Chapter 62: Grudge of the Death Curse (End)

Doctors, nurses, and family members of patients walking down the corridor looked up in bewilderment—although it was only seven o'clock in the morning, the external light suddenly dimmed.

Black rainclouds blocked the sun, slowly approaching the hospital.

"Pitter-patter, pitter-patter."

The corridor lights extinguished one by one from afar to near, and the waterproofed ceiling inexplicably began to leak. Pattering black water droplets fell, resembling raindrops.

It's coming, it's coming...

Little Red Riding Hood's hand gripping the handle of the fruit knife turned faintly white as she watched the black water pour through the gaps of the door frame and into the ward.

Snap!

A hand grasped her wrist. Ishikawa Kenichi, wrapped entirely in bandages, had gotten out of bed at some point. Enduring intense pain, he forced out a smile that was uglier than crying, "I'm sorry."

Clutching Little Red Riding Hood's wrist, he drove the fruit knife straight into his own chest, piercing his heart.

Fierce winds howled in the corridor, and the black water surged in at an accelerated rate, turning into a watery veil that enveloped Ishikawa Kenichi, preventing the blade from advancing any further.

"..."

Little Red Riding Hood looked in astonishment at Ishikawa Kenichi, who was actively seeking death. Although she did not know what had happened at the reservoir, she could read the resolute determination in Ishikawa's eyes.

I understand. In that case...

She pressed her lips together, cooperating with his movement, and pushed the blade forward an inch against the black water.

[Item Name: Blade of Direct Death of Points and Lines]
[Type: Weapon]
[Quality: Rare]
[Attack Power: Low]
[Special Effect: Direct Death of Points and Lines. Materializes the "vital points" of nearby objects, presenting them in the form of points and lines. Cutting along the lines easily divides the object, while stabbing the points inflicts severe damage to the object.]
[Consumption: 10% Total Spiritual Energy Value]
[Cooldown: 24 seconds]
[Equipment Requirements: Agility Attribute >= 5, Perception Attribute >= 6]
[Remarks: When the blade cuts according to points and lines, it slices through iron like mud, but under all other circumstances, its inherent strength remains that of an ordinary fruit knife, making it fragile and easily broken.]
[Remarks: "Can I stand side by side with you forever?" "Until death."]

***

The blade broke through the black water, piercing the heart.

The hospital corridor, the dark clouds in the sky, and even the black water in the reservoir lake trembled at a high frequency, emitting a silent screech.

The black water polymer, several stories high at the center of the lake, split, collapsed, and disintegrated, revealing Noriko Fujita wrapped inside.

With no obstacles remaining ahead, Li Sheng stepped on the top cover of the robot and leaped into the sky. The mantis-arm bone blades affixed with talismans slashed through the air, cutting the corpse apart.

Noriko Fujita's head and body were separated, but the resentful expression on her face gradually faded until it settled into peace.

'Thank you.'

She silently said to the three players, her body turning into black smoke that dissipated in the rainstorm and howling wind.

The surface of the lake returned to calm, and the malignant ghosts and vengeful spirits covering the mountains and plains drifted away and vanished with the demise of the grievance of the dead curse.

[The scenario task "Grievance of the Dead Curse" has been completed. 5 minutes until teleportation. Do you wish to teleport immediately?]

The system prompt sounded in his ear. Li Sheng, landing on a rolling log, withdrew his mantis-arm bone blades, paddled his hands across the lake surface, and returned to the shore with Awakening Summer Solstice.

Stack Vanguard let out a long sigh of relief, released the accelerator of the car, and smiled bitterly at his two companions, "I never expected a team scenario with an average difficulty of Level 3.25 to be this hard."

After this mission, he was completely convinced; the qualities and abilities of Mayfly and Awakening Summer Solstice were far beyond the level of novice players.

Without these teammates, it was hard to say whether he could have safely survived the first day on his own.

"On one hand, the average capability of our group exceeds Level 3, and on the other hand, this task actually had alternative solutions."

Awakening Summer Solstice pressed her lips together and said, "Ishikawa Kenichi is the connection point between the grievance of the dead curse and this world. In other words, as long as he was rescued from the haunted house, awakened, and—after learning the truth—allowed to continue his suicide attempt, it would significantly weaken the grievance of the dead curse.

In the remaining time, without the connection point, the grievance of the dead curse would lack the power to continue attacking players or killing hostages.

Players could still complete the task. It's just that because we didn't directly slay the grievance of the dead curse, the evaluation wouldn't look as good."

With that, she pressed the button on her Bluetooth headset, "Little Red Riding Hood, how are things on your end?"

Free from electromagnetic interference, Little Red Riding Hood's voice on the other end was clear and anxious, "I'm pushing the stretcher bed, rushing Mr. Ishikawa to the operating room..."

The operating room wasn't far away. With a bit of luck, they might just be able to save Ishikawa Kenichi.

"He can actually be saved..."

Stack Vanguard scratched his head in astonishment, "Uh, speaking of which, saving him won't cause the grievance of the dead curse to resurrect, right?"

Awakening Summer Solstice shook her head, "Most likely not. The essence of that thing is just a mass of resentment; once slain, it dissipates and won't condense again."

"That's good." Stack Vanguard breathed a sigh of relief, then recalled something and asked in confusion, "Wait, can the resentment of an ordinary little girl really be this intense? School bullying, domestic violence..."

"It's not just domestic violence."

Li Sheng suddenly said, "Remember last night when Yuko Suzuki was attacked and her stomach swelled up as if she were pregnant? These vengeful spirits manifested by the grievance of the dead curse all had prototypes."

Stack Vanguard opened his eyes wide in shock, "Wait, you mean..."

"Human nature is a black box; you never know what's inside."

Li Sheng shrugged, leaving the words unsaid.

Takehiko Fujita killing his wife and then his daughter was not entirely out of a tendency toward violence; he also needed to cover something up. It was precisely because of that incident that, after the grievance of the dead curse formed, he was subjected to the most gruesome punishment of having his limbs severed.

"Anyway, this mission is successfully completed. Farewell, everyone, we shall meet again in rivers and lakes." Li Sheng cupped his fists in a salute, preparing to teleport away.

"Hey, wait! Bro, let's add each other as friends. We're all newcomers; once we get back, knowing each other means we have some mutual support. Open the task log, find the list of teammates in the team task, and click to add friends. I've already sent you a request."

Stack Vanguard hurriedly raised his hand. Circumstances had changed, and he would no longer treat Mayfly as a Level 2 novice player.

"Oh, accepted." Li Sheng approved the friend request and also added Awakening Summer Solstice and Little Red Riding Hood to his friend list. When the countdown ended, he teleported back to the real world.

***

Three months later.

Carrying a battery pack and fitted with an artificial heart, the folklore scholar Ishikawa Kenichi flipped through the Water Clean City newspaper.

That row of houses in San-chome was about to be demolished, and the city's reservoir was also preparing for reconstruction due to a previous landslide.

Everything was in the past.

Ishikawa Kenichi let out a long sigh of relief. Seeing the fine drizzle falling from the sky, he took an umbrella from his bag.

Patter.

His arm accidentally brushed against the battery pack of his artificial heart. Just as the square-shaped battery was about to fall to the ground and break, an invisible force altered its falling trajectory, causing it to land gently on the soft lawn beside him without sustaining any damage.

"Whew, that was close!"

Ishikawa Kenichi hurriedly picked up the pack, plugged it back into his belt, and walked into the curtain of rain with his umbrella open.

"Foolish Ishikawa, be careful."

The ethereal, elusive voice of a little girl echoed in the rain.