The Next Game Is to Hunt You Down

There are plenty of madmen in this world.

Whether they are born evil or develop a broken personality later in life, there are many, many people who yearn to be as terrifying as a murderer in a horror movie.

However, they may still follow the rules of society during the day: studying at school, working at their workplace, socializing with people they have to interact with while wearing a smile, and then going home exhausted to end their day.

Only those who truly put their crazy ideas into practice will be considered crazy by the public.

Therefore, people's madness has different levels. Some people only bully the weak, while others treat everyone equally. Some people like to harm life, but they cherish their own lives. Others don't care about anything and are willing to gamble with their own lives.

The former would undoubtedly feel fear upon seeing the latter.

The Psychology Teacher, tied to a chair, was in this situation. Her hair had just been ripped from the ground, and the fibers at the cut ends, devoid of nutrients, frantically flailed in the air, trying to find a new source of nourishment, but after failing to find one, they quickly withered, rotted, and shrank together.

Then Yu Xing used it as a rope.

"Teacher, this time you can choose. Which tool would you like to use to begin our treatment?" Yu Xing easily shouldered the largest knife, asking the terrifying question with the kindest tone and smile.

The Psychology Teacher stared at him with a mixture of fear and anger, trying to untangle the lifeless braids. Yu Xing, however, didn't seem to need an answer like she did. Instead, she walked back to the wall and picked up a spiked club.

"I think this is pretty good. It can create a lot of holes all at once. Whether it's the bloodletting effect or dispelling the pollution of ghost energy, it should be considered a tool that solves the problem once and for all." He saw out of the corner of his eye that the Psychology Teacher untied her braid, moved on the ground a couple of times, and then quickly moved towards the door of the room, throwing the spiked club in his hand directly at her leg.

Not a single drop of blood seeped from the top of the skirt; instead, some indistinct fluid, of unknown color and type, flowed onto the ground as the writhing creatures beneath the long skirt writhed.

The Psychology Teacher was knocked to the ground by the spiked club, and her skirt was lifted up slightly, revealing what should have been her ankles. But what was under her skirt was not her ankles at all, but rather a series of dark, branch-like things, one end connected to the Psychology Teacher's body and the other end stuck to the ground.

As they moved, they seemed to have no interaction with the ground, moving very smoothly. Yu Xing wasn't surprised by this, as he had already guessed some of it. He stepped forward to help the Psychology Teacher up and said somewhat seriously, "Don't resist treatment, teacher."

"Roy... it was my fault, I wasted your study time... You're already a perfectly healthy student, you... go back now, the Physics Teacher is still here... waiting for you to come back to class." The Psychology Teacher, panting heavily, stammered as she tried to persuade Yu Xing; clearly, she was a little scared.

"No, there's a note on your door saying you can't leave until you're cured... Come on, if you don't want to sit in a chair, we can rest on the single bed." Yu Xing forcefully put her arm around the Psychology Teacher's shoulder, practically pushing Psychology Teacher onto the blood-stained white bed.

The Psychology Teacher shook her head frantically. "No, I shouldn't be up there, I can't lie down..."

Yu Xing glanced at the branches connecting to the ground and said in a nonchalant tone, "Is it because you're stuck in these branches? They're really nasty. So even the Psychology Teacher has been haunted by ghosts. Since this is treatment, of course we should cure you. Here's what we'll do: I'll cut them off now, and then you won't be unable to get a bed."

These words really hit the Psychology Teacher's sore spot. She screamed, not caring about her image at all, and scrambled to break free from Yu Xing.

But Yu Xing kept his word. The branches, which had already been broken by the spiked club, were attacked again, resulting in even more breakage.

"It really won't work, I'll die." The Psychology Teacher pleaded with him, completely oblivious to how things had turned out this way in such a short time. She was supposed to be smiling as she demonstrated the most terrifying and painful treatment methods to her students, but instead, she became the one being treated, even having her fibers pulled out and most of her branches cut off.

"This is for your own good. I followed the procedure you shared with me. How could I die from this treatment?" Yu Xing asked, puzzled, his hands moving without stopping. Soon he had broken the weak branches until only one was left, teetering on the brink of collapse.

The broken branch seemed to come alive, shrinking back towards the bottom of the floor—or rather, merging into it—leaving no trace behind.

The Psychology Teacher was placed on a single bed by Yu Xing. The branch was stubbornly taut, and the broken end was getting bigger and bigger. It seemed that as long as the Psychology Teacher didn't cooperate or moved around, the branch would break off directly.

She trembled, no longer caring about the effects of the spiked club hitting her. Her eyes were bloodshot as she stared intently at the branch connecting her flesh to her inside her skirt. Compared to Yu Xing, who was about to inflict more holes on her, she was as innocent and kind as cannon fodder in a horror movie, the first to be captured by the bad guys.

"Would the teacher like to wear a red armband?" Yu Xing asked.

"No!" The Psychology Teacher replied without hesitation, but noticed that Yu Xing frowned, looking quite unhappy.

"Isn't the red armband a very high honor? Why don't you want it, teacher, but instead ask your previous students to do it?" He stared at the Psychology Teacher's face, his narrow phoenix eyes seemingly born for a villain.

His voice lowered, almost seductive. "I'll ask you one more time, teacher, would you like to wear a red armband?"

What else can I do? If saying I don't want to is the result, then I have no choice but to say I do want to.

The Psychology Teacher's voice was so soft it was barely a whisper, "Yes."

"Great! If you want to continue the treatment, let's continue!" Yu Xing cheered up again, as if he had received tremendous approval. He brandished the spiked club with great force. "Let's smash your waist first. The branches are connected here, right?"

"No!" the Psychology Teacher protested. Yu Xing flicked her wrist, and with a little force, swung the spiked club in a circle before slamming it heavily into the Psychology Teacher's abdomen, which was half-lying on the bed.

The last branch broke off.

It quickly dissolved into the ground, and judging from the empty skirt, the branches inside the Psychology Teacher's body also died instantly at that moment.

"I..." Her eyes widened, the life in her gaze gradually becoming dull. The words she wanted to say were on the tip of her tongue, but the consequences of losing nourishment were too severe. Yu Xing observed her shrinking and drying out. In less than 30 seconds, the gentle and kind Psychology Teacher she had just met turned into a pile of bark-like material. Her clothes fluttered off and pieced together a human figure on the single bed.

"So he died just like that?" Yu Xing with some regret; he hadn't had enough fun yet.

He tossed the spiked club aside, touched the tree bark, feeling a deep sense of familiarity. His smile widened as his guess was confirmed.

The Psychology Teacher's lower body was actually connected to a small branch of a large tree, and the name of this tree could undoubtedly resolve all of Yu Xing's doubts so far: Why did the dormitory supervisor seem to favor him? Why could he hear sounds coming from the supposedly enclosed space of the girls' restroom? Why were there some people in the school who rarely moved around?

Because this is Ghost Tree.

His power and that of Ghost Tree are of the same origin. Therefore, these things controlled and nourished by Ghost Tree can confuse his existence and reveal some information to him directly or indirectly.

However, this tree is not in the school instance, but rather...

Yu Xing walked to the window of the school clinic and looked out at the ground. From this angle, he could see some other buildings on campus, such as the cafeteria, the museum, the dormitory, and even the distant, continuous mountain range behind the school.

The Ghost Tree is a very dark thing, unable to bear the light. When it was under the cemetery, it took root very, very deep in the earth, like an evil creature drawing nourishment from the abyss. When the living walk on the ground it occupies, they will never know that tens or hundreds of meters beneath their feet, or even deeper, there is such a menacing yet awe-inspiring "ancient tree".

Where will the Ghost Tree of this world be this time?

Let's keep it underground.

Not the underground of this school, but the underground of Dead Silent Island, which spreads like blood vessels beneath the entire island.

The previous one was buried deep in the mountain, this one is hidden in the sea.

The entire island's underground is made up of the tree's branches. Compared to the Ghost Tree of the Dead Silent Island, the Ghost Tree of the Dead Island is definitely much larger, and the curse and eerie power it naturally exudes are also stronger.

With the help of this power, the dilapidated buildings on the island began to be bound by certain rules, forming one terrifying and bizarre scenario after another. The ghosts that roamed the island were also transformed by the power of the Ghost Tree.

The curse within Yu Xing's body was still churning, but it quickly subsided. When facing school staff such as the Psychology Teacher, homeroom teacher, Physics Teacher, or dormitory supervisor, he did not feel the weakness he felt when facing ghosts.

But he had already concluded that his body would be stripped of its life force when facing ghosts, until he died and was resurrected; otherwise, he would only become weaker and weaker... and the amount of curse power he could use would also increase.

This shows that these school staff members were not considered ghosts to him.

He has found the pattern.

Those controlled by the Ghost Tree are called NPCs, or Plague Bodies, while those that wander outside and are turned into monsters simply by being influenced by the aura are called Pollution Bodies. Therefore, the two often have a relationship of guarding and attacking.

For this reason, although they are the same kind of ghost, he has a certain immunity to the plague body because he shares the same origin as the Ghost Tree and will not be affected. However, he will suffer negative effects from the contaminated body, just like ordinary ghosts.

Before this event began, the reason why the Time Imprint, which suddenly sent him the message, chose to send him to Dead Silent Island also came to light. Both he and Yu Fengchen had an inseparable relationship with Ghost Tree. It was very likely that the message was not sent by Yu Fengchen's team from some future timeline, but by the Witch alone.

In other words, although we don't know the Witch's motives, he and Yu Fengchen, along with their respective teams, were probably tricked by the Witch.

The Witch's scheme dates back to the time of Alice's Park. No wonder, since the paradise should have been under Alice's control, there was a unique and equally intelligent being present. He suspected back then that the Witch was from another system, but why was the Witch in Alice's Park in the first place?

What gave her the right to stay in Alice's Park, what methods did she use, and why did she choose to stay there briefly?

The answer is obvious: it's precisely to make contact with him.

Looking at the scene at the school, Yu Xing suddenly sneered, the madness in his eyes growing even stronger. That's right, the Witch controls the power of time, and his intersection with Yu Fengchen is also due to their different timelines.

If anyone could orchestrate a conspiracy by exploiting discrepancies in timelines, that person could only be Witch.

Pretending it was their first meeting, she acted obediently as if she had no feelings for him, pretended to give him a parting gift, and openly placed the Time Imprint next to him. She also deliberately used Yu Fengchen's black cat to make him believe that the Witch and Yu Fengchen were on the same side.

This is a scheme that has been in the works for who knows how long.

How interesting, Witch!

Now that all the pieces have gathered on Dead Silent Island, surely the person who orchestrated this setup wouldn't be absent either, right?

He turned around and leaned against the window frame.

Three words swirled in my mind: Ghost Tree, his power, Yu Fengchen's power.

Yu Fengchen has a doll-like quality about him. Perhaps his relationship with Ghost Tree is more direct, such as material, soul, and vessel.

So...

"And me?" Yu Xing finally murmured. He raised his hands, which were still stained with his own blood, the crimson and pale colors blending together.

His power came from the Lingren.

It all stemmed from that black sphere of light in the laboratory, a curse that the Lingren injected into his body. This curse shared the same origin as the Ghost Tree, so were the Lingren and the Witch... also connected?

It's either cooperation or mutual exploitation.

Is there even the slightest possibility that everything the Lingren did to him was due to the deliberate guidance of Witch on some timeline...? Can the Witch's control over time really extend back to such a distant past?

No, thinking about these things now is useless; the important thing is the goal.

Why did he have to come to Dead Silent Island? What consequences will his presence have for Ghost Tree and the Witch?

"The Yugi has changed." Yu Xing revealed a crazed smile.

"The next Yugi is to catch you."