Chapter 101: Book City, the Shocking Corpse!
Su Ning was at a loss for words in response to Dong Xingyu’s cold demeanor.
Standing nearby, Jiang Nana shook her head helplessly, then walked over to Su Ning and whispered, “Don’t bother with him. This guy has always been aloof and indifferent. I bet he’ll be single for life.”
Dong Xingyu: ??
Zhongsun Junhao patted Dong Xingyu on the shoulder and said earnestly, “Bro, if you don’t change your personality, it’s going to be hard to win the hearts of any girls.”
Dong Xingyu looked confused and furrowed his brow, retorting, “Why should I change? And why do I need to win over girls at all?”
Even Zhongsun Junhao, usually quick-witted and eloquent, was left speechless by the question.
Just then, Su Ning suddenly recalled a certain type of manga and TV dramas that used to be popular among her classmates. She couldn’t help but size Dong Xingyu up from head to toe.
Dong Xingyu looked as though he hadn’t been affected by the disaster at all—his figure was slender and tall, his aura gentle and comforting like a spring breeze. Most striking of all was his flawless, snow-white skin, which was simply stunning.
In that moment, a thought flashed through Su Ning’s mind like lightning. She blurted out, “Hmm… Actually, you don’t necessarily have to win over girls. Isn’t it also great to attract boys?”
As soon as Su Ning said this, Dong Xingyu stiffened completely, standing frozen in place.
Jiang Nana was also momentarily stunned, then burst out laughing while turning to Su Ning.
“Hahaha, Xiao Ning, so you noticed it too?”
On the side, Kou Dingshan looked utterly confused. He couldn’t understand what was strange about being popular with boys.
Meanwhile, the worldly Zhongsun Junhao silently withdrew the hand that had been patting Dong Xingyu’s shoulder.
The usually expressionless and icy-cold Dong Xingyu instantly turned bright red, like a ripe apple, clearly understanding what Su Ning meant.
This sudden emotional upheaval surprisingly triggered a significant power-up in his Solar Hand ability.
At that moment, his hands blazed with intense fire, burning hotly. The surrounding snow melted away in an instant under the immense heat.
Then, Dong Xingyu darted off like lightning, speeding rapidly toward their target destination.
Seeing this, Kou Dingshan couldn’t help exclaiming, “Whoa! That’s a thing?!”
Su Ning turned to Jiang Nana. “Did I say something wrong?”
Jiang Nana quickly waved her hands. “No, no, not at all! Actually, this guy’s always had trouble because of his good skin… uh, you know what I mean…” she said with a sly smile.
“Sigh, this disaster really took away so many of life’s pleasures,” Jiang Nana sighed while reminiscing about her collection of books and movies, a wave of sorrow washing over her.
Su Ning let out a soft sigh in agreement. Entertainment was now a luxury they didn’t even dare to think about.
“Hmm? What’s that place? Looks like a book city!” Zhongsun Junhao said as he lowered his binoculars and pointed into the distance.
Dong Xingyu paused and followed his gaze.
“It is a book city. Books are great. If we get the chance, we should explore that bookstore. Maybe we’ll find something interesting.”
So the group headed toward the bookstore.
Su Ning had visited this book city before and was somewhat familiar with it. The store had a prime location, right in the middle of a bustling commercial street.
But now, that street was buried under thick snow.
As they entered the store, they were greeted by books scattered chaotically across the floor, as if some sudden catastrophe had struck.
The western windows near the street were shattered, letting in fierce winds and snow that had piled up inside the building.
Seeing the mess, Jiang Nana lamented, “Ah, what a waste…” and made her way toward the manga section, planning to pick out a few readable ones to kill time later.
Meanwhile, Su Ning also wanted to take this chance to find a few good novels for some much-needed distraction.
But just as she was about to step onto the stairs leading to the second floor, she noticed something wrong.
Her eyes locked on the staircase. Amid the messy footprints were alarming smears of red.
Zhongsun Junhao noticed it too, and his expression turned serious as he gestured for everyone to be on alert.
“Stay sharp!”
Kou Dingshan and Dong Xingyu immediately tensed up, going into high alert.
Jiang Nana’s reaction was just as quick—she instinctively hugged her little Fire Meow tightly.
Su Ning frowned as she scanned the area. “It’s obvious someone arrived here before us—and they were badly injured.”
But strangely, despite their alertness and careful listening, they couldn’t detect any sound—not even a hint of movement.
The eerie silence was deeply unsettling.
The group carefully made their way upstairs.
The moment they stepped onto the stairs, a pungent stench of blood hit them hard.
When they reached the second floor, the sight before them left them stunned and horrified—blood was everywhere, grotesque and overwhelming.
“What happened here?” Jiang Nana muttered, puzzled. Could it have been a fight over supplies?
But then again, this wasn’t inside a game instance…
Zhongsun Junhao followed the blood scent and hurried to the back of a bookshelf—only to find the source.
When the others got a clear look, their mouths dropped open in shock and disbelief.
Jiang Nana couldn’t hold back her terror anymore and let out a sharp scream.
The scream pierced the already tense atmosphere like a dagger.
Dong Xingyu fought back a wave of nausea, forcing himself to stay calm as he looked toward the gruesome corpse before him.
The body was headless and limbless, the torso torn apart like a shredded ragdoll. Organs and blood were strewn across the floor, forming a horrific and bloody scene.
The brutality was so overwhelming that no one could bear to look for long.
Jiang Nana shut her eyes tightly, unable to stomach the sight.
“What the hell is going on?!” she asked, her voice trembling, hoping for some comfort or explanation.
Su Ning took a deep breath and steadied herself. “This clearly wasn’t done by a human. Judging from the injuries, it looks like the work of a ferocious animal—or some kind of monster.”
Then, her eyes drifted thoughtfully to the Fire Meow in Jiang Nana’s arms.
Seeing this, Jiang Nana immediately held the little creature protectively. “My little Meow would never do something so cruel!”
Su Ning gave her a helpless look and explained patiently, “I didn’t say it was your Fire Meow.”
But in her heart, Su Ning was thinking something else—
If Jiang Nana could own such a mystical little creature, could it be possible that others who entered the instance had acquired even larger and more savage beasts?
Kou Dingshan finally spoke up, “Nowadays, even animals have a chance to gain instance-based power. Maybe it was some mutated creature—something like a Rat King—that caused this massacre.”
