Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 91: Deadly Loop

“You’re the fastest ones so far.”

…Hu Die said this lightly, right in front of her daughter.

A trace of confusion flashed across Meng Xiaomeng’s face. She didn’t seem to understand what her mother meant.

Fang Xiu noticed that the mother and daughter, standing side by side, had extremely similar facial features. One could tell they were related at a glance.

But Meng Xiaomeng still carried a sharp youthful energy in her expression, the essence of a teenage girl. Hu Die… wore a detached expression so unnervingly serene it was almost terrifying. Compared to a living person, she resembled something else.

This stark difference in temperament concealed their facial similarity. No wonder when they first saw Meng Xiaomeng, no one thought of Hu Die.

“We reviewed the security footage and didn’t see the suitcase you mentioned. Are you sure you—huh?”

Officer Xiao Zhou arrived belatedly with files in hand. The moment he stepped through the door, he saw Hu Die, who looked remarkably like the “scammer” they’d been describing.

“It’s just a misunderstanding among acquaintances.”

Before Fang Xiu could speak, Hu Die replied with practice, even though she had no idea what reason Fang Xiu had used to call the police.

Fang Xiu remained silent.

Running into Meng Xiaomeng had been a pure coincidence, but he didn’t mind Hu Die misunderstanding it.

Officer Xiao Zhou scanned both groups seriously. Seeing that everyone’s emotions were stable, he sighed in relief. “Okay, you folks talk it through first. Let me know if there’s an issue.”

“So you came here for them.”

As soon as Officer Xiao Zhou stepped out the door, Meng Xiaomeng turned to Hu Die impatiently. “I knew it. It’s midday. You wouldn’t have come all this way just for me.”

Hu Die looked at her calmly. “Do you want to go back to school or stay here? Your teacher called me. There’s a quiz this afternoon.”

That calmness seemed to enrage Meng Xiaomeng. Her breath quickened. “Would it kill you to just answer my question directly?”

Hu Die was silent for two seconds. “Of course I came for you.”

“Bullshit!” Meng Xiaomeng shouted.

“She’s just having a mood swing. Please don’t mind her.”

Hu Die didn’t continue arguing. She turned to Fang Xiu and his group apologetically. “Now, about your…”

Bang!

Before she could finish, a small iron sword shattered the glass and shot in from outside. It struck Hu Die squarely in the forehead, blasting away the upper half of her head.

Her body hadn’t even fallen yet, her tongue and lower jaw hung exposed, blood gushing from her throat. From within the blood-filled windpipe came a gurgling sound, as if she were laughing.

Meng Xiaomeng was splattered with her mother’s blood and brain matter. Her eyes went wide as she called out dreamily, “Mom…” Officer Xiao Zhou spun around in shock, mouth open like he was about to shout something.

The next moment, the world turned blank again.

The white flash still lasted only a moment. In the next instant, the bright sun outside the window became a blood-red sunset.

The shattered window was restored, Hu Die and Meng Xiaomeng were gone, and the blood on the floor had vanished. The tea was no longer on the table, the blanket gone from their laps. Only the clock in the break room kept diligently ticking…

【18:0〇:5厶】

…Time had reset to around 18:00 the day before.

The loop had erased all changes, but not their fatigue or sleepiness. Fang Xiu pressed his temples hard. Earlier he could clearly see the label “Reception Room” on the door; now all he saw were the strange characters garbled “Eik w3(8”.

Yan Yan’s eyes were wide, his expression wary. Guan He stood up instinctively, scanning the room with caution.

Fang Xiu patted the little dog. “Don’t panic yet. Just wait. Someone will explain it.”

Sure enough, within five minutes, Zhuang Pengdao’s group entered the reception room. Compared to Fang Xiu’s team, their expressions were far worse.

Mei Lan was, as usual, quiet. She simply stared at the spot where the mother and daughter had vanished, eyes dim.

Jiao Jiao looked pale as a sheet. “We followed that woman for most of the day. Her name’s Hu Die, a mid-level manager at that company. She just had a fight with her boss this morning. There was nothing unusual about her behavior… Zhuang Ge suddenly attacked, and I, uh…”

She clearly disagreed with Zhuang Pengdao’s decision to kill without warning.

But Zhuang Pengdao was unfazed. He gave a satisfied smile. “That woman is indeed the center of the loop. The loop ends with her death, not at a fixed time.”

“When she dies, time resets to 18:00:00 on the 17th. Everything reverts except for us. Hu Die likely retains her memories, though her daughter may not.”

Zhuang Pengdao analyzed this calmly, like he’d just run a simulation. To him, Hu Die and Meng Xiaomeng were just data points.

“Killing someone in front of their child is going too far.” Cheng Songyun couldn’t hold back. “What if the kid remembers the loop? You killed her mom right in front of her!”

“I acted ‘suddenly’ because of concerns like that.”

Zhuang Pengdao replied courteously. Coupled with his cultured appearance, his words were strikingly persuasive. “Timing is everything. There’s no time for discussion. Did you all make it this far by putting things to a vote?”

Cheng Songyun couldn’t refute him, though her brows remained tightly knit.

Next to her, Yan Yan pursed his lips into a thin line. If a slacker said those words, they’d deserve a beating. But from a strongman, they were hard to argue with.

That bloody scene had been too much. He and Jiao Jiao weren’t the ruthless type, so they struggled to stomach it.

Zhuang Pengdao’s reputation was awe-inspiring, but standing in the thick smell of blood, Yan Yan recoiled. Even with a fox in his bloodline, he knew what it meant to kill a mother in front of her child.

Suddenly, Zhuang Pengdao didn’t seem so admirable.

“…Next, we should investigate while preventing Hu Die from killing herself, if she still intends to.”

Fang Xiu, who hadn’t joined the previous argument, spoke mildly. “The reset has a huge impact on us. We should proceed carefully.”

Even if they didn’t sleep, going through the loop over and over would still drive them mad. Sleep or no sleep only determined how fast they died.

Zhuang Pengdao looked approvingly at Fang Xiu. “Hu Die probably suspects a Disaster Resolver acted. You were all present. She likely has a good impression of you.”

“Try playing good cop. Act friendly.”

As he spoke, he curiously glanced at the little black dog. But before he could approach, the pup wrinkled its nose and growled “grrr…”

Fang Xiu scooped the dog into his arms and stroked its head twice.

“This division of roles works,” he said. “Then I’ll act according to my own plan.”

……

The plan was sound, but reality was harsher than anyone expected. They returned quietly to the hotel to reunite with their teammates.

But as soon as they opened the door, hell rushed out to greet them.

Xiao Luo had completely transformed into one of those fragmented souls.

His monk robes had fused into his flesh, forming mushroom-like bumps. His body was twisted like a legless spider. His head was gone. Judging by the hollow in his neck, it had probably retracted into his chest.

At the same time, a shallow split had opened on his arched back, slowly oozing blood. He crawled around the room in silence, looking more like an alien than a ghost.

Da Luo’s face was etched with panic. He chanted scriptures nonstop, voice hoarse and barely audible. Zhuang Pengdao’s disciple frowned as he watched, face grim as if mourning a father.

The little black dog sniffed Xiao Luo, tilting its head in confusion as though it had discovered a new species.

Bai Shuangying approached curiously. Xiao Luo froze, spasming uncontrollably. When Bai backed off, he started crawling again like a headless fly.

According to Zhuang Pengdao’s disciple, Xiao Luo had been stable. But the moment the loop reset, he deteriorated rapidly. He couldn’t even make sounds, let alone speak.

Spells couldn’t contain him. Only Da Luo’s chanting kept the transformation at bay. If he stopped even for a moment, the mutation resumed, so he hadn’t dared stop once.

At this moment, Da Luo’s eyes were filled with despair.

He was the only dark monk left. No one else could recite the cleansing scripture. He was bound to run out of strength. All he could do now was delay his brother’s death.

His back arched under the weight. It was unclear whether the robes clinging to his skin were from seat or transformation.

Zhuang Pengdao thought for a moment. “You should give up. There’s no way we’ll end the ritual in the next 24 hours.”

Da Luo’s chanting wavered. Fang Xiu’s brow twitched.

“With the ‘stay conscious’ taboo in play, stamina is crucial. Keep this up, and your life will be forfeit.”

Zhuang’s tone blended sympathy with persuasion. “If you give up now, at least one of you might survive. I understand your love for your brother, but don’t be foolish. He’d want you to live, wouldn’t he…?”

Da Luo’s chanting softened. He turned his face toward Zhuang Pengdao, wavering.

At the same time, Xiao Luo trembled violently, flesh audibly tearing.

Everyone was stunned by the grotesque mutation. No one spoke. Da Luo seemed ready to give in…

“Just think it through,” Fang Xiu suddenly said. “If you keep chanting and manage to eat little by little during the gaps, it’s not impossible for both of you to survive.”

Da Luo looked at him, eyes bloodshot and dazed.

Bai Shuangying also turned around, pale eyes fixed on Fang Xiu’s lips. His tone was different from usual.

Fang Xiu lowered his gaze, staring at a patch of blood on the floor. He flexed his hands slightly and then relaxed, arms hanging casually at his sides.

“What Mr. Zhuang told you is one possibility. I’m just telling you that ‘not giving up’ is another.”

“If you choose the ‘reasonable’ path, the outcome will also be ‘reasonable’. You’ll never get a miracle that way.”

The little black dog quietly stayed by Fang Xiu’s feet, softly growling. It too seemed to sense something.

Da Luo licked his chapped lips, glancing between Zhuang Pengdao and Fang Xiu before settling his gaze on his deformed brother.

Fang Xiu was right. They’d trained hard… If they moved quickly enough, maybe they could hold on…

But more likely, the taboo would destroy them both. If he gave up, he wouldn’t be trapped here. Xiao Luo’s death could help them observe the full process and increase survival odds…

Exhaustion and sleepiness strangled his thoughts. His mind trudged like through a swamp. A moment of distraction, and he missed two lines of the scripture. Xiao Luo jolted and his back split further.

No good… he couldn’t go on…

Hope was too slim. One more loop and they’d be done…

…He wanted to live.

Da Luo’s voice grew lower and hoarser. At last, the chanting stopped.

The moment the cleansing scripture ceased, the silent creature let out a wail.

Its back bulged violently, like a baby kicking inside a pregnant belly. The cry came from its warped chest cavity, making everyone itch all over.

Squelch. Blood sprayed everywhere.

The hunched back tore open and a lump of flesh burst from the wound…

It was a grotesque butterfly.

Its body was just a lone human head, with an insect-like segment of spine dangling from the neck. Blood-red legs sprouted from the mouth and nose, while two pairs of dark red wings unfurled from its ear holes.

The wings were still damp and membranous, faint capillary patterns forming eye-like designs that made everyone dizzy.

Fang Xiu and Zhuang Pengdao were fine. The others couldn’t handle the pattern or stench and threw up on the spot.

The butterfly smiled with Xiao Luo’s face. Its insect limbs twitched, and it fluttered its wings, smashing through the glass and vanishing into the dusk.

Before anyone could react, it dissolved into the sunset, gone in a flash.

On the blood-soaked carpet lay Xiao Luo’s headless corpse.

It lay limp on the floor with only skin and bone remained. His organs were nearly gone. Half of his intestines were torn out by the human-headed butterfly, while the other half still bore human teeth marks.

Seeing the butterfly with his brother’s face fly off, Da Luo’s knees gave way, and he collapsed to the ground.

……

That night, Hu Die returned home.

Meng Xiaomeng had locked herself in her room. Empty containers from convenience store meals littered the desk. Hu Die stared at them blankly for a moment before throwing them away.

She didn’t go to the kitchen. Instead, she unlocked her bedroom and gently locked the door behind her. She turned on the computer and played soft music.

As the music played, Hu Die drew the curtains. She walked to the wardrobe, shedding her outerwear like molting skin; even her undergarments were discarded on the floor.

At last, she stood at the wardrobe door and slowly opened the frosted glass.

Inside a specimen case sat two or three human-headed butterflies, their pale eyes tracking her every move.

Hu Die scanned them, then picked the one closest to her.

“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to sacrifice you today.”

She said softly, “I don’t have a choice… I need to survive.”

“As a sign of respect, I’ll eat every last bit of you.”

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