Mirror

Chapter 22: Mirror

Xu Zhi'an woke up in agony.

Along with the sharp pain came a surge of an emotion called relief.

I actually didn't die?!

Both arms hung limply at his sides, and the angle at which they were bent was grotesque, as if... someone had forcibly snapped them backward at the joints.

In truth, the reality was not far from Xu Zhi'an's own guess.

But... he was still alive after all, and that was enough.

It was hard for Xu Zhi'an to articulate his current state of mind, but fortunately, Bai Yanliang did not give him much time for reflection.

"Mr. Xu, what did you discover?"

Bai Yanliang's expression was calm, but his tone was uncharacteristically urgent.

His voice also reminded Xu Zhi'an of the fact that there were two other people here; at this moment, Xu Zhi'an suddenly realized who his savior was.

He no longer held anything back, and fueled by the anger rising from his recent ordeal, he endured the pain and said, "We'll talk as we go. Let's move, to the rooftop! There's something hidden in the water tank on the roof."

Bai Yanliang nodded, and with Jiang Li supporting him on the other side, they turned and stepped into the stairwell.

The elevator would not lead to the rooftop, but the stairs would.

"Haa... haa..."

Although Yu Hanzhou was trying his best to suppress his breathing, he still inevitably made some sound.

His throat felt as if it had been torn apart, burning with pain.

His entire body was covered in wounds, but compared to that... Yu Hanzhou's face was a shade of pale that defied description.

Dead... people had already died!

Since they had split up to flee, Yu Hanzhou had heard three screams in succession!

Aside from Ma Zirong, who had died inexplicably at the very beginning, those three people... were Hua Xiaoxiao, Sun Wenjie, and Zhou Changfeng!

Among them, Zhou Changfeng was a veteran of the Mist Gathering!

He had already survived several unimaginable, terrifying missions, and each time, he had returned safely to reality, but this time... he was dead.

He had died in this nameless villa, and they didn't even know what year or month this godforsaken place belonged to!

No... that's not right. There must be something wrong somewhere.

Hiding behind a wardrobe, Yu Hanzhou racked his brain, thinking with all his might.

When facing a mirror, do not open your eyes; when hearing a soft call, do not turn your head...

The two taboos were stated clearly enough; as long as one followed them properly, there shouldn't be much of a problem... Could it be... that there was a trap hidden within this riddle?

Yu Hanzhou clutched his head, analyzing it word by word.

Facing a mirror... soft call...

Open eyes... turn head...

Why must one not open their eyes when facing a mirror? Is it because the mirror would reflect those "things"?

That was highly likely...

No!

A flash of inspiration struck Yu Hanzhou's mind. This phrase did indeed contain a trap, but it wasn't lying; it had simply... concealed a portion of the information!

Why must one not open their eyes? Because one is afraid of seeing what is in the mirror!

Then... besides mirrors, what else can reflect an image?

Yu Hanzhou finally recalled the vague thought that had crossed his mind when Ma Zirong died.

Ma Zirong had indeed not looked into a mirror, yet he had died bizarrely.

Why?

Yu Hanzhou finally understood now...

Ma Zirong had an unconscious habit, one that many people shared... that was... when speaking, he liked to look into the other person's eyes!

If it were just a conversation between two people, looking into the other's eyes might be considered polite, but for Ma Zirong, it went beyond that; whenever anyone spoke, he liked to look into their eyes!

This seemed to be related to Ma Zirong's own profession, but now, it was too late to say anything...

It was the eyes!

No... it was everything that could reflect an image!

One must not look at them with their eyes!

Yu Hanzhou finally grasped the key, but... including himself, only four people were still alive!

He had to find a way to notify them... otherwise, the other three would likely die as well!

Yu Hanzhou's expression shifted constantly.

He was no saint, and the people in Mist Gathering were certainly not all good-natured souls; in fact, to survive, he had witnessed many filthy and sinful acts, for human nature was the least reliable thing in a place like this.

Just as Lu Xun once wrote: "Downstairs, a man is dying; next door, a family is playing a gramophone; opposite, someone is tending to a child. Upstairs, two people are laughing hysterically, and there is the sound of mahjong. On a boat in the river, a woman is weeping for her dead mother. Human joys and sorrows are not connected; I only find them noisy."

Human joys and sorrows are not connected...

Thinking of this, Yu Hanzhou seemed to abandon his plan to leave the wardrobe.

Yet, after only a moment, he crawled out from the corner and began to grope his way into the darkness.

That's right... human joys and sorrows are not connected; apathy and the instinct to seek advantage while avoiding harm seemed to be human nature.

But... Yu Hanzhou preferred to believe that human apathy stemmed from an "inability to care" rather than cold-blooded selfishness.

Now, Yu Hanzhou felt he had fully understood what Jieyu meant; as long as he remained vigilant, he should be able to help them without implicating himself.

He should be able to, anyway...

Meanwhile.

Lu Guo was hiding with a newcomer, Qi Nian.

When people are in a state of extreme terror, they usually have two reactions: one is the despair of a mental breakdown, and the other is hysterical madness.

Qi Nian was clearly the latter type.

After encountering all sorts of unimaginable, horrific scenes, she seemed to have gone completely insane.

If Lu Guo hadn't clamped his hand tightly over her mouth, this woman would have absolutely jumped out to scream and shout, regardless of the consequences.

"Calm down! Listen to me, we can survive!" Lu Guo growled in a low voice. This was his last attempt to control Qi Nian's emotions; if she remained in this state, Lu Guo would decisively choose to abandon her.

Fortunately, Qi Nian seemed to have heard the word "survive," and her frantic, darting eyes actually brightened a little. She turned her head to look at Lu Guo, finally regaining some focus.

Lu Guo pulled her along, and the two hid in a bedroom on the second floor of the villa.

Outside the window, the night was pitch black, devoid of any stars or moon. The wind blew through the surrounding woods, making them rustle as if something were grinding its teeth in the darkness.

Lu Guo clutched his head. Although he had said "we can survive," he harbored a guess that filled even him with despair. If that guess came true, perhaps... the only person who could truly survive was Yu Hanzhou.

Yu Hanzhou, who was a Grudge-Bound!

But... at least he wasn't dead yet.

"Listen to me..." Lu Guo had just stood up, preparing to say something to Qi Nian, when she suddenly covered his mouth.

Qi Nian's expression was one of terror; she pointed outside the bedroom, then pointed at her own mouth, shaking her head frantically.

Lu Guo understood what she meant and quickly fell silent.

At that moment... he finally heard it.

"Swish—"

"Swish—"

Something... was coming!

It sounded as if it were dragging something behind it, slowly passing by the bedroom.

Lu Guo suppressed his fear, pressed himself against the door crack, and peeked outside.

His pupils suddenly constricted!

Hua Xiaoxiao!

It was Hua Xiaoxiao's corpse!

Lu Guo covered his mouth in horror.

Just then!

Hua Xiaoxiao's eyes suddenly moved; she seemed to have spotted the eyes at the door crack.

A brilliant light erupted from her eyes! Her blood-foamed mouth opened and closed; she was begging!

She was begging Lu Guo to save her!