This Damned Thirst for Survival

Chapter 9

Jiang Luo gripped the beer bottle tightly, stabbing viciously towards the source of the noise.

But his hand was caught by someone else.

Chi You smiled and said, "No rush."

"We have plenty of time."

...

As dawn broke, Jiang Luo suddenly opened his eyes.

His gaze slowly shifted from left to right. The table was on the right, the doorknob on the left. Jiang Luo turned his head towards the window, his right hand moving, the auspicious golden light faintly visible outside.

He was awake.

Yet, his face suddenly darkened, grimly sitting up from the bed.

The sheets and covers were stained with a human-shaped wet patch from sweat, and Jiang Luo's shirt on his back was soaked through. He pushed open the balcony door with an expressionless face, standing on the dew-soaked balcony, surveying his surroundings.

The chirping of birds, a sparrow flew onto the railing, gripping the guardrail with its tiny claws.

With a swift motion, Jiang Luo's pale, slender hand grabbed the bird, pulling it close with a sinister look in his eyes, a cold smirk forming on his lips, "It's you, then."

His grip slowly tightened, the sparrow's dull, black eyes staring quietly at him. Jiang Luo's grip became firmer, but just as it reached its limit, he suddenly loosened his grasp.

"Eighteen times," Jiang Luo muttered to himself, his smile growing wider, speaking to the sparrow's eyes, "Chi You, you've killed me eighteen times."

In his last death, Jiang Luo had desperately dragged Chi You down from the balcony, making Chi You hit the ground first, turning into a mess of flesh.

"Did you enjoy dying?" he gritted his teeth, whispering in Chi You's ear.

The bloodied Chi You smiled, "Ah, not as delightful as the way you die."

Eighteen times, and he had only killed Chi You once.

A murderous rage surged in Jiang Luo's eyes. He gently stroked the sparrow's head, smiling, "What's the point of killing one of your little puppets?"

He said softly, "How could this be."

You don't fucking feel pain.

Jiang Luo let go of the bird, returning inside with a cold face.

The fury in his heart and the malevolence from experiencing death eighteen times nearly burst forth. Chi You, Chi You, Chi You, he initially thought to help Chi You find the mastermind behind it all, as a way to atone for his original body's mistakes. But now, sorry, he had only one thought— he wanted to counter-kill Chi You.

He absolutely, absolutely had to kill Chi You.

The aftereffects of the dream still clung to Jiang Luo, making him suspect that his room was haunted, perhaps even harboring the lingering soul of Chi You.

He gathered everything related to Chi You from the room and dumped it in the center of the living room. Chi You's used cup was smashed, his worn clothes were discarded like trash, and Jiang Luo even found the black suit Chi You wore in his dreams in the wardrobe.

Jiang Luo sneered coldly, tossing the black suit atop the pile of garbage and setting it ablaze with a lighter.

A pile of expensive fabric was instantly consumed by fire, the flames nearly reaching the ceiling. Jiang Luo pulled out a cigarette, lighting it with the fierce blaze.