"You probably know the rest. I ran desperately through the raging fire toward the edge of the warehouse, but in the end, I collapsed from exhaustion and passed out."
"When I woke up again, I was in the hospital, and my face had become this mess."
Gu Mian looked at the woman’s face.
From the half of her face that wasn’t burned, one could tell she was once a pretty girl. However, the other grotesque half was impossible to ignore.
"For a few days after waking up, I had constant nightmares, dreaming that Zhong Min was coming to take my life. My elder sister—my biological sister from my birth parents’ home—visited me a few times."
"My sister told me she had held me when I was born, but I couldn’t remember. She was very good to me. She noticed something was wrong with me and, without telling my parents, secretly went to the village to find a shamaness."
"When the shamaness saw me, she said I’d been cursed—obviously by Zhong Min. The shamaness said she couldn’t do anything about it and immediately ran off."
"Afterward, I dreamt of Zhong Min every night. I dreamt I had returned to that burning warehouse, and dreamt of her crawling out of the flames to kill me."
"She got closer and closer to me each day, until she was almost close enough to reach out and strangle me."
"I thought I was dead for sure, but then my sister came again. She brought me that..."
The woman glanced at the shrine in the corner of the living room. "My birth parents gave me away when I was born because they wanted a son. I was their fourth daughter, and they couldn’t afford to keep me."
"I heard that my birth mother, after having four daughters in a row without a son, prayed to every deity and Buddha she could find, but nothing worked."
"Later, she had two more daughters, both of whom were also given away. Finally, when they were out of options, they somehow acquired that thing."
"That is the god statue. Legend says it’s an Evil God—very malevolent—but it can grant people’s small wishes. However, the wisher must pay a certain price."
This was somewhat like a lesser demon, which devours the vital essence and yang energy of living people and then helps them realize their wishes.
The woman continued, "After acquiring it, my mother became pregnant again, and this time, she finally got her wish and had a son. I don’t know what price they paid... They seemed terrified of this god statue. After the son was born, they had it removed and sent to the local temple."
"Seeing me in a half-dead state, my sister, unbeknownst to our parents, brought it back from the temple and gave it to me... Then I made a wish to it."
So, it was by relying on this god statue that she had survived for so many years.
Gu Mian also looked at this god statue.
The god statue was some distance away from him, so he couldn’t see it clearly. Its features were blurry, and it exuded an eerie aura everywhere.
Yuwen Hao quietly asked, "So, this god statue is the key for us to survive for ten days?"
The woman continued, "But this god statue won’t last much longer..."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Hao’s eyes widened slightly.
"Over the years, Zhong Min has killed many more people. Her accumulated resentment has reached a terrifying level. Recently, these past few days, I’ve started dreaming again. I know this god statue is almost useless now."
Hearing this, Gu Mian looked closely at the god statue again. He didn’t know what it was carved from, but it was entirely pitch-black. At this moment, several fine cracks had already appeared on its surface.
"At first, it was still those intermittent dreams. As soon as I dreamed of that burning warehouse, I would immediately wake up with a start."
"But those dreams became longer and longer, and I couldn’t wake up at all. In the dream, I saw Zhong Min again. I saw her pinned under the shelves, reaching her hand out to me..."
"I don’t dare to sleep. These days, I only dare to snatch moments of sleep intermittently, but I still can’t escape the nightmares. I see her getting closer and closer to me. I know I’m going to die..."
Yuwen Hao’s expression became anxious. Qing Huan and Huang Yu also looked somewhat terrified.
Since this god statue is almost useless, where exactly is the way out of this instance?
The woman was still speaking, "I know I’ll die sooner or later. Back when she was in the sea of fire, she cursed us. She cursed me. She cursed those who wouldn’t lend her money. And she cursed those who forced her to repay the money."
"Over these years, of those cursed by her, everyone except me has died. But her resentment still persists; she’s even constantly killing people completely unrelated to her."
Yuwen Hao asked impatiently, "Then do you know how to make Zhong Min’s resentment disappear?"
If the resentment from the source of the curse disappears, then the chain of curses below might also vanish, and they would be saved.
He had originally just asked casually, not expecting to get an answer at all. But unexpectedly, the woman before him spoke, "Perhaps when everyone she resents is dead, the resentment will dissipate."
Yuwen Hao was stunned. Those cursed by Zhong Min... apart from the person in front of him, were all dead.
Could it be that the key to this instance... is to kill the woman in front of us?
If we kill her, will all the curses be eliminated...
Yuwen Hao subconsciously glanced at the chainsaw Gu Mian had placed to one side.
Gu Mian’s voice came from beside him, "You can’t lift it."
Yuwen Hao leaned in eagerly towards Gu Mian and whispered, "This is definitely the key to the instance! Only by making Zhong Min’s resentment disappear can we survive for ten days... She must die!"
His voice grew even lower as he said this, "Don’t forget, this is just a game. We’re in an instance. To complete the mission, any actions are not excessive."
As long as they kill the woman in front of them and resolve Zhong Min’s resentment, they can live through these ten days.
This is a game; survival is paramount.
"None of this is real. There’s no need to feel guilty for killing someone," Yuwen Hao suppressed his voice. "We must kill her."
Gu Mian glanced sideways at him. "Possible, but not necessary."
He’d found Zhong Min an eyesore for a long time.