"You're here."
A low, feminine voice emerged from the darkness. The moment the door opened, Yu Yu tensed, her hair standing on end. An overwhelming sense of danger nearly choked her, her body reacting instinctively. The [Candlelight] spell flickered. Yu Yu fought the dread. "Changyu"
From somewhere unseen, Changyu activated her passive. A radiant burst of Will flared, and the woman in the corner suddenly shut her eyes. The next instant, a silent scream erupted in the cramped space. Yu Yu's vision blackened, her head throbbing.
The others fared no better. Heavy footsteps echoed from downstairs. They were coming.
Shu Tu, grimacing through the pain, stood to block the door. "78!"
Compared to Yu Yu and Shu Tu, 7788 reacted sluggishly, her headache so intense she could barely stand. From Yu Yu's angle, faces pressed against the door's glass, greedily eyeing the room's occupants, their eyes gleaming with eerie delight.
"How nice…" a low voice came from outside. "You can't escape…"
The [Candlelight] couldn't pierce the darkness fully. In the dim, flickering light, those faces were sinister, bone-chilling.
Yu Yu couldn't wait for 7788. She hoisted Changyu herself. "Move!"
7788 finally stood, taking Changyu's body. Her steps were unsteady, almost floating, but she reached the balcony railing in a blink.
"Zi Shu, cover!"
With lightning speed, she tied a rope around Changyu, half-supporting her, and leapt off. Rogue passives Balance and Agility activated. Despite the sheer wall, she found footholds, borrowing leverage from flat surfaces, landing with a few rolls, unscathed.
Changyu, secured by the pre-tied rope, slid down slowly, the knot holding firm. 7788, seeing her halfway, couldn't wait. She vaulted up, sliced the [Animate Rope] with her dagger, and caught Changyu, jumping down effortlessly. "I could totally do parkour."
Zi Shu, expressionless, drew her sword. "Go."
In the distance, a horde of awkwardly moving figures charged in groups. They bypassed the stone walls, ignored the slick ice, and pursued through the only gap, faces blank. Zi Shu blocked the gap temporarily. "Hurry!"
Mid-charge, their stiff movements caused them to slip on the ice, collapsing and struggling to rise, shoving each other, momentarily stalled. As 7788 climbed the outer wall with Changyu, Yu Yu and Shu Tu released the door, leaping from the third floor.
"Move!"
Shu Tu jumped like 7788. Yu Yu, shockingly, followed suit. No one gasped—there was no time.
Crash!
The crisp sound of shattering windows rang out, the door battered violently. The third-floor door burst open. The pursuers leapt from the third floor without hesitation. Yu Yu's heart pounded like a drum, but her mind grew calmer. She timed [Featherfall], her body instantly lightening, drifting down.
Shu Tu's high Dexterity ensured a safe landing. Yu Yu touched down almost simultaneously. Zi Shu abandoned her post, her unsharpened sword striking the knees of the fallen "people" without mercy. Bones cracked dully, but the "people" seemed unfazed, crawling upright to chase.
Shu Tu scaled the wall first, pulling Yu Yu up. 7788 was already in the car, all four doors open.
Zi Shu went last. As she climbed, an ankle was grabbed. "Don't go."
"Stay."
Cold voices—male, female, young, old—rose in a chilling chorus. Zi Shu shuddered. Yu Yu cast [Grease] on the wall. Unlike elemental spells, enchantment spells vanished when their duration ended, which was why she didn't use [Grease] for paths. More figures surged, grabbing Zi Shu's legs, nearly dragging her down.
Shu Tu, urgent: "Hurry!"
Yu Yu, calm: "Charge upward."
Zi Shu froze, no time to think. "Get back."
[Charge]
The sudden burst of force sent the figures gripping her ankles flying, tumbling off the wall, unable to rise. Shu Tu yanked open the car door, sliding into the driver's seat. Yu Yu stood outside, hyper-focused. Her navy-blue bracelet gleamed on her pale wrist—[Force Shield].
Zi Shu fell, the shield shattering on impact. Suppressing her shock, she bolted for the car. Yu Yu eyed the hands clawing over the wall, slid into the car, and shut the window.
Zi Shu got in.
The car started.
Figures were already rounding from the front gate.
"Stop!"
"Call the police! Car thieves!"
Their roars echoed through the street. Yu Yu, in the passenger seat, glanced at the rearview mirror. The furious, shouting figures had utterly expressionless faces.
Cold. Pale.
Shu Tu drove steadily.
7788's hands still trembled. She checked her watch. "…Only eight minutes?"
"Felt like a century…"
Her lips quivered. "…Scared me to death."
"Where's Changyu?" Yu Yu watched the mirror. They'd stopped.
Scattered "people" stood on the asphalt, their faces cold and numb under the dim streetlights.
"Next to me. She's still out."
Yu Yu paused. "Any injuries?"
7788, finally calming, checked her arms and legs. "Think I'm fine. No pain."
Shutu: "None."
"You Charged upward? How'd you think of that?" 7788 asked Zi Shu. "Even if they didn't grab you, weren't you scared of falling?"
"Damn, that's hardcore."
Yu Yu glanced over, noticing Zi Shu roll up her pant leg. Her ankle was scraped raw, oozing blood. The grip must've been brutal.
Yu Yu winced. "That was close."
Zi Shu, clearly in pain, bit her lip before speaking. "Thanks."
Yu Yu brushed it off. "We're teammates."
She added, "Hope the rewards are good, or we're screwed."
"Shu Tu, park here, away from cameras," Yu Yu instructed. "Oh, how's the recording?"
Shu Tu handed over the phone strapped to her neck. The footage was shaky, the [Candlelight] dim and blurry. Eight minutes, thirty-six seconds, with barely any clear frames. But those few glimpses were deeply unsettling. Their cold stares, their relentless pursuit despite broken legs.
"Should be enough," Yu Yu mused. "Hope it warns the authorities."
Soon, the car was parked in a quiet corner, the gagged unlucky guy dozing inside. All set, they supported Zi Shu and vanished into the night. By the river, a small boat rocked. The four sat inside. Zi Shu seemed terrified of water, sitting rigidly in the center.
"Being prepared feels great~"
Yu Yu checked the time and the dark river. "We need to hurry."
Shu Tu and 7788 each grabbed an oar, rowing furiously. Yu Yu sat in the middle, holding Changyu's body. Five people made the boat sit low in the water. The boat was an old, dilapidated stone craft, abandoned on the shore, covered in weeds and moss, unused for years. They'd found it that afternoon and used it to cross.
"Hey, logistics maestro, got any wind-blowing spells to speed us up?"
Yu Yu glanced up. "Nope."
"Any Strength boosters?"
Yu Yu: "Didn't learn any."
7788, sulking, kept rowing.
Zi Shu, coolly: "Shu Tu's a Dexterity class too, and she's not whining."
And she's a leaderboard player.
7788: "Why compare me to Shu Tu-sama?"
A top archer, Hall of Fame champion, solo tournament winner, currently third on the leaderboard.
She was just a casual player. Why measure up to Shu Tu?
Shu Tu, snapping back, glanced at them but didn't engage.
"Xiao Yu, why hasn't she woken up?"
Yu Yu, studying her panel with a puzzled look, said absently, "Her body's been possessed so long, it's not that easy to wake."
"She'll need a few days of IV fluids," Yu Yu said. "We'll take her to the hospital soon."
At the mention of hospitals, Yu Yu frowned. Trouble always came in waves. She really didn't want to go.
7788: "Didn't you say we can't get exposed? Won't sending her to the hospital blow our cover?"
Yu Yu shot her a look. "I don't know about other hospitals, but City People's should be fine, unless it's got bodies there too."
No word had leaked about Strangle Disease. Yu Yu didn't buy that there wasn't some control in place. Changyu had just gone a few days without food… okay, that was a bit serious, but compared to Strangle Disease, it was nothing.
"Don't we need someone to watch her?"
Yu Yu had grabbed Changyu's phone earlier. It now showed a message. "Her parents are back tomorrow. They'll handle it."
7788 dropped it, rowing hard.
Yu Yu tucked the phone into Changyu's pocket. "Guardians are likely the most corruption-resistant class. Changyu should be fine."
Senior Felix's Guardian friend had said it so calmly, so Yu Yu tentatively believed her.
Yu Yu turned to Zi Shu. "Coming to the hospital with us to treat your wound?"
Zi Shu nodded. The river was wide, and they'd only reached the midpoint.
"What're you eating?"
"Orange. Want a piece?" Yu Yu asked.
She said it, but she didn't want to share. Since noon, she'd been tired, hungry, and thirsty. Shu Tu held out her hand.
Yu Yu: "?"
Resigned, she broke off two segments.
7788: "Me too!"
Yu Yu, speechless, split off two more.
All given out, she looked at Zi Shu. "Here."
Zi Shu, deadpan: "I don't eat."
Yu Yu shoved it at her. "No, you do."
Zi Shu: "…"
Yu Yu ate the last two pieces. "I think I brought two oranges, but…"
"Can't find the other."
She'd wanted to bring chocolate, but her house had no snacks.
Zi Shu snapped up. "You didn't leave it at the scene, did you?"
Yu Yu thought. "I took it out when I dazed that guy, planning to eat, but didn't."
"I'm sure I zipped it back in my pocket, but it's gone."
Yu Yu mused. "I definitely zipped my pocket."
Her personality made her meticulous about details. Losing something was unlikely, so she was baffled.
Where's her orange?
Zi Shu was about to speak when Shu Tu said, "Quest settled. Check it."
Their attention shifted instantly.
[Rescue] (Completed)
[Rewards: 1 Base Attribute Point, 1 Passive Point, 1 Skill Point]