Chapter 29: Mutilated Limb, Vengeful Soul

Her arms had been stewing for who knows how long in the summer Suitcase.

When the Suitcase was opened, a foul stench surged forth.

That purplish skin was even stuck to the lining inside the Suitcase; with the lightest tug, skin and flesh would tear away together.

Qiao Yunxue walked over to Shen Yao’s side and closed the pink Suitcase adorned with Piglet McDull, doing it in Shen Yao’s stead.

No matter how clever and sharp Shen Yao was, at the end of the day, he was just a high school student.

Suddenly faced with such a horrific and bloody scene, he couldn’t recover for a long time.

Qiao Yunxue was different.

For the sake of studying Strangeness, she had analyzed countless bizarre images and videos, and had even visited Death Scenes where Strangeness had appeared.

She looked at Shen Yao, who was retching endlessly, and felt an inexplicable pang of guilt.

Was she being too selfish?

For her own desires, she had dragged Shen Yao, who was unrelated, into this.

He was quick-witted, determined, and should have had a bright future ahead of him…

She bit her lower lip lightly.

But what was the point of thinking about all this now?

Shen Yao clutched his stomach, a sour taste rising in his throat.

He wanted nothing more than to curl up somewhere and rest, but he knew there was something more important to do at the moment.

Forcing himself to endure, he snatched the Suitcase handle from Qiao Yunxue and squeezed out a few words between clenched teeth, “It’s not just in one place. There are more Suitcases.”

Qiao Yunxue nodded, pushing aside her lingering hesitation, and quickly caught up with Shen Yao.

By now, it had been four minutes since the Strangeness made the phone call.

Hauling the Suitcase through the Maze, the greatest pressure didn’t come from the ticking clock, but from the sound and feel of the dismembered limbs rolling and bumping inside the empty Suitcase.

It always made him feel like whatever was inside the Suitcase was still alive.

He reached across with his left hand again, wanting to check the time by the ever-weakening moonlight.

Suddenly, a hand reached out from the darkness and gave him a shove.

Shen Yao turned his head, only to see Qiao Yunxue’s tense expression.

“Was that you?”

“What?”

“Just now. Did you push me?”

“I didn’t.” Qiao Yunxue shook her head.

Shen Yao glanced at the pink Suitcase behind them. “What about it?”

The question sounded calm but carried a trace of confusion, and that only deepened the chilling terror in Qiao Yunxue’s heart.

It was like standing by a gentle stream, only to discover a giant python lurking beneath the surface.

“It… isn’t here,” Qiao Yunxue’s throat was dry. “At least I didn’t see it.”

Shen Yao nodded, turning back and lowering his head to look at his watch again.

But this time, it didn’t hide.

A pair of swollen, bloodless hands stretched silently from the darkness and rested on his watch.

They appeared abruptly, without any warning, as if they had always been there.

Qiao Yunxue’s voice trembled, “Shen Yao… on your hand, I see…” Her nose was bleeding again.

The more time she spent with Shen Yao, the stronger her inspiration became—she could even vaguely see the form of the Strangeness now.

“Don’t look at it.” Shen Yao’s voice trembled slightly too.

He was too close to that hand.

Fortunately, it didn’t seem to want to harm him; it just rested on his watch, as lifeless as a corpse, as if stopping him from going further.

But… to continue, he had to see his watch.

Fighting through the mounting discomfort in his stomach, he slowly reached out and pried open the swollen, foul-smelling, cracked fingers one by one.

The rotten flesh felt nothing like a living person’s skin—no elasticity at all.

If he had to compare, it was more like a plastic bag filled with flour; a little pressure would leave a dent that didn’t spring back.

But it was even more revolting.

The skin was raised and bumpy from swelling, the surface rough and uneven, split open in places where worms squirmed and gnawed.

There was no scent of blood, only the stench of corpse, decay, and the filth of insects.

It was impossible to imagine how long her body had been left here and what kind of changes it had undergone.

Holding his breath, Shen Yao finally managed to pry apart the hands covering his watch.

The next second, those hands from the darkness suddenly seized his right hand.

Shen Yao froze, not daring to move.

“Shen… Shen Yao…” Qiao Yunxue was trying to warn him.

“I know, I know.” Shen Yao didn’t look back. “Let me handle it. Let me.”

“The thing in the Suitcase is moving, it’s unlocking…” Qiao Yunxue’s voice shook violently.

Shen Yao made up his mind and gripped the rotting hands in return.

“…You were murdered by him. Your heart must be filled with Hatred and grievance… That strong emotion, it’s Hatred, isn’t it… If it’s Hatred, why stop me? Only if I find your body can the murderer be brought to justice…”

“Shen Yao… I can barely hold down the Suitcase!”

“I promise you, once Qiao Yunxue and I escape, I’ll make the culprit pay the price he deserves…”

“Shen Yao!”

The next instant, the decayed hands quietly withdrew.

The pink Suitcase Qiao Yunxue held down also fell silent.

Had they succeeded in communicating?

No… it was more like the hunt wasn’t over yet, and the hunter was simply following the Game Rules.

Strangeness was the embodiment of intense emotion; it might be temporarily dissuaded, but overwhelming Hatred would inevitably bring it back again.

Shen Yao glanced at his watch—eight minutes left.

They had already wasted too much time.

He could only start jogging.

Qiao Yunxue dragged the Suitcase, head down, following close behind.

The two of them, one after the other, darted through shadows that twisted and writhed like demons.

Suddenly, the second hand of the watch slowed.

A glint appeared in Shen Yao’s eyes.

He stepped into a corner of the Maze and finally spotted the second Suitcase—a huge black Suitcase.

If the pink Piglet McDull Suitcase belonged to Xu Jia, then this black business case must have belonged to the murderer.

Shen Yao took a deep breath, stepped forward, opened the Suitcase—and shut it right away.

Inside the Suitcase… were a pair of legs and half a torso.

The murderer’s method of dismemberment was extremely crude; the legs were uneven in length, and the torso had been haphazardly cut, making the whole scene even more grotesque and sickening.

The disgusting part was that the swollen flesh had already filled the enormous Suitcase, like a mass of flesh-colored sponge riddled with countless holes…

Qiao Yunxue finally caught up. “Did you find it?”

Shen Yao didn’t let her see what was inside, only nodded.

“There are just her legs and half a torso here. If I’m right, the remaining half—along with her head—are hidden in the last Suitcase.”

“There’s still more… Just how deranged is Zhong Wen?”

Shen Yao looked down. “We don’t have time to waste.”

Suddenly, a strange sound echoed in his ears.

It came from a narrow passage nearby—hurried footsteps, like a woman frantically scurrying along.

Had the hand’s Strangeness become a leg Strangeness?

Did the interference of the Strangeness grow stronger as they found more body parts?

Qiao Yunxue could only faintly hear the noise. “What’s that sound?” She didn’t hear it as clearly as Shen Yao.

That woman was running madly on the other side; it wouldn’t be long before she reached them.

Shen Yao didn’t have time to explain. “Stay close! Hurry!”

There was no time to think left or right; he could only follow the second hand and dash headlong into the ever more convoluted Cargo Box Maze.

After running for a while, the chilling footsteps finally faded.

Panting, Shen Yao said, “The next Suitcase with her remains must be nearby. Qiao Yunxue, are you okay?”……

Only the rattling of Suitcase wheels answered him.

“Qiao Yunxue?”

He spun around in shock.

There was no Qiao Yunxue—only two Suitcases, one large and one small, gliding silently in the deathly stillness.

In this twisted space, there was only Shen Yao and the two Suitcases containing the corpse.