Chapter 26: The Bracelet

The talisman proved to be more potent than the pendant. As the wisps of blue smoke drifted, the eerie presence before them finally came to a halt.

But it was only a pause.

Watching the talisman slowly burn, Zhao Kuo knew that once it was consumed, the monster before him would be unstoppable.

The appearance of this thing was utterly incongruous. Zhao Kuo believed that while his methods for dealing with spirits were limited, he was still among the best of the players.

If even he couldn't handle this creature, others would surely meet their doom upon encountering it!

Moreover, the notebook stated that staying near a fire source would prevent supernatural intrusion, yet this thing could ignore the fire source entirely. Clearly, it was a higher-level entity than ordinary spirits.

Such a terrifying being appearing on his train at this stage was, in other words, somewhat unbelievable.

Zhao Kuo didn't wait idly. He quickly sent a message to Luo Ping'an, hoping to acquire some items to deal with the supernatural. The price was negotiable.

However, Luo Ping'an didn't reply for a long time.

It made sense. In such extreme cold, conserving energy by sleeping was the wisest choice, and this was indeed the perfect time for slumber.

Zhao Kuo turned to Tang Yingying beside him and said, "Use whatever tricks you have left. Any later, and we'll only meet in the afterlife."

"This isn't the time to hold back."

Zhao Kuo's words caught Tang Yingying off guard. She tilted her head and asked, "How did you know I was holding back?"

"Because your acting is just terrible," Zhao Kuo retorted irritably. The talisman in his hand was already halfway burned, and only half a minute had passed. In another half minute, it would be completely consumed.

The reason he had agreed to travel with Tang Yingying was partly for companionship on the journey.

But more importantly, Zhao Kuo was certain that Tang Yingying wasn't as simple as she appeared. She was far better at hiding her true abilities than he was!

Hearing Zhao Kuo's words, Tang Yingying pursed her lips and then took off a bracelet from her wrist.

**[Exorcist's Bracelet (Tier 2)]**​

**[A masterpiece by a renowned exorcist, used to resolve multiple demonic and supernatural intrusion incidents. It also seems to have a certain restraining effect on outer gods.]**​

**[Each use consumes 20 sanity points, followed by a loss of 1 sanity point per second for ten seconds.]**​

In an instant, Zhao Kuo seemed to smell a strange fragrance and hear an eerie whisper.

Not far away, the tentacled monster began to secrete a black substance—a sign of fear.

Then, the monster tried to flee through the door.

"Trying to run? You think you can escape after turning into my little crocodile!" Tang Yingying gritted her teeth and flung the bracelet, seemingly trying to ensnare the creature. Unfortunately, it was too fast. It pushed open the door and vanished into the night outside the subway.

At the same time, Zhao Kuo didn't hesitate. He pulled out a rope and swiftly tied Tang Yingying up.

"Ow! You have no sense of chivalry! That hurts…" Tang Yingying winced from the tight binding.

"Bear with it. How much sanity do you have left?" Zhao Kuo asked.

"Hmm, 46."

"Now 45. Hehe, now 44~" Tang Yingying lay on the bed, her smile growing increasingly exaggerated.

When the monster appeared, her sanity had dropped by 30. Using the bracelet would cost another 30. In a few seconds, Tang Yingying's sanity would only be 40!

Zhao Kuo didn't know what would happen when sanity dropped to 40, but it certainly wouldn't be good. That was why he had tied Tang Yingying up immediately.

Sure enough, Tang Yingying's smile grew more and more exaggerated, accompanied by low laughter, as if another entirely different soul was awakening within her.

A sniper rifle appeared in Zhao Kuo's hand. His expression was cold as he pointed the barrel directly at Tang Yingying's forehead.

Though she had just driven away the terrifying creature, Zhao Kuo couldn't allow Tang Yingying to undergo a transformation and harm him.

Humans are inherently selfish, and in this subway world, Zhao Kuo could only ensure that he wouldn't act unless absolutely necessary.

If he were to transform due to low sanity, he wouldn't blame Tang Yingying or Gu Shan for restraining him—or even killing him if his life were threatened.

The subway world—no, the hell world.

Fortunately, Tang Yingying only laughed softly, her cold eyes fixed on Zhao Kuo, with no strange changes occurring to her body.

The two of them stood in a tense standoff.

Suddenly, Tang Yingying asked, "If one day, I really become a monster, will you pull the trigger?"

Zhao Kuo nodded without hesitation.

"Then I'll thank you properly when the time comes. Alright, nothing's wrong. My sanity is still 40. I'll just hear a lot of strange noises and see some weird things. It's not as bad as you think."

Tang Yingying sighed. Seeing that Zhao Kuo remained unmoved, she realized he was being overly cautious.

She tried to suppress her rising smile but failed. Instead, she turned to her side and said, "I'm sleepy. I'm going back to sleep. It's freezing, and now it feels even colder. Cover me with the wool blanket if you don't want me to freeze to death."

With that, Tang Yingying closed her eyes without waiting for Zhao Kuo's response.

Zhao Kuo hesitated for a moment but still covered her with the sheepskin. However, he didn't put away the gun.

He didn't dare take the risk. With the talisman used up and the pendant on cooldown, he had no means left to counter the supernatural.

In fact, at this stage, most people lacked the means to deal with supernatural entities. Even someone as skilled as Gu Shan didn't possess a single item to counter spirits, which was why he had been driven to a dead end by the hanged ghost in Yole's game.

So, that thing shouldn't have appeared here and now.

Could it be because of… the Abyss?

Zhao Kuo's mind flashed to the old man he had seen in the game, the vortex darker than darkness itself.

He felt a vague sense of being targeted, but his strength was still too weak. The Lucky Mage's offensive abilities were too limited. If possible, he would need to expand his arsenal in the future to avoid being as passive as he was today.

As Zhao Kuo pondered, his gaze drifted to the endless darkness outside.

Fortunately, the creature didn't return after being driven away. Perhaps this was one of the subway world's rules.

Otherwise, once players were entangled with such beings, it would be a certain death sentence. The subway world wouldn't place players in a 100% hopeless situation—this was something Zhao Kuo and Gu Shan had concluded together.

That night, Zhao Kuo kept watch over Tang Yingying the entire time. The temperature outside was terrifyingly low, and even with two stoves inside, they provided no warmth.

He could only hope that this storm would pass quickly.