PTYS Chapter 100

Shen Qingqiu dealt with the sudden change, hurriedly checking on Xiao Muyu, grabbing her hand, and rolling up her sleeve to inspect it.

The light was dim, making it difficult to see anything, so she tentatively touched it with her fingers, not finding any obvious wounds.

“Does it hurt?” she asked carefully.

Xiao Muyu shook her head. “It hurt when I was grabbed, but I’m fine now.”

Shen Qingqiu nodded, cautiously scanning their surroundings, not daring to make any rash moves.

Xiao Muyu signaled her not to be so tense, then opened the group chat and called out, “Su Jin, can you hear me?”

There was no response. Xiao Muyu’s heart sank as she called out a few more times and sent messages, but received no reply.

“It seems the game has officially started, and even this isn’t working,” Shen Qingqiu said gravely, looking at the four doors around them with a furrowed brow.

“This isn’t good news,” Xiao Muyu quickly thought aloud, “The game must have started right after the rules were announced. We walked through four unmarked intersections without any issues, but something happened here, which must be related.”

She looked back at the crossroads behind them, where they were attacked after walking straight.

“Qingqiu, do you think we were attacked because we took the wrong path?” Xiao Muyu shared her thoughts.

Shen Qingqiu’s eyes brightened as she heard her name, and just as she was about to respond, a boy’s scream came from their left.

The scream was filled with fear, followed by chaotic footsteps, indicating two different gaits—one hurried and one fast but steady, suggesting something was chasing him.

It seemed others had triggered traps as well, likely facing grim outcomes.

Soon, the footsteps turned towards them.

More alarmingly, Xiao Muyu heard two doors opening, and the footsteps multiplied.

“Damn,” Xiao Muyu muttered under her breath.

Without hesitation, Shen Qingqiu grabbed Xiao Muyu, swiftly turning and pressing her against the wall of the left room, leaning into her.

Shen Qingqiu was wearing a dark brown coat, and the light was dim in this spot, making them less conspicuous.

Pressed tightly together, Xiao Muyu felt Shen Qingqiu’s lithe and supple body even through her clothes.

The tense atmosphere became even more charged, causing Xiao Muyu’s body to heat up, her breathing controlled.

Their hearts beat loudly in her ears, mingling with Shen Qingqiu’s heartbeat, amplifying infinitely.

The close, oppressive heat, and the faint fragrance emanating from Shen Qingqiu’s body made Xiao Muyu dizzy.

The boy rushed past but was tackled to the ground before he reached the crossroads, his upper body and head visible as he fell.

In the dim, uncovered light, Xiao Muyu couldn’t see who he was, but his despair was evident without needing to see his expression.

He cried and screamed, desperately clawing at the ground to crawl forward, but after a final scream, he fell silent.

Xiao Muyu saw his body twitching involuntarily, his head slumped to the ground, eyes closed.

The sounds of flesh tearing and bones crunching, like a wild beast feasting, were unmistakably clear from the other end of the room.

The smell of blood, mixed with the stench of the unknown monsters, filled the air, suffocating Xiao Muyu with the scent of death, pushing out the faint fragrance she somewhat liked, causing a dull ache in her chest.

She lightly tilted her head, placing her face against Shen Qingqiu’s neck, feeling her pulse, bringing a sense of reality.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed again. One step, two steps, Xiao Muyu felt Shen Qingqiu’s body tense.

In her peripheral vision, Xiao Muyu saw a head appear around the corner, very high, definitely looking down at them.

It chewed, lowered its head to sniff the dead boy, then twisted its neck and moved. If it took one more step and turned its head, they would be completely exposed.

“Grr, grr!” It growled, with others behind it.

Xiao Muyu felt Shen Qingqiu’s neck sweat, a drop falling on her face—she was nervous.

Indeed, with three such large monsters that had just tasted blood, running would be suicide!

Luckily, the three monsters did not cross the crossroads but continued their gruesome feast.

Finally, the boy’s body was slowly dragged away, his lifeless hand and head shaking, indicating indescribable horror and cruelty.

“Bang, bang, bang.” Three doors closed in succession, and the bloody hunt temporarily ceased.

Shen Qingqiu looked down at Xiao Muyu, exhaling a long breath. “They’re gone.” Her voice was dry and hoarse.

“Mm.” Xiao Muyu responded softly, not moving.

Shen Qingqiu realized she was still pressing against her. In the urgency, she hadn’t thought about it, but now the position was too intimate given their current relationship.

Shen Qingqiu quickly stepped back. Usually bold and shameless, this unintended intimacy made her nervous, making her stammer slightly, “Sorry, it was an emergency.”

Xiao Muyu, feeling the warmth in her ears, smiled slightly. “It’s rare to see you embarrassed. No need to explain, I understand.”

Shen Qingqiu, unwilling to admit, said, “I just thought it was inappropriate. Why would I be embarrassed?”

They walked to where the boy had fallen, seeing the large dark bloodstain and a long blood trail disappearing into the darkness, a gruesome sight.

“She really intends to gamble everything. By the end of today, few from the seventh squad will survive.”

Xiao Muyu turned away, taking a few steps back, then pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to Shen Qingqiu.

“Wipe your sweat.”

“You actually carry this?” Shen Qingqiu laughed, wiping her sweat and carefully folding the handkerchief before putting it in her pocket.

Xiao Muyu looked puzzled. “Why are you keeping it?”

“I’ll wash it and return it.”

She smiled brightly. Xiao Muyu couldn’t argue, suddenly asking, “You’re usually fearless when facing those things, fighting without hesitation. Why were you so nervous just now, because there were three of them?”

Shen Qingqiu’s smile faded, falling silent. After a while, she said, “If they found me, I wouldn’t be afraid. Even if there were more, I wouldn’t hesitate to fight.”

She glanced at Xiao Muyu with a complicated look, adding softly, “But when I looked at you, I was scared. I don’t know why, I just couldn’t control it.”

Xiao Muyu’s heart trembled. She turned away, not knowing what to say. Her throat tightened, unable to speak her thoughts. After a while, she forced the topic back to the matter at hand, “Now that we can’t contact Su Jin and the others, we must hurry. Otherwise, they might end up like that boy.”

Shen Qingqiu nodded, refraining from further comments. She needed to control her emotions and not distract Xiao Muyu. Survival was paramount.

“Earlier, we walked straight, and the ghost hand appeared. The boy ran around, triggering doors. This suggests that taking the wrong path leads to attacks.”

Shen Qingqiu nodded, thinking of Su Jin and the others. “I hope they can stay calm and not run around.”

“This game has become more difficult. Normally, people can’t help but run when in danger, and running the wrong way worsens the situation.”

Fortunately, Shen Qingqiu was brave and ruthless, so they didn’t need to run.

As they spoke, the lights on the doors began to flicker, increasingly fast.

Xiao Muyu felt uneasy, taking a few steps forward. As they moved, the flickering slowed.

Xiao Muyu understood, “Staying here isn’t an option either.”

Shen Qingqiu didn’t respond, just staring at the crossroads. The doors on both sides still had “X” marks. She took a deep breath, motioned for Xiao Muyu to stop, and cautiously turned left.

This time, Xiao Muyu didn’t insist on following closely, maintaining a safe distance, watching her.

Step by step, they crossed the intersection without incident.

Shen Qingqiu quickly signaled Xiao Muyu to follow. This passage had unmarked rooms on either side again.

“Does this mean ‘X’ indicates a left turn?” Shen Qingqiu wondered.

Xiao Muyu shook her head uncertainly and tried walking straight.

Shen Qingqiu guarded her, and they passed another intersection without issues.

“I think I understand. No mark means straight, ‘X’ might mean left. But…” She felt uneasy, something indescribably strange nagging her.

“But it’s too easy, right? A crossroads with three paths, just a matter of trial and error?” Shen Qingqiu picked up on her thought.

Xiao Muyu nodded.

“But we have no choice. We need to find the maze’s exit within an hour. How big it is, nobody knows. Finding the exit by luck is impossible, we need clues.”

Xiao Muyu said while sharing her findings in the group chat. No matter what, they had to try. If Su Jin and the others could see it, it might help.

Shen Qingqiu smiled, looking ahead. “In that case, let’s be bold. Whether it’s right or not, we have to try. If something unwelcome appears, I’ll just have to increase my dowry to show my sincerity.”

Though Shen Qingqiu’s words were lighthearted, her demeanor was sharp and serious, not joking.

The vulnerability she showed earlier was gone, replaced by the same confidence and boldness she had when they first met.

Xiao Muyu found herself increasingly fond of Shen Qingqiu like this—fearless and unyielding.

Following the rules they discovered, the next stretch of their path was smooth. It seemed they had figured it out.

However, after another left turn, they saw two people—two girls. They were only two intersections apart, but Xiao Muyu couldn’t see who they were.

Given the unpredictable nature of this place, Xiao Muyu didn’t call out. She saw the two girls checking the doors on either side, then exchanging a few words before preparing to turn left.

At the moment they turned, a hand, dry and withered like a tree branch, shot out from the left passage. It moved so quickly that the two girls were caught off guard.

The room blocked the view of the girls, but Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu clearly heard the sound of flesh tearing and a muffled groan.

Next, the hand reappeared, holding something bloody that dripped steadily.

“Ah!” A scream pierced the silence and was abruptly cut off.

Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu stayed still as the hand casually tossed the bloody object, which rolled to a stop before them—it was a heart, still faintly beating.

Soon, the thing came into view—a desiccated corpse that had to bend to fit under the ceiling, staring at them with a grin.

“Too bad, it’s not your heart,” it said in a stiff, genderless voice dripping with malice. It was Liu Ya; they recognized her hand instantly.

Shen Qingqiu’s eyes gleamed with a cold, sharp light. She held back harsh words, knowing it wasn’t wise to provoke Liu Ya now.

“Don’t make a mistake, or else, hehe.” Liu Ya left a cryptic threat and vanished into the darkness.

Xiao Muyu looked at the crossroad in front of them. She noticed that there were no more X marks on the doors, but instead, a solid black dot.

The appearance of this new symbol added another layer of unpredictability.

What worried Xiao Muyu more was that the two girls had checked the doors before deciding to turn left, suggesting they had figured out the pattern.

Given how far they had come, it seemed they were following the right rules. So why did turning left here trigger the death trap?

Author’s Note:

The relationship has become clear, and this arc is all about romance. One wall slam from Shen Qingqiu, and Xiao Muyu is hers.

Has anyone guessed the puzzle yet?

Dots and crosses—I’m asking the high school science students. I’ll explain to others later, so don’t worry if you’re confused.

A couple of days ago, someone gave a deep-water reward—our first in this story? Or maybe a few, I can’t remember. Tomorrow, I’ll try to give you an extra update, since it’s been a while. And the favorites count should reach ten thousand… kisses!