She had originally thought all ghostly monsters were about the same. The plan had been to release the ghost from the doll, wait for it to fight the middle-aged male ghost, and then use the chaos to escape. But now, the supposedly ferocious male ghost was being ground into the floor. Even when he tried to flee, he was dragged back.
If she had been terrified moments before, now she felt a strange sense of release.
If she couldn’t run, so be it. If ghosts and monsters truly existed in this world, then she would surely become a ghost herself after death.
Wasn’t that just another form of rebirth? It would be a pain not being able to go out in broad daylight, and there were many restrictions on ghosts, but still.
Zhao Mingyue had already begun to contemplate her life as a ghost when noise came from the doorway again.
Under the middle-aged ghost’s terrified gaze, Bai Yu stomped down, crushing his skull. Countless Blood Threads drilled out of her body and brutally stabbed into the male ghost’s form. In a mere ten or so seconds, the ghost dissolved into a wisp of black smoke and was absorbed into Bai Yu’s body.
“He was… eaten?” Zhao Mingyue’s pupils constricted. She truly hadn’t expected it to end like this.
The temperature in the bathroom showed no sign of rising. The chilling wind bit into her bones. In her eyes, Bai Yu’s appearance was nowhere near as disgusting and horrifying as the middle-aged ghost’s, but the oppressive pressure she radiated was immeasurably stronger.
It felt like an invisible hand was clamped around her throat, making it hard to breathe.
If the middle-aged ghost had given her the feeling that there was still a chance to flee, Bai Yu left her with absolutely no retreat, as if she could be killed at any moment.
An eerie silence filled the cramped space. Her feet felt frozen to the floor, so Zhao Mingyue could only force an incredibly stiff smile.
The male ghost had been solely focused on killing her. Bai Yu might not be the same. She was the ghost from the doll, and she had just blocked the door to save her.
“Um, h-hello?”
Her smile was rigid as she raised a hand.
The moment the words left her mouth, she saw Bai Yu move. With a beckoning gesture, Bai Yu retrieved the rabbit doll suspended in mid-air by the Black Mist and gently placed it in her palm.
Since Bai Yu’s back was to her, Zhao Mingyue couldn’t see the expression on her face. She could only steel herself and continue, “Is this rag doll yours? It’s… it’s a very pretty doll. But I only just got it today, I really don’t know anything…”
Misery filled her heart. She was just an ordinary second-year high school student. Her parents had disappeared, and she had been raised by her older sister. Then her sister vanished too. To pay for her tuition and living expenses, she worked night shifts at a convenience store every day. She had recently taken leave to try once more to find her sister.
Instead of finding her sister, a simple game had brought her into contact with a completely different world.
And now, a Fierce Ghost of unknown allegiance was blocking the doorway, preventing her from leaving.
“How did you come by this doll?” Bai Yu turned around, glancing sideways at Zhao Mingyue.
This was the first time Zhao Mingyue saw Bai Yu’s face clearly. She was beautiful, so much so that words failed to describe the feeling. It was a sickly, fragile kind of beauty. Her features were delicate and refined, her disheveled black hair creating a stark contrast against her pale skin.
She wasn’t tall, maybe around 1.6 meters, and looked about sixteen. Her body was frail beneath the white dress, so delicate and vulnerable that she resembled a doll, a sight that easily stirred the deepest desires to both protect and destroy.
Yes, destroy. Because she looked so perfect, yet so terribly fragile.
Of course, all these thoughts were based on the premise of ignoring her pale, almost bluish skin, the black, crack-like patterns that covered her body, and those crimson eyes hidden beneath the ink-black hair.
She was a ghost, and a Fierce Ghost at that.
“If I said it just suddenly appeared here, would you believe me?” For some reason, the fear in Zhao Mingyue’s heart wasn’t as intense anymore.
Bai Yu’s behavior was the complete opposite of the male ghost’s.
That ghost had possessed only madness, completely devoid of reason. Bai Yu, on the other hand, was not only calm, but could also communicate.
This was undoubtedly a good thing. If she had reason and could communicate, then the situation was manageable.
“This person is alive, and without a doubt one of the comic characters. The game’s rule is to capture the Male Lead and five Supporting Characters. Including the Male Lead, there are five males and one female. The female is the Female Lead of the comic. No doubt about it, this is her.” Bai Yu mused internally, having already confirmed Zhao Mingyue’s identity.
This was her privilege. She didn’t need to entangle herself with the male characters; she could just focus her target on the Female Lead. She just hadn’t expected to make contact with the Female Lead so easily.
Leaning against the wall, Zhao Mingyue blinked. Why was this ghost just staring at her without saying a word?
“Hey, I really did just get this doll by accident, just a moment ago.” She waved her small hand at Bai Yu, gesturing towards the doorway. “That ghost was banging on the door earlier. I was just standing in front of the mirror with my eyes closed. When the noise stopped, I realized it was this doll that had blocked the door for me.”
“So, um, thank you. If it weren’t for you, I definitely would’ve been eaten by that ghost just now.”
As she finished speaking, her eyes were lowered, but then she lifted them to glance at Bai Yu.
That single glance was a mistake. As soon as she looked up, she saw Bai Yu’s figure appear less than half a meter in front of her. Those black eyes, devoid of any white and filled with bloody threads, stared intently at her, carrying an emotion she couldn’t decipher.
Bai Yu raised her hand. Blood Threads slithered up Zhao Mingyue’s calf, coiling around the black phone in her pocket and pulling it out.
The instant the phone was removed, Bai Yu felt a burning sensation. The Blood Threads were actually being ignited and melted by the phone’s outer casing!
Seeing the phone fall from her pocket, Zhao Mingyue, with quick reflexes, snatched it out of the air.
Her finger accidentally pressed the power button. The screen lit up, and she glanced quickly, noticing that aside from the photos, the phone’s desktop was now flooded with bullet comments, scrolling rapidly.
【Holy crap, so cute! Bros, I’m licking the screen first! (slurp slurp)】
【This is Blade Devil? (Shocked) But damn, she’s fine.】
【As expected of the Female Lead, playing this kind of game in the bathroom in the middle of the night. I’m getting scared too.】
【That male ghost got off easy. I want Little Sister Yu to step on me too QAQ】
【Well now, two female leads. Who do you guys like? I’m voting for Little Sister Yu.】
【Trash-tier taste above. I’ll take both!】
Zhao Mingyue’s fingers swiped quickly, minimizing the barrage of bullet comments to one side and revealing most of the desktop. She hastily held it up in front of Bai Yu.
She had already figured out Bai Yu’s identity. She had to be the older sister of that little girl in the photo, Bai Sisi!
If she was related to Bai Sisi, then she should be a young girl then.
A moment later…
“Haah… how long is she going to keep looking there?” Zhao Mingyue had cleaned up the bathroom, thrown the mirror fragments into the trash, and returned to the brightly lit living room. She saw Bai Yu still standing in front of the television. The black phone was propped up on the TV stand.
Walking past, she caught a glimpse of the screen. Vaguely, she saw a few bullet comments: something about “my wife is watching me,” something about “that’s clearly my wife,” and another one saying “you guys have great wives.” Zhao Mingyue broke into a cold sweat. She couldn’t understand who was sending these bullet comments. It felt strangely like a live stream.
“Um, my name is Zhao Mingyue. Do you have a name?” She looked at Bai Yu’s profile and tentatively spoke.
“Bai Yu.”
“Uh, then can I call you Sister Bai?”
“No need. Bai Yu is fine.”
Zhao Mingyue wanted to say more, but suddenly saw Bai Yu walk towards her. She watched, stunned, as Bai Yu melded directly into her own shadow.
Under the light, her shadow underwent a radical transformation. She herself had short hair and was wearing pajamas, but her shadow had taken on the form of someone with long hair and a dress.
Looking at her shadow, then at the doll beside the TV, Zhao Mingyue was dumbfounded.
Wasn’t this ghost supposed to live in the doll?! How did she get into her shadow!?
