Xu Xiaonan and Zhao Zhicheng hid inside the storeroom, praying all the while. All they wanted now was for this instance to end quickly.
But more than half an hour had passed, and they still hadn't received a notification that the mission was complete.
Ten minutes would have been enough just to burn a heart. If it still wasn't over after half an hour, it meant the other two had failed their mission.
Xu Xiaonan looked over at Zhao Zhicheng. "Mister, do you think they might have... already been killed?"
Zhao Zhicheng was a little speechless. He was only in his early thirties, yet this young girl was calling him mister.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on such details, and he wasn't in the mood to argue with anyone over it.
Staying alive was what mattered most now.
"It's possible," Zhao Zhicheng said with a frown. "Even if they're still alive, something must have gone wrong and stopped them from burning the heart."
Xu Xiaonan said nervously, "Then what do we do? If they've failed, we're the only two left. Mister, please think of something."
"How would I know? It's my first time playing this damn game too!"
Zhao Zhicheng sounded quite impatient. He was normally a gentle person who hardly ever raised his voice at anyone, but under these circumstances, he didn't even know whether he would survive, and he was deeply agitated.
The two fell silent. After a while, Zhao Zhicheng said, "We can't just sit here and wait to die. We have to take the initiative, or... or we'll die here too."
Xu Xiaonan hurriedly asked, "Mister, what do you think we should do?"
"Use fire. Only fire can kill him! There happens to be a lot of alcohol here. We'll lure him over and burn him to death."
"We don't have any other choice," Zhao Zhicheng continued.
There were only two ways to kill the Horse-Faced Butcher. One was to burn his heart, and the other was to burn his body.
The first method had clearly failed, and there was no need to try it again. That left only one option.
"This storeroom is built mostly of wood, and there are lots of flammable things inside, as well as several barrels of high-concentration alcohol. If we use them properly, they'll be enough to start a very serious fire. That should burn him to death."
Zhao Zhicheng had been a little nervous when he first entered the instance, but he had gradually calmed down.
"But..." Xu Xiaonan hesitated. "I saw this strategy online too, but if we do it this way, someone has to lure the boss.
"That person will be in great danger. Even if it works, they might get burned or even burn to death."
"I'll do it!" Zhao Zhicheng said. "You stay outside. As soon as you see me lure the boss into the room, start a fire at the door. I'll start one inside. Once the flames surround him, he won't be able to escape."
"But will it really work? He seems..." Xu Xiaonan trailed off because she felt this boss was nothing like the one described in the guide.
This Horse-Faced Butcher seemed to have some intelligence, and he wasn't afraid of fire.
"I know what you're worried about, but it's our only choice," Zhao Zhicheng said firmly. "Before I change my mind, let's set this place up and wait for him!"
"Mister, wouldn't that put you... in a lot of danger?"
"I know. If I'm destined to die, then so be it. I don't have anyone or anything to tie me down anyway."
Xu Xiaonan was a little touched. He hadn't expected to meet someone here who was willing to sacrifice himself for others.
"Mister... thank you."
"Don't thank me. I'm not doing this for you," Zhao Zhicheng said.
"Someone my age, with nothing to my name, nothing to show for my life, and a mountain of debt—I really don't know what I'm living for.
"I'd thought about killing myself in the real world, but I never had the courage. Now... I can't get out of this instance anyway, so I'll just consider it a way to earn some merit for myself."
"Mister..." Tears glistened in Xu Xiaonan's eyes. "Is there anything you need me to... I mean, if you don't make it out, I could..."
Zhao Zhicheng said expressionlessly, "I don't have any last words. Even if I die, no one will be sad. No one will care."
"Mister, I'll care."
"Live well!"
"Yeah, I will!"
The two began making preparations. They broke apart everything in the room that could burn, spread it across the floor, and poured some alcohol over it. A single spark would be enough to set the room ablaze.
When they were done, Zhao Zhicheng stood at the storeroom door and looked at Xu Xiaonan.
"Go farther away, and don't let him see you. Once I've gotten his attention, come back and throw the torch at the doorway to block his escape."
"I understand," Xu Xiaonan said, holding back her tears.
Xu Xiaonan left, and Zhao Zhicheng stood at the storeroom door, his body trembling. His life really had been a miserable one, but now that he was actually facing death, he was still a little afraid.
It was human nature. People instinctively resisted death.
Especially now, when his life was practically about to begin counting down, his body instinctively wanted to retreat. But he told himself he absolutely could not back down.
He had never been truly brave in his life. Before he died, let him be a hero for once!
The Horse-Faced Butcher appeared, dragging his enormous axe. It scraped against the ground with a piercing sound.
The sound was like a tune played by the Grim Reaper to claim a life, sending chills down the spine.
Zhao Zhicheng looked at the monster before him as fear spread through his body. At that moment, his feet grew unbearably heavy.
Death had never been so close to him.
He had even begun to regret it. Why was he helping a little girl he'd never met? If they were going to die, they could all die together. Why did he have to step up and play the good guy?
But in the end, he didn't run. He looked at the monster closing in on him and roared, "Come on! Come and kill me!"
The Horse-Faced Butcher looked at him and strode over. Zhao Zhicheng hurriedly backed away, his breathing growing rapid. The Horse-Faced Butcher had taken the bait, but even so, the best he could do was take the monster down with him.
Zhao Zhicheng kept retreating, taunting him all the while. "Come on! You monster, come and kill me!"
The Horse-Faced Butcher seemed genuinely enraged by his words and stepped into the storeroom.
Zhao Zhicheng's heart beat even faster. If the monster in front of him took another three or four steps, his plan would succeed.
But the monster stopped, unwilling to take another step forward. No matter how Zhao Zhicheng taunted him, the monster simply stood where he was.
"What... what's going on?" Zhao Zhicheng was full of confusion.
If he started the fire now, the Horse-Faced Butcher could escape at any time. The most he could do was burn himself to death.
How could this happen? This wasn't supposed to happen!
At that moment, he sensed that the Horse-Faced Butcher before him seemed completely different from the one in the guide. He seemed to be intelligent, and highly intelligent at that!
The suspicion shocked him. The guides for the Qingshan Hospital instance were all based on the premise that the boss had no intelligence. If the Horse-Faced Butcher was intelligent, everything they had done was as clumsy as a child's trick.
Defeating the Horse-Faced Butcher with a method like this was simply impossible!
Despair spread through his body. He knew that even if he was willing to sacrifice his life, it would be no use. They still wouldn't be able to kill the butcher.
Suddenly, the Horse-Faced Butcher turned around and looked outside.
Zhao Zhicheng's heart tightened, and he cried out that something was wrong.
After seeing the Horse-Faced Butcher enter the storeroom, Xu Xiaonan came out of hiding. She had to work with Zhao Zhicheng, starting a fire outside to cut off the Horse-Faced Butcher's escape.
But she had only just reached the storeroom when she saw the Horse-Faced Butcher come out, staring straight at her.
Xu Xiaonan screamed in fright. This was completely unexpected; she had never imagined the Horse-Faced Butcher would come back out.
Why did this boss feel a little off?
The Horse-Faced Butcher ignored Zhao Zhicheng in the storeroom and headed straight for Xu Xiaonan instead. Xu Xiaonan stared blankly at the monster before her, frozen in place for a moment.
"Run!"
Zhao Zhicheng rushed out of the room and shouted at Xu Xiaonan.
Xu Xiaonan finally snapped out of it and ran, but the Horse-Faced Butcher had no intention of letting her go. He followed close behind her.
Just as the Horse-Faced Butcher was about to catch Xu Xiaonan, Zhao Zhicheng lunged forward and wrapped his arms around the butcher's legs from behind.
He had been a coward all his life, and at this moment, even he didn't know where he had found such courage.
Perhaps it was because choosing to die this way had a tiny bit of meaning, even if it only delayed the monster for a few seconds.
Xu Xiaonan glanced back, grief welling up in her heart. But she knew he was using his life to buy her time, and she couldn't waste it.
I have to stay alive!
But even by sacrificing his life, Zhao Zhicheng hadn't managed to hold the Horse-Faced Butcher back for long. The butcher swung, and the sharp axe severed Zhao Zhicheng's head.
Xu Xiaonan looked back and saw what had happened. She was so frightened she nearly fell to the ground. Intense fear and grief crashed through her body in waves, and she felt she was approaching the limit of what she could bear.
Now she was the only one left. How was she supposed to survive?
There was no hope!