Volume One: The Haunted Tower Chapter Twenty-Five: No Other Choice

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Ask yourself, what is the outcome when an ordinary person who has never trained squares off against a martial arts expert?

The outcome is a foregone conclusion: they cannot win, and more than that, they cannot even run away.

And so, Cheng Fan’s escape failed without any suspense. No sooner had he turned to run than Zhao Linxuan, moving with superior speed, caught up and tackled him.

Then, just as before, she instantly straddled him.

"Ah! Let me go, you damn woman, let me go!"

Seeing Zhao Linxuan pinning him down once again, leaving him unable to move, Cheng Fan grew desperate. He tried to raise his arms to push her away, but she was faster. Before he could even lift his hands, her knees pressed heavily onto his arms, completely immobilizing him.

Confirming that Cheng Fan could no longer resist, Zhao Linxuan grabbed his throat and wore a cruel smirk. "Running? Where are you going to run? Be smart and behave, or I wouldn’t mind choking you to death right now!"

"Choking me to death?"

Facing the woman’s death threat, one might expect fear, but the reality was quite the opposite. Seeing that his escape had failed, Cheng Fan was utterly enraged. He glared at her and roared, "Fine! Then go ahead and kill me! I want to see how long you’ll last once I’m dead!"

Hearing Cheng Fan’s roar, for some reason, the woman who had been wearing a savage grin suddenly fell silent.

It was obvious. Despite her ruthless heart and the fact that others already considered her a femme fatale, Zhao Linxuan was now struck dumb. The reason was exactly as Cheng Fan had said: since she had pinned her hopes of survival on him, if he died, who else could she rely on to find a way out? Without a path to survival, how long could she last in this building?

Thinking of this, she frowned and released Cheng Fan. Her fair hands, which had been tightening around his neck, instinctively pulled away.

"Humph!" As if he had gambled on the fact that she wouldn't dare kill him, Cheng Fan let out a cold snort and rose from the ground the moment she let go.

Of course, even if she didn't dare to kill him, there were things that needed to be said. As soon as Cheng Fan stood up, Zhao Linxuan grabbed his shoulder, her tone filled with warning: "Fine, I admit you are useful to me. If you die, I probably won't last long either, but..."

Her expression shifted; her beautiful eyes shot out a fierce glint once more, and the ruthlessness that had vanished returned to her face. "Don't even think about shaking me off. Remember, from now on, I will stay by your side. If you try to sneak away again, I will kill you immediately. If it comes to it, we’ll both go down together!"

"You..."

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Faced with Zhao Linxuan’s shameless ultimatum, Cheng Fan trembled with rage. He had never imagined that this woman could be so despicable. She had already marked him, yet she was still trying to exploit him—not only using him as a human shield but also relying on him to find an exit. She took all the benefits while he bore all the danger; it was simply brazen!

Pointing at the smiling Zhao Linxuan, Cheng Fan sputtered for a long time, but in the end, he couldn't get the words out.

It wasn't that he didn't want to; it was that he had recognized the reality.

What was that reality?

The reality was that he could neither beat nor outrun Zhao Linxuan. If he provoked her, she would truly drag him down with her and kill him on the spot.

So...

"Fine, I agree to let you follow me."

Resigned, Cheng Fan finally nodded. He had agreed, but before Zhao Linxuan could respond, he changed the subject. "But you know, I carry the mark you placed on me. If we both encounter the ghost, my chances of dying are far greater than yours."

"Heh, it seems you’re still very concerned about that. Are you blaming me?" Hearing the insinuation in his words, Zhao Linxuan wasn't surprised; she just curled her beautiful eyes and chuckled. "But so what? The mark is already there and cannot be removed. I am powerless to change it myself."

"Oh, right, I’ve noticed your luck is actually quite good. Not only is your luck good, but your strategies for dealing with crises have always been sound. Back when I teamed up with you, didn't the ghost attack you several times? And didn't you manage to survive every time?"

"So, I believe in you. Even if we encounter the ghost again later, you will surely survive."

"Damn it! How can you even say such things? Do you have no shame?"

Hearing the woman’s shameless reply, Cheng Fan exploded. He wanted to curse her out more, but at that moment, he suddenly realized he had stayed in the hallway for too long. The ghost was constantly hunting him; if he were caught now, he would truly be doomed with no hope of survival.

Because, as long as Zhao Linxuan was by his side, the ghost would always target him first!

"I don't have time to bicker with you!"

Thinking this, Cheng Fan didn't dare delay. He bolted toward the stairs on the right, and Zhao Linxuan followed him without hesitation.

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And so, under the coercion of Zhao Linxuan, the pair that had once split up was now a team again. Cheng Fan ran in front, Zhao Linxuan followed, and the once-silent stairwell echoed with their footsteps again.

Because they had been separated for so long, Zhao Linxuan didn't know where Cheng Fan was going. She simply clung to his heels and followed him downstairs. During this time, she didn't have to do or think about anything, whereas Cheng Fan was burdened with many concerns.

The most pressing of these was undoubtedly the problem of finding a way out.

To find the true path to survival in this nightmare, he ran down the stairs for a while. Feeling that the area was safe, Cheng Fan stopped descending and turned into one of the floors.

Perhaps it was a coincidence, but as they entered the hallway, the scene looked quite familiar.

Most of the doors to the rooms were standing open, and there were faint traces of cloth strips left on the ground.

Wasn't this the floor where he and Zhao Linxuan had lingered for so long while trying to climb out the window?

Realizing he had been here before, Cheng Fan frowned. After a moment of thought, he decided to give it up and led Zhao Linxuan back out of the floor.

After running through a few more levels, the pair arrived at a completely unfamiliar floor.

Then, under Zhao Linxuan’s puzzled gaze, Cheng Fan jogged along the hallway and ducked into a restroom at the end.

Based on her understanding of Cheng Fan, seeing him specifically head for the restroom, she instinctively thought he was looking for something—likely searching for some crucial item. But to her astonishment, as soon as he entered, Cheng Fan sat down on the spot, leaning his back against the wall to rest, and even closed his eyes.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Zhao Linxuan asked tentatively, pointing at the resting Cheng Fan.

As the words left her lips, Cheng Fan immediately waved his hand and issued a stern warning: "Listen, if you still want to leave this building, then shut your mouth. It’s best you don't disturb me!"