Before real danger strikes, people always think I’m a fraud. But once they encounter ghosts and monsters, they worship me like a god.
I could easily leave ordinary people to fend for themselves and search for an exit on my own, but I’m a medium.
The day I became a medium, I swore to the gods and spirits that if I possessed supernatural powers, I would take on the responsibility of protecting ordinary people.
That was also why the gods and spirits chose me.
If I watched A Kỳ be tortured to death today, I might not be able to get out of this tower either.
4
“The first round is over. Congratulations to the fifty-two survivors. A friendly reminder: sunrise is still six hours away.”
The faceless figure’s voice rang out again.
The others were going through similar ordeals, too.
It had taken just one round, less than two hours, and already more than half the players were dead.
A Kỳ woke up, too. She had probably heard what her two cousins said earlier, and this terrible news only made the mood heavier.
I broke the silence. “Let’s go see what’s on the third floor.”
The others nodded.
The third floor was much brighter than the second, with large lamps everywhere.
It was quiet. We made it more than halfway without encountering any danger.
Suddenly, a shadow began moving erratically around the corner.
“Don’t move!”
I stopped the three of them and slowly approached, talisman in hand.
Just as I was about to strike, the “shadow” around the corner shouted, “Stay back! Stay back! Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!”
I paused, put away the talisman, and motioned for the three of them to come closer.
A boy was hiding around the corner.
“A Chí?”
Đại Song stepped forward and helped him up.
A Chí was clearly terrified. He raised his hands defensively and looked at us warily. “Big Brother Đại Song?”
“It’s me. What happened to you?”
A Chí immediately burst into tears. “There were more than a dozen of us, but now I’m the only one left. The monsters killed everyone else.”
Đại Song hurried to comfort him, then turned to me with a pleading look. “Hạ Hầu Thu, can we bring A Chí along?”
I studied A Chí for a moment, then nodded. “All right. I’ll put a tracking talisman on him, too.”
With that, I drew another talisman.
The instant the talisman touched A Chí, my gaze turned sharp. “Heaven’s light above, thunder’s deadly force below—strike!”
A bolt of purple lightning appeared out of nowhere and raced along the tracking thread straight into A Chí’s body. Before he could react, his eyes flew wide and he collapsed.
“What are you doing?”
Đại Song demanded, flustered, his face flushed as he grabbed my hand. I shook him off and continued casting the talisman spell. “Spirits, reveal all evil in every direction—break!”
“Stop!”
Đại Song tried to rush forward, but A Kỳ and Tiểu Song held him back.
When the spell was complete, wisps of black smoke slowly seeped from A Chí’s body. His pupils turned black, and he bared his teeth in a wide grin. Before long, all the smoke had dissipated, leaving nothing on the ground but a limp pile of human skin.
Đại Song and the others were stunned.
I frowned at A Chí’s skin and summoned a flame to burn it.
When I turned around, the three of them were staring at me, their faces deathly pale. I smiled and explained, “Do you remember the rule the faceless figure announced before we entered the tower?”
“No one in the tower has a face. If you meet someone who does, kill them immediately.”
A Kỳ nodded. “Right. It also said that the person beneath the human skin might not be your teammate.”
Tiểu Song pressed his lips together. “If Hạ Hầu Thu hadn’t noticed just now, my brother might have…”
Đại Song realized how serious the situation was, too. He clenched his fists as he watched the pile of skin burn.
Half a minute later, he came over to me, his voice low. “I’m sorry. I was too hasty just now.”
I gave a noncommittal “Mm.”
At that moment, the faceless figure’s voice rang out again. “Congratulations, players—you’ve unlocked the second round. However, I’ve discovered an outsider among you, someone here to take the Khốc Quỷ Liên. When guests come from afar, of course they should leave with a gift. So I’ll make the game harder. The final objective remains the same: find the exit before sunrise. In addition, I’ll split the Khốc Quỷ Liên into pieces and scatter them across the floors you’re on. Whoever finds a piece will be transported straight to the exit and escape. If you want to live—or get your hands on the Khốc Quỷ Liên—then fight for it! Ha ha!”
I cursed under my breath. What a bastard.
The faceless figure’s intent was obvious: he wanted us to kill one another.
I glanced around.
He knew exactly what was happening throughout the tower, which meant he could see us. If we could just find the faceless figure, we could resolve this crisis.
A Kỳ tugged at my sleeve. “What do we do now?”
Đại Song cut in first. “What else? The faceless figure said it himself: find a piece and we can get out. Obviously, we need to look for one!”
He couldn’t wait and immediately set off. Tiểu Song looked at us, then at his brother, gritted his teeth, and followed him.
A Kỳ watched them disappear into the distance, but chose to stay with me.
I smiled at her. “Why not go with them? You must have noticed that after the fight just now, combined with the restrictions of this tower, I probably can’t summon the gods and spirits—or even cast ordinary spells. I’m just an eight-year-old kid, and bringing me along could get you killed at any moment. Just look at Đại Song and Tiểu Song. They’re so sensible, so decisive about abandoning this burden that is me.”
A Kỳ curled her lip. “Would going with them keep me from dying?”
She shook her head. “I might have died on the second floor. Instead of constantly worrying they’ll leave me behind, I’d rather stay with you. At least you won’t push me out as bait for the vengeful spirits when danger comes.”
I paused. “Before, they pushed you out…”
I stopped halfway through. Thinking it over, I had done everything I could to hold back the vengeful spirits and buy everyone enough time to reach the safe area, yet A Kỳ had still gotten separated.
Looking toward the Song brothers, I cursed under my breath. “Scumbags.”
Then I took A Kỳ’s hand. “Come on. We can’t let them get to a piece of the Khốc Quỷ Liên first.”
I led A Kỳ in the opposite direction.
From what I’d observed, the third floor gathered energy from all directions, with the center slightly lower—a classic wealth-gathering formation in feng shui. If we wanted to find treasure, we’d have a much better chance at the center of the formation.
5
When the faceless figure announced the start of the second round, the atmosphere on the third floor changed.
The lights were still on, but the place somehow felt gloomy and terrifying.
A Kỳ and I reached the center of the wealth-gathering formation, but it wasn’t what I’d expected.
According to A Kỳ, this tower was built a long time ago. It was once the residence of the old Miao chief, but was later sealed off as forbidden ground. It opened only during the annual Khốc Quỷ Festival, and even then, no one was allowed inside.
The third floor where we were now had once been a place where nobles came to amuse themselves. According to unofficial Miao histories, many songstresses had died here.
The center of the wealth-gathering formation was a small room.
From beyond a door came a mournful song. The lyrics were indistinct, sung in the local Miao dialect.
A Kỳ and I looked at each other.
Whatever was inside, it definitely wasn’t human.
But the fragment of the Khốc Quỷ Liên was in there. I couldn’t just turn back.
I motioned for A Kỳ to hide behind me, then gently laid a hand on the door.
Just as I was about to push it open, a powerful force shoved me backward.
“That fragment is mine!”
Out of nowhere, Đại Song shoved A Kỳ and me aside, then charged in through the door himself.
But before he could celebrate, his whole body froze in the doorway.
The smile hadn’t yet faded from Đại Song’s lips when a thin line of blood ran down the middle of his forehead. Looking closer, I saw a fine string instrument wire piercing his head and stretching into the room. Blood ran along it, staining the otherwise inconspicuous wire red.
Đại Song fell straight to the ground, dead with his eyes open, a look of unwillingness on his face.
All I could say was, he’d brought it on himself.
“Brother!” Tiểu Song let go of A Kỳ and rushed to Đại Song.
I had no time to watch their brotherly devotion. The song inside the room had changed.