PTYS Chapter 99

At this moment, it was the day Lin Xue perished in the inferno.

Alarms blared incessantly in every room, quickly merging into a continuous din that disoriented everyone. The urgent, life-threatening warnings further panicked those already on edge.

Xiao Muyu frowned, feeling extremely irritable amidst the cacophony of alarms. Her discomfort was evident. Shen Qingqiu, who was holding her hand, noticed this and moved closer, covering Xiao Muyu’s ears with her hands.

The sharp, piercing sounds dulled, still clear but now with a buzzing undertone. The irritation that had troubled Xiao Muyu vanished instantly. She looked up at Shen Qingqiu, her gaze filled with a mix of distraction and bewilderment.

Seeing this, Shen Qingqiu felt uneasy and earnestly said to Xiao Muyu, “It’s okay, I’m here.”

Xiao Muyu didn’t respond, just kept looking at her.

The alarms lasted for over a minute. When they finally stopped, Shen Qingqiu released her hands and looked at Xiao Muyu with concern. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Xiao Muyu seemed still out of sorts and inexplicably said, “I just said something wrong.”

“What?” Shen Qingqiu didn’t catch on immediately.

“I said I understood Liu Ya’s feelings. Obviously, such words would only provoke her, but I still said it, unable to control myself.”

After saying this, her eyes flickered intensely for a moment, then she quickly averted her gaze and scanned the surrounding rooms.

Shen Qingqiu was confused, but before she could say more, Xiao Muyu had already composed herself, her eyes sharp and alert as she began to cautiously move around.

“If Su Jin and the others are in here too, then it’s likely there are more than just us. Maybe other students, who were supposed to be the prey, are in here too,” Xiao Muyu said, her calm demeanor restored as she analyzed the situation.

“Yes, but it hasn’t told us what the hunting method in this arena is.”

Shen Qingqiu knew it wasn’t the time to discuss other matters, so she suppressed her doubts for now. However, she couldn’t relax. The two strange alarms were unsettling; she couldn’t tell if they were warnings or threats, which frightened her for the first time.

After walking about fifty meters, Xiao Muyu had a good sense of the place. The area seemed vast, like a giant platform, with rooms labeled 409 standing like solitary columns in neat rows.

Each room had four doors, one on each wall, which was quite eerie. Xiao Muyu, with her keen eyesight, noticed some of the doors had a black “X” mark.

Upon first seeing this mark, Xiao Muyu paid attention. She observed that some rooms had several consecutive “X” marks, while others were blank.

She pondered this and realized the markings appeared without a clear pattern. However, whenever a door on the left had a mark, the corresponding door on the right did too, always appearing in pairs, typically two or more pairs in a row.

She wasn’t sure what this meant, but she was certain it was significant.

Meanwhile, Shen Qingqiu didn’t dwell too much on the scenery, focusing most of her attention on the gaps between the rows. Anything could emerge from any direction at any moment, so she stayed vigilant.

After a while with no incidents, Xiao Muyu stopped. Although she hadn’t covered a large area, the pattern was clear. She had a rough mental map and explained to Shen Qingqiu and Su Jin’s group, “From what I can see, there are many rooms labeled 409, like pieces on a chessboard.

“Each room is about twenty square meters and two-point-eight meters high, blocking part of the view, so be cautious when passing by.

“Each room has four doors, one on each wall, and every four rooms form a crossroads.

“Also, note that some doors have marks. I’ve seen ‘X’ marks on some, while others are blank. I can’t tell if it’s a letter, a cross, or something else, so keep that in mind.” Xiao Muyu detailed her findings.

“Understood,” came the reply, followed by footsteps. After a while, Chen Kaijie’s voice came through, “Team Leader Xiao, we also see X marks here. They appear just as you described, always on opposing doors. We’ve got the message and are now trying to pinpoint our location to meet up with you.”

“Okay, but without any reference points, I’m not sure of the direction,” Xiao Muyu said, unable to help frowning. Shen Qingqiu understood immediately and pulled out a dagger, carefully scratching the wall to test if it would leave a mark.

Shen Qingqiu quickly withdrew her hand, revealing a cloud-shaped outline with four dots below it and a lightning bolt pointing forward.

Xiao Muyu: “…”

“Does it look clear? Do you think they’ll understand it?” Shen Qingqiu asked.

Xiao Muyu, looking at the rainy cloud drawing, couldn’t help but smile a bit but responded indifferently, “Childish.”

Though she said that, Xiao Muyu naturally communicated to Su Jin and the others, “Qingqiu used a dagger to mark the wall on the right side of the room at about shoulder height. It’s a cloud with rain and lightning. Let us know if you see it.”

The three on the other side were puzzled by the complex marking.

After coordinating, Xiao Muyu continued forward, with Shen Qingqiu holding onto her, muttering, “You clearly like it, but you still call me childish.”

Xiao Muyu remained silent, her expression serious and aloof.

They hadn’t gone far when suddenly there was a loud, synchronized click, plunging the world into utter darkness. In this environment, it was enough to drive someone insane.

“Ah!” Shen Qingqiu immediately grabbed Xiao Muyu, her face full of vigilance. Around them, several screams rang out, both male and female, near and far, indicating there were indeed others present.

The darkness didn’t last long. Abruptly, all the red alarm lights turned on, flooding the space with a pervasive red glow. Every room’s entrance was lit with a red light, leaving everything else colorless.

The rooms labeled 409 glowed red under the lights, like eyes in the darkness, watching everything.

In the dim red light, the X marks on the rooms were faintly visible.

“Beep—beep—” After a few long beeps, a voice reminiscent of the night Luo Zihao died filled the air, mechanical yet gleeful, “Welcome to tonight’s game. You must remember the hide-and-seek game vividly, and tonight’s game won’t disappoint.

“This game lasts one hour. The objective is simple—survive and escape! Do whatever it takes to stay alive. Die here, and you’ll be dead forever in your dreams!”

The voice grew increasingly bloodthirsty, like a deranged killer.

“Now for the rules. This game is a large maze. Players must find the exit within an hour. The maze route is for you to discover, and clues are among you. Never forget your identity—students. What’s most important for a strong science class? Explore thoroughly.”

With that cryptic message, the voice disappeared, leaving Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu bewildered.

At that moment, a noise came from nearby. Without time to ponder the rules, Shen Qingqiu led Xiao Muyu forward cautiously.

With Shen Qingqiu by her side, Xiao Muyu felt secure, focusing her gaze on areas illuminated by the red lights, looking for any signs.

One, two, three… After passing five intersections, there were no marks on the rooms. At the sixth intersection, all four rooms had an “X” mark. Feeling a sudden unease, Xiao Muyu warned, “The mark, it’s appeared.”

Shen Qingqiu quickly acknowledged, slowing their pace.

Just as they crossed the intersection, one door suddenly burst open with great force, as if something inside had kicked it violently. The door grazed Xiao Muyu’s right arm and slammed into the wall. Simultaneously, a charred hand wrapped in flames reached out, clawing at Xiao Muyu’s throat with a burnt stench.

Shen Qingqiu had already pulled Xiao Muyu toward herself, but the agility of that hand was unexpected, catching them off guard despite their vigilance.

Fortunately, Xiao Muyu was quick to react, blocking the clawed hand aimed at her neck with her own arm. The hand clamped down on her arm like an iron vice, the searing pain causing her to grunt in pain.

“Muyu!” Shen Qingqiu cried out in alarm.

The pain didn’t last long. Shen Qingqiu swiftly reacted, severing the charred hand at the wrist with her blade. The hand gripping Xiao Muyu’s arm fell to the ground.

Clearly panicked, the severed hand tried to retreat back into room 409. But Xiao Muyu, gritting her teeth, stomped down on it hard.

Shen Qingqiu, initially stunned, took a decisive step forward, grabbed the severed hand, and yanked it out, snarling, “Stop hiding and come out!”

Her fierce action shocked whatever was inside, which let out a terrified shriek.

The frightened, skeletal creature was pulled out from the room. It had long arms, a gaunt face, and shriveled eyes filled with fear. It tried to scramble back, but Shen Qingqiu kicked it hard, sending it sprawling to the ground.

Xiao Muyu, seeing Shen Qingqiu’s ferocity, couldn’t help but laugh. This fierce woman seemed oddly adorable.

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Author’s Note:

Here’s a hint: this time we still have a science puzzle. What should it be? As a liberal arts major, I haven’t decided yet. Any suggestions are welcome.

This battle might make Xiao Shen famous among the ghosts, scaring them out of their wits. The little ghost might cry, “Scared to death.”