Chapter 34

Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.

[2012: Player count decreases by one. Three survivors, zero markings moved.]

The moment Lin Jue stepped out of the illusion, the announcement rang in his head, shocking him to a stop. For a moment, he even forgot about the wounds all over his body.

Who?

Lin Jue’s first reaction was worry for Song Hanzhang, but he didn’t believe, or didn’t want to believe that anything would happen to him.

Then was it Gu Fengyi and Liu Qingqing? That was more likely. Zero markings moved meant that they weren’t killed by another team, but by a monster. If it was a monster, then Gu Fengyi would be in a much more dangerous situation than Song Hanzhang as she had Liu Qingqing with her, especially since he now knew that Dan Liang wasn’t Judas.

Thinking about that, Lin Jue was suddenly reminded of the witch box on him. He took it out; the witch box was still locked, and he was also unable to sacrifice corpses to it yet which meant that Song Hanzhang, who was linked to the box, was still alive!

Lin Jue let out a breath, his heart finally falling back into place. He softened his footsteps as he walked through the dormitory building. His instincts told him that Song Hanzhang hadn’t left yet, so even though he had already finished off his target Dan Liang, he still didn’t leave.

The shaking of the ground grew stronger. Lin Jue glanced at the time on his phone – 02:44.

Another thirty minutes; he would leave after thirty minutes. This building wouldn’t be able to last much longer either way.

Lin Jue walked up along the stairs, checking through every unlocked room, crossing the long corridors lit by the clear moonlight. He suddenly recalled the first round, where he and Song Hanzhang had avoided zombies by hiding in the library. His heart back then had been filled with uncertainty, so soon after killing Zhou Yuxiu; he had realized then that he would become different from before, and the difference would only grow.

That anxiety, to turn from someone normal to something unnatural, had tormented him, made him desperately want to cling onto everything he could hold, and Song Hanzhang had happened to be there.

It was a similar corridor and a similar moon under which he and Song Hanzhang had explored each other’s minds for the first time, attempting to know each other better. He was attracted by that contradictory and complicated soul, and so his longing had sprouted.

In this dangerous environment away from society, Lin Jue never even considered if his admiration of a member of the same sex was normal, nor how long this hazy love could last, or if these feelings would end up nought if they would one day leave this game.

He who acted purely from instinct thus approached that dangerous soul with naivety and stubbornness. He was willing to give all of his gentleness and kindness, all of his patience and understanding, all of his firmness and bravery, to move that person who had made his heart pound.

That was how he loved.

Walking through the moonlight made of memories, Lin Jue stood by the corner of the corridor.

Every turn was an unknown adventure. Lin Jue took in a deep breath, gripped his spear, and kept walking.

Blood-scented wind blew in from the open window on the other side of the corridor, fluttering the clothes of the two corpses on the ground.

Even though he had already prepared himself, Lin Jue’s empty stomach couldn’t help but convulse upon seeing the corpses of his teammates. While in a state of shock, a part of him let out a sigh – wonderful, it really wasn’t Song Hanzhang.

That vile delight he felt made him spit upon himself.

Lin Jue walked towards the corpses and slowly crouched down.

Gu Fengyi’s body was disfigured, her bow and steel bar thrown far away to the side as she lay empty handed next to Liu Qingqing’s body – an arrow stuck out from the latter’s chest and next to her was a line of text in red: [Judas’ Rule: If no appropriate object of possession appears before midnight, then no Judas will appear in this round.]

It really was her.

Lin Jue looked at Liu Qingqing’s corpse with mixed feelings.

Her pretty almond eyes were open, staring blankly above, but her lips were curled up in a smile, as if she was relieved and at ease. She didn’t fear death, was what her expression told Lin Jue. She walked towards death with no burdens.

Lin Jue couldn’t understand what exactly happened between those two. Why did Gu Fengyi kill Liu Qingqing, then approach her unarmed and end up killed by a monster?

But there was no one left to answer him. The secret would remain a secret forevermore.

They met in this game of death. They had schemed against each other, and had fought side by side too. But time was too short, the story too heartless, and human life so fragile and easily snapped in a storm.

Lin Jue breathed out a long breath covered with the scent of blood. His blind left eye throbbed in pain, even the analgesic was unable to completely get rid of the sensation, but he could bear it, and he had to do so. He picked up Gu Fengyi’s crossbow and arrows, then took the water bottle she received at the fountain and quietly said his goodbyes.

Sympathy for a teammate’s death – the feeling had left Lin Jue in a low mood, but the sorrow he felt was calm. He understood, accepted the fact that he was growing colder and colder. Seeing the death of someone familiar was no longer unacceptable, and the same applied to murder – he had already walked into that ancient and dark forest, and found who he was underneath the skin of civilization: a blood-thirsty beast, walking alone under the moonlight.

But he would still feel lonely, still desire to be tamed. The intelligent hunter brought him to heel and through difficulty, they were able to rely on each other, before the hunter left him all alone once again.

He was angry, furious, confused, but not resentful. He knew there must have been a reason that forced him to leave. So he would find him, and find the answer to everything.

He had to find Song Hanzhang. The belief pushed Lin Jue along. He imagined how they would meet again; he would run up to Song Hanzhang and give him a punch the moment he saw him, preferably in the eye… uh, no, he wore glasses. Then to his nose? But what if his nose bridge broke?

Lin Jue thought and couldn’t help but feel a bit of amusement. But at that moment, an announcement rang through his mind, freezing his smile in place.

[2012: Player count decreases by one. Two survivors, zero markings moved.]

A string snapped in Lin Jue’s mind and the world fell apart.

The will that dictated the fates of men revealed its malicious smile.

Lin Jue could no longer think. He seemed to have felt something and ran back where he came from like mad, towards the stairwell where they had separated. The staircase was still collapsed. He leaped up and landed on the concrete on the other side. The shock of his feet hitting the ground made his already damaged internal organs ache but he couldn’t care less, keeping on running after stumbling a few steps.

It was this corridor, this plain corner, where they had separated.

Lin Jue rushed around the corner. Under that clear moonlight, was Song Hanzhang.

His eyes were closed as he sat leaning against the wall, his heart accurately pierced through, blood-red liquid flowing out ceaselessly, dirtying his white shirt. That dark stain continued to spread, like a blackhole devouring his life.

It hurted, an unbearable pain, as if his own heart had been stabbed. Lin Jue collapsed as if all strength had left his limbs, crawling forwards on all fours.

He still couldn’t think. He took out the blood-clotting drugs from the first-aid kit with trembling hands, trying to cover up that deadly wound in his chest, as if that way, he could take back his life. But as his hands touched that warm blood and felt the silence under the flesh, he broke down.

Dan Liang’s final curse rang by his ears; the long-standing nightmare of losing Song Hanzhang was finally fulfilled at this moment. Lin Jue knelt in front of Song Hanzhang’s corpse and wept.

Hot tears gushed out from his eyes, the salty liquid sending sharp pain along the slash across his face, but he couldn’t stop, he couldn’t!

Those tears of remorse, of sorrow, of despair didn’t relieve him of any of his pain. He only resented himself even more – why had he just watched him leave? He could have jumped down like he did just then, jump across the broken stairs and hold firmly onto his hands, he could have done it!

Now he was holding his hand again, but that hand was growing cold. No matter how hard he tried to warm him, this fragile warmth was easily taken by the silent air. He would only become colder and stiffer, like the countless corpses in this game.

Was this the end? Lin Jue asked himself in despair. Even if he could win, what was the point if they couldn’t live through it together?

Together…

Lin Jue suddenly jolted as if an electric shock ran through him. He hurriedly unzipped the pocket on his jacket; that small witch box was here.

[Witch Box: A player bound to the Witch Box will not be erased after dying as long as the Witch Box has not been destroyed, and will instead lose all of their skills and items gained in the game. Players in possession of the bound Witch Box can revive the player within the box by sacrificing three players. Remaining Uses: 1/1, Sacrifice Count: 0/3. Unactivated.]

[Confirm activation?]

Activate!

[Witch Box has entered sacrifice mode. Three sacrifices are required, whose times of death cannot exceed five minutes. The corpse bound to the item cannot be used as a sacrifice. Sacrifice count: 0/3.]

Lin Jue slowly pressed the box to his chest as if holding his dearest treasure.

He laughed quietly, the blood-curdling laughter echoing in the moonlight with a faint devastation and madness.

He would bring him back, definitely.

***

Vera’s Notes:

We in the industry call this ‘not healthy’. Folks, don’t be like Lin Jue, choose alternate methods of expressing grief such as: crying, talking to a loved one, grief counseling, and not participating in kill-3-get-1-free deals.

|TOC|

Like this:Like Loading...