Translator: CinderTL
Chu Jiu suddenly had an ominous premonition and instinctively put away the painting in her hand.
Immediately after, she noticed that Qiao Yu's brother's face began to show fine blood vessels. These blood vessels seemed to have a consciousness of their own, slowly wriggling, and his appearance began to change along with them.
In the end, he transformed into the appearance of another person.
"Wei Jinting!" Chu Jiu exclaimed in shock.
However, Wei Jinting, who had regained his original appearance, didn't seem interested in Chu Jiu. His eyes repeatedly scanned Wan Yuanning, "So, you're the last Night Watcher."
Wan Yuanning neither admitted nor denied it, just stared intently at his every move, searching for a chance to break through.
"I'll hold him off in a moment," Wan Yuanning whispered, "You take the clues and go, find the others."
Before Chu Jiu could respond, Wan Yuanning charged forward.
Her movements were light and graceful, a beautiful butterfly knife slipping out from her loose sleeve.
With a gentle tap of her foot on the ground, her mid-air movements completely stunned Chu Jiu, resembling a fluttering butterfly.
Chu Jiu hadn't expected this seemingly introverted and socially anxious woman to be so skilled. She regretted having focused so much on her figure.
Wei Jinting on the other side seemed completely caught off guard, only managing to dodge the most fatal strike, but still took a kick to the chest from Wan Yuanning.
It didn't look like she used much force, but judging from Wei Jinting being forced back 7 or 8 steps, the strength was evident.
Chu Jiu suddenly felt that she could wait for Wan Yuanning to deal with this strange Wei Jinting, and then they could all leave together. She didn't want to be the one left behind again.
Wei Jinting's retreat opened up the corner position.
"Take the stuff and go!" Wan Yuanning didn't even glance at Chu Jiu, immediately charging forward again.
Wei Jinting narrowed his eyes, his expression darkening in an instant, "It seems you knew I would come, otherwise you wouldn't have sent someone like you... a weapon."
His gaze paused, and Wei Jinting's entire demeanor changed.
Although using that forbidden power again would bring backlash, without it, he wasn't confident he could quickly deal with the person in front of him.
"Really... troublesome."
"Go now!" Wan Yuanning shouted at Chu Jiu, who was hesitating at the corner of the stairs. Chu Jiu gritted her teeth, stopped hesitating, and turned to rush downstairs.
Once Chu Jiu's footsteps disappeared, Wan Yuanning took out a small glass bottle from her pocket. It was very ordinary in design, containing less than a third of a liquid.
The liquid had a strange dark red hue, resembling blood but thicker.
The moment Wei Jinting saw the glass bottle, the dark red in his eyes seemed to flow with light. The power within him resonated with the liquid in the bottle in some way.
"Do you really have to do this?" Wei Jinting shifted his gaze back to Wan Yuanning, speaking in a low voice, "You know the consequences of forcibly opening the forbidden. Do you want to end up like those people, forever confined in that sunless hospital?"
"That is the Gate to Hell, not something someone like you can control," Wei Jinting's tone wasn't just threatening; there was a strange emotion in it, "Once opened, even if you survive, the Night Watchers won't let you go."
"You'll become a monster despised by all!"
The next second, Wei Jinting froze as he watched Wan Yuanning hold the glass bottle between her lips and bite down hard, shattering it.
It was unclear whether it was the liquid inside or the glass shards that cut her thin lips, but in any case, crimson liquid dripped from the corner of her mouth.
In that instant, the woman before him seemed like a blood-stained blade, exuding an indescribable, deadly allure and aggression.
The atmosphere shifted abruptly. The hunter now felt as though he had become the hunted.
The woman stood there motionless, yet to Wei Jinting, it felt as if a colossal beast was slowly opening its eyes.
Her power wasn't as pure as his, but it was far more unrestrained. After forcibly opening that forbidden Gate, her life was now burning away by the second.
"The path to hell, huh?" The woman's eyes, a deeper red than Wei Jinting's, opened wide. In the next moment, her face, which was about to be overtaken by grotesque veins and dark patterns, suddenly broke into a smile.
The radiant beauty that bloomed in that instant made one question whether this was a monster on the verge of transformation or the bright-eyed, fair-skinned woman she once was.
"Please accompany me on this journey," the monster said finally.
Chu Jiu ran with incredible speed, as if only by running like mad could she escape the sounds chasing her from behind.
"Jiu Jiu, don't be afraid, Sister is here!"
"Chu Jiu! Run toward the darkness, don't look back!!"
"I'll hold him off! You take the clue and find the others!"
"Go, now!"
This girl had already shed all her tears in the past few days. There were no tears left to cry; what flowed now could only be blood.
She clenched the painting in her hand. For the first time in her life, her mind was completely free of distractions. The painting in her hand was now the hope of everyone.
And this hope was Sister Chen Yi, Hua Luo, Wan Yuanning... it was the hope that all those who had died had fought for with their lives.
She was merely a messenger of hope, ready to pay any price to protect it.
"Chu Jiu!"
Banana Wolf, who was heading upstairs, collided with her.
"The others—"
Before Banana Wolf could finish, he was startled by the girl's demeanor. She was gasping for breath, her eyes bloodshot.
"They're gone," Chu Jiu extended her hand. "This is the clue."
Banana Wolf's expression shifted slightly, but he had already anticipated this outcome. If something hadn't gone wrong, the three of them would have been wiped out too.
But—"Snap!"
A light at the end of the hallway went out.
Then another adjacent light flickered a few times before extinguishing.
"It's following me," Banana Wolf quickly explained. "I'm not sure what Urban Legend it is. It might be the one that killed Qiao Yu, but I don't think so."
Staring at the young face before him, Banana Wolf hesitated for a moment before finally making a decision. "You take the clue and go. I'll lure it away."
"Hao Shuai and Jiang Fugui are still alive. Those two are extraordinary. If you find them, you—" He paused, then put on an encouraging smile. "You'll definitely survive!"
The lights were going out faster and faster, as if an invisible shadow was closing in on them. The two of them sprinted down the hallway.
Fortunately, the stairwell door wasn't closed.
"Chu Jiu, go downstairs from here. I'll lure it upstairs. Remember, you must—"
"Watch out!" Chu Jiu seemed to see something and shouted first. In a panic, Banana Wolf turned around but didn't see any Ghost.
Just a second later, someone gave him a hard push on his waist.
He stumbled and fell into the stairwell. Immediately after, a piece of paper folded several times was thrown at his feet.
The heavy safety Gate slammed shut, and Chu Jiu's voice came from behind it: "Go find the others!" she shouted. "I'm tired, I don't want to run anymore!"
Then, as if mustering her courage again, Chu Jiu stared straight into the approaching darkness, took a deep breath, and said, "The last baton is yours. Please, you must survive for us!"
(End of the Chapter)
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