Unexpected Incident

Chapter 48: Unexpected Incident

Her bright, gentle gaze rested on everyone before her, tinged with confusion.

Although her legs were disabled, she was undeniably beautiful. She wasn't the kind of beauty that took your breath away at first glance, but the longer you looked, the more her charm drew you in.

Moreover, even now, the disabled girl hadn't made a scene or lost control of her emotions.

Her left hand gripped the armrest of her wheelchair tightly. It was clear that she wasn't as calm inside as she seemed.

At a time like this, Zhou Li naturally stepped forward to explain things to her.

Since she was the only newcomer this time, Zhou Li had an easier time explaining.

And... although she still had doubts, she didn't ask questions recklessly.

Everyone approved of how she was handling things, but they didn't think she would be able to survive long in Mist Gathering.

After all... her legs made it so difficult for her to get around.

Bai Yanliang glanced at her and suddenly asked, "Are you in Ye City?"

The girl's eyes lit up slightly. She turned to look at Bai Yanliang and replied, "Yes."

"Sir, do you... know me?" the girl asked softly.

Bai Yanliang shook his head and met her gaze. "Your wheelchair has the emblem of Ye City Third Hospital on it."

"Are you from Ye City too, sir?"

"Yes."

At Bai Yanliang's confirmation, her gaze seemed to brighten a little.

It wasn't quite trust. It was the peculiar feeling of meeting a fellow countryman in a foreign land.

Their conversation didn't last long, because the gray mist around them had already begun to change.

One name after another rapidly took shape.

Twelve people had died last time, and only one newcomer had entered this time, bringing the total number to thirty-eight.

The names were quickly arranged.

Li Mu, Feng Xiuxue, Du Shangjing, Lin Yan, Yang Xiu, Zheng Jiajia... six names per row, for a total of seven rows.

In the final row, two names stood out, hanging at the end of the neat line of thirty-six.

Bai Yanliang, Yu Sheng.

Only then did everyone learn the disabled girl's name.

She had a lovely name, but hadn't been given a beautiful life.

Everyone held their breath and watched. All the names had taken shape, which meant that the mission selection was about to begin.

At that moment, the only sounds in Mist Gathering were heavy or hurried breathing.

Bai Yanliang wasn't particularly worried. He remembered one of Mist Gathering's rules: if someone had been chosen as the Grudge-Bound and successfully completed the previous mission, they would automatically be skipped for the next one.

And he had been the Grudge-Bound last time.

So this time, Bai Yanliang had come mainly to observe the members of Mist Gathering.

Just then, the names finally began to change.

This time, the first name to turn blood-red was... Li Mu!

Before everyone could recover from their surprise, six more names quickly turned blood-red one after another!

Lin Yan, Yu Hanzhou, Huang Yourong, Su Qian, Bai Yanliang, Yu Sheng!

"How is that possible?!"

"How could this happen?!"

"..."

Exclamations of shock and confusion rose one after another. Mist Gathering was in an uproar!

It wasn't just because Li Mu, the longest-surviving member, had been chosen as the Grudge-Bound first.

Even more unbelievable was that Yu Hanzhou and Bai Yanliang, the two people who had been the Grudge-Bound in the previous mission, had been chosen again!

Did this mean... the rules had been broken?

Even Bai Yanliang was taken aback, let alone Yu Hanzhou.

The young double doctorate stared blankly at his blood-red name. Behind him stood Su Qian, her expression strange.

She seemed afraid, yet also a little happy. Every so often, she stole a glance at Yu Hanzhou's back.

Lin Yan and Huang Yourong showed no particular reaction, but their bloodless lips made it clear that they were far from calm.

As for newcomer Yu Sheng, she still didn't fully understand what this meant, nor what she was about to face...

The crowd's shock and uproar didn't last long. Soon, the second mission began.

This time, the first name to turn blood-red was... Zhou Li.

Zhou Li's expression didn't change. He quietly looked up, waiting for the "companions" who would be joining him.

However... another unexpected thing happened.

Only one person's name turned red after Zhou Li's... Yu Wenxuan.

Zhou Li's gaze shifted slightly. He searched the crowd and met the eyes of a smiling face, narrowed with amusement.

"Hello."

Zhou Li nodded slightly, but a sudden thought gave him pause. Yu Wenxuan... when did he enter Mist Gathering?

His name was somewhere in the middle of the thirty-eight, so he should count as a veteran. Then why... did Zhou Li barely remember him?

Zhou Li wasn't the only one who felt this way. In fact, plenty of people only wore an expression of "Oh, it's him" after Yu Wenxuan stepped forward.

Yu Wenxuan himself seemed surprised to have been chosen alone at such a special moment.

This should be... the first time they'd seen a mission with only two people, right?

Du Shangjing's expression grew even more grave.

Mist Gathering was getting stranger and stranger... That couldn't be a good thing. He had a vague feeling that something momentous might happen soon.

The premonition came from nowhere, but Du Shangjing took it seriously, because... this same inexplicable intuition had saved his life many times before.

Then the final mission began.

This time, the first name to turn red was... Lu Guo.

Lu Guo froze, then stepped forward. Me again? And I'm finally the Grudge-Bound...

Three names quickly turned red after his.

Xu Zhi'an, Yan Feibai, and... Qi Nian.

Qi Nian again?

Lu Guo looked at her. After the last time, he'd tried to get in touch with the woman privately, though not because he was interested in her.

After all... she looked far too much like Lu Ran. Only a pervert would be interested in his own younger sister.

But... Qi Nian had never replied to her in real life. No... she hadn't even sent a single message when everyone had been enthusiastically praising her in the group chat.

Whatever the case, all three groups had now been selected.

Yu Sheng followed Bai Yanliang's lead, still bewildered. After all... he was at least a fellow Ye City native.

Just then, the same change as last time was quietly taking place.

Under Yu Sheng's disbelieving gaze, the remaining names vanished with a rush, then reformed into three lines of text suspended in midair.

"First, Heartless Blood Sacrifice. Survive for three days."

"Second, Flesh Not Yet Dissolved. Where do you come from, guest? Survive for seven days."

"Third, Who Bestows the Comb. Face formed before the mirror. Three-day limit."

Bai Yanliang read them carefully, committing every word to memory.

Heartless Blood Sacrifice.

What was this cryptic phrase hinting at...?

"It's starting."

Zhou Li's voice was no longer so relaxed.

As soon as he spoke, the three lines of misty text quickly dissipated, turning into dense fog that engulfed them.

Yu Sheng's fingers had turned nearly white from gripping so tightly. At last, she felt it...

The fear welling up from the depths of her soul.