Chapter 258: In Just A Bit, I''ll Scare You Too!
As soon as Qin Dalin “knocked” Lu Yibei out, he hid himself behind a tree and stared at her with wary eyes.
“Wait… what about that girl from the Inte…” he murmured to himself. “Forget it. If I can’t fork a single person out to <em>those</em> guys, I’d be in big trouble…”
<em>Another girl? Big trouble?</em>
Repeating his words in her head, she frowned. <em>Seems like he’s looking for targets on the Inte… then, he’ll lure them here so he can get down to business…</em>
<em>And if he can’t fork a single person out… that must mean all of those missing girls must’ve been kidnapped by him, and then given to third party Are they human, or are they an urban legend?</em>
As she was trying to piece the puzzle together, soft footfalls could be heard, interrupting her train of thought.
Qin Dalin looked around, and squatted down by Yibei’s side.
He touched the back of her head to ensure that she wasn’t bleeding, and breathed a sigh of relief. He picked her up, ced her unmoving body on his shoulders, and began briskly walking back to the old staff building.
Now that she was being carried on his shoulders, she immediately cracked open her eyes to observe her surroundings.Soon, they passed through the gateway and entered the decrepit building from earlier today, and the already dim surroundings became much darker. Walking a little further inside, the two would then be swallowed up by the darkness.
Within the dark corridor, she could see nothing, but she could smell something indescribable in the air.
She could discern the stench of rotten, umted garbage scattered around the corridor, and the musty smell of mould on the walls. However, if one were to pay attention, they might make out the smell of blood too.
<em>Strange. I don’t remember smelling blood earlier during the day, and I can sense slight psychic fluctuations too – they kind of remind me of the little buggers at home…</em>
It was as if the acrid stench of blood was seeping out of the walls after dark, where they would silently tell a story of the horrific things that happened here.
Seemingly, she could sense the suffering within the walls.
Qin Dalin moved weightlessly as he walked up the stairs, making sure to not activate the lights by the entrance of the stairs. In the darkness, it was as if he was deliberately controlling his breathing and footsteps as he walked up step by step.
Yibei opened her eyes along the bumpy ride up, and nced at the eerily dark corridors beyond the stairwell. She couldn’t help but think of what might’ve happened here.
<em>What would happen if it was just a regr girl who might’ve fallen for his trap online? Na?ve girls who have yet to witness the cruelty of this world; deceived by the words of Qin Dalin?</em>
<em>It would be no surprise – just a few top-ups for their gacha game, perhaps a sprinkle of in-game skins… and yet, it still isn’t entirely their fault. Then, they woulde to this ce, but they would never expect to meet such a cruel beast that lurks in the darkness, who is prepared to teach them theirst cruellest lesson.</em>
<em>Then, Qin Dalin would knock them out, remove all traces of the crime, then bring them back to where he stays – where rats and cockroaches gather in the dark.</em>
<em>They might be unconscious, or they might be fighting for their lives.</em>
<em>However, he has no need to hide his identity anymore. He is a fully grown man, and he can easily subdue young, na?ve girls who look like me with violence.</em>
<em>He’s something greater than a monster. Ruthless, and merciless.</em>
<em>Especially considering this world of urban legends – this ancient, dpidated building is like a bloody maw waiting to swallow up fresh meat.</em>
<em>Gulp.</em>
<em></em>
<em>Then, the maw will close, and the closest help is two or three miles away. Nobody will know that a girl is trapped in this building.</em>
Before she knew it, Qin Dalin stopped right in front of his unit, and he started fumbling for his keys.
In the darkness, she could make out the talismans that were stered at the door. Frowning, she carefully moved her arm, and quietly ced her palm on the door as he tried to look for his keys.
Rip!
A burning pain seared through her palm, as if she was touching the bottom of a pan. Through the pain, she tore off most of the talismans stered on the door.
<em>Oh, you’re scared of urban legendsing to hunt you down, aren’t you? Well, well, well! I’ve torn it all down for you! I’ll have you know, this little girl- wait, that isn’t right… this little boy is here to create the scariest urban legend this shabby apartment has to offer!</em>
<em>Stabbing you to death is too easy of a way out for you… maybe I should…</em>
Seeing the talismans getting ripped out, Qin Dalin’s heart dropped as his face turned pale. He immediately threw her body to the side, scrambled for the talismans, and tried piecing them back together.
However, the damage was done. His face darkened as he growled, “You little… what have you done?!”
However, the Witch simply closed her eyes and remained motionless, as if she was silently responding to him with a, “Nope! Didn’t do anything! I’m just a helpless little girl that was knocked out by your big wooden stick!”
“Tsk,” he scoffed, seemingly knowing that it was a waste of energy to get angry at an unconscious girl. “Forget it. It’s not like you have much time left anyways. Otherwise, if I had it my way, I would’ve forced all the evil fire I have down your throat and make sure that you would be limbless for the rest of your life!”
Cursing, he opened the door, dragged her into the unit, and closed the door, locking it with a loud click.
He turned on the lights, and finally, bright lights illuminated their surroundings.
The house was obviously aged, with two bedrooms and one living room. It was simply decorated, but upon entering, one could see the many cute handicrafts on disy, with various sulents and flowering nts nted by the balcony.
Despite the simplicity, it was full of character and warmth. <em>If I didn’t know anything about him, hell, I would’ve thought that he is living a delicate, happy life by himself! Thank God for the copper coin…</em>
<em>All of these things are lies made to conceal his true character – somebody living in paranoia; somebody extremely cruel. I can see why the girls might’ve been deceived by him.</em>
Strangely, the smell of blood seemed to be even stronger indoors.
Under the warm, weing lights, the walls were still pale, as if the dead girls were trying to tell the Witch that they’ve been hidden in the walls, under the floorboards, inside the flower pots, behind the bathtub, within the empty spaces of drainage pipes…
They reminded her of the whispers she would hear from the Witch’s Egg, except, the whispers from the girls are much weaker – she could listen to all sorts of whispers emanating from within the wall, and it sounded like there were at least a dozen voices pleading for her.
Yibei peeked at Qin Dalin’s face and let out an invisible frown.
<em>It seems like there is much more blood on his hands. This is simply just the tip of the iceberg. </em>
<em>Many more girls must’ve disappeared, but nobody knew them. Nobody cared enough to look for them, and they would disappear from this world, alone and afraid, leaving no trace of their existence.</em>
<em>I see why the urban legend forums need to exist. It gives na?ve girls a chance of redemption; a chance to correct their mistakes and punish those who have wronged them.</em>
<em>Wait a minute, speaking of…</em>
<em>Damn it! I should’ve checked whether amission has been posted for this ce! I could’ve been rich! Rich!</em>
<em>If you do things with no expectation of repayment, then, you are a hero. However, I am no fucking hero! I want it all!</em>
…
Qin Dalin ced Yibei’s body on the sofa. Then, he found a rope and tied her hands together before walking towards his bedroom. She wasn’t sure what was going on inside, but she could vaguely make out the sounds of heavy objects being dragged around.
As soon as he left the living room, Yibei’s jacket immediately started to squirm, and it handed her the carving knife that was hidden inside her pocket. She cut the rope up, but kept them in their ce so it appeared as if she was still tied up.
Earlier, she had already used her copper coin, and it ensured her that she would not encounter great dangers when dealing with Qin Dalin. She felt at ease with the assurance.
After a while, the noises in the bedroom seemed to have quietened down, and Qin Dalin’s footsteps could be heard returning to the living room.
<em>It’s almost time… </em>she rolled her eyes around in a circle, and just before Qin Dalin opened the bedroom door, she rubbed her head in pain and looked around with ssy eyes.
“Wh… where am I?”
Seeing the strange man walking out of the bedroom, she screamed, “Eek! Wh-who are you?! What are you going to do to me? D-do you want money? I-I can give it to you! Just don’t hurt me! Please! Let me go!”
However, her voice didn’t match her face. Her bodynguage was stiff like sticks, and her face didn’t even move. She definitely didn’t seem frightened – perhaps he hit her head a little too hard? If anything, he found it a little amusing.
<em>If you’re so scared, whye to such a scary ce at night? </em>He thought.
Thinking about it, he smiled as he sat across the girl, and said in a soft tone, “Don’t be afraid. I’m not a bad person.”
<em>Calming your victims down so you can proceed with the next step of your ns. Unfortunately for you, I know what you are!</em>
She brought her legs up to her chest, and stared at him with doe eyes, “I-if you’re not a bad person, why did you hit me in the head?”
“Ah, well… I saw you were sneaking around the property, so I thought you were a bad person. I wanted to scare you off, but I didn’t expect to actually hit you. Ha ha! My bad!”
<em>Oh, I am not a good person at all. I’ll give you the scare of your lifeter… </em>she cursed inwardly.
“I see… in that case, could you untie me?”
“Not at the moment.”
“W-why? I thought it was a big misunderstanding…” she asked, forcing a tear out. “Can you please let me go? I won’t call the police, I swear!”
He looked at how pitiful she was being, like a little white rabbit falling into a hunter’s trap. He felt giddy inside, but put on a sad face.
He silently took out a cigarette and lit it. Taking a puff, he sighed, “It’s been a while since I could find anyone who would hear me out. Would you like to chat with me? I’ll let you leave if you talk to me.”
“Have you… not talked to anyone in a long time? Strange…” Yibei was visibly confused for a moment, then, her gaze was affixed onto the balcony with doubtful eyes. “Have you really never talked to him? I thought you two were staying together!”
Qin Dalin followed her gaze – the curtains to the balcony were closed, and the nts did nothing but cast their lonely shadows on the floor.
He stared at the balcony in a trance, as if he had remembered something horrible. His eyes trembled, and he came back to his senses when the hot cigarette ash fell on his pants.
He jumped up from his chair from the sudden pain.
“You little fuck! I was trying to be nice with you, and you’re trying to y the fool with me?! Who are you talking to?!”
Yibei acted as if she was frightened, and shrank back into the sofa, “B-but… I could clearly see a woman standing there…”
She briefly recalled the way Chen Siqi was dressed the day she disappeared, and whispered, “She’s wearing a white dress, with ck sandals and a red bag! She’s right here in the room with us!”
He felt chills run down his spine, and goosebumps erupted all across his body.
He remembered every single girl he had kidnapped. They often appeared in his dreams to torment him, but he was still alive and well.
He tried to rationalize it – she knows what they are wearing, but only because it is written on the missing person reports. The police tried to do this before.
After a brief panic, he calmed himself down and gritted his teeth.
“Shut up. Do you really think you’re walking out of this ce alive tonight?”
Growling, he picked up the ashtray and pounced on her. Before he could smash the ashtray on her head, however, she magically dodged to the side.
He relentlessly tried pouncing on her again, but narrowly missed.
“You little-! I’ll kill you, I swear!”
“W-what do you want me to do?! I don’t want to get hit!”
<em>Tsk. Not my fault. You’re the one who’s being too obvious with your movements – I even made it so that it’ll look like you’ll hit me, but too bad! You’ll just miss by a teeny-tiny bit!</em>
His expression darkened as he pounced again, but with each pounce, the girl would dodge and dodge again.
Like a slippery roach, but strangely, her movements were like a ghost.
Soon, he realized something was wrong. Holding the ashtray and taking a few steps back, he studied the girl before him – strangely enough, her face betrayed no panic; expressionless, like earlier, just like a…
…corpse.
Suddenly, he thought of the torn talismans by his door. His face turned pale as his voice trembled, “W-what are you?”
“Me? I can be Chen Siqi, or Zhang Huihui, or Fang Liqin, or the countless of dead bodies buried underneath the Happy Community…”
In a voice that he couldn’t hear, she whispered to her jacket, “Hey, mind turning into a tattered white skirt?”
Receiving her instructions, her jacket squirmed, and in the blink of an eye, a torn nightgown hung down her petite body.
She also loosened the rope in her hand at the right time, revealing the carving knife in her hand as she stepped forward.
Her psychic energy stirred within, causing a strong wind to blow inside the unit. Her snow-white hair was messy, but her glowing scarlet eyes could be seen beyond the snowstorm.
As if affected by her powers, the lights above them flickered constantly.
The weak, ambient psychic fluctuations that were buried in the walls suddenly grew stronger, and the room began ring out cries that resembled a group of girls sobbing.
In an instant, Qin Dalin’s body was petrified. He took several shuddering steps back, supporting himself against the wall.
Looking at the Witch, who was holding a knife with a dull expression, her face seemed to morph in and out of reality.
This was all due to her psychic powers, and they have a great effect on the human spirit. His entire body is reacting to her mere presence.
“N-no… don’t get any closer! It’s not like I wanted to kill all of you…!”
He began pping himself through the wind, “Stupid! Stupid! It’s all my fault! I shouldn’t have gambled away my money! If I didn’t gamble, I wouldn’t need to do all of this…! N-no… it’s <em>their</em> fault for tricking me into that bet… I lost everything because of it… I can only continue if I do as they please… otherwise, they… they will…”
<em>A gamble? What kind of gambling game causes you to lose your freedom? Forget it! The show must go on!</em>
“Silence! You will tell me this – where is my ancient sword? Tell me, and I will consider sparing your life!”
“A-ancient sword?” he was visibly stunned, but shook his head. “No! I can’t tell you that!”
“Then, die.”
She began hovering off the ground with her hard-to-control ability to fly. She remained in the air for a few seconds, and began floating towards him.
His pupils began contracting violently; his chest heaved in and out, stuttering in horror, “A-a-a-a-at, the L- the Lee’s…!”
Before he could finish his sentence, he keeled over as foam rushed out of his mouth. His body fell forward, and he was unconscious.
<em>…No way. Did he fall into shock because of me? With such weak mental, how did he kill all those girls?!</em>
<em>Damn it. I still need the sword, but…</em>
She groaned and rubbed her sated belly.
She had no idea that by instilling so much fear in a single person, she was able to be sated of her hunger. She estimates that all that fear is equivalent to consuming a third of a full core.
Stepping forward and flipping him over, she checked his breathing and confirmed that he was still alive. Then, she tied his hands and feet with rope, picked him up with a single hand, and threw him towards the sofa.
Ding!
As he flew across the room, something slipped out of his pocket as it fell to the ground.
“Hmm?”
Picking it up to inspect it, she frowned.
It was an intricately crafted gambling chip, coloured in red and white. Rather than stic, it felt as if it was made of metal, and it was cool to the touch. The number 10 was engraved on one side, and aplex seven-pointed star engraved on the other. Feeling it in her palm, she could sense faint psychic energy fluctuations within it.
“Is this what he was talking about? Losing something while gambling? I feel some psychic fluctuations inside the chips… tsk! Why are you as an ordinary person making a bet with an urban legend! It’d be crazy if you win against one!”
Muttering to herself, she pocketed the chip.
She isn’t the type to gamble, and she would never gamble in her life either. She nned on stowing the chip away, then exchange it for cash once she finds out where the casino is.
Putting it away, she decided to sit down and y with her phone out of boredom, waiting for him to wake up so that she could continue their friendly consultation.
At 11:30pm, she suddenly panicked, realizing that her phone battery was at 10%. Just as she was about to turn off her phone to save the battery, the lights inside the unit went out, and a gust of wind blew from outside the window.
She could sense two psychic energy fluctuations within her detection range, and the presence is quietly approaching Qin Dalin’s unit.
<em>Something’sing. Is this the urban legend the copper coin predicted? Its strength is about the strength of one Mr. Rabbit, and since there are two psychic waves, that’s 2 Mr. Rabbits!</em>
Weighing the judgement in her mind that it might be too dangerous for her to face something as strong as two Mr. Rabbits, she decided to conceal herself before acting.
The next moment, a premonition shed in her mind.
<em>[They are about to enter the door.]</em>
Her face changed in slight shock, and she immediately got up and rushed into Qin Dalin’s bedroom. However, with a few rushed steps, she found that she was stepping on nothing, and she fell downwards.
Immediately, the temperature inside the unit dropped sharply, and white frost condensed themselves on the windows. Although the door to his unit was locked, it opened with a shrill squeak, followed by two figures that entered the unit…
<strong>TRANSLATOR NOTES:</strong>
It’s gonna be a rough period at university the next couple of weeks, so I apologize in advance if chapters areing out a bit slow ^^”…
Changes from previous chapter: I was slightly confused by the term [Huacheng Power nt Office Building], but turns out the ‘office building’ in question is literally where Qin Dalin lives, a.k.a., where Witchbei visited earlier in the morning. I adjusted the TL from the previous chapter to reflect this change.
As always, if you’d like to support the trantion, you can do so by clicking the button below ^_^!