Chapter Fifty-Six: Finally Escaped

In the moments that followed, those shameless bastards unleashed a torrent of blows upon me. None were fatal, but the pain from the knife wound in my leg was the worst. I tried struggling several times, but the rope was truly well-made—no matter how I squirmed, it didn’t loosen in the slightest.

At last, I simply closed my eyes and endured the barrage of fists striking my face. Though I was beaten nearly senseless, I held on, refusing to lose consciousness. I knew that if I blacked out, I would have no chance of leaving this place alive. Biting my tongue, I forced myself to stay awake.

Finally, after a round of kicks and punches, the group murmured amongst themselves and left. I took a deep breath; my body felt battered and broken, my eyes shrouded in blood, barely able to make out shapes. I shook my head vigorously to clear my vision, only managing to see a little.

It seemed to be afternoon now, though I had no idea how the game on the other side was progressing. With the two strongest students joining forces, the remaining teams were little more than lambs to the slaughter.

I scanned the room for tools to help me escape, but found nothing sharp. Just as despair began to set in, I caught sight of the radiator behind me—made of iron. Not exactly sharp, but it could still cut through the ropes.

Summoning every ounce of strength, I leaned back toward it. Each movement sent waves of agony through my body, as if I were being torn apart. But I refused to die here; too many people were counting on me.

After about ten minutes, I finally managed to scoot over to the radiator, drenched in sweat. Catching my breath, I began rubbing the ropes against the iron. Bound as I was, I could barely muster any force, so progress was slow. I had to rest between attempts, my stamina draining away.

Heaven rewards perseverance. After an hour, I finally wore through the ropes around my hands. I couldn’t help but laugh, then hurriedly untied my legs.

Standing up weakly, I glanced at the dagger lodged in my leg—my only weapon now. Gritting my teeth against the pain, I yanked it out.

A muffled groan escaped me, and I collapsed back to the floor. After a few minutes’ rest, I found a strip of cloth and tied it around my leg.

Looking at the blood-soaked dagger in my hand, my gaze hardened from helplessness to ferocity. If they had no mercy, I would show none either.

I limped toward the door, but suddenly heard footsteps and voices.

“The boss still thinks that kid could escape. He’s nearly dead—such a waste.”

“Can’t be too careful, though.”

Judging by the voices, there were two of them. By now, I’d regained a bit of energy and quietly hid by the door.

As they pushed it open, I sprang out like a leopard, aiming straight for one man’s throat. He had no time to react; my dagger pierced his neck.

The other was quick-witted. Seeing me escape, he backed away and shouted, “Help, Lin Yao’s—”

I wasn’t foolish enough to let him finish. In two swift steps, I closed the distance and slashed his wrist as he tried to draw a weapon, then clamped a hand over his mouth.

“I ask, you answer. Say one word too many and you die.”

I shoved him against the wall, glaring fiercely.

Faced with mortal danger, most people submit—he was no exception, nodding frantically.

“Has anyone killed our group yet?” I pressed the blade to his chest, my voice cold.

“No… but the boss said… soon…”

“Where’s my ring?”

“The boss… has it…”

I nodded slightly, then plunged the blade into his chest without hesitation. This was what the Ghost King had taught me: if I didn’t kill him, he’d kill me at the first opportunity.

I searched their bodies for a long time but found nothing beyond two ordinary machetes. I strapped them to my waist and carefully made my way to the playground.

My top priority was retrieving my ring, but in my current state, I couldn’t win a fight against anyone. I couldn’t return to my dorm either, lest I endanger Chen Chen and the others.

Avoiding crowds as much as possible, I found a hidden spot—the old school latrine, beside the garbage dump. The environment was dreadful, but it was the most concealed place I knew.

I picked a patch of ground, sat cross-legged, and began to circulate the Tanzi Record.

After a few painful cycles, I finally entered the proper state. This time, I noticed I could freely examine my own internal condition—even the white orb still smoldering inside.

Gradually, I felt my wounds begin to heal; even my broken bones started to knit rapidly. Overjoyed, I accelerated the circulation of Tanzi Record.

Soon, the scars on my body had all vanished, though my fractured bones still ached faintly—small problems by now.

Touching the machetes at my waist, I prepared to go find Jiang Yuan myself.

I moved swiftly across the playground, scanning for Jiang Yuan’s whereabouts. At last, I spotted him near the school warehouse. They seemed to be blocking a group of people, with Jiang Yuan laughing loudly—disgusting to behold.

Apart from Jiang Yuan, I didn’t see Hua Ling, so I decided to wait a bit longer, hoping to catch them all at once. But as the confrontation escalated, Hua Ling still hadn’t appeared.

No matter—I’d deal with Jiang Yuan first!

Crouching low, I crept forward quickly; none of them noticed me. As I neared, I used the gym equipment beside me to leap two or three meters high.

Ignoring the others, I drew both machetes and slashed at Jiang Yuan.

He was truly formidable—he noticed me when I was still a meter away, retreating in haste and shoving one of his henchmen forward as a shield.

Unwilling to kill innocent bystanders, I diverted my strike, smashing it into the floor instead, and slipped into the building.

Looking inside, I nearly cried.

The ones trapped were Chen Chen, Li Zijian, and Chu Yao.

They stared at me in shock, Chen Chen’s body marked with numerous gruesome wounds.

I said nothing, eyes brimming with tears, as I readied myself to confront Jiang Yuan.

He stepped out of the crowd and addressed me.

“So the traitors let you go. Perfect—now I’ll kill all of you together.”

A chill ran through me. Was the Ghost King’s warning about wiping out our team? No matter—it made little difference now.

“Rest up—leave the rest to me!”

“Well, well, a hero rescuing the damsel in distress? That knife of yours is pretty handy, isn’t it?”

As he spoke, Jiang Yuan pulled out my Snowblade from my ring, summoning it forth.

Yet the Snowblade let out a reluctant roar, as if pleading, “Let me go back…”