Chapter 852: Where Are the Humans?!

Standing in the middle of the corridor, their white hair was a mess as if they'd just stood in front of a blower for half an hour, and the collar of the patient gown was crumpled and tucked into the waist.

Their gaze landed on Qingque's face, where the expression visibly shifted from "wandering" to "locked on," then to "ecstatic."

Ecstatic.

Found—you—at last~~

Qingque felt her blood drop from body temperature to freezing point in a tenth of a second.

Her pupils suddenly constricted.

Me—!

Jing Yuan spread his arms and ran toward her.

How to describe that running style? His upper body leaned forward sharply, his arms flung wide as if to embrace the whole world, his face a mix of ecstasy and madness, and he kept babbling, "Don't run, don't run, come play with me."

In a thousandth of a second, Qingque decided: she flashed her body to the left, her right foot skidded sideways on the floor, her skirt trailing a blue arc, and she slipped beneath Jing Yuan's outstretched arms.

Jing Yuan lunged at empty air; inertia carried him forward several steps before he stopped, and once stopped he instantly spun around, his smile not shrinking a millimeter, but becoming even brighter.

Hee hee—so good at dodging—again—

Terrifying!

Qingque had already sprinted dozens of meters away.

She glanced back, then turned her head the other way even faster.

Because Jing Yuan was closing the distance at an utterly impossible speed, clearly just taking long strides, yet each step felt like stepping on a spring of air, his robes rustling, his white hair flipping behind him like waves.

And his expression remained that dazzling smile that made one's scalp tingle.

General Jingyuan, wake up!

Qingque shouted while running, her voice tearing like ripped cloth.

You are the Divine Strategy General! You are the face of the Cloud Cavalry! Your actions will give all of Luofu nightmares!

General~? Who's the General~? I just want to play with you now~

The voice behind her twisted the word "play" three times, each twist churning the sea inside Qingque's stomach.

Then Bai Lu's voice came from the other end of the corridor, breathless from the long run, but her baby‑soft, battle‑filled tone was unchanged: "Qingque! Stop right there! If you're a real man, fight me head‑on! Hiding and dodging is no skill!"

I'm not a real man!

Qingque rasped back, her throat on the verge of tearing.

I'm a slacker of the Tai Bu Si! The most good‑for‑nothing in all Luofu! You've got the wrong person!

At the junction where two corridors met, she didn't hesitate to turn into the third direction, another corridor whose destination was unknown.

Her speed reached the limit she could ever achieve while awake, her bare feet slapping the wooden floor with a sharp "pa‑pa" sound.

This corridor was narrower than the previous one, the doors on either side packed tighter, the wall lamps glowed warm yellow, yet for some reason the light on her retina felt chilling.

She ran past one empty ward after another; each half‑open door revealed the same scene: tidy beds, neatly folded blankets, no one, no one, no one.

Where are the Dan Ding Office people?!

Qingque let out a soul‑piercing question as she ran.

Her voice bounced back and forth through the empty corridor, unanswered.

Only the two footsteps behind grew nearer, like the chase BGM of a horror game.

She glanced back.

One glance, and she regretted it.

At the far end of the corridor, two figures ran side by side after her.

Bai Lu's apricot eyes flashed a teal light in the dim hallway, her round little face still bearing a soft, cute smile, still shouting the word "Fight!" from her mouth.

And Jing Yuan stood beside Bai Lu, his white hair flaring, his golden pupils shining in the darkness like two lamps.

Two pairs of eyes.

In the dark of the corridor, a faint red glow emanated.

Qingque turned her head back, and the cadence of her steps shifted up a gear.

She could feel the muscles in her calves beginning to ache, but she couldn't care less.

Because now every cell in her body was shouting the same cry, "Who will control this!"

Are there any humans left?!

She shouted down the endless corridor ahead, her voice laced with three parts anger, three parts collapse, and four parts pure bewilderment.

I am Qingque of the Tai Bu Si! In short, I'm human! A living person! I want to file a report! I want to find the Cloud Cavalry! I want—

She abruptly halted.

Another fork appeared ahead.

Left or right?

She quickly replayed the route she had taken: out of the wards, turn left, pass the junction, then right, and—forget it, it's all a mess; she couldn't even tell which sector of the Dan Ding Office she was in.

Normally, when coming here for medicine, the layout seemed quite reasonable, but now, chased by two things that were neither human nor ghost, she realized the corridor design was essentially a maze.

Left.

Chosen by instinct.

She turned left, ran a few steps, and found the corridor ended in a wall.

Qingque's eyes widened, her foot slammed on a sudden brake, nearly slamming herself into the wall due to inertia.

She planted both hands on the wall, her palms rubbing raw against the rough surface.

Dead end.

The footsteps behind grew ever closer.

She turned, back against the wall, watching the two figures turn the corner of the corridor toward her.

Bai Lu's braid let a few stray strands fly as she ran, sticking to her pink cheek, and her little leather boots clacked on the floor.

Jing Yuan stood beside her, white hair rippling behind his shoulders like waves, his golden eyes fixed on her, one step, two steps, drawing ever nearer.

Qingque leaned against the wall, chest heaving violently, breathing in large gulps.

She watched the two pairs of eyes drawing nearer, each casting a faint red glow from the depths of the dim corridor.

Qingque took a deep breath.

Then she made a decision that perfectly matched her character.

She tilted her head back, the back of her skull pressed against the wall, closed her eyes, summoned the last of her strength, and let out a mountain‑swallowing howl toward the ceiling.

"Help—!!!!!! Is there any normal person—!!!!!! Someone's chasing me here—!!!!!! One is a general—!!!!!! One is a dragon girl—!!!!!! The general's gone mad—!!!!!! The dragon girl wants a duel—!!!!!! I can't beat her—!!!!!! I can't even run—!!!!!! My feet have no shoes—!!!!!! Please, someone—!!!!!! Anyone will do—!!!!!! Even if Grand Diviner himself comes to rescue me, I'll accept—!!!!!!"

After shouting, she lowered her head, opened one eye, and looked out through the slit of her eyelashes.

Bai Lu and Jing Yuan had already walked to within ten steps of her.

The two of them stopped at the same time.

Bai Lu tilted her head, and the dragon tail behind her swayed gently.

Jing Yuan tilted his head, white hair hanging from his shoulders, his sickbed robe crumpled, and that lazy yet eerie smile still lingered on his face.

Then they both took another step forward simultaneously.

Qingque felt her soul had already drifted half away.

Is this the retribution for goofing off?

Is this the retribution for forcibly kissing Fu Xuan?

Is this the retribution for secretly watching the general dance?

All of them, yet it seems none really applies.

And Bai Lu raised her little fist.

Both small hands clenched at her chest, fists upward, the stance was surprisingly standard—so standard that Qingque wanted to ask Lord Bai Lu when she secretly enrolled in a martial arts training class.

Jing Yuan tilted his head, the smile at the corner of his mouth deepening.

"Come~ accompany~ me~ play~"

Qingque closed her eyes.

Forget it.

Destruction.

Whatever.