This Damned Thirst for Survival

Chapter 63

This response caught Chi You off guard.

But soon, Jiang Luo continued, "To be honest, I no longer wish to play this game with you."

Leaning against the washbasin, playing with a lighter, the crisp sound of the metal lighter echoed as the flame flickered on and off. "After giving it some thought, I'm not that interested in the secrets you're offering."

He was lying.

No one was more eager to uncover Chi You's secrets than Jiang Luo.

A metaphorical cat's claw scratched at Jiang Luo's heart, urging him to peel away Chi You's mysterious veneer, just as one would strip away the genteel disguise of an evil spirit to reveal its foul, ghost-marked flesh beneath.

Yet, he feigned indifference, "Chi You, the ball is in my court. I'll play if I want to, and quit if I don't. Especially since you're not showing much sincerity."

The evil spirit raised an eyebrow, "How so?"

Jiang Luo said, "You asked me to find you, but you're not just one person."

"Ah, you've discovered that." The evil spirit sounded regretful.

Jiang Luo scoffed, "Your puppets are you, and so are those you possess... If the rules of the game allow me to capture any one of your forms at will, then I'm happy to continue this game."

"No, you need to find the real me," the evil spirit clarified thoughtfully, "the one possessing a human."

Jiang Luo hung up the phone expressionlessly.

Ten seconds later, the phone rang again and was answered. The evil spirit sighed, "Alright then, I'll give you one last clue."

Jiang Luo received a photo.

The photo showed a smiling mouth.

The man's lips were curved upwards, full and rosy.

The evil spirit said, "One minute."

Jiang Luo scrutinized the photo.

He rapidly compared the lips in the photo with every face he had encountered here, but Chi You's smile made the search more challenging. Although Jiang Luo had a good memory, it wasn't so exceptional that he could recognize someone from their lips alone.

Half a minute later, he wisely abandoned the idea of finding Chi You tonight, instead pondering what Chi You's punishment might be, whether it could be avoided, or even turned to his advantage.

As Jiang Luo pondered with his eyes downcast, the minute quickly passed. The evil spirit's voice rose slightly, "It's time for you to submit your answer."

Jiang Luo was extremely calm, a stark contrast to Chi You's demeanor. He ventured, "What will you do if I answer incorrectly?"

"A small punishment?" Chi You teased, "Who knows."

It was like an unknown gift; even knowing it wouldn't be anything good, one couldn't help but wonder how bad it could be. Jiang Luo draped a towel around his neck and named the person he suspected.

"Xi Si."

The runner-up in "Next Stop, Idol," a gentle good guy. Now, because of Chi You, Jiang Luo found such seemingly selfless good people to be insincere and hypocritical, given Chi You's preference for such characters.

The evil spirit pondered, "Hmm..."

Jiang Luo's heartbeat quickened slightly.

The next moment, the evil spirit regretfully informed him, "Unfortunately, you're only half right."