Ke Xun subconsciously opened his eyes and saw a person through the gap in the woodpile.
Calling it a person wasn't quite accurate.
This person was lying on the ground, naked, slowly wriggling in a bizarre posture.
The next second, Ke Xun realized that what was bizarre wasn't the posture, but the person's body.
This person looked like a misfit human accidentally created by Nuwa when she was creating humans from clay.
The naked torso was twisted and contorted, the long, gnarled spine protruding, stretching the skin on the back almost to the point of bursting. And on this jagged, twisted torso, the person's limbs and head grew haphazardly.
It was as if someone had haphazardly glued the limbs and head onto the back, chest, and abdomen of a figurine using superglue; all the organs were out of place.
Therefore, this person couldn't walk, only crawl, only wriggle.
"He" moved with considerable difficulty, his pale, withered leg kicking resentfully and helplessly, his five toes curled up, the black toenails peeling outwards to reveal the dark red, rotting flesh beneath.
"His" head wasn't on his neck; Ke Xun couldn't see its location. The closest thing to him was this "person's" hand—or rather, five fingers. He couldn't see the palm, only five slender fingers that seemed to sprout from "his" ribs like buds of flesh, constantly writhing and twitching.
Upon first seeing this "person," Ke Xun immediately bit his tongue to prevent himself from making a sound of shock. However, once he bit down, he dared not let go, fearing that if he did, the contents of his stomach would surge forth.
This was the "thing" in the coffin? The last descendant of the Li family—why was he like this?
The situation before him left no room for further consideration. Hearing the sound of falling firewood, the chaotically pieced-together body was writhing, trying to reach the source of the sound.
What to do?
Ke Xun believed this thing's power was far greater than it appeared, slow and feeble. Once it got closer and saw him and Mu Yiran, the consequences were unimaginable.
A pale arm slid through the gap in the firewood in front of Ke Xun as the "person" wriggled. At this close range, Ke Xun fully felt the chill emanating from the dead man's skin.
This chill was like dozens of dead men's lips, wet and cold, pressing against Ke Xun's skin, quickly penetrating his flesh and seeping into his bone marrow.
Ke Xun's body trembled uncontrollably, and the trembling seemed to be growing stronger.
It was this strange thing at work! Ke Xun tried to control his body, but it was completely beyond his control.
Ke Xun bit his tongue hard, a trickle of salty, bitter blood spilling from the corner of his lips, but this still couldn't stop the icy chill in his body and the increasingly violent trembling, until even his lips started to tremble.
Suddenly, a slightly cool finger pressed against it. Immediately afterward, Mu Yiran's elbow silently pressed against his ribs. With a slight exertion, a piercing pain instantly swept through his entire body. If his mouth hadn't been pressed down, Ke Xun would have almost cried out in pain. A layer of sweat immediately broke out on his forehead and palms, and the chill that had seeped into his bones instantly vanished without a trace.
Ke Xun didn't have time to savor the pain. Through the gaps in the firewood in front of him, he saw the deformed man writhing and twisting his body, and in the part of his limbs that he couldn't tell if it was an arm or a leg, a tuft of tangled, dirty hair was constantly surging.
Ke Xun's gaze followed the tuft of fur to its roots, where he saw a dark, cracked mouth.
The fur grew from the mouth, which was so tangled that it had to be wide open, revealing a shriveled, rotten, toothless gum.
The mouth slowly rolled down, revealing a flat-bridged nose through the gap in the limbs, and then down further, two lower eyelids came into Ke Xun's view.
Just before his eyes met those of this "person," Ke Xun's vision went black.
The gap in the woodpile was gently blocked by Mu Yiran with the handle of the axe that had been placed beside him, the movement nimble and precise, without making a sound.
Ke Xun held his breath, listening to the movements of the "person" outside the woodpile.
The "person" didn't leave the woodpile. Ke Xun didn't know if "he" was observing or waiting. The chaotic limbs on "his" torso constantly made a sizzling sound as they rubbed against his skin. The sound was dry and rough, like a skin patient suffering from pruritus, rubbing their body and seeing flakes of skin fall off like fish scales.
Ke Xun felt a tingling
, itchy sensation all over his body. A few minutes later, he realized that this wasn't psychological; he was genuinely itchy all over.
This itch wasn't a simple, gentle tickle; it was a rough, stinging itch, like dense bristles growing under the skin.
This stinging and itchy feeling was unbearable for Ke Xun. He wanted to tear off his own skin and scratch his flesh raw with long, sharp nails.
Ke Xun desperately tried to endure it. He clenched his fists tightly, digging his nails into his palms, trying to relieve the itch. He bit his lip hard, wishing he could bite off the itchy flesh and swallow it whole.
Unfortunately, it was all in vain. The itching all over his body seemed to have a backlash, multiplying in intensity. Ke Xun endured it until his eyes were bloodshot, and he felt like he wanted to die immediately.
Ruthless, truly ruthless.
This deformed monster was more ruthless than someone who had personally killed someone.
Ke Xun felt he had reached his limit. A voice in his consciousness was crying out in pain for him: I can't take it anymore, I really can't hold on any longer, I want to die, I want to die!
Ke Xun's consciousness told him that he longed to die in the next second, he couldn't bear this, he would rather die.
Ke Xun snapped the last stubborn nerve in his consciousness. He finally lost all reason. Just as he was about to jump up and smash his head against the wall to end it all, he felt Mu Yiran suddenly press down hard on his carotid artery with one finger. The next second, Ke Xun lost consciousness.
When he opened his eyes again, Ke Xun saw Mu Yiran standing beside him, looking down at him coldly.
Half of his buttocks still felt the lingering sensation of being kicked.
The sky was just beginning to lighten, and a few rays of dim light shone through the cracks in the wooden window, illuminating Mu Yiran's exquisitely sculpted features.
"It's dawn?" Ke Xun exclaimed in surprise, jumping up from the ground. "What about the deformed one?"
Mu Yiran ignored him and turned to leave.
Remembering Wei Dong, Ke Xun strode out, leaving Mu Yiran behind in an instant, rushing towards the mourning hall.
At the entrance, the paper-mache boy and girl still stood on either side, smiling at the newcomer.
Ke Xun kicked open the door and burst inside. The scene before him nearly made his soul leave his body—two headless corpses lay on the ground, one of which he recognized as Wei Dong's just by its shape!
"Dongzi—"
Ke Xun managed a hoarse cry, his entire spirit and emotions collapsing at that moment. He couldn't even remember how he rushed over. He couldn't believe it, couldn't believe that the person lying before him in such a gruesome state was his childhood friend, someone he'd grown up with like a brother. He didn't know how to accept this outcome; his chest felt as if it had been shattered by a giant hammer.
"…Damn…you're crushing me…get off…" A groan suddenly escaped from Wei Dong's corpse cavity.
Ke Xun froze on the spot, and saw Wei Dong's large head slowly emerge from the "corpse's" neck, his face full of pain: "…Get off! Go away and wail!"
"…Dongzi, are you…a human or a ghost?" Ke Xun looked at him, somewhat bewildered.
"Get lost, you're the ghost, stop cursing me!" Wei Dong rubbed his chest, which was sore from Ke Xun's pressure, and blew a hard breath in his face. "See? I'm still breathing, alive!" "
..." Ke Xun stared at him for a long time, then wiped his face to hide the trembling in his voice. "Your breath is so foul it could revive a ghost, I'm telling you..."
"I'm not kissing you, so what's it to you?" Wei Dong calmed down, looked up and saw Mu Yiran standing at the door. He jumped up and rushed over. "Boss! You're my savior, boss! I hid my head the way you told me, and it's really okay! It's really okay! I survived! I survived! Hahaha! My savior!" "
What happened?" Ke Xun followed and asked.
Wei Dong recounted what Mu Yiran had told him the previous night, pointing to another headless "corpse" on the ground: "Later, I told Liu Yufei, and when he heard it was a method taught by a big shot, he stopped going crazy and howling. We did it the same way, and it really worked!"
Liu Yufei slowly got up from the ground, staring at Mu Yiran: "So, you've already broken this deadly trap?"
"Whether I've broken it or not, we'll have to wait until we get to the old man's house to find out." Mu Yiran casually tossed aside the question and turned to leave the mourning hall.
Ke Xun strode after him, turning to look at him: "Thank you, thank you for saving Dongzi, and for saving me too."
Mu Yiran said casually: "No need, I was just trying it out."
Ke Xun smiled, said nothing more, and went with him to the old man's house.
Mu Yiran, Ke Xun, Wei Dong, and Liu Yufei were the first to arrive. Shortly after they entered, the doctor and the pancake stall owner also arrived.
The pancake stall owner looked even worse than the day before, utterly listless and ashen-faced. He slumped into a chair as soon as he entered the room, staring blankly into space without uttering a word.
"How was last night?" the doctor asked Wei Dong and Liu Yufei, utterly astonished that they had both survived.
Before Wei Dong could answer, the door opened again, and the two men who had been responsible for digging the grave the previous night entered.
Everyone's eyes met, and they all suddenly paused.
Eight people.
All eight who had survived the night before had survived last night, not one missing.
According to the bug-fixing rules in the painting, these eight people were now going to vote.
They had to choose one person who was about to be killed.