Kaleidoscope of Death

Chapter 76: Leaving the Door

Lin Qiushi was quite shocked by the revelation that Luo Qianshui wasn't human. But upon observation, neither Ruan Nanzhu nor Cheng Yixie seemed particularly stunned, as if they were more than used to this kind of thing.

Ruan Nanzhu returned to their side and reported, "we chatted a bit, and it won't be a problem. Luo Qianshui died in another door."

Lin Qiushi looked at him and asked, "this sort of thing is common?"

Ruan Nanzhu replied placidly, "of course it's uncommon."

Lin Qiushi, "but if Luo Qianshui died in another door why can she..."

Ruan Nanzhu cut him off, tone gone cool as if he didn't want Lin Qiushi to linger on the subject, and it was better not to ask at all: "that isn't important—at least, not while we're in this door."

At this Lin Qiushi could only nod, though he thought Ruan Nanzhu's attitude quite odd. But it wasn't like Ruan Nanzhu didn't have a point; Luo Qianshui really did have nothing to do with this door.

After confirming Luo Qianshui's identity, Ruan Nanzhu agreed to working together. They began discussing how to find the key that night.

Ruan Nanzhu said, "we can't all go in. You two wait out here."

Lin Qiushi did not agree with the suggestion. "I think it's better if I go." He paused for a moment, then spoke from the heart. "After all, we still don't know if Luo Qianshan and Luo Qianshui are actually on our side. If something happens to me in there, you could do something."

But if something happened to Ruan Nanzhu, he was afraid that he and Cheng Yixie would be helpless.

Ruan Nanzhu fell into reluctant silence.

Cheng Yixie said evenly, "Ruan-ge, you can't protect Qiushi forever."

At this, Lin Qiushi started, and peered over at Cheng Yixie. There seemed to be a second meaning to his words.

Ruan Nanzhu's face was stony: "how do you know I can't?"

Cheng Yixie didn't reply.

With the atmosphere gone tense between the two, Lin Qiushi could only say, "Nanzhu, let me go. It'll be fine."

Finger tapping at the table, Ruan Nanzhu finally agreed to Lin Qiushi's plan to be the one to enter the room and grab the key. He and Cheng Yixie would guard Luo Qianshan and Luo Qianshui outside to keep any surprises from happening.

It had only taken a few short days for a good number of people in their group to die.

The thing different about this door from any other was that without the right prop, you had no way of discerning if the people beside you were dead or alive. Even the person sharing your bed could have already been dead for days.

Around three in the afternoon, Ruan Nanzhu spoke to Luo Qianshan again to discuss the details of fetching the key.

"When the time comes I'll enter the mirrors and lure the mother and daughter away from the door. I can keep them away for about five minutes." Luo Qianshui seemed calm about the fact of her own death, and spoke with composure. "So that's your time limit. You have to be out before the five minutes are up."

"Mh." Ruan Nanzhu asked, "have you found the door yet?"

"Not yet." Ever since the morning when Ruan Nanzhu discovered Luo Qianshui's death, Luo Qianshan's warm manners had completely disappeared. What replaced it was the indifference of someone who could no longer be bothered to pretend. He continued, "but it's definitely on the thirty-fourth story."