The whole team was in a foul mood after Zhong Chengjian"s unexpected breakdown.
Zhong Chengjian had hacked the woman body"s to pieces to the point that her corpse was unrecognizable; lumps of tissue and flesh were messily littered about, and thick crimson blood spattered the kitchen floors.
Smeared in blood from head to toe, Zhong Chengjian covered his face with his trembling hands and howled miserably. He simply couldn"t keep himself together; it was as if he couldn"t take any more of this, as if he had already given up on himself.
The look on everyone"s faces was beyond complicated. An infuriated Tang Yaoyao stood near the pool of blood, looking as if she wanted to strangle somebody. With black lines marring her face, she scrubbed her arms hatefully in an attempt to clean the blood off her body.
"Wu wu wu, what should I do?" Zhong Chengjian choked out between his sobs. "I didn"t mean to kill her, I didn"t mean to kill her. I was just so p.i.s.sed…it was just in the heat of the moment…"
"Kill, kill, kill," snarled Zhang Xinghuo, incredibly annoyed. His already ruined mood grew even worse after hearing the other repeat the word "kill" way too many times for his liking. He spitefully added, "In any case, this isn"t the real world, and there are no police officers to arrest you here, so what the f.u.c.k are you crying about?"
"Right. That"s right. This isn"t reality." Having been reminded of this by Zhang Xinghuo, Zhong Chengjian suddenly seemed to have become enlightened. His face broke into a wide grin, and he happily bobbed his head in agreement. "As long as I leave this place, n.o.body will know that I killed someone."
Not a single person uttered a word upon hearing this. Tang Yaoyao"s lips curled into a contemptuous sneer. No questions asked, every experienced person here held the same exact thought. It was certainly true that you would be free and alright once you left this h.e.l.lhole, but that"s also under the condition that you are able to leave it in the first place.
As the members talked amongst themselves, Lin Qiushi caught sight of two shadows flitting past the doorway. Although he wasn"t able to see the shadows clearly, he was positive the figures belonged to the remaining two identical little girls.
"Now what?" Tang Yaoyao looked at the ghastly, chaotic ruins of what was supposed to be a kitchen, and her head began to ache. She pressed her fingers against her temples and grumbled, "Look at this kitchen. I honestly don"t want to go in there and clean this mess."
"Just wait a bit." Ruan Nanzhu said. "Perhaps it"ll be as clean as a sheet tomorrow."
a.s.suming he was merely joking around, the group didn"t bother responding to him.
That afternoon, everyone locked themselves in their rooms. The filthy kitchen hadn"t been cleaned, and the pungent smell even managed to spread to the living room, causing those sitting there to gag at the rancid stench. Without a second thought, everyone vacated the area, helplessly escaping to their rooms so that they didn"t have to bear with this vile odor any longer.
When it was time for dinner, Lin Qiushi, who was sitting on the bed with his head down as he played with his mobile phone, smelled the aroma of food.
The scent was indescribably tantalizing, simply mouthwatering. The moment it hit Lin Qiushi"s nostrils, he couldn"t help but drool. Swallowing hard, he wondered, "What is this smell?"
"Someone"s cooking?" A dejected Ruan Nanzhu was sprawled listlessly across the bed. He groaned in frustration, "Ugh, I"m f.u.c.king starving. That"s final, I"m treating myself to the best meal when I get back."
Lin Qiushi: "Should we go and have a look?"
Ruan Nanzhu: "Let"s go."
Pretty much everyone could agree that they hadn"t eaten a decent meal since arriving to this world. Whenever they saw an appetizing dish before them, they wouldn"t dare move their chopsticks. In fact, they practically lived off of dry, tasteless bread every day. As Ruan Nanzhu put it, one became what they ate—this dry bread was virtually sucking the life out of them; the more they ate this dry bread, the drier and more miserable they themselves became.
When the two of them stepped out of their room, they spotted the others leaving their rooms as well. It appeared as though the other members also came out because of the tempting aroma.
"Who"s cooking?" Xu Xiaocheng gulped down her saliva. On one hand, she was starving to death, but on the other hand, she was terrified to death; her fear was holding her back, but her hunger and greed were urging her. "It looks like someone is in the kitchen…"
"Let"s go take a look." Ruan Nanzhu suggested.
The group followed the enticing scent back into the repulsive kitchen that was supposed to be painted with thick blood. However, contrary to everyone"s expectations, that odious kitchen that was left in shambles, with strips of flesh, residues of ground tissue, and twisted limbs strewn across the blood-slathered floors, had undergone a total renovation; it was so immaculate that it gave them the impression that it was a brand-new kitchen instead. And at this very moment, there were two large pots on the stovetop, bubbling softly and exuding a rich aroma.
Lin Qiushi took a step forward, cautiously walked over to the pots, and took a peek inside, only to see a few pieces of meat occasionally floating in the boiling stew. He then bowed his head and carefully examined the floor. Upon scrutinizing the area, he found that the blood, which was supposed to be difficult to remove, had basically vanished, only leaving behind traces of black stains.
This scene only reminded him of what happened after the pitiful Zeng Ruguo died.
"Nothing." Lin Qiushi murmured. "The corpse is gone."
The faint Xu Xiaocheng stammered, "N-Not even a few hours have pa.s.sed yet…just how could it become so clean…"
"This isn"t the normal world." Ruan Nanzhu once again pointed out. "You have to think unconventionally; you can"t explain things here using common sense or any natural laws."
While they were standing in the kitchen talking to each other, the rest of the team came up to them. Tang Yaoyao sighed in relief when she saw that the kitchen was spotless. She muttered under her breath, "Fortunately, the kitchen is clean; otherwise, what are we supposed to eat for the next few days?" She then sauntered over to Lin Qiushi"s side, gazed at the pot, and praised, "It smells delicious."
Lin Qiushi let out a dry chuckle. "It might smell delicious, but you also don"t have the guts to eat it."
Tang Yaoyao was rendered speechless.
Zhong Chengjian was also within the crowd, and his mental state was looking far from good. He constantly b.u.mbled like an utter fool, spouting unintelligible things and issuing random noises. The jumbled words spilling out of his mouth were simply incoherent and nonsensical; only G.o.d knew what he was trying to say! It seemed as though if someone were to poke him slightly and feed him a bit more stimulation, he would surely become mad!
Then again, it wasn"t easy to maintain one"s sanity when trapped in a closed environment, where everyone was forced to endure various unimaginable and bizarre conditions.
In just a couple of days, everyone"s faces had become haggard and drawn. As the skies grew darker, the atmosphere became increasingly heavy, until all that was left was sense of foreboding and apprehension for the dreadful night that was approaching once again.
None of them had eaten well, they hadn"t slept well, and they even had to face the threat of ghosts. It just couldn"t be any worse!
Too many things happened during the day, and now, everyone was weary and exhausted. The same was true for Lin Qiushi. And so, he decided to wash up early and head back to his room to sleep. Upon finishing his business, he exited the bathroom and noticed Tang Yaoyao standing in one spot in the women"s room. Lin Qiushi knitted his brows and wondered what in the world she was up to. After observing for a while, he eventually called out, "Tang Yaoyao?"
"Huh? What"s up?" Tang Yaoyao swiveled her head around at his voice.
"It"s rather late." Lin Qiushi pointed at the pitch-black night outside the window. "Aren"t you going to go to bed?"
"In a bit." Tang Yaoyao replied. "But I can"t seem to wipe the blood off my body."
Lin Qiushi paused, "…What?"
Raising her voice, Tang Yaoyao loudly repeated, "I said I can"t seem to wipe this blasted blood off my body!"
It simply wouldn"t disappear despite how hard one scrubbed it. Lin Qiushi instantly recalled what occurred the first day he arrived here, how Zeng Ruguo voiced something similar when he tried washing the blood off his body in the shower. Upon recollecting this, Lin Qiushi anxiously shouted, "Don"t try to wash it off anymore! It"s late; just go back to your room as soon as possible!!!"
Sensing the urgency and worry lacing Lin Qiushi"s voice, Tang Yaoyao immediately paused; her hand froze in its place, and she no longer tried rubbing the blood off her arm. "Alright. You head back first, I"ll be right out."
Lin Qiushi stressed, "Make it fast."
"Mhm." Tang Yaoyao hummed in reply.
In the Grimms" fairy tale, Fitcher"s Bird, before the sorcerer would leave his home and depart for his journey, he would always give the sisters an egg to keep safe. And as long as they opened the door to the taboo room, the egg they held in their hands would inevitably fall to the ground and be stained with blood, never to be wiped clean. And so, when the sorcerer returned home, only to see the stains on the egg, he would make sure those sisters knew the consequences of their actions. He would subsequently butcher the sisters, hacking them to pieces, and toss their mangled corpses and flimsy limbs into the bas.e.m.e.nt.
At long last, Lin Qiushi finally recognized the importance of the note he chanced upon in the first door. If he didn"t know anything about this children"s fairy tale, he was afraid that he"d be completely in the dark about this entire world and the circ.u.mstances surrounding it.
But now, the murky connection between the world of this door and that children"s fairy tale gradually floated above the water"s surface, clearly reflecting the situation at hand.
Once Lin Qiushi noticed that the sound of rushing water ceased, meaning that Tang Yaoyao had closed the faucet, he returned to his room. The first sight that greeted him when he walked into the room was a bored Ruan Nanzhu, lethargically spread out on the bed and casually playing puzzle games on Lin Qiushi"s phone.
Lin Qiushi laid his body down right beside him and remarked, "It looks like the blood on Tang Yaoyao"s body can"t be washed off."
"Naturally, the blood staining the eggs can"t be cleaned." Ruan Nanzhu didn"t raise his head. "Otherwise, what"s the sorcerer supposed to look for once it"s clean? How would they able to find their marked targets without any sort of identification?"
Lin Qiushi: "Who"s the sorcerer?"
Ruan Nanzhu merely shook his head and didn"t respond. Lin Qiushi narrowed his eyes; he simply couldn"t figure out whether the other truly didn"t know who the sorcerer was, or if he simply didn"t want to reveal it.
"There"s going to be another death tonight." Today, nearly all but three of them had been stained with blood. Lin Qiushi brooded over this, "I don"t know who it"ll be…"
Ruan Nanzhu put down the cell phone in his hand. With his head c.o.c.ked to one side, he stared thoughtfully at Lin Qiushi. "You know, you truly are an interesting fellow."
"Huh?" Lin Qiushi blinked in perplexity.
Ruan Nanzhu clarified, "I thought that you would try to find a way to save them." Ever since he had been in contact with Lin Qiushi, he came to notice that Lin Qiushi possessed quite a soft heart; he was someone who was foolishly kind but who would show a serious side when it came to life—as it was evident that he attached great importance to life. And yet, when he knew that death was unavoidable and imminent, this big softie who valued life greatly would adopt an unperturbed and calm bearing.
"I"m not as smart as you are. If even you didn"t manage to think of any way, what more can I do?" Lin Qiushi yawned. "I"m rather tired. I"ll be going to bed first."
Ruan Nanzhu bid the other good night, "Good night."
"Good night," whispered Lin Qiushi.
With his mind prepared and his heart steeled for the night to come, Lin Qiushi already expected to be awoken during his time of sleep. And sure enough, it was as he had antic.i.p.ated. At around three o"clock in the morning, he was started awake, roused by a disturbing noise. The peculiar sound seemed to be coming from afar, for it was barely audible.
Lin Qiushi tossed over to lay on his other side, only to catch sight of the tranquil face of Ruan Nanzhu who was sleeping peacefully next to him. He had to admit it. Ruan Nanzhu was undeniably stunning; he was truly as beautiful as a woman, if not even more so. As of this moment, the other"s thick, long lashes were gracefully fluttering with every soft breath he took, like a b.u.t.terfly flittering gently in the wind.
The strange sound persisted. Lin Qiushi began mulling over whether he should wake Ruan Nanzhu up.
However, before he could decide on how to proceed, a wretched shriek echoed throughout the building. The one who cried out was undoubtedly Zhang Xinghuo. It was as if he had encountered something unspeakable terrifying, something woefully ghastly, because he continued screaming like a banshee until his vocal cords were on the verge of snapping.
The sound was so loud that even Ruan Nanzhu, the slumbering pig notorious for sleeping like the dead, woke up. As soon as his eyes flew open, he and Lin Qiushi, who was directly across from his line of sight, locked gazes. Lin Qiushi hadn"t even opened his mouth to say something, before Ruan Nanzhu cut him off and bashfully squealed, "How hateful! Too embarra.s.sing! I can"t believe you actually watched this one all night!"
Lin Qiushi tried defending himself: "N-No, that"s not it. I didn"t—"
Ruan Nanzhu: "Well, it"s fine. It doesn"t matter. I understand completely. I also know that I"m so good-looking that I tend to unintentionally capture people"s eyes."
Lin Qiushi: "…" Yeah yeah, just keep saying that. Go ahead and praise yourself to the heavens. As long as you"re happy, whatever.
The blood-curdling screeches from outside didn"t pause. Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu soon got dressed and turned on the lights. When the left the room, they saw a terror-stricken Zhang Xinghuo at the end of the corridor, still screaming in horror.
The others had also awoken from the noise; one after another, they came over to see what the ruckus was all about.
Tang Yaoyao stomped to the other"s side and fiercely demanded, "Stop yelling! Now tell us what the h.e.l.l is going on!"
"Dead! Zhong Chengjian is dead!!!" Zhang Xinghuo curled up into a ball and began rocking back and forth; he was obviously suffering from severe trauma. He cried out, "He died in the room—"
Tang Yaoyao snapped, "Is he the first person to have died? The issue here is, what"s up with your reaction? Why in the world is a big man like you acting like a sissy and reacting in this exaggerated manner? Don"t tell me you thought he"d still live after throwing that tantrum yesterday?"
Zhong Chengjian had caused such a disturbance yesterday afternoon, so everyone knew that he wouldn"t have long to live. But no one knew what exactly happened in the end; they couldn"t fathom any situation that could provoke Zhang Xinghuo to this extent.
But the moment they stepped foot into the room where Zhang Xinghuo roomed with Zhong Chengjian, they instantly understood why Zhang Xinghuo reacted as he did.
Because all that was left on the bed in the room was a flimsy sheet—of human skin.
There were no bones. No flesh or tissues. No hair. The man"s entire body had been hollowed out, and all that remained behind was his skin, silently resting atop the bed, inducing various negative emotions in all those who witnessed this sight.
Xu Xiaocheng couldn"t endure any longer. She quickly turned her back to the scene and puked her guts out.
Tang Yaoyao"s complexion had also turned ashen. Her body quivered in horror, and she retreated a few steps.
Only Ruan Nanzhu"s expression remained unchanged. He mumbled something under his breath.
Lin Qiushi was close to him, so he clearly heard the other mutter, "Oh, it seems that the inside of his body"s been cleaned out…"
Lin Qiushi: "…" You"re really shameless, you know that? Are you happy with how thick your own skin is?
"Wu wu, wu wu. I heard something in the middle of the night. When I turned on the light, I just saw him like this—dead!" Zhang Xinghuo collapsed to the ground and began shivering uncontrollably. "Something came into our room. It killed Zhong Chengjian, and then left…."
Lin Qiushi: "Did it sound like a spoon sc.r.a.ping something?"
Zhang Xinghuo was shocked. "Y-yes! Exactly so! You heard it, too?!"
Lin Qiushi: "Mhm… I heard it."
It was reasonable to say that Lin Qiushi and Zhang Xinghuo"s rooms weren"t at all close to each other. This faint noise shouldn"t have been heard by the other, but not only had Lin Qiushi heard this indistinct sound, he actually heard it loud and clear!
No one could say for certain what Lin Qiushi was suggesting by affirming this, but Lin Qiushi might as well have not mentioned this, for his declaration only served to arouse feelings of disgust, horror, and bewilderment in the others. The expression on everyone"s faces became increasingly ugly. What exactly did he mean by it sounded like a spoon sc.r.a.ping something? It couldn"t be that Zhong Chengjian"s insides were sc.r.a.ped out little by little with a mere spoon, right?
"Can you not describe it so detailed?" Tang Yaoyao envisioned the scenario, and her body broke out into gooseb.u.mps. Attempting to suppress the bile threatening to force its way up, she swallowed hard; her throat nervously bobbed up and down. She anxiously licked her lips and hoa.r.s.ely retorted, "How do you know for sure that it"s a spoon, and not something else…"
Lin Qiushi shrugged, "I don"t know. It"s just that the first thing I thought of was a spoon." He himself didn"t know why he used such a metaphor to describe the noise, but the instant his ears caught that sound, he simply a.s.sociated it with another sound he was vaguely familiar with, and so the first image that popped to his mind was a spoon sc.r.a.ping something.
"It"s pretty funny that Yu Linlin happened to describe it like that." The blood had long drained from Zhang Xinghuo"s face. "In fact, this is the first time I"ve heard something like that; however, now that he mentioned it, it definitely did sound like a spoon sc.r.a.ping something out…" As he spoke, violent trembles wracked his body once again. He swayed on his feet and looked as if he"d fall unconscious to the ground at any given second.
Then again, if one thought about it, the person living with him had just died. His viscera and flesh were meticulously scooped out with a spoon, and all that remained was a gory peel of intact human skin. Just who would be able to maintain their composure after having witnessed a sight like this?
It was only natural that no one could fall back asleep after such an incident broke out. Everyone was wary, and pessimistic thoughts plagued their minds; they thought about how there was no safe place in this building.
Everyone returned to the living room and mutely sat themselves down on the sofa.
Ruan Nanzhu had incomparable guts. He gently set his head on Lin Qiushi"s shoulder, cuddling into the other"s side and making himself comfortable, then quietly dozed off.
Tang Yaoyao, who was sitting beside them and watching the entire spectacle unfold, rolled her eyes and scoffed. She bitterly derided, "Zhu Meng sure can sleep, huh? Isn"t your shoulder sore, Yu Linlin?"
"I"m fine. It isn"t sore." Lin Qiushi replied. "Zhu Meng really can sleep though, sleeps pretty well, in fact."
"Hehe, well would you look at that. How cute. You two are really something." Tang Yaoyao said. "To think you two can even fall in love in a place like this…"
Lin Qiushi didn"t respond. How could he just say that the gorgeous princess resting on his shoulder was, in actuality, a big gentleman who was even manlier than him, ah! And even if he did say it, who in the world would believe it?! Only G.o.d knows why Ruan Nanzhu ended up being the most beautiful "girl" inside the door worlds.
They endured and endured, forcing their blood-shot eyes open in spite of their exhaustion, until the break of dawn.
At long last, Zhang Xinghuo broke free from his distressing fear. He announced with a wry smile that he was extremely hungry and wanted to eat something.
"There"s only dry bread." Tang Yaoyao told him. "Unless you happen to be interested in that stuff inside the fridge?"
Zhang Xinghuo shook his head, indicating he certainly wasn"t interested. The bag filled with the little girl"s chopped-up corpse and limbs had been stuffed inside that fridge a while back. They couldn"t imagine anyone who would eat that, much less anyone who would even think about eating it.
Someone had already died today, so everyone a.s.sumed that the conditions of the door world would be rendered void as of this moment. But who would"ve imagined that the group of individuals weren"t even gathered together for more than half an hour, before they all surrendered to sleep without any warning.
It wasn"t until the dawn of the next day that everyone awoke.
Lin Qiushi was the first to wake up. He opened his eyes and saw everyone collapsed on the sofa. Xu Xiaocheng and Tang Yaoyao were leaning against each other, and Zhang Xinghuo was huddled into a ball where he slept. Ruan Nanzhu"s arms were wrapped around Lin Qiushi"s neck and waist, so naturally, Lin Qiushi"s entire body was drawn into the other"s embrace, nestled tightly against the other"s chest.
Ruan Nanzhu eventually woke up when Lin Qiushi moved. He opened his eyes in a daze, and still feeling a bit muddled-headed, he wondered, "It"s morning?"
"Yeah." Lin Qiushi grunted. "We all fell asleep. That"s too dangerous…"
"What "too dangerous"?" Ruan Nanzhu dismissed indifferently. "We could"ve died if we had slept in that coffin-like room, too. Besides the King of h.e.l.l swears by a three-hour shift, from eleven o"clock in the night to one o"clock in the morning. It"s already a pain in the a.s.s for him to be trying to drag people to h.e.l.l during those three hours, so imagine how much of a struggle it would be for him to try to work on a five hour shift instead; he"d probably die at that rate."
As if that"s true. Lin Qiushi"s face revealed helplessness.
The two"s hushed discussion eventually woke the others from their sleep, as well. Xu Xiaocheng had reacted similarly to Lin Qiushi the second she opened her eyes. Like Lin Qiushi, she thought that it was way too risky and dangerous to have fallen asleep while sitting on the sofa together.
"Is there anything to eat?" Just as he did yesterday, Zhang Xinghuo began to clamor that he was starving; the very first thing that came out of his mouth the moment he woke up had to do with his hunger and how he wanted to eat.
"I"ll go to the kitchen and check things out." Tang Yaoyao heaved herself up off the couch and headed towards the kitchen. After a while, her voice came from inside the kitchen, "How about you guys come in here and have a look as well, yes?"
Lin Qiushi thought that there was something strange about the way she spoke. Nevertheless, when he entered the kitchen, he finally realized why her tone when she called out to them was so strange.
Because on top of the wood board inside the kitchen was a freshly-prepared meal, seeming intended for those hoping to eat breakfast. Light porridge, baked bread that was hot out of the oven, and boiled eggs for everyone present. These dishes might not be anything fancy in the real world; in fact, one might as well say these dishes were remarkably simple. However, for those who have not eaten well for the past few days, these dishes were more than tempting and could even be considered delicacies.
"Who made this?" asked Lin Qiushi.
"I"ve no idea." Tang Yaoyao replied, just as clueless. "It was already prepared when I walked in. Wait, Zhang Xinghuo, what in the world are you rushing—"
As they were chatting between themselves, Zhang Xinghuo had already made a beeline for the bowl. Without any hesitation, he clasped the bowl in his hands, brought it to his lips, and slurped on it noisily. When he finally downed the entire bowl, he brusquely wiped his mouth and responded, "I"m so hungry. I don"t want to wait any longer."
"It should be fine. In any case, I"m hungry, as well." Ruan Nanzhu examined the meal and saw no problems with it. "Let"s eat."
Ruan Nanzhu had pretty much become the main pillar of the team. So, when he declared the dishes were safe to eat, no one hesitated to pick up their chopsticks and dig into the meal before them.
Truthfully speaking, Lin Qiushi was also quite hungry. He inhaled a large piece of bread and three bowls of porridge in just one breath, but he never touched the boiled eggs, as he couldn"t seem to jump over that hurdle.
On the contrary, there seemed to be nothing that could stop Ruan Nanzhu from feasting; it was like a switch inside him had flipped. Bite after bite, he devoured the eggs, and before one knew it, he had already swallowed three in one shot. Afterwards, he gracefully wiped his mouth and expressed that he was full.
At last, their hunger had been satiated. Satisfaction and lethargy colored everyone"s faces a healthy shade.
"That was so good. I"m so full." Xu Xiaocheng stroked her bulging belly and giggled ecstatically, "Ah, I"m so happy! I haven"t eaten so much in such a long time. Though I wonder…who made this meal?"
"Well, whoever did it, did it." Tang Yaoyao continued, "Luckily, because of this person, we ended up eating so much that—" She wanted to say that they managed to solve their hunger, as they were now full, but just then, the sentence she uttered died at her lips; her words abruptly got caught in her throat, and she involuntarily swallowed whatever she was going to say back down.
Because a figure slowly emerged in front of the crowd. It was a woman donning an ap.r.o.n, with tousled curls loosely scattered and cascading past her shoulders. Her features were quite ordinary, nothing overly special, but the kind smile on her face was striking. She noticed the group before her gape at her with looks of horror on their faces, but she merely turned her head, flashed them a wide grin, showing off her bright pearly whites, and chuckled softly, "Oh my, what are you all looking at me like that for? Go on, eat. I cooked this specifically for you all. How is it? Is it tasty?"
Xu Xiaocheng covered her mouth and bolted for the bathroom.
A grave, deathly silence hung in the atmosphere. Everyone held their breaths as they stared at the woman—just yesterday, the mother of the triplets had been hacked to death by Zhong Chengjian, yet as of this very moment, the woman who had been met with an unimaginably tragic death, where all her internal organs were spilling from the gaping holes in her body and her limbs were ripped apart to the extent that they could never be attached again, was standing right before them, seamlessly intact and uninjured; if that wasn"t all, she even exposed a gentle smile as she sincerely asked them if the breakfast they ate was delicious.
It"s no wonder Xu Xiaocheng immediately dashed for the toilet and spewed the meal she"d just gorged herself on.
"What"s the matter? Does it not suit your tastes?" The woman couldn"t seem to comprehend why the others were gawking at her that way, and she continued pestering them with questions.
"It was delicious." Ruan Nanhzu was the first to finally open his mouth and speak. "Thank you for the meal."
"You enjoyed the meal." The woman smiled sweetly. "The children at home are such picky eaters, unlike you all; they only eat what they like." Once she finished saying this, she turned on her heels, and t.i.ttering gleefully, she exited the area, leaving behind a room full of individuals whose twisted expression looked as if they"d just been fed dog s.h.i.t.
Lin Qiushi was quite calm, but Tang Yaoyao had begun spitting out the most unpleasant string of curse words. Judging from her unsettled and discomfited appearance, it was obvious that she was utterly repulsed by what she had just eaten.
Furthermore, this person had been brutally torn apart yesterday, but today, that same person had managed to prepare scrumptious meals for them. Naturally, everyone believed that the breakfast they just ate was a big deal, and not in a good way; it was one of the biggest problems they"d faced yet. Everyone"s initial reaction was to regurgitate what they"d just eaten, but unfortunately, they couldn"t do so; yet, at the same time, they couldn"t even swallow it all the way down, causing the food to be lodged in the most uncomfortable spots in their throats, where they couldn"t spit it out or force it down.
Although the woman was faced with apprehensive and hostile gazes, she did not seem to mind. She slowly ambled back into the kitchen and asked, "What would you all like to eat at noon? There is quite a lot of meat inside the refrigerator…" She picked up the knife and tenderly caressed the blade for a moment. She then paused and continued, "I can cook you all even tastier food."
The knife in her hand was the same one Zhong Chengjian had used to attack her that day. At a closer look, one could see a few specks of black running along the blade.
No one breathed a sound, and they cautiously backed out of the kitchen.
Xu Xiaocheng soon returned to the living room where the rest of the group was seated. Her face was white, her lips colorless, and she seemed seconds away from fainting. Sitting on the sofa, she gasped for air and bawled melodramatically, "I can"t… I can"t do this anymore! Just kill me already…"
"You should"ve gotten used to this by now." Ruan Nanzhu unsympathetically said. "Just how many times have you vomited these days, ah? You vomited even more than a pregnant woman would."
Upon hearing his words, Xu Xiaocheng began sobbing even harder.
"How is she alive?" Tang Yaoyao just couldn"t wrap her mind around this. "Does this mean she"s a ghost now?"
"She is certainly not human; however, she also isn"t a ghost." Ruan Nanzhu answered. He then supposed, "Perhaps she"s an indispensable NPC. It could be that she"s particularly vital to this world; therefore, if she dies, she"ll only revive later on?"
Tang Yaoyao gave a curt nod, "Your hypothesis is quite novel."
"But there is another issue now." Ruan Nanzhu continued. "Does she still retain memories of her death whenever she is resurrected?"
Tang Yaoyao: "I"m guessing no? If that"s not the case, how can she act so nice in front of us?"
Ruan Nanzhu: "Maybe because the murder is already gone?"
Tang Yaoyao pursed her lips.
There was indeed one less amongst them, and that was Zhong Chengjian, the one who had slaughtered the woman. Fortunately, Zhong Chengjian was long gone; otherwise, if he were to witness the woman"s resurrection, according to his state of mind, he would surely charge at the woman with the knife again and kill her for a second time.
"On the brighter side, at least someone will help make breakfast for us now." Ruan Nanzhu commented. "I don"t want to eat that dry bread anymore."
"You dare eat what she cooks?" Tang Yaoyao openly expressed her disapproval of Ruan Nanzhu"s audacious behavior.
"Didn"t you also eat today?" Ruan Nanzhu mercilessly exposed the cold truth as it was. "In fact, you even ate more than I did. Everyone here ate."
Tang Yaoyao: "…"
Sitting right next to him, Xu Xiaocheng feebly raised her hand. "I technically didn"t eat anything though. I threw all of it up."
The others: "…" Well, look at you! Now aren"t you an amazing one!
Author"s Comment:
Ruan Nanzhu: I love eating eggs so much.
Lin Qiushi: Why do you always like to stare at me whenever you"re eating eggs?
Ruan Nanzhu: We"re all eggs right now! *wink*
Lin Qiushi: … You… You just… Quit it!
I"ve been plagiarized again; I truly hope to encounter this less in the future, as it honestly affects my mood. _(:з」∠)_