A Way Out

Chapter 29: A Path to Survival

The result was much as Lu Guo had expected.

No matter how they hid, this ghost could gradually sense their location as time passed.

This was not its ability, but rather because... everyone had already violated the taboo of this mission!

When Ma Zirong met his bizarre end, Lu Guo racked his brains trying to figure out where things had gone wrong, yet no matter how he thought about it, Ma Zirong's death reeked of the uncanny.

Given the lighting at the time, let alone mirrors, even the faces of the others were only vaguely visible; as for looking back? Lu Guo did not believe Ma Zirong would do something so obviously stupid.

So... Lu Guo thought of a possibility.

There was only one explanation for Ma Zirong's death!

But if his theory held true, it meant that apart from Yu Hanzhou, everyone had already violated the taboo!

They were all going to die! It was only a matter of time.

As for the reason... it was because everyone had looked back!

Su Qian!

That young trainee from Yucheng Affiliated Hospital, the one who admired Yu Hanzhou.

Just before they set off, she had softly called out Yu Hanzhou's name; perhaps due to some complex emotion, Yu Hanzhou had not turned back to look at her at the time.

But... everyone else had subconsciously turned to look at her!

The taboo that absolutely must not be broken had been violated by everyone from the very start!

Damn this Mist Gathering, damn this mission.

It had exploited everyone's psychology! After all, in their long-standing perception... although Mist Gathering was a hateful place, it was absolutely safe; they never expected anything to happen within it!

At first, Lu Guo had been unwilling to believe it.

But now, looking at the results, Lu Guo's conjecture had come true...

Hiding anywhere was useless; the taboo had been broken, and everyone was going to die!

The only one who might have a hope of surviving was Yu Hanzhou, who had happened to be the only one who didn't dare to turn back and face Su Qian...

How ironic.

Ever since this suspicion took root, Lu Guo's heart had been filled with regret—why did he have to turn back to look...

This damned curse had begun the moment their names turned red.

Qi Nian felt ice-cold, as if her very bones had been frozen solid.

She could hardly believe what her eyes were seeing.

A bizarre "person" was hugging Lu Guo from behind!

No, that thing could not be called a person at all!

It was a tall, humanoid creature that stood nearly reaching the ceiling; its limbs were all twisted unnaturally, and its body was covered in wounds, constantly oozing yellow and green pus.

A strange stench, intertwined with the scent of flowers, filled the entire room.

But what made Qi Nian's scalp crawl the most was its brain.

Compared to its bloated, massive body, its head was disproportionately small!

It had no scalp, and the scarlet, terrifying blood vessels on the top of its head pulsed incessantly, as if to say... it was a living thing.

Yet, for such a monster, its movements were surprisingly silent! Hiding behind the curtains, Qi Nian watched helplessly as it moved with strange, shuffling steps toward Lu Guo, and then... extended a pair of deformed arms from its waist to wrap around Lu Guo's torso.

What should she do?

What should I do?

Lu Guo has been caught by it; is he going to die?

Confused and chaotic thoughts surged from all directions; fear, disgust, impatience, anxiety, pain, despair... countless negative emotions broke free from their cages, released from the depths of her heart, wantonly destroying the young woman's mental defenses.

Just then, Qi Nian, whose hands and feet were icy, suddenly felt a small, round object in her jacket pocket.

She froze for a moment, then, as if realizing something, her expression changed drastically!

A terrifying thought surged into her brain; Qi Nian didn't even know how such a notion had popped into her head.

But... once this thought appeared, it rapidly took root and sprouted, clinging to her like a maggot on a bone!

And most importantly, at this very moment, Lu Guo was about to lose his life to the ghost's grasp!

Once Lu Guo died, Qi Nian didn't believe she had any hope of escaping the living room; perhaps... she would be next!

She was right there behind the curtains, behind that monster—what... what should she do...

At this moment, Lu Guo had already felt the changes in his body.

A thick, unfamiliar aura of terror coiled around his waist, and those two twisted, rotting monster hands were gradually tightening.

It had made its move.

Everything was about to... end.

Lu Guo could not clearly define his current state of mind; humans were incredibly complex creatures, and their diverse range of emotions served as the best proof of this.

Fear, unwillingness, and bewilderment were all present, yet surprisingly, a sense of relief and liberation were intertwined among them.

"As long as I die, everything will be over..."

Lu Guo closed his eyes, feeling the monster's hand around his waist gradually tighten, his bones and internal organs beginning to suffer under the pressure.

His breathing became rapid, and the organs within his abdominal cavity began to ache...

"Hey!"

The voice of a woman he had just become familiar with suddenly rang out, causing Lu Guo to snap his eyes open, a look of disbelief appearing on his increasingly pained face.

Qi Nian?!

When he was first found by this malevolent ghost, a flash of resentment had crossed Lu Guo's mind, wondering why Qi Nian hadn't warned him instead of hiding away herself.

But shortly after, he quickly let it go; in such a situation, making a sound to warn him would be no different than courting death.

Only someone truly reckless and utterly foolish would do such a thing.

Qi Nian's choice to hide had even made Lu Guo nod to himself; at the very least... that woman who looked like Lu Ran was not an idiot.

But the current situation was a resounding slap to Lu Guo's face.

He never imagined that not only would Qi Nian fail to stay hidden, but she would actually dare to jump out and shout!

Shouting at a ghost!

Was this woman a lunatic?

Lu Guo did not make a sound, nor did he turn his head; what he did not know was that a scene of unbelievable madness was unfolding!

Qi Nian stood pale-faced behind the three-meter-tall, deformed "person," raising her hand and shouting out loud.

She forced herself to keep her eyes wide open, aiming the object in her hand at the back of the ghost's head.

Upon hearing Qi Nian's voice, it seemed to freeze for a moment, and then... it slowly turned its head around.

That blood-red, skinless, and strangely small head.

As it turned, Qi Nian trembled all over, staring fixedly at its face!

That face was difficult to describe in words; deformed, eerie, and with features twisted into a clump, it did not look like a single entity at all, but rather a face pieced together from a pile of miscellaneous parts!

It had only one single eye embedded in the center of its face, and beneath that eye was a narrow, massive maw without lips, protruding with sharp, jagged teeth!

Disgusting and foul-smelling saliva dripped from its teeth, and Qi Nian's mind went instantly blank.

Fortunately, her body had already taken action at this very moment.

She raised the circular makeup mirror in her hand and, the moment she saw its single eye, she thrust it forward!

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