Chapter 229: Frog Hospital (Part 21) Winner Takes All

A quarter of an hour ago, Huang Xiaofei took a stack of white papers from Qi Si, keenly sensing the oddity in his demeanor.

As she let the Ghosts pass and followed them towards the pond, she quickly flipped through the papers.

Sure enough, a crumpled, handwritten page fell out.

“Cheng An, I am Lu Zimo. I want to make a deal with you. If you help me kill Huang Xiaofei, I can transfer the Book of the Dead to you.”

Looking at these words written in Lu Zimo’s handwriting, Huang Xiaofei was so angry she laughed.

Qi Si betraying Lu Zimo was within her expectations; after all, for that young man with questionable combat strength to clear the instance smoothly, he would need her help.

What she didn’t expect was that Lu Zimo would be so foolish as to easily trust an outsider and conspire with him to harm his own sister.

Yes, her relationship with Lu Zimo was actually closer than what she had introduced; they were biological siblings, but one took their father’s surname and the other their mother’s.

Huang Xiaofei vaguely remembered that when she was sixteen, the day before her mother passed away, her mother held her hand and weakly said, “Manfei, you are the older sister, you must take good care of your younger brother.”

From then on, the days of playing wildly day and night outside vanished. She needed to constantly monitor the survival of her then eight-year-old brother and meticulously manage the trivialities of daily life.

Having enjoyed a comfortable life, encountering hardship became even more painful by comparison. The overwhelming fatigue, perhaps mostly stemming from their family’s decline, made Huang Xiaofei subconsciously feel it was all Lu Zimo’s fault.

Fortunately, as time passed, she gradually got used to Lu Zimo’s presence.

She realized that she and her brother were like two vines intertwined in a rock crevice, destined to be inseparable from birth. They relied on each other in this vast world, dispelling loneliness—an arrangement made by fate.

Lu Zimo was quiet and obedient, never causing trouble for anyone. On the few occasions of unexpected misfortune, Huang Xiaofei would forcefully help resolve them.

Making future plans, monitoring grades and social relationships, checking diaries and personal belongings—she was like a mother raising her child, managing everything meticulously and in an orderly fashion.

Days passed like this, and mutual dependence gradually became a habit. Huang Xiaofei controlled everything about Lu Zimo for ten years, driving away any men and women who tried to interfere in their lives.

Lu Zimo had also protested mildly a few times, or expressed dissatisfaction through silence, but Huang Xiaofei always managed to resolve it by giving a stick and then a carrot.

It’s hard for people to truly reflect on themselves. Although she realized she couldn’t tolerate change and was becoming obsessive, she didn’t think there was anything wrong with it.

The outside world was dangerous; most outsiders’ courtesies were either malicious or deceitful. They could only trust each other.

What’s more, she had paid and sacrificed so much for Lu Zimo without complaint, so what right did Lu Zimo have to object?

“Lu Zimo, haven’t I been good enough to you all these years?”

By the pond, Huang Xiaofei tightened the Paper Chains, pulling Lu Zimo in front of her, watching him with a cold smile.

The woman pulled out the white paper with the black, conspiratorial writing from her bosom and threw it at the young man’s face.

Under the pale moonlight, the cacophony of frog croaks sounded like infant cries. The rich scent of blood diffused in the night wind, eagerly drilling into everyone’s nostrils.

Lu Zimo shook off the crumpled paper and lifted his eyelids to glance at Qi Si, who stood nearby with an indifferent expression, understanding immediately.

It seemed it wasn’t an accident; the other party had anticipated it long ago. From the start, he had fallen into their trap… But why did things develop this way? The interests were clearly defined, so why would the other party betray him?

On the system interface, the words “Contract signed, this Contract is guaranteed by the rules of the world, no entity may defy it” were strikingly clear. Lu Zimo pondered in confusion, completely unable to figure out Qi Si’s method and reason for breaching the Contract… Risking failure was possible; any option that wasn’t foolproof was a gamble, and he could be doomed at any moment.

This rash action was too hasty. Huang Xiaofei wouldn’t let him go; he probably wouldn’t have another chance for a while… Huang Xiaofei saw the changes in Lu Zimo’s expression: astonishment, regret, and fear flashed one after another, but no guilt.

Her anger intensified, but she forced herself to suppress it, trying to calmly rebuke him: “Lu Zimo, if you have any opinions, can’t you tell me directly? Making a fool of yourself here, letting outsiders laugh at us.”

Since things had come to this, Lu Zimo simply stopped pretending and looked at her with a cold smile: “Huang Manfei, do you really not understand why?

“All these years, I’ve had nothing. All money, items, points, and inventory items are yours. I have to get your permission for everything. You’re just a selfish person who’s used to bullying others, yet you pretend to consider me. Don’t you find that laughable?”

This was the first time Huang Xiaofei had heard Lu Zimo express his opinion so directly. She was momentarily stunned, her heart aching as if tightly bound by a plastic film.

The complex emotion lasted only two seconds. She snapped back, shaking her head while laughing, “Lu Zimo, you really are an ungrateful wretch, inherently ignorant of kindness, just like your father.”

Some people can never be tamed, Huang Xiaofei thought once again.

Their shared father had once accumulated a mountain of debt, abandoning the entire family and disappearing without a trace. Lu Zimo must have inherited that man’s selfish genes to disregard his biological sister’s sacrifices.

Huang Xiaofei firmly believed this and resolved to properly teach her disappointing younger brother a lesson after leaving the instance.

—Even at this point, she still hadn’t thought of killing Lu Zimo.

After all, they only had each other. Living alone in the world was a very lonely thing.

“There will be plenty of time for reminiscing after the instance. Let’s discuss the next plan first.” Qi Si had appeared behind Huang Xiaofei at some point, his voice soft and gentle.

“Plan?” Huang Xiaofei kept her gaze on Lu Zimo, not turning her head. “Didn’t we already agree on it?”

Qi Si said, “After the Ghosts and frogs are both severely wounded, one person needs to stay on shore to provide support, and two people go into the water to find the passage.”

“I’ll stay on shore,” Huang Xiaofei said. “I’m good at dealing with Ghosts, so staying on shore can prevent unforeseen circumstances. Your physical strength and constitution as two grown men are definitely stronger than mine as a woman…”

She suddenly saw Lu Zimo’s pupils widen in shock, staring intently behind her, as if he had seen something incomprehensible.

The danger warning flashed wildly. She reacted extremely quickly, condensing a paper figure at her fingertips and flinging it behind her, but it was ultimately not fast enough to counter the sudden attack.

A cold and hard sensation precisely pierced her heart. A crystal pendulum dragging a black iron chain passed through her chest, devouring all the warmth of life.

The blooming blood seeped into her black bodysuit, then dripped down, faintly connecting with the damp earth.

Huang Xiaofei heard Qi Si’s smiling voice behind her: “I thought so-called combat-type players were amazing, but now it seems they’re not that hard to kill.”

His tone was mischievous, as if a playful child had dug up a crab on the beach and was sharing his findings with a playmate of similar age.

Huang Xiaofei felt a chilling coldness spread throughout her body, both physically and mentally.

She took a deep look at Lu Zimo, whose face still showed surprise, and finally understood Qi Si’s calculations in her last moments.

However, when a person is killed, they die. With a pierced heart, most humans cannot survive.

She ultimately couldn’t utter any words of warning, only coughed up blood in a pathetic state, falling straight forward.

Lu Zimo subconsciously shifted his body, catching the woman’s limp corpse with his chest.

His gaze passed over the woman’s black hair, somewhat unfocused, staring at Qi Si, who was holding the blood-colored pendulum.

Splattered blood stained the young man’s white shirt, and his figure, silhouetted against the moonlight, cast a slender shadow over his head. The pendulum in his hand, moistened by blood, refracted crimson light spots from various angles.

Noticing the doubt in his eyes, the young man tilted his head and smiled brightly: “Did you forget? The Contract is made. I promised you I would help you kill her.”

A drop of blood slid from the bottom edge of the crystal pendulum, fell to the ground, and seeped into the soil.

Lu Zimo’s neck belatedly felt the woman’s warm blood, and his Adam’s apple twitched as if seared.

It was as if only at this moment did he realize that Huang Xiaofei was dead. The connected bloodline soaked his patient gown, and he felt an inexplicable emptiness in his heart.

When Huang Xiaofei took out that paper filled with conspiracy, he truly believed that Qi Si had torn up the Contract beforehand and intended to cooperate with Huang Xiaofei instead.

After all, in terms of apparent strength, Huang Xiaofei was much stronger than him. Although she had various intolerable flaws, it didn’t prevent her from being an excellent partner.

And a Contract signed under the witness of rules might not be impossible to break. It was perfectly normal for the initiator of a transaction to have the right to interpret its terms. If it were him, he would also find ways to set up a few traps to gain something for nothing.

The moment Qi Si brought out the Cursed Pendulum, he had already resigned himself to fate, so much so that he didn’t even have time to feel the relief of surviving a disaster.

Too much had happened in just a few minutes, turning everything upside down like a nightmare.

It took a full minute for Lu Zimo to realize what had happened. His brain’s emotion-generating mechanism resumed operation, and he belatedly felt genuine joy, revealing a smile of fulfilled wishes.

He twisted his body, wanting to stand up, but his limbs wouldn’t obey.

Items outside the inventory would not disappear with the owner’s death. The Paper Chains Huang Xiaofei had summoned before her death were still tightly binding his hands and legs.

“Cheng An, please help unlock the chains, thank you.” Lu Zimo looked at Qi Si, his voice maintaining the calm and reserve of a collaborator.

Qi Si lowered his eyelids and softly uttered three words: “Book of the Dead.”

The phantom of a golden vine, symbolizing rules, merged into Lu Zimo’s chest, pulling out a small booklet made of human skin and presenting it to Qi Si.

Qi Si reached out and took it.

【Name: Book of the Dead (Damaged)】

【Type: Item】

【Effect: Causes the holder to exhibit characteristics of the undead and gain some abilities of the undead (not used in current instance)】

【Note: Praise be to God, let the dead rest in the underworld and awaken in daylight】

Sun Dekuan had long since shrunk back to the edge of the pond when Huang Xiaofei attacked Lu Zimo, trying to minimize his presence.

At first, he thought the plan had changed, then he realized Qi Si was backstabbing a teammate, and finally he understood that Qi Si wasn’t backstabbing, but simply too good at acting… Sun Dekuan was completely bewildered, unable to keep up with the pace of events.

He silently sighed, “City people sure know how to play,” and unconsciously looked at Huang Xiaofei’s corpse with a hint of pity.

After all, Huang Xiaofei had never done anything outrageous to him, so there was no talk of mortal enmity.

The unfortunate experiences Lu Zimo spoke of at most evoked his sympathy, but couldn’t ignite a sense of shared hatred.

He was timid, afraid of Ghosts and people. He couldn’t be a benevolent saint, but he had never thought of harming anyone either.

But the opinions of people like him were the most insignificant in the grand scheme of things; all he could do was go with the flow.

Sun Dekuan figured the dust had settled, so he jogged a few steps to Lu Zimo’s side, lowering his head to examine the Paper Chains binding him: “I’m not saying anything, but this thing looks a bit troublesome. I wonder if it’ll dissolve if it gets wet?”

“Probably not.” Lu Zimo watched Qi Si, saying faintly, “Cheng An, I’ve given you the Book of the Dead. Your pendulum should be able to cut through the Paper Chains. Please help me unlock them quickly.”

Qi Si casually rolled the Book of the Dead into a bundle and stuffed it into his pocket, simultaneously severing the conscious connection.

He seemed to finally remember Lu Zimo’s presence, lowered his head, and smiled, showing his teeth: “If I recall correctly, that wasn’t mentioned in the Contract.”

Lu Zimo froze for a moment, then immediately realized what Qi Si intended to do and opened his mouth to question him.

Qi Si had anticipated this, grabbed a towel from his backpack, and stuffed it into Lu Zimo’s mouth, maintaining the quiet of the scene.

Sun Dekuan watched from nearby, utterly surprised that things could unfold this way.

He widened his eyes, about to ask, when he heard the young man say in a matter-of-fact tone: “Huang Xiaofei is dead. Our combat strength isn’t enough, so the next actions must be more careful. We need to choose a cannon fodder for trial and error, don’t we?”

Qi Si bent slightly, facing Lu Zimo, and made an untimely joke: “Besides, Lu Zimo, didn’t you say that Huang Xiaofei often made you clear the way and test things? You’re a professional at this, just consider it re-employment after being laid off.”

This wasn’t funny.

Lu Zimo wanted to curse, but his muffled mouth couldn’t utter a sound.

Under the moonlight, the Statue of the Virgin Mary sat peacefully on the high platform, oblivious to the human conspiracies; the pool of blood-red water had long ceased to ripple, serene like a mirror polished from amber.

In a night without frog croaks or cries, Qi Si turned and walked towards the pond, saying, “Sun Dekuan, let’s find the passage as soon as possible.”

Sun Dekuan looked at the crimson pond water, feeling as disgusted as if countless small insects were crawling inside him.

Qi Si was a scumbag, a villain, an unpredictable madman, capable of betraying trust at any moment, and not shying away from vicious methods to deal with anyone… Cooperating with such a person was like asking a tiger for its skin; one should stay as far away as possible!

But in the end, Sun Dekuan still didn’t voice his refusal. He merely trembled his lips and said, “Alright… alright, Brother Cheng, I’m coming now…”