Killing Intent

Translator: Cinder Translations

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"Should we go out and take a look?" You Qi tentatively asked, "If we just keep waiting like this, I'm afraid..." 

"If you want to go, go ahead. I'm not going!" Shi Liao Zhi's voice came from the corner, full of resistance. "Didn't you hear the rules? Going out means death." 

You Qi's expression immediately turned sour. 

Zuo Jing also understood—You Qi's words were just complaints. Even if he were actually told to go outside, he probably wouldn't. 

"Mr. Hao." Turning around, Zuo Jing looked at Jiang Cheng, who had been silent all this time, and suddenly spoke. "What do you think?" 

Hearing this, Jiang Cheng paused, then turned his head to look at Zuo Jing. Slowly, ripples appeared on his otherwise calm face, and finally, even his pupils began to change. His entire body started trembling. 

Seeing Jiang Cheng's reaction, Zuo Jing thought something had happened. She instinctively looked around, worried that Jiang Cheng had noticed something dangerous that she hadn't yet realized. 

"Miss Zuo," Jiang Cheng stammered, "I'm scared. You have to protect me!" 

You Qi scoffed at Jiang Cheng's behavior and couldn't help but criticize him, "If something really happens, everyone will struggle to protect themselves. Who would have the spare effort to save you?" 

Jiang Cheng didn't care. He hugged himself tightly and continued muttering, "This is terrifying! Just in this one scene, four people vanished at once. I think we're in danger too." 

"You don't have to be so pessimistic." As if realizing something, Zuo Jing looked at the door and said, "They just ran into trouble, but it's impossible that they're all dead. I don't believe this task would be that difficult." 

"Really?" Jiang Cheng licked his lips and looked at Zuo Jing. "I'm young, you better not lie to me!" 

Shi Liao Zhi's emotions became increasingly unstable. He had narrowly escaped being hunted by a ghost earlier that day. He constantly suspected that the ghost's target hadn't changed and that it might come for him again tonight. 

"Can you guys say something useful?" Shi Liao Zhi suddenly shouted. "We don't even know what's happening outside. Maybe… maybe the ghost is just standing right outside the door, waiting to kill us!" 

Although he spoke out of frustration, his words gave form to the fear of the unknown, pressing an invisible weight upon everyone in the room. After all, no one could be certain whether his words might actually be true. 

Opening the door? That was absolutely out of the question. 

Staying in the room? That was the task requirement. 

Zuo Jing didn't take Shi Liao Zhi's nonsense to heart, but Jiang Cheng's earlier complaints gave her an idea. 

Four people had gone out. There was no way the ghost could kill that many at once. 

But… if they weren't dead, then why hadn't they returned yet? 

According to the rules, they should have been back before the third drumbeat. 

Strictly speaking, their task of retrieving the bride from the water had already failed. 

Had they been trapped? 

Trapped on the lake? 

After pondering for a while, Zuo Jing's eyes filled with doubt. That didn't seem right. Rather than being trapped, it felt more like they had encountered something. 

And whatever happened made the people outside too afraid to come back. 

Afraid. 

Zuo Jing's eyes lit up. This word struck her like a sudden revelation, perfectly describing the situation. 

The people outside must have discovered something during the task—something that made them too scared to return. 

So much so that they would rather break the rules. 

But… what exactly? 

In the next second, a horrifying thought surfaced in her mind. 

A ghost! 

There must be a ghost! 

There was a ghost inside this room—that's why the others didn't dare to return. 

That would explain everything. 

And she had another piece of evidence to support her theory. 

The drumbeats. 

More precisely, the fourth drumbeat. 

Between the first and second drumbeats, they had to retrieve the female ghost's body from the water. 

Between the second and third drumbeats, they had to safely bring the body back to the room. 

So what was the purpose of the fourth drumbeat? 

Was the time between the third and fourth drumbeats just meant for them to sit in the room with the ghost's corpse? 

No. 

It was a warning! 

The real killing intent lay in the time between the third and fourth drumbeats! 

The ghost would start killing during this period. 

The people outside must have realized this—that's why they hadn't returned. 

Because the ghost had already entered the room. 

"Miss Zuo!" 

A sudden voice rang out behind her. 

The voice was extremely close, as if it were right against her back. 

It was Shi Liao Zhi's voice. 

Zuo Jing instinctively trembled. The teacup in her hand slipped and shattered on the floor. 

"What did you figure out, Miss Zuo?" 

Shi Liao Zhi still looked terrified as he anxiously approached, seemingly eager to know what Zuo Jing had realized. 

"N-Nothing." Zuo Jing's voice trembled uncontrollably, avoiding eye contact with Shi Liao Zhi. 

"Miss Zuo, if you figured something out, you must tell us. Don't keep it to yourself," You Qi said, his face pale as he swallowed nervously, as if he might die in the next moment. "We have to work together, or we won't survive." 

"I know," Zuo Jing replied coldly, casting a glance at You Qi. 

She had never hated someone as much as she hated You Qi at this moment. This idiot. 

Shi Liao Zhi didn't seem satisfied with Zuo Jing's response. His gaze lingered on her face. 

Zuo Jing turned her head away, refusing to meet his eyes. But that unnaturally cold gaze still pricked at her, making her even more certain of her judgment. 

"I see." Shi Liao Zhi slowly walked back, but his eyes never left Zuo Jing. 

To distract herself, Zuo Jing glanced at Jiang Cheng, only to find him staring intently at something. 

Blinking, Zuo Jing followed Jiang Cheng's gaze and saw that he was looking at the floor. There was a large spill of water—caused by her dropping the teacup—and scattered shards of porcelain nearby. 

Just as she was wondering what Jiang Cheng was focused on, her eyes landed on something near the water stains. 

Footprints. 

They belonged to Shi Liao Zhi, trailing discontinuously all the way to the bed. 

Shi Liao Zhi was currently standing beside the bed. 

The footprints looked… off. 

Indescribably wrong. 

A strange feeling washed over her. She looked up and saw Jiang Cheng shifting his gaze in the opposite direction. 

Following his line of sight, she saw an old-fashioned wooden washbasin stand in the corner. 

Made of black lacquered wood, with a basin resting on top, a slightly tarnished bronze mirror hung above it. A hanging towel covered most of the mirror, making it inconspicuous. 

But the exposed part of the mirror happened to reflect Shi Liao Zhi's lower body. 

Zuo Jing glanced at the reflection—and her whole body tensed with fear. 

Shi Liao Zhi's feet... 

They were reversed. 

Toes pointing backward, heels facing forward. 

(End of the Chapter)

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