Volume 1: Breaking the Cage
Escape 16
Legal Hunting
When the bell rang, everything fell silent.
Some peeked out from their hiding places, while others stopped running.
Hell once again became the human realm, as if the conflict had never happened.
Shen Shuiyan had thought she would have trouble sleeping again, seeing ghosts and blood, but the reality proved otherwise.
Xin Lan’s sleep quality seemed extraordinarily good, as she could fall asleep the moment she closed her eyes on the bed.
Shen Shuiyan didn’t know whether to call this person thick-skinned or if her abilities were so strong that she had nothing to worry about.
Under the infectious sound of her breathing, Shen Shuiyan also fell asleep.
Shen Shuiyan remembered that day when Xin Lan said she couldn’t be woken up, so she slept very still, afraid of accidentally bumping into Xin Lan and waking her up. But when she opened her eyes the next day, she felt that Xin Lan might have been the more unruly one.
Xin Lan’s leg was on top of Shen Shuiyan’s, and her hand was on Shen Shuiyan’s waist. Her beautiful face looked more peaceful and soft, appearing a bit well-behaved.
Shen Shuiyan couldn’t help but think that Xin Lan looked like a “sleeping tiger” (a fierce person who appears docile when asleep). Ignoring her ferocity, her cute appearance made Shen Shuiyan want to stroke her fur, rub her face, and even give her a kiss. But she could only think about it, because once the beast opened her eyes, she could tear a person to shreds and devour them.
A few minutes after Shen Shuiyan woke up, Xin Lan also woke up.
“Did you smell anything?”
Shen Shuiyan sat up on the bed and sniffed, catching a foul, indescribable odor.
Xin Lan didn’t say anything, just told her to get out of bed.
“It seems like there is indeed a stinky smell, not sure where it’s coming from.”
Xu Deng also sat up on the bed, rubbing her eyes and putting on her damaged glasses.
Shen Shuiyan’s toiletries were already in Xin Lan’s dorm, and Xu Deng had to go back to her own dorm. Seeing the two of them walk out, Xin Lan glanced back at Xiao Chun.
“I hope you can properly dispose of the trash you’ve created.”
Xiao Chun was confused, her lips moving, nodding slightly.
Just as Xin Lan was about to leave, Xiao Chun called out to her again.
“Can I join your team? I can give you everything I have.”
Xin Lan shook her head, and Xiao Chun’s expression immediately darkened.
“Do you think I did something wrong?”
“There’s a saying, ‘Avenge the grieved, take revenge on the enemy.’ I don’t interfere, and it’s understandable to do some things to survive, but that doesn’t mean it’s right.”
“But only one team can survive. Your team only has three people, why won’t you let me join?”
Xiao Chun’s eyes reddened, very puzzled.
Shen Shuiyan poked her head in when she didn’t see Xin Lan come out.
“I can do better than the new teammate you got last night. I can do more for you, why won’t you let me join?”
Xiao Chun looked stubbornly at Xin Lan, waiting for an answer.
It’s not that she didn’t have any ideas, but after comparing their combat capabilities, Xiao Chun knew she had no chance against Xin Lan. But she wanted to get out of this hellish place.
“Did Zhou Mingfang attack you?”
Xin Lan suddenly asked, making Xiao Chun freeze.
Xin Lan didn’t say anything else and turned to leave.
Xin Lan rarely misjudged people. Xiao Chun had previously been a victim of campus bullying, suppressing something in her heart, which was normal. But that wasn’t an excuse for her mistakes.
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If possible, Xin Lan only hoped her teammates would be kind and upright. But in this terrible situation, how many people could still uphold their principles?
Xin Lan hadn’t completely ruled out the idea of taking Xiao Chun with them, but Xiao Chun herself had ruined that possibility.
She wasn’t a saint, and she couldn’t save everyone.
“What were you two just talking about? I’m a bit lost.”
Shen Shuiyan was somewhat puzzled, as their conversation had been too implicit, and she couldn’t connect some of the things.
“You said there was a stinky smell in the room just now, right?”
“Yes.”
“I think there’s probably a corpse in the wardrobe on my bed.”
“Zhou Mingfang?”
Shen Shuiyan didn’t know who Zhou Mingfang was, but she guessed it might be Xin Lan’s roommate.
“Maybe.”
Xin Lan couldn’t be sure who was hidden in the wardrobe, but she already had an answer in her mind.
The reason she knew Zhou Mingfang was also in trouble was that she saw the bloodstains on Zhou Mingfang’s desk and the bracelet on the balcony. Xin Lan had seen that bracelet on Zhou Mingfang’s wrist before, and later had Ling Jiu scan the grass below the balcony, revealing a corpse there.
But relying on these clues alone, she couldn’t make a definitive conclusion, so she had just asked Xiao Chun directly.
“You knew about it last night?”
Xin Lan nodded.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was afraid you’d be scared and couldn’t sleep well.”
Xin Lan said jokingly, striding ahead of Shen Shuiyan.
Shen Shuiyan paused for a moment, then smiled and followed.
The gentleness of the tiger, truly irresistible.
She was also curious about what kind of person Xin Lan was originally. She should be a cool and handsome girl, clad in iron armor, seemingly unstoppable.
The discussion took place in the dorm.
Shen Shuiyan took out one of hers, Xu Deng took out two, and Xin Lan took out five.
Xu Deng was relieved to see that Xin Lan had five, at least they were teammates.
“We have eight pieces here now, two of them can be combined, but only one has an edge, the rest can’t be put together at all.”
Xin Lan’s five pieces included one of her own, one belonging to Tao Ling, one from a reward, and two from unknown deceased individuals.
“Who says we only have eight? Wait a moment.”
Shen Shuiyan took a pen and paper and drew what she remembered.
“These are the clue fragments?”
Xu Deng recognized what she was drawing, greatly surprised.
“Zou Yunfei’s?”
Xin Lan asked, and Shen Shuiyan nodded.
Shen Shuiyan drew four pieces, and two of them actually fit together.
“Excellent.”
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Xin Lan raised an eyebrow at Shen Shuiyan, earning a smile in return.
“According to last night’s observation, things will only get worse from now on, so the three of us have to stay together and never act alone.”
Xu Deng nodded, as being alone was too dangerous.
“Based on my experience, carefully searching the classrooms during the hunting period might yield surprises, and if we can answer the NPC’s questions during class, we might also get rewards.”
“NPC, you mean the teachers? Our teachers haven’t asked any questions.”
Xu Deng said.
“That’s probably just a probability-based thing.”
Shen Shuiyan tapped her fingers on the table.
“Let’s not analyze the essence of this game. Maybe it’s just a boring prank, but it’s definitely a supernatural event, beyond our normal abilities. The purpose of such games is to make the participants kill each other. Sometimes these games may not even have an exit, but we have to believe there is one.”
Shen Shuiyan looked at the twelve fragments in front of them, not impossible to assemble, but they still needed thirty-eight more. If each person had different pieces, collecting fifty would be impossible to find the way out.
“Tonight, follow me, we’re going to seize them.”
Xin Lan collected the fragments, her brow calm.
To be honest, if it wasn’t necessary, she didn’t want to fight women.
But now it was necessary.
Xin Lan didn’t have much sympathy in her heart, only disgust for this game.
“Seize them openly?”
Xu Deng swallowed hard.
“Otherwise?”
In this situation, it was impossible to get people to willingly sacrifice themselves. If they had to do some despicable actions, Xin Lan was not very willing.
Xin Lan looked at her own hands and narrowed her eyes.
Perhaps she was not suited to be a thorough villain, but she had still become an excellent antagonist.
Xin Lan vaguely remembered that her first world was the apocalypse, where she was a madman trying to destroy the world. In the end, she died from the bites of zombies, and she had nightmares about it for a whole night.
So each time, she would choose to blur her memories, detach her emotions. She remembered, but it was too vague.
Her work became more and more effortless, and her personality inevitably changed.
Gloomy, obsessive, anxious, insane – these were just one side of her.
She hoped she could still remember that she was once an upright and kind person, but the fact was that when facing this kind of game and seeing those people, she wouldn’t even consider their lives.
When Xin Lan entered the classroom, Zou Yunfei’s group was already sitting there.
Seeing Xin Lan and the others come in, Zou Yunfei and Lu Lu’s expressions were grim, especially Zou Yunfei’s.
Seeing Xin Lan, the wound from last night hurt even more.
If he didn’t get revenge, how could he live with himself?
Zou Yunfei saw Shen Shuiyan by Xin Lan’s side, and a bitter taste filled his mouth.
Why was she siding with Xin Lan, betraying their small team?
Didn’t they have a good relationship?
Zou Yunfei kept staring at Shen Shuiyan, but she didn’t feel uncomfortable at all, instead showing a polite and courteous smile as usual.
Zou Yunfei’s heart burned with anger, feeling that Shen Shuiyan was provoking him.
Zou Yunfei clenched his fist and muttered a curse.
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Lu Lu and Zhou Zhou’s expressions were also not good. Zhou Zhou tugged at Zou Yunfei, telling him to be patient.
Their four-person team had become three, two of them were injured, and with Xin Lan’s terrifying combat power, Zhou Zhou’s heart sank.
Ling Jiu: Sis Lan! Zou Yunfei is cursing at Shen Shuiyan!
Xin Lan: What an idiot? Doesn’t he like Shen Shuiyan?
Ling Jiu: Based on my experience, scumbag men must think Shen Shuiyan betrayed him or something!
Xin Lan: Betrayed him? What nonsense, who does he think he is?
Xin Lan saw Zou Yunfei still looking in their direction, so she stood up and accurately threw a book, hitting Zou Yunfei squarely on the head.
“What are you looking at? Haven’t you seen someone good-looking before?”
“You!”
Zou Yunfei’s forehead was hit red, combined with his bruised face, making him look particularly ghastly and ridiculous.
“If you’re not satisfied, then come fight me.”
Can he beat her? Hmph.
LP: Re-translated on November 14, 2024