Chapter 237 Opening the Passage

Chapter 237: The Passage Opens

"What exactly are you trying to do?!"

Though the reception room was not large, the sheer force and violent impact of being dragged from one wall and slammed into the opposite one could be gleaned from the thunderous crash that had just occurred.

Perhaps the realization that the eerie entity which had compelled him to kill Qin Yuxuan was the same one that had snatched him away just as he was about to strike, caused Yue Zhengqing’s mental state to collapse.

"You should be thanking me. I offered you a lifeline. After all, had I been even a second later, you would have been the one killed." The grotesque entity, its body a swirling mass of blood threads, extended a hand and pointed towards Qin Yuxuan.

Yue Zhengqing had just been flung against the wall mirror, and having already been tormented by the blood threads, he was now sprawled disheveled on the sofa. The uncontrolled power still surging through him had scorched several large holes in the fabric where his hands made contact.

It was clear to any observer that while Yue Zhengqing had been somewhat enigmatic when describing his ability, he hadn't outright lied. His hands could generate extreme, flame-like heat, capable of severely burning any surface they touched.

To claim this power could rival Feng Ling’s flame control would be a considerable stretch. Feng Ling’s strength lay not only in the intense heat and burns her flames inflicted but also in her ability to tame fire like a docile pet, allowing it to shift attack patterns at her will and transition effortlessly between offense and defense.

Nevertheless, despite its significant limitations, Yue Zhengqing’s ability was undeniably formidable, powerful enough to make someone of his disposition feel smug, even reckless.

Su Bai had largely completed his assessment of Yue Zhengqing’s information, then tossed it aside with indifference.

Compared to such trivial pieces of the puzzle, Su Bai was more intrigued by the fact that he had clearly witnessed something enter Yue Zhengqing’s body through the mirror. Yet, unlike the eerie entity that had possessed Xiao Xiaodie, this one hadn't directly taken over, as Yue Zhengqing’s consciousness remained his own.

As Su Bai observed Yue Zhengqing’s condition, the other players in the reception room shifted their gaze to Qin Yuxuan, drawn by the eerie entity’s pointing gesture. Compared to the silent infiltration of Yue Zhengqing’s body, Qin Yuxuan’s situation had taken an even more startling turn.

"Behind him…" Meng Zhi, standing closest to Qin Yuxuan, turned and noticed the anomaly on the wall behind him. "There’s a mirror!"

As she spoke, Meng Zhi retreated to Feng Ling’s side. After their previous experiences, she knew that the appearance of a mirror here was abnormal and a definite ill omen.

Qin Yuxuan understood this all too well.

Damn it!

Before the incidents with Xiao Xiaodie and Yue Zhengqing, Qin Yuxuan had believed this game was no different from the nightmare games he had previously dismantled. He had never cared for the so-called "rules" or eerie entities in nightmare games, always indulging in his own preferred games and believing that as a mental control ability user, he was superior to other players, capable of turning anyone he encountered into a pawn.

But now, Qin Yuxuan felt utterly dreadful!

He had been mistaken from the start. This "Mirror Apartment" was the nemesis of his abilities! Just as when he had sown seeds of malice in Yue Zhengqing and Xiao Xiaodie’s minds, whenever he acted maliciously toward the "neighbors," a mirror would appear near him.

When Yue Zhengqing had tried to kill him, Qin Yuxuan had naturally harbored the desire to kill Yue Zhengqing in return and had even prepared to act.

The mirror on the wall behind him must have appeared at that very moment.

Could "neighborly harmony" truly be the rule to clear this game? Qin Yuxuan began frantically overturning his previous assumptions. Now that all players realized the appearance of mirrors represented "malice," his every move would be exposed. His "plans" and "schemes of destruction" would appear ludicrous, like a clown’s performance, in the eyes of others!

"A mirror! A mirror has appeared behind him!"

Qin Yuxuan’s mind grew as agitated as if it were on fire. Of course, he knew a mirror had appeared behind him, but he also heard an eerie voice whispering incessantly in his ear—

"Turn around, turn around and look. The outside world no longer welcomes you. Why not turn around and see? Turn around…"

"Perhaps soon, a mirror will appear behind each of us," Chen Xi, still bound by blood threads on the sofa, remarked with rare pessimism. "So this is the real game? No matter how hard we try to avoid it, the eerie entities in this apartment will force us to turn on each other. 'Neighborly harmony' was an impossible rule from the start!"

"I hate rules! I hate anything that disregards my personal will!" Qin Yuxuan didn’t look back at the mirror behind him but stared at the ground, murmuring darkly. "That’s why I despise the real world the most—a world where I have to study hard, be polite, obey my parents, and can’t even cry or have my own thoughts! But now, this damned apartment is no different from the real world!"

Once again, he felt restrained by the "mirror," just as he had been restrained in the real world.

Moreover, after becoming a player in the nightmare world, Qin Yuxuan’s mindset had undergone a significant transformation. But the presence of the "mirror" stripped away all his illusions, making the nightmare world—once a source of excitement and pleasure—even more detestable than the real world.

"You want me to turn around? Are you trying to mentally control me?!"

A maelstrom of resentment and agitation pushed Qin Yuxuan to the brink. After the voice urging him to turn around repeated again and again, his emotions exploded. His rationality seemed to snap, and he recklessly turned to face the mirror behind him.

It was an ordinary-looking mirror—neither too large nor too small, perfectly square, with a wooden frame that showed no special features.

In the mirror was "Qin Yuxuan," identical in build and clothing.

But…

The facial features of the "Qin Yuxuan" in the mirror were inverted.

"You’ve seen me. Thank you." The mouth, unnaturally high, split into a terrifying grin. The thing in the mirror reached out, grabbed Qin Yuxuan’s wrist, and tried to pull him into the mirror.

"Get lost!" As a mental control ability user, Qin Yuxuan finally regained his senses at that moment. Staring intently at the thing in the mirror, he mustered all his strength to shout that single word.

The thing in the mirror seemed to freeze for an instant. Seizing the opportunity, Qin Yuxuan broke free from the "Qin Yuxuan’s" grip and quickly stepped back.

But on his withdrawn wrist remained a hand-shaped burn mark.

"It’s useless. The passage has opened. Thank you."

The figure in the mirror gradually faded, leaving only a cloud of blood and a faint humanoid shape within.

"Your ability is strong enough to escape that thing’s control. No wonder my people couldn’t find a trace of you, no matter how hard they tried." A young woman’s voice came from the side.

Still shaken, Qin Yuxuan turned toward the voice and saw the bespectacled girl whose name he didn’t know. She looked young, with two rustic braids, but her words caught him off guard.

Then, he watched as the girl took a few steps forward, standing at the center of the reception room, and raised her voice to announce, "Let’s pause this farce for a moment. I have something to say."

Except for Su Bai, the other players looked bewilderedly at Feng Ling, who had suddenly stepped forward.

Was this really the time for casual conversation?

There were at least two eerie entities in this damned reception room!