This sentence initially looks like the naive and innocent dream of a child who doesn’t know much about the world, but the addition of the words “kill them” etched deeply at the end gives it an inexplicable sense of shock and bewilderment.
The words of an innocent child and the heart of a murderer are both fully revealed in this sentence.
All seven people clearly saw the words above, and their expressions changed repeatedly. Especially Yang Rui, who suddenly remembered the mission they were about to complete.
Hou Liang, unable to contain himself, picked up another notebook. The words on it were written in a messy, crooked manner and didn’t seem special, but the last line read: “I want to be pretty like Sister Xiao Mei and have a beautiful mouth.”
“Is this Xiao Qin’s notebook?” Zhang Yangfeng saw the contents and asked.
“Yes,” Hou Liang nodded.
The notebooks of all eight children were flipped through, and the last page of each contained the child’s wish.
Shen Qingqiu reached out and took Xiao Jiao’s notebook, then handed it to Xiao Muyu.
On the last page of Xiao Jiao’s notebook, the writing was different from her crooked handwriting. It was neat and had a distinctive personal style, somewhat familiar.
“Xiao Mei wrote this,” Xiao Muyu said. It read: “I hope you can be smarter and protect yourself.”
Shen Qingqiu looked at the writing and thought for a moment: “This makes me understand why Xiao Jiao corresponds to you, Muyu. In terms of intelligence, who among us is smarter than Xiao Muyu?”
“So, you mean the correspondence isn’t just about similar characteristics, but also about what they aspire to become?” Liu Pei, whose face rarely changed, showed a slight hint of tension.
“It’s very possible.”
Not every child’s wish among the eight was strong, but their preferences could be gleaned from them.
“By the way, do you remember the children each of you faced?” Xiao Muyu recalled the past and reminded everyone.
“Yes, yes,” With Xiao Muyu’s prompt, everyone found the child who had pointed at them and quickly compared their notes.
“Right now, we can confirm that Xiao Mei corresponds to Shen Qingqiu, Xiao Jiao corresponds to me, Xiao Mei to Yang Rui, Xiao Qin to Liu Pei, Xiao Yan to Zhang Yangfeng, Xiao Yue to Huang Junfeng, and Xiao Han to Hou Liang. Check if this matches what’s in their notebooks.”
After checking, everyone had different expressions. After a while, Huang Junfeng hesitantly said, “It seems to match.”
He glanced at what Xiao Yue wrote, hoping to become a talkative person. Did that mean he was very chatty?
Xiao Mei was the child who loved beauty the most, obsessed with bows, which matched Yang Rui’s past.
The overly obese Xiao Yan hoped to become tall and strong, corresponding to Zhang Yangfeng.
Xiao Qin had a congenital cleft lip. Everyone looked at Liu Pei, and Huang Junfeng couldn’t help but laugh: “Liu Pei’s lips are indeed full and pretty.”
Hearing this, Liu Pei glared at him fiercely, his expression sour.
Only Hou Liang remained silent, holding Xiao Han’s notebook. Xiao Han’s wish was: “I hope I can have a family.”
Initially, everyone wasn’t surprised by this wish, but now if these wishes corresponded to them, Hou Liang’s wish seemed off.
Hou Liang understood their confusion. He lowered his head and after a while said, “This isn’t just his wish; it’s mine too.”
Seeing everyone’s surprised faces, he explained bitterly, “I also grew up in an orphanage. No one adopted me, and I stayed there until I graduated from high school and got a job.”
He had written such a wish before when his companions were adopted. Coming to this world, it seemed to reflect his real-life experiences and chose him.
“Alright, we’ve solved a major problem. We have basically identified which child corresponds to whom, so the observations you made earlier are useful now.
Additionally, there’s something I need to tell you. I found an ink mark on Xiao Qiu’s left hand.
You should remember that last night Jia Wenlong used the ink line, leaving a mark on Xiao Liu’s doll’s hand. Do you understand what I mean?”
Hou Liang was stunned: “You mean we can…”
Shen Qingqiu immediately raised his finger to his lips: “Shh.”
Hou Liang understood, and everyone else looked at him, both excited and nervous.
Hou Liang nodded in reassurance.
“Do you have any clues for that problem you’re working on?” Zhang Yangfeng asked anxiously.
Xiao Muyu pondered for a moment: “We have some clues, but we still need specific evidence.”
She glanced at the key in her hand: “We need to go to a few more places.”
As they were about to leave, they suddenly realized that Qu Muxi was standing behind them. Turning around to face her, they were all startled.
Standing at the back, Huang Junfeng quietly closed the cabinet, and Xiao Muyu handed the key behind her back to Shen Qingqiu, who put it in his pocket. Within a few breaths, everyone acted as if nothing had happened.
Qu Muxi stared at them without saying a word, finally fixing her gaze on Xiao Muyu. Her eyes, undisguised in their scrutiny, made Xiao Muyu feel like she was just a vase for Qu Muxi’s amusement.
This gaze was very out of place on someone as beautiful as Qu Muxi. Xiao Muyu spoke calmly, “Director Qu, weren’t you taking the children for a nap? Why…”
Because not only Qu Muxi was here, but also the eight children.
Qu Muxi smiled, seemingly indifferent to their presence, and said, “The children were having so much fun with you that they refused to take a nap. I thought, since you are so enthusiastic, you might be willing to accompany them. Since they won’t sleep, let’s play a game.”
As soon as the word “game” was mentioned, everyone’s faces changed instantly. What did she mean?
“Kagome, Kagome…” Qu Muxi began singing the creepy nursery rhyme with a smile.
The childish voice was replaced by her low, gloomy tone, making the song even more chilling. The terrifying memories of last night resurfaced, and Yang Rui couldn’t help but grab Zhang Yangfeng’s sleeve. He immediately stood in front of her, protecting her.
After singing a few lines, Qu Muxi enjoyed their expressions with satisfaction and said softly, “Have you heard of the nursery rhyme ‘Bird in a Cage’? It’s an old game. Xiao Jiao and the others used to love playing it. Why don’t you join them? They’ll be very happy.”
After she finished speaking, the eight children behind her moved eerily like puppets, instantly appearing in front of her, staring at them.
Hou Liang and the others couldn’t bear it any longer and staggered back a few steps, their breathing becoming rapid.
Qu Muxi seemed particularly happy, her gaze fixed on them. Xiao Muyu noticed that Qu Muxi was not looking at them but at the eight children, her eyes filled with a mocking smile.
She then took a step back, clapped her hands, walked around the eight children, and stood in front of Xiao Muyu, staring at her. “This game needs one person to be ‘it’. You are so beautiful, it would be pleasing to watch you play. So, you be ‘it’.”
She spoke slowly, not at all considering that her words were essentially asking for someone’s life.
Yang Rui’s eyes were filled with tension, and Hou Liang and the others looked at Xiao Muyu with fear and sympathy.
At that moment, their relief outweighed their worry and sympathy for Xiao Muyu.
Qu Muxi watched Xiao Muyu with interest, ready to sing “Bird in a Cage” again.
But before she could start, a strong wind blew past, and the figure in her sight changed from Xiao Muyu to Shen Qingqiu. Without a word, Shen Qingqiu’s long leg kicked her squarely in the chest.
Shen Qingqiu’s kick was terrifyingly powerful. Despite Qu Muxi’s height of 1.65 meters, she was kicked straight into the classroom’s bulletin board and fell heavily to the ground, shattering the board like a spider web.
Qu Muxi stiffly lifted her head from the ground, her face filled with disbelief. Not only was Qu Muxi stunned, but Yang Rui and the others were also left in shock, their jaws nearly dropping.
Shen Qingqiu had completely shed her bandages, holding a dagger in her right hand and looking coldly at Qu Muxi. The latter, now as rigid as a piece of wood, bounced up from the ground, staring at Shen Qingqiu in disbelief.
Shen Qingqiu’s expression was cold, her voice icy: “Did I agree to let her be ‘it’?”
With that, she moved swiftly, leaping onto a chair and lunging with her dagger aimed at Qu Muxi’s throat.
Qu Muxi’s eyes widened and she instantly teleported to the opposite corner. Shen Qingqiu was equally fast, her dagger piercing through broken glass into the bulletin board, impaling a photograph.
Shen Qingqiu turned to look at Qu Muxi, whose shocked expression finally turned into a snarl.
At the same time, the eight children turned to look at Shen Qingqiu, their eyes completely black, their faces pale and lips bright red as if bloodthirsty, clearly not human.
The next moment, they opened their mouths, revealing rows of sharp, saw-like teeth, grinning at Shen Qingqiu.
The others in the classroom had already hidden in the chaos, looking very nervous.
Only Xiao Muyu stood there, her eyes fixed on Qu Muxi and the eight children, ready to help at any moment.
Shen Qingqiu sneered, “I’ve put up with this for long enough. What do you think you are? You’re just a piece of garbage who can’t let go even after death. And you eight foolish little ghosts, shut your mouths. You look terrible. Can’t you see what that thing really is?”
Her scolding left the eight ghosts bewildered, especially Xiao Mei, the sharpest among them, who glanced at Qu Muxi in confusion.
Shen Qingqiu pulled out the dagger, took the photograph that had been impaled, and looked at Qu Muxi: “No matter how well you disguise yourself, you can’t hide your rotten stench. You reek of smoke. Pretending to be a woman? This is your true self, isn’t it? Get out here now, or I’ll beat you until you crawl out.”
With that, she threw the photograph and charged at Qu Muxi.
Qu Muxi’s face changed repeatedly under Shen Qingqiu’s insults, from anger to nervousness, until she could no longer maintain her original appearance. Her face started peeling, revealing sharp fangs as she lunged at Shen Qingqiu.
Xiao Muyu was startled and worried that the eight children would attack Shen Qingqiu together. She quickly said, “Xiao Mei, think carefully. Why would your Sister Qu let the three of us cook? We found a cabinet with bodies in it while looking for ingredients and accidentally opened it. This Qu Muxi is actually the former director you killed!”
The others hiding quickly chimed in.
“Yes, yes, your Sister Qu’s behavior is very strange. Don’t be controlled by the system. Use your brain.”
“She doesn’t walk gracefully like your Sister Qu and speaks in a weird, pretentious manner!”
“Think about it. Didn’t things start getting weird after noon? You weren’t close to her. Didn’t you suspect anything?”
Listening to them, Xiao Mei’s muddled thoughts began to clear up bit by bit.
In the next moment, her pitch-black eyes, devoid of any whites, were enveloped in a dark aura. Thick ghostly energy flowed from her eye sockets as she looked at Qu Mu Xi with extreme anger.
She suddenly appeared in front of Shen Qingqiu and Qu Mu Xi, opening her mouth wide and roaring at Qu Mu Xi. The sharp scream instantly pierced their eardrums, causing all the glass in the classroom to shatter with a crackling sound.
Yang Rui and the others couldn’t withstand the terrifying noise. They all screamed in pain, fell to their knees, and clutched their ears desperately.
Shen Qingqiu, who was closest, faced the full brunt of the attack. The shockwave from Xiao Mei’s furious scream sent her flying.
The sharp pain in her ears felt like knives stabbing and twisting inside. Shen Qingqiu let out a painful groan and rolled on the ground uncontrollably, banging her head against the floor in agony.
Xiao Muyu had experienced this pain before and fully understood its intensity. Seeing Shen Qingqiu in such pain, she hurriedly ran over, ignoring her own ear pain. She pressed Shen Qingqiu’s head tightly against her chest to prevent her from hurting herself.
She covered Shen Qingqiu’s left ear with her right hand, plugged her own left ear with her left hand, and pressed her head firmly against Shen Qingqiu’s head. This way, she blocked her own ears while securely protecting both of Shen Qingqiu’s ears.
Xiao Mei’s resentment reached its peak when she discovered that Qu Mu Xi was possessed. She abandoned all pretense and vented all her hatred and anger in her scream. The entire process lasted over twenty seconds, with unimaginable power.
Qu Mu Xi’s face twisted and deformed under Xiao Mei’s scream. A mass of black mist couldn’t withstand it and burst out of Qu Mu Xi’s body, fleeing through the shattered glass windows in a panic.
Xiao Mei’s blood-red mouth, grinning to the root of her ears, finally closed, and the screaming stopped.
Qu Mu Xi returned to her original appearance, her figure becoming translucent and ethereal, about to collapse.
Xiao Mei’s expression changed. Her terrifying ghostly face showed a clear emotion of worry as she quickly supported Qu Mu Xi.
“Sister Qu.” Not only Xiao Mei, but also Xiao Jiao and the others floated around, lightly bypassing Shen Qingqiu and Xiao Muyu, who were tightly embracing each other.
After Xiao Jiao’s sonic attack ceased, the sharp pain in Shen Qingqiu’s ears and head finally stopped, but her mind was still buzzing. She didn’t know how long it took before she felt herself being held tightly in someone’s arms.
The constant ringing in her ears prevented Shen Qingqiu from hearing any sounds, but the faint fragrance at her nose and the sensation on her face returned before her hearing did.
Amid the chaos in her mind, Shen Qingqiu recognized one piece of information: Xiao Muyu, who had been several meters away, was now holding her, with her hands tightly covering Shen Qingqiu’s hands over her ears.
Author’s Note: This was a mutual effort.
Xiao Shen: Moving against her in front of me? Never.
Xiao Xiao: …
Xiao Shen: You rushed to save me so anxiously, that’s love, right?
Xiao Xiao: No, I was afraid you’d go deaf.
Xiao Shen: That’s still love.
Xiao Xiao: I was afraid you’d go deaf and wouldn’t hear me roast you.
Xiao Shen: So, will love disappear?
