Chapter 76

Chapter 76

Qin Weiyi watched as the group of Skeletons transformed into ordinary people.

After looking around, they dispersed and went their separate ways.

Qin Weiyi remained hidden in the room, only letting out a long, sharp exhale once the Vampires had all left. He turned around, leaned against the wall, and took several deep breaths.

Lu Jing glanced outside, then back at Qin Weiyi. Finally, he reached out and patted Qin Weiyi on the shoulder. When Qin Weiyi looked up, Lu Jing pointed to his own mouth.

He was truly afraid that they still weren’t allowed to speak, fearing that a single word might draw that horde of Vampires back.

Qin Weiyi nodded. “You can talk now.”

“Xiao Qin, what on earth was that just now? How can Skeletons turn into people?” Lu Jing’s mind was currently flooded with questions. “Also, they came out from the Stairs. What about Qin Nan and the other two?”

Qin Weiyi fell silent for a moment.

“It was likely Qi Shuping killing a Vampire that alerted those on the Second Floor, leading to the scene we just witnessed. If that’s the case, then the three of them might not have been discovered yet,” Qin Weiyi said.

If they had been discovered, they would be finished. However, based on what he knew of Jian Fan, the man wasn’t someone who could be wiped out so easily. Therefore, he chose to believe that Jian Fan and the others were still alive. In that case, the departure of the Vampires actually provided a favorable opportunity for the three of them to explore the enemy’s Lair. However, things were going to be difficult for the rest of them.

Although Qi Shuping had driven away the Bar’s patrons, preventing the number of Vampires from increasing further, the current situation was still dire. He hadn’t counted them exactly, but a rough estimate suggested there were forty or fifty of them.

That number was more than enough to give them a run for their money.

“As for the Skeletons becoming human,” Qin Weiyi let out a short laugh, “these Vampires are essentially Skeletons at their core. They simply wear a Skin Sack to walk among the living. Under the power of Qi Shuping’s Silver Bracelet, their true skeletal forms were annihilated, vanishing into thin air and leaving behind the Skin Sack that never belonged to them in the first place.”

Lu Jing frowned.

“What is it?” Qin Weiyi asked, noticing his expression.

“Xiao Qin, I think I understand what you’re saying, but Vampires and Skeletons… they feel like completely different things,” Lu Jing said with some difficulty. Although he didn’t know much about Vampires and rarely watched movies or shows about them, he couldn’t find a way to link them to Skeletons.

It was as if one was a foreign concept, while Skeletons felt much more like a local one.

Qin Weiyi curled his lip slightly. “Just think of them as a hybrid.”

Lu Jing: “…”

Lu Jing silently pushed aside his doubts and asked, “So, what do we do now?”

Qin Weiyi was also weighing their options.

From the current perspective, the Second Floor might be safer, but that safety was only temporary. Qi Shuping had drawn the attention of all the Vampires, giving them a chance to catch their breath. However, once Qi Shuping died, the Vampires would turn their sights on the remaining survivors, and some would likely return to their Lair.

If they could find a way to break the situation before the Vampires killed Qi Shuping, everything would be fine. But what if they couldn’t? Their situation would only become more difficult than it was now.

Qin Weiyi made a decision quickly.

“Let’s go find Qi Shuping and the others,” Qin Weiyi said.

Although Lu Jing was surprised, he never argued with Qin Weiyi’s decisions.

Qin Weiyi didn’t actually care whether Qi Shuping lived or died. However, the longer Qi Shuping stayed alive, the more time she could buy for Jian Fan. Therefore, he had to ensure Qi Shuping held out as long as possible.

But all of this had to be built on the premise of his own safety.
Qi Shuping and the others were still completely unaware of what had just transpired.

“Why are you alone? Where’s Brother Xia?” Qian Xing asked Lin Junruo.

Lin Junruo’s face turned pale. At the mention of Xia Zeqin, fear began to well up in her heart. Why would he do that? Did he know that person was a Vampire?

She wanted to tell Qi Shuping that something was wrong with Xia Zeqin, but when her gaze fell on Qian Xing, she hesitated.

Qian Xing was one of Xia Zeqin’s people.

“Young lady, you can speak freely if there’s something on your mind,” Qi Shuping said, her voice softening as she noticed Lin Junruo’s distress.

Hearing this, Lin Junruo stepped forward, leaning closer to Qi Shuping as she lowered her voice. “Grandma, Xia Zeqin pushed me out. He… he did it on purpose.”

Even though Lin Junruo spoke softly, Qian Xing still heard her.

Her accusation made Qian Xing frown. He wanted to believe in Xia Zeqin, yet he had a faint feeling that Lin Junruo was telling the truth. The Xia Zeqin of the past wouldn’t have done such a thing, but the current him…

Qi Shuping’s brow also furrowed.

“Xia Zeqin?” This was the first time she had heard that name in the Realm of Death. She seemed somewhat puzzled. “That name sounds very familiar.”

Both Lin Junruo and Qian Xing paused.

Right then, Xia Zeqin approached from a short distance away. Qi Shuping noticed him immediately and turned to look. Upon seeing Xia Zeqin, Lin Junruo quickly hid behind Qi Shuping.

“Grandma,” Lin Junruo whispered, tugging on Qi Shuping’s sleeve.

Qi Shuping patted Lin Junruo’s hand gently to comfort her, then watched as Xia Zeqin drew near.

“Young man, is there something I can help you with?” Qi Shuping asked with a smile.

Xia Zeqin dropped his previous smirk and gave Qi Shuping a respectful, deep bow. His attitude took everyone by surprise. Qi Shuping remained the most composed; she wasn’t shocked, but a flicker of gravity crossed her face.

However, that trace of gravity vanished without a trace the moment Xia Zeqin looked up. Qi Shuping maintained her gentle smile.

“Professor Qi, I am Xia Zeqin from the QJ Research Institute,” Xia Zeqin introduced himself. This introduction caused Xu Tian, who was standing to the side, to raise an eyebrow slightly.

Qian Xing and Xu Tian hadn’t been present when Qi Shuping and Jian Fan were catching up, so they didn’t notice anything amiss. They were simply surprised that Xia Zeqin seemed to know Qi Shuping.

Qi Shuping showed just the right amount of surprise. “I wondered why the name sounded familiar. So, you are also one of Old Gao’s Disciples.”

“I wanted to greet you earlier, Professor, but given the circumstances, I had to be a bit more cautious. I hope you can forgive me,” Xia Zeqin said, offering an explanation for why he was only revealing his identity now.

Qi Shuping smiled. “Being cautious is a good thing. However, Jian Fan is also a student of Old Gao. What’s going on with the two of you? Having a falling out?”

Qian Xing and Lin Junruo finally understood the connection.

Qian Xing looked surprised, followed by a look of realization, but then a hint of strangeness colored his expression.

Almost none of these Players had any connections in the real world. When he first met Jian Fan and Xia Zeqin, they were already a team, so Qian Xing had assumed they had simply partnered up in a previous world. Now it seemed they actually knew each other in reality.

It was natural for them to stick together because they knew each other, but the fact that they had split up and reached this point of hostility made Qian Xing feel even more uneasy. There were likely deep-seated issues involved that were difficult to explain.