams room.


    From a sole visual inspection, there seemed to be nothing wrong.


    However the blaring alarm bells ringing in Chu Yi''s head, sounded nothing but danger.


    "There are many way people die, therefore, there are many ways to deal with corpses. Yes. But they still abide by the traditional rules. They pay attention to the three views not to rush."


    "The beheaded, the hanged, and the standing dead can be driven away. They don''t die voluntarily. They have a lot of grievances and want to return to their hometown. The Yin energy is also heavy. In other words, their souls are still in the corpse and haven''t left."


    "Those who died of illness, those who were thrown into a river and hanged themselves, and those who were struck by lightning and burned to death cannot be driven away. The souls of death were taken away by black and white impermanence. Involuntary death ruled by the laws. The little ghost who was thrown into the river and hanged man are all looking for a substitute for the dead ghost. Their souls have already been ''handed over'' to the Yama. It must be terrible to be struck by lightning. They are sinful people. The corpses that were burned to death are incomplete, and these can''t be driven away. Only by finding the missing souls can they import revenge."


    XingLing looked indifferent as he spoke those almost cryptic words.


    "It''s up to you how you deal with this information."


    Chu Yi looked at the little boy standing in front of him.


    When he first saw him, he was standing expectantly at the door, now he still wore that long, pure white robe.


    He resembled a mental patient.


    But he no longer resembled a canary trapped in a golden cage.


    He broke his wings and ripped out his feathers and climbed through the walls of his cage.


    Even at the cost of death, he tore a bloody hole in his heart, and created his own freedom in his last moment.


    Chu Yi abruptly spoke up.


    "Did you ever regret it?"


    XingLing tilted his head and glanced at him slowly with bottomless dark eyes.


    He didn''t speak, he didn''t give a warning , instead he sharply turned away, faced the looming doors and with a strong push of his hands, opened the doors to hells.


    He didn''t hesitate.


    He didn''t need to reply


    With the burning flames surging and roaring behind him.


    He told Chu Yi silently.


    He was born in the flames of hell and he would die in the flames of hell

 Chapter 54 - Doll House (31)

    "You''re here!"


    "Just in time for our wonderful performance to begin"


    If it wasn''t for the melted and festering pale face quietly revealed behind the dilapidated wooden door, they could have almost believed that this was just an ordinary greeting based on her voice alone.


    The burnt flesh squeezed the glassy eyes into a slit, and seemed to be smiling, but the right cheek seemed to have been so thoroughly charred , it revealed the glaring white bones beneath.


    They just saw her burning to death in the other room but now she was still here, obviously having been waiting their arrival.


    They couldn''t escape her.


    At the very least not now.


    Shi Xiaodong''s body was tense, and the players behind him immediately took out their weapons and waited in full array, but when the wooden door was slowly and surely opened, everyone''s scalp went numb and their pupils shrank suddenly.


    A pool of dark, bubbling blood spanned across most of the room, it boiled, letting out pungent gas and bloody smoke as the bubbles popped, bloody splatters dyed every corner of the room in carnal chaos.


    The second thing they noticed was the pervasive smell, the metallic scent of spilled blood was strong enough to make them dizzy, it was awful and pungent and mixed with the smell of rotten mold and charred flesh, compared to that the harsh sting of burning smoke, seemed more like a heaven.


    To add to the ugly filth of the room, the doll''s they were familiar with had appeared inexplicably in the corrupt room. Each of them wore the same broken smile, like a shattered mirror, reflecting the ugly and hideous truth.


    Silently the dolls head tilted down to face the gaping players, their beautiful faces gazing blankly. However in the eyes of the players, they could see the shadow of pure malice and glee in their delicately sewed on features. Chu Yi noticed that there were three additional dolls from who knows where. Parts of of seemed to have been singed with fire and for a moment, their eyes blurred and they could see tears of blood dripping from those curved delicate eyes.


    It was like the reaction one would have when someone suddenly throws a bucket of ice water on you. First there''s a second of pure shock at the stimulus, then there''s the brain trying to process it, finally the sensation kicks in and the body starts to tremble, instinctively taking a step back to escape as the rush of freezing cold soaks straight into the bones, refusing to let go.


    XingLing quietly enjoyed the looks of pure fear and horror with relish, but when his eyes locked with Chu Yi''s, he couldn''t help but blanch, he had an inexplicable feeling of being seen through.


    After a sharp cough, XingLing finally turned his attention to the vile creature, waiting in grand anticipation for their arrival.


    Disgust and Forbearance clouded his already plae face and with a sneer, he stepped past the threshold.


    This loathsome play has finally reached this stage.


    When XingLings figure disappeared behind the group of corpses and gradually moved away, an inexplicable sense of panic struck, and Zhong Feng subconsciously wanted to catch up. But he just took a step forward, and the hairs on his whole body erected, his blood was frozen!


    The dolls in the room all turned their heads to face him!


    Dozens of pairs of silent, sunken dark eye sockets locked at Zhong Feng, the great malice and coldness struck ,making him instantly sweaty and unable to move.


    Fortunately, someone noticed his strangeness.


    Zhong Feng was dragged back for several steps by the people behind him, before the chill of being stared at finally disappeared.


    "Be careful of death! The final stage hasn''t even begun yet!" Shi XiaoDong exclaimed with some harshness


    Zhong Feng didn''t appreciate his words however and with a an hideous face yelled back!


    "What are we supposed to do then! We still have to go in!"


    "What kind of hypocritical face are you using to lecture me now!"


    He was right.


    Yes, they still had to go in regardless of what kind of horrors they would face eventually.


    There was no turning back for them.


    Chu Yi, ignored the festering state of the players in front of him and opted to observe the Madams mangled face with interest.


    Could this be the witch?


    He, however quickly denied that conjecture.


    It wasn''t baseless, but intuition told him that someone like the witch, who loved to be the oriole, stalking behind the mantis, wouldn''t show up until the most critical moment.


    "Won''t you really come in?"


    The grand scene of nightmarish hell, paired with the enthusiastic and compassionate Madam, made the players face ugly.


    Shi XiaDong gritted his teeth, took a meaningfull glance at Lui Quishi and with a deep breath took the first steps into the room.


    Zhong Feng and Bu Hua followed behind in trepidation, leaving behind Chu Yi and Lui Quishi by the door.


    Nervousness masked Lui Quishi''s face, he stared at the room in front of him in fear, an unidentified emotion brewing in his heart.


    He turned to face Chu Yi.


    Mouth opening and closing in trepidation, he didn''t know what to say, what else was there to say even, he couldn''t even ask why, finally he could only choke out hoarsely between trembling lips,


    "Can I really do it....?"


    "What if...what if I fail...what if we''re wrong."


    "What if...."


    He thought about the gory room, the smell of evil resentment so strong it stung and the untold horrors that brewed in the castle, even in the heat and smoke, Lui Quishi only felt extremely chilled.


    Suddenly a cold but familiar pale white hand touched his face, smelling faintly of ash and charcoal. Stroking his soft cheek before tilting his chin up slowly, the hand lets the Lui Quishi see how silky black smoke seemed to curl upwards like dark mist, like a dark fairy trapped in the reminiscent clouds, becoming less and less translucent the further up his gaze traveled until he saw through the darkness, a chest with broad but thin shoulders and slender, toned arms covered in a thin shirt. The neck coming out of the collar was like the moon peeking behind a cloud on the darkest night and long black hair was billowing out everywhere like delicate strips of seaweed in the deepest ocean. The bloody red eyes that peeked out behind the dark silk , was like sun before an dark eclipse. A dark saffron before the everlasting night.


    Finally, with bated breath, Lui Quishi reached Chu Yis face and even he, a dull witted teen could not help but suck in a breath at the sight of that face. It was indescribable. Those slanted peach blossom eyes that gave the young man a darkly fascinating yet enticing air, those soft lips, the soft yet sharp angles of his face.


    Everything fit so well it was almost eerie how beautiful the man was.


    It was like his beauty had been masked before this, so now that he was finally faced with the brunt of this glory, he felt almost as if he couldn''t breath


    Lui Quishi felt this man was like one of those princesses from the fairy tales his grandmother loved to tell him. Hair as black as coal, skin as white as snow and lips as red as blood.


    "Xiao Lui," Chu Yi smiled, his hand moving to affectionately stroke Lui Quishi''s face, however the burning heat that appeared made him pause, his hand naturally falling back to his side. He spoke in a gentle voice suited for sweet words and reassurance.


    However it was also a little hoarse and roughened with an underlying demonic echo, a hint of something monstrous, "You''ve done well," he praised and while it was said genuinely and his voice was very good, it somehow came out a little sinister lilt.


    "Just do what needs to be done"


    Lui Quishi stared at his leaving back in a trance, a suspicious blush erupting onto his pale face, it wasn''t until Chu Yi''s back disappeared into the room, did he snap out of it.


    Lui Quishi sighed and took a deep breath, shaking his head to get rid of his tension.


    Regardless of what would happen next, he just needed to do his best.


    For himself and for them.


    Instead of following the others into the room, Lui Quishi took out a prop


    [Name: Paper Man]


    [Quality: Special]


    [Function: Substitute]


    [Skill Description: The Paper Man comes in pairs. Leave one paper man in a certain location and regardless of how far you are away from the paper man, you''ll be transported to its location as long as you have the other pair]


    [Skill cooling time: 24 Hours]


    [System Remarks: Better be careful where you put the paper man. Who knows you might just end up in somewhere far more dangerous than you think.]


    [Danger Level: 12 /Won''t swallow you but might send you straight to your death/]


    [Confirm Usage: Yes/No]


    With a twist of his mind, Lui Quishi disappeared from the burning halls.


    When he left, Chu Yi who was already inside paused subtly, a sly smirk appearing at the corner of his lips.


    What a naive guy indeed.


    He continued to walk forward, enjoying the feeling of basking in the pure evil submerging the castle walls, dark emotions usually supressed slowly crawled into his heart, cruel red eyes glinting with a bloodthirsty heat.


    He savored the taste of sin.


    He just truly hopes the witch won''t disappoint.

 Chapter 55 - Doll House (32)

    "Madam."


    "Son."


    In contrast to the sweet almost lyrical tone of the Madam, XingLing sounded as if what he was facing wasn''t his mother but absolute stranger.


    Cold and emotionless to a freezing point.


    The dark and isolated dungeon reached this point after over three hundred days.


    The Madam no longer had the pleasant looks known of an elite, the graceful figure, pristine jade-like hands, and fine, refreshing clothing.


    Even she may not have known that things would turn out like this when she first began.


    Glancing at the ragged figure, XingLing''s eyes slowly revealed a glimmer of both elation and derision.


    He promptly walked over to stand on the other side of the room, ignoring the blood pool at his feet


    With a condescending and malicious smile plastered on his face, XingLing slowly pointed a finger at the woman that could no longer even be called human


    The smile on the Madams face gradually converged, a hysterical light filling her gaze as it fixed onto the face that vaguely resembled her.


    A gush of bloody air parted woman''s disheveled hair involuntarily, one could see that her face was completely covered in horrific scars, some so deep they revealed the ashy white bone beneath. Worse, there was a deep, dark hole where one of her eyes would normally have been.


    "Chichichi-- you''re so pitiful¡­so pitiful. The bold and formidable Lady Baron actually finds herself in such a pitiable predicament," XingLing remarked. Not only did the tone of his voice carry no trace of pity,


    he obviously took pleasure in the scene before him.


    "When did you ever think you''d end up like this. Inferior and loathsome as you are?"


    Hearing the voice of the XingLing, the Madam on the finally moved. Her cracked lips croaking harshly , asking, "LingLing, is this how you speak to your mother!?"


    Perhaps it was because she hadn''t said those words for a very long time, perhaps it was because she had just been burnt in scorching hot flames but her voice sounded extremely hoarse, like the grinding of gravel on the floor,


    XingLing frowned, with ever-growing abhorrence in his eyes. "Haaa--? Mother?" She hooked her lips into a smile full of ridicule and derision, "Madam, are you still thinking of yourself as a mother at this juncture? , are you expecting me to turn back now and regret everything and once again become a soulless puppet in your hands? Do you know what day it is today? Today is the day I burned you to death! HAHHAHHA! Today is the day that you failed! You did so much but you still failed! You''re weak, useless, forever the incompetent Madam baron! Do you know? You were nothing before and you''ll forever be nothing!"


    The Madams started gasping for breath the more he spoke, hatred and pure despise clouding the her beastly face, she was trembling in pure maddening anger!


    How Dare He!


    HOW DARE HE!


    "Shut up! SHUT UP! SHUT UP--"


    "You''re nothing but a failed sacrifice, you were born to be a sacrifice and in the end you couldn''t even do what you''re worth. You''re useless XingLing! Even until death!!"


    At this point both parties had completely dropped all facade of peace , pure and unfiltered hatred scorched their minds. Murderous intent creating a heavy dark pressure that made even the floor beneath their feet started creaking.


    At this moment a voice spoke up, like a cool breeze it doused the heavy evil that was slowly building up in the room.


    "Madam, don''t blame others. You have been terrified and restless, losing sleep for far too long. I have divined and it was determined that your karma is too strong and opposes the Heavenly Dao. I''d suggest you to hurry up and go reincarnate."


    Unexpectedly the Madam really did calm down with Chu Yi''s contemptuous words , however shortly afterwards a malicous smile brimming with evil pleasure crossed her ghastly face.


    "You''re absolutely right! Why should I waste time with you wastes, when I can watch you all die!!"


    "HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAH DIE! DIE! YOU''LL ALL DIE!"


    Chu Yi felt a familiar pressure was again lock him in place but unlike before, Chu Yi was prepared.


    He looked towards XingLing and the other children standing behind.


    He watched as they slowly but surely were forced step by step into the scalding pool of blood, each soul disappearing in a splash of blistering heat in the echo of the frenzied laughter of the Madam.


    There was no screams, no cries of unbearable pain, they were like unfeeling dolls walking step by step to their own dooms.


    They had already experienced this intolerable pain once, now they were just going through it again, their blood becoming nothing but a tool for the unscrupulous beings that oversaw this world.


    One by one the children went down and finally it was XingLings turn.


    He still held that insufferable smile on his face, even in death he didn''t give the Madam satisfaction of watching him succumb, firm steps accompanied him down, his feet gradually turning to nothing under the force of the blood made from the souls of the innocent, it was only at the final moment before his head submerged did he turn back to look at Chu Yi once more, in his eyes he held a message, only then did he completely disappear under the ferocious waves.


    Immediately after he disappeared, the players were released from their hold.


    "HAAHAHHAHAHA LET IT BEGIN! LET IT ALL BEGIN"


    The place began rumbling and shaking like there was an earthquake beneath! The players stumbled and fell as they tried to find their footing under the force!


    The blood pool had completely boiled over, waves of scalding blood splattered all over the wall with the force of a tsunami!


    It wasn''t know when the players had taken out their weapons and with bated and horrified breaths they watched as countless blood-soaked vicious monsters emerged!


    The monsters only paused for a brief moment before they surged towards towards the players with bloodthirsty maws!


    "Scrawww-!"


    "Creee-!"


    "Jie Jie!"


    Looking at the blood stained werewolf face suddenly emerging from the front, Chu Yi grinned, "It''s so ugly, so... let this uncle send you to death!"


    In a hidden place, far away from the eyes of the players, a man obscured by murky green mist was looking at the bloody carnival that he personally orchestrated being played out before him.


    The werewolf face is not a werewolf, but a monster that merges between humans and wild wolves, commonly known as half-human beasts.


    They were a disgusting hybrid that screamed of heinous cruelty.


    The half-human beasts are the trump cards of the witch. Some of them retain the human mind, but they have lost the feelings that humans should have. They are unconditional and only obey him.


    There are many types of half-human beasts, jackals, tigers and leopards, and their strengths are not all the same. The Werewolf Face Monster is not the best among the half-human beasts, but it wins because of its extremely fast speed, and it is appropriate to be regarded as a pioneer of this bloody fight.


    On the scene, while the werewolf face monster locked on to Chu Yi with cold eyes, a piercing wolf howled from his mouth, and he scurried forward!


    This monster was sent by the witch to play forward and has its own unique features. Unlike werewolves without wisdom, its wisdom is extremely high, not much worse than ordinary humans.


    No, halfway through the dive, the Werewolf Face Monster jumped up high, and then kicked the floor and jumped up, hiding directly among the dark ceiling!


    Sneak attack?


    On the top of his head is hiding a monster that will rush down to kill people at any time. The psychological pressure alone is enough to make ordinary people collapse


    But who is Chu Yi?


    How could he, who has always been feared only by people, be frightened by a mere "little flea"?


    Chu Yi even disdainfully raised his head to take a look, lifted the , and slashed towards the ceiling


    With a bang, a part of the roof fell off and at the same time, a dark shadow rushed out of the falling debris, and rushed towards Chu Hans turned back at a speed that was difficult to distinguish with the naked eye!


    Near, only the last meter left!


    Chu Yi still didn''t look back; a cruel smile leaked from the face of the Werewolf Face Monster-it couldn''t wait to feel the pleasure of the claws tearing and mangling flesh!


    However... It didn''t even see when Yi turned around, and his throat was locked tightly by a forceful palm!


    All half-human beasts are cold-blooded monsters, they are not afraid of fear, nor are they afraid of death;


    just... what kind of eyes did they have at that time?


    Evil, greedy, and filthy; the werewolf face is unaware of fear, but still retains the human mind. In the pair of scarlet eyes, it kept falling, and then falling again...Finally, it fell into the hell; the madmans sword was inserted into its chest inch by inch, and the wound that was in contact with the sword''s body continued to make a sizzling sound.


    Half-orcs have strong vitality, not to mention the sword in the chest, some strong beasts even if they cut off their heads, they can still live- provided that only the body hasn''t been completely destroyed


    The horror of the Madmans sword was finally manifested; Anything that posses evil and resentment would be swallowed by it as food!


    Butt seeing the Werewolf Face Monster''s wounds constantly venting black smoke, the monster that claims to have no emotions, was struggling and wailing frantically!


    Accompanied by it is the obvious panic-its soul is burning!


    Yes, the Madmans sword ecuts not only the body, but also the soul; the werewolf face frantically struggled and wailing loudly, silent screams coming from the depths of its trembling of soul. However, the monsters throat was firmly pinched by the hands that resembled white jade, and all struggles became futile.


    The monster''s hideous and twisted look was deeply imprinted in Chu Yi''s bloody eyes. Not only was Chu Yi not afraid, but he was extremely excited. There was a crazy smile on his face, and it grew bigger and bigger, getting more and more perverted.


    "Ugly guy, you look so beautiful on the verge of death!"


    Chu Yi was very satisfied, not targeting the werewolf face monster, but targeting the witch behind.


    The half-human beast only obeyed the witch''s order, and the appearance of the werewolf face monster can only prove that the witch not only found him, but also prepared to deal with him personally.


    [Your spirit prop "Madmans Sword" has swallowed the resentment led by the corpsewerefolf face resentment level +10. ]


    [Upgrade progress: 1.75%]


    "Why do you want to do this, why is it only increased by 0.25%!"


    Chu Yi complained, throwing the corpse away quickly. He avoided the attack of a monster distorted like a crawling caterpillar that lepaed at him and slashed with sword, cutting the thing in two. At this moment, his eyes were closed tightly, and two lines of blood slid down from the corners of his eyes.


    Just now, Wei Xun stole a bit of resentment from the mutant monster. He didn''t expect that the stealing of resentment, would cause a backlash on his own body.


    Sure enough, the system won''t just provide anything for free.


    On the eve of the blindness, Chu Yi removed the sword in time. But before he could figure out how to throw the thing away, a force burst from the two corners of the forehead, strongly restraining the black resentment, and directed it back into his sword.


    Although he was slightly injured, Chu Yi realized that something had changed again, as if there were an extra pair of eyes in his forehead. Chu Yi could easily see through the attack trajectory of the incoming monsters and avoided it in advance.


    The mind is swelling, like a pot of boilinghot water. If Chu Yi was anyone else, he should have passed out just now.


    But Chu Yi doesn''t feel hurt, he can even think calmly.


    Thsse monster were far stronger than the one he killed during the hunt, and now there were coming without break.


    But such a thing only made him more excited.


    The battle is very exciting, and it is also very exciting to successfully fight under the pursuit of powerful enemies!


    [Personal Mission: Free the Children of the Baron Estate]


    [Task Level: Extremely Urgent]


    [Task Description: Oh my God, something horrifying has occurred in the Baron Estate. But the true mastermind of the catastrophes hasn''t been found yet. Find the witch and free the souls of the children before the end of the ceremony! ]


    [Reward: The Emperors Broken shards]


    [Number of Participants: 2]


    Chu Yi admist his thoughts, suddenly ducked!


    A whooshing sound of claws swiping through air flashed passed the place where Chu Yi had just been standing!


    A chance!


    The monster akin to mangled flying fox struck again before he could dodge, this time mangaing to tear a large piece of bloody flesh from Chu Yi''s arm.


    This one was stronger and more brutal that the werewolf face he had just killed! However, Chu Yi''s managed to hit its left abdomen with a quick reaction


    "Chiiii- !"


    The monster was completely enraged and started attacking at Chu Yi with a rapid swipes of its razor sharp claws . He dodged most of the attacks but he still couldn''t avoid a few.


    When Chu Yi was wounded all over his body, he finally pierced the left abdomen of the commander of the flying fox!


    "Hee¡ª¡ª!!!


    " The corpse flying fox commanded an angry roar. Instead of fleeing, it was even more fierce. Its sharp claws bent like an eagle hook and grabbed Chu Yi''s left arm hard. At the same time, it brutally bit Chu Yi''s forearm!


    It''s now!


    The sharp blade swept across with a cold light, and Chu Yi decisively tore its left abdomen with a dagger, and then his right hand, like a spear, suddenly penetrated into its abdominal cavity!


    "Chii¡ª¡ª!!!"


    The Beast realized the crisis and wanted to fight back but it was too late!


    Tear and pull--


    Like cloth torn apart, rancid black blood splattered out like a fountain.


    With a thud the monster fell at his feet in a pool of its own blood.


    Chu Yis eyes were completely scarlet with excitement, the feeling of pain from his wounds only stimulated his nerves more


    Chu Yi inhaled the bloody air with relish, the smell of chaos and evil almost made him swoon.


    Blood dropped from the hand, holding the sword but Chu Yi didn''t care, an excited and frenzied smile completely overtook his face.


    Chu Yi felt as if even the blood running through his views was boiling.


    At this moment when, everything reached a stalemate, there was a bang!


    A smear of red and black was expanding on both sides of the room, completely engulfing the players.


    In turn one by one the monster''s burst into blood mists.


    At the same time, a dazzling white aurora rose from the center of the blood pool that cruelly swallowed its victims!


    Bang...


    Under the vigilant gaze of Chu Yi and others, with the white light as the center, the black and red gas was dissipated.


    Countless cracks spread, and the floor beneath the light looked like a mirror about to break.


    When the black was completely swallowed by the white light, a huge hole slowly emerged


    "Damn, do you want to be so exciting!"


    The somewhat annoyed Chu Yi sneered.


    BANG! BANG! BANG!


    With the continuous loud bangs, the silver light flowing through the room fell.


    The players standing on the bottom seemed to''hear'' countless wailing...arrogance, jealousy, rage, laziness, greed, lust, gluttony, the seven deadly sins of mankind were faintly revealed


    If Chu Yi was the root of evil, then the witch was evil itself; The witch is the ancestor of the evil and under Chu Yi''s bloody eyes is infinite hell.


    God is lonely, so he created angels and man; The witch was also lonely, so when he saw Chu Yi who was very similar to him, he was very excited.


    "Chu Yi, you dedicate your soul to me, and I will give you everything you want"


    Slowly a sneer crawled onto Chu Yi''s finely crafted lips at the preposterous words, finally with a disdainful lilt he spat,


    "Dream on."


    The witch seemed to have expected that answer and nodded with a shallow grin


    "It seems then, that I can only Destroy you!"


    No sooner had he spoken, the wall and floors around them collapsed.


    And to their cold horror, the players realized in dismay, that they were all standing on one large sacrifice array!!


    They were doomed from the very moment they walked into the room!


    The Witch looked at them from high above, with a condescending and god-like gaze.


    "Go die for me!"

 Chapter 56 - Doll House (END)

    The floor beneath them had given way to a bloodthirsty beast with gaping maws ready to swallow them whole!


    It was like they had entered a Shura Field opening the gates to hell!


    One after another wild screams rang from abyssal creatures, however, it was also like they were surrounded by nothing, trapped in a barrier, they couldn''t move, couldn''t speak, like helpless ants being squished under the mighty power of God! They didn''t know when the roof above their heads had been ripped off, and the walls collapsed, the sky turned white and a dense green fog gradually dispersed. The players who were faced with this scene were shocked. They desperately discovered, that the Baron Estate had become a piece of purgatory. As if they were deliberately demonstrating, the monsters did not clean up the corpses, but just left them in place, dug out the internal organs and threw out the dead. Human skin and mangled organs were randomly discarded on the ground. The entire valley looked like a Shura field. The nearby beasts smelled of blood, and there was nothing to stop them, they rushed to feast one after another. The players were so scared that they could only look on dumbfounded. Panic struck their heats like a stone hammer.


    THUD!THUD! Depriving them of even the ability to breathe!


    You must know that the old people who have gone through at least two instances are basically very experienced in such things as horror . But, even for For the experienced players, this kind of scene was nothing short of a terrifying phenomenon, no less than sending them directly to the Palace of the Lord Yama. It was almost a rhythm of death in minutes. Their faces was green with despair, how could they even fight under such overwhelming power!


    "Do you see! You''re all just ants under my hands!!"


    The witch laughed manically, relishing in the despair of the hapless men


    Shi Xiaodong clenched his teeth, some helplessness seeping into the mans once determined eyes, regretting his own incompetence and incapability.


    The only thing they can hope for now is Lui Quishi.


    This feeling of powerlessness left an awful taste in his mouth


    Chu Yi grinned, the shadow of the moon was mottled , and the slight moonlight was blocked by the red clouds before it finally fell in a hazy maze on his face. His smile widened, "What''s with the nervousness? The big deal is death."


    On the backdrop of the shrill and hell-like laughter, Chu Yi''s nonchalant tone was a sharp knife that directly cut the terrifying atmosphere in half.


    The demented and deranged voice of the witch stopped, his face distorting like he had swallowed a pile of shit. Chu Yi''s smile was filled with an evil taste.


    And Shi Xiaodong who had still been wallowing in despair, abruptly woke up.


    They weren''t even dead yet but they had already acting like they had been defeated.


    All hope wasn''t lost yet! They still had one more Trump Card!


    The witch smirked and cried with evil mirth, "Interesting! So Interesting really! Since you want to play like that!"


    Thinking of what was to come, the corner of his mouth curl, murderous intent brewing rapidly on his blurred face.


    At this time, Bu Hua, came out to jump again


    "Is death so insignificant! What kind of high and cold play are you trying to pull off here! If it wasn''t for you, would we have reached this stage! Chu Yi why don''t you go die and stop harmimg us innocent people,"


    "You little white face! you know nothing but to perch and cock like a little sissy! Go back to spreading your legs for the NPC and stop pretending in front of us. You make me sick!"


    The air froze solid, even the witch was a little confused on why the target had suddenly been switched and placed on Chu Yi''s head. He was obviously the villain here, so why did Bu Hua''s tone hold much so resentment and hatred for Chu Yi.


    Chu Yi stood there silent, he neither defended himself or got angry, instead the gaze he used to look at Bu Hua gradually took on a non-human light. It was like he was staring at a dead body.


    Bu Hua still had the idea of running his mouth, but the flithy words got stuck in his pipe before they could even spill out. A horrified shiver ran down his spine and a overwhelming bad premonition engulfed his entire body. His brained screamed for him to get out!


    Chu Yi felt cold anger suffocating his heart, every nerve in his body was clamoring for blood, like a hungry beast staring at its prey, Chu Yi''s body tensed in preparation to strike!


    When Chu Yi was holding the Madman''s Knife and preparing to annihilate Bu Hua, a sudden violent throbbing pain came from his chest and heart!


    In the next second, he groaned heavily in his mouth, and hunched over in pain, crimson-red blood splurting from his bruised and red lips!


    Chu Yi''s sudden change frightened Shao Xiaodong. He just wanted to take a step forward, but Chu Yi suddenly raised her head.


    Shao Xiaodong stayed where he was-what did she see?


    He saw a pair of blood-red eyes...


    In short time, Chu Yi with a hideous face was like a demon crawling out of hell, and Shao Xiaodong, who was stared at by the demon, was shaking all over and couldn''t move!


    He didn''t have time to ponder on Chu Yi''s strangeness when a violent pain surged with the force of a bullet! then he fell to the ground while clutching his chest. Cold sweat flowing down his grimacing pain and his body twitched constantly!


    One by one the players hit the ground in agony, pain and sweat distorting their vision.


    What''s wrong with their bodies?


    Chu Yi remembered that patch of skin on Xiong Qi''s neck when he lost control. It wasn''t that he lost control but that his vitality was being sucked out and he was slowly becoming a soul trapped in a doll!


    The witch slowly descended like a God descending from his alter, condescending steps were the only thing Chu Yi could hear in his buzzing ears.


    " Couldn''t have you hogging all the excitement now can we?"


    The witch chuckled, amused by his own cold joke, like a poisonous snake he observed the scowl on Chu Yi''s face with pleasure.


    "Do you regret it?"


    His words seemed incomprehensible but Chu Yi understood immediately, with blood still dripping from the corner of his ruby-red lips, Chu Yi grinned and replied,


    "You are not worthy."


    "....."


    The witch almost coughed up blood in anger.


    "Arrogant! Refusing a toast for a forfeit!"


    "Lets see if you still have the same thought after I rip your soul from your body and trap you in a doll to be tortured eternally!!"


    The unbearable pain intensified and was accompanied by the feeling of his vitality being stripped, although he knew that this would have happened, the feeling of being conquered and tortured slowly, while still alive still left a bad taste in his mouth


    The Witch watched on with a fanatical and deranged light in his animalistic eyes. The feeling of long-lost power and the sight of torment and suffering fed back into him like an addiction.


    He sighed lowly with faint regret, he wanted this pleasure to last forever, alas they were almost dead anyways. Although he thought that in his mind, the triumphant smile still hung haughtily on his lips. He turned away from the dying people in front of him boredly, once again ascending to the sky, there was no more reason to look at the trash.


    And then it happened, the triumph hadn''t had time to fade from his face, when an aggressive wind came barreling towards him!


    The Witch noticed that it was too late to dodge!, he subconsciously lowered his head and was surprised to find that his feet had been enveloped in thick black gas, it moved like it was a living thing and a burning sensation told him that it was also toxic!


    "What!--"


    There seemed to be an invisible hand under the aperture, and that hand pulled down forcefully, with a dumbfounded cry,the witch fell straight to the ground headfirst!


    The accident came too suddenly, and the witch, who was had just left the ground, was naturally not immune. Having said that, the witch is also the top powerhouse in the copy and before he hit the ground with a bang, he managed to forcefully yank himself out of the fogs hold!


    But, without the sky advantage, can he still be as comfortable as before? Could he still pretend to be a god watching over all being? Besides, who was the brazen assailant who dared attack him so boldly?


    The answer came out quickly.


    The Witch stabilized his figure for an instant, and immediately turned on his mental power to patrol the surroundings, and quickly found the mysterious enemy.


    Xing Ling.


    Someone who was supposed to be dead, completely boiled to just flesh, now stood in front of them, billowing black waves like a sheet of pure resentment dispersed everywhere he fell, scorched black marks following in his toxic wake.


    "Good! Good! Good!!"


    The Witch even said three ''good'' words, so you could tell how angry, "Now even such a thing still sucking on his mother''s milk dare to step on my head!"


    Xing Ling laughed "Senior''s power is undoubtedly immeasurable. The benefactor drives the fire to start a prairie fire, how many flowers and plants have been killed in vain? Otherwise how could you deceive me into dying without knowing who killed me? I even helped you count the money afterwards like a saint. Although this young one is not very smart, I cant die without paying back a grievance!!" Xing Ling sneered mockingly. In his hand he held what seemed to be a copper coin, a circle smaller than a regular coin with the image of a five pointed star. It looked no different from a real coin, but when the still sneering witch saw it, his face changed in a instant.


    "Where did you-"


    The witch paused and then shook his head with a sneer,


    "No matter how you got that, I''ll have you crawl back into the grave for me!"


    Xing Ling gave him a cooked smile


    "Then come!"


    Immediately after he attacked.


    The Witch felt threatened, several purple-black spikes fell from the sky, one after another toward him!


    The things are obviously full of vitality, but the Witch smelled a terrifying aura of destruction from the spikes!


    This was an aura of luck and destruction! The resentment of all the dead had combined to create something far more terrifying than just an evil spirit!


    Dodge!


    As soon as he turned around, The Witch was shocked to find that not only the top of his head, but countless poisonous spikes from all directions were rushing toward him!


    With a crisp sound, two black and red monsters the size of colossal monsters emerged from the grown glowing with dazzling crimson light!


    At the same time, countless smaller monsters surged towards Xing Ling, like mindless fanatics, only seeking to devour and destroy, at a speed difficult to distinguish with the naked eye-the two groups clashed with a boom!


    "Screee---"


    Countless scattered limbs and broken spikes scattered on the ground, melting into an ugly slush of blood and poison. The pungent smell was so strong that Chu Yi that was still barely suppressing pain, couldn''t help but wrinkle his nose.


    This surge was group attack skill, but its accuracy was infinitely low. It''s just that the Witch didn''t need precision at all when faced with countless spikes in all directions.


    The monsters he released were his most powerful cards, and the level of the purple vines were naturally not much different. Fortunately, the souls that was fused with Xing Ling was still in its juvenile stage, and the scattering of random monsters could barely resist.


    The witch slowly calmed down from the initial panic, Xing Ling was strong no doubt, It''s a pity that time is too short. In the site of the spikes, Xing Ling, who has not yet been fully integrated with his power, is still weak, and he will die if he doesn''t escape!


    But the Witch wouldn''t give him this chance


    At the moment, the sense of crisis was overwhelming. After the scattered spikes resisted the first wave of the monsters, Xing Ling took advantage of this to hurriedly advance to the witch.


    The Witch was strong, however, in the face of countless companion poisonous spikes, he still looked embarrassed! That meant there was a chance!


    Xing Ling didn''t care if he would die, he just wouldn''t be reconciled to not go down with a fight!


    The witch caught the violent punch that flew towards him from the side, a slight sneer on his face


    "Give up! You cant defeat me!


    Xing Ling didn''t answer, unable to catch up to the Witch''s prowess, he directly resorted to mass attacks. In an instant, Sixteen humongous gassy spines all burning with a purple flame, surrounded them. The Witch shook his head again and with a wave of his hand Sixteen black spider like monsters attacked the vines.


    If it can be broken so easily, the spikes would not be worthy of its origin, when the first vine was about to be ripped apart by the monsters, it exploded suddenly with a ''bang''. Then it turned into a purple light and shot directly at the head of the witch!


    Mental Attack!


    The Witch distinguished the attack type for the first time, and immediately placed a spiritual barrier in front of him. However, this mental attack was stopped, and the remaining fifteen clones blew themselves at the same time!


    "Ah!!!"


    The Witch responded quickly, and finally stopped ten of them, but the last five still rushed into the sea of ??his spiritual consciousness. Although it was only a minor injury to him, it was already a shameful thing for the witch who claimed to be all powerful"


    "Good, good! This grandfather wanted to spare your pathetic life, since you don''t know what is good or bad, you can stop blaming me for being merciless!" The figure of the the Witch suddenly lifted into the sky, and a terrifying dark green flame appeared from his body.


    This was his source of power.


    The vitality and luck of countless human souls


    When Xing Ling rushed to the witch thinking to take advantage of his injury, he suddenly felt a powerful force that was completely opposite to the vitality of souls absorbed into his body. It was a terrifying evil force that left him trembling.


    Gradually his eyes turned solemn, he could sense the power accumulating in the witch, this was his last chance. He could only make a desperate move.


    At the same time, the last spike left suddenly exploded, and then a dozen sturdy blood-red spikes soared into the sky, like a dozen giant pythons, opening their blood basins and rushing towards the Witch!


    The minute the spikes were released, Xing Ling coughed up black blood, his already pale face turning even whiter. This was using the last of his vitality on a gamble!


    At first, the Witch didn''t take it seriously, but soon realized that something was terribly wrong-the breath radiating from the blood spike made him, the top powerhouse in this instance, feel a touch of coercion!


    This was a spike in the mature period, and it is comparable to the top monster in his collection!


    As a result, the witch that had just took off before even flying high, the blood vines that attacked the witch turned around one after another, and rushed towards the witch without hesitation.


    If entangled by blood vines, the witch would never want to take off in this life. However that was it, it still wasn''t enough in the end. Looking at the oncoming dozens of ''blood pythons'', the witch gave a cold snort, then waved his big sleeves, and a black-red fire wall appeared out of thin air, just blocking the spikes.


    Plants are afraid of fire. Although the witch does not regard the blood vines as an ordinary vine, flames were still the enemy of anything with vitality. This wall of fire was mixed with the fire that set the blood pool boil at at the beginning.


    What is the vitality of a hundred souls compared to that of thousands!


    The blood pythons are certainly good, but the spikes that are in their maturity period are still somewhat unsatisfactory. They couldn''t break through the brocade of flames and Xing Ling could only watch in bitter defeat as a rain of dark green flames showered down on him,


    As soon as the rain touched his figure, miserable wailing spread all over the world!


    It turned out that the moment the rain entangled him, they were like countless barbs had grown and plunged into Xing Ling. In the end, he was pierced into a bloody sieve in the blink of an eye.


    When talking about Xing Ling, the moment he was trapped, he thought about using the the blood spikes technique to get out. But no matter what he couldn''t avoid it and he could only disappear in vain.


    Faintly before, the world became quiet again, he turned his head to look at Chu Yi whose eyes had been trained on the battle from the start, there was no despair in his eyes or regret.


    His eyes only held anticipation, before he disappeared into a plume of smoke


    "See in the end, None of you can defeat me. Just accept your fate quietly"


    The witch came down slowly from the sky, although he looked a little shabby, his eyes still couldn''t conceal the victorious light.


    Chu Yi stared at the man strutting before him like a peacock, a mocking light slowly diffusing in the crimson light of his eyes.


    57..58..59..


    "Are you forgetting something?"


    The witch paused slightly and suddenly thought of something, extreme horror slowly took over his face he realized.


    "....."


    "...The time! THE TIME!!"


    It was too late.


    It was like the brief standstill before an old grandfather clock struck 12, as of they had all been sucked into an infinite vacuum, where time never moved-


    Tick.... Tick


    Then it struck!


    BANG! BANG! BANG!


    Everything paused for a stagnant second as it slowly registered in their heads.


    The contract laid the rules and they must abide, therefore Sacrifice was late. And the offender must be punished


    "No..No...No..NO..NO... I''m sorry!! I don''t want to die! I don''t want to die ! NOOO!"


    Boom... Boom...


    A thick sound that seemed to be a heartbeat came from his ears, and Chu Yi''s originally curled body slowly relaxed with the sound of the heartbeat, and the darkness on his neck was dark. The cyan convexity disappeared, and even the blood red eyes returned to normal.


    The thing inside in his pocket warmed slightly before slowly moving away from his body.


    It was only visible a split second, then there was a change.


    Struggling to get up, Chu Yi''s eyes widened in surprise--if his heartbeat hadn''t sounded like thunderous ears, he seriously suspected that his eyes were dazzled.


    What did Chu Yi see?


    He saw a big heart that was half human!


    Boom...boom...


    The heart is floating in the air, covered with green stripes like a spider web. It was still beating, and the rhythm seemed to be exactly the same a Chu Yi''s heartbeat.


    Chu Yi couldn''t even hear the wails of the witch behind him and the coughing of the standing players, instead all his focus was on the thing before him


    Through the translucent heart wall, Su Mo saw that there was a strange thing inside¡ªit seemed to be a human.


    Under the bated gaze of the players, the heart bulged, getting bigger and bigger, expanding till it towered over the players, there was a still and then ''BANG!''


    In a flying mass of viscera and flesh, a bloodstained entity was revealed.


    The man had thick black eyebrows, a tall nose and deep eyes. His pupils were a golden yellow and the corner of his mouth seemed to hold a frivolous and roguish smile. The look in his eyes also seemed to be mocking but at the same time it seemed to hold nothing.


    The whole person feel like a thorny but rugged wild beauty.


    He wore a long black with wide shoulders and long legs, and a white short sleeve, transparent from the fluid of the heart he broke out of , allowing the players full view of pectoral muscles.


    "Poser."


    "....."


    The atmosphere was somewhat embarrassing, even though it sounded like a whisper in the silence it was like a thunderbolt to their ears.


    The man coughed slightly before once again putting on an impassive face.


    "You''ve broken the contract witch ."


    The man immediately fell to his knees


    "No, no, no, give me one more chance,"


    Viscously he turned a finger to the players standing beside him


    "Take them! Those the sacrifices I intended to give to you ! Spare my life! Think about how good to you I was! "


    The witches face had distorted from terror and ugly resentment, the eyes he used to look at Chu Yi and the rest seemed as if he wanted to swallow them into his stomach!"


    At first, the man was calm but when he heard the witch offering them up as sacrifices, his face collapsed. With a sneer on his handsome face, he mercilessly sentenced him to death with a word.


    "You dare"


    With a wave of his hand, the witch who had just been almighty moments ago, collapsed in a pool of melted flesh and blood.


    His death was too much of a mercy for him, but at that moment, like the haze around the land had been lifted, the dark haze slowly lifted and the blood beneath their feet sank into the ground, with a rustle of trees, a flock of white birds fluttered out from the forest behind, and the mottled light of the golden sun peeked out from behind the snowy clouds.


    Chu Yi seemed to catch sight of a golden bird amongst the white doves flying away, it seemed flickering and transparent in the dewy light but the joy of freedom seem to encompass it as it swirled and dipped happily before disappearing on the other side.


    [Ding! The Copy Doll House has been successfully cleared. Please prepare for transportation back to Main world]

 Chapter 57 - Rewards And Clearance (3)

    [Player 50001, congratulations on successfully completing the derivative script <Doll House>, the system is in transit ... ]


    [Transfer is completed, rewards are being settled ... ... ]


    [1. Successfully completed the magic script <Doll House (C)(Low Magic)> with 83% completion rate and obtained gold (A)rating;


    Successfully cracked the magic script <The Ceremony(C) (Low Magic)>, with a cracking rate of 82% , Gold (A)rating;


    3. Help Xing Ling Get revenge, Defeat the witch and gain Xing Ling''s gratitude;


    4. Reduce the children''s resentment and free them from their seals ;


    5. Other; rewards are as follows:


    Pseudo-spiritual Script Completion (Personal Mission) (Low magic Gold level), 150 world coins;


    Copper Coin (low magic), Black treasure chest (low magic);


    A dirty doll;


    The Evil Ghosts approval ticket;


    Xing Ling''s Red Bow;


    250 world Coins;]


    [Evaluating Performance...]


    [Comprehensive Rating B-]


    [Instance Evaluating....]


    [Damage to Copy <(Low Level)(18%)>}


    [NPC Comprehensive Rating, Silver (B) Rating.]


    [Final Evaluation Silver (B) Rating]


    [Because player 50001 participates in the script task for the second time with a comprehensive rating of (B) , World Coins will not be deducted. ]


    [Player No. 50001 is in poor physical condition, Automatic Healing activated, If you choose to repair it, 5 World coins will be deducted for repair. ]


    "Confirm."


    [Body repair begin ... repair completed.]


    [Player 50001 physical condition: good.]


    [No. 50001 player as the leading contributor indirectly caused the death of the central figure, the witch, As a penalty, 15 World coins will be deducted and 3 points of contribution will be deducted;]


    [Player 50001 completes the first derivative script <Doll House (Low Magic)>, rewards 30 world coins and a black iron treasure chest (low Magic)


    [No.50001 player magic script <Doll House (Low Magic)> has a completion rate of 83%, a cracking rate of 82%, a silver evaluation, and a reward of 25 contribution points; the physical fitness is improving ... the improvement is completed. ]


    [Player 50001 successfully completed the second initial mission, awarded: the title of Reserve player; task bar open; storage bar open; chat function open; friend circle open; system push open; trading system open; private park open; game park open; shopping mall open; player forum open; auction field open; practice field open ... ]


    [No. 50001, reserve player Chu Yi, the magic script <The Doll House (Low Demons)> is settled, please continue to work hard to guide the game, see you next time! ]


    Chu Yi opened his eyes quietly, "I''m back ... " His voice couldn''t hear the slightest fluctuation, but people who are familiar with him can still hear the difference-regret, Chu Yi''s tone was regrettable.


    Next is the storage bar. The storage bar has a total of 50 cells, including: Conductors Playing Card(Summoning Card), , Black treasure chest (low magic), a sweet lollipop, Madman''s Sword,(untradeable)(Natal soul-killing weapon (unnamed),, The Conductors'' letter, Evil Ghosts Approval Ticket, Xing Ling''s Red Bow, A dirty doll. dark iron treasure chest (low magic), as well as 380 World coins and 20 contribution points.


    At the top of the storage column is the "Achievement" column. Inside is a gray screenshot of <Doll House>, covered with a Silver Medal of "Silver Evaluation".


    Below the "Achievement" column are the character attributes:


    Name: Chu Yi


    (Reserve Player); Number: 50001; Title: None (available for official players); Race: Human; Physical State: Good; Physical Fitness: Excellent; Curse(s): None


    Chu Yi appeared on the platform in a flash of light but this time he didn''t wait to observe the people around him but immediately walked to the transit station. Nothing had changed except now he had a bar code stamped on his right hand.


    This was the access point for all the facilities opened to reserve players but he wasn''t in the mood to explore now, he needed a shower.


    Although the castle had been fairly sophisticated in build, it was still somewhat backwards and if they wanted to take shower and change their clothes, they would have to fetch water from the well outside the castle walls. Even Chu Yi who wasn''t afraid of death, wouldn''t seek death unprovoked, therefore he hadn''t changed his underwear in over 3 days.


    He had managed to suppress his discomfort and distract himself solely with the high-paced action of the instance but the minute he came back to the city, he was immediately reminded of how filthy he was.


    It was only early the next morning, did he eventually remember about the access points.


    Turning the sun hat on his head, Chu Yi bowed his head and walked out of the building.


    The sky outside had been dyed golden-yellow by the rising sun, and a flock of birds flew by with a soft flutter of white wings, the image of the golden bird flashed through his mind unconsciously, but before the sentiment could vaguely ferment , it was quickly brushed away.


    He was wearing a soft cashmere sweater and jeans, a long windbreaker hanging above his shoulders, a soft mellow air surrounding him as he strolled, hiding the blood covered rose underneath . In addition to his height and long legs, he was not particularly strange amidst the walking crowd.


    It''s just that if people around him glanced at him unintentionally, they wouldn''t be able to help but stop, even though the hat on his head somewhat obscured their vision, it still couldn''t prevent them from recognizing his charm


    Where he walked, it seemed as if the pause switch was flicked. These people had eyes that were about to catch fire from greed, but they were very restrained in their actions. They didn''t get close, and at most they whistled at him and made some dirty movements.


    Chu Yi, uncharacteristically didn''t put them in his eyes, he was in an unprecedented good mood, rather he was happy; as soon enough someone else would deliver fresh entertainment to his hands.


    People on the streets wear everything, regardless of the season, regardless of gender, black silk-legged men and celestial lovers are considered inconspicuous.


    Feathers, collars, even naked, in a place where you didn''t know when you you would die, such a thing as shame was nothing but an option for some people.


    Without the constraints of legal ethics, players can freely release their nature, all the monsters and ghosts have come out, its almost as if you were going to be blind if you look at it too often. However, leaving these spicy eyed elements aside, the whole street looked very good, without rubbish and dirt, and without the quarrels, thefts, robberies of the F-Zone


    The A-C Zones were managed by the system, and some behaviors were not allowed on the streets, such as fighting, murder sex, robbery, littering. Anyone that violated the rules after three red warnings would be thrown into the chambers to fend for themselves. In addition, small shops with operating licenses were also protected by the system and are not allowed to be beaten, smashed and looted. Direct deduction of world coins in violation of the regulations, and loss of life directly after too many violations.


    Chu Yi didn''t take these words seriously at all, just like in contemporary society there would always be a way around things, especially for the old players that have been here for a long time already.


    Gradually the farther he walked, the harsher the sun above his head became, it was like a huge steamer had covered the entire city, there seemed to be no wind in the heat. It Uncharacteristic of something malevontly titled ''Black City''. As he walked on the gray slate street, past the orderly arrangement of green trees and black iron benches, he felt as if he was being roasted slowly. On both sides were shops with display windows, all kinds of goods were displayed in them, there were even flower shops and toy shops, it looked almost as if they had returned to reality.


    However to Chu Yi, compared to this place that resembles a human city, the bloody and nightmarish hell was actually more lovely. This city is indeed very beautiful. Whether it is iron street lamps or beautifully matched roadside flower beds, you can see the beauty of art. It''s just that the combination of this beauty and the blood that paved it makes it even more unnatural. The more harmonious and beautiful the environment, the more uncomfortable the players will be. Everything is so false. Because in the end, the facade of peace was nothing but an mocking illusion .


    There were cars, carriages, and rickshaws on the road. These cars are extremely luxurious, and there are one or more well-dressed players sitting in the cars. Players walking on both sides in the sweltering heat couldn''t help but chase with their eyes, showing an enviable look.


    These drivers were all A-Level players, and the car is their own personal vehicle. Many of them were high levels players in an organization. However, if you want to drive in Black City, you must pay a regular driving fee, and a patented parking fee, so only some people will choose to drive. Cars without license plates will be seen as a violation and a warning will be given.


    Taking a car could even be seen as a show wealth and power and would attract prestige among ordinary players.


    The Black City was just like this. Even the most powerful person cannot guarantee what will happen in the next instance, therefore whilst alive they did their best to accumulate resources and power that could save their lives.


    However, It''s not entirely boring and monotonous, there are occasional surprises that will definitely make him excited.


    Eventually Chu Yi came to a custom-made snack shop.


    The milky aroma of cream and the aroma of bitter coffee mix together, making people crave food. Chu Yi originally just wanted to observe the terrain, but turned a corner temporarily and went to the snack shop first.


    In the brightly polished glass counter, golden walnut crisps are stacked into a small tower, cute cakes are placed on exquisite porcelain plates, and long buns are placed in a bamboo basket with white paper with lace. The aromas of several foods are mixed together, but they don''t feel chaotic at all, only sweet.


    Ding- a- Ling.


    The boss who had originally been idling behind the counter, raised his head on reflex, a wide smile already plastered on his chubby face before he could even see the visitor,


    "Welcome to La Facia Pas-"


    The shopkeepers voice got stuck in his throat, in seconds the bosses originally blubbery face slowly turned red in Chu Yi''s presence,


    "We-we-welcome. What may I get you?"


    The minute Chu Yi opened his mouth to speak, the shopkeeper seemed to smell a light smoky scent, it wasn''t unpleasant in any way instead it reminded him of the cigarettes he used to smoke, a strong green orange smell, the orange smell was astringent and after a little bitterness, it was slightly sweet. He couldn''t help but take another whiff.


    Chu Yi squinted his eyes slightly, and raised his hand, slender fingers casting a hazy shadow on his face, his gaze never left the pastries and he didn''t care for the man before him.


    "Walnut crisps, weigh two Liang. Two Donuts, green tea flavored mocha cake, Strawberry custard, two original flavors taro and the daifuku"


    He didn''t speak in a hurry and the posture of pointing was quite ancient. It was really the mood of high mountains and clear waters. His eyes were dull from beginning to end. Looking at the man after speaking was no different from looking at the dirt on the floor.


    This gaze alone was enough to snap the shopkeeper out of his dazed trance: after a few seconds Chu Yi''s words registered in his mind


    The shop owner was stunned: "The prices are all written on the front." The raw materials are expensive, and he sells them equally as expensive. Once the goods are delivered, there is no refund.


    In such a place, as the Nightmare, worlds coins directly represent life and he originally had no hope in selling to anyone in the zone. He relied on the occasional patronage of the A-level that would come to stroll in the B-Zone every once in a while. He knew almost every A-Zone player but he has never seen Chu Yi.


    He was either a naive newcomer that hasn''t realized the value of world coins; which seemed unlikely or a hidden boss, either way he wasn''t priviledged to know


    Chu Yi nodded: "All of them, pack them up."


    Chu Yi did not know or care for the entanglement of the shopkeeper. He used a very large box to store these five or six kinds of snacks directly.


    The boss has a very good attitude. One part from his beauty another part from the fact this order is almost twenty world coins, and the profit is about seven world coins, he has made so much in just a matter of minutes.


    This is how the life of a craftsman is. It depends on craftsmanship and luck. His small shop is not well-known, and its monthly income is only about fifty world coins, which is far less than the income from games. But they could definitely buy at least one or two more props that could maybe save his life in the long run.


    There was nothing more important than life in the end.


    As Chu Yi prepared to leave the shop in satisfaction, there was a sudden change !


    "Boss! Something happened!" A man came running in from the outside with sweat dripping from his nose, "A group of people has surrounded the entrance of the store!"


    They''re here.


    Chu Yi chuckled lowly, crimson-red pupils glowing with unkind laughter,


    "Oh.. It seems that they''ve finally run out of patience."

 Chapter 58 - The Lure (4)

    Boss! Ke Lao! Something Happened!" A man came running in from outside "A group of people has surrounded the entrance of our store!"


    Boss Ah Jin looked ugly. He didn''t expect that something like this would happen. He hadn''t offended anyone in recent times, so if they were her for anyone it would be-


    Ke Lao didn''t dare to look back at Chu Yi


    "Are they crazy? Why are they causing trouble at this venture?"


    The Man was almost wailing, "I don''t know. they said they were just waiting for someone!"


    Chu Yi was lost in thought, tapping on the table with his fingers, but was abruptly shaken awake by the shrill and grating voice of the man, he couldn''t help but give a wry smile. Such a big man, speaking in such a high pitched voice, was really spicy eyes. He didn''t let them continue to worry and he raised the snack box in his hands, "Stop guessing, they''re here for me. "


    He handed the box to the shopkeeper "Hold the box tightly, I''ll be back for it in a minute."


    "That''s right," he stopped. "If someone asks you, there is no need to hide the information about me, it is unnecessary."


    Boss Ke Lao was not too clear "What?"


    Chu Yi was not ready to tell explain clearly, as he walked out the door he exchanged what he needed from the system.


    Turning his hand to inspect the object that looked comparable to artworks, Chu Yi took a second to became familiar with the operation a bit, put it in the pocket of his windbreaker, put on his hat, and said to them "Close the door, don''t come out."


    He left the room, the door was closed conveniently, and immediately a group of people gathered around and stood at all angles to prevent him from running away.


    "What do they want to do?" The man who had informed them of the news pushed himself to the crack of the door to peek out, thinking about it but didn''t dare go out.


    Ke Lao''s face was ugly "No matter what they''re here for, its none of our business."


    The Shopkeeper put his hand on the door handle, hesitated for a second but still locked it.


    At this turn, the place was completely sealed. He couldn''t save this beautiful man, so he could only think for himself. No matter how cruel it seemed.


    Letting go, the boss slumped weakly in a chair, covering his face, to hide his painful eyes.


    There were at least a dozen people crowded in the alley beside the desert shop, all of them fierce and built like tall dark bulls, except one. However they were all greasy and dressed in grimy, stained and unwashed clothes, obviously not from this zone. Someone must have used some means to transport them here to transport them here, just for the sake of ambushing Chu Yi.


    He had felt the eyes on him, from the moment he left his house to now, he was just waiting for them to become impatient and strike.


    "Are you waiting for me?" Chu Yi asked with a harmless smile


    The man in the middle -obviously the leader-who resembled a greasy pig spoke,


    "Little brother, Ge just wants to have a night of fun with you. No harm, just let us big brothers what a real man is all about" Fat Pig was lecherous, with a face of hooliganisms. The brothers all burst into uproarious laughter behind him, the eyes they used to examine Chu Yi, resembled the gaze of a chef as it stared at a slab of meat on a cutting board, thinking about what section they should slice off first.


    Chu Yi sneered, "Tell the people behind you to come out themselves and don''t waste my time with good-for-nothings from the trash!"


    The Fat Pigs face turned red, evidently Chu Yi words had hit a sore spot.


    When Fat Pig heard these words, he punched


    Although he was fat, his movements were very fast, not careless at all. This was also the reason why he was chosen for this task. His habitual routine was to first quickly punch the person''s nose. While the opponent was holding their nose, he would grab their hair and viciously knee their stomach. If the other still didn''t go down, he would take out a weapon and stab the person. Even if he came to the Nightmare Shuttle, his ways still hadn''t hanged a much. Usually, there weren''t many people who could dodge his first punch, but to his surprise, his fleshly fist struck empty air.


    Chu Yi was even sharper than him, dodging immediately. Instead of waiting for the next punch, he grabbed Fat Pig''s fist and pulled him forward. The man lost his balance. His stomach had already been viciously hit several times, harshly and accurately, all aimed at bruising his internal organs. Fat Pig endured the sharp pain and reached for the knife in his bosom.


    He wanted to use a prop but Chu Yi was somewhat right at the beginning, they were all trash from the F-Zones, desperados that would do even the most filthiest jobs in exchange for a few coins. Then they would take those coins to indulge in meat and flesh in the tower. They would enter the lowest level copy, muddle through; barely surviving, then coming back to living like bottom feeders. The only reason they dared to take on this job, was because Chu Yi was a newcomer, although he was in the B-Zone, it only showed potential and not necessarily strength.


    He even maliciously thought that maybe the only reason Chu Yi got such a high initial grade was because he hung onto the thighs of some big man, like those coquettish little bitches that he saw sometimes on the streets.


    They also couldn''t afford the system violation because of destroying the system property-


    He felt cool, slender hands grab onto his head, then with an unresistable force he was lifted and flung out like a piece of cloth!


    Crash!-


    The World Spun!


    His ears buzzed then an excruciating pain slammed into him like a freight train


    He ha been slammed into floor without warning , Fei Zhu''s face was covered with blood, and his jaw was dislocated, it couldn''t be closed. His face was stuck in the shocked and disbelief. Fat Pig''s little brothers were also frozen; they had never really seen their boss, Fei Zhu suffer such a major loss, the muffled snorts and groans sounded bloody and painful.


    They weren''t stuck for too long before they all rushed forward. Whether it be desperation or anger, they all understood that if this task wasn''t completed, then what awaited them would be a much worse punishment.


    The thugs people had all taken out their weapons. There were many people who also wielded large knives; large knives actually were not that lethal, but they were truly frightening in a fight. If the knife were brought down, there would be a bloody gash of twenty or thirty centimeters; it was very suitable for encirclement.


    Except the person that they were facing now, was Chu Yi


    Someone screamed!


    Chu Yi had dodged the sharp knifes that the man thrusted towards and grabbed his wrist, with a sharp crack the mans write had been dislocated cleanly. The knife fell from his limp hand as he crawled on the floor like a crushed worm. Without looking back, Chu Yi caught the fist that came barreling towards him from behind! With a quick turn Chu Yi switched positions, grabbing the knife from the mans hand, and sending it towards his shoulder with a rough thrust! The blood spurted like a waterfall and fell on him, dying the white cashmere that Chu Yi wore in a scarlet red!


    Chu Yi let go of the knife and watched the man fall to the floor with a clatter.


    One by one the thugs fell in a heap of broken bones and spilled crimson red-blood, no one could touch him.


    Amidst the screaming and howls, Chu Yi took out a white handkerchief from the pocket of his coat and slowly wiped the blood from his hands.


    The blood on the white handkerchief, bright and dazzling.


    Scream, howls and painful murmurs kept ringing in Chu Yi''s ear, like an evil symphony meant to intoxicate and tempt you into the abyss.


    Chu Yi''s red eyes had already turned a scarlet red in morbid excitement, the metallic scent of blood gushed over him like blessing.


    Finally, he turned back to Fei Zhu the mans eyes had already gone red with horror and fear, the fat flesh on his face distorting into a hideous glare.


    "Let me leave you with a message for your employer." Chu Yi spoke very politely.


    Without waiting for the pig to react, Chu Yi had already walked over.


    The instinct from many years at the bottom made Fei Zhu intuitively feel the danger rapidly approaching. When he looked up, he saw Chu Yi''s face. He just caught a glimpse of look in his eyes and instinctively wanted to flee.


    This was an animalistic instinct that warned against danger.


    But it was too late.


    Chu Yi folded his already bruised and red hands into a fist and heavily struck the back of Fei Zhu''s head and neck joint. Then, he raised his foot and kicked Fei Zhu''s in the pelvis viciously. Fei Zhu immediately let out a blood-curdling scream!


    His Life-Root!


    Before the pain could even settle, Chu Yi went forward and stepped on his shoulder, bending down and with two sounds of "pa pa," he dislocated both of Fei Zhu''s shoulder joints!


    "AHHHHHHH-!!!!"


    The onlookers were all stunned. Fei Zhu''s cronies were all stupefied. No one dared to approach.


    "Do you know what to say?" Chu Yi asked with a malicious grin.


    "Please¡­ Please, Just let me go!" Fei Zhu couldn''t even speak well.


    "It really doesn''t matter. I think the message has been properly delivered"


    "¡­Big Brother please, I''m just a little man - I-I- I was just under instruction." Fei Zhu spoke the truth.


    Chu Yi squatted down with a sneer, grasping Fei Zhu''s chin, and raised his hand.


    "Today I''ll take your teeth, you don''t deserve them! "


    When Chu Yi finished speaking, he raised a random stone from the streets and bashed down over and over again, knocking out Fei Zhu''s teeth only by one until the only thing left was a bloody gaping hole filled with shattered shards of bone.


    The people who saw the scene then all felt very horrified.


    Fei Zhu''s mouth was full of blood, his chin already broken by Chu Yi''s hurl and hanging loosely, like a lump of rotten cotton. Leaving only a fainted slab of white fat frothing at the mouth on the ground.


    After Chu Yi finished, he stood slowly with a shake of his stiff wrist, but suddenly he squinted his eyes and tuned the roof of a building on the far left.


    Vaguely he seemed to see a glint of cold metal.


    Chu Yi laughed and before anyone could react, he took out a black object, raised his hand to the roof , aimed, and fired!


    "Bang!"


    The sound of a gunshot buzzed in the eardrums, like a high pitch that rushed to the top of the scalp and stopped abruptly.


    It was like fireworks suddenly exploded, a blood mist scattered like a popped water balloon, after that, the skull and brain scum flew everywhere, meat, viscera and fat falling at the foot of the building.


    Vaguely Chu Yi seemed to hear the clatter of a heavy metal falling before everything went silent.


    Headshot.


    The moment the bullet left the canister, it split into two. The centrifugal force of the first bullet first shattered every bone in his body, severed his nerve endings and tore his muscles and tendon to shred whilst he was still alive, then the second high-speed rotating bullet entered from the center of the eyebrows, crushed the brain to mush, then passed through the back of the head with a splurt!


    The little brothers didn''t react at once, and the alley was extremely quiet for a while.


    [In violation of the Nightmare Laws, 30 World Coins were deducted; a player was killed 100 World Coins were deducted, Player No. 50001 First Red Warning has been issued. A Total of 130 World Coins were deducted, Thank you for your patronage}


    Accompanied by a static sound, Chu Yi hung his head, taking the bloodied white handkerchief and wiped the muzzle.


    The pitch black pistol had light golden patterns, and the handle was also covered with gold plated leather. It didn''t look like to be a murder weapon, more like an exquisite work of art. Especially when held in the white palm of Chu Yi, it looked more like a delicate toy than a bloodthirsty murder weapon.


    The tingling sensation left behind by the thrill of once again tasting blood, still left Chu Yi''s body trembling with pleasure.


    "Tch-"


    "So exciting! Really didn''t underestimate me ."


    Chu Yi didn''t stay to wait for everyone to react, stepping over the fainted body of Fei Zhu, he went back into the shop and took back the dessert that he had just put in shopkeepers hand and smiled very cordially.


    "Thank you."


    The little brother took a deep breath and didn''t dare to take his words at all. He backed up two steps and fell to the ground with his left foot over his right foot.


    The expressions of the thugs didn''t improve much either.


    He actually has a gun? When did he take out the gun?.


    The alley is quiet, as it used to be. Only the thugs on the ground are still making noise, groans of pain and agony still coming out in guttural groans.


    Ke Lao trembled, the faint pity that he had at the beginning was long replaced with horror.


    Da, Da, Da, Da.


    The sound of soft boots sounded on the gray slate, and the man holding the snack box took off his hat, nodded to the onlookers and walked away


    His back figure quickly disappeared in the street.


    The assassination can''t end like this all at once. With such a blatant provocation, a showdown was bound to happen to him, the newcomer, maybe with threats and intimidation.


    They would lure the snake out of its hole.

 Chapter 59 - Blood Eagle (5)

    One week passed in a flash. Throughout the week Chu Yi had been on edge, not because of crippling fear but because of the burning excitement felt in heart, it was as if adrenaline never stopped bumping in his veins.


    The feeling of being hunted, the feeling of being the prey made Chu Yi feel as if there was fog in his brain. As if he was being suffocated in anticipation, every breath felt as if was pressing against his heart


    His body has already experienced a stress response due to lack of oxygen, and his consciousness felt dizzy, but all he felt was-


    Exciting. So Exciting.


    The danger of being forced to suffocate, wandering around the edge of life and death, made him feel so refreshed that his hands and feet were soft, his spine was numb, and his toes couldn''t help but curl up.


    He was a natural gambler, walking on a tightrope, chasing danger, obsessed with excitement, and the more desperate he is between life and death, the more it makes him.... burn.


    It''s been a long time since he''s been so mentally stimulated


    The more its dangerous, the happier he is.


    The constant knocks on the door, moving around of furniture and the feeling of being stared at perpetually, were all for the sake of pushing him to the breaking point. A psychological warfare between him and them.


    It was the 7th day.


    Finally, they got anxious.


    The sky was pitch-black, a sheet of black silk that completed blotted out any light, like a cold eclipse, and in a flash of spiraling white light , Chu Yi appeared. He had been transported here directly from his room !


    Chu Yi looked around with squinted red eyes, that glowed unnaturally in the pitch black night, this is clearly an abandoned warehouse full of debris! And he himself came to the center of the warehouse unknowingly, and there were giant flying bats with their fanged mouths wide open flying frantically towards him!


    Chu Yi scoffed slightly "This is just the beginning, shouldn''t you be so exciting?"


    The nearest giant bat just pounced in front of him, but was directly slashed into, spewing putrid black blood in all directions as it fell! However he still couldn''t help but frown, it wasn''t that the bats were particularly strong but the smell of these animals was strong, like rotten meat that had been fermented for too long, with a bad oily smell, and the thought of just leaving quickly sprung up in his mind, in the end the excitement that had brewed over the past week, made him eventually ignore it with disgust.


    Chu Yi did not show the slightest surprise in the face of the giant bats that rushed up. He even managed to avoid the siege of the giant bats in a warehouse and counterattack, slashing and slicing them like one would cut into cloth!


    However, soon enough the excitement of the kill, soon boiled down to boredom and disappointment.


    "Is this really what you''ve prepared after all this time?


    "Disappointed?" In the ear-grating sound of bats screeching and dying, the voice was particularly abrupt and frightening! The voice was distorted, and seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.


    "Is it fun to pretend to be God " Chu Yi laughed sarcastically " Truly a donkeys lips do not fit a horse''s mouth"


    "Haha Chu Yi I would suggest you start counting your prayers!" The voiced laughed uproariously, as if truly amused by Chu Yi''s words "Do you know what organization we''re from?!"


    "Do you really know what you''re up against!"


    "We are the Holy Desolation! Do you hear that! The Purple Turbans! No matter where you go or How powerful you are! Can you, a little newcomer fight against an organization!"


    "Chu Yi, just like how we could transport you here without you even being able to resist! We can have you die without knowing how you died!"


    Chu Yi listened to the nonsense without expression, when the voice finished ranting and turned hoping to see a face of regret and despair, he was disappointed to see that Chu Yi had no reaction to his words.


    It couldn''t help but ask again "Do you really understand-"


    Chu Yi seemed to be able to read his thoughts and interrupted him before he could finish.


    "Tch- Stop delaying my time, as long as you''re dead what does a organization have to do with me?"


    The voice couldn''t help but be stuck for a few speechless seconds, then anger seeped couldn''t help but seep into it''s tone,


    "That''s all right. Let me be the one to send you on your way to the Yellow River! I hope you still believe that when you meet the King Yama for me later!"


    There was a rumble underfoot!


    When Chu Yi realized something was wrong, he subconsciously wanted to avoid the attack, he was surprised to find that he couldn''t move anymore - layers of yin energy rose from under his feet, and he didn''t know when he was planted by the Seven Evil Soul Locking Array!


    The Seven Evil Soul Locking Array is of the Mozhan Star-Pointed formations. Although this formation belongs to the Taoist Dao, it is one of the few vicious formations in the Taoist School. This formation is trapped by the Seven Evils of the Underworld and formed with the resentment of a hundred defeated warriors and baptized with blood of 44 unborn fetus''! Simply put this was a vicious array that would slowly drain the vitality from its victim until they were nothing but a mummified corpse! It also had high requirement of its caster and although the system had simplified its requirements, the prerequisite of casting is that the caster must be vicious and cold-blooded otherwise it would be swallowed by the array!


    The moment the ''Seven Evil Soul Locking Array'' appeared, boundless evil spirits swarmed, instantly engulfing Chu Yi''s figure. He felt as if what he was breathing wasn''t oxygen anymore, it was pure yin! This was a move, even he didn''t expect but it was unexpectedly effective!


    The floating resentment was very strong. Normally, when a corpse it releases a small wisp of yin energy. Just staying in a graveyard with yin energy would gradually cause sickness and maybe even death, not to mention now where he was basked in ten times the resentment! According to this rate, he would be slowly sucked dry and mummified in a matter of minutes!


    In addition, accumulating so much resentment would mean that he wouldn''t even be left with a whole body, he would eventually explode inti the bits of dry-bark like flesh and bones from the pressure!


    He was facing a bigger predicament than the one in the last copy!


    Naturally there was a way out of this, but faced with such overwhelming power, even those chances seemed slim!


    "Chu Yi! You can only blame yourself for being in my way!"


    Chu Yi ignored the mocking voice, his brain turning rapidly


    The best result is naturally to break the barrier of grievances, leave here, and then find then Zhong Feng and Bu Hua. If he failed, or lose his way at the slightest, or become infected by resentment, he would die extremely gruesomely!


    Everyone is a player. Even if most of the abilities are sealed in the Main World, the mental power is not comparable to ordinary people. Moreover, night and early morning are the times when the grievances are strongest, and Zhong Feng and Bu Hua had undoubtedly chose the best time.


    He knew that the ''Seven Souls Locking Array'' had six auxiliary nodes and one central node that controlled the resentment in the array, he only had a few minutes to find the node and get out before he turned into a stick figure! In the time, he had spent thinking , nausea had already settled in the back of his throat, this was sign that his vitality was been corroded by the second.


    "You cant win!!" "Give up and accept Death!" "Chu Yi, I wish you better luck in your next life!"


    Time was ticking! As Chu Yi''s face got paler and paler, his eyes became brighter and brighter like the sun before the eclipse, even as he felt his breathing become heavier and his body getting weaker, Chu Yi never stopped thinking!


    Seven nodes! Only one was the real center! He had to choose the right one !


    There wasn''t any flags or plates that would make things easier, the ''Seven Soul Locking Array'' could used anything, rock, carving ; set up at key points in order to activate the formation.


    It could even be an animal-


    Animal!


    The Bats!


    He had overlooked this! The bats from the very start weren''t very strong! Zhong Feng at the very least has played two copies with him and at least knew a general gauge of his strength. He knew the bats were useless against him but still sent them out! It was all in order to hide the their true function!


    This was a death trap, under so much pressure who would take note of the strength of the monsters they''ve already defeated!


    Chu Yi staggered where he stood, he could feel the blood in the back of his throat , his body was on the last straw! However, Chu Yi broke out into a huge chagrined grin , the feeling of death only made him frenzied!


    With only a few seconds left, and under the mocking laughter of Zhong Feng, Chu Yi pulled out his sword and with the last vestiges of his strength, flung it towards a hidden corner of the warehouse!


    Time seemed to freeze and only the swoosh of the sword as it cut through the air echoed in his air, then there was a thud, the sound of knife hitting flesh!


    "Screee----"


    It was like a huge vacuum had been activated and the resentment was sucked up like a whirlpool disappearing underground, Chu Yi could straightened as he felt his lost vitality being slowly fed back into him.


    The sound of dripping blood and gasping breaths seem to be the only thing in the abandoned warehouse but Chu Yi knew it was not so.


    His laugh started off as a low chuckle, then it increased in symphony until it became a roaring wild laughter like he had just seen the biggest joke of all time! Then it stopped and Chu Yi spoke in a freezing tone.


    "Go to Death? Do you think you''re worthy"


    [System Confirmation: Does Player Chu Yi Id No. 50001 confirm usage of ''Th Evil Spirits Approval Ticket?'']


    "Yes."


    [Request Processing.....All Area in a 30 mile radius is now placed under Lock and all teleportation props are directly disabled. Life Form detected; Two Life Form is 13 steps in front of player. ]


    Da, Da, Da, Da.


    "Lets get the party started shall we?"


    "No. No. No. No."


    "Chu Yi it was him, all him! it was was all Zhong Feng''s idea, his fault- he told me that you were the imposter! He lied to me! Chu Yi I was a victim too! Kill him not me! Chu Yi! I''m sorry, spare me!"


    Chu Yi stepped past the man on his knees on the ground before him, crushing his heels into the mans fingers and rendering them into bloody dregs instantly.


    Zhong Feng once stood before him like triumphant god, now the mans face was pale with fright. Not only was the array that he thought was uncrackable directly solved by the man before him , he was also terribly afraid, he had seen those eyes before only once, in the eyes of the most dangerous NPC bosses in the copy. It reminded him of the one A-level instance where he was only brought back with half his body remaining, those eyes were beastly and inhuman, like a demon crawled out of the abyss craving for blood.


    "Demon- DEMON! Get away from me!!" Maybe it was the fear of the instance that overtook his mind, maybe it was Chu Yi himself but Zhong Feng directly broke down.


    He was doomed then,


    There was only one person who was ever fortunate to witness the blood eagle with his own eyes,


    Cruel, Bloody and Violent. A work of art that killed,


    It first started with the carving of an eagle onto the back of the victim. Through the carving, his back was then pried open and his ribs were detached from the spine, one at a time. Following that, his lungs would be pulled out and spread over the ribs. And the the final show supposedly represented an eagle. The Victim didn''t die immediately, instead he he had to be alive throughout the whole process, so that the finishing touch, the ripping out of the still beating heart and places it in the mouth of its victim, could be completed.


    It was said that when Bu Hua was found later by his friends, he kept repeating,


    "Blood-So much Blood-" Over and Over again like a broken record, no matter they tried to get the story from his mouth, it was like he had lost his soul, only sitting and staring into the wall and then going crazy, screaming for murder before once again going back into a lifeless trance.


    But that had nothing to do with Chu Yi, who was preparing to enter into his third copy,


    ''The Institute''

 Chapter 60 - The Institute (1)

    Chu Yi''s eyes snapped open with force, but the harsh sting of dusty particles contaminating the air, immediately made his eyes water painfully.


    His consciousness seemed to be pulled out of a deep ocean, the sudden change of voices, light and shadow, and air pressure, condensed as if they were tiny warring entities, that poured down into him vividly; making him instantly sober.


    The first thing that he felt was the monstrous stench that was so strong that it almost stunned him back into a faint.


    The rotten odor of animal carcass and decomposing plasma transpired by high temperatures, mixed with the mildew odor of deteriorating drinking water, and fermented human waste, twisted into a terrifying odor that couldn''t be escaped, it invaded his nose pervasively, the feeling of countless mosquitoes and flies dancing about his body, and the noisy buzzing sounded unscrupulously, as if they were the masters here.


    Wow.


    Chu Yi''s eyes darkened with heavy disgust and his skin crawled with loathing.


    He was lying under a simple shed-underneath him was a grey cloth that couldn''t even be recognized as its original color. Beside him there were at least seven other beds, with the same unwashed and stinking odor, all crowded in the same cramped and flithy room.


    Through the leaky roof of the shack, one could see the greyish gloomy sky and the boundless trash scattered in foul heaps outside. The garbage peaks were almost piled to the sky, as if to squeeze the only remaining color on the abandoned land , the only blue in the sky to a monotone grey. Everywhere that the eye could see, was filled with trash and the overpowering stench of rot made the weak-stomached players retch.


    [Ding]


    [Transfer Complete.]


    [Issuing Storyline...]


    [Opening Copy ''The Institute'' (Low Level)(C)]


    [As a D- Class resident of the Abandoned Star Planet 1329BV, you are one of the Chosen Ones who were selected to embark on a journey to the famed and respected Institute governed by the Federal A Empire. The brainwashed lure is to change your destiny and become a legal resident of the Capital Star Planet; The Holy Land, under the full funding of the Federation, but blind to the real purpose of the Institute, under the bright and holy light, lies a gloomy and corrupted secret that could change the very foundation of the entire Empire]


    [Main Task processing...]


    [Main Task 1: Survive the Institute for one month]


    [Main Task 2: Find out the secret of the Institute]


    [Side Task processing...]


    [Side Task 1: Expose the secret of the Institute to all the abandoned BV planets]


    [Side Task 2: Destroy the Institute]


    [Ding!]


    [All tasks have been issued; Good Luck to all players!]


    Chu Yi sat up with a hand to his head, but even before he could stand, a dizzy wave washed over him, and there was a convulsive pain in his stomach.


    Chu Yi was conquered by this novel experience, and he clenched his fingers in wonder, the feeling of weakness caused by hunger and malnutrition came clearly, making him especially fascinated.


    ''BANG!'' ,the already rickety door was directly thrown off its hinges! A man in black overalls with a gas mask came storming in!


    " Get up you filthy vermin''s! The Institute is already here!, you lowlifes need to get up off your lazy asses and Hurry up! If you''re late and shame me in front of the Federation, don''t blame me for peeling the flesh off your bones!"


    The man didn''t bother to walk into the tattered shed, the pungent smell of unwashed and dirty feet was enough to deter him, with an ugly scowl he proceeded to bang on the shabby shed walls a few more times before stalking off to wake the other residents with disgust.


    The players looked around at each other in silence, a brooding and scheming light prevalent of experienced players glowing in their eyes.


    "Tang Shun, fives copies, official player." With the first player as a precedent, the others introduced themselves slowly, but even then they never stopped observing each other candidly.


    "Mu Fang, 6 copies, official player."


    "Jun Bi, 3 copies, reserve player."


    "Chu Yi, 2 copies, reserve player."


    Tang Shun seemed to notice something and he turned, the eyes he used to look at Chu Yi , underwent a subtle change. Chu Yi had also been staring at him from the beginning, although the silver glasses Tang Shun wore obscured the dark gleam in his eyes, Chu Yi seemed to smell the breath of danger, the gentle and polite facade didn''t fool him in the least.


    The other players were Lu Quian, Yang Gan and Le Peng, all second copy players.


    There was nothing else to discuss, and they could hear the banging sound of the overseer getting closer again, so the players decided to leave.


    Chu Yi walked out of the shack and raised his head, the whole world was finally fully revealed in front of him.


    The boundless trash was stacked into high hills, all kinds of rancid waste, fermented at high temperature into a such stench that it was almost like a biochemical weapon. The grey smog formed from toxic gas made the atmosphere thin and gloomy, and the sludge of human waste all gathered on the ground in a thick black mud. There was a disgusting feeling of clammy waste squishing underfoot through thin slippers. Above their heads, and a colossal snow-white airship like a descending star mid-air obscured the sky, this planet covered in garbage, lifeless, like a corner abandoned by the world; was directly illuminated with a glorious light,


    Compared to the feeling of god coming to save his children, the filthy and sultry atmosphere of the planet blanked them in a despondent mood, and when you looked around, it was an endless rolling mountain of rubbish. The colorless rotten waste squeaked under their feet and mixed into an unpleasant, disgusting smell, the people who were already desperate, probably felt that the airship was like a prophecy!


    At this time, Tang Shun stood beside him, a gentle smile gracing his suave face, the words out of his mouth however were extremely cruel!


    "They''re like livestock aren''t they- ignorant and dull, just waiting to be slaughtered. They have no thoughts for themselves and just live for the federation."


    Chu Yi tilted his face towards him, he didn''t answer but the laughter in his ruby red eyes was enough for Tang Shu. He didn''t speak again but tacitly followed the shuffling crowd forward.


    An extremely unusual noise appeared not far in from them, which was different from the buzzing of mosquitoes and flies, that they had woken up to. This was the roar of conversation caused by a crowd of people gathered together.


    They struggled through the ankle-deep sludge, with all the players faces turning different shades of green after being assaulted with the sickening stench and the feeling of stepping on unknown substances after a walking for a while.


    Finally after bypassing the huge garbage piles in front of them, their eyes instantly opened up.


    Unlike the hills formed by garbage dumps, on this road, the ground here is flat and compact, and raised into a landing platform, like a huge artificially built seat solely created by man for the Gods to descend, with obvious traces of technology, which was particularly abrupt in this seemingly abandoned and backwards planet.


    At this moment, the square was crowded.


    The aboringes that squeezed into the square were ragged and skinny. Their cheeks, deeply sunken due to hunger, were yellowed and gray, but everyone''s eyes were illuminated by the same expression, eyes glowing with a near sickly fanatic look. It was like a creature crawling in the dark seeing the glimmer of hope for the first time, and the soul that had fallen into the abyss grabbed onto the life-saving rope and refused to let go.


    Chu Yi had no doubt that if the ''Gods'' told them to kill each other right now -all chaos would instantly be released onto the people! On the other hand, the players who had almost identical looks of cruel indifference were easily identifiable from the crowd. They exchanged knowing looks before turning their heads to the air ship hovering above the land.


    The NPC''s on the other hand looked forward hopingly and longingly, with no other thoughts or suspicion, Chu Yi could even hear vaguely among the crowd,


    "Its God, they can help us , they can save us, I hope I get chosen, save us ..."


    "Residents of the Abandoned Star Planet 1392BV, the Honorable Yan Ziyi, has with the great grace chosen this planet and this people in the year 1439 (interstellar years)to become the Chosen Ones of the Institute. Only a hundred of you will be selected in the Federations Honors, to give you a new life and to bring glory to the Empire."


    "All Glory to the Federation!"


    "All Glory to the Federation!''


    The NPC''s below repeated the words over and over again, their voices turning stranger and louder with each turn, distorting until it became nothing but a sea of frantic and fanatic shouts!


    Chu Yi looked on with amusement, such pitiful creatures.


    There would never be anything absolutely free in the world.


    Maybe those high-sounding words weren''t a lie in essence, but they would never be completely true, the fact is; they have to be alive first to see it through.


    There was the sound of a hatch being released and the people in the square fell into a deathly silence at the same time, everyone looked up at the place where the sound came from instantly.


    The huge starship hovering in mid-air stopped right above the square, and the protective cover under the air ship slowly opened a gap, revealing a beautiful , refined man dressed in all white robes, there seemed to be a holy light radiating from him, an immortal from the Qingshang Mountains, he seemed to carry all the good in the world and illuminated the world!


    Then he moved.


    In the astonished eyes of the people, the man slowly stepped into air!


    Gasp!


    They watched in horror, some even closed their eyes directly, not bearing to see their savior fall from the clouds!


    Then there was another gasp but this time, it was one of astonishment!


    The man was floating in the air!


    God. This was their God!


    "According to Article 89, of the Federation Star Laws under the head of the Institute, in order to promote the constitutional development of the Federation and prevent the marginalization of Abandoned Planets under the planet code BV , the Federation will randomly select the physical and spiritually qualified people on the edge of the secondary galaxy Horus and cultivate them into residents of the high-level galaxy Bonih, and relocate them into the Capital Star, at a fixed time period. After the basic training and observation period, the federation will be responsible for post-retirement support matters."


    High-level interstellar city-states, orderly and spacious sky channels, abundant food, water and clean residences. Yan Ziyi painted a beautiful painting of hope and peace, as if the Capital Star was the Garden of Eden of the mortal world!


    A golden light billowed like the rays of the sun from Yan Ziyi, it printed on the thin and bark like face of the aboringes, reflected in their sunken eye sockets, endless longing seems to be able to pour out from their fanatic eyes, in the foul and dirty air of this abandoned planet, this was heaven.


    Gazing at the scene in front of him, Chu Yi squinted his eyes calmly.


    His expression was cold and calm, almost indifferent, and looked so out of place among the fanatical faces in the crowd. He wasn''t the only one either, the players all had identical looks. However, the NPC''s was too immersed in the beautiful vision outlined by Yan Ziyi, and no one noticed their uniqueness.


    The gloomy atmosphere was stagnant and silent, mosquitoes and flies flew in the garbage dump, there were nothing but the sound of heavy excited breathing.


    "Fools."


    Tang Shu turned his head to look at Chu Yi faintly, although the words were said much like a whisper, he was still keen enough to hear it, especially the light mocking lilt that dragged on at the end of his lips.


    The other party had already turned his gaze naturally, staring intently at the angel-like man suspended in mid-air, his eyes squinted lazily, and the red pupils dyed with a weird glow by the golden light, although that Chu Yi''s face is smudged with dirt, he didn''t know why, but it gave him a particularly strange feeling.


    Tang Shu felt flustered inexplicably, a vigilant light flashing in those gentle peach blossom eyes. Eventually he turned his eyes back to the ship, beside him Chu Yi''s gaze swept away from his back, the corners of his lips curled up with a smile, and then he moved his gaze faintly.


    The gentle and peaceful man stopped the introduction, and the hatch of the ship was re-opened, then the golden man once again disappeared back into the air ship like a drifting cloud, ignoring the regretful and disappointed eyes of the fanatic''s lost in the illusion of a greater world, the ones who were abruptly returned to the the barren and filth of the garbage star.


    "This time the Institute has decided to select a total of of one hundred people from the planet star 1329BV."


    This time it was the voice of a gruff, hook nosed man that appeared. He had a long scar covering one eye and was looking at the grimy crowd below him with blatant contempt, a sharp contrast to the angelic demeanor and kind gaze of Yan Ziyi, which in retrospect made the aboringes worship him more.


    There was a buzzing discussion in the crowd, and the low volume could not conceal the overflowing excitement. Obviously, the number of places this time was much larger than before. But at the same time, there were at least a thousand people crowded in the square and the places were obviously limited but everyone was at least hopeful that they would be the ones chosen.


    The bottom of the huge air ship slowly cracked open a huge gap, like the mouth of a big steel beast, hovering above the crowd, casting invisible rays to scan the entire square, Chu Yi subconsciously frown and resisted somewhat, after all, he restrained himself, but then frowned harder, his feet couldn''t move.


    "The scan is over."


    The mans voice sounded again: "Residents who have not been selected, please work harder next time. The Federation will not forget your hard work, loyalty, and obedience. The selection of Planet 1392BV has been completed. Prepare for transfer to the Institute"


    As soon as the voice fell, Chu Yi felt himself go light, and there was a magnetic attraction above his head that pulled him into the air with ease


    He looked up and saw something like a sphere had dropped from the mouth of the ship, and one of the spheres had dropped on top of his head, a white beam of light projected down, enveloping him, leading him to the mouth of the starship.


    Above the trash-filled square, there are other 99 beams of light, and under each sphere a person flew into the air. Not all of them were players and Chu Yi could spot the few NPC''s from the excited and overjoyed looks in their eyes.


    Chu Yi raised his eyelids and turned to look at the angelic snow-white ship moored in mid-air.


    His expression was so focused, as if he couldn''t put anything under his eyes except the light metal soleplate. No matter how white they painted the ship, the few spots of dried black blood still leaked out faintly from the white paint, the layer beneath so thick, it could never be covered. The amount of blood that was splashed onto this vessel was more than likely monstrous


    The ground under his feet was getting farther and farther away, and the people thin faces of the people left on the square whether it carried despair or jealousy gradually blurred, and the piles of trash shrunk into nothing but mottled grey dots, the stench like an open sewer also gradually faded, fresh and clean compressed air is continuously released from the atmosphere above the galaxy to them, almost giving people the illusion of entering the promised land. The starship covering the grey sky above, was like a sun, bright and passionate, it opens the landing cabin like warm welcoming arms and the open steel mouth seems to symbolize the hope of a new life and quietly accepts the entry of its Chosen Ones.


    Except it wasn''t the Promised Land and what awaited them was far more terrifying than anything they''ve ever known.


    [Open transit point...]


    [Calculating Coordinates....]


    [Coordinates locked....]


    [Begin Jumping...]


    [Fixed Teleportation Point; Destination: The Institute]

 Chapter 61 - The Institute (2)

    For these aborigines who had never left the Planet Star 1329BV since their birth, what happened next felt like a dream.


    They washed their bodies with clean, non-contaminated water for the first time, put on dry clothes that didn''t smell like rat and insect dung, got fed a full meal, and even had their own personal ID''s . It was just as the High Command had said, they really were given a new identity.


    The players naturally separated themselves from the aboringes and they all congregated around the different canteen table and spoke in low whispers , they didn''t speak until the meal was done, for who knows when they''d be able to eat without fear in the coming times.


    Chu Yi picked up the plain white cup in hand, and casually skimmed the inferior grade tea with the lid of the cup and took a sip, he doesn''t drink in a hurry and the posture of drinking was smooth like flowing clouds. The taste of the tea wasn''t unique, and had a non-descript smell, nevertheless it was soothing enough for the weary players. Due to their identities the players had been given a debuff from the beginning , therefore even though they didn''t seem as greyed and unhealthy as the NPC''s, they still had weakness and convulsive pain in the stomach from long term malnutrition.


    Chu Yi observed the surrounding terrain, the cup in his hand, hiding the scheming light in his eye, he could hear the marveling of the excited aboringes,


    "The air is so fresh!"


    "...The clothes on my body turned out to be intact, not a single hole torn..."


    "I didn''t feel hungry at all... it was incredible!"


    "They are really just like angels!."


    Chu Yi chuckled faintly with derision, Tang Shun''s description was really very accurate.


    Mu Fang, as the only official player among the group, naturally designated himself as the leader and started issuing tasks to the players immediately.


    "We should take every opportunity to explore before we reach the so called ''Institute'', usually this time right now is a buffer period for the players to find out as much as possible and there is a really low chance that we''ll face attacks from monsters as long as we don''t get caught."


    "As long as you find an chance, then I''d suggest you take it."


    The others nodded in agreement.


    At this moment, a few tall men in uniform walked over and led them into the rest cabin. The rest cabin was not small, but it was very crowded. The narrow beds were tightly packed against the wall. There were four beds in total, each with a number on the bedplate, and they could only accommodate one person each. There were multiple such rest cabins which corresponded to the number on their ID Card.


    After a period of confusion, all the passengers finally found the bed with their own number. Lying on the narrow and soft bed, the slight vibration of the starship as he jumped from starpoint to starpoint formed a low almost trancelike lull across the silent ship, many of them had tight nerves, in high tension due to excitement and anticipation, originally in this state it would be difficult for them to fall asleep, but when the light on the ship dimmed, the passengers all felt a burst of unstoppable drowsiness, pulling him into a dark sleep instantly.


    They had been drugged!


    Chu Yi had also been a victim to this sudden onslaught of drowsiness , but unlike the others, he had only vaguely tasted the somewhat unpalatable dish of bread and green beans, before frowning in disgust and sipping on the tea instead, and there as could retain a semblance of sanity under the influence of the powerful anesthetic . Dimly, he heard something in a distance, like someone was talking. The voices however seemed to be coming from thousands of light-years away, separated by an impenetrable film.


    "...Is the anesthetic fully injected?"


    "Certainly."


    "Don''t worry, they all fell asleep like dead pigs."


    The bionic light source illuminates the corridors of the starship, and the metal structure reflects cold light.. Several men in uniform stood at the door of the rest cabin and peered inward. The half-open cabin door was dark, and one after another light breathing could be faintly heard inside. Among them, was a familiar figure, Yan Ziyi.


    "How many do you think are going to survive this time?''" Yan Ziyi asked with a sneer


    One of them laughed and shook his head at Yan Ziyi,


    "You know the crazy scientists down by the Institute, would never let go of any of these guinea pigs."


    "A better question is, how long do you think they''ll last for."


    Yan Ziyi laughed along with him, the kind and compassionate gaze had long given away to cruel mirth "My bad, it was naive of me to even think of survival. Anyone who steps into the ''Institute'' never comes back"


    "Its you who is too evil, don''t they call you the savior. Wouldn''t those imbeciles be heartbroken to know that their savior was the one who pushed them to death in the first place"


    "Who wants to be called savior by those animals. "He sneered," I just hope they die faster, that''s enough to honor me."


    The other person nodded with a smirk and said, "Okay, by the way, choose another fifty good-looking ones later to send to the Red Zone in Tauras Planet, the military there just placed an order."


    "Come on, Lets go back to the Control Room, I can still smell their filthy stench." The cargo hold was crowded and sultry. Although the residents of Planter 1329BV had simply washed their bodies, the stench that had been soaked in them for decades was not so easy to dissipate, it had practically clung to their bones and it was suffocating in the packed cabin.


    With the sound of fading footsteps, the ship was once again returned to silence.


    Then there was a faint shuffle, followed by the rustle of clothes as someone struggled to stand. Chu Yi felt as if there was a heavy weight on his eyelids, the feeling of dizziness and nausea was overwhelming and even as he stood, he felt as if he would topple with a slight breeze.


    It took him a long time to finally stabilize himself and shake off the effects of the anesthesia, ignoring the log-like bodies numbered like goods on a shelf, he ventured out of the cabin.


    [Confirm Activation of the skill: Invisibility (Green) ; Effective Time: One Hour; Bonus Effects: Muffled Sounds; Invisibility will automatically dissipate when the player speaks]


    "Confirm."


    He walked aimlessly through the cold, metaled walls of the star ship with only the sound of his own beating heart. The entire ship looked deserted, there was no patrol, no alarm, no camera ,it almost seemed to have been deliberately done, however Chu Yi knew that it was just a lack of vigilance, none of the people on board, seemed to even fathom the thought that something could go wrong.


    However soon enough, Chu Yi found something of interest.


    A door leading down into an underground basement under the ship, he could hear the unbroken chime of dripping water and smelled the unique scent of formaldehyde that he was familiar with. In more ways than one.


    As he open the door at the end of the underground cabin, a green murky light appeared in the darkness and soon a cylindrical glass capsule came into view. With red eyes showing an unnatural glow, he managed to make out the blurry, curved shape of a slender shadow in a cluster of aquatic plants and overgrown moss , in the capsule, lying emotionless, seemed to be something that resembled a merman. It had sunk to the bottom of the capsule and was barely even breathing, Through the pale, grey drifting hair, he could see the drooping, sharply outlined face, just like a silent demon in the dark.


    He approached the thing closer, to have a better look but even as he stood there, the thing did not respond, seemingly asleep with his guards down. This was obviously artificial, the seams and black hideous scars along the waist that attached to the fish tail of the merman was enough to indicate that this creature had once been a regular man.


    It wasn''t hideous by any means, but there was a sort of unnatural beauty to it that made you think of death. It wasn''t the only capsule of its kind, different creatures of varying types were all crowded in the same green murky water, dirty and obviously neglected. With one capsule, even having been completely drained of fluid and whatever had been inside having turned to nothing but black mush. This was to say, that these thing couldn''t live without whatever chemicals were inside the capsule. Chu Yi spotted something, on the floor in front of the capsules, there was metal card that had been dropped carelessly there, after reading the words on it, a sly smile slowly spread across his face.


    Splash...


    In the dim water light, the long streamlined tail of the merman in front of him coiled around a cluster of aquatic plants like a python. His three wing-shaped tail fins overlapped like black smoke, similar to the black ink sprayed by a group of cuttlefish, except the feeling of abnormality, made the ambience in the dark room even more disturbing. That tail had been from something of colossal length, the king of the deep sea, ghostly and terrible as a shadow from hell, it hunted everything because the entire ocean was its prey.


    It was impossible to accurately measure the length of its lower body, it could only be judged by visual measurement which seemed to be about 3 meters long. Adding his upper body length, he was about the same size as an adult tiger shark, it more than likely also equally matched in aggressiveness.


    Splash¡­


    This time, the merman was even more restless, the sound of rushing undercurrents stirred underneath, the murky green light in the long capsule suddenly sank to a pitch black and a dull blurry color, quite different from the normal brightness of the water, swept past. The merman''s eyes were opened! His eyes hidden behind the veil of his hair emitted a faint blue light that looked similar to the pupils of a wolf shown in night vision camera lens.


    Demonic


    But Chu Yi smiled, those eyes that sunk deep down into the shadow of his eyebrows, soaking in the gloom of the deep sea, amused him. The corners of his mouth slightly raised, as if ridiculing something, that smiling expression is full of indescribable flirtation and wickedness.


    "Such a strong creature and yet so pitifully locked away. Were just the same aren''t we."


    "So let me help."


    "Failed Experiment 5005"


    ********


    The door to the underground cabin opened abruptly, a crew member from the ship walked it with a tray, under his breathe you could hear him cursing angrily, ''those damn thieves, who wants to come to this god forsaken place. If it wasn''t for those mad researchers, I would have let these monstrosities die already''


    The man suddenly stopped, the instinctive alarm inside his head was blaring with red signals; danger!


    But it was too late,


    A hoarse and low voice came from behind him and it sounded softly against his ears, like the whispers of his sweet lover by his pillow,


    "Are you looking for me?"


    The man was horrified, but before he had time to turn his head, he felt a pair of cold hands cling to his neck and pinched his carotid artery precisely and harshly, in the last moments before he lost consciousness, he seemed to see glowing red eyes shining in the dark with sly cold light. As if the beast sleeping in the abyss slowly cracked its bloody mouth, and pulled out an evil and crazy smile at its prey.


    Then, the cabin returned to silence.


    Chu Yi suppressed the excitement in his eyes still gleaming in darkness.


    He moved his somewhat stiff wrist, then bent down, and skillfully began to search for useful things on the man.


    It wasn''t much different from what he had guessed, the whole Institute was a scam from the beginning. Those abandoned stars on the edge of the galaxies were the garbage dump of the Federation, They were also conveniently used as a human farm and they would raise children from young like how a farmer raises its pigs, breeding them and sending rations every once in a while to keep them alive. Then they would select the best ones out of the batch each year to be sent to the Institute as guinea pigs to do whatever they wanted. They also used the leftovers as cheap labor to mine the precious Lithin ore that could only be created under extreme toxicity. In this way, every one gets what they want, the Federation could use the least amount of resources for cheap labor, the Institute gets to have as many human experiments as it wants and the other regiments would also benefit no doubt. It was a open secret in the Federations upper class and was covertly approved by the Empire.


    But to a certain extent, the Federation has not lied, and the Empire will be responsible for post-retirement support after the selectors have completed the basic service period of two years.


    ....If they can live that long.

 Chapter 62 - The Institute (3)

    [Coordinates Locked]


    [Fixed Destination; The Institute -34SP(Star Point) and +48GR(Galaxy Rotation]


    [Hatch Opening...]


    [Preparing for Landing]


    |All Passengers make their way to the Landing Hatch!|


    |All Passengers make their way to the Landing Hatch!|


    "What happened....."


    "I didn''t think I''d be able to sleep."


    "Don''t worry about that, get to the landing hatch!"


    There was a brief moment of commotion as the people in the cabins, slowly woke up from a drug-addled sleep, they weren''t given any time to ponder however as a loud, flashing alarm blared throughout the entire ship, startling the waking passengers. The players exchanged solemn looks; with grim faces, they followed the stream of people hurrying out of the cabins to the hatch.


    There were rows of uniformed guards that stood at the entrance of the hatch that directed each resident to a different numbered line, the formation oddly reminded them of prisoners being transferred to a prison, and the scene that they saw when the hatch finally opened greatly reinforced that idea.


    The Institute didn''t look like the fantasy land in the minds of the aboringes, it was a large, steeled building surrounded by miles of barbed fence, with a tall watch tower in the middle of the yard. The entire place looked monotone and gloomy and gave people a sense of cold depression, the occasional sight of armed patrols flashing by in the corner of their eyes, made the expectant aboringes fall into a brief lull.


    "Move!"


    The guards didn''t wait for them to walk out of the ship before completely tearing faces, with a mocking sneer, they shoved the line of shocked passengers out into hell! Vaguely as Chu Yi walked by, he seemed to hear one guard ask about a man named Fang Wu, the other guard only shook his head in wonder but didn''t seem to care, neither did Chu Yi''s face change, but briefly as he passed, there seemed to a faint metallic glint that rebounded off the dim sunlight, but as quickly as it came it disappeared as if nothing but a mirage of the sun.


    While the aboringes were filled with shocked trepidation, the players had long observed the environment of the Institute. Not to mention that there are no windows in the halls, even the corridors and stairwells inside have no windows. Only simple ventilation equipment were installed on the ceiling.


    Not long after entering the building, they were transferred over to a group of nurses, with cold, alienated gazes, its not like looking at a person, they looked at them like a white rats in a laboratory; They wore slightly yellowed white nurse uniforms and after exchanging words with the guards, the looks on their face took on an even crueler tint.


    The Head Nurse was the first to speak, "We have some simple rules here at the Institute, "


    [1. Don''t leave you rooms at night, if you are caught by the patrolling nurses, you will be severely punished.]


    [2. Everyday at 11, medicine is issued, then afterwards lunch and dinner is served in the restaurant upstairs.]


    [3. Never trespass into the basement floor.]


    [4. You must be obedient residents.]


    Someone abruptly interrupted the nurses speech, the voice was lazy and yet it had a tone that couldn''t be ignored, Surprisingly, it wasn''t Chu Yi, nor was it Tang Shun, but it was a young boy inconspicuously hidden among the crowd. As soon as he spoke, he attracted the most attention.


    "Heh- ''Don''t you claim for this to be the Holy Land, why does it seem more like an Abandoned dump to me."


    The brown haired teen, walked to the front slowly, a playful smile showing behind the gap between his long hair, he was handsome but was obviously young and a newbie . The other players shook their heads slightly, some had pity and some seemed to mock his naivety but no one stepped out to help. Only newbies would have the courage to question a key NPC like this.


    The Head Nurse gave the boy a deep stare, as if assessing his worth,


    "All residents that come to the Institute are given an opportunity to become better. Whether you can survive is up to you."


    The boy laughed mockingly, "What a great opportunity this is."


    The Head Nurse ignored him this time,


    "For now that''s all you need to know, on your ID card is the floor and number of your room. It is now an hour till sunset and you must be in your rooms by then, because the doors automatically lock. You do not want to be caught outside after sundown."


    After leaving behind the eerie warning, the nurse didn''t care about them anymore, and without waiting for a response, she turned and beckoned the other nurses behind her to follow and walked deeper downstairs, eventually disappearing behind a wall.


    After she left whether unconsciously or consciously, the players and even the NPC''s seem to avoid the area where the boy was standing, he didn''t seem to care however and after throwing a sneer in the direction of the nurse, he turned and disappeared up the stairs.


    Tang Shun appeared beside Chu Yi like a ghost, after pushing up the silver glasses on his face, he gave Chu Yi, a deep, meaningful look.


    "Did you discover anything?" Tang Shun didn''t specify, but his tone was more like a statement rather than a question,


    Chu Yi only chuckled, "Guess." Neither denying nor accepting, he shook his head faintly at Tang Shun and stalked off to find his room.


    Glancing at the arrogant leaving back of Chu Yi, Tang Shun merely smiled before hurrying to catch up with his footsteps. They were in the same room after all.


    Originally a single ward was narrow and cramped enough, even if the whole floor was covered with bedding, it would only be the size of two or three beds. But standing before the door of the ward, there were five people, two of whom were familiar Jun Bi and Yan Gan and the other one introduced himself as Gu Ren ,nevertheless it seemed that they were all expected to squeeze into this small ward to sleep for one month, which was really choking. Among the group, there was one NPC,


    "It''s just a nightmare ... " he mumbled to himself as he sat on the ground and remained stupefied for a long time. The remaining players only glanced at him briefly, before looking around the ward. The scarce furniture in the room appeared extremely old.


    The beds were in the style of an old-fashioned, hospital type mattress, covered with white sheets, with rusty, iron rails fixated inti the edges. The sheets looked they had not been washed for a long time and Chu Yi could even spot splotches of dark brown that peppered the sheets, which was most definitely dried blood .


    Inside the room, the beds were densely packed and arranged on both the left and right sides, and the space in the middle was so narrow that only one person could pass through at a time. Such a dense arrangement caused people to feel suffocated. This was a room with white walls on alI sides, no windows, and even the interior decoration was only a handful.


    It resembled the room of a mental patient.


    There was another thing that Chu Yi noticed, was there were too many mirrors in the room. If the mirror in the toilet and the hanging mirror on the wall were counted as normal, then the countless smaller mirrors that smattered across the room was entirely unnecessary . On almost every surface and even on the ground, one could see mirrors of all sizes. There were also some glass and mirror fragments on the floor, that had never been cleaned up, and some shards were even stained with blood.


    Suddenly Tang Shun spoke up,


    "Quiet for a second- Do you hear that?"


    It was only when all the shuffling had stopped, did the players noticed the clear sound of water running from the bathroom.


    No one, had gone into the bathroom from the beginning, so why was the water running.


    Tang Shun and Chu Yi looked at each other before looking at the players, who had naturally heard the sound of water running in the toilet. He glanced at Tang Shun and whispered, "Go and take a look."


    The bathroom door opened with a squeak, inside was so dark that they couldn''t even see where the water was coming from. Even if there was light from the opened door, it was still difficult to illuminate the deep darkness at the corner of the room. They could only vaguely make out a sink and a rusty toilet.


    Click-


    The sudden bright yellow light made the players squint, that was when they noticed the liquid underneath them.


    "There''s blood everywhere." Chu Yi who had turned on the switch, stepped into the pool of bloody water, it could be seen that the blood had yet to completely dry up from its source. A lot of blood splashed on the bottom of Chu Yi''s pants when he stepped in it, and the air was also filled with a strong metallic smell of fresh blood. Chu Yi looked to the front, following the large patches of blood, and found that the blood was flowing from the bath tub, but water was flowing from everywhere. As if someone had been trying to hide something.


    After Tang Shun entered the carriage, followed by the rest, he naturally saw the blood on the ground and heard the sound of water running in the bath tub. The sound of the water had not stopped since they entered, it splashed and was almost ankle deep, however none of the water contaminated with blood seeped out from the bathroom. If it wasn''t for Tang Shun''s inhumane hearing, they wouldn''t have noticed until someone entered into the bathroom some time later.


    This bizarre situation made the players feel their hearts palpitate, but they couldn''t stay where they were now. The players could only head into the bathroom one after another. They found that the faucet of the wash basin in the bathroom was not turned off, but the sink wasn''t the source, instead the water that filled the bath tub was bright red. In the pool of water, a black thing could be obviously seen floating, evidently the source of contamination.


    Tang Shun inched closer to take a look and stated firmly, "That''s a dead cat."


    "Cat?" Chu Yi also looked into the bathroom.


    "A black cat." Tang Shun was very bold. He reached into the pool of blood and took the dead cat out of the pool of water. It was a young cat. There were several cuts that looked like it had been done by a knife or a sharp object. The body was stiff, and it had been cut from the belly down. When it was carried out, its body was still bloody, its organs were obviously missing and its fur was tangled in a mottled mess. The bloody flesh had started to turn white, and it was a hair-raising sight. Only the heart and been left inside and even now, it dripped crimson red blood onto the floor. It had obviously been tortured severely before death.


    Even as the players stepped back collectively in fright, Tang Shun didn''t seem to be afraid and grabbed the dead cat by its neck. Although Chu Yi did not show any obvious expression he still consciously stayed away from it, he hated filth.


    "It''s disgusting, But why is it here" One of the players, Jun Bi asked with some fear,


    Tang Shun shrugged,


    "Maybe the people at the institute, just wat to scare us into obedience."


    But even he, himself did not believe his own words, the system would never do something as pointless as that and this cat definitely had a purpose, they just hadn''t gathered enough clues yet.


    "Put it down, we''ll dispose of it in the morning. Night is already upon us."


    Upon Chu Yi''s reminder, the players finally realized that the time had passed in a flash,


    "I suggest that you guys go to sleep. I have a feeling that something is going to happen if we stay awak-" Tang Shun advised the rest of the players, the ever-present smile still hanging on his face.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    The sound of iron slamming into the floors reverberated throughout the entire building like loud gongs, abruptly cutting off Tang Shun''s speech, even so he didn''t seem too surprised. It was true what the nurse said. They were thoroughly locked in. The iron sheet that covered the doors were dark yellow with rust that seemed to be able to crumble with a touch, there was no lock on the door or even a door handle from the beginning. No window and iron railings on the bed. Guards, mysterious nurses and barbed fences for miles.


    This was a prison that couldn''t be escaped.

 Chapter 63 - The Institute (4)

    Garbage was scattered about everywhere ; on the floors, the beds, everywhere. It wouldn''t have been so bad if the garbage was regular trash; It at least showed that their had once been human life in this god-forsaken place. Instead what was left behind were used injection needles, empty pill bottles, and blood-stained cloth from who knows where. In the middle of the room, there would also occasionally be dry dark red blood stains on the floors and some blood seemed to have even splattered on the wall. Only the blunt force trauma of a heavy blow to the head would leave such scattered blood-stains. This all seemed like just one big murder scene.


    Not only that, the entire building was completely pitch-dark, it stood lifelessly under the dark grey sky, and without the hustle and bustle of steps and the familiar noises one would hear only when humans were around, it seemed almost as if they had been completely abandoned in a forgotten corner of the world, the creak of rotten furniture, the patter of dripping water from the leaking taps, the occasional rustle as some vermin scampered across dirty floors all seemed to morph into hair raising calls of terrifying monsters just waiting to devour the flesh and souls of their victims!


    What was even stranger was that the further in the night it got, the more obvious the rancid smell of blood and rotting meat became in the air. It was the smell of hundreds of dead animals gathered into one, a smell that reminded him of absolute carnage!


    Zong Jiu lay on his back on the rusty iron bed crowded at the very end of the room, covered with a dusty mold-infested quilt. There was dead silence around, even the sound of his roommates sleeping seemed to have been silenced by a invisible hand. He trembled viscously, the room was crowded almost cramped but he only felt extremely cold.


    He knew he should be asleep, in fact he had seen on the forums that sleeping was a surefire way of increasing the possibility surviving the first day of instance. And yet his heart continued to race with fear! His mind was blank, and he didn''t know what to do, he only felt as if the darkness was creeping up on him slowly!


    "Sleep. I need to sleep." Zong Jiu forcefully held his head, trying to shake the intruding thoughts out of his head. "Come on! Come on!"


    At this moment, he heard footsteps.


    The pitter patter of heels hitting the tiles.


    Aren''t the doors supposed to locked, the thought only flashed by briefly before overwhelming fear crashed into him like a heavy wave. Who was there!


    The footsteps sounded slowly, it was if someone was taking their time as they walked, like a cat teasing it''s prey. The person slowly destroyed his mental fortitude with every step. Closer, She was Closer! He listened to the heels hitting the floor, tap by tap, from afar as they came nearer, He felt his heartbeat stuttering in his chest, and his lungs slowly collapsing from lack of air, fear slowly took over his entire being! And then it stopped. The footsteps stopped by his side!


    She was here! He wanted to open his eyes but the strong fear made his entire body feel weak


    Shortly after, he heard someone breathing. The person or thing was breathing very close to him, they were so close, that he could feel the harsh breathing hitting the top of his head . In fear realized that the stranger was bending down to observe him. He could even feel the hot heat from the other person''s breath hitting his face.


    Thereupon, he tried to mobilize his body; he wanted to move, open his eyes, and move!


    To run! Get away!


    But he couldn''t. He was immobilized in place, he couldn''t open his eyes, couldn''t even breathe!. A sharp pain slowly spread from his chest to every part of his body!


    His body was signaling intense danger!


    Sure enough, the next second, the terrifying stranger stretched out her hand and strangled his neck!


    He clearly felt the strength of these hands. It was a pair of very delicate hands but the strength felt like the bite of a tiger . The nails were very long and pierced into his flesh! He could feel the small trickles of blood that flowed from his torn flesh. Pain and a suffocating feeling assaulted his body together. He wanted to struggle, to violently fight back, but his hands remained immobile and the pain started to spike! He was being forcefully suffocated to death!


    I''m going die. I''m going die!


    Fear paralyzed the entirety of his brain.


    At this moment, he seemed to hear a voice. The terrifying murderer who strangled his neck lowered his head, squatted beside him, and whispered in his ear, using a low voice and a mocking tone, saying:


    "Are you asleep...? "


    "Obedient residents should go to sleep."


    "Since you can''t do it yourself, I''ll help you instead."


    Her voice was soft and seemed genuinely helpful, but the only response to her words was the sound of choking. Zong Jiu''s face slowly turned blue, his mouth gaping like a fish out of water, the oxygen was slowly being deprived from his lungs, gradually his struggles died down, he could no longer feel anything, cold numbness assaulted his veins!


    His blood slowly froze and his thoughts gradually came to a halt, the also thing he saw before his death was the gleaming yellow eyes of a beast glowing brightly in the pitch-black darkness of the night.


    ********


    Clang!


    It was the sound of rusty iron sheets hitting hard walls, as the residents were finally let go from their room for the day. Most people were already awake and in a single file stream they flowed out from the rooms and into the halls. Nothing seemed to have changed at first glance but on closer look, you could tell that the players of a particular room had exceptionally ugly faces when walking out and before the door closed behind them, some players even spotted a dark pools of blood curdling at the foot of the door.


    Someone had died.


    Instantly the players hit the same general consensus, even though it was common for one or two unlucky players to die on the first day, from the looks on the dead players roommates face, his death definitely wasn''t a particularly good-looking one.


    They weren''t allowed time to speak to each other however, as the instant they walked into the restaurant, they were immediately handed long white garbs. The same ones worn by sick hospital patients, the players frowned gloomily but under the watchful eyes of the nurses, still had to change unwillingly. This was definitely insinuating something about the institute that didn''t bade well for the residents. NPC''s and players alike.


    "Stick out your arms."


    This time the players faces went completely pale, in the hands of the nurses, was a long injection capsule that was filled with a sort of pinkish liquid that bubbled from time. No matter how they looked at, it definitely didn''t look harmless. And one player who seemed to have a great fear of injections went purple in the face, but the longer they stalled the crueler the looks in the eyes of the nurse became and finally when all the aboringes had gotten their shots and the players were the only ones left, the atmosphere immediately fell to the freezing point.


    "Why won''t you take your injection?"


    "Don''t you know that only disobedient residents don''t follow the rules."


    "If you''re disobedient you have to be fixed. Only the best citizens are released back into the federation. "


    "If you refuse to comply we can only use force."


    "Please take your injection."


    The nurses completely refused to give them an alternative. It was either take the injection or be forced into an even worse situation. Finally, Mu Bin, the official player was the first to grit his teeth and walk up to bear the shot. The very minute the injection went in, his face turned a bloody red before immediately becoming pale as ice. Mu Bin walked away from the satisfied smile of the nurse with an ugly grimace. This was enough to show the abnormalities of the shot.


    But they had no choice and one by one, they went up to get the injection, each player with varying reactions. Chu Yi''s didn''t feel very much, there was only a moment of burning heat that quickly singed every nerve ending before it completely cooled like the snow in winter.


    When everyone had finally been vaccinated of sorts, they all stood in a line with pale faces. They weren''t finished however, the nurses pulled a big bottle of pills from somewhere else but didn''t distribute them immediately, they seemed to be waiting for someone to arrive,


    She was here,


    Da, Da, Da.


    There was a crisp sound of high heels slapping on the plain tiles of the Dining Room.


    The Head Nurse appeared in a strut with the same yellowing nurse''s uniform, however the face of the nurse was very pale, not normal white or anemic pale, but a strange paleness. She reminded them of the bloated white corpses that they fished out of rivers, and streams after drowning. It was disturbing to say the least.


    Chu Yi suddenly noticed something. On the pale white fingertips of the head nurse, he seemed to see a touch of red. He couldn''t tell what it was exactly, but his intuition told him blood.


    Freshly Spilled Blood.


    Suddenly there was a strange feeling from behind them all, the experienced old players looked behind them subconsciously. But the only thing they could see was, under the cover of incandescent lamps in the restaurant, black shadows, their shadows, that were quietly floating on the dirty tiles, which also proved their identity as humans.


    Nevertheless the strange feeling didn''t go away but they couldn''t see anything regardless of how carefully they looked and eventually had to turn their heads back to the situation in front.


    "You have all been given the injection I see. Don''t worry, it''s nothing but a medicine that everyone born on the capital star takes from the moment they were born. You are just given the opportunity now, even as unqualified as you are."


    There was a familiar sneer, it was the same brown haired boy who had questioned the nurse earlier, some players even looked surprised that he was even still alive. A curious look appearing on their faces.


    Chu Yi also raised a brow in mild interest, but for different reasons although the boy gave the impression of just being a rebellious brat but Chu Yi thought otherwise. Being on the target list of the NPC was obviously a dangerous thing in itself but it also came with more opportunity to get first hand information. Risk and Reward always walked in both hands and the boy had obviously opted to take this route.


    But it wasn''t his turn to point that out and regardless of how loud the boy sneered, he was eventually ignored by the Head Nurse.


    "You must remember, all residents must be obedient, you must be good citizens and you must become something that will benefit the federation. This is your show of loyalty to the Empire. This is the oath and responsibility, you as the chosen ones undertook, the moment you stepped into this building."


    The Head nurse said indifferently: "If you try to violate this oath, you will be locked up in a confinement room or forced to be treated by the doctor until you become outstanding members of the federation once again. It all depends on the severity of your condition. Trust me, you won''t want to try one by one."


    No one in the dining room made a sound, as quiet as spirits in a grave.


    "Very well, you are much more obedient than the last batch of residents admitted to the Institute." A hungry smile seemed to flash across her ghostly face but it disappeared before they could look deeper into the reason.


    Obviously, this attitude of obedience satisfied the Head Nurse, and a smile was rarely seen on her mean face.


    "Cooperating with our treatment will only benefit you in become exceptional citizens of the empire. I am very pleased that you can figure this out."


    She clapped once loudly after she finished addressing the residents, waving for the nurses holding the medicine bottles to come forward,


    "Okay, its almost time for breakfast, start distributing the medicine."


    The Head nurse waved her hand, and the nurses behind her walked out of the shadows one by one holding the medicine bottle, and handed out the pills with a glass water to the residents in the dining room one by one.


    The players exchanged glances in private.


    Tang Shun quietly asked him what to do.


    Chu Yi did not speak.


    The slender hands put the pill in front of his face, sniffed it, and frowned slightly.


    To eat or not to eat?


    There was no logo on the medicine bottle, and they didn''t even know what medicine it was. It was a strangely shaped pill that resembled more of a white lump than anything else, it also had a strange metallic scent that made it even more unknown to what it was. Drugs from unknown sources in the strange Institute full of mysteries can''t be eaten even if you think about it with your toes. Not to mention that they are not sick at all. Regardless of the obviously bullshit excuse of the Nurse.


    As if guessing what the players were thinking, several nurses didn''t immediately leave after distributing the pills, they stood over the players staring at everyone with sharp eyes, and watched them swallow them before giving out another tablet to the next resident.


    No matter how reluctant they were, they could only swallow under the unrelenting gaze of the nurses.


    What else could they do but swallow it. Fight? Definitely not at this stage.


    On the other side, after getting the pill Chu Yi turned it around in his fingers impenetrably and threw the pill directly into his mouth, under the snake-like gaze of the nurse beside him.


    After everyone had swallowed, the Head nurse suddenly ordered with an almost mocking undertone "Roll up their sleeves, open their mouths, and lift their tongues. Check if there are any disobedient residents who wants to disgrace the honor of becoming the Chosen One."


    It''s over.


    There was a loud thump in the hearts of some players who tried to play tricks, and at this moment, they couldn''t care about the lack of water, or what was in the pill, so they swallowed the entire lump dry with just their saliva.


    Unfortunately, there will always be someone who is particularly unlucky in this world. Many people in the restaurant had the same reaction, however there was one overly nervous resident who had obviously been jittery and uneasy from the moment he had entered the building. He was taken aback by the unexpected order of the Head Nurse and hurriedly tried to swallow the large lump. It wasn''t known if he had been too hasty when he swallowed it but he started hacking uncontrollably! He coughed again and again until he accidentally coughed up the entire unswallowed pill, it flew out in a straight arc and fell to the ground with his saliva still shining brightly on it and rolled to the feet of the Head Nurse.


    The resident''s face turned as pale as the nurses!


    The head nurse sneered and waved.


    "It seemed that there are indeed disobedient residents among you guy."


    "You shall be sent to the confinement room to reflect and be reformed." A group of heavy, large nurses that the players didn''t know when they came out, threw the player to the floor without mercy, there was an audible thunk as his head hit the floor with a loud boom! They didn''t care however and grabbed the player by his feet, even as he screamed for help and tried to struggle, they still held on firmly and dragged him away callously before anyone could react, disappearing soundly into the dark corridors.


    After a while, the loud horrified screams of the player in the corridor stopped abruptly, and the next moment the sound of gurgling chokes came before they were immediately cut off and disappeared behind the heavy walls.


    There was no buffer time, no forgiveness


    This was the Institute.


    And they were the chosen ones.


    It was deadly quiet in the restaurant, and everyone looked as if they had stepped on shit.


    The Head Nurse shook her head in disapproal, " Tsk, Tsk- Such disobedient residents have shamed their planets, I do hope he is properly transformed by our trusty doctors at hand."


    Seeing that the goal of killing the chickens to scare the monkeys was achieved, the head nurse nodded in satisfaction, waved for breakfast to be served, and turned to leave.


    Chu Yi stared at her leaving back with playful eyes,


    Obedient?


    We''d have see about that.

 Chapter 64 - The Institute (5)

    The minute the nurses left, a sullen faced player plopped down heavily in one of the chairs, face green with suppressed disgust. They instantly recognized him as one of the players from the presumed dead''s ward.


    The other roomates didn''t look any better and when the surrounding players inquired about what happened , it took a good while for them to regain their composure enough to speak.


    The first olayer shook his head with lingering fear,


    "The man... He died. But he didn''t die normally.. He-...He was hollowed out! Completely scrapped of his blood and flesh!"


    Hollowed...


    When they had woken up this morning, they hadn''t immediately realized that someone amonst them was missing, it was obly when one unlucky player who had the unfortunate experience of stepping on the sheet of paper- thin skin that had been scraped clean of its organ; leaving behind only a human-shaped skin lying on the floor to remind them of what it used to be; did they become aware of the absolute horrors that had taken place as they slept !


    "The man had been cut from his abdomen down and then had his organs slowly removed one by one, and his blood drained like a delicately crafted dish that should only be savored and carefully handled!"


    They just didn''t know if it was done while he was still alive.


    The thought itself was absolutely horrifying.


    One player was particularly paranoid and instantly jumped out with suspicions about the overly detailed description of the man''s death but the green-faced player only waved his hand in dismissal.


    "We were all dead asleep during the night, none of us woke up regardless of how much noise Zong Jui probably made." The thought of someone dying right under their noses, no matter how they screamed, no one could hear them, no one could save them didn''t sit right with the man and his faced paled even worse.


    "I used a prop to find out how the man died, altough the system blurred out the perpetrators face, I can still make it out that it was a nurse! "


    The players all looked fairly grim, death was a normal thing here but usually the type of death on the first day would signal the level of horror that the instance carried on in the later stages.


    This didn''t bode well.


    Chu Yi and Tang Shun exchanged contemplative looks, the moment they heard the word ''hollow'' they unconsciously thought of the dead cat in their bathroom the night before, just like the dead animal, the man was robbed of his organs and made into a human skin bag. And this morning when they ventured back into the bathroom, the cat had mysteriously disappeared .


    They didn''t hide it and one of their roomates, Ge Ren shared this blood-curdling discovery with the others but to their dismay they were the only room with dead animals , however all the other wards had varying levels of disrepair, dried blood splattered on the floors and on the walls were a common factor amongst all of them.


    "There''s nothing else we can do now. It''s only the first day and we don''t have enough clues. We can only explore the Institute in the time span we have now."


    This was a fact, they still had a month left here and there was more than enough time to slowly seek out the secrets of this copy.


    After reaching a general consensus, the players decided to split, one group venturing to the east side of the building and the other going to the west.


    "Hey! You guys don''t seem like you''d be pig teammates. Do you want to team up?" A request like mocking reached the ears of the distant Chu Yi and Tang Shun, the boy who had been marginalized to the edge of the crowd a long time ago was now standing before them with a unruly smirk on his face.


    Tang Shun smiled gently in response, like a helpless owner to its overexcited pet.


    "We''ll be sure to not let you down."


    The trio didn''t spend much time communicating with the rest of the players and quickly decided on a destination.


    True to the rebellious nature of the group, they all agreed on the banned basement floor as the first stop.


    Even if it was just to patrol around the very edges.


    From what they had noticed earlier, the inside of the Institute itself was very dark and there was only light at the entrance of the floors. Compared to the obviously interstellar technology normal in the outside world or at least available to the top brass, here everything seemed to have been stuck in another older time, and their was no trace of anything remotely futuristic.


    The iron plates laid on the stairs were slammed by them, echoing in the dark stairwells, it was impossible to tell where the sounds led.


    It wasn''t long before they found the basement , it was neither hidden nor blocked and was revealed blatantly, tempting the curious prey to venture in and be devoured!


    Under the dim light of the flashlight, the darkness of the negative second floor was swepted away.


    Rusty iron plates, peeling walls, damp and moldy corners from leaking rain, and moss filled in the gaps.


    The only thing that barred them from entrance was rusty red iron gate that stood tall against the backdrop of darkness.


    Beyond the gate, on both sides of the corridor were rows of rooms that couldn''t be seen to the end due to the obscuring darkness but most of them were either locked or completely plated with metal sheets.


    Besides that everything looked absolutely normal.


    But this normal was what made it even more strange.


    Suddenly the dim glow of the flashlight in Tang Shun''s hands fell onto something that rolled slowly out of the the corner of the corridor, gradually falling into the eyes of the three.


    It was a head..


    This head has obviously been left to rot for a long time, and the whole thing was a pale yellow-brown, dry and on the verge of being mummified. But it was because of this , that the eyes on the skull seemed more bizarre!


    What was there wasn''t an empty eye socket as one would expect, instead there were two fully functioning eyeballs stuffed into those sockets! Those eyes were not only very vivid, but also can see the blue-red, blood shot eye vessels when they rolled around and looked at the group menacingly.


    This was a pair of eyes that shouldn''t be on a skull at all!


    Chu Yi knew what these were.


    This is a pair of eyes that have just been dug out, and even the most fragile parts of the tissue are intact, not one blood vessel was missing. This technique was absolutely perfect.


    How can anyone put a living eye into the socket of a dead person?


    And who was the person that contributed their eyes to this bone-chilling act!


    When all other options are eliminated, only the most likely one is left!


    Those were the eyes of the player that had just been dragged off for correction!


    But neither Tang Shun Chu Yi nor Chao Bin who only paled slightly before quickly recovering showed the normal reaction, instead a strong desire to grab onto the skull for observation burst forward and Chu Yi even clearly inched closer to the gate, just to get a better look.


    The skull rolled a few more times , in a futile attempt to scare the lot, before defeated rolling back into the darkness leaving behind the pair of perverts and another young tiger to play among themselves.


    "I''d definitely like to meet the person who performed that operation, such perfect technique is worthy of learning."


    Chu Yi nodded in agreement and the two abnormals had a rare moment of consensus.


    Tang Shun pushed up his glasses slightly and grinned at the way Chao Bin blanched at their nonchalant tone but didn''t continue to push the topic.


    When it became obvious that nothing else would change, they lost instrest. Chu Yi and the rest didn''t bother to branch out any farther on this floor and left the basement altogether.


    "Where should we go now."


    Tang Shun pondered for a moment,


    "Go to the warehouses. There''s bound to be something of use there."


    But before they could fully leave the floor, it happened,


    Suddenly all the residents, in the entire building felt a wave of nauseating bile rise up from their stomachs and a bout of dizziness hit them like a bus, some people couldn''t help retching up their entire breakfast. The splat of continuous vomiting ,projectile hitting the floor in a lumpy sea of green and red radiated throughout the Institute. The intense smell of half-eaten food and stomach acid stinging the noses of the unfortunate beholders!


    Chu Yi and Tang Shun only barely managed to hold it in, but Chao Bin beside them wasn''t nearly as sturdy, having had already hunched over in pain and was vomiting everywhere.


    Chu Yi frowned, such collective sickness could only be blamed on the Institute. The medicine they had taken yesterday had obviously caused some unwanted physical reactions in all of them.


    But the effects of the medicine quickly faded and the vomiting didnt last long either; Chao Bin was alright after a few seconds but his face was definitely a few shades paler than it had been a second before.


    Chao Bin also looked somewhat embarrassed at his own mess but still asked in the same arrogant manner ,


    "What do you think is going on.."


    Chu Yi pondered slightly, then as if he had thought of something rather funny, a laughing grin appeared on his face.


    "Maybe, just maybe they''re being turned into monsters."


    Tang Shun listened to Chu Yi''s almost joking words with a meaningful look.


    From the looks of it , this assumption was definitely not as far-fetched as it seemed.


    Chao Bin''s face turned unsightly,


    "Don''t make weird assumptions."


    "Afraid?" Chu Yi tilted his head, and he laughed again. At this angle, he actually looked a little cute, and a large part of it was due to the look of playful joy. But Chao Bin felt that the strange atmosphere around the man was getting stronger and stronger.


    "You don''t need to be afraid. Even if we become monsters in the end, even if we die, isn''t this all just a game" Chu Yi said, "You know what? When a human loses all his memories, what is exposed is their truest nature.


    "The reason why a human being can form consciousness is because of the accumulation of their memories, and with the help of their memories and wisdom, they enable us to have consciousness. The formation of a human character is based on the influence of the environment, the people around us, and everything we encounter. This influence forms our memories in our minds so as to shape and change our character."


    "But when a human loses all his inhibitions, they don''t just lose a sense of self, they lose a part of themselves that keeps them from being consumed by the filth hidden in the human heart."


    Chu Yi suddenly advanced to the front, standing before Chao Bin so he could not help but look up to him. The dim light in the corridor shone on the man, making his smiling face appear a little ghastly.


    "In a place with no laws, no police, no rules or regulations that could restrict these people. On this train, everyone could become a manic outlaw, could be at ease, could be crazy, and could be selfish like a wild animal ... or live like a monster."


    "Therefore whats so bad about becoming a true monster in the sense."


    "You wouldn''t be a human, ao human logic wouldn''t apply to you. You survive with the law of the jungle, only the fittest survive, no matter who you kill, it is justified because they are weak."


    "Don''t you think that''ll be absolutely fun?!"


    A scene of purgatory with no rules.


    Exciting!

 Chapter 65 - The Institute (6)

    "Alright, Stop scaring him. Let''s go."


    Tang Shun interrupted Chu Yi''s frenzied rant and with that the extreme, fanatical look on Chu Yi''s face dropped immediately as he once again returned to his normally impassive look. He didn''t care for the dumbfounded Chao Bin behind him and with Tang Shun walking in front , they quickly started their search for the warehouse.


    "....."


    "..."


    Chao Bin in the end, could only catch up to their footsteps, wondering briefly with regret, about the type of perverts he had gotten himself hitched on to.


    Nevertheless, it was only after scouring the entire second floor, did they find something of significance but rather it wasn''t exactly a warehouse as per say,


    This was an operating room , a very old operation room that logically should not even exist in this era and yet here it was.


    As for why it could be easily judged that this was an operating room not from this particular time , it was because right in the middle of the dusty, cobwebed room, contained an old wooden operating table with two greying leather straps along the sides and rusty rail bars to prevent the patient from rolling off from seizures. Right above it, a bright oil lamp was the only source of light in the room ; a doctor performing operations in such a disorderly place would have been an absolute torture.


    For the patient that is.


    Tweezers, hemostats, dulled scalpels, and some dirty cotton balls were placed on the tray of the armrest on the operating table. Empty medicine bottles and injections with half dried and blackened fluid in them scattered across the floor.


    Although there is was no explicit horror, this operating room could just as easily send, a freezing chill down your spine.


    Because the simple surgical utensils on the operating table and scattered on the floor, clearly showed signs of use, covered with mottled black blood stains, accumulated from who knows how many victims, with an unidentified mixture that had been spilled onto the wooden table, mixed with a sheen of dull red; everything pointed to the fact this wasn''t merely an operating room, this had actually been put in practice.


    In addition to the operating table, there was also an old electric chair to the corner of the room fixed with the same leather straps , and a side full of tangled and shorted wires. An old bronze iron cabinet stood against the wall, and the dirty brown glass showed that it was packed with jars that contained oddly shaped items, that similarly reminded them of skin that had been soaked for too long, wrinkled and paling at the edges.


    Lying motionlessly on the shelf was also a long black snake, it seemed dead however and therefore didn''t attract much attention from the group.


    This entire room -even the entire building seemed disconnected , it didn''t seem like a random room you''d find at an interstellar rehabilitation center but a scene that you would only see in an 80''s Mental Hospital!


    On one of the shelves , something had been folded and wrapped up in rope twines. It resembled a stack of bones, a human skeleton to be precise and on closer look, Chao Bin''s soft exclamation soon confirmed that point.


    "It looks like an embalmed corpse."


    Chu Yi stared at the bones with interest, took one more look, and actually found a suspicious point.


    Although the bones had obviously been left for a long time, and the whole thing was an ancient pale yellow-brown, rhe skeleton wasn''t complete.


    It was missing a skull.


    Chu Yi squinted his eyes and glanced at the boy who seemed awfully disturbed at the sight before him and thoughtfully did not tell the truth.


    His natural emotions were already not very fluctuating, and this type of scene was nothing compared to the horrors he had personally created with his own hands, and he was even more in the mood to look at the other specimens placed on the display cabinet.


    Tang Shun beside him was also unfazed and unconcerned about the thriller before him, only the teen forcing himself to puff up with strength had the most normal reaction.


    The things on the display were without exception, they were all similar, either all kinds of weird human organs, floating animal corpses of different shapes.


    Just as Chu Yi was thinking whether or not to take them down for further observation, Chao Bin suddenly yelled!


    "Fuck it moved, it just moved!"


    Chu Yi looked over to where he was pointing, amd saw that it was the dead snake.


    "What kind of evil is this?" Chu Yi who was already thinking about observing them, walked over idly and with a sharp swipe of his slender hands, grabbed the cobra by it neck, showing a cheap smile, "Not Dead?"


    "You!"


    Chao Bin choked.


    Tang Shun was non-commital.


    The snake that had been grabbed by the neck, went completely still and no matter how Chu Yi shook it in the end, refused to move.


    It wasn''t until, he had gotten bored of playing with the thing did he notice that underneath the area after removing the snake was a tiny piece of paper that seemed to have been scribbled on with what looked like a child''s handwriting.


    And yet the words on it were anything but innocent and pure, it seemed devout and utterly crazed with religious delirium,


    "Speak to the god of all things, I use poison to take the breath of those people, melt their internal organs and lungs, the priests should make sacrifices, offer blood, offer endless fear and wailing everywhere, offer the most pious, the most hungry ofprayers, may the great Lord accept. I hide among the survivors,like King and send the blood of the last of a hundred living to all the altars, one person and one life, midnight is a pilgrimage that burns fragrance to your high hands, it is the pain that I am immune to, it is the time of sacred rest! I create these by my own pious hands, something greater than thou behests, for mankind is a sin and only your most pure and holy works are allowed in your heavens! I wash away this dirty sin with the blood of the survivors and create a new being in your honor-- Your most devout believer.


    Just in time for Chu Yi to finish speaking, everything around him turned dark and he blacked out!


    Dropping alongside him like dominoes were Tang Shun and Chao Bin, as well every resident in the entire Institute!


    Strangely, he clearly felt before he hit the ground, that he heard strange sounds, like the friction sound of some heavy behemoth dragging, rustling and struggling to drag something across the floor.


    He wanted to open his eyes and look, but the darkness that engulfed him was completely unresisitable. Just at the critical point of falling asleep completely, he suddenly heard the singing of poems, the singing was holy and beautiful, and yet utterly deranged , the cycle of beauty to distorted crackling cycled endlessly. And In the hazy hypnotic music, Chu Yi completely lost consciousness.


    ******


    Chu Yi slowly sat up on the edge of the bed, feeling that one of his arms were numb and sore, and hung on his side limply, his chest was roughly bandaged and even though there was no signs of any major blood leakage, he was still very uncomfortable.


    He had been operated on.


    There was no doubt about it.


    He removed the cloth strip, and felt around his chest but there was neither any skin grafting nor any sutures from being cut open, he didn''t show any signs of being hurt but he could feel that something had changed. Still he wanted to continue observing but the overwhelming tiredness that assaulted his limbs made his brain sluggish and dull, soon with no other alternative, he climbed back onto the bed, and closed his eyes groggily.


    He tried to think of what could have been done to his body but the limits of human imagination showcased itself especially, in the face of lack of direct clues.


    Maybe he really was being turned into a monster.


    What happened during the day was repeated in his mind. The countless precise routes formed by the convergence of strategies kept moving forward, but in the end, he came to the conclusion that he was still far away the from the goal he wanted to achieve.


    The feeling of fruitlessness made Chu Yi irritable.


    He was about to roll over and go back to sleep. But just after turning his shoulders, he suddenly jumped up and opened his eyes. Using his uninjured left hand, he overturned the person standing near his head onto the bed and stepped over to sit down across the man''s chest! Afterwards with clamped legs, his forearm was directly pressed down to jam against the opponent''s neck!


    It was Tang Shun.


    His throat and head were severely suppressed by a vigilant Chu Yi, his brows were furrowed, and his hands kept patting Chu Yi''s arms and body, like a dying fish bobbing on land.


    Even after realizing it was him, Chu Yi did not let go in the slightest,


    "Want to attack me?" Chu Yi''s right arm rose and his eyes moved slowly to the Ieft on Tang Shun''s crushed neck, he was ready to strike!


    The vivid pulse beat hard in his hand faster than his own steady heart.


    "You are so sensitive." He was lying under Chu Yi, his gentle and transparent peach blossom eyes seemed to be fogged up, "How did you find it out?"


    Chu Yi knew he wasn''t talking about identities but how he found him under camaflouge,


    "I heard ... " Chu Yi lowered his head, moved closer, and stretched out the bloody right hand that was still unhealed, red lips spraying a soft heated breath against his sensitive ears, voice dragging on with a cold lilt. "The sound of your heartbeat." Fingers lightly tapped the artery suffocating under his grip.


    They are of the same kind after all.


    "Your ears are really good." Tang Shun opened his mouth, no sign of fear or trepidation on the gentle mask he still carriedof his face, except the glint of beastial excitment betrayed his inner heart.


    "You pressing on me, it hurts."


    Chu Yi smiled directly,


    What did he take him for?


    "Does it hurt?" Chu Yi severely pinched Tang Shun''s neck, "Since you''re so afraid of pain, I''ll just kill you and make it quick."


    The tiger''s grip stuck the muscle and the Adam apples on his throat bobbed uncontrollably, the muscles and bones on the back of his hand undulated violently with green-blue veins because of the increasing grip on Tang Shunis neck.


    The hand was lined by the red neck, and it became more and more white, dazzling in the silent darkness.


    Tang Shun was choked and coughed but two large, slender hands, moved out and held Chu Yi''s left hand, but his mouth was still provocative, "How are you going to kill me ... with a knife or as the oriole?"


    Chu Yi''s heart suddenly moved, but a rather curious smile appeared on the surface, "Oriole? Who me? Why would you think that. A knife would be much more suitable to scrape the skin off your flesh."


    The hand holding his neck moved upwards and pinched Tang Shun''s chin, "Are you sure you want to play this game?"


    He knew what he was doing.


    He could clearly feel those faux gentle eye staring at him, scanning him like a polygraph, but Chu Yi just smiled and looked directly back at him.


    During the confrontation, Tang Shun didn''t seem to detect any abnormality from Chi Yi''s face.


    But Chu Yi knew, this person was abnormal and smart enough, whether it is a real change in temperament or a strict disguise, it is not simple.


    "What are you looking at?" Chu Yi pinched his chin fiercely, "Staring at me since we appeared on the planet, do you think you can swindle me something with your gentle persona, or do you really just want to give me your eyes?"


    Tang Shun laughed, and shook his head with a smile, and Chu Yi penetrating gaze noticed a small green stud earnings imbedded on his earlobes.


    "How can you say that to me? Is it weird to look at someone as good-looking as yourself?"


    "Besides, I''m not the only one watching." Tang Shun still smiled at the corners of his mouth. "By the way, how can you find me looking at you when I disguise myself so thoroughly?"


    He caught a point that he could handle and immediately latched onto to it Chu Yi was about to speak, but this guy started to explain in a fake enthusiastic manner: "Oh, I see, my mask must be too exaggerated. Too much kindness in the infinite world is strange after all. Or is it that you''ve been observing me yourself."


    Chu Yi looked at him coldly, stayed silent for three seconds, and then started Iaughing,


    "Tang Shun, is it just that you want to join in on the excitement. Do you know what I''m planning?"


    Just now, Tang Shun was still laughing, but after Chu Yi spoke the smile on his face that pretended to be gracious gradually faded, but it was not the embarrassment and anxiety after being exposed, but a subtle smile.


    Like appreciation.


    "Yeah, I don''t know what you''re planning, but after all..we are the same people." His response was ambiguous.


    "Co-operation?" Chu Yi shrugged, leaning close to Tang Shun''s ear, and spoke softly.


    "Then you quickly pray to God that you don''t let me down."


    "Touch¨¨."

 Chapter 66 - The Institute (7)

    He was dreaming.


    The world in the dream was fluid, full of blurred and weird colors, inverted lines, distorted waves. A blood red sky, white sun, dark blue trees and burnt yellow floors. He couldn''t tell what was going on, but he knew he was dreaming.


    He didn''t have a sense of self, like a wisp of slowly drifting air, he seemed to be everywhere but at the same time nowhere.


    He had no resistance, no thoughts, he felt drunk, only existing in a dull blankness as he drifted among the reddish clouds.


    Then he was falling, but there was no ground beneath him, just falling in an endless nothingness.


    Falling....


    Falling...


    FALLING!....


    Gasp!


    Chu Yi woke up covered in sweat and a burning dryness in his throat. He didn''t have time to assess his situation and a wave of dry heat washed over him without warning.


    The old mattress in the ward that he lay on didn''t feel like a place for sleeping anymore, rather more like a heated oven that sought to roast him alive. He felt as if all the water within his body was slowly evaporating bit by bit and even the pores on his skin seemed to open up to emit a light smoke as he cooked.


    " Water¡­" He mumbled out weakly half-conscious, however, his voice sounded hoarse and cracked due to his dry throat.


    I''m being transformed.


    This thought didn''t appear abruptly amidst his disorderly and overheated mind , rather he indeed felt this way.


    He didn''t feel like himself anymore, like something foreign had taken root in his body and was slowly changing him from the inside out.


    Like a parasite.


    He just didn''t know how long this transformation would take or whether he would even survive it. He didn''t fear this unknown however and even the feeling as if he was being burnt alive, couldn''t stop the vague anticipation that had already started brewing in his heart.


    He could hear around him, that the others were also in a similar situation but even the heavy and heated pants could not compare to the sound of his own heartbeat.


    Trembling, he felt around the bed and shifted away the heavy sheets that covered him, trying to get up, but his fingers also felt extremely heavy, and he couldn''t even find the strength to lift them.


    His consciousness struggled against the blinding heat and dizziness, but then it once again fell back into a quagmire, completely losing his ability to think or resist. His body appeared to be just a large whirlpool filled with boiling magma, sinking, sinking, sinking...


    He didn''t know how much time had passed, but when he had started believing that all the water molecules inside his body were about to completely burn away and as he was pondering the possibility of just combusting from the heat, he felt a strange coldness touch his skin.


    It was instantaneous relief against his burning body and yet it didn''t quench the thirst that had boiled over inside him and he unconsciously twitched in want.


    Something soft and moist touched his forehead, replacing the hand, brushing against the skin with extreme care and forceful gentleness. He had no mind to think about what it was and his eyelids were too heavy to be lifted.


    And then it lowered.


    Like a man stranded in a desert, at the first sight of an oais, he could only drink desperately. Chu Yi raised his head in a fluster and readily captured the slippery tongue like thing that ventured inside his mouth nd tried his best to suck as much moisture as he could from it!


    Something soft covered gently over his lips and he could vaguely hear a bad chuckle over the wet squelching noise, but that didn''t stop him from sucking on the thing that was inside his mouth.


    The moisture content taken into his mouth contained a light salty taste of seawater but also reminded him of the smell of dried herbs, nevertheless it had an astringent taste that instead of feeling refreshed, left him even more parched. It made him stretch out his neck like a fragile swan, wanting to take in more.


    All of a sudden, the gentle but forceful strength placed on his lips became harsh and the soft thing in his mouth withdrew for a second and then dived back in, this time with the intention to plunder.


    There was a cool and moist liquid with a bittersweet taste that flowed slowly into his mouth, eventually overflowing from his lips, as the soft object pried open, swept over and left his mark on every crevice inside of him.


    Chu Yi gulped down hungrily, his own tongue touching the soft object, there wasn''t much thought in his head but to get more fluid. Because the heat had never stopped , even getting higher the more he sucked.


    He caressed the thing with his heated tongue and found a small opening at the end when trailing up along it.


    Ah, these were lips.


    He seemed to finally realize something but the tongue inside his mouth, didn''t give him a chance to retreat.


    It plundered and the heat burned like the tiny sun inside him!


    The strong instinctual longing forced him to squeeze out the small ounce of strength left inside to allow my hands to grope at the person lying against him, pressing on my head, taking note of the wet threads, and forced the tongue even deeper,


    Even if he wanted to stop, he couldn''t, a compelling force held onto him tightly; he could only grasp the person tightly with trembling hands , underneath his hands that held the man''s head, he seemed to feel a smooth and tightly curved object, like a small horn under the silky wet threads.


    The man jerked and Chu Yi could feel him shudder under him, with one final push he came down further onto Chu Yi, a dark shadow casting over Chu Yi''s greedy face. A cool silk thread of saliva flowed down from his lips to his hot neck like a chip ice, bringing him an unspeakable coolness and comfort.


    The last thing he felt before he collapsed into a heated faint was the man''s cool lips imprinting a soft kiss against his forehead.


    *******


    Chu Yi was the first to get up the next morning and even though he knew it was useless, he still looked around heedlessly.


    Not here. As expected,


    Tang Shun came next and gradually with the rustle of sheets and exhausted groans, the others woke up one by one.


    "Did you also go through it last night?"


    There was no need to elaborate, with grim faces the players confirmed their stories against each other and by the time the iron gates opened and they trickled out to join the rest, from the tired and ugly faces of the rest, it definitely wasn''t an isolated incident.


    Chu Yi noticed that amongst the NPC''s who were regarded as nothing but backdrops against the instance, there was a few of them that seemed sicker and paler than everyone else.


    Something was wrong.


    His premonition was immediately proven correct when opon lining for the Physical examination and Medicine Distribution, a few persons suddenly dropped to the floors!


    Their wide-open eyes were lifeless and glassy, even if they could still vaguely see their chests undulating as they struggled to inhale air, it still didn''t lessen the shocks the residents felt.


    Neither did it answer their questions.


    Compared to the suprise and consternation on the faces of the players, the nurses didn''t seem remotely surprised and even looked dissatisfied when counting the number of bodies on the floor.


    Eventually they were wheeled out like body bags on a rickety old trolley. No one knowing what would happen to them.


    The Head Nurse once again didn''t give them enough time to process the recent events and immediately dropped a bomb on them.


    "You will be allowed outside today. In order to ensure the long-lasting mental and physical health of the residents during this course, every other day you will be allowed outside of the building as long as you are on the immediate premises guarded by the fences. "


    "If you are caught trying to escape, or you touch the fence you will be disabled and brought back to the Institute to be subject to punishments."


    In this way, more and more did they resemble prisoners. Jailed cells, compulsory outdoor time and strict wardens.


    The players didn''t struggle on this aspect for long because the minute they walked out of the Institute, they felt as if they had waked into an entirely new time and space.


    Almost as if it had been waiting for their appearance,, the grey sky suddenly brightened up with golden - yellow rays, as if the black cloth covering the sky was suddenly torn apart by invisible hands!


    At the edge of the horizon, a new day was appearing, the sun rose and hung proudly above the horizon, the brilliance of it''s afterglow sprinkled on the dumbfounded faces of the residents.


    It hadn''t been more than two days but the players felt as if they hadn''t seen such a sight in years. At this moment, some of them, couldn''t stop stheir eyes from tearing up in the slightest.


    After the bout of unfounded emotions subsided, the players split into their default groups to discuss plans.


    Tang Shun, Chao Bin and Chu Yi eventually settled on a deserted corner of the strait, near the fences, they couldn''t avoid the snake like eyes of the guards in the watch tower that surveilled their entire movement, but they were at the very least abke to find somewhat of a blind spot.


    And neither were they weren''t the largest group, therefore the the conspicuous, some people even walked alone for this exact reason.


    The largest group in hindsight, boldly occupied the middle of the yard, Chu Yi recognized one of them as Mu Fang from the shack, he had become the leader of the largest group among the players and was currently discussing something with with a solemn look.


    Yet it was evident what they were talking, in fact almost, if not all of the players were on the same page; Last Night.


    Suddenly Chao Bin stopped.


    Obviously taken aback.


    Before he could speak up to the others, he actually heard someone from outside the fence calling his name!


    The other party seemed to be standing far away, and it''s voice was as sticky as a rice cake, passing the through thick wires to his ears, almost as if it was caressing it with soft fingers.


    Chao Bin immediately swallowed what he was about to say, carefully distinguishing the sound coming from the barren field.


    This was not the voice of Chu Yi or Tang Shun nor was it anyone he knows... even... it didn''t feel like a human voice!


    And yet it seemed inexplicably attractive. And before he knew it, he lost control of his own body.


    "Chi Nan? Where are you going?"


    Tang Shun asked, looking at Chao Bin walking towards the fence without a sound.


    "Chao Bin ?" Tang Shun lowered his voice, a little taken aback


    Chao Bin finally answered but he didn''t stop moving even seemed to be in a little trance-like state "A voice...there is a voice calling me. l''ll go and check it out."


    The voice seemed to be made by many people at the same time, the distant calls were overlapping, and they densely lingered in his ears seemed to be a constant whispering curse or like a seductive sigh.


    He couldn''t tell


    He didn''t want to know.


    He just wanted to see it''s face.


    He wanted to find out, to look at the image behind the voice. It must be beautiful, a voice like a nightingale , a beauty like a fox, he could even faintly hear his heart speeding up the closer he got to the fence, he could even feel the danger signal in his brain going off but he didn''t stop because of this, he must know the face, he must-


    "This fucking idiot."


    At the same time the voice was heard, Chao Bin felt a unresistable.force, then he was roughly dragged back by the collar to stand in front of a impatient Chu Yi.


    Chao Bin was stunned for a moment, and when he returned to his senses, he found that the curse-like sound had stopped, and he was only two steps away from the fence!


    The fence was forbidden to touch and in the corner of his eyes, he could see an red glare from a gun pointed straight between his brows like a cold knife pointed straight at his face!


    What happened just now?!

 Chapter 67 - The Institute (8)

    Chao Bin now just to wanted to get as far away from the fence as he could,


    While shivering with lingering fear, he quickly recounted to them what he recalled about the inexplicable state he was in just now,


    "I couldn''t control my thoughts, my entire being was just focused on getting to the source and seeing the face behind the voice. I was completely bewitched."


    "I also had zero opportunity to resist, one moment I was sober , the next, the voice had completely over ridden my mind. If it wasn''t for Chu Yi, I would have probably tried to climb over and end up being dragged to confinement to be slaughtered."


    While Chao Bin spoke , he was suddenly reminded of something- when he first teamed up with Tang Shun and Chu Yi, he distinctly remembered saying something along the lines of ''Don''t be a pig teammate''


    Now that they''ve reached this stage, doesnt it seem that he, himself was the pig teammate?


    "...."


    He blushed.


    Tang Shun didn''t know what kind of flying thoughts Chao Bin was having now, instead he pondered with long fingers tapping faintly against his folded arms- analyzing the situation in front of him,


    "There are only two reasons that I can think of that maybe would cause this. One, your hatred value is too high. You''ve been targeting the Head Nurse from the very beginning, therefore it is likely that any danger that approaches us, would choose you first as the initial target. Two, it''s caused by last night. We''ve all essentially been forced into a coma and from the varying states of minor injuries on our bodies, we can conclude that something extreme definitely took place during that time."


    "However although both of these have a high probabilities, there are also many doubtful areas. If your initial resentment was so high, you should have been the one killed on the first night-"


    "....."


    Did he really have to be so blunt about it.


    "- but you weren''t. That tells us that although you''ve been consistently courting death since we''ve entered this copy, you haven''t been judged by the system as being enough of a competent tank."


    Chao Bin wasn''t sure if he should be happy for escaping death or upset at being called incompetent.


    Regardless of the mixed feeling of Chao Bin, Tang Shun continued to make his own analysis of the situation,


    "If we go by the second conjecture and conclude that whatever just happened had something to do with last night it still wouldn''t be enough to answer all the questions."


    "We''ve all undergone some sort of transformation last night, what exactly, we don''t know. But then why were you the only one to be chosen and lured? What''s so special about you or your transformation? It''s hard to believe that the system only wanted to scare you. There''s either an underlying message behind this seemingly random act or it was just a prelude to more terrifying things to come."


    Once again....mixed feelings.


    At this point, Chu Yi finally chimed in,


    However he seemed to be more interested in another topic,


    "I''ve been thinking about something as a result of the situation this morning. What purpose do the NPC''s hold? What role do they play in all of this?"


    Chao Bin was confused by the question, no one has ever thought about or wondered why the NPC''s were here in the Institute with them nor have they done so in the copies before this,


    Well at the very least he hasn''t,


    It was almost like a default for them to ignore their presence until something drastic happened.


    These NPC''s, unless they were Key characters or Final Bosses, in the end could neither participate in their discussion nor impact their final ratings in the end.


    They were backboards essentially.


    In fact, sometimes they were even pushed out as cannon fodders to block deadly blows if it really came down to it, regardless of whether it does affect their evaluation at the end.


    Multi-player instances like this, made it even more impossible for them to focus on the situation of the NPC''s. Even the brief accident in the morning, only terrified them but didn''t leave much of a mark in their minds. Therefore Chao Bin was thoroughly confused by the situation.


    However the thoughtful look that appeared on Tang Shun instantly made him feel that his brain was just not very good, he wanted to speak up but he was too embarrassed to ask.


    As if sensing his tangled thoughts, Tang Shun shot him an amused glance before deciding to have pity on him,


    "It couldn''t be said that they are completely useless but usually in most cases they don''t have any direct impact on the player Instance or much of presence really."


    "However that is in most cases, you will always have exceptions at some point."


    Chu Yi also glanced at the tangled expression of a certain person and also added to Tang Shun''s previous statement,


    "If we take that template and put it into our current situation, you can feel that something is especially wrong."


    "In this world, the human mind will always be the most uncontrollable thing. When a God, you''ve worshipped and reveled in from birth, suddenly fell off his high alter and showed you the hidden ugliness behind the holy mask, directly breaking the pure fantasy that you believe in. Shattering every belief and blaspheming your unbounded love. Unwillingness and fear becomes the fuel for the soul- corroding anger of a disgraced believer."


    "Such anger is one if the most destructive and kingdom-felling things."


    Tang Shun nodded in agreement, the glasses hiding ths cold light behind his eyes,


    "The Side Task isn''t just breaking the news of corruption and having just a slight uproar amongst the people. It''s destroying the very foundation of thousands of people in this Emprire. It''s completely restructuring the planet!"


    "And when humans are faced with things they can''t accept or don''t dare to accept, it''s met with fear and resistance."


    "Unless they''re forced to face their fears and they''re left with only one choice, then , and only then does the seed of rebellion sprout in the hearts."


    Chu Yi laughed.


    As expected of Tang Shun.


    Chao Bin had still been following along relatively well at the beginning but the more Tang Shun and Chu Yi spoke the weirder his face became.


    Why were these people thinking about side tasks?


    Is this the type of thing that can be so easily decided on?


    "I- .....I don''t think we should be focusing on that right now."


    They laughed but didn''t continue to push the topic.


    Tang Shun directed towards Chao Bin, a short reassuring sentence,


    "Don''t worry about the mysterious call for now, unless we figure out what exactly was done to us last night, we won''t be able to make any conclusive statement."


    "I''d suggest you be careful though and not be seduced in a moment of distraction"


    Chao Bin, nodded, he wasn''t dissatisfied with this answer, because he knew there was nothing else they could do. In any case, he wasn''t dead yet and he had no plans of being so.


    Before they could discuss anything else however, a system notif sounded in the minds of all the players on the field.


    It wasn''t a system task however and to the players suprise, the message read,


    [Ding!]


    [Official Player Mu Fang I.D 450 has sent out an invitation to Player Batch No# 1015 to enter into the enclosed copy isolated space for a time limit of ten minutes.]


    [Please Confirm Player Acceptance]


    The yard went dead silent for a few second as the players digested the message, then with the sound of the system confirmation, all the players found that they had been surrounded by a large symposium style, transparent barrier at some point in time.


    Wow!


    They spent a few seconds marvelling at the scene, envy ridden gazes staring the wide barrier, it was only then did they finally turned their eyes to the host himself.


    Mu Fang didn''t seem to care for the scrutinizing eyes of the people around him and didn''t want to waste much time.


    Without waiting for the players to ask questions, he immediately stated his purpose,


    "We need to break the current stalemate we''re in. "


    "Regardless if it''s only been two days.Too much has happened since then."


    "I think you all have the common knowledge after so many instances to know that, by following the rules in the copy it''s just like walking to your own death voluntarily. Right now, we are unable to explore at night since the rooms are isolated at sundown. Nevertheless, I''m a Hundred percent sure that the most crucial clues are to be found at night. If we continue the way we are now for too long, more than likely we''ll end up being caught up in a terrifying cycle of continous deaths but with a crippling lack of clues to even find out how they died-"


    One of the players piped up, interrupting his long speech and spoke in a cynical tone,


    "How do we know you''re not lying, all of this is just your own biased speculation. Maybe if we do go out at night, we''ll end up dieing even faster."


    Before Mu Fang could respond to the critism, one if his lackeys jumped out immediately to defend him with a loud sneer he completely left no face for the man by yelling,


    "Who the fuck gives a damn about you? If you want to stay and be turned into compost by the nurses, then no one''s stopping you! Our Brother Fang was just being kind enough to provide a solution for the lot of you! It''s one thing to not appreciate his kindness, it''s another to start talking shit out of your mouth!"


    "Don''t really think you''re special!"


    The man''s face changed colors, from white to green in anger and he opened his mouth to argue back but one of his roomates pulled him back and shook his head,


    This wasn''t the time.


    Mu Fang seemed to tacitly acquiesce to the scolding of the little lackey and after seeing that no one else was coming to jump out and refute, he continued where he left off-


    "I propose that we all decide on a date to break out from the rooms at night and start looking for clues. You all felt what happened last night, something is definitely off about this place and we need to find a way to break this copy as quickly as possible."


    "But not everyone has the means to get out of the rooms. How are you going to solve that problem since you''re such a Messiah."


    Chao Bin from beside Chu Yi decided to speak up, the rebellious streak in his bones once again making its presence known.


    Mu Fang recognized this player, he was a little taken aback after seeing the familiar people who he was with, but nevertheless still addressed his doubts,


    "I have something called a Universal Key. Regardless of whether it is enclosed or hidden, any door in a 400 mile radius will be opened. Does this answer your question."


    The last sentence was addressed pointedly to Chao Bin, who nodded his head but still held a somewhat mocking smile. He had learned from an early age, that nothing comes free in this world


    And in fact although none of the players voiced it out, many of them had already raised their vigilance, preparing for when the sudden kindness would backfire.


    Eventually under the leadership of Mu Fang they all agreed to breaking out two days later, just in time for the barrier to disperse.


    The sounds of nature were once again restored back into space and Chu Yi could feel the warmth of the sunlight on hitting his body.


    "What do you think."


    Chu Yi rolled his eyes in an unexpected show of annoyance,


    "Just remember you''re purpose."


    Tang Shun paused, a calculating light disappearing across the face of the gentle intellectual before he shook his head and motioned Chao Bin to catch up.


    He still had a long way to go it seems.

 Chapter 68 - The Institute (9)

    Phhwwwwtt !


    With a shrill whistle, the residents were hoarded back to the building, like animals into their holding pens.


    After being issued the same lumpy pills, the players were once again left to their own devices.


    Watching the cold backs of the nurses leave, Chao Bin turned to the two with some consternation, "What should we do now? Do we just wait?"


    Chu Yi looked thoughtful, Instead of answering the question immediately however, he tilted his head to Tang Shun,


    "Have you noticed anything unusual about this place."


    Tang Shun moved his eyes from where he was observing the state of the NPC''s and looked curiously at Chu Yi,


    Tang Shun shook his head "Everything is unusual."


    Chu Yi glared, he didn''t wait for his response this time


    "This is a Laboratory", there was no hesitation in his voice as he spoke and neither did Tang Shun and Chao Bin seem taken aback by this sudden conjecture; this was obvious, "-but there are no doctor''s .",


    Tang Shun and Chao Bin paused , realization clicking in on both their faces.


    Yes.


    Where are the doctors?


    Who exactly operated on them the night before?


    "There has to be some sort of doctor in this Institute. Nevertheless since they have been hidden away from us by the system, it shows that they definitely hold critical information that could even be the key to breaking this copy. Finding Information or even finding this doctor himself, is bound to be of absolute importance to us."


    The others nodded.


    Chu Yi felt restless as he thought about the mysterious doctor; someone whose medical prowess greatly exceeded even his, it would be great if he could observe his techniques up close-


    "Hey! Hey you! Chu Yi! The others too!


    "Come here!"


    The three turned simultaneously to the source of the voice and to their suprise, it was Mu Fang and his table of lackeys which also included the wardmates of Tang Shun and Chu Yi.


    This was shocking because right from the beginning, neither of the two had any plans of walking with the large band of players under Mu Fangs rule. Nevertheless ynder the repeated beckonings of the group, Chu Yi and the others finally decided to hear what they had to say.


    Immediately after they arrived at the table, one of the men unceremoniously dropped an unreasonable request.


    "Tell us what you''ve found out so far"


    Chao Bin immediately puffed up and with a sneer, he cruelly mocked the man with no hesitation,


    "With the thickness of your face, why don''t you go and be a road block and stop hurting the eyes of innocent people."


    ""You-"


    "Alright," Mu Fang quickly chimed before the two could start warring, " Shen Ti didn''t mean it like that."


    Chao Bin rolled his eyes to the high heavens,


    "And pray tell, Oh great wonderful Messiah what could he possibly mean? For I am ignorant and unable to decipher the meaning behind spoken words..."


    Tang Shun turned an unexpected look towards the boy who was already tensed with defiance.


    This was new.


    Mu Fang was somewhat annoyed but in the end, they were the one''s who called them here and therefore could only ignore the mockings of Chao Bin in order to not create a bad impression on the rest.


    "What Shen Ti was trying to say, is that we would like to propose a cooperation."


    Heh.


    "For any information that you obtain that you think is important, you can come to us and we can exchange news that we feel are of the same relevancy."


    Tang Shun raised an eyebrow and pointed out the loophole in this proposition, "What if the kind of information that we deem as important are decided to be useless by you or vice versa."


    Mu Fang shrugged," If that''s the case, if later on the information that you''ve provided turns out to be very important, we''ll come back and share another piece of relevant clue with you."


    "You''re not the only group we plan to reach an agreement with, therefore you don''t have to worry about us not being able to obtain information."


    "It''s a win- win for both of us in the end, and if we want to pass the copy, we have to work together."


    "What do you say, are you guys in?"


    Chu Yi sneered, did they even have a choice?


    Although this seemed like a request, it was nothing short of a back-handed threat that they could neither refuse nor find a way out.


    If they refused to join in on the cooperation, there would be a gap in the chain intelligence between the two groups. Their group would also become an outcast and would be subconsciously rejected by the rest of the players as outliers. They would be blocked out from collective planning and exchanging information between players would become hard and they may even lose their lives due to a delay in information flow.


    Tang Shun seemed to think of this too and although the gentle smile never dropped, the alienation in his eyes became a point colder.


    Eventually they signed a verbal agreement and left the table.


    Chao Bin shook his head with a sneer, "A bunch of hypocrites."


    Tang Shun looked at him, surprised that he could even figure out the hidden workings behind the seemingly harmless request


    "..."


    Chao Bin directly wilted.


    "I''ve had players like this in my last instance. In the end, we were eventually pitted and became the shields to test out the kill rate of the dungeon."


    Tang Shun didn''t ask how he managed to survive but only patted him on the back.


    At the helm of his thoughts, Chu Yi was interrupted by a painful cough.


    The cough was loud and sounded clogged, as if someone was trying to vomit sticky phelgm from their esophagus. Disgusting and stomach- churning, And yet it didn''t just stop, the cough continued on, getting louder and louder still , until it evolved into harsh, choked hacks as the person struggled to even breathe!


    Right then, Chu Yi felt a burning itchy sensation burst out from his arm, accompanied by a rapid red rash that traveled up the length of his left hand! His fingers became red and swollen to the touch and underneath the bulging surface of his skin, he could even see that something like small black parasites clogging his veins!


    The others were also subjected to various strange reactions, the more weak willed ones directly burst out into screaming! Many of them felt so painful that they could only hunch over to relieve it, Chao Bin even felt like the skin on his face was about to melt off directly to shown the glaring, white bone underneath!


    He touched his face in horror!


    Blood! There was blood!


    He turned to Tang Shun and wanted to ask for help, but saw that the man''s entire arm had somehow fallen directly to the ground, blood spurting continuously from the broken stump of what was left of his arms!


    "Fuck! What''s happening!"


    Chao Bin''s shouts pierced Tang Shun''s heart like a sharp thorn. He wore an impassive mask on his face, as if there was no bloody stump on the floor, but he felt a little cold in his stomach. When he looked down, his clothes seemed to have been corroded and to his suprise his stomach and half of his chest were completely exposed to the air, shockingly revealing his writhing organs filled with bluish black blood!


    Chu Yi watched as everyone''s bodies become deformed, an then he vomited a mouthful of black blood, followed by bleeding from all his orifices, and the fingers of both hands falling to the floor one by one!


    Wow!


    Looking down with interest as his body fell apart, he realized that the mangled flesh on his chest had been gruesomely torn open to reveal the red, beating heart suffocated by his cracked rib cages!


    The players cried out as they watched their companions fall to pieces beside them, almost curled up to the corner of the wall in fear, cold sweat flowing like a river on their forehead, "What the hell is going on..."


    Chu Yi felt that the blood in his mouth kept pouring out, almost as if he was going to be drained of all the blood in his body! The rash on his arm had completely taken over half his being at this point and it had become so swollen, it was like a balloon that was ready to burst!


    Then just as it appeared it stopped, the itching and the feeling of dieing dissipated like a wisp of smoke.


    Chu Yi lowered his head and looked at his hands, his fingers were intact and did not fall off.


    He immediately looked at Tang Shu, his internal organs, which had been exposed before, had also changed back to the cloth of the suit he wore at this moment.


    Everyone has changed back, and what happened just now was like a distant nightmare, but at the same time, not quite.The black and red blood vomited by Chu Yi did not disappear. It still lay on the floor, evidence of the ordeal they just went through.


    There was a few seconds of in the dining room as everyone processed the chaos that had just assaulted them, then, the crowd started buzzing and they broke out into heated discussion.


    Chao Bin was still feeling the lingering shocks,


    "Was that...all that just now an illusion."


    Chu Yi shook his head, with a slight chuckle,


    "Not quite."


    "It feels more like our bodies rejection of new microscopic molecules that were injected into our bloodstream and having an excess of anti-bodies created into order to get rid of the unknown structures which in turn creates hallucination and negative reactions.",


    ''This is usually only the case for extremely toxic venom that is difficult to be metabolized by the human body without countless injections of sufficient dioxins that can neutralize this poison."


    "...."


    Tang Shun simplified Chu Yi''s words for the complete layman,


    " We were injected with a type of extremely toxic substance and the medicine we take everyday is the antidote.''


    Oh.


    "So what do we do now."


    Tang Shun shook his head, and answered what Chao Bin asked at the beginning,


    "Wait."


    "Unless we can find out what''s truly happening in this place, we can only accept what is being done to us for now."


    "But I have a feeling that the longer we wait, the more irreversible the effects will be."


    Chu Yi didn''t respond to Tang Shun''s assurance however the light tilt at the corner of his lips betrayed his good mood.


    It was only a matter of time before he turned this place completely on its head.


    He couldn''t forget the bet after all.

 Chapter 69 - The Lnstitute (10)

    The night was cold and the ward was still.


    There was no sound.


    It was so quiet that Chu Yi could only make out the sound of his own heart thundering against his chest,


    1.....2.....3.....4...


    Ba-dump.. Ba-dump...Ba-dump


    He counts time in tune with his heartbeat.


    It''s 11:35.


    There was still twenty-five minutes left,


    This feeling of recording time with his heartbeat was familiar to him, but he couldn''t remember what made him like this , nor what he had been waiting for so desperately for that he tracked every passing second.


    5....6....7....


    The bathroom was still leaking.


    The red blood-stains on the floor couldn''t be removed no matter what. The dead cat symbolized something sinister.


    8....9....10....


    It''s time.


    Red eyes snapped open, glowing like a bloodthirsty beast ready for the hunt!


    In every ward in the building, groups of tensed players opened their eyes at the speed of light and jumped out of bed immediately!


    As expected, the doors were unlocked.


    "To the Operating Room"


    It wasn''t known when Tang Shun appeared beside him but he quickly followed behind to slip out the open door.


    It was dead quiet and there was no one in sight. Regardless, none of the players made a single sound as they hurried out of their rooms in a scattered stream. They didn''t have much time since the key wasn''t permanent and only lasted an hour. If they ended up being locked out for the night, their mangled bodies would probably be a gruesome sight to behold in the morning.


    Tang Shun and Chu Yi met up with Chao Bin at the door of the Operation room. There was no one else around them and it seemed like they were the only ones who had discovered this relatively obscure place at this stage.


    "Fuck!"


    The first thing they saw was a corpse. It wasn''t the same mummified corpse from before. This was a fresh corpse that had been newly killed and dragged to the foot of the door.


    And in dark of the night, they realized that there were multiple such bodies.


    One of the most decomposed corpses seemed to have been shoved onto the floor from the operating table. It looked to have been soaked in corrosive liquid during its lifetime. The mutilated skin was completely decayed to reveal the blackened skeleton with stringy brown muscles still clinging to its bones. The most corroded were its cheeks, it had been completely rotted, and the flesh had melted away to reveal the teeth of its skull, leaving only bits and pieces of wretched skin dangling.


    The corrosive liquid mixed with blood continued to drip from its body, trickling, leaving a string of sticky black marks wherever it passed.


    Chu Yi and Tang Shun carefully stepped past the disgusting blood stains and made a beeline in the direction of the closed old iron cabinet.


    Mu Fang was at least right about something, they could only find important clues at night.


    The old cabinet had transformed into a glass medicine cabinet with scattered medicine bottled filled with unknown pills, visible behind the blurry glass.


    Chao Bin came screeching from behind them, face green as he tried to avoid looking at the floor as his shoes squelched in the wake of the dead bodies.


    "How do we open it?"


    "I don''t seem to see any keys before.."


    Tang Shun shook his head,


    "More than likely, with the systems evil taste, we are going to have to search the dead bodies for the -"


    Chu Yi participate in their discussion. After seeing the many strange medicine bottles in the glass cabinet, he said nothing but started searching for something. So he went out and dragged a small metal tray used to hold bloody waste during surgery and slammed it directly against the glass cabinet! The loud sound of glass shattering shocked both Tang Shun and Chao Bin, who stared in disbelief.


    Chu Yi grinned broadly, white teeth abnormally bright in the gloomy darkness of the room, for some reason, Tang Shun felt that the man before him was a little wrong but neither could he pinpoint what exactly was off.


    Chao Bin on the side, didn''t think about that, only frightened by the decisiveness of this iceberg beauty.


    "You... you be careful of broken glass."


    Chu Yi smirked but ignored him, he reached out and took one of the medicine bottle from inside, unscrewed it, and found a transparent plastic sampling bag in it with an orange pill in it.


    Different from the ones they were usually fed during the day.


    Chao Bin noticed that there was a label on the sample bag with a chemical term he couldn''t understand- CL67MTHa7, in a low whisper Chu Yi read out the long name, "Cyproterone Acetate and a long list of molecular formulas needed for organ transplant."


    Tang Shun also reached in opened another bottle of medicine. Inside it was the same sample bag. This time it contained a yellow pill with another name on it.


    "B78META76, Blood Transfusion Pills."


    In this way, they opened several medicine bottles in succession, all of which were filled with different pills. All the pills had something something to do with altering the human body.


    Until Chu Yi found the last bottle, and this time found a printed report underneath the bottles position. It had scribbled on with an ominous red ink and had also been completely emptied of its contents unlike the others.


    [After investigation, the drugs taken by the residents of this batch of potential ------- ''it was blacked out here'' include but do not exclude the following, they are all taken voluntarily by the residents, however most if not all of them have exhibited signs of blood hemorrhage and limb contusion. The reason is to be investigated. The results of the physical examination of this time has found two people with compatibility with Code. #451E and the test results after combination is expected to come out next week , a comprehensive analysis will be carried out in conjunction with the physical examination report. It is expected that this times experimental batch will have a better success than last time with a corresponding mortality rate of 74. 7]


    This confirmed one thing at the very least. this was an experiment. And everything surrounded the Institute was lie.


    "What does this mean? What exactly is Code#451 and what exactly are they compatible with?" Chao Bin picked up a bottle. "What kind of pill is this?"


    Tang Shun put down the report and pushed up his glasses slightly "These are banned drugs-" he stopped to let it sink in. "Drugs like these are banned because when used on the human body, they tend to completely alter the molecular structure of the cells of our biological atoms. Essentially forcing out the human potential and giving them a brief moment of something akin to superhuman characteristics but at the same time, they completely strip the victim of their vitality and usually in less than half an hour, they would be pronounced dead."


    "If what they''re saying in the written report is right, what''s happening to the people in this batch of experiments is that they are experiencing symptoms of rejection by the body as it resists the foreign anti-bodies that have been injected into their bloodstream."


    "Much like we are right now.


    "Potential here, would be the bodies ability to accept these highly toxic foreign matters without dying immediately."


    Chao Bin cursed under his breath,


    "What bullshit Chosen Ones, aren''t they just looking for the perfect Guinea Pigs that can last a little bit longer under whatever batshit experiment they''re carrying on?!"


    "What kind of things are they?" Chao Bin felt uncomfortable, Although he only graduated from high school, he still understood basic pharmacology.


    Suddenly he heard Chu Yi say, "Excessive use of Betamine, even diluted , will result in the slow collapse of organs, first by hemorrhaging, then comes the loss of limbs, then the lungs will slowly collapse, the skin will peel off , then the heart would slowly stop beating. And through it all, you wouldn''t die immediately, instead slowly feel yourself losing life, without being able to do a single thing."


    He laughed, "Familiar isn''t it "


    Chao Bin choked and stopped talking, because he was immediately reminded of the horrifying disaster that happened just a few days ago.


    This was purgatory.


    "What''s exactly do they want?" Chao Bin felt as if it was time to start thinking of his resting place.


    Seeing that Chao Bin was in poor condition, Tang Shun....felt amused , " Even as we speak right now, we are probably dyeing. But at a much slower rate The injection we were given on the first day was probably the Betamine, but the pills we are issued everyday are probably something that will slow down the rate of our bodies collapsing."


    "If there is any paranoid player who decided to not take the pills, they''re definitely going to be facing a very bad situation soon."


    This was the bad taste of the system.


    Hearing this result, Chao Bin were stunned, his hands stiff and cold with fright. Pity rose in his heart as he thought about the fate of those unfortunate players later on but he quickly discarded that weak sentiment.


    His situation wasn''t much better either


    Chao Bin was suddenly reminded of something and he turned to Tang Shun,


    "How much time do we have left?"


    Tang Shun looked at his watch "Half an hour."


    Chu Yi shook his head, "Wrong."


    They turned to him simultaneously, "We only have fifteen minutes left. "


    Chao Bin was confused and looked between the two, "What''s going on."


    Tang Shun''s face gradually became serious.


    "Are you sure?"


    Chu Yi nodded,


    "From the moment we arrived here till now, I counted 45 minutes but when I looked at the watch, only thirty minutes have passed."


    Chao Bin couldn''t help but doubt, "Maybe you''re wrong..."


    Chu Yi title his head and stared at him, like a sinister snake assessing his prey, "Maybe. But do you really want to risk me being right."


    "....."


    After a moment of thought, Chao Bin conceded. If he was wrong, although it would be regrettable to miss out on valuable time, it wasn''t all bad but in case he was right....


    Chao Bin shivered.


    He couldn''t imagine the consequences.


    Tang Shun shrugged,


    "Then let''s do it like this."


    He remembered something.


    Chu Yi suddenly thought of the paper written by the religious cult that he had finished reading right before he lost consciousness the last time and after signaling to the others to start looking for anything else that may be of use, he re-searched the entire room.


    It wasn''t until he looked near the operating table did he finally find it again, after skimming through the page once again, he found something wrong about the feeling of the paper held in his hands.


    It felt bulging as if something had been placed in a hidden pocket. After noticing this, with no hesitation, Chu Yi ripped the paper in half immediately , roughly revealing the contents within. As he expected there was indeed something that had been placed into a delicately cut seam on the thick paper.


    It was a miniature hard drive.


    Chao Bin and Tang Shun had been attracted by the noise snd came over to look at what was happening


    "There is a label on this," Chao Bi pointed out. "But how do we watch it?" Chu Yi turned and walked towards the back of the room near the electric chair.


    To their surprise, he bent over and pulled a small DVD player from underneath the torture device.


    "How-" Chao Bin marveled and in response Chu Yi laughed, "If I was torturing someone with this thing, I would most definitely have them watch their ugly selves, with forced open eyes as they frothed and trashed in agony. Only wishing to die quickly"


    "Sometimes mental torture trancedes physical pain."


    "Don''t you think so too Tang Shun?"


    Tang Shun smiled helplessly but did not respond


    Chu Yi didn''t continue to push and opened the DVD, found the socket on the side and plugged the hard drive in his hand into it, "The label says [Experiment Log] in English."


    The screen blinked briefly but managed to boot up, there was only one thing inside the drive, A video report dated [D-1: Classified #0001]. After opening it, there was a long ghostly blue interlude on the screen that shown a ghastly light on the pale faces of the three as they stood around the DVD, waiting.


    Then it started.


    And on the screen, the first thing they saw was a faceless man,


    No features. Just a blank canvas of skin wrapped around bone.


    Chao Bin shivered, that wasn''t human.


    He had on a pure white lab coat and wore a tag that said, [R89]


    In the video, R89, the faceless creature, was walking with the camera pointing downwards, he was obviously not in the Institute at that moment. , and seemed to be walking through a dilapidated and dirty environment that is incompatible with his own image. There were no towering buildings here, only ruined walls and piled waste. With bungalows made of plastic waste cloth, even the air is gray, and the occasional sight of children who ran past in the corner of the view were dressed in dirty old clothes.


    This is an abandoned planet.

 Chapter 70 - The Institute (11)

    This was indeed an abandoned planet, however it was in a much better state than the planet they had come from.


    There weren''t any mountains of towering trash and sludge filled troughs. Although in a bad situation , the planet seemed more like post-war tragedy, than a isolated waste star.


    War...


    A burst of inspiration flashed through his mind, but before he could look deeper into it, a sound interrupted Chu Yi''s train of thought.


    The video had just started playing , when there was a click , as the door was pushed open, they swiveled around only to find that it was none other than Mu Fang and two of his other lackeys.


    "You three are very lucky ba." One of the men spoke up after realizing the room was occupied, he didn''t ask for permission to enter, instead he sauntered into the dark room without fear, throwing a brief disgusted glance at the corpses on the floor, "We only managed to find this place, after Brother Fang used one of his props to determine important locations in this god forsaken place."


    Chao Bin rolled his eyes.


    Acting like he couldn''t see the hidden implications in his words.


    "Really very lucky." Chu Yi put one hand to his face, looking very lazy, " Why, we just coincidentally, so happen to stumble upon this important location with no prior clue or knowledge. Very Lucky."


    Tch-


    The air was filled with smell of gunpowder.


    Chao Bin giggled under his breath but Tang Shun threw a questioning glance his way.


    Strange.


    "We found this place beforehand," Tang Shun corrected. " This was an operating room during the day with traces of previous use, now after we arrived here tonight, some things have changed."


    Mu Fang who hadn''t spoke from beginning to end, nodded in understanding and after signaling to his partners to start searching, he looked at them carefully, and then asked, "Have you found anything special over here?"


    Tang Shun paused slightly and smiled, looking meaningfully at him behind cold glasses, but seemingly after a moments thought he still told them, "You will soon see the report left here but there are also some other strange phenomena that we noticed. For example, although the pills each look very similar, they actually have subtle differences. They all have tiny writings engraved on them, the orange pill is written with a small ''E''. The red pill with a ''C'' and the purple pill with an ''A'' . We haven''t found what that indicates yet however."


    Mu Fang nodded,


    These small details are often needed at critical moments to solve puzzles but at the moment there were too few clues for anyone to solve directly.


    "There is an abandoned playroom that seemed to have been used to hold animals. Chains, whips and cages are the only thing in the room."


    He didn''t go on any further, but Chu Yi already knew what he was implying with this.


    This was the value of their information.


    The noise from the video once again attracted everyone''s attention,


    It was just a little bit suprising to Mu Fang when he saw the face, or lack of thereof that appeared in the screen but he quickly gathered himself and went over to look at what was happening.


    "Is this an abandoned planet" Mu Fang casually asked as he observed the happenings on screen.


    Chao Bin raised his head in suprise , as expected of an old player, he could quickly see through the crux of the video.


    Tang Shun was much more calm, "It should be around the time the Institute was formed."


    The video, was still on [R89] walking through the dirty mud, some the mud even splashing onto his pure white lab coat but the man didnt seem seem care . With the bungalows made of plastic waste cloth as a backdrop the man quickly made his way out from the depths of the planet.


    "There are children here." Chao Bin''s voice sounded glum, although he knew that they were NPC''s, he still couldn''t stop it from leaving a bad taste in his mouth.


    Right as he spoke, the researcher in the video happened upon a group of dirty, black children.


    Although they seemed hungry and malnourished , when their eyes fell onto the approaching researcher, their faces still burst out into pure and joyous smiles.


    Through the video, they could hear them whispering ,


    "That''s the man from the big ship in the sky!" "So cool!" "Is he here to feed us again?"


    Although their voices were scratchy and unpleasant from days without sufficient water, it didn''t stop them from croaking in excitement.


    One particularly courageous child, ran up and pulled his sleeves, glittering eyes hoping that he could give them something to eat. The man didn''t throw them off but like throwing a bone to a pitiful mongrel, he pulled out a bag of hard bread, threw it to the floor and ignored the way the ravenous children pounced on it like a pack of starving animals.


    This was precious food after all.


    Even though the children were quickly brought of view, Chu Yi noticed one particular kid standing at the back of the group, he was the dirtiest of all the children and seemed to be carrying a lame leg, and a festering infection on the left side of his bony hand. And in those hands, he held a dying black cat that lay weakly against his thin chest, a body that was practically skin and bones.


    He didn''t throw himself at the food like the others.


    He stood to one side like an ominous black crow, watching the back of the leaving researcher with frightening dark eyes.


    Even when the boy had fully left the screen, Chu Yi still seemed to see those eyes like a deadly, starving beast , flashing in the back of his mind.


    Only when the researcher was about to leave the area, did he finally start to speak.


    [Just now, in the name of the Federation, I was tasked to visit the leftovers from the Red Zone- Frontier clash with the Galaxy Dopius, these residents were deemed inconsequential to the survival of the Federation and were ordered to be abandoned in the name of the Empire. The death rate was approximately 789, 000 and the planet has been coded BV145 , Toxic level 7.3. Only 190 residents have been reported to have survived the clash.]


    [In coordination to Code #E0001, the second batch of children have been artificially transported to planet BV1450 under the head of the newly registered Institute in order to begin Phase 0001 of the plan Code #ED001. A preliminary inspection of the leftovers have deemed the results satisfactory with 5% of children adapting to the forbidden zone with varying degrees of infection.]


    Briefly Chao Bin couldn''t help but wonderwhere the voice was coming from but there really were no surprises in a place like this.


    [The first injections have been issued, no signs of death symptoms yet. The residents have spread by word of mouth that these pills havemagical effects and it has been become an anticipated thing among the colonies. Many of them have already begun showing signs of fanatism and religous paranoia. No further action is recommended to stop the spread. ]


    [During the exploration, a new source of data has been found. ] R89 in the video took out a fist sized ore that glowed with an alien green light.


    [An unexpected bonus of this trip lies in the discovery of Lithin. Preliminary exploration makes me believe that the combination of extremely toxic interstallar waste and the gas left from the clash with Galaxy Dopius has created the conditions for creating the rare Lithin Ore. Further Investigation will be needed to determine other causes.]


    R39 collected the ore and walked through the dirty road and left the place with the sound of the wind was loud, like a thin soft knife, painfully scratching the eardrums of the players.


    When the video was over, it didn''t just stop there, instead a loading screen pooped up that read,


    [Acessing File 2: Phase 0000| Exploration]


    "8 minutes."


    Chao Bin and Tang Shun swiveled to Chu Yi and nodded in confirmation


    They needed to hurry up.


    This video is different from the previous one. When it is opened, it didn''t immediately show the researcher, instead it show a man that was dressed just like the overseer in the planet BV1329. He looked more like a vicious merchant, a man in his late thirties with bronzed skin and a sophisticated accent.


    They were underground.


    [Everyone refuses to have biological children now, how much are they worth in this age? ]


    Immediately afterwards, there was the voice of R39


    [Why not? Don''t they want children? ]


    The man guffawed, as if he was amused by the question of R89, full of smiles, as if he was a experienced wiseman with plenty of wisdom,


    [There are are very few people who want to do such a thankless job. Due to the great contrubutions of the Federation, they''ve now introduced artificial birth. It''s easy, it''s cheap and it''s convenient. If you could chose the looks, intelligence and strenght of your child before they were even born, as well as have them out in less than a week, who would want to go through the hassle of carrying babies for 9 months only for them to come out average and some even ending up with disabilities? They''d much rather spend money to create the ideal child. They have longer lifespans and represent the evolution of mankind. ]


    [Biological children have become a thing of the past. Only the commoners have them nowadays. Especially boys, girls are good, even if they''re not special compared to the other children, they can at least serve as servants and toys.] The man''s grin turned lustful and filthy as he winked at R39 ,


    [Boys on the other hand , can''t even give children now. The artificial birth is completely asexual and all they need is the consent of the couple. Then that''s it, the perfect child.]


    [Now the orphanages are full of abandoned biological children, because all the adults are scampering to become apart of the new world. Me? My business is to find use for the little wastes.]


    As he said that, the man threw a multicolored pill into his wide mouth and grinned.


    [What about it? Little handsome guy, do you want to have some fun with them too?]


    R89 was silent for a moment.


    [Do you have a way to obtain alot of biological children? ]


    The man rubbed his hand, as his face loss the frivolous look in preparation for business.


    [Don''t doubt my professionalism kid, Don''t think our place looks tattered and run-down, so it''s not much. In fact, in this place there is always hidden dragon and crouching tiger''s. If you go out right now and ask around you''ll here my name. I control the transit airway to this here planet. Anything that''s coming in is under my inspection and anything that goes out....no one will know]


    [Really?] It was obviously a question, but [R89]''svoice didn''t have any ups and down.


    [Of course. ]


    [Don''t you feel bad for the children?]


    The man laughed as if he had heard the biggest joke in the universe,


    [This is only what''s necessary. We are evolving and when humans evolve there will always be something that''s left behind. They are just unfortunate ones that ended up being sacrificed. There is no need for them now, might as well put them to good use. Don''t you think.]


    These words fell like sinking in an ice cave.


    No one thought it turned out to be such a reason.


    R89 didn''t answer, the screen shook for a while and cut off but once again popped up the loading screen


    [Acessing File 3: Phase 0005 The Abnormal One


    Chao Bin felt very strange.


    Before seeing this video, he had already experienced three levels of the copy but this took the weird events to an entirely new level. Like everyone else, he believed that this institution was not as glamorous and decent as it seemed, this was a research Institute but he still felt cold, once he realized the true horrors of this place.


    And this was only the tip of the iceberg.


    And there weren''t only one batch of children that were used as lab rats under a microscope by them.


    The last video, which was still R89s video report. He was still underground but In this report however, he did not appear himself.


    When the new voice appeared, everyone was stunned. This was the voice of a child.


    [Excuse me, it is possible to survey the goods in the warehouse. ]


    Thr child did not appear in the image. The miniature lens seemed to be mounted on his tiny body. The screen was a bit shaky. The image in the lens was a middle-aged man with a pot belly, with sparse hair, wearing dirty undershirt was about to burst into his stomach.


    [What''s a boy like you doing out here.]


    The boy didn''t answer.


    [Excuse me, is it possible to survey the goods in the warehouse.]


    Apparently realizing he wouldn''t be getting an answer, the greasy, fat man waved his hands in annoyance.


    [Look for it yourself. ]


    Cages upon cages of mangled and half dead animals locked in dirty cells filled with their own wastes. They could imagine that the smell was absolutely atrocious. On the rails, there was a wooden plaque that told the price of each animal.


    What''s this...


    The boy turned his head and the camera turned with him, and only then did they realize.


    They weren''t buying animals, they were buying meat.


    Blood and guts rained from the weight of the blow as the knife chopped down without mercy!


    The heavy force of the knife made it stick to the board as it slammed into the head of a dead cat ,the butcher only yanked the knife out, flashing the scarlet blood from his hands and swiping the inedible organs of the cat to the floor with a wet splat! The flies and mosquitoes buzzing as they swarmed the meat, black marks from decomposing, rotten meat the only evidence left of what these organs once were.


    There was a shrill cry,


    [Dead.]


    [She''s dead.]


    The screen went black.


    The video was unbelievably short and didnt seem like a report but before it cut, Chu Yi could be sure,


    That was the black cat.

 Chapter 71 - The Institute (12)

    Chu Yi took a deep breath slowly, the dry and cold air, filled with a strong smell of rust, slashed through his throat like a soft knife, and poured into his chest like smoke, the slight pain brought him an amazing sense of pleasure.


    Everything was strange.


    He lowered his head and carefully examined his open fingers.


    White, clean, well-proportioned bones, intact.


    But he knew that on these hands, a faint red film coated from his palm to his fingertips, he really didn''t know what it was.


    But he was different


    "Time is almost up."


    Tang Shun and Chao Bin turned towards him, Tang Shun gaze held a strange touch as he looked at him but Chu Yi only stared down at his clenched hands.


    He seemed feel the soft touch of a hot and throbbing piece of meat, a heart ripped out of someone''s chest remaining on his fingertips. He could feel the blood rushing in his vain and a strange vitality pumping to his limbs along with his blood, bringing him a strange sense of joy.


    Although the feeling of a foreign substance corroded and reconstructed his nerves faintly as it traveled through his bloodstream, the pain was so insignificant, he only felt a dull throbbing, a numbing kind of pain.


    His body had been altered. But his transformation was diffrent from the others The residents that grew up on the abandoned planet, had been eroded by its poisonous water and toxic waste. Their bodies were underdeveloped body and weak, racked with chronic diseases and malnutrition. Even if there is no final organ failure, their life spans wouldn''t be too long.


    The players too, weren''t of unified strenghts, after every instance, the system improves their physical fitness, most have the idea that this was so they have enough strenght to experience more horrors. Therefore those that have gone through more copies would have a greater strenght and the weaker bunch would be at a disadvantage. Especially now when their vitality was slowly being consumed


    But tonight was different !


    A sense of strength surged in his veins, and his heart leaped vigorously in his chest. Chu Yi was almost fascinated by this novel and subtle feeling.


    In addition, at the moment night struck, when the blood in his body began to rage, Chu Yi also felt a new knowledge appear in his mind,


    A certain kind of broken consciousness, incomplete and scrambled information, was poured into his body with the rush of power, circling and jumping in his mind like flashing shards. He couldn''t decode what it was sending but Chu Yi felt as if an entirely new being was being created in his body, attaching to his soul and creating another mind unique to it.


    It was still an embryo, nothing more of a wisp of consciousness but he knew it was there.


    He took a deep breathe, the smell of rust in the air was getting stronger. Something''s coming!


    "We need to leave. Now."


    Mu Fang beside him was confused but his intuition screamed for him to follow!


    The players hurried out of the room, regardless of their image and dashed through the hallways back to their rooms! The scent of blood was so powerful it had condensed into an almost viscous gas, he wasn''t breathing in air anymore, Chu Yi was inhaling blood!


    It''s coming!


    At this point, the entire player base regardless of what they were doing raised their heads.


    And to their absolute horror, it wasn''t know when but the walls had started bleeding bright red blood, the floors underneath had slowly become a pool of clumped scarlet liquid!


    "Somethings wrong!" Chao Bin panted as he ran through the halls, "It shouldn''t take so long to get to the rooms!"


    "What the fuck is this!" One of Mu Fangs lackey yelled in horror, below their feet, it had become a straight bloody path,everywhere was blood, even the qhites of their eyes seemed to be stained with a bloody light!


    "We''re stuck in a loop! " Mu Fangs face was hideous , at this point he had already guessed their was something wrong with their cognition of time. "We can''t get back!"


    Chu Yi''s feet slammed on the floor as they ran , even through the soles of his shoe, he could feel the warm and viscous plasma staining the soles of his feet with his bare feet, and the dark red liquid was squeezed out from between his toes, like the crushed juice of a rose!


    Gradually they stopped moving, no matter how fast they ran, the halls in which they were standing never changed, the same bloody nightmare just repeated over and over again!


    "Fuck!" One of the men looked pleadingly at Mu Fang,


    "What do we do now!"


    "Hide! I have to hide!"


    Without waiting for any of them to respond, one of the lackeys dashed into one of the rooms in the halls, the door slamming against the walls from the force of him closing it! He had locked himself inside, not caring for the lives of the others!


    Mu Fang cursed, "Fool!"


    Chu Yi looked around for at the halls, and the strange blood red matter in the air wandered in his field of vision! It was gloomy and humid, and seemed to have been condensed from the blood of countless victims. The rusty smell stimualtee and made his mind clamor for violence!


    In the darkness, Chu Yis eyes took on the same shade of red as the blood bleeding from the walls!


    Chu Yi felt his breathing pick up , there were tiny beads of sweat on his forehead, his slightly blurred eyes stared into the distance without focusing, and his long eyelashes trembled with the frequency of his breathing.


    Once, twice, three times.


    His heartbeat was beating in overdrive.


    1....2.....3...4


    The blood mist was attracted to his hands, it gathered and clung to his fingertips, and then it was forcibly pulled back to his original position again by an unknown source.


    It doesn''t matter if you fail, then do it again.


    Then his finger started to change! they were elongating and blackening! His snow white fingers became a long and sharp hand , forming claws like the hands of a deomn straight from the abyss! Its pitch-black surface smooth and hard like cold obsidian, it doesn''t reflect the slightest light! His nail became extremely sharp, and a bit of inorganic light condensed on it, with the unique chill of a sharp weapon, it could tear air like a piece of cloth!


    Chu Yi took a breath, his fingertips trembling due to the loss of strength, but the expression in his glowing red eyes was bright!


    His eyes focused and he lifted his hand to observe it under the bloody red light, and the scarlet membrane reflected from the tip flickered under his eyes, a weird light from the depths of the underworld.


    A suppressed trembling smile passed over his red lips.


    ¡ªThis copy is strange and interesting enough.


    He likes it very much.


    The building was still , windless, it was the calm before the storm! The players stood tense, fear bleeding from their blown out pupils.


    Wrong! Wrong it was all wrong!


    They should have had more time!


    They should-


    But it was too late.


    56...57...58....59


    Midnight Struck.


    And like all the monsters in the abyss, had been let loose, Chaos was instantly set onto the players!


    The previously silent Institute had become a purgatory, monster''s dressed in tattered bloody cloths of ripped nurse uniforms appeared in all the isolated places of the players! The screams of horror and despair as they were caught and torn apart like toys, with the mangled flesh of their necks dangling from their bodies, their heads ripped off and thrown to the floors! Some were even swallowed whole! The loud blasting as props were set off and the cries of helps turn this Institute into a living scene of carnage!


    "Why won''t you be obedient!"


    "Only obedient resident''s, are good resident''s!"


    "You must be punished! "


    That was an excuse.


    Hunting


    Yes, they were hunting.


    Like animals who were hunted for sports by humans, they had turned from the predator to the prey!


    Chu Yi quickly reveled in this feeling of being at the bottom of the cold ecological chain ¡ªeither to kill or be killed!


    The prerequisite for surviving in the copy in the first place was to live on the flesh and energy of other creatures!


    Blood splashed!


    Therefore since this was the law of the jungle , then let him enjoy himself to the fullest!


    The Monsters roared as they lunged towards the group! Since the moment his claws condensed, Chu Yi had veen waiting in anticipation! Red tongue brushed across the bruised lips, as a frenzied smile of pure enjoyment settled on his face, and with a loud happy, he lunged to meet the incoming monsters!


    Puchi!


    He creatively used everyday of his body! Hands ripped the arms of the beasts, fingers clawed their eyes, feet smashed their heads, that burst like a rotten melon! He was almost driven crazy with this feeling of strenght! He came to this copy and he was weak! He wasn''t the overlord as in the real world but now, he could kill to his hearts content! He didn''t have to hide and destroy those filthy pests that used their power to wantonly destroy!


    He used his hands to poke the monster''s sticky skin relentlessly, penetrating its warm cavity and slowly clenched the beating heart!


    Then it burst and the wailing thing in his hands suddenly stopped its stuggle and fell to the floor with a thump!


    "Whats- what''s wrong with him."


    Chao Bin was gaping in slight horror as he stared distractedly at the raging man before him,


    Tang Shun had a strange expression on his face, eventually he just shook his head and chuckled, suppressing the way his heart sped up in excitement.


    Not yet.


    He called to Chu Yi as he dodged the monsters that managed to bypass Chu Yi and came charging towards them, "We can''t stay like this for too long! I can feel that they''re getting stronger!"


    Chu Yi didn''t answer but the way he gradually fell back towards the group, told them he understood.


    Of course, Chu Yi''s fight didn''t go so smoothly in the beginning.


    He had also bearing a few harsh blows from inexperience but perhaps the transformation had his increased his nerve tolerance threshold, because no matter how sharp the monster''s claws were, he could always endure it and counterattack, feeling the blood rain on his face, long black hair sticky with blood as it stuck to his face, with a deadly beauty.


    This would be a headache for him later but not now.


    However, as his experience grew, Chu Yi could feel the rate of his injury getting less.


    He can see the changes and movements of the monsters rushing towards him and could estimate the ability and distance that would be needed to make the deadliest move and then decide whether to avoid or attack. So, soon, the situation of being hit and embarrassed, standing in a pool of blood rarely happened again.


    However these monsters were growing at an extremely terrifying speed, like a species born with a mission of plundering and warfare, quickly strengthening themselves and crawling out of the bottom of the abyss.


    They were getting stronger and soon even his newfound strenght would not be able to hold them back.


    Chu Yi shook the sticky stinking blood from his hand raised his foot and stepped on the monster corpse on the ground, face unchanged


    [Confim the usage of Evil Spirit''s Approval Ticket]


    [Confirmed: All Area within a Thirty mile radius is locked. Teleportation Disabling Ineffective. Lifeform Detected: Life Form under System Protection.]


    The hall was filled with the smell of copper and salt, and the ground stained with blood condensed into a greasy sound when it was stirred underfoot.


    Only the heavy breathing of the chatted player filled the still hall. But this moment of respite was brief, they had to think of a solution.


    Finally, Chu Yi bent over, face still hanging an intense grin and shoved his hand into the chest of monster underneath his feet, then with a forceful pull, he dragged his hand out, and a bright red heart lay slowly beating in the white palm,


    He then clenched his fist!


    The dark red heart matter spilled over from his hands like a mercilessly crushed flower.


    Chu Yi breathed out slowly and gradually unfolded his fist.


    Suddenly Chu Yi paused , his posture of walking away stilling


    The familiar darkness rolled in but it was not darkness that caught his attention.


    There was something strange outside the darkness.


    His nose could smell a very faint stench, it was very fresh, as if it had just dripped from the wound, and it also carried the warmth of a living body, which was completely different from the smelly and unpleasant smell of the monster that had evolved from the nurses.


    Like an injured animal.


    Chu Yu thought of something and the almost leisurely expression on his face fell, with twisted brows he turned to the resting players, eyes locking with Tang Shun


    "We need to get back to the rooms."


    Immediately

 Chapter 72 - The Institute (13)

    Chu Yi lowered his head, moved his finger lightly, and watched in interest as his body healed.


    The horrible wound that was cut longitudinally from the claws of some random monster on his left hand no longer felt any pain. The reddish-brown plasma coagulated into a thick layer of blood covering his slender wrist. The uppermost blood scab having already become fragile, revealing the new pink, tender meat underneath


    It wasn''t the only one, he quickly checked the wounds left on his body from the previous battle, and found that the deep and shallow stabs had begun to heal quickly, and some were even gone completely, only leaving the pale white skin stained with mottled blood.


    On the inside of his wrist, the cyan blood vessels and the looming light red barrier like webbing, intertwined, appearing evil and mysterious, the blood vessels underneath his skin slowly twisting, as if it was trying to break through the shackles, tearing the translucent skin.


    His other hand that had been transformed, still glinted with a cold metallic light, it didn''t even look like a part of his body but Chu Yi could feel that it was apart of him, throbbing like another heartbeat.


    The others had long noticed and guessed the origin of the alien addition but it was neither the time nor the place to discuss it now.


    "What do we do....we can''t stay here fighting these things forever. Eventually we''ll be exhausted by the continuous wave and be run through."


    "But we''re stuck here. " Mu Fang''s Lackey was pale in the face, and the voice used to speak sounded on the verge of hysteria.


    Tang Shun shook his head, "The system never gives unsolvable problems, difficult but not unsolvable. I''m sure we are not the only ones locked in place, so the only thing we need to do is find the way out "


    Mu Fang listened to the dialogue happening in front, a hesitant expression appearing on his face, then he made a decision, slowly letting loose of the thing clenched in his hand.


    That was a last resort.


    Chu Yi exhaled softly, his blood still boiling but at this point he was hyper sensitively aware of the sounds that drifted from the gloomy darkness that engulfed them.


    In the heavy darkness, there was the sound of cruel gnawing and a disgusting swallowing that was amplified by the dead silence in the halls, in the darkness unknown monsters moved their ugly bodies and even the darkness seem to come alive!


    Chu Yi retracted his gaze, and the scarlet almost vertical pupils stared straight at the thick scarlet fog in front of him. Creepy grunts and moving sounds came from all directions, rustling close, the eyes lurking in the darkness were greedy and thirsty, like a drop of blood falling into a sea full of sharks, the dark waters rolled and surged, hidden unknown dangers and vicious prying eyes. Just waiting for the weak prey to venture into their territory!


    The desire to fight was aroused by the weird breath floating in the air, which quickly burned through his body like a flame flowing in his blood, as if every musculoskeletal bone was creaking with excitement, making an agitated and exhilarating moan!


    A certain cruel and pleasant excitement was suppressed in Chu Yi''s brilliant eyes.


    "Something similar to what we''re experiencing right now is a Chinese Myth called ''Ghost Hits The Wall.'' Its not the exact same but in our current siuation , we have to try all the methods that are available." Tang Shun didn''t procrastinate any longer and quickly explained the method he had thought of, "Right now, we are in the 4th dimension, think of it as a parallel dimension that is completely similar to the world we are from, however we exist on the x-plane and this world exists on the y- plane. We have crossed over to this world from the x-plane and now we need to find the intersection that connects these two dimensions to get back to our own world."


    ".....eh-"


    "We have to find the door that connects the space we are trapped in to the outside to get back to our rooms." Tang Shun sighed, Chao Bin really was just a kid.


    "But where could it be? That could be anywhere!"


    "Find our rooms in this plane."


    "What?-


    Chu Yi looked deeply into the eyes of Mu Fang and answered, " Our rooms. Back to the place we came from."


    *****


    He avoided the opponent''s attack from behind with experience , his sharp claw broke through the air from a tricky angle, cut the opponent''s belly mercilessly, and then turned gently and gracefully on the spot to avoid the attack that came from the side.


    Blood spurted like an open faucet, the knife in his right impaling the monster to the wall!


    The monster in tattered nurse uniforms from which it burst from struggled and screamed in pain, in its distorted howls Chu Yi could still hear the frantic cries of ''punish'' ''punish them''. The greasy internal organs gurgled out from the torn open stomach, the moment Chu Yi turned his back to face the other incoming attacks, a few furry tentacles full of yellow sarcoma and nodules stretched out from the corner, pulling the monster that was already dead into the darkness from whence it came, and immediately, the sound of the flesh being torn and crushed mixed with the vague chewing sound came from that direction, the strange swallowing sound sounded from all around, making the scalp numb!


    This was the noise Chu Yi had heard.


    There was something far more terrifying than what they''re facing now in those shadows.


    Tang Shun''s face was fully solemn now, his glasses had been broken at some point, lost in the flesh and blood of these monsters.


    "They''re getting stronger!"


    If before it would take no more than a few blows to get rid of them, now they had to actually exchange attacks and even suffer injuries from trying to get away!


    "This isn''t working! "


    Chao Bin beside him, had been struck hard after failing to avoid an attack and was now bleeding profusely from his side, "The closer we get to the rooms, the more monsters that come out to block us! If we continue at this rate we''ll never make it!"


    Chu Yi stared at the pattern of attacks coming toward them, a feasible idea slowly taking shape in his head but it was also then did he realize the sinister intent of the system!


    The monster''s had one fatal flaw, they didn''t seem to be able to see out of their eyes and relied mainly on a keen sense of smell. Regardless of anything, as long as they smelled blood they world swarm to the area like flies, the monsters would have a brief moment of consternation when they first appeared, however they would soon be attracted by the blood and rush towards the source.


    Them.


    That is to say, as long there is one person who is wiling to sacrifice himself and attract the monsters attention, the rest of the players would be able to rush into the rooms and escape from the bloody death that faced them.


    But who would be willing to sacrifice themselves for complete strangers?!


    This wasn''t just a hunt, this was forcing out the evil of the humanity and making them face their filthy hearts! Wasn''t this just forcing them to submission, to become a true ''obedient resident''


    Slowly Chu Yi stopped fighting and as if the instance itself sensed his intentions , the monsters slowly came to a still.


    This was forcing them to make a decision!


    The monster''s roar stopped.


    The surroundings falling into an unknown dead silence, every minute and every second contained the horrible silence before the storm!


    Tang Shun seemed to have sensed something after the pause and immediately grabbed the pale Chao Bin and pulled him to the side, away from Mu Fang and the other player.


    Mu Fang also seemed to have realized something and distanced himself from the man beside him, the calculating glare in his eyes slowly becoming cruel.


    Chu Yi didn''t waste time and quickly recounted his hypothesis, and under the tensed gazes of the players, slowly rolled his eyes. The red tongue licked the teeth that appeared like fangs and assumed the posture that he was about to move, the stench of blood seemed to have penetrated into his very bones and the whole person gave off a fierce and violent spirit, red eyes gleamed with a faint cold light!


    The darkness slowly drew closer to the broken hall, and a nasty evil breath gradually precipitated in the air. The ground had long been stained red with blood, and the pale walls that are perpendicular to the floor was covered with splashes of blood and leftover bits of monster! The ugly and weird broken limbs and steaming internal organs are shocking under the dim light, and a few of them even rolled about and struggled in a pool of their former masters own blood!''


    A pair of brilliant and cold red pupils were gradually filled with red , zealous warfare, looking down at the messy ground under his feet condescendingly.


    "One of us has to be the sacrificial lamb. Voluntarily or not, someone has to die."


    Chu Yi''s voice was hoarse and bloodthirsty, there was no changes in his tone even as he spoke of such a cruel thing. The player who had already been on the verge of a breakdown from the start, completely burned the bridge and in a hysterical panicked voice screamed at the distant Mu Fang,


    "This was all your idea! You were the one that insisted that we come out at night! If it weren''t for you would we be facing this situation now! You should be the one to go die!"


    This accusation was partly fueled by fear , he knew in his heart that he was weakest party here and he would be the one chosen but he was also filled with genuine resentment, he completely ignored his own incompetence and shoved the whole blame on Mu Fang!


    But this wouldn''t change anything, weakness was a sin here and he had committed the greatest sin,


    The man in question only sneered, contempt bleeding into his eyes under the mocking gaze of Chao Bin,


    "Did I force you to venture out? This was a transaction, nobody is more nobler than the other. Let''s cut to the chase, you''re going to die anyways, so I''d suggest you die with a little bit of dignity."


    This was the expected result.


    The roars started up again but this time they didn''t fight, the man was shoved out under the cruel and indifferent gaze of the group as a sacrifice, and along with his harsh agonized screams , the monsters slowly created a path for the players to walk as they disappeared into the rooms under his dying breath.


    The rooms were the same dirty wards, glass mirrors everywhere , rusty rails and spotted brown bloodstains. But there was a new addition,


    Flowers


    He has seen many flowers.


    The fresh and beautiful flowers of various colors cultivated specially by the rich , blooming into vigorous and warm colors. The emerald green flower stems are carefully cut with a special eagle head and inserted into the water carefully filtered by the gardener to coordinate the flower shape and size of each petals. It is the most suitable and pleasing beauty. In the boudoir of the rich, it is placed by the made at the center of the room as an embellishment, to be praised and serve as conversation piece for its guests.


    In comparison, this bunch of plants is so crude, it was to the point of ugly


    It has narrow and slender leaves, the stems and leaves are frizzly mixed with two small brown flowers, the thick root system below has not been trimmed, and the messy root hairs are also tied a singular string torn from some random cloth. The way of binding is still ugly and rough, and the technique is as childish without the slightest sense of beauty. The stems and leaves are dark brown-black as if it was dying, but the two small flowers on the tips almost hidden by the leaves, were rare and pale.


    Placed almost like a gift.


    A welcoming gift.


    However he couldn''t observe them longer , for the minute, Chu Yi walked in, instant, muscle pain and astonishing fatigue hit him like a truck, the delayed pain from the destruction and assimilation of new genes made him physically and mentally exhausted.


    The blood-stained world went slack and disintegrated from the edge of his sight, and the ground approached him at an unstoppable speed.


    But before he could hit the floor, a warm embrace caught him.


    Then everything fell into darkness.

 Chapter 73 - The Institute (14)

    He was falling.


    The heavy darkness wrapped in cold silence rushed into his nose and mouth like a tide, suffocation squeezed the air in his chest to dregs, the silence drowning his thoughts!


    Nowhere to run.


    His heart was wrapped in weakness, falling like iron stones on a porcelain plate, and then finally, the last pulsating breath in his body was pulled from him, all sounds and colors slowly drifted away. The endless darkness seemed to bewake him to sleep forever, Eternal silence spread its arms and hugged him, whispering softly in his ear:


    "stay..."


    Chu Yi opened his eyes, panting quickly but silently, but narrowed his eyes because of the sudden extreme bout of weakness that filled him.


    The thin clothes on his back was drenched with sweat, and the cold feeling went straight from his spine to all his the nerves.


    It''s this dream again ... but it had progressed.


    He could still hear the obsessive voice lingering in his ears, a soft heated warmth blowing against his neck,


    Chu Yi slowly straightened up, stiff soreness spread from his neck to his entire body, he blinked dullly, and after adjusting to the feeling of weakness that engulfed him, his eyes refocused.


    "Awake? " Tang Shun''s voice sounded beside him, and after turning towards him, he noticed the strange look on the man''s face, Tang Shun also noticed Chu Yi''s slightly dull gaze and helpfully pointed to something on his face.


    Chu Yi felt around his head until his fingers hit a slight bump on his forehead. There were two of them and they bulged prominently from his forehead as if there were budding horns underneath trying to tear through the skin. But at this stage, no one else but Tang Shun had noticed, and as long he covered them with his hair, they would not be visible unless they grew bigger.


    "We managed to get back, this is indeed our original plane, however when you got in you fainted and I held you back to your bed."


    There were only four of them in the room, Jun Bi, the NPC and them, it wasn''t known what happned to the rest but they were more than likely dead. Jun Bi seemed to have suffered through a great ordeal and stared numbly at the wall without a word.


    He wasn''t sure, if everyone had to go through the same process in order to get away but either way, it wouldn''t have been anything less sinister.


    Chu Yi squinted his eyes slightly, the indomitable strenght from last night seemed to have disappeared with the emergence to his own plane , as well as the beast-like claw that had grown from his hands.


    However he could still feel the faint tremors of excitement in his over exhausted body and the occasional flash of bloodlust from a night full of carnage and flesh.


    There wasn''t much time to process these happening however because soon the doors opened. The stream that trickled out from the wards was evidently much less than the day before and the player to NPC ratio had grown a wide gap. Their faces were also extremely ugly from stress and the gazes they used to stare at the Mu Fang held an extra touch of resentment.


    The faces of the nurses were the complete opposite, the gazes they used to look at the residents had satisfaction and anticipation as if they had just finished a good appetizer and were just waiting for the main course.


    With the enthusiasm of watching them die faster, the nurses revealed the next task for the residents,


    "In order to monitor the progressive nature of the residents, the Federation has implemented the use of animal therapy to the rehabilitation of residents of the abandoned planets. In the eve of tomorrow, you will be taken to the animal holdings and tested on your compatibility with the different test subjects. Those who have proven as exemplary participants in this test, will be marked as an key observation target and will be well taken care of."


    "You will be divided into three batches to visit three different holding cells and it all depends on pre-determined criteria. However, as warning, I will advise you not to agitate the animals, otherwise the consequences will not be very pretty."


    The face of the group that had seen the experimental log fell, this was definitely not good for the players because that meant that whatever experiment the Institute was carrying out had finally started its beginning phase.


    But before they could react, they heard a miserable scream from a place in the distance.


    Although this building seemed to have been built with a low base and only had seven floors, due to the layout of the building, the environment is open and not soundproofed, and the loud sound is enough to spread through the entire dining room!


    This scream was like a signal, a sign of carnival, and one after another screams resounded through the Institute. Then it fell ominously into silence, and then there was no other movement.


    The nurses seemed to have been reminded of something and looked pointedly at the group of players that were slightly bunched together at the back,


    "Unfortunately last night, a group of residents were dishonest in their dealings and wanted to sneak into the chairmans office and was directly sent to the confinement room to be rectified."


    The casualties on this round of hunting, were far more serious than Chao Bin could have imagined,


    The players who had managed to survive regrouped in the dilapidated hall, dim, depressed, and silent, surrounded by unknown fears and dangers. Even though they knew that going out at night would carry risks, they had still severely underestimated the level of danger of this copy.


    Many of them had been caught off guard by the sudden shift in time which was most likely a direct result of the change in dimensions. Something none of them had anticipated,


    Recalling the terrible and horrifying scenes they had just heard and seen, there were some players that were even paler than the rest, their faces seem to scream of untold horrors and they made some very inexplicable comments, that couldn''t be understood by the rest.


    ''That wasn''t a person, that was some kind of monster''


    There voices had a shivering sense of fear, they had been subjected to a kind of suppression, that suffocating sense of oppression and control is something that these players can''t have no matter how cruel and violent they are. This is due to an insurmountable intelligence, knowledge and strenght.


    But when the others asked about this, those specific players seemed to have been choked at the neck and could not explain no matter what, eventually giving away to sullen and despairing faces.


    It was like the suppression of a higher being towards a lower life form. They were unable to defy direct orders therefore could only hold it to themselves, much to the chagrin and confusion of the rest.


    This directly involved the secret of the instance.


    The players gathered and tried to make sense of what was happening, many of the more experienced players had deep gullies between their brows, they could sense that something was wrong but they couldn''t pinpoint where exactly this dangerous feeling came from but their vigilance had been heightened to the max.


    Mu Fang had saddled up to them at some point in time and had naturally integrated himself into the group as if it was expected, Chao Bin was just short of calling him shameless.


    His former lackeys had been directly abandoned and therefore had to to reintegrate into a new group.


    Eventually Mu Fang spoke up,


    "What do you think about last night?


    "Well-" Tang Shun pushed up his glasses at the question and sent a look Chu Yi''s way, who sensitively took the hint and under the focused gaze of the players briefly summarized everything from last night, inexplicably he thought of the flowers on the bedside right before he lost consciousness but strangely enough, when he woke up, it was no where in sight, however under some strange coercion he didn''t end up mentioning it.


    Tang Shun nodded after listening, his eyes casually drifting to the slender and pale hand that rested on Chu Yi''s long legs in a lazy yet elegant way, these were the hands of someone who has never seen hard work.


    Therefore the almsot greying section of skin on his little finger was particularly obvious,


    Chu Yi also noticed the patch of skin and brought up his hand to observe it more.


    He didn''t feel any pain and the skin there was almost lifeless as if it was ready to fall off at any moment.


    It reminded him of a newborn snake shedding its scales for the first time.


    This was foreign to him-


    What exactly was he merging with and would it eventually compete for ownership of his body?


    Those were questions Chu Yi asked himself but for now he wouldn''t be able to figure out the answer.


    The others quickly started pooling information and eventually decided to wait until tomorrow to decide on their next course of action.


    They were still plagued with the problem of lack of clues.


    No one noticed,


    In the dark corner of the dining room, there was a person standing quietly, with his head down, who had maintained the same motionless posture for a long time.


    Most players thought he was just in shock and didn''t bother him, instead they left a space around him and continued to discuss between themselves, it wasn''t suprising for relative newcomers to break down from excessive terror and no one wanted to take on that burden right now,


    But the tall player''s muscles were tensed all over, his body agitating strangely, and his dark skin was also filled with an ominous and unusual black. With his head hanging down, where no one could see, his eyes were already completely red and chaotic.


    He had been completely deprived of his thinking, and his mind was in a mess, but the strange power running through his veins was telling him that right now, he was extremely powerful.


    He seems to be omnipotent.


    No one can deny him what he wants.


    No one can hurt him.


    He could control everyone .


    He could be God!


    There seemed to be a bewildering voice in the mans ear that whispered like a twisted and enchanting spirit, "Now, you are free."


    The first incident happened.


    The man without any warning lunged at one of the players closest to him and with a savage howl ripped the neck of the player with his bare teeth!


    ''Ahhhhhhh!


    The blood directly spurted from the torn neck of his shocked victim and drenched the crazed figure of the player! He appeared like a terrifying demon from the abyss and had completely forgotten his identity as a human! He had become a beast!


    Blood and flesh dripped from the mouth of the crazy player as held up the dying man like a trophy, eyes completely estactic with victory!


    The man roared and tried to lunge for another player but this time, the players were much more aware and managed to avoid the barreling man, who slammed into the wall behind him!


    But he seemed to feel no pain and completely ignored the shock of the forcefull contact shook his head like a beast and once again lunged to kill!


    This was so unexpected that some of the players were directly knocked off their feets like rolling pins from the force! Scrambling to get away!


    The entire room fell into a confused chaos a the players tried to understand the sudden outbreak. A few of them even directly ran from the hall to avoid the rampage!


    Many of them simply shoving each other away in hopes of surviving as they rushed out of the danger zone without care!


    Chu Yi and the rest were close to the man, who seemed to have an inexplicable resentment towards them! Chu Yi himself was directly locked on to by the crazed player and so under the horrified gaze of the others, the man lunged towards Chu Yi, with pieces of bloody flesh still dangling from his sharp teeth -and prepared to take his life!

 Chapter 74 - The Institute (15)

    Chu Yi seemed to have been stunned by excessive fear and even when the crazed player was right upon him- he still stood motionless!


    A excited smile appeared on the man''s lips, his body tensed in anticipation and he barreled towards him, unusually sharp teeth glinting coldly in the dim light! He could even imagine the fear and despair on Chu Yi''s face right before his death!


    His heart undulated vigorously in his chest, violently pounding against the ribs, making a loud thumping sound in excitement due to the upcoming victory.


    This was strength!


    The young man stood quietly in the chaotic room, with thin shoulders, he stood motionless, his facial features were a little blurred due to the bloody film that covered the man''s l eyes, his pale face almost melted into the darkness , but right before he crushed his throat, the player seemed to notice his eyes getting darker and yet brighter like a dark flame that burned silently at the bottom of the abyss.


    The scarlet lines like scales seemed to flash across his face for a few seconds, hugging his slender and pale skin tightly like vines, stretching out from the neckline with teeth and claws, possessively marking every corner of his skin, the impact of the extreme red color made the pale pallete seem more and more charming!


    Chu Yi stared at the beastly visage of the man approaching him, he could hear the air cutting from the force and the attack had already reached the tip of his nose, just seconds away from hitting him , and yet a secret and contemptuous smile quickly passed over his lips, and his dark red eyes reflected the crazed and omnipotent look of triumph!


    He moved.


    As if to make a last minute struggle-


    Ha!


    The man sneered ''It''s too late, he should just accept his death, unnecessary resistance would only make it more painful-


    Crack!-


    There was only the sickening sound of bones being crushed to pieces and instantly the triumph gave way to absolute disbelief of his illusion shattering!


    How-


    The pain wasn''t even able to travel to his nerve endings because his neck itself had been broken!


    The bright light in his eyes burnt out instantly and everything went dull , he could sense his body being thrown to the floors, discarded like trash. Everything before him slowly blurred and angry resentment brewed in his dying heart.


    This isn''t how it''s supposed to be!


    He was supposed to be God!


    He seemed to hear the same bewitching voice sneer silently in the void.


    ''Ants will still always be ants in the end''


    There was no vengeance for him, he could only accept it.


    Then it went dark in death.


    His reign of terror lasting only a few moments before it was snuffed out like a light-


    The corners of Chu Yi''s s lips were raised, and the dark red eyes were burning with an evil and pleasant light, which bordered almost on inhuman cruelty.


    He seemed to vaguely hear a voice in his mind but it was too far away for him to decipher any meanings, he ignored it and shook his head and once again took a deep breath.


    The cruelty in his heart was rising up at a much more frequent rate and was becoming harder to suppress under the stimulation of the copy.


    The dining room was once again restored to its previous calm but the players still looked battered under the continuous wave of unexpected attacks.


    "What the fuck was that?"


    Alot of the players were wondering the same thing but Chu Yi, Tang Shun, Chao Bin and Mu Fang who were privy to more direct information were understandably a little more solemn.


    "As we can see, the drugs are starting to act up and beginning from the residents with the most resistance to the anti-bodies, or the players who didnt take the antidotes, they will all be eliminated soon.p


    Essentially , the Institute is weeding out the good from the bad." Tang Shun instinctively moved his hand to finger his glasses, but paused and dropped them, remembering that it had been directly destroyed during the fight yesterday. "The man who had gone crazy a minute ago was definitely facing this conundrum and would most likely have experienced death at a much more painful rate immediately after the effects of his chromosomes being altered wore off."


    "Chu Yi, can even be said to have done him a favor by making his death much quicker."


    Chao Bin''s face turned black, and he directly questioned the Institute in anger, " Does giving us the antidote that only prolonges our lives for a few more hours make any sense. If they''re looking to eliminate the ones who they feel are unworthy, there are no reasons to drag this on for so long, just directly take us and inject us once and record our data properly. Is playing with us so fun!?"


    "Prison Disciplinary Methods." Chu Yi once again took up the role of breaking Chao Bin''s World View.


    "Disciplinary Methods?"


    There was a doubtful look on Chao Bin''s face.


    Chu Yi scratched his fingers lightly; the red film still reflecting lightly on his hand, and then said casually, "If you only give a person a few hours to live everyday and continue to do so regardless of season or day, even if he knows that he is dying, the person can neither do anything about it nor stop taking the pills because he doesn''t want to lose his life. Therefore he will slowly develop a kind of reliance on that pill and look at it as his spiritual sustainance, anticipating and looking forward to when that pill is handed over. If one day this life saving pill is taken away from him, he will fall into an endless panic and become desperate, willing to do anything to get that pill. And when he has truly become obedient, he will completely fall into the abyss and lose his will and even control over his own kind. Because all of these have have slowly taken over by the person who gives him the pill."


    "Experience the pain of dying once is much diffrent from experiencing the pain of dying everyday and watching yourself slowly losing vitality and drifting away." Chao Bin''s chestnut hair was tousled and his brows furrowed, he was filled with consternation,


    Tang Shun''s also faced him, somewhat curious about why Chu Yi always seemed insightful about his thoughts. He doesn''t feel like he is someone, who writes his thoughts on his face. Chu Yi moved his fingers while continuing, "But if you give them the opportunity to live after torturing them everyday, won''t you become something like a God to them. They''ll be grateful and thankful for your presence, even ignoring the fact that you were the one who put them there because in their minds, you have become the symbol for something holy. And maybe if you give them a brief respite every now and then, maybe that small resentment that they would still retain would give way to happiness, because ''you can''t be a bad person, a bad person would not allow them freedom '' You become a saviour. And this belief will become more and more stable, the longer the person has been isolated."


    He clasped his hands together loudly "Isn''t that right."


    "So do you understand now, why we are being gradually acclimated to this Institute."


    "This is the method of control of the Abandoned Planets."


    It was dead silent.


    It wasn''t such an unacceptable thing but more of something that made them increasingly aware of the horrors of the Institute.


    Mu Fang was the one who broke the silence and regardless of Chao Bin''s look of disapproval, proposed that they split up to go look at other places.


    Mu Fang and Chao Bin would go back to the Operation Room to look around and Chu Yi and Tang Shun would go to the playroom, he had previously mentioned, he didn''t mention a word about his previous group and considering that he had appeared at the Operation Room with only two others , something definitely must have happned in between.


    Eventually, however they all agreed and Tang Shun and Chu Yi followed Mu Fang''s directions out of the Dining room.


    As they walked though the vacant halls, Tang Shun told Chu Yi without turning his head , "The things we''ve found out is that we were injected with betamine substances that are extremely harmful to the body to start the process of gene construction, we were then given an unknown antidote to there down the rate of our gene deconstruction, then on the eve of the second day we were knocked unconscious and everyone experienced different stages of being operated on. These operations, I assume was to have our bodies acclimatized to perhaps something like organ transplant, as there is evidence that suggests such."


    "However there is something different about your transformation. Regardless of what happened last night, you directly burst out with superhuman strenght and therefore should be experiencing organ failure and on the verge of death right at this moment."


    "But you aren''t and you have also showed non-human characteristics that are impossible solely though the use of Betamine. With this, I can at least come to conclusion that you''ve been injected with at least one other foreign substance outside of our knowledge "


    "The Characteristics of Chromosomes overdraw is seen in superhuman strenght and intelligence and


    failed or interrupted gene transformation should result in something like the man from earlier. "


    "You are none of that."


    Chu Yi didn''t seem worried about the things listed by


    Tang Shun, " I, myself have experienced the same things as you so if I''m exhibiting different signs, you can only petition to the system. "


    He wasn''t lying, but his words seemed mostly perfunctory. Chu Yi then laughed, the faint scarlet lines once again appearing briefly on his face, "Don''t worry, I most definitely won''t die before he shows up."


    He?


    Chu Yi didn''t elaborate and sped up his pace towards the upcoming playroom. Even though Tang Shun was curious, he could only drop the subject in the end.


    The playroom wasnt hard to find, the door itself was distinctly diffrent from the previous monogamous rooms and the door was painted with a bright green that had faded and stripped over time.


    However, this place is completely isolated from the outside, bigger and more vacant than imagined. The room is filled with a strange mist, and the humidity makes this place emit a decadent and humid smell.


    The four walls are painted with circus animals, monkeys wearing red square caps, elephants with vests, tigers and ferrules, and fluffy white rabbits in black top hats. But about the edges, most of these bright paintings have been stripped of their colors, and everything has become old, yellow, and gray, like works of a generation away.


    It was just as Mu Fang said, this room was filled with rusty cages that could fit a human child, bear traps spotted with brown blood and metal rods that seemed to have been bent from long term use.


    This didn''t seem like a playroom and more of a medieval punishment room, you''d see in children''s mental hospital in the Victorian Era. With harnesses and the common empty syringe lying strewn across the dirty floor.


    The place reeked of cruelty and harsh discipline.


    There was the rustle of paper when he walked in and Chu Yi looked down to see that he stepped on what seemed to be a kid''s drawing. Bending down, he picked it up and examined it closely. There was no light here and so Chu Yi had to pull the paper to his face.


    It was a drawing alright but it was drawing of something that was inexplicably familiar to him.


    A black cat.


    He pushed the paper to Tang Shun and looked around at the bleak and empty room,


    "What do you think?"


    Chu Yi didn''t answer, instead he asked his own question.


    "Why do you think an experimental lab would have a playroom." He already knew the reason and Tang Shun also knew, looking at the blood spots on the floor, Chu Yi replied to his own question,


    "They had no use, so the Institute found one for them instead."

 Chapter 75 - The Institute (16)

    Tang Shun concealed the emotions in his eyes,


    "If we think about it this way, then would they have continued to bring in children after the first batch of them were brought to the planet''s? Eventually they would run out of a steady supply because biological children had become obsolete. The mortality rate was so high in the beginning phase, that they would have to think of alternatives very early ."


    "Hence what would they have done then?"


    In his mind Chu Yi visualized something akin to a breeding factory, the rooms were kept very warm to ensure insulation and the air seemed to be full of a sweet and greasy breath.


    It''s not much different from a pigsty there. The grinding, naked humans lie in separate pens, but the researchers would have put aphrodisiacs in their feed, so like animals they would breed in the breeding factory day and night. Perhaps in order to improve the efficiency of fertility , would have alternated and seperated the humans with the best genes from the rest so that healthy baby''s can be conceived, humans with big bellies ready to give birth would be seen everywhere.


    There would have been blood and discarded umbilical cords everywhere in the factory, as well as blood-stained infants pulled directly from the lower body, and the dead babies thrown aside at will. Then these babies would become the new residents, the best would be taken away and the rest would be left to continue breeding and working for the Federation.


    The human brain is indeed smart. But if they are cut off from the outside world from birth, raised in a pigpen, and deprived of any wisdom and enlightenment education, then in the end humans would be no different from pigs in a pigpen.


    The Institute deprived the residents of the abandoned planet from basic knowledge about the Interstellar, to prevent any probability of an uprising, they concealed the cruel horrors being done to them and even the building they were in now, had no contact to the outside world, using the most primitive means of doing things to ensure that they would never grasp a way to fight back even if they did find out.


    Ignorant and pitiful.


    But Chu Yi knew, that in a realm of infinite possibilities, there will always be an error that no one could have possibly anticipated.


    Chu Yi didn''t reply anymore to Tang Shun because at this point, he was looking at a painting posted on the mural covered walls of the playroom. It was greying and severely water damaged however it was still barely legible.


    This is a very strange painting.


    The frame is neatly mounted on all sides with what used to be golden edged frames.


    The background of the picture is extremely dark, the sky and the earth are dim, and there was no moonlight, almost as if they were trapped in an eternal night.


    In the center of the painting, there was a huge circus tent, colorful and bright like a weird carnival, and yet all the audience members were dressed in black robes, wearing tall pointed hats, and carrying large weird pendulums in their hands. These black robes, those of which he couldn''t tell whether they were beast or man, surrounded a high platform. There was nothing on the platform, only blood; blood, that was constantly pouring out from somewhere, sticky and scarlet and filled the entire painting with an evil taste. They looked towards the platform with absolute reverence and it was almost as if they were performing a kind of weird sacrificial ritual.


    There is no doubt that this painting is extremely weird, without a beginning or an end. At the moment Chu Yi saw the picture clearly, an inexplicable nausea and disgust hit him together, as if he was staring at something extremely filthy and corrupted.


    Tang Shun followed his gaze and he too seemed affected by the painting,


    "This painting was modeled after something extremely evil. In fact, the question here is, why would it even be placed in this place. I can tell that It''s definitely not as old as the other paintings in this room however."


    Chu Yi knew that he was talking to himself, but he didn''t look back, his gaze had been captured by another relatively strange painting that hung from the walls.


    This painting is actually very simple: it was a drawing modeled after a beach outing, the weather on the sea was sunny and bright, and there were many children sitting on long paper boats, playing and laughing happily in the warm summer heat. But below the sea surface is a completely different scene, the bottom of the sea is gloomy, and there were many children who wore agonized and wretched expression, almost all of them seemed to be crying and the sea was stained with their own blood. "These two paintings parallel The Institute and The first batch of children that were brought to the Abandoned Planets."Chu Yi finally opened his mouth and pointed his finger at the wall, "Sacrifices especially like little boys and girls, because they symbolize the highest purity and beauty of mankind."


    Because only the purest of souls can become the catalyst for the evilest creations.


    *****


    Two days had passed,


    After being given the same strange-smelling lumpy pills once more, they were immediately crowded by the nurses to the deepest corner of the building.


    Chao Bin and Mu Fang were separated from Chu Yi and Tang Shun and under the pitiful gaze of Chao Bin, they were taken to the different areas of the Institute.


    It wasn''t to the basement that Chu Yi and the others had explored last time, but instead they were taken to what seemed like a hidden underground cellar that reeked of salt and strong, pungent chemicals.


    The stairs down were very dark, but they were wide enough, that at first glance, they could see that it was a special channel that could be used to accommodate and transport things that were of heavy weight and size. There were only dim kerosene lamps dotted on both sides to help them see and the stairs only ran in straight line without turns, down to the underground holding.


    This was evidently a special place.


    The stairs then opened up to a familiar sight , the same green murky light and cylindrical glass capsule came into view with the blurry, curved shape of a slender shadow hidden in a cluster of aquatic plants and overgrown moss, it''s state unknown.


    But this time, there was only one capsule centered in the middle of the moist, damp almost suffocating air of the room. At the sight, the aboringes gaped in shocked astonishment, evidently the first time that they had seem something so beyond their cognition, they were completely blown away.


    Nevertheless amidst the breathless intakes, in the corner of his eyes, Chu Yi seemed to see that on the cold faces of the nurses, a contemptuous sneer appeared in the face of this artificial merman.


    They didn''t look a tad interested in introducing them to this freak of nature and even though it was ''Animal Therapy'' in name, they evidently had ulterior motives in bringing them here that had nothing to do with rehabilitation.


    Under the plaintive instructions of the nurse, they were pointed towards a platform that looked to be for feeding purposes at the top of the large capsules.


    "At the top of the capsules, there is a small metal device that requires you to place one of your hand into the opening, once in, your blood will be tested and evaluated by the system. You''ll therefore be locked in place once your hand is inside and only when a green light appears on the device to indicate that you are finished will you be allowed to leave."


    The task seemed simple in nature, however what exactly were they being tested on,


    Uncharacteristically Chu Yi was the first to volunteer to be examined, and under the watchful gaze of everyone he climbed the ladder to the top of the platform!


    However unlike what they''d expect, Chu Yi didn''t immediately go towards the metal machine to get tested, instead with deliberately placed steps, he approached closer to the pillar shaped tank, to the merman inside the capsule!


    Ignoring the flabbergasted gaze of the people below, he observed the creature up close, although it looked to be asleep, it nevertheless seemed to sense the presence of Chu Yi and the shadow moved slightly before quietly floating upwards towards him.


    Through the small opening at the top, he could see the gleaming reflection of the water rippling in the orange light but could not see where the merman was.


    Splash¡­


    The sound of rushing undercurrents stirred underneath, the light in the small opening suddenly sank and a dull blurry color, quite different from the normal murkiness of the water, swept past.


    The gap in the top of the capsules was enough to fit the size of one person, so therefore If he was ever to fall in, he would be at complete mercy of the creature inside the capsule, however didn''t think so much and as if bewitched he bent down and stared at the opening on the capsule as if waiting.


    The air around was stagnant, and the players below held their breath in unison. In the dim light, Chu Yi''s red eyes seemed to hold a anticipating glint, then he smiled.


    The face of the merman appeared in the tiny gap, staring at Chu Yi with a dark and cruel glare.


    He was not as beautiful as merfolk''s were rumored to be, but he had to admit that the creature was one of the more breathtaking brings he bad seen in his lifetime. His outline blended perfectly together with the sharpness and bestial beauty of his artificial body. And that face reminded him of, someone born of aristocratic descent.


    Those eyes sunk deep down into the shadow of his eyebrows, soaking in the gloom of the deeps. But the corners of his mouth were slightly raised, as if ridiculing something, that smiling expression was full of indescribable flirtation and wickedness.


    Humans have always been taught, when confronting any ferocious animal, it was best to avoid eye contact or else they might feel provoked and attack you. However Chu Yi never once looked away and a tense invisible confrontation happened silently between human and beast. The light flickered, obscuring the features on Chu Yi''s face, leaving only his red eyes to glow brilliantly with suppressed excitement.


    The merman''s eyebrow was raised, his head hung low, however, his eyelids were clearly still open and staring at him intently.


    Under his long and wet eyelashes, there was a sense of evil and aggression that could not be concealed. His gaze had an effect as if a strange sense of crawling numbness, like tiny insects drilling into his blood vessel and rampaging wantonly in his body,


    Splash...


    With a flick of its strong tail, the merman broke eye contact and disappeared back into the troughs of darkness, this was tacitly agreeing to something.


    Chu Yi squatted silently for a few moments before slowly rising up, a charming smile appearing on his lip.


    Although he wasn''t sure if he could hear, Chu Yi still said in a low voice "Don''t worry, it shouldn''t take long."


    He glanced at the dark and fuzzy waters, then turned and walked away in the direction he was supposed to go initially . The bottom of the heavy and hard boots hit the metal platform with a clang and the slow and calm footsteps gradually moved away,


    In the stagnant pool of water, as he left there seemed to be another ripple as a black shadow moved slightly in the still water''s, however soon enough everything once again fell stagnant, as the creature inside went motionless, as if the slight disturbance had never happened.


    Seeing that nothing had happened to him, the tension in the room eased slightly and many of the players released some of their vigilance.


    Unless it was a fluke, the real danger wasn''t here.


    Chu Yi turned to the metal cylindrical hole that was placed at the end of the platform. There was metal box attached to it, that sounded with a light whirring.


    Although he couldn''t see the things inside, he did however notice that the box was connected to a long winding tube that trailed along the side of the platform, down and disappeared into the unknown darkness.


    He didn''t know what it was for.


    After quietly observing it for a second, he eventually stuck his right hand in as instructed,


    Almost instantly the sharp pain of his hand being punctured by a large needle appeared and to his suprise, Chu Yi could feel his blood draining from his body at an extremely fast rate!


    His face rapidly turned a ghastly pale and a sore weakness instantly assaulted his nerves!


    It wasn''t that there was no danger but that they would be drained of all their blood before the green light even appears!

 Chapter 76 - The Institute (17)

    In ancient times, humans would use blood as a means to please their gods,


    They would burn the body''s of their enemies and sprinkle the soulless ashes on the altar of the divine,


    Now, Chu Yi himself awaited a divine judgment- his life and death completely at the mercy of others!


    His body seemed to be pressed down by a heavy weight, his limbs filled with lead, he couldn''t move; he could even feel the weakness screaming from his veins as he was rapidly drained of blood!


    As if he had a fever, every inch of his body seemed to be seared by burning flames, however from the depths of his bones, he only felt cold. The frozen chill of oncoming death, the life being slowly ripped from his very veins!


    "Stay...."


    There it was again.


    The beguiling babble hovered in the depths of his mind, playing this unclear phrase over and over again, as if there were low buzzing murmurs coming from all direction, sourcing from countless open mouths; but also as if the empty white noise from a deep, stagnant sea engulfed him.


    In his mind, his chaotic thoughts could hardly be reorganized. The world appeared as broken pictures that were connected frame by frame.The damp and musky scent of seaweed entangled his senses, and the air was like thick walls that slowly surrounded him, forcing out the oxygen in his lungs little by little!


    He felt a kind of almost suffocating panic gushing from the depths of his body, and a nearly desperate sense of powerlessness overwhelmed him!


    His heart rate soared and his body temperature increased rapidly, but the air pouring into the lungs became less and less!


    And all through this, the green light never lit up!


    Chu Yi took a deep breathe and ignored the sense of confusion in his brain from the rapid and sudden lost of strenght.


    There were only two viable options before him, the first one was gnarly and cruel and directly involved just cutting his arm off to escape, the other is to leave his fate in the hands of the copy, to wait desperately for the green light to appear, regardless of his rapidly draining body!


    Chu Yi laughed lightly, he knew that both options spelled death one way or another-


    Cutting his arm off and leaving himself with only a disabled and mangled stump would put him at a permanent disadvantage for the rest of the time in the Institute and might even cost him his life in the long run! Waiting for the green light, meant waiting for death, If it never appeared wouldn''t he just be foolishly allowing himself to be manipulated and directly sent to ferry the Underworld!


    But in such a desperate situation, there seemed to be no other choice!


    Below him the players seemed to have noticed the sudden abnormality and the previous tension that had eased rose back up again with full force, the scrutinizing and pitying gazes colored his unnaturally pale face.


    Tang Shun stared deeply at the somewhat blurred figure standing at the top of the capsule and a calculating light bled into his peach blossom eyes.


    If Chu Yi was there, he would have immediately recognized that this guy was scheming something.


    He didn''t struggle to get his hand out and instead his eyes seemed to be locked onto a particular spot at the edge of the platform he stood, even as the pain that traveled up his arm slowly edged on unbearable, his sight never left,


    Since entering this world, his state has switched between three extremes-either violent and impatient, impulsive and irritable, or listless and chaotic.


    This wasn''t his normal state of logical chaos, and even the occasional bouts of extreme bloodlust seemed to have had a much higher frequency of appearance than before. This wasn''t just from a feeling of excitement, this was something else-


    It seems that there was a dark and prevalent existence hidden deep in his mind, the outline of the creature was vague and unclear, but it still whispered in Chu Yi''s subconscious constantly, spurring on the tyranny hidden in his very bones.


    Water, waves, walls, the feeling of losing blood...


    Light, glass, merman...


    All of these seemed to combine into a chaotic echo that sounded like shrill alarms in his mind, a negative and corrupted feeling that sought to drive him crazy!


    His gaze looked towards the darkness that always seemed to shroud the building in a despondent and dreary light, unable to be penetrated by the dim sombre light of the lamps,


    Even looking at the dark fog, Chu Yi could obviously sense the hungry response from his body. Every cell seemed as if it was violently colliding with each other, clamoring for new blood. A familiar powerful force emerged once again, and scarlet eyes eyes grew eager in excitement, however another new force soon appeared that suppressed these uncontrollable madness.


    Everything made him inexplicably irritable, a feeling of wanting to destroy everything, this kind of irrational impulse dominates him, silently urging him to do something,


    So he did.


    In a manner no one could probably have anticipated, with his hands still stuck in the machine, Chu Yi lifted a slender and powerful leg and kicked out!


    Towards the lever on the side of the platform that opens the hatch to the underwater capsule beneath his feet!


    Maybe this was just a gamble or maybe Chu Yi had already seen through the secrets of the instance itself but what they did know was that before he fell straight through the metal platform beneath his feet and slammed into the murky green waters of the capsule below!


    The metal cuffs about his hands magically dinged with a glaring green light! Then released!


    He fell-


    Entering the territory of the merman!


    The icy sub-zero waters slapped against his skin like a sharp, watery knife, the influxing seawater engulfing his mouth and nose, and an invisible force dragged his body deeper and deeper into the water!


    The suffocating feeling from drowning made his head hurt painfully and Chu Yi could feel a bitter, seaweed like taste on his tongue.


    The cold water irritated the wound on his hand, causing an abnormal rush of strong stinging pain to travel all over his body. But the strong stimulation of pain did quiet the clamoring cells in his body, and with that, he drifted lazily in the still waters, groping along the wall of the capsule for support, barely leaning on it as he looked up.


    The hatch of the top of the capsule slammed down upon his entry and everything fell back into complete darkness, only a mottled green light that resulted from the photosynthesizing aquatic plants shone through. Green moss and rock covered the bottom of the capsule, closely similar to a miniature reef, however the dark spots of dirt and bacteria that traversed his sight , signaled that the owner had not cared enough to purify the waters for a long time.


    Whoosh...


    He vaguely felt a dark shadow of activity.


    Accompanied by the sound of chains hitting the rocks, the water all around him rippled with movement,


    At this time, the long and black shadow charged from his right out of nowhere and the long streamlined tail swung out a powerful curve! Like a deep-water torpedo, it approached him quickly- He could only catch sight of a pair of bright, narrow pupils in the turbid waters before in nearly a blink of an eye, the familiar figure appeared before him!


    The webbed claws tore through the darkness-like a streak of black lightning!


    He first noticed the big mop of dark, silky hair spreading like black tendrils as the water rippled gently around him- then the pale visage that penetrated through the film of light like a hungry ghost! The silky hair, parted as it came closer to him, revealing a pair of clear, ghostly blue eyes that held a radiance filled with eagerness and thirst in the tossing waves of the capsule!


    It didn''t attack him, but those eyes seemed to spell a type of bloodthirsty curiously.


    This was the real test of compatibility, whether they''d be eaten or spared.


    No matter how artificial, this was a beast through and through, and therefore he could not judge a beast by humans standards.


    He stared at the merman in front of him with an expression of unconcealable interest, even as he slowly suffocated in the turbulent waters.


    Then, in an unexpected twist, he summoned his natal weapon that had been severely underused as of now, the sharp black blade glinted eagerly even in the natural murky light of the capsule.


    It wasn''t to fight.


    Chu Yi slowly spread out his hand under the watchful gaze of the merman and then swiped the blade forcefully in the palm of his hand!


    Chu Yi''s already ghastly pale face turned even more luminous under the additional blood loss,


    What!-


    Bright blood scrambled to overflow from between his pale fingers, dripping ticking down, and combined into a bloody haze with light green pool water, eventually dispersing into blood-colored threads that disappeared with the never ending movement of water,


    The mermaid came closer as the blood continued to disperse,


    "Is he trying to get himself killed!" Confused and bewildered voices one after another sounded distantly from outside the capsule, the watching players already throughly confused with what was happening.


    He fixedly watched his drifting blood colliding with the mermaid''s artwork-like face, as it swam closer, like a rose on the white first snow, it''s dark eyes gleaming with an almost crazy hunger,


    He didn''t fear it however, and in response, he slowly reached out his pale hand, voice as gentle as the whispers of a cherished lover beside your pillow,


    "Do you want to taste it? Then come.."


    Such a ridiculousrequest was accompanied by a faint expression, a kind of careless indolence-neither flattering nor coquettish, nor arrogant nor reserved, on the contrary, with some senselessness and indifference and estrangement, as if saying something what he was saying was absolutely normal, an everyday occurrence.


    As if he wasn''t enticing a bloodthirsty creature that could rip his throat in one shot, directly in full view.


    Death was nothing to him, it was just leaving this boring world ahead of time !


    Splash...


    The merman moved, with a few flicks of its long tail, it directly bore down on the invading Chu Yi, however to the players suprise, it didn''t perform a brutal massacre as expected but instead, webbed claws circled around the fragile wrists presented to him and instead brought the bloody hand to it''s mouth!


    The previous irritability and lack of interest seemed to disappear instantly at this moment, and a rare fun and excitement ignited again in Chu Yi!


    The merman raised his hand to hold the slender palm, his cold and wet fingers seemed to be flexible mollusks, silently wrapping around the hot fingertips of the other party!


    The scarlet tongue stuck out like a viper''s tongue, gently rolling over the fingertips stained red with blood, the dripping blood staining its sharp, fanged teeth; melting into the water like a ribbon.


    It''s expression was so innocent and natural, that it could almst conceal the evil and aggression rooted in its very being!


    However, the cold tip of the webbed tongue and the slow licking past the fingertips have a suffocating coquettishness, like a deadly blade, which can instantly provoke the heartbeat and fascinate people into throwing away their lives!


    It was more like a deadly siren than a beautiful merman...


    Chu Yi''s breathing was stagnant, and a deep darkness emerged from the bottom of his eyes.


    The mermaid raised a dark smile.


    Those blue eyes were like hungry wolves stalking in the deep night, releasing a dangerous yet compelling breath.


    The divine facial features were shrouded in the murky green light that was gradually swallowed by a dark haze that slowly clouded the capsule. It''s outline became grim as it blended with the darkness , leaving the only thing left visible to be the remnants of it''s lips stained bright red from his blood,


    An evil flame burst in his heart!


    Then he was embraced,


    He felt the merman''s strong webbed hand cling onto the divide of his spine, and it''s thick, flexible tail cut through the flow of the water, to push his legs apart in order to support his crotch as he rode, then he was slowly lifted upward,


    Chu Yi never once took his eyes off of it,


    He raised his hand to hold its neck, and his cold fingers pinched the slender throat slightly, seeming to be able to break it with a slight twist,


    "Where are you taking me?"


    He asked this very gently, his voice hardly fluctuating into tone, soft like poisoned honey,


    Chu Yi''s expression was still cold and calm, except for the burning flames in his eyes and the infrared green rays on his face, there was almost no difference from usual, but his lips seemed to tilt in triump when in the dim darkness of the capsule, he heard a low and dull voice whisper,


    ''Pact''

 Chapter 77 - The Institute (18)

    The tail fin flicked powerfully from between his legs as it traversed the shallow waters,


    The merman carried a sort of hunter-like prowess and contained within it, was a type of tyrannical curiosity. Certain mechanisms seemed to have been automatically triggered when they appeared at the top of the hatch and with a slight nudge of it''s tail, he was released.


    The players below only saw a long, pale hand emerge from the dark pool, grasping the sides of the special glass that made up the composition of the capsule and leaving trailing wet streaks along the clear glass - That hand was really very beautiful, with pale skin, slender fingers, and wrists that could easily be held in one grasp, a fragile and seductive type of beauty. The damp skin seemed to become luminous, showing a jade-like texture under the light-


    But that brief feeling of obsession was soon erased like a layer of blurry film covering their hearts.


    His hand was quickly joined by another and with slender muscles bulging slightly from the force, Chu Yi dragged himself from the murky waters, wet, long hair sticking to his ghastly pale face like black ink on a blank canvas.


    The white shirt he wore clung to his body, faintly revealing the translucent skin that showed through like precious jade beneath the wet cloth, outlining his slender, well-structured figure.


    Water ran along the cold lines of his arms as it left wet trails from his body to the rippling water beneath.


    Chu Yi raised his hand to push back the hair that stuck closely to his face, and and then looked down.


    In the dark underground room, the players appeared like wandering meerkats- wide, illuminated eyes reflecting Chu Yi''s emerging body. They had gathered closer at some point, a rather wide chasm appearing between them and the NPC''s. Besides that, Chu Yi could still see the black tube that ran from the machines, into the darkness. Undoubtedly if he followed the pipe, he would eventually find the source of whatever had tyrannically drained the blood from his veins-


    The blood on the back of his hand hadn''t stopped running completely, and as it dripped in tendrils down his fingers, staining the tender skin a bright red- he could feel a kind of stinging pain that constantly hammered at his nerves, numbing his brain and tried to prevent him from thinking. Chu Yi stretched out his unpunctured hand, reached behind, pulled a hair band out and tied the long hair that framed his face to the back of his head, fully revealing the sharp lines of his face.


    Splash..


    Chu Yi gradually reduced the smile on his lips, his red eyes were dark and cruel, deep and hot, tumbling like molten magma! Clamoring with amazing desire to pursue excitement and victory! But there was also a kind of indecision and hidden complexity flowing quietly in his eyes like cold hooks or sharp knives, fixedly staring at the disappearing merman below him¡ª¡ª


    "Chu Yi?" The unique gentle voice that belonged Tang Shun sounded in his ears, reminding Chu Yi of where he was right now. So with one final effort, he quickly moved away from the capsule and climbed down the stairs posted against the glass, once again merging into the crowd under the scrutinizing gazes of the players around him.


    Tang Shun frowned faintly, for some reason an unpleasant taste appeared in his heart when he noticed the gazes that lingered a tad longer on the completely soaked man before him,


    Without much thought, Tang Shun stretched out his hand to pull the coat that hung from his shoulders, and raised it forcefully. The black coat falling like huge spreading wings, covering the semi-revealed skin instantly,


    Chu Yi looked at him with one brow raised but nevertheless did not refuse the coat, the residual water dripping from his body had quickly dried, leaving him sticky and uncomfortable, and the sudden cold wind assaulting him in the damp underground cellar made his face white along with the residual blood loss.


    Within a second of him reaching back to the ground, he was surrounded by nurses. Fixedly, he swept their gloomy and indifferent faces as if he could pry the hidden monsters from underneath those shells, a sudden terrible violence surged under his eyes, and deep darkness brewing in the depths of his pupils,


    But in the end he didn''t act.


    Instead he watched coldly as one of the nurses brought out a stamp and a needle. His left hand was unceremoniously marked with a bright red stamp, however it wasn''t eligible but judging from the looks of it, it wasn''t a cursory thing.


    Then after a perfunctory congratulations, another nurse rose the needle high into the air!


    Before it fell, inexplicably Chu Yi was reminded of the used needles scattered on the floor of every room in this building but before he could even figure the connection between them- the sharp, needle shining with a cold, silver light plunged into his skin and punctured a shallow dent into his body! The nurse pinpointed the angle and applied heavy force--


    "Ka".


    The small, crisp sound was particularly abrupt in the silent cellar


    The needle broke.


    Everyone froze, even Chu Yi himself felt a little unexpected at this turn of events,


    Chu Yi looked down at his arms with some thought ''when exactly had his skin become so thick''


    The nurse touched the seemingly soft skin of the man before her with her thumb in some disbelief- the shallow white mark against was rubbed off, and his arm was left entirely intact.


    How could this be possible?


    She frowned, took another needle that was thicker from the next nurse and pierced it towards the same place¡ª¡ª


    "Ka". The needle broke again on the man''s skin.


    This was really weird!


    A small buzz erupted from the residents in the cellar, as they looked towards the scene before them with more confusion than fear.


    The nurses already corpse-like face turned even more ghostly and without a good face, she pulled out the last needle that was significantly thicker than the rest and pierced it unrelentingly towards the same spot once again!


    This time it succeeded.


    The needle finally penetrated Chu Yi''s skin smoothly, and scarlet blood slowly poured out into the needle tube. When the tiny valve was finally filled, the nurse pulled the needle from his arm and placed it into a locked metal box on the side with a look of absolute care.


    Chu Yi honestly rolled down his sleeves and with a thoughtful face moved away from the nurses, this was obviously a paradox. His blood was drawn in large volumes carelessly at the top of platform, however now a millimeter sized pint of blood was treated with almost cautious respect.


    And in such a situation, any contradiction usually spelled something dangerous.


    "Who''s next, Obedient resid-"


    "I''ll go !"


    The voice that cut in was obviously impatient and eager and when the residents parted like a red sea, it revealed a short, stout player with an almost invisible sneer on his lips, crossing his arms; as the source.


    He seemed to understand the questions being asked in everyone''s minds and with pointed eyes directed at Chu Yi, he directly lashed out unprovoked-


    "I don''t believe that anyone who looks so eager for death, doesn''t know anything. Isn''t it obvious that the merman in the tank is harmless, Aren''t you just deliberately posturing in order to gatekeep the information from us. Who in their right mind would provoke a beast unless they know it won''t do anything! And rushing to be the scapegoat? Who are you trying to fool."


    "Maybe there is some kind of hidden reward for interacting first. Isn''t the whole compatibility test just for this? We have to overcome our fear and embrace the ''animals''."


    Some people looked between the two of them thoughtfully and the man became increasingly convinced of his own logic the more he talked.


    The triumphant feeling of breaking into someone''s well kept secret basked his face in a cocky light.


    Especially when Chu Yi did not speak to deny it or even defend himself, as if he had been angered into silence; the man became absolutely sure of himself and with a successful smirk, he waddled to the capsule under the players watchful gazes, up the ladder and as if trying to prove a point, he pulled the lever immediately after his hands were locked in place!


    He fell into the grim pool with a loud splash!


    The stout man was called Ge Xiu and he had experienced three ruthless copies before this that relied on his wits to survive till the end therefore he was very confident in his own observational abilities.


    When he saw how eager Chu Yi was at the beginning and then recognized the subsequent bizarre actions performed by him, he was instantly assaulted with a tingling sense of suspicion. And Chu Yi''s reaction just now, cemented his conjecture in stone.


    The man smirked,


    It seems even the gods were on his side!


    He took his time to look around leisurely, the water in front of him was rippling, and the scenery outside the capsule was blurred and deformed due to the sudden darkness. Not far away he could hear the rattling of chains it seemed but the merman didn''t seem to be chained down. The water itself was murky and slightly filthy, as there was no purifier to ensure that the flow of the water in the capsule and the thoroughness of the water quality.


    He spotted the merman approaching quietly in the water and he spread his arms wide open in anticipation! Even a little lust for the beautiful creature,


    Then he paused-


    The merman swam slowly, visage resembling an underwater eel, it''s long black hair spread out behind it, it''s chest and lower abdomen contracting rhythmically with the swing of his tail fin as it approached the prey that strayed into its territory. The beautiful lines of muscles were looming, and the face that was enlarged in Ge Xiu''s line of sight was harrowing-


    There was a sense of dizziness as if looking directly at flowers growing in a mass grave , as if one''s own sensory organs could not bear such a deadly weight of beauty!


    Something''s wrong!


    Very wrong!


    Ge Xiu''s heart was shocked, and he subconsciously made to back away!


    However, before he could react, the merman rapidly approached him, its leisurely pace disappearing! It latched onto him, curling around his body like a snake, arms raising like steel bars to circle around his shoulders!


    He couldn''t struggle!


    In the dim, blurry light, the players could only see the long streamlined tail of the merman coil around the trashing body of the adult man and suffocating him to death in an underwater grave! Ghostly and terrible like a shadow from hell!


    Then fanged maws opened to the extreme and ripped into the side of his neck! Those ghostly blue eyes had formed into hungry slits! Deep in the abyss-like pupils, wild madness and excitement burned, as if this was the moment it had been waiting for!


    Ahhhhhhh!


    NO! NO! NO!


    It ripped the piece of meat from the man''s neck and chewed, hungrily swallowing the flesh in it''s mouth, the red blood dispersing like dark tendrils in the turbid waves!


    Bloody and violent!


    When the merman swallowed that piece of bloody flesh, it seemed to grow greedier! It flicked its tail, torpedo like waves barreling around him, opened its blood-stained mouth, and rushed down again, fiercely tearing off the second piece of meat- chewing, swallowing, devouring, repeat- power rushing through its body and vessels at the long lost taste of blood!


    Even when the screams of its victims slowly quieted into nothing, the merman never stopped it''s bloody carnage, ripping into the flesh and sucking on the blood left on the bones, webbed hands fully coated in scarlet red blood, sharp nails tearing open Ge Xiu''s stomach, as it sifted through his organs as if picking out the rarest delicacies!


    Thr players took in a sharp intake of breath as they watched the blood colour the capsule a dirty brown!


    This was an underwater prison!


    Splash..


    Chu Yi never once looked up, the deep hole on the back of his hand had been properly treated, a snow-white gauze tightly wrapped around it, and the remaining blood stains having long been wiped away.


    He twisted his fingers together.


    The soft touch of the mermaid''s tongue seemed to linger on the cold surface of his skin, moist and bitter, winding slowly like a snake, with a sense of distance and danger from a chase, it was almost like a dance of death playing around at his fingertips.


    His hand gradually clenched, as if to hold something tightly in his palms, red blood stains slowly trickled into the gauze, and it was smudged it a scarlet red little by little.


    The game continues.

 Chapter 78 - The Institute (19)

    On the other side, Chao Bin, Mu Fang and the others were directed towards the similarly desolate northern section of the building, down a narrow overhead and taken to a dark, open tunnel. The nurses, they noticed looked at them with an almost primal pleasure and unlike Chu Yi''s group, they did not follow in. Instead the residents were half-forced, half- coerced into the entrance and told them to play with the ''fishes''.


    The time limit was ten minutes.


    In essence they had to survive for ten minutes,


    The tunnel was narrow and hollow, the cacophony of their falling footsteps echoing in the empty channel,


    Chao Bin had long lost the youthful look to vigilance and he stared straight ahead with an almost worried gaze.


    He had a sinking feeling in his gut,


    The tunnel itself wasn''t very long but at end of it, far from the entrance, it lead to another path, wide enough for only a single person to pass through at a time.


    This was a cave,


    There was an uninterrupted sound of ''tick, tick'' as water droplets plunged down from the ceiling, the residents quietly venturing single file into the unknown chambers. The cave was moist and dark, and the whole place seemed to lead deep into the underground. Although there was sufficient oxygen and artificial vents, there was no light.


    Plop-


    Plop....


    Except for the sound of water splashing against stone stagmite, the silence itself was excruciatingly loud-


    After crossing the one-person wide divide in trepidation, the space in the cave path gradually opened up, becoming larger the farther they walked , eventually it became no problem for two people to walk side by side. Naturally Mu Fang saddled up to Chao Bin but refrained from speaking in any case,


    In this dark environment for such a long time, even the function of their eyes seemed to have become obsolete and the residents were forced to use their other senses such as touch, Chao Bin felt the sections of the wall close to him in order to walk securely,


    Even under such difficult circumstances, the players never buckled or stopped from fear. The closer they got to what seemed like the entrance, the stronger the odor of seasalt became. Around him, Chao Bin could feel the air change from a semi-dry state to a damp and sticky vapour that felt like cotton blocking their lungs-


    The touch of the stone walls underneath his fingertips were also very strange , It stopped being simple damp stones, and became a kind of sticky, viscous slurry, like runny yellow mucus.


    A snakes trail?


    When his finger dragged it accidentally from the walls, it would pull out a few disgusting threads that had surprising elasticity and would snap back wetly against the stone walls.


    A completely dark enclosed space, an independent ecosystem isolated from the outside world. Them abandoning the most useless organs to adapt to a different habitat, instead gaining other sensory enhancements.


    This was a monster cave.


    And just in time, the path finally opened up to the only source of light,


    This was a deep and lifeless pond that spanned the entire room, surrounding it was rotting carrion of flesh and bones of some sort of animal that had been ripped to shreds, stalwart unusual rocks glowed with a dim blue light illuminating the still black pool of water against the concave-dome like walls of the cave ,


    It seems they were underneath the Institute,


    The players looked towards the stagnant pond with cautious eyes, unable to interpret the meaning behind ''play with the fishes''


    Are they supposed to swimming with the fishes?


    That was impossible, No one in their right mind would jump into the obviously suspicious looking pool.


    That would be just giving their life away-


    Then a strange scene happened, one of the players looked back to look at the path they had come from and turned pale with fright!


    "Fuck!"


    Behind them, large holes were drilled into the walls of the domes, and inside them there were countless densely packed creatures stuck like bees glaring hungrily down at them! The blue, thinly scaled humanoid species looked at them as if watching a group of delicious delicacies that have been placed right into their mouths! Sticky yellow mucus dripping from their wide open jaws!


    The large gills at the side of their faces spoke of their origin!


    They really were to play with the fishes!


    The players turned and Chao Bin intaked sharply, staggered, and almost bumped into Mu Fang behind him!


    The monster looked at him, and the corner of it''s black lips curved, It seemed to be laughing, ''hissing'' strangely, barring its fangs, and mocking his fear!


    There a was a brief lull, then all hell broke loose!


    Chao Bin jumped away like a lithe fox, and pulled out what looked like an ordinary mountaineering knife-


    He slashed with instinct.


    Suddenly, there was the sound of slicing flesh above him and a patter of fishy blood falling down like rain! Then viscera and mangled organs fell down around him, splattering with an ugly wet squelch as the cut in half corpse of the creature split into two halves and fell at his feet!


    He listened to the sound with a grim face, flicking the blood from his knife to the ground, and took the opportunity to look up at the place where the creatures were the most intensive-


    He saw dozens of huge deformed fish creatures dropping down from the dome. Their wild screechs and the cries of blood shed , completely turned this place into a purgatory-


    They were not frightened by the flesh and blood of the same kind. Instead, they stepped over the corpses of their compatriots and lunged at the people in the cave. The resident NPC''s were helpless to fight back, they died and were then torn apart like clockwork! For a time, flesh and bones flew across the cave and the corpses were eaten in the blink of an eye. There seemed to be an infinite number of them, and they rushed towards the residents frantically!


    A fleeting worry for the others flashed in his heart but was quickly forgotten under the onslaught of attacks-


    These creature had relatively weak strength, but they were numerous with sharp claws and skilled in stealth, the blue scales on its body were slippery and made it hard to catch them! It was also extremely ugly, distorted and smelled of rotting fish and trash!


    ''Scree!!''


    When the largest creature suddenly jumped from the domes of the walls, it brought a deep rumbling shock as the players avoided the attacks like headless chickens, then like they were fragile sticks, it grabbed one the NPC''s and folded the man into two, his spine breaking through the flesh of his back and blood spurted like a fountain onto the wet ground! Then it was thrown, head flying and slammed into group of creatures that pounced on it like ravenous beasts!


    How could they survive down here for ten minutes!


    There must be another way!


    Chao Bin dodged, face distorted from effort, he quickly slashed the knife behind him, cutting down another creature pouncing to kill!


    The fishy smell of spilled blood mixed with the damp and humid air of cave and made even breathing difficult


    Suddenly, he felt a sharp burning sting in his left thigh that spread rapidly throughout his leg, and he couldn''t help cursing profusely. He didn''t know what it was but it felt like a poisonous silver, snake had bitten into his leg. Although the force didn''t seem to be too great, nevertheless he still stumbled back for several steps, pupils contracting, his facial muscles twitched, and he was pouring out cold sweat!


    Hanging on his forehead, his face paled, and he couldn''t help groaning in pain. He could clearly sense the shocking burn marks spreading like centipedes on his thighs without warning!


    He was confused-


    When was he poisoned?


    He didn''t have time to dwell on this because the monster''s were still pouring down from the domes!


    Chao Bin gritted his teeth and continued to kill, he had no time to waste!


    When Chao Bin had killed two monsters in succession, his knife suddenly stuck in the corpse of one of them and no matter how much he pulled it would not unlodge! as if it had been waiting for this moment, one of the creatures pounced on him from behind!


    "Screee!"


    For a moment, Chao Bin looked back, but the fish monster was close at hand, and the knife in his hand was could not be used, there was no time to counterattack!


    At this critical juncture, Chao Bin suddenly roared like a beast. His mouth grew dense fangs, and his eyes slanted like a tiger''s eyes. Deep in his pupils, there seemed to be circles of dark whirlpools, which made the creature hesitate for a moment, as if sensing the intimidation from a higher being!


    It wanted to go back but it was too late!


    It was at this moment that Chao Bin flung the mountaineering knife to the side, reached out and grabbed the long neck of the creature with both hands. He roared angrily and then twisted fiercely! There was only the sickening crack of bones breaking- the neck of the ugly monster was twisted and deformed like a flesh-colored water pipe! The creature twitched as if it was still struggling, but Chao Bin clasped its long neck with both hands and tore it vigorously, actually tearing its neck from its body!


    Blood gushed out, the fish monster was completely dead, the other creatures seemed to have sensed something and didn''t attack, in a blink of an eye there was only a mess of black hair and blood stains. But this stalemate wouldn''t last for long. Chao Bin dropped the corpse casually, and his blown out eyes returned to normal under dim blue eyes. Immediately he noticed that on his hands, there were beast-like sharp nails. The tips of the nails were stained with blood, and shredded flesh!


    His brows furrowed, he could now somewhat understand the state of Chu Yi back then.


    The tyrannical need to kill seemed to have overriden all thoughts in his brain a moment ago and all he could think about was violence-


    Even so, not much time had passed and this stalemate still would not do, they needed to find an alternative!


    The creatures seemed to be getting more and more riled up along with the shedding of blood and no matter how much they killed, more would just come back to take their place.


    They had to break the source first!


    Chao Bin looked towards the pond, His fight with the fish creatures only took only two minutes at best, but he had already noticed some changes in the water. He saw that a long black line had emerged from the center of the pond and traveled to reach the edge where someone was standing, Chao Bin took a closer look,


    Wasn''t that Mu Fang?!


    Why was he there, so far away from the fight?


    He also seemed to be holding a strange blood red dial in his hand and looking towards him but before he could decipher what it was, Chao Bin was surprised to see that the black line in the pond had suddenly risen!


    When most of its body surfaced from the pond, Chao Bin realized that black line that had been exposed before was just its barbed back. What swam from this pond was a giant black and blue mutant!


    It is not appropriate to say that it was a fish, because it was elongated like a giant crocodile with a long snouth and crooked sharp, teeth but behind it, it carried a long dorsal fin that sent the water spiraling into whirlpools as it rose.


    When this creature surfaced, he couldn''t tell whether it was a fish or a crocodile, the black and blue scaled pattern on it''s body was also clearly visible in the dim rock light. At first glance, its skin was uneven, with its own lines like a strange mural, and Chao Bin could even see patches of what looked like human skin that had grown out from its own shell!


    This strange phenomenon should never had happened and this creature had evidently been artificially constructed!


    "Fuck!"

 Chapter 79 - The Institute (20)

    "Hmm...hmm..."


    Chao Bin was sweating profusesly, a feeling as if there was something burrowing inside his body, taking root and replacing his veins with wires- leaving him with nothing but an empty shell, erupted in his brain! Even though he tried to ignore the pain, the prickling sensation of countless tiny wires, needling inside his bones still tortured him endlessly-


    "Fuck-"


    He exhaled harshly, trying to focus on their surroundings, they needed to break the current stalemate,


    Then he was surprised to realize how close they were to the pond!-


    The most deadly thing now, wasn''t the injuries on his body nor the spilled blood sinking into the soil of the cave but the increasingly exhausted players- that had; to his consternation, been gradually pushed back, getting closer and closer to the edge every minute!


    He could imagine the scene of carnage that would happen if anyone fell into the deep, black waters!


    He could now understand the sinister intentions of the swarming creatures, they were sacrificing them to the mutant thing that had emerged from underground as prey, using their advantage in numbers to overwhelm them!


    He wanted to cry with no tears, Chao Bin could sense that the previous hesitant creatures were getting restless, the suppression effect that came with the sudden transformation had begun to weaken-


    Come on think!


    He needed to look pass the chaos and death happening around him and find their weakness. He could tell that these were failed experiments and all failures had weaknesses that could be exploited!


    Like Tang Shun said, the system would only place them in difficult situations, difficult but not unsolvable-


    Chao Bin stared relentlessly at the disgusting mutant, the dim lights in the cave occasionally flickered and dimmed, the stagmite, glowing rocks didn''t seem to hold any purpose,


    Then it clicked.


    They held no purpose!


    Chao Bin had noticed from the get-go that damp and moist cave provided the perfect environment for the evolution of a species. Here, in order to adapt the monster''s would have to abandon their eyesight and rely on other sensory organs in order to hunt and survive!


    Chao Bin noticed that not only on the eyes of the mutants in the pond but also on the smaller humanoid monsters- there was a thin grey film that covered their pupils, that contracted sensitively when exposed to light!


    Therefore light itself should not even exist in this cave!


    As if proving his conjecture right, Chao Bin noticed that the giant mutant creature shifted and hid in the pond whenever the glowing rocks would flicker brightly and would emerge again only when the lights were dim!


    He wasn''t sure why the rocks had not been destroyed in any case, maybe they used humans unconscious attraction to light as a way to lure in prey but what he did know was that they would be run over in probably another minute if they didn''t do something!


    Chao Bin suddenly rolled to the side and with a slash of his wrist, severed the head of the screeching fish creature that lunged at him from behind, the rotten smell of blood released from its decapitated remains seemed to send a rioting signal and with a scrawling screech, the monsters once again submerged his fighting figure!


    The brutal battle on this side did not seem attract the attention of the giant creature. It still hovered in the lake like a divine king waiting for its soon to be served meal, the darkness in the pool became thicker and thicker as if it had been contaminated by black ink!


    "Waa--waa--"


    At this moment, a crying like an infant child suddenly echoed in the hollow domes, whistling through the countless large holes on the walls and erupting like a strange demonic call in the ears of the residents, it was even more strange and terrifying in the darkness, but when Chao Bin looked carefully, he found that this was the cry of this strange mutant!


    This reminded him of the sounds that came from undeveloped vocal cords, which in his conjecture, probably means that the strange creature had been implanted with a human voice box, which might have, due to its limited intelligence and compatability, been unable the learn the proper vocalics and therefore could only emit primitive sounds like that of an human child!


    Chao Bin''s bloodied and scratched face, turned even uglier, the more truths discovered, the more they uncovered the secrets of the Institute, the harder it was to hide the corrupted and filthy nature of this entire Federation,


    Suddenly he remembered a certain someone, and he glanced towards the edge of the pond faintly and was surprised to find Mu Fang looking right back at him!


    Like a poisonous snake.


    Something was wrong, with immediate suspicion brewing in his heart, Chao Bin took out a professional, 10K voltage flashlight and under the glowing light of the luminous rocks, turned it on!


    Its instant glare could even blind human eyes, not to mention creatures that had gone without seeing light for many years, this was a direct torture!


    "Screeee!"


    "Screeeeeeee!"


    He could even vaguely smell the scent of burning flesh and the strange creature that even fears the dim light of the glowing rocks that could not even illuminate the size of the cave, screamed in painful agony, when the snow-white beam of light smashed into it''s face. It sounded like a crying baby, painful and desolate, but no one here would show it any sympathy-


    This was a disgusting monster through and through-


    The creature wanted to hide back into the darkness of the pond, but it had been too arrogant and in order to devour its sacrifices had ventured too close to the shore to avoid it. It thrashed in the water, and blood filled pus seemed to drain from its eyes, then the screams quickly became awful wet, gags and Chao Bin could only hear a strange muffled sound coming from the mutant creature before the thing started vomiting violently!


    Calling it vomiting was an understatement, it was more appropriate to say that it was spewing foul stomach acid from its body! It opened its mouth wide, almost half the size of its face and sprayed out a ton load of blackish fluid that assaulted their noses with a fishy and powerful stench!


    In the black vomit, Chao Bin could see what seemed to be specks of white! It wasn''t much to figure out but when those gray and white things splashed onto the surrounding ground, he could make out that they were the remnants of corroded bones and shattered skulls that had been decomposing inside the stomach of the creature!


    "Waaaaa--"


    The mutant cried loudly one more time in anger before diving back into the pond, sending waves of murky, black water splashing in every direction!


    "Screeeee!"


    The players around him, had quickly taken the hint and through various means all pulled out glaring white lights and were swinging them at the fish monsters, watching them screeching and scamper away from them in fear!


    They just had to fend them off for a few more minutes, then they would be released.


    Chao Bin looked at the mutilated dead monsters at his feet, after the fish creatures lost all their vital signs, their scales would shrink and the mucus attached to their bodies dried up to become a layer of thin yellow film like a cocoon on their bodies.


    Chao Bin endured the disgust, squatted and touched it, then twisted his eyebrows fiercely. The blood itself was a reddish black, and the mucus seemed to have overflowed from under its scales.


    The thing was extremely ugly and smelled of rotten fish. On the bluish-black, almost deformed skull, there was no trace of hair, and it was completely covered with messy scales. When it was squeezed into the holes on the walls of the dome, the surrounding stone walls became slippery and wet with it''s mucus.


    Which is what Chao Bin had felt before.


    The scales itself, on the monster''s body were much larger than those of ordinary fish. They are blue-black, and the skin close to it is grey like a bloated corpse. If he removed one scale, he would find that the skin under the scales was intact, and was exactly the same as ordinary humans except for the skin color


    He seemed to vaguely guess the purpose of the Institute but nevertheless, he still needed more clues to be sure,


    He wanted to discuss with Chu Yi and Tang Shun-


    Chao Bin couldn''t help but grin, the boyish look once again settling on his face.


    At least this could prove he wasn''t a pig teammate after all.


    He then stood up and thought for a second- counting the time in his heart, he firmly covered his nose, suddenly rushing towards the disgusting vomit, and immediately bent to take a look.


    He leaned his head back and used the bloody mountaineering knife to spreak the large chunks in the black vomit, scraping aside the pieces of wet lumps and acid, eventually a greyish-white skull was fished out from the vomit and rolled crookedly to his feet.


    This was a human skull.


    Altough mixed with animal remains, It seemed that the bones spit out by the strange fish were not only animals, but also included human bones. He was afraid that some people have been using living people as sacrifice to feed the creature!


    The ominous ''play with the fishes'' was a direct connotation to feeding!


    Chao Bin''s frowned with worry, looking around at the blood and flesh spiked onto the floor and then looking back to the pond.


    This did not bode well


    *****


    On other side Chu Yi stood in the corner of the damp open cellar, his figure blocked by a wet Tang Shun and in his hands he held what looked like a wet and crumpled piece of old report log.


    As he read, faintly a stray wind came from the depths of the dark room, carrying with it a faint fishy smell in the air but it wasn''t the typical smell of seaweed from the merman. Chu Yi couldn''t help but look up slightly and intuition pointed him to somewhere outside of the cellar they were in right now.


    On the far end, the others were also battling for their lives, he wouldn''t know anything however, until later.


    Red eyes lowered and continued to scan the paper in front of him without pause,


    Tang Shun who stood in front of Chu Yi, slightly squinted his eyes, the hand with the glaring red stamp, twitched faintly as he stared down at the man in front of him quietly, lips raising in a faintly arc and gentle, the raised corner of his eyes seemed to hold a daring laugh but as soon as Chu Yi raised his head, he immediately reverted back to a solemn frown.


    Those cold, red eyes were squinted with interest, the colour of his pupils always seemed to reminds Tang Shun of classic red wine spilled onto snow-white sheets, it seemed that there was a hint of black mixed in and it would change whenever Chu Yi was excited, His eyes were inexplicable, expressing the slowly surging excitement and anticipation directly and explicitly, his gaze locking steadily on Tang Shun.


    When he exhaled, his breath was pushed towards him and Tang Shun could clearly feel the coolness contained within the air. He lowered his eyes to stare at the faultless face of the other party,


    Although his hair was half-dry, the stray strands of dark hair hung loosely in front of his eyes, the clothes on his body were still damp, water droplets dripping from his trousers to the ground, and quickly gathered into shallow puddles at his feet. Tang Shun''s coat wrapped around his shoulders completely obscured the bottom of his face.


    The light shone from the top of his head, his eyes drooping, red eyes hidden in the shadow cast by his brow,


    Chu Yi stared into the paper and with a hint of burning danger, whispered lowly,


    "The Federation itself is a con, because all previous victories had been built off of lies. "


    Lies paved with the blood of the Abandoned Planets codenamed BV.


    Battle Vessels.

 Chapter 80 - The Institute (21)

    The heavy rain poured, a sharp blade of lightning ripped through the dark clouds in the sky, and the huge rain like gravel smashed down from the heavens-the bloody soil was washed away by the rain and briefly the light illuminated the thousands of dead bodies that lay strewn in clusters on the war-ridden zone,


    The tall- cannon rocked city walls were washed clean by the pouring rain, and the thunderous boom of lightning was refracted in the gloomy rain curtain. No one could tell how many years the majestic great wall has been standing but now- it was on the verge of teetering and even the harsh storm could not hide the blood-filled moat at the base of the walls,


    A man knelt on one knee in front of the gloomy- grey stone, hanging his head weakly. Bean-sized rain drops like freezing hail cascaded like stones down on his head, pale silver hair wet against his cheeks. Gradually it seemed to turn black, unable to hold onto his disguise, the dark elements creating harrowing black mist around him like a demonic creature from hell, blood from his forehead oozed out red- flowing down his cheeks as evidence of his sin,


    His greatest deception.


    He gasped violently, and the breath from his bloodless lips turned into white mist obscured in the cold rain. He knelt on the floor, and gritted his teeth, grabbing a sharp red sword pierced into the ground with one hand to barely let himself stand,


    Gasp-


    Even if it was washed away by heavy rain, it still couldn''t match the speed of blood flowing from his forehead. The blood stained his silver hair , and dripped from the delicate and precious golden ornaments on his forehead, the ornaments now branded into skin as a symbol of his lies; across his pale cheeks, passing the sharp lines of his jaws and dripped onto the once fearless shoulders . His clothing was supposed to be very gorgeous, he had made a point to always look the part in this game he orchestrated, he watched the show from the sidelines like a king, never once realizing that he had already lost from the day he met him,


    He couldn''t help but cough hoarsely, this was the most embarassd he has ever been, soaked in rain, armor discarded, clothes crumpled against his body, stained with blood and mud, and on the verge of death,


    He would have laughed-


    The man gasped violently, even as his heart burned, fingers clenched the hilt firmly, to the point where his torn knuckles were already white from effort. He tried to look up through the light bloody film that covered his pupils, his eyes piercing through the curtain of water,


    Not far away, he seemed to see a familiar figure standing atop the walls, a silver snake-like lightning struck, the sky brightened for a second-


    The figure danced as if he was standing on the edge of a knife, twriling and stamping! The rain, his most enthusiastic audience! He danced above the countless dead and he basked in the blood of war!


    He moved like the most devout believer sacrificing himself to his beloved god!


    At the same time, his mouth chanted affectionately- "Dear Devil, your face is so handsome, your smile is so charming, your heart is the evilest... Your followers are crazy for you, crazy for you... Why decieve me, Why abandon me, For am I am your greatest love! "


    Da, Da, Da...


    Over and over again,


    Charm and madness intertwined, the man watched the figure as if wallowing in absurdity, perform the sacred dance of the devil...


    ******


    The dim orange light reflected like flames in Chu Yi''s eyes as he stood quietly to the side of the cellar,


    It was silent,


    The horrified players could still vaguely hear the sounds man''s dying screams repeating over and over again in their minds,


    No one moved.


    The nurses seemed to have been waiting for this moment and with wide, hungry smiles they gestured to the merman''s capsule,


    "Obedient residents should complete all the tasks of the Institute, the Federation has gladly made these ''animals'' available to rest your tortured soul and provide you with the strenght to continue rehabilitation into becoming proud citizens of the Federation. " They paused here, and the faux compassion in their voices dropped, "If you see fit to defy the orders of the Federation, we will have no choice but to put in place appropriate protocols."


    "Also-"


    There was a loud crack!


    The previous tranquil merman seemed to lose control in an instant, clenching its webbed claws into fist, it suddenly slammed into the glass of the capsule, pounding heavily towards the player standing outside-


    ''Kara- Kara''


    To their horror, spider-web-like, fine lines spread from the center that was hit hard by the merman- the capsule made a shattering sound like the glass was being overloaded with pressure! It seemed that in the next second, the glass would be crushed to pieces and the heavy water pressure would break through the thin piece of glass, breaking entire capsule! Overwhelmed and shattered, the water would rush out with the merman inside, releasing a watery massacre onto the weak prey that had no ability to fight back!


    "-Don''t agitate the animal''s."


    This was blocking all forms of retreat!


    The players were absolutely horrified and yet still, no one moved, even as the cracks on the glass became larger and larger! They would not take the risk until someone else stepped up,


    Sigh...


    From beside him, Chu Yi heard vaguely an exasperated sigh, then Tang Shun made the first move.


    The nurses looked disappointed but the players sighed with relief,


    As long as it wasn''t them.


    Unlike Chu Yi, Tang Shun neither decided to sacrifice his arm nor did he take his chances with the merman, instead under the scrupulous eyes of the players, he pulled out a bottle filled with red pills-


    What?


    The players were familiar with these pills, back in the tower for a relatively cheap price, this was called the ''Blood Boosters'' and were known to really just have the function of increasing blood flow. They were usually useless in most cases but in a situation like this, it directly meant an opportunity to live!


    They couldn''t tell whether it was just dumb luck but neither could they care-


    Tang Shun managed to get through this scene by exploiting a loop hole in the system, the light went green and when he finally came down the ladders, he was instantly surrounded by anxious players.


    The calculating light in the corner of his eyes seemed to increase by tenfold. Nothing in this world was for free and everyone here understood this principle, so one by one, he easily collected all the precious clues that had been painstakingly discovered by the players without any effort...


    The dim light swayed above his head, and the remaining sweat stains made his usually pristine, slicked back hair messy, the countless chaotic and noisy human voices coming from all directions and the sound of dripping water still could not stop him from staring right into the eyes of Chu Yi,


    He smiled, an almost evil smile and seemed to mouth something incomprehensible but Chu Yi understood it nonetheless.


    "Here."


    After a round of transactions, Tang Shun arrived back at Chu Yi''s side and handed him a wet, crumpled page.


    "This was found by one of the players."


    He took it and read,


    "This is a War Log." Chu Yi slowly spread the wet paper over his fingers and lifted his head to Tang Shun, "A War log for the war between the soldiers of the federation and the Neighboring Legarean Empire." Tang Shun raised a brow and looked down at the top of Chu Yi''s head, " Is there a discrepancy?"


    Chu Yi squinted his eyes at the words and spoke slowly " The Death Rate is too low."


    "Huh?"


    He pointed to something "The death rate reported on the log is far below the standards usually associated with war. A war like this, between two futuristic empires with millions of people living on their galaxies would never end with a death count only in the thousands. Something is wrong."


    Tang Shun crossed his arms and his mind spun quickly, "To begin with wars are just flesh grinding machines that take in blood and human lives and in return churn out immense wealth and power, it''s nothing but death and warlust caused by greedy sentient beings fighting over territorial prowess."


    "If we go by what you''re saying- that the death rate reported is erroneous, then we can be sure of two things. Firstly the deaths reported back to the Federation is flawed, someone or something had purposely reported back a wrong archive in order to ward off any potential backlash and keep certain people in the dark and secondly..."


    Chu Yi continued for him, "Someone is taking their place."


    Deep in the battle- ridden war zone, the ground of the


    ruins was a mess. There were incomplete corpses everywhere, lying on the grounds without order, the houses and buildings of the residents were smashed and burnt to the ground. The rubble was spread on the ground and mixed with the blood of countless corpses.


    Maybe they were bombed, maybe they were abandoned as a line of defense and left to face the angry retaliation of the encroaching enemies,


    The dried blood stains turning into an unsightly black and red color, sticking to the overturned soil.


    The planet would have been completely destroyed and labeled BV, useless.


    These abandoned planet''s would then be used to become a housing pen for the guinea pigs of the Institute and the slaves of the Federation, the blood and flesh of the countless victims and their unwillingness and resentment before death paved the way for the mighty and indestructible image of the Empire,


    Of course, the blood would sink into the earth and eventually be washed away by the rain, but unless the residents were given freedom, the dark breath covering the land would never truly dissipate.


    That''s where they came in, because although these cruelties were hidden, there is nothing truly impenetrable in this world. As long as the first match was lit, many of the negative emotions that they usually hide deep in their hearts would erupt into flames. As long as there was an incentive, it will be easy and to completely set this Empire on fire.


    Chu Yi thought for a moment remembered a certain line from the R89''s report log,


    /[Just now, in the name of the Federation, I was tasked to visit the leftovers from the Red Zone- Frontier clash with the Galaxy Dopius, these residents were deemed inconsequential to the survival of the Federation and were ordered to be abandoned in the name of the Empire. The death rate was approximately 789, 000 and the planet has been coded BV145 , Toxic level 7.3. Only 190 residents have been reported to have survived the clash.]/


    Abandoned...


    It wasn''t the planet''s that were abandoned it was the people, in place of the soldiers, they used the lives of the ordinary residents that happened to be residing in the designated battle zones as fodders to save their own asses. Most if not all of the Federation were probably nothing but empty straw bags that looked strong and deterrent but inside were just rotting blocks of weakness and cowardice.


    Tang Shun sounded amused by this ridiculousness, "I have always felt that the phrase ''Glory for the Federation'' sounds strange. These kind of statement has is very contagious slogan and usually used by brainwashing cults to inject a strong sense of belief into the people."


    "It''s like a kind of substinence, certain organizations will also use such bright and justified slogans to control their believers. While, usually in truth the intended purpose is actually very different from the slogans."


    Chu Yi was more focused on something else, he had already concluded that if they wanted to convince the residents, they would have to acquire evidence, if not, they would probably be faced with the angry uproar of the cultists resident''s, one option would be capture one of the Chosen Ones and have them break the illusion of peace fermented by the Federation


    Now he suddenly thought of another; The report log.


    Suddenly, Chu Yi violently looked up,


    There was a voice in his head-


    ''It''ll be soon''


    The voice was as quiet as an infinite loop in time, The tone was extremely indifferent, without any ups and downs, without any emotions-


    The voice didn''t come from a source, but resounded from all sides of the place, from the air, from the ground, everywhere, and yet nowhere!


    Chu Yi tried to mobilize his mind, but the more he thought, the more pain in the depths of his mind became more intense.. In the end, it had almost reached the point where Chu Yi could not bear it, and countless neon patches of color collided in his brain.The buzzing white noise mixed with the distant and chaotic voice made his mind split in an instance!

 Chapter 81 - The Institute (22)

    Chu Yi couldn''t tell what the voices were saying, they chanted strangely toned garbles, incoherently, as if there was a weird gurgling sound coming from their throats, repeating unintelligible secret codes that he couldn''t decipher- It was like a mad scientist locking himself hysterically in an isolated room, or a fanatic speech of some unspeakable religion!


    Gasp-


    As Tang Shun looked around the cellar, he suddenly realized that Chu Yi had gone uncharacteristically quiet, stopping, he glanced down with mild confusion and only then did he notice the pooling sweat on Chu Yi''s forehead and the white teeth biting his lips bloody,


    He frowned, and his tongue seemed to tremble without speaking but the sudden headache made his temples jump ruthlessly,


    "It''ll be soon."


    It faded away.


    Chu Yi exhaled softly with lingering pain, the voices finally ceased echoing and the hammering inside his skull dissipated,


    "Are you alright?"


    Chu Yi shook his head but Tang Shun couldn''t tell whether it was affirmative or not, but neither did Chu Yi explain, he frowned harder, staring deeply at his face but didn''t venture further,


    Neither of them continued to speak and just waited quietly for the rest to pass the task,


    Eventually, with the help of the pills, all the players in the cellar managed to get through this hurdle relatively unharmed and under the instigation of the nurses were stamped and drawn like cheap goods on an assembly machine; then hoarded back into the main building,


    This was hell.


    A general consensus all the players held as they stepped back into the light-


    The Institute was exactly the same as they left it , haunted and spoke of untold horror, but in such a short time, some of them would never be able to see it again!


    Fear was slowly starting to build in their hearts.


    The players trickled into the dining room, posture akin to wilted egglpants, they were not only glum and shaken, they also had varying degrees of injuries, some with only mild scratches but a few held entirely missing limbs.


    Unless these unlucky players had healing props, they would permanently be left at an disadvantage for the later struggles to come,


    They wouldn''t even be able to guarantee survival-


    The system had divided the players into two groups, the ''healthy''  and the ''disabled''.


    Both of which would have entirely differing priorities from now on.


    Da, Da, Da....


    Tang Shun raised his head, eyes unconsciously looking towards the entrance, not being able to resist raising an eyebrow high, when he saw a familiar figure walking in, clothes shredded and crudely covered in blood- that from his posture didn''t seem to be his.


    Chao Bin couldn''t stop the pleasure that rose in his heart when he saw the mild look of shock on Tang Shun''s, his chest straightening in pride as he strutted towards the two.


    "What did your group experience?" Chao Bin was a tad suprised when he saw that otherwise from being pale and wet, neither Chu Yi or Tang Shun seemed to have gone through a great ordeal,


    Tang Shun was the first to speak, quickly summarizing what they had gone through and watched Chao Bin''s face instantly fall in shock with some amusement.


    Chao Bin wasn''t surprised at the difficulty of making a choice but at the scheming and intelligence shown by Tang Shun. Even if he was there and coincidentally had a bottle of booster pills, not to mention remembering that he had them in his storage but being able to calm down and think of way to make the most out of it was something he wouldn''t be able to do in such a sort space of time,


    Tang Shun smiled, slanted eyes shining with mirth, appreciating the admiration on Chao Bin''s face, that smile however quickly fell from his lips when he spotted from behind Chao Bin, Mu Fang walking strealthily towards the group.


    Chu Yi also noticed a difference, and slowly squinted his eyes at the man. There was something else other than friendliness in Mu Fang''s fleeting gaze when he looked at Chao Bin.


    However, this brewing sentiment of his, did not showcase in his voice, he kept the same good-natured tone, while lauding the courage and quick-witted nature of Chao Bin in managing to find the breaking point in their fight against the creatures.


    Nevertheless Chao Bin didn''t seem amused , he could still recall the look in Mu Fang''s eyes when he stood at the edge of the pond, far away from the fight.


    Resembling a poisonous snake ready to strike.


    He could sense a hidden conspiracy brewing in the darkness and it was definitely directed towards him-


    Having enough of the sleazy talk, Chu Yi cut into Mu Fangs tirades and quickly brought up his own opinions about the actual purpose of the Institute.


    "The mutant crocodile, humanoid fish monsters, the artificial merman and all the other things we''ve found makes it clear that the Institute is involved with altering the gene contruct of homo sapien beings."


    Chu Yi shrugged, "This has never been a foreign thing in human science, combining human DNA with animal DNA in hopes of discovering a path to a greater evolution of mankind. They''ve experimented on rats, monkeys- anything with sentience; including themselves, are nothing but pawns in cracking the secrets of the universe."


    "However it seems that the Institute may have taken a step further and maybe even have directly broken this code, what we all saw just now were obviously failed experiments that have been discarded by the Institute and used as a form of entertainment for them."


    Chao Bin rolled his eyes, "Even if they did manage to crack the secret, the self righteous rhetoric of ''for mankind'' that all crazy scientists regurgitate to justify their heinous acts still can''t hide the blood of countless humans that they used to pave the way for their so called evolution."


    The biological children and the residents of the abandoned planets were tantamount to this sin.


    Nobody disagreed with this statement, they knew that humanity''s selfishness at times has no bounds.


    "This still doesn''t explain why the Institute needed so many experimental guinea pigs, and why the mortality rate was so high. Was it really necessary to hurt thousands of people for something like furthering mankind? I don''t believe that there wasn''t an ulterior motive behind all of this!"


    Chao Bin''s mouth was crooked in annoyance and he seemed to be on the verge of tearing into the masterminds behind this Institute.


    Suddenly Chu Yi raised his wrist and pointed to the stamp sitting there, "What color do you have?"


    Chao Bin paused, disoriented by the sudden change of topic and subconsciously lifted his hand as well, "Red."


    Chu Yi turned to Mu Fang, "Yellow."


    He nodded but didn''t continue to ask. For now, no one knew what these stamps meant.


    Just in time, the nurses entered the dining hall and attracted the attention of the players.


    The head nurse still dressed in her old, yellowed uniform stood in the forefront, addressed the residents and did something no one expected.


    She reorganized the groups by color.


    There was an instant buzz in the room and the players looked somewhat panicked.


    It wasn''t that there was immediate danger but this was sudden changing the whole dynamic of the instance.


    This signaled a change and no one knew whether this would bring disaster or fortune.


    Although worried the players had no say in this and could only be seperated into the four colors. Red, Orange, Yellow and Pink.


    They were then issued new ID Cards and therefore new rooms. On the ID''s, there was an additional code, Code #E0001 underneath their names.


    The four instantly frowned, as they recalled-


    This was beginning of Phase 0001.


    Eventually Mu Fang seperated from the group and mingled with the people who were also stamped with a yellow mark.


    Chao Bin instantly sagged with relief at his departure, he felt as if he was standing on the edge of a knife the entire time he was beside him.


    By coincidence, both Tang Shun and Chao Bin were also in the same room as Chu Yi, whuch saved them much hassle, and with lingering exhaustion from the hassle they had just faced, most of the players retired to their rooms.


    Chu Yi was the first to enter the dingy bathroom inside, he couldn''t ignore the sticky and uncomfortable feeling from the water drying into salted crusts on his skin.


    As he waited for the water to warm, he turned around, faced the mirror on the sink, and saw his body-


    It was only then did he realize that the bright, red lines in the pattern of scales had become increasingly obvious on his skin,


    Chu Yi raised his hair, the bump on his forehead had also increased its size and was now the size of a third of his pinky.


    He was also curious about how the lines on his neck and chest were made, was it synthetic? He reached out and rubbed them slightly, but they couldn''t be removed either. These red-scale like lines seemed to grow from his own flesh, as if they had always been apart of him.


    He shrugged, and lazily removed his sight,


    If it didn''t effect him immediately, he couldn''t be bothered to care.


    He took a shower, by the way, avoiding his bandaged wrist, the injury was only slightly tingling and he didn''t know whether it a result of his contact with the merman but unlike the others, his wound had never stopped bleeding.


    When he came out, Chu Yi was suprised to feel a sudden change in his body,


    His skin from his lower jaw to the collarbone was hot, as if it had been persistently polished by rough sandpaper, and when he moved, it caused a faint burning pain with the slightest stretch.


    He touched his neck inexplicably¡ªthere was no wound...


    Then it happened!


    A terrifying pain exploded in his body!


    He couldn''t help but groan, the taste of blood rising in his throat,


    It felt as if something in his chest was creeping and climbing inside his body, struggling to tear through the shackles of his flesh and burst through his heart!


    Chu Yi felt like hitting the back of his head severely on the bathroom walls in front him just to make it stop but barely restrained, his whole body stiffened and trembled, and a familiar smell of rust and blood filled his clenched teeth.


    He gasped, red eyes burning with an excited flame!


    The straight body of the young man shuddered in the leftover steam, his pale fingers pierced crescent moons into the flesh of his palms, his slender skeleton trembling like a dying beast!


    He felt as if every drop of blood in his body had evaporated from the burning heat, and in the dim light of the bathroom, it trembled with an unsullied jade-like sheen!


    There was a faint smell of blood floating in the air.


    On a place he couldn''t see, faint red lines glowed on his skin like droplets of warm blood on the first winter snow. The faintly pinkish- red lines deepened into scarlet at the speed visible to the naked eye, gradually becoming clear like traces of mercury on the smooth, translucent skin. It almost seemed as if an ancient beast was on the verge of awakening, a sacred red phoenix soaring into the sky! In the next second, flaming, feathered wings would break free from the shackles of his skin, and take him away from the mortal land like a cruel and dying god that had been crucified by his people!


    It was an evil yet breathtaking sight to behold!


    His eyes felt as if they were covered with blood, everything in front of him seemed to be pure scarlet red and inside, his mind was completely taken over by tyranny, as if he was a machine that could only understand murder and plunder,


    An excruciating pain seemed to come from his forehead as if something there was about to break free!


    "Chu Yi?"


    Gasp-


    The light cast by the dim overhead light made the sweat on his back even more dazzling and with the voice of Tamg Shun outside, the continuous wave of pain gradually weakened, the blood-colored lines gradually fading and lightening back to their original state. In the end, only a painful aftertaste remained on his nerve endings, that left him shuddering.


    Only the sound of his own harsh breathing in sync with his beating heart resounded like static ringing inside his ears, he could feel the sweat from his forehead traveling down the length his nose and pitter- pattering down on the floor with a splash-


    Exciting!


    His hair hung like long black tendrils obscuring the lines of his face but it still couldn''t hide the happy almost crazed smile of his lips-


    So exciting!

 Chapter 82 - The Institute (23)

    Softly exhaling a heated white mist, he tilted his head back lazily to the ceiling, the dim lights above him felt glaring, his eyes wandering hazily in aftershock- he shuddered, trancelike and dazed and yet he still laughed,


    He loved this feeling.


    Slowly, he stood straight, sweat dripping down the lines of his face, gleaming wet trails traveling down his neck and pooling at the deep concave of his collarbone. He could taste a faint metallic scent in mouth, a sharp tingling numbness shocking his nerves as his tongue swept across his lips,


    His teeth had pierced bloody holes into his mouth, the swollen red and chapped lips made him look ravaged-


    "Chu Yi?"


    He squinted his eyes slightly, raised his palms to be level with his vision, and looked at his hands carefully.


    The red lines were faintly visible, spreading like a mural extending from his wrist to the sleeve, he could still see it shimmering softly, like transparent glass reflecting in the sun-


    "Chu Yi!"


    He touched them. It doesn''t hurt.


    Chu Yi frowned and looked at his wrist thoughtfully.


    The pain he experiences repeatedly must be related to the Institute and the lines that gradually emerge from him must also be related to the gradually progressing Code #50001 experiment,


    So... what happens when the changes fully merge-


    ''Bam!-''


    Chu Yi''s raised his head-


    Standing at the entrance of the door, was Tang Shun, brows furrowed into deep crevices, and a heavy look marring his otherwise gentle face,


    He frowned, not far away, Chu Yi was standing in front of the sink, his right hand hanging under the faucet.


    "Why didn''t you answer?"


    The flowing cold water washed away the faint scarlet blood on his palm and entangled it into the drain, as it dissipated in a red stream.


    His black hair was hanging down from the sides of his face, and strands of long silk, were wetly attached to his chin,


    The residual steam in the swamped room made his normally unconcerned eyes look bottomless,


    "Are you injured?" Tang Shun went straight in.


    Chu Yi didn''t speak, his swollen lips tightened, and after squeezing the faucet shut, he pulled out a piece of tissue and slowly wiped the water from his fingers,


    He turned to Tang Shun-


    Without a word he approached him step by step,


    In an instant, the sharp and beautiful face was swallowed by a bloodthirsty, fierce light, the pressed eyebrows were cold and sharp, the corner of his eyes shining with a beautiful and sinful fire. A kind of pure, primitive- animalistic haze, shredded the previous bewilderment, like a waking beast suddenly showing its deadly fangs!


    The man''s face kept getting closer and Tang Shun couldn''t ignore the feeling of his heartbeat pounding in his chest-


    Because of the previous lack of oxygen, the corner of Chu Yi''s narrow and long eyes were stained with a touch of red, his face resembling a deadly and sinful ghost in the bathroom that was filled with his own bitter green scent ,


    Chu Yi pressed a hand to Tang Shun''s chest, a slow and meaningful smile forming on his lips,


    A pair of beast pupils, as shallow as molten magma, gleamed with a weird excitement in the dimness of the bathroom. His eyes had long been accustomed to the normal state of seldom light in the windowless Institute, even in the placed tightly locked away from the outside world, it still seemed to him like daylight.


    Tang Shun''s skin was cold.


    Chu Yi, himself was very sensitive to temperature.


    Whether it''s the ground that they trample on below their feet, the doors of the dingy wards, or even the walls rubbed by stumbling hands, the lingering warmth of human flesh and blood will always be temporarily retained, and the mild breath will radiate outwards for a short period of time. Everything on this world will be stained with the vitality of human life. But at this moment, the hand on Tang Shun''s chest felt icy, with a kind of rigidity like the dead.


    Flexible and rough, the temperature was much lower than that of human skin, almost like....a snake.


    Tang Shun lowered his head and gazed at the hand against his chest, the bright red blood winding like a capricious red string down Chu Yi''s wrist- his heart thumped; his skin, as cold as a cold-blooded animal felt as if it was burned with fire wherever he touched,


    Tick.


    Chu Yi''s eyes gradually darkened, and deep and hot flames seemed to be beating in the depths of his red eyes, an almost terrifying aggression was brewing in the bottom of his heart.


    They were very close.


    Almost to the point where their breaths entangled,


    The warm and the cold air collided, a burning flame met a cold winter!


    Just when the tips of their noses were about to meet, Chu Yi finally spoke,


    His red lips opened slightly and the voice that came out although hoarse, showed extreme arrogance and certainty,


    "Don''t you think this farce has gone on for too long."


    Tang Shun''s pupils, who watched him, shrunk into thin slits, he was not injured, but he still felt as something had slammed into his heart!


    "..."


    "What are you guys doing?"


    Chao Bin shattered the ambiguous atmosphere with a confused yell, Chu Yi chuckled, stepped to the side and brushed past a motionless Tang Shun. In the back of his mind, he seemed to smell the overpowering scent of seaweed that still stained his body intensify as if something in the void was trying to remind him of something,


    His eyes gleamed with a smile, and he ignored it,


    Why stop now, the fun has just begun.


    ******


    "Red represents the stages of transformation."


    Chu Yi dropped a bomb on them as soon as everyone was settled, Tang Shun didn''t look surprised,


    Chao Bin''s face wrinkled immediately and he thought of the previous outbreak during his fight with the fish monsters, Chu Yi''s transformation had been seen the earliest of all them and Tang Shun- he turned towards him,


    Tang Shun also noticed his gaze and gestured to himself, "I haven''t had any obvious transformations but my body temperature has dropped to dangerous levels without any signs of hyperthermia."


    "All those who have been stamped with red, are more compatible with the anti-bodies that were injected into our bloodstream. Those stamped with other colors have mid- to low levels of acceptance to the unknown substance."


    Chao Bin''s pursed his lips together, "So does that mean we''re at a disadvantage..."


    Tang Shun shook his head, "Not quite. We are considered at an disadvantage because we don''t know what is being done to us. Whether we''re being cloned, having our DNA reconstructed or having our bodies completely destroyed from within. But the others with lower compatibility are also at the risk of being discarded like the failed experiments that we saw today as well as having their organs collapse at any moment. The playing field is leveled because both groups are at the risk of dying at every moment."


    "The system won''t let one group have an unilateral advantage over the other at any given time."


    "But all the players have one thing in common right now, we need to find the common source of all this." "We need to find the research lab where all the drugs and tests are carried out to not only figure out what exactly is being done to us and also a way to either to stop it or slow it down long enough for us to complete our tasks."


    Chao Bin nodded at Tang Shun''s statement, this was most definitely a priority.


    Then suddenly a thought crossed his mind and hesitantly opened his mouth, "I don''t seem to see any doctors here."


    Simultaneously Tang Shun''s and Chu Yi''s eyes turned to look at him, their sudden intense stare directly catching Chao Bin off-guard.


    Tang Shun directly frowned,


    Chao Bin was right.


    This was a conundrum, why would the Institute only have nurses and not doctors or researchers who are directly involved in the actual experimentation. "


    However although contradictiory, this revelation was actually good,


    "This is at the very least a breakthrough, instead of searching blindly for clues, now we have a proper direction to look in. We need to find the doctors."


    "But where?"


    Chu Yi squinted his eyes slightly and seemed to remember something, "Do you remember the screams that came from the confinement room after the night we ventured into the 4th dimension?"


    Tang Shun immediately caught on, "The Chairman''s Office ?"


    "This is the only place that has been directly listed as taboo by the nurses. Unless it''s a fake, more than likely, important information will always be stored there."


    Chao Bin interrupted the two, "Although I''m all for taking risks, considering how miserable the other players sounded when they were caught, it''s also very dangerous and heavily guarded by the nurses."


    Chu Yi didn''t seem worried, "The risk is lowered exponentially during the day, it''s only in the night do we face the risk of monsters and isolated dimension walls. The unknown is much more terrifying when we can''t see it."


    Eventually they all agreed to explore the Chairman''s Office, but for now they would rest.


    Before the rooms were officially closed off for the night, Chu Yi turned faintly to Tang Shun and whispered in a voice that Chao Bin couldn''t hear,


    "There is also something else I''m interested in."


    "The confinement rooms."


    ******


    There was a knock on the door of their room, a day had passed with no substantial changes in the situation and the players had slowly relaxed their vigilance and prepared to once again explore the secrets of the Institute,


    Mu Fang appeared at the entrance unsurprisingly and after enthusiastically greeting the occupants, he proceeded to tell them his real purpose, "Some of the remaining players decided to have a covert meeting and figure out a course of action that will benefit all of us. Are you coming?"


    He had a feeling that Mu Fang was once again the ring leader,


    Chao Bin looked back at the both Chu Yi and Tang Shun who didn''t seem to care about the conversation happening at the door and turned back to Mu Fang with a cold smirk, " Why come to us, I don''t seem to have seen your previous group in quite a while. What do you think happened to them..aren''t you worried."


    The smile on Mu Fang''s face instantly dropped and Chao Bin immediately felt a sharp killing intent come barreling towards him! Although he quickly regained his composure, that split second of slip-up was enough for Chao Bin to blacklist him, with a frown he moved to slam the door shut-


    With how fractured the player group were right now, he didn''t feel like any further discussion would necessarily benefit them, instead they would probably just be adding to the chaos,


    "Wait!"


    He wasn''t able to shut the door fully before Mu Fang suddenly shoved his hand in the open crack and forced him to stop, unless he wanted to break his arm, "Let me cut this short, we have been separated into two many groups, and amongst those groups there is still a divide of interest. Unless you want to be excluded from everything and eventually have to come crawling back for help when you realize how naive you were. It''s the typical mistake for rookies and I''d suggest at least one of you go as a representative, then we can share clues and props as a collective."


    This was obviously a threat, a typical carrot and stick maneuver, a spin-off his previous attempt to control the power order that had mysteriously fallen through,


    It was only then did Tang Shun and Chu Yi end their private discussion and without even looking at Mu Fang, they both stepped past the threshold, Chu Yi turned left, according to the previous agreement and Tang Shun hooked the shoulders of Chao Bin, dragged him out of the room and turned right.


    Only Mu Fang was left standing by the door like a fool, face distorted in an ugly grimace unable to keep up the generous leader persona he had carved for himself.


    Then suddenly he sneered at their leaving backs, and thought viciously,


    Why bother, soon enough they''ll be kneeling at my feet!

 Chapter 83 - The Institute (24)

    "Where is he going-"


    Chao Bin strained his head to look back at Chu Yi who was walking in the opposite direction, "Aren''t we all going to search the office?"


    Tang Shun''s arm naturally dropped from Chao Bin''s shoulders to his waist- casually stringing him along to wherever he meant to take him,


    "Although the danger factor is lowered significantly during the day, the office will probably still be heavily watched by the nurses. The three of us searching will increase the likelihood of mistakes and may even end up with us being caught and killed. Therefore in this regard, Chu Yi volunteered to be the one to search the office alone."


    Chao Bin nodded in understanding after a moment of thought, it was the safest decision in any case " But where are we going?"


    Tang Shun pulled them around a corner, "The confinement room."


    Chao Bin''s face blanked momentarily,


    Why?


    Tang Shun seemed to sense his incomprehension and without turning his head started speaking, "What''s the safest method to hide a secret....Is it through locks, guards, safes or through high tech security? "


    "...all of them?"


    "Wrong. All of those can be cracked and defied with human intervention."


    "There is really only one foolproof method that will always guarantee certain secrecy. "


    He didn''t wait for Chao Bin to answer again and replied to his own rhetoric, "That method is fear. Blind, crushing fear that instills a certain law into the core of a person''s being that will ensure they would never defy the rules carved into their very bones."


    "And wouldn''t the best place to foster fear be the confinement room?"


    "After being beaten once or twice, unconsciously or consciously they would avoid it, the constant mention of punishments, the deliberate orchestra of murder with the residents as the direct victims and witnesses all the while constantly delineating the cruelty of the confinement rooms are all elaborately interconnected fear tactics used by the nurses."


    "As such we can conclude that the confinement room also contains the biggest secrets."


    Chao Bin almost knelt in defeat at the keen observation done by Tang Shun, all loopholes had been noticed and dissected, and he seemed to almost belittle the difficulty of the Instance with a unhurried grin,


    "I''m just curious to see what kind of secrets they''ve hidden that requires extensive psychological suppression."


    Chao followed Tang Shun''s lead uneasily, he just hoped they weren''t directly locked in confinement to directly face those undoubtedly painful methods.


    Da, Da, Da


    It''s here.


    It didn''t take long for them to find it, in fact it was so simple that Chao Bin couldn''t help but fall into doubt about whether this was conspiracy.


    In a narrow side hall near to the dining room was the confinement room.


    The corridor itself was very old, and had short chipped pillars that served as decorations dotting the sides of the hall,


    There were wooden boards nailed like patches on the stone wall, many places in which seemed to be dented and hollowed out from a few corners that peaked through,


    The dirty base of the walls- right along the edge of the narrow strip to the door, was darkened and moldy, Not to mention lofty and bristling with nauseating brown stains that seemed to have been developed from something moist and wet being dragged across the walls, and never cleaned,


    "Is this it?"


    The door standing before them was large and heavy. It didn''t seem to be locked and could be moved away slowly by pushing hard, however the bad thing is, that the door also made of stone and would boom with a huge noise during the process of trying to open the door.


    "Should we?"


    Tang Shun shrugged, "We don''t have to push it open all the way, only enough for us to get through and see."


    After nodding, Chao Bin joined their hands to the door and start pushing, the scraping sound of stone dragging against stone made a sound as if an ancient tomb was finally being opened after thousands of years!


    "That''s enough."


    The door was only opened to a third, when Tang Shun signaled a stop, and both of them quickly slipped into the room without preparation,


    The instant he caught sight of the room, Chao Bins face turned green. No matter how may times he saw it, he would never get used to the sudden shock of seeing a cold corpse decomposing in its own rot.


    With just a preliminary glance, the room actually contained a familiar dead body, Its entire body was rotting, having turned into a repulsive pile of black, foul meat. The stench of its putrefaction was absolutely unbearable, the bones were showing in some places, and the clothes covering the corpse made it difficult to determine the body''s original form, but it was most likely a man judging from its skeletal framework.


    There was also another corpse that seemed relatively fresh but had obviously been lacerated at the face with a sharp pick leaving nothing but a pile of mushy wet meat in place of what was meant to be his face. His skull had also been severely split open and his brain matter had long dried into sludge like black matter that clung to the skull like a piece of stringy mold,


    The corpse was still stuck in a crawling position, and it''s hands raised above its head as if it had been reaching for the door in despair when it was alive,


    When Chao Bin opened the door, that revolting smell of expired meat permeated his nostrils; at the same time, a strange, nauseating taste filled his mouth. The smell of decomposing molecules had been locked up for so long it had turned into toxic gas,


    Chao Bin stumbled back a few steps feeling woozy, he bumped into Tang Shun behind him and on a whim, turned around and stuffed his head into his chest, greedily inhaling the unique fresh charcoal scent. He genuinely believed that if he didn''t, in the very next second, he would have started retching. The heavy toxic smell reeked with a rotten, fishy odor, which made Chao Bin feel unusually queasy; his stomach churning with nauseated disgust.


    Tang Shun looked at the boy hiding in his arms and eventually lowered his eyes, but didn''t push him away.


    After a while, Chao Bin seemed to get a grip and released his tight hold on Tang Shun with an awkward look, and hastily diverted Tang Shun''s attention,


    "The fresh corpse is one of the more recent players and the other corpse is the first player to get sent to the Confinement room."


    It worked, Tang Shun''s attention was quickly brought away from the embrace and to the dead bodies on the floor of the confinement room, to which Chao Bin let out a small sigh of relief.


    Embarrassing.


    "I feel like there should be more bodies but only these two are left in the room for some reason."


    Tamg Shun glanced at the suspicious large splotches of brown on the floor, "Maybe these two weren''t qualified."


    "I don''t think we have much time, so with my enhanced hearing, I''ll see if I can find a hidden room or door that may hold important secrets of the Institute."


    So, against his better wishes, Chao Bin had to step across the dirty floor and examine the this awfully unsightly carcass. This was the first player but the body didn''t seem to have fully decomposed into skeletal remains yet; there were still small slabs of putrid meat hanging from the bones and some voracious maggots had somehow spawned and were now crawling in that meat. Chu Yi guessed that this person must have been forcefully folded like a box when he was alive because all the bones in his body seemed to have been fractured and his remaining ligaments had snapped right from the bones in a appalling way!


    Maybe he was even alive while all of this happened, although not for long, but the brief moment of soul tearing agony he would have felt in those few seconds must have trumped all the painful things he had experienced in his lifetime,


    Chao Bin winced slightly in phantom pain, he could almost feel the breath of death on his tongue.


    And he turned away-


    Tang Shun swiped his fingers against the walls, slowly stretching his middle and index fingers apart and watching the red string snap in two, falling gently against his knuckles.


    Blood,


    Fresh blood.


    Slowly, Tang Shun started walking around the room, tapping gently against the wall for every step he took.


    Chao Bin stabilised his mind a little, walked over to the fresher corpse, squatted down, reached out and made to open the eyelids of the other party, only to realize that its face had completely been mashed to mush,


    Its face wasn''t even a face anymore, just a rotting pile of flesh.


    His death looked to be painful as well.


    He couldn''t tell the specific sequence but judging by the sinister nature of the nurses, he had obviously been bluntly scraped of his flesh and tortured before he was given a rough blow, splitting his skull to seek relief in death.


    Disgusting...


    He tried to turn the corpse over but to his suprise, the body felt as if it had been superglued to the floor,


    He tried again this time with more strenght and almost immediately there was the sound of flesh tearing as the skin was ripped of its back!


    "Fuck!"


    Immediately Chao Bin let go and dropped the body back to the floor, disgust coloring his face all shades of green.


    Without waiting for any more disgusting surprises, Chao Bin immediately went to join Tang Shun in finding the hidden door,


    He observed for a while but then couldn''t help but ask, "Are you trying to find a hidden button that will make the walls move and switch around to take us to the other side or maybe ask for acess?"


    Tang Shun paused as if digesting what Chao Bin just said before throwing him a exasperated gasp,


    "No matter how primitive the facilities look, we are still in an interstellar age. Why would they use such easily crackable methods unless they were really stupid..."


    "..."


    Chao Bin, suppressed a embarassd flush, with only the tips of his ears turning smoking red, and coughed softly,


    "Right, so what are you doing then."


    Tang Shun turn back to the wall, "I''m trying to see if I can sync the frequency of my taps to any radioactive frequency from behind the walls that might be accepted as a code or a prompt that we can use to find an entrance."


    Chao Bin nodded and left him to it, idly he moved away to the opposite wall to see if he could try for a bit but after a minutes of no results, he sighed and slumped against the wall heavily,


    The embarrassment from before once again rose up in the silence and he couldn''t help but slam his hand against the wall beside him-


    Why was he so awkward


    [ACTUALIZING...]


    [SYSTEM CODE# E0001 START UP>]


    [COMMAND INITIALIZING>]


    [


    ]


    Chao Bin froze like a deer in headlights and subconsciously turned to look at Tang Shun standing on the opposite side,


    He guessed they really were stupid after all.

 Chapter 84 - Institute (25)

    Chu Yi slowly wandered the suffocating, windowless halls of the building, the space itself was so narrow that the walls felt as if they were gradually encroaching on him- he felt as if a tight rope was wrapped around his throat, strangling him and forcing the air from his lungs!


    He didn''t seem to have a destination in mind and instead walked aimlessly ahead, unlike the posture of someone who was venturing into known danger zones.


    Da, Da, Da.


    His footsteps never stangnated, even as the sounds around him gradually extinguished, leaving only the mild thumping of his own struggling heartbeat echoing in his ears!


    His chest heaved-


    The air in his lungs seemed to be getting less and less as the oxygen around him dropped to alarming rates; he was slowly being suffocated to the death the farther he walked!


    There seemed to be a voice in the back of his head, whispering for him to ''stop, to take a break, to go back, there is no need to take so many risks-he can just be obedient and become like everyone else! ''


    Chu Yi gasped lightly, he could feel that if he continued to go further he would die!


    The voices seemed to waiting in anticipation and the speed at which they tempted him increased at frightening rates, their offers becoming more ludicrous, the closer to death Chu Yi was!


    But he didn''t care!


    Chu Yi could feel glaring black spots clouding his vision and the awful sensation of his own heart slowly stop pumping, his fingers became ice-cold and he was slowly losing all feeling in his body!


    ''Go back!''


    ''Be obedient''


    ''Go back or else you''ll die!


    Chu Yi felt the blood rising in his throat and his legs felt heavy as his stride slowed in death but his gaze never strayed from the front and his feet never stopped walking!


    He was prepared for death!


    Slowly he couldn''t even breathe, only a tight lump garnering in his throat as his lungs collapsed in, his vision gradually turned black and everything around him blurred in his last moments!


    Then all the voices suddenly cresended into one powerful shout,


    "Stay!"


    Gasp-


    Chu Yi felt as if he was narrowly dragged back from death, oxygen gradually bleeding back into the atmosphere, his mouth greedily inhaling the fresh air that was deprived of him.


    Chu Yi exhaled the expired breath softly and chuckled under his breath,


    Clenching his stiff fingers and rotating his wrist gently with a smile, even after such a horrifying ordeal, Chu Yi was left with nothing but happiness.


    The feeling of dying ignited all the primal urges in his body and left him feeling as if his heart was set on fire,


    Wow,


    He shook his head to get rid of the sense of disorientation and finally lifted his head to see where he had been transported while in a willpower fueled state.


    This was a long and winding corridor.


    The narrow and gloomy passage was dark and hidden away from plain sight. Every few meters, a large blank frame was installed on the walls in an offsetting and disturbing manner. It had no portrait nor was it a painting, the frames itself were just flat blank sheets hung up on the walls as if they were ghost paintings- They used the flesh and blood of their victims to paint their white canvas red.


    Even the distance between each frame was precisely measured and it seemed like no matter how much he ran, he would never be able to escape them.


    The frames would flutter slightly wherever he passed by and although they were blank, Chu Yi still felt the uncanny feeling of being watched by countless greedy eyes, waiting for him to fall into the abyss to devour his flesh and bones.


    Tch-


    He walked slowly and almost leisurely down the deathly still corridor, only to realize that this was not an endlessly straight aisle, and after turning the corner, he was immediately faced with a large and complex door.


    The door knobs were carved in the likeness of angel heads and the doors were bulging like wooden sarcomas in some places.


    This was obviously water damage.


    The bottom of the door seemed to have been previously chipped away with an axe and he could still vaguely see the cracked slabs of mahogany from inside the room.


    He didn''t have to look any longer, this was undoubtedly the Chairman''s Office as no under room in this building has been so immaculately built.


    Although damaged and in disrepair, this room was still grandiose and evidently meant for an important figure maybe even directly in charge of the Institute.


    He didn''t hesitate for long and without much effort, he pushed the door to the Chairman''s Office open to reveal the contents inside!


    Surprisingly, he wasn''t immediately assaulted with the revolting stench of dead bodies nor was he suddenly attacked by raging monsters that came lounging towards him-


    The structure inside the office was far more complicated than their wards.


    Everything retains a classic sense from the last century, but this semi-underground room is built far away from any sunlight, and there was a humid and decadent atmosphere in the air, like a huge spiders web, trapping and suffocating all the unfortunate prey that ventured inside.The dark red pattern on the beige wallpaper all around the room was like dried blood stains, almost as if sacrifice and death had been carried out in this dusty room for many years,


    Here is magnificent and gorgeous, with a huge and brilliant candle-lit chandelier hanging from the ceiling and all around are fascinating and charming wares, a large bookshelf and desk occupying the center stage of the room.


    The first thing he was attracted to were the hundreds of painting stacked on every crevice on the wall to the right, they were flustered with a sense of disharmony that wasn''t in compliance with the ambience of the room.


    These paintings were of the religious archetype and ranged from paintings of angels to cathedrals with some even illustrating a carnival of sorts where the entire congregation knelt in devoutness at the alter of some sort of divine god.


    However because there was not enough light, these gorgeous and exquisite religious murals seem to lose their divinity. The faces of those angels and gods standing above the clouds gazing at the people, were distorted and deformed and together with those dogmas that tame the common people, they flowed into the silence and darkness with cruelty and filthy corruption!


    Staring at the paintings on the wall intently, the eyes of the person in one of the painting seemed to be staring at him intently, although there was a devout expression on its face, Chu Yi seemed to hear screams of agony echoing vaguely in another time and space,


    Sweeping pass the paintings on the right, Chu Yi finally locked eyes with the biggest item in the room.


    The entire left side of the room had been carved to create a large underground pool.


    Large enough to hold a mermaid.


    Although it wasn''t much to look at now, whereas the pool was murky and polluted with algae and bacteria, he could envision a time where whoever had been sitting at the desk would work under the soft mirrored reflection of the flickering chandelier candles against the clear blue waters,


    After a while they would glance up occasionally from work and shift their gazes over to the the huge pond set to the left and see a gleaming greyish-purple fish tail under the bright light flash past with a powerful splash,


    The moist water vapor filling the air, condensing into an almost psychedelic atmosphere that would ease the mind and relax the soul.


    Chu Yi moved his mind away from the pond and approached the desk in the center,


    Almost immediately he noticed and picked up the old metal card discarded on the side of the desk, and read in glaring white text '' File Room.''


    It seemed like an acess card of sorts.


    He flipped the card a few times but after seeing nothing else of use, just slipped it inside his pocket, and continued through rummaging the rest of the drawers, eventually he was left with only a pair of rusty lock keys and a small broken valve,


    Ting-


    Suddenly, he heard a small clanging noise like colliding glass coming from underneath the desk, With some doubts he bent down and looked under the low cabinet.


    He didn''t find any important clues but he did see a small metal box lodged underneath the seat with a small key stuck inside the lock,


    Pulling it out with one hand and twisting the lock, Chu Yi couldn''t help but raise a brow in mild suprise at his findings.


    Liquor.


    Unopened and unsealed.


    He grinned a light lilt filled with excitement; a budding idea slowly forming in his head,


    He would have to keep these in mind, they would prove useful later.


    He then closed the box and turned back to the important things at hand, these findings were far less than the preliminary estimate he had calculated,


    There''s something missing.


    He observed the room once more and this time finally stopped on the mounting bookshelf on the side of the room.


    The Institute, with reference to the artificial merman, definitely had extensive interest in the mythical creatures of the past. Going by that line of thinking, then he had to find a book on Greek mythology.


    Thankfully, the method of book organization hadn''t been changed in this Interstellar copy and he quickly found what he was looking for,


    The Scylla and Charybdls, Chimera, Minatour, Medusa, Centaur, Dragon and the Siren.


    Chu Yi''s eyes were uncontrollably attracted to the last creature and he couldn''t help but quickly skim through its content.


    Siren.


    Although its form is similar to the mermaid in a sense, the nature of the two are completely different and especially showcases during hunting.


    As a kind of creature built from Greek mythology, the Siren is not only rumored to have naturally divine singing voices but also a miraculous beauty.


    They are cruel and violent by nature.


    They will use their voices to lure sailors passing by on ships, causing them to hit the rocks and sink, and then feed on the overboard people. First dragging them deep under the water in order to drown them, then ripping their flesh fom their bones and cracking open their skull to feast on their brains.


    Some sirens are even known to play with their prey before eating them, they would repeatedly drag them under the water, then bring them back up for air until they''re bored and their victims are too weak to struggle and only then will they feast on them savagely.


    Wherever there are sirens, the sea bed is bound to be filled with bones from their victim


    In summary, Sirens were deceptive monster. They are cruel by nature, feeds on people, uses their beauty to confuse the lustful sailors and lure them into the deep ocean, just to satisfy their endless desires before devouring them without mercy after shedding their harmless mask.


    Quite unlike him.


    Chu Yi glanced thoughtfully at the red lines on his arms before going back to the text, underneath his fingertips, he had sensitively noticed a small bulge in the seam of the book while reading.


    It was hardly traceable but nevertheless Chu Yi noticed and without a word, he pulled put his natal weapon and cut a small slit on the side of the book.


    Sure enough, there was something hidden inside,


    It was a small black hard drive, somewhat similar to the one that had carried the experimental report log by R89.


    It seems they would have to make a trip back to the Operation Room,


    Curiously, Chu Yi noticed a small hand writing on the drive and when he pulled it closer to take a look, his face couldn''t help but blank at the words,


    [Experiment #5005: Mating Log/ 2356IS]

 Chapter 85 - The Institute (26)

    Chu Yi felt a strange feeling in his heart,


    He could feel his adrenaline rising continuously, however it wasn''t because of the usual excitement and stimulation, but instead there was another foreign emotion circling his heart that made him feel as if an invisible weight was pressing against his chest and making even breathing seem like a struggle.


    The surreal sense of cold anger rising confused him,


    He couldn''t even be sure if it was him nor should he care, so why was he so uncomfortable in his heart...


    He tried to discard the unneeded sentiment, but a voice in the back of his head kept whispering, ''what if''


    The strange sense of anger and betrayal were actually pulling at his heart, a tyrannical urge to kill wrapping around his veins,


    Suddenly, intuitively Chu Yi smelled a light greasy musk flowing in the air and his head snapped towards the locked door, his eyes catching as the already dim light flowing from underneath the chipped door was gradually swallowed by a strange darkness.


    The sense of danger in the air was heavy, he could detect the rapidly building killing intent from outside the door, making the already tense atmosphere cool to a freezing point.


    Chu Yi''s eyes never strayed from the wooden door, feeling slightly fortunate that he had pushed the door back and locked it, as a precaution when he had first entered, otherwise whatever was on the other side would have caught him off-guard,


    "Hello?"


    It sounded human.


    It was a sweet voice-harmless even,


    "Is anyone in there?"


    "Come out. Don''t be afraid"


    "Why don''t you be obedient"


    Chu Yi still didn''t respond, the thing on the other side didn''t seem to care about this and kept repeating its line in an never-ending crescendo that ascended cruelly, distorted and shrill until eventually the words became nothing but ear-piercing shrieks at the door in garbled, intelligible syllables!


    It didn''t immediately break down the hollow door to get inside and seemed to want to drive its prey mad with fear first, deliberately pushing them to the brink of despair when they realize there is no escape!


    In this open room, there was nowhere to hide, the office seemed to have been deliberately made so that anybody who enters would be able to see the room at a glance, therefore it also completely cut off all forms of retreat for anyone who was hiding inside,


    In this case, it was Chu Yi.


    Tch-


    Chu Yi sneered hoarsely, his already struggling heart bursting in flames of anger directly,


    His eyes were scarlet and fierce, the tyrannical murderous intent that had been accumulating from the moment he had found the hard drive that documented the merman''s mating cycle, was getting more and more violent!


    It felt as if there was a suffocated breath stuck in his chest, like a balloon slowly rising with hot, he would directly explode if not vented properly and yet it also like he had a cork screwed on his top that would not release until he made a decision,


    A decision that would have to wait until he saw the video.


    Chu Yi exhaled, feeling that his chest and lungs were filled with the a strange stench of the blood, it wafted in from outside along with the wretched screaming creatures and the smell itself was so strong it felt like poison traveling down his throat.


    It was to the point where it became like gelatinous blood, sticky and lumped against the muscles of his airway,


    Just like before, it became difficult to even breathe!


    In his heart, however, the excitement of being of the verge of death made his blood boil, and the rising anger at his uncontrollable thoughts stained his face in a fiery breath!


    Huh¡ª


    It was another long exhale. He didn''t know if it was an illusion, but the temperature inside Chu Yi''s body was rising, and the usually faint red lines started shining, emerging from his skin with a tyrannical breath!


    The the voice on his head kept urging, tempting him to just let loose of all inhibitions and begin a bloody reign of mass terror, to destroy anything that stood in his way!


    The screeching became a backdrop for the heat that flowed like molten magma in his veins. The restlessness caused by the angry flame triggered a desire for destruction, it made him eager to tear anything to shreds and devour the flesh and blood of his prey!


    The almost cannibalistic urge creeped into his heart and set his mind ablaze.


    His chaotic and turbulent mind was unable to think calmly, It seemed as if thousands of dangerous knowledge were pouring into his mind, stirring his brain into a boiling soup, all kinds of disorderly memory fragments were expanding, colliding, and rolling!


    He wasn''t able to decipher the outpour of information and instead it turned into an almost instinctive desire to kill!


    He couldn''t breath, he couldn''t think, this was forcing him to collapse!


    Chu Yi''s eyes darkened with an almost crazed light and suddenly he lifted his arm and severely bit a bloody hole into his own hand!


    White teeth sank into the soft flesh of his palms, a deep wound was formed and he could taste the metallic sweetness of his own blood sliding down his throat-


    Almost instantly the pain suppressed his chaotic thinking and the voices in his head faded away as droplets of scarlet, red blood dripped down from his fingers and onto the floor!


    Gasp-


    He didn''t have time to dwell on what just happened, and after closing his eyes and resting for a second, Chu Yi, who was in a tight situation opened his eyes alertly, squeezed the knife in his hand, and turned his gaze back to the door.


    From underneath he could see four black shadows pacing unsteadily at the hatch, they seemed to be waiting for the perfect time to barge in and feast on the delicate prey that was trapped in their net!


    Unlike before, the shadows had a humanoid shape which was probably the leeway the system gave him during the day. With similar weaknesses and similar anatomy, he had a higher chance of escaping death-


    As if feeling his gaze, one of the dark figures moved forward, Chu Yi only felt an extremely cold gaze looking at him, full of malice and greed, as if was selecting the best place to start cutting him from, Chu Yi didn''t flinch, his red eyes started unwavering at the door with almost a mocking sneer.


    The shrieks got louder,


    Chu Yi could intuitively feel that although the creature was blocked by the door, it could still ''see'' him in a sense.


    He looked away, this situation was tricky to deal with.


    If it was only one creature standing outside the door, he would have taken his chances against it, but instead he was outnumbered four to one. Fighting in such an enclosed place would prove as a disadvantage to him, but as he looked around, Chu Yi came to the conclusion that,


    There was no place to hide.


    The cabinets were too small and the bookshelf was tightly attached to the wall.


    There was no possibility of him being able to hide there.


    Would he really have to fight after all?


    Boom!


    The creatures had started banging on the door, the wooden block rattled in place sending dust and wood chips flying in the air,


    This door would not be able to stand as a shield for long!


    He needed to find a way!


    Chu Yi surveyed the room, his mind moving at the speed of light as he quickly calculated all the known possibilities and discarded the ones that would likely lead to his death,


    Finally his eyes locked onto the pool,


    The only disparity in the otherwise closed off escape routes- the water itself was murky and clouded, no light could penetrate into its dark depths and any movement would be quietly concealed by the rippling waves, it acted as a perfect hiding spot in this situation except he would be faced with the threat of drowning at any moment-


    Bang!


    The knocks were growing harsher-


    He needed to make a choice!


    Drowning or Fighting-


    His chest suddenly tightened with a feeling of breathlessness, a sharp pain came from both his arms as they glowed an ominous red for a second, although the light quickly dissipated, the sudden change did not miss Chu Yi''s attention and he curiously observed his arms, only to see that a single piece of shimmering, pale pink scale had somehow grown from his body and was now sitting quickly at the base of his wrists.


    He seemed to know what his transformation was,


    Don''t be afraid¡ª¡ª "A weird voice came from outside the door, it was shrill, gloomy and sounded like a helpless woman but at the same time like a hoarse beast with saliva dripping from its jaws,


    "Open the door¡ª¡ª"


    "Be obedient ¡ª¡ª"


    "Open the door¡ª¡ª"


    Looking at the creaking door, Chu Yi finally made a decision,


    There was another sharp call, the doors would only able to last for a while longer, he needed to get something to help him sink in the water quickly,


    His mind churned quickly,


    The Liquor Box!


    Although not his previous intended purpose it was heavy enough,


    He quickly moved from his spot close to the door and dashed for the desk, underneath was the same box and after immediately dragging it our from the desk, he started for the pool-


    With a last second thought, he activated the invisibility prop, it wouldn''t be of much use on land because when it wore off, he would still be directly exposed to the creatures, but it would work in the water,


    Tick-


    When he looked back one last time before slipping into the pond, Chu Yi''s pupils couldn''t help but shrink , he saw that from outside, a hazy dark mist was coming in from the crack in the door, drifting from the pile of debris into the room.


    The mist seemed to be smeared with oil, dirty and greasy, and the air was filled with scent of corpse oil and coagulated blood,


    More black mist penetrated into the door, forming a tall and thin black shadow, which seemed to be boneless, twisting and crawling on the ground.


    Haha-- oooo-- " The shadow''s sharp and piercing voice suddenly sounded, like a smile but not a smile, like a cry but not a cry, anger and malice rushed out like an evil storm,


    It rushed towards the spot Chu Yi had just been standing in and seemed to form shape blades that immediately created a whooshing sound as it slashed through the air with the intention to kill!


    The shadow seemed confused when it felt no resistance underneath its blade, and stopped crying-


    The thing seemed to have lost its goal and stabbed everywhere with its tangible blade like a lunatic. Under the dim light, the shadow seemed like an evil ghost from hell! It searched everywhere in the room, rushing to the depths of the chairman''s office, it''s body twisted and crawled everywhere, and it''s throat roared like a beast!


    It could smell Chu Yi''s scent but it couldn''t find him to its dismay.


    "Haha-- oooooo--"


    The shadow become more frantic and anxious, calling out like a angry wail of an infant, screaming hysterically, stern and angry, as it relayed its failure to the creatures on the other side,


    From this angle, Chu Yi couldn''t see it clearly, and could only vaguely infer from the still screeching voice outside that this was a preemptive strike from the creatures outside,


    If he hadn''t made a quick decision, then this thing would have already slashed his neck while he was unprepared-


    Then he jumped!


    Splash-


    Instantly, the cold water engulfed his body in a freezing wave, the box helping him to quickly sink to the pond floor-


    And just in time, the large door went bang as it fell to floor, unable to stand the weight anymore!

 Chapter 86 - The Institute (27)

    Splash-


    Chu Yi sunk to the bottom of the pond like a heavy rock, the saline, salt water stung like sharp razors scraping thinly against his cornea, the water flooding his ears and nose as it immediately closed in on him like dark, watery prison,


    The small speck of lights that had penetrated the depths as he sank, was quickly consumed by the darkness, a white static ringing harshly in his ears as body was slowly deprived of air,


    "Haha-Oooooo----"


    The creatures had the same ugly wail as they flooded into the room from the smashed open door!


    Their faces looked to have been forcefully melted with hot wax, leaving nothing but distorted globs of fleshy skin sticking to their skull and hanging from their chins in a revolting and stomach churning manner,


    The humanoid creatures wore long, tattered gray robes splattered with browning blood and black viscera, wet with their own saliva that slid from the fleshy mouth hidden underneath the slabs of drooping skin on its face,


    Chu Yi couldn''t see anything beyond the watery prison but he could still vaguely hear them rustling and screaming angrily as they searched the entire room in desperation for their escaped prey,


    There was a heavy thump as the heavy desk was lifted and thrown to the side, the falling of books and the harsh screams of the creatures,


    Chu Yi could even faintly feel the earth vibrating beneath him,


    "Haha- Ooooooo---"


    The monsters cried in high-pitched wails once more,


    The noises outside got louder. The rustling sound had already spread throughout the entire room as they smashed and banged against the wall angrily, intermittent wails mixing with the filthy chanting, voice that asked for him to be obedient,


    "Haha¡ªoooohhhh¡ª¡ª"


    Then it all stopped,


    The room sinking into a pin-drop silence.


    The monsters seemed to have left after not finding anything, and even after a solid minute, there was still no more movement from the surface, anyone with a little less vigilance would have already swam up for air. The anxiousness from the gradually draining oxygen, the fear of the suffocating darkness around him and the relief that came with escaping death would inevitably dull their awareness and they would have hastily swum to the surface in order to catch their breath-


    Perhaps it was because of the darkness heightened all his other senses, but even through the static created by the water, he could still faintly hear the abnormal sounds of movement.


    The monsters had never left.


    They were just waiting for the relaxed prey to come swimming up the water catiously to breathe before pouncing on him and tearing the very flesh from his bones!


    Intuition told him that they definitely knew he was down there but something was preventing them from entering the water and forcefully taking his life while he was trapped underneath-


    This was a waiting game, they were waiting for him to be unable to hold on and be forced to surface and face the dangers outside!


    "Screee¨C"


    Then the voices came again, this time they sounded more anxious and even seemed to be getting closer and closer to the pond with every cry,


    "Don''t be afraid¡ª¡ª"


    "Be obedient¡ª¡ª"


    "We won''t hurt you¡ª¡ª"


    "Be obedient!¡ª¡ª"


    The unearthly screeches seemed to penetrate the watery barrier and drill straight into his mind, he felt as if a heavy hammer was pounding against his skull and a suffocated breath was trapped in his chest, the voice that had been barely suppressed rose up again with gusto, in harmony with the screeches, it burrowed into his brain like a parasite and scattered his thoughts to nothingness!


    Chu Yi felt as if he was nailed to a spinning board, everything around him distorted in chaotic roars that screamed at him to just give up!


    "Be obedient!!¡ª¡ª"


    A sharp pain suddenly assaulted his heart and uncontrollably Chu Yi opened his mouth in shock,


    Instantly, the filthy water flooded into his mouth and down his esophagus, instantly depriving him of whatever oxygen he still had left in his lungs, by now he was purely relying on the anaerobic cells in his body to squeeze out the nutrients needed to keep his heart going!


    The voices on the other side seemed to become louder in excitement as if they could anticipate the moment he delivered himself to their clawed hands!


    Chu Yi''s eyes glowed red, much like a sinister ghost, in the pitch black waters, he waa suffocating but even on the verge of death their was no anxiousness or despair on his face, instead his eyes seemed to glow with a predatorial instinct,


    The corner of his lips looked to raise with a smile and he stayed motionless regardless of his body crying out for life,


    That was because he had realized that his lungs seemed to have undergone a subtle change!


    He had been under the water for more than ten minute and despite the feeling of choking suffocation and his heart beating rapidly in his chest,


    Chu Yi was suprised to notice that he wasn''t in immediate danger of dying,


    The heavy pressure from the water weighed against him like a thick sheet of wool but the suffocated breath is his lungs seemed to be hanging on by some strange incidence and he could sense that he could last for another ten minutes underwater!


    Chu Yi remembered the inexplicable scale that had appeared on his wrist, and when he shifted his head in the water, he could see below that the translucent scale had turned into a bright red that shone ominously in the shadowy depths,


    It had definitely contributed to his increased lung capacity,


    Chu Yi turned his head back to the surface,


    The creatures seemed to have stopped chanting and left for good this time. There was even a faint rustle as the creatures walked through the door and disappeared into the winding corridor,


    It seemed that the coast was finally clear,


    In most horror stories, the monsters would not repeat the same tricks more than two times, after the initial scare that either ended in death or not, it was ussually time for another scene and the monsters would slink away.


    Anyone would believe that Chu Yi had really escaped death this time even after five minutes had passed, there was still no other movement from outside.


    And yet, even when his thinking had started to go dull from the lack of air, he still did not surface¡ª


    His mind although trapped in a trance-like daze was quickly able to spot the disparity in the creatures actions,


    Chu Yi distinctly remembered that when he had first spotted the monsters, there were four shadows that reflected outside the door but just now when the creatures seeminglyl left, there was only the sound of three cloths rubbing against the broken threshold.


    Anyone else would have disregarded it as a fluke and believed that they had misheard but Chu Yi never underestimated the system-


    He could feel a sore tightness in his lungs and even his limbs that felt like lead in the heavy depths seemed to gradually grow numb and detached as if they were not apart of him anymore,


    There was a low throbbing in his skull and Chu Yi could feel his heartbeat slowing in his chest¡ª


    This was a telltale sign of drowning!


    Eight minutes passed- time was running out, if he didn''t surface now he would sooner have no strenght to do so and would die in this watery grave!


    His body was screaming for air!


    He still didn''t move¡ª


    Chu Yi seemed to be waiting for something!


    His body was slowly dying, there was not much time!


    Splash¡ª


    It came,


    Chu Yi subconsciously looked towards the surface. The water itself was completely taken over by swimming, dark green algae, it was dark and had built its own ecosystem, so regardless of whether it was inside or outside the water, it should pitch-black.


    Therefore, when he looked up, he shouldn''t have been able to see anything through the shadowy curtain of water,


    And yet, a completely white pupil, suddenly appeared on the surface of the water, splitting the darkness and peeking through the crack to stare greedily at him.


    It could see him, no doubt, and it stared straight at him with depraved and filthy hunger, Chu Yi could tell that if it was given a chance, it would peel the skin from his muscles and extract the bones from his body, to feast delicately at his flesh!


    It wasn''t the eye of a living human, or rather, it didn''t look like the eye of a real person.


    This was a creature that had been formed with the human body as an archetype but had the filthiness and corruption that existed in all creatures that were mashed together and nurtured to become the ugliest and most revolting existence in the abyss!


    The eye seemed to be seperated from the body and suspended above the water, the eye seemed to come with a strange sense of coercion and when it began chanting the same broken rhetoric, Chu Yi was suprised to feel his limbs moving against his will,


    Something inside his brain was forcing him to swim forward!


    No matter how much he tried to suppress his movements, it seemed as if puppet strings had inserted into veins and regardless of how he struggled he could only obey the orders of the puppet master!


    The voice on the outside became quicker and nore rushed in anticipation as it watched Chu Yi being slowly pulled towards his doom!


    "Be obedient¡ª¡ª"


    It seemed that Chu Yi was heading for certain death this time!


    No!


    He wouldn''t allow it!


    Chu Yi''s eyes immediately dilated into narrow slits and without hesitation, he summoned his sword and slammed it directly into the leg that was being pulled upwards!


    Scarlet red blood instantly flowed!


    His eyes glinted with a fierce and heavy light!


    He wouldn''t accept such an inferior creature as his final resting place!


    If he was going to die now, he would do it himself!


    As if he couldn''t feel the pain Chu Yi continued to stab himself maniacally, blood kept flowing, painting the waters with blood, Chu Yi felt as if his entire body was being burned in blazing flames but regardless he never stopped,


    He even wanted to laugh!


    A smile filled with madness crossed his face, even as his body slowly grew cold, the smile never faded,


    Like the alluringly decadent tale of the nightingale¡ª a bird that would pierce itself onto the highest branch and sing it''s most beautiful song in death, a bloody rose that would tear off all its thorns and snap its stem but would never lose its beauty!


    That eye was currently looking at him.


    The creature outside was currently looking at him.


    The two eyes interlocked, Chu Yi''s eyes filled with crazed defiance against the neverending hunger of the creatures, the atmosphere sank into a strange deadlock.


    There was an invisible deadlock between the two of them and whoever broke first would lose in this terrifying game of death¡ª


    Who knows how long this deadlock lasted? Perhaps it lasted for a long time, or maybe it only lasted a few seconds, but just as Chu Yi felt himself dying, the creature''s white eyes disappeared.


    The water around him once again falling into infinite darkness.


    It was over.


    He had truly escaped death this time,


    The feeling of his limbs being controlled disappeared and with a swing of his bloody legs, Chu Yi was propelled to the surface,


    He quickly emerged from the water and removed the hair sticking to his bloodless face with a cold hand,


    Hugh¡ª


    Chu Yi gulped in oxygen greedily, his chest gasping heavily as his body rejoiced the feeling of inhaling air-


    He could feel the surging madness in his heart dissipate and the feeling of sound once again resuscitating back into space,


    Haha!


    His laugh started out small, a low, hoarse chuckle but not before long, it grew louder until he had completely fallen into a fit of mad hysterics!


    So fun!


    He loved this world!


    Chatter¡ª


    Chu Yi looked down at his feet, with a grin, to see something fall from his pocket,


    Once he recognized it, the laughter in his throat immediately died down as the anger in his heart once again fired up,


    He still hadn''t seen the hard drive.

 Chapter 87 - The Institute (28)

    Tang Shun shifted away from the wall and slowly walked to Chao Bin''s side, he didn''t seem to hold any embrassment or resentment on his face, instead the eyes he used to look at Chao Bin took on an extra mischievous almost evil light.


    The oblivious Chao Bin suddenly sneezed, and rubbed his nose,


    Who''s thinking about him?


    Tang Shun didn''t dwell further on his previous blunder and after nearing Chao Bin, he reached out and lightly patted the spot that sounded the system before and it once again requested the access code.


    "What do you think it is?"


    Tang Shun thought for a moment, then tentatively replied to the system,


    "Acess Code is BV1450."


    He reported the name of the first abandoned planet.


    [<ACESSS CODE DENIED>]


    [<NUMBER OR REMAINING ATTEMPTS: 2>]


    Chao Bin immediately frowned and looked at the faint interface with some regret, if he knew that the number of tries were limited he would have stopped Tang Shun.


    Tang Shun who was the direct recipient of this warning, didn''t look fazed, he had already somewhat expected this. The instance would never give them unlimited attempts unless there was a hidden agenda amongst it,


    By then the danger would be astronomical.


    At the very least they knew now that the acess code wasn''t related to the archive of abandoned planets.


    "Alright¡ªthere doesnt seem to be anything else that we can find now, so let''s reunite with Chu Yi and exchange discoveries."


    There was no reply,


    He tilted his head towards Chao Bin,


    "What''s the matter?" Tang Shun saw him sinking into thought, and asked mildly , "What did you think of?"


    Chao Bin''s brows were flustered, "I seem to hear the same voice from the fence."


    Tang Shun''s face instantly turned solemn and he swiveled to face Chao Bin, "What is it saying now?"


    Chao Bin was about to answer, when with warning, an impenetrable, bluish-black fog before his eyes! Everything around him was instantly obscured by the sudden looming darkness. This ''fog'' spread rapidly, getting deeper and thicker, as it covered the entire room, and even beyond!


    It didn''t seem to be life-threatening as Chao Bin could still breath just fine but it still didn''t make this unexpected situation any better,


    He looked around, he had been transported to this vast and endless wasteland, there was nothing in sight, no beginning, no end, as the fog covered as far as the eye can see.


    He was alone trapped and confused; the bloodied walls of the confinement room, the rotting corpses on the floor and even Tang Shun, all seemed to have vanished into thin air,


    "Tang Shun!"


    Chao Bin yelled Tang Shun''s name in the void hopefully, but there was no answer.


    He could feel his heart beginning to race in a frantic frenzy, it was almost as if he had been abandoned by the whole world!


    A thick, wet smell came from the off-black mist, It uncannily reminded him of the earth after a downpour of heavy rain and yet it was also mixed with a strange metallic smell that he was inexplicably familiar with,


    There was no sound in this space¨C


    As his mind turned chaotically in confusion, worry and vigilance tugged at his heart strings, a fear that he long suppressed rose up,


    The panic frying his nerve endings, and made it so that even if he was attacked at this very moment, the feeling of weakness in his limbs would definitely prevent him exerting his full strenght¡ª


    He hated this feeling,


    He couldn''t be weak,


    Not anymore.


    Chao Bin shakily inhaled a deep breathe and tried to steady his racing heartbeat


    Hugh¡ª¡ª


    But even the gods seemed to be against him today because just when he was finally able to calm himself enough to try and figure a way out, countless slippery, mucus covered tentacles suddenly appeared from the depths of the fog, and at once, they all attacked him!


    The tentacles were covered in a weird slick that resembled grey fur, it was attached to it like countless tiny parasites that wiggled disgustingly as it flew through the air,


    Swoosh¨C¨C


    Chao Bin stretched out his hand to resist, but it was a futile attempt, those furry tentacles wrapped around his limbs accurately, completely binding his body, the smell of wet pus and fur stung his nose like arsenic as he tried to fight them away!


    There was the spine-chilling sound of flesh tearing and the top of each ugly tentacle suddenly cracked open, turning into big mouths that resembled bloody basins, a voice appeared from the mouths and in a weird shrill wail, it screamed at him angrily,


    "Why don''t you want to see my face¡ª¡ª"


    "Look at me! Only look at me¡ª¡ª"


    The tentacles tightened, It seemed to want to choke him to death!


    Outside the illusion, Tang Shun found that Chao Bin suddenly stopped talking. He initially thought that he was thinking or listening to the voice, but after a sold second of no movement, he quickly realized that Chao Bin was not right,


    His brown eyes seemed to be staring straight at the entrance and after Tang Shun followed his gaze, he calculated that this was the direction of the outside world, Chao Bin''s seemed to have lost their focus, and there was a cloud of thin purple fog reflecting in his soft pupils!


    "Chao Bin?" Tang Shun felt wrong, he stretched out his hand and grabbed his arm, "Chao Bin!"


    This was similar to the trance Chao Bin had faced when he was near the fence, but at this moment Tang Shun could sense that whatever was encroaching on him had grown powerful enough to infiltrate in from the outside!


    That foreign voice was now directly assaulting Chao Bin''s mind!


    In a flash of inspiration, he stood between him and the door and held up Chao Bin''s face with both hands, "Chao Bin, Wake up!"


    He noticed that the purple light in Chao Bin''s eyes reflected a weird fox like shape, although distorted and not yet fully formed, Tang Shun could still vaguely make out its original shape,


    A Fox...


    A creature that was known to be the epitome of cruelty and paranoid obsession,


    Chao Bin''s face reflected a weird look that he had never seen before on him, this type of expression, was usually only seen on the faces of deranged cultists and disciples of strange, crucified relgions,


    With such a demeanor, it was almost as if that person was deeply trapped in a kind of nihilistic belief, to the point where their consciousnesss was gradually devoured by their devotion¡ª they have already thrown away their own sense of self, and only followed the orders of the god in his heart!


    This was not good¡ª¡ª


    "Wake up, Chao Bin!"


    He still had no response.


    Chao Bin was like a faulty machine that had lost power, having lost his mobility to think and move for himself and he was now left with only an empty shell!


    Tang Shun''s brows furrowed into deep gullies, obviously just pulling him away like before wouldn''t work. Whatever was assaulting Chao Bin was directly attached to his spiritual consciousness and could not be forced out artificially¨C


    Chao Bin would have to rely on himself to escape from the throes of this deep illusion,


    Tang Shun pursed his lips and looked towards Chao Bin''s dull eyes, he couldn''t comprehend the slight worry that settled at the bottom of his heart but it didn''t stop the sudden thought to speed up their current progess and leave this copy as quickly as possible, from rising to the forefront of his mind.


    He exhaled softly,


    First, he probed Chao Bin''s breath with his hands, and then stretched to the side of neck at his carotid artery to check whether his pulse and temperature were normal.


    They were,


    Therefore what purpose did the voice have exactly¨C


    Tang Shun stretched out his hand again and was about to place it on Chao Bin''s heart to check whether his heartbeat was pumping at normal levels, but the moment his fingers touched Chao Bin''s chest, severe pain traveled up his fingers and through his arms to his heart, he couldn''t he''ll but hunch over in agony and he almost cried out when he felt a harsh sizzling and burning sensation on his arm, as the skin on his left hand suddenly turned an off-white grey!


    Tang Shun grunted in pain¡ª


    The turned skin quickly dried up and cracked as if he was shedding, and soon the original grey skin on his hand lifted up and fluttered slightly in the air as it fell to the floor, beneath it, Tang Shun could see that the skin had become pink and tender like new flesh¡ª


    The agony however, didn''t dissipate along with it and where the new skin appeared he felt as if he was going through a process of being burned with molten hot lava, then subsequently dropped into a deep ice cavern and once again set ablaze with flame! The alternating sensation of cold and heat on his nerve, was more painful than if he was being stabbed over and over again!


    "Fuck!"


    Cold sweat poured from his forehead, the gentleness at the corner of his eyes completely fell through, he was angry¡ª with pupils suddenly dilating with a chiling and barbaric light, even the atmosphere around him seemed to fall to freezing temperatures-


    Tang Shun slowly raised a slender hand to his face,


    Tch-


    Even the pain was now ignored,


    Hugh¡ª¡ª


    He hated the feeling of being out of control,


    His body was strangely filled with the scent of callousness and brutality, a kind of cold tyranny rising from his bones- he pondered slightly, calculations that disregarded human life rapidly churning in his heart ¡ª¡ª


    Tang Shun chuckled under his breath "Manipulating us like ants beneath your feet." He seemed to be talking to an unknown existence in the void,


    His lowered eyebrows, deep eyes that made people think of the bottomless abyss that existed beneath towering cliffs, the desire to suppress, and the fierce desire for control, all revealed in those stormy, black eyes.


    "If you dare to do it, I dare to kill you."


    He lifted his lips, the sudden smile diluting the cold oppression, and adding a trace of the previous gentle affinity but the words out of his mouth were extremely cruel,


    "Who made me love the sight of blood"


    Hugh¨C¨C


    At this moment, Chao Bin who was struggling in a faraway dream suddenly moved, disrupting the brooding thoughts that flashed through Tang Shun''s mind,


    He was panting heavily, his body swayed slightly and he seemed to be on the verge of falling weakly¡ª


    Ignoring the burn of his own transformation,


    Tang Shun subconsciously stretched out his arms to catch the falling boy,


    Chao Bin suddenly woke up from the strange purple fog, as if there was an invisible force that had dragged him out of the hold of the tentacles that entangled and suffocated him to death.


    He left that inextricable illusion and fell into a warm embrace.


    "Hey¨C Are you alright..."


    "Chao Bin!"


    Faintly, Chao Bin heard a slightly worried voice,


    It was the familiar voice of Tand Shun but as it sounded in his clogged ears, it seemed to have dropped its gentle edge and was now tinged with a hint of hard cruelty,


    He liked it this way,


    Dazedly, he opened his eyes, facing the familiar peach blossom eyes, they were different from before but he couldn''t pinpoint where it was different,


    He exhaled softly and shook off the feeling of weakness,


    "I''m okay." Chao Bin tried to stand on his own but he winced immediately, unexpectedly his chest felt sore and painful and even his lungs seemed to have been punctured with a bloody hole¨C


    He tried to take a deep breath and immediately wrinkled his face.


    The residual effect of suffocation by the tentacles in the illusion, seemed to have followed him into the real world.


    He hissed softly as he felt around his ribs, they were definitely bruised.


    The heart-wrenching pain coming from Tang Shun''s hands gradually diminished, and he immediatrly checked Chao Bin''s pupil


    The fox was gone but he still seemed to see a hint of purple hiding deep inside Chao Bin''s eyes.


    Tch-


    He sighed heavily and the gentleness on his body was completely restored, he shook his head at Chao Bin


    "It''s fortunate that you woke up, you seemed to have been completely controlled by something and regardless of how I called, you would not respond to any signal."


    Chao Bin thought of the trance he had experienced at the fence before, it was nowhere near this level of complete immersion and it was just as Tang Shun had said, the calls would only get more and more powerful.


    Transformation, mutants, inexplicable illusions,


    What exactly was going on with the Institute,


    He told Tang Shun all these things, together with all his feelings during that time,


    "These should be related more to your transformation or your alienated stated." Tang Shun concluded,


    Chao Bin didn''t want to think about it anymore.


    When he thought of these things, his mental prowess seemed to weaken, it was difficult to concentrate, and the scenes of helpless suffocation kept playing back in his mind,


    "Let''s just get out of here for now. This place gives me ominous vibes."


    Tang Shun nodded and without another look back they left the confinement room and all the horrors hiding within it.

 Chapter 88 - The Institute (29)

    The moment Tang Shun and Chao Bin reunited with Chu Yi, they could instantly tell that something was very wrong,


    Despite the lack of anger or brooding fury on Chu Yi''s face, they could still feel a heavy, oppressive tension stifling the air around him like a dense weight squeezed against their hearts¨C


    Vaguely, as Tang Shun drew closer; he inexplicably noticed a faint outline projecting from the darkness behind Chu Yi, the silhouette had attached itself tightly to his body, and regardless of where Chu Yi turned, it would always be floating right before his eyes.


    Almost as if it was tyrannically marking Chu Yi as it''s own.


    He squinted his eyes slightly and although mostly indecipherable, intuition told him that this oppressive shadow was related to the merman¡ª


    The creature seemed to have felt his burning stare and briefly shifted it''s gaze towards Tang Shun,


    Almost instantaneously, Tang Shun felt as if thousands of sharp, tiny needles were stabbing into his eyeballs, the pain worse than the feeling of salt being forcefully poured into his eyes, leaving them watering and painful,


    Tang Shun immediately averted his gaze,


    This was a warning¨C


    When he turned his head back, the figure seemed to have disappeared but Tang Shun didn''t believe this at all, it was only hidden. The brief look he had captured when the creature turned its head was seared into the back of his mind,


    The creatures whole body was too dazzling, the familiar and unfamiliar oppressive power, the beastly cruelty and the awe-inspiring pressure almost made his soul tremble in fear, this wasn''t just an evil spirit, this was something far more terrifying,


    And said existence had set its sight on Chu Yi.


    He put the thought aside, there would be time to look into it later.


    The closer they got to Chu Yi the more intuitively they could feel the cold and silent anger radiating from him, just waiting for the floodgates to release,


    Chao Bin who had been faintly discussing with Tang Shun immediately fell into a bewildered silence, the building tension in the air and the uncanny frown on Chu Yi''s face, all reminded him of the calm before the storm.


    He couldn''t help but pause in his steps, hesitation appearing in his heart,


    On the other hand, Tang Shun who also felt the suppressed cruelty on Chu Yi, like the suppressed magma rolling beneath an active volcano- still tentatively approached,


    The first thing that Tang Shun noticed was the dazzling red blood stains all over the snow white skin of Chu Yi''s leg, the wet cloth stuck to his chest and his already pale face had turned ghastly from evident bloodloss,


    Intuition told him that Chu Yi anger was not targeted at them but at another unknown factor, Tang Shun was strangely reminded of the silhouette that haunted Chu Yi,


    "What happened to you?"


    Needless to say, Chu Yi had escaped certain death, but regardless of his apparent uncomfortableness, he still described the horrors of the office in return for Chao Bin''s ordeal,


    The entire morning of the carpet search was sufficiently detailed, but there were still no superfluous findings that would lead them to a big breakthrough in the Instance,


    The entire week of exploration had yielded to a greater extent, alot of clues to the secrets behind the Insistitute but it still didn''t give them a hint as to who the mastermind was,


    On the surface it seemed that the Federation was the


    real perpetrator of all these crimes but none of the players were gullible enough to believe that the real answer was so simple,


    As Tang Shun analyzed the situation , Chu Yi agreed with his belief that the voice from outside the fence had something to with Chao Bin''s alienated form, this was something that had appeared only after the first operation, therefore it could only point to one thing,


    His blood had a connection to the forest outside the Institute,


    "We have two options at the moment, go to the Operarion Room to watch the new hard drive or use the acesss card to see if we can find anything that would maybe be of use,


    The corner of Chu Yi''s lips raised in a light mocking sneer,


    "Then let''s go to the Operating Room."


    Chu Yi eyes were cold, his voice was not loud, but it was inexplicably frightening,


    Tang Shun and Chao Bin exchanged a baffled look, but still followed along,


    When they arrived at the door operating room, they happened bump into a group of players that had just finished searching the room,


    Neither parties acknowledged each other , and the other group even seemed to hold some inexplicable hostility towards them,


    They deliberately brushed past them as they walled and when one one player was walking by Chu Yi, he deliberately said in a voice loud enough for him to hear,


    "Why don''t you go die faster,"


    Something snapped,


    Chu Yi stopped walking, a hand reaching out and yanked the startled man back towards him,


    "What the hell are you doing¨C"


    Chu Yi looked very calm,


    Too calm in fact,


    Although his face was bloodless, there was still a terrifying danger imprisoned in those seemingly cold and indifferent pupils, it seemed as if in the next second he would use his teeth as a sacrifice to severe the throat of the man in front of him, and drown his face in blood!


    The man''s heart stuttered and the heavy pressure made his knees tremble uncontrollably, a panicked breath gasping in his throat,


    Ghost¨C


    White hands grasped the man''s neck, and although he was drowning in the sudden fear, the man still couldn''t couldn''t but shiver at the coldness of Chu Yi''s hand,


    He squinted his eyes, and the aggressiveness that he had previously displayed was even more sharp at this moment¡ª


    Chu Yi lifted his arm mercilessly, and slowly the man''s feet were raised from the ground!


    Chu Yi didn''t disguise the murderous intent brewing in his pupils and the hand on the mans neck deliberately tightened,


    ''Choke¨C¨C''


    The man''s companions were shell-shocked and could react in time to save him¨C


    Da, Da, Da, Da,


    There was a sudden flurry of footsteps in the distance, and Mu Fang hurried in this direction with long and heavy strides, his face frowning with slight nervousness when he noticed the scene,


    Chu Yi didn''t look back,


    "Who are you to talk to me?"


    His voice was gentle, his speech hardly fluctuating, it was if he was stating a simple fact, but under the calm tone, it suppressed some chillingly dark elements,


    "Hey!"


    "Chu Yi, Let him go!"


    "It was a simple misunderstanding ¨C"


    Cbu Yi''s s expression was still cold and calm, except for the sharp red eyes and the infrared rays shadowing his face, there was almost no difference from usual,


    This also made him look strangely terrible!


    Mu Fang hurried towards them and his mouth anxiously pleaded for them to be lenient,


    Tch-


    As if he had been persuaded Chu Yi flung the man to the floor unceremoniously and wiped his fingers in disgust,


    Mu Fang immediately seized the chance to go on a slew, quickly trying to resolve the problem by explaining that the man and some others had some strange hostility towards them because they believed that those who have been stamped and classified as red would soon turn into monsters just like the first player and kill them all, and also that he was trying to persuade them but some of them were too stubborn¨C


    Chao Bin interrupted him, his voice sounded friendly as he spoke but the words directly made Mu Fang''s face turn black,


    "Don''t pretend to be a savior in front of me, aren''t all your previous lackeys dead because of you... Who here is buying your bullshit¨C"


    "...."


    The brown-haired boy squinted at him, his lips rising sarcastically, "You are a bit more interesting than the ignorant creatures with average single-cell brains outside."


    Mu Fang felt fishy blood rising in the back of his throat but for the sake of the greater scheme, proposed cooperation,


    Chao Bin looked back at the unresponsive Chu Yi and Tang Shun who just watched the play with interest and finally decided to agree,


    "Happy Cooperation¨C"


    As he said, he stretched out his index finger symbolically, shook Mu Fang''s hand briefly, and then shook it with disgust, as if contact with someone like Mu Fang was already his greatest blessing.


    Mu Fang: "...?"


    He really wanted to ask this big boss, are you still in the second grade? You are lovely and likeable when you don''t talk, why do I want to hit you as soon as you open your mouth....


    Although the partnership was concluded, the atmosphere in the corridor fell silent again because of Chao Bin''s actions,


    Eventually they parted ways in awkwardness,


    Chu Yi entered the room, quickly found the dvd player and without further thought, plugged the hard drive in¨C


    The video started in a damp underground cellar, the lights had been replaced with a luminous blue light that set the ambience in the cave to a calm, peaceful lull.


    There wasn''t anyone appearing in the video this time, and in the lens they could see nothing but the familiar capsule,


    Maybe it was to facilitate the upcoming mating, but the glass prison had also been thoroughly cleaned and the special liquid inside replaced,


    Splash¨C


    The merman wasn''t alone in the capsule, and swimming in the same shallow waters as him was a beautiful creature.


    A mermaid¨C


    The mermaid''s visage, altough deceptive, appeared weak and fragile, this type of fragility made the female mermaid possess a naturally pure and ethereal beauty,


    It swum gracefully, cutting through the clear waters and fluttered charmingly at the tail of the merman, it''s cries that resembled a twittering bird came in short, shrill bursts,


    She was evidenlty luring him to mate,


    Unlike the merman, this mermaid seemed to have lost all her human instincts and just like a regular animal in rut, she didn''t care about shame or dignity and seemed determined to mate with the same species as her.


    This creature was obviously of a lower tier than the merman who still seemed to retain its humanity even under the overwhelming influence of it''s animalistic instinct,


    Tch-


    The mermaid''s tail flickered playfully, inborn silver-white hair floated like pure and holy snow in the light of the gleaming reflection of waves,


    With the pale-bluish scales of her tail seemingly emitting layers of sparkling translucent mist, a pair of light emerald eyes shimmered in the water with lust and heat!


    "Chii¨C¨C"


    Along with this final mating call, Chu Yi saw that the merman and mermaind slowly approached each other.


    His heart stinged with a strange emotion and Chu Yi could feel his his fingers clenching against his will,


    The mermaid was more enthusiastic than the merman, even as she danced around him, showing her admiration, the merman was unexpectedly calm,


    This was quite different from the regular performances of many other mammals during mating. Whether on land or in water, there would be several other males competing for a female. It was also common for males to compete in order to gain a female''s favor, but now,


    The merman appeared to be in some disdain to the mermaid, and although he seemed to accept her gift of mating, there was a lazy almost condescending air about him,


    "Chii¨C¨C"


    The moment the mermaid threw herself into the arms of the merman, directly wrapping her tail around his, Tang Shun felt a billowing murderous intent explode from Chu Yi standing beside him!


    Chu Yi''s eyes had completely turned to ice, there was no anger in his heart, just a pure adulterated need to kill,


    The merman seemed to fully embraced the mermaid into his arms, regardless of the feelings of the people watching, he rubbed his nose on the crook of her neck to mark her with his scent,


    Chu Yi sneered derisively, and lifted his foot to step away, he had seen enough¨C¨C


    However, in the next second, Chao Bin exclaimed loudly as if he had seen an even more shocking sight, and subconsciously he turned back to see and to his suprise, the merman had done something completely unexpected !


    "Chi!!¡ª¡ª"


    He only saw a flash of light as the merman moved, then a large amount of purple-red blood spilled from the gaping wound that bluntly cut across the entirety of the mermaid''s abdomen, as her organs slipped out pooling at the base of the capsule, along with her entirely broken body including the head stump that was savagely torn off¨C


    Her long white hair was floating upward, completely covered in blood that still was still spilling from a ripper off head. The exposed neck arteries and her bloody broken spine that was still connected to the skull spoke of the sheer force that the merman used to end her life¨C


    He had completely played everyone!


    The merman was still holding onto the headless body, and like a real tiger shark, he brutally bit and tore the mermaid''s flesh into shreds. His wolfish eyes flickered dangerously with the desire and want of a ferocious mythological creature,


    The once handsome face at that moment looked like a sinister ghost appearing amidst the dense bloody water,


    It seemed to turn to their direction and it''s eyes seem to bore through the screen and directly locked onto the standing audience,


    The merman looked out at them, a pair of dark eyes twinkling with cold light, like a murderous devil rising from a sea of ??blood that flowed with filth from the mountain of dead, The strong mental power swept the group as it was, and the heavy pressure directly deprived them of air,


    Then it let out a cry, holding up the headless corpse in its hands,


    "Chiii¨C¨C"


    This was a roar of victory!

 Chapter 89 - The Institute (30)

    "...."


    "What kind of forbidden plot twist is this?"


    Chao Bin looked at the black screen with incredulousness, why had a normal animal mating documentary suddenly turned itself into a bloody horror show....


    He looked around in mild disbelief, and they could hear him muttering under his breath,


    "The mermaid was so beautiful too¨C"


    "...."


    Tang Shun, on the other hand, subconsciously turned his head towards the quiet Chu Yi and immediately noticed him staring at the finished video intently, a somewhat complicated expression settling on his face.


    The heavy force field surrounding him had naturally abated, and the tense lines along his body had relaxed at some point in time¨C strange.


    He turned back to Chao Bin, the boy still seemed stunned by what he had just witnessed,


    "What should we do with this information now?"


    The air sunk into a kind of embarrassed silence¨Cno one seemed to have an answer for this,


    "...?"


    "Cough¨C¨C"


    Chao Bin, seeing as no one was going to reply; was the one who broke the tension,


    "Naturally, since we''ve already seen the video, the best course of action now is to go to the file room. Maybe we can find something that will give us acess to the hidden door in the confinement room."


    Chu Yi, who had already reconciled with himself, seemed to have been reminded of something along with this statement and regardless of his previous explosive mindset spoke up quite calmly,


    "There''s something off about this copy."


    Chao Bin shook away the useless thoughts circulating his mind and quickly turned his attention to Chu Yi,


    "Have you noticed that as long as we think about going to a specific place in the Institute, we''ll eventually find it, regardless of whether we have a general direction or not¨C It''s seems to me as if we''re almost being guided"


    Tang Shun instantly frowned and nodded in quick understanding, before this they had also doubted the simplicity of finding such important place like Confinement. Although it didn''t signal less danger but it was still a disparity displayed by the copy.


    But Chao Bin also had his doubts¨Cwas it really important, maybe it was just a leeway given by the system...


    Chu Yi noticed it¨C


    "It''s not a simple case of a blind cat meeting a dead mouse and neither is it an isolated incident between us. In other copies maybe this would not prove to be much of a conundrum, but this is an Interstellar world that specializes in interdimensional travel not to mention we are in a highly classified Insistitute that is directly monitored by the Federation. Dimensions, planes and space itself are obviously not foreign concepts."


    Chao Bin was abruptly shaken awake¨C yes, although the state of the environment hinted towards a more Victorian classification, this was still an Interstellar copy. The people, the multitude planets and galaxies and the methods used by civilization were all integrated with space and although they have not been directly exposed to it considering they materialized on the isolated, abandoned planets, it still didn''t dismiss the fact that the entire world belonged to a technological era.


    Not taking account of this factor would definitely lead to major errors in their analysis and calculations that would probably be too late to rectify after all their plans has begun being carrying out¨C


    He had subconsciously ignored all of this, it was fortunated that he was reminded of it before he did anything that would prove irreversible!


    Chao Bin shivered slightly at the thought of what could have happened, maybe such a situation had even been deliberately fostered by the system to directly force them to death¨C


    Tamg Shun glanced at Chao Bin''s white face and continued to analyze from Chu Yi''s observation,


    "Going by what you''re saying, it''s like different dimensions are constantly being added to our current dimension the more we explore, almost like the copy is expanding the more we find out the secrets here."


    Chao Bin noticed that Tang Shun always seemed to be able to catch up to the speed of Chu Yi''s thoughts jumping and even make his own similar analysis¨C briefly he couldn''t help but wonder what kind of jobs they had in real life....


    Chu Yi didn''t know what kind of dangerous thoughts Chao Bin was having at the moment and he continued to speak with his hands lightly tapping against his leg, "Exactly. For example we are in this dimension now but when I think about going to the Chairman''s Office, then the dimension that contains the Chairmans office would then be attached to this dimension, the barriers between planes are broken down to become one whole, and only then would we be allowed access to that plane."


    "Without discovering the clues and having the thought to go to the Chairman''s Office, then no matter how hard we search, that plane will still be a seperate dimension. For now there''s seems to be only these two ways for unlocking a dimension, find a clue that is in our current dimension or have the thought generated to go to that plane."


    "Maybe the first group of players at the Chairman''s Office directly met one of those criteria but were unfortunately unable to further their exploration¨C Leaving behind only one of them to be dragged to the Confinement Room to be tortured."


    "This also shows that although we are not privy to these seperate dimensions, they are still interconnected."


    "And what if we don''t find any clues...?"


    "Then we''ll stay here forever."


    The Instance gave them a limited time of one month to survive and find out the mastermind behind the Institute. But if the players survive but don''t figure out the secrets, then the only thing left for them to face is either death by organ failure, torn to shreds by monsters or a complete transformation to beasts, whether they could even leave the copy then would be up for debate.


    Therefore, the players must never just opt for one option, although the system seemed to give them a choice, if the players decided to just survive then the end results would definitely not be pretty.


    There was something else Chu Yi did not say,


    New ideas and planes were being generated every second¨C almost like an infinite dream,


    And dreams only end when the dreamer wakes up.


    "Hmm¨C"


    Chu Yi, who had been talking normally suddenly swayed on his feet and staggered back a few steps,


    The adrenaline that came with life-threatening situations wore off without warning and he could feel the overdue discomfort and soreness carried by bloodloss and overexertion flooding his nerve endings,


    The uncomfortable feeling of exhaustion made him grunt lightly, although his bodies healing capabilities had been enhanced during this time, the repeated fights and blood loss still took a harsh toll on his body,


    Tang Shun and Chao Bin immediately noticed the sudden change in demeanor and without much thought, they both reached out and steadied his frame,


    "Let''s take a rest in the dining hall, it''s soon time to dish out the antidote again."


    Chu Yi didn''t have any opinion on this and with the help of the others, he limped back into the dining room.


    However the minute they stepped through the threshold of the restaurant, all three of them were confused to feel sudden hostile gazes shooting at them from all directions!


    It was only then that they were reminded of the words Mu Fang had spoke before leaving,


    "..."


    The noises in the room ceased the movement they walked in, the players of the other colours stared at them as if looking at timed bombs, hostility and fear all mixed into one¨C


    This situation was worse than they had anticipated and it seemed the divide between players had been strengthened by the various known factors,


    This was not good.


    Nevertheless, regardless of the tension weighing the room, the trio still endured the gazes and found a random seat in the hall to rest,


    It was only after they had settled, did the noise start up again, but evidently from the glances that were occasionally made in their direction made it obvious that they had now become the objects of speculation. Chao Bin recognized one of the glares as the man who nearly been choked to death by Chu Yi.


    When the man locked gazes with him, he sneered at him with contempt before shifting his gaze away as if he couldn''t be bothered to look at the soon to be dead people.


    When the other players trickled in, the general situation of the players could be seen at a glance.


    The remaining aboringes, although not a lot were left¨C was scattered around the hall with the same dull and expressionless faces, no one spared them a glance and it seemed no one ever would.


    Chu Yi took note of this.


    The players that were classified as red were naturally secluded to the side and a faint air of exclusion radiated in the room, the players below that colour were still divided but they seemed more united against the common enemy.


    Them.


    Amongst same groups, players with unhealed injuries and disabilities were pushed to side and seemed isolated even amongst their own allies.


    This was natural however, the other players couldn''t even guarantee their own lives, who would want to pick up an extra burden that would provide them with no reward and might even end up with them losing their life¨C


    Chao Bin seemed a bit disgruntled by the others and was grumbling about their stupidity under his breath, he even cursed at the two-faced Mu Fang who quickly switched alliances as soon as it benefited him,


    Chu Yi who heard, also noticed that Mu Fang was now sitting amongst the group of yellow players and he noticed would occasionally look up to survey the room with a deliberate face of sympathy and good- intentions.


    Chu Yi, however didn''t believe this facade for one second, this was a narcissistic and hyprocrital man that would sacrifice anyone in exchange for his own goals.


    He had seen those types many times before¨Chis eyes darkened and he slowly ran his tongue across his bruised and red lips¨C at least half of those bastards had died at his hands.


    Chu Yi turned his gaze away from the sight and accepted the water offered by Tang Shun, this was taken directly from the system space.


    Although they were restricted to buying props from the tower only in black city and could only rely on previously purchased equipment to survive, basic necessities were available for all players after the first two copies and could be bought during the Instance.


    Altough the necessities only included: bandages, painkillers, compressed biscuits and water which the black hearted system sold at double the price.


    The water soothed his dry throat and gave him enough strength to think about their next course of action,


    The file room was a must and after that was the hidden hatch in the confinement room, however they needed to ensure that they stayed one step ahead of the others. Fear bred hostility and hostility bred murderous hearts.


    If they wanted to secure their survivability, taking the lead in exploration was a must, Chu Yi''s eyes glinted strangely¨C If not, he didn''t mind sending a few to their early deaths.


    No one here would feel guilty for killing, the law of the jungle wouldn''t allow for any compassion here in this danger ridden world.


    As he pondered to himself, all around him the players suddenly fell into a mute silence and lifting his head to see,


    He realized that the familiar nurses had once again made their entrance, however not only him but Tang Shun and Chao Bin quickly spotted the enigma in the players of the lower colours reactions.


    This wasn''t a face of fear, these were faces of relief and anticipation!


    When the nurses started distributing the pills, the players had long discarded their previous reluctance and suspicion, and instead they hastily swallowed the pills the moment they were handed to them, some even directly ignored the water handed to them and acted as if they were racing against time.


    Some even had faint expressions of greed when they looked at the nurses walking away to the next person.


    The only regular reactions were the players in the red camp and they looked at the others with bewildered gazes,


    Chu Yi instantly thought of something and his gaze directly met Mu Fang who was already staring in their direction, they weren''t the only ones that had been to the Operating Room that night, therefore Mu Fang definitely had an idea what those pills functioned as,


    And he had told this news to the players!

 Chapter 90 - The Institute (31)

    Chu Yi stared at Mu Fang, face devoid of anger or even shock. With such calmness, it was almost as if he was looking at an insignificant stranger, a jumping clown frantically trying to incite the crowd.


    Mu Fang''s evident scheme of fermenting chaos and distrust among the players did not make him excited, instead he almost looked bored as he observed the varying reactions of the players.


    A kind of disappointment of someone already falling into a predetermined trap.


    He then looked away disinterestedly, no longer bothered with the affairs of the players.


    Mu Fang who had been waiting in expectation for the look of betrayal and despair to appear on Chu Yi''s face, was directly pierced in the heart with those eyes,


    Even his face cramped with the effort it took to keep up his natural smile, this lack of interest was even more painful than if he had been drowned in spats of condemnation and contempt.


    Eventually with an ugly face, he turned back to his own matters.


    Tang Shun who witnessed all of this, sneered subtly,


    No, it''s not disinterest,


    That''s not the look of seeing strangers, maybe others would misunderstand, but Tang Shun couldn''t be any more clear,


    ...That''s the face of watching the dead.


    Tang Shun looked back at Chu Yi, he had truly tossed the rest of the players to the back of his mind and was now more focused on digesting the somewhat unpalatable tray of greens and soggy meat offered by the nurses.


    Even if they are both hunters, there are also many different types amongst them.


    Hunters live by hunting.


    If they don''t kill, they will starve to death.


    Some hunters would rather starve than hurt precious living beings. Such a person is noble and heroic but his route will only lead to him starving to death without merit.


    This is a failed hunter.


    No amount of sacrilege will replace ones own life.


    Some hunters are also embarrassed and feel guilty for hunting, but they are unwilling to starve themselves to death for their prey, so they draw for their bows and arrows and became ordinary hunters.


    All the while apologizing for their helplessness.


    Other hunters hold no extra emotions for their prey, neither needlessly sympathize, nor blindly hate, everything is just for survival, the basic law of nature.


    This type of hunter is an excellent archetype, he kills, just to survive, nothing more.


    The last and most neurotic kind of hunter, are the ones that have discovered the joy of hunting, he is keen on playing with his prey and enjoys the process of the hunt, he even hopes to find other hunters to show off their trophies together, they pride in raining blood and chaos.


    There is no doubt that as a hunter, this is an extremely good mentality, but they have also lost all humanity.


    Tang Shun had always believed Chu Yi was the fourth type but now, this has become unclear.


    Or maybe it had never been clear to begin with and he was just making his own biased assumptions or maybe....Chu Yi belonged to the fifth type of hunter.


    The Revived Hunters.


    *******


    After a day of rest, Tang Shun, Chu Yi and Chao Bin finally decided to make haste to the File Room.


    Now that they were aware of the subtle interconnecting between planes, they could immediately notice their field of vision suddenly shrinking and expanding after they''ve walked a certain distance.


    It was such an inconsequential detail that without paying great attention to, it would definitely be easy to miss.


    Regardless, the heavy weight on Chao Bin''s shoulders still lifted slightly, finding out now would always be better than finding out on the verge of death.


    The door to the file room was placed at the end of the corridor. It was an ordinary metal door with nothing but decaying rust scattered all over the face of the hinges and edges. The door itself wasn''t noteworthy enough but it was the floors directly leading into the door that were what instantly caught their attention!


    The closer they got to the door, the clearer the sight of these peculiarities became¨C


    Hundred upon thousands of bloody footprints were scattered all over the floor in haphazard chaos, the ground was blood-stained, winding with a crazy rhythm, it resembled a hysterical dance purely meant to glorify it''s blood and sacrifice! Some were dull and dry, some were bright and flowing. Intertwined together, it was difficult to identify how many times blood had been spilled to create such a hauntingly beautiful work of art!


    Yes...


    Work of art, as Chu Yi stared at the brightly flowing blood, still warm with the freshness of vitality; covering the waned browning spots beneath as if a dying rose shading its only flaws, he could only think of such.


    What happened?


    The three looked at each other with the same mystified confusion, nevertheless they had ventured too far to turn back now and ultimately they could only bite the bullet and carefully try to avoid the freshest blood stains and arrive at the door.


    Chu Yi couldn''t help but glance at the floor beneath him, feeling a subtle familiarity in his heart¨C as if he had seen this situation before, but that was impossible..... in the end, regardless of his own strange intuition, he still swiped the access card on the rusty machine hanging from the door.


    Beep!¨C


    They only had time to hear the sound of air releasing, then without warning the door swung open with harsh force, slamming against the side of the wall inside the room!


    The three we''re instantly startled and instinctively assumed a defensive position,


    Nothing.


    This was obviously unexpected.


    Unlike the corridor outside, the file room was devoid of any bloody footprints, as if they were barred from entering, there were bookshelves pushed up against the wall, locked cabinets and dusty overhead lights. The smell of moth and mildew from long term isolation along with a heavy musk in the air that reminded them of an old library.


    The File Room seemed like an archive used by the Institute to contain some general information, the bookshelves had a vast assortment of document''s.


    Books covering anything and everything, catering for all medical and scientific needs were also available, there were also old books from old earth and new books from the Interstellar. It was obvious that they had been procured from different places.


    Chu Yi in his search, quickly found a paper called [Recent Discoveries: Code Named <Merman 3B1>] while leafing through the shelves. It was noticed mainly because it had a conspicuous title and was boldly placed on the middle base of the most foremost bookshelf.


    Their was only a brief paragraph written on the paper,


    "...the ''Merman'' is more terrible than we thought it was. The number of neurons in their brains is five times that of humans. They also have a more developed memory system than any known animal. In the ''native'' state They can be said to be invincible on the seabed, which limits their evolution towards the direction of wisdom."


    "However it also shows a very cruel side in the experiment, a deep desire for meat and a pursuit of killing pleasure - Its animal nature masks its outstanding performance in intelligence. Experiment is classified as failed."


    The paper was dated 1457IS.


    Chu Yi flipped through a few other documents and saw another similar page, the second one was called [Recent Discoveries: Code Named <Snake>: 3CB1> ]


    "The Snake has exhibited fierce signs of human rejection. Thirteen professionals have been nullified while attempting to pacify the creature. Wisdom and strength are directly disproportionate and it has lost all forms of sentient thinking. Exhibits signs of extreme danger when rut phase has begun.


    Must be satisfied.


    Unable to be transported to battle port 3B69. Experiment is classified as failed."


    Dated 1476IS,


    The last one he found was a creature foreign to him, [Recent Discoveries: Code Named : <The Fox> 4D90>] However the lines on this paper was completely blacked out. Only a bright red ''X'' was stamped over the words.


    This one was dated 1487IS.


    These were all obviously directed towards the three of them occupying the room. And could be inferred as a brief overview on the alienation panel of each of them and would probably differ for everyone who happens upon this room.


    However Chao Bin''s situation had already been abnormal beforehand and was now the bight red ''X'' on the document signaled that his transformation definitely had to deal with the secrets of the Institute!


    He gestured to the others.


    Tang Shun who had ventured off to the other side, noticed Chu Yi''s signal and walked over, however after reading the paper he couldn''t help but laugh,


    "Rut?"


    He smiled with some mirth, " It seems I should quickly find a mate then-"


    The oblivious Chao Bin who had been walking over was unprepared to hear Tang Shun''s words and directly froze in his steps, almost instinctively taking a step back.


    "....."


    ".....!"


    Tang Shun also noticed Chao Bin''s reaction but didn''t seem inclined to explain anyhow and instead handed something he had found over to Chu Yi.


    It was a medicine bottle,


    The label had a chemical formula, N2O3, written in a ballpoint pen.


    Dinitrogen Trioxide.


    They both recognized it but to be sure Chu Yi still opened the medicine bottle, and it was a familiar white crystalline powder that smelled tasteless.


    It should be it..


    Under the shocked gazes of the others, Chu Yi unexpectedly dipped a finger into the powder and tasted it with the tip of his tongue¨Cslightly bitter.


    "What are you doing! What if it was poison?!"


    Chao Bin exclaimed with incomprehensible shock,


    Chu Yi only chuckled but didn''t seem to care.


    For barbiturates, the complete chemical formula should be C8H12N2O3. Slightly soluble in water and can be injected intravenously.


    Commonly known as Tranquilizers.


    Tranquilizers can effectively relieve pain, reduce tension and anxiety, and doesn''t affect the normal thinking activities of the brain.


    However If an overdose of the tranquilizer is injected, it can cause dizziness and coma, and death by poisoning.


    But this bottle of tranquilizers had been broken before and seemed to have been mostly used up.


    Only a light dusting of powder was left at the bottom of the bottle.


    This was obviously a clue,


    They just had to find out who or what exactly needed so many grams of tranquilizer.


    "Hey! Guys come look at this!"


    Chu Yi and Tang Shun both turned their heads simultaneously to look at Chao Bin,


    He was crouched down pointing to an unfinished picture on the bottom of one of the shelves.


    When Chu Yi and Tang Shun grew closer they were somewhat surprised at what they saw,


    This was painting that used warm colors.


    The blue sky was shrouded by honey, golden sunlight, the ground stretched for miles, filled with fresh green fields. The splattered sunflowers stretched out, with smiling faces and greeted the sun, opening bright petals and welcomed the new day.


    Chao Bin inched closer, and couldn''t help but exclaim, "It''s so beautiful! "


    In this repressive and terrifying environment, where their time was ticking every second they were alive, suddenly seeing such a painting full of warmth and hope, even his tensed mood seemed to improve a bit.


    "The person who painted this painting must be a person with a very warm heart, otherwise he wouldn''t paint so contagiously." Chao Bin doesn''t have much of an art cell, but he thinks his appreciation level is enough.


    "Really?" Chu Yi stared at the painting, his eyes lowered to hide the emotions in his eyes


    "But the sunflowers in this painting have their backs to the sun."


    To change the direction, the meaning is completely opposite.


    Even if the sun is shining on the earth, all beings are happy, everything is bright and radiant...


    What does that have to do with me?


    The painter.


    He is deep in the backlight, he is the shadow itself.


    He is the unfinished part,


    He is the abandoned one.

 Chapter 91 - The Institute (32)

    "....."


    Chu Yi, who had all along been speaking softly to the two suddenly silenced, immediately prompting the vigilant Tang Shun to glance back at him,


    Something was off....


    Chu Yi''s focus had been torn away from the hauntingly beautiful painting and fixed onto his own hands, gazing intently at his curled fingers,


    His eyes fettered with an gloomy overcast, the tranquility beneath shattering like a broken mirror¨C under the watchful gaze of the two, droplets of crystalline, red blood suddenly oozed from the cicada thin cut that unbeknownst to them had been sliced deeply into the snow white fingertips!


    Slowly, the warm blood slid down his fingers in a winding scarlet trail that left sharp numbing tingling appearing at the root of his fingertips,


    Tang Shun instantly frowned in confusion,


    Chu Yi, watched without much reaction as the blood stained his pale fingertips in it''s breath, quickly pooling at the base of his fingers and continuing its travel down the fine lines of his arm.


    Then dripped onto the floor in glaring, red pools.


    Hugh¨C¨C


    Chu Yi exhaled softly and slowly clenched his fist, the crimson blood squeezing from the cracks between his fingers and dyeing his nails a charming red.


    Chao Bin sensitively noticed the changes in the atmosphere and wanted to quickly move towards them¨C


    Nevertheless, he had only gotten a few steps when suddenly he yelped in sharp pain, dozens of bloody crisscross lines appearing beneath the white color of his shirt.


    Tentatively, he tried to take a step back but was immediately caught off guard by the feeling of countless, delicate soft knives thinly slicing away at the skin of his legs!


    "Fuck¨C"


    Chao Bin''s face distorted in pain, a soft hissing appearing at the back of his throat, blood oozing from his chest and legs in a blinding red cascade.


    The wounds were shallow, almost as if they had been cut by countless thin wires, however the pain itself felt like millions of tiny fire ants crawling into his veins and setting his body ablaze with their scalding venom!


    The motionless Tang Shun was the only one unharmed but his brows had since furrowed into deep gullies as he squinted at the air before him,


    In the dim overhead light, he could faintly make out thin luminescent lines that glittered with a flickering white dust, the lines themselves were as thin as a butterflies wing and covered the entire room in what resembled a spider¨Clike pattern.


    Nevertheless, the wires, although fine were extremely sharp and durable, no matter where they turned they would not be able to escape being turned into sieves by them.


    There was no prior warning to this situation and in a short time, Tang Shun could not think of a suitable way to escape, even ducking would prove futile as the wires ran vertically parallel to the ground,


    They were trapped in place in an inescapable wiry prison.


    "Maybe try burning it?"


    Chao Bin who had gradually suppressed the itching pain, suggested first. As the wires were thin with the likeness of spider silk¨C something that was made of protein and was therefore highly flammable, maybe the fire would spread and burn the other wires,


    Tang Shun accepted the idea, pulled out a lighter and flicked it under the line closest to him,


    Almost instantly a faint putrid smell that resembled rotten eggs that had been left out for a month erupted from the spot where the flame burst!


    Tang Shun who was the closest, immediately burst into choked coughs, the smoke felt like a strange gelatinous liquid traveling down his throats and he couldn''t help but wave his hands with the sudden onslaught of disgust, even the burning red lines that appeared on his hands couldn''t wash away the sick feeling in his chest.


    The action was futile in any case and so were the flames, as aside from the nastly odor, the lines were unharmed.


    Chu Yi who had mostly been silence at this time, suddenly made an unexpected move, he stepped forward¨C was this purposely asking for pain....


    But before Chao Bin''s face could settle in shock, he quickly noticed that something was different, Chu Yi was unscathed!


    Huh?


    "Are we already released?"


    Before Chu Yi could speak, Chao Bin''s limbs moved faster than his brain, and he took a step forward¨C


    "Ow!!"


    Another glaring red line appeared on his leg instantly, deeper than before, the blood trickling down pass his ankles to create a faint bloody red footprint underneath his shoe,


    Tang Shun stared at him with some helplessness, and suppressed the laughter in his throat, then turned to look at where Chu Yi had moved,


    It was only then did he recognize that in front of Chu Yi there seemed to a faintly outlined white grid with the letter one drawn in the middle of it, just wide enough for them to stand.


    This was obviously a safe space,


    When Chu Yi experimentally tried to take another step forward, he was instantly carved by the wires,


    It looked like they were still limited in their steps.


    Tang Shun looked down at his feet and saw two golden grids drawn at his feet and in a flash of inspiration, he jumped with both feet into the grid,


    He wasn''t cut by the wires, this obviously meant that they were to take turns.


    Chao Bin watched them move and exclaimed excitedly after a minute, "Isn''t this just like those children games that we used to play."


    "Hopscotch right?"


    In Hopscotch, the grids are connected along a vertical forward direction, generally marked with numbers 1 to 9 respectively. Among them, the grid with 4 and the grid with 5 are horizontally placed side by side, the grids with 7 and 8 are also side by side, and all other grids are separately drawn in rows, fall together along a straight line.


    Chu Yi stared at the grids below him, faintly feeling that is was more than that,


    Chao Bin took a step forward immediatrly when the grids appeared, nothing happened..


    Then it was time for Chu Yi''s turn again, but this time the minute his feet landed on both of the grids, Chu Yi instantly felt a scalding hot pain traveling from the tips of his feet to every part of his body!


    The grid was burning!


    Caught off guard, he couldn''t help but stumble¨C


    The minute his left hand went beyond the field containing the grid, countless shallow red lines appeared all over his arms, it was as if he had been pushed into a whirlwind of killer knives! Blood instantly spurted from his arm and dropped to the floor like a gushing river, at first sight there seemed to be no skin left unharmed on his fingers! He could even feel an agonizing burning sensation coming from the remaining flesh of his left hand!


    Obviously, if he continued to fall, he would be sliced into hundreds of pieces, leaving nothing but bloody red meat chunks of flesh and guts when he finally collapses to the floor!


    He had to do something,


    Chu Yi''s eyes sharpened instantly, the adrenaline spiking powerfully in his veins, with a fierce and deadly light, he forcefully twisted the leg that was falling backwards and dangerously made a turn on the spot to spin himself around, pulling himself right back into the range of the grid!


    Hugh¨C¨C


    His pupils dilated and his chest heaved to match the speed of his heartbeat. Nevertheless, when he raised his hand, the damage had already been done.


    Blood dripped from the countless slashes in his arms from the thin wire, burning as if he had been rubbed with harsh poison, the grid under his feet still sent scalding waves of pain into his body and unless he moved, he would be forever subjected to double the wave of agony!


    Tang Shun had already had a faint guess in his heart when he saw Chu Yi suddenly stumble but when he watched the fresh blood fall from his arms and pool at his feet in a bright glistening red puddle, he still couldn''t but feel startled at thr gruesome sight and after a brief moment of shocked stillness, he immediately stepped onto the next grid,


    Something was wrong these grids¨C


    Chu Yi, who felt the pain below his feet recede and he nodded at Tang Shun, "The grids below your feet will probably become like scorching magma at any point in time, this game is forcing us to endure the onslaught of pain because if we do stumble, we''ll fall into the net of wires and have our bodies sliced into gory flesh chunks."


    Chu Yi didn''t seem fazed by the pain in his arms, although there was a slight grimace on his face, his voice still held no fluctuation when he relayed such first hand news.


    Tang Shun glanced at Chu Yi''s arms with a solemn look and added on quickly, " It''s also a game of memorization, we have to remember all the right steps until all the grids disappear. If not, we might lose a leg in this way."


    Chao Bin nodded seriously and after watching Chu Yi bandage his arm quickly and signal at them to begin again, he immediately made a jump forward, nervously keeping track in his mind,


    Chu Yi followed by stepping forward and then it was Tang Shun''s turn, almost immediately after his feet landed, they noticed a painful grunt coming from between his teeth, and his hands clenched tightly at his side, forcefully controlling his flailing arms.


    He had stepped on a burning grid!


    Chao Bin bit his lips nervously at the painful face made by Tang Shun and stepped forward hastily when the grid appeared, only hoping to alleviate his pain but although he was warned, the nervous Chao Bin was still wholely caught off guard when his feet landed on the grid and an almost paralyzing heat traveled up his veins and into his heart!


    Nothing could prepare him for that kind of pain, and uncontrollably he stumbled forwards!


    He tried to control his legs but in the end it was too late to stop the forward inertia!


    "Ah!¨C


    Tang Shun and Chu Yi both frowned in their hearts and immediately prepared for the worse, however the regretful emotion didn''t even have time to settle in their chest when Chao Bin did the unthinkable!


    As if his waist had no bones, Chao Bin completely turned his upper body to a full 180¡ã and used the force of the spin to bring his falling leg back!


    "....."


    "....!"


    Both Tang Shun and Chu Yi couldn''t help but raise a brow in surprise, this was something only seen from trained gymnasts, Chao Bin didn''t look like someone who had done such training....


    Chao Bin exhaled a gasp in residual shock and carefully twisted back to the normal position,


    It was only then did he notice the curious looks being sent his way,


    "Cough¨C¨C"


    Chao Bin''s face immediately burst into flames and his fidgeting fingers gave away to his nervous mindset , he didn''t seem to want to go into detail about this sudden skill and eventually the others had to look away.


    Now they were all acquainted with the mechanisms of the game, thankfully there were no more incidents, altough this game mostly relied on endurance and memorization, it still ended without anyone becoming half dead.


    Shortly afterwards, Chu Yi finally stepped onto the last golden grid and with that, the thin but deadly wires disappeared from the room.


    Chao Bin tentatively made a long sweep with his arms and after confirming that they were truly out of danger, he sighed in exhausted relief.


    Although the game seemed simple, the mental arithmetic that it took to keep up with the right pattern as well fight the agonizing pain coming in staggering waves still made him more exhausted than if he had ran a marathon.


    "Have you remembered it?"


    Chao Bin blanked, "Remembered what?"


    The helplessness on Tang Shun''s face grew deeper, "The sequence of the number in which the burning grids appeared."


    "..."


    "We were supposed to keep track of that?!"


    Chu Yi gazed at him as if looking at an idiot and reported a string of numbers to Tang Shun, " There were 6 numbers that appeared: 5, 6, 11, 12, 16 and 18. And we had approximately 20 grids."


    Tang Shun nodded in agreement, he had also reported similar numbers, " But what exactly do these numbers mean? Would it be the access code for the hidden hatch in the confinement room?"


    Chu Yi nodded but looked doubtful, "I don''t think it is as simple as that, maybe these codes have something to do cipher text or glyphs that we''d need to decipher later on."


    Chao Bin looked between the two, once again doubting his intelligence, he wanted to cry with no tears,


    Tang Shun glanced at his mournful face and his eyes deepened unnaturally, "Then let''s head back for now, I have an uncanny premonition that we have a long fight ahead of us."

 Chapter 92 - The Institute (33)

    Weeks passed,


    They were now trapped in the middle of the month and the progress of alienation was finally showing more obvious signs between the players,


    Among the three, Tang Shun''s skin had peeled off in multiple layers from several areas on his body. Beneath it, the extremely pale new skin was not only hard, but also had a touch akin to the scales of a cold reptilian, a slight brush would leave inexplicable goosebumps along the skin.


    The progress of the instance had stagnated over the past few days but the tension between players had only grown thicker, the red team had now undeniably become like filthy sewer rats in a ditch, unwanted and feared as they were unilaterally stamped with the brand of monster''s.


    This was understandable because they had now moved from the realm of human understanding and ventured into the unknown, dangerous and uncontrollable, there was only a thin paper window that kept the anxiousness and tension from breaking out into riots.


    Chu Yi looked around at the situation in the dining room and turned back to Chao Bin and Tang Shun,


    "It''s too peaceful."


    This was almost the third day of inaction, there was no further clues, no sudden deaths, it was the kind of tranquility that only existed in the eye of the storm.


    But this is only temporary, something was bound to happen that would push the players further off the edge.


    Tang Shun''s eyes deepened unnaturally as he stared at the most eye catching group in the room, Mu Fang''s group had become the unofficial leaders once again, and he stood amongst the players with an almost savior like look, if you changed him into a white robe and placed a holy book into his hand, there would honestly be no difference between him and a pope...


    The yellow group seemed to be in the safest range, neither on the verge of death nor alienation and were therefore the superior class.


    Although the red group seemed to be the most marginalized, in fact the most dangerous group was the pink group,


    They were more in the danger of collapsing at any minute than anyone else, once their cells stopped being able to fight against the antibodies then they would immediately mutate into failed monsters that had nothing but plunder and destruction in their minds¨C


    Although the red group were also alienating, this was in fact a more thorough and gradual process as their cells were more accepting of the antibodies, and would gradually integrate with them to become something unknown but still in its true form rather than a distorted monster.


    However the more immediate problem was ignored in favor of ostracizing what seemed to be the most favorable group amongst the players.


    Tick¨C


    Both Chu Yi and Tang Shun suddenly lifted their heads and swiveled to the back of the room,


    Most of the players also seemed to notice something and the dining hall returned to a pindrop silence,


    "....."


    A sudden rancid smell washed over the room, like a refrigerator filled with spoiled and maggot infested meat that was suddenly opened after a month of power outage in summer,


    The players stood up hastily, most of them making for the door, let someone else deal with it,


    Crack¨C Crack¨C


    The sound of the bones cracking made their teeth itch, and goosebumps spread like wildfire across their skin¨C


    By this time most of the players knew what was happening...


    "Chii!¨C"


    "Screee!¨C¨C"


    Mu Fang instantly frowned, there were more than one!


    One of the players expanded at a speed visible to the naked eye, the muscles on his arms bulging like water-filled balloons, and his whole body was surrounded by a fierce sense of strength. He rushed toward the players like a cheetah hunting¨C


    His eyes were completely scarlet with blood and from his gaping mouth he let out a crisp howl to the ceiling!


    "Chiii¨C"


    Like a big invisible hand pulling up a sluice, the other mutant raised its heads, and let out sharp scream, in cascade, the overwhelming sound waves shook their eardrums¨C


    It felt like a sharp cone scraping against their skulls, smashing their brains to a bloody pulp and some players even felt bright blood dripping from the punctured walls in their ears, the players were instantly sent into a disoriented confusion!


    This was an unexpected sound attack¨C


    The other monster was even more grotesque and deformed, even seeming to have lost all human form and resembled more like a big mutated baboon that anything else¨C


    The three-meter-high figure resembled a giant sculpture, with its mouth split to the base of its ears and a sharp roar resounding from its throat. It seemed to penetrate through the building and cracking rocks, resounding through to the sky.


    Chu Yi pressed his ears, his face slightly displeased, he could feel his head throbbing pain and the voice in his head once again reared it''s ugly head.


    It only seemed to appear whenever his emotions fluctuated, when his mind was most susceptible to anger,


    The surroundings were suddenly quiet, even the breathing of the players seemed to be muted. The monster drooled and tickled, three black tongues entangled and danced in its mouth, and suddenly flew towards Chu Yi¨C


    Boom¨C Boom¨C Boom¨C


    The monsters thunderous feet made resounding booms as it charged across the room!


    It seemed to have an inexplicable resentment towards him and fiercely ran on all four legs like a hungry beast, claws outstretched to tear Chu Yi''s head from his body in a putrid rain of flesh and guts¨C


    The monster barreled down like a high speed freight train, there was no other being in sight other than Chu Yi who was standing near to the door,


    Most of the remaining players thought he would try escape, although he had killed the last monster, it wasn''t nearly as strong as this one now but Chu Yi stood there motionless with his hand to his ears as if he was trying to suppress something,


    Was he so confident in his strength?!


    "Chii!¨C¨C"


    The monster didnt give them time to think, it was upon him in the blink of an eye and it''s fanged maws seem to rise with a cruel smile,


    He couldn''t escape even if he wanted to now¨C


    It''s claws stretched out towards him ready to rip him to bloody shreds,


    He moved¨C


    In an act of what seemed to be suicide, Chu Yi suddenly lifted his arm to greet the oncoming monster''s claws, as if he wanted to stop the mutant with pure force!


    Chu Yi''s arm was like a pale twig in front of the bulging black arms like heavy ton steel, it seemed to be able to break with just a light scratch from the monster¨C


    Some players couldn''t help but look away, they seemed to envision the scene of every bone in his body breaking, sending blood and guts flying across the room in a guttural show of carnage!


    Boom¨C


    It was the sound of flesh hitting the wall and subconsciously the players looked up expecting to see the sight of Chu Yi lying in his own fetid flesh...


    Huh?


    They couldn''t help but do a double take,


    Chu Yi was fine, still standing there with all his limbs intact but the monster....


    The monster had somehow been flung into the wall and was now utterly decimated, its body seemed to have been folded from the force and bloody cracks spread from its limp arms to all parts of its body, a black hole had been punched into its chest and vaguely they could see its still beating heart from beneath the cracked ribs,


    The monster tried to struggle and remove itself from the wall but only weak roars appeared from its throat¨C


    Mu Fang on the sidelines furrowed his brows, was Chu Yi so powerful before...


    He didn''t want to act but it seems that he would be forced to.


    Before they could relax they remembered that there was still a second monster,


    The fight between Chu Yi and the other monster had only lasted a few seconds but now the other monster was already nearing the group of players!


    The players quickly looked towards its direction but were stunned to see that in the time that it took for them to turn their heads, the mutant monster had grown strange!


    This was no longer a person, this thing resembled a spider, it crawled on the walls of the empty dining hall with skittering legs, it''s skin was black and shiny like a snake, the light in his eyes glowed with a faint red glow, and its back was covered with hundreds of tiny black slender arms. He was using these densely packed arms to climb over like lightning!


    "Chii¨C¨C"


    Another sound attack!


    The painful throbbing in their skulls grew louder and purple views bulged at their temples from the force¨C


    Closer and closer, Chu Yi saw that the mutant seemed to be bulging with purplish red sarcomas, whenever it moved another slender arm would burst from its back with a pus filled pop,


    Originally, a splintered sharp mouth emerged from the position of his stomach. The sharp teeth squeezed together like a disgusting comb!


    Chu Yu held the Irius, the name he had given to his natal weapon, motionless, staring quietly at the terrifying monster that swooped in¨C


    The moment he was about to release the knife and fling like a javelin to lodge it into its throat, a sudden silver light flashed in his line of sight, like a silver firework flying and blooming, gorgeous and holy.


    Mu Fang appeared from out of nowhere with a dignified and resilient stance,


    "I won''t allow anyone to be hurt by those things, regardless of their color. Those beings are not human anymore and as such they should be treated like what they are. Monsters!¨C"


    As he spoke he pulled out a stack of glowing silver knives in his hand, spinning the handles in one hand, he suddenly threw them out, followed by a silver light flickering by like a galloping meteor, they flew towards the monster and lodged into its gaping mouth with a spurt of pus filled blood!


    "Chii¨C¨C!!!"


    More knifes flew in a deadly formation and sliced into the monsters flailing limbs¨C


    With a scream, the mutant''s black arms burst like overipe fruit, accompanied by a stomach churning popping sound, red fruit pulp made from foul black blood flowed all over the sky, one after another falling to the ground, still twitching as if it was alive!


    The pain prompted the mutant to climb faster, and a thick web shot from the mouth on its abdomen,


    Sticky and wet with mucus,


    Mu Fang dodged the web hastily, waving the knife in his hands to cut off more of its arm but the burning pain only made the creature angrier and with another painful screech it lunged at Mu Fang, disregarding all consequences!


    This was looking to die together¨C


    Suddenly Mu Fang dodged damgerously to the left, revealing a figure standing right behind him, without regard putting them straight into the path of the upcoming monster!


    Unintentionally or Intentionally, Mu Fang had been dodging in the direction of Chu Yi, gradually inching closer even while his mouth spit words of righteousness and justice¨C


    Chu Yi didn''t seem fazed,


    He dexterously changed to holding Irius with one hand, his eyes calm as a stagnant pool of water. Just a moment away from death, Chu Yi suddenly grasped the thick sticky web that was spit towards him, leaping up into the air with force, his astonishing waist strength drew an amazing arc in the flying silver light, and the blade directly cut towards the mutant''s only remaining black arm!


    Time seemed to freeze,


    Bang¨C


    "Chiii¨C¨C"


    The mutant monster that had lost all its limbs fell to the ground heavily, black pus spilled from his back with a rotten and wretched odor, the bloated body was still wriggling on the ground like a worm, still struggling to pounce forward!


    Chu Yi knelt,


    The sword glinted¨C


    Then with one last plunge, there was a sickening crack as Chu Yi''s knife lodged into the creatures skull, completely severing its nerves and smashing its brain to mush.


    "Chii¨C¨C"


    The creature let out one last dying howl and then ceased to exist.


    Chu Yi''s chest heaved heavily and he slowly stood up from the dead monsters corpse, shaking the rotten blood from his blade with disgust.


    He went to wipe his forehead with his hands but paused when he saw that some of the thing''s blood had gotten onto his hands,


    He frowned, cursing under his breath, even the excitement of the kill dissipating slightly, then he remembered something,


    The rotten smell in the air was pungent, and Chu Yi walked towards the mutated baboon thing who had fallen from the stone wall and was now lying limp on the ground.


    He couldn''t see the players original appearance.


    The facial features had expanded like a water balloon,


    The swollen eyes were raised unnaturally and squeezed onto it''s forehead, and the nose was deeply sunken into it''s face,


    It wasn''t dead, the mouth that was originally choking with black blood was already screaming, faint sound in its throat,


    Chu Yu bent down and stared at the terrifying and distorted face, he didn''t want to waste any more time and with a short stab, he shot the knife accurately and sharply¨C


    The knife aimed at the heart plunged in, under the pressure of the artery, the blood spurted like a gushing fountain, and he twisted the blade for good measure,


    Finally dead.


    The blood of the mutant was not normal and resembled more of a thick liquid like condensed old plasma. When mixed together, with pus and rotten flesh, it smells terrible, just like a person who eats meat constantly but never brushes their teeth, opening their mouth and breathing hard at others.


    Before he could leave, he noticed something in the clenched fist of the mutant creature and with a raised brow, he used his blade to pry it out.


    A letter...


    He read the heading,


    From the Federation: To Head Researcher BV17.


    The storm had begun once again.

 Chapter 93 - The Institute (34)

    It was strange to say that the corridor was usually very dark, the dim lights overhead were unclear, flickering and casting a gloomy light that illuminated the endless darkness only for a second,


    In the shadows, a heavy, sticky sweet scent that resembled crushed roses lightly teased his nose and entangled his senses, dark and seductive, possessively marking its territory,


    Chu Yi never felt fear for this pervasive scene but as he traveled through the halls, his steps couldn''t help but slow, a bad premonition sending glaring red alarms blaring in his heart!


    There seemed to be something else, waiting for him in the darkness,


    "Chu Yi?"


    They turned the corner¨C


    He could hear Chao Bin''s slightly confused voice from the front when they realized he had strayed from the group but before he could speak,


    In the next second, he felt as if his ankles had been caught by something!


    Not only his ankles, but his whole body was suddenly engulfed by the swarming darkness!


    "Well¨Cwell¨Cwell....What do we have here..."


    A dark shadow came in lightly,


    Feeling a fine itch from his arm, Chu Yi lifted his head, but found himself face to face with a strange creature with wings,


    The creature was slender, with a sharp face, and a dangerous light gleamed in its snake-like azure eyes,


    It opened its mouth, spit out a scarlet red tongue from amongst the two sharp fangs in its mouth, and reached out to suddenly lick at the wound on Chu Yi''s hand, seeming to be delicately tasting the sweet blood flowing inside,


    Chu Yi''s pupils shrank sharply, and he suddenly waved the bloody sword that appeared in his right hand!


    Miss¨C


    The weird creature with wings evaded the arc of the sword extremely quickly, and then with a light chuckle turned into a handsome blond man about three meters tall standing oppressively before him,


    He had never seen him before in any of the records in the Institute.


    The man lowered his head, his eyes resembling the bottom of a lake bed, deep and unfathomable,


    He smiled and held Chu Yi''s wrist.


    "¡ª¡ªLittle merman....I finally caught you."


    The slender fingers protruding from the shadows easily grabbed his waist, while the other hand gently ran across the leg that was pressed up against him, it was if he was teasing him, fingers sensitively rubbing across the root of his thighs and hooking onto his waist, and even seemed to have the intention to go further¨C


    The cold breath swept across the lightly shuddering young man''s ears, whether in anger or sensitivity, he didn''t seem to mind and after taking a deep breath of Chu Yi''s unique bitter orange scent, a low voice slowly sounded in the shadows, ringing in Chu Yi''s ears with a playful tone,


    "Beautiful thing, you seemed to have found a lot of secrets here..."


    "A little rose like you should be swimming in the most magnificent of waters, why run around here in this disgusting place when you could just be a beautiful canary that only needs to sing sweetly."


    In the midst of turmoil, Chu Yi was dragged into the darkness, and hugged by cold arms that wrapped around him like two weighty metal bars. Only a pale and slender neck shone like a pale moon in the ubiquitous darkness.


    The shadows naturally noticed this, so the hideous darkness seemed to be gathered out of thin air, bit by bit swallowed the part of the young man exposed to the air, trapped in an inseparable sticky swamp that sought to stain every part of him in its own unique breath,


    It''s so interesting, he couldn''t help but want to destroy it himself.


    White gloves suddenly slid along the jawline, tracing down to the slender swan like neck,


    The cold fabric rubbed against the pale skin with a dark touch, arousing dangerous tremors along his body,


    Undoubtedly, the neck is absolutely a dangerous zone for humans and for someone as violent as Chu Yi, it was even more so,


    He tried to struggle from his grasp but the man or rather the devil seemed to have a hold on all his pressure points and no matter how he turned, he could not break free!


    There was a scorching dark fire jumping and agitating under his eyes, like a sparkling moonlight reflecting off the surface of the dark, deep sea.


    The devil was very satisfied to see those bright red pupils shrinking subconsciously, and even his deep collarbone sank as his chest tensed, Chu Yi''s entire body glowed with a lovely luminescent color,


    Like a cat that blows itself up when in danger.


    The thought ran casually in his mind,


    But the cat in front of him is much more dangerous.


    The narrow ghostly blue eyes were narrowed, and the man suddenly bent his knees, as if inadvertently, leaning against the young man''s chest impartially, forcing the latter to raise his head slightly.


    The strength exerted forced Chu to raise his head in this posture.


    The merman''s similarly blue eyes suddenly flashing in the back of his mind,


    Chu Yi''s wrist was still held tightly by the man.


    The gloved hand shrouded with the characteristic roughness of fabric slowly rubbed the bulge at the joint of his wrist with its thumb, stroking and scratching teasingly at the bundle of nerves there, the other hand raised, grasping his other hand and squeezed into the gap between Chu Yi''s fingers,


    The silk like darkness complied with it''s master''s wishes and firmly sealed the way for his prey to escape.


    "Wouldn''t it be such a joy to be whisked away from this filthy place, as if I''m your prince and you''re my precious princess¨C"


    The man prolonged the ending with an meaningful lilt, grasping the hand of the unnerved young man, and lightly rubbed the base of his fingers, the darkening blue of his eyes, letting Chu Yi know the mysterious man''s current soaring enthusiasm for this sudden prison play,


    Chu Yi''s hands are undoubtedly beautiful to the utmost. They are not only distinct and slender, they also full of pleasing visual contrast when they are contrasted against the gloomy darkness that surrounded him,


    Like a piece of fine mutton jade.


    ¡ª¡ªprincess...? Feeling the strength holding his wrist increase, Chu Yi''s already stiff expression became even colder when he heard such a playful address.


    He lowered his head and looked at his arm, quickly finding that most of the wound on his arm had disappeared. ¡ª¡ªIs it because I was licked by this mysterious man just now...? His saliva still had the ability to repair wounds? ¡ª¡ª What kind of creature was this....


    Chu Yi''s thoughts had gone astray even in such a dangerous situation, nevertheless he was quickly snapped back to attention when he found that his chin was being gently lifted by the three-meter-tall species standing in front of him.


    This action is actually a gesture of condescension, as his neck struggled to stretch to its limits,


    The height of the man and the height of Chu Yi was very different, so when doing this action, he was forced to slightly tip on his toes in order to be able to breath comfortably¨C


    Like a beautiful puppet being wantonly played with at the hands of its master,


    "Seeing this face from so near... it looks even more beautiful."


    The man licked his sharp fangs, with blood beads from Chu Yi''s body still on the tips of his teeth, with the movement of his scarlet red tongue, his thin lips were dyed red, wet and slick to exude a kind of seductive and tempting color,


    "- human kitten ... are you willing to be my princess?"


    The man had switched from calling Chu Yi a merman to a kitten, he chuckled, it felt fitting enough


    Chu Yi felt that his chin was gently provoked by the being opposite, and the man was constantly groping and pinching there with an extremely ambiguous technique,


    He sneered, looked at the creature turned man in front of him, tilted his head slightly, and avoided the opponent''s wide palm.


    Chu Yi spoke into the darkness silently, his lips were slightly closed, but the man could still decipher the contents from between his lips,


    The black-haired youth had a very solemn look¨C


    "It seems that your intelligence has not evolved along with your strength....you look like an arrogant fool and speak like one as well."


    "As for being your princess, you''d have to look at the size of your dick first before we can talk."


    He grinned darkly, " Hopefully, it might live up to the size of your brains."


    After opening his lips and expressing this extremely brutal sentence, Chu Yi suddenly raised free from his grasp and waved the sword he held in his right hand at an incredible speed!


    This time, the target of Chu Yi''s attack was the opponent''s lower body! The height difference they had, theoretically, would greatly increase Chu Yi''s chance of hitting this time.


    His red pupils burst into a suppressed fierce light, an explosive momentum appearing from the blade that was aimed at severing the man''s body in two!


    The man still had time to chuckle at this juncture,


    "Really a fierce kitten indeed."


    Thr man stood motionless, it''s just that when Chu Yi''s sickle was about to severe him from the waist down, the man grinned playfully and suddenly turned into a layer of black mist, and then disappeared from his line of sight¨C


    Miss again!


    "Thank you for complimenting me little wild cat... It seems that you still like my appearance very much."


    The voice came from the right¨C


    The second after Chu Yi swiveled his head to search for the man, he heard another low and magnetic voice from close to his ear, the cold breath made his nerves shudder,


    "It''s very interesting... the way you wield the weapon is serious, little merman, it almost seems as if you really do want to kill me..."


    When he spoke, those sharp fangs kept touching Chu Yi''s sensitive earlobes, seeming to be able pierce the delicate skin of the human youth anytime and anywhere.


    However, Chu Yi''s reaction was extremely quick. When he felt the itch at the side of his face, he took another step and suddenly turned around!


    The blade glinted in his hand as it pierced towards the man heart!


    But at this moment, he found that the other party could still avoid in an instant, immediately turning into a cloud of pitch black gas, as if embedded in the darkness around them,


    ¡ª¡ªThis means to dissipate the body anytime, anywhere was almost immortal¨C


    Who is this?


    "What is the purpose of your appearance?"


    Chu Yi didn''t believe his nonsense, took a step back and asked straightforward questions.


    The gloomy figure was erratically shifting in the corridor, and his ghostly eyes patrolled around Chu Yi unscrupulously.


    Like a veteran hunter looked at his favorite prey, dangerous and lazy.


    "The purpose? Of course it is for you, the little merman."


    "Come for me?"


    The incredulous Chu Yi raised his eyebrows, "What do I have to do with you?"


    "Who knows,"


    "Maybe I''m just curious¨C"


    The man suddenly appeared from the shadows, stepping on the gloomy darkness under his feet, like an emperor standing above all creatures, a true god that controls the lives of everything with an iron fist,


    The devil lowered his voice, leaned over and chuckled, "Or maybe I want to come to you for sex, doesn''t that count?"

 Chapter 94 - The Institute (35)

    The black haired beauty squinted, a mocking smile staining the lifted corner of his eyes. His lips were red and his black hair slipped from the side of his face, hanging down like satin on the crumpled wet suit of his shirt,


    Suppressed by the shadows, Chu Yi listened to the extremely provocative drawl and grinned playfully,


    "Do you really want to sleep with me."


    "Then you try it, the end result is either we both lose or you''ll die."


    The devil''s crazy nerves were instantly ignited by Chu Yi, and the trembling pleasure made him laugh uncontrollably. He suppressed his excitement and smiled inexplicably like a gentleman, "What about if I win?"


    Chu Yi sneered, "Not a chance."


    "Then let''s play a game¨C"


    From the moment he had caught sight of Chu Yi, fire had already risen in his heart. But it was not anger or killing intent, but a strange and inexplicable emotion. He doesn''t know what this is, but he has a kind of irritability that has nowhere to vent.


    It made him want to tease this little merman, and even the somber and hatred that filled his heart seemed to dissipate along with his excitement,


    Then make him happy.


    Sweat beads rolled from his face to his hair, sucked away by the dense black hair. Chu Yi kicked the evil spirit''s a few more times without giving up, and successfully kicked the evil spirit''s arm with one leg, leaving half a greyed footprint on the evil spirit''s clothes. The evil spirit raised his eyebrows and circled Chu Yi''s foot. The slender ankle was gently rubbed by him, and the evil spirit slowly praised: "The feel is good."


    "But the game I want to play is¨C"


    Before he could finish speaking the man violently looked up and his head swiveled sharply in the direction to the east. A faint smell of seaweed and rust overpowering the sticky and ambiguous atmosphere permeating the darkness,


    Sigh¨C


    The man looked back down at Chu Yi, faint regret and disappointment rising in his heart, he now had to leave this intresting thing to settle some urgent matters,


    The man gently tightened his grasp and lightly tapped Chu Yi''s lips teasingly before letting go,


    "I guess for now we''ll have to play some other day kitten."


    "By then, we''ll have lots of fun together."


    Without waiting for Chu Yi to react, the man disappeared in place and a cloud of black mist that enveloped Chu Yi dissipated to once again reveal the dilipated and broken corridor of the Institute,


    "Chu Yi?"


    "Chu Yi!"


    Chao Bin''s worried face silently appeared directly in his field of vision and reflectively he stepped back defensively, Chao Bin didn''t seem to notice his strange reaction and looked more relieved when he realized that Chu Yi had finally come around.


    "You just stood there for the past five minutes staring into the deep end of the corridor blankly, no matter how much we yelled, you wouldn''t wake up."


    He furrowed his brows, "Did you also hear a voice like me?"


    The black-haired young man''s forehead was sweaty, the breath he exhaled was heated and moist, and his face exuded a ambiguous red stream. Chu Yi is like a rosy beauty that a fanatic painter has spent countless years to sculpt


    Chu Yi sighed, a dark gleam settling in his pupils and shook his head, "It''s more complicated than that."


    Tang Shun walked to Chao Bin''s side and stared meaningful at the faint redness at the corner of Chu Yi''s eyes, before speaking up plainly, "Let''s go back to the room to discuss. The walls have ears."


    As if reminded of something, Chao Bins face turned down in disgruntlement and displeasure.


    Mu Fang''s behavior is just too disgusting.


    By the time they got to the room, Chao Bin was still not calm and right after walking in, he flung himself onto the bed and buried himself in the pillows. But just as quickly he bounced right back up, face scrunched in disgust, who knows how much blood has been spilled on those sheets, the rusty and uncouth smell still hadn''t dissipated after so many washes.


    He rubbed his face heavily, trying to wipe away the pervasive scent but his attention was quickly brought back to the happenings of a few minutes ago and he still couldn''t help but curse.


    "What kind of magnanimous and holy appearance is he pretending to be, isn''t it still all at our expense!"


    Tang Shun was amused by Chao Bins rant and didn''t seem to put Mu Fang''s stunt to heart, "Alright don''t dwell on it, there''s nothing much we can do."


    "Don''t dwell on it¨C He completely dismissed Chu Yi''s hard work and still had the gall to pretend to be understanding in front of us."


    Previously after Chu Yi had pried the letter from the hands of the dead creature, before he could even open it to see, Mu Fang had spotted his actions from a far and under the guise of everyone falling and rising together had brought all the pressure to Chu Yi and simply snatched the letter from his hands in the end, reading it out loud to the whole player base.


    This was something Chu Yi had right his life for, albeit Mu Fang had made some contribution, it still did not warrant him taking full responsibility over the distribution of the letter.


    And after all that, with the intention of securing his own prestige amongst the players, Mu Fang had quickly reported to dashing the rising admiration for Chu Yi in the hearts of the others by once again bringing attention back to the inhumane strength that he possessed and insinuating that all of that was brought out by his increasing changes to becoming a monster.


    Chao Bin could still see that hypocritical smiling face staring at the three while his mouth fervently incited the players growing hostility.


    He had seen enough of those types of players to just want to bring out a bat whenever he saw one.


    Chu Yi came stepping out of the bath, wet hair still softly clinging to his face, and with a lazy expression he plopped down casually onto dresser table and lightly pressed his feet to the bed. The winding green veins seemed to be particularly distinct on the tender white foot, toes glimmering with a pale pink sheen as they curled shyly on the white sheets.


    He gently brought the hanging fringe on his face back and turned his gaze faintly to the two, the man was dangerous yet somehow their eyes couldn''t turn away from him, as if their souls were slowly being sucked into those sinking red pools,


    "Black Cat."


    The hoarse, low voice of Chu Yi was the one that snapped them out of their daze and after a brief lull, Chao Bin coughed in embarrassment, shifting uneasily on the bed.


    Tang Shun was also affected by the sultry darkness surrounding Chu Yi, as if his thoughts had been wholly captured by this thorny rose and even his most basic vigilance had been stripped away from him as the only thing occupying his mind was those unfathomable red eyes.


    Was this brought about by his alienation...


    Tang Shun didn''t have time to worry, a more pressing matter was at hand, "Black Cat?"


    Chu Yi nodded, "The numbers of we found in the file room connected to the letter we found. This is cipher text and if we take the 5th letter of the first sentence, 6th letter of the second sentence etc. The code deciphered is the key word, "Black Cat."


    In such a chaotic situation before, Chu Yi did not immediately dwell on the grievances brought about by the snatching of the letter by Mu Fang but his mind had turned quickly enough to pick out the connection between the two seemingly unrelated things.


    "But what does black cat have to do with anything in relation to clearing the copy..."


    Tang Shun nudged the glasses slightly, they didn''t know where he got it and spoke gently, "It isn''t a matter of clearing the copy right now but sufficient clues have pointed to the black cat has some relevance in the secrets hiding in the Institute. Maybe if we find out what exactly is that connection we can find a way to leave."


    Most players already had a rough outline of what happened in the Institute, but there were still some crucial clues missing that would prove vital to their mission. They searched but didn''t find direct answer only increasing questions and confusion that overthrew any conjecture that they had previously held.


    Chu Yi suddenly felt a faint tingle in his arms and dropped his gaze only to see another translucent scale had pushed out from beneath his skin and was now lying like a pale pink ornament on his arm.


    There were several of these scales that had emerged from the time underwater and although splattered he could already see a faint pattern emerging,


    It gave him a kind of unusual but melancholic beauty, like a fallen flower waiting to be picked up from the side of the road, to be nourished and carefully watered to back to its most blooming and iridescent form¨C


    Chu Yi pinched the scale lightly and felt a faint shudder racking his body.


    Very sensitive.


    "Speaking of the more I find out about the Institute, the more I just want to put razors in the food of whoever is behind this whole mess..."


    Chu Yi turned his eyes away and looked back at Chao Bin, for the first time, he didn''t blunt Chao Bin and nodded in agreement.


    Although their reasons for hatred were slightly off point.


    The letter read by Mu Fang only spoke of one thing, instructions sent down by the Federation to a mysterious head researchers to continue making cannon fodder.


    The cannon fodders in this sense were failed experiments from the archives of the Federation that were sent out to the battlefields in order to harm the enemy without causing too many damage to the soldiers. They were disposable flesh bags in a sense.


    Considering this, maybe some of the monstrosities they''ve seen were things that were deliberately fostered by some people in the Institute to meet the demands of the Empire. Chu Yi even remembered the one line note previously written on Tang Shun''s file that said unable to be transported to War Zone X.


    The Federation had more of its own peoples blood than even the enemy stars did.


    As if he had remembered something, Chao Bin turned back to Chu Yi,


    "What happened in the corridor just now...."


    Chu Yi''s eyes deepened when he thought of the mysterious man that had encroached on him, his heart speeding up slightly when he remembered the sticky ambiguous gaze that stuck to him like cold poison,


    "A creature.....well a man appeared. Someone who''ve we''ve never noticed in any previous records. He''s a new factor, a new addition to this game and he only appeared after I deciphered the code, Black Cat."


    He didn''t go into detail of what had happened but the eyes of the others still grew apprehensive,


    Tang Shun hid the dark flash of his eyes behind the cold light of his glasses, "This signals to all of us, that a new chapter in this building has been opened to explore and it also means that the true dangers here are beginning to surface."


    Chu Yi suddenly laughed, the red gems gleamed with a charming and dangerous luster, as he leaned lazily against the wall. Low, playful voice hummed strangely,


    "Where to run, where to hide..little black cat come play inside"


    The corners of his lips hooked higher and higher, he had the appearance of an evil spirit, like a glamorous ghost who seduced people into hell.


    He licked his lips, a gloomy excitement festering in his heart,


    He was dangerous, more deadly than anything else in this Institute.


    He was the paradox,


    And he had a vague idea of who it was.

 Chapter 95 - The Institute (36)

    [


    ]


    Chu Yi''s sultry drawl sounded lightly in the harsh depths of the room,


    "Acess Code is Black Cat."


    [<ACESSS GRANTED>]


    With the hissing whoosh of released air, the hidden door of the confinement room finally cracked open to reveal the tightly guarded secrets inside.


    The atmosphere in the room was gloomy and cold, the glaring white light stinging their eyes that had adapted to the omnipresent darkness in the windowless building, there was a faint rusty scent that intertwined with the sticky and greasy fragrance of roses.


    The felt as if they were stepping into a new dimension, the sight of blood and rotting corpses disappearing behind the encroaching shadows as the door shut behind them.


    As Chu Yi and the others stepped onto the marble floor, a series of shallow, pressed footprints were left in the accumulated grey dust, the farther they walked the longer the trail of steps detailed their intrusion.


    This was a kind of lab.


    It was fully painted a cold sterile white, the room itself was cramped and the dust and dirt was evidence that it had been abandoned for years.


    The low hanging ceilings gave people a feeling of psychological pressure and staying here for long enough would give the illusion of being slowly suffocated to death.


    The wrecked environment was accompanied by hanging metal arms from overhead, a broad metal surveyor belt along with dusty cabinets that contained spilled glass beakers and broken gene chambers.


    At the far end of the room, a cold silicone chair was turned over sideways, the restraints on the side were somehow still locked and there were also splatters of dried blood falling beneath it''s head.


    A small file cabinet, bottles carrying indecipherable labels, a cold metal operating table equipped with broken valves, dragging wires and broken glass thoroughly summed up the contents of the room.


    An abandoned laboratory.


    The room had been thoroughly ransacked before their arrival and their first thought in their minds was that another group of players had found this place before them.


    That thought was quickly dismissed however because Chu Yi could not sense the lingering breath of any people here and even the traces left behind previously had been thoroughly corroded by dust mites and translucent spiderwebs.


    The players hadn''t been around long enough that all tracks would be covered so quickly,


    There were shards of broken glass all over the floor, a large amount of dark brown blood had dried up at the forefront of the room and the unfinished work owned by the previous occupant had been haphazardly scattered over the room. There were traces of dragging everywhere, and the entire room resembled the aftermath of a murder crime,


    In the middle of the hall, shredded paper scraps were piled up to form a huge snow-capped mountain, the amount of paper trash was almost as tall as the top of the ceiling,


    What happened here...


    The three carefully walked into the depths of the room, cautious to avoid the numerous glass shards beneath them,


    "Sci¨CSci¨C"


    There was a rustle as something dark flashed quickly in their peripheral vision,


    All heads sharply turned, muscles tensing in preparation to attack, however soon after realizing what it was, they relaxed their shoulders. The sound came from a small white mouse that had scampered across the room after being alarmed by their presence,


    Chao Bin couldn''t help but sigh in admiration, "Even in such an enclosed place, creatures like those would always manage to survive."


    Chu Yi was noncommittal, the white mouse was the general breed of lab rats and judging by the rat dropping around the blood stains on the floor, those rats hadn''t survived by eating themselves.


    Chao Bin was relieved and took a short step forward,


    There was only time to hear the shattering crunch of glass underfoot when the distracted Chao Bin suddenly let out a howl in pain, grabbing onto his right foot with a face distorted in sharp agony.


    Lodged into his boot was a sharp piece of shattered glass, evidently it had somehow punctured his shoes and plunged into the flesh of his foot.


    "Shit¨C"


    "Someone get it out¨C"


    Tang Shun reached out a hand to stabilize his hopping figure and regardless of Chao Bin''s ugly face, yanked the piece of glass shard out mercilesly¨C


    "Ow!¨C"


    Tang Shun flung the glass to the side and handed Chao Bin a hemostatic patch, pupils deepening slightly at the smell of blood, he looked away.


    Chao Bin accepted the patch with a tearful face and reluctantly applied it to his foot after cleaning the wound. The glass hadn''t cut very deep therefore there wasn''t much blood but he still couldn''t help but limping slightly as he walked.


    "Why am I so unlucky...."


    One injured and two neurotic players observed the wrecked room,


    Chao Bin cringed, "This place gives me haunted vibes. The flickering lights, shattered glass, dried blood stains and mysterious hidden room. The only thing missing now is a monster to come jumping out of the shadows to kill us¨C"


    "Sci¨C Sci¨C"


    Chao Bin froze and felt his soul leave his body, his heart staggered and lodged into his throat¨C


    "Sci¨C"


    it came again, face graying in fright, he subconsciously grabbed onto the nearest Tang Shun and dragged him away from the sound,


    "Run!"


    Tang Shun laughed, "Look closer."


    He glanced behind them incredulously, a familiar mouse scampered across the room,


    "Cough¨C¨C"


    He immediately released his grip,


    "It''s just the mouse... haha... I was just scaring myself ba...."


    Chu Yi looked at him and spoke lightly: " If there were monsters, you''d be the first to die."


    Chao Bin gaped, opening his mouth wanting to refute this but the words were stuck in his throat, in every horror movie, the person to plant the first red flag would always be the first to get murdered.


    ".....you¨C"


    Chu Yi raised a slender brow,


    He had nothing to say.


    Chao Bin could only accept it, wanting to cry but had no tears, wasn''t this just typical cannon fodder behavior....


    Chu Yi lips rose slightly and he turned away from the melancholic teen,


    "Judging from the situation here, the people here had also experienced something unexpected and probably dangerous. So sudden that they had to destroy the documents and shut down the room urgently."


    "This doesn''t feel like the real official lab of the Institute but more of a forbidden experiment being conducted outside of prying eyes by someone in the Institute. Someone who was caught and had to suspend operations and destroy all evidence before anyone else could find out."


    "Look¨C" Chu Yi stood on the glass slag and pointed up at the multiple wires hanging down from the ceiling. "There used to be a glass screen there, probably to monitor data reactions. The person in charge of the suspension shredded all the paper documents, but facing the glass screen¡ª"


    "He chose to destroy it with violence."


    Tang Shun pondered: "The glass screen is only a media for broadcasting. The real information would always be stored in the computer memory, indicating that the person was in such a hurry they couldn''t be bothered to care or....there was another person here that tried to destroyed the database in their place."


    There were many of such broken screens hanging from the ceiling, their wires had long lost their power and did not short-circuit, they only dangled dangerously in the air like a bunch of colorful venom snakes.


    Chao Bin''s eyes lit up, "So doesn''t that mean, that on the file database ssomewhere here in the lab, there is information that the person didn''t manage to destroy¨C"


    Chu Yi nodded and once again stepped over the glass slag, "We just have to acess the interface first."


    Chu Yi''s moved with a clear purpose in mind and after following his line of movement, they were suprised to see that amongst the many broken shards and glass, there still seemed to be a screen that was working relatively fine, although it flickered constanlty as if it had been smashed with a heavy bat, the screen still occasionally shuttered in tandem to the lights overhead.


    Chu Yi stood below the stuttering screen and calmly followed the traces of the wire connected to its back with his gaze. There must be a source of power here that would cause the screen to blink.


    "Bingo."


    The voice he used to whisper under his breath, seemed to contain dark excitement, like an evil spirit waiting for a deadly performance to begin.


    Chu Yi signaled to the two and pointed to something hidden by the fallen chair in the corner, there was nothing at first glance but after tentatively shifting away from the dried blood and removing the heavy chair did they see the wires behind it.


    Chu Yi''s brows instantly furrowed,


    The connection port between this hanging screen wires and other parts of the room is in the northern part of their relative position, and a large part of the corner was taken over by at least a dozen winding wires that were ceremoniously plugged into a dying socket. They were all tangled into one giant mess, and no matter how much he stared, he didn''t see a way to unfurl it today.


    But what filled him with consternation was that one of the wires was pretty badly burnt and the cut ends were scorched into a grey matter.


    No matter what, if one of the wires were damaged, it would prove difficult to start up the interface of the hanging screen. However he didn''t feel that they had time to waste trying to figure out how to turn on the screen, there was a budding sense of crisis tickling his heart that persisted even after his first meeting with the new variable in this copy.


    He couldn''t be sure why for now, but he knew that the man''s appearance would bring unexpected troubles to him..


    Chief neurosurgeon Chu calmly stared at the hundreds of connected wires for two seconds, then rolled his eyes restrained calmly, and removed his sight from the broken wires.


    He has always been very uncomfortable with this kind of thing. Rather than sitting here and dealing with tangled wires and data signals, he would rather go through a thrilling chase of death with a few of the mutants locked underground.


    Chu Yi turned his head to the others just in time for Tang Shun to speak up,


    "I have a way, let me try it."


    Chu Yi raised an eye curiously but still stepped aside to make way for Tang Shun,


    He kneeled and gently handled the grouped wires in his fingers.


    Tang Shun''s fingers are long and beautiful, when he fiddles and turns the wires into various angles, he resembled almost as if was playing a piano.


    In fact, it wouldn''t be hard to believe that a man like that would know how to play the piano. Gentle, intelligent, mannered, he seemed more of refined prince than had accidentally strayed too far from his fairytale.


    Of course, this thinking was just a mistake..


    Tang Shun carefully sorted out the connected wires, looking attentive, his almost transparent eyeballs shifted quickly, his eyelids drooped slightly, and he seemed very quiet, even with a calm and introverted temperament.


    "Brother Chu, who do you think secretly occupied this place."


    Chu Yi paused at the sudden way of addressing and looked confusedly at Chao Bin, the youth looked back at him obliviously waiting for an answer.


    After a few seconds of disconcertion, Chu Yi finally turned wrapped his head around the question,


    " A lunatic."


    Chu Yi''s voice was playful and he hummed the words through grinning lips, Chao Bin was slightly taken aback, this wasn''t what he had expected,


    "...why do you say that?"


    Before he could answer, there was the sound of static starting up behind him, he turned back¨C


    Tang Shun just finished connecting the last wire, and easily twisted the entire cable sheath twice to reinforce it. He held the terminal in a leisurely manner, touched the corner of his mouth with a smile, and without further hesitation plugged the wires back into the terminal¨C


    [<Ding!>]


    [<Scanning Database>]


    [<Remaining Data Found: 1>]

 Chapter 96 - The Institute (37)

    [Code Number: 00001RS ]


    [Date Log: 1456IS ¨C 1458IS ]


    [Time: 00:89 ]


    [Experiment File: 13 ]


    [Location: Laboratory 1862 to 2182]


    [Number of Subjects: 4]


    The screen shuttered harshly, screaming with a shrill electric static as it struggled to power on, regardless soon enough under their watchful gaze the screen blanked for a final time then settled on a grainy, low resolution screen.


    This was the same lab they were in now, except the room was in a much better position than now. The blood and shattered mirrors that coated every crevice of the room was absent and the laboratory also hadn''t taken on the abandoned appearance that it had now.


    Not long ago, the entire lab was still normal, the transparent liquid in the petri dishes on the desk was rich and gelatinous, the fallen chair was upright and unlocked and the entire room took on a refined medicated and sterile atmosphere.


    However this illusion of peace was quickly shattered for in just a few seconds everything changed¨C


    There were familiar capsules in the room, and the usually dormant experimental bodies suddenly regained consciousness for no apparent reason. They frantically slammed the inner wall of the hard glass capsules until their bodies burst from filthy blood. The light red black gelatinous fluid was like a broken fountain and the creatures inside the water didn''t seem to have a concept of pain, like zombies they relentlessly hit the walls in an attempt to escape!


    The cracks that they smashed out in the glass quickly began to spread like wildfire, the glass walls of the capsules bulging outwards under the strain!


    The creatures seemed to sense that success was near and got more and more excited, harsh wails springing from their throats and blood continued to spurt from their broken bodies as they banged against the walls!


    "Scrii¨C"


    Bang¨C¨C


    With a resounding crack, one of the slimy blue-white fish monsters escaped from their water prison and crawled towards something with hunger and greed dripping like viscous mucus from their jaws¨C


    There was someone else beside them inside the locked room!


    "Ahhh¨C"


    "Stay away!"


    Tang Shun and the others quickly shifted their eyes to one corner the screen and immediately locked onto the source of the scream,


    It was a woman¨C


    In fact it was one of the Institute''s nurses that was standing alone in absolute terror, frantically trying to escape from the monster that had lunged at her greedily!


    This woman was their prey!


    The other monsters seemed to be stimulated by the woman''s screams and one by one they used brute strength to forcefully smash the glass capsules, the water splashed loudly onto the floors and the disgusting creatures quickly submerged the screaming woman''s figure in a roiling wave of wet mucus and bloody plasma!


    The woman''s deafening screams were quickly drowned by the terrifying squelch of flesh being ripped from bones and the nurse was quickly turned into a bloody meat stick¨C


    But this is not the most terrible moment. The real thing that made their faces shift to an ugly color, was actually from this moment on. The fish creatures that Chao Bin had encountered, continued to perform another disgusting behavior on her even after catching the woman and tearing into her flesh until her internal organs were completely removed from her body!


    The creatures seemed to be in a state of rut and after several loud cries, the fish monsters, between all the individual several experimental subjects proceeded to begin this kind of mutual intrusion that cannot be explained with any words...


    The woman''s empty abdomen bulged up like a bloated corpse as several rounds of fish hatch were inserted into her body¨C


    "Plop... plop..."


    "Scriii¨C"


    Finally the monsters spat out a yellow-green wet mucus and sealed the woman''s broken body before hanging her from the ceiling with a sticky web.


    The dark red liquid dripped from the golden hair of the woman onto the cold metal floor.


    Her body was slender, and her skin before death was carefully baked in a copper glow, even the white uniform she wore that has been contaminated with the disgusting blood was carefully starched and new.


    If she is still alive, she is definitely a stunner for men, but at this moment she is like the meat that was hung from the ceiling of a slaughterhouse, she swayed in the air limply, and a few bulging waves with blue arcs would occasionally appear in her abdomen and between the legs.


    Her head was connected by a thin layer of skin, it flipped back and hung on her back because of gravity, she looked like she was yawning with her mouth open, her swollen tongue hanging over her torn lips. The internal organs mixed with red and yellow-green liquids were like garbage strewn around the floor in a bloody putrid mess, occasionally mucus would fall from her abdominal cavity, she had been was violently torn apart. The air was filled with the revolting stench of filthy animal musk and rotting flesh.


    The woman had no arms and no legs, only a torso and head were left of her remains, she was now a complete egg depository for the fish creatures.


    Chao Bin''s mouth was agape, he wanted to speak but he felt as if a suffocated breath was lodged in his throat.


    The video didn''t care about their emotions and continued to play, this was another experimental body.


    The next creature was a kind of hybrid,


    It''s lower body was merged together like the hind limb of a long scorpion. A layer of fine gray scales covered the back and sides of his body. His abdomen and chest had no scales but were densely spotted with hundred of tiny raised bumps. The bare and exposed skin was as pale as a ghost and the eyes had degenerated into two empty white glass beads. The same thing is set on the smooth, no-faceted face, the mouth-shaped openings had sharp teeth and from it loud sonorous wails shattered the glass walls of the capsules around it!


    The creatures wails was like a silent switch that opened the beginning of the next round!


    The sharp screams broke through the darkness, and the group of spider-like experimental creatures became significantly more excited by the stimulation of blood and death. This is a matter of course, they were originally created for killing and devouring of flesh¨C


    More and more distorted experimental creatures rushed in the direction of the scorpion monster!


    In the dark ramp the compound white eyes of the thing flashed a scarlet red, and the spiked forelimbs filled with dense venom gland lifted up and fiercely smashed towards the besieging spiders¨C


    "Chiii¨C¨C"


    Blood spurted across the room, the nearest monsters were instantly squashed into a bloody pulp, flesh and brains skidding across the floor in a fetid mess as their companions stamped over their rotten remains!


    The monster continued to swing its arms, deafening bangs and screams sounded like gunshots in the lab, the broken bodies of the monsters were smashed into the floor and punctured into bloody sieves, flesh and guts rained everywhere!


    The walls were quickly stained with blood and pulp, a sickening stench of rotting meat and decomposing flesh!


    They were screaming, but in the chaos they were unable to tell whether they were making wails out of the extreme pain of their bodies breaking or because of extreme excitement!


    "Scriii¨C"


    The scorpion creature was evidently angered, It had exposed his teeth, the mouthpiece had completely ejected, and the long pinchers and tail sweeped ferociously with a fan-like shadow! The monsters were sliced in half, the blood sprayed in the air from their still running lower bodies!


    The monster opened its mouth piece and let out a heavy wail¨C


    They heard the screams in the monsters mouth as the bodies of these experimental mutants exploded in a mist of flesh and limbs¡ªperhaps some kind of sonic attack¡ªand even they outside felt sick and nauseous for a few seconds. Those experimental subjects that did not die, didn''t look better than the others, even as they lunged at the monster, their bodies continued to expand and bloat as if all the blood in their bodies were rioting!


    The fluorescence in the eyes of the scorpion became intense.


    "Schrii..."


    The creature suddenly appeared next to one of the monster. It slammed one leg of the spider-like monster with its claws, and as such actually dismembered it completely into pieces. Some tumultuous blood sprayed onto the scorpions distorted body. The dying spider monster screamed loudly with pain and anger and it trembled frantically as it tried to pounce onto the scorpion creature! The monster was also rushing toward it at the same time, it swung its clawe! A smashing sound was accompanied by the monster bursting into putrid flesh!


    "Schriiiiii¨C"


    The remaining monsters swelled up and burst like popped water balloons, blood and viscera splattered on the floor in waves like a gruesome purgatory!


    The only thing left behind was a floor filled with mangled bodies as the monster stood victorious in a sea of blood.


    Tang Shun stared faintly at the bloodcurdling aftermath of the fight between the two groups, eyes darkening dangerously at the sight of so much blood, an unbearable itch appeared at the bottom of his heart and something in his mind whispered temptingly, although he quickly shook off the effects, he knew that he wouldn''t be able to last for long.


    The next video started off tranquil, there was no immediate bloodshed and death, instead the screen focused on what seemed to be a long streamlined creature lying on the floor of the lab,


    They looked closer,


    It was a siren¨C


    No human language could describe the wonders of that creature. Compared with the legends told in the myths, the live siren was infinitely more charming, the beautiful but deadly creatures that would sing the sailors a song and bring them to it''s watery depths to drown.


    It wasn''t the one from the cellar, It''s skin and hair are all amazing white, without a touch of variegation or blemishes, which created an unstoppable temptation, the white palette made it so that people couldn''t help but want to stain them with the deepest and dirtiest color, just like seeing a blank canvas, they wanted to leave their own black ink on it.


    Trailing down from the waist are scales of the same color, and the slender fishtail shone like a mystical gem on the cold marble floors. Its muscles were very strong, the upper limbs are longer than normal humans, and Chu Yi could see a film-like web between it''s fingers, and fingertips were sharp transparent claws.


    The mermaid was singing sonorously, beautiful glittering eyes staring deeply into the trapped prey before it, dark pupils resembling an evil water spirit straight from the depths of hell,


    It was another nurse.


    She sat on the ground like a cheap toy that had lost all its power, and there was a completely enraptured look in her eyes. Like a puppet on strings, step by step, she was pulled deeper into the abyss, her heart and soul being lost to the hauntingly beautiful melody of the creature before her¨C


    The siren seemed to open its arm in welcome and without hesitation she flung herself into arms like the embrace of a long lost lover!


    The sirens webbed hands slowly traced a tender line from his eyes to her fragile neck, mouth still singing softly to the bewitched prey, it''s hand slowly closed, feeling the strong pulse beneath it''s finger, it smiled sweetly and lowered its head slowly as if to give her a dark kiss¨C


    The woman couldn''t help but close her eyes softly, strong love making her heart race in anticipation, before its lips touched hers, they could her whisper sweet hysterical words to the creature, the nurse had completely fallen into a beautiful illusion,


    "Click¨C¨C"


    The hand around her body crushed her neck,


    She was immediately ripped from the fantasy¨C


    The cold blood seemed to have frozen all her nerves, and she is not even aware of the existence of her broken neck. In front of her, the original divine prince had now become a terrifying and horrible monster!


    It smiled at her, a kind of pure innocence mixed with indifferent cruelty, this was a beast and she was just its prey!


    She wanted to say something but the creature suddenly lifted her dying body up into the air and without warning slammed her head fiercely into the floor!


    Her head was like a pumpkin smashed by a heavy hammer¨C The brain matter instantly splattered and overflowed along with the fragments of her skull. The brain that has been crushed into a slurry was white and putrid, and under their gaze, the siren brought the head to its mouth and used his teeth to suck the crushed brain from the skull like a warm and rare delicacy, holding the rest of the body with both hands, and after licking the skull clean, happily turned to the remaining limbs and with sharp claws, the red flesh was ripped off and devoured under their incredulous eyes.


    Before they could recover, it was finally the last subject.


    Before it could start playing, a line of evaluation appeared on the screen, something the other videos did not have,


    [Code Number: 5006]


    [Code Name: Black Cat X Beta14]


    [Planet: 1329BV]


    [Phase:0001]


    [Time: 00:01]


    [Evaluation: Unable to Evaluate]


    [Danger Levels: SSS+]


    [Code of Conduct: Extreme Caution]


    [Location: 149S, Isolation.]


    The words faded away slowly and when the screen finally settled what appeared them...was a blooming vibrant red rose¨C


    [Ding!]


    [Warning! Warning! Private Laboratory 1862 to 2182, program is being infiltrated]


    [First line of defense activated...first line of defense failed, second line of defense activated...second line of defense failed...Warning! Dangerous situation has occurred]


    [Start destruction procedure. Repeat. Start the destruction process, Lifeforms detected: 3| All lifeforms will be terminated - the countdown starts 100 - 99 - 98 ....]

 Chapter 97 - The Institute (38)

    [98...97...94...]


    Time was running out!


    They quickly tensed in anticipation, waiting for something to happen¨C


    The heavy air settled into a pin drop silence!


    "....."


    "....?"


    It seems however, that they were waiting in vain because even after the countdown had boiled down to seventy, the life threatening danger still hadn''t made it''s grand entrance...


    "Could it be that the doors are locked?"


    Chao Bin blanched, momentarily unable to process the situation. The blaring countdown sounded ominously from the battered monitor in front of them, the vibrant red rose was still hanging frozen on the screen supposedly a symbol of their upcoming doom. And yet, even after a good while had passed, they were still standing there in bewilderment, still unharmed and wholly confused.


    [68....67...66...]


    The whole thing felt surreal, the floor didn''t give way beneath them, the sudden waking of hungry monster''s, lasers shooting from the walls, the typical life threatening dangers were without presence. Even their hearts were devoid of the ominous premonition that came with dangerous situations.


    Nothing had changed.


    At least nothing visible to the naked eye.


    They looked around at the room and came to the same conclusion, they weren''t in any immediate danger.


    Chu Yi stared thoughtfully at the screen for a second, his right eye twitching with a bad premonition, before tilting his head to the entrance, and replied faintly to Chao Bin''s incredulous question,


    "Then go check."


    Chao Bin shrugged and accepted his fate, still with some trepidation, he limped over the glass shards and after walking back to the corridor, he reached out


    "Click¨C¨C"


    The door swung out from the inside with just a slight push, the system interface didn''t seem to work from inside.


    "Well.....let''s go?"


    The countdown was still falling and without any others option, the three players made for the exit¨C


    However the moment Chu Yi stepped past the threshold, his heart suddenly skipped a beat and almost instinctually he moved back from the door!


    His instincts proved right because just as his foot moved away, it slammed shut along with a heavy bang! An audible click of a lock accompanying the boom¨C


    The countdown reached zero.


    In the silent, empty room, a heavy salty musk suddenly surged into every open crevice on Chu Yi''s body, tyrannically filling up his lungs with its scent and completely staining his body from inside-out! He could sense a faint seaweed aftertaste lingering in the back of his throat, even the air he exhaled seemed to take on the merman''s impure musk.


    Instinctively knew it was the merman.


    And he could also recognize the familiar taste of sin.


    "Chu...Yi."


    The merman''s low baritone-like murmur resounded in his head. The volume of the sultry voice was not loud, but it was transmitted between his eardrums like a booming stereo on repeat. It was as if the merman was murmuring in his ears, trying to curse and bewitch his mind with its sonorous song. Chu Yi could hear it''s heavy breathing, it''s strong desire and lust was like a strong violent undercurrent crashing into his, causing his own breathing to take on the same short and rapid thrusts.


    Heat....


    The same rituals that the fish monsters had done to the nurse was now being put to him.


    This kind of heated and pooling numbness made him shudder.


    He didn''t know if it was the mysterious innate power of the sirens to induce lust and want in its prey before devouring them but he could feel a strange itchiness crawling up his nerves, growing deeper in strength and intensity the longer the merman continued to whisper his name sinfully. It crawled along his spine, eating away at his muscles and flesh all the way done to his bones, leaving him blazing and numb..¡­ until it finally accumulated at the base of his spine, settling above his tailbone and pressing against his abdomen.


    He instantly lost all strength to resist.


    He exhaled a heated gasp, hands clutching at his legs weakly as a wave of absolute pleasure washed over his body, he could feel wet hands slowly trailing from his neck to his waist, tracing every curve and dip in his spine as if it was touching its most precious treasure.


    He couldn''t see it, he could only feel the merman''s sensual touch darkly marking his body, every sensory nerves on his body heightened and he could feel every sensation in his body vividly and clearly.


    The sweat dripped nakedly down his forehead, heated white mist exhaling from swollen red lips and Chu Yi couldn''t help but curse in his heart,


    No wonder his right eyelid kept twitching, it turned out that the bad warning was here!


    The merman was locked in the cellar, who the hell would have thought he was actually able to reach him like this.


    Chu Yi wanted to speak, but his lips shining with wet saliva had only just parted, when he was suddenly stimulated, and he hunched his body forward, hands clenching at the sudden spike of pleasure "Fuck..."


    Behind the invisible merman, whose lips and teeth seemed to pass through Chu Yi''s clothes, was slowly licking the dip between his shoulder blades at this moment, the barbed tongue sent sharp waves of tingling numbness all over his body. The feeling of being violated by this evil spirit, made Chu Yi shudder, goose bumps erupting all over his body, a heavy and uncomfortable feeling instantly made the corner of his eyes red.


    His body was gradually heating up, like a hospital patient enduring a fever, as if he had been fed potent aphrodisiac the liquid in his body was being rapidly evaporated by the rising heat under his skin.


    At the same time, a strange itch traveled up from the bottom of his spine, like fire ants crawling all over his body, forcing him to stagger in place and barely keep himself standing, his breaths were getting faster, the rapid beating in his chest made him feel as if his heart was going to burst out of his ribcage,


    Ba¨CDump.


    The salty musk was the only thing he could inhale, the harder he gasped the faster the heat rised in his body, he could feel his limbs shaking and the thing between his legs slowly rose to celebrate the impurity and sin that completely flooded his mind!


    Suddenly he stumbled, an unexpected brush against his chest setting off a deadly fire within his body, his legs felt like a jellyfish with no bones!


    The bright red pupils were dilated, and his lips gaped silently. Chu Yi''s skin was dusted with a thin layer of red, his mouth was half open, and slowly gleaming wet saliva pooled from the side of his lips, a sticky layer of water staining his lips like dew trailing softly on the petals of a rose.


    Chu Yi tried to stabilize himself, the hands trailing his body seemed to carry with an overpowering smell of seawater and astringent herbs that only made the heat in his stomach settle deeper,


    "Damn!"


    Chu Yi couldn''t help but curse out loud in frustration, a powerless sense of uncontrollable lust made even the collar of his shirt seem to resemble a heavy shackle choking around his neck. The suffocating feeling made him angrily yank at his shirt to open the first few buttons, gleaming sweat dripping sultrily from his neck down deep into the crevice of his chest¨C


    His once white skin bloomed like a blossoming red flower due to the feverish heat, even his earlobes had been stained with the charming color!


    The merman welcomed the further access and its trailing hands grew more and more brazen, slowly tracing tantalizing circles on the red cherries that dotted his pale chest,


    He could feel it lightly scraping the tip with its claws, hands relentlessly fondling the red nipples until they swollen, brushing sensitive against the coarse fabric of his shirt,


    He gasped softly, and shook his head violently,


    "Look merman, I hope you don''t think I''m a female, I won''t give you cubs in any case so don''t come to me."


    "Go away."


    Chu Yi lowered his voice and persuaded the merman hoarsely, but although his lips opened and closed while he spoke, his face only became more and more red, the merman seemed to be stimulated by his words and its hands unscrupulously lowered from his chest down to his waist, lightly fingering the sensitive nerves bundled there.


    It knew what idea Chu Yi was fighting.


    Chu Yi who was usually like a beautiful assassin with a smile on his face but a poisonous blade in his hand was now flooded by his own feverish lust.


    It''s not¡ª " Chu Yi suddenly snorted and bent down embarrassingly.


    The forced calmness on his face faded instantly, and his whole body was dyed with a bright pink. Chu Yi was sweating from his temples, and his long hair was stuck his face like winding ink!


    His nerves were forced into hyper drive by the merman''s profuse hormones, just a light brush against his crotch, left sharp electric shocks shooting up his spine, gently caressing and fondling every nerve until the only thing he could feel was the overwhelming sense pleasure,


    Lewd gasps sullied his red lips,


    A blank panic and shame in his eyes rose for a moment, and the next moment they flickered as if they were infected with the sword''s edge of Han Xing.


    Two words popped out between his clenched teeth: "Ruan, Quixi!"


    There was also a hint of warning and shame.


    Chu Yi closed his eyes, the corners were red, and his lips were also red. The corners of his mouth were pressed down, with a complicated expression of...pain and pleasure.


    The merman''s tail finally came to play and he could the wet streamlined muscle suddenly force itself between his legs and gently coil around his ankles


    The merman seemed to enjoy human touch as much as dolphins do. It moved its slender and powerful hand down his neck with a sensual touch, the hand that was placed behind his back snaked around his waist, and caressed it with thick, satiny palm as if soothing him. The tail of the merman undulated beneath him in a swimming motion, and suddenly it he lifted him by his buttocks without warning and gently began to move them against him!


    The discomfort overwhelmed him in an instant. It almost seemed as if he was gently gyrating against it himself! Chu Yi had the illusion that he was having sex with the merman but he also had the feeling of becoming a female mermaid that was being assaulted by him!


    His nerves were all balled up together like a bundle of raging fire. At the same time, the sinful merman came even closer, to the point where he could feel them grinding against each other. The hot breath from its mouth was exhaled against his neck with an extreme yearning desire that would invade his body at any time, turning into an invisible undercurrent that could penetrate deep into his neck and smash his nerve endings to mush¨C


    The uncontrollable heat breaking out in his body made him weak, his limbs felt as if they were cotton and uncontrollably he had to grasp onto the appendage beneath him and support himself with the fishtail that was below his ass. The merman who was a head taller than his half crouching figure, used it''s arms to surround him. He could felt the movement of the tail getting harsher and the breath that was poured onto his neck was filled with unfulfilled desires. It''s thin lips opened into what could be called a sexual yet demonic grin with his sharp teeth showing and gently bit down onto Chu Yi''s neck.


    The sharp tang of blood seemed to set it into a new frenzy!


    "Chu...Yi¡­"


    The merman whispered into his ear with a low moan, it''s voice deep and hoarse, resembling the sound of flowing waves echoing in the deep sea trenches.


    The merman''s voice also seemed to have a devil-like nature of sirens. The riding Chu Yi felt as if he was put under a spell, even the strength in his neck was lost momentarily, allowing him to bite onto his ear with its lips, letting its tongue curl around and suck greedily at the droplets of blood.


    The sequence of those low-pitched whispers still lingered deep inside his eardrums, his mind was like a whirlpool, heavy and dizzy, causing him to rock and sway against the merman''s body like a tiny boat against crashing waves. The merman''s sharp webbed claws traced a warm trail along his spine and straight down to his lower body connected to its tail, at the same time, the wet and coarse fishtail squeezed itself deeper between the roots of his legs¨C


    The slippery scaled skin underneath him came in contact with his trousers and began to rub against his genitals, like a soft squid''s tentacles gently caressing against the most sensitive parts of his body¨C a burst of indescribable numbness followed with each stroke of the fishtail.


    Chu Yi let out a muffled groan and his head titled back, feeling the clothes beneath him get wet , he knew it wasn''t water. It was because these lewd frictions that caused his precum to come out.


    This was basically a natural sign indicating a man''s discontent towards their unsatisfied desires.


    Then he felt something different.


    Instantly, Chu Yi''s eyes snapped opened, panic instantly bringing the strength back into his limbs, he swallowed down the overflowing liquid in his mouth and clenched his teeth shut. He didn''t know when his legs had begun to desperately cling to the fishtail beneath him but the hard bulge that suddenly pushed against the crack of his ass told him,


    He needed to get out,


    Now.

 Chapter 98 - The Institute (39) M

    He moved to run away but in the end it was too late.


    The Merman instantly caught onto his waist and dragged him back onto it''s tail before he could flee, his lips gaped slightly in shock and he didn''t have time to react when something sticky and hard was forced down his throat!


    Chu Yi''s pupils shrank slightly, and his complexion changed, clutching his neck with one hand, he struggled to spit out what had slipped into his mouth.


    He felt as if a bundled ball of fire was being forced down his throat¨C


    The merman watched him shivering and clutching desperately at the blue- black scales beneath him, his head covered with black silk was wet with sweat, and his snow-white back was looming behind his hair, revealing beautiful butterfly bones. Chu Yi wanted to struggle, heart racing in fear but he was instantly stripped of all the strength he had mustered and the effect of siren''s pearl had begun,


    A bright flush quickly covered his body, eroding him so that even his limbs were trembling, and he could hardly move. The breath that flowed from between his nose became sweet and obscene, and his plump red lips were covered with a thin layer of water, charming and sinful.


    Before sirens reached adulthood, they would be faced with a long period of heat lasting several years. In this period, dragons would become extremely violent until there chosen mate was found. Their copulation was similar to hunting. Generally, the male siren would wind its body tightly around a female siren, entrapping it. After which, the male siren would vigorously whip the female siren''s opening and glands with its fishtail. When the female siren had been flogged until it had no strength left to resist, the male siren would give its mate its pearl. This pearl was imbued with hormones that would aid in reproduction, causing the female siren to be dazed and in heat from beginning to end.


    Dazedly, Chu Yi could feel something heard and bulging sliding out from the slit of the mermans tail to directly rub against the crack of his ass.


    He looked down at the place that connected the two of them, the huge sex organ was pressed right against his ass with a swelling purple glans seeping out a transparent, white liquid that made the musk in the air grow thicker!


    He immediately realized what it was doing.


    This was the mermans version of whipping him!


    Chu Yi forced down a whimper, his eyelashes were already wet, and physiological tears dripped from the corners of his eyes. He unconsciously rubbed his hands in front of his chest, and his breath became more rapid and intense. He glanced at the merman in a daze, stretched out his hand to his lower body wanting to stop this, but his hands paused at his lower abdomen, bit his lower lip, closed his red eyes and turned his face away.


    The numbing pleasure seemed to strip his mind of any rational thought, subconsciously he didn''t want this to stop.


    "Chu...Yi " The clawed hands grabbed onto the snow-white buttocks, the delicate skin turning skin slightly red beneath the rough cloth of his pants. The merman seemed dissatisfied with the touch and kept slapping his ass again and again, the roars from its throats told him that it wanted to rip his clothes off!


    Chu Yi groaned, he could feel the tingling pain from the stinging hand prints that marked the white ass. The dire burned and a dull shame erupted in his heart as behind him, the chrysanthemum point contracted quietly along with it''s tapping, briefly revealing a bright red hole, spitting out clear intestinal juice!


    He was in heat,


    The merman had induced heat into him just like a whorish female merman.


    The brief moment of respite from the heat made him realize how coordinated his movements were to the tail beneath him, he could also feel the merman''s sex organ expanding even bigger with the swollen, boiling-hot tip jabbing angrily between his clothes groin. But quickly his mind was submerged back into the boiling heat, and the only thing he could do was follow along like a small boat trapped in a storm.


    The merman used one hand to clasp around one of his covered ass cheek and with just one swing of it''s hand, his pants was thoroughly ripped to large shreds that were at his feet and with his now naked buttocks attached onto the cold, slippery, and wet surface of the fishtail.


    He could feel everything much deeper!


    Due to the undulating motions of the dragon''s body, as well as Chu Yi''s weak legs, he slid down a section on the mermans tail. His lower back sank down deeply, attaching itself to its hard, wet chest. The dripping, bright red hole was sandwiched between those fair buttocks, half exposed like the soft flesh of a forced open clam.


    Unable to escape, his body repeatedly rubbed against the merman''s scales.


    It felt as though sandpaper was brushing against the most delicate flesh inside of him, and the dick in front quickly became sore and swollen. Dripping wet with precum just like the hole beneath him,


    The sequence of low-pitched hums still lingered deep inside his eardrums, his mind felt like a whirlpool, heavy and dizzy, causing him to rock and sway against the merman''s body. It''s sharp webbed claws ripped through the remaining fabric on his back, a chill trailing along my spine and pooling straight down to his lower body, the wet and coarse fishtail squeezing itself deeper between the roots of his legs,


    It was impatient to insert the dark dragon that had emerged obscenely from the wet slit on its tail.


    Chu Yi tilted his neck back impatiently, curled up his toes, and kicked his legs feebly against the side of the tail. The light pink sex organs was semi-hard, lying crooked on the flat lower abdomen, and the small mouth appeared with bit of redness and swelling, a clear fluid slowly being spit out!


    Hearing the sound of her own lustful squelch as the fluid left gleaming wet trails on the appendage of the merman, Chu Yi''s face became even more flushed, and his eyes were half drooping, bright white teeth almost biting out a bloody hole in his moist red lips.


    The merman suddenly bent and pinched his chin harshly, brought that fascinating face closer, opened his tightly closed lips on top of his slippery tongue, and forcibly fed him the saliva from it''s mouth.


    The spine numbing pleasure made Chu Yi shiver, legs closing tightly around the gyrating wave between his legs.


    The merman roared in dissatisfaction, anxiously waving moving tail under him. The soft pale ass rotated in circles, red and slick hole opening and closing to leave gleaming trails on its scales. The lewd fluids made squelching sounds, and scalding hot liquid dripped all over the merman''s tail in waves.


    It was like a ripe and sweet fruit had been tightly squeezed until its juices dripped everywhere


    The merman carefully licked the two swollen lips with the tip of its tongue, pressing against the bloody flesh and sucking obscenely, a wet, squelching sound loudly resonating in the room. The dark purple penis with green veins and knots followed it''s rhythm and seemed to want to pierced fiercely into the hole that winked temptingly between the two pieced white clouds. It buckled his soft waist and hips in its palms, buried his tail deep between Chu Yi''s legs, and rubbed trembling at the delicate palace mouth


    Chu Yi pulled from his daze and noticed it''s eagerness, a sudden lazy smile appearing on his ravaged lips. Even in such a situation, he didn''t look angry or desperate. Instead the look in his eyes although hazed with lust was filled with laughter and mischief,


    He leaned back comfortably on the mermans chest and slightly turned his head, then he reached out pale hand and picked the merman''s chin, squinted and said with a dangerous smile: "Don''t be so eager big boy. If we''re going to do this, then make sure I''m comfortable ok.. ?"


    His words slurred with lazy drawl and the flushed fingertips slowly traced the mermans face until it gently penetrated into its thin lips like a sly snake.


    The lewd fluid leaking from his indescribable parts grew more and more, until it flowed from the acupuncture point and down the crook of the leg, onto wetting the fish tail beneath him.


    The merman seemed to be stimulated by his fingers on its face and the thick, long fleshy blade suddenly broke its tip into his body and tried to force itself through with natural lubricant flowing from the bright red hole!


    Naturally it couldn''t go through and it pull away from the flower hole with a wet plop, Chu Yi was caught off guard by the sudden insertion and everything seemed to go white, even as it pulled away, he subconsciously moved his hips in tandem , the tingling and itching in his body only got worse with his unfulfilled desires.


    The merman keenly felt the slight changes in his body, and the breath that gasped against the back of his neck grew heavier. It lifted its hands and scratched the corners of Chu Yi''s eyes with his fingertips, and forced some tears from those surging red eyes. Then, it bit the red and swollen lips contentedly for a while, and kissed all the way to the thin white neck.


    Chu Yi suddenly laughed hoarsely and threw his head back against its chest, he ignored the burning desire pooling in the drooling stick lying softly against his abdomen and with drooping eyes suddenly grabbed the mermans hand and directed it towards the place that needed it the most,


    The merman seemed to pause in confusion but still followed the desire of its mate and Chu Yi couldn''t help but groan lowly when there was a hot and moist soft object covering his dick, gently holding the delicate blushing organs.


    The merman''s hand was webbed and felt like a hot gelatinous jelly that softly covered his entire dick!


    The manhood, that hasn''t been touched for a long time, is sensitive and scary, and it swells and congests after just a few strokes, and it stood tall on from his body like a ripe cherry.


    The glans spat turbid water like a broken faucet, the mermans webbed hands gently rubbed the soft skin, and the tip of his claws dexterously peeled off the wrapping film, like peeling a hard cherry pit, and exposed the sensitive nerves underneath.


    Chu Yi felt faint regret, he had underestimated his level of sensitivity,


    "No...Wait!...Woo..."


    The flushed dick, which was full of nerve fibers, has always been wrapped in a soft skin, hiding away from the rest of the world. Where had it been treated so cruelly? The webbed hands greedily traced the tender meat, and the sharp transparent claws sometimes pinched the prominent glans between its hands and sometimes it even traveled up to block the little hole on top with a numbing insertion!


    It''s too sensitive, a little touch will be magnified thousands of times by his nerves, and this kind of sudden action fueled by unbearable list made the pleasure more like an over-stimulating torture!


    The muscles inside Chu Yi''s thighs twitched unconsciously, and his crotch seemed to melt like butter, and he could only feel the heated current running through every vein in his dick!


    The precum flowed out like incontinence, the intestinal fluid that leaked from his hole flowed down and pooled onto the mermans tail, sliding down its glimmering scales and soaked the floor in small puddles¨C


    After a short while, the merman heard Chu Yi''s throat sounding with hoarse choked grins, and the trembling hole that spat the mating fluid was bright and red, the flushed jade root stood tremblingly, it was actually a look of being matured and blooming and suddenly shot out thick, white turbid strings that splattered onto Chu Yi''s chest like filthy white ink on the snow white canvas.


    The merman gasped hoarsely and forced roared under its breath, the hand that held Chu Yi''s waist unexpectedly moved away and forcefully spread the snow white buttock, it''s claws hands lightly scratched at his tight and tender back hole with his fingertips, the fluid staining its hands in a lustful glow as Chu Yi rocked on the tail beneath him in renewed heat, the pleasure from climax was not enough to sooth the effects of the siren pearl, it could only be sanitized by the essence of the merman. The merman absent-mindedly tilted his dark eyes to Chu Yi, who was undulating against him , and swept the hardening genitals standing quietly between its mates legs, it could feel the winking hole desperation inducing him greedily to come in and satisfy its desire but instinct told him that it''s mate needed to be prepared first.


    The merman licked Chu Yi''s sweaty Adam''s apple, and broke his slippery white ass with it''s hands, revealing the charming red hole that opened and closed temptingly before it.


    "Fuck..."


    The moment the finger sank in, the fleshy wall of Chu Yi''s flower hole shrank, his breathing was rapid, and his cock swelled up, red and swollen in just a second, but because of the invisible barrier that prevented him, he couldn''t vent his desire.


    He moaned in pain and pleasures, tears wet his slender eyelashes, his body was slightly bowed, and a little clear liquid overflowed from his almost purplish glans, his throat was hoarse, and the suppressed cry from his throating sounded more like overwhelmed sobs.


    A scorching sensation came from the foreign body wrapped in the flesh warm meat, Chu Yi gasped and shivered. The sensitive intestinal walls subconsciously sucked the finger that was deeply buried in his body, and every time the back acupuncture contracted, he would swallow it deeper and the biting sensation became more intense.


    The merman patiently pushed its finger into his tunnel, moving slowly and carefully, spreading every inch of folds in the soft intestines, scraping against the scarlet walls again and again.


    The line of his back was pale and beautiful, almost like the snow reflecting the silver moonlight. The dip of his waist was deep, and the two long fair thighs that wrapped around its tail were like soft jade. His inner thighs were filled with a mess of blood marked tallies, the allure almost palpable. Even more so was the crimson red opening between his legs that''s been parted by it''s own slender fingers, reaching deep into the tight entrance.


    It couldn''t wait anymore.


    The merman roared, it heaved Chu Yi deeper onto its tail, then, holding Chu Yi.in his arms, it pointed the heavy and hard dick at the delicate red hole and and with a heavy slam,


    It forcefully penetrated into the narrow flesh cavern!


    The fish scales on it''s cock are smooth and hard, with barbed thorns at it''s tip, the scales which was originally the merman''s most deadliest defense was covered with a layer of soft barbs as the filthy cock pounded into Chu Yi''s hole!


    The tender flesh greedily swallowed all the merman''s cock into his body, and the squishy intestines stretched and wrapped greedily around the intrusive foreign body.


    The soft, hot tender acupuncture points pitifully tightened around the fleshy meat and Chu Yi closed his eyes in painful pleasure. Even though the liquid helped smooth the forceful entrance, he could still feel a sharp shooting pain from where they connected numbing his scalp.


    The merman stopped, a look of fascination appearing on it''s face behind him, panting heavily and hugging the snow-white delicate body under him, it buried its head deep into the socket of his neck, greedily inhaling the faint orange fragrance of Chu Yi''s body.


    The scaly hand stroked the swollen nipples that had been gnawed red, and kneaded it vigorously. The strange painful and numbing pleasure spread from his chest, causing Chu Yi to groan, his delicate eyebrows were deeply twisted, and the flesh of his hole shrank like thousands mouths biting against the mermans cock!

 Chapter 99 - The Institute (40) M

    The mermans naked, honey-colored back was covered with drops of sweat. Its black hair was reminiscent of tendrils of evil smoke. Its robust back muscles bulged savagely, like an eagle spreading its wings, and it''s muscular waist exuded a formidable sense of strength. The row of black iron scales on it''s tail made him look like a furious caged beast. It was as though he was moments away from tearing and devouring people.


    It gripped a section of snow-white waist between it''s hands. The owner of the waist was hanging his head, panting lowly, completely devoid of his usually domineering appearance. Satin-like black hair hanged down like black curtains and the soft hips had been forcibly pushed upwards. The slick opening between those buttocks was scarlet in color, forced to resemble a muddy peony. That hole had been deeply penetrated from behind by a massive, thick and dark object, so big that it seemed to want to push against his internal organs.


    Chu Yi whimpered, a low choked gasp being torn from his throat, his voice was half dumb, his teeth almost biting his lower lip in half. The glans, which was as hard as a soldering iron, broke open his bright red hole and pierced deeply into it, completely overturning the ridges and wrinkles in his flower hole as it struggled to take in all of it''s meat. The softened burrs on the edge of the fine scales of it''s dick scraped against the tender flesh in the stuffed hole, causing a irritating tremor to shake his body.


    When the merman pulled away, the strong stretch almost made him think that the red flesh in his hole would also be pulled out of his body along with the thick and heavy penis.


    Trembling hands, covered his slightly sunken belly in panic, his legs kicking weightlessly in the air. His toes curled up tightly with pleasure, and psychological tears flowed down his cheeks, his expression gaped in a broken trance. The pale sexual organ in front of him shook tremblingly for half a minute, dripping with sparse precum, but in the end he still could not ejaculate for a long time,


    Once the merman was inside the female, she would not be allowed to cum until the merman had released his essence.


    The merman grew breathless as it watched the trembling back before him, the unknown desire to bully surging in his heart. The cock between his legs was already fully stiff and erect, and was difficult to encircle with one hand, pitch-black scales covered the most of the length, gradually flipping over and opening up to resemble soft barbs. Such a terrifying thing could only be withstood with the help of the sirens pearl. Otherwise, the receiver would hardly have time to grow aroused before being fucked to the point of endless tears, as though they were enduring nothing but torture.


    Even more shocking was the ball of spikes that grew at the base of the dick. The lump was wrapped in bristles that were hard on the outside and soft on the inside. That was, in fact, another cock. Wrapped in a soft membrane, it had yet to fully protrude outwards as the siren was not yet in adulthood.


    Chu Yi who had been silent all along suddenly gasped and without warning, heavily pushed back against the meat inside him!


    The itching and numbness that surged from where they connected together was more torturous than the feeling of the merman heavily pounding itself inside him!


    The deep black scaly penis was inserted into the narrow flower point, and the abundant lewd intestinal juice was forcefully squeezed out of the tunnel, dripping from the tiny gap left in his full hole and gliding onto the heavy tail beneath him. The hot and humid flesh tunnel felt as if was soaked with ginger, spicy and hot and left the merman feeling as if it was entering into a tunnel of burning flames!


    With a roar it smashed back into Chu Yi''s body, upturned scales scraping and pulling at the flesh inside the bright red hole, every time it pulled out, it felt like thousands of tiny mouth were sucking at its dick, the heated scarlet flesh pulling out beside his meat, reluctant to let go!


    Its cock pounded fiercely in Chu Yi''s body, his abdomen bulging with every thrust, he could feel it through a thin layer of fleshy membrane, his hole contracted along with it''s movement, biting onto its dick and moaning with unbearable pleasure.


    Under the mermans vigorous harassment, Chu Yi quickly became overwhelmed and he felt as if he was going to be broken in two by the meat plowing into his flower hole!


    Turbid liquid was quickly smashed into a foam by the heavy sex organs, the merman tyrannically pounded into him and he felt as if his hole had been turned into fleshy mud, the mermans precum was mixed with his intestinal juice and secreted from the overflowing channel, dripping wetly down his limp legs and marking the obscene sex between beast and man.


    The merman was in a state of euphoria as it thrusted its hips with reckless abandon and invaded into Chu Yi. The man that was usually as high and pure and didn''t care for anybody, but now his insides were extremely heated, soft and slick and melting with protruding lust. When he was pounded until it hurt, he would still spasm and clench around the merman''s dick.


    The merman''s cock was extremely hard with the mushroom head swollen wide. It could barely be forced to fit into his hole already. And what was even scarier was that there was a circle of black scales along the shaft. It was silky smooth going in but it was rough as soon as it was pulled out, biting into his flesh and practically yanking it out!


    The nectar within Chu Yi''s body had been scraped out by the black scales. It shoved forward again, it''s heavy balls slapping mercilessly against the fair backside, the narrow hole tightened even more.


    He had been trapped by the merman''s tail, only being able take it for what seemed like forever . His vision was blurry and the sweat that drained into his eyes made it so that he couldn''t even see the things breaker him. He only knew that his body was pounded by a hot rod, forcing him open and plundering into his deepest parts. He felt like a clam that''s been pried open, a muscle helpless against being played with, as long as the dark cock was inserted, his hole would suck against it lewdly regardless of his shuddering body!


    Chu Yi panted softly, his long eyelashes were wet with tears and the corners of his eyes were red.


    After being fucked for so long, his hair had long been soaked with sweat, sticking to his temples,


    Crystalline saliva uncontrollably drooled down in a silvery string, landing on red and swollen nipples, giving it a layer of lewd shine.


    His mind felt addled, only knowing that his body felt burning hot, was pounded thoroughly, and making obscene squelching sounds. The aching, bloating feeling was painful and unbearable and he unwittingly reached out to touch his lower abdomen.


    He wanted to cum but something was blocking him,


    It couldn''t be described as extreme bliss or extreme pain. The aching sensation crashed in ever-stronger waves and it almost made him feel like he was hanging from the clouds, his limbs melted away, leaving him as only a delicate sexual organ that was endlessly used.


    Every time he was subjected to the hard penetration, he couldn''t help but let out a nasal groan.


    The mermans smooth, jade-like waistline was gleaming with sweat and lewd fluids. It unexpectedly grasped Chu Yi''s waist and twisted him while still on its cock to face it!


    Chu Yi''s face distorted as pleasure ripped through his body as the every fold in his hole was forcefully smoothed out by the merciless cock, he felt as if he was being put threw a meat grinder, pleasure and pain intertwined to form dark spots in his vision as his body shook in overwhelming sensations!


    The merman pushed away his sweat-soaked black hair behind his ears, lowering it''s head to suck on Chu Yi''s tender and red nipples. His single-minded persistence was somewhat similar to that of a young child demanding food.


    It''s lower body continued its brazen invasion ¨C pulling out completely and then forcefully shoving itself in again. The cock encased in the membrane grew longer and longer, like a fleshy python raising its head and peeking out. Its entire length was covered in spikes that were both hard and soft!


    The hole between Chu Yi''s mutton jade like buttocks was so red and swollen that it flipped outwards. A patch of the delicate soft flesh inside had been firmly nipped by a small, pitch-black scale, swelling to the size of a chestnut. It was no longer able to subside.


    Initially, the prostate had been hidden considerably deep within, but now it was forced to be exposed. With a slight press from a dick, the red hole could be thoroughly defiled, and made to convulse and tremble all over!


    "Aha!"


    Chu Yi screamed, panting violently, his legs were struggling, and his whole body slumped. The twitching flower cave was warm like a hot spring, and it was densely wrapped around the thick and long sex organ buried inside it, The soreness and numbness spread from the depths of his tunnel, made Chu Yi stretch his body, like a dying swan, the slightly opened mouth, revealed the bright red tongue that hung loosely from his gaping lips, brain too numb to prevent the overflowing saliva that trailed from his lips and pooled into the deep cavern of his collarbone.


    The merman heard the hoarse scream and it was almost impossible to control the intense excitement that rushed into his head. He grabbed the two greasy snow-white buttocks with both hands, opened a slight gap between the bright red chrysanthemum point, and pounded even more violently!


    Chu Yi''s hips spasm as though he was nearing death. The two soft and creamy cheeks of his ass slapped against the wet scales non-stop, and the reflection from the sweat drenching his waist and legs swayed into a shining blur.


    The itching deep inside his body was like a small, violent fire. In the blink of an eye, it had spread through his bones and all four of limbs. As long as he slightly clenched his buttocks, his hole would begin to spasm due to the intense itching and pleasure, spraying fluids everywhere.


    The merman pulled out from between his legs. Holding onto those long, snow-white legs, he pushed them together forcefully, it''s tail string enough to hold his full weight. Chu Yi''s hole had flipped outwards, resembling the pistils of broken peony¨C


    It then slammed back in, every single black scale of its cock was covered in liquid, glistening wetly and lewdly in Chu Yi''s own nectar.


    The surging waves of desire running through every inch of Chu Yi''s body were firmly locked into dick and even though he desperately wanted to cum, it felt as if a cork had placed against the rapid can raging inside him.


    He took a few deep breaths, forcefully stilling his trembling lips and stared deeply into the dark eyes of the fucking merman , "Fuck... you."


    A dark smirk suddenly appeared on the mermans lips and before Chu Yi could react, the thick, heavy cock pounded into his tight passage, the scales suddenly stretched, and were deeply buried into sensitive folds! The edges of the scales are rough and frizzy, with velvety thorns that made the flesh convulse and shrink. His heart seemed to stop beating, the cock in his body seemed to swell several times, and something like knots and also not like knots grew from the roots, which stuck tightly to the convulsing flower point, the cock had stretched the chrysanthemum hole to its limit!


    He was completely stuffed!


    Electric and tingling pleasure came surging from his hole, and Chu Yi couldn''t help shuddering like a broken faucet.


    Sweet, greasy and painful moans erupted from his lips, and even the breath he exhaled was lewd. After only a moment, it seemed as if he had realized something, a trace of panic flashed through the tearful red eyes, his swollen lips slightly opened, and his body struggled violently.


    "Ahh¨C¨C"


    The merman roared, the arms holding Chu Yi''s body pressed harder, until he squeezed out a thin layer of pink powder from the white skin. The genitals were smashed against the most sensitive part of the squishy intestines, the pleasure soared, and suddenly thick white turbid spurts of cum erupted into the narrow hole, completely staining Chu Yi''s inside with its filthy white musk!


    Chu Yi''s breathing stagnated and simultaneously the plugged dam in his body was released! Pleasure that made his ears ring erupted in his body and thick strings of cum shot from his swollen red cock and splattered across the room with an obscene, lewd spurt.


    Chu Yi gasped, even after a long time had passed his trembling cock still shot spurts sparse sperm that dribbled onto his heaving chest. The muscles between his legs couldn''t help twitching, and his body was shaking , his eyes were lost, and saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth unconsciously.


    He was thoroughly ravished¨C


    Red eyes were half drooping, his breath was gentle, and he didn''t move. He seemed to be in a semi-comatose state, except that his cock was still dripping cum like incontinence.


    The merman slowly withdrew from him, the biting red hole still reluctantly refused to let him go, and slowly echoed with a squelch. The soft muddy flesh in the acupuncture point was chasing this thick and hard penis with a sense of aftertaste, and when the whole dick was pulled out, it made a slight "pop" as the scales were released.


    Losing the strength of the hard object to fill it up, the mouth of the well-pounded flower hole is wide open, the reddish soft flesh is winking in the air, and the turbid white mixed with obscene liquid flows quietly from it, flowing from the gap between Chu Yi''s legs to the thigh that cannot be closed.


    The roots of his legs are messy. Chu Yi''s hands were still clutching onto the mermans fishtail below and the sweat-soaked black silk was wet all over his body. He panted silently, his eyes flickered, and his head suddenly dropped to side.


    He had lost consciousness completely.

 Chapter 100 - The Institute (41)

    A slender finger traced softly against the skin of his inner thighs, the intertwined red and green bruises blooming on his body like the immature stamen of a blossoming flower. Most of the marks on his limbs had been faintly erased but the skin here had been deliberately left untouched, like a dangerous beast marking its territory.


    Red lips parted, strings of saliva obscenely stretching from the base of the swollen and ravaged petals, even the breath he exhaled seemed to still carry the faint taste of musk, he didn''t know if it was caused by the residual effects of the pearl, regardless, his skin was still clamoring greedily for touch.


    Chu Yi''s head hung low, drooping eyelids covering the brewing danger in those stormy red eyes, sweat trickled down the strained muscles of his neck and the hand that traced his skin only pressed harsher and harsher, a enticing red flush appearing on his cheeks as Chu Yi''s body shook in lingering pleasure¨C


    He gasped, strands of sweat-soaked black hair fell into the hollows of his throat, alongside the intertwined marks, new bruises created by his own hands now sullied the snow white skin. His eyes slowly traced upwards from the flushed pink skin to the shyly tensing muscles, his entire being had been corroded by sinful heat.


    Then he stopped and abruptly swung his head to the ceiling, the dark shadows no longer hid him, the fluttering eyelashes were like a butterfly on the verge of flying away. The wet, sticky black hair was like soaked dark satin, flowing with metallic light, and stuck to his flaming-hot cheek. His slim eyebrows were like unrefined swords, the breath he exhaled like a woven heated mist, softly encasing a pair of dark eyes that seem to want to set the world ablaze!


    The red lines suddenly broke free from the shackles of the skin¨C


    The scarlet patterns originally wrapped around the limbs spread out in the air. The complex and ancient scaled patterns seemed to be moved by invisible hands!


    They stretched out under the dim white light with a treacherous and long-lasting sense of shock makes all creatures who look at it instinctively fall into stagnation and fear. The lines erupted with an awe and tremor from the depths of the soul, that no existence can contend with it¨C


    There was no longer any pain from transformation, his eyes were open, and the mirror reflected in the depths of his scarlet red pupils, a sly smile, the corners of his lips were slightly aroused as if he couldn''t help but laugh, and there was an indescribable calm expression on his pale face. He tilted his head slightly, his throat moved as if he was saying something but no words appeared from his lips but Chu Yi didn''t care,


    He knew.


    Chu Yi took a breath and closed his eyes, his complexion faded to a faint pink, the clamoring in his body calmed down, his jet-black eyelashes covered the undulating emotions in eyes, dazzling, white chest settling into a steady heartbeat. On the pale skin below his neck, the scarlet bright lines slowly faded and disappeared, as if hiding deeply inside his body again.


    But the scales on his skin had doubled in numbers, and the protruding hard bulge on the glistening forehead had grown in size. The strange and inhuman additions, did not make him look unsightly, it only gave a him a weird and soul sucking beauty.


    The time was nearing.


    With a final gasp, Chu Yi wiped the sweat from his face and walked steadily out of the bathroom. He had a few more questions that he needed answers to. However before he could fully make for the exit of the shared ward, his hands that went to open the door suddenly paused, head slowly turning to the obtrusive presence in the previously empty room,


    Somehow Tang Shun had appeared here unaware, sitting on the rusty, old bed, almost as if he had been waiting for him...


    Tang Shun legs overlapped, his left hand propped on the rusty rails of the bed, supporting his head. The dim light and shadows intertwined in a sinister and evil light that made the heart palpitate in fear, the faked gentleness on his body receded like a gushing tide, the cutting oblique and gloomy nature was fully reflected in the dark peach blossom eyes.


    The tip of the leather shoe was facing the door, and Tang Shun''s jaw was sharply outlined in the flickering darkness, the lines of his body were perfect and deep, and the corners of his raised lips were very meaningful. Only the color of his lips was thin and almost sickly pale in the eve of alienation.


    Chu Yi paused, squinting his eyes and looked at him playfully, "It turns out that our gentle snake Tang Shun is also here. Why the sudden appearance..."


    "Isn''t it that you disappeared¨C I thought you had died." Tang Shun''s voice was casual, as if Chu Yi''s death had nothing to do with him, "But such a nameless and lackluster death seemed uncharacteristic of you, so I came back here."


    He grinned strangely, "Turns out, my intuition was right."


    Chu Yi retracted his hand and walked towards Tang Shun step by step, a cold oppresive pressure instsntly flooded the room, nevetheless Tang Shun sat still, unfazed, but the thin lips couldn''t hold back a smirk, "Ah, it seems you really went through a lot during this time, why do I smell a vaguely familiar taste on you, one that uncannily reminds me of a certain creature. Care to give an explanation?"


    "No explanation needed. We fucked." Chu Yi walked to Tang Shun In front of him, bent down and propped both hands on the railings of the bed. Mockingly standing over him, his black hair fell on Tang Shun''s suit in hanging silk tresses, with a smile akin to an evil spirit, the maliciousness in his heart only grew deeper and darker. He stared directly into Tang Shun''s eyes and seemed to notice something, the sneer at the corner of lips his lips turned exaggerated as he exclaimed, "Tang Shun, how do you look a little bit different? Isn''t it right? Why do you seem..weak."


    He tentatively approached the man sitting on the bed, face shrouded in ambiguous darkness, his slightly hot breath blew across the Tang Shun''s face like a sharp wind, red eyes growing darker in faint excitement, as if the maliciousness in his soul was about to tear through the darkness and rush out of his beautiful demonic face to sear into his skin.


    Until he saw the dark peach blossom eyes turn up in a grin,


    "Ah, it seems something is really very wrong. My alienation seems to cause bouts of uncontrollable weakness after certain shedding."


    He shrugged, "It''s uncontrollable and perhaps I might die in a moment of inattentive."


    Tang Shun was open and straightforward about his situation and didn''t seem to care about Chu Yi finding out.


    Boring.


    Chu Yi straightened up, faintly disappointed at the lack of struggle and tension, the excitement from the potential clash was immediately snuffed out like water dousing flames. Ridicule faintly appeared at the end of his eyes and his lips downturned into a sneer, "Very honest."


    Tang Shun smiled with a gentlemanly tip, "My pleasure."


    Defusing this beautiful bomb took no more than a few words.


    The both of them fell into meaningful silence but neither of them left and not long after, as predicted Chao Bin appeared at the door with a worried face, his hands were clenched at his side and hisbl pursed lips seemed to be holding back tears. However before he could start talking, as soon as he lifted his head, he immediately spotted the unharmed and intact Chu Yi standing by the wall with faint aloofness and after a moment of shock,


    He instantly cried out and rushed towards Chu Yi, hands grabbing onto his arms and eyes quickly scanning his entire body for injuries,


    "How did you get out?!"


    "After you got locked in, we tried to open the door and let you out but the system wouldn''t accept the password anymore and we could only split up in hopes we could find a hidden passage that would lead back to the room."


    "Aee you alright?! Why are your lips so red, are you hot."


    Chu Yi uncannily felt a pang of shame appear in his heart for some reason and after shrugging and shifting away, he gave a vague almost perfunctory explanation, then somewhat embarrassedly brought the attention to another important topic.


    "Let''s summarize everything we know so far."


    Chu Yi analyzed all the clues they had in front of them now, "We can rightly conclude that the Black Cat Project is a matter that bounds the Federation to the Institute in a process to create something that combines the strength of scientifically modified animals and the untapped intelligence of humans. It''s a matter of balancing animalistic instinct and human control to create a new type of evolution that will propel the Federation and its civilization into the direction of world class leaders."


    "The first step was eliminating the biological children and replacing them with artificial genetic products that are classified as ''superior'' to regular humans and creating a frenzy with propaganda in order subset the nature of the population. But the timeline here is confused, were these artificial children created after the Institute had started conducting it''s experiments or before but then in the video we watched, it seemed that Phase #0001 only started after the biological children had already been deemed obsolete."


    Chao Bin pondered hard, "Then do you mean that before the Institute was even created, there was already someone experimenting with gene codes, combining and editing them to try and create a superhuman in a sense." There was a flash of inspiration, "The only place that I can think of is the lab in the confinement room, it must have been the original source of the code experiments. It''s the only place that seems out of touch with the rest of the Institute and the building even seems to be built around it rather than it being built with it."


    "Tentatively assume as such. So if we correct the timeline here, there was someone, presumably the mysterious mastermind that operated on humans in this lab . But the timeline is confused once again, because in the experiment logs we see nurses appearing in the videos and being torn apart by these monsters. So during the time that these experiment logs were created, the person who started the experiment was already involved with the Federation."


    Chao Bin was even more confused, "Then when exactly did these experiments first start. If it was before the biological children were abandoned, before original source was discovered and before the experiment logs were created, then where exactly are we to look at."


    Tang Shun lightly squinted his eyes and spoke, " Besides that, the rudimentary form of gene editing was created before any and all financial and human resources were available. This project was an isolated instance that happened outside of human eyes and was then brought to the Federation and implemented. Therefore the Federation is crossed out of the list of potential masterminds."


    Chu Yi pondered for a moment and spoke, "The timeline we have now is that someone succeeded in cracking the fundamental elements of the human body and then something happened that prompted them to bring this information to the Federation, who then pushed out the biological children. This information must have been so important that the Empire was willing to sacrifice thousands of humans in order to create this power. They must have chosen to use children at first because they were young and have more vitality, so to speak able to withstand harsher treatment."


    "Then what about the abandoned planets, why did the Federation move towards killing off the residents?"


    "Because they fell short."


    Tang Shun was the one to answer this, "If we assume that the first ever experiment done by the unknown researcher was successful and it even brought about the new type of humans, ''the evolutions'', they probably tasted the sweetness of power, then the people at the top must have been tremendously excited and started shoving vital resources and money into the Institute. Propaganda spread, they started more wars over territories with the sudden new confidence and depleted themselves because they believed that the things created in the Institute would propel them to new heights."


    "But what if the Institute failed."


    Chao Bin pursed his lips, "Then they have to find something to fill the void. Because giving way means, giving up thr battle between galaxies."


    "Exactly. In order to keep up the powerful front of the Federation, they had to find a way to survive anyways and what better way than to kill all human life on the planet and then classify them as abandoned and cording them off in order to deter anybody from searching into the real reasons. The war log we found essentially, reports the wrong number of soldiers death because instead of soldiers, the people of the Empire were used as a defense mechanism."


    "Gradually this situation became the norm, the Institute could raise their guinea pigs and the Federation would have a suitable meat pit."


    The room fell silent for a moment.


    "Then this probably explains why there are only nurses in the Institute because it wasn''t a concentrated effort of multiple people to create these experiments. It was one!"


    Chu Yi nodded," But what we''ve seen so far, there are no really successful experiments here. There is always a background of either insufficient intelligence or insufficient strength or the opposite too much strenght or too much intelligence. Inherently uncontrollable by regular humans. The Federation and the Institute wanted to create something that would make them all powerful but would not rebel or kill them."


    "Essentially, the perfect soldier."


    "After so many disappointments, the Federation would have started using this place as a means to create cannon fodder. They would take the relatively controllable ones and used them on the battlefields and them dispose of the strong ones. The previous successful experiment was never replicated."


    "What about the last video that wasn''t shown when we watched the videos a while ago, do you think that was the first ever successful experiment."


    Chu Yi shook his head, "The first successful experiment wouldn''t be grouped with the other fish monsters and siren, remember Phase #0005| The abnormal one¨C More than likely, it refers to that experiment subject."


    Suddenly Chu Yi paused and looked at them, " Why when were we referred to as Phase #0001."


    "What¨C"


    He pointed to their ID Cards, "We are Phase #0001, but that''s impossible because that phase started when the Institute was first created. So why are we called Phase #0001."


    They fell quiet, some consternation appearing on their faces, "Is it that we''re replicating the scene that happened when the first batch of experiments were brought to the newly built Institute."


    Tang Shun''s brows furrowed deeper, "If we think about it that way, then it isn''t impossible. In R89''s first experiment log, it spoke about the death rates and happenings of Phase #0002, by then the Federation had already started filling in the gaps. That means that Phase# 0001 had failed, at least to a certain extent. But if we''re ''replicating'' the scene of Phase #0001 that means we''re receiving the most rudimentary form of antibodies."


    "And Phase #0001 had the most likely chance to succeed than any of the phases after that. That means we have the most likely chance to alienate than if we had been subjected to Phase #0004 code of experiments.This is repeating the cycle."


    Chao Bin thought of the voice and wanted to ask but in the end, realized that there was still no way to get an answer for now. Unless he figured out the source of the voice.


    "There''s also another problem that I''ve noticed, " Chu Yi paused as if to think. "Why do you think the nurses turn into monsters? Is it just a scare tactic by the copy in order to facilitate the killing of players?"


    Chu Yi licked his lips and turned faintly to Chao Bin, " If not only the residents and the players but also the nurses have been injected with the source antibody," He grinned, "Then isn''t what I said about the owner of the lab true¨C"


    "A true lunatic."


    Chao Bin blanched at the words and looked put off by his words mainly because.....it wasn''t far-fetched at all.


    "There are only a few things left unanswered now, we have to find the original creator of the Institute, the first successful experiment and why the Institute had turned into a mutant nest without anyone knowing it."

 Chapter 101 - The Institute (42)

    Several people walked to the entrance of the dining hall eagerly, going through the familiar medication process again under the eagle eyes of the nurses. The seemingly life-saving process had become more and more strict as the days went by, the nurses would stand over the players like ominous hanging ghosts and maliciously stare at them as they swallowed the pills. The greed and hunger in their eyes only grew stronger and thicker as if what they were staring at weren''t actually humans but delicious white pigs that were slowly being fattened to perfection.


    Chu Yi swept through the bottles in the hands of the nurses without a trace, took the pills and swallowed it expressionlessly, their cells were being strengthened, then destroyed, then renewed with life again, afterwards the cycle would repeat. Some cells would fail to be renewed and would just continue the process of being strengthened, the destroyed eventually mutating into the monsters. Some cells would strenuously accept life and would under the never ending destruction, be refined into better cells. A newer evolution. But what if, there was a one in a million chance that in this cycle is repeated so many times, a new type of cell was formed. One that would autonomously strengthen and destroy itself but would also create life...on its own.


    Because in order to create life, something .has to be destroyed.


    Chu Yi stored this inexplicable idea in his heart, when he looked up, he was surprised to know that he could somehow hear the conversation between the head nurse and other nurses walking away some steps away.


    "How much longer do we have to wait, it smells so good."


    "A little longer, ''they'' are almost ready."


    The sound without ups and downs gradually drifted away in the empty corridor, and leaving the players to continue to play around.


    In fact, the atmosphere of the dining hall is not as good as before,


    Somehow the tension between players had propelled to new heights, from the bits and pieces that Chu Yi had put together, it can only be assumed that during a search, two groups of players had collided and some of the players from the yellow group, who had entered the playing field first had intentionally or unintentionally used a few players from the red group as scapegoats by deliberately inducing them to go to the more deadly areas and then running away at the first sight of danger.


    A few of the red players were provoked and started a fight although they eventually broke up, the air between them had gone completely sour.


    Chu Yi and the others sat to the corner, although faintly marginalized into the clique of the red group, They neither had any connections nor did they explore the Instance together but regardless, they weren''t in Mu Fang''s group either.


    They were neutral.


    There were several such scattered neutral groups in the dining hall, they stood away from the rest and watched the chaos in front of them with the cold eyes of a bystander.


    From the corner of his eyes, Chu Yi saw Mu Fang suddenly stand up, as the only official player, his every move was usually under the watch of all the other players and this new action instantly caused the room to fall into tense silence,


    "Everyone, I have a suggestion and it needs the cooperation of all the ''humans'' in this room."


    Mu Fang was satisfied when most of thebplayers gave him their full attention,


    "We can''t delay any longer, it is already the third week of the month. We don''t have much time left, I believe we''ve all collected sufficient clues and information on our own to have an idea of what''s going on in the Institute. I won''t ask you to share, mainly because it''s your own progress and we have no right to request it, even if its for the good of all of us¨C "


    Chao Bin scoffed and rolled his eyes, "I usually only see this type of green tea bitch maneuver in K-dramas, you really opened my eyes today."


    Chao Bin''s voice wasn''t low and in the already quiet room, it was frightening clear to the ears of all the occupants of the hall, snickers and low chuckles instantly erupted in the room, although quickly silenced, it still couldn''t stop Mu Fang''s face from turning green in frustration.


    Taking a deep breath, Mu Fang calmed down and continued to speak regardless of Chao Bin''s ridicule.


    "Considering all this, there is one place I don''t believe any of the players have explored as of yet. The basement floor."


    The previously casual air, quickly became somber. All the players had happened upon the open basement floor at some point, there was no need to say anything else.


    "Rusty iron plates, peeling walls, damp and moldy corners from leaking rain, and moss filling in the gaps. The only thing that barred them from entrance was rusty red iron gate that stood tall against the backdrop of darkness.''


    This was guaranteed to be the most dangerous place in the Institute and no one had ventured pass the open gates as of yet.


    Seeing that all of then were quiet, a triumphant look appeared in My Fangs eyes, "If we go by ourselves, we''re bound to have face all the danger below without anyone to help us. Therefore, I have a suggestion, let all of us including the red group explore the basement floor as a collective. There''s safety in numbers, we can pool our intelligence and we can also have more strength to fight off what is down there!"


    The room fell silent.


    From his peripheral vision, Mu Fang saw that Chao Bin wanted to speak again and with a twitch of his lips, he quickly nudged one of the players in his team with faintly gritted teeth, prompting them pointedly,


    "Are you guys willing to put aside a differences and work towards surviving together?"


    The players were startled for a second and then quickly caught onto the hint and echoed Mu Fang''s words enthusiastically,


    "Yes! We''re willing!"


    Seeing that the players were still not speaking up, one of Mu Fang''s group member, took the opportunity to brush favorability points and scolded the others,


    "What are you hesitating for!"


    The man''s voice was shrill and jarring, "If it were not for the kindness of Mu Fang, we would not care about the life and death of you people. Here is not black city where the veterans get rewards for helping out newcomers, who else but Mu Fang would care so much about whether you live or die. Some of you are already not a thing and you still have the gall to doubt Mu Fang''s vision. He''s the only person who wants to give you guys a way to live!"


    The man jeered unkindly, "It''s fine if you don''t appreciate his kindness, but when you die later, you better not say you weren''t given a chance!"


    Mu Fang gave the player a warning look, then turned his head to calm down and said to them: "If you stay in the top floor, with the current situation, it will probably be a dead end."


    "If you follow me, I will try my best to ensure your safety."


    After he had finished speaking, Chao Bin actually had the urge to tear off Mu Fang''s face to see if he could find another one hiding underneath¨C


    Only after hypocritically waiting for the man to finish berating them for not appreciating a non-existent kindness, then sleazily hopping in with the savior spiel, did this mans face not hurt from its thickness!


    "I''m in."


    The sudden voice instantly broke the oppressive stalemate they were in.


    Everyone glanced over.


    Chu Yi propped his head up lazily, calmly accepting the baptism of everyone''s sight and scrutiny and stared deep into the eyes of Mu Fang''s.


    The eyes that were cast upon him, carried shock, wonder and even some contempt, there were some with unabashed salivation in their eyes and some that carried superiority.


    Chu Yi moved his limbs casually as if he hadn''t felt anything, even stretched out and yawned boredly as this farce.


    Then he continued, "If it''ll get you to shut up, then I''m in."


    Chao Bin who had previously been bewildered by Chu Yi''s sudden change of heart was immediately set at ease, he didn''t care much about what Mu Fang was planning but would never give up a chance to humiliate him, "Me too, my ears are about to develop sores from listening to you for so long."


    The air instantly became strange again,


    Some yellow players wanted to speak angrily, but they were all stopped by Mu Fang,


    He looked at them with sincere eyes, "Although, you doubt me, I''m willing to look pass this and do my best to prove to you all that, that if we work together, regardless our ''differences'', then we''ll all survive this place."


    His words would be much more believable, if he would stop singling out and insinuating to the red group.


    Tang Shun glanced between his two teammates and turned to Mu Fang with a signature gentle smile, " I''m in as well, excuse my other teammates¨C"


    Mu Fang''s sincere smile grew deeper, in the end they still had to give him face,


    "¨CThey''re not very tolerant of bullshit."


    He almost coughed up blood in anger¨C what was wrong with these people, he couldn''t even continue to keep up his tolerant smile and with a gesture to the others, he sat back down, not wanting to look at the three anymore.


    The other players looked around and eventually they all came to the decision to agree, there was not much harm anyways and at the very least, the promise of an official player could count for something.


    After the cooperation matter was settled, the players headed by Mu Fang quickly finalized the plan to venture down to the negative second floor for an exploration during the night of the next day.


    But in the end, this plan is still not insured. Judging by the attitude of the nurses and the explicit rule to never go down into the basement, then they could already sense the upcoming life-threatening situation that they''d have to go through,


    Nevertheless, cowardice wasn''t an option, this was most probably the last stretch of the main mission, as long as they managed to survive, most of the players believed their lives would be guaranteed then.


    After deciding on the plan, although the atmosphere was still suppressed for a while, eventually the several different groups in the dining hall erupted in discussion.


    Under mutual disadvantage, the weaker players had gathered together as a collective much like in the jungle, where the weak animals would gather together to find a way to survive. Some of these small groups look at the heads of the stronger players and flatter them vigorously; others make their own decisions and want to take advantage of everything


    The small group: made up of mostly first copy players, who were talking now was just trying to take advantage. They didn''t want to follow Mu Fang to risk their lives, and now they were harboring deceitful hearts filled with small calculation.


    "Even if we go we won''t be of much help.."


    As we all know, in horror copies, the night is definitely an eternal theme that cannot be avoided.


    The probability of a general terror situation occurring at night is far greater than during the day, and it is also much more dangerous and more likely to end up in death.


    "There are so many of us, can Mu Fang really take care of all us? In the end, we who can''t provide much to them would probably just be abandoned. And didn''t the nurse say that the negative second floor is not a good place, why should we take the initiative to go?"


    "That''s right... And in this situation, the ward is the safest, right? There is still the matter of the life medicine, what if we get caught up in the basement and miss it. We''re all pink players, if we don''t take the pill, aren''t we just asking for death."


    The players in these small groups dragged their feet, hesitating.


    "How about this.."


    "Otherwise we will stay in the ward later?"


    One player quietly raised his eyebrows, "Anyway I''m not going, we really only have to survive for the rest of the month and its not like we can''t inferior the mastermind from the clues already here. It''s probably the Federation anyways, why do I need to take risks, just stay in the ward and enjoy the benefits."


    "Yes. The difficulty of this dungeon is only C...It''s good if we can survive, and who cares about finding out more."


    "Right, then we''ll all stay. When they come back later, just say we overslept. They can''t prove anything anyways."


    "Exactly. Then that''s that."


    The Institute was gradually revealing the shortcomings in this fractured player group.

 Chapter 102 - The Institute (43)

    Tang''s Shun transformation was bloody, the frequent shedding of old skin in place of hardened and cold flesh, would leave places of his body cracked and marred like the edges of a broken glass. Although the wounds quickly healed, the lingering smell of blood seemed to be permanently attached to his body, seeping into his bones and intertwining with Tang Shun''s familiar bitter charcoal scent.


    In a sense it reminded Chao Bin of a bloody winter.


    He couldn''t pinpoint what was wrong with him, whenever he was around it was time for Tang Shun''s alienation, Chao Bin was filled with a kind of thirst. He tried to hide it, mainly because he couldn''t tell what it was and subconsciously he didn''t want to show such an embarrassed posture in front of the others.


    He had no appetite, his throat was constantly dry¨C barely quenchable by water, and there was a aching burning sensation in his stomach that left him feeling as if there were millions of tiny needles drilling into his skin and slowly injecting each and every nerve ending in his body with a fiery venom!


    But there was also another problem that left him baffled..


    Chao Bin''s eyes fell on Tang Shun''s body and in the end, he couldn''t move away, the dry itching in his throat brought a tingling sensation, his blood flow accelerated, and his body was rapidly rising in temperature.


    It''s different from before.


    Tang Shun sat next to him, the hostility and sharpness between his eyebrows slowly faded along with the new bout of shedding, he sat quietly on the narrow bed with pursed lips. His figure was thin, his back was straight, and even his sitting posture was pretty standard. Straight and sophisticated, no sign of just having gone through agonizing pain, besides the glimmering sheen of sweat shining faintly on his forehead and his broken and chapped lips. The right hand placed gently on his knee was beautiful, the blood vessels under the skin glowed blue under the cold gloomy light of the dark room. Despite them being unable to see, the gradually encroaching darkness signaled to them that it was almost sundown.


    A tantalizing smell wafted into his nose from the other side, the itching in his throat only growing stronger and stronger, the wound on Tang''s Shun left arm had stopped bleeding and was now covered by the sleeve of the shirt, invisible, slowly healing, it''s a pity¡ª


    The repeated cycle of shedding and weakness bright greater inconvenience, Tang Shun smelled the faint scent of blood, and the two points of disgust in his eyes only grew deeper.


    Noticing the burning stare glaring fresh holes into his body, Tang Shun looked up¨C


    Chao Bin only felt as if a cats paw was lightly scratching at his heart, the tantalizing smell penetrated into his nose, his already racing heart grew rapid, his throat became dry and itchy once more, and even his breathing became faintly short.


    So thirsty...


    Why was he so thirsty...


    Chao Bin became more confused, instinctively looking for the smell that had been haunting him for so long. He was sitting next to Tang Shun, a wide and open distance between the two, at this moment, Chao Bin turned sideways, stood up and approached Tang Shun, his voice was nasal and hoarse, the drifting eyes made it obvious he was not sober and as he stood over a questioning Tang Shun, there was a pool of amber light in his eyes as he spoke dumbly at Tang Shun, "What is so delicious on you? It smells so good."


    Chu Yu''s head was dizzy, and his body was burning like a fire, making him very irritable and uncomfortable inside and out, even at the air felt stiff and scalding, as if what he was breathing in wasn''t oxygen but liquid fire pooling in his heart!


    It was a familiar feeling.


    Just like a full package, his throat became dry and itchy, his heartbeat starts to accelerate, and the blood vessels in his forehead suddenly burst from tension, his body feeling as if it would explode in the next second.


    All because of that smell,


    He wanted to eat....he wanted to eat him...


    The familiar feeling of heat permeated his whole body, no, it was even hotter than yesterday, giving him the illusion that he could be cooked on the spot in the next second!


    Tang Shun looked up at the faintly panting boy above him and exchanged glances with the casually watching Chu Yi,


    It didn''t take much to think of the answer.


    This was caused by the effects of his alienation.


    "What smell are you talking about...."


    Chao Bin paused for a moment, then as if being pulled from a dream, he abruptly snapped back to reality losing the trance-like haze in his eyes. Embarrassment flushed his face and without looking at the others again, he jumped back from Tang Shun and buried his face in the sheets, ignoring the disgust and through a muffled voice, they could only vaguely hear him say "Nothing."


    Tang Shun raised a brow but before he could speak, there was a harsh bang as the metal sheets were once again dropped onto the floors before the ward doors.


    Tang Shun looked back at Chao Bin deeply and eventually decided to leave it be, the silver glasses were gently taken off his face and with a flick of his wrists they disappeared, fully revealing the ominously split pupils of a poisonous snake.


    His pupils sharply dilated as they stared darkly at the huddled figure in the bed opposite, fingers twisting softly, Tang Shun ignored the primal pangs appearing in his hearts and closed his eyes, faintly counting down the time in his heart,


    The room quickly became silent, Chu Yi watched the reactions of the two playfully, faintly curling his lips and looked away, he turned his back to the rest and slowly settled his heartbeat.


    Sleep came naturally and soon enough only the sound of steady breathing was left in the room.


    In the middle of the night, there was a hoarse groan in the room that abruptly shattered the silence¨C as if he had been waiting, Tang Shun''s eyes almost immediately snapped open and his head turned quickly to Chao Bin''s side,


    He was curled up in the bed, lying on his side, with his right hand holding the corner of his pillow, sleeping in a very insecure position.


    The soft, light brown hair fell against his forehead naturally, covering the twisted eyebrows, and was gently moved by the heavy gasps. Chao Bin didn''t sleep well- sweat dripping from his nose and he seemed to feel too hot, when he turned over restlessly, the sheet that covered was thrown away to the floor.


    Tang Shun stared at the gaping lips faintly, then without warning he stood up, and walked over to the bed.


    Chao Bin seemed to feel his presence and slowly opened his eyes.


    However, Tang Shun could tell that he was not awake yet, his pupils were lost and unfocused, covered in a thin layer of clear mist, only the rapid breathing from his mouth seemed to get heavier and more excited the closer he got.


    As Chao Bin''s eyes gradually focused, the first thing he saw was a wrist stretched out in front of his eyes, and under that cold white skin were blue blood vessels.


    Primal hunger instantly erupted into a burning fire in his throat. The faint, alluring fragrance seemed to linger on the tip of his nose and a want spread like wild fire in his body¨C


    Tang Shun bent over and grabbed the sheet, ready to help Chao Bin cover it and then continue observing, but his body had only shifted for a moment when his wrist was suddenly caught by a strong force, the abruptness caused him to be unable react immediately and before he could break free his vision suddenly turned upside down, and when he came back to his senses, Tang Shun was already lying on his back on the rusty bed, and a dazed Chao Bin had now sat down on his lap with his hands tightly locked around his wrists, staring at him greedily from top to bottom¨C


    The air instantly sunk,


    The restrained state unexpectedly didn''t make Tang Shun displeased, there was even a faint expectation brewing in his heart as he waited to see what he would do next¨C


    Before that, loud pants appeared from atop him and when he looked back at Chao Bin, he found that the opponent was even more short of breath than he was before, his eyes were out of focus, and he seemed to be....on the verge of tears.


    Frowning his eyebrows, Tang Shun just wanted to break away from Chao Bin''s control when he noticed that the person pressing on him suddenly leaned over and licked the wound at the corner of his lips with a moist and soft tongue, looking obsessed.


    Tang Shun paused unexpectedly, and for the first time, his mind went blank¨C


    The other party pressed him, licked and sucked urgently on the broken wound at the corner of his lips, fascinated and greedily sucked the spilled blood, his eyes were filled with burning hunger, and the overflowing breath from Chao Bins mouth seemed to have the sweet smell of oranges as well as the metallic scent of blood!


    His blood.


    Tang Shun fingers faintly shook, a false sense of psychological euphoria flooded his mind, even such filthy blood as his could be craved, eyes darkened to a dangerous pitch black and with gentle force, he grasped the back of Chao Bin''s neck and pulled him away from his mouth, wet strings of saliva following their parted lips.


    Almost instantly, pitiful groans were drawn from petals wet with an obscene red sheen, like a whining puppy that had its favorite food taken away from it, a sheen of dewy mist appeared in those amber pools and Chao Bin struggled to free himself from Tang Shun''s, wanting to once again taste the delicious liquid that sent his blood boiling into a frenzy¨C


    Tang Shun looked at him deeply, a slowly festering emotion rising like a gloomy tide in the bottom of his eyes, the pitiful whines and moans grew louder, the owner of the voice unaware of the malignant danger brewing in front of him.


    The hands that grasped his hand slowly tightened, then as if making a decision, neurotic laughter burst from his throat, pupils dilating into gloomy slits, only he himself would know what had amused him so.


    As if he couldn''t feel any pain, Tang Shun held his eyebrows motionless, and swiped the tip of his index finger from the edge of the beds sharp and rusty railing. In an instant, a small cut was sliced into his flesh, and the dark crimson blood instantly spilled out, glowing like a red moon in the ubiquitous darkness.


    The thick eyelashes quivered slightly, and Chao Bin slowly stopped struggling, his focus completely enamored on the blood bead,


    "smells good¡­"


    Chu Yu''s Adam''s apple moved up and down.


    Tang Shun slowly fingered his neck, "What''s so fragrant?"


    "I don''t know..." Chao Bin''s voice is different from the usual youthful voice, a little hoarse, sounding with a little grievance, "I''m so hungry...so thirsty..."


    Tang Shun continued to tease him, "Do you like this fragrance?"


    Chu Yu nodded, the only thing in his dazed mind was that smell, unable to restrain himself, he began to try to find the source again,


    Tang Shun wasn''t merciful, like teasing a cat woth treats, his thumb suddenly pressed hard against his finger and pressed the small blood bead from the tip of his index finger back,


    The blood stopped.


    Chao Bin was at a loss for a while, wrinkled his nose, and seemed to want to start crying, it hurt so much¨C


    He was so thirsty....


    He wanted to eat.... to eat...


    Tang Shun carefully observed his subtle expression, then grinned strangely,


    Raising a slender hand, Tang Shun bent his knuckles and slowly unbuttoned the top button of the white shirt he wore, followed by the second, third, and fourth button until the cold white skin and deep clavicle were exposed to the shadows,


    As if luring a stray cat, he squeezed two drops of blood from his fingertips onto his shoulders.


    The sharp contrast between the scarlet blood and the white tone was almost evil.


    "Are you hungry?"


    His voice is a bit more muffled than usual, completely losing the gentleness and refinement during the day,


    "Hungry."


    Tang Shun leaned back on the walls in a relaxed posture. He stretched his neck, revealing the tight lines of his neck, and released his grasp "Then come here."


    As if he was granted amnesty, Chao Bin hurriedly pounced onto his body, and after breathing in deeply the sweet smell of blood, with one hand on the side of Tang Shun''s neck, he lowered his head, and placed his lips and teeth close to Tang Shun''s skin, his lips pressed against the opponent''s broad shoulders, the tip of his tongue stuck out, and he licked all the scarlet blood on the surface of his skin,


    Everything else was completely forgotten,


    Not enough...


    Still not enough.....


    "Are you still hungry¨C"


    "Hungry..."


    Greedy gasps spilled from parted lips,


    "Then deeper¨C"


    Tang Shun chuckled darkly, raised his hand, rubbed Chao Bin''s soft hair as if soothing him, and then pressed his head down forcefully!


    With this undeniable strength, Chao Bin instinctively broke the skin under his lips with his teeth!


    At the same time the blood overflowed, both of them breathed heavily, the feeling was almost orgasmic.


    Sweet blood flowed through the lips and teeth, and flowed down the parched throat. A huge sense of satisfaction and joy, mixed with the excitement and pleasure in his body from finally soothing the unbearable thirst, made Chao Bin moan, the indescribable joy flowed though his nerves and suddenly rushed to the top of the head!


    For a moment, Chao Bin whimpered, his hands gripped the collar around the neck, and vaguely shouted, "Tang Shun..."


    He moved his hand down Chao Bin''s hair, his palm touched the back of his neck, as if a shackle had been placed there and softly soothed, his voice was hoarse, "Well, I''m here."


    He indulged in the pleasure of being craved.

 Chapter 103 - The Institute (44)

    Chao Bin felt as if he was being pulled into the center of the earth by a huge gravitational force, it was as if his body was as light as a feather, being thrown high into the middle of the clouds and feeling the weightlessness of euphoria,


    He was confused, and he couldn''t even think about where he was or what he was doing,


    Only the instinct contained in his blood drove him, urged him, and made him suck the sweet blood overflowing from his lips greedily.


    The blood entering his mouth, was soft like jelly and slid down his throat like honey dew, filling his mouth with an indescribable sweet smell. The burning and thirst in his throat alleviated like the dry desert earth welcoming dewy rain, the scorching heat that rampaged in his blood vessels calmed, the clamoring in his whole body also subsided.


    Scarlet blood was greedily sucked and swallowed into his stomach, the huge sense joy and satisfaction made Chao Bins whole body tremble uncontrollably. He subconsciously clung to Tang Shun''s shoulders, legs clamping around his thin waist, slender fingers pressing shallow red prints into his skin, he even faintly let out a small moan between gulps,


    The thirst that haunted him for several days was finally gone.


    In the never ending shadows, Tang Shun looked at him, his brows were piercing, his eyes were cold and sharp, and the fresh blood flowing from the wound on his left arm sent sharp tingles of pain shooting straight to his heart.


    The satiated mind finally felt a hint of clarity rising and the first thing Chao Bin noticed was the cold hand slowly tracing the lines of his spine, dipping and curving in a riveting trail from his fragile neck to his tailbone, only stopping to slightly dip in the curve of his waist, then continuing its tantalizing journey across his skin.


    He heard Tang Shun breathe slowly, felt the warmth of the man''s body, and noticed that the palm of the opponent was covering the back of his neck.


    His limbs felt as if he had spent hours bathing in a hot spring pool, soft and weak, and his eyelids drooped slightly as his heart gradually slowed.


    He... was sucking Tang''s blood.


    His teeth released, almost instantly overwhelming exhaustion flooded his body,


    At the moment Chao Bin''s body collapsed, Tang Shun raised his hand and wrapped his arms around the waist of the person in his arms.


    With Chao Bin leaning on his right shoulder, Tang lowered his eyes and found that there were several blood holes in his left shoulder that had been bitten by Chao Bin''s sharp teeth. A little crimson blood still overflowed from the wound, but even then, under his deep stare, it began to solidify and heal at an extremely abnormal speed visible to the naked eye.


    By the time he turned his attention back to Chao Bin, the wound had already stabbed.


    Tang Shun looked down at the top of Chao Bin''s head.


    The light brown, soft hair hung down against his sweaty face naturally, slight parting to reveal a smooth and well endowed forehead. His mind still seemed to be hazed¨Ceyelids and eyelashes were trembling lightly, and his lips were still stained with rich blood.


    From Chao Bin''s perspective, he could only see the curvature of the man''s jaw, the thick neck and shoulder lines, the cool skin under the open collar and a deep clavicle, glowing a faint pink.


    After watching this for a long time, Chao Bin struggled to speak,


    His throat clearly no longer felt dry and painful, but Chu Yu''s voice was surprisingly hoarse, "Tang Shun..."


    Tang Shun turned his head and looked down at Chao Bin, his eyes flat.


    Even without seeing emotions such as fear and disgust in Tang''s Shun''s eyes, Chao Bin still felt his skip a beat, he naturally lowered his gaze and secretly clenched his fist subconsciously.


    After inhaling, Chao Bin asked, "Does...does it hurt..?" He immediately wanted to slap himself after asking such a stupid question, would a normal person not be angry after having his blood sucked by someone they trusted.


    Pretending not to hear the hesitation at the end of Chao Bin''s voice, Tang Shun replied, "No."


    Even so, Chao Bin heart still did not settle, "I''m sorry, I''ve been trying to suppress it, I really didn''t mean for this to happen, I will leave the group and provide you with compensation as soon as I''m able to. None of this was meant to happen."


    Chao Bin''s words were robotic and sounded as if this wasn''t the first time he had said this exact phrase, however Tang Shun simply ignored the contents coming out of Chao Bins mouth and instead raised a brow playfully, " Your apology would be much easier to believe, if you weren''t still clinging onto my shoulders."


    Chao Bin was then finally reminded of their awkward position, he was still hanging from Tang Shuns shoulders while sitting firmly on his lap. A fiery blush instantly erupted on the already rosy cheeks and he hastily scampered away from him, almost falling from the bed if it weren''t for the help of the railing.


    Tang''s Shun scent was still lingering at the tip of his nose and his voice was slightly panicked as he tried to pull away from the embarrassment, his usual poisonous tongue nowhere to be seen in this situation,


    "Cough¨C¨C"


    He quickly searched for a new topic,


    "What do you think is happening to me? Am I becoming a vampire of sorts?"


    Chao Bin naturally forgot his previous mention of leaving, his attention quickly brought back to the problem at hand,


    "I guess you don''t understand either." Tang shrugged and leaned back, the tight lines of his neck unconsciously attracting Chao Bin''s eyes, "Based on the situation we already know, the injections we received containing betamine is done so in order to strengthen oir cells and foster us into the perfect evolution" Chao Bin nodded, forcefully tearing his sight away from the tempting visual ,"Then it''s obvious everyone''s transformation will be different, I can''t be sure if its because of the mechanisms of the copy or a substance in the antibodies, but everyone''s evolution will lead to something else. Your''s just so happens to be similar to the fox."


    At this he suddenly lowered his voice, as if he was telling him a dirty secret, "Do you know what the legends of the fox says," Chao Bin had an ominous premonition and wanted to stop him but Tang Shun didn''t give a chance to speak, " I heard that the fox demon is very powerful, it will confuse people''s mind and play with their bodies. If people meet this demon, their yang essence will be sucked away by the beautiful.spirit... at least this is how the script is usually written."


    Chao Bin: "..."


    He didn''t, don''t talk nonsense¨C


    It however was true in a sense, Fox Demons are extremely intelligent and very powerful shape-shifters. They frequently harass humans by transforming into giants or other fearsome monsters, sometimes just for pranks, and sometimes for other nefarious purposes. They are skilled enough to even transform into exact likenesses of individual people, often appearing in the guise of beautiful human women in order to play tricks young men. On more than one occasion this has resulted in the marriage with an unwitting human. Some fox demons even spend most of their lives in human form, adopting human names and customs, taking human jobs, and even raising families. Only when startled, or drunk, or careless, would occasionally part of their magical disguise can fail, Fox Demons true nature may be revealed by a tail, a patch of fur, fangs, or some other vulpine feature.


    But the fox demon also had a fatal shortcoming, without sucking yang essence they would be forced back to their original form and may even gradually die from the lack of energy. Yang essence is most powerful in blood but it can also be supplemented in many different ways and many of the fox preferred to find alternative methods rather than just taking blood.


    The yellow book about fairies and scholars that Chao Bin had read secretly during the night, especially when he was alone, all turned into a variety of vivid scenes, one after another, springing up in his mind like a broken faucet.


    The white snake spirit and the scholar, the fox spirit and the monk, all became the current Tang Shun and him--


    The room was not hot, but Chao Bin was sweating, his body was stiff, and his heart was racing as if he had just run a marathon.


    The gentleness on Tang Shun''s face had long faded in place of his inherent bad nature and watching the stuttering Chao Bin try to come up with an solid refute, gave him a sense of evil pleasure.


    Although he knew that Chao Bin would not be faced with the situation of turning into a fox without yang essence, considering that his body would still need to be supplemented in order to prevent any accidents, Tang Shun was still faintly pleased.


    It could only be his yang essence in any case, this was his new enjoyment and until he got bored of it, then Chao Bin was his to play with to his liking...


    Chao Bin suddenly shivered from where he sat, his right eye twitching faintly with a bad feeling but when he looked up, the only thing he could see was Tang Shun''s faintly smiling face shining in the darkness.


    He coughed again and looked around, Chu Yi didn''t seem to have been woken up from their voices but their was still a faint shame that erupted in his heart, like star-studded lovers having a midnight rendezvous in the park.


    Chao Bin suddenly forcefully pinched his arm, what kind of strange thoughts was he having now. Shaking his head to wake himself up, Chao Bin finally felt the forces of exhaustion flooding his limbs and with a heavy sigh, he turned to Tang Shun and thanked him for his help.


    Tang Shun noticed the mist pooling in Chao Bins eyes and mercifully decided to finish for the night. Slowly buttoning the edge of the shirt with one hand, he lifted the sweat-addled bangs from his forehead and smiled at Chao Bin meaningfully, "Come to me anytime you feel hungry, I''ll be ''glad'' to help."


    Chao Bin felt flustered again, somehow sensing that Tang Shuns words had one more than one meaning but he could not see anything from the compassionate smile that graced his lips.


    In the end, he opted for burying his head in the sheets again, almost instantly the sense of exhaustion that he had been forcefully holding back flooded his nerves and he didn''t even have time to think when his mind was submerged in unconscious darkness.

 Chapter 104 - The Institute (45)

    A group of people stood at the point of the stairwell on the first floor. The bottom of the landing was as dark as ever, and they couldn''t see past the corridor at all, and even the stairs barely held an outline under the dim light.


    Under their apprehensive gaze, the rusty iron plates, peeling walls, damp and moldy corners from leaking rain, seemed to be waving beckoningly and the group of players. The familiar saying of, "If you stare into the abyss, the abyss will stare back at you." seemed to be very appropriate for this situation. The entrance that led into the basement was only held up rusty red iron gate that stood tall against the backdrop of darkness.


    Beyond the gate, on both sides of the corridor were rows of rooms that couldn''t be seen to the end due to the obscuring shadows, the longer they stared the more terrifying the darknesss seemed to be, most of the rooms that were visible were either locked or completely plated with metal sheets, but there were a few rooms that uncannily had their doors wide open. As long as they wanted, they could go in and explore at their own behest.


    But such a simple case instead completely set the players heart into over-drive, terror and hair-raising fright tingled at the end of their spines and some players resolved even wavered slightly in the face of such a haunting scene.


    It would have been better if they were faced with a group of monsters instead, such ubiquitous normality directly represented the most dangerous places in the Institute!


    Mu Fang stood at the forefront of the group and as if he had noticed the shaking mentality of some of the players, he quickly turned to them with a soothing look, "Everyone, please don''t be scared. Although I cannot guarantee what exactly we''ll see, whilst we''re down there, I can safely say that with so many of, no matter what kind of monster jumps out on us, we''ll at least be able to face it, together. "


    "There is power in teamwork!"


    As if to accentuate his compassion and grace, Mu Fang had somehow changed into long white garb, embellished with soft golden threads sewed into lustrous and mysterious patterns.


    Chao Bin almost couldn''t hold back his sneer, if it wasn''t for the time and place, back in reality he would have long taken a direct shot and posted it on weibo as a collection of cheap imitations to be flamed by internet trolls. The greasy and sleazy play couldn''t even compare to the worse B-list actor in the industry.


    Nevertheless the players scattered mentality settled down somewhat, they were already here and there was no use in turning back at this juncture.


    While everyone was waiting, the last few players hurriedly walked over from the other side of the corridor, still holding a dim flashlight that swayed dizzily in the already harrowing darkness.


    A quick count of the players, quickly revealed that not everyone was here and almost instantly a few players faces grew ugly as they cursed viciously under their breath. Although it was not explicitly stated, not appearing now was tantamount to abandoning the whole group, fishing in troubled waters, the players that decided to stay behind were definitely not a good thing, and at this time anyone who stayed away was almost synonymous with the word cowards.


    "Just leave them be, no need to get angry. Everyone has their own worries and considerations."


    Mu Fang gave a long sigh of consternation, as if sad but understanding and with a wry smile, he suddenly stretched out a palm and from it, a long, wooden staff appeared.


    The players focus was instantly drawn away, was this the protection he was talking about before...


    Mu Fang noticed their eager gazes and the smile on his face grew more sincere and he lifted the wooden staff high in the air and brought it down gently on the shoulders of the player next to him. The latter only felt a warm stream of heat flood into his body, and a sudden golden mark appeared on the back of his hand.


    The player instantly brought the mark closer to his face to see the dizzying golden pattern resembled an emblem and glowed dully in the inescapable night.


    "What''s this." The man looked back at his doubtfully,


    Mu Fang smiled, "This is actually a one-time use healing curse. Although it can only be used once, as long as it''s not a direct hit to the skull or heart, this curse will instantly heal any wound as long as it is activated in time."


    Almost instantaneously, shocking enthusiasm erupted on the players eyes, isn''t this just a one-time use life talisman, it was extremely hard to come buy and sold immediately after it appeared in the towers! Some players even had further considerations, if they don''t use this curse during the copy, wouldn''t they still be able to carry it out of the instance with them!¨C


    The players that still had 3 points vigilance in their hearts against Mu Fang were instantly appeased, even the faint intent to please began to brew in their hearts.


    This was the true strength of the official player.


    Things that they struggled to get was nothing but common commodities in their hands.


    Eagerly the players accepted the blessing of the staff and when it time for Chao Bins turn, Mu Fang appeared before him with a kindly smile, "Despite your inexplicable hostility towards me, I will still bestow upon you this talisman. Everyone deserves the chance to live, even you."


    When he said that regardless of whether they believed it or not, the eyes of players were shrouded with a admiration. Such a compassionate and meaningful speech really deserves an award.


    Chao Bin''s eyes almost rolled to the back of his head but regardless he still accepted the blessing, if someone else wants to be generous, he would be stupid to not accept this offer.


    In turn were Tang Shun and as if deliberately done, Chu Yi.


    Chu Yi didn''t say anything in the face of Mu Fangs bestowing but the mocking at the corner of his kids only grew deeper.


    By this time they were ready, in order to prevent accidents similar to the last one, they took a risk and escaped the rooms right after the doors had been locked.


    Even if it was more dangerous, at least they would have enough time to escape back to their rooms if something really happens.


    They came to the tall gate, it was only when they appeared before it did the players realize that the thick red crust that covered the metal steel wasn''t rust, it was a hard layer of dark blood that had dried to form a terrible layer that fully covered the entire gate!


    The air fell into a deadlock,


    The players looked around at each other and could see the fright appearing in each others eyes, how much blood had to be spilled to create such a thick crust.....


    Mu Fang comforted the restless players and turned back to the gate, finally in a show of leadership he was the first to push open and enter into the negative second floor, and beckoned towards them,


    Since the proclaimed leader had already made his entrance, there was no reason that they should stay here so one by one, the players entered into the forbidden area.


    This space inside is too quiet, just like entering the mausoleum of the night morgue, damp but dark, even the howling of wind that usually echoed in the top floor seemed to be isolated here, as if a great barrier had been formed around them, completely cutting them off from the outside world.


    The floor beneath them was damp and sticky, as if they were ants struggling in a heavy swamp, the darkness obscured their vision, therefore it was impossible to see more than a few steps ahead of them, they didn''t dare to turn the flashlight any brighter in fear of alerting any monsters.


    Mu Fang, still had the qualities of an official player and moved forward soundlessly like a cat, his sensory nerves were sharp at this moment and he carefully searched with his own hearing, but there was no sound here, except for his and the other players own breathing.


    Where was the life?


    Such silence makes Mu Fang feel abnormal.


    Finally, in front of this straight passage, he gradually outlined something, after forcefully straining his eyes he gradually made out a figure lying on the ground.


    He signaled to the others, the players held their breath and inched closer.


    That should be a nurse, because the body was wearing a familiar yellowing nurse uniform, but under her corpse was a large pool of dark red blood, it stained the white uniform with a terrible red, which contrasted sharply against the ghastly thin face.


    This space around her is full of blood splatters flying, like something moving at a fast speed, had completely severed her arteries before she even had time to scream. But at this time, Mu Fang could not sense anything in the vicinity, no matter who or what killed the nurse, it is not here for the time being.


    The chin of the corpse was completely gone, like what was bitten by a hungry beast, and the part below the sternum was empty, and even the internal organs from the torn open abdomen seemed to be gone.


    Mu Fang adjusted his breathing and continued to move forward.


    The whole space is like silent shura hell, if they closed their eyes, it was almost as if they could hear the sound of blood dripping.


    A player took a small step forward and suddenly stepped on what sounded like glass shards of a broken test tube, the crushed glass making a harsh shattering noise. In this silence, such sounds travel far, if there are any hidden danger, they will be awakened almost instantly with this.


    The players heart jumped and their bodies immediately tenses in vigilance¨C


    One. Two. They waited for almost three minutes but the basement was still silent.


    This was too abnormal.


    "Then let''s see what''s in one of the doors?"


    There wasn''t any option left, so with careful steps, the players inched over to the open door closest to them.


    One of the players standing before the rest, took a step in right before the light from the single flashlight illuminated the room.


    Although the players had seen may things, the scene in front of them still couldn''t prevent their skin from breaking out into horrified goosebumps¨C


    When the light of the flashlight finally penetrated the darkness, the players were terrified to see that every place the eye could see there countless pink flesh like larvae crawling on the ground in the room. The smallest flesh larvae was only as long as an index finger, but the biggest larvae was just as big as a cobra. Wet mucus and slimy yellow trails seem to cover the floors and walls in a glistening wet web, and from that web hung countless purifying translucent brown eggs!


    "Fuck!"


    One of the players couldn''t help cursing, a stunned and disgusted expression settling on his face. This one word seemed to echo all the feelings of the players right now.


    What kind of disgusting monster was this¡ª


    They larvae were stunned and seemed to be crouching in waiting. If they had inadvertently entered before looking, they will instantly gather and attack!


    Something else was hanging from the ceiling trapped in a big wet sac, wrapped like the young pupa of a maggot, with a disgusting yellow-green jelly that completely encase the thing inside.


    The players could barely make out that the thing inside used to be human.


    It hung along with these disgusting eggs. Its body having grown large, abnormally swollen and bulging, the skin is like a dead fish''s belly with a stinking white light, capillaries cracking, forming a purple-brown like fester under the skin. Huge blood clots wrapped around the skewed face, and the red eyelids almost occupied half its face,


    This was a mature egg container made from human flesh, Chu Yi raised a brow, the scene inexplicably familiar.


    Inside along with the human meat sac, there are things like brown oval pocked spider eggs. They stretch out like blood vessels, entangled, crisscrossed, and connected to each other, exuding a near-corrosive and hair-raising atmosphere. The densely packed creatures were like clumped maggots that occasionally squirmed and dripped with a disgusting wet squelch!


    The player that had stepped in first, choked and frantically stumbled back, face turning green with fright.


    It looks like the eggs of some creature.


    But it''s hard to imagine what creature could create this - a lot of mucus smashed, like a pot of disgusting soup.


    Unknown intestines, dead eggs, and some visceral fragments, like living creatures, squirm in this mucus soup. After careful observation, you will find that it is because some pink worms like silk are on the surface of those pieces. Crawling, crawling... They secrete a large amount of yellow fluid that sticks to the wet surface of the floor. Soon after, the fluid begins to move with the naked eye and a new type of flesh larva would form to continue the revolting cycle..


    There is no word in the world to describe the horror and disgust of this scene.


    "I can''t stand this..."


    One of the players suddenly slammed his hand to his mouth and retched to the side, not only was the sight disgusting enough, it also brought with it a disgusting and stomach churning scent that rotten and indescribable. Like most that had been soured and swarmed with disgusting black fungi and squirming fat maggots.


    Allot of the of the players couldn''t take the sight anymore and immediately spun to the side.


    Chu Yi''s face was wrinkled in disgust and without hesitation, he turned and left the entrance of the room, the others looked at each other and followed.


    No one wanted to be there any longer.


    Before he left, Chu Yi seemed to vaguely seen a broken sign obscured in the slime infested room, he just didn''t know if the ominous red ''x'' that was vaguely visible would prove important later.


    The backfoot had only just left the room when the hanging eggs attached to the walls of the hair-raising room suddenly fell down and smashed to the ground. Under their disbelieving gaze, the outer shell of the eggs cracked, and a brown stinking pus was flowing inside, some unknown creature that were not yet mature, like a giant fly, struggled in the rotten pool and then died soon.


    The players looked silly, Chao Bin could not help but say: "I... did not read it wrong, these things in the egg are still alive? Why did they suddenly fall?"


    Is this the legendary touching porcelain....


    They didn''t even do anything?!


    "Don''t worry so much! Let''s go!"


    The players face changes, no one wanted to bear the brunt of the consequences of the eggs smashing, they hurriedly rushed from the vicinity of the room and behind them like a horrible chain reaction,


    Huge popping sounds rang out in the room, as the eggs fell down and mixed with the larvae and yellowing mucus on the floor. The noise the eggs made as they crashed to the floor was like an egg that was constantly being smashed.


    The cracking sound was inexplicably grating and jarring.


    They didn''t look back, the players didn''t care for what was happening behind them and rushed away.


    The last player to leave was the first one to step into the room during that time, his face was a ghastly pale and for some reason his legs felt heavy like lead as he ran,


    He couldn''t help but curse in his heart, if he knew that this was scene he had to face, he wouldn''t have tried to impress Mu Fang with his bravery, he should have just kept to himself.


    "Dammit¨C"


    The player kept on running behind the others but the longer he ran, the harder it was to move, by this time the rest of players were already far ahead, his face finally changed when he realized that instead of speeding up, his pace was only getting slower and slower!


    Something was wrong, horrified the man couldn''t help but take a look down¨C


    His heart stopped.


    He didn''t know when but one of the flesh larvae''s had attached onto his legs and was now crawling up his pants to get into his body!


    Shit¨C


    The man wanted to struggle and yell for help but a sudden pain in his fingertips, followed by a current flowing deep into his body along his finger, rushing down the nerve ending, and crashing into the depths of his brain, completely stopped him in his tracks.


    The nerves that had been tightened seemed to be comforted and become lazy and weak, as if he was swimming in the clouds.


    After coming to Nightmare Shuttle for so long, he had never felt so relaxed.


    No...somethings wrong..


    No... no more you can''t sink like this...


    He wanted to struggle, a brief moment of sobriety appearing before death,


    But in the end he stiill couldn''t wake up, the players mind was plunged into another world that is only wrapped in warmth and euphoria.


    That is the ultimate temptation.


    It is not money, not fame and fortune, but the satisfaction of the heart.


    "Hey©\"


    Wu You looked back at his temporary partner who was dragging his feet beside him, his head lowered as if he was in a frightened daze


    "Don''t you have a sense of urgency, come on walk a little faster will you¨C"


    Wu You jabbed at the man, annoyed, "The others are already so far, what''s with you now."


    The other man was silent,


    "Hey, Shen Ti¨C"


    The man''s body seemed to shake and slowly Shen Ti''s head rose, "Why¨C" Wu You''s pupils dilated into pin needles at the horror that appeared in front of him, what the¨C


    Somethings wrong!


    At the moment when Wu You turned back and wanted to run, Shen Ti suddenly spit out a creature full of red flesh from his mouth, flying with a trail of yellow slime it lunged towards him,


    Wu You tried to avoid it in horror, but the worm was already on his face before he could react and with a squelch, it had already squeezed into his mouth and forced itself into his body!


    Until the arthropod worm completely climbed into Wu You''s mouth and squirmed in his throat, he could not scream. His body trembled fiercely, his limbs were distorted, as if there was something in his body that shattered to replace his bones,


    The last thing he felt before his consciousness disappeared was the feeling of something crawling in his veins and burrowing into his skull, completely taking over his body!


    His body twitched as of something inside was getting used to the feeling,


    Then it stopped, a smile reappearing on his face and he hurried forward to meet with the others, Shen Ti right by his side.

 Chapter 105 - The Institute (46)

    A pale-faced one-armed man and an alert-faced, middle-aged chubby man with a few missing fingers, each clutching a white cloth bag that even in the darkness still glowed with an unnatural red light¨C appeared out of thin air at the entrance of the long and narrow corridor. The two of them were not by their sudden teleportation, they just glanced at each other hastily, and then they looked around at the darkness around them like a great enemy.


    The two people, one fat and one thin, were like bow strings drawn to the extreme at this time, their muscles and nerves were tense, and a slight crackle from underneath their feet instantly made them tremble, and the short fat man even jumped up, flashing a short metal knife frantically in the air!


    They didn''t have time to waste here... The one-armed man seemed to hesitate before gritting his teeth and pulling out a flashlight, the pale glare exuding dim, even bluish light, casting their bodies in a gloomy silhouette, but finally making the surroundings clearer.


    The things in the hall and the bottomless corridor briefly appeared:


    Familiar broken infusion bottles, needles with half a tube of dried medicinal liquid, corners soaked with dried blood stains and unknown brown liquid. The bare windowless walls... glass scattered haphazardly on the floor beside their feet. In the hall, connected by corridors a few steps away, the blurred outlines of rows of seven or eight rows of metal plated doors stretched to the other side of the corridor, almost inseparable from the shadows of the corridor.


    The two men hastily made a break through the halls, finally appearing before one of the rooms, the fat man''s face turned blue, eyes swimming in his head with fear and anxiety, his hands that clutched the red bag turned white and when he looked to the other man, his mouth opened and closed as he struggled to force the words from his throat.


    "Are....are we really going to do this, those are human lives¨C"


    "Shut up!"


    The fat man''s jaw immediately locked, hid heart was already racing with guilt but cowardice and timidity had long seeped into his bones from years of being a suppressed and micjed by society, the one-armed man didn''t seem to have so much scruples and without hesitation, he opened the red bag and threw the contents at the door!


    Almost instantly a rotten, fishy smell assaulted their senses as a dark red liquid splattered from the bag in bloody streams and splashed against the closed metal door with an ominous crimson light, however the blood didn''t run, almost immediately coagulated into solid crust against the rusty steel,


    The fat man''s face looked as a pale as a ghost but under the scalding, warning glare of the one-armed man he also threw the contents of the bag onto the door. Watching the blood coagulating on the door mad a sick roiling wave churn in his stomach, guilt and disgust made the fat man feel as if he wanted to wretch, but the fear of being caught forced him to swallow the stomach acid that rose in his throat.


    The one-armed stared at the door with a cruel, almost ruthless gaze, a sick sneer rising at the corner of his lips, he rolled his eyes slightly and glanced at the trembling fat pig beside him, if it wasn''t because he needed someone that would be easier to manipulate later, he would never have chosen to work with this coward.


    "I still don''t get why we have to do this..."The fat man''s voice trembled uncontrollably, the eyes he looked to stare at the man had an extra point of fear that even he didn''t notice, the one-armed man glared at him with disdain and contempt and the sneer at his lips grew even deeper, "I''m not sure about you, but I don''t want to die. Two useless things, one disabled and the other a walking sack of meat." The fat man felt hit, "If I was monster, I would definitely go for the weakest targets, us, I don''t believe that nothing will happen tonight, we already backed out of going to the basement and we''re left all alone in the wards, we''re prime targets, so if we want to survive we have to make a choice. And that choice is to attract the resentment somewhere else. He''s the only one alone, Therefore it''s either him or us, what will you choose."


    "I¨C"


    The selfish nature of humans were fully revealed here,


    The fat man''s mouth trembled, and the hands at his side clenched into fists but even in the end, he still couldn''t refute. He felt guilty but he still didn''t want to die, he could only say sorry to the other person in the next life.


    The one armed man watched him stutter and say nothing, the contempt in his heart only growing deeper. At least his darkness had never been hidden, such a man like this that hides the corruption and filth in their hearts under a timid face, were the ones he hated the most.


    He grabbed the bag that carried the black dog''s blood, used to temporarily attract the greatest resentment towards the location it had been thrown and activated the teleportation prop, with a final, deep look at the door in front, he and the fat man disappeared with a hasty blink.


    The tranquility of darkness was once again restored but slowly, as if being summoned the shadows in the hall started to move, gradually beecoming thicker and darker as a faint stench, filled with the taste of fresh blood slowly clogged the halls, it was almost as if it had just dripped from the wound, still carrying the warmth of a living body, as it slowly swallowed all the light in Institute, shrouding the bloodstained door.


    The darkness carried with it a tyrannical stench of rose and blood as if it was a enchanting flower nurtured in a mass graveyard, corrupted yet unable to draw their sights away.


    The darkness continued to advance as the corridor sank into deadly stillness, like the brooding calm before a coming storm.


    Then a voice appeared, winding from the deep abyss,


    The heavy silence was shattered unbeknownst, as from the depths of the Institute rose a melodic song like the call from a mother''s breast or the sweet chime from a lover''s arms, It was a monosyllabic chant drawn out faintly in the air, beautiful and hypnotic, rippling as if one could possess the entire world once they''ve held its source.


    The voice was faint and did not spread far, but the vague muffled tremors seemed to shroud the Institute in a sinisterly heavy gloom, that if anyone were to trespass into they would sink like a helpless fly trapped in a stick swamp of honey dew.


    The more negative emotions a person had, the more distracted they would become. It seemed that what they were hearing wasn''t a song, but a call from heaven, from paradise, from the most beautiful and happy place one could imagine¡ª a place where there was no stress, no worries, and no suffering.


    A place filled with psychedelics clouds and a euphoric trance-like haze, unable to escape, unable to think, just sinking into the depths of abyssal freedom.


    The voice traveled through the air, softly caressing the ears of its listeners,


    Chu Yi, who was down in the second negative floor suddenly raised his head sharply, something in his heart suddenly surged to the tip of his chest, and even his footsteps couldn''t help but pause, a faint melody seemed to be ringing soflty in his ears, completely enamoring his mind and seemed to want to strip him lf Amy conscious thought, it was as if as long as he turned back now, he could be brought away from here and fancifully whisked to a place of joy and pleasure.


    Chu Yi raised a hand to chest, feeling his heartbeat booming rapidly, as if the mere thought made even his cells clamor in excitement ¨C


    Tch¨C


    Red eyes squinted darkly, completely ignoring the sudden rising emotion, he almost rolled his eyes in ridicule and quickly turned his head back, not hesitating to continue deeper into the bloodstained and filthy basement, a sneer rising at the corner of his red lips, his mind was resolute.


    In fact such a utopia only seemed boring, chaos and bloodthirst had long been rooted deep into his bones, he''d rather die without a whole limb than live his life like a caged beast.


    In fact, Siren''s were beautiful but their chanting was horrifying. Thousands of classified documents proved that sailors suspected of having heard the song of the merpeople became slightly crazy¡ª some more than others. Legends told that covering one''s ears wouldn''t stop them from hearing their singing voices; instead, one must tie themselves to the ship''s mast if they didn''t want to be lured into the sea.


    In reality, merfolk didn''t bring disaster; they were merely attracted to the humans who were about to face one. Things like devout prayer could have the effect of removing negative emotions such as fear, anxiety and anger, and it could even lead the sailors to make peace with themselves because they believed that they''d go to heaven as such it gave them hope.


    But Chu Yi never entertained the thought of going to heaven, this was his playground, this was his game and when he left, it would only be when it becomes boring, when his world stagnates back into the dull, disgusting filth, without excitement, a never ending boredom that makes living worse than hell.


    As if sensing something, the song in his ears fell, a steady and powerful heartbeat rising, the feeling of his rapidly beating heart that felt as if it was going to going to jump out of his chest weakened, gradually slowing until the heartbeat and the sound heard in his ears combined back to normal.


    Red lips rose into a sinful almost triumphant grin, the song only seemed to excite the maliciousness and craving inside his heart, his blood boiled and his thirst only raised in anticipation.


    What kind of disaster are they going to face¨C


    "Hey¨C what are those," they stopped in their tracks,


    The players raised their heads, the light of the single flashlight is not bright, but it still sprinkles softly on the blooming red rose above their heads, shining as if it was not just a flower, but a bright and dazzling gem.


    As soon as they happened upon, these beautiful red roses bloomed even more amazingly. The tip of the nose carries faint sticky fragrance that even overpowers the rancid and rotting smell of flesh that permeated the entire basement floor.


    Some even had the sinful urge to reach out and touch these flowers, their gazes blank and trance like as if bewitched, a few sober players quickly noticed something was wrong and hastily pulled the others away,


    "Let''s just go. It''s common knowledge that the more beautiful the flower is, the more poisonous it is. Think about it, how can such beautiful plants be born in such a dark place. Where do you think it got its nutrients from..."


    Ad if they were abruptly woken up from a dream, The bewitched players broke out into a cold sweat and hurriedly walked away from the vines with lingering fear.


    It was better to stay away from all the things that were lived here.


    Chu Yi glanced up at the hanging rose, the vibrant red petals causing a strange feeling rising in his heart and followed the others to walk away.


    It just that no one noticed that when the flower felt it''s master''s familiar scent, the beautiful red rose stretched out trying to bloom and show it''s lush v¨¬bes, the layers of flexible petals glimmering like familiar scarlet orbs, the powerful fragrance in the air intensified as if it was currying favor.


    But such a transformation was destined to go unappreciated as the trespassing humans finally found something that would break away from the monotone of death and filth.

 Chapter 106 - The Institute (47)

    Mu Xun lay in the silent ward leisurely, a feeling of profuse gloating filling his heart, he could imagine the shocked look on the others faces when they realize that they had not showed up.


    A rising sense of superiority at fooling the so-called veterans filled him with joy, in his previous world he was the licking dog that would always stick his hot face against his bosses his cold ass just to have a better life. At least here, even if they were dissatisfied with him for the sake of not adding to the chaos, they would end up ignoring their blunder anyways.


    This was always the case.


    He couldn''t help but sneer, this was all they amounted to, then and now, he stretched his hands slightly and prepared to sleep, he just had to wait for the survivors to come back tomorrow and pretend to be pitiful and weak.


    "Da¨C"


    The smile on his face froze, his heart stuttering in his chest, there were footsteps at the door,


    "Da¨C"


    That was the sound of heels were clicking!


    "Da¨CDa''''¨C"


    The footsteps wandered around his door, increasing in intensity becoming louder and louder the longer time passed!


    Almost instantly he knew who was there, how¨C


    Shouldn''t they be chasing and killing the other players who had ventured into the basement now!


    Why would they be here, this made no sense,


    "Da da da da da da ¡ª"


    The footsteps sped up and became more intense as they went back and forth rapidly on the floor outside, the incessant sound scraped against his eardrums and pounded into his skull like a sharp nail being hammered into brain and smashing it to a terrified mush, as if it was deliberately enhancing his fear.


    Mu Xun could sense that the slowly moving sound seemed to be patrolling the door outside, the jarring click of sharp heels hitting the cold tiles made his heart constrict with absolute terror, the gloating on his face had long been replaced with fear and regret, it was only now did he fully realize the consequences of staying in the empty ward by himself, with nothing but himself to fend off the dangers.


    His limbs felt cold, pupils dilating into thin needles as crouched motionless behind the bed, the silence only made his heart beat faster, even his breathing was stifled in his throat, not caring about the the creeping suffocation that gripped his lungs with a burning agony!


    His fingers clutched onto the yellow cinnabar talisman in his hand, this was a precious prop that could ward off any attacks for a few seconds, he was reluctant to use it in previous instances but now he couldn''t care less¨C


    His arms felt like lead, he didn''t know if was because of overwhelming fear but the air only grew colder, his teeth faintly clacking and hairy goosebumps erupting on his skin, sweat dripped in torrents from his forehead and stung his eyes but he was afraid to even blink!


    Suddenly, the heels stopped, as if the nurse had gone away, having given up on its terrified prey but the man''s fear only grew deeper, unable to suppress the trembling in his limbs, the woman was in front of the door and she had stopped right where his body was hiding!


    The room fell deathly still in an instant.


    Mu Xun felt his scalp go numb and he tightened his fingers around the talisman at once, shuddering breaths being stifled in his heaving chest, he couldn''t hold his breath for much longer but he had a feeling that it didn''t matter, it knew he was here¨C


    Everything was silent, Mu Xun could even hear his heart thumping inside his chest, he even worried that his heart was indeed beating too intensely, afraid that the ''thing'' outside could hear it.


    At this point, his mind was already flooded with deep regret, why did he decide to be smart and not go with the other players. Even if Mu Fang couldn''t protect them in the end, there were plenty of others that weaker than him and could prove as suitable cannon fodder, especially those disabled trash, at the very least it wouldn''t be his turn so why was he so insistent on defying the rest.


    His heart was now clear, even if he made it out tonight, there was no guarantee that the others would take him back, now he just wanted to go back and slap his past self¨C


    In the silence, every second seemed to stretch for an eternity. An invisible, encroaching bad premonition increasingly pressed down against Mu Xun''s head.


    One second passed, two seconds, three seconds¡­.


    Was it really gone¨C


    Just as Mu Xun''s breath was about to run out and he would be forced to breathe, a ''clatter'' resounded through the room.


    His blood ran cold.


    The room was still the same, quiet and rundown, unlike the semi-clean appearance of the red players wards but It was just that now the door had disappeared, as if peeled out from thin air! The sudden fluctuation in the air, and the endless sounds of footsteps above his head intensified and the footsteps resumed horrifyingly. The darkness flooded in like a tide, rushing like a hungry beast to it''s trapped prey, from the darkness came the sound of shoes,


    "Da ¡ª"


    "Da ¡ª"


    "Da ¡ª"


    Each click seemed to be stepping on his heart, closer and closer it came, then suddenly the crisp sound of high heels clacking on the ground rang out above Mu Xun''s head!


    His mind was blank, time seemed to still and with a shuddering breath he lifted his head and looked above him.


    "Da ¡ª"


    A droplet of cold sweat dripped from his forehead and stung his eyes painfully but the only thing burnt into his retinas was the terrifying sight of a blossoming bloody face, as if her skull had been smashed repeatedly with a mace until her face was a bloody mash of putrid flesh and then glued back together and combined with the sliced tentacles of a spme sort of animal to create the disguting sight in front of him ....she smiled at him with a sweet carnivorous grin,


    "Disobedient residents should be punished¨C"


    It lifted an arm and from her hands, his dilated pupils saw the sharp bloody knife that dripped with scarlet blood and pieces of broken flesh, it hung above his head, the blood splashing against his face as it swung down!


    No¨C


    His body moved instinctively, survival instincts kicking in as with a embarrassing dodge he lunged away from the flight of the knife, the air behind was sliced with a horrifying whoosh, and the nurse screeched dissatisfied behind him, scrambling to get up, he ran forward mindlessly, throwing the talismans at her and breaking for the door!


    The nurse screeched in pain and her already mashed face was scorched by the burning flames that erupted from the paper that touched itself to her body, the rancid smell of burning meat flooded the room,


    Mu Xun''s footsteps never slowed, panic striped him from the ability to think as he did the unthinkable, he darted out from the open entrance and scurried into the corridors,


    If he stayed there any longer be would die!


    As he ran in the next second, bloody handprints appeared on the walls of the corridors, running alongside him, a second handprint appeared, followed by a third, fourth, fifth¡­ Handprints appeared continuously on the walls, each one higher up than the one before. The densely packed handprints covered practically the entire corridor surface, and furthermore piled up on top of each other and basically merged with the dark shadows that flooded the building, Mu Xun ran as fast as he could, he would find someone''s else''s room and lead the monster over,


    "Bang bang bang bang bang bang!"


    The nurses footsteps rang out once more thunderous with anger and greed, the floor boards beneath them creaked under the unceasing attacks, as if at second, it would give away and send them spiraling into the dark abyss below,


    His lungs burned and his heart felt as if it was going to beat out of his chest,


    Wait...why wasn''t the corridor ending¨C


    His heart constricted,


    Almost as if it had been waiting, the darkness around him began to squirm as if it was alive and the black shadows that were originally hibernating had now completely woken up by the intruding prey,


    Mu Xun stared terrified at the shadows around him as they twisted and changed, slowly extending out into their surroundings. Long, monstrous black arms probed about, as if searching for something.


    He couldn''t help but letting out a hoarse scream, nut this single move seemed to stir up the tranquility in this space. The shadows which had initially been searching everywhere aimlessly instantly froze.


    The next second, like a pack of wolves that had discovered a lone sheep, the black arms all headed towards Mu Xun,


    "Bang bang bang bang bang"


    From behind the nurses footsteps were only getting closer and closer but the darkness was encroaching on him even faster, only the sound of his heart beat rung in his ears, was he going to die?


    No¨C


    He couldn''t die like this, he had other things he wanted to do¨C


    Suddenly he felt something hard underneath his foot and before he could react, his body was completely flung forward by the inertia, unable to control his limbs, he went crashing to the ground with a loud bang, head slamming against the floor!


    He tried to crawl away hurriedly but somehow something seemed to be entangled with his foot,


    He looked down, there was a dark green thorny vine wrapped around his foot, it looked fragile but no matter how much he pulled, he couldn''t break free¨C


    Enlarged pupils followed the vine to its source,


    A vibrant blooming rose.


    But how can a rose be here¨C


    He noticed something else, the nurse was gone.


    Everything was gone, the corridors was now still, but this did not bring him any relief, because only something more terrifying than the darkness could scare them away,


    The originally tense and heart racing atmosphere immediately fell into a cold and eerie silence. The roses, which would have looked extraordinarily beautiful in the daytime, was like a monster from hell, then under his incredulous gaze it started growing, like a rapidly blooming tree, it vines made a rustling sound as it sprouted out, it''s green branches and leaves turned a dry black, and it''s sharp spikes protruded and stretched like the sickle of the grin reaper.


    The vines quickly wrapped around his body and pierced his skin¨C


    There was now way to resist!


    The rose spread as quickly as if was a living thing, and soon filled all the corners of the corridor. The smell of nature was intertwined with blood, the leaves rustled as if celebrating the dying life,


    Mu Xun didn''t even have time to feel pain, the spreading rhizomes plunged directly into his flesh and blood, and the fine roots wrapped around his forearms, twisting like countless black bugs, sucking his blood greedily, he struggled, he screamed but it still couldn''t stop him from baptizing the fresh leaves with the warm and fresh blood that spilled from his broken veins.


    The leaves shook steadily, its dark vines losing the dry ash black and glowing with a lustrous red sheen, the dried corpse stuck to its rhizomes was mercilessly discarded, as the vines slowly resided and shrunk, the smell of fresh blood and leaves accompanying it as it became a blooming, vibrant red rose once more.


    A pale gentle hand seemed to protrude from the darkness, plucking a gem-like petal from its shrinking leaves and slowly turning it on the pale slender fingertips.


    It watched as the petal quickly withered and dried in it''s hand, scattering like pale dust from its hand and disappearing in the slowly blowing wind.


    A dark smile appeared on its lips and with a silent laugh, it disappeared, leaving only the bloody rose with a single missing petal lying on the cold broken floor.

 Chapter 107 - The Institute (48)

    The further the players walked, the heavier the air around them became, pressing against their heads and compressing the air in their lungs as if they were being squeezed with an invisible hand. The floor beneath their feet was still muddy and damp, a sludge like base sticking tenaciously against the bottom of their shoes and pulling them back with every step. They were like insects trapped in a fly trap, the harder they struggled, the harder it was to move.


    The smell of rancid blood intertwined with expired chemicals constantly lingered at their noses and many of the players turned green with nausea as they struggled to swallow down the rising vomit in their throats.


    Chu Yi and the others trailed in the middle of the group, feeling the wet surface sometimes splashing against his ankles with heavy disgust. This was could be regarded as exposure therapy, the cleanliness streak in his bones would probably be wiped out by the continuous lowering of his bottom line.


    From his left, he sensed that someone was approaching him and when he looked over, he noticed that at some point both Chao Bin and Tang Shun had flanked his sides, however Tang Shun''s face was completely solemn, lips pursed into thin lines and even the cold glare of his glasses could not hide the darkness in his slanted eyes.


    He crossed his hands and repeatedly tapped two slenders fingers against his arm, after a second of thought, Chu Yi quickly what he was trying to do, something was preventing him from speaking.


    He raised an eyebrow, only needing a moment to fully understand what Tang Shun was saying, ''the fishy smell in the air is too strong''


    Like a thread in his mind had unraveled, he connected the dots immediately understanding why Tang Shun was apprehensive ¨C


    Aside from the egg room a few minutes back, there was nothing else in the basement to indicate that sea creatures were unilaterally present down here but yet the powerful, rotten stench of dead fish still seemed to linger around them even after they had gotten far away from the room.


    Something was following them.


    When he looked back at the others, he nodded to show that he understood, heavy vigilance quickly easing into his heart.


    "Hey!¨C somethings here¨C"


    Chu Yi recognized this player, a usually arrogant and loud person called Wu You,


    All the players hearts rose and without knowing when two doors had somehow appeared at the end of the corridor. Against the backdrop of the gloomy flashlight, the one of the doors shone with a sinister crimson light, they were completely removed from the rest of the rooms and just staring at it, caused an icy chill to run up their spines and some when let out a short with the cry, extreme fear clutching their chest and sending hair raising shudder from the tips of their toes to their numb scalp.


    The tar like black sludge under their feet is still flowing slowly, by this time, the sludge is as thick as blood, and some translucent unknown oval solids were surging in it. This sludge seemed to be drawn out from one of the rooms, pushing out like the undulating river in a slow amusement park.


    As more and more dark sludge came from underneath the door, it brought with a thick musky smell that weighed against their heads like a heavy rock. Only when the sludge moved to the other door did it finally dry up, leaving a small dark, dry channel sitting right before the door as if beckoning them. The other door was still a dark and dignified black, like the night itself had been painted onto the door but it was the only place the sludge could not penetrate.


    After a moment of silence, the players all unanimously decided to go for the black door. The sludge itself did not give them a good feeling and as the only dry place in this basement, it obviously seemed like the safest choice.


    Struggling through the last layer of sludge, the players were surprised to see that the door was not locked. With a slight push, it swung open quietly,


    They tensed¨C


    After a minute, their was still nothing so taking the lead Mu Fang walked uprightly into the pitch black darkness, the others looked at each other and followed in.


    As he passed, Chu Yi noticed from the corner of his eyes that there was a wet yellow glow that shone luminously on one of the players walking behind but when he turned his head, there was nothing, instead he procured the cautious eyes from the suspected player.


    He turned his head away, a sudden thought fleshing though his mind but it was too quick for him to catch the tail.


    Mu Fang fumbled hopefully for a switch on the wall, and with a sharp click the room suddenly lit up. The walls of the room were made of steel on all four sides that glowed with a strange metallic light. The walls themselves carried strange metal tubes that spanned from the floor to the ceiling. There were iron shelves that had fallen to the ground, and valves with unknown liquid dried up and condensed on the floor. A familiar setting, a familiar look. This was another abandoned laboratory. The rancid smell wafting on the tip of their nose disappeared, replaced by a faint mildew smell of a once sterile room,


    The players stood in place and slowly swiped his flashlight across the room, went around to the white-painted concrete wall around them, and then turned to the end to illuminate the space between the tubes and the wall... There was nothing.


    Nothing jumped out at them with sudden terror.


    They were at ease, at least for now.


    Chu Yi stared at the floor beneath them, not rest assured and suddenly his heart skipped a beat, he finally found the weirdness of this room! Although the entire Institute is dirty and messy, all the liquids have dried up, just like the vicissitudes of life that have been there for many years. The rooms and nurses here only have a rancid odor, and there is no smell of living people.


    But this basement is terrifyingly alive, with stinky and humid air, freshly spilled blood and a floor with sludge... just like the entire basement wasn''t a part of the Institute.


    Before he could dwell on it any further, the players ahead seemed to have found something and everyone gatherer ahead to look at the clues. Chu Yi looked back at the door for minute and the bad premonition in his heart only got deeper.


    What the player had found was a short brown folder hidden in the the between two fallen shelves. After a moment of hesitation the player handed it to Mu Fang with a respectful and flattering look, this was an orange player.


    They all immediately understood his meaning and although they didn''t say anything, everyone acquiesced to this handover.


    Mu Fang smiled gently and took the folder with a gratified smile, Chao Bin almost laughed.


    In any case, it wasn''t the place for infighting and he just swallowed this breath unwillingly.


    The first thing in the file was a small photo. Chu Yi almost instantly recognized the tiny sunken faces, these were the children in R89''s experiment log, phase|000. His brows furrowed, unmoved by the bright smiles on their faces. Three faces were very distinct from the rest,


    The boy that had stood to one side like an ominous black crow, staring at the camera with the same frightening dark pupils. Chu Yi had never forget him, those eyes like a deadly, starving beast, they boy was significantly much better but the cruelty and ruthlessness only seemed to have grown much deeper. Like a beast cub that was slowly maturing. The other two faced were distinctive because Chu Yi recognized them,


    The blond hair of the unfamiliar creature from before and the deep set features of the siren. These were the young faces of the two before they had been modified and forcefully changed into something else.


    But why were they here¡ª


    In the previous video, they had not been present plus the faces of the two did not look heavy, starved and malnourished as the rest.


    It could even be said that they were not meant to be there.


    The gullies between his brows got deeper, the players seeing that nothing could be deciphered immediately from the picture, quickly moved on.


    The next thing was a document. Except the document had been heavily crossed out with a bright red marker, and stained with spilled brown chemicals that made the words beneath it was barely legible.


    This was another experiment log, except it inky showed the process of one subject, codenamed AlphaBio55.


    |D©\1-101IS|


    The regular APOC9 gene used in the artificial evolution project mainly modified to regulate the secretion of neuropeptide Y. Newborn babies will have a strong ability to withstand stress. Even in high-intensity harsh environments, the modified person can still separate negative emotions and not be affected by emotions. Babies will show signs of extreme intelligence and strength. Side Effect: The nerve chromosome that carries emotion will be stripped and discarded during the process of evolution. Key Subject AlphaBio55 will be modified with the BLC67 gene, strict code classified: red Judgment: Subject has shown no sign of mental or physical regression, Execution: Forceful Integration is recommended.


    |D¨C19¡ª124IS|


    Under the stimulus of B0M765 cell modification, subject has shown signs of unusual blood reactions, the white blood cells have begun to attack the red blood cells. Subject has lost all active nerves in limbs, skin has started the decomposing states and organs, including bladder, are failing outside of the procedural Betamine injections. Subjects Death Time: 00: 08. Subjects Revival 00:89. Judgement: Subjects cells have proven to be suitable for Beta X injections. Execution: Forceful Integration is recommended.


    |D¨C47¨C456IS|


    Subject has been placed under the care of researcher R89. Subjects has shown extensive psychological movement in the presence of R89. Cells have become more active and death and revival times and now do not exceed an hour. However the subject has started showing signs of extreme aggression. Starting project exchange with BetaBio77 and BetaBio99, destruction and vitality. Judgement: Disciplinary Act 68 to be proceeded with. Execution: Forceful Integration is recommended. Death Time: 00:06. Revival: 00:65.


    |D¨C156¨C664|


    Subject has become immune to physical stimulation. All methods of discipline including electric shock, forceful drowning, and starvation do not induce reaction in subject. Cell production has dropped and death time exceeds an hour, the cyclamen of general chromosome YB1 has exceeded threshold, subject has started secreting death hormones that induce false death, subjects body seems to be failing with no signs of molecular reproduction. Judgement: Mental Depression influence cell activities. The subject wants to die. Subject shows minimal interest in the dying rose placed in the glass vase. Execution: Forceful Integration is recommended. Death time: 00:02 Revival 00:48.


    |D¨C498¨C750IS|


    Subject has undergone gene modification #768, death pattern exceeds 67, cells have been observed to be extremely active when the subject is subjected to extreme mental stimulation. Files have been extracted, Subjects brain waves fluctuate most when in the presence of Alpha# 33 and R89. Judgement: Extreme stimulation is to be carried out for death order #100, phase |005. Observed that the rose is alive. Death Time: 00:001 Revival: 00:05 Execution: Complete Integration.


    The players looked at each other in confusion and frustration, not only did they not understand most of the terms, they couldn''t make sense of how it would help them right now.


    Time was running out!


    One of the more irritable players couldn''t help but kick the iron shelf beside his foot in anger, overturning the entire metal casing with a heavy bang¨C


    "What kind of stupid experimental log is this! Is this important¨C We just need to find who''s created this shitshow otherwise is this system trying to pit us to death?! If this is how its going to be why don''t we just wait until the month is over and see, there''s only about two weeks left. If all of us don''t know, can it kill us all! "


    Mu Fang, soothed the man helplessly, "Although it might not look like much, this thing might help us later. Don''t give up now, we all need to stick together."


    The man wanted to curse more, but there''s a saying about not hitting a smiling face so with a angry heart he sent another kick over to the shelf, but this time he heard something more than the shelf breaking¨C

 Chapter 108 - The Institute (49)

    Crash!¨C


    As if a pause button had been pressed, the player looked suspiciously down at his feet, only to see that from the shelf, a small intact glass vial had come crashing down, shattering into tiny wet pieces and spilling the glowing red liquid from the vial onto the floor.


    They all stared at the liquid on the floor, instantly feeling that something had changed in the room.


    There was a sudden commotion,


    "Hey!¨CShen Ti what are you doing.."


    "Wu You?"


    "Ke Xun, hey¨C"


    From beside them, a few of players who had been acting normally all along suddenly rushed towards the direction of the blood, flinging themselves to the floor and under the players incredulous gaze started to lap at the blood regardless of filthy floors with long churned out tongues. They acted so suddenly that the players didn''t even have time to stop them so under their incredulous gazes, these players hungrily slumped up the liquid with intoxicated and greedy faces!


    Tang Shun''s brows furrowed, this wasn''t like Chao Bin''s instinctive want to replenish yang, this was more like the greed of a lower creature towards a higher evolution. Just as in most myths wherein mortals believed that consuming the flesh and blood of something more powerful than them would give them chance of ascending to immortality.


    The question was, what creature blood would evoke such an intense reaction in these creatures, even breaking their cover just for a taste of this blood!


    This was obviously an intelligent creature although weak it could spread like spores and invade the nerves of all creatures, mimic its brainwaves and autonomously allow it to continue emitting signs of life even after death, what would cause such an advanced species abandon its own camouflage¨C


    He thought of the inexplicable resentment most of the monster''ss they''ve encountered had towards Chu Yi....


    The rest of the players had similar confused and horrified faces, what was happening.


    The situation was so sudden, none of them could react


    The fishy odor in the room exploded, the scent of rotten and decomposing flesh poured in waves from the bodies of the players on the ground,


    The man who had spilled the vial had a distorted and disgusted look and even as he moved to get out of their way, he couldn''t help but sending a kick to the freaks on the floor.


    Are these people mad¨C


    But they weren''t people anymore.


    The players on the floor didn''t care, their skin quickly became bloated and sallow and yellow, the hair in their head quickly fell out in thick clumps, their faces quickly became thin and sunken as if whatever was inside them was rapidly draining their bodies of all its nutrients,


    These were parasites!


    The room fell into a deathly silence, only the sound of slurping and heavy breathing echoing in the empty walls.


    The tensions was starting to build as most of the players seemed to sense something wrong and started to slowly backed away from the group on the floor,


    They didn''t know how much time had passed but when the players on the floor finally stopped, there was nothing but a sagging shell of what they used to be, regardless instead of getting up, a series of distorted cracking noise ruptured from their bodies as something under their skin seemed to bulge up hideously, bloody red capillaries started appearing from the stretched skin, beating like a heart, the bulge seemed to settle in their abdomen as it expanded out hideously like a pregnant belly¨C


    The pale blue blood vessels and red veins were densely covered, as if he was about to give birth¨C


    "Scree¨C¨C"


    The bulging players suddenly let out a scream as if they were summoning something,


    Chu Yi''s heart suddenly skipped a beat, without thinking he relied on his own weight to yank the two beside him directly on the ground,


    Almost instantly, right above the spot where their heads would have been, several sharp pincers as savage as the spears, slammed into empty air with the speed of lightning.


    If they had been caught, their necks would have been cleanly ripped off their body leaving only scarlet blood to spurt from the open stump!


    As if angered from not catching its prey, the pincers snapped towards the other players behind them, the speed was so fast, that Chu Yi on the ground felt as if there was a missile passing above his head,


    The players were relatively experienced and most managed to escape but one player was unlucky and was intentionally or unintentionally shoved right into the path of the upcoming attack!


    The pincers plunged into his skin and with a wretched scream, the player was actually lifted up by the pincers, his body shaken in the air as his shoulders and thighs were penetrated by the barbed pincers.


    After feeling the warm flesh and blood, the pincers began to stir and rip into his body like a horrifying carnival ride, blood sprayed out like an open faucet!


    The player hollered in pain and with a dying struggle pulled out a deep dagger that shine with a toxic purple sheen, it''s steel blades were soaked with a special corrosive bio-agent that could hurt anything . In the blade''s swing, several pieces of the pincers were chopped off. However, in this short moment, the scorpion monster had already fully appeared, and it''s arms slammed into the wound of the player, tearing the large piece of warm muscle like ripping a piece of paper,


    The player cried and begged for mercy-


    "Do not..."


    His agonized face was directly in the line of sight of he others and they could see him being slowly ripped apart from the seams, the mans screams slowly died and then with a final push, the player was torn in half! Blood and viscera splashing onto the faces of the players below!


    The scorpion mutant, under their horrified gazes suddenly opened its mangled jaws wide and shoved the players corpse inside, a crunchy chewing sound grating their ears as the players was grinded into meet sauce, blood and saliva falling from the mouth of the monster.


    They seemed to hear the players final cry of "help me..." still echoing in their minds.


    The players head hit the floor at their feet, eyes still wide open even in death.


    They looked back at monster, it''s lower body merged together like the hind limb of a long scorpion. A layer of fine gray scales covered the back and sides of his body. It''s abdomen and chest had no scales but were densely spotted with hundred of tiny raised bumps. The bare and exposed skin as pale as a ghost and the eyes having degenerated into two empty white glass beads. The same thing is set on the smooth, no-faceted face, the mouth-shaped openings with sharp teeth.


    This was a monster from hell!


    "Ahhh¨C"


    A shrill scream woke the incredulous players up, they turned their heads, they didn''t know when but one of the mutant players had grabbed onto another player''s head in his arms, from a distance it would seem as if they were hugging and kissing like a passionate lovers,


    However the man''s facial features was twisted, as if he was in great pain, his chest twitched and heaved violently, and clear ribs protruded from under his clothes as something crawled into his body from the other man''s mouth and started eating away at his internal organs!


    Some brave players tried their best to separate them but with this tearing action, the players were horrified to see that the man''s belly had at some point merged with the mutant player, therefore when they tore them apart the man abdomen was abruptly ripped open!


    But what was even more terrible was the fact that expected blood and organs did not fall from the gaping hope in his abdomen, the ripped open skin actually revealed that the man had been eaten to point of emptiness, the translucent skin of his lower body was completely clear,


    There was nothing inside him¨C


    Inside they could still a thick fleshy larva as thick as a tongue stuck to his stomach, absorbing his flesh and nutrients violently and grwoing rapidly and quickly, as the man''s body dries up like a deflated balloon!


    The players watched this scene at a loss.


    The was a brief second of calm and then all hell broke loose!


    The monster rampaged behind them and the parasite drained their bodies, Chao Bin grabbed nervously onto Tang Shun''s hand, looking around at the worrisome chaos with some doubt, the screaming, fighting and running around just seemed to him like a deliberately orchestrated play run by someone with a particularly evil taste,


    He couldn''t make sense of anything at all,


    Tang Shun suddenly pulled him into his arms, the expensive charcoal scent quickly flooded his senses, Chao Bin''s heart jumped but before he could process the situation, from beside ears, he heard a loud shing as a pitch-black pincers narrowly missed his head!


    The frantic embarrassment in his heart didnt have time to set roots, when it was abruptly replaced by a heavy chill, the pincers was so fast that it didn''t gave anyone anytime to process before it was already in front of them!


    Tang Shun wrapped his arms around the boy in his arms and raised his head sharply to look at the disgusting monster, his eyes dilated into thin slits and his attitude of watching a play was replaced by cold anger,


    He turned to Chu Yi, slanted eyes upturned with a dangerous light, "What are we going to do now."


    Chu Yi''s actions answered him,


    "Bang¨C"


    The sound of a gunshot suddenly buzzed in their eardrums, like a high pitch that rushed to the top of the scalp and stopped abruptly, leaving their heads feeling as if it had been slammed repeatedly into the walls,


    Where the bullet hit, It was like fireworks had suddenly exploded, a blood mist scattered like a popped water balloon, after that, the skull and brain scum flew everywhere, meat, viscera and fat splattering on the cold metal walls!


    Even in the chaos, some people couldn''t help but look back, the man in front of them had a sweet smile and a beautiful face, but his demonic and excited red eyes told them this was a dangerous person, a demom, and one without any mercy.


    The devil of everyone''s heart.


    The hazy smoke from the gun slowly rose, obscuring Chu Yi''s faced in a sultry dangerous air, the corner of his red lips were raised, and the primal excitement from being outflanked by mortal danger, the smell of blood and gunpowder, the scream of hapless souls, the bloodthirst in his heart erupted like scorching lava,


    A smile raised high on his lip, red eyes were ablaze¨C


    This is his paradise!


    Suddenly the body of the player who was shot burst like a popped water balloon, and before he could react the person closest to the spray was drenched by the digestive juices and almost immediately the burnt and red skin exuded a smell like something was being roasted in a fire pit. The skin on his entire body turned black and curled up to reveal the bright red and pulsing muscles, but in a few seconds, the muscles begin to darken and grey with atrophy!


    Even the mutants blood was poison!


    The drenched players body became the most horrible thing to look at the world in the world in just a few seconds. Half his body was like melting, and the stinky paste is peeling off her body like hot wax¨C


    "Ahhhh¨C"


    Losing the support of his skeleton, and the skin of his abdominal cavity being burnt into a bloody hole, his internal organs fell from the middle of the open flesh tunnel track full of dark red blood and viscera, the poison quickly spread and finally turned into a disgusting yellow mucus.


    That wasn''t the worse part, from the yellow mucus, wiggling pink flesh larvae suddenly appeared ¨C


    They were reproducing from their host!


    These things couldn''t be killed!


    Chu Yi glanced at the bloody yellow liquid on the floor and suddenly threw the gun to Tang Shun, from his right hand appeared a scarlet red sword, glinting with tyrannical hungry light,


    From the corner of his eyes, he saw a sharp, pitch black claw barreling towards with an inescapable might, the corner of his lips raised and he flipped the sword in his hands¨C


    Chu Yi smiled crazily, a twisted and wanton light flashing in his red eyes, body crouched, his heart pumped, he lifted the knife in his hand, he was prepared to meet it head on!

 Chapter 109 - The Institute (50)

    The creature''s hard pincer still dripping with the blood and flesh of its victim came barreling towards him with a deafening boom!


    Chu Yi''s eyes glinted with a ruthless, excited light but before his sword could reach up and meet the monster flying towards him, his pupils suddenly constricted, feet stagnating.


    There was an unprecedented wave of exhaustion and weakness that abruptly flooded over his head him even at this critical juncture!


    The holding the knife trembled and fell and even his limbs felt like soft jelly, completely stripping him of the ability to attack, this situation was so sudden that Chu Yi didn''t have the time to react, the monster was still barreling towards him.


    Seeing the creatures long sharp pincers, Chu Yi''s hands began to tremble again as he tried to muster up the strength to dodge but not only could he not move, his breathing also became obstructed as if he had submerged into the dark sea and deprived of all sense of self!


    Then suddenly it went wrong.


    At a certain moment, Chu Yi felt an unprecedented strike of pain in his heart, like he was being stabbed directly by a sharp chainsaw, spinning at a high speed, that crushed his body into a bloody mash,


    The familiar red lines emerged in dense crisscross against the snow-white skin, the shocking bloody red contrast was like ropes tied around a offering that was being sacrificed to god,


    Why now¨C


    The surging strength had completely left his body and he could only watch with blown out pupils as the attack landed onto him!


    "Scree¨C¨C"


    He moved,


    "Boom¨C"


    Survival instinct kicked in at the edge of life and death, and with a feeble dodge, Chu Yi managed to avoid most of the attacks but his lacking strength still resulted in the monsters attack slicing into the flesh of his side, crimson red trails spewing from the wound.


    Chu Yi''s mind went blank, soft white fingers slowly raised to clutch his shoulders, scarlet blood spilled from between his fingers and landed on the floor in wet drips, the charming color staining the snow-white hand like warm blood on a blanket of pure snow.


    During the first few seconds of the incident, Chu Yi felt almost unconscious, time seemed to slow to a standstill,


    It wasn''t until he infinitely heard the dripping sound of water droplets hitting the cold floor, the extreme pain spreading all over his body, that only continued to grow stronger and harsher in intensity.


    The cold light slanted on Chu Yi''s face like a veil, illuminating one half of his face, his forehead, the bridge of his nose, his fluttering eyelashes, the corners of his frivolous mouth and his sharp jawline. And every inch of the other half was immersed in unfathomable darkness.


    The monster didn''t care for his silence and as if it had been set off into a new frenzy by the blood that stained its claws, the monster suddenly launched a storm of attacks against Chu Yi!


    Boom¨CBoom¨CBoom¨C


    The floor beneath him cracked from the force!


    He dragged his weak body to dodge frantically!


    Pincers and tail slamming against the wall seeing it rumbling and creaking, it completely ignored the other chaotic players and completely focused on Chu Yi.


    He cut an embarrassing figure under the might of the mutant, blood continued to spill as the monster''s tore into his weakened body, no matter here he dodged it was as if he was a helpless mouse being toyed with at the mercy of the mutant.


    Mu Fang who had always been paying attention the Chu Yi''s was somewhat startled by the man drenched in his own blood struggling to survive under the relentless attacks, his mind churned quickly and suddenly he shot a knife formation towards the open back of the monster,


    The low grade prop however provided no use but to leave a shallow white mark against the thick skin of the mutant, Mu Fang''s gaze was dignified and with a loud shout, he continued to try to divert the monsters attention.


    Such bravery in even such an incomprehensible situation, still attracted the admiring eyes of a few players, the scale in their hearts tilting more towards Mu Fang''s side.


    Chu Yi who had never been so embarrassed in his life suddenly laughed hoarsely, he could still feel the tingling pain from weakness and overwhelming exhaustion, but the voice he used to speak was still haunting like a ghost.


    "Why don''t we play a game¨C."


    His chest was torn open and blood spilled like an open faucet, the translucent white ribs were visible under the squirming and undulating flesh. This was completely different from the previous fights. He could clearly feel every trace of it pain, wrecking havoc in his nerves, shooting up his spine and combining with the sharp shoots of agony that hammered his skull.


    Seeing Chu Yi''s abnormal expression, the watching Mu Fang was still puzzled for a while, until he opened his mouth, red lips torn into bloody cracks but still stretched into a fanatic grin, "To see which one of us dies first."


    The monster seemed to understand Chu Yi''s taunts and it stopped its mindless attacks and slowly approached him, Chu Yi''s right hand fell from his shoulder , blood traveling in scarlet trails down his fingertips, his left hand was useless but his right hand slowly clenched around the blade as he watched playfully as the torrential creature approached.


    Even the air seemed to be shattered, before it even approached Chu Yi could feel the bloody breath slamming down aagainst him!


    It was getting closer and closer,


    There was no turning back now!¨C


    But this stalemate only lasted for a few seconds.


    Chu Yi who still seemed to be immersed in pain, was unexpectedly the first to launch a sneaked attack!


    In face of such a oppressive situation, Chu Yi''s body only slightly paused and then his right foot stomped on the ground, strong explosive force pushed him forward to leap, his front leg quickly went across the room, bringing his body forward as he lunged at the creature!


    Time seemed to slow¨C


    His legs made a beautiful leap from the floor and with an explosive twist of his waist, his foot slammed into the skull of the monster with a resounding slam!


    "Boom!¨C¨C"


    The creature''s head was completely thrown to the side, it''s skull sinking in!


    "Scree!!"


    He wasn''t done yet, his body spun in a arc and using the inertia of the spin, Chu Yi actually brought the long knife over with his backhand and slashed hard on the exposed neck of the creature! Blood splashed, the pain and trashing movement made the monster screech shrillly, sudddnly it lifted it pincers and smashed towards him, slamming his body away with its claws¨C


    Chu Yi staggered as landed on two feet, blood spurting from his lips, the previous attack completely draining away his remaining energy, the feeling of sharp pain in his limbs only grew stronger, it was to the point just standing made him feel as if thousands of tiny ants were drilling into body and piercing into his flesh like a blood sieve,


    "Screee¨C¨C"


    The monster''s neck wound wasn''t fatal, Chu Yi did not have the strength to lodge the knife any deeper, so with newfound anger, it charged towards them like an angry bulk and Chu Yi was once again pushed to the end, leaping and dodging sideways, as the monsters claws came slashing above his head!


    The onslaught of pain made Chu Yi''s body sluggish, forcing him to back up again and again, unable to breathe and his dodges only grew more and more sloppy and struggled. He didn''t understand why, the alienation had started now but the previous wound was oozing blood more and more and the effects of bloodless was slowly starting to appear in his stiff limbs and fingers,


    He was gradually losing!


    Enduring the severe pain as if his heart was being peeled off, Chu Yi tried to block, but one hand was completely useless at this point and the other was unable to keep up with the speed of attacks, his gaze estimated the surroundings, Chu Yi who did not look back guessed that he was about to be forced into the vicinity of the rampaging parasite monster''s,


    Once he was really pushed back, he really had no leeway.


    What was taking Tang Shun so long,


    The scorpion seemed to sense his slowly falling strength and its attack suddenly heightened to a new frenzy, with a loud wail, a sonorous around attack was released and Chu Yi felt his eardrums rattle, caught off guard he was unexpectedly stumbled by the scorpions tail, the sharp barbs lodged into his flesh and ripped a bloody chunk out of his only remaining arm!


    Chu Yi''s face distorted, his blood splattered on the floor in a crimson stream that drove the monster crazy!


    "Boom¨C"


    Staggering, Chu Yi actually fell, his feet unable to hold on anymore. The fall caused his entire body to slam against the hard floor, his eardrums felt shattered, and Chu Yi''s heart ached with a tearing pain again.


    His body was completely wet with sweat and blood!


    He wanted to quickly get up nut this intention was discovered the scorpion at the same time, it reached out with its pincer and clamped around his neck heavily, lifting him up! Chu Yi''s body swayed helplessly and with a ruthless pull, he was brought to the mouth of the creature!


    "Scree¨C"


    His neck was suffocated painfully, Chu Yi red eyes constricted to the limit!


    It wanted to devour him alive!


    But he couldn''t resist!


    The monster looked at the tantalizing prey greedily, it could smell a special scent radiating from it that made its blood clamor and boil, the saliva in its mouth fell to the floor in long, sticky globs, a nauseating rancid smell wafting from the wide open jaws, Chu Yi who glanced at thorough a bloodu haze, could still see the bits and pieces of blood and flesh stuck in the sharp razor teeth.


    The monster hung the prey above its head and Mu Fang who was watching, finally turned away, his group of players warding off the parasitic players with him as the core "It''s no use now....he''s dead."


    His face seemed to look unbearable and sad and the clenched fist at his side, really made people unable to help but sympathize.


    Unfortunately, they would never be able to face that chance because from behind them a bloody screech suddenly sounded!


    They raised their heads, in their incredulous stare, they realized that the man hanging above the monsters mouth was gone!


    Mu Fang raised his head and to his surprise he saw that the previously helpless man was just one step away from them.


    The other party''s eyebrows were half lowered, and the fluttering hair slightly covered his cheeks, blood still coating his figure in an embarassing red, his shoulders seemed to tremble, head drooping like a broken doll..


    He actually heard a low sobbing, and to his absolute shock he saw the corners of the man''s eyes turn red from tears, the green and blue blood vessels under the skin swam delicately and the swan like neck seemed like the carefully nurtured stamen of a peony.


    Why is he crying...


    In the face of such a beautiful man, one couldn''t help but want to wipe his tears and hold him carefully in the palm of his hand,


    Chu Yi''s tears fell beautifully, the transparent teardrops slid down to the high nose and mixing with the scarlet blood stains that painted his face, pale lips and jawline, everything was just right, even the frowning brows had a delicate sense of fragility.


    "Okay... it hurts." His voice was dull, he slowly raised the back of his uninjured left hand, and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He could feel the strength flooding back into his veins, the hapless sense of weakness replaced by exponential strength,


    "Very painful."


    It''s just two words, but his tone seemed to have completely changed.


    In an instant, the darkness around him seemed to billow like countless dark clouds, gloomy, cold and oppressive.


    There was a crazy smile like a madman on that demonic and beautiful face.


    "So painful it makes me want to kill."


    Chu Yi laughed uproariously, unable to stop, his scattered hair, half covered his redeyes, this laugh was almost like not laughing, but resembled the sound of fingernails scratching on a board, jarring and sending goosebumps tingling up their spines.


    He was still completely drenched in blood, his own blood but no one seemed to be able to pay attention that now.


    "I''m sorry, I just seem to be like this when I''m really, really excited." His grin widened strangely as he stared at the scorpion, eyes narrowing into dark slits as blood drained from the scarlet lips torn by the wide laughter.


    Then his laugh was stopped for a moment, and he wiped away the remaining tears from the corner of his eyes with the index finger of his hand still stained with blood."


    His smile still remained as he took a deep breath of the sweet air, spit it out, and blew away the hair in front of his eyes, "Maybe I''m sick."


    The face is no longer embarrassed and helpless, but is now full of oppressive danger. The corners of his mouth twitched, Chu Yi''s slanted narrow eyes curved into a crescent moon, he looked pointedly at the pacing monster, "Then come! Let''s see who dies"


    His foot exploded off the floor, the walls trembled as he leaped into the air, the monster''s raised its two bloody pincers to greet him!


    Boom¨C


    Scree¨C¨C


    Cracks shattered.


    Snapped--


    Blood and putrid brains exploded into a scarlet blood mist!

 Chapter 110 - The Institute (51)

    Tang Shun slowly narrowed his eyes as he stared at the still smoking gun in his hand, he looked up at the barely restrained parasite hosts struggling and screeching under the other''s concentrated efforts, then he looked back at Chao Bin, gaze slowly roaming his face until he stopped at the thin, perpendicular slit across his cheek. The cut still leaking faint, crimson blood that gradually trailed from his soft face to hide deep inside his collar.


    The soft, sweet tang of blood was almost overpowered by Chao Bin''s milk candy spent,


    Gradually, unnatural slit eyes grew darker, the deeply suppressed urges in his heart erupted like dry thatch wood being thrown into a blazing fire. His entire body felt hot and the eyes he used to look at Chao Bin slowly took on an animalistic haze.


    He glanced down at the full magazine gun once more, slowly twisting the dark handle over slender pale fingers, before cocking it.


    He glanced briefly at the players, noting that Mu Fang was always deliberately keeping a distance from the rest of the players, and looked back at Chao Bin.


    With a meaningful lilt slowly appearing at the corner of his lips, he softly traced the gun''s cold and smooth lines, then beckoned faintly to the apprehensive youth standing in front of him.


    Tang Shun still carried a gentle smile on his face but intuitively Chao Bin felt something had changed, he hesitated, fluttering nervousness suddenly sinking into his heart. Against the backdrop of blood, chaos and darkness, Tang Shun suddenly felt dangerous.


    He immediately noticed that Chao Bin was hesitating and beckoned again but this time, Chao Bin had a feeling that this was no longer a choice.


    His body acted before his brain could process anything, almost as if it was in his instincts to obey. When he drew close, the satisfied smile that rose on Tang Shun''s face made the heat pooling in his stomach even hotter, his throat was dry and he could feel that his head was spinning in hazy whirls.


    Was he hungry?


    Chao Bin felt very inexplicable, but by then Tang Shun in front of him had already wrapped an arm around his waist and dragged him towards him powerfully, his defenses instantly weakened, his brath catching in his throat as the charcoal scent unique to him mixed with the freshly spilled blood made his head feel woozy.


    "I¨CI¨C."


    "Are you hungry? I don''t seem to have fed you today¨C"


    Tang Shun''s masked tone sounded with a smile, his deep voice, pleasant tone, all made it so that no one would be tell what he was feelings otherwise, but Chao Bin had an uncanny feeling that the man was looking at him with a sort evil pleasure.


    Tang Shun''s hand tightened around the soft waist ,


    "I just seemed to have forgotten something." His gentle voice sent shivers down Chao Bin''s spine and he found himself clutching tightly onto Tang Shun''s hands to keep balance. The screaming and noise around him was subconsciously blocked out by his addled mind.


    "What..cough¨C what did you forget."


    Tang Shun paused and lazily pulled out a single leather black glove and under Chao Bin''s instinctively roaming eyes, he slowly passed them over the long fingers of his right hand.


    Almost instantly, Chao Bin felt the tension and darkness radiating around them get thicker and deeper, as if it was trying to completely invade him from the inside-out and mark him with its scent.


    Completely bewildered, he was hugged by Tang Shun, the hand with the gun resting faintly above his tailbone. The residual warmth contrasted sharply against Tang Shun''s cold skin and left him trembling uncontrollably. The other party was a head taller than him, and when he wrapped his arms around him, he was completely encircled in his arms, and from behind him he felt Tang Shun faintly brush against his spine with a finger, gently tracing his back with those black-gloved hands.


    It was normal at first.


    Then suddenly everything just felt wrong.


    His face was red, his knees were weak and Chao Bin felt as if his heart was going to jump out of his chest at the speed it was beating in his cage.


    Suddenly Chao Bin jumped, hands flailing in absolute panic, his flustered mind was blank, did he just....


    "Ah, did it scare you?"


    Tang Shun''s voice came from above his head, hands naturally moving away from where it had cupped his ass and back to his taut waist.


    "I''m so sorry, I just wondered what it would feel like from the first time I saw you."


    Chao Bin''s short brown hair was messy due to the heat, and sweat stuck to his forehead. His complexion was slightly darker than that of Tang Shun''s and his bones were three-dimensional, therefore his ass was also exceptional, and if it wasn''t for the pressing matters at hand, he would have wanted to take another feel.


    The most unique is the pair of eyes, the color of the pupil is between honey and amber, a transparent and subtle hazel.


    Raising the corner of his mouth, Tang Shun glanced at Chao Bins body that was still stretched tightly, the slanted eyes that shone coldly along the profile of his face slowly turned upwards, like laughing silently.


    "Chinese people respect etiquette, you took my blood..."


    "Shouldn''t you give me a something in exchange?"


    Chao Bin was speechless.


    Their excessive closeness didn''t give him space to think, but just as he was about to remove his hand, his wrist was suddenly caught.


    A great force pulled him down and, unable to resist, Chao Bin lost his balance in an instant, unsteadily falling onto Tang Shuns chest. His head rubbed against Tang Shun''s shoulder and his lips smashed into the thick muscles hidden there.


    Tang Shun''s voice was low and magnetic as his lips pressed against Chao Bin''s ear to ask, "Do you really want to go. Aren''t you hungry? No one is paying attention, you can eat now."


    The warm breath brushed against his sensitive skin, making it numb and itchy and Chao Bin shivered instinctively.


    Without waiting for his answer, Tang Shun half-closed his eyelids and his dark pupils gazed at Chao Bin,


    "Bite Down." His voice was low and hoarse,


    For some reason, Chao Bin felt ashamed, as if what they were doing wasn''t just a simple act of exchanging yang, but a primitive familar to all men.


    "No¨C I don''t want to eat."


    Tang Shun raised his brow and acting as if he had deliberately misunderstood, he lifted his right hand and gent placed a slightly cool fingertip against Chao Bin''s lips. He felt the warm moist here there and in turn, he subconsciously rubbed them against his lips.


    Quite suitable...


    Chao Bin held his breath.


    "Hm?"


    Tang Shun''s hum was hoarse, seemingly impatient and urging him to do it faster,


    When Chao Bin came to his senses, he had subconsciously opened his lips, and bit Tang Shun''s fingertip, sucking the sweet blood beads that appeared greedily.


    He immediately spat out the wet fingertips watching them glisten with his own saliva, his head became hot.


    Unfortunately, Tang Shun appeared to be deliberate, he didn''t leave his lips after they were removed and his lips were rubbed teasingly until they were a little swollen and red, and only then did the other man take them away, deliberately pulling a wet saliva string along with its departure.


    With a small chuckle, Tang Shun suddenly threw something into his hands and when he looked down he could tell that it was a black, metal encased lighter with golden lines traced along it edge.


    The ambiguous and sultry atmosphere was made Chao Bin feel as if he was submerged in a pot of honey, sticky, soft and inescapable.


    Tang Shun wrapped one hand around his and slowly flicked the metal casing open, a small silver nuzzle glaring back at him. Tang Shun''s lips curled and his cold fingers sent electric shocks along the soft fingers that clenched shyly around the lighter straight to his heart.


    Chao Bin''s breath stuttered, his voice came out choked and low,


    "What''s this for?


    Tang Shuns mouth raised into an invisible sneer, surging with an excited undercurrent, "Just hold it. When it''s say it''s time, light the lighter and throw it."


    Chao Bin was even more confused by the rhetoric but Tang Shun only grinned and didn''t elaborate any further, hands slowly left his and finally their mind was brought back to the most pressing issue.


    The sound of shouting and screams finally bled back into the isolated space and when Tang Shun turned his head he could see that Chu Yi''s fight seemed to be on the cusp of defeat, but he didn''t even entertain the thought of going to help.


    For Chu Yi, he''d probably be more inclined to kill ''him'' if he did, he observed the nature of the parasitic players, the larvae itself couldn''t be killed, they would just burst and reproduce another fleshy larvae.


    The best bet was to kill the host body and kill it while its in a state of transition from human to larvae.


    Tang Shun noted its healing speed, about 3 seconds.


    In other words, he only have 3 seconds to kill every larvae!


    That was enough.


    After making this decision, he lifted his gun steadily, a sudden malicious sneer appearing on his lips and pointed it to the first parasite host and pulled the trigger with a bang! The bullets trajectory was so fast, they couldn''t make it out, they could only see the bulging abdomen of the host body burst into putrid flesh,


    The fleshy pink larvae instantly screamed, and the sound seemed to shatter the ceiling!


    Bang¨C


    The scream was unexpectedly cut off!


    Unexpectedly there''s another shot that sounded almost immediately after the first one, The moment the bullet left the canister, it split into two, the first bullet was nudged from behind by the second bullet and spun with a centrifugal force that drilled into the host body and completely destroyed the flesh, the second bullet followed the second bullet and lodged into the meaty matter of the flesh larvae and exploding it from within!


    He didn''t even look back, hazy smoke billowing from the gun in his hands, he lifted his arm again and with no psychological burden from killing former humans, he pulled the trigger!


    Bang¨C


    From behind him, there was a brief silence, then suddenly from inside the remaining body came another loud explosions!


    These bullets had exploded into sharp tiny metal shrapnel''s that tore the remaining flesh into nothing but a shower of flesh and blood mist!


    Tang Shun felt the blood splatter against his face, the eyes that were completely revealed in the darkness burst with suppressed bloodthirst, the gun rose and fell in a never ending stream of bullets and blood!


    The darkness between his brows were completely exposed, the smell of gunpowder and blood only excited him further, this was true freedom!


    And suddenly with a joyful laughter, he pointed the gun towards the strange metal canisters built on the walls of the room and with a crazed laugh, he suddenly shouted to Chao Bin as he pulled the trigger,


    "Light it up baby¨C!"


    "Bang¡ª"


    Chao Bin''s mind blanked, hands unconsciously flicking the lighters tail, "Shink¨C"


    Boom!!¨C¨C

 Chapter 111 - The Institute (52)

    The bullet streaked through the air with a deafening roar, tearing through the void and causing an ear-piercing whistle before exploding violently against the steel canisters!


    In the same breath, Chao Bin flicked the lighter.


    Boom¨C¨C


    Under their horrified gazes, some parts of the room actually lit on fire! The sound of air gushing from the pierced holes inside the metal canisters overpowered the intensified shrill wails of the organisms in the room. The heavy smell of strange toxins and dried blood spilled into the room, and like water had been thrown into burning pot of oil, the parasitic monster''s attacks suddenly became chaotic and scattered.


    The grew smoke billowed upwards from the scalding black opening of the muzzle,


    Tang Shun lifted his lips maliciously, unfazed by the sudden scene, this was within the scope of his expectations, the finger that bent against the trigger never left, he smiled and with an unexpected move, he actually pulled the trigger again!


    Another bullet slammed into metal tubes, the host bodies screeched even louder, although they didn''t stop their attacks, it could be seen that a wide empty radius had been formed around the space in front of the metal tubes.


    One after another, bullets slammed into the metal tubes, piercing empty dark holes into the dark surface, the flames burned brighter and brighter, and the sound of wails grew louder.


    The doors behind them were locked and it wasn''t long before the players realize that their situation was truly unprecedented scale this time, if they come and get out they would be trapped here with the parasitic spores until they were eventually defeated from exhaustion and reduced to nothing but nutrients and egg capsules for these creatures.


    The disgusting creatures weren''t strong by useless without a host body, but they could reproduce asexually on the spot as well as quickly controlling a players neurons brain cells that would autonomously control the dead corpse to give it the appearance of false life!


    Chao Bin who had been watching all of this suddenly felt a faint prick on his finger, but before he could react, his mind quickly suck into a euphoric swamp, unable to struggle or even resist!


    The violent and ruthless, Chu Yi had appeared beside him at an unknown time, the exposed scarlet lines on his skin and the hair that stuck to his chin, wet with sweat and blood didn''t seem to faze him. There was a lingering sense of excited tyranny and cruelty, his beautiful face reminded him of a dazzling, white rose stained with a sinful red.


    There was no need to ask the fate of the scorpion monster.


    The taut lines of Tang Shun arm stretched out, as his hands continued to release bullet after bullet, even when the smoke in the room had started singing and burning in their lungs, his hands never stopped, the feeling of his heart racing and dopamine flooding his nerve endings made his mind run wild with the unstoppable feeling!


    Hollow bullets.


    This kind of bullet had powerful penetration ability and great killing power, it could be filled with anything, poison, gunpowder and toxins that would explode violently and seep into the broken flesh of its victim.


    Using it here so plainly, even felt like a kind of waste.


    Mu Fang followed by the rest of the players suddenly surrounded their side, naturally assuming a position behind Tang Shun, however the gaze they used to stare at his back was hostile.


    The parasitic monster''s were naturally attracted to them, and the situation became even more tense as they struggled to beat back the concentrated effort of all the creatures, scarlet blood rained, screams and wails echoed inside the empty walls, flames burned and gunshots roared!


    It was as if a tiger in the front and lion on the back, the parasites seemed hell bent on devouring their flesh but behind them the doors were locked and seemed to be no route of escape for them!


    But Tang Shuns action only seemed to be making them worse,


    Mu Fang''s face was solemn, and his voice took on a heavy questioning tone as he spoke to the two, "If you can''t give me a good reason as to why you''re doing this, then I''d be forced to stop you. Even if you''re no longer human, I won''t have you put the rest of in danger for you''re selfish desires, if you want to seek death, do it on your own terms."


    Tang Shun seemed to pause at his words and slowly lower the gun as if intimidated, the yellow smoke and flames reflected in his dark pupils like the soul fire on the shores of the softly, winding yellow river straight from the nine realms.


    His brows furrowed, face sinking to a anxious as he quickly moved back, and twisted the gun, even as the hot nuzzle burnt his skin!


    Almost immediately after Mu Fang spoke up, the subconscious fluctuations were captured in the eyes of everyone. He seemed to have acquiesced to Mu Fang''s words but to everyone''s surprise, he didn''t rush to explain himself but suddenly reached over and dragged Chao Bin to his side. The youth''s shoulders, arms, waist, and abdomen were all extremely tense, and beneath the player''s astonished gaze, he turned the gun and smashed down to Chao Bin''s arm with the handle.


    Something flew off and with a flash of cold light, Chu Yi suddenly swung the sharp knife in his hands, the putrid sound of knife meeting flesh appeared and when they refocused, Chu Yi had completely sliced in half the disgusting parasite that has unbeknownst to them crawled up Chao Bin''s body and was trying to squirm into his flesh!


    Tang Shun''s face turned black.


    Chao Bin felt as if he had been abruptly pulled out a sticky and heavy swamp, his mind was dazed and the sharp pain from before seemed to have disappeared but before he could register what happened, his legs stumbled and he crashed directly into Tang Shun''s arm.


    The players who still had the mind to say something was directly horrified, frantically searching themselves and distancing from watching other wearily. Such an attack was silent and couldn''t be defended against.


    Without being able to kill them a second away from the larvae leaving its host body, then the players could only struggle and barely cope under their onslaught.


    Even managing to kill it would only mean that it would multiply¨C


    Not killing it instead, would mean being at the risk of being parasitized without anyone being none the wiser.


    Chu Yi raised a brow at the hugging figures beside him, unable to stop the smirk from appearing at his lips, turning away he quickly noticed Mu Fang''s burning stare, the smile on his lips grew even more exaggerated!


    Mu Fang kept his composure and continued to speak, double, "I still stand by my previous statement. Tang Shun has made the situation worse by adding flames and guns to the mix." His voice passionate, "I won''t allow you guys to play around with everyone''s lives, just because yours will be short!"


    Chu Yi had seen this maneuver many times before, the art of borrowing a knife to kill. Insinuating that they''re short-lived, therefore will inevitably have different priorities than the rest, accusing them of wanting to harm the others and placing them in awkward position where they could neither go up or down.


    Their was no evidence in his words at all but such subtle mind games quickly made it so subconsciously the players would start to see as outcasts and white-eyed wolves among them.


    He almost laughed, but instead Chu Yi stared meaningfully down into Mu Fang''s eyes, regardless, it wasn''t until Mu Fang had started ruminating uncomfortably in his heart did he finally shift his head away.


    "Unless you plan to become food for the parasites," as he spoke, Chu Yi''s hand swung his hand before him and chopped in half the fleshy larvae that had dropper from the ceiling above watching its body quickly melt into a pool of yellow flesh and immediately forming two smaller flesh larvae''s that lungs at them. They''re reproduction speed seemed to be getting faster. "¨CThen what we''re trying to do is find a way out."


    The players attention was quickly brought away from the budding hostility in their hearts, it wasn''t erased but for now, all of them shoved the emotion down.


    Chu Yi almost wanted to applaud Mu Fang for his successful instigation, but his mind was completely still, such a thing would not cause fluctuations in his heart.


    "If you look closer at the metal tubes, you can tell that they are completely disrupted from the entire room, almost as if the walls were built after it. Such abnormal discrepancy could only signal one thing, the tubes can be detached."


    Mu Fang quickly caught on, this in fact was his true purpose of coming to them now. In fact, he had only barely made it to the lowest rung of official players by relying on a special prop. He had neither overwhelming strength or intelligence and therefore although he could fool some of these reserve players with his act, the true veterans would have long figured out this part. But since he couldn''t, then he would just take it from these people, they would soon be dead anyways.


    Intelligence couldn''t make up for the lack of experience.


    Even though his mind was sneering viciously, his face showed nothing of it, with a dignified and resolute look, he nodded heavily at Chu Yi and powerfully pulled out a pair of knives. Before anyone could react, the two silver figures pierced through the burning room, galloping into the distance, with the speed of light before slamming into the gloomy metal canisters!


    Gas from the tubes immediately gushed heavily from the two deep back holes that were punctured into the solid tube, with a wave of his hand, the knives were chicly summoned back and with a flashing silver arc, they jumped back into Mu Fang''s hand!


    The admiration in the players eyes grew deeper.


    Chu Yi narrowed his eyes as he watched the now roaring fire. The bright yellow reflections flickered against his brighly-coloured eyes.


    The flames instantly surged in intensity along with the release of the gas, and when he looked over lazily, there was a hint of arrogance lingering at the corner of his lips.


    Tang Shun looked around at the burning lab room, under his hands, the entire laboratory had been turned into a burning furnace. The smoke choked their lungs and the stench of rotting blood was overwhelming, fear¨Cgreed¨C despair¨Canger, He inhaled a deep breath, feeling the negative emotions being absorbed into his body, his eyes glinted sharply and with malicious grin, he slowly raised the dark muzzle in his hands.


    Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.


    Tang Shuns finger slowly squeezed the trigger¨C


    The monster''s suddenly became frantic as if sensing something, Chu Yi even noticed an emotion akin to fear radiating from their bodies!


    Boom¨C¨C


    The final bullet in the magazine left the muzzle with a ruthless smoke trail, even the air seemed to shatter as time itself slowed in the player''s dilated pupils¨C


    It hit the canister!


    Bang!¨C


    The tube suddenly fell!


    Bursting out from within, as it slammed against the lab floor, stripping away to reveal a pitch black gaping hole in the wall!


    But the players didn''t have time to feel joy when the atmosphere suddenly changed,


    The air stilled and slowly the players felt an uncanny heartbeat slowly sounding from the void!


    Ba¨CDump, Ba¨CDump¨C


    It was as if with the final bullet something terrifying had been woken up!


    A sticky fragrance of roses suddenly appeared, with an ambiguous touch it slowly teased Chu Yi''s senses and softly trailed along the tip of his nose,


    His red eyes darkened to a crimson black.


    The players faces changed, sudden horror settling deep in their hearts as an oppressive and irresistible pressured suddenly billowed from the gaping hole!


    Chu Yi also felt the deep and gloomy aura suddenly engulfing the air, pressing heavily against their heads like subjects bowing in the face of a noble King.


    The thought, made Chu Yi restless.


    His heart seemed to be equipped with a motor, and it kept banging against his chest uncontrollably. A sense of fear unnaturally occupying his mind, his fingers trembled and his knees fell weak, as of with a slight push he would be forced to kneel in humility.


    Tch¨C


    Chu Yi''s eyes narrowed dangerously and without hesitation, he slammed his teeth into his red tongue, piercing a deep painful hole into his mouth, not letting up until the inexplicable weakness disappeared!


    The scarlet blood instantly overflowed from his swollen lips, trailing down the translucent skin of his face and dripping from the sharp lines if his chin!


    The arrogance at the corner of his eyes grew deeper and a bloody smile appeared at his lips as he savored the feeling of pain.


    The heartbeat grew louder!


    At this time, the ground suddenly began to overflow with a familiar black liquid, as if the thing that had been holding then back disappeared, the blood pooled into the room extremely fast, occupying a large area of ??the lab in an instant!


    The players weren''t initially wary of this sudden change, they had waded through this black sludge to get here but a steady stream of black sludge had flowed into the room, accumulating more and more on the ground, until some of the screeching parasitic monsters got stained with the liquid!


    That''s when the strange scene appeared.


    The body part of the fleshy creatures that got soaked in the liquid, suddenly bloated like a fat sponge soaked in water, the pink arthropod began to swell and grow grotesquely, hideously bloody red capillaries started appearing from the stretched skin, beating in tune with the heart beat in the hole, the creature expanded out hideously, as if was slowly being filled with water until the hideously red balloons couldn''t hold up any more and with a loud bang,


    They exploded in a flood of blood and black sludge!

 Chapter 112 - The Institute (53)

    A low, beguiling hum echoed softly in the air, the ubiquitous darkness slowly swallowing every speck of light, plunging the quiet building in a heavy, malleable gloom. The scent of roses followed it''s traces, softly seeping into every crack and crevice until even the air seemed to take on a sickeningly, sweet taste, clinging to their throats like a honeyed paste.


    A hum slowly echoed from the depths of the Institute, the singing voice comparable to that of first-rate tenors echoed out from the thickening fog, each pronunciation so clear, so elegant and so impeccable. But it was also full of unspeakable evil and ostentatiousness, as if a poisonous snake was flicking out its tongue and showing off its fangs. The voice was saturated with both temptation and terror .


    The words could not be made out or understood but it was almost as if what he was singing was the most ancient and revered song that boomed and resounded in the battlefields of the God''s.


    A pale, almost translucent hand slowly stretched out from the darkness, the powerful lines that traced it glowing faintly, as if the gentle moonlight was struggling to illuminate the darkness, the captured light fighting to break free from its gloomy shackles.


    The hum in the air gradually deepened, settling into a sonorous laugh, excitement and anticipation seemed to seep into the unfathomable voice.


    The space was still and silent, almost as if all life had been sucked away by the darkness.


    But from it, a new presence was born, the shadows were slowly torn apart, the slender hand joined by another, until the figure of a tall, man bore down oppressively into the space.


    His face was obscured by heavy darkness, but from the gloomy shadows, thin lips stretched into a bloody, exaggerated grin, hands twisting gently along with the soft hum of the tune that left his lips. The figure wore a solid black suit, the white shirt and bright red tie around his neck was neatly folded, and the dazzling, crimson rose on his chest glistened with night dew. In the darkness, the man seemed cult and sly, the wandering phantoms lingering in the darkness around him infinitely.


    A voice shattered the silence, sultry and hoarse like a voice from the abyss leading the wandering souls to hell.


    "Chu Yi."


    The sinister darkness surged powerfully almost as if in connection with his raging emotions¨C


    The evil in the man''s grin seemed to deepen as the name slowly spilled from his lips, the arc of this smile like a sharp pressing thinly against a fragile neck. The man''s hum sudddnly ceased and with a lazy wave, the deepening darkness seemed to dissipate.


    Half of the man''s perfect face was still cloaked in the shadows, and the other half is faintly reflected by the rose''s unnatural crimson light. It was clearly a handsome and fascinating face, but it only made people feel fear.


    The man slowly examined the solid walls, he could feel a gushing heat and chaos building on the other side. The game between them was still on but the clamoring deep in his soul made him unable to resist breaching the agreement too early. He had waited too long for him, so long that he couldn''t even remember some past events, he didn''t want to wait anymore. The system''s harsh warning about using his clones to play as key characters too many times rang in his head but he ignored it with a sneer.


    It couldn''t kill him.


    He stretched out his hand, the slender and beautiful white fingers were instantly entangled by leafless rose vines winding and intertwining between the gaps. On the vines, scarlet roses suddenly bloomed with a heavy crimson light.


    He gently stroked the petals of the roses, watching it shake and rustle with excitement.


    "Chu Yi."


    "Chu Yi."


    "Chu Yi."


    The man in the black suit caressed the petals as It was his lover, but his voice never stopped chanting the name that drove him crazy.


    Then with an unexplainable smile on his face, leaning down slightly, he kissed the rose. Even the surrounding atmosphere contained a certain unspoken tense atmosphere, shrouded in the pitch-black shadows, dangerous and charming.


    From the outside, the man is more like a well-dressed and elegant professor with a heavy sultry atmosphere.


    It is a pity that the death and madness of his gestures betrayed him.


    The man slowly lifted his head, watching the rose jn his hands curl shyly.


    It seems like this little thing decided to follow along as well, although it''s true body would not be able to appear in this level of the copy, it didn''t seem to care.


    His fingers suddenly twisted a petal, abruptly pulling the pale leaf it from the red cluster, the rose was instantly aggrieved and he could vaguely hear a twittering squeak in his consciousness.


    His face didn''t change and in the same breath, a droplet a scarlet red blood appeared on his fingers and dripped down onto the soft crimson petals.


    The red rose bloomed to an even brighter crimson in an instant, the sweet flowery stench of roses intensifying to the point of becoming tangible.


    "Boom!¨C"


    As if a barrier had been shattered, life suddenly flooded into the space.


    He felt the changes in the atmosphere, sensing that the familiar presence was nearing and slowly stood up, a fanatic grin appearing with the happy rumble in his chest, the rose vines wrapped around his hands suddenly shot out, growing and twisting into colossal plants that instantly flooded the room in a thorny, rose maze, a meandering dark green trail with specks of red making for a beautiful yet sinister sight.


    The man walked though the thorny maze, phantom shadows appeared beneath his foot with every step,


    One after another, like screaming souls they rose up, the darkness around him rose up, and those souls were sucked in by them just like billowing smoke.


    The fragrance in the air overpowered even the smell of sulfur and blood that naturally emanated from the darkness,


    As if in a show of joy, or dissatisfaction, the roses bloomed brightly!


    His voice suddenly changed, becoming extremely low and deep, like the hissing of a poisonous snake before it launched a fatal attack,


    "Alright, alright."


    The man''s grin was malicious and evil.


    "The show is almost starting and you''ll see him soon."


    The roses blossomed a dazzling red.


    *****


    The blood and black sludge that exploded from the swollen parasite, splattered on the walls of the room in a gruesome display of fetid red flesh and muddy water. The players gaped, unable to process the rapidly changing situation, this was no longer a two pronged attack this was a massacre.


    Tang Shun who seemed to be the direct cause of the sudden crisis, immediately received accusing and resentful glares, but hidden under that hostility was also fear and horror.


    They were assaulted with dangers one after the other with no chance to breath or escape. This wasn''t what they expected when they agreed to come to the second negative floor, some players even felt a little resentment to Mu Fang.


    If he hadn''t chosen to venture down here, none of this would have happened.


    They couldn''t even be sure if they could come out alive!


    He didn''t want to die¨C


    A voice in his head seemed to be whispering maliciously,


    ''You don''t have to.''


    ''What if they''re nothing wrong with the water.''


    ''You just need to know.''


    ''Push him!"


    This is for the good of everyone, if he doesn''t die that''s his good luck, if he does then he can only say sorry in the next life.''


    ''They won''t blame you, you''re doing it for the good of everyone.''


    His eyes flashed cruelly, since he didn''t want to die someone else would have to die for him.


    Yes. It was for the good of everyone¨C


    The players eyes bulged savagely, red veins like winding caterpillars burst from his temples, almost if something inside him was urging and pushing the dark emotions in his heart,


    The overwhelming dissatisfaction and fear in their hearts made these players make a vicious decision.


    Mu Fang''s voice immediately piped up in the back, trying to soothe the agitated players and appealing for them to focus on the current situation.


    Although Chao Bin was still feeling the effects of the larvae venom, it still couldn''t stop the scoff that came from his lips.


    His Messiah Act would be much more believable if he wasn''t standing protected by all the others as cannon fodder. Tang Shun''s hands on his shoulders tightened, his brows furrowed the dangerous feeling didn''t seem to be from the sludge encroaching on them.


    Something else was coming.


    Although the players were eventually appeased with the reminder that Mu Fang had graciously given them a life saving talisman but the already fractured player group seemed to be heading for the worse.


    Chu Yi didn''t care about the happenings behind them his entire focus was on the gradually expanding hole that had been revealed from the tubes fall. The feeling of frivolous and dangerous malice made his heart palpitate sharply, his eyes darkened to deep red slits and a cold smile suddenly appeared at the corner of his lips.


    "Scree!¨C¨C"


    "Bang¨C¨C"


    One after another the parasites exploded into a shower of rotten flesh and liquid, harsh and ear piercing screeches like wailing babies echoed unceasingly in their ears, they seemed to have completely lost the ability to reforming.. It seemed that the black sludge had the ability to bypass this ability. Although in the end they didn''t have to figure out a way to kill them but none of the players felt thankful for that fact.


    With the continuous flow of water, the players were pushed back farther and farther, until they could only barely occupy a small radius of 20 meters in the room. And even then this space would not last long, in due time they would be surrounded by water.


    One player couldn''t help but speak up hesitantly,


    "Maybe it will only hurt the monsters, I mean we walked through it to get here...."


    The others were silent, it would be good if turned out to not be harmful but what if it was.


    No one here wanted to risk their lives for a chance.


    "What do we do..."


    The black sludge was getting closer and closer and a few of the players eyes flashed as they started thinking of ways to save themselves. Even if they were teammates, in the end they still had to ensure their own hides first¨C


    They looked down,


    It practically surrounded them now!


    The players scrambled on top of the fallen shelves and desks desperately, shoving to find a stable footing.


    Chu Yi jumped onto an intact shelf, glanced down at the sludge at his feet and looked backs towards the hole.


    Presumably they''re only means of escape.


    An anxious player suddenly pointed to Tang Shun, "This is all your damn fault. You started a fire, so our oxygen will be less soon enough, you made this weird black sludge come here and now you''ve given, us no way out! Are you intentionally trying to get us killed!"


    Tang Shun glanced at him fainly, disdaining to even answer him.


    The players face turned red in anger, the finger that pointed at him trembling faintly, unexpectedly the man said something next that immediately made Tang Shun''s eyes dilate into angry slits, " When you die later you monstrous freak, I''ll make sure your little lover follows you to cross the yellow river¨C"


    Mu Fang open his mouth to speak but before anyone could react, one of the players suddenly let out a thunderous yell and flung himself across the room!

 Chapter 113 - The Institute (54)

    Was he trying to court death¨C


    But this thought didn''t last long,


    To the other''s consternation, the player was actually floating in the air!


    The man turned around and looked at them with an apologetic smile, he didn''t have to say anything they understood his meaning well enough.


    With the first player as precedent, some players lost their inhibitions, they disregarded the resentment filled looks of the others and immediately brought out their own props!


    In an instant, they pulled away from the others, some even sending a vicious, grin before hurtling towards the hole.


    They would escape from there!


    The faces of the players that didn''t have props that could be of use instantly turned green, they could still hope to work together to find a solution before but now they were directly left to die along with the other hapless souls!


    "Fuck!¨CBastards!"


    The sludge would only trap them here, the bloody damp smell mixed with the burning sulfur of the fire and the situation seem inescapable!


    "What do we do!¨C"


    Suddenly a player moved but it was not to escape but to suddenly grab a unsuspecting player from beside him and push him out of the shrinking safe range!


    The players eyes were completely red and his chest heaved as if he had been running for a long time, with a distorted grin, he laughed crazily, gesturing frantically towards the falling player,


    "This is for the good of everyone don''t blame me!"


    The players watched on with horrified gazes, yet no one moved to help, behind the horror, their was relief, in every movie, there would always be someone who sacrificed themselves for the greater good everyone else.


    They would just burn more paper money for him when they left this place¨C


    Ba¨CDump¨C


    Chu Yi''s heart skipped a beat,


    Ba¨CDump¨CBa¨CDump¨C


    Regardless of the happenings behind him, Chu Yi stared relentlessly at the dark hole. Slowly a powerful heartbeat seemed to echo in his ears and gradually even his own heartbeat rose to match the tune of the other


    Ba¨CDump¨C


    His red eyes slowly narrowed.


    Ba¨CDump¨C


    The dim light faintly reflected a flash of red, flickering in the black hole.


    Chu Yi''s heart sped up.


    When he thought that the light was just his imagination, the red light flickered again, twice, thrice¡­


    Ba¨CDump!


    Faster and faster, the red light began to expand, eroding the darkness little by little until all the darkness was expelled by it, eventually swallowed completely.


    Like a glowing a red moon, the crimson light spilled into the ground from the hole. The thin and hazy light was like a gauze, enveloping all the creatures in this room.


    The light carried with it a overwhelming fragrance of roses, a dark and dangerous scent that had their hearts booming in their chest!


    Harsher and harsher, brighter and brighter, the red glow took over the entire room!


    Ba¨CDump,


    Then abruptly it all stilled.


    As if everything was just an illusion,


    The only thing they could hear was the heavy sounds for their own breathing¨C


    Then, it was the sound of cracking space,


    "Boom!¨C¨C"


    The players who were dashing towards wanted to stop but before they could react, brilliant green vines suddenly surged from the room!


    The gaudy outer skin was covered with blooming red roses, but this only made them looking even more eerie and terrifying!


    Like a signal from a flare gun, the vines surged from the hole in a unstoppable manner, their bodies, as if they had bones, were dancing wildly, the thorny branches flooding towards them, filling every crack and crevice and turning this place into a flowery prison!


    The vines covered in vibrant red roses didn''t give them any time to react and entangled the players like a spider web, they couldn''t struggle, they couldn''t move, all the organisms in the room were wrapped up in the terrifyingly beautiful rose vines!


    The players at the forefront wanted to stop at the first sign if trouble but the vines seemed to have a mind of its own and suddenly entangled the players like a hungry snake opening its enormous mouth!


    The players screams were instantly lost in the ocean of thorns and dark vines, as it pierced into their flesh and quickly drained their bodies of blood!


    Under their incredulous gaze, the crimson roses got brighter and brighter leaving only a dried husk as tantamount to their previous look.


    Chu Yi, watching the hauntingly beautiful carnage unexpectedly grinned, an excited and strange smile that made his entire aura sink evilly.


    From the distance, an intense gaze was directed at Chu Yi, slowly moving its greedy, coveting gaze from the tips of his toes to his head.


    Lips rose into a cruel and mocking smirk "I thought we had a bet."


    He was like a gorgeous but icy moon. But this pale moon did not hang high up in the sky to illuminate the path of others but gleamed on the scythe belonging to the death god. This was the light used to harvest souls. His body spun like a delicate sword, a sword laced with poison.


    As soon as he finished speaking, a ferocious black mist surged from the hole, forcefully disintegrating the wall and making it bigger. The shadows filled the room, carrying with it a sweet sticky stench.


    From a distance, the black mist seemed to slowly wrapped the black-haired youth, as if he was hugging the black-haired youth to death.


    It gently wrapped around his limbs and lingered at the fragile and swan like neck. A soft touch flowing down along his pale and cold face, leaving in its place a fragrance that was sinister and strong.


    There were also sweat droplets sliding down from the side neck, flowing down a series of ambiguous and moist water marks. The shadows seemed inexplicably attracted and softly followed the trail of sweat until lay gently against the deep, radiant collarbone at his neck.


    Tracing the red bruises still present formed from the marks caused by deep, intrusive acts.


    The man seemed to grin playfully, as if he was inexplicably happy at others expense.


    They were only a few small blemishes that made him unhappy, the blood of others that stained that divine face like the mix of a devil and a sacred angel. Just like a devout religious painter who suddenly fell after carving out the most perfect holy child, and heavily splashed the wicked, the crazy, the cursed bloody tears onto his perfect face.


    The man gently lifted his hand and Chu Yi only felt a cool wind across his face and the aggravating marks disappeared.


    The man laughed uproariously.


    A small, unique red vine with single horn lowly approached Chu Yi, gently entangling a soft white finger like a winding red string, it rejoiced in the feeling of the warmth against its body.


    It had worked hard, just to meet it''s master again.


    Ordinary people, humans...they couldn''t smell that scent, only the existences in the dark could smell it. It was a wonderful, sweet, bloody smell that was enough to drive them crazed.


    To the dark creatures, everyone else''s blood had a scent equivalent to the stinky gutters on the roadside, the rose had endured too much in order to be strong enough to appear now. But this bloody smell was so sweet that it reminded it of a beautiful era, where it''s original creator would gently pet him everyday and feed him the most delicious food.


    It''s creator was gone but inexplicably it felt the familiar breath of its creator on this human from the very first time.


    It was like the most magnificent red rose.


    It liked it very much.


    Chu Yi suddenly felt a sharp pain in his fingers and looking down the scarlet vine had pierced a small hole into his finger, and was gently absorbing the crimson blood.


    He tilted his head,


    The scarlet vine appeared an even deeper red as it absorbed, so deep that it seemed to emanate a thick, bloody smell.


    He could even see the scarlet blood from his veins being absorbed into the translucent vines, his skin seemed to also translucent.


    He raised an eyebrows watching as the blood slowly flowed along the raised cyan blood vessels on his pale skin, drawing a vine-like blood map, more brilliant than the color of petals.


    The feeling was icy cold, boiling hot, and roaring with mad insanity...


    The first drop of blood had fallen, completely marking him as its own.


    Suddenly, Chu Y lifted his head, red eyes filled with a fanaticism and maliciousness, as they stared intently at the dark hole.


    Da, Da, Da.


    From the darkness, a slender figure appeared, obscured by the darkness and bloody red roses, the man stood in the face of the players, half-length black hair tied behind his head with a scarlet red hair band, a dark green vine entangled on his arms with a blooming bright red rose resting diagonally on his shoulders.


    The man grinned, and slowly raised a hand, "Nice to meet you ''again''."


    "My dearest."


    Almost instantly they could feel an extremely contradictory dark and cold aura precipitated on the man''s body, like walking on a tightrope between the boundaries of elegance and madness, like a black hole in the depths of the universe that could swallow all light, easily grabbing the sight of others, sinking into the deep and melancholy evil thoughts.


    Full of dangerous, extreme, charm.


    The man bowed deeply and gracefully to the players shrouded under the cold light of the roses.


    He appeared so elegant and so polite, despite appearing like the most terrible and strange opera verse and arriving in a beautiful splendor of blood and flesh.


    The scarlet rose was still pinned on the man''s chest. He seemed to think of something and casually picked a few rose petals from the rose still coiled around his neck, he held the small petals in his hand just like a person attending a funeral would hold a bouquet of white roses.


    He clenched his fist, the soft rose petals being crushed in the palm of his hands¨C


    He seemed to smile at Chu Yi softly, the coldness, violence, and sharpness temporarily faded from the man''s countenance,


    "Let me show you a magic trick."


    The man''s voice resembled a nightmare or a elusive dream, he stared deep into the eyes of Chu Yi then with a grin, he slowly released his palm.


    The red petals had disappeared, leaving only a handful of pale pink dust that slowly dissipated in the ambiguous wind.


    "How is it? Is it fun."


    No one here was amused, only absolutely horrified.


    This man was like an evil spirit straight from hell!


    Chu Yi paused and laughed slowly under the players shuddering stare.


    He seemed to have taken off the layer of disguised human skin, revealing his dark and terrifying nature underneath. A slightly neurotic smile rose at the corner of his bright red lips. It was obviously the same face, that the players were used to but now it seemed to make people shiver, and a feeling of fear rose in their bones.


    "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha--"


    The man joined him and the laughter grew louder and louder, turning from low to high, and finally to sharp and sinister, a terrible symphony that made even Tang Shun take a step back.


    They all felt a chill rise in their spines shooting straight to their heads.


    He stood up from the iron shelf, the rose vines gently entangling his skin, the red glow that shone unnaturally from the roses, cast his face in a seductive yet dangerous light.


    Chu Yi closed his eyes and laughed like no one was beside him. His laugh was like the Gotham Joker who is full of sin and darkness; and like the red-haired, Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland, immersed in his own world.


    Anyone with a discerning eye can hear that this is not a sneer or sarcasm, but a real smile.


    This was joy from the heart.


    The man''s smile grew wider and wider, and he bowed like a great magician performing his final act.


    "My dear, I feel gratified that you''re so amused by my tricks."


    Chu Yi suddenly stopped laughing, and smiled,


    A pair of beautiful, slender hands gently turned and like a burst of lightning had flashed through his red eyes, the man saw Chu Yi show him a cold and malicious smile.


    He lips opened as If he was about to say something, raising a slender hand as if to greet him. The man raised an eyebrow and couldn''t help but take step forward from the darkness but then without warning, a sharp crimson knife was flung directly towards him!

 Chapter 114 - The Institute (55)

    The trajectory of the knife was heading straight towards the man''s neck, boring down with a bloodthirsty, crimson glare. The biting killing intent seemed to flood the room in a heavy chill, the malicious and craze deep in Chu Yi''s bone rose up like a hungry beast!


    Judging from the knifes path, it would definitely plunge into man''s neck, bright, red blood spilling from the pierced flesh!


    This knife was truly meant to kill!


    The man''s face was obscured by the horrifying shadows and the sinister red of the blood roses made him look like a demon from hell, penetrating the darkness and gazing upon the cold and ruthless face. Those bloody red eyes seemed to stare at him condescendingly from a winding maze of cascading red roses.


    Such a look excited him.


    The shadows around him surged and billowed like a rising storm, the corner of the man''s lips seem to rise in a joyous and fanatic smile and with a scalding and greedy look, he actually closed his eyes!


    The madness in his bones could match his¡ª


    The wickedness and malevolence seemed to fade like a drifting tide when his eyes closed, the man looked like the perfect holy son, exquisite and sacred. It was definitely not an exaggeration to claim that he was the incarnation of a saint from just his appearance if not for the anticipation and excitement even in the face of upcoming death¨C


    Even when he could smell the cold, metallic scent of blood that stained the knife on the tip of his nose, he still didn''t move. Like a devout believer that would not hesitate to sacrifice itself to it''s most divine and holy God!


    The man''s smile widened strangely, this was his beloved¡ª


    "Swoosh¨C¨C"


    "Thud!¨C"


    The sound of metal plunging into hard wall sounded from beside his ears, there was a slight tingling pain on his face and the trembling sound of wind as the knife slit a thin cut from his cheeks to ears as it plunged heavily into the wall beside him. The knife''s tail trembling slightly as it released the force used to throw the knife¡ª


    The air slowly fell into deathly silence.


    Then there was a laugh.


    A laugh more joyous and frantic than when he had given his performance before.


    Chu Yi laughed as if he had seen the funniest joke in the world, even his breathing seemed to be locked tightly in his chest as he wheezed through the amusement that racked his body.


    The man''s eyes slowly opened,


    Perhaps because most players were already unconscious except for a select few, this time around, something was done by an explosive manner, but there was silence everywhere, no monsters were wailing, no claws or teeth were scratching on the ground, no brutal rose vines were swaying as they grew colossal leaves, leaving only the sound of Chu Yi''s laughter to shatter the silence.


    It''s too quiet, terribly quiet, and full of dangers.


    But Chu Yi''s laughter was like a silent stopper that made the horror and terrifying nature fall short.


    The man slowly grinned, dark eyes glowing with a strange greedy light.


    "Ha, ha, ha..."


    Chu Yi''s laughter gradually died down and when he stood up they could still a broad smile on underneath the red eyes that surged a blazing sun, "How was my magic trick? Was it fun."


    Chu Yi said the same thing as the man from before but somehow he had the feeling of being mocked.


    The man slowly stretched out a tongue and licked the scarlet blood beads that ran down his cheek from the sliced skin of his cheek, the metallic taste of blood was like an invisible grip that held tightly onto his heart.


    Standing in a room full of thorny vines, bright red roses and dark shadows, Chu Yi was like a beautiful incarnation tempting and charming souls into the abyss.


    The wound felt like a slight tickle against his skin but his heart felt as if it had been tied with a rope called Chu Yi.


    Obsession and paranoia bled into his eyes and the man threw his head back and laughed!


    "So fun!"


    "It''s so fun!"


    Bright red drops of blood plopped down. Slowly tracing crimson red trails on the white skin.


    The man smiled and raised his eyes to stare deeply into Chu Yi''s, his pupils turning a dark gold at this moment. Countless spiral cracks are entrenched in his eyes, infinitely attractive, like a vortex that can devour everyone''s soul, boundless malice and craze densely packed in his pupils. Staring at them would cause countless overlapping phantoms to explode, the seeds of negative emotion and energy sprouting and directly pulling a soul into hell.


    Because he was darkness itself.


    Chu Yi suddenly moved forward, in the darkness he was like a lithe spirit that danced bizarrely in the forest moonlight, casting a few strands of crimson brilliance against his face. The vines naturally parted like the red sea, stepping past the gregarious growth and slowly approached the devil in suit.


    The players still awake only consisted of two people, Tang Shun and Mu Fang, the sweet rose scent that permeated the soon seemed to have a weird psychedelic and sleeping effect that seeped from the vines that pierced their skin into their bloodstream. Neither of them had the energy to move or say anything only barely keeping their consciousness awake enough to catch a glimpse at Chu Yi''s back before skipping into unconsciousness.


    Chu Yi walked step by step to the man, watching thin lips stretched into a bloody, exaggerated grin in greeting. The man wore a solid black suit, the white shirt and familiar bright red tie around his neck, the dazzling, crimson rose on his chest glistening with night dew.


    Chu Yi smiled at him, and pulled closely to him until the man could feel the warm moist breath softly caressing his throat. Chu Yi leaned down beside the mans head, the aroma on his body was dyed with a poisonous charm. Fingertips stained red, slowly walked up the man''s shoulders and lightly touched the petals of the rose lying there.


    "Ruan Quixi."


    "Oh?" The man''s voice was extremely sly, the hands at his side twitched faintly as if fighting the urge to do something bad, and he said inexplicably, "How do you say this, I never seem to have met you before?"


    Chu Yi smirked slyly, "Oh," His hands moved to leave, "It seems I can only find a few substitutes then."


    Large hands grabbed the slender wrist bone and instantly pulled him back to him, Ruan Quixi''s eyes were pitch black, " Really no need. Aren''t I ''enough''."


    He grinned strangely, "Too much isn''t good for the health."


    Chu Yi chuckled but didn''t continue that topic, slender fingertips as if dipped in red cinnabar, moved from the rose, lightly circled his neck until it settled at the bulging Adam''s apple there, lighting tapping.


    It bobbed up and down as the man swallowed, "Did we ever meet before..."


    Ruan Quixi instantly stilled and glanced down at him, "Why do you ask."


    He smiled and didn''t answer.


    Chu Yi sniffed lightly and grinned, "I can smell it now..."


    The black-haired young man on the back of his neck, made him feel like there was a cat''s paw scratching his heart, his eyes were full of fire, as if they could melt ice caps and burn a hole through Chu Yi''s body.


    The evil sprite moved closer inexplicably, his voice was deep and hoarse with a slight ambiguous touch: "Did you have a good time that night?"


    "Very happy," Ruan Quixi pulled his lips and smirked,


    "If you can experience the feeling of suffocation and warmth again, it will be even more wonderful."


    The evil sprite seemed to smile tolerantly and dotingly: "It doesn''t matter, I can do it with you once again except...you''re really bad at it.",


    Ruan Quixi''s face instantly dropped, the high shadow cast down, mixed with malice that was so heavy that it made people breathless, a sharp murderous aura that burst out was like a sharp blade, cutting straight into the skull along the forehead, and making the scalp numb.


    Chu Yi still didn''t move, he didn''t even bother to lift his eyes, instead the smile on his face got even more brilliant,


    No matter how terrifying the opposite person''s killing intent was, his expression didn''t shift in the slightest, his voice was low "Its a pity, I''ve had better."


    The man was silent, Chu Yi didn''t care with a low sultry sigh, his pale hands shifted back to the beautiful rose.


    Bright red lips rose in a sinful sneer and he reached out his hand to stroke it before unexpectedly twisting a petal from the rose bud.


    "Ah."


    The man raised his head.


    His mood suddenly turned complicated again.


    The petal was scarlet in color, as if it had been soaked in blood.


    Chu Yi gently pinched the petal, turning it over and over in his fingers and under Ruan Quixi''s scorching eyes actually opened his mouth and placed it on his tongue.


    In the next instant, the rose petal turned into bright liquid on his scarlet red tongue that flowed down the center of his throat...this was a drop of blood. Ruan Quixi''s eyes darkened to a pitch black, even his heart seemed to have stuttered in his chest a burning heat lowered into his abdomen.


    His blood.


    "I can give you some advice."


    Chu Yi''s voice was saturated with malicious joy,


    He was extremely daring, like a hungry beast teasing and watching its prey''s dying struggle. Chu Yi smiled and placed one hand on his shoulder, the other slowly lifting Ruan Quixi''s chin.


    The man watched the evil spirite prancing around him, dangerously walking the edge of a steep cliff.


    He suddenly laughed.


    It wasn''t the same uproarious laughter as before, this was more oppressive and dangerous, as if he was suppressing something deep inside him that struggled to break free.


    Chu Yi smiled frantically, and still wanted to speak, but in the next instant, Ruan Quixi leaned down and blocked his lips ruthlessly!


    The moist lips met his lips fiercely, shocked Chu Yi wasn''t able to react when his lips felt the cool and slightly dry lips on his, In this brief moment of shock, the man had already driven straight in¨C


    The hand behind him moved forcefully, grabbing onto his waist and pulling him forward, the stimulus of blood and innate aggressiveness made Chu Yi''s eyes instantly red.


    Ruan Quixi''s posture was strong, and Chu Yi couldn''t refuse it, with sparks in his eyes, Chu Yi suddenly grabbed the devil''s collar and kissed back fiercely.


    The fiery kiss was like dry wood used to ignite a fire, and Ruan Quixi''s emotions surged out, instantly suppressing all other thoughts in a heated and lustful swamp.


    His hands naturally gravitated to Chu Yi''s slender nape, along with his tightening grasp was the low, moist gasps that spilled from the gaps between their lips. Chu Yi didn''t know whether he wanted to strangle him or kiss him, his breath was turning out but he was held in place and forced to accept Ruan Quixi''s plunder.


    He unceremoniously wrapped a hand around Ruan Quixi''s neck and tried to pull him away, but the man was aa so focused and intent, it only led to the kiss getting deeper and deeper in a lewd mix of tongue and lips.


    Chu Yi''s scent still mixing with the taste of Ruan''s blood.


    It was like pulling a man who was about to starve to death away from a banquet delicious food, eventually Chu Yi had to resort to ruthlessly biting the tongue ravishing and tracing every part inside his mouth.


    The black-haired sprite gasped heavily, lips swollen and a layer of mist appearing in his eyes.


    In the eyes of Quixi, scarlet blood crawled up like spider veins. He seemed to have regained consciousness, a trace of scarlet blood leaking from the wound where Chu Yi had bit.


    He chuckled softly raised his hand and slowly rubbed Chu Yi''s red lips, with an incomprehensible smile on the corner of his mouth. But between every move, there seems to be some kind of sticky crisis ready to explode at any time. The surface is calm, but the undercurrent is actually darker and more turbulent, ready to swallow him into his stomach.


    His fingers pressed harder against the broken skin, lips curling into a wanton grin, expression dim and unclear.

 Chapter 115 - The Institute (56)

    Chu Yi felt the danger around him slowly closing in, like sinking into a deep mire, unable to speak, unable to escape, falling deeper and deeper into the abyss until only the unfathomable darkness was left. His breaths came out in stuttered gasps, the lingering taste of smoke and blood still present on the tip of his tongue, cold fingers deliberately pressing against the swollen and red petals.


    Gold eyes narrowed into dark slits, a strange smile slowly rising at the corner of his lips. Soft heated white mist tickled against Ruan Quixi''s skin, like a charming fox lightly stepping on the tip of his heart. The flesh under his fingers was warm and moist, sending numbing shock that traveled from his fingertips straight to his head. It was as if every cell inside his body was shaking with dark anticipation.


    A soft chuckle broke out in the ambiguous silence, the man''s eyes seemed to glow with a heavy, sticky emotion that sought to devour Chu Yi into his stomach.


    Red lips suddenly broke into a charming smile.


    Chu Yi grin was strange and unexplainable as he slowly raised a slender hand and pressed lightly against the fragile skin of his neck. Crimson, finger shaped bruises that tightly crossed his neck was like an uncanny ink abruptly staining a pure white canvas.


    White fingers roughly dug into the skin, the sharp pangs of pain that assaulted his fragile senses only made the excitement and craze in his heart grow even stronger¨C


    "Ah."


    The fingers that were pressed against the warm lips suddenly entered into a warm and moist cavern, red tongue pressing against the cold fingers deliberately, while soft lips closed around them and sucking softly.


    Chu Yi gazed teasingly into the surging pitch black eyes staring at his fingers that disappeared into the warm cave. Chu Yi opened only a tiny slit, soft lips, broken and wet, rubbed the fingers warmly. There was a sense of amorous lust as a continuous stream of hot air spilled between the gaps between the slightly open lips.


    The strange, sweet fragrance of roses, the scent of blood, sulfur, and dark lust seemed to set his heart ablaze. From those soft lips, Ruan Quixi could feel the tongue that was soft and sloppy, gently trace from the tips of his fingers to root, deliberately entangling and slipping between the gaps.


    The distance between the two was only a dozen centimeters, and the sight of Chu Yi''s open lips was clear, between the red and swollen lips, the sticky, translucent, fluid that drained from the side of his lips was clear and sticky.


    The darkness in Ruan Quixi''s eyes resembled a nightmare.


    He didn''t move, just watching faintly as Chu Yi teased him, when the long fingers left the moist heat with a lewd squelch they were covered in glimmering saliva that stretched a faint sticky line as he pulled them apart.


    His chest trembled uncontrollably with a heavy rumbling, dark eyes stared at Chu Yi like a hungry beast, "You''re playing with fire my dearest."


    Scarlet lips raised maliciously, "Am I?"


    Chu Yi suddenly leaned forward, the heavy bitter orange scent from his body instantly entangled his senses, the glistening white forehead still dripping with a few beads of sweat was like polished jade, the corner of his eyes were red from the previous lack of oxygen and the scarlet tongue that sneaked out to swipe a wet trail on the swollen lips directly tickled his heart.


    The heavy rose scent in the air made the already heated and sticky air seem like a sultry swamp, Chu Yi''s face slowly neared and Ruan Quixi''s eyes darkened dangerously like a poisonous snake watching its slowly nearing prey.


    Because of the excessive force from before, including the swollen lips, even the roots of his teeth were filled with a strange sense of sourness, Chu Yi''s voice was low and saturated with an evil taste.


    "Chu Yi." Ruan Quixi''s'' voice was hoarse, like someone with a throat problem who hasn''t spoken for a long time, and like rotten and broken wood, each word seemed to be squeezed from between gritted teeth.


    Chu Yi chuckled softly and suddenly lifted a hand, white fingers shone with a pale pink touch as they cupped the sharp face of the man standing half hidden by the magnetic darkness, his slender fingers were like a scorching flame, the place he touched felt as if it had been set ablaze and Ruan Quixi''s breath couldn''t help but stagnate in his chest.


    Chu Yi''s charming face got closer and closer, reflecting in his dark eyes like a evil spirit, the red lips raised in a excited and sinister grin, unconsciously he couldn''t help but move his body forward as if he was a entrenched soul sacrificing himself to this beautiful demon¨C


    The hand around his face got tighter, the smile on Chu Yi''s face got brighter, the only thing he could hear was the sound of his own rising heartbeat, a fanatical and obsessed look springing up from the bottom of his eyes as he neared as if to kiss him. The warm breath tickled his face and in his ear, he seemed to hear a sinisterly sweet voice drilling into his skull akin to a soft, feather, "It''s really fun."


    The darkness surged, white fingers dug into flesh.


    The air stilled abruptly, a dangerous and gloomy breath instantly flooded the room, Chu Yi''s wide grin seemed to want to split at the corners as he softly stirred the sticky, scarlet blood that overflowed from the cicada-thin wound on his face.


    The flowers on the green vines bloomed.


    Under the unnatural red glow of the crimson roses Chu Yi laughed happily, red eyes shining like a crimson moon, the blood on Ruan Quixi''s face slowly stained the pale fingers in a charming red color.


    The overpowering rose fragrance was like a blooming flower, sticky and sweet as it slowly eroded their senses.


    His voice was fanatic and extremely joyful as his fingers dug into the wound he had created, the feeling of warm blood beneath his fingertips and the sultry smell of intertwined death excited him!


    Ruan Quixi''s eyes were direct, this gaze fell on Chu Yi''s body with a greasy and malicious gaze, in the face of such strange eyes shuddering current began to spread from the tailbone to his scalp.


    The heavy tension in the air was ambiguous and sultry, the intense gaze slowly patrolling every part of his body with a penetrating glare.


    He abruptly pulled away from him, carrying with him a bloody scent, under his dark gaze, Chu Yi unexpectedly placed the fingers still shining faintly with his blood into his mouth!


    The deliberately stained lips were wet with a charming red stain, like a beautiful vampire that drained the essence from its victim¨C


    Chu Yi''s laughter grew louder, red eyes glowing with dangerous temperatures, the grin at feet corner of his lips were daring and sly, he was playing with a hungry beast.


    Those bright red eyes were amazingly bright in the dim light, filled with a palpitating, red moon.


    The beauty that burst out at this moment couldn''t be described in any words. It''s really a pair of beautiful eyes.


    Ruan Quixi lightly traced his lips with his tongue, his Adam''s apple bobbing as he tasted the metallic blood that dripped from his cheeks and flowed from his chin¨C


    A soft laughter spilled from his lips as Ruan Quixi''s eyes dilated dangerously, he could taste the blood lingering on his tongue and something in his heart seemed to snap, the darkness surged and hands reached out to grab the cunning elf¨C


    There was a brief moment of static that shattered the ambiguous atmosphere.


    [Ding! The system has detected that Player Batch#34558 has been forcefully detained outside of the plot of copy C-LL9. The system has forcefully disintegrated current scene, players will be transported back to C-LL9''s presiding timeline.]


    [System Administrator 001 is to report back to the Main space to recieve further instructions.]


    Ruan Quixi''s face cracked.


    Chu Yi laughed uproariously, pale face stained with a red flush, the roses in the air grew brighter and brighter, and like a happy call, it surrounded Chu Yi in a undulating river of red and green!


    The main systems cold voice sounded again.


    [System Administrator 001, please report.]


    Ruan Quixi''s smile turned strange, throwing his head back with laughter, he joined him, becoming louder and louder, each note permeated through with such a strong evil it felt almost tangible!


    Then suddenly¨C it dispersed.


    The darkness embedded deep into their bones seemed to have found its company.


    The smile at the corner of his lips deepened and with a joyous smile he approached.


    The leather shoes stepped over the gregarious vibes, an elongated shadow slowly stretching beneath his feet, each step carried a slight tap, as if what he was walking on wasn''t flat ground but Chu Yi''s heart.


    This walk seemed to have become very long, the extremely oppressive and dangerous breath grew each second as if he was treading the boundary of life and death.


    However, Chu Yi stood in place and raised a beautiful and demonic smile, the madness clamoring in his bones roared for him to tame this dangerous beast.


    Ruan Quixi slowly leaned down and exhaled a bloody breath on Chu Yi''s neck, dark eyes held a sticky greed and hunger.


    One hand lifted and pulled the vibrant blooming, red rose from his suit,


    He lowered his voice and gave the red rose over. His voice was hoarse and sultry, like a lover''s whisper.


    "I like you very much my dear."


    A slender hand reached out and clasped around the fragile stem, dark red eyes exuberant and bright.


    The scent of roses instantly overflowed.


    An overwhelming sense of drowsiness hit him, his consciousness instantly blurred as if he was standing at the bottom of a dark sea. The fragrance of roses numbed his mind, no sound could be heard, and his heart seems to stop beating, as if he was the only one isolated from the world.


    Even as his mind dulled, Chu Yi still grinned fanatically, he was happy.


    His eyes closed, the darkness before him quickly moving in, the last thing he saw was the familiar and unfamiliar man standing admit the shadows watching him fall like a demon, waiting patiently for his descent into hell.


    His body swayed lightly and Chu Yi fell backwards onto a cocoon of roses and vines, the undulating plants quickly entangled his body, the red and green hiding his figure as if protecting a fallen prince.


    Ruan Quixi watched unhurriedly, a dangerous storm surging in the depths of his eyes, a trace of scarlet floated down from mid-air like a falling feather onto Chu Yi face.


    A petal.


    Like the finishing touch on a precious artwork, it landed gently between his brows.


    The man stretched out his pale hand and caught that rose petal that fell from the sky. A familiar petal, scarlet in color, as if it had been soaked in blood.


    He grinned slyly and placed the petal on his tongue, feeling the scarlet liquid melting into his throat and burning like fire into his stomach.


    An intoxicated gaze appeared in his eyes but it quickly dropped once he noticed something.


    "Don''t try to stop me."


    His voice was cold and callous, resounding in the empty room with a heavy poisonous sneer. Underneath his suit, tight muscles covered his body dangerously, every inch of his body''s undulating flesh resembles the rhythm of a dance, carnal and beautiful. Even if he was currently too strange, even faintly translucent, it just gave him a strange and venomous beauty.


    At this moment, on his back, a twisted and ancient pattern covered his entire torso, the ancient totem is pitch black, as if there was a bottomless evil hidden beneath. On the pale and strong back, the ugly and dangerous totem would make people feel uneasy at the first glance. The ancient totem moved, like a sinister snake patrolling its territory.


    A trembling excitement was completely ignited, and the cold lines on his back trembled as if with extreme excitement. No one can be like Chu Yi. Every word, every look and expression makes his flesh and blood boil with joy.


    A sneer appeared on his lips when there was no answer.


    A black shadow rolled silently underneath his feet, a pale hand reached out and slowly entered the void. The man turned back and looked in the direction where his dearest had fallen.


    He truly did love such scenes.


    This was the perfect pales for the staging of all the bloody, all the viciousness, all the betrayal and death.


    "Now." He seemed to be whispering to himself, "My beloved Majesty, please let me capture your beautiful soul once more. "


    With a neurotic grin, he disappeared into the shadows, leaving the rustle of plants slowly moving as the only thing left behind in the silent room.


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 Chapter 116 - The Institute (57)

    In a half dreaming, half awake state, Chu Yi felt as if he had been roughly dragged out of a heavy and murky marsh. The feeling of weakness and weightlessness once gained assaulted him as his chest heaved rapidly, the pale face coated in a thin, red flush from lack of oxygen. His eyes blinked dully as psychological tears clinging onto the fluttering butterfly lashes. A meaningful smile spread slowly across his lips and Chu Yi reveled in the feeling of soreness and stiffness in his limbs.


    Chu Yi''s fingers moved slightly and to his suprise, he could feel a soft, light occupying the center of his palm...It was a rose. The softly upturned petals gently unfurled before him, its color a gorgeous crimson red that lay like an unblemished gem in his hands.


    Chu Yi stared quietly at the flower in his hands for a moment, lightly tracing the fragile stem before quietly placing it at the head of his pillow.


    There was a rustle of movement from beside him, Tang Shun suddenly lifted his head, eyes snapping open forcefully. It took a moment for him to register where they were and with a raised eyebrow he looked at Chu Yi. There was still a lingering scent of roses and blood at his nose and the last thing remembered was a slender back walking though a sea of roses and thorns to embrace the devil.


    Before he could speak however, a low muffled groan appeared from the other occupant in the room. Chao Bin''s face was distorted in a cold sweat and pained grunts spilled from between clenched teeth.


    When Tang Shun got closer, he could hear Chao Bin muttering something in his sleep, he wanted to hear it clearer but as soon as his head lowered, Chao Bin suddenly snapped open his eyes¨C


    The first thing Chao Bin saw reflected in his eyes, was a familiar cold and sharp face lowering itself, as if to steal a kiss. His mouth reacted before his brain could catch up, "At least take me out to dinner first."


    The atmosphere turned embarrassing for a moment.


    Tang Shun slowly moved away under Chao Bin''s look of nothing left to live, unable to hold back a unexplainable chuckle, he narrowed his eyes dangerously.


    Chao Bin shivered inexplicably.


    After a brief moment of consternation, they quickly gathered themselves together and started to discuss.


    Chu Yi lifted his hands and lightly brushed away the few strands of black hair that fell on his face, the slender hand that raised couldn''t help but pause. The familiar soft black hair now felt like hard, metal wires in his hands. It still carried the same appearance as before but the difference could be felt at a touch.


    Slowly he dropped his hand, exhaling a warm breath softly. Under the dim light, it was almost as if he was covered in a soft, red glow. The shimmering red scales, that traveled up his arms and settled deep into the side of his neck, had now become a translucent barrier that shielded his body dangerously. Fingertips as if dipped in cinnabar lightly traced the riveting red lines that sunk deep into his pale skin, like the red string of fate had been trapped inside or like the veins in an unpolished jade.


    A fascinating beauty that spelt of danger but mad one unable to look away. Glancing at red rose that lay quietly on the snow-white sheets, his lips rose slowly into a deep smile.


    Chao Bin looked around, tool a deep breath and spoke first. "Gathering from all the imformation so far, what do you think the major secret of the Institute is?"


    "We''ve found almost all the things we could about the Institute, disregarding a few vague clues we can at least make the preliminary judgment that the Institute main research is based on the thing that has been an obsession for humans since ancient times."


    Tang Shun grinned mockingly, "Immortality."


    "In such an advanced and technologically development era, the only thing that can cause the top rung of the Federation to completely disregard all bottom line, is the chance to live forever."


    Chu Yi twisted his fingers lightly and stroked the rusty metal railings of the narrow bed, " The records of AlphaBio55, seems to show the gradual process of evolution and refinement towards a truly immortal path. Death time, revival time, the interval between them became shorter and shorter."


    Tang Shun bowed his head to the side and thought for a moment, "The original source or the original creator figured out a few essential laws of immortality, brought that information to the Federation and sent them into a frenzy. Presumably before this, they would need proof. Maybe the proof here would be creating an artificial life from nothing, which then led to the creation of the Institute."


    Chao Bin piped up with a sneer, "All the creatures we''ve seen so far, all have one key characteristic, humanoid or containing traces of human nature." "Considering that they were greedy and selfish enough to destroy countless lives in pursuit of the ultimate life, then they must also want to be able still be above else, when given this immortality. They want strength and intelligence that presides everyone else."


    "Anything that''s not able to combine this trait, is to be deemed failed."


    Tang Shun thought for a moment and added on, "It could also be a facade to fool any prying eyes. In order to be the project a secret, they would use the excuse of experimenting to create artificial soldiers or a new evolutionary that would benefit the Federation to disguise the fact that they were really just using it as a means to fulfill their selfish needs."


    He grinned darkly, "No matter what, humans will never be on untied fronts and probably in the Federation government, there are a few people who only know the surface secrets. Just like the guards that transported us here, they feel no guilt and no remorse for sending so many people to death because at the end of the day it''s all for, "The Glory of the Federation."


    "Even if the top brass failed to achieve their goals, no one would know and they could continue to try Phase after phase, like a never-ending abyss that would continue to devour everything until the Federation was rotten from the inside out."


    Chao Bin remembered the fanatical and devout eyes of the residents of the abandoned planet. If they knew that all their suffering and all their pain was only so a few people could live forever, he couldn''t think of what kind of expression they would have.


    It made him want to vomit.


    A low, silky voice drilled into his ears shocking him, when he looked up he realized that Chu Yi was the one speaking.


    "Forceful Integration..."


    "Forceful Integration...."


    Chu Yi''s head spun the word bounced back and forth in his head, "Complete Integration..."


    White fingers softly caressed the rose, pulling the petals down layer by layer until only the bright red core of the rose was left.


    Suddenly he paused and turned to them, "Forceful Integration would mean the conscious and artificial control of our cells in order to create life."


    "Therefore complete Integration would signal..."


    Tang Shun looked up, "Immortality has been achieved."


    Chu Yi glanced at the rose and remembered the last sentence of the records of AlphaBio55, the rose has exhibited signs of life. But the rose wasn''t the immortal subject, neither were the two other experiments BetaBio44 and BetaBio77.


    Then where would that subject have gone.


    Tang Shun suddenly shook his head, "In fact, we''ve already completed the first main task of this copy. Find out the secrets of the Institute. Unless we unlock a hidden mission or this instance upgrades in level, then what we have now is already the most we can find. There''s no use in pondering any deeper. We already have the answer."


    No one objected to this statement.


    In fact it wasn''t hard to figure out, just the codename of the experiment, Black Cat, would point them to a few obvious clues. The myth about cats having nine lives has been passed down through the generations for as long as they could remember. The black cat in retrospect had the closest relationship to this legend, as they were more enamored and persecuted because of their inherent supernatural traits.


    "The cat appeared three times since the very beginning. Once in Phase |000, where it was seen being held in the one of the children''s hand as R89 explores the abandoned planets. Second in Phase |005 where it was beheaded and sold as meat in the butchers market. And third here. When we first appeared at the Institute. Dead."


    Chao Bin nodded, "Each timeline is pulled far away, Phase 000 is at least a few decades apart from Phase 0005 if we go by the dates and years we''ve found. But that''s not scientific, a cat''s life is only about a few years therefore logically it should have died a long time ago. The boy in Phase |000 also appeared in Phase |005 but... he still retained the same appearance."


    This was the first suspicious clue that the Institute had to deal with life.


    The parasites, the fish monsters, the subject bodies, the experiment logs everything seemed to point to one truth.


    " 3/9. 6 lives left. What do you think it means?"


    Tang Shun shook his head. He didn''t know.


    "At least we know that the experiments logs we just found, and the ones before this seem to be the most important items in this copy. Without no matter, how we try we still won''t be able to connect the clues."


    Tang Shun raised his eyes, "To summarize, The main research of the Institute was immortality. They completely discarded innocents lives for a chance at prolonging their corrupted ones and the monster''s and reformation that hides the true purpose of the Institute. "


    All three nodded.


    But where do they go from here.


    They had already found everything, figured out the secret and pulled the clues into the right direction.


    But now they were stuck, unless a sudden situation happened, they would probably have their progress come to a standstill here. Chao Bin didn''t think they could find anything else at this stage.


    They were on the final stretch, it was time to blow things up.


    Chu Yi tilted his head, unconsciously appearing a little cute, his fingers that touched the rose suddenly paused and he looked at the two with a heavy scarlet light bursting from his eyes.


    "From the beginning till now, we have been the only one''s here. Besides the creatures and the nurses, who we''re still dubious are humans, we''ve already concluded that there must be one other person involved In all in this. That is, the creator of the Institute."


    Chao Bin shook his head, "But to know to know who it is, we have to find where the person is."


    "We''ve always been in a box, thinking that since we''ve been transported here, then all the answers must be here as well."


    Chao Bin had a vague idea where Chu Yi was going with this.


    The corner of his lips rose slightly, "When we first appeared in this copy, we didn''t originate on this planet. We were taken here, that means including this entire planet and including the abandoned planets¨C"


    "All of them are apart of the Institute!"


    "Bang!¡ª¡ª"


    Chao Bin''s heart was shaken abruptly¨C


    Tang Shun''s eyebrows raised, if what he said was plausible, then the significance of the side task was finally revealed here.


    Chu Yi smiled, the sound of doors opening resounded throughout the entire building.


    They realized the time, seven o''clock, it''s time for breakfast.


    A bloody storm was coming, formed by resentment, hatred, betrayal and cowardice that fermented and rotted in the hearts of the players.


    And a new chapter was opening for them.

 Chapter 117 - The Institute (58)

    Chu Yi folded the soft petals of the gregarious rose with a white, almost translucent fingertip, treacherous eyes squinted with an excited and malicious glare. With lips pursed gently, he softly squeezed the root of the stamen for the final time before slender fingers flicked the gantry rose to lay prone on the snow white covers.


    He exhaled a soft breath.


    Chu Yi faintly tilted his head to the other two, a strange smile mysteriously at the corner of his lips, the soft, silky voice as if tapping lightly against their hearts sounded gently, "Let''s go."


    It was only two words but inexplicably Chao Bin could feel a building sense of blood thirst and danger. The faint smell of roses still lingering at the tip of his nose, Chu Yi''s red eyes squinted playfully and walked out of the room to face the upcoming play.


    Pitter¨CPatter.


    The soft sound of footsteps resounded quietly as the players one by one exited the rooms, silence shrouded the air with a superficial calm as the players slowly converged in the dining hall.


    The suffocating silence continued even after the nurse had distributed the pills and left. It was if the players were waiting for the fuse that would set the false calm to flames. The diffrent factions of players had consciously divided themselves, the diffrent colors, the oil bottles and the cowards.


    No one spoke in the empty room but even so the tension was so thick it was tangible.


    Clatter¨C¨C


    The sound of metal falling to the floor.


    Almost instantly all heads swiveled to the source.


    A small middle-aged man was standing in front of fallen plate looking up at the towering mass of muscle in front of him with bulging eyes.


    The tall man''s eyes looked down at the other and apologized insincerely, "Sorry about that ge. It was hard seeing you walking in front of me."


    The gazes of the players indifferent, with the posture of watching a joke.


    Although it sounded strange, it wasn''t necessarily untrue. The middle aged man was only about five foot while the tall man was nearing seven but the mocking sneer on the man''s face instantly submerged that thought.


    Chu Yi''s left eye twitched faintly.


    The middle aged man stood quiet but the hands that were clenched to his side seemed to be getting tighter and tighter, his lips trembled and his eyes gradually became scarlet.


    The muscular man, Wu Shengxiong raised an eyebrow, he used to be a gangster in the real world and was proficient in bullying these types, inferior and cowardly, his heart was irritable a few minutes ago so he decided to purposely hit the tray from the man''s hand just to see the pathetic look of suppressed anger and cowardice that stoked his ego, but today was unusual.


    "Don''t¨Cer" Them man mumbled quietly,


    "What? Speak up ." He lowered his head to hear,


    "Don''t call¨Cther"


    Wu Shengxiong couldn''t help but mock, "Are you a woman? Do I have to lift up your pants and check?"


    Subtle snickers sounded in the room behind them, the man''s eyes turn completely scarlet and he snarled loudly,


    "Don''t call me brother!!¨C¨C"


    Before he could react, the man suddenly lunged at him and there was only agonizing sensation in his ear when to his disbelief he could feel something biting onto his ears and a chunk of meat was abruptly ripped off his left ear!


    Instantly blood flowed from his ear and drenched the side of his face, Wu Shengxiong hurriedly shoved the other man away and cried out feeling burning pain completely flooding his senses!


    The room instantly descended into chaos .


    There was no warning, no heads up, everything just descended into madness, almost as if it was premeditated¨C


    Everything spiraled out of control!


    There is no day and night in the Institute, only the gradually encroaching darkness that would gloomily envelop the entire building, hiding the beating heart, slowly being corrupted like a pool of ugly mud.


    The player''s words were transmitted to Chu Yi''s ears, he thought with a smile, really humane.


    Cruel, cold-blooded, for fear that the world will not be chaotic.


    How disgusting and fierce.


    But Chu Yi''s soul was boiling because of it.


    Wu Shengxiong was in disbelief,


    "Don''t call me brother¨CDon''t call me brother!"


    The man''s eyes were bulging with striking, red capillaries, the blood had drenched his face red and before anyone could react, he suddenly flung himself onto the stunned Wu Shengxiong and with a resounding slam, his fist smashed powerfully into his face!


    Bang!¨C¨C


    The air was still.


    Slowly Wu Shengxiong raised and felt the liquid faintly trickling from his down to his thick lips, he stared almost in disbelief at the bright red blood on his hands, the burning pain from his bloody nose and ear directly shot to his head!


    His eyes instantly turned bloodshot.


    Even if he wanted to let it slide before, he was hit in the face and bitten in front of so many people, if he still let it slide, would he still be a man?!


    The veins at his temples trembled viciously, eyes completely red, the man didn''t even seem sober, just like a mad dog he latched onto his body and threw punches and slashes indiscriminately!


    Wu Shengxiong repelled the man with a powerful kick!


    Wu Shengxiong''s legs seemed to be made of iron. With one kick, he sent the frantic man falling to the ground a good five or six meters away but the man didn''t care about the pain coming from his body and with a sharp yell, he lunged back at Wu Shengxiong with the posture of wanting to die together!


    Wu Shengxiong''s face grew distorted in rage and


    The taut lines of his muscles stretched and the bloody smell that wafted into his nose, seemed to call upon a deep primal instinct in his body that shattered his reason and left only a powerful bloodlust that burst from deep within this bones¨C


    Two arms like pieces of heavy metal lifted and grabbed the man''s shoulders heavily, instantly the man let out a painful wail, there was the teeth-itching sound of bone cracking and his red eyes seemed to regain clarity for a second but by then it was too late!


    Powerful fingers dug deep into the man''s flesh, a cracking sound like broken bones beneath and suddenly, Wu Shengxiong pulled the man upwards, legs dangling like a broken doll, grinned nastily before powerfully smashing his head down into the floor!


    Boom!¨C¨C


    The sickening crunch of flesh hitting the ground stunned everyone.


    The man didn''t stop there, with a loud roar, he lifted the man by his hair and slammed his head into the floor for the second time!


    Bang¨CBang¨CBang¨C


    The third, the fourth!¨C


    Hot blood splashed onto the floor, over and over again, the man''s head was smashed into the ground, his screams becoming weaker and weaker until there was a sickening crunch and blood flowed like a red river from the skull of the man.


    The eyes on the man''s skull was still wide open even in death.


    There was a sharp intake of breath everywhere.


    Wu Shengxiong felt the struggles in his hand cease and with a sneer, he lifted his head for everyone to see. The man''s face had been completely mutilated leaving only a mangled pit of flesh and blood hanging precariously over a cracked skull!


    Wu Shengxiong''s eyes were bloodshot and blown and after confirming the man''s death, he flung his cooling body to the side and stood up, eyes roaming the room like a hungry beast.


    Wu Shengxiong is strong, everyone could see that. Anyone who managed it make past the first instance would always have some semblance of strength to them. But how can it be easy for them to do what he did! That was an entire adult man!


    "Does anyone have any other opinions!"


    The room was silent, but something seemed to be whispering in their minds, pulling and inciting the filthiest and most hidden darkness in their hearts and pulling it to the surface, slowly the eyes of all the players in the room turned red.


    ''That might be a parasite, you won''t know unless you kill him.''


    ''Look at that, just because he''s from the yellow group, he treats you like a dog, just kill him.''


    ''He has always looked down on you, but why do you have to be treated this way.''


    ''Look, you''re so weak, unless everyone else dies, you''ll be killed at some point.''


    "They all left you to rot."


    ''That man pushed you out to test whether the black sludge was dangerous, no one stopped him, they all deserve to die.''


    ''Just do it, it''s for the good of everyone.''


    The words voice kept repeating over and over again until everything condensed into a single word,


    ''Kill!''


    The negativity in their hearts was expanded exponentially!


    Some started laughing hysterically and some suddenly cried out in anger, it was as if the entire Institute had fallen into a crazy house, the smell of blood only seemed to heighten their madness!


    Suddenly, someone bounced up and lunged for the player beside him, his face was distorted in anger and resentment, from the man''s mouth they could hear him screaming hatefully, "Why do you always have to center of attention¨C I''m the one who deserves this praise, you''re nothing but a piece of trash, why don''t you hurry up and die!"


    The man lunged to the other and clasped his hands a around his neck and was viciously choking him to death!


    The situation had escalated so fast, many of them weren''t able to react when they were suddenly attacked by the people beside them!


    The blood and hatred in the room only fueled the tyranny in their hearts and the cruelty of their fights only got bloodier and bloodier!


    The screams, howls and wails echoed inside the room crazily!


    Fear¨CAnger¨CResentment¨CJealousy all mixed to created a mad symphony.


    There were also some people who stand outside the circle from beginning to end, watching them fight to death indifferently.


    Mu Fang glanced across everyone on the field, but didn''t find the familiar figure under the chaotically moving players, his brows furrowed and he vaguely noticed two people standing in a forgotten corner of the room.


    Is it here?


    When Mu Fang searched for Chao Bin, he also noticed another line of sight. He turned his head and saw Chu Yi standing opposite and staring at him.


    Chu Yi smiled very brightly, but Mu Fang knew how much malice there was in those eyes.


    After seeing Mu Fang noticing him, Chu Yi turned around again and looked at the dense and fanatical humans behind him, his smile widened.


    His spirit was extremely relaxed and extremely excited, the negative emotions spiraled around and knocked against his heart, the malice at the corner of his his mouth only became deeper and deeper.


    A bloody carnival.


    The players screamed and howled loudly. Their appearance was distorted and weird, like demons dancing wildly, the ghosts were crying and howling, the whole scene was terrifying, nothing more than that.


    It''s ugly.


    But Chu Yi thought in his heart, this was really wonderful. His soul seemed to have become one of the ugly evil spirits, happily waiting for the birth of blood.


    Evil, Fanatic, craving for life.


    The blood-colored young man''s eyes drooped quietly, with long eyelashes covering the expression in his eyes, looking weak and vulnerable. The lips are like peach petals, red, and the complexion is like snow, amazingly gorgeous.


    He suddenly turned around, looked at Mu Fang, and slowly raised a hand.


    Mu Fang couldn''t help but narrow his eyes,


    Those who fight against monsters should be careful not to become monsters themselves.


    Well, Chu Yi.


    Are you a monster?


    Across the chaotic room, Chu Yi and Mu Fang''s eyes met.


    The situation suddenly changed.


    All at once, a hazy voice could be heard in their minds, inexplicably penetrating into their ears and numbing their scalp of the crazed players, "Chu Yi, as long as you can get him for me, I can give you the world."


    "Chu Yi."


    "Let him stay¨C let him stay forever!¨C"


    The room suddenly ceased all noise.


    A mysterious force guided him to look up and when he did, the red eyes couldn''t but narrow dangerously, the crazed players seemed to have been commanded by a mysterious force and now, they were all staring at him with ominous glared.


    A voice he hadn''t heard for a long time suddenly forcefully engulfed his mind!


    A familiar horrifying sonorous chanted suddenly eroded his senses, Chu Yi still couldn''t tell what the voices were saying, they chanted strangely toned garbles, incoherently, as if there was a weird gurgling sound coming from their throats, repeating unintelligible secret codes that he couldn''t decipher- but one word was always clear, stay, stay, stay.


    The word kept repeating in his mind like an ice pick was slowly chiseling the words into his skull! Chu Yi was instantly drenched in cold sweat, an unbearable feeling of weakness once again assaulting him.


    This time even more powerful¨C


    It was as if something was deliberately trying to push him to his death!


    But why¨C


    Gasp¨CChu Yi''s heart was beating rapidly!


    "Chu Yi."


    "Chu Yi."


    "Chu Yi."


    "Stay¨C"


    There was no time to think, they all pointed the finger at him and swarmed toward him!

 Chapter 118 - The Institute(59)

    The voice was like a tsunami that crashed into broad mountains. Huge waves of madness and tyranny engulfed the player''s heart, they were like puppets on strings as they performed this bloody and absurd play. Time seemed to slow infinitely, it was if he had been submerged into the deep sea, everything was blurred and muffled, his ears rung with a static noise and his limbs refused to move, as if they weren''t his own anymore.


    Red lips were bitten harshly by white teeth, the bloody taste in his mouth overflowed and Chu Yi could feel the lingering sting numbing his nerve endings. A drop of sweat slowly traveled down his forehead, gradually marking out a glistening trail from his brows to the fluttering lashes. Red eyes were squinted, slightly uncomfortable, and his eyes glimmering with physiological tears blurred.


    His heart seemed to slow, booming inside his skull like a heavy drum.


    Chu Yi''s eyes gradually narrowed, wet hair stuck to his ears, his breathing was heavier than before, and the feeling of suffocation gradually increased, making him feel as if a heavy, black wall was slowly closing in on him.


    In his stagnated vision, he could see the expressions on everyone''s face, cold, cruel and excited, a kind of dark enthusiasm from the heart that seemed to be catalyzed to the extreme.


    Ba¨CDump.


    Chu Yi placed a hand to his chest.


    Ba¨CDump.


    Ba¨CDump.


    A strange feeling from the depths of his heart seemed to rise up like a trapped beast. Irritable, angry, excited, Chu Yi couldn''t tell what kind of emotions he was having now. Only the sounds of his own rapidly rising heartbeat could at least confirm one thing.


    Ba¨CDump¨CBa¨CDump¨CBa¨CDump!¨C


    Bruised lips rose into a strange sneer, his body tensing like a beast ready to strike, the heavy weakness was like a shackle being ripped apart forcefully!


    Time seemed to be rapidly increasing, the screams and roars, the malice, the hatred. Chu Yi''s lips widened happily, a glaring light burst from within his eyes!


    "Chu Yi¡ª"


    On the opposite side of the room, the sharp, ear-piercing roar spread from crazed and malignant lips. A bitter and rancid smell permeated the venue, like damp mold and rotten flesh.


    Chu Yi is very familiar with this taste. In the previous basement exploration, this smell lingered in the atmosphere for a long time and wouldn''t dissipate.


    The crazed players were rapidly approaching, their eyes were completely scarlet and their movements were strangely coordinated as they barreled towards Chu Yi!


    In his head, there seemed to be a wave of cheers all around, longing for the sight of the ref flesh to be torn apart by the cruel hands, in his eyes, the players seemed to carry an almost primitive animalism on their face!


    "Crack¡ª"


    The sound of something breaking was harsh and loud, even in the frantic shouts around it, it seemed particularly clear.


    Chu Yi slowly rolled his wrist, the clamoring in his head growing louder and louder in his mind as if to drive him to madness! Scarlet tongue slowly swiped across the bloody, red lips, the faint metallic scent at the back of his throat was like dry wood being thrown into a burning fire.


    A scorching flame ignited in his heart and even the weakness of the limbs could not hide his blazing red eyes.


    "Crack¨C"


    In the next second, a man rushed out in front of him and pounced on him with outstretched arms, eyes flashing with ferocious light, longing for blood and death.


    Tch¨C


    Chu Yi suddenly grinned, the lines tightened sharply at his waist, the tight and flexible muscle have always seemed weak and fragile, was now boundless force!


    Chu Yi abruptly lifted something from the table beside him and slammed it into the head of the pouncing player!


    "Bang!¨C"


    With the sound of metal hitting bone, the man was sent flying to the floor with a painful groan, the metal tray in Chu Yi''s hand dented from the force!


    He lifted his hand and grinned darkly, with a heavy strength he swung his hand outwards and sent the sharp metal tray flying, it spiraled in the air, metal edge glinting coldly before plunging into the shoulder of the player nearest to him!


    Blood spurted like a red fountain¨C


    The player cried out painfully.


    Chu Yi could feel the strength rapidly leaving his body but the smile on his face grew brighter and brighter.


    His foot kicked powerfully and sent the chairs beside him slamming into the oncoming players, stumbling them a few steps back as Chu Yi suddenly rushed towards them!


    The player on the floor was used as a stepping stone, his foot slamming into the man''s head as he jumped, with a twist of his body, Chu Yi''s leg smashed into the ugly face of a man, sending him flying across the room!


    Chu Yi carried with him the taste of blood and his foot landed first and without anytime to breath, he brought his fists around and slammed them into a player''s chin, legs moving out to sweep the man to the ground!


    "Bang!¨C¨C"


    His ears twitched and red eyes dilated into slits,


    There was movement behind him¨C


    Without looking back, Chu Yi suddenly slammed his elbow into another man''s chest, swiftly dodging the flying fist and smashed his head back heavily!


    "Boom¨C"


    An agonized cry came, and the smell of blood became heavier, Chu Yi had broken the man''s nose with his head but he didn''t give him any time to think, he turned around and grabbed onto the man''s head and slammed his knee upwards!


    In the next second, his elbow came down heavily onto the back of the man''s skull!


    The man was sent crashing to the floor!


    One foot ground into the man''s chest and the other slammed backwards to kick the player coming behind him away; before he could lunge again, Chu Yi suddenly twisted to the side, sending his left foot barelling into the man''s neck!


    The man choked feeling as if his arteries were blocked and stumbled back¨C


    Chu Yi grinned malicously and his legs tensed, then with a heavy spin, Chu Yi sent a powerful kick into the man''s chest sending him flying out to smash against a cluster of tables, life or death unknown!


    Every move was aimed at killing, vicious and accurate in the places that would cause the most pain.


    A crazed player swung at his head frantically but two slender hands like painful vices, grabbed his wrist and pulled him forward, the man didn''t even have time to appreciate the beautiful face before he was lifted into air and thrown over his shoulders with a merciless bang!


    The man felt as if all the organs in his body had been jolted out of place.


    Broken bones and blood rain, even with his weakening body Chu Yi still managed to defeat the players, however in the end they weren''t actually killed.


    He exhaled a breath softy and kicked the limp arm of the man beneath him and prepared to examine his burning legs but before he could relax, a bad premonition assaulted him.


    His heart skipped a beat and Chu Yi suddenly rolled on the spot and dodged aside.


    Although he was prepared for this, the rapidly draining strength inevitably made his reaction speed slower, he dodged but he could not completely avoid the attack.


    The sleeves and the cloth on the side of the waist was sharply torn by the sudden attack. The glistening snow-white skin was revealed beneath the fluttering cloth.


    He turned his head back.


    Nothing.


    Chu Yi narrowed his eyes slightly, half arched his back like a cat, adjusted his breathing and gait, while the noise from inside his head was tuned out, ears rightly listening for any movement.


    He felt the wind shift behind his ears.


    This time Chu Yi didn''t choose to avoid it like just now, but suddenly swung behind him, a gleaming red knife appearing in his hands as he slashed at the unknown entity ambushing him!


    "Ah!¨C"


    There was the resistance of knife meeting flesh and with an expressionless face, he continued to force the knife in, feeling the body tremble beneath him, his breathing couldn''t help but intensify, scarlet eyes narrowing deeply.


    He suddenly yanked the knife out, the painful screams got louder and behind him, a player appeared out of thin air, falling to the floor with a heavy wound stabbed deep into his chest.


    But before he could turn away, the player suddenly jumped back from the floor and lunged at his back crazily, regardless of the blood flowing from his wound.


    His eyes flickered with a singular scarlet light.


    Chu Yi, narrowly dodged the sharp knife that the man thrusted towards and grabbed his wrist, with a sinful smile, the man''s wrist was dislocated cleanly. The knife fell from his limp hand as he fell to the floor in a heap of blood. Without looking back, Chu Yi caught the fist that came barreling towards him from behind!


    However, unexpectedly the man was as slippery as a loach and before he could move the man had escaped from his grip and dodged away before suddenly opening his hands, only for a black muzzle to appear in his hand.


    His actions paused.


    He seemed to see the man smile strangely before his fingers pointed it towards him.


    Guns were not available in the main city, they can only be procured from the Black Treasure Box that was given only to players with high final rating.


    There was something wrong.


    Chu Yi''s eyes narrowed dangerously and he immediately supported the table and made a nimble jump to hide,


    "Bang!¨C"


    A bullet smashed into the ground before him.


    "Bah¡ª"


    Chu Yi stood to dodge again but suddenly his heart palpitated sharply and his legs weakened sending him stumbling to the floor!


    His knife fell.


    "Bang!¨C"


    He struggled to move!


    "Bang!¨C"


    There was a sharp pain that suddenly came from his eyebrows and the sharp smell of sulfur and gunpowder instantly filled his senses.


    Blood rained from his forehead.


    The bullet had only narrowly missed his skull.


    Chu Yi gasped hard, his lungs were trying to absorb the air as if exhausted, his brow bones were scraped, thick blood dripped down the skin, and burnt his head with the heat, his upper and lower eyelashes stuck together, his entire field of vision was suddenly dyed a bright red.


    His body has basically reached its limit.


    Every muscle was clamoring, and the loose skeleton seemed to be crumbling, with only the last push needed to end it.


    The bullet came again, once again only narrowly missing him.


    But his eyes were still indifferent and calm, and his pitch-black eyes were like cold stars soaked in water, coldly sweeping his knife that had fallen a few meters away.


    Chu Yi''s wet hair stuck to his ears, his chest was heavier than before, and the air in the room gradually decreased.


    His hand stretched out, fingers straining to reach the knife, but no matter what his hands could not catch it.


    Chu Yi panted, and slowly raised his head, and looked at the chaotic scene all around him. The pupils of the red eyes were as deep as an abyss, flashing with a strange luster. He didn''t seem to have a fear towards death and he struggled to raise his hand, gently and slowly wiped off the blood that drained from his wound, his face was calm and wave less.


    Da, Da, Da.


    Chu Yi slowly raised his eyes to the man standing above him, his eyes were dark and obscure, the corners of his blood-stained lips evoked a tiny arc, his voice was dull like rough gravel, and he said quietly:


    "If I guessed correctly, you''re him."


    Just a short sentence but it seemed to carry infinite meanings, the man didn''t answer only moved the gun towards Chu Yi''s forehead.


    From his lips he seemed to hear the man whisper quietly, "Goodbye."


    Chu Yi showed a polite smile with a perfect arc, struggled to move his hand from his chest and spent pressed his palm to his chest, and bowed to the empty auditorium to salute.


    Like a curtain call.


    The man fingers slowly pulled the trigger but before he could do the final move, he seemed to see Chu Yi smile widely.


    His brow raised, Chu Yi suddenly pointed behind him and laughed, "I seem to have forgotten to inform you. I''m not fighting alone."


    What¨C


    As soon as the man turned around, an iron chain suddenly slammed around his neck, and the huge body of the man was dragged up, two or three meters away the sky and flung to the floor. Something akin to a steel pipe was slammed into his face with a fierce wind.


    The man seemed to be dull from shock, and wasn''t able to react. His face was covered in blood, and the entire bridge of his nose and cheek bones were smashed to pieces, looking extremely terrifying.


    The man struggled and wanted to crawl up but Tang Shun sneered, raised his foot and cracked his ankle with a kick. He pulled the sharp chain at the man''s throat, watching as a flow of blood gushed out.


    The scarlet glint in the man''s eyes seemed to flicker for a moment before disappearing, replaced by confused pain.


    The man screamed hoarsely¡­


    Someone raised his knife and rushed at Tang Shun from behind but he was almost immediately smashed in the temple by the angular steel pipe.


    The man fell to the ground without even a groan.


    Chao Bin kicked his body out of the way, the two steel pipes hit him at the same time and broke his wrists. Chao Bin''s arms caught and dragged each crazed player to the front. One kick in the kneecap with each foot made them limp. Clamping the steel pipe, he beat the player horizontally on the head and immediately put them in a dead faint.


    There was no mercy in his actions at all.


    Tang Shun couldn''t help but feel his heart skip a beat and his hands that held the iron chain tightened as a result.


    "Cough¨C"


    Chu Yi''s whose face had been relatively calm even in the face of death, suddenly turned bad.


    He felt thirsty, thristier than he''s ever felt before, as if all the water in his body had evaporated and in a second he would dry up and crumble into dust!

 Chapter 119 - The Institute (60)

    Chu Yi gasped softly, sweat quickly pooling onto the glistening white forehead. The burning dryness in his throat and the painful tightness in his chest made him feel as if he was being slowly cooked under a scorching flame.


    Vaguely, he felt an intense and peculiar sensation appearing from his weak legs, it was both itchy and painful, as if his legs were being corroded under thousands of crawling ants. Yet, at the same time it felt similar to having new skin and flesh growing into his bones.


    He subconsciously wanted to reach out and touch them but his hands had only just stretched out when the overpowering smell of salt and seaweed suddenly engulfed his body like a powerful hand. The heavy, thick air was damp and moist, as if he was sinking into a deep swamp, but instead of feeling refreshed, it only left him even more parched and dry.


    This kind of heat was abnormal, both painful and numb but carried with it an indescribable flavor that made him unable to stop shuddering.


    "Chu Yi?"


    Chu Yi who had still been immersed in his own thoughts glanced up at the face of Chao Bin who stood over him with a worried face. A direct contrast to this look was the two metal bats glinting faintly with a bloody red sheen being gripped harshly in his hands.


    "..."


    "I''m fine."


    Chu Yi''s hands exerted pressure onto the floor as he struggled to get up. The faint feeling of trembling and weakness that still assaulted his nerves, made the intoxicating flush on his face grow even brighter, like two charming red clouds settling on his face.


    He stood up strenuously and slowly walked over to the bloody red knife that no matter how much he tried, couldn''t reach in the end. The knife''s sharp edge glinted strangled on the soft white, fingertips, and the nails like transparent pink pearls lightly tapped along the edge.


    Chu Yi''s eyes were blurred and fluttering, as if he looked through the knife and saw another self, trapped, helpless and weak.


    Useless.


    His eyes suddenly shrank sharply and with a powerful flick of his wrist, the sharp knife was flung forward abruptly!


    Swish¡ª"


    This was the sound of something breaking through the air!


    The cold and sharp tool brushed Mu Fang''s cheeks, rubbed out a thin red line, before being nailed directly into the wall behind his ears!


    Mu Fang who had been walking towards them, was stunned by the sudden attack and a drop of cold sweat fell from his forehead and traveled down the tip of his nose.


    Almost¨C if he had shifted just slightly, the knife would have landed in his head instead.


    Chu Yi sneered faintly and turned away, if it wasn''t for the need to maintain that last layer of paper window, the knife wouldn''t have deviated from its course.


    The blood and chaos of the room still carried evidence of the players madness not too long ago, although it seemed that since only one person died, this madness wasn''t necessarily going to change much. However, Chu Yi knew that death here wasn''t the real intention, at least for now. Instead it was to completely and unilaterally fracture the fragile player alliance and stretch the already thin line between allies and enemies to a breaking point. Nurturing and fostering the darkness festering in their hearts like a filthy and putrid sore.


    Apart from them, there were only three others who managed to remain sober under the infectious madness and two of these three were apart of the pink group. A fat middle aged and a one armed man who stood to the side.


    Mu Fang watched the red eyes turn away from him disdainfully, his thin lips were tight, his hair was messy, and his white robe was a little wrinkled and uneven. Even the his usual grace and calmness was wrapped in irritability and gloom. A strand of black hair fell silently in front of his ghostly eyebrows and he could feel a burst of killing intent suddenly crashing into his heart.


    He hated that look, like a stray dog cowering across the street, he felt as if his dignity was insulted. He was ridiculed and mocked amongst the official players, he had to take this low level C copy in order to consolidate his sense of existence and now even here, he had to take the contempt of this little well-known vase?!


    He deserved to die without a name.


    The hostility in his heart was almost overflowing, but none of that showed on his face, he only suppressed this feeling in his heart and continued forwards, with a worried and apologetic smile.


    "Chu Yi, are you alright? I wanted to help but I didn''t know if interfering would set the players into even more of a frenzy. Do you think it''s because of your connection to the NPC in the basement¨C?"


    He suddenly paused and gave Chu Yi an apologetic look, and quickly changed the topic as if trying to cover up a blunder," Let''s just talk about what''s going on."


    The other three players that had managed to remain sober instantly looked thoughtful.


    Chao Bin almost couldn''t resist the urge to punch him, although he didn''t know what Mu Fang was talking about, such whitewhashing routine was so obvious, it would be a miracle if the others didn''t notice it.


    Tang Shun glanced meaningfully at Mu Fang, cold eyes narrowing knowingly.


    Something''s wrong.


    Chu Yi didn''t care for this.


    This was by no means the natural physiological heat after going through life and death.


    Chu Yi stopped suddenly, his nose was heavy, he lifted his eyelids and looked at the others, "Do you smell anything strange."


    The scorching heat in his body seemed to be a smoked firewood pile, Chu Yi licked his wet lips, frowning fiercely.


    What happened?


    This feeling is too much like the hotness after eating natural aphrodisiac and drinking a big tonic soup, the heat felt as if it was about to burn his whole person!


    He pulled his neckline irritably, and suddenly remembered someone.


    The merman.


    He immediately understood.


    Chu Yi didn''t know if it was his illusion, but the itching of his feet seemed to grow stronger under the intense seaweed scent.


    Subconsciously, he wanted to reach out and touch them, but without warning, a moist and heavy breath was suddenly exhaled on the side of his neck. A soft, and prickly sensation appearing on the round and white shoulder blades. The feeling of being violated by an cold entity made Chu Yi dizzy with goose bumps appearing all over his body, the refreshing and uncomfortable feeling instantly made the ends of his eyes red.


    Mu Fang was still talking passionately in front of him but at this moment both of his arms were firmly pressed to his sides by wet, powerful webbed claws, along with a wet, soft object licking around his neck religiously. Chu Yi felt as if the skin there was going to be licked raw.


    A low voice, hoarse and dull appeared in his ears, like a lightly tickling against his face, "Can''t touch."


    Chu Yi''s eyes narrowed dangerously and he went to struggle, but the heavy merman suddenly wrapped his hands around his waist and tightened¨C


    Soon enough, Chu Yi felt a penetrating pain appear behind my ears and around his fingers. It was like thorns were forcibly breaking through his skin or having a parasitic virus struggling its way in. Soft fingers curled uncontrollably and his breathing quickened, and he resisted groaning, not wanting to show his embarrassment.


    The pain was only brief and faded away quickly and as soon as his body relaxed a wet finger slowly rubbed the sensitive skin still numb with residual tingling. Chu Yi couldn''t help but shake his head, unable to ignore the weird and uncomfortable feeling that the touch brought.


    The dryness of his throat was growing stronger and stronger and his scarlet lips opened up a slight gap to breath in the heavy air.


    Suddenly something was pressed at the corner of his lips, wet and moist. It felt like heaven against his heated skin but intuition told him that if he swallowed it, he would regret it later.


    The merman seemed incomprehensible of his resistance and rubbed the wet ball on his lips repeated, as if coaxing him to open a gap and swallow.


    Chu Yi''s Adam''s apple couldn''t help but bob thirstily.


    His eyebrows were dropping, his lips were dyed with intoxicating red ink, and his eyes were struggling back and forth in desire and reason. Such struggles were extremely charming, and this provocative look made the merman want to swallow him into his stomach.


    It watched as the scent that emitted from its mate, grow more and more complete, unable to stop the anticipation in its heart. The hand that held the pearl continued to deliberately rub its against it''s mate lips, watching as the wet slick ball ran a glistening trail along the red lips.


    "Chu Yi?"


    "Why are you so red?"


    "Are you sick?"


    Red eyes raised wetly and took in the doubtful gaze of the others. A bit of embarrassment from doing dishonest acts in public bit his heart and under their stares, he could only open his mouth reluctantly.


    The familiar wet, slick pearl was forced past his red lips


    The thing was obviously extremely cold outside, but when it was swallowed into his stomach Chu Yi just felt as if his body and mind were getting hotter and hotter.


    This kind of hotness made his movements impetuous, and it also made his mood rise inexplicably sultry. His feet still itched terribly and a tingling sensation rose up to his waist, he had a vague idea of what was happening. The hand that lifted slightly to wipe the sweat from his face, glimmered with a soft red light.


    Chu Yi breathed heavily. He exhaled a heated breath and fought to stay calm, "I...Cough¨C"


    Chu Yi''s were filled with mist and his cheeks were as red a ripe peach cobbler, but he tried to remain serious, " I suspect that the nurses are about to strike."


    Tang Shun and the others looked at him inexplicably,


    "How much longer do we have to wait, it smells so good. A little longer, ''they'' are almost ready. Those were the exact words that I heard between the head nurse and an another. They here obviously means us and ready means that there wating for something."


    He pointed to the unconscious heap behind him¨C courteous of Chao Bin, and looked back, "Look at the state of the others, uncontrollable, irritable, filled with hatred."


    He coughed again, his throat hurts, but he swallowed uncontrollably, the sweat on his slender neck was like pearls, smooth and crystal clear, tempting anyone to taste. He added: " The nurses have been looking at us hungrier and hungrier. Do you know this phenomenon? This is the look of beast to newborn monsters. Once we become one of them, we become the lowest ones on the food chain. Therefore once we mutate, we stop being residents, we become prey. And bigger prey always eat the smaller ones. We become a target. This is the law of the jungle."


    They looked at each other, it was feasible. Throughout their exploration of the Institute, the only dead besides them were the nurses. As the lowest on the food chain, it was conceivable what''s going to happen. It still couldn''t fully explain the players madness, but at this point it wasn''t important.


    There was a tiger in the front and a lion in the back.


    There was danger was on all sides.


    The groans from behind them, signaled that the players were waking up. Unsure if they''ll once again descend into madness and attack him Chu Yi decided to leave first.


    Tang Shun looked at his leaving back, and pushed his glasses up to hide the light in his eyes, what he didn''t say was that weak animal''s would always target the cubs of the ones at the top of the food chain.


    Vaguely he seemed to see a broad figure completely shadowing Chu Yi''s back but without a word, he looked away.


    The smile on his lips was unfathomable.


    It''s getting hotter.


    His eyes were blurred, and the heat on his body seemed to be higher. Chu Yi breathed heavily, and tried to open his eyes to look at the twisted corridor in front of him, his heart beating like drumsticks.


    A restless desire burst out from inside.


    Uncomfortable.


    This kind of discomfort even made Chu Yi feel that if he could solve this kind of pain with sex, then he would also be willing.


    It was just sex. As long as it could put out the fire inside him, he was willing to do it.


    Chu Yi felt the salty scent engulf him tightly.


    His face reddened by heat seemed intoxicated as if drunk, Chu YI squinted his eyes, the shadow of the eyelashes hanging down to cover the blazing heat in his pupils, the brightness of the corridor was dim , but the air was filled with a sweet and greasy affection.


    He struggled back to the room and kicked off his shoes to lie strenuously on the bed.


    "Chu Yi.."


    Suddenly he looked down, the itching on his feet abruptly became stronger.


    To his surprise, he saw that a transparent film had somehow appeared and was now closely attached to the two slender legs belonging to him. The outline of the muscles and skeleton structure was extremely beautiful, as if it have been planned by the most precise algorithm and calculations.


    Its color was an almost lustrous snow-white, resembling condensed moonlight, even in the dark room, it shone with pure light, cold and clean as the first snow on the mountain peak, as if it would melt with a slight touch.


    The soles of his feet were slender, with a graceful arch, and the twisting blue blood vessels could be seen on the white almost transparent instep. The round pale pink toes were slightly curled, giving a sense of pure innocence. Now these were covered in a pale red sheen that almost seemed to billow out from the seams.


    Once again his hands reached out, but the heavy fingers once again grasped his. Long webbed fingers tightly held onto the soft white fingers and Chu Yi was forced to withstand the unbearable itch. Psychological tears couldn''t help but fall from his eyes, it was too much.


    Hot, itchy.


    Chu Yi uncontrollably shuddered.


    His scarlet eyes were like a fragrant rose.


    Suddenly a wet finger reached out and lightly touched the bulging skin on his forehead.


    Chu Yi''s mind went blank.


    Darkness swept in from all sides, as if there was a thick fog all around. In an instant, everything disappeared: no heat, no itch and no merman. The pain was gone, only overwhelming numbness, his body seemed to be sinking deeper into the sea, yet he was aware that he was caught up in a nightmare.


    Chu Yi fainted.

 Chapter 120 - The Institute (61)

    Chu Yi lay quietly on the snow-white sheets, body reminiscent of a freshly picked flower. The penetrating, and overflowing red light in his eyes was now covered by long eyelashes. A flushed and heated appearance gave way to the charming and sultry air that was rooted deep in his bones.


    Chu Yi did not wake up.


    Even as cold wet hands, slowly traced the curve from his forehead to his lips, unable to resist. The slight intrusion was like cool ice being placed on the surface of a hot plate.


    From the shoulders to the back of his ears, a pale, streamlined hand slowly traced from the fragile neck to the deep collar bones.


    Chu Yi was abruptly lifted up, two slender legs dangling softly in the air, as he leaned against the mermans chest with his eyes closed, and his long wet hair clung to his cheeks, sticking tightly to his slender upper body like seaweed, and his narrow waist was wrapped in the wet arms. The merman wouldn''t help but clench softly, the waist was fragile and thin, as if it could be held with only one hand.


    The merman pressed his palm to the Chu Yi''s chest--


    Yes, the heart was still beating.


    The dim light shone from the top of his head, flowing onto the two figures, light and dark, like the bright crescent moon that only shone in the darkest night.


    The merman could feel the heat radiating from Chu Yi''s body, Although the skin of a mermaid looks similar to humans, it has a completely different feel. It feels amazingly smooth to the touch, as if it is covered with a thin film of water, like a clear spring flowing through the palm of his hand, easily slipping away from your palm if you don''t hold it tightly.


    It made him uncontrollably want to add force, confining him tightly between his fingers and the palm of his hand.


    Flexible and tough, the temperature is much higher than that of human skin at this moment, which makes people suddenly feel a desire to imprint my lips on it and let the sharp teeth sink deeply into the tempting. Look at the bright red blood that would wind like a snake on the skin, white as the first snow.


    It had tasted this blood before, The scarlet tongue stuck out and, gently rolled over the cold fingertips stained red blood, melting against it''s sharp, fanged teeth; the taste was a like a crisp red wine, intoxicating and fresh. It was as if his body was a quagmire and the warm blood was the first drop of water in years, such an inextricable taste was like a sweet quagmire that couldn''t be forgotten.


    The merman''s eyes gradually deepened, and black and hot flame seemed to be beating deep in its ghostly blues eyes, an almost terrifying aggression was brewing in the bottom of his heart .


    Even the expounding darkness and gloom couldn''t extinguish the red fire that suddenly burned within his body.


    Chu Yi who was laying quietly, suddenly kicked his feet and groaned like a mewling cat, his already flushed face became more and more ripe, like a juicy apple ready to be picked. The short gasps that spilled from red lips with an inexplicable begging, seemed to spell a kind of urgency and thirst that seemed to want to burn him alive!


    The merman glanced into the void silently, seeming to feel the intense and lingering gaze from outside this space. Another self.


    The mermaid raised a dark smile.


    Those blue eyes were like hungry wolves stalking in the deep night, releasing a dangerous yet compelling air. It wasn''t time yet.


    Black mist poured out from the merman''s body, and like countless delicate black butterflies, they fluttered from the black mist. The black butterflies hovered, flying upwards and all around and slowly engulfed the room.


    The cold, harsh, screeching sound of metal rubbing metal that was brought by the flapping of their phantom wings. This sound was like a knife, cutting through all life with a ruthless sneer. But now these butterflies were like the princes chariots, they slowly swallowed the silent moon and with a dark flash disappeared.


    Leaving behind only a faint cry.


    This was a howling from hell.


    Violent, crazy, and happy.


    *****


    A pale light passed through the undulating, silent water quietly, and at a glance, gradually disappeared into the increasingly dark and cold water.


    The heavy pressure around him began to force Chu Yi to breathe. Although there was a strange breath flowing down into mouth, the subconscious in his coma was also aware, that if his mind continued to sink. There would only a dead end left, and he began to struggle desperately.


    The slightly closed ghostly pupil opened slightly, looked at Chu Yi anticipating , but did not leave, instead cold webbed hands dragged him to the bottom of the pool more firmly.


    The feeling of suffocation became harsher and harsher and Chu Yi struggled to break free and swim to the surface for air. The dark web claws seemed intent on driving him, just like the sailors in the legends.


    Chu Yi''s struggles became more and more vicious even while unconscious as the overwhelming life and death instincts kicked in, the air in his lungs got tighter and tighter, until even his brain seemed to go numb!


    His mind seemed to reach a breaking point but just in time, they hit the bottom of the pool and Chu Yi only heard a slight pop and air suddenly resuscitated into space.


    But confusion couldn''t help but crash across his mind, he was still underwater¡ª


    Chu Yi violently opened his eyes.


    Slightly unable to process sudden turn of events, Chu Yi started intently at the world around him.


    The water in front of him was rippling, and the scenery outside the pool was blurred and deformed due to the light reflecting onto dark water surface.


    He recognized this pond.


    He felt as if he had a very bad dream, but he couldn''t remember it anymore. It was like a string of broken necklaces, in any case, it was impossible to put the beads scattered on the ground into the original order and appearance.


    Although he couldn''t remember any fragment of the dream, the feeling of heat still remained on his chest and limbs, like the sequelae of a disaster that was slowly brewing.


    Slowly flowing waves of water brushed Ge Xiu''s skin and he felt a strange sensation from his lower body, the overgrown water plants swayed with the current, and several strands of seaweed brushed playfully across his face.


    Chu Yi feel the heat in his body had been replaced with a strange coolness and numbness that made him feel as if he was floating. He couldn''t help but shake his legs slightly.


    Legs?


    Chu Yi wobbled in place, instead of two familiar legs moving, Chu Yi only felt a strong wave appearing along with his movements and he unnaturally moved forward!


    Helplessly he looked down, only to watch on as many glistering red scales gradually formed on his legs. There was an excess amount of muscle tissues growing without restraint between his inner thighs, mending both of my legs together, and furthermore on his insteps, numerous slender and translucent filaments extended out, twisting tightly around his feet like machine woven threads before it unfolded quickly into a sharp circular tail-fin.


    His body was mutating quickly and violently under his eyes, as if there were legions of cells acting like raging devils, waging war and explosions beneath his skin. This strong sensation and unbearable felt strange and under his incredulous eyes, there was no time or warning given of the intense itching that followed, he could only shut his eyes and bear through everything that was occurring as his body convulsed violently.


    The water beside him shifted heavily, the familiar mop of dark, silky hair spread like black tendrils as the water rippled gently around him- slowly surrounded him. The silky hair, parting to reveal the clear, ghostly blue eyes.


    There was a strange sense of excitement in those blue eyes. The merman used it''s pale, webbed hands to hold the weak Chu Yi firmly in it''s arms.


    This was a gesture of possession.


    This was a soul that belonged only to him and was absolutely forbidden to be coveted by others. It held the man with one hand, and gave off the feeling of a monster guarding a unique ruby gem.


    Chu Yi rested in his firm and wide embrace while his head was still muddled. The pale radiance of his tale was a sharp contrast to the evil and malicious black of the other merman. His new tail instinctively coiled, the newly formed, weak fishtail twist and to grinded, until it gently covered the merman''s tail that was much larger and rougher than his.


    He couldn''t describe this new feeling¡ª


    Layers of scaly membranes travelled up the strange new addition to his waist and traveling up his tailbone in a strange, tingling, numbing sensation. His upper body was still the same, naked to reveal pale translucent skin, dotted with two pink cherries that sat tantalizing on his chest. The tips of his pink nail and had turned sharp and dangerous and the hair that fell in long tresses framed his face like a beautiful water ghost.


    When he looked down, instead of two long, slender legs, what came into sight was a beautiful tail, with light red and white scales neatly arranged, in a beautiful spiraling gradient. In the weak light, it shone with a colorful light, and the newly formed scales round and blunt scale lines gave people a crystal and warm feeling, not sharp, which made the beautiful and delicate face even more ethereal. Intertwined around the rough and sharp scales of the merman, Chu Yi had the illusion of being suppressed.


    Chu Yi tentatively moved it, the fishtail that had just been formed was not in his control and his body was uncontrollably sent forward. The light that flashed across the pale scales made it seem as if he was about to jump out of the water in the face of the west sun, the small bubbles stained with translucent rainbows floated up in shock.


    Webbed hands caught him and brought him back.


    Chu Yi grinned cunningly, the merman''s eyes were dark and damp like a heavy swamp while he simultaneously stretched out his other webbed hand to touch his ear, using his fingernails to gently scratch the back of his ear as if he was enjoying it. But due to this touch, his ar felt ticklish, as it trembled like small fans on both sides. His tail coiled even more tighter around his body, like a coquettish shyness.


    Chu Yi looked at the tail and felt for a moment, that life was bleak.


    Suddenly the merman stiffened and released its grip, dark eyes seemed to see something and his gazed moved towards the surface where a flash of blond seemed to be appeared above the darkness.


    The dense sight makes the spines chill.


    A black turbidity slowly spread in those ghostly blue eyes and there was a faint sound of resounding and crashing waves in it''s ears, like the wrath of the sea was upon him, the cascading wave of terror came fling cascading towards them!


    The merman grinned strangely and bowed its head to land a chaste kiss on the corner of Chu Yi''s red lips before he could react, with a flick of it powerful tail it was sent barreling towards the surface!


    His mind felt a little dull and he raised a hand to touch his sensitive ears.


    He seemed to figure out how he was breathing.


    The edge is non longer soft, like is thin like a small thin sponge, but there are traces of things like strands of distinct fibers. With every breath, the water flowed out after being filtered by the gills¡ªthis feeling is really novel, he clearly feels as if he is breathing through his nose but he couldn''t tell whether it was just a psychological factor but Chu Yi was temporarily unable to adapt to the feeling of having more than two breathing organs.


    He spit out a bunch of bubbles confusedly.


    The snow-white foam squeezed close together, scrambling to the water above the head, and slowly disappearing into the dark surface.


    A weird sense of amusement suddenly hit his heart and he couldn''t help but blow bubbles again, the corners of his lips curled childishly.


    "Guru".


    There was a sudden cry from his stomach.


    Chu Yi looked down at his flat lower abdomen, covered in soft red scales, and a feeling of hunger surged up, his empty stomach cramping tightly. Perhaps because of the change of race, his body felt very hungry, even though he just ate, he was unable to hold onto to the faint smile and his bright red eyes swept the pool for anything.


    Since he is a merman, should he have fish?


    Chu Yu was unsure, regardless, there was no sea life in this pond besides him.


    Because Chu Yi himself did not have much desire for food, he often ate according to his schedule or whenever he was free.


    Chu Yi stroked his stomach thoughtfully, and looked to remember something then wobbled his tail, swimming towards the bottom of the pond.


    He seemed to have left a bottle of liquor lying there.

 Chapter 121 - The Institute (62)

    The gloomy and cold ambience in the room was supported by the strange sense of ritual that shrouded the place in a heavy, humid air. The scent of roses and sea salt seemed to have intertwined to become a overpowering and penetrating fragrance, that cut like sharp blades.


    It still retained an old rustic sense from the last century, but the humid and decadent air had been corroded slowly by the bright light that shone faintly in the dark room. The dark red pattern on the beige wallpaper on the walls had at some point disappeared, the painting distorted into long, smiling faces. The huge and brilliant candle-lit chandelier hanging from the ceiling were lit and the previously overturned and smashed desks looked to have been restored to their previous appearance.


    A moist water vapor was filling the air, condensing into an almost psychedelic atmosphere that would ease the mind and relax the soul. The light penetrated into cold and blue waters of the undulating pond. The previous murkiness and filth nowhere to be seen.


    The sound of rushing undercurrents stirred underneath, the light in the cold pond suddenly sank to a dull blurry color, quite different from the normal brightness of the water, and a dark shadow was quickly rising from the depths of the water.


    Like a water ghost, a demonic face floated from below the surface of the water.


    Blue eyes sunk deep down into the shadow of his eyebrows, soaking in the darkness of the gloom. But the corners of his mouth were slightly raised, as if ridiculing something, the smiling expression was full of indescribable flirtation and wickedness.


    The air seemed to pause quietly, as the merman breached the surface, his upper form had already fully floated up, and with one hand on the shore of the platform, his wet body managed to stand upright. The exposed section that was out of the water formed a shadow that completely swallowed all light, covering the pale glow that seemed to flicker from below. His tail supported his center of gravity from inside the water, water leaving glistening wet trails down the strong muscled lines of his body.


    The merman''s dark eyes seem to contain traces of ridicule and its ghostly blue pupils never left the entrance of the door.


    At this moment, the fluttering gills behind his ears seemed to hear the creak of a heavy wooden door being pushed open. The clear sound of footsteps knocked on the cold and hard floor, coming from far and near, and finally stopped beside the fish pond.


    Then there was a long silence.


    Time passed by minute by minute, but the entire space was still surrounded by endless silence. No sound came through the flowing water around him, but the smile on the merman''s face seemed to be getting bigger and bigger.


    Finally, a voice chuckled softly.


    The light in the room dimmed like an overcast cloud, and in the reflection the bright and cold waters, only the vague silhouette of a man could be seen. He was tall, with broad shoulders, bright golden hair falling rigidly against his shoulders. Just standing in the dark like that can give people a sense pressure and fear.


    The man stared at the similar face glaring coldly back at him, the merman''s face was immersed in dark shadows, making it impossible to guess his expression and emotions, let alone his true intentions.


    The merman squinted his eyes, his tail swung subconsciously, and the waves were stirred up all around him briefly and then slowly sank.


    An irritable and violent mood suddenly rose from the bottom of his heart at that laugh.


    He slapped aside heavily with his powerful tail, a rock the size of a fist abruptly spun from water depths, breaking the surface quickly, rushing towards the man''s face, before slamming into the man''s shoulder! The strong attack did not leave any blood, but it still made a heavy and huge roar accompanied by the vibration of the water!


    The man''s shoulder was flung back and there was an audible crack as the stone smashed into the man''s shoulder!


    There was silence.


    The blond man, standing coldly in front of the water is tall, with handsome features that are almost evil.


    The high brow bones are sharp and dangerous, the eye sockets are deep, and the narrow and tall nasal bones give him a very aggressive and dangerous aura. Those brightly colored aqua eyes deepened in color as if they were carrying the blue agate of the sea, in the bright light they turned into a thick and coquettish purple.


    The man, didn''t seem to feel pain stared at the merman floating in front of him, and something fierce and playful was revealed in the depths of the eyes. Coming out, like a shark smelling blood, slowly showing its sharp teeth¡ª


    The man''s voice was low and impetuous, ringing in the air a evil ghost.


    "Have you played enough?"


    The calm waters flowed around him quietly...


    The blond man looked at him with a subtle curvature at the corner of his mouth, "I see that you haven''t come out for so long, do you think you are addicted to playing this game?"


    There was a flash of red as he moved.


    A soft tingling sound caressed his ears and the mermans eyes couldn''t help but shift to the side of his head.


    The man had at some point, pierced a earrings into one side of his ear, there were four strings in total, swaying and colliding with each other with a soft tingling sound.


    The top edge of the earring is a thin golden hook, which was inserted into the earlobe, and the gold thread runs through three beads, two smaller carved white beads, one end and the other, sandwiching the oval, crystal clear red coral in the middle.


    It turned out that this thing was ringing.


    Like a crisp and soft fingers lightly tickling his heart.


    The man tilted his head to the left and then to the right, a playful sneer against his lips "It''s a little addictive...but I''m tired." He shook his dislocated hand towards the merman, like he was throwing a rubber, "It still hurts the body very much."


    The merman didn''t care and even seem to want to laugh a little. The dark blue pupil narrowed into sharp slits, dark, hungry and possessive. The water seemed to roil around him and the sweet scent of roses seemed to be stirred up from his movements.


    The blond man lifted his slender hand and lightly touched the coral beads on his ears. It felt hot to the touch, a faint glowing red mercury seemed to move about in the coral gem.


    The man suddenly walked towards the pond with a smile, exerted some force with his left hand, and took the dislocated right hand back and artificially reset it.


    Throughout the process his smile never dropped.


    He stopped, stretched out a white gloved forefinger, and wagged it, like teasing a hungry dog, saying with a smile, "Making him so desperate and bloody, the most sought after treasure in this entire Institute? What kind of dark game are you playing."


    Even though he was the one asking, the man''s voice was cold and dangerous like a bloody snake. The pale skin contrasted sharply with the crimson red lips. Even the bright, golden hair seemed to be covered in a crimson shroud as if the next a hungry beast would tear through the human skin and completely devour him into his stomach.


    The feigned childish smile on the merman''s face gradually faded, but it was not the embarrassment and unease after being exposed, but a subtle smile, like admiration and also boundless agression.


    The low and dull voice, like the beginning cold night sounder strangely in the gorgeous room, the twisted smile on the densely packed portraits seemed to grow broader.


    "He¨Cis¨Che should be complete." The mermans voice was jerky and hoarse.


    "Admit it?" The blond man shrugged, stood by the waters edge and seemed to leaned close to the merman''s ear, and said softly in a gentle tone.


    "Then you should quickly pray to God and let ''him'' not find out."


    The merman''s pupils shrunk sharply.


    He was tied to the black altar. Black thorns tightened on him, sinking into every inch of his skin, absorbing his blood, and slowly blooming into coquettish dark red roses. The clamor and condemnation of the crowd seemed gradually faded away, and the poisonous snake that followed the smell of blood climbed up his body, entangled with the blood-watered roses and danced together, piercing his body with fangs and sharing the food in his mouth.


    The blond man slowly tilted his head and smirked, "Don''t try to get what you shouldn''t. We are nothing but a small piece of him, to guide and watch his beloved until he fully wakes up and when its time, we''ll disappear."


    The gloved finger seemed to point down to the floor, "Our majesty."


    The heavy, sticky sweet scent that resembled crushed roses seemed to bloom powerfully.


    ******


    The water flowed around him quietly, caressing his skin like a cold hand, Chu Yi''s descent was slow but gradually his movements became more and more proficient as the long, streamlined tail pushed his body forward.


    His mind seemed addled, his thoughts turned slowly and the red eyes seemed to have lost its treacherous and malicious look. The jeweled tail shone brightly, scales glimmering like thin pieces of ruby had been placed carefully on his body.


    The box wasn''t hard to find, and light pink nails, like soft shells, shone with a sharp metallic glint as they tore the box to pieces.


    As expected, a liquor bottle lay there quietly, the liquid inside seemed to flow like golden mercury, voracious and bright.


    Chu Yi lightly popped open the bottle and without hesitation lifted it to his head.


    Crisp and sweet.


    Fruity.


    That was his first thought.


    Then immediately a burning tingling like a trail of dark fire seemed to originate from his tongue all the way to his stomach, as if a fire had been lit into his soul, penetrating into all his cells and setting them ablaze.


    The pale face quickly became flush and heated.


    However this heat was soon, extinguished leaving nothing but a cool and refreshing wave to slowly wrap his body in a crisp cold.


    The feeling left him shuddering.


    Chu Yi lifted the bottle again, unable to resist the intoxicating and sweet burn that settled into his stomach.


    It''s the taste of bitter orange mixed with the burning dryness of malt. The rich, fragrant aroma of wine, resembled vodka of the highest purity, it slipped into his throat, and the extremely aggressive taste instantly penetrated his body and burned into his soul. His body clearly felt as felt as cold as ice but Chu Yi felt as if his was sinking into a burning sulfur pit before being doused in a cool ice.


    Strangely numb and addicting.


    Unconsciously, Chu Yi had drunk most of the bottle.


    The heat in his body slowly rose and the unbearable thirst appeared once more.


    Chu Yi''s expression became a little blurry, he liked the taste, it was so strong that he could temporarily forget everything, completely immersing himself into the most instinctive appetite, like a greedy ghost.


    Another blurry thought seemed to rise into his head.


    Want to drink more.


    He couldn''t help taking another sip, his cheeks showed a slight redness, and he completely indulged in the burning heat, slowly drifting in the aroma of the wine. Perhaps the wine''s taste was too strong, and there was a strange taste in it, but he didn''t immediately distinguish it.


    But he could taste the light fragrance of roses, quietly lingering at the tip of his tongue and sending his nerves into even more of a frenzy. The pale red tail seemed to bloom into a gorgeous red, like the most dazzling of roses that be wantonly played with and teased at will.


    In his frazzled mind, Chu Yi seemed to smell a familiar taste, although light, it still couldn''t not hide the dark and sultry breath that seemed to be stamped into the deepest part of his heart.


    His head tilted to side, two red covered by a layer of thin mist rolled slightly and landed on the slowly undulating waters above him, his dull mind flickered and with a soft swish of his tail, Chu Yi swam upwards.


    The merman stared blankly at the blond man standing before him, The dark hair hung quietly from the sharp lines of his face and faint water droplets dripped onto the bronzed shoulders. The flickering scarlet light in its ghostly blue eyes seemed to pause for a second but in the end, still clung tightly to the dark depths.


    The merman opened its mouth to reveal bloody fangs, glinting with a cold, beastly touch. The strange dull voice sounded again, "Are you reconciled?"


    The unfazed smile at the corner of the blond man''s lips seemed to drop, he was unable to hide the dark and gloomy breath that suddenly surged up in its depth.


    Reconciled ¨C


    Of course, he was not reconciled. Even knowing he was a part of him, it still couldn''t make the heavy jealousy and obsession in his heart disappear.


    He could remember every touch of the soft, silky. The dark fire that burned brightly in those ruby eyes. He should be carefully held in the palm of his hands, soft feet never touching the ground , only able to cling onto his shoulders desperately and cry coquettishly to beg for mercy. Like a sticky milk cat.


    The intense desire was like ants biting his heart¨C


    Agate blue eyes narrowed heavily, but he knew it was futile. They were just shards, unable to fight the masters hand. He had sensed briefly that overwhelming and oppressive power, it shook his soul and shattered the power he was so proud of.


    For a moment, he felt cowardice and he refrained from appearing in front of the deadly rose.


    The merman seemed to know what he was thinking and the soft voice like a sirens call, slowly sounded in his ears. "But what if. As long as he stays, as long as he becomes apart of ''us'', then he can never leave."


    The heavy obsession in its voice was almost overflowing.


    The blond man''s eyes squinted slowly, unable to stop the palpitating in its heart, even if it was just false hope.


    "What do you mean apart of us¨C"


    The mermans eyes turned strange, under his long and wet eyelashes, there was a sense of evil and aggression that could not be concealed. His gaze had an effect as if a strange sense of crawling numbness, like tiny insects drilling into his blood vessel and rampaging wantonly in his body, sharp and greedy. He seemed to want to speak but just then a soft and tickling voice sounded breaking the solemn air.


    "Hungry."


    The room seemed to still.


    The beautiful light red that clouded the soft cheeks was like a ripped peach, the bright red color steamed by the heat spread from his ears to his neck, in a light dusting of pink powder. Those bright-red eyes were misty, it seemed a little hard to focus, and they looked strangely dull.


    He was just floating there, his long hair curled up on his cheeks, his red eyes were quiet and deep, like the feeling of fear, but also the want to indulge in eternal peace. Like a rose that blooms to the point of rottenness. He was beautiful and deadly.


    The long hair like the most carefully woven silk shone with an obsidian luster, the bright red fish tail swayed softly in the candle lite pool, and the pearl- like giant tail fin flashed with a shallow white luster. His waist seemed as if it was covered in a light red film, and the other half of his body that was revealed was pure white and flawless, shining in the cold light , covered with brilliant red flush. The red seemed to cover his cheeks spread along the slender neck to the deep collarbone and chest, dazzling.


    The coquettish and treacherous beauty made people feel panic and fear instinctively, but it is difficult to control the attraction and temptation that billowed from red eyes. Like the gorgeous patterns of a poisonous snake, or the venomous tentacles of a coral.


    Beautiful and deadly, evil and mysterious.


    Both hearts palpitated.


    Chu Yi tilted his head quietly. He blinked blankly, seemingly unaware of their clamoring emotions. The breath that was like a sharp blade out of its sheath disappeared and Chu Yi''s expression was a little clearer, and he seemed to have recovered a bit of his sanity. His eyes were no longer as blurred and hazy as before, but his eyes and nose were red, like a wronged child.


    Eyes red like blood, like a sea of ????bright red roses blooming in it, a hell so boundless and beautiful squinted and lips opened slightly.


    "....I want to eat candy."

 Chapter 122 - The Institute (63)

    The soft voice seemed to carry with it a hint of coquettish and spoiled cries, what seemed to be a scarlet tongue faintly visible through slightly parted lips. Hazy red eyes covered by a layer of dew shone like the brightest pearl. The flickering tail underneath him stirred up soft waves that gently crashed against the shore and the flushed face, ripe and intoxicating, stared at them fascinatingly. The mermans dark eyes squinted slightly, and with a flick of its tail, it neared the docile and quiet merman that stared at them with unspeakable grievance. When it got closer, he could see that Chu Yi''s lips were dipped in wine, and the water stain made his lips look even more red and swollen, like a star in the vast darkness, such a sight was particularly eye-catching.


    Under the influence of alcohol, his earlobes and neck were also stained red, and his short breaths came out in a heated white mist. Chu Yi seemed even more aggrieved by their silence and the sticky voice sounded from the soft lips, speaking the words slowly and vaguely:


    "... candy."


    The voice that fell in their ears was a familiar breath that passed through the skin, obvious to light and light, but because of the smell of alcohol, even the air had a sweet and slightly drunk taste, and the mole above the end of the eye made the nerve endings suddenly heat up when the eye was raised.


    The water splashed from beside him, and long wet hands slowly came from behind and tightened around the deep concave of his waist. The mermans long dark hair slowly rose from waters, towering over the slender frame easily. The sharp fanged teeth greedily pressed against the side of his neck, deeply inaling the pouring scent of roses and bloom. The ghostly blues seemed to become intoxicated and greedy.


    It lifted it''s head against the pale, swan-like neck, his lips pressing greedily against Chu Yi''s flushed cheeks. The blond man smiled, and the ghostly eyes seemed to be filled with dangerous and ambiguous touch, he raised his hand to touch the ear that hung the coral eardrop, but said nothing with a faint grin.


    The white earlobes were gently brushed by his fingertips, and the faint smell of roses lingered without a trace.


    The mermans rough and hardened tail wrapped around Chu Yi''s obsessively, the tender and soft scales of the red tail seemed to burst with an even more brilliant light, fondled and played at will.


    The mermans wet finger slowly rose up to caress the protruding ball on Chu Yi''s throat Deliberately pressing and scrapping against the soft flesh, it could feel a faint shudder under its fingertips and the red flush on the surface of the pale skim continued to grow deeper and deeper.


    Chu Yi''s mind was blank, the strong effect of the wine made him feel as if he was being tightly wrapped in a heavy cloud, driving and floating without care. Unconsciously, he lifted a hand to bring the bottle to his lips, the crisp and sweet taste like aged red wine corroded his senses.


    A slender, webbed hand removed it.


    "Behave."


    Chu Yi blinked slowly but didn''t reach for the bottle again.


    There was a low, slow sound from his side. In the human ear, his voice sounded like a song of death, very long and ethereal, but in the state of his voice, there was a mystery that is hard to ignore. Chu Yi felt a sharp pain assault his head, the torrent of countless emotions gathered into his mind, and for a short moment, Chu Yi couldn''t even feel himself¡ªhe became a more fragmented, multitude of "other" things.


    The singing softly echoed in his ears and along with it the sore and burning heat rose up again like a fiery prairie, as if responding to the call of something deep inside his body clamored faintly. The merman pressed the thin rounded shoulder to his chest and one arm travelled down¡ª


    Before anyone could react, Chu Yi was directly lifted into a princess hold and brought out of the water!


    The first person to drill out has a near-perfect appearance... The dark tendrils of hair is like the black tendril stripped from the night sky. His upper body resembled an ancient Greek statue, beautiful muscles that led down into a deep v-line. The unblemished broke skin was covered with fine bluish scales from the cheekbones down to the waist and the strong tail muscles under the cover of those scales was bulging. The uplift, from the appearance alone shows the extraordinary power and dexterity.


    Underneath the water, the blue-violet scales are smooth and hard, but at this moment they seem to be rapidly softening, quickly fading into a transparent film, the huge light-colored fish tail flapping uncontrollably in the water stains on the ground, visible to the naked eye The speed shrank rapidly, the edge of the fish''s tail receded in the upward half of the body, and the gap in the middle of the fish''s tail dented downward.


    The whole process was extremely fast, almost in the blink of an eye. The celeste, transparent film bound to it deflated and clinging tightly to the two slender human legs. The musculoskeletal contours were extremely beautiful, as if they were drawn by the most sophisticated equation calculations.


    Chu Yi''s entire body was lifted out of the pond, glistening wet trail of water still rolling down the thin neck and sinking into the deep shoulder blades. The wet tail moved slightly, the red scales glistened against the pale white skin of his upper body.


    The man that held him, gradually tightened his grip.


    But even so, he didn''t struggle.


    The man slowly stood up, grasping the heavy merman and pulling himself out of the pond. The heavy water vapor in the air seemed to intensify, the salt and rose scent intertwined into something intoxicating.


    The heat from the merman in his arms grew alarmingly and he could even see faint blood cracks appearing on the pale white skin, a finger slowly wiped a trace of scarlet blood onto his lips, eyes narrowing as he savored the taste of sweetness.


    The eyes that Chu Yi used to look at him, seemed to contain boundless trust and dependence, as if even to the end he would never doubt him.


    "You promised me candy."


    Chu Yi''s seemed to want to cry, dissatisfaction and grievance leaking into his soft voice.


    The faint bloody scent was mixed with a addicting rose scent.


    The merman paused before suddenly smiling, a scalding obsession seemed to leak from the merman''s eyes.


    "I remember. "


    The blush that covered Chu Yi''s face like two soft clouds was gently caressed, and the mermans eyes darkened dangerously, a small glistening ball appeared in his hands and he deliberately placed it on the soft red petals, watching as the dull merman slowly sucked the pearl into his stomach, a flushed heat appearing on his entire body, a finger lingered at the corner of his eyes before suddenly lowering his head again.


    A chaste kiss was landed on Chu Yi''s lips, different from the plunder and greed from all the times before.


    But more like an apologetic kiss, as if what was to happen would be unbearable but had to be done.


    Because he couldn''t let go.


    He didn''t want want let go.


    Even if he was just a small part of that man.


    From his hand a flower appeared.


    A familiar flower.


    Narrow and slender leaves, the stems and leaves are frizzly mixed with two small brown flowers, the thick root system below has not been trimmed, and the messy root hairs are also tied a singular string torn from some random cloth. The way of binding is still ugly and rough, and the technique is as childish without the slightest sense of beauty. The stems and leaves are dark brown-black as if it was dying, but the two small flowers on the tips almost hidden by the leaves, were rare and pale.


    Compared to the vibrant and lively rose that clung tightly to his neck, this flower was a dodder in comparison.


    The merman held the flower in the palm of his hand and looked down quietly.


    The blond man immediately felt that his temperament changed again in an instant. The romantic gentleness and soft sweetness faded away from him, as if what he was looking at was trash that could no longer provide use.


    Although the man standing in the middle of the room was still bright, it made people feel that an indescribable shadow had enveloped him. His arms clung tightly to the merman''s waist, the five slender fingers were scattered, and the hand that reached out to the dried flowers stopped at his fingertips, like a sweet dream that had passed away.


    The man didn''t speak, he was just standing there, his long hair curled up on his cheeks, dark eyes were quiet and deep, but he could feel a chill and fear, and he couldn''t help but want to indulge in fantasy.


    The blond man stared at the other party tightly, and when the other party passed by his side, the tip of his nose suddenly smelled a little rose fragrance. The scent on Chu Yi''s body is very special. It is a fragrance that is obviously very rich and sweet, but it does not make people feel tired, so that people can''t help but smell it again and again.


    "Are you determined to do this?."


    The man glanced back at him, unable to hide the cold and gloomy look in his eyes, he seemed to taste the sweet taste of blood in his throat and his lips curled into a dark and dignified smirk, "As long as I can have him."


    As if he had completely shed the primitive air of a beast and revealed his real nature.


    " ''He'' wasn''t the only one that waited."


    He gently placed the dull Chu Yi onto the desk and shook his head.


    He could feel the restrictions of the copy appear once more and his sanity was reduced infinitely at the moment, leaving only crass animalistic instinct.


    The blond man glanced at Chu Yi, the crimson light on his body seemed to billow eagerly before being forcefully pressed down.


    The time was ticking.


    Chu Yi slowly woke up, his eyes blurred.


    There was no one.


    His legs had returned to normal, the instep of his feet dusted with a pale pink and only the soft shimmering scales remained but the strange feeling of weakness and is itching was still there.


    His expression was innocent and seductive, like a sweet thick paste, which can soak people into weak legs.


    His eyelashes trembled, head tilted, and the light and romantic arc of his lips became sweet and soft. The long and wet hair made his face small and fair, and his expression was pure and innocent. His whole person looked like toffee melted under the sunlight, and he didn''t have to get too close to smell the sweet fragrance.


    Sweet enough to evoke the desire in their heart.


    Then he slightly lifted those long eyelashes and thick eyes, slightly curved his lips, and showed a romantic and innocent smile towards the air. The gloom and laziness that had been condensed on him suddenly appeared in an instant. His face seemed to brighten up in an instant, as beautiful as a rose. His lips were powdery and shimmering, and the arcs they evoked were light and jumping, as if¨C


    He licked the inside of his mouth softly, tasting the faint tang of blood.


    ¨CMocking.


    He seemed to understand a lot of things all at once.

 Chapter 123 - The Institute (63)

    Tang Shun leaned back lazily onto the wall beside him, his face half shadowed by darkness showed a complex and thoughtful look. Cold, narrow eyes glanced the bed further away, the smell of roses lingering at the tip of his nose. In his sight, he seemed to see a soft crimson aura slowly building on Chu Yi''s body, like the dawn before the first sun, the black hair that covered his pale face spread out on the bed like splashed ink on white sheets.


    When they arrived, Chu Yi was sleeping quietly, but Tang Shun seemed to sense the taste of the seaweed and roses.


    His head slowly tilted back, he bit the unlit cigarette butt in his mouth, half-closed his eyes, and used the bit of tobacco on the tip of his tongue, bitterness and astringency to suppress some of the emotions in his heart that were just about to move beyond the acceptable limit. He didn''t usually smoke but he could tell that things were going opposite of the way he wanted. Sliver glasses were discarded carelessly and the slender slanted eyes seemed to carry a dark haze, long legs were half bent as they stretched out on the small bed and thin lips pursed unhappily.


    Even the air seemed to carry the boundless scent of red roses.


    There was a faint rustle in the room, the restless amber pools of Chao Bin seemed to drive away the cold darkness that sought to engulf everything. He didn''t speak, narrow eyes watching quietly as Chao Bin slowly walked towards him.


    Like a poisonous snake watching the little prey send itself to his mouth.


    Chao Bin lifted his head to observe the man before him. The lights were turned off, leaving only a dim residual glow to appear in the room. It hit the walls, bouncing off the handsome face cold and reflected in his eyes like a hungry beast.


    "Are you hungry?"


    Tang Shun''s voice was playful and low, no different from usual but somehow he knew that he wasn''t in a good mood. His eyes focused on the slender figures that held the unlit cigarette carelessly. The slender stick was like a clear piece of jade, fragile and cold. His fingers twitched unconsciously as if waiting for something.


    He shook his head, Chao Bin glanced at him and suddenly pulled the black, metal lighter that he had gotten from Tang Shun before. The lid of the lighter opened, and a small blue-blue flame ignited, reflecting the young man''s face.


    "Do you want a light?"


    Tang Shun''s eyes narrowed slowly, the gloomy emotions on his heart replaced by a distorted sense of joy, like watching a cute rabbit dangling dangerously under the nose of a lazy wolf.


    He smiled and dangled the cigarette in his hands teasingly, pupils slowly turning into slits, the yes that came from his mouth was low and he placed the butt back into his lips.


    The eyes he used to look at him was faintly provocative.


    Chao Bin walked over and smiled at Tang Shun. And in the next instant, the lighter made a crisp sound as it turned swiftly in his hand, the blue-purple flames flowed around his fingertips, licking his pale skin and jumping like carnival stunts!


    Incredibly dangerous, yet elegant and charming.


    Tang Shun sat up slightly, his eyes fixed on Chao Bin''s hand. The young man got closer and closer, and the flames burned brighter and brighter even as he came closer to the bed. Then suddenly, the lighter''s tail flicks with a crisp, cold sound, and the lid closed, but the flames still lingered on his fingertips!


    He knelt down on one knee on the edge of the bed, approached, and used his fingertips to burn the flames to light a cigarette for Tang Shun.


    Tang Shun felt his heart skip a beat once more, such a Chao Bin was dangerous and bad. His cold eyes was ignited and an impetuous heat seem to knock straight against his heart¡ª


    The smell of tobacco and intoxicating smoke suddenly rose in the room.


    The young man raised his head slightly and knelt on one knee on the bed to light a cigarette for him. His expression was happy and focused, with a feeling of sacrifice like devoted faith. The flames flickered on the young man''s fingertips, as if he was using his own blood as fuel, burning with the cool fragrance of smoke.


    From where he looked he could count the eyelashes on Chao Bins face the natural deep set bones seems to bring the rebelliousness and arrogant temperature in his bones alive.


    The moment, the cigarette butt in his mouth was lit, Chao Bin smiled at him, and with a flick of his fingertips, the flame went out. The room suddenly fell silent in the darkness, and he seemed to wake up suddenly from the hazy heat that flooded his body, one hand reached out and grabbed Chao Bin''s hands that wanted to run away, he yanked him forward watching him fall into bed with a cry, "Is it hot?" Tang Shun''s voice was hoarse and dull.. Chao Bin was a little surprised.


    It''s just that now that Tang Shun was holding his hand tightly, the scorching yang energy made the nameless hunger immediately burn his body, straight into his soul, making his body tremble slightly with joy.


    Very hot, he thinks.


    His eyelashes trembled faintly, and a trembling breath was gently exhaled out and he explained softly: "It''s not hot. As long as you control the time, you won''t get hot." His hand swayed as if to show that he was alright but Tang Shun''s eyes never moved from his face.


    "Is it hot?"


    Chao Bin felt his heart skip a beat, he seemed to know but also don''t know what Tang Shun was talking about.


    Tang Shun stared at the trembling lips for a second and laughed softly. He let go of Chao Bin''s wrist and said nothing, just lowered his head and took a deep breath of the cigarette, another hand gently turned the lighter in his fingers.


    The young man obediently sat on the bed, still very close, seeming to forget to move. He exhaled a breath of hazy smoke, and a few strands tangled in the other person''s light brown hair.


    The grey fog rose quietly.


    The slender muscles of his neck stretched, Tang Shun turned his head to look at him, and suddenly asked, "Are you used to the smell of smoke?"


    Chao Bin paused but still gave a soft "Yes", Tang Shun nodded, but didn''t seem to believe him and he planned to put out the cigarette after a few more puffs, the smoke drifted, but from the corner of his eyes he suddenly he saw Chao Bin bend over and pick up the cigarette case he had just thrown on the floor;


    Took one out of it, and held it in his hand. He glanced at the lighter handed to Tang Shun just now, looked up at him again, blinked slowly, and opened his mouth as if asking for help. "What should I do, I don''t have anything to light a cigarette now."


    His expression was still as well-behaved as before, with a slender hand holding the cigarette with the two index and middle fingers.


    Tang Shun raised a brow, eyes darkening infinitely.


    He rubbed the lighter in his hand, still hesitating whether to accept to follow Chao Bin''s little plan, but saw that the other party was already biting his cigarette and approaching him.


    In the dark night the room was dimly lit. The horrors and screams of the Institute seemed to disappear at this moment, he bowed his head a little, he could see the young man''s curly and soft hair, and the fragrance of green plums wafted into his nose, almost as if he was standing in a orchid. Chao Bin bit the butt of his cigarette and touched it with his, his voice was soft and hoarse.


    There was a soft sizzling in his ears, Tang Shun''s fingers clenched at his his side.


    "Borrow a fire," The cigarette butt was lit in the silence. Tang Shun''s heart also seemed to be lit like a forest fire, there was a feeling of numbness in his scalp. His snake-like gaze slowly traced every detail of Chao Bin''s face, as if assessing the best part to start eating.


    After borrowing the fire , Chao Bin leaned back. He was leaning against the corner of the bed, the slightly curly hair resting softly on his red cheeks, lowering his head and took a deep inhale of the cigarette, before slowly exhaling the smoke, his eyes narrowed slightly, and his expression was a little blurred.


    The arrogance in his bones remained undiminished, but now his expression seemed a little more strange and fragile.


    A kind that makes him want to press him into his arms tightly, clasp his fingers with rough hands, transmit the harsh heat to his thin body and fill him up with his essence.


    The room was quiet.


    The strong tobacco flavor seemed to mix with the ambiguous heat, blending together for an even more enticing flavor.


    Tang Shun smoked originally to calm down.


    Now he couldn''t.


    He took a few puffs, pinched the cigarette butt, and placed it gently onto the bedside desk. The young man smoked very slowly, his movements were meticulous and elegant, it was clear he was from great upbringing and he watched him smoke.


    In the smog, Chao Bin was like a dangerous fairy.


    "Come here."


    Tang Shun''s voice qas low and hoarse but sounded irrefutable. The darkness on his eyes seemed to want to swallow Chao Bin whole.


    Chao Bin''s heart stopped.


    His fingers twisted as he subconsciously snuffed out the cigarette butt, his expression was a little blurred after smoking. "What do you want to do?", his eyes seemed to contain traces of nervousness but also as if as long as Tang Shun asked, it didn''t matter what he wanted to do.


    Tang Shun''s lips rose and before he could react, Chao Bin was dragged steadily onto his laps. Two slender legs falling gently onto the side of his waist. A thin, finely sculpted hands lifted to sway in front of his eyes.


    Chao Bin''s unconsciously followed the tantalizing trail that passed through the air. The hand was rough and a little calloused, even so, in Chao Bin''s eyes, it still looked perfect. It was like deliberately placed marks on a plaster statue carefully carved by an artist, the shape was so perfect that it didn''t even look like a real person. Tang Shun raised his hand to cover Chao Bin''s neck , and the moment he touched it, Chao Bin could feel the amazing amount of yang energy in the opponent''s body, overflowing from his fingertips, burning him harshly.


    Hunger made his throat dry and there was a little sweat on the tip of his nose.


    Tang Shuns eyes dropped naturally and he traced the shuddering skin under his fingers deliberately, Chao Bin''s breathing got heavier and he seemed to have a trace of pity on him and slowly pulled his head forward.


    He could feel the soft lips pressing against the cold skin of his neck, the heavy breathing forming a moist pool there. Tang Shun''s eyes closed and he pressed firmer on the head buried into his neck, the arc of his lips seemed to grow wilder.


    Chao Bin''s teeth pierced into the tobacco-tinged skin and the blood slowly overflowed into his mouth but instead of soothing his body, it only made him thirstier.


    He could taste the blood but he greedily didn''t ''t want to stop there.


    He wants more.


    Chao Bin''s eyelashes trembled and said, "Then.. I will press it for a longer time....please. When it hurts tell... Tell me to stop." Tang Shun looked down at him and replied softly, "Ok. I''ll tell you."


    The teeth pierced heavier. A sly smile appearing on his lips, but what if he didn''t tell him to stop. Would he drink forever¡ª


    The thought made him chuckle, with narrow eyes glinting darkly, he softly caressed the brown hair that lay against him. The smoke obscured the hungry light in his gaze.


    While they were still able to laugh now, the players were finally placed in the cusp of the brewing storm.


    The next day the nurses stopped handing out pills.

 Chapter 124 - The Institute (64)

    Chu Yi looked around faintly, the tension in the building was like a heavy weight that pressed against the hearts of all the players. They could sense the oncoming bloody storm and each day the players faces only got uglier and uglier. This was the last week, the players carried through with the normal process and walked into the dining hall apprehensively. The room was basked in oppressive silence, broken only by the soft clanking of metal hitting the trays and the sound of silenced breathing. It was as if there was a lump in their throats that prevented them from speaking.


    Amongst the players, there was only vigilance and hostility left; after several rounds of infighting and targeted attacks, the scattered and distant groups present in the room was the only thing left.


    Chu Yi rested his face on hand and lightly brushed away the strands of hair that masked his vision, red eyes were lazy and dazed, a far cry from the tension and worry that pulled against the heartstrings of the others. Red lips curled into a teasing smirk and the eyes he used to look at the others, resembled a uninvolved bystander watching a comedy skit. With a slender hand poking softly at the lump of meat in the tray, his eyes wandered to Mu Fang''s group on the side, amongst the dark and gloomy air, Mu Fang was like a breath of fresh air.


    After deliberately dressing in a white robe and carrying the long scepter in his hand, Mu Fang had become the poster image of a Messiah. He turned away, the greasy look of kindness and reliability was really a pair of dog eyes. Chu Yi continued to look around, noting indifferently that some of the players continued to sneak looks his way, although no one brought it up, It still couldn''t dispel the suspicion and strangeness surrounding Chu Yi. The persons who had been injured in previous events had doubled and they huddled together in the corner, glaring intently at the door as they waited impatiently for the nurses to distribute the pills for today.


    It was just as he suspected before, subconsciously, the pills had become synonymous to life and the most disadvantaged group here would undoubtedly be desperate to find sustenance in this crisis-ridden place.


    There had been several more attacks this past week from players suddenly deteriorating and losing control, notably however was the fact that most of these attacks were from the pink group. The previous rejection of the red group seemed to be an unwarranted act caused by paranoia but whether unintentionally or not, Mu Fang had made several hints that the red group was outsiders amongst them. Therefore even if the situation had changed, there was still a faint air of rejection towards them.


    Red eyes squinted like a lazy cat, and lightly glanced at the translucent red scales that traveled up his arm like glass coating. The pink shell of his fingernails would create slices into anything as long as he wasn''t careful and his lower body would occasionally spasm and be filled with a itchy weakness that would send him stumbling. However, Chu Yi concluded that his alienation still wasn''t complete, he was still ''human'' in a sense, however long that would be.


    He turned back to the two sitting opposite and his eyes narrowed further, when he woke up the sharp smell of sulphur and blood was still lingering at the tip of his nose and the several bruised mark''s at Tang Shun''s neck seemed out of place in the ominous tension. He didn''t deliberately hide it, therefore several players had noticed these marks and the atmosphere had tuned subtle for a while.


    Tang Shun didn''t care and even seemed to be a good mood.


    Chao Bin on the other hand, seemed a little flushed and his eyes refused to meet Tang Shun''s but Chu Yi couldn''t be sure whether he had been thoroughly eaten dry yet.


    He scanned the entire room and assessed the player base at this moment, everything seemed premeditated.


    The sudden shaking from underfoot caused him to glance down, his fingers tapped faintly.


    Although mutual suspicion and hostility was the general consensus in every copy, it still didn''t warrant such high degree of resentment and fear. It was like a cloud of negativity and darkness had descended onto the players, influencing them, instigating and planting the seeds of negativity and using the filthiness as nourishment to make it grow. Like an invisible hand, held the puppet strings and casually directed this ostentatious and corrupted play.


    Sometimes the human heart can be even uglier than monsters.


    Chu Yi thought of this and slowly grinned, red eyes flashing with cruel excitement, it seemed that the true mastermind was finally ready to begin the closing act.


    The players waited for a long time, even until after breakfast had finished but the nurses had still not appeared.


    The air instantly sunk gloomily, tensed discussion immediately erupted in the room.


    The players bodies were stiff and their eyes shifted agitatedly, as they stared nervously at the door, hoping it was just a small error by the nurses. No one suggested leaving, still holding onto the false hope that something would change but even after an hour had passed, the doors were still unopened.


    By this time, the players face had turned green, even if they couldn''t quite tell the effects of the pills, they had at least inferred that without them they weren''t far from dying!


    Some players directly turned red and bulging and from the tight muscles in their body, they could tell that these players were very fearful of death.


    Chu Yi exchanged glances with Chao Bin and Tang Shun and subtly shook his head, the meaning behind the nurse''s actions were evident. The voices of the others were slowly increasing in volume as panic and fear quckly set in!


    The pills represented life, if they didn''t know what the pills were for and just took them everyday, then when the nurses stopped handing them out it wouldn''t cause such an uproar, but in this regard, since they did know, the players who were undoubtedly fearful of death would instantly be sent into a frenzy¨C like headless chickens, looking towards something else as a spiritual anchor.


    As long as it could give them a direction to go in.


    As if on cue, Mu Fangs solemn voice echoed in the room, he stood amongst them like a white crane amongst ducks.


    His entrance quickly brought all the players attention to him, and although his lips raised triumphantly, Mu Fang still made an effort to get them to calm down but it was like adding fuel to the fire. A little out of his expectations, instead of logically listening to him and following his orders, the players only seemed to get more erratic and loud, the scarlet eyes was if their was something influencing their behavior.


    ".....!"


    This wasn''t in the initial plan.


    Mu Fang''s face suddenly turned stange, staring at the players before him, he could feel that the subtle connection between him and the others was being forcibly expelled by an unknown force.


    Who¨C


    As if liberated, the angry players thoughts slowly became clearer, the gaze they used to look at Mu Fang lost its usual respect and worship.


    They were arguing heatedly and gradually it became out of control.


    Chu Yi looked at the loud players and seemed to think of something, his eyes flashed darkly and pale fingers tapped lightly against the table in thought. A sharp yelling suddenly came from the side and shook him out of his reverie, when Chu Yi lifted his head he actually saw that one of the players suddenly stood up and smashed a powerful fist into Mu Fang''s incredulous face¡ª


    There was a heavy crack.


    Unable to hide the shock in his eyes, Mu Fang looked at the player blankly.


    The players stopped yelling , even Chu Yi was a bit surprised, even though he was disgusted with the routine, he admittedly understood that such savior persona was usually the easiest to manipulate.


    The air sunk into an embarrassing silence, bright red blood slowly drained from Mu Fang''s crooked nose and splashed onto his white robe.


    Chu Yi raised his brow interestedly, from beside him Chao Bin yelled happily under his breath, that punch was truly refreshing.


    The chest of the player who attacked him heaved but he still insisted on raising a finger and pointing it towards Mu Fang, " You''re brains must be full of shit, you think I don''t know you¨C he hesitated for a while but still continued, "You''re just a useless piece of trash that has had his consciousness eaten by a dog! I''ve tolerated you long enough, what kind of thing do you think you are! Who doesn''t know that you only relied on a prop to get to this stage?! Don''t pretend to be a good person here!"


    "Want one of us to go and find the nurses, isn''t that just sending us to our death! Do you want me to tell everyone how your day group of lackeys here died¨C"


    The players eyes were strangely bulging and scarlet and the muscles on his arm burst with winding red capillaries, the man''s face was hideous.


    Chu Yi couldn''t help but sit up straight, red eyes glinting playfully, although he still has the idea to deal with Mu Fang later, it still did not stop him from appreciating his embarrassment here.


    He recognized the player who had attacked, it was the man that was first to criticize Mu Fang at the first stage of exploring when he suggested going out ah night.


    Now it seemed that this man knew something.


    Mu Fang abruptly woke up and tried to speak but because his nose was broken, immediately after raising his lips, the pulled muscles immediately sent sharp pangs shooting into his nerves.


    The embarrassment and humiliation was like ants gnawing at his heart, he was almost unable to hide the angry hatred that burst from his eyes, the players seemed to forget the ongoing crisis and just stared between two players curiously.


    Mu Fang took a deep breath and activated a healing talisman, there was only a flash of bright light and his nose was fixed but he didn''t know if it was illusion but it always seemed more crooked than before.


    The players behind him, seemed to wake up from a long dream and immediately started cursing at the opponent, the silence that had briefly descended was instantly shattered and emotions were slowly raising high.


    Mu Fang shook his head at the player and seemed to want to give a helpless smile but Chu Yi could sense the raging undercurrent tossing in his mind, lips rose into a sneer, and he looked away.


    Boring.


    Tang Shun turned towards him, and pushed up his glasses faintly, his voice was cold and callous, "Are you ready?"


    Chu Yi smiled and glanced towards the door, the sound of his heart seemed to be infinitely magnified in his ears and Chu Yi could feel the faint smell of roses becoming thicker and deeper every second, a faint rumbling appearing from underfoot.


    He cracked his head lightly and waited, when as the players yells became louder and more heated in his ears, even as the shaking increased and the fragrance of roses slowly engulfed the entire room! The darkness in the shadows moved slightly and he could hear faint screeching and roaring in the distance.


    The red scales on his arms shimmered and he could feel a rising heat in his body but he still didn''t move, the red eyes gradually ignited into dark red flames, as if waiting for something.


    Some of the players started changing, their eyes were unnatural and crazy, their limbs started moving abnormally and a greedy hunger burst from their eyes. Those who understood, immediately stood up. The shaking spread to the walls and the screeching from underfoot the ground became louder and louder.


    Chu Yi counted the time silently in his heart, his tongue slowly licked his lips and the lines of his muscles quietly tensed. His intent gaze never moved from the door.


    All the players stood up, the tension in the room rising, apprehension and fear quickly churning.


    Da¨CDa¨CDa.


    Chu Yi''s eyes suddenly shifted. From outside the door, there was the sound of sharp, high heels.


    The footsteps seem to be walking on their hearts and the players felt as if they were being grasped by the neck and hung helplessly in the air.


    Then the footsteps stopped.


    The players held their breath¨C


    From the door came a brief knock, slowly knocking against their hearts strings like a cat teasing a mouth. As if it felt that this was enough, the door to the dining hall was pushed opened with a loud creak!


    The players tensed anxiously, before the familiar cold, corpse like face appeared, the only vibrant thing on her face was the bloody red lips that stretched widely on her face. Yellowing uniform seemed to be splashed with a trace of blood and her eyes were completely pitch-black.


    She stared at them and slowly licked her lips, unable to disguise the vicious greed and hunger in the glare she used to stare at them, the entire Institute seemed to be shaking and Chu Yi could feel the creatures in the building slowly awakening.


    The nurse paused and looked around gently before grinning heavily at the heavily breathing distorting players behind them, her vision turned to them and gradually the corner of her lips widened as if it was about to tear her entire face!


    From her lips, a shrill and jarring voice like nails against a chalkboard slowly rang in their ears.


    Tang Shun pushed up his glasses, narrowing his eyes to hide the cold light in his pupils.


    "Let''s begin the final test everyone, to become good residents of the Federation, there''s only one requirement."


    Her heels tapped harshly against the floor as she moved towards them, her lips slowly stretching across her entire face!


    "Survive¨C"

 Chapter 125 - The Institute (65)

    The cold and callous face that they were used to, twisted with a frenzied and greedy hunger, her clawed hands elongated like pulled taffy, the red heels bursting from the seams, as ugly black claws grew from her feet, cracking the floorboards beneath her as she barreled towards them like a heavy bull!


    Instantly a sour and rancid smell of minced meat stung their senses, as if they had been thrown deep into a mass grave, the wretched stench felt like a hard lump being forced into their throats.


    The horrifying stench seemed to have hallucinogenic properties and one by one the players sunk into a deep trance.


    In an instant, a gentle vision suddenly appeared in front of Chu Yi''s eyes, as if he was surrounded by caring arms with a soft warmth, sinking into a sticky quagmire unable to extricate himself, his heart banged in chest painfully and his body erupted into anticipating goosebumps uncontrollably.


    The wind roared and crashed around them, the nurses feet sent harsh shockwaves that shook the entire room as the nurse unexpectedly charged towards Chu Yi!


    His eyes were blurred slightly as if in a trance, strong hunger seemed to leak into nurses bulging eyes, as of waiting for something, but deep in the scarlet eyes, Chu Yi''s eyes were as calm as a deep lake, glinting with a hidden dangerous light. The nurses distorted figure reflected terrifyingly into his pupils, his body still stood into a daze until the rancid breath was right above him, red lips curled into a sneer, his hands suddenly he swept the sword in his hands upwards!


    The blade seemed to hit have hard wall and the hilt shook in his hands, although it hit the target, the force of the recoil made Chu Yi stagger back a few steps before he could stand firm.


    His slanted eyes furrowed slightly,


    What a powerful force!


    The nurses body suddenly bulged with the screeching sound of muscles and bones rubbing and growing, together sounded. In just a minute the monster had swelled in size instantly, like a rolling calf, it''s red eyes turned crazily and with a heavy roar, it rushed towards him. The lips on its face slowly tearing at the corner to reveal the squirming flesh of her cheekbones..The sharp claws dug deep into the stone wall, as easy as cutting tofu with a knife.


    The monsters heavy claws came swiping down onto his head!


    Whoosh¨C


    Chu Yi could only hear the sound of his heavy breathing. His heartbeat was beating slower, but it felt denser. It was like smashing the ball through a hole. Scarlet blood splattered everywhere in front of him, and his desire to tyrannize and slaughter remained unabated. It swept his mind like a fierce wind, trying to annihilate everything.


    Ha¨C¨C Hoo¨C¨C


    A violent desire to kill was born from nowhere and filled his body, and Wei Xun was surging with strength. He couldn''t wait to fight and vent out his killing desire until he annihilated everything!


    "Hei¨C¨C!"


    "Hei, hei, hei ?¨C¨C !!"


    The piercing roars of the nurse monster echoed one after the other, causing Chu Yi to feel a rumble in his ears. A ferocious crimson light flashed through the monsters scarlet eyes.


    He dodged again and abruptly pressed down the tyranny in his heart.


    Not yet.


    Chu Yi suddenly grinned, and lifted his fingers, placing them softly in front of his lips. Against the bright red lips, the white finger seemed even more coquettish and spoiled.


    The fragrance of roses became voilent and heavy, as if something was about to break free from its reigns.


    "Will you be quiet for me?" His head tilted cutely, "I have a little friend who wants to come out and play."


    From behind him countless dark green vines rose up, casting a dark shadow on Chu Yi''s face, sucking away all light, the red eyes shining fiercely. Dotted with the blooming red roses, the vines surged forward like sharp tentacles!


    No longer thin and fragile in Chu Yi''s impression, the vines were almost as thick as a baby''s arm. From emerald green to dark green and fluorescent green that almost dripped ink, emitting an ominous light in the dark night.


    The thick ink snakes waving in the air were also decorated with sharp thorns, and the tips were faintly red. Carrying with a fishy smell, interweaved with the intoxicating fragrance of vibrant roses. The number of vines was still increasing, as if it wanted to cover the heavens and the earth, and the entire room was almost filled by such a huge number of dark green vines.


    The fragrance of roses corroded everything, like a dark sweet rot.


    Chu Yi''s eyes glinted brightly with mirth and from his lips, a faint chuckle emerged. The dark hair that scattered around his face swayed to side as he shook his head with a disdainful tut. The pale fingers gently flicked at the struggling nurse before him.


    Like a soft feather, his voice came out low and hoarse, "Why doesn''t your master stop playing these games."


    His smile fell, "I''m getting bored."


    The nurse naturally wouldn''t reply, her mind had Ling been corroded animalistic greed and instinct, she just roared and cried shrilly in the sharp thorny cage that imprisoned her.


    The roses surged in tandem with his words.


    Quickly the nurse monster was wrapped into a dark thorny ball, a vague shaking and screeching coming from inside. The players shouts as they struggled against the alienated players, the harsh smell of smoke and blood and the cries of the dead.


    Chu Yi breathed in deeply, like the most beautiful flower being nurtured in the filthiest soils.


    The vines that entangled the monsters were different from the fierce and vigorous vines before, as if they had exhausted nutrients and vitality and was only left with a shriveled base, the green color faded now showing a dry, black or even grey depressing monotone.


    Not like vines, but more like thorns withered and lifeless.


    He raised an eyebrow but didn''t think much¨Cprobably just need some blood.


    Because he had been standing on one side of the vine net just now, Chu Yi couldn''t see the condition of the other end of the vine -- in fact? On the other side of the vines, in addition to the dry and brown vines, there was a small black flower that sat quietly at the base of the bud.


    Maybe it wasn''t a black rose before, maybe it was the same as the other red roses on the vines, but now, it was already showing a withered state, the petals drooping down in decay, and there is no sign of vitality.


    Just like the dead.


    Red eyes turned slightly, an intense gaze piercing into his back. Mu Fang was standing in the corner of the room, untouched, like an aloof immortal, watching the struggles of ants indifferently. In his hands he tightly grasped something, the faintly shining object glowed with an ominous green light.


    The alienated players seemed to naturally avoid his vicinity.


    Their eyes locked together and slowly Chu Yi raised a hand, the beautiful face breaking out into a brilliant smile. Mu Fang''s mind couldn''t help but blank and his eyes unconsciously followed the path of the slender arm.


    A pale middle finger raised, the light red powder at the joints was swayed softly in the air like a cloud dancing. His mind took a moment to register the meaning of the gesture and almost instantly his faced distorted in anger.


    Chu Yi laughed gently and turned back to the thorny ball, his smile dropped.


    A sticky and red mucus was slowly speeding from the cracks between the thorns and instead of weakening the shaking in the ball only got bigger and bigger!


    He glanced behind the shaking ball, eyes locking with Tang Shun''s.


    He needed to leave.


    With a harsh screech, the vine ball split in two, splashes of mucus and blood spilt everywhere and from it like a gigantic parasite, a wet and slime covered thing without skin came crawling out.


    Dark eyes narrowed dangerously, disgust bleeding into his his stare.


    The monster shook itself slightly on four legs, and released a frantic roar. The dark sunken hole in its flesh locked onto his and cried even louder!


    Chu Yi could feel the tremors in the ground becoming harsher¨C


    The claws and teeth of the lizard were equally sharp, and piercing the flesh was as easy as stabbing tofu, like a blood-red lizard that has peeled off its skin, it quickly skittered onto the wall high above.


    The monster seemed to be shrouded in gloomy shadows in the darkness, only the bloody eyes of the nurse, cold and greedy hung above.


    The monster suddenly dropped from the ceiling and smashed onto him, Chu Yi''s body tensed in preparation but this time he did something unexpected. Borrowing the residual force of the blow, Chu Yi actually forced himself backwards, his waist bending powerfully, as he grabbed onto table and flew to the open door!


    The creature momentarily blanked.


    In fact, Chu Yi had no intention of fighting here, in the limited time frame they must complete the final goal, his hands clenched the black hard drive in his hand as he nimbly leaped across the cracked tiles and caught up to Tang Shun and Chao Bin already standing there!


    Without giving anyone time to react, the trio ran into the dark corridor.


    "Hei¡ª!"


    The lizard released an angry roar, after discovering that the hallucinations were useless to Chu Yi, it started the most common and savage attack, but who would have expected that this man didn''t play according to routine and was now escaping in the middle of the fight¡ª


    The monster immediately fell into an angry frenzy, eyes going completely red as it smashed into the remaining players!


    The player''s body couldn''t resist the huge force of the nurse monster at all. They tried to attack it with dangers and swords, but the sharp and frantic attacks couldn''t cut through the hard skin of the monsters, as if it''s flesh was made out of steel!


    "Bang!¡ª"


    The yells and shouts of terror and pain cascaded into a horrifying symphony of death.


    Ling Ke spat out a mouthful of blood in despair, the furious monster repeatedly hit him, flinging him into the wall and throwing him into the ground. His organs felt as if they had been shaken out of place and he could tell that he had suffered internal injuries. The monsters fist came smashing down on his chest, the dark blood overflowing from his lips!


    Was he going to die here¨C


    The shadow of death shrouded him coldly, and the scarlet body full of fierce and violent force raised its claws about to plunge him into the abyss. The broken holes on its face were like two soulless lamps and the dim light filled with hunger stared at Ling Ke, like a cat playing with a mouse.


    Although its first prey had escaped, it could still settle its heart with the fresh meat in front of it. At this critical moment, the monster suddenly smelled a familiar and alluring smell.


    Letting go of the food in it''s hand, the ugly lizard rushed towards the piece of source of the tantalizing that had been thrown to the other side.


    Ling Ke glanced incredulously at the three standing outside the threshold.


    Chu Yi took a deep breath slowly, watching the player scrambled up and spit out a stale breath. The dry and cold air, filled with a strong smell of rust, slashed through his throat like a soft knife, and poured into his chest like smoke, the slight pain brought him an amazing sense of pleasure. The blood dripped in a warm bloody river from his translucent fingertips to the floor.


    The players would prove useful later.


    While the lizard thing chased after the piece of cloth obsessively, Chu Yi''s fingers tightened around the dagger greedily absorbing the warmth.


    His body was shaken by the monsters tossing, and Chu Yu could only felt a cold chill in his chest, and it became difficult to breathe. His red eyes suddenly narrowed tightly, and his bloody fingertips raised softly to touch his forehead.


    It''s itchy, from his fingers he could feel a bulging horn growing outwards, even so his whole body only felt as if he was being thrown into a fire pit. The pale pink fingers are like claws sharp, the forehead is as tender as bamboo shoots, and the scarlet pupils are blazing and excited. Chu Yi grinned and laughed softly, like a demon who finally climbed out of the abyss and descended into the world.


    Tang Shun beside him suddenly stiffened, eyes turning into a dangerous black pool, a dark heat rose rapidly in his lower abdomen and his senses felt as if they were on fire!


    Chu Yi, sensed the sudden changes, raised an eyebrow and seemed to remember something. His eyes squinted and the gaze he used to look at Chao Bin held an extra touch of pity.


    Twisting the hard drive between long fingers, he turned to the heavy and bottomless darkness that swallowed the corridor.


    "Let''s go."

 Chapter 126 - The Institute (66)

    Tang Shun abruptly handed them a thin, black robe without a word. And after examining the stats, they immediately understood why.


    [The Grim Reapers Hood. (Medium Level)


    Quality: Unique


    Uses: Function 1. Completely masks all indicators of life.


    Function 2. Can be used to disguise appearance and give monsters the illusion of being of the same kind.


    Function 3. Can imitate the breath of any high class creature and used as a means to deter Low Level lifeforms.


    Danger level: 50


    Duration: 30 minutes.


    Cool Down Time: 3 Days


    System Remarks: <As the fake Grim Reaper, you are the bearer of death, you must be strong and you must be unpredictable. But considering that you''re a weak trash, this robe will help to fool the eyes of a few brainless creatures. But just be careful, you might attract the hostility of the real Grim Reaper>]


    This was exactly what they needed now, when the robes were pulled over their heads, they could instantly feel a shift in the atmosphere. It was like an intense and greedy gaze had always been concentrated on them without notice but suddenly that gaze looked away and the feeling of suffocation and pressure instantly eased.


    Chu Yi glanced up and locked eyes with Tang Shun, the smile at the corner of his lips became meaningful.


    Some people always say that judging a person''s real smile or a fake smile depends on whether the smile at the corner of his mouth reaches his eyes. This method didn''t work on Chu Yi, because when he laughed, his eyes were always bent, and the smile in the corner of his eyes was also very obvious, but it also made people unable to judge whether it was it was truly a sincere emotion.


    Everyone else was holding a rope, long or short, more or less, and the ropes contains all the things they care about in the world. Inevitably, they won''t dare to stretch the rope too tightly or be careless, thinking too much until the rope becomes permanently attached to their bodies


    But compared to others, Chu Yi''s body seemed to be empty, self-separated from the rope and his actions weren''t restricted by anything, like a boundless spirit wandering the realms. What he does and doesn''t do depends entirely on his own consciousness. Because there is nothing, his choices are difficult to predict and control.


    Tang Shun pushed up the metal frame glasses and walked out but before they could get far, he suddenly stopped them, raising a slender hand to point at something below their feet. Somehow, a strange dark red substance begun to seep into the room from the cracks in the door, draining heavily from the black walls that stood ominously in the corridor. It was as if the entire Institute was bleeding!


    Chu Yi shifted his head to the front and stared at the end of the corridor, the dark and heavy shadows was like the abyss, beckoning and enticing them to descend into into the shura. That kind of cold resentment coiled tightly around the monotone building, even masked by the vibrant sweet scent, they could still smell the unpleasant rancid smell swirling in the air, accompanied by the unswerving rumbling of the heavy floors.


    The dark red eyes revealed under the black hood flashed slightly, the Institute was just like a large gaping mouth, swallowing its prey and slowly digesting until nothing was left.


    "Are we sure about this." Chao Bin''s immature voice echoed slightly in the silence. The chaos around them seemed to be isolated in an infinite space.


    "Yes."


    When Chu Yi said this, he voice did not reveal a sense of laziness. He spoke extremely calmly, so calm that people couldn''t hear the usual sarcasm, sneers or any other meanings.


    How many years ago since the last time Tang Shun had heard him speak like this? It''s been too long, so long he couldn''t remember, but it still makes him feel a little dazed, as if he had gone back in time.


    Tang Shun narrowed his eyes slightly when he looked at the unfathomable and empty darkness. For a moment, he wanted to turn his head to look at Chu Yi, but in the end he didn''t move, but after two seconds of silence, a low voice sounded, "Let''s go."


    The response couldn''t be more plain, almost boring but Chu Yi seemed to sense something. He had always been very keen in this regard. Tang Shun didn''t look back, he flung the dark hood over his head and took the first step out into the bloody path, Chao Bin behind him as he left the shouts and fighting of the players and monsters behind.


    Chu Yi''s eyes flashed thoughtfully and with a silent grin, he followed, his faint footsteps echoing ominously in the silent wards.


    It was as if they had traveled back to the fourth dimension, even as they walked unheeded through the Institute only a depressing darkness followed. Their footsteps echoed quietly as they slammed against the stairs leading down to the basement.


    The heavy and sticky sludge seemed to have disappeared leaving only cold concrete floors underfoot, the open doors were now shut and an occasional drop of water would drip from the ceiling above. Even the rancid and damp smell that lingered had been replaced in favor of a heavy sterile smell.


    The three looked at each and continued forward and it wasn''t before they eventually arrived at their goal.


    The pitch black door had disappeared leaving only the sole red door, wide open as if welcoming them.


    The strangeness in the air only seemed to grow deeper.


    Neither of them stepped back, with Tang Shun taking the lead, they stepped into the room.


    This was a foreign room.


    Apart from the cold bench tables and wide cabinets, the biggest attraction in the room was the giant screen that occupied the centermost part of the room, dizzying amount of different consoles and buttons that Chao Bin could never remember in his life was built into its wide desktop. Without a word, Chu Yi threw the hard drive to Tang Shun and stepped aside.


    In tacit understanding, he silently took it and walked towards the system.


    "That¨CChu Yi...?"


    Chu Yi raised his head to look at Chao Bin, his left cheek was slightly imprinted with a faint red mark but his expression was particularly focused, red eyes were like whirlpools with a strange and unexplainable evil. Chao Bin''s back was numb when he saw him, and he actually had the urge to turn around and run away!


    However this inexplicable atmosphere was quickly shattered by the system starting up. Tang Shun pressed the last button and skillfully started to penetrate into the database. The silver glasses that rested on his eyes nose made him look aloof and indifferent, under the shining light he revealed a coldness from deep in his bones.


    Tang Shun shook his head and his fingers appeared like rapid illusions as they tapped heavily on the screen after plugging in the hard drive. Chao Bin couldn''t help but lean forward, eyes trained dazedly on his sharp profile.


    He first pulled up a few monitor screens that seemed to point to the different places in this Institute, before continuing on.


    "I found something interesting,"


    While talking, he poked flexibly on the blue screen with his fingertips, his expression was light and breezy, as if he was saying something trivial:


    "¡ªI found the control structure in the database circuit diagram and reconnected it to the inner circuit and the local diagram base station of the starships used to transport the residents was transmitted. Therefore, if I pressed this signal, the network code will be renumbered and become inaccessible to a few of the data stations."


    "..."


    Chu Yi instantly furrowed his brow the words made sense when spoken individually but once Tang Shun put them in a sentence suddenly it became alien language. His slanted eyes rolled silently and he was no longer interested in listening to Tang Shun''s speech. Without hesitation, he pulled the dull Chao Bin to his side and shoved him towards Tang Shun, red lips curled into a teasing smirk and his attention was quickly pulled away by the documents on the other side.


    Snap¨C


    With the sound of the final button, a bright blue star studded map suddenly lit up at the center of the giant screen, water ripples spread rapidly from the center to the outside until there were countless blinking blue dots on the screen connected to other blue dots in a confusing and dizzying display. The huge virtual star map is was filled with countless complex orbits and icons intertwined, like a patchwork of blue galaxies.


    Tang Shun stared at the star map in front of him intently, as if looking at something unknown and far away through the image in front of him. The galaxy shrunk and reflected in his eyes, like blue waves on the surface of a dark lake.


    He looked back at Chao Bin and raised a dark light flashed in his eyes.


    "What is this?" Chao Bin, snapped out of his reverie embarrassingly lowered his head.


    Tang Shun stared at him deeply and pressed the console desk glancing at the map fixedly, a cold blue light reflecting in his glasses. When he moved, his arm accidently touched Chao Bin, the slender but powerful muscles were stiff, and he felt that the skin that grazed against his skin was warm.


    Chao Bin didn''t have time to dwell on this feeling however when Tang Shun spoke up, blinking lazily at him: "The Institute has a foundation and importance that surpasses all research base stations. Therefore they would need to be able to connect to all planetary systems in this galaxy. To monitor, to regulate the flow of intelligence and to keep the various delegates informed. It can handle more than a variety of signals. Since we have to cast a net to catch all the fish, of course, the bigger the spread, the better."


    Tang Shun tapped the screen and zoomed in on one blinking blue dot, P1145, ,"I just changed it a little bit and adjusted its range of capabilities up."


    He compared a gap with his finger, and then lifted his chin at the countless light spots spread out, " This is the location of all the planetary fragments within the reach of the signal. " He looked at Chao Bin quietly,


    "Chao Bin.....the entire world is right before your eyes."


    Chao Bin blushed fiercely, unable to stop his heart from skipping a beat.


    Why were his reactions so weird¨C


    Chu Yi walked back to the two''s side and opened his mouth as if to say something, when without warning, the blue light in the room suddenly turned red!


    "What''s the matter?!" Chao Bin blurted out, and everyone''s eyes suddenly fell on Tang Shun.


    Before he could respond, the situation on the screen changed! The star map was still displayed properly but now there were additional flashing strings of blue code flowing running across the screen. The high interface immediately crashed and suddenly a large red lock abruptly filled their vision!


    Bright red system prompts followed the sudden crash¨C


    [SYSTEM 02G detects unauthorized access to database, firewall procedures


    [Please enter access card before self destruct procedures are carried out! 100...]


    [Please enter access card before self destruction procedures are carried! 99..]


    "What''s going on¨C" Chao Bin''s face quickly changed and he stared incredulously at the flashing screen. There was a faint panic in his voice!


    "Its like a mutation of a spider code." Tang Shun pushed up his glasses and judged with a serious face, adding, "I''m not exactly sure about it, but if it''s spider code then I won''t be able to crack it within an hour. Plus we don''t even have this much time."


    Quickly, they were unable to see anything beyond the overlapping red codes like hundreds of intertwined spider webs. Tang Shun tried to tap a few times, but the system prompt was the only thing that shone through.


    The countdown quickly fell.


    The atmosphere instantly fell into a depressing silence.


    We''re they really going to fail at this step?!


    Suddenly something was flung at Tang Shun''s face, he reacted instinctively and quickly caught the small metal object and brought it to his face.


    It was sharp metal card.


    A quick look at it immediately told him what it did and without hesitation he plugged it into the interface!


    Chao Bin held his breath silently, unable to stop the rapid beating of his heart¨C


    The card plugged into the system and there was a brief moment of stillness before hundreds of messy characters suddenly appeared on the screen completely shadowing the red code. There was a brief loading screen and the system scanned the card.


    [R89, Access Code SS+ has been scanned. All rights have been activated. Welcome back Sir.]


    These garbled-like combinations did not stay on the screen for long, and they were refreshed almost immediately after they reached the end.


    After about ten short flashes later, those garbled combinations all turned into normal readable words:


    [The signal source is captured successfully.


    <Signal source attribute: Double layer>


    <First floor signal source: 845532-018>


    <Layer 2 signal source: 50001>


    <Manual access has been granted, connecting to planetary signal source.>


    <Connected.>


    <Scanning hard drive.>


    <Scan complete.>


    <Converting into signal waves.>


    <Achieving preliminary contact.>


    <Launch Complete.>


    <Exporting files. %1>


    <Exporting Files. %2>....]


    The room was silent, only the soft ticking of a clock as the three stood in place, "Where''d you get the card?"


    Chu Yi didn''t look up, "On the first day of the copy." Inexplicably, Chao Bin felt as if Chu Yi was laughing. He hesitatingly stopped talking and turned back to the system.


    In the darkness of the room, the screen was adjusted to the dimmest screen, only leaving a faint light, and a progress bar was briefly displayed. Simply lying horizontally on the screen, the progress prompt at the bottom read: 35% of the database export has been completed.


    This calmness didn''t mean long.


    His eyebrows suddenly jumped and all heads lifted just in time, a blaring red alarm instantly went off!


    The scream was terrible and violent. It pierced into eardrums, not only alerting the monsters outside but also brought attention the place they were staying!


    [Intruder! Foreign Lifeform has been detected!]


    [Accessing System Defense!]


    [Defense failed...!]


    [Accessing System Defense Beta 221St?]


    [Defense overridden¨C]


    From the corner of his eyes, Chao Bin caught something appearing in the left monitor screen, an ominous premonition hit his heart and when he turned his head to look, he was appalled to see a man appearing right under the watch of the monitor screen.


    A man slowly walked though the silent corridors, the ubiquitous shadows made it so Chao Bin couldn''t see his face but he had long noticed one thing, a strange black cat was being held in the man''s hand!


    His pupils shrunk sharply and at this moment the man seemed to sense something, his hand patterned the cats head and suddenly looked towards the screen, two pitch black eyes piercing straight into his soul!


    He shuddered with fear, and felt a chill rise from under his feet and quickly spread across his body.


    At this moment, Chu Yi turned his head back. His eyes flashed with suppressed excitement and enthusiasm, as if the devil lurking in the abyss cast a fleeting glance in a flash of lightning, there was a kind of inhuman coldness and treacherous about him.


    He licked his lips and whispered softly:


    "He''s coming."

 Chapter 127 - The Institute (68)

    A pleasant and leisurely voice hummed in the silent corridor, hands gently scratched the chin of the black cat in his hands before turning unhurriedly into the next corner. The heavy darkness seemed to shy away briefly wherever he passed, only after his footsteps had disappeared would it come creeping silently back into the lifeless walls. The man wore a long white lab coat, the broad shoulders hidden beneath it was bursting with strength.


    His gait was akin to taking a calm stroll by a peaceful stream. He passed the bloodied walls, walked past the open room doors, avoided a glass shard on the ground, and stepped into the cold basement. With lips subtly lifted, and his features were schooled in pleasantry he moved both hands to gently fondle the cat.


    The walls echoed with the sounds of his footsteps stepping on the cold floors, the smell of sterile alcohol and chemicals seem to drift in the air as he passed by. The man''s clean and untainted look was severely out of place in the erratic and despondent building, like a spot of white had been abruptly splashed onto a black canvas.


    Glaring and discordant.


    The man glanced at the dark void behind him and the smile on his lips seemed to deepen thoughtfully. He stood before the crimson door, listening to the sounds of the naughty subjects inside, the pitch-black eyes couldn''t help but narrow with amusement. The man slowly traced from the cat''s ears to its long tail, watching it arc pleasantly in his hands.


    "Yu''er, I have to go and deal with the little monsters inside." he speaks, his syllables purposefully lowered, as if to coax, "Brother won''t take long, it''ll just be a little noisy."


    The cat seemed to understand him and cast a fleeting glance at him, the dark green dilating into thin slits, it meowed and shook its body haunting before leaping from the man''s hands and disappearing into the darkness without hesitation. The man chuckled softly and turned away, looking towards the door. A faintly regretful light flashed in his eyes but his hands still reached out to push the door inwards.


    After all, that was the subject he used to have the most anticipation for.


    Behind him, a faint seaweed scent seemed to linger in the air briefly before fading away.


    ******


    The monitor flickered slightly before shutting off, leaving only a short blank screen in front of their eyes. The room was silent for a moment before Chu Yi suddenly turned to Tang Shun, his voice was low and serious.


    "Find a way to hide the monitor screen while the progress is still ongoing."


    Tang Shun only took a second to comprehend his meaning and without hesitation, he walked back to the computer and started a new wave of operation.


    Chu Yi turned to Chao Bin and tossed something into his hands, it was a small transparent bottle as well as an injection.


    Chao Bin raised his head to look at him, Chu Yi didn''t explain only said quietly, "When you see my signal, I need you to throw the bottle to me. Don''t think, don''t act, just give it to me."


    Although he was confused, he was infected by Chu Yi''s seriousness and nodded solemnly.


    In a minute, Tang Shun appeared beside him and nodded, the screen behind them was completely black as if it had never been turned on.


    They looked at each other once more and turned back to the slightly closed door. Not long after, as if purposefully teasing its prey, clear footsteps gradually closed in on their location.


    The soft humming voice was not disguised in the least and Chu Yi seemed to hear the frivolous and hidden contempt dispersing maliciously from the man''s mouth.


    The crimson door opened with a low creak and the air instantly fell into tensed silence. Chu Yi''s eyes glinted with brilliant scarlet light!


    However, when the figure was finally revealed in front of him, a heavy disappointment suddenly crashed into his heart. The person, he anticipated seeing did not come instead the figure that appeared before was someone they were familiar with.


    R89!


    From beside him, Chao Bin gasped, there was a low and heavy pressure that crashed into after they were pressed down by the weight of Mount Tai! The pitch-black eyes were cold and malignant as he slowly strolled into the room with two hands placed casually into his coat pocket.


    Even facing him, it still felt as they were gazing at him through a blurred screen, a mysterious and unfathomable entity that managed to crack the code that limited human life. He looked at him casually but didn''t speak, but a cold and sharp killing intent seemed to pierce straight into their hearts!


    Chao Bin understood a lot of the more inconsistent clues at this moment.


    Chu Yi''s eyes narrowed faintly and were the first to speak, "It seems that it is only now you''re finally willing to stop hiding in your large tortoiseshell and come out to face us."


    The man paused and seemed amused by Chu Yi''s word, "Oh no dear¨C" Chu Yi''s eyes flashed with disgust, "I''ve been watching you guys for a long time now. After all, you are my creations."


    They sneer at the corner of his lips only grew deeper, "Creations? You mean the bunch of failures that you have crawling around here."


    The man chuckled softly, "Failures. What a fitting word to call them." His eyes flashed deeply, "But so are you¨C so are all of you in this building."


    His eyes swept Tang Shun and Chao Bin''s figure with meaning, before smiling back at Chu Yi.


    "Don''t you know, none of you can be called a true success. You don''t even live up to your name as experiments. I''ve created so many failures, in fact, even the Federation itself is a failure."


    "Those dying old farts back at the council don''t even deserve the name of humans, because they are all inferior."


    "You my dear and the rest of you here, are only trash that need to be discarded."


    Chao Bin rolled his eyes and almost wanted to spit on him, if it wasn''t for the current situation, he would have long cursed the man''s nine generation.


    Chu Yi wasn''t fazed by the man words and instead said softly, " Aren''t you a failure too."


    The man suddenly froze and his smile actually dropped from his face instead of answering he only shook his head faintly, "Regardless, since we''re already here, I have no choice but to break both your legs and throw you to the fishes to act as their next egg container."


    Both Tang Shun and Chao Bin immediately frowned but Chu Yi''s red eyes seemed to be stained with a strange excitement.


    It was time!


    Chu Yi had said so many meaningless words before the battle, entertaining this farce, because he was waiting for this prompt. His red lips suddenly curled into a heavy smirk.


    "R89, don''t they always say not to reveal your intentions before a fight."


    Before he finished speaking, Chu Yi suddenly pulled a strange crimson red sword from the void, the blade was shining with a heavy, bloody light as if all the sin in the world had been condensed onto it.


    [Name: Madman''s Sword (Natal Weapon)(Upgradable)


    [Quality: Unknown.]


    [Current Level: Level 2]


    [Conditions to upgrade: 0/1000 souls]


    [Effect: According to the evaluation of the shuttle, the effect of this blade is extremely unstable, the cold resentment on this blade will continue to increase after every kill and upgrade along with its owner. However this blade has had previous owners before and every owner has been devoured by the hungry blade. The higher the level is the more souls it needs, once it becomes too hungry, the blade will devour its owner instead.]


    [Remark 1: The blade can devour the souls of all things. However it is restricted by its level and can only devour the souls of ghosts and monsters in low level copies. If it absorbs a soul beyond its capacity, it might backlash on the owner and their soul will be corrupted with corroded yin energy]


    [Remark 2: This blade is very picky and it''s origin are mysterious. It is not restricted with form and can be transferred to any weapon. It has been integrated with its current owners scalpel but can be changed at later stages.]


    The sword that Chu Yi held in his hand seem to tremble with a strange cry, the lines were cold and sharp, revealing a kind iron-blooded deterrence formed from the baptism of blood. In the light of the cold screen, it seemed to have been engraved with countless sharp grooves meant to tear flesh.


    The man grinned strangely and shrugged his shoulders, "Well¨Ccome on."


    Chu Yi''s red eyes glinted and suddenly he moved, with a flicker of light, he appeared behind the man, sword raised to his head and slashed down, from behind him Tang Shun pulled the trigger neatly with his fingers, from the black muzzle there was only a loud bang like a thunderous explosion! The strong inertial force shook his body and he almost couldn''t resist it, stumbling back before he could stand firm.


    This gun was special because it carried three types of bullets, the normal ones, the ones meant for ghosts and would not hurt other entities and the last kind, the withering. A strong poison would explode from the bullet that could burn even the soul!


    From beside him there was a shrill roar and Tang Shun only felt a surging torrent of psychic energy pouring down like the boundless yellow river and rushing towards the man standing immovable in front of the door. This psychic energy was too strong, the surroundings was soon filled with a thick white smoke, making it so that nothing could be discerned in the room.


    The only he could see was the amber eyes shining with a brilliant light.


    The torrent of power gushed!


    Boom!¨C¨C


    The three powerful attacks came barreling down onto the man, it was estimated that the three had used their most powerful attack all at once. There was surely no way R89 could avoid it!


    Faint anticipation defusd in Chao Bin''s eyes.


    There was only a sharp sound of collision and then silence, a faint smell of blood erupted in the room but before they could breathe a sight of relief there was a low chuckle in the room and the mist that had arisen suddenly became pitch black. Chao Bin''s face changed and he immediately tuned pale and he immediately stumbled back as something had been ripped from him.


    Tang Shun frowned and threw something to him, he could feel that this battle would be difficult but since they were already at this stage they couldn''t leave with any regrets!


    Chap Bin swallowed the contents of the red bottle and nodded firmly, Tang Shun withdrew his gaze, and said lowly, "Protect the system and stay here." He threw down the gun decisively and plunged into the thick black fog like a angry cheetah.


    In addition to the faint laughter, the fog was filled with a strong smell of blood. Although not life-threatening, the attacks must have hurt R89!


    The strong smell of blood made Chu Yi''s eyes redder and brighter like a blazing sun, his breathing was rapid, and his heartbeat was astonishingly fast. In the thick black fog, his eyes could not see the direction, but his devil-like intuition could tell where the enemy was. His sword slashed down towards the place the man was but he only cut air, from behind him there was a gust of wind and a whip like a long snake smashed toward his legs!


    It was just like what he said, R89 really wanted to break Chu Yi''s legs!


    Chu Yi''s face changed and without hesitation he raised his sword to meet the attack, his hands that held the blade actually trembled and the skin between his thumb and index fingers tore bloodily!


    Chu Yi didn''t seem to feel pain and used his other hand to grab onto the sharp barbs of the whip with a harsh tug, he yanked it forward! From the fog, the man appeared just a few meters in front of his body¨C


    His lips were still stretched into a smile and he seemed to want to say something but from behind him, there was intense force and Tang Shun lunged towards his back!


    Realizing that he was about to collide with him, he let go of the whip and bent his body almost to the floor, Tang Shun''s fists only narrowly missed him and with a sharp turn, he turned away and stepped onto the wall with one feet and shifted away!


    Tang Shun glanced at the bloody hand that held the whip, and turned away to start closely at the man standing before them.


    There was a short tense lull before the man suddenly disappeared on the spot!


    From beside his ears, Tang Shun heard a faint whooshing sound, just as he dodged away a hand shaped like an eagle''s claw suddenly appeared right at the spot where his head had been! Tang Shun''s arm''s bulged and without hesitation he powerfully launched an attack to the air!


    There was nothing there ¨C


    Missed again!


    The whip that had torn his skin was thrown down at will and Chu Yi''s eyes unnaturally focused as in his vision he caught a faint black shadow. Without hesitation he moved, flinging his sword forward!


    There was a sharp smell of blood and the man''s face briefly appeared before him with a shallow slice on his cheek!


    R89 looked back and was silent for a moment before grinning and disappearing once again, the dark grooves on Chu Yi''s sword was filled with blood as they fought violently, the pungent smell of blood only thickened in the heavy fog.


    Chao Bin looked at the flashing figures in the dark fog, and glanced around uneasily, he didn''t know when but the grass had suddenly been into a plant wasteland, dark green vines withered and black had flooded the room, covered in black roses!


    He looked towards the front, vaguely able to see a cunning shadow always hidden in the thick black fog. Occasionally, his body would be exposed like the tip of an iceberg, revealing the pure white coat that had now been stained red with blood.


    He looked back at the black screen,


    [Exporting files: 44%...]


    Come on¨C


    A sense of burning crisis was striking against his heart!

 Chapter 128 - The Institute (69)

    Chao Bin''s face twisted even heavier, he wanted to join the fight and help the others but Tang Shun''s firm voice still rang in his ears solemnly, they couldn''t lose the progress. He looked away staring anxiously at the screen.


    But in a place he couldn''t see, there was a strange, red bug crawling towards him carrying a sticky and filthy mucus trail.


    Chu Yi''s suddenly stopped attacking, his face distorting strangely, from his forehead there came an intense itching and numbness, as if something inside his head was trying to burrow out! In this moment of inattentiveness, R89 quickly dodged his attack and appeared from behind, slashing viciously on Chu Yi''s vulnerable back!


    "Ugh!¨C"


    Crimson blood rapidly dyed Chu Yi''s white shirt!


    His back trembled faintly as he swiftly turned around, the corner of his eyes were stained red¨C


    From his forehead, a thin grey horn had appeared! His hands gripped the sword tightly and without examing himself, he rapidly dodged the attack from above.


    R89 laughed strangely and disappeared again.


    Chu Yi''s felt his body slowly heating up, a familiar itch appearing but he didn''t pay it the slightest attention.


    Right now, he was intoxicated with the thrill of fighting and chasing, and within this time the horn on his forehead had grown even longer, closing his eyes, Chu Yi seemed to have another kind of vision, easily being able to see the outline of the shadowy figure flashing in the thick fog.


    One second, he was in the northeast direction in front of Chu Yi, but in the next moment, he teleported to his side!


    To the right!


    Chu YI turned around in an instant. The sharp sword cut back like a flash of lightning, it seemed that in a moment the sword would R89''s neck!


    But just as the sword fell, there was a harsh palpitation in his heart sending shockwaves of pain to his nerves!


    "Ugh¨C"


    The hand that held the sword trembled and R89 appeared in front of him, the upper third of his body had a huge bullet wound caused by Tang Shun''s gun, but instead of blood only a viscous, glue-like red liquid gushed out from the cut and surrounded it.


    It seemed that every time he cut into his flesh, his body would heal quickly¨C the man grinned, by his ears, he seemed to hear a whisper, like a poisonous snake, "Don''t you know, you''re just one of the many failures I''ve created. Are you trying to fight against your creator... Chu Yi."


    His eyes flashed and without replying, Chu Yi thrust the sword towards his neck, the man grinned strangely and disappeared.


    Tang Shun furrowed his brows and slammed into the floor, flying up as he sent a kick to the faint silhouette, however before his attack could land there was a sudden agonized cry inside his ears.


    Chao Bin!


    His mind was momentarily distracted and just then a hand suddenly appeared from the fog and grabbed his ankle! With a heavy force that resembled a barreling freight train, Tang Shun was slammed violently into the floor!


    Even the floor seemed to crack beneath him!


    Chu Yi frowned heavily, and signaled for him to go and look at Chao Bin''s situation, he lunged towards the man and crazily swung his sword. Every time he attacked, he landed precisely on the previous wounds he created, even if the man had a strong healing ability, R89''s body still struggled to function under the repeated attacks!


    The heart-wrenching pain appeared again as if Chu Yi couldn''t feel it he continued to attack!


    As the time grew shorter and shorter, more wounds were added to both of their bodies, the smell of blood was so pungent it was almost tangible, a bloody mist emerging to combine into the thick black fog, like the bloody gaping hole of the abyss.


    When Chu Yi felt that his body was starting to become paralyzed, the itching and heat in his body had already grown to tremendous levels!


    But he didn''t care, Chu Yi took advantage of the man staggering briefly to raise his sword and chopped heavily at the preexisting wound on his chest, R89''s felt the sharp tingling on his body and frowned faintly.


    The level of strength shown by Chu Yi was abnormal, he twisted away from the blade that came down again and looked towards him.


    He seemed to sense something and smiled meaningfully.


    "Chu Yi, you surprised me today. It''s just too bad you won''t be able to last for much longer."


    Chu Yi''s laughter was low and hoarse, and the place where the man scratched with his sharp fingers seemed to be charred black, burning faintly, and there were multiple other cuts in his body but Chu Yi only felt an immense and pleasurable excitement!


    He gasped heavily and took a moment to breathe, his lips raised into a crazy smile and he laughed as he answered him, "I hope you''ll be able to last until then!"


    The man laughed silently, "You mean now?"


    "Ugh¡ª!"


    "So noisy."


    Chu Yi said hoarsely, his eyes were scarlet and bright, a tyrannical murderous desire seemed to be burning heat in his body, becoming more and more violent, lodged in his chest and body, like a balloon that was on the verge of bursting, even his cells seemed to be clamoring for blood!


    "Die, okay?"


    Chu Yi didn''t even realize that his voice carried a strange sweet lilt, like the sound of boiling magma or like the crisp song of a nightingale, even if he knew he didn''t, just continuing to entangle with the sly figure in a never-ending tangle of blood and swords.


    He wanted to feel the beating heart of the man in his hands after he ripped it from his chest!


    Taking advantage of the abnormal vision brought about by the horn on his forehead, he always managed to locate the man. As a natural hunter, his instinct was keen to grasp the weak points of his prey. Chu Yi took a risk and let go of the hand that held the sword when he next attacked the man, his left hand slipped freely around R89''s attack and quickly grasped the wound on his chest. In R89''s pitch-black eyes, only the fierce grin on Chu Yi''s was reflected¨Cthen like an eagle''s claws, he pierced the man''s tough, slippery skin fiercely, and forcefully pulled the flesh open into a gaping wound!


    "Chu Yi¨C!!"


    R89''s voice changed. The originally calm and waveless voice was filled with a wave of livid anger and seemed to be mixed with crass human pain! Chu Yi''s hand burned slightly and the viscous blood that splashed on his face felt like boiling lava but he still felt happy!


    Exciting!


    So exciting!


    The red blood touched Chu Yi''s skin, and immediately, the heat in his body burned even more severely.


    The blood in the body of the man seemed to have a strange effect. Chu Yi felt that half of his body was paralyzed, and he was almost thrown off by him, but he didn''t dodge or evade. Like a hungry mad dog that latches onto the enemy and refuses to let go!


    His fingers continued to dog into the flesh and it even seemed that he wanted to tear the man in his half! R89 struggled and hit Chu Yi violently but no matter what, he refused to give up.


    Chu Yi inhaled a heavy breath, feeling that his chest and lungs were filled with the stench of the blood and smoke. The paralysis of his body became more and more serious, making his body feel as if was thrown into a vat of burning Sulphur, even the gelatinous blood of R89 seemed to scald his skin. But the pleasure of tearing apart a strong enemy and the renewed feeling of killing made the blood in his body boil, and his breath was filled with heavy anticipation!


    He breathed again, he didn''t know if it was an illusion but the anger on R89''s face suddenly faded and he stopped struggling.


    But Chu Yi''s fingers that that into his flesh didn''t continue to pull, the temperature inside his body was rising, and the red blood adhering to his body seemed to dry up into black pieces, cracking and falling off like withered scales.


    [Exporting files 58%...]


    It was hot, so hot.


    Chu Yi''s mind suddenly fell into a trance, feeling as if he was being enveloped in scorching flames. The restlessness brought about by the heat aroused the desire for destruction and tyranny in his heart, making him eager to tear the body apart and devour the flesh and blood of his prey, but the weakness had completely overtaken his body.


    A red flush appeared on Chu Yi''s face and his fingers slowly released their grip on R89''s wound, his eyes blurred and Chu Yi fell back under the indifferent and calm gaze.


    His body fell back into a pile of withered roses that suddenly appeared beneath him, like a dark elf being welcomed back to his kingdom.


    The mutation happened in an instant.


    It was as if everything disappeared from before his eyes.


    His mind was blank and confused.


    Who am I?


    The chaotic consciousness seems to be floating on a sea of ??nothingness. The left side is scorching hot, and the right side is bone-chilling cold. He was struggling to swim between these two diametrically opposing forces. The alternation of cold and heat makes him feel nauseous and sick, a shuddering pain wracked his body,


    I don''t know where I am.


    Where am I?


    His breath came out in rough pants, his tailbone only felt hot and itchy, the feeling spreading from his waist to his legs, something seemed to be growing outwards. He could feel them combining into a strange and mysterious shape and in his daze consciousness he seemed to vaguely recognize what was happening.


    Am I human?


    What am I?


    His chaotic and distorted mind couldn''t think calmly. It seems that thousands of dangerous knowledge are pouring into his mind, stirring his conscious into a boiling soup, the heat transformed and most instinctive desires.


    Hunger.


    He was so hungry.


    Mutation requires energy, his current energy is not enough, he needs more, more energy.


    He felt like a fish out of water, his body was burning, and there was a numbness in his shoulder blades as if something was supposed to grow there but because of insufficient energy, the mutation could only be temporarily suspended.


    Not enough, not enough energy.


    So hungry.


    R89 stood above him, watching the beautiful red siren writhing in the bed of black roses as if he was God. The smile on his face seemed to grow deeper and in Chu Yi''s chaotic mind, his voice whispered soft,


    "You see? You could never defeat me. I originally wanted to break your legs and teach you how to be obedient but I guess I''ll just have to cut off your tail instead."


    He glanced to the side where the other two glaring presences were standing, one of them seem to be dying and although he was a bit interested in the next one, he wanted to enjoy the feeling of slowly slicing a merman''s tail off.


    Chu Yi must look beautiful when he''s dying.


    He stared in a different direction, where there was mixed, impure, yet active energy and sneered, bastard.


    Chu Yi groaned slightly, his lips cracking from dryness, and propped himself up with great effort. The pale skin was covered with magical red scales, and from his waist, a long streamlined tail had formed. The tail is shining, the red scales aligned into a beautiful red pattern.


    Butterfly bones protruded from his back faintly, as if he was too thin and malnourished, but it was wing bones that had not yet emerged due to lack of energy...


    [Exporting files 88%]


    A faint rational voice resounded in his head, but he didn''t care, at this moment all his thoughts were occupied by hunger, hunting, devouring, evolving. Aware of the strangeness in his body, he turned his head strenuously, but his whole body was completely shrouded by a dark shadow from top to bottom.


    He was burning!


    His fiery body was soaked in a red stream, and for a moment he seemed to wake up, rationally wanting to break through the shackles of wild instincts.


    R89 stood above him quietly and seemed to sigh regretfully and the whip that had been taken from him miraculously appeared from his side.


    He gently ran the tip along the red lines of the fluttering tail, before smiling cruelly and raising the whip in his hand high in the air!


    Chu Yi struggled. Instinct urged him to stand up, and quickly find prey, to absorb energy to complete his alienation but it seemed that another consciousness was fighting against his instinct, ordering him to kill the man before him!


    A hint of danger was slowly brewing at the bottom of his eyes¨C


    He hates being like this!


    The disgust of being out of control, the pursuit of hunger and energy, and the inability of the two contradictions to coexist made his heavy brain freeze, so that his body was like a machine on standby, lying motionless in the rose bed, the whip above him crashed down ruthlessly!


    [Your situation seems to be very bad]


    An elegant and dull voice suddenly resounded in his consciousness


    [I know what you want most, I can help you]


    His addled mind was still fighting against his instincts and Chu Yi could hardly process the words spoken.


    [It seems that your situation is very bad. Then Chu Yi, don''t you want my help.]


    Chu ...Yi¨C


    This voice seemed to dispel the chaotic fog in his mind, and his reason returned instantly.


    His name was Chu Yi.


    I am Chu Yi.


    [Chu Yi, just come to me and I''ll fix everything. You won''t have to worry anymore, you''ll be with me...forever.]


    Dazed red eyes were suddenly filled with mirth and his lips raised into a deep sneer,


    His voice resounded with cruel laughter


    "Roll¨C"


    [Exporting files 99%....]


    [Exporting files 100%...]


    [File transfer complete.]


    [Initiating Sequence 12]

 Chapter 129 - The Institute (70)

    The sweet cries of a beautiful woman, followed by the rough and lecherous groans of a man pervaded the room. There was a sweet and greasy scent that wafted in the gaps between the thick gold canopies and ostentatious gold artifacts. In the middle of the large bed, two white figures were tightly entwined, the man''s large and fat figure hunkered down and suffocated the woman beneath him. Only the greedy and lustful face was briefly revealed by the promiscuous red candles.


    In the throes of pleasure, there was a sudden heavy knock on the door and before the man could even react, it was harshly flung open and a thin and slender man came stumbling in regardless of the scene before him. The assistant''s face which was usually cold and calm even in the face of such an incompetent boss was now completely white.


    The fat man didn''t even have time to start cursing when the assistant shoved a piece of paper into his hands.


    His eyes only briefly scanned the top of the heading at the top before his heart stopped. The male root that was still lodged into the woman''s cave turned completely soft and the man seemed to see black spots appear in his vision.


    "Marshal what do we do!"


    "The planets database was infiltrated and the source we captured was from the Institute. Carrying all the secrets of the Institute!"


    *****


    The Steran ship was the main ship from the notorious seventh division. The division had retired directly after the battle of the galaxies and was now being used as an interstellar transit station and housing station for retired veterans. Except for a few small combat warships that were retained, the main ship was all replaced by a cargo ship for transportation and leisure. But, even so, its indestructible energy barrier and battle-tested hull main guns still ensured that it had sufficient combat and self-protection capabilities and would not be destroyed by the Opious Galaxies at any time.


    The most famous and respected generals stayed there, although mostly old and graying at the temples no one would dare to underestimate them. These were the people that led the Federation to victory countless times during the dark era. Even the top brass had to show respect in their presence.


    They usually drifted along the star borders and monitored the situation of the meteor straits. However, this calm was broken today when through the interplanetary signal pillar, a video was received by the command station.


    At this moment, in a huge conference hall made of expensive lithe ore, a screen was suspended high into the air. The bionic light source that was as bright as daylight illuminated the cold black steel with sharp edges and corners.


    A breathless depression filled the command post.


    At this moment, on the huge round table in the conference hall, sat several senior military officers who were permanently stationed here by the Federation, their faces solemnly staring at the floating electronic screen opposite the round table.


    The data was scanned by military-level brains,


    without any virus attached, and there was no trace of hostile forces on it, but the source was from the most classified and blacklisted secret in the Empire. Although their bodies were still ramrod straight, it still couldn''t hide the wrinkles at the corner of their eyes but at this moment, these retired officials were as solemn as if they had returned to the battlefield.


    The next second, the video started to play.


    **


    Invisible signal waves traveled through space and were intercepted by the huge Federation satellite pillar that was quietly anchored above Planet BV1329. The iron-blue dirty sky covers the satellite, but the extinguished stars revealed half the gray line on the horizon.


    The signals continued to stream in one by one. Eventually, they merged into the system, just as streams merged into rivers, and rivers merged into the ocean, turning into turbulent waves, unstoppably corroded the system, carrying the backlog of deceptions played out for centuries. Inside the stalemate there came a blaring red signal but in the end, it wasn''t able to stop the tide that crashed into it.


    A trembling sound came from the bottom of the planet filled with garbage. An energy field with a huge repulsive force has already taken shape. With an irresistible aura, a strange dark pillar was slowly pulled from the ground. The machine made an overwhelming humming sound, electric sparks burst in the muddy atmosphere, and the harsh noise made it seem suspicious that it would collapse in the next second.


    From the pillar, a strange blue holographic light spread and covered the grey-blue sky. The residents on all the abandoned planets in the Galax slowly raised their heads. Their numb gazes reflected strangely in the cold blue light.


    The blue screen slowly faded to a familiar background.


    ****


    Planet BV165


    A squad of federation soldiers tragedy towards the residential area. Frowning and spitting the entire way. They stomped on the garbage dump leaving behind deep footsteps in the black sludge, the disdain and disgust on their faces only grew deeper. Although still upturned into a sneer, their faces were blue and white, the stench in the air hit them from the moment they set foot on this planet.


    Only the adjutant who walked at the head of the team seemed to be strong but the eyes he used to look at the tattered sheds held an extra trace of cruelty. This time their task was to find a dew suitable fodder to go down into the Lithin mine, strap them with bombs and have them set them off and shatter the rock walls. They weren''t expected to live.


    The first adjutant walked to one of the crooked houses that looked extremely dilapidated and knocked fiercely on the door, lifting his high-pressure gun to smash it, but before the gun could fall, the door opened ahead of time.


    A scrawny man stood in the black hole of the door frame, watching them with an extremely passionate and eager look.


    It was like a person who has been hungry for years suddenly sees a table of steaming food. The adjutant uncontrollably stumbled, only hastily holding onto the shabby doorframe to prevent himself from falling flat on his face.


    After realizing that he was humiliated by a scrawny dog, the adjutant couldn''t help but become irritated. He raised his hand to slam the half-open door open with the hilt of the gun and rudely yelled: "On behalf of the Federation, you and your entire family are commanded to follow us to complete our mission.


    The man shrank two steps back:


    "But, but my child..."


    Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by the federation soldiers who broke indirectly. The man was hungry and had no strength at all, and his thin body fell to the ground without resistance.


    In the room, only a sharp and rotten smell of pus and rotten flesh came. On a skimpy piece of cloth, a purple child lay lifeless. There were sharp black marks all over his skin and a festering sore in the middle of his chest was the source of the smell. Immediately the soldiers furrowed their brows and stepped back, this scene, as a result of toxic radiation from the combination of the ores and garbage piles on the planet.


    The adjutant frowned and cursed. Directly giving up the idea of sacrificing this wretch. Not out of pity but because it was too disgusting. He signaled to the others and lifted his foot to exit but before he could leave, he felt himself being pulled by a thin hand on his trousers.


    He lowered his head and saw the skinny man looking at him with faint hope, voice shaking strenuously. "Selection...the Institute."


    The strange commotion here was like a stone thrown into the water, and the lifeless planet seemed to have finally come to life.


    All the crooked doors and the dilapidated and dirty curtains were opened from the inside, countless faces that were all equally dead and lifeless looked out from the black hole of the rooms. Turbid eyes flickering. With the same longing and hope, they stated closely at the federation soldiers standing in the middle of the open space, small whispers spreading from every corner:


    "It''s the federation, they are here!"


    "Selection...is it selection!"


    "Is the God here, is Yan Yizhi."


    "Please come here and take a look..."


    "Come to us!"


    The voices that grew stronger due to frantic desperation, merged into a torrent that rushed towards them violently. The withered residents resembled living skeletons, the extremely focused and hungry expressions that radiated from deeply sunken eye sockets, all put the army at unease.


    Such a scene was like sinking into an abyss and it made the Federation soldier''s scalp numb. The adjutant looked at the loud residents and had a horrifying premonition in his heart.


    Just then there was a rumble underfoot and the terrible dark pillar slowly rose from the center of the earth and slowly enveloped the sky in blue light.


    The adjutant''s face suddenly changed.


    Slowly a strange video played out.


    Minutes, hours, he didn''t know how long tome stretched.


    The planet fell into a dull silence.


    There was almost no time for him to react, and a faint but angry voice sounded from the crowd: "...are we just experiment...are we..is the Federation a lie."


    "Is it the same way that they brought my child away before?"


    The despair in the woman''s voice was infectious.


    Suppressed noises rang out in the ragged sea of ??people, the buzzing whispers were like hundreds of flies in his ears, setting off layers of rippling waves as if a kind of restlessness was surging faintly in the darkness.


    "It''s a lie!"


    "It''s all a lie, what Institute, what becoming citizens of the capital star, they''ve been raising our pigs this time!"


    Screaming and panic sounded from the dark and dirty streets. At first, it was just a few vague and mixed murmurs, and it was almost impossible to capture the words. Later, even the adjutant in the middle protected by the soldiers with guns could hear the gradual anger of the crowd.


    "My child never came back after being taken away, I thought he was just living a good life in the capital star..."


    "Me, my brother too!"


    "My sister, she was also taken too."


    Fear and suspicion were like a deadly plague, spreading wildly in the crowd.


    These angry and resentful emotions accumulated rapidly, undergoing a qualitative change at an extreme speed. Those panic-stricken tones quickly become despairing and hateful, the low voices brewing into clear and loud condemnation at an extremely alarming speed. Voices sounded from all directions, like an unstoppable wave, attacking the isolated and helpless soldiers.


    "Yes, that''s them!"


    "...It''s the same people that took them!"


    "Why did you lie to us¨C my whole family was taken away! Dead, they''re... they''re dead! What''s the use of living like this."


    Their numb gazes burned with an unyielding light as if they using their souls to burn the flames of hatred.


    One voice after another.


    One face next to another face.


    Everyone was like a mirror, amplifying the emotions suppressed in their hearts before releasing them.


    Numerous filthy and skinny faces like zombies were pointed straight at the soldiers. The deeply sunken eye resembled dark caves, cold and chilling. The air was filled with dirty stench, like a pulled bowstring, all the soldiers subconsciously felt the fear of death, and the muzzle that had been lowered was raised and aimed at the crowd.


    "Stay back!"


    "Stay back you mutts!"


    The adjutant perceived a strange atmosphere as if someone was watching in the dark, silently and secretly manipulating everything. This feeling made his hair stand on ends, and he desperately wanted to get things back on track¡ª He tried to calm the residents, telling them that the video was a lie and just a ploy by the opposing galaxy. At the same time, he tried to warn his soldiers that it was impossible for this group of people raised as pigs and dogs to attack the soldiers with live ammunition.


    But some things, once revealed couldn''t be suppressed.


    In the corner of his eyes, a soldier saw a thin figure run into the crowd, and there seemed to be faintly flickering silver light in her hand:


    "Where''s, mommy..."


    The soldier closest to her was already tense, and before she could finish speaking, he pulled the trigger.


    The sound of the metal collision was so clear that the crowd instantly calmed down. The dirty Chi child was disheveled and dirty hair looked like them in disbelief. The silver light in her hands fell to the ground with a crash¡ªit was a metal badge. A badge that all soldiers were familiar with. The badge of the Federation.


    The adjutants'' hearts trembled.


    Not good.


    The sound of the gun was like sparks that instantly ignited a barrel of explosives, the residents descended into madness. The crowd dominated by anger glared at them with overwhelming hostility.


    The adjutant realized that the boat had overturned, all explanations were of no avail, and violent conflicts were inevitable. Immediately, he decisively ordered:


    "Open fire: Breakthrough!"


    There was a faint click from the gun barrels but to the soldier''s surprise nothing came out, the adjutant eyes trembled and he looked towards the sky.


    It''s over.


    The residents were only more deeply infuriated. The anger that had been suppressed for years poured out from their lifeless eyes, wrapped in extreme violence and resentment, they shouted out hoarsely and rushed towards them¡ª


    The adjutant looked at them blankly, the animals he had ha despised now rushed towards him like a hungry beast.


    At this moment, he seemed to finally understand something and clenched his hands in prayer.


    This was retribution.


    ******


    In the conference hall of the federation, the top brass stood around the screen and stared at the inconceivable side before them. The fanatical desire for revenge has turned into terrible power, destroying, shattering, and reshaping everything around it.


    This scene was so terrifying and so spectacular, It caught everyone''s eyes with an almost evil charm, shocking them physically and mentally, and could hardly move their feet.


    "Sir what are we going to do!"


    The man with a heavy black beard slapped the table below him heavily, his beard shook with anger and he pointed a finger to the door¨C


    "Go to Institute and bring everyone back!"


    *****


    Floating on the silent and cold space, was a silent warship. This warship was huge, almost twice the size of the Steran. The black steel-encased on the outside was s indestructible. The outline of the ship was concise. The top-of-the-line interstellar cannons had a black hole muzzle from under the outer protective layer.


    The ship was like a sleeping beast covered with heavy protective covers. Inside the pitch-black anti-aircraft glass layer of the starship, is the cold and wide captain''s room, the widescreen completely covers the walls.


    Reflected in the cold light was a beautiful red merman lying in a bed of roses and thorns.


    In the captain''s room engulfed by darkness, the blue light from the electronic screen outlined the figure of the man not far away.


    He stood in front of the screen with his hands behind his back, broad shoulders, straight legs, and his extremely tall stature gave him a heavy sense of oppression and strength.


    There was an almost terrifying aura on his body and a kind of biting coldness that seemed to seep from his bones. Suppressed and restrained by an extremely powerful restraint that made people tremble from the depths of their souls.


    In the darkness, a low, hoarse chuckle sounded soft.


    "interesting."


    But soon the cabin grew quiet again as if the voice had never appeared.

 Chapter 130 - The Institute (END)

    Roll!¨C


    There was a brief moment of suffocating silence inside his head. Then a low chuckle faintly appeared, it was hoarse and dull but carried with it an inexplicable cold chill. The paranoia and obsession that laced his heart were like a sweet poison, although he knew it would hurt, he still chased that addicting sweetness.


    "Chu Yi."


    "Chu Yi."


    "Chu Yi."


    The merman''s brows furrowed as if was enduring a type of pain, the red flush that appeared on the white torso and traveled up to his cheeks resembled a thin layer of red cinnabar lightly traced along the thin lines of his body. The merman tail fluttered slightly, the black roses that made a soft bed beneath him seemed to cry out vaguely and slowly coiled around his body.


    Chu Yi''s expression was alienated and unpredictable, and his lips still wore a smile. He seemed to be very satisfied with the chaos he had caused, and he seemed to be showing scorn and sarcasm at something far and distant. The voice paused and whispered something lowly as if carefully cherishing every syllable, but Chu Yi could not discern the meaning.


    With a final chuckle, the voice disappeared.


    Everything stopped.


    The whip that R89 held in his hands paused unnaturally in its final swing. He seemed to realize something and gazed down at Chu Yi incredulously before swinging his head violently to the side to look at the blank screen situated in the middle of the room. Now it only showed one thing,


    [Transfer complete.]


    His pupils trembled slightly and he turned back. Looking at the merman lying on the roses beneath him, he couldn''t help but laugh mirthlessly "Chu Yi...Chu Yi....you prepared a big surprise for me didn''t you."


    No one answered but in those glaring red pupils, he seemed to see a sly and mocking emotion hidden in the depths of his eyes. R89 shook his head slightly, and laughed "It seems that I can only admit defeat."


    He was very unwilling in his heart, but the one hour that the system had given for the final scene was already up and he didn''t have the power to fight against it. However, he could still leave Chu Yi one last gift.


    In Chu Yi''s eyes, the man suddenly let out a strange grin and stepped back. In the next second a system notification appeared in his mind.


    [Player Chu Yi has been marked as the exclusive upgraded version of the original experiment codenamed ''Black cat'' therefore the player has been granted access to the High-Level derivative Copy ''The Federation''. The player will be forcibly entered upon the players'' graduation to Official. The plot point where the player will originate will not be determined by the system.]


    R89 stepped back, grinned happily, and disappeared before Chu Yi could react. He was looking forward to seeing him again.


    The muscles under Chu Yi''s body were like a bow that was pulled to the maximum extent, and his expressionless face was like a deep pool of water, unable to stir a single ripple.


    No one could see that in the depths of those dark and gloomy eyes, there was an almost maddening calm. His pupils tightened due to extreme excitement and stimulation, and his nose was slightly widened like a hunting dog smelling blood.


    He was indulged in a state of frenzied excitement, his finger bones rattled with force, and sharp white tiger teeth appeared from the corners of his slightly raised lips, like a beast that had found its newest prey.


    The room fell into a depressing silence.


    His eyes shifted slightly and Tang Shun appeared above him, on his back lay an unconscious Chao Bin. Tang Shun had turned to a bright yellow and Chu Yi could sense the cold anger billowing off his body in waves.


    "Mu Fang?"


    Tang Shun nodded slightly and threw something into his hands. A syringe. The syringe had been filled with the contents of the bottle he had given Chao Bin.


    "Do you need my help?"


    Chu Yi shook his head and smirked dangerously.


    Tang Shun stared down at the beautiful red merman for a moment before looking away, "Ok." There was no need for further conversation.


    He couldn''t interfere.


    This was Chu Yi''s game.


    He tightly grasped Chao Bin on his back and walked away, stepping over the sea of vines."Good luck."


    Chu Yi''s hoarse laugh came from behind him as if spurring the phrase, only the silence remained.


    Chu Yi looked towards the void, the sticky and malicious stare had never left him as if it waiting for something. For him.


    Chu Yi''s grin widened "Suddenly, I''m willing to sacrifice myself to you..."


    "Siren."


    Before Chu Yi could regain his senses, someone instantly appeared in the empty room. The man''s hot and aggressive aura surged forward like a thunderous waterfall, a suffocating and fatal sense of oppression, wrapping and squeezing every inch of air, and arrogantly encroaching on all his sensory perceptions.


    The eyes that looked at him were cold and crazy, "You can''t regret it."


    His waist was firmly clasped by the strong arm like steel pouring, and the severe pain that crushed his skeletal muscles roared like a landslide and tsunami. The hot and dry palm of the man pressed tightly onto his throat and then eased. Before slowly tightening again, pushing out the remaining oxygen in his lungs little by little, giving him the illusion that he was about to suffocate.


    A sharp-clawed hand slowly lifted, tracing along with the chest heaving like a dying bird and slowly pierced into his skin.


    In the silent yet chaotic room, the thin young man seemed to melt into the darkness behind him. His chest was pierced, and the red blood poured from the slick mouth, flowing down like a ribbon on the ground. Converging into beautiful streams and lakes.


    The scarlet eyes rolled with violent anger in the depths, like a beast that was touched by the scales, the pure and terrible madness set off a huge wave, and the sharp fangs flashed with a cold and cruel light, shouting with an astonishing bloodthirsty impulse.


    Those cruel eyes started with an indifferent and ruthless obsession. Blood fell from Chu Yi''s side to mix with the black roses. Chu Yi felt a cold chill enter his body and his head turned strenuously to see that the merman was forcefully stuffing a pearl inside his chest. Cold fingers dug through his flesh, blood spurting in waves as the pearl was placed lightly next to his beating heart.


    Chu Yi threw his head back heavily, the alternating feeling of hot and cold drove him crazy, tears fell from hot eyes slowly dripping from his face to mix with the blood beneath him.


    The merman''s eyes dilated sharply but the hand that dug into his skin did not stop. He couldn''t let go, he really couldn''t let go.


    When the hands withdrew from Chu Yi, they were fully covered in blood. Only the sound of heavy and harsh breathing filled the air. Slowly the merman lowered his head and placed a gentle kiss onto the wound.


    Miraculously the flesh started to heal, pulling together to close around the still-beating heart, and the pearl now permanently merged with his body, leaving only a layer of blood on the thin white chest. Chu Yi didn''t speak but a subtle laugh suddenly bubbled in his throat, like crying and like laughing, when his hands withdrew from his face, eyes still stained with tears looked at the man before him.


    His lips stretched into a bloody grin and he laughed. The merman stared at him for a moment, before inexplicably lowering his head and buried his head beside Chu Yi''s neck. One hand pinched the black-haired youth''s chin and circled his neck. The swan-like neck is slender, and the skin exudes a radiant and clean light but now it had been bruised by strong hands.


    Droplets of tears slid down the side of his neck, running down trails of ambiguous and damp water. The merman looked gloomily for a few seconds, before suddenly opening his lips and licking the watermark.


    Chu Yi''s body trembled slightly and he raised a hand as if to push him away but in the next instant, the merman sealed his lips ruthlessly.


    His lips and tongue were bullied fiercely again. The hand behind his neck moved forcefully, and he was pulled even deeper into him. The merman''s posture was strong, and couldn''t be rejected. Chu Yi laughed slightly and seemed to want to pull the merman closer but his red eyes only flashed cruelly.


    In the next second, a cold injection suddenly slipped out of Chu Yi''s hand. The steel needle briefly flashed with a ruthless cold light under the dim light of the room, and without warning, Chu Yi twisted his wrist and pierced the sharp needle into the skin behind the merman''s neck. The action was ruthless and decisive, without any hesitation or nervousness, he pressed the syringe firmly.


    The transparent and colorless liquid was injected into his body in an instant.


    The merman opened his eyes abruptly, his handsome face flushed with an expression of anger and desperation after being deceived, and he began to struggle violently.


    A violent fear struck his heart, a fear he was all too familiar with.


    Chu Yi let the syringe fall back, his eyes drooping slightly, his expression was gentle and indifferent, he pressed against the opponent''s ear and murmured:


    "Shh."


    In Chu Yi''s chaotic red eyes, the merman''s figure disappeared rapidly. Leaving only him to lie in a bed of black roses like a beautiful God that had been abandoned as the world came crashing down beside him.


    On his chest, a strange red pattern appeared.


    The building rumbled and shook. If any of the players had been outside they would have seen the three huge silver grabbing ropes tearing through the void! The heavy steel ropes tore through every inch of the sky, bringing with a slight crackling sound, that ran chills up the spine. But in a blink of an eye, they would have realized, these chills were not simply because of panic and fear, but because of static electricity that coursed throughout the entire rope.


    The heavy rope crashed into the ground, shaking unceasingly with the crumbling and shaking ground, dust billowed heavily and the cold wind was like sharp blades slashing against the skin.


    The grappling line accurately rolled down the edge of the debris and went under the Institute''s base. The pointed end of the metal long ropes hooked under the tall buildings and slowly exerted force, the sound of the creaking and rumbling was harsh.


    The fragments of the entire building were held firmly by these three grasping ropes!


    The players inside only felt the building shift and they eere6 slammed against the wall several times in the irresistible vibration, shouting panicked and fearful, "What is happening!!"


    No one could give them the answer.


    As soon as their voices fell, a huge silver object slowly emerged from the dark sky. It was made up of several oblate circles of different sizes. At first glance, it looked like several steel spiders had gathered together in groups. And the three grabbing ropes were hanging down from the iron spider.


    Behind the ship, multiple black dots appeared on the horizon. Slowly growing bigger and bigger until hundreds of dark starships appeared in the sky above the Institute.


    Those three grabbing lines didn''t look sturdy, but they were surprisingly strong. After all, they were made by combining the precious lithin ore mined for years by the residents of the abandoned planet and a combination of renuu steel. These lines have been dragged between the stars for hundreds of years, and the wear rate was less than 44%.


    Such a thing as wanting to pull a building directly from its roots was a piece of cake.


    Moreover, the claws on the top of the metal cable are hollow, and the inner structure was sophisticated and complex, it could construct a powerful energy field that would encase the building the moment of successfully uprooting the target.


    Hum!¡ª


    The trembling sound came from the bottom of the building. An energy field with a huge repelling force has already taken shape. With an irresistible vibration, the force field coordinated with the pulling of the grasping cable, and the heavy debris was pulled upwards!


    Under the influence of the huge shock, the Institute that had been untouched for centuries was finally ripped from the ground of the planet. The scattered dust that fell from the base did not spread, nor did it fall to the ground, but instead rushed upward. The heavy walls creaked and trembled the faint screaming and cries of voices echoed between broken walls.


    Only a deep gaping hole was left from the ruins. The pitch-black building was slowly lifted to the sky, the bright rays of the sun reflecting coldly off the shining metallic structure. The once prestigious and important Institute was now like a piece of heavy scrap metal that would be crushed and thrown away into the darkest depths of the universe.


    Just then something changed.


    From the void, bare hands suddenly grabbed onto the heavy metal chains!


    The hand holding it was long and thin, but the bulging bones and joints showed inescapable strength.


    When the beautiful hand touched the metal surface of the grappling rope, it made a crackling sound, like water dripping into the boiling pan containing hot oil. Just listening to it, you could imagine that the skin was burnt and mangled, the agonizing pain was like magma coursing through his veins.


    But the person who grabbed the ropes didn''t seem to feel any pain, the ghostly blues seemed to imprint the hanging building into his eyes. Those eyes were desperate and bloody, hidden beneath was a kind of heavy fear as if his most precious things were being torn away from him.


    The man''s hand was burned until even the white bone beneath the flesh could be vaguely seen but still, he clung to the ropes frenziedly, a crazed and paranoid expression on his face. The man hung above the sky, the cold and harsh glare of the sun slamming into his cold pupils.


    The white ship seemed to feel something, and the heavy cords had held the Institute slowly withdrew. The heavy and unbearable pressure in the powerful energy field became chaotic and distorted smashing into the man''s body like a steel train.


    The outer circle of hidden matter formed by the ropes has an irresistible gravitational force on the. In the blink of an eye, the grappling rope was sucked in, as if there is an invisible big hand, cutting away the man''s last hope. Blue eyes stared unceasingly at the metal building that was being carried away, dark red blood spurting from his lips, and his body shook as if every bone in his body was being broken.


    When the thing he was waiting for never appeared, a light seemed to be outed in his eyes and slowly he released his hand.


    In the bottomless space, a man fell from the skies like a star that had been its final light. Only the blood that stained the metal ropes was the only thing left as a reminder to him.


    Chu Yi who lay among the bed of roses slowly opened his eyes, a strange and cruel grin appearing in the corner of his lips.


    Rumble¡ª


    The outer layer of the planet carried a dense forcefield of would be activated once the original planet is forcibly invaded by foreign objects, but could only be formed by the Institute.


    Behind the ships that left, bright yellow energy-matter shot from the dark canons passed through the ozone layer of the planet, densely packed, and shot down at an extremely fast speed, like a grand fire rain blessing the land!


    They rushed in, with a strong sense of oppression, as if they were about to collide and crash in the next second. However, the visual effect and the actual distance had a considerable error, and the fireballs finally roared and landed in the far corner of the planet. When the first one fell, the whole ground trembled, then the second, the third...


    The whole earth trembled constantly, filled with a sense of death and destruction as the planet was destroyed!


    [Ding! The Copy ''The Institute'' has been successfully cleared. Please prepare for transportation back to the Main world]

 Chapter 131 - The Organization (1)

    [Player 50001, congratulations on completing the derivative script <The Institute>, the system is in transit... ]


    [Transfer is completed, rewards are being settled .....]


    [1. Completed the interstellar script <The Institute (C)(Low Magic)> with a 76% completion rate and obtained gold (A)rating;


    Successfully cracked the interstellar script <The Secrets of the Federation (Low Magic)>, with a cracking rate of 62%, Gold (A)rating;


    3. Make the Residents of the abandoned planet aware of the darkness of the Institute;


    4. Cause the temporary destruction of the Institute and shake the roots of the Federation;


    5. Attract the attention of the experiment bodies in the Institute and successfully defeat them.


    5. Other; rewards are as follows:


    Psuedo- Script Completion (Upgradable Mission) (Low magic Gold level), 150 world coins;


    Access Card (fixed), Gold treasure chest (medium magic);


    A merman''s scale;


    A sealed letter;


    R89''s approval seal;


    Ticket to the derivative script the Federation(Team Mission);


    500 world Coins;]


    [Evaluating Performance...]


    [Comprehensive Rating A-]


    [Instance Evaluating....]


    [Damage to Copy <(Low Level)(77%)>}


    [NPC Comprehensive Rating, Silver (A) Rating.]


    [Final Evaluation Silver (A) Rating]


    [Because player 50001 participates in the script task for the third time with a comprehensive rating of (A), an additional bonus of the 100 world coins will be added ]


    [Player No. 50001 is detected to carry an unknown vessel inside the player''s body. The vessel was detected to carry traces of experiment body 50001 in derivative Copy <The Institute>. Present benefits to player 1:Allows players to breathe underwater. Side Effects: Player will be in constant need of fluid.]


    [2. Players will be able to bewitch low-level creatures and humans that are unguarded to the user. Magnify and induce negative emotions.]


    [3. Players will have a deterring effect on low-level creatures. This effect is magnified on sea creatures.]


    [Vessel detected to be upgradeable. Unable to purge. The Player has been added the bloodline of a siren. (Low Level) Upgrade conditions must be discovered by players themselves.]


    [Conditon of the body is detected to be in urgent need of repair. 20 coins will be deducted for repair. Carry out procedure?]


    "Confirm."


    [Body repair begins... repair completed.]


    [Player 50001 physical condition: good.]


    [No. 50001 player as the leading contributor indirectly which exposed the Institute and revealed the mastermind. As a bonus, 15 World coins will be added and 10 points of contribution will be deducted;]


    [Player 50001 completes the second original script <(Interstellar)>, rewarded 40 world coins and a gold iron treasure chest (medium magic)


    [No.50001 player magic script <The Institute (Interstellar)> has a completion rate of 73%, a cracking rate of 60%, a silver evaluation, and a reward of 35 contribution points; the physical fitness is improving ... the improvement is completed. ]


    [Player 50001 completed the second initial mission, awarded: access to A zone, a team contract, Ticket to the derivative script ''The Federation'', and the exclusive title of destroyer only awarded to reserve players.


    [No. 50001, reserve player Chu Yi, the interstellar script <The Institute(Upgradable)> is settled, please continue to work hard to guide the game, see you next time! ]


    Chu Yi opened his eyes and was greeted with the familiar sight of the players rushing from the raised platform. There was a phantom illusion of soreness from the two slender legs that were revealed. The injuries from before had disappeared but Chu Yi seemed to still feel a faint tingling in his chest.


    He blinked his eyes slowly and looked around. New players covered in blood and wounds stood mindlessly on the platform. The other player, obviously veterans would hurry away, making a straight beeline for the oppressive, black tower that seemed to pierce the sky in the center of the city.


    Chu Yi lifted his head to the sky, the pure white clouds above were in direct contrast to the wind that cut like sharp blades brushing against his cheeks. It seemed that every time he arrived here, the sun only seemed to get brighter as if trying to hide the depression and gloom of the city.


    He lifted his hand and glanced thoughtfully at his wrist. Unbeknownst to him, a pure black rose had been tattooed onto the pale skin. The petals of the rose seemed to carry a hit of crimson red on the tip obscured by a faint black shadow. There was no system notification about the tattoo but Chu Yi already had a hint about its origin.


    There was a flutter of birds overhead.


    Just then, a sharp scream suddenly came from beside him as a man appeared with a flash of light on the platform. His body had been ripped in half leaving only the sprawling entrails of intestines and blood leaking from his torso. After sending him an indifferent gaze, Chu withdrew his stare. Such a scene was common in the city, unless the man had enough points for automatic healing, he would die here.


    No-one stopped to give the dying man a second look and Chu Yi decided not to stay here any longer.


    The beautiful man strolled through the dark city, eyes as dark as a crimson rose lifted lazily. The pure white skin glistened softly, like a ray of moonlight had condensed into his body. Those peach blossom eyes were slightly raised, clearly very indifferent, but because of the little redness stained at the corner of his eyes, some people''s hearts were moved.


    Ling Ci had brought a group of younger brothers today to meet with some of the B rank players to scout them into the next multiplayer instance being performed by a few top brasses in the organization. He didn''t have many expectations for today but who would have thought his good luck would lead to him chancing upon such an immortal beauty. A lecherous and arrogant smirk appeared on his lips.


    Even before he came to the Shuttle, he had been jailed several times for harassment of young school girls. The Shuttle only sought to release his urges even more wantonly and the foster of his bigger brother served to make him even more lawless. Although he was more interested in the soft bosom of women, he didn''t mind changing tastes every once in a while.


    The lustful beady eyes scanned the thin waist, unable to stop the wild imagination that sprung up in his mind.


    "Hey! Beauty look here!"


    Chu Yi''s dark eyelashes looked up, Ling Ci had the delusion that those peach blossom eyes were looking at him affectionately, like an incomparably weak beauty. He adjusted the purple turban on his head, signaled something to his brothers, and walked over arrogantly.


    Chu Yi furrowed his brows, annoyance leaking into the cool red eyes. The gaze the rough and tall man used to look at him was sickening, but before he could walk away, he lifted his head to see that he had been surrounded.


    This was the posture of forcefully kidnapping and they were familiar with this routine. The bystanders quickly recognized this player.


    The younger brother of the voice precedent of the notorious Purple Turbans.


    Ling Ce stood before the beauty and the more he looked, the more he liked him. None of the coquettish bitches that worked in the towers could compare to this man before him and although he tried to hide it, the increasingly heated gaze he used to look at Chu Yi betrayed his inner mind.


    In a faux gentleman manner, he asked, "Beauty, what''s your name?"


    Chu Yi stared coldly and didn''t answer.


    "My name is Ling Ci and these are my brother''s." Deliberately adjusting the purple turban on his head, he licked his lips at Chu Yi.


    "Beauty, I haven''t seen you around so I''m assuming you are a rookie. It just so happens that I''m recently collected a new prop. I don''t know if you heard about it but it''s a high-grade prop that can be used to make up for one life. I see that you''re so beautiful, why don''t I give it to you."


    The bystanders that were originally just eating melon seeds immediately changed faces. This prop was infamous among players.


    A grin slowly spread on Chu Yi''s face as if flattering.


    Ling Ci felt complacent in his heart, and his speech couldn''t help but speed up, "Beauty don''t you know that it''s dangerous being on the streets by yourself. Bad people are everywhere in this city and if you''re not careful you''ll be taken away and have indescribable things done to you."


    Seeing the fluttering eyelashes gently blinking at him, Ling Ci suddenly did not want to wait anymore.


    His brothers snickered maliciously and echoed his words. Ling Ci''s grin grew wider. "Beauty, this big brother is only looking after you. Let this big brother take you away. You can live with me in my base and I''ll make sure to take good care of you¨C"


    The man didn''t wait for Chu Yi to react before reaching out to grab his arm. Black eyes burst with a heavy excitement!


    Coldness brewed in the depths of Zhu Yi''s eyes, the hands at his side clenched slightly. In his palm, a dark red knife appeared!


    The lecherous and wanton smile of Ling Ci''s face froze, the cold and biting chill that spread from the metal pressed against his body made him shiver. Ling Ci''s eyes widened shockingly.


    "You¨C"


    Chu Yi gently pressed the knife against his crotch, his voice whispered, incomparably sweet. "Ling Ci...have you ever been castrated."


    Ling Ci''s face turned green but from his mouth, only threatening words left.


    "Do you know who you''re playing with? Do you know who I am¨C"


    Before he could finish speaking, the knife was pressed even harder onto his male root.


    "Are you sure you want to keep talking?"


    The man''s lips twitched slightly.


    Chu Yi tilted his head and smiled harder,


    "Which one do you think is faster. Your organization or my knife..."


    His smile dropped sharply.


    "Move."


    Ling Ci grimaced and waved at his brothers behind them, although his male root could be reattached if it was chopped off, he wouldn''t be able to stand the piercing and suspicious gaze of the people around him. He was just a regular D grade player, if it wasn''t for his brother would have died long ago in the Nightmare Shuttle.


    His younger brothers looked at each other and slowly cleared a path. Chu Yi smiled, the glaring red eyes were filled with a biting chill. He slowly lifted his hand away from Ling Ci. With a slight sneer, he flicked and wiped it on Ling Ci''s shirt as if wiping away something dirty.


    Although he wasn''t hurt, Ling Ci would have rathered Chu Yi had fought him.


    When the beautiful back of Chu Yi strolled away, only a suffocating and embarrassing silence was left. After a moment Ling Ci shouted angrily to his brothers, "Let''s go!" and sent a gloomy gaze to the left-back he turned the opposite way. Almost immediately he opened his system and clicked on a familiar name.


    Big Brother.


    It wasn''t long before his request was approved.


    Chu Yi quickly put the previous events behind him and checked his storage bar. It was now filled with a few more things. The Conductors Playing Card(Summoning Card), gold treasure chest ¡Á2 (medium magic), a sweet lollipop, Madman''s Sword,(untradeable)(Natal soul-killing weapon (Irius), The Conductors'' letter, Evil Ghosts Approval Ticket, Xing Ling''s Red Bow, A dirty doll. Spirit Gun. A mermaids scale. R89''s approval seal; A sealed letter. Dark iron treasure chest¡Á3 (low magic), as well as 1085 World coins and 45 contribution points.


    At the top of the storage, the column marked "Achievement" was now filled with an additional grey screenshot of <The Institute>, covered with a Gold Medal of "Gold Evaluation".


    Below the "Achievement" column was the character attributes:


    Name: Chu Yi


    (Reserve Player); Number: 50001; Title: Destroyer


    (available for official players); Race: Human; Physical State: Good; Physical Fitness: Excellent; Curse(s): None.


    Chu Yi thought for a moment and glanced at his character panel, the cluttered and random items in his space were displayed. Just as he was contemplating what to do with them, a crisp ding sounded followed by multiple system notifications.


    [Player 1014. Chao Bin sends a friend request.]


    [Player 5599. Tang Shun sends a friend request.]


    [Player 8810. Shi Xiaodong sends a friend request.]


    [Player 5002. Lui Quishi sends a friend request.]


    Chu Yi raised a brow and passed the next street, red eyes narrowing slightly. It was pretty evident who these people were and after a moment''s hesitation, he still decided to approve these requests. Almost immediately after, there came countless pings from two of the friends added. His brows furrowed slightly and without hesitation, he blocked them.


    "....."


    "....!"


    The world was silent.


    It was only after he had reached back to his residence did two tentative dings come from the interface once more. It resembled two naughty dogs that had been scolded and were now reaching out with a single paw to test their owners'' reactions. Against his better judgment, Chu Yi accepted them again.


    [Chu Yi! Do you have any enmity with the purple turbans!]


    [Chu Yi what kind of deep-set hatred do you have with the purple turbans?!]


    At this moment the other two, although not as urgent also sent a message asking whether he had any interactions with the purple turbans. It took a moment for Chu Yi to even remember who they were talking about and with a raised eyebrow he sent out a single question mark.


    But the others inexplicably understood his meaning.


    Almost immediately Lui Quishi sent him a long message, [It''s said that the Purple Turbans have set out a bounty on your head for 1000 world coins! And the details of the mission asks a bunch of people to find you, and follow you into the next instance to punish you!]


    [They didn''t outright come to you because they''re giving you a death notice!]


    [Don''t you know, the purple turbans are notorious for their punishments. A lot of people who''ve watched come out crying and screaming. Some people say that they will use the most painful and slowest ways to push their enemies to death! That''s why every newcomer is warned not to offend them. How did you get on their bad side?!]


    Chu Yi''s squinted his eyes and stared at the screen, a small grin appearing at the corner of his lips. He wanted to see what kind of methods they would use to slowly push him to death. Chu Yi was more concerned about another thing, he clicked onto Tang Shun''s card and slowly sent a message.


    [Is there an auction house in Black City?]


    On the other side, Tang Shuns eyes flashed behind the silver glasses.


    [Yes. On the sixth floor of the towers.]


    At the same, a golden invitation was sent to him.


    [Black Cities annual auction: The Death Store]

 Chapter 132 - The Bath (2)

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    The restaurant was dimly lit with warm orange light. The musician was playing the piano on the stage, and the melodious sound from the elegant fingers pressing against the keys flowed in the hall. This restaurant attaches great importance to the privacy of guests and is famous in Black City for being exclusively run by a top player in the A-zone. Each table is separated by a green wall and a solid wood wine rack.


    Chao Bin cut up the delicate matcha custard cake on the plate, forked a piece, and put it in his mouth. The fragrance of matcha custard blended with the softness of the cake, and it melted in his mouth. He couldn''t help but squint happily, looking at the hand of the man in front of him. Who in direct contrast to him was cutting a juicy steak. Those hands were fair and slender, with perfect shapes, and when they held the knife and fork, they were even more pleasing to the eye. After the last instance, Tang Shun had quickly found it and gave him a prop to help wash away the negative effects of the curse that was placed on his body.


    Chao Bin supported his chin with one hand, licked the cream on his fork, and then forked another piece of cake and put it in his mouth. This meal was a far cry from the mush they had eaten for thirty days in the Institute. Tang Shun lifted his head and glanced at the boy in front of him, the amber eyes were defused with a happy glow, unlike the agonized and painful look when he found him hunched over in front of the screen, suppressing painful screams.


    He didn''t know when but Chao Bin had been targeted with a curse, a particularly vicious one that would rapidly drain most of the host''s soul and essentially allow the user to gain twice the strength and luck for a brief moment. The feeling of someone''s soul tearing was equivalent to thousands of cuts being slowly sliced into the skin.


    Before he could trace the source, the copy had ended but It didn''t matter he would slowly find him in any case. He glanced at his watch, the invitation had been sent out and he had established contact.


    They would meet again on the day of the auction.


    *****


    In another restaurant, there was a faint knock on the door. In the VIP box at the back of the room, a small window for delivering wine was opened, revealing two slender and beautiful hands wearing white fingerless gloves. The fingers crossed each other leisurely, and on the thumb of the right hand was a white square ring with a rose flower engraved on it.


    Just looking at those two hands, you can already imagine a graceful gentleman, with two long legs crossed. Relaxed and Content.


    The waiter outsider got some sort of signal, opened the door, and walked in. Tapping on the partition before him.


    Seeing that the person opposite him didn''t respond, the waiter tapped the window with his hand again, a silent urging. As if getting some sort of signal, slowly a clear film was pushed over and appeared in the man''s field of vision. The man on the other side examined the photo with interest.


    Almost immediately, the glaring bright red eyes from the man in the photo made his crossed hands stagnate for a moment, and then he laughed with interest. "Is It him?"


    The waiter nodded surreptitiously,


    The man on the other revealed a strange bloody grin, "He seems very....delicious."


    The waiter inexplicably shuddered, feeling a type of pity for the man in the photo.


    Although he behaves and talks like a lunatic, his appearance except for the ghost face mask was too neat and clean, it can even be called elegant, but only a beast lives in this beautiful skin.


    The man pulled back the photo and in one a dark red bloody Mary suddenly appeared. The crimson red liquid sloshed faintly inside the transparent glass, contrasting sharply against the cold white gloves the man wore. He took a sip, the burning sting traveling down his throat to his stomach. The arc on his lips grew wider and from the dark box, the voice appeared again.


    "Call my trash of a younger brother here."


    The waiter nodded and turned away, unable to see that from behind him, in the cup of wine, a strange red flower had bloomed.


    ******


    Chu Yi felt that his body was too tightly wound. Since clearing the instance, he had been stuck in a perpetual state of heightened vigilance and excitement to the point where even in his sleep, his mind would still be replaying the scenes of the Institute back to him. This was a problem he had overlooked, days of high stress had inevitably taken their toll on him. Unless he found a way to calm his nerves, the next instance would become very difficult.


    He needed to relax.


    After a few nights of restless sleep, he finally remembered the pamphlet that he had gotten on his first day in Black City. It listed all the services offered by the system to players. Although it took him an hour of rummaging before he eventually found it, discarded at the bottom of his bed.


    The services listed there ranged from training centers to massage parlors.


    After a quick scan, he found what he was looking for.


    Rose Castle.


    A Suana.


    Since he decided so something, he didn''t delay any further. Grabbing a black mask and a pair of glasses, Chu Yi walked out. Entirely without the consciousness of being a man with a bounty on his head. What he found, was a large building situated a few streets across from him. From the outside, the Rose Castle looked like a majestic building complex, but from the inside, it was a huge high-tech city that is connected. It was surrounded by numerous rose bushes whereby it got its name.


    The entire building was devoid of human life, however, it wasn''t empty. The multiple flashing screens and robots moving around the building showed that this entire place was being run autonomously.


    There didn''t seem to be anyone other than him here, and after confirming the transfer of world coins, Chu Yi was directed to a large screen to choose his assistant. From cute to charming, anything that the customer could desire was displayed on the screen. However, only one robot caught his attention.


    The robot''s temperament on the screen seemed gloomy, its expression was indifferent, with an extremely strong sense of abstinence. Covered a little by the long black hair, there was a raised Adam''s apple in the middle, and the shape perfectly sit against the fair background, like the forbidden fruit created by God in the Garden of Eden.


    ¡ª¡ªIt seems that people were born to be bitten greedily and slowly.


    Chu Yi''s eyes flashed with interest and he slowly clicked onto the robot''s page to confirm. The screen seemed to pause before another prompt came up,


    [Are you sure about Robot: 880 as your assistant?]


    Chu Yi grinned wickedly, "Yes."


    The screen then flashed twice before directing Chu Yi to the elevator on the side of the building.


    When he was riding up the glass elevator, he looked to the back of the building. In the afterglow of the sunset, the back garden was shrouded in a layer of light mist. It could only be seen vaguely, that there seems to be a fountain hidden deep in the rose bushes.


    He was directed to the sauna by a flashing green sign in the empty corridor.


    Inside was his assistant. When he entered, the robot bowed deeply at him, "Good day, sir. I am your personal assistant Ruezhen. I will be here to serve you to the best of my abilities" Nevertheless, the indifferent expression on its face did not drop.


    Chu Yi nodded lazily and looked past him,


    The bath was huge and the steam billowed out in the thick white mist. Springwater was continuously being poured into the bath from the large stone carvings on the side. There are countless exquisite reliefs on the walls of the pool, and the top was a colorful stained glass.


    A faint light entered through the glass dome, and the dense steam filled the air with a dreamy and blurred effect. It reminded Chu Yi of the holy ponds that were only used for sacred events.


    "What a beautiful bath." Sighing softly, he raised his hand to touch the button of his shirt, thought for a while, then suddenly turned his face and smiled at the robot standing behind him. "Sir, do you want to wash together?"


    The young man''s voice was hoarse, with a bit of laziness, as if it was just a casual invitation.


    His white shirt was soaked through, framing the slender shoulder blades and the slightly sunken waist. When he turned his head to look back, there were still droplets of water dripping down his sharp chin.


    Perhaps the steam in the bath was too strong, or perhaps the clothes on his body were wrapped too tightly, the cold robot fell the illusion of being hot. His gloved hands stiffened slightly, and he said coldly, "I''m not allowed to go outside of my duties, Sir.."


    "Is that so?" Chu Yi clicked his tongue faintly as if regretting something, "Oh, I was waiting for another type of service. I guess I won''t find it here."


    The robot Ruezhen felt as if its circuits had short-circuited.


    What...what kind of service...


    Looking at the young man''s soft and beautiful eyebrows, the robot smelled the aroma of roses on the tip of its nose. He was silent for a moment, then said, "...Guest can enjoy the best services within the policies of the hotel ."


    Chu Yi stared at him with red eyes, his eyelashes stained with water droplets blinked, and his lips curved slightly.


    "Okay, Ruezhen."


    The teasing emotion in his heart only got, stronger. As if seeing a tightly wrapped gift package, the only thing he wanted to do was rip it apart and peak at the contents inside.


    The softly dragging lilt felt like a feather being brushed against his heart.


    On the agate stone table next to the bathtub, there were a few bath towels and various toiletries. Chu Yi walked to the table and sat down, with his back to Ruezhen, raised his hand, and unbuttoned his shirt.


    He didn''t seem to care too much about whether there were people around him. He peeled off his soaked clothes, revealing his bareback, the pants on him had not been taken off, but he bent down slightly and leaned over to get a basket of rose petals on the table.


    The basket is far away, when he stretched the waistline on his back was deeply bent, and the two lumbar dimples at his tailbone were more obvious. As if they were born from nature, allowing people to comfortably hold his waist with both hands, and crush them with heavy thumbs.


    He didn''t seem to be aware of it himself. He took the basket of petals, hugged it in his arms, and walked over to the steaming water.


    Chu Yi poured all the rose petals into the bathtub, took off his pants, shoes, and socks slowly, before stepping into the pool.


    The water was hot.


    It was so hot that he narrowed his eyes comfortably, and the residual chill in his body dissipated. The sound of hot water pouring into the pool through the stone carvings clattered, and he licked his lips, feeling a little hungry.


    However, he didn''t know what he was hungry for.


    He sank himself into the water, came out, the water pouting from his head, turned, and hooked at the robot.


    "Come over."


    Ruezhen walked over according to the words.


    "Press my shoulders." He leaned against the pool and instructed lazily.


    Ruezhen seemed to freeze for a moment before the program responded, squatted down, and pressed the cold robotic hand onto his shoulder. When he pressed the white shoulder, Chu Yi''s back suddenly trembled, and he immediately felt a familiar breath encasing him.


    Warm, scorching, rich.


    Although it was very little compared to the others, almost as if it had been stripped of him.


    But it was there.


    He looked back at the robot who was rubbing his shoulders. The robot''s movements were stiff as if there was no such instruction in his program, and it was the first time as learned clumsily. The force of pressing and kneading was a little too heavy but this didn''t seem deliberate.


    Chu Yi''s cheeks were already flushed from the steam. He narrowed his eyes slightly, observing the other side''s appearance. Without a doubt, this was a very beautiful robot. It can even be described as handsome. The lines were smooth and sharp, except that they are not completely in pine with human mechanical aesthetics.


    But considering this was a robot that was worked in the Rose Palace, would it be unskilled in serving guests.


    This seems unlikely.


    Unless...Chu Yi''s lips curved slightly, this robot was never meant for servicing.


    But in any case, he didn''t stop it but the interest in the bottom of his eyes only grew deeper. Like a cat that had finally seen its favorite toy.


    "Ruezhen, can you get wet?" Chu Yi suddenly asked. The robot did not answer, and still silently pressed his shoulder. Chu Yi stared at it for a moment, then smiled deviously.


    "Forget it, if I break you later, what should I do in the future, Rue?"


    He raised his hand and grabbed the robot''s hand on his shoulder, interlocking his five fingers, and using the pulling strength, he bent his knees and climbed up from the high bath, kneeling on the edge of the pool.


    The robot''s movements have completely frozen.


    The young man in front of him was very close, his long black seaweed-like hair curled along his cheeks, on his shoulders, and his chest.


    His whole body was dripping wet, his skin was red from the hot spring, and his lips were red as if he was a coquettish ghost, ready to devour him.


    "Ruezhen," he said in a low voice, "go, get that bottle of rose essential oil on the table over there. Rub my back."


    After he finished speaking, he crouched down on the edge of the hot tub, before the robot could react. He didn''t have any clothes on, so he stretched out in the steam. The black rose tattoo would be around his wrist, only adding to this taboo beauty. The fair skin and the slender muscles on his back were visible to the naked eye, and some places go further down the waistline, which made Ruezhen scared to go further down.


    The robot didn''t move, it seemed that something went wrong with its program.


    Chu Yi waited for a little impatiently.


    He turned his head slightly, raised his eyes in confusion, and said dumbly.


    "Why don''t you move, sir, didn''t you say that you''d perform the services within your hotel''s policies. I''m pretty sure massage is one of them"


    "Go get the oil and give me a message."


    He raised his leg and kicked the robot.


    Before his leg could fall, a large hand suddenly grasped the frail ankle. When he looked back up, Chu Yi was surprised to see that the entire robot was now glowing a bright pink!


    Unconsciously Chu Yi paused,


    Can a robot get shy?.....


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 Chapter 133 - The Letter (3)

    The blush receded quickly, and Ruezhen''s program seemed to resume responding as it continued to move, letting go of the slender ankle. The steam in the bath curled up, the blurred light in the air was reflected on translucent agate stone.


    Ruezhen straightened up, went to the table where the items were placed, and brought the bottle of rose essential oil. He brought it with him, along with a small white bath towel. Chu Yi narrowed his eyes slightly, watching a cold blue light flashing in the robot''s electronic eyes.


    Under his curious gaze, Ruezhen hesitantly held the towel in one hand before he knelt and put the bath towel over his hips and legs, covering the entire scenery. Chu Yi raised his eyebrows slightly and suddenly gave a low laugh, resting his head on his arm, speaking hoarsely. "How stupid."


    Ruezhen was still silent as if the hotel had not installed any language programs for him that would be able to deal with a client like Chu Yi. It knelt on the floor of the bath like a silent guard.


    The rose essential oil was opened, and the fragrant aroma diffused in the air. The robot''s cold palm stroked Chu Yi''s back. Although it was icy cold, the stimulation of the oil and his skin only made him feel scorching hot. Chu Yi''s cheeks were a little rosy, and his red eyes blurred with a mist.


    His body slowly relaxed under the slowly billowing mist.


    He yawned again, letting out a soft sigh of heat, half-closing his eyes wearily. Rose essential oil was poured onto his back. The Ice-cold hands, the fragrant aroma. Although the robot worked in a massage shop, Ruezhen''s hands weren''t as soft as humans.


    Even with the lubrication of rose oil, the unskilled hands didn''t feel too comfortable when pressed on the back. "You don''t have enough strength." Chu Yi was a little picky. "Why are you so weak. Press a little harder. Use more force." It seemed that when facing the robot, Chu Yi was like a lazy and picky Persian cat.


    Ruezhen knelt on one knee and looked at the white back of the man in front of him. He didn''t know if it was an illusion but every time its hands would rub against the slender waist, the whole person would tremble imperceptibly. It pushed the urge to be bad down and continued to massage Chu Yi.


    "Go a little deeper " Chu Yi groaned and commanded lazily, "Don''t others even use their elbows when massaging? Why do you seem to be so afraid of using any strength."


    Ruezhen was silent for a moment, its body leaned forward slightly, and the two slender robotic arms pressed against the man''s back. Its eyes were unconsciously attracted to the snow-white slender neck. From this angle, one could see a small dark red mole in the middle of the opponent''s nape. It''s was hardly noticeable, but the bright red color was dazzling.


    It made people want to take a bite and taste the roses on him.


    Ruezhen stared at the mole for a while and paused with its elbow still on the owner''s back. Soon enough, Chu Yi bent his knee and kicked him again, "Come on." To further the command, it needs to get very close. The kick was sent right on the robot''s crotch.


    The robot''s program almost became unresponsive. It didn''t look at the red mole anymore, and could only lower its head to concentrate on giving the person in front of him a silent massage. Although the movements were not very skilled, at least he comforted this arrogant cat that would stretch out its claws and scratch people.


    Chu Yi turned lazily for a moment before remembering something. In his hand, a strange letter appeared. Lifting his eyes slightly, his lips curled up. The Conductors letter had been sitting in his storage space gathering dust for a long time. He was unwilling to open it at first mainly because of the anger in his heart that he couldn''t put down but since he was already here, he might as well see what that man had left him.


    He didn''t notice that from behind him, Ruezhen''s breathing suddenly grew heavier.


    He tore the envelope slowly, eyes filling with anticipation, and turned it over to spill the contents into his hands.


    "....?"


    To his surprise, it was a red insignia filled with strange black lines. The moment his eyes landed on the insignia, a burning pain suddenly erupted in his head! The insignia fell from his fingers and hit the floor, a pained grimace appearing on his face. It was almost as if something was being forcefully stuffed in his brain. Blurry and distorted memories appeared in his mind and slashed across his brain like sharp cuts. Ruezhen felt the man beneath his hands groan weakly and he looked down, only to be surprised at the pale and bloodless face that came into view.


    Chu Yi didn''t have to care about teasing the robot as he tried to shift through the pain and make sense of the images inside his head.


    The dark red blood moon hung high.


    It was as if he had woken up as another soul. In the absolute darkness, the god standing in front of the altar was hidden in the shadows, and only the pale lower jaw could be faintly seen under the dark hood. A hand engraved with black runes touched the center of his eyebrows, leaving a red mark. Tingling and burning sensations came from the other''s fingertips.


    The contract is made.


    The other party completely imprinted his breath into his soul. That powerful aura made him instinctively tremble and fear. He couldn''t withstand his power, hands reached out and rescued him from the altar, and clothed his naked body with new garbs.


    Pure Scarlet Robes.


    And to him, he commanded he will fulfill the contract, become a believer under the other party''s throne, and as the gatekeeper of the paradise, he will guard the other party''s gate for a hundred years. The god picked him up from the crowd of dark red roses. The soul body that has just woken up from death is soft and weak, and he could only snuggle in the other''s arms.


    There was an aura of perpetual tranquility on the other side. Maybe because of the contract, when the initial terror subsided, the other''s embrace made him feel a little attached. The other party carried him through the eternally silent night of the abyss and went to the temple above the floating sky. Ankiron bowed his head to welcome the return of the gods. The dark sanctuary bell rang. He said: "You will be baptized here." He was put into the blood-colored holy pool, and the boiling pool water soaked him, dyed his soul bright red, and washed away all the characteristics that once belonged to human beings in him.


    But then the gods fell.


    And naturally, the heavens were burnt.


    Before he could understand the images in his head, the memories suddenly receded like a falling tide. No matter how he tried to recall, Chu Yi could not remember the details of what he had just seen.


    The only thing that was deeply imprinted on him was a dark red rune.


    Chu Yi''s eyes snapped open and his chest heaved heavily, his body that had previously been relaxed tensed like an arrow that had been stretched too far. His eyes unconsciously fell on the insignia and a strange light appeared in his eyes. After a moment of thought, he picked it up again.


    The pain did not reappear again and this time he managed to observe the insignia closer. The black lines wound and spun around a red sun. Finally the words Chu Yi had been engraved into the bottom of the sun and with squinted eyes, he managed to make out another word.


    Paradise.


    He turned it around, an image was burnt into his retina. The deadly monster in a black priest''s robe stood in the bloody sea of ??corpses. Countless thorns spread out from behind him, covering the entire black city, wrapping countless monsters into corpses and broken bones to swallow and absorb, while it was bending over to touch a small white flower on the ground.


    Darkness and Purity intertwined.


    The red eyes narrowed dangerously at the thing in his eyes, unable to stop the bouts of suspicion and vigilance that sprouted in his heart. Everything was too strange, what connection did he have with this place and why couldn''t he remember. Everything seemed to have been shrouded in darkness and no matter how frantically he searched he could not find the answers he was hoping for.


    Chu Yi suddenly shuddered, the beautiful butterfly bones bulging out like a startled cat, the scent of rose essential in the air grew deeper and the wet and slick oil was poured onto his back. He turned his back,


    The cold lips of Ruezhen were pursed into a straight line, he didn''t say anything to him but somehow Chu Yi could sense a trace of dissatisfaction from the indifferent robot.


    The worries from before were pushed back down and Chu Yi couldn''t help but laugh. After continuing to enjoy the warm massage for a few more minutes, Chu Yi finally had enough.


    Chu Yi wore a white bathrobe with wet hair draped behind him and sat on the bench with Rue Zhen towering over him.


    The bathrobe was not very long, it only reached the end of his knee, and one could see the slender snow-white calf of the other party.


    Chu Yi grinned lazily, red eyes drooping like a satisfied cat. The robot''s slender five fingers interspersed into his hair, massaged into the scalp with mechanical joints, and the warm overhead light slowly infiltrated along with the hot wind, Chu Yi felt an unprecedented kind of peace.


    Looking up at the robot standing over him, Chu Yi suddenly asked an absurd question, "Ruezhen...can you be redeemed?"


    The robot paused, in his database being redeemed was the same thing as being taken home by the client. The indifferent eyes dropped for a second before looking up to gaze deeply at Chu Yi, "There is no information in the system that indicates as such."


    "What a pity. Then I can only say goodbye here."


    Chu Yi was just asking casually in any case and wasn''t too disappointed. By the time he had dressed and left the building, it was already night. The streets of the city were filled with a disk orange glow that sought but failed to chase away the heavy darkness.


    When he reached back to his house, Chu Yi stopped before his feet could step past the threshold. On his doorstep was a bold and bright invitation.


    The Black Cities Annual Action invites Player Chu Yi to attend: The Death Store,


    Theme: The Paradise.

 Chapter 134 - The Auction (4)

    Tang Shun stood before the heavy black tower and looked up at the gloomy night sky. Chu Yi stood beside him and pulled at the red tie that wrapped around his slender neck. The eyes that held the same crimson color squinted lightly.


    Both of them stood in the silent shadows before moving towards the towers.


    "The auction isn''t just a regular auction, every year only a certain amount of people get access to it. To be granted rights, you must complete the host''s game. It changes every year but the relevant difficulty only increases."


    Suddenly Chu Yi''s steps paused and he turned to Tang Shun, "I have to go back and find something."


    Tang Shun glanced at him and nodded.


    Chu Yi didn''t explain and he didn''t ask, with a twist of his feet, Chu Yi disappeared into the darkness.


    He slowly walked to the front of the tower, the golden invitation hanging faintly from his fingertips.


    The time was approaching.


    Where no one could see, the space in the huge tower dome began to twist and expand.


    Rows of long tables lined with white napkins appeared out of thin air, and the heavy floors were covered with marbles tiles that carried marvelous patterns.


    At a higher level, the red gold chandelier changed, as if an invisible giant hand was gathered in the air and then merged, combining the chandelier and replacing it with a crystal tower. A string of tassels flickered at the top, lighting up an entire hall. The gloomy and depressing silence was driven away by a melodious chime and on the gorgeous walls, In another place, a heavy podium rose, followed by countless red chairs that stood to the back of the room, waiting for its guests.


    Layers of champagne and wine were placed on the long table, and waiters in black tuxedos holding metal trays in their hands came matching out of the side halls.


    On the other side, a huge champagne tower dangled in the air with rich colors. Filling the air with a drunken and hazy scent. Small square discs filled with all kinds of weird dessert cakes glowed brightly under the warm light, strange and vibrant.


    In the half-court on the first and second floors above, crimson tapestries hung from the dome, completely cutting off the things inside.


    On the ground, a group of musicians is playing a soothing serenade in G major. The music conductor is facing the dance floor below, waving his hands melodiously in the air, in a relaxed posture. The entire scene resembled the Cinderella fairytale.


    Slowly the players trickled in and soon enough, the room was filled with the hum of low chatter and mingling. Player''s in suits and masks wandered around and stopped in the face of acquaintances. The occasional loud bout of laughter and cheer was in direct contrast to the cold and dark shadows that lurked in the city outside.


    Suddenly there was a low exclamation at the door and heads turned to look in that direction.


    Black suit, small waistcoat, dark red bronzing tie, Egyptian cross. Half-length black hair tied up, leather gloves, and shiny black leather shoes. The blood-red mask, the frivolous air that seeped from his bones, the danger, and the grace of the casual gestures.


    The bright red eyes from beneath the mask rolled lazily, one hand naturally picked up a glass of red wine as a waiter walked past, and another inserted arrogantly into one pocket. Just standing there, Chu Yi naturally attracted the attention of the entire room.


    He didn''t seem to care about the looks of others and after searching with his eyes, Chu Yi locked onto Tang Shun''s figure standing silently at the corner of the room, and without hesitation, he walked over. Although the player''s stare was eventually removed, the previously unnoticed corner was now infiltrated with a certain light.


    The dark red earring stud in Chu Yi''s ears reflected in the cold light of Tang Shun''s glasses, he didn''t ask what Chu Yi had forgotten and instead pointed to the double-sided door at the end of the room.


    "Don''t go there.


    Chu Yi tilted his head, "Why?"


    Before he could speak however Chu Yi suddenly swiftly turned his head and looked up.


    Just in time, the lights in the hall dimmed followed by the low examination from the startled players.


    The minute the darkness fell, Chu Yi realized its weirdness.


    With his enhanced vision, he should have had excellent night vision ability, but now he could only see thick and unsweepable darkness, like a monster slowly opening its bloody jaws to devour. The whispers in the dark seemed reduced a lot in an instant as if the sound had been passed through a barrier, distorted and strange.


    The darkness in all directions was so thick that it blocked all sight.


    The light suddenly descended again, directly hitting the red curtains on the second floor above.


    Amidst the curious gazes, the curtains suddenly pulled away, revealing a flight of stairs extended high to reach a suspended platform. And on the top was a large altar. Beside the altar, there was an incomparably magnificent pipe organ, which stretched from the floor to the ceiling.


    Standing under the huge pipe organ, the existence of human beings would seem extremely insignificant.


    At this moment, someone was sitting in the center of the altar - where the pipe organ was played.


    It looked like a man in a black suit.


    A soul-shaking ethereal sound suddenly roared from the giant orchestral instrument that occupied the entire tower.


    The pipe organ¡ª¡ªIt is said that this instrument can play the sound from the heavens. Especially in the closed environment of the tower, it made people tremble, and even subconsciously want to devote themselves to the gods.


    Chu Yi held the wine glass in one hand and smiled, closing his eyes and listening lazily.


    The ethereal music sounded melodious.


    He narrowed his eyes slightly and tapped lightly on the wine glass.


    The amazing thing is that the rhythm and music he taps were perfectly integrated as if Chu Yi was playing the organ with him, his taps indistinguishable from each other.


    In the performance of the huge pipe organ, the ethereal and beautiful music seems to be accompanied by an entire orchestra, shocking and beautiful! To be able to arrange the music into such a beautiful and complex appearance could only be done by a madman.


    The music gradually turned from ethereal to lingering and lingering, as if the waves were surging in the ears, gently slapped on the body, constantly circling, entangling people''s ankles, dragging people into the deep sea little by little.


    It didn''t stop until the music was over.


    There was a brief moment of silence as the music lingered like a whispering breath in the air.


    Pop, pop, pop¡ª


    Chu Yi''s applause echoed in the tower. Laughingly he praised, "Excellent performance."


    The man sitting at the bottom of the organ stood up and turned around to look at Chu Yi.


    ¡ª¡ªIt was a young man with black hair and black eyes. With a very white complexion and a handsome and deep face, he resembled a mixed-race. Wearing a gold monocle, he exuded a classical and elegant temperament.


    The young man lowered his eyes and glanced at him, and suddenly curved his lips into a smile. The words he spoke were very fluent, with an exotic accent that was not obvious at all.


    "Thank you for your compliment."


    He walked down the steps, the silver mirror chain hanging by the side of his waist, making a very soft sound that accompanied his footsteps. The air was filled with an inexplicable tension.


    The smile on Chu Yi''s face didn''t falter however the curiosity in his heart had already raised to the highest level. Looking at the man now, no one could feel any abnormal fluctuations in the other party - if he didn''t appear here now, then the other party would appear just like an ordinary person.


    The red lips stained with wine were licked slowly and the eyes that Chu Yi used to look at the man held an extra touch of interest.


    "Since I set foot on this bloody land, you are the first person to praise my music." The young man had stood above him and smiled, "It''s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Samuel, I''m....a part-time organ player."


    "I''ll be hosting the auction this year."


    The man''s grin turned strange.


    The minute the players heard that name, they immediately exploded, "Is that Samuel! The suspected S-level player?"


    "How could he appear here!"


    "Quick¨Ccall the organization, if a player like him is hosting the auction, the items for this year must be extremely powerful."


    Samuel''s smile was polite and mannered, "In the death store, any and anything can be bought¨Cas long as you''re willing to pay the price. Here anything can be money. The theme for this year''s auction is paradise and we hope to bring you guys to the highest peak."


    The players clapped enthusiastically, "For now, this auction will be divided into three sections. The first segment is the game, the next is the masked dance and the third is the actual auction. However, the auction will only be able for the persons who find the master card during the first two sections."


    Samuel gestured lightly and in everyone''s hand, a red card suddenly appeared. On the card sat a classical beauty, her lips were as red as rogue, and she gave birth to a foxy beauty, that was inexplicably similar to the famous three concubines. Behind the beauty was a lonely church, white doves flying over the church were frozen in mid-air, and the floating clouds also stopped. The sound of the wind seemed to have died away, and all earth was silent. The card was hauntingly beautiful. The players were only given a moment to observe the card before it disappeared like floating dust, leaving only the players o stare blankly.


    Chu Yi rubbed his wrist lightly, he didn''t know if it was his illusion but the tattoo on his arm seemed to have heated up when the card fell into his palm. Samuel continued to speak, " The first segment is very simple. You only need to do one thing. "


    "Capture the elf."


    Samuel suddenly looked at Chu Yi, almost immediately his left eye started twitching with a bad feeling. He didn''t give anyone any time to react, the golden monocle flashed, and gloved fingers raised to snap. In the blink of an eye, the players disappeared from the tower.


    From behind a scarred and dark man suddenly appeared from the shadows and looked at Samuel''s elegant figure, "Why do I have a feeling you''re being bad again."


    Samuel turned back to look at him, the Chan at his side rattling slightly, "Only returning the favor."


    The man shook his head and disappeared again, the others were waiting for them. Samuel didn''t stop him but he don''t leave either. Instead, there was a ripple in the air and a blurry screen appeared.


    Let''s see how these players coped with his newest invention.


    This was a forest. The towering trees with their luxuriant foliage tried their best to cover the sky. However, the rays of the sun did not give in, forcing their way through and scattering across the face of the youth lying on the ground below.


    The sunlight, the shadows of the trees, the light breeze, the buzzing of insects, as well as the scent of the earth that wafted over, all felt inescapably realistic.


    On the surface, Chu Yi quietly laid there. However, only knew how much he was suffering. His rapidly pounding heart, despite being separated by his slender back and thin shirt soaked in sweat, could still be transmitted to the ground, not to mention his unusually high body temperature. Fortunately, no one could see his face. If they could, it would have seen his face that was red like a fully-ripened autumn'' apple.


    All around him cracked eggshells lay on the floor and Chu Yi himself was covered in a sticky slime as if a small chick that had just been born. Chu Yi grinned slightly but in his heart ten thousand grass mud horses were already flying.


    The smile Samuel had sent him before he disappeared appeared in his mind.


    "Fuck¨C"


    Game Status: Newborn Elf.

 Chapter 135 - The Elf (1)

    [Status: Newborn Elf]


    [Backgroud: The Fan Clan of the dark elf tribe has been anticipating the birth of the creature that has been formed in the thousand-year-old egg of the guardian tree. However, afraid for their rise in power, the egg had been captured and thrown away into the forest. Unexpectedly the egg hatched but in the face of enemies on all sides, the newborn Elf must not reveal its identity to anyone before the Fan Clan has found it.]


    [Objectives: 1. Avoid capture by the human kingdom''s troops who have been searching for the legendary elf.


    2. Hide your identity as a dark elf from the other elves in the forest.


    3. Find the mysterious Fan Clan before the dark moon rises. Once it rises, all creatures in the forest will be able to pinpoint your location. ]


    [Stats: Chu Yi (Newborn Elf)]


    [Intelligence: 14¨CAs a newborn, you are ignorant of this world and must rely on exploration to increase intelligence]


    [Strenght: 11¨CWeak as a chick. Increases gradually]]


    [Defense: 5¨CA small scratch can cause enormous pain.]


    [Sensitivity 26¨C Your senses are all very keen]


    [Charm: 88¨CLooking at you for too long will cause other creatures to have indescribable urges.]


    [Affinity: Darkness and Water¨Cat most you can make a waterfall or gather the darkness into your hands. Increases slowly.]


    [Your scent is masked and most people will recognize you as a human however there will be items in the game that may reveal your identity.]


    [If the player is too stimulated, they will naturally lose their disguise.]


    [If you manage to hide your identity until the end you will receive two Master cards and the right to participate in the auction.]


    His eyes unconsciously twitched at the stats before him, he seemed to understand the bad premonition that he had before this. Hiding his identity in these conditions was like smashing a rock with an egg.


    Futile.


    Chu Yi wanted to curse the person who sent him here¨Call nine generations. In the cool air, he felt relaxed, the depression and gloom of the city gone, but now there was another problem¡ª where was he.


    Chu Yi struggled to stand up, the mottled rays of sunlight passed through the trees and fell onto the pure white hair. Chu Yi''s eyes had stayed the same color but now his hair had become the color of snow.


    Chu Yi didn''t care about that, no one could see it except him, after looking around, he realized that he was in an extremely beautiful location, with green hills and small vibrant flowers that swayed in the cool breeze. Amidst the fragrance of flowers and plants, there was also a faint hint of indescribable sweetness, wandering in Chu Yi''s nose.


    He couldn''t help but take another whiff.


    "Strange, what''s giving out this fragrance? It''s so sweet."


    The bright red eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of mist. After a moment of hesitation, he followed the scent forward. Passing through a few light bushes he traced the path to a jade green pond. The closer he got to the waters, the stronger the sweet smell. When he finally got to the edge of the pool Chi Yi was instantly able to pinpoint the source.


    It was a low white marble altar that didn''t belong to nature and was built artificially. From the outside, it looked like the kind of pool for birds to drink in the park. At this time, a few strange green birds were staying on the side of the altar to comb their feathers. Chu Yi did not want to disrupt the birds'' rest, but he couldn''t resist his curiosity about the fragrance. He sneakily made his way closer, breathing in deeply about a meter away. How sweet¡ª


    It was the fruit produced by a vibrant red plant that had been nurtured by the sun and rain. The red fruit had fermented, bringing about a richness that intertwined with its originally fresh and sweet taste. It carried the natural fragrance of wine that needed four seasons to brew, attracting and intoxicating passing creatures.


    The reactions of the birds were much slower than usual. Only when the unexpected visitor came near did they think about flying away. Giving a few drunken flaps of their wings, they tumbled onto the soft grass below before struggling to get up, swaying as they hopped a few steps away.


    Chu Yi was too busy to notice the birds. After tentatively scooping up a handful of the clear liquid and drinking it, he was instantly conquered by that sweetness that spread throughout his limbs.


    In his drunken daze, there seemed to be a faint singing voice in the air. The song seemed to come from the heavens. At first, there was only a small whistle, and then it gradually enlarged and expanded, until it occupied his entire mind, beautiful, just like a mother earth''s call.


    The song of the goddess collided in the grass, one tree, one stone, and one tile in this empty forest awakened the birds, dated in the wind and all the stillness came to life. All that was able to move was quiet, the birds stopped, the wind stopped, the earth''s crust stopped moving, and the bright sun no longer rose eastward.


    From the forest, a golden-haired man came walking out. Peeking behind the long strands of golden silk were two pointed ears that twitched slightly at this moment.


    When Li Zhen came closer, this was what he saw. On the ground were a few birds sprawled ungainly, the elf wine he had left there as bait was now empty, and there was a black-haired youth lying by the wine pool, his cheeks flushed and his eyes closed, yet there was no sign of the wine to be found.


    He frowned slightly, stepping forward to investigate. That seemingly deeply asleep youth now wobbled as he sat up, studying him with a squint.


    "Oh, hello." Chu Yi laughed quietly. "Are you....are you an elf?"


    Li Zheng''s expression did not change.


    "How did you end up here?"


    "Huh?"


    "Were you the one who drank my wine?"


    Chu Yi sat there foolishly for a moment, then drunkenly turned his head to look at the pool. It seemed as though he had to take quite some time to consider what he would do next before acting.


    "Yes, it was delicious." He paused, "Is there any more?"


    Ling Zheng''s inner doubts deepened. He could not recall that the elf wine could get ordinary humans drunk. This type of wine was exclusively made from the guardian tree of the Elf Clan and only affected animals and young elves. However, there hasn''t been any new elves in the tribes in this forest except¨C


    [Player Chu Yi your identity is on the verge of being discovered. Please react immediately.]


    The red eyes that were previously unfocused immediately snapped to attention and Chu Yi stared at the golden elf above him with some consternation. "Cough¨C¨CI have a sensitive physique, so I can often get drunk by drinking¨C"


    Ling Zheng felt that this excuse was absurd but after a moment of thought, he decided to go with it. Although he wasn''t like the noble elves who looked down on humans, he still didn''t care for them either. He clenched the bow tighter and glanced down at the human lying on the altar. "Are you here for the ceremony?"


    "Ceremony?"


    "Yes, the ceremony that we and your human empire have every year to celebrate our alliance. And every year thee are stupid fellows like you getting lost in the forest."


    "Are you coming with me?"


    Chu Yi weighed the pros and cons for a moment, going to the elf village would mean being more likely to be exposed to his identity. He didn''t know the direct consequences of being exposed but something told him it would be unpleasant. The pros would be to reunite with Tang Shun as well as keep an eye on the progress of the others. In the end, he still decided to agree, he was never the type to avoid danger in any case and he was quite excited to play under everyone''s nose.


    Chu Yi nodded and struggled to get up but immediately after standing, a sudden bout of dizziness crashed into him that left the world spinning. His legs faltered and before he could react his body was sent crashing to the ground


    Purely on instinct, Ling Zheng reached out and grabbed Chu Yi''s wrist and strongly pulling him into his arms, "Are you humans so weak?"


    Chu Yi didn''t have the strength to answer, grasping onto his two strong arms, he managed to steady himself before letting go. He didn''t know if it was his illusion but the minute his arms had touched another elf, there had been a faint burning sensation on his skin. As if, two incompatible elements had collided.


    Ling Zheng didn''t seem to have felt anything and only expressionless gripped his bow before turning away.


    "The ceremony is not for another two days, it''s kept on the eve of the dark moon. However, our clan usually houses the humans in the village."


    Chu Yi''s eyes narrowed, that was to say during these two days he must find a way to hide his identity from everyone.


    At this moment, Lin Zheng suddenly stopped, the glowing green eyes shifting swiftly, one hand reached behind him and pulled an arrow from his hatchet. Slender fingers tightened strongly and the bow stretched to the limit¡ª


    Whoosh!


    Chu Yi''s eyes could not keep up with the trajectory of the bow, there was only a sharp flash of red in the air before there was a low thunk and a screech sounded from the thick foliage before them. His eyes strained to see further and to his surprise, a small bird with an arrow lodged into its wing was nailed to a tree. But what surprised him wasn''t the bird but the color of the bird itself.


    This bird was completely golden!

 Chapter 136 - The Elf (2)

    Chu Yi''s eyebrows raised faintly, even though golden feathers were not rare among the bird species, birds that are completely golden like this one were almost unheard of. The golden bird flapped its wing weakly and tried to move but the arrow lodged into its wing only made the blood running down his wing flow even harsher.


    He turned to look at Ling Zheng, in his conceptions, elves were the most compassionate and loving to creatures in nature. However, when his eyes locked onto Ling Zheng''s cold expression he couldn''t help but be shocked. In the face of the dying bird, a cold sneer wrought his lips and the slender dangers moved behind him to grab another arrow as if he wanted to shoot again.


    Such a paradox shocked Chu Yi.


    The bird flapped weakly a few more times before seeming to give up, crying woefully. On its head, a pale golden circle appeared. Chu Yi instantly felt a change in atmosphere, Ling Zheng''s previous indifferent look was suddenly stained with eagerness and need. The bow that had never left his side was dropped carelessly and he quickly ran forward, standing before the stunned golden bird.


    He lifted his hands and bit harshly onto his index finger, sharp teeth quickly piercing the flesh and letting droplets of red blood flow from the wound. Ling Zhen raised a hand and smeared the glaring red blood in the center of his eyebrows before bowing solemnly.


    "The dead have a place where they should go... and you have worked hard to accompany them through journey after journey. It''s time to part ways. The Guardian Tree will guide you but you must let go of this vessel."


    "Whether darkness or light, the spirits of the mountains exist to unite with the elves. The fountain of life has withered and the spirits shall take their place. Everything must return to the roots."


    Ling Zhen raised his slender palm forward and gradually stretched it out to face the bird. His palm slowly flattened upwards, as if waiting for someone''s hand to hold his hand.


    "Spirit of the Mountain..."


    His expression was solemn: "It''s time to let go. Untie the restrictions of the mortal world, and let those vessels go. I assure you, all-cause and affect those who did not commit evil will not and should not get a bad result."


    "And those who did evil and has contaminated the breath of the earth." Ling Zheng''s eyes flashed a sharp light, shallow and cruel. The thin lips spit out cruel words mercilessly: "They should be sacrificed to the guardian tree, welcome its divine judgment, and repeatedly recall the evil they have done in this life in the pain of hell."


    "Become the light that feeds the elves."


    Chu Yi seemed to see a golden glow rise from Ling Zheng''s body and slowly infiltrate into the bird''s body. There were ripples in circles, and even the surrounding scenery was blurred in a golden mist.


    Under his curious gaze, a translucent figure slowly emerged from the bird''s body.


    Ling Zheng''s eyebrows were bathed in an enthusiastic light and he immediately started chanting solemnly in the air. The figure that came from the bird''s bodies seemed to grow more and more solid for every incantation that Ling Zheng spoke.


    In Chu Yi''s eyes, the spirit that emerged was divine and compassionate. It had no face but Chu Yi seemed to see two golden eyes staring down at him. Ling Zheng beside him suddenly opened his mouth and began to sing. Like a sacred ritual but also like a curse. Chu Yi beside him suddenly felt his head throbbing painfully as if a hammer had been smashed against his skull repeatedly! The face that had been rosy from the wine suddenly became completely bloodless and the red lips suppressed a groan.


    Ling Zheng beside him did not notice his abnormality, in his green a strange and greedy light suddenly burst forth and the singing from his throat only grew stronger!


    The song seemed to be able to take people to a distant time, to see the masts of the pirate ship under the moonlight, the ancient and broken market taverns, and the silent castle corridors in the middle of the night. The melody and interlude change back and forth and shuttle through the different scenes!


    The bustling scene of the Middle Ages was turned away. Joy and loneliness coexist in the unique sound of the trembling voice, and freedom and desire overlap, which was like a distant echo of a time once forgotten.


    Various voices were mixed, and the cries of the spirits were always present, ringing in his ears. The spirit looked at the handsome young elf in front of her gently as if some sadness, stretched out a golden hand, and slowly put the soft palm with rounded lines into Ling Zheng''s outstretched palm.


    "The time is nearing."


    "Please save them. Please save the children" A golden light suddenly lit up in Ling Zheng''s hands. and the spirit was abruptly sucked into Ling Zheng''s body without a trace before it could finish speaking as if it had been swallowed by a bloodthirsty beast. The bird''s figure had turned into a pitch-black like the darkest night. The beady eyes stared at them as if in shame and condemnation.


    Chu Yi took all this in, the pain receding quickly, he could already smell the deep conspiracy defusing in this forest.


    Ling Zheng gasped lightly and a contented expression appeared on his face that seemed to glow with a healthy light. He glanced at Chu Yi behind him but did not explain the previous scene instead he walked over to the bird still impaled to the tree and yanked the wooden arrow out of its wing. The body of the blackbird fell to his feet and he picked it up by the neck, checked for any signs of life before throwing it back to the ground disdainfully.


    He didn''t wait for Chu Yi to catch his wits and immediately started walking again as if the previous scene was nothing but a lowly disturbance. Chu Yi raised an eyebrow from behind and slowly followed.


    The red eyes raced with a multitude of thoughts. He didn''t know if it was an illusion but Ling Zheng seemed to have, changed or lost something but he couldn''t pinpoint exactly what.


    They traversed through the heavy green terrain and passed a variety of different fauna before finally appearing at their desired destination.


    The elves'' place of residence truly deserved its reputation as a wonderland. Not far away was a huge sparkling lake. On its shores were a few white unicorns leisurely eating grass. Some elves were brushing a unicorn''s hair, and all of them were very beautiful. The whole scene was like something out of a lovely fairy tale.


    However the minute Chu Yi stepped past the hanging vines that fell from the large trees enclosing the clearing, the first thing he noticed wasn''t the quaint houses in the tribe nor the elves walking gently dressed in pure white garbs.


    But instead, in the middle of the cleaning a large, majestic tree stood. The branches of the tree appeared lush, but it didn''t give off a vibrant feeling. Only one-third of its leaves were green. The rest of the leaves and their stems were black. When the branches of the tree were shaken by the wind, no birds flew out from its deathly stillness.


    Before he could take a closer look, Ling Zheng''s name was suddenly called from afar. Looking up the first thing he saw was a hunched old man. The old man stood before the wooden gates of the Elf village and stared at them with cloudy grey eyes. Beside him, strong and tall elves stood guard around him and stared vigilantly at the two who walked into the village.


    Ling Zheng''s face changed when he saw who had beckoned to him and without a moment''s hesitation, he hurriedly trotted over to the old man and knelt before his feet. "Elder¨C"


    The old man waved his hands and rough palms like bark quickly pulled Ling Zheng to his feet, "No need for that Xiao Ling, don''t show your humbleness in front of the guest." Besides I am no longer the elder.",


    "But¨C"


    "Ling Zheng."


    Ling Zheng dropped his head but did not speak anymore.


    From behind him, Chu Yi came forward, smiling faintly at the old man. The sense of discordant and weirdness only increased the moment he locked eyes with the old man. Without letting his emotions show on his face, Chu Yi naturally bowed to the elder, "My name is Chu Yi and I was lost in the forest, but thankfully Ling Zheng guided me here to appreciate this wonderful land."


    The old man''s eyes wrinkled with a smile, although his sclera was cloudy, Chu Yi had the illusion of being pierced through. The old man nodded at him and patted Ling Zheng''s wrist, "Take the guest to the human dwellings and provide adequate clothing and food for his short stay."


    Ling Zheng frowned and pulled his brows but under the serious gaze of the old man he could only stand up and gesture to Chu Yi indifferently, "Let''s go."


    Chu Yi didn''t say much and followed, when he turned his head back one last time, red eyes locked with cloudy gray. A dark light brewing in his depths. The old man looked away first, staring at the half-dead tree in the center of the village with an unknown emotion.


    The closer they got to the presumed human dwellings, the stronger the smell of sweat and male hormones became. A rowdy and raucous cheering erupted in his ears and when they finally turned the corner, what came into was a large group of grappling men. Shirtless sweat dripped from their bulging muscles as they cheered the brutal fight happening on the platform. The sound of flesh hitting flesh and the violent slamming sent blood and teeth flying. The atmosphere was cruel and exciting.


    Ling Zheng''s face twisted in disapproval and he immediately shook his head and walked away, leaving only Chu Yi to stand there like a sheep that had strayed into a wolf''s den. He didn''t know if it was because of the charm buff but soon enough Chu Yi had attracted the attention of the sweaty men. White skin, slender limbs, and a beautiful face. Chu Yi was very different from the group of soldiers and with his difference comes a sense of suppression.


    There was a yell from the platform.


    Red eyes snapped to the side, "Hey¨C Little weak chicken, why don''t you come up to play with your father, I."


    The man stood on the platform and crossed his arms on his chest, yellow teeth raised in a provocative sneer and the man at his feet was lying unconscious in a pool of his blood. The men laughed uproariously and the man''s chest only raised higher, he didn''t care for Chu Yi''s opinion and continued to speak


    "I have to be fair don''t I. If I win, you have to accompany me for the night."


    Red lips slowly turned down.


    "If you win...." The man smiled vulgarly, "I get to accompany you for the night."

 Chapter 137 - The Elf (3)

    The atmosphere was filled with vulgar and raucous laughter. The smell of sweat and rust rushed into his nose like an overpowering deterrent. The men stood to one aide staring down at him with green eyes as their large muscles bulged and flexed subconsciously. The man stood on the platform and stared down at the beautiful human with lustful and greedy eyes. The way those red eyes stared at him, only made the heat in his loins grow even stronger and the man couldn''t help but lick his lips.


    Chu Yi''s eyes slanted slightly and the red lips slowly downturned into a sneer. A ray of sunlight shone through the thick foliage of the trees and fell on Chu Yi''s beautiful and wanton face. The young man lightly shifted his stance, raised the other hand, inserted his fingers into the long black hair that was a little messy, and slowly pulled the soft hair back. Clearly and completely revealed Chu Yi''s eyes full of excitement. His pale red lips twitched, he suddenly grinned, and spoke softly.


    "Little rabbit..."


    "Quickly, let me see what you are!"


    *****


    Tang Shun opened his eyes slightly and looked around. This was an old house, the ground was uneven and rough, a rotten and cold air shocked the broken eave, and in his eyes, a pair of swollen feet swayed in front of him. Beside him, there was a shrill scream and a woman''s eyes widened shockingly as she raised her head. The corpse above them had a pair of terrifying hands, with stiff fingers resting on either side of the woman''s body. The claws were dark-yellow and thin like a beast''s claws. At first, he didn''t realize what it was, but soon enough a subconscious voice said: It was a corpse spot.


    Don''t look!


    Don''t look!


    Ning Ning desperately wanted to lower her head, but it was too late. A little bit of dark red color broke into the corpse''s eyes, the mouth of the person hanging on the beam was wide open, the long tongue was hanging from the lower jaw, and the eyes bulged almost out of their sockets were bloodshot and red. Tang Shun furrowed his brows and moved his sight away, there was no one else but them inside the room. The unusual corpse seemed to have been dead for a while now and didn''t seem to have been placed after their arrival but rather before. A rough hemp rope had been tied around the body''s neck and hung from the ceiling, the rancid and sour smell of decomposing meat completely engulfed them.


    In the corner of his eyes, Tang Shun suddenly saw a flash of red. When he looked over he seemed to see a woman lying down at the door of the shack. In his vision, the woman was thin, the body that looked like a skeleton looked to be falling apart, falling into the darkness of the shadows in the corner and being swallowed by the dark entrance of the building. Her eyes were closed, her eye sockets were sunken and black, her lips were blue and bloodless, and her face sallow.


    The woman''s mouth moved as she wanted to say something, in his eyes a faint vision appeared.


    Torrential rain poured down, smashing small pits into the rough soil of the forest. A woman in a red wedding dress stood beneath a large majestic tree. Behind her, there were screams and wails.


    "Don''t! Don''t take my daughter away!" Under the rainstorm, a woman shouted hoarsely: "Let me go for her! Let me go! Don''t sacrifice her! This is our sin!"


    "You? What''s the use of you going?!"


    "Elder Ke! You know the rules, don''t break the rules!"


    "Hurry up and stop her!"


    The woman in red never looked back. The dark clouds covered the sun, the debts that they have to bear will finally come to an end, and the hearts of the people could not be touched. The woman was pinned to the ground and unable to move. There seemed to be a sea of ??blood and tears in her eyes and through a hazy film, she watched the girl in red walk barefoot to her death.


    Her mournful cry and the drums sounded together and blood dripped from the two ears that had been ripped off by the people that held her down.


    When he blinked again, the woman and the vision had disappeared.


    From beside him, there was another bout of low sobbing and when he looked over, Tang Shun was surprised to see the two pointed ears pushing put from the curtain of the woman''s long hair. The trembling figure and wandering eyes seemed scared. Tang Shun could even hear her muttering please softly.


    The game they were in had a fantasy background. Tang Shun had long heard of the sinister tastes of Samuel and although he had never heard of him creating a fantasy game, he still did not underestimate the difficulties.


    "Master Tang!" A middle-aged woman suddenly rushed in from outside with a face full of disbelief. Hurriedly climbing on the stool next to the corpse, she tried to remove the corpse from the ceiling, but it seemed that the rope had burrowed so far into the man''s flesh it was impossible to get out. The woman''s movement became anxious before with a sudden tug, the rope snapped and the corpse on the rope was completely removed.


    The body didn''t look like a skinny old man at all but like an iron block of equal weight. Tang Shun knew very well that this was a sign that someone was dead, and there was a good word to describe it: lifeless.


    The old man''s body fell forward the moment he was taken down, and even the woman''s hand could not control it. That face was aimed at Ning Ning, like a hungry ghost who wanted to drag her to her death, a biting chill rose from the tips of her toes to the top of her scalp. Ning Ning could barely move in fear.


    The woman quickly grabbed the old man''s long hair and dragged him back to her with a shallow sigh.


    "Master Tang, why can''t you be obedient!" The middle-aged woman sighed and reached out his hand to close the old man''s wide eyes.


    However, every time she closed the old man''s eyes, the next second, those eyes would open again by themselves, wide open, as if even in death he could not rest.


    The woman gently placed his body to the floor as she scolded softly, "Master Tang, why do you harass the brides for the mating ceremony every year?!"


    "These delicate creatures can''t stand the stimulation. If they happen to be hurt before the ceremony in two days what are we to do then¨C"


    The old man''s eyes continue to stare lifelessly with resentment.


    The woman didn''t care for him any longer and raised ahead to smile at the two people in the room. The suppressed sobbing from Ning Ning did not faze her and her eyes locked onto Tang Shun''s with overwhelming enthusiasm. "Oh, you two must be frightened. Master Tang was very impolite in meeting the bride before the ceremony. We will travel tonight to pass through the elven ceremony tomorrow. The sedan chairs have already been prepared however, the wedding dress has not been picked out."


    Tang Shun blanked for a moment, even the girl beside him stopped crying for a second. "Wedding dress?"


    The woman smiled brightly, "Yes wedding dress. For all the beautiful brides as they mate with the guardian tree."


    "Such a noble and honorable duty, you must feel gratified and joyful. The elves will forever commemorate your sacrifice."


    The elf girl''s face turned white with a deathly pallor. As if she knew something.


    The woman''s face suddenly changed and as if she had remembered something, she hastily grabbed the old man by his hair and dragged him out, shouting behind her as she left. "You two can get acquainted with the other brides before the dresses are delivered. However please be advised to not leave the vicinity of the camp." Her voice turned sinister, "If you do, I can''t guarantee what will happen to you."


    She opened the door briefly¨CTang Shun could see the dark green forest terrain outside, covered by a faint grey fog, they stood like large tombs as if everything was in a state of decay before the door slammed shut behind her.


    Tang Shun stood from the bed and moved to go outside. However, from behind, a shivering voice sounded, "I''d advise you not to go out."


    Tang Shun looked back, cold eyes hidden behind silver glasses. He didn''t say anything but the young elf, felt as if she was being stared at by one of the horrifying green serpents that lived in the forest. Her already trembling voice got even lower and her head was almost buried into his chest under his gaze. "There are some crazy elves here that will attack you." Her head lifted slightly and in the pure green eyes, there was a dark light, "We call them:


    "The Unqualified."


    Tang paused for a second and a absurd thought suddenly flashed through his mind. Since he was also a bride....would he have to wear a dress?!

 Chapter 138 - The Elf (4)

    The forest was still, the sunlight from above obscured by the thick foliage of leaves. The creatures in the forest had disappeared as if they had been terrified by something. Only the sweet and pungent smell of flowers dancing in the wind. In the gloomy shadows thrown by the tall and dark trees, there was a faint rustle in the underbrush.


    From the moment the players had entered multiple new lives had been born. In the air, a soft ethereal voice sang quietly, if Ling Zheng was here at this moment, he would instantly recognize it as the song to capture spirits. Except this song was very strange, not like the devout greed in Ling Zheng''s voice but more like a sacred ritual, a solemn oath.


    The shaking in the bush intensified and on the last syllable of the note, a strange golden spirit suddenly appeared in the forest. From behind it, a dark grey wolf fell to the ground with a thud. The human-like spirit did not carry the same compassion and gentleness as the previous spirit, this one seemed to have been shrouded with intense fear and without waiting to see who had summoned it, it tried to run away.


    However, this move was destined to be futile, in front of it, a strange figure appeared. Not like a man, but not like a human either. In the spirit''s terrified gaze, the paper man turned and stared at it. It seemed to have been torn in half and placed back together again. On its body, a blood-red "Fu" for happiness had been written on with red ink. Except no one seeing this thing could be happy.


    The cold wind penetrated the ripped paper body, exposing the clear bamboo strips inside, its face was paper white but two red blushes had been drawn onto its cheek, Its eyebrows were drawn on as black as ink, and its eyes have no whites, just two dark holes pierced into its face.


    The paper man seemed to hear something and suddenly two lines of black tears split the red blush on its cheek, and without hesitation, the paper figure pounced onto the golden spirit like a falling kite!


    A red rain fell from the sky, and the face that belonged to the paper man was quickly displayed in front of the eyes of the spirit. The traces are like tears, but the corner of the mouth has always maintained the smile of the paper man. The spirit wanted to run but it had just been born and did not have the time to integrate with the forest.


    A piece of snow-white paper was peeled off from the paper figure''s body and stuck to the face of the spirit with a bang!


    The piece of paper seemed to have of its own. When it touched the face of the spirit, it wrapped around every inch of its skin, covering the nose and lips. The conscious spirit reached out and tried to pull the piece of paper off its face. But a strange thing happened, this piece of paper seemed to grow on his face, melted into his blood and turned into his flesh.


    When it tried to tear off the paper, the pain was no less than tearing the flesh off its face.


    The spirit had a conscious, unlike the other spirits and it could feel and understand the pain. Its vision was covered by paper, so it couldn''t see anything. Strangely, under the force of the paper stuck to its face. The spirit looked to slowly become human. Losing the golden vessel. However, this also gave it the weakness of humans. The lack of oxygen made its eyes black, its lungs were exploding, and its body slowly slumped to the ground. It did not have time to enjoy life when everything became blurred. Cold sweat pooled onto the snow-white neck, the bare and exposed skin soaked in the quality of suet white jade.


    Its face was covered by a layer of snow-white paper. Unable to see its face, the gaze couldn''t help but be attracted to those slender legs stomped wildly, the slender waist that trembled, and each finger was stretched out, like a butterfly falling from a spider web, struggling to flap its wings


    The next moment, a pale hand suddenly squeezed the human spirit''s lower jaw, forcing the other party to raise its head, the unknown entity could see that its face was tightly attached to the paper, suffocating it to death.


    The cold red rain fell around him and a slender finger firmly pressed against the position of its lip, slowly piercing a small hole into the thin paper, oxygen rushed into its mouth, and gratefulness immediately surged in the heart of the spirit. The finger squeezed into its lips that greedily breathed in the fresh air.


    The spirit took a quick breath, and at one point made an uncontrollable choking sound like a kitten. Tears flowed out of the only hole in the paper, and together with the saliva from the corners of the lips wet the man''s fingers. It couldn''t help but be glad to survive this ordeal, as long it could find the host, it would be able to complete the final connection.


    The man bent down, the jade string of red crowns on his head swayed slightly and swept the bridge of his tall nose and thin pale lips. Another slender hand protruded from the wide sleeve robe, and a red brush appeared out of thin air in his palm.


    The thin lips slightly parted, the teeth bit the tip of the tongue, and a drop of blood oozed out, coating the tip of the brush. The handsome man lowered his eyes, deep sockets hiding the pitch-black pupils. The blood that stained its lips was the only bright color on the whole pale and dejected face.


    He quietly looked at the spirit, who was still in a state of confusion. Then, he held the brush with a slender and powerful hand, laid it on his body, and started writing on the sweaty snow-white neck.


    The bloodstain was like a living thing, emitting a dazzling red light.


    Every time he made a stroke, the body under him would tremble slightly, all the joy and pain were wrapped around the tip of the pen, as he wrote with one hand. Within ten breaths, he wrote a marriage letter on the spirit''s body. Every word was like an unknown flower of blood, that went into its body bit by bit and quickly disappeared.


    The man stared down at the human spirit and suddenly waved his hand, before the spirit could react it disappeared in place, being transported somewhere far away.


    If anyone were to see the spirit''s face at this moment, they would be surprised to see that this thing looked exactly like Chu Yi!


    The red light swayed in the distance as if a pair of strange scarlet eyes were looking around, and a vague and vague voice came intermittently, which seemed to match some strange rhythm.


    Not far away, a delicate sedan chair staggered into the man''s line of sight. Two red lanterns were hanging from the sedan chair and four beaming sedan chairmen approached him. The jade tassels at his head tinkled slightly, like the bell at the underworld gate before just like the spirit he disappeared.


    A strange smile at the corner of his lips.


    The sedan continued its journey towards, inside the sedan''s windows a flash of gold faintly appeared. Without anyone knowing, a box of dowry gifts that were so dazzling and rich that they were about to overflow appeared.


    Gold, red, green, such rich and vibrant colors appear in this isolated forest terrain, as if the mountains, river,s, and lakes here have dried up and placed into these gems, and at the top sat ruby red ring as if blood has condensed into the most sacred vow.


    The rain red ceased upon the sedans departure and the forest descended into silence once more.


    At this moment Chu Yi wasn''t aware of the dangers rapidly heading towards him. The man''s face twisted slightly at the name but instead of getting angry, he lifted both hands and performed a vulgar gesture, the meaning was obvious. The men laughed and parted ways for Chu Yi as he walked to the platform, the translucent skin was like the finest silk woven by the careful hands.


    Suddenly he beckoned, red lips curled into a teasing smile. The platform was slightly raised off the ground and reached up to Chu Yi''s knees. To anyone else, it would seem as if he was asking for help to get up. The man looked at the beautiful face and just like being bewitched, he walked over and stretched out a hand. Chu Yi shook his head and hooked his finger, closer, the man smirked lustfully and raised his chin higher, "In fact, we don''t have to fight, I just see that you are a little displeasing to the eye and wanted to teach you a lesson. " He looked Chu Yi up and down and smiled, "In fact were all men isn''t it, as long as you know how to compromise and pay a little price, there''s no need to hurt your little face."


    He looked around at the others, "Isn''t that right boys."


    The men laughed even louder and called out dutifully. The man turned back to him, "How about it?"


    Chu Yi opener his mouth and seemed to say something but the man couldn''t hear over the whistles and jeers. Ignoring the others they couldn''t help but dazedly approached the vixen, getting closer and closer until his face was almost level with Chu Yi''s.


    "You..."


    Before his mind could react, a sneer suddenly appeared on the face before him. The man only heard the sound of air whistling sharply, them something was rapidly smashed into his face!


    The buzzing sound of tinnitus sounded in his mind as if water had been poured into his ears. Blood suddenly rained down his face in red streams, completely coating his vision in a red film.


    Through his bloody vision, he seemed to see Chu Yi''s lips curl into a wickedly beautiful smile, "Oh, I seem to have forgotten to ask you¨C"


    "Are you worthy of fighting with me?"


    In his hands, a dark red whip with sharp barbed edges had appeared.

 Chapter 139 - The Elf (5)

    Where the whip had hit, a hideous and bloody scar had been left. Like a mangled centipede completely marring the left side of his face. There was a brief moment of stunned silence among the men, no one had anticipated this unexpected turn of events. The delicate whip in Chu Yi''s hand was still dripping with faint red blood, falling and mixing with the earth below. Then a wave of monstrous anger hit, tainted with humiliation and a tinge of betrayal at being deceived, the man let out an angry howl and reached out a hand to drag Chu Yi by the collar!


    The soldiers around erupted in encouraging howls and jeers, screaming at him to teach the daring beauty a lesson. Chu Yi narrowed his eyes and dodged to the side, preparing to whip the lash out once more and sink the sharp barbs into his flesh. The smell of blood and rust only made him feel more excited. Even the picturesque beauty of the forest around him, could not take away from the brilliant red eyes that shone in the warm sun. The thick foliage above cast mottled shadows on the translucent skin and the red lips that rose in confrontation to the raging bull, like the most daring and fascinating evil spirit.


    Amidst the heavy and callous shouts, a cold voice suddenly penetrated their ears, like a bucket of cold water had been thrown onto their hotheads. "Have you all forgotten that this is the territory of the elves?"


    The soldiers were like ducks that had been held at the throat, the cries and shouts were abruptly stuck in their throats and even the brutish man charging towards, abruptly stopped in his tracks, bloody face turning a deathly white. Chu Yi raised an eyebrow and slowly turned his head to the side, stern footsteps slowly walked up towards him. A man, uncannily resembling Samuel stood before him and made a slight bow, "Welcome to the Zuan Clan sire, I apologize for the uncouth treatment you''ve been subjected to at the hands of these beasts." He did not even glance in the direction of the soldiers, but the stagnant and silent pressure in the air spoke volumes about the man''s presence.


    Red eyes squinted for a moment before Chu Yi broke out into a brilliant smile. The whip in his hand abruptly disappeared, the only thing on his wrist was a lightly trembling black tattoo. The man did not raise an eyebrow at Chu Yi''s apparent ability and did not seem surprised at his beauty. As if he has known it long ago.


    After a few more seconds of tense silence, Chu Yi was the one to speak first, "No need to apologize. If anything this has only made me sure about one thing about the elves. And this thing is...very interesting." The man who looked like Samuel paused for a moment and nodded towards him, "Well yes, I''m glad they could be of help to you sire. As I was informed, you were to be escorted to your dwelling and provided care until the ceremony?"


    Chu Yi stared deep into the unfathomable black eyes and nodded slowly, the man tilted his head and gestured at the men behind him, the gentleness in his voice making way for a biting chill, "Gentleman, I do have to remind you, this isn''t your human empire. This is the sacred land of the elves and disrespecting the guests of our elves will be seen as an insult and dismissal of our alliance and can be brought up to the elven high court. "


    The men instantly turned white as a sheet, if the human''s alliance with the elves was broken due to their actions, they really would have no tears to cries plus they did not want to test the man before them. They shook their hands frantically and bowed down to the two, hastily leaving on their initiative. The man who started the fight was a little unwilling but he could weigh the importance of his life or this fight and with a final vicious glare directed in Chu Yi''s, the clearing was quickly emptied.


    Chu Yi watched this scene without a word. The man turned back to him and smiled politely, "Please follow me to your room. You''ll be adequately recompensed for any grievance that has been caused to you on our land. "


    He bowed his head again and gestured to the right, "This way."


    Chu Yi''s smile grew broader and he followed behind him as they left, as he passed the raised platform he looked back slightly, the majestic tree that could be seen no matter where he was, seemed to have another black leaf added to its branches.


    Chu Yi thought that with the nature of the elves, the houses they would live in would be more like treehouses with heavy green leaves to camouflage and wooden furniture or someplace with gorgeous jewels and silver gems to show the elves innate beauty. Instead what he was brought to was a small square stone house with a hay thatch. Although it was somewhat rustic and monotone, the inside was clean and free of dust. A small window had been dug into the stone and small stone carvings and table were placed neatly in the room. A singular bed lay the nearest to the window and a small stove was left to the side.


    The man, who had still not given a name, nodded when he saw that he had settled properly and left soon after, leaving only Chu Yi to stay by himself. Before he left, he told him that he would come back to prepare Chu Yi for tonight. In his words before the actual ceremony every year, the elves would conduct a cleansing ritual to not taint the holy land.


    He slowly circled the dull room, there was no trace of anyone else ever inhabiting that place and the stove had never been used. He slowly swept his hand along the wall and wiped off the traces of dust on his finger. When he came to the window, Chu Yi couldn''t help but narrow his eyes. Although he wasn''t an expert in Feng Shui, he did know one thing. Houses that perpetually stood in the shadows of the sun, were the best place for conducting Yin energy, otherwise known as negative energy.


    He looked back outside once more and he could see the tops of the trees swaying lightly in wind, a bird would occasionally fly out from the surrounding forest and spread its wing in the orange rays of the setting sun. The cool breeze danced and skipped with a playful air and the peace and tranquillity were really like heaven on earth.


    A paradise.


    But how many dark secrets does such a place hold, he wants to find out.


    Nothing else would happen for a while and neither did he decide to go out. In the end, Chu Yi lay down and closed his eyes to rest.


    Amid a sinking dream, Chu Yi suddenly heard a voice, and his drifting consciousness abruptly woke up, "Chu Yi."


    Who was talking?


    He wanted to ask, but he was surprised to find that could not make a sound.


    "Come to me."


    The voice was very light and soft but had an irresistible hook. Chu Yi''s feet were uncontrollable and he moved step by step in the direction of the voice. He wasn''t panicked but rather intrigued by the situation he had never faced before.


    When his vision suddenly shifted, he found himself standing on the shore of a lake.


    The swaying stalks of green grass seem as if they wanted to penetrate the sky, on these stalks strange red fruit glowed like a silver bell.


    In his cognition, Chu Yi had never seen such a clear lake, he bowed his head, and could even see the pebbles settled at the bottom of the lake. He unconsciously wanted to reach out and fan the flowing water but paused.


    Chu Yi knows that beauty is just an appearance. No matter how much he wanted to reach out, he could never touch it, because beautiful things usually hide the most rotten core. When he looked back, he was somewhat surprised to see that instead of endless darkness, behind him was a familiar square hut and in the narrow bed, he could see himself still sleeping on it. He raised a brow slightly, what was the purpose of showing him this.


    Was is it to threaten him?


    Just as he turned back around, a figure slowly appeared at the edge of the lake and gently stepped onto the shore. Chu Yi''s pupil was enlarged at that moment.


    The wet black hair that stuck onto his chin, the white skin, and the eyes that shone with unusual brilliance. The clear eyes were like this lake, blue and deep. But Chu Yi could not be mistaken. That face was undoubtedly a replica of his face!


    The creature before him opened his mouth as if to say something but before Chu Yi could hear the words, the world suddenly started to spin and with a heavy gasp, his eyes violently snapped open!


    Above him, a cool and steady face had appeared, and from his lips, a long drawl was dragged out, "Chu Yi, it''s time for the cleansing ceremony. We must prepare."


    In Chu Yi''s blank gaze, the man carried a translucent redshirt in his hand and pointed to him,


    "Strip."


    In the gloomy forest some hours away, the red sedan chair that had been leisurely making its way, suddenly paused as if sensing something. In the lingering wind, a cold voice suddenly sounded,


    "Oh."


    It was only one syllable but the entire forest seemed to tremble in fear.

 Chapter 140 - The Elf (6)

    Chu Yi blinked twice and wondered if he had misheard. However the elf did not give him a chance to deny reality and his cold voice repeated, this time even firmer. If it wasn''t for the lack of emotion in his eyes, Chu Yi would have suspected that the elf had ulterior motives. The translucent red gauze in the elf''s hands shook as if the wings of a butterfly. Without giving Chu Yi time to refute, the shirt was pushed into his hands and the elf moved away from his bed and walked to the window side. From afar, the soft silver glow of the moon shone down onto the Guardian trees leaves, even the darkness seemed to blend in with the moonlight, shimmers of strange silver dust drifting gently in the air. Nevertheless, this ethereal and tranquil scene did not make him feel awe, only a never-ending disgust and loathing rose and flooded his heart.


    Behind him Chu Yi slowly sat up, feeling a strange soreness and weakness in his limbs. Instead of feeling refreshed after the short nap, he only felt more tired. The long black hair fell messily onto his face and the red eyes were still hazy with traces of mist. His disheveled clothes, which were originally strict and abstinent, were faintly pulled aside to reveal the pale white skin underneath.


    When the elf turned back around, he saw the man lazily leaning on the back of the bed, his dark hair pouring down like a waterfall, a delicate collarbone faintly visible under his white shirt. He looked away with difficulty and quickly swept over the quilt that firmly covered Chu Yi''s lower body, and finally landed on the bare feet that stretched out.


    As a man, Chu Yi''s feet were not small, but they were very well proportioned. They were beautifully shaped like carved from the best ice jade, the finely powdered nails trembled with each movement stepping on the tip of one''s heart. He walked over as if in a daze, gasped slightly, and his right leg was placed on the ground as he half knelt beside his bed. The moment his fingers touched the white to almost transparent skin, the soft and smooth touch instantly traveled to his brain through his fingertips.


    Chu Yi lifted an eyebrow and shifted his leg away with some disgust, the elf with the likeness of Samuel instantly snapped awake and the faint amorous feeling resided like a falling tide. When he looked back at Chu Yi, there was a strange emotion in his eyes that quickly faded away to indifference. The green eyes seemed to carry scorching sunlight that invaded the land inch by inch, but to Chu Yi, it was like the final light before the darkness fell.


    The Elf shook his head and stood up again, pointing to the red gauze still lying on Chu Yi''s body. "The cleansing is ritually performed before the gods and the guardian tree. For outsiders, this is the traditional dress that you must wear to be able to participate."


    Chu Yi picked up the cloth and shook it slightly. Thin and fragile. Placed on his body, it would leave not much to the imagination. Red eyes squinted lazily and threw it down before looking up at the man in the room, "You elves seem to have a few peculiar interests."


    The man wasn''t offended at this and bowed faintly, "It''s up to you sir, to determine whether you would like to participate in this ceremony. If you please get dressed as quickly as possible, it is about to start."


    When he left Chu Yi did not immediately rush to make a decision but instead slowly moved away from the bed and walk over to the window, standing in the same place man had stood in before.


    The Guardian Tree was the same as before but Chu Yi could see that above the floating leaves, a faint red mist was forming in the cold silver clouds. Chu Yi walked back and sat in silence, slowly listening to the increasing loud shouts and cries well as the passionate orange glow that appeared on the horizon.


    He didn''t know how much time had passed before Chu Yi suddenly moved, the red shirt was thrown onto his body and the rose on his wrist flashed faintly. In his eyes, an excited smile appeared.


    When he arrived at the clearing, it was filled with people. However, Chu Yi quickly noted that most of the people in the clearing were humans. Ling Zheng and the other elves were nowhere to be seen but no one seemed concerned about this and all eyes quickly focused on people that stood before the Guardian tree. An elderly human and a tall elf stood before the majestic tree and took a sacred bow before tossing a torch into a bundle of wood. A roaring fire was abruptly lit!


    The elves began beating the drums wildly and were gathering in the center one after another. Chu Yi stood to the side and stared at the strange ritual happening coldly. A blazing fire surrounded them in a circle and, in the middle, were three shirtless soldiers dancing around an elf woman to the beat of the drum.


    One of the men made a strange noise, his face turning red and he lunged at the woman. From afar, one could smell the scent of wine on him. Without waiting, he started ripping the woman''s clothes.


    The woman looked like she had no bones, resembling a snake. Under the glow of the fire, her skin was like honey with a faint luster on it. Squinting her doe eyes, she wrapped her whole body around the man, her waist and arms unimaginably soft.


    The elves and humans were surrounding them and stamping their feet. Along with the anxious and urgent rhythm of the drum were the wolf whistles of the crowd. The man and the elf entangled in public without care. The two other men in the field were immediately excited. They moved closer to find a chance to fondle the woman''s thighs and chest.


    The musicians played a messier beat on the drums, and all the people were in wild excitement. They were like beasts collectively in estrus, and the air was full of restlessness and desire.


    Then suddenly the music fell and the people in the middle-parted, this silence not only did not quell their excitement but made them even more excited. Like tense arrows on the verge of being shot!


    "The Humans and Elves alliance for a hundred years will be celebrated with the cleansing ritual for two night before the sacred ceremony!"


    From behind, a group of beautiful men and women lined up in a row and danced together. And the men in the group only got louder and more excited with their twisting bodies. The drum stick finally fell and a loud boom resounded through the forest. The signal for the cleansing ritual to begin.


    Chu Yi instantly understood, this cleansing ritual was in fact mating!


    The Elves Mating Ceremony has been celebrated since ancient times even before the Alliance between the human and the eleven. In the entire content, the grandest in the festival was the revelry¨Cas the most anticipated and sought-after segment, no one could refrain from joining in.


    As soon as the drum fell, people were no longer people. The soldiers immediately pounced on the beautiful elves, grabbing and pulling anyone they caught into their arms as if they were common commodities. The man who had tried to fight with Chu Yi before was entangled with a man and a woman, exchanging tongue and saliva. When he raised his head to take a breath, at a glance, he saw Chu Yi standing far away from the fire, awake but yawning. He didn''t know why, but he couldn''t help but look for his faults. Although he could no longer fight him he could most definitely take advantage of the chaos and do something else.


    Grinning vulgarly, he harshly pushed the elf woman still attached to him and pointed to Chi Yi and said, "You see that man over there, bring him to me."


    Maybe it was due to a type of intuition, but Chu Yi glanced up, turned around, and looked in their direction faintly. The woman was reluctant at first, although they didn''t have a choice to be here, a least picking the right partner, a leader, would make the night less painful. But when she saw the young man''s face illuminated by the fire, she was stunned and the previous reluctance was wiped out. The red eyes that glanced at her made her heart skip a beat, such a beautiful face was rare even amongst the elves.


    Chu Yi didn''t know why the woman was suddenly coming over. Seeing her getting closer, the red lips pursed slightly and he moved as if to leave. The woman didn''t care about even etiquette and she grabbed his arm and yanked him back towards her, a charming smile on her face.


    "Sire, the cleansing ritual is sacred and divine. As a participant, you must be cleansed, purified of your filth through mating."


    Chu Yi stared at her vaguely, a strange emotion in his eyes, and did not reply.


    She thought he was shy, so she put her arm on Chu Yi''s shoulder, and a long finger pointed at the tip of his nose. She asked with a smile, "Sir, why don''t celebrate with me?"


    Chu Yi had never been treated like this before. The redshirt he wore was faintly gleaming with sweat, the lewd and joyful cries in the air only made the atmosphere in the clearing even more heated. He furrowed his brow, always feeling that something strange was about to happen.


    The woman who didn''t get a reply laughed and reached out to caress his face, making the hair on Chu Yi''s skin stand on end.


    He finally couldn''t bear it and stepped back. Disgust and abhorrence appeared at the corner of his lips.


    The woman found him amusing. No human could resist the elf''s charm, she just thought he was inexperienced and didn''t know what to do. She smiled as she swayed her waist towards him, forcing him to step back.


    Chu Yi wanted to do something but intuition told him attacking right now would not be a good idea, the feeling of suffocation and helplessness was made Chu Yi frown even harder.


    In his haste, Chu Yi accidentally stepped on someone''s foot. The man gave a slight yelp attracting both of their attention. He found that the person was an elf. He was sitting on top of a soldier with an unnatural flush on his face, half of his clothes were pulled down and his waist was wriggling like a sultry snake.


    The entangled soldier and the elf turned their faces at the same time to look at this beautiful and daring young man. A strange light suddenly flashed in the eyes of the soldier and he heavily pushed into the elf''s body. The man moaned a drawn-out sweet and soft sound. But the soldier''s eyes were still locked onto Chu Yi''s as if implying something.


    In his moment of inattentiveness, the woman took this opportunity to climb over. Wrapping both hands around his neck and pushing her bosom into his chest, singing sweetly, "Come let us mate."


    Chu Yi couldn''t bear it. His eyelids were twitching, the red eyes were dark with disgust and he was about to lift his leg to kick her away.


    Before he could do so, however, strong arms suddenly wrapped around his waist and pulled him away.. In his ears, a low and magnetic voice suddenly spoke, "Sorry, this one''s mine."

 Chapter 141 - The Elf (7)

    The woman''s face abruptly changed. She wanted to say something to refute but in the face of this unknown man''s cold and dark eyes, an insurmountable fear arose. It made her feel that in the next second she''d be chopped to pieces if she continue to stay here! In the end, she could only hurry away, unnoticed in the heated and frantic atmosphere.


    Chu Yi narrowed his eyes and moved as if to escape from the mans'' grasp, however, the hands on his waist tightened, squeezing the soft flesh there and slowly speaking above him, "Isn''t it too early to burn the bridge after crossing dear, shouldn''t you be showing your gratitude instead."


    Chu Yi scoffed and raised his head, locking eyes with the teasing and dangerous eyes that stared down at him. He didn''t seem surprised by the man''s sudden presence. He was calm, not afraid, and even sneered twice,


    "Gratitude? If it wasn''t for you I might be enjoying the services of a beautiful and wanton elf at this moment."


    The narrow dark golden eyes were filled with evil mirth, and the man pinched his waist as if inadvertently, pulling the young man closer as if wanted to blend him into his flesh, forcing the latter to raise his head slightly.


    "How about it, you in your in the real body, I''m afraid you haven''t tasted the taste of joy yet, right?"


    They looked at each other in the sea of ??flames, surrounded by crazed and indecent cries, as if the end of the world was coming.


    "I haven''t been able to feel it."


    The dark golden pupils changed their previous laziness, and the dark fire that burned to the bottom of his heart blended with the raging fire, opening the shackles and releasing the cage for the distorted and dark beast in the world.


    The people who did all this were just smiling.


    Before the man could react, Chu Yi suddenly elbowed backward, catching the man off guard and shoving him away, the red glow of the fire coating his face in flickering shadows, only the red eyes were filled with an almost unnatural glow. However, to his surprise, the man was gone. The drumbeat of the music behind him only got deeper and wilder, with strange trance-like qualities that made the blood of the people in the clearing boil!


    "It''s a good thing that I hurried over then, otherwise there would be no more tears to cry."


    "Nevertheless, I have a great surprise for you that I''m sure you''ll like."


    Different from the heated and passionate voices of the others, his voice was deep and depressed, drifting into his ears like a cold wind.


    Is it to the left or on the right?


    Chu Yi suddenly turned around.


    A dark red whip swung behind him along with his movements.


    Fell through.


    Not only did he fail, but the chuckle also moved behind him, unpredictable.


    The person hiding in the dark was like a cat catching a mouse, and like an experienced hunter, facing the prey he had already been eyeing, he sometimes stretches out his hands to tease him twice, wantonly playing people in his palms, without the ability to resist.


    "If you want to mate with someone else, there are a few qualities that you lack."


    The man stared at this extremely beautiful creature in the dark, and his voice was full of joy, "Want to know what it is?"


    After that, he didn''t mean to seek Chu Yi''s opinion but started on his own.


    "First of all, your skin is too white."


    In the sound of the drumbeat and lewd moans of copulating figures, Ruan Quixi''s hand slid against Chu Yi''s fragile wrist, paused for a few seconds on the beating pulse, and then pulled away.


    "Such a white skin is easy to be bruised and red. More beautiful than women, how could she be satisfied with this."


    Chu Yi''s pupils shrank, and at the same time, he was worried about attracting attention to himself. In the corner of his, a woman was surrounded by a few excited soldiers. Her joyous cry seemed to combine with the mysterious chants of the elves. He suddenly twisted to another place, the dark hair swaying in the warm air.


    "The shoulder circumference is wrong."


    At the same time, another other hand slid down Chu Yi''s slender neck to his shoulders, wrapped around the collarbone, and softly traced the deep crevice there.


    Chu Yi grasped that hand and wanted to make a shoulder throw, but in only a second of contact, that hand quietly submerged into the shadows.


    "The waist is too thin..not enough strength."


    Another pair of hands appeared and effortlessly circled the waist half-revealed under the transparent red shirt, spinning around in the clearing, full of meaningful hints. The man suddenly appeared behind him again, exhaling a soft breath onto the back of Chu Yi''s neck. "Not very good."


    Chu Yi couldn''t fight, and he couldn''t move either. He could only follow the hand and the body behind him, and after turning around to the beat of the music, he pulled him even closer


    "The chin is a bit pointed."


    The man took the opportunity, a long finger ran along the beautifully shaped jawline, pinching the sharpest point. Chu Yi didn''t struggle this time, instead, he opened his mouth directly and bit in the direction of that hand.


    "It''s murderous," said the slightly sunken and surprised voice: "Does it taste good?"


    The cold fingers were squeezed in from Chu Yi''s lips, the rough scars and the slightly callused fingers stuck together, tightly wrapped in a warm and moist heat.


    The other hand also swam from the edge of the red lips that Chu Yi had not had time to close, pushed in, and stroked the sharp tiger tooth with affection.


    The seeming defeated youth suddenly opened his eyes, and a flash of light flashed quickly in his sharp red eyes.


    But because of his posture, Chu Yi didn''t rush to startle the snake, instead, with his strength, after shaking the hand away, he turned and headed for the fire. The man chuckled and disappeared again.


    "Of course... the most important thing is--"


    An uncountable number of hands suddenly emerged from the darkness, clasped his waist, and put them around his neck. The man placed his head on the dark rose''s shoulder with a smile and took a deep sniff.


    "Unique smell."


    The scent mixed with the sweet, cold fragrance of roses poured into his chest, making people fascinated.


    The music began to become particularly wild, and the strange mist in the clouds grew deeper. At this point the people were lost in a carnal last, their eyes were bloodshot and red and they seemed to have lost their minds in the pleasure of the flesh. Chu Yi who seemed to be the only one sober was out of place. The man behind him seemed to know something and shook his head slightly,


    "Next time if you want to wear this clothing again, remember to pay attention to these details, maybe it can give you a bit more surprises."


    Chu Yi laughed coldly, "Oh? Really?"


    The words had just left his tongue when in the light between the fire and the moon, Chu Yi pushed his elbow back, and his whole body twisted at an incredible angle! He got out of the shackles of the man behind him, turned around, and pulled the man towards him without looking back.


    "You won''t have more chance."


    The person in the dark was taken aback, instead of avoiding it, the smile on his face widened brilliantly and he opened his arms. Welcoming the embrace of a madman. The shadows of the two seemed to be fondling and kissing and the strange gazes they had garnered naturally disappeared.


    Feeling the body of the man in his arms, relaxed slightly, the man grinned slightly. Deserves me¡ªa smile on his face buried on Chu Yi''s shoulder.


    The musician''s drums became faster, and the woman surrounded by them made high-pitched voices under the action of the soldiers. The men and women dancing and interacting in the field seemed to push the whole atmosphere to a high tide. From the shadows, a sharp whistle suddenly appeared and a group of women came out, bringing jugs of wines in their hands.


    A woman who served the wine stepped forward with a jug larger than her head, kneeling on her knees before the human elder and the tall elf. The elf lifted the jug and poured the intoxicating red wine two large bowls. He raised his bowl to the side of the human elder and drank the first bowl of wine very heroically. Then lifted the second bowl, and suddenly threw it into the fire! The fire blazed as if it wanted to burn the sky!


    A red-haired man suddenly jumped into the middle, poured a bowl of wine on himself, a piece of animal skin, was the only thing on his waist and the exposed bulging muscles were covered in a glistening layer of wine and sweat. He hollered loudly, banged on his chest, and suddenly lifted his hands.


    From behind, there was a synchronized shout and a panicked horned deer was dragged and carried in. The red-haired man roared fiercely and with bare hands, grabbed the deer''s neck and slit its flesh! The blood splashed onto his face and with skilled movement, he kneeled onto the soil, holding up a big bowl and filling it with blood.


    He raised it high into the air and took a big gulp when the blood has drained the man, clasped his hands into a fist, and suddenly stamped the floor! The drum suddenly crescendoed even higher!


    As if in a strange trance, the men started to sway light, and from their lips, a gruff and tuneless voice left. Chu Yi didn''t know if it was his illusion, but a strange heat was slowly rising in his body. As if something inside him was being awakened by the song. In his mind, he seemed to have become fragile and delicate dodder, entwined and clinging to another plant. He was so soft and deceiving as if a gust of wind could easily break him, but as he climbed it spread, his bright red seedlings spread its roots into the soil, growing and growing until his majestic branches spread into the sky!


    "It''s so fragrant... why is it so fragrant?"


    The minute he heard those words, Chu Yi''s whose eyes had been closed immediately knew something was wrong. When he looked up, he met a pair of playful golden eyes, "I''d suggest you find a way to escape Chu Yi. After all, your kind had a fatal attraction to other creatures."


    His kind?


    From behind, Chu Yi heard a series of low groans and the ruffling of movement as the entangled persons were unconsciously pulled by the thing that had a fatal attraction to them. He looked back up at Ruan Quixi and pursed his lips,


    "What did you do¨C"


    He smiled and shrugged his soldiers, "Oh no dear, I did say you had a.... unique scent. Well, it seems I''m not the only one with that opinion."


    "Now my dear¨C it''s time to run."


    From behind there was a strange cry and suddenly Chu Yi seemed to understand why Ling Zheng and the other elves were nowhere to be seen.

 Chapter 142 - The Elf (8)

    The sounds of celebration and joy seemed to be muffled through a layer of water. In the cold forest, the faint rustle of scampering animals and the occasional crack of branches underfoot sounded. Through a dark layer of foliage, the silver moonlight illuminated the path for the two evil spirit''s playing a dark game in the dead of the night.


    The more he knew Chu Yi, the greater his obsession with his every movement. Someone who could instantly turn a backhand and hurt him as soon as he became dissatisfied, like a punitive cat that would scratch if petted too long.


    Now, Chu Yi is hiding in the trees and bushes, the other''s unique smell is mottled, completely covering his tracks. But to him, this was more like the last bow before a gift is unwrapped, it only made his heart more restless.


    The dark golden eyes narrowed with a heavy excitement.


    The evil spirit walked into the forest, the tranquil and calm forest seemed incompatible with his strange temperament, it seemed that as soon as he entered the forest, the animals disappeared and the plants bowed their head.


    Wherever Ruan Quixi passed, it seemed that all life was sucked in a vacuum. He purposely walked slow, stepping on the branches without any intention of hiding his tracks. The evil spirit lowered his head, glancing at the wound that had been cut into his body. Coagulated blood had already painted the white shirt a bloody red. He didn''t care about this little wound and as if showing off a trophy, he purposely allowed the blood to stain his body.


    The corners of Ruan Quixi''s lips curled up he moved his head to avoid the cold red knife that came from behind. Although he evaded in time, a long mark was still drawn on the side of his cheek, and the red dagger disappeared into thin air in the blink of an eye.


    He slowly licked the blood at the corner of his lips.


    Ruan Quixi looked back in the direction where the crimson dagger flew, the only thing he could see was the hanging branches of the dark trees, swaying in the cool breeze. In his mind, a pair of burning red eyes flashed, a low chuckle of amusement rumbling in his chest.


    "I thought we were just running, why are you playing a backhand here." Ruan Quixi narrowed his eyes slightly, although his words seemed indignant, there was no trace of anger in his voice, only eagerness. He turned around and walked back, but from behind a whip was wrapped around his feet, pulling him back suddenly.


    But the evil spirit who had already prepared just moved his feet back, perfectly avoiding the attack, the red whip too disappeared into thin air, not giving him a chance to snatch it.


    "Cunning fox," Ruan Quixi exclaimed lightly.


    The warm orange glow of the burning in the distance accompanied by the beating drum seemed far away as if they were trapped in their world. His footsteps were getting faster and faster, avoiding the attacks from all directions and shuttling through the winding forest.


    "Crack!¨C"


    Chu Yi grabbed a hanging leaf above and he slowly stepped back a few steps, then turned back as if to move from the original path, but instead, he faced a cloud of black fog.


    The man, shadowed in darkness and light smiled politely, "Ah, my dear, the game is over."


    Chu Yi turned around, the dark red eyes squinted faintly, the hand grasped the dark leaf slowly let go, a faint black powder falling from his fingertips.


    The black-haired young man''s forehead was sweaty, and even in the cool night, his face was reddened with heat.


    Ruan Quixi walked out from the dark shadow under the hanging tree, his dark eyes were full of interest, the skin that had been cut by Chu Yi returned to its original condition. On his chest, he wore a bright red rose.


    The red petals gleamed with a charming and dangerous luster, and the evil spirit walked in front of Chu Yi with a relaxed tone: "Where are you going to run now?"


    There was no place to run.


    Chu Yi was tired from running. He didn''t know if it was due to his physique, but the farther he stayed away from the guardian tree, the harsher the burning pain in his chest became.


    He leaned against the rough bark of the tree beside him and looked up Ruan Quixi, there was even a bizarre interest in his eyes made up of pure malice.


    "Not running away," the black-haired young man raised his lips and smiled under the moonlight. He looked at the evil spirit provocatively, "I''m tired of playing too."


    Ruan Quixi walked to dead in front of Chu Yi, the dark black hair faintly illuminated by the light that peaked through the white clouds.


    A black mist rose from the ground and enveloped the two, isolating the wind and moonlight. Two hands slowly came up to rest at the sides of his head and apart from this evil spirit, there was only darkness in front of him.


    Chu Yi looked up at Ruan Quixi fearlessly, watching the desire in his eyes suddenly emerge from the depths, like the turbulent waves that rose from the depths of the deep sea. A finger slowly came down to tap at a position right beside Chu Yi''s heart as if inadvertently, "Did you have fun?"


    Chu Yi narrowed his eyes and looked deep into the man''s eyes. His heart suddenly gave birth to a sense of secret pleasure and refreshment. As if he could fully confirm that this hypocritical and dangerous evil spirit was conquered by him, bowing at his feet and living for him. The desire to conquer was enveloped by a sweet maliciousness, and the evil nature in his bones suddenly grew exponentially.


    Chu Yi chuckled a few times, crawling his fingers on Ruan Quixi''s tie, and suddenly lifted a foot to kick him lightly.


    Ruan Quixi trembled vaguely.


    The tail of his eyes was raised, and he glanced at the man as if he was mocking him, "Could it be that you''re...jealous?"


    "But why is that, isn''t he...apart of you."


    Chu Yi''s eyes flashed with a cunning light, and the way he looked at Ruan Quixi was even more charming as if tempting him to leak all his secrets


    The man didn''t answer but raised his hand to pin the sticky black hair on Chu Yi''s forehead behind his ear, "What I want will be delivered to my hand by countless people. Most of the time, I don''t do it myself."


    "But you, my dear," the evil spirit leaned happily, and whispered ambiguously into Chu Yi''s ears, "You are the only thing that is held by me."


    "Then I''m honored," Chu Yi smirked. "After all, you personally chased me."


    The evil spirit smirked, "You are different."


    He held Chu Yi''s moving hand on his tie and lightly traced the gaps between his finger. These few words were already the limit of Ruan Quixi''s gentlemanly demeanor. The desire beneath the surface that have been held for long exhausted his patience and before Chu Yi could continue to dig for secrets, he was kissed.


    There was no gentlessness and tenderness in this kiss, it was more as if he was taking revenge. Ruan Quixi didn''t need breath, Chu Yi didn''t respond at first, red eyes watching coldly at the man''s face that was dyed in an intense evil by desire. The hands at his head cupped his face and the evil spirit''s tongue was as hot as lava, slid across Chu Yi''s lips, and even seemed to want to go further down.


    Chu Yi gradually couldn''t breathe, he lifted his knees and kicked Ruan Quixi again, but whether fueled by desire or something else, Ruan Quixi did not let go. A heavy sense of suffocation hit, Chu Yi grabbed the man''s hair and dragged his head back strenuously, the evil spirit slightly withdrew from his mouth, and asked with a low smile: "What''s the matter?"


    Chu Yi felt something against him below as he panted breathlessly, the bruised red lips spat mercilessly "Are you a dog?"


    "From before to now," Chu Yi sneered, "Your kissing skills are really bad."


    Ruan Quixi used a thumb to brush the gorgeous color on his lips. He didn''t care about Chu Yi''s words that irritated him deliberately, "Then practice my kissing skills on you."


    As soon as the voice fell, he pressed the back of his neck and kissed him again. The bark of the tree is rough and gritty. Enveloped silent darkness, Chu Yi didn''t know how many times he was kissed by an evil spirit. His lips burned horribly and even the root of his tongue was numb, when they were separated, a string of saliva was drawn-out along with their movements. The fragile human body could not resist such endless torture and the broken skin on his lips shed bright red blood.


    The smell of blood diffused in the air and Chu Yi turned his head irritably and didn''t want to continue, but the Ruan Quixi was like a shark chasing after the smell of blood.


    In the black mist, the wet gasping sounds overlapped. Lewd and charming, Chu Yi didn''t know how much time passed but it was only when his vision turned black, did the evil spirit finally leave his lips.


    "..."


    Chu Yi gasped, his lips were painful as if every inch of flesh had been bitten,


    "Ruan Quixi."


    His voice was hoarse and dumb but the anger contained in it was not false, "Do you want to die?"


    Chu Yi could feel his very enthusiastic gaze scanning across his body, swept across his lips, his neck, and then finally fell on the exposed collarbone revealed by the translucent shirt.


    This gaze was full of meaningful danger. Chu Yi breathed slightly, his throat was painful, and his heart faintly itchy under such eyes. As if Ruan Quixi could penetrate his skin and stare at his soul. The white neck was filled with countless intertwined red and green marks from the hands that held him firmly.


    Ruan Quixi''s eyes became even hotter.


    "Didn''t you say to me, that as long as I took you away I''d be allowed to do anything I want?"


    The evil in the man''s grin seemed to deepen as the name slowly spilled from his lips, the arc of this smile like a sharp knife pressing thinly against a fragile neck. Chu Yi''s heart skipped a beat, an ominous premonition in his heart but it also aroused the wildness in his blood, faster and faster until the only thing left in his ears was the sound of rushing blood!


    Chu Yi''s face was red, and his lips were also crimson. The corners of his lips hooked higher and higher, looking at the appearance of the evil spirit, like a glamorous ghost seducing people into hell.


    "Ruan Quixi," he stood relaxed, his shirt wrinkled by the evil spirit and the tree behind him.


    Several strands of hair hooked on Ruan Quixi''s shoulder, even if he was restrained by the hands-on his waist and pressed in such a remote corner, his aura and posture made it seem as if he had the upper hand. As if he was born to conquer.


    Chu Yi suddenly smiled maliciously, "But didn''t I also say, as long as you don''t regret it?"


    Ruan Quixi raised a brow and wanted to speak but at this moment, a golden light suddenly flashed before his eyes and in the next instant, Chu Yi disappeared in front of his eyes.


    He kept holding Chu Yi''s posture, his lips should have continued to stick to Chu Yi''s neck.


    His arms were empty.


    Ruan Quixi''s face sank, rarely so black that it could drip ink.


    In the silent forest, a voice filled with suppressed anger sounded, "Chu Yi¨C"


    After a moment of dizziness, Chu Yi fell heavily to the floor of an unknown place. The rune on his neck was extremely hot, but it was quickly cooled down by a wet tongue lapping happily at his neck. Chu Yi pushed away from the head slightly and opened his eyes to face with a pair of limpid eyes.


    "Ankiron."


    The dog barked happily and licked at his face before disappearing.


    Chu Yi stood up staggeringly from the floor, he was in a damp and old cave underground, far away from the elf tribe.


    No, the most important thing is...


    The expression of disbelief on Ruan Quixi''s face in the last month before he disappeared, flashed in his mind.


    Chu Yi laughed suddenly, gloating, "Hahahaha."


    Let him solve it himself.


    Ruan Quixi probably never thought he was being calculated from the start.. If he had to say when it happened, he''d have to go back to an hour ago.

 Chapter 143 - The Elf (9)

    Before Chu Yi could think about the previous events, he looked into the distance and let out a sneer. It seemed that Ruan Quixi would not give up until he got what he wanted. He pulled his attention away from the distance and turned back to the cave. It didn''t take long for him to reach its depth.


    Standing here, this platform was more like a cliff, because it was such a huge dive, one couldn''t see the bottom, and even the other edge of the hole was visible in the boundless darkness. Chu Yi had relied on Ankiron''s innate ability, an animal that could sniff out vital clues and locations and teleport its owner there. When Chu Yi first learned of this ability, he was initially estactic but his enthusiasm was quickly doused with cold water when he learned of its restriction. Although it could find vital clues, Chu Yi would suffer from extremely bad luck for at least two days. That means to say if he wasn''t careful, Chu Yi could stumble into a dangerous situation at any moment. He didn''t know what prompted him to take that risk now, but Chu Yi inherently felt that this would be a turning point for him.


    Chu Yi turned on the strong-light flashlight, and the harsh light beam tore through the darkness as if it was a substance. The strong flashlight provided by the tower is of excellent quality, with a strong focus and an effective range of more than 300 meters, but even then it still couldn''t illuminate the opposite side.


    That is to say, the diameter of the giant hole is upwards of 400 meters, and may even touch a kilometer. Such a terrifying underground cave can even be said to hollow out an entire mountain with no trace of human excavation at all.


    There seemed to be no one way of getting down and vaguely Chu Yi seemed to sense a rapidly approaching presence. The gloomy and cold wind whistled, bringing a stale and sweet stench.


    Chu Yi seemed to have opened the door to the new world, the corners of his mouth slightly curved, and the next moment he suddenly flexed his neck without warning.


    Chu Yi is standing on the edge of the cliff, there was no place to hide on both sides, as long as he takes a step back, he would fall into the bottomless pit, but the person he had left high and dry was rapidly nearing, faintly carrying a murderous intention, facing both sides, it seemed Chu Yi was in a dilemma.


    At this moment, Chu Yi put away the bright flashlight, and the dark cave instantly became pitch black.


    In his hands, a dark red whip appeared. He squatted on the edge of the cliff and observed the cave wall. The dark hole that had been washed by dripping water for thousands of years was smooth as if it had been polished, and there were no protrusions or stone crevices to be used as a foothold. He would not be able to climb down such a vertical smooth wall. Most people would give up here, but at the end of the day, he never intended to climb.


    Chu Yi quickly picked up a stone the size of a large golf ball and patiently wound it around the dark whip. Then he swung the rock-bound whip like a cowboy lasso, satisfied with the weight.


    In front of him was a bottomless abyss, and the whirring cold wind rushed from the cave, a biting and malicious chill. Even if one is not afraid of heights it would still take great courage to stand here.


    But Chu Yi only thought that since there was wind, it could prove that the bottom of this giant hole was not closed and that there might be a side channel. Although it still could not obscure the height of the hole, Chu Yi was even more excited. His red eyes seemed to be glowing, he couldn''t stop smiling, even his breathing was a little short. The man had always had endless desire to explore the sky above their heads and the deep-sea caves beneath their feet. Chu Yi was thinking... how happy it would be if he jumped down from this hole. The man had turned his back, his feet were half off the cliff, and he slowly leaned back.


    "No, it''s not exciting enough."


    Halfway down, Chu Yi straightened his waist and stood up. He thought that he might rarely have the opportunity to jump the giant hole in his life, which must be a precious experience that he will keep reminiscing about in the future. Therefore, Chu Yi was very solemn, looked for multiple angles, and finally decided to face the abyss and jump down.


    But it still wasn''t exciting enough. Suddenly he stopped and an evil smile suddenly crossed his lips.


    He had a brilliant idea!


    Chu Yi slowly waited, his heart beating faster and faster the closer he got!


    Closer, closer. Ten meters, five meters, three meters¡ª


    The minute the tall man crossed into the dark cave, the golden eyes only caught sight of red lips rise into an arrogant and wicked smile before in his dilated pupils,


    Chu Yi jumped!


    In the cold silence, the man watched his dearest disappear in his sight, helpless to do anything as if he had been transported back to that day once again.


    Ruan Quixi''s eyes rapidly turned stormy, a wicked sneer pulling at the corner of his lips. With a snap of his fingers, he disappeared.


    *


    When he jumped into the abyss without any protective measures, Chu Yi felt boundless joy and freedom. He was falling rapidly, a sharp whistling as the wind passed his ears. The hole swallowed all the light and drowned his entire being in boundless darkness.


    Chu Yi didn''t feel suffocation or horror.


    There was only pure happiness and satisfaction in his eyes. Freedom, the only thing that brought him is excitement and stimulation, and even peace. In this kind of weightlessness, he seemed to be in a different dimension, a dark paradise that is not disturbed or noisy and belongs to Chu Yi alone.


    At this moment, he doesn''t have to hide it anymore, he doesn''t have to hide the arrogance and madness on his bones at all. A wanton and sharp light pulled at his heartstrings and Chu Yi wanted to laugh.


    He was a monster.


    A monster hidden in the crowd, covered in a layer of human skin, and incompatible with a peaceful and quiet life. Therefore even if he kills all the other monsters, he still couldn''t find a place in the world.


    Chu Yi didn''t laugh like a madman, he just smiled quietly. His eyes were filled with a shallow layer of light, and there seemed to be endless arrogance in his eyes.


    But when he estimated that he was close to the ground and it was time to stop, Chu Yi calmly and rationally pulled out the rose whip. The whip was swung several times and rebounded onto the edge of the cliff, like a rope tied to a person during bungee jumping, and finally took Chu Yi to the rock wall with great force.


    However his speed was very fast, and there is no sponge cushion on the rock wall, and normal people will probably become a puddle of meat when they crashed at such high speed. But Chu Yi deftly let go when he was about to approach the rock wall, and his posture was less like a well-trained special forces soldier, and more like a wild animal.


    With the strength of the whip, he fell into a cave safely without any danger.


    "Boom--"


    The landing Chu Yi didn''t get up right away. He squatted on the ground and reminisced about the lingering emotions in his heart for more than ten seconds before he recovered from the excitement.


    This sense of being out of control, facing the madness of his heart, and feeling the weightlessness coldly, as if everything was under his control, was one of the most fascinating and intoxicating experiences. He looked back up, the person he was expecting to see was gone but Chu Yi didn''t entangle himself with it, and without hesitation, he walked out of the dark channel.


    Initially, Chu Yi thought that he would be transported to another deep and dark cavern but when he looked around he found that he was now in a small but relatively spacious tomb vault. Even if one described it as spacious, it could not be considered as such. There was only an open coffin inside, and the remaining space surrounding the coffin was only wide enough for two people to walk side by side. Where Chu Yi happened to be, he was standing right beside the coffin.


    No matter how much he looked around, he could not see anything out of the ordinary, and in the end, his eyes landed on the coffin. There was nothing inside the dusty and grey stone tomb, the open black hole seemed to suck away all the light. Beside it, a short stone lever stood, blatantly tempting him to pull it. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to act. The moment he pulled the lever down, there was a strange rumbling and cracking sound from the wall, the dislodged rocks fell to the floor before the wall gave way. Almost immediately, a hidden room came into sight, and inside it revealed a winding flight of stairs leading into darkness.


    Chu Yi''s dubious eyes revealed his doubts at how easy this was. When was it so simple for clues to be found¨Cunless there were even more terrifying things to come. Regardless, he didn''t delay any longer and followed the path of the stairs down into darkness. Only the sounds of his footsteps echoed in the empty vacuum and Chu Yi didn''t know it was an illusion but the farther down he walked, the colder the temperature became. There was even a faint crashing that reminded him of water gushing.


    However when he finally reached the ends of his steps, what was revealed to him was not a flowing river as he imagined but yet another space. Unlike the one above this space was huge, with the same cold layout as the tomb above. Inside, there were a few tall platforms with short stairs suspended in the air and inexplicably it reminded him of the battle arenas used in the fight to the death of warriors of ancient Rome.


    There was only one huge tree in the middle of the room.


    It was a very huge tree, large enough that even dozens of people together would not be able to encircle its huge trunk. Its branches and leaves extended up so high that they were unable to see their end. There were many hanging, twisted tree roots, and these roots and vines were spread over almost the entirety of the room. It could be said that this huge tomb vault was densely packed with all the big and small roots and vines!


    However, each leaf on the branch was not a brilliant green as one would see on a healthy tree but they all carried a wilted and black luster that reminded him of the leaves on the guardian tree aboveground. This tree was like a mini replica of the one in the elf tribe but this tree seemed to be in the late stages of death as if foretelling the future of the guardian tree.


    In fact, the moment he arrived at this tomb, the flashlight in his hand became useless. Because in this room there was another source of light. On the tree''s snagged roots, strange pink fibers emitted light. If one carefully observed them, one would find that these roots twisted from time to time. The light they emitted was not a lot, but with the presence of so many roots and root fibers, together, they had the capacity to illuminate the entire space.


    When Chu Yi stepped over the roots and moved closer to the strange tree, he couldn''t help but wrinkle his nose. It wasn''t to say that there was a disgusting smell in the room but somehow Chu Yi felt somewhat nauseous. It was the same uncomfortable feeling he got the last time when Ling Zheng had touched him. As if two incompatible elements had collided together.


    Since the ground inside the large tomb vault was covered with tree roots, there was no space for him to step on, so he could only step onto the roots. However, the further he moved in, the more uncomfortable he felt until he was forced to stop a distance away from the tree. These tree roots were like living things. Whenever he moved, they would shift slowly, as if opening a path for him. Moreover, when he stepped on these roots, it was as if he could clearly feel under the soles of his feet, a kind of warmth that only living creatures possessed, and as if it had a pulse, he could even vaguely feel the dong, dong, dong of its heartbeat. However, this heartbeat was strenuous and low as if struggling to survive.


    "Interesting." Chu Yi raised his eyes. Walking on these roots gave him the feeling that he was crawling on some giant creature, and when the roots, vines, and other parts twisted and moved, it felt as if they were tentacles or something similar. However, why would such a big tree appear in the place in the first place?


    Chu Yi stood a few meters away from the tree, in his narrowed vision, he seemed to see a strange thing lodged inside the tree. Although it was very bright in the tomb, only the roots were emitting light, and somehow, the closer he got to the center, the fewer roots there were. Without the natural lighting, it seemed darker. It could be said that the surrounding area was very bright, but the center of the tomb was very dark. Just like the staircase before, as if something was preventing the light from illuminating here.


    "The fallen god, whose power can still light up the people around him but cannot save himself." Chu Yi suddenly uttered this sentence in the darkness, his voice that carried traces of cold amusement seemed to bounce off the dome-like walls. There was no one to answer him however and humming slightly, Chu Yi pressed down the uneasy feeling in his stomach and moved closer.


    The vault above had an open coffin, regardless of where the contents of the coffin were, Chu Yi faintly wondered if there would also be a tomb here. The huge and withered tree seemed to carry with a sense of destruction. The roots and vines spread around the entire tomb vault, covering every corner. The brighter the exterior, the darker one''s heart would be.


    When Chu Yi came to stand in front of the tree, he found out his previous conjecture wasn''t too far-fetched because there was no need for a coffin itself...the tree was the coffin!


    There was a woman ingrown in the huge tree trunk!


    It may not have been particularly appropriate to call her ''ingrown,'' but Chu Yi could not find any other words to describe it because half of this person''s body was trapped in the trunk, as if she had grown together with this tree. Her hands and feet were sealed in the bark, and only her head and chest were exposed.


    On her body, this woman wore a red wedding dress!

 Chapter 144 - The Elf (10)

    The moment Chu Yi''s eyes landed on the woman, there was a strange palpitation in his heart. It wasn''t fear or excitement but a kind of resonance and nostalgia that came from similar kinds. However Chu Yi was sure that he had never met this woman before, so therefore this feeling could only be as a result of the game settings.


    He narrowed his eyes slightly, what connection could he have to this woman trapped in the withered tree. Moreover what history did she have with the elves to be trapped underneath here in a tree that had an uncanny resemblance to the guardian tree? In his eyes, the glowing root fibers emitted faint blue dust that slowly drifted beside the tree, settling briefly on the black leaves before gradually sinking into it, in turn, more blue dust would reappear to continue the cycle.


    Although he couldn''t see the woman''s face clearly what he could make out was the peaceful and tranquil smile on her face. As if what she was trapped in wasn''t a tomb but a simple resting place and soon she''d wake and breathe life again. But it was impossible, no matter how tranquil her expression was it could still not hide the presence of death.


    Chu Yi''s eyelids drooped faintly as if he was concentrating on something, his lips pursed and in the next second, a thin blue vortex suddenly appeared in his hands! The strange blue wisps gradually condensed and combined, until a small water ball was suspended above his palm!


    However, this structure didn''t hold for long and soon collapsed, leaving Chu Yi''s pale face drenched in a cold sweat and a pounding headache inside his skull. Chu Yi had long felt something off with the elves. Although his character introduction introduced the aspect of elements and magic. When he did interact with the elves, there was no trace of mana or magic amongst the species rumored to be closest to nature.


    It was as if the elves had all tacitly forgotten. Now he could finally confirm his conjecture, it wasn''t that the elves didn''t have mana but that they couldn''t practice it!


    The land had been stripped of its elements! The moment he tried to circulate mana inside his body, he could feel this deficiency intuitively. It was like an extremely thirsty person was suddenly given a glass of water, but before he could even take more than a sip, that water was abruptly taken away from him¨C


    It left a bad taste in his mouth.


    Chu Yi glanced down at his fingers and clenched his fist before looking up at the woman trapped in the tree. The floating dust that he could see in the air was a sparse amount of water element that had somehow managed to stay here.


    Without it, Chu Yi would not have been able to create the water ball in his hands just now. Nevertheless, this still could not clear his doubts, where did these water elements come from and why was the land stripped of its elements. He did not have any special emotions about the elf''s plight and after searching around the room and seeing nothing else, Chu Yi started to search for another entrance.


    It wasn''t long before Chu Yi realized that this underground space was more like a large maze. With a pull of a lever, the wall would give way to different branching pathways and trails. Most of them were dark and cold, and without much contemplation, he just picked a random path to follow through to the end.


    This cave is as high as one person, and it was just enough for one person to pass through. Except for many cracks and holes, the walls and floor of the cave are clean and free of any dirt. The stone with a special pure black, as if someone had accidentally splashed it with ink.


    The farther he walked the colder the temperature around him, and even after an hour had passed Chu Yi had still not reached the end. He could feel that the path beneath his feet was on was slowly sloping downwards. The faint gushing sound of water that he had first heard looked to be getting louder and louder as Chu Yi quickly realized that what he was hearing was the sound of water crashing into a seabank.


    The location of the Ren clan was mountainous, almost more than 4,600 meters above sea level, and the altitude of the tribe was is not low. Judging from the height of Chu Yi''s current position, it''s estimated that he had descended into an underground river.


    The water elements in the air grew deeper, a damp water vapor blew towards his face. When the dark passageway finally opened up to a large opened cave. He could finally see clearly, further ahead was a dark river, torrential waves slamming into the air along with the rapid water flow, cold sprays of water splashing onto his face.


    It may have flowed under the plateau for thousands of years, but when Chu Yi finally added on the damp seabank he was surprised to see that in the middle of the river, a huge winding trunk descended from the depths of the mountain and rooted into the river. The rough and dark trunk was damp with water and the roots could not even be seen from where he was!


    Beside his feet, there was a faint rattling and when he looked down, Chu Yi, saw that he had accidentally stepped onto a dark chain. It was only then did he realize that the darkness of the cave hid the deep grooves that have been smashed into the rock walls . There were traces of stone chains in the rock wall, and these black chains went straight into the dark river. The metal was rusted by moisture and time, but this chain seemed to be made up of special material and even after being pulled by the torrential water, it shows no signs of breaking.


    The water continue to splash and the cave resounded with a silent chime, the faint blue dust in the air had increased exponentially and surrounded him in a fantasy-like atmosphere.


    "A little hungry."


    Chu Yi hummed slowly, instead of going forward to explore any further. He simply sat down on the stone steps, took out a box of canned braised beef and a few compressed biscuits, a bottle of water, and orange from his system space, as if he wanted to have a picnic on the spot.


    In front of him was an underground lake, rooted in it was the legendary guardian tree that held the most precious secrets of the elves, but he refused to go any further. At this time, Chu Yi turned on the small flashlight, illuminating the pile of food in front of him. This wasn''t a spontaneous decision. Chu Yi hadn''t eaten since he came to this space, he didn''t know if the elves simply forgot but he had not been offered any food since he arrived here. The conjuring of the water ball had stripped him of any strength still left in his body.


    He took a sip of his water leisurely, the red eyes narrowed in a casual pleasure, this type of wanton freedom could only be done in such a place like this. He calculated something in his heart, the barren elements, the dying guardian tree, the secret of the elves, and the woman trapped underground. All of these were interconnected but there was still a few missing links that would completely reveal the secrets of this place.


    The long black drifted faintly in the winds thrown by the waves, he lifted a hand and slowly traced the outline of the tree in the distance. A strange smile appeared on his lips, after a moment he slowly closed his eyes, to anyone else here it would seem as if he wanted to rest.


    Chu Yi had long since secretly released Ankiron to explore the other side of the lake. Before the box of canned beef was finished, Ankiron had almost finished exploring. As expected by Chu Yi, it discovered another side hall. When it ventured into the room, through its vision it quickly realized the difference between it and the other halls. It was filled to the brim with weird ancient murals and paintings and statues.


    Ankiron moved closer to the wall and focused its vision on the painting of a tall tree that occupied most of the wall, on it, a hundred weirdly shaped figures, hung from its branches. However, when he tried his mind to focus on it, a weird click suddenly echoed in the room. It was so soft that without careful attention, most would not be able to recognize it.


    Something had been activated.


    Chu Yi opened his eyes abruptly, his eyes gleaming brightly, without the slightest trace of tiredness. He picked up his flashlight and jumped to the side, just avoiding the suddenly falling gravel above his head. The entire cave suddenly shook, the ground beneath his feet, the rock walls next to him, and the dark river water swept up in turbid waves, which swept in even more turbulently, slapping against the shores!


    There seemed to be a muffled sound from the depths of the river ahead, and a more violent tremor hit, shaking the sky as if the entire underground maze would collapse and be destroyed in a rumbling earthquake. The loud bang was deafening, he saw that behind him, the rock wall cracked, large boulders fell, and the stone steps leading to the dark river were all buried and blocked!


    Although it blocked the river crashing wave, it also blocked the passage, and it was impossible to return to the original path.


    But Chu Yi was in no hurry. He quickly avoided the rubble that fell like a hurricane and walked to the black lake. The guardian tree still stood rooted and the rumbling and shaking of the cave, like an inviolable God.


    His eyes dilated into narrow pupils and without hesitation, Chu Yi suddenly charged towards the crashing seabank! In an act of total suicide, he jumped in!


    *


    In another place, someone else was facing a dire situation.. Tang Shun stared at the bright red dress being held in the woman''s hands and wanted to cry with no tears. Can his thick waist fit into this thing?!

 Chapter 145 - The Elf (11)

    With a loud splash, Chu Yi''s figure disappeared into the rapid torrents. Unbeknownst to him, in his haste, a part of his pants had been caught and ripped off by the rusty edge of the black chain he stood beside.


    The second Chu Yi, entered the water, his vision was blocked by thick darkness. Unlike the crashing waves on the surface, the interior of the river was calm, however, this still did not take away from the monstrous strength of the water. If it wasn''t for the natural advantages brought about by the sirens pearl, he would not be able to withstand this strength and be quickly washed away.


    Nevertheless, the pressure of fighting the waves still made him feel suffocated and the extreme quietness under the river was accompanied by a cold numbness caused by the temperature loss.


    Chu Yi swam forward with a clear goal in mind, the huge waves roared from the side of the cave, and large splashes of dark water passed through the gaps of rocks and boulders falling from the cave wall.


    The air was shrouded with tiny droplets of water that had been shattered by the broken waves so that the large black chains rooted into the bottom of the river stretched taut as if fighting against the waves.


    Chu Yi cut through the water, clear red eyes shining brightly in the dark waves like a shark in search of blood. In his hands, the dark red whip appeared, and as if being commanded, the whip swung out and latched around a giant root that stretched into the bottom of the river. Even now, he could still not make out the riverbed and the river appeared more like a stretch of the deep sea than a mountain river flowing underground.


    His arms bulged and with a strong force, he managed to pull himself away from the treacherous whirlpools and trenches that threatened to destabilize his body!


    He fixed his body onto the Guardian tree''s roots with strong arms and clutched onto it with two legs. The surface of the root was unexpectedly smooth and difficult to grasp, unlike its outer appearance of rough and pitted.


    Fingernails digging deep into the bark, he managed to pull himself up only by relying on the shallow grooves formed by his hands. Small trails of blood quickly dissipated into streams, disappearing along with the rapid flow of water. He didn''t care much and continued to strenuously pull himself along the length of the root until he finally managed to break free from the river hold.


    Chu Yi shook his head slightly and wiped the water from his face. It was only when he was standing right before the tree, did he truly realize its majesty. It stretched from the bottom of the river and passed through a deep hole in the middle of the cave ceilings. Its canopy of dark leaves naturally appears to break the heavens when seen from above. Standing before it, Chu Yi appeared like an ant.


    The cave continued to rock around him, and the river''s wave splashed at his side, seeming to want to envelop the entire cave. Maintaining a good balance, Chu Yi carefully stepped onto the surface of the branch and inched towards the trunk of the tree.


    If it wasn''t for time restraints, Chu Yi would have wanted to explore the depths of the rivers or at least follows its direction to the source. Such an inexplicable river placed conveniently underneath the elves clan spelled suspicion. However he still remembered his mission,


    Avoid revealing his identity.


    After a few minutes of rumbling and shaking, Chu Yi finally stood directly beside the trunk and looked up, the thing that had prompted him to battle the waves appeared in his eyes.


    A single green leaf swayed on the tender branch of the withering trunk.


    A cool and woody fragrance gently diffused from the tree, as if sitting in the summer breeze, grass swaying lightly in the wind, the bees frolicking busily. Almost instantly a warm and fuzzy feeling descended onto him and the tense muscles relaxed subconsciously as if what he was facing was the one held closest to his heart.


    As if in a trance, one hand slowly rose from his side and moved towards the tree. If anyone were to look at Chu Yi''s eyes at the moment, they''d be surprised that the normally crimson red eyes had been overtaken by a shade of cold emerald green.


    In fact, at this moment, the scene Guardian tree of the elves in front of Chu Yi was different from what others would see with the naked eye! The waves were still crashing around him and the cave continued to crumble, but Chu Yi''s mind had long since been transported to a different dimension upon setting sight on the leaf. What he saw was a group of elves, some standing and some piously kneeling before the tree before taking something out and throwing it into the river below.


    There seemed to be loud and devout chanting voices resounding in the cave, but to him, it was just pure noise, garbled and monotone syllables. More and more voices gathered together, gradually condensing into a singular shout, and the river suddenly raged high!


    There were immediately shouts of elation and joy but the celebration was not held for long before the atmosphere quickly became stifled. Because apart from the river raging, the thing that they were expecting to happen never did. The Guardian Tree still did not react. A few elves seemed to refuse to accept this result. The first one to get to the river bent down cupped a pool of river water in his hands, and brought it to his lips.


    Almost immediately, the man let out an agonized scream and from within him, a strange black fire suddenly ignited! It didn''t taste long for the elf to be burnt to a crisp in the eyes of the others, not given a chance to struggle, an aloof and immortal elf in the eyes of others, died like this.


    Chu Yi was standing right beside the elf. The burnt body was scorched black, his face was completely devoid of facial features, his lips were burnt, then from beside him another scorched figure showing pale teeth staggered to the floor, his last words screaming with panic and despair.


    ''The elves¨Cthe elves are doomed¡ª! ! ''


    Chu Yi lowered his head and looked at the charred corpse burning with flames, crawling on the ground. It was extremely difficult, but the elf still firmly crawled towards the tree. However, under the burning flames, the dying gradually lost his strength, stopped, and curled up, unable to finally reach the end.


    Before the man was completely burned, Chu Yi who had been coldly observing walked in front of him.


    "Why are the elves doomed?"


    Chu Yi looked down and asked calmly, "What have you all done?"


    He, who shouldn''t be able to interfere with the past, actually asked this question.


    ''The tree, the tree...''


    A normal person should have died a long time ago after being burned like this, but this charred and withered figure seemed to still carry the last trace of breath. He used his final strength to grab Chu Yi''s ankle, leaving a circle of charred marks on his wet trousers. He seemed relieved at being able to deliver his final message: ''This is...It''s the sin fire... hurry up, go to the elders, tell them... we made a mistake...''


    When the voice fell behind, the fire on his back suddenly burned intensely, and the dying elf was completely swallowed up in an instant, leaving only a pile of burnt ash.


    And after the fire had completely burned the elf''s corpse to ashes, it unexpectedly turned and rushed towards Chu Yi. This fire was completely bizarre. Unlike a normal flame, it was like a fiery monster standing upright, with an ominous deep black edge, seeking to swallow the world!


    But Chu Yi stood there, neither dodging nor evading, letting the flames swallow him¡ªno, it didn''t swallow him successfully. From his body, a dark blue and black barrier suddenly appeared. Completely blocking the designs of the fire without fanfare. The fire roared fiercely for a moment before disappearing unwillingly into the air.


    This scene continued to repeat multiple times, the elf''s hope and expectations becoming lower and lower each year, fewer and fewer elves came to worship before one day. No one came.


    Then the scene faded away and Chu Yi understood that this was the memories of the tree.


    When he opened his eyes, the green had naturally faded, but this event wasn''t over. Chu Yi felt something had changed on his body, slowly he opened his fingers and found that in his hands lay a pale green, glassy egg. He raised an eyebrow and looked up the green leaf on the branch had withered, becoming something like the leaves on the outside of the cave.


    When he was thinking of this, Chu Yi felt a strange siphoning power from the weird egg. The pitiful amount of element inside his body was sucked away in an instant and with the posture of not stopping until its request is filled, the tiny egg did not stop siphoning even when there was nothing left, it continued to pull at his channels until even his nerves seemed to faintly hurt. Without much other option, Chu Yi had to begin circulating the sparse water elements in the air and feed it to the egg.


    It changed from emerald green to a darker dark green, and the cracks on it turned dark, like a miniature jasper watermelon. Chu Yi gritted his teeth and gathered more elements into his hands, his fingers trembled faintly and an abnormal blush appeared on his cheeks but finally he saw a few emerald green lights reflecting outward from the cracks. This light was not ordinary, but an external manifestation of spiritual fluctuations that only Chu Yi could see.


    Countless spiritual green lights penetrated through the cracks in the cocoon shell and faintly outlined a small figure. At first, there were four tender green membrane wings, such as the first leaves in early spring. The tips of the wings were a little bright yellow, and the emerald color became more intense as it went to the base of the wings, and finally turned into an elegant dark green.


    Emerald-colored long curly hair, light green skin, and the tentacles of the creature curved like pearl-colored antlers, and they were also embellished with emeralds. The dark green pupils focused on Chu Yi, with a smile in his eyes, fresh and beautiful.


    Then Chu Yi heard something, he thought he would never be able to to hear in his life,


    "Are you pregnant?"

 Chapter 146 - The Elf (12)

    Outside the rain fell heavily, the howls and groans of the cold wind shuttled between the gaps in the creaking woods. "Let me see your wedding dress." Ning Ning took the red dress embroidered with golden feathers from Tang Shun''s hand. The wedding dress with Xu-style elements was different from the traditional dress in his mind. He didn''t know if it was his illusion but Ning Ning seemed to look at him with traces of pity and camaraderie, like two pitiful brides being forced into an arranged marriage by their wicked stepmothers.


    "....."


    Tang Shun''s eyes twitched and if it wasn''t for the restrictions of the game, he would have wanted to tear up this dress and feed it to the dogs. Ning Ning reached out to measure the waist and looked pointedly at him, her limpid green eyes wandering around his body for a second before she shook her head, "You can only force it."


    He pursed his lips and took back the dress, cursing the evil taste of Samuel in his heart. He looked back at the timid elf and remembered the conversation he had with her when the middle-aged woman had come to give them the dress. This was the edge of the elven forest and they weren''t all actually from the same tribe. Every year the elders from each tribe would gather all the women in the clan and send them off to the Ren Clan to participate in the annual mating ceremony. No one knows what happens there because none of the women who have ever participated in the ceremony came back.


    Ning Ning pulled the old quilt off the bed and wrapped it around her body, sneakily glancing at the closed door she bent down and cracked open a slab of wood in the floor. In the corner of his eyes, Tang Shun saw her pull what seemed to be a short knife. She locked eyes with him but he only raised an eyebrow and looked away unconcernedly. Was something else that she knew but refused to speak up.


    "You¨C"


    A knock on the door cause all other thoughts to be immediately pushed away and without waiting for Ning Ning''s words, he instantly stepped away from the door.


    Clack-clack-clack¨C¨C


    The knocks were accompanied by the joyous laughter of the children, the children outside the door sang with childish humor, "The brides should board the sedan, eh! hi! !"


    "Open the doors and board the sedan!"


    Without waiting for them to reply, cracking in the door was abruptly smashed open! The cold wind rushed in and when Tang Shun looked out, he saw five or six little blue and whiteheads, vying for attention, holding up a red symbol, bright red like freshly spilled blood sticking to the child''s palm carrying the symbol "Fu" for happiness.


    The experienced Tang Shun suddenly felt a chill rise from his spine. He didn''t have time to think about the reason, and immediately dodged to the side, just in time to miss the red symbol that had come flying towards him! The children screamed in dissatisfaction when the red symbol ended up pasted onto the wall behind him, although he didn''t know the consequences of being pasted by the symbol, it was estimated to be nothing good, "What an auspicious day for marriage, let the bride enter the sedan!"


    Tang Shun shook his head, "Children should learn to speak less."


    Following Tang Shun''s words, the bearer children lying on the window began to be dissatisfied with simply waving the symbol with their small hands, and they slammed their heads into the door fiercely in unison!


    "Crack!"


    A cobweb-like crack appeared on the thin wooden door with, blood flowing out from the bearer children''s forehead, spreading along the cracked lines, along with shrill peal of laughter of the children. They desperately slammed into the door as if they could feel no pain, the small green eyes were fixed onto Tang Shun, the innocent and cruel pupil was like a child facing candy.


    Before they could fully break-in, there was a low ebb of a flute being played in the distance, and a voice that they could not disobey echoed in their ears.


    No matter how dissatisfied they were, the children could not change anything so with resentful glares, the white heads moved away from the door.


    A flash of lightning tore open the black sky.


    The world became illuminated at this moment, and all things revealed their true colors under the cold whiteness.


    Tang Shun saw the sedan.


    Under the hills, the withered grass was blown to press down on the ground by the wind. Across the forest, a long winding red carriage was lit up by the lightning.


    He heard the voice of the Ning Ning trembling slightly behind him: "The...It''s here!"


    The rainstorm poured down like an overwhelming curtain as if to perform a tune that was appropriately thrilling and hair-raising for this first battle of the night.


    With the low and muffled thunder sounds and the pattering of rain that washed the world as their backdrop, the connected carriage merged into a straight line. The heavy rain washed over the red exterior, splashing and running through the red lanterns hung on the wooden eaves.


    In the pale light of the lightning, the infinite carriage appeared like the underworld''s shuttle. Beside the carriage, stood a group of elven warriors. They had on the most exquisite armor on both sides of the forest straits. They were the most terrifying force. On their backs were bows and arrows and in their hands were chilling stone spears.


    Their breastplates glowed brightly.


    Doors opened one by one and hundreds of women slowly walked out of their cabin. Numb, scared, tired, and each carrying a bright crimson red dress. An indescribable sense of depression echoed from the women as if what he was seeing was just a pile of corpses.


    A familiar old woman suddenly stood before them, in the cold rain and clapped her hands loudly. The sinister beady eyes stared down at the women and pointed to the carriage behind her. "You all know that it''s time to fulfill your duties as women of the elves. "


    "You will participate in the mating ceremony and worship the guardian tree as its bride."


    "There is no escape, there is no turning back as a bride, you must," The woman''s lips upturned sinisterly, "satisfy the gods."


    Flashes of white overtook the sky.


    A bolt of lightning slammed into the canopy of dark trees, the long red dragon slowly moved through the forest, accompanied by a solemn drumbeat as it carried the brides to their final destination. Rain pelted against the top of the carriage, blowing through the barbed window, as the black mud splashed against the wooden wheels of the carriage.


    In the fierce rain, destination unknown, a group of women huddled together amidst the storm. Mixed with the low sound of sobs, the women mourned for their fate. Tang Shun was situated in the back ¨C one of the more shabby, uncleaned sections, though the carriage was in no better shape regardless. There were litters of garbage, weeks-old rot, damp smell of mold and insects occasionally skittered past his legs. Only the red "Fu" symbol pasted above his head made it evident that they weren''t being sent to their deaths but being married off. Which in any case wasn''t any better.


    The stench was foul, and especially so when mixed with the smell of blood, rot, and unwashed bodies. It was suffocating. The noise was worse ¨C the tears and mournful sobs occasionally accompanied by an earsplitting scream.


    The front of the carriage is colored in amber lights, the mid is brightened in sepia, and the back ¨C cloaked dark. There were eerie red glows mixed in the backdrop, but none of the passengers had the mind to pay attention to any of this.


    A subtle highlight catches onto the cold glass of Tang Shun''s glasses, the depressing mood could not hide the coldness of his eyes. With both hands in his pockets, he reclines against the carriage and stared emotionlessly out the window. Feeling the shaking and rumbling as the carriage carted through the storm.


    A cold breeze filled the sedan, like an ice cellar stained with blood.


    It was really cold as if there was an invisible icy being hugging him, Ning Ning felt the breath of ice and snow, his whole body seemed to be wrapped in layers of snowflakes, so cold that she curled up and wanted to hide back, but found that in the small space there was nowhere to hide.


    She glanced at Tang Shun and wanted to open her mouth and speak but at this moment, the lightning flashed once again and in the cold silver glow, her pupils dilated into horrified slits.


    Behind Tang Shun, a woman leaned over his body as if she wanted to merge into his flesh and bones. The bloody wedding dress she wore followed the way of the sedan as it swayed.


    In her terrified vision, the woman slowly turned towards her, a bloody grin appearing on her cracked face!


    The storm raged on.

 Chapter 147 - The Elf (13)

    In the dark sedan, the woman''s face was briefly lit up by the thunderous lightning, and for a brief moment, the entire sky was filled with light.


    In the darkness, there was only a touch of red, a red so bright It was as if the dye had been made from dried blood.


    The red skirt dripped with blood hiding the darkness beneath torn tresses as the woman floating in the darkness. There was only a pair of bright red embroidered shoes, looming under the blood-red wedding dress, however, if one looked closer, they would be mortified to see that instead of feet, her shoes were filled with black roots.


    The woman who wore a solemn old-fashioned wedding dress was astonishingly white, like ice cubes with no temperature. It was as if all the blood in her body had been drained dye her wedding dress. But only those lips, still carried a trace of color, bright red and vengeful.


    Her eye sockets were empty as if someone had forcibly gouged them out, but the sockets were filled with blood, and at first glance, they looked like a pair of completely red eyes. The woman slowly turned her head towards, smiled up coldly, her eyes resentful.


    The light in the carriage faded and the woman disappeared from her sight. Ning Ning inky felt that her heart was about to leap out of her throat, only gurgled cries of horror were choked out of her mouth, the rain from outside blew in and swiped across her face like a cold knife.


    Tang Shun slowly shifted his sight from the barred window and turned his head back slowly. It only then did Ning Ning see that in his hands, a wet piece of paper was slowly spread across his palm. The bright red "Fu" drawn onto it was chilling.


    A cold light slowly burned in the bottom of Tang Shun''s eyes, on the other hand, the golden compass that was supposed to be pointing northwest was spinning crazily. In the silent night, the sharp crack of the metal encasing being snapped shut echoed loudly. His fingers clenched tightly onto the compass and looked around gloomily, the fate was shifting.


    Outside, the carriage continued to cart through the treacherous terrain of the forest, the elf soldiers marched solemnly in the ominous flute. What no one could see, was that the red lanterns hanging on the eaves of the carriage slowly turned white.


    The color of Funeral Lanterns.


    *


    "Are you pregnant?"


    Chu Yi''s mind blanks and he was rarely confused.


    "You¨C"


    But in the next instant, his wrist was held by a pale and slender hand. A very familiar voice came from behind, with a deliberately raised and extremely surprised exclamation, he whispered jokingly: "So you still have such a thing."


    Chu Yi narrowed his eyes in an instant.


    Damn.


    "Don''t be surprised, if I hadn''t come to catch you, how would I know you are staging the scene of running away with the ball."


    The evil spirit laughed. Chu Yi''s chin was pinched, and he was forced to look at golden orbs that were filled with dark fire, moving together constantly like a roiling wave, "I''m a little curious about your hobby, why don''t I perform it with you?"


    His tone gradually became frivolous and yet Chu Yi could sense an underlying coldness, "By the way, let''s see, when exactly will you get tired of running sway"


    He didn''t see Ruan Quixi for a few hours and when he suddenly appeared at this moment, Chu Yi was already ready to bash him.


    Arrogant, exciting,.


    The calm nerves that we''re able to withstand rocking waves, twisted into the shape of a lunatic again.


    "Cough!¨C¨C"


    A tiny cough pulled the two out of their standoff and Chu Yi''s eyes glanced down at the green thing in his hands once more. "Are you pregnant?"


    The little thing was very persistent in getting the answer to this question. "Yes," Chu Yi furrowed his brow and glared at Ruan Quixi, "Don''t listen to him, I''m not pregnant."


    "Oh¨C"


    The tiny wings flapped and flew off of Chu Yi''s hand, "Since you are not pregnant, then I must find another elf that is pregnant."


    Chu Yi narrowed his eyes and wanted to reach out and catch her but before he could Ruan Quixi''s hands came up and grabbed his. "No need, that''s just a lingering spirit."


    Just as he said, the little creature flew up until it reached the ceiling where the tree passed through and suddenly disappeared as if she was never there.


    Chu Yi looked back at Ruan Quixi, and slowly licked his lips, before asking a question abruptly, "Why are you here?"


    In rapid succession, he asked again, "How are you here and what''s your purpose."


    The hand holding the chin tightened suddenly, and Ruan Quixi''s tone raised, "My dear, I''ve been preparing a surprise for you since we first met. The reason I can appear here is that your gift is almost ready"


    The evil spirit looked behind Chu Yi at the waves crashing against the tree roots and the black chains pulled taut by the force, the shaking of the cave had slowly decreased as time passed but the river had become more restless.


    The roar of the river was deafening, and even the majestic trunk seemed as if it would rock from the force.


    Ruan Quixi watched with interest.


    This kind of thing wouldn''t have garnered an extra look from him now had a much greater meaning to it, the increased patience in his heart make him look more.


    "What surprise?" He pulled his attention back to the man in his arms, he laughed nastily and pulled Chu Yi''s chin up further, "It wouldn''t be a surprise if I just told you."


    Chu Yi sneered, "Then what''s the use of you then©\" Chu Yi stepped back on Ruan Quixi''s feet, twisted with both hands, and broke free from his hands.


    The evil spirit whose arms were empty once again laughed faintly and unconsciously fixed his eyes on Chu Yi''s body. His gaze scanned the white skin exposed by the wet translucent shirt that slid down when the black-haired man jumped up.


    His gaze was as sticky as venom, but it was a pity that he could only look but not touch. Ruan Quixi hadn''t been so aggrieved in a long time, and all of this was brought by the man before him. He could taste the faint touch of bitter orange and rose to linger at the tip of his nose that only made the nameless fire in his heart burned even fiercer.


    The rattling of the chain attracted his attention for a moment, and the evil spirit looked down at the river indifferently, before looking at Chu Yi again.


    The black-haired young man had already noticed his gaze. He wiped away the water splashed on his face, glanced at him with raised eyebrows, and stretched out his hand to slowly straighten out his clothes.


    Under the dark light, the cold jade hand smoothed the wet shirt, and the atmosphere in the cave suddenly became slightly strange.


    "Have you ever heard of the story of Hou Yi and Chang He?"


    Chu Yi raised an eyebrow wondering why this evil spirit had brought this up.


    "If you were Hou Yi, would you have shot Chang He down to always keep her with you?"


    Chu Yi lifted a corner of his lips and sneered slightly, "No."


    Ruan Quixi stared at him with obsession, his voice filled suppressed emotion, "Why?"


    "To punish her for leaving me¨C"


    "Because loneliness is more painful than death."


    He laughed, dark mist surged behind him and Ruan Quixi appeared before him in the blink of an eye.


    In the sound of the majestic waves, the evil spirit leaned close to the soft lips, the moisture and cold wind passed through their bodies, and the lips seemed to touch each other, through the sound of water in their ears. In the dark and turbulent cave, under the cold and affectionate touch, Ruan Quixi spoke in a low voice, "Chu Yi, you are so cruel."


    The moment his voice fell, Chu Yi could see that the black chain that stretched deep into the depths of the river swayed for a moment as if it was too shaky and fragile as if something heavy had been weighted down upon it. There was a faint sound and d the air seemed to fall stagnant for a moment, all the roaring waves and rumbling froze.


    It was as if they did not dare to move forward, as if there was something that made all living beings dread, it should not be desecrated or offended.


    His muscles tightened uncontrollably and the heat from his lips brushed against his face, with a wave of his hands, dark shadows enveloped the two figures.


    When it finally dissipated, both of them were nowhere to be seen.


    *


    The morning sun rose from the edge of the clouds, and the bright morning light spreads all over the earth, the fire from the cleansing ritual still burned but the entangled figures had now vanished leaving only the soil to tell the tales of last night.


    The elves that had disappeared walked around the village and slowly checked on each home. The occupants inside each slept with a rosy glow.


    Chu Yi dazedly opened the door upon hearing a knock, hair scattered messily across his face. However, as soon as he played eyes on the person outside, all signs of sleep vanished.


    "You¨C"


    "Chu Yi this is Ruan Quixi. "


    His strong and straight figure stretched beautifully through his clothes, revealing the strength and beautiful contour of his tight muscles. When he stood beside Ling Zheng, he immediately blocked out the entire sun, casting a deep and dark shadow in front of him.


    The brim of the peaked sun hat that he wore was lowered so Chu Yi could not see his face but the voice that spoke to him was low and magnetic.


    "Hello. "


    Green eyes looked up at the man, but in his heart, there was no sense of doubt about his appearance as if he had always been there, he just nodded his head in a normal manner and said with a frown: "Okay, since Ruan Quixi was late for the ceremony, he can only stay with here with you, Chu Yi, until tomorrow."


    He turned back to ''Ruan Quixi''


    "Please don''t run around in the elf village, it is a sacred time now and no mistakes will be forgiven."


    As if just then noticing Chu Yi''s incredulous gaze, the man responded casually, then, he turned to Chu Yi, with a faint smile, and spoke in a deep voice,


    "Chu Yi?"


    The man raised the brim of his hat, revealing the face covered by the shadow of the hat.


    If it is said that Ling Zheng is a handsome man who was cold and dignified, then this man was an evil spirit who sank into the darkness of the eternal night. The familiar face under the brim of the hat was as sharp as a knife and ax, without a trace of blood.


    His sharp eyebrows slanted like a falling mountain, but now there were extra touches. Several strange blacks marked his temples, and his long and narrow eyes were as black as ink, only the occasional flash of gold like an illusion showed his nonhuman characteristics.


    When he faced Chu Yi, his bloodless lips parted into an uninhibited smile, like a god that had stepped down his alter, ventured into the human world, and was contaminated with the chaos and sin of mortals.


    Chu Yi remembered the words he heard before he fell asleep and only felt a surge of irritability in his heart.


    Under this irritability, Chu Yi''s tone was also extremely bad: "I''m Chu Yi, what''s wrong?"


    The man just laughed softly.


    "Hello, Chu Yi."


    "Nice to meet you, I''m Ruan Quixi."

 Chapter 148 - The Elf (14)

    Chu Yi narrowed his eyes and let go of the doorframe, walking away without another word. Ruan Quixi took that as an open invitation and without hesitation, he stepped past the threshold.


    "Is this the surprise you were preparing for?"


    Chu Yi''s smiling voice was low and magnetic, with a heavy drawl. The drowsy feeling of laziness caused by the sun was transmitted to Ruan Quixi''s ears, such a mature and charming voice only made him feel hot.


    His long fingers waved towards him lightly. Ruan Quixi wasn''t offended, his eyes followed the hands covered with a few blood-colored scratches and a thin layer of calluses that have been worn over the years of grasping a scalpel.


    The physical fatigue he felt after a night of sleeplessness and the exhaustion of physical strength made Chu Yi relax unconsciously. He was like a feline stretching his waist in the sun. The explosive muscles relaxed under laziness and became soft and pliable to the touch, even then, this lazy posture did not take away the bright arrogance in his eyes.


    Chu Yi seemed to have just woken up, half-squinting his eyes. The handsome face that used to be sharp and inviolable was laid-back and relaxed, drooping eyes carrying a kind of lazy beauty.


    He raised his hand and brushed away the hair that had just been messed up. His long legs were propped on the ground, the slightly curled toes of his feet stepping lightly on the floor.


    Ruan Quixi''s lips curled and his fingers at his side curled up unconsciously, Chu Yi''s lazy, the feline-like gesture made his heart itch, and he subconsciously wanted to reach out and touch Chu Yi.


    But he quickly stopped his actions with strong willpower, and the palm he had just stretched out fell back he shook his head and walked into the room, closing the door behind him.


    Chu Yi stared at him through hooded eyes and suddenly wanted to laugh. In his peripheral vision, he caught a white dove slowly flapping its wing in the sky.


    He didn''t pay much attention to the man before him, sitting on the bed, one leg was bent off the floor, and the slender and firm calf was exposed from the short pants, translucent under the exposed rays of the sun.


    The fingers were tangled in the old quilt and the narrow bed could not support his feet. After stretched being taut, the instep arched slightly.


    Hearing the sound of the door closing, he turned his head and looked over, his thick black hair sliding down his back along with his movement.


    Ruan Quixi looked at him deeply, maybe it was the effects of the morning sun, his eyes were not as clear as usual, as if there was a blazing fire.


    Chu Yi only glanced at him before turning his head back arrogantly, Ruan Quixi walked up to him, and the next second he sat down on the bed and unexpectedly held his feet in his hands.


    The temperature in his palm was very high, and Chu Yi''s hands and feet were naturally cold. The moment he was held in the warm palm, his toes stretched and he shrank back subconsciously.


    That hand clenched tightly without giving in, and with more strength, marked a red palm print on the instep.


    "Ruan Quixi, let go."


    The dark black eyes were filled with a wicked smile.


    He stared at the feet in his hands, pushed the cloth on his ankles upwards, and easily used one hand to pull the person towards him.


    Ruan Quixi pressed his fingers hard on the soles of his feet.


    There is less exposure and less stimulation to the air, so Chu Yi''s were particularly sensitive, the densely distributed nerves transmitted this tingling stimulation to the calf and straight-up his spinal cord.


    His calf was tight and suddenly even his ankles were shaking.


    Chu Yi frowned impatiently.


    He didn''t know if it was because of the swimming yesterday, his feet felt unnaturally weak and even though he was angry, he could not break free.


    The calm expression almost collapsed, and the feeling of hands slowly tracing his feet became unbearable.


    The cramps in his calf were too uncomfortable. His calf twitched painfully, struggling and twisting in Ruan Quixi''s hands weakly, but it was only in vain. He didn''t want to show weakness but this feeling was too uncomfortable.


    "Ruan Quixi, are fucking sick, my leg cramps."


    Ruan Quixi looked down at the angry red eyes and knew he wasn''t joking.


    Hearing his stern and panting voice, Ruan Quixi''s lips curled into a teasing smirk, frivolous and ostentatious, he couldn''t help but press harder.


    Under the smooth raised kneecap, the calf was stretched to the side like never before, and the blue-purple blood vessels under the cold white skin were reflected. When his calf cramps, the slender muscles contract spontaneously.


    His Adam''s apple bobbed several times but he did not let go, instead low rumbling laughter suddenly spliced from his chest.


    When the slender calf cramps, his instep also collapses, and the five beautiful toes were tightly curled together. Not only did the hand not let go, but the fingers at the soles of the feet pressed down harder. The rough index and middle fingers slid into the curled toes, separating them like the tightly rolled petals of an unopened flower bud.


    Chu Yi frowned in pain, bit his lower lip, and kicked the other foot on Ruan Quixi''s shoulder without hesitation. "Let go!"


    Chu Yi''s kick almost exhausted his strength. Ruan Quixi''s shoulders were broad and flat, and he hardly moved, but the feet on his shoulders had no strength.


    When his foot was about to slide off his shoulders, he was held by Ruan Quixi''s other hand.


    "My dear, why do you treat me so¨C"


    He held Chu Yi''s foot in each of his hands, spread his legs to both sides, and leaned down.


    The cramped leg was completely different from the normal leg on the bed. The cramped leg was finally let go, and the other leg was pressed down.


    There was a sharp stinging pain from his lower lip, before Chu Yi could react, the tip of his tongue was stained with the astringent taste of blood.


    Ruan Quixi leaned back slightly and looked at him, with a straight back, long hair on his back, and a thin and straight profile like a green bamboo silhouette, red eyes filled with anger and dissatisfaction.


    Although the price he paid was heavy, to be able to accompany him for a while, was already worth it.


    The rough fingertips slid up along the bridge of his nose, slowly straightening the deep wrinkles there. His hand did not touch Chu Yi''s eyebrows, but slid along his lower jaw, stroking the sharp and clear jawbone and landing on the raised Adam''s apple on his neck.


    The force of his fingers increased, the slender adam''s apple rolled uncontrollably, his fingernails left thin red marks on the white skin, and Adam''s apple could no longer move like a trapped beast.


    Hands down along his neck, across the sides and slid to the back of his neck, and slowly caressed there. Ruan Quixi lowered his head, the tip of his nose intertwined with Chu Yi''s, and sweaty foreheads touched.


    For some reason, Chu Yi calmed down and heaved a heavy gasp. At such a close distance, even their breathing was intertwined and the red and black stared at each motionless. When the lips touched him again, Chu Yi did not struggle as if tacitly acquiescing.


    The laughter was saturated with both temptation and terror, he leaned down and slowly licked away the metallic blood traces at the corner of his lips. The man who had been forbearing stretched out his hand and grabbed Chu Yi''s belt. The hand was very large, with protruding knuckles, showing the strength contained in it. His belt couldn''t stand it at all.


    When Chu Yi was pushed down, his legs were exposed from the scattered clothes, hooked on Ruan Quixi''s thin waist, and then he was held by the soles of his feet with one hand.


    Ruan Quixi bit his chin, and after hearing his groan, his teeth moved to the crevice between his collarbone, his hot breath brushed over the sensitive skin and his head moved to go further down.


    "Knock¨CKnock¨C"


    Ruan Quixi opened his eyes abruptly, wondering if it was because of the anger burning his heart that caused a faint red light to appear in the bottom eyes, wrapped in a dark light.


    His expression was fierce and violent, with blue veins protruding from his forehead. The knock came again and this time even louder. Chu Yi told advantage of this to kick him away and walked to the door. In front of him, Ling Zheng appeared again and pointed to the clearing in the distance.


    "The second part of the cleansing ritual will begin now."


    Ling Zheng looked at Chu Yi''s, whose lips were stained red and his eyes seemed to carry traces of tears. The disheveled and ruffled appearance looked more as if he was being bullied than if he had just woken up. He wanted to speak again but a dark and callous voice appeared beside Chu Yi and before he could reach the door was slammed in his face.


    He turned around and stared at the man, his lips twisting slightly, feeling that he was a bit pitiful. However, this emotion was quickly replaced by ridicule and he threw his head back and laughed happily.


    "Chu Yi¨C"


    Hearing his name being called through gritted teeth, Chu Yi felt even happier and the red eyes were extraordinarily bright.


    Putting away his smile, he shook his head and spoke back to him, "How long will you be by my side and what kind of identity do you hold as of current."


    Although he was still angry, Ruan Quixi leaned back against the wall and looked at him casually, and answered succinctly, "At least one copy, Player."


    That was enough for him.


    "I don''t care what your purpose is but since you decided to stay by my side, then you have to be useful."


    "Don''t follow me to the clearing, when I leave, go to the outer edge of the forest and check something."


    "Check what?"


    Chu Yi looked darkly at him, "Check to see if we can leave."


    *


    The clearing was noisy for a moment as the humans were slowly gathered in front of the tree. This the elves were still there but Chu Yi noticed that they were all dressed in pure white robes. At this moment there was a sudden hush over the crowd.


    "Elder Ling!¨C"


    Chu Yi turned his head to the side, amidst the greenery, a man, shoulders covered in a pure white shawl slowly walked over. His skin was pale. It stands to reason that with such white skin, a man like this should be sickly and weak but to Chu Yi''s surprise, as soon as he looked at the man, a heavy sense of oppression and coldness washed over him!


    The Elder Ling in the elves'' mouth had long hair, his eyebrows, and eyelashes were as white as snow and when he raised his eyes to look at the people before him, his pupils seemed to have lost all their color.


    He didn''t address the crowd and his eyes never passed them, he walked in front of the guardian tree and pressed his hands against the bark as if feeling the life there. When he looked up again, there was an extra touch of green in his eyes.


    Something was handed to him by the robed elves on the side and he quickly glanced through the list and raised his head to speak.


    One by one the soldiers were called and brought away, when they came back, they neither greeted their companions nor spoke of their experience. In a strange and distant silence, they walked away.


    At this moment, Chu Yi heard his name being called, his brain turned and his eyes locked with the elders.


    "Come with me."


    He wasn''t given time to think, like the parting of the red sea, a clear path was formed between him and the elder. He had no other choice but to follow along.


    They came to a strange place. Not like a mountain and not like a plateau either but what stood out the most, was the thick layer of snow that picked onto the land.


    Walking behind the strange elder and Ling Zheng, they seemed to pass through seasons.. From the cool and fuzzy warmth of summer, they came to the cold dawn of spring.

 Chapter 149 - The Elf (15)

    They walked until they came to a hidden courtyard on the south of the elven tribe. Behind the courtyard was a cluster of dry and bald trees, with heavy snow falling from the branches from time to time.


    After Chu Yi followed the back road for a while, he found that there was soil under his feet as the thick snow gradually became thinner. After dozens of steps forward, the shadow of the snowflakes was gone. In the moist soil, the budding grass could now be seen.


    The withered branches stood out in spring, and the small pink flower buds emerge. He seemed to walk from winter to deep spring, it was only when he happened upon a pool shrouded with blurry white mist in the heat, did the elder stop and speak:


    "Every human who participates in our ceremony must achieve the unattainable state of purity. The Beinan Lake should cleanse your body of the filth of the human world and make it so that you are fit to worship in the presence of the guardian tree."


    Chu Yi stared at the warm pool, the scent of sulfur and limestone soothed his tense muscles and purified his mind. The elder didn''t urge him but regardless of whether it was his mind or his body, both cried for him to sink into the waters of the Beinan pool.


    Chu Yi shrugged, grasped the edge of his shirt, and pulled it over his head, a thin layer of goosebumps appearing on the white skin. Tossing the shirt to the side, he went down into the spring with only his pants.


    The warmth immediately hit, the height of the spring water rose to Chu Yi''s waist. He found a place to sit on the protruding rocks, leaving only his shoulders above the water surface, and could not help but sigh comfortably.


    He waved away the mist before his eyes with the palm of his hand and began to watch the changes on the water surface.


    Elder Ling stared down at the man in the pool without emotion. He didn''t seem like a human but more like a cold immortal watching, the pitiful mortals struggle in the mud.


    In addition to washing away dirt, the water in the Beinan Lake had a more important function, to wash away the desires and greed in people''s hearts.


    Each time, a person soaks in the lake, they will become sane and refreshed, but it would also take all emotion. If you soak in its water a long time, it was possible to achieve a near-immortal state of ruthlessness, where there is no desire and no demand.


    He shifted as if to leave, no evil could withstand the waters of the Beinan Lake. "Is this bad?" Chu Yi''s voice came from behind him, he turned his head back and the usually cold eyes saw something that made his pupils shrink.


    In his eyes, he saw a circle of pure black liquid slowly overflowing from Chu Yi''s body in the crystal clear water. The strange pollution extended outwards at a slow but constant speed and instead of dissolving the black pollution, the waters were continuously eroded by the pollution. Amidst the astonishment of the Elder, half of the spring water was swallowed in a flash.


    The Elder walked to the side of the spring and looked down at a pool of black water.


    The heat lingered around him, and Chu Yi watched the blackness pour from him with some surprise.


    What is this?


    The Elder suddenly waved a hand at Ling Zheng. CHU Yi didn''t know what he was going to do at first, but in the next second, the Elder moved forward and gently stepped into the black spring water.


    Ling Zheng immediately cried: "Elder Ling!!"


    The man shook his head: " Be still."


    By this time, he was completely in the water.


    The movement of the elder made black water ripple and the slightly fluctuating darkness began to dissipate almost immediately. The Elder raised his cold eyes to look at Chu Yi and walked towards him slowly.


    The half-length robe of the Elder was wet with water, but he didn''t care. While he was walking, the darkness around him began to be purified, and the dark color quickly turned grey before becoming a clear and transparent color again.


    In the end, only the darkness around Chu Yi still lingered, like a defeated general unwilling to give up his prized possession.


    Elder Ling had already walked in front of Chu Yi and slowly stretched out his hand towards him, those light-colored pupils that seemed to hide the vicissitudes of life, and with a cold voice, he commanded: "Hold my hands."


    Chu Yi''s fingers twitched under the water, staring at the cold eyes, he raised his hand with a small smirk and placed it in the hand of the elder.


    At the point in which the two hands touched, Chu Yi''s fingers stained with the remaining black water droplets were enclosed in a fist. Starting from the tips of Cu Yi''s fingers, every drop of black-stained water on the young man''s body quickly became clean and transparent, falling into the pool and rapidly eroding the remaining black water around his body.


    The both of them were silent, when the last drop of filth was finally purified, Elder Ling stood up from the pool and extended a hand to Chu Yi. Red eyes stared up at him and slowly grasped that hand.


    "How do you feel."


    Hearing this, Chu Yi looked around at the scenery around him. He clearly remembered that he was still immersed in anger and dissatisfaction but for some reason, now he could not find it in him to mister any emotion, so he answered indifferently: "It''s okay."


    As soon as these two words were spoken, Chu Yi instantly realized that something was wrong.


    Is there something wrong with his mood?


    Yes. It''s too plain.


    His reason told him clearly that he was not right.


    It seemed that what was washed away was not the filth left by the human world on him, but the inherent malice and desire in his heart. The excitement of evil.


    No matter how much he knew this, his emotions were still and plain, like a barren mountain.


    Chu Yi returned to his room silently.


    He sat on the bed motionless, even as the sun went down and a cluster of dark clouds appeared in the sky. A flash of thunder lit up his silent and bloodless face, it wasn''t known for how long he sat there, but his clothes had already become cold and hard, absorbing the warmth of his body. Chu Yi''s fingertips were pale, and the color of his lips was purple from the cold.


    But he didn''t want to pay attention to these now. Motionless like a rock, his eyes boring holes into the walls. Boring, knowing that it was boring but he couldn''t produce the feeling of boredom.


    A slight disgust was born silently in his heart, the rain continued to flash and the billowing storm raged against the forest trees, his disgust accumulated. In his mind, he couldn''t help but recall Ruan Quixi.


    The disgust dissipated.


    So he started thinking about him crazily, Chu Yi remembered their previous confrontation, the merman, the conductor, the evil spirit. The make him surrender, to conquer him!


    Dancing on the tip of his knife, blood, and guns©\


    Sweat and excitement!


    His emotional fluctuations became greater and greater before something in his mind seemed to crack with a bang! Suddenly breaking the deadlock, Chu Yi grinned wickedly, like an evil spirit that had dragged himself from hell.


    Lightning hit the top of the trees and behind him, two cold hands slowly rested on his shoulder and a low hoarse voice sounded in his ears, "I thought I would have to lend you a hand."


    "What did you find?"


    "You were right, this entire forest, is just one big prison.''


    "We can''t get out."


    Chu Yi raised his head but didn''t answer.


    Looking in the direction of his eyes, a puddle of water was spread before the Guardian tree. The silver moon rises from the night sky, and a cluster of cold light shines through the dark curtain of rain, looking down on the earth condescendingly.


    In those growing pools of water, a hideous and inexplicable phantom slowly blurred through the mist and the picture gradually became clear.


    The black tree reflected on the water surface, its dark canopy flowing down from the dark sky, dyeing the cold and hard lines on the edge of the horizon into a deep color, rich and hideous.


    Just as a dark cloud passed by, the moonlight was concealed under the layers of the night sky.


    The heaven and the earth dimmed.


    The black shadow that distorted into the shape of a human entangled in the watery depths, and the next second, the shadow seemed to howl and break through the puddle!


    Thunder flashed and the sky lit up for the third time before falling dark again, the shadow was gone.


    In the curtain of rain, a low and melancholy flute suddenly appeared at the edge of the clearing and a long red carriage like a winding dragon slowly marched into the elf tribe.

 Chapter 150 - The Elf (16)

    Just as the red sedan breached the elf tribe, thousands of miles north of the camp, it was raining heavily. In the dark forest, two groups of people were galloping through the endless meadow. The people in front were all tall and sturdy like bears. With ferocious faces, they cursed loudly speaking words no one could understand. Someone took off the ax from their waist and threw it to the back.


    The ax slashed on the head of the horse in front and the horse fell neighing wildly, and the man on him was thrown far away. Most of the people chasing behind slowed down, only one horse remained unaffected, the black horse took off with its hooves, and the man on the horse rounded his bow in the blink of an eye.


    Suddenly, a flash of lightning split the darkness, bright as day, and the chase on the grass was illuminated, but it couldn''t be seen in those dark eyes like a deep pool.


    The arrow released!¨C¨C


    The man pulling the bow was soaked all over, and his wet face was calm.


    No sound was made, but the person on the horse in front suddenly froze, and his heavy body fell into the muddy water.


    The thunder continued.


    After chasing more than 200 miles, the number of men and horses in the front has changed from fifty-three to seventeen. No, another man''s neck had been pierced from the back to the front just now, and now there were only sixteen left.


    Only one horse was left chasing behind, but the person in front did not dare to stop.


    The heavy rain blocked too much movement, and they had lost their way, but the arrows behind seemed to carry eyes, and each strike took a life.


    The grass was too slippery after it rains, the fast-running horse lost its balance, and the tall body immediately fell to the ground. Before he could hide, the dark ghost behind him had arrived, with a sharp knife and the cold rain running across his neck, those blue eyes full of fear stared at the sky.


    There are fifteen more.


    The rain was getting heavier, and this battle of life and death is not over yet.


    "Fan Ling!"


    "Stop the chase!¨C"


    The man paused only for a brief moment, looking back his eyes were cold. To retrieve the lost treasure he would stop at anything, even if it meant slaughtering the gods!


    He nudged the horse forward, hooves clomping through the grassy forest, the thunder and rain continued to light up the heavens.


    ***


    The whistle of the flute was almost inaudible amongst the pouring rain, the low crescent rising sharply before falling like the curve of a rollercoaster, the somber and melancholy notes falling onto the ears like a cold knife.


    Something akin to a ghost slowly walked out of the shadows and walked towards the carriage, the man''s long hair slowly billowing behind him and the colorless pupils stared at the white lanterns emotionlessly.


    "Elder Ling!"


    The row of elven warriors fell to their knees with a low thump, the man did not spare them a glance, his eyes continued to gaze distantly at the carriage as if seeing something through them.


    At this moment, there was a loud commotion amongst the carriages. When the soldiers looked over, one of the carriages had unexpectedly overturned, the women inside falling out, and two of them scampered up to escape!


    The shrill cries of the startled women instantly turned the night chaos and the people inside the clearing were woken up by the sudden noise.


    Elder Ling''s face finally changed, he pulled his lips and spat a ruthless command, "Catch them¨C"


    A group of eleven warriors rushed to the overturned carriage, with bows and arrows in their hands, they roughly pulled the women from the ground and shoved them into another already packed carriage.


    Someone pulled up a bow and arrow and aimed it at the escaped woman. The arrow in the rainy night glowed with a cold light¨C


    The air was still for a moment, the elf''s finger curled around the tail of the arrow before suddenly releasing. In the shrill sound of the wind tearing, the woman''s body jerked and fell to the ground.


    The arrow lodged through the thin cloth on her back, and smashed through her ribs, with a cry, she spat out a mouthful of blood and crashed into the mud, life and death unknown.


    The elf lifted a hand to pull out a second bow to shoot again but another commotion came from beside him!


    Tang Shun''s eyes snapped open, without hesitation he rapidly moved from where he was and shoved a hand out of the barbed window to grasp at the elf standing right beside the carriage! Before the arrow could leave its string, the elf was disrupted by Tang Shun''s hand that hit his shoulder!


    The arrow fell short of his target¨C


    Before the elf could pull his bow again, the woman disappeared into the forest unseen.


    ***


    "Do you know the legendary myth, about the elves?"


    "Cold. Emotionless. Free from desires."


    Chu Yi finally turned his head towards him, feeling the cold breath in his ears, inexplicable shivers racked his body. "Speak well¨C"


    The man chuckled and slowly rubbed his chin against Chu Yi''s neck, "No creature is born without emotions¨C Chu Yi what do you think the elves did to theirs."


    Ignoring the itchy feeling in his ears he glanced at the majestic guardian tree outside, and slowly licked the corner of his lips.


    "There is only one fate for things people don''t need anymore."


    "To be abandoned."


    ***


    The moment his hands touched the cold breastplate, a biting chill rose from his fingertips and traveled straight to his heart.


    His vision shifted suddenly and in the blink of an eye, he was no longer in the thundering clearing.


    In the early morning, the first ray of sunlight fell from a gap in the distant sky, passing through the clouds and mist like a golden veil, slowly enveloping the spring mountain.


    The huge temple on the top of the mountain was majestic, the huge and exquisite reliefs built according to the trend of the mountain, depicted a transcendent scene of sentient beings on a pilgrimage.


    Farther away, a semi-circular stone pillar sits in front of the cliff, enclosing the central altar in its arms.


    Thousands of white doves flapped their wings in the sky and landed in front of the tower prepared for them.


    A golden holy flame was burning on the torch, swaying in the wind.


    Countless elves knelt piously before the temple, the rosy cheeks and exquisite clothes was evident of the prosperity of the elves. Looking down from the sky, Tang Shun could only see thousands of crowded black spots on the vast land. The scriptures they piously chanted were heard from the top of the mountain.


    The elders and priests wore formal and cumbersome ceremonial robes, with holy and pure crystals and gold ornaments on their arms. They appeared solemn, standing in a row staring straight ahead.


    The guardian tree rose from the ground and pierced into hazy clouds, lush green leaves swayed heartily in the wind and the scent of nature and wood danced along with the wind.


    Inside the temple, the warm yellow sunlight penetrated through the colored glass dome and shone down onto the people inside. Inside the temple was clean and empty. There were grooves where the scriptures were placed, a solemn and dissonant tune traveled the land, and the sound of flowing water from the fountains on the side echoed in the vast temple.


    In the middle of the temple, was a majestic and brilliant golden throne, decorated with the symbols of sun, moon, lotus, and lions, and sitting on the throne is an old elf wearing a gold throne. Beside him, in smaller thrones, some other elders sat. They were the same cold and dignified expression, like gods looking down on the earth.


    The elder on the throne slowly raised a hand, and the forest seemed to fall silent for a brief moment before he abruptly dropped it down!


    "Hong!¨C¨C"


    It was the sound of a Gong being smashed!


    Outside, the people cheered loudly, countless black spots rose from their bodies and into the sky, forming billowing back clouds.


    Another Hong!¨C¨C


    All the darkness in the sky was gathered into the center, before falling from the sky like a funnel and stalactites onto the Guardian Tree!


    Heaven and earth stagnated for a second.


    In the next moment, a strong wind rose from the ground, like a hurricane.


    Those obscure, hideous, evil thoughts accumulated from thousands of elves poured down from the top of the sky, like a sharp sharpened knife, piercing the tree relentlessly.


    Tang Shun seemed to hear the tree scream silently, its trunk shaking and jolting violently like a helpless boat in the middle of a raging sea.


    The immense malice infested it, starting from the roots, and gradually spreading to its veins and leaves, dyeing the luscious green leaves, and then the black energy condensed into a sticky black mud that could not be removed. The tree could only be forced to absorb the filth and digest all the negative emotions of the elves that it had guarded for thousands of years.


    As the darkness flooded back and the black clouds dissipated into the land, the bright sunlight was once again restored upon the elf''s land.


    The elves that had rid themselves of cumbersome emotions were instantly happy, loud cheers filled the forest and a loud beating drum sounded in the air.


    Tang Shun lowered his head, what the others couldn''t see, was that under their feet, ugly blue-black faces stared up at them with boundless resentment. And all of these faces were women.


    The tree became their dumpster, for all the corrupt and disgusting filth in their hearts. But when the dumpsters seized being able to hold the darkness of a thousand elves, the elves had to find another container.


    His eyes quickly opened again, the desolate and gloomy scene of the elf village now was directly contrasted against the scene of prosperity back then.


    His hands were directly twisted by the elf warrior and he could faintly hear a crack from where his wrist had touched him. His body was violently shoved back by the cold elf and he could feel the blood rising in the back of his throat from the force. He gritted his teeth and didn''t cry out, only silently leaning against the carriage walls and looking out at the black sky.


    Elder Ling looked to the forest and shook his head, "Don''t chase. She won''t survive for long."


    He waved his hands, "Continue."


    The red carriage slowly moved forward and the sight of the guardian quickly faded from his eyes, the elf soldiers transported the brides to their final destination.


    Underground.


    ***


    "Do you think, elves, who are mere mortal existences can disregard all emotions and desires?"


    Chu Yi looked out into the cold darkness, the pattern patter of rain hitting the forest floors filled his ears. Slowly a strange emotion rose in the depths of the crimson red eyes, "No."


    He slowly lifted a hand and pointed it to the tree, "Because not even gods can throw away all emotions."


    "Yes."


    His hair entangled with Chu Yi''s as he rested his head against his shoulder, slowly breathing in the cool fragrance on his neck, "Not even the God''s can be truly free."

 Chapter 151 - The Elf (17)

    Ling Zheng embraced his chest with both hands and leaned on the thick tree behind him, not caring about the red marks created by the rough bark on his back, his brows were deeply furrowed and his thin lips were pursed into a heavy frown.


    He lowered his head, the black hair that fell on his forehead covered his erratic eyes, revealing only half of his face below the tip of his nose. The sun at noon was extremely bright, and the mottled light and shadows fell onto the top of his head through the dense canopy of trees. With the shaking of the branches and leaves, the light spot would also sway on the handsome face of the young elf.


    Ling Zheng, who was resting quietly against the tree, looked calm and solemn, but the force of his fingers that clutched against his arms completely revealed his anxious mood at the moment.


    After waiting for a while, his head sharply snapped to the sky, and he suddenly frowned heavily, his hands forming tight fists. On the horizon, black storm clouds rapidly traveled through the sky with unstoppable momentum. A cold chill quickly swept the land and in seconds, the sun was completely obscured by the darkness. In the flashing clouds, the clap of thunder and lightning boomed through the skies.


    Not good. These clouds were an omen.


    His senses were telling him, something would go terribly wrong today. He looked over to the silent humans being slowly gathered from their houses like sheep being herded to be slaughtered. Eyes filled with sympathy and helplessness was crueler than the blank light in the human''s eyes.


    ***


    The wind was strong, and the night seemed to howl strangely. Tang Shun was woken up by the pain. He only felt that there were several boulders pressed against his chest and back. He tried to sit up, but immediately felt a surge of pain in his chest, he could only give up.


    He turned his head and looked around. It was a narrow stone house, dark and wet. Under the faint fire of the oil lamp hanging on the wall, he could see the countless mottled cracks on the black stone wall, and the red moss that covered most of the wall.


    A rusty iron door erected not far away was arched and outside was a narrow corridor. On the opposite side is a tall rusty iron door. The fire was too weak to see the inside. He could only barely make out the figures of a few women who shrunk at the door.


    The force of the elf''s blow had eventually rendered him unconscious, it seems that during that time they had moved to another cage to be stored at will.


    The blood in his mouth was heavy, and when the uninjured fingers of his left hand pressed against his chest, sharp spikes of pain shoot up his spine. It was estimated that he had cracked a few ribs and his internal organs should have been injured from the force of the blow.


    The pain was still bearable, what Tang Shun was afraid of were internal bleeding and a high fever. He could not access his system space here and could only rely on his body''s capability to withstand this injury.


    A hand suddenly stretched out beside him and rubbed on his face. The blood on both hands was clotted with blood and Tang Shun''s couldn''t help but shift away.


    "Are you awake?"


    It was Ning Ning''s voice, spoken in a low whisper. She was afraid of alerting others. Tang Shun couldn''t move, and only exhaled two breaths of warm air at the hand with his mouth, indicating that he heard it.


    He heard a faint rustle beside him before the young elf''s presence leaned into Tang Shun''s ear, evidently anxious, but had to whisper, "You are seriously injured, don''t move."


    "How did I get here?"


    She paused before speaking again, "You were unconscious, so I could only hold you down. We have transported here not too long ago, it is said that the ceremony is tonight!"


    He slowly lifted his eyes and didn''t speak, she only thought he was still dizzy and stopped talking.


    "Why did you save her?" The voice that appeared again was unusually cold and dark, not like a young girl but more like a poisonous snake waiting to strike in the shadows.


    A dark sneer slowly appeared at the corner of his lips, frantic and sly, crazy as a gambler that had played his last card, "Because just like you isn''t she also an unqualified?" He chuckled slightly, "An elf with only one ear, can that even be called an elf?"


    In the cold night, the pointed ear that was revealed through her hair shifted slightly, her eyes narrowed into sharp slits and she looked at the injured man beside her, the other ear could not move, because in the end, her real ear had long since been sliced off, the blood that spilled was the last affection she had for the elf tribe.


    A symbol of betrayal.


    She wanted to say something more, but suddenly there were a few clatters, and the iron railing was hit hard a few times.


    "Time to eat."


    An impatient voice sounded, and the person who struck the iron railing with an iron bar put several small pots with large slabs in them and then walked to the next cell.


    The women who had been huddled in the shadows ran quickly at the moment. One of them took a small bowl and started to gobble down with her head down.


    Ning Ning suddenly wanted to laugh, "A final supper before death. How generous."


    Tang Shun looked at her thin back and smiled coldly, "How generous indeed."


    ***


    A slow congregation made its way past the dense forest and walked deep into a dark underground hole. Surrounded by strange giant rocks, one couldn''t tell whether they were naturally formed or man-made.


    Above them, there are dense and small holes, illuminated by the moonlight that peeked through the dark storm clouds, the light and shadow staggered against the rugged rocks, and the wind shuttled through the strange grooves on the cave walls like a dark howl.


    Their footsteps were still echoing against the cave walls when Chu Yi heard a voice. An extremely weird voice, like singing but also like crying.


    The voice was not unpleasant, with a deep and ancient tone, the voice seemed to be able to penetrate people''s hearts.


    But without knowing why, he only felt a very uncomfortable feeling when he listened to that voice as if something was moving around in his body, scratching against the confines of flesh and screaming to get out.


    Cold hands suddenly came up and covered his ears, blocking away the voice and finally bringing peace to his mind. He glanced to the side where the tall man walked slowly beside him, wearing the same dark robe. The night was ominous and dark, inauspicious, filled with storm clouds and flashing thunder.


    It was time for the ceremony.


    The farther they walked, the more familiar the surroundings became. When he arrived in the same large tomb vault he had been in the night prior he couldn''t help but lift an eyelid. The woman buried in the tree had disappeared but in its place, the red flame of the fire illuminated his face.


    He saw the front, the large suspended platforms were no longer empty, several upright dark stones now carried several huge bonfires burning.


    The platforms finally revealed their full prowess in the burning fire, the platforms were giant black and cyan stone slabs with mysterious lines carved on them, like patterns of an ancient pattern. In his eyes, the platform seemed to pulse slightly and long black chains had been connected to the sides of the platform, extending out into the unknown.


    Elves in black and blue robes stood on the platforms and the strange sound came from them, in their hands, they held strange red jars filled with cloudy liquid that they sometimes threw into the fire.


    Below the platform, there were many elves kneeling on the floor, the fire reflecting their extremely pious faces. The elves'' white necks and arms were painted with dense red and mysterious patterns in bright red paint.


    The purpose of the Beinan Lake appeared here, no matter how strange the scene before them was, the people walking beside him did not make a sound or question it. Cold, soulless eyes staring straight ahead, the more filth in their hearts the more influence the lake would have had on them.


    First indulge them with a mating ceremony, where they could release the dark lust and desires in their hearts to the greatest extent before stripping them of their emotions and desires to make soulless puppets to help in their ceremony.


    The elves had planned great.


    Red eyes stared into the distance, imitating the blankness of the others. He didn''t shift his eyes to stare at the weird happenings beside him and just continued to follow behind the congregation to deeper depths.


    ***


    "Tang Shun, do you know how the elves survived for years without mana, without power, and just a deteriorating guardian tree?"


    He looked up at the young elf and curled his lips into a cold smile, "How?"


    "By making sacrifices. Every year, all the elf tribe would send out a group of young virgin elves to the ceremony. Every year, the human empires would send out a bunch of their people to be sacrificed."


    "Every year, the forest is bathed in blood. That blood is used to prolong the life of the guardian tree and it also has another purpose."


    "To awaken the God sleeping in the dead river."


    "They call us brides," she laughed as if she had heard the funniest thing in the world, "What we really are, are just human containers¡ª"


    "They killed the guardian tree themselves but still don''t repent. There''s only one fate for the elves."


    "To be destroyed."


    ***


    "Gong!¨C¨C"


    They slowly stopped and knelt before the bulky River. At this moment, the river was like a greedy monster from the dark abyss, with its mouth wide open, and it will never satisfy the blood and soul it desires.


    "Gong!¨C¨C"


    The side halls opened, rows of women in bright crimson red dresses slowly walked out of the cave, standing on all sides of the river.


    "Gong!¨C¨C"


    The third Gong sounded. Slowly each woman as if hypnotized raised their hands above the river. Then, with a wave of their hand, their wrists were cut by themselves with a golden dagger.


    The blood poured out, flowing over the blood-red sleeves of their dress and ran down their slender arm, pooling drop by drop into the black river.


    The elves on the platform poured the cloudy red liquid into the fire! The dripping red liquid didn''t mix with the fire instead it instantly merged into the lines carved on the stone slab and slowly flowed forward along the winding lines, little by little filling those dry, hungry patterns.


    The fire was blazing, and the moment when the dim glyphs touched the bleeding blood, it seemed to rise abruptly, like a grisly monster waking up from the fiery depths!


    At the same time, the harsh, breathtaking singing of the black robed elves rang in the cave.


    The frantic singing becoming louder and louder! The low voice was not loud, but at this moment it seemed as if there was an invisible force spreading the trembling voice from the bottom of their heart, on this land.


    The river started to shake, the black chains stretched taut as if at any moment, they would completely break!


    At this moment, a familiar man slowly appeared beside the river, the colorless pupils looked down at the river before abruptly dripping a drop of blood from his fingertips into the river.


    The drop of blood silently sunk into the watery depths, the river suddenly rose to the sky as if the entire earth was overturning! Chu Yi felt the river boiling when he looked down, a faint red glow appeared from the bottom of the river. His eyes shrunk sharply, the orange glow was fire!


    Flames were rising from the depths of the river!

 Chapter 152 - The Elf (18)

    Inside the cave, a young elf sat on the edge of the stone wall and eat the dry piece of black bread in her hand slowly. When her mother was taken away that year, she was left alone to fend for herself. The elves claim to be a pure and untainted existence but when she had to feed on the bitter bark and gnaw on a few pieces of grass just to be able to live a day longer, she realized the elves were just a delusional bunch.


    She swallowed the black bread piece by piece as if savoring the most delicious delicacy, her throat burned painfully and she could feel the cracks in her splitting tainting the dry wheat in her mouth with rusty blood but she refused to spit it out.


    Knowing she couldn''t see the sky from here she still stared up at the ceiling, as if she could penetrate the sky and see her mother''s gentle face staring down at her with love.


    When the last piece of bread was swallowed, the light in her eyes was unyielding and firm. The cave was dark, the other Women had slowly fallen into numbness, not even the faint sobbing could break up the depressing silence. She looked back faintly, catching sight of the cold eyes gazing at her back, there wasn''t pity nor sympathy in those eyes but inexplicably Ning Ning felt a surge of courage in her heart.


    The torches hanging on the stone wall outside were burning, and the fire shone on her face. There were sounds of people chanting, sounds of gongs and feet crashing, and the sobbing sounds still ringing from time to time.


    She lifted a hand and slowly placed it on the ear that would never have feeling again, when she removed her hand, the pointed tip that signaled a pure-blooded elf had disappeared leaving only the jagged edge of her ear that had been sliced off.


    They were soon hoarded out, roughly bathed, and shoved into the crimson red dress and a black cloth pulled over their head.


    She didn''t know how long they had walked for when suddenly, there was the sound of a huge metal door opening, and a ray of light shone through the gap between the black cloth in front of her.


    Ning Ning felt the black cover off her head being rudely removed, and then she was pushed hard into the dazzling orange light.


    A plethora of sound resembling a tsunami that crashed down in huge waves, came from all directions. Ning Ning raised her hand to block the harsh light in front of her.


    Her eyes squinted uncomfortably, and filled with physiological tears, before her body could react a strange Gong sounded in her ears and her eyes shifted unnaturally. When she looked up again, the bright light in her eyes was replaced with a dull trance-like glow and in her hands, the elven warriors placed a golden dagger. But what no one could see was the small dagger clenched under her tongue, as if a silent hunter waiting for the perfect moment.


    ***


    A dark figure shuttled through the forest with heavy steps. Dark clouds had long since taken over the sky and the occasional flash of lightning would illuminate the woman''s stumbling figure briefly before falling into the darkness once more.


    She could feel, that her feet were completely bloodied and her chest stuttered with every breath, only her willpower prevented her from collapsing at this moment.


    When she left, she knew she could not come back but she still did it without regret. For all the women that never came back, just like her sister, for all them.


    She didn''t know long she ran for when her lungs could no longer take in air and her body trembled with every step, she finally felt the signal.


    Without hesitation, Be Xiu raised a hand and ruthlessly tore a large piece of flesh from the middle of her palm! Scarlet blood instantly spurted onto the forest soil. Her fingers drenched in her blood sketched onto the ground, they did not shake.


    Her eyes were so focused that even if the cold sweat leaked from her forehead and slipped down her brow bones, she didn''t even bother to blink the sweat off-as time went by, complicated blood lines appeared little by little under her fingertips, and an ancient totem slowly revealed its true and complete features.


    The pattern that she drew resembled the roots of the guardian tree!


    When the final stroke was placed, Bei Xiu slowly closed her eyes and walked to the middle of the totem. A silent wind slowly rose from her feet and surrounded her. Those viscous blood seemed to be absorbed by some invisible force on the winding and smooth lines.


    Bei Xiu suddenly open her eyes, when she opened them, the whites of her eyes had been completely overtaken by a dark green! Her mouth opened, and strange language gushed out of her mouth as if an existence from ancient times was using her tongue as a medium to set off an ancient spell!


    The elegant and gorgeous tone melted into the cold darkness, and the lines of the circle exuded a faint red fluorescence. As the chanting continued, the red light gradually became brighter and brighter, almost completely dispelling the darkness in the forest and Bei Xiu who stood in the middle of it was shrouded in red! The wind whipped up around her and the thunder in the sky rolled.


    The elements that shouldn''t be here were catalyzed by her blood and were now surging and spinning frantically, rushing and colliding chaotically like boiling seawater, with a sharp, ear-piercing whistle.


    Thick clouds circled frantically, gathering above her like a tide, blocking all the light in the sky, the heaven and the earth seemed to change color, and the wind and clouds surged¡ª


    Be Xiu finally spoke the last tone, in an instant, a bloody light violently gushed out from the formation, and the harsh bright red light seeped from the thick earth and shot towards the sky. From a distance, the entire forest seemed to be flashing red in the center of the storm.


    The red light seemed to collide with a faint dome above the forest for a second but with an unstoppable force, the light smashed through the invisible barrier and rushed out to the sky!


    Be Xiu''s thin figure that was being slowly swallowed by the red light, seemed to slowly lift her head, a single tear fell from her eyes and smashed into the forest floor. It wasn''t a tear of sadness but relief, she had don''t it.


    Sister, she had done it.


    Her figure slowly disappeared, the blood-painted magic circle on the ground seemed to have received a heavy blow, lost its luster, cracked, and turned to ashes that drifted away with the wind.


    At this moment, there was a sudden sound of horse hooves in the distance. The wet soil splashed onto the horse''s calves as they rushed through the forest, a few horses briefly paused at the spot where Bei Xu dissipated into ashes and the riders bowed before nudging their horses forward.


    The Fan Clan had arrived.


    ***


    "Gong!¨C¨C"


    The river crashed and jolted violently as if boiling oil had been poured into the water. There was even faint steam forming on top of the river! The blood continued to be poured into the water and the red glow underneath grew higher and higher. From the black chain lodged into the walls, Chu Yi could hear faint crackling noise as if at any moment, the creature underwater would rush out.


    The bonfires on the suspended platform seemed to shift. It was the moment the blood flowing down the winding glyph touched the bottom of the bonfire, and before the black robe elf''s with their hands raised to the sky chanting loudly, it rushed towards the ceilings and burned fiercely!


    An extremely subtle shadow that no ordinary person could feel appeared in the fiery flame.


    The chanting stopped abruptly, and the black robe elves looked at the black shadow in the flames and shuddered with excitement. Elder Ling who had been standing by the side of the river suddenly trembled and raised his head sharply.


    For the first time¨Cfor the first time in such a long time¨Che felt the breath of the God he was serving with all his heart.


    Even such a slight presence made him giddy with ecstasy, the cool bearing of an elf was lost on him and with frantic eyes, he motioned to the guardian warriors on the side.


    "Prepare the second offering!"


    "Bring them up!¨C"


    He knelt before the river and kowtowed piously.


    "God!¨C¨C


    The God of Creation!


    After such a long time, you have finally woken up from the abyss of death once more!


    Did you see, did you notice the plight of your children¨C¨C


    Your humble and loyal believers will give you everything¡ª¡ª


    Bring us back to the wealth and prosperity, restore the guardian tree, make the elves whole again¨C"


    Chu Yi had an ominous premonition and sure enough he soon understood what Elder Ling meant by second offering.


    He glanced at the elf warriors who were suddenly walking towards them, it seemed that he couldn''t escape this crisis today.

 Chapter 153 - The Elf (19)

    Elder Ling bowed down to the river, he didn''t seem to care about the heat that scorched his face. In his hands, a similar golden dagger suddenly appeared, and just like the other women, without hesitation, he slit his wrist!


    Except, the blood that pooled from the wound was not the original crimson red but a strange transparent green as if his blood had been replaced with the sap of a tree. He slowly stood up and walked seven steps forward.


    For every step, a drop of blood fell to the cave floor and the cave walls hook tremendously. The chanting of the black robe became louder and louder and in the corner of his vision, he could see that the humans beside him had started stomping their feet as if they had been initiated by the others!


    When the first tower rose from the droplet of blood, the world suddenly becomes very small. Although the man standing in front of the tower is still like a mortal, he was as dignified as heaven and earth. Tower after tower suddenly rose from the ground, the waters crashed against the seabank and rocks started to fall from the cave! Seven towers rose to the ceiling one by one and each strange grooves and markings had been made!


    Chu Yi''s eyes narrowed and although he maintained the same trance-like state as the others, he knew that he would be exposed soon. There was nowhere to escape, surrounded by hundreds of elves and the cave entrance had probably long been blocked. There seemed no other choice than to go up and be sacrificed but he didn''t forget his character settings.


    He remembered the most important point, the dark moon!¨C¨C


    It was coming!


    He could sense it and by then, there was no use in hiding his identity, because everyone would now know his whereabouts.


    His eyes flashed quietly, and suddenly he had a treacherous idea.


    The first person to be taken away by the warriors was brought to the foot of the first tower. Steps appeared branching up to the long hanging platform on top of the slender pillars that hung over the river.


    The man was slowly guided to the top standing barefoot on the slate of cyan stone, as the light of the river and the distant bonfire reflected his dull, dilated eyes.


    The man''s brownish-colored neck and arm were painted with dense red and mysterious patterns in bright red paint and hung at the edge of the platform.


    One of the elves dressed in pure white robes followed the man up to the platform and in the chanting voices, he stepped forward and cut the two wrists of the man, allowing blood to drip onto the black-green slate on the tower.


    The man whose wrist was cut did not make a sound, still standing motionless as if he had lost his mind.


    Immediately afterward, Chu Yi narrowed his eyes.


    Amidst the loud ''Gong¨C'' that sounded for the umpteenth time, the elf in the white robe opened his arms to the sky, shouted, lifted the dagger in his hand, and unexpectedly cut the man''s throat with a knife.


    The gushing blood spurted and flowed through the blood-red runes on his neck, and down the forearm of the gurgling man. Then, the bright red blood spilled down onto the black and cyan stone slab, seeping into the crooked groves, and dyeing the pillar, blood red.


    In the next second, the white-robed elf suddenly used one hand to push the man off the pillar, and without any resistance, his body fell into the gushing waves and disappeared into the river.


    "The first sacrifice represents the birth of creation when the gods took pity on the land and created the first mortal!¨C"


    "The second sacrifice represents the vow of the God''s to protect this land from evil¨C"


    "The third sacrifice represents the guardian tree was created¨C"


    "The fourth sacrifice represents the first elf was born¨C"


    "The fifth sacrifice represents the prosperity and happiness of the elf clan for a thousand years¨C"


    "The sixth sacrifice represents the gloom and despair of the elf clan for a hundred years¨C"


    One by one six men were thrown off the pillar!


    When the elf slowly came before him, he wasn''t surprised. Step by step he climbed up the pillar, standing high above, he could see the raging river, the orange flames that rose with every sacrifice, the heinous stamping and chanting heretics.


    The golden glow in the evil spirits'' eyes flashed and grew as if suppressing something. He stared up at the man standing above, he was waiting, waiting for him to speak up.


    The white robe priest held the golden dagger still stained with blood and used the other to paint the red symbol of creations onto his forehead.


    Then, with a wave of his hand, he cut Chu Yi''s wrist with the golden dagger! He didn''t struggle as if he had been truly hypnotized.


    The blood bled out, flowing over the blood-red pattern on his wrist, and ran down the slender fingers, and fell into the blood grooves of the seventh sacrificial pillar.


    Even until the white-robed elf had raised the dagger in his hands and prepared to slash his neck, Chu Yi did not call his name. Ruan Quixi, let out a helpless sigh as if reproaching but also indulging, he lifted a hand and in the trembling night snapped his fingers.


    "The seventh sacrifice represents the resurrection on our clan, from the dead, the gods shall arise."


    One hand raised and skillfully drew a string of characters in the void. The invisible condensed into two black and white runes. The two looked at each other silently. One above and one below, like two opposing forces, forever divided.


    "I swear on the abyss...that may our fates intertwine..."


    Ruan Quixi lowered his eyes slightly, "I will not deceive him...all promises are divine." The two runes combined, the contract burned out and dissipated into ashes.


    He disappeared from his spot, an amorous and majestic voice slowly spun in his ears.


    "Do you trust me?"


    "No."


    He laughed happily, "Good."


    "I will give you what you want."


    "Chu Yi don''t regret it."


    The moment the finger tapped his forehead, Chu Yi''s mind went blank, he felt as if there was a thunderous explosion that had gone off inside his skull and his consciousness was quickly sucked to another plane.


    Something in his body abruptly broke free, surging and moving like a violent wave.


    It''s all a liar, a liar, a liar¡ª!


    Chu Yi, why are you so naive?


    A sneering, sharp voice suddenly sounded deep in his heart.


    They deceived you, lied to you imprisoned you, bound you, and remodeled you wantonly.


    They treat you as a guinea pig, a slave, a weapon, and you still have to obey them?


    Have you forgotten who you are? Have you forgotten who you are!


    ¡ª¡ªYou are the king of the abyss. You were born from his blood, you are his most precious creation, even if they burned the heavens down, you cannot die.


    You must wake up!


    The dark shadows slid down his wrist, and a cold power flowed from his fingertips into the man''s soul. With the blessing of this power, Chu Yi''s body trembled, and Ruan Quixi''s face turned pale as if what he had done had stripped him of something.


    When Chu Yi opened his eyes again, he was different. They were the same arrogant and wicked red eyes but for some reason, they were now strange and terrifying, like a thousand years of malice had been condensed into his eyes! But only Ruan Quixi knew, those eyes were blank and lifeless as if the soul inside the body had been stripped away and was now only acting on instinct. The system''s harsh warning sounded in his mind, and his body trembled as of enduring electric shock but the smile on his face only got crazier and brighter.


    This was him, this was his real beloved.


    Chu Yi''s body shifted and in an instant, he was before the elf warrior that brought him over.


    Despite being confused, the warrior elf subconsciously raised the sword in his hand, intending to first incapacitate this man before deciding the next course of action.


    In the end, before the weapon could be swung, Chu Yi had already stepped past him by, his mind blanked and in the next second of intense pain began to invade him! The elf trembled and touched his abdomen, blood gurgling from the rapidly eroding wound in his stomach. The blood could not be spilled to the floor, it coiled around and kissed the lingering fingertips in the shape of a dark rose.


    Elder Ling looked at the man walking towards him, and suddenly his eyes lit up!


    He understood now!¨C


    He understood why the gods rejected him before.


    He must get him.


    When Chu Yi lifted his head again, the black pupils had been replaced with a golden glow, they flashed cruelly, a charming smile slowly curling on his lips.


    "My dear, don''t be angry when you wake up."


    The elf''s corpse gradually dried up, and all the energy in his blood was sent to his body. The rose tattoo on his wrist was bright and dazzling like an ancient totem had been carved into his skin with a strange and seductive charm. The cave floors rocked, the stamping feet and waving hands, the fore that blazed to the sky sent the humans into an even greater frenzy.


    His figure continued to walk through the onslaught of elves that came rushing towards him. The violent and cruel clash was spelled with spilled blood and painful cries. The chanting of the hypnotized humans only became louder and louder like a synonymous boom that shook the walls of the cave and sent the water in the river boiling and rising into the sky!


    After plundering the blood of several people, the red pupils became brighter and brighter with an extremely splendid rose red.


    He raised his hand slightly, and a prosperous rose branch broke out from the abdomen of several elves. The leaves are made from shadows, and the flowers are formed from blood, the elves were slammed into the wall by these terrifying roses and trapped in rose vines, the throne sinking into the flesh and sucking on their blood.


    Chu Yi spoke softly as if in a trance¡ª


    "I enter the city of sorrow..." The shadow behind him began to leak and spread, and as he walked forward, it gradually swallowed everything around, even the insubstantial light.


    "I will enter the suffering of eternal life..."


    At the very edge of the elf tribe, the horses that were galloping into the clearing neighed and bucked restlessly as if they had sensed a terrifying force, some people looked up, and in the sky, the moon completed a grand switch above their heads.


    A blood-red moon pushed away all the dark clouds and appeared in the sky, its edges obscured by shadows that resembled roses. The prickly shadow roses wrapped the outer walls of the cave, and the trees were covered in red light.


    The crimson rose petals were frozen in the air, everything was bleak and lonely, and at the highest point of the heavens, the clouds reflected a pair of huge demonic wings that began to grow slowly from behind Chu Yi, fluttering slightly as it unfurled before settling into a huge and sharp outline.


    The two demon wings folded slightly towards the middle, concealing the man that grew from them. Chu Yi rose and looked down at the elf tribe under his wings -


    The monarch of the night, he was born.

 Chapter 154 - The Elf (20)

    The red eyes were covered in a layer of white film, the horrified stares of the elves reflected in his cold pupils as Chu Yi stretched out his hand into the void beside him, and forcefully pulled. From the void, a heavy bone sickle emerged! The terrifying power caused a few elves to scream, bleeding from their orifices and collapse in an instant.


    Elder Ling couldn''t stop his body from trembling instinctively. The figure of the other party seemed to have grown enormous, he gasped hard the heavy pressure, like an ant looking up at a high mountain.


    Chu Yi''s gaze turned slowly traced the entire cave, his figure suddenly flashed¨Cno it wasn''t that he disappeared but that his speed was no longer visible to the naked eye!!


    The flapping of the powerful black wings gave him an extremely terrifying speed, and the demon swooped down from the sky, targeting the white-robed elf priest that had spilled his blood! The priest also found him, his eyes moved rapidly and he raised his left hand causing several white chains to rise into the sky along with the river''s movement!


    To be a priest, he must have powers of his own, but he still grossly underestimated the power of this demon. Chu Yi shuttled through the chains like a dark arrow, with unstoppable momentum he smashed through the worldwide of attacks and charged straight to the saint in the sound of tearing wind! The priest''s eyes shrunk, he couldn''t change the direction of the chain, so he could only wave his hand and fold them inward towards the demon, intending to tear Chu Yi''s wings off!


    ¨C¨CBut that still couldn''t stop him!


    Between the lightning and flint, the demon wings entwined by the chains instantly turned into shadows and flowed down, there was a flash of demonic ed light and suddenly everything stopped.


    The priests'' eyes still carried traces of fear and madness and his hands still raised in the sky as if to call upon his God but in place of his heart, a large gaping hole had been punched through, destroying the blood and bones into shattered pieces.


    His body slowly fell back, falling off the high platform and disappearing with a flash into the golden river. Just the many sacrifices before.


    A flash of cold white light suddenly appeared in the corner of his eyes¨C


    His body flashed and disappeared only narrowly missing the burning flame arrow that had been shot towards him.


    He turned his head to look back, in just a few seconds, a bow and arrow surrounded by white bird wings appeared in the hands of Elder Ling. He closed his left eye slightly, the power of light condensed into a second golden arrow, and flew towards Chu Yi! His move successfully woke up the other elves, since they couldn''t fight on land they can only shoot it down!


    Chu Yi suddenly lifted his head and smiled. That smile was supposed to be beautiful and wanton, but to the ones who saw this smile at this moment, they only felt terrified.


    Chu Yi''s wings closed inwards, and then with a terrifying high-speed eruption, he cut through the air of light like a flying sword, space like a piece of paper and he smashed through the obstructions before him!


    Unexpectedly he didn''t immediately attack the others, Chu Yi squinted his eyes, instinctively, he had long been dissatisfied with the intruding presence, the so-called god of creation in the elves mouth did not carry the breath of life and compassion as normal for light gods but carried the putrid and rotten scent of decay that only him, in his current state could sense!


    Chu Yi arrived before the first pillar, the blood still stained its walls and the color of death had completely eroded its structure. He glanced towards the sky, the bone sickle appeared in his hand, a crazy light suddenly burst from his eyes!!


    Elder Ling who had already had a bad premonition when Chu Yi did not attack him, felt his mind collapse at this moment.


    "No!¨CNo!¨C Stop him! Stop him!" His eyes bulged frantic madness crashed into his mind and a fishy taste rose in the back of his throat!


    The sickle fell onto the pillar with an everlasting crash! Hundreds of cracks appeared from where it met the scythe, without being able to resist, the pillar crashed heavily into the ground, half its body sunk into the river!


    Behind the raging tide of stone that collapsed, and on the ground, from the position where the black sickle fell, a large number of shadow roses began to breed, and the menacing light collapsed in an instant.


    His wings made a whistle-like sharp sound as he rushed into the sky, his wings seemed to cover the sky as he slashed again on the second pillar¨C


    The third, the fourth, the pillars continued to crash into the ground! Before anyone could react, more than half the pillars had fallen under the death scythe.


    The Elder Ling suddenly let out a mournful cry, raised the golden dagger and unexpectedly stabbed it into his chest, and began chanting frantically! The cave floor rocked once again and the pillars that Chu Yi had just smashed showed signs of rising again! He couldn''t let his life''s work be ruined like this on the last step!


    At this critical moment, a woman that was supposed to be hypnotized and unaware of the rest of the world, suddenly broke free from the shackles in her mind!


    Before anyone could react, the woman in the bright crimson red dress suddenly lunged at the unguarded Elder Ling with ferocious killing intent, pulled the knife from her mouth, and stabbed it fiercely into his back!¨C


    "Argh!¨C"


    Green blood spurted from his body!


    The Elder was abruptly interrupted and could no longer speak, the pillars that wanted to rise again lost their last light and turned completely into dead stone. No matter how much he called upon them, the pillars would not respond.


    Ning Ning was repelled by a powerful rebounding force, when she crashed into the riverbank, she felt as if all the bones in his body had been shattered to pieces, she spit out a bloody foam mixed with bone and ruptured organs. But the pain in her eyes was mixed with an unyielding light, she wasn''t strong enough to kill him but she would never let him succeed!


    A cold hand suddenly covered her mouth and pushed a pill into her lips and a heavy voice appeared in her ears, "Swallow it."


    She instinctively followed the command and looked up through blurry eyes, Tang Shun still dressed in a similar red dress stared down at her and sighed slightly, "You have done your best."


    Her tense heart seemed to have been set on with this affirmation and she sank into a deep coma. Tang Shun looked up at the demon in the sky and remembered the fortune compass that had lost its direction. The future seemed to be covered with a hazy fog.


    The Elder suddenly pulled out another arrow and placed it into his bow, pulling the string back tightly. The blood from his wounds coated the arrow''s string as it flashed faintly, Chu Yi in the air sensed this and disappeared the moment the arrow was released from its string with a terrifying ''Hong!''.


    The arrow cut through the cloud of black and red butterflies that had been left in place, instead of being angry Elder Ling suddenly sneered and waved his hand! The arrow that had passed through the black cloud defied gravity and turned around, finding the exact position of its target!


    Chu Yi who had just reappeared unexpectedly felt a cold killing intent aimed at his back, the arrow that he thought he had avoided unexpectedly passed through space and aimed towards him precisely!


    "Swooosh!¨C"


    At the last second, Chu Yi managed to narrowly avoid the arrow lodging into his neck, a small tuft of long black hair slowly fell to the ground and the arrow rocked the cave all behind from the force.


    He slowly licked the blood from his cheeks, the cold red eyes suddenly ignited into the exciting flames. Chu Yi crossed his sickle, a trail of blood began to spread from the place where he held, following along the cold bone handle and seeping into the blood-red grooves engraved into it. The red threads entangled, and the sickle suddenly hummed as if it had life.


    The sky was filled with dark clouds before the arrival of the dark moon, floating in front of the small hole in the ceiling and being bathed in moonlight, the heavy sickle reflected a horrifying bloody light. For the first time, since his transformation he opened his mouth and spoke, the low and hoarse voice was like a ferry of the underworld coming to shuttle dead souls.


    "Too slow."


    "Faster."


    His figure flashed again and appeared into the shrunken pupils of the Elder Ling, with his sickle he slashed towards him!!


    A sharp and terrifying compressed sound ripped apart the entire space, and the only few sacrifices sober, Tang Shun and Ning Ning immediately covered their ears trying to resist the terrifying sound. He smelled a heavy scent of blood, probably because the elves were caught off guard, and the blood spilled onto the cave floor. The chanting never stopped and the chains only became tauter and tauter but the air was unprecedentedly silent. Those who survived the terrifying sound, slowly raised their head, only to feel that something was missing.


    The elves had... disappeared?


    No¨C they were still there but it was as if time had frozen, they all stood in the same position of raising their sword and rushing towards Chu Yi.


    "Ding!¨C"


    The sound of the first weapon falling to the ground, followed by a loud thump of an elf''s body. Then one by one, the elves fell to the floor in bloody heaps. Most of them were not even able to avoid the scythe and were directly killed by sliced in half by the sickle, but due to the extreme speed of death, they had maintained the motion they had seconds before losing their life.


    What shocked them, even more, was what they saw n the scene in front of him¡ª¡ªthe fire and water were still whistling from both sides, but right in front of them, the cave had been directly split by his scythe, revealing the scene outside!!


    The sudden sound of horses clomping through the stone walls was particularly abrupt and terrifying.


    Holding his two hands pierced by a scythe, the Elder Ling turned around slowly.


    The next second, his pupil hidden under the messy hair suddenly dilated. A man that could only appear in his nightmare suddenly appeared before him. He saw a tall and burly figure coming out of the bright fire under the moonlight.


    That person was like a thousand horses and soldiers running forward on the earth.


    Nothing could beat such momentum.


    The dark horse raised its hoofs to the sky, shook its majestic head, and made a high-pitched neigh across the night sky, like a dragon announcing its presence.


    The long silver hair of the tall elf riding the horse was oppressive in the ominous night, like a dark ghost coming for revenge.


    His burning green eyes were like cold flames, with terrifying oppression, he looked down on the maniac and frantic atmosphere under the horse and slowly turned his head to the demon with blood-stained hands standing by the side of the river.


    The remaining elves who saw this man were directly shaking in fear. The devil¨Cthe devil was here!¨C


    No one saw it, but Elder Ling''s hands hidden behind his back were indeed shaking uncontrollably.


    Before this man riding a horse in front of him¡ª


    Before the elf who walked through a sea of flames¡ª


    As a towering high mountain stands between heaven and earth, no one can shake it.


    The protector of the guardian tree.


    Ruler of the Fan Clan.


    And his brother.


    Fan Ling!


    At this moment, there was a loud snap, it was the sound of chains being unable to take the force anymore and shattering!

 Chapter 155 - The Elf (End)

    The air fell into a moment of silence, the moment the chains snapped as if an ancient power was reviving as if the ancient glory was shaking, invisible majesty came down upon them, on the cave walls appeared numerous cracks with a series of crisp sounds.


    The flames in the river completely rose to the top and it seems that in any second, something below would wake up from the dead.


    Elder Ling suddenly turned his head sharply, a mad and ecstatic glow in his eyes,


    "Ha!¨CHa! You can''t stop it, the lord, the lord is awakening!"


    The crazed elf groaned, his right shoulder was pierced by an arrow, and blood spewed out uncontrollably.


    Everything happened so quickly that the Elder Ling with the palm of his hand pierced by the arrow had not recovered when the second arrow pierced into his left shoulder!


    The hooves of the horses slammed into the cave floors and slowly stopped behind their commander. The smell of blood and sulfur completely ignited their battle senses, their green eyes filled with determination.


    Blood from previous battles splattered on his cheeks and stained the corners of his eyes. Fan Ling stared at the scene in front of him, as if he didn''t feel the energy blowing from the river.


    The next moment, the long sword in his hand split two cold trails in the air.


    The arms of the elf that had tried sneaking up on him were lost in an instant. More blood stained his body,


    His boots are stepping up the red carpet step by step, and the sound of his feet is like the drum of death.


    All he could do was watch Fan Ling approach.


    As the horse passed in front of him, the elves at the front could see the blood dripping from the cloak.


    "Brother, draw your sword."


    The colorless pupils expanded, he calmed down, sneered, leaned over, and held the handle of the sword. With effort, the sword was pulled out by him.


    "Fan Ling, you know who I''m doing this for. Are you truly going to fight me?"


    The long white hair of the man before swayed in the billowing wind, "Because I know who you are doing for, Xie Ling¨C"


    The sword of Fan Ling collided with the sword of the Xie Ling. Sparks splashed from the place where the sword collided, indicating that both sides of the strike were running for their lives.


    The sound of the sword friction brought a current across the top of each elves head, and their breathing became rapid. "For the fate of the elves, you must die!"


    The dark horses neighed as they galloped into the cave and collided with the ceremony elves, The wind from the ferocious heavy armor and their swords issued a long scream, like a war horn calling its soldiers.


    In the air, as if there were ten thousand legions drawing swords and clapping drums, the intruding elves roared in the sound. Under each heavy armor helmet, there was a bright fire in the glowing green eyes. The fire was so bright that it seemed to burn the whole era.


    The demon''s figure flying high above suddenly dispersed into a blanket of black fog, countless black butterflies dancing wildly in the fog. When he appeared again he was standing at the base of the guardian tree.


    His hands slowly touched the rough trunk and almost immediately a scene of tragedy played out before him.


    Before the elves were what they were now, they had a queen, when a few elders found out the situation of the guardian tree, they also found a parchment that showed them how to sacrifice the blood of female elves to prolong the life of the guardian tree as well as summon the gods.


    The queen was the first to be sacrificed, threatened with the lives of a thousand other elves, the queen could do nothing but give her life for the elves'' sins.


    They dug her eyes out so that she should not blaspheme the gods and cut wounds on her feet so she could not crawl back to the mortal of and they dressed her in a wedding dress and called her a bride so that her soul would be bound.


    But the elders did not keep their promise and continued to sacrifice others to deceive their sin so her lingering spirit waited for decades for someone who could free the innocent elves.


    Chu Yi noticed the gaze that fell on him, even though her body was stained with blood and her thin eyelids were the only thing remaining of her carefully gouged out eyes, instinctively he still felt as if the warm sunlight shone on him, gentle and leisurely, incompatible with the chaotic and deadly surroundings.


    The queen''s eyebrows were lowered and compassionate. Even though she experienced the betrayal and harm of the people she protects and even lost her divine position because of it, even if she is on the verge of breaking and dying, she still cared for the elves, for this reason, she insisted even in this ugly form to continue to linger the world.


    Fear made those children take the initiative to break free from her protection, threw themselves into the arms of the evil god, listened to the whispers of the evil god in their ears, and sacrificed the women of their tribe just for the prosperity that they once knew.


    However, everything that is obtained will have to be returned one day.


    She looked at the evil demon in front of her gently, stretched out the hand-tied with the faded red rope, and slowly put the soft palm with rounded lines into Chu Yi''s outstretched palm.


    "I don''t mind if you kill them, for these elves must be punched for their sins."


    "For the other elves, for the women, I entrust my power to you."


    A golden light suddenly lit up in Chu Yi''s hands.


    The translucent figure in the air is getting thinner and lighter, her figure slowly disintegrated into countless light spots in the air, like thousands of fireflies, the light was finely broken, but she still never gave up to illuminate for the final time, the little bits of light was beautiful.


    Chu Yi suddenly felt that at that moment, he seemed to be integrated with the whole vast world. He seemed to be standing on top of the group of lanterns and stretched his arms to face the wind, and he seemed to be diving under the river to swim with the fish. He could sense the swaying of every flower in the mountains and the new growth of every grass.


    As big as the sky and the earth, he can go anywhere.


    His eyes snapped open, like a whirlpool filled with evil, a boundless power filled his body!


    His wings had already carried him above the river, the slowly crumbling cave walls did not deter him. The ferocity of the wind ruffled his long black hair, the cloak of shadows seemed to swallow all light.


    He flapped his wings and raised his height to the extreme!


    The red moonlight shone down on him, above the battle cries and sound of weapons clashing, he closed his eyes gently, and a huge and complicated magic circle formed under his feet.


    This was a type of demonic magic, which simultaneously unfolds an asymmetrical twin magic circle, he could feel the energy given him by the spirit, empowering his body. The magic circle glowed with a destructive and tyrannical force that screamed evil and death!


    Everything seems to be infinitely magnified, the screams of the dead and the smell of blood and fear, the calls of resentment.


    He liked this method of destruction very much, destroying everything in an instant like the lightning from heavens, the screams of the dead would be heard, as everything would be reduced to ashes.


    Rocks dislodged from the walls and crashed into the river, the darkness swallowed everything and only the glowing red eyes overlooked the world.


    "Seven deaths."


    "The first strike."


    A flaming red-black star suddenly appeared on the river under the night sky¡ª


    "Boom!!!¨C"


    Some flames ignited and went out the moment they fell into the river. These flames flickered in the eyes of the demon for a moment, and they all turned into inorganic coldness.


    "Second strike!¨C"


    A second star appeared, twice as large as the first star! It seems that for each strike, the power would only grow bigger and bigger!


    The cave walls rocked even harder, the underwater flames flew up into the sky and splashed, burning a few unlucky victims on the side.


    "Boom!¨C¨C"


    The third strike, the fourth strike¨C"


    Continuous waves of attacks destroyed everything. The cave was burning, the air was hot and distorted, and the river continued to spew out flames. Against the background of the fire, Chu Yi''s vertical pupils were cold and sharp, and the cave had completely turned into a hell on earth.


    *


    In another place, a battle of death was finally coming to an end, a heavy foot slammed into the man''s chest and sent him flying a few meters away, blood spurting from his lips.


    The cold boots stepped into soil wet with blood, to his defeated enemies and slowly placed the sword at his neck. The dreadful cries had died down, only the countless stack of dead bodies lying on the cave floor were left off these cries.


    Now, those bloody elves have come down from their horses, and each of them has put their arrows on the bowstring. Such a close distance, such a narrow space, as long as someone dares to act rashly, will be shot into a hedgehog, the human and elven women who had woken up at some unknown point huddled together against the wall not daring to move a muscle.


    "I''m a protector."


    He''s the one who survived through many levels, gained strong strength through years of hard training, loyal and stubborn, calm and cruel... the protector."


    Fan Ling raised his sword above his head, one foot gaining into his brother''s chest, green eyes gloomy and unyielding.


    "You are not qualified to be my opponent."


    "And you are not qualified to be an elf."


    Xie Ling was crawling on the ground, the sword fell from the top of his head, and his hands clasped the ground hard, but he could not break free. He knew that many devout elves behind him rushed to help him, but the hunter''s sword would cut off his head before the help came.


    But he still did not give up the struggle, he struggled with all his strength, and refused to give up the slightest possibility of life. He struggled and cried in the bottom of his heart, even if he was about to die, he raised his head tenaciously, wanting to bite him,


    ¡ª¡ª Rumble! Rumble¡ª¡ª"


    The sound of collapse echoed in his ears, through the screams and cries, he didn''t have to look to see that destruction was being amassed.


    He worked so hard, he was right on the edge of victory, why?! Why couldn''t he appease the gods, isn''t this all for the elves sake, why treat him like this, Why!¨C¨C


    The huge blade tore a cold light in the night.


    Green blood rose into the sky, and the head of the fallen elf was cut from his body, the colorless eyes still carrying resentment rolled in an arc in the air, spreading blood in the air along the way as it fell to the cave ground.


    "The seventh strike¨C"


    "Boom!!¨C¨C"


    Like the clap of thunder, the final flaming red star smashed into the river with an overpowering force, it was like the blood moon had fallen! and in their eyes, the fire that blazed from the bottom of the river sunk back down in retreat!


    At this moment, the entire forest, along the border key lines under the soil layer, lit up with beautiful golden light, like a lamp that lights up in the night, waiting for those who left home to come back.


    A light shower of rain blurred the light that was too bright at first glance, making that little light, seem like a star falling into the world, gentle and beautiful.


    And the forest was plated with a golden light under the warm sunlight of the sky. The rain is nourishing, the leaves are verdant, and the animals were delighted.


    Fan Ling with blood-stained cheeks slowly gazed up at the demon in the sky, and follow his gaze downwards. A man stood on the opposite side, the two looked at each other silently. One above and one below, like two opposing forces, forever divided.


    He slowly withdrew his gaze and mounted the dark horse. "Commander?" He didn''t look back, he nudged his horse forward and quickly galloped through the broken cave, the elf knights hesitated for a moment and looked up at the demon before hastily following Fan Ling to a new destination.


    As he rode, he couldn''t help but glance out through the destroyed cave walls. In the jade sea of elements, the clouds pressed against the horizon belly, and the sun was hidden under the golden layers with a faint emerald-colored light.


    The day is coming.


    Through the broken cave walls, the brilliant light shrouded the black hair of the demon, like a sacred crown of light, this species that had originally embraced the darkness was now immersed in the ocean of sunlight. At first, maybe due to discomfort, he closed his eyes, but then, his dark rose-colored pupils opened completely.


    Chu Yi''s wings still flapped in the darkness, but he stood under the light, with glowing green lights floating around him.


    ¨Clike being loved by God.


    They once again stood, one high and one low but this time, he wasn''t the one to go forward.


    "Chu... Yi..." Ruan Quixi murmured, and in his trance, Chu Yi had already begun descending towards him, with the tall wings gradually dissipating into countless black butterflies. He dived faster and faster, closer and closer, gradually revealing the terrifying high speed of the demon race.


    In his eyes, the distance between them was just a few breaths. The sunlight glowed onto the cold red eyes, and the only thing reflected in them was Ruan Quixi as if his entire world only contained him.


    The sunrises from the edge of the clouds, and the morning light spreads all over the earth,


    Chu Yi flew down from the sky and crashed into the man''s open arms.


    The evil spirit embraced his destiny, which fell from the sky and instantly turned around to protect chu Yi below, and some broken stones crashed into the floor beside them like a broken flower.


    The surrounding became shrouded in black, shadows from the two embracing figures, rose into the sky. In the boundless dazzling black, Ruan Quixi looked at the demon lying on his back under him. His shadow was reflected in the dark rosy eyes of the other party. Those so-called waiting and longing for a Millenium were all swept away.


    He had caught him.


    The more the knights galloped, the greater the changes in the forest and when they looked back, they only saw Fan Ling under the armor. He rode cold and haughty and cold. The guardian tree was still corrupted and there were many secrets still to unfold but this was the start of a New Era¨C


    The Era of the elves!

 Chapter 156 - Tickets

    Red gold chandeliers hung down from the high dome, and the shining yellow diamonds hanging from the layers of circles reflected on the deep red carpet that flowed north to the west as if it is plated with a thick grand cross.


    It wasn''t known when, but around the hall statue of an angel cast in white plaster was erected beside the champagne tower. It closed its eyes, holding a divine sword, surrounded by olive branches, looking solemn and divine in the golden-red hall.


    "Welcome back players."


    Samuel came forward on the dark red carpet wearing a black dress with dark lines on the silver edge, with a golden bird pinned on his collar. He was tall, thin, pale, handsome, and polite, like a housekeeper who had been guarding the house for many years, with a familiar monocle hung on his eyes and long black hair tied behind his head.


    If the players still had any admiration and good feeling now they only wanted to beat him over the head. Many of them were killed immediately after materializing in the forest, the Ling Zheng of their game did not wait for their explanation but immediately shot after seeing a suspicious presence.


    Some were sacrificed on the pillar and even those who survive later good not escape extinction by the gods who awoke. Everywhere they stopped, there was a pit. Although the dying in-game would not mean real death, they would still feel the pain, despair, and resentment before their life was sucked away from them.


    As he bent over to salute, he spoke in a tone of unprecedented joy, "This was the prototype of my newest creation. Although it was a mere inkling of what it should be, I can see from your faces that you very much enjoyed your time spent."


    He raised his head, without waiting for anyone to respond, he snapped his fingers and in everyone''s hand, a familiar red card appeared in their hands, before anyone could react, the card suddenly dissipated into multiple red lights that sunk into their wrist. In its place, a red rose appeared on the soldiers of their fingers. This way, the card could not be stolen or traded.


    Those who wanted to complain quickly shut their mouths like intimidated quails, "For the sake of celebrating this momentous moment, all those who played in this game will be granted access to Black City''s annual auction, the Death Store!"


    The tower immediately erupted into torrential applause, no matter how dissatisfied the players were, it was still good to pick up a bargain for free!


    Samuel twisted the monocle on his left eye and glanced at the man leaning against the pillar in the corner, his smile only got deeper, "Please everyone, enjoy your time. The second phase of the auction will not be today but instead another month, so please¨Cprepare wisely."


    He bowed his head and stepped away, well-dressed attendants of the tower, with gloves and silver plates with metal covers, entered and separated on both sides of Samuel.


    Plop!¨CPlop!¨C


    The sound of liquid dripping on the carpet floors was very light, but with an inexplicable cold chill. Accompanied by the sound of the liquid falling, was a few very light footstep. Chu Yi who leaned against the pillar, in a backdrop of light and shadow suddenly raised his eyes.


    When he opened his eyes, something flashed by quietly. If anyone were to take a closer look, they would see that it was a throne.


    A majestic throne made up of the bones of different hellish creatures, their bones were delicately chosen and gathered, and then piled up to make the most exquisite craft.


    The slender white bone pillars reached straight to the sky, supporting the crisscross ribs that created the back, the long curved beams seemed to have been built with the ribs of legendary dragons and demons.


    A twisting and meandering rose vine covered the entire throne. Starting from the ribs, the rose spreads upward to the slender and luxurious pillars, the branches and leaves coil around the glaring white bone.


    The deepest memory is trapped in the darkest heart as if a string was gently touched. The indescribable familiarity is like the wheel of time turning slowly. The empty throne stood for millenniums waiting for its majesty to rule once more.


    When his eyelids blinked, the image naturally disappeared leaving only the deep red eyes to lazily sweep the floor.


    The room inexplicably became quiet, the sound of fluid hitting the floor was infinitely magnified in the hall.


    A man wearing a black suit with an elegant dovetail appeared on the second floor. Half of his face was covered with a strange ghost face mask but the side that was revealed was beautiful and wanton.


    The masked man propped one hand on the railing, fixedly looking down at the person below him who had caught his attention from the moment he landed eyes on him, his pupils hidden behind the mask narrowed, and he smiled with strange greed.


    Countless eyes wandered back and forth on the two of them.


    The man took the lead in retracting his sight, grabbing a glass of wine, and picking up his greeting gift from some of the railings. Humming a strange tone in his mouth, he slowly walked down the spiral staircase down into the hall.


    Everyone was shocked, standing still and dare not blocking his way, silently watching his figure getting closer.


    Those who recognized him instantly turned pale with horror, those who didn''t only felt a chill rise from the bottom of their hearts.


    If it wasn''t for his pale skin and dark and gloomy eyes, he would be like an ordinary handsome young man.


    The man was holding a glass of red wine in one hand, the top coated in a blue flame that flickered on his face, an amorous and wicked smile hung on his lips.


    The sound of liquid dripping came from his other hand¨C


    A hideous head was held in his hand, thick red blood was dripping from the incapacitated head, the bulging eyes still seemed wide open in horror and disbelief.


    The man went straight past all the players and stood before Chu Yi. He raised the other hand and took a long sip of the wine, the square rose ring on his finger wrapped around the glass shaft flashing brightly. The malicious and greedy eyes slowly fell on the charming face before he let out a deep chuckle, licking away the traces of red on his lips.


    "I see, why my younger brother was so interested in you. Chu Yi, you are really.....a wonderful delicacy."


    Chu Yi raised his eyes staring straight into the man''s face and spat coldly, "Who the fuck are you?"


    "....."


    ".....!"


    The air stagnated for a moment and a blank expression appeared on the man''s face for the first time. Chu Yi sneered softly, the faintly mocking and disdaining look felt like a heavy punch to the man''s dignity.


    He coughed and laughed softly, "This is our first time meeting, so I brought you a gift. My name is Arescio and Chu Yi, I think, we will have ''lots'' of close contact in the future.."


    "To make amends, I brought you this gift for you, do you like it?"


    He held up his hands with the bloody head. Chu Yi could recognize it as one of the players that harassed him upon his return to the black city. He didn''t know if this was meant to intimidate him or something else but so what?


    Since the person he was waiting for did not appear then there was no use staying here any longer.


    He brushed the hair from his cheeks and without another word, he slowly walked away, ignoring the outstretched hand holding the bloody head.


    The players naturally parted a path for him to pass and without another look back, he disappeared past the tower gates into the night sky.


    "..."


    The players looked back at the only party involved in this confrontation with similar disbelief.


    Arescio carelessly raised his glass again, and the servant filled the man with the liquor called "night rose".


    He raised the golden goblet and took a sip. Delicious. He carelessly flung the head to the floor, blood stains flying an arc as it rolled to the foot of some random player, wiping his hands against the tapestry, and walked out the door, without care. In any case, he would see him in the next instance after all.


    The Isolated Island.


    When he left, a man slowly moved away from the tall shadows. The eyes beneath the golden monocle flashed with an amused mocking light.


    "Fools."


    Gloved fingers snapped lightly, all the players who had been talking in the hall suddenly stopped, their eyes rolled as if in a trance, and with synchronized movements they each stepped forward.


    In the brightly lit hall, all sounds were forced to press down a halt.


    Dead silence.


    The sound of a violent, indifferent, tactful, with repelling tunes flowing from the right angle cut by the bowstring on the bow brush. As if being commanded by invisible puppet strings, the players were forced to dance to the strange music.


    In the darkness surrounding him, all players were reduced to mere puppets.

 Chapter 157 - The Isolated Island (1)

    Seagulls flew by, the sea was calm, and the sound of the sea-bound wind rolled into the pier with a salty smell.


    A dilapidated and run-down ship a few stories high was docked by the pier.


    The dock was already crowded with people, crowded and noisy, everyone held items of baggage and carts in their hands, sweating profusely among the pile of people packed like sardines.


    The smell of sweat and smelly feet, a man''s yelling curse, and a woman''s high-heeled shoes stamping against the wooden dock became the first thing to greet Chu Yi when he opened his eyes.


    The scorching sun reflected off the rusty red paint of the ship at Harbour, when he squinted his eyes, Chu Yi could vaguely see the name of the ship, Nar¨¦zon.


    The dazzling sunlight reflected the dusty and rickety structure, its huge shadows covered their heads from the sea.


    He looked around, most of the people covered by the shadow were ordinary or even worn-out civilians, but some wealthy people were well-dressed and obviously of higher standing than the rest.


    The crew placed the ladder frame that stretched from the ship down onto the pier and shouted down with a drunken drawl: "It''s ready, start boarding"


    He glanced to the side, at the others that appeared along the dock, amongst them there wasn''t a familiar face, Tang Shun and the others that had followed him in had been separated. Regardless, the heavy camera equipment and heavy black duffle bags carried the people beside him quickly gave him an idea of their identities. They were a movie crew.


    In the corner of his eyes, he could see an old man hobbling up to their side, the heavy wooden cane that he held slammed into the wooden pier with every dragging step. The old man opened his mouth and grinned when he got closer, the rotten and yellowing teeth inside his mouth was an offending sight to see, with a scraggly beard coated in spit and thin greasy hair, the man stopped before them and spat a glob of yellow spit at their feet.


    "Yer'' guys must be ta'' people ta'' ha com to visit this yere'' island and shoot ta'' movie. I''m a yer tour guide, call me Old Jin." The man spoke with a heavy accent, and spit flew out of his mouth for every word, splattering onto the faces of the unfortunate players closest to him. Even so, no one dared to step back.


    He lifted a dirty bottle and took a swig of the hot beer, "I hope yer ready, " He squinted at them through beady eyes, " Once ya'' step foot on da'' island, chances are¨C¨C you''ll'' never come back."


    [Ding]


    [Transfer Complete.]


    [Issuing Storyline...]


    [Opening Copy ''The Isolated'' (Medium Level)(B)]


    [You are a part of the D-list crew that has recently decided to make a horror movie called " The Hunt." The director wants this movie to be a hit and therefore decided that they must go above and beyond any horror show before and decided to shoot the movie on a real haunted and isolated island that has never been explored and all information on the island was found in dark and obscure legends. He bought the tickets to the ship that travels to the island only once a month and managed to get a tour guide to bring you to the island. Initially, you all thought that this island would be desolate and abandoned but when you arrived at the port, you were surprised to see hundreds of people boarding the ship, all of the different statures. How did these people find out about the ship and why are they all so eager to travel to the island? What kind of secret does this island that only exists in dark tales hold.


    [Main Task processing...]


    [Main Task 1: Complete the shooting of the movie]


    [Main Task 2: Find out the secrets of the Island and escape]


    [Side Task processing...]


    [Side Task 1: Explore the forbidden areas of the island]


    [Side Task 2: Awaken the gods]


    [Ding!]


    [All tasks have been issued; Good Luck to all players!]


    Someone abruptly tapped him on the shoulder, "Chu Yi won''t you start the camera, the director said that we can Livestream our exploration in order to build some heat before the movie is released. It''s good to have a little popularity before we reach the island, introduce yourself a bit, and publicize the movie."


    Chu Yi looked back at the man, a member of the crew with some doubt, but still took the camera from his hands and aimed it at his face. The little red dot started blinking indicating that the Livestream had started. A flood of people heard the notification and poured in.


    [Is this the crew that said they wanted to explore a real haunted island! ]


    [Ah, this time it''s a horror movie, I like horror movies the most! I want to see blood, I want to see dead people! ]


    [There are very good-looking actors this time! Even if it''s just a trash D-List movie, I''m still willing to watch it because of this face ]


    [Ooh! His eyes are so beautiful, they must be more beautiful when they are dugout. Please, please let me dig them out]


    [Ohh my baby YiYi, is finally making his first movie!]


    [Beauty to play a horror movie! Hee hee, hee hee, I''m looking forward to it more and more. ]


    His eyes quickly scanned through all the useless barrages and finally locked onto one that instantly caught his attention.


    [Is the crew going to the Fish Island? I heard some rumors about that place. It is said in the legend, all the people of their island were born from the sea, therefore they are descendants of the sea. They only eat fish and they always eat it raw, even the babies that have just been born are fed fish blood instead of milk. The people there have pointed teeth like a group of piranhas and only marry the people from their island.]


    [Upstairs, can you stop spreading rumors about people?]


    [+1. I used to live on an island off the shore, and even though the island was a bit quiet we were just ordinary people ok.]


    [ What era is this, why are you still discriminating against people?]


    [If you don''t have any knowledge, don''t come to spread your ignorance here!]


    [I''m only sending what I heard, it''s up to you whether to believe it or not.]


    Being scolded the person who sent the barrage seemed discouraged and disappeared. After scanning through and seeing nothing more of use, Chu Yi suddenly spoke for the first time, "The movie will be filmed and released in a month."


    Chu Yi looked at the suddenly quiet barrage and thought that he had completed the task, so he nodded with satisfaction and asked, "Any questions? If there is no problem, I will close the live broadcast."


    The audience who hadn''t seen this operation before: "???"


    What''s going on with this brother, isn''t an anchor supposed to interact and act cute with their audience, even if he didn''t act cute at least say a few more words?! Why does he want to shut down the broadcast?


    They haven''t seen enough of this face!


    Chu Yu didn''t care about the emotion of the audience, his slender palms gradually approached the main screen camera. Under the high-definition lens, the intertwined green and blue veins under the transparent skin were infinitely magnified and the still shocked barrage began to take crazy screenshots on instinct.


    In the next moment, the camera was thrown out, and after crossing a perfect curve, it fell perfectly into the hands of the person that was suspected to be the director.


    The balding middle-aged man that appeared on the screen was a direct contrast to the wild beauty from before. Some audience weren''t able to take this double crit and promptly left the live stream.


    The director who had been despised: "..."


    Chu Yi no longer cared about the issue of the Livestream, it seemed that the directory of this crew was still a bit more generous and he had booked the entire crew onto the channel for the rich.


    The Nar¨¦zon had two embarkation channels, one was a channel for civilians to the lower level, and the other was a channel for the wealthy guests to the upper level. The two boarding gates were guarded by crew members, and the white-uniformed captain stood at the entrance of the rich man with a warm smile on his face.


    The men were dressed like gentlemen and the women wore radiant skirts. Everyone wore very eye-catching watches and jewelry, beautiful and dazzling even so, there are always a few people who stand out.


    A crew member trots to the ground, came to the guests, bends over, and respectfully said: "Guests, please give me your luggage."


    The dark-haired young man wearing sunglasses casually handed him the luggage and the ferry ticket, "Be careful."


    The black-haired man wore a casual outfit, with bright black hair draped over his shoulders. Sunglasses covered his eyebrows and eyes, but the line of the chin was beautiful and sharp. His lips were as gorgeous as a rose, and they were a little frivolous as they pursed into a smile. As a little fresh meat, naturally, Chu Yi was dressed better than the normal crew and therefore his clothes didn''t seem out of place.


    The crew members who took their luggage handed over an ID card, " This is your access card for the facilities onboard the ship. Don''t lose it, it''s what the crew will use to identify you later. " The crew shook his head, "If you have the wrong identity...."


    He squinted continue to speak, but bowed his head and walked away.


    When Chu Yi walked past the captain, and looked up into the ship, under the scorching sun he seemed to see a dark shadow flash on the dock but when he blinked again, it was gone.


    When the last passenger boarded the ship, there was a loud horn that resounded through the entire dock, the ship shook briefly as the anchor was pulled up and engines started.


    The Nar¨¦zon set sail.


    The coastline gradually moved away, passing by a fleet of freighters. The waters near the port were turbid and grey, but gradually, the sea turned into a deep blue.


    The seagulls hovered over the cruise ship, the wind roared, and Chu Yi''s clothes were blown by the salty wind as he stood at the edge of the deck, watching the pier slowly get smaller before slowly turning his head.


    The ship would sail for two days and in those two days, who knows what dangers at sea they''d encounter. The tour guide did not follow them to the rich channel but went by himself to the civilian channel.


    A crew member came over and handed them each a key and an invitation letter.


    "This is your room key, due to having great more passengers than we anticipated, a few of the rooms will be double rooms, if you have any problems with your roommate you can go to the captain and work it out."


    They all nodded and seeing that they weren''t dissatisfied, the crew member smiled and pointed to the invitation, "That is an invitation to the banquet being held tonight at 7 pm."


    One of the crew members casually asked, "What''s the menu for tonight."


    The crew member paused and looked deeply at them, "The menu is our local specialty, specially grown only in these seas, "


    "Human Fish."

 Chapter 158 - The Isolated Island (2)

    There was a brief moment of luminous silence before the director stuttering spoke out, "H-Human Fish?!"


    The crew member grinned strangely with yellow teeth, he seemed to want to speak again but at this moment there was a sudden loud commotion from the second story, civilians passage.


    Chu Yi glanced down from above where he could vaguely see the fistfighting figures before one man was violently picked up and his body pressed over the railing, "You dare sneak onto our ship!¨C"


    The other man barely clothed in rough hemp cloth was poor, his embarrassed figure was stained with blood and mud and he was screaming wildly in pain.


    The crew members roughly slammed his head onto the sharp metal railing, scarlet blood spurted from the back of his head, through stuttered breaths the civilian tried to seek sympathy, but without waiting for anyone to react, the crew member suddenly lifted him and flung the man overboard!


    If you must know they were already a few knots away from the shore, this was pushing the man to death!


    The man smashed into the sea with a scream, under the horrified gazes of the others. He tried to struggle but as if sinking into a dark swamp there was only a brief moment where they could see his flailing hands before he sunk underwater without a single ripple.


    The crew member was mighty and majestic, and his face was full of flesh. He grabbed the side of the boat and looked down at the still waters with a viscous grin before spitting into his watery grave without remorse.


    He turned his head back, the poor man who was closest to him had been unfortunate enough to be punched in the face and his nose was smeared with blood.


    Seeing the bloodthirsty look on the crew member''s face, he shrank timidly, and then plucked out a grey ticket from his hands. The crew member sneered but didn''t continue to fight, he curled his lips and stomped heavily passed, disappearing into the crew lounge.


    The reaction of the other passengers was unexpectedly consistent, they looked at crew members with fear and horror but no one suggested leaving. They picked up their baggage glanced around dully before hurrying away to their room, no one mentioned the dead man.


    Chu Yi glanced at his leaving back strangely, before turning his head back to the others. The director had a weeping look, the greasy middle-aged man seemed to be on the verge of tears wiping the cold sweat from his forehead and stuttering as he tried to speak.


    Chu Yi couldn''t help but wonder how such a man with a cowardly nature would still have the guts to go to an isolated island to shoot a horror movie.


    The crew member didn''t bother with them anymore and with a bow, he walked away briskly.


    The director hesitated for a bit before turning to them, "Does everyone remember their room number?"


    Once he got an affirmative answer, he rubbed his hands together and nodded, "Alright then you can all go take a rest in your rooms, if you want you can come to the dinner but if not just stay inside and not cause any trouble. I''ll go see the tour guide"


    He wiped his sweat and signaled to his assistant before hastily walking away as if there was something at his back chasing him. Chu Yi looked at him thoughtfully, the temperature on board seemed to be a bit too hot.


    Chu Yi glanced at the key in his hands before waving his hands quickly to the other still standing there and was the first to leave. Heavy Martin boots slammed onto the wooden deck and slowly climbed the winding stairs to the highest floor, counting the doors of each room one by one.


    Gradually his feet stopped at the room at the farthest end of the corridor. Dark and gloomy. The door was heavy and tall, although there were traces of erosion by seawater by normal standards, this door would be the kind that would be hard to break down. The key slid into the lock and with a slight click, the door to room 505 was open.


    The cashmere bed was soft and the bedding was neat clean, and all the facilities were well-equipped, but some strange traces make people very concerned.


    Chu Yi glanced at the bottom of the heavy door as he walked by, the hundreds of deep scratches on the base of the door immediately broke into his field of vision. The messy marks were faintly tinged with dark red bloodstains, just like... scratches left on a coffin board after a person was buried alive.


    How helpless and desperate would people be to survive? Being locked with a terrifying monster, unable to run unable to call for help just slowly watching your death approach you closer and closer.


    Is this door made of coffin wood?


    Or was the previous occupant the kind that was buried alive?


    He looked up at the ceiling, the inside of the wardrobe, and even the wall behind the full-length mirror, bloody scratches could be seen over it. These aren''t places that normal people can easily reach.


    This was a double room. Another bed was pushed up against the corner of the wall but besides himself, there was no one.


    He walked to the window and opened the curtain, took off his sunglasses, and held them in his hands, enjoying the long sunset over the sea with a comfortable face. Although the crisscrossing barbed wires on the window were a bit unpleasant, they did not affect his mood at all.


    He took out the small camera from his pocket and after a moment of thought, pressed it on.


    The barrage that had been abruptly released from the little black room was a little dazed but when they saw the beautiful face in the camera lens, all grievances were automatically pushed away.


    Chu Yi glanced at the lively barrage and frowned slightly, "Be honest. If you have nothing to say, then don''t act cute."


    ["...."]


    ["...?"]


    [No, ancestor, don''t forget that you are a little star.....]


    Chu Yi glanced at them with slanted eyes, the barrage seemed to see a little disdain in those rose-colored eyes,


    [I seem to have been hit.]


    [Upstairs, you are not the only one]


    [But why is it so fragrant...]


    [I don''t care, today I declare that I am a fan!]


    Chu Yi ignored them, and turned his eyes to the sparkling blue sea on the outside before asking calmly, "What do you guys know about the director of this movie."


    [Oh! Speaking of, this director surnamed Bei, is a bit famous in the circle. Well infamous really, because everyone knows that every single movie he has created has had some sort of accident. Busses overturning, actors breaking their legs, there was even a landslide once in a village where he was staying to film.]


    [Upstairs, I heard that he had found a bunch of masters to help him but rumor is, it''s his evil karma that''s hitting him.]


    [Who knows which evil ghost took him this year and he decided to create a horror movie!]


    [Isn''t this just asking for bad luck. Anchor be careful, who knows if the ship you''re on is actually a ghost ship.]


    [Anchor be careful + 1]


    [+5]


    [+1086]


    A director plagued with bad luck suddenly decided to go to a haunted isolated island to shoot a film. His lips curled up, interesting.


    In the back of his mind, he seemed to smell something strange, casually placing the camera down and looking back out to sea. The surface of the sea far from the cruise ship seemed to flash by with a gleam of silver light, as if a big fish had surfaced, took a breath, and sank back down. But in the blink of an eye, the sea''s surface was calm again.


    The strange heady smell was getting deeper.


    He didn''t know it was because of the calm rocking waves of the ship as it slowly coursed through the sea or the warm sunlight that shone down onto the room from the bright sky but Chu Yi felt an overwhelming wave of sleepiness engulf him without warning, he was only able to stagger to his bed before his consciousness descended into darkness.


    The moment his eyes fell, from the position of the coffin door, came the sound of banging, laughter, the crackling of broken bones, and the sizzle of fingernails scratching the wooden board. The temperature in the room rose rapidly, and a unique fishy sweetness permeated the room.


    Blood slowly seeped into the room from the door, inching towards the bed. The man on the bed was like a sleep canary, unaware of his coming death. The chaotic mixture of noise became louder and louder as if the things outside were opening their bloody jaw to swallow their prey whole¨C


    Footsteps echoed quietly in the empty corridor.


    Almost for an instant, these ghosts stopped moving and stood still as if the pause button was pressed. The terrifying force unique to administrators swallowed the entire ship. The creature outside only hesitated for a brief moment, when it let out a horrible scream, and the smell of copper and brunt flesh spread through the entire corridor. The leather shoes stepped in the bloodstains and black ash at the door and slowly pressed the key into the lock. When he heard the small click, a small satisfied smile appeared on his lips.


    At that time, Chu Yi was still deeply asleep, breathing evenly, and his cheeks were a little rosier than when he was awake.


    The live stream barrage that had been quietly enjoying the peaceful atmosphere suddenly saw a dark figure pass through the frame lens and they all felt their hearts constrict.


    xiaoxiao: [What''s that!¨C]


    OrangeBlue: [Ghost!!!]


    MothersGreenTea: [MMP! There''s actually a ghost!]


    Ruan Quixi glanced at the blinking red camera and slowly raised a hand, he smiled softly at the lens before ruthlessly turning it off.[!!!!!] The pitiful audience who had been released from the black room was once again locked up.


    The setting sun reflects a large orange-red glow, in the beautiful natural scenery, the sea breeze is blowing, and the fear was fermented in the dank air.


    Chu Yi felt something lightly tickling him in his sleep, like a mischievous child, the annoying finger pressed against his eyes and tapped his eyelids with his fingers, a drop of tear leaked out unconsciously, sliding down the corner of his eyes and onto the bridge of his nose.


    As if seeing something interesting, the man narrowed his eyes and squatted down. Before Chu Yi''s tears rolled down the pillow, he took out a handkerchief and wiped it away gently. He neatly folded the handkerchief stained with Chu Yi''s tears, and put it in his pocket.


    At this moment, the long lashes fluttered open and the misty red eyes beneath finally greeted the world. Ink black pupils shrank and the man who he just recently met smiled above him, "Did you miss me?"


    What greeted him was a cold fist.

 Chapter 159 - The Isolated Island (3)

    The fist that came barreling towards his face with a piercing wind was abruptly stuck in its track. The rough callused hand that was slightly larger than the slender fist completely enclosed in his palm. A snort, neither light nor heavy, penetrated Ruan Quixi''s ear.


    Chu Yi''s voice was filled with the displeasure of waking up, mixed with a bit of annoyance and anger, it sounded with a low and hoarse rumble.


    Ruan Quixi raised his head and it happened to meet the eyes of the man who was close at hand. The other party''s dark and silent eyes glanced at him lazily, and the emotions in his eyes were unpredictable and dangerous.


    "Why are you here?"


    He chuckled, "As your new roommate¨C" leaning closer he whispered, " Don''t I have the right to be here?"


    The warm breath exhaled from his lips seemed to scald him, looking at his face the other seemed to be breathing a bit faster, and there was the sound of saliva being swallowed.


    Chu Yi unconsciously leaned back, listening to the ambiguous words, his fist only felt itchy. The evil spirit released his fist but in turn hooked Chu Yi''s fingers, it was only a light touch, but there was strange heat as if a pair of invisible silk thread bound the two pairs of equally slender and well-knitted hands together.


    Chu Yi pursed his lips, really want to beat.


    Pretending to be unaffected he withdrew his hands calmy and sat up on the bed, the unexpected falling asleep had disrupted some of his plans. He had originally intended to explore the ship but now he could only get ready for the banquet.


    Glancing at the intruding presence, he asked after taking a deep breath, "Can you move?"


    Their location is facing the barbed window on the west side, and the rays of the sunset slanted in through the window, and the entire room is plated with a layer of red.


    Chu Yi subconsciously glanced in the direction of the window, Ruan Quixi''s position was facing the direction of the light, when Chu Yi looked over, the orange afterglow outlined his profile like a layer of halo.


    Ruan Quixi gazed deeply into the blood-red eyes and smiled and suddenly moved to land a soft peck on the soft lips then rolling away before the other could react. He lay lazily on Chu Yi''s bed and strach4d out his long limbs like a satiated lion. He raised an eyebrow at the stunned Chu Yi and spoke as if surprised, "Why don''t you move?"


    Chu Yi glared at him and stood up. He didn''t know if it was his illusion but there seemed to be a few more deep scratches at the base of the door.


    As night fell, dark clouds covered the starry sky.


    The ballroom is bright and dazzling, and the crowds are eager to drink, prosperous and lively.


    The banquet hall is arc-shaped, and the sides facing the sea are designed with floor-to-ceiling windows. The direction of the route faces the sea horizon to the west, and the light can just reach every corner of the banquet hall when the sun is up.


    And the curtains of the banquet hall were made of white gauze with good light transmission. Now that it is night, these curtains are all drawn and the natural lighting was replaced by a tall and magnificent chandelier.


    The two handsome men with long legs and narrow waists were eye-catching even amongst the brilliant gems and tight waist dresses. The waiter in front of the door glanced at their necks and saw the gold ID card and respectfully walked up, "Two guests, please."


    "Before the dinner starts, there is a special room for guests of your stature to relax and be free with wine and women that you can use to your heart''s liking ."


    "Would you like to participate?"


    Chu Yi glanced around at the scenery, there were mostly civilians in regular cloth pants in the banquet halls and only a search of rich guests could be seen in the corner of the room. Most rich had chosen to have fun somewhere else. He nodded slightly, and Ruan Quixi shrugged,


    "Whatever he decides."


    The servant nodded and Chu Yi noted that he appeared slightly relieved at their agreement, he picked up two boxes from the side and handed it to them. "To protect your identities, you are requested to wear a mask before you can enter the room."


    The classical music of the piano flittered faintly into his ears as Chu Yi took the box and opened it. Inside was a black mask. A ruby ??was embellished with a blooming red rose on the corner, and black feathers were nailed to the ear. It carried a mysterious and magnificent, like an aristocratic accessory in Western mythology.


    The servant bowed his head and pointed to the side, where a passage leading to another place was faintly hidden gold curtains.


    Chu Yi raised his head. Behind him, the man wearing a pure white mask that looked extraordinarily weird showed a tall nose and pale chin. He evoked a pleasant smile. In the night, his dark black eyes looked at him through the mask.


    As if crossing through the eons and finally meeting the one for him. The evil spirit seemed to see through his thoughts, and his laughter was a little bit more pleasant and bewitching, "So dear, are you ready?"


    Chu Yi''s red eyes narrowed dangerously and with a sneer he brushed past his shoulders and walked past the hidden entrance, leaving a lingering smell of flowers at the tip of his nose.


    He touched his lips and chuckled deeper, "Like a cat."


    The corridor was illuminated by colorful lights, the air is full of men''s and women''s perfumes and the ambiguous smell of hormonal entanglement.


    Chu Yi stood before the door and glanced to the side at Ruan Quixi. The cold silver mask covered half his face but the frivolous smile on his lips only seemed to become more dazzling. He hooked his finger faintly, "Are you ready to experience a wonderful time?"


    Chu Yi looked at him with slanted eyes and answered him with his actions. The moment the door was pushed in the pounding sounds that he could hear from outside only became louder like he had been transferred to an alternate space filled with wanton debauchery.


    They walked into the room, to the side there was a bar filled with all kinds of colorful liquor, a haze of smoke coated the air with a grey mist and a loud existing erupted from the side of the bar.


    Chu Yu heard the sound of heels settling closer and soft red lips suddenly came close to the side of his ears.


    "Little brother, want to have a good time with me?"


    This is a very enchanting woman. Her eyes are covered with a charming blue with silver powder. Her body is very good. It is a typical forward convex, backward S, especially wearing a blue and white cheongsam, black stockings. With bright red high-heeled shoes, when she twisted her waist and came over, the beads of the eyes of the nearby men all fell out, and her eyes were stuck and she could not move away.


    She struck a slender cigarette, and the pattern on the smooth silver lighter shell proved that it was a limited edition of a certain brand.


    When she moved her finger, she lighted it lightly, and the honey-colored lip gloss left a soft mark on the cigarette holder, her action was enchanting and elegant, with a large wavy hair, she didn''t want for his response but picked up something from the tray in his hands.


    What she held was a syringe in her hand, filled with a bright red liquid. She waved it at him with a charming smile, "This thing can light up your world."


    A cold hand suddenly hung from his shoulders and a man''s face propped lightly on his shoulders. Chu Yi could hear the amorous voice mixed with a little dark emotion speak lowly, "No need for that. I don''t think I have any problems with that aspect down there."


    "..."


    The urge to beat someone rose again.


    Without waiting for the woman to speak, Chu Yi was dragged away and pulled into a distant corner.


    Chu Yi turned his head back, the woman had already turned away from them and was now speaking to a shirtless man. The women seemed to say something to him and the man stretched out his arm, through the haze of smoke and red light, he could vaguely make out a circle of purple marks on it.


    The shirtless man rolled up a stack of banknotes and stuffed it into the woman''s chest. She didn''t care, smiled sweetly at him, before bending down and plunging the syringe into his arm.


    When she lifted her body and left, Chu Yi could see that the circle of purple marks on his wrist had gotten deeper.


    The man who was given the injection seemed to shake briefly before a red glow appeared on his face, his bulged out his socket and he began panting like a dog in heat.


    The effect seemed as if he was pumped with viagra.


    "Why are you looking again. I can let you experience greater heights somewhere else."


    His mind was naturally pulled away from the scene and he lost interest in looking at the man.


    He opened his mouth to mock him-


    At this moment, a loud voice rang beside him, "Hey! you two over there!"


    Two heads turned back simultaneously, black and red eyes cut through the grey haze like a sharp blade, the man on the other side wasn''t aware of the danger and seeing that he had caught their attention he was even louder, "Do you know how to gamble!"


    "Were missing a person on each side¨C"


    Ruan Quixi turned to the man beside him, "In?"


    Red lips curled up into a dangerous smile, "Of course. Let''s gamble."


    The crowd in the corner whistled enthusiastically, and the man seemed to be stimulated by the noise hosted a high voice full of emotions,


    "Whichever team loses tonight must run around naked on deck!"


    The crowd yelled in agreement.


    Chu Yi choked.

 Chapter 160 - The Isolated Island (4)

    Even if he wanted to kill someone, he still had to play. The moment he got close to the corner, the ambiguous smell of rich wine and smoke engulfed him. The environment was dark, only a few square red lanterns faintly penetrated the darkness.


    His footsteps paused, their eyes met. Chu Yi recognized the man sitting across from him, the two buttons at his neck had been pulled open, revealing a fair and slender neck. He smiled darkly at them, the only one without a mask, the familiar face was fully displayed before him, Arescio.


    He stared deep into his eyes, one hand raised, a familiar red syringe held between slender fingers was plunged directly into the vein at the side of his neck. The crowd cheered. The man gasped and spit out a heated breath, licking his lips faintly. The greedy and maniac gaze made Chu Yi feel like a small prey being stared at by a poisonous snake.


    His pupils darkened into a crimson red, fist clenched.


    Ruan Quixi''s dark eyes stared in the man''s direction and slowly raised a hand to pinch the back of Chu Yi''s neck, his lips curled into a bewitching smile. His head leaned closer, the dark tresses of his hair falling onto Chu Yi''s shoulder, sniffing lightly at the cold white skin, ink-black eyes never breaking contact.


    Arescio pulled a cigarette from the side, pinched it to his lips, and slowly released a breath of grey fog in their direction, cold eyes intersected in the hazy mist.


    The atmosphere was tense with the smell of smoke and gunpowder.


    In the silent confrontation, the sound of high heels stepping onto the hard floor was harsh. Arescio was the first to break eye contact, with a light laugh he suddenly lifted his hands and waved at them, "Come in, the game is about to start."


    The woman in red kimono handed both of them a glass of wine.


    And Chu Yi sat in the dim light, every move soaked with grace.


    Not in a prominent position, but he took away all the light in the box as if everything in the background existed to set off him. The oblivious man who had called them over enthusiastically pulled Ruan Quixi over to his side and explained the rules of the game: "I don''t know if you have played the royal game. This game requires five players and four decks of cards. It is divided into two camps." The man called Huang Mao pointed to the stack of cards on the table,


    "You play your cards in order and, if you have the King with the special mark and the Queen with the special mark then you become part of the same faction. Everyone else becomes a revolutionary party to fight, two against three."


    The game is played in order. According to the general poker game, the big card controls the small card, the big suit controls the small suit, and the outcome is determined according to the order in which the players play all the cards. If the two royalists want to win, one person must be the first player in the game to finish all the cards and occupy the top spot.


    "Originally, we had enough players but two of them seem to have gone in shock from taking too much of the booster, you should have seen them. They were foaming at the mouth and shaking like a fish on land." He laughed and so did the others, no one seemed to take their reaction seriously. As if it was commonplace.


    "What were you gambling on."


    Huang Mao simply shrugged, "Well aren''t we having dinner later, just bet on that."


    Chu Yi slowly took a sip of the red wine, the mellow and rusty taste burned like a ball of flames down his throat, setting his nerves on fire. Almost immediately, droplets of sweat condensed on his forehead. Red lips opened unconsciously.


    The quiet man shrouded with smoke licked his lips, and the smile at the corner of his mouth suddenly widened, as if a child found a new toy. "Do you want to play a game? Why not add me."


    "But¨C"


    "Ok"


    The one who answered was Ruan Quixi. He smiled faintly, "Why not make it better? One game." His tone was frivolous, and the slightly long drawl and the smile at the corner of his lips gave the illusion of asking for a beating.


    Chu Yi glanced at the two and unexpectedly did not reject, he slowly grabbed the card stack on the side, his eyes drooping lazily, "Then I''ll be the courier."


    The crowd looked between the three of them and had the illusion of stepping into a Shura field. Except for the players playing, the others consciously moved to the side, leaving only Chu Yi, Ruan Quixi, and Arescio to sit beside the cold table.


    The air was quiet, only the sound of shuffling cards and deep puffs of smoke.


    The lighter lid was flicked opened, and the blue-orange flame flickered in the dim light, reflecting the other face.


    The space around the table is narrow, Chu Yi still holds the glass of bloody wine in one hand, and only used the other hand to cut the cards.


    However, that didn''t stop him from showing off his skills.


    The cards flew in and out of his hands at will, like butterflies fluttering around his fingers.


    His long eyelashes drooped down as if he was looking at cards, but he was looking at the burning flame, his pupils were extremely dark and fiery.


    The smoke and haze tangled his senses and everything seemed to be covered with a layer of grey film, but the action of cutting cards suddenly became faster to the point where only flashes of white light could be seen!


    Moments later, a card flew out and was caught between his fingers.


    He turned the cards over for everyone to see.


    This is a King card.


    The cigarette was ignited.


    Arescio simply pressed the cigarette in his hand on the table until the cigarette butt was completely extinguished.


    Chu Yi flicked his wrist and two cards fell into the center of the table. Slender fingers leaned over, stained with bright red wine, and drew a mark on the center of the royal cards.


    Like a spot of blood had been dripped onto it.


    The two marked cards were shown to the player again. Chu Yi held a corner of the card, shook it slightly, put the card back into the pile, and started shuffling the deck again.


    The cards flashed with a dazzling light, the black mask he wore reflected the red light of the lantern, and only the sultry curled lips could be seen.


    Finally, his wrist stopped, he tapped his finger on the table and the crisp sound of his nail hitting the cold wood echoed in the suffocating silence.


    "What numbers do you want to be removed."


    It was as if they had woken up from a deep trance, Arescio smiled and waved a hand, " I trust your choice, you decide."


    No one objected.


    "Then numbers 3, 4, and 5 are removed."


    There are 16 3''s, 16 4''s, and 16 5''s


    With a shift of his hand, the cards flew up from the deck and landed precisely on top of each other on the table. There was a low exclamation from the side that was quickly suppressed.


    After removing 48 cards, there are a total of 168 left in the deck, two of which are the King and Queen cards. Chu Yi did the math and divided it into everyone''s hands, there were still three cards left,


    According to the rules, the extra cards were taken over by the King who decided to ascend the throne. If you get the emperor card when the cards are dealt but do not want to be enthroned, you can only hand over the emperor card to the next player to see if the next player is willing to take the throne.


    Everyone picked up the cards and checked their hands. Arescio looked at the expression of the man on the opposite side of him. He couldn''t tell if had gotten good cards or bad because there was only tye ever-present smile on his face.


    Chu Yi slowly dealt the last card, placed the remaining three in the middle of the table and took a sip of wine, and leaned casually on the edge of the table. "The game starts."


    Huang Mao, who is diagonally opposite, held the cards in his hand, arranged them into a row of fans, picked them, drew and inserted cards, and adjusted the order. Although he tried to hide it, the estactic expression in his eyes betrayed him. Either he had gotten a royal card or he had high numbers.


    He looked at the others, a slightly fat middle-aged man who was already wiping the sweat off his forehead, bad cards. A thin man whose expression was calm but from the slightly tapping feet, it could be seen that he wasn''t as calm as he pretended to be. His hands were neither good nor bad.


    Red eyes turned to the fourth person, Ruan Quixi rested his cheek with his left hand, as if he was about to fall asleep, but he felt Chu Yi''s gaze finally stop on him, so he also turned his face and smiled at him."You only know how to look at me now."


    He refrained from rolling his eyes and turned to the man person. The poisonous pupils stared straight back at him as if he had been waiting. "Is the wine good?"


    Chu Yi paused and raised the corner of his lips, "Very good."


    He didn''t wait for a response, "Does anyone want to exchange cards?"


    The atmosphere instantly became tense.


    "Counting down to 3. If there is no exchange of cards, then this game will be set."


    The heartbeat accelerated and a hesitant look appeared on the fat man''s face, his heart was entangled with indecisiveness.


    What if he exchanged and got an even worse hand.


    "3¨C"


    The thin man shuffled his cards nervously.


    "2¨C"


    Arecsio raised the outed cigarette to his lips, tasting the astringent and bitter butt.


    "1"


    "Please publicize the identity of the person holding the Royal Cards."


    "Wait!"


    Arescio raised his brow and turned to the side. Ruan Quixi curled his lips and shook his hands, "You play rock, paper, scissors wait for me."


    Arescio felt a bit inexplicable but still held out his hands and played. "Rock"


    "Paper"


    "Scissors."


    "Shoot."


    "Bang¨C"


    A card was dropped on the table.


    The card was faced up and it clearly showed the picture of a majestic King with a drop of bloody wine.


    "Player Ruan Quixi do you intend to ascend the throne as King or give way."


    He smiled playfully,


    Red eyes stared into black eyes, "Player Ruan Quixi has ascended the throne."


    "All hail the King."


    In the next second, there was a loud scream in the room, all eyes shifted.


    The corpse of the black shirtless man had his eyes wide open, a large circle of white foam on his blue-purple lips, and a layer of goose bumps on his exposed neck, which could not go away on the gray and wrinkled skin. In his hands he held an empty syringe. It wasn''t know when but large pool of water had seeped under the corpse, which looked like blood at first glance.


    Chu Yi recognized the corpse. It was the man who been injected by the cigarette lady.


    At this moment, the was the sound of a bell ringing, before a servant came walking in respectfully, "Guest, it''s time for dinner."

 Chapter 161 - The Isolated Island (5)

    From behind the servant, a few crew members parted beside him like a stream. They ignored the looks of the others, grabbed both feet of the dead man, and dragged his lifeless corpse out of the box.


    Soon enough, there was the sound of a heavy object falling into the sea and it was self-evident where they had thrown him. Only a bloody, water trail that had seeped from his body as it was dragged away was left on the wooden floor.


    The faces of the people in the box were deadly pale, only the hazy clouds of smoke and the alcohol spilled on the floor remained of the previous boisterous scene. The servant seemed to have not seen their looks of horror and fear and repeated, "Dinner is about to be served. Guests please."


    The first person to walk out was a strange man with a hunched back, his head was almost stuck to his shoulders and his feet shuffled nervously on the floor as he left the room. His departure seemed to set off a chain reaction and soon enough, other persons slowly started to leave.


    The room felt heavy with a suffocating silence and many of the rich guests seemed extremely tense, flinching as they walked past the servant. Once again, no one mentioned the dead man.


    Chu Yi raised the glass of red wine to his lips, threw his head back, and drained its entirety. A few droplets of wine remaining on his lips were slowly licked away by a red tongue. His face seemed to become more sinful and charming, a red blush rising on the tender cheeks.


    He used two fingers to slowly lift the card that Ruan Quixi had placed down and shook in front of the others before with a rapid wave of his wrist, the card suddenly disappeared! Chu Yi raised both hands and smiled darkly, "Let''s have dinner, shall we."


    Ruan Quixi slowly stood up and grabbed the thin wrist that held the card. The other party''s body temperature felt like a scorching hot sun, making his body feel as if soaking in a pool of hot springs.


    He gazed down at him with eyes filled with evil mirth, before turning his head back briefly. The dark hair around his head swayed in the grey mist, Arescio met his gaze, and suddenly his eyes shrunk into two thin slits as if he had seen his greatest nightmare¨C


    The evil spirit sneered, leaned forward, and slowly drew a card from Arescio''s deck. When he opened his hands, the Queen card was displayed vividly, the cigarette in Arescio''s mouth burnt faint


    ly as if the man had taken a deep breath. In his ears, a cold and sharp voice whispered lightly, "The game isn''t finished yet."


    The strange and terrifying pressure that he felt for a moment disappeared, like a monster that had its fangs.


    Arescio watched their leaving silhouette, from behind they both appeared to be shrouded in shadows, completely isolated in their own dark world. The dangerous black-haired man and the beautiful vixen, the atmosphere between them seemed to be inaccessible to everyone else.


    Laughing faintly, He moved as if to get up but a sharp pain on his finger stopped. He looked down, in place of the previous Queen card, a Joker now sat.


    When they were directed back to the hall, it had already been changed. A few long banquet tables had been set up in the hall. The one in the middle was the mist lavish with gold silverware and cushioned chair. The foremost was the opposite with only a small napkin was placed on the table.


    In the corner of his eyes, Chu Yi caught sight of his crew members and the evasive tour guide on the other side. The fat director waved at him and pointed to a seat beside him. With Ruan Quixi at his back, he waded through the crowd and sat beside the director.


    The first thing the director asked was, "Did you bring your camera?"


    Chu Yi who didn''t have the consciousness of a little fresh meat paused and shook his head guiltily.


    The director gave him a look as if hating iron for not being steel, but in the end, he didn''t ask him to go back for it.


    As they were speaking, a train of waiters with a grey trolley came rolling out to the side. They stopped before the civilian table and slowly placed each dish down.


    In front of each person was a big soup bowl. The fish balls and fish noodles floated in the clear white soup, round and chubby, the crystal white appearance was extremely flattering, waiting to be tasted.


    There is no fishy smell, and it was evident that the fish had been cooked with the most delicate care.


    The fish soup is mellow, and there was a piece of fish in each bowl. A few civilians turned the soup a few times with a spoon, and the delicious scent poured into the tip of their nose.


    Most couldn''t wait, they raised the spoon and placed my and their nose and took a big whiff, a mouth-watering scent emanated from the dish. Without precaution, they raised their heads and began gobbling down the fish soup.


    Even if Chu Yi was not gluttonous, even he felt slightly hungry after smelling the smell. Not to mention the other rich men, whose color had already turned green from not being the first to be served.


    Only the sound of slurping and spoons clanging resounded in the room, the director swallowed a mouthful of saliva difficultly and rubbed his greasy paws together impatiently.


    Before the rich could riot, another cart was rolled over and the waiters came before their table. When the grey lids were taken off the plates, all grievances had vanished.


    Unlike the other group who only received a bowl of fish soup, their group had been given an entire fish! The rich have long been looking at the fish with bright eyes, and some even have their hands trembling slightly.


    Nevertheless, the moment the was placed before them, he could understand, why the crew member had referred to it as a ''Human Fish''


    This fish looks weird.


    There are no scales on its entire body, and its head was so big that it seemed more as if it had been artificially attached than naturally grown. Vaguely resembling a human head, The flesh-colored skin was stretched thin and there was not a single cut on its body.


    The skin on its whole body was smooth, and it seems to be covered with a layer of greasy transparent oil as it bobbed in the soup. Two copper bell-like eyes were inlaid on the side, one on the left and the other on the right, protruding out of the head, and the eyes were lifeless and grey.


    It didn''t seem as if the fish was processed but had just been taken up and thrown into the soup. What caught his attention the most, were the hundreds of round black eggs in its mouth. The sight of the countless stuck-together balls made goosebumps erupt on his skin.


    Unlike the others, the moment the fish was placed before him, he only felt like reaching. Only now did he register the strong fishy smell slowly spreading on the deck.


    The fishy smell was as strong as the smell of rotting blood and guts left in a hot refrigerator for months, and the face of Chu Yi who was affected by the smell was not good. If it wasn''t for the occasion, he would have long thrown the disgusting thing away.


    He pushed the bowl away and looked at the man beside him, although he didn''t appear affected by the smell he still didn''t move to eat it.


    Under the table, Chu Yi felt a hand grab him, and something round was placed in his palm. He looked down. He didn''t know where the other man had gotten it, but a small mint ball was now sitting leisurely in his hands.


    Chu Yi glanced at him but didn''t speak. He only slowly placed the mint in his mouth, slowly rolling it along his tongue as if he could feel the temperature of the other man still lingering on it.


    The heavy fish smell was pungent, but it seemed as if only he could smell it, the others only looked to have seen the greatest delicacy and without hesitation, they grabbed the bowl and used a fork, some even used their hands to tear the fishes flesh before placing it in their mouth, chewing wetly. They swallowed mouthful after mouthful of greasy fish and some even looked mournful after finishing their bowl too fast.


    The director and the other crew member on the side had already finished four bowls of fish soup. They smacked their mouths, reminiscing about the taste of the fish soup, "This soup tastes so good, there are no bones in the fish, and it makes people want to eat it again and again. "


    "Even the eggs are soft and chewy and when they burst from your mouth, it''s like swallowing a fragrant jello."


    Looking around greedily, the fat directors'' eye''s lit up when he saw the soup in front of Chu Yi, "Aren''t you going to eat it?"


    Chu Yi turned his head, his eyes filled with faint disgust, "No."


    As soon as he finished speaking, the director unceremoniously stretched out his hand and took his soup away. Before Chu Yi could stop him, he took a sip of the bowl and said vaguely: "Then give it to me."


    A courageous hand stretched out and grabbed Ruan Quixi''s bowl. He glanced at him, the skinny crew member stilled like a frightened bird but the smell of the fish soup made him overcome his fear and complete the motion of stealing food.


    To some people the taste of the fish soup was really too good, perhaps it was the arrogance that had been cultivated for a long time in a position of power, or perhaps it was the innate greed but in the midst of the clanking spoons, the sound of a chair creaking against wood was loud in the otherwise quiet ship.


    A middle-aged man with a rather heavy stature suddenly got up from the table, he walked up to a waiter by the side and commanded, "Hey! You! That tiny piece of fish can''t even fill my belly! Do you know how much I spent to be on this ship? Get me another fish, right at this moment"


    This was his first time on this ship and he had only come here because he heard that he could make connections with a few top figures. If he could show his power here, maybe he could attract the appreciation of one of those persons and leap up the social ladder.


    Unexpectedly, the waiter bowed his head respectfully: "I''m sorry sir, the rules onboard stipulate that it is one fish to each person. It is usually more than enough for one person."


    The middle-aged man heard the whispering all around and felt as if his face had been trampled on. With an ugly face, he exploded, scolding with a loud voice: "Bastard, are you mocking me?! I spent so much money, can''t you find a way for me?! I want you to serve another fish for me right now!"


    The waiter always answered in a calm, unwavering voice: "I''m so sorry guest, I can''t help it."


    "What the hell are you low-level trash, don''t you even have the basic sense?! Stupid!" Being so snubbed in front of everyone, he poured his anger on the waiter who seemed to have status or authority, and his words and deeds only became more disrespectful, "Since you can''t do it, them contact your fucking captain!"


    Waiter: "I''m sorry, but the captain is steering the ship at this moment and can''t come down."


    "It''s so annoying!" The middle-aged man ran out of patience and raised his hand to violently attack the waiter. The drooping head of the other party finally lifted, and the originally respected eyes were filled with a touch of disgust: "However, I can prepare some more fish eggs for you guest, so that you can calm down and prepare yourself for the next journey."


    The man''s hands stopped instantly, although his facial had been lost, at least the waiter was smart enough to give him a way to back down. He pulled his lips and pretended to be magnanimous, "Since you suggested it. Bring it out."


    The waiter nodded respectfully: "Okay, please wait a moment, sir."


    Soon, the waiter placed a bowl of fish eggs in the middle before, him. The man looked satisfied, picked up a spoon, and ate the eggs in large bites. When he was finished he rubbed his belly slightly and dismissed the waiter.


    Chu Yi glanced at the man''s stomach, bulging and slightly bloated. His eyes shifted to the waiter, those eyes seemed to carry a kind of contemptuous pity.


    When the dinner was over, the sky had already been filled with dark stars. Each person retired to their rooms and slowly the lights on the ship were turned off.


    As all the guests aboard Nar¨¦zon slept, the peaceful sea waves suddenly rolled.

 Chapter 162 - The Isolated Island (6)

    It was the second day of the cruise. And on this day, the sun was glaring hot. Seawater has become the only barrier and the boundary between life and death.


    On the outside of the ship, in a place where no one could see. There were obvious striations on the solid steel hull, as well as horrible mottled traces as if long, sharp barbs had smashed into the ship repeatedly before giving up when they couldn''t climb on board.


    A small fluttering piece of brown paper drifted in the wind and landed slowly at the feet of a crew member. The yellowed and sunken eyes glanced down at the paper before walking over it carelessly, the water on his boots blurred the already draining ink, destroying its original appearance.


    A heated wind blew and the paper was lifted again into the air. A small paragraph of words was briefly visible in the wind. "A large number of dead fish appeared on the island strait a few days ago, and there are tens of thousands of dead bodies washed up on the beach by the waves. Scientists have analyzed that the temperature of the sea may be too high, causing a large number of deaths of marine life....." The paper fluttered and disappeared over the ship''s deck, sinking into the sea and disappearing in the mysterious depths.


    Chu Yi woke up from the heat, after the banquet hall the night before, he had promptly retired to his room and found a packet of instant noodles to satiate his hunger. Droplets of sweat crystallized on his forehead, and the temperature was wrong.


    Yesterday, although the sun was hot it was still in bearable range but he didn''t know what happened but to cause such a drastic change in the span of a day, but now it felt as if they were slowly being cooked in a boiler.


    Something cold was placed against his forehead and when he lazily turned his eyes, a familiar man stood above him with one hand in his pocket and the other holding a hand to his forehead. He raised an eyebrow when he saw that he was awake and moved the hand away to pinch his red earlobes.


    The heat made Chu Yi feel like a salted fish and he had no energy to raise his legs to kick him so he allowed the man to continue to fondle unscrupulously. It had nothing to do with the cold temperature of his hands that made him feel relieved.


    A group of snow-white seabirds gathered above the sea not far and followed the cruise ship for a while, which was quite wrong.


    This is far from the coastline, and there were no islands nearby only a boundless sea. These seabirds should not be present, and they are exhausted and stiff, without the strength to continue to fly across the sea.


    "Ha! This is a great catch, where the seabirds gather, it means there is a lot of fish on the sea!" A civilian scratched his belly and thought of the food from last night and felt a bit greedy.


    Another man on the floor above with his hair slicked back sophisticatedly stood by the railing boasted to his companions:


    "I bet there are tons of fish here, look, the seagulls about to start their hunting trip!"


    "I wonder if we can catch a few and then have the crew cook it. That isn''t breaking the rules is it?"


    A green light shone in his eyes.


    Before his words were finished, there was a brief call filled with a sense of despair, it turned out that a few seabirds had gathered their wings and plunged into the sea like bombshells.


    Chu Yi who had finally beat the laziness and stood up and stared out the window. So far apart, he could not see clearly, the metal hull of the ship reflected the blinding rays that blurred his vision, but he could tell that the behavior of these seabirds was abnormal.


    The rich man with slicked and combed hair spoke proudly, "Although these birds are not large, they are also very tenacious. They can reach four or five meters underwater, and they will float to the surface and return to the sky immediately after they grab a fish ..."


    The man continued to talk with great fanfare, but everyone around him was lacking in interest. Wiping the sweat from the forehead, some couldn''t bear it and walked away, muttering as they went, "Why has it become hotter and hotter." "This broken ship won''t be taking us to the center of the earth now¨C"


    "Doesn''t matter, just endure it well reach the island tomorrow and..." Their conversation faded off.


    Only a few persons noticed, that those seabirds that fell into the sea never surfaced again. It wasn''t that they fished, the seagulls had fallen into the sea, from pure exhaustion.


    Chu Yi walked out onto the deck and only then did he intuitively feel the force of the heat. There was even a faint stinging and burning sensation on his arm and the exposed skin quickly turned red. He glanced down at the calm blue sea without a ripple. From what he knew, although fish could survive in the extreme cold, they could do the same for heat.


    Their inability to get sufficient oxygen from the water they live in would death by suffocation and a bunch of dead fish would float on the sea. But there was no dead fish and the heat only continued to rise.


    Out of the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of a familiar middle-aged man walking in his direction, what attracted him wasn''t just his extraordinarily pale face but something else. The man''s stomach that was still flat the day before was now bulging grotesquely as if was four months pregnant.


    His eyes were glassy and covered with a layer of white film, inexplicable reminding him of the eyes of a dead fish. When he walked past Chu Yi, a strange rotten and fishy smell drilled into his nose. The man''s mouth was still talking to others as if he, himself didn''t realize his change.


    The rattle of wheels rubbing against the wooden deck caught his attention. A waiter with a grey trolley slowly stopped before each guest. The lid was pulled off, and a large fish head was revealed before their eyes. It was bubbling in a thick white soup and bursting with cool air from ice crystal around it was refreshing and cool in the overbearing heat.


    The waiter lifted a hand and gently poked the head with his chopsticks, the fish head that was sliced ??into two pieces fell off into two perfect sides to reveal the fish eggs that filled its fragile skull. Each piece of the black pearl-like eggs was the size of a fingernail.


    The waiter pulled out thin glass cups and gently scooped a handful of eggs in each before handing it to the greedy guests. Like a rich cream, the eggs slid down their throat, warding off the hot temperatures.


    The trolley slowly made its way to where Chu Yi was standing and the waiter bowed politely, scooped a thick spoonful of eggs, and handed it to him. Instead of leaving immediately, the waiter stood waiting by his side, pinched eyes staring polite smile at Chu Yi. He had no intention to leave until Chu Yi took a bite of the eggs. No one moved. The air was filled with tense confrontation and slowly a cold light brewed at the bottom of the waiter''s eyes as if he was on the verge of attacking.


    Red eyes underneath the sunglasses narrowed into sharp slits, he seemed to hesitate for a second as if he had given up, and the hand that held the glass slowly raised it to his lips and seemingly swallowed a mouthful of eggs. The cup that came down was evidently a few eggs less, the waiter watched his Adam''s Apple roll and left with satisfaction to the next guest.


    Chu Yi stared at his back as he left, his hands let go and the black balls in his hands fell onto the deck, slowly he crushed the eggs at his feet, a black and red residue accompanied by a strange reddish string was crushed out. A cold hand slowly grabbed his hands and a wet cloth was applied to his fingers, slowly wiping away the traces left.


    "What do you think is happening, Dear?" His hands scratched his palm and a strange feeling instantly erupted from where he touched making Chu Yi unnaturally pull his hands away. Ruan Quixi laughed and lazily pulled his hand back to continue wiping away the dirty things.


    Chu Yi lifted his chin, "Why are you asking me, shouldn''t you know."


    The other man spoke slowly, "You seemed to have misunderstood Dear, every copy is an independent place weaved from the darkest nightmares and created from evil thoughts. Therefore I cannot know the plot of each copy, because it is always changing. Like a never-ending nightmare. Have you ever stopped to think why it''s called Nightmare Shuttle?"


    Chu Yi narrowed his eyes, " So what are you''re saying, is that each copy is just a bunch of nightmares smashed into one?"


    Ruan Quixi shook his head, "Not exactly."


    The system''s warning sounded in his head. A fifth-level electric shock would be implemented as punishment if he continued to speak. In normal times, this would have been nothing but as a price to appear here in his real body, his power had been severely weakened. Unless he wanted to stage a dog-blooded play of life and death parting he could only stop here.


    He carefully wiped the long fingers before looking up and throwing the wet tissue into the sea, watching as it sunk to the depths. "How long do you think it will take for a person to die after being boiled alive?"


    Chu Yi threw a look down at the sea and seriously contemplated " If we calculate it by muscle density and area of skin, the average time would be around two to three minutes. "


    He glanced at Ruan Quixi''s side profile, the dark eyes seemed to penetrate the sea''s surface and looked down into its depth. "The sea is hotter than boiling water at the moment, if someone were to fall in if they''re not rescued in two minutes, how tragic would that be?"


    On the farthest and most dilapidated corner of the ship, after civilians were lying in their rooms in a weird posture, curling themselves into a ball, or half lying on the floor horizontally, the closest to the door was a strange woman, her mouth wide open, eyes bulging, blood scars on her face, and a dirty rucksack in her hand. Their abdomen was high and bulging, whether it is a man or a woman, it seems that they have been pregnant for eight months. These people were at the banquet last night.


    A strong fishy smell wafted in the room.


    A small knock came on the door and when no one responded, the person outside pushed open the door. It was a buff and thick crew member and the captain that held a gentle face when he boarded the rich into the ship.


    At this moment, the captain''s face was full of disgust, he bent down and took the civilian''s ID card and stamped it with a grey mark, before shoving it to the other man. "Low grade, I don''t why it mutated this time. Usually, these things would only hatch by the time we reach the island."


    He went over bent down, and looked into the woman''s mouth, when he saw it was filled with black eggs, he nodded. "Take this one and cut out the things inside, the others can be thrown back into the sea. This year the elders on the island are having a ceremony and only want high-quality goods."


    "Remember to restock the booster and give a batch to those fools. I heard it was specially formulated by the elders, those that make it have a higher chance of being high quality than the rest."


    He stood up and looked around the room, tutting slightly, "What a waste." The buff man reached over send grabbed the woman''s feet

 Chapter 163 - The Isolated Island (7)

    The ship creaked and rocked in the waves that crashed against the metal hull. Everyone on board was asleep, no matter how the ship moved, the inhabitants inside were like lifeless corpses, without a sound, similar to a ghost ship


    Chu Yi inexplicably felt that he was about to die.


    His body is falling, falling to the bottom of the sea, deprived of oxygen. He could only see the sun shining on the sea, shining a ray of light, and he was sinking into the darkness.


    His brows furrowed and he forced his consciousness awake briefly, through blurry eyes, he tried to focus.


    He looked outside the window,


    There was a clap of thunder.


    It''s raining.


    The sea''s surface became more turbulent because of the raindrops. The swirling whirlpool was like a giant beast, opening its mouth in the blood basin, swallowing everything, and pulling them into its depth without return. He fought against it but his mind was pulled under again, in the cold and silent darkness, he experienced the feeling of drowning over and over again.


    Only in the middle of the night, did he finally get some relief when a cold hand lay against his stomach, killing the disgusting thing there.


    On the morning of the third day, there was a loud blaring horn that ran through the entire ship. Passengers that had been sleeping peacefully were startled awake from their beds and the sound of angry cursing and thumps of bodies hitting the floor resounded briefly. There were still people that were slightly confused but those who knew what this meant were extremely estactic.


    The morning sun wasn''t as extreme as during midday and the cold rays of the morning light reflected on the undulating silver sea as the Nar¨¦zon ship slowly pulled up to the Old Harbour after two days and three nights.


    A few people rushed out of their rooms and stood on deck with excited and bloodshot eyes, it didn''t seem like they came to experience life on an Isolated island but that they were here to grab a lifesaving treasure!


    The ship slowly broke through the morning white mist, a few people who wanted to shout in joy suddenly choked and the ship fell into a weird silence. Standing at the edge of the bride were tall and dark shadows ranging from far to near.


    They were all people on the island, tall, short, fat, and thin, tall men, wearing coarse clothes similar to those of the civilians, with thick hemp ropes diagonally in front of them, and trolleys behind them. There was a kerosene lamp hanging on the front of the trolleys, that clanged and rung like a grim reapers bell.


    The inexplicable atmosphere was broken when the crew members on the ship yelled and threw a ladder down that clanged onto the bridge. In their hands, they each held rough cloth sacks filled with a heavy object that thumped loudly as it fell onto the wooden Harbour.


    The original motionless shadows seemed to be awakened by the stuff hitting the bridge and one by one they dragged their trolley carts over and filled the sacks into them.


    They weren''t ghost, they were just villagers here to collect supplies. The passengers breathed a sigh of relief unconsciously and their enthusiasm was once again renewed. With bright eyes, they went back to their rooms and started packing their bags quickly.


    The elusive captain finally appeared back on deck and stood at the ladder, each passenger handed over their ID card which was then stamped with a grey mark. In his words, this was the stamp of successful arrival and if they wanted to leave again when the ship docks back at the Harbour next month, they must present this ID.


    As they walked out, the captain raised his head and saw the tall and handsome young man standing in front of him, leaning slightly to block the sun. Behind him shone a ray of light, but a shadow slanted in front of him, which made the gently lowered eyes seem a little unpredictable, there were faint dark circles around his eyes and a low pressure on his body.


    The captain raised a hand and smiled politely on the surface, the young man slowly brought out his ID card and when it was stamped, he slowly walked away. There was obviously no further interaction between them but the captain felt a cold chill rise from the bottom of his feet.


    He cursed in his mind, a bit angry at himself for being scared by someone who would die soon. Shaking off the cold chill, he once again raised his head with a polite smile and turned to the next passengers, his thin eyelids dilating when he met the cold black eyes.


    The moment he stepped foot onto the creaking bridge, the system that had been silent all along once again made its presence known.


    [All players have arrived at the main plot.]


    [Game map, Isolated island.]


    [The rules of the copy. Firstly, 99 players are welcome to participate in this multi-player copy. All players have a different identity in this copy and each identity comes with its different advantages and disadvantages. If you offend a native, then you might become labeled as a hostile party to all the natives of the island. The effects of becoming a hostile party are up to the players to figure out. There is the addition of the favourability meter which depending on your interaction with the native may be filled which will open different side plots and benefits.]


    [99 people team up and join your teammates to ensure that you figure out the plot of the island before the other teams. The team that survives to the last wins, and they will be awarded an S-Class Item. If a teammate dies in the middle, there is no punishment. This game allows teammates to kill teammates.]


    [The main mission is issued for all players, please play carefully.]


    [Good luck to you all.]


    The man came up from behind him, and shook his hand before his eyes teasingly, "Did you have a good sleep?"


    Chu Yi lazily turned his head back to him and rolled his eyes, "Have you ever been castrated?" The two questions obviously made no sense but Ruan Quixi burst into laughter, with a wide smile he pushed his face closer and slowly licked his lips, "Wouldnt it be a shame, you''d lose the thrill of joy for the rest¨C."


    His voice stopped abruptly, he didn''t know when but a red knife had materialized in Chu Yi''s palm and had now slid it from the gap between his legs and was now pressing awfully to the key part with a cold light.


    "Do you want to experience the feeling of being a eunuch?"


    The sharp blade cut the suit trousers on his inner thigh. The evil spirit''s leisurely figure stiffened, and he looked strange. This was the first time he heard someone say this to himself. Even in the past, Chu Yi did not do this.


    Chu Yi, who had experienced the feeling of drowning for half a night, smiled softly as if he was just joking, "Are you afraid?"


    The evil spirit didn''t think he was just joking. He nodded honestly: "Somewhat."


    The black-haired young man curled the corner of his lips and whispered: "Then do you want to ask again, to see if I slept well?"


    He slid the tip of his dagger on the thigh of the evil spirit and patted it lightly against the key point, "I can you give you an answer very quickly."


    Ruan Quixi suddenly smiled and Chu Yi''s lips dropped and he moved the knife away disgustingly, "Are you a pervert?"


    "Can you still get up at this time?"


    When the evil spirit was reminded, he realized that he had a reaction, but he immediately laughed without shame. "It''s a bit exciting."


    The audience in the camera held by the director, who had witnessed the entire thing was shocked by this development.


    The director felt a bit embarrassed to interrupt, but for the sake of his movie, he could only cough lightly to remind that this was broad daylight.


    Both of them turned around, seeing the camera, one smile only got deeper and another stabbed the knife in anger. Ruan Quixi hastily dodged the blade before Chu Yi could actually castrate him and backhanded his wrist to grab the slender fingers.


    [Ah this.....]


    [Tentatively ask, is this the ghost from before...?]


    [No the right question is: Is this directly coming out!?]


    [Fuck! I''m blind, was it true just now??]


    [I think too much, maybe they''re just friends, doubting life. jpg]


    [Bad director! My YY dreams were on the verge of coming true!]


    [!!!!!YiYi you actually like this taste!]


    [Who can tell me why a good horror movie suddenly turned into me being stuffed with dog food?]


    [Upstairs, I think the title can be changed from "The Hunt." to " Two gays playing YY on an Isolated Island.]


    [Second Level, you are too bad, (secretly smiles with yellow waste.)]


    [Secretly smiles with yellow waste +1]


    [Secretly smiles with yellow waste +44]


    Chu Yi caught a glimpse of the barrage and once again felt like stabbing a certain person. At this moment, the heavy wooden cane of the old man with yellowed teeth came up from behind. He waved at the show crew that had already assembled and hobbled past the pier, spitting every few feet.


    The others standing on the bridge seemed to be talking and negotiating with the natives that had come to collect supply from the ship. Here the benefit of having your guide could be seen. They didn''t have to fight with the crowd and they could more easily assimilate into the island.


    The island is relatively small and the village of the native residents could be seen from a distance, the small stone houses with pointed roofs are connected in a U shape. There are no walls next to each other. Each house is surrounded by a circle of strange-shaped stones, leaving only a small door.


    From a distance, it looks like a row of sharp teeth of a monstrous beast had been pulled out and used to build their homes.


    Every door is open, the smoke rises from the chimneys, and the fragrance of peanuts being roasted for drinking wafted from one end to the other, the adults are busy, with the children making the old people laugh, it is peaceful and the years are quiet.


    Nothing like the rumors in the legend. A few audience members even sent out a barrage admiring the beauty of the scene.


    The rocky stone path they walked was getting more and more remote. It is said that in every broken alley, there is a treasure, but here, there was only barren dust and the smell of ammonia from the long-term splashing of urine in the corners. Only a few wooden tables and a few shoddy stools are opened. Cigarette butts were thrown randomly on the ground, and several shirtless men dribbled between their yellow teeth while driving beer. They could smell the salty sweat when they got close.


    As soon as the people stepped into this place, he attracted the attention of a group of people. Normally no strangers should come to this place, let alone such a large group. But these villagers didn''t seem to be curious or surprised, just lifted their heads briefly before lowering it uninterestedly.


    A woman who was standing in front of the washing tank scrubbing clothes looked back and asked loudly, "Lao Xi! Another batch is coming this year?


    The old man yelled back loudly, "These guys are different, they''re a show crew that wants to film our place." He turned around and spat at their feet before the ahead at a nearby hill.


    "Tat''s where you''ll be staying while yah can start filming ta'' movie."


    The director rubbed his hands together and nodded hastily, "Yes! Yes, thank you for all your hard work Old Jin."


    The man nodded his head and grinned his yellow teeth before walking away with his limp leg, leaving them to finish the rest of the journey. Chu Yi looked around at the silent villagers, turned back to the others and slowly raised a question, "Where are the animals?"

 Chapter 164 - The Isolated Island (8)

    It took him about five or six minutes to continue walking up the hill until they reached their destination. It''s not that no one was disturbed by Chu Yi''s question but after a moment of contemplation, the crew decided that since this was an island it wasn''t too farfetched to believe that the villagers relied solely on the sea and mountains.


    The house that they were pointed to could be considered big in the village. There are two front rooms, one was for sundries, and the other was for greeting guests. When they walked to the back and saw a few roughshod rooms.


    Chu Yi put down the suitcase and turned on the light. A bed made of wood and a small table, temporary bedding, and a kettle.


    In the middle of the house was a large yard, where some vegetables are grown for daily consumption, and what looked to be The pigsty and the cowshed but they didn''t seem to have been in use for a long time. And next to it is a small toilet. There is a small TV in the living room that could be regarded as a small luxury on the cabinet, as well as, a kitchen and a storage room. The villagers seem to have done their best in terms of hospitality. But the way the house was situated on the hill was slanted. The mottled halo of the sun light sprinkled on the walls of the house, bright and warm, but the cold darkness was the only thing that could be felt.


    One of the crew members came in with a strange expression on their face. He said that he found some large tanks in the back of the courtyard, which were full of water and nothing else.


    The director thought for a moment: "It might be rainwater."


    "Rainwater?" The man named Zhao Yuan looked puzzled, "Then why do you put it in a tank?"


    "It can be used to pour vegetables." The director said, "The island''s way of life is very backward, and they are very frugal and simple, so it''s not surprising to do so."


    There was still a strange expression on the crew member''s face and he seemed to want to say something but in the end, he closed his mouth.


    The director clapped his hands and gathered all the crew. "Alright, I aim for this movie to win the Best Directed Screen Play of this Year. All of you were carefully selected to be in this film and I''ve already decided to adopt a method of improvisation and independent filming."


    He picked up a bunch of screenplays from the table and distributed them. "This is the script. It''s been carefully prepared and I will give you time to read it over and prepare, Chu Yi is the sole lead actor if you have any doubts he will help you in the interpretation of the character."


    Chu Yi who had been cued: "..."


    The director turned to him, "We will go set up our equipment film the opening scene, you can go and explore the island a bit and see if you can pick up any interesting tidbits that we can use for the behind-the-scenes."


    When they walked out, the sun was already high in the air and the suffocating heat of yesterday had once again made an entrance. But what surprised them was that compared to them, the villagers seemed to not be affected by the heat and a few children could be seen running shirtless in the bare sun, their bronze skin shimmering with golden light like a layer of armor.


    Aware of the other sights, Chu Yi stopped and look back at where the children had just run past. The little girls who were hiding behind him were dumbfounded. He was also stunned and looked at each other.


    Before suddenly they all blushed and the little girls covered their mouths and exclaimed, and ran away shyly. One of them was particularly bold and before she ran away, shouted, "Little brother wait for me to grow up and give you a monkey!"


    The girls screamed happily and scattered like startled mice.


    Although Chu Yi had been faced with the admiring gaze of persons since young this was the first time he had been met with such pure and untainted admiration that he momentarily didn''t know how to react.


    Ruan Quixi smiled playfully and spoke behind him, " It seems you have found yourself a little wife."


    Chu Yi rolled his eyes expressionlessly and continued to walk toward.


    They reached the end of the clearing and Chu Yi looked to the front. He had long since noticed the large and dark forest situated on the edge of the village. What he noticed strangely was that no matter how wild the children played they would not venture into the vicinity of the forest, consciously or unconsciously avoiding it like a plague. Any child that got too close would be grabbed by his peers and pulled away nervously.


    Ryan Quixi stood beside him and used one hand to naturally block the sun as Chu Yi squinted trying to see past the dark shadows of the forest and looked inside."Would this be one of the forbidden areas you''re supposed to explore?"


    Chu Yi looked at the shadows and had the illusion of being stared at, the villagers wouldn''t fear this place without a reason. Even if it wasn''t a forbidden area, it had some significance to the villagers.


    "Do you want to go look around the periphery and see if we can find anything?"


    Dark red eyes seemed to shift for a moment, a pale figure like a ghost suddenly flitted across his vision. He put down his hands and lifted his foot, "Let''s go."


    The moment he entered the forest, it was as if they had entered another world. Unlike the extremely bright village on the other side, the forest was filled with an impenetrable black fog. Even walking they could barely see their fingers ahead of them and the dark fog completely cut off their senses.


    He reached out slightly and lighted patted the trunk of a tree he could barely make out in front of him. When his fingers touched the tree, the sense of touch under his fingers startled him. The bark wasn''t smooth and rough as like regular trees but a smooth almost sticky feel that uncannily reminded him of fish scales.


    Enduring the uncomfortable feeling he slowly ran his fingers along the sides of the bark and eventually came to a strange protrusion. He withdrew his hands and turned back to the man that had almost blended in with the shadows.


    "Do you know how to make a fire?"


    Ruan Quixi raised an eyebrow slowly, Why would Chu Yi suggest something as dangerous as lighting a fire in a dark forest as if he wasn''t afraid of attracting the attention of bloodthirsty beasts.


    Even if he doubts, Ruan Quixi had no intention of not following through. He squatted down, and as soon as he touched a tree branch, he stretched out his other hand and found another. One by one the branches were gathered like this, for those he didn''t find suitable he would stand up and use a dagger to draw a beautiful arc, and with a crisp crack, some twigs were sharply cut off, like a wonderful performance. The trees here seemed to be old and hollow and it didn''t take long for him to get a fire burning.


    The orange light flickered in the forest penetrating through the darkness. They both stood beside the fire and looked around, the trees were tall and dark. There were no leaves on the tree only crooked and withered branches.


    All creatures were attracted to light and when Chu Yi saw a familiar shadow in the corner of his eyes, he smiled. The fish had caught the bait.


    He took a few steps backward and raised his hand, red eyes flashed with a cunning light and with a flick of his wrist.


    Swish!¡ª"


    The sound of something breaking through the air was followed by a short scream that was quickly cut off.


    Chu Yi raised his brow and followed the sound, the fire reflected the small figure pinned against the tree, struggling profusely.


    Chu Yi walked towards the pale figure, quietly watching it struggling with the knife that pinned his thin shirt to the tree.


    With this reaction speed, If someone wanted to kill him, he didn''t know how many times he died.


    It was a small boy.


    He doesn''t look like the kind of child who can survive healthily. Not to mention the other children on the island who were muscular and lively, he was one size smaller than them and even the girls look much stronger than him. He didn''t know what kind of illness he had but there was a thick smell of blood and pus on his dirty skin. He struggled against the tree and looked at them with big bug eyes filled with either fear or vigilance.


    Toddlers are usually full of blood, and their cheeks and lips are usually much rosier than adults. However, this child is too unhealthy. The entire face has only lips. The line and the corner of his eye were marked with a strange redness as if he had been burnt with boiling water.


    This was the silver shadow he saw in the forest. Chu Yi and Ruan Quixi stood before the boy, face half-hidden by the flicker of the light of the fire. They both looked at the boy and their faces abruptly stilled. Because the eyes of the boys were completely red. The boy looked at Chu Yi unexpectedly stopped struggling, with a hoarse and rasp voice he asked with a hint of hope,


    "Are you sick too?"

 Chapter 165 - The Isolated Island (9)

    "Sick?"


    The little boy shook his disproportionately large head and nodded eagerly, "Mommy and Daddy said that I''m sick so I have to stay in the forest. " The boy coughed hoarsely, his voice cracking as if this was the first time he had spoken in a long time, "Are you here to stay with me?"


    Chu Yi didn''t reply, he walked over and placed one hand on the handle of the blade before yanking it out with a powerful force. The boy fell to his knees and the sound of his bones slamming onto the cold forest floor was particularly harsh, nevertheless, the boy did not let out more than a short yelp.


    The moment the blade was pulled out of the tree, he could see in the flickering light of the fire that the bark of the tree that had been torn was slowly leaking out a red substance. He flicked the iron blade and slowly walked back to the other man''s side, before speaking slowly, "No we are not here to stay with you." The fire flickered casting cold shadows on his face, "Tell me, how did a completely defenseless child manage to survive in a dangerous and forbidden forest alone?"


    The air fell into silence.


    The little boy seems to have been stumped by the question and didn''t answer.


    Chu Yi didn''t speak either, he used his knife to slowly whittle a mark into the tree, signaled to the evil spirit beside him, and slowly walked away without a word. Even when they had walked back to the edge of the forest, the little boy did not speak again.


    Behind them, the little boy watched their silent back before suddenly darting away into the forest with a quick turn.


    The branches rustled with his departure.


    From the cold darkness into the extreme sun was an unpleasant feeling. He didn''t go back to their place of stay but looked at the children playing wildly in the middle of the village with the familiar smoke drifting through the wind and the smell of peanuts being roasted.


    Everything was picturesque, giving the illusion that they weren''t in a blood-ridden horror game but taking a peaceful island vacation filled with warmth and abundance, which would make persons unconsciously relax their vigilance.


    But under these bright faces, there must be a dirty and disgusting secret. "There are no animals here, there are no trees outside of the forest and the boiling hot temperatures prevent fish from breeding in the coastal waters. There are no signs of cannibalism and the villagers are happy and healthy without the least sign of malnutrition caused by famine."


    "Everything is strange but also not strange as if we''re looking at everything through a filter and all the dirty things are hidden away from sight."


    The dark eyes of the man beside him narrowed slightly, "You wouldn''t be saying all this unless you noticed something."


    Chu Yi paused and chuckled softly, "Yes, everything is like looking through a filter, bright and dazzling under the sun but do you know? Darkness is when all the evilest things come crawling out to the surface."


    Ruan Quixi raised his head and looked up, the sky was clear, filled with translucent snow-white clouds.


    At this moment, over the rocky roads, someone was quickly hobbling towards them on crutches with an anxious expression. The ugly old man has a big square face, but the facial features are all grown together, the drooping triangular eyes, the short nose bridge, the big mouth can see the back molars, and the back is too high.


    The children who saw him scattered with a short scream and soon enough only the old man and the two were standing on the clearing.


    He has been ugly since he was a child. When he was young, the village called him an ugly boy, but now he is called the ugly old man. The elders would usually say to the children in the family who are disobedient, that they will throw them to the ugly old man''s house, and the children will be too scared to make trouble.


    The old man was faster than he looked and within a few seconds, he was standing before the two foreign guests of the village. After taking a few seconds to gather his breath, he slowly started his purpose, "Have you guys gone into the forest over there?"


    Chu Yi nodded his head.


    The old man''s face quickly became strange, and his words were felled with a little more anxiousness "Did you see or experience anything in there?" Chu Yi stared into the beady foggy eyes and nodded again.


    The old man''s eyes immediately turned into dumbbells and he came closer to Chu Yi almost leaning against his body. When the old man''s breath came over, Chu Yi smelled the uncanny scent of fertilizer on his body but why would the villagers need fertilizer.


    There were no open plots on the land.


    A hand came over and suppressed the old man''s advance, when he looked up, dark eyes smiled down at him but inexplicably he didn''t dare to come closer.


    The old man seemed to have been stimulated by something and anxiously waved his hands and whispered in a scratchy and high voice, "What did you see?!"


    Chu Yi narrowed his eyes faintly and spoke something that made the old man stop in his track,


    "We saw a weird-looking tree."


    "It really scared us." Ruan Quixi beside him, shuddered in accordance as if he had really been traumatized by the memory.


    "...."


    No...This wasn''t what he expected¨C


    There was a faint feeling of hitting cotton with his fist.


    The old man choked before his face rapidly twisted in anger, making him seem even more ugly and ferocious "No, No you must have seen something else, you just don''t want to tell me! You''re lying to me!"


    "Why are you lying to me!"


    In his ears, Chu Yi heard a faint ding in his ears, a system notification, [You have angered the ugly old man, Cheng Yang and the favourability has been deducted by -5. Current favorability is -25.]


    The old man reached out as if to grab him and force him to speak but a cold hand suddenly landed on his shoulders and slowly applied force.


    Chen Yang struggled and shook his head. Beady eyes bulging with bloodshot veins. The old man stood on one foot, and his body balance was basically supported by crutches. His strength was still so great that Ruan Quixi raised a brow and gradually applied more strength until there was a faint cracking noise under his hands.


    Even under the bright sun, his tall figure still seemed to be hidden in the darkness, only one eye and the small half of his face showed a vague outline, and there was a trace of a smile on his face.


    "Come on." The man crushed the old man''s shoulder with a low voice, blood slowly seeped under his hands and a hint of displeasure rose on Ruan Quixi''s face "It''s a bit disgusting."


    Hu¨Chu¨Chu-


    Cold sweat dripped from the old man''s forehead. He was forced by the young man to have a gray face, and the anger on his face quickly resided to be resolved by fear, he staggered, shaking violently, and threw down the crutches to indicate surrender.


    Ruan let go of his shoulders and the old man''s hands hung limply by his side.


    "Sick, Sick..."


    The old man coughed again, faintly mixed with a long and muddy sigh, and repeated those two words in his shriveled mouth, which sounded a little scary. He sighed picked up his crutches with one hand and slowly looked at the two of them with mixed feelings,


    "The chief of our village is having a banquet in the evening to welcome all foreign guests. Our village specialty will be served. I''d suggest you go there."


    With blood dripping from the old and dry skin, he hobbled away, hunched back seemed to be even heavier than when he left. Chu Yi thought of the favourability of -25 and suspected that they were being pitted.


    Ruan Quixi casually used a handkerchief to wipe the blood with a faint fishy smell from his fingertips and looked at Chu Yi, "Why didn''t you tell him? Could have been that boys relatives"


    Slanted red eyes glinted sharply, "You say, do his eyes resemble an anxious relative or a hungry beast?"


    He didn''t wait for a response, lifted his feet, and left, "Let''s go back to the pier, I want to check something."


    The man chuckled from behind him and slowly followed, looking at the soft black hair covered by a golden halo, the sun far over the horizon, and the clouds drifting slowly over ahead. It was as if looking at a painting, far away and unreachable. In the next second, the man''s head turned back and the red eyes that habitually squinted seemed to be searching for his figure.. At this moment he felt as if his heart had been pierced and with a careless laugh, he sped up and joined his side, the two tall silhouettes disappearing into the distance.

 Chapter 166 - The Isolated Island (10)

    They slowly made their way back to the pier, the ship had already left and even if anything were to happen on this island they could only struggle to survive until the ship arrives. The wooden pier was short, just several pieces of sea rotted wood erected a few feet above the waters, that would creak noisily along with the salty breeze.


    The sun shone overhead and the sound of their shoes hitting the wood echoed in the silent shore. Chu Yi slowly came to the edge of the bridge, looked out at the sea, estimated the distance, and stood directly in the spot where the ladder had dropped down from the ship.


    He quickly motioned to Ruan Quixi to follow his directions to make a few steps back. When he was sure of his guess, he trotted over and bent down to observe the bridge.


    The sacks that had been thrown by the crewmen seemed to have contained the supplies of the villagers on the ship but the hollow sound of the sacks hitting the floor was uncannily familiar to him.


    He carefully searched the gaps of the bridge, the other man''s shadow blocking the nasty rays of the sun, a shiny flash of light in the corner of his eyes quickly drew his attention. Using one hand, he slowly fished out the black egg from the wood and held it up the light, the pungent and fishy scent was washed by the crashing sea waves but even so, he could still faintly smell the rotten odor.


    After verifying his guess, he dropped the egg into the sea, watching the blue waves swallow it. Some blood seemed to have been spilled from the rucksack when it was thrown down and had dried into dark red splatters on the wood. He clapped his hands and turned to the sea, another suspicious point.


    A shrill bird cry from the sky attracted his attention, a seagull flying erratically in the air as if it was drunk swaying from side to side, it struggled to make the final sprint to the island but for every flap of its wings, it would drop, getting closer and closer to the sea.


    Chu Yi could almost detect the despair and unwillingness in the bird''s eyes, and the way it flapped its skinny wings made it clear it didn''t want to die. But in the end, it was futile. With a final call, Its wing folded in and it fell like a broken machine into the sea without a ripple.


    He didn''t know it was his illusion but the closer he got to the sea, the harsher the heat became as if they were standing directly on the edge of a burning volcano.


    Chu Yi raised his eyelids with difficulty from the scorching air, and squatted on the hot and wet sand, he stared at the blue waves silently before raising a slender finger and slowly pressing it against the sea''s surface.


    Pain.


    A fiery heat rapidly eroded his nerves, sending waves of pain to all parts of his body. With the sound of the waves crashing on the shore, his fingers were licked by a tongue of fire. The burning and tingling sensation ran along his nerves and quickly stimulated his nerves. Although he removed his finger, his fingertips were completely red as if he had been scalded badly.


    Chu Yi''s muscles twitched at the corners of his eyes, and he lowered his head slightly and looked at the river. The surface of the sea was thing peacefully and there was no mention of the pain that rocked his body as if he had been injected with a heavy toxin.


    He looked over to the side, The sea washed against the beach with a soft crash and the smell of salt and seaweed drifted into his nose, before receding into the sea. On the wet sand, a bloody wet mass of rotten meat was left behind on the sand.


    It was hard to see what the mutilated mass had been before because now it was just a disgusting clump of melted flesh and bones. A single white feather stuck to the meat and it was evident that in a matter of seconds from the bird falling in, it had turned into what it was now.


    The land eroded by the heat could no longer grow crops, animals could not survive and fish could not breed in the sea, the sun had stretched out from hell like a ghost hand, and grabbed the sky convulsively.


    And if human beings came into contact with the overheated sea, the skin and flesh would boil, rot into pus, the organs would dissolve, and multiple organs will fail, eventually leading to a gruesome and painful death.


    And yet the villagers were happy and free, except for the ship that delivered passengers once a month, there seemed to be nothing plaguing them.


    Chu Yi stood on the edge of the bridge and looked out to sea in a trance. The wind blew his long hair softly and the wave would occasionally spray seawater onto his feet like a playful child frolicking in the afternoon sun.


    The man silently walked to his side, his tall figure shadowed his own, and for who knew how long they just stood there, on the edge of the bridge, with nothing but the sea and the sky.


    When the sun slowly fell from the middle of the sky and an orange glow diffused the sea, Chu Yi finally snapped out of his daze and looked around. He used one hand to push his hair back and turned his gaze to Ruan Quixi, both eyes interlocked and he smiled. Chu Yi felt a rare embarrassment, and he lowered his head and took the lead to walk back to the village.


    The women held baskets of herbs in their hands and the faces of the villagers on the street were full of warm smiles, and they seemed to be very familiar with each other, calling out friendly whenever someone would wave a hand.


    The sky in the distance was a rich and thick yellow.


    The setting sun did not hesitate to spread its brilliance all over the sky, and the faces of passers-by were also flushed with a rosy glow, there was peace and happiness everywhere. He was keen enough to spot a few players amongst the villagers but even they seemed to have been infected by the atmosphere and they all had a relaxed expression on their faces.


    A little girl skipped over and stood before the two of them before pointing at a large stone house near the middle of the clearing and cried curtly, "Big brothers, the dinner for the guests is about to start. If you don''t want to miss the feast, you have to hurry up!"


    Chu Yi looked down at the girl, half-squatted, and handed over a piece of candy from the ship: "Thank you."


    The little girl gripped her skirt. She wanted to but was embarrassed to take things for such a little favor. Chu Yi sent the candy piece forward again, and she reached out to pick it up and spoke with a blushing face, "Thank you, big brother."


    Chu Yi stroked the girl''s hair with a smile. When he straightened up, the smile on his face disappeared. There was a strong stench in the child''s mouth, rushing towards his nose, making his head dizzy and his stomach roll with nausea. It was the scent of rotten fish.


    He watched her disappear silently, whatever evil was happening on the island, it seemed that not even children had been spared.


    They followed the little girl''s direction and walked into the main house. They could hear the boisterous noise from inside and from the curtain in the hallway, they could spot the villagers and the passengers that had come aboard the ship.


    An old woman greeted them with a smile, Granny Qi, the longest-living elder on the island. She was wearing a black coat, her exposed skin was dry, her hair was sparsely covered with silver and white, and her hair was rolled up in a bun. She didn''t appear gloomy and eerie but like a noble wife from an old family.


    Granny Qi didn''t greet them immediately, but lit the three-pillar incense, put it into the incense burner on the long table in the main room, and bowed reverently, then she turned around with a string of Buddha beads and let them in. A cold blast of air met them filled with the taste of blood and fish, a voice jubilant echoed in the room, "Greetings, come put another plate for the new guests!"


    Arescio''s mouth curled into a pleasant, sick smile. Greedy eyes wander around his body like a viper, as if to imprison him with their eyes. He slowly waved a hand and there was an air of grace in his gestures. Only a pair of eyes, dark and bottomless. He looked at Chu Yi deeply.


    A plate of thin red meat like slices of steak and a small fish was placed down on the table, the lifeless beady eyes stared back at them motionlessly. Chu Yi fought the urge to turn around and walk away. The long wooden dining table was full of people, Arescio who had two women by his side, when he saw Chu Yi and Ruan Quixi coming in, he pushed the women away from his arms and sat up. The villagers who had their faces buried in the fish looked up at them with strange eyes. But said nothing in his presence, evidently Arecio''s identity in this copy was pretty high. Burying their heads back into the mouthwatering food.


    He smiled and raised his glass to Chu Yi: "Come, come, I will give you a cup on behalf of all the villagers! "


    In a harmonious atmosphere, Chu Yi picked up the wine glass in front of him, toasted to Arescio, and then drank it all.


    The spirits were burning like flames in his throat, Chu Yi''s pale face was suddenly dyed a thin red, and his eyes seemed to be blurred and watery, which became more and more confusing in the dim light. Arescio lowered his head, and he used drinking to cover up his malicious smile. What was in his cup was the villager''s homemade rice wine. The wine was not high in alcohol, and the sweetness was not intoxicating.


    He picked up his chopsticks and slowly picked at the slices of meat on the plate and brought it to his nose. His sense of smell was particularly acute, and Chu Yi could vaguely smell a salty smell. The chopsticks poked into the meat, and the meat fibers were short and thin. Not like beef but more like¡ª


    "Snap."


    The sound of chopsticks colliding against the table was startling, attracting the attention of all the people in the room. Arescio raised his head and smiled,


    "What''s wrong? Is the food not to your liking?"


    All movement paused and an eerie silence descended onto the room.

 Chapter 167 - The Isolated Island (11)

    The setting sun completely sank behind the woods, and the last rays of light disappeared.


    Chu Yi ignored the strange eyes. In his peripheral vision, he seemed to catch sight of the director holding his chopsticks to put a piece of red meat into his mouth. He still remembered his objective, complete the filming of the movie. How could he do that, if the director was dead?


    With a flick of his wrist, the wooden chopstick flew up, and with a short cry, everyone could see Chu Yi''s chopsticks hit the middle ages man''s wrist, shaking his hand that was going to pick up the vegetables.


    The director looked at him with doubt, saliva still dripping from the corner of his mother, "Chu Yi? Are you okay?"


    "Don''t eat this meat."


    He spoke in a low tone but in the silent hut it was extremely loud, he looked around at everyone at the table his eyes weren''t sharp but inexplicably everyone felt a cold chill.


    "This piece of meat cannot be eaten."


    He repeated, and the expressions of the hidden players visibly changed, especially those who ate fast due to the dishes'' mouthwatering scent, and their faces were even more ugly.


    "What are you talking about?"


    "This is our village''s special dish..."


    "Why don''t you eat?"


    The villagers spoke in staggered and choked voices as their throats were being projected through a scratchy windpipe, in his ears, Chu Yi heard a series of low dings but he ignored it, looked at the director and the crew, and asked in a low voice, "Have you eaten it?"


    The director scratched his greasy face and nodded slowly, so did the other crew members. The scent of the dish was too delicious and its taste even more appetizing, if it wasn''t that Chu Yi as their lead actor brought over with a high price, they would have been angry at such a temperamental ancestor.


    Chu Yi''s eyes fell on their plates. Unexpectedly the fish head had not been touched, but the meat was almost finished.


    Compared to the fish that seemed irresistible on the ship, the fleshy red meat seemed to have turned into the crowd favorite. Most of the crew members had already eaten most of the bowl their bellies bulging as if they had been filled with water.


    "What''s wrong with this piece of meat?"


    Even though he tried his best to keep his voice calm, he knew that he was very nervous when he saw the blind boy clutching the guide dog''s leash tightly and his face turned pale. He choked and stop talking but Chu Yi had already picked out some keywords.


    The director who had come for filming wasn''t unaware of the secrets of the Island.


    "Follow me."


    He stood up and took the lead to walk out, the crew resisted the urge to continue eating followed behind him like scared chicks. Ruan Quixi was the last to leave the room, he turned back silently and dark eyes filled with a smile met hungry and malicious ones.


    The villager''s hostility continued to bury their heads in their food, but the other passengers looked at each other in dismay, and a few persons who also ate the piece of meat couldn''t help but feel uneasy and wanted to follow him out, wanting to figure out the hell was going on but were too scared of garnering the villager''s hostility.


    In any case, they would soon know, since was willing to stand out then why should they.... seeing that everyone else was motionless, the ones that wanted to follow hesitated and sat down but the meat in front of them no longer looked delicious. Arescio seemed to mouth something and Ruan''s that were still lazy abruptly sharpened terrifyingly.


    Arescio trembled as if he had been hit, naturally dropping his gaze, and a hint of red suddenly appeared on the corner of his lips. With a small sneer, he turned his head and walked out of the hall coldly,


    A burst of low laughter came from the head of the table and one man who had been ignored through the whole process, held his hands to his face and his shoulders shook with laughter, getting louder sad louder with each passing second until the entire hall was filled only with the sounds of his raucous laughter.


    When he raised his head again, his eyes were filled with maliciousness and greedy excitement. "Brother Ke?...." The man looked at Arescio with a flattering smile, pieces of flesh still stuck in his teeth.


    The crazy man glanced at him with a half-smile, and suddenly raised his hand to throw the wine glass at him harshly! Hitting the man on the forehead. The glass shattered onto his forehead and blood instantly sprayed onto his half-eaten dish.


    Arescio dropped his hand, the darkness slowly engulfing his figure with an indifferent and poisonous voice he commanded coldly, "Continue to eat....No one leaves until I''m satisfied."


    The atmosphere was stagnant, and no one dared to move the chopsticks. Seeing the man''s eyes getting more and more dangerous, a player, who was sitting closest to him, gritted his teeth, picked up a piece of meat, and placed it in his mouth.


    Soon enough, the sound of silverware clinking against the plates resounded in the night sky.


    In the time, it had taken them for the banquet to be on the way, night had already fallen.


    The crew was surrounded in a remote corner. The director''s fat face was a strange illuminant white in the darkness and he stood closest to the two. Chu Yi raised his hand and skillfully clenched his fingers into a fist.


    A smile crept onto the edge of his lips and the director suddenly had the uncanny need to run away but in the end, it was too late. Without anyone being able to react, a swift and heavy punch suddenly landed directly into the director''s guts. There was a sickening gurgling sound and the director''s lips opened and he puked almost immediately!


    The moment the vomit hit the floor, a crew member, Zhao Yuan cried in horror, he saw that the director who had vomited out of control first vomited out a few pieces of undigested fish pieces, and then began to spit out yellow waste, mixed with scarlet blood and red meat, which was extremely terrifying and disgusting.


    But even when there was no more stomach acid left to puke, the director was still retching, foaming from his mouth, trembling all over his body, tightly covering his bulging stomach, and tremblingly screamed: "It hurts, it hurts!"


    Chu Yi who had just brutally mauled the man didn''t seem guilty about his actions and slowly turned his red eyes to the rest of the crew. They hurriedly soon their heads and stepped back collectively, "No, No we can do it ourselves!"


    Then he finally turned his head away and looked at the man that appeared like a shadow. If he did not pay attention, he would disappear silently.


    The sound of retching came from behind him,


    Ruan Quixi rubbed his wrist and looked back at the hall they came from.


    At that moment, Chu Yi could feel the tense atmosphere. He looked like he was going to do something, but after a while, he just looked back at him and spoke unhurriedly: "Like a bug, dirty and ugly, the more you see them, the more you want to crush them into the dirt."


    Chu Yi glanced at Ruan strangely. Although he didn''t deal with the man very much, he had to admit that Ruan Quixi had a special temperament. It was as if the rules and regulations didn''t bind him at all.


    Even if stood there smiling, it still gave people a feeling that...he would break out at any time and go on a complete rampage. His concessions and compromises, like a lion taking a lazy nap, didn''t lower his aggression.


    A man slowly sneaked up to their side and after peaking to make sure the others were occupied, he held his breath and whispered to them quietly, "Hey, I don''t know if I should tell you this but something strange is going on in the island."


    Chu Yi looked at him and slowly raised an eyebrow, "Define strange." The man was a bit anxious and waved his hands much like the director, "I can''t explain it but I just know it''s strange, do you know, after we finished filming the first scene in the afternoon, went back to the room to rest and you know what I found it, " He lowered his voice mysteriously, "The rainwater tanks that I had found earlier were all empty!"


    There was a faint pause as he waited in anticipation for a cry of fear.


    Not seeing the reaction, he wanted, Zhao Yuan thought they weren''t taking him seriously and his voice picked up an octave, "I''m serious, such big rainwater tanks, can they just be emptied on one day!"


    Chu Yi looked at him, "Couldn''t the sun have just evaporated it?"


    "I thought of that, but when just stepped back from the tanks, I found a wet trail crawling from the tanks to the door. Let me tell you, I can''t make this stuff up!"


    He wanted to continue speaking but the crew seemed to have gotten better after a bit of vomiting and with pale faces, they slowly stood up and he hurried away.


    The director waved his hands weakly and stopped any discussion before they could begin, "Let''s go back, it''s probably just bad stomach from eating bad meat. With the primitive ways of the villagers, it''s not surprising."


    "Thank you Chu Yi for reminding us."


    The crew seemed to have accepted this and with weak and stumbling footsteps, they started their walk back. Chu Yi followed from behind with Ruan Quixi beside him.


    At the moment, the sound of slow footsteps stepping against the road echoed in the silent night before them. The crew stopped in their tracks. A dark shadow coming from the corner became longer and longer under their bated breath until the figure''s form was finally revealed. It was a woman. Carrying a heavy bucket in her hand, she hurriedly made her way home.


    Zhao Yuan who was relatively courageous, immediately ran up and stood in her path blocking her way, "Sister, let me ask you a question, how long have you lived here?"


    She tried to walk around him several times, shook her head, and said, "I don''t know, no one knows."


    "Sister the only reason I asked this is because, we came here this time to film because we want to explore the island and share its beauty with the world, so we would like to hear about the island from the natives ." Finally, the woman paused and stopped trying to run,


    The woman spoke softly, "This island is truly beautiful, truly beautiful, peaceful and quiet we are all very happy....the children are happy."


    Zhao Yuan felt that he had asked the key point, and suddenly became excited: "Is everyone in your village happy?"


    "Did no one ever leave?"


    The woman nodded: "Yes."


    "Where are they? Where did they go?" The woman shook her head: "They''re just gone, we don''t know where they went. Maybe they crossed the sea? It suddenly disappeared anyway."


    "Does anyone know?" The woman shook her head again: "No, they just disappeared but everyone is happy so it doesn''t matter."


    Chu Yi suddenly came up from behind, and asked a strange question, "Is there a god here?" The woman''s fidgeting hands paused.


    She was quiet for a while, then suddenly looked up at everyone and laughed. With such a smile, she seemed to have resumed the happiness of the day.


    She raised her hand awkwardly and pointed casually:


    "Have you seen these woods?"


    Everyone glanced to the front.


    The rolling woods surrounded an airtight circle, wrapping the entire mountain village in it. The woman smiled and said, "The woods are where the gods sleep, the gods are happy so everyone is happy."


    The woman suddenly glanced behind her and hurriedly picked up the iron bucket.


    "Wait." Zhao Yuan grabbed her.


    The woman struggled immediately: "What are you doing?! It''s night, don''t arrest me! I need to go home!"


    She was more powerful than they expected, with a few hard tugs she broke free. The woman took a few steps back with the bucket in her hand, urging everyone with kindness, "Hurry back to the house, too. It''s getting close to midnight!"


    "What''s wrong with midnight? Does something happen at that time?"


    She looked back at them with strange bulging eyes,


    "The darkness is very very dangerous."


    After the woman said this, she hurried away with the iron bucket. Under the night, she walked very fast, and in the blink of an eye, the figure had already reached a house in the distance.


    She opened the door, glanced left and right, then cautiously got into the house, the doors and windows were immediately closed.


    For a while, everything was silent.


    There were sporadic kerosene lamps on the outside in several houses, but the lights were too dim and occasionally swayed slightly, which made it even more disturbing. A strange wind blew, the long grass swayed in the cold breeze.


    In the end under the cover of the night, they hurried back to their house just barely making it back before midnight. Ruan Quixi followed Chu Yi into his room cheekily. "What are you thinking?"


    Chu Yi didn''t look at him, with narrowed eyes, he slowly walked to the window''s side and pushed away from the thin curtain. The night was still. Chu Yi couldn''t help taking a deep breath.


    Dozens of villagers came out of their house with no light in their eyes, glassy like dead fish and the corners of their mouths stretched to the fullest in a creepy grin.


    They happily smiled and walked to the center of the village, one by one, turned their heads back, and faced the sea with their entire bodies before some started to sway softly like tall grass.


    Others were all motionless, standing upright as if the sea would make them taller.


    Chu Yi was covered in goosebumps, and at this moment, Granny Li suddenly turned to look towards him.


    Even with such a long distance, Granny Li seemed to pierce through the night and land on his body, she smiled strangely.


    Then those "people" also looked over, their bodies didn''t move, but their necks turned 180 degrees.

 Chapter 168 - The Isolated Island (12)

    The sea breeze rushed into the window violently, and the wind direction changed. Chu Yi looked up at the sky. The night sky, which was still clear just now, was now covered with a thick layer of dark clouds that completely obscured. In the violent sea breeze, a fishy smell rolled in from outside.


    The atmosphere was filled with cold tension.


    His eyes only blinked for a second when he found that Granny Li stretched her neck and began approaching the window. From afar, she opened her mouth, and he could smell a thick scent of pungent chemical fertilizer on her body: "Ya." Her cloudy eyes were scattered, she didn''t know what she was looking at, "Ma, Ya."


    Her neck seemed to be stretching farther and farther in his direction as if she was just a hollow piece of skin that could stretch forever!


    Behind her with a strange sense of ritual, the villagers who had their eyes still locked onto him, lips widened into creepy smiles; suddenly stood in a straight line under the night and slowly started to walk towards the sea, their feet were dragging and for each step, their abdomens would grow larger and larger until it resembled a six-month-old belly!


    It bulged grotesquely in different places as if whatever was underneath it was trying to pierce through the skin as they slowly walked to the pier, and disappeared into the darkness.


    The pungent and fishy smell became stronger.


    Chu Yi blinked twice uncontrollably and Granny Li disappeared from before his eyes, in its place a cold chill was felt on the back of his neck. Chu Yi''s eyes shrunk and his elbow was forcefully brought back and twisting his waist to bring the hand with a knife back!


    Ruan Quixi just barely avoided being stabbed and grabbed the murderous hands, A low and provocative voice, with obvious playfulness sounded in his ears, like teasing a cat with fried fur, "Calm down dear, the conditions to attack have not been reached yet. Nothing will happen tonight."


    Before his words could finish echoing, a strange knocking sound came at the door...


    Tuk tuk-tuk.


    "...."


    A panicked voice yelled from outside the door, "Chu Yi, Open up! "


    "..."


    He looked at Ruan Quixi with a raised eyebrow, is the legendary planting a flag and tripping over it?


    "Chu Yi open up! I have something to show you!"


    ***


    Chen Zi and Liang Yuanhao live in the same room. As players who met in the previous copy, naturally, they became teammates and after coming off the ship managed to get a room together with an old married couple.


    They felt that it was not wise to venture into the woods at the edge of the clearing, and it was not wise to wander the village even if the mission task was to explore the forbidden areas. The best way to avoid death was to hide in the house and sleep till morning, so apart from eating they have stayed cooped up in the house since arrival.


    Chen Zi stood by the window and looked out into the night, saying worriedly, "Do you think something wrong with the food..."


    "How many copies have you experienced? Why are you still so indecisive." Liang Yuanhao stood by an iron bucket and splashed some water onto his face, "This copy does not include cannibalism, nor famine. In the clue we got, it said that villagers just worshiped an evil god. As long as you find the clues about the god, is there a reason to rush? If the others can find clues and answers, that''s great, but I think that little white face is just making a fuss to seek attention. Hasn''t he already attracted the resentment of the villagers?."


    Chen Zi: "But what if? What if something goes wrong?"


    Liang Yuanhao took a somewhat clean cloth, rubbed his face, and said vaguely, "Nothing will go wrong. Do you know much I paid for that clue? Even if something did happen, it won''t be our turn to die, it''ll be that reckless man."


    Chen Zi was still listless, and Liang Yuanhao tried to comfort him: "To tell you the truth, I have taken five copies, and I have experienced this world the most, this is my last copy then I can become an official player."


    "The villagers are weird, and you must understand, here the human heart is far scarier than the monsters. Therefore what we must do is not offend the villagers at any cost, I''ve already seen through the tricks of the system, the greater the hostility the closer our chances to death."


    He was distracted for a moment, and then added: "Conforming is our best chance of winning."


    Chen Zi looked at him and said, "Brother Liang, you see things."


    Liang Yuanhao scratched his head and said a little proudly, "Don''t mention this, I''m going to sleep, you''d better go to sleep as soon as possible."


    They didn''t dare to delay and hurried to the bed, forcing themselves to sleep. Chen Zi thought it would take a long time of tossing and turning before he could sleep, but who knew why soon enough, light snoring sounded.


    The night passed quickly, Chen Zi woke up from a feeling of extreme hunger. He groaned and held his distended belly slightly, sat up and rummaged through the table beside him, and pulled out a small compressed biscuit.


    His eyes glowed green and he hurriedly ripped the plastic open, bringing it to his lips, however the moment the instant the biscuit touched his tongue, an overwhelming feeling of nausea hit him like a train track. The food that had seemed so delicious before, now felt as if he was holding a pile of shit in his hands. There was even a faint taste of sour bile in the back of his throat.


    Suppressing the urge to hurl, he the down the uneaten biscuit and unconsciously thought of the fish he had eaten on the ship. It was the most delicious food he had ever eaten and he wanted to if he could bring the recipe out.


    Saliva almost pooled out of his mouth and his stack grumbled in protest.


    His restless movements and a feeling of unease washed over his body, he closed his eyes instinctively.


    There was a sudden knocking sound on the outside, very light, but it was extremely clear at night. But who would knock on doors at this time of night?


    Chen Zi broke out into a cold sweat, Liang Yuanhao was still snoring and didn''t realize anything.


    The knocking sound rang in several doors one after another, opening before closing, getting closer and closer... until after a few minutes, the knocking sound finally sounded on this room!


    Tuk Tuk Tuk.


    Chen Zi feigned turning over, his eyelids trembling in fear.


    Tuk Tuk Tuk.


    The knock sounded again.


    The door handle juggled restlessly.


    Chen Zi didn''t dare to open his eyes, and stayed motionless on the bed, listening to the sound of the knocking.


    Tuk Tuk Tuk.


    The thing outside seemed unsure if he was awake. After three more knocks, a fluttering voice suddenly sounded: "Are you hungry?"


    Chen Zi almost urinated on the spot.


    He closed his eyes tightly, trying to pretend to be asleep.


    The voice was unrelenting: "As long as you speak up, I can get you something to eat."


    Liang Yuanhao, who was beside him, seemed to wake up and his calf twitched uncontrollably and kicked the floor of the bed. The loud noise was jarring in the silent night.


    The voice had reached the ears of the two of them:


    "One last time, are you hungry?" The room was dead silent.


    The voice sighed softly: "Alas..."


    After a few seconds of silence, the door lock was opened with a click.


    Chen Zi''s hand under the quilt clenched into a fist. In his ear, he could hear a wet trail being dragged from the door to the side of his bed.


    He tried to maintain steady breathing, but he was sure his rapidly beating heart had already betrayed him.


    His forehead was swept by something soft and wet, and the voice whispered: "No fever."


    Immediately afterward, the thing took a look at Cheng Zi''s eyelids, a firelight was shone into his eyeballs, before it said, "The eyeballs have not changed."


    In the gap when his eyelids were briefly opened, Chen Zi recognized this person as the villager that had rented this room to them.


    He let him go and walked away, "Not ready yet."


    A similar inspection was done to the other occupant in the room and when he was given a similar judgment, Liang Yuanhao breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes quietly opening a slit.


    As a result, a cold light flashed.


    The last picture he saw was a pale hand holding a bone-chopping knife high, before swinging it down at his head. His eyes shrunk in despair¨C


    No didn''t he say that he wasn''t ready yet! He didn''t even have time to scream, with a cold glint the knife slammed into his fragile throat.


    The morning sun was bright and welcoming.


    The director who threw up several times yesterday came out of the room with a pale face. His stomach was empty but besides what the villagers served there was hardly any other food here. He picked up three milk tablets and put them in his mouth, and waved his hand at them listlessly.


    "Chu Yi prepare, today your first scene will be filmed."


    He looked around, "Where''s my lead actor."


    The crew looked at him strangely, "They''re outside.....digging...."

 Chapter 169 - The Isolated Island (13)

    The night was silent and all the creatures slept fitfully, at this moment, a coughing sound came from the sole house on the hill, and someone woke up, seeming to get out of bed.


    Zhao Yuan coughed lowly, held his bladder, and thought of the wooden urinal in the thatched hut, his eyelids jumping. If he wanted to relieve himself, he could not do so in the house, he had to go to the thatched hut.


    However, he had seen enough horror movies to know, that the first night was the most dangerous but he didn''t feel as if his bladder could stand the tossing.


    After a while, the door of the room creaked open, and Zhao Yuan came out with a kerosene lamp, coughing and hurriedly walking towards the thatched hut. The hut was outside the back door, and Zhao Yuan had to pass through the back where the rainwater tanks were to get there, the house was pitch-dark inside, and the kerosene lamp could barely illuminate his path.


    Suddenly he paused in his footsteps, the crisp cracking sound was amplified in the silent night, clear and loud. Zhao Yuan stared at the bone illuminated by the lamp in shock, and stumbling carted a few steps back, boots thumping loudly but even so none of the crew woke up even with such loud movement, without even a cough, they all slept very soundly.


    He had half a mind to just go back but the painful squeeze in his bladder deterred him, lifting his foot, he tentatively stepped over the cracked skeleton, before running away hurriedly, praying that was just an old chicken bone.


    The courtyard was still dark, the large tanks stood like giant sleeping monsters. The cold sea breeze swept the fire light in the kerosene sending it flickering madly casting dark orange shadows on the walls of the courtyard. He seemed to smell a weird fishy smell in the yard, not from the urinal.


    He glanced at the tanks, looked around, and hesitated for a moment the last time he checked, the tanks were all empty, how would it look like now...


    They always warned that curiosity killed the cat, but to be able to follow a haunted director to an isolated island to film a horror movie, all the crew presumably had a crazy streak. He held the lamp in one hand and slowly stood on the other end of the tank, before using one hand to lift the cover and peered the lamp over the edge.


    Two large copper bell-like eyes lifted its head from the sack it was buried in and stared back at him. It opened its mouth filled with millions of teeth and hissed at him, before disappearing in the next second!


    Zhao Yuan sucked in a breath of cold air and something rushed into his throat, forcing him to swallow hard to avoid choking, he stared at the tank, his body felt cold, and he ran out without thinking, dropping the lamp.


    There was a low screech behind him and something slimy wrapped around his feet, causing him to fall with a heavy thud! He spat out the mouthful of wet dirt and kicked back frantically, feeling foot collide with something fleshy and the screech came again.


    Standing up, Zhao Yuan stumbling avoided the attack from behind. It was clear that the surroundings were gloomy and cold, but he was already sweating profusely. His back was close to the walls of the tank, and desperately tried to focus, he couldn''t see anything, but his gut told him that things were there.


    Just when Zhao Yuan felt something cold on his neck, he suddenly felt that air around him loosen his restraint, the cold aura disappeared, and the sense of urgency and danger also disappeared. He stood there panting for a second, still filled with disbelief, after a moment''s hesitation, he made a mad dash to the only other person who knew something was wrong and banged on the door anxiously, "Chu Yi, Open up!"


    Just when he thought the door would not open, it finally did and Chu Yi stood at the door with his arms crossed and heavily lidded eyes. He looked at his disheveled state. Zhao Yuan had a lot of mud on his 3-4 cm leather shoes, and there were suspicious wet stains on his body, evidently, he had gone through a hard ordeal.


    Another man came up from behind Chu Yi and leaned lazily against the door sill, he glanced at him up and down as if measuring something and suddenly stepped back and came back later with a bottle of water, "Drink." He used his other hand to pull Chu Yi a step back.


    Zhao Yuan took it gratefully, he felt as if there was a nasty taste lingering in his mouth as if he had swallowed rotten fish. The feeling of wanting to vomit came up. Just as he was about to take two sips from the bottle of water in his hand, his stomach suddenly churned, and he vomited yellow and red bile with a loud "Wah"


    Zhao Yuan immediately felt weak and his face turned pale, pointing at Ruan Quixi tremblingly: "You, you, you..."


    Chu Yi wrinkled his nose at the sour smell, "Did you eat anything"


    Zhao Yuan panted heavily, turned his head away and didn''t dare to look at Ruan Quixi, and said hurriedly:


    "No! No I swear I didn''t touch any of the food at the banquet" His legs felt weak, and almost fell on the threshold. He rubbed his stomach and threw up a few more times, physiological tears flowing from his bulging eyes, "I...no what''s happening?!"


    Chu Yi ignored him, "What did you come to us for initially."


    He wretched, only stomach acid coming up this time, and tried to calm down, pointing trembling in the direction he came from, "The water tanks...something was inside the water tanks."


    "What did it look like?" Chen Yang stood under the eaves, red eyes narrowing slightly, Zhao Yuan paused for a second and seemed to think of something and his face turned white, "It looked like the fish we had onboard the ship!..."


    He nodded and looked back, "Let''s go."


    "Go©\go back?"


    Ruan Quixi patted his shoulder as he walked by, with a callous and teasing smile, "Want to eat fish?"


    Zhao Yuan hurriedly shook his head into a banging drum. He had no desire to eat at all. Now he only felt disgusted. Zhao Yuan was very scared, but fortunately, there was someone to accompany him, but that sentiment was soon brushed away and replaced by a feeling of stepping into a pit...


    They all walked in across the broken wooden threshold and into the courtyard. Chen Yang was afraid of something behind him, so he hurriedly followed him.


    He picked up the kerosene lamp could he had discarded in his escape, the groove where the kerosene ss should go was smashed, therefore the lamp could not be used anymore.


    Sparse moonlight shone down on them and Chu Yi walked to the innermost tank next to the door, the only one that opened and looked in.


    Zhao Yuan watched nervously and felt his heart constrict when he saw Chu Yi reach in and bring out a brown sack from inside the tank! His instincts kicked in and without thinking, he turned to run again.


    A hand clamped on his arm, and then a dragging sound was heard and the bag was dropped before his feet.


    "Pour it out," said Chu Yi.


    Zhao Yuan struggled and shook his head. Who knew what was in the bag, what if it was a corpse!


    The smile on Chu Yi''s face showed a vague outline, and there was a trace of boredom, "Pour it out. I''m tired."


    "Come on." Ruan Quixi boy pushed Zhao Yuan with a low and hoarse voice, "Pour it out, If not I''ll stuff you in the sack." His tone was light but he didn''t seem to be joking.


    Hu-hu-hu-


    Cold sweat dripped from his forehead. With no other choice, he staggered to the bag, closed his eyes and bent his back, shivered, and grabbed the sides of the bag, shaking violently before lifting it heavily.


    "Bang"


    The body fell out.


    The woman still maintained her arched shape in the bag but her entire abdomen had been gouged out as if it had been scraped out with a spoon. Chu Yi recognized the civilian clothes on her body. Part of her face had been gnawed off recently and her neck was hanging by a thread but her eyes were still wide open as if in shock at her death.


    "What to do now?" Zhao Yuan''s lips were pale, and his body was cold and stiff with fear. He wanted to vomit but there was nothing else kept in his stomach.


    Chu Yi stamped on the soil, it wasn''t wet, suitable for burying a body, he looked back at Zhao Yuan, "Have you ever dug a grave?"


    His face turned green.


    *


    The dark clouds in the sky have dissipated, the sun has risen, and everything is new.


    The director was holding a loudspeaker and shouting above the pier: "Where''s the actor who plays the best friend in the flashback? Why hasn''t he come yet?"


    "Director, that actor broke the contract at the last minute....he never came."


    The director: "Then go find me a substitute..."


    "....."


    Before he finished speaking, his mind turned and he saw Ruan Quixi not far away, and hurriedly shouted,


    "Come over here."


    When he saw that there was no movement, the fat director quickly put down his horn and rushed over to him. Looking closer, he could feel the impact of Ruan Quixi''s appearance more clearly. The director was even more satisfied, "It''s you."


    Chu Yi opened his mouth, stopped, and said nothing.


    Forget it, too lazy to explain.


    The makeup artist continued to add blush to his cheeks.


    There were scattered shadows, Ruan Quixi rested his shoulders on the equipment and watched the commotion, holding a flower between his fingers, his eyebrows and eyes were smeared with shadows layer by layer, only light of interest remained in the bottom of his eyes, he could see clearly above his thin lips and tall nose bridge, and his posture shows a bit of sloppiness. When the director came over, he did not resist.


    Seeing the director pulling Ruan Quixi over, the assistant director quickly stepped forward to explain,


    "Director, this gentleman is not an actor, he is a passenger from aboard the ship that happens to be friends with the lead actor."


    "Friends?" The director touched his receding hairline, laughed, and said: "Being friends is good, the emotional connection will be much greater!"


    The assistant director sighed: "Then you also need to see if others are willing."


    The director finally remembered this: "The actor who was supposed to perform the flashback canceled. In the event of such mishap, can you help perform a show?"


    Seeing that Ruan Quixi didn''t answer immediately, the director directly quoted a price: "Well, I''ll give you three thousand yuan after the performance."


    He raised a brow, "At the end of the day?"


    Director: "It will end after the performance."


    Ruan Quixi: "Deal."


    The director smiled boldly and immediately called the assistant director to come over and give the script to Ruan Quixi.


    The scene that Ruan Quixi needs to play is very simple. "The Hunt" is about a man who was washed up on a mysterious island and got involved with an ancient and sacred tribe whereby he held the key to ending their sufferings and was therefore hunted down.


    What they were filming now was a flashback of the protagonist''s past, a mysterious man who was involved in all his happy memories but one day disappeared unexpectedly. The reason the protagonist ended up at sea, was to find this man. Although he was never mentioned later, it was still crucial to the plot.


    The director clapped his slate and shouted, "The first scene, "Flashback" Take one."

 Chapter 170 - The Isolated Island (14)

    Chu Yi left the house and walked towards the pier.


    The sky was dark by the roadside, with gloomy dark clouds piled up in the sky, the kerosene lamps were scattered on the arched eaves, faintly revealing scattered flickering shadows, and everything around him was blurry, only the dim light of the moon showed a bar of bright silver.


    Chu Yi walked to the beach, there was no one standing on the sand that stretched for miles.


    The wind blew on his face and poured into his clothes. It was very cold. His eyes stung from the salty sea breeze, and he began to feel uncomfortable.


    He walked slower, stopping and pausing every few steps as if struggling to continue.


    The world behind him was lively and full of laughter.


    They passed by hand in hand with bright smiles on their faces.


    But there was one person, he was standing in the shadows, just watching the excitement of everyone, as if far away from everything. Standing at the edge of the sea, looking out.


    Chu Yi finally stopped by the shore.


    The lights under the shadows of the cloud were dim, and the sea gently polished the stone and sand.


    Chu Yi turned his head to the right and saw the figure standing alone. He was the only man in the vast wasteland. He stood with his head half-lowered, and in his hand, he seemed to hold a small picture.


    The man seemed to sense his figure and slowly looked up.


    Chu Yi was about to speak, but before he could say anything, his body moved first.


    Faster and faster!¨C


    Harder and harder!


    His body broke through the limits and he flung himself across the sand.


    The man''s arms opened and a smile formed on his lips.


    Chu Yi''s mind seemed to explode, and at the last moment, hesitation lifted off from the ground, and slammed into his body, stretching his arms around his neck.


    The man took two steps back under the force of his weight. Then, he stabilized his long legs, raised his hands, and bent them around his thighs, directly hugging his legs and wrapping them around his waist.


    In the icy world, the dim light behind Ruan Quixi flickered, his eyebrows and eyes were smeared with shadows, but his voice was low and sultry in his ears.


    Like a helpless sigh.


    Slowly his breathing subsided and a soft cry echoed in the silent night.


    "Ok Cut! "


    "This one''s good."


    Chu Yi immediately patted the rogue hand that pinched his ass enjoying the soft feel. He struggled to get down and an assistant immediately wiped the sweat from his face.


    For the first time, Chu Yi started to appreciate the hard work of actors. Just a few simple scenes like this, actually took five takes before they could get the approval.


    The sun broke through the fog in his mind, once again proving its might. The sky wasn''t dark and the ultraviolet rays scorched the earth mercilessly. It wasn''t even midday and he was already panting from the heat.


    The director came up from behind and wanted to pat his shoulders, but was avoided. His hand hung a bit embarrassingly, so he could only use it to wipe away the sweat from his greasy forehead. He handed him a camera, "Our screenwriter wants to have a discussion, so we''ll pause filming for a break."


    "The villagers here have an ancestral Hall, live stream it, to keep the public and introduce the island. Granny Li volunteered to show you the way. "


    They met Granny Li at the entrance of the village, she still held a kind and all-knowing look on her face, the weirdness and darkness of last night nowhere to be seen. The live stream audience that had been mostly forgotten, streamed into the platform and sent out a few enthusiastic barrages.


    Granny Li pulled the shawl around her folded neck and slowly hobbled over the small dirt path, "Our village has been on this island for generations and I can testify that there are many good things here, I feel gratified that you would choose our island to shoot your big city movie."


    Chu Yi looked at the camera and pretended to unintentionally ask, "Does your island get food from the ships that dock every month?"


    The old lady looked at him thoughtfully, "Yes, you see because of our islands....conditions... it''s hard to raise a few livestock."


    Chu Yi: "Oh."


    They fell into silence and the atmosphere became embarrassing for a moment. Granny Li seemed to think of something and spoke again,


    "It wasn''t always like this. In fact, in the beginning, our island was very rich. But it''s unknown when but the weather began to change and then there became a shortage of food. Some people will pick up those small animals that have just died from the heat and take them home to eat. As a result, it is said that everyone who ate the meat of those animals became crazy and jumped into the sea."


    The old woman laughed and paused before continuing: "Those people were drowned in the sea in front of everyone''s eyes, and no one could get close to them to save them. Moreover, their bodies never surfaced, as if their bodies had been filled with lead and they sunk to the sea. I was just a young child when it happened but half the village died that day. It is said that at night, their crazy laughter can still be heard on the night of a full moon."


    Some particularly cowardly audience covered their pounding hearts and looked left and right in shock before they kept swiping on the screen. Accompanied by the flying barrage, they felt that they are not alone,


    [As expected from an Isolated island, this eloquence, this rhythm control, Fuck, scared me to death !]


    [I was really scared, I thought about the time I almost drowned to death as a child and that feeling of slowly losing consciousness still haunts me today. Imagine voluntarily jumping in!! It must be a ghost!]


    [Ah ah ah! Stop talking, stop talking, stop! I''m afraid of ghosts!]


    [Hey, Hey, can you guys stop, a science student here, those people probably experienced illusions from the rotten meat and jumped into the sea. Although unfortunate, we still have to believe in science]


    The granny smiled at him kindly and continued to walk. When they arrived at the ancestral Hall, he was a bit surprised to see that they weren''t the only ones standing there.


    It wasn''t a pleasant surprise however, the familiar greasy and discomfiting man approached him once he recognized his presence. A few others, presumably players also glanced this way.


    He stood before Chu Yi, ignored his cold face, and reached out a hand as if to shake. Another slender, wheat-colored hand directly grabbed his wrist with an unquestionable force. Arescio looked at the man on the opposite side, motionless and unwilling to give in.


    The man''s slender palm was extremely powerful, and Arescio struggled but was unable to break free from his grasp.


    He tilted his head and the smile on his lips only grew wider, "Is this necessary, even a shake is too much?"


    "Dirty things should not be touched" The man''s low and magnetic voice was filled with a smile but not a smile.


    The man looked human on the surface but his hand was as cold as it had just come out of the ice cellar. A cold breeze attracted their attention, the person in question had already walked past the two of them and stood before the building.


    He always felt that this building gave him a very strange feeling. It was tall and had been built for a long time, with an air of solemnity and the faint smell of incense. But inexplicably, he just couldn''t ignore the faint irritability in his heart, always feeling that something was not right.


    The forest was not far away and the trees resembled people standing in the woods and he could only see the blurred outline through the thick fog.


    Granny Li ignored the tense air between people and pointed to the building, with a crooked finger, "This is our village''s ancestral Hall, it contains the lineage of all the people who ever lived on the island. You can go in and look at will but remember to pay respects before you leave."


    The light of the sun shone down onto the old woman''s face, covered under the eaves of the building, her figure blurry, even her shadow was elongated by the sun, making her look less human-like.


    The door to the temple slowly creaked open untouched and the dark hall lit up slowly. Chu Yi was the first to enter the hall, and he could smell the strong odor of incense. The incense burner in front of the mounted slates was also full of incense ashes that had not been brushed away


    Footsteps rang out behind and slowly all the people entered the main hall, there were red hangings everywhere, and it looks extremely festive and lively, unlike the somberness of most halls.


    However, in the dim and faint light, covered by the smoke of the lit incense, those red decorations looked extremely eerie.


    Painted figures covering the walls, from all directions, aimed their gaze at the only living persons in the hall.


    The barrage that was still a bit lively suddenly became stagnant.


    [ .....?]


    [Is It just me or do these paintings seem to be looking at us]


    [Dont scare me @%$& believe in Confucius! I believe in Confucius!]


    The temple is not large, and the structure is very simple. There are incense and some religious statues in the middle, next to a huge merit box and the ancestral slates. There seemed to be something engraved on the merit box, but because the distance is too far, Chu Yi could not see it.


    The door slammed shut behind them, startling everyone. It wasn''t any supernatural force, Arescio stood by the door, hand still on the handle with a strange smile. "The wind might blow out the incense so let''s close it."


    The ancestral hall albeit filled with dust and smoke was beautifully decorated, the walls and ceiling were full of painted figures, depicting the daily life of the villagers vividly, and each villager had a different posture. Different people, different costumes, each face has its unique characteristics, you could tell at a glance that they are different people, painted vividly as if these people would leap out of the wall in any second.


    In addition to the characters in the murals, there are farmland houses, chickens, dogs, and livestock, and even the curling smoke rising from the roof and the mountains behind are all carefully depicted.


    The people who followed him into the hall looked around for a few seconds before glancing at each other in tactic understanding.


    In the next second, these people walked over to the wall and began smashing frantically, the drywall wall was unable to withstand the force and within a few moments, a large hole was smashed into the wall. Arescio came up from behind and seemed to find Chu Yi''s expression very interesting, and laughed softly.


    "Are you curious?"


    Chu Yi glanced at through hooded lashes, "As long as you let me touch you, I''ll tell you why I''m doing this."


    That kind of wet eyes, like a poisonous snake, spitting out a forked tongue, and like a sticky snail, it can''t be shaken off, and it slowly crawls on the skin.


    [It''s so terrifying... The earl''s eyes seem to be swallowing him...]


    [Same... I feel like I was violated by his eyes... So disgusting, so disgusting, so disgusting! ]


    [Ah, ah, YiYi, don''t let him touch! It''s a bit perverted! Chu Yi be careful ah ah ah ah! ]

 Chapter 171 - The Isolated Island (15)

    "Just this?" Chu Yi twitched the corner of his mouth and suddenly drew a faint smile.


    "Yes, just this." Arescio''s eyes wandered around the corners of Chu Yi''s lips, his eyes were deep, and he wetly licked the thin lips. "It''s a good deal right? For everything that I know, just let me touch."


    [Ah ah ah? Don''t you want to play like this?]


    [Come on, there is obviously something wrong with this mam... Like an old pervert tempting a little girl with candy, obviously up to bad things but still want to pretend to be good...]


    [Ah, why does this play sounds a bit exciting! ]


    [! ! ! Is this something I can watch for free? Hey, even if it''s a bit greasy, he''s still very handsome, I think I can! The perverted Isekai is a


    till very good! ]


    His eyes were full of temptation as if he wanted to directly eat him into his stomach. It wasn''t the same as Ruan Quixi''s usual unruliness and Chu Yi was disgusted by this.


    The long-lost violent urge to gouge out someone''s eyes were brought to the surface again and his finger twitched at his side.


    He leaned forward, not avoiding his presumptuous gaze, but looked directly at him.


    "Is It hard to not talk nonsense, don''t you understand?"


    Arescio was taken aback.


    He saw the man lower his eyes slightly, and a loose smile appeared at the corner of his lips. He moved the incense from the small slate, skimming his fingertips over the flame.


    The light grey smoke instantly dissipated into the air.


    It should have been extremely hot, but there was no pain on the face of the young man.


    He just pursed his lips and smiled casually:


    "It''s not that I can''t do it."


    "It''s just that it''s too boring. So boring, I can''t even be bothered to play along."


    "Arescio, do you understand now?"


    The others man''s eyes shrunk and he could see a flash of coldness in his eyes. Arescio looked at him silently, and after a while, he showed a broad smile again, "I do understand now, I''ll try my best to make it more ''fun'' for you."


    Chu Yi stared at him in a silent confrontation before walking away with a twist of his head.


    Ancestral Halls are generally built and maintained by the village with their funds, and it usually contains the ancestors of all the villagers. Therefore, compared with other temples, the configuration and repair of ancestral halls are generally not good, and the decoration is more grounded. It will clearly show the local folk characteristics and the simple and enthusiastic aesthetics of the villagers


    But when his eyes moved to the side again, his pupils were condensed and he was a little puzzled.


    It was the painting at the very center of the zenith, just above the head of the slates. It depicted a man with the head of a fish and the body of a man crouching on a rock on the top of a mountain, with the sea below it and the villagers on faintly bowing to it.


    If you look at the whole hall, it is more like all the villagers and animals are saluting the painting and guarding it.


    If you look closely, there was a strange and foreign inscription engraved on the bottom of the painting. Chu Yi memorized the pattern and turned his head back to the others.


    The old shovel lifted into the air for the final time, the silver metal seemed to be tinged with a layer of dark red in the dim light before it slammed down abruptly into the wall!


    "Boom!¨C"


    There was a crack, the moment the last piece of drywall was smashed, a strong sour smell suddenly radiated from the dark hole. The sour smell was so pungent, it made his eyes water with psychological tears and a fit of wretched coughs sounded from the people closest to it.


    The wall-like moat was torn open abruptly!


    Chu Yi stared silently at the black hole.


    Suddenly, a small gray stone flashed out of the black hole and flew towards Chu Yi''s face at a speed that no human could react to!


    Before Chu Yi could move, his eyes darkened.


    "Crack!¨C"


    Ruan Quixi stretched out his hand and caught the gravel!


    "What are you doing?" He threw down the gravel, turned his head, and looked at Chu Yi carelessly.


    Chu Yi couldn''t help but be slightly startled, there was still the afterimage of Ruan reaching out in front of him.


    The pungent scent from the wall only got stronger and Chu Yi saw that in the deep hole formed, there were countless white bones scattered on the other side!


    The bones were crooked, stacked on top of each other, without any order. Some of the skeletons were wearing clothing and judging from the color, there was no doubt that they belonged to the village, but among the bones, there were also a large number of dried-up unknown objects.


    "... excrement?" Ruan Quixi frowned, "Is this a cesspit or a mass grave?"


    This was the ancestral Hall of the villagers and if going by this evidence, then it could be said that these were the skeletons of the villager''s ancestors. But why would they be buried in the ancestral Hall instead of in a proper tomb?


    Chi Yu stared at the bone burial pit and whispered: "These skeletons, the ones at the back have intact teeth but they also have relatively large wear and tear. It is estimated that they are between 40-60, the ones closest are younger between 12-30."


    "And there are both men and women." Ruan Quixi said, "There is no obvious trauma on the body.?"


    "There is dried excrement around these bones. I''m afraid they were not dead when they were thrown in but rather starved to death."


    The man who did the final hit stood back and bowed at the Arescio, "Sir, I can sense the presence of life inside the hole¨C"


    His words abruptly paused.


    " Cough, cough, cough."


    It wasn''t known if he was choking, the man whose name was Ji Hongcai, coughed a series of times, and his face flushed like a rash:


    "The hole is not deep. I hit it with a shovel, but the walls were very brittle. I shoveled off a bunch of stone chips in a few seconds. But there is a strange wet feeling about it, like cement that had not been dried, but considering the time the building was built, this should not be so."


    Ji Hongcai couldn''t stop coughing even after drinking a few sips of water. He faintly muttered that his throat was itchy, covered his mouth, and coughed, refusing to waste any more water.


    Chu Yi suddenly narrowed his eyes, "Did any of the dust and stone get into your mouth?"


    Following Chu Yi''s gaze, everyone looked at Ji Hongcai, who couldn''t stop coughing. When they saw the water bottle, they were surprised that it was cloudy and filled with stone sediment. Ji Hongcai''s face flushed from coughing, unable to speak, and reached out to pick up the water bottle.


    The man closest to him looked terrified, stared straight at Ji Hongcai, and panicked: "Ji Hongcai, you coughed up blood!"


    Ji Hongcai coughed so hard that the palm of his hand that stretched out to them was blood red. The players all retreated subconsciously. At this moment, Ji Hongcai coughed to the point of convulsions all over his body, panting heavily, eyes bulging, staring at nothing in the air, his lips turning blue.


    He fell to the ground before the hole, Ji Hongcai''s swollen eyelids were also full of black blood, and his nasal cavity was filled with black blood dripping down his lips.


    The air was silent except for the sounds of his choking screams.


    The barrage was boiling!


    [Is this an infection? Why are they just standing there, why don''t they bring him to a doctor?"]


    [Upstairs, where will they find a good doctor on such an isolated island?]


    [No, no, It''s too disgusting, really too disgusting. I can''t watch anymore!!]


    [Should we call the authorities???]


    He vomited incessantly, the red and yellow substance mixed with the rock and stone disgustingly. It was the same as the crew members that had induced vomiting, this one was more serious. In the vomit, there were pieces of black meat, it was almost as if something had burrowed into his body and was quickly eating away at his inner organs.


    Chu Yi hesitated for a moment, then slowly walked in the direction bending over the convulsive body. He tried to open hid open but the man''s teeth had locked together and his eyes wrinkled. Another rougher hand covered him and no one could see how he did it but In the blink of an eye, Ji Hongcai''s chin was forcefully opened by Ruan Quixi.


    The pungent stench spread rapidly from his mouth, causing Chu Yi''s hands to shake. He quickly stabilized his emotions and looked deep into his mouth.


    But Ji Hongcai had too much saliva filler with pus and blood in his throat that kept pouring out. The terrifying stench came from these red, yellow, and yellow liquids, in his vision, the liquid seemed to be filled with a few glinting scales that swum around. It seemed that the water had irritated whatever was inside his body.


    Arescio stared at the man emotionlessly before suddenly pointing to someone standing the farthest away from the body, "Go in."


    "H-huh?!"


    Arescio looked at him coldly, " Go in and see if there is life inside the hole."


    "No..no don''t you see the states he''s in?"


    Arescio didn''t speak again but Chen Zi choked and didn''t say anything more. He wanted to cry with no tears.


    On the murals that were hidden in the darkness, all the figures in the paintings turned their eyes that had been inked with thin brushes, twisted their eyes, and cast their gazes towards people in unison, turning their necks as they walked step by step closer to the pit, the line of sight stuck closely.


    The peasant women leading their children to the market, the naughty children hiding behind the door, the villagers farming in the fields, even chickens, ducks, geese, dogs, cattle, sheep, and livestock... All the creatures painted in the murals of the hall all looked at them.


    The clothes on their bodies were brightly colored, and two red blushes were painted on their yellow faces. Under the faint dim light, it appeared extraordinarily strange and cold.


    It was as if the coldness of the death had silently infiltrated into the hall, spreading along with the red and black floor tiles...


    Hum-


    There was a gust of wind in the depths of the dark tunnel, and there was a faint smell in the wind. Chen Zi shrank his neck, the sense of crisis and fear made him dare not think about anything else. He grabbed the edge of the hole, held his breath, and tentatively stepped in.


    His head disappeared into the darkness.

 Chapter 172 - The Isolated Island (16)

    Crack, Crack.


    A cracking sound of charred incense sticks and crushed stone came from under his feet.


    Chu Yi stood before the offering table, lowered his head, and saw that he had smashed the remnants of previous offerings and hadn''t been swept away. The incense used was obviously of lower quality and the smell was more pungent, it was so fragile that it becomes dust when crushed.


    The gloomy and cold wind whistled, bringing about a stale and rotten stench. The view from the table was wide open, and a small, unfenced platform extended out from the end of the hall where two soft pillows for paying respect were placed.


    Chu Yi pushed aside the broken bones with his feet and found that gold and silver dust was glittering under the bone fragments, which were gold grains as fine as sand.


    [That is, look, YiYi''s lens is pointed to the mural. It''s so beautiful...Is this folk culture? Suddenly I feel so moved. These murals are so well painted as if they are alive and lifelike. ]


    [Ah...then what, why do I feel that this mural seems to be moving? I just saw a kid on the wall winking at me. ]


    [Wasn''t their eyes just pointing the other way, why do they seem to be following Chu Yi''s movement?]


    [Is everyone forgetting the dying man in the other room!!!]


    Some inexplicable bad comments suddenly appeared on the screen.


    [Hey, have you forgotten this is the broadcast of a horror film? Is this marketing the show team is looking for? It''s a bit low-level, it''s not much to engage in such scary things, let''s concentrate on improving the quality of the content of the movie.]


    [The crew really knows how to play, what kind of murals are moving haha. As expected of a D- list trash director and actor.]


    Although he said that it was an illusion, as more and more viewers posted the same barrage, saying that they really saw the mural moving the truth became more and more obscure. Some people even took out a few seconds of screenshots, which can clearly identify that the positions of several people in a family on the last mural moved in the blink of an eye!


    Moreover, the child among them seemed to sense the camera, opened his red mouth at the camera, and laughed.


    Chu Yi picked up a slate, brushed away the dust, and looked at it carefully. To his surprise, he discovered that the stone slate is not as smooth as a mirror, but instead, there were thousands of cracks spreading across it densely covered like spider webs and the name could not be made out.


    He picked up another slate, it was the same thing. This was abnormal, village''s especially closed villages were usually more superstitious and paid more attention to filial piety.


    And yet such a blatant desecration of the ancestral hall and the burying of corpses in the wall was allowed.


    "Graveyard? Altar?" A low voice with a hint of playfulness sounded in his ears. Ruan Quixi stood by his side and slowly brushed his eyes over the small platform. "Maybe the entire village is just one big graveyard full of walking corpses. Wouldnt that be interesting."


    Chu Yi hummed softly, put down the slate in his hands, and naturally wiped the grey dust onto the man beside him.


    "....."


    [Haha! Why do I seem to see the question marks flying above his head.]


    [No no, my CP can''t be so...cute !?]


    [Hey, no, no why is no one remembering the dead man just a few steps away?? Is no one gonna call the authorities?]


    The merit box was actuated right beside the incense burner. It was very old and there was a small slit for inserting money. An ordinary merit box but what caught his attention was its position. It wasn''t placed at the side of the ancestral tablets nor was it placed at the foot where it could be easily accessible after paying merits but it was placed directly below the painting of the fish man.


    "That old woman is not easy to deal with." Chu Yi looked at the thin smoke billowing from the thin incense, the butt was lit and the smoke wafted into his nose with the scent of mahogany and cinnabar, his tone was a little strange and his words inexplicable but Ruan Quixi quickly understood and looked back at the broken wall.


    He carefully picked up the box, broke the lid, and touched the inside and outside, repeatedly brushing the series of bumps on the lid, and suddenly thought: "Looking at this, doesn''t it have the same feeling as the woods in the forest outside?"


    Ruan Quixi lifted a hand and touched it, the smooth and velvety touch like human skin was familiar.


    Chu Yi bowed and spoke to himself, " The villagers are afraid of the forest, so why would they make their merit box out of the forest trees ."


    Chen Yang pointed to the box heavy sense of age under his belly: "Could it be used for something other than being a merit box?"


    Ruan Quixi stared at him: "Then why is it in the ancestral hall?"


    Chu Yi''s finger kept moving, he traced carefully, and memorized the position of a few bumps: "Taboo, curse, protect, shield, there are many reasons for people to do certain things.."


    His hands suddenly stopped and his finger pressed hard against a certain bump on the bottom. There was the sound of wood shifting and Chu Yi slowly raised the box to his face.


    A hidden compartment. Inside the box was the corpse of a smashed worm. Chu Yi could see that the worm was really weird. It was a bit like a silkworm, but it was densely covered with red and black hair, the exposed patterns are unusually like a human face with fresh blood flowing.


    The moment he saw the worm, he was reminded of the red and black meat served at the dinner table at the banquet hall. There seemed to be more than one strange coincidences whappening on the island.


    The moment the worm was revealed, Chu Yi seemed to hear a faint rumbling. He glanced up, red eyes narrowing faintly.


    They only had to wait for a few minutes and it wasn''t before long that Chen Zi reappeared once again. But they could see that Chen Zi was in a bad state, his lips trembled terribly and his face was as pale as a ghost. He was shaking all over. Traces of dirt and rubble stuck to his clothes with cold sweat, and he appeared extremely dirty and embarrassed.


    He climbed out from the wall and directly collapsed to the floor with soft legs, when he realized he was beside Ji Hongcai he shuffled away hastily and stood up again, taking deep gasps of breath. Chen Zi staggered drunkenly, stumbling dozens of steps back before finally stopping, eyes still shrunken in extreme shock.


    "What did you see?"


    When Chen Zi barely calmed down, Chu Yi asked in a low voice:


    "What''s in the hole."


    "Yes, there are corpses, one, no, many, there are many corpses buried, just bones."


    If it was just that he would he wouldn''t be so terrified.


    Chen Zi''s voice trembled, his face pale, and his words were incoherent and stuttered.


    "A lot, a lot, they were standing, standing and buried in the hole, in a circle, I didn''t count how many."


    "Their necks look like they''re broken, their faces are looking completely up, and all the corpses are - they''re looking up at the ancestral."


    He took a deep breath, and spat out the last sentence with trembling lips"Not only that, there are countless, countless¨C"


    When he said this, the whole world seemed to have fallen into a strange silence, and the wind that had been blowing thinly stopped.


    The sound of small insects rang loudly, and a thick black mist rushed out of the air and began to invade their location.


    "Boom!¨C" Deep in the fog, something seemed to be madly slamming against the wall, and the heavy rhythm of anger seemed to want to vent the anger that can''t be suppressed in the heart


    Chu Yi heard a dense rustling and scattering sound that made goosebumps erupt along his arm. The could come from behind the dark hole, getting closer and closer, gradually engulfing the walls. Listening carefully, the surging sounds of insects coming from all directions, rushed in like a tidal wave formed by thousands of black insects.


    The light of incense in his hand briefly shone on the cracks in the dark hole, where he could see countless tiny black shadows flickering behind the cracks, all of which were dense red and black worms!


    They were like a blanket of insects, like a large number of army ants, rushing towards them at a fast speed, the only living person in the ancestral hall, like an evil spirit from hell rushing towards the sacrifice of flesh and blood, rumbling like a tide.


    In the live broadcast room, the audience was scared stupid and for a brief second, there was no movement. The red worms quickly engulfed the threshold and rushed towards their feet with unstoppable momentum!

 Chapter 173 - The Isolated Island (17)

    The surrounding temperature seemed to have dropped to a freezing point and a sense of coldness came from behind the hole in the wall. The dense rustling sound crawled into their ears and gatherer into the hearts, as the black and red insects sprinted to their feet in an overwhelming tide.


    The worms under the high-definition camera were ugly and ferocious. You could see the squirming segments under the disgusting hair. In the dark environment, they appeared extraordinarily strange and infiltrating, with the illusion that in the next second, the worm would rush up, crawl into their body and gnaw away at their internal organs.


    Several people stepped back, eyes heavy with fear, the worms were almost upon them, gathering around their feet, the players frantically stepped back, kicking and stomping at the worms in an attempt to rid them. Ji Hongcai''s body had already been submerged in the bloody tide, his life and death unknown.


    Some tried to throw out a fire to scare them, but this low-level trick did not work and at that point, they had all climbed up onto the pillars and platforms. Nevertheless, this temporary retrieve would not last long considering that the worms were slowly crawling up the walls towards them!


    It''s not that no one thought of escaping, but everyone had qualms and unless the situation was truly dire, no one wanted to be the first to move, regardless, the situation was rapidly deteriorating.


    [Ah!Ah!Ah!]


    [Too disgusting, too disgusting, someone take my eyes out and burn them!!]


    [Will no one really consider calling the authorities. I feel like this island is a hazard?!?!]


    [Wuwuwu, YiYi, don''t continue acting in this movie, even If you are a vase, I will still like you. The director''s brain must be filled with water, why did he want to come to such a dangerous island.]


    [There''s no time to scold the director, those things are crawling up!!]


    Chen Zi held onto the pillar, his face even paler than before, he gritted his teeth and looked around, grasping his pocket tightly. When he was down there he had been attracted to a small statue lying against a skeleton. Who knew that as soon he picked it up, he attracted the attention of these disgusting things. The best course of action now was to throw the statue down and pacify the worms below but he was unwilling!


    After that night, Liang Yuanhao had turned strange, he had started to eat with the owners of the house and all he did was eat, eyes glassy, even when his stomach was engorged and blood dripped from his nose, he still continued to eat. Now that he had lost his backer, he could only find a new one, but he had enough experience to know that without usefulness, he would be quickly thrown away, and maybe he would become like Ji Hongcai or Li Yuanhao!


    There was a gust of cold wind and the dim lanterns hung on the walls went out.


    The ancestral Hall was also plunged into darkness.


    The darkness only heightened their senses, the around of crawling was getting nearer and nearer, and only two big red lanterns were still lit up on the eaves above the platform for paying respects.


    Like some kind of monster, it grinned and opened its red eyes, squatting with greed and hunger to guard its prey.


    His mind moved fast, Chu Yi who has used the ancestral tablets as a step to get up onto the ceiling and was now hanging from a small hook, suddenly paused, remembering the words of Granny Li, ''pay respects before you leave.''


    Chu Yi who hung precariously from the ceiling, suddenly called out coldly, "Go and pay respects."


    In the silent hall filled with the sound of rough breathing, his voice was particularly clear. In the darkness, Chu Yi seemed to feel hundreds of sinister and gloomy eyes suddenly turn towards him.


    He flung his head back and estimated the distance between him and the platform, a bit too far.


    The players quickly picked up on the Granny Li''s hint, but even so, there was no other movement in the hall besides the tide of worms.


    "Who is the first?" Someone asked.


    He asked who is first, but no one answered. This kind of thing was too uncertain and dangerous. If paying respects was in fact a condition for triggering death, then wouldn''t the first person have died for nothing. Plus, it''s uncertain whether they would finish paying respects first or the worms would swallow their bodies.


    "What if the old woman is cheating us?"


    Chen Zi spoke preemptively, "So what if she is, can we stay here?"


    Chu Yi''s hand strained and he had no time to pay attention to the bunch, his eyes locked onto Ruan Quixi, he was closed to him. The players started arguing but only one person was silent from beginning to end. Malicious, greedy pupils never strayed from Chu Yi''s figure, a strange emotion suddenly erupted in Arescio''s eyes.


    "Well, what''s the use of hesitating here? Someone has to go!¨C"


    The man''s voice choked, the crawling sound of the swarms of insects was very close between his words, and the insects that still seemed far away jumped up abruptly.


    For whatever reason, the swarms of insects rustled more and more densely, revealing a strong aggressiveness. The insects gathered together like the most powerful army, and even beasts a hundred times larger than they would flee in a hurry, not to mention fragile humans. The red and black worms moved like a strong wave, Chu Yi who was still hanging precariously, listened to the rustling of the marching insects, his eyes narrowed.


    The rustling of the insects suddenly stopped. Chen Zi looked at the rock wall beside him and saw the dense black and red insects like a plush carpet completely covering the wall of the ancestral Hall, their bodies covered the murals and completely drowned out the painting of the villagers. He had a feeling that these insects were looking at him!


    Shit!¨C


    He immediately reached into his pocket and wanted to quickly throw the statue but qt the same, the insects suddenly surged towards him¨C


    Boom!


    A person descended from the sky and smashed into the ground heavily. There was a short scream,


    "No--!!"


    The man fell straight onto the floor of the ancestral hall, screaming in pain, his leg seemed to be broken. The severe pain turned his face pale and then he saw the insect works densely packed around him, slowly crawling onto his body. His eye rolled and he was scared and fainted. At the same time, a short black statue rolled out of his clenched fingers.


    Closer and closer, the worms moved to their positions, all methods of escape were blocked!


    There was the sound of rustling by the side of his ears, the insects slowly crawled to his position.


    The smell of incense and the faint smell of blood burned in the air. Chu Yi glanced at the man once more and seemed to have made a decision.


    Chu Yi gritted his teeth and jumped down.


    The light was dim in the dark ancestral hall, the paintings on the wall turned their eyes to the weightless figure. The man jumped off the wall, his figure was plated with a thin layer of red, and with a slightly suffocated weightlessness quickly fell to the ground.


    The air whistled by his ears, bumping into the firm and warm embrace, Chu Yi hugged his neck tightly, feeling Ruan Quixi''s arm draped under his buttocks and held it up, holding him very firmly.


    Chu Yi opened his eyes, the collision just now pulled their face very close, Ruan Quixi''s features were close at hand, his cold and sharp eyebrows were raised slightly, reflecting his figure.


    " Second time."


    The air was quiet for a moment.


    There was a faint wind blowing in the hall, the sound of creepy rustling pulled him out of his reverie. Breaking free from his grasp, he quickly propelled himself a few steps forward and finally stood on the platform, looked up at the painting of the humanoid, and bowed slightly.


    All eyed turned to him.


    On the surface, there was no reaction but Chu Yi intuitively felt the changes.


    Beside the platform, some words that weren''t able to react, turned gray and stiff, curled and completely dead, like broken pieces of incense ash. The rest of the worms receded like a tide, revealing a straight path from the platform to the door.


    Without looking at anyone, Chu Yi slowly walked forward, he kicked something under his foot, and a short blue statue rolled. He raised his brow, picked it up, and with a heavy creak, the door was pushed open.


    The bright sunlight streamed in, briefly illuminating the cold interiors, before slamming shut leaving the others to fight again.


    Chu Yi squinted his eyes and a familiar ugly old man squatted at the entrance of the ancestral hall with his back hunched. The closed he got, the more distinct the sound of chewing became. The old man didn''t move even after he heard his footsteps and Chu Yi couldn''t help but reach out¨C


    Chu Yi was stunned as soon as his hand fell on the old man''s body.


    Under his palm, it didn''t feel like a human being''s soft skin with warmth and elasticity, but a scaly and cold with a wet feeling as if coated with mucus - Chu Yi retracted his hand and looked at Ruan Quixi with dark eyes.


    The ugly old man also noticed Chu Yi''s touch, and he finally stopped biting and slowly turned his head to look at the two.


    Chu Yi squinted his eyes, and with the help of the weak light outside the window, he finally vaguely saw what the old man was doing.


    His face was pale, his eyes were stiff, and his lips and chin were covered with blood, and at first glance, his teeth inside his wide-open mouth were filled with jagged and rough edges.


    With the blood still dripping down the corners of his wrinkled mouth wetting the front of his chest in a large swath of red.


    It was only at this moment that Chu Yi could see where the crunching noises and the fresh blood on the old man''s mouth came from.


    ¡ª¡ªThe old man, he was actually biting his fingers!


    Chu Yi could already see something white and raw from the bloody mangled flesh left of the old man''s palm, and it could be seen that the wound was deep enough to see the bone!


    However, even with such an injury, the old man didn''t seem to register pain, and he was still chewing the contents of his mouth with a hair-raising squelch.


    What could be eaten into his mouth and bleed... could only be the flesh and blood of the fingers bitten off by himself.


    They stood together in a stalemate, empty eyes that seemed to be just decorative glass beads staring coldly at him.


    The old man grinned, revealing teeth that were covered in blood and shredded meat stuck between his teeth, smiled strangely at Chu Yi.


    He just raised his head to look at him, before continuing to lower his head intently, biting his own fingers, and muttering indistinctly in his flesh-filled mouth: "Hungry, curse, eat, eat, boy..."


    His belly extended grotesquely, bulging against his chest, with black veins slowly pulling under the skin as his body was filled with flesh.


    Chu Yi suddenly noticed that there was a faint wind blowing behind him as if something was moving extremely quickly towards him!


    He turned around abruptly, the palm of his hand slamming out like thunder and lightning, and he buckled directly behind him.


    Chu Yi''s dry palm caught a wet, slippery and cold thing, cold and slimy, reminiscent of the old man''s skin. He brought it closer, a small red fruit was held in his hands.


    Chu Yi raised his head to the forest, a familiar silver shadow flashed past, he looked down at the fruit again, there was only one place it could have come from.

 Chapter 174 - The Isolated Island (18)

    The gray-haired old man, with folded skin like vertical and horizontal ravines, swallowed the last pieces of blood flesh from his fingers and the look in his eyes had disappeared, and Chu Yi could not see a trace of vitality.


    He stumbled up, his expanded stomach seemed to weigh him down and his body shook, he still took a breath and turned his head with difficulty to look in the direction of the forest, a cold light of hatred suddenly burst out from the old man''s eyes, and his thin lips stretched into a bloody smile, with a breath filled with a rotten air he spoke lowly, "eat, eat, curse, curse, curse."


    At this moment, the old man saw a tall figure appearing beside Chu Yi. The man had a sultry and frivolous appearance, his temperament filled with a heavy omen.


    After seeing the appearance of the other party, the old man''s pupils suddenly shrank, and he opened his mouth and stuttered brokenly: "You¡ª"


    Before the words could leave his lips, his mind seemed to go blank. His eyes turned cloudy again and he stumbled away, holding his distended stomach.


    The sun was extremely hot, Chu Yi put away red fruit and waited for a step for Ruan Quixi to follow. His cold dark eyebrows had a lazy smile and he still seemed to be in a good mood.


    Before they could leave, they heard footsteps nearby. A seven or eight-year-old boy ran over screaming all the way, his face was flushed from the sun, his forehead was sweating, and his clothes were already stained with a lot of dust. When he saw Chu Yi at the entrance of the hall, he stopped before them and shouted twice as if he was calling.


    Two children other came running over with runny noses, the children also stopped and quickly turned their attention to Chu Yi, a fat and sunburnt boy in the back sucked his saliva, frowned, before running up, the little radish heads twisted and shouted slyly,


    "Brother, give you a secret."


    Chu Yi cast his eyes to him, "Secret?"


    The boy nodded heavily and leaned over as if whispering, " The Sea God doesn''t like outsiders."


    Chu Yi narrowed his eyes, the boy looked around and made sure no one could see him before raising a hand and placing it in front of him expectantly.


    When he saw that there was no movement, he became a bit anxious and shook his hand, Chu Yi stood for a moment and understood after a few seconds, isn''t this just looking for a bribe?


    The kid wiped his nose and stood disappointedly, and a thin boy behind him muttered, " What''s the use, aren''t they all going to turn mad anyways"


    Chu Yi didn''t hear clearly, and leaned a little closer, "What did you say?"


    The boy shook his head and took the lead to run off, followed by the other two, soon quickly disappearing into the horizon, bringing with them the faint smell of rotten fish.


    His footsteps paused, and his narrow and sharp eyes widened slightly, he lifted his hand and remembered the statue he had picked up.


    Unlike a gilded deity that faces the main hall and accepts the worship of villagers and incense offerings, this stone deity hides its figure with a hunched back as if too ashamed to meet the world. It is dilapidated and even covered with thick dust and spider webs. It doesn''t appear like a diety, but more like a discarded and forgotten old thing.


    Time and wind and rain have eroded the round hands and compassionate eyes of the stone statue, but from the remaining smooth lines, that when the craftsman carved this statue, he had used a heart of reverence to carefully sculpt and polish the stone and finally carved out the appearance of the gods in his heart.


    But now, the head of the statue had a piece missing, and a crack extending from the top of the statue to the bottom of the base. The crumbling stone is still tenaciously maintaining the integrity of the statue, but it is still in danger of being completely shattered with a light touch.


    Chu Yi looked down at the statue for a long time, then bent down, raised his hand, and gently brushed off the cobwebs wrapped around, barely making a clear appearance for the statue.


    At this moment, a bit of dust fell from the crack beside the eyes of the statue and smashed into Chu Yi''s palm.


    Like, the gods were crying.


    Chu Yi felt a chill, and goosebumps appeared on his arm, the scene before his eyes blurred.


    The weather was a bit gloomy, layers of dark clouds blocked the blue sky, the sun was very low, the air was stuffy, and there was a strange sense of tranquility before the storm.


    In front of it is a small stone house on the island, with a collapsing roof. The tar on the walls has been mottled and peeled, and the moss has grown wildly, painting the white stone pieces of dark green.


    There is a wooden signboard hanging on the wall.


    The signboard has been rusted, and the handwriting on it is not very clear, but if you look carefully, you can vaguely see the words "Doctor ".


    Several people in rough clothes were barefoot and hurried worked together to lift a makeshift stretcher and hurriedly walked forward. There was a woman on the stretcher, who had fallen into a coma, but her brows were still furrowed, and she groaned. His belly grasped painfully in her hands bulged high as if about to give birth, a small blue statue was placed by her stomach.


    The wooden door opened from inside the house, and those villagers carried the woman into the hospital quickly. Someone was already waiting inside. A hoarse, cold shrill scream soon echoed from the building, after a long while, the doors opened again, the woman still exited on a stretcher but this timer, her body was covered with a white cloth.


    Large swaths of blood wetted the sheet, pooled from her body, dripped from the floor to the stretcher, and blended with the soil, the villagers weren''t careful and the stretcher bumped. The small blue statute covered in blood rolled off and hit the floor with a low thump, the only witness of the secrets that happened in that stone house.


    The sound of footsteps came from a distance without haste, expanding infinitely in the silent and cold realm, but before he could get a look good look at the owners of those footsteps, the whole world is gradually dyed with a layer of darkness, the picture receded like a tide and the scene in front of him changed back to the sunny island.


    The barrage who experienced the entire scene of entering the ancestral hall, one man possibly dying in an insect tide and a bizarre old man who ate his own fingers were in a state of shock, denying reality.


    [Ah! Ah! I must be dreaming, really someone pinch me, if Im not dreaming, then I must be in an alternate universe.]


    [Upstairs, I can testify that you are not dreaming! This is too scary. Even if I am a child from a remote island, Ive never experiences these things, I though this was all plots from movies!?]


    [Very good, I originally wanted to use this program to sightsee and explore island on the comfort of my couch and good rest but now I''m are completely frightened and sober]


    [Ah, ah, ah, wowowow, I just finished my homework, and I looked up and faced this thing woo woo, I was really scared to cry, now I have turned on the lights in the room and cried here, my mother is still here When she asked me what was wrong, I didn''t dare to open the door for her. ]


    [What the hell happened? Is this collective madness, disease? What the hell is happening on this island?? I just want to watch a movie, thank you.]


    [I I, I...Come on, director, come out, let''s discuss the introduction and positioning of the show, I promise not to kill you. Was your head kicked by a donkeys hoof ? ? Why choose this haunted place to film? can give you a middle finger on the spot !?]


    As if on cue, the director''s stout figure, appeared on the horizon, gradually coming closer. Ruan Quixi watched the fat man come closer and titled his head to Chu Yi, there was a smile hidden on his handsome face


    His random movements, accompanied by the sultry aura all over his body, are enough to make anyone''s heart throb with red-faced surrender amidst tension and instinctive fear.


    It''s like a python showing off its pattern.


    No matter who sees him, the first word that comes to mind is "danger".


    This will undoubtedly make a girl''s mind fall into a peachy fantasy like a wild rose in the morning.


    The evil spirit''s skin is indeed very good. Ruan Quixi looked at him with his chin, his eyes suddenly full of teasing and malice.


    A tense air brewed in the surging undercurrent.


    Dangerous, ambiguous eyes entangled silently in the air. Chu Yi slowly narrowed his eyes, not good. The director''s bumbling figure came close, nervously wiping the sweat from his greasy forehead, he glanced at the ancestral Hall briefly, his lips seemed to tremble before he looked away hastily, not to his lead actor but to the substitute beside him.


    "The suggestion that you made to the screenwriter was approved, that scene will be filmed in the night, yes, I just remembered¨C"


    The evil spirit called Ruan Quixi, smiled enthusiastically, against Chu Yi''s dark red eyes.


    "Chu Yi, this movie has been upgraded to a double male lead and your next intimate scene will be with him tonight."


    Dark eyes stared at Chu Yi like a hungry beast, his voice saturated with malicious joy, sounded by Chu Yi''s ear, "I know you''ve been bored, so why don''t I make this fun?"


    A strange smile creeped onto the bright red lips, a soft chuckle broke out in the ambiguous silence, "Ok¨C"


    He looked up faintly,


    "Let''s make this fun."

 Chapter 175 - The Isolated Island (19)

    The director clapped his hands, evidently greatly satisfied that his two lead actors agreed. The sun was nearing midday and judging from the way he kept wiping the sweat from his forehead, the director was feeling the heat but still, he insisted on filming


    The Livestream was still on and the barrage saw the entire process of change. At first, there were still people who wanted to resist but the topic quickly turned to the previous events. Many of them still held a wait-and-see attitude even until the end when the camera was turned off and they were once again thrown into the little black room.


    The director glanced nervously at the ancestral Hall and walked as if running away. Chu Yi followed along with Ruan Quixi, even if for nothing more that he was tall enough to block the sun.


    A few Villagers passed by, there eyes were a bit glassy and their stomachs shifted as they walked, although they talked and laughed as normal, they were more like living ghosts than anything else.


    He looked at the director back thoughtfully, when they got back to the pier, which seemed to be the best filming spot for the director, the assistant was coordinating the position of the cameras. When he saw the director leading over the actors, he hurried over and pointed to a few long and thick strips of wood lying on the sand.


    "I asked the villagers, they said that this wood was very strong and suitable for making a makeshift boat for the scene."


    The director nodded, "Did you get any of them to volunteer to help build it or loan us one?"


    The assistant shook his head, "It''s not that I didn''t try but whenever I asked the villagers would just clam up and refuse to speak anymore. It seems we can only rely on ourselves."


    In the past, fishing boats were very particular about going out to sea. They had to watch the tides rise and fall, and they also had to take care of the goods at sea. But now, not to mention, fishing boats or nets, when the dock at the pier was dilapidated and old, only barely maintained each month for the arrival of the Nar¨¦zon.


    Chu Yi looked back at the village in the distance, the chimneys were still smoking and the scent of fried peanuts still drifted faintly in the wind, the stone houses like rows of teeth stood against the sun but they only became more and more strange.


    The makeup director came over and pulled him to the small tent set up, before directly fitting him.


    Considering that this was a shipwreck, his clothes were more loose and tattered, showing the deep collarbone.


    Chu Yi has long hair in the script, so extensions were added.


    Curly black hair was gathered around the waist, and the contours of the face became softer in the hands of the makeup artist, almost inexorable. Faint red and purple bruises were added to his arms and cheeks.


    Finally, the makeup artist added a little pink lip gloss to Chu Yi''s pale lips, which shimmered in the light.


    At sunset, the wooden boat was done and the crew made two oars, just in time for the rising tide. With the sound of the director''s shout, Chu Yi and Ruan Quixi worked together to push the wooden boat into the sea, let go, and the wooden boat floated steadily on the sea.


    Ruan Quixi crossed his long legs and sat in the boat, Chu Yi also stepped in. The wooden boat has a limited load-bearing capacity, so the crew could only attach a small camera to the hull and watch them go.


    The narrow hull could only barely accommodate two people. Chu Yi and Ruan Quixi faced each other, almost knee-to-knee, a close to a dangerous distance.


    The director''s roar came from across the sea, "Start."


    Chu Yi''s smile became more charming than usual, and his eyes were a little blurred, melancholy, and fragile. He seemed to be still worried about what to do, although happy about having found his loved one, and because he was unsure of himself, uneasy about the future.


    The sea had suddenly become foggy for some reason, and the boat kept spinning around the sea, the wreck of the ship was far away and there was no end in sight.


    Ruan Quixi looked down at him from above, the warm sunset shrouded his tall figure in a dim orange glow, suddenly smiled. His long hair is thick and straight, and his pupils were very deep. When he looks down at people, he has a gorgeous and oppressive feeling, his thin lips opened slightly and in his ears, Chu Yi heard the low, scratchy voice speak softly,


    "Baby."


    "Don''t be scared."


    *


    Some people work in full swing, not knowing that time flies, some people spend time like a year, worrying about it. The players on the island were filled with thoughts of death and despair, trying desperately to survive.


    In the north of the island, there were many cliffs, big tsunami-like waves crashed against the sharp rocks, and turbulent waves hit the shore.


    The woman covered in blood, hid behind a rock shiveringly, grabbing the edge and looking out carefully.


    Her teammate, that greasy man, died yesterday. She didn''t have any affection for him, she had only stayed with him because he was relatively strong, but having witnessed his death, it was the first time she had seen him fall to knees, groveling with a mouthful of soil trying to beg for mercy. The blood that sprayed that day still seemed to be filled with a fishy scent.


    Now that'' he''s dead, she has no reliance on anything, so she can only hide from everyone until now, hoping that she would not be discovered by that terrible girl.


    Da, Da¨C¨C


    The sound of high heels stepping onto the high rocks, and the sound of footsteps from far and near, crashed into the heart of the woman like a suffocating grip, causing the fear in her eyes to burst out!


    "Where did you hide?" the immature lolita muttered to herself, before calling out sweetly,


    "Come out quickly, stop playing hide and seek."


    The little girl is wearing a Gothic Lolita dress, holding a black umbrella to block the sun, the delicately crafted satin was gorgeous and complicated, and was made for decoration than practical use; it was heavy, but she walked on the rocky cliffs as if what she was holding was a light feather, unhurried and walking freely.


    The girl slammed her mouth tightly and dared not make any noise. The salty water splashed against her face and stung her eyes but she didn''t dare to even blink


    "I have seen you. I will count to three. If you don''t come out quickly, I will be angry." The girl tilted her head coyly and shouted on the empty beach.


    The woman held her breath, tears from her eyes were blown away by the wind, and the scratches torn by the scraggly weeds were painful and sore.


    She-she didn''t believe that girl could find her!


    She just wants to trick her out to kill her!


    "Three."


    "Two."


    "One."


    "Really, Why do you have to make me angry." Seeing that no one came out obediently, the girl muttered dissatisfiedly, and the sound of footsteps gradually went away.


    The girl was relieved and sneered.


    Sure enough, the girl was lying, and she didn''t find her at all. At least that man had not died in vain, their intelligence matched.


    The woman felt the big rock on top of her heart fall to the ground. She brushed the fly away from her face and prepared to leave. Suddenly, her movements paused and horror quickly made her body feel cold.


    The sunlight above her head disappeared.


    She was enveloped by a black umbrella.


    The blood woman turned stiffly on all fours and saw the girl with two ponytails standing silently behind her, smiling sweetly at her.


    "I found you."


    The waves crashed against the sea and the white foam seemed to be tinged a bloody red for a few seconds before dissipating with the waves.


    The little girl looked up, her smile only became sweeter, she grabbed a small candy covered in red and placed it into her mouth, the bitterness and rust seemed to blend with the candies sweetness


    The sea''s salty breeze sprayed against her white face, washing away the small flecks of red.


    After a moment, she held the umbrella and continued walking. She was bored, maybe she could find something more fun in the east. At the same time from all around the island, people familiar and unfamiliar began their long trek to the east, where the sun shone the brightest, like the wise men following the stars on the long journey to Bethlehem.


    The day dawned very quickly as if the night had been chased away for an instant, the white belly of the moon floated in the east, would soon be replaced by a bright skylight.


    At the end of the long darkness, you can finally see the light.


    It''s a pity that this inspirational sentence does not take effect on this island. Here, dawn only represents a new round of despair.. Black and white have no boundaries here, the head is empty and the feet are hopeless.

 Chapter 176 - The Isolated Island (20)

    "The first take of the second scene, drifting in the sea, action!" The field recorder shouted across the beach. A rope was attached to the back hull of the ship and was tied around the edge of the pier extended outwards. The director watched the boat cross the tides and stood by the connected monitor, watching the image from the beach.


    The camera swept over, and the two people began to perform the various modalities required in the script in order.


    The shadows of the sunset reflected on his cheeks, and the warm orange tones made Chu Yi''s cold complexion warm. He stared out into the distance biting his lips unconsciously, a trace of wetness staining his lips unconsciously.


    With the faint jerk of the boat, he could vaguely feel the rope that held the boat go taut as it hit the limit but he didn''t break the act.


    Ruan Quixi''s throat moved and he called out again, much sifter this time, "Baby?"


    "Huh?" Chu Yi raised his eyes and looked at him, his eyes that were still unfocused were slightly confused and a little careless.


    He turned away without responding and seemed to look out at vast waves around him, "Zhou Qin, will we ever find our way back?"


    As if he hadn''t recovered yet, he instinctively narrowed his eyes and blinked away the misty water, a single drop of salty tear dripped from the corners of his eyes and was slowly licked away as it fell to his lips, looking up at him with starry eyes as if he was just a fragile youth.


    The cold and precious young man making this kind of action innocently is extremely sultry. He remembered the gorgeousness of Chu Yi''s lips smeared with blood the kast last time, like a vibrant rose stained with honeydew in the morning, a rose blooming with red petals, attracting people to pick and hold in it ones hand.


    The waves softly crashed onto the wooden boat and from its deceptive appearance, no one would be able to guess its horrible temperature. A low wind softly brushed his hair, the boat had come to a stop and only the red light of the camera accompanied them in the vast sea.


    The sun was heavy on the man''s shoulders, and his figure was half plunged into the shadows. The sunset only illuminated his pale neck and half his jaw and the slender white knotted hands slowly tightened on the boat''s hull as if in great pain.


    The air was opposite with the silence of restraint, pain, and love.


    Ruan Quixi gave a faint "um", and slowly reached out a hand,


    "Come," he said.


    Chu Yi tightened his lips,


    In the script, although Chu Yi is in a relationship with Ruan Quixi''s character, he is in a defensive position, and Ruan Quixi is inactive offensive pursuit. Here, Ruan Quixi was supposed to hold his hands and reassured him, but he had already arrogantly changed the script.


    He looked at his partner''s eyes, blurred and hesitant. It seems that he wants to get close, but it also seems as if doesn''t dare to get close.


    Li Yongmin is pitiful, vulnerable, and helpless.


    In the next second, crystal tears slowly fell from the charming red eyes, like a crack in a heavy dam, the tears spilled from his cheek silently.


    Chu Yi cried without a change of face, he did not make a fuss but such silence hurt deeper; he cried while hugging his knees on the narrowboat, cold calloused hands came over and hugged his shoulders tightly.


    "Don''t be scared, Xiao Li don''t be scared, calm down first. Even if we die at sea, I''ll still be here, we''ll go together."


    Li Yongmin choked softly, took another breath, his voice trembling and hoarse: "Yes, I''m not scared..."


    "Yes, my Xiao Li is the bravest! " Ruan held his shoulder tightly and buried his face in Chu Yi''s shoulders, not out of distress but to prevent himself from laughing.


    The person in front of him was crying so hard that he could see his cheeks flush red, he patted his shoulders, faintly grasped the back of the snow-white neck beside him, and rubbed his lips against the cold skin, resisting the urge to take a bite.


    However, Li Yongmin suddenly stretched out his slender willow-like arms and wrapped them around Ruan''s neck, as if to climb up weakly and bonelessly, rubbing against his chin like a soft milk cat.


    A fragrant flowery aroma poured into his nose, his eyes darkened, but still remembered his role.


    "Baby..."


    He seemed to hesitate for a while, but finally raised his hand and patted Li Yongmin on the back.


    And from an angle that no one can see.


    Li Yongmin lifted her eyelashes slightly from Zhou Qi''s shoulder and looked at the camera.


    There were still tears on his cheeks, but his eyes were dark, with a charming face and extremely bright lips.


    His back was still trembling, but there seemed to be a faint smile on his lips, evil, filled with malicious intent that seemed to disappear like an illusion if looked at closely.


    Few people know that dodder is a parasitic flower, seemingly soft and weak, but it is the most dangerous plant.


    Their rhizomes look to be soft and tender, but they can grow wildly, entangle the chosen host firmly, use the suckers on the rhizomes to absorb nutrients from the host''s blood, and finally strangle them completely.


    And this scene, only the director, who has been watching the monitor, saw it.


    A double-faced image.


    He is a born actor.


    "Cut! This scene is good. Pull them in!"


    At the beginning of the video, the director still carried the steadfast face of a director.


    But from the moment Chu Yi turned back and smiled in the setting sun, his eyelids twitched as if he had been stabbed by something sharp, making him dizzy, and in a trance, he seemed to see the original protagonists in his eyes. His eyes were dazed and for a moment, he truly regretted coming to his island, but in the end, some choices cannot be changed after they''ve been made.


    The assistant director''s cry of horror snapped him out of reverie and when he looked over, the director only felt his heart stop.


    At this moment, the weakness in his eyes that belonged to Li Yongmin was gone. It was dark and rich, like sultry red wine; his voice was low, only Ruan Quixi could hear it clearly, with a bit of lazy mocking.


    "I never know you had a talent for playwrighting as well. You seemed to be having a lot of fun just now."


    Ruan Quixi smirked faintly, " Baby, "


    His voice was particularly soothing, "As long as your willing, I can show you a lot of other things that I have a talent for."


    Chu Yi sneered, "My head still hasn''t been filled with water as of yet."


    His smile is so gorgeous, but his eyes are so evil. He is so beautiful that it is terrifying, yet so maddening


    Chu Yi could vaguely hear the director''s shout and the faint sound of panic in the background but his eyes never broke away from the silent confrontation.


    His words had just ended when the makeshift boat under them jerked, went taut, and suddenly drifted from its original spot, and began to sail deeper into the sea.


    The makeshift boat is very narrow, a bit like an awning boat, swaying on the water, not very stable. When Chu Yi had stepped in he could intuitively feel every movement of the boat, therefore when it suddenly shifted, he was made aware almost instantly.


    The Director could only turn to see the rope tied to the pier become dangerously tight, the force of gravity fell, and the boat was attached to the end, the force of something pulling against it¡ª


    "Rope, the rope is going to break!"


    Seeing that the Director didn''t react, they didn''t have time to wait, Zhao Yuan along with a few other crew members took the initiative to hold onto the rope in a deadly game of tug of war, his muscles bulged and his eyes were bloodshot from strain therefore when the force was abruptly released, he was the first to be sent flying.


    The hot sand scraped his knees but Zhao Yuan didn''t have his time to care about that, he held onto the rope and was stunned to see that the rope that had been taut holding onto the edge of the boat suddenly collapsed like a dead snake.


    With disbelief, Zhao Yuan pulled the rope back. The rope that was pulled back was short, and the ripples on the water surface seemed to be dragging a big fish. Zhao Yuan''s arms tensed, and he pulled violently, the rope flopped onto the beach like a dead fish and with shaking hands, he held it up to his face


    Looking at the broken head of the rope and was bitten horribly, horror bled into his eyes.


    The makeshift boat began to drift going faster and faster as if they had been pulled into the edge of a deep whirlpool, the waves on the sea rapidly began to grow insides and the boat itself began to rock precariously as it undulated between the waves.


    It seemed that something was pushing the bottom of the boat, and the sound of rustling like silkworm ants eating broken leaves sounded in the sea at the same time.. Chu Yi looked down at the sides of the boat, faint white foam churned from underneath. There was something in the sea!

 Chapter 177 - The Islolated Island (21)

    When a dark and petite shadow silently appeared at the entrance of the ungated stone village, the night was falling and the village was shrouded in a ghostly atmosphere, the light on the dusky horizon became dim and gloomy, a faint pressure covering the village.


    The sound of heels clicking against the stone road echoed in the empty village, slowly coming to a stop at the door of the first stone house on the edge. There was no sound from inside as if the occupants had fallen asleep. This cold, corpse-like silence was interrupted by a light tapping sound.


    "Tuk, Tuk!¨C"


    There was a heavy silence.


    The knock sounded again persistently, as if the owner would not rest until the door opened.


    It wasn''t known how long the shadow stood there for, but when the shadow cast by her black umbrella began to melt into the darkness, there was finally a response from the dead-house.


    When the sharp and piercing creak of the door opening sounded, shattering the silence of the old village, the smile on the little lolita''s face became even sweeter. The umbrella in her hand swirled, facing the occupant''s direction, a faint salty and rotten breeze blew in the air carrying with the faint sound of heavy breathing, like a beast sharpening its jagged teeth and claws.


    "Who are you-"


    In the shrill creak of the door, the voice of the villager was particularly distorted, sounding strange and cold, unlike real human voices. The man''s belly bulged, purple and green which reminded her of the blood that settled in the body of a corpse after it died.


    The girl walked up to him and spoke sweetly, "Uncle, I''m lost and I can''t find my brother."


    "Can I stay with you for one night?"


    While speaking, her large doe eyes stared directly into the arms glassy ones. From up close, the girl''s eyes were filled with a whirlpool of stars, inexplicably tempting and charming.


    How can such a beautiful and cute girl be a bad person? In the villager''s cognition, the bad guys that caused the island to turn out like this were the disgusting and greedy outsiders. It didn''t include little girls.


    Some people view the world with good intentions, but others often repay with evil results. Some people envelop themselves with beauty, but they were poisonous.


    Hearing the girl''s reply, the wariness in the man''s eyes disappeared, becoming a little softer.


    The villager scratched his bulging belly and nodded in agreement.


    He stepped back and she followed him tentatively, the room was dark and there was still the smell of fish in the air, a few empty plates were scattered over the rickety dining table and there were still strange claw marks on the edge of the door.


    From behind the man, the coquettish and sticky voice speaks faintly, "Big brother, do you like to eat fish."


    The man scratched his cheek and gave a strange upturned smile, "It''s a bit." The corners of the room were erected filled with dust balls and cobwebs. In hindsight, it didn''t look lived in. The villager pulled a chair after rummaging in the shelf silently and pulled out a bowl with a bloody smell before slowly forking a piece of translucent flash into his mouth.


    The girl looked at the man, from his back that was hunched strangely over the table, she could see his movements become proficient, and his lips continued to devour the flesh bite by bite, his abdomen contracting faintly along with his movements.


    Interesting.


    When the girl realized it, her eyes widened in excitement. The tip of the black umbrella twirling in her small hands;


    "That''s just--" The girl curled her lips and smiled, "I''m really, really curious about what it looks like...from the inside."


    The man lifted his head to the sound of footsteps getting closer.


    Everything is covered by darkness, and it seems that there are only those soft pupils left in the world. It is the only light source, attracting creatures like moths to a flame. Her voice echoed by his ears softly,


    "What do you fear the most."


    The man''s eyes momentarily became cloudy and unfocused, his lips and throat moving unconsciously.


    "The sea, the sea."


    The man''s body trembled upon mentioning it and there was instinctive fear in his shaking trembling, bewitching and soothing, the little girl continued to push,


    "Why are you afraid of the sea.. "


    The man''s lips opened as I''d he wanted to speak but in the next second, the man began to struggle violently, with all his might, clutching his distended stomach in pain, as his muscles spasmed in a cold sweat: "Hungry, hungry, so hungry!"


    He stumbled to the table and frantically brought the bowl to his face, gulping down its contents greedily, traces of wetness fell from the bowl and painted the lower half of his face red but the man didn''t seem to notice or care. When the bowl was finished, the man''s pain didn''t get better it only became worse as if something was burrowing into his flesh.


    His head seemed to be swollen, the blue veins crawled from his neck to his face, and his eyes were about to burst out of their sockets.


    For a while, he struggled frantically like a fish out of water, screaming in agony, anyone who heard it would have their hearts palpitate with horror, the blue veins on his forehead stretched and bulged angrily, but his originally blank eyes gradually returned to clarity for a brief moment.


    At this moment the little girl''s eyes gleamed fiercely,


    The darn frills on her dress swayed, and without hesitation, she used the tip of her umbrella as a knife to stab into his lower abdomen!


    The texture of the black umbrella was so sharp that the moment it pierced the flesh there was a sickeningly wet squelch, then as if a dam had been released, the pungent smell of rotten fish completely engulfed the room.


    When this scene appeared in her sight, the girl''s eyes lit up, and she stepped forward, held the umbrella in one hand, and pressed it deeper, saying harmlessly: "Brother, I just want to say see what''s inside. Who knows that you would react so intensely... There is no malice."


    As soon as the word ''malice'' fell, the black umbrella in the girl''s hand suddenly retracted, and the tip of the umbrella screwed into the flesh of the man''s bell-like a sharp barb before yanking back!¨C


    "Ahh!"


    The man''s face turned pale as he cried out in pain as the little girl suddenly pulled out his bow. Blood splattered, and the tip of the umbrella tore open a small hole, where a belly full of half-grown fish eggs was finally revealed!


    The girl blinked her obsidian eyes and cried out softly,


    Some eggs had not hatched but some had grown into weirdly shaped grotesque creatures. They swam around in a mucus yellow sack and seemed to the man''s body as a human container.


    What''s more frightening is that their bodies vaguely resemble humans, but their legs stuck together as if they were fishtails, of anyone who had been on the ship had seen this scene, they would have been able to identify that this thing half baked appearance is exactly like the supposed fish on board!


    The nose and eyes on the face seemed to have been melted together, both resembling a human being, and transforming towards a fish.


    The little girl grinned sweetly and flicked her wrist; grabbing onto one end of the black umbrella, squinted into the villager''s broken stomach, and sent it right back in.


    "Puchi!¨C!"


    The girl''s heels stepped onto the man''s chest and stabbed the umbrella into the with her backhand, and pinned the things hands and feet, which were constantly twisting on the tip of the umbrellas. The man''s face changed and his struggle only became stronger and stronger.


    The little girl raised her small hand as if interested, reached down, and actually pushed her hands unto the man''s abdominal cavity! Like grabbing onto a small toy, she reached in, grabbed the creature, and pulled it out by its head amidst the man''s screams.


    With a look of childish curiosity, she held it up her face, shook it, and saw that the flesh-colored slimy body was constantly twisting and struggling, with astonishing strength, broke free from her hands in the blink of an eye, and quickly crawled towards the man.


    At this moment, the girl reacted, one foot wearing a tiny black heel directly stepped onto the creature''s hand, grinding into it ruthlessly.


    "Ahhhhhh--!!"


    But when her foot landed on the fish baby''s hand, it was them who screamed wretchedly. His left hand was instantly red and swollen as if he was on the verge of popping like a flesh-filled balloon.


    The girl raised an eyebrow and lifted her foot, letting the thing crawl away playfully.


    Liang Yuanhao who was finally awake from a deep trance, gasped in pain, out of breath. He watched the thing crawling towards him, with a look of horror and disgust on his face, trying hard to dodge, but could not do anything, he could only watch them crawling to the belly again and dig in.


    This, this¡ª


    "Ah-ah-!!"


    At the last moment, the girl pulled her petite umbrella from the man''s flesh and directly stabbed it into the creature''s spine.


    Liang Yuanhao screamed miserably as if all the bones in his body were crushed and bitten off. The convulsions were terrifying, bloody foam pooling at his mouth as his eyes rolled back and he fainted.


    These things were actually connected to each other like this¨C


    The girl seemed to find his expression of wanting to doe, very interesting, a tinkle of sweet laughter accompanied his painful screams.


    "Wow--!!"


    A shrill scream sounded, the man had already fainted from the pain, and the scream was not from him, but from outside the room. An innocent smile appeared on her lovely face, it wasn''t for the blood splatters on her cheek, she really would seem like a cute little girl like a doll, when she shows a pitiful look and acts like a baby, it was hard to see the bloodthirsty nature underneath.


    On the other side, Chu Yi saw that a faint white fog that had spread out on top of the sea, advancing towards their capsizing boat, like a surge of majestic ??clouds, it quickly expanded to cover their field of vision in the blink of an eye, and rushed towards them.


    A sense of crisis pierced through the nerves like a needle, and Chu Yi''s scalp was numb, he could feel a strong sense of death crisis from those billowing clouds!

 Chapter 178 - The Isolated Island (22)

    The bloody foam churned and something gradually something emerged into his line of sight. The camera continued to film everything faithfully, sending it to the monitor on the other side; The instant the director identified the face, his pupils abruptly shrank into thin needles and a look of horror rained onto his ghastly pale face.


    "Director?" the assistant''s worried voice came from the side.


    His eyes however, never moved away from the monitor, as if he had been locked in place by fear.


    Chu Yi slowly lowered his head. The turbid sea water could not reflect his face. In the depths of the murky sea, there was a flash of scarlet, a bloody face filled with resentment - this face looked to be peeled off, or rather had been boiled off and the only things left of its facial features were deep holes. The pits where the flesh and blood had been scalded, and the uneven flesh and blood crawling with long strips, like blood vessels or bloody red earthworms.


    Countless dark, resentment filled faces surrounded the bloody man, each looking up from the water that was rapidly pulling the boat into a deep tide.  The fleshless bloody man stretched out a hand to Chu Yi in the depths of the water, as if it wanted to pull him into hell.


    Chu Yi did not evade, his pupils dilated slightly, his mouth widened, revealing a happy, contented smile, "I''ve been waiting~''


    Every time, he saw that expression on Chu Yi''s face, strange and exhilarating, filled with excitement and the need to challenge death.


    He felt the heart in his chest beating violently, he was crazy for the young man who was screaming for danger all over his body, before and now, it would always be the same.


    A hand reached out and grabbed his chin, The voice disappeared from the lips where they met.


    Ruan Quixi hugged Chu Yi with one hand, pressed the back of Chu Yi''s head with the other, leaned over slightly, covered the soft and red lips with a force that could not be rejected, and hungrily entangled his tongue and lips.


    Chu Yi''s eyes were slightly opened, unable to react, all his senses were concentrated on his lips, his lips and teeth were occupied by Ruan, and he was kissed by him forcefully and carelessly, as if he was going to be slowly swallowed into his belly. The boat rocked against the waves and the sound of scratching under the boat became heavier, as if the creatures had been angered by their blatant disregard.


    All perception of the outside world disappeared, only the  heated touch on the lips was clearly transmitted to his mind.


    Everything between heaven and earth is slowly blurring, only oneself and the evil spirit are real.


    The light and shadow  of dusk swayed, and the gloomy red eyes half-closed, as if covered with a layer of fog.


    The boat jerked and Chu Yi''s mind was finally brought back to earth.


    He pulled his lips back, glared with misty, red eyes but didn''t have time to settle the scores.


    He spotted the roughshod wooden oar sitting under the hull of the boat. The waves only began to get taller and taller and the narrow rocked precariously seemingly on the verge of overturning. He looked back over the sea and locked eyes once again with the creatures, he didn''t know if it was his illusion, but he seemed to identify a faint despair in those bottomless, terrifying eyes.


    He didn''t fail to notice, the heated gaze boring into his side but pretended to be blinded. He pull the heavy oars out and threw the other pair into the other man''s hand. A knotless hand caught it and the narrow eyes raised, "Row."


    The moment the oar entered the sea, it was as if his arm was being weighed down by ten thousand pounds! The oar bent under the crashing waves, he couldn''t tell how far out they had gone at this point, but the shore was no longer visible, only the encompassing fog blocked their way. The lean arm muscles tensed, eyes narrowed and with a heavy pulling force, he lifted the thick wooden pole out of the water!


    The second, the oar left the water, Chu Yi''s eyes raised, grabbing onto the oar tightly were multiple ripped off fingers, the mutilated flesh was black and red and the glaring white bones were visible from underneath, the finger''s hadn''t had time to release and they still grabbed tightly onto the wood with lasting hatred and resentment. Even the part of the oar that had entered into the sea seemed to have been shortened!


    Chu Yi''s eyes widened, and with heavy strength, he slapped the wooden pole to the surface of the water with all his might, the force of the fingers falling to the surface was almost like being slammed into the ground, the fingers on the pole released. Ruan lifted the pole and slammed it into the water, propped up the wooden pole with a vigorous stroke, just barely using the remaining waves to let the boat avoid capsizing, the sea''s surface faintly churned but regardless, the pole could not steer the boat, they were still being uncontrollably pulled away!


    There was bloody irritation next to the boat, and the ominous vibration was still there.


    In other words, not only were they being steered away but they were also at the risk of falling into the sea. Unless they could figure a way out, they were still in the danger of being swallowed by the inescapable depths of the sea!


    Chu Yi threw down the oar and reached over into the sea, a sharp pain came from the palm of his hand, the sea was still hot.


    Chu Yi curled his lips into a smile, but the smile was cold, not reaching the bottom of his eyes.


    Ruan threw down the oar as well and leaned back lazily onto the narrow hull, there was no trace of fear in his eyes and there was even a hint of playfulness in his movements, "What do you say we do now?"


    Chu Yi looked at him faintly, "Are you having fun?"


    The grin on his lips widened, non-committal.


    A breeze blew, and the hair on Chu Yi''s cheeks was blown away. At this moment, one end of the broken rope was still tied to the stern of the boat, and the other end was being dragged in the water. Mouth tight, Chu Yi pulled the rope back. The rope that was pulled back was short, and the ripples on the water surface seemed to be dragging a big fish. When he pulled it out to look at, the frayed end still had traces of being gnawed at; the culprit of their current plight wasn''t hard to identify.


    It wasn''t feasible to swim nor was it an option to stay on the boat, but there was no other way out!


    Death seemed to be the end, however Chu Yi didn''t believe the system would give an unsolvable problem, there must be something on the boat that could help!


    Something that could attract the bloody corpses away--


    The sea waves splashed and Chu Yi could intuitively sense the boat sinking, the creaking and scratching noise of fingers digging into wood only got closer and closer. He used the end of the oar to to knock down a few bloody heads that were jumping around at the hull one by one. One of the mangled heads even jumped up and grabbed the oar, leaving deep tooth marks on it. When it was smashed through, it was like beating a rotten watermelon, soft and filled with mushy pulp.


    He looked around, only the endless sea in sight and the smell of blood and seawater, at this moment, something in his mind flashed and he slowly looked up at the only other person in the boat.


    On the other end, the crew members gathered around the monitor with absolute horror on their faces.


    The director was trembling all over, his hair and clothes were all wet with cold sweat and he couldn''t tell whether it was from the fear or despair. His face was pale, and he held the camera tightly, his mood was a little broken, and he muttered something brokenly.


    "I shouldn''t have come here."


    "It almost leaked, the boat almost leaked."


    The assistant pulled his hair anxiously, there was no way to contact the two, their crew wasn''t rich in the first place and only barely relied on the director scraping up a few dollars to barely put together a crew. If something were to happen to their lead actor, then they could just pack up their bags and leave the entertainment industry all together. He had heard of the directors infamous bad luck but it was only now when he was in direct contact with it, did he fully understand his infamy.


    Zhao Yuan scratched his cheeks and spoke up hesitantly, "Should we... call up the villagers?"


    It was already dusk, they had become acquainted with the villagers routine over the past few days and knew by now, that the villagers retreated at night time, but what else could they do, they couldn''t just let the two die!


    On person said worriedly, "Should we just call the authorities."


    "What authorities?! Haven''t you already noticed, there is no signal on this island-"


    "Then what the hell do you propose we do?"


    "Why are you asking me? If I had known it would be like this, I would never have come to this godforsaken island."


    The crew was in panic and chaos.


    The sea''s surface was not calm, the black water reflected the lead-gray sky, the night was slowly arriving, and the wind carrying the sting of sea water, they had delayed for long enough, they needed to make a decision quick. The director trembled, looked at the monitor, the situation over there was rapidly deteriorating!


    "Director, what should we do?"


    Now they are racing against the clock and can''t waste any time.


    Finally the decision was turned over to him, as if making a painful decision the director looked up at the sky and looked towards the silent and creepy village fearfully, "Go."


    "Go wake up the villagers."

 Chapter 179 - The Isolated Island (23)

    The dusk is low, and the forest is dim. The branches joined the pyre and made a crackling noise as tall shadows made their way through the dark forests of the south.


    After walking for a while, they noticed that the soil under their feet became wet and soft.


    The rotting fallen leaves mixed with the  dark mud, and when one stepped on it, there was the crisp sound of dry leaves cracking and shoes dipping slightly into the muddy ooze.


    Chao Bin walked in front, and accidentally stepped into the pathway of fallen leaves, and the sound of "Chi Chi" clearly entered his ears in the silent night. Hearing this sound, several people immediately stopped.


    Tang Shun leaned over, broke a dead branch for him from a nearby tree, Chao Bin took it, lowered his body and used the branch to lift up the fallen leaves on the ground. Layers of rotten leaves was removed and, and he could clearly see the water seeping through the mud underneath.


    "There''s water." Tang Shun bent down, squeezed a handful of soil and sniffed.


    Chao Bin looked forward and could see that the traces of water seeping out from the fallen leaves in front of him become more and more obvious. This island is not large, and it is unlikely that there will be rivers, but some depressions for water storage are naturally formed. When they found themselves stranded on this side of the island, the first suggestion was to find a path with a waterway. It''s been two days of following the water trail and up until now, they still did not have a clear idea of where they were. This was obvious odd and coupled with the exhaustion of a few days living only bottled water, it seemed unlikely that they could continue on.


    He didn''t know the exact situation of Chu Yi but he estimated that it couldn''t be better than theirs.


    According to the prompt given by the system, what they are looking for should be in the east, but so far this forest seemed inescapble. They dared not eat the brightly colored fruits from the trees, who knows what strange things were birthed here and with the strange lack of danger, imminently put them in a strange state of tension and vigilance, like a arrow on a bow string.


    "Let''s walk forward, lets try to cover more grounds before nightfall."


    A thin and scrawny man frowned once he heard his  words and stepped up a bit: "What''s the use now, its best to find shelter, you''ve been dragging us around this damn forest for two days.  "


    Chao Bin ignored him, and continued walking, the others followed "You-" Seeing that no one paid him heed, the man could only swallow his grievances. Chao Bin and Tang Shun walked at the forefront, one person holding a long branch in his hand, and from time to time he picked up the thick fallen leaves on the ground to see if he found anything.


    After walking for a while, Chao Bin noticed that the soil on the ground seemed to have changed.


    The soil on the previous ground, mixed with fallen leaves, was a brown-black humus formed after years of insect decomposition and fermentation. The color of the soil in front of him has changed a bit, showing a faint reddish brown. He guessed whether it was a light problem, or there was a visual deviation, but when he squatted down and took a closer look, it was indeed red.


    Tang Shun raised his head, his cold-white complexion behind the silver glasses seemed to hide the moonlight peeking over the horizon, and the texture of his skin was almost transparent, lining the broad green leaves all over his body, like an oil painting painted with rich colors. Chao Bin who stared up at him, turned somewhat, coming close to the color of the soil.


    At the place where the dirt changed color, there was a strange divide and compared to the luscious and green of the forest behind, the trees ahead only became increasing withered and desolate, gradually taking n a strange color, there was a faint smell of salt in the air.


    Ying Wenlin came over and exclaimed slightly, "This dirt is red?"


    "It couldn''t be blood could it?" subconsciously thinking the worst, the faces of several people became strange and they stepped back simultaneously leaving only the three people standing there.


    Ying Wenlin, his temples white,  squatted down with slight difficulty, squeezed a handful of soil and spread it in the palm of his hand, "This soil is good, naturally formed after years of precipitation, best for forming oil paints and clay."


    He looked up at the others as he spoke and stressed "naturally"


    The few people walked a little further, and the color of the soil became more and more obvious.


    Ying Wenlin couldn''t help but stop, took out a small plastic bag from his pocket, and put some red clay in it.


    Chao Bin saw that he did not care about the dirt, and put the soil into a plastic bag after digging with his hands, and asked, "Mr. Ying, what are you going to use this soil for?"


    Ying Wenlin laughed and said, "To make paint. Maybe after I get out, I can exchange with the system for this soil and make some paintings of my wife. This kind of red soil, can be burned into several hues. There are many kinds of colors. I didn''t expect that there are similar soils on this small island. It looks very good. "


    The thin man spoke up sullenly, "Still thinking about painting at this time, who knows if we can even get out later, at any moment we can die. I''m not like you, an old man with one foot in the grave."


    The atmosphere became inexplicably cold and only the sound of crackling underfoot echoed.


    Ying Wenlin nodded: "It''s good to be motivated"


    After that, he buried his head to select the soil, stood up and continued on without a word. His hunched back was a little hunched in the dim light.


    One person couldn''t help but mutter "Look at Hou Yingfan''s disgusting expression... I''m speechless, what''s the matter with digging soil, he''s the only one who''s bee  complaining since the beginning"


    Hou Yingfan''s face turned green.


    "Ok, don''t say anymore, we still have to co-operate with him."


    The person was shoved and simmered down, but the air did not get any better.


    The terrain in front dropped suddenly, and a large concave was found, a little water accumulated in the center, and the soil along the sides was wet. It can be seen that around this natural depression, there are blocks of red-brown sandstone exposed to the ground after being eroded by water. However on the sandstones, clusters of white protruding mushrooms covered both sides.


    Ying Wenlin''s eyes lit up: "These mushrooms aren''t brightly colored, they shouldn''t be poisonous."


    "Can it be eaten?" One person pursed his lips anxiously, after two days of no food, he was starting to feel the effects. Tang Shun picked up his glasses with his middle finger, "It should be."


    Seeing that they had finally reached this stage, they all breathed a sigh of relief.


    Now that you''ve found it, just dig it out.


    The old man was in good health, but the slope was steep. With a glance, Chao Bin said, "Mr. Ying don''t go down. I''ll knock a piece for you and bring it up. Stay here and watch."


    Before he could react, Chao Bin rushed narrowly down the slope. Hou Yingfan and the others also followed. Hou Yingfan inserted a branch into the soil to stabilize his body, and went down carefully. When he pulled out the branch, a few small rocks loosed and rolled down, falling into the center of the concave.


    The exposed reddish-brown sandstone in the depression is not hard, running it with his hands, a soft touch came to mind. Chao Bin walked over and knocked on the sandstone with a branch. A cluster of mushrooms fell off immediately, and Chao Bin broke it off and stuffed it into his backpack. The only girl in the team was relatively quiet, a strange piece of rock attracted her attention and as if bewitched, she ignored the mushroom''s on the side, picked it up and placed it in her bag.


    By the time, they were finished collecting, the night had fallen. In the corner of his eyes, he seemed to see a silver flash but when he looked back, there was nothing only a faint gust of wind.


    Passing through the sparser and sparser trees, they came to a clearing and after discussing it wasn''t strange to set up camp here.


    A fire was set up in the center of the clearing, and the mushrooms were roasting on it. Several people sat around and added dry branches. The unappetizing mushrooms, became fragrant under  Ying Wenlin''s barbecue, and their attractive color was mouth-watering.


    Chao Bin swallowed, staring intently at the mushrooms strung in the old man''s hands.


    Seeing his greedy look, Ying Wenlin handed the roasted mushrooms to Chao Bin, and continued to flip the ones in his hands.


    Chao Bin stretched out his hands to take it, and whispered, "Thank you, teacher."


    The movement of Ying Wenlin''s hands paused but he quickly recovered as if nothing had happened. He handed the other six strings to the rest and sat back down on the forest floor.


    "Hurry up and eat." Tang Shun, didn''t intend to delay time. Striking a fire is a very dangerous thing. The light of fire is especially easy to attract people in the dark.


    A short exclamation from the side, attracted their attention and everyone picked up heads vigilantly.


    Yin Yi held a piece of stone in her hand and looked around a bit embarrassingly, "Sorry, I was just a bit surprised." Now that she could hide it, she held up the rock and showed it to everyone, a  picture of dots and lines drawn on the stone.


    "What do the lines drawn on it mean? Tang Shun do you understand?" Chao Bin stared at the crab shell for a long time, puzzled.


    Ying Wenlin stared at the pattern on the crab shell, vaguely feeling that he had seen it somewhere, but he couldn''t remember it for a while, and he couldn''t help frowning.


    The pattern on the stone has been washed by rain for a long time, and it has become a little blurred and incomplete. Tang Shun took a closer look and said with certainty: "This seems to be a river map."


    "He map? What river map?" Chao Bin asked in confusion.


    Tang Shun took the stone, identified it with the light, and confirmed his thoughts: "This is a river map." He felt around the smooth edges of the stone, it wasn''t the same as others.  This wasn''t a naturally formed stone but a piece that had fallen from another structure and placed here.


    More like, the edges of a large statue.


    The old scholar glanced at it and gave Tang Shun a thumbs up: "Indeed It is a river map."


    The river map is a mysterious pattern handed down from ancient times. It can be said that it is the origin of the Yin and Yang and five elements of Chinese culture, and it contains profound mathematical knowledge. It was originally a number array with black and white dots, representing ten different numbers. No black and white dots can be drawn on this stone, so they are represented by hollow and solid dots.


    "Does this have anything to do with our current situation?" Hou Yingfan pursed his lips and spoke unfriendly,


    Chao Bin spoke up: " We haven''t left the forest yet, there must be reason. There should be clues on the stone."


    Hou Yingfan sneered, "Then do you even know how to interpret it?"


    Chao Bin rolled his eyes and confronted him silently, "Then tell me, what do you plan to do?"


    The other man opened his mouth to argue but at this moment, Tang Shun''s eyes behind the glasses sharpened, "Quiet!-- Something''s wrong!"


    The fire flickered faintly, casting cold shadows on the tall trees, a silver light once again flashed in in the darkness and it was only then did they realize, that unbeknownst to them, a thick black fog had slowly blocked the path behind them.


    On the other side, some of the crew member were directed out, tentatively knocked on the door of Granny Li and called out anxiously, "Elder! We need your help--"


    "People have been stranded in the sea!"

 Chapter 180 - The Isolated Island (24)

    The crew member who knocked on the door shivered and felt a chilly sensation on his back. It was almost as if something was peeping at him, and this feeling of being watched by someone seemed to come from every direction, like an ice-cold needle picking at his scalp.


    The smell coming from behind the door was very strong. It smelled like rotten, dried meat being fermented for a long time in rotten oil. But it could not cover up the scent of blood. The wind howled and whistled through the cracks in the stone houses, uncannily resembling the cries of a young infant.


    The night had fallen.


    The stone village was also plunged into darkness.


    In the sound of the rushing waves from the shores in the distance and the swaying of tall dark grass on the edges of the stone houses, the corners and alleys were dark, and only two big red lanterns lit up on the eaves of the ancestral hall far in the distance, like a beacon to faraway travelers.


    In the darkness, these two red lights pointed out the direction for all creatures.


    In the boundless clearings, there is no sight of the people in the village, only the weeds that grew hapless, that have been beaten by the harsh sun, their heads bowed, dry and withered, swaying with a cold rustle back and forth in the wind.


    In the ancestral hall, the painting of a villager in red raised his head, revealing the face of wide resentful face.


    The two black eyeballs delicately painted on it, drained black as if washed away by tears, formed a black mark on the joyful face, meandering down like weeping. And its mouth was bright red, stretching as if it was laughing wildly.


    The villager''s body seemed to shake and It raised its two hands, stiffly and desperately forward, as it wanted to crawl out from the painting and drag helpless victims into the abyss, switching places with it and allowing it to crawl back into the human world.


    The walls of the temple rocked and the lit incense on the table burned brightly, a grey smoke slowly winding past the tall walls.


    The paintings in the hall turned their heads slowly and finally aimed their completely black eyes at the sea that was crashing and foaming in the deep night.


    In the barren field without crops, the grass rustled and the paintings stared out into the sea with black marks on their faces like a weeping, the wind carried with it faint giggling.


    The red clothes on their bodies slowly drained, and, red paint pooled at their feet fell on its feet, like bloody sea being slowly formed, one drip at a time.


    "Sea god, the death day of the sea god... giggle... woo woo woo death day... curse..curse them all for generations to come.."


    The hoarse and strange laughter echoed in the silent village and on the island covered with steep mountains and plains, it carried far.


    The villagers grinned, and the face painted with a red blush of joy was washed with black like a scribble made by a naughty child.


    "Sea God..."


    The villagers turned their heads slowly,


    "The sea god is dead..."


    Black tears flowed from their face.


    "The death day of the sea god..."


    The villager''s feet were full of blood.


    Dead, restless.


    The crew member rubbed the goosebumps on his arms and muttered strangely, "Who''s laughing at this time? "


    He knocked on the door again, this time more urgently. The longer they delayed, the less optimistic the situation would be!


    The door to the house was knocked repeatedly, the heavy banging sound echoed loudly in the night and the gradually increasing shouts were filled with panic and despair.


    "Boom!¨CBoom!¨C"


    They slammed their bodies into the door, yanked at the door now but the stone house was as if it had been rooted into the soil, it was of no use.


    By the time they had already given up and decided to go back to the shore in despair, slow shuffling footsteps came from behind them. Like a strange funeral procession, with Granny Li as the head, a string of villagers walked quietly to their side, a small kerosene lamp illuminating the way.


    The villagers who stood by their side all hung their heads stiffly, standing so motionless as if they were still asleep, bowing their heads so that they couldn''t see their faces.


    No one spoke, the scene was eerily quiet, and a cold chill slowly crept in.


    "Granny Li?"


    However, Granny Li just twisted her neck slowly and stiffly, like a corpse that had been dead for a long time, stiff, even the cloudy eyes would not turn, and her gaze fell directly on the anxious crew.


    "Don''t worry, you''re friend will be born anew " Granny Li smiled stiffly and hard, like a piece of frozen meat trying to force an expression: "You will also like this place. Yes, I promise."


    The night was dark and the kerosene lamp flickered, one could barely see the things around them. The crew couldn''t see Granny Li''s expression, but they instinctively stepped back in horror.


    The wind blew carrying with it a strange rotten scent


    Their stomachs twitched as though something was hidden within. Their shriveled bellies swelled like a balloon once more, but their stomachs bulged much more than when they had been "pregnant" before. The skin of their bellies were as thin as paper, and impressions of what was moving inside could be vaguely seen from the outside.


    "Granny Li" just stood with those "villagers", akin to a ghostly shadow, without saying a word, they stood quietly behind her, greedy and malicious eyes obscured by the darkness.


    The director held his stomach unconsciously and stared unblinking at the monitor, he couldn''t tell if it was dizziness caused by fear or the illusion caused by the camera angle, but he felt that at the moment, the things that swam by the boats raised their heads, as if laughing.


    On the ship, as soon as he looked aside, Chu Yi looked at the dense schools of resentment-filled faces under the water. The scene was numbing. It was as if they were sailing on a sea of corpses! There was a constant gnawing at the sound on the boat of the boat, at its behest, a big wave suddenly crashed into the boat, and beat the ship sideways casting Chu Yi to tilt and almost fall into the bottomless sea!


    The ship is sinking!"


    The director exclaimed. The crew members felt their hearts constrict, the situation was only becoming worse. Their nothing on the boat to plug the leak.


    Chu Yi who was on the boat could feel the situation more intuitively. The oar could not pull the boat. There was nothing to block the crack and bail out the water.


    Scooping it out was of no use, there are too many cracks and the whole boat is in tatters. Even if there was a bucket, it couldn''t stop the sea from pouring into the boat and sinking it rapidly.


    It is estimated that the boat will be completely broken in just a few minutes and they would sink into the hot sea. Chu Yi looked around, trying to see past the fog, there must be away¨C


    "Hiss!"


    A head had squeezed into the boat through the crack. The flesh on its head was still red, but the color was wrong, muddy with sticky mucus.


    Blood flowed out from its torn flesh, not dripping directly to the boat, but dragging long sticky threads.


    His movement''s stopped abruptly, and the hand hanging on one side suffered a sharp pain.


    The corpse bit Chu Yi tightly! The internal organs, bones, and flesh in its body seemed to be hollowed out and turned into an empty shell. The thing was not so much fluttering, but rather floating, and the speed was terrifying!


    Chu Yi''s eyes darkened, and before he could react, a foot swung towards the creature''s temple, and it was knocked out, carrying a piece of flesh and blood that was torn from the back of Chu Yi''s hand.


    The corpse kept twitching, frantically trying to swallow the piece of meat, but another powerful force swung out, smashing its head,


    "Boom!''"


    Like a popped flesh ballon, the head exploded


    The meat in its mouth also fell to the face, along with some sticky black eggs.


    Cruel, vile, tyrannical.


    "Shua!"


    The sharp wind sounded, and the piranhas running towards Chu Yi were cut into several sections in the air. Ruan Quixi held him, looking at the more and more densely packed heads pouring in and the sinking ship, his dark eyes had accounted for most of them, and an invisible threat radiated, but the corpses just retreated a little, and then attacked them even more fiercely and crazily.


    They''re crazy and hate the living, naturally, they want to bury them in the sea.


    "Hiss."


    Ruan Quixi''s eyes were getting darker and deeper. He smells the subtle smell of blood. Chu Yi is bleeding. Sharp teeth pierced the skin and flesh, the translucent skin was marred with blood, but Chu Yi didn''t seem to feel anything and his eyes quickly shifted and his eyes seemed to be locked onto something dark in the fog, as the boat steered nearer Chu Yi was able to vaguely make out its appearance


    A small rock plateau.


    Their chance was here!


    The boat sunk with time, the water in the sea scalded his feet. The night was gloomy and the fog was like a dark cloud oppressive cloud over the sea, when he looked back down at the sea, it seemed to be boiling over, densely covered in bloody foam and resentment-filled faces stared back up at him.


    If they fell, what awaited them was evident.


    Ruan also noticed his gaze, with an imperceptible frown he released the struggling hand and picked up the oar, the water vapor was like a drop of acid and the waves grew bigger and bigger.


    Chu Yi grabbed to rope, deftly tied a loop, and looked out. The boat sank lower, the two glanced at each other and Ruan Quixi smiled frivolously, " Are you ready?"


    Chu Yi sneered, " Don''t fall to your death."


    A laugh rumbled past his lips and at the same time, a rough wave crashed into the hull of the boat, Ruan Quixi tensed and rowed hard with a wooden pole, the boat reared precariously on the edge of the wave and leaned over on the verge of capsizing, In the next second, the rope in Chu Yi''s hand flew out in a slight arc towards the direction of the rocks!


    The director held his breath, and clenched his fist!¨C


    The rope fell onto the rocks!

 Chapter 181 - The Isolated Island (25)

    The rope narrowly fell onto the sharp edge of a steep stone and with a sharp pull, the boat was forcefully brought closer to the plateau! The items on Ruan Quixi''s body abruptly bulged like a sleeping beast, and the oar a strong downward shift as it rode the waves.


    A sharp scraping sound came from underneath the boat, he narrowed his eyes, his mind shifted and he quickly grabbed the inconspicuous camera from the hull of the boat¨C


    The towering waves abruptly grew bigger and the oar in Ruan Quixi''s eyes snapped in two but at the same time, the two figures were as fast a phantom and flew from the ship.


    A sharp tugging force pulled Ruan Quixi''s limbs backward his whole body bulged but his muscles were like cast iron, unshakably approaching the rocks. From behind them, there was a heavy crackling sound and just in time, the makeshift boat was completely shattered by the sea!


    The bloody corpses screamed and the empty sockets seemed to be filled with hatred, but as water ghosts, they could never step onto land again and could only be left to wander the cold and lonely sea.


    Chu Yi landed on the rock, gasping heavily, there was a feeling of strain in his lower abdomen and the rope left chafed burns all over the white palm. He threw down the rope carelessly and slowly looked around the plateau. The first impression he got was: abandoned.


    There were pieces of driftwood on the edges of the cliffs and walking further, there were obvious traces of depression as if something had been dug out from here. The air was silent besides the smell of seawater, and a fishy sweetness permeated the mist.


    The plateau wasn''t long and the waves crashed against the edges, spraying white vapor into the mist.


    Ruan Quixi came over to his side and looked sound quietly, before focusing his mind back on Chu Yi. The glaring white hands were now filled with mottled cuts and blood and obvious green and blue traces were covering his arms.


    He furrowed his brows faintly,


    "Give me your hands."


    Chu Yi raised a brow, but seeing the man''s heavy eyes, held them out obediently.


    There was no way to give any treatment at the moment, so he could only roughly tear a piece of cloth from his shirt and bound the two slender hands tightly to avoid infection. Once done, they continued exploring in the misty darkness, the rocks were sharp and if not careful, it would be easy to slip and fall, most likely crushing your skull in the process.


    The fog was thick and gloomy, bathing the entire plateau in a cold gray, and nothing could not be seen more than ten meters away. Two rows of dim moonlight penetrated mist, dim and cold, stretching the distorted shadows of the intruders silently.


    It was difficult to walk on the rocks, and the only visible path was more complicated. Between the cracks of the dense rocks, small streams of foul-smelling dirty seawater scurried through quickly, and a shrill cry from a distant place was extremely terrifying.


    The temperature here is much lower than outside.


    Not long after they walked, Chu Yi noticed that the dirty water flowing in the cracks of the road seemed to change color.


    He smelt another smell in the thick, sour mist.


    The moonlight before them suddenly stretched farther.


    He asked softly, "What is that?"


    Ruan Quixi took a few steps forward, and the halo of the moon suddenly illuminated a large pool of copper water in front of him.


    He leaned down and confirmed: this was blood.


    The dark mist covered the entire rock plateau; there was the low sound of water crashing against the high rocks and the swaying of tall weeds.


    Chu Yi carefully measured the trail of the bloody water and caught sight of something, it was a small hole, and a lot of covered plants were pulled down and fell miserably to the ground.


    The hole wasn''t tall, just walking in, the full depths could be seen at a glance. The sound of wailing from before came from the winds echoing in the hollow seams.


    "Go in?"


    Ruan Quixi tilted his heads sideways at him,


    "Considering that there is blood, it''s not farfetched to believe that there are living creatures on this plateau."


    He licked his lips, the salty traces stimulated just senses. After a moment of pondering, Chu Yi spoke up, "You stay out here and keep watch, I''ll go in."


    Ruan stared at him deeply and a low voice whispered softly, "Ok."


    The moment the slender back retreated into the cave, Ruan Quixi felt Chu Yi''s breath dissapear, as if he was erased.


    Chu Yi calmly looked at the scene on the other side of the cave.


    Walking through the tiny streams of blood, a trail of bloody footprints followed behind him. At the end of the stream, an unfamiliar female corpse was nailed to the cave wall by a wooden stake.


    The female corpse opened her mouth wide, and the sharp wooden stake was atabbed through the back of her skull. Her expression was horrified and painful, unable to find peace even in death, her dull eyes staring straight ahead.


    She was covered in blood, her stomach was completely cut open to and her legs dangled uselessly from her lower body, bloody intestines hung from her abdomen to the ground.


    Several clumps of blood were piled up at the feet of the female corpse. Looking closely, it was an unformed baby corpse that had been chopped up.


    The mournful cat-like meow resembling a baby came once again, and with the bloody and terrifying scene, it was enough to send chills down the spine.


    Chu Yi remained unfazed, instead a tinge of excitement suddenly burst from his eyes, bright and dazzling, wiith a little force, Chu Yi pulled the stake out of the female corpse''s mouth.


    "It seems that the murderer''s strength is not small, he nailed wooden stakes with his bare hands..."


    His voice faded in the coldness.


    Wthout hesitation, he reached into the mouth of the female corpse. The stench of blood was thick enough to be disgusting, dripping with sticky threads, slender fingers seemed to touch something resembling a ball of paper.


    After confirming it, Chu Yi''s movements became lighter, and he carefully pinched the slightly hard corner and pulled the paper ball out.


    Slender fingers stained with blood unfolded the paper, a word knocked into his eyes, almost instantly his vision blurred.


    A scalding hot wind seemed to blow across the tip of his nose, and he narrowed his eyes slightly, accepting the dazzling scene in front of him silently. In the middle of the sea, the rock walls were high but


    It couldn''t hide the destitute and soul-crushing horrors.


    As an isolated island, the villagers are naturally surrounded by lots of land and sea. It wasn''t an exaggeration to say that villagers were sitting on top of a pot of gold, fish, fruit, and trees were the most abundant.


    The dawn rose across the land and half shrouded the boats as sleeping turtles huddled across the face of the sea. The villagers would wake up at the call of the rooster and go out into the sea, bringing back nets filled with abundant catch, the children would frolic along the beach and cry with joy at the return of their fathers.


    However, in his eyes, the scene shifted quickly, the dawn had risen but the villagers only felt despair, the trees had dried up and the soil would no longer grow their crops, their nets stayed empty for days and under the scorching sun.


    Some tried to eat the animals that had died from the heat, but it wouldn''t take long for the eyes to drown with pus and blood and they would scream, jumping into the sea.


    Their bodies were squeezed to the point of deformation, the flesh began to collapse like melted chocolate, and the body that struggled to withstand, had its organs melted into a puddle of pungent liquid, making a "sizzling" as it sank into the surface of the sea.


    This was consistent with Granny Li''s account¨C


    The scene suddenly shifted and in this way, there were many people huddled on the ground.


    Perhaps this can no longer be called a person, but a dense corpse. They prowled on the ground by instinct, and the contact surface between the skin and the ground tore the flesh from their skin and tightly bonded them to the floor.


    Many corpses became distorted due to the thermal stiffness, and their limbs twitched strangely as if they were telling the last words they had not left before they died.


    Human life was like a punctured balloon.


    With a slight touch, it exploded.


    Chu Yi watched all this calmly.


    These people include the elderly, women, men, and even small children.


    Their identities are different, but they all raise their hands before death, want to move forward, and want to live.


    Their destination is the outside world.


    The boats docked against the sea were crushed by the waves and the once-prosperous village was shrouded in darkness.


    This surprisingly wasn''t the end, the view quickly shifted to a rather strange place. The starless night was dark and the cold forest was silent, all sounds seemed like he was swallowed by a sponge without the slightest leaks.


    There was only the sound of heavy breathing from something in the forest. The darkness dissipated a benevolent and kind stone face lay face up the cold forest floor, in the light that flashed, a drop of blood fell from the statue, wetting the forest floor.


    On the end of the statue stood a skinny crow, wailing hoarsely and coldly, exuding an eerie and desolate aura, it flapped its wing and flew up into the sly leaving only a few black feathers to fall gently onto the statue''s eyes; the scene was swallowed by darkness again.


    The cave finally fell back into silence, his dark pupils were deep, and his long eyelashes were half-covered, like a door to hell, mysterious and unpredictable, and one could not see the slightest emotion.


    A cold wind blew softly against the long black hair and Chu Yi suddenly bent the corners of his lips, the night outside the cave reflected in the peach blossom eyes.


    The phrase on the paper was: "Greed, the first sin."

 Chapter 182 - The Isolated Island (26)

    The well-shaped peach blossom eyes, slowly raised a row of slender eyelashes, and looked over into the misty darkness, forming a cruel and bewitching beauty in the shadows of the moonlight, the pale fingertips stained with red blood shook faintly, and the rough cloth tied around his arms made his hands look even more coquettish.


    Besides the corpse nailed to the wall, there were also some dried marks on the cave walls, after checking the corners carefully, Chu Yi paused and suddenly felt something.


    He scoured for a while in the stiff darkness and finally grasped the edge and pulled out a hardcover book.


    As soon as the book was opened, a damaged old photo fell out into his hands. In the photo, there are three pairs of feet, but the body of the owner of the third pair was ripped off.


    The other two were a man and a woman. The woman was dignified and beautiful, and she looked like a beautiful rural village girl. The man that stood next to the woman, was dressed as a gentleman, showing a gentle and polite smile to the camera.


    Chu Yi''s gaze was fixed on the man''s face.


    Familiar, but he couldn''t grasp where exactly he had seen the image.


    A low voice echoed from outside the cave and Ruan Quixi''s uniquely playful voice danced at his ears. There was a change in the situation, glancing at the woman''s corpse, one hand raised and pressed the woman back against the wall, raised the sharpened wooden stake in his hand, and slammed it into the woman''s wide-open mouth.


    Her eyes were empty, still filled with resentment and with a puff, blood-splattered. The image was placed in his pocket and the book was naturally carried out.


    In the light of the moonlight shining through the cracks, his face was as white as a piece of paper, his lips were chapped, but his eyes were dark and cold, like withered peach blossoms. Crushing the paper slowly, he lifted his foot and walked slowly to the entrance of the cave.


    Chu Yi stopped his footsteps under Ruan Quixi''s gaze and smiled indistinguishably, a low dull ringing echoed across the rock plateau, like the old gong of an ancient church. Chu Yi spat out a foul breath and spoke quietly,


    "The seven Catholic sins: Arrogance, envy, laziness, anger, greed, gluttony, and lust. Humans were molded from sin and therefore wallow in it, like the filth of a pig."


    The fog over the sea grew thicker, His voice stopped.


    But the smile at the corner of lips widened, "There are no limits, no boundaries."


    "You fit the game better than me."


    Ruan Quixi laughed at Chu Yi''s ears,


    The old bell sounded again and through the thick fog, a meandering blood trail appeared at their feet, the hull of the ferry carried two yellow kerosene lamps as it penetrated through the mist.


    Chu Yi''s outstanding eyesight seemed to capture something in an instant, he could see that the gas hanging from the eaves of the silent boat, swaying with the sea breeze was dripping blood. It exuded a gloomy and dark chill from the inside out.


    The sound of blood falling seemed to be close to the ear as if someone was following the lamp and floating above him.


    The ship slowly docked at the edge of the plateau and a scrawny hand held out the lamp to illuminate the scene a few meters ahead.


    The cloudy and chilly gaze stared at them silently, the wrinkled flesh slowly widened into a creepy grin,


    "Blessings onto the Sea God, for your safe... return."


    The gas lamp was lit, but the sound of dripping blood did not change in the slightest. The light in the lampshade slowly turned from dim to green.


    The night outside the window was as thick as a cloud of indestructible ink.


    A little girl in a black dress stood at the edge of the village holding what seemed to be a skinned cat, her immature face staring coldly into the night, she seemed to sense something and briefly looked towards the forest but quickly turned her head back to the direction of the sea.


    Her innocent and cold black eyes were cute, and the dark handle of her umbrella added to her charm, from behind her, there were footsteps and without looking back she spoke softly, "Are you sure, he''ll last longer than my other toys? "


    Arescio took a deep breath of the sea wind and smiled maliciously, "I''m sure, as long as I get a "taste" of him after."


    The little girl pouted and her eyed rolled with cutely st, "You still have that bad habit. Is that stuff so delicious?"


    Arescio licked his lips unconsciously, and thought of that soft white skin, like the coldest jade nephrite, "Really....very delicious "


    The bloody net woven in the depths of the isolated island was slowly being unraveled, like a pebble thrown into the lake, filled with subtle ripples.


    ***


    On the other side of the forest, Tang Shun tensed his body and he sharpened like a leopard on the hunt. The cold breath spreads silently. But after a few minutes of tranquility and seeing nothing changed, the group breathed a sigh of relief and slowly turned back to the fire flame alarm.


    A silent forest with only a few people and an abandoned stature will always make people have some bad associations.


    Especially the shadows of the wildly dancing branches faintly illuminated by the flickering fire, like the swamp trees covered with human skins mentioned in the horror stories, specializing in hunting pedestrians who get lost in the forest, terrifying and strange.


    Grabbing the water bottle, she took q sip to ease her nervousness. However, the throat that swallowed abruptly locked, something cold touched her foot, and Yin Yi''s face turned pale.


    Licking her chapped lips, she stopped herself from shivering and instead got up forcefully and calmly, the corner of her eyes subconsciously swept across the gap in the trees¡ª¡ª


    "Ahh!"


    A piercing scream broke out suddenly.


    Everyone was startled, and all turned to look at the source of the cry.


    The water bottled slammed to the ground, and the flames smoldered and ent out at her feet.


    She trembled all over and pointed in horror: "The tree... the tree...something.."


    Pop-pop!


    A sudden burst of cracking underfoot made the players freeze.


    The wind blew in from the crack of the trees and a rotten stench suddenly crossed the tip of their noses. There was a feeling of wetness on his forehead and Chao Bin raised a hand to wipe his forehead, a large swipe of blood was removed from his forehead.


    In addition to the bloodstains, a twisted and elongated face suddenly hung down from the branches of the barren tree and stared down at them with bulging eyes. The face raised its head, and its vague facial features showed a cold smile to the players.


    Everyone'' turned pale instantly,


    "Wa¨Cda¨Cwi!"


    A strange sound came from the creature''s throat and at this moment, Chao Bin''s face suddenly changed and he yelled,


    "Run!"


    The extreme sense of crisis came to his heart, Chao Bin felt like a blade was sticking to his neck, slowly pressing down with each second,


    Hearing Tang Shuns shout, without hesitation, he slammed up from the ground and ran directly into the dark forest. Footsteps rang out from behind him and Tang Shun''s tall beside came from beside him,


    "This way!"


    The danger that had been delayed for a few days was finally here, sure enough, a disgusting bloody smell adhered to their bodies, like a tarsal maggot that could never be shaken off!


    The monster tilted its head and let out a shrill, cruel laugh that was as terrifying as fingernails scratching against glass!


    Ying Wenlin was unexpectedly sturdy and angled to keep up with the front, the one in the middle danger at the moment was the thin man from before, with wheezing gasps and stumbling feet he struggled to catch up with the others, eyes blown out in terror.


    His feet accidentally caught onto the forest floor and uncontrollably, his speed dropped for a moment; Almost instantly the thin man suddenly felt a pain in his abdomen.


    A resentful bloody face stared back at him, and a knife had stabbed into his body.


    This is not a speed that humans can achieve!


    The thin man instantly struggled and clamped the hands buried into his abdomen, ignoring the extreme pain and trying to run again.


    He wanted to survive and he wanted to survive more than anyone!


    The monster''s sharp smile was even harsher, it didn''t break free from the thin man''s hand, but continued to slide down with the knife as if he wanted to cut his body in half!


    He immediately let go, kicked the creature away, the jagged edges of the blade tore his flesh and the fresh blood stained the forest floor as ran forward frantically.


    Fighting is useless. The creature is faster and stronger than them.


    He can only escape and survive.


    The trees crisscrossed, and the running bunch constantly circled.


    But the unhurried dragging sound behind him seemed to drift in their ears no matter how fast or how far they ran. Like a patient, cautious hunter waiting for its prey.


    From the cover of his, Tang Shun suddenly spotted a silver shadow flash by, before quickly reappearing in another place, strangely he read the meaning of leading the way.


    Behind him was the shrill laughter and the sound of footsteps that could not be shaken off.. At this time, Tang Shun didn''t hesitate, with a sharp turn, he just followed the silver shadow deeper into the forest. Behind hin, Chao Bin followed, as well as all the other players, disappearing along with the wind

 Chapter 183 - The Isolated Island (27)

    The heavy footsteps slammed through the forest floor, with heady gasps, white faces, and gritted teeth the players frantically escaped.


    As they got deeper, the sparse moonlight gradually faded away and was engulfed by darkness. The aperture of the silver shadow swayed on the uneven forest terrain. The narrow and cramped space, surrounded by darkness, seemed to drown out all light and sound.


    Chao Bin felt that his limbs seemed to be getting stiffer and stiffer, but his rapid and violent breathing slowly disappeared from his ears. Red mud splashed against his face and stung his eyes.


    He ran for a while, and a strange feeling suddenly filled his heart.


    He raised his head and stared at the dark forest in front, and found that he did not know when it started. But the mist was so dark that no light could penetrate it.


    There was no sound behind them.


    His expression changed but it was already too late.


    A crazed malicious face, bloodstains like broken glass appeared on the side of its neck, like exploding bubbles, propping up the skin, and ghostly eyeballs appeared, wriggling like densely packed maggots.


    The monster stood before them completely blocking their way, the inertial force flung the players forward uncontrollably!


    Several players skidded and threw themselves to the side, however those at the front were too far ahead, and with terrifying screams crashed into the bloody monster.


    Before they could escape, they were swept by a few terrifying eyeballs and solidified into a strange human sculpture.


    The human sculpture burst with a bang!


    Blood rained like Snowflakes mixed with red and white stench splashing on Tang Shun''s face,


    As if being stung by a poisonous bee, he opened his mouth wide and gasped, and ran wildly forward.


    "Rush out!"


    The players scrambled to run, and the eye monsters chased after them. Their pursuit was silent, like hungry ghosts.


    Just turning around, you see countless pairs of bloody eyes staring at them from behind.


    At this moment, the silver shadow flickered in the corner of his eyes and disappeared, he strained his eyes and looked forward, in his ears, he seemed to hear the sound of rushing water, and where there''s water, there is bound to be people.


    The monsters seemed to be stimulated by something and their pursuit became even more frenzied!


    Several of them were hit and a piece of flesh torn off, the smell of blood in the air was thick and nauseating, In this life-and-death chase, they passed through the areas with the densest trees and the forest abruptly opened up to a strange clearing.


    They ran into the area without hesitation.


    "Fuck..."


    Chao Bin stumbled and was held up by a cold-faced Tang Shun, At this moment, one person suddenly shouted, his tone extremely excited, "They are not chasing anymore!! "


    The other players turned around as they ran, and sure enough, they saw that the eye monsters stopped their silent footsteps, eyeballs rolling around their necks, stared at them maliciously, but did not continue chasing upwards.


    The players almost cried with joy.


    But soon they realized another possibility: "They''re afraid of this area!"


    The sound of branches crackling, was extremely loud in the silence, all heard swiftly turned back and from behind the tree, a familiar ghostly shadow slowly revealed its face.


    A little boy with red eyes stared at them deeply, "Of course, they''re afraid of this area, this is where they were buried."


    It was pitch-dark, with tree shadows spreading on the forest floor, showing their teeth and claws, in the extra shadows the forest seemed to be shrouded in another coating of red.


    ****


    The heavy tension from the night stopped early in the morning, and the warm sun rose.


    Thousands of orange rays of light reflected the flat rocky terrain of the village and the sound of 9f waves crashing against the beach was somewhat psychedelic.


    The water gathered in the cracks and eaves evaporated with the quickly rising temperatures, turning water into gas, quickly adding to the hot and humidity of the air. The sea reflected the brilliance of the sun''s shadow transparently and the white fog slowly withdrew like the slow turning of a page.


    A soft crashing echoed in the silence,


    A whistling sounded from far to near.


    The old boat penetrated the morning light, rocking as it hit the shore, the two tall slender figures cut a dashing arc in the sun, and the rapidly rising temperatures only served to set off the cold and indifferent eyebrows.


    The director wrung his wrists and made a beeline to the dock, his fat figure resembling a large rolling ball. Chu Yi stepped onto the shore, and glanced at the director,


    His face was pale, and there were also some sunken blue and black circles under his eyes, showing that he didn''t rest well last night, the red bloodshot vessel''s on the edge of his eyeballs were filled with a hint of panic and relief.


    "You¨C"


    Granny Li''s hunched figure slowly turned her cold and stiff face at the sound of his words, the vast lamp in her hand had long extinguished with the rising sun. The fat cheeks of the middle-aged man shuddered, he mustered up his courage, and struggled to speak again, "That¨CThank you for volunteering your...boat for the rescue mission today."


    His voice shook and he spoke with an ugly face, this wasn''t the demeanor, a director should have.


    Granny Li smiled strangely, raised the kerosene lamp in her, and spoke sweetly, "It''s an old thing, that boat hasn''t been used in many, many years."


    She cackled under her breath and walked away, the shadow of a swaying figure seemed to be getting longer and longer with each step.


    Chu Yi watched Granny Li''s back sink into the darkness, taking note of the soft sigh of relief from his side.


    His eyes narrowed faintly, softly fingering the edges of the frayed bool in his hands, recalling the contents.


    Thursday, July 6,


    The weather is a little hot. It''s been like this for a while, the village head has been complaining, maybe there will be a drought this year. I''m not worried, even if there is a drought, the sea will give us all we need. The baby in my stomach kicked again today, it must be a healthy fat boy, even if it is a girl, she''ll be the loveliest little girl. The elder has prepared a blood bath for me, I''m a bit scared, but luckily there''s Li Zhun. As I''m writing this, the sweat drips from my brow... Maybe it would be a good choice for me and Li Zhun to marry."


    "Monday, September 17,


    Li Zhun and I have married three days ago, my mother was really upset when she found out I was pregnant and unanimously opposed giving birth, she said it was a sign to the sea God but Li Zhun reassured me, our child must be very strong to show those old follies. The weather is hot, the crops have wilted and the animals make strange cries in their pen, I''ve been having strange pains these days, I should probably go for another blood bath..."


    Saturday, December 25th.


    Oh, I overheard Li Zhun and the elder today, they seemed to be talking about the baby, when Jacob saw me he got really scared and a coin fell from his hands. Did the shaman pay him to get some herbs, after all, he is a seafarer, it''s not a surprise? I''ve been craving fish these days, I wonder when the weather will let up, the nets have been empty for too long.


    Wednesday, January 13th,


    Li Zhun has been going out for longer these days, he said it''s for work but all those fancy dreams are for the city folks, the baby is growing bigger, mother seemed to have let up and has been coming around a lot. It''s nice but the strange pain has not gone away, the baby is growing up still. I should probably go back to the elder today. The atmosphere in the village has been really strange these days,


    Sunday, March 4,


    Li Zhun brought me a flower today and my mother cooked me a large meal, however, I just can''t shake the feeling that something is wrong, maybe I''m worrying too much, the baby is almost here I can''t wait to meet him.


    Friday, April 1,


    "It''s all a lie!"


    The diary came to an abrupt end.


    On the last page, the handwriting is written in blood.


    That resentful aura almost came out through the paper.


    Flipping through the pages, Chu Yi seemed to see the appearance of a simple village woman recording her pregnancy with a soft smile, but through the traces in the book it only made one''s blood run cold.


    Those rough lines of simple scenes are as if it was infected with an indescribable frenzy.


    The director wind them sweat from his brows and shook his head, nothing the still functioning camera, in Zhu Yi''s hands, his eyes lit up and his entire demeanor changed, "Good, good as long as these scenes are processed they can included in the film."


    Chu Yi stared at the squinting eyes and compared them to the man in the picture. A bold guess quickly flashed through his mind.


    He didn''t wait for the director to continue speaking, he raised his hand and took out the half-torn photo in the dead girl''s diary from his pocket, asking in a dull voice, "Do you know the persons in this photo?"


    Chu Yi narrowed his eyes and handed the photo to the director.


    His reaction was instantaneous, his face completely lost all color and his pupils dilated into thin slits, shaking fingers throwing the picture away frantically, "No, No I don''t know her, don''t ask me anything, I don''t know!"


    He looked at the cold red eyes and suddenly felt as if all his sins been seen through, the words abruptly stuck in his throat and his fat figure hunched strangely.


    With trembling lips the director looked around guiltily, clutched the camera and walked as if running away, muttering strangely under his breath.


    "When the opportunity comes, go back to the ancestral hall and check to see to there is a Li Zhun on the records."


    "Dead or Alive."

 Chapter 184 - The Isolated Island (28)

    The sun was bright in the sky overhead, the blue sky is cloudless, and there is a cool breeze from time to time. The small clearing is full of green grass, and a fresh spring vigor permeated everywhere.


    Before long, the familiar lively shouts of the villagers came. The children who just woke up didn''t know where they found a kite, pulling the kite string as they ran fast.


    The red-faced Phoenix flew into the air and suspended over the village interspersed with the sound of wanton laughing and shouting, occasionally the children would bump into each other without paying attention, pushing and laughing.


    A strange happy smile appeared on the stiff and pale faces.


    After they held the kite, they took turns running on the field, and sang children''s songs cheerfully,


    "Pick up your hooks, pick up your nets,


    Brave boys and girls,


    Go up and down, down to the sea,


    "Happy, happy, we are all happy..."


    The children circled past their feet, bringing with them, the fishy sweetness of rotten meat.


    After the director ran away, the assistant came over, comforted the two lead actors, and gave them the morning off. Everyone had suffered a fright and the expressions of several of the crew members were grin and pale, some more so than others.


    The two leisurely walked back to the old house, observing the villagers calmly. They were the same from the beginning, contented and happy only the bellies that grew heavier and heavier distorted the gratifying scene.


    They didn''t follow the path directly back to the old house but instead slowly circled the village. From the corner of his eyes, Chu Yi caught sight of a group of villagers smoking hazily in the morning light, he noticed them because amongst them was the tour guide that brought them the island.


    Chatting heartily with tar-stained teeth, they resembled ordinary idle old men.


    One villager seemed to say something, stood up and separated from his other friends, shook the cigarette out, and hooked the neck of a middle-aged man, walking away familiarly. He watched as the two walked further and further away until they hit a remote grove on the edge of the village.


    Chu Yi looked beside him and in tacit understanding, they followed behind stealthily.


    On the edge of the grove, there is an abandoned toilet, and the two''s destination is there.


    The wind in the morning brought vague chatter, Chu Yi listened for a while and found that the old man called the middle-aged man with glasses "Old Ming", looking at the relationship between the two, they were familiar.


    They leaned shoulders back and went into the abandoned toilet.


    There are many weeds around the toilet, tall and uncut, suitable for hiding.


    This kind of old outdoor toilet is usually only half covered at the top for ventilation, that is to say, jumping in from the top would likely lead to falling into the cesspit.


    He contemplated going around the side but a small noise quickly prompted Ruan Quixi to immediately press Chu Yi''s back, and the two of them squatted down together.


    Chu Yi raised his eyes.


    Ruan Quixi opened his palm and wrote two words: "Someone."


    The itch in Chu Yi''s palm hadn''t disappeared, he followed Ruan Quixi''s line of sight and saw a tall and thin figure appearing in the weeds ahead.


    The hunched figure is getting closer.


    Looking at the opponent''s movements and subconscious habits, Chu Yi quickly determined that this was a player.


    The man''s actions are very neat, but some subtle noises will inevitably be made. He couldn''t see them but they could see him.


    The old toilet was dirty, the corners were overgrown with weeds, and there was some excrement that had dried up, and flies buzzed noisily around the two of them.


    The roof half-covered them from the sun, and the other half of the sun fell on the bodies of the two.


    From Chu Yi''s angle, the old man was saying something, he pulled out a satchel and held it out.


    He lowered his head slightly, his mouth shape was stiff, and Chu Yi could barely understand from the movement of his lips, that he wanted the middle-aged man to take it.


    But Old Ming shook his head, pushed the satchel back, and refused.


    The old man glanced at the middle-aged man helplessly, said something again, and pushed the satchel over again.


    This time, Old Ming did not resist but said a long paragraph. From his richer body language, Chu Yi could read a feeling of repentance.


    Then he took the satchel and opened it.


    Chu Yi could vaguely make out a bloody lump and a rusty kitchen knife in the satchel.


    He couldn''t see the expression of Old Ming with his back turned to him, but the old man''s back was obviously stiff, and then he relaxed again as if he had released a great burden.


    He looked around vigilantly, shook his head, and scurried away like a rat in a gutter. Old Ming looked down at the satchel with a grim face, then entered the abandoned toilet, there was a faint digging noise; when he came out again after a few minutes, the satchel was gone he too hurried away.


    Chu Yi waited for a while and sure enough, the man came back around the corner, seeing that wasn''t anyone, he glanced once more at the abandoned pit and left.


    There was a slight rustle and the weds were pushed back, the man weasel-like figure emerged from the bushes, and hastily ran to the old pit to begin digging.


    Chu Yi watched him go, instead of following, he pulled Ruan Quixi to stand up and left the area of the abandoned pit.


    The blood that dripped from the satchel before, was a rusty red with a moist and sticky feeling, unlike human blood.


    The old house stood out like a sore thumb on the raised hill, a kerosene lamp hung from the eaves of the entrance when Chu Yi took it down, the red oil had already been burnt out, there was no residual heat, that is to say, no one returned to the house last night.


    Chu Yi put down the empty kerosene lamp on the table beside his bed, raised his legs, turned over, and climbed onto the narrow bed. A pair of dazzling white feet slipped into Ruan Quixi''s clothes and stuffed them into his abdomen.


    The ice jade-like soles were warmed by the strong abdominal muscles.


    Ruan naturally held his ankles, lazily leaning back against the wall.


    He was a little suspicious that he was being used by the little vixen, and his eyes narrowed slightly but allowed the young man to use his stomach as a heater.


    "Little fox."


    There was a mania in Ruan''s hoarse voice.


    As if Chu Yi didn''t hear his words at all, he half-closed his peach blossom eyes comfortably and tiredly, the shimmering light from under his eyelids fell on Ruan Quixi''s tall figure, and said to himself,


    "So far, a lot of clues have been interspersed around the island. On the voyage here, the strangely irresistible fish was served to the passengers in varying degrees, but when we came here, the fish was replaced by the suspicious rotten meat. That is to say that the food on the island was made up of these two lumps of meat."


    "There are no fishing nets or boats here, unlike a regular fishing village and the villagers walk around with strangely bulging bellies as if they were nine months pregnant, and yet none of them seems to find this strange and this strangeness can be directly linked back to food served."


    "If we connect it with the account told by Granny Li, it can be concluded that the island experienced a horrible event that killed off the animals on the island and caused the sea to lose its fervor, turning this once abundant island into a barren hell."


    "There is no sign of trauma on the island and no clear signs point to cannibalism or famine, instead the only tragic case seemed to be of a pregnant woman. From beginning to end, there have been strange signs pointing to pregnancy."


    "Judging from the diary, the woman''s accident happened while amid the happenings, so her death wasn''t the cause, therefore it''s not a single case of revenge."


    "Corpses buried under the ancestral hall which is uncanny of in an isolated place like this, and a forest that is avoided. Strange activities at night and an abandoned and broken statue. The only anomaly is the ship that brings in outsiders once a month, so tell me what can cause a prosperous island to turn into the way it is now."


    "There is still a breath of life on the villagers. These villagers are not monsters, but human beings, therefore, it''s not a ghost village, all of these people are alive and therefore all actions are voluntary. They know that something is wrong but no one speaks up, as if tacitly avoiding something..."


    Chu Yi''s jet-black hair swept his eyebrows, and the light from the window cast shadows on the sharp facial features, " The truth is really hard to guess."


    Ruan Quixi rubbed his feet, speaking up casually,


    "Since it''s hard to guess, then don''t, when they''ve been beaten hard enough, won''t the truth come out naturally."


    Chu Yi''s restless movements paused and a hint of clarity appeared in his eyes, and he laughed softly, non-committal.


    He closed his eyes, and breathed out silently, quickly falling into a light sleep.


    He could feel the breath of Ruan Quixi surround him. The man grabbed his hand, pinched his fingers gently one by one, and stroked the already fading bruises on his hand.


    The slight itching with a burst of numbness prevented him from opening his eyes immediately and withdrawing his hands.


    He had to admit that he kind of enjoyed the touch, even strangely familiar.


    The slightly throbbing nerves slowly stretched and relaxed in such a calming massage.


    His sleep deepened.


    In the haze, the rough hand slowly moved up and rubbed his arm.


    The satiated feeling is getting heavier.


    Chu Yi thought vaguely in his heart that this sassy surname Ruan is not so annoying when he acted like a meticulous wife...


    Before this thought process could be completed, Chu Yi''s hand was suddenly placed between two hot and soft places.


    Something slightly hard rubbed against the muscles of his forearm.


    Chu Yi paused...


    The cold white hands were immediately pulled back and the misty red opened into a short glare, meeting the dissatisfied gaze,


    He immediately wanted to beat this restless thing to death.


    A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts, except the knock wasn''t coming from his bedroom door but from outside. With lazy footsteps, he walked to the door and slowly opened it,


    A petite and cute black umbrella as tall as his chin abruptly snapped shut, revealing the owner''s two large dark eyes, a sweet voice blew softly into his ears, "Hello, big brother, have you ever heard of Pandora''s Box?"

 Chapter 185 - The Isolated Island (29)

    The sun''s glare blinded his eyes for a moment and even he refocused them the little girl''s benign question echoed softly in his ears,


    Her face was morbidly white, but the two almond eyes were bright. Calm, with a thoughtful smile, he answered in a loose tone: "Pandora''s box in Greek mythology... I heard that it was given to Pandora by Zeus, a sealed box full of disasters, and asked her to give it to her husband, but because of her curiosity Pandora opened the magic box in front of Epimetheus."


    "A black smoke flew out of the magic box, causing plague, madness, calamity, evil, greed, and countless other scourges have spread to the human world..."


    The little girl nodded satisfied with his answer, she stared curiously at the tall shadow behind him but didn''t pry, she smiled up at him sweetly, "Big brother, the ancestral hall is very lively at night."


    Chu Yi raised his head.


    The words spit out all seem to have a clear direction, but they are vague. True and false, need to be carefully distinguished but one thing could be ascertained, the ancestral hall played a vital role in the scheme of things.


    At this moment, the sunlight outside was still so dazzling, the little girl''s black umbrella twisted neatly as she walked away, the sound of tiny heels tapping onto the rocks extremely clear in the silence.


    Her departure was like an omen,


    In the next second, Chu Yi heard an extremely shrill cry from outside the house.


    "Ahhhhhhh¨C¨C"


    From the voices, he could tell that multiple persons were involved; Regardless it was now broad daylight, what could have prompted such a commotion?


    ¡ª¡ªThe voices weren''t very clear but from what he could hear, they should belong to the villagers, they were in an uproar and the panicked shouts traveled over the land.


    Chu Yi frowned and exchanged glances with Ruan Quixi


    The black-haired youth opened the door, walked for a distance, and found that the originally silent village was now as noisy as water falling into a boiling hot pan.


    Chu Yi walked forward and found that a bunch of old men and old ladies surrounded the front of a house in surprise, pointing and chattering remorsefully.


    After he pushed the crowd away, he saw that there was a corpse belonging to a familiar ugly old man lying there.


    The last time he saw him, the man had gnawed his fingers fleshless, however, at this moment, the old man''s image looked extremely bad. His whole body was covered with blood and shredded flesh, the in on his arms had been completely gnawed away as if he had eaten himself in extreme hunger, even his stomach swelled a bit, pale and blue traces like a corpse soaked in water for too long


    With the grim state revealed after his death, all the clothes that should have been attached to his body were torn to shreds, making him look particularly hideous.


    An old man stood at the front, holding the cigarette with shaking hands, the eyes that looked at the man were colored with horror. He kept calling out to the old man and patted his cheek with his hand.


    It seemed that the man''s body had inexplicably appeared here, attracting the attention of the entire village.


    At first, when they saw the old man just fall to the ground, but slowly, as the time passed, he changed into the appearance he was now...


    The old man seemed to think of something and had his entire face turned pale, licking his chapped lips and muttering indistinctly.


    However, the old man still remembered his past feelings, suppressed the fear in his heart, and kept calling the other party''s name.


    "Ugly old man wakes up, Ugly, Zhengzi...what the hell is going on?!"


    Chu Yi watched this scene silently. Not only that, but he looked sideways and found that the people in the villagers all held faces of untold horror and the commotion only became louder and louder¨C however, the fear on their faces seemed to be mixed with another type of emotion ¨Cregret.


    He looked back at the mutilated flesh corpse.


    The old man''s death must be said to be particularly tragic;


    His entire body was self-mutilated, filled with bloody lesions and remnants of flesh, leaving pools of hideous bloodstains on the ground...


    He narrowed his eyes slowly, the bloodstains slowly trickled into the soil and some parts were darker than others and these dark parts seemed to form a word.


    Chu Yi heard countless whispers, seemingly hovering around them.


    "What happened...? Isn''t this the ugly old man? Why did he become like this?"


    "Zhengzi...his death is so tragic, it is like he ate himself !? Couldn''t it be an evil spirit..."


    "Move away, maybe it''s a disease, don''t get infected!


    "Fortunately he has no wife and kids, I remember he still had some relationships with that girl...."


    "Shhh! Don''t mention that person!"


    The sound from the outside made the veins on his forehead jump. There was a slight confusion and the villagers suddenly created a path leading directly towards the body. Granny Li''s familiar cloudy gaze turned to the body and tutted heavily, "What a sin."


    She turned to the old man who still persistently patted the man''s only intact cheeks and said lightly,


    "Old man, he is dead. No matter how much you call him, he will not open his eyes again."


    After hearing this, the old man suddenly raised his head, and when he saw Granny Li''s benevolent face, he suddenly became extremely excited.


    He stretched out his somewhat liver spot-filled hand and stuck it straight at Granny Li!


    Although the old man is quite old, his body is still quite tough; the villagers uprooted,


    He clamped his hand tightly on Granny Li''s neck, with bountiful resentment in his eyes.


    "You are talking nonsense, Zhengzi and the others are not dead!"


    "It''s you, it''s you¡ª"


    "If it wasn''t for you, you proposed that ritual... It was all because of you that they would die!"


    "I should just kill you and appease her spirit !"


    The villagers frantically pulled at him and forcefully yanked his hands from his neck,


    ...


    Granny Li coughed uncontrollably but looked calmly at the old man who was obviously out of control in front of her, cloudy grey eyes as if looking at a jumping clown, "Do you think, If you all didn''t tacitly agree to it, then could I go through with it?


    The old man''s emotions are indeed a little out of control.


    His emotional imbalance was not because of how good his relationship with the ugly old man was, but because he knew what his death symbolized.


    Hearing Granny Li''s words the regret in his eyes grew deeper. Chu Yi stared at them coldly, the existence of regret is the most hypocritical emotion known to human beings.


    In a sense, they don''t regret what they''ve done, they regret the consequences that come from it.


    The old man''s back seemed to become heavier, if this is what they have to endure now ... he can''t imagine what the future will be like.


    ¡ª¡ªWhat''s more... what about the children?


    The old man thought to himself.


    He can represent the psychology of the elderly in their entire village.


    These ignorant villagers... It''s justifiable to get revenge on them, but the children in their family are still too young, they''ve already suffered enough but there was no way to ask for forgiveness...


    No one thinks that life and death is meaningless, but their children, the existence that continues their lives, is it worth living...


    ¡ª¡ªSo, what should they do now?


    Thinking of this, the old man''s face became even more sinister, and there was an indescribable gloom on the face that originally seemed to be very kind.


    The old man was restrained and persuaded softly,


    "¡ªThe child is also watching, your actions don''t seem to be very good."


    On cue, a very mournful cry belonging to a child broke into the clearing,


    "Ughhhhhhh-"


    Chu Yi paused, turned around, and saw the little grandson of the village chief''s family, a boy named Huzi, whose round eyes were full of fear.


    ¡ª¡ªJust being looked at by the villagers like this, the little boy didn''t dare to speak.


    The little boy''s hand was originally holding a small toy, but when he glanced at the traces of the body between the tall bodies blocking it, his hand trembled slightly. The toy has long been thrown to the ground by him, unable to hold it.


    The little boy moved his body but found that he stepped on a bloodstain with just a slight movement...


    However, for all this, the little boy is not clear, he just feels a kind of fear, unspeakable anger, and despair...


    All the emotions gathered in his chest, layer by layer, shrouded together as if he was about to crush his innocent soul.


    Chu Yi looked at the villagers and unexpectedly walked forward, his movements were extremely light but still attracted the attention of the villagers, he stretched out his white fingers and gently lifted the black hair on his forehead.


    "What are you crying for?" Chu Yi asked in a flat voice.


    The little boy did not dare to answer, his fingers were shaking.


    His stature looked very thin, and his little face was pale.


    Chu Yi knelt on one knee on the ground, slowly stretched out his fingertips, and gently rubbed the little boy''s hair, with a smile on the corner of his mouth.


    He repeated, asking, "What are you crying for?"


    In the end, the little boy seemed slightly comforted and made a small whimper, which seemed to be squeezed out of his throat.


    "Someone said...someone said..that the old man died because he sinned.."


    Chu Yi just quietly watched the little boy cry.


    There was still a smile on the corner of his mouth, like a teacher who patiently taught him, and asked softly, "Then you don''t think he deserves to die?"


    The little boy stared blankly at Chu Yi because he found that this man, who spoke like a devil, gently stretched out his hand and smoothed the tears hanging from his eyes.


    ¨C¨Chis movements are even gentle.


    The little boy stared blankly at Chu Yi, but his thoughts still couldn''t be sorted out.


    Yes, that scary woman also said...this is what the familiar uncles, aunts, and grandparents deserved.


    Chu Yi stared at the pitiful steambunned face and finally figured out the words the blood spilled on the soil,


    "Gluttony."


    At this moment, a new voice appeared amongst the villagers, truly innocent, "Then what should we do now? Burn the body?"


    "Isn''t that...too cruel?"


    One person whispered, "What if it''s a disease, we can''t allow it to spread."


    Granny Li looked around and spoke in a raspy, choking scrawl, "There is no other choice, burn the body at high tide."


    The villagers nodded, looked at the body, continued to shake their heads with remorse, and slowly dispersed.


    Chu Yi stood up, and spoke softly to Ruan Quixi, "Did you notice? None of them showed discomfort at the sight of the body, not even the little boy.. As if, it''s not the first time, they''ve dealt with a corpse."