Chapter 25: Deadly Room Numbers (Part 5)

Warning: There’s a disgusting flesh monster in this chapter. Other than that, get ready for some chase action.

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The moment the nine people pushed the door open, there was suffocating silence, and they could only hear the sounds of their breathing, growing increasingly heavy.

The room was empty, and they didn’t see the mirror phantoms they had anticipated. There was only dim light cast onto the floor, beneath their feet, following them like their own shadows.

The door behind them had also disappeared.

“Did we guess wrong? Is there no password-locked door this time?” Su Jin whispered.

“But the system said there are still two ways to get the door to open,” said Chen Kaijie. “Each round gets harder, so maybe the door isn’t as obvious this time. Don’t you think this room feels different?” He still believed in Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu’s deduction.

The room was indeed different, and somewhat resembled when they first exited the dormitory buildings. As they walked forward, they discovered a passage, about three meters wide.

The inside was pitch-black, and it felt like walking into the gaping, bloodthirsty mouth of a devil. Would they be like sheep, entering the tiger’s den?

“We don’t have a choice,” Xiao Muyu said softly, making it clear that they had to go in.

The group divided into two or three at a time and started walking inside. As soon as they entered, Xiao Muyu’s movement halted because Shen Qingqiu had reached out and grabbed her right hand.

Xiao Muyu looked at Shen Qingqiu in slight surprise, frowning as she tried to pull her hand away. But Shen Qingqiu only tightened her grip.

“Shen Qingqiu,” Xiao Muyu said quietly, though her tone was cold.

“No one has been eliminated so far. You remember the elimination rate of the first instance, right?” There was no jesting tone in Shen Qingqiu’s voice, and Xiao Muyu understood the meaning behind her words. But why treat her differently?

“If you really need a reason, then I’ll say it’s because you’re a great partner. With you around, my chances of clearing the level increase by at least 40%.”

“Even without me, this instance wouldn’t be hard for you.” Xiao Muyu knew this was a fact.

“There’s another reason. Even though this is only our second meeting and we’ve only spent a few days together, I really admire you, Miss Xiao. I usually don’t feel much regret when it comes to the dead, but if it were you, it wouldn’t just be regret.”

Shen Qingqiu had spoken in a low voice, and with how close they were standing, Xiao Muyu could feel her breaths. The gentle breeze stirred ripples in Xiao Muyu’s thoughts, leaving her momentarily dazed.

Xiao Muyu didn’t respond. Shen Qingqiu was still holding her hand, yet there was little she could do about it. However, Shen Qingqiu was mindful of boundaries, and merely held onto her fingers. Her palm was warm and smooth, and, personal feelings aside, it was actually quite comfortable to hold.

The people in front of them suddenly stopped. Then, Chen Kaijie spoke up: “There’s a fork in the path here. What should we do?”

Xiao Muyu used this moment to free her hand from Shen Qingqiu’s and walked forward. Shen Qingqiu didn’t mind at all, and followed closely behind her.

In the dim light ahead, the passage split into three paths disappearing into the darkness, making it impossible to see what lay beyond.

Fear came from the unknown; the atmosphere among the group immediately grew heavy.

“Should we split up?” asked Chen Kaijie. He looked at the three paths with a somber expression.

Xiao Muyu didn’t answer right away. A sense of unease crept into her heart. Did they really need to split up?

Lin Hai and Zhang Qiang knew they didn’t have the brains to solve the problem, so they consciously stepped back. While they anxiously waited for Xiao Muyu to make a decision, a very perceptible sound suddenly reached their ears.

*Drip, drip.* It sounded like water droplets falling. He held his breath, listened carefully, but then the sound seemed to have vanished. (TL: Not sure who this is. I’m guessing it’s Lin Hai?)

He swallowed hard, and his voice trembled uncontrollably as he said, “Did anyone else hear that?”

He didn’t need to remind them, as the dripping sound became more distinct in the silence. Drip after drip; slow and irregular. It didn’t sound like water, but something thick and sticky.

*Drip.* Shen Qingqiu squinted, and noticed a dark droplet fall to the floor in front of Xiao Muyu.

Her body became like a fully drawn bow, ready to release at any moment.

She and Xiao Muyu raised their heads almost simultaneously. The area above them wasn’t entirely visible, but in the dim light, the gaping mouth, dripping with a mix of drool and blood, was unmistakably clear.

The creature above their heads noticed them looking up and let out a roar. One, two, three… there was no way to count how many heads it had, and all of them quickly opened their mouths, aiming at the group below.

“Run!” There was no time for hesitation. Shen Qingqiu grabbed Xiao Muyu, and rolled them into the leftmost passage. The creature crashed down with a loud bang.

“Damn it!”

The group of nine panicked, and was instantly separated before they had the time to deliberate their paths.

After Xiao Muyu got up from the floor, she could finally make out what that thing was.

But even after seeing it, she still couldn’t figure out what it was. It had multiple heads—both male and female—fused together into what looked like a pile of rotting flesh.

Limbs covered in scraps of minced meat protruded from it, but it was hard to tell whether they were arms or legs. The creature made squelching sounds as it squirmed.

“Run!” The creature was assaulting Shen Qingqiu’s senses with hunger, and she almost drooled.

Everyone immediately bolted down the three paths. Meanwhile, the monster at the forked path began to split, and cracks formed across its body as it forcefully divided itself into three.

One of the creatures seemed dissatisfied that it only ended up with three heads. It reached over, forcibly tore off another head from the middle part, then stuffed it into its own body. Now with four heads, the pile of rotting flesh excitedly darted into the left passage. It leapt to the ceiling and started crawling forward like a gecko with alarming speed.

Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu had Su Jin with them, and the three of them sprinted madly. As the creature’s roars grew closer and closer behind them, they didn’t care that they couldn’t see far ahead in the dim light.

But no matter how fast they ran, their two legs couldn’t outrun a creature with so many limbs. In no time, it caught up to them.

At that moment, Shen Qingqiu gripped her dagger tightly in her hand, her thumb brushing the hilt as she stared at the abhorrent four-headed monster.

Su Jin’s throat went dry. She gulped and struggled to speak: “Is it going to split into three again?”

Xiao Muyu, who had been tense, suddenly shifted her gaze to Shen Qingqiu. When she felt Shen Qingqiu write a few words in her palm, her expression turned complicated.

Shen Qingqiu cast a glance at her before withdrawing her hand, her eyes locked onto the abomination ahead of them. She smiled and said, “If you keep looking at me like that, I might read too much into it.”

Xiao Muyu frowned, but didn’t say anything, while Su Jin was taken aback. She had felt from the start that something strange was going on between the two, and it made her feel like a third wheel. However, it was truly reckless to be flirting in such a life-threatening moment.

Her incredulity didn’t last long, as Shen Qingqiu, a monster in her own way, suddenly leaped a few steps onto the wall of the passage, and then, like a cat, her entire body sprang forward directly into the monster’s path.

She gripped her dagger in both hands, and struck precisely at the monster’s head, which was covered in long hair. With the force and speed of her fall, she drove the dagger down!

One of the monster’s heads thudded onto the floor and then rolled like a ball right in front of Su Jin.

The stunned look on Su Jin’s face matched the one on the severed head. When their eyes locked, it was extremely spine-chilling.

“Go!” The crisp and decisive command came from Shen Qingqiu.

Xiao Muyu didn’t need to be told twice, and immediately squeezed through the gap in the monster’s body. She glanced back at Shen Qingqiu before running for her life. Apart from Shen Qingqiu and her weapon, the three had no other means of defense.

Compared to the other two girls, Zuo Tiantian and Wang Yushan, Su Jin had always been the calm one. But when the severed head had rolled toward her, staring at her while still twitching on the floor, trying to find its body, it both terrified and disgusted her.

“Ah!”

Su Jin shut her eyes and screamed, then immediately jumped up to kick the severed head away, sending it flying as far from its body as possible.

“Ugh, that’s so disgusting!” She started hopping about in one spot, as if trying to shake off the icky feeling.

Su Jin’s stunt took Shen Qingqiu by surprise for a moment, but when the furious monster lunged at them, she quickly pulled Su Jin aside, rolling them both to safety.

She patted Su Jin’s shoulder and gave her a thumbs-up. “Nicely done!”

That thing, although terrifying, was a bit clumsy. After losing its head, it didn’t even spare a moment to devour them, and instead hurried off to chase after its own head. If they could deal with the rest of its heads, they shouldn’t have a problem defeating it. So, Shen Qingqiu immediately stood up and followed after it.

Su Jin’s worldview shattered once again—someone actually dared to chase after a ghost.

She had calmed down by now, though. Xiao Muyu had gone off on her own, likely because Shen Qingqiu had instructed her to go find the door and try the password, while they stayed behind to hold off the creature.

‘What now…?’ Su Jin looked at the left, then the right, before gritting her teeth and running after Shen Qingqiu.

She didn’t have to go far before she saw Shen Qingqiu. The commotion over there was enough to shake the entire passage, as Shen Qingqiu was baiting the monster, while the monster was going on a rampage trying to tear her apart.

Before Su Jin could even catch up to Shen Qingqiu, something flew toward her. She reflexively caught it, only to let out a short scream. It was a head.

The monstrous head almost bit off her nose, and she quickly hurled it away. The slimy, sticky feeling on her hand nearly made her lose it.

The creature with three remaining heads had just turned around to grab its severed head, only to have it thrown away again. It howled in frustration.

Shen Qingqiu looked obviously surprised to see Su Jin. Finally, she curled her lips and said, “Didn’t expect it—you’ve got some guts.”

Su Jin’s face had been pale, but now a faint blush crept in. “I wanted to help.”

In the brief moment while the two were talking, the monstrous creature tore off two of its own arms.

Su Jin’s face turned pale. “What’s it doing?”

Shen Qingqiu realized something was wrong and took a sharp breath. “It’s trying to throw out the headless body.”

Su Jin: ……

Sure enough, it didn’t just tear off the arms, but the entire headless body. Without a head, the split body stumbled as it walked, yet it moved quickly, and immediately rushed off to chase after its missing head. Now that it was no longer dragging around a deadweight, the remaining three-headed main body became much more agile and lunged forward.

Shen Qingqiu barely dodged in time, and the wall caved in where she had been standing.

The creature’s speed increased, and it swung its arms and legs at them like blades. If Shen Qingqiu wasn’t pulling her along, Su Jin was certain she would’ve been torn to pieces.

“Retreat,” Shen Qingqiu commanded, sweat beading on her forehead. No matter how strong she was, she was still human, and humans had limits. She could never truly compete with ghosts or gods—that was a biological boundary she couldn’t overcome.

They hadn’t run far before they encountered Xiao Muyu.

Xiao Muyu quickly scanned Shen Qingqiu, then exhaled slightly in relief. “That way is a dead end. I didn’t find the password door.”

“As expected, it wouldn’t be that easy. The door must be in one of the other passages, but who knows if the others can open it,” Shen Qingqiu quickly said, her expression darkening. At the same time, she swung her dagger, blocking the creature’s leg as it came crashing down.

The impact was particularly strong this time, splitting Shen Qingqiu’s hand between the thumb and forefinger. She gritted her teeth and, once again, pushed Xiao Muyu aside as she rolled under the creature’s feet, attempting the same tactic—going straight for its head.

However, the monster had grown smarter. It immediately pulled its head back, and Shen Qingqiu’s dagger only managed to slice through its body, causing it to howl in pain.

Xiao Muyu watched, heart stuck in her throat. In that moment, she suddenly understood why Shen Qingqiu was so formidable—this woman wasn’t afraid of ghosts, and perhaps, not even of death!

But in the next instant, something unexpected happened. Xiao Muyu noticed Shen Qingqiu’s movements stall for a moment, and the disgusting creature quickly reached back with both of its hands.

Shen Qingqiu dodged one hand, but the other clawed through her shoulder and sent her tumbling across the floor.

“Shen Qingqiu!”

Xiao Muyu tightly gripped the burning hot amulet. In one big stride, she grabbed Shen Qingqiu and rolled them both to the side. In her haste, she accidentally touched Shen Qingqiu’s wound, and sticky blood instantly covered her hand—it was a lot of blood.

But it was as if the woman couldn’t feel the pain. With the strength of her core, Shen Qingqiu wrapped her arms around Xiao Muyu, and rolled them again, narrowly avoiding a second strike.

The fresh scent of blood drove the creature into an even greater frenzy. It charged recklessly like a cannonball, smashing into the passage wall with such force that it collapsed, revealing an opening.

Su Jin stood helplessly on the side, nervous, and not knowing what to do. Suddenly, Shen Qingqiu shouted, “The password is 714285!”

Both Su Jin and Xiao Muyu were momentarily stunned, but then they quickly realized what had happened. Shen Qingqiu had seen the number 5 on the creature’s body! No wonder she had paused for a moment earlier.

Su Jin gritted her teeth, her eyes reddening as she said, “You two hold on!”

Now wasn’t the time for emotional outbursts—they needed to open the door first.

After watching Su Jin squeeze through the opening, Shen Qingqiu didn’t let her guard down. Only eight minutes had passed, and in the remaining time, those creatures could easily tear them apart and devour them.

They had to get out quickly.

The opening wasn’t large. When the creature left the opening to attack them, Shen Qingqiu and Xiao Muyu evaded and slipped through the opening, one after the other.

When they turned around, they saw the creature’s two legs and three arms squeezing through, but its body was stuck. Its fingers were mere three inches from Xiao Muyu’s eyes—an absolutely terrifying sight.

Cold sweat broke out on Xiao Muyu’s body. She quickly climbed back up to her feet and began walking forward. After a few meters, however, both she and Shen Qingqiu froze at the same time. The thick stench of blood filled the air with the smell of death, making Xiao Muyu hold her breath to avoid gagging.

Large pools of dark, congealed blood, covered the floor, and whoever it came from, they likely didn’t survive.

Xiao Muyu covered her nose against the nauseating smell. Her chest tightening, she murmured, “Could it be Su Jin…?”

Suddenly, Shen Qingqiu heard a crunching sound not far away, like a wild beast gnawing at something. She immediately raised her hand and covered Xiao Muyu’s mouth.

The feel of Xiao Muyu’s soft and warm lips against her palm were like petals, and the warmth of her breath made Shen Qingqiu’s heart skip a beat. But she remained composed, signaling for silence.

Xiao Muyu furrowed her brows, then shifted her eyes to indicate she understood. Only then did Shen Qingqiu quietly lead Xiao Muyu forward, walking on tiptoes.

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Author had something to say:

There will be double chapters today, around 7k characters. xx There’s gonna be some progress on the romance in this instance. The tense storyline has been going on for so long, and my head’s starting to hurt a little. Time for a brief change of pace. Let’s do some shipping!