Chapter 53

Chapter 53

The Realm of Death wanted Qi Shuping dead.

This realization made it impossible for Jian Fan to remain calm. At this moment, there was very little time left before the six o’clock bar clearing, yet Qi Shuping was nowhere to be found. Jian Fan’s brain, which he had always taken pride in, seemed to have stalled, unable to function.

He suddenly reached out and grabbed Qin Nan’s arm.

“I’m overthinking it, aren’t I?” Jian Fan turned and looked at Qin Nan.

Qin Nan let out a confused “Ah?” Seeing Jian Fan’s distressed expression, he quickly recalled their previous conversation and finally realized what was going on. He hurried to comfort Jian Fan: “You already warned Professor Qi in advance. With her intellect, she must have prepared herself. Don’t worry, she’ll be fine.”

Jian Fan nodded. “You’re right.”

Qin Weiyi also seemed to realize that his own words had caused Jian Fan’s current state of unease.

“Someone who makes even the Realm of Death wary will surely live longer than us,” Qin Weiyi said.

Jian Fan nodded again.

What they said made sense. The fact that Qi Shuping had reached a point where even the Realm of Death began to fear her was a testament to her strength. How could someone that powerful be defeated so easily?

Jian Fan calmed down, his logic returning. He slowly settled his emotions and reverted to his usual expressionless self.

“We need to find a way to stay. There are too many people, so we’ll split up,” Jian Fan said, temporarily setting aside his worries for Qi Shuping. Their time was also limited; they had to remain in the bar.

There was no perfect plan, but they weren’t without options. The simplest method was to evade the bar staff and hide in some corner of the establishment to get through this phase.

As long as they weren’t foolish enough to follow the staff’s orders and leave the bar, they would be fine.

“Alright,” Qin Weiyi said. “The situation is still unclear. The bar opens at seven. We’ll meet again tonight.”

Jian Fan agreed.

The five of them split into two teams again, each heading in a different direction.

At the same time, Xia Zeqin finally led Lin Junruo off the dance floor, his arm around her waist.

After Jian Fan and the others left, Qian Xing had also moved to the side of the dance floor. Seeing Xia Zeqin come out, he quickly went to meet him. “Brother Xia, the bar clears out at six.”

Xia Zeqin glanced at the time on the large screen.

5:29 PM.

Xia Zeqin looked at Qian Xing with a faint smile. “Your timing is quite good?”

Qian Xing’s face stiffened, and he explained somewhat nervously, “I ran into Brother Jian just now. He asked me a few questions, so I got delayed.”

“Mhm, there’s still time.” Xia Zeqin didn’t seem to mean to blame Qian Xing; his words almost sounded like a compliment, but Qian Xing remained on high alert.

Lin Junruo leaned into Xia Zeqin’s embrace and asked coyly, “Zeqin, what’s wrong?”

“We need to hide for a bit,” Xia Zeqin said.

Lin Junruo didn’t understand, but she didn’t ask further. She simply smiled and said, “Okay, I’ll listen to you.”

Xia Zeqin took Lin Junruo and Qian Xing and left the main hall of the bar.

The main hall was a chaotic scene of wild dancing, the primary area of operation. Beyond it were several Private Rooms. Passing by them now, some were filled with ghostly wailing and howling, while others were unnervingly quiet. A few Private Rooms were empty of guests.

The main hall and the Private Rooms were open to guests.

Other areas, such as the kitchen, the warehouse, and the staff changing rooms, were not open to guests.

Jian Fan had originally wanted to hide in the staff areas, but every entrance was guarded by employees, and they had no way to enter unnoticed. Therefore, the only places they could hide were in the public areas.
“The restroom?” Qin Nan suggested weakly.

It was hardly a classy place, but at the moment it seemed like the only one that fit. The Bar staff probably weren’t so deranged that they’d go into the restroom and check every stall one by one to confirm whether someone was hiding there.

Mu Xin had no objections. The two of them looked at Jian Fan.

Jian Fan furrowed his brow. “Backup option.”

They both nodded.

They didn’t have much time left. If they couldn’t come up with something better, they’d have no choice but to hide in the restroom for the time being.

Because of what happened with Qi Shuping, Jian Fan was inevitably affected-more irritable than usual. As the deadline drew closer and he still couldn’t think of a better spot, he was just about to give in when…

“The restroom is risky too. I’ve got an idea,” Mu Xin suddenly said.

Jian Fan and Qin Nan both turned to her.

“Neither we nor the Bar staff stay in one fixed place-we can move. So why are we insisting on finding somewhere they can’t see, instead of going somewhere they’ve already checked and won’t check again?” Mu Xin said.

Jian Fan and Qin Nan exchanged a glance and chose to go with Mu Xin’s plan.

With an idea in place, the three of them began to set things up.

They first slipped into an empty Private Room and waited quietly for the Bar staff to start clearing people out.

Before six o’clock, the Bar staff began going from Private Room to Private Room, reminding guests to leave. The guests started packing up and filing out.

After the guests left, the Bar’s cleaning staff began tidying and cleaning. The three of them kept hidden, and only when the cleaners finished one room and moved into the next did they seize the brief moment with no one around and quickly relocate.

Now in a Private Room that had already been cleaned, they still didn’t dare relax.

They kept listening for movement outside.

Employees passed by; cleaners chatted with each other. Then the footsteps gradually faded away, the lights in the Corridor dimmed, and the entire Bar returned to stillness.

Qin Nan checked the System time.

The time displayed on the System adjusted to match the world. Right now, it was already 6:11 PM.

“So… are we safe?” Qin Nan whispered.

“Wait a little longer,” Jian Fan said.

Qin Nan immediately shut his mouth.

There were no lights in the Private Room-only darkness. Qin Nan could barely make out that there were two people beside him. And they didn’t dare speak carelessly, afraid of drawing the Bar staff over.

In the darkness and silence, Qin Nan found it far scarier than when the Bar was lively. And-

He glanced in the direction of the restroom.

There were mirrors there.

If he accidentally shouted “Mary” right now, wouldn’t the three of them be finished?

No one knew how much time passed before Mu Xin finally couldn’t help asking, “It should be fine by now, right?”

Qin Nan checked the time again.

7:01 PM.

“I’ll go out and take a look,” Jian Fan said.

The moment Qin Nan heard that, he spoke up. “We’re going together. If you leave and come back later, it’ll be pitch-black in here. I don’t think that’s reliable.”

Especially in a world where they didn’t even know whether a Vampire could take control of someone’s body or their soul. Sure, Vampires were most likely active at night-but the Bloody Mary legend never said you couldn’t play during the day.

If Jian Fan ended up alone, who knew whether the one who came back would be the real Jian Fan or a fake?

Qin Nan admitted Jian Fan was smart, but… what if?

Jian Fan understood what Qin Nan was implying. He fell silent for a moment, then finally said, “Alright.”