210 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

### Chapter 210 Qin Ke found herself in a dimly lit area resembling a street. The ground was strewn with dark stains of dried blood and decaying limbs lay scattered across the road. As she assessed her surroundings, the empty street soon echoed with the sound of heavy footsteps and the grating noise of metal dragging across pavement. Step by step, the noises drew closer, an oppressive weight growing with them. Qin Ke's eyes were fixed on the source of the sound. She began to flex her wrists and ankles in anticipation. Roughly thirty seconds later, a tall figure emerged from the street's corner. The man wore makeup and a latex mask that, at first glance, made half his face appear to be rotting flesh. His bloody work attire still dripped as he clutched an iron chain dragging along the ground. He kept chanting ominously, "Strangle you, strangle you..." The man's gaze met Qin Ke's, and she saw the excitement in his eyes. Qin Ke stood motionless as the man, chain in hand, charged at her with a sadistic grin, seemingly intent on strangling her with the chain. In that moment, just as the man neared, Qin Ke burst into action. With a powerful kick, she made the man dodge, giving her a chance to dart behind him. Leaping up, she locked her legs around his thighs like a vice, immobilizing him, and coiled her arms around his neck with relentless force. Though the man was large, easily weighing over 200 pounds by her estimate, Qin Ke's strength was formidable, and she was skilled in her technique. After several seconds of intense struggle, the man eventually lost his ability to resist and collapsed to the ground. She eyed the iron chain he had wielded and took it for her own protection. After all, they had only been equipped with a small flashlight when they entered, with nothing else provided. The chain was long, and Qin Ke dragged it behind her in the same way the man had, heading toward the end of the street. In the flickering lights, she vaguely made out two figures who seemed hesitant, whispering about something. "Isn't it our turn to appear? Why aren't there any screams or signs of escape?" "That woman doesn't seem like an NPC, though. What's happening here? Why isn't the big guy chasing anyone down? This doesn't add up." Qin Ke paid no heed to their conversation since she knew that any NPC appearing in this place was unlikely to be friendly. She quickened her pace towards them, chain trailing behind. One man started to panic, stammering, "Wh-what are you doing? We're ghosts, we're supposed to kill you." Qin Ke coldly replied, "Humans are scarier than ghosts. I'm not afraid of people, so why would I fear something so insubstantial?" "Crap, you asked for it! I'm gonna cut you down!" One of the men charged at her with a steel knife. Qin Ke raised the chain to block, then deftly wrapped it around the knife and yanked it free from his hands, sending it flying. She kicked the knife further away, then jumped up to twist the chain around the man's neck, tightening it relentlessly. The other man was stupefied but finally snapped out of it, fumbling for a gun in his pocket. In his panic, his hands shook. Qin Ke intensified her grip, simultaneously kicking to send the gun tumbling away. She released the chain and pursued the man scrambling for the gun, breaking his spine from behind. Picking up the gun from the ground, Qin Ke noticed the man she had just released was gasping on the floor, having come perilously close to death. He had always been the one to torment those who entered, but now, the tables had turned. Tucking the gun at her back, Qin Ke searched the pockets of the lifeless bodies for extra magazines and stashed them in her jacket pocket. She then approached the man sitting on the ground, who stared at her in terror, as if she were a monster. "Stay back, I'm just an NPC, please don't come closer," he pleaded, tears welling in his eyes. Ignoring his cries, she picked up the chain again and squeezed until he lost all strength. She retrieved the knife she had previously kicked away and, holding a flashlight in one hand with the steel knife and chain in the other, pondered where the key might be. Searching their bodies yielded nothing, so she began to look inside the nearby shops, spaces designed to instill fear with their eerie atmosphere. Figuring that the threat had been neutralized by eliminating the street assailants, Qin Ke meticulously searched room by room for keys, eventually collecting five. She stored them in her jacket pocket and was about to leave when she heard gunfire in the distance and headed toward the sound to investigate. Meanwhile, Wei Si Yu, whose starting point was on a street lined with funeral shops selling burial garments and coffins, removed her blindfold to see paper money drifting in the wind and papier-mâché figures lining both sides of the street. The flickering streetlights contributed to the creepy ambiance. Instead of exploring the shops, she swiftly made her way through the street, fortunately encountering Da Ge in the same area. Though Da Ge was tall and sturdy, the street's uncanny atmosphere made his spine tingle. Seeing Wei Si Yu was akin to finding a family member. "Hey, I'm Da Ge, you're here too, huh?" Da Ge ran over, excitement in his voice. "Yes, be cautious of what’s in the shops. Have you seen my friends?" Wei Si Yu quickly inquired. "Haven't seen anyone, this street's pretty darn creepy. You're the only living person I've seen," Da Ge responded, drawing closer to Wei Si Yu. "Good, then come with me to meet up with Chen Wan and the others." Of course, Da Ge eagerly agreed, knowing that finding companions greatly improved their chances of survival. "What should we do now? Go straight to find your friends?" Da Ge asked, uneasy about the street's eerie vibe. "No, let's find this street's key first. With two of us here, there’s nothing to fear," Wei Si Yu replied, heading directly to a coffin shop nearby. Swallowing nervously, Da Ge followed, contemplating just how resilient female alphas were these days. The old wooden door creaked as Wei Si Yu pushed it open. Inside, a few candles flickered on a dilapidated table next to three ancestral tablets. In the center of the shop, two wooden coffins sat side by side. Wei Si Yu and Da Ge searched thoroughly but found no key. Wei Si Yu's gaze eventually settled on the coffins. "Help me. Let's see what's inside." She grabbed a glass teapot from the table, signaling for Da Ge to move to the other side, ready to lift the coffin lid together. Despite feeling apprehensive, Da Ge couldn't back down seeing Wei Si Yu's determination. He swallowed his fear, helping her lift the lid. As soon as they opened it, the figure inside lunged at Wei Si Yu with a sharpened steel pipe. Prepared for such hostility, Wei Si Yu quickly retreated, smashing her glass teapot onto the attacker's forehead, rendering him powerless. She confiscated the spike, finding a key inside the coffin, then moved to the other one. Sensing the danger, the occupant sprang from the coffin, charging at Wei Si Yu with a machete. Using the spike to parry, Wei Si Yu effortlessly evaded several slashes. A bewildered Da Ge hurried over with a stool, using it to knock the attacker back. While the man defended against Da Ge's strike, Wei Si Yu plunged her spike into him. In Da Ge's astonishment, she acquired another key. "Come on, let's keep searching for more keys." Holding her long metal spike, she led the way. Da Ge quickly trailed her, thinking to himself that it was no wonder she was close with Chen Wan and Qin Ke; she certainly had a no-nonsense approach in a fight. On the other side, Chen Wan emerged from a ward area, turning into another corridor that seemed to lead to operating rooms and a mortuary. She halted as she spotted a figure in the corridor. As she shone her light towards them, they did the same, the brightness temporarily blinding her until she recognized the black-frame glasses man standing there. Upon recognizing Chen Wan, he sighed in relief. "Don't head that way, there’s someone there. I've already found the key." "Are you hurt?" Chen Wan noticed the blood oozing from his arm. "No big deal, just a scratch. Every room here is a trap, waiting to ensnare us. Be careful not to open doors rashly." He warned her earnestly. Chen Wan looked at him thoughtfully. "Which rooms haven’t you checked yet?" "Only this operating room is left," the man with black-framed glasses replied. "I got this wound in the mortuary when two people attacked me, but fortunately, it's not too deep." Chen Wan nodded. "Wait for me outside. I'll go in and see what's going on." Before the man could further caution her against being rash, Chen Wan had already kicked the doors of the operating room wide open. Left with no choice, he closed his mouth and braced himself, clutching the knife he'd picked up earlier, ready to assist Chen Wan. As she peered inside, Chen Wan saw three grotesque figures dressed in doctor's attire. They clutched electric saws, busy cutting into something. Her flashlight revealed the gruesome sight of them sawing a decayed corpse, likely a previous victim who fell prey to their sinister acts. Chen Wan coolly regarded the scene, grip tightening on her knife. "Not even letting the dead rest in peace, are we?" "That's right," the leading man replied, his voice distorted by a metallic modulator to heighten the fearsome effect. "Now it's time for us to loosen your bones." Chen Wan scoffed, raising a brow. "It's you who should be preparing for your descent to pay for your sins."