Chapter 40: The Mysterious Supernatural Entity—Fleeing Means Death

Chapter 40: The Mysterious Supernatural Entity—Fleeing Means Death

"Why are you here? Where’s your team?" Ji Yan asked, eyeing the flashlight in the other’s hand.

"Our team also got a clue. We heard the thief hums a nursery rhyme when he moves, so we split up to search."

"If anyone finds the thief, report it in the chat group."

Players who survive beyond four days can unlock the Player Chat Panel.

Ji Yan hadn’t paid much attention to it before, but now that he was reminded, he realized he’d just activated the panel.

As soon as he opened it, he saw the chat group buzzing with activity.

In just moments, it had already reached 99+ messages!

Players participating in the Main Storyline Task were sharing all sorts of information they’d gathered about the thief.

Some said the thief had no hair.

Others claimed the thief was a deformed supernatural entity.

Some insisted the thief could emit the cries of a baby.

Each had their own version, and all were utterly convinced!

The players had obtained these details from their own supernatural family members.

For example, Ji Yan had learned from Room 801 that the thief was covered in human faces and emitted a piercing bell sound when moving.

So which one was true?

Why did every household the thief broke into describe him differently?

Could there be more than one thief?

Ji Yan pinched his chin, deep in thought.

Liu Yitong was equally baffled by the conflicting information in the chat. "I’m getting more and more confused."

Ji Yan closed the chat panel. Too much of this would only muddle his thoughts.

Miss Xu had told him to follow those people, so for now, he could only wander around these floors to observe the situation.

But just then, the Screaming Doll on his shoulder suddenly stirred. It twisted its head, fixing its gaze in a particular direction.

Liu Yitong gasped. "Why is your doll moving? Is it a reward from your mom or the Grandmother?"

Ji Yan followed its line of sight to a corridor corner and said, "It’s guiding us somewhere."

Following the doll’s lead, Ji Yan turned the corner and entered a fire escape, where he soon ran into the Blonde Man’s five-man squad.

The group had dragged out a parasitic supernatural family of three living in the apartment.

The parents’ heads had been blown apart, leaving only a supernatural girl curled up in the corner, her eyes vacant.

As the Blonde Man’s team desecrated her parents’ corpses, she showed no reaction—whether from terror, numbness, or resignation, she simply waited for her fate without expression.

The Blonde Man wiped his black pistol, faint wails of agony audible from it.

After gunning down several parasitic supernatural entities in a row, the sinister aura coiled around the black pistol grew thicker and darker.

Killing supernatural entities to nurture the gun!

The Blonde Man’s Supernatural Pistol could continuously improve in quality by slaughtering supernatural beings.

He pressed the barrel against the supernatural girl’s head, nudging it twice, and coldly taunted, "Give me a reaction."

"I killed your parents. You should be furious, glaring at us with hatred."

The more intense the hatred of the supernatural entities killed by the pistol, the more potent the absorption.

Dissatisfied with the girl’s wooden demeanor, the Blonde Man frowned and provoked her further.

The supernatural girl stared at her parents’ shattered heads and twitching corpses.

Without sorrow or hatred, only confusion, she asked, "We just wanted to hide here to survive. We didn’t eat people or harm anyone. Why do you want to kill us?"

"Little girl, killing parasitic wretches like you doesn’t require a reason," the blonde man said expressionlessly, his finger tightening on the trigger.

Liu Yitong suddenly spoke up, "Huang Ran, that family of three doesn’t match the thief’s description. What’s the point of killing them?"

Huang Ran glanced up and sneered, "For fun. Is that reason enough?"

A player beside him mocked, "What kind of naive saint is this? In the Eerie World, you still sympathize with supernatural beings?"

"This is an Instance, not Notre-Dame de Paris!"

The group burst into laughter.

Liu Yitong’s face darkened as she glanced at Ji Yan beside her.

But Ji Yan’s attention was entirely fixed on the [Screaming Doll] on his shoulder, which had been rotating its head in a full circle.

Then, it stared into the depths of the corridor, opened its mouth, and let out a piercing scream.

The sound startled everyone present.

"What the hell was that?"

"Scared the crap out of me!"

Several players cursed in irritation.

Ji Yan remained silent. In his ears, he heard another sound—a sharp, ethereal ringing of a bell.

His breath hitched slightly.

The first thing that came to mind was that mysterious thief!

Huang Ran frowned, hearing the same bell sound growing clearer and closer…

Ding-a-ling, tap-tap— Ding-a-ling, tap-tap— Soon, in Ji Yan’s line of sight, a tall, shadowy figure slowly appeared at the end of the corridor, its head brushing the ceiling.

Though it appeared as a shadow, upon closer inspection, the figure was entirely covered in swarming black insects, its surface crawling with them—a sight that sent chills down the spine.

"What the hell is that thing?"

The players present were stunned.

None of them had ever seen such a bizarre supernatural being before.

The figure pressed against the corridor wall, as if searching for something, raising its hand to carefully trace the surface.

The black insects covering its palm spread densely across the wall, infiltrating every tiny crevice…

"Is that… a supernatural being? Could it be the thief we’re looking for?"

A female player whispered nervously.

"Can’t see any hair. No way to confirm."

"Should we make a move?"

The players debated but none dared to step forward, merely watching from a distance.

They weren’t fools—the stranger and more grotesque the supernatural being, the greater the unknown danger. No one wanted to gamble.

"What’s there to fear? With Brother Ran here, if this really is the thief, we’ll be credited!"

"Don’t forget, that thief is hated by everyone in the apartment. With so many residents furious, how could it dare act recklessly?"

Always the reckless and brainless, a tall player picked up a brick and hurled it at the mysterious figure.

The brick passed straight through the figure as if it had no physical form.

The [Black Insect Figure] showed no reaction, continuing to trace the wall.

Just as the players were about to grow bolder in their testing, the figure’s back suddenly writhed.

An old man’s face emerged from its shoulder, staring at Ji Yan and the others before uttering, "Clear… the insects."

With that distorted, raspy voice, the old man’s face opened its mouth and emitted a high-frequency sound wave.

Everyone's eardrums vibrated, their heads spinning.

In their vision, that human face grew increasingly terrifying, its hollow eyes staring straight at them, fear flooding their hearts like a tidal wave.

The tall player at the front, his pupils contracting, felt his sixth sense screaming at him—this supernatural entity was extremely dangerous!

He turned and ran.

But before he could take more than a few steps, his head bulged with grotesque lumps, like a water balloon, before exploding without warning.

Blood sprayed everywhere.

The headless corpse collapsed onto the floor.

Everyone was stunned.

How did he die?

They hadn’t even seen the supernatural entity move!

"Damn it!"

Someone cursed, then turned and fled.

The result was the same—his head exploded as if a small bomb had been planted inside, splattering blood across the face of a nearby female player.

The female player clutched her face and screamed, on the verge of breaking down as she prepared to run.

"Don’t move!"

"Idiot woman, can’t you see? If you turn and run, you die instantly! That supernatural entity only kills those who flee!"

The blonde man, unable to stand the stupidity any longer, barked the warning.