Chapter Eleven: A Narrow Escape from Death

I first glanced around—the others had all scattered, and were so far away that, aside from the chirping of crickets, not a single sound reached my ears. I switched my phone to silent mode, then turned to Chu Yao.

“I can help you,” I said, “but you’ve heard the saying: ‘When disaster strikes, everyone looks out for themselves.’”

I said this mainly to remind her that in a game this ruthless, survival depends solely on oneself.

She seemed to understand, nodded, and mimicked me by silencing her own phone.

“The hunter: Zheng Xicheng.”

I frowned slightly. This King of Ghosts was clearly out to get me. I felt my composure slipping.

Just then, Zheng Xicheng was still typing in the group chat:

“Hey, it’s me! You know, the one you said you’d take down this afternoon, where are you? Hahahaha!”

I didn’t bother to read his string of disgusting messages. I had to come up with a plan.

Normally, dragging things out would be fine, but buying time was an art in itself.

Crouching low, Chu Yao and I crept forward. In daylight, the school was bustling, but at night it became a place where you could barely see your hand in front of your face.

I didn’t dare turn on my flashlight—that would have been asking for trouble.

I edged my way near the basketball court, only to hear voices ahead.

“Boss, where should we search next? Wandering around aimlessly isn’t working.”

“Idiot, do you really need me to tell you? We’ll split up. Signal if you find anything.”

“Alright…”

There was no need to guess—it was Zheng Xicheng and Zhao Wenhao. They were clearly hunting for me.

Tense, I hurried to the old school restroom at the northernmost edge of the campus, where it was least likely anyone would find me.

“Chu Yao…”

I turned around—Chu Yao was gone!

I froze, then snapped to attention. Either she’d lost track of me, or she’d been captured.

A message in the group chat confirmed my second suspicion:

“Lin Yao, come quick, your beauty’s with me! Hahahaha! Come save her at the basketball court.”

He even sent a video.

In it, Chu Yao was tied up with rope, her mouth sealed with tape so she could only make muffled sounds, tears shining in her reddened eyes.

“That bastard…”

I cursed, hid my dagger in my sleeve, and strode toward the basketball court.

From a distance, I could already hear Zheng Xicheng’s lecherous laughter. I wanted nothing more than to tear him apart.

“Well, you showed up. If you’d taken any longer, this little beauty would’ve suffered. Hahahaha!”

Zheng Xicheng slowly came into view, with his dog by his side.

“Name your terms. Let her go,” I said coldly, my face expressionless.

“I’ll kill you and let her go—if you dare,” Zheng Xicheng said, angling his body toward me. I could feel the atmosphere instantly darken.

In truth, I already had a plan.

“Why wouldn’t I dare?” I replied.

Zheng Xicheng crooked his finger at me, beckoning me forward.

As I reached him, he drew a machete from who knows where—exactly what I’d been waiting for!

My dagger flashed from my sleeve; Zheng Xicheng was completely unprepared as I slashed his chest open.

Taking advantage of his pain, I tossed a handful of dirt I’d prepared earlier straight into his eyes.

“Ah, you sneak attacked me, you little bastard!”

His lackey, Zhao Wenhao, was dumbfounded; he hadn’t expected my sudden retaliation.

In two swift steps, I reached Chu Yao, cut her free, and dragged her into the darkness.

Zheng Xicheng, infuriated, chased after us with his lackey and that giant machete.

I realized that at this pace, we’d be caught eventually. I had no choice.

While running, I told Chu Yao to find a safe place to hide and not come out.

She nodded quietly, fully aware of the danger, and whispered, “Be careful.”

I gave her a hard push forward, steadied myself, and turned to face them head-on.

“Come on, keep running!” Zheng Xicheng jeered.

His stamina was incredible—unlike mine. After a few steps, I was already breathless, my body on the verge of collapse.

“Run? Let’s end this here tonight!”

Like a warrior charging to his death, I crossed my arms over my chest, gripping my dagger tightly in my right hand.

Before I could react, a chill swept up my back, and a machete plunged through my chest.

Pain unlike anything I’d ever known exploded inside me. Before I could adjust, the machete was yanked out.

“Aaah!” I howled at the sky.

“Hahahaha! Didn’t you think you were tough?” Zheng Xicheng laughed maniacally.

Only then did I see who was behind me—it was Wei Xinghe, who’d been acting alone all along.

“Sorry, just doing my job,” he said, stepping past me to stand behind Zheng Xicheng.

“You son of…” I couldn’t finish. My limbs went limp, and I collapsed.

Agony flooded through me as I gritted my teeth, fighting to retain the last shred of consciousness.

I could feel Zheng Xicheng approaching, but I couldn’t hear his words; in my heart, I cursed him: “You’d better pray I don’t survive…”

As another dagger thrust into my chest, the last vestiges of awareness faded, and I lost all sense of myself.

Everything went black.

In the void, I felt myself lying in a snowy field, thick snowflakes falling all around; no matter where I looked, there was no end in sight.

In a flash, I was back in that black room. Before me, the white sphere spun slowly, only now it turned much faster than before, its wisps of smoke now swirling in thick clouds.

Gradually, I became aware of my body again, though I still couldn’t move; my vision remained fixed on the spinning sphere.

Then, the searing pain returned. It felt as though I was being dragged, sand and stones grinding into my bleeding wounds.

I clenched my teeth, determined not to faint again.

After some time, the white sphere began to fade.

I could finally open my eyes!

Slowly, I realized I was tied to a basketball hoop, with no one around to guard me.

For reasons I couldn’t explain, I clearly sensed my wounds closing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

I felt for the white baton and my phone at my waist—thankfully, both were still there, though the blue dagger was gone.

Soon, most of my wounds had healed. The pain lingered, but it was tolerable.

Just as I was about to break free, I saw a group approaching in the distance. I narrowed my eyes to see.

It was those same bastards.

“Boss, where did that girl run off to?”

“How the hell should I know?”

They stopped in front of me. I shut my eyes, unable to see their actions, only able to hear their voices.

“This kid… still alive?” Zhao Wenhao sounded surprised.

“No matter. Once time’s up, we’ll slit his throat.”

So, they hadn’t found Chu Yao, and had come back to kill me instead.

These damned dogs. If I get a chance, I’ll make them pay—but for now, I had to wait for the perfect moment.

Time ticked by, the seconds slipping away. The deadline set by the King of Ghosts was almost up, and now they were finally ready to make their move.