Playing the Foolish Beauty in a Deadly Game - Chapter 53

Saying this, he directly grasped Lin Qiao’s cat tail and then slid his palm towards the base. Dao Zhang pinched the base of the tail and moved it up and down, extremely experienced as he used his thumb to twist it. Lin Qiao let out a “Meow” and almost turned into a cat; the overly stimulating sensation made Lin Qiao’s legs go weak, and the spine connected to the cat tail began to tingle. Dao Zhang found it amusing: “Is it that realistic? It’s even fluffing up.”

Lin Qiao’s body trembled slightly. The black cat, which had originally squeezed out the calico cat and stayed in Lin Qiao’s arms in a very dominant manner, leaped up and swiped at Dao Zhang with its claws. Dao Zhang let out a wail, now with several bloodstains on his face.

Nelson, who had been confronting Bian Yi, turned around and saw Lin Qiao’s dazed expression, with eyes full of both surprise and fear. If he hadn’t been wearing a hat, his ears would probably have been sticking out like airplane wings. Dao Zhang became suspicious: “Such a strong reaction?”

Nelson came over and pressed down on Dao Zhang’s shoulders, applying force discreetly. He forced a smile and said, “Do you know what adult toys are?”

“What? What?” Dao Zhang was shocked.

Nelson held Lin Qiao in his arms, stroking Lin Qiao’s back: “It’s okay now.” Anyone would think that Lin Qiao and Nelson had a thing going on. Before the black cat got even angrier, Nelson wisely let go of Lin Qiao.

He explained to Dao Zhang: “I personally inserted a part that can sense body temperature and the contraction of soft flesh into there, so when you touch his tail, it’s like you’re indirectly playing with Lin Qiao.”

Dao Zhang’s face was written all over with “What the hell,” and he was so shocked that it took him a long time to come to his senses. After realizing what had happened, he apologized profusely.

Bian Yi had already labeled Lin Qiao as a “pretty vase, clinging to others’ coattails,” and now added the impression of being a “cheap good.”

Dao Zhang awkwardly suggested, “How about taking it out? It’s inconvenient for you to run away like this.”

“Brother, do you want to take it out?” Nelson asked Lin Qiao gently.

How could he take it out? It had grown there; he couldn’t just cut it off. Lin Qiao shook his head, his voice barely audible: “I want to keep it on.”

Nelson indulged him: “Okay, if you like it, you can keep it on. It makes me… like you a bit more.”

Saying this, Nelson himself laughed, lowering his head and awkwardly scratching his nose.

Lin Qiao, embarrassed and annoyed, pinched Nelson’s waist, only to find that he couldn’t feel anything.

They kept waiting until nine o’clock, but Yatagarasu still hadn’t returned. Bian Yi urged them to go in.

Lin Qiao reminded him, “The earlier we go in, the more dangerous it is…”

His words were quickly interrupted by Bian Yi: “I think you just want to wait for that Yatagarasu. He might already be dead. Just because he doesn’t come back, should we never go in?”

“We’ve already missed our normal broadcast time. Do you think we’re like you, able to sell a few hours of cheap goods to gain likes?”

“If we back out this time, those evil spirits will think we’re deliberately playing tricks on them. How can we use gambling to live-stream next time?”

Bian Yi spoke with great confidence, but he didn’t notice how quiet it had become around them. After he finished speaking, Nelson’s face looked extremely bad. He said to Dao Zhang, “Scout?”

A scout, in the context of horror games, refers to experienced players using new players to test the rules.

Dao Zhang shook his head: “How could I do that? In any case, as long as he doesn’t hold us back, I’ll help if I can.”

Nelson didn’t quite understand, but he still praised in front of Lin Qiao: “Then you are really beautiful and kind-hearted.”

Dao Zhang had medium-length hair and a beard all over his face, which really didn’t match the word “beautiful,” but upon hearing Nelson’s praise, he nodded seriously.

Because of Lin Qiao and Nelson’s insistence on waiting another hour, and since Yatagarasu still hadn’t returned, the group decided to enter the school.

Dao Zhang started the live broadcast and put the mobile camera from the equipment on his shoulder, facing his face directly. Lin Qiao and the others also adjusted their equipment in the same way as Dao Zhang, so they couldn’t see what was being said in the chat messages. However, when large amounts of likes were given as rewards, there would be a prompt. After the rewards were given to Dao Zhang, the audience would make requests, guiding the group on where to go first and where to go next.

Dao Zhang glanced at the screen: “The audience wants us to go to Class 4, Senior 3 in the high school department.”

Lin Qiao and the others had checked the information, and Nelson said, “Is that the classroom where the inappropriate noises are heard at night?”

Dao Zhang walked while saying: “It’s not a big problem. There are only a few ways ghosts can appear.”

“Either they pull us all into hallucinations, like what you encountered this afternoon. Or something comes out and startles us.”

“Of course, there’s also the possibility of possession, but everyone has protection values, so we generally won’t be affected. The last way is to try to separate us, like walking and then turning around to find yourself alone.”

Dao Zhang spoke very casually and warned the group: “Horror comes from our existing understanding being shocked. For example, corpses don’t move, but if they do, that’s horror. For example, fish can’t grow human eyes, but if they do, it’s a bit eerie.”

“Fear also comes from harm. Evil spirits harm humans, and humans naturally fear the eerie power they can’t resist.”

“Ah, yes, and guilt. Like some folklore horror stories about wedding dresses, it’s just about knowing the stories behind them and fearing retribution and revenge.”

“Even those who didn’t participate in the persecution are afraid because ghosts are generally seen as irrational and capricious in rumors.”

Dao Zhang looked very experienced, and he casually waved his duster: “Just do it.”

Lin Qiao didn’t expect Dao Zhang to be so bold. He suddenly understood why Yatagarasu dared to chase the players hiding in the dark alone. It was probably because he had some means of self-preservation and wasn’t afraid of being hurt. Additionally, his snake transformation was severe, and his animal instincts hadn’t faded, so he wasn’t afraid of ghosts that were once humans.

After listening to Dao Zhang’s words, Lin Qiao’s nervousness eased a bit, and he even discussed with Nelson what kind of situation Dao Zhang had mentioned would happen next.

Only Bian Yi looked terrified. He had heard Dao Zhang’s words many times before and felt they were all nonsense. He was still afraid.

At present, it was a dilapidated corridor, with walls covered in cobwebs, and dust left a footprint with every step. The classrooms beside them were pitch black, and who knows what might jump out.

Class 4 was just around the corner, and indeed there were sounds coming from inside. It was clear that there was a male and a female voice. The situation inside must have been intense, with the desks creaking, the female voice pleading and calling for something, and the male voice growling and cursing.

Dao Zhang kicked the door open and went in first, and the sounds inside disappeared without a trace.

The classroom had desks and chairs scattered in disarray. When the flashlight’s beam swept across the blackboard, they finally noticed that some words had been written on it at some point: “Want to play together? Brothers.”

Bian Yi looked at the dust on the blackboard and said in disbelief: “Is this addressed to us? But these words seem to have been written here for a long time. How did they know we would come?”

After the group’s flashlights entered the classroom, they dimmed, and the protection values on their phones began to decrease. In the blink of an eye, the words on the blackboard changed to a girl’s tone: “The one with cat ears, come play ‘Cookie Jar’ with me.”

Lin Qiao: “……”

Lin Qiao felt it was unfair and whispered, “Why is it me?”

The words on the blackboard changed again: “Because I’m your number one fan.”

Then, as if a switch had been flipped, the blackboard was filled with other chalk writings: “You’re lying, I’m his number one fan.”

“Hehehe, my dear, I’ve come to see you.”

“Dear, let me touch your tail.”

“So cool, Qiao really wore the school uniform.”

“Ugh, the protection value is too high, I can’t lick it.”

When the blackboard was full, the walls, desks, and chairs began to show text, and even the ceiling was not spared.

Bian Yi felt extremely uneasy: “So many words, does that mean this place is full of ghosts?”

Lin Qiao’s focus was a bit off: “Wait, if there are so many people here, then the original man and woman making noises, aren’t they being watched?”

Bian Yi: “????”

Nelson added, “This place has been abandoned for so many years. If there are these noises every night, doesn’t that mean they do it every day? That ghost brother is pretty impressive.”

Bian Yi: “????”

Bian Yi was both annoyed and amused. The classroom door suddenly slammed shut, and no matter how hard Bian Yi tried, he couldn’t open it: “What are you doing? Help me!”

Dao Zhang reminded them, “Judging by the handwriting, there could be thirty to forty ghosts in this room. They’re probably blocking the door. How could we possibly pull it open?”

Bian Yi, with his hand on the doorknob, was frightened and quickly let go upon hearing this.

The Doberman and the black cat were closely watching the glass on the classroom windows. The black cat nudged Lin Qiao, who shone the flashlight over. From the reflection in the glass, they saw the classroom packed with human figures. There were more than twenty or thirty; the entire classroom had no space to stand.

Several ghosts in front of Lin Qiao tried to get closer, but the protection value on Lin Qiao’s body acted like a golden protective light, preventing the ghosts from touching him. Naturally, the ghosts were not willing to give up. They targeted the weakest one and began to attack the protection value on Bian Yi, trying to possess him. It seemed they were picking on the softest target.

Soon, Bian Yi realized something was wrong: “Why is my protection value dropping so much! I have the lowest likes, don’t I?”

The implication was that since he had the lowest likes, the evil spirits should attack Nelson first.

Nelson, protecting Lin Qiao in his arms, maliciously reminded, “They’re deliberately draining our protection values.”

Bian Yi was anxious. He couldn’t understand why Lin Qiao and Nelson were so calm: “What do we do? Think of something quickly.”

Dao Zhang’s protection value wasn’t high either, but he was holding on by sheer skill. Lin Qiao, watching from the side, couldn’t see what kind of moves Dao Zhang was using. All he could see was a dazzling array of seal releases and the flicking of the duster.

Dao Zhang’s figure was graceful. Even in the small classroom, he could move around and accurately hit the ghosts without seeing them.

Dao Zhang didn’t ask for help from the others; he just asked them not to hold him back. Unfortunately, Bian Yi, who didn’t like Lin Qiao and Nelson, refused Lin Qiao’s invitation and insisted on standing alone in the corner.

In the chaos, a ghost face, seemingly painted with white paint, appeared out of nowhere. It lunged at Lin Qiao but was kicked by Nelson when it was two meters away from Lin Qiao. The white face then turned and bit at the more vulnerable Bian Yi. Bian Yi looked for places to hide, picked up a chair and threw it, but the ghost face dodged and stuck to Bian Yi’s head.

Bian Yi’s protection value plummeted. He frantically tried to remove the ghost face, but it bit his ear. Bian Yi’s phone alerted: “Protection value has dropped below one thousand. Please leave the dangerous environment and promptly soothe your pets to gain protection value.”

The ghosts in the classroom didn’t specifically scare people, but with so many gathered together, they consumed protection values every second. If it weren’t for players like Lin Qiao and Nelson, who had high likes and protection values, Bian Yi would have been torn apart by the evil spirits the moment he entered the classroom, instead of just having his ear bitten off.

“Help me!” Bian Yi finally realized the danger and shouted loudly, looking very狼狈不堪.

Dao Zhang went over and lifted the other person by the neck, using his duster to rescue Bian Yi. He pushed the person next to Lin Qiao and said, “Stay here and don’t move.”

Bian Yi covered his bleeding ear and heard tempting voices coming from all directions: “That’s too terrible, they are just bullying you, the new guy.”

“Look at Lin Qiao and Nelson, they are indifferent and watching you die.”

“They said no pets, but they secretly brought them and are laughing at your misfortune.”

“Why is that fair? All the ghosts here are Lin Qiao’s audience, but they are all bullying you.”

“Now your protection value is less than one thousand, and the night has just begun. You are doomed to die here.”

Bian Yi couldn’t stop the bleeding from his ear. He already had a grudge against Lin Qiao and the others, and now, being tempted, he felt even more dissatisfied.

“Help me! Don’t just stand there and let Dao Zhang fight alone?” Bian Yi’s gaze swept over the black cat and the calico cat, then quickly moved away.

Lin Qiao wasn’t unwilling to help, but his combat ability wasn’t high. He couldn’t transform his pets into human form or summon dark shadows.

However, Lin Qiao was an honest kid. He asked the system for points and exchanged them for a prop that could hurt ghosts. It was a pistol-style launcher.

He said in confusion, “I, I can’t see where they are.”

Nelson, standing behind Lin Qiao, slowly raised Lin Qiao’s arm while holding it: “Shoot.”

Lin Qiao obediently pulled the trigger. A bullet was fired and seemed to pierce something.

A ghost’s scream echoed in the classroom for a moment, then disappeared.

Lin Qiao took half a step back and bumped into Nelson’s arms.

Nelson held Lin Qiao’s hand again, but this time he aimed at Dao Zhang: “Brother, I just thought of something.”

“All these are your audience. If they are all killed, no one will give you likes in the future.”

“But if you shoot at Dao Zhang, all the audience in this room will thank you and like you.”

“Whether you can become number one depends on whether you pull this trigger or not.”

Bian Yi was stunned on the side, as if he had never seen the terror of a player before: “You, you, you can’t do that.”

Bian Yi was so scared that he stammered: “Dao Zhang, dodge! Dodge quickly, they are going to kill us!”

“Damn it! I knew I couldn’t trust them! Screw them!”

While cursing and warning, Bian Yi tried to open the door, fearing that Lin Qiao and Nelson would turn on him after killing Dao Zhang.

The ghosts only revealed themselves when Dao Zhang hit them. His movements in the classroom, if you didn’t look at his face but only at his body, seemed like sword dancing. However, what Dao Zhang was wielding was a duster.

The Dao Zhang player exuded an air of otherworldly grace and the momentum of a swordsman who could seal a border with a single strike. Even with a gun pointed at him, he did not halt his movements. The desks and chairs around him had already been shattered, clearing a large open space. In the moment he turned, Dao Zhang stared straight at Lin Qiao and the gun in Lin Qiao’s hand. Dao Zhang was certain that Lin Qiao would not fire.

And indeed, that was the case. Lin Qiao moved his arm and broke free from Nelson’s grip. Lin Qiao’s gaze darkened slightly: “There is another way to be number one.”

Nelson smiled brightly, as if he had not just spoken of killing Dao Zhang: “What way?”

Lin Qiao pressed the gun against Nelson’s chest: “Kill you.”

“I am very clear about what faction I belong to, and I have two types of pets.”

“Guess what, if I kill you, will it count as killing an enemy faction? Will I gain all your likes and protection values?”

Nelson was not afraid, not even frowning. He stood still without dodging: “Brother, don’t be angry. Did my suggestion just now upset you?”

“I’m sorry, brother. I didn’t know Dao Zhang meant so much to you.”

“Do you like him, brother?”

Lin Qiao subtly increased the pressure on his hand. Nelson looked like a puppy that had been abandoned: “I won’t say that kind of thing again. If you want to kill me to be number one, then shoot.”

Nelson surrendered, both cowardly and regretful: “If you want to kill me, that’s fine. Has brother ever killed anyone in a scenario before? I’m willing to be the first person you kill.”

As Nelson spoke, he became excited, and for some reason, his face turned red.

The Doberman suddenly barked at the outer window, interrupting the conversation between the two. Lin Qiao instinctively turned the gun in that direction and fired at the window. The glass shattered, and something outside roared after being hit.

Bian Yi, who had been eavesdropping, got goosebumps. He felt that the two men’s chatter was disgusting. In Bian Yi’s eyes, Lin Qiao and Nelson’s behavior at this moment seemed like that of a slightly abnormal young couple, which was very strange.

Just as Lin Qiao fired at the glass, Bian Yi also looked up. He had thought Lin Qiao was just venting, but he didn’t expect there to be something behind the glass.

It was a huge, man-shaped evil spirit, not in the corridor, but peeping near the outer window. Dao Zhang was startled and quickly retreated.

The huge evil spirit clung to the window, with weapons on its back, including axes, clubs, giant scissors for trimming greenery, and a machete. It had a green face with fangs, protruding eyeballs, and teeth as sharp as a beast’s, bared outside. Its muscles were prominent, and it wore human skulls around its neck. These skulls were not bones but in a state of high decay.

Nelson became vigilant. Lin Qiao remembered the drag marks and axe cuts they had found at the school gate in the afternoon; it must have been this creature that made them.

Dao Zhang had no time to argue with Nelson’s instigation. He quickly put away his duster and said seriously, “I thought it was a traditional Chinese-style haunting, but now it seems to be a battle royale. This thing must be quite dangerous. Let’s retreat.”

The usually tough Dao Zhang was retreating, which proved that the opponent was indeed formidable.

Dao Zhang pulled open the door and ran outside, with Bian Yi closely following. The remaining ghosts in the classroom also ran after Dao Zhang, even faster than him. Some clung to Dao Zhang’s back, sticking tightly.

Dao Zhang seemed not to notice, perhaps knowing but just not caring.

Lin Qiao and Nelson also quickly moved out of the classroom. The green-faced, fanged evil spirit, seeing its prey gone, immediately tried to climb in.

The Doberman growled, and the green ghost’s figure instantly froze.

After Lin Qiao had run a fair distance, the Doberman followed.

Lin Qiao kept looking back until he saw the Doberman catching up, then he felt relieved. They ran along the corridor connecting two buildings.

Lin Qiao looked back again and could see the classroom of Class 4. The huge evil spirit had already crawled inside.

The ghosts inside who hadn’t had time to escape scattered in all directions. Some were grabbed and devoured by the green ghost, while others were torn in half.

The green ghost, three times the size of an ordinary person, clung to the outer wall of the building like a giant gecko.

It was feeding inside the classroom, stretching its neck to swallow the ghosts in its hands.

Lin Qiao suddenly stopped, even taking a step towards the direction of the green ghost.

“Brother!” Nelson grabbed Lin Qiao, “What are you doing?”

Lin Qiao’s expression was dazed: “I think I saw among the heads on the green ghost’s neck… one of them, one of them was Little Snake.”

Nelson frowned: “Yatagarasu?”

Lin Qiao nodded: “He never came back. Could it be that he was…?”

“Brother.” Nelson held Lin Qiao’s hand and continued running with him: “You’re mistaken. Even if it is him, it’s not the time to stop now.”

Lin Qiao, of course, would not hold everyone back now. After they ran out of the teaching building, they bypassed the sports field and stopped in an open space.

Dao Zhang and Nelson were in excellent physical condition, while Bian Yi was panting heavily, and Lin Qiao’s cheeks were flushed red.

However, Dao Zhang and Nelson were not affected at all. Bian Yi asked, “What is that big guy? He can’t be a live-stream viewer too, right? He doesn’t look like the kind of ghost who would watch live streams.”

Dao Zhang glanced at his phone: “It’s the ghost from the sports field of Dawn Middle School. It must have been attracted by the aura of so many ghosts in Class 4 and came over.”

As he spoke, Dao Zhang began to whip his back with his duster, several times in a row, until the little ghosts clinging to him were driven away.

He then lightly whipped Lin Qiao with the duster: “Drive away ghosts if there are any, and dispel bad luck if there aren’t.”

As for Nelson, Dao Zhang didn’t even glance at him, probably still holding a grudge.

Bian Yi took the opportunity to instigate: “I heard everything just now. Nelson, you instigated Lin Qiao to attack Dao Zhang. Don’t you want to cooperate anymore?”

He then said to Dao Zhang: “Dao Zhang, the two of them just stood there watching you fight the ghosts by yourself just now. That’s too much.”

Dao Zhang ignored Bian Yi and instead handed his phone to Lin Qiao: “I took a photo of that green ghost just now. See if there’s your companion on his neck.”

Lin Qiao took the phone and examined the photo. It was very blurry and the features were unclear.

Dao Zhang explained: “Ghosts are hard to photograph clearly, and it’s late at night. It’s not bad that it turned out like this.”

Lin Qiao zoomed in on the photo. The green ghost in the photo was in the posture of breaking through the window, frozen at the moment of intrusion. Suddenly, the protruding eyeballs of the ghost seemed to turn and look out of the screen.

Lin Qiao was startled. When he looked again, the green ghost in the photo had disappeared, leaving only the dilapidated classroom and the pale moonlight.