Chapter 40: Chapter 35: I'll Play with You!

On the outskirts of the city.

A streak of light fire tore through the night sky, crossing the empty streets, and stopped in front of Star Fast Food, opposite the Maple Forest Hotel.

Shen Ye got out of the car and looked into the fast food restaurant.

Strange.

There were no other people in the fast food restaurant.

Only a five or six-year-old girl sat in the corner, with a large backpack on her back.

Hearing the noise of the motorcycle, she looked up at Shen Ye.

Shen Ye waved to the little girl.

The little girl ran directly out of the fast food restaurant and came up to him, looking at him uneasily.

She wore a pair of large red headphones around her neck, each earmuff adorned with an eyeball-like pattern.

The headphones were playing a Chinese reading comprehension exercise.

"Was it you who called me?"

Shen Ye asked.

"Yes, it was me—Did you see my mother? I can't contact her." The little girl said anxiously.

The little girl wore a red school uniform, patched and darned all over, her physique frail and her hair straw-yellow, giving the appearance of malnutrition.

——As if a gust of wind could blow her away.

Shen Ye glanced at her a few times, then looked across the street at the Maple Forest Hotel.

The hotel was a building dozens of stories tall, which under the shroud of nightfall appeared like a demon lurking and ready to choose its next prey.

"I'll go find your mother right away. By the way, did you call the police?"

"The call went through, but no one answered."

"Let me try."

Shen Ye quickly dialed the emergency number.

Beep——Beep——

The phone rang for a full thirty seconds, but no one answered the call.

...Why is it like this?

Shen Ye was somewhat bewildered.

"Is my mother still alive? Can you help me find her?" The little girl asked, biting her lip, and looking up at Shen Ye.

Shen Ye said, "What about your dad?"

"He passed away a long time ago; it's just my mom and me now," the girl said.

"Alright, I'll take you to a safe place first, and once I find your mom, I'll contact you," Shen Ye said.

"What place?" the little girl asked.

"Ghost Fire, take her to Renjian Wudao Building, and then come back to find me," Shen Ye said.

A soft voice came from the motorcycle, "Route is being recalculated, the route confirmed. Please fasten your seat belt if you are a child under 12, we will depart shortly."

Shen Ye put the little girl on the motorcycle.

"I want to see my mom," the little girl said, staring at him.

"I'm looking for her, too," Shen Ye said.

"Her room number is 707, but since I can't contact her, I didn't dare go there," the little girl said.

"Alright, I'll find her, and then we'll come to get you," Shen Ye said.

"I'm scared," the little girl began to cry.

Shen Ye patted her back, saying gently,

"Don't be afraid. The place I'm sending you to is very safe, and later we'll take you out for dinner."

——The best strategy was to reassure her and have her leave obediently.

Life is more important than anything else.

The little girl rubbed her eyes and stared carefully at him, silent for a long time.

Seeing her emotions stabilize, Shen Ye breathed a sigh of relief and patted the motorcycle.

"I will return to you in 5 minutes and 39 seconds," the motorcycle said.

"I'm going to the hotel across the street, and you'll find me there," Shen Ye said.

"I will return to you in 5 minutes and 40 seconds," the motorcycle said.

"Off you go!"

The motorcycle started and quickly took the little girl away from the area.

Shen Ye continued to gaze at the Maple Forest Hotel.

"It's a complete waste of time—this little girl has no interests or connections with you, you don't even know her, and she could potentially be a burden to you. I can't understand why you would help her," the Great Skeleton said.

"Her mother is innocent; it's because of me that this has happened," Shen Ye said.

"Hmph, the soft-hearted can never achieve greatness," the Great Skeleton said.

Boom——

A strike and faint shouts could be heard from the Maple Forest Hotel.

Xiao Mengyu was fighting that "Skinner"!

——I cannot wait any longer.

But everything was very strange.

Ever since entering this block, he had felt an indescribable silence.

There were no cars driving on the streets.

No pedestrians on the road.

The shops had their lights on but were also empty.

This place was like a ghost domain.

Shasha...

In the night sky, cold rain fell, continuously striking the ground, making a friction-like sound.

Boom——

Another loud impact.

Whether it was an illusion or something else, Shen Ye always felt the hotel was becoming even darker.

——It had completely turned into a dark church emanating ominous vibes.

The longer he looked, the deeper the unease in his heart became.

But he had no choice but to go.

So many had died.

The threat of assassination was still not lifted.

If he did not investigate today, and allowed whatever it was to lurk in the shadows, would he have to live in perpetual fear and anxiety?

——The truth was right before his eyes!

Shen Ye silenced his phone and put it in his pocket, then crossed the street and walked straight into the hotel lobby.

There were people in the lobby.

Several hotel staff stood in the middle of the lobby, all looking at Shen Ye.

"Hello, are you looking to stay with us?"

A middle-aged woman with a "Manager" badge on her chest smiled politely.

Shen Ye was about to speak when the Great Skeleton's voice rang in his ear:

"Be careful, there are no living people here."

In matters of life and death, Shen Ye naturally trusted the word of this member of the Undead Race.

He swiftly drew out Night Shadow and asked,

"How did you die? And why can you still stand here?"

——"Whispers of the Dark" activated!

The middle-aged woman, maintaining her smile, explained, "To live more comfortably, the master killed us all and tied us together with special threads, using techniques to control our souls, and commanded us to carry out various tasks."

"Is that so?" Shen Ye asked the others.

The corpses all nodded their heads.

"Why aren't you attacking me?" Shen Ye asked.

"We are set to do our utmost to serve our guests. The master is preoccupied with a powerful enemy and has not given us new orders," the middle-aged woman said.

"Besides you, how many more have died here?" He asked.

"All of them," the middle-aged woman said.

"All means?"

"Everyone in this neighborhood, all have died here."

Shen Ye froze.

Now he knew what that ominous feeling he had earlier was about.

The sounds of battle from upstairs grew fiercer, and he could even hear Xiao Mengyu's light rebukes. Sёarch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

The clatter of combat continued up to the top floor.

Good, now's the time!

Shen Ye dashed up the staircase, taking the steps two at a time until he reached the seventh floor, stopping in front of room 707.

No matter how much he loathed to do it—

He pushed the door forcefully.

The lock broke immediately, and the door swung open, revealing the scene inside the room.

The floor was covered with bodies, walls were draped with corpses, and the ceiling was lined with bodies pinned down by steel wires.

The body of a woman was lying in the center of the room on the carpet.

Part of her body was missing, but her face was vaguely familiar to Shen Ye.

Shen Ye's heart gradually sank.

No, please...

He stepped over the bodies to approach the woman, whispering softly:

"Do you recognize me?"

She opened her eyes to look at him and said, "Shen Ye, I saw you encountering a ghost while I was on duty."

Shen Ye suddenly felt an urge to flee.

But he ultimately stood still, slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again.

"I'm sorry, you died because of me," he found himself saying.

The woman's voice was calm: "I am already dead, these things aren't so important anymore. Besides, it's not your fault. If you're willing—"

"Please get revenge for us."

Revenge...

Shen Ye looked around the room filled with corpses, and then he remembered the manager's words in the lobby.

"Everyone in this district died here."

How many people had that guy killed?

"Can you sense the other bodies?" he asked.

"Correct, the other rooms are just like this one, some even more densely packed with bodies," the Great Skeleton said.

Shen Ye refocused his attention on the woman, speaking in a low voice:

"Don't worry, your vengeance will be sought, and as for your daughter..."

"I will ensure she grows up healthy."

"I'll take care of all her future expenses."

"Please rest in peace."

The corpse lay there quietly, her face suddenly showing a hint of confusion.

But there was no time to continue.

The ground shook violently.

The hotel building was struck by an unstoppable force, blowing away half of its structure.

"Who!"

A voice filled with shock and anger came from the rooftop.

The Great Skeleton quickly said, "One of the two people fighting above has their life force drastically dropping, and they're falling towards us. They will pass by the window shortly."

Shen Ye's expression changed.

The voice from the rooftop was male.

Therefore, it was the other combatant who was falling.

Xiao Mengyu!

He rushed to the window and broke through it, looking up into the sky.

Indeed, a sword-wielding woman was plummeting down from the heavens.

Her body was covered with horrific wounds, from which blood was incessantly pouring.

Xiao Mengyu's icy gaze turned towards him, and when she realized it was Shen Ye, she visibly stiffened, then relaxed.

"Her life force is extremely weak," the Great Skeleton said.

"What?" Shen Ye's face turned pale with shock.

He caught Xiao Mengyu in his arms.

"Quickly kill me, I don't want to be tortured by him," Xiao Mengyu said faintly.

"Stop talking nonsense, you're going to be okay!" Shen Ye said.

Xiao Mengyu looked steadily at him, sensing that he wasn't pretending. Then, considering that someone of his strength had actually come to her aid, she couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and admiration.

—Didn't she have a last resort?

She had controlled her injuries to appear deathly weak, a strategy to lure the enemy.

The success or failure hinged on that one countering move.

Unfortunately, plans never work as well as one hopes, and this young man had unexpectedly jumped out, intending to save her.

Thus, "The Skinner" didn't follow up.

Xiao Mengyu felt both annoyed and amused, and couldn't help but let out a light snort:

"Forget it, considering you—"

Thwack.

Shen Ye delivered a hand blade to her neck.

Fearing that his strength wouldn't be enough against a Great Swordsman, he had invested all 7 attribute points into strength.

8.3 points in strength.

Striking on the neck of a girl on the brink of death, strong she may be, but severely injured and unguarded against him.

The girl's eyes bulged, and she gasped:

"You—"

No longer able to hold on, her head lolled, and she passed out.

"It's okay, I just didn't want you to see my secret," Shen Ye said.

With one hand he took her sword, and with the other, he cradled Xiao Mengyu. He executed the "Dodge" of the "Moonlight Deer Step" to run a few steps along the wall, broke through another window, and rushed into the adjacent room.

Fortunately, his agility had surpassed 10 by now!

Otherwise, executing such a movement technique while carrying someone, he would have fallen straight down.

No sooner had Shen Ye landed than he immediately activated the "Rush" of the "Moonlight Deer Step" to break open the room's door, spilling into the corridor.

"Door!"

He shouted urgently.

A door suddenly appeared in the hallway.

Shen Ye, holding Xiao Mengyu, smashed through it.

"Dissolve! Dissolve!"

The door disappeared behind them.

The next second.

A figure fell into the room, paused, and like a shadow sliding across the floor, floated out through the broken door into the hallway.

They were just a moment too late, missing the vanishing door.

The man saw only the empty corridor.

This gave him a false impression based on experience.

"Huh? They've hidden away?"

At first, the man was surprised, then couldn't help but let out a chuckling laugh.

"You probably don't know, my spies are everywhere in this hotel, so you plan to play a game of hide and seek with me," he said.

"How interesting."

He took out a white handkerchief and wiped the crimson from his fingers, nonchalantly saying:

"Alright, I'll play along."

"Now I start the countdown, and when I reach 1, the hunt for your traces begins."

"10,"

"9,"

"..."