After Sophia walked away, Li Andy emerged from the shadows and approached Old Six.
The latter's eyebrows twitched, as if he was about to wake up.
But the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was a flash of bright silver.
"Ugh!"
"Shh, go back to sleep."
Li Andy covered Old Six's mouth with a cloth, and the cleaver quickly slit his throat.
Old Six convulsed a few times, then finally fell completely silent.
Li Andy wiped the knife on Old Six's clothes and muttered,
"If that crappy game had a 'finish off' option, I wouldn't have had to restart so many times. Sure enough, there are more ways to do things in reality."
After taking care of the loose ends, he picked up the gas lamp and entered the room.
The room was a bit messy, with a torn piece of a nightgown scattered on the floor.
This was Youxi and Sophia's room.
The orphanage didn't have many people to begin with, and with the Dean's sacrifices, there were plenty of empty rooms. But these two girls just liked to sleep together.
Li Andy went to a wardrobe, purposefully rummaging through it, throwing out soft pieces of fabric one by one.
After half a minute, he finally pulled out an antique-looking mechanical box from the bottom.
This was something Yuquan Youxi's parents left for her, and it was also an essential item for the hidden ending.
Its password had four digits, a combination of the 'Ten Heavenly Stems.' If entered incorrectly three times, it would automatically lock and dissolve the contents inside.
In the game, only after completing the first playthrough could the protagonist know all the passwords.
But when Li Andy entered "Yi Jia Yi Xin," the box opened with a "snap."
There wasn't much inside: a 【Talisman Charm】 and a small, exquisite 【Jade Carved Longevity Lock】.
The former was left by Yuquan Youxi's mother, and the latter by her father.
After putting the items away, Li Andy couldn't help but look at the small clothes and undergarments.
"The design is still too conservative. As expected, player-made mods are more exciting."
He shook his head, closed the box, scrambled the password, and casually threw it back into the wardrobe.
......
......
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
"Click!"
Yuquan Youxi used the key Li Andy gave her to unlock a door.
As the door creaked open, a strong smell of preservative medicine wafted out.
"What does Brother want me to do here?"
Yuquan Youxi hesitated for half a second, then still slipped into the room.
After locking the door, she took out a candle from her pocket and lit it.
The dim yellow flame instantly dispelled the darkness.
This room was not large; the table in the middle was piled with books, and the shelves on both sides were filled with various strange specimens.
The unpleasant smell came from those specimens.
There were bats, lizards, spiders, and... human hands!
Youxi's small face turned pale, and then she saw human eyes, human hearts, and... peeled human faces!
The hand holding the candle trembled slightly, and the flickering flame cast long, grotesque shadows of the specimens.
"Whoosh—"
Youxi took a deep breath, forcing her somewhat stiff body to walk to the table in the middle.
The tabletop was messy, with several books lying open. It seemed the owner had left in a hurry without time to tidy up.
"Poetry? Written by the Dean?"
Youxi placed the candle aside and picked up the notebook in the middle.
"Dear Jenny, my beloved companion:
"In the near future, we will embrace again in the Lord's divine kingdom!
"I have already collected twenty-two pure souls; only two more remain.
"Please do not worry, I will be very, very, very fast!!
"It's late, the stars are twinkling, and the Lord's whispers echo in my ears.
"I feel its power; it is guiding me forward!
"Dear Jenny, please wait a little longer; we will be reunited.
"Our love will be eternal in the Lord's glory!"
The madness in the lines made Youxi frown tightly.
But on the next page of the notebook, she found the reason for being trapped and the way to escape.
"No wonder Sophia and I couldn't get out before. It turns out the orphanage was set with a barrier, and we need to break four array eyes to get out."
Yuquan Youxi frowned in thought, her heart gradually calming down.
She didn't notice that an extraordinary quality, unlike that of ordinary people, was slowly manifesting within her.
"The first two array eyes aren't difficult. The key is the latter two, which are located in the basement, also at the altar's position..."
"The method to break the barrier is to sprinkle holy water..."
"But there doesn't seem to be any holy water here. Can salt be used instead?"
Just then, a strange noise came from the doorway.
"Click!"
Yuquan Youxi immediately blew out the candle.
A figure carrying an axe pushed open the door.
Dean John sniffed and frowned.
Yuquan Youxi, hidden under the table, felt her heart race again.
But fortunately, the formaldehyde smell in the room was too strong, and the Dean did not smell the candle.
It seemed his sniffing earlier was just to adapt to the smell.
At this moment, his eyes were bloodshot, and a violent aura emanated from within him.
Yuquan Youxi dared not make a sound, her small body curled into a ball, hiding in the corner, trying to minimize her presence as much as possible.
The Dean came to the table and glanced at it, then suddenly frowned.
He then raised his axe and took a step back, his body slowly lowering.
Yuquan Youxi's breathing involuntarily hitched, and the dinner knife in her hand trembled slightly due to her body's tension.
"Father!"
At the critical moment, an urgent voice came from outside the door:
"Ma'er was killed by that bitch Sophia!"
The Dean's descending figure immediately stopped.
Li Andy appeared at the door and said apologetically,
"Father, I... I couldn't beat that crazy woman."
"Useless!"
The Dean brought his axe down on the solid wooden table!
The force was so great, unlike that of an ordinary person!
The axe blade pierced through the thick tabletop, just two centimeters from Yuquan Youxi's small face.
The girl's body trembled wildly, her teeth clenched tightly, desperately suppressing her body's instinctual fear.
Just then, another scream came from outside.
"Ah ah ah!!"
"Father, save me!"
That was Dog Leg Number One's voice.
The Dean's brows furrowed, he pulled out his axe, and strode out of the room.
As he neared Li Andy, he suddenly delivered a fierce kick.
Li Andy flew backward, hitting the wall, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth as he slowly slid down, clutching his stomach.
"A bunch of useless trash!"
The Dean cursed coldly and strode towards the direction of the screams.
Li Andy watched his receding back, a hint of ruthlessness adding to his eyes.
A few minutes later.
A soft, gentle voice sounded in front of him:
"Brother..."
Li Andy looked up and saw a somewhat haggard small face.
Just as he was about to say something, Yuquan Youxi hugged him.
Her small arms wrapped tightly around his back.
"......"
"You... aren't afraid I'll trick you?" Li Andy couldn't help but ask.
Yuquan Youxi's body trembled slightly:
"I am."
Afraid, of course she was afraid.
But she still chose to trust him.
Li Andy was silent for a few seconds, then reached out and embraced Youxi.
Her soft embrace was captivating.
At first glance, this scene seemed like a story of a brother and sister, once at odds due to misunderstanding, reconciling and leaning on each other again.
However, facing such a heartwarming scene, Li Andy felt a chill down his spine.
Using the reflection of the cleaver, he glimpsed the girl's hands wrapped around his back, which were holding a dinner knife!
The slightly trembling tip of the knife was aimed at the back of his neck!
"......"
Li Andy's mouth twitched, and after secretly praising, "As expected of the female lead," he also quietly placed his knife against the back of the girl's neck.
All you high-dimensional entities, you've all seen it!
She was the one who raised the knife first!
This is self-defense!
