Chapter 53: Ten Left Four
In the desolate realm.
The scene inside the haunted building remained tense.
Ji Yun and the others were utterly confused.
Their original plan was for Liao Feifei, the victim, to draw out Lin Kexin’s grudges, then find a way to break the deadlock.
But what was happening now?
Liao Feifei had transformed into the Splitting Woman, the vengeful spirit Lin Kexin was controlled by the masked shadow creature, and together with Ji Yun’s group, there were four entirely different factions at odds.
...
At this moment, the masked shadow creature gripped the vengeful spirit Lin Kexin’s neck tightly, pinning her against the wall.
The tadpole-like runes on its body flowed along its arm into Lin Kexin.
As the tadpole runes touched the vengeful spirit’s form, the originally fiery crimson resentment dimmed instantly.
It changed from red to white.
It seemed the masked shadow creature was attempting to seal “Lin Kexin” away?
The situation had escalated too quickly for anyone to fully grasp what was happening.
But the Splitting Woman seemed to understand.
The smile on her face grew even more sinister.
She had come precisely to break the seal.
What the sealed beast sought to do was what she intended to disrupt.
With a slash of her craft knife, a smooth cut appeared, and one arm of the masked shadow creature fell to the ground.
Lin Kexin was instantly freed, retreating rapidly.
Everyone: ???
Ji Yun couldn’t figure out why the Splitting Woman would help “Lin Kexin.”
Even Liao Feifei would never assist someone who caused her best friend’s death!
Seizing the moment of the severed arm, Wu Feng snapped back to reality and shouted, “Run!”
The situation was beyond the capability of mere D-level agents.
They didn’t even have the right to spectate.
Amidst the chaotic battle between the three ghost entities, the best choice for these humans was to escape!
Ji Yun had been prepared for this.
Almost at the moment Wu Feng took the lead to retreat, Ji Yun tugged the chubby man beside him and decisively vaulted over the stair railing, leaping down!
Don’t be fooled by Zhao Kai’s bulk; despite his love for basketball, his strength and coordination were far from poor.
In a crisis, he was a surprisingly agile heavyset man.
Seeing Ji Yun jump, the chubby man quickly followed, vaulting over the railing and landing firmly on the stairs with a thud.
Now that “Lin Kexin” was visible, the plan to break through her failed, and there was no point in advancing further.
Ji Yun thought that if they wanted to escape, they had to go down.
Fortunately, the three ghost creatures were engrossed in their fierce battle and paid no attention to a few humans.
The two ran downward, followed by Wu Feng’s group.
The staircase was a chaotic mess.
...
Tonight, ten people had entered the live stream; now only six remained alive—Ji Yun, Zhao Kai, Xia Li, Lu Jiu, and the duo of Wu Feng.
In the blink of an eye, the six reached the next time node on the fourth floor.
It was already known that a masked shadow creature awaited there.
Ji Yun dared not reveal himself and quietly slowed his pace.
Wu Feng, the strongest, took the lead and leapt down.
But as soon as he set foot on the fourth floor platform, a chain suddenly shot out from the darkness and locked around his right ankle.
Everyone’s eyes fixed on it—it was a chain entirely formed from tadpole runes.
Wu Feng knew he couldn’t break free and shouted, “You all go first!”
Zhang Xiaonan raised both hands.
Four paper dolls grew longer in the wind, immediately joining the fight.
Two agents from the Unusual Bureau engaged the monster on this floor, and Ji Yun’s group intended to wait for the outcome.
But in an instant, they saw the masked shadow creature had three hands!
...
The chain binding Wu Feng’s ankle was formed by the tadpole runes from one of those hands.
Ji Yun felt the runes on the chain looked familiar.
In a moment of crisis, his mind flashed like a slideshow, suddenly realizing, “Isn’t that the severed hand that the Splitting Woman cut off earlier?”
He suddenly sensed something ominous.
He seemed to understand why the monster was growing stronger!
As long as one was killed, its power would merge into the next, amplifying it.
That explained why the first monster was easily killed by Wu Feng, but the second and third became progressively stronger!
No need for further reminder.
The monster’s strength had reached a level that two new agents from the Unusual Bureau could no longer handle.
Wu Feng, trapped by the iron chain, was severely limited in evasion.
In just a brief encounter, the monster dragged him and landed a punch to his chest.
“Pft~”
He spat out a mouthful of foul blood.
Zhang Xiaonan rushed to rescue him, but her paper doll was also blasted away.
It crashed against the wall, the flying debris slicing like blades, scratching Ji Yun’s face nearby.
Wu Feng shouted again, “You all go first!”
It was meaningless for several ordinary people to stay; it would only hold back their fighting.
No sooner had he spoken than Wu Feng’s body ignited with ghostly flames—he had entered a desperate all-out mode.
Ji Yun understood well.
Judging by the intensity, it was a fight for life and death.
“We go first!”
Ji Yun didn’t hesitate and sprinted down the stairs.
The chubby man followed closely.
The silent Lu Jiu also decisively kept pace.
Xia Li hesitated, seeming torn between choices.
Only when a flying stone struck near her feet did she panic and run downstairs.
...
Ji Yun and the others rushed on.
Perhaps the ordinary people hadn’t drawn the ghosts’ attention, as they smoothly returned to the initial time node on the fourth floor.
The four phone lights illuminated a small area.
Ji Yun scanned the room.
The live broadcast fill light was still on, but the lucky cat on the table was gone.
Otherwise, nothing seemed unusual, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Huff... huff...”
In the room, only the four’s heavy breathing could be heard.
Their pounding hearts finally found a moment’s respite.
The masked shadow creature on this floor had been killed; it seemed temporarily safe.
With little phone battery left, Ji Yun turned off his flashlight to save power for emergencies.
After a brief rest, the rollercoaster of terror in their hearts subsided.
It was replaced by a profound helplessness.
Without the two extraordinary beings, it felt like their anchor was lost.
Zhao Kai collapsed on the ground, careless of his appearance.
Lu Jiu still buried her head in her collar, expression unreadable.
She crouched near Ji Yun, silent and reserved.
Although Xia Li was unfamiliar with the three, she dared not stray far and also sat down.
For these three, tonight’s ordeal was like a nightmare.
It gave a strong sense of unreality.
Ji Yun had been through it once.
His mindset was much calmer than theirs.
With no relentless ghosts chasing, their minds had finally caught a breath, regaining some clarity.
...
Several people had already died, yet there was no glimmer of hope for survival.
The room was filled with a despairing silence.
After a moment of stillness, Zhao Kai suddenly thought of something.
Looking at Ji Yun beside him, he apologized sincerely, “Yun, it’s my fault for dragging you into this.”
If he hadn’t insisted on coming to the live stream, none of this would have happened.
“...”
Ji Yun shook his head indifferently, unwilling to explain.
If anything, had he known the school housed such a desolate realm, he probably would have entered willingly.
The evil entities inside the extraordinary beings needed to feed—it was inevitable.
After staying inside this haunted building so long, the hunger of his inner evil had dissipated, removing a fatal threat.
What truly surprised him was the danger level of this desolate realm.
Ji Yun couldn’t understand why such a terrifying desolate realm would exist in a university campus, where positive energy should gather.
Seeing Ji Yun’s calm expression, Zhao Kai knew he truly wasn’t bothered.
Close friends didn’t need many words.
But the guilt was real.
At this moment, Zhao Kai even began reflecting on his brief life.
His family had money; he had everything growing up.
Perhaps the only regret was never having a romantic relationship.
He had finally met someone he liked, but the goddess’s image had collapsed...
He glanced at Xia Li.
Now, dying together didn’t seem like such a regret.
Only that he had dragged down his best friend.
Ji Yun saw the melancholy and sadness in Zhao Kai’s face and guessed he was already thinking about what lay ahead.
He comforted him, “Don’t overthink. We might not die.”
The other three knew nothing about the desolate realm, but Ji Yun did.
In the desolate realm, confidence was more important than anything.
And though the situation seemed dire, there was still a glimmer of hope.
Hearing this, Zhao Kai thought his friend was consoling him.
He forced a smile and said, “Yun, so ghosts really exist in this world... and superpowered people too... Hey, it’s amazing. If I make it out alive, I definitely want to try it. Senior Wu Feng’s fire fists were so cool...”
As if chatting at life’s end, he spoke all he wanted to say.
“...”
Ji Yun had nothing to say.
To be friends, their worldviews had to align perfectly.
He knew the ordinary world offered no hope to contemporary university students.
After graduation, a life of drudgery awaited—a dull fate.
In contrast, a magical world, even fraught with danger, was eagerly anticipated.
He had once been the same.
At this, Zhao Kai seemed to summon a strong will to survive again.
“Yeah! When I get out, I’ll have my dad ask about that ‘Unusual Bureau.’ Even if I have to bribe my way in, I want to try!”
Ji Yun smiled silently.
Dreams were rich and full.
But being extraordinary was no easy feat.
A lifetime entangled with ghosts, always fearing the inner evil’s backlash.
With this in mind, Ji Yun responded meaningfully, “The Unusual Bureau’s work is extremely dangerous. Like Wu Feng just now, they deal with many deadly incidents. No one can guarantee survival.”
Zhao Kai understood and quoted a game line, “Once you choose to be extraordinary, you must be prepared to face death.”
It sounded cheesy.
But Ji Yun saw through it.
When the chubby man said that, his eyes held no dusk, only a burning dawn’s determination.
In youth, death feels distant.
However, as they chatted, unknown to them, the haunted building was changing.
Though the masked shadow creature at this time node was killed, outside the window downstairs lay the corpse of a white-clad senior.
Without the suppression of the masked shadow creature, the malevolent aura surrounding the white-clad corpse thickened steadily.