Chapter 119

Chapter 119

The next day, everyone gathered on the sixth floor and waited for Cheng Miao. When she opened her door to so many pairs of eyes, she momentarily had no idea what to say.

She rubbed her brow, glanced at Qin Musong, whose complexion was still poor, then looked at Gu Jian.

Gu Jian grinned back. After a while, he surrendered with a shrug. “Fine, fine. I’ll help Uncle. But if Xiao Zhang is really strong, you’d better hurry.”

In theory, all of them were ghosts. Cheng Miao had personally killed the Landlord, while Gu Jian disposed of two others during a bathroom break. Xiao Zhang should not be too difficult.

Yet Cheng Miao sensed it would not go so smoothly. They did not know where Shen Xin’s remains were, so someone had to lure Xiao Zhang away while they searched Room 703.

Standing behind Old Zhao with his eyes lowered, Su Yang looked full of guilt. “I’m sorry. If I’d opened my eyes yesterday, maybe we would know where Shen Xin’s body is. I was useless.”

Old Zhao patted him. “It’s all right. Everyone was terrified. No one blames you.”

Cheng Miao watched coldly and offered no comfort.

She glanced at Qi Jiajia without drawing attention. Qi Jiajia gave an almost imperceptible nod.

Knock, knock.

Qin Musong knocked on Room 703. Cheng Miao and the others hid in the stairwell and listened as Qin Musong and Gu Jian claimed there was a problem with a room, drawing Xiao Zhang away.

Once he was gone, Cheng Miao’s group hurried to Room 703.

Yang Ke had watched too many gangster movies in school and taught himself basic lockpicking. The door opened within moments.

As soon as it did, Qi Jiajia caught the faint odor of a decomposing corpse.

It was so weak that anyone who had not spent as long among the dead as she had would have overlooked it.

She whispered to Cheng Miao, who narrowed her eyes and surveyed the apartment.

The corpse had carried many wounds before death. If the smell was this faint, the body could not be lying in any room. It had to be… inside a wall.

But which wall?

They searched Room 703. Numerous photographs of Shen Xin from when she was alive made it look, at first glance, like the home of a loving husband mourning his dead wife.

Cheng Miao frowned in disgust and moved deeper inside. Baili Qianqiu and Lin Zhu followed. Yang Ke and Freckles searched the kitchen. Su Yang and Old Zhao remained in the living room, unwilling to enter the inner rooms, forcing Qi Jiajia to stay outside and guard them.

Without Qi Jiajia’s sensitive nose, Cheng Miao wandered between the study and bedroom without progress.

Then Baili Qianqiu, silent until now, chuckled. A black playing card appeared between his fingers.

Made from an unknown material, the card looked razor-sharp.

He shuffled with a smile, the cards flashing like metal in his hands.

With a slight movement of his long fingers, card after card flew on a fierce wind and embedded themselves in the study’s white wall.

They cut like blades through iron. Half of each card sank into the plaster as thin cracks spread across it.

Without pausing, Baili Qianqiu’s tall figure swept forward like a whirlwind. He leaped, spun, and drove a beautiful kick into the wall’s center.

Crash!

The entire study wall collapsed.

Everyone who rushed over stared openmouthed as Baili Qianqiu stepped across the rubble and bent into the black opening.

Cheng Miao silently cheered his legendary move and followed close behind.

She continued praying inwardly: I want a violent build too. Please grant me one powerful Item!
Baili Qianqiu was like a beacon in the darkness, unerringly leading the group to Shen Xin’s remains, now reduced to bones.

“Carry them out.” He looked at the others. His aversion to dirt kept him from touching them.

Old Zhao and Su Yang backed away. It was not that they refused to help, but those were the boss’s remains. What if the female ghost appeared?

Lin Zhu was still afraid of corpses, but circumstances had trained him. This ghost’s bones were far less horrifying than the bizarre ways players had died.

Resigned, he stepped forward. With Yang Ke’s help, he gathered the bones scattered by decay, wrapped them in clothing, and carried them out.

The instant the bones emerged from the opening, Cheng Miao’s buff began signaling frantically.

“The objective is complete. The female ghost will regain her freedom in a few minutes. The door should be open. Let’s go to the second floor.”

They raced down the stairs. By the fourth floor, the sound of intense combat reached them.

Lin Zhu shouted at the top of his lungs, “We did it! Brother Qin, Gu Jian, run!”

This was no time for politeness. Old Zhao and Su Yang squeezed past Cheng Miao’s group and rushed ahead.

Freckles and Yang Ke slowed down. The exit lay ahead, but with the experts here, following them somehow felt safer.

Soon, Qin Musong and Gu Jian ran over and joined them, drenched in sweat and panting.

As he ran, Gu Jian swept his attractive bangs aside and gestured wildly. “Wow, that Xiao Zhang is so strong! Even Brother Qin’s bullets can’t make him vanish. Terrifying. Truly terrifying.”

Qin Musong was breathing a little harder. He carried Qi Jiajia on his shoulder as they caught up to Old Zhao. “Some ghosts inside instances cannot be destroyed. Here, Shen Xin is probably the only one who can eliminate Xiao Zhang.”

Cheng Miao and the others passed Su Yang and Old Zhao to take the lead. “Baili Qianqiu said Shen Xin needs time to recover. Their remaining grievances are none of our business. We leave first.”

Mad footsteps sounded behind them, accompanied by the thunderous clang of a blade striking the metal handrail. The noise drew closer.

“Hurry! He’s right behind us!” Old Zhao was running out of strength. His frightened shout became a scream the next instant.

“Ah!”

Lin Zhu had already pushed open the first-floor stairwell door. Cheng Miao looked back and saw Old Zhao falling backward. A knife protruded through his chest, and blood spread across his clothes.

“Y-you…” Blood poured from Old Zhao’s mouth. He stared at Su Yang in disbelief, unable to finish.

Cheng Miao’s brow tightened. She shouted at the weakest two, “Yang Ke, Freckles, go!”

They did not understand what had happened, but over the past few days Cheng Miao’s words had become warnings they obeyed without question. They lowered their heads and sprinted outside.

Cheng Miao’s group followed. Old Zhao was clearly beyond saving.

They burst into the first-floor lobby. The original white wall had become the enormous glass entrance from their arrival. Freckles and Yang Ke were gone, so they had escaped.

Xiao Zhang was still dealing with Old Zhao’s body and had not followed yet. Su Yang ran toward the group, tear tracks on his face. “I… I don’t know what happened. Old Zhao just…”

“Save it.” Gu Jian stepped into his path with a grin. “Who still standing here could you possibly fool?”

Su Yang looked innocent, then turned to Cheng Miao.

Her beautiful face had gone cold enough to summon snow. “Stop pretending. You’re what they call a Party-Wipe Player, aren’t you?”