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Join the ServerThe impact of the log rolling down from above was far too powerful.
Zhilin’s spine shattered on impact. Her ribs collapsed instantly, and her entire body crumpled like a sheet of paper, pinned limply between the log and a tree, never to stand again.
Blood seeped from the corners of her mouth, her ears, and every split in her skin, soaking into the moss around the roots.
The moment everyone saw the state she was in, the air seemed to turn thick and heavy. The metallic scent of blood filled their noses. Every breath carried the despair and darkness of death.
“Oh my God!”
Adam let out a piercing scream and scrambled toward Zhilin on his hands and knees.
Desperate to save her, he tried to move the massive log off her body. But the instant his hands touched the wood, a series of faint cracking sounds rang out.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
Zhilin was too quiet.
Terrifyingly quiet.
For a fleeting moment, Adam even felt relieved.
If she hadn’t died instantly, how much pain would she have suffered?
Clutching his head, he muttered over and over in agony and regret.
“I’m sorry, Zhilin. I’m sorry…”
It took a long while before Amy finally found her voice.
“We need to call the police.”
“…But there’s no signal here.”
Darius immediately poured cold water on the idea.
“And it’s getting dark. We need to get off this mountain right now.”
“Get off the mountain?”
Adam’s fragile sanity snapped again. The moment Darius spoke, he seemed to find someone to vent his grief on and lunged at him.
“You want me to leave Zhilin here alone? You want to abandon her? There could be wolves here! They’ll eat her!”
“If it weren’t for Amy, if it weren’t for you, we never would have come to this damned place! Zhilin wouldn’t have died! This is all your fault!”
“Calm down!”
Amy looked devastated and remorseful.
“Adam, I’m sorry about what happened to Zhilin.”
“Shut up! Bullshit!”
Adam shoved Amy hard, knocking her to the ground.
“Darius is your boyfriend. Of course you’re taking his side-”
“Listen, Adam. This isn’t the time to argue about whose fault it is.”
Jiang Shulan helped Amy back to her feet, anger simmering in his chest.
He was grieving too. This was the first time he had ever witnessed death up close.
But from the moment he entered this movie world, Amy had constantly looked after him and cared about everyone in the group. And when Darius suggested visiting the fort ruins, nobody had objected. Why was all the blame suddenly being dumped on Amy?
“It’s almost dark, and the wind is picking up. If we don’t get down the mountain now, all of us could die.”
“We should go down, find the police, and let them determine who’s responsible.”
Adam had completely lost control.
“And who asked for your opinion? Who do you think you are? If it weren’t for Vincent, you’d have been locked up long ago-”
Beauty far greater than one’s status could support usually brought more disasters than blessings.
Before he could finish speaking, a dark blur suddenly shot toward him, carrying icy fury.
A second later came the sound of flesh striking flesh.
Adam took a solid punch to the face.
A dark purple bruise immediately bloomed around his eye.
“Have you calmed down now?”
Vincent flicked the blood from his knuckles, expression cold.
“…I’m sorry.”
Adam’s breathing was ragged.
“I’m just… just too upset.”
Darius forced himself to smooth things over.
“But maybe it was just an accident. None of us knew hunters had set traps here. Nobody wanted this to happen…”
Adam muttered,
“Yeah. You’re right. It’s those damned hunters.”
“There’s someone up there!”
Amy suddenly cried out.
Everyone looked where she was pointing.
There was nothing there.
“It’s okay, baby.”
Darius wrapped an arm around her.
“You’re just nervous. There’s nobody there.”
The situation finally settled down.
Everyone gathered the equipment scattered across the ground and prepared to head downhill.
Walking at the back of the group, Jiang Shulan glanced once more at Zhilin’s lifeless body.
He took off his jacket and gently covered her.
As he stood up, he accidentally stepped on something.
It was soft.
Like the flesh of an overripe orange, crushing apart under the slightest pressure.
Instinctively, he lifted his foot.
A bloody piece of flesh clung to the sole of his shoe.
He had no idea which part of Zhilin’s body it had come from.
So this was death?
In horror movies, accidents and deaths were even more common than nameless extras.
Yet this ominous reality was something he had never truly encountered before.
A wave of nausea surged from his stomach.
His body weakened.
Darkness crept into the edges of his vision.
Just before he lost consciousness, someone caught him.
Vincent had come back.
Jiang Shulan drifted in and out of awareness.
“Is he feeling better?”
“His fever’s gone down after taking the medicine.”
“That’s good.”
Amy sounded exhausted.
“Thank you, Vincent. If it weren’t for you, I probably wouldn’t have realized Shulan was missing until we reached the bottom of the mountain.”
“My…”
The voice grew quieter and quieter until Jiang Shulan could no longer hear it.
When he opened his eyes again, the first thing he saw was the small camping lantern hanging from the top of the tent.
He had picked it out himself.
He felt listless.
Pulling the blanket over his head, he buried his face in the bedding. In the darkness, his eyes gradually reddened, misting over with tears.
[Are you crying?]
Something seemed lodged in Jiang Shulan’s throat, leaving him unable to speak.
It was a little embarrassing.
When the System had first told him his mission was to die at the hands of the Boss, he hadn’t thought much of it.
Yet now, merely witnessing something like this had reduced him to tears.
Although Zhilin had never been the most noticeable person in the group, she had been a gentle and thoughtful girl.
When he was sleepy, she would lower her voice.
When she noticed he liked a little blueberry jam in his bread, she had gone out of her way to buy a jar before their hike and pack it in her backpack.
She was considerate toward everyone.
And now she had died so suddenly.
The more Jiang Shulan thought about it, the worse he felt.
His tears soaked through the pillow.
[…Why are you crying?]
The System sounded much gentler than usual, almost as if it were coaxing a child.
[Actually, she’s only a stream of data. If you’d like, next time I can invite her to meet you at the rest station. I’ll prepare some cake for you both. She likes cake, and you do too, right?]
Jiang Shulan sniffled. His nose and eyes were red, and his voice trembled with obvious tears.
[R-Really?]
[Of course. I wouldn’t lie to you.]
The System quietly sighed in relief.
Clutching a corner of the blanket, Jiang Shulan wiped his tears away messily and made another request between sobs.
[…Then I want a bottle of cola too.]
[Fine. I promise. Everything you want.]
Just please stop crying.
The System wisely kept that last part to itself.
If it said it out loud, Jiang Shulan would probably climb right onto its head and start making even more demands.
Jiang Shulan sat up on the bed.
Only then did he notice the sounds outside the tent.
Apparently, they hadn’t managed to make it down the mountain before the storm hit.
The wind was howling.
The rain battered the canvas.
He had no idea where everyone else had gone.
The entire tent was empty except for him.
Straightening up, he prepared to go look for the others.
Then, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of something outside.
A huge, terrifying figure stood silently beyond the tent wall.
It was standing exactly where he had been lying moments earlier.
If he hadn’t woken up, the shadow cast by that figure would have completely covered him.
Every movement he made would have been observed in detail.
The figure looked nothing like a normal human.
Its head was grotesquely misshapen.
Its arms were unnaturally long.
Its body towered high above the ground.
And above its head floated a label:
BOSS
Could today really be the day he died?
As if sensing his gaze, the figure slowly approached.
Its shadow stretched across the tent, becoming more and more monstrous.
Jiang Shulan’s legs went weak.
He couldn’t move.
All he could do was watch as the figure slowly extended a finger.
The tent, which the shop owner had proudly claimed wouldn’t budge even if a mountain collapsed on top of it, visibly deformed beneath the pressure of a single finger.
It was impossible to imagine how inhumanly strong the creature was.
Fifty centimeters.
Thirty centimeters.
Ten centimeters.
One centimeter.
Through the thin fabric of the tent, Jiang Shulan could clearly see the five fingers gradually curling.
Then, slowly…
The hand came to rest against his face.
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, Not Me, The Fans is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : Not Me, The Fans
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