Xie Qi emerged from his room carrying the kerosene lamp fueled by mysterious lamp oil.
The entire corridor was silent. He held the kerosene lamp in front of him, but its two-meter radius of light allowed him to see only one door ahead.
He had memorized the guests' rooms during the day.
The police officer's room was closest to his, followed by Mr. White Hair's, the captain's, the ball star's, the novelist's, the lawyer's, and finally the blonde woman's.
Xie Qi smiled faintly.
He stepped forward.
He had been walking on the carpet, its soft texture doing an excellent job of muffling his footsteps.
The kerosene lamp lit up the doors one by one.
But after he passed two doors, something about the third was different.
A black shadow showed beneath the door, conspicuous from Xie Qi's point of view.
Oh? A little mouse eavesdropping.
Xie Qi tilted his head and widened his eyes a little.
The upper half of his face was hidden in darkness, leaving only the exposed lower half to reveal his mood.
His lips curled playfully, as if he had thought of something amusing. He stopped and took a few steps back.
Xie Qi stepped off the carpet and walked excitedly, like a child, through the narrow space between the carpet and the doors, one step at a time.
Just as Song Nan had heard from behind the door, Xie Qi walked up to her door, his pupils widening with excitement. The viewers in the livestream saw him press his ear against the door, just as Song Nan had.
The viewers watching from an omniscient perspective felt a chill run down their spines.
Two people stood separated by a door, their poses identical, but the woman inside had no idea someone outside was listening to her movements.
[Fuck, fuck, fuck! I've got goosebumps all over! Why is this chef such a freak?!]
[If I were that woman and found out someone outside was pressed against the door just like me, I'd faint from fright.]
[Boo-hoo-hoo... I was watching from this woman's perspective and got curious about what was happening outside, so I switched over to the chef. Holy crap! The sight of him at the door scared me stiff. My heart still hasn't settled down!]
[I know what you mean! Same here. I can usually watch those bloody scenes without batting an eye, but this chef has scared me several times in this instance!]
Xie Qi had no idea what the viewers in the livestream were saying. If he had known, he would surely have educated these ignorant viewers from the future on the difference between Eastern and Western horror.
Eastern horror made you increasingly terrified the more you thought about it. Even when you saw nothing, you always felt something was there. Compared with Western horror, which relied solely on visual shock, it was on a whole other level.
After listening for a while, he found that the other person had no reaction. Perhaps she was simply too mentally resilient?
Xie Qi pursed his lips and straightened up, bored.
Fortunately, he still had a little lamb to play with.
He continued toward his original destination, deftly finding one of the keys hanging from his waist. He crossed the carpet and walked to the door diagonally opposite the one behind him.
With a faint click of the lock, the door slowly opened.
Xie Qi had expected the person inside to ambush him head-on, and the hand behind his back was ready to draw his knife.
But who would have thought the black man would simply be sitting quietly on the edge of the bed? He showed no surprise when the door opened on its own, merely frowning as he looked at him.
Oh?
Xie Qi was a little surprised. This was truly beyond his expectations.
He had thought the man was just a simple-minded, muscle-bound brute, but he hadn't expected him to be so calm now.
So he nodded at Brussels with interest and said with a smile, "It seems you've been waiting for me for a long time, sir. Come with me, then. I'll take you to find the guest who disappeared."
Brussels tensed, but only for an instant. He thought to himself that there was only one of them, and even if something happened, the man would surely be no match for him.
The others' words from the day echoed in his mind.
Ha, why would a grown man like me need those weaklings to protect me? What a joke.
So Brussels silently followed him.
The two stayed far apart, with Brussels just at the edge of the kerosene lamp's light.
Brussels saw the chef lead him to the back of the first floor, where there was actually a door leading outside.
He hadn't expected the villa to have a back door in addition to the main entrance.
There was a lock on the door, but Brussels saw the chef casually pull a key from his waist and unlock it.
He had actually left the villa so easily.
Even after stepping onto the stone path and looking at the hazy moonlight on the horizon, Brussels could hardly believe it.
As he stood on the path in shock, he heard a click behind him.
Brussels turned around and found the chef standing behind him.
Feeling uneasy, he asked, "Where are you taking me? Did Stock leave the villa last night too?"
Xie Qi raised the kerosene lamp and waved it in front of his eyes, then walked past Brussels.
"Yes. That guest is terribly lonely. He'll surely be delighted to have you keep him company."
"As for where we're going, I told the guests before that there's a farm out back. That's where we're going."
His attention caught by the kerosene lamp and the information in Xie Qi's words, Brussels didn't notice that the door behind them was now locked.
Brussels walked behind Xie Qi, clenching both fists hard, his gaze fixed on the man's back.
After hearing Xie Qi's words, he found the situation even stranger.
It wasn't as though he hadn't taken the others' words to heart. He knew Stock was almost certainly doomed, but from the way the chef spoke, it seemed Stock wasn't dead yet?
All kinds of guesses swirled in his head, leaving Brussels extremely irritated.
Forget it!
Once we get there, it'll be best if Stock really isn't dead. But if this chef has anything else in mind, I'm not afraid of him either!
Feeling the burning gaze on his back, Xie Qi narrowed his eyes in delight.
Rows of withered trees parted before them, and the cold industrial building appeared in front of the two men.
Xie Qi put away the twisted expression on his face and turned to Brussels with a faint smile, introducing it:
"Welcome to the Caster family farm."