Ex-Girlfriend – Chapter 102

B U G Arc

Exam God 09

For someone like this who knows no bounds, Xin Lan has always had just one word.

Strike.

Xin Lan walked towards the middle-aged man in the crowd, and those around instinctively moved aside, allowing her to reach the man easily.

“You all!”

The middle-aged man also knew that this woman was not to be trifled with, after all, he remembered vividly how badly he was beaten that day.

But he originally thought they had already united, only to be surprised that these people actually moved aside.

Xin Lan didn’t waste any words; she kicked the man’s knee, seized one of his arms, and gave it a forceful twist. With her other hand, she grabbed Xiao An in his embrace and pulled Xiao An away, placing him in front of Yuanyuan not far away.

“Don’t you want to know how to get out of here?”

The middle-aged man’s voice trembled as he spoke, clutching his stomach and attempting to stand up. But Xin Lan kicked him in the shoulder, causing him to fall to the ground once again.

“I think the essence of this game is elimination, so there’s no need for someone as foolish as you to exist. Next time you threaten someone, remember to weigh your own capabilities.”

Xin Lan stepped on his chest, and the man, unwilling to give up, attempted to resist once more, only to be forcefully subdued by Xin Lan.

The surrounding people fell silent. While some were curious about the method the middle-aged man mentioned to get out, no one dared to speak up. After all, no one wanted to be the next person lying on the ground beaten up.

Xin Lan didn’t waste any time on disciplining unrelated individuals. She efficiently rendered the man unconscious, and the village chief and others came forward to continue with the ceremony.

The ceremony was a grand affair with elaborate rituals. Xiao An donned a heavy ceremonial robe, and standing at the forefront were the village chief and the elderly woman. Following them was Xiao An, and behind Xiao An stood four girls dressed identically.

One of them was the girl who had appeared in front of Xiao An’s house last night, carrying a lantern to lead the way.

She had an expressionless face, moving forward like a puppet on strings.

Following behind her were the musicians playing drums and gongs. What was more eerie was that on both sides of them, the ground was teeming with a multitude of insects.

Xin Lan and her group of seven walked alongside Xiao An until they reached the graveyard.

Up ahead, people bowed before a tombstone, and some chanted incomprehensible funeral verses while gathered around the grave. Xin Lan and Wan Yan kept watch on their surroundings, concerned only about the possibility of anyone causing trouble.

After a ceremony resembling an offering had concluded, the village chief touched the tombstone and pressed down forcefully.

Suddenly, behind the tombstone, a massive depression appeared, a pit wide enough for three people to pass through side by side.

Everyone proceeded one by one, with Xin Lan and Wan Yan at the forefront of the candidates.

The tunnel was still illuminated by the white insects above. Wan Yan quietly reached for Xin Lan’s hand.

Xin Lan glanced at her, and Wan Yan’s expression remained natural as she blinked at her.

Given Xin Lan’s personality, if she didn’t want to, she would have simply pulled away without asking why Wan Yan did that.

But Xin Lan didn’t pull away.

Wan Yan’s movements were entirely natural, as if she had done it many times before.

In fact, in a previous world, Wan Yan had held Xin Lan’s hand many times, and Xin Lan had naturally grown accustomed to it.

Seeing that Xin Lan didn’t let go, Wan Yan felt a sense of joy in her heart.

The first step of the long journey had been taken!

Walking through the corridor, they entered a wider area than the one they had seen previously. All around them were strokes representing the ceremony, and in the center stood four stone pillars adorned with carvings of various insects.

“Is it as we guessed?”

Xin Lan asked Wan Yan.

Wan Yan’s gaze swiftly scanned the murals, and she nodded in response to Xin Lan.

Dressed in elaborate clothing, Xiao An lay on the platform in the center of the stone pillars.

The worms had successfully reached the altar.

The village chief began to sing a cryptic chant, and a few girls knelt down, extending their wrists.

Someone stepped forward and made an incision on their wrists, allowing the blood to flow into the grooves and gather towards the altar.

A sacrifice was always part of the ritual, and it seemed these four girls were the chosen ones.

With great care, the village chief held a worm and used the tip of a knife to open a wound on Xiao An’s forehead.

Xin Lan and Wan Yan exchanged a glance, then signaled each other with a gesture, moving forward together.

Xin Lan approached Xiao An, while Wan Yan lunged towards the village chief.

Their sudden actions left Yuanyuan stunned, but Huo Xu had been closely observing the people ahead. When they moved, he followed suit.

Xin Lan and Huo Xu simultaneously grabbed hold of Xiao An. Xin Lan was surprised at how quickly Huo Xu could keep up with her speed, and she swiftly turned, cradling Xiao An in her arms.

In fact, the method to leave this place had already been hinted at by the village chief during his earlier speech.

There was a Gu servant who used the Gu King to leave the village, and Xiao An, because he had another Gu on him that could sense the presence of that one, followed in pursuit.

In other words, having the Gu King would enable one to leave.

As for the place one could exit to, it should be within this area, or rather, it should be the altar itself.

Otherwise, there would be no need to specifically mark it on the card.

Ensuring the safe arrival of the Gu to the altar encapsulated the information about leaving within that sentence.

Wan Yan snatched the Gu King from the village chief’s hand, swiftly flipped half-circle on the ground, and stood up gracefully.

“Got it!”

On the side of the altar, there were two hole-like structures. Wan Yan, with quick eyes and deft hands, inserted the Gu she held into one of them, and the altar began to move slowly.

“Stop them!”

Countless insects began to attack in their direction. Yuanyuan exclaimed and quickly jumped to the side of Bai Xiyue.

Upon seeing this, the others hastily crowded together. Some moved slowly, and insects crawled up their legs, promptly engulfing them.

A chilling, squeaky sound emanated from the bodies covered in insects, interspersed with screams.

The moment the opening appeared, Wan Yan gave Xin Lan a light push to go first, and Xin Lan jumped in, with Wan Yan following closely behind.

When they jumped down, they didn’t land on solid ground.

“Congratulations on passing the second test! Please continue to give your best! You are now in the rest period for the examination, with a countdown of ten minutes!”

Xin Lan didn’t know how many people had successfully emerged, and she didn’t care.

Some unfamiliar faces appeared in the rest room, and Yuanyuan and Huo Xu entered right after Xin Lan and Wan Yan.

“I was so scared! Fortunately, I reacted quickly; I almost got swallowed by those bugs.”

Yuanyuan said, patting her chest, looking extremely relieved to have survived such a close call.

“I didn’t even realize what was happening; you three acted so fast, lightning speed.”

Yuanyuan expressed his delight at having lucked out.

Xin Lan and the others closed their eyes to rest, not saying a word. Yuanyuan didn’t feel awkward and went to converse with others to gather information.

The ten minutes passed quickly, and just before they were transported, Wan Yan immediately grabbed Xin Lan’s hand.

If they weren’t paired together, the chance of encountering each other again would be quite slim.

They could only hope that this so-called rule, this “BUG,” would recognize that they were a team. Otherwise, Wan Yan might have to eliminate it in advance.