Chapter 61

Chapter 61

“An explanation?” Qin tilted her head and glanced at her, her eyes glowing with an unnatural shade of red. “What do I need to explain?”

“It was you. It must have been you who killed Jack,” Ruth said, tears and snot streaming down her face. “Jack and I were walking fine in the Maze when you suddenly appeared, saying you saw Xiao Bai but couldn’t catch him alone. You asked Jack to help you.”

Her voice choked with regret. “He didn’t want to go at first. It was me who persuaded him, saying we were teammates and should help each other. That’s why he went with you.”

Qin let out a cold, emotionless “Oh.” “It seems like something like that happened. But what does that prove? Did you see me kill him with your own eyes?”

“You!” Ruth’s chest heaved with fury. “We’re teammates! How could you do such a thing?”

“Teammates?” Qin let out a disdainful sneer. “I never considered you lot teammates. As long as I can save Bob and Alan, I wouldn’t care if every last one of you died!”

Ruth’s eyes widened as she looked at the Alan standing nearby. “Wh-what do you mean? Isn’t Alan right here?”

“Hahahaha.” The “Alan” who had been watching the drama for a long time finally couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “Watching you lot turn on each other is truly entertaining, but I’m afraid the show can’t go on any longer.”

“What do you mean by that?” Qin’s gaze swept toward him, sharp and cold. “Didn’t you tell me that as long as I killed them, Bob and Alan could enter their bodies like you did and become human again?”

“You actually listened to a Weird and collaborated with it to attack your own teammates?” Jenny’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Have you gone mad? How could you believe anything a Weird says?”

“I won’t give up as long as there’s even a sliver of a chance to save Bob and Alan!” Qin screamed at the top of her lungs. Her mental state was clearly compromised, and a faint, dark mist seemed to emanate from her body.

She had been affected by Contamination. The current Qin was no longer capable of thinking with the logic of a normal person.

She glared at them with hatred. “What do you know? I’m the one who brought them here. I have to be the one to bring them out.”

Tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes as Qin cupped her face, weeping uncontrollably.

“Good girl.”

“Alan” wore a look of sympathy as he gently patted her shoulder. “How could they possibly understand your pain? They haven’t lost someone important to them. Only I understand your suffering.”

Qin looked up, her face filled with hope. “So they can still come back, right?”

“Of course-” He looked at her with a smile, but as her expression turned to joy, his lips curled into a cruel grin. “Of course they can come back, but I can’t guarantee that those who return will still be the people you know.”

Qin’s face turned deathly pale in an instant, and her figure trembled. “What do you mean?”

“It’s obvious you’ve been deceived,” Fu Zhixing said coldly. “You didn’t honestly think a Weird would actually help you, did you?”

“Hahahahahahaha!”

“Alan” threw his head back and laughed. “Watching a beautiful lady show such a fragile expression is truly… delightful.”

He relished Qin’s current breakdown, gloating in his success.

“They are gone forever.”

“Alan” whispered the words softly. “Well, not entirely. If they can resist eating the ‘Feed,’ they might still maintain their sanity. But in that case, they’ll just starve to death.” He looked at Qin’s pale face, his smile growing more triumphant. “Let me count… what day is it? It seems it’s only the second day. Don’t worry, they haven’t starved to death just yet.”

“I’m going to kill you,” Qin roared. “I’m going to kill you!”

She charged toward “Alan” while screaming.

“Alan” wore a smirk, his plan having succeeded.

“Wait!” Tu Nan rushed forward to grab Qin, but the latter had completely descended into madness and ignored her attempts to stop her.
“You can’t lay a hand on him!” Tu Nan shouted. “This is his trap. There must be a Rule restraining him, preventing him from attacking us directly. He’s deliberately trying to provoke you. If you do this now, you’re just seeking death.”

The smile on “Alan’s” face slowly sank, and he shot her a dark, brooding look.

“Busybody,” he said coldly.

In Tu Nan’s arms, Qin gradually began to calm down.

“But it doesn’t matter.”

“Alan” smiled again. “The more of you die, the stronger our power becomes. Guess how much longer that door can protect you?”

The group watched him coldly.

With the smile of a victor, “Alan” turned and left.

*

“You selfish, petty coward,” Ruth said, staring at Qin with eyes full of hatred.

Qin pulled out a pill and swallowed it. The redness in her eyes receded slightly. She gave Ruth a numb twitch of the lips and nodded. “You’re right.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she started walking toward the door.

“Where are you going?” Fu Zhixing grabbed her arm. “Night has already fallen. It’s dangerous outside.”

“Do you think I still care?” Qin glanced at him. “I’m going to find them.”

“Them” likely referred to Bob and Alan.

“Wait until tomorrow morning,” Tu Nan said, glancing at the sky outside. “The Sheep Flock is dangerous at night.”

Qin’s tone was resolute. “I have to go. No one is going to stop me.”

Fu Zhixing sighed. “Then I’ll go with you.”

“Why bother accompanying her?” Jenny nudged his elbow and whispered. “There’s no need to put yourself in danger for someone like that.”

“Didn’t you hear what ‘Alan’ just said? The more of us die, the stronger they become. Three people are already dead; we can’t afford to lose anyone else.”

“Isn’t she already affected by Contamination?” Jenny frowned. “Even though she just took medicine to suppress it, if she doesn’t get out soon, she’ll still be completely contaminated and become a stray creature within the Instance.”

“We can only do our best to keep her alive,” Fu Zhixing sighed. “Maybe she still has a chance to survive.”

After spending a long time in an Instance, one often lost their reverence for death. Yet, life was always the most important thing. When the Strange Tales descended, it was precisely because of their will to live that humans managed to endure round after round of these high-intensity games.

“I’m telling you, this is a horror Instance, not a vacation.” Jenny seemed slightly moved by Fu Zhixing’s words. She rolled her eyes. “Fine. I won’t be able to sleep if I go back anyway. I might as well go with you. At least we can look out for each other if something happens.”

As she spoke, she quickly ran back to her bedroom and returned clutching her Peashooter in her arms.

“With this, I feel a bit more at ease.”

“I’ll go too,” Tu Nan hesitated. “I have a theory I want to verify.”

“Suit yourselves,” Qin muttered, glancing at them before heading out the door.

Just as they were about to follow, Ruth, who had been standing silently to the side, suddenly spoke up. “I want to go too.”

“You should go back to your room and get some rest.” Tu Nan looked at her pale face and bloodshot eyes. “I think sleep would suit you better.”

“I can’t sleep.” Ruth shook her head. “I’m afraid to be alone. Let me follow you.”

“Now it really has become a spring outing,” Jenny joked, stepping forward to pat Ruth on the shoulder. “Just stay behind me. If there’s any danger, I’ll protect you.”

Ruth paused for a moment and whispered a soft thank you.

The Manor at night was permeated with a Weird and dangerous atmosphere.

Tu Nan glanced at the ivy growing on the Mansion walls. As if suddenly struck by a thought, she walked over and pulled aside a layer of the thick vines, revealing the charred, blackened wall beneath.

Just as she suspected.

This place really had been burned by fire once.