Chapter 62

Chapter 62

“Strange, why are the walls here black?” Jenny asked, leaning in closer.

Tu Nan told them everything she had seen in the Madam’s room that afternoon.

“So, we’re all just spare Hearts for Lilith?” Fu Zhixing frowned, glancing up at the moon. “There are less than two days left until the Full Moon Night.”

“According to that book, our birthdays should all be exactly the same,” Tu Nan said, her brow furrowed in confusion. “But for some reason, the Madam seems more intent on me becoming Lilith’s ‘Heart.'”

“Could it be because of your status?” Jenny mused. “Our identities in this Instance are all respectable on the surface, but yours is undoubtedly the most noble. Besides, the Madam has been testing your identity, intentionally or not, since the very first night.”

In the story of the Princess and the Pea, the Prince believed that only a true princess was worthy of him. Consequently, the Queen set up many obstacles to test the girl, trying to find a real princess.

And perhaps the Madam also believed that only the Heart of a true princess was worthy of her daughter.

As they spoke, they reached the Sheep Pen.

Just as it had been during Tu Nan’s last visit, the Sheep Pen was piled with a large number of animal carcasses. Some were fresh, while others had almost withered into skeletons.

Why was there such a vast span of time between them?

The Sheep Flock had their heads down, feasting on the fresh corpses.

Qin pushed open the picket gate and walked inside. The moment she saw the two Lambs curled up in the corner, she could no longer control herself. She ran toward them, tears streaming down her face, and pulled them into a tight embrace.

The Lambs were already extremely weak. When they saw Qin, they still struggled to stick out their tongues to lick the tears from her face.

Jenny sighed beside Tu Nan.

Fu Zhixing kept his eyes fixed on the other Sheep feeding nearby, alert for any sudden movements.

Ruth watched Qin embrace the two Lambs with a complicated expression, a flicker of killing intent flashing through her eyes.

Feeling the wet licks on her face, Qin couldn’t stop her tears. The red tint that had just faded from her eyes began to resurface bit by bit.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m the one who did this to you.”

The Lambs nuzzled her chest as if trying to comfort her.

Qin turned her head to look at the rest of the Sheep Flock feeding nearby. A flash of despair crossed her eyes, which then suddenly turned into grim determination.

“I won’t let you become like that.”

She drew a Dagger from her sleeve.

“What are you doing?” Jenny cried out in horror. “You’re not planning to kill them both, are you?”

Qin ignored her. She raised the Dagger and, without a moment’s hesitation, plunged it into the neck of one of the Lambs. She was so fast that no one could stop her.

Tears blurred her vision, and she felt her hands shaking so violently that she almost lost all her strength.

The Lamb she had stabbed let out a pained wail, but as if afraid of making her sad, he tried his best to endure it. Using the last of his strength, he reached out his tongue and licked her cheek, as if saying goodbye.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry,” Qin sobbed, her shoulders trembling.

She yanked the Dagger out. Splattering blood dyed the Lamb’s soft white wool crimson.

Seeing this, the other Lamb showed no fear. Instead, he also licked her cheek before gently resting his head on her lap and slowly closing his eyes.

Choking back sobs, Qin closed her eyes and reached out to cover the Lamb’s eyes before driving the Dagger forcefully into his neck.

The soft body in her arms went rigid instantly. The pain made him want to struggle reflexively, his limbs kicking at the ground a few times, yet he still fought to control himself so as not to hurt her.

A thick scent of blood filled the air.

Rather than letting them be overtaken by Assimilation and lose the last shred of their humanity to the Sheep Flock, she would rather end it all with her own hands.

Tu Nan and the others were too shocked by the scene to speak.

Not far away, the Sheep Flock that had been feeding suddenly raised their heads.
The scent of blood seemed to stimulate them. Their blood-red eyes betrayed a murderous intent, and their hooves scraped restlessly against the ground.

“This is bad.” Fu Zhixing acted quickly, rushing to Qin’s side and grabbing her to pull her away. “We have to go, now!”

Qin looked up at him and shook her head calmly. “You go.”

Her voice was hoarse, each word dripping with sorrow. “I’m staying here to be with them.”

“Are you crazy?” Fu Zhixing snapped. “Do you think they would want to see you like this? They would rather die than hurt you.”

Those words seemed to strike a chord with Qin. She finally staggered to her feet and followed Fu Zhixing toward the door.

The Sheep Flock threw back their heads and bleated, charging at them with startling speed. The thick scent of blood in the air only fueled their excitement as they relentlessly pursued the prey before them.

Fu Zhixing led Qin to the entrance, and the group scrambled outside.

The door slammed shut behind them. Before anyone could breathe a sigh of relief, Ruth suddenly let out a piercing scream.

For some reason, she had been standing closest to the door. The Sheep inside forced the door open and bit into her leg, dragging her back toward the interior.

“How did the Sheep suddenly learn to open doors?” Jenny’s eyes widened. She hurriedly aimed her Potted Plant at the creature biting Ruth.

Peas shot out from the plant one after another, striking the Sheep with dull thuds.

The Sheep growled in pain, a terrifying low sound vibrating in its throat, but it refused to let go.

“This is too slow, and there are too many of them. It’s not working.” Tu Nan’s mind raced as she tried to find a solution.

Ruth’s lower leg was already bloody, the red stain soaking through her clothes.

“Save me! Save me!” Her eyes were wide with terror, her breathing coming in sharp gasps. “I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die!”

Standing nearby, Qin suddenly rushed forward and tried to pry the Sheep’s jaws open. Her eyes were so red it was hard to tell who was more terrifying-her or the Sheep.

Before the others could stop her, they watched as she used her bare hands to force the Sheep’s mouth open, actually managing to free Ruth’s leg.

However, she herself was immediately bitten by the other Sheep behind her. They clamped onto her limbs and began dragging her back into the Sheep Pen.

Qin broke into a cold sweat from the pain, but she gave Ruth a powerful shove, pushing her out of harm’s way.

“Go!” she shouted.

Jenny quickly helped Ruth up.

Having narrowly escaped death, Ruth gasped for air, her entire body trembling with fear. She looked at Qin, who was now surrounded by the Sheep Flock, and asked shakily, “Why… why did you do that?”

“I’ve been tainted by Weird Contamination. Even if I left, I probably wouldn’t live much longer…”

“I’m the one who got Jack killed, even though that idiot wouldn’t have lasted long anyway,”

Qin said calmly. At this moment, she actually felt a sense of peace; physical pain no longer frightened her. “But you can still live.”

She pulled out a Dagger and plunged it into her own chest, a subtle smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

Ruth shook violently, appearing stunned by the shock, before suddenly bursting into loud, agonizing sobs.

“Why… I originally… I only followed you guys because I wanted to find an opportunity to… but…”

Jenny watched the scene unfold, rubbing her forehead in disbelief. She felt a splitting headache coming on.

Spend enough time in these Strange Tales, and everyone starts to lose their minds.

She and Tu Nan exchanged a look and both sighed.

Fu Zhixing knelt down so Jenny could help Ruth onto his back, then he stood up with her.

He could feel Ruth’s tears soaking into his shoulder.

“Crying is pointless now,” Tu Nan said softly. “The night is still long.”

Death was a common occurrence in an Instance.

She looked at the path leading back to the Mansion; it was shrouded in darkness, appearing as though it had no end.

It was almost midnight.