Playing the Foolish Beauty in a Deadly Game - Chapter 21
Lin Qiao held aloft his makeshift torch. The flame, not fierce at all, radiated warmth in the night, flickering like a trembling candlelight or a dying firefly. Though it seemed utterly harmless, it drew the black shadows from all directions, with black graffiti streaming across the ground and walls like schools of fish, moving in large groups and in great numbers. Their target was not Lin Qiao, nor the light emitted by the torch, but the flame itself.
When the first shadow touched the flame, the weak fire suddenly intensified, crackling into scattered fireworks with a few “pops” before exploding into a fierce blaze. The shadow swelled and twisted in agony, its high temperature and explosive force causing Lin Qiao to release his grip on the torch with his right hand. He was propelled backward by the force of the shadow’s self-detonation and fell to the ground. “What are you waiting for? Find something to burn!” he shouted.
The other four, as if waking from a dream, quickly searched for flammable materials. Lin Qiao also got up, supporting himself, and went to search the nearby store. He had been burned by the exploding shadow, and although he had protected his face in the first moment, the rest of his body was in bad shape, especially his shoulder, where he could even smell the scent of charred meat. The makeshift torch had fallen to the ground, but it continued to attract shadows, which would lunge at it and explode into fireworks.
Time was running out, and the torch wouldn’t last long because the shadows couldn’t fuel the fire. “We need to move the fire farther away from the plane!” one of the four shouted, having found a considerable amount of oil in the nearby store, though it was unclear whether it had gone bad. Without time to think, they built a bonfire at a certain distance from the plane. At the same moment, Lin Qiao’s makeshift torch gradually went out due to the overwhelming number of shadows.
The moment the bonfire was lit, the wandering shadows found a new target and swarmed towards it. No one dared to approach the bonfire to add fuel; instead, they kept building more fires of various sizes. The five of them couldn’t stop moving, busy amidst the crackling explosions like fireworks. After they had rummaged through the nearby stores, the area around the plane was dotted with bonfires of all sizes.
“Why do those shadows keep throwing themselves into the fire when they know it’s dangerous?” a passenger, who was breaking chair legs, relaxed a bit. After all, they had found a way to deal with the shadows, and there was hope for survival. He even had the mood to joke with others: “Like moths to a flame, and like fireworks—they’re quite beautiful.”
Only then did Lin Qiao have time to tend to his wounds. He took off his singed sweater, found a new hiding place for the card with the chip, and under the firelight, he removed the burnt flesh, applied medicine, and bandaged himself. He still had a half-length shadow lurking in the shadows under his feet, and he couldn’t help but warn, “We can’t let our guard down.”
The shadows diving into the fire were decreasing, likely due to the distance. The graffiti would only be affected by the flames within a certain range; those farther away would absorb the light emitted by the fire and then counterattack once the flames went out.
One of the four passengers suggested, “Why don’t we make some torches? We could hold them and go to the stores farther out to find wood and cloth.”
Lin Qiao shook his head, and the other passengers didn’t insist, after all, it was Lin Qiao who had come up with the idea of using fire against the shadows. Seeing the other four about to set off, Lin Qiao said, “The nature of those black graffiti is like moths to a flame; they won’t avoid the fire out of fear but will recklessly rush to their deaths.”
“Holding torches outside won’t protect us; it will only attract the shadows and become a burden.”
“Of course, if we can keep building bonfires, we might be able to clear a small safe area to search for supplies.”
But that would definitely require more manpower. Their main task was to guard the plane, and the other four realized this as well, so they stopped the idea. However, one person still complained, “I don’t know if we can hold out until they come back. There will definitely be shadows following when the others return. We should do something.”
Lin Qiao, bare-chested, replied, “If you insist on going, I won’t stop you.”
The complainer was taken aback and awkwardly changed the subject: “Your name is Lin Qiao, right? You’re not what I thought. How did you discover that the shadows are afraid of fire? Did your… master tell you?”
“I thought you were a sissy, but you’re quite impressive. Thanks for what you did just now.”
One person praised him, and the others also chimed in with compliments: “This is what they call hiding one’s brilliance. Lin Qiao, you did a great job.”
“If everyone else knew this method, they would all be grateful to you.”
“You really can’t judge a book by its cover. I’m a straightforward person. When you stayed on the plane at first, I thought you would be a burden to us.”
“Why don’t you use your skills for something better instead of being someone’s… “
Realizing mid-sentence that it was inappropriate, the speaker had to close their mouth embarrassedly.
Lin Qiao blinked and said, “They’re back.”
“So soon?” The others also looked towards the distance and indeed saw the rapidly approaching cars, followed by shadows. The bonfires had left pathways, and the shadows following the cars clearly noticed the flames. Some realized the danger and stopped following, while others, unaware of the distance, were drawn to the flames like moths to a flame.
It had to be said that these bonfires of various sizes relieved the pressure on the cars, but the flames would also go out faster. At this moment, Lin Qiao noticed something was wrong with the number of cars; only three had returned. It seemed that many more people had been lost. The leading car opened its door, and out came the men in black suits, their expressions stern and faces dark. Lin Qiao also became anxious: “Where is the master?”
The men in black suits brought Yan Ting out of the car. Lin Qiao’s brows furrowed, and then he became tearful. Yan Ting was more severely injured, unconscious and in a coma. His clothes were intact, but his wounds had burst open, with blood seeping through his black sweater and dripping continuously. Two of the men in black suits had to support Yan Ting to carry him towards the plane.
One of the men in black suits grabbed the doctor player and dragged him into the plane. The brown-haired man emerged from another car: “Don’t take Yan Ting onto the plane. What if he mutates up there? You…”
Before he could finish, one of the men in black suits turned around and shot at the brown-haired man, but unfortunately missed.
Lin Qiao keenly sensed that the atmosphere among those who had gone out to find supplies was off. In addition, the female flight attendant player was missing, and among the passengers, only the blonde boy and his mother, as well as the brown-haired man’s two minions, remained. There were only five men in black suits, and they seemed to be led by the bodyguard player, Zhong Minglang.
Lin Qiao went over and grabbed Zhong Minglang: “What happened?”
Zhong Minglang frowned, his gaze lingering on Lin Qiao’s bare upper body and shoulder.
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