Chapter 4: All Fear

It was a silver, three-headed candelabrum.
Three white candles of varying lengths were inserted into the base, the wicks showing traces of having been lit before.

The heat from the flame had already spread to her fingertips.

Lin Yu endured the burn and reached out to light the candles.

The flames from the three candles were much more powerful than a single match, enough to illuminate Lin Yu’s immediate surroundings.

Holding the candelabrum, she first observed the desk in front of her.

It was empty, with nothing else on it.

Lin Yu frowned, ran a finger across the flat surface, then held her finger up to her eyes, examining it under the candlelight.

No dust.

It seemed someone regularly cleaned this room.

She withdrew her gaze, raised the candelabrum a little higher, and looked straight ahead.

There was a wall, grayish-black, built from bricks.

‘This retro?’

Lin Yu’s heart skipped a beat, and she had some bad premonitions.

She quickly lowered her head to look at the clothes she was wearing.

She was in a pale green dress.

The high collar was adorned with lace trim.
The upper part of the sleeves puffed out, tightening near the wrists in a leg-of-mutton style.

Ignoring the rise of her chest, the waistline was at a normal position but cinched rather tightly, making her waist appear slender, like a rose stem—delicate and easily broken.

The lower half was a matching skirt with multi-layered, ruffled tiers.

It was beautiful, yes, but not very convenient for movement.

Lin Yu shifted her gaze from her clothes, moved the candelabrum, and looked back at the bed she had just been lying on.

The bed took up a large area, with a half-canopy design.

Curtains embroidered with patterns hung down on all four sides, the style light, luxurious, and exquisite.

Lin Yu was speechless.

“…”

‘A candelabrum, intricate ladies’ clothing, a retro-style interior design.’

‘What era of civilization am I in right now?’

‘This lack of information is killing me.’

Lin Yu shook her head, casting aside the extraneous thoughts.

She didn’t know how long the candles on the candelabrum would last.

The urgent task was still to finish searching this room.

By the candlelight, she observed the entire room.

The space wasn’t particularly large.

The area with the largest footprint was the bed on the left side of the room.

To the right of the bed was a solid wood desk and a cabinet that was about half a person’s height.

A curtain hung beside the cabinet; a window was likely hidden behind it.

‘Perfect, I can check the environment outside.’

‘If it’s on the ground floor, worse comes to worst, I can always climb out the window to escape.’

With this thought, Lin Yu walked to the curtain and reached out to give it a gentle tug.

‘Hm?’

The curtain was as still as if it were fixed to something.

‘Stuck?’

Lin Yu frowned and increased the force in her hand, but it was still to no avail.
The curtain seemed to have fused with the wall.

And as the curtain swayed, the range of the candlelight seemed to shrink, or perhaps, the already deep darkness grew even thicker.

That strange sense of dissonance washed over her again.

Vaguely, Lin Yu had the feeling of being watched.

It was as if a cold draft blew across her neck.

She pressed her lips together, her eyes half-lowered, showing no sign of anything unusual.

Only the fingers holding the candelabrum were clenched so tightly they turned white.

That strange feeling only began to fade after she let go of the curtain and walked toward the cabinet.

There was something else in this room besides her!

A flash of thick blood and a pair of empty eyes appeared in Lin Yu’s mind.

This place wasn’t as safe as she had imagined.

Sooner or later, a bizarre change like the one in the classroom would happen here!

‘Leave this place.’

She made the decision instantly.

Lin Yu didn’t leave immediately.

She didn’t want to seem too deliberate and let the unknown monster in the darkness notice anything.

Until she pulled the curtain just now, she hadn’t detected anything abnormal.

Therefore, the most prudent plan was to proceed as planned, search the cabinet, and then leave naturally.

Opening the cabinet, Lin Yu froze for a moment, her eyes widening in spite of herself.

Two items were placed at the bottom of the cabinet.

One was a short-handled dagger in a leather sheath.

The other glinted with a cold luster under the candlelight.

It was a gun—a handgun.

A trace of fear rose in Lin Yu’s heart.
This was her subconscious rejection of the object before her.

After all, in the education she had received, firearms were unquestionably controlled items, completely inaccessible under normal circumstances.

But, faintly, she also felt a bit of excitement.
It was her un-dead male soul acting up.

Besides, in this situation, having such a powerful weapon for self-defense couldn’t be more reassuring.

How did that saying go again?

All fear stems from a lack of firepower.

Lin Yu licked her somewhat dry lips, reached out, and picked up the handgun from the cabinet.

It wasn’t particularly heavy in her hand, but it had a solid feel, or rather, a sense of security.

It was a revolver.

The grip was made of wood, and the barrel and frame were rather long, even longer than Lin Yu’s current palm.

The total length was estimated to be about twenty centimeters.

It didn’t look very new.

Lin Yu exhaled, gripping the revolver’s handle, and found herself in another predicament.

She wanted to check the condition of the gun but had no idea where to start.

Her knowledge of firearms was extremely limited.

What little she knew came from various games.

Being able to name the type was already impressive.

Usually, she was just one of those people yelling to be given a sniper, or complaining about the enemy’s AK, M4, or shotguns.

With a real gun in her hands, she was completely lost.

The only thing she knew was that you had to press the hammer before firing a revolver.

Lin Yu placed the candelabrum on the nearby desk, then raised the revolver and aimed it at the air several times, practicing the same firing stance.

It wasn’t that the chuunibyou blood in her veins was boiling over, but rather to ensure that if she needed to use the gun, she could at least act quickly.

Of course, the best-case scenario was not having to use it at all.

All seven chambers of the gun were loaded with bullets; there would be no misfires.

After confirming the revolver’s condition, Lin Yu put the gun down and pulled the dagger out of its sheath.

The dagger was about the same length as the revolver.

There was a blood groove running parallel to the spine of the blade.

It was well-maintained and looked extremely sharp.

Lin Yu gave it a few casual swings and then put it away.

She thought for a moment, then rolled up the sleeve of her left arm, revealing a small section of smooth, delicate arm.

Lin Yu was speechless.

“…”

‘I’m so not used to this body.’

She pressed her lips together, strapped the dagger’s sheath to the outside of her arm, then pulled the sleeve down and did a few simple movements.

Fortunately, although it felt a bit uncomfortable to move, it was tolerable.

Next, Lin Yu pinched the fabric on both sides of her thighs and lifted the skirt.
She was wearing a pair of brown, leather, lace-up boots.

The lines of her calves were graceful, well-proportioned, and firm.

‘I must be quite good-looking,’ a random thought popped into Lin Yu’s head.

Unfortunately, there were no mirrors in this room, and the only place that could possibly be a window was fraught with unknown danger.

Only after getting out could she satisfy her curiosity about what “she” looked like.

Shaking off the extraneous thoughts, Lin Yu tucked the revolver into the outside of her right boot, making sure it was secure before standing up.

She picked up the candelabrum from the desk again and turned her gaze to the front left.

There was a closed door.

‘It’s time to leave,’ Lin Yu said to herself silently.