Chapter 14: Chapter Fourteen: Which One Should I Choose?

"Let's go find Okura Sa'u first."

Niino Li retraced his steps; the door of the room he'd come from was sealed shut by some force, and the quiet corridor echoed with the monotonous, lifeless click of a dead lock.

He turned his head—and saw that outside this room, at the very end of the KTV corridor, there was an even denser darkness.

It made no sound, as if capable of swallowing everything, even light.

Niino Li pulled out his phone and activated the "flashlight" function—but the light twisted away, finally falling back at his feet.

"What kind of insect is this this time? It doesn't look like anything an insect could do." After testing a few more times, he kicked the room door hard—it shook violently, yet held firm once more.

As if some force behind it was blocking every possible exit.

In the suffocatingly narrow corridor, the air grew thinner; Niino Li expelled the stale air from his lungs, along with the gloom in his heart.

"Stay calm! Bug Grudge's target is Okura Sa'u. Since the system hasn't warned of failure, Okura Sa'u is still alive—just the others..."

Instantly, the image of Ringo's corpse flashed in Niino Li's mind; his face hardened with an unprecedented gravity.

The hidden insect spirit, it seemed, had already gone mad with killing.

He picked up his phone from the floor—and as he stood, a faint rustling of footsteps came from his right.

"Is that the insect's true form?"

The footsteps drew nearer, yet the floor showed no excessive trembling.

Niino Li stepped half a pace back with his right leg, assuming a defensive stance, closing the distance to the darkness, and fixed his gaze on the corridor ahead.

The light from his phone dimmed, as if being devoured by the dark.

The sound of rain outside gradually faded—and fear began to swell infinitely.

Here it comes!

A pale thigh emerged from the darkness; Niino Li's pupils shrank to pinpoints as he stared at the rest of the figure still hidden in shadow.

Soon, the shape behind the footsteps revealed itself—a humanoid monster, tall and slender, with smooth skin and long black hair drifting with its motion!

With the faint glow of his phone, Niino Li saw its face.

"You're... Niino Li, right?"

Ifuna's steps didn't pause; she kept walking forward until she fully stepped out of the thick darkness, her eyes shifting slightly, as if scanning the surroundings.

"Miss Ifuna?" Niino Li held his breath; the faint vigilance in his heart suddenly surged.

Of everyone at the party, only she and he had been brought by someone they knew. In other words, they were the only two outsiders present.

If this Bug Grudge is still a Ghost Encounter case, she is now the most likely suspect.

"Niino-kun, have you seen anyone else? I was just resting on the sofa, and when I opened my eyes, I was here."

Ifuna paid no attention to the fact that he knew her name; her expression shifted naturally, her eyes trembled slightly, her face pale, looking heartbreakingly vulnerable.

Niino Li lowered his head, feigning deep thought, while his eyes secretly flicked toward her slender, lightly dressed figure.

No black malice drifted from her.

Then... who could it be?

"No," he answered briefly.

"Really? Then let's look for the others together—I'm so scared alone." Ifuna, still shaken, lightly patted her chest, her eyebrows knotted together.

"Alright." Niino Li nodded and turned toward the direction he remembered coming from.

According to the time on his phone, it was now 8:50 p. m. —one hour had passed since he claimed he was going to the restroom.