Chapter 22: Performing a Play

“Let me go! Let me go! Where did this slime come from!!”

Under the effect of the slime’s sticky liquid, an ordinary girl couldn’t resist at all and was instantly glued to the ground.

“I… I can’t breathe…”

Hearing this, Lin Ran realized she really couldn’t resist, so he quickly let her go and returned to human form.

However, when the girl named Zhou Qingqing saw Lin Ran’s face clearly, the fear on her face only grew more intense.

“You…! It’s you! Don’t come near me, I’ll call the police… I’ll call…”

She let out a scream and turned to run deeper into the warehouse.

“Go ahead and call. If I could call, I’d want to too. Anyway, I’m taking the stuff away. If you don’t explain things, don’t blame me for taking the food and drink and leaving you here.”

Lin Ran wasn’t flustered at all.

After speaking, he picked up the dagger and went to move things.

Then, he had Vira come over and use silk threads to restrain Zhou Qingqing.

But this action caused the atmosphere to change abruptly.

Zhou Qingqing’s legs went weak from fear, and she collapsed to the ground.

Even Vira didn’t react immediately.

She trembled violently, pleading, “Don’t kill me… Please don’t kill me… I didn’t see anything… I don’t know anything…”

Lin Ran was completely baffled.

No, what’s going on? Why does it feel like I’m really some kind of villain?

Why is this woman’s reaction more exaggerated than seeing a ghost?

Fortunately, the two Monster Girls understood him and came over to check the situation.

Lin Ran immediately activated mind reading, wanting to know why she was so afraid of him.

But this girl was really… the same inside and out…

[Don’t kill me… don’t kill me…]

[I have to get out alive and get the phone… Xiali, wait for me, you’re my only friend, I will give you an explanation!]

[Damn… why does it have to be Lin Ran!]

So that’s it, she actually knows me and Xiali?

Lin Ran frowned slightly.

To be honest, he was a somewhat famous handsome guy at school, so it was normal for girls to know him.

Xiali was even a two-time campus belle, known by everyone at school.

But, if Xiali and himself were linked together…

The only reason that could make someone so afraid…

Lin Ran took three quick steps to the entrance of the convenience store.

Directly facing their dormitory building.

Even directly facing Zhang Wei’s dormitory.

In other words, if the timing was right, she could have seen the scene of Xiali entering the dorm, then himself appearing.

And after that, Xiali never appeared again.

…No wonder she’s so afraid of me.

Turns out she witnessed that murder.

Since that’s the case——

Lin Ran’s lips curved into a smile.

Then he had to make good use of it.

He first went outside the warehouse, then teleported to the next-door phone repair shop after returning to the dorm.

As expected, there were several phones left inside, all still well charged.

He casually picked one up and returned to the convenience store.

In front of Zhou Qingqing, he placed the phone on a conspicuous shelf, seemingly unconcerned.

Then——

“Master——Come here, come here, can this be eaten? Yes, this one, the words on it say… Menthos…?”

“You’re drinking Cola, right? If you eat this now, you’ll self-destruct!”

“Ah!!! So scary, I won’t eat it, I won’t eat it!”

Yes, he deliberately had Limu call him away, creating the illusion that he had forgotten the phone.

As expected, it wasn’t long before his phone received a message.

[O God Expert]: “Listen, everyone! That Lin Ran, the famous one at school, he killed Xiali!”

[O God Expert]: “I saw it with my own eyes! He’s a perverted murderer! Everyone must avenge Xiali!”

[O God Expert]: “And there are lots of monsters around him! Everyone must be careful!”

It was probably the QQ name of the owner of the phone he picked up earlier.

This Zhou Qingqing didn’t even dare change the number to her own, afraid of being found out.

But…

This was exactly the effect Lin Ran wanted.

It was still before noon, and many students hadn’t recovered from the second wave of attacks.

So, there were very few replies to her.

Moreover, most of them were survivors with apocalyptic thinking, calm people.

[Fatty Wang of 302]: “No, are you an idiot? Everyone can’t leave the dorm, what did you see with your own eyes? Are you dreaming?”

[Qi Xiaoyu of Class Four]: “Avenge her… Are you serious? It’s the apocalypse now, who cares about that… If someone was killed, so be it…”

[Committee Member Chen Jing]: “Classmate, if you encounter any difficulties you can tell everyone, but don’t make up such alarming false information. Everyone’s time is precious! If this happens again, I’ll mute you!”

As expected, the survivors didn’t let him down.

They were all smart and couldn’t be fooled by empty words.

Although what Zhou Qingqing said was actually true.

Well then, it was time to start the next act.

“Master, that woman is so annoying, and she’s another mouth to feed, I’m not even full! I’m not full!! And you still want to take her in, I’m going to make a fuss!!”

“If Master can’t do it, I’ll eat her!”

Limu put her hands on her hips, puffed out her cheeks, and spoke cruel words in the softest and cutest voice.

However, her coolness lasted less than three seconds.

After speaking, she looked at Lin Ran expectantly, pointing at the lines he had just written on the paper, her face full of anticipation.

Her expression seemed to ask: [How was my acting? Praise me!]

Lin Ran helplessly patted her head as a reward, then continued acting.

“It’s fine. Now that we have a convenience store, one more mouth doesn’t matter.”

“Eh~~~ Then should we just knock her out? Oh right, isn’t human blood one of Sister Vira’s ingredients for making medicine?”

Limu stretched the sound, showing an innocent yet evil smile.

“Yes, but we don’t want to draw Lord Lin Ran’s blood. If there’s one more human… it would indeed be a good source of materials.”

Vira calmly agreed from the side.

Lin Ran watched these two little devils get more and more into their performance, barely holding back his laughter.

As for Zhou Qingqing, she was probably on the verge of tears by now.

Since that’s the case, as the big villain, he couldn’t fall behind!

“Vira, do it. Don’t hurt her. Then tie her up and hang her in the wooden house. About 100 milliliters of blood per day.”

Lin Ran gave the final order.

“No!! I’ll fight you all!!!”

With that shout, Zhou Qingqing finally broke down.

She screamed, picked up a wooden chair, and charged out, determined to make a last stand.

However, she was facing that enormous treasure chest.

At some point, it had been moved to the warehouse entrance.

She charged too fast to stop, and both she and the chair crashed into the treasure chest.

The impact forcefully opened the chest lid, and a mass of dark red tongue shot out, wrapping around the nearest Zhou Qingqing.

“As expected, it’s a mimic…”

Lin Ran sighed.

Fortunately, he hadn’t let Limu test it.

If an outsider tested it and it was a strong mimic, they could still escape.

This was also Zhou Qingqing’s first use.

But judging from the situation, this mimic wasn’t that strong.

Even after wrapping Zhou Qingqing, it couldn’t pull her into its mouth for a long time.

Since this mimic was weak…

Then the next part would be the climax of the play!

“Careful!”

Lin Ran shouted, lunged forward, and pushed Zhou Qingqing aside.

He himself, however, was firmly wrapped by the tongue and dragged into the treasure chest.

“Master!”

Limu screamed, rushed over, and kept pounding the mimic.

But inside, there was only the sound of sticky liquid, no other sound.

Limu started crying immediately, while Vira began preparing to pick the lock and rescue Lin Ran as soon as possible.

As for Zhou Qingqing, she needed to witness this scene for her second purpose to be fulfilled.

Zhou Qingqing, knocked to the ground, stared blankly at the scene before her.

The murderer in her eyes had actually… been eaten by a monster to save her?

Her mind went blank, unable to comprehend what had happened.

Why?

Wasn’t he a murderer, going to turn me into a blood bank?

Why save me? Did I misunderstand him?

These two Monster Girls… are they sad?

Was it me… did I harm Lin Ran… and made them sad?

Her classmates’ distrust, Lin Ran’s desperate rescue, the Monster Girls’ genuine grief…

Was I really wrong…?

Countless question marks floated through her mind.

Her original worldview collapsed in that moment.

On the other side, inside the mimic, Lin Ran pulled out the favorability handgun, ready to fight at any time.

“Since I’m here, let me see your true form as well.”

…