Translator: Cinder Translations
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"The female ghost came out of the painting?" You Qi's voice changed as he looked fearfully toward the door, as if the ghost could appear at any moment.
At the moment, this seemed to be the only explanation.
Thinking back to Zuo Jing's disappearance…
"Has anyone seen Zuo Jing?" Xia Meng suddenly asked, as if realizing something. "Who was the next person after Zuo Jing?"
Even though everyone was wearing identical paper masks and dressed in the same bright red opera costumes, their body shapes still had some differences. Zuo Jing was taller than Xia Meng and slimmer compared to Chen Qiang and Jiang Cheng.
"My next person should be You Qi," Fatty spoke first.
Hearing this, You Qi immediately said, "So you were the one who patted me?" He then complained, "Why did you hit so hard? I was scared to death—I thought it was the ghost!"
Fatty awkwardly rubbed his nose and didn't respond.
You Qi recalled that his next person was a tall, skinny figure, but when he patted the person's shoulder, they felt quite sturdy, likely a man.
"Which shoulder did you pat?" Jiang Cheng asked.
"The right one," You Qi said. "My left arm was numb at the time, so I could only lift my right arm."
Jiang Cheng nodded. "That was me."
Among the group, only An Xuan and Jiang Cheng fit You Qi's description. Although Chen Qiang was tall, he was quite thin—everyone had noticed this when changing clothes.
An Xuan also nodded. "The person who patted me did so on my left shoulder."
"My next person should be you," Jiang Cheng said, looking at Xia Meng.
Xia Meng glared at him fiercely. When she realized that the person behind her had not only patted her shoulder but also touched her a few more times, she immediately knew it had to be Jiang Cheng.
A normal person wouldn't do something like that.
Xia Meng's next person was An Xuan, and he confirmed it. Fatty noticed the way An Xuan and Xia Meng exchanged glances and thought there was something going on between them.
An Xuan's next person was Chen Qiang.
According to Chen Qiang, the person behind him patted his left shoulder twice and pressed down a little. An Xuan nodded and admitted, "That was me."
So the order was:
Fatty → You Qi → Jiang Cheng → Xia Meng → An Xuan → Chen Qiang.
After sorting out the sequence, the line was complete.
Now, everyone's eyes turned to Chen Qiang. According to the rules, the next person after him should have been Zuo Jing.
Under the intense scrutiny of the group, Chen Qiang's expression turned strange. After a moment of hesitation, he looked up with an odd expression and said, "No." He continued, "The person after me wasn't Miss Zuo."
"That person had a very bulky build. I thought…" He glanced at Fatty, then paused on You Qi, his meaning clear.
He had assumed it was either Fatty or You Qi.
"What was special about the person who patted you?" Jiang Cheng turned to Fatty.
"The left shoulder," Fatty recalled. "Just once."
Chen Qiang took a deep breath. "I patted the right shoulder."
"So… the person who connected with you wasn't Zuo Jing." You Qi swallowed nervously. "Then… was it a ghost?"
Recalling the bloated shadow that had been cast on the door, Chen Qiang felt uneasy. In this mission, the only people with bulky physiques were Fatty, You Qi… and the ghost.
So the ghost had joined the game.
That extra tree branch… was prepared for the ghost from the painting.
There were eight participants in this game.
Seven humans, one ghost.
The earlier drumbeat signaled the time for everyone to leave and return to their rooms. There was still one last drumbeat that hadn't sounded—it would signal the official end of the mission.
Everyone else had left. So what was Zuo Jing doing now?
The time limit hadn't ended yet, so she should still be alive.
Slowly, a terrifying thought surfaced in everyone's minds—Zuo Jing might be carrying the ghost on her back, wandering around the lake, searching for teammates who had already left.
"We have to find her," An Xuan said firmly. "While there's still time."
"Go out now… to look for someone?" You Qi glanced at the door and swallowed hard.
It was clear that this was a huge psychological challenge for him.
Xia Meng agreed. "We don't have much time left. If we can find Zuo Jing alive, we might get an important clue about the ghost."
"I agree," Jiang Cheng raised his hand. "Miss Zuo is beautiful, with a great figure—I don't want her to die."
Fatty blinked in confusion. After a moment, he reluctantly said, "Then… count me in."
"I'll go too," Chen Qiang stood up.
Seeing this, You Qi had no choice but to agree. After all, anyone left behind would be all alone.
The group immediately set off toward the lake.
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At some point, a light drizzle had begun to fall from the sky. The mist over the lake thickened, shrouding everything within a dozen meters of the lake in eerie fog.
The six of them huddled together in a small circle, searching counterclockwise along the lake's edge. Due to the poor visibility, they stayed close to each other, ensuring that everyone remained within sight.
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"Hu— hu—"
Zuo Jing's steps grew slower. In contrast, her eyes became increasingly filled with despair.
She had realized something was wrong.
She had been walking for too long without encountering a single person.
Where was everyone?
Where had the others gone?
She wasn't sure about the rest, but she was certain that the captain would never abandon her.
He wasn't that kind of person.
The "bride" on her back was getting heavier bit by bit. She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, or if it was real. She had been carrying it for so long that her stamina was running out.
She realized she had fallen into a trap.
But she couldn't understand what she had done wrong. Why… had the ghost chosen her?
Suddenly, she heard rustling sounds ahead—multiple things were approaching.
Just as she was about to find a place to hide, a voice, suppressed yet filled with relief, called out, "Found her!"
It was Xia Meng's voice. Zuo Jing reacted immediately.
In the next moment, six figures appeared before her. An Xuan stood slightly behind the others, but his relief was evident. He let out a long sigh—finally finding Zuo Jing lifted a great weight off his heart.
"How are you?" Xia Meng asked as she approached.
Zuo Jing stared at them warily, pressing her tongue tightly against the branch in her mouth, not responding.
An Xuan seemed to understand his teammates well. Without wasting words, he glanced around and said, "This isn't a good place to talk. Let's find shelter." Lowering his voice, he added, "Something is following us."
The group found a small slope and hid behind it. The thing on Zuo Jing's back remained eerily still, as if it were asleep.
Moments later, strange sounds came from the mist, accompanied by faint glimmers of light.
"Scrape—"
"Scrape—"
(End of the Chapter)
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