Forced to Act out a Strange Script with a Rival - Chapter 60

Watching the Lin Xiu couple disappear towards the pier in their small boat, the surprise instantly faded from Li Ting’s face, leaving only cold scrutiny.

She certainly wouldn’t be naive enough to think that the phone at the small shop would work.

As expected.

When she arrived at the low stone house at the village entrance, which had a wooden sign hanging that read “Small Shop,” the door was tightly shut, and a cold, rusty iron lock hung on it.

The surroundings were silent, with not even a soul in sight.

This was within expectations.

Li Ting felt no disappointment; instead, she felt that this “cold shoulder” further confirmed some of her suspicions.

She began to wander around the village, seemingly aimlessly.

Most of the villagers she encountered on the road were men and elderly women, while the young women and little girls had seemingly evaporated, nowhere to be seen.

How strange.

Li Ting pondered secretly, though she vaguely had an answer in mind.

She probably guessed the reason for the village’s strangeness, but she still needed some physical evidence.

In this eerie place, perhaps only there could she best gather information.

Her footsteps finally stopped again in front of the small, shabby clinic that reeked of disinfectant and mold.

Perhaps because of the arrival of Li Ting, the “outsider,” the small clinic was locked this time.

It was truly difficult to open by brute force, especially since she had no tools.

Tsk, I can’t just leave empty-handed like this.

She didn’t want to give up. Li Ting looked around, confirmed no one was present, took a deep breath, and called out tentatively in a low voice.

“Si Xiaoxiao, are you still there?”

The moment the words fell, she clearly felt the shadow beneath her feet twist slightly, as if a stone had been tossed into a calm body of water, spreading a circle of unnatural ripples, which quickly returned to stillness.

Still here, as expected, but… she can hide within the shadow?

That’s kind of interesting.

Li Ting thought about the strange behavior of the tentacles yesterday and the system prompt “The Tentacle Monster’s Spring,” and she seemed to gain a flash of insight. A bold idea emerged.

“If you can help me open the door, then tonight… cough cough, I’ll cooperate with you.” Her voice was even lower, carrying a hint of imperceptible resolution mixed with shame and desperation. A blush quietly crept up her earlobes.

Especially those last three words, which were indeed difficult to utter.

But considering that the other party no longer had any independent consciousness, she simply let go of herself.

The moment her words dropped!

A sudden change occurred!

The shadow beneath her feet abruptly boiled, as if plunged into a pot of scorching oil.

The shadow began to deform, and it suddenly extended from the mass of darkness.

She turned into them.

Although they were rational monsters, they were not in the frenzy of their attack last night.

Instead, they carried a strange, almost joyful excitement.

They approached with careful probing, gently, like a lover’s first touch, slowly pressing against Li Ting…

Slippery and cold, yet carrying a trace of a creature’s unique slight warmth.

The suction cups were like the softest lips, lightly adhering…

But she was very sensible and did not take any further offensive action.

The swaying motion seemed to be confirming with her if she really wants to proceed with the transaction.

Sure enough, this is Si Xiaoxiao’s true nature—passionate, yet arrogant, and occasionally a bit cowardly.

There was no other way now.

It was impossible to leave without accomplishing anything.

“…………”

Li Ting sighed and actively squeezed the suction cup to indicate her response.

Such a friendly probe should receive a friendly response, right?

The suction cup slightly contracted, and then adhered more passionately, the force gentle yet persistent.

Just like the intense fervor that Si Xiaoxiao always gave.

Li Ting instantly felt relieved.

As if feeling her “response,” several pink tentacles, like children vying for affection, began to wrestle in front of her.

They softly intertwined and pushed each other, emitting an extremely faint “rustling” sound, like wet silk rubbing together.

But Li Ting didn’t have to wait long; soon, their fight yielded a final result.

One tentacle, which seemed slightly “clumsier,” was “nominated” by its companions. With a hint of “feeling wronged,” it stretched towards the doorknob (a literal physical doorknob, just opening the previously locked door).

The rest of the “winners,” as if having earned a reward, became more presumptuous, wrapping and tightly enveloping Li Ting’s entire palm and wrist…

Although it was only holding her hand, why did it feel so strange?

Li Ting motioned for Miss Tentacle to hurry up and open the door to complete the transaction.

So, a moment later, with the metallic sound of the lock falling, the clinic’s door was opened.

The secret room in the clinic was pitch black.

…

…………

(Tentacles and Jie-jie are snuggling)

What a clingy, clumsy dog!

Though Li Ting complained in her heart, she ultimately indulged it.

But the most important thing right now was clearly to find a way to enter the doctor’s clinic and uncover the truth of this strange world.

Thus, Li Ting could only call a stop to the small tentacle.

This tentacle, probably knowing the difference between one good meal and continuous good meals, retreated back into the shadow like a little dog at play.

It was much more obedient and easier to placate than when it was Si Xiaoxiao.

Moreover, the mucus secreted by the tentacles seemed to have a special effect.

! That’s quite something…

After being snuggled, Li Ting actually felt that her hand seemed a few shades lighter. She was secretly alarmed by the other party’s healing ability.

If it really had a whitening effect, it might not be a loss.

Li Ting shook away the strange thoughts in her head and turned her gaze to the open doorway, where a deeper chill and musty smell emanated.

Li Ting took a deep breath, cautiously checked her surroundings again, then slipped inside, gently pulling the door shut behind her.

She wasted no time and immediately began a search so meticulous it was almost demanding.

Her fingertips tapped every inch of the wall, her eyes scanned every corner, not even sparing the gaps between the floor tiles.

Such a detailed search proved useful.

Finally, in an inconspicuous corner behind the medicine cabinet, a slightly protruding brick caught her attention.

She thought for a moment, then, without hesitation, pressed down hard!

A dull sound of a mechanism turning rang out.

The heavy, old medicine cabinet slowly slid to one side, revealing a pitch-black entrance just wide enough for one person to pass through.

A secret room! This really conforms to the usual tropes in novels.

An odor ten times stronger than that in the clinic, a mix of dampness, mold, and an indescribable, almost sanguineous stench, like years of dried bloodstains, rushed out, choking Li Ting and making her feel nauseous.

As expected, this is the key location!

Inside the doorway was impenetrable darkness. Li Ting held onto the cold, damp stone wall, carefully making her way down.

After walking for a good distance, she vaguely saw a light and continued until the very end, where she was met with another locked iron door.

“Please.”

Before Li Ting could offer a deal, the moment her words fell, the shadow beneath her feet boiled up again.

The “defeated” pink tentacle, seemingly holding a grudge, eagerly rushed out of the shadow first. With a sense of “making amends,” it precisely wrapped itself around the cold, large lock.

A minuscule “click” sound, like that of delicate gears turning, was heard from inside the lock cylinder.

“Click.”

Finally, a crisp unlocking sound rang out. The iron door slowly opened, and the strong smell of blood instantly assailed her, mixed with the odor of decay and stench.

Upon seeing everything before her, Li Ting nearly gagged. An intense feeling of discomfort instantly enveloped her body.

The walls of the entire room were completely covered by layer upon layer of deep purple anemones, whose color was so unnatural it was almost ominous.

In the center of the room stood a massive wooden shelf, resembling a traditional Chinese medicine cabinet. The shelf was divided into countless neat, small compartments, dense like a beehive.

In each small compartment, an object was silently placed, and directly below the object was a piece of paper with a date and a series of shocking… names written on it.

Her stomach churned, and a strong sense of dizziness instantly hit her.

Just as serial killers take an item from their victims, before Li Ting now was a wall covered with evidence of crimes.

Li Ting forced down her inner revulsion and discomfort, her gaze passing over compartment after compartment. There was everything inside.

There were everyday items, such as a backpack, a hair clip, a pair of high heels, but also more depraved things: a lock of hair, a severed finger, or even… an unformed fetus.

All of this was truly terrifying.

Li Ting’s heart pounded wildly, almost bursting through her chest. Coldness, fear, and anger swept over her entire body.

Her eyes were magnetically drawn, frantically searching among the dense names.

Soon, she found the small compartment with the name Si Xiaoxiao written on it. There was nothing in it to make her eyes split with rage, only a solitary diary.

Li Ting grabbed the diary with trembling hands and immediately began to read it.

Perhaps within it lay the secret of this small island and the truth behind “Si Xiaoxiao’s” death.

This was the story of two sisters who depended on each other.

In the story, Si Xiaoxiao was surprisingly the older sister, and Li Ting was the younger sister…

Written on the flyleaf of the diary was:

We talk about everything, we are inseparable, we are the closest halves of one another, the beings who love each other the most. Flowing in our veins is the red thread that connects us.

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