Free Web NovelThe Game Lobby’s central screen, Nightmare Rising Star Zone.
The area in front of Bai Liu’s small TV was packed with people. Ordinary players stared at the screen of the Nightmare Nova’s number-one ranked stream in disbelief.
“Bai Liu’s climbing way too fast! What the hell did he eat to level up like this?!”
“He probably ate the Little Witch. That kid already looks stunned. What did he say her name was just now?”
“Liu Jiayi.”
“Jiayi what?”
“Liu what-yi?”
“Liu Jia-what?”
“...You Little Witch fans can stop coping now. Liu Jiayi. Liu Huai’s younger sister. Bai Liu practically exposed her identity himself. It’s basically confirmed.”
“I don’t believe it! I refuse to believe it! The Forbidden Witch is cold, elegant, mature—under that black veil has to be some gorgeous twenty-eight-year-old woman!”
“Wake up. The Forbidden Witch is tiny. Her being an eight-year-old girl is way more believable.”
“...That damn character profile book released by the Kings Guild said the Forbidden Witch ‘hadn’t developed well’! Damn it! I seriously thought she was a dwarf! So that’s what they meant by ‘hadn’t developed well’?!”
“This gossip came out of nowhere. The forums are already exploding. All the Little Witch’s boyfriend-fans are crying that their wife suddenly became their daughter... apparently none of them are mentally prepared to become fathers yet...”
“Hearts is already dealing with the fallout, but the bigger problem is inside the game itself. Liu Huai’s situation looks terrible. Damn... this year’s league hype season is insane. A scandal this huge blowing up among the rookie stars...”
“I think Bai Liu’s the one in trouble. The Little Witch has never shown mercy to anyone outside her team. Bai Liu’s probably finished.”
“The clash between the old and new number one Nightmare Rising Stars... which one will become the other’s nightmare? The forums already have threads discussing it...”
——————
Liu Huai dropped to his knees before Bai Liu with a heavy thud.
His lips parted soundlessly. He looked as though he wanted to say something, yet after a long while, not a single word came out.
Only a hazy layer of tears lingered in his eyes, dark and bleak beneath a wavering sheen of moisture, like a sky too dim to produce light.
Head lowered, Liu Huai knelt before Bai Liu like a puppet whose soul had been scooped out. A careless child seemed to have torn off its limbs at random, leaving behind only a broken torso curled helplessly on the floor after its strings had snapped.
The tears no longer flowed.
Liu Huai stared ahead blankly, eyes hollow, tear tracks crisscrossing his face. Everything around him seemed unbearably distant.
The damp, fog-filled hospital ward gradually overlapped with that sunless mountain village in his memories. In the middle of it all, the only thing different from the darkness around him was Liu Jiayi’s filthy yet obedient smiling face.
Barefoot, she ran through the fields and hills, crouching beside irrigation ditches to sniff wildflowers and weeds. Then, under Liu Huai’s anxious scolding, she would turn around and beam at him.
Liu Jiayi would squint her sightless eyes, tilt up her tiny face, and call out “Gege!” in a bright voice before throwing herself toward him with open arms like a bird, like a butterfly—
Like a little sun that didn’t know it was shining.
What a reckless, innocent little girl she had been.
She would crash into Liu Huai’s arms covered in bruises, her body marked with injuries from beatings. Liu Huai would choke back tears as he stroked her hair, telling her over and over that soon—soon—Gege would test out of this place. Just endure a little longer for Gege.
And Liu Jiayi would obediently lean against his chest and whisper in a voice so soft it almost disappeared:
“Jiayi will endure it for Gege.”
On a stormy night, Liu Huai carried Liu Jiayi out of the mountains on his back.
From that day onward, he swore he would never let her see the darkness of the world again. He would give her the brightest future possible. He would become someone worthy of everything she had sacrificed for him.
They both carried the bloodline of the man they hated most. Bound together by that disgusting blood, they clung to one another and stumbled through life in fear.
Liu Huai had once told Liu Jiayi:
“Gege and Meimei already survived the worst things together. So no matter what happens, we can never let go of each other’s hands.”
Liu Jiayi was the most important person in his life.
For the sake of giving her a brighter future, Liu Huai was willing to survive disgracefully inside this horrifying game. For her sake, he was willing to become Zhang Kui’s obedient dog, willing to pick up a dagger and betray his best friend.
Willing to die for her.
But she had still lied to him.
Just as he had lied to Liu Jiayi back then, Liu Jiayi had lied to him as well.
Dazed, Liu Huai remembered that filthy little face hidden beneath the bed—
Was this retribution?
Because of what he had done to Jiayi... because of his cowardice and silence... was this Jiayi’s punishment for him?
“...Do you know why I followed Zhang Kui and betrayed Shi-ge?” Liu Huai’s head hung so low it nearly touched the floor. His voice was barely audible. “Because back then, Zhang Kui used information about Jiayi’s real-life situation to threaten me into joining the Kings Guild... to become his puppet and help him corner Shi-ge...”
There was no light left in Liu Huai’s eyes.
“He promised me protection. Promised me the best treatment. And it’s true—I had the best待遇 among all his puppets...” Liu Huai let out a broken laugh. “But I could never understand something. I never told anyone in the game about Jiayi. So how did Zhang Kui know she existed? How did he know she was my sister? How did he know so many details about us, as if I’d personally told him everything?”
Bai Liu listened quietly without interrupting him.
Liu Huai smiled through falling tears.
“So Jiayi and Zhang Kui were partners all along. She must’ve been the one who told him. But why would Jiayi tell him those things...?” Liu Huai looked at Bai Liu with trembling eyes. “Bai Liu... Jiayi is so smart... do you think she... do you think she...”
At last, the sobs burst out of him again.
“She did it on purpose...” Liu Huai muttered blankly to himself. “She knew everything from the very beginning... She’s punishing me... punishing me for what I did. I’m not a good Gege...”
“If you’re asking for my opinion,” Bai Liu replied calmly, “then I think she simply believed this was what was best for you.”
“Joining the Kings Guild and becoming Zhang Kui’s puppet was probably the safest path available to you in this game. And with your ability, following Mu Shicheng really was dangerous.”
“So if Liu Jiayi’s goal was to keep you alive, then everything she did was perfectly logical. She arranged for a high-level player to guide you while helping you train your skills. She chose the best guild and teammates she believed she could control. She provided you with protection. Every time you entered a dangerous game, she intervened to save you.”
Bai Liu paused.
“Everything she did was carefully planned to protect you.”
After entering the game, Liu Huai had constantly feared death.
On the day he was forced to send Liu Jiayi to the welfare home, the tiny girl had curled herself against him, arms wrapped tightly around his neck.
As though afraid, she had whispered:
“Gege... am I a burden? Are you sending me away because I’m troublesome?”
Liu Huai had smiled and shaken his head.
“No. Jiayi is Gege’s future.”
“I’m sorry I have to leave you here for now. But if Gege survives... one day, I’ll definitely come back and take you away.”
“And I’ll give you the brightest future.”
Liu Huai lowered his head for a very long time before finally lifting it again with sluggish movements.
“...So from the very beginning... my desire to live was already a burden to her?”
“Whether it was a burden or not is another matter,” Bai Liu said evenly, “but she definitely never needed you to save her. In fact, in order to save you, she would probably attack other children without hesitation. As an experienced veteran player, Liu Jiayi undoubtedly understands the mechanics of this Level Two instance.”
“Her own blood alone isn’t enough. To save you, she needs the blood of at least one more child.”
Bai Liu lifted his eyes toward Liu Huai.
“So the question now is—whose blood will she take?”
He paused briefly.
“And Liu Huai, because I controlled you in the previous game, I suspect she already sees me as a threat. Given how protective she is of you, she’ll most likely try to eliminate me.”
Bai Liu’s tone remained calm.
“And the easiest way to do that... is by killing my child. Bai Six.”
“I suspect she’ll target my child for blood extraction.” Bai Liu continued, “Fortunately, Bai Six is currently at the church.”
“The unfortunate part is that, given Bai Six’s personality, he’ll almost certainly discover where the others are being held and lead them in an escape attempt tonight. And while I’ve already deduced all of this...”
Bai Liu lifted the Big Brother phone in his hand and frowned faintly.
“This phone only supports one-way communication. I can’t call him. I have to wait until after six in the morning for him to contact me first.”
He fell silent for a few seconds.
“But I seriously doubt he’ll survive long enough to make that call.”
“So now...” Mu Ke forced out a smile uglier than tears as he looked at Bai Liu and Liu Huai. “We, the leftovers here, are about to face the soon-to-awaken league players Miao Feichi and Miao Gaojiang...”
“And on the other side, our children have to deal with the number-one Nightmare Rising Star herself—the Little Witch—without knowing anything at all.”
“That’s more or less the situation.” Bai Liu replied flatly. “There’s a good chance we’ll all die here, Mu Ke.”
————————————————
5:37 AM, the handicrafts classroom behind Love Welfare Home.
The chaos caused by the explosion at the private hospital didn’t settle down until nearly three in the morning.
After confirming that no teachers were patrolling near the church, Bai Six ran through the woods behind the welfare home and circled the grounds once in search of the place where Xiao Mu Ke and the others were being confined.
The teachers usually used only a few places for solitary confinement. One was the cafeteria storage room. The other was this prison-like handicrafts classroom, which had only a single window facing the hallway bathrooms.
Bai Six checked the cafeteria first. There were no children there.
Which meant Xiao Mu Ke and the {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} others were most likely locked inside the handicrafts classroom.
Extremely cautious, Bai Six slipped into the building through the girls’ bathroom window and quietly hid behind the restroom door.
He waited patiently until a teacher entered the bathroom. The instant he heard the faint clinking of keys hanging from the teacher’s waist, Bai Six stepped out without hesitation and ambushed them.
Using a candlestick stolen from the church, he struck the teacher unconscious.
Then he removed the keys from the teacher’s waist and retreated beside the bathroom entrance, carefully regulating his hurried breathing while listening for movement outside.
After confirming that no teachers or caretakers were approaching the hallway, Bai Six moved swiftly and silently across the corridor toward the handicrafts classroom.
He pressed himself against the door and glanced both ways down the hall before quickly unlocking it.
The moment the door opened, Xiao Mu Ke stared at Bai Six in shock as the boy slipped into the room like a shadow.
“Bai Six?!” Xiao Mu Ke nearly jumped up in excitement. “Why are you here?!”
“To get you out.”
Bai Six concisely explained the current situation.
“I already scouted the area outside. Last night, I discovered that the children carrying IV bags and playing flutes came from a tunnel behind the church statue. They also use that tunnel to transport children out of the welfare home.”
“I followed them through the tunnel for a while. It smelled strongly of disinfectant.”
“Before dawn, while the teachers are asleep, we can escape through there. Judging by the disinfectant smell, the tunnel probably connects somewhere near the private hospital where the blood-drawn children are kept.”
“The investors only start leaving their wards after nine in the morning. We need to get there before then so we don’t run into them and get caught.”
“There should be vehicles near the hospital. Once we get into one, we’ll be safe.”
Bai Six relayed the plan with practiced efficiency.
“This was the backup plan my investor discussed with me. If we couldn’t escape during open day because the main gate was locked, then we were supposed to follow those flute-playing children and figure out how they left the welfare home.”
“I already checked the route last night. After analyzing everything, I think it’s workable.”
“You all need to get ready immediately. We don’t have much time.”
All the danger and terror he had experienced the previous night were casually reduced to a few simple sentences.
Bai Six swept his gaze across the classroom before finally stopping on Xiao Mu Ke and Xiao Miao Gaojiang.
“Where are the other two?” he asked quietly. “Where are Xiao Miao Feichi and Liu Jiayi?”
A cold look immediately surfaced in Bai Six’s eyes as he turned toward Xiao Mu Ke.
“What happened? Why were they separated into another room?”
Xiao Mu Ke swallowed nervously and stepped forward to explain.
The moment Bai Six heard the story, his expression darkened.
Bai Liu had once mentioned that Miao Feichi possessed cannibalistic tendencies. Under circumstances where he wasn’t sure he would survive the day, it wasn’t surprising that someone as unstable as Xiao Miao Feichi would think about having one final feast before dying—and actually act on it.
As for Liu Jiayi...
She was no ordinary child either.
The fact that she had willingly followed Xiao Miao Feichi without resistance was suspicious enough on its own.
Combined with the information Bai Liu had shared earlier, Liu Jiayi clearly had too many questionable points.
But Bai Six didn’t have time to investigate those suspicions now.
His investor—his future self—was still waiting for him to lead everyone out safely.
Bai Liu needed him to save Liu Jiayi.
No matter how suspicious she was.
After all, Bai Liu had already paid for it.
“I’ll go check on them. You stay here.” Bai Six turned to leave, but the doubt lingering in his chest made him stop at the doorway.
He glanced back at Xiao Mu Ke.
“If I don’t return within ten minutes, climb out through the girls’ bathroom window and circle back to the church through the woods.”
“The exit is beneath the thorn-covered inverted cross statue under the baptismal pool. Once I finish dealing with things here, I’ll bring Liu Jiayi and the others to meet up with you.”
Bai Six narrowed his eyes slightly at Xiao Miao Gaojiang.
“Xiao Mu Ke has a heart condition. You’d better take care of him properly.” freёweɓnovel.com
“Otherwise...” Bai Six paused. “You know exactly what you pawned to me.”
“Got it!” Xiao Miao Gaojiang nodded hurriedly, a faint excitement appearing on his face after hearing there was still another escape route.
But Xiao Mu Ke’s heartbeat sped up uneasily.
“Is going to another classroom really that dangerous?” Xiao Mu Ke asked anxiously. “Xiao Miao Feichi can’t do anything to you! You can come back and escape with us!”
“I don’t know what’ll happen either.” Bai Six leaned against the doorway and looked back at Xiao Mu Ke. “It’s just that my luck has always been terrible. Good things never happen to me.” fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
The faint morning light spilled across the corridor behind him, casting a long shadow at his feet.
Bai Six’s expression was calm—so calm that almost no emotion could be seen within it.
Golden sunlight gradually spread across his pale, bloodstained face, illuminating the soft fuzz along his skin like the surface of unripe fruit.
A strange, indescribable smile touched the corners of his lips.
Bai Six curved his eyes slightly and let out a soft laugh.
“But last night, my luck seemed unusually good.”
“Maybe changing my name really worked.”
“It feels like something strange suddenly blessed me... and for once, something good finally happened.”
Then he pushed open the door fully, lifted a hand in casual farewell without turning back, and disappeared from the handicrafts classroom where he had once painted gift drawings for Bai Liu.
—
