The Last Half Hour

Qu Xuanqing remained unmoved by the Pearl Seller's seemingly profound question.

Even though there's no live stream perspective on the two of them right now, she originally had a follow-up perspective that came with the Dusk Mode, but that perspective was switched when she finished her task.

The current perspective is on Zhao Yijiu. Yu Xing obtained this information from Zhao Mou, which is why he decided to send Qu Xuanqing to destroy the Rotten Heart.

However, she still had no interest in gossiping about Yu Xing's strength behind his back. There was no doubt that Yu Xing was at the Struggle Level. It was just that Yu Xing had too many secrets, and he might have unexpected abilities that would make people mistakenly believe that his strength level was very high.

She only reminded the Pearl Seller: "Don't say anything unnecessary, just tell me, what happened next?"

"Later? Later he threatened me, saying that if I didn't want to die, I should stay obediently among these flowers and not be discovered by Han Yan. He wanted me to be his eyes here, to tell him whether anyone had noticed these flowers beforehand."

The Pearl Seller was actually a very elegant person, but at this moment she couldn't help but roll her eyes. "He said that as long as I obey, my life force won't continue to decline, and he'll return my life to me once he's finished what he needs to do. But if I show any signs of disloyalty or betrayal, I'll die immediately. But..."

"He hasn't come back even once since he dumped me here, it's like he's forgotten about me! Don't you think that even if he's just leaving me here to look after these flowers, he should at least come back and check on things?"

Pearl Seller is really tough. Since that lunatic brought her here, she hasn't seen a single person. At most, she's peeked through the gaps in the flowers at the third and fourth-floor corridors. She's getting so bored.

Fortunately, Qu Xuanqing has arrived, giving her an outlet for her frustrations.

In the Dusk Mode, she was with Han Yan at the beginning, so she already knew everything that happened after her death in the Night Mode from Han Yan.

Since Qu Xuanqing and Yu Xing have a close relationship, as long as Yu Xing makes a promise to her, Qu Xuanqing won't do anything to her. This is why she still dares to complain and has the confidence to do so.

"..." Qu Xuanqing pondered to herself. Yu Xing had indeed forgotten about the Pearl Seller here. Although she was wandering around the perimeter of the group, she hadn't missed any of the things she needed to find out. She just hadn't revealed her presence. While the others were unaware, she had probably already circled around them several times.

Except for just now, she was on the second floor, so Ren Yi used the sacrificial ability to contact her.

But one thing bothered her: why would Yu Xing, in her frenzied state, allow the Pearl Seller to "guard" the withered flowers here?

Could it be that Yu Xing had already guessed the abnormality of the flowers at that time, and foreseen the crucial significance of these withered large flowers?

How strange... What on earth is Yu Xing thinking now that he's gone mad? He's even harder to fathom than usual.

However, since things have come to this point, it's clear that Yu Xing forgot about the Pearl Seller among the flowers by mistake. Whatever his purpose was, Yu Xing has now forgotten it.

The Pearl Seller also lingered here for a long time. She was relatively honest and didn't make any extra moves. She even had the idea of killing Han Yan. Overall, in this simulation of the Fear Hospital, she could barely gain the trust of the people she had temporarily allied with.

As for why the Pearl Seller behaved slightly differently from those on the Fallen Path, that was not something Qu Xuanqing was concerned with at the moment.

Other people's private affairs are none of her business as long as they don't affect their plans. If they do get involved later, then we'll deal with that.

The two women were now hidden among the flowers on the second-floor rooftop, but since there were now two of them instead of one, and the Pearl Seller had stood up, they were actually quite easy to spot.

Qu Xuanqing wasted no more time. After confirming that the Pearl Seller posed no threat to her, she whispered, "I'll destroy this flower later. Once I succeed, you immediately follow behind me and don't fall behind."

The Pearl Seller nodded. In truth, she felt she couldn't run anymore. She should be lying in a hospital bed like a seriously ill patient, instead of running around outside with this lifeless body.

"What a pity," the Pearl Seller thought to himself, "No matter how much I resist fate, I will eventually have to bow down."

Here, as soon as the decisive Qu Xuanqing finished speaking, she drew the longsword that countless people mistakenly believed to be the embodiment of the Wicked Grace. The blood-red color burned like fire, and the runes on the sword were thick and surging, forming an unusual contrast with the large fiery red flower.

At this moment, the flowers seemed to realize the danger. The mutated flowers that had been lying still suddenly began to writhe wildly. Tentacles Qu Xuanqing's direction, and withered petals covered with sharp teeth began to bite. The flowers dripping with blood quickly congealed into puddles of blood, transforming the second-floor rooftop into a scene resembling hell.

The Pearl Seller's face paled even more. She hadn't realized that she had been sitting there for so long, just with such terrifying monsters.

The most significant change was in the flower at the very center. It was enormous, and the veins on its stem throbbed faster, accompanied by a breathing-like motion. Qu Xuanqing and the Pearl Seller could hear the sound of their own hearts pounding.

Thump, thump, thump.

The sound was heavy and slow, like a heart that had stopped beating, emitting a desperate and unwilling cry as its organs were about to fail.

As a result, Qu Xuanqing was also affected by the heartbeat. With his sword hanging below the large flower, he was momentarily reluctant to cut it down. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the surrounding flowers began to converge towards the center, and it seemed that Qu Xuanqing would be devoured by these flowers in a little while.

Her gaze gradually turned cold as she resisted the allure of her Rotten Heart: "As expected of the central hub of the entire hospital, the vessel of evil, even plants resist so stubbornly."

Puff.

Blood splattered.

The blood runes on the longsword lit up for a moment, and an ancient and harmonious aura emanated from Qu Xuanqing, helping her break free from the shackles of the Rotten Heart.

The sharp blade pierced straight into the base of the giant flower, and the blood gushed out from the center of this flower, which should have been completely rotten and withered.

The sound of their hearts pounding suddenly intensified. The Pearl Seller clutched his chest and gasped, "Oh no! Our hearts seem to be beating in sync with this flower. If this continues, our blood will rush to our heads..."

This is an extremely difficult curse to defend against, as wicked as a ghost in a mirror. Some ghosts in a mirror mimic human appearances, and when a ghost in a mirror tears open its own eye socket, the person outside the mirror will also suffer the same harm.

It is extremely difficult to grasp and find when a living person establishes a connection with such a ghost. Basically, once that point is reached, the living person is no different from the dead and can only let the ghost take what it wants.

That's the situation now. In just a few heartbeats, their heart rate has been assimilated with that of the flowers. If the Rotten Heart were to explode due to Qu Xuanqing's attack, their hearts might also shatter into pieces.

The Pearl Seller was in great pain. Her life force had already been greatly drained, and now her heart rate was so fast that she felt like she was about to faint. Her mind was dizzy, and she could hardly see the scene in front of her.

Just as she was about to collapse weakly, a clear, cold female voice, tinged with a hint of mockery, jolted her awake. "Someone who can infiltrate Single Prism as an informant can't be this bad. Now, show me your value, or I won't hesitate to make you, someone who's unwilling to act even in a crisis, truly lose the ability to act."

"..." The Pearl Seller suddenly came to her senses, a hint of shock flashing in her eyes, wondering when she had revealed her secret to Qu Xuanqing.

Qu Xuanqing made no attempt to explain. The longsword remained embedded in its hilt, and without further movement, a hint of ferocity flickered in her cool, aloof eyes. "Tell me, do you have any way to break the synchronization?"

The Pearl Seller's legs trembled. "N-no, I don't have any."

"Then what value do you have?"

Qu Xuanqing's voice was so cold that it instilled fear in those around her without her even realizing it. The bead Pearl Seller lowered his eyes, and only when his hand had already wrapped around Qu Xuanqing's ankle did he sigh, "Since you've already discovered it, I can help you deal with the other interference. However, you should understand that since I was sent into Single Prism by someone else, it means that you and I have a common enemy. We can cooperate in good faith, but you... must never tell anyone about this."

"Are you trying to negotiate with me?" Qu Xuanqing ignored the vines that were wrapping around her legs tighter and tighter, and that were covered in barbs, since her body couldn't feel any pain anyway.

"It's a condition, and a warning. Although I'm weaker than you, the person behind me, if they find out you ruined their plans... you'll die too, really." Fearing Qu Xuanqing's fiery temper might lead her to cripple him right there, the Pearl Seller added, desperate to survive, "It's not a threat, it's real!"

"... Then, as you said, eliminate the other threats." Qu Xuanqing was merely testing the Pearl Seller's true strength, and besides, she didn't want to help someone who was hiding too many things for nothing. Since the Pearl Seller was willing to take action, she could cooperate with him.

Of course, she has a way to end the curse of synchronized heartbeats. For ordinary people, this kind of curse is a rogue curse, unreasonable and helpless, but for strategists, many top-notch abilities can avoid it.

Blood spread to the feet of the two, and the nearest tooth-like "man-eating flower" was right in front of them. Suddenly, a thin, illusory wheel appeared two decimeters away from Qu Xuanqing's chest.

The illusory wheel was entirely black, like a dynamic picture imprinted in the air. The illusory wheel was small, but as it spun, various mystical symbols faintly appeared, including easily recognizable symbols such as the sun, moon, stars, eyes, and swords, as well as more abstract things such as twisted snakes and several indistinct combined lines.

The symbols seemed to exist in a more three-dimensional space, only occasionally flashing in the empty space at the very center of the roulette wheel. After Qu Xuanqing paid a certain price to control the roulette wheel, the empty space eventually drifted and fixed on a shield-shaped symbol.

A symbol of protection, meant to ward off malice; that is the purpose of this shield-shaped symbol.

Qu Xuanqing looked somewhat dejected. It was clear that the price of using this sacrifice was greater than that of the Wicked Grace. She rarely used it because, with her strength that was halfway to the Despair level, this [Wheel of Fate] was still too high-level for her.

Fate's gifts always come with a price tag; everything you receive will be paid for in full someday in the future.

But it's very versatile.

Qu Xuanqing's main offerings are all of the type that attack or assist her in attacking. She inevitably has shortcomings in other aspects. The [Wheel of Fate] largely makes up for this deficiency. As long as she is willing to use it, she will always get the help she wants.

The synchronized heartbeats were severed the moment the shield appeared. Sensing the loss of connection, the large flower's veins bulged, it trembled, and frantically called upon the other flowers to help it block the threat.

The Pearl Seller felt a moment of joy upon sensing the slowing of his heartbeat, and immediately placed his slender fingers below his eyes without hesitation.

In an instant, her index fingernail grew longer and turned into a sharp, black weapon. She looked around, her eyes taking in the hellish floral scene, and then, without hesitation, plunged her fingernail into her eye socket.

Qu Xuanqing looked at her with some surprise.

The Pearl Seller skillfully twisted her fingers, and even though her face twitched in pain, she showed no other emotion. With a flick of her fingernail, she gouged out a whole eyeball.

She murmured, "I used what I saw as a bargaining chip, selling it in exchange for the disintegration of the inanimate objects I saw."

As soon as she finished speaking, a gust of cold wind blew by, and the eyeball in her hand suddenly turned into a glass bead with an unusual luster, which rolled to the ground.

The flowers that had begun attacking the two instantly shattered into withered fragments. Vines, teeth, and blood all vanished, as if an illusion had dissipated. Only a lone red flower remained on the platform, along with ashes scattered everywhere.

Qu Xuanqing leaped up nimbly, plunging the entire blade into the bulge at the heart of the giant flower. More blood spurted out, and the petals of the giant flower stretched out like octopus tentacles, dancing wildly in the air for a while before being completely destroyed by the ferocity of the sword.

The flower drooped limply, its petals instinctively withering and shrinking until they were all huddled together. From this perspective, the original flower no longer resembled a flower; it looked exactly like a deformed heart the size of a person.

Now, the heart has stopped beating.

[The truth about the Fear Hospital has been fully revealed, and this scene will no longer be eligible to be a regular live broadcast.]

[The rules have been broken, chaos has ensued, this scene will be permanently closed in half an hour, and the guests will be escorted out in half an hour.]

[Some rules were not subjectively designated by the dean, but they still apply. We hope all guests will continue to follow them to avoid death.]

[Note: The Dean has lifted all restrictions! He will begin hunting guests across the entire map! Stay hidden!]