Chapter 12: Death Acrobatic Troupe 12

After an unknown time, Jian Bumian gradually regained consciousness.

His head hurt a bit.

Clearly, he had passed out from hitting his head.

The living body was too fragile…

Jian Bumian forced his eyes open. Pitch darkness met his gaze. He quickly raised his hand to look at the vintage watch on his wrist.

He remembered that before he passed out, there were still fifteen minutes left until the dormitory curfew.

He just didn’t know how long he was unconscious.

Jian Bumian rubbed his eyes and made out the watch face in the darkness.

Only three minutes left.

Jian Bumian lowered his eyes. His usually calm eyes glistened with a bit of wet light, carrying a trace of aggrievement and pitifulness.

The remaining three minutes definitely wouldn’t be enough to eat the target NPC.

He could only give up this time.

Although Jian Bumian was really hungry now.

The Evil Ghost part of his soul was flattened by hunger, pitifully drooping into an aggrieved lump.

His abdomen felt flat to the touch too, stomach empty of any food.

But there was no way! The remaining three minutes were completely insufficient to find the target NPC and devour him!

Although Jian Bumian liked eating, he still had an estimate of his speed in devouring Malicious Ghosts; otherwise, he’d choke sooner or later.

Besides, he still needed time to rush back to the dorm before eleven-thirty!

If only he hadn’t walked without watching his step and fallen into a pit!

Thinking this, Jian Bumian suddenly recalled—where had he fallen to now?

Jian Bumian frowned, looked up, and by the dim light, saw a worn wooden sign hanging before him — 【Corpse-Disposal Pool】

Corpse-Disposal Pool…

This term represented a scene that, in any instance, was a terror-inducing legend for players.

This was definitely a dangerous place!

But an Acrobatic Troupe, neither hospital nor prison, how could it have a place like a Corpse-Disposal Pool?

Jian Bumian’s expression didn’t change. He shifted his gaze to look around.

The space he was in was very large. Before him was a huge circular pool.

A heavy stench of corpses filled the air.

Jian Bumian suppressed the urge to gag and made out what was in the pool.

The things soaked in the pool’s black, sticky corpse fluid weren’t exactly corpses, but rather a mixture of bodies and acrobatics equipment.

Closest to Jian Bumian was a corpse bound tightly in steel wire. Its body was almost sliced into pieces by the wire, held together tenuously only by bones and sinews, like a tangled ball of yarn messed up by a cat.

This corpse clearly died from the tightrope acrobatics.

Jian Bumian also saw a skull floating in the corpse fluid. Corroded down to a grayish-yellow cranium, only a few scattered bits of rotting flesh clung to it.

Its mouth area was impaled by a sword through the throat, the blade piercing out and dragging a string of thin, balloon-like long throat piping.

This unlucky corpse died from sword swallowing.

But Jian Bumian couldn’t feel any player aura from them.

They weren’t players who died during acrobatics training.

They were the original resident NPCs here…

As corpse NPCs, they’d definitely have a classic interaction with players.

Jian Bumian, having been an NPC himself once, thought seriously.

To test this idea, he pretended to turn around, not looking at the pile of corpses behind him.

—Then, he suddenly looked back.

Sure enough, the corpses that had been properly soaking in the pool, the moment Jian Bumian turned his head, had started secretly approaching him.

The steel-wire-bound corpse closest to Jian Bumian had already climbed ashore. Due to its violent movements, the corpse, barely held together by the wires, split apart into pieces here and there.

But they were still moving. Arms, thighs, heads, rolling rapidly towards Jian Bumian’s direction.

His guess was right. Static objects in the Infinite World inevitably start moving secretly when the player isn’t looking.

He even felt a strange sense of familiarity; maybe when he was an NPC, he’d done similar things.

As Jian Bumian pondered for a moment, the viewers in the Livestream Room were already frantic with anxiety.

【Ahhh, why isn’t Mianmian running away fast!!】

【Wifey’s dumb and soft look makes me wanna pinch him to death, wuwuwu.】

【Why is this little player even less panicked the closer danger gets? What is he thinking about?】

【Run!!! Or every corpse in the pool will be chasing you!】

Huh?

Run away?

Jian Bumian slowly recalled this unfamiliar word.

Since he’d become a Malicious Ghost NPC before, this word had been erased from his dictionary.

Even now that he was human again, he hadn’t adjusted.

Jian Bumian currently had no usable Items, nor exceptional physical fitness. Fleeing directly was the only option with a shred of survival hope.

The corpses inside the Corpse-Disposal Pool had all come alive, dragging sticky, foul corpse fluid, crawling out of the pool one by one.

Two minutes left until eleven-thirty.

Jian Bumian had to escape the Corpse-Disposal Pool and sprint back to the dorm within this time. The time was incredibly tight. One second late, and what awaited him was direct Erasure by the Rule.

Jian Bumian stood up, rubbing his calves, sore from the coma.

The oversized suit jacket hem could only cover his thighs.

His calves and knees had no fabric cover, the dim light outlining the curve of his calves. His pale skin was scraped red by the rough floor.

Jian Bumian wanted to flee, but abruptly felt a strange sensation at his neck.

This strange, tightening sensation was slowly turning into a fatal choking feeling.

Oxygen was gradually being squeezed from his lungs. His trachea, the path for breath, was slowly becoming twisted, soon to let in barely a wisp of oxygen.

…Like countless large hands were clenching Jian Bumian’s neck, trying to strangle him.

Jian Bumian’s fleeing motion froze in place, his face gradually turning pale, like a milk cat pinched by the scruff of its neck.

…The culprit should be the group photo on the back of his neck.

The ghosts in the photo wanted, at this critical life-or-death moment, to finally drag Jian Bumian into death.

Only a little over a minute left.

Jian Bumian saw a Corpse Puppet emerging from the filthy black corpse fluid.

It had very striking golden long hair, tied into a high ponytail hanging down its back. A red butterfly hair clip was pinned near the ponytail, very conspicuous.

Unfortunately, only its hair was intact on that skull. The rest seemed crushed by a heavy object, caved in violently, brain matter and minced flesh bursting out.

Jian Bumian felt this corpse was somewhat familiar.

Back in the Honor Hall, he was forced to observe the back of every acrobat’s head.

One of the “people” in the group photo had a back with golden high-ponytail hair exactly matching the corpse before him, even with the same butterfly hair clip.

Clearly, the corpse of that “person” had appeared before Jian Bumian.

Jian Bumian saw that Ponytail Ghost, crawling on all fours, come right up to him, then suddenly stand up in front of him, face-to-face.

Jian Bumian could feel the ghost’s pale, gooey brain matter dripping onto him.

If eaten, this ghost would probably taste like spoiled tofu pudding.

So disgusting…

Jian Bumian’s stomach churned. He stepped back, but somehow his foot caught on the hem of the suit jacket, and he suddenly fell to the ground!

Falling while trying to flee is practically serving yourself up on a platter!

His knees, not covered by the fabric, were instantly scraped bloody by the floor, and a red, swollen bump quickly rose on his forehead.

He was actually injured…

For the first time since turning human, Jian Bumian felt pain.

Seeing Jian Bumian fall, the Ponytail Ghost let out a bizarre, shrill laugh from its shattered head. It reached out its decayed hands and viciously grabbed for the hem of the suit jacket draped over Jian Bumian!

At the same time, countless Corpse Puppets behind Jian Bumian surged forward, like vultures spotting prey, surrounding him, trying to tear him to pieces.

Countless hands, swollen with decay or already turned to white bone, reached for Jian Bumian lying on the ground.

Jian Bumian’s figure was slender, lying on the ground like a light feather. His pale body was unusually conspicuous in the dim light.

Swallowed by the oversized suit jacket, surrounded by the surging, grotesque corpses, he looked exceptionally pitiful and powerless.

An oddly contrasting beauty.

If the Corpse Puppets could just tear away the jacket, they could viciously kill Jian Bumian.

【It’s over. Although Mianmian is smart and bold, his body is still too delicate. One fall and he can’t get up…】

【Don’t dare look. Closing my eyes.】

【Ahhh, a new player I’d finally taken a liking to, and he’s just going to die like this?!】

【I knew it… sigh. Physical strength is extremely important in the Infinite World.】

【Mianmian’s luck is just too bad!! Whose suit jacket is this! How did Mianmian step on the hem and fall because of it!! Once I enter the Infinite World, I’ll avenge Mianmian!】

【Huff huff, grab Mianmian’s ankle, blow on Mianmian’s knee and it won’t hurt anymore!】

—Just as the Ponytail Ghost’s hand was about to seize the jacket fabric falling around Jian Bumian’s waist.

The moment that ghost touched the black fabric, it let out a piercing scream!

Its head instantly burst open, white brain matter and minced flesh scattering across the floor like spilled tofu pudding!

It wasn’t just it. Many ghosts wanting to touch Jian Bumian, the moment they slightly contacted the suit jacket covering him, let out ferocious screams! They were suddenly encountering some inexplicable agony!

One… two… three…

All around were fragments of ruined corpses. The Corpse Puppets scattered in terror. Jian Bumian slowly came back to his senses, and the choking sensation from his neck abruptly vanished too.

Only one minute left.

Without the Corpse Puppets and the strangulation, everything became much simpler.

Jian Bumian dashed out of the Corpse-Disposal Pool in a few steps.

The dormitory happened to be right around the corner, not far from the Corpse-Disposal pool.

Jian Bumian increased his running speed. Just before the last second of eleven-thirty, he crashed straight through the dormitory door!

The players inside the dorm were startled by Jian Bumian’s sudden arrival, all turning their heads to look at him.

The youth’s face was flushed from overexertion, fine sweat beading on his forehead. The corners of his eyes were tinged with a faint crimson. His pair of caramel-colored eyes looked wet, as if he’d just been crying.

Although it was merely a sign of exhaustion, on Jian Bumian, it looked… like he’d been bullied.

Most eye-catching was the black suit jacket draped over him. One look told it came from some man.

And the jacket bore many traces of tearing and tugging, looking very intense.

This player… went out on a date?

Feeling the burning stares from other players, Jian Bumian felt uncomfortable. He got up and returned to his own bed.

He sat on the bed, knees drawn up, and slowly took off the suit jacket.

He could have just devoured those Corpse Puppets in the Corpse-Disposal Pool and then escaped.

But those corpses looked terribly unappetizing.

Jian Bumian didn’t want to eat them.

He had gone out this time to find better food. If he ate those disgusting Corpse Puppets, wouldn’t he be slapping his own face?!

Thinking this, Jian Bumian stared at the suit jacket draped over his knees, lost in thought.

Although the suit jacket had come into close contact with the Corpse Puppets, it hadn’t picked up their scent.

The expensive black fabric still carried the cold, faint aroma of cedarwood.

Jian Bumian frowned. He clearly remembered those Corpse Puppet NPCs shying away from this jacket the instant they touched it, as if encountering something terrifying.

That Ponytail Ghost was even so scared its head cracked open.

…Were they afraid of the owner of this jacket?

And at the same time they were frightened, the invisible large hands choking Jian Bumian’s neck had also vanished in an instant.

More precisely, they had gone into hiding, scared.

Jian Bumian was somewhat curious what kind of person the owner of this jacket would be.

But what interested him even more was that Ponytail Ghost.

He had seen an acrobat NPC in the group photo who looked exactly like that Ponytail Ghost.

Meaning, those acrobat NPCs in the photo were already dead, their bodies dumped in the cold Corpse-Disposal Pool by the troupe.

Jian Bumian followed this thread of thought.

Then, he chuckled lightly, raising his hand to gently stroke the group photo on the back of his neck, as if tenderly petting a little cat.

Ah, he had discovered an interesting secret.

The Livestream Room viewers were full of question marks.

【Why did Mianmian suddenly laugh?? While the smile feels sweet, it also feels a bit terrifying _(:з”∠)_…】

【Did Mianmian discover some earth-shattering secret?? Why not say! Leaving it half-said will get him crushed!】

【Am I the only one curious who the owner of this jacket is? If he finds Mianmian took his jacket to wear, he won’t bully Mianmian for it, right?】

【Upstairs, you’re not alone. I think the owner must be very strong. Hope it’s not Mianmian’s Strategy Target; otherwise, Mianmian definitely can’t succeed in the conquest…】

Jian Bumian didn’t speak aloud the secret he discovered. After a quick wash, he lay down on his bed.

Many players didn’t go to bed like Jian Bumian. They sat blankly on their beds, completely unable to sleep.

Having learned from last night’s lesson, who knew what would happen tonight?

Some Veteran Players had entered in teams. They used this gap time to huddle together and discuss the instance.

Jian Bumian was woken up by their whispered, fragmented discussions.

He squinted, vaguely seeing those veteran players discussing.

Veterans, having experienced many instances, generally had collected quite a few Items, making their survival rate much higher than Novice Players.

One veteran player had an Item resembling an old flip-style cell phone. Its small black-and-white screen was stained with blood and cracks.

This Item could monitor the operational status of the current instance, with three uses.

The veteran player lowered his head, staring at the screen of the old cell phone Item. The dim light cast his face in a ghastly pale color.

His voice trembled slightly, clearly suppressing immense inner fear.

“It’s over. This instance has undergone a massive anomaly.”

The other players quickly crowded around: “What? What anomaly?! Tell us now! This concerns our lives!”

Anomaly?

Jian Bumian raised an eyebrow, finding it interesting. He poked his fluffy head out, quietly perking up his ears to listen.

The tips of his ears, just warmed up by the cozy blankets, were suddenly exposed to the cold air, their skin flushing a faint crimson.

His bunk was very close to those veteran players.

Even though they were whispering, he could still hear them clearly.

The next moment, the player revealed what kind of anomaly had occurred in this instance.

When Jian Bumian heard what the other said.

A dazzling blue light flashed in his half-lowered, beautiful caramel-colored eyes, faintly shining through his curled eyelashes, like countless stars had been shattered and scattered into his eyes.

Ah, accidentally got excited again.