Chapter 4: Moonlight Beneath the Abyss

The bright moon hung high at the center of the pitch-black sky. The road was muddy, overgrown with weeds, and the village was wrapped in vines like the tentacles of a giant octopus.

For hundreds of li, this was the only human settlement. Beyond it lay a sea of withered grass and dead trees.

The earthy scent drifted to Qinghe’s nose, and she could not help but take a light sniff.

The air was very fresh, completely different from the dusty smell of modern society. Yet Qinghe felt no sense of relaxation at all.

Inside her underwear was a thick, rigid diary that pressed painfully against her skin, making Qinghe’s expression darken.

Only after stepping out of the house did she truly realize what kind of world this was.

Under the faint moonlight, the outskirts of the village were lined with a wooden fence on the verge of collapse. Behind it, tree shadows swayed, like upright evil spirits.

Countless vines connected the trees, thick and powerful, like massive pythons.

Qinghe trudged along the muddy road, stumbling with uneven steps as she made her way toward Qiuli’s house.

Her nerves were taut, her mind rapidly recalling the worldview of Despair Abyss.

Horrific. Twisted. An indescribable apocalypse.

This was a disordered world where many physical laws had been broken. Electricity and numerous chemical products had completely lost their function.

From somewhere far beyond the village came faint yet piercing beastly roars, followed closely by a thin trace of blood in the air.

“!” Her heart clenched. Qinghe quickened her pace and, without noticing, slammed straight into Qiuli’s back.

“Hm?” Qiuli turned her head to look at Qinghe.

“Well… haha, Sis, I… I’m a little scared…” Qinghe spoke awkwardly, glancing around distractedly. In this pitch-black environment, she felt absolutely no sense of safety.

Qiuli looked at Qinghe and let out a soft laugh, saying nothing. Qinghe had no idea what she was thinking and could only press her lips together and follow silently behind her.

They entered Qiuli’s home, which was also a small, single-story house.

“Creak—” The sound of the door closing struck Qinghe’s already taut nerves, making her jump.

The room was pitch black.

“Whoosh—” On the wall, a slender candle was lit, its dim yellow light illuminating Qiuli’s smiling face.

“Go to sleep.”

Qinghe nodded, unease creeping up from the depths of her heart.

‘Why… why? Why did it have to make me be reborn into this world…’

The sense of grievance made Qinghe want to cry. She bit down hard on her lower lip, suppressing the urge to sob.

Ogres, demi-humans, zombies, brain worms… monsters from the game’s official settings flashed through Qinghe’s mind one after another. Her breathing tightened. These monsters were now in the same world as her.

Not only did she have to deal with Qiuli beside her, she also had to stay on guard against those monsters.

Qiuli stood right next to her. By the faint candlelight, Qinghe climbed onto the bed with her back to Qiuli. When she quietly glanced back, she saw a horrifying scene.

Qinghe was lying on the bed on her stomach, her back facing Qiuli, her small, shapely rear completely unguarded and exposed toward her.

Goosebumps erupted across Qinghe’s body. She saw Qiuli narrow her eyes, the corner of her mouth lifting into an especially eerie curve as a low laugh was squeezed from her throat.

The weak candlelight just happened to illuminate Qiuli’s gaze.

She was… looking at Qinghe’s…

Qinghe’s face flushed crimson as shame and indignation surged up. She instinctively wanted to cover herself.

Ever since crossing over, she had only been wearing rough linen clothes, with nothing but underwear on her lower body. Yet Qinghe had no choice but to pretend she did not notice, slowly lowering her hand again.

Qinghe spread open the blanket on the bed. She knew Qiuli was definitely watching her. Only after more than ten seconds did Qinghe suddenly slip under the covers.

Her cheeks burned intensely, the sense of humiliation almost interrogating her.

“Are you lying down properly?” Qiuli asked softly, her magnetic, mature voice scratching at the heart.

“If you’re ready, I’ll turn off the light.”

“…I’m ready.” Qinghe murmured quietly.

Qiuli gently blew on the candle, and the entire room fell into complete darkness.

Only a trace of moonlight filtered in through the window.

The bed shook slightly as Qiuli climbed onto it, followed by the soft rustling of clothes being removed.

“Mmm…”

Before long, Qinghe’s body trembled as she felt a warm embrace press close, arms tightening around her. Without realizing it, Qinghe rubbed lightly against the embrace, an unexpected reluctance rising in her heart.

‘The outside world is very dangerous. Only by Qiuli’s side does it seem safe.’ Whether from the game’s storyline or Qinghe’s own intuition, this thought kept repeating in her mind.

Why?

‘Qinghe… you know very well. She… she is a deranged yandere…’

Cold sweat crept up her spine.

Would Qiuli steal her diary tonight? Lying in bed, Qinghe tightened her underwear nervously. ‘She wouldn’t really be that bold… would she touch me?’

Her thoughts were in chaos. Qinghe felt at a loss, her body tense, her head spinning.

‘What’s going on?’

‘Is my Sanity starting to drop?’

‘Right… the diary says my current Sanity is only 15!’

Whether or not it was a bug, the moment she thought of this, her heart sank.

‘No. No. I absolutely cannot let my Sanity drop.’

Her fingernails pierced into her palm. The searing pain made Qinghe’s back stiffen.

“What’s wrong, Xiao He?” Qiuli sensed the girl’s trembling body and pulled her closer into her arms, speaking gently.

“It’s nothing… I just thought of some bad things…” Qinghe replied muffledly from under the covers.

“I’m here. Don’t be afraid. Go to sleep…” Qiuli patted her head.

“Mmm…” A soft, nasal sound answered her.

Qinghe curled up on the bed. In a direction she could not see, Qiuli held her tightly, staring at the girl’s profile with a burning gaze that was impossible to describe, unable to suppress the upward curve of her lips.

“Sleep… sleep…” She gently stroked the girl’s head. In stark contrast to her tender tone were those terrifying, bloodthirsty eyes.

“Sleep… my dear…”

Qinghe shrank into Qiuli’s arms, listening to her murmurs, and closed her eyes.

But she did not fall asleep. She had already decided that tonight, she would not sleep at all.

With her eyes closed, she repeatedly dug her nails into her palm, not a light scratch meant to restrain herself, but with all her strength. The pain made tears spill uncontrollably from her eyes.

According to the game’s settings, ordinary pain was usually not enough to halt the drop in Sanity. In one storyline, the original owner suffered a mental intrusion from some unknown existence and even smashed her head against a wall repeatedly to stay conscious.

Qinghe had to be ruthless… ruthless to herself.

But…

It hurt so much. It really hurt. ‘I… I’m just an ordinary college student… Why… why was I brought into this world?’

Tears streamed down in strands, unstoppable, quickly soaking the bedding beneath the girl.

‘It hurts… it really hurts…’

There was a sticky sensation in her palm. The flesh was probably torn to a mess. ‘Will it bleed? Will it be discovered?’

‘What would happen if it’s discovered?’ If she remembered correctly…

Qinghe’s small face turned deathly pale. In the game, there was a branching storyline where the original owner developed some vigilance toward Qiuli and, when forced to live with her, used self-harm to keep her Sanity from dropping, only to be discovered.

After being discovered, Qiuli knocked the original owner unconscious. To prevent her from remaining wary in the future, Qiuli tore out the most recent pages of the diary, fabricating the illusion that nothing had happened.

‘If… if I get discovered…’

‘No. Absolutely not.’

Lowering her head, Qinghe cautiously licked her palm. The metallic taste spread across her tongue. For some reason, she felt a slight sourness at the root of her tongue and could not help but begin chewing…

Panic spread through Qinghe’s heart. She did not know that this was actually a normal physiological response. The root of the tongue contains a large number of nerve endings associated with “danger” and “disgust.” When tasting blood or bodily fluid beyond expectation, saliva is involuntarily secreted, creating an illusion of sourness.

At the same time, chewing is a primitive form of risk assessment. On another level, under extreme stress and pain, the jaw can undergo involuntary spasms.

All of this was unknown to Qinghe. Perhaps she had learned it in textbooks during high school, but after entering college, those things had long been forgotten.

When the information traveled from her mouth through her nerves and into her brain, a strange tingling sensation spread through the girl’s entire body. In that instant, Qinghe’s eyes widened as she inexplicably felt… somewhat…

Comfortable…

‘Wh… what is this? What’s happening?’

‘Why… why do I feel…’

‘Good?’

Fear forced her thoughts to churn. A long-forgotten piece of knowledge surfaced from the depths of her memory.

‘Adrenaline?’

The feeling of “pleasure” was an illusion, brought on by hormones released when the brain detected danger… It made Qinghe feel light all over, as if she were… flying…

On the title page of the diary in the girl’s arms, the Corruption value slowly jumped from 0 to 1, the number vivid and glaring. At the same time, the Sanity value fluctuated wildly. For a brief instant, it rose to 100, and in the next, it plunged straight to 0.

Qinghe felt as though her soul were twisting, tearing, shuddering again and again… and at that very moment, the magnetic female voice sounded once more by her ear.

“Xiao He… are you asleep?”

‘Are you… asleep…’

‘Asleep?’

In her mind, there was nothing but endless echoes.