Chapter 21: The Spiral Staircase

Qian Cangyi found himself at the back of the group. The thunderous sounds of impact echoed behind him, sometimes feeling as close as if they were right at his heels.

Before long, cold sweat was pouring down Qian Cangyi’s back. He was terrified of making a mistake. He was currently descending a staircase; while he had never personally experienced falling down a spiral staircase, he knew from television and internet clips that a fall here would mean losing the ability to move—which, in turn, meant death.

Qian Cangyi did not want to die.

*Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm...*

He comforted himself internally. In reality, he realized he wasn’t panicking as much as he expected. Although his heart was racing and his breathing was rapid, his mind remained remarkably clear, and every step he took was steady.

However, things were not as simple as he had hoped. As time passed, his legs grew heavier and heavier. Yet, the headless giant behind them showed no signs of fatigue. If this continued, being caught was only a matter of time.

Qian Cangyi was not the only one who realized this.

"This won't work. It doesn't seem to get tired at all. No matter how much we run, we can't outpace it, and this spiral staircase seems endless," Ning Jing panted, gasping for breath.

"How about we try fighting back? There are four of us; we might not be outmatched," Xiao Tian suggested.

Qian Cangyi glanced back, then immediately turned his head away after catching a glimpse of the headless giant. He began to weigh the feasibility of Xiao Tian’s idea.

Four against one—but would it really work? Setting aside the disparity in size, the crux of the matter was that the creature could run without a head, and it could run indefinitely. There was no way to measure it by the standards of an ordinary human.

He was about to respond, but Ning Jing cut him off.

"It’s impossible. We should find another way," Ning Jing said, shaking her head.

"How do you know if you don't try?" Xiao Tian retorted.

Qian Cangyi sensed that the situation was taking a turn for the worse because Xiao Tian had already begun to slow down, apparently intent on giving it a try. He wanted to say something, but after looking at Xiao Tian’s build, a thought crossed his mind.

Perhaps Xiao Tian really could succeed?

With that thought, Qian Cangyi did not stop him.

"Stay calm, He Hongxin. You are no match for him," Zhiduoxing’s voice rang out.

"Running forever isn't a solution either. We have to change something. Maybe it’s just a paper tiger, like the zombies in games," Xiao Tian said with a casual tone.

Qian Cangyi understood Xiao Tian’s mindset. In the previous forest loop, they had needed to find an exit, and Xiao Tian had felt powerless. But now, with the headless giant acting as a persistent enemy behind them, it didn't seem like an insurmountable entity. Perhaps a direct confrontation was possible.

"In that case, I’ll support you," Zhiduoxing said, his tone cautious and his speech very slow.

"Good!" Xiao Tian nodded heavily.

"Are you... both crazy?" Ning Jing looked at them in disbelief.

Soon, Xiao Tian and Zhiduoxing began to slow down, and before long, they were passed by Ning Jing. At this point, Qian Cangyi also slowed down appropriately until he came to a stop.

*Let me see first. Maybe I can help out?*

Holding onto this thought, Qian Cangyi intended to see the outcome of Xiao Tian’s challenge against the headless giant.

"I’ll take the right, you take the left." After throwing out these words, Xiao Tian charged straight at the headless giant. As he closed the distance, he gripped his flashlight tightly in his right hand, then swung his arm, throwing it with enough force to successfully strike the giant.

The headless giant was hit by the flashlight and its body paused for a fraction of a second. Though the moment was brief, it was keenly noted by Xiao Tian.

"It works! Let’s try to dislocate its joints."

Xiao Tian shouted to Zhiduoxing, then clenched his fists and moved in.

As the headless giant approached, it extended its arms, reaching forward. Xiao Tian dodged to the side, then swung his right fist with great force toward the jagged stump where the giant's neck should have been.

The headless giant showed no intention of dodging. It retracted its arms and reached for Xiao Tian again, but by then, Xiao Tian’s fist had already slammed into the neck stump.

The moment it was struck, the giant’s body shuddered, but it continued its previous action as if nothing had happened.

"Hitting the stump is useless!" Xiao Tian shouted, then crouched down to dodge another attack.

By now, Zhiduoxing had arrived. He leaped high and delivered a kick to the giant's chest.

The force of the blow pushed the headless giant back two steps, but that was all. The giant quickly steadied itself and reached out with its hands again.

Seeing this, Qian Cangyi understood the situation.

Against strikes like punches and kicks, the headless giant could effectively be considered invulnerable. And as for other attacks... the actors had no other weapons. Thus, the giant was in a state of invincibility—at least for now, there was no apparent way to confront it head-on.

The only hope was whether dislocating its joints would render it immobile, which was exactly what Xiao Tian and Zhiduoxing were attempting.

"How is it going?" Ning Jing’s voice drifted over.

Qian Cangyi looked back and saw Ning Jing standing not far behind him, her expression tense, her arms pulled tight against her body, and her fingers interlaced in front of her.

"They!" Suddenly, Ning Jing’s eyes widened in horror, her right hand pointing forward.

Qian Cangyi followed the direction of her finger. Xiao Tian and Zhiduoxing, who had been attempting to grapple with the headless giant, were in trouble.

The headless giant had grabbed Xiao Tian’s head with its right hand and his neck with its left, the veins on its arms bulging.

Xiao Tian’s face turned pale; his eyes rolled back, and his mouth hung open, but he could not produce a sound. He gripped the giant’s right wrist, struggling to push upward, but it was in vain.

Seeing this, Zhiduoxing repeated his previous move, leaping up to kick the giant. The headless giant stumbled back two steps but did not let go.

Seeing this, Zhiduoxing reached out to help, shouting:

"Come help! Quickly!"

"Hurry, he’s not going to make—"

Before he could finish, Zhiduoxing’s voice was cut off by Xiao Tian’s scream.

A piercing, shrill scream echoed through the spiral staircase, vibrating against their eardrums, before suddenly cutting off. The headless giant had forcibly torn off Xiao Tian’s head. His body remained standing in place as a massive spray of blood erupted from his neck like a fountain. The blood surged into the darkness above before slowly raining down, drenching the headless giant, Zhiduoxing, and Xiao Tian’s corpse in a shower of gore.

Then, the headless giant took Xiao Tian’s head in its hands and placed it upon its own neck, turning it left and right to ensure it was stable.

Qian Cangyi looked at Xiao Tian’s head, and a chill rose from the soles of his feet.

Xiao Tian’s face was stained red by the falling blood, his expression frozen in a mask of helplessness and terror, as if he could not believe, even in death, that this would be his end.

"Ah!" Ning Jing covered her mouth with both hands, unable to stifle her screams.

The terrifying giant, now sporting Xiao Tian’s head, seemed satisfied. It turned away from the blood-drenched scene and began to head back the way it came.