Chapter 9 Night of Sacrifice (5)
Everyone’s attention immediately shifted from the contaminated water to the alleged party.
The door to Lao Gao’s room, no longer restrained by its owner, swung open freely. At some point, Zhu Ming had opened the window, and a breeze swept through the room as she began her explanation, painting a vivid picture for the others.
“Guests arrived, and the hotel prepared plenty of food and drinks. They had a party in the living room, which is why there’s so little left in the refrigerator. They accidentally spilled a can of cola, which is sticky, staining the carpet. Late at night, the guests returned to their rooms, leaving a mess behind. The mess was cleaned up… though somehow, the trash ended up in the pool. Perhaps because it can’t leave this place, it couldn’t be taken away.”
Zhu Ming rubbed her fingers together. “The trash can was empty this morning, but there were more wrappers and an orange peel in the pool. The trash we made last night was cleaned up.”
Old Xu pondered this. “Sounds like backstory. Any other discoveries?”
“The rest…” Zhu Ming mused, a subtle smile playing on her lips.
Xiao Xue picked up the thread, her own smile gentle. “If last night’s trash was cleaned up, it means there are other actors here, not just ghosts. There’s a housekeeper’s room on the first floor. Perhaps the housekeeper did it.”
Yun Zouchuan’s brow furrowed. “I remember now. The sound I heard last night, along with the knocking, sounded like a cleaning cart. If it was the housekeeper, that would make sense.”
“So the housekeeper is also the cleaner. A real multi-tasker,” Xiao Cheng muttered.
Her attempt to spook them foiled, Zhu Ming pouted and stood up. “Carry on. I’m going to eat. I’ll join you when you open the basement.”
Teng Ge snorted, watching her leave, a flicker of annoyance in his eyes.
…
Zhu Ming hadn’t gone far when the others followed, likely driven by hunger and the fear of missing out on food.
The refrigerator and fruit bowl had been restocked. Or rather, not completely. Zhu Ming had drunk one beer yesterday, leaving six. There were still only six bottles. She had been the only one in the mood for alcohol on the first day.
She touched a bottle, frowning. It was room temperature.
Nevertheless, she grabbed all six bottles, cradling them in her arms.
“Wait,” Teng Ge called out, stopping her. “Why are you taking all the beer? The food in the refrigerator is for everyone!”
He stepped closer, his height and muscular build intimidating. “There are three senior Awakened here. You’d better let them choose first. Lao Gao is dead. Everyone is in a bad mood and needs a drink. Understand?”
The participant’s death had placed immense pressure on the group, especially on Teng Ge. Especially…
Zhu Ming looked at him, surprised. “You want a drink, and you want to share it with everyone?”
Teng Ge scowled impatiently. “Cut the crap!” This woman didn’t seem like a threat. Ghosts were mysterious, appearing in the dead of night or lurking in the water. After a day of observation, he didn’t think Zhu Ming was anything special, so he wasn’t afraid of her.
“Fine.” Zhu Ming turned to Yun Zouchuan, handing her three bottles. “There. I shared. Happy?”
Teng Ge clenched his fist. “Don’t make me use force. I don’t like hitting women, but you’ll be the one embarrassed if I have to take it from you.”
The amusement vanished from Zhu Ming’s face. Her eyes narrowed, her voice turning cold. “I’ve been sleeping well these past two days, so I’m in a good mood. You’d better appreciate my current gentleness.”
Teng Ge scoffed. “Are you threatening me?”
He reached for the beer in her arms. He didn’t intend to hit her, but he wasn’t going to be polite either.
Zhu Ming rolled her eyes. She raised her hand, the mouth of the bottle connecting with Teng Ge’s elbow. A jolt of pain shot through his arm, making it go numb.
Teng Ge stared at her in disbelief. She was tall, but not as tall or as strong as him. Was it an accident?
“A-Zou, take these to our room. Don’t give them to anyone, or I’ll dock your pay.” Zhu Ming handed the remaining bottles to Yun Zouchuan, who nodded and quickly left.
Teng Ge glared at Zhu Ming and lunged after Yun Zouchuan. He had taken only one step when Zhu Ming grabbed his wrist.
It was burning hot.
That was his first thought.
His second was disbelief.
Her hand was slender and elegant, pale and smooth, without a single callus. It wasn’t a strong hand, but a beautiful woman’s hand. In his experience, such hands were weak, incapable of resisting his strength.
Yet this hand held his wrist in an iron grip, stopping him in his tracks.
Impossible! He had an ability that enhanced his strength and muscles. Even suppressed, his muscles were still powerful.
In the next second, his knees buckled, and he slammed to the floor. He thought his kneecaps had shattered.
Zhu Ming placed his other hand on top of his head and leaned down, her voice low. “You seem particularly irritable today. Let me guess why. Oh, right, Lao Gao is dead.”
The man on the floor trembled, the pain finally registering. But that wasn’t the worst of it. The woman’s voice, filled with mockery, echoed in his ear.
“You probably feel a little guilty. After all, you were the one who kicked him into the pool. But you’re more afraid that he’ll come back as a vengeful ghost, that the senior Awakened will blame you, that everyone will remember and ostracize you. But you don’t want to admit it’s your fault. You can’t blame yourself, you can’t blame the seniors, and you can’t even mention it, because you’re afraid that if you bring it up, people will notice something they hadn’t noticed before. So you take out your frustration on someone unrelated. What a brilliant idea.”
She chuckled, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Teng Ge’s face burned. He looked up and saw everyone staring at him, kneeling on the floor, pinned down by Zhu Ming. No one intervened.
Panic seized him. Had they already turned against him? No!
“You’re lying!”
He swung his free arm at Zhu Ming. She caught it easily, pinning both his arms behind his back.
“Want to make a bet? I bet you’ll be the next to die.”
She released him and kicked him to the ground. Looking down at him, a cruel smile on her lips, she said, “If you’re wondering why, there’s only one answer: you’re too stupid.”
The large man lay on the floor, half-covering his face with his hand, too ashamed to look up, afraid she would humiliate him further.
The others watched, their expressions varied. It was Xiao Song who spoke first. “Teng Ge is right. Why should you take all the beer? Even if we don’t want it, you can’t just hoard it all for yourself!”
Zhu Ming looked at him intently. “I’ll bring out a bottle right now. You drink it in front of everyone. How about that?”
Xiao Song instinctively stepped back, hiding behind Miss Zhao. “I’m a good man. I don’t smoke or drink. Don’t look at me like that. Who are you trying to scare?”
A smile spread across Zhu Ming’s face. She scanned the group: Miss Zhao, lost in thought; Xiao Song, lurking behind her; Teng Ge, sprawled on the floor in shame; Old Xu, standing in the corner, seemingly detached; Xiao Cheng, hesitant to speak; and Xiao Xue, quiet but perceptive.
Zhu Ming dragged a chair across the tiled floor, the metal legs screeching against the ceramic. She sat down, her gaze sweeping over them.
“Since everyone is staring at me, I’ll be frank. My intuition tells me the alcohol has a special significance, a purpose. As for the rest of you… I’m sorry, but I think something is wrong with one of you. I don’t trust you.”
…
A line had been drawn. Not only did Zhu Ming not trust them, but they, in turn, were suspicious of her.
But that was fine. Maintaining a superficial peace was enough. At least this declaration would keep people like Teng Ge in check.
After eating, they gathered in front of the mysterious basement door. The key, bought with Lao Gao’s life, was finally going to be used.
Zhu Ming caught Yun Zouchuan’s eye and gave her a subtle signal. Yun Zouchuan nodded and followed the others.
Zhu Ming, however, decided to retrace her steps, re-examining the villa, following the same route as yesterday.
At the basement door—
The lock clicked open, and the door swung inward smoothly, releasing a cloud of dust.
The group hesitated at the threshold. It was pitch black inside.
With the power out, there were no lights, only a sliver of natural light from the open doorway, quickly swallowed by the oppressive darkness. They could see nothing beyond the entrance.
Old Xu spoke. “Xiao Cheng, Miss Zhao, and I will get the flashlights. We’ll share them when we need to move as a group.”
No one objected.
Old Xu turned on his flashlight first. The beam cut through the darkness, revealing the secrets of the basement.
A giant totem painted on the wall dominated the space. Everyone immediately thought of the same thing—the invitation.
The totem was identical to the one on the back of the invitation: a human head, a snake body, simple yet unsettling.
Xiao Cheng hurried inside, then stopped, swallowed hard, and backed away slightly, closer to the others. For some reason, the darkness of the basement seemed to absorb the light from the flashlights. A chill settled over him, making his hands and feet cold.
But he was still excited. “This is it! The key is here! There’s a pattern to these instances. They’re usually related to supernatural encounters we’ve had before. The totem on the invitation was a clue.”
“Does that mean we can complete the mission now?” Xiao Song asked eagerly.
“Not necessarily. Let’s see what else is down here,” Old Xu said cautiously.
Searching for clues in this oppressive darkness wasn’t easy. Those without flashlights huddled close to those who did, afraid of being snatched by something lurking in the shadows.
“Shit! There’s something here!” Teng Ge yelled, clutching his foot. He had kicked something in the dark.
A flashlight beam illuminated a small, square concrete platform with a brass incense burner in front of it.
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