SES Chapter 29 V2

Luo Ren shouted, “Did you bring the knife?!”

Mu Dai had. She pulled it from behind her back and tossed it to him. Without hesitating, Luo Ren threw it—thunk! The blade buried into the cabinet, pinning the skin down.

Yi Wansan leapt off the cabinet in relief—just as the skin slipped free, whole and uncut.

It couldn’t be killed by a blade?

Luo Ren’s heart sank.

Yi Wansan cursed, “Goddamn freaky bug! Cao, cover me—I’ll get something to kill this little bastard!”

He bolted out the door. Cao Yanhua slammed it shut behind him, then turned around—only to see the skin charging his way.

Luo Ren grabbed him by the collar and tossed him onto the desk. “On the table!”

Cao Yanhua clambered up in panic, nearly knocking the cup over.

Now only three people remained in the room: Mu Dai on the wall, Cao Yanhua on the desk, and Luo Ren still on the floor.

The skin hesitated, then turned toward Luo Ren.

He didn’t dodge—instead, he stepped forward.

The skin moved faster this time, launching at a steep angle.

Mu Dai cried, “Luo Ren, don’t let it touch you!”

She was nearly in tears.

Luo Ren smiled bitterly. His plan was ruined. If he’d been alone, maybe he would’ve just let it take him. But now—after seeing it with his own eyes, after Mu Dai and the others rushed in—the urge to sacrifice himself had faded.

He rolled sideways to avoid the attack.

Just then, the door banged. Yi Wansan shouted, “Open up! I brought the sacred weapon!”

What the hell?

Luo Ren flung open the door. Yi Wansan stormed in, brandishing a washbasin. His eyes blazed. “Where’s the parasite?!”

Mu Dai and Cao Yanhua pointed, shouting in unison: “There!”

Yi Wansan clapped the basin over it like a bowl on a bug. Oil spread on the floor—he’d brought a basin full of cooking oil.

The basin trembled violently. Yi Wansan fumbled for his lighter and gritted his teeth. “Let’s see you burn, motherfucker.”

The moment he lifted the basin, he struck the flame. The oil ignited instantly.

Everyone stared into the flames. The skin went still… for a moment.

Then Yi Wansan’s expression changed. “Cao bro… you screwing with me? That doesn’t look like a bug.”

Under the flames, the skin rose and spread itself in midair. Charred black all over, about five centimeters wide, long, and ribbon-like, with a bloody-red character burned in the center.

It looked like the ancient oracle-bone symbol for “knife.”

Yi Wansan backed away slowly. “No way this is a parasite.”

The flames died down quickly. The charred skin fluttered to the floor like a burnt scrap of cloth.

No one spoke. Everyone stared at it.

Then it moved.

Cao Yanhua shrieked, “Quick! On the table!”

Yi Wansan leapt like never before. The skin shot forward. Cao Yanhua hurled the cup at it, but the lid wasn’t tight—the water inside splashed out, leaving a streak on the floor.

And then something strange happened. The skin stopped. It shrank back slightly.

In that split second, Luo Ren figured it out. “Mu Dai—it’s afraid of water!”

That explained the long gap between the murders. The first victim had drowned. The skin was trapped underwater.

It feared water!

Mu Dai understood. “Hold it off—I’ll be back!”

She slid down the wall and ran into the bathroom. A moment later came the sound of running water.

Luo Ren told the others, “Stay on the table. Don’t come down.”

He taunted the skin, dancing just out of reach.

Mu Dai returned, breathless, carrying a basin of water. Luo Ren nodded to her, then suddenly leapt to the wall.

The skin launched after him.

Luo Ren ducked under, while Mu Dai, using the wall for leverage, flung the basin of water straight at the skin.

The basin hit the floor with a bang. Water sloshed. The skin floated on the surface.

Mu Dai and Luo Ren stared at it.

On the table, Cao Yanhua and Yi Wansan squatted like two frogs, holding their breath.

Then, slowly, the water settled. The skin… sank.

No one moved.

Finally, there was a knock on the door.

Uncle Zheng: “Ping Ting’s at the hospital. She’s stable—for now.”

Luo Ren let out a long breath and released Mu Dai. He lay flat on the floor, his back cold with sweat.

Mu Dai flopped beside him. “That nearly killed me.”

Luo Ren turned his head. She was lying on his arm, eyes closed, lashes thick like fans, her chest rising and falling, cheeks flushed from exhaustion.

Their hands lay close. Luo Ren gently covered hers, without touching.

…

The two “frogs” remained on the table.

Cao Yanhua asked, “Should we get down?”

Yi Wansan refused. “Not till we’re 100% sure it’s dead.”

Then Cao Yanhua nudged him. “Got your phone?”

“What for?”

He motioned toward Mu Dai and Luo Ren. “Let’s take a picture. Looks… harmonious.”