Chapter 22: Haunted Houses in the Republic of China (Twenty-Two)
Xia Yingnuan couldn't tell whether the time she spent sinking into darkness could be considered sleep, but it was definitely not the relaxation that Ning Hanqi mentioned.
Because when she fell into darkness, she felt like she was dreaming and awake at the same time. She could not see anything, but she could feel countless pairs of eyes staring at her in the darkness. They were either scrutinizing, mocking, or curious... So many gazes penetrated her soul, making her suffer every second.
She felt that this scene was familiar, as if she had experienced it before, but there was no such scene in her memory.
This feeling of being on edge lasted for a long time. Xia Yingnuan struggled to regain consciousness on her own. Although she had no heartbeat, she felt a dull pain deep in her soul, as if she had the aftereffects of being stared at by those things.
She didn't know if it was because she was gradually approaching the day when she would completely lose control, but when she struggled to wake up, she saw her past memories again. Those memories were becoming less and less real to her. Even though the pain from the past and the hatred in her heart still existed, she found it difficult to put herself into that state.
Forget it, don’t think about it anymore. This is not the important thing right now.
Xia Yingnuan opened her eyes. Due to the influence of the prop [Circus Night], the time here was blurred, and the last day would be spent in darkness. She could no longer perceive the specific time. Only the time on the player's pocket watch was real and accurate.
"What time is it now?" Xia Yingnuan rubbed against Ning Hanqi's arms.
"It's already seven o'clock. How was your rest?" Ning Hanqi gently touched her forehead.
"Seven o'clock?" Xia Yingnuan sat up straight with a snap, her face turning ugly for a moment, which meant that she had not been able to wake up for almost ten hours from last night to this morning. She felt more and more that she was not asleep just now, but had a silent one-way communication with something behind the game.
However, in order not to worry Ning Hanqi, she quickly adjusted her mood.
"Reading? Did you rest last night?"
Ning Hanqi was holding a book in his hand, and he didn't know how many times the candle had been changed.
"I rested for a while, but I couldn't fall asleep." Although Ning Hanqi opened the book, she was a little distracted and her mind was not on the book.
"Don't worry, I will get you out of here safely..." Only then did Xia Yingnuan realize that the book in Ning Hanqi's hand was her best treasure.
When she was getting married, someone prepared some "study materials" for her. She later found some books she liked and put them at the bottom of her bookcase. How did Ning Hanqi find them?!
The next second, the book in Ning Hanqi's hand disappeared.
"Children should read less of those books." Xia Yingnuan confiscated her books righteously.
"Little kid," Ning Hanqi silently withdrew his hand and said softly, "If Nuannuan can't sleep alone, I can... "
Ning Hanqi's mouth was covered, and her clear eyes stared straight at Xia Yingnuan, as if reflecting all the dirty waste in a ghost's heart.
Around seven or eight o'clock in the evening, the owner of the milk tea shop where Ning Hanqi worked came over. When she first came in, she was worried that the patient was resting so she walked very carefully. But when she saw Ning Hanqi leaning on the hospital bed eating fruit, she closed the door and ran over.
"My dear Hanhan!!! Let me see you! How come you have become so thin after just a few days' absence? Is your condition serious? Have you had a full body check-up? Don't worry about not having money, I will pay for it for you!" If the store manager hadn't heard from the old lady that Ning Hanqi's sister had come and was taking care of her in the hospital, he would have rushed over long ago.
The manager of this milk tea shop is only in her twenties. Other employees of Ning Hanqi Milk Tea Shop said that after graduating from university, she was looking for a job and met a troublesome boss. She resigned in anger. Her family gave her some money to start a business, and she opened a milk tea shop next door. Business is pretty good.
Seeing Ning Hanqi apply for the job, she almost immediately decided to hire her! Ahem, it wasn't because she wanted her to be the face of her shop. It was just that she saw this girl, only 19 years old, had come out on her own, and strangely enough in this era, she had no education. This unusual situation made her imagine a lot of things, such as a girl escaping from the mountains, something long enough to be filmed in a TV series.
Therefore, she could be said to be quite caring towards Ning Hanqi. This time, when she heard from the old landlady that Ning Hanqi's condition was serious and she needed to take many days off, she agreed without hesitation. She even worried for Ning Hanqi's sister when she heard that she was coming, fearing that she was a relative from the mountains who wanted to take her back.
If it wasn't for that wise old lady who guaranteed that the sister was fine, she would have gone to the hospital to check the situation long ago.
Although...
Grandma, are you sure her sister is really okay?
The store manager felt cold all over, and when she looked up, she saw the sinister gaze of "Sister Ning". Excuse me for saying this, if she turned off the lights now, she might mistake this person for a ghost.
She had never seen anyone with such terrifying eyes!
"Your...sister?" the store manager asked awkwardly.
"Yeah." Ning Hanqi nodded, then quietly tugged at the corner of Xia Yingnuan's clothes and said, "This is the manager of the milk tea shop where I work. He usually takes good care of me."
Seeing that Xia Yingnuan still looked unhappy, Ning Hanqi probably guessed what she was thinking.
"Sister~" The meaning of acting coquettishly is obvious.
The store manager gasped when he heard the "sister" cry. As an outsider, he felt his bones were about to break when he heard it. Wouldn't the sister in question be eaten alive?
Xia Yingnuan's fingers were hooked by someone, and she trembled slightly uncontrollably.
"...Hello, thank you for taking care of my sister these days." Xia Yingnuan's expression finally eased, but it was still not good, and her tone was cold.
hiss……
So cool, but both sisters are equally beautiful!
"You're welcome, you're welcome..." The store manager thought the indifference was just due to the other person's personality, so he didn't think much about it.
She had never expected that the stingy ghost would take notice of her because of the words "My Hanhan" she said when she first entered the door, but fortunately Ning Hanqi helped to resolve the crisis.
After all, even if the influence of the copy on Xia Yingnuan was removed, Xia Yingnuan was still a real evil spirit. Especially when it came to matters involving Ning Hanqi, she couldn't control herself when she became unreasonable.
"Then Miss Ning...are you planning to bring your sister home this time?" The store manager naturally thought that Xia Yingnuan and Ning Hanqi had the same surname.
"My surname is Xia."
"Oh, so Miss Xia is planning to..."
"Live here with her and take care of her nearby."
"That's fine, that's fine. It's really not good for a teenage girl to live alone in that place. It would be best if my sister could take her to a better place when she comes."
"Indeed, we are planning to move." Xia Yingnuan nodded. There was nothing wrong with what she said, but the store manager felt an indescribable strange feeling.
These two sisters don’t look alike... but they are both very pretty, and have different surnames. Do they take their parents’ surnames, or are they stepsisters?
Never mind, it’s someone else’s family affair.
"If you need help when moving, just let me know! You're welcome!" said the store manager enthusiastically.
"Don't bother, I don't have much stuff to move." If all the luggage in Ning Hanqi's small hotel were packed together, it was unclear whether it could fill half of the suitcase.
"What's the trouble? It's just a matter of helping out. Oh, and the store has enough staff. Don't rush to come to work. Get some rest before coming. I knew it was going to be bad the last time I saw your face, and now it looks like it's really happened."
"Is a week's vacation enough? Forget it, I'll let your sister supervise you then." The store manager said to Xia Yingnuan in a familiar manner, "I'm the best boss in the world. I would never mistreat my employees! If Hanhan is not suitable for work, please tell me!"
[Rotten Twin Lotus Bracelet: Once twin lotus flowers, one pure and the other bright, depended on each other. However, the flames of jealousy burned the pure petals of the other, leaving the other, which should have been bright, to rot in the mud.]
[Using this item, players can randomly inflict a negative effect on ghosts (including: dizziness, headache, falling flat on the ground, continuous hiccups, and being torn apart...]
Madam Xia is a stingy ghost, but you've earned the affection of the Xia family. This item is now available to you without any conditions or restrictions. Congratulations, lucky one!
[Ding! Special conditions have been triggered, and props will be updated.]
[Guardian (Usable 3/3 times): The mother who tragically died resented her own inability to do anything. She channeled her last bit of strength into this bracelet, hoping to protect her daughter in the future...]
The moment the elevator started running, the light flashed a few times and then went out. The elevator, which had just started to descend, suddenly stopped, and with a "ding" sound, the elevator door slowly opened.
The hotel was filled with a chilling, cold atmosphere, but this time, when the elevator door opened, a wave of heat swept in, accompanied by an increasingly strong smell of burning.
She chose the 2nd floor, but judging from the speed of the elevator, the floor that opened was definitely not the 2nd floor.
"Sizzle..." "Yeah, we haven't seen each other for decades." Ning Hanqi stood behind his chair and didn't sit down immediately. "I keep thinking that if I had skinned you clean back then, the whole game would have been 80% peaceful."
The other party laughed out loud, taking it as a compliment.
"You don't understand. The drama of all living things is quite interesting. We have too much time. If we don't find some fun, life will be too boring."
"If you're bored, you can take my advice and peel off your skin layer by layer and put it outside in the sun. It will not only make you have less odor, but also make your life more fulfilling." Ning Hanqi seemed to be enduring, but in the end, a hint of disgust flashed in his eyes.
This is not a lie. The administrator in front of him does not have his own skin. It is estimated that he has hundreds of layers of skin on his body. One can imagine the faint smell emitted after the bottom layer of skin rots.
A long, long time ago, she had cut open the other person's stomach and torn open its skin. The smell inside was so strong that even she, a ghost, almost couldn't help but vomit. She still has some psychological trauma to this day.
"Heh." The administrator lowered his head slightly. He could not forget the pain of having his skin torn off. It was the greatest humiliation he had ever encountered in his life.
He was too reckless at that time, because he had only obtained a small part of the divine power. If he wanted to become an administrator, he had to find a larger piece of divine remains. As a result, when he used special props to sneak into other copies, he accidentally met this crazy woman.
Fortunately, he had props with him, which allowed him to teleport back urgently. In the end, the other party was cautious and did not dare to chase him. Otherwise, it would be hard to say whether he could sit here now.
"Thank you for your concern. I am thinking about you every moment." The administrator's pretended caring tone sounded a bit disgusting, and it could not hide his evil intentions.
"Since you're here, when will your inauguration meeting be held?" the administrator asked, his mouth hidden beneath the cloth almost grinning from ear to ear. "Have you thought about adding any rules? This is your only chance. If they're reasonable, I'll try to vote in favor."
The administrator knew exactly what Ning Hanqi wanted. What she wanted was nothing more than something related to the ghost named Xia Yingnuan. The administrator had the power to add or change a rule at the beginning of his term, but the number of votes in favor among all administrators was greater than the number of votes against.
As far as He knew, the other four administrators would not show up for a long time. Absence meant abstention, so the only ones present who could vote were He and Ning Hanqi.
As long as he keeps voting against, Ning Hanqi will not be able to accomplish anything!
"No rush." Ning Hanqi was actually quite anxious. She was anxious to finish this matter and go back to find Nuannuan. "My matter can be put on hold for now."
"Oh?" Did she want to drag it on?
"After all, your matter is more important, so let's talk about your matter first." Ning Hanqi walked to his side.
"My business?" The administrator watched her approach step by step without dodging. He was sure that Ning Hanqi would not dare to attack him, otherwise she would be punished. Besides, the other party was just a projection and could not do anything.
Ning Hanqi put her hand on the other person's shoulder, and she clearly felt the body under her hand tense up.
The shadow that was torn off layer by layer like a thousand-layer pancake back then was still hidden in the administrator's heart. After Ning Hanqi approached, he almost fought back.
"I don't remember what else I need to deal with. Oh, right! This copy is over, and I have to rate the players." He noticed that the game on one of the light screens had ended, and there were only three survivors left.
"You can try to rate it. The game should have sent you the program." The administrator was not in a very good mood, so he casually clicked three low scores.
Ning Hanqi took a look and gave a high score, but the low scores next to it dragged it down, and the final overall score did not even reach 90.
But it doesn’t matter, soon the administrator’s score will not matter anymore.
After dealing with the players in the dungeon, the administrator looked up at Ning Hanqi. Her hand was still on his shoulder, and he felt something was wrong. "Is this what you are talking about?"
"Of course not." Ning Hanqi looked at him with a look as deep as a dark pool. Although she did not exude any trace of power or intimidation, she inexplicably made the administrator feel the urge to leave here quickly.
"It's some private matters, to be precise..."
Before Ning Hanqi could finish her words, the administrator suddenly broke free from her hand and quickly left his original position.
He looked at Ning Hanqi warily, not knowing what she was up to.
"You've done so many bad things that your victim has come to you for help." Ning Hanqi calmly withdrew his hand and finished speaking.
"Victim?" The administrator scoffed. He had indeed done many immoral things, but who had the ability to cause trouble for him? At most, Ning Hanqi could be added.
"Do you dare to see the victim?"
Why not?
The moment his mind moved, the administrator realized that something was wrong!
His consciousness accepted Ning Hanqi's invitation!
“Crash!”
Unable to escape, he and Ning Hanqi fell into the distorted space together, but after a moment he heard the sound of waves and the distant call of whales.
He remembered that there were indeed some particularly troublesome individuals among his victims, but he should not have torn his feelings with this whale yet. Wasn't that human still alive and well? Why did he suddenly turn against him?!
"When did you..." The administrator turned his head and found that Ning Hanqi's projection had turned into his real body at some point.
No, the other party has already ambushed here in advance!
"Don't worry, I won't kill you. After all, the rules don't allow it." Ning Hanqi's cold and indifferent voice echoed in his ears, "But I will ensure the fairness of this fight."
The elevator lights flickered again, and this time they finally came on again.
When the elevator door opened, it was pitch black outside and there was nothing.
Ning Hanqi narrowed her eyes slightly. The flickering light made it a little difficult for her to open her eyes, but even so, she was still keenly aware of the abnormality.
The elevator floor display board showed a number that absolutely didn't appear in this hotel - 4.
The elevator stopped at the nonexistent fourth floor.
A rolling heat wave hit, but Ning Hanqi felt a little cold.
"Little girl, I can't find my room. Can you show me the way?" An old voice sounded from behind her.
At some point, a ghostly figure appeared behind her.
Ning Hanqi tightened her grip on the dining cart slightly. A ghost appeared behind her but she didn't get any hint, which meant... Nuannuan was missing?
She subconsciously touched the puppet hanging on her chest. Fortunately, there was nothing unusual, so Nuannuan should be safe.
"Of course, can you show me your room card?" Ning Hanqi suppressed the anxiety in his heart caused by Xia Yingnuan's sudden disappearance, then turned around with a smile and looked at the old man who was as skinny as a dead tree trunk burned by fire, without showing any strange expression because of his appearance.
"Look at my card. It's clearly 516, but I can't swipe the card to open the door." The old man handed a room card to Ning Hanqi in his withered hand.
There were oil stains on the room card, probably that special kind of oil. Ning Hanqi inevitably touched it a little when she took it, but her expression remained natural.
After seeing the room card, Ning Hanqi knew it was the same old problem. This hotel is very large, and the guests are accommodated in two buildings. The building they are in now is Building 1, which is where the hotel lobby is located. In addition, there is a Building 2, which requires going out of Building 1 and walking through the corridor to reach it.
This old man was using the room card for Building 2 to look for a room in Building 1. Of course, he couldn't swipe the card to get in. This was also the most common problem she encountered among hotel guests.
"Building 2?" The old man's hoarse voice suddenly rose several pitches. He grabbed Ning Hanqi's wrist with such force that it almost broke her slender wrist bone. His eyes almost popped out of his head. "Where is Building 2? Little girl, can you take me there? I don't know the way."
Ning Hanqi had no room to refuse. The elevator door, which should have been closed long ago, had not been closed. She thought that as long as she said "no", the old man would drag her out. She was now on the non-existent fourth floor. Once she left the elevator, things would be troublesome.
"Of course, but please wait for me to call our supervisor and tell her." Ning Hanqi shook the phone in his other hand.
The old man nodded and signaled Ning Hanqi to make a phone call quickly.
Although the elevator door was open, there was obviously something wrong with the space outside. Ning Hanqi thought that the call might not be able to go through, but unexpectedly, it was connected.
The supervisor sneered after hearing Ning Hanqi's words. He was in a very bad mood and was unhappy about what others said. "Are you looking for an excuse to be lazy?"
Ning Hanqi didn't get angry either. She put the phone directly to the old man's ear and said, "Please tell our supervisor that I really want to take you to find a room. I'm not being lazy. Otherwise, the supervisor might not allow it..."
It takes a lot of evil to deal with an evil ghost. This old man is not simple and doesn't seem to have a good temper. It would be perfect to let him go directly to the supervisor.
Sure enough, the old man did not disappoint Ning Hanqi's expectations. With just a few words, he almost made the other party so angry that he almost came back to life. Even a supervisor cannot quarrel with a customer. In the end, he could only let Ning Hanqi send this trouble away and come back.
"It's not completely dark yet, so you don't need to take a raincoat. Remember to go and come back quickly. If you slack off outside, I can't guarantee what will happen. By the way, don't forget to push the car back." The supervisor hung up the phone after leaving a sentence that seemed both threatening and a reminder.
"Let's go, little girl." The old man's low and dry voice echoed in the non-existent fourth-floor corridor.
The elevator door slowly closed, and after being isolated from the heat wave outside, the cold chill swept over again.
The old man looked at Ning Hanqi for a second longer. She was so calm, as if he had stepped into her trap instead of her falling into his hands.
It wasn't completely dark yet, so it wasn't raining outside. Therefore, the supervisor could have simply not given the player a raincoat. If the player didn't come back in time, that was her own problem, and the supervisor hadn't violated the rules.
But the one Ning Hanqi was going to deliver this time was an old ghost with "inconvenient" legs and feet. It walked very slowly. Maybe it would speed up when it was chasing the players, but now it was like an ordinary old man. After getting out of the elevator, it moved forward step by step, which made people anxious.
The two buildings of the hotel are only a few hundred meters apart. Even if the old man dawdles, more than ten minutes is enough for him to reach the bottom of the second floor.
Back then, she was pushed into the pond by Xia Lao San. Her half-brother fished her body out of the pond and buried it nearby.
Her body is the core of this copy. If she wants to destroy herself and this copy together, this is the best breakthrough point.
The ring... I have never shown it to any player before. Only Ning Hanqi knows how important that thing is to me.
A strategy to lure the tiger away from the mountain.
"ha……"
The other ghosts were all waiting for Xia Yingnuan's next order, but after waiting for a long time, they only heard the dungeon boss's self-deprecating chuckle.
The chuckle blended into the sobbing of the wind, as if she was laughing and crying at the same time.
Xia Yingnuan had long lost the ability to cry, only her eyes were slightly red.
She was deceived again.
As expected, it was not unfair for him to be deceived so easily.
But the only person she didn't want to lie to her was Ning Hanqi.
Xia Yingnuan left the other ghosts behind and slowly walked into the darkness. She did not give any instructions. When the other ghosts saw that the dungeon boss did not say anything, they all returned to their original places.
Her speed was not very fast, and the person by the pond did not make any movement, as if she was following her promise and waiting for Xia Yingnuan to come back.
By the pond, a fist-sized spiritual light was still floating around Ning Hanqi, illuminating her surroundings. Xiaolu tremblingly placed the ring in her hand, and then was kicked into the exit of the pond by Chang Yue.
"You...be careful." Chang Yue knew that what was going to happen next was not something an ordinary player like her could participate in. After leaving a polite word, she jumped into the pool without hesitation.
Not long after she left, a blood-red figure appeared by the pond.
Ning Hanqi was sitting on the ground, holding a skeleton in her arms. The skeleton's forehead was pierced by the dagger Xia Yingnuan gave her. The technique was perfect. She knew this copy almost like the back of her hand, and even such secrets were particularly clear to her.
Xia Yingnuan smiled, and the wind mixed with the sharp laughter passed across Ning Hanqi's face. Blood flowed down her cheek. The moment the sound passed by her ears, Ning Hanqi heard sobbing.
“Nuannuan…”
She put down the bones in her arms, stood up, and tried to stagger forward, not even bothering with the dagger she had for self-defense. She had no sharp weapons in her hands and looked as harmless as before. How could a weak rabbit hurt a ghost? But Ning Hanqi did it.
A strong wind blew towards her, and Ning Hanqi's weak body took several steps back.
Xia Yingnuan opened her scarlet eyes and clapped for her softly, her voice trembling slightly, "Congratulations, Ning Hanqi, I admit defeat."
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