Ye Shu lay on the bed. As she turned over, she found herself face-to-face with the eerie creature at the foot of the bed.
“Meow, meow, meow~”
Coated in glossy black fur and with glowing green eyes, a little black cat was grooming itself, peeking innocently at Ye Shu from time to time.
At first glance, the cat seemed no different from any other household pet. But the swift, heat-flushed vermillion mark on her hand told a different story—the searing pain and blistering that welled up wherever she touched it were all the proof Ye Shu needed: this adorable animal was anything but ordinary.
She leapt out of bed at once, raising her peachwood sword and jabbing the blade at the black cat.
With a howl of agony, the black cat dropped its harmless facade.
Its petite body ballooned to dozens of times its former size, all its sleek fur vanishing to reveal an oozing mound of flesh as big as a hill, pulsing and blood-streaked, like a hideous toad bloated with tumors.
“Roar—krakk-krakk-krakk—”
The grotesque cat opened its maw, revealing row upon row of wicked, jagged teeth. Its inky eyes brimmed with malice.
Yet Ye Shu did not flinch. With cold resolve, she thrust her peachwood sword toward the twisted cat.
A shriek ripped the air. The cat shriveled back into its former shape, casting a wary gaze at Ye Shu—or rather, at the peachwood sword she brandished. Fear welled up in its emerald eyes.
“Can you understand what I’m saying?”
“Meow meow.”
The black cat nodded its head.
“You say you want to follow me?”
“Meow meow meow~”
The little black cat shook its head.
Ye Shu tightened her grip on the sword.
“Meow meow meow~”
The black cat bobbed its head immediately, eager to agree.
“Very well. From now on, your name is Da Piaoliang. You’ll keep watch for me at night.”
Ye Shu had always been fond of fluffy things. As she stroked Da Piaoliang’s sleek, midnight fur, she recalled the creature’s monstrous true form and quietly drew her hand away.
Da Piaoliang: “…………”
That night, Ye Shu slept soundly, dreamless.
Elsewhere, in another meditation room.
Perhaps it was just Pang Tong’s nerves, but the chill had seeped so deeply into his bones that he thought he might never be warm again.
Awakening in a daze, Pang Tong’s eyes opened to see a female specter looming inches away—her pale, corpse-white face hidden behind a veil of cold, clammy hair, her mouth leaking viscous black blood that filled the air with the stench of rot.
He wrenched his gaze aside, silently warning himself not to meet her eyes.
He lay rigid for hours, scarcely daring to move, until the first light of dawn drove away the night’s icy curse and he was at last able to open his eyes.
Assured that the room was specter-free, Pang Tong wiped the chill sweat from his brow and shuffled toward the other meditation chamber.
“Heroine Ye, I… huff huff huff, I…”
Fear had him quaking and tongue-tied. Pang Tong could only communicate in panicked gestures.
“You saw a specter?”
Ye Shu could easily guess, seeing the man trembling from head to toe.
Pang Tong nodded frantically.
The female specter had nearly scared him to death.
“Heroine Ye, when did you get a cat?”
He stared at the cute, docile black cat at Ye Shu’s feet, busted out a piece of dried fish from his supplies and waggled it to tease her. But to his horror, the kitten’s open jaws stretched wide—far wider than they should—swallowing several corpses from the courtyard in one bite.
Sated, Da Piaoliang languidly licked her paws, those emerald eyes lingering hungrily on Pang Tong’s pudgy frame and then on Ye Shu, a trace of greed flickering within them.
“Plop—”
The dried fish slipped from Pang Tong’s fingers.
He inwardly screamed in terror. The cat was a monster! He darted to hide behind Ye Shu.
It was now the eighth day of the game.
Daylight hours had shrunk, leaving less than three hours of sun.
Ye Shu whipped up a steaming pot of instant noodles, adding marinated eggs and ham. The meal was hearty and both of them ate until sated.
Da Piaoliang cast a disdainful glance at the pot of food, her gaze drifting between the two humans.
“If you don’t want your eyes, I can dig them out for you.”
Even Pang Tong, who enjoyed heightened senses, or any ordinary soul for that matter, could see the ravenous glint in Da Piaoliang’s eyes.
With a screech, Da Piaoliang arced through the air and slammed into the wall.
Ye Shu knew full well—never trust a specter, especially one who hasn’t pledged loyalty.
Da Piaoliang’s obedience was owed solely to the peachwood sword at her side.
………………
Outside Jinshan Temple.
A battered bus creaked to a stop at the entrance. Out poured a dozen or so survivors, all haggard and hollow-eyed. The spectral attacks had scattered their ranks; of over a hundred at the outset, only this handful remained.
“Brother Ziqi, there’s smoke over there! That means someone’s nearby, thank goodness!”
Bai Lili’s expression brightened with elation. Dirt smeared her delicate features, but failed to dull her ethereal beauty.
“Smoke means people, or it could just be more specters. Brother Lu, let’s just leave. I have a bad feeling about this place—Jinshan Temple is too quiet…”
“Sister Su Xu, are you still blaming Lili? What happened to Jiang Wen—it wasn’t on purpose.”
Bai Lili’s wide, innocent eyes seemed to beg for sympathy, making it impossible to scold her.
“Su Xu, even if you are the captain’s fiancée, you shouldn't target Bai Lili. What did she even do wrong? She’s just Captain Lu’s younger cousin!”
“Bai Lili is just a weak girl, how could she possibly tell who’s a specter and who’s not? You shouldn’t be so harsh, Su Xu—this jealous act is downright ugly.”
The others glared at Su Xu as if they’d like nothing more than to tear her apart.
Bai Lili glanced with satisfaction at the reeling woman—vengeance was sweet.
She and Brother Ziqi loved each other. Su Xu, she believed, was the one who stood between them.
“Pack up the supplies. We’re going in. Su Xu, if you don’t feel safe, you can leave the team.”
Before Su Xu could utter a word, Lu Ziqi brushed past her and strode towards the temple, a glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes.
If it weren’t for the family marriage arrangement, or for his grandfather’s threats, he’d never have agreed to wed the Su family’s daughter. It was Bai Lili he truly wanted.
It was the Su family’s manipulation that had tied his fate to another.
Su Xu stood frozen, her face drained of color, unable to muster a word in her own defense.
Twenty years of affection—even a stray dog would have grown loyal by now. She had believed all along that she and Lu Ziqi, childhood sweethearts with a betrothal made by their families, would one day marry as a matter of course and support each other for life.
On the day of the wedding, the long-awaited celebration was ruined by the game.
Dragged unwillingly into its grip, she had exhausted herself searching for Lu Ziqi, only to find him shadowed by Bai Lili, the cousin who was supposedly so sweet and kind.
Su Xu hesitated briefly, but in the end, followed the group.
It wasn’t that she still loved Lu Ziqi—it was that, in a world overrun by specters, she stood no chance alone. The game had given her only the ability to communicate with all things. But what good was that here, when even monsters had stopped listening?
As the group entered the temple, the sight of blood-soaked flesh scattered across the courtyard sent them into fits of retching.
Bai Lili’s face turned green. Her heart hammered with dread—could Su Xu have been right, that terrifying things truly lurked here?
Lu Ziqi’s face blanched. He had used his last decent magic item saving Bai Lili, and if a powerful specter really did dwell here… their odds of survival were bleak.
“Get out!”
A woman’s voice rang from the depths of the quiet hall.
Clear and cool, it cut through the air with frosty indifference.
Startled, the group looked up to see, under the eaves, a lone figure—Ye Shu, half-shrouded in shadow, her expression hard as her gaze swept over Bai Lili and her entourage.
After an uneasy pause, Lu Ziqi hesitated and spoke: “Miss, this is a public temple. Could we rest here for a while? We’ll trade food for shelter. Night’s falling, and it’s not safe outside.”
“Captain, that’s our food—you can’t just give it away!”
Ye Shu stepped fully from the darkness, revealing a harmless doll-like visage—cherry lips, fine nose, starlit eyes and a classic oval face. Even in the simplest tracksuit, her bold features held a touch of cold glamour. A little black cat lingered around her ankles.
“Forgive my younger sister, she’s impulsive. I apologize. I failed to teach her better.”
With a glance, Lu Ziqi’s words instantly tamed Bai Lili.
Though he loved her, she understood that compared to his ambition, she still knew where to draw the line—or he never would have agreed to marry Su Xu.
Ye Shu acknowledged with a faint hum, making clear she understood.
Lu Ziqi didn’t for a moment believe that someone who had survived here could be innocent. If anything, the girl—and that black cat beside her—were far more dangerous than they let on.
All the animals he’d encountered in this nightmare world had been specters in disguise...
“You can stay—I’m not responsible for your safety.”
Ye Shu accepted their food and tossed a parting word: “Any meditation room except the two at the end. Your choice.”