Volume 1: Breaking the Cage
Escape 04
Legal Hunting
The girl didn’t dare to move. Based on Xin Lan’s ruthless manner just now and the foot stepping on her body, she had no doubt that she would take direct action.
But even thinking this way, when Xiao Chun came to take off her pants, she still kicked her legs wildly, wanting to resist.
Xin Lan found her annoying and directly kicked her unconscious.
The skillful and brutal movement made Xiao Chun shudder all over.
Zhou Mingfang was also dumbfounded, pulling her own blanket, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed outside.
Unexpectedly, the class beauty who looked like a vase was so terrifying when she took action.
Besides being scared, she was also somewhat relieved. It was fortunate to be on the same team. When it came time to sleep, they had to separate from their teammates anyway. Having a girl with such high combat ability together was simply an explosion of sense of security.
Ling Jiu had already gotten used to the host’s brutality and could avoid trembling in fear.
Xiao Chun, who already extremely disliked the girl on the ground, mercilessly stripped off her pants and secretly kicked her twice.
“Take off the inner one too.”
Xin Lan ignored Xiao Chun’s small actions, lifted her chin, signaling her to continue.
Xiao Chun was a bit surprised, but immediately stripped off the inner piece as well, seeing the fallen clue fragment.
Xiao Chun picked it up and handed it to Xin Lan.
Xin Lan glanced at it, it didn’t match the edge of her clue, she stuffed it into her pocket.
Xiao Chun originally thought Xin Lan would take this opportunity to demand hers, but Xin Lan didn’t, she couldn’t help but feel some gratitude in her heart.
Xin Lan had initially also stepped in to help her out of the situation, she looked at the girl lying naked from the waist down on the ground, recalled past experiences of being bullied, and clenched her fists.
Xin Lan took clothes from the wardrobe and grabbed her toiletries.
“Xin Lan, are you going to take a shower?”
Zhou Mingfang was a bit worried, who knows what might happen if one goes out at this time.
That inexplicable rule, no one knew what the elimination conditions were, the first person just inexplicably died on the dormitory bed, why it was him, nobody was clear.
“Mm.”
Xin Lan bent down to get the facial cleanser and put it in her basin.
“But what if you’re chosen…”
“If I’m chosen, I’ll die no matter where I am. If you’re scared after I leave, lock the door. I won’t be coming back tonight.”
“Where are you going?”
Zhou Mingfang sat up, asking in surprise, even Xiao Chun was looking at Xin Lan.
“You don’t need to ask about that.”
Xin Lan packed her things, changed into slippers, put her sneakers in a plastic bag, preparing to take them along.
“But aren’t we teammates?”
Zhou Mingfang was a bit panicked, afraid that Xin Lan was abandoning her.
Xin Lan opened the door and turned around, the light from the corridor made her expression appear somewhat obscure and unclear.
“Don’t be so naive, teams can change at any time, it’s only the second day.”
Xin Lan closed the door, the sound of the door closing seemed to strike at one’s heart, making people’s souls shudder.
Xin Lan went to the bathroom at the end.
Each floor had a toilet and a bathroom, located at opposite ends of the corridor.
The bathroom was on the left side of the corridor, the water room and toilet were on the right side of the corridor.
There were five shower stalls, using water cards to activate the lights and water.
But in this alternate space, water cards weren’t needed, the lights in each shower stall were all on, looking rather eerie.
Xin Lan’s dorm room was towards the left, quite close to the bathroom, she took her things and entered one of the stalls.
The dim light fell on her body, the surroundings were terrifyingly quiet.
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Xin Lan took off her clothes, revealing a young girl’s developing body.
“Quite well-endowed.”
Xin Lan turned on the faucet, her hand passing in front of her body.
Ling Jiu only saw a mosaic, the visual effect felt like watching some 〈The Girl in the Bathroom〉.
Water droplets splashed on the ground, then flowed into the drain.
Xin Lan was showering her back when she heard some other movements amidst the sound of water.
She turned off the water, and at the moment the water sound stopped, that slight movement also became apparent.
The air was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, Xin Lan opened the shower gel and applied it to her body.
Ling Jiu: Sister Lan, there’s someone outside, sneaking around stealthily!
Xin Lan didn’t stop her motion of applying shower gel, leisurely washing herself.
Ling Jiu knew Xin Lan couldn’t have not heard, pushed up her glasses waiting to see the upcoming show.
Xin Lan finished applying shower gel, turned on the faucet, letting the water wash away the foam on her body.
That faint sound as if someone was walking on tiptoes was perfectly concealed within the sound of water. Xin Lan rubbed her neck, washing every part of her body clean, turned off the water, and began to dry off and get dressed.
Xin Lan liked to be free when sleeping, but the current conditions didn’t allow it, so she had to put on a bra. She wiped the water off her face and started applying toner.
After doing all this, Xin Lan finally lowered her head.
At the same time, she turned on the faucet.
With the water rushing, Xin Lan stared at the gap under the door.
A pair of clear black and white eyes appeared there, the visual effect comparable to a horror movie.
Those eyes met Xin Lan’s gaze, immediately stood up, about to run.
Xin Lan opened the door, threw the shower gel out, hitting that person’s popliteal fossa (the diamond-shaped space behind the knee joint) with precision. That person stumbled in their movement, Xin Lan with her long arms, pulled the person back.
It was a girl, looking very guilty.
It’s better that it was a girl; if it had been a boy, Xin Lan would definitely have beaten him up first.
“Didn’t your mother teach you not to watch others shower randomly?”
“I’m… I’m sorry, I…”
The girl fidgeted, twisting her fingers nervously, lowering her head sheepishly.
She didn’t know why she had been so foolish. Seeing someone showering here, she thought they must be completely off guard, and she might be able to ambush them when they came out of the shower to get the clue fragment, but she didn’t expect to be discovered so quickly.
Xin Lan narrowed her eyes, clicked her tongue, but still let go of her hand.
The girl, gaining freedom, ran away in a flash.
It’s only the second day, who knows what it will be like later on.
Ling Jiu: Host, why did you let her go? Wouldn’t it have been better to snatch her clue?
Xin Lan: No rush, what’s meant to be will be. Why become a target? Isn’t it better to take everyone out at once later?
Ling Jiu: You’re right!
Only the clues of dead people go to various places, those of the living are known.
Whoever has more clues, people will naturally target them first. Xin Lan doesn’t want to be a moving target right now.
Xin Lan asked Ling Jiu for the dorm number of Study Genius, picked up the shower gel that was just used as a weapon and thrown on the ground, carrying her basin, she headed towards that dorm.
Ling Jiu: Host, are you just going like this?
Xin Lan: What else? As a qualified villain, one can’t be without underlings. Now that no one’s developing a network for me, I have to go myself.
Ling Jiu: Host, you’re the protagonist now!
Xin Lan: …Occupational habit. Protagonist, okay, need partners, still have to develop a network.
Ling Jiu fell silent. The host’s choice of words and style always made this well-behaved system feel like she was part of some illegal organization.
Xin Lan knocked three times, no one responded.
Xin Lan knocked three more times, still no one answered.
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The people inside the room were startled by the sudden knocking, looking at the door, no one went to open it.
Unexpectedly, the knocker was quite persistent, again knocking thump thump thump three times.
After a while, the knocking stopped.
The people inside breathed a sigh of relief, but before they could relax for two seconds, the knocking sounded again.
Thump, thump thump, thump thump thump, thump thump, thump.
It was quite rhythmic.
Xin Lan was happily knocking to the BGM played by Ling Jiu when the door suddenly opened, facing an obviously angry face.
“Are you crazy?”
“Sorry, I’m looking for someone.”
“Who are you looking for?”
The girl was very guarded, only opening a small gap in the door.
Xin Lan: What was Study Genius’s name again?
Ling Jiu: Shen Shuiyan.
Xin Lan: Nice name.
“Shen Shuiyan.”
“You’re looking for her?”
The girl showed some suspicion, turned her head and called into the room.
After a moment, Shen Shuiyan appeared in front of Xin Lan.
She opened the door a bit more, revealing a smile.
“Classmate, do you have something to discuss with me?”
Her demeanor was relaxed, calm and composed, yet subtly maintaining a safe distance.
Xin Lan determined at a glance that this was not a simple person. This kind of smile was familiar to her; she had seen it on her strategist in the previous villain world.
Seemingly friendly, but actually good at scheming.
This is good. In this kind of world, it’s most comfortable to deal with intelligent people.
“Hello, I’m Xin Lan.”
Xin Lan smiled cheerfully and openly. Shen Shuiyan raised her eyebrows almost imperceptibly.
She naturally knew who she was. Xin Lan, Zou Yunfei’s ex-girlfriend, quite famous in their original class, that face was quite attractive.
“I came to ask you, want to team up?”
“I’m sorry, I already have a team.”
Shen Shuiyan couldn’t figure out this person’s intentions for the moment, politely declining.
“Classmate Shen is a smart person, you must know that teams can be changed at any time.”
“I’ll be waiting for you anytime, I’m more reliable than the people you’ve chosen.”
Xin Lan said with a smile. Although Shen Shuiyan didn’t believe it, she still politely said okay.
The door in front of her was closed, and Xin Lan returned to her own dorm with her basin.
Ling Jiu: Just like that?
Xin Lan: What else did you expect?
Xin Lan had originally prepared herself to be turned away, this was already a better scenario than expected. Shen Shuiyan is a smart person, just leave her an option, say hello, that’s all.
Ling Jiu: I thought she would succumb to your domineering aura, and then swear to follow you to the death.
Xin Lan: Have you been watching too many Mary Sue dramas?
If Shen Shuiyan had agreed, she would have thought there was something fishy.
Either she’s brainless, or she has her own calculations.
And the second type of behavior obviously doesn’t fit the subsequent plot, most likely an ‘off-script personnel’.
That is, possibly a colleague from some department, or someone possessed/body-snatched/reborn/transmigrated.
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The first two situations are still manageable, the latter two are a bit troublesome.
Fortunately, Shen Shuiyan’s intelligence is normal and even falls within the range of smart people, which makes Xin Lan quite happy.
“I really hope that ex-boyfriend of mine isn’t stupid either.”
Xin Lan’s low mutter in the empty corridor seemed particularly ghostly.
Ling Jiu: But Host, didn’t you say you weren’t going back?
Xin Lan didn’t intend to go back to sleep. At her dorm room door, she changed from slippers to sneakers, put the basin aside, and did some stretching exercises.
Xin Lan supported herself with one hand onto the balcony, eliciting a soft exclamation from Ling Jiu.
Ling Jiu: Host, this is the fourth floor…
Before she could finish speaking, Xin Lan had already landed steadily, her movements as light as a cat’s.
Merely the fourth floor, that’s all.
The author has something to say:
Xin Lan: If you don’t leave a comment, I’ll make you moan like sheep!
Study Genius: [covering mouth] No, you don’t want to
Author: I want to!
LP: Re-translated on October 29, 2024