Chapter 204: Chapter 204: Do You Want a Candle?
"If it’s the third floor, how was that person knocking on the window just now?"
Lu Yu’s gaze flickered slightly. By now, it was deep into the night. The hospital, already very quiet, was virtually devoid of any sound other than her own breathing.
But now, the continuous knocking on the window completely shattered this tranquility.
Lu Yu was a bit scared, and she didn’t get out of bed again. Instead, she quietly retracted her legs back onto the bed.
Then she instinctively covered her head, body, and feet with the blanket, wrapping herself up completely.
Lu Yu remembered that when she was a child, whenever she felt scared at night, covering herself with a blanket helped her feel less afraid—a trick taught by Lu Yang.
Now it was the same; after covering herself with the blanket, she felt a lot better.
"It’s okay. It’ll all be fine after covering up with the blanket!"
Although the knocking sound continued, it seemed less urgent than before.
It really works. The person must be leaving soon! They’ve knocked for so long; they must be getting impatient. Lu Yu thought.
But then Lu Yu’s breathing suddenly hitched because she heard the sound of the window opening.
SQUEAK!
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
The footsteps were clear, getting closer and intermingled with the howling wind, as if heralding the arrival of a midnight ferryman.
Lu Yu’s breath became heavier, and she could even sense the other person’s breathing.
Moreover, at some point, she began to feel the blanket was suffocating, and the oxygen seemed to be decreasing.
But what lay outside the blanket, nobody knew.
Lu Yu missed Lu Luo at this moment; it would be great if Lu Luo were here.
And Gu Fangyi—wasn’t he assigned by Lu Luo to protect her? Why hadn’t he appeared yet?
Lu Yu’s mental state began to spiral into anxiety. The anxiety caused her to sweat, making the blanket even more oppressive and hot.
Lu Yu felt like she was struggling to breathe and really wanted to throw off the blanket.
But her fingers felt as heavy as lead.
Suddenly, Lu Yu felt a hand rest on her shoulder.
No, not resting, but patting her.
Lu Yu stopped breathing. Her spine went ice-cold, and the previous oppressive heat was completely smothered by the terror in her heart.
A low whisper reached her ears, but the voice was too faint for Lu Yu to discern what was being said.
It seemed the person also knew their voice was too soft and that Lu Yu couldn’t hear, so they moved a little closer.
This time, Lu Yu heard it.
"Do you want a candle?"
Lu Yu covered her mouth, not speaking, her body rigid yet trembling uncontrollably.
The whispering didn’t cease, and the person patted Lu Yu’s shoulder again.
"Do you want a candle?"
"Do you want a candle?"
"Do you want a candle?"
After this was repeated many times, Lu Yu felt like she was on the verge of a mental collapse. She grabbed her hair and screamed.
"No, no, I don’t want it!"
Lu Yu yanked off her blanket and frantically scanned her surroundings.
The room was still as quiet as before. Aside from the open window, nothing seemed to have changed.
The wind was strong, and the window looked as though it could have been blown open by it.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Seeing nothing amiss around her, Lu Yu tried to catch her breath while calming herself.
"Is it all an illusion?" she muttered. "It must be an illusion because I’m so tired today."
Just as she convinced herself everything before was just an illusion and was ready to lie down again, a voice suddenly came from above her head.
"Are you looking for me?"
BANG!
The door was kicked open, and Qi Xinzhu burst in, quickly walking to Lu Yu’s side.
Lu Yu just stared blankly at the empty ceiling, seemingly completely unaware of Qi Xinzhu’s arrival.
"Lu Yu, Lu Yu! Lu Yu?"
Lu Yu showed no reaction, still staring blankly at the ceiling. Qi Xinzhu glanced up as well, but the ceiling was bare.
Qi Xinzhu embraced Lu Yu, and the energy of the S-05 Healer continuously poured into Lu Yu’s body.
The power of the Grade S Sequence was very effective; its ability to heal pain and dispel fear was quite clear.
"Ah?"
Lu Yu finally came back to her senses, looked at Qi Xinzhu somewhat blankly, and then hugged her tightly.
"Sister-in-law!"
"I’m here. It’s okay!"
While comforting Lu Yu, Qi Xinzhu scanned her surroundings.
Other than the fleeting burst of chaotic Dark Energy from earlier, she didn’t notice anything amiss.
"I won’t leave today. I’ll stay with you the whole time. It’s okay."
"Thank you, Sister-in-law! I’m feeling much better."
With the infusion of the Healer’s energy, Lu Yu’s condition was now much, much better than before.
After comforting Lu Yu again, Qi Xinzhu answered a call from Gu Fangyi.
"Hello, Brother Gu!"
"I’ve been observing her. Her condition seemed strange; she must have experienced some hallucinations. First, she approached the window, then covered her head, followed by trembling. After a while, there were screams and she was thrashing the bedsheets around. Then you appeared."
"I understand. Thank you for your hard work, Brother Gu!"
Qi Xinzhu nodded calmly and then turned to Lu Yu, saying, "Alright, alright. How about I sleep with you? In the same bed, not separate ones, as long as you don’t mind me crowding you."
Although Qi Xinzhu was a very friendly person, this level of enthusiasm was a first for her, and she was quite unaccustomed to it.
But Lu Yu was Lu Luo’s sister, after all. No matter what, she didn’t want anything bad to happen to Lu Yu.
Hearing that Qi Xinzhu would sleep with her, Lu Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
"I’m sorry to trouble you, Sister-in-law. It was my fault for having a nightmare and making such a fuss."
"It’s okay. Everyone has nightmares once in a while."
Qi Xinzhu said with a smile, but her smile quickly froze. Lu Yu kept staring behind her. Is there something behind me? Qi Xinzhu wondered.
Lu Yu raised her finger and pointed behind Qi Xinzhu, saying, "Sister-in-law, that... did you bring that here?"
Bring what? Qi Xinzhu turned around, perplexed, only to see an ordinary white candle sitting quietly on the bedside table.
Qi Xinzhu casually picked up the candle and held it in her hand.
"This is... a candle? It’s not mine! What’s wrong?"
Looking at the candle in Qi Xinzhu’s hand, the fear that had just dissipated in Lu Yu began to gather again.
Her pupils started to lose focus, and her gaze became unstable.
"Throw it away! Throw it away!"
"Huh?"
"I told you to throw it away! Quickly!"
Qi Xinzhu also realized something was amiss. Holding the candle, she quickly moved to get up and throw it out.
But Lu Yu grabbed her as she was about to leave.
"Don’t go, Sister-in-law. Stay here; you can just throw the candle out from here."
Qi Xinzhu looked at the alarmed and uncertain Lu Yu before her and finally nodded.
Holy Radiance began to appear in Qi Xinzhu’s hands. The powerful strength of a Third Tier Transcendent, combined with the Holy Radiance, instantly crushed the ordinary candle into wax crumbs.
Qi Xinzhu wrapped the crumbs in paper, casually threw them out the door, and then closed the door again.
"There shouldn’t be any problem now, right?"
Lu Yu kept nodding repeatedly, then leaned against Qi Xinzhu.
"Right. Let’s rest now. Once we’re asleep, everything will be fine!"
Qi Xinzhu hugged Lu Yu again and nodded.
"Okay."
Lying in bed, Qi Xinzhu initially thought Lu Yu would want her to hold her all night, but fortunately, it wasn’t long before Lu Yu fell asleep on her own.
Listening to Lu Yu’s slightly heavy breathing, Qi Xinzhu let out a small sigh of relief.
She moved as close to the edge of the bed as possible, giving Lu Yu more room so she could sleep more comfortably, especially since she was still injured.
Before long, Qi Xinzhu also slowly closed her eyes.
She brought her hands together, allowing the Healer’s energy to circulate in her palms.
She didn’t have a Devourer or an Observer. Every bit of progress in her Sequence required immense practice and unique, self-perceptive conditions for advancement.
This was the biggest difference between Lu Luo and other Sequencers.
For others, leveling up was mainly about enlightenment; for Lu Luo, it was about money, meat, and eating! That was the difference.
I wonder if Lu Luo has made any progress.
Besides worrying about Lu Yu, Qi Xinzhu was also concerned about Lu Luo, as this incident was related to the Nightmare Demon again.
The last appearance of the Nightmare Demon had put immense psychological strain on Qi Xinzhu; Eighth Order power was simply too strong.
Outside the wall, they were toyed with helplessly, with no power to resist at all.
I hope Lu Luo is okay... No, he must be!
About an hour passed. Just as Qi Xinzhu was beginning to think they would get through the night safely, a chill rose from behind her. Simultaneously, a whispering voice reached her ear.
"Do you want a candle?"
Qi Xinzhu frowned slightly and grabbed the hand behind her.
CRACK! With a sharp twist, Qi Xinzhu snapped the person’s fingers.
"Ah!"
But the owner of the voice was, shockingly, Lu Yu, who was lying on the bed. However, Qi Xinzhu’s actions didn’t stop.
Because she saw faint, eerie purple flames in Lu Yu’s eyes.
The first rule of Circle Studio: under any circumstances, members of Circle Studio must ensure their own safety.
No matter who you face, your own life is the most important!
So at this moment, Qi Xinzhu didn’t hold back.
Lu Yu bared her teeth at Qi Xinzhu, but Qi Xinzhu delivered a hand-chop to Lu Yu’s chest.
It was a penetrating blow, delivered with precise force—a technique similar to Lu Luo’s Deliberate Bombardment Fist.
THUMP! Lu Yu’s heart stuttered, her blood flow momentarily halting, and then she fainted.
Qi Xinzhu’s Healer ability immediately activated, repairing the damage to Lu Yu’s body.
This way, she could knock Lu Yu out without causing serious harm. It was likely the best option.
Gu Fangyi called again.
"Her condition is becoming increasingly unstable. What do you plan to do?"
Qi Xinzhu shook her head.
"Right now, there isn’t any good solution. We can only wait for news from Lu Luo."
"I understand."
"Sigh," Gu Fangyi said from the other end.
After hanging up, Qi Xinzhu sighed, then dialed Lu Luo’s number, her voice low.
"Lu Luo."
As soon as Lu Luo received the call, he had already guessed that something was wrong with Lu Yu, so he directly asked, "How is she now? Tell me the details."
"I knocked her out. She’s not seriously hurt at the moment, but she’s been having repeated hallucinations. And it seems these hallucinations can manifest in reality!"
"Hallucinations manifesting in reality?"
"Just now in Lu Yu’s room, a candle appeared out of thin air."
A candle? Lu Luo wasn’t at the scene and couldn’t analyze the specific situation.
"This kind of illusion affecting reality is very likely related to the Nightmare Demon. Ensure your safety as much as possible—this applies to both you and Gu Fangyi. Is there a possibility she’s undergoing distortion now?"
"Yes, or rather, she has already started to show some signs of distortion. Lu Yu is a good kid, Lu Luo. Can you save her?"
Qi Xinzhu’s tone was full of concern. Lu Luo fell silent for a moment on the other end.
Lu Luo often made empty promises and boasted; his skill at spouting nonsense was masterful.
But this time, he didn’t make a blind promise, just said quietly, "I’ll come back as soon as I can. Wait for me."
"Okay."
...
Early in the morning, the sky was already brightening with the pale light of dawn. Sparse clouds allowed some sunlight to filter through.
Lu Luo had been in the archive room all night, looking through Exotic Species case files.
Opportunities like this to visit the Security Bureau archives were rare.
His foundations were too weak, so he had to seize every moment to gather as much needed information as possible.
Yang Liya didn’t stop Lu Luo’s work. Compared to the current riot in the East Ring, letting Lu Luo access some of the Security Bureau’s archives and case files was no big deal.
Nearby, Luo Sen had been cultivating all night, while Ludie had been smoking all night long.
"Smoking, smoking, always smoking! Would you die if you didn’t? Aren’t you afraid of getting lung cancer?"
Yang Liya’s scolding was met only with Ludie’s sneer.
"I’m not spending your money, so why are you so meddlesome? Besides, there’s nothing for me to do here. With him handling the case investigations, that’s more than enough. You surely don’t expect me to help you, do you?"
"You’re washed up, Ludie! Utterly useless!"
Yang Liya’s attitude was harsh, creating a strangely tense atmosphere.
However, Lu Luo had already figured it out—the relationship between her and Ludie seemed not to be as simple as that of a watcher and the one being watched.
There must be a deeper history between them.
BANG!
The door was burst open by a Hunter team member. It seemed they had some results regarding the solicitation information.
"Captain, the solicitation information from those seventeen cases has come out. A total of fourteen girls. These fourteen girls had previously spread solicitation information in certain places. For example, several clubs on the East Ring’s entertainment street; they’ve all left traces there. According to our investigation, they only do outcalls and aren’t based at any particular club."
Fourteen girls? Lu Luo and the other three quickly exchanged glances.
"If there’s verifiable evidence, then where are they now?" Yang Liya asked.
"It’s like they’ve vanished into thin air. We have no idea where they’ve gone."
Yang Liya was somewhat speechless. The clues were already scarce, and now they were hitting dead ends. This was very frustrating.
"Are there any detailed records?"
"There are for a few."
"Hand them over."
Lu Luo took the files from the Hunter before anyone else and began to skim through them quickly.
Upon seeing the first girl, a sudden realization dawned on him.
Because this girl, he had seen her before!