Chapter Sixty-Three: Butcher? You Used Torture?

The footsteps sounded chaotic and irregular, bearing no resemblance to the steps of a single person.

Instead, it felt as though many people were closely following behind her.

A chill crept up her spine.

Gale-force eerie winds howled, carrying sounds akin to weeping ghosts and howling wolves.

Li Xi grew increasingly terrified.

She had no idea what kind of demonic place she had wandered into.

All she knew was that she had to get away from here as fast as possible.

Li Xi quickened her pace to flee, but to her dismay, the moment she started running, the footsteps behind her grew hurried as well.

Those footsteps seemed to be giving chase, right on her heels.

Frowning, Li Xi hurried toward the spot where the exit had originally been.

However, when she actually reached the exit, she discovered that the door that had been there was suddenly gone.

Li Xi stood there in utter bewilderment, having no clue what was happening.

She had no choice but to search for a door all over again.

In a haze, she fancied she heard the sound of chains dragging across the ground.

The sound was coming from directly behind her.

For some inexplicable reason, panic gripped her heart.

That sound was drawing closer and closer.

Knowing she could no longer escape, she instinctively wanted to find a place to hide.

Yet the surroundings were completely barren, offering nowhere to conceal herself.

Desperation overwhelmed Li Xi.

She looked upward again.

However, the darkness was absolute, revealing nothing.

She wished she could just find a light switch within this place.

Before she could even locate a light, however, the illumination inside suddenly flared to life.

With the lights blazing, Li Xi could clearly see the scenery within the abandoned factory.

Everywhere in the sprawling, derelict building lay scattered human bones, presenting a grim and terrifying spectacle.

Numerous mirrors were positioned throughout the space, though where they had come from remained a mystery.

Every single one of them reflected Li Xi.

Gradually, Li Xi sensed that her reflection in the mirrors differed from her real self in the physical world.

The figure in the glass was smiling back at her.

And simultaneously, it was inflicting self-harm.

Bizarrely, whenever her mirror image mutilated itself, a corresponding wound materialized upon her own wrist.

Li Xi clutched her bleeding wrist in agony.

She simply could not comprehend why any of this was happening.

Why should she feel pain when it was the reflection in the mirror cutting its wrists?

Could it be that the entity within the mirror was standing right beside her?

Li Xi found it hard to believe.

After all, the reality of the situation was entirely too eerie.

She glanced around the interior of the abandoned factory.

The windows were installed very high up, and the walls were remarkably smooth, leaving absolutely no way to scale them to reach the openings.

Shock rippled through Li Xi; she had never expected the windows to be built at such a dizzying height.

Unwilling to give up just yet, she scrambled desperately against the wall.

She wanted to test whether climbing was a viable option after all.

Scarcely had she ascended a short distance, however, when she slipped and crashed heavily to the ground.

The surface of the wall was far too slick, rendering any attempt to scale it completely futile.

Frowning deeply, Li Xi wondered what was going on.

Since the path of scaling the walls led nowhere, she reasoned, she should check for any hidden mechanisms.

Perhaps upon entering, she had inadvertently triggered some device that caused the door to vanish.

She began pacing the perimeter once more.

Touching the walls, tapping against the masonry.

Yet no matter what she tried, she could detect nothing unusual about the structure.

Confusion gnawed at Li Xi, for if there were no hidden mechanisms, how on earth had the door disappeared?

A profound wave of despair enveloped her.

Believing she would never escape, she was nevertheless consumed by reluctance and anger.

She raised her head to look at the ceiling.

The moment she looked up, however, a surge of even greater terror gripped her.

Clinging upside down from the rafters of the abandoned factory were numerous women draped in crimson garments.

Their hair was excessively long and hung disheveled over their faces.

With milky-white eyes and deathly pale complexions, they stared fixedly down at Li Xi.

Their collective gaze sent a shiver straight through her soul.

Trembling with fright, Li Xi frowned as she tried to make her escape.

Her efforts proved utterly useless, though.

Those women began to descend.

One by one, they closed in until Li Xi was entirely surrounded.

Trapped in their midst, Li Xi panicked even more.

She dropped to her knees, kowtowing repeatedly while begging for her life to be spared.

The women merely formed a ring around her, however, without taking any immediate action.

Deciding to make one desperate gamble, Li Xi mustered all her strength.

She charged fiercely through the barrier of figures and broke into a run.

The women gave chase, moving with terrifying speed.

Within moments, they caught up to her once again.

This time, they bound her securely and tossed her into a corner.

Thereafter, right before her eyes, they began a serious discussion regarding how to deal with her.

"How about we use her as an ingredient?"

"Bad idea. The boss will be furious if he finds out. Even though we are spirits, he forbids such actions."

"Then should we scare her to death and present that as our report to the boss?"

"No, the boss explicitly stated that this person must be left intact until he returns."

Ultimately, following their deliberation, they resolved to render Li Xi unconscious.

Hearing their chilling debate, Li Xi shook her head frantically in terror, desperately seeking a way to run.

Yet the phantoms held her down mercilessly and knocked her out cold.

Li Xi remained unconscious for a prolonged period.

When she finally regained her senses, finding herself in the very same familiar surroundings, she briefly wondered if she had descended straight into hell.

Soon enough, however, she spotted the same group of crimson-clad vengeful spirits lingering nearby.

Upon seeing her awake, they offered no words, merely watching her in silence.

Ceasing her struggles, Li Xi lay quietly to bide her time.

She had no desire to be knocked unconscious again.

Playing the obedient captive seemed the wisest course.

After a short while, the heavy doors of the abandoned factory materialized once more.

Staring wide-eyed, Li Xi realized upon closer inspection that the exit had merely been concealed by the illusions of these malevolent spirits.

No wonder she had been unable to find it earlier.

Cautiously, she crept toward the reappearing doorway.

Her movement was detected instantly, nonetheless.

The crimson-robed spirits shattered her legs with ruthless force.

A piercing shriek of agony escaped her lips.

Any hope of fleeing was now completely extinguished.

Moments later, the factory doors swung open wide.

Li Xi caught sight of the fortune-telling master she had encountered earlier.

He was no longer clad in a traditional Taoist robe.

Instead, he wore the attire of a butcher.

Furthermore, his garments were heavily stained with fresh blood.

Clutched in his hand was a massive cleaver.

The heavy blade dripped crimson as well.

With a sinister grin, he strode toward Li Xi.

The sight of the butcher and his blood-soaked weapon filled Li Xi with dread.

Her eyelids twitched violently, screaming a silent warning that her life was about to end at this man's hands.

The man stepped up to where Li Xi lay.

Noticing her shattered legs, he turned a fierce and angry glare upon the female spirits, demanding, "Did you torture her?

Didn't I instruct you to leave her untouched until I returned?"

The vengeful spirits promptly informed the man of Li Xi's repeated attempts to escape.

At that, Li Xi knew her fate was sealed.