YBCB2: V7C2

Translated by: TaffyGirl13

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Chapter Two

“You’re all forbidden from coming anywhere near my home from now on.”

As if being dragged all over the place for the entire afternoon wasn’t enough, Dong Feng had received news that someone had inexplicably jumped from his apartment. Now he couldn’t even return to his own home, and could only go over for a place to stay. At this point, he was deeply convinced that the true problem was these people.

“Eh, it’s not like it’s our fault,” Yu Yin replied in a slightly offended tone. “I think the people from that organisation snuck in. Isn’t it a good thing we noticed? If you had gone home like that, it would’ve been more dangerous.”

“Don’t worry. If he has the guts to show up and do anything, I’ll definitely beat him up until he can barely crawl!” Xiao Hai, the chauffeur, flashed a thumbs-up. She could fight in any situation; no matter where he popped up from, she would immediately get rid of him and then dump the body into the ocean!

“By the way, how did you two end up together?”

Yu Yin had been obediently staying in his own house per his guardians’ orders after returning from Dong Feng’s apartment. Yan Si had shamelessly followed him back to stay the night for personal amusement, then had called Dong Feng to have him sleep over for the night as well. A bit later, Xiao Hai had brought Dong Feng over. Apparently, while Xiao Hai had the entire day off, she had spent the entire afternoon with Dong Feng…Yu Yin was honestly a bit shocked upon hearing this.

“Oh, I asked him to.” Seeing that Dong Feng had no intention of preventing her from sharing, Xiao Hai earnestly summarised Shu Xing Yu’s situation. After all, the more people, the greater the chances of victory.

In short, they had gone over to Shu Xing Yu’s home in the afternoon to find that her family really was quite strict, just as she had said. Her deceased sister’s belongings had been packed in a sealed box in the storeroom, and her parents never let their younger daughter touch these items. In addition, they had certain demands regarding her academics and her lifestyle, such as disapproving of their daughter going out for entertainment. Hence, Shu Xing Yu could only go search for things while her parents were asleep at night or by pretending to study at the school library during days off.

While her parents were working overtime, Shu Xing Yu had brought them with her to rummage through the old diaries, starting with the small portion she had taken photos of. The three of them had then used the remainder of the afternoon to photograph the rest while Dong Feng also copied the computer files. Then they had left before the parents had returned.

“There are still people doing treasure hunts these days?” Yan Si found the story quite intriguing as well. Yu brought over handmade desserts and they all simply sat on the floor to start discussing. “And I thought hiding things in cellphones was the trend these days, with everyone scrolling up and down all the time.”

Yu, who had sat next to Dong Feng, took the phone to skim through the old diaries.

“Some of them were ripped out. Apparently the sister tore it out herself, either because she wasn’t satisfied with how they were written or because she didn’t want her family to read it. They were removed before she fell in critical condition,” Dong Feng casually mentioned when he saw Yu stop at the torn pages.

Yu nodded to indicate his understanding and continued reading.

“You guys are free to use the computer in my room for the files.” Yu Yin figured Dong Feng wouldn’t be able to go home for access to a computer. He glanced at the time and added, “But you can’t use it until after eating.”

“Ah! Is it chow time? I’m hungry too!” Because of the sudden unexpected events, Xiao Hai had not been able to eat at a good restaurant on their way back. Instead, she had bought takeout and handed it to Yu.

“Mm, okay.” Yu returned the phone and stood up to go prepare the food and set the table.

As she had little interest in studying the information, Xiao Hai also jumped up and ran over to help while humming to herself.

Yu Yin watched Dong Feng put away the phone. Despite knowing that they were helping Shu Xing Yu out, he felt that going through someone’s private diaries and files was wrong. Or rather, if he suddenly died one day, he definitely would not want others going through his stuff like this.

“I don’t like it either.” Dong Feng lifted his head to coldly say, “But they need to find what they should, for everyone’s sake.”

“Who would’ve thought my junior would be such an unexpectedly good person…Eh, don’t ignore me.” Yan Si had piped up out of boredom, but the minute he opened his mouth, he saw the unteasable child immediately stand up and walk away. “So unfriendly~”

Yu Yin shot an exasperated glance at Yan Si prancing over to join in on the fun, then shook his head in amusement. His guardians wouldn’t be coming home until late tonight, so it was better for the house to be livelier. Should I also invite the guys outside to come in too…Actually, it’s probably best not to. Interacting with them too much will expose their identities and make their protection useless.

Having made his decision, he stood to join the meal table. However, he suddenly heard a faint coughing sound that sounded elderly, just like the one he had heard in the afternoon. It quickly disappeared once more.

He scanned the living room, but did not see anything out of place.

“…” Alright, since something did happen today, I can let go of this high frequency for once. “If there really is something you want to tell us, please use a gentler method and don’t bother other people. Otherwise, you’ll have to forgive me for not accepting, and I’ll have to ask you to seek a professional.” Based on his experience, this cough definitely did not belong to the body that jumped from the building. While unable to pinpoint the exact reason, Yu Yin was absolutely certain of this.

However, there was nothing else he was aware of that had happened in Dong Feng’s home…Unless the place was already haunted? But if it was haunted, I should’ve noticed earlier with how often I went over.

Whatever, I’ll figure it out sooner or later.

“Ah Yin, hurry up and come eat, or else we’ll finish your portion~”

Xiao Hai’s voice floated out from the dining room.

“…Huh?”

That’s right, Xiao Hai is here too! 

Yu YIn was truly a bit shocked this time. He hadn’t imagined this type of thing to run out while Xiao Hai was present. Although it had waited until Xiao Hai had gone to the dining room and had fled soon after, how was it able to enter in the first place?

“I told you to come eat, what’s taking you so long!”

“Coming, coming!”

I’ll ask Fang Yi Xun about it another day. 

***

After dinner, Xiao Hai received a call that had her cursing at her phone before she zoomed off on her Wolf motorcycle.

Yu Yin wasn’t sure whether to be amused or what at the sight of the girl vanishing at the end of the road so quickly. He decided that while the street was empty, it would be good to go out and give some food and drink to the officers outside before returning to the house.

Dong Feng and Yu had already left the living room to use the computer upstairs. Only Yan Si remained behind, snacking while watching TV.

“Yan-dàgē, about what happened today…”

“Oh, just wait until Boss and the others send information. Right now, it’s been reported as a normal house break-in.” Yan Si turned off the boring show on the screen and turned. “Rather than that, there’s something else let’s talk about, student that was ganged up on.”

“…Is this talk a serious one or not?” Yu Yin felt goosebumps when he heard such an earnest tone coming from Yan Si, as if he was about to get fooled into something trivial.

“You’re too hurtful. From the day I was born, every word that has come from my mouth is super serious. How could you doubt my sincerity like that? It’s really tough to speak honestly like a good samaritan these days, sigh.” Yan Si wore a look of wounded grief.

“Er, so what do you want to sincerely discuss?” Yu Yin could feel his patience starting to wear, but he knew that rebutting now would only lead to more nonsense, so he simply continued his previous question.

Yan Si thought to himself for a moment before replying, “I hadn’t ever imagined Xiao Dong-zai would go back to his school on his own…” He had truly been shocked upon hearing Xiao Hai’s story before dinner. Originally, he and his former roommate had planned to try probing around and seeing if Dong Feng was emotionally ready before dragging him back. However, that brat had unexpectedly found his way back without saying a word, and it appeared as though he had started going back a while ago. Yan Si guessed that while trying to avoid them, Dong Feng had been hiding around the school.

“Hm? You mean the treasure hunt thing?” Yu Yin was a bit puzzled.

“No. Have you heard about Xiao Dong-zai’s case from Boss before?”

“I’ve heard a bit here and there, but Uncle’s been very tight-lipped about the incident because he doesn’t want us to know too much. Plus, I was kind of hoping Dong Feng could tell me himself.” Yu Yin knew that Dong Feng had encountered an incident at school before, and his life had been in complete disarray for a while after. Yu Yin also figured that Dong Feng’s current strained attitude towards the outside world was likely caused by this event as well.

“Oh, if that’s the case, then it really is better to wait until he tells you himself.” Yan Si naturally knew why Yu Xia hadn’t told them too much. If Yu Yin felt that way, he could not say any more. “But to think that he ran back there…Student that was ganged up on, if possible, can you and Xiao Yu monitor Xiao Dong-zai’s condition more closely? And bother him as much as possible.”

“…Why, exactly?” Yu Yin furrowed his brows as he detected the rare concern from Yan Si.

“He was bullied at school before because he skipped grades — I’m sure you know that such things always make others unhappy — and the incident occurred during that time. My ex-roommate and I are currently investigating the details, but we didn’t think he’d end up wandering over on his own.” Moreover, the brat had acted entirely fine upon coming back, even speaking to Yan Si in the same cold tone as usual, which was why they hadn’t noticed. This gave Yan Si a very bad feeling.

“Got it, Xiao Yu and I will keep a closer eye out.” Seeing as he’d finished struggling through his graduation exhibit, the only thing he had to do was drop by his university to tidy up his items. Yu Yin knew where Yan Si’s concern was coming from, and he nodded as he added, “As for the scavenger hunt, I’ll find the time to follow along.”

“Heh, I really want to give you a good samaritan award.” Yan Si sincerely complimented, “You’re such a good person, to the point where I want to cry. Even giving you a dozen awards could not express my true gratitude.”

“…” The heavy atmosphere instantly vanished, replaced with the urge to strangle Yan Si. “Keep the awards to slowly use on yourself.”

“But the good samaritan awards obviously have to be given to good people.”

Yu Yin decided not to continue the topic; his experience told him it was best to just continue being that “good person”.

“Each and every one of you are becoming more and more like my ex-roommate these days,” Yan Si sighed. “Jiu Shen-xiǎodì is the best one after all.” Being an energetic, screaming child was much better; the lively youthfulness was completely palpable that way.

“Jiu Shen-gē would definitely not be happy to hear that” You’re totally treating him like a toy! Yu Yin was seriously starting to pity those that Yan Si targeted. “Whatever, I’m going to make something to drink. Do you want some too, Yan-dàgē?”

“Sure.”

After smoothly fleeing from the living room, Yu Yin organised his emotions while pondering how to help with the treasure hunt. But when he suddenly looked up, he was taken aback to discover that all the lights in his hallway had at some point gone out.

He was surrounded by inky darkness.

Don’t tell me it really came back after I told “it” to be gentler…

Yu Yin really wanted to sigh at the impenetrable darkness of the corridor. “So you…”

Before he finished speaking, faint red dots of light suddenly lit up amidst the black, weaving between each other to obscure his vision and inducing an inexplicable searing pin in his eyes. The lights seemed a bit far from him, beyond the length of his hallway.

He tentatively took a few steps forwards, but stopped when he realised the gap between them had not changed.

In silence, the red lights slowly descended and stuck to the floor, extending towards him.

When the lights finally reached his feet, they transformed into red guiding strings, quietly twisting and turning like a snake that brushed past and continued further behind him.

Faint coughing rang out from the darkness.

Unable to understand what the other party was trying to express, Yu Yin could only wait.

Finally, he noticed a pool of blood had unknowingly followed the red lines to materialise at his feet. It surrounded him and blended together with the lights and lines, replacing them until everything went stagnant. A creaking sound came from a weak glow behind an open door. He could not see everything behind it, but he was able to make out a chair. The chair’s appearance was unclear, but there was a large black object covering the back of the chair. The only visible part was an eerily pale face.

After what was likely a few seconds, he finally noticed that the face was lying upside down over the top of the chair. The face was blurry, the facial features replaced by black holes so deep they looked like bottomless pits embedded into the deathly white face, which left a feeling of unsettling disgust.

As though to ensure he could properly observe the scene, it remained suspended that way for a very long time. Yu Yin was unable to move in the slightest, stuck standing and staring until the door slowly closed shut once more.

His surroundings abruptly lit up and everything disappeared.

“Student that was ganged up on, what’s wrong?”

Yan Si poked his head out upon hearing a strange noise from the hallway, catching the sight of the person that had claimed to prepare drinks instead slam his face straight into the end of the hallway without hesitation before crouching down and clutching his face in considerable pain. “You don’t need to slam your head into the wall just because you don’t know what to drink. Water is universally acceptable.”

Yu Yin had no time to bicker with the passerby. The moment he regained his senses, he felt an intense wave of nausea rush up, and he immediately raced to the bathroom to kick open the door and violently throw up.

“Er, you didn’t give yourself a concussion, did you?” Sensing something was off, Yan Si walked over to wait at the door.

Yu and Dong Feng seemed to have also heard the commotion downstairs, and they both quickly appeared at the bottom of the staircase.

All of them waited outside the bathroom for a while before finally hearing a flushing sound inside. Yu Yin opened the door only to see a crowd of people blocking the way, making him freeze in surprise.

“Got food poisoning? Dàgēgē has a secret cure,” Yan Si sincerely displayed his friendly concern.

“You mean, got your thick skull.” Yu Yin had nearly died from vomiting. His dinner and dessert had been given to the toilet, and he had barely avoided puking up his organs as well.

“It would be much harder to cure if you got my thick skull~” Yan Si shrugged.

“…”

Yu passed over some tea as he studied Yu Yin with a worried expression.

“I’m fine.” It was a bit strange, but after throwing everything up, the abnormal feeling of disgust had vanished instantly. Yu Yin didn’t feel anything strange anymore, instead feeling a bit refreshed.

Is it a ghost’s job to clear stomachs these days…

Seeing that Yu Yin showed no other issues, Dong Feng turned on his heel to return to the room.

Yu Yin hurriedly promised that he was completely alright, receiving two untrusting looks in return. However, Yu did not ask further, and went upstairs as well.

After resting a bit and chatting some more, Yu Yin tidied the room with Yan Si and headed up to sleep.

 

When Yu Yin passed by the bedroom, he saw Dong Feng was still using the computer inside, the black screen covered in scrolling undecipherable code. Yu lay on the bed with the tablet to read the diaries.

The scene reminded him of the last time they had gone to the guesthouse, where they had seemingly also hacked someone’s password to read their journals…Why does this keep happening recently…

“Does it take that much effort to unlock something?”

The moment Yu Yin stepped into the room, Yu and Dong Feng looked up at him in unplanned unison before returning to their own screens.

“Shu Xing Ling’s? Did that already. That kind of locked document is very simple to open.” Dong Feng tossed the USB next to him backwards. Yu smoothly caught it from the bed and connected it to the tablet to look through.

“…Then may I ask what you’re currently doing with my computer?”

“Using it to hack the school server,” Yu quietly replied.

“…”

Yu Yin spun around, taking several seconds to process Yu’s response. He could feel his stomach knotting as he turned back to say, “May I ask if this will make the police come after me?” The IP address leads to here! Why didn’t you warn me before hacking something like that!

“It’s fine, I’m just checking some of the school’s records from seven years ago. Although the principal from back then has long since stepped down, there should still be information left behind.” Dong Feng made sure he was careful enough to not cause any problems. Moreover, it was evident that the school’s systems had barely changed from how he remembered it being years ago, so it had taken no time to get in.

“Does the treasure hunt require resorting to such extreme methods?” Yu Yin tried to console himself that nothing would go wrong, but he was still a bit nervous as he silently regretted telling Dong Feng to use the computer freely.

Yu Yin had realised with the recent events and increasing familiarity with Dong Feng that the latter tended to act in ways that were not entirely legal. Rather, Dong Feng’s actions were more closely leaning towards the side of danger. If one really examined closely, there were many illegal aspects. Although Yu Yin wouldn’t say that he had never done similar things, and he had of course received numerous warnings on previous occasions, he had never crossed the line as much as the person in front of him.

Dong Feng did not reply.

“If possible, could you not do this again?” Yu Yin had a bad feeling that Dong Feng’s actions were deliberate with clear intent.

“What I do is none of your business.”

“It’s not that I want to make it my business, but unfortunately I have too much free time and nothing else to do.” Yu Yin was unfazed by the glare in response as he was now used to receiving cold looks and words, and casually walked over to gather the materials he needed for school tomorrow.

Dong Feng lowered his head in silence while continuing his work.

“…How did things go after the contract was signed?”

Yu Yin hid a triumphant smirk when he heard Dong Feng somewhat helplessly break the silence before turning to face him. “It went pretty well, thanks to your help. The initial fee was already given, and it was a handsome amount too. We’ll be able to receive more royalties later. Once the money comes in, I’ll treat you guys to a good meal!” Although the money was split between their group members, it wasn’t a small amount either. Yu Yin felt that even if Dong Feng or Yu asked him to go to Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, it would be okay as well!

“That’s good.” As Dong Feng did not care for others treating him, he switched his attention back to the screen.

“Is there something wrong with Shu Xing Ling’s situation?” Yu Yin pulled over a chair to sit as he wondered what could possibly be the reason for the amount of trouble they were going through.

“Still looking into it,” Yu replied simply from where he was sprawled on the bed.

“By the way, where’s the person that sent the postcard?” Considering usual logic, Yu Yin figured there would be specific circumstances behind writing something as specific as that postcard. It seemed like they would have to find the sender as well.

“An internet friend. The older sister’s diaries mentioned befriending others in chatrooms. She apparently had the habit of exchanging postcards with these people. However, when the younger sister searched through the storage, this was the only card left behind, wedged in between the pages of the diary.” Dong Feng finished downloading the data he wanted and exited the system. “Shu Xing Yu recently visited the sender’s address, but it was an abandoned home. A lot of things can change in seven years, after all.”

“Tch.”

The mention of internet friends reminded Yu Yin of the last incident. He had logged into Wei Qi Xin’s “Pancho” account several times afterwards, but had never bumped into that person again. I wonder if…

“Since everyone’s so interested, why not go out for a walk this fine evening?”

A voice from outside the door broke the momentary silence in the room.

The three boys looked over to see Yan Si standing at the doorway, swinging his car keys with a grin on his face. “Why don’t we go find that house~ We can grab a late-night snack on the way. Yang De Cheng said he already prepared yummy food. Xiao Dong-zai wouldn’t let him down, right?”

“…Do all of you start losing brain cells after eating too much at night?” Dong Feng coldly shot a glare.

“Of course, there’s cheese pudding too~” Yan Si continued spinning his keys as he continued, “The grand chef made it by hand, so it’s guaranteed to be good quality.”

“I want to go.” Yu immediately leapt off the bed with the tablet in his hands.

“Oi, oi, oi…” Yu Yin was somewhat speechless as he watched Yu grab a backpack. What kind of situation is this? “Whatever, why don’t we go take a look then? Since Dong Feng is also interested in Xiao Hai’s matter, what do you say?”

Dong Feng could only sigh as he looked at these incomprehensible people around him.

What a pain in the ass.

***

“They’ve all gone out.”

Yu Xia ended the call and put his cellphone away as he faced Li Zi Hong next to him. “We’ve already taken in the girl Ah Si subdued in the courtyard. The other youth captured by his landlord’s security guard was also transferred over here. We’re investigating the residences and surrounding areas of Prosecutor Li and other related people as well, but any others likely found out what happened and fled in advance. It should be safe for now.”

“Mn.” Li Zi Hong nodded, and after a moment’s thought, added, “You guys should be more careful too.” It was extremely obvious now that this was a warning targeted at them, or else sending one person would not have been enough. The only surprise was the inexplicable death of the one in Dong Feng’s home.

“They’re the ones that should watch their backs,” Yu Xia snorted as he studied the corpse lying on the table.

As Yan Si had said before, the corpse had landed on the ground after death. In other words, she had died before crashing into the glass. This was a confirmed fact after the initial examination.

It also meant that this girl from the organisation who had originally planned an ambush at Dong Feng’s place had encountered an unexpected mishap, or she had fought with her companion and been tossed out to cover her death.

“How did the second person in the room disappear…” Li Zi Hong shared the same question as Yu Xia. They both pondered the answer as they stared at the battered girl’s body.

“Ah Yin said they heard a female scream. The second person should also be female…”

“Boss! You guys aren’t talking about anything unscientific, right?” Having heard a terrifying name the moment he stepped into the room, Jiu Shen paused, unsure of whether to retreat or not.

“Get in here.” Yu Xia’s short words and glare made Jiu Shen obediently shuffle in with tail between his legs. “We’re discussing the second criminal.”

“Ah, regarding that, although we just received the collected samples, Ah Liu and I have inspected the window part and wanted to check it against the corpse to see if they match.” Jiu Shen looked around, but did not spot the person he had contacted. “Oh…is he busy? Ah Si usually waits for me.”

“Wu Tong and the others just went out to deal with a situation, but they gave me the data to pass onto you before leaving.” Li Zi Hong handed the folder to Jiu Shen as he asked, “What did you want to check…?”

“Oh, we examined the window frame and discovered that a strand of hair and what we suspect is fibre from trousers stuck on the left and right sides of the frame respectively. In addition, the dent in the aluminium frame was not created by the impact of a heavy object, but rather shows traces of having been deformed after falling and being crushed underneath the corpse on the ground.” Jiu Shen had come over to confirm if the corpse showed corresponding marks. He handed over his own data to the other two while continuing, “She was likely thrown out.”

“Why go through so much trouble just to do that…?” Yu Xia and Li Zi Hong exchanged a look. The situation was starting to become stranger, and they both began to ponder where the abnormalities were.

In any case, the only thing they were certain of was that this matter had an inseparable relation to that organisation. This was better than their aimless searching — at least they had a target now.

“Oh yeah, since Prosecutor Li is here too, I can give you that information you asked me to grab last time.” Jiu Shen had been spending quite a bit of his personal time on this. “The final result should be out soon, I’ll grab it after…”

“Sh.” Yu Xia shushed Jiu Shen and turned his head slightly towards a sudden noise, just in time to catch a glimpse of a silhouette flash away from the door.

Jiu Shen immediately hid behind Li ZI Hong when he saw the figure, then gradually retreated to a place with cover.

Yu Xia quietly moved over to the door, keeping his eye locked onto the silent space.

When the gun-wielding silhouette reappeared, he almost instantly shot his hand out to grab the other’s gun, his finger blocking the trigger to prevent the person from opening fire. His free right hand threw a punch at the person’s face, instantly knocking the intruder down.

“I won’t even bother asking you how you got in. Could your organisation stop appearing everywhere?” Yu Xia tossed away the disassembled gun and its parts and stepped outside the door to look down at the man wriggling on the floor, clutching a bleeding nose.

Before he could lift the person up, another faint click came from his side.

He turned to see another stranger pointing a gun at him, the safety already pulled up.

“Don’t move!”

Jiu Shen, who rushed out as well, had hurriedly reassembled the seized gun and now pointed it at the second intruder while scanning the surroundings to confirm there wasn’t a third person.

The man looked at Jiu Shen, then back at Yu Xia before sneering, “You two put down your guns first.”

“Oh, no need. There’s three of us.” Jiu Shen chuckled as he saw Li Zi Hong walk out and nonchalantly tie up the person on the floor. “It’s three versus two, hurry up and surrender. I’ll repeat it for your own good, surrender immediately!” The ones that did not surrender usually met tragic ends.

“Hmph, I have a hostage—”

Before he finished his sentence, the man’s vision went black and an intense pain burst his face open.

“…I said it was for your own good.” With faint pity, Jiu Shen stared at the intruder that had been knocked down with a single blow. Yu Xia, who had completely ignored the warning, gave the man another stomp. Since they would likely try to extort a confession out immediately, he spared the person from becoming a swollen mess for once, leaving an intact body.

“In what way does it look like you have a hostage?” Yu Xia, who never considered himself a hostage from the beginning, shot a look of strong disdain at the second person rolling on the floor while clutching their face. “Idiot.” 

***

Late at night, a car turned into a quiet alley.

“Didn’t think it would be so far.” Yan Si checked the address he had copied down and slowed the car down while checking the old houses around.

They had spent a while just to reach the neighbouring county, and then had been directed to a remote , old neighbourhood with quite a few farms. Even with the headlights on, the area seemed very dark. 

“Wasn’t it just because you drove the wrong way that it became so far away?” Dong Feng shortly quipped from the backseat with a map in hand.

“Yan-dàgē, how did you get lost even with the GPS…” Yu Yin had dozed off for just a short moment in the middle, only to wake up and hear the person next to him arguing with the one in the back, which had made him realise something was wrong. Yu had been curled up asleep the entire time.

“That’s just how life is. Plus, I told Xiao Dong-zai to help me navigate, but he said he didn’t like looking at the screen, forcing me to go an extra circle to find a place to buy a map.” Yan Si grumbled back as he passed over the snacks he had grabbed on the way. “Anyways, this should be the right place.”

Yu Yin lowered the car window to peer at the dark dirt path. The car was parked in front of a very old townhouse surrounded by abandoned fields and quite a bit of garbage.

“Ah, they followed us here too.” Yu Yin felt a bit apologetic towards the police when he saw two cars’ flashing headlights nearby.

“Oh, I bought them coffee to show appreciation.”

There were no people or cars on the road this late at night. Yan Si nonchalantly left the car parked in front of the home that appeared to have been uninhabited for a long time. There was no need to worry about being chased away.

Perhaps as a result of previous communication, the people from the other two cars did not stop Yu Yin and the others when they got off the car, instead waiting in place.

Yu rubbed his eyes as he got off the car, and after a few yawns, began to carefully scrutinise the area.

This was a three-story townhouse. The bricks and paint on the outside were unbearably filthy, making it impossible to discern the original colour. The weeds in the yard had grown extremely tall, hiding what may have been bugs and snakes crawling about. When the headlight flashed, a flurry of rustling followed.

The broken windows were similarly covered in a layer of dust, the metal frames severely rusted. Some old advertisements that had been stuck on had become tattered by wind and rain.

“In any case, it’s obvious that no one lives here.” Yan Si clicked his tongue at the old house. There was a large pile of ads and mail in the mailbox. He pulled some out and saw they were from many years ago. “I’m amazed that Miss Shu had the guts to call a cab out to a place like this by herself. This location and atmosphere makes it feel like a perfect place to dismember and bury a corpse.”

“You can die here if you want.” Dong Feng shot a cold glance at the annoyance and easily opened the useless metal door. It got stuck in the weeds, leaving just enough space for a single person to pass through.

“I’d prefer to die somewhere with beautiful scenery. This place is too gloomy.” Yan Si glanced around the depressingly desolate house. If he had a choice, he would rather go for a finer location, “Like on the mountain or by the ocean. If the weather’s nice tomorrow, it would be nice to go to a lighthouse too~”

“Who the hell changes where they die depending on the season!” Dong Feng shot back.

“Obviously if one could choose, it would depend on how they feel at the time. After all, it’s the last moment of their life.” Yan Si happily entered the house. “Am I not right?”

“Yan-dàgē, please don’t discuss it so cheerfully…” Especially when the other person isn’t cheerful at all – more like getting angrier, in fact. Yu Yin could only watch with a dumbfounded expression.

Yan Si shrugged, though he did end the subject.

Dong Feng swatted away the obstructing weeds in irritation. Only after finally reaching the dust-covered steps did he realise that he could’ve had the three behind him clear the path for him instead of him going in front. 

“The door’s locked.” When Yu Yin circled over and tried to open the door, he unsurprisingly found it locked. “Seems like this is it.” Even though the home was empty, it did not seem right to barge in like this, and that was without considering the fact that there were police right outside.

“We’ve at least confirmed it’s an abandoned house. By the way, it looks like the person here didn’t go by the name on the postcard.” Yan Si studied the mail he had pulled out. He had tried his best to extricate ones that were not completely destroyed and the name was discernible. All of the letters were addressed to the same name, likely the original homeowner.

Unlike the name “Tang Ji Hao” on the postcard, the letters were sent to “Zeng Jian Zhe”.

“Possibly a fake name.” Dong Feng took the long overdue bills to check the date and saw that it was from many years ago.

Seeing them go down the steps with the mail in hand, Yu Yin prepared to head back as well. However, he abruptly realised that their surroundings were unnaturally quiet.

The sound of the bugs chirping in the weeds had completely vanished.

“So quiet.” Yu, who had simultaneously noticed the abnormality, glanced around in search of the bugs that had just been jumping around in the grass.

“We were probably too noisy…”

Before Yan Si could finish his sentence, an extremely loud sound came from the previously silent home, like someone was pushing a metal cabinet or table. The unnatural noise shattered the stillness of the dark night.

Yu Yin whipped his head around and caught a glimpse of a white face disappearing underneath a hole in the window.

“Is this a person living inside, or contact from the supernatural?” Yan Si had heard it as well. He scratched his head, feeling like he would have to bail them out tonight.

“We’ll open it and see.” Dong Feng and Yu immediately marched back to the door and exchanged a look.

Yu pulled out a flashlight from his backpack and shone it on the rusted lock. “Not hard to open.”

“Sigh, Dàgēgē’s premonition was right. At this rate, you guys will turn into a special forces unit one day.” Yan Si crossed his arms behind them. Seeing how easily the group of three could pick a lock, he was convinced they would become unstoppable in the future.

“If you’re not going to help, then scram.” Dong Feng shot a withering look at the idle person.

“Call me if you need me~” Yan Si shrugged.

“Uh, aren’t you guys a bit too fast?” Yu YIn watched them open the lock in just a few movements. He began to wonder if he should seriously repent for letting the younger ones grow the habit of breaking and entering whenever they wanted.

The moment the door swung open, a strong scent of rot and mould assaulted their senses.

They were faced with silent, endless darkness.

Yan Si glanced back at the car headlights that were still aimed straight at them from outside, then back at the space impenetrable by the light, and let out a low whistle.

Yu shook his flashlight and adjusted the settings to finally illuminate the inside of the house.

The first thing they saw upon entering was a normal living room with a sofa, cabinet, and coffee table. There was even a large TV on the wall. Like the floor, everything was covered in a layer of dust, and most of the furniture was mouldy. The floor also had some dead rats and cockroaches, as well as trash and weeds blown in by the wind through the broken windows.

“It really is uninhabited.”

Yan Si scanned the living room and confirmed that the original resident had been decently well off. The furniture’s quality was above average. But if they moved away, why didn’t they move their furniture as well?

Dong Feng coughed, then decided to retreat to the doorway due to the stench coming from the house.

Yu and Yu Yin both held their noses as they crossed the living room to the kitchen and bathroom behind it. There was a small room on the side that appeared to be for visiting relatives, with a bed still set up inside.

“Very normal.” Yan Si rummaged through the pantry in the kitchen, unable to find anything except for a pot or two. When he exited the kitchen, he saw Yu Yin open the door to the staircase, only to abruptly freeze at the entrance to the second floor with an expression of shock. “Student that was ganged up on, did you see something?”

“…”

Yu Yin did not immediately respond to the question.

When he opened the wooden door to the staircase, he actually had not noticed there was anything inside. But right as he had been about to step onto the stairs, he had suddenly spotted a dark, human-shaped shadow lying underneath.

Before he could react, the shadow rose backwards as though pulled by a great force, swiftly vanishing in the darkness of the second floor.

The quiet rustle of wind echoed through the deep, pitch-black space.

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