Umamusume's days are numbered

Before Platinum could ponder further, the astronomer licked his lips and eagerly asked, "Shall I go first?"

"A group of travelers arrived in a remote ghost town during the height of summer. The locals had long since been relocated due to the earthquake, and the government's subsequent reconstruction plans had been delayed, leaving this ruin hidden here."

"The travelers, exhausted from their afternoon's journey, were starving and thirsty when they arrived. So they found a reasonably intact detached villa, ate steak and popped champagne in the yard..."

"Wait!" Platinum interrupted quickly, "Where did they get the beef and wine?"

It was exactly the same food that my group ate today.

"Oh, Linda prepared it."

"Aren't those the four of us?!"

Happy Birthday, Platinum!

episode 279 it

"Oh, Linda prepared it."

"Aren't those the four of us?!"

"You're right. The main characters of the story are named Astronomer, Platinum, Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate, and Excellent Qualities."

Telling ghost stories in an old house is already considered very unlucky.

And there are things even more ominous than this.

That is to name the protagonist of the story after yourself.

"Isn't this just to increase the sense of immersion? Anyway, none of this matters." The astronomer cleared his throat, pulling the incandescent bulb closer to his chest to add credibility. "They ate and drank their fill in the courtyard, singing and dancing..."

"...Is this really a ghost story?" Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate was the first to express his dissatisfaction. He wanted a thrilling and exciting story, preferably one that would scare Platinum into hiding in his arms. This is just singing and dancing! Is this the Spring Festival Gala?

"Don't rush, don't rush, the story will gradually get better."

The incandescent bulb was of good quality; apart from getting quite hot, it didn't flicker uncomfortably. So, the astronomer shielded the bulb with his palm, repeatedly cutting the light to create the interplay of light and shadow.

—The sun had already set, and the four of them needed to think about going to sleep. Based on past experience, they would check their landing spot for any dangers, such as a load-bearing wall that was about to collapse, a floor that was about to crack, a ceiling that was about to sink, or a basement filled with water.

If the place is safe enough and there are no signs of homeless people, the four of them will sprinkle some insect repellent powder, set up their tents in the building and go to sleep, leaving one person to keep watch—after all, this is not a campsite open to tourists as a tourist attraction, so they still need to be careful about their safety.

Just as the four of them reunited in front of the villa after checking everything, they discovered that one person was still missing inside.

One, two, three... The carp leaping over the dragon gate is not in the group.

"Isn't the 'Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate' supposed to be in charge of inspecting the attic? It hasn't come down yet, is there some problem?" the astronomer asked.

With excellent qualities, he frowned and said, "Let's go upstairs and find her."

Just as Bai Jingang was about to say something, they heard a crisp, resonant sound, like the sound of ten panes of glass shattering simultaneously, not crisp but exceptionally loud.

Then, a figure plummeted from the building, its head striking the ground in a bizarre arc, the dark red bloodstains growing larger beneath it.

The carp that leaped over the dragon gate died; it was shot.

"Ah, Ah Li is dead," the excellent student exclaimed.

"...This isn't a horror story, it's turned into a mystery." Platinum complained, but actually felt a sense of relief.

"I suspect the murderer is the astronomy teacher." Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate insisted on the murderer, seemingly unconcerned about his own first encounter with the killer.

"Where did the murderer come from? If I say I'm going to tell a horror story, then it's definitely a horror story."

—But that's not the most terrifying thing. The elite inspectors checked the second floor, the platinum inspectors checked the first floor, and the astronomers checked the basement. Finally, they all gathered at the door after their inspections. The platinum inspectors stayed on the first floor the entire time, making it impossible for anyone to enter the villa midway.

The villa has only one main door and three windows at its entrance and exit. One window connects the living room and kitchen, another connects to the study, and the last window connects to the basement. It is a very small window, and in the basement, this window is two meters above the ground, making it impossible for anyone to enter or exit through it, unless it is a cat.

Similarly, it's impossible for any three people to be carrying firearms. The bloody, gunpowder-smelling odor emanating from the carp leaping over the dragon gate undoubtedly indicates gunfire.

The killer isn't one of the three people; this isn't a mystery movie. This means that a serial killer, armed with some unknown type of firearm, is lurking in this villa, ready to shoot anyone he sees without hesitation.

The carp that leaped over the dragon gate has landed silently before it, but the danger is not over. The sun has set, and the entire ghost town is shrouded in darkness. The three people have flashlights to illuminate the darkness, but the staircase is hidden around a corner. To light the staircase, one of them must go to the other side and turn on the flashlight through the window there. You can see that there is no one on the first floor, and you can only hear each other breathing. There is absolutely no fourth person present…

It's all just a ridiculous coincidence. There might not have been a single person who fired the shot. It might have been that when Li Yuelongmen went down to the second floor, he accidentally touched some old, loaded gun. Li Yuelongmen can no longer describe what's inside the attic, but at least from the outside, the attic has no windows.

“We shouldn’t take any more risks,” Platinum said. At such a crucial moment, they displayed remarkable rationality.

Regardless of whether there was a serial killer upstairs, given the level of danger here, they should stay longer. So the astronomer groped his way to the car in the dark to start it, while Excellent Quality and Platinum, dragging their bodies like carp leaping over a dragon gate, tiptoed along... In fact, in such darkness, unless the serial killer had night vision goggles and a sniper rifle, he wouldn't be able to hit them.

The three of them groped their way to the car. The roads in the ghost town were in pretty good condition, so they could easily drive off; even a leopard couldn't catch up with the car.

But the car wouldn't start because the astronomer smelled a pungent odor of gasoline. She wiped her hand on the ground—the car's fuel tank had been punctured.

The flame in the hearts of the three women was completely extinguished. They finally realized their reality of being trapped like caged beasts.

"A classic massacre by a serial killer, the final result is that not a single one is left, right?" Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate was starting to get excited. Although it was different from the ghost story he had imagined, it was indeed very exciting and very North American.

"Hmm..." Excellent Quality wanted to say, "If that's the case, why can't we explore the old house before dark instead of doing it after all the singing and dancing?" But seeing how enthusiastic everyone was, Excellent Quality swallowed his words.

Oh well, it's just a story anyway, no need to take it so seriously. Everyone seemed to enjoy it.

"..." Platinum felt her heart, which had been at ease, start to pound again... Oh, it didn't pound.

As long as it's not some kind of supernatural or ghostly thing, it's just a serial killer, nothing to be afraid of.

Platinum is only afraid of psychological attacks; it's not too afraid of physical attacks. A murderer using a gun? That's so lame.

Episode 280 A Red Balloon

A chilling darkness enveloped the three people and the dead, accompanied by the pungent smell of gasoline.

They made another mistake—they left the old house in the pitch black of night.

The fact that the carp leaping over the dragon gate was shot dead on the second floor at least confirms the killer's location. The killer couldn't have made any other move besides going down the stairs to the first floor.

But now all three of them have left the old house. This means that during the time they were out of sight, the killer's location was no longer under their control.

Is he still on the second floor of the old house, or has he already gone down to the first floor? Or has he actually been following behind the three of them all along?

Like a cold, sinister snake, it flicked its bright red tongue.

The astronomer's forehead was beaded with cold sweat. She lowered her voice and spoke in a clear, almost whistling tone, "Let's go outside."

"We have to get out of here..."

Platinum and her superior qualities stared in horror at what was behind her. Just before the scream was about to erupt, the air fell into an unexpected silence, as if everyone had suddenly become deaf.

A clown's face appeared behind the astronomer. It was a comical face, somewhat resembling Ronald McDonald and Clara Bell. A pale face with a wild, yellowish tinge.

"Guys, it's really windy today," the clown said with a smile, putting his arm around the astronomer's shoulder, but revealing fangs like a lion's. "The whole circus has been blown into the sky!"

"Fly, fly, fly, fly... fly, fly!"

The scream finally burst forth, accompanied by the grating crack of bones.

"Wait a minute, isn't this image a bit too iconic?" The author of "The Carp Leaps Over the Dragon Gate" had no objection to the story. "Shouldn't we pay Stephen King a royalties before we tell this?"

"I don't know if Stephen King paid McDonald's royalties," the astronomer shrugged. "If he didn't, then we don't need to, because the clown's name is actually taken from McDonald's. It has nothing to do with Pennywise."

"Besides, he's actually quite timid. If anyone breaks into his residence, Pennywise will react violently and teach the unruly visitor a lesson with a shotgun. Oh, what a territorial little animal."

"You yourself call him Pennywise!"

"Oh, that's alright, the story is already over."

"Aren't there still two people left? Besides, why was it that you were torn apart by his own hands, but I have to be shot with a shotgun?"

"Don't you feel a sense of exhilaration at being torn in two? Besides, what's the point of talking about the two people left? In the end, they're both doomed, aren't they?"

"You obviously got bored halfway through and didn't want to continue, right?"

“Wait a minute…” Platinum pointed forward with pale lips, “I really don’t want to interrupt your argument… but look, what’s that?”

The four of them followed the direction Platinum was pointing. They walked through the well-renovated courtyard, past the jeeps parked at the gate, until they reached the road where even the streetlights were sparse.

In the suburbs, there are no neighbors, and even fewer vehicles pass by; the road is shrouded in silence at this moment.

The city lights in the distance were clearly visible, but the nearby highway, without the illumination of lights, would have been pitch black. A flash of red appeared briefly under the bright yellow lights.

The bright red color floated in the air, like a round water ball, or like a pregnant woman's swollen belly.

The bright yellow light resembled the glow of an incandescent bulb in his hand, or perhaps the eyes of a clown. Golden and clear, those were the eyes of a wild beast, its stomach growling as it scraped its intestines with its fingernails.

"Ah..." Excellent Quality let out a small exclamation. She wondered if she had seen wrong, because that flash of red had indeed disappeared in an instant. Besides, it's normal to be a little paranoid after telling a ghost story; although she felt a little embarrassed, she might have been scared.

But when she turned to look at the others, everyone had the same expression as her, making her realize that she hadn't seen wrong.

Everyone saw that splash of red.

Then, under the light closer to the old house, that red flashed by again, immediately disappearing into the darkness. This time everyone saw it clearly: it was a red balloon.

Bai Jin jumped up in fright and leaped into Li Yuelongmen's arms, but Li Yuelongmen wasn't overjoyed. She looked outside with a serious expression, still feeling uneasy, and pulled out a shovel she'd taken from the house earlier. A meter-long shovel. With one arm around Bai Jin, Li Yuelongmen could easily wield the shovel with the other—truly a superwoman.

Oh, horse girl, that's alright then.

The carp leaping over the dragon gate wasn't really afraid of ghost stories; she was mainly worried about potential man-made dangers in the suburbs, like gangsters or drunkards. Those things were far more terrifying than ghost stories.

Closer and closer. Each time it appeared under the light, the scarlet balloon drew one step closer.

Finally, it came to a complete stop in front of the old house.

The gate to the courtyard opened silently.

"You're all here... Why are you all so worried?" Linda walked in carrying a wobbly red balloon, looking at the four of them with a strange expression. "I just came back to see how you were doing, why did you bring a shovel?"

"...We're performing in a play." Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate, steeling himself, brandished the shovel in his hand a couple of times, making a powerful and impressive display.

It turned out to be a false alarm... Everyone present breathed a sigh of relief. Platinum jumped out of Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate's arms, pretending that nothing had happened.

The weak version of myself from before has been killed by the current version of myself.

"You didn't go into the basement or attic, did you?"

"...Didn't go in. By the way, what exactly did you mean by those instructions you gave before you left? You were so mysterious." Now that the person in question was back, Platinum could finally get to the bottom of it.

Ultimately, it all started with Linda's ambiguous blessing!

"Well... the attic and basement haven't been cleaned in a long time, they might be damp." Linda scratched her head.

"The things in the storage cabinet cannot be taken out because you came in a hurry and some places have not been cleaned. It would be unhygienic for you to use the things in there."

"Closing the doors and windows at night is a normal blessing, to prevent drunkards or anything like that from causing trouble."

...My understanding is flawed.

In the end, Bai Jin hesitantly returned to the old house with everyone. But no one noticed that a small paper boat, covered in paraffin wax, was quietly floating in the drain along the street.

Floating, floating, floating. Passing through eddies and over fallen leaves, I arrived at the sewer entrance.

The small boat was held by a hand. The hand belonged to a clown from the sewers, whose pale face was painted with a comical smile, and whose yellowish eyes looked like those of some kind of wild beast.

He stood in the sewer, holding up a bright red balloon.

"Guys, what a strong wind today!" The clown smiled, revealing fangs like a lion's. "The whole circus has been blown into the sky!"

"Fly, fly... fly, fly... fly, fly..."

"Fly, fly..."

(Thirteen more chapters to go)

Episode 281 Big Plan

Linda's arrival completely destroyed the already weak atmosphere of the ghost story, especially since the astronomer who was telling the story set a bad precedent, causing everyone's already low spirits to plummet to rock bottom.

The astronomers were keen to continue the ghost story contest, but were ignored by the others. Excellent Quality and Platinum, carrying a chair in one hand and a table they had previously dragged out in the other, walked into the house, while Linda volunteered to roll up the extension cord they had pulled out.

Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate, still savoring the moment, patted the astronomer on the shoulder, signaling her to give her a helping hand, before getting up and going back inside—not because she was still enjoying the ghost story session, but because she was still captivated by the image of Platinum leaping into her arms like a rabbit. Unfortunately, at that moment, Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate was so full of energy that she felt she could fight Red Hare to a standstill for eight hundred rounds, and now all that remained in her mind was the smooth feel of that shovel handle.

Alas, I gave myself a chance but failed miserably. I wasted the golden opportunity that my astronomy teacher had created for me. What a sin!

"Does anyone want to see the stars?" Linda greeted everyone warmly. "The stars are very bright here at night, especially when you sit on the grass."

"I want to take a shower first." Li Yuelongmen politely declined Linda's suggestion. She had just been in a cold sweat and now felt a little sticky.

"What's so interesting about stars? I've seen them countless times with Sister Conman." The astronomer patted his behind and stood up.