Chapter 8: The Little Puppy

The vending machine once again sold a large number of "Double Happiness" stickers, but at this moment, Ji Linmo stood unharmed atop the stickers, unaffected by them in any way.

This was a function Ji Linmo had discovered by accident after obtaining the Lightning Whip in the "Demon's Kiss" scenario.

—The summoned demon could grant him one combat wish unconditionally.

Though there were time limits, no matter how absurd the wish might be, the demon would fulfill it as closely as possible to its essence.

"Come on, all of you, come at me! Everything is over anyway, nothing left to fear."

A wild gleam flashed in Ji Linmo’s eyes. After all, breaking the rules meant only one consequence—death. So why not, at the final moment, take a good look at this "Ghost Bride" who was intended to kill him?

With that thought, the man seized the Lightning Whip and lashed it fiercely at the Ghost Bride.

The sound of the whip cutting through the air was sharp, and lightning burst forth in trembling white light.

When the red veil covering the Ghost Bride’s head was blown away, Ji Linmo finally saw her face clearly.

It was a face he recognized.

A face identical to the one in the photo Chief Li had given him—youthful and delicate, belonging to a boy.

"Qin Feng? Qin Feng from Class 2, Grade 11 at Yucai High School?"

Ji Linmo’s eyes widened in disbelief.

The Ghost Bride before him squinted her seductive, almond-shaped eyes, and with that youthful, almost androgynous face, looked directly at him.

"It really is you, Qin Feng. How did you, a game player, become an NPC in this scenario?"

There was no answer. The Ghost Bride suddenly raised her head and reached out.

Ji Linmo was abruptly seized by the throat, lifted into the air.

Yet even so, Ji Linmo did not give up; he struggled to thrust his left hand forward, trying to grab the Ghost Bride’s collar.

"Cough—You, who are you really..."

"Shh, quiet." The Ghost Bride’s lips curved in a smile, her finger pressed gently against Ji Linmo’s lips.

"I really like you, so please die quietly."

Crack!

The clear sound of bones breaking echoed.

The Ghost Bride dropped Ji Linmo’s left hand carelessly.

His broken arm hung in the air like a twisted noodle.

"Cough..."

Ji Linmo gasped for breath, feeling the Ghost Bride’s grip on his throat tighten, leaving him no strength to resist.

In this horror world, the rules were absolute.

No matter how powerful one was, breaking the game’s rules meant being purged.

No player could defy them.

"You, cough...Qin Feng, do you really not remember who you are?"

Ji Linmo forced the words out between clenched teeth.

But the Ghost Bride ignored him, smiling as she extended her arm to embrace him tightly, as if cradling a doll, using enough force to crush him into his bones.

"Uh—"

The immense pressure forced the last breath from Ji Linmo’s chest; the suffocating sensation drove him into desperate struggle.

The boy in the wedding robes watched the man’s feet, which spasmed from lack of oxygen, and with sudden interest, grabbed his hand.

"Are your feet dancing?"

"Then I’m happy to accept your invitation."

With that, the boy pulled Ji Linmo’s limp arm, dragging him like a broken doll through a sea of brilliant red Double Happiness stickers.

It was a waltz.

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Breathing fresh air again, Ji Linmo coughed up blood, thinking quietly to himself.

—Back then, Yuren High School, seeking to be fashionable and promote quality education, had introduced waltz steps into recess exercises.

He wondered if Qin Feng’s year had revived this practice.

"Hmm, hmm~"

As the scene spun and leapt, the boy hummed a tune unknown to Ji Linmo.

Forward, sidestep, bring feet together, spin.

Amid a world covered in Double Happiness, the boy in blood-red wedding attire held the dying man, dancing together in death.

"Stop dancing, just finish me..."

Ji Linmo muttered.

But the Ghost Bride paid him no mind, her skirt swirling beautifully in the air.

Ji Linmo gritted his teeth, summoned his last strength, and lifted his head to smash it against the boy’s forehead.

"I said, stop dancing, just give me a quick end!"

The boy finally stopped.

He looked down from above, watching the man struggling like a trapped beast.

Ji Linmo’s vision blurred, but he still saw the boy smile, his seductive almond eyes narrowing into crescent moons.

"Relax. The song isn’t over yet."

With the boy’s humming, the dance resumed. Ji Linmo’s head drooped in defeat.

He couldn’t break free, nor escape.

To fail in such a gutter was humiliating enough.

But to die in such a bizarre way...

"Do you realize, your singing is really awful..."

Ji Linmo whispered from within the Ghost Bride’s arms.

"Like the braying of a donkey. You must have never taken music lessons."

The Ghost Bride’s body paused. She looked at Ji Linmo, smiled, and reached out to grip his chin, forcing his mouth open.

"I haven’t, actually..."

Her cold fingers, hard as pliers, clamped down on Ji Linmo’s tongue.

"Then maybe you can show me what the tongue of someone who’s taken music lessons is like?"

As his tongue was forcibly pulled, blood leaking out, Ji Linmo suddenly laughed, a laugh of satisfaction.

"Ha...you’re getting agitated."

"Because you know...your singing is just..."

Ji Linmo’s face was pressed hard against the Ghost Bride’s chest, his mouth and nose tightly covered.

This time, the Ghost Bride’s embrace was even stronger than before. Amid the pain, Ji Linmo heard his bones creak. He was being crushed.

Finally...

As his vision grew darker, his pupils began to lose focus.

It’s over...

Everything is over.

Ji Linmo’s body went limp. The Ghost Bride released her grip and tossed him onto the ground.

A photograph slipped quietly from his shirt pocket as he fell.

—A boy in a high school uniform stood under the sign of Yucai High, smiling brightly at the camera.

The Ghost Bride gazed at the photo on the ground for a long time, as if recalling something, then reached out and gently placed a hand on Ji Linmo’s head.

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"My little dog, sleep, sleep..."

Like soothing a child, the boy stroked Ji Linmo’s hair a few times.

He then stood up, grabbed the man’s ankle, and dragged him away like a dead pig, leaving a long mark in the ashes on the ground.

Thump, thump, thump!

Thump, thump, thump!

"Ji Linmo? Brother Ji Linmo?"

Ji Linmo’s eyes snapped open. Above him was a pale sky, and the face of the new girl, Zhang Lanlan.

Where was he...

He was still outside the apartment complex.

Only now, he was lying on the grass.

"What’s going on? I..."

As Ji Linmo tried to sit up, the pain in his left arm drained the color from his face.

Yes, his arm was still broken.

Everything that just happened wasn’t a dream.

"What time is it now!"

Ji Linmo’s voice was urgent, startling Zhang Lanlan.

The girl, seeing his concern, hurried to reassure him.

"Um...you weren’t out for long, about ten minutes..."

"When everyone was talking, you suddenly left...and when we all split up to talk to the residents, I found you lying here."

Ten minutes?

Everything that just happened felt like a fleeting dream, yet it had only been ten minutes?

Looking at his wobbling arm, Ji Linmo rubbed his brow, more confused than ever.

Breaking the game’s rules meant certain death.

Why hadn’t the Ghost Bride killed him, but sent him back instead?

Was it something to do with recognizing the Ghost Bride’s true identity?

Or perhaps...the rules had changed, and the residents of Unit 403 were no longer forbidden from leaving?

"Um, Zhu Jun said we’re all done searching and should regroup. Do you...want to go?"

Zhang Lanlan looked at him timidly.

"You seem hurt. Did something happen? If you need help, I know a bit—"

She took off her jacket, apparently to help set Ji Linmo’s arm.

"No need, you go ahead."

Ji Linmo stood slowly, reaching for his swinging arm.

Click!

He yanked it upward, and the crisp sound of bone echoed.

Zhang Lanlan’s mouth dropped open in surprise. After confirming Ji Linmo seemed fine, she offered a few words of caution and left.

"Damn, I think I set the bone wrong..."

Once Zhang Lanlan was gone, Ji Linmo eyed his somewhat crooked arm, frowned, and gave it a shake.

A creased photo slipped out of his pocket and drifted to the ground.

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