Chapter 8: The Price of Wishes

After experiencing the bizarre death of Ke Xiaoxi, Mo Qi wasn’t as afraid upon seeing Qi Qiaoyan’s body, but his expression remained grim.

Everything was still shrouded in mist, yet two girls had already died.

Calling the police was futile, and seeking help from the counselor only ended in suicide. Mo Qi decided to approach Qi Qiaoyan’s body first. Without medical expertise, he could only preliminarily conclude that there were no external injuries on Qi Qiaoyan’s body, and the cause of death was unclear.

Apart from the smashed screen on one phone, there was another phone on Qi Qiaoyan’s body. Mo Qi collected both phones, left Qi Qiaoyan’s body untouched, and left the artificial hill with a heavy heart.

“Do you not want to call for a teacher?” Liao Ruxue asked.

Mo Qi glanced at him. “You can if you want, but I won’t.”

Besides them, four other players lurked in the shadows. The first person to discover the body would surely draw attention from the others, and Guo Mingzheng had already been singled out by two players. Mo Qi was oblivious to everything and hoped no one would notice him.

Liao Ruxue also glanced at Qi Qiaoyan’s body, shaking his head. “Then I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything.”

Mo Qi stopped in his tracks, gazing at Liao Ruxue with a strange look in his eyes.

Liao Ruxue’s desire to kill him seemed to be influenced by some skill, which Mo Qi could understand. Apart from this intense determination to kill him, Liao Ruxue appeared quite normal in other aspects. He still enjoyed somewhat artistic pursuits as before, seemed somewhat frail as usual, and remained diligently responsible for his duties in the student council. Just now, after enduring a fierce fight that left him sore all over, he still managed to clean up the office thoroughly and systematically organized the handover materials.

Mo Qi believed that Liao Ruxue was only emotionally obsessive and ruthless, but he hadn’t expected him to remain so calm after Qi Qiaoyan’s death.

“Being the president of the Student Council, how can you just ignore such a big deal like finding a dead student’s body?” Mo Qi asked.

He was eager to understand what kind of state these “squeezed people” involved in the game were in.

Liao Ruxue replied, “Why do you think I waited until nightfall to act against you?”

“Isn’t it because you can be alone at night?” Mo Qi said.

Liao Ruxue shook his head. “I actually wanted to act in the afternoon at the exhibition hall. I had considered pretending to faint on you, then having you take me to the school clinic. Once there, I would have disposed of you after distracting the school nurse.”

Mo Qi remained silent.

In just this short day, had he already experienced several near brushes with death?

Liao Ruxue continued, “As for why I didn’t go through with it, it’s because I’ve been pondering how I could have suddenly had such thoughts. It felt like a spontaneous idea, yet upon reflection, it seems like it’s been deeply ingrained in my mind for a long time, as if I’ve wanted to harm you since the very first time we met.”

Mo Qi frowned. Could the negative effects have such a profound impact on a person? This was almost like a form of memory implantation.

“But if I had murderous intentions back then, how could I only feel the urge to act today? It doesn’t make sense,” Liao Ruxue said. “I thought about it all afternoon and figured something out.”

He leaned slightly closer to Mo Qi, who cautiously stepped back. “What did you figure out?” Mo Qi asked.

Liao Ruxue gently tapped his head. “My actions and thoughts aren’t in sync. There must be something wrong between the two. I carefully examined myself and realized I’m not someone who could suppress the urge to kill for two or three years. If I had truly wanted to kill you since way back then, there’s no way I would wait until today to act. So, it’s not my actions that are the problem, but something has been done to my mind.”

“In a normal society, at an ordinary university, having implanted thoughts doesn’t make sense. I’ve considered that maybe something around me isn’t quite right when faced with murderous intentions.”

Mo Qi was extremely surprised that Liao Ruxue could deduce this much.

“Furthermore, while investigating Ke Xiaoxi’s relationships, I found her student record had been tampered with to indicate she was deceased, yet the loudmouthed publicity head had no clue. Such a significant event, and the Student Council was completely oblivious. There’s definitely something wrong with this situation. Just when you started looking into Ke Xiaoxi’s conflicts with others in detail, I naturally dug a bit deeper. Do you really think I believe your story about clients chasing after people?”

So that’s how meticulous that detailed form came about, Liao Ruxue had really thought it through.

“Now Qi Qiaoyan is also dead, yet you remain so calm. Do I have enough reason to speculate that something is amiss in this campus we’re in? Since we both know this, if you won’t report the deaths, then neither will I,” Liao Ruxue asked.

He had analyzed the situation to this extent, and Mo Qi saw no need to evade anymore. He admitted, “I’m not sure if I can tell you the specifics, but you’re very close to the truth.”

“However, there’s something I truly don’t understand.”

“What is it?”

Liao Ruxue said. “It’s strange, looking into your eyes, I feel compelled to help you with anything.”

Mo Qi choked on his words for a moment, then took a breath before saying, “You’ve guessed to this extent, and you understand that your desire to kill me might not be your true intention, but rather controlled by some mysterious force. Why then continue to act against me? Can’t you restrain yourself?”

“No,” Liao Ruxue shook his head decisively.

“Why?!” Mo Qi pressed.

Liao Ruxue closed his eyes and quietly felt the night breeze, the cool air brushing against his face. He slowly broke into a contented smile.

“Because it makes me happy,” he replied simply.

Mo Qi remained speechless.

“I suppose I must be someone who prioritizes enjoyment and happiness above all else. Rather than feeling powerless under control, I prefer the unrestrained joy I feel when dealing with you,” Liao Ruxue explained. “Do you understand?”

“I don’t understand!” Mo Qi replied, completely baffled whether it was the skill’s negative effect that had turned Liao Ruxue this way or if he had always been disturbed, with the negative effect just acting as a catalyst.

“Whether you understand or not is your business; whether I’m happy or not is mine,” Liao Ruxue chuckled.

“President, I’ve had a day full of fright and intense work. I’m very tired. Can I go back and sleep?” Faced with Liao Ruxue’s obsession, Mo Qi couldn’t say much more and had to go along with it.

“Do you need me to help analyze the cause of death for Ke and Qi? I think I’m a bit smarter than you,” Liao Ruxue suggested. “The condition is that you…”

“No need!” Mo Qi cut him off before he could state any conditions.

Mo Qi was certain he was a normal person and couldn’t communicate with Liao Ruxue. He shook off Liao Ruxue and ran back to his dormitory.

Liao Ruxue didn’t follow. Instead, he stood quietly, watching Mo Qi’s retreating figure.

Mo Qi hid downstairs for a while to make sure no one was following him, then came out alone again.

After a day like this, if he could still sleep peacefully at night, he would have a heart of steel. Returning to the dormitory to rest was just to stall Liao Ruxue. Of course, he could outrun the exhausted Student Council president if he ran directly, but Liao Ruxue might target his scholarship if he did that. So, he used fatigue as an excuse.

Mo Qi unlocked his phone and repeatedly read the words on the crystal box.

Qi Qiaoyan’s mysterious death and the unclear cause are definitely related to the inscription on the box: “Exchange failed. Compensation provided with the wisher’s life. Next wish in progress.” From this sentence, it can be deduced that the box, the heart-shaped origami, and wishes are connected.

Based on the current clues, it’s speculated that there were disputes between Qi Qiaoyan and Ke Xiaoxi involving campus bullying, competition for scholarships, and mutual accusations. Under such conflicts, it wouldn’t be surprising if Qi Qiaoyan made a wish like “Ke Xiaoxi should die.”

In real life, no matter how one curses someone’s death, wishes do not come true. However, this box turned Qi Qiaoyan’s momentary resentment into reality.

Mo Qi took out the shattered screen phone, held down the power button, and it surprisingly turned on. He didn’t know the phone’s lock screen password, so he couldn’t unlock it, but Mo Qi knew Ke Xiaoxi’s number.

He dialed Ke Xiaoxi’s number, and the broken screen phone rang—it was Ke Xiaoxi’s phone, now in Qi Qiaoyan’s possession.

In the afternoon, when Mo Qi called, it was Qi Qiaoyan who had Ke Xiaoxi’s phone. She panicked and turned it off hastily when the phone rang, then smashed the screen.

The reason why Qi Qiaoyan took Ke Xiaoxi’s phone and didn’t immediately turn it off doesn’t make sense. Whether intentional or not, her actions led to Ke Xiaoxi’s death, indicating she must have been filled with fear and dread. So, why would she keep the deceased’s phone?

Unless there was something in the phone that Qi Qiaoyan wanted, something that made her endure her fear and keep the phone.

Now, what could be in the phone? Mo Qi pondered from scratch, trying to piece all the information together.

Resentment, wishes, death, failed exchanges, and yet another death…

Mo Qi couldn’t help but wonder, if there were such a wishing box where one could wish for next semester’s tuition fee, would he make a wish?

He wouldn’t.

Back when his father first became addicted to gambling, he won a lot of money out of nowhere, and Mo Qi’s allowance increased significantly during that time. But eventually, his father started losing more and more, leading to the family losing everything. Unable to face his wife and children, he chose a path of no return.

Desire is a bottomless pit. Perhaps it starts with a desire to win a few hundred bucks, but it can end up consuming everything.

Since then, Mo Qi understood one thing clearly: there are no free lunches in life. When you gain something, you also lose something.

Even if he had the wishing box in his hands, Mo Qi wouldn’t touch such a wish. But Qi Qiaoyan did make a wish.

It’s obvious now that this box isn’t like Aladdin’s lamp, granting three wishes without consequences. After her wish was granted, Qi Qiaoyan must have had to do something in exchange for it.

She didn’t fulfill whatever the wishing box required, and in the end, her life was harvested, becoming just another mark on the box.

Mo Qi speculated that whatever the wishing box demanded from Qi Qiaoyan must be inside Ke Xiaoxi’s phone. That’s the only explanation for why the phone ended up with Qi Qiaoyan.

But what is the lock screen password? Finding out about the wish exchange, would it help him clear the level?

Only two lives lost so far, barely filling a quarter of the heart-shaped pattern. There are at least three wishes left. What is his mission? Is it to wait for all four wishes to be fulfilled, staining the heart shape with blood, or to stop all of this?

As Mo Qi pondered, the words on the crystal box changed: “Second wisher found, currently making a wish.”