212 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

Chapter 212 In the dim light, Chen Wan shone her flashlight carefully, recognizing Qin Ke and immediately exhaled in relief. Saving others was secondary; ensuring her own were safe came first. “You and Si Yu are alright?” Chen Wan inquired, moving closer. “We’re fine, how about you?” Qin Ke responded, grasping her weapon and stepping towards Chen Wan. “I’m good as well. Shao Yu and the others are still on the second floor. Let’s go up and find all the keys together.” Chen Wan replied with a smile. “Alright.” The group returned to the second floor. The man with glasses and Shao Yu were leading the students in a search for keys. Seeing Chen Wan return with more people boosted their spirits. The more people they had, the safer their situation appeared. "Shao Yu, how's the search going?" Chen Wan asked. Shao Yu emerged with a few students from the last room, “We’ve found all five keys.” “Great, let’s search for the first-floor keys as well.” With that, Chen Wan, Qin Ke, and the others headed downstairs. Chen Wan and Qin Ke each started from opposite ends of the first-floor classrooms, while Wei Si Yu and the Big Guy took the middle room. Wei Si Yu and the Big Guy were more polite, gently pushing doors open, a stark contrast to Chen Wan and Qin Ke's approach, who kicked them open. Soon after, anguished cries resonated, though it was uncertain which room they came from or if all rooms were echoing with cries from the NPCs. Chen Wan quickly moved to the next classroom, reminding Shao Yu and the others, “Let’s find the keys.” While Chen Wan and the others focused on destruction, Shao Yu and her group searched for keys. In just over ten minutes, the first floor of the school was cleared. Once they emerged from the academic building, Chen Wan set her sights on the two-story dormitory. “Let’s go find the dorm keys too.” The group exited the building, their numbers growing such that Chen Wan and her companions seemed like the leaders of this haunted house game. With their presence, the high school students felt bolder and less frightened. Upon entering the dormitory lobby, they encountered a fake blood-soaked male caretaker at the entrance and a blood-smeared repair worker in the corridor, both actors. Seeing the large group with Chen Wan, they appeared flustered. The caretaker's hand shook as he held a knife, having experienced numerous games but never a scenario where people entered en masse rather than fleeing in terror. While the caretaker and the repair worker remained motionless, Chen Wan and Qin Ke sprang into action. Chen Wan sprinted toward the repair worker, delivering a kick that sent him crashing into the wall. Meanwhile, Qin Ke used her chain to dispatch the caretaker. Pressing onwards, Chen Wan and Qin Ke knew dormitories were prime hiding spots for vengeful spirits in tales of horror. Chen Wan didn’t hold back; kicking open a door revealed four zombies in school uniforms, upon which she immediately wielded her axe. Even Shao Yu and her group found courage; pushing open the second dorm room, they clashed with the zombies inside. In no time, Chen Wan and her group cleared the first floor, which was overrun with zombies but devoid of living people. The group charged up to the second floor, Chen Wan kicking the first dorm room door open, revealing two figures in blood-red outfits. Lighting up with her flashlight, Chen Wan saw blood dripping from their clothes. The two were made up like evil spirits, with long rubber tongues hanging from their mouths and fingers donned with sharp spikes, capable of lethal harm with a single poke. Chen Wan nonchalantly grabbed a nearby table and hurled it at them. With the spikes proving a nuisance, she drew a pistol from her hip, fired two shots, and resolved the situation. From behind, Qin Ke kicked open another door, where four bloodied men rolled their eyes back theatrically. But Qin Ke, uninterested in their show, stormed in with her sword; by the time the men sensed trouble, it was too late for words. With the scare sites thoroughly dismantled and the perverse individuals who aimed to toy with them neutralized, Chen Wan and her group scoured for keys. Exiting the school, any NPCs on the street scurried in fear, as the situation morphed into an oddity. Chen Wan wielded a fire axe and chased down an NPC, flooring him with a kick and causing him to wail. “I haven’t harmed you, don’t kill me, I’m begging you,” he pleaded, clutching his leg. His face, coated in makeup, streamed with blood, tears mixing in a ludicrous scene. “Where’s the exit?” Chen Wan demanded coldly, pointing her axe at him. “I don’t know, I’m truly an NPC who knows nothing,” he begged. “I know you’re good people, spare me this once. I’ll never dare harm others again.” Chen Wan chuckled derisively, raising her axe slightly, “Who told you we’re good people? You’d better say what you know, or I’ll send you to join your buddies. Don’t tell me you don’t know. NPCs like you on the street should have high autonomy; do you truly not know where the exit is?” The man faltered, realizing he didn’t know the precise location of the exit but knew the general area—it was near the mass grave on Coffin Street. Glancing at the bloodstains on Chen Wan’s axe, he confessed, “I’m not sure about specifics, but the last few to escape went through Coffin Street’s mass grave. That’s all I know, please let me go, please.” Staring at the flickering streetlights, Chen Wan dispatched him, then asked the group, “Where’s Coffin Street? Did anyone come from that direction?” “I did, just follow me.” Wei Si Yu said, leading the way with Big Guy, as their group of nine headed toward Coffin Street. As for the four men in the cell, Chen Wan and the others never encountered them; likely, they had already fallen victim to the NPCs here. Wei Si Yu led them to Coffin Street, flanked by paper coffins and effigy dolls. These coffin shops hung dark red lanterns at their entrances, resembling beasts ready to devour. Having already searched the street’s buildings, the group pressed straight on to the mass grave behind. The mass grave's set was disturbingly real, with bloody stones and rotting limb remnants illuminated by flashlight. Beyond lay an “exit” sign, confirming their path. “There.” Shao Yu pointed excitedly to the exit. The high schoolers felt similarly; even with Chen Wan, the eerie ambiance pressed them to leave quickly. “Be careful, there might be something waiting. Let’s go,” said Chen Wan, leading the way into the mass grave, the others following in line, with Qin Ke bringing up the rear. The journey was surprisingly calm; aside from the unsettling decay underfoot, danger was absent. Reaching the exit, Chen Wan’s flashlight beam fell on a door embedded with numerous keyholes. “All these keyholes?” At Chen Wan’s words, everyone looked to see over twenty keyholes in the exit door, reeking of malevolence. “Should I try shooting it?” Chen Wan began to draw her gun. Shao Yu shook her head, “No, the keys must match the correct ones to open the door. Destroying even one means we’re trapped.” Taking heed of Shao Yu’s warning, Chen Wan halted. Meanwhile, the graveyard stirred again; bodies began to rise, roughly a dozen actors playing their part. Inadequately visible previously due to darkness, they had been mistaken for rotting corpses. Gazing at them, equipped with weapons—either blades or hammers, and moving ghost-like towards them—Chen Wan handed all her keys to Shao Yu. “You and those kids try the keys; we’ll hold them off, don’t worry.” “Okay.” Shao Yu took a deep breath, gathering keys from Qin Ke and Wei Si Yu, and, along with three high school students, began testing them. Each key rarely fits the keyhole on the first try. It typically requires numerous attempts to confirm the right one. Meanwhile, those pretending to be monsters steadily approached, emphasizing just how nerve-wracking it would be to try twenty-odd keys alone, all while under the constant pressure of their encroachment. Even with Chen Wan and her group holding the line, Shao Yu had to take several deep breaths to compose herself and continue testing the keys. Chen Wan, Qin Ke, Wei Si Yu, Big Guy, and the man with glasses all stood by the door, armed and ready. Chen Wan glanced at the approaching group. There weren't too many of them, and since she still had bullets left, she decided to draw her gun. Qin Ke followed suit, handing an extra magazine to Chen Wan. Before the opposing group could act, Chen Wan and Qin Ke had already opened fire. Ignoring whatever the others were yelling, Chen Wan continued until her magazine was empty, leaving none of the aggressors standing. Over at Shao Yu’s end, most of the keys had been tested in their respective locks. After inserting the final two keys and turning them, the exit of the haunted house swung open, revealing the bright lights outside. As they exited, the security at Canglong Bar confiscated all their weapons, instructing the nine of them to wait for the arrival of the Left Protector.