Nightmare (20) - Scale Wounds

The sharp pain in his leg hindered Zhao Yijiu's movements, and his face was somber, his gloom even more pronounced than usual.

Zhou Xue followed him cautiously. Since she needed the groom's protection, she remained very quiet and dared not provoke him at all.

But this didn't stop her from observing the ghost groom's condition.

When she opened her eyes today, she was still lying on the red bed. This time, taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, she ran straight out the front door, just in case that madman was waiting outside the window for her to walk right into his trap.

She hadn't gone far when the ghost groom in red found her. She didn't know why the ghost groom always found her faster than the madman; perhaps the madman's ability to sense her wasn't as good as the ghost groom's.

But when the ghost groom walked in, Zhou Xue was startled.

The reason is simple: this icy guy looked so pitiful.

I dreamt of him yesterday, and he was perfectly fine. But today, his red clothes were soaked with blood, leaving dark and light stains on the already vibrant fabric.

A bandage stained with red was wrapped around his left leg, and part of the sleeve on his arm was torn, revealing several scratches of varying lengths.

Even more noticeable was the ghost groom's face. Although it remained gloomy and looked menacing, the skin at the corner of his mouth had been slashed by a sharp object, leaving a long, somewhat grotesque mark, as if a "smiling lip" had been manually added to this otherwise unsmiling face.

There were tiny cuts on his forehead and around his eyes.

The most terrifying thing is... the eyeball in the ghost groom's right eye has disappeared.

Only a bloody hole remained, exposed and terrifying.

When Zhou Xue saw it clearly, she almost screamed in fright, thinking that the ghost groom had turned into a vengeful ghost and joined the ranks of those who wanted to kill her.

Fortunately, despite her miserable appearance, the older brother remained rational. Upon seeing her, he nodded and said in an unusually calm tone, "Go hide in the second courtyard."

They were now cautiously making their way to the second courtyard, because, according to the ghost groom, the madman had disappeared again ten minutes earlier, and no one knew where he had gone.

The second courtyard is very spacious, with three entrances and exits, so no matter which way the madmen come from, they have enough options to escape.

Zhou Xue can only rely on a rich man... no, she can only cling to a powerful figure, even though this powerful figure himself seems completely powerless against the madwoman.

Zhao Yijiu herself was also very nervous.

Looking back on his life as a predictor, this was the first time he had encountered a boss of this caliber. Even though it was a physical ghost and had never used any supernatural abilities, it had completely overwhelmed him with its physical strength and skills alone.

Other theories suggest that the terror of ghosts stems from their endless stream of supernatural methods, which frighten and terrify, placing immense pressure on the minds of those involved.

... This Master did put a lot of pressure on him.

The pressure is purely based on the difference in strength.

Thinking of this, Zhao Yijiu's mood worsened. The constant pain all over his body kept him in a tense state, and fatigue kept creeping up on him.

Just a few hours ago, he thought that avoiding the madman would be enough, and he even had the leisure to look for clues. But now, he just hopes to avoid running into the madman as much as possible, because... he can no longer guarantee that he can protect Zhou Xue from the madman.

When Zhou Xue was away, only he and the madman were conscious beings in the Fang Mansion. During this time, for some reason, after Zhou Xue left, the other party chased after him even more vigorously, with both speed and strength far exceeding Zhao Yijiu's expectations.

Compared to ghosts, madmen are more like humans. They are killers who, due to their extreme abnormality and power, possess a human body but are endowed with the same terrifying oppressive force as ghosts, or even demonized.

Examples include "Death Doctor," "Chessboard Killer," "Cannibal," and "Rostow Butcher."

For example, Jason from horror movies.

These people, though human, often cross the line of human decency and do things more terrifying than the devil. Some of them are even different from humans in terms of physical abilities.

The madman in the Fang Mansion is the same. He clearly looks like a human, and all he uses to attack is a sharp knife. All his methods are physical attacks, but Zhao Yijiu, who is extremely skilled, was actually beaten badly in a direct confrontation.

... About two hours ago. Fastest updates on mobile::

Zhao Yijiu got tired of running and hiding all the time, and finally decided to rest for a while under the bed in a certain room. So, after getting rid of a madman once, she took advantage of the other party not being in the dark and ran under the bed in the master bedroom.

After resting for five minutes, Zhao Yijiu still didn't hear any noise from the madman. She lay on the ground looking outside, but didn't see that the room door had been opened.

This means the madman hasn't found this place yet, but based on Zhao Yijiu's familiarity with hiding, the other party will arrive soon.

Just as he had system prompts to help him quickly pinpoint Zhou Xue's location, this "Master" also seemed to have a method to accurately locate him, only this method seemed to have a significant delay.

In any case, he has to leave this place and find a safer place.

Zhao Yijiu sighed and climbed out decisively. However, before he could even get up, he heard a faint breathing sound behind him that didn't belong to him.

His pupils contracted, and he thrust the short knife in his hand backward at a sharp angle, only to miss. The next instant, his hair was grabbed, a soft laugh rang out, followed by a sharp pain in his calf.

The dagger pierced through one side, went through the bone, and then passed through the other side.

It's that madman!

Zhao Yijiu's lower eyelid twitched, seemingly unaffected by his own injuries. He simply turned around and faced the madman's masked face up close.

Upon closer inspection, she doesn't actually look like Yu Xing.

His legs were pinned to the ground and he couldn't move, but he realized that the madman had no usable weapons at the moment, so he took this opportunity to launch a very fierce counterattack.

The madman dodged them all, then pulled out a sharp knife and stabbed it towards Zhao Yijiu's forehead.

Zhao Yijiu blocked the attack, astonished by the opponent's strength. Compared to the madman, he was like a rabbit compared to a lion—there was no comparison.

This "Master" character is surprisingly skilled. Close-quarters combat should be Zhao Yijiu's forte, but she always seems unable to exert her full strength.

His body was quickly covered with wounds of all sizes.

Finally, the madman pinned him to the ground, his face up. The madman straddled him, suppressing his struggles, the tip of his knife pointed at his pursed lips.

The madman spoke, his tone filled with amusement. "Quite interesting, still so calm under these circumstances..."

"But I don't like your lifeless face. How about I change your expression?"

The sharpest part of the knife pierced Zhao Yijiu's lip, and as it was reflected in his constricted pupils, it was slowly pulled outwards.