Escape from the Thriller World – Chapter 23
by Little PandaVolume One: The Old Corpse in the Mountain Village
Twin Evil Spirits [or: Dual Malevolent Spirits]
This time, Ning Lan could not escape…
Watching Wei Jinbao about to be suffocated to death in the hair cocoon by Akita Kyoko.
With his faint breath, he uttered: “Kyoko, I’m so glad I met you in the countryside of Tokyo…”
All the past memories floated in Akita Kyoko’s mind like a movie, and she shed tears of blood.
She had truly tried hard to learn how to love someone, why was fate so unfair to her?
She had once cried and begged him not to leave her, not to abandon her alone in the lonely rental room.
Wei Jinbao’s cold gaze remained deeply etched in her memory, she could not forget!
A helpless, abandoned, and pitiful woman, hot tears of emotion rolled down from her eyes.
Akita Kyoko asked: “Mr. Jinbao, did you ever love me?”
The black silk wrapped around his body suddenly released, Wei Jinbao solemnly nodded and said: “I did love you, truly.”
He thought she was still the Akita Kyoko who would start loving him again after hearing just one sentence, but unfortunately, she wasn’t that person anymore.
That initial innocence about love had long since faded away in the vast nights.
Akita Kyoko laughed toward the sky, she reached out both hands to strangle his neck and said: “I believed you forty years ago, but not anymore!”
She was no longer the Akita Kyoko who had been deceived by men.
She wanted to avenge her first child!
It was him, this man who caused the tragedy!
Wei Jinbao was choked by Akita Kyoko until he couldn’t breathe, his eyes rolling back, while Akita Kyoko’s face became increasingly distorted.
That face burned into blood blisters, horrifyingly like it had been run over by tires, pitted and uneven, extremely ugly.
Wei Jinbao saw her sinister face and begged: “Kyoko, please let me go…”
Akita Kyoko crawled to his ear and bit off one of his ears, saying: “Mr. Jinbao, is this the love you spoke of?”
Wei Jinbao picked up his bloody ear, repeatedly backing away.
At this weight of a thousand jun hanging by a thread [critical moment].
The Sanqing Daoist rushed up from downstairs, he darted into the living room, his left hand gripping the demon-subduing pestle, delivering a heavy blow to Akita Kyoko’s abdomen.
The demon-subduing pestle’s power was extremely fierce, forcefully striking Akita Kyoko against the wall.
Surprisingly, another woman’s figure shot out from Akita Kyoko’s body, swaying as she said: “Quick, run away, all of you run away.”
The two women seemed to be fighting over the body, and Ning Lan immediately recognized that it should be Lan Fang, the resident from the 18th floor.
She had seen this woman’s photo in the study room on the 18th floor, with a 3-inch photo attached to the psychiatric diagnosis notice.
Akita Kyoko had taken over Lan Fang’s soul, and the two people actually shared one body!
The disappearance of Lan Fang’s family now made sense, it must have had something to do with this Akita Kyoko.
Ning Lan’s analysis was correct, a few years ago, Akita Kyoko’s faint ghost spirit had escaped from 《Hell Scroll》, and she had targeted the family on the 18th floor.
Lan Fang had an obedient daughter, Akita Kyoko had set her sights on her daughter, wanting to make the daughter her own.
The ghost infant she had given birth to occupied Jiajia’s body, gradually devouring her soul, claiming it for itself!
The Sanqing Daoist shouted to Wei Jinye: “Wei Jinye, if you don’t hand over my ancestor master’s Qin King Bone-Viewing Mirror, the female ghost will drag you down to the underworld!”
Wei Jinye had just been frightened and thrown in front of the sofa by Akita Kyoko, his walking stick also thrown to the ground.
The ancestor master that Sanqing Daoist Xiaoming spoke of was the high monk Abbot Xuanmin of that year, and Xiaoming was a disciple from the secondary line of Xuanmin’s later disciples.
The Qin King Bone-Viewing Mirror left by Xuanmin had fallen into Wei Jinbao’s hands, and Xiaoming had been trying countless ways to retrieve this religious artifact of his sect.
Wei Jinbao had requested this object from Xuanmin for peace of mind, though he felt extremely uneasy in his heart.
“In my bedroom, in the third cabinet,” Wei Jinye pointed to the bedroom inside and said.
The Sanqing Daoist pinched his fingers drawing ghost-subduing talismans, he pointed to Ning Lan beside him and said: “You go get it!”
He had no time to go fetch the bronze mirror himself, so he thought of Ning Lan.
Ning Lan suddenly realized that they had been manipulated by this Sanqing Daoist all along.
Ning Lan said through gritted teeth: “You old man knew all along the bronze mirror was in Wei Jinye’s possession, yet deliberately led me to investigate the Tong Lau!”
Ah B never had any magical bronze mirror, the real Qin King Bone-Viewing Mirror was in Wei Jinbao’s possession!
The Sanqing Daoist’s lips curled up as he said: “Without the investigation by you chosen ones, how could we force Wei Jinbao to hand over the mirror!”
Xiaoming, this calculating old schemer, had planned for all of them to be involved – his goal was the Qin King Bone-Viewing Mirror!
This crisis moment was not suitable for arguing with him, she would settle accounts with this old man later – right now the priority was to get the mirror for the task.
Getting the Qin King Bone-Viewing Mirror would complete this side quest, Ning Lan didn’t think too much and quickly stepped into the bedroom to retrieve the mirror.
She opened the third cabinet drawer, and a bronze mirror marked with seals appeared before her eyes.
The bright mirror shot out several streams of golden light, so bright that Ning Lan couldn’t keep her eyes open.
As Ning Lan reached out to take it, another uninvited guest came in from outside the door.
The security guards downstairs could no longer control the deranged Xu Sanduo, who kept muttering about finding mother – that mother was Akita Kyoko!
The ghost mother and daughter seemed to have a psychic connection, Xu Sanduo crawled up through the stairwell, following mother’s aura to find this floor.
Akita Kyoko’s soul once again possessed Lan Fang, and she viciously commanded Xu Sanduo: “Hanako! Quick, stop her from taking the Qin King Bone-Viewing Mirror!”
The Qin King Bone-Viewing Mirror was the only ritual tool that could seal them, if the Taoist priest forged the mirror with blood, he could seal them back into 《Hell Scroll》.
How could Akita Kyoko, who had endured humiliation for decades, allow herself to be sealed back into that dark abyss!
The ghost-possessed Xu Sanduo was Akita Kyoko’s second ghost infant.
Akita Kyoko had also named her Hanako.
She nodded toward mother, crawling darkly on the ground, her crawling manner exactly like a newborn child.
Just as Ning Lan got the bronze mirror, her foot was grabbed by the ghost infant, it firmly pulled Ning Lan’s foot backward, and Ning Lan tore off the triangular talisman from her neck and pressed it against the ghost infant’s forehead.
The ghost infant was momentarily stunned by the triangular talisman, and Ning Lan ran toward the living room while protecting the mirror in her arms.
【Game System Prompt】
【Triangular Talisman Consumption: 100%】
【Story Progress: 45%】
The game progress is nearly halfway through, meaning the side quest is almost complete!
The consumption value has reached maximum, the triangular talisman stuck to the ghost infant’s forehead burned to ash like steam!
The triangular talisman was used once before in the stairwell, using it again on the ghost infant has completely depleted its spiritual power!
Ning Lan called out: “Sanqing Daoist, what should we do now!”
The Sanqing Daoist was still fighting desperately with Akita Kyoko, he pointed to the Qin King Bone-Viewing Mirror and said: “Go back to the 18th floor, there’s something there that the ghost infant fears, quick, go!”
Yes, the 18th floor!
The room where Akita Kyoko was burned to death, that was the place she feared most, and also where the ghost infant was burned to death!
Ning Lan held the bronze mirror close to her chest, turned and ran toward the 18th floor, with the ghost infant closely pursuing behind.
She fled, it chased.
The ghost infant was still howling behind Ning Lan, she dared not think too much, desperately running toward the 18th floor.
When Ning Lan reached the 15th floor, a strange shadow materialized behind her, grabbing at her body.
Ning Lan was tense to the point of her throat tightening, she felt her entire body being controlled by the ghost infant.
She took out the Qin King Bone-Viewing Mirror and forcefully pressed it against her chest, the ghost infant feared this ritual tool, and it was thrown back ten meters away.
Ning Lan took a deep breath and continued climbing upward!
Three floors, she still had three floors to go!
Ning Lan carried a strong hope for survival, she held the railing and quickly continued climbing upward.
When climbing to the entrance of the 18th floor, the ghost infant once again attacked from below, crawling up.
This time, Ning Lan couldn’t escape…
The Qin King Bone-Viewing Mirror fell from her chest with a “bang,” rolling down the stairs, its surface shattering completely.
The Qin King Bone-Viewing Mirror, broken into pieces, had lost its magical power!
The ghost infant crawled proudly beside the mirror, making a piercing laugh from its throat.
Ning Lan suddenly closed her eyes, seeing her game status bar’s blood value drop to 0.
【Game Task Prompt】
【Qin King Bone-Viewing Mirror Shattered】
【Side Quest Failed】
【4-Player Side Instance Reset in One Day】
The other players in the Tong Lau all received the game prompt, they learned that Ning Lan had obtained some important game clues, and even knew where the Qin King Bone-Viewing Mirror was!
The two people living on the 22nd floor couldn’t hold back anymore.
Xie Wu slammed his fist on the table with a “bang” and said: “Now that they’ve seized the initiative, if they complete the side quest first, will we receive the devil’s punishment?”
Thinking of the devil’s punishment, Xie Wu shuddered.
Next, what would be waiting for them?
Watanabe Keiko elegantly arranged the flowers in her hand, glanced at him and said: “Why are you in such a hurry? As your Chinese saying goes, ‘The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind'” [meaning: while you’re focused on one thing, someone else is targeting you].
Watanabe Keiko trimmed the flower stems with scissors, she already had her own plan in mind.
Xie Wu’s gaze softened slightly and said: “Miss Keiko, I understand.”
Watanabe Keiko beckoned and whispered a few words in Xie Wu’s ear, Xie Wu roughly understood her meaning, and he nodded with a smile.
Tong Lau, 18th floor hallway.
Ning Lan pressed the death watch on her wrist, pressing the game restart button, connecting to the previous day’s storyline.
Now they had grasped about seventy to eighty percent of the information, it seemed she couldn’t successfully obtain the Qin King Bone-Viewing Mirror by herself.
Ning Lan lay at the stairway entrance, when she opened her eyes she had returned to the previous day’s storyline.
At this time, Shen Qingyou walked out from her room, pulled her up and said: “Going round and round, the game has reset again, are you alright?”
Ning Lan covered her face and said: “I was so close, we were almost successful… just a bit more.”
Ning Lan was still feeling guilty about not running fast enough earlier, if she could have been a bit faster, she would have completed this side quest.
Shen Qingyou told her not to blame herself too much, they still had one last chance to reset.
Ning Lan went into the room and poured herself a glass of water, she sat down on the sofa by the tea table and said: “From the clues we’ve gathered so far, it seems there are still unsolved secrets on the 18th floor.”
Shen Qingyou asked: “Our task only requires getting the Qin King Bone-Viewing Mirror, right? Are the other things still important?”
Ning Lan frowned tightly and said: “I’m afraid things aren’t that simple, let me think it through again.”
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