tkworld #562 - Let's run away
#562 - Let's run away
The night grew deeper, and Tang Yin stood still, the sounds still echoing in his ears. How he wished it were all just a nightmare, but the reality before his eyes ruthlessly reminded him—this was no illusion.
His mother’s voice was exceptionally clear in her final moments, calling out her eldest son’s name again and again, her voice filled with a mother’s final attachment to her child. And the eldest son responded constantly, the sob in his voice almost tearing through the night sky.
In the last instant of life, it seemed another name slipped lightly from her lips. That call was fleeting, disappearing into the night wind before anyone could hear it clearly. Then, everything fell silent, even the chirping of insects vanished.
Tang Yin turned around, looking at Xiao Mie who was standing not far away. The moonlight cast a hazy outline on her small figure, making her appear even more frail. "Xiao Mie," he called softly.
Xiao Mie raised her head, her eyes still carrying a trace of confusion, but she nodded to Tang Yin. Her movements were light, like a startled fawn.
"Let’s run away together tomorrow, okay?" Tang Yin’s voice was very soft, as if afraid to disturb the silence.
The little girl nodded again, her eyes shimmering faintly in the moonlight.
Tang Yin took a deep breath and said the most difficult words, "…Let’s give up Hualu."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Xiao Mie’s tears fell like beads from a broken string. She didn’t make a sound, just wept silently, the soundless crying more heartbreaking than loud wails.
Tang Yin took her cold little hand and walked towards the dormitory area. The night wind blew, bringing a hint of coolness, but it couldn’t dispel the heaviness in his heart. He took out the few remaining compressed biscuits from his pocket and then took Xiao Mie to her small house.
"Lock the door, don’t run around, I’ll come to pick you up tomorrow morning," Tang Yin’s voice was firm and left no room for doubt.
Xiao Mie was still silently shedding tears, but she obediently nodded.
"Eat this." Tang Yin handed her the compressed biscuits, gently stroking her hair, as if to give her some comfort. Then, he turned and closed the door, leaving Xiao Mie alone inside.
Just then, footsteps came from behind. Tang Yin turned his head and found that the others had also returned. Qian Jin was walking in the front, looking exceptionally tired in the moonlight.
"Tonight’s banquet is over," Qian Jin’s voice had no emotion, as if stating something that had nothing to do with him.
"Is that so?" Tang Yin responded softly. He didn’t participate in the banquet, nor did he have the right to criticize their choices. Everyone was silent, as if suffocated by the heavy air.
The three of them walked towards the dormitory together, but maintained a strange distance. Tang Yin walked at the end, looking at the backs of the two people in front of him, and a sense of powerlessness welled up in his heart. The moonlight stretched their shadows long, as if to infinitely extend this despair.
—Tomorrow is the last day.
Tang Yin looked towards the Divine Crest Valley shrouded in thick fog in the distance, wondering if he could persuade them to escape this place together. That was a forbidden area, but perhaps it was the only hope. The thick fog glowed with an eerie silver light in the moonlight, as if silently conveying some kind of warning.
The dormitory corridor was eerily quiet at night. Tang Yin sat alone on the bed, using the faint light from the street lamp outside the window to think about that heavy question—in what way would death come?
Death from injury? Encountering misfortune during the escape? Or being swallowed by that strange otherworld? Tang Yin’s fingers tapped unconsciously on the edge of the bed, making a slight rhythmic sound. Worse, maybe he would become food for those monsters, like the others.
Just then, a bloody memory suddenly flashed in his mind—it was a scene where he was supposedly torn apart by werewolf monsters in some parallel world line. The sensation of sharp claws tearing through flesh was so real, as if it had happened yesterday. Tang Yin subconsciously touched his chest, where it was now intact, but that memory was so real that it made his heart palpitate.
What exactly is going on? Although he couldn’t figure it out, this possibility was indeed very high. Tang Yin rubbed his temples, trying to clear his thoughts. Normally, an ordinary person’s memory should dissipate with death, like melting spring snow. Only by truly overcoming the fear of the unknown can one calmly face the arrival of death.
But if he really had to repeat that kind of death, Tang Yin only felt a chill all over his body. He had already had enough of the pain of being torn apart by monsters.
"Then think of a less painful way to die," he muttered to himself, his voice particularly lonely in the empty room.
"A more comfortable way to die." Tang Yin stood up and paced around the small room.
"Or a way to die that exchanges some kind of reward at the cost of pain." His eyes gradually became firm. For example, using his life to exchange for the survival of those children.
—Okay, it’s time to bet my life.
Tang Yin looked towards Wang Lina’s room next door, wondering if she would support his decision? That stubborn girl always scoffed at his ideas.
Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath—suddenly, an absurd idea exploded in his mind.
"Here it comes!" Tang Yin suddenly opened his eyes, a mischievous smile on the corner of his mouth.
He suddenly used a standard Overlord Kick against the mottled wall, making a muffled "bang" sound. The dormitory wall shook slightly from the impact.
"Ugh~" he shouted exaggeratedly, his voice with a bit of deliberate affectation.
Immediately afterwards, he did a beautiful low kick, the movement neat and crisp.
"Haaah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah~~~~" Tang Yin’s roar echoed in the silent night, like a late-stage chuunibyou patient.
"Seven Treasures Scattered~ Pearl Door Broken by Wind~!" He began to sing loudly, the tune falling apart.
"Depraved and Empty in the Grass~! Buddha Relic SHOUT AAH!!" Tang Yin continued his punching and kicking performance against the wall while singing this inexplicable Buddha Relic rock. Sweat dripped down his forehead, but he was still immersed in this crazy venting.
Dong dong dong dong! As expected, a burst of rapid footsteps came from the next room. It sounded like someone had jumped out of bed.
"—Annoying!" Wang Lina’s angry roar came from the direction of the entrance. Through the thin wall, Tang Yin could even imagine her stomping her feet in anger.
"Your voice is smiling, isn’t it?" Tang Yin stopped his movements and asked with a sly smile.
"Because your behavior is simply ridiculous!" Wang Lina’s voice carried an undisguised smile. The walls of this dilapidated dormitory were as thin as paper, with almost no sound insulation, which made it convenient for them to talk through the wall.
Tang Yin leaned against the wall, a faint smile on the corner of his mouth. At least in the final moments, he could still hear her angry and smiling voice. That was good, he preferred to say goodbye in this way than with those heavy topics.
The night deepened, and the moonlight outside the window was blocked by thick clouds, shrouding the whole world in gloom. Tang Yin stood in the center of the room, took a deep breath, and finally made up his mind.
"Okay, let’s run away together tomorrow, okay?" His voice traveled through the wall to the next room.
"Why so suddenly!?" Wang Lina’s voice was full of surprise, as if startled by the proposal.
Tang Yin chuckled lightly, "Since you’re still in the mood to complain, it proves you haven’t lost your rationality, run away, run away, leave this crazy place." His tone was light, but his eyes were unusually firm.
"That, Tang Yin." Wang Lina’s voice became hesitant.
"I’m serious." Tang Yin emphasized, interrupting her words that were about to come out.
Wang Lina at the door fell silent, even her breathing became inaudible. The silence of the night was like an invisible net, enveloping the emotions of both of them.
The electronic clock on the wall showed that it was eight o’clock in the evening, according to the rules, this was a safe time. Tang Yin knew this well, walked towards the entrance, and gently opened the door. Outside the door, Wang Lina was standing there with her head down, her long hair scattered and shining faintly in the corridor light.
"Such a heavy expression," Tang Yin said, looking at her tightly furrowed brows.
Wang Lina raised her head, her clear black and white eyes looking straight at him, "Really?"
"Just kidding." Tang Yin’s mouth curled into a playful smile.
"You’re flirting again, you’re not my boyfriend," Wang Lina rolled her eyes, her tone carrying a hint of reproach.
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"Don’t change the subject, you’re actually very troubled, aren’t you? Tell me everything, okay?" Tang Yin’s expression suddenly became serious, his eyes piercing.
"…" Wang Lina lowered her head, her fingers twisting together anxiously.
"Forget it, never mind, come in first," Tang Yin stepped aside to make way.
"…Sorry to intrude," Wang Lina said softly, walking into the empty room.
The room was bare except for the necessary furniture, making it seem particularly desolate. The two sat facing each other, an indescribable tension permeating the air. The moonlight shone in obliquely from the window, casting a silver-white streak on the floor.
"Tell me about the banquet today," Tang Yin said bluntly.
In the following time, Wang Lina recounted the events of the banquet to him in detail. Her voice was very soft, but it was particularly clear in the silent room. As she spoke, Tang Yin’s brow furrowed more and more tightly.
"…Who exactly is the wolf," Tang Yin muttered to himself, his eyes passing through the window and looking at the dark night sky in the distance.
"I don’t know, or rather, it doesn’t matter anymore," Wang Lina’s voice was full of exhaustion.
The current situation was indeed desperate, and they both knew it well. Each execution was like a farce, without any reasonable basis for judgment. Even more terrifying, they even suspected whether the werewolf camp had really suffered any losses.
"It would be good if that bitter face was a wolf, then there would be a target to resent to our hearts’ content," Wang Lina said with a wry smile, her voice carrying a hint of self-deprecation.
"Zhao Gang has already proven Qian Jin’s innocence, this possibility is very low," Tang Yin shook his head, his tone certain.
"…I know," Wang Lina lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting a shadow on her face.
But if Wang Lina’s guess was correct, then things were far more terrible than they imagined. Qin Ming, that seemingly harmless teenager, was actually able to watch his own mother walk to her death. This was not something that simple acting could explain, but true cold-bloodedness!
The atmosphere in the room instantly became heavy, even the air seemed to become viscous. The moonlight was blocked by dark clouds at some point, plunging the entire room into deeper darkness.
Qin Ming’s innocent face kept appearing in Tang Yin’s mind. Did those clear eyes really hide such terrible cold-bloodedness? The moonlight shone through the window lattices, casting mottled light and shadows on the floor, as if silently telling the answer to this puzzle.
Regarding Mrs. Chen Xiang’s actions, Wang Lina’s speculation seemed reasonable—a mother was willing to give her life for her son. Killing everyone except her son, so that whether Qin Ming was a werewolf or a human, he could eventually become the victor. Thinking of this, Tang Yin couldn’t help but shudder.
But this alone was not enough to determine that Qin Ming was the werewolf hidden in the darkness. Tang Yin’s gaze fell on the dim lamp in the corner of the wall, the light flickering in his deep eyes.
Mrs. Chen Xiang’s behavior was chilling. Even in a state of mental breakdown, she was still obsessed with killing for her son, even at the cost of her own life. The power of this maternal love was terrifyingly suffocating.
Recalling the scene that day, Tang Yin asked Xiao Mei to go upstairs to help, unintentionally disrupting Mrs. Chen Xiang’s plan. In the end, it was he who personally subdued this crazy mother. If he put himself in Mrs. Chen Xiang’s shoes, he was afraid that she would want to chop him into mincemeat now.
"…I wanted to imitate you at the time, but, as expected, I couldn’t do it," Wang Lina suddenly opened her mouth, breaking the silence in the room. She lowered her head, her long hair covering half of her face, making it impossible to see her expression.
"Imitate me?" Tang Yin frowned slightly.
"Yeah, to think and communicate independently like you," Wang Lina’s voice carried a hint of self-deprecation.
A sense of unease suddenly surged in Tang Yin’s heart. Could his existence have had a negative impact on Wang Lina? He looked at the girl in front of him who was always strong, and ripples arose in his heart.
No, even so, thinking before acting is definitely not a bad thing. Tang Yin told himself in his heart.
Everything that has happened recently is worth pondering: Qin Ming’s threatening words, Wang Lina’s feeling that his personality has changed drastically, these details cannot be ignored. In addition to Qin Ming, there are other suspicious people: Grandma Rong, who firmly believes in superstition, Xiao Mei, who always stands by Qin Ming’s side, and Xiao Mie, who cast that fatal vote.
The air in the room seemed to solidify, even the chirping of insects outside the window seemed particularly harsh. Tang Yin slowly stood up and walked to the window. The night was as dark as ink, and the street lamp in the distance seemed particularly lonely in the darkness. He took a deep breath and turned to face Wang Lina.
"Everyone is a suspect," his voice was low and firm, like a sharp sword cutting through this silence.
The moonlight still shone on the floor, but the light and shadows at this moment seemed particularly strange. In this game full of lies and betrayal, everyone could be the evil wolf hidden under human skin, and the truth might be more terrible than they imagined.