Chapter 202: The Last World
“ClaNG!”
“Clang clang!”
The sounds of large and small clocks being smashed rang one after another, the fragments of the clocks were mixed with the remains, bones and flesh, of human beings that were imprisoned inside the clock fell to the floor.
The players tore off all the clocks they could see from the wall, smashing them to the ground viciously. Together, they knocked down the grandfather clocks placed on the ground, trampled all the clocks and accessories that could be found and broke them to pieces. The crackling sound echoed in the empty halls and corridors.
There was a mess everywhere.
The entire interior of the villa was like a huge picture scroll stained with blood, with sticky and smelly blood flowing wantonly along the steps.
Soon, as the clocks were threw down one by one, the walls of the villa gradually changed.
As if invisible water surface was slowly rippling away, as if a layer of light illusion was stripped away from the building in front of them bit by bit.
Everyone watched those exquisitely coloured wallpapers, gorgeous and detailed decorations, and extravagant and exquisite sculptures disappear in front of their eyes like flowers in a mirror or moon in the water—the scene in front of them made them gasp involuntarily, a layer of cold sweat dripping on their backs.
The walls and the floor became like flesh and blood that had been stripped of a layer of skin. The scarlet surface was soft and slippery, the sticky dark red blood was slowly oozing from there constantly, it undulated strangely as if alive.
Everything in sight became dazzling scarlet.
It was as if they were standing in the insides of some kind of huge monster at the moment. Just a sight of this made people feel a kind of indescribable fear and shiver from depths of the soul.
Their feet and body were surrounded by this terrifying scene, their sanity was eaten away, the fear and rejection coming from depths of their souls.
“Ouch—”
A player with a low endurance couldn’t help lowering his head and retching.
He subconsciously stretched out his hand to hold onto the wall, but what he touched was the soft and slippery wriggling flesh. He couldn’t help but scream in horror and take a few more steps back, if it wasn’t for another player who helped him up quickly, he might have directly fallen to the ground.
Ge Xiu looked at the scene in front of him and narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
Could it be that destroying these watches…
was actually weakening this instance?
Suddenly, a violent trembling began to spread from the soft walls and floor. The players standing in the center were unable to stand stably due to the shock. They all looked around in panic, trying to find the source of the shaking.
Blood began to ooze from the wall in the distance, dripping down with tic, tic, terrifying waves rushed through the corridor like through a pipe made out of flesh and blood,
the scarlet sea seemed to possess a mind, as if wishing to swallow everything it passed by. It rushed towards the direction of the players at once—!
“Run!”
Someone yelled and the stunned players turned around as if they had just woken up from a dream and ran towards the not flooded with blood end of the corridor.
Ge Xiu narrowed his eyes and took a fixed look at the surging bloody waves, his expression did not change much.
He turned his head to look at the exhausted players, shrugged nonchalantly, and followed with long steps.
The players tried their best to run forward. They were panting, their faces were pale and they exerted their full physical potential just to escape.
However, the interior of the current villa was quite different from what it was previously. All markers disappeared, leaving only the almost identical flesh-red walls and ground. Every road in front of them seemed to show no difference, only winding and leading to the distance. The blood colour occupied everyone’s vision, as the players fled in a panic, circling like a headless chicken in the labyrinth-like scarlet corridor, but no matter how much they run around, they were helpless to escape.
Their physical strength was rapidly being exhausted.
The sea of blood behind him was getting closer and closer.
The viscous waves roared towards them, the heavy stench swallowed the players first.
Soon, the slowest player was sucked into the sea of blood with a scream.
Then there was the next one.
Players watched desperately as their companions disappeared one by one, their speed still getting slower and slower.
The ground was soft and sticky, sucking their legs and feet like a swamp, viciously eating away at their physical strength, but the waves chasing after them seem to be tireless, constantly devouring behind them. eating away at the distance between them bit by bit——until finally it caught up without a doubt, there was only an overwhelming scarlet in front of their eyes, the thick rusty smell almost becoming tangible.
Ge Xiu looked around.
Now, the only ones who were still running were Du Yan and another experienced player.
——and the two of them were already out of breath, it was obvious that they would not be able to hold on any longer.
The experienced person was the first to be unable to continue.
After he fell, it was soon Du Yan’s turn.
Du Yan tripped over the soft and sticky ground under his feet and he fell to the ground in despair. Before his vision was swallowed up by rich red, he saw someone stop just a few steps away from him.
The young man in a white shirt suddenly stopped and turned to look at him.
The face that looked as if carefully carved by the creator was still unfathomable and peaceful, as if the life-endangering scene in front of him was just a passing moment. Just like what other players mentioned before, no matter what he was facing, his reactions were always too indifferent and calm, almost making others feel fear from the bottom of their hearts.
The tumbling blood waves were reflected in those black eyes, like a strange condensed crimson gleam, shining in the dark lifeless abyss.
At that moment, Du Yan’s hairs stood on end.
He actually subconsciously equated the other party with the boss of this instance…
Du Yan couldn’t even deceive himself, it wasn’t just a momentary illusion.
Because at that moment, he couldn’t feel more clearly that the existence of these two people gave him such a similar feeling.
In the next second, everything in the field of vision went dark.
Vision, touch, hearing, everything fell into chaos, light, shadow and sound disappeared at the same time, as if they didn’t exist in this world at all.
Not knowing how long it has been.
It might have been just a few seconds, or it might have been centuries.
Du Yan opened his eyes suddenly, gasping for breath, his mind was still blank, the feeling of floating in the air with nothing to support left his mind and body confused, unable to focus for a long time.
He was shocked to find that he was still alive.
Du Yan looked around.
He found that he and the other players were sitting on the chairs, the expressions of the others were equally shocked and dazed, as if they couldn’t believe what they saw in front of them, just staring at the scene around them dumbfoundedly.
It was a huge hall with a high ceiling, a huge and bright crystal chandelier hung from above, illuminating the entire room in every detail.
The walls and floors looked normal— thank goodness.
Du Yan suddenly realized that the place where he and other players were now happened to be the place where they escaped with their lives on the string almost half an hour ago.
The same dining hall.
But everything in front of them seems to have undergone tremendous changes.
The previous long table was gone, the baron’s huge and ugly corpse had also disappeared, and all the blood spattered on the surrounding walls and carpets had been cleaned up, as if the blood-chilling scene that happened before only existed in everyone’s imagination. If it wasn’t for the exact same lay-out and decorations, they would even wonder if they were just having a long dream.
Instead, the bright lights were on as well as exquisite dance floor.
It was almost like… a dance party? ? ?
Du Yan was puzzled.
He looked towards the other end of the hall, then he was slightly taken aback, his eyes fixed on the thing that was placed directly in front of everyone, which did not exist in this room before.
It was a huge bone clock.
The white bones make up for its main body, shining a cold luster under the light, each bone on it was different in size, but they all were placed together in an extremely delicate structure, while on the base of the clock, they was a neatly arranged circle of skulls. The dark eye sockets stared at the crowd blankly, making people feel chilled.
——How many human lives would be needed to create such a huge bone clock?
From the bottom to the top, the near-down bones were still covered with dark yellow from age, but st the whiter top, the two tibias of different sizes, lengths, and thicknesses were extremely fresh and cold white, with even some traces of remaining blood and flesh that haven’t been cleaned to the end.
It all showed, that the bone clock took a very long time to complete.
And the two players who died in this dungeon just contributed the last incomplete parts to it.
In the center of the dial, there was a mass of living flesh and blood inlaid.
It was still beating constantly, like moving stomach or a huge heart, driving the pointer to move regularly, and behind the spreading white bone clock, something resembling a blood vessel was spreading from the center of the bone clock.
Du Yan didn’t know if it was his own delusion, he always felt that those scarlet and dark blue blood vessels were constantly drilling towards the bottom of the wall, as if they were constantly expanding and spreading until they swallowed up the whole world.
At this moment, the door not far away opened soundlessly.
The players who were still discussing in a low voice panically just now fell silent. For a moment, all eyes were on the open door, and everyone waited abated breath.
Outside the door came a chaos of darkness and scarlet.
A man walked in wearing a well-tailored old-fashioned dress. This dress set off his broad shoulders and narrow waist, as well as his slender figure and made his complexion paler, resembling a dead person. He no longer restrained his aura and the gloomy dark eyes swept towards the crowd casually, the almost inhuman hostility in them pierced the players like cold steel needles. His ruthless gaze was as if he was sweeping across a piece of lifeless vegetation and rocks, that kind of absolute indifference and cruelty made everyone feel cold down their backs.
As if pacing around a sleeping beast, the players subconsciously breathed lightly and looked away, as if they were afraid of attracting the other’s attention.
Behind the other, the door slammed shut, blocking the frightening other world behind the door.
The man walked straight towards the players.
Everyone’s hairs stood on end, wishing they could dig three feet into the ground and escape as far as they could.
The man stopped in front of one of them.
His eyes changed.
As if gazing at the most precious treasure in the entire world, he stared fixedly at the young man in front of him, his eyes were so gentle that they almost melted.
The man bent down with one hand behind his back.
The pale and slender palm stretched out, making an inviting gesture: “Excuse me, could I have this honor…?”
The young man stretched out his hand and placed it on the other’s palm.
The man’s face looked as if it lit up instantly, his the light-colored thin lips curved slightly. He held the other’s hand in his palm cherishingly, led the young man who stood up and slowly walked onto the dance floor.
Almost at the same time, melodious music begun playing.
Du Yan looked at the two people standing in the middle of the dance floor—their figures equally slender, with handsome faces, they matched so well that it looked pleasing to the eye when they stood there.
But Du Yan didn’t think so.
The moment he saw Ge Xiu, right before being swallowed by the blood wave, that scene was like imprinted on the retina and his own feelings at that time reappeared clearly, sweeping over like tsunami.
Those dark eyes that reflected the color of blood stared at him calmly, looking over time and space.
Du Yan was suddenly terrified.
At that moment, he was absolutely convinced of his opinion at the time.
That young man was definitely not a player.
It was the exactly same monster as that man.
At the center of the dance floor.
Under the watchful eyes of countless complicated eyes, Ge Xiu’s expression did not change. Accompanied by the music, he moved forward, backward, and swirled skillfully.
Never stepping on each other’s feet.
The cooperation between the two was so perfect, as if this wasn’t the first time they danced together.
The man lowered his eyes slightly, his deep and gloomy gaze fell on the young man’s white as porcelain profile. His gaze was so hot that it seemed to be able to pierce through other’s skin, and see directly into the deeply hidden heart, his voice was low and deep, with a slight tremor in his chest: “…you dance very well.”
Ge Xiu raised the corners of his lips:
“I had a good teacher.”
The man frowned, questioning subconsciously: “Who…”
As soon as the first word was blurted out, he couldn’t help but pause, some blurred and fragmented pictures flashed through the depths of his mind at that moment, making him stunned for a while.
Blue-purple scales shimmering in the moonlight.
The fragrance of tulips in the air.
The bright lights on the dance floor, the sparkling silk skirts, the rustling sound of fabrics, the fragrance of clothes, the ears and temples rubbing against each other.
For a moment, the fragmented image passed through his mind and disappeared, like quicksand that could not be grasped no matter how tightly he held it, leaving no trace in his mind.
The man frowned suspiciously, his steps going wrong for a second.
Ge Xiu left his hand, took two steps back, and said calmly: “You stepped on me.”
The man was a little annoyed.
He opened his mouth and said, “I’m sorry…”
But before he finished speaking, Ge Xiu interrupted him without hesitation: “Now that we’ve reached this point, don’t talk about what you have and what you don’t have.”
The man looked back at him.
Ge Xiu narrowed his eyes:
“Would you mind telling me what happened in this instance?”
In an identity of a ghost, the opponent was dominated and bound by resentment, making it much harder than other instances and it also much more difficult to wake up his sanity.
Therefore, Ge Xiu was still somewhat interested in the plot of this instance before being overwritten by [him].
The man smiled slightly: “Of course I don’t mind, my bride.”
The basic plot of this instance was very cliché.
The Wright family was a noble family in poverty. Due to profligacy and poor management, their life had become more and more desolate as time went by, even to the point where they were about to sell their house. Mrs. Wright found a way to completely change their lives in this ancestral villa—— make a deal with a sorcerer, who would tell them how to prosper, so they requested a meeting from this sorcerer.
The sorcerer taught them a way.
As long as a person’s human organs were used to make bone clocks every year, they would be able to maintain their wealth and prosperity forever.
The life of a servant was not worth much at the time, and as the Wright family prospered again, their network allowing them to cover up became much stronger, it couldn’t be easier to cover up the disappearance of a mere civilian.
But, as the days passed, the Wright’s daughter grew up, the reputation for her beauty spread throughout the country.
The sorcerer fell in love with her at first sight.
So, finally, it was time for him to ask for something in return.
He asks Miss Wright to marry him.
However, Miss Wright had fallen in love with another nobleman, so she eloped with him on the eve of the wedding.
The man stared fixedly at Ge Xiu, with a gentle and affectionate smile on his lips: “I have searched for so long and finally found you.”
He raised his hand and gently rubbed the young man’s cheeks with his cold knuckles in front of him:
“My bone clock is finally finished.”
Ge Xiu turned his head to look at the huge bone clock beside him, frowned slightly, and asked, “What is it for?”
“This is my masterpiece, which is different from the inferior products created by the Wright family.” The man smiled: “It is an anchor. I know that where we are now is just an instance inside a game and its existence can devour this already weakened game. The moment it is finally eaten, this world will be warped to our will—we can live in this world that is shaped by us, living happily ever after.”
He looked fixedly at Ge Xiu, with a deep and soft voice, like whispers in one’s dreams: “——you will never be able to leave my side again.”
It was quite similar to the instrument in the ABO world, in short, it was to bind his mental body in this world forever.
Ge Xiu raised an eyebrow.
——Possessiveness kills people.
Ge Xiu turned his head to look at the man standing in front of him, and continued to ask, “So, you made the clock in front of you yourself?”
“Yes.”
The smile on Ge Xiu’s lips deepened.
That’s why he choose that moment to remind the other party of what happened in the previous world—— so that he could control the place they would stop in the hall.
He asked: “If you break the other clocks, you will weaken the instance—what if it’s this bone clock?”
The man was startled.
The next second, before he could react, Ge Xiu turned his wrist, pulled out the knife that was hidden by his side at the beginning and then stabbed hard at the bone clock with his backhand, the blade rubbed against the bones and sank deeply into pulsating mass at the middle.
“Oh!” The man’s eyes widened suddenly and he raised his hand to cover his stomach.
A trace of scarlet blood spilled from between his pale and slender fingers.
In an instant, their roles were reversed and the world was turned upside down.
No player could have predicted the rapidly changing developments before them.
Everyone was dumbfounded, dumbstruck even, staring blankly at the unexpected development in front of them. They could never have dreamed that this would be the development of this situation.
Ge Xiu held the handle of the knife and looked down at the other party, with a sneer on his lips: “…Miss Wright?”
He held the handle of the knife and slowly rotated it, crackling sound of the blade rubbing against the bone was extremely piercing.
More blood spilled, dripping to the ground.
Ge Xiu grasped the handle of the knife and cut downward, the dial of the bone clock cracked, making a harsh rattling sound: “And, fiancée?”
The man frowned slightly, as if he was in great pain.
Ge Xiu’s eyes were deep and his heart was unrelenting. He pushed the blade a few inches in again: “I see you are crying out really heartily.”
The smile on his face became sweeter and more harmless:
“What’s my name? Can you say it again?”
—————————————————————–
The players: ….a couple’s quarrel? at THIS time?
