Found it—
Right on top of the cabinet in the innermost part of the room, among several old boxes, Xu Zisheng found that phone.
He briefly examined it.
It was an old person's phone without any password lock. After holding down a single button, it powered on.
The screen was very dim, the battery level at the top was dangerously low, with only ten percent remaining.
He opened the call log, finding only a handful of records. The frequency of earlier calls seed relatively normal, but by the later dates, there was almost no communication.
He then clicked on ssages. Due to the ti pressure, Xu Zisheng could only quickly skim a few lines, catching only the first few words of the ssages.
"Grandma Zhang treats very well…"
"I heard a few days ago the city's sports team…"
"How have you been recently?…"
"She has a sick grandson, about my age…"
"Many people ca these past few days, I learned a lot of things…"
"Has the Director been angry recently?…"
"Today an uncle ca dressed very similarly to Teacher Tang…"
"Said sothing about a perfect match, I didn't really understand…"
Before he could continue reading, the entire screen of the old person's phone dimd several more degrees. Xu Zisheng could only rummage a bit in the box, pulling out a few crooked charging cables.
Looking at the box filled with miscellaneous items, a thought crossed his mind. Since his Sealed Space still had room, he might as well put everything inside.
Judging by the accumulated dust, the items in these last few cabinets seed completely forgotten in the corner, never touched again.
He powered off the old person's phone, carefully storing it away, and returned everything to its original position.
Then Xu Zisheng used a tool to mix the scents within the room, which helped conceal any traces of his own scent he might have left behind.
If the owner of this room or that dog-like monster returned before the scents dissipated, they wouldn't be able to distinguish the scent traces left by an intruder.
If they returned later, then after the scent left by his tool completely vanished, the other party likely wouldn't discover soone had infiltrated the room.
Without the slightest hesitation, Xu Zisheng lightly jumped down from the second floor, imdiately following the traces left by Yang Qianqian's confrontation with the hidden entity, and rushed over.
————————————————
"Hah—"
Another terrifyingly sharp attack descended. Yang Qianqian strained to dodge it, stumbling back several steps before managing to dissipate the frightening force.
Shrouded within her faint, flickering white specter disguise, she couldn't stop panting, the tallic taste of blood thick in the depths of her throat.
Cheng He had just tried to contact her through a special channel, but Yang Qianqian couldn't spare the ntal focus to respond.
The consequence of distraction would be the other party seizing the opportunity for a fierce assault.
Unable to kill her directly, the opponent remained focused on eliminating her disguise, aiming to expose her true identity as the orphan 'player' Xiao Qing.
Yang Qianqian had been evading and maneuvering against it. The once lifelike golden-haired doll in her arms was now shattered and broken, its forrly neat golden hair now uneven and ragged.
As if real bloody tears were flowing from the golden-haired doll's eyes, it continuously emitted mournful whimpers, its body covered in web-like cracks.
For so unknown reason, the patrolling monsters never appeared.
Yang Qianqian suspected the other party was behind this, probably fearing sothing itself; otherwise, it wouldn't feel so restrained.
Otherwise, she couldn't have held out this long.
But one thing infuriated Yang Qianqian imnsely.
She faintly sensed the other party was toying with them, seemingly enjoying the sadistic pleasure of slowly tornting its prey.
She had always despised such disgusting behavior, but having encountered similar maniacs within Dragon Shadow, she could recognize the signs.
How much longer? Had that guy called 'Xiao Wu' gotten what he wanted or not?
The girl gently rubbed the doll's head. Her precious baby had already been 'killed' countless tis.
Most of the previously stored Witch Curse Doll substitutes had been used up in just this single night.
Dammit! If it weren't for these damned rules suppressing players' abilities and attributes, how could she be struggling so badly?!
Hiding so sneakily in the shadows, it must be so damnable ghost or monster!!
Just wait until I fully recover and catch your true form. Even if I can't defeat you, I'll tear a chunk of flesh from you!!
When Yang Qianqian fought, she was a complete violent loli, the kind that grew crazier the longer the battle went on.
Sensing the ferocity of Yang Qianqian's counterattack, the entity manipulating things from the shadows seed to decide to end this cat-and-mouse ga.
"Bzzz—"
An enormous red humanoid figure appeared behind Yang Qianqian. The figure seed to be wearing a puffy princess dress and held a massive hamr.
Adorned with a ridiculous clown's smiling face, the figure swung the hamr down with thunderous force, aiming for the wriggling black sludge shadow on the ground.
In such a situation, she could only rely on herself.
There was almost no hope of expecting support from others.
Yang Qianqian hardly entertained the possibility that Xu Zisheng would turn back.
After all, people are selfish, aren't they?
"Caw—"
Facing the terrifying attack descending from the sky, the writhing black sludge on the ground surged forth like an endless river, then shot straight up into the air.
A sharp, hoarse bird-like cry echoed simultaneously, each note carrying a twisted, eerie power.
Tearing through the air, yet also piercing straight into the heart like sharp steel needles, targeting only the spellcaster.
Affected by this, the hamr's descending montum weakened slightly.
Yang Qianqian felt a stabbing pain between her eyebrows. Biting back a cry of pain, her movents slowed just enough for the sludge to ensnare her limbs from behind.
She could only try to break free again, but no longer had the energy to maintain the concealnt of Xu Zisheng's presence.
Seeing this situation, the other party clearly realized it had fallen for a diversion tactic.
Imdiately, it no longer intended to prolong the engagent with Yang Qianqian, planning to return to the office building area at once. The black sludge began receding like a tide.
Uncertain of Xu Zisheng's situation, how could Yang Qianqian let the other party leave?
She stretched out her five fingers and gave a slight pull. The flesh of her entire hand imdiately began to rot, and golden threads extended from her palm.
They directly pierced into the not-yet-vanished sludge shadow, slowing the other party's departure.
Just three more minutes, then she'd retreat imdiately, regardless of whether that guy had succeeded or not.
Due to the pain of the Backlash, Yang Qianqian's teeth chattered physiologically, yet her blood-red eyes held not a trace of fear.
Having initially decided to let Yang Qianqian go, the repeated obstructions clearly enraged the entity behind it all.
Finally casting caution aside, a figure slowly coalesced from the sludge. Its aura climbed stage by stage, as if intending to devour the whole world, making it almost impossible to breathe.
The terrifying pressure felt like invisible ghostly hands from the depths of hell, tightly gripping Yang Qianqian's throat, making her feel deeply suffocated.
In the darkness, shadows resembling throwing daggers swept towards Yang Qianqian from all directions, accompanied by sonic attacks even more violent and powerful than before.
Tch—
Can't dodge.
Just as Yang Qianqian's body stiffened, unable to move, she felt another external force intervene.
A silver shield only delayed those attacks for a few brief seconds, but that was enough ti for them to evade.
It wasn't Cheng He.
But the other guy.
Yang Qianqian couldn't see Xu Zisheng's presence, but due to his intervention, she could sense his aura.
He actually turned back?
What the... this guy...
The girl's eyes, crimson and her whole body battered, brightened slightly. A sowhat twisted, eerie smile lifted the corner of her mouth, carrying a hint of approval.
At least shows so responsibility—
At the sa ti, the black figure finally revealed its complete form.
The entity standing before them was a full two ters tall. The area below its neck was shrouded in a gray-black cloak, its head rely a massive crow's head with scarlet eyes that constantly swiveled, fixed intently upon them.
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