We were supposed to be doing horror movie guides, but what the heck is this "mysterious resurre

Chapter 193 The Alluring Tomie! The End of the Whirlpool Incident (1 words)

Black Vortex Town.

There's also the name Shuichi.

Combining the two, it can be basically determined that this instance is not simply the world of Tomie, but a combination of the worlds of Junji Itō.

The town where Lu Ming is currently located is one of the most notorious sites of terrorist attacks.

And the name of that "ghost" hiding in the shadows is—

swirl!

Black Vortex Town is cursed; anyone who gets close will be affected and cannot escape it.

Just as the name suggests, everything here is related to whirlpools, and those who are cursed will eventually be killed by the whirlpool.

The man in front of me, Shuichi, was among the first to discover the vortex curse. He had tried to take his girlfriend, Kirie, away from Black Vortex Town, but failed for various reasons.

At first, some natural phenomena that were difficult to understand appeared in the town.

The wind can create whirlpools, the flowing water in a stream can create whirlpools, and even the muddy ground after rain can form whirlpools...

Gradually, this supernatural phenomenon began to affect the residents of the town.

The first to fall victim was Shuichi's father. He was rambling on and on all day long, and his left and right eyes seemed to have separated, each mimicking a whirlpool at a different speed. He even made sure to create whirlpools in the water he used when taking a bath before he was satisfied.

Such situations sound like trivial matters, and might even seem a little funny.

But you only know how terrifying it is when you see it with your own eyes.

Some time ago, Shuichi's father approached Kirie's father, asking for his help to make a ceramic piece with a swirling pattern in the center. However, when Kirie's father finished the piece and went to Shuichi's father, he said that he no longer needed such a thing.

He can create vortexes on his own.

After saying that, he stuck out his tongue completely, curled it into a vortex shape, and grinned strangely.

This perverse situation escalated until Shuichi's father suffered a complete mental breakdown, curling himself into a human-shaped vortex and stuffing himself into a wooden barrel...
Lu Ming looked at Xiuyi, whose face was full of panic as if he had grasped at a straw, and then glanced at the coffin that was about to be pushed into the crematorium, lost in thought.

Watching one's once serious and rigid father gradually transform into a mentally unstable eccentric is indeed a torturous experience.

However, this cannot be blamed on Shuichi's father.

No one in the entire town of Black Vortex can escape the curse of the vortex.

"I'm sorry, the roads outside the town are blocked, and we can't leave either. We'll probably have to stay here for a while, so we can't take you away."

Upon hearing this, the hope that had just flickered in Shuichi's eyes immediately dimmed again.

"That's true... It's impossible to escape so easily; we might all die here..."

Although reality is harsh, Lu Ming still has to admit that Xiu Yi was right; it really wasn't that easy to escape Black Vortex Town.

Putting aside the fact that for these challengers, insurmountable barriers have appeared around Black Vortex Town.

Even if these barriers are ineffective against the native inhabitants of Black Vortex Town, the curse of the vortex will not allow them to leave easily.

Once these natives attempt to leave the territory of Black Vortex Town, they will encounter obstacles such as natural disasters like storms.

The same applies to outsiders wanting to enter Black Vortex Town.

Therefore, this place is a cursed land, and living here means being destined to be tainted by misfortune.

Just as Lu Ming was thinking about these random things, the main god panel, which only he could see, reappeared.

[Phase 1 Bonus Mission: Survive in Blackvortex Town for Seven Days]

"Ok?"

"Did some hidden condition get triggered? Why is the extra quest from the first phase only appearing now?"

"However... surviving for only seven days is not difficult for me."

The survival mission is relatively easy. If nothing unexpected happens, the barrier specifically designed to block challengers will disappear after seven days.

Lu Ming's plan was to figure out some of the rules of this world in these seven days.

After all, judging from the current situation, he is in the world of Junji Ito, not simply the world of Tomie.

Although Lu Ming had some understanding of Junji Ito's world, this understanding was only at a relatively superficial level.

Before arriving in the Main God Space, when he learned about this worldview, his feelings could be summed up in two words.

It's not "horror," but "curiosity."

Junji Ito's stories always take unexpected turns for Lu Ming, making the whole thing a thoroughly enjoyable experience of mental pollution.

Some say that the "ghosts" of these worlds have no logic.

Lu Ming commented that trying to find logic in Junji Ito's manga is like trying to compete with a comedy anime.

When it comes to these bizarre existences, the absence of logic is the greatest logic.

"The vortex is alright, it doesn't pose a great threat to me. On a mental level, I have Freddy and the Liar protecting me, and my physical body can be rebuilt at any time; even if it's twisted into a pretzel, I can still survive..."

"I just hope we don't run into any other beings from the underworld..."

Lu Ming thought of Hell Star, a thing that was not only disgusting and bizarre, but also a potential apocalyptic disaster capable of destroying all of humanity.

If we were to actually encounter that, it would likely be extremely troublesome.

After all, this is a life form that is almost a planet. Just by getting close to Earth, under the influence of gravity, it can stir up the winds and clouds and cause a series of terrifying natural disasters.

After a brief exchange with Shuichi, Lu Ming turned to Chu Jianhuan and Hao Ren and said, "I can sense that Tomie is not in this town. However, due to the rules of the instance, we cannot leave here for the time being. We don't need to do anything else. Just survive for seven days."

Chu Jianhuan asked, puzzled, "Seven days? How are you so sure?"

Lu Ming met her gaze without flinching and said, "I think it's not just me; you all probably have your own unique abilities, or rather, you haven't revealed your trump cards yet. So there's no point in asking these kinds of questions anymore."

"I understand, I was presumptuous."

Beside him, Hao Ren patted Lu Ming on the shoulder with delight and said, "Brother Lu, I knew I hadn't misjudged you. I knew you were hiding your true abilities."

The news that they would have to stay in town for seven days before going to find Tomie was nothing to Chu Jianhuan, but it was great news for Hao Ren.

Because his previous bet was that Lu Ming could live for seven days.

The town doesn't seem dangerous, and surviving seven days shouldn't be too difficult for them.

This would give Hao Ren five days of invincibility. In addition, he could use other means to kill anyone who stood in his way. Perhaps by some twist of fate, he could actually clear the seven-star difficulty horror movie dungeon.

As the group was talking, a noisy discussion suddenly broke out nearby.

The residents who had come to attend the funeral, who had been silent, suddenly showed expressions of fear and began to talk amongst themselves.

"Quick! Look at the sky!"

"what is that?"

"This is······"

"swirl!"

Xiu was the first to react; her face turned ashen, and she trembled with fear.

As the corpses were pushed into the crematorium and burned, the thick smoke rising into the sky spontaneously formed layers of spiraling vortexes, which obscured the entire sky.

Whether it was a misperception or not, people felt that the pattern formed by the thick smoke resembled a middle-aged man sticking out his long tongue, grinning menacingly as he swirled it into a spiral shape.

Shuichi's mother, the deceased's wife, collapsed to her knees, clutching her head and screaming hoarsely, "My God! Please stop! Stop torturing us!"

If Lu Ming had seen this scene elsewhere, he might have simply thought it was some kind of natural phenomenon that he didn't understand.

However, the appearance of a vortex in Black Vortex Town represents an extremely ominous sign.

Chu Jianhuan also noticed something was wrong and exclaimed, "Have you guys noticed that the vortex imagery appears in this town a little too frequently?"

Lu Ming explained, "The vortex is the way the ghosts in this town kill. You can think of it as a kind of meme contamination. We've been entangled with it since the moment we stepped into the town. If nothing unexpected happens, this meme contamination will soon affect us."

"Oh? So this town is quite dangerous?"

Hao Ren was indignant.

"It's alright. Since this instance is called Tomie World instead of Whirlpool World, these whirlpools shouldn't pose too much of a threat to us. Don't worry, Brother Lu, I won't let anything happen to you."

Lu Ming shook his head helplessly, too lazy to pay attention to this eccentric guy.

If something really happens, it would be a miracle if he managed to protect himself.

"Let's find a place to stay first; there are hotels in town."

Lu Ming took out some currency, which was specially prepared by the God Space every time he entered the dungeon.

···········
In the following days, Lu Ming and his two companions settled down in Black Vortex Town.

The meme contamination from the vortex is insidious and deepens gradually over time.

Over the past few days, the impact on the group has not been too great, with only minor disruptions to their daily lives. For example, their hair has become curly and swirling, as if it had been permed, and the water in their cups keeps swirling when they drink.

However, later on, the effects of the vortex began to affect Lu Ming and his companions.

If things continue like this, they will eventually be twisted like a rope and end up like Shuichi's father.

After being cursed by the vortex, there will be two different endings.

Or they would die like Shuichi's father, their bodies twisted into pretzels and their internal organs crushed.

Or it will grow spiral-like swirls on its back, the flesh on its back will gradually swell up, and then it will carry a heavy shell like a snail.

In terms of disgust level, the latter is even more disgusting than the former.

Fortunately, none of the three, including Lu Ming, showed any signs of becoming complacent or stagnant.

A middle school in Heiwo Town.

After the school bell rang, a slightly chubby boy walked into the classroom, covered in sweat.

The teacher on the podium asked, "Little Fatty, why are you so late?"

"Teacher... I walked a little too slowly."

"Hmm... By the way, what happened to your back? Are you feeling unwell? Should we go to the infirmary?"

"No need, teacher. It's been like this since yesterday. Everything else is fine, but it's a bit severe and itchy. I can't help but want to scratch it."

"Okay, let me know anytime if you feel unwell."

Little Fatty slowly returned to his seat, his expression looking somewhat blank and guilty.

Generally speaking, introverted people are more likely to do this in unfamiliar environments.

that's the truth.

Compared to the teacher's concern, most of the students around him showed expressions of watching the show and mocking him. They didn't hide it from Little Fatty at all and started talking about him to his face.

"Where has this good-for-nothing been doing? Did he go to exercise?"

"What joke? This fatso can't even move. Our class lost the volleyball game in the last PE class because of him."

"Hey, don't leave after class."

A fierce-looking boy patted the chubby boy on the back.

After school.

The chubby boy, who was trying to sneak away, was dragged to the changing room by Tsumura because he was walking too slowly.

"You bastard, take your clothes off now."

Tsumura gave a mocking smile.

Little Fatty reluctantly took off his clothes. Of course, he didn't want to do it, but he still obediently did as he was told.

A group of boys nearby laughed and cheered, and some even took out their phones to take pictures of the chubby boy.

"That fatso is too slow. He walks slowly, and he takes even slower to take off his clothes... In that case, let's help him take them off."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Tsumura ripped the chubby boy's clothes off with a tearing sound.

"Hahahahahaha!"

Tsumura and his accomplices laughed heartily, originally intending to watch the fat boy make a fool of himself. But as soon as they pointed, before they could even utter a word, their laughter abruptly stopped, and their expressions turned to terror.

"What's this?!"

Tsumura's voice began to tremble slightly.

A huge vortex appeared behind Little Fatty, and something was pushing up the flesh on his back, making it look like a snail carrying a huge shell.

The most terrifying thing was that the vortexes weren't patterns drawn with a pen, but rather countless tiny holes, as if deliberately pierced by something. These holes stretched open Little Fatty's flesh, revealing dark, gaping holes inside, making it impossible to see anything clearly.

"Please, let me go! My back is so itchy, can someone scratch it for me?"

The group of Tsumura and his men had lost their previous arrogance and were so frightened that they retreated repeatedly, unable to utter a single word. The dense array of tiny holes only made their scalps tingle.

"Please scratch it for me, please..."

The chubby boy's pleading voice came from behind.

As he spoke, he folded his hand over, reached behind his back, and began to scratch vigorously.

But this did not relieve his pain; on the contrary, the more he scratched, the itchier it became. Little Fatty's strength also increased, and finally, he managed to dig out a large number of snail eggs from the countless small holes on his back.

"yue~"

Tsumura couldn't hold it in and almost vomited on the spot.

Studies have shown that many people suffer from trypophobia, feeling uncomfortable when they see things piled up in dense clusters, except for gold bars and banknotes.

At this moment, the large pile of snail eggs that Little Fatty had dug out from his back was piled on the ground. They were sticky and still wriggling. The impact of this scene was so strong that it was almost unbearable to look at.

"what!"

Now, it's a battle of offense and defense. The chubby boy is chasing after Tsumura, wanting him to scratch his back, while Tsumura is running ahead, yelling and screaming.

···········
the other side.

Lu Ming has already begun to take action.

He went out alone and found the pool in Black Vortex Town.

It is called a pool because the area is not large, the water is calm and still, and at first glance, there are obvious signs of human intervention, as it was probably dug by someone.

If Lu Ming remembered correctly, this place should be the source of the vortex curse in Black Vortex Town.

Meme contamination originated from this pool.

It was still daytime, but for some reason, no one approached the area.

As soon as Lu Ming had a thought, a ghost bride dressed in a bright red wedding gown appeared beside him.

The combination of Lu Ming and his bride, a striking pair in red and white, seems out of place in the eerie Black Vortex Town.

However, due to the pollution from the whirlpool, the residents of the town basically had no time to care about these trivial matters.

The fluffy paper ash sprinkled onto the water's surface, and the hazy, ghostly aura extended outwards, quickly enveloping the small pool.

The next moment, all the water in the pool was sent away by the Ghost Painting Ghost Domain.

Given the current strength of Ghostly Realm, achieving this is actually not difficult.

However, as soon as the pool was emptied, new water would fill it again, endlessly, beyond the comprehension of normal people.

"Oh?"

"Is it impossible to completely eradicate meme pollution in such a simple way?"

It truly lives up to its reputation as a seven-star difficulty dungeon.

If Lu Ming were to solo the Mountain Village Corpse dungeon now, he could clear it in a single, easy attack.

But even the first stage of the mission in the [Tomie World] is this difficult.

Lu Ming's expression shifted, and he replaced the Ghost Painting Ghost Domain with the Water Ghost's Ghost Domain.

Long, black, and filthy fingernails suddenly emerged from behind Lu Ming, and Sadako slowly crawled out, her hand resting on Lu Ming's back.

Wow!
With a splash of water, the eerie, foul-smelling stagnant water flowed into the pool of Black Vortex Town.

Since the water would continue to be produced indefinitely after it was sent away, Lu Ming simply decided to ignore the water in the pool.

The idea is to fight poison with poison; all we need to do is pollute the water in the pool with another curse.

However, after the supernatural stagnant water successfully polluted the water in the pool, the water churned wildly before returning to calm.

The pollution was there, but Lu Ming did not sense any conflict between the water ghost and another set of rules.

Either the two rules do not conflict.

Or it could be because the source of the meme contamination is not in the water of the pool.

Lu Ming suddenly recalled the scene when he used the Ghost Domain to send all the water away from the pool.

Although it was only for a brief moment, Lu Ming still noticed that, at the instant the water was drained, the exposed bottom of the pool seemed to reveal a faint staircase...
Lu Ming wasn't entirely clear on the specifics of Black Vortex Town, but based on the information he had, he could roughly determine that the source of the curse wasn't actually the pools of water on the surface.

Rather, it is something hidden beneath the surface of the water.

Having figured this out, Lu Ming no longer hesitated. He immediately peeled off the water that had been contaminated with supernatural elements and used the ghost domain to invade the pool below.

Just as I had imagined, the bottom of the pool was a swirling, spiral-shaped staircase.

Once inside, the outside light is completely blocked, making it feel very dim and oppressive. Without the aid of supernatural perception, it is difficult to see what is underneath.

The water at the bottom of the pool emitted a fishy stench, but this stench was different from that of the water ghosts. It smelled more like seawater or the stench of rotting seafood.

Lu Ming was able to move freely at the bottom of the water with the help of the Ghost Domain, strolling leisurely without being hindered by the water pressure.

Soon, Lu Ming saw giant snail shells covered with snail eggs...

The flesh protruding from the shell is sticky and makes a squelching sound as it wriggles.

This strange thing was a living being, seemingly possessing its own consciousness, constantly scrutinizing Lu Ming in front of it.

"Disgusting bastard."

Even Lu Ming couldn't help but curse.

The closer you get to this giant snail shell, the stronger the curse of the vortex will become.

However, Lu Ming used the Ghost Domain to isolate this direct impact.

As Lu Ming sized up this strange thing, it was also sizing him up.

However, the flesh beneath the snail's shell was not as calm as Lu Ming appeared.

Upon sensing Lu Ming's presence, it exhibited a rather obvious sense of fear.

It's unclear whether she's afraid of Lu Ming's supernatural abilities or the ghost bride's supernatural abilities.

The vortex curse that had corrupted Lu Ming suddenly disappeared.

"This seems to be a... show of weakness?"

Lu Ming hadn't expected that the other party would so tactfully withdraw the curse before he even made a move. After staring at the enormous snail shell at the bottom of the water for a while, Lu Ming ultimately gave up on using supernatural methods to fight it.

Because Lu Ming had already realized the truth about the Vortex Curse.

This terrible curse was indeed created by what is right before our eyes, but once it is spread, it cannot be completely eradicated.

As for the source...
There is no such thing as a source.

Only after seven days, when the barriers surrounding the town are removed and people leave, can the curse truly be broken.

Of course, Lu Ming is an exception.

His very existence can even instill fear in the very source of meme contamination.

This is the instinctive submission of the weak to the strong in nature.

"No wonder this mission wasn't to remove the vortex curse, but to survive for seven days..."

"To get rid of the vortex, the entire town would probably have to disappear along with it."

Lu Ming shook his head, did not linger by the pool, and returned to the hotel where he was staying temporarily.

In the next few days, he will not be affected by the vortex; he can just wait quietly.

As for Hao Ren and Chu Jianhuan, it all depends on whether they are capable enough.

All Lu Ming could provide was some basic intelligence.

Back at the hotel, Lu Ming had no water stains or fishy smell on him.

Hao Ren asked, "Brother Lu, where did you go?"

"It's nothing, just dealt with some minor issues."

Chu Jianhuan, standing to the side, looked rather unwell. Her eyes would occasionally dart around, forming a vortex shape.

"The curse I'm suffering from in the town is getting stronger and stronger. I can clearly feel the changes within myself... Now, I can't even tolerate any vortex-like existence."

Chu Jianhuan's situation is different from that of Xiu Yi's father.

Shuichi's father was afflicted with the vortex curse, making him extremely obsessed with anything related to vortexes.

Chu Jianhuan had already learned about the dangers of the vortex from Lu Ming, so she developed a deep aversion and fear of this monstrous thing.

At this moment, the ends of Chu Jianhuan's smooth long hair curled up, turning into curly hair.

And look at the curl! Even the best curling iron can't achieve such an exaggerated effect.

When Chu Jianhuan noticed the change in her hair, her expression darkened. Before Lu Ming could speak, a pair of blood-stained scissors appeared in her hand.

These scissors have no physical form; they are entirely formed from blood, and they look even more terrifying than ghost scissors.

Click! Click! Click!

In no time, Chu Jianhuan cut off all the hair on her head that had been affected by the vortex.

These strands of hair seemed to have a life of their own, wriggling and growing longer, trying to stop Chu Jianhuan's actions.

However, the scissors in Chu Jianhuan's hand were no joke. After a few swings, a large amount of hair fell to the ground, twitching like a living thing before finally falling silent.

There are only two days left.

If Chu Jianhuan and Hao Ren can hold out for the next two days, they will be temporarily out of danger.

Hao Ren, in particular, made a bet with the human dice: if Lu Ming survived for seven days, he would receive a reward.

"Brother Lu, as you've seen, it's not easy for us to fight against the curse. Can you tell us what method you used and why you're unharmed?"

"I'm sorry, this method doesn't work for you. If you want to survive, you'll just have to hold on for seven days. Use whatever trump cards you have."

This wasn't Lu Ming hiding his abilities; it was the truth.

As Lu Ming said this, he didn't forget to glance at Chu Jianhuan.

He always felt that this woman was even more mysterious than Hao Ren, and that she probably still had some trump cards up her sleeve.

···········
The seventh day after entering Black Vortex Town.

That is, the last day of the first phase of the mission.

In order to investigate the outbreak of the Vortex Curse in Black Vortex Town, Lu Ming went out for a walk.

Upon hearing this, Hao Ren and Chu Jianhuan also went along.

Neither of them was in good condition; they had clearly suffered a lot.

Only Lu Ming was unharmed, which puzzled them greatly.

Even if Lu Ming's methods are brilliant, it's impossible for him to just resolve the vortex curse like that, right?

Fortunately, Lu Ming used the supernatural powers of the Deceitful Ghost to help Chu Jianhuan and Hao Ren repair their twisted bodies several times.

This kind of use, which only changes reality and does not involve the supernatural, does not pose any burden to Lu Ming at present.

Lu Ming's miraculous healing skills left Hao Ren feeling ashamed that he hadn't protected Lu Ming but had instead been protected by him. Hao Ren exclaimed that it was a divine skill and repeatedly called him "father" to express his gratitude for saving his life.

······
After leaving the hotel, the three of them discovered that the streets of Black Vortex Town had become very deserted.

Especially inside the school, even during breaks, no students run out of the classroom to play, making it feel like a lifeless graveyard.

The three entered the school and randomly chose a classroom.

The lecturer stood listlessly on the podium, his back hunched high, like a giant snail shell.

The lecturer's facial features also contorted, roughly forming a vortex shape...
The students in the audience were not too shocked by this scene, as if they were already used to it.

"Please come in, sir/madam. Who are you looking for?"

The teacher's voice was extremely weak, but he still managed to force a smile at Lu Ming and the others with his swirling, distorted face.

Lu Ming pointed to the empty seats everywhere and asked, "Excuse me, where did all these students go? Did something happen?"

"Oh, a lot of people have taken the day off these past few days. It seems the weather hasn't been very good, and quite a few people have caught a cold."

The teacher maintained his strange smile and glanced out the gloomy window.

Sure enough, the sky outside the window was low and gloomy, with dark clouds gathering like a vortex. If you were observant, you would notice that the wind was getting stronger and stronger.

This is a precursor to a tornado.

The teacher seemed to suddenly remember something, and a happy smile appeared on her face. "However, some good things have happened recently too. I've given birth to some offspring, and when they grow up, there will be a whole bunch of cute little guys in town... How about I take you to see them?"

"Please lead the way."

Lu Ming's purpose in going out this time was to explore.

He wanted to have a deeper understanding of the world.

So I readily agreed to the teacher's suggestion.

Soon, the teacher led the group to an open space behind the school building.

There's an iron fence around here, and it seems like something is being kept inside.

These are all my children...

The teacher pointed to the snail eggs piled up on the ground like a small mountain, sticky and gooey, like eyes staring intently at Lu Ming.

Next to these snail eggs were two giant human-shaped snails.

The two snails, each with a huge, fleshy shell on its back, were crawling aimlessly on the ground, leaving behind a sticky liquid and emitting a fishy, ​​rotten seafood smell.

The strangest thing is that both snails have human hair and human facial features.

"I forgot to introduce them. This is Fatty, this is Tsumura, and these eggs were laid by us together."

The teacher's expression was very normal when she said these words, as if she were talking about a trivial matter.

Chu Jianhuan felt a chill, took a step back, and then subconsciously spun around in place.

Hao Ren's eyes widened, his worldview being shaken like never before: "What a joke! It's one thing to turn into a snail because of a vortex, but how can it lay snail eggs?"

Even these challengers, who had been tempered by countless horror movies, were trembling at this moment.

They've seen plenty of bloody, cruel, and terrifying ghosts.

This is the first time I've ever seen something so bizarre.

Lu Ming frowned, feeling a little nauseous, but he still explained, "Snails are hermaphroditic, so he's probably not talking nonsense. These eggs are laid out by them together..."

The teacher didn't notice their conversation. His body visibly twisted again, and he curled up on the ground, crawling like a snail towards Tsumura and Fatty.

"No way!"

"He wouldn't be going to...?"

Hao Ren was utterly shocked, and some rather unpleasant images seemed to be forming in his mind.

Fortunately, things did not develop as Hao Ren had expected.

After the teacher climbed up to Tsumura's side.

With a loud thud, many more live snail eggs were expelled from the cloaca, piling up densely together.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Finally, Lu Ming broke the silence. He turned his head and analyzed, "Humanity is beyond saving."

"The intensity of the vortex curse is increasing. Fortunately, today is the last day, and we will be able to leave here soon. As for the curse of Black Vortex Town, we are powerless to do anything about it."

Hao Ren nodded, about to agree.

But just then, a howling wind arose, accompanied by a piercing shriek!
Whoosh!

"what!"

Hao Ren and Chu Jianhuan both covered their heads at the same time, feeling their minds being attacked.

My vision became distorted and blurry, and my thoughts were churned into a jumbled mess, twisting, twisting, and twisting again...
Lu Ming used the Deceitful Ghost to help the two resolve their physical distortions, but no one expected that the vortex could eventually twist a person's mind, turning them into a vortex themselves!

The only consequence of a mind and consciousness becoming a vortex is that consciousness is shattered and dissipated, leading to utter death.

Lu Ming shook his head, somewhat helpless.

He has done all he could.

The rest is up to Hao Ren and Chu Jianhuan.

Moreover, Lu Ming has no obligation to risk his life to save everyone. If the two of them can't even get through the first phase of the mission, it means that these two guys are just weaklings and won't be of any use afterward.

At the critical moment, Hao Ren's contorted expression changed, his face turned red, and he roared.

"One more game!"

He raised his left hand and bit off his left little finger.

In an instant, blood splattered!

"No wonder he's a gambler; he actually chopped off one of his own fingers to forcibly prolong his life..."

"However, how long can this method last?"

Snap! Snap! Snap!

Fresh blood dripped continuously from the severed part of Hao Ren's little finger.

It started out very fast, but then gradually slowed down, to the point that it began to heal.

Once the wound heals, the "play another round" option will no longer be effective, and Hao Ren will still have to die.

“I said, the wounds of the person before me will continue to bleed.”

Lu Ming spoke calmly, using the supernatural power of the Deceitful Ghost to help Hao Ren at a crucial moment.

This seemingly insignificant sentence caused Hao Ren's wound to reopen and start bleeding again.

Hao Ren's expression changed, and he could hardly believe it.

It should be noted that the wound on his hand cannot be triggered a second time in a short period of time.

Even cutting it open with a knife won't work.

How exactly did Lu Ming manage to do that?
The shock lasted only a short time; soon, Hao Ren's attention was drawn to something else.

A human-shaped die fell to the ground, with five small red dots pointing upwards.

The time for the bet arrived just then.

From the moment the bet was placed until now, Lu Ming has survived for exactly seven days.

For the next five days, Hao Ren will be protected by the human skin dice and possess an "immortal body".

"I'm done!"

"Ha ha!"

The anger and ferocity faded from Hao Ren's face, and he laughed excitedly.

However, when he waved his hands, he realized that blood was still dripping uncontrollably from his little finger.

"I go!"

"Why isn't the bleeding stopping? Brother Lu, please help!"

Lu Ming ignored Hao Ren, this clown who was always making a fuss, and instead turned his gaze to Chu Jianhuan.

His hunch was right; this woman, who didn't talk much, was even more mysterious than Hao Ren and must possess some kind of powerful ability.

The scissors formed from congealed blood appeared in Chu Jianhuan's hand. She pondered for a moment and muttered to herself, "Whirlpool... just eliminate all whirlpools."

Click! ! !

Click! ! !

Knife up and down.

Strands of her long, flowing hair were cut off.

If you just cut off the roots like you did a few days ago, the spiky hair will soon come back.

But Chu Jianhuan directly cut off the roots of his hair with scissors and dug out the hair follicles as well.

She seemed to feel no pain at all while doing all this.

As Chu Jianhuan was cutting her hair with the blood-stained scissors, she happened to raise her hand and saw the swirling fingerprints on her own hand.

His mind, which had just begun to settle down, began to twist again.

Left with no other option, she stretched out her five fingers and began to carefully cut away at the fleshy tips covered in her fingerprints...

Lu Ming felt a pang of discomfort watching this, and couldn't help but curse inwardly, "Damn it, I didn't expect her to be a crazy woman too. Is it true that the fewer words someone says, the more ruthless they are?"

After Chu Jianhuan cut off the flesh of her ten fingers like clipping nails, a strange thread appeared in her field of vision.

Similar to the medium through which vengeful ghosts are materialized in a mysterious resurrection world.

Click!

Finally, the line was cut.

Chu Jianhuan's mental distortion finally stopped.

···········
Island country.

A detached villa at the end of a street.

It was already quite late, and all the surrounding houses had turned off their lights, but this villa still had its lights on, as if there was something worth celebrating.

that's the truth.

The family's eldest daughter, Tomie Kawakami, who died in an accident ten years ago, has miraculously come back to life and returned home.

As soon as she returned, she naturally reintegrated into the family without any sense of incongruity.

Neither her birth mother nor her stepfather noticed anything amiss.

Only one younger sister, who was slightly younger than Kawakami Tomie, felt a deep sense of fear.

The dead return...

what does this mean?
In short, it's definitely not going to be anything good!
Seeing her parents' excessive attentiveness and concern for Tomie, the younger sister was gripped by deep fear, wondering if the world had gone mad or if she herself had gone mad.

Taking advantage of Tomie's absence, the younger sister anxiously reminded her, "Dad, Mom, my sister died ten years ago. I saw her die right in front of me. How could she possibly come back!"

Tomie's biological mother and stepfather were momentarily dazed.

"Is that so? We don't remember it very clearly. Perhaps there are some hidden details about what happened back then?"

The younger sister's voice was already trembling with tears: "What secret could there be! My sister is dead! She's a dead person! Get her out of here, I'm scared!"

"Oh?"

A gentle touch came from my shoulder, and I felt the cool air blowing through my hair near my ear.

The indoor lights suddenly dimmed a bit.

"Little sister, it's not nice of you to say that about your older sister behind her back."

···········
late at night.

After quickly cleaning up the bloodstains in the house and licking the blood from the corner of her mouth, Tomie smiled alluringly.

She sat on the sofa with her legs crossed, like a queen.

Tomie's stepfather was crawling at her feet.

The bald, middle-aged man humbly lay on the ground, cautiously raising his head to glance at Tomie.

"Ms. Tomie, is there anything I can do for you?"

"Do you love me?"

"Of course I love you. You are the most beautiful woman in the world. No one could not love you."

“But…” Tomie’s eyes were filled with disdain, “I really hate you, and I’m sorry to say, I already have someone I like.”

"Is this... really true?"

"Yes, now get away from me, you filthy dog."

　Merry Christmas Eve!

　　Everyone's probably spending time with their girlfriends tonight (laughs), but unfortunately, the author is still writing alone in the cold wind, watching couples kissing next to him.

　　(Click to vote for the author to immediately appease them)
　　
　
(End of this chapter)