The Survivors

The Survivors

"Friend in the room, could you open the door?"

"I'm in the same situation as you. It's daylight now, and those things are gone. It's safe outside."

The knocking was clear and crisp, made with someone's fingers. The voice was earnest and strong. And it was daytime...

Wu Xian judged there was a ninety percent chance the visitor was a Living Person, but he still needed to stay alert.

So, with a toothbrush in his mouth and his middle finger raised, ready to cast the True Fire Incantation at any moment, he slowly opened the door.

The man outside had a buzz cut, a strong brow and neck, and a broad, muscular build. He wore a dark green short-sleeved shirt stretched tight across his muscles and cargo pants with several pockets. When he saw Wu Xian, who looked as if he were suffering from kidney failure, he froze for a moment. Then disappointment and displeasure flashed across his face.

Wu Xian realized that raising his middle finger was rather rude.

"Although this place is called the Blessed Land, it's really just a living hell. Everything we know about the outside world is meaningless here. Ghosts and demons roam everywhere, monsters run rampant, and there are even some indescribable horrors."

One group consisted of individuals who had each received a mysterious text message before disappearing. The other consisted of people who had all vanished from the same area.

They were on the fourth floor of the hostel, which had eight rooms, all with identical old-fashioned redwood doors. The room numbers were mounted on the walls beside the doors. The hallway was spacious, its floor covered in yellow tiles and its ceiling hung with three yellowing lamps. To the left of the stairs were Rooms 401 to 404, and then, after the hallway turned back, Rooms 405 to 408.

"I'm Qi Zhiyong. I'm staying in Room 402. I won't waste time with pleasantries. After last night, you should know what's going on. I'll tell you everything I know and do my best to keep you alive."

Wu Xian was staying in Room 406. The door to Room 405 next door had been smashed open. It seemed the person who died last night had been staying there. No wonder the agonized groans had sounded so clear.

Qi Zhiyong took Wu Xian around to knock on the other doors. One by one, the people hiding in their rooms came out. In the end, six men and three women stood in the hallway: all the survivors at Ping'an Hostel.

"The evil spirits we encounter most often are generally divided into two ranks. The lesser ones are Wandering Wraiths, and the greater ones are Great Wraiths."

Had these two been staying at Ping'an Hostel all along?

"Then I'll go first. My name is Wen Chao. I'm staying in Room 401, and I work at the Fu Yuan University of Technology Physics Department."

"Sure. I'll come out as soon as I've brushed my teeth."

Fang Zhi was about to say something, but Wen Chao stopped him with a look.

Some people looked disdainful, some murmured among themselves, and some lowered their heads and clutched at the sleeves of the people beside them. A Square-faced Suit Man tried to leave, but an old man beside him stopped him.

The young man wore a blue tracksuit. He had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and his backside was a little broad. He looked honest and simple, like he had no ulterior motives.

"Cement takes at least forty minutes to set initially. That means the female ghost Yu Yinghua must have left at least half an hour before dawn."

"I-I'm Yue Mei. I'm a nurse. Can we really survive? I have elderly family at home, and I've never even been in love. I..."

"We generally refer to these things as evil spirits!"

The trio drew everyone's attention. Qi Zhiyong was somewhat wary, while Shi Ji and Fang Zhi looked rather envious. Having two beautiful sisters all to yourself was the sort of scene men dreamed of, something you only saw in novels and anime.

The second person to introduce himself was a slightly chubby young man.

The burly man adopted the air of a leader and spoke loudly:

Fang Zhi stared at him in surprise. "You work at Fu Yuan University of Technology too? How come I've never seen you?"

The girl with a single ponytail was the older sister. Her name was Su Huilan.

Qi Zhiyong nodded in satisfaction, then began to share what he knew.

The old man pointed at the Square-faced Suit Man. "This is my student, Fang Zhi. He's staying in Room 407. We were catching the two o'clock train, so we stopped here for a while. Then this happened."

The first to step forward was an old man with glasses, wearing a blue shirt and a wool vest.

The burly man didn't notice Wu Xian's little trick.

"The Blessed Land is a regional anomaly that can appear anywhere in the world. Any place engulfed by a Blessed Land becomes a separate space. We can't leave until the Blessed Land ends."

In the end, everyone stayed, including Wu Xian.

"But no matter which kind they are, they can all kill. Even the comparatively weak Wandering Wraiths can kill, and as for the Great Wraiths... If you run into one, just pray you're lucky..."

But even after he finished, he hadn't said a word about the statue.

It seemed he wasn't as forthcoming as he claimed.

Wu Xian narrowed his eyes.

The man stiffened.

"I'm He Qiong. I'm staying in Room 404. These two are with me."

So the people who had disappeared in the Fudi Case were indeed divided into two groups.

"My name is Shi Ji. I'm staying in Room 403, and I work at Fu Yuan University of Technology too."

Fang Zhi didn't look down on him. Instead, he pulled Shi Ji over to stand beside him. They both worked at the same school, and in a place like this, they ought to help each other.

The girl with twin ponytails was the younger sister. Her name was Su Huijin.

"All right. That's everything I know."

Everyone looked at one another, their expressions and attitudes all different.

He Qiong seemed relaxed, even a little cocky. Behind him were two pretty girls who looked very much alike. They timidly hid behind him, clinging to his arms.

Qi Zhiyong looked around at everyone. "We'll only survive the next few days if we stick together. To build trust and get to know each other, I'd like everyone to introduce themselves."

While the burly man wasn't looking, Wu Xian dipped his finger into some mud that hadn't dried yet.

The fourth person to step forward was a man with curly hair, wearing a floral shirt and a gold chain.

"Cement..."

The man snorted and turned to walk toward the other rooms.

"But my information isn't free. If you accept my help, you'll have to follow my orders. Anyone who doesn't want to listen can go back to their room."

Wu Xian belonged to the first group; Wen Chao and Fang Zhi belonged to the second.

Wu Xian also noticed that the floor and walls of the hallway were covered with muddy streaks. Most had dried completely, while a few had only just hardened. Yet the vast majority of the doors were spotless, with no mud splashed on them.

Wen Chao sighed mournfully, lamenting the decline of morals and the callousness of people.

When Wu Xian stepped outside, the burly man was knocking on the other doors. Wu Xian took the chance to look around.

"Get ready and come out with me. The safe hours of daylight are precious. We need to discuss with all the survivors how we're going to stay alive in the Blessed Land."

Shi Ji fidgeted. "I clean toilets."

Wu Xian listened carefully.

Much of the information Qi Zhiyong shared was useful. For instance, the Blessed Land had a day and night too: the daytime was relatively safe, while evil spirits roamed at night. And fear was useless against evil spirits; it only made them better at killing. Some evil spirits could disguise themselves as people...

As for Wu Xian, he noticed a few interesting things.

So he used his middle finger to pick his nose, disguising the fact that he'd raised it.

The next person to introduce herself was a good-looking woman. She had been huddling at the back the whole time, trembling as she clutched a talisman.

She babbled incoherently in her panic, looking at everyone hopefully, but no one could promise to keep her safe.

That left only Wu Xian, who hadn't introduced himself yet.