Free Web NovelChapter 615: Chapter 511: _4
"Go check out the tent," Yang Xiao headed towards the largest tent in the center. There wasn’t a soul inside the tent, not even a carpet on the floor, just a few statues even more dilapidated than those outside. In the center was a cartoon throne, like something you’d see in an animated film. He wiped his hand across it and the paint peeled off severely.
"Strange..." Yang Xiao muttered to himself as he looked around the tent.
Prisoner No.199 followed into the tent and saw Yang Xiao fixated on the throne. He too, walked over and wiped the throne just like Yang Xiao, and sure enough, his palm picked up some flaking multicolored paint, "What’s strange?"
Yang Xiao didn’t respond, instead bending down and sniffing lightly at the throne; he suddenly made a "Hmm?" sound as if he had discovered something.
Prisoner No.199, dubious, bent over too and brought his head close to mimic Yang Xiao’s action, but all he smelled was the unpleasant odor of paint.
"Thud!"
By the time he realized something was off, it was too late. Before he could stand up, his head was struck hard from behind, as if someone had swung a stick at him fiercely. In the next second, his pupils dilated and he collapsed face down on the throne, limbs twitching uncontrollably.
Yang Xiao flexed his arms, that last blow had been excessive, and now his arm was a bit strained. Prisoner No.199 might look unimpressive, but his strength was actually not bad; Yang Xiao had used 70% of his power for that hit, and still hadn’t reduced him to a complete imbecile.
This scene terrified No.84, who had been trailing behind. He kept stepping back, distancing himself from Yang, and said in alarm, "You...what are you doing?"
"This kid is trouble, sooner or later he’d kill us both," replied Yang without looking back.
"I know he’s not a good person, but there’s no need to kill him. If we can’t get along, we could simply split up. I was already planning on getting rid of him..."
No.84 was a decent person, not one to act ruthlessly. It was for this reason that Yang Xiao had not eliminated him as well, "Do you know what he was doing while we were fighting that ghost?" Yang Xiao turned and asked.
"He ran away, didn’t help," replied No.84.
"Bullshit!" Yang Xiao cursed, "That bastard was hiding at the back, not putting in any effort, and that’s not all. He harbored murderous intentions; if we couldn’t fend off that ghost, he planned to strike us down, leaving us for the ghost to secure his way out."
"This..." Upon hearing this, No.84 was taken aback. He didn’t possess a magic artifact like the Human Bone Staff that could sense malicious intent, so naturally, he couldn’t grasp Yang Xiao’s explanation.
Seeing Prisoner No.199 reach out trying to climb up from the chair, Yang Xiao put away the Human Bone Staff and pulled out a kitchen knife. Within a few strokes, he had killed No.199. He then stripped off the man’s shirt, wrapped up the blood-soaked head and upper body, and dragged the corpse behind several large decorative boxes at the side of the tent.
"Don’t just stand there in a daze, come help!" Yang Xiao called out while lifting the body.
With things having gone this far, No.84 was someone who knew the gravity of the situation and immediately stopped hesitating, helping Yang Xiao hide the body in the bottom-most empty box. They then used clothes to clean the bloodstains on the throne and on the ground.
Luckily, the main color of the throne was red and it was already grimy. Now with the blood on it, it looked as though it had been repainted, looking much better than before.
"How do I address you, brother?" asked No.84 as they stepped out of the tent.
"I am surnamed Yang."
"Yang, I see you’re no ordinary folk; may I ask from which sect you hail?" The two were now in the same boat, and besides, memories would be erased upon leaving, so No. 84 felt that the other had no reason to hide anything.
"Without sect or faction, I’m just a lone boat in the world of martial arts," replied Yang Xiao. Carrying many valuable possessions, it was wiser for him to keep a low profile, "And you?"
"I, Lu Chenzhou, am a disciple of the Qingshan Rain Tower," Lu Chenzhou clasped his fists towards Yang and said solemnly, "Brother Yang, I will never forget the favor of your help last time."
"You flatter me, Lu. With your skills, you can’t be just any ordinary disciple in the tower, you must hold some position," Yang Xiao smiled.
"Not at all, it’s just that my master promoted me, giving me the nominal title of a custodian. It’s nothing really; I have no renown in the world of martial arts, not like Brother Yang’s firm and solid real skills," Lu Chenzhou responded with great humility, "In my opinion, you must be of at least Fierce Grade level, or else you wouldn’t have been able to strike someone like that just now."
"He was weak against the attack; if one is bad, one should practice more. Being both bad and evil can be fatal. People should learn from you instead, Lu, with your kind heart and fewer crooked thoughts." Yang Xiao continued chatting with Lu Chenzhou as they walked, without delaying their progress.
"Exactly, exactly, what you said is right, Brother Yang!"
In no time at all, the two grew more familiar. It was evident that Lu Chenzhou was quite curious about Yang’s background, but since the other wouldn’t say, he didn’t ask either. Surviving in the world of martial arts not only requires skills but also the ability to read people.
Lu Chenzhou decided to stick close to Yang Xiao, as he was skilled and, despite being deep and thoughtful, had a righteous nature, making him a good partner for cooperation.
Following the directions on Yang Xiao’s guide map, the two gradually neared Area F. Along the way, the deathly broadcast sounded again—another person had gone missing, this time Long No. 78.
"Another one taken down by the Ghost..." Lu Chenzhou’s brows furrowed beneath his mask. This wasn’t a good sign. With each person the Ghost killed, it grew stronger. If this went on, facing that thing again would be unpredictable.
At the same time, Yang Xiao and Lu also realized something: the broadcast only announced those missing, meaning those killed by the Ghost. It didn’t mention those killed by other people, such as the man with Prisoner No. 199, who was ambushed and killed by Yang Xiao.
Therefore, they couldn’t rely on the broadcasts to figure out how many were still alive; they could only rely on the notice boards and the electronic board counting the number of people in the park.
While on the way, Yang Xiao paid special attention to these two items. In Area D, which they passed, he found a notice board that featured two new missing persons posters. One was for Sky No. 41, and surprisingly, there was a photo. The photo showed a figure wearing a Sky No. 41 mask, seemingly a woman in a white tracksuit.
The other was the recently broadcasted Long No. 78, likely a man, wearing a T-shirt that showed off his muscular arms.
Both had been killed by the clown.
Before long, in front of a restaurant, they came across an electronic board tallying the numbers: 4417 visitors, 991 staff, these numbers hadn’t changed, but the final count was now 5416, three less than the original 5419.
Sky No. 41, Long No. 78, and Prisoner No. 199—who Yang Xiao had taken out not long before—made up the difference exactly.
It seemed that the remaining teammates were also smart, not yet resorting to killing each other, as the time for that wasn’t right. Currently, the Ghost was the common enemy. The death of every teammate meant one more crisis for them to face, one more risk to share. If it weren’t for Prisoner No. 199’s intolerable behavior, making him a liability, Yang Xiao wouldn’t have wanted to kill him. freēwebnovel.com
"Squeak—"
Suddenly, an announcement blared out from somewhere overhead, the voice grating, "Here’s a message: Mr. Dao Zi 131 reminds his friends to be cautious. The recent weather spells trouble, so make sure to seek shelter from the rain; bad things happen when it rains. Also, be wary of clown dolls in the amusement park. If you encounter one, do not panic or run with your back turned. Face it bravely. It might not be as scary as you imagine."
