Chapter 189
Chapter 189
The blonde woman asked quietly, “If he has no value, shouldn’t we leave early? Cemeteries are full of yin energy.”
Chen Chong’s courage failed as well. “Exactly. Cemeteries get terrifying at night. What if some lady ghost takes a liking to me and insists I become her ideal husband?”
Jiang Wenmei stared at him in silence. “…” Then she looked at Xiao Huai. “Why do you want to see his corpse?”
“I want to know how he died,” Xiao Huai said softly, his gaze resting on a headstone nearby.
This was a burial ground for the dead. Death lay on the opposite shore, while they stood on the shore of life.
Little Magician climbed from Lu Qian’s pocket and jumped onto his shoulder, whispering,
“Master, if Xiao Huai wants to find this dead man so badly and already has a picture, why not let him use that item?”
“No. Absolutely not!” Lu Qian objected almost reflexively.
Xiao Huai raised his eyes. One look told him that Lu Qian had a way to find the man.
And if Lu Yuanshi refused to use it, the reason was not the item’s value, but its extreme danger.
“Lu Qian, you know what kind of person I am. Are you truly unwilling to help me?” Xiao Huai walked toward him, placing his left hand over his heart.
For a moment, Lu Qian’s memory returned to *Vampires*.
Xiao Huai had been willing to stab through his own heart.
What else could frighten him?
Lu Qian sighed helplessly, and a vintage silver camera appeared in his hand.
“Let’s make one thing clear. I’ve never used this item. I haven’t dared touch it since I acquired it, because if something goes wrong, you’ll be trapped in the world of the dead.”
Lu Qian tightened his grip on the camera. “Using it is simple. I only need to take your picture, and you’ll appear in that photograph.”
He picked up the family portrait.
“Through a photograph, it creates a causal link between you and the deceased. Your soul leaves your body for half an hour and travels into the world of the dead to find his spirit. You can directly witness the cause of his death.”
Lu Qian paused. Everyone knew that such an extraordinary function would come with a catch.
He continued, “But the moment you see his spirit, he can choose to drag you into his world. If he holds you there and you can’t get out within half an hour, your soul will be imprisoned there forever!”
It resembled sending one’s soul out of the body to seek someone who had died. The risk was enormous.
The dead often carried countless regrets. Once they caught a living person, they would desperately pour out every grievance.
Half an hour? That was nowhere near enough.
Everyone immediately understood Lu Qian’s concern.
An ordinary game might not ultimately leave someone’s soul trapped.
But if Lu Qian’s item was used improperly, the consequences would truly be horrific.
No one wanted to gamble with their soul, much less take a risk like this.
Zhong Jiangyuan’s expression turned grave.
He did not want his friend facing such terrible danger for someone supposedly worthless.
Chen Chong and Jiang Wenmei exchanged looks. They understood perfectly what the item represented.
It was more than a tool for finding someone. Used properly, it could become a weapon.
One that killed without leaving a trace.
All someone needed was a dead person’s photograph. Then, after photographing another person, the victim might never even know what had killed them.
The more they considered it, the more absurdly powerful the item seemed.
How had the young man before them obtained something so formidable?
Who exactly was he?
Someone from the Foxslayer organization who could casually summon hundreds of water ghosts and produce such an astonishing item without blinking.
Could he possibly be…
The leader of the Foxslayer organization?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible. They immediately shook their heads, rejecting the thought.
How could the leader of the Foxslayer organization be friends with a player who was still challenging a fifth-level instance?
“I understand. Take the picture.” Xiao Huai walked toward an empty area, his voice mild.
Lu Qian frowned. He knew no one could stop Xiao Huai once he made up his mind.
Rather than oppose him, Lu Qian would be better off helping quickly so they could make the most of their time.
“I’m going too.” Lu Yuanshi stepped beside Xiao Huai.
Xiao Huai glanced at him and said nothing.
Zhong Jiangyuan also wanted to go, but Shen Yun tugged at him. “Brother Jiangyuan, more people won’t necessarily help.”
Shen Yun could tell that Xiao Huai and Lu Yuanshi possessed extraordinary strength.
The two of them might escape the world of the dead, but Zhong Jiangyuan might not.
Zhong’s supernatural ability focused on healing. He had reached the Newcomer Ranking because of his experience and luck.
But in a place with so many unknown variables, he might not make it out.
He could even become a burden to the others.
Lu Qian understood. He would wait here for Xiao Huai for half an hour. If Xiao Huai truly failed to return, Lu Yuanshi would exhaust every possible method to save him.
That was why Lu Qian could not enter the photograph. He was willing to serve as Xiao Huai’s support and guard their final line of defense.
He looked deeply at Lu Yuanshi. “Buddy, I’m counting on you.”
Lu Yuanshi naturally understood the meaning beneath his words. He quietly slipped an arm around Xiao Huai’s shoulders.
“You don’t need to tell me. I have no desire to lose my lover ahead of schedule.”
Lu Yuanshi was referring to their roles as lovers.
Entering a role took time. Some actors began calling each other by their characters’ names in advance.
But coming from Lu Yuanshi, the words sounded strangely suggestive.
Xiao Huai glared at him but did not knock the arm from his shoulders.
Lu Qian froze at Lu Yuanshi’s words. *Lover? What lover?*
If Xiao Huai had not looked perfectly unconcerned, Lu Qian might truly have believed something was going on between them.
He took a deep breath. “I’m taking the picture. Three, two, one.”
The camera clicked.
A ghostly blue light radiated from both men. Lu Qian looked down at the family portrait in his hand.
Two more people had appeared in the picture.
Lu Yuanshi and Xiao Huai.
Their poses and expressions were exactly as they had been when the picture was taken.
Lu Yuanshi had an arm around Xiao Huai’s shoulders, his head inclined toward him and a faint smile on his lips.
Xiao Huai faced forward without expression, completely unaware that the hair falling from Lu Yuanshi’s tilted head touched his own.
The strands seemed to join together.
Blue light enveloped them. In the next instant, both slowly closed their eyes and fell backward.
Lu Qian and the surrounding water ghosts reacted swiftly, catching the two men and standing guard beside them.
The surrounding players exchanged looks. Lu Qian addressed them.
“If you have nothing else to do, you can leave. I’ll watch over them.”
Chen Chong and Jiang Wenmei said nothing more and headed out of the cemetery. While they still had time, they could search town for more information.
The blonde woman hurried after them.
Zhong Jiangyuan decided to remain and wait for Xiao Huai. Shen Yun had no choice but to stay with him.
Lu Qian watched the two men as they appeared to sleep and sighed softly.
“I hope they both come back safely.”