Fox Mark

The moment they turned their heads, a pair of black eyes pressed close against their faces, and a soft, lovely voice brushed their cheeks. But all five had been prepared, and they had closed their eyes the moment they saw it.

Without eye contact, they weren't controlled. But they could feel those eyes pressed tightly against their eyelids, cold and chilling. As they moved, they made a wet, slimy sound that sent the hairs on their bodies standing on end.

The eerie voice was intensely enticing, and their bodies protested, wanting to comply, open their eyes, and answer the question. Their reason, however, held the impulse firmly in check as they stumbled toward the long staircase.

Sheng Qingqiao was the first to push open the door. The lights around them instantly dimmed, and the slimy sensation before their eyes vanished in an instant, but the voice still echoed in their ears.

Had Qin Rang and the others opened their eyes then, they would have discovered that, while they were fleeing the anomaly, Bai Yang alone had his eyes open and was completely unaffected. He even had a moment to pull Qin Rang out of the way when he nearly ran into a lantern handle.

[That catch was so practiced]

[Never thought our Fox Captain would be pulled up by a boy so much shorter than him one day. Somehow that's hilarious hhhh]

[Does this guy have a Weird Object that makes him immune to mental rules? He's way too bold]

[Mental-type anomalies are so unfair. There's just no countering them. Open your eyes and you die]

When Qin Rang was pulled upright, he turned his face slightly, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end he swallowed it and said, "Thank you."

Bai Yang knew this suspicious fellow must be wondering how he had managed to catch him at just the right moment, but he didn't care about his suspicions. He deliberately said, "It's all right. The anomaly didn't follow us."

With lanterns in hand, they weren't left blind and unable to see a thing on the long staircase this time. Though the lantern light was dim, Bai Yang could just make out the black shadow anomaly standing by the stairwell door, blocking it. Its body was twisted, and its head stretched out a long way as it stared at them.

The bewitching voice still sounded in their ears, but it was no longer so hard to resist. One by one, they opened their eyes, put some distance between themselves and the anomaly, and studied it from afar.

"Its killing rules are that you can't look at it or listen to it," Tao Yuan said, analyzing it quickly. "This anomaly might be connected to the one just now. Their abilities are identical. It's hard to say whether that one came back to life after it died or whether there really is a second identical anomaly."

"Could it be something like a clone?" Bai Yang said softly, rubbing the Rabbit Plush Toy's ears. "The last one dropped a playing card when it was killed. Would this one drop a playing card too?"

"I'll kill it." An Ying immediately opened his umbrella and stepped forward, only for Qin Rang to grab his hand and pull him back.

"No rush. This anomaly's bewitching ability is powerful, and we're still under the second anomaly's rules. If we act rashly, we could easily trigger multiple rules. Let's leave first."

Tao Yuan sighed. "Qin Rang, you're just too cautious."

Qin Rang smiled and flicked Tao Yuan on the forehead. "I remember your role when you joined our team was healer, right? How come you're even more eager to fight than An Ying?"

An Ying said, "...I'm not."

Tao Yuan took her hand off her weapon and casually tossed her long pink hair.

"Let's go. It isn't safe to stay here."

After saying that, Qin Rang paused and turned to Bai Yang. "Thanks for earlier. But you don't seem afraid of this anomaly's ability?"

Bai Yang shook the Rabbit Plush Toy in his arms and smiled shyly. "No, I'm scared too, but as long as I have it, I'm not afraid."

His answer was vague. Qin Rang pretended not to understand that he was deliberately hiding something and replied naturally, "Sounds like it's a Weird Object that purifies mental abilities?"

"Mm... I... guess so." Bai Yang waved the rabbit's short hand. "You have Weird Objects too, right? Why don't you use them? If you used them, this anomaly wouldn't be so hard to deal with, would it?"

"The way you say it, you'd think we could just casually take a Weird Object out for a spin." Sheng Qingqiao patted Bai Yang. "Brother, Weird Objects only drop when you kill anomalies. Using these Weird Objects hurts you as well as your enemy, and if you use them too much, they'll come back to life as new anomalies. Of course we avoid using them when we can."

"Then when do you use them? What if you're suddenly controlled like just now and don't have time?"

"Hey, we have our own ways, so don't worry. By the way, your abilities seem outstanding. How come I've never heard of you before? Did you have a team before?"

Bai Yang was having a little trouble handling Sheng Qingqiao's enthusiasm. He chose what to answer. "My ability is very weak. I don't have teammates, but I do have accomplices... ahem, colleagues. Compared to them, I'm the weak one."

"Colleagues?"

Two questioning voices sounded one after the other. Tao Yuan and An Ying, who was following behind, both looked over, very curious. Wasn't "colleagues" what office workers used to say?

"Don't you call them teammates?" Sheng Qingqiao blinked his brown eyes and casually rested a hand on Bai Yang's arm. "Colleagues sounds kind of distant."

Bai Yang gave a helpless smile. "Calling them colleagues is already giving them face. If I had a choice, there are a few of them I'd never want to see again."

Sheng Qingqiao patted his arm and laughed. "That sounds interesting. What kind of personality would someone have to have for even someone as good-tempered as you to be unable to stand them?"

The good-tempered Bai Yang smiled, then suddenly sensed something and looked up at the pitch-black sky.

Sheng Qingqiao continued to stick close to him. "What are you looking at?"

"I think I caught an unpleasant smell."

"Huh? Me?"

"Not you," Bai Yang said with a smile.

As the two spoke, An Ying silently enveloped Bai Yang in the lantern's firelight, deliberately lengthening his stride while walking slowly.

Finally, as Sheng Qingqiao kept pawing at him, An Ying caught a glimpse of a red marking on the back of Bai Yang's neck beneath the clothes Sheng Qingqiao had pulled out of place.

Though it appeared only for a moment, the marking was clear in the firelight. It was a fox with a simple pattern, its eyes narrowed as though it were smiling or crying.

The group fell silent at that moment.

The marking was very similar to the one on the mysterious person who had killed the Water Ghost that day. The connection between them was all but obvious.

Five red lanterns glowed faintly in the darkness. The boy lifted his eyes slightly, his black gaze fixed on the four of them, the smile still on his lips. The rabbit's two dark, hollow sockets looked like a pair of eyes, sending a chilling sensation through the air.

The smiles vanished from Qin Rang and the others' faces as well. Even the livestream outside grew quiet because of the protagonist's inexplicable silence.

[...It suddenly got scary]

[Why did everyone stop talking?]

As their surroundings fell quiet, the anomaly's voice behind them became increasingly distinct.

"Did you... see me?!"

The anomaly's voice was somewhat urgent, and its bewitching ability grew stronger once more.

Bai Yang blinked, slowly straightened his collar, and smiled with an air of innocence as though nothing had happened. "Let's go. What are you all standing around for? The anomaly behind us is about to catch up."