The wind whistled as it swept through the rows of tombstones, filled with terrifying howls and deep, guttural moans. Ya felt like she could hear countless people weeping—the whimpering cries drilled straight into her brain.
She regretted it completely.
She should never have come up with this idea!
It hit her all of a sudden: this was a cemetery, and the evil spirits here were probably more than just one!
Maybe each of these spirits wasn't as powerful on their own as the others, but there were just too damn many of them!
She froze in place and looked back over her shoulder.
She regretted it—she regretted this whole plan.
She needed to get back to Jiang Che—now!
The weeping in her ears just kept getting louder, piercing straight into her head, stabbing at her nerves. That pain, spreading from inside her brain, was suffocating, her heart pounding, breath caught in her throat—like her soul was being torn away.
"Jiang Che!" Ya called out, turning back, but now her vision was going blurry. The tombstones around her doubled and multiplied, and she could see a faint little figure walking toward her, step by step.
Screaming was the secret signal she and Jiang Che had agreed on.
Once she screamed, Jiang Che had to act—no hesitation!
They'd considered using a subtler signal, but in the end Ya insisted—just scream.
She'd watched a ton of Dungeon videos and guides. She knew that screaming was the most ordinary thing in a Dungeon, and honestly, the louder you screamed, the more excited the ghosts got.
If they tried to be sneaky, it might just make the spirits even more wary.
Feeling danger closing in around her, Ya wanted more than ever to get that jacket Jiang Che was wearing.
She'd walked mile after mile in this darkness and been just fine—proving how valuable Jiang Che's jacket really was.
"Jiang Che!" Afraid he might not hear her, she screamed his name as loudly and sharply as she could.
She felt the wind howl stronger around her, the evil spirits restless and ready—like they were about to drag her into the darkness and tear her apart.
Suddenly, Ya saw a figure in a white lab coat burst out of the mist, charging straight toward her.
She could see the blood and flesh through the open coat—her heart finally settled down. She wiped her damp eyes,
and saw Jiang Che running toward her, throwing caution to the wind. She'd never felt so safe in her life.
As soon as Jiang Che heard Ya's voice, he sprinted in her direction,
He'd already noticed the mist closing in. If it weren't for Ya's screams, he might not have found her at all.
The moment he spotted Ya, Jiang Che also saw the dark shadow behind her.
The closer he got, the clearer the shadow became.
He remembered what Ya told him, and without a hint of hesitation, he charged at the dark figure.
Ya stood frozen, watching Jiang Che dash toward her with that suitcase in hand. She didn't dare move. She could feel the evil spirit right behind her, and Jiang Che's real target was whatever was at her back.
Maybe keeping Jiang Che alive wasn't a bad idea after all, Ya thought to herself.
What a shame.
Ya sighed—too bad Jiang Che was about to die.
The viewers saw Jiang Che's desperate charge, and shook their heads too.
[This kid's been played by Ya—hard.]
[He's mentally ill. In a place like this he wouldn't survive anyway, even if Ya didn't trick him, someone else would.]
[Ya's actually pretty good. If she makes it out of this dungeon, I want to team up with her next time. Whether it's Hunting Grounds or a new Dungeon, being in the same group raises your survival chances.]
[Aren't you afraid she'll trick you too?]
[Every man for himself in the Dungeon—trust is a fairy tale. I've survived two Dungeons so far. It's always better to partner with someone good than to run with dead weight.]
[Being able to trick others is a skill too, you know.]
[If I really get played, well, in a freakshow Dungeon like this, if I'm still naïve enough to trust people and work myself to the bone for others, then losing my life is a fair price to pay.]
…
The chat snickered. Opinions were split about the whole "lying and cheating" thing.
Some said you shouldn't scam people in a Dungeon, but others figured if you could pull it off, that was your talent.
Most of them respected Ya's deception.
Try to play the saint in a place like this, and you end up dead. Simple as that.
Their live-streams showed different perspectives: on Ya's screen, Jiang Che was throwing himself toward her; on his screen, he was charging at the thing behind her like a bullet.
Their paths crossed at the same moment. Right as Jiang Che brushed past Ya, the viewers all heard Ya let out a breath of relief.
She really did feel sorry for Jiang Che—he was genuine. But the moment he went after the spirit behind her, she knew she'd won.
Don't worry. I'll escape this Dungeon with your lab coat.
Ya kept her head down, refusing to look back.
She needed to find a good hiding spot and wait for Jiang Che to die—then strip everything useful off his body ASAP.
Jiang Che rushed at his target. The closer he got, the clearer the figure became.
He saw a little girl holding a long length of intestine, dragging it as she stood right in front of him.
The moment the little girl saw him, she grinned and started giggling madly, blood still sticky around her teeth.
Jiang Che lunged forward, scooping her up into his arms.
He couldn't stop the tears from rolling down his cheeks. So—it was true. Ya had said someone in the shadows kidnapped his daughter.
Now, after all this, she'd managed to escape—and came to find him!
"Well? Are you hurt? Been through a lot lately?" Jiang Che reached out, wiping the blood from her face with his sleeve, using the edge of his lab coat to clean her up bit by bit.
With heartache in his eyes, he checked her over for wounds, holding her close.
His actions made the little ghost-girl freeze mid-movement. Even her fingers clutching the intestine were uncertain now.
This isn't going how I pictured at all…
She had her eye on this prey, followed them from the start.
She didn't expect another hunter to sneak into her site and guard this prey the whole time. She'd been tracking from the shadows, just waiting for a chance to strike.
But now, she stared in confusion at Jiang Che holding her tightly.
What the hell is going on?
This human—why's he calling me sweetheart and hugging me?
And something about his aura was weird: up close, he smelled part human, part ghost.
The little girl let Jiang Che fuss over the dirt and blood on her face. He scooped her up and hugged her tight.
She couldn't even process what was happening—he was already sobbing into her.
"Daddy failed to protect you, but from now on, Daddy will never let you be in danger again." Jiang Che held the girl and straightened her dress, making a solemn promise.
"Look, Daddy brought you a present. See if you like it!" he said, opening the suitcase at his side.
The little girl just stood there, baffled.
No, wait—what the hell is going on?