By the way, didn't you receive a task during the day that said you had to prevent a gang rape crime? Why didn't you receive a completion prompt after stopping those four guys from assaulting May?
Could it be... you intervened too early?
Damn it! Do I really have to wait until they've stripped May naked and pinned her to the ground for it to count?
Since Liam was present, he definitely wouldn't just stand by and let things escalate to that point.
"I didn't realize you could get so fierce. You managed to subdue all four of those bastards," May said softly to Liam as she sat down on a bench, her face filled with gratitude and admiration.
"They were just temporarily driven by ill intentions, not the actual perpetrators. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to handle them," Liam sighed bitterly, feeling both physically and mentally tense even now.
"Hungry? Have something to eat," May took out a plastic bag from her purse, containing a few homemade cookies.
"There's something to eat?" Liam couldn't help but feel delighted. He was indeed on the verge of starving.
"Here you go." May handed a large cookie to Liam and took a small piece for herself, enjoying its taste.
The cookies were slightly hard but still fragrant. Liam quickly devoured it in two bites and then May handed him another piece.
"How did you make these cookies? They taste pretty good," Liam said, realizing he had eaten the first cookie too quickly and decided to engage in a conversation with May while enjoying the second one at a more leisurely pace.
May hadn't even taken a few bites of her small cookie, but Liam had already finished a whole large one.
"These taste good? Hehe, I was actually hesitant to share them with you... It's just regular flour, with eggs, milk, sugar, and butter, all kneaded into cookies and baked. I get hungry easily, and when my husband was around, he used to bake these cookies for me as snacks. His cookies were much better than mine. But after he was gone, I had to learn to bake them myself, although mine never tasted as good." May spoke softly, her voice filled with sorrow.
Liam remained silent for a while, slowly swallowing the baked cookie, wanting to say something but unsure of how to console May. People cannot be brought back to life, and May had lost her husband just as Liam had lost Emma. Fortunately, he still had a hope, which was to collect 100 points and save Emma.
Previously, Liam had doubted the authenticity of this whole situation, but now the Eerie Zone was undeniably happening, and he had to accept this reality.
Suddenly, Liam thought about that side mission. If he killed four hired workers, he would gain six points. Did that mean he could accumulate enough points to save Emma by experiencing the Eerie Zone multiple times?
However, it felt wrong to kill for the sake of saving someone. Liam had never killed anyone before, even though he had been in fights. He couldn't gather the courage to take someone's life, and the mere thought of breaking a cat's leg made him feel remorseful. Therefore, he quickly dismissed the idea of killing four hired workers to obtain points.
"My husband used to make a lot of delicious things. He was busy with his business outside but still took care of our home and treated me well..." While Liam was lost in thought, May continued to talk about the goodness of her late husband.
"Yeah, it's indeed hard to find a man like that." Liam nodded and agreed with May, but his mind was still focused on the Eerie Zone and the points.
The voice prompt earlier mentioned that the Eerie Zone side mission had started, which meant that there should be a main mission in this Eerie Zone. However, it seemed that the iPad didn't provide any information or hints about the main mission for this Eerie Zone.
"It's hard for good people to live!" May sighed. "Two years ago, my husband had a car accident on that main road outside the neighborhood. It was past 1 a.m. when his car was smashed by an old fake license plate truck. The driver abandoned the truck and ran away, and they still haven't caught him."
...
"Try to be more optimistic. Once a person is gone, they can't come back. Your husband in heaven surely wouldn't want to see you always so unhappy," Liam tried to console May with his words.
"Do people really go to heaven when they die? Can he see me from heaven?" May murmured to herself, as if asking Liam.
"Perhaps," Liam replied.
In the past, Liam, who had always been an atheist and adhered to materialism, would never have said such things. But since that iPad appeared, his beliefs had started to waver. Especially with the occurrences of the Eerie Zone, which couldn't be explained by science.
"I wish he could come back! He promised that even in death, he would go before me to spare me the pain. He also said that I couldn't take care of myself and wouldn't be able to go on without him... But he still left before me," May suddenly burst into tears.
Liam looked at May with a hint of helplessness and didn't know what to say. He had no way to deal with a woman who was constantly immersed in her own past sorrows.
A cat's meow caught Liam's attention. He looked up and saw the black cat that had run past him and May earlier, now standing at the intersection. Its eyes gleamed with fluorescence as it gazed in Liam's direction, as if seeing through the foliage and seeing him and May.
...
As Liam locked eyes with the black cat, a shiver ran down his spine, and he felt an inexplicable sense of unease. Somehow, he had a feeling that if he wanted to figure out what this Eerie Zone main quest was all about, it might be related to this black cat.
After the black cat glanced in Liam's direction and let out another meow, it quickly disappeared into the darkness.
"Why did it run off so fast? Do I really have to break its leg to stop it?" Liam said to May. He planned to investigate the direction where the black cat had vanished, hoping to find a clue that would bring an end to this Eerie Zone.
"Oh? A cat?" May seemed to still be immersed in her own distress, showing a delayed response to Liam's words.
"May, we are not in the normal reality right now. We need to find a way to put an end to all this and return to the real world," Liam continued, explaining to May. He couldn't bear to leave her alone here. If he didn't convince her, she would likely stay hiding in this corner out of fear, unwilling to search for clues or find a solution.
"Indeed... It's very abnormal... like a nightmare..." May looked around in a dazed manner.
"If this is a nightmare, we need to wake up as soon as possible. Otherwise, there's a high chance we may never wake up. Come with me, let's explore the surroundings," Liam stood up and retrieved a shovel from under the bench, informing May of his plan.
"Why haven't the police arrived yet?" May took out her phone and made a call, but then looked at it and said, "Huh? No signal?"
"The police won't come. We can only rely on ourselves now. Come with me," Liam's phone had a signal, but he already knew that the police wouldn't come.
"Oh," May responded, trembling with fear as she glanced around. Although she was scared, she stood up because she knew that following Liam was definitely safer than hiding here alone.
"Wait a moment." After walking a few steps, May called out to Liam.
"Yeah?"
"I need to use the restroom... Can you...?" May looked in the direction of the property management office, feeling somewhat embarrassed as she spoke to Liam.
"I'll accompany you." Liam knew May wouldn't dare to go alone, so he offered to go with her.
"Thank you." May smiled. "Liam, you're really kind. Your girlfriend is lucky to have you."
"Is she?" Liam shook his head. He felt that if he had paid more attention to Emma and agreed to buy her an iPad, she wouldn't have picked up that discarded one on the roadside, and she wouldn't have been erased.
Emma suffered by his side without enjoying any happiness. She only endured hardships with him. If he couldn't save her, he would regret it for the rest of his life... if he had a life left.
...
The property management office had the men's restroom on the left and the women's restroom on the right. After reaching there, May went to the women's restroom on the right, while Liam entered the men's restroom on the left. After finishing up, Liam stood in front of the mirror, washing his hands and gazing at his own reflection in the dim light. He had a surreal feeling.
Was all of this a dream?
It couldn't be. He hadn't even taken a nap since the afternoon, so how could he be dreaming?
If it wasn't a dream, then Eerie Zone must be a real existence. And if Eerie Zone was real, as long as he accumulated enough points, he could save Emma, who had been
erased.
Taking advantage of May's absence, Liam took out that discarded iPad, turned it on, and touched the Eerie Zone application icon to enter the Eerie Zone system.
...
The above text only displays that the Eerie Zone has been activated, indicating a triggered side quest: "Kill four hired workers and gain six points." However, there is no hint about the main quest for this Eerie Zone.
It seems that to find out the main quest, certain triggering conditions must be met, just like this side quest, which was triggered when four hired workers attempted to assault May.
Could it be... that only by killing the four hired workers can the main quest of this Eerie Zone be triggered?
Liam, who has some knowledge of computer games, believes that this possibility cannot be ruled out.
However...
Taking someone's life is not an easy task, especially for the first time.
Does the task he received during the day, to break a cat's leg, also have something to do with this Eerie Zone?
Does it refer to that black cat?
Why are these tasks either about killing or torturing cats?
If he has to rely on killing or torturing cats to save Emma, Liam feels a headache because he is not a cruel person. Moreover, killing one person only grants one or two points, so to accumulate a hundred points to save Emma, he would have to kill dozens of people.
This Eerie Zone is too evil.
Every time a positive task is assigned, it is accompanied by a wicked and twisted task, and there is no choice but to complete both.
...
After carefully studying the Eerie Zone system for a while and confirming that there were no overlooked clues, Liam finally put away the iPad. As soon as he walked out of the men's restroom, May rushed out from the shadows of the shrubs in front of the property office, looking terrified as she gazed at him, as if confirming Liam's identity.
"May, it's me, don't be afraid, let's go," Liam greeted May, as he needed to continue searching for that black cat.
"I haven't gone there yet..." May looked towards the direction of the women's restroom. "There... there's a ghost inside..."
"A ghost?" Liam frowned. In the past, he would have found May's statement laughable, but being in the Eerie Zone was different. It seemed like anything could happen.
"It's a female ghost... an injured female ghost... she's whimpering inside..." May continued explaining to Liam.
"Could it be that someone is using the restroom... you misunderstood?" Liam speculated.
"You should go and check... I don't think so... I shouted several times, but there was no response from inside... If it were a person, they would definitely have heard me calling..." May's body began to tremble. When she escaped from the women's restroom earlier, she wanted to scream, but she was afraid it would attract the attention of the hired workers or more evil spirits, so she hid temporarily, planning to wait for Liam to come out.
Liam remained silent for a while. At first, he thought about suggesting that May should use the men's restroom instead. However, upon analysis, he realized that the ghost in the women's restroom might be some kind of clue from the Eerie Zone. Perhaps by following this clue, they could find the key to triggering the main quest of this Eerie Zone.
In the end, Liam made a decision. They should investigate and see what "ghost" was hiding in the women's restroom.
"Alright, let's go take a look. You don't have to be afraid. There are no ghosts in this world," Liam said to May after making up his mind.
Liam had watched some Japanese horror movies, read ghost stories, and even played a few scary games. He knew that vengeful spirits and ghosts often liked to hide in women's restrooms. Although Liam had always been a believer in materialism and dismissed supernatural legends, there was still a chilling sensation running down his spine as he contemplated exploring the restroom.
Who knows if there really might be a malevolent ghost lurking inside? Just like the black mist outside the apartment complex that tore the hired worker's body into pieces...
But... if there were indeed ghosts inside, why didn't they attack May earlier?
Liam had watched some Japanese horror films, read ghost stories, and even played a few horror games. He knew that restless spirits and vengeful ghosts often liked to hide in women's restrooms. Although Liam had always been a firm believer in materialism and dismissed supernatural folklore, he couldn't help but feel a chill running down his spine as he contemplated entering to uncover the truth.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Who knows if a malevolent ghost would actually emerge from inside? Just like the black mist outside the apartment complex that tore the skinny hired worker's body into pieces...
But then again... If there really was a ghost inside, why didn't it attack May earlier?
After some thought, Liam realized that he had to personally investigate to unravel the mystery. If he could find clues that triggered the main quest, it would be the perfect way to conclude this Eerie Zone.
"Aren't you afraid of ghosts?" May asked, noticing Liam's calm demeanor and feeling her own fear diminish slightly.
"I'm not afraid of anything," Liam chuckled. Revealing fear in front of a woman was embarrassing, and he believed that being scared wouldn't solve any problems.
Liam took May's small flashlight and approached the door of the women's restroom, with May following closely behind. Peering inside from the doorway, Liam noticed a green eerie glow emanating from a particular stall, occasionally accompanied by faint murmurs.
"Is anyone there?" Liam stood outside the restroom and tapped on the door.
No response.
Liam tapped on the restroom door again and asked, but still no one answered.
"You see, if it were a person, why wouldn't they hear us calling out?" May whispered softly to Liam.
Hearing the peculiar eerie murmurs coming from inside the stall, Liam began to suspect the presence of a ghost.
Once again, Liam glanced back at May and, after a brief hesitation, entered the women's restroom. He approached the stall and raised his voice, asking, "Is anyone there?"
Still, there was no response, but the murmurs ceased, as if the 'ghost' inside had sensed something.
Liam's heart raced, but he bent down and peered through the gap at the bottom of the stall door. There did appear to be movement inside, but the green glow was too dim to make out any details.
With a quick motion, Liam switched on the flashlight, illuminating the area. The beam landed on something red and tender, glistening with what seemed to be blood. Liam furrowed his brow, wondering, "What is this? Why does it look so familiar?"
Suddenly, the stall door was pushed open from the inside. The person inside, startled by Liam's flashlight, quickly removed their headphones and covered the area illuminated by the light, screaming in a high-pitched voice, "Ah...! What... What are you doing!?"
Liam raised his head and looked at the girl standing before him, her face flushed with fear. He immediately recognized her. Wasn't she Piper, the girl from the neighboring apartment in May's duplex? The one who had angrily confronted Liam for banging on the walls all day.
He didn't know why she had left home at that time instead of going to work, hiding here with headphones on and listening to music. May's calls from outside were simply inaudible to her. The eerie murmurs she heard must have been the person singing along inside. The phone screen and buttons were set to green, causing the stall to emit a ghostly green glow, which led May to mistakenly believe there was a female ghost inside.
"I..." Liam finally understood what he had illuminated with the flashlight earlier, and no wonder he found it so familiar, being an avid viewer of adult content. This realization made his face turn bright red with embarrassment.
"You disgusting pervert! Sneaking into the women's restroom to peep! I... I'm calling the police!" Piper covered herself with her hands, feeling a mix of embarrassment, anger, and fear. She threatened Liam loudly, wanting to stand up but hesitating to do so.
"Hey, Piper! Don't be so unreasonable! You were hiding here and trying to scare us. We called out several times, and you ignored us. Now you're accusing someone of peeping! Do you think you're so beautiful? Who would bother coming here just to look at you?" May recognized Piper and saw how she falsely accused and cursed at Liam. She quickly came over to defend Liam.
"You... you... You're in cahoots with him! May, your husband is dead, and as a widow, you don't even care about your image. You're always hanging out with this construction worker, and why do you keep the door locked when you're renovating your house? Afraid of getting caught in an affair? Even if you want a toy boy, don't go for this cheap roadside one! He's a perverted maniac!" After May interrupted Piper and defended Liam, Piper immediately launched into a vicious counterattack. It seemed like she had a particularly sharp tongue.
"How dare you speak like that, you little brat! Watch me tear you apart!" May had already argued with Piper during dinner, and her anger had been building up. Now, with Piper's hurtful words hitting her sensitive spots, she became furious. May stormed over and grabbed Piper by the collar, forcefully pulling her out of the cubicle.
Piper let out a sharp scream, caught off guard by May's sudden pull. Her pants were still down, as she hadn't had time to pull them up after squatting. It wasn't a big deal while she was crouching, but being yanked out of the cubicle by May, her short top couldn't cover anything. Her bare bottom was fully exposed in front of Liam.
Originally, Liam was also annoyed with Piper and wanted to argue with her for a few words. However, May proved to be so fierce that he didn't need to intervene. Now, things escalated as May started using physical force.
Liam was stunned, unable to say anything, as he watched the spectacle of Piper being physically restrained by May. No wonder men enjoy watching women fight...
Realizing that it would be better to leave the scene, Liam found himself in an unfortunate position. He was blocked in the bathroom by the struggling May and Piper, making it difficult for him to find a way out.
Piper was clearly no match for May. Despite putting up a struggle, Piper eventually fell backward, almost sitting on the bathroom floor with her bare buttocks. Liam instinctively reached out to catch her, but to his surprise, his hand landed directly on her bare buttocks and got smeared with blood. This caused Piper to let out another scream of distress.
Conscious of the fact that he had accidentally touched her inappropriately and even touched the bloody area, Liam felt a mix of embarrassment and frustration. In her shock, Piper quickly pulled up her pants and, with tears streaming down her face, rushed out of the dark hallway and into the complex.
"A yellow task has been completed: 'Must enter a women's restroom and touch a girl's bare buttocks before midnight tonight.' You have gained one point. Please continue executing the other mysterious tasks you have received. If your point count remains negative before midnight, you will be erased from existence," a voice echoed in Liam's mind. Liam suddenly realized that he had unknowingly completed that incredibly perverse yellow task!
Damn it! It's truly a situation that leaves one feeling both amused and frustrated...
"Ah... it's my fault... you were mistaken for a pervert because of me..." May apologized with remorse, feeling awkward in Liam's presence due to Piper's accusation of an affair between them.
"Forget about it. Why should we care about what she says? Don't worry too much about her words," Liam shook his head. He hadn't really suffered any consequences from the accusation. On the contrary, the one who was now upset and hurt was Piper.
"I won't... don't worry. If she tries to involve the police, I will testify for you. I won't tolerate her slander like this!" May assured Liam. Having silently supported her and even rescued her from the hired workers earlier, May saw Liam as the best man in the world, second only to her deceased husband. How could she allow someone to insult him so recklessly?
"If the police can come here..." Liam chuckled. He wasn't particularly worried about that. If there were police in this Eerie Zone, they would have shown up long ago. Are there even police in this damned Eerie Zone?
May then asked Liam to guard the bathroom door while she went inside. After a while, she came out, having washed her hands, and together with Liam, they returned to the main road of the complex. The neighboring girl, Piper, had vanished, leaving the entire neighborhood eerily quiet, devoid of any sounds, not even the chirping of insects. It felt as if everything had died down.
Liam retrieved the shovel and, with May by his side, they roamed around the complex in search of the black cat. However, they couldn't find any trace of it. Finally, they arrived at a few units near May's duplex, not far from where the black cat had previously run off to.
"My husband has a cousin named Joseph who used to live on the ground floor of that building. He's been doing quite well in business and made a good amount of money. After the Chinese New Year last year, his whole family moved
out, leaving the house vacant," May pointed to a nearby unit and explained to Liam.
"You and your husband bought a house together here?" Liam asked May.
"No, we bought it later. Joseph was already living here. My husband had a lot of business dealings with him due to Joseph's success in business. Later, for the convenience of both families, my husband bought a unit here. However, the house... hasn't been renovated yet," May's voice trailed off.
Just then, Liam's phone suddenly rang, startling both of them. Liam quickly took out his phone and checked. Surprisingly, it was Lily calling.
Strange, wasn't there no signal? How is it working now?
Liam had a vague sense that many things in this Eerie Zone couldn't be explained by common sense.
"When are you coming back?" Lily asked Liam.
"I... I can't come back today. Let's talk tomorrow," Liam shouted into his phone.
"Hello? Why is there no sound?" Lily muttered to herself before hanging up.
Liam tried calling Lily back, but his phone had no signal at the moment, rendering him unable to make the call.
"Do you have signal on your phone?" May glanced at her own phone and then at Liam's.
"The signal is poor," Liam shook his head. "She can hear me, but I can't hear her. She can call me, but I can't make calls."
After a while, Lily's call came through again. Despite Liam answering loudly, she still couldn't hear his voice. After several unsuccessful attempts of saying "hello," Lily hung up once more.
Liam shook his head, feeling quite frustrated. His thoughts were becoming increasingly muddled. Is this Eerie Zone really cut off from the outside world? How is it that Lily's calls can come through while I can't make any calls? Is it all just due to a poor signal?
...
...
Unable to find the black cat, and with the only clue gone, the time displayed on Liam's phone was nearing 8 o'clock in the evening. Though uncertain about the main objective of this Eerie Zone mission, Liam speculated that if he couldn't trigger the main storyline within a certain time limit and put an end to this Eerie Zone, he would likely be erased from this world just like Emma.
A piercing scream echoed from nearby, somewhere near the entrance of May's apartment building. Both Liam and May recognized the scream, unmistakably Piper's. The scream soon turned into cries for help, filled with terror. Following that were the lewd laughter of several hired workers. Then, Piper's pleas abruptly ceased, as if her mouth had been covered.
Liam grabbed a shovel and rushed towards the source of the commotion. Despite Piper's insulting remarks earlier, which had angered both him and May, Liam wasn't cold-hearted enough to let her suffer without intervening. May shouted for Liam as she recognized that several hired workers were attacking Piper, leaving her terrified. Fearful but unwilling to be left alone, May hurriedly followed Liam.
As they turned the corner of the building, Liam immediately spotted Piper being restrained by four hired workers. Some were holding her arms, others her legs, and one was covering her mouth, while another was tearing at her clothes. Piper's top had been ripped open, exposing her bra, and her pants were pulled down halfway. Helpless, she struggled beneath their grasp, whimpering.
"You bastards! Let her go!" Liam bellowed, charging towards them. With a swift swing of his shovel, the shovel's tip struck the worker who had undressed Piper, right on the neck. Perhaps the tip was too sharp, or Liam's force was too great, but the worker's head was cleaved from his neck, rolling on the ground for a considerable distance before coming to a stop.
Blood spurted like a fountain from the decapitated worker's neck, splattering everyone nearby. Piper, who was forcefully held down on the ground, was also drenched in the blood spray, creating an extremely gruesome scene.
"Successful hunting of one hired worker, earning one point. Completion progress of this subtask: one-fourth," a prompt sounded in Liam's mind.
The other three workers, now covered in blood, stood dumbfounded. After witnessing Liam's brutal act, his trembling body and racing heart, they too felt a surge of fear. After all, this was the first time in Liam's twenty-one years of life that he had taken someone's life, and it had been a particularly gruesome one.
"You beasts! Let her go!" Despite his trembling, Liam mustered his strength and swung the shovel towards another worker. He was well aware of the imminent danger he faced; if the remaining three workers regained their senses and retaliated together, he might not be a match for them.
Perhaps due to Liam's shaky and weakened grip, the shovel missed its target, and the worker managed to dodge the attack. Simultaneously, the three workers released their hold on Piper, turning to flee deep into the residential complex.
Clearly, the gruesome sight of their companion's head being cleaved off had completely frightened the three workers, leaving them without the courage to confront Liam. Liam, now gripping the shovel, exuded an aura of ferocity and dignity, as if a warrior ready for battle.
The three workers ran for a while but eventually came to a stop, watching from a distance with a mix of fear and reluctant defiance.
...
Liam glared at the three hired workers, feeling a surge of adrenaline or perhaps enticed by the promise of bonus points. He became filled with murderous intent and let out a loud roar as he swung the shovel towards the three individuals, who were terrified and screamed as they frantically fled into the distance.
Realizing that chasing after them would be futile, Liam threw the shovel at the injured worker who couldn't run as fast. The shovel landed precisely, hitting the calf of the last worker, causing him to scream in pain and collapse to the ground.
As Liam approached to pick up the shovel and continue his pursuit of the injured worker, the worker unexpectedly flipped over from the ground, revealing a sharp fruit knife, approximately six inches long, in his hand. He swiftly lunged at Liam, attempting to stab him.
Liam quickly retreated, but couldn't completely dodge the knife. The blade grazed his lower abdomen and thigh, causing a sharp, burning pain to radiate from his groin.
The pain caused Liam's blood to rush to his head once again. He let out a roar and pounced on the worker. They engaged in a fierce struggle, with Liam swinging his fists relentlessly, repeatedly striking the worker's body and head.
Although the bald worker had been at a disadvantage earlier, he possessed considerable strength and endurance. Cornered, he fought back without reservation. The two wrestled on the ground, rolling over several times. The other two fleeing workers stopped in the distance, watching from afar. They exchanged glances, seemingly hesitant about whether to come back and assist the bald worker.
Knowing that if he showed any signs of weakness, the two workers would likely join in and overpower him, Liam understood that he had to end the fight with the bald worker as quickly as possible.
In this moment, Liam fought with all his might. Driven by a surge of adrenaline, he managed to flip over onto the bald worker once again. Putting all his strength into it, Liam delivered several powerful punches near the bald worker's temple and forehead, finally knocking him out cold.
The fight had come to an end, but Liam was in a sorry state. He felt completely drained, his clothes torn to shreds by the bald worker, his body covered in bruises and deep scratches, with a burning pain radiating from certain areas, including his groin.
However, Liam couldn't afford to dwell on his injuries at the moment. After standing up, he immediately grabbed the nearby shovel and thrust it into the chest of the bald worker. With both hands gripping the shovel handle, he roared like a beast, threatening to pursue the remaining two workers. Terrified, the two workers, witnessing Liam's brutal slaying of their companions, screamed in panic and fled towards the depths of the residential complex, quickly disappearing into the darkness.
"Successfully hunted down the second hired worker, earning one point. Completion progress of this subtask: two out of four," the notification sound from the iPad echoed in Liam's mind once again.
"The blue task, 'Must prevent a gang rape crime before midnight tonight,' has been completed, earning one point. Please continue to execute the other enigmatic tasks assigned to you. If your point balance remains negative by midnight tonight, you will be eradicated from this world," another notification sounded in Liam's mind.
It appears that the crime of gang rape must be prevented during the actual commission to count as a completed task. When the four hired workers attempted to assault May earlier, it was only a criminal intent that hadn't been carried out yet, but Liam intervened and prevented it, so it didn't count as completed. However, this time when Piper's clothes were forcibly stripped off and she was pinned to the ground, the criminal act was already being implemented. Liam appeared just in time and prevented it, so the iPad recognized that Liam had completed the task.
So far, Liam had completed both the mysterious tasks he received during the day, but out of the two tasks inherited from Emma, only one was completed. The task of breaking the cat's leg was still unfinished.
After the two hired workers fled, a chilly breeze blew, and Liam suddenly became much more alert. His legs went weak, and he knelt down on the ground, trembling even more. It was his first time taking someone's life tonight, and he had killed two people in one go.
It had to be said that the completion sound of the iPad's side mission had a strong psychological encouragement and implication for Liam to kill the second bald hired worker.
After resting for a while, Liam finally regained some strength. He also checked his own injuries to some extent. First, he reached down towards his incredibly painful crotch area through his pants, feeling that everything was still in place, which eased his mind a bit. However, May and Piper were nearby, not too far away, so it wouldn't be easy to take out and thoroughly examine himself.
Liam glanced back and realized that the lighting here was extremely dim, making it impossible to see clearly from a distance. So he cautiously reached into his pants and felt around, only to discover that the knife from the bald worker had barely grazed his groin area, slicing through his pants and leaving a long bloodstain where his thigh met the dense hair. The cut seemed to be quite deep.
It was just a hair's breadth away. If it had gone just a bit further, Liam would have been castrated alive. It could only be said that Liam was fortunate, or else he would undoubtedly be in tears.
Liam had torn pants and tattered clothes, so he had to tie the ragged garments around his waist and walk back to the entrance of the apartment building shirtless. May and Piper, who were previously hostile towards each other due to their argument, were now huddled together. Piper was crying inconsolably while May tried to comfort her.
Both women were trembling heavily, partly due to their fear of the hired workers committing sexual assault and partly because of the gruesome sight of Liam decapitating a man with a shovel, the blood spraying in a horrific manner that rivaled a horror movie. It had exceeded their psychological limits.
Liam had run out of their sight when he went after the bald hired worker, and they didn't know the outcome of his one-on-three battle. The fear of experiencing further abuse from the workers if Liam were to be defeated added to their apprehension. It wasn't until Liam emerged victorious against the three workers that their courage started to return.
"I told you he's a good person, right? Despite you calling him a filthy rogue and making him angry, he still rushed over when he heard you cry for help. Other people wouldn't have bothered about your well-being! If it weren't for him, you would have been violated by those people today," May lectured Piper opportunistically.
Piper kept her head down, covering her torn clothes and her exposed body, too afraid to look up at Liam. She nodded in agreement with May's words, tearfully mumbling a thank you to Liam.
"May, ask her if she has her keys. Let's take her home," Liam interjected, indifferent to her gratitude. He turned to May and suggested they send them upstairs so they could lock their doors and be safe. Liam could then return to the neighborhood to search for relevant clues and put an end to this Eerie Zone.
Piper heard Liam's words and, with sniffles, stopped crying. She pointed to her fallen bag not far away. Liam walked over, picked up the bag, and handed it to Piper. She found a key inside and handed it over to Liam.
The three of them proceeded to walk upstairs together.
The hallway was pitch black due to a power outage, with all the lights turned off. The two women clung to each other, feeling scared, and walked slowly. Liam had to lower his pace and guide them, taking several minutes to reach the sixth floor where Piper lived.
Of course, May's under-construction apartment was also on the sixth floor.