Chapter 79.1 Savage Expansion (12)
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Lin Zhaohe’s frown deepened.
Jiang Wenxue giggled and pointed her finger at Lin Zhaohe. “Why are you sad? Are you also his friend?”
Lin Zhaohe: “Did you kill your other classmates too?”
Jiang Wenxue: “What classmates of mine? They turned into monsters and I killed them. It’s their honor.”
Feeling a sense of familiarity, Lin Zhaohe’s mind went through a brainstorming session. Suddenly, he thought of something and his eyes widened in disbelief. He said, “Jiang Wenxue… Are you really Jiang Wenxue?”
Jiang Wenxue: “What do you mean?”
Lin Zhaohe: “You are indeed Jiang Wenxue, yet not Jiang Wenxue.”
Jiang Wenxue: “Then who am I?”
Lin Zhaohe: “You are an evil spirit.”
Finally, he remembered where that strange sense of familiarity came from. The character named Jiang Wenxue was never mentioned in his writing because that name simply did not exist.
In his novel, there was a plot set in a school where students were trapped due to a disaster and the heavy snowfall blocked their way out. The damaged power supply and limited food put the students in a survival crisis, while the teachers, unfortunately, lost their lives while searching for an escape route.
At that moment, a leader emerged among the students, claiming that there was a werewolf hiding among them. All the misfortunes were the doings of the werewolf, and they didn’t have much time left. They had to find the monster before the food ran out.
It was a relatively conventional novel based on the Werewolf game, with an unoriginal storyline, serving as a practice piece. Following Lin Zhaohe’s habit, the ending still had an unexpected twist. After the students were finally rescued, the police determined that there was no killer involved. It was all caused by panic due to cold and hunger. The students accepted this explanation until many years later when they gathered again and discovered that the events of that year were not as they seemed.
Amidst the chaos, an inexistent person appeared among the students. This person was neither listed as a victim by the police nor counted among the survivors. It didn’t even exist in the school’s records, but their presence was vividly etched in the memory of each person.
The novel described it as follows:
“We can remember its appearance, its name, and everything it did. Every execution it carried out. I thought its solemn expression was in search of the culprit, but later I understood that it was merely contemplating how to prolong the game. Our panic became its source of pleasure. It is the wolf, the one that can never be caught, constantly changing, living as the wolf within our hearts.”
At this moment, what Jiang Wenxue did was almost indistinguishable from that wolf. She marginalized the outcasts, propagated a sense of panic, and wanted to burn anyone who came near.
However, it gave a sense of righteousness, even making people believe that their suspicions stemmed from their own vile hearts.
Lin Zhaohe: “Huo Nanjing, do you really know her? When did you meet, and what have you experienced together?”
Huo Nanjing reflexively claimed that he did, indeed, know her. He had been acquainted with Jiang Wenxue for many years. However, when he tried to recall detailed memories about her, he realized he couldn’t.
Those memories that should have been clear were now blurry, like ink smudged by water, barely forming a rough outline. He also sensed that something was wrong as he looked at the woman before him. Though she still had that beautiful appearance, her smile was gone, and the more he looked, the more unfamiliar she seemed, completely unrecognizable. Huo Nanjing shuddered involuntarily and took two steps back, trembling as he said, “W-who is this? I don’t know her at all.”
Lin Zhaohe: “It’s the monster you all attracted.”
Jiang Wenxue, with her beautiful face, revealed an extremely unfamiliar smile. She tugged at her hair strands, and her entire figure became increasingly blurry. Before disappearing, her voice was gentle and sweet as she said, “Don’t worry, I’ll come back when you need me.”
Lin Zhaohe broke into a cold sweat. This monster was formidable in his novel because it drew strength from human imagination.
The people around believed that the more formidable she became, the stronger her abilities grew. If her true identity was exposed, she would immediately vanish, making it impossible to completely erase her existence.
No one knew when she would return or which face and name she would assume.
Lin Zhaohe watched her disappear and felt a sudden exhaustion, unable to help but sit on the ground.
Huo Nanjing said, “Brother Lin, let’s leave quickly…”
Lin Zhaohe stared at him silently for a while. He had pondered Huo Nanjing’s name countless times in his mind but couldn’t find an answer. He couldn’t recall which character from his novels Huo Nanjing belonged to. With Jiang Wenxue as an example, he couldn’t help but feel that everyone around him was potentially dangerous, unless they matched the details he had written.
Huo Nanjing: “Brother Lin, why are you staring at me?”
Lin Zhaohe: “It’s nothing. You have a nice appearance.”
Huo Nanjing, feeling embarrassed, said, “I have a girlfriend now.”
Lin Zhaohe: “……”
Huo Nanjing: “You look terrible, and why is there so much blood on your back?”
Lin Zhaohe waved his hand weakly and said, “I just got bitten by something strange.”
“There’s a vending machine over there. I’ll get you some HP,” Huo Nanjing offered.
After he finished speaking, he took out a few coins from his pocket and inserted them into the vending machine.
With a clunking sound, several bottles of red-colored drinks came out of the vending machine. Huo Nanjing happily picked them up and handed one to Lin Zhaohe.
Lin Zhaohe watched this scene and inexplicably felt a strange sense of discord. He took the water, unscrewed the bottle, and took a sip. It had a strawberry flavor. After drinking it, he noticeably felt more comfortable. The feeling of fatigue in his body was alleviated. However, as he looked at the cheerful Huo Nanjing, Lin Zhaohe suddenly asked, “You said your items were scavenged from the rooms? Are these coins that the monsters turned into also included?”
Huo Nanjing was also drinking water. When he heard Lin Zhaohe’s question, his movements paused for a moment, but then he smiled and said, “Yeah, Brother Lin, what’s the matter?”
His expression and tone seemed natural, and Lin Zhaohe couldn’t detect any flaws.
“It’s nothing, just curious,” Lin Zhaohe said.
“Look, that monster killed Huang Mian, and now there are several coins left,” Huo Nanjing happily hopped over to the charred body of Huang Mian, dug out a few coins from his body, patted them clean, and stuffed them into his pocket. “These are good stuff… can’t let them go to waste.”
Indeed, they were good items that couldn’t be wasted. Lin Zhaohe stared at Huo Nanjing, pondering.
The lights above began to flicker again. Lin Zhaohe sensed something was wrong. Without time to explain, he ran towards the second floor, with Huo Nanjing following closely behind, asking what was happening.
“The fire on the second floor can’t be extinguished!” Lin Zhaohe said.
Huo Nanjing asked, “Why?”
“Of course, because…” Lin Zhaohe was stunned by the scene before him on the second floor. The fire that should have been burning was completely destroyed. There were footprints everywhere, left by people who had stomped out the fire. And the culprit behind it all turned around, standing by the window with a cheerful smile, waving to them. “Hello, classmates. Please refrain from engaging in any violations on campus, or else I may have to enforce disciplinary measures.”
Lin Zhaohe was bewildered and asked, “Who are you again?”
“Me?” the person smiled and said, “I am the librarian of the school library.”
After saying this, the lights above shook vigorously, and the light was completely extinguished.
In an instant, the library, like the outside, plunged into unpredictable darkness.
As the room descended into darkness, wild beasts roared all around. Huo Nanjing quickly took out a flashlight, but before he could turn it on, he was knocked down to the ground, and the flashlight slipped from his hand and fell to the floor. He shouted in fear, “Brother Lin—”
“Shh,” Lin Zhaohe whispered softly. “Don’t speak.”
Huo Nanjing asked, “What?” He thought Lin Zhaohe had been frightened silly. Although the flashlight had fallen to the ground, he could still see the various grotesque monsters surrounding them in the dim light. There were female ghosts crawling on the ceiling, melting puddles of goo, and enormous werewolves. He felt like he was standing in a bizarre and terrifying world, unable to move from his spot, with no escape route.
Huo Nanjing wanted to say something else, but he saw Lin Zhaohe place a finger on his lips, making a quiet gesture.
He should have been afraid, but the immense calmness and confidence emanating from Lin Zhaohe prevented the pleas for help from escaping Huo Nanjing’s mouth.
Without making a cry for help, fear still gripped Huo Nanjing’s heart. He instinctively held onto the small sleeve behind him, curling up and trembling.
The creatures in the darkness drew closer. Suddenly, a monster let out a thunderous roar, as if it signaled imminent danger. Something leaped high and lunged towards them. In the darkness, Huo Nanjing’s eyes widened as he saw the glint of its teeth and even caught a whiff of the putrid stench from its rotting mouth.
Huo Nanjing closed his eyes, awaiting the arrival of death in despair.
However, the anticipated pain did not come. Something warm splashed onto his cheek, causing Huo Nanjing to open his eyes in confusion. He saw the monster that had been charging towards him torn apart by an unknown force. Its bewildered expression was still frozen on its face, as if it couldn’t comprehend what had inflicted such terrifying power upon it.
Incomprehension lingered, not only in Huo Nanjing but also in the surroundings.
In the darkness, the monsters wailed in succession, as if some horrific entity had suddenly descended and effortlessly claimed their lives.
Huo Nanjing lifted his head and looked at Lin Zhaohe. He saw Lin Zhaohe slightly raise his chin and purse his lips. This seemingly frail man stood amidst a downpour of blood, his expression appearing remarkably calm, as if everything happening before him was within his expectations.
The slaughter finally ceased. Wherever Huo Nanjing’s gaze fell, there were no more monsters. Standing amidst the wreckage was a tall figure, although indistinct. Huo Nanjing could sense the person’s gaze fixed upon him. He inexplicably felt a sense of fear and instinctively shrunk his neck.
“Don’t make loud noises in the library,” the man said, lightly pinching Huo Nanjing’s chin and lifting his face. Huo Nanjing caught sight of a pair of emerald vertical pupils, resembling those of a cold-blooded reptile. The man continued, “Considering it’s your first offense, I’ll give you a warning.”
Huo Nanjing struggled to force a smile but failed miserably. His expression was more grimacing than crying.
The man’s icy fingers released Huo Nanjing’s cheek, straightened his posture, and turned his gaze toward Lin Zhaohe, who stood by without making any movement, as if he were a wooden statue.
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