Little Pink Starfish

Yuan Yuanyuan stared at the comic, clearly startled—but her surprise wasn’t the same as that of regular readers.

What she thought was: “They actually found Red Sand Well?”

What regular readers thought was: “They’re only finding Red Sand Well now?”

This difference made it clear—Yuan Yuanyuan was not an ordinary reader. She’d been to Red Sand Well herself, and she knew just how tightly secured that place was. It was remote, every step guarded, and the whole place gave off a deathly stillness.

Even the guards at the entrance carried real guns and live ammo. Faning and Yuan Yingli must have seriously leveled up lately—how the hell did they manage to sneak into a place like that?

[Faning and Yuan Yingli had finally reached this so-called Red Sand Well. What kind of place was it? Why was it called a “well”? When they arrived, they discovered—there really was a well here, though it had long dried up.]

[They had expected it to be dark and terrifying, and it was, but not in the way they’d imagined.]

[“I thought the ground would be littered with bones,” Faning said quietly, looking at the flat, empty ground.]

[The surroundings looked like a normal village. They walked between houses, which were all abandoned yet well-preserved. Only the windows had no glass or paper—just gaping, empty holes.]

[It didn’t quite match their expectations, but the oppressive atmosphere was real. The sky above was heavy with unmoving clouds, yellowish and filthy, as if it were always about to rain—grimy and never quite clean. The silence was suffocating, no ants, no insects, only the distant caws of crows, making one’s heart pound inexplicably.]

Yuan Yuanyuan’s heart sank. It looked like they had really found the place—the Red Sand Well. Their descriptions matched exactly with what she experienced back then. The strange atmosphere, the twisted sense of unease…

Soon, they’d see the well itself.

[“Why is it called Red Sand Well? Nothing about this place seems to fit. Didn’t they say many people died here? So where are the ruins?” Faning asked—just as Yuan Yingli stopped walking and tapped his arm.]

[Faning turned to look, and his gaze froze.]

[Scattered around a corner were some rusted weapons. Even though they were corroded, the blood grooves and barbs still looked terrifying.]

[Faning stared silently for a moment, then the two of them continued walking.]

The path they took grew more familiar with each step. Yuan Yuanyuan realized it was the exact route she’d taken. They were about to reach the well.

Sure enough, they turned a corner amid ruins and saw it: a lonely well, standing quietly.

Both Faning and Yuan Yingli froze the moment they saw it.

Yuan Yuanyuan understood that feeling—when she first saw it, she’d also expected something terrifying. But it was just a plain, ordinary well.

And yet the longer you stared, the more that plainness felt off. You couldn’t say why—it just felt wrong. The kind of wrong that made your skin crawl.

What’s more, the well appeared too suddenly, its location too deliberate—just behind a wall, perfectly hidden until you turned the corner. The winding path beforehand made its sudden appearance all the more jarring, as if the well had popped into existence.

Yuan Yuanyuan had left that place with a bad feeling. She’d thought she was being paranoid, but now it was clear—Faning and Yuan Yingli also sensed something ominous.

[“Why did it appear so suddenly?” Yuan Yingli asked softly.]

[“This is Red Sand Well?” Faning asked. “So it really is just a well?”]

[“I guess so,” Yuan Yingli replied, already removing his pack—a massive bag full of unknown items.]

[“Why do you sound so unsure?” Faning asked.]

[“Because most of the old records were destroyed. Only a few scattered ones remain in private hands,” Yuan Yingli replied. “Also, I should tell you something—unfortunately, I was officially expelled from the Yuan clan three months ago. The monsters from the spy camps might know about this, but we snuck out without telling them.”]

[“Alright, alright, my bad, I shouldn’t have brought up your trauma,” Faning said. “Different circumstances now…”]

[“You think I’m lying?” Yuan Yingli asked. “Whatever—want to try it and see?”]

Yuan Yuanyuan stared at the comic, her brain screaming, “Just what exactly are you two planning to try?!” She couldn’t blame herself for overthinking—those two had been right under her nose, yet she had no idea they were up to something this big… Wait, why did she sound like an elder all of a sudden?

Exhausted…

Yuan Yuanyuan watched as the two opened the bag and pulled out an absurdly long weapon—something like a guandao. Her expression stiffened.

What the hell—

[“Won’t Changsheng be mad we stole this?” Faning asked while unpacking.]

[“Oh, he’ll be pissed, no doubt. That’s why it’s your job to handle him,” Yuan Yingli said, patting Faning.]

Changsheng was one of the older members of Faning’s harem. Yuan Yuanyuan had always liked this character—delicate features, looked like a little girl. If she had to describe it, she’d say if Si Qun ever appeared in the comic without any dramatic filter, he’d probably look like Changsheng—soft, gentle, rarely spoke.

But over time, Changsheng’s popularity waned. Readers these days preferred more distinct personalities—not so much the soft and delicate types. And Changsheng had another flaw… not to sugarcoat it, he was a bit of a saint.

Apparently due to his character’s background, he was extremely sensitive to others’ emotions and could pick up on unpleasant energies—this made him even more withdrawn and empathetic.

Once, he let an enemy monster go because it kept crying and he couldn’t bear it. After that, he was torn apart online. Reportedly, he suffered the second-worst case of online harassment ever seen (the worst was Yuan Yuanyuan herself). After that, he pretty much stopped participating in the plot and became a shut-in.

But in the real world? Yuan Yuanyuan thought Changsheng was the most dependable of the trio. Who cares if he’s a saint? In real life, she’d love to meet someone like that. Way better than a shady character like Yuan Yingli.

And now, the guandao that belonged to this reliable guy was in someone else’s hands. That was one of Changsheng’s few “cuteness” points—boyish face wielding a guandao. Yet now, the completely unreliable Faning and the even more unreliable Yuan Yingli were placing it at the mouth of the well—and then slicing open their palms to drip blood onto it.

[“You sure this will work?” Yuan Yingli asked.]

[“It should. I saw Changsheng do it this way once,” Faning replied.]

Yuan Yuanyuan roughly figured out what they were doing. They were using Changsheng’s most-used weapon as a kind of beacon. His guandao had the same sensitivity he did—it could be used for sensing. But what exactly were these two trying to sense?

She watched the two troublemakers curiously. Since Ji Qiu actually drew this scene, that must mean nothing too terrible happened… right?

[Faning and Yuan Yingli plastered the guandao with all kinds of talismans, making it look like some cursed artifact.]

[“Are you sure this will work?” Yuan Yingli asked. “I mean… does this do anything at all? Why did I fall for your nonsense and agree to this…”]

[He didn’t finish his sentence. Suddenly, he lost his balance and collapsed.]

[Faning jumped in shock. Just as he was about to ask what was wrong, his own body swayed. Images flickered across his vision like a slideshow.]

[A crimson sky. Parched earth. Corpses everywhere.]

[Bodies lined the ground. Figures moved among them, lifting one corpse at a time and tossing them into the well. It all looked like a silent film. And suddenly, Faning understood.]

[—Why were there no bones, no corpses left above ground?]

[Because they were all in the well.]

[The well looked ordinary, but it seemed bottomless. Faning had no idea how long he stared… he was numb by the end, overcome with nausea.]

[Gradually, the pace of bodies being thrown into the well slowed. A long time passed with no new bodies.]

[Then, finally, another figure appeared.]

[This figure didn’t look different from the others. The black-and-white “film” kept flickering. Faning vaguely heard voices.]

[It sounded like someone speaking to that final figure.]

[“How deep can hatred go? How many years can it last…? I really want to know. So if there’s a next life, come find me—get your revenge.”]

[The shadow stood still for a long while.]

[“But in my next life… I probably won’t remember you.”]

[With those words, the figure leapt into the well. The wellmouth abruptly sealed itself, and the red glow within vanished completely.]