There's definitely something wrong with this murder mystery game

Chapter 71: Chapter 68 Black Swan

Qiuzi had an inexplicable allure to people.

Xu Shuo didn't know whether this was a mutation that occurred after her death or if her charm had always been above average.

In any case, it seemed to render people unable to control themselves.

This inexplicably reminded Xu Shuo of a girl with long, straight black hair and a tear mole at the corner of her eye.

He couldn't help but touch his own face.

It was a relief that he didn't have a tear mole, Qiuzi didn't either, and she wasn't enchanting in appearance; she had a youthful, childlike quality. If she tied her hair in double ponytails and maintained a normal expression, she even resembled the expressive Xu Xi.

But after death, no matter the expression, there was always something eerily uncanny.

It wasn't his fault that he was frightening; it was just how he looked.

Xu Shuo rubbed his cheek and turned to walk to the dance studio.

Changying was sitting on the floor resting, looking down at her phone, seemingly replying to a message.

As he walked in, the woman abruptly lifted her head, still wearing that serious and harsh expression, as stern as a junior high school disciplinarian.

"Teacher," Xu Shuo called out obediently.

"Mm," Changying responded, then said, "Lanruo mentioned she was feeling a bit unwell and has gone back to rest. This afternoon you will practice alone."

The dance studio session continued for another two hours after lunch, concluding at four in the afternoon.

Upon hearing this, Xu Shuo paused momentarily, his expression one of surprise, and asked, "Unwell? No wonder she looked a bit off this morning; perhaps she also caught a chill last night."

She's directly not coming?

Although that little girl seemed timid and shy, she shouldn't back down so easily. She couldn't really have been scared away by him, could she?

He had even planned to scare her a bit more later on.

It seems he can't do that now.

Changying's brows furrowed, emitting a low pressure, and said in a very dissatisfied tone, "You young girls always fall short at critical moments. How can you not rest properly with the performance so close!"

Xu Shuo bowed his head, responding very obediently.

...

There were originally few people in the dance studio, and now the other two dancers had left due to other commitments, leaving Xu Shuo to practice alone in the spacious studio once more.

However, the strict Changying dutifully taught him until four in the afternoon.

This afternoon involved only simple physical movements, practicing in sections the dances they needed to perform for "Swan Lake". As Xu Shuo had many issues during the morning dance practice, Changying was especially strict.

"Qiuzi, you're almost capturing the essence of the Black Swan, but why can't your movements keep up!"

Changying said, frustrated as if hating that iron could not become steel.

Xu Shuo blinked, "Sorry..."

He didn't know what exactly the Black Swan's demeanor should be, but the feeling Qiuzi had while dancing was definitely inseparable from the creepy atmosphere.

Perhaps, it was a touch more dark?

As there were only two people, the dance studio had only half its lights on, with the other half plunged into dimness, silent and empty.

Changying lifted the girl's arm, placing it into the most perfect position, like manipulating a marionette, presenting the image of a swan ready to take flight.

Xu Shuo felt his waist being embraced, the sensation from the palm neither warm nor hot, but cold enough to completely fit against his body.

The girl's eyes dimmed slightly, and she suddenly tilted her head back, gazing at the person behind her with inverted eyes, and softly chuckled, "Teacher, I just heard Xuena outside saying that she's also going to compete for this spot."

Changying lowered her head, and unexpectedly locked eyes with the girl's dark and profound gaze.

It was pitch black, utterly lifeless as if it was the Abyss, yet strangely, it held a vortex-like allure.

In the story of "Swan Lake", the Black Swan assumes the identity of the White Swan to seduce the prince; hence, she is noble, graceful, yet simultaneously exhibits a feverish and unrestrained seductive power.

She resides in the darkness, swaying with passionate dance moves, stirring the deepest desires within people, much like the serpent in the Garden of Eden tempting Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit.

Without a doubt, she was captivating!

Changying's absent-minded gaze sharpened, and she suddenly let go of the girl. Xu Shuo also stabilized his stance in that instant.

Turning around, he tilted his head, showing a curious look.

"Qiuzi, competition is fair," Changying said without expression. "Since Xuena plans to participate, then defeat her!" She looked up at the clock on the wall and added, "Time's up."

Unbeknownst to them, it was already four in the afternoon.

Time seemed to have sunk into a thick swamp, slowly sinking down, yet imperceptible.

Half of the dance studio was shrouded in darkness, and a repressive atmosphere enveloped the air.

…

Changying tightened her face, changed out of her dance clothes, and left quickly in her high-heeled shoes.

After the tap-tap-tapping of her heels disappeared down the hallway, the vast sixth-floor dance studio fell silent once again.

It seemed he had scared another one away.

Xu Shuo stood in front of the enormous floor-to-ceiling mirror on one side of the wall, looking at his clear reflection, and no matter how he looked, he seemed even more sinister.

He stretched his mouth into a grin, revealing a faint trace of blood between his pearly teeth, remnants of the medium-rare steak he had for lunch.

Honestly, it was his first time trying it.

But the taste was not bad, perhaps?

Just then, the entire dance studio suddenly dimmed, even the curtained windows no longer let any light penetrate, and everything had become pitch black and eerie.

It was as if it had suddenly become night.

Or rather, something had dyed everything in sight black; the giant mirror faintly reflected the girl's silhouette.

At that moment, Xu Shuo felt the familiar stiffness; his body couldn't move, and even emitted a strange, rotten smell, with an overwhelming sensation of suffocation flooding his mind.

This time, his sensation was much clearer.

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Something was crawling up from below his feet, and soon after, a thick, strange substance touched his back, cold and slimy.

The entire world seemed silent to the extreme.

But in the mirror, there was nothing but darkness reflected.

Xu Shuo maintained his stiff posture without moving for a long while, just like last night, after the disgusting and oppressive stickiness passed, his body regained the ability to move, and the sounds that had disappeared began to return.

The lights in the dance studio slowly brightened.

He turned to look out the window, where it was still around four-thirty in the afternoon, the sky was overcast, but not dark.

Xu Shuo looked down at himself, his skin still soft and smooth, but it had started to turn a pale blueish-white.

And the craving for a medium-rare steak was stronger now.

"Dinglingling—"

Suddenly, a piercing ringtone broke the silence of the dance studio.

Xu Shuo came back to his senses, looked towards the rest area, walked over and picked up his phone.

But he watched the caller ID and didn't answer, and after a while, the ringing stopped, followed by a text message coming through.

[Qiuzi, do you have time tonight? I want to take you somewhere.]

…

…

"She rejected me!" Officer Zhang said, widening his eyes.

The priest next to him, wore a not-surprised expression and stood up, saying, "Then let it be, she must have other plans."

"But, you just said..." Through the glass window, Officer Zhang looked up at the dance studio with the curtains drawn tight, frowning unhappily.

"Go find that little girl; I think she's also a key figure in this incident," the priest said.

The two had been sitting here all afternoon, and the police had already passed on Lanruo's information to Officer Zhang, considering she might be the murderer who "killed" Qiuzi.

Moreover, they had started to understand the "Black Dog's" modus operandi through sharing intelligence, so the wait wasn't entirely fruitless.

But Qiuzi rejected her!