468: 8.68 How Dare You!

8.68 How Dare You!

Baines wanted to escape by reflex, but Lu Yizhou tightened his grip until his nails sank into the other's flesh. His grin was cold and ruthless as his palms started to burst into flames. Silver eyes gleamed in a dangerous glint. "I injected my witch power into my personal skill. For you, this will be the hellish flame that will seal your fate."1

Letting Baines burn in eternal flame was the best ending Lu Yizhou could think of for an atrocious bug like him.

Lu Yizhou was certain that his plan was foolproof, but then he was caught off guard when Baines suddenly threw his head back and laughed. Even though his expression contorted in pain, his murky eyes were gleeful. Lu Yizhou's heart instantly sank. "Oh… foolish human. Are you sure you want to do this? Why don't you look behind you?"

Faster than his brain could process, Lu Yizhou whipped his head around and his pupils dilated in shock when he found out that his lover's expression was no longer peaceful. His brows were furrowed in pain and sweat was running down his face. And his arms…

—The burn marks were in the exact same place as the ones he had inflicted on Baines' body!

Lu Yizhou was so shocked that he froze for a full second. And that was all Baines needed to squirm out of his hold and this time, he thrusted his palm straight on Lu Yizhou's chest, sending him flying to the opposite wall!

A web crack formed on the wall where Lu Yizhou's body slammed into. He slid down with a pained groan. His right arm was broken and he was sure that at least three of his ribs were fractured. Not to mention that his head had crashed quite hard and it was certain that he had gotten a concussion. However, it was as though Lu Yizhou could not feel the pain. 

He leapt up with his right hand hanging awkwardly in a wrong angle, eyes bloodshot in fury. This time, he could not hold back his emotions anymore. "How dare you!" He seethed, trembling with the torrent of rage that consumed his whole being. "You connected your body with his?!"

Baines merely rubbed his chin, seemingly unaffected. "Yes, this is the kind of face I want to see…" He murmured under his breath. His smile widened in delight. "That's right. He and I are connected. If I die, then he will die too. Isn't that awesome?"

Metallic tang of blood burst in Lu Yizhou's mouth from how hard he was gritting his teeth. So that was why! Lu Yizhou had concluded that his lover would regain his strength and wake up on Sunday. Even then, he could not defeat Baines. It was because he would receive the backlash for every injury he put on Baines' body! The most he could do was to render both of them half-dead!

No wonder… No wonder Lu Yizhou was smelling fresh blood on Baines when he first stepped into the manor on Sunday evening. Baines and his lover must have been engaged in another fight that weakened them both. As a result, his lover would return to slumber to replenish his strength and in return, Baines would need more and more power from the black witch! 

Next week, more doctors would arrive in this mansion, be turned into sacrifices and then the battle would repeat all over again.

It was a vicious, never ending cycle.

Now that Lu Yizhou knew the truth, how could he keep going? No matter how furious he was, how strong his murderous intention was, as soon as he knew that every attack he dealt would land on his lover, Lu Yizhou would always hesitate in the last second.

Obviously, Baines knew it too. That's why he did not hesitate anymore to corner Lu Yizhou against the wall and besieged him from all sides. He exploited the fact that Lu Yizhou would not make a move and forced him into a defensive state. His attack was deadly and precise. The horrifying crack of bones, the awful sounds of fist punching flesh, and Lu Yizhou's muffled groan resounded in the empty cathedral. Even if he had healing skill, it could not keep up with the rate of wounds that bloomed on his body!

Baines really intended to beat him to death!

Blood poured out of Lu Yizhou's mouth as he cursed out hoarsely, "Damn you…!"

[System notification: Warning! Host is in a severe state of blood loss! Vital signs will start to decrease soon!]

The two people were engaged in a life and death fight, unaware that in midair, a single line of bloody tear slid down the slumbering man's pale cheek.

***

Fifteen minutes ago, in the master bedroom.

Ji Yan and Olivia stared at Luca who was hugging his wife — the real Madam Knox — in his arms whilst crying. Just a moment ago they had summoned Madam Knox using her beloved comb and lo and behold, Irene was right when she said that the bathtub mannequin was the real Madam Knox!

The comb had enabled Luca to recognize who his true love was. Apparently, Madam Knox had known that the black witch planned to kill her and take her place. Hence, she destroyed her comb, the one she wore everyday after her husband gave her on their wedding anniversary, and scattered the pieces throughout the whole mansion in hope that his husband would notice something amiss.

During that time, she was not idle either. She tried all kinds of things to get her husband's attention, hence the strange happenings that occurred in the mansion. Alas, Master Luca had no idea at all and trusted the black witch — who was in Madam Knox's body — wholeheartedly.

Thanks to the black witch, Madam Knox was trapped in the body of a mannequin and could only be seen through a mirror. She witnessed his husband dismiss her effort to reach him and be lovey dovey with the black witch every single day. One time, in a fit of anger, she gained strength enough to hurt the black witch but Master Luca thought she was a vengeful ghost and went through lengths to get rid of her. It could be imagined how aggrieved and heartbroken Madam Knox was.

The prolonged rage, despair and sadness had devoured her mind and turned her into a vengeful spirit. If not for the special quest, they wouldn't have discovered the truth behind this pair of tragic lovers!

"I am sure that many players will not be able to trigger the special quest," Olivia suddenly said in a quiet voice. "So does it mean that Madam Knox will not reunite with her husband, ever?"

Ji Yan nodded with a solemn look. "The normal ending… is when we defeat Luca and the black witch. Without the comb, Madam Knox will not appear and her husband will not recognize her. This is a string of events that are connected to each other. Only when we unlock the true ending will this scenario be told."

How pitiful. Ji Yan let out a long sigh. He had gone through four quests before. Every single time, he would diligently follow the clues given by the side quests to complete the game and did not think of anything else. Who knew that a true ending would exist? 

Perhaps, he had always been treating these quests as a leveling up game. As long as he could complete the side quests, gain rewards and exit the game, then everything would be fine. Yes, that's all there was. A long, terrifying game. 

But this world had told him a lot. There were so, so many layers of mystery hidden beneath the simple quest background. 

It made him think if… if he was more attentive last time, would he also discover the true ending? 

Think about it, without the true ending, then they would be forced to fight Luca. It was not even certain if they would be able to defeat him. However, with the true ending, they only needed to summon Madam Knox and voila, all peace was restored.

Triggering the true ending might be difficult, but that would be the safest route for the players to survive.

Ji Yan rubbed the back of his neck, frustrated. He was naturally a cheerful young man and a bit of an airhead, not suitable to think of such complicated things. It made his brain heat up and he felt as though he was facing the university entrance exam where the question was only two lines and the answer could fill the three answer sheets back to back. Ugh, just remembering it was giving him goosebumps!

"Don't think too much about it." Olivia's voice brought him out of his reverie. "This time, we will not be able to unlock the true ending without Irene."

Ji Yan did not know whether to laugh or cry. "There's no need for me to think because it's useless?"

"Exactly." A hint of smile appeared on Olivia's usually grumpy face, causing Ji Yan's poor heart to skip a beat. When he recalled the kiss he had shared with the woman previously, he could not help but blush. 

What did Olivia mean by that, he wondered…

At first, he despised — um, no, more like exasperated that someone like her was in his team. In one glance, he could see that she was well-bred, educated and a haughty young miss who could not experience the slightest bit of hardship. Oh how wrong he was. During the time they spent together, Ji Yan gradually discovered that Olivia was not what she showed on the outside. 

She might be a little childish, grouchy and her sharp tongue knew no bounds. But deep down, he was a really good, diligent and kind-hearted girl.

"Look!" Olivia rushed forward to the spot where Luca and Madam Knox had been. Ji Yan quickly caught up to her and saw a glowing card on the floor. "Another skill card!" She exclaimed in excitement.

They picked it up and huddled together to inspect it.

It was the most beautiful skill card Ji Yan had ever seen. Luca and Madam Knox were illustrated as a couple that was dancing under the full moon with a sea of roses under their feet. Madam Knox was wearing a glittering white dress with her hair held together by the comb, smiling widely at Master Luca who in turn gazed down at her with eyes full of love. The whole scenery was very romantic and mesmerizing.

[[Skill Card 'Fated Lovers (SSR)' obtained!

You have helped Master and Madam Knox found each other again after the black witch's wicked scheme. Now they are very much in love and in exchange, they will grant their blessing to ill-fated lovers so that they can also be together forever like them. Remaining uses: 1/1]]

"Um… ill-fated lovers?" Ji Yan scratched his head, confused. "But there's no lovers among us— of course, it can't be talking about us!" He let out an awkward laugh when he realized how his sentence sounded.

However, Olivia did not seem to notice it. She stared at the skill card with a deep frown on her face. "I have a hunch that this card will be useful in the future. Save it." 

Ji Yan knew that Olivia had drawn a very badass skill card 'Clairvoyance' as a reward for the special quest. It honed her instinct and enabled her to predict a disaster which had not happened yet. Hence he did not hesitate to save the card into his storage even though he did not understand what the card could be used for. 

"Should we go after Miss Irene now?" he asked to confirm. "I remembered there's a hidden quest for us to help her get back her treasure."

Just as he said the last word, a familiar prompt appeared in front of him.

[[Congratulations! You have gotten to the last part of the game and triggered the last side quest: Defeat Irene's twin sister, the black witch who has been spreading terror in the Knox Family!]]

Both of them glanced at each other, surprised. Holy moly, the black witch was Miss Irene's twin sister?! What kind of plot twist was this?!

"The diary!" Ji Yan's eyes lit up as he recalled the entry in Ella's diary. "One black and one white, the two doctors Ella was talking about must be Miss Irene and her twin sister! The treasure Miss Irene has lost in this mansion ten years ago must have something to do with her too!"

They nodded to each other, determined. "Let's go!"

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