Escape from the Thriller World – Chapter 26

Volume One: The Old Corpse in the Mountain Village

Caring

“Ning Lan, since when did you start caring about me so much?”

Watanabe Keiko’s eyes were filled with murderous intent, but Shen Qingyou showed no weakness, calmly putting on her four-finger brass knuckles from her waist onto her fingers.

            

Shen Qingyou stroked the brass knuckles, raised her middle finger provocatively and said: “I don’t need a gun, I can beat you in hand-to-hand combat.”

Shen Qingyou’s disdain further enraged Watanabe Keiko’s anger.

“You think you’re so capable, Shen Qingyou, let’s see how skilled you really are!” Watanabe Keiko gripped her Japanese military sword [katana], already in a full battle stance.

            

She looked at Xie Wu lying on the ground, cursing him as a genuine sick man of East Asia.

Watanabe Keiko watched helplessly as Shen Qingyou threw the gun to Ning Lan and said: “Keep it for me for ten minutes, while I deal with this person.”

Ning Lan caught the gun and put it in her bag, hugging the backpack she nodded and said: “Officer Shen, you have one more chance.”

            

At this moment, Watanabe Keiko was pressing on the bone-deep pain in her arm.

She remembered through gritted teeth how several doctors had cut into her at the Hong Kong Library, forcibly removing tissue from her arm.

With white cloth wrapped around her arm, Watanabe Keiko struggled to grip the Japanese military sword and said: “Today I’ll let you taste our Japanese bayonet techniques!”​¹

            

Gripping the long, thick Japanese military sword, she stepped forward with quick steps to slash at Shen Qingyou, who dodged perfectly by stepping to the left, avoiding her attack.

Watanabe Keiko, unwilling to give up, swung the sword again with unpredictable sword techniques, raising the military sword above her head to slash at Shen Qingyou’s right leg.

“Officer Shen, be careful!” Ning Lan called out anxiously.

            

She couldn’t help much, her heart burning with anxiety.

Shen Qingyou quickly stepped sideways with her right foot, her left straight punch hit Watanabe Keiko’s jaw, making Watanabe Keiko stumble back several steps, and with a “clang,” the Japanese military sword fell ten meters away.

Watanabe Keiko tried to pick it up again, but Shen Qingyou wouldn’t give her the chance, quickly stepping forward to snatch the Japanese military sword, standing up straight.

            

“Watanabe Keiko, you’ve lost,” Shen Qingyou said, holding the sword’s tip against Watanabe Keiko’s neck artery.

The sword tip was just five centimeters away, if Shen Qingyou pushed it in just a bit more, she would certainly die.

Watanabe Keiko turned her face away and said: “Kill me if you want, it’s up to you, but if you kill me, you won’t be able to complete the side quest.”

            

The game system had warned that the Tong Lau’s side quest required all four of them to survive.

These damn game rules, Shen Qingyou couldn’t help but curse in her heart.

As a National Security Bureau officer, her duty was to eliminate foreign spies planted within the country.

            

Unable to kill Watanabe Keiko, Shen Qingyou took a deep breath.

Shen Qingyou’s deep eyes half-closed as she said: “You won’t die today, but don’t think you’ll get away unharmed.”

Shen Qingyou, being ruthless with few words, took the Japanese military sword and stabbed at different parts of Watanabe Keiko’s arms, limbs, and thighs.

            

Her body seemed as if it was being torn apart, showing various degrees of sword marks all over.

Painful moans came from Watanabe Keiko’s throat as she clutched her sleeve and viciously said to Shen Qingyou: “You’ll regret not killing me.”

“I’ll kill you sooner or later,” Shen Qingyou said with a slight smile at the corner of her mouth.

            

Shen Qingyou threw away the Japanese military sword, saying that things belonging to Japanese spies were dirty, and she had no interest in holding it for even one more minute.

The Japanese military sword was thrown to the ground, and Watanabe Keiko, enduring the pain, crawled on the ground trying to pick it up.

Watanabe Keiko’s body trembled, feeling as if all strength had been drained from her body, unable to use any strength.

            

With a pale face, she took several breaths and fainted.

Xie Wu, covering his mouth where his teeth had been knocked out, watched as Watanabe Keiko was also defeated by Shen Qingyou, supporting herself on the ground.

Xie Wu silently got up, planning to sneak around from behind to ambush Shen Qingyou.

            

Ning Lan saw this move, and she had no weapons to use except…

The gun that Shen Qingyou had given her.

There was no time to think about it – she couldn’t watch Shen Qingyou get ambushed by Xie Wu!

            

Ning Lan pulled out the gun, imitating how Shen Qingyou had pulled the trigger before, and hearing the crisp sound of the bullet being chambered, she knew she had succeeded.

Ning Lan had no shooting experience, her trembling hands gripped the gun tightly as she aimed randomly at Xie Wu who was about to ambush Shen Qingyou, and fired.

“Bang……” the hard sound of the bullet passed through Xie Wu’s left leg, and he fell down less than twenty meters behind Shen Qingyou.

            

He dragged his left leg as he looked back at Ning Lan and said: “You… you know how to use a gun.”

Ning Lan withdrew the gun and said: “First time using it, just a blind cat catching a dead rat.” [meaning: lucky success by accident]

Shen Qingyou finally realized what happened, took the gun back from Ning Lan’s hand, and fired another shot at Xie Wu’s right leg.

            

His legs had now been shot twice in succession, he wouldn’t be able to cause trouble for a while…

“Let’s go! The gunshots will definitely bring security from downstairs.” This was why Shen Qingyou hadn’t wanted to use the gun, but unexpectedly Ning Lan ended up using it.

Watanabe Keiko, who had been lying on the ground, was already up, picking up the Japanese military sword and slashing towards the unarmed Ning Lan.

            

Shen Qingyou pushed her aside and stood in front, delivering a powerful right chop to Watanabe Keiko’s wrist, then kicked her in the abdomen, sending her flying back ten meters.

Seeing she had no strength left to fight, she said: “Shen Qingyou, you’re ruthless.”

The security patrol team below Tong Lau heard gunshots from upstairs, Xu Sanduo led his security team climbing up the floors, and they began checking each floor.

            

Hurried footsteps came from below, flashlight beams illuminated the floors.

“They’re coming up, let’s go quickly!” Shen Qingyou said, coming to her senses.

Shen Qingyou grabbed Ning Lan’s hand, planning to return to the 18th floor, which was the safest place.

            

Their footsteps followed one after another, Ning Lan felt her hand being held by Shen Qingyou.

The touch between their fingers was like an electric current flowing through.

Ning Lan suddenly wanted to pull her hand back, but Shen Qingyou held it even tighter.

            

Until they safely entered the apartment on the 18th floor, Shen Qingyou slammed the door shut and double-locked it.

“I… Officer Shen, you can let go now,” Ning Lan said, coming to her senses.

Shen Qingyou finally realized and released her hand, saying “I was afraid security would catch up, only in the urgency of the moment…”

            

As their eyes met, Ning Lan avoided her gaze and said: “Mm… I understand. We’re good teammates after all.”

Avoiding this awkward scene, Shen Qingyou cried out in pain – her finger had been scraped by the brass knuckles during the fight with Watanabe Keiko.

Ning Lan looked at her injured finger and said: “Sit on the living room sofa, I’ll go get the first aid kit.”

            

Shen Qingyou sat down on the living room sofa, while Ning Lan went to the side bedroom and brought out a small first aid kit. She checked the medicines – their production dates were all within one year, so they were usable.

The first aid kit had been left by the previous family; due to their disappearance, they hadn’t cleared out the things in this home.

Ning Lan found antiseptic solution and some gauze in the first aid kit. She cut a small piece of gauze with scissors and took a disposable cotton swab.

            

Ning Lan had Shen Qingyou sit still while she held the cotton swab, dabbed some medicine, and wiped it on her wound, saying: “This might hurt a little, bear with it…”

Shen Qingyou nodded, and Ning Lan first carefully applied medicine with the cotton swab, then wrapped a small circle of sterilized gauze.

Shen Qingyou shrugged and said: “It’s fine, just putting on a bandage for a few days would be enough…”

            

After treating her wound, Ning Lan said: “Officer Shen, you’re a police officer, surely you know untreated wounds can get infected, have you always been like this?”

Shen Qingyou nodded slightly and said: “I’ve always handled minor bumps and scrapes this way, isn’t it fine?”

Ning Lan’s gaze fell on her eyes and said: “Don’t do this anymore, wounds heal slowly this way.”

            

The gentle words were filled with care in every sentence.

Shen Qingyou smiled cheerfully and said: “Ning Lan, since when did you start caring about me so much?”

Ning Lan avoided her smile, composed her emotions and said: “Officer Shen, don’t think too much about it. We’re just teammates, once we get out of here we’ll be nothing…”

            

She shouldn’t think too much, this was just a horror world instance, how could she have different feelings for Shen Qingyou?

Ning Lan took a deep breath, she needed to bury these feelings in her heart.

Ning Lan seemed to be seen through by Shen Qingyou’s fire eyes golden pupils [meaning: keen observant eyes].

            

She held down Ning Lan’s retreating hand and said: “Ning Lan, you look just like a little lamb trying to run away right now?”

Ning Lan bit her lip to hide her emotions and said: “O-Officer Shen, you’re thinking too much, I’m not.”

She started to stutter, Ning Lan’s eyes didn’t dare meet Shen Qingyou’s, and she hurriedly tried to pack up the first aid kit to escape.

            

She just wanted to find a hole in the ground to hide in, not wanting to be discovered by Shen Qingyou.

Ning Lan stood up to run towards the bedroom.

Shen Qingyou’s eyes showed interest as she asked: “Ning Lan, I’m curious. Are you this caring towards other girls too?”

            

Ning Lan moved her lips and said: “Of course between friends, Officer Shen please don’t ask anymore…”

Ning Lan felt like her private thoughts were about to be exposed by Shen Qingyou. What was wrong with this woman today, with her relentless questioning!

Shen Qingyou pressed closer step by step, pulling at her hand. Ning Lan turned around, and their eyes met again.

            

Shen Qingyou’s eyelashes trembled slightly as she smiled and said: “Ning Lan, am I really just a friend to you?”

Ning Lan wavered back and forth and replied: “Friends… teammates, nothing else!”

Shen Qingyou’s slender fingers caressed her face and said: “Why do I feel that’s not true? Hmm? Have you had a girlfriend before?”

            

Faced with this fatal question, Ning Lan’s nervousness reached her throat, and she shook her head saying: “In, in high school I had an unrequited crush on a desk mate, does that count?”

Ning Lan had never really dated, she was deeply closeted and hid it well, except for having a crush on a female classmate in high school, which eventually came to nothing.

Shen Qingyou smiled gently and said: “I’m just asking, I won’t eat you up. Go get some rest.”

            

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