Before I could react, I felt the dark shadow swirling overhead, the sound of its wings flapping echoing in my ears like the whisper of death.

Xi Xi instinctively shone her flashlight upwards, but the dark shadow nimbly dodged the light, leaving only a blurry silhouette.

Just then, a sharp pain shot through her scalp, as if something was tearing at her hair.

Oh no, I forgot my hat.

Xi Xi knew something was wrong, cried out in alarm, and waved her hand. The flashlight crashed heavily to the ground due to inertia and instantly went dark.

Xi Xi pulled out the handle of the light-blade scythe from her waist, unleashed a beam of light, and swept it horizontally overhead. The indigo-purple light and shadow instantly burst into sparks. As a series of piercing screams rang out, Xi Xi took the opportunity to bend down, grab the treasure chest, and quickly rush back to the cart.

The instant the car door closed, Xi Xi saw red dots constantly appearing around the car on the central control screen, spreading rapidly like a dense swarm of ants, and covering the entire screen in the blink of an eye.

She screamed at the top of her lungs, "Drive!" and then quickly pulled all the curtains shut inside the car.

At this moment, Xi Xi could clearly feel her heart pounding wildly and violently, like a gong or drum.

Only after the car sped away again, looking at the enclosed environment inside, did the intense fear begin to subside slightly.

She gasped for breath and looked down at her coat, only to find it stained beyond recognition with large, shocking patches of blood.

Blood dripped steadily from her wet hair, leaving bright red stains on the car seat. The pungent smell of blood filled the small space, making everyone feel extremely uncomfortable.

The little white duck was clearly terrified by the sight before it. It flapped its wings frantically and stumbled to Xi Xi, shedding several strands of its white feathers in its panic.

Xi Xi took off her blood-stained coat and whispered reassuringly, "It's okay, it's not my blood." Then she calmly lit a cleansing talisman.

In an instant, the burning cleansing talisman turned into sparks that drifted into the air.

A gentle breeze, seemingly from nowhere, swept across my face, and in no time, everything around me returned to normal.

The bloodstains and the foul smell of blood inside the car vanished without a trace, as if everything that had just happened was a terrible nightmare.

Just as Xi Xi was about to say something, she suddenly noticed that the stone treasure chest in front of her seemed unusual, and couldn't help but frown.

The treasure chest was bound with heavy iron chains, and a huge lock blocked the opening, giving it a sense of being bound and unable to break free.

[Item Hint: A locked intermediate treasure chest.]