Chapter 138: The "Corpses" Hanging in the Garage
"Something's above our heads."
The words sent a jolt through Yotsuya Miko and Lin Xuelao.
Lin Xuelao, in particular, felt a knot of confusion tighten in her chest. She prided herself on her perceptive abilities, yet she hadn't sensed a single thing out of the ordinary. Still, she would never doubt Haruto's word. If he said something was there, it was there.
Neither of them panicked. Following the calm example set by Haruto and Kaguya, they slowly, deliberately, tilted their heads back and looked up. The lack of tension from the two overpowered youkai was proof enough that there was no immediate danger.
What they saw made their breath catch. Dozens of... "corpses" were hanging upside down from the steel support beams of the garage ceiling, packed together in a dense, silent cluster.
They weren't even sure if "corpse" was the right word.
Their necks were stretched to impossible lengths, hanging down like thick, twisted ropes of flesh. Their skin was coated in a layer of a strange, translucent substance that shimmered with a waxy, wet sheen under the dim light filtering through the grimy windows.
Suddenly, it all made sense. They finally understood why the rest of the building was crawling with those monstrous beetles, yet this garage was completely, eerily empty.
One mountain cannot house two tigers. Or, in this case, the Human-faced Beetles were simply terrified of whatever was hanging up here.
Lin Xuelao's fists clenched at her sides, a flicker of self-reproach in her eyes. As the team's designated scout, she had failed to detect this anomaly and had led everyone straight into a new nest of horrors. What if someone got hurt because of her mistake...?
As if reading her mind, Haruto sent a message to the group chat.
[The Most Handsome Boundary Youkai: The waxy layer on those things absorbs sound and aura. Kaguya and I only just noticed them ourselves.]
Seeing his message, the tightness in Lin Xuelao's chest eased slightly. But a moment later, a new message popped up from Kaguya.
[Her Highness the Princess of Eientei:...Actually, this concubine discovered them a long time ago.]
[The Most Handsome Boundary Youkai:???]
[The Most Handsome Boundary Youkai: You knew and you didn't say anything? You're trolling! A complete troll!]
[Yotsuya Miko: Troll +1.]
[Lin Xuelao: Troll +2.]
[Her Highness the Princess of Eientei: This concubine simply assumed you were all aware. Besides, isn't this a necessary part of any good escape game? The protagonists overcome countless hardships to flee one danger, only to stumble directly into another.]
[Yotsuya Miko:...]
[Lin Xuelao:...]
Their expressions became incredibly complicated. They glanced at the swarms of bugs visible through the grimy door and then back up at the terrifying "corpses" dangling from the ceiling.
For other players, this was a thrilling, life-or-death struggle for survival. For them, the entire atmosphere had shifted into something resembling a casual game night. If any other player were to witness this scene, they would likely be stunned speechless. It wasn't because the instance itself was easy—far from it.
Those bugs were not to be underestimated. While not particularly fast, their sheer numbers and penchant for ambushing from the shadows made them a formidable threat. The five of them had survived by sticking to a wide main road, which meant that even when beetles poured from the buildings on either side, they couldn't close the distance in time.
But what about the others who had scattered and fled earlier? Many had darted into the narrow, claustrophobic alleyways. Most of them were probably already dead, their situations unimaginably dire. Unless they possessed a specific counter to the bugs, or, like Haruto's group, stumbled into a den of even greater horrors to take temporary shelter, their fate was sealed. Even a ghost, so long as it had a physical form, would likely be devoured without a trace by that ravenous swarm.
[The Most Handsome Boundary Youkai: @Her Highness the Princess of Eientei, before you act all high and mighty, maybe you could come out from behind Youmu?]
Haruto shot a deadpan look at Kaguya, who was peeking out from behind Youmu's shoulder. Logically speaking, if her power wasn't being suppressed by the instance, she was by far the strongest person here.
Kaguya's expression remained placid as she typed another reply.
[Her Highness the Princess of Eientei: This concubine is ensuring Youmu's safety. It is her first time participating in an instance, after all.]
Instead of typing back, Haruto simply held up his hand and made a "6" gesture at Kaguya with a smirk. He then stepped forward, gently pulled Youmu over, and shielded her protectively behind him, his posture screaming, 'Don't you bully my Youmu.'
Watching the two of them bicker like children, Yotsuya Miko and Lin Xuelao exchanged a helpless glance.
[Yotsuya Miko: Haruto, stop messing around. We're running out of time. In three days, this whole city gets hit by a nuclear bomb. That's a real dead end.]
With the exception of Kaguya, whose infinite resurrection made her functionally immune, Miko was fairly certain the rest of them would be turned to ash under a nuclear baptism.
[The Most Handsome Boundary Youkai: No worries. Yukari-nee will handle it.]
[Yotsuya Miko: Yukari-nee can withstand a nuclear bomb!?]
[The Most Handsome Boundary Youkai: She can't tank it directly, but she can solve the problem. Worst case, she'll just open a Gap and send the nuke into it. The Gap itself can't be destroyed, after all.]
[Lin Xuelao: 6.]
Miko and Lin Xuelao could only describe the situation as utterly absurd. They knew Haruto's sister was powerful, but they never imagined she was this powerful. Their understanding of the world was being rewritten with every new revelation. To be able to neutralize a nuclear weapon—didn't that make her effectively invincible in the modern world?
[Her Highness the Princess of Eientei: Don't worry yourselves. She has a few nuclear bombs collected in her Gap already. If they weren't so large, and if Haruto's Gap ability wasn't so pitifully weak, this concubine would have him pull one out and set it off just for fun.]
Yotsuya Miko and Lin Xuelao silently typed another "6." The image of Yukari in their minds grew to even more legendary proportions. Of course, Haruto and Kaguya were just as absurd, talking about taking out a nuke just to "hear the sound" as if they were setting off a firecracker.
Realizing the conversation was spiraling wildly off-topic, Miko quickly tried to steer it back.
[Yotsuya Miko: What about those things above our heads? Since they're not moving, why don't we just ignore them and sneak away?]
[The Most Handsome Boundary Youkai: Not sure, but they look dead. Let's not worry about them for now. We'll check the nearby City Hall, Tourist Center, or a bookstore—one of them has to have a map.]
With Haruto's order, the plan was set.
The group got ready to move. Kaguya carefully raised the rolling metal door again, taking care not to make too much noise and re-aggravate the insect swarm outside.
However, plans rarely survive contact with reality, and no amount of caution can prevent every accident.
The moment they stepped out of the garage, the long-awaited sunlight warming their skin, they saw him.
Not far away, a figure was limping toward them. Judging by his clothes, he was one of the other players.
Not good.
Haruto's senses screamed. According to every classic horror plotline, this was the exact moment they would encounter a doomed side character whose actions would bring disaster down upon the protagonists and advance the plot.
Worse, most people had been focused solely on escaping the initial chaos. The fake faces on the beetles' backs were highly deceptive; it was unlikely many had realized that the creatures actually tracked their prey by sound.
"Help... help me..."
Sure enough, the moment the player spotted Haruto and the others, his face lit up with ecstatic relief. He shouted as he picked up his pace, stumbling and limping toward them.
Rustle... rustle...
The tell-tale sound of thousands of tiny legs skittering across pavement began to swell.
The distance was too great. Without a clear marker, Haruto couldn't open a Gap directly to the man. He could only gesture vigorously, trying to signal for him to be quiet. The others quickly followed suit, making frantic hushing motions.
But the player either didn't see them or completely misunderstood. Thinking they were waving him over, his shouts grew even louder and more desperate.
Rustle, rustle, RUSTLE...
This time, the sound was deafening. Beetles poured from the doorways and shattered windows of the buildings on both sides of the street, a tide of chitin and legs surging toward the shouting player.
Seeing the swarm converge on his position, the man's face went deathly pale. Ignoring the searing pain in his foot, he broke into a desperate, clumsy sprint toward Haruto's group.
"Save me! Save me! Please, just help me hold them off for a second!"
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