Chapter 47
Change was always sudden and unexpected.
The temperature in the room plummeted, as if they had been plunged into the dead of winter. The window that had been closed was now open again, and an icy wind howled through, making Jiang Liu instinctively tighten her school jacket. All the photos in the shop seemed to come alive. The vivid figures of people vanished, replaced by Ghostly Shadow Skeletons of various forms. Dark red blood dripped silently from the photo frames, controlled by an invisible hand, slowly slithering towards them.
“Ah!!!” A scream pierced the sky. Jiang Liu whipped her head around to see a grayish-black figure emerge from a huge photo behind Zhu Yan, grabbing his arm and pulling him back.
Zhu Yan had never seen such a sight. His face turned as white as paper, and he looked completely petrified, even forgetting to struggle as he was dazedly dragged towards the photo. Fortunately, Zhao Ziming, who was next to him, reacted quickly. He grabbed Zhu Yan’s arm, engaging in a tug-of-war with the Ghostly Shadow, while fumbling in his school uniform pocket with his other hand.
The Ghostly Shadow’s strength was surprisingly great; the combined force of two people was almost not enough to overcome it. Luckily, Jiang Liu had already rushed over. The cold light of her dagger flashed through the air, accurately striking the Ghostly Shadow’s arm—but it hit nothing but air.
Jiang Liu stumbled, nearly losing her balance, her pupils widening involuntarily. The thing seemed to have no physical form; she felt as if she had just stabbed through the air with no resistance at all.
This thing is a goddamn real ghost!
Realizing this, Jiang Liu cursed inwardly and grabbed Zhao Ziming’s arm, pulling with all her might. At that critical moment, Zhao Ziming shouted in delight, “Found it!”
He raised his right hand, holding a palm-sized pendant, and quickly aimed it at the Ghostly Shadow’s chest. A flash of light seemed to pass by, and the group felt the force pulling them suddenly loosen. Unable to stop their momentum, all three of them fell backwards.
Jiang Liu was quicker to react, managing a graceful roll before landing, but Zhao Ziming and Zhu Yan weren’t so lucky. They landed hard on their behinds, grimacing in pain on the floor. The Ghostly Shadow from before had vanished, but the crisis was far from over.
More shadows emerged from the photos like mist, their pale gray forms overlapping in the room. The once-bright incandescent light was instantly dimmed as if covered by a cloth. Zhang Xiaochen and Xu Meng were scrambling left and right, now cornered near the staircase. They didn’t have time to check on the others and shouted at the top of their lungs, “What’s that treasure? Let me use it too!”
Jiang Liu was also eyeing the object in Zhao Ziming’s hand. She hadn’t gotten a good look before, but now she realized it was the Wooden Carving Pendant that had been hanging from his phone. Its design was a bit eclectic, with two long swords crossed to form a cross.
Seeing that his secret weapon was effective, Zhao Ziming’s face lit up with glee. He charged forward, holding his phone, and shouted triumphantly, “Die!!!”
His answer was a sinister, cold laugh. A withered, tree-like Ghost Hand passed through his chest and unhesitatingly clamped around Zhang Xiaochen’s neck, dragging him back towards the photo. The immense feeling of suffocation made Zhang Xiaochen’s head spin. He thrashed his limbs, trying to escape, but his strength was fading fast, and his cries for help were stuck in his throat.
“…”
How could it not work?
Zhao Ziming shivered, as if in disbelief. He tried to touch the Ghostly Shadow with the pendant again, but it passed through its body just as uselessly. This realization finally sent him into a panic. He scrambled to grab Zhang Xiaochen, but… it was too late.
The largest art photo was right opposite the staircase. The Ghostly Shadow returned home with almost no effort, so fast that even Jiang Liu couldn’t reach it in time. Zhang Xiaochen’s face was flushed red, his eyes wide with despair as he looked at her, his almost-purple lips trembling. Before he could say anything, he was dragged into the photo.
Jiang Liu’s eyes widened, and she finally broke through the crowd of Ghostly Shadows to reach the photo. The Fierce Ghost inside maintained its strangling posture, grinning at Jiang Liu as if in provocation. Where its eyes should have been were two black, empty sockets, dripping with blood. Jiang Liu had the strange feeling that the blood’s color had become even more vibrant.
“He… he’s dead?” Xu Meng didn’t know how long it took for her to find her voice. It was as dry as parched earth, and her tone trembled uncontrollably.
No one could answer her question. Zhao Ziming stood there in terror, his hands and feet growing cold. As a veteran, the most sensible thing for him to do right now was to protect himself. He understood that danger lurked in every corner of the instances, and that everyone has their own fate, but… seeing a companion disappear in such a gruesome way before his very eyes, he couldn’t control the chaos in his mind. His feet felt rooted to the spot, unable to move an inch.
The visibility in the room grew lower and lower. The other Ghostly Shadows, as if smelling blood, became even more excited, darting through the shop at high speed. Jiang Liu took a deep breath. After a brief moment with her eyes closed, she had already composed her emotions. She grabbed the still-dazed Zhao Ziming and Xu Meng and quickly threw them towards the staircase.
“Don’t move,” she ordered, then turned to search for Zhu Yan. The stairwell was completely silent. Unlike the chaotic first floor, this place seemed relatively safe. Once the door was closed, it felt like they were cut off from the outside world. All the sounds were muffled, as if heard through a layer of cloth.
The lights weren’t on here, and the immense darkness enveloped Xu Meng, making her feel a little uneasy. She instinctively fumbled for Zhao Ziming beside her, her voice still trembling. “We’ll be okay, right?”
For once, Zhao Ziming didn’t answer. This silence filled Xu Meng with dread. Cold sweat soaked her sleeves, but she still tried her best to reassure herself. “Sister Jiang is here. We’ll be fine.”
Her voice was very low, and as if to confirm it, Xu Meng repeated it. Zhao Ziming turned his head silently. Hearing her weak, prayer-like whispers, he suddenly felt an inexplicable urge to laugh.
She had followed Jiang Liu all this way. She probably hadn’t experienced a scene like this before, had she? Countless people died in instances every day. This was the reality of the game. Fulfilling wishes? It wasn’t that simple. He seemed to have fallen into a strange mood, enveloped by a sense of pessimism, and didn’t even notice when Jiang Liu brought Zhu Yan in.
Jiang Liu slammed the door shut and leaned against the wall, letting out a long sigh of relief. The things outside didn’t seem to have any intelligence. Their actions weren’t driven by a conscious desire to attack, but rather an instinct to bring people back into the photos. She didn’t understand what going inside meant, so she decided to leave for now and make a plan later.
Fortunately, the second floor hadn’t changed and was as calm as before. Jiang Liu walked quickly, hastily pushing open the half-closed door. The wall of photos was still there. “Sister Jiang…” Xu Meng stood outside the door, not daring to approach, and called out Jiang Liu’s name softly.
Compared to when they first arrived, the group was somewhat listless, especially Zhu Yan. The kid was on the verge of fainting from fear, supported only by sheer willpower, trembling so much he could barely stand. Jiang Liu rubbed her temples with a headache. She checked the time; it was almost three in the morning.
This was all they could do for tonight.
***
The treatment for teachers at No. 16 Middle School was excellent. They lived in small, individual apartments. Yang Caisi had no neighbors on either side, so she wasn’t afraid of being discovered. Besides the bedroom, she also had a separate study with a sofa for resting, which was more than enough space for them. After returning, she told Xu Meng and Zhu Yan to go rest first, while she sat down opposite Zhao Ziming.
“What’s on your mind?” Jiang Liu placed a cup of hot water in front of him, finding his dejected state a rare sight.
Zhao Ziming forced a bitter smile and took the blame. “I’m sorry. I misjudged the situation, and that’s why he…”
His voice trailed off at the end, and Jiang Liu couldn’t hear the rest. He took out his phone and pointed at the pendant, continuing his explanation. “This is an item I redeemed with points. It’s made of pure peach wood and is said to exorcise evil. And this cross, it’s so I won’t be afraid even if I encounter foreign ghosts. I don’t know why it failed.”
Zhao Ziming scratched his head, looking very troubled. He was describing it well until he mentioned the cross. Jiang Liu nearly choked on her water and coughed for a long time before she recovered. She gave Zhao Ziming a strange look and tentatively asked, “You didn’t get scammed, did you?”
Who combines Chinese and Western styles like that? At the mention of this, Zhao Ziming glared at her defiantly. “That’s not the point! The point is that it failed!”
This thing couldn’t be a single-use item, could it? Or did it have a cooldown after one use? Seeing a bit of life back in his face, Jiang Liu couldn’t help but smile, her tone lightening. “That’s more like it. You’re the only veteran in the team. Who are you trying to depress by being so gloomy?”
Zhao Ziming looked at her, hesitating to speak. He understood what Jiang Liu meant and knew that his own mentality was the problem; he just couldn’t adjust so quickly. What he hadn’t expected was for Jiang Liu to come and comfort him. This girl was capable and resourceful, rushing into danger faster than anyone, and she had the favor of an NPC. By all accounts, she had the makings of a prodigy, so a bit of pride was to be expected.
But Jiang Liu wasn’t like that. Sometimes her words could infuriate you, and other times she was surprisingly warm. The contrast in her personality was so strong it was a bit jarring. Just like now, sitting opposite him with a teacup like an old veteran, all her sharpness was hidden, making it hard to imagine her charging into battle. She was a strange person, but she and Sister Yang were a surprisingly good match, Zhao Ziming thought to himself.
His gloomy mood inexplicably lifted a little. He hesitated for a moment before asking, “What’s your plan now?”
Jiang Liu blinked, a cunning, fox-like smile appearing on her face as she raised an eyebrow. “The next important task falls to you.”
Two question marks appeared above Zhao Ziming’s head as he pointed at himself in disbelief. “Me?”
Before he could figure it out, the girl opposite him slowly stood up, her voice lilting with anticipation. “This Peach Wood Cross can’t possibly have that kind of power. Think carefully about how you repelled that Ghost Spirit.”
As for her… she naturally had to see if Teacher Yang had left any clues for her. It was normal to lose one’s life in an instance, so there was no need for such a flashy method. For example, being buried alive in the garden last time, one could still survive for a while. Zhang Xiaochen might not be completely beyond saving. They had to pull themselves together and face what was to come.