Chapter 43: Logging In

Qiong Cang hung up the phone. He Jueyun had woken her up completely, leaving her without a trace of sleepiness.

With the call ended, the room fell into an even deeper silence. She heard a rhythmic, muffled thudding from the living room. The window probably wasn’t closed tightly, and the wind was blowing some hanging object against it.

Qiong Cang closed her eyes and tried to breathe steadily. After tossing and turning several times, she was still kept awake by the noise. Resigning herself to it, she sat up and walked barefoot toward the living room.

Her eyes, already adjusted to the dark, scanned the unlit hallway, which was still filled with blurry shadows.

A giant vase standing in the corner overlapped with a figure in Qiong Cang’s memory, freezing her in her tracks.

Qiong Cang was not happy to see Xie Qimeng, just as Xie Qimeng felt about her. The man’s appearance reminded her of things she had almost forgotten.

Her exceptional memory meant that whenever she began to recall the past, she would automatically reconstruct and flesh out the key details. It was like yesterday repeating itself, impossible to escape.

And when those confused, ignorant emotions were filtered through the lens of time, the fear she had once ignored surfaced like yellow spots on an old photograph.

Qiong Cang took a step forward, reaching out to feel for the light switch on the wall.

Back then, she had been set up to sleep on the sofa bed in the living room, while Xie Qimeng’s small pet dog lay in its bed in the corner.

Qiong Cang liked listening to the dog’s soft snoring while it slept, because at the time, she couldn’t stand a completely silent environment. It was an obedient and alert dog, extremely lovable. Whenever Qiong Cang approached, it would quickly wake from its sleep. But it knew not to bark at night, only ever opening its dark eyes to look at her innocently.

The little dog was always especially patient with children, staying up late with her.

Pets understood human emotions much more directly, and their way of comforting was just as simple. When Qiong Cang reached out her hand, it would lean its head against her, using its fur to keep her warm. Over time, it would sleep defencelessly in her palm, tilting its head to show its affection.

That night, the house quieted down and everyone fell asleep. As usual, Qiong Cang walked toward the dog bed after failing to sleep, but this time, the dog didn’t react at all, remaining flat on the floor.

Qiong Cang squatted in front of its wooden crate, hugging her knees as she quietly watched its sleeping face.

In the silence, the sticky sound of bare feet stepping on the wooden floor echoed in the dark. Qiong Cang turned her head and saw that bloated figure walking toward her step by step.

One standing high and one crouching low, they stared at each other in silence.

Qiong Cang saw her pause by the side of the sofa, staring at her gloomily with emotionless eyes. Long hair hung down the sides of her face, and the downward curve of her lips made her look like a demon.

Then, she turned to go to the kitchen, returning with a knife that gleamed coldly.

The night wind blew in through the gaps, carrying a familiar, muddy stench, as if connecting the two scenes across time and space. Qiong Cang’s eyes flickered, her dry throat swallowing hard.

In the entire memory, the only thing she found blurry was Mrs. Xie’s face. Perhaps she had been too afraid at the time and forgot to look, or perhaps it was too dark for her to see clearly. Only that terrifying feeling was particularly profound, for reasons she couldn’t explain.

She remembered shifting back a step, watching the sharp tip of the knife in the other woman’s hand point at her, swaying with her steps. Several bulging veins wrapped tightly around the woman’s slender arm, cold and powerful.

The Qiong Cang of back then wanted to speak. She opened her mouth, but she couldn’t make a sound.

She stared, her gaze moving from the other woman’s bare toes to her pale face, and then she lowered her head.

However, the knife did not plunge into her, but instead stabbed the sleeping dog next to her.

The sharp blade pierced the dog’s neck cleanly, making a brief, indescribable tearing sound. The soft, slight noises formed a vivid picture, telling Qiong Cang how the cleaver stabbed in, how it was pulled out, and how the action was repeated over and over.

Blood bubbled out, a sound that transformed all intense emotions into a gushing spring in the dark night, bursting outward.

The dog probably woke up from the pain, but because its mouth was held shut and its body was weak, it could only manage a faint whimper.

Qiong Cang raised her hands to cover her ears, closing her eyes tightly. It wasn’t until a warm liquid flowed to her feet that she slowly opened them.

From her angle, she could see the little dog lying on the floor. It was still alive, its dark, misty eyes filled with tears as it lay limp and motionless. It stared up at her humbly, accepting the rapid draining of its life.

The resonance Qiong Cang felt with the dog was actually the strongest. She felt the dog’s eyes were so similar to her own.

Mrs. Xie picked up the dog in front of her, stuffed it into a cabinet, and crouched in front of the cabinet door with her back to Qiong Cang for a long time.

After the madness, the woman probably began to regret it. Her dazed face was covered in cold sweat, and she pressed her head against the edge of the cabinet, sobbing silently.

The people in the bedroom were still fast asleep. Mrs. Xie wiped her face and went to the bathroom furthest from the bedroom to wash her hands.

The sound of running water rushed, while the living room remained a bloody mess, proving that everything that had just happened was real.

The scene was foul-smelling, chaotic, and jarring, assaulting Qiong Cang’s senses.

Qiong Cang found the light switch and flipped it.

The moment the light shone down, all the sounds and images were banished from her mind.

In the empty living room, only a string of wooden blessing plaques¹ left by Jiang Ling was swaying. The plaques were tied with red string and hung from the handle of the glass window. Disturbed by the night wind, they flipped back and forth, showing “Blessing” on one side and “Peace” on the other.

Qiong Cang let out a soft laugh, raising her hand to wipe the cold sweat from her forehead.

If it were the Qiong Cang of today, she could calmly evaluate the incident and even mock it. Unfortunately, the Qiong Cang back then could only realize one thing: so adults could use such extreme methods to show their dislike for someone.

She missed her family terribly, unable to wait even a moment. Even if Qi Kexu wasn’t a very successful mother, at least she could provide a safe haven to rely on.

She pushed open the door and walked out into the dead of night, crossing the long streets to return to her own home, keeping watch at the dimly lit doorway, waiting for her mother to return.

Under the pitch-black night sky, that fruitless cry for help made Qiong Cang suddenly realize that death was, in fact, forcing humans to accept loneliness. From then on, all waiting turned into remembrance.

Qiong Cang took down the red wooden plaque and shut the window tight.

There are many people in this world who hide secrets.

There are many who bury their cruelty and coldness deep in their hearts, wearing a mask of benevolence.

For those people, Qiong Cang felt that after experiencing the fragility of life, being able to restrain their primal impulses within the boundaries of the law and maintain a normal exterior was, in a way, a form of strength.

It was precisely this contrast that made Qiong Cang clearly understand that while she might not be a selfless, good person, she certainly couldn’t be a psychopath. Even if she grew up wild and unchecked, she would only end up as an ordinary person in the end.

Qiong Cang sat on the sofa with the wooden plaque, waiting slowly for the cold sweat on her body to recede. She raised her hand, flipping the plaque over and over in the air.

A highly educated woman who was widely respected had shown her the bottom line of killing.

A criminal’s family member who was looked down upon by others had taught her what it meant to feel compassion.

Qiong Cang chuckled softly. “A valuable lesson.”

It proved that as long as one kept living, they would eventually encounter something good.

Qiong Cang took her usual bag and carefully placed the wooden plaque inside.

“If kindness can be blessed, I hope your son really can return openly and honestly one day,” Qiong Cang said with a smile. “Good night, Ms. Jiang.”

·

The new instance of 【Case Analysis】 soon began testing. This was probably the largest team instance Sanyao had ever opened in terms of participant numbers.

Qiong Cang carried her black cloth bag, walking through the main entrance without looking left or right.

The Sanyao lobby was as bustling as ever. Because of the large number of players signing up this time, many of whom were novices, the scene was even more lively than usual.

Those with excited expressions were clearly novice players; they did not yet know how to hide their feelings. Being selected for the game meant they had a chance to show their skills in front of hundreds of millions of people, which was undoubtedly something to boast about. In order to perform well, they had already gone through the important guides on the Sanyao Forum before setting out. Unfortunately, before they could even put them into practice, while still in the socializing phase, those tedious theories had already been shot down one by one by the veteran players.

The two groups, old and new, were currently engaged in a spit-flying, heated debate over the game guides.

Qiong Cang walked through the crowd, took the elevator, and after sitting quietly in the lounge for a moment, headed to the designated room to log into the game.

Logging into the game for the third time, Qiong Cang was much more used to it. She waited quietly for the dizziness to pass, looking at the black screen with subtitles appearing before her.

【Fugitive: QC1361】 officially loaded into the game! Welcome to 【Case Scene Analysis】. This instance is a special time-limited instance. You will embark on a thrilling escape storyline alone.

Please be careful! Being captured by the police is directly deemed as game over. Escaping the police’s pursuit red zone is deemed as game victory. The range of the red zone is determined by the police’s investigation and pursuit plan. Third-party viewers can check it in real-time; players, please judge for yourselves.

We wish you a smooth game!

Identity: A wanderer with no origin. You are a wanted criminal on the run.

Player Score: 96 (This character is practically tailor-made for you!)

Character Compatibility: 86% (Geniuses are mostly similar, aren’t they? For instance, a brain favored by fate.)

Escape Progress: Although the arrest warrant has not yet been issued, your life on the run has already begun. Please cherish every second starting from now!

【Note】 You have three minutes to stand in place and observe the environment. Once the countdown ends or you leave your spot, the instance will begin immediately. Please be careful of the cameras on the street and the enthusiastic citizens by the roadside.

【Click here to view instance details】

·

Before Qiong Cang could even immerse herself in the scenario, the viewers in the live stream room were already clamoring.

“Holy crap, there’s a 96 here! Is this real?”

“I took a look around and found that the character compatibility in this instance is really high, so the ability scores have all gone up a bit. As expected, Sanyao calculates character compatibility based on IQ!”

“This round is entirely a showcase of geniuses, I’m down for any of them!”

“96 points! 【Pupils dilate in shock】 Okay, I’ve decided to camp in this live stream room. I’ve already taken time off work, big boss, don’t let me down!”

“I want to go camp in the Pursuer’s live stream room, I feel like it’ll be more exciting over there. 【Smirk】”

“Wait, is this 96 score reliable? This player looks completely ordinary.”

“Someone once doubted it too. 【Lights a cigarette】 Later, they got their face slapped.”

Translator’s Notes