novelraw Chapter 123: Night Wanderers, Please Return to the Shelter
Chapter 123: Night Wanderers, Please Return to the Shelter
What appeared before Xu Zisheng was the same massive, hideous ghost he had encountered earlier at the corridor corner when leaving.
It had somehow moved to the lawn outside the orphan dormitory building and was slowly quivering.
When Xu Zisheng bumped into that ghost earlier, it was probably still in a sluggish, dormant state.
But now it had awakened and was patrolling outside.
Furthermore, its body was much larger than the rough estimate made in the darkness.
The swollen lumps were each as big as a human head, with sticky, slippery fluid leaving foul-smelling trails on the ground.
Its aura was even more powerful now; the closer one got, the stronger the oppressive feeling became.
Beneath the Human Skin Cloak, the thin boy's face was extremely pale and grim, the scent of blood never dissipating, lingering at the tip of his nose.
The smooth, soft human skin seemed restless again, faintly churning.
Xiao Gui'an estimated that Xu Zisheng was at the end of his rope.His Ghost Power consumption tonight was excessive, and he was injured because of those two individuals, leaving him in a very poor state. Whether he could safely bypass that ghost and return to the dormitory building was now a question.
Having witnessed Xu Zisheng's loss of control before, Xiao Gui'an roughly understood that when Xu Zisheng borrowed that curse's power to become stronger, he also risked being eroded by it.
If possible, Xiao Gui'an naturally hoped Xu Zisheng would use less of that eerie and terrifying power.
This instance's level was somewhat too high for the not yet fully grown Cursed Child; this was a gap in raw power.
Even though Xu Zisheng had extraordinary potential and numerous methods, without sufficient time, it was difficult to bridge that gap.
Countless thoughts raced through Xiao Gui'an's mind. If Xu Zisheng truly couldn't hold on later, he couldn't possibly not intervene. Let him think about how to act more prudently.
Moreover, Xiao Gui'an felt an inexplicable sense of palpitation, though it didn't come from the crouching ghost ahead, but from deep within the orphanage.
He felt the Hierarchical Status power of the [Writer], ranked [S], ripple with waves of fluctuation, creating a faint illusion of resonance, almost like a demonstration of power.
However, the other fantasy status of [Literary Star] didn't have this feeling, remaining steadily sealed within Xiao Gui'an's body, like a mysterious, transcendent deity unmoved by mortal affairs.
Compared to the complete acting-based status, the fantasy status of [Literary Star], though incomplete, had a more profound impact on Xiao Gui'an.
The human side would be greatly suppressed, and emotions would disappear.
Eight minutes.
There were still eight minutes left.
Xu Zisheng's condition was much worse than Xiao Gui'an had imagined. He felt that with every breath he took now, he was inhaling a chill cold enough to freeze his internal organs.
The current temperature within the orphanage was definitely not that of normal snowfall; it was bone-chillingly cold, almost freezing people in place.
Calm down, adjust your breathing, find the right opportunity to get inside. There will be enough time.
The final Cursed Child slowed his breathing, his stiff fingertips twitching slightly.
A slight commotion came from behind, and Xiao Gui'an knew the two troublesome official personnel had caught up.
Given the current situation, he wondered if those two still had any strength left. It would be great if they could move or subdue that ghost in front of Xu Zisheng.
Cheng He and Yang Qianqian had also clearly seen the obstacle blocking their path, their hearts sinking once more.
Although they didn't know exactly what happened at 2 AM last night, they had sensed the drastically changing environmental atmosphere, aware that dangers they couldn't oppose might be approaching.
They now only wanted to return to the dormitory as quickly as possible, unwilling to delay any further.
Having come all the way to the doorstep, how could they be trapped here now?
Ignoring each other's presence, the two groups headed in different directions.
Xu Zisheng's eyes were deep and somber. He lightly bit the tip of his tongue, trying hard to clear his muddled mind.
Extremely carefully, he suppressed his aura, took steps, ensuring he wouldn't be discovered by that ghost.
Xiao Gui'an had never seen Xu Zisheng in such a sorry state before.
The thought that it was those two who didn't sleep at night that caused this made Xiao Gui'an even more indignant.
Maybe have them stand outside for punishment tomorrow, the idea flashed through Xiao Gui'an's mind.
What's wrong with these official guys? Don't betray the public's trust!
He was a perfectly good citizen. Testing him, picking on him was one thing, but now they've caused Xu Zisheng to end up like this?!
Xu Zisheng, his Good Brother, would take a blade for him without hesitation, buy him a new phone without blinking, cover all the travel expenses, always had a good attitude, and spoke so pleasantly – though this last point was mainly directed at the Writer.
But weren't both of them still him?
Could the officials do that? No, they probably had already raided his home in the real world, treating [Gui Yi] as some kind of dangerous element to be monitored.
After this instance ended, Gui Yi would definitely end up in custody for interrogation, a stain on his record!
Xiao Gui'an split his attention, half on Xu Zisheng, half drawn to the gloomy sky.
His soul fluctuations were unstable.
Within his consciousness space, one moment it was Xiao Gui'an's acting thoughts, the next the Writer's contemplations, then probing the existence deep within the orphanage – it seemed more chaotic than scrambled data streams.
Five minutes.
Four minutes.
Three minutes.
In these final few minutes, the entire orphanage became unbelievably cold, the temperature plummeting drastically.
Xu Zisheng, Cheng He, and the others finally evaded the massive, ugly monster and reached the dormitory building.
All three breathed a silent sigh of relief internally. Now they just needed to get back to the fifth floor immediately.
There seemed to be only one or two tall, thin patrolling ghosts inside the dormitory building, and they appeared to move very sluggishly.
Climbing five floors in two minutes wasn't difficult for any of them.
Just as they were about to step into the dormitory building, another anomaly occurred.
The dark sky, which blocked the view of the outside, actually began to shed snowflakes.
Snowflakes fluttered down, landing on the massive ghost crouching on the ground outside the dormitory building.
The huge ghost, which had previously coexisted peacefully with them, suddenly became agitated. Despite the snow being cold, it acted as if burned, its slimy, swollen skin splitting open.
Unable to avoid it, the ghost painfully raised its front slightly and slammed heavily onto the ground, trying to shake off the snowflakes.
Instantly, the ground trembled, making it hard to stand steady for a moment.
Xu Zisheng and the others were thrown back by the terrible tremor, stumbling to the side.
Two minutes.
And then, on both sides of the dormitory building, other terrifying, profound auras appeared again. Many ghosts had surrounded them.
However, the increasingly heavy snow from the sky not only made Xu Zisheng and the others feel cold but also seemed to freeze the surrounding ghosts, making them shrink back.
As if fearing something, the ugly ghost covered in pustules began to move its body rapidly, charging towards the dormitory building.
One minute.
Xu Zisheng quickly got up, using all his strength, wanting only to step into the dormitory building once more.
But it was too late. In this final minute, that extremely terrifying, ominous aura that had paralyzed him yesterday quietly emerged.
The feeling of fear and suffocation, as if being tightly choked, instantly swept over all of them. The extreme cold seemed to freeze even their thoughts; everything became sluggish.
In the snow-falling sky, an immense black shadow slowly materialized. Its hollow, terrifying pits were like black holes, captivating and soul-stealing.
Space seemed to distort. The enormous figure casting its gaze from the sky was eerily changeable. It slowly lowered its head, the surroundings becoming pitch black, as if it had enveloped the entire orphanage.
The mere appearance of that terrifying, super-tier pressure was enough to make one lose all will to resist.
The distance was far too close.
Death!
Death!—
I will die!—
The cold scythe of death seemed already pressed against their necks, leaving them so powerless their very souls trembled.
Xu Zisheng's teeth chattered. He used every ounce of strength to try and move. His heart almost stopped beating; even his blood seemed to halt its flow.
Sir...
Just as the immensely large black shadow reached its hand towards the orphanage, another power abruptly appeared.
"Boom———"
Finally, the [Writer]'s voice, tinged with helplessness but also a hint of indulgence, sounded, like an elder admonishing a mischievous child, "It's late at night now, hurry back quickly."
These words were extremely soft, yet they echoed like thunder in their ears. The pressure on them suddenly lightened.
The status suppression from the massive black shadow in the sky vanished instantly.
Another eerie, descending power flashed by, sheltering them, carrying a more profound and ancient aura.
As if it came from the endless night sky, traversing the long river of time, having settled for eons.
A pair of gentle hands lightly pushed them from behind. The cold seemed to disappear in an instant.
It was extremely brief, but enough for Xu Zisheng and the others to react—
Run!
Run with all their might!
Absolutely cannot look back!
Under the gaze of the fallen star, as the clock's hand finally pointed to 2 AM, the Nighttime Wanderers finally returned to their sanctuary.