Chapter 13: Escape, Second Coma

Description

A blinding white light flashed…

Thump, thump, thump.

It was the sound of heartbeats.

All three of their hearts were practically in their throats.

But then…

It seemed like nothing had happened.

The old crone and the magic mirror were still before them, yet the three of them stood there completely unharmed—no, they were indeed perfectly fine.

[This is…]

Lin Zhiyi looked at the old crone and the magic mirror with confusion.

The old crone was equally bewildered.

“How is this possible… my magic mirror…”

She began manipulating the mirror again.

The purple glow grew stronger, erupting once more into a powerful radiance—except this time, it was purple.

The purple light condensed into beams that shot toward the three.

“Ugh… no… please don’t…”

Liuli curled up, raising her arms in a defensive posture.

The light was about to strike them when, at that very moment—

The beams seemed to refract, bending hard and shooting straight back before they could touch Liuli within a 3-meter radius.

The mirror was struck by its own light, emitting faint cracking sounds.

“Crack… crack…”

The three were unharmed, but that purple mirror instead…

The purple mirror shook and trembled violently, then a long, jagged fissure split across its surface before their eyes.

Seeing this, Lin Zhiyi’s mind cleared of everything except one thought: retreat.

She had to ensure everyone’s safety.

“Ah… ah! The mirror… my mirror…!”

The old crone’s body withered at an alarming speed, her ornate gown transforming back into a loose, baggy robe.

“The mirror… aaaahhh—”

The crone clawed madly at her own scalp, staining her white hair crimson with blood.

The massive mirror toppled to the ground, producing a sickening, teeth-grating crash.

“…”

Lin Zhiyi tugged at Liuli’s hand, signaling her to fall back quickly.

“Ugh…”

Liuli hesitated for a moment before starting to retreat, her eyes fixed on the old crone, terrified that if she looked away for even a second, the crone would pounce and devour her.

She looked absolutely horrifying… like those things from TV dramas—the crimson-haired flying corpse?

“Move!”

Lin Zhiyi quickly yanked open the mechanical door.

While Poison Granny was still dazed, she led Liuli and Lisa into the adjacent compartment.

The old crone snapped back to her senses and noticed Lin Zhiyi and the others preparing to leave.

“Ah… ah!!! You ungrateful little brats, I’ll kill you all!”

The moment the words left her mouth, she dropped to all fours like a feral dog, jaws wide open, howling as she lunged crazily at the trio.

“Waaah—stay away!”

Liuli stretched out her hand to ward her off.

But just before the frenzied crone could reach them, she suddenly tripped and flipped sideways, tumbling twice across the floor before coming to a stop—utterly comical.

“Gyaaahhh—damn it, damn it, damn it—”

The crone tried to scramble up and resume her attack, but it was already too late.

“Clank… thunk…”

The mechanical door began to slide shut, sealing itself.

The crone, having lost her opening from the fall, could only watch helplessly as the three slipped away.

“Clank… thunk…”

The door behind them opened.

They could leave.

“Phew… that scared me half to death. I didn’t even dare make a sound. Poison Granny was way too vicious, right? Didn’t they say this threat was a weak C? I think it deserves a B!”

Lisa planted her hands on her hips, patted her chest, and gulped down deep breaths as she looked at Lin Zhiyi.

“We’ve never encountered anything like this in previous containment surveys… We can only count ourselves unlucky.”

“Is everyone alright… Jinghua?”

“…” Liuli stood frozen in place.

“We can head out now… Jinghua, are you okay?”

“…Something’s wrong!”

Lin Zhiyi opened her tablet.

“Her mood index is dropping steadily, and the anomaly index is rising… This might be a side effect of her ability… Call the medical team, now!”

“Oh, right, on it! You catch her first.”

Lisa quickly pulled out her phone and contacted the medical team.

“Hello? Is this the medical team? We’re at the containment unit entrance for S-01-663 on Floor 13. We need medical assistance… Yes, the assisting anomaly…”

Lin Zhiyi reached out, placing her hand on Liuli’s shoulder to steady her.

“How could this happen… Does using her ability normally cause this? Or was it the shock just now?”

“Huff… huff… ah… cough, cough…”

Panting, gasping, then coughing.

Thump, thump, thump.

“Jinghua?”

Lin Zhiyi waved her hand in front of Liuli’s face.

No response.

Liuli kept her head down.

Thump, thump, thump.

“Big ■■, big ■■, big ■■!”

She couldn’t hear anything—only the pounding of her heart, and those people’s…

She couldn’t see anything—only the vivid nightmare replaying in her mind.

She saw herself in a classroom, surrounded by classmates…

What were they… what were they shouting this time?

She didn’t want to hear it.

Didn’t want to see it.

Thump, thump, thump.

It felt like she was back in that place again…

Not a classroom, but… a tree.

She was under the tree, basking in sunlight—a green sun.

But the voices were still there, surrounding her, constantly calling her name.

Who was calling her?

“Come back… come back…”

A faint, indistinct whisper brushed against Liuli’s ears.

“You no longer have…”

Who was it…

“Jinghua, wake up. The mission is complete—we’re safe.”

[That’s… Sister Zhiyi’s voice. Is Sister Zhiyi calling me?]

“Come on, little Zhiyi, you have to speak louder for her to hear. Be sincere—praise her a bit!”

[That’s… Sister Lisa’s voice.]

“Uh… umm… fine…”

“Why are you hesitating! Hurry up!”

“Jinghua… you did amazingly well. If it weren’t for you, we might not have made it out of there… Thank you. Tonight, let’s go get barbecue together—just the three of us.”

A solemn thanks, and a promise.

“Whoa, that’s heavy. You make eating barbecue sound like you’re pledging to stay by her side until the world ends…”

“Then you try waking her up? Is the medical team on their way?”

“Almost here!”

[…Ah… I want to… go back…]

“Come back… come back…”

The whisper lingering around Liuli showed no sign of stopping.

[Who… who are you? Why are you inside my head?]

“Come back… come back… return to where you belong…”

Her consciousness gradually cleared, and the images replaying endlessly in her mind slowly blurred.

The whisper at her ear faded away along with the fading images.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw Lin Zhiyi and Lisa looking at her with anxious expressions, along with the medical team that had just arrived on Floor 13.

Lin Zhiyi stood beside the mobile medical bed, brows furrowed, watching Liuli.

“Ah… Sister Zhiyi…”

“Jinghua!”

Seeing Liuli awake, Lin Zhiyi’s brow unconsciously relaxed, and she couldn’t help calling out.

“…” Then, as if realizing she had let her composure slip, she turned her head slightly away.

“Sister Zhiyi… did we make it out?”

Liuli’s voice was soft, weak, and listless.

“Yeah… we made it out. Thanks to you, we got out safely. How are you feeling?”

“Mm… my limbs… no strength… a bit cold…”

“Do you have a blanket?”

Lin Zhiyi turned to the medical team.

“Yes.”

A team member pulled out a blanket and handed it to Lin Zhiyi.

Lin Zhiyi took the blanket and draped it over Liuli.

“Come on… let’s head back.”

The group wheeled Liuli back to Floor 10…