Chapter 159
Chapter 159
The source of Cheng Miao’s unease was Qin Musong. One moment, he was wiping the sweat from her forehead. The next, he went still and walked out of the room as though he had lost his soul.
Cheng Miao wanted to call out and grab him.
But there was not enough strength in her hand. She could only watch Qin Musong’s sleeve slowly slip through her fingers.
Cheng Miao’s eyes reddened with panic, but there was nothing she could do.
That damned hallucination!
So many things reflected light during the day. There was simply no way to guard against all of them!
Then Cheng Miao heard footsteps approaching. They were unhurried, but her heart pounded violently.
Creak. The door opened. When Cheng Miao saw the person in the doorway, her eyelid twitched hard.
It was Kojima!
The formerly gentle and courteous Kojima now revealed his vicious, ruthless side. Without a smile, his triangular eyes looked even more sinister.
He advanced slowly toward Cheng Miao, the sharp knife in his hand flashing menacingly as he walked.
Kojima really was human. Even when he wanted to attack Cheng Miao, he had no choice but to use a knife.
Cheng Miao struggled to prop herself up, and the Kun-Bone Dagger appeared in her hand.
No!
The dagger’s hilt sent a cool chill through her palm, clearing her head somewhat.
With her current strength, she could barely raise her hand, much less use the Kun-Bone Dagger to attack or block.
Watching Kojima draw closer, Cheng Miao grew so frantic that cold sweat soaked her back.
She desperately searched her memory for an Item that might be useful in this situation.
Kojima was human. The lantern only worked against supernatural attacks.
The jump rope needed to loop around the target, and she could not guarantee her aim right now.
What else did she have?!
Sweat ran from Cheng Miao’s forehead into her eyes. She blinked hard.
Then inspiration struck. She still had one thing…
She did not know how to use it or whether it would work, but she could only gamble now.
Moving her fingers slightly, Cheng Miao took a photograph from her Space Backpack.
The man in the picture held a boning knife. A fruit knife was embedded in his body, and he glared darkly at the person taking the photograph.
It was Doctor Xu’s Photograph, which Cheng Miao had brought out of her first solo instance.
The Item could not be identified, and she had no idea how to use it.
But Cheng Miao knew that horror stories always used the same method to release an evil spirit from a photograph.
Struggling, she raised her shaking hands and tore the picture apart, calm with the resolve to stake everything on one final attempt.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Behind Kojima came the sound of a boning knife embedding itself in a table, then being wrenched free again.
Kojima looked back. A blood-soaked man stood behind him, his face savage and deranged. “You saw me! Die! Everyone has to die!”
With that, Doctor Xu raised the boning knife high and charged, stabbing viciously at Kojima.
Kojima was only human, while Doctor Xu was a century-old monster. Cheng Miao saw the boning knife burst straight out through Kojima’s left ribs, spraying blood with it.
Kojima spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered back several steps. He turned and glared viciously at Cheng Miao.
He made a feint by throwing his knife at Doctor Xu. When Doctor Xu twisted aside to dodge, Kojima slammed through the door and fled.
Half reclining on the bed, Cheng Miao breathed a profound sigh of relief. She had guessed correctly. The photograph really could serve as an offensive Item.
“You… I remember you!” Doctor Xu showed no interest in chasing Kojima. He had noticed Cheng Miao lying on the bed.
The corner of Cheng Miao’s mouth twitched. This was probably why the photograph could not be identified as an Item.
Once Doctor Xu was released, he was extremely difficult to control because he possessed a mind of his own.
Doctor Xu pulled the yellow-handled fruit knife from his body. Ignoring the wound, he slowly approached Cheng Miao.
“I remember you… This knife belongs to you, doesn’t it?”
Cheng Miao had been generally prepared to escape one danger only to fall into another, but Kojima had been the greatest immediate threat. Releasing Doctor Xu had been her only option.
“Doctor Xu, listen to me,” Cheng Miao said with difficulty. “We aren’t in Minsheng Lane anymore. There’s no conflict of interest between us.”
Doctor Xu cocked his head as he walked toward Cheng Miao, the muscles in his face twitching with excitement.
Seeing the neurotic smile at the corner of his mouth, Cheng Miao’s heart sank. She already had the lantern in her hand.
Doctor Xu was not human. Perhaps the lantern could negate one of his attacks.
Doctor Xu reached the bedside and raised the fruit knife to stab Cheng Miao. She was watching the tip tensely when a long, powerful leg suddenly swept into view, side-kicking Doctor Xu with thunderous force and a howl of wind.
At the same time, black-and-red flames appeared in Doctor Xu’s chest. They flared instantly, leaving a horrifying bloody hole behind.
“Ah!!” With an unwilling scream, Doctor Xu vanished, leaving only a foul smell that gradually dispersed through the room.
Cheng Miao raised her exhausted eyes. Qiudong had rushed to her side and sat behind her, half holding her against his body, bringing his familiar cool fragrance. Jiang Chen stood at the foot of the bed, smiling at her.
Jiang Chen held a Gentleman’s Cane. Its shaft was ebony, and a black-and-red gemstone was set into its top.
Faint flames still drifted from the gem. Holding the Gentleman’s Cane calmly, Jiang Chen walked over with gentlemanly elegance.
“Are you all right?” His deep, mellow voice, refined and restrained face, and elegant, expensive cane made Cheng Miao shout inwardly despite her inability to move: Absolutely my type!
After indulging in a moment of infatuation, she looked up at Qiudong’s face and became distracted all over again. She blinked rapidly, her voice anxious. “Brother Qin…”
“Qin Musong is fine.” Qiudong lifted Cheng Miao a little higher, helping her sit more comfortably against him. “He fell into a hallucination. He went outside because he was afraid he might use force and hurt you.”
Relieved, Cheng Miao nodded. Then she saw Qi Jiajia rush through the door and throw herself onto the bed. Cheng Miao tugged at the corner of her mouth. “Why are you here? Where’s Yun Su?”
Qi Jiajia buried her face in the blanket for a long while, her eyes red, before answering sullenly, “She’s fine. Better than you are.”
Cheng Miao sighed and apologized. “I didn’t expect the weakness debuff to be so severe. I’m sorry I worried you.”
Qin Musong entered with his head hanging like a large dog that had done something wrong. Cheng Miao laughed softly. “Brother Qin, you’re not going to make me comfort you, are you?”
Qin Musong shook his head. In that situation, he could barely protect himself. All he could do was force himself to leave, or he might have hurt Cheng Miao.
Still, things had nearly gone wrong, and Qin Musong could not possibly feel good about it.
Cheng Miao gave Qi Jiajia a look. Pouting, Qi Jiajia walked over to Qin Musong. She opened her mouth but could not find anything to say, so she simply took his hand.
Qin Musong’s expression eased. He reached out and stroked Qi Jiajia’s head.
Lin Zhu was the last to enter. He caught his breath and stopped in the doorway. “Sister Miaomiao… Gu Fan… Gu Fan is dead.”