The Hand of Confession – Chapter 113

Volume 4: Days of Making Mischief at School

A Fatal Strike

Shen Maomao even had a sense that her world was falling apart.

Shen Maomao was well-protected by her cheap mother, her feet never touching the ground during the battle.

At first, she tried struggling a couple of times, but eventually gave up like a salted fish, only managing to perk up her ears to listen to the battle situation.

Screams of agony kept coming, but what relieved her was that: the screams weren’t from Lou Jingmo, Golden Retriever, or Mother Shen.

She rested her head against Mother Shen’s warm chest and simply closed her eyes.

After all, Golden Retriever had Lou Jingmo’s protection, and Lou Jingmo had her as backup, so she might as well stay obediently in Mother Shen’s arms and not cause them any trouble…

She didn’t know how much time had passed, so long that she almost fell asleep despite the noisy background, when suddenly an explosion came from in front of her, and Mother Shen quickly turned around, protecting her in her embrace.

Then all sounds ceased, and a strong smell of blood reached her nostrils – she didn’t know who had been hurt.

Shen Maomao panicked terribly, grabbed onto Mother Shen’s shoulders, and asked, “What happened, Mama?!”

There was a very sticky sensation on Mother Shen’s shoulders, and she even felt something warm and fragmented, like—pieces of flesh.

Could Mother Shen be injured?!

She wanted to struggle down to check on Mother Shen’s condition, but feared her movements might worsen any injuries. She could only ask with teary eyes and a trembling voice, “Mama… are you alright?”

“Don’t be afraid, Maomao. Mama is fine.” After saying this, she slipped her hands under Shen Maomao’s armpits and gently set her down on the ground. “Look, the bad person is already dead.”

Shen Maomao finally saw how horrific the scene was.

Those still standing were Lou Jingmo, Golden Retriever, Chen Meihan, and Mother Shen. Ren Yue and another player lay on the ground, their fate unknown, while Zhao Zhuyu was nowhere to be seen.

Without exception, everyone was covered in blood and flesh, looking both horrifying and sickening. Only Lou Jingmo had less blood on her, at least her delicate face was still clean, forming a stark contrast with the others.

Lou Jingmo glanced at her and said, “We’re fine. Zhao Zhuyu exploded.”

Exploded??

Shen Maomao imagined the scene of a person suddenly bursting apart, feeling both nauseated and bewildered.

What was going on? How could a person just explode like that?

But she had no time to think further as a soft white light suddenly appeared behind Chen Meihan. The light penetrated the walls, extending towards a distant point, with space rippling at the brightest center of the glow, bringing hope to all players present.

The exit had appeared!!

Shen Maomao got excited and reflexively stepped forward, but managed to control her impulse.

Because Chen Meihan was standing in front of the exit, her small body completely blocking it.

Golden Retriever moved next to her and whispered, “Sister Rabbit, are you close with her?”

Shen Maomao: “Huh?”

Golden Retriever: “You didn’t see it earlier, but that monster exploded because this little girl bit her neck while lying on top of her…”

Just as the words fell, Chen Meihan bared her teeth covered in blood and flesh fragments, asking in a sinister tone: “Everyone… where do you think you’re going?”

Shen Maomao: “Holy sh*t?!”

Based on her past experience, the ghost that appears after the exit shows up should be the real final boss, right??

So the main character of this level wasn’t Zhao Zhuyu and Zhao Chunhua, but Chen Meihan?!

While she was lost in these random thoughts, Lou Jingmo had already activated her verbal combat mode: “We helped you get revenge, so you could say we did you a favor, right?”

“Hee hee hee hee.” Chen Meihan let out a creepy laugh, completely ignoring her words and attacking directly.

Her body became extraordinarily agile, reaching Lou Jingmo’s front in the blink of an eye, then launching a series of swift and fierce attacks.

Lou Jingmo reacted quickly, retreating several steps at the same speed until her back hit the door panel, leaving nowhere else to retreat.

Shen Maomao shouted: “Chen Meihan! Wait!”

Simultaneously, Lou Jingmo grabbed the black umbrella standing by the door and thrust it straight at Chen Meihan’s body.

The umbrella struck empty air, but Lou Jingmo wasn’t particularly surprised. She used the momentum to fall sideways, successfully stopping her forward movement, then performed a donkey roll [驢打滾 | lǘ dǎgǔn | meaning to tumble forward] and stood up again, circling to a position farther from Shen Maomao and Golden Retriever.

At this point, the exit was completely exposed, and Lou Jingmo was frantically signaling to Shen Maomao with her eyes.

Shen Maomao had a flash of inspiration and immediately rushed towards Golden Retriever, dragging him towards the exit. Due to the urgency, her movements were extremely rough, as if stuffing a broken sack rather than handling a fragile human being.

“Wait—!” Golden Retriever only managed to utter one word before his entire body transformed into a stream of light and was sucked into the exit, successfully escaping the level.

Chen Meihan was fully focused on dealing with Lou Jingmo, completely disregarding the little grasshoppers escaping right under her nose. So Shen Maomao grabbed the person lying “dead” on the ground – the boy had stopped breathing, but with a “treat a dead horse as if it’s alive” mentality, she threw him into the exit too. Whether he could survive or not would depend on his fate.

As for the remaining Ren Yue…

Shen Maomao sighed.

Ren Yue wasn’t dead, just unconscious.

Shen Maomao considered herself half a “holy mother”. Perhaps because of this, or because taking care of her had become an instinct ingrained in her body—before Ren Yue’s true nature was completely exposed, she couldn’t change her stance so quickly.

Moreover, if she was willing to help complete strangers, how could she not help someone who had been her friend for four happy years?

She quickly lifted Ren Yue’s upper body, and just as she dragged her near the exit using the same method, Ren Yue suddenly opened her eyes.

“Maomao?” There was still a hint of post-awakening confusion in her eyes.

Shen Maomao hurriedly said, “The exit has appeared, quick, go!”

Ren Yue stood up and looked at her earnestly: “Maomao, can we really not go back to how things were?”

Shen Maomao, who had already turned around, paused her steps, finding her annoying for once – how could someone not tire of asking the same question thousands of times?

“I don’t have time to discuss this now,” she said, “I’ll move out of the dorm later, you just…”

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly felt a chill in her back as a sharp pain exploded in her heart.

Ren Yue held her shoulders while driving a sharp knife into her back, precisely finding her heart.

“I’m sorry…” she whispered in her ear, “Maomao, I was just too scared…”

Being scared… what inevitable connection did that have with killing her?

After saying this, Ren Yue cleanly pulled out the knife and quickly rushed into the exit, disappearing from the level.

“Ugh—” Blood gushed out as Shen Maomao collapsed with a thud, her vision blurring.

Why…

Why would she do this to her?

She couldn’t understand.

Scenes flashed before Shen Maomao’s eyes like a revolving lantern [走馬燈 | zǒumǎdēng | refers to life flashing before one’s eyes], and without exception, they all involved Ren Yue.

From their first meeting as anxious freshmen making awkward small talk and gradually becoming familiar, to becoming like one person in sophomore year, through their junior and senior years – nearly four years of happy, joyful moments flashed by one after another, finally culminating in Ren Yue’s soft “sorry” playing on repeat in her mind. Everything seemed to have changed since that night they went to the internet cafe together.

Shen Maomao even had a sense that her world was falling apart.

What had she done wrong? What made Ren Yue hate her enough to kill her right before the game’s exit? Why would she bring death to her just when she saw hope for life?

“Shen Maomao—!”

She closed her eyes as a worried call faintly reached her ears.

Who could it be?

…

“Shen Maomao.”

…Who’s calling me?

“Come on, stop playing dead if you’re alive.”

?!!

Shen Maomao sat up from the ground with a carp flip [鯉魚打挺 | lǐyú dǎtǐng | a martial arts move], looking bewilderedly at the three faces surrounding her.

Mother Shen, Chen Meihan, and… Lou Jingmo.

Shen Maomao: “…?”

Lou Jingmo: “You’re awake? You died once, and your murderer has already fled.”

Shen Maomao: “…”

Lou Jingmo continued: “Thanks to your dear bestie, Chen Meihan found it interesting and is willing to let us leave directly.”

Chen Meihan smiled with narrowed eyes beside them.

Shen Maomao: “…”

There was too much information to process, and she didn’t know what to say for a moment.

Fortunately, there was still some time before dawn, before the time of the hundred ghosts’ revelry. Lou Jingmo wasn’t in a hurry either, standing up and leaning against the wall with her shoulder, waiting for her to digest everything.

Shen Maomao reached inside her clothes and felt her back. She could no longer find the fatal wound, though her heart still ached faintly, possibly a side effect of resurrection.

She got up, swallowed, and said uncertainly: “So shall we… go?”

Lou Jingmo looked at Mother Shen but didn’t speak.

Mother Shen, her head covered in blood, looked at her and extended both arms, saying: “Come, let Mama carry you home.”

Shen Maomao startled, instantly becoming fully alert.

Home? It was almost the seventh day – would she be able to come back after returning?

She rushed to Lou Jingmo’s side in two quick steps, looking pitifully at Mother Shen while saying: “Mama, I can’t go back with you.”

Mother Shen’s smile gradually faded.

She pressed her lips together, her gaze turning cold, looking at Shen Maomao as if she were a stranger: “Are you going to leave Mama too?”

Shen Maomao’s heart ached—in all sorts of ways.

Honestly, Mother Shen had treated her well; she’d only survived these six days thanks to her care. If she just abandoned her now, wouldn’t she become an empty-nester [空巢老人 | kōngcháo lǎorén | elderly person living alone after children leave]?!

She leaned close to Lou Jingmo’s ear and whispered: “Sister Lou…”

Lou Jingmo turned her face slightly, then controlled her movement, listening with lowered eyelids.

“Do you think… we could take an NPC out with us?”

Lou Jingmo: “?? Are you still half asleep?”

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The author has something to say:

Ren Yue is actually a very complex character _(:з」∠)_

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LP: A backstabber, literally

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