Chapter 9: Rose Earl 9

The man was swept against the wall by the gust, and his eyes were momentarily dazed.

He stared blankly in Xia Qi's direction, then turned his head, seemingly realizing he could no longer see.

The blinding effect had taken hold!

Xia Qi immediately reacted, rushing toward his sister. He extended his right hand, scooped her up, and tucked her under his arm.

Three years ago, he had suffered a gunshot wound to his calf, so he couldn't run too fast. Therefore, he could only carry one person away.

Instinctively disliking his sister, he chose his younger sister.

Whether his sister could escape would depend on her own luck.

As Xia Qi reached the staircase, the sound of crumbling stones came from the nearby man, indicating that the berserk BOSS had regained mobility.

"Sorry!" Xia Qi didn't even look back as he yelled and dashed down the stairs.

While running down, he heard the sound of something heavy landing above him.

The BOSS had recovered!

"Boom, boom, boom!" More sounds of heavy impacts echoed.

The BOSS seemed furious; after these destructive sounds, even Xia Qi, running down the stairs, could feel the vibrations of the Corner Tower.

Xia Qi, carrying his sister, ran to the base of the Corner Tower. As he searched for a hiding place, his sister's scream came from above: "Stay back! Stay back!"

Suddenly, a blood ball fell from the sky and landed with a thud nearby.

The blood ball rolled to Xia Qi's feet, and when he looked down, he saw a head smashed like a watermelon.

"Roar—"

Another terrifying growl came from the Corner Tower. Hearing this ear-piercing roar, even Xia Qi felt a chill.

"Thump, thump, thump."

This time, the footsteps coming down the stairs from the Corner Tower were not the sound of boots but heavier steps. Even without seeing him, Xia Qi could imagine the man leaving footprints in the ground with each step.

The man was fully berserk, and even Xia Qi dared not face the BOSS directly at the risk of his life.

Moreover, Xia Qi had no more True Love points left. If he encountered the berserk BOSS, he would be dead.

"Where is the safest place to hide?"

Xia Qi thought frantically while running.

His current residence was too far from the Corner Tower; he might be caught before reaching it.

But the outdoors were also unsafe.

If he couldn't conceal his presence well enough, he might be discovered by the BOSS again.

Where was the safest place to hide?

As he passed the East Hall, he suddenly remembered a reliable hiding spot.

Got it!

Xia Qi adjusted his grip on his sister, held the banister, and used all his strength to climb to the third floor.

Time seemed to stretch endlessly. Xia Qi could hear his pounding heart and the approaching footsteps behind him. He tried to hold his breath and finally reached the third floor—the door to Margaret's room.

Meanwhile, the berserk BOSS had arrived at the East Hall.

Hearing the BOSS stop below, Xia Qi held his breath and paused.

Had he been discovered?

Xia Qi leaned against the wall, listening intently to the sounds below.

The entire East Hall was silent.

"Thump."

The man took a step.

Xia Qi also took a step forward.

"Thump, thump."

The man took another step.

Xia Qi took two steps forward.

As he moved, Xia Qi realized the man was wandering around the East Hall, seemingly unaware of his presence upstairs.

He cautiously exhaled, taking advantage of the man's confusion to take a swift step and reach the door to Margaret's room.

"Creak—"

Xia Qi had never found the sound of a door opening so loud. He gritted his teeth, pushed the door slowly, slipped inside, and carefully closed it behind him.

After closing the door, the man's footsteps became fainter. Xia Qi tiptoed to Margaret's wardrobe, first stuffing his dazed sister inside, then climbing in himself.

"Thump, thump, thump..."

Hidden in the wardrobe, Xia Qi was enveloped in darkness. For the first time, he found the enclosed space oddly comforting.

Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the BOSS's footsteps became clear again.

This was Margaret's room, and according to his judgment, the BOSS shouldn't come in.

*Knock, knock, knock...*

The man's footsteps grew louder, finally stopping with a *knock* outside Margaret's room.

Xia Qi felt his heart leap into his throat, his palms sweating profusely.

Impossible, could his judgment have been wrong?

If the BOSS really intended to come in, he had no other options...

*Bang!*

The sound of footsteps at the door shook Xia Qi, making him tremble.

*Knock, knock, knock.*

Just as Xia Qi bit through his lip, ready to give up, the BOSS's footsteps suddenly grew more distant.

The BOSS left the third floor, then went down to the second floor, and finally, the sound vanished completely...

After a long while, Xia Qi felt that the whole world was silent except for his and his sister's breathing.

"Safe," Xia Qi relaxed, exhaling deeply.

Only then did he realize he was drenched in sweat, his back almost completely wet.

Chasing and fleeing all night had drained him of all his strength; a wave of drowsiness washed over him. Xia Qi forced himself to stay awake and said to his sister, "We'll stay here tonight."

In the darkness, his sister remained silent.

Xia Qi knew she was traumatized, so he didn't continue speaking.

"I'm going to sleep for a bit." Xia Qi leaned against the wardrobe, closing his eyes to rest.

As dawn broke and birds chirped outside the window, Xia Qi, exhausted, crawled out of the wardrobe.

Last night, he and his sister had hidden in this wardrobe all night.

"Come out, it's safe now." After crawling out, Xia Qi reached his hand towards his sister, who was still in the corner of the wardrobe.

But his sister didn't respond.

Xia Qi pulled the wardrobe door wider, only to see his sister with disheveled hair draped over her shoulders, her face pale as paper, her gaze vacant, and dark circles under her eyes, as if she hadn't slept all night.

"What's wrong?"

Hearing Xia Qi's voice, his sister came to her senses and shook her head lightly.

"Thank you, Brother Xia, but... you don't need to worry about me anymore." Her voice was hoarse like a broken bellows, hardly the voice of an underage girl.

Her gaze towards Xia Qi was mature beyond her years, completely out of place for someone her age.

"What do you mean?" Xia Qi asked.

"I won't play the game anymore," his sister said calmly. "Whether it's the missions or the red side, I won't care anymore."

This young girl is giving up entirely...

After experiencing her sister's betrayal, she must be utterly desperate.

Not knowing how to persuade her, Xia Qi could only say regretfully, "Be careful."

After saying this, he tidied himself up and left Margaret's room.

However, after going downstairs, he didn't go far but hid behind a nearby tree trunk, watching his sister come down.

When his sister came down the stairs, she didn't head towards their home but walked towards the head that fell last night.

"Sister." Looking at the head on the ground, smashed like a rotten watermelon, his sister gave a bitter laugh.

Then, she wiped away non-existent tears from her eyes and carefully picked up the head.

She didn't go to the Corner Tower to find the rest of her sister's body but instead turned and walked towards the path leading to the northern hill.

Watching his sister's figure disappear on the road, Xia Qi stepped out from behind the tree trunk.

"What is she doing on the hill behind the Rose Castle?"

He had once surveyed the entire castle and knew that the hill behind it was a cemetery.

Could it be that she intends to bury her sister's head?

Though puzzled, Xia Qi didn't follow her but headed straight for his own residence.

He was too tired and desperately needed rest.

Alone, his sister walked up the mountain path to the cemetery, holding a cold head in her arms.

Because of the trembling as she walked, blood occasionally dripped from the broken parts of the head, staining her clothes with dark red streaks.

Step by step, she continued walking. At that moment, the rose bushes on both sides trembled slightly, and a light singing voice drifted from the direction of the cemetery—

"Goodbye, my darling,

You're gently swaying in your cradle."

Goodbye, my love,

Mom wants to take you away with her."

Listening to the distant, mismatched singing, Xia Qi's sister, determined to die, continued walking toward the cemetery.

As she got closer to the cemetery, the singing became clearer.

Pushing open the small gate of the cemetery, she looked up and saw a woman standing inside, facing away from her.

The woman was wearing a white silk dress similar to the one Xia Qi had on, but unlike Xia Qi, this woman was truly a woman.

Is it a ghost?

After last night’s terrifying ordeal, Xia Qi's sister felt as if her heart had turned to ashes. She even thought that dying at the hands of a beautiful female ghost might be better than dying at the hands of that cruel and terrifying boss.

Ignoring the woman, she walked straight to a corner of the cemetery and placed the head on the ground.

She picked up a shovel lying on the ground and began digging a hole.

As she dug, she felt her body getting colder.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a white hem hanging beside her.

It was the female ghost.

Xia Qi's sister didn't look up, continuing to dig mechanically, ignoring the presence beside her.

"Whoo—"

A cold breath suddenly blew into her ear, and she turned her head slightly, saying coldly, "Leave me alone."

Seeing that she ignored her, the woman giggled and created a few gusts of wind to play with Xia Qi's sister's hair.

Annoyed, Xia Qi's sister threw the shovel down with a loud thud, intending to scold the female ghost.

Unexpectedly, when she looked up, she met a face that was shattered like it had been run over by a truck.

Fresh brain matter mixed with blood dripped from the female ghost's hair, staining her entire face bright red.

"You!" Xia Qi's sister instantly recognized the woman, her eyes widening in shock, "You are..."

The author has something to say: Thank you for your support!

Tomorrow, my cover will arrive. I originally wanted to change it today, but I was worried that you might not find the story, so I'm letting everyone know. Tomorrow, I will change the cover.

The background color of the new cover is black, with the shadow of a castle. In the middle right of the cover, there is a drawing of a guy with black hair (Xia Qi) holding a rose. I hope you won't fail to recognize it—ha ha.