Playing the Foolish Beauty in a Deadly Game - Chapter 39
After having his medical check-up at the hospital, Lin Qiao was taken to the police headquarters for questioning, looking somewhat dazed and distracted. The mere thought of someone silently entering his room, hiding in the bedside cabinet, and then sliding open the wooden door to take advantage of him while he was unconscious, making so much noise that the neighbors could hear, made Lin Qiao’s scalp tingle. He covered his eyes as if to escape the horrifying images.
The lawyer from the Kusawa Hikawa family had already informed the Z-country embassy and Lin Qiao’s school, and all three parties were actively working to resolve the situation. The results of the residual fluid analysis had come back, confirming that it matched the DNA of the fugitive murderer. The R-country police department hoped that Lin Qiao would cooperate in luring the criminal into a trap: “Mr. Lin Qiao is special. Men targeted by this murderer are usually killed within ten days.”
“However, our investigation revealed that the murderer had been following Mr. Lin Qiao for much longer than his usual pattern of committing crimes.” “Therefore, we hope to use this to capture the fugitive as soon as possible and ensure Mr. Lin Qiao’s true safety.”
The embassy and the school did not agree with this approach, believing that Lin Qiao’s safety should be the top priority. But ultimately, the decision was left to Lin Qiao himself. Despite appearing “timid and in need of protection,” Lin Qiao, who was clearly terrified, still nodded and said, “I agree.”
Perhaps because of Lin Qiao’s cooperation, the police shared quite a few internal details with him, helping him understand the dangers he would face next.
Firstly, the serial killer would stalk and harass his target, sending small animal corpses to intimidate the victim. This behavior would occur within three days of targeting the victim and last for five days, signaling that the criminal would strike and kill on the fifth day. “When the criminal was stalking you, he acted unusually. Instead of the usual three days, he followed you for about fifteen days this time.” “This is the first time he has sent animal corpses. You have four more days, and you will be safe during these four days. We will capture the criminal within these four days.”
Secondly, the murderer had a strong ability to evade detection, often disappearing inexplicably and causing cameras to malfunction. “After several cases, we realized that the murderer uses some kind of device to disrupt the cameras. So far, we have not captured his face on camera.”
Thirdly, it was suspected that the criminal had access to some kind of drug that could cause victims to lose consciousness and the ability to resist. “Once, our officers had already identified the target and followed him, but they inexplicably fell into a coma.” “Afterward, when they went to the hospital for a check-up, just like you, there were no traces of neurotoxic drugs in their bodies.”
In addition to the police’s statements, two pieces of surveillance footage caught Lin Qiao’s attention. One was from the elevator, where the suspect, wearing a hoodie, entered the elevator and the camera went completely dark. The other was from the corridor of the international student dormitory, where the hoodie-wearing man placed the animal corpse and then easily opened Lin Qiao’s door, never to be seen again.
Lin Qiao’s face turned pale: “He, he is still in the room? But we had so many people go in and didn’t see him.”
“Don’t be nervous,” the police officer said. “It’s possible that he tampered with the cameras.”
Lin Qiao fell silent. Was that really the case?
At this moment, the police headquarters welcomed another group of guests. They were dressed in suits and ties, and the leading man was familiar to the police officials. It seemed they had business to discuss. Before long, the man in the black suit and a police official came to see Lin Qiao.
The man in the black suit said, “Lin Qiao, our boss sends his regards to you.”
“Both the Tooyama Group and the Tianhe Association are willing to provide their hotels for you and the police to stay in.”
Conducting a raid at the international student dormitory would alarm other students. Besides, Lin Qiao had already called the police. It would be obvious that something was wrong if he continued to stay in the dormitory. The murderer wasn’t stupid.
Kusawa Hikawa, with a cold expression, said, “Our Kusawa Group is also willing to provide accommodation for Lin Qiao.”
The man in the black suit smiled and said, “Our hotel is also willing to provide accommodation for the other students.”
“In addition, we will cooperate with the police. A handsome boy like the second son should take good care of himself.”
As soon as the man in the black suit spoke, Lin Qiao knew who he was. He was from Yan Ting’s group. Yan Ting himself did not come, and Lin Qiao quietly asked, “Is the boss alright?”
The man in the black suit seemed pleased that Lin Qiao had asked, “He has not been in good condition lately and has sustained serious injuries.”
Lin Qiao did not understand what he meant. Kusawa Hikawa, standing next to him, put his arm around Lin Qiao’s shoulders, “Since your group is providing free accommodation for all the students, then I will share a room with Lin Qiao.”
Lin Qiao refused, “No way.”
Hearing that Lin Qiao was the first to object, the arrogant Kusawa Hikawa frowned and asked, “Why?”
Lin Qiao was silent for a moment. He had just received a system prompt that a new dungeon would start within two days. Although entering and exiting the game would only take a fraction of a second in reality, Lin Qiao was still worried that the other party would notice something. It was not the sudden disappearance he was afraid of, but the fact that he needed time to adjust after exiting the dungeon.
Lin Qiao looked at Kusawa Hikawa worriedly, “I don’t want you to get into danger.”
Ludwig praised from the side, “What a considerate Lin Qiao.”
Lin Qiao felt a bit embarrassed. Mainly… it was because Kusawa Hikawa, being such a young master, responded better to softness than to toughness.
A light blush appeared on Kusawa Hikawa’s cheeks, “Tch, worry about yourself first.”
For the next two days, Lin Qiao eagerly awaited the arrival of the horror game. He could use the points earned after the game to exchange for items to protect himself when the murderer appeared.
After dealing with the murderer, he would have time to visit the sick Yan Ting and figure out what he meant.
The first day passed without a ripple, with no suspicious individuals detected.
On the second evening, Lin Qiao lay in bed, silently waiting for the dungeon to activate. Suddenly, he sensed an extra breath in the room. Strangely, he couldn’t see where the person was, but the feeling of being watched was so palpable. Lin Qiao reached for his phone, only to be pinned to the bed and have his mouth covered in the next second.
He could smell the fishy odor on the person’s fingers. In a flash, Lin Qiao realized something. The corpses of the kittens and puppies at the door weren’t the murderer’s first deliveries; the dead fish from a few days ago were also his doing. So the safe period wasn’t four days; it was two.
“Did you figure it out?”
“Hehehehe…”
“You really are extraordinary. You look so docile when you’re asleep. I couldn’t bring myself to do it several times.”
“This can’t go on. Every time I touch you, I just can’t…”
The murderer, whose face was hidden, trembled all over. He panted desperately and clutched Lin Qiao’s mouth and nose tightly. His other hand grabbed Lin Qiao’s neck and squeezed fiercely, causing Lin Qiao to let out muffled groans from the pain.
The murderer became even more agitated and continued to speak neurotically: “You like me. You seduced me. You smiled at me. You submitted to me, tempted me. You wanted to give yourself to me, didn’t you?”
“You’re not faithful!” The murderer suddenly became even more excited: “Why do you have so many love letters? Why do you have so many love letters!”
“You seduced me and then you seduced that foreigner. No, no, no. I’m better than him. I’ll be better than him soon.”
“I’m a god, you know? I can earn points and exchange them for items. I’ll have money and power. They can’t catch me…”
“When I get tired of this identity, I can just change it.” The murderer’s words were disjointed, but Lin Qiao caught the key information. Indeed, the murderer was a player.
“I can do anything. I could have pampered you, taken care of you. What did you do? Huh? What did you do?”
“I didn’t allow you to look at them. I gouged out the fish’s eyes as a warning… Those kittens and puppies are as cute as you. If you betray me, you’ll end up like them…”
Lin Qiao had been holding his breath for too long, his face turning red, and tears streamed down his cheeks, dripping onto the murderer’s hand. The murderer, as if waking from a dream, loosened his grip slightly, only then realizing that Lin Qiao wasn’t struggling or screaming.
This made the murderer feel a bit strange. Lin Qiao was gasping for air through the gaps in the fingers, looking as if he was sucking on something. There was no fear, no surprise, no disgust in Lin Qiao’s eyes.
He obediently glanced at the murderer from the corner of his eye, and the murderer instinctively released his hand and covered Lin Qiao’s eyes. Suddenly able to speak, Lin Qiao coughed a few times, his hoarse voice trembling: “We’re the same kind, you know. We’re the same.”
“I wonder if two players in the same world can enter the same dungeon. I really want to be in the same dungeon with you.”
“So I can… justifiably kill you!” The moment Lin Qiao finished speaking, a dark figure that suddenly appeared in the room lunged at the murderer.
Before the murderer could even scream, the dungeon activated. Lin Qiao hadn’t expected the timing to be like this. He felt dizzy and disoriented. When he opened his eyes again, the scene in front of him had changed.
He found himself on the streets of an unknown city. The modern facilities here were identical to those in reality, with one exception: it should have been night in reality, but here it was daytime. Strangely, everyone here had a pet, and there were only two types of pets: cats and dogs.
Even the taxi drivers on the street had a dog or cat in the passenger seat. Restaurants would set aside a special spot for pets. At first glance, pet-related shops lined the entire street, including cat and dog grooming salons, pet restaurants, cat wash centers, and dog frisbee stores.
Pedestrians carried their cats in their arms or on their shoulders, without using cat carriers. Dogs were not leashed, and even the more aggressive breeds did not wear muzzles. At every green space along the street, there were cat and dog food, as well as high-quality shelters for stray cats and dogs.
Both cats and dogs roamed the streets freely. When they encountered vehicles, the animals did not move aside; instead, the vehicles would stop and wait for the cats and dogs to pass before continuing on their way. The city’s building screens displayed pictures of cats and dogs, not human celebrities, indicating the high status of pets here.
Even on the buses, there were designated spots for cats and dogs. The atmosphere here seemed peaceful, not at all like a horror game dungeon. On the contrary, people who noticed that Lin Qiao did not have a pet gave him strange looks.
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