A Way Out

Chapter 29: A Way Out

The outcome was about what Lu Guo had expected.

No matter where they hid, as time passed, the ghost could gradually sense their whereabouts.

That wasn't its ability. It was because... everyone had already violated this mission's taboo!

When Ma Zirong had died in such a bizarre manner, Lu Guo had racked his brains, trying to figure out what had gone wrong. But no matter how he thought about it, Ma Zirong's death made no sense.

At the time, it had been so dark that they could barely make out one another's faces, let alone see a mirror. As for looking back? Lu Guo didn't believe Ma Zirong would do something so blatantly stupid.

So... Lu Guo had come up with one possibility.

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

But if he was right, that meant everyone except Yu Hanzhou had violated the taboo!

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

As for why... it was because everyone had looked back at some point!

Su Qian!

The young trainee from Yucheng Affiliated Hospital, who had a crush on Yu Hanzhou.

Just before they were about to set off, she had softly called Yu Hanzhou's name. Maybe because of some complicated feelings, Yu Hanzhou hadn't turned to look at her.

But... everyone else had instinctively glanced back at her!

The taboo they absolutely mustn't break had been violated by everyone from the very beginning!

This damned Mist Gathering, this damned mission.

It had taken advantage of everyone's mindset! After all, they had always believed that... although Mist Gathering was an awful place, it was absolutely safe. They had never imagined anything could happen there!

At first, Lu Guo hadn't wanted to believe it either.

But now, judging by the outcome, his guess had been right...

There was no use hiding anywhere. They had already violated the taboo, and everyone was going to die!

The only one who might have a chance of surviving was Yu Hanzhou, who, of all people, had been too afraid to turn around and face Su Qian...

How ironic.

Ever since the thought had occurred to him, Lu Guo had regretted it. Why had he looked back?

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

Qi Nian was ice-cold all over. She felt as though even her bones had frozen.

She could hardly believe her eyes.

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

No, that thing couldn't be called a person!

It was a towering humanoid creature, so tall that it nearly reached the ceiling. Its limbs were all twisted at unnatural angles, and its body was covered in wounds, oozing yellow-green pus.

A foul stench mixed with a floral scent filled the entire room.

But what made Qi Nian's scalp crawl was its head.

Compared to its enormous, bloated body, its head was absurdly small!

It had no scalp. Atop its head, terrible crimson blood vessels pulsed and throbbed, as if to say... it was alive.

And yet, for all its size, the monster moved with astonishingly little noise! From behind the curtain, Qi Nian watched helplessly as it shuffled toward Lu Guo. Then... a pair of deformed arms emerged from its waist and wrapped around him.

What should I do?

What can I do?

It's got Lu Guo. Is he going to die?

A jumble of thoughts surged at her from every direction. Fear, nausea, agitation, anxiety, pain, despair... Countless negative emotions broke free from their cage and burst out from the depths of her heart, tearing apart the defenses of the young woman's mind.

Just then, Qi Nian's hands and feet still numb with cold, she felt a small, round object in her coat pocket.

She froze for a moment, then seemed to realize something. Her expression changed abruptly!

A terrifying thought surfaced in her mind. Even Qi Nian herself didn't know how it had occurred to her.

But... the instant it appeared, it took root and sprouted, clinging to her like a bone-deep parasite!

And most importantly, Lu Guo was about to die at the ghost's hands!

Once Lu Guo was dead, Qi Nian didn't think she had any chance of escaping the living room. Maybe... she would be next!

She was behind the curtain, right behind the monster. What... should she do?

Lu Guo could already feel his body changing.

A dense, unfamiliar aura of terror coiled around his waist. The two twisted, rotting hands were slowly tightening.

It had made its move.

Everything was about to... end.

Lu Guo couldn't explain what he was feeling. Humans were incredibly complex creatures, and the variety of emotions he felt proved it.

Fear, unwillingness, confusion—but, strangely, also relief, a sense of release.

"Once I'm dead, it'll all be over..."

Lu Guo closed his eyes and felt the monster's hands tightening around his waist. His bones and organs began to compress.

His breathing quickened, and pain spread through the organs in his abdomen...

"Hey!"

A woman's voice, one he had only recently become familiar with, suddenly rang out. Lu Guo's eyes flew open, disbelief appearing on his increasingly pained face.

Qi Nian?!

When the evil ghost had found him, a resentful thought had flashed through Lu Guo's mind: Why hadn't Qi Nian warned him? Why had she just hidden by herself?

But he'd soon let it go. In a situation like this, making a sound to warn him would have been tantamount to asking for death.

Only someone utterly clueless and incredibly stupid would do something like that.

Qi Nian had chosen to hide instead, which had made Lu Guo nod to himself. At least... the woman who looked like Lu Ran wasn't an idiot.

But what was happening now was a solid slap in the face.

He had never imagined that Qi Nian wouldn't just stay hidden—she would actually dare to jump out and shout!

Shout at a ghost!

Was this woman insane?!

Lu Guo didn't say anything or turn around. He had no idea that an unbelievable scene was unfolding behind him!

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

She forced her eyes wide open and aimed the object in her hand at the back of the ghost's head.

At the sound of Qi Nian's voice, it seemed to pause in surprise. Then... it slowly turned its head.

That blood-red, skinless head, absurdly small in size.

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

Its face was difficult to describe. Deformed and grotesque, its features were twisted into a jumble. It didn't look like a single being at all, but more like a face assembled from a pile of mismatched parts!

It had only one eye, embedded in the center of its face. Beneath that eye was a long, gaping mouth without lips, jutting outward with sharp teeth!

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

Fortunately, her body moved on its own at that moment.

She raised the small round compact mirror in her hand and thrust it forward the instant she saw its single eye!

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