A blinding flash of white, and Zhou Xiao Zhen stumbled back, blinking away spots. The room swam into focus – utterly empty. She shoved the door open and bolted into the corridor, her heart thudding a frantic rhythm against her ribs.

    Deserted. It was as if everyone had simply ceased to exist. A tremor of fear ran through her, but she tamped it down. She had faced enough weirdness in her life to have developed a healthy dose of cynicism, and a whole lot of courage. Besides, panicking wouldn’t help anyone. Sёarch* The N??eFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    It was better to be prepared. With practised ease, she pulled out her trusty talisman tools and function cards.

    “Smiley!” she called out, her voice echoing eerily in the silence. “Misty, where are you?”

    Silence. Then, the faint murmur of voices, coming from the room next door. She raced towards the sound, hope surging. But the door wouldn’t budge.

    “Smiley! It’s me!” she yelled, pounding on the unyielding wood.

    Through a crack, she could just make out two figures: Tang Xing Yin and Yu Xiao, their faces etched with worry. They were frantically searching for another way out.

    “Don’t worry,” Tang Xing Yin was saying, his tone reassuring. “We’ll find a way out. You’re safe with me.”

    Yu Xiao sighed. “It’s not me I’m worried about, it’s everyone else.”

    Zhou Xiao Zhen felt a rush of warmth. Leave it to Smiley to be selfless, even now.

    “Worried about your useless friends?” Tang Xing Yin scoffed, a sneer twisting his lips. “To be blunt, they’re more trouble than they’re worth.”

    Fury, hot and immediate, coursed through Zhou Xiao Zhen. The cheek of this guy! Come on, Smiley, tell him where to stick his disdain!

    But instead of righteous fury, Yu Xiao just sighed. “Don’t say that. Misty’s got her head screwed on straight, and she can be surprisingly helpful.”

    Tang Xing Yin snorted. “And the other one?”

    A flicker of something crossed Yu Xiao’s face, something troubled and sad. “She’s… a friend.”

    “Hmph, always the bleeding heart,” Tang Xing Yin scoffed, shoving a handful of function cards at her. “Here, these are for you. Don’t waste them on those two.”

    Yu Xiao said nothing, but the troubled look remained.

    Zhou Xiao Zhen watched, a cold pit of unease growing in her stomach. But then… Something wasn’t right. This wasn’t like Smiley at all. Gossiping behind their backs? Smiley practically invented loyalty. And Tang Xing Yin? The Wide Sea and Sky boss, reduced to petty insults?

    This had to be some kind of illusion, straight out of those melodramatic TV dramas she secretly binged.

    “Wake up, you idiot,” she muttered, and promptly slapped herself.

    The smack echoed in the silence, and her cheek throbbed, but the scene remained unchanged. Okay, so this illusion was hardcore.

    Panic started to bubble up. If even physical pain couldn’t break through, what could? She racked her brain, trying to remember any helpful tips from all those movies.

    A muffled thump from the other side of the door yanked her back to the present. There was a new sound now, a dragging, scraping sound, like something heavy being pulled across the floor.

    Suddenly, the scene shifted. It was like someone had swapped channels on the TV. Zhou Xiao Zhen was no longer looking through a crack in the door, but down a long, narrow corridor.

    Yu Xiao was there, but she wasn’t with Tang Xing Yin anymore. Instead, she was crouched beside two figures in dark robes, their eyes vacant and lifeless. Their legs were bent at unnatural angles, obviously broken, but they showed no sign of pain. As Zhou Xiao Zhen watched, Yu Xiao pressed her ear to the ground, listening intently to their rasping breaths as they dragged themselves forward with their hands.

    This wasn’t the same corridor. No doors, just flickering candlelight and shadows that stretched into the darkness. Whatever cult Master Zhang was running, this was its heart. And it was seriously messed up.

    **

    So, while she’d been trapped in la-la land, they’d bundled her off like a takeaway order. Fantastic. And what about the others? Even Nightmare had succumbed, if only for a moment. If she was stuck, what hope did Tang Xing Yin and the rest have back at the Second Hospital? They might be tough, but mentally, they were all as sturdy as a wet paper bag.

    Right now, they needed her as much as she needed Nightmare. She had to find them.

    The corridor stretched ahead, lit by a line of eerily still candles. Her footsteps echoed in the silence as she walked, each step heavy with foreboding.

    Then she stopped dead.

    Someone was standing at the end of the corridor, back turned, bathed in the flickering candlelight. The intricate black lace of a Lolita dress accentuated impossibly long legs, ending in killer heels.

    Oh, brilliant. Just what she needed. Where were those Avengers all this time? Apparently, they were waiting here for her.

    Alone, with only her trusty Grand View Coin for company, she took a hesitant step back.

    The figure turned.

    Even in the dim light, Lolita was still breathtakingly beautiful, like a porcelain doll come to life.

    “Well, well,” her voice was sweet as poison, “look who we have here.” She tilted her head, blonde curls cascading down her shoulders. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

    Another step back. The cheerful lilt to Lolita’s laughter did absolutely nothing to calm her nerves.

    “I did warn you,” Lolita continued, her voice hardening. “Did you really think you could outsmart us? Playing the long game, pretending to go along with Gluttony’s little charade, bringing your little posse into this instance… You thought you could humiliate us?”

    Yu Xiao swallowed, her mind racing. Gluttony, a double agent? It wasn’t impossible. But where had it all gone so wrong?

    “Relax, Gluttony hasn’t betrayed you,” Lolita practically growled, her perfect face twisted in a grimace. “The useless lump actually helped a human… He’s nothing but a basement-dwelling rat, feasting on scraps…”

    Lost in her rant, she didn’t notice Yu Xiao had already edged back around the corner and was now legging it down another corridor.

    She ran until her lungs burned and her legs screamed for mercy. No good. There was another figure blocking her path.

    Gu Shu. Immaculately dressed, utterly expressionless, he might as well have been a statue. Except statues didn’t stroll towards you with such casual menace.

    Yu Xiao didn’t hesitate. She spun on her heel and sprinted back the way she came, Lolita’s tinkling laughter echoing after her. “Oh, this is just too good! You should see your face!”

    “Psycho,” she muttered under her breath.

    “Such language!” Lolita’s heels clicked a staccato rhythm against the stone floor. “Not ladylike at all.”

    Running was futile. She needed a plan, and fast. Props, maybe? But their effects were limited, and she’d have to wait for the perfect moment.

    Leaning against the wall, feigning nonchalance, she bought herself some time. “So, how did you figure out Gluttony was a double agent?”

    “Please,” Lolita scoffed. “He never even showed up to this little party. Obviously, he’d already made other arrangements. Pathetic, really.”

    Yu Xiao cursed her past self for not convincing Gluttony to play along. Then again, knowing him, he probably would have just eaten the script.

    “Once we realised he was a no-show, everything else became clear,” Lolita continued, her voice smug. “And then we saw what you brought with you… such powerful allies.” She patted her chest theatrically. “I almost abandoned the whole mission, I was that terrified.”

    The unspoken implication hung in the air: they’d found a way to divide and conquer.

    Right, so Yu Xiao was well and truly stuck. Clues – or rather, the lack of any that didn’t lead straight to that infuriating Master Zhang – meant she was heading right into the lion’s den. Or, more accurately, the temple’s illusion. Once that door creaked open, they were all going in, whether they liked it or not.

    And it wasn’t like she’d been a complete idiot this time. Oh no, she’d wangled herself a team of experts, even dragged Nightmare along for good measure. Never before had she ventured into an instance with backup, yet here she was, about to be served up as the main course in some creepy illusion buffet. The irony was almost as painful as the impending doom.

    Lolita was getting closer, her little-girl act sending chills down Yu Xiao’s spine. Time for Plan B – throw a card at it and hope for the best. With a flick of her wrist, a black card sailed through the air.

    Lolita froze, her face a picture of adorable confusion. For a moment, Yu Xiao dared to hope.

    “Thank goodness for hoarding utility cards,” she thought, letting out a breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding.

    “I really like you,” Lolita murmured, taking a hesitant step closer. Her hand reached out, and for a second, it almost seemed genuine.

    “If you like me,” Yu Xiao ventured, her voice carefully neutral, “will you take me to my friends?”

    “Okay…” Lolita’s hand shot forward, but not in the way Yu Xiao had hoped. Instead, it clamped around her throat, cutting off her words and any hope she had left.

    “!!” Yu Xiao choked, her eyes widening in alarm.

    “Hmph!” The sweetness vanished from Lolita’s face, replaced by a chilling smirk. “Did you think we wouldn’t anticipate your little tricks? We’ve been a step ahead the whole time, darling.”

    Yu Xiao rolled her eyes – a feat considering the situation.

    Suddenly, Gu Shu materialised behind them. Lolita cackled. “Hands off. Brain snacks for me! Don’t even think about stealing her. She’s mine!”

    Gu Shu’s gaze landed on Yu Xiao, dangling like a ragdoll from Lolita’s grasp. He remembered, vividly, the way she’d toyed with him, turning him into a laughingstock within the hospital walls. The phantom ache flared in his shoulder, where the bite mark lingered – a scar he refused to erase, a constant reminder of his humiliation.

    A forced bloody cough erupted from Yu Xiao – not from asphyxiation, but the poison already working its way through her veins.

    she wheezed.

    “Such sweet music,” Gu Shu sneered, his voice dripping with sarcasm as Lolita relished Yu Xiao’s strangled pleas. “Begging for mercy, is she?”

    “Kill me… …” Yu Xiao rasped, fighting for air. “You fools! Do you even know who you’re messing with?”

    Lolita’s grin faltered momentarily. But before she could speak, Gu Shu urged, “Don’t fall for it, it’s a trick! End her now. You get all the flesh – I wouldn’t dream of competing.”

    “Gu Shu!” Yu Xiao lashed out with a desperate kick, her words garbled. “You… you…!”

    Lolita, torn between Gu Shu’s logic and her sadistic glee, hesitated. “But I want to make her suffer before she dies.”

    “Then yank her tongue out first!” Gu Shu urged, relish lacing his tone.

    “Good idea,” Lolita agreed, raising a hand towards Yu Xiao.

    “Hold on!” Yu Xiao choked out. “You can’t touch me! I’m the chosen successor – handpicked by the Director himself! If you kill me, you’re toast!”

    The ghosts exchanged a confused glance. “Seriously?” Lolita asked, scepticism dripping from her voice.

    “Obviously lies,” Gu Shu scoffed.

    Yu Xiao’s eyes widened in panic. “Look, if you don’t believe me, call the Director! He’ll confirm it!”

    “Do you think we’re complete buffoons?” Gu Shu roared. “Calling him would be like confessing our crimes!”

    “But…” Yu Xiao stammered, her mind reeling from their twisted logic.

    “Ridiculous lie,” Gu Shu cut in, his voice cold. “The Director’s kicking. Why would he need a successor?”

    “Maybe he wants a break from the whole ‘running-a-horror-hospital’ gig?” Yu Xiao wheezed, struggling to form words. “He finally found the perfect successor, me! If I die, you’re both royally screwed!”

    Lolita’s hand hovered, indecision painting her face.

    “Hmm,” she mumbled to Gu Shu, “Maybe you were right about pulling out her tongue earlier.”

    Gu Shu bristled. Always getting bitten in the metaphorical arse by her tongue.

    He raised a hand. “Fine, I’ll do it.”

    Lolita paused, eyeing Yu Xiao sceptically. “Hold on. How do we know you’re not just spouting nonsense? Can you prove it without calling the Director?”

    Yu Xiao, gasping for air, quickly formulated a plan. “The Director’s three-headed dog… I know its name!”

    Lolita blinked. “The has a name?”

    Gu Shu scoffed. “Apparently so, but it’s a mystery to everyone.”

    “Goldie,” Yu Xiao blurted. “I heard the Director call it himself. Want to verify it casually? Go ahead.”

    The ghosts were now thoroughly tangled. Checking with the Director was a suicide mission, but would the dog be any different?

    “Just kill her then,” Gu Shu grumbled. “The Director won’t know it’s us anyway.”

    Lolita faltered.

    “He’ll find out!” Yu Xiao wheezed, a desperate edge to her voice. “My friends know what you’re up to. If I die, they’ll spill the beans. Don’t even think about silencing them – they’re a force to be reckoned with.”

    A predicament. Killing was off the table, but letting her go was a bitter pill to swallow. Gu Shu’s dejection threatened to engulf him again. Lolita felt deflated – the perfect opportunity, snatched away.

    Gu Shu, resigned to the worst – maybe just a reprimand – lunged for Yu Xiao. But before his touch could connect, Lolita whipped Yu Xiao away.

    “Woah there, what are you doing?” she demanded.

    Crimson rage flooded Gu Shu’s eyes. “Kill her!” he roared.

    Lolita, unflinching, met his gaze. “Absolutely not!”

    With a menacing snarl, Gu Shu, this top-tier ghost, lunged at Lolita. But she stood firm, ready to fight back. After a tense standoff, Lolita relented, shoving Yu Xiao towards Gu Shu with a dramatic toss.

    Gu Shu instinctively caught her.

    Both Yu Xiao and Gu Shu stared at each other, bewildered.

    Lolita crossed her arms, a haughty smirk playing on her lips. “Fine,” she conceded. “I won’t be the one to do it. But if someone’s taking her out, it’s you.”

    Gu Shu fell silent, the weight of the decision hanging heavy.

    Yu Xiao, cradled precariously in his arm, cautiously ventured, “Or… maybe nobody kills anybody?”

    Gu Shu shot Lolita with a withering glare. “Don’t be ridiculous! We do it together.”

    Lolita shook her head, backing away. “No thanks, I’m out.”

    Despite both wanting Yu Xiao dead, neither seemed keen on getting their spectral hands dirty. After a moment of bickering, Gu Shu hatched a plan.

    “Let George do the dirty work,” he declared.

    Lolita scoffed. “Don’t be daft. George isn’t stupid enough to risk the Director’s wrath.”

    Gu Shu’s crimson gaze flickered down to Yu Xiao, now wide-eyed with terror. “We can silence her, then hand her over to George,” he mused. “He’ll never know the truth.”

    Yu Xiao: