Chapter 1: Mysterious Statue
“Bai Cha, could you… do me a favor?”
Bai Cha was revising her thesis in the dormitory when she heard her roommate, Yu Zhenzhen, speak.
Yu Zhenzhen spoke somewhat hesitantly.
“What help do you need?” Bai Cha asked gently.
“I’ve been feeling a bit unwell these past few days, could you please pick up a package for me?”
After saying that, Yu Zhenzhen hurriedly added, “Never mind, never mind, I’ll go get it myself…”
“It’s okay, I was planning to go to the supermarket to buy some things anyway. Just send me the pickup code,” Bai Cha smiled.
Yu Zhenzhen’s condition had indeed looked off these past few days. Her face was frighteningly pale, and she hadn’t been sleeping all night.
Due to her own health issues, Bai Cha’s sleep quality had always been terrible. Last night, in the middle of the night, she even saw Yu Zhenzhen sitting there, staring blankly at the wall, and didn’t know what was wrong.
“But if you’re not feeling well, it’s best to go to the hospital sooner rather than later. Nothing is more important than your health.”
Bai Cha patted her hair gently and left the dormitory with her phone.
Yu Zhenzhen watched her departing figure, her lips moved as if to say something, and her eyes turned red.
She looked down at her phone. After a long while, her hand trembling, she sent the pickup code to Bai Cha, then closed her eyes and buried herself in the blanket, crying.
I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!
Yu Zhenzhen apologized frantically in her heart.
She didn’t know how Bai Cha would see her after knowing the truth, but Bai Cha was so gentle, she probably wouldn’t blame her, right?
She really… had no other way.
Bai Cha held an umbrella and walked towards the supermarket at a leisurely pace.
It was a cloudy day, with a drizzle, a very, very light rain. Few passersby were using umbrellas, after all, it was the height of summer.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t do without one.
Even with such light rain, she was very likely to fall ill after returning to the dormitory.
She was born with deficiencies and didn’t have the conditions for proper care later in life. Her foundation was already as hollow as that of a dying old person; only her age, twenty, not eighty, was different.
Yu Zhenzhen was a bit strange, but she didn’t care.
Just helping with a small task, it was better to avoid trouble. Why dig to the bottom of things?
She thought somewhat indifferently, let it be what it may.
At least it could show that she could still walk and move.
There were quite a few people in the supermarket, and many students were coming and going to pick up packages.
When it was Bai Cha’s turn, she gave the pickup code.
A somewhat heavy express delivery box was handed to her.
She took a picture of it for Yu Zhenzhen.
“I’m going back now. Is there anything else you need me to bring?”
She asked politely, thinking that if the person was sensible, they should refuse.
Yu Zhenzhen was sensible, but she said, “Could you please open that package and see what’s inside for me?”
Tsk.
Bai Cha didn’t want to, but she agreed.
This had been her life principle for over twenty years. From a young age, she knew that her body was weak, and she was the only one left in her family. Many people around her would offer well-intentioned help out of sympathy.
But that didn’t mean these favors came without a price.
The prerequisite was that she had to appear gentle, harmless, and worthy.
She absolutely couldn’t become hysterical, sensitive, or proud because of the pain and torment of her body.
Even more so, just because others helped her, she couldn’t take it for granted; instead, she had to reciprocate.
Even if no one ever asked if she wanted sympathetic help, she couldn’t refuse.
Otherwise, these seemingly beautiful acts of kindness might turn into: “As expected, after losing her parents, she has some mental issues, too withdrawn. People are just trying to be nice, why doesn’t she appreciate it?” “Everyone is just being kind, can you not be so sensitive?” “Sigh, don’t bother arguing with her, her bad temper is just because of her poor health.”
Then it would be her who was ungrateful.
And yet, the kindness of these people was indeed genuine kindness.
Bai Cha borrowed a knife and cut open the package.
Inside was a statue.
Bai Cha was slightly surprised.
Because this statue looked extremely ominous.
It resembled a Buddha statue, sitting on a lotus platform, with its hands forming a Buddhist mudra. However, its expression lacked the compassion that a Buddha statue should have.
Instead, it exuded an indescribable malice, staring at her with a chilling coldness.
Bai Cha subconsciously shivered, feeling the surrounding temperature drop sharply, and the sounds around her seemed to disappear.
Only this Buddha statue remained in front of her.
The Buddha statue’s eyes seemed to move slightly, and she felt a suffocating pressure, as if she had been locked onto and marked by something.
That bone-chilling coldness that surged towards her like a tide almost instantly turned her face pale, her heart beat frantically, and her breathing became rapid.
She instinctively wanted to cover her chest, trying to suppress the heart that was about to leap out, but she couldn’t move.
Weird whispers also echoed in her ears, like Buddhist chants, but upon closer listening, they weren’t.
The voice was clearly calling her in a low murmur.
“Bai Cha, Bai Cha, Bai Cha, Bai Cha…”
The sound grew louder and louder, and Bai Cha’s heart pounded at a terrifying speed. The tearing pain in her chest made her completely lose consciousness.
*
Bai Cha didn’t know when she regained consciousness. She only felt as if she had fallen into an icy lake, both wet and cold.
This coldness gradually cleared her mind.
“Tch, finally awake? We were just waiting for you. Hurry up and follow!” A slightly annoyed female voice sounded in her ear.
Bai Cha moved slightly, only catching a glimpse of a woman’s back as she walked away.
She looked around the room. This wasn’t her dormitory, nor was it a hospital.
It looked a bit like a small hotel.
Bai Cha sat up. Her body felt more stiff and tired than usual, and her head ached. She touched her forehead and, as expected, she had a fever, but it shouldn’t be high, around 37.5 degrees Celsius.
She basically got a fever 2-3 times a month and could accurately estimate her temperature without a thermometer.
She didn’t pay much attention to it. Compared to her frequently ill body, where she was now was probably more important.
And just at this moment, a line of text suddenly floated past.
[Yo, this newbie is quite good-looking, it’s just that she doesn’t look like she’ll live long]
Bai Cha glanced over without any change in expression.
It was a… rather high-tech-looking panel?
Sensing something, she touched it.
[Name: Bai Cha. Age: 20. Gender: Female. Generating your exclusive skills, please wait patiently.]
A game?
Before she could figure it out, the door was violently pushed open.
The woman who had just left stood there with an unfriendly expression.
“I told you to come out and follow, what are you doing? Newbie?”
Bai Cha raised her eyes. Due to the fever, the sickly pallor on her face was very obvious.
After that fleeting glance at the interface, countless guesses had already formed in her mind.
So, she gave a gentle and timid smile and said, “Excuse me, where is this?”
The woman’s face immediately darkened, and she sized Bai Cha up.
“Damn it, a newbie actually came to an A-level instance.”
She was very impatient and turned to leave. But after hesitating, she turned back, her tone cold and hard.
“If you don’t want to die, follow me. Talk less. There’s a bald guy outside, don’t let him know you’re a newbie.”
