Relying on Beauty to Commit Crimes in the Escape Game

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If you ignore the foul smell of dark magic, the air in the back mountains was relatively fresh, especially the scent emanating from Duan Zhen’s body, which was incredibly pleasant.

 

Li Xi sniffed around him like a puppy, thinking he was being discreet, but in reality, he had been noticed long ago.

 

“Do I have any scent on me?” Duan Zhen asked in confusion.

 

He lifted his sleeve and smelled it, finding no unusual odor.

 

“No, no, it’s very fragrant…” Li Xi almost bit his own tongue, nervously trying to cover up: “I mean, the scent around here is very natural, like real plants and trees, even though everything should have withered by now.”

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Feeling guilty, he added, “And, I think I can sense a faint unpleasant odor.”

 

“Really?” Xia Qirong sniffed around: “I can only smell the scent of plants.”

 

Duan Zhen frowned, valuing Li Xi’s opinion greatly, and began to carefully examine their surroundings.

 

The path on the back mountain was lined with many trees, shrubs, and flower beds. At first glance, there didn’t seem to be anything amiss.

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“Maybe I smelled it wrong, I think this hospital just smells bad.” Li Xi hastily added.

 

He knew there was something wrong with this back hill, but he wasn’t sure if it would be so easily discovered. What if Duan Zhen didn’t notice, and his psychic ability was questioned?

 

Duan Zhen reached out and patted his head, about to say something, when his gaze suddenly sharpened.

 

He held Li Xi’s hand and walked briskly in a certain direction, stopping in front of a bush.

 

“What’s the problem here…” Li Xi hurriedly caught up with his pace, intending to finish his sentence, but the words got stuck in his throat.

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Half of a finger bone protruded from the bush, bone-white.

 

Although he knew that Clemens enjoyed killing and was rather perfunctory about other things, wasn’t this a bit too careless? At least in his previous world had been somewhat serious about deciphering… It was just a bit boring.

 

Duan Zhen positioned himself in front of Li Xi, blocking him from view, and extended his hand through the bush.

 

Behind it was a field of roses, sparsely distributed, but each rose was red as if dripping blood. They bloomed brilliantly under the sunlight, exuding a chilling beauty.

 

Li Xi frowned in discomfort.

 

Clemens and his twisted tastes again… He sure hoped that the roses he tried to give him in the past weren’t planted like this, were they?

 

Thinking of this possibility, Li Xi felt uneasy and wished he could already go back and wash himself a few times over.

 

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He took a step forward, bumping into Duan Zhen’s back. He immediately clung to him, his voice trembling slightly, “Brother Duan, that’s not all of it…”

 

Duan Zhen was examining the field of roses, and the soil in one area seemed newly overturned. Suddenly being hugged, his body stiffened for a moment before relaxing. He patted Li Xi’s hand on his waist, sensing the coldness of the youth’s hand and the slight tremor in his fingertips that were still trembling.

 

He was easily scared, far too easily.

 

He sighed, not sure how many times he had done so, unable to imagine what would happen if he left Li Xi alone to enter this instance.

 

“It’s okay,” he whispered, “If you’re scared, you can stay like this and not look.”

 

“Hmm.” Li Xi mumbled softly in agreement.

 

He began to inhale Duan Zhen’s scent quietly.

 

Duan Zhen’s scent was really pleasant, and he was the most radiant soul Li Xi had seen in recent years, shining like a diamond.

 

Perhaps it was “to love a house, one will love its crow1So it’s a an idiom that basically means that love for a person extends even to the crows on their roof, and so if you love someone, you’ll end up loving everything about them, even if it’s bad sometimes ,” Li Xi had always liked various gemstones. When he discovered Duan Zhen, he was captivated by the diamond-like brilliance of his soul, and that was how he gradually fell for him.

 

However, he was different from other Demon Kings. He didn’t want to treat Duan Zhen like a part of his collection. He felt he genuinely liked Duan Zhen. They could have a relationship just like what he had read in books.

 

Li Xi had never been in a romantic relationship. Since his family had been destroyed by those hypocritical royal families who found reasons to exterminate them, he had lost interest in everything. Joining the other devils to create a game was just a way to stave off his boredom.

 

And the game they painstakingly created was destroyed by the main system.

 

But it was through that that he discovered his new treasure.

 

Thinking of this, Li Xi couldn’t help but nuzzle against Duan Zhen’s back.

 

Duan Zhen was instructing Sun Le and Xia Qirong to turn the soil. They had only dug a shallow layer when they dug up a few skeletons. It was easy to imagine just how many resentful souls were buried here.

 

Assuming that Li Xi had been frightened by the sight of the soil being overturned, Duan Zhen gently patted Li Xi’s hand to comfort him, only to find that it was unnaturally cold. So, he decided to wrap his hand around it.

 

“It’ll be over soon,” he whispered, “If you’re scared, silently count to five hundred in your heart, and when you’re done, we’ll leave.”

 

Li Xi hadn’t realized he was being soothed like a child, and he was silly enough to be delighted by it.

 

Sun Le had been diligently turning the soil. Occasionally, he glanced over at Duan Zhen and noticed his expression. It was clear that Duan Zhen truly treated Li Xi like a child.

 

After all, there was an age gap of nearly eight years between them, and Duan Zhen had always been slow to understand… Speaking of which, he didn’t even know if Duan Zhen preferred men or women. If he liked women, it might be better to advise Li Xi to give up early.

 

Sun Le rarely thought about so many things. His mind was in disarray, and he didn’t care so much about the others’ affairs. While he was turning the soil, he suddenly felt that something wasn’t right. He lowered his head and met a pair of lifeless eyes.

 

The face was very familiar; he had seen him at the cafeteria in the morning. He was the second-ranked man in the Baihua team.

 

He remembered that he had reconnaissance abilities.

 

Sun Le reached out and felt for his carotid artery, confirming that there was no pulse. He then stood up and took a few steps back, lifting his hand to signal the others that he had made a discovery.

 

Xia Qirong was the first to approach. Seeing that face, he exclaimed, “Isn’t this Bai… Bai Ji?”

 

“Bai Er,” Sun Le corrected.

 

Duan Zhen wanted Li Xi to wait on the side, but naturally, Li Xi disagreed. He grabbed the hem of Duan Zhen’s clothes and insisted on going in together.

 

“Looks like he died not too long ago,” Sun Le said, “His body is still warm. The cause of death is unclear. There are no visible external injuries or signs of poisoning on the body.”

 

Peeking from behind Duan Zhen, Li Xi caught a glimpse.

 

There was a strong aura of dark magic on Bai Er’s body. It seemed he had been taken down directly by that necromancer. Perhaps his guess was wrong; the necromancer wasn’t a behind-the-scenes staff member. Instead, he was a boss within this instance.

 

Probably the main boss.

 

This world was quite the hodgepodge; even he knew that hospitals and necromancers clearly shouldn’t coexist. But Clemens probably didn’t care about these details.

 

He needed to find an opportunity to give Duan Zhen some hints.

 

“The other bodies here are all skeletons. Judging by the degree of decay on their clothes, they’ve been dead for at least five years. They’re likely remnants from the hospital back then,” Sun Le continued.

 

“Let’s see if there are any other bodies,” Duan Zhen said.

 

He actually wanted to look by himself, but Li Xi was tugging at his clothes, and he was worried that if he brought him along, Li Xi might accidentally step on a bone and get scared to the point of tears.

 

He carefully examined Bai Er’s body, then gently closed the lifeless eyes with his hand.

 

Li Xi stood at the side, watching him. He felt that the compassion Duan Zhen was showing was particularly attractive.

 

Perhaps that was what they meant with “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” Li Xi thought. Looking at Duan Zhen now, he really couldn’t find any faults. Of course, Duan Zhen had never had any faults to begin with.

 

If it weren’t for fear of scaring him, he would have wanted to plant a light kiss on Duan Zhen.

 

Li Xi pursed his lips and popped a piece of candy into his mouth, barely restraining his impulses.

 

They dug through the soil again but didn’t find any new bodies. They were about to move to another location when the sound of a bell came from the direction of the hospital.

 

“It’s lunchtime,” Li Xi said, “The nurses might come looking for us.”

 

His implication was clear. Duan Zhen led them out.

 

After washing their hands, a nurse came over, instructing them to gather in the cafeteria.

 

In the cafeteria, they saw Bai Hua and his team. Bai Hua’s expression wasn’t great, but the others remained as deadpan as ever.

 

Bai Hua held Bai Si in his arms, his hand wrapped around her waist, keeping her close.

 

Bai Si obediently laid against him, her face devoid of any expression.

 

However, when he noticed Li Xi’s group arriving, he let go of Bai Si and stood up to greet them.

 

Li Xi ignored him and hid behind Duan Zhen.

 

“Did Brother Duan find any clues?” Bai Hua’s expression briefly turned sour, but quickly returned to a smile. He took the initiative to say, “We found the basement, but the iron door is locked. We can’t get in.”

 

Duan Zhen stood before him, looking down from a higher vantage point. “Is the door locked, or is there something guarding it, preventing you from entering?”

 

Bai Hua’s expression shifted: “Brother Duan, what do you mean?”

 

“What about Bai Er?” Duan Zhen inquired.

 

Bai Hua pursed his lips and didn’t respond.

 

“It seems you have no sincerity about this cooperation,” Duan Zhen nodded and turned to leave. “Then there’s no need for this collaboration to continue.”

 

“Wait,” Bai Hua stepped forward, as if he had made up his mind. “Bai Er is dead.”

 

Having witnessed the number of those monsters last night, and now with one less member in the team, the probability of successfully passing this level was even lower. They needed stronger assistance to make it through.

 

He glanced at Duan Zhen, his eyes filled with a complex expression.

 

 

Things are starting to turn sour in the instance…. Well, it’ll only give Li Xi more reasons to cling to Duan Duan (¬‿¬ )

 

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1So it’s a an idiom that basically means that love for a person extends even to the crows on their roof, and so if you love someone, you’ll end up loving everything about them, even if it’s bad sometimes