Chapter 405 Falling Down

Chapter 405: The Descent

The black and gray cat spirits surged toward the ghosts ahead, but neither the ordinary cat spirits nor the little black cat, Happy, were particularly powerful entities. At best, they could only obstruct the ghosts' vision and movements.

Su Bai glanced at the players around him, thinking that if things truly spiraled out of control, he would have to summon Xiao Huo. As for the other puzzle pieces... in Su Bai's view, those beings simply didn't know how to show restraint and would never understand why he had to proceed with such caution.

Not far from Su Bai, Wen Wen looked at him, then at the cat spirits.

"Ai Qing! Release Li Feiwen!" Tan Ying, her face pale, used her ability again. Perhaps because her focus was broken earlier, her shadows this time were completely unable to restrain the approaching ghosts.

It was also because none of the attacking ghosts were Tan Ying's "parents" that she wasn't distracted and could focus entirely on trying to stop their advance.

The cat spirits summoned by Su Bai bought them a moment's respite, though no one had the leisure to ask Su Bai what they were or how he had summoned them.

"No... no... no!" Ai Qing, shielded firmly behind Li Feiwen, was so terrified he could only shake his head repeatedly.

Seeing this, Chi Yan immediately fixed his gaze on the ghosts in the corridor. Using his ability required intense concentration on his target.

Perhaps because Chi Yan's ability was a mental one, though it was unclear how long he could maintain it, when he directed it at the ghosts, their movements noticeably slowed down and even stopped.

The most obvious was the ghost at the front preparing to attack Ai Qing; its outstretched hand slowly halted mid-air.

"Get back! Ai Qing, release Li Feiwen!" Tan Ying shouted again.

Without waiting for Ai Qing to react, Su Bai and Liang Yuyan simultaneously grabbed Ai Qing's arms and dragged him backward.

"Ai Qing, having me block for you won't last long. To these ghosts, my body is no sturdier than those walls!" Li Feiwen's tone couldn't help but carry anger.

"Ai Qing, you must release Li Feiwen and let him use his ability!" Anxious, Liang Yuyan dug her fingers into Ai Qing's arm. After all, no one knew how long Chi Yan could hold on.

"No!" Ai Qing was utterly terrified. "Li Feiwen hates me now, and you all must hate me too. If I let him go, he'll never save me again! And that ghost... that ghost will definitely take my face!"

As he spoke, Ai Qing began to cry.

Tan Ying was at her wit's end, but she had to assist Chi Yan by forcefully using her ability to restrain the ghosts and ease his burden. She couldn't afford to worry about much else.

"Li Feiwen's 'family' is here too; he's also in danger! Release him and control me to be your shield instead! You just need someone in front of you, right?" In such a moment, Liang Yuyan's only idea was to offer herself.

"Impossible!" Ai Qing cried while shaking his head. "I can only control someone with my voice if I've spent enough time with them. So, the only one I can control and ask for help is him!"

Ai Qing's words drew gasps from several players.

Previously, seeing Ai Qing persistently cling to Li Feiwen, they had thought Ai Qing was simply infatuated with him. Even knowing Li Feiwen's reputation, they assumed Ai Qing was throwing himself into the fire for a sudden spark of love. But now, according to Ai Qing, wasn't his approach not about some damn love affair, but merely to secure a controllable target for emergencies?

Su Bai hadn't expected that in a nightmare game with ten participants, there would be three players with control abilities.

Thinking of this, Su Bai patted Ai Qing's shoulder.

Ai Qing instinctively turned to look at Su Bai, but in that instant, Xiao Hei, who had been disguised as a puppy beside Su Bai, suddenly reverted to its true form. A majestic, mist-shrouded giant dog, standing taller than Su Bai's waist, appeared right in front of Ai Qing in the blink of an eye.

"Awoo—!"

As a puzzle piece that had already received orders from Su Bai, Xiao Hei lunged right at Ai Qing's face, opening its maw full of terrifying, sharp fangs as if it were about to devour and crush the person before it in the next second!

"Ahhhhh—!"

Ai Qing might have had some ulterior motives when approaching Li Feiwen and concealing his ability, but he was truly a coward. Turning his head to see the terrifying giant dog baring its fangs right in front of him, Ai Qing completely lost control, stumbling backward in fright.

Liang Yuyan, who had been gripping Ai Qing's arm, seized the moment to release him, allowing Ai Qing to fall directly onto the floor.

Among the players with control abilities Su Bai had encountered, most needed to concentrate when using their powers. Players like Ai Qing, who were even afraid of ghosts, were especially so.

Thus, after Ai Qing was scared so badly he fell, Li Feiwen's previously rigid body immediately staggered and regained its freedom.

"Quick!"

Hearing Tan Ying's urgent cry, Li Feiwen immediately used his ability on the floor beneath them.

"Boom—"

Although the conscious players present were mentally prepared, when a huge hole suddenly appeared in the floor beneath their feet and their bodies instantly began to plummet downward, the players who lost their footing couldn't help but cry out in alarm.

Amidst the cries of alarm, one voice sounded more like a pained wail.

"Ahhh—! Face!! My face—!"

Just as Li Feiwen had said earlier, he couldn't precisely return the players to the third floor. Huge holes even appeared in the corridor floors of both the third and second floors. Through the holes, Su Bai, while falling, could see the scene in the first-floor lobby.

But this was also a good thing, as there were likely other ghosts on the third floor.

In the nick of time, Su Bai instantly hugged the black giant dog beside him and reached out to grab Tan Ying, who was falling ahead.

Compared to the other players, Tan Ying, who understood Li Feiwen's ability better, reacted quickly. Her shadows rapidly spread along the remnants of the walls, doing their utmost to grasp the shadows of all the players.

"Thud."

After a muffled sound, the sturdy body of the black giant dog landed firmly. A height of four floors was no issue for an entity like Xiao Hei. Su Bai and Tan Ying, whom he had grabbed, only felt a slight jolt as if on a furry carpet.

Under the influence of Tan Ying's ability, the other falling players suddenly halted just before hitting the ground, as if supported by an invisible cushion of air for a split second before continuing their descent.

It was precisely because of that one-second cushion that the other players felt no impact or pain upon landing.

Apart from Liu Yongzhi, who remained unconscious after losing his arm, only Ai Qing covered his face with both hands, wailing in agony.