Beep beep beep!
The train arrived at the first station, and the doors slid open.
The players on the train cautiously looked toward the first station. They feared that the cloaked hunter might be waiting right in front of them, ready to slaughter anyone who stepped out. At the same time, they feared he wasn’t there—only to suddenly appear after they disembarked, axe in hand, to end their lives.
Either scenario was a nightmare.
The subway station was eerily quiet. At first glance, neither the hunter nor the little girl, Sasha, was in sight. However, the floor was littered with severed limbs, and the walls were splattered with fresh blood and riddled with axe marks.
Someone confidently declared, “This must’ve been left behind by the earlier group.”
The group that had gone ahead of them consisted of nearly eighty players. If they had encountered the hunter, the grisly scene before them would undoubtedly have been the result.
Seeing the carnage in the subway station, the people on the train hesitated, worried that the hunter might still be there.
As the seconds ticked by, Gu Jiu stood up and said, “Let’s get off.”
Since she was getting off, Lu Ji naturally followed. Wan Xingzhou and Wu Yang also silently trailed behind her.
Watching the four disembark, anyone unaware of the situation might think it was a young heiress leading her attendants on an outing. That was the impression everyone who saw this scene shared.
As the doors threatened to close, the other players stopped hesitating and hurriedly got off.
Once at the first station, the players were on high alert, their nerves stretched taut like strings ready to snap. Their bodies braced for battle at any moment. However, seeing the number of people around them quickly steadied their resolve.
With the players from the second station now gathered, the group totaled nearly seventy people.
A team of seventy players was a formidable force. Even if they encountered the hunter, they felt they could put up a fight.
The players began methodically searching the subway station.
“Sublevel two is clear.”
Discovering that neither the hunter nor the little girl, Sasha, was present, relief washed over their faces.
It was truly good news.
If sublevel two was clear, what about sublevel one?
Gu Jiu looked at the escalator leading to the upper level.
They had just disembarked from the forward train. Based on past experiences, it might take anywhere from several minutes to over ten minutes for the return train to arrive at the station.
Chai Yingying sidled up to Gu Jiu, a cheerful smile on her face. “Want to go up and take a look?”
“Aren’t you afraid of running into the hunter and Sasha?” Gu Jiu tilted her head and asked.
Chai Yingying shrugged. “If it’s meant to happen, we’ll encounter them even if we stay on sublevel two, right? Since it’s all the same, we might as well check out sublevel one.”
Gu Jiu chuckled. “Fair enough.”
Since the two planned to head to sublevel one, Old Hei naturally couldn’t fall behind. If two young women dared to take the risk, how could the men possibly cower behind them?
Close to thirty people went up together, while the rest stayed on sublevel two.
Among those going up were Chai Yingying’s teammates, Old Hei’s teammates, as well as Wan Xingzhou and Wu Yang. Wan Xingzhou considered himself to be part of Gu Jiu’s team—if the young heiress was taking a risk, how could he not follow suit?
Gu Jiu and Chai Yingying walked ahead, chatting casually as if they had all the time in the world.
“Gu Jiu, let’s guess what we’ll find on sublevel one—will it be the hunter or the little girl, Sasha?” Chai Yingying asked with a grin.
Old Hei chimed in, “That doesn’t make sense. Isn’t Sasha always active on sublevel two and never goes to sublevel one?”
Chai Yingying shrugged. “You can’t say that for sure. There’s no evidence proving she can’t go up. Players who escape to sublevel one might not encounter her, but that doesn’t mean she won’t go there, right?” She turned to Lu Ji. “What do you think, Lu Ji?”
Yesterday, thanks to Lu Ji’s help, they had managed to board the return train safely. Chai Yingying now had great trust in both his abilities and judgment.
After learning that these supernatural entities operated in their own twisted spatial dimensions, she felt that Sasha’s absence on sublevel one wasn’t due to her inability to go there—it might be because she didn’t want to, or perhaps she was deliberately misleading the players, waiting for them to feel safe before striking.
Anything was possible.
“I don’t know,” Lu Ji replied flatly.
Chai Yingying sighed in exasperation. She was certain she only acted so indifferent because of Gu Jiu. With the “young heiress” present, Lu Ji seemed to prefer staying quiet and letting her take the lead. She might even be too lazy to act, content to let Gu Jiu handle everything.
Gu Jiu, however, agreed with Chai Yingying. “I think Miss Chai has a point.”
Chai Yingying couldn’t help but laugh. This was precisely why she liked Gu Jiu so much—Gu Jiu always managed to follow her train of thought, making collaboration easy and enjoyable.
She pulled Gu Jiu closer. “Come on, let’s make a bet.”
Gu Jiu smiled. “Are we gambling on luck?”
“Exactly! Let’s see whose luck is better.” Chai Yingying’s grin widened. “I’m betting on the hunter.”
Old Hei couldn’t hold back his laughter. “Chai, you’re just cheating. You’ve practically ruled out Sasha already.”
He thought Chai Yingying had been trying to scare Gu Jiu earlier, confident that Sasha wouldn’t actually appear on sublevel one.
“Then I’ll bet on Sasha,” Gu Jiu said calmly. “After all, she and I do seem to have some sort of connection.”
Everyone: !!!!
Why did she have to say such terrifying things in such a gentle tone?
Chai Yingying’s teammates, unfamiliar with Gu Jiu’s nature, were taken aback. They instinctively doubted her words. To them, Gu Jiu had beauty and grace, but compared to Lu Ji’s cold efficiency, she lacked a certain edge. Her classical, soft beauty also gave her an air of fragility, making it hard to believe she could be a true powerhouse.
Lu Ji, on the other hand, was the epitome of a true boss—cutting down monsters without hesitation and navigating ghostly realms like it was second nature.
At that moment, a timid voice broke the silence. “What if… they’re both there?”
All eyes turned toward Wan Xingzhou, who had spoken. Their gazes were filled with undisguised contempt, as if branding him a jinx.
Li Jing snapped, “Don’t jinx us! If both show up, it’s definitely because of you!”
Wan Xingzhou defended himself indignantly. “I was just pointing it out! How does that make it my fault?”
Old Hei and Chai Yingying, however, nodded thoughtfully. “It’s possible,” they said.
Chai Yingying turned to Gu Jiu. “Well, Gu Jiu, let’s see whose luck holds out—who will we meet?”
One of her teammates muttered quietly, “Sister Chai, this isn’t about luck. It’s about who’s the bigger jinx or who’s just plain unlucky.”
“Bad luck is a kind of luck too!” Chai Yingying replied cheerfully.
As they chatted, the group stepped off the escalator and arrived at sublevel one.
The scene was grim—corpses littered the area, and the thick stench of blood filled the air, making it almost unbearable to breathe.
Suddenly, a small gasp broke the silence, quickly muffled by a hand covering the speaker’s mouth. The player who gasped stared ahead in horror.
Everyone else followed their gaze, and without realizing it, their steps halted. They stood frozen at the top of the escalator.
Not far from them, the little girl Sasha stood, staring straight at them.
On her shoulder sat the doll Lisa, both of them gazing at the group. Their expressions were blank, with an unsettling mix of innocence and naivety.
The group broke out in a cold sweat. No one had expected to encounter Sasha the moment they stepped onto sublevel one.
Old Hei’s lips twitched as he realized Chai Yingying’s analysis had been spot on. Sasha’s usual activity on sublevel two didn’t mean she couldn’t come to sublevel one. In the past, whenever players escaped to sublevel one, she wouldn’t pursue them, leading to the assumption that she was restricted to sublevel two.
But wait!
Old Hei’s mind raced as he pieced together the situation.
Sasha hadn’t been able to access sublevel one before—but now she had Lisa’s arm. They had all witnessed Gu Jiu returning the doll’s arm to her. Could it be that regaining Lisa’s arm allowed Sasha to traverse to sublevel one?
Previously, was she restricted because Lisa’s arm had been on sublevel one?
His thoughts spiraled, but he couldn’t be sure if his guesses were correct.
Sasha began to walk toward them.
Her steps were stiff and slow, but no one dared to underestimate her lethality. Her pace didn’t make her any less of a threat.
Instinctively, the group stepped back, their retreat hindered only by the escalator behind them. Escape was easy enough—but their friends and teammates were still on sublevel two. If they failed to stop Sasha here, she would certainly turn her attention to those left behind.
Sasha came closer, her small figure now just a few steps away. Suddenly, she stopped and fixed her gaze on Gu Jiu.
Lisa, perched on her shoulder, extended her arm and pointed directly at Gu Jiu.
Everyone’s eyes locked onto the doll’s hand, their hearts nearly stopping as they each feared it might be pointing at them.
“You’re the sister who helped Lisa find her arm. Why are you here again?” Sasha’s voice was clear and ethereal, filled with genuine curiosity.
Wait—Sasha’s dialogue had changed?
Everyone stared at her and Lisa in a mix of shock and wariness, unable to process this unexpected development.
Before they could fully grasp the situation, Gu Jiu calmly replied, “We’re here looking for something.”
“What are you looking for?” Sasha asked, her tone innocent and curious. “Are you like Lisa? Did you lose your hand and come to find it?”
Her words sent a chill down everyone’s spine. It felt as if in the next moment, their hands might be devoured by Lisa to make Sasha’s eerie words a reality.
Amid the silence, Gu Jiu’s calm voice broke through, steady and composed: “No, we’re looking for a subway station—one that can take us home.”
Was it really okay to be so blunt?
The others twitched slightly, glancing at Gu Jiu and then at Sasha. Anxiety gripped them as they feared the doll on the little girl’s shoulder might suddenly launch an attack and devour them without warning.
Sasha stood motionless, silent.
She didn’t ask anything more of Gu Jiu. Time seemed to stretch—maybe it was only seconds, maybe a full minute—before she finally turned around and walked away.
Her movements were stiff and mechanical, unnervingly unnatural from behind. The doll on her shoulder twisted its head around 180 degrees to glare at them with a sinister intensity.
Just as they braced for the doll to do something, Sasha continued walking toward the station exit and disappeared into the darkness of the tunnel.
Only when both Sasha and the doll were gone did the group finally feel the weight lifting from their chests. Many leaned weakly against the escalator, their nerves frayed.
“That scared the life out of me!” Chai Yingying wiped the sweat from her brow. She threw an arm around Gu Jiu’s shoulder and leaned in close. “Young miss, what’s going on here? Why did Sasha’s lines change? And Lisa’s arm—were you the one who helped her find it?”
Gu Jiu gave a soft “hmm” in confirmation and gently removed Chai Yingying’s arm from her shoulder.
Old Hei spoke up, his voice full of excitement: “So Lisa’s arm was a hidden clue! Gu Jiu, it’s all thanks to you returning Lisa’s arm. That’s why Sasha didn’t attack us!”
In the past, every time they encountered Sasha at the first station, it was a near-death experience. This time, nothing happened—nothing except a conversation with Sasha. It was almost unbelievable.
The rest of the group, still dazed, nodded in agreement. Even Chai Yingying’s teammates, who had previously doubted Gu Jiu, were starting to see her in a new light.
They finally understood why Lu Ji was so drawn to her. The young miss carried herself with an aura of authority and confidence that radiated strength—it was impossible not to admire her.