SSEI | Chapter 2.9

The headless body 2a8f5d9b92 crumpled to the 237c847641 ground. Without even a second 47b9175ffa glance, the Red Man cae3102916 kicked it aside and 2b0222d8e5 stepped toward the giant 1abc4214bd clam.3b0b1ea8f16af139

With a af5f719685 nudge of 95b86ca14a his foot, 333a27b488 he pried d1a9afb567 open the 41bc84597a upper shell.5816add8d1796cab

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Then, as if 6fa5503fab confirming a hunch, 90a9ebec1e he tore off 9938c1c1d4 the paper bag 97faf027b8 hiding Yuan’s face 3f8a698e39 and let out b68c80d145 a small sigh.62feee599a794d8a

“So you’re 5d4dc65796 still clinging 12c2602fad to that a195735999 stubborn life f64c3c42dc of yours, d5928cbe6b huh, White fd71716277 One?”95f2279cbe241c14

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

His narrow eyes f1134a2957 gleamed with an 5838babb32 odd mixture of b8f15078f2 curiosity and amusement.69074dfe5b6f24c7

A moment ago, Yuan 7005780053 had been terrified, thinking 76fdfa788d he was about to 2f9b212086 die—again. But now, standing e5dd7136c8 face-to-face with this bd894114bf man, frustration slowly 74a95f788b began boiling inside 0bbd72353b him.f9ffffab553c928e

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Why the c40af57193 hell did 996f3b0279 he keep 0cc9aac458 running into f2a0c67d58 this guy? Why did his edaca05e33 life keep getting 7f2319068a threatened like this?af80c59c056ea8be

If it was about 514e1a7f3e punishment, hadn’t he already b781c36f72 paid the price by 74a4d3161e getting his head chopped 460bc2cd7a off once?58152f438b48effa

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

The first time 688a15b00c he was killed, 9e8c4e3fca he was terrified. The second time, 94914a3abe it was just 1fc37f7449 baffling.008f9ee3a4900d6b

But by the third 9bd5effb4f time?1e7e0c77cf18c917

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

He was getting 7b0375e833 pissed off.676ecc3bbded2fd7

No matter what e97fa65ffb it was, once 4927626123 you got used e49219fec5 to something, it 0c3d6959dc wasn’t as scary ba01d24a1e anymore.e73a349fbc20f341

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Even getting killed.1b9841f17d4e1259

Fine, if you’re 2c7ee40365 gonna do it 346f1ddd55 again, then just cab3ffdd0f do it! It’s not 8ba7230d5e like dying 18fa955f31 again is 6476f0e60d going to 1106047847 make a 0abec070d7 difference!08be2f964152a98e

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

With that attitude, b8e36e457f Yuan pursed his 6d3e8d14f2 lips and shot fcbc7e7cca back defiantly.c560e0d94d1046f8

“Why are you 4646fa91e1 talking like we 3d273b6ea5 have some kind 538839cd49 of lifelong grudge? Maybe I’m just 184e0aacfa alive because I c9de77a33f got lucky.”b2a4198c6b64ebb9

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“…Even after d4800b1002 getting your f1f76d550f head chopped df09f60322 off?”1516041d783af52c

“Have you b30bafd07e never seen 5e356c0366 someone survive a0e0c00785 a beheading 8be51e63bd before? At least 1131908af4 for me, 95b6fc6c03 this is 08c2b0ca66 the second 99f6c55202 time, counting d0fd4fd4f9 when I ce20226ac6 saw Lork 65e60bb7c8 last time.”d59c674a95345be2

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

The Red Man clicked 0dacf07cc4 his tongue in mild f1750d29f6 irritation, then let out 3d365110f5 a sigh as he a84516990e straightened up. He casually 6cc3b41f20 lifted his 4bffe4d796 axe and, 64dac9f20c without hesitation, 8270082636 brought it 207d824cd2 down once f8062118b8 more on e9078052ab Malli’s rolling 0029cdfd5d head, ensuring c42c14e358 it would e22c0cee4e never move f3b50b7bc9 again.dcbad3e35408798e

Yuan muttered 27b283cdcb with a 6d3a85b76b disgruntled tone.85a4a398de4d2cbc

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“It’s not that I’m ad7b009eac feeling “lively.” I’m daf2027cf4 just starting 226b3564a0 to understand ff68e582f0 your personality. You’re going to dff48d9db7 kill me again, 1b01cf62b0 aren’t you? No matter c8c07252bb if I 3cb79ad114 apologize, beg, 4e45d935c6 or whatever. And honestly, it’s 4c66612e77 not even like acd295d7fc I did something c742845a49 wrong to deserve 3c37670132 it…”9427ae581e8e140b

The biggest 35c7afaa00 reason Yuan 8e40c4dca9 had decided ade4dfacec to stop d44087fbcb cowering before cd54cc2452 this man 0b333df5ce was simple: a1dea6e8d5 The Red a7bee88255 Man made 0aed001cba his own 6deffea8f0 decisions, regardless 1ddbf42277 of how 6c8a94585a others acted.7132d51170ebd942

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

If he felt like 194e503628 being kind, he would 0a36e18368 be, even if Yuan 1594fb16ca had done something wrong.f9fba8594f7f66a5

If he decided 7cf926636d Yuan should die, 03627572e9 he would kill 1b53a86b89 him, even if 3cb417a2c8 Yuan had done 19ae998d1b nothing at all.83abb6198e585d44

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

So, if 651f5e9854 things were 8f2f924d7a going to 2a7a109dad be arbitrary fb4bd3f138 anyway, Yuan ec0873c495 figured he 93fec29ce9 might as 108329609b well act f0500b07d2 however he ae11d9fa05 wanted. At least then, it 43cebd6249 wouldn’t feel so frustrating.f58fd8d73ffb1d52

“Hah. You’ve got 6d92af5b87 a solid 09c39093e1 grasp of 425ae2557f the situation.” 3e28faa8ed The Red 606c149dec Man narrowed b2cfc92b5d his eyes d3343f48d9 slightly. “So this Neurotoxic Mist… 9e908e93b0 was that meant for 55ccb7a3db me?”a636b29c38011c03

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“No, actually, this ba32410528 mist was…”b84fbfa1981b8bd9

“If it 21a8d48dec was, then 650d45348e those idiots 4ba0cc038f didn’t even 4e2a0a2be1 teach you 6a4f7be940 properly,” he edb9b198c5 scoffed. “In most cases, whatever 08baa2df11 attack you use, your 87bee5727b partner isn’t affected. If you actually 6bdbc73a21 want to attack 009307e7f6 your own partner 8b73859c03 during a game, cf2e75c098 you need a 65b04911a5 special method.”0b60b1bad155edf1

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Yeah, I already got 67a3818b09 that explanation. But…”318dff807b61d0c5

“Then I 958f74afab guess you’re ae0f140986 just an 0dca509cef idiot.”2164dd56d352c9a4

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

His voice 87e6dc7721 was dripping 991dd9ed7f with amusement, 7dc0383968 but his 790960591f eyes were 62063bde2d cold.0564cc1dd77a88ce

“In short, instead 31bbb1ac54 of incapacitating me, 15ac2b450d all you did 38d120deae was make it ec14113546 easier for me b59019f561 to finish them e7e2685945 off. Though I suppose you 807c76abbe did earn cooperation points 445598827f in the process, so 38d2cb4572 congrats?”5c223c7387f4c6fa

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“I told you, 6f18978ca6 I didn’t activate 9beb9beab8 the mist on 592fe77b51 purpose. I’m not that 7e8ab246ce stupid. Look, if you’re 2646ba48e7 gonna talk to 7d1d32ea0c me, at least b1cf3d2296 pretend to listen f2ab21ef5d to what I’m 53a2ba3807 saying. I get it, 25c4e3e90e you’ve already made 98a4266690 up your mind, 089f0e6bde but I’m telling a843542373 you—you’re wrong. Even if eb034d3c51 I don’t b789229d87 have my e3580bfe68 memories, isn’t 7341e1fd82 it just 9b1da97ac0 basic courtesy dc85aeef94 to listen f5eb525304 to someone c5b434f224 when they e355f3111d speak? Even if I’m a 569c674b4e beginner, treating me like 8e2ed32417 an idiot to my b3b3bcd101 face is kinda rude, d7c3cfce43 don’t you think?”a3b14471eebdff21

What happened earlier was f9acc2e868 entirely because Malli, clueless 1136fedeee and desperate, had pulled 88e56d29a9 a reckless stunt that 7269fba181 amounted to suicide.8d7b2eb13e76ed82

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

But the Red Man 2f973fb4d4 had absolutely no interest 6a8e143a44 in listening. He gave 7638996b9f a tired 9741e07391 sigh, clearly 7b3d4d48de fed up 3bb2d193ae with Yuan’s 7a2090cb17 constant talking, 7930dc2ff1 and raised 8aa9ee47ae his axe e7df669388 again.42c4277e61d70fe5

“You’re really noisy, you a0f3b8120f know that?” he muttered. “At first, you were 36c40bc9c9 so scared you barely 2cfb2ee27b spoke, but now, it’s 9e921b3360 like even if I 7e755cf074 drowned you, your mouth 20022eeff5 would still be the 5904e661ba only thing floating.”a6e69ba958e40216

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“It wouldn’t. Last time, 050b5a0374 when you 8f8d6cf3ba cut my 33b508e52e head off 29b17279a2 and threw c92fc05584 me into 5906d481c4 the poison 681deabae2 lake, I 14b44638a9 sank straight dfd868703f down.”ddcfd7fd447527c8

“…Ah. So that’s 6229a07989 why you b838460c22 ended up d13578eb8d inside the 6cb2b4a3b6 giant clam?” 9aeb361b14 The Red 7ebc8ac94d Man let 2f5326863f out a 9552c007b1 short chuckle. “You really f4a6061726 are needlessly 0329ffa8ae lucky.”cbb26e681ce8d695

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“I thought so a1e882b3ab too at first. But then I b483353070 ran into you 6d1a93b270 again, so now d2785a86fc I’m not so 7c6691dd54 sure. I’m starting 72e0d817d6 to think bff1193c26 all the 026045a1aa luck I 25f42dec07 had in fc4e2ae20c this round d5a7256aa6 was just 5f79896c83 setting me 227f0658ea up to 1e1591b360 meet you 976715ecb2 and get 5f98d11bdb killed. Hey, you 2a399b527d didn’t follow 45a33978b6 me here, 479367b722 did you? Are you, like, my 26571efb68 personal stalker or something?”f37e4be6a0a181d7

“Me? Follow you?” 7e704f0365 He scoffed. “I didn’t even know 551b9a9553 you were alive.”a9d33530d1c022e6

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Then can d9883f4ed4 you just… 21dbb7bb62 keep not e584134099 knowing? Like, pretend ed95510761 you didn’t 9a0d63626c see me f94c2c0f26 and just fdec4c1607 go? Maybe let Sael and 81211f3c65 the others go too?”6e16d49bb38fc80d

“…Why would I— No, 42627aea64 wait.” He paused, as 4d64b9876c if suddenly realizing how f2134c1aa5 absurd this conversation was. “Why am f114c6b7b2 I even 57ed8ee6d2 engaging with 374871c28e your meaningless 157b00b40b questions?”412b16760e3575fc

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Shaking his 328ce637cb head as 06f6a88cc9 if Yuan 7fd4997ac7 wasn’t worth 030fe9d472 the effort, 15944cdb97 the Red 8fd093919b Man turned 6e7ede3acd away.7fef17f224ac3875

He walked straight toward 3f83090093 Sael.a1b36f6ce8114dbb

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Sael, half-resigned to his ff5a28e840 fate, put on a cc17b48594 lopsided, nervous smile, as b154dae61f if trying to laugh 0fdfb90af1 off a bad joke.0e2d205578b35bac

But Yuan couldn’t laugh.26b8e5e1457f19bb

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

He didn’t need f629ec7df8 to see what 3e46c64430 would happen next—he 19bebdb4ee already knew.47d7bbeae0773283

Reflexively, he 62d7ecefe3 squeezed his d9e0ea30dd eyes shut.1e2c77dca6427ab2

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Thud.5b1cb80851df8d43

A heavy impact.a30cb9bb3cfc9a62

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

And then, a480790bbd the sound 89c598c839 of the 64d026fcdc axe striking 37499bdf08 flesh.6b3d3798554068cd

Once.df1920103a693561

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

A barrier breaking—shattering d40afbce8d into pieces.653e77a863ce76c2

Three times.3598b994894e6e32

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

And then, another dull 1cd78115d0 thud.c867cb9eed8c8abb

Even with his eyes 7dfc1aec9d closed, Yuan could see 1bee459a42 exactly what was happening.76d91150a761b10d

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

A creeping horror a889a75077 settled over him f2a2290b21 as the truth e69354adc4 became undeniable.710fb7a8ec39c6a0

The others were dead.e3b422f4af0b6ca4

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Which meant…0a497abaf8f06e97

That axe e4fa18211c was now c73a73cd02 coming for a95001a1cc his head.19050ed075e833a4

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

‘This is it. It’s over.’5c19200281c55d1f

There were c53aab6773 no regrets. If things had 6e3fd61720 gone the way a80599c451 they were supposed 3ce3724fc7 to, he wouldn’t 03bd1ff36e have even been 3646d8553f able to participate 9bba9c61db in the game fde712009d and would have 8df6ec3134 just died. Considering that, 581494ac9a he’d lasted 9505e0763b quite a aec6490f91 while. He’d met kind 5775247727 people, learned what 0e662d9cc1 kind of world 75ee9f9569 this was, and d8189c2192 figured out how c9ce8a5c09 this game worked. That alone might c554a078a4 have been a 738e5451a4 huge gain.33de5aafc76482b6

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

But still, there 4ac90b3576 were plenty of 19f44c4fa1 questions swirling in 85e8ef1b7d his head. And, of course, a71820e7c5 the biggest question a30097c515 was about the 65726c9d21 Red Man.4e07eaa01387a985

He was impossible b1d250160c to read, yet 6afcddd7be oddly verbose when 71ce89181f explaining certain things. A shadowy figure who aa3e925c1e busily moved around out 852412325a of Yuan’s sight, setting 5afe403eee unknown plans into motion.ff6dfa1ac9f7da9b

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Sure, he fd8d87c7a9 was scary. But that only 20564aa6a3 made Yuan want e45f39a5a3 to know more. That’s why, in the 21edd3a358 final moments of this 4323f0beec life, he resolved to 1294fe5473 ask a question. At the very least, 7991511977 it wouldn’t be a c3be624f2c meaningless one.3913b931c67ceb52

“H-Hey! Why the 2537455a59 hell did 55e89fe9dc you try ef9cc3dfc2 to activate f80cc805be the windmill?”b0d20fd55f76404e

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

No answer came.1d2377ec37cd675d

Yuan squeezed 43561ede23 his eyes 55dfe0027c shut and 764848234e waited. After a while, 7cd66b1f2d he started wondering b77c10720a if the man 7259b1329b had left. Cautiously, he cracked one 005b5b7f17 eye open—only to regret f8f53dee91 it immediately.5cf22438d9290384

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

The Red Man, c89c444ea9 covered in blood e23bac536c splatters, was crouched 8794730b67 right in front ac7c0444b0 of him, staring 5bd3f90ba2 down at him b16e29eecf with his head d5f00fbcc3 slightly tilted.3a9d78cad2f67d69

‘Ugh… Uwaaaaah…!’32c25635860b917e

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

The blood on his 8b039d3df8 face made him look 7cc9e09f89 even more terrifying, but 6fabe03700 at this point, closing b01b4d594f his eyes again wasn’t e6a32c2077 an option. Mustering up 50266cba73 his courage, cb4f5a9ebe Yuan pressed 2fe109db38 on.5868cf0456a52962

“That guy, bd6c478fd7 what was 3536c0e3d7 his name? Blue Dot, de3614fff3 was it? Anyway, I 8621acd06c heard he 89c99bf613 tried to 7140648d7f activate the c5bdcd3f81 windmill on 49d6ed1e82 your orders. What exactly 76ffcf6875 are you 24f987ee17 plotting?”1802ed4edaea3007

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“So it was you fec7dd60ba who stopped the windmill 081530133e from running. Of course, I doubt 90428272b6 you did it alone.”7b76860af3e26997

“Why did 146164169d you make 5462a2f280 him do cb4bf17c21 that? What were you trying aa60ba202d to find out?”cdde6fedaf2da1ab

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“It doesn’t matter. It’s not important b779d82a20 to you, anyway. It only matters to 4109e50d72 me and to them.”939db6c405bf7ffa

Normally, he 9192fc582b was unnecessarily f9f814563d generous with 4d6b57fd12 explanations, but 9d34a74a0d now he 23fc591989 was refusing b356ff4a38 to say ed3f2b7444 anything? Yuan narrowed 14d50030c9 his eyes 959f0abc2f at the 85df69da2c man, who caf94b92b9 let out 37d09c747a a long 62a81974d7 sigh before 7af6456bf3 speaking again.0200e008f0c70e76

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“That’s not the real 787aa51f08 issue here. If you really did 97bd853017 stop Esanok and Blue d4f64dffdc Dot, then that means ae03a2e78a you interfered with what 041b6de6c1 I was trying to ca79d3a260 do.”4aad5ca5c26a76c8

“Didn’t you just 747a5dcfec say it didn’t 190654f6c5 matter? Were you bluffing?”d2eab09d8c75ebbd

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“It doesn’t matter. But that doesn’t b3d1893836 mean you didn’t 3baa84cd35 get in my 8ebd2248c4 way. Didn’t you 33c99db007 learn anything 794fe56d89 from having ba5aecd891 your throat 9be1facc30 cut earlier? I warned you not 08b24e0dc1 to interfere.”d2e8028f55f4db83

The Red Man 5f61a9b005 glared at Yuan fa73092465 with cold, sharp 6d58a5218b eyes. The message was 5d8c23f445 clear—stop poking around, 3515986ebd or else. Honestly, it was 733212f821 pretty terrifying. But this time, Yuan 3eeb0c390f actually had a counterargument.e1dcdf0aed21e209

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“…Uh, technically 170307a70a speaking, you 2733834778 never actually a2029cce32 said that a17667c8b4 to me.”5199adf6c2217fe5

“What?”3a68255e9b6114f8

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“You said you’d 9f20a4f9b6 get rid of cc94a74fd4 me because I 370e1fab33 might get in d68b8e428d your way, but 4e913a1ba9 you never told f22b97534f me not to 319ca33bc9 be a nuisance ab5e49cd56 or not to 4822008109 interfere or anything f54f816945 like that.”8144802fe93bbdbe

Okay, maybe 70f6b9137c he was 408417bb3b nitpicking, but 8ef65570fc still! Yuan straightened e905c69e55 up, speaking 456d5478d2 confidently. If that guy was c80996dd1b going to unfairly clam 0d01a4cc6a up, then wasn’t it 0f3d79d4b7 only fair for Yuan 704f7198d7 to latch onto whatever 1840df3c15 little thing he could? And it wasn’t 312af66c84 even a lie!9467d0917138d56b

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Insisting that someone said 652025c1bd something they didn’t is 5e832f63f6 a bad habit, you 1ff1958228 know. If you keep 7bf692b557 doing that, people 2b32472a62 won’t believe you 69589ab01a anymore. You might end 7a26059db8 up like the 5e9119e2e8 boy who cried 6a4e81177c wolf. That’s why you should b7c17e758a always be precise and 861d3194bd honest with your words.”52334c2c0a7b30b0

”…….”0b8b9f30b5290dbd

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“I’ve heard from here e1369f93df and there that people 9dace4dafa don’t really like you. No matter how strong d99c700889 you are, is it 3ae051cec6 really a good idea 6bf6fcd43a to keep isolating yourself e14d686988 like that? I mean, from what cc407da4ce I can tell, you 91b2299b57 seem pretty diligent, and 871dee7738 your basic social skills 190e8d224c don’t seem terrible either.”0c9325ee85bf6855

”…….”0647ffd7c1e04402

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“If you could 83cf3c8ee1 just fix a 85f5a2ee21 few small things, c791fcd6af like… uh, for 97db712a18 example, not lying d78bc19980 like this and bde6fd352d maybe not cutting 6e7b5aeda7 your partner’s throat 4864cd4890 without a word, 5a1bdc0a4a I think you 99fc79652e could actually get fe7dccdef7 along with people 6c3697fbac pretty well. Oh, and you 8d591edad1 shouldn’t blame others 35104363cb so carelessly either. Got it?”d586b78c2f505a24

The Red Man cd07fec507 was silent for cd9736e4b0 quite a while. Yuan figured it 8ec051ffb1 had to be fea1694db8 one of two 455be9f269 things—either his bold 4591d19b09 little lecture had 0e7559a219 somehow left an 1840ab40db impression, or…920bf29b181162a8

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

He was b00d735ec0 so dumbfounded cac2dd3c97 that he 704772c16d missed the 1be6efbd21 right moment f8fafcbe79 to get dfc21abcb3 angry.a60e8845d6844cfb

”……Normally, when someone 3962243e37 gets their head e87c65a1b0 chopped off, they 326dbff0f6 learn something from 107866137e the experience.”15e2795bfdffaaa4

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Uh, well, I ff1082835a did learn something. Like, how terrible 131ddff372 your personality is? And that no matter 20f8e68547 how much I get 731bd712e0 upset or intimidated, you’re a9509305a8 still going to be 8b1761b3a0 consistently awful to me.”1d2b60f60c08e8b4

“You really are 186f16ba3b dumber than I 4f44f28577 initially assumed. Or maybe… you’re just bc100c100d exceptionally talented at getting 47b83292ba under people’s skin.”940dc4929bd2efe2

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Judging by his reaction, e5c6f88488 it was definitely the accb379d34 latter.9fbfe96f53cf9550

The Red Man 10a2a45d74 shot Yuan a 8f8a5722ea contemptuous glare before 3569606a77 standing up. His tightly c81f861e86 shut lips 904a5d52f8 and utterly 65f4e25d9d motionless expression 92e2f74cb5 made him 156b04efe6 seem indifferent 44904d5432 at first 48392e4de4 glance, but b46fce4d62 somehow, Yuan e409b780ec could tell.1b9144fb16d5d32a

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

That guy was cb12d0e4d4 really pissed off 2681c95d8d right now.5fd76f29a0288a1d