novelEscape
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Chapter 27: Escape
Feng Yu Lan never knew time could be so tortuously long.
The entire time, the homicidal maniac behind him was plowing his way through the crowds chasing him down. Feng Yu Lan was so exhausted that he literally saw stars floating before his eyes. However, this hunter still followed him closely behind, just like how a shadow followed one's body! They crossed through the busy streets of the entire city, they vaulted over the rooftops of countless tall buildings, they passed through the outer regions of a remote, abandoned village, but no matter where Feng Yu Lan went, Duan Li pursued him relentlessly, unwilling to let go; he was practically a blood-sucking parasite that was attached to his body!
What was even more frightening was that Feng Yu Lan was obviously tiring out, but Duan Li was still full of energy, looking as lively as ever; in fact, he appeared even more excited! During his pursuit of Feng Yu Lan, he jumped on top of taxis, he took the bus, and he even directly let Luo Jian buy a train ticket so he could hop on the train! And yet, this guy, Duan Li, still managed to chase him at his heels; he never lost him for a single second!
Twenty-four hours so was long; not even half of those hours had passed by. If it continued like this, Feng Yu Lan felt that he'd really be killed. And so, while he was running, he called Luo Jian with his phone and cried for help, "Ah Jian! Set traps, set traps! We have to think of every method to get this bastard!"
The whole day, Luo Jian was constantly on the move for Feng Yu Lan's sake. To start, he casually bandaged his abdominal wounds; then, without stopping to rest, he immediately purchased brand new clothes and trousers—after all, he couldn't possibly allow Feng Yu Lan to dart through the streets with only a hospital gown lest he should appear an insane fool, no?
What was worse was that even though Feng Yu Lan was under the effects of the spell, because he was constantly on the run, his physical strength continued to rapidly deplete and the unhealed injury at his waist had the possibility of reopening. Luo Jian had prepared large amounts of medicine and gauze. At regular intervals, he would call Feng Yu Lan to arrange a safe location for them to meet up. He would give him a change of clothes and the clean gauze for him wrap his wound, then he would go to suppress Duan Li and stall for time.
In order to throw Duan Li off his tracks, Feng Yu Lan pretty much gave it his all and resorted to all kinds of tricks. While running, he would continuously change his clothes to disguise himself, to the point that he even wore a girl's skirt! And yet, each time, Duan Li was unexpectedly able to sniff him out better than a dog! By the time this cat-and-mouse game had come to a pause, Feng Yu Lan was a wreck, and Luo Jian was equally as scarred. If not all, the after effects of the enchantment gradually emerged; the result of forcefully raising his spiritual power and reciting incantations he wasn't capable of using at his stage was a severe headache, a massive, violent, unceasing headache.
So, as he was escaping, he also began thinking that he might as well just get caught; in any case, when a person's dead, they're dead. He truly didn't have the energy to continue running.
However, whenever Feng Yu Lan began to be discouraged, Luo Jian grew even more resilient, braver. He had to do something to get rid of this Stalker completely; he clenched his teeth and made a firm decision. He phoned Feng Yu Lan and said, "Hold out for a while longer. We'll meet at the Qingshan Temple located in the west of the city."
Thereafter, he made a call to the boss.
Due to the special circumstances of the chambers, Luo Jian instinctively knew he couldn't report to the police and ask them for help; after all, that'd be quite troublesome. In only a few hours, they had already attracted too much attention just by scurrying around the city. If they continued down this path, this issue would grow bigger, and it'd bring even more trouble; the situation would then turn for the worse, becoming increasingly out of hand. At this moment, Luo Jian was forced to ask the first person who came to mind for help, the boss who was a guide to all newcomers, that great uncle who was always drunk.
"Whaa?! Your friend's about to be murdered by some crazy killer?" As usual, the great boss gulped down his wine and belched loudly. Muddleheaded, he stupidly yelled, "You came to find me for this kind of thing?! You can't solve this by yourself?! With your current strength, it shouldn't be a problem dealing with an insignificant criminal! It's just a matter of killing a person! Go on!"
"No! It's not that simple; he's not just some random killer! Don't you know there are hunters specialized in killing survivors in reality?!" Anxious, Luo Jian urgently pressed him. On the other end of the phone, the good-for-nothing, irresponsible uncle who didn't attend to his duties hummed tonelessly.
"Oh...I guess there was such a person." The boss was intoxicated and dizzy. He almost couldn't understand what Luo Jian was talking about. He giddily laughed with a 'hehe' and answered, "Then I'll let 13 help you... Ah! But he might not be enough. You know what, I'll also let 14 tag along... but you do realize I'm not just doing this favor for nothing; you better pay up in return...uh, in return...the price...my God, what was that?! Aiya, we'll settle this later!"
So, just like that, Luo Jian was left unbelievably confused by that ridiculously confusing boss; all that he understood was that both 13 and 14 would be helping him out. Luo Jian already knew who 13 was; he was the masked man with the crossbow he'd encountered last time. But 14 was a new face for him. When Luo Jian met with this person named 14, he was quite surprised to find that it was actually a pretty little girl. She was about thirteen to fourteen years old; her face was young and tender. She was wearing a student's uniform; apparently, she had just been dragged out of the classroom by 13.
Little 14 glared at Luo Jian with eyes full of annoyance. She made a face at him from behind 13's back; her tiny hand tightly clutched 13's sleeve. 13 gave Luo Jian a brief introduction, "This is my younger sister. Although she's very young, she has already experienced four chamber escapes."
The moment Luo Jian heard this, his very being was struck by awe. Damn! That's hella' awesome for a little girl to be more manly than us men! I can't believe it, four times! Just how did this young girl escape?!
On the other hand, 13 didn't want to waste time on this topic, so he went straight to the point, "Speak. What were we called for?"
Luo Jian instantly recalled the reason for his requesting help. At the thought of Duan Li, that lingering spirit that wouldn't pass on already, his face suddenly sank, and he mumbled, "I called because I actually need you guys to help me kill someone."
In the presence of this young girl, Luo Jian couldn't properly opened his mouth to discuss the matter of killing another. But there wasn't the faintest indication of fear on 14's face; her youthful face was still cold and impassive, and she continued tugging on her older brother's sleeve. Disregarding her completely, 13 straightforwardly asked, "Kill whom?"
"If you follow the news, you should probably know there's a serial killer in this city. I already know the whereabouts of the criminal, but I honestly can't report it to the police and get them involved. Therefore, I hope to settle all of this privately, get rid of him swiftly and quietly!"
Luo Jian declared these words with such conviction; not even the slightest guilt burdened his soul. Sometimes, people had to be callous, malicious; they had to harden their hearts. His companion's life was on the line; he had no choice but to be ruthless. Only then would they be able to succeed and make it through this.
The two siblings, 13 and 14, glanced at each other; they slightly hesitated before nodding their heads and agreeing to Luo Jian's request. Luo Jian's request wasn't too demanding; in any case, it wasn't as if he wanted 13 and 14 to slaughter Duan Li like livestock. At the very least, he just wanted the other to be gravely injured so that he didn't have the strength to continue chasing Feng Yu Lan. He just wanted to peacefully get through these twenty-four hours, safe and sound. All's well that ends well; everyone would naturally be happy.
The trio composed of Luo Jian, 13, and 14 instantly hit it off and immediately went on their way to the ancient Qingshan Temple located west of the city. The laid out their traps and silently waited for their prey to take the bait. At another place, Feng Yu Lan also ran nonstop to the west; Duan Li was still hot on his heels, unremittingly pursuing him.
The plan was never going to change; this unsuspecting fish would definitely bite the bait. But just at that moment, Duan Li's footsteps slowed and he halted in the midst of his chase. Feng Yu Lan ran ahead ten meters when he noticed the hunter behind him had stopped dead in his tracks. This caused Feng Yu Lan to subconsciously pause his step; he turned his head to look back at Duan Li.
"Are you tired?" There was quite a distance separating Duan Li from Feng Yu Lan; but they could still hear each other clearly if they spoke aloud. Currently, Feng Yu Lan had a splitting headache. As soon as he stopped moving, his entire body turned numb; he found that he couldn't take another step forward. He was fully aware that something was amiss. Regardless whether Duan Li no longer decided to pursue him, Feng Yu Lan had to continue running away; he mustn't stop, he absolutely should never stop!
"Are you tired?" Duan Li asked once again.
Feng Yu Lan wanted to answer him and say that he was very tired, so very exhausted. But, unfortunately, Feng Yu Lan didn't even have the strength to open his mouth and engage in small talk. He bent over at his waist and panted heavily, gasping for more air. Remaining vigilant, he never let his eyes stray from Duan Li's figure. The grimoire still floated around him; a few large characters faintly appeared:
【Be careful. He's about to go berserk. Use me as a shield. No matter what attacks he uses, I will block them for you with all my might!】
Feng Yu Lan breathlessly looked up at the magic tome. Then, he lifted his head to take a glance at Duan Li. Duan Li narrowed his eyes in concentration; he seemed to be measuring the distance between them.
"If I reply that I'm very tired, will you let go of me?" Feng Yu Lan took a deep breath and spoke to Duan Li.
Duan Li shook his head."No. However, I can grant you an even more liberating death. You're obviously so tired. Why must you still run?"
"Because I don't want to die." Feng Yu Lan let out a bitter chuckle."I want to keep living. Even if life is tiring, I still want to live."
"Do you really believe you can escape my grasp?"
"Perhaps. I was always one who was unwilling to see the bad side of things, never wanting to think about pessimistic thoughts. I'd rather pretend that every day is beautiful and fine. That way I can always feel happy and have fun. I'm terrified of being weak and small; I wish to be strong. But I also once hoped that I could be normal, just ordinary."
"Indeed, such a contradiction, but is that not what makes one a mortal? Why must you care about this so much though? Is dying peacefully not good enough?"
Feng Yu Lan nevertheless shook his head; he gazed straight at Duan Li and flashed him a grin."Yeah, that's right. It's exactly because I am a mortal, an ordinary person, that I am unable to leave this mortal world. Therefore, I can only stay bound here and always worry about something. It's because my mind will never be at peace that I don't wish to die!"
Duan Li paused at Feng Yu Lan's words. He remained silent for a while, then uttered, "It seems that you're not the only one who's tired. I'm also tired. Chasing you is honestly such a troublesome task. Nonetheless, I could just offer you a simple, one-time solution, and that's to put an end to this cat-and-mouse game."
After Duan Li said his piece, he suddenly held a knife in his right hand. He shifted his right leg back half a step, and leaned forward, bending his knees. He adopted a offensive stance, preparing to charge at him. At the same time, he voicelessly mouthed, "Phase Two—Liberation!"
The very next second—
The grimoire frantically displayed several scrawled characters:
【Now! Defend!】
But it was too late. Feng Yu Lan still hadn't figured out what was going on when Duan Li, who was more than ten meters away from him, suddenly appeared directly before him in an instant! It was as if he had teleported here! Feng Yu Lan's heart couldn't stand this overbearing pressure. His pupils dilated; he widened his eyes in sheer shock at the sight of the magnified blade slowly enlarging, approaching him. From his peripheral vision, he caught a glimpse of Duan Li's malevolent smile. In that moment, a message flashed through his mind—I'll be killed!
This time, it was genuine, entirely real; he truly intended to kill him. Duan Li seemed quite reluctant to continue being entangled with this matter. This game was becoming too tiring, repeated and boring. He could finally enjoy the pleasures of cutting someone up. At long last, he would finish up with today's task. He couldn't wait see to that gory scene, that fresh red blood splashing everywhere, that resentful and vicious expression on the deceased's face just before his death, and that warm, living body gradually turning into an ice-cold corpse.
But at this juncture between life and death, the grimoire abruptly broke free from Feng Yu Lan's hands. A sharp burst of pain pierced Feng Yu Lan's brain, and soon after, a transparent shield materialized right in front of Feng Yu Lan, once again blocking the attack for him!
【The Sole Passive Spell of the Savior: Defense activates only when the host is about to receive a fatal injury. 】
"This damned book is truly bothersome!" The man wasn't pleased having missed his shot several times. Duan Li swung his arms and put away his knife. While he recovered his momentum, Feng Yu Lan also sat on the ground with a deathly pale face. His spiritual power had been excessively used, and after the emergence of that Passive Savior's Spell, he had no power to escape or strike back.
The grimoire appeared to have no more strength. Rather than hovering in the air, it quivered and staggered, then fell into Feng Yu Lan's palm. Pale writings marked the pages of the text:
【I'm sorry, Master. I've done all that I could. 】
"It doesn't matter." Feng Yu Lan shook his head and smiled, "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be able to come this far. You're right, I really am very weak. I should've accepted this fact a bit earlier."
【No, Master, in my opinion...you're already strong enough. 】
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