NOVEL NEXT Ch. 33
Chapter 33: Before Nightfall
“Ahhhhhh!!!”
Zhang Yifeng woke up screaming.
He suddenly sat up from the bed, wiping the cold sweat off his forehead.
Looking around, he realized he was lying on the bed in his own room.
“Phew… just a dream…”
He let out a heavy sigh of relief, his fatty belly trembling as he shivered from lingering fear.
Recalling that terrifyingly realistic nightmare just now, he felt a chill run down his spine and couldn’t help but touch his thick neck with both hands—
Fortunately, his head was still in its proper place…
But in the dream just now, that guy Xiao Zhiquan had actually…
The thought made Zhang Yifeng shiver violently.
“Right, what time is it!?”
He suddenly remembered that after midnight tonight, the Evil Spirit would begin its second attack.
He quickly looked toward the quartz clock on the wall—
Seven o’clock!
Back when Lu Feng scolded Xiao Zhiquan as an idiot, Zhang Yifeng had secretly discussed it with a few others.
They all felt Lu Feng was very reasonable, so they agreed to gather in one person’s room before the Evil Spirit attacked, absolutely refusing to stay with Xiao Zhiquan and his group—
And facts proved that Lu Feng had indeed been right.
It was almost time for their meeting, and Zhang Yifeng had to hurry over.
However, remembering what Lu Feng had said, he also recalled the two conditions for winning the game…
His comical chubby face instantly filled with distress—
They always said three ordinary men together could rival a strategist, but why was it that no matter how many of them gathered, they still couldn’t figure out anything?
The first victory condition, “learn the Evil Spirit’s name before death, and uncover its cause of death,” was already difficult enough.
But the second victory condition, “find all five Evil Spirit Followers,” was even more impossible for their group—
At this point, Zhang Yifeng thought everyone looked like an Evil Spirit Follower!
Among the game rules, one line was burned deepest into his memory—failure meant all players would be erased.
Things had developed to this point, and he no longer held a shred of doubt about those rules.
Failure meant only one road—death.
Still, he had heard that Lu Feng and the others seemed to be busy with something these past two days…
Sigh, hopefully everything goes smoothly for them…
After all, Zhang Yifeng was still so young, far from having lived enough… but putting his hope of survival entirely on others left him feeling truly miserable.
At that moment, Zhang Yifeng suddenly realized—intelligence was probably something you were just born with…
His fat trembling, Zhang Yifeng got up quickly and dressed.
But when he opened the door, he saw a petite figure standing right there.
“Dong Ningning? What are you doing here?”
Zhang Yifeng stared at the girl in surprise.
“Mm… nothing much, I just wanted to come see you…”
Dong Ningning forced a smile at him.
“Um… I’m a little scared. Could you keep me company for a while?”
Her face was full of worry and fear, her tender lips pressed tightly together, her shy, evasive gaze making her look especially pitiful.
Only then did Zhang Yifeng notice that Dong Ningning’s clothes were rather disheveled, with a large portion of her snow-white chest exposed.
Her petite yet well-developed body faintly exuded a dangerous temptation.
He swallowed hard without thinking.
“Oh, oh… then come in.”
“Mm…”
Thud—
The door shut tightly.
…
In the pitch-black stairway, a small flame struggled stubbornly against the darkness.
Lu Feng and Yu Mo sat together, panting heavily, as if they had just gone through something exhausting.
“Xiao Feng… I-I can’t anymore…”
The girl gasped for breath, sweat beading on her face.
Her flushed cheeks looked like ripe fruit, alluring under the dim yellow glow of the kerosene lamp.
“Phew… it’s fine… I’ll handle it.”
Lu Feng was also panting, but he forced himself to stand and shouted upward,
“Lin You, are you guys ready?”
“Yes… ready, one more time!”
“Alright!”
“3—”
“2—”
“1!”
At the signal, Lin You and the others above pulled hard on the trapdoor handle, while Lu Feng pushed upward from below.
But this trapdoor, which didn’t even look that sturdy, remained unmoved even under the combined force of three grown men.
“No good… it won’t open…”
They had failed countless times already.
The trapdoor felt as though it had been welded shut, impossibly solid.
The three men above had tried everything they could think of, but still it wouldn’t budge.
“Damn it, this is cursed!”
Lin You couldn’t help but curse.
“In that case, Lin You, you guys hurry back.
It’s almost midnight already!”
Lu Feng’s muffled voice came from below the trapdoor.
Lin You wanted to argue, but Zhang Tong held him back, shaking his head.
“Lu Feng is right. We really shouldn’t stay here now.”
He pointed toward the wall clock.
“It’s already past eleven-thirty. We have to return.”
Lin You glanced at the quartz clock, his face darkening.
“Wait, just one more try…”
“Lin You, if you take me as your leader, then listen to me—go back right now!”
Lu Feng’s stern voice came from below.
“….”
Lin You bit his lip in silence, then finally nodded.
“Fine… but you two be careful. We’ll come back to rescue you!”
“Alright!”
After those words, Lu Feng heard their footsteps gradually fade into the distance.
He relaxed slightly, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and sat down beside Yu Mo.
The dark space grew quiet again, leaving only the sound of their breathing.
Because of the sweat, a faint fragrance unique to girls drifted from Yu Mo with each breath she took.
It was a scent Lu Feng was already familiar with—he had smelled it many times before.
“Looks like we’ll be spending the night here together…”
Lu Feng couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
“Luckily there are two of us. If someone were trapped alone in this place, they’d probably go insane…”
Truth be told, today had been strange enough already.
First they discovered the trapdoor above, then they were trapped in the passage beneath it, and even ran into something that seemed like an Evil Spirit…
Thinking of that Evil Spirit, Lu Feng pulled out the leather notebook he had retrieved from its abdomen.
Ever since he had gotten it, he hadn’t had a chance to look inside.
But now, at last, he could finally see what exactly the Evil Spirit had written in this notebook it had handed to him.
“Xiao Feng…”
Suddenly, the girl who had been silent for a long time called softly.
“Mm? What is it?”
Lu Feng looked toward Yu Mo.
“… Thank you.”
The girl lowered her head, speaking in a soft voice.
“Thank me? For what?”
Lu Feng was a little puzzled.
Yu Mo didn’t answer his question.
Instead, she quietly leaned closer to him, her slender right hand gently holding his strong left hand.
“If one day Xiao Feng encounters danger… I will definitely protect you.”
Her gentle gaze rested on Lu Feng.
Her beautiful face, illuminated by the flickering flame of the kerosene lamp, looked especially moving.