Chapter 178
Chapter 178
Good heavens!
The group listened in terror. Controlling an entire town was far too frightening!
“Then how did you…” escape back then?
“Let’s go. My legs are numb.” Shang Yan interrupted Kong Xianya’s question, stood, and thumped his legs.
Kong Xianya blinked and gave a dry laugh. “Right, my legs are numb too. Um… Shall we go back?”
Qiao Yu saw nothing unusual. He grabbed the top of the wall and nimbly climbed over.
The minor incident ended there. Although everyone still had questions, they did not ask Qiao Yu for any more inside information.
Time had allowed those wounds to scab. If possible, it was best not to tear them open.
When they returned to the cafeteria for dinner, Chinnawat deliberately checked the streamer list.
Azim already had 91 points, his ID far ahead in first place.
Their group, meanwhile, remained at the bottom.
Just as he was about to close the list, his finger paused. Narrowing his eyes, he counted the survivors and realized the number seemed wrong.
“Two people died in the first night’s game, and two more died yesterday. Why have six names gone dark?”
He unconsciously murmured aloud. Kong Xianya thought for a moment and kindly explained, “Add the person on the back mountain and the one adopted today. Then the number is right.”
“But the person on the mountain isn’t dead.”
Kong Xianya’s smile disappeared, and she grew unusually serious. “He’s alive, but his ID went dark. That means he can no longer leave the Instance.”
Chinnawat made a delayed sound of understanding. As though realizing something, he covertly pointed at the other streamers. “Then they…”
Kong Xianya did not answer. She silently ate a bite of vegetables.
The hair on Chinnawat’s back seemed to rise… What use was there in those streamers struggling so desperately to survive?
And the higher their score, the greater their chance of being kept by the Instance.
Viewed that way, the Instance had given them two chances to escape its control.
Take Qiao Yu’s group. Because they earned no points from the little ghosts on the first day, they could not be controlled or penalized.
Chinnawat and Lucia escaped because they endured the threat of losing 10 points and refused on the second day.
The more obedient someone was, the more points they earned from the children, and the deeper they sank until escape became impossible?
So… participating in the games was necessary to leave the Instance. Otherwise, why would the system have dropped ten Review Cards at once?
Speaking of Review Cards made Chinnawat angry. He had not found a single one.
That made no sense. His luck had always been excellent.
His resentful gaze settled on Qiao Yu.
Without looking up, Qiao Yu picked up food with his chopsticks and said, “Stop staring at me like that. You’re making me look like a scumbag.”
Shang Yan stared expressionlessly at Chinnawat. Even in a child’s body, the jealousy surging in his eyes was visible at a glance.
Chinnawat hurriedly looked away. “Don’t misunderstand. I just want your opinion. Where do you think the remaining three Review Cards are?”
Qiao Yu tapped his tray. “Want to know?”
Chinnawat nodded repeatedly. “You know?”
“Obviously!” Of course Qiao Yu knew. They were in his companions’ pockets. But he refused to say.
Heh. He was just playing!
“Where are they?” Stars shone in Chinnawat’s eyes, full of longing.
“Where are they? I’ve seen you in my dreams.”
Chinnawat fell silent.
The next second, Shang Yan’s murderous gaze landed on Chinnawat again.
Chinnawat felt terribly wronged. Who would try to steal someone this glib and flirtatious?
Only Shang Yan treated him like treasure!!!
Lunatic…
While the group bickered, another commotion erupted in the cafeteria.
It was the same group as before.
The female streamer designated as the slave screamed, her face collapsing in despair.
Qiao Xiaowen stood before her and coldly repeated her command. “Take off your clothes. I like them!”
“Then what will I wear?”
Everything in her Spatial Grid had been divided up. Even her phone was gone, and she owned nothing. Were they truly going to take the clothes covering her body too?
“Slaves don’t deserve clothes.”
Qiao Xiaowen turned the doll in her hands around. Okiku’s lips curled eerily, and she chuckled.
It looked as though countless strings were manipulating her, but in truth… the doll was a Ghost. No strings supported her. She could move on her own!
“Of course, if you insist on wearing clothes, you can steal someone else’s. You stole food yesterday, so why can’t you steal clothes today?”
Qiao Xiaowen looked toward the three young women in Qiao Yu’s group, malice coloring her smile. “There are three targets over there. Their scores are lower than yours. You don’t need to worry about them choosing you during tonight’s game.”
The female streamer hesitated. “B-but they have Review Cards.”
And she did not dare. That boy had nearly killed her today… The ferocity in his eyes had been even heavier than the murderous aura of a malicious ghost.
How had this happened?
How had she fallen into such an impossible position?
Why was this Instance so difficult? She had racked her brains but could not find a way to escape the little ghosts.
Anyone below 50 points would be eaten. Avoiding deductions meant obeying them.
Why did the system favor these Ghosts so heavily? It was almost as if… they themselves had written the rules governing gains and losses.
The more absurd an answer seemed, the more likely it was the truth.
“You can also choose not to rob them and remain naked instead.”
The moment Qiao Xiaowen finished, she sensed Qiao Yu’s cool, clear gaze on her.
Her smile became even happier. She no longer had time for the female streamer kneeling and crying before her. Instead, she raised her voice to provoke Qiao Yu from across the room.
“Qiao Yu, you’ve changed so much that I almost don’t recognize you.”
Qiao Yu looked away. His long, pale fingertips struck the tabletop hard, and his mood grew restless.
Were they targeting the people around him now?
Qiao Xiaowen continued without pause. “The selfish little monster suddenly learned to care about people. How awful…”
“We’re leaving.” Shang Yan put down his chopsticks, caught Qiao Yu’s wrist above the table, and pulled him toward the door.
As they passed Qiao Xiaowen, his delicate little face was taut with restraint.
Qiao Xiaowen’s laugh sounded beside his ear. “I’m really looking forward to tonight’s game…”
Qiao Yu glanced at her and tightened his hold on Shang Yan’s hand, but he had no intention of engaging with the lunatic.
Ultimately, he owed them nothing.
He had survived through nothing more than his own good fortune.
Once anyone escaped this oppressive, twisted orphanage, they would never return.
So he had done nothing wrong…