Chapter 452 – Palpitations from That World – Collapse (20)
Chen Wan was half-convinced, half-doubtful. He stared at Wen Junnan’s face for a long while, and seeing no sign of deception, he could only let it go.
“So what should we do now? This isn’t the story I told.” Chen Wan followed behind Wen Junnan into the inner room. Suddenly, Wen Junnan stopped, forcing Chen Wan to halt as well.
“W-what’s wrong?” Chen Wan asked nervously when Wen Junnan turned back and fixed him with a steady gaze.
“This is my story,” Wen Junnan said with a faint, ambiguous smile. “Do you think there’s anything strange in this room?”
Chen Wan swallowed hard, his eyes darting around as his body trembled uncontrollably. “N-no… there’s nothing. No one’s here.”
“Let’s rest for now. We can’t get out anyway.” Wen Junnan didn’t press further. He opened a cabinet and took out a set of bedding. “There are more blankets in the cupboard. Help yourself.”
Ignoring Chen Wan, who looked like he wanted to speak but held back, Wen Junnan lay down with his back to him and went to sleep.
Out of Wen Junnan’s sight, Chen Wan revealed a vicious expression. He shot a fierce glare at the crack in the wall—a useless thing that ruins more than it helps.
Inside the crack, the girl trembled in fear. Suddenly, a black hand reached out and covered her mouth.
Chen Wan noticed nothing. Only when he heard three dull knocks—thud, thud, thud—coming from inside the wall did he finally withdraw his gaze in satisfaction.
There was no clock in the wooden cabin, so no one knew how much time had passed. Just as Chen Wan was growing impatient, Wen Junnan woke up. Chen Wan immediately changed his expression.
Pale and anxious, he rushed over to Wen Junnan and pleaded, “Someone—there’s someone in the crack in the wall. She’s watching us.”
Wen Junnan lowered his eyes slightly. “There’s no one. You’re mistaken.”
“No, it’s real! There really is someone. Why don’t you go take a look?”
Should one call Chen Wan foolish—or simply foolish? He knew full well that this was Wen Junnan’s story. Naturally, Wen Junnan would know what was inside the crack, yet Chen Wan kept pushing him to check it. His intentions were far too obvious.
Unfortunately for him, Wen Junnan was the type who remained calm in the face of danger. He neither thought about escaping nor went around recklessly seeking trouble out of curiosity.
A fleeting smile passed across Wen Junnan’s lips. As Chen Wan tried to push him forward, Wen Junnan suddenly grabbed his hand instead.
“I already took on this round of the dare for you. I don’t know why you ended up here too, but I think you should return the favor. Why don’t you take a look inside the crack for me? I’m quite scared as well.”
Though Wen Junnan said he was afraid, there wasn’t the slightest hint of fear in his tone.
Chen Wan struggled, only to realize in horror that he couldn’t break free. Not only that, he couldn’t even mobilize the power within his body, as if something was suppressing it. At that moment, he truly understood the meaning of the word panic.
But it was useless. No matter how he struggled, nothing worked.
Wen Junnan’s grip was like shackles, forcing Chen Wan toward the crack in the wall.
“Is it fun—playing with people in the palm of your hand?” A low voice sounded beside Chen Wan’s ear. His secret had been exposed—so he did know.
Since he had been found out, Chen Wan couldn’t be bothered to keep pretending. The panic on his face vanished completely. Old grudges mixed with new hatred, and he wished he could devour Wen Junnan on the spot.
It was him—the one who had interfered with his plan and even injured him. If he hadn’t been hurt, how could he have failed to dodge that little beast’s sneak attack, letting it tear apart the protective bandages covering his skin?
The more Chen Wan thought about it, the angrier he became. Then he remembered—this was a dream. No matter how capable Wen Junnan was, he would still be bound by its rules.
At that thought, a strange smile crept across Chen Wan’s lips. Recklessly, he began to provoke him:
“Do you even know that the one you’ve been taking such good care of is just a little beast? I raised him—kept him locked in a cage, fed him my leftovers…”
After several rounds of games in the hall, it was obvious to everyone that Bai Tang was Wen Junnan’s weakness—someone he cherished deeply, afraid to let him fall, afraid he might even melt in his mouth.
As it turned out, the saying “If you don’t court death, you won’t die” couldn’t be more true. The moment Wen Junnan imagined Tang Tang being bullied by Chen Wan in places he couldn’t see, a surge of fury ignited in his chest and rushed straight to his head. Whatever gentle approach he had originally intended was completely forgotten.
Grabbing Chen Wan by the hair, he slammed his head into the crack in the wall. The wooden wall echoed with loud bang, bang, bang sounds. Before long, Chen Wan’s head was split open, blood streaming down under gravity. His face was smeared with dust and crimson, making him look utterly terrifying.
Others might have been frightened by such a sight—but Wen Junnan was not. The injury on Tang Tang’s lower back was, in all likelihood, caused by him. The moment that thought crossed his mind, the string of reason in Wen Junnan’s mind snapped with a twang.
“You shouldn’t have touched him.”
The man’s voice was as cold as a glacier, chilling to the bone. Chen Wan desperately tried to mobilize his strength—he could feel the power surging within him, yet he couldn’t use even a fraction of it.
The pain spread from flesh to bone, then into his very soul. Ever since his body had been wrapped in bandages, he had never experienced pain like this again. No—not exactly. There had been the lightning strike during the day, but even before the bandages, he had never felt such piercing, bone-deep agony.
The rules—right, he still had the rules.
Before losing consciousness, Chen Wan remembered the rules of the dream. He was the king here. No one could defeat him.
Gathering all his remaining strength into his legs, he swept at Wen Junnan’s lower body. Caught off guard, Wen Junnan was successfully ambushed. He braced himself against the wall just in time—but his eyes met the crack, locking gazes with the girl inside.
In this dream, there was one rule: you must not make eye contact with the girl in the crack. Whoever did would be taken away, dragged into hell to suffer endless torment. Before death, their resentment, pain, unwillingness, and fear would be amplified to the extreme—only to be devoured by the Bandaged Man and turned into power.
The girl eagerly stretched out her decayed arm, her sharpened nails reaching toward Wen Junnan’s collar. As long as she could grab him, she could drag him into hell.
“Grab him—kill him!” Chen Wan no longer cared about making Wen Junnan feel fear. All he wanted now was to kill him. As long as Wen Junnan died, no one in this space would be able to oppose him.
Forced by Chen Wan’s command, the girl had no choice but to obey. In truth, her fear of Wen Junnan was far greater than her fear of Chen Wan. But the rules dictated that she must follow Chen Wan’s orders, so she could only suppress her terror and make a move against Wen Junnan.
“As long as you obey me, I can let you out.”
The man’s indifferent voice rang out. The girl paused, and her lifeless eyes suddenly lit up.
Could she… really leave?
The change happened in an instant. The hand she had stretched out abruptly changed direction, grabbing Chen Wan instead. With a burst of brute force, she dragged him into the crack.
Screams rang out one after another. Amid wisps of black smoke, Chen Wan’s power was broken apart and weakened.
Wen Junnan stood before the crack, sneering. The Bandaged Man was the ruler of this space, so the girl in the crack would never drag him into hell—but a remnant could.
In this space, what one feared would come to pass. Anything feared in one’s heart could manifest, and the remnant was the best example of this.
Because Bai Tang had told that story, whether human or animal, fear of the unknown always surpassed fear of the known. The woman in red had appeared many times, but the only thing never seen was the remnant in the bathroom. And so, the remnant was summoned.
As the remnant slipped into the crack, it felt a surge of delight. It had thought it would perish at Wen Junnan’s hands, but instead, such a fortunate opportunity appeared. The Bandaged Man’s power had been scattered by Wen Junnan, spilling out of his body, and the remnant seized the chance to absorb it, turning it into its own strength. As long as it grew strong enough, it would no longer be confined to a single place.
Taking advantage of the Bandaged Man’s moment of vulnerability, Wen Junnan imposed a mental restraint on him. The surroundings began to collapse, turning into a void.
“Anan, you’re back!” Bai Tang called out happily.
Wen Junnan pulled Bai Tang into his arms and flipped him over onto himself.
Blushing, Bai Tang pushed him lightly. “There are still other people here…” They needed to be mindful—this was not the right time for that.
“I can still hold Tang Tang… that’s wonderful.” Wen Junnan smiled, the warmth reaching his eyes.
Chen Wan, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly burst into flames. He rolled back and forth, letting out agonized howls. At the same time, the earth shook violently—the paintings hanging on the walls fell, and the ceiling began collapsing.
“What’s going on? Is it an earthquake?” Li Tefeng could barely keep his footing, yet his hand tightly gripped Ning Sitong’s.
Ning Sitong was overjoyed. She could feel the force restraining her rapidly fading, which meant the Bandaged Man was about to be finished.
“We’ll be able to get out soon,” Ning Sitong said.
Animals are especially sensitive to earthquakes. Bai Tang clung fearfully to Wen Junnan, his soft, trembling voice barely steady. “A-A Nan, I’m scared…” Earthquakes were terrifying. If Wen Junnan hadn’t been holding him up, Bai Tang would have already collapsed to the ground, searching for a hole to hide in.
Wen Junnan gently stroked Bai Tang’s back. “Tang Tang, can you turn back into a little squirrel now? We’re about to leave.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Almost at the same moment, a small yellow-brown, fluffy figure appeared, curled up against Wen Junnan’s chest.
“Squeak—squeak—”
The little squirrel trembled all over, its tiny claws gripping tightly onto Wen Junnan’s coat.
Wen Junnan couldn’t pull it off and said helplessly, “Tang Tang, relax. How about hiding in my pocket for a bit? We’re going home.”
Hearing this, the little squirrel finally loosened its grip. After letting go, its tiny paws curled tightly into little fists—it was simply too scared.
Wen Junnan gently cupped the little squirrel in his hands. His gaze fell on its tail, which looked as though it might snap at any moment. Near the base, a strip of white bandage was wrapped around it. The once fluffy, soft tail had lost its luster, hanging limply in his hand.
“I’m sorry.” Wen Junnan pressed a kiss to the tip of the squirrel’s ear, then decisively tucked it into his pocket.
Fortunately, he had been thoughtful enough to wear a jacket with a large zippered pocket to carry snacks for the little squirrel. With Tang Tang inside and the zipper pulled up, there was no fear of him falling out.
Listening to their conversation from the side, Li Pai formed a rough understanding.
He could go back—he could finally go back!
Before the house completely collapsed, Li Pai instinctively ran toward the door. Just as he was about to grab the handle, the smile on his face turned into shock and unwillingness. Looking down, he saw the red tip of a blade protruding from his abdomen.
Chen Wan, his entire body charred and terrifying, let out a sinister laugh beside his ear. “You stabbed me once—I’ll return the favor.”
Li Pai tried to resist, but Chen Wan gave him no chance. In an instant, he stripped away all of Li Pai’s emotions and absorbed them into himself.