Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  Xiang Wan’s hair stood on end as she listened.

  She grasped onto Bai Muchuan tightly, but he suddenly laughed.

  “These are not the worst thing ever!”


  If these were not the worst, what was?

  Xiang Wan felt her palms getting clammy and felt her heart aching for him.

  She did not speak nor interrupt him. She kept her silence to show her respect for him.

  After a while, Bai Muchuan heaved a puff of breath. “What’s terrible is the fact that it’s your closest family member who sent you to this hell…… What’s worse is—they are clearly in the wrong. All of them are wrong, yet you are the one who must admit the mistake you did not commit……

  “You saw how they inverted what’s right and wrong; you saw their smiling faces stained with the blood of innocent children…… Yet you have to remember and recite the school rules and mottos by heart so when anyone comes to visit the institution, you can talk about what you have learned as well as what you have corrected and improved on……

  “They’ve said countless lies!

  “A father’s love, a mother’s love, a teacher’s love……”


  “.……”


  Xiang Wan held her breath for a moment.

  She was trying her best to keep calm amidst this appalling thought.

  She did not dare to think about how the oppressed and abused children go through such suffering on a daily basis……

  She did not dare to think that her “wise and brilliant” Detective Bai had come from such a place.

  “Don’t be afraid!” Bai Muchuan suddenly hugged her tightly. “You don’t have to be afraid! Now…… I can protect you!”


  Xiang Wan couldn’t stop trembling.

  No matter how she tried to control herself, she couldn’t stop the trembling.

  He had noticed it and held her as closely as possible as if he wished to make her a part of him.

  “Should I have not told you about this?”


  “No…… I like to hear you talk about it.”


  “Mm? Won’t this…… affect my glorified image in your heart?”


  “.…… It won’t.” Xiang Wan sighed softly then tried to show a smile. “The netizens had already exposed your glorified image long ago!”


  “Hur! Silly girl……”


  Bai Muchuan ran his fingers through her hair.

  He suddenly stopped laughing as if he thought of something before disclosing a piece of information.

  “I got to know Xie Wanwan when I was there.”


  “I’ve guessed it!” Xiang Wan smiled calmly. “I’ve stopped being jealous for a long time now, but are you still worried about it? Now that I heard all these, I feel that…… you did right to help her and take care of her.”


  “I’m a man after all.” Bai Muchuan puffed a sigh. “For a girl who ended up in that kind of place, she suffered greater hardship than me!”


  “.……” Xiang Wan felt as if there was a lump in her throat.

  She felt as if she tasted a faint smell of blood.

  “But I do not regret it!” Bai Muchuan suddenly said.

  “Do not regret what?”


  “That memorable journey to hell.”


  Bai Muchuan was quite calm about it, compared to Xiang Wan who was trembling in fear.

  “With such an experience, ever since then, no matter if I’m in the army or in the police force, even if I’m faced with some great hardship, I could get through them……”


  “I understand. Those who have not experienced hell do not know the beauty of paradise. Those who have not experienced hardship do not know how to appreciate happiness.” Xiang Wan smiled. “I can now understand how you can joke around with me in such a calm demeanor……”


  “Hur!” Bai Muchuan patted her head dotingly. “Now you know how tough I am……”


  “Yes…… Indeed, you are the best!” While Xiang Wan was in his arms, she could feel his arm suddenly twitching. She thought she might have leaned onto his wound and adjusted her head gently. “Is it painful?”


  “Nope.” Bai Muchuan’s hand ran along with her hair and gently kissed her on the forehead. “Don’t worry, we can make it out of here alive……”


  This kiss felt like a silver lining.

  Xiang Wan was suddenly thankful for this fate!

  After all, fate had brought her such a wonderful person—Bai Muchuan.

  After having survived such a painful ordeal, his soul could still be so clean and pure……

  He was unlike Meng Chi, that lunatic…… She wondered what kind of suffering he had gone through……

  “Hurhurhurhur……” The moment she thought about Meng Chi, they heard some casual laughter coming from the speakers.

  It was Meng Chi!

  “Have you both finished what you wanted to say to each other?”


  The voice sounded dreadful and terrifying in the darkness.

  Xiang Wan pursed her lips and kept quiet while Bai Muchuan laughed.

  “There’s too much to say to her. I want to talk to her my whole life!”


  “Your feelings for her are so deep! That’s something difficult to find. Hahaha……”


  Meng Chi laughed again. This time, his laughter made Xiang Wan’s body tremble.

  “Your whole life? I’m afraid that’s not possible! It’s because…… I couldn’t wait to send you two on the road to nether!”


  Road to nether……

  The fear she felt coupled with his voice……

  Xiang Wan’s hair was standing on ends; her body was stiff and tense. She held onto Bai Muchuan’s hand firmly.

  “Don’t be nervous, my dear friends. The majority of people on the internet felt that both of you deserve to die, and that the police force should not waste their time and resources to save you two. They felt that both of you are more black-hearted than the drug dealers at Vulture’s Mouth. They commented that the drug dealers are just trying to make a living and did not force anyone to take drugs; who can they blame? Moreover, most of them entered this business because they are poor. Compared to hypocritical people like you two, they deserve more sympathy! Aye…… what else can I say about this?”


  Meng Chi heaved a sigh, as though he was reluctant to take their lives.

  “In this game, if everyone felt that you two could be forgiven and should not die, I would have let you both off……”


  Xiang Wan’s heart was already cold.

  Would he really release them if things turn out the other way? Of course not! If he wanted to release them, why would he capture them in the first place?

  “Enough with your cr*p!” She snapped back at him. “Just tell us what you want us to do!”


  “Such a tough character. You both are indeed a match made in heaven! Alas, you two still need to die……”


  Meng Chi sounded like he felt pity for them before laughing again. “Nevertheless, your deaths would be worthy…… You both could help me test a new drug, as well as a killing game I’ve recently researched on……”


  Xiang Wan looked at Bai Muchuan.

  He did not move or talk.

  All he did was to hold her hand firmly and reassuringly.

  “This room where both of you are right now is a killing room that I’ve been researching. It cost me a lot of money, and I can’t have it put to waste…… Therefore, for the sake of my experiment, you two need to be strong……”


  “.……”


  What did he mean?

  Xiang Wan felt numb all over.

  She looked up and looked at the tiny light spot on the ceiling. She felt that this dark, enclosed space was unusually cold and strange.

  There was also…… an unusual fragrance in the air.

  The faint scent seemed to linger at the tip of their noses; the smell seemed to make people feel drowsy……

  Meng Chi’s voice came on again. “How’s the flavor? This is a special fragrance created by the world’s top perfume makers. With this special scent, there would be no smell of medicine at all…… You two can enjoy it and die in this relaxing fragrance……”


  “You…… despicable……!” Xiang Wan cussed.

  “In order to punish the evildoers, I’ve been racking my brains……”


  At this point, Meng Chi chuckled. “I’ve said that I’m not evil. Do you believe it now? How many people in this world would enjoy dying so comfortably? I thought you should thank me.”


  Xiang Wan held her breath.

  However, after a while, she could not stand it anymore.

  She was now gasping for breath; in no time, her lungs would be filled with the special fragrance.

  She gritted her teeth and retorted. “I’ve thought too highly of you, so you also know about all these dirty tricks?”


  “Don’t be anxious! I still have a lot of tricks. I’ll show them to you both one by one. Hahaha! You both will die without regrets.” Meng Chi patiently explained with interest. “I’ve installed the Iris Recognition system in the only exit of this room you both are in now. Don’t think about escaping this place. Don’t bother to think that anyone would be able to get you two out……”


  Meng Chi paused for a moment before continuing. “In order for the game to finish smoothly, I’ve reserved 40 minutes for you both…… Hmm, let’s see…… 40 minutes; it should be enough, right?”


  “.……” Forty minutes? What did he mean?

  Xiang Wan had a bad feeling about it but did not dare to ask.

  Meng Chi, on the other hand, continued to prattle on. “After forty minutes, the system will activate the bombs and the entire Wen Xin Nunnery will be razed to the nothingness……”


  Xiang Wan’s heart jolted for an instant, and she grasped Bai Muchuan’s hand.

  The room was still dark, as though there was no exit……

  Both of them looked as if trapped on an island.

  “Of course.” Meng Chi laughed. “I still can’t fully believe in artificial intelligence. Hence, in order to protect against the one in a million chances where the system would be hacked, I’ve added another condition to activate the bombs—the moment you two leave this room, the bombs all around Wen Xin Nunnery will automatically detonate at the same time……”


  “.……”

  Even if they left the room or not, they would still die.

  Xiang Wan gritted her teeth as she cussed at this vicious *sshole.

  Meng Chi’s voice still continued from the speaker above, chilling her nerves and giving her goosebumps.

  “Bam! Everything will turn into ashes! It’ll be nice to watch as well, don’t you think so?”


  “What a pity though. By then, I would have been thousands of miles away from here, and I won’t be able to appreciate the scene……”


  Beep!

  Another light appeared above them.

  It was Meng Chi’s laughter.

  “Enjoy your remaining time together…… This dramatic and spectacular game of death…… is about to begin……”


  Dramatic and spectacular.

  So the spectacular death he spoke of was this?

  Xiang Wan felt her heart trembling as well somehow. “It’s just death,” she retorted, “do you think we’re afraid?”


  Unexpectedly, Meng Chi burst into laughter and dealt another strong blow to her already broken spirit.

  “It’s fine to not be afraid of death! To make sure you both die spectacularly, I have prepared more surprises…… In order to make sure that the whole world had their eyes on you two, and in order to let those garbage people who don’t know any better and still defend you two to shut up, I will contribute a wonderful film to the world……”