49: Chapter 49 Taking the Lamp, Returning the Knife

"If it weren't for Chu Xuan, we would never have made it here. We are at a dead end now. Instead of dying together, why not let us fight for a sliver of hope for Chu Xuan! Even if it's just a tiny chance!"

"Being able to live until now is already a bonus. It was Chu Xuan who gave us the chance, and now is the time for us to repay him!"

"Chu Xuan, please live on for us, because you are the one with the greatest survival value among us!"

"I have only one wish, and that is to hope that one day, when your strength is sufficient, you must kill that monster and avenge us!"

Xu Zhiyou roared loudly.

The others also seemed to be infected by this; at this moment, they had actually overcome their fear, and all that remained in their eyes was high spirits and hot-bloodedness.

"At worst, it's just death, what is there to be afraid of?"

"Why must one be buried in their hometown? The world is vast, and there are green hills everywhere for one's grave!"

"Eighteen years from now, I'll be a hero again! Chu Xuan, please remember my name. My name is Chen Yinghao. I've killed quite a few monsters today; it was worth it!"

"Death is inevitable for everyone; it may be heavier than Mount Tai or lighter than a feather! Chu Xuan, please kill more monsters in the future. My name is He Ruhai!"

"I don't want to die yet! Chu Xuan, you must live on. Live on for my share as well. Remember my name, my name is Lin Tong!"

"My name is Yang Huancheng. I haven't wanted to live for a long time; it's too tiring. Let me do something valuable before I die! Chu Xuan, I hope you can live on."

Chu Xuan's heart shook violently, not because he was moved, but because he felt that all of this was too abnormal.

Some people can sacrifice their lives for the greater good of the country or for their loved ones.

But these are just ordinary students. They might have feelings of gratitude towards him, but they were just struggling to survive, fighting on the line of death, and were already terrified and trembling.

In the blink of an eye, because of a few words from Xu Zhiyou, they had become fearless of death and hot-blooded?

"I said that when encountering unavoidable danger, I would find a way to make others cover for you." Xu Zhiyou adjusted his glasses, a sincere smile suddenly appearing on his face. His state was very wrong.

"Actually, I just wanted to manipulate them into going to their deaths so that I would have a slightly better chance of escaping, but I don't know why, when these words came out, I also wanted to stay behind and die together..."

"Chu Xuan, you and Tang Zheng must leave! Live on for our share as well!"

After saying this, Xu Zhiyou stopped in his tracks, no longer struggling to move forward, but like the others, he rushed towards the tall figure in the dark night.

The sounds of tearing and screaming rose and fell. Accompanying this, the voice full of manipulation disappeared, and then Chu Xuan felt his body regain freedom once again, the feeling of restraint easing significantly.

"Chu Xuan, you and Tang Zheng must leave..."

Qin Qing's soft whisper sounded in his ear. Chu Xuan's gaze shifted abruptly, and he saw that in Qin Qing's eyes, a faint silver light was still blooming, containing a soul-stirring color.

"Don't feel guilty, don't have any burden. This was originally a sliver of thought existing in their consciousness; it's just that it has now been amplified, replacing their desire to survive and becoming the dominant force in their consciousness..."

"That Xu Zhiyou is the same. I sensed in his emotional fluctuations that he wanted to manipulate those people into covering for him so that he could take the opportunity to have a slightly better chance of survival, so I made him stay behind too."

Chu Xuan suddenly understood the reason for all of this: it was Qin Qing who controlled them to go to their deaths.

"Run! Faster, take advantage of the time they have bought for you..." Qin Qing's bloodshot face, like porcelain covered in cracks, seemed as if it would shatter at any moment.

When Chu Xuan looked closely, he discovered that those bloodshot lines were not just on her face, but her neck was also full of them.

Looking down, the right hand holding the oil lamp was also full of bloodshot lines.

The oil lamp hung from her fingertips, seeming as if it would fall at any moment.

Yet it never fell.

Only a faint light remained, barely illuminating the road ahead.

Not letting the darkness get even a fraction closer.

"Let me carry the oil lamp."

"You might die."

"So, you are risking your life to protect me?"

Chu Xuan said slowly: "The life and death of those people are not important to me, because we were originally just huddling together for warmth to survive, establishing a relationship of mutual utilization; that was the purpose from the beginning. But, why are you doing so much for me?"

Qin Qing did not answer.

Chu Xuan raised his hand and took the oil lamp.

And the long blade that she had been holding was returned to Qin Qing.

[Spirituality item detected. Do you want to spend 10 points of spirituality value to view related information?]

— No.

The oil lamp's light suddenly flared, dispelling the encroaching darkness and illuminating everything around, while Chu Xuan felt as if something in his body was being drained.

[Your spirituality value - 1]

[Your spirituality value - 1]

...

Continuous System prompts appeared one after another; almost every second, one point of spirituality value was deducted.

Qin Qing's voice came to his ears: "You can use your will to control the speed at which your spirituality is drained, thereby increasing or decreasing the brightness and range of the light, as well as the pressure exerted on you by the Specter Forbidden Domain."

Chu Xuan nodded and tried to operate it.

Sure enough, as his mind moved, the speed of the spirituality value reduction slowed down, controlled to the extent of deducting 1 point of spirituality value every five seconds, and at this moment, the illumination range was about two and a half meters, with the brightness barely enough to see the road ahead.

There were still over seventy points of spirituality value left; at this rate, it could last for about six minutes.

"When you lose all your spirituality value, this oil lamp will absorb your Qi and life force." Qin Qing's voice was faint, seeming to have a bit more strength than before.

"What was the use of the red pill you took earlier? Give me two pills as well."

"The effect of the red pill is that it can briefly restore a person to their Peak state, but the side effects are great, especially since you are now carrying an oil lamp that absorbs spirituality; this will accelerate your death," Qin Qing said weakly.

Chu Xuan's expression was unreadable.

"Didn't you ask me why I was risking my life to protect you?"

Qin Qing's voice slowly rang out:

"What I am protecting is not because of anything else; it is simply because you have sufficient value."

"Just like how I gave Lin Tong a piece of black jade earlier; it was only because I saw that he had some potential, so I gave him a little more hope of survival."

"Similarly, you and Tang Zheng have also shown sufficient value, so the others can all die for you."

"Of course, this includes me as well."

Qin Qing's voice was soft, yet it carried a firmness that penetrated to the bones. Then she suddenly smiled: "Don't misunderstand, I am not doing this to protect humanity, nor for social harmony or the well-being of the people; it is simply because I want to kill all these monsters and ghosts!"

"Among them, the one I most want to kill is naturally the Night Demon."

Chu Xuan heard a trace of intense emotional fluctuation in her words.

"Because my parents were eaten by it half a year ago. To save me, they threw themselves at the Night Demon and were eventually eaten up, leaving only some fragmented tissues."

"It was also after that incident that I gradually embarked on this path."