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nTranslator: Yuzu

nA heavy rain fell without warning.

nThe intensity of the rain was great, and the strength of the wind was even more astonishing.

nWhen the wind blew, the windows and doors rattled. Even tree branches the size of a man’s arm swayed from side to side like flowers and plants being ravaged, while the thinner ones directly snapped into two parts under the double blow of the wind and rain.

nWhat was even stranger was that, even though it was summer, it was extremely cold.

nZhou Ming was lying on his bed, facing the window of the room.

nThere was no change in his expression. He was even a little numb; his eyes were dull.

nThe sound of the wind outside was very loud, so loud that it was hard to ignore, especially the sound of the doors and windows being rattled over and over again, which sounded annoying.

nIt was the second day since the school had suspended classes, and students were ordered to stay in their dormitories.

nZhou Ming was staring out the window. The fingers of his right hand kept rubbing his left thumb, looking a bit grave.

nIt was not clear whether he was staring out of the window at a flower or not. He withdrew his gaze, and his eyes fell on Xiao Chen, who was beside him.

nXiao Chen sat on the chair distracted, like a puppet with a broken string, a fragile piece of art, giving people an indescribable feeling.

nThe corner of Zhou Ming’s mouth slightly turned upward, and he crossed his arms and clasped them in front of his chest. Before Zhou Ming opened his mouth, Xiao Chen turned around unexpectedly and met Zhou Ming’s eyes with a heavy expression.

nThe air seemed to freeze, and the two of them looked at each other for three whole seconds.

nAt last, Xiao Chen broke the silence.

nHe withdrew his gaze, and his bangs half covered his eyes. It was rare that he didn’t wear glasses today. Xiao Chen paused and said, “Do you know the answer to the question you asked me last time?”

n—— “Do you know what the nature of the world is?”

n—— “I don’t know.”

n—— “I also don’t know.”

nZhou Ming’s expression faltered, and his lips moved. He supported his temples with his hands, and the veins on his neck popped up as if he had grasped a thread and it had suddenly snapped.

nHad he forgotten something?

n“I don’t remember ever asking you a question!” Zhou Ming paused and answered truthfully.

nXiao Chen frowned and seemed like he wanted to say something.

n“Shh, don’t speak.” A man’s voice appeared directly in his head.

nXiao Chen was shocked, and his body stirred.

nThis voice……

nHe couldn’t have heard it wrong.

nIt was Su Yan.

nBecause of this sentence, Xiao Chen managed to stop all his actions.

nThe man’s voice didn’t just disappear like what Xiao Chen thought. It was like an illusion.

n“Don’t be afraid, wait a little longer, and I’ll come to you!” The man’s voice was inexpressibly compelling. A few words calmed Xiao Chen’s heart, which was full of doubts. Even the anxiety that had been floating in his heart disappeared without a trace.

nThe man laughed softly, with unspoken affection, “Wait for me.”

nMmm, I’ll wait for you.

n–

n“He’s dead.” A gust of wind blew and tossed the treetops, and the hollow voice reached the ears of the boy wearing a hospital gown.

nThe boy sat dumbly in his chair. His eyes were dull as if he had no interest in anything, and his whole body felt somewhat numb.

nHis eye sockets were sunken inward and had dark bruises under his glasses as if he hadn’t closed his eyes for several nights.

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n“He’s dead.”

nThe boy’s ears moved slightly at the words. His teeth clenched, his face looked ashen, and his entire mental state was very gloomy.

n“He’s dead!” The voice repeated.

nThe boy looked horrible. He finally lifted his head; his face was pale, and his features were twisted together. He looked around and roared out, “Shut up!”

nThe voice obviously didn’t stop because of his words, but instead, as if it had discovered a new world, it continued to make an unpleasant laughing sound, which was horrible, a bit like a baby’s cry.

n“He’s dead!!!” Hehe.

n“He’s dead!!!” Aren’t you happy?

n“Kekekekeke.” Are you about to fall apart?

nHis gray eyes were bloodshot. He suddenly stood up, grabbed the chair he had just been sitting on, and smashed it against the window. Like a deranged patient, he took two steps to rush to the window and hit his fists against the glass, ignoring his injuries.

nBoth of his fists were still bandaged, and as soon as he smashed them, the red color seeped out, and the blood began to pour again.

n“He had a fifty percent chance of being cured, you know?” The voice had enough laughing and continued.

nThe boy’s frantic movements stopped at this sentence. He swallowed and moved his Adam’s apple with a dull expression as if he was deceiving himself.

n——What is your wish?

n——I, I hope he gets better! And never be locked up in that little room again.

n——Well, what would you trade for it?

n——I… I don’t know what I could trade.

n——Your life!

nThere was an image inserted into his mind without warning.

nThe boy’s already skinny back bent down without warning. His legs also bent slowly, and he directly fell to his knees on the floor, making a ‘duang‘ sound. His body also began to curl up into a ball, and his fingernails dug hard into the floor as if he had been greatly stimulated.

n“Why are you pretending that you’re not healed already? Why do you deceive yourself?” The voice was still sarcastic.

nThe boy’s gray eyes slowly changed from self-loathing to becoming increasingly dark. He stared at the tree outside the window, and his eyes reflected the shadow of the tree’s body.

n“Kekekeke.” That voice was still making an inaudible harsh laugh.

nThe boy’s expression changed slightly.

nGo to hell! Go to hell! All of you die!

nNone of you will live!

nAnother gust of wind was blowing.

nA spark came out of nowhere and was blown by the breeze and landed on the green tree outside the window.

nFirst, it hit a leaf, and the sparks slowly ignited and spread, wrapping the whole tree in a raging fire.

nThe original sound of laughter in the room began to change its tune, turning into ear-piercing screams…the sound was loud and even more miserable.

n“Aaaaahhhhh!!!”

n“What have you done?!!!”

nThe man’s voice was frantic like someone dying a gruesome death, his screams tragic and horrifying.

nThe boy’s gray eyes became dark, like a whirlpool that could devour the soul.

n—— It’s okay. You exchanged your soul with the Devil for me, so it is up to me to be the new Devil.

n–

nLuo Xiaoxiao looked to the left and right twice; her movements were a bit restrained. Her two hands gripped the corner of the wall and poked half her head out.

nThe rain was still falling like crazy, and drops of rain continued to hit the ground.

nWhen the wind blew, it casually blew her hair, which was casually braided.

nShe took her cell phone out of her pocket and then clicked on something. She pressed the phone screen a few times as if she was sending a message.

nLuo Xiaoxiao: I’m here. When are you coming over?

nLuo Xiaoxiao’s cheeks flushed a little.

nHer eyes looked around and back to the phone screen.

nRecipient: Zhou Ming.

nIt was like a girl in a lady’s chamber waiting for the arrival of her beloved, filled with endless anticipation of what would happen when she met him.

n–

nAfter an unknown time, Xiao Chen almost forgot to breathe.

nThe whistling wind outside the window was still blowing wildly, making loud noises.

nIn such a noisy environment, Xiao Chen could still clearly hear his heart pounding and a strange sound……coming from somewhere.

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nThe sound of breathing.

nThe sound of a male breathing.

nBut Xiao Chen’s heart was still at ease.

nAlthough he was suspicious, he still didn’t ask the reason. He trusted Su Yan 100%.

nHowever, the other party laughed lightly, not letting these questions haunt Xiao Chen’s mind for too long, and said, “Shh, don’t be afraid, the people above are patrolling here now.”

nXiao Chen’s expression stiffened.

nAbove?

nSu Yan seemed to see through the question in his heart and replied directly, “This is the mystery of this world.”

nHe paused and said, “The world is like a clock set to time, with a set trajectory. No matter how the hour, minute, or second hand turns, it just goes round and round in a circle.”

n“The fate of a clock is nothing more than to be sent to be repaired when it is out of balance, to set right what is wrong and bring it back to normal. When it cannot be restored and becomes a broken clock, it will be abandoned or even dismantled.”

nXiao Chen’s expression was somewhat dumbfounded. He seemed to understand, but at the same time, he did not understand.

nSu Yan smiled, and with a change of words, he suddenly asked, “Do you know why Wang Jingyi died?”

nXiao Chen shook his head truthfully.

nBut he would not forget the series of strange actions that Wang Jingyi did before her death.

nThinking of this, Xiao Chen subconsciously covered his lips with his hand.

nAll of Wang Jingyi’s abnormal actions were done near the Wishing Tree, and even the place of her death was very close to the tree.

nXiao Chen raised his eyes, and a light flashed in his eyes.

nAnd he knew that the tree was related to Su Yan.

n“Have you heard the story of the Wishing Tree?” Su Yan’s voice was filled with unconcealed affection.

nXiao Chen had some concerns and could only nod his head slightly.

nSu Yan’s voice was uneventful, as if he was stating a fact without emotion, “Wang Jingyi was unwilling to be abandoned by Li Da and chose to use her youth to exchange for Li Da’s death. After his death, she became old overnight, so she foolishly used her knowledge to exchange for her beautiful face.”

nXiao Chen’s expression moved slightly, somewhat complicated.

nSu Yan chuckled again, “But, exchanging with the Devil has a price. Anyone who chooses to exchange with the Devil will be targeted by those above and will die.”

nXiao Chen’s eyebrows furrowed together.

nWhat exactly was up there?

nSu Yan paused as if thinking about something, “Up there is a world that we can’t touch, and our experiences are just the talk of those people up there.”

nSu Yan sneered, “Zhou Ming also exchanged with the Devil, did you know?”

nXiao Chen was horrified, and his eyes immediately went to Zhou Ming.

nThe latter was lying on the bed staring at the ceiling in a somewhat stunned state that was very different from his usual appearance.

n“So, he’ll be the next one to die.”

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