Chapter 63 The Circle (End) Deserved punishment and a stray dog. ...
Of course, the others in the room soon noticed the shadowy figure. But strangely, no one stepped forward to confront it. Even Feng Feng simply stood there, tightly gripping the cloth bag full of seeds at his waist.
Xia Zhu knew this reaction was definitely abnormal, but she couldn't explain why. She only felt that inhuman face staring at her intently, and a chill emanated from the freezer behind her, creeping up her spine. The shadowless light on the ceiling, in contrast to the moonlight, slowly turned into an eerie orange-red, filling the cramped operating room.
Looking at the eerie smile on Liang's face, Xia Zhu realized that not resisting was the right thing to do. Because she could no longer bear to see her companions all fall again.
Those shattered organs, muscle tissue, and familiar faces became strange because of their grotesque expressions and blood. Blood flowed like a river on the ground, and warm, delicate fragments of broken walls and limbs floated on its surface.
She comforted herself by saying that not resisting was the right thing to do.
It was right not to resist.
She never wants to experience that feeling of everyone leaving her and the world plunging into nothingness again.
Xia Zhu stood frozen in place, but Ying Huo beside her had unconsciously squatted down. She tried to turn her neck to look at him, but could only see his trembling back.
Xia Zhu snapped out of her daze and glared fiercely at the motionless figure by the door.
fear.
This dream of the demon was likely formed by the innate stone absorbing the abuser's fear. In the dream, the dreamer became the one being tortured and hunted by the stitched-together monster. The repetitive and endless torment gave the demon enough time to take shape.
Once formed, the spirit will take over the body of the dreamer and possess the same power as the essence of the dream.
That's why Xia Zhu felt afraid, repeatedly recalling the end of each cycle, with Feng Feng and the others dying in front of her time and time again.
But everyone in this world experiences fear. Under the radiation of the demon, the entire team was trapped in their own illusions of fear.
Even realizing this, Xia Zhu's heavy body couldn't take a single step forward; merely gripping the small sword to prevent it from falling to the ground already exhausted all her strength. Moreover, Liang's chilling voice continued to bewitch her like a seductive spell.
It whispered Feng Feng and Feng Mian's names in Xia Zhu's ear, making her recall the day she first met the brother and sister, but then in the next second it took her back to that cold morgue, looking at the gray bodies in the mist.
Yes, life is actually incredibly fragile.
What difference is there between them and the animals that are carelessly killed in the freezer?
She had finally reconnected with this world, finally found some kind of courage to keep going. The pain she had been enduring in her dream surged into Xia Zhu's body at this moment, amplified in every way.
Fear and loneliness were like a deadly gas, seeping into every crevice and burning her lungs and every newly dividing cell in her body, causing her unbearable pain, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably, just like Ying Huo.
She couldn't let them take risks, otherwise, she would be alone again. In a daze, she returned to that long, endless path in the countryside. Green mountains meandered, clouds flowed like water, and there was nothing at the end of the road.
Xia Zhu knelt down uncontrollably, her hands bracing themselves on the cold floor to prevent her from collapsing completely in front of Liang.
It felt like something heavy was pressing down on the back of her neck, and she couldn't lift her face to look at the people around her. There was nothing in front of her, only the smooth floor tiles faintly reflecting her face.
She seemed to hear someone sobbing softly in the darkness, and a fine, itchy feeling immediately crept into her heart.
Who was it? She seemed to have heard that crying before. But she couldn't remember no matter what she did. Her body was paralyzed, and her eyes were fixed on a single point on the floor. Then, they slowly lost focus, and the darkness solidified into a familiar silhouette.
That figure stood alone amidst the waving battle flags of the vast army.
Although it was just an outline, Xia Zhu could inexplicably see an endless vortex of loneliness in the thin, illusory figure. She tried to understand and analyze the motivation behind this definition, but her brain was like a rusty gear that could not turn. If she forced it to work, the rust would fall off due to wear and tear, causing a fine, constant pain in her brain.
Because we are all the same kind of people.
A conclusion, like a buoy thrown into a calm lake, naturally rises to the surface, creating ripples.
Suddenly, the heavy pressure on the back of her neck was released in an instant, the orange-red light faded, and with a chill in the air, her mind immediately cleared.
Xia Zhu suddenly raised her head, staring blankly at the doorway. Where Liang had been, only an ice blade embedded deep in the ground remained. A pure white diamond floated in mid-air, surrounded by a halo as soft as moonlight.
Ji Wuchou stepped forward gently, bent down to pick up the ice blade from the ground. Her back was thin, and her undulating bones curved into a beautiful arc, like a blade that could unleash a flash of silver light. She rotated her wrist, turned her head, and said to everyone with an embarrassed expression, "It's a bit too noisy."
Xia Zhu lowered her head and exhaled.
So, are there really people in this world who are without fear?
Thinking this, she glanced sideways, stealing a look through her hair. The person was still squatting on the ground, their face buried in their knees, the ends of their black hair brushing against their white knuckles and rubies.
Poor thing, like a flower battered by rain and wind.
Feng Feng stared at the white stone, blinking his eyes curiously.
"I remember we entered a red dream? How did it turn white?"
"Perhaps it was the transformation of the spirit into a broken dream that raised the difficulty of this battle to the white level." Feng Mian reached out and took the white stone down from the air, dividing it into six parts, and handed them to everyone one by one.
His hand holding the stone was trembling slightly; the destructive power of fear was immense, and everyone tried their best to conceal their exhaustion.
A slight noise came from the outer bedroom. The group exchanged glances discreetly and quietly approached the door.
A faint light shone through the half-drawn curtains onto the bed, and a figure slowly emerged. He was sleepy-eyed and had a blank expression, as if he had just woken up from a long dream.
Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed that the doorway in the wall, which concealed his secret, was wide open, and six pairs of eyes were staring at him from behind it. The man's features contorted in terror.
Who are you?!
Before he could get up and rush out the door, Ji Wuchou knocked him unconscious with a chop to the neck.
Unnamed Team 1 found a campus card among the pile of difficult-to-understand textbooks on the bookshelf. They packed the photos from the secret operating room, the handwritten notes, and the animal pelts from the living room into a box and anonymously submitted them to the student's school.
Whether he faces expulsion from school or criminal detention, he deserves it. Every act of harm inflicted on others will inevitably be met with a corresponding retribution in the relentless flow of time.
That saying is true: justice may be delayed, but it will surely come.
Heaven will not be lenient in this matter, so one should not take chances, for good fortune will always come to those who do evil.
As dawn broke, the group hurriedly prepared to head to the train station to return to Dongshan. However, upon waking up, Liang had teleported them thousands of miles away, rendering their previous journey futile, and they had to start all over again.
"Stop, stop." Feng Feng crossed his arms, his brows furrowed, and looked Ying Huo up and down. "We want to go home, why is this person following us like a leech?"
Ying Huo had reverted to his usual smug expression, as if he wasn't the coward who had just slapped himself in the face with fear. He spread his hands, ignoring Feng Feng and staring straight at Xia Zhu.
"If you can take in others, then kindly take me in too." He glanced casually at the innocent-looking Ji Wuchou and Ying Ya, who was fully armed with a hoodie as soon as he stepped out, indicating that the "others" he was referring to were these two. "I've become the target of everyone's criticism, I have nowhere to go, and besides..."
Ying Huo extended a slender finger, and a golden ore hung from his fingertip.
"Besides, isn't the relationship between people just about mutual benefit? I can provide you with financial support, which will help improve your impoverished life." Only after saying that did he finally take his eyes off Xia Zhu and look Feng Feng up and down.
Feng Feng was furious. Could she be the kind of person who would bow down for a pittance and be tempted by money?
"Don't even think about it! No way!" She put her hands on her hips, exuding an imposing aura, as if she wanted to headbutt the self-righteous Ying Huo and send him flying.
"Okay." Xia Zhu, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, accepting this stray dog under Feng Feng's disgusted expression.
Oh no, she's not that kind of person, but Ah Zhu seems to be...
The group walked together into the still quiet train station, which was empty because it was so early. Feng Feng walked at the back of the line, staring at the annoying figure next to Xia Zhu, determined to make him pay the price no matter what.
Economic support? That's interesting.
"Wait a minute!" Lord Feng Feng shouted, stopping everyone.
“You,” she said, pointing at Ying Huo with her chin, “Go over there and buy us tickets.” She then pointed to the manual ticket window with her chin.
Ying Huo let out a disdainful sneer, straightened his cuffs, and strode over to the ticket window. The others quickly followed, and saw him pull out ten gold bars from his pocket and slap them onto the smooth marble countertop in full view of everyone. He rested his elbow on his hand, flashed an incredibly handsome smile, and addressed the staff at the window.
"Hello, six tickets."
An eerie silence descended among the seven people. A crow, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, circled overhead before Ying Ya yanked it down.
Under the staff's stares as if he were an idiot, Ying Huo felt like those few seconds were an eternity. He was about to give up his carefully designed pose, and cold sweat seemed to be dripping from his forehead.
Feng Feng, unable to bear it any longer, elbowed Ying Huo aside, gave the staff an embarrassed smile, and the group quickly retreated to the side.
"Aren't you a god of wealth? Even if you don't have cash, you still have one of those premium black cards that you can just pull out and swipe anytime! Pull one out and show it to Sister Feng!"
Ying Huo, looking completely bewildered, pulled out another gold bar from his pocket.
"Isn't this money?" Every time he took out gold bars, the Ying family would come running over excitedly, preparing everything he needed, and then flattering him to the extreme. If they pleased him, piles of gold would fall from the sky.
Feng Feng rolled his eyes.
"Boss, are you serious? Even I know the gold standard is long gone! Do you have any fiat currency? The kind that can be circulated and deposited into a bank account!"
“Oh…” Ying Huo turned his head away awkwardly. He must have accumulated quite a lot of those things over the years, but after joining the Ying family, he handed them all over to their people to manage. Money had no direct value to him. Although he had a hobby of collecting luxury goods for a period of time, that was due to the prevailing trend. The more watches and jewelry he had, the more people would surround him.
But later he was no longer satisfied with that sense of security.
"..." Feng Feng slumped his shoulders like a deflated balloon, finding Ying Huo utterly unpleasant and utterly worthless. "Forget it, let's all just reach into our pockets and chip in some money. High-speed rail tickets are so expensive these days."
"Let me do it." Ji Wuchou, who had been standing silently to the side, actually took out a smartphone from her pocket and tapped the bright green payment code under several admiring gazes.
When she wasn't with the Ji family, she liked to work part-time in human society and earn some money. She guessed that she might be the only one in the group who had a lot of contact with humans, so it was better for her to step in at times like this.
Ji Wuchou, like a college student who had finally made it out of the village, walked to the ticket window, staring at the burning gazes behind him.
"Oh, right," she turned around somewhat awkwardly, "your ID cards."
The group quickly regained their composure and began searching their bodies for the small card. Ji Wuchou took them one by one, his gaze settling on Ying Huo, who had a blank expression.
"and yours?"
“My…identity…” Ying Huo stared with those beautiful eyes, subconsciously glancing at Xia Zhu, who stood expressionless beside him.
Feng Feng proudly held up his ID card as he floated past him, muttering "a law-abiding citizen."
Just then, Ying Ya, a melancholy young man whose back was completely covered, with his hands tucked into his sleeves and only his eyes showing, also took out a thin card from his hoodie pocket and handed it to Ji Wuchou.
Ying Huo's pupils dilated as he stared at the card in disbelief. "No! You, you, what makes you think you have an identity too! Ying Ya!"
Ying Ya put his hand back in his pocket and gave Ying Huo a faint but stubborn look.
"My name is Ying Ya." Then he silently returned to stand behind Feng Feng, continuing to exude an aura that kept strangers at bay.
Ying Huo lowered his head somewhat dejectedly and muttered something like, "Times have changed." Although it was very soft, Xia Zhu still heard it.
She took the train ticket and ID card from Ji Wuchou, put them in her pocket, and then stood solemnly in front of Ying Huo.
"You, come inside with me."
Feng Feng's ears perked up, and upon hearing her words, he quickly came over to reply.
How will he go in with you?
Xia Zhu looked at Feng Feng with a serious expression, "You're trying to sneak in without a ticket."
Feng Feng felt a sudden darkness engulf him; the sky had collapsed! How could A Zhu's bottom line have vanished so inexplicably! Wasn't she supposed to be a champion of justice and morality?!
Okay, actually Xia Zhu was just joking. She feels bad when she sees someone looking dejected.
That's right.
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