Cheng Zhuiyu's shouts received no response whatsoever, exposing the fear beneath her bluster.
Darkness engulfed the world around her. Terrified, Cheng Zhuiyu looked at herself in the mirror. Recalling how Si Yehan had said she needed to maintain eye contact for more than a minute, she immediately forced herself to stare at the mirror.
But what if Si Yehan was lying?
Cheng Zhuiyu shuddered violently. Looking at the darkness and the mirrors around her, she felt a gust of chilly wind sweep into the corridor.
She even began making excuses for Si Yehan herself. The killing rule said that multiple people couldn't look in the mirror together. Perhaps he had noticed that as soon as he entered the corridor and immediately moved away.
But was this his first time here?
Cheng Zhuiyu couldn't help recalling everything he had done. From the moment they were in the entertainment hall, he had clearly intended to lead her into the Mirror Corridor! His only purpose was to verify the killing rule, so the method he had given her to save herself was most likely genuine, though it was also possible that he had reversed it.
Things have come to this. I can only try a desperate remedy!
Cheng Zhuiyu steeled herself and had no choice but to trust Si Yehan's method. She looked at herself in the mirror, just as covered in rolls of fat, the blood vessels in her eyes clearly visible in the dark.
As time passed, the fear in her heart grew stronger.
Cheng Zhuiyu stood frozen in place, cold sweat pouring from her body, her clothes already drenched. In a daze, she seemed to hear a series of muffled footsteps. What the hell? Wasn't I following the method to stay alive?
That damned Si Yehan really did lie to me! Boundless fury erupted in Cheng Zhuiyu's heart, suppressing even her fear for a moment. All she wanted now was to find Si Yehan and tear him to pieces.
She abruptly turned her head and saw that the "her" in the mirror had crawled out. Its rolls of fat had split apart, revealing human faces in the gaps. Tongues turned in their eye sockets, while pitch-black pupils stared from their mouths! Its hair hung loose and disheveled, making it look especially horrifying in the dark. A little moonlight filtered through a gap, illuminating it clearly.
It was as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over Cheng Zhuiyu's fury, and fear rose in its place. She let out a high-pitched scream. Faced with a ghost, she showed none of the decisiveness or ruthlessness she had displayed during the day.
"Don't kill me..." Cheng Zhuiyu scrambled and stumbled through the Mirror Corridor, running back the way she had come. But the mirrors on both sides stretched her figure, reflecting her flight all the way.
Behind her, the ghost, which bore a slight resemblance to her, pursued her unhurriedly on all fours, moving along the walls like a spider.
In a moment of inattention, Cheng Zhuiyu slammed into the door. Just as she reached out to pull it open, a head dropped down in front of her. Its face was pale, eyeballs spun in its mouth, and blood dripped from its eye sockets.
Cheng Zhuiyu felt an icy touch around her ankle. She was dragged into the darkness behind her, her body scraping so hard against the floor that it nearly threw sparks.
The fat all over her body trembled violently as the ghost that had crawled out of the mirror tore into her at will. Yellow grease and blood oozed from her body, and her internal organs were pulled out one by one.
Cheng Zhuiyu's consciousness gradually began to collapse. Suddenly, a figure appeared in her sight. The door had opened, and moonlight reached into the darkness. A figure stood there, a black trench coat fluttering lightly. His features were indistinct, but he looked handsome and unrestrained.
Cheng Zhuiyu's eyes widened, and she had clearly recognized him. But the mirror ghost's pale hand had already burrowed into her head, and the last trace of consciousness the ghost had deliberately kept alive collapsed completely.
Si Yehan stood in the doorway. By the moonlight, he could clearly see Cheng Zhuiyu being devoured in the darkness, and he saw the ghost as well.
He had been counting the time silently outside the door, calculating when Cheng Zhuiyu would die and preparing to finish her off. Now, it seemed there was no need.
The aura on this ghost was very strong. It was a real ghost, and its aura did not match the one left in the room.
This cruise ship had no less to offer than Wang Family Village in the previous instance.
After the mirror ghost finished devouring Cheng Zhuiyu's body, Si Yehan met its gaze for a moment. It slowly retreated into the mirror, its soaked, tangled hair hanging down over its face.
Only after it disappeared did Si Yehan slowly close the door.
Just then, a somewhat gentle voice sounded behind him.
"Guest, why didn't you attend the banquet? The restaurant is already closed. If there's anything you need, perhaps I can help."
Si Yehan turned around, his expression unchanged, and looked at the hostess standing alone before him. She had just finished removing her makeup, and there was some fatigue in her eyes, but a service smile still lingered on her lips.
She showed no surprise at Si Yehan's looks. After working such long hours every day, her heart had naturally grown tired and numb. Besides, handsome men and beautiful women were the one thing the cruise ship never lacked.
The woman, whose demeanor was somewhat gentle, smiled at Si Yehan. "Sir, if you don't need anything, I'll be going."
Faced with prey that had come to him, Si Yehan naturally wouldn't be stingy with his blade. His tone was cold. "I'd like to ask you for something."
The woman looked puzzled at first, then her expression turned understanding. "What would you like? If you're looking for that kind of service, I can call someone on the ship who specializes in meeting those needs. There are both men and women."
Clearly, she had gotten the wrong idea.
A smile tugged at the corner of Si Yehan's mouth. "I don't need any of that."
He paused briefly, then raised his right hand and pressed down hard on the woman's head. Turning his hand over, he brought out a dagger.
He plunged it into her back and slashed sharply downward. The crisp sound of tearing skin echoed through the air.
Before the woman could scream, Si Yehan raised his knee and slammed it into her face. Her face caved in, and several teeth seeped from her mouth along with blood.
Si Yehan tore the skin on the woman's back completely open. Blood dripped in torrents as he threw her to the floor, then raised a foot and planted it on her head.
He then bent halfway down and carved marks into the woman's spine, soaking them through with blood.
The woman had already died from the pain, her face contorted in agony and caved in.
"This is what I wanted." Si Yehan used the dagger to cut a smile into the corners of the woman's mouth. After doing all this, he discarded the corpse like a worn-out shoe.
The corpse lay in a pool of blood outside the second-floor restaurant. Si Yehan's trench coat fluttered lightly, and his steps were as steady as ever.
He planned to return to the entertainment hall and take another look.
P.S. Recently, I've gone through all the book reviews, and it feels like there really are a lot of blind saints and feminist keyboard warriors. The latter's comments were deleted, though it's also possible the system blocked them; either way, they're no longer visible on their own profiles either. The former have grown considerably more numerous. As for those brainless saints, all I can say is that their whole families must have died suddenly.
I've also answered the question many people raised about why powers can't be used in the instances. If they could, the protagonist's room for growth would be greatly reduced and squeezed. But once the protagonist has grown stronger, I'll gradually allow some supernatural powers to be used in the instances where appropriate.
Some people have also said the instances are too easy and lack a sense of horror. That's mainly because the current instances are mostly survival missions: all you need to do is learn the killing rules, and you can get through safely. The protagonist is also the cold, bloodthirsty type, so it's hard for him to feel afraid in all kinds of situations. That makes it easy for the ghosts to seem less frightening.
I also have to admit that many people really don't read the synopsis or the author's notes.
The methods of killing will also gradually become more varied so they don't grow monotonous, and the gore will gradually increase. If you have any ideas, you can post them under this comment.
The bonus chapters for the reader rankings will also be delivered in the coming days. Readers who have reached this chapter can also leave some positive reviews and send some free gifts. If you have enough money, tips are welcome too.