Volume One: The Phantom Mansion Chapter Fifteen: Ruthlessness in the Eyes

Zhao Linxuan was a clever woman with a keen eye.

Therefore, she had always held a unique perspective on Cheng Fan.

From the very beginning of the game, Cheng Fan caught her attention because his actions were unorthodox and seemingly illogical, yet upon closer thought, they often proved incredibly reasonable.

Her subconscious told her that this young man named Cheng Fan was no ordinary person.

Consequently, Zhao Linxuan chose to follow him.

And the facts proved her choice to be absolutely right.

Since teaming up with Cheng Fan, despite facing numerous perilous situations, he always found a way to resolve them, directly demonstrating his remarkable abilities—not only sharp-minded and skilled in reasoning but also braver than most, often responding to crises with surprising calm.

In the end, Zhao Linxuan reached a conclusion:

If one wanted to survive and escape the haunted building and even clear this supernatural game, only by following Cheng Fan was there hope.

This was her belief, and in reality, she acted accordingly, sticking close to Cheng Fan no matter what happened.

That said, soon an unexpected situation arose—something Zhao Linxuan never anticipated.

Not long ago, Cheng Fan suddenly complained of stomach pain and went upstairs. But after leaving the corridor, he vanished without a trace and never returned.

As time dragged on with no sign of him, Zhao Linxuan’s unease grew into a dark premonition.

She immediately sprang into action, taking Zhou Cheng with her to search upstairs.

But Cheng Fan was nowhere to be found. No matter how thoroughly they combed through every corridor and room, there was no sign of him.

The more they failed to find him, the more anxious Zhao Linxuan became, overwhelmed by a growing sense of helpless terror.

Without Cheng Fan, what could she do? How could they escape this haunted building?

At that moment, standing before the deserted restroom door, Zhao Linxuan lost control of her emotions—the refined lady she had maintained for so long completely vanished.

Her beautiful face twisted into a fierce scowl, her delicate features now restless and sharp.

She suddenly spun around and grabbed Zhou Cheng’s shoulder with force, her eyes cold and fierce as she demanded, “Where is Cheng Fan? Tell me where he went!”

“Ah, Miss Zhao, what’s wrong with you? What do you mean by that?” Zhou Cheng, startled by her sudden outburst and the fierce expression on her face, blinked in surprise and nervously asked.

Ignoring his astonishment, Zhao Linxuan pressed on, “I’m asking you where Cheng Fan went.”

“How would I know?” Zhou Cheng shook his head like a rattle. “We were both there when he said he was going upstairs to relieve himself. You know that. Now you ask me, who else can I ask?”

“Did Cheng Fan ever speak to you alone about anything?” Zhao Linxuan’s fierce expression held steady as she continued, convinced there was something suspicious.

“What? Him talk to me alone? I don’t remember that at all.”

The matter was indeed suspicious, but Zhao Linxuan had wrongly accused Zhou Cheng. Perhaps sensing the meaning behind her words, and ignoring her mood, Zhou Cheng immediately denied it. Then he cautioned, “Miss Zhao, calm down. Remember, we’re the last three survivors in this building. Under these circumstances, Cheng Fan wouldn’t leave alone. Three together is always stronger than one alone, right?”

“Isn’t that the truth?”

“As for why Cheng Fan is missing…” Zhou Cheng trailed off, scratching his blond head. His face suddenly paled. “Could it be that the female ghost already…”

He stopped mid-sentence. But Zhao Linxuan, no fool, understood perfectly what he meant. It was obvious that Zhou Cheng suspected Cheng Fan might have met a grim fate. Though this was a possibility, Zhao Linxuan did not agree.

She rejected it from the bottom of her heart.

Moreover, as if struck by a new thought, her previously agitated emotions gradually settled. Yet even with her regained composure, her face remained sullen and gloomy without any sign of Cheng Fan.

“No, Cheng Fan isn’t dead. He absolutely isn’t dead!”

Huh?

Zhou Cheng was taken aback by her outright denial and was about to speak, but Zhao Linxuan cut him off.

“Based on everything we’ve experienced while running away, I admit that the woman in red is incredibly powerful—she’s elusive and can kill silently and effortlessly, especially those who are alone. It’s almost impossible to survive an encounter with her if isolated. But…”

She paused, then shifted her tone. “Even if the ghost can kill easily, there must be a body left behind, right? At least some blood stains.”

“We already searched every room, including the restroom, and found nothing at all.”

Previously, Zhou Cheng had been a somewhat dim-witted and indecisive fellow, but even he immediately grasped the logic in her straightforward analysis.

“Hmm, that makes sense,” he said, scratching his blond hair. Then he hurriedly asked, “So, where do you think Cheng Fan went? And what should we do next?”

Zhao Linxuan didn’t answer right away. Instead, she narrowed her eyes and scanned the surroundings, glancing repeatedly toward the staircases.

The left staircase, the right staircase, and the central staircase closest to them.

After a moment, her face still darkened, she made a decision. “There’s a painting on the 19th floor that holds the key to survival. If we can decipher its hidden meaning, it would be like finding our way out. So, we’ll keep going upstairs. Maybe we’ll run into Cheng Fan along the way.”

With that, she moved first, influenced by some thought, leading the way to the left staircase—the same one they had taken before.

Zhou Cheng didn’t understand why Zhao Linxuan insisted on the left staircase. Lacking decisiveness, he could only follow her.

That said, if he had been a bit smarter and more attentive to details, he would have noticed something crucial.

Since Cheng Fan disappeared, the once timid and indecisive Zhao Linxuan had changed dramatically. Not only was she calmly analyzing the situation, but she had also become remarkably decisive, even braver.

Unfortunately, Zhou Cheng failed to notice these changes. Now, he was merely instinctively trailing behind her upstairs.

One more thing must be mentioned—during their ascent, Zhao Linxuan’s face remained gloomy, but her beautiful eyes blazed with a sharp, ruthless gleam.

“You won’t escape. As long as you’re alive, you’ll never get away from me.”