Translator: CinderTL
This was a complete Frankenstein's monster!
"Huh?" Cao Yang, who had already run to the seventh floor, panted, "Why did the footsteps stop? Did that monster give up?"
After seeing the Multi-headed ghoul's current form, Cao Yang thought "monster" was a more fitting term.
"That's right!" Director Qi turned pale and looked back. "And where's Mr. Jiang? Did that monster capture him?"
"Even if you were captured, he wouldn't be," Huai Yi glared at Director Qi, who immediately fell silent.
He suspected Jiang Cheng had discovered something.
Less than ten seconds later, Jiang Cheng descended from the upper floors. This time, Huai Yi sensed a significant improvement in Jiang Cheng's condition. The perpetually furrowed brow had relaxed.
"Did that ghost not come after us?" Director Qi blurted out.
Jiang Cheng nodded. "No. It chased us a few steps, then retreated."
Huai Yi immediately realized, "The idea of the safe room was correct! Otherwise, the ghost would have pursued us to capture Director Qi. It was guarding that spot to prevent us from entering!"
"It was also stalling for time!" Huai Yi continued his analysis. "I suspect the safe room has a time limit. If no one can enter before the deadline, the safe room will fail, and this ghost will become a truly unsolvable Fierce ghost!"
"But if a Ghost is guarding it, how are we supposed to get in?" Director Qi's face fell as if he'd just lost a family member.
"Someone has already gone in," Jiang Cheng said. "So you don't need to worry about that."
"Lin Wan'er?!" Cao Yang exclaimed in shock.
Jiang Cheng immediately turned to him. Realizing he'd lost his composure, Cao Yang forced a sheepish laugh. "It's good the Madam is doing better, and Miss Lin is still alive. It's truly wonderful she's unharmed."
As Jiang Cheng noticed the Multi-headed ghoul slowing its pace behind him, he deliberately stopped to observe. He saw the door to another room not far from Room 906 suddenly swing open, and Lin Wan'er darted inside Room 906 with incredible speed.
After Lin Wan'er entered, the Multi-headed ghoul stood outside the door, as if an invisible barrier blocked its way.
Huai Yi's theory was correct.
Next, Jiang Cheng led the others to the eighth floor, Room 806.
After opening the window, Jiang Cheng tapped the wall twice. Soon, a rope made of stitched-together curtains swayed down from above.
Director Qi immediately rushed toward the rope, but Jiang Cheng kicked him to the ground. The Director clutched his backside, looking utterly aggrieved.
"You go first," Jiang Cheng said to Huai Yi.
Time was of the essence, leaving no room for formalities. Huai Yi was the first to climb up the rope.
Next came Director Qi, who whined and complained the whole time.
Just as Jiang Cheng was about to tell Cao Yang to go next, Lin Wan'er's cold voice drifted down from above, "You go first."
At the sound of her voice, Jiang Cheng's gaze involuntarily shifted.
Cao Yang had already grabbed the rope, but he could only smile awkwardly and let go, reluctantly handing it to Jiang Cheng.
"Brother Jiang," he said, one hand still gripping the rope, his eyes darting between Jiang Cheng and the rope. "I, Cao Yang, have been pretty good to you, haven't I?"
As if worried Jiang Cheng had forgotten his kindness, he quickly added, "That time with Blind Zheng, if it weren't for me, you'd have died there."
"Miss Lin and I have some misunderstandings," Cao Yang mumbled, his lips pressed together. "I know you two are close. Please, when you get up there, put in a good word for me. Don't... don't leave me behind."
"I saved your life!" he emphasized.
Jiang Cheng looked at him for a moment, then nodded. "I'll try."
"Thank you!"
With that, Cao Yang could only watch as Jiang Cheng was pulled up the rope.
In less than five seconds, heavy footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor, each step unusually deep and deliberate.
"Damn!" Cao Yang's expression tightened. He quickly walked over and closed the Gate. "That Ghost must have found us."
He stood by the window, waiting anxiously for a rope to drop. The footsteps grew closer, and his impatience intensified.
Finally, a rope fell.
Cao Yang grabbed it like a lifeline and began climbing frantically. "Miss Lin, I, Cao Yang, owe you an apology. Thank you for overlooking my past transgressions and helping me this time. I, Cao Yang, will definitely repay your kindness once I get out!"
Before he could finish speaking, Cao Yang had already reached the window. He looked up and saw Lin Wan'er's icy face and the massive scissors she held.
"Snip!"
"No—! Aaaah!!"
Thud!
A heart-wrenching scream echoed from below, followed by a heavy thud. Cao Yang, on the ninth floor, was likely dead.
Even if he had survived the fall, he couldn't escape the Multi-headed ghoul.
In the next moment, a dark shadow flashed past the eighth-floor window. The Multi-headed ghoul crashed through the glass and leaped down, followed by another loud crash.
It sounded like something had been crushed to bits.
Lin Wan'er withdrew her gaze and turned to Huai Yi and Director Qi in the room. Both men averted their eyes, unwilling to meet her gaze.
This woman's aura was too powerful, and Jiang Cheng was by her side.
Whether Cao Yang lived or died had nothing to do with Huai Yi, so there was no reason for him to stick his neck out for him.
"Yu Yu was murdered by him," Lin Wan'er said, her voice devoid of emotion, as if merely stating a fact. "When I arrived, Yu Yu was already dead."
"The Ghost was nearby, and he tried to stab my leg to have me killed by it as well," she continued. "Fortunately, I sensed it and only injured my arm."
Lin Wan'er raised her arm, revealing a clear scar from a sharp object.
"He truly deserves to die!" Director Qi exclaimed, his eyes sharp. "To try to harm a beauty like Miss Lin is a crime beyond redemption!"
Lin Wan'er turned her head to him. "Shut up."
"Yes, ma'am!" Director Qi obediently fell silent, not daring to utter another word.
At the same time, Lin Wan'er's gaze fixed on a spot on the wall where an old-fashioned pendulum clock hung.
A distinct mark had been carved into the glass face of the clock, as if to offer a clue.
It was 1:40 AM.
The inscription was at the 44th position.
"We can leave here at 1:44 AM?" Huai Yi seemed to realize something. He turned to Lin Wan'er, seeking confirmation. "Right?"
This time should be when the Ritual was meant to take place, but Director Qi was currently in the safe room, rendering the Ritual ineffective.
The trap was broken.
As expected, when the second hand reached the number 12, everything changed. The space around them began to warp, and along with it, Jiang Cheng and the others twisted as well.
Only Director Qi remained unchanged.
The instant Jiang Cheng and the others vanished, Director Qi collapsed onto the floor.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he didn't understand why they had disappeared, but he knew he had survived.
Moreover, the unsettling sense of Abnormality that the world had been giving him had largely dissipated.
"Hoo—"
Just as he caught his breath and shakily stood up, turning to leave, he froze.
A shattered face, tilted at an angle along the doorframe, peered out at him with a grotesque smile.
"Gah, gah-gah~"
This chapter is complete. Thank you for your support, brothers!
(End of the Chapter)
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