Chapter 65: Orphan Resentment (Part 25)

Warning: Contains disturbing content.

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Shen Qingqiu refused to call people over to “watch the show”. Xiao Muyu had to gather Yang Rui and the others herself.

The group headed downstairs together.

Xiao Muyu hadn’t seen Qu Muxi and the children since the system had patched them. She heard no sound while descending the stairwell either. She couldn’t help but wonder what would happen to Qu Muxi next.

They were the victims in this story. What would happen to them after this instance ended? Xiao Muyu reached the first floor with these thoughts swirling in her mind. She motioned for Shen Qingqiu and the others to stop while she went ahead to check.

Old Sang was awake. It seemed he’d just regained consciousness.

Xiao Muyu returned to the stairwell. After some thought, she extended her hand with a look of distaste. The human skin mask had appeared in her palm. It had a weird texture.

Yang Rui and the others’ faces paled upon seeing the mask. It looked a little horrifying.

Shen Qingqiu, however, seemed more intrigued. She raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly. They were truly connected by fate. She had drawn this item from that instance, too.

Xiao Muyu ignored their reactions. She inhaled, closed her eyes, and put on the mask. The other four all widened their eyes simultaneously. They stepped back, almost hitting the wall behind them.

Xiao Muyu looked at her hands and feet. Surprise flickered in her eyes.

The human skin mask provided a remarkably convincing disguise. Since Qu Muxi wasn’t human, the mask gave its wearer that quality.

Xiao Muyu raised a hand and knocked on the door.

Old Sang, rubbing his neck, opened it. He saw Xiao Muyu and immediately lowered his head with a fearful look. “Director.”

Xiao Muyu didn’t know the dynamics between Qu Muxi and Old Sang, so she spoke ambiguously. “You should know the situation by now. Those eight beasts have escaped. This place is dangerous for you. Don’t you want to run?”

As Xiao Muyu had expected, Old Sang dreaded the matter. Yet, within his eyes, there was also a mix of hatred, heavy sorrow, and guilt. “I won’t run. I’ve already committed grave sins. Death would only be what I deserve. I’ve said it before—I stayed here to atone. More than that, I want you, Big Xiao Mei, and those children to find peace. You were so kind. Big Xiao Mei and the others were so innocent. You shouldn’t be stuck here, becoming vengeful spirits like those scum.”

Xiao Muyu listened, half understanding. She mimicked Qu Muxi’s gentle expression. She stared at Old Sang for a long moment before asking softly, “You know how I died, don’t you? You know how Big Xiao Mei and the others died, too? Do you think I can let go of that?”

Old Sang’s face turned deathly pale. He staggered back step by step. His expression twisted in anguish before he dropped to his knees with a thud. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I knew the Director was a monster. I knew what disgusting things he and those people were doing. But I kept pretending to be deaf and blind.”

“They were just children—the oldest was only thirteen! How could you…” Disgust filled Xiao Muyu’s eyes. Her tone turned cutting and cold.

Old Sang suddenly remembered. He covered his face and sobbed. “I regret what I’ve done! He threatened me with my son. I was too cowardly, I didn’t dare… I never thought he would kill you. To silence witnesses, he even… killed Big Xiao Mei and the others…”

“What’s the use of crying now? We have nowhere left to run. The dolls have absorbed too much resentment. They’re out of control. Even those eight beasts refuse to rest after their deaths. You’ve been affected, too. Don’t you realize it?”

Perhaps Xiao Muyu’s words were too rational. Old Sang lifted his head to look at her with some confusion. After a moment, he cautiously asked, “Miss Qu, have you… regained your sanity?”

Xiao Muyu’s heart jolted when she heard this. Shen Qingqiu, who had been eavesdropping not far behind her, frowned.

“Why do you say that?” Xiao Muyu tentatively asked in return.

Old Sang cautiously said, “Those eight people deserved what they got, but the outsiders were innocent. Big Xiao Mei was still a child, impressionable. But Miss Qu, you were never such an extreme person. After avenging yourself, you even advised Big Xiao Mei not to let hatred cloud her mind and turn into a vengeful spirit. But for some reason, you stayed here with the children later on. You refused to leave and even… even…”

He seemed too nervous to voice the rest.

Xiao Muyu suddenly remembered Old Sang’s unusual behavior when they first arrived. He seemed reluctant to let them in, and his peculiar expression hinted at sympathy.

“Even killed many innocent passersby?” Xiao Muyu finished for him.

Old Sang quickly looked up at her, his expression a mix of shock and fear. His reaction only confirmed Xiao Muyu’s suspicion.

Xiao Muyu couldn’t probe too much without knowing the details. However, the information she had gathered was still valuable.

Old Sang followed Xiao Muyu out as she was leaving. In his usual gruff voice, he said. “Director, I’ll still call you Director. You’re a good person. You were incredibly important to Big Xiao Mei and the others. If it weren’t for their dense resentment turning back on them and the dolls you gave them amplifying it, they wouldn’t have trapped you here with them. So, if you’ve regained clarity, please help them. Find peace with them. I’ll stay here to guard your graves for the rest of my life.”

Old Sang’s words caught Xiao Muyu off guard. But the mask had a time limit. She couldn’t stay long. Suddenly, a thought struck her. “Those eight people escaped. How can Big Xiao Mei and the others find peace if they aren’t dealt with?”

Old Sang froze, then lowered his head. In the dim light, his face became even harder to make out. After a long silence, he murmured, “That depends on our guests. We will know by the end of tonight.”

Xiao Muyu’s heart skipped a beat. As expected, it was going to be another sleepless night.

Shen Qingqiu and the others initially wore somber expressions. But the four looked up in unison when Xiao Muyu returned. Her expression turned indifferent at their odd stares.

She couldn’t be bothered to address their behavior and said in a low voice, “We need to be prepared for tonight. The bodies of those eight people are in the cafeteria. Old Sang said there will likely be disturbances there tonight.”

“What… what kind of disturbances? Those body parts aren’t going to get up and move, right?” Huang Junfeng’s overactive imagination made him stutter. Even Yang Rui shivered at the thought.

Zhang Yangfeng quickly stopped him. “Don’t scare yourself with wild ideas.”

“Let’s head back. It’s already this late, and there’s no sign of Qu Muxi and them. Looks like there won’t be any dinner tonight,” Xiao Muyu remarked.

The other three shook their heads repeatedly. Who could even think about dinner in this situation?

Everyone went back to their rooms and locked their doors. Xiao Muyu let out a small breath. Before she could say anything, she saw Shen Qingqiu leaning in. The woman stared at her with a slightly queer expression.

Xiao Muyu shot her a bemused glance. “What are you doing?”

Shen Qingqiu, looking entirely serious, said something that left Xiao Muyu speechless.

“Hurry up and take off that mask. I can’t see my Muyu’s face. It’s making me feel insecure.”

She spoke with such a solemn and earnest tone. Xiao Muyu’s fist itched to punch her.

“First, I’m not yours. Second, I didn’t ask you to look at me. Third, go to sleep.”

Shen Qingqiu blinked, then frowned. She glanced down at herself and wrinkled her nose. “I’ve been sweating so much. I want to take a bath. Smell me—I’m stinking.”

Pinching her sleeve, she stretched out her left hand to make Xiao Muyu smell it. Xiao Muyu closed her eyes, turned her head away, and firmly blocked her hand. Without mercy, she said, “Don’t bother. I already smelled you earlier. You stink.”

Shen Qingqiu had only been teasing her at first. However, Xiao Muyu’s look of disdain was so genuine, and she had thrown herself into Xiao Muyu’s arms earlier. Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help but start doubting herself. Did she smell that bad?

Her expression stiffened. She withdrew her hand and cautiously sniffed it. There was no stench, but there was a hint of sweat. Remembering Xiao Muyu’s exceptionally keen sense of smell, she immediately distanced herself.

“I stink? And you smelled it? Then I’ll go bathe.” Looking awkward, Shen Qingqiu sniffed herself again. Frankly, she prided herself on being a meticulous woman. That first time, she had meant to annoy Xiao Muyu. But now, she couldn’t bear smelling bad to the woman.

Xiao Muyu had spoken out of exasperation. However, a memory surfaced when she saw Shen Qingqiu hastily back away. In the second instance, Shen Qingqiu had kept her distance when she was injured, afraid the scent of blood would bother Xiao Muyu.

Xiao Muyu’s heart softened again. Yet, her words were sharp. “Aren’t you worried about those eyes watching you while you bathe?”

With that, she walked out. Xiao Muyu made her way up to the third floor before Shen Qingqiu could say anything.

Shen Qingqiu felt uneasy about that overly eerie place. So she followed after her. However, Xiao Muyu soon returned with a basin of warm water. She didn’t bother with Shen Qingqiu trailing behind her. Xiao Muyu turned and gestured to the water.

“Wash up. Or you’ll really stink.”

She then set a clean cloth aside and went about her own business.

Shen Qingqiu glanced at the water before her, then at Xiao Muyu making the bed. A smile spread across her face. How could this person be so reserved yet so prideful?

Shen Qingqiu wasn’t feeling too comfortable, drenched in sweat. After wiping herself down, she felt weary and climbed into bed early.

It was hard to tell how much time had passed. The room was now completely dark. The break in Shen Qingqiu’s right arm was swollen and throbbing. The discomfort stemmed from the bone, at times surging outward, making it difficult for her to settle down.

Meanwhile, Xiao Muyu remained quiet. When Shen Qingqiu turned over for the fourth time, Xiao Muyu spoke softly, “Does your arm hurt?”

Shen Qingqiu swiftly denied it. “No, I just can’t sleep. How’s your back, by the way? Does it still hurt?” She hadn’t had the time to ask her earlier. Now, Shen Qingqiu still felt displeased recalling the moment Little Seven had thrown Xiao Muyu out.

“It’s fine.”

“We’re almost done with the storyline. Old Sang’s words gave us significant insight. But there’s still 15% unexplored progress. I wonder what it is.”

Shen Qingqiu glanced at the progress log. Most of the page had been filled in. Xiao Muyu getting Old Sang to talk served to complete his character profile. He was an important character. They had earned an extra 15 points from him on top of the 20 for answering that multi-choice question. For now, they both had reached the 70-point passing mark.

Old Sang’s revelation about Qu Muxi helped them fill in some missing details in the storyline. Qu Muxi wasn’t an employee at Charity Orphanage but a volunteer visiting the children. She had probably discovered the director’s abuse of the children by chance and got killed for it.

The eight children had witnessed the director’s crimes. Something happened, and they were silenced by murder. Qu Muxi and the eight children turned into vengeful spirits. They killed the director, along with several others involved.

“There must still be some details missing. We’re mostly speculating.”

After Xiao Muyu finished, Shen Qingqiu lay in bed, deep in thought. The room grew quiet again in the night.

When they stopped talking, a faint sound came from outside. It was barely perceptible, almost elusive. Then, it gradually became more distinct.

Xiao Muyu held her breath. The sound was coming from the hallway. More precisely, the stairwell. First, there was a screech, like fingernails scraping across the floor. Then, there was a dull thud, as if something had bumped into the wall. Or someone had accidentally collided with it.

Xiao Muyu’s heart jumped. Tense situations tend to sharpen a person’s focus. Their hearing would also become more acute.

*Thud, thud.* A rhythmic thumping accompanied the scraping sound. It seemed something was being struck against the floor in a regular pattern. The sound was clear now. Xiao Muyu could tell the thumping had stopped right at their door.

Her heart pounded painfully in her chest. She glanced back at Shen Qingqiu, who had already sat up, her gaze fixed on the door. Her left hand had drawn the dagger.

Footsteps sounded. Right, they were footsteps! The footsteps left their door and approached the neighboring room. The sound of fingernails scraping seemed to move away with it.

Xiao Muyu’s mind instantly recalled Huang Junfeng’s words.

“Those body parts won’t just get up and move, right?”

A layer of cold sweat broke out on Xiao Muyu’s face in the dark of night. Her hand gripped the lantern tightly. She could smell it… the scent Shen Qingqiu had insistently kept her away from. It was the stench of decay. They had come!

*Bang!*

Suddenly, a knock pierced through the stillness of the night. No. It wasn’t so much a knock as the sound of a door getting kicked down.

*Bang, bang, bang!

Each strike was louder than the last, pressing. The noise came from Yang Rui and Zhang Yangfeng’s room. The atmosphere immediately grew heavy with tension.

Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu got out of bed. Shen Qingqiu placed her left hand protectively in front of Xiao Muyu. Her eyes glinted in the dark.

Lightning cut across the sky, illuminating the area outside the room as bright as day. The window glass shone clear with the light. On the glass, a pair of eyes—no, a face—became unmistakably visible to Xiao Muyu.

It stared at the two women. Its eyes were so close to the glass that they seemed ready to pop out of their sockets. Its face had decayed to the point that the cheekbones were visible.

Xiao Muyu gasped. She fought to keep the terror down her throat. Her left hand instinctively grabbed Shen Qingqiu’s clothes, clutching them tightly.

*Bang!*

The doors to the five rooms in the hallway slammed open at once. The face at the door grinned, its mouth stretched wide. That head rolled into their room like a ball in a blink, bringing the foul stench with it.

“What are you laughing at?! You’re staining my eyes!” Shen Qingqiu didn’t wait for it to stop. She raised her right foot and kicked the head with all her strength. Screaming, it rolled back out the door and down the stairs.

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Author had something to say:

Head: Bring it on.
Xiao Shen: F*ck off!
I’m so scared. Damn it. I’m really useless.