Chapter 116
Chapter 116
Even after lying down, Cheng Miao silently marveled at how close that had been. Something she had read in a book was hardly reliable.
In truth, she suspected her Friend of Ghosts buff had helped enormously.
She closed her eyes wearily. No one had died tonight. Two days remained.
Little Red lay in bed, exhausted. She had not slept properly since moving onto the second floor.
Who could have known the apartment next to hers would become a hell where several players died?
But no one had died today. Cheng Miao’s cool, composed face appeared in Little Red’s mind.
She sighed inwardly. Cheng Miao was powerful and kind. Little Red had judged her meanly at the beginning.
Beauty and popularity no longer mattered. She only wanted to leave this instance alive.
Little Red had long hair. When she slept, she swept it above her head so turning over would not pull her scalp.
Lying on her side with thoughts in disarray, she finally grew drowsy, only to wake when something tickled her face.
Irritated, she brushed away the hair stuck to her cheek and rolled over.
Her thick hair often caused this problem, poking her face while she slept.
Without opening her eyes, she reached behind her neck and pushed her hair upward.
Free from the irritation, she could finally sleep. Just before drifting off, she vaguely sensed something wrong.
What was it?
The hair tickled her again. Annoyed, Little Red raised a hand, then suddenly realized something.
She cared for her hair meticulously. It was as smooth as a model’s in a commercial.
But the hair she had just touched was dry and tangled.
More importantly, her own hair was curly. The strands she had moved away from her face had unquestionably been straight!
Sleep vanished. Her body turned ice-cold. She wanted to call for help, but no sound came.
She was alone on the second floor.
People were sometimes like this. Even when they knew something was wrong, they still wanted to look.
Little Red’s teeth chattered as she slowly raised her head.
In the darkness, she saw foul black hair tangled with the hair she had swept above her head.
It belonged to a swollen, pallid woman whose eyes overflowed with resentment.
The woman’s head lay beside her own.
When everyone rose on the fourth day, they were in good spirits thanks to the previous night’s game ending without a death.
Old Zhao had recovered somewhat and thanked Cheng Miao over and over.
Without her, whether they could have dismissed the vengeful ghost was uncertain. He would certainly have turned around and died.
As they ate breakfast delivered by the Longtime Tenants, Cheng Miao told everyone about seeing Shen Xin in the elevator.
“I keep feeling the Old Man knows something. He may be our breakthrough. Does anyone want to come with me?”
Yang Ke and Freckles were a given. They had become two sticky fruits, frequently earning glares from the king of sticky fruits, Qi Jiajia.
Old Zhao looked embarrassed. “Miss Cheng, I want to help, but I’m truly afraid. What if I do something wrong and drag you down too?”
Cheng Miao never forced anyone. She nodded.
Su Yang edged closer to Old Zhao, making his answer obvious. Baili Qianqiu elegantly lit a cigarette without expressing an opinion. Gu Jian draped an arm over Su Yang’s shoulders. “Then I’ll stay with Brother Su.”
Su Yang clearly disliked Gu Jian, but his good-natured personality kept him from saying so. He could only smile bitterly.
Sun Jiao sat quietly. She wanted to follow Cheng Miao, but she was too weak. For the past two days, memories of Fan Tiantian had constantly returned, and she feared becoming a burden.
“Hey, where’s the other girl?” Yang Ke scanned the group. Little Red normally stayed with Old Zhao’s group. Why was she absent?
“Still asleep?” Old Zhao belatedly looked around. “I’ll call her.”
Cheng Miao said nothing. Who would sleep late inside an instance? An ominous feeling rose in her.
Little Red was dead. Her mouth had been stuffed full of rice, and her face was twisted in terror and pain.
“Choked to death? Scared to death? Ugh, that’s a little disgusting. Might ruin my appetite.” Gu Jian leaned in for a look, then pulled back.
Everyone stared at him. If that was how he felt, he should stop eating his steamed bun so happily!
The dead woman was right there!
Cheng Miao frowned. “Did my warning yesterday not help after all?”
That should not have happened.
“No, no, no.” Gu Jian raised one finger and wagged it theatrically. “She didn’t die because she left rice. Whenever she took food from a shared dish, she unconsciously rummaged around for the pieces she wanted. Very rude.”
Su Yang’s eyes widened as he backed away. “You knew? You knew and didn’t tell her?!”
With his long arms and legs, Gu Jian easily hauled him back and held him in place. “How was I supposed to warn her? No one can stop a person determined to get themselves killed. Isn’t that right, Brother Su?”
Su Yang flushed with fury but could not answer.
Cheng Miao rubbed her brow and led everyone out, ignoring the quarrel.
Objectively, Gu Jian was right. Inside an instance, each person was responsible for their own life. Entrusting all hope to someone else was terribly irresponsible.
Little Red’s death left some players even more dispirited. Cheng Miao took her group directly to Room 702.
The Old Man seemed to know they were coming. Without surprise, he shot one quick look across the hall and let them inside.
Cheng Miao and the others braced themselves for a test. Instead, the Old Man threw a pile of paper boys and girls at each of them, cleared his broken-gong throat, and said, “Color them.”
The others did not know where to begin. A spark flashed in Cheng Miao’s eyes. “Boys in red, girls in green.”
Once they had a method, everyone confidently picked up paint. As Cheng Miao worked, she asked, “Old Man, do you know Shen Xin?”
He continued making paper crafts by the bed without lifting his eyes.
“Are you familiar with Room 703?”
Cheng Miao saw his hand tremble at the number.
There it was!
The Old Man did not fear Shen Xin’s ghost. He feared Room 703.
And what was in Room 703?
Naturally, the smiling young man.
Cheng Miao watched the Old Man from the corner of her eye, though her painting hand remained steady. “To be honest, I’ve dreamed of Shen Xin every night since moving in. Such a pitiful girl.”
The Old Man sighed deeply.
Cheng Miao looked up at once. His cloudy eyes stared at her without moving. “You truly dreamed of her?”
She nodded. “Her body was covered in wounds and swollen from the water. She said several people harmed her.”
The Old Man remained stunned for a long time before setting down the paper in his hands. “What a terrible sin.”
Cheng Miao pressed her advantage. “Shen Xin told me how to help her, but I need to know the full story.”
The Old Man looked around the room full of paper offerings and bowed his thin neck. His voice was frightening yet desolate.
“Shen Xin was a good child, but she had a hard life. She married a beast wearing a human face.
“That man gambled away every cent of their savings and sank deep into debt. The Landlord on the sixth floor was no good either. I heard he had been arrested several times for spying on women.
“Later, the husband discovered the Landlord spying on Shen Xin. Instead of calling the police, he agreed to ignore it in exchange for money.”
Disgust churned through everyone’s stomach. No one spoke.
“I often heard that girl cry and heard the couple fighting. Everyone told Shen Xin to endure it. I wasn’t well liked here, so I didn’t dare say much.”
When he fell silent in memory, Cheng Miao asked the crucial question. “Then did her husband kill her?”
The Old Man turned toward Cheng Miao and slowly shook his head.