The Hand of Confession – Chapter 130

Volume 5: Days of Applying Makeup to Corpses

Bewilderment

All day long you eat and sleep, sleep and eat, are you raising pigs?

Guan Qiwen, with his heart and eyes fixated only on clues, failed to notice anything unusual.

The two led him out of the building and into the small courtyard of the funeral home. Guan Qiwen kept asking: “Where is it? Where are the clues?”

Lou Jingmo gave Shen Maomao a meaningful look, and Shen Maomao immediately understood, circling behind him.

Then Lou Jingmo smiled at Guan Qiwen and said: “Why don’t you turn around and look?”

As Guan Qiwen turned according to her words, Shen Maomao immediately raised her fist and landed a punch straight to his eye socket.

It was just a matter of waking up someone who was bewildered – she had plenty of experience with that!

Meanwhile, Lou Jingmo restrained his arms from behind, forcing him to passively endure the beating without any chance of resistance.

Guan Qiwen let out continuous wails while Shen Maomao showed no mercy, delivering punch after punch, each one landing solidly, mixing kicks with strikes until she began to tire.

She took a couple of deep breaths, choosing to rest before continuing the beating, when Guan Qiwen’s expression suddenly returned to normal, and he shouted: “Enough! No need to hit anymore!! I’m back!!”

Shen Maomao gave him a suspicious look: “Really?”

Guan Qiwen nodded repeatedly: “Really, really!”

Shen Maomao looked toward Lou Jingmo, who was still holding his arms behind him, waiting for the boss’s next instructions.

Lou Jingmo released her grip.

Guan Qiwen covered his face and jumped aside at lightning speed, drawing in several sharp breaths: “Tch— you guys hit way too hard!”

Shen Maomao wore an innocent expression: “Without using some force, how could you wake up so quickly?”

Guan Qiwen rubbed his face and decided to change the subject: “This instance is really strange. Why weren’t you two affected?”

Shen Maomao frankly replied: “I was affected too, but Lou-jie slapped me awake.”

So why wasn’t Lou Jingmo affected?

Both turned to look at Lou Jingmo simultaneously.

Lou Jingmo said calmly: “I have antibodies.”

Antibodies…

Shen Maomao blinked her eyes.

To develop antibodies against such an unconscious bewilderment, she must have suffered quite a bit in similar situations.

Guan Qiwen had no interest in her past experiences and said resignedly: “I’d rather have fewer experiences like this.”

Those who are possessed lose their rationality, pushed forward by that mysterious hand within the game, probably not even knowing how they died in the end.

Lou Jingmo also told him about the increase in people’s numbers, and Guan Qiwen’s expression matched Shen Maomao’s when she first learned about it – shocked, frightened, and disbelieving.

He wracked his brains about the number problem, thinking until his head ached and his mind turned to mush, trying to figure out who the extra people were.

Shen Maomao advised him: “Stop thinking about it. If Lou-jie can’t figure it out, you’re just wasting energy here.”

Guan Qiwen: “?? No… Although I was possessed, I am also…”

However, before he could finish, Shen Maomao’s eyes sparkled as she turned to Lou Jingmo: “Lou-jie, what should we do next?”

Guan Qiwen swallowed his words, finding the scene unbearable to watch—if Shen Maomao had a tail, it would probably be wagging like a propeller by now.

Lou Jingmo, however, seemed pleased, and with an air of superiority, tilted her chin toward the building they had come from: “Better not go back in there. Every time they search a room, another person appears when they come out.”

Shen Maomao: “Damn…”

Lou Jingmo said nonchalantly: “No need to worry, it’s not a big problem.”

Not a big problem… well, in Lou Jingmo’s eyes, perhaps nothing ever counted as a big problem.

“We’re just going to leave it be?” Guan Qiwen asked.

Lou Jingmo countered: “How would you handle it?”

Guan Qiwen was momentarily speechless.

Indeed, there was no way to handle it. Two women and one man were completely powerless against the increasing number of people in the building. Those people seemed brainwashed, obsessed with finding clues, likely to kill anything that stands in their way, even gods or buddhas [神擋殺神，佛擋滅佛 | shén dǎng shā shén, fó dǎng miè fó | idiom meaning to stop at nothing].

He knew exactly what people would do in that state. If Shen Maomao and Lou Jingmo hadn’t tricked him out and subdued him together, he would have surely made a scene, trying to mobilize everyone to kill the chicken to warn the monkey like these two troublemakers…

Guan Qiwen shuddered, not daring to think further.

This game was toxic. If he actually killed the power-leveler he had hired at great expense, he would probably become the biggest joke in this instance.

Shen Maomao looked at the sky; the sun was now setting westward, and the clouds resembled fish scales illuminated by sunlight, reflecting golden light.

Time had unknowingly reached the end of the day, and it was time for dinner.

She patted her stomach and sighed: “Shouldn’t we eat? Wonder what kind of meal it’ll be this time…”

Lou Jingmo: “…All day long you eat and sleep, sleep and eat, are you raising pigs?”

Shen Maomao wasn’t upset; instead, she smiled sweetly: “I’m just being optimistic and open-minded. Will I become immortal if I don’t eat, drink, or sleep? No, so I might as well eat and drink well, enjoying every second I can.”

Guan Qiwen: “…” What a perfect justification.

Lou Jingmo, eager to burst her bubble: “Well, congratulations, you’re destined to eat poorly in this instance.”

“Hm?” Shen Maomao immediately asked sharply, “Lou-jie, have you discovered something new?”

Lou Jingmo indeed continued: “It’s not really a discovery. I thought about this issue since our first meal.”

At this point, she paused, then turned to ask Shen Maomao: “Do you know what kind of food has no taste?”

Shen Maomao pondered: “Offerings for the dead? I’m not very familiar with this, but aren’t things like yuanbao [元寶 | yuán bǎo | traditional Chinese gold ingot] and incense [香燭 | xiāng zhú | ceremonial incense and candles] all tasteless?”

Lou Jingmo nodded: “That’s what I thought initially – tasteless food is offerings, meant for the dead. But the delicious meal that followed made me think of another possibility.”

Regarding ghost food, besides yuanbao and incense, there’s another theory – ghosts can absorb the “essence” [精氣 | jīng qì | vital energy] from human food, and after the essence is consumed, the food loses its taste.

In such circumstances, that delicious meal might actually be problematic.

Lou Jingmo’s lengthy explanation left Shen Maomao completely in the clouds and mist [雲裏霧裏 | yún lǐ wù lǐ | meaning confused].

“Wait!” Guan Qiwen grasped the key point, “You mean—you’re not sure which situation we’re actually experiencing?”

Lou Jingmo nodded: “That’s right.”

Shen Maomao: “?? Huh?”

Lou Jingmo: “Trying won’t kill us.”

Guan Qiwen: “…”

This was probably his first such experience, especially concerning a life-or-death decision.

As for Shen Maomao, she had a blind confidence in Lou Jingmo, so she wasn’t concerned whether eating the wrong food might trigger death conditions.

This was also why Lou Jingmo’s attitude differed notably between her and Guan Qiwen.

Shen Maomao could trust her unconditionally, while Guan Qiwen expressed doubts due to his own life experience and social status.

This was perfectly understandable, and Lou Jingmo didn’t need his little bit of trust anyway.

The higher one’s position, the more cautious they become, because compared to those who have nothing, they fear losing everything more.

Like Lou Jingmo, once she spoke, Guan Qiwen started overthinking, and the more he thought, the more reasonable Lou Jingmo’s suspicions seemed, immediately becoming tense.

Only Shen Maomao maintained her natural innocent expression, asking absent-mindedly: “Lou-jie, could you be overthinking this?”

Lou Jingmo replied candidly: “Maybe, but I trust my instincts more.”

Lou-jie’s instincts!

Those were forged through countless life-and-death situations! Trusting Lou-jie was definitely the right choice! With this mindset, the three went to the cafeteria, waiting for dinner to begin while also checking how many people would come to eat today.

They didn’t wait long before two people appeared from the entrance—Xiaoqiao and Gong Lian.

Shen Maomao looked at the two of them, completely dumbfounded.

Never mind whether Gong Lian would seek revenge after being ruthlessly abandoned by Xiaoqiao, but how did Xiaoqiao dare to bring along the resurrected Gong Lian?

The atmosphere between these two was off—it would be one thing if they weren’t fighting, but why were they acting like close sisters??

The two entered the cafeteria, walking toward Shen Maomao’s group.

Though shocked inside, Shen Maomao maintained a poker face, just watching with wide eyes as they approached step by step and finally sat beside them.

Xiaoqiao’s face still showed signs of drowsiness, as if she’d forgotten the NPC’s words and had gone back to the dormitory to rest. Evidently, though, her sleep hadn’t been peaceful.

After sitting down, she perked up and said: “Why are there only you few here? Where are the others?”

Shen Maomao replied vaguely: “They went looking for clues. What about you? Where have you been all this time?”

Xiaoqiao yawned: “After being scared for so long, I went back for a nap to avoid getting sleepy in the afternoon, but accidentally overslept.”

Shen Maomao said: “Did you forget? The NPC said not to return to the dormitory.”

Xiaoqiao said dismissively: “Huang Hongxing is already dead, why should we still follow what he said?” Then she looked eagerly at the food window: “When’s mealtime? I’m starving.”

Shen Maomao’s gaze passed over her to Gong Lian beside her, who was wearing her red dress again, seemingly no longer afraid of being killed by ghosts.

Seeing Shen Maomao looking at her, Gong Lian raised her eyes and returned a brilliant smile that sent chills down Shen Maomao’s spine.

After smiling, her lips suddenly straightened into a line, the mirth in her eyes vanishing with it. Then she raised her finger, delicate as a spring onion, placing it against her lips, red and tender as rose petals, and softly went “Shh—” while staring at her unblinkingly.

Shen Maomao was too intimidated to make a sound, only managing to nod stiffly.

Lou Jingmo frowned, pulling her into her arms while giving Gong Lian a cold look.

Gong Lian smiled again, though this time her smile was quite suggestive: “How protective.”

Shen Maomao lifted her head in Lou Jingmo’s embrace, looking at her chin, her big eyes full of confusion.

Lou Jingmo expressionlessly covered her eyes with her hand.

After a while, plates of exquisite-looking food suddenly appeared in the food window. Xiaoqiao stopped chatting and got up to select dishes. Gong Lian followed silently behind her like a guardian spirit.

Lou Jingmo released Shen Maomao, and the next second heard her whisper—

“Lou-jie, she called you a dog—!” [護食 | hù shí | literally “protecting food,” also means “possessive like a dog with its food”]

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