Chapter 54 Dead Game
The moon is very round tonight.
Liu Haoyu leaned under a willow tree by the reservoir, a cigarette held unlit between his fingertips.
The night wind was cold and piercing, the full moon hung high in the sky, its silver radiance scattering across the water’s surface, illuminating the entire reservoir with a rippling glow.
Qin Liu sat on the grass, her gaze fixed on the moon’s reflection on the water, idly tossing small stones into the water.
The stones landed in the water, creating ripples that shattered the moon’s reflection.
Admiring beautiful scenery is like this; if there is no one beside you, it can be quite boring.
But fortunately, for Qin Liu, there was at least someone beside her.
“When do you think those people will catch up?”
“Don’t say such disheartening things at a time like this.”
Liu Haoyu lit the cigarette in his hand, took a deep drag, and then slowly exhaled.
The smell of the cigarette numbed his anxious mood, but this mood improved considerably when he saw the smile on Qin Liu’s face.
“Smoking is bad for your health.”
Qin Liu’s voice sounded in Liu Haoyu’s ear, but she didn’t stop him; instead, she took off her shoes and socks and dipped her feet into the icy water.
“Hiss… it’s a bit cold.”
Even though she said this, Qin Liu didn’t withdraw her feet, but instead, she swung them gently in the water.
Liu Haoyu gazed at Qin Liu’s feet. As a sports student, he couldn’t utter any flowery words of praise.
He simply gave a thumbs-up and sighed inwardly.
“She’s so cute.”
“Speaking of which…” Qin Liu sniffed her clothes and then muttered softly, “I think it’s been three or four days since I last took a bath? Do I smell?”
While Qin Liu was muttering, Liu Haoyu leaned forward and gently sniffed her soft hair.
“What are you doing?!”
Liu Haoyu’s sudden move startled Qin Liu, but she didn’t push him away, just a little shyly.
“Mmm…” Liu Haoyu said, as if he knew something, “You smell nice.”
“How is that possible?” Qin Liu naturally didn’t believe this. “I can already smell some sweat.”
“So, do you want to take a bath?”
Liu Haoyu’s direct question made Qin Liu pause slightly, and then she weakly nodded.
Seeing her reaction, Liu Haoyu turned around and sat under the willow tree.
“Then you can wash up. Don’t go into the deep water area. It’s shallow here, so it’s fine,”
“And don’t take too long. The water is very cold. It’s easy to catch a cold in such cold weather,”
“If you encounter any danger, remember to call me. I’ll be right here, not going anywhere.”
Liu Haoyu’s nagging was like that of an old father. Qin Liu waved her hand and said.
“I know, I know, I’m not a child.”
As soon as she finished speaking, there was a rustling sound behind Liu Haoyu.
The man leaned against the willow tree, sitting on the ground. At this moment, he had no mood to peek at the beautiful scenery behind him; instead, he gazed at the full moon in the sky, lost in deep thought.
“Now that I have the method to activate the Black Coffin,” the voice of the Black Book appeared in Liu Haoyu’s ear, “you should head back. The longer you linger here, the more disadvantageous it will be for you and Qin Liu.”
Hearing the Black Book’s urging, Liu Haoyu extinguished the cigarette butt in his hand and asked the Black Book in return.
“How should I go back?”
“Activating the formation will take time, at least three more days.”
“But I think it will only take them less than a day to find me, right?”
“…Yes.”
Liu Haoyu’s intuition was always sharp. Even if the Black Book hadn’t said anything, he could feel the killing intent in the air getting closer and closer to him.
“Three days…”
Three days was really too long given the current precarious situation.
While protecting Qin Liu, it was uncertain whether he could hold on until then.
As for leaving Qin Liu here and escaping alone…
He couldn’t do that.
As mentioned before, Liu Haoyu considered himself not a coward and couldn’t bring himself to abandon a woman and run away.
Even if he had to leave alone, it would only be after ensuring her safety.
“Do you think Gu Qianyang would make a move on Qin Liu?”
“Thanks to the ghoul killing everyone in the mansion, coupled with your disguise and concealment along the way, Gu Qianyang and his men think you kidnapped Qin Liu… however, this is only if Shen Qiumeng was not captured by the other party, as she and her father can see through your disguise.”
After hearing the Black Book’s long explanation, Liu Haoyu fell into thought.
“So, you mean Gu Qianyang won’t go after Qin Liu?”
“If there’s only one test subject, killing it randomly is no different from killing a chicken for its eggs.”
The Black Book’s words had some logic, but Liu Haoyu’s intuition told him that things might not be that simple.
Gu Qianyang might not make a move on Qin Liu, but the question was… what about others?
Especially Gu Mingyuan, who had turned into a ghoul but seemed to retain consciousness.
Would this monster let Qin Liu go easily?
Recalling the greedy and bloodthirsty gaze of that person, Liu Haoyu fell silent.
“You want to kill someone?”
The Black Book saw through Liu Haoyu’s thoughts at a glance, and said with disbelief.
“Are you crazy? Even if he’s a ghoul, his incomplete soul is enough to keep you in this timeline forever.”
“No matter how reckless you are, you shouldn’t do something like this!”
However, facing the Black Book’s questioning, Liu Haoyu said word by word.
“Old friend, you say… Gu Mingyuan, who retained consciousness and became a ghoul, would try to find a way to kill Qin Liu?”
“A powerful soul is an irresistible temptation for a ghoul.”
“I know what you’re going to say.”
“You think Gu Qianyang can control this puppet, right?”
The Black Book nodded after hearing this.
However, Liu Haoyu lit another cigarette, took a puff, and then said.
“I don’t think so.”
“You know, I’ve always trusted my intuition.”
“I think the other party must be trying to find a way to kill Qin Liu and devour her soul.”
“I dare not gamble, and to prevent such an unexpected situation, I think I must eliminate this uncertain factor completely.”
After hearing Liu Haoyu’s speculation, the Black Book opened its eyes and peered into the potential future of this timeline.
Soon, its gaze was stunned.
Through peering into the future, it discovered something terrifying.
If Liu Haoyu left without doing anything, Qin Liu would completely disappear in the future, and the reason would be exactly as Liu Haoyu predicted: Gu Mingyuan would kill Qin Liu at some point.
Therefore, to ensure Qin Liu’s safety, Gu Mingyuan had to be killed.
But if he did that, Liu Haoyu would be trapped in this timeline forever.
The situation… seemed to have fallen into a dead loop.
