Relying on Beauty to Commit Crimes in the Escape Game

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The door creaked loudly as it was pushed open, but there was no response from the students in the classroom. They seemed oblivious to everything, engrossed in their own activities.

 

Li Xi followed behind Duan Zhen and tugged at his sleeve when he noticed that Duan Zhen was about to approach the students directly: “Don’t take the notes directly from their hands.”

 

“I see.” Duan Zhen nodded.

 

Li Xi pretended to look at the trash bin, but he was in fact secretly keeping an eye on his actions from the corner of his eye.

 

Although there were more than 30 desks in the classroom, the floor was littered with bags and trash bags, making it difficult to find a place to step. However, despite his imposing stature, Duan Zhen moved deftly. He followed the note being passed among the students, memorizing its contents.

 

He pursed his lips, frowned, and his aura turned colder.

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Li Xi stole glances at him secretly and waited for him to be almost finished before casually taking the only crumpled note from the clean trash bin. He lowered his voice and said, “Class will be over soon.”

 

They walked out of the classroom together, and as soon as the door closed, a ringing sound filled the air. All the students froze in their movements, their heads twisting, making a creaking sound as they faced the window, their faces displaying creepy smiles.

 

Feeling the gaze of dozens of eyes on him, Li Xi quickly hid behind Duan Zhen, reaching out to grab his sleeve and subtly blocking Yao Jiu, who was also trying to get closer.

 

“Don’t look if you’re scared,” Duan Zhen gently pressed down on Li Xi’s hat brim and turned to Sun Le.

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Sun Le took a step forward and posted a few talismans on the door.

 

The ghosts closer to the door all retreated, but their eyes remained fixed on it.

 

“They can’t come out, right?” Yao Jiu asked shakily.

 

“Don’t worry, our talismans work perfectly fine in the intermediate level,” Xia Qirong waved his hand.

 

Duan Zhen suddenly raised his hand, motioning for everyone to be quiet.

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In the silence, they could hear the sharp sound of high heels on the stairs to the left.

 

The sound grew closer rapidly and became clearer in the blink of an eye.

 

“Let’s go upstairs,” Li Xi quickly suggested, “There’s a clue up there.”

 

Duan Zhen glanced at him hurriedly and waved his hand. “Go!”

 

They ran through the corridor and headed for the staircase on the right.

 

Li Xi glanced back when he had the chance and saw that the pursuer couldn’t even be considered a person. It was just a pair of red high heels, the thin and pointed heels tapping on the ground, producing a loud and urgent sound.

 

He subtly pursed his lips.

 

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Sun Le threw a talisman backward, and as soon as it hit the ground, it ignited. The high heels were forced to stop in front of the talisman, unable to move. They stomped the ground in a furious and shrill manner, appearing frustrated and powerless.

 

They continued up the stairs, and by the time they reached the fourth floor, the sound of the high heels had disappeared.

 

“We need to go to the fifth floor,” Li Xi said. He touched his ear, feeling somewhat relieved. Seeing everyone’s gaze on him, he added, “There’s a clue on the fifth floor, but there’s also danger.”

 

“Can you specifically sense the location of the clue?” Duan Zhen asked.

 

Li Xi was about to tell him, but suddenly realized it was wrong. He cautiously glanced at him and slowly said, “Of course not. My ability hasn’t developed to that extent.”

 

“Can a developed spiritual sense accurately sense it?” Duan Zhen raised an eyebrow.

 

“It’s not always the case. It also depends on the difficulty of the scenario,” Li Xi pondered for a moment. “I once met a very powerful spiritual sense user, and he told me about it. I’m not exactly sure how it works.”

 

As they were talking, Duan Zhen suddenly turned sideways and used his arm to block Li Xi against the wall.

 

Li Xi instinctively curled his hand around his arm, hugging it from bottom to top, and his ears turned slightly red.

 

A white figure flashed past in front of them, crashing into the wall at the corner. It made a grating sound— it was a pale skeleton!

 

The skeleton fell to the ground and didn’t immediately get up. After a brief pause, its head twisted towards them, its dark eye sockets fixating on them.

 

“Go upstairs,” Duan Zhen didn’t hesitate.

 

Li Xi was still holding his hand, running with his head down, hoping that no one would see his face turning red like a boiling kettle.

 

They ran several rounds, but the staircase seemed endless. Yao Jiu, who was following behind Li Xi, gradually grew more breathless, and his footsteps became heavier.

 

“It’s a ghost hitting the wall,” Duan Zhen said briefly, “Hold it back, I’ll take care of it.”

 

Sun Le and Xia Qirong stopped in their tracks, blocking the corridor in tandem. Duan Zhen’s footsteps didn’t stop, but his speed slowed down significantly. He let go of Li Xi’s hand and gently touched the surrounding walls.

 

Li Xi reluctantly let go, even giving Duan Zhen’s palm a subtle squeeze before releasing it. But Duan Zhen showed no reaction, his gaze focused on the grayish-white walls, making Li Xi wonder if his attractiveness had diminished.

 

But Duan Zhen’s unwavering focus was also quite appealing.

 

Li Xi crossed his hand behind his back and discreetly tightened his grip, remembering the feeling of their hands intertwining.

 

Duan Zhen’s palm was broad, powerful, with long fingers, and calloused fingertips and knuckles. When their hands met, Li Xi’s hand would completely be enveloped by his.

 

Among all these people, Duan Zhen only held Li Xi’s hand. Did that mean he had a good impression of him?

 

Li Xi’s thoughts wandered far away, contemplating how they would use magic to have two children together and what to name them in the future. Suddenly, a scream erupted beside him, followed by a strong force that pulled him down.

 

His psychic energy enveloped his body as he saw his lower body dangling in mid-air, while the upper half of his body remained suspended, facing the approaching white skeleton. He immediately understood what had happened.

 

His brain was still debating whether to demonstrate independence or to persist in playing the role of a delicate, vulnerable flower to be pursued when his falling body was suddenly embraced, and his forehead pressed against the other person’s chest.

 

The warmth seeped through the thin shirt, and his forehead could feel the firm muscles. Holding his breath, he could even hear the strong and steady heartbeat, thumping like a little hammer, as if it were pounding in his chest.

 

Li Xi was dumbfounded but didn’t forget to reach out and hug Duan Zhen’s waist, snuggling into his embrace.

 

Duan Zhen kicked the flying skeleton away and felt the person in his arms clinging onto him, his slender body trembling slightly, and his head nuzzling against his chest.

 

Thinking that Li Xi was scared, Duan Zhen hesitated for a moment before gently patting his back: “It’s alright now.”

 

Li Xi didn’t let go of him.

 

After living in this world for so long, how could he still be so timid? Duan Zhen felt helpless but couldn’t help but soften when he remembered the clear, trusting gaze of the young boy. So, he held him with one hand while raising his head to look at Yao Jiu.

 

As he raised his head, the softness in his eyes instantly turned into a cold mist.

 

Sun Le quickly dealt with the skeleton that had caused them to lose their footing, and he furrowed his brow slightly.

 

The corridor fell into an inexplicable silence, not even Xia Qirong, who was usually talkative, spoke up.

 

Yao Jiu snapped out of his shock and keenly sensed the unusual atmosphere. His fingers tightened on the handrail, recalling his actions just now. He quickly said, “I’m sorry. I got scared just now, and it was a reflex…”

 

He pursed his lips, his face turning pale. Even though it was Li Xi who had nearly been pulled down the stairs by him, he now appeared more like a victim.

 

“There will be no next time,” Duan Zhen said.

 

Having experienced nearly ten scenarios in this world, he had seen countless tricks. Yao Jiu’s intentions were clear to him. However, this was just a low-level scenario, and Yao Jiu was a newcomer to the game. Duan Zhen had no intention of interfering with his choices.

 

Yao Jiu thought he had passed the test and let out a sigh of relief. He had been keeping his head down, but now he couldn’t help but look up, his gaze falling on Li Xi, who was being protected in someone’s embrace. A hint of resentment flashed in his eyes.

 

Despite being strangers who had just met, Duan Zhen only protected Li Xi.

 

“You should apologize to Li Xi,” Duan Zhen suddenly said.

 

Yao Jiu’s body froze abruptly.

 

Li Xi finally recovered from Duan Zhen’s embrace and mustered the energy to play the role of a delicate flower. He spoke kindly and gently, “It’s okay, there’s no need for that. I think Yao Jiu didn’t mean any harm. After all, he’s a newcomer, and it’s normal to be scared in such a situation.”

 

“In my team, there’s no room for someone who puts their comrades in harm’s way,” Duan Zhen said coldly. “If he weren’t a newcomer, a mere apology wouldn’t be enough.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Yao Jiu suddenly said loudly, “I shouldn’t have reached out to grab you earlier and almost put you in danger.”

 

Li Xi wasn’t particularly interested in his apology, but for the sake of Duan Zhen’s face, he curved his lips and spoke softly, “I accept your apology. Just don’t do it again next time.”

 

With that, the incident was put behind them, and the group continued to move upward.

 

The skeleton that had been kicked away by Duan Zhen earlier crashed into the wall and lay shattered on the ground, seemingly losing its ability to move. Li Xi glanced at it before catching up to Duan Zhen’s pace, tugging at his sleeve.

 

Duan Zhen turned to look at him.

 

Li Xi’s face reddened, and with his other hand pressing down on his cap, he asked in a low voice, “Actually, couldn’t you have dealt with the skeleton and the high-heeled shoes directly? Why did you choose to avoid them?”

 

Before Duan Zhen could respond, Li Xi continued, “Is it because… we’re in the team?”

 

That’s why they were following the standard procedure of searching for clues in a low-level scenario, to prevent the newcomer from getting a false impression of the game’s difficulty and to guide them through the process of familiarizing themselves with the scenario.

 

…Speaking of which, Li Xi realized that Yao Jiu was the only newcomer here, so Duan Zhen’s actions were all for Yao Jiu’s sake. His lips immediately curved downward unhappily, and his fingers that were gripping Duan Zhen’s sleeve tightened slightly.

 

But the sour mood didn’t last long. Seeing Li Xi once again lowering his head, looking nervous and uneasy, Duan Zhen let out a gentle sigh and reached out to pat his head. “You’re right,”

 

Li Xi was taken aback, his hand subconsciously reaching up to touch his own head. His lips trembled slightly, and in the end, he couldn’t suppress it any longer. His lips curled up gently, and even his response of “Mmm” almost went awry.

 

A faint smile appeared on Duan Zhen’s face as well.

 

Xia Qirong followed behind them in silence. After watching this scene, he couldn’t help muttering to Sun Le, “Why do they seem off? When did Brother Duan become so gentle with others?”

 

Sun Le replied in a dull tone, “Li Xi is similar in age to the captain’s younger brother, and the captain has always been gentle with children. It’s just that most children are too afraid to get close to him.”

 

“You have a point,” Xia Qirong scratched his head.

 

Although he accepted this explanation, he couldn’t help but feel that there was something strange about Li Xi and Duan Zhen’s interaction. It was hard to put a finger on it.

 

 

 

 

Awww for someone who appears so cold, Duan Zhen sure is a caring person (≧◡≦)

 

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