The Female Ghost

The second-floor corridor was long and narrow. The fire downstairs could not reach it, but the blood and flesh splattered across the floor had bred maggots and mold, giving off waves of nauseating stench.

After Old Eugene died, the ghostly hands reaching out of the walls had not disappeared. Xie De saw bluish-black hands dragging bodies laboriously out of the open dormitory doors, their half-rotted faces giving him eerie smiles.

Fuck! He nearly dropped his cigarette.

"Save me."

"I don't want to die."

...Chaotic muttering began to fill his ears. Beside him, Yue Xiamo had gone pale and was swaying slightly. She pinched her thigh hard, forcing herself to stay lucid.

She said weakly, "The flames on the first floor are becoming more and more real, and there are more and more ghosts on the second floor. We have to get out of the instance right now. The longer we stay, the more dangerous it gets."

Everyone looked grim, carefully considering a way out. In the darkness, there was only a tiny red glow. Xie De breathed in the fragrant scent of expensive tobacco, doing his best to ignore the surrounding stench.

His stomach was still churning, but he fought it down, unwilling to drag them down and be treated as useless. He tried looking around for a way out.

But he found neither an escape route nor an idea.

The flames downstairs had already reached the stairwell. More and more ghostly things were appearing in the corridor on the right. Only the left corridor remained relatively normal, its doors not all open.

"455, what do you think about heading left to look for more clues?"

"I think that works, Host." Struck by inspiration, 455 said, "We can send that little thing on your shoulder ahead to scout."

Good idea.

Xie De patted the little house centipede on his shoulder, only to find that it was just as timid as he was. It began whimpering again and refused to get down.

"We're screwed, 455. I think we're stuck with this thing. How is it all bark and no bite?"

455 was deeply disappointed too. "Damn it! I wondered why it gave in so easily. Turns out it's genuinely a coward. Nothing for it, then. Let's take a gamble. Host, an instance can't make death one hundred percent certain. Shall we go take a look? Don't worry, I still have thirty percent battery left. If we run into a monster, I should be able to buy you a little time to escape."

"Then whatever you do, don't shut down!"

Not wanting to interrupt the other three's thoughts, Xie De tossed his cigarette butt onto the floor, screwed up his courage, and headed down the left corridor.

There was no obvious danger in the left corridor. But to veterans who regularly entered instances, unknown danger was the true threat.

They did not have all the clues yet, and there was no way to figure out the instance's intentions. They would have to take this risk.

As Wei Yanchi considered it, he felt they were still missing a clue that would tie everything together. He was just about to head over when 39 moved first. True to his usual style, he walked straight into the darkness without consulting them.

Beiwei snapped to attention and quickly followed.

The corpses crawling out of the doors in the right corridor were getting closer and closer. Yue Xiamo gritted her teeth and followed too.

Once they caught up, they realized that their view of the left corridor had been obstructed. Only after actually entering it could they see the female ghost clinging to the ceiling like a spider, without even needing to look carefully for danger.

The female ghost turned her head a full 180 degrees. Disgusting saliva dripped from her gaping mouth alongside her dangling, brittle hair. Her eyes were fixed on the man ahead. Her presence was overwhelming, enough to give anyone she stared at an intense sense of being watched.

Beiwei froze where she stood, not daring to move forward.

Wei Yanchi frowned at the scene before him. The female ghost's attention was clearly focused entirely on Mr. 39, and he did not make any rash moves.

But if 39 turned around or showed even the slightest sign that he had noticed her, he would fall under her rules. His chances of survival would be slim.

They could not warn him, either, or even make any noise that might attract her attention.

How were they supposed to get out of this?

While the veteran players were discovering the instance's deadly trap, Xie De was so nervous that he had spent the entire time staring at the closed dormitory doors. He had not noticed the creature on the ceiling at all, nor the faint trembling of the little house centipede on his shoulder.

As he searched for clues, he listened to 455 babbling in his ear like some lovesick creep. Its endless chatter not only diminished the horror but also scattered Xie De's attention even further.

"Honestly, Host, I'm so envious of the Instance System. It has meticulous data connections, its own complete set of rules, and it's even the big boss of this storyline. Sure, it's cold and nowhere near as lively as I am, but how can it be so amazing? It has countless items, rewards it can give players, and the shop every system ought to have. And I think its mechanical voice sounds really nice too..."

"Wait, 455, aren't you getting a little off track? So you actually have a crush on the Instance System?! Are you kidding me? It's constantly trying to kill us both!"

"!"

Xie De felt the phone in his pocket heating up.

455 exclaimed in shock, "(๑⁼д⁼๑), what are you thinking?! You filthy human, could you go wash out that brain of yours? All I care about is my career. You think I'm like you?"

"Heh."

Xie De thought 455's vehement reaction only gave it away. He could barely be bothered to mock it. As he walked farther in, he discovered that the building was ring-shaped. There was another room at the end of the corridor, and through a window set into the wall, he could see the raging fire on the first floor. The scorching heat washed over his face.

A pretty wind chime hung on this room's door, forming a stark contrast with the other gloomy rooms.

What was in this room?

Xie De told 455 to stop mooning over its crush and stay ready to deliver an electric shock.

He carefully opened the door and was rather surprised. This was unmistakably a girl's room. Celebrity posters covered the walls, and there was just one bed, clean and tidy, a dressing table, and a window facing outside the factory. The room probably got decent light.

This had to be Ma Hui's room.

Xie De walked in and shut the door.

The female ghost that had followed him the whole way gnashed her teeth in helpless fury. Her bloodshot eyes were fixed on the door, bulging so hard they nearly popped out.

But Xie De had no idea he had almost died. Feeling somewhat relieved, he rummaged through the room.

He found three love letters.

One was from Zhang Zhi to Chunju.

One was from Wu Yong to Ma Hui.

One had no signature, and he could not tell whom it was addressed to, but it laid bare a young girl's feelings.

What a tangled web of relationships.

Xie De examined the bedside table closely and found that Ma Hui had carved quite a few curses into it with a knife.

"Chunju, you whore, you disgusting thing. Li Qiang, you fucking idiot. Drop dead, Zhou Bapi!"

Ma Hui had cursed everyone equally, including the older male cousin who had always doted on her, and Chunju, whom she liked.

Uh...

Xie De could not make sense of it. Beneath the pillow, he found a dagger gleaming coldly. He weighed it in his hand and casually waved it a couple of times, then decided to go back and hand the clues over to the experts.

455, which had been silent for quite a while, finally spoke. "Fine, I admit I like it a little. People admire strength, after all. Even if I'm a system, I'm no exception."

Xie De sneered. "Does the Instance System even acknowledge you?"

"(ꐦ ´͈ ᗨ `͈ ), so what if it doesn't? Does that stop me from going to find it?"

"So you're actually a simp. Uh, no, you don't even qualify as a simp. You don't even get a chance to grovel."

His mocking laughter was infuriating.

Xie De opened the door while toying with the dagger. Humiliated and angry, 455 immediately delivered an electric shock.

Every scream caught in his throat. The female ghost pressed against the door, drooling hungrily, screamed before he could. 455's electric current was powerful, but very little of it actually hurt Xie De. Most of it dispersed around him.

The female ghost in front of him was caught in the shock, her hair standing on end. Even more vicious now, she tried to lunge at him.

455 recovered first and shouted, "Quick, Host! Stab her in the chest with the dagger!"

Xie De also snapped out of the overwhelming jolt. He flung the dagger hard, and it sank effortlessly into the female ghost's chest. Wailing in pain, she staggered backward and fell through the glassless window, where the flames immediately swallowed her.

Xie De's head was still a little fuzzy. As he shifted his gaze, he saw the three veteran players standing not far away.

His gaze met Wei Yanchi's eyes, dark as black jade.