Hell on Earth

Chapter 10: Hell on Earth

Everyone understood as soon as they heard. This definitely wasn't an ordinary murder case.

It was the work of an evil spirit.

Although the police in this blessed land had no experience dealing with such incidents, they didn't treat it as an ordinary case.

They sealed off every crime scene, strictly restricted information about the cases, spread false reports, and took all nearby residents away for isolation.

The area around Ping'an Hostel soon became a no-man's-land.

And at last, the bizarre deaths stopped.

The story should have ended there.

The Internet Celebrity Blogger disappeared without a trace.

He Qiong frowned and asked, "From what you're saying, anyone who knows this evil spirit exists is actually in more danger. Then why tell us?"

Qi Zhiyong reached into the Woven Bag and felt around for a while, but couldn't find anything. His expression turned awkward.

What concerned him even more was Fang Zhi.

This was clearly a living hell with no hope at all, where people could only wait to die!

Wu Xian had expected as much.

Wu Xian secretly looked around and saw everyone's expressions change at the same time.

Compared with the others, the information they offered was practically nonexistent. It seemed like they'd just wandered around, and Wu Xian guessed they'd been focused on finding statues of gods to improve their strength.

"I... I found some medicine and bandages. If anyone gets hurt, I can help dress their wounds."

Yue Mei already had a bandage wrapped around her arm. It seemed she'd paid quite a price to get those supplies.

It seemed he hadn't been the only one to hear that faint clapping last night. That meant they were all under threat from the evil spirit. If someone clapped without knowing what it meant, they would draw it over.

These were clearly details he and Wen Chao had uncovered together, but throughout Fang Zhi's account, he'd looked disdainful. If the person speaking hadn't been his teacher, he probably would have already mocked him.

They hadn't simply run out. They just didn't want to give anything to Wu Xian. Still, no one said so outright. Surviving in the blessed land came first, and none of them wanted to offend Qi Zhiyong.

He claimed not to mind, but he'd already thought of how to get back at Qi Zhiyong. If Qi Zhiyong treated him too well, he'd feel bad about taking him down!

Before, they'd been somewhat skeptical of what Qi Zhiyong had said. Now, they felt he was still holding something back.

Wu Xian had contributed a lot to the group, too. What weapon would Qi Zhiyong give him?

So Wu Xian folded his arms and pretended to be cold. "I, I went to investigate the dead person's room this morning. Ever since I came back, I've been feeling cold, so..."

Qi Zhiyong's attitude was obvious. Everyone could see it.

The video had circulated online for less than an hour.

Her face was pale, and she trembled slightly. Wen Chao's story had frightened her, and while exploring that day, she really had seen some inexplicable, eerie things.

Wen Chao finished speaking, took a sip of hot water, and waited for everyone's reaction.

But the video he'd recorded had somehow leaked. In it, a disheveled, crazed-looking woman dragged her arms at her sides and slowly walked toward the camera.

Wu Xian waved a hand generously.

"Don't just watch out for evil spirits, either. I almost got crushed to death by a refrigerator falling from the sky. I suspect someone among us is trying to kill me!"

Everyone else had made a contribution, while the three of them hadn't. He Qiong felt a little embarrassed.

She looked rather pitiful like that.

Still, despite how little information they'd provided, Qi Zhiyong had given them three nearly top-tier weapons: a bloodstained slingshot, a Butcher Knife, and a finely made short dagger.

What kind of blessed land was this?

At that, some people grew wary, while others thought he was only trying to save face.

Wen Chao and Fang Zhi's information was important, but those dangers were still far off. The evil spirits in the guest rooms, on the other hand, threatened everyone's lives every day!

Strictly speaking, Wu Xian's information was the most useful of the night. Everyone was waiting to see what kind of weapon Qi Zhiyong would give him.

"It's fine. I don't mind."

"I can't stand seeing things like this. I won't need this knife, so you can use it."

"But it's already too late."

He Qiong wasn't intimidated by him. He gave a cold snort and mocked, "Hah. What a great leader you are."

Everyone looked grave as they heard the information.

"On the third day of the chaos, the governments of various countries jointly announced how to avoid her."

Wu Xian quietly turned his head away, his cheeks growing slightly warm.

Wu Xian was stunned.

Next, He Qiong and the other two also shared what they'd found.

Qi Zhiyong picked up the thread.

"He really did take a big risk today."

Wen Chao smiled. "Go ahead, student."

Wen Chao nodded.

Wen Chao's information weighed heavily on everyone.

"I'm really sorry. I've handed out all the weapons. These things aren't much use anyway, so you'll have to make do for now. If I find anything good next time, you'll get first pick."

Yet thousands of people had watched it. That very night, hundreds of people had their eyes gouged out and died. After their deaths, people near their homes also began hearing faint clapping...

But before long, an Internet Celebrity Blogger somehow got wind of the news. In the middle of the night, he sneaked over the police cordon and entered the no-man's-land, hoping to expose the authorities' conspiracy and get traffic with an exclusive report.

Qi Zhiyong hadn't spent much longer than he had searching for supplies. Where had he found all these things that looked like murder weapons? Unless they'd been piled together in the first place!

"Exactly. This evil spirit's behavior is very simple. Within the range of her power, she appears when someone claps at midnight. Anyone who sees her face will have their eyes gouged out."

And so, a chain reaction of deaths began.

While everyone was silent, Wu Xian raised his hand. "Professor, I have a question."

What was wrong with this guy?

Things had already gotten this bad, and he still thought evil spirits were a hoax?

Wen Chao and Fang Zhi's information was useful. It had helped everyone avoid potential risks, so Qi Zhiyong gave each of them a crowbar. The tip of each was stained dark red with blood; they must have been murder weapons.

So he issued a solemn warning.

Then He Qiong handed Wu Xian the bloodstained Butcher Knife he'd been given.

He said that, then went upstairs with an arm around each of the Su Sisters, looking utterly carefree.

Social order collapsed completely. The outside world grew more and more dangerous, and the isolated residents eventually discovered that the area around Ping'an Hostel, the source of the disaster, was safer than the outside...

"Some of the people she killed became new evil spirits. Those new evil spirits created even more. In just over two months, there were almost no living people left in this world."

Qi Zhiyong told everyone in detail what Wu Xian had discovered in Room 405, emphasizing that Wu Xian had volunteered to investigate and hadn't been forced by him, so the others wouldn't lose heart.

Wen Chao shook his head. "Do you really think we can avoid her? Didn't you hear the clapping last night?"

She was full of nervousness and unease. She couldn't protect herself, and unlike the Su Sisters, she had no one to shield her. So she could only try to increase her value to the group.

Wu Xian picked up the Butcher Knife, feeling guilty about almost getting He Qiong killed earlier.

He Qiong really was a good guy!