Translator: CinderTL
After glancing around a few times, Fatty felt extremely uncomfortable. He decided it would be best to find a rope quickly and escape with Chu Jiu.
He wasn't sure how the Doctor was doing now.
"No rope," Chu Jiu returned after searching around, holding a pair of scissors. "Let's use the curtains. We need to hurry."
Fatty, being tall, grabbed a stool, but Chu Jiu, worried that his movements might be too loud, suggested she should take down the curtains herself while Fatty kept an eye on their surroundings.
Both of them, in silent agreement, turned off their lights to avoid attracting any unwanted attention.
After a rustling sound, Fatty heard a soft thud, followed by Chu Jiu's voice behind him. "Done," she whispered. "The rope's tied. Let's go."
"Is it sturdy enough?" Fatty asked, not wanting to fall from the building.
"Don't worry."
The only thing that comforted Fatty was that the chilling presence outside the door was still there, and it hadn't made any further moves.
A gust of wind made Fatty shiver. He repeatedly checked the rope's sturdiness, as it was a matter of life and death for both him and Chu Jiu.
"You go first," Fatty whispered. "If I go first, the rope might not hold."
"Huff—" Chu Jiu exhaled deeply. "No, you go first. Don't waste time. I'll watch the rope from here."
"Alright," Fatty didn't hesitate. Time was precious. He grabbed the rope and headed toward the balcony.
A flash of light passed by the window, like a car's headlights, briefly casting Fatty's shadow on the wall. But in that split second, his heart sank.
He saw another shadow above his own.
And this shadow was hanging from the ceiling, its arms dangling limply.
As the wind blew, the shadow swayed slightly, making a creaking sound.
"Let's go," Chu Jiu's voice, which should have been behind him, now came from in front. "I'll lower the rope and send you down first, then I'll…"
Seemingly eager to carry out her plan, Chu Jiu, now suddenly in front of him, even took Fatty's hand and pulled him toward the balcony.
The hand itself was fine—small and soft.
The problem was Chu Jiu's attire. Fatty's hand touched a fabric that felt like thin gauze.
He immediately realized it was a wedding dress.
The real Chu Jiu had likely been killed by the Ghost. The one in front of him now was the Ghost Bride from the photo!
Crap. Being led to the edge of the balcony, Fatty became even more certain of his suspicion. He could vaguely make out the surroundings, but he couldn't see Chu Jiu clearly.
She seemed shrouded in a mist, and what was even more eerie was how natural it looked. No matter the angle, she appeared backlit.
The Chu Jiu in front of him quickly tied the curtain-made rope and lowered the other end down the wall.
"Hurry," Chu Jiu whispered mysteriously, glancing at the door. "That thing might be coming in soon."
Fatty didn't dare show any sign of having figured it out. He played along, cooperating with the Ghost Bride's act.
At the same time, he understood exactly how this Ghost Bride planned to kill him.
Taking advantage of the moment he was climbing down the rope, cut it and let him fall to his death.
"Alright," Fatty replied, glancing at the balcony below as he slowly formed a plan in his mind.
Fatty leaned on the balcony railing with both hands, part of his body hanging in the air.
"Keep an eye on your back," he tried to distract the ghost bride while secretly pulling out a flashlight. Seizing the opportunity, he suddenly shone it into her eyes.
Sure enough, Fatty's pupils constricted sharply. Standing before him was the bride from the photograph.
Just as the ghost bride let out a shrill scream, the door suddenly burst open, and a dark figure rushed in—a man in a suit.
It was the groom from the wedding photo!
No, not just the groom.
It was Lu Huaxu! Since Fatty had never seen Lu Huaxu's face beneath the stockings before, he didn't recognize him at first. But now, the man's head was covered with the familiar stockings.
From the holes meant for the eyes, a cold, sinister light shone, as if he was unwilling to die alone and wanted everyone to stay and accompany him in death.
The sudden burst of strong light not only hurt the ghost bride's eyes but also illuminated the room. Hanging from the ceiling was a petite girl.
Her eyes were wide open, filled with unmistakable terror, and her hands were claw-like, hanging straight by her sides. She was clearly dead.
It was Chu Jiu.
Fatty didn't have time to grieve for her. A second before the ghost bride's long nails could reach him, Fatty displayed astonishing agility.
Using the loosely tied rope, he leaped directly to the floor below, grabbing the railing of the lower balcony with both hands.
With a strong pull, he flipped into the room on the lower floor and disappeared.
Hearing footsteps from above heading outward, Fatty ran a few steps in the same direction, deliberately making his footsteps loud.
But as soon as he noticed the footsteps above fading away, he immediately returned to the window and repeated his earlier maneuver, flipping down to the next floor.
Then, he quietly opened the door a crack, ensuring everything outside was normal before sneaking out along the corridor.
Meanwhile, loud banging and roaring sounds came from above. It seemed the two ghosts were still tearing the place apart, searching for him.
This was actually Lu Huaxu's urban legend. It appeared that everyone who died in this instance would merge into a new urban legend. This ability was terrifying.
If they didn't find a way to break the cycle, they would eventually be worn down and killed by these urban legends. What was even more bizarre was that the ones hunting them were once their comrades-in-arms.
This shift in identity was even harder to accept than the urban legends themselves.
Thinking this, Fatty quickened his pace. Chu Jiu was already dead, and he didn't want to be caught by a new urban legend.
According to the information Chu Jiu had shared, the only ones left alive were the Doctor, Banana Wolf, and himself.
As for Wei Jinting, Chu Jiu's account had been so jumbled that Fatty couldn't tell whether he was human or a ghost after listening for a while.
Recalling Chu Jiu's tragic end, Fatty suddenly felt a pang of sorrow.
She must have been standing on a chair to take down the curtains when the accident happened, and the Ghost Bride used the curtains to form a rope and hanged her from the ceiling.
The eerie creaking sound he had heard earlier was likely the noise Chu Jiu made while struggling.
But at that time, his attention was focused on the door, so he didn't notice.
Now it seems that Lu Huaxu stood outside the door just to prevent them from escaping, which is why he never entered. What made Fatty feel even more conflicted was that if he hadn't been so clever as to pull Chu Jiu inside, perhaps... perhaps she wouldn't have died.
(End of the Chapter)
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