Chapter 50: Who Am I

“Cough—”

Ji Linmo narrowed his eyes. The strength of the young man pinning him was absurd, impossible to break free from.

Yet Ji Linmo hesitated not for a second. He swiftly raised two fingers and, with brutal force, jabbed at the youth’s eyes.

“Ugh...”

Qin Feng was caught completely off guard. Ji Linmo’s fingers struck true, forcing him to release his grip and clutch his eye in pain.

“Qin Feng, has your brain gone haywire?”

Ji Linmo’s combat experience was formidable. He seized the youth’s arm, and with practiced ease, twisted around to wrench Qin Feng’s arm behind his back, subduing him on the bed.

“Speak.”

Ji Linmo abruptly kicked at the back of Qin Feng’s knee, pressing him down with his own knee and forcing him to kneel, his torso sprawled obediently across the mattress.

In a matter of seconds, the situation was reversed, their positions completely switched.

“Haha, Mr. Ji, if I say now that I was only joking just now, does it still count?”

Qin Feng twisted his face around, not a hint of fear on his features, his roguish smile still playing at his lips.

“Too late.”

Ji Linmo’s reply was concise, his grip on Qin Feng’s arm tightening, making his stance perfectly clear.

“Ah, don’t be like that—” Qin Feng squinted, his beautiful eyes curving into crescent moons. “Then I’ll just have to send your photo out.”

“To the player channel.”

Ji Linmo’s dark gaze contracted sharply; his expression turned wholly frigid.

“How do you know about the player channel?”

In the world of terror, the player channel was a secret known only to a select few. One could only unlock it after completing a certain number of game instances and becoming an advanced player.

—By sacrificing one’s lifespan, soul, or an organ, a player could send a message that would appear in every surviving player’s notification bar at that moment.

“Mr. Ji, aren’t you curious? How will those who know your reputation as the ‘Miraclemaker’ react when they discover your secret?”

“You wouldn’t dare!” Ji Linmo’s roar was sudden and desperate, as if a snake had been seized by its vital spot.

Seeing such a rare display of agitation on the man’s usually unflappable face, Qin Feng couldn’t suppress a laugh.

“Mr. Ji, I’m sorry, but I’ve already sent it.”

[Ding!]

[Player Qin Feng has sent a message in the player channel. Please check your notifications.]

[Player Qin Feng: Everyone, ‘Miraclemaker’ Ji Linmo is in this world too. Did you know he... Click to see more.]

Staring at the message that popped up before him, Ji Linmo felt a wave of helplessness, darkness creeping into the edges of his vision.

“Mr. Ji, I bet a lot of people are wondering now—how did you become a wraith?”

“Tell us, Mr. Ji, how did you do it?”

Sensing Ji Linmo’s grip slacken, Qin Feng twisted his body, seized the man’s throat with both hands, and threw him back onto the bed.

Ji Linmo snapped back to his senses, but just as he was about to resist, Qin Feng pressed him down, leaning in close to whisper in an unsettling tone.

“Mr. Ji, can you even call yourself human anymore?”

“If you’re no longer human, why struggle to wear a human mask?”

Shut up...

Ji Linmo pressed his lips together, the corners pale, eyes wide with shock.

In his mind, fragmented images flickered.

—A red wooden door, blood, corpses.

“Mr. Ji, isn’t it exhausting to pretend to be human?”

Qin Feng’s grip tightened, vivid red marks blooming on Ji Linmo’s neck.

“Or is it that this isn’t what you wanted? Are you desperately trying to escape something?”

Mouth gaping, Ji Linmo’s pupils dilated as he gasped for air, his chest heaving violently.

Buzzing—

The shrill ring of hypoxia pounded in his ears.

Looking at the youth above him, Ji Linmo suddenly felt something slick and damp beneath his hands.

What?

He turned his head—he was surrounded by a sea of blood.

Amidst this endless crimson, a red wooden door stood alone.

“Ji Linmo!”

He opened the door, and a torrent of blood gushed forth.

—A girl in a white dress, her bare feet pale as jade, stood in the blood, waving to him from behind the door.

“Come on! I’ve found something delicious!”

Ji Linmo rose and stepped into the doorway, slowly approaching the girl.

“Ji Linmo...”

Beneath the blood-red sky, the girl smiled at him, her beautiful eyes curving into new moons.

She stretched out a slender, pearly hand, placed it in his, and guided it to her own neck.

“Eat...”

Eat what?

Ji Linmo stared at her in confusion as she pressed his hand to her throat.

“Eat... eat me, Ji Linmo!”

“Ahhh!”

Ji Linmo’s bloodshot eyes widened as he screamed, the girl’s face merging with the youth astride him.

A wild strength surged through him, and like a wolf gone berserk, he hurled Qin Feng aside.

“Mr. Ji?”

Qin Feng walked closer.

Ji Linmo, just having landed, caught sight of him and his face darkened at once. He leaned against the wall, clutching his stomach.

“Ugh...”

He retched in pain, the red marks on his neck barely visible above his coat collar.

“Mr. Ji, what’s wrong?”

“Shut up! Shut up, I said shut up!”

Ji Linmo half-knelt on the ground, brows furrowed in agony.

Yet his empty stomach yielded nothing, only dry heaves wracking his frame.

Noticing his phone had fallen to the floor during the struggle, Ji Linmo picked it up.

The screen was still frozen on his own photograph.

[Ji Linmo’s Secret]

[Quality: Inferior]

[Item Description: A photo taken by player Qin Feng. The creature in the image is devouring a human player. It appears no different from other monsters, except... this one seems strange. Does it know it’s a monster?]

Breathing heavily, Ji Linmo stared at the notification, chest rising and falling violently.

But the prompt appeared again, even setting off digital fireworks in the blank space.

[Congratulations, player! You’ve discovered an important clue: ‘Ji Linmo’s Secret.’ Hidden side quest unlocked. Instance progress +10%.]

[Hidden Side Quest: Who Am I?]

[Quest Description: It seems that there are secrets hidden in this apartment complex. Who is concealing their true identity? Can you uncover the truth?]

[Current Instance Progress: 100/100%]

[Clues: 4/4]

[Congratulations, player Ji Linmo, you have completed the side quest ‘Who Am I?’ Rewards will be distributed after the instance ends!]

Staring at the notifications before him, Ji Linmo covered his face and let out a low, bitter laugh.

So it was him—he was the one hiding his true self all along.