"I've finally found you!" Nails kept stabbing into Chen Ge's body. The pain that it brought was not that serious; what he hated was the feeling that his life was slowly fading. The shadow made the first move, but Chen Ge was closer to the door, and thus, he reached it faster than the shadow.
Chen Ge knew that the enemy was not in its corporeal form, so he might be able to stop it. Therefore, he decided to close the door that had started to bleed. The change continued in the art room. Just as everything was about to get swallowed up by blood, Chen Ge chose a method that was no different from suicide.
"You wish to make me your scapegoat, so I'll pull you down into h.e.l.l with me. We'll hold hands as we head toward death. Maybe we'll end up as good friends in our next life." Chen Ge's maddened solution indeed gave the shadow a shock. The shadow paused where he was for a moment before extending both hands to grab the doork.n.o.b.
"Want to run?" Chen Ge blocked at the door. The nails that were hidden in his palm pierced toward the shadow. He used his fingers to s.h.i.+eld the nails from view. He only allowed the pointy end of the nails to poke through the gap between his fingers when he was about to make contact with the shadow.
The shadow initially thought that Chen Ge would not be able to harm him, so he did not put up any guard. That was until he was pierced by the nails at his neck. Chen Ge's heart was hardened after going through so many Trial Missions. Rationality and madness should be two opposite qualities, but they melted together perfectly in this man. Chen Ge knew that he likely only had one chance to strike, so he chose the most fatal spot to attack.
The nails pierced into the shadow's throat, knocking his head to the side. If he was still alive, this blow would have taken his life. "I was acting out of kindness when I helped you, but you want to make me your scapegoat. We certainly have some scores to settle."
The pain and curse that he was experiencing was thanks to the human shadows inside Room 413. Therefore, Chen Ge did not hold back at all. Seeing that the nails could damage the shadow, Chen Ge did not give the shadow any chance to retaliate. He pulled out another sharp nail from his pocket and aimed it at the shadow's eye.
The shadow's head was t.i.tled on his shoulder. After being ambushed once, he no longer dared underestimate Chen Ge. He retreated several steps to maintain a steady distance between them. More blood leaked out from the corners of the room. This art room was slowly changing, like the blood world was overlapping with the real world, and the former was leaking into the latter. It would be very dangerous to stay inside the room, but Chen Ge blocked the exit and refused to budge. "Since you want me dead, I'm not going to let you leave."
Chen Ge said that with a smile on his face. He knew the shadow now had the urge to strangle him. However, there was a process to finding a scapegoat. In other words, if the shadow wanted Chen Ge to be his scapegoat, he had to make sure that Chen Ge died the same way as he did. This was similar to why those who drowned wanted to pull their victims into the depths and why those who died from hanging would influence others to do the same.
Of course, this was merely Chen Ge's own opinion. If the understanding of scapegoats inside the door and outside the door was different, there was nothing he could do. After all, he was already in this state, there was no turning back, he could only press forward. The art room was slowly swallowed up by blood. Chen Ge and the shadow froze, at an impa.s.se, before the door; no one was able to move.
This situation was very rare. Normally speaking, after the ghost found a scapegoat, they would hurry to reincarnate or possess the victim's body. Specters that were below Red Specters could not leave their item of possession for long. The scapegoat would be trapped around the place of death for a long time and could not go after the ghost that had harmed him in the first place. Therefore, this kind of situation where the scapegoat found the original ghost and the original ghost was halted by the 'scapegoat' was very rare.
"Don't you plan to say something for yourself?" When he saw the human shadow, Chen Ge's heart dropped back to his stomach. The curse on him could claim his life at any moment. He had to undo the curse, but he could not confirm where the shadow was. Going to the art room had merely been a guess, but who could have known that the shadow was really hiding there?
The shadow didn't seem to possess the ability to speak. He kept waving his arms, gesturing something. Chen Ge could see the shadow's agitation. In fact, he could sense a trace of fear from the shadow. If they stayed inside the art room any longer, something incredibly bad was about to happen.
Chen Ge did not wish to die. He had done all that just to convey his att.i.tude. Now that the shadow was scared into submission, Chen Ge's tone softened. "Remove the curse from me, and we won't owe each other anything. In fact, I might be able to help you find your next scapegoat. Live together or die together—the choice is yours."
He believed the shadow would not reject him. After all, this was non beneficial to either of them, but several seconds later, the shadow's reaction caused Chen Ge to frown. The shadow shook his head, waved his hands, and then used his finger to write out several words in the air. Chen Ge finally understood what he was trying to say.
Chen Ge had no idea whether the shadow was lying to him or not. In any case, before he achieved his goal, he was going to move away from the door. "Can't be removed? Then can you delay the time of death, like give me a few more weeks or a few more months?"
After Chen Ge said that, the shadow thought about it before shaking his head.
"This cannot, that cannot! Do you think I am easily bullied, or do you think I'm not willing to die together with you? I advise you to think about this clearly. This school is so big. After you tricked me in Room 413, you didn't leave immediately. This means that you do not know how to leave this place either. Even if I really become your scapegoat, in the future, I will figure out a way to find you and how these nails pin onto my body. I will slowly pin them back onto you."
After a pause, Chen Ge added, "I am not threatening you—I'm just telling you the truth. Now only by working together will we be able to achieve a win-win solution."
Perhaps Chen Ge's words convince the shadow, or maybe the art room being swallowed by blood was getting too dangerous, but the shadow finally changed its mind. He signaled for Chen Ge to show him his hand.
"I'm warning you, do not play any tricks. Even if I die, I will not let you go," Chen Ge said coldly.
The shadow's head was t.i.tled on his shoulder, and a nail poked through his neck. He looked worse for wear. He had no idea whether he had found a scapegoat or some kind of demon that he could not shake loose.
Helpless, the shadow grabbed Chen Ge's hand. His finger touched Chen Ge's palm lightly, and the lines that were darkening stopped increasing in color as if they felt some kind of influence.
