novelraw Chapter 114 : Pitch Black
Chapter 114 : Pitch Black
Volume 3: High School Arc - Mirror Game
Why couldn’t I have this kind of luck?
Cursing silently in my heart, I walked forward.
After about half an hour, braving the wind and rain—if it weren’t for Lu Haochen occasionally giving me a push from behind—I probably wouldn’t have made it even halfway.
My body was too light.
Although my strength was at the level of a normal adult male, my weight was far off.
Lu Haochen was 1.8 meters tall and weighed nearly 150 jin.
Don’t be fooled by just a 40 to 50 jin difference—it was enough for the strong wind to treat us differently.
When the wind blew at me, my whole body nearly lifted off the ground, while when it hit him, he was only nudged back a few centimeters at most.
By my estimation, the wind from the turbulence might have reached a near level ten speed in an instant.
Finally, after a grueling struggle, soaked to the skin, Lu Haochen and I at last reached the factory building.
Because of the strong wind, there weren’t any puddles on the road.
Even if there were, the gusts made them unstable, unable to reflect any human figure.
So we arrived without much danger.
Standing at the path in front of the factory, staring at the blood-red and decayed world within, I understood... there was no other choice now.
“Lu Haochen, can you run?”
With one hand gripping an unfamiliar tree trunk in the greenery and the other shielding my eyes from the rain, I called out loudly to Lu Haochen as I tried to see what lay ahead.
“No problem!”
Lu Haochen shouted back just as loudly.
The pouring rain and frequent turbulent winds made it hard for us to communicate.
“Get ready. We don’t know what’s inside. If there’s danger, remember to use the Substitute Doll!”
Lu Haochen nodded and gave me an OK gesture.
“Run!!!”
Taking a deep breath, I shouted the word and rushed in.
Lu Haochen followed closely behind.
At the moment we entered the path, the entire world’s backdrop shifted drastically—from dim to dark red.
The rain in the sky carried a rusty, salty stench, and the surrounding environment began to wither rapidly.
Withered branches and rotten leaves covered the ground, and the weeds on the ground were yellowing at a pace visible to the naked eye.
The crimson color quickly spread across the entire ground, making the path look as if it were paved in fresh blood!
Lu Haochen’s pupils contracted sharply the moment he saw this, but I had no time to worry about him.
I kept scanning around—I didn’t know where the monster would appear from.
Once in the Interdimensional Space, the monster’s restrictions were far fewer.
It might not even need a reflection to emerge.
That meant... danger was everywhere!!
We ran uphill all the way.
Every step we took splashed crimson rainwater that looked like blood.
I could even feel a slight warmth in that rain.
Just like... the blood gushing from the neck in that tragic home.
As we neared the factory courtyard, I grew increasingly uneasy, but somehow, Lu Haochen and I arrived at the front gate without encountering any danger.
The gate hadn’t been closed when we left, but now it was shut.
However, it wasn’t locked.
I simply slid the bolt open, and we dashed through the gate toward Factory Building No. 7.
Still, there was no danger.
When we stood in front of the door to Factory Building No. 7, at that moment... I actually started to hesitate.
But Lu Haochen didn’t hesitate at all and reached out to pull the door open.
‘Creak creak creak’
Accompanied by the sound of the old iron door dragging open, Factory Building No. 7 appeared in a flash of lightning.
In that instant... not just me, even Lu Haochen was completely stunned.
Because inside the factory... ten people were standing there.
Illuminated by the lightning, the silhouettes of those ten people were clearly reflected in our eyes.
Four beginner players, two intermediate players, three advanced players... and Lu Haochen.
All ten figures were standing inside Factory Building No. 7.
And at that very moment... the four beginner players had all had their throats slit.
And among those ten, the one slitting Xu Han’s throat was... me?
Reflection... reflection...
Looking at myself, grinning maliciously at me... in that instant, it all started to make sense.
The next moment, my vision swayed, and when I regained clarity, I was already... standing right in front of Xu Han.
A shard of mirror in my hand was pressed against her neck, just a hair’s breadth away from piercing her artery.
We... had never left the factory!!
What had gone out... were our reflections and consciousness.
Our actual bodies were still inside Factory Building No. 7, being manipulated by this monster.
Reflections... reflections, the countless warnings of reflections, yet I hadn’t even thought of this twist!!
“Lu Haochen!!!”
I suddenly released my Evil Spirit Form, gripping the shard of mirror tightly in my hand.
Since the mirror shard was the murder weapon, it must be where the monster was attached.
The Evil Spirit Form’s hand grabbed the black mist emerging from the mirror.
In this mission, I had a special condition—to devour the monster.
Well then... here I am!!
“Yaaah!!!!”
A sharp, agonized scream rang out by my ear.
Immediately after, I tore the black mist away and stuffed it into my mouth.
The sweet flavor lingered on my tongue, but before I could savor it, the black mist inside the mirror suddenly vanished.
Right after that, the factory’s main door slammed shut with a bang.
I couldn’t keep the Evil Spirit Form out for too long.
Once I felt the monster had detached from the mirror shard, I quickly retracted the form back into my body.
Then I turned around and saw Lu Haochen, who had regained consciousness, hurling out his Substitute Doll.
While the monster was distracted by the doll, I couldn’t harm it.
I guessed this was one of the balance mechanisms of the APP?
I watched as a black shadow emerged from the mirror, continuously slashing at the doll’s throat with the mirror shard, over and over.
My mind raced—how could I defeat this monster?
It seemed there was only one way!
“Lu Haochen!! Get the next Substitute Doll ready! When I say throw, throw it!!”
Without hesitation, I rushed toward the monster in two strides.
It was still attacking the doll with all its might.
I had no idea what this thing was.
It looked like a shadow from a two-dimensional world intruding into a three-dimensional one.
No facial features, no bodily contours—just a pitch-black form right there, indescribable with words.