Bad Luck Exploded

The cat, though small, had bright and lively eyes. It seemed a bit haughty, not even very affectionate with its owner.

Yu Xing narrowed his eyes, feeling an uncomfortable aura emanating from the black cat. It seemed to stir something within him, making him reluctant to get close.

He wasn't sure what kind of witch this was, appearing in a deduction game that was clearly a fragmented world, and even using the term "part-time job."

Strange.

"How do we play the game?" Wang Jue asked.

"It's very simple." The witch's stunning face remained impassive as she slowly recited the rules. "Each of you will enter the inner room and answer three questions for me. If you lie or can't remember your answers, you will be plagued by Bad Luck throughout this game. The more questions you get wrong, the stronger the Bad Luck will be."

Hearing this, Yu Xing felt a sense of unease.

He... might not have a good memory. There were many things he couldn't recall.

This game was targeting him! It must be jealousy, it had to be!

"What happens if I can't remember all three questions?"

Yu Xing shoved his hands into his pockets. Although he wasn't confident, he maintained his inscrutable demeanor on the surface.

"Nothing will happen, you'll just be shrouded in Bad Luck," the witch said, facing him. She slowly curved her cherry-red lips. "After you leave, you might get hit by a falling Alice's Park sign, or a gear from the dome might fall and hit you on the head."

Yu Xing smiled. "Sounds wonderful."

"You flatter me," the witch nodded elegantly, accepting the compliment with composure. She then continued addressing the three of them. "After you've answered the questions, regardless of the outcome, I will give you clues. If I like your answers, I will give you a small gift."

She tapped her slender finger in Wang Jue's direction. "You go first. The other two will wait in the hall."

Wang Jue nervously followed the woman, whose every movement seemed devoid of emotion, into the inner room.

The inner room was pitch black, so dark he couldn't see his hand in front of his face. The only thing he could see was the faint luminescence emanating from the witch. Wang Jue stayed close to her, afraid something might leap out from the darkness to attack him.

The witch walked a few steps and stopped. By the light of her glow, Wang Jue could barely make out the outline of an object.

"Now, begin answering. You will be responsible for your answers." The witch didn't give Wang Jue a chance to examine the object, staring directly into his eyes as her voice became more ethereal.

Wang Jue faltered for a moment. He looked at the woman in the black robe, who still glowed, and for an instant, he thought he was seeing a deity he had imagined since childhood.

Of course, he didn't believe in gods anymore, but he was still awed by the otherworldly aura she exuded.

Nervously, his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed.

"First question." The witch paid no mind to his state. "Do you remember the sensation on your neck when your mother was maliciously cursed at fourteen, lost her mind, and nearly strangled you?"

"...I remember." Wang Jue's eye twitched, his deep mixed-race face contorting.

As he answered, a pressure intensified around his neck, as if unseen hands were gripping him tightly. A scene flashed before his eyes: his mother's usually gentle gaze turned hysterical, her eyes, which had never shown him such malice before, piercing his heart like a blade.

"Second question. Do you remember your feelings at fifteen, when you devised a plan to enrage the murderer who cursed your mother, killed him, and then used your age and lies to escape punishment?"

"..." A sinister glint appeared in Wang Jue's eyes.

The hall.

Yu Xing was comfortably curled up on the sofa, playing with a silver cross he had taken from the display stand.

His pupils were slightly unfocused, clearly lost in thought. It took him a while to realize, after fiddling with the silver cross, that it was an inverted cross, a symbol of the devil.

"Devil..." he murmured, continuing to stare blankly.

Zhao Yijiu wandered around the room, his gaze occasionally drifting to the photos clipped to a white string.

He blinked and turned to look at Yu Xing, who was unusually quiet. Noticing Yu Xing's different state, he hesitated, then stopped, trying to find the right words, but forgot what he wanted to say.

Strange.

Why was Yu Xing reacting so strongly to this place?

He felt it was fine.

Suppressing his confusion, Zhao Yijiu scanned the surroundings with a detached expression, noticing the complete lack of signage.

He hadn't seen any signs for the amusement park outside and thought he might find one inside.

But...

This place felt truly out of place with Alice's Park. The atmosphere and the sensory stimulation were like a wolf mixed in with a pack of huskies.

When the huskies were about to wreck the house, the wolf would watch them coolly, yawn, and reveal its sharp fangs.

This way of putting things was thanks to Zhao Mou... When they were kids, Zhao Mou was his only source of joy.

Just as he was thinking this, Wang Jue opened the door and came out.

His expression was the same as when he went in. He smiled at Zhao Yijiu. "The witch said you're next. Go on in."

Zhao Yijiu nodded politely. He glanced at Yu Xing, who had become bored and was now examining the patterns on the cross, then withdrew his gaze and walked towards the inner room.

The inner room was a blur of white.

The witch, clad in a black robe, stood in the center, with a mass of black mist before her.

The sudden brightness made Zhao Yijiu raise his hand to shield his eyes uncomfortably.

Unseen by him, the witch also briefly surveyed the inner room before stopping.

"Come here." The witch spoke.

Zhao Yijiu's face was tense as he approached, looking at her as if she were a boss preparing to spawn. "Can we start?"

Seeing he wasn't interested in chatting, the witch, who hadn't intended to, nodded slightly and said crisply, "First question."

"Do you remember how you felt when your brother took you to your uncle's house, where he studied medicine, to experience dissecting a corpse at the age of eight?"

"I remember," Zhao Yijiu nodded faintly.

"Second question, have you ever killed anyone?"

Zhao Yijiu's tone was flat. "No."

"Third question, have you ever thought that the impulse to kill might eventually fail, and what would you become then?"

Zhao Yijiu glanced at the witch. "I have."

The witch's lips curved. "Very decisive answers. I can feel an extreme restraint in you."

"How do you know so much?" This time, Zhao Yijiu didn't leave immediately. Instead, he stared at the witch's face, exuding a chilling aura, like a shadow hidden in a damp alleyway, waiting to drag passersby into a nightmare they could never wake from.

The gloom in his eyes was inescapable.

His gaze had always been like this, whether he was surprised, angry, happy, or confused.

"This is the Time Cabin. I can see fragments of your past." The witch answered Zhao Yijiu's question, ignoring the hidden aura he projected. "There's one more person who hasn't come in. Help me call him."

Yu Xing swung the cross, its central ruby clear and bright like a drop of blood.

Suddenly, a tall figure appeared before him, blocking half of his light.

Yu Xing looked up, only to hear Zhao Yijiu's concise words: "Go inside."

"Oh." Yu Xing put down the inverted cross without hesitation, patted his wrinkled clothes, and brushed past Zhao Yijiu.

Zhao Yijiu's gaze lingered on the inverted cross for a moment before he reached out and picked it up.

Did this thing have any special meaning? A demon?

Why was Yu Xing interested in it?

He looked back. Yu Xing had already opened the inner door, which always closed automatically, and walked in.

Inner Room.

After the third visitor entered, the scenery changed again. It was no longer pure black or white, but a space decorated with ancient charm.

Brown wooden partitions carved with cloud patterns divided the small room exquisitely and naturally. Ink paintings of landscapes hung on the white walls, their brushstrokes by an unknown hand.

A carved screen, teacups, and an incense burner.

On the other side of the room, the wall was lined with framed oil paintings. The frames looked very expensive. These paintings were not hung anywhere but were stacked in a staggered arrangement.

Next to the paintings were stone carvings of various sizes, their faces lifelike, showing the sculptor's strong skill.

Looking at it this way, the room was not just rich in ancient charm, but a blend of East and West.

Two chairs appeared in the middle of the room. The witch's expression shifted slightly as she lifted the hem of her robe and sat on one of them. A black cat on her shoulder meowed, leaped to the ground, and darted to the other chair.

And so, this was the scene Yu Xing saw.

In the exquisitely decorated, and somewhat familiar room, the witch sat upright, with a semi-transparent object floating before her.

His eyesight was good, and he immediately saw that the object contained a swirling mass of black and white mist at its center, surrounded by several star orbits. Round beads, some crystal clear, some dim and heavy, some dazzlingly bright, rotated along their respective orbits.

He walked over leisurely and found that the little black cat was sitting in his original spot.

"This cat is quite rude." Yu Xing raised an eyebrow and gently extended both hands in a cradling gesture to pick up the cat. The cat didn't seem annoyed, just opened its golden eyes and watched him quietly.

Man and cat stared at each other for a long time. The witch didn't stop them, instead watching with amusement.

"Meow!" After a while, Yu Xing's expression remained unchanged. The little black cat, probably bored, flapped its paws a few times and twitched its ears.

"Its name is Bad Luck," the witch said, uncharacteristically initiating conversation. "It likes you."

Bad Luck meowed and flapped again, but still couldn't break free from Yu Xing's hands.

"Oh?" Yu Xing's magnetic voice drew out the vowel, forming a question with an unknown meaning.

The next moment, Yu Xing's gentle expression slowly changed, a sinister aura spreading from him. He looked at Bad Luck with growing amusement, scaring the cat, which immediately bristled.

"Meeeow--" As Bad Luck cried out, Yu Xing released his hands. The cat leaped onto the witch's lap, curling into a small ball.

Yu Xing's expression returned to normal, pleased with his acting and its effect. "So it doesn't like me anymore, right? Little cat, remember not to sit in my spot next time."

Bad Luck was furious.