Chapter 21: Fate Governs Life

At this moment, the bones in Yu Guo’s right lower leg had been completely crushed. His head trembled incessantly, and streaks of agonizing blood welled from between his clenched teeth.

The female ghost, prone on the ground, had moved her hands from his calf and was crawling upward, on the verge of destroying the last of this living man’s mobility.

No matter how unique Yu Guo might be, he was still just an ordinary man with a slightly bolder streak. Under the dual torment of immense psychological pressure and physical agony, he even began to hallucinate. Having lost a leg, he had no chance of escape.

On the other side, Fang Shenyan seized the fleeting opportunity bought by Yu Guo’s sacrifice and shoved the key into the lock of Room 702 with lightning speed.

Ji Li, conversely, found himself idle. He looked down at Yu Guo, his teammate suffering just a dozen steps below, and gritted his teeth. He cast a glance at Fang Shenyan beside him, said nothing, and after a moment of internal struggle, leaped down from the seventh floor.

His target was right by Yu Guo’s side.

The female ghost’s attention was entirely fixed on Yu Guo, so she did not immediately react to Ji Li’s desperate rescue attempt. Ji Li soared down, grabbed Yu Guo by the arm, and with his veins bulging, pulled upward with every ounce of his strength.

Yu Guo could hold on no longer; he collapsed limply onto the stairs, his consciousness fading.

The female ghost’s pitch-black eyes shimmered with a ghostly light in the darkness as she gripped Yu Guo’s right leg with lethal intent. Ji Li felt as though his own arms were on the verge of dislocation, exerting all his might just to prevent Yu Guo from being dragged further down.

A stalemate had formed.

"Creak!"

The door to 702 finally opened. The lock to the path of survival turned; only one step remained.

Fang Shenyan did not enter the room immediately. He turned back to look at the two struggling figures below, a hint of hesitation on his face.

"Yu Guo cannot die, and Ji Li even less so..."

Fang Shenyan sighed. Since the events of his past, he had ceased to value human life. Yet, undeniably, since arriving at this hellish hotel, he had found himself strangely intoxicated by the tension, especially when facing ghosts and the brink of death. Everything happening now was the only ripple left in his numb existence. He did not want it to end so soon.

After these thoughts flashed through his mind, Fang Shenyan abandoned the path of survival within arm’s reach, leaped down the stairs, and grabbed Ji Li by the shoulder.

Although Ji Li’s arms were swollen with pain and nearing dislocation, he felt a smile touch his lips upon sensing those broad, firm palms.

He knew Fang Shenyan would help.

From a purely rational standpoint, while Fang Shenyan was cold-natured, he was undoubtedly an intelligent man. If he wanted to survive, he needed Ji Li, and he needed Yu Guo. Just like Ji Li’s decision to risk his life to save Yu Guo, they were all making these rescue efforts with their own agendas.

With Fang Shenyan’s involvement, the balance of power began to shift.

Yu Guo’s legs had gone completely limp, and his consciousness was dissipating; had it not been for the sheer force of will, he would have already fainted.

"Snap!"

A crisp, sudden sound emanated from the joints of Ji Li’s arms. They had completely dislocated under the weight of a force no human could withstand, but they had become a rope that tethered Yu Guo to life.

At that exact moment, Fang Shenyan roared and pulled upward with a violent heave.

With the ghost’s added pressure, Yu Guo’s legs were torn away, severed by the sheer force.

"Go, go, go!"

Ji Li had reached his limit. Now, the full weight of both men fell upon Fang Shenyan. His fair face had flushed a deep red; he had exhausted so much energy that he was beginning to flag. Yet, the hope of survival had appeared, and his fading strength surged once more in the face of desperation.

One step, another step—eight steps total. Dragging the bodies of two grown men, Fang Shenyan seized a momentary lapse in the ghost’s grip and hauled them both to the threshold of 702.

Fang Shenyan tumbled into the room, as did Ji Li’s upper body, but only one hand of Yu Guo’s rested on the threshold.

The ghost had already closed in on the three of them. Ji Li watched it silently; everyone was exhausted, pushed to their absolute limits. Their current position was the furthest they could manage. Theoretically, all three of them were partially inside Room 702, though the criteria for success were difficult to discern.

Ji Li tried to drag himself back another inch, but he lacked the strength to move a muscle. He could only watch as the ghost, standing right before him, scrutinized him.

After a long silence, the ghost’s foul-smelling form stepped onto the lower half of Yu Guo’s body, yet it did not strike.

With a faint, ethereal sigh, its figure dissipated entirely.

It transformed into a black shadow that darted into Room 702, heading straight for Fang Shenyan, who was backed against the wall.

This was the first time Fang Shenyan had faced such a situation. He flinched, only to see the shadow land on the back of his hand, forming a tattoo shaped like a black eye.

Seeing this, Ji Li let out a long breath. He looked at the unconscious Yu Guo beside him and said softly, "We have completed the mission; the ghost has been claimed. Perhaps because you were the first to complete the path of survival, it has bound itself to you. It will likely vanish once we enter the hotel. But I suspect that until eight o'clock in the morning, we cannot leave Room 702, or the ghost will revive."

Fang Shenyan laboriously pulled a cigarette case from his coat, lit one, and handed it to Ji Li’s lips before lighting one for himself. Ji Li’s arms hung limply at his sides; he gritted his teeth as he smoked, easing the exhaustion of the long midnight ordeal.

"It’s almost dawn. In two hours, we can return to the hotel, and it will heal all our injuries."

After what had just transpired, Ji Li’s perception of Fang and Yu had shifted. He glanced at Fang Shenyan’s torn clothing, noting the several knife-scarred marks on his arm, and took a long drag of his cigarette. "Have you tried to commit suicide?"

Fang Shenyan’s eyes did not flicker at the question; he gently averted his gaze.

"I have tried to end my life many times, but I could never die. Perhaps one must heed fate. I never died before because I was destined to come here."

Ji Li felt a momentary daze upon hearing this. He looked at the unconscious Yu Guo again. Everyone harbored their own secrets, and these secrets forged the destiny of a person.

Amidst the pain in his arms and the numbness of the nicotine, Ji Li’s thoughts drifted. He thought of himself.

"If fate is truly real, then where does my own path lie..."