Futile Devices Scans

A perfectly good winter vacation, and they had to do something this miserable. As Ke Bu trudged along the mountain path, he felt the urge to kill someone. The deep mountain at night was filled with waves of cold air. Occasionally, the cries of animals and the howling of the wind echoed through the darkness. Panting weakly, Ke Bu grabbed onto Zhi Li’s sleeve and continued climbing up the mountain.

“Maybe we should go back. This is really scary,” Zhou Xin He said timidly.

“We’ve already climbed this far. It’d be a waste to turn back now. We should be there soon.”

At last, the villa emerged faintly in the night. Under the moonlight, it emitted an eerie glow. It was an ancient villa, its walls covered with twisting vines, while the rusty iron gate creaked and groaned.

“I-I think I stepped on something.” Gong Zhu’s voice shattered the silence.

Chu Hao Yu shone his flashlight at Gong Zhu’s feet. It was actually a skeleton! Zhou Xin He let out a scream. Even Ke Bu began to feel that something was wrong. Could it be that after Zhang Luo’s crow-mouth story about murder, they had really run into something like this? Something beyond reality itself? Just as everyone hesitated over whether to continue, the sound of high heels echoed from the empty villa. Step by step. With every footfall, Ke Bu’s heart leapt higher. “Stop messing with me. This is Su You Yan, isn’t it? Where’s Su You Yan?”

“I’m right here.” Su You Yan’s voice came from behind Ke Bu.

“Then who’s inside the villa?” For the first time, Ke Bu abandoned his male pride and instinctively clung to Zhi Li’s arm.

The sound of high heels approached from deeper within the villa, as though crushing the darkness beneath each step. A faint light appeared. Then the footsteps stopped. Ke Bu widened his eyes in disbelief at the sight before him. Under the moonlight stood a beautiful woman with a graceful figure. Her form-fitting black dress accentuated every curve of her body. A black veil hanging from her hat concealed her face, revealing only a pair of beautiful crimson lips. Standing there, she looked like a demon from hell itself, perfectly matched to the villa behind her. Even from a distance, Ke Bu could feel the overwhelming presence she exuded. The group stood frozen in place. Zhou Xin He looked ready to faint. Zhang Luo, meanwhile, kept his camera raised, unwilling to miss a single moment. Ke Bu secretly glanced at Zhi Li. Even now, he was calm to an absurd degree. A legendary figure had appeared before them—the Witch of Yinguo Town!

Ying Xiu Jie was the first to react. He picked up a stone from the ground and cautiously threw it. The villa’s window shattered. The entire building seemed to roar in anger, followed by the chattering sounds of little ghosts. The stone came flying back, heading straight for Ke Bu. Before he could dodge, Zhi Li reached out and caught the small stone, then looked at him. “You okay?”

Ke Bu nodded. At that moment, the woman spoke. Her beautiful voice drifted through the air like heavenly music. “How wonderful. Fresh meat.” As she spoke, she licked her lips. The vivid red lips curved into a bewitching smile. Under normal circumstances, Ke Bu would have assumed someone was playing a prank. But this time was different. He could feel his legs trembling. This woman was definitely not an ordinary person.

The woman turned and walked deeper into the villa until her figure gradually disappeared. Ying Xiu Jie steadied himself and nudged Chu Hao Yu. “Let’s go in and take a look. Even if she’s a monster, she’s still a female monster. I refuse to believe I can’t beat her.”

Chu Hao Yu swallowed hard but nodded for the sake of his pride as a man. Su You Yan had been thinking the entire time, perhaps finding the discovery just as unbelievable. The group entered the villa. Portraits lined the corridor, their eyes seeming to stare at them with a chilling gaze. At the end of the hallway, a room glowed with a faint orange light. Ying Xiu Jie paused for two seconds before slowly pushing open the door.

Inside, the woman sat on a sofa. The dim lighting blurred their vision, making Ke Bu feel as though he were dreaming. She sat with her legs elegantly crossed. In front of her was a wine glass filled with a blood-red liquid. A lipstick mark lingered on the rim. Between her fingers rested a cigarette, its glowing tip gathering ash.

Chu Hao Yu took a deep breath and stepped forward, stretching out both hands while making a lecherous sound. “Allow me to determine whether you’re a woman or a monster.” With that, he reached for the woman’s chest.

The woman smiled faintly and caught his hands. With a deft twist of her fingers, she restrained his arm. “Ow, ow! Sorry!” With only a single movement, she actually made Chu Hao Yu cry out in pain. Retreating, he said, “Let’s run while we still can. Before we turn into skeletons. This is definitely a monster.”

“I don’t believe it.” Ying Xiu Jie rolled up his sleeves, raised his fists, and let out a battle cry. “Tiger Fist!”

He charged forward at incredible speed, but just as he was about to reach her, she sidestepped. Before Ying Xiu Jie could even turn around, an elbow struck the back of his neck. Losing his balance, he collapsed to the floor. The woman picked up her wine glass and took another sip.

“With only this much ability, you actually dared come here?” she said. “Don’t you think you’ve overestimated yourselves a little?”

The two great generals had been defeated with ease. And this wasn’t just self-flattery—Ke Bu felt that the people in their group were already exceptionally capable. Only now did he truly realize how narrow his perspective had been. There was a reason people said that beyond every mountain lay another mountain, and beyond every person, someone greater.

Zhi Li didn’t hit women. That only left Su You Yan. Honestly, running away seemed like the better option. Losing face was still preferable to losing one’s life.

But Su You Yan didn’t react.

“Su You Yan?”

“I can’t beat her.”

Was Su You Yan actually admitting weakness? Even Su You Yan, whose powers of observation were frighteningly sharp, had noticed it. Normally, she would never say something like that. It seemed she had already recognized how formidable this woman was and knew that charging forward would be pointless, leaving her with the same embarrassing defeat that Chu Hao Yu and Ying Xiu Jie had suffered.

“Can Zhi Li beat her?” everyone gathered together and whispered among themselves.

“I honestly don’t know this time. We’ve never encountered a witch before. No matter how capable he is, he’s still a mortal.”

“Should we run?”

“Let’s run!!”

Just as everyone was preparing to flee in disgrace, Zhi Li tugged lightly at his collar and walked in the exact opposite direction—the opposite direction from the path of survival itself.

Ke Bu wanted to stop him, but no sound came out.

He had never expected Zhi Li to be this competitive. Although Ke Bu had always believed that Zhi Li was the strongest, this time even he had no confidence. There was none of the excitement, anticipation, or wicked delight Zhi Li had shown when Xue Fang had come looking for trouble. Even Zhi Li seemed to realize that this woman was anything but ordinary.

The woman raised her head and looked at Zhi Li’s dreamlike face through the black mesh veil.

Then she smiled.

The two of them stared at one another, one seated and one standing, their shadows swaying in the lamplight.

Then Zhi Li did something that made everyone suck in a sharp breath.

He stepped forward and removed the woman’s hat.

“Why are you wearing something like this?”

Ke Bu covered his eyes.

Don’t look. Don’t look. If you saw her face, she’d definitely eat it.

Yet he still peeked through the gaps between his fingers.

And he saw her face clearly.

It was an astonishingly beautiful face. Her features were exquisitely delicate, so perfect that her age was impossible to discern. Her skin was pale and flawless.

It was the first time Ke Bu had ever stared at a woman in a daze.

She was beautiful enough to rival even Zhi Li.

A face that could make anyone, regardless of gender, fall in love at first sight.

The woman didn’t get angry. She extinguished her cigarette, stood up, and approached Zhi Li.

Closer.

Closer.

So close that they were nearly touching.

Ke Bu had a great many objections to that, but the atmosphere was so overwhelming that he didn’t dare say a word.

“Am I beautiful?”

Zhi Li didn’t avoid her gaze.

“Mm.”

It was the truth.

“Do you like me?”

Her fingers gently caressed Zhi Li’s face.

“It’d be difficult not to.”

Zhi Li spoke expressionlessly.

He was actually flirting with a woman right in front of him!!

What kind of trick was he playing?

No matter how beautiful this woman was, surely even Zhi Li couldn’t have fallen for her… right?

No way!

If she ended up becoming a romantic rival, what chance would he even have?

The woman smiled with obvious satisfaction. Then she slowly lifted the hem of her skirt and drove her knee into Zhi Li’s stomach.

Zhi Li frowned in pain.

“Sorry. Did you think I’d let you go just because you said a few nice things and tried to fool me?”

The woman delivered a side kick to Zhi Li’s waist. At the same time, her right arm swept across his shoulder while her foot hooked his left leg.

She brought him down effortlessly.

Then she planted the sharp heel of her high-heeled shoe on his stomach.

Everything happened too quickly.

It had all occurred in the blink of an eye.

Ke Bu couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

He had never seen Zhi Li so powerless against an opponent.

And that opponent was a woman.

No one else could believe it either.

This was Zhi Li!

Was this really the day they were all destined to die here?

Ke Bu tried to rush forward, but a single glance from Zhi Li stopped him.

Sitting on the floor, Zhi Li showed no anger. He merely lifted his head calmly.

The woman bent down and pinched his chin.

“You really do make me jealous. How did you end up with such a beautiful face? It would be even better if it showed a little more expression. Can you blush? Can you get embarrassed? Can you get angry?”

She sighed softly.

“It’s been so long since anyone played with me. How boring.”

The woman leaned down, her vivid red lips approaching Zhi Li’s ear.

“Let me see.”

Oh no.

That monster was going to eat Zhi Li’s face!!

Instead, the woman’s lips pressed against Zhi Li’s left cheek, leaving behind a passionate kiss and a bright lipstick mark.

Ke Bu’s stomach twisted violently.

His fists clenched.

His body stiffened so badly that he couldn’t move.

Everyone present stared at the scene in shock, frozen where they stood.

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