The End

"See? This is what happens when you make enemies on all sides."

"That's why I've always insisted on treating people kindly."

Zhou You glanced at the Sea of Blood blocking his way, quietly withdrew the leg he'd been about to kick out, and continued with his great escape.

Behind him, countless faces surged from every direction, covering the Sea of Blood from head to toe. They swarmed over it like locusts, tearing at it nonstop. Each bite left behind a huge, charred-black patch—their mouths held not tongues and throats, but blazing, scorching flames!

Liu Shang's face wailed and shrieked. The Sea of Blood was like his own body, striking wildly at the faces. Amid flying bricks and stones, countless faces were swept from its surface. More kept appearing without end, but they still couldn't keep up with the rate at which the Sea of Blood knocked them off.

A few minutes later, with a deafening crash, the alley collapsed.

By then, Zhou You had reached the little stall. Seeing that its lights had gone out, he immediately slapped down the shop sign he'd obtained at the very beginning!

The old incandescent bulb flickered a few times, then lit up again. The hunched shopkeeper lifted the curtain and first nodded at Zhou You with a beaming smile. Then, as he watched the approaching Sea of Blood, he suddenly said,

"Old pal, looks like we've got quite a few customers today. Will your pot of soup be enough?"

A head floated up from the soup pot. Its swollen mouth opened and silently uttered,

"There probably isn't enough for stewing people, but there's more than enough for stewing them."

The shopkeeper picked up his ladle and bowed with a kindly smile.

"Welcome, guests, to my little shop. What would you like to order?"

While the shopkeeper was speaking, Zhou You had already reached the final location.

The place where this scenario had begun.

The security office.

The clues from before had gradually come together.

...No matter how many days and nights passed, the security office was always the starting point.

...The security chief, who was so terrified he trembled, yet still came here every day without fail.

...And finally, the crime scene, ransacked during the day as if someone had been deliberately searching for something.

"So there's definitely something here they have to find."

With that, Zhou You kicked the door open!

The security chief who'd been tied to a chair had long since disappeared. All that remained was a pile of clothes that looked soaked in blood. The room was littered with scraps of flesh and shards of bone. At the sight of a new living person entering, every Sinister Object in the room turned toward Zhou You at once, all eyes fixed on him.

There was no way to conduct a proper search under these circumstances. But Zhou You didn't even blink as he immediately used the consumable he'd obtained earlier.

It was also the only purple item he'd acquired so far.

The Blood-Stained Document!

A black hole suddenly split open in the air before him. A withered bony claw reached out from inside and groped around for a moment before seizing the contract.

Faintly, an androgynous voice came from within the hole.

"Yellow Springs Service Agency. We're very happy to—damn it, another deadbeat—whatever, there's collateral with the higher-ups anyway. The rest isn't our problem. We've got the goods now, and as for you..."

Zhou You suddenly felt a chill crawl into his marrow. When he looked down at his skin, it had gone as pale as ash. At the same time, all the Sinister Objects in the room seemed to lose interest in him and settled down.

Behind him, the stall owner's voice grew fainter. Zhou You had no time to waste. He immediately began searching the entire room.

The flowerpots... the tables and chairs... behind the clock... the corners by the walls...

He searched every inch, but couldn't find a single suspicious spot.

"Could I have... guessed wrong? Maybe that Wutao Sacrificial Statue isn't in the security office at all, but somewhere I never investigated?"

Zhou You's brow furrowed tighter and tighter. In the distance, the Sea of Blood seemed to be surging again. He took a deep breath and looked around the room once more.

Then his gaze stopped on one particular spot.

There was no room left to turn back now. Zhou You strode forward, straight to the one suspicious object.

—the television that had been broken for ages.

"Smashing it during the day misled me, making me assume there was nothing inside. But the problem is, day and night don't run on the same timeline. And according to the plot, the night... is when the main ritual takes place."

Zhou You stared at the distorted figure on the screen, then lifted the television with all his might and smashed it against the floor!

The screen shattered instantly, and a pitch-black Bodhisattva Statue tumbled out.

Though he'd never seen it before, Zhou You immediately understood: this was the Bodhisattva's sacrificial vessel.

Without hesitation, Zhou You picked it up. At the same time, an extremely shrill scream came from outside.

"No!!!!!"

The mountain of corpses and sea of blood surged into the room. But there was no longer any viciousness in Liu Shang's face. The only thing visible in his remaining eye was a desperate plea.

"Put that down! Please, put it down! We can talk this over. I'll give you anything you want. The Bodhisattva can give you anything too, but please, don't smash it!!!"

As he finished speaking, the system notification rang out.

"Dear player, you have reached the final story's branching point. You may choose to return this sacrificial vessel to Jixiang Jimiao Guimu Bodhisattva in exchange for its blessing. Please note that this is an extremely rare opportunity. Cherish it..."

Zhou You dismissed the system notification and smiled at Liu Shang.

"You want this?"

The other man nodded frantically.

"You're so anxious. I take it something will happen to you if you lose this?"

"...This is the Bodhisattva's last chance for me. If I mess this up, it will make me wail in the Sea of Blood for all eternity. Please, give it to me. I'll give you all the property I've left behind. You can also ask the Bodhisattva for anything you want, as long as..."

"I see."

Zhou You nodded in agreement, then stepped forward as if to return the thing to Liu Shang.

Hope rose in the other man's eyes.

But just then, Zhou You's hand suddenly relaxed.

"Squish."

It took Liu Shang three or four seconds to realize what that sound was.

His pupils turned bloodred in an instant.

"You bastard! I'll kill you! I swear I'll kill you! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

That final string of screams was all the voice he had left.

Zhou You looked up and saw that the seemingly endless night was finally fading. Dawn was breaking, and a faint glow had appeared on the horizon.

The flesh and blood that made up the Ghost Mother Bodhisattva melted rapidly beneath the morning sun, like ice in the spring. At the same time, the Sea of Blood and the faces before him melted away too.

"Congratulations, player. You have achieved this scenario's special ending: Resealing."

"Player will return in ten seconds. 10, 9, 8, 7..."