Chapter 152

The bride ghost rarely reacted when she was lively, let alone now when she was burning with fever.

Shi Jian wasn’t really waiting for her response; she had just been finding some bitter amusement, messing around.

From the moment the decision was made, there was no way back.

Because... the way back was completely blocked by the insects!

Shi Jian’s face remained relatively calm, but a string of curses already rang in her mind.

The insect army was dense and extremely fast, charging toward Shi Jian and the others. The only path not yet occupied by them was the road leading to the hall—straight ahead.

“Run!”

“Run.”

Two voices sounded simultaneously.

When Shi Jian rushed down the stairs holding the bride ghost, Xu An quickly made his decision too.

Shi Jian was already ahead of Xu An, and wearing high heels as a prop, she naturally stayed at the very front.

Xu An followed closely behind. His voice came from behind Shi Jian, fast but not overly panicked.

The mood of those around easily influenced both parties, and Shi Jian didn’t want her teammate shouting wildly at such a critical moment.

It had to be said, although Xu An was fragile, after enduring two consecutive dungeons together, Shi Jian was relatively satisfied with this new teammate.

Xu An said, “I just used an area skill.”

Shi Jian knew about Xu An’s area skill—reducing enemy combat power and increasing their own. It was very useful in group fights.

Shi Jian nodded, then sighed again, “It would be even better if it could slow down and speed up.”

What they needed most now was to slow the insects; it seemed fighting them was impossible.

“Should we use fire to burn them?!”

Shi Jian raised her tone to discuss with Xu An.

Being chased by something terrifying was always thrilling, especially by so many insects.

Shi Jian didn’t want to experience those ugly insects burrowing into her flesh. Just imagining it made her start to go crazy.

Her heartbeat was racing fast. To avoid the insects catching up, she was practically taking two steps to skip two stair levels, making everyone sweat nervously for her. Xu An’s gaze stayed fixed on her back.

Shi Jian wore a red silk dress. The hem of her skirt fluttered with her movements like a blazing flame.

Xu An watched carefully to make sure Shi Jian didn’t miss a step; if she did, he could catch her.

But as a woman who loved beauty and a female star, the viewers were holding their breath while Shi Jian’s every step was steady.

“Better not. Damaging hotel property means compensation.”

Xu An rejected that idea.

In fact, as soon as Shi Jian asked, she had already dismissed it herself.It wasn’t just Shi Jian who thought of this reason because there were simply too many insects. Using fire wouldn’t burn them all anytime soon.

Not realistic.

“Wow, this little one’s pretty heavy, solid as a rock,” Shi Jian joked while urgently thinking about what to do with the bride ghost.

After hearing Shi Jian’s words, Xu An volunteered, “Give her to me. I’ll hold her for you.”

Shi Jian had no intention of that. “No time.”

At such a critical moment, they couldn’t stop; there was no time to switch.

Shi Jian had another concern: the crow said only two sentences in the room, the “living flesh keeps dancing” was already happening, so would the “imprisoned in a square” happen next?

Shi Jian hoped not.

She didn’t dare mention it now.

But the dungeon never cared about kindness. Even if unspoken, what should happen would happen.

While running, Shi Jian noticed, “…Was that painting of the Western man always like this?”

Painting of a Western man?

The viewers in the live room and Xu An looked in the direction Shi Jian indicated.

The villa, as a resort hotel, naturally had many decorations in the corridor. Though not as exaggerated as the Rose Castle, with antiques and ceramics everywhere, there were still several paintings.

The painting Shi Jian mentioned was not far ahead—a man with a beard and hat stood smiling in the center. Behind him was an indoor decoration.

But Shi Jian, who liked using all reflective objects to see herself clearly, remembered the man in that painting was clearly lying sideways on the sofa behind him!

Why was he standing now? And so far forward?

Shi Jian’s intuition told her something was wrong. She didn’t have time to think but still shouted at Xu An:

“Try not to get close to that painting, something’s fishy.”

Instinctively, Shi Jian drew her chainsaw. Although holding a child with one hand and the chainsaw with the other was indeed difficult.

Xu An was the type who listened to advice, so he also paid attention to that painting.

...

【Damn, what’s going on? I’m so nervous I can hardly watch.】

【Reminder to everyone watching: you can still breathe while watching the stream.】

【I know! That painting is definitely off...】

Most viewers didn’t pay too much attention to a painting in the villa corridor. After all, it wasn’t fun if the wife wasn’t pretty enough; it was much more entertaining to watch Shi Jian and the leaky little padded jacket bride ghost’s love-hate relationship, plus the undead’s infinite great stories—a thousand and one nights.

The former definitely didn’t exist—Shi Jian was the most beautiful!

Anyway, just looking at Shi Jian was already dazzling enough.

But there were always detail-oriented or sharp-eyed viewers. Those who noticed that painting started carefully explaining what the original painting was like.

After the viewers figured it out, all of them were—So scary.

They all felt scared just outside, let alone Shi Jian who was deep inside.

The key was that there were insects behind, and to go forward they had to pass by that painting.

No way around it.

Shi Jian held her breath, staring at the Western man in the oil painting, while trying to stay close to the other side.

The Western man in the painting stared ahead as if watching Shi Jian and the others.

Step by step, it seemed fine.

Shi Jian even wondered—did someone suddenly swap the painting at night? Was it just the character and background that looked the same? Was she overthinking?

Shi Jian was about to pass by.

But then, two big hands suddenly “slapped” out from the painting.

The man in the painting seemed to come alive; he grinned fiercely, stretching his hands and head out of the frame, claws ready to grab Shi Jian.

This scene was enough to drain sanity points.

“Watch out!”

Xu An, a few steps behind, shouted.

Shi Jian felt a strong suction from the painting; her hair flew up.

Behind the man in the painting appeared a vortex, waiting to suck in anyone passing by.

Imprisoned for life in a square.

The crow’s words flashed again in Shi Jian’s mind.

Isn’t the painting frame exactly a square?

She absolutely couldn’t be grabbed into the painting by the man inside. If caught, she might never come out.

Shi Jian’s heart sank.

She ran forward desperately to escape the suction, but the man’s hands stretched very long.

The man’s hands nearly reached Shi Jian. Just as he was about to grab her, he suddenly let out a painful howl as if being burned.

Shi Jian’s chainsaw hadn’t even touched him yet.

Shi Jian: ???

The man in the painting had touched the bride ghost. At the moment of contact, he quickly withdrew his hand, covering the touched spot in pain, staring incredulously at the bride ghost in Shi Jian’s arms.

“She’s not human?”

“Is this a fierce ghost born of resentment?”

Ridiculous! Why would anyone hold this thing like a child?

The man in the painting naturally took the bride ghost as Shi Jian’s child.Shi Jian didn’t give him any answer. After discovering the bride ghost could actually burn the man, her reflexes were faster than her thoughts. She raised the bride ghost in her arms and pressed her against the man’s hand.

Come on, burn his hand.

Holding the bride ghost, Shi Jian wanted to give herself a thumbs-up: why was she so clever? Bringing the bride ghost really was useful.

Xu An took this opportunity to rush forward as well.

“Ahhh!” In just a few seconds, the man in the oil painting had his hand burnt by Shi Jian’s reckless move.

The spot where he touched the bride ghost looked like it was splashed with acid, even steaming slightly, and he looked extremely uncomfortable.

The viewers in the live room lit up, feeling that the oil painting side was probably over.

The man in the oil painting no longer seemed very dangerous; as long as they stayed away from that side, he wouldn’t harm Shi Jian and the others anymore.

But Shi Jian didn’t show any intention of continuing to run for her life.

She suddenly thought of something and urgently said to Xu An, looking up, “Come on, help me pull him out!”

The man in the painting: ?

Viewers: ?

Xu An was decisive; without asking a word, he immediately acted and grabbed the man’s hand in the painting.

Although Shi Jian felt from his eyes that he understood what she wanted to do.

The man in the oil painting was used to only pulling others, never being pulled himself, so when faced with this situation, he panicked and even started stammering.

“What... what do you... want to do?”

Shi Jian and Xu An pulled hard together. Although the man resisted fiercely, he couldn’t stop what was happening.

His whole ghost body was forcibly pulled out of the painting and weakly collapsed onto the carpet.

Shi Jian stood aside, quickly took the frame off the wall, then sharply ordered the approaching insect army.

“He’s out.”

“You go in!”

Shi Jian was worrying about how to deal with the endless chasing insects, and the strongly sucking canvas was right next to her.

How could she not use it?

As for why she pulled the man out of the painting, it was to make space for the insects.

...

The crow’s prophecy took effect. The flesh was dancing, but it was the forcibly pulled man from the oil painting twisting.

He rolled on the ground, howling miserably, “My house, my house, I don’t want the insects!”

The insects didn’t want to enter his house either. They were sucked into the painting, trapped by the square frame.

Because there were too many insects, inside the painting they were densely packed, impossible to see each one’s expression—though insects didn’t have expressions anyway.

But a viewer in the live room commented, “Oh my god, I suddenly have art appreciation skills. Is the theme of this painting—despair?”