Si Yehan made no deliberate effort to avoid the crowds. He wandered around the village for a while longer, thoughts churning in his mind.
The information he had obtained by wiping out the family could help him avoid many dangers in the current instance. As for the other participants, he could kill them off slowly.
When they returned to the hall tonight, everyone would discover that Zhang Kui and the male student were missing. Suspicion would inevitably arise between them then. His own chances of being suspected were certainly high.
That wasn't very important, though. Besides him, the ones left were the female doctor, the ponytailed woman, the man in a suit, and the woman in a white dress. Of the four, only the ponytailed woman was truly capable of threatening him.
Lost in thought as he walked, Si Yehan returned to the three-story building. He looked at the empty first-floor living room without a flicker of emotion, his fingers rubbing the blade in his outer pocket.
Should I kill the ponytailed woman first?
For now, killing her would eliminate the threat, but it would also create complications. With one less experienced person to face the ghosts, the cost of trial and error in figuring out their killing rules would be higher.
Still, the longer he waited, the more could go wrong. Perhaps the killing rule Zhang Kui had mentioned earlier wasn't accurate. No one had witnessed the long-haired woman's death, so there was no way to be certain that the killing rule was opening one's eyes and seeing a ghost!
After weighing everything, Si Yehan decided to kill the ponytailed woman after all. Looking at the bigger picture, killing her might not do him any good, but in the present, it was the best choice.
Besides, the instance was fraught with danger, and they could trigger a killing rule and die at any moment. They had to survive for ten days, and nine still remained.
He had already completed the part of the clearance mission requiring him to identify the source of the crying. All he had to do next was kill the rest of his teammates for fun and pass the remaining nine days safely.
Back in room 205, Si Yehan locked the door, took off his clothes, and lay down on the bed for a nap.
After sleeping for a while, he would get something to eat.
His consciousness gradually sank, his thoughts receding until his mind was blank.
By then, the fire in the alley had been put out with water.
The vast majority of the villagers had dispersed, returning home or heading out to work in the fields. Very few were willing to linger in the village.
The old village chief stood before the ruins, looking at the three charred corpses, a cold glint in his eyes.
Two farmhands stood beside him. One stepped forward and said quietly, "Chief, the three members of this family were already dead before the fire. You can still make out signs of wounds on their bodies."
The other scratched his head. "But you didn't tell us to kill them, so who did it? Could it have been those sacrifices from outside?"
The old village chief put away his cold expression and waved a hand. "Wang Zhou, Wang Niu, both of you, be quiet. Call two more people in a bit and take food to those outsiders. Don't let them starve to death."
Wang Zhou nodded. "All right. Chief, you should go eat soon too. Wang Niu and I will keep a close eye on the outsiders. You've worked too hard for the village for too long."
Wang Niu scratched his head and gave a simple, honest grin. "All right, I understand."
The old village chief walked up to the three corpses and bent his hunched body down. He rubbed the charred flesh, sorrow on his face. "When I first learned they were dead, I was a little happy. But then I thought about how we all belonged to the same village and had no particularly serious grudge between us, and I felt a little sadness well up again. We've already sacrificed too much to survive. I hope that after this sacrifice, there really will be no more suffering or famine in the village."
Looking at the wounds on the three bodies, the old village chief fell silent for a while. Then he asked in a hoarse voice, "Wang Zhou, you've always been clever. Who do you think did it?"
A fierce light appeared in Wang Zhou's eyes. "It couldn't have been anyone from our village," he said gravely. "They're all so wary of going out normally. How could they possibly commit murder? I agree with A Niu—it was those new sacrifices. As for which of them did it, I have some guesses. I watched them when we met that day. That burly man made me feel threatened. And there's the woman with the high ponytail and the athletic jacket, but..."
Wang Zhou paused and looked around to make sure no one was nearby before continuing. "The one who sent the worst chill down my back was that handsome young man in the black trench coat. If it came to a fight, A Niu and I might not be able to kill him even together. All three of them are major threats, and the killer should be one of them."
Wang Niu spoke with admiration. "Brother Zhou, you really are a man who reads often. I admit I'm your better."
Wang Zhou was a little speechless. "It's 'I admit you're my better,'" he said irritably.
The old village chief pondered for a moment, his dry, hoarse voice growing colder. "Wang Zhou, Wang Niu, keep a very close eye on those three. When the final sacrifice is complete, there may be survivors, as there have been in past years. If it's any of them, kill them."
Wang Zhou replied respectfully, "Understood. A Niu's martial prowess has also improved somewhat lately. When the time comes, we'll call two more people, and nothing will go wrong."
Hearing Wang Zhou praise him, Wang Niu felt a little pleased. He immediately launched into a display of punches and kicks, moving with fierce power.
Although he was broad and burly, his movements and pauses alike were nimble. Veins bulged on his bronze skin, and every punch carried tremendous force.
The old village chief could naturally see Wang Niu's terrifying talent for martial arts. A smile appeared on his face. "The village is truly blessed to have you two. One excels at strategy, and the other possesses extraordinary martial prowess."
Wang Zhou remained perfectly composed. "You flatter me. I'm neither good nor bad; my scheming is fairly average, and the same goes for my martial prowess. I'm broad and burly like A Niu, but nowhere near as nimble."
Wang Niu was a little embarrassed to hear Wang Zhou say that.
As the three walked away, Wang Niu seemed to remember something and hurriedly said, "Chief, if the sacrifice who survives in the end is that girl in the white dress, can I keep him as my wife?"
"Yes." The old village chief naturally wouldn't refuse such a reasonable request from Wang Niu.
Dark clouds filled the sky, and a light rain began to fall, pattering steadily. Trees swayed gently as people in the streets hurried home.
In the small three-story building beside the Elder Care Tower, the ponytailed woman and the other two had returned. She was slightly surprised to see the tidy living room empty of people. "Where's that young boy? And where did the other two run off to? Chen Yong, you and Jing Xi go check the storage room on the third floor."
Chen Yong was the name of the man in the suit. He nodded. "Got it, Sister Shen Jing."
Jing Xi was the woman in the white dress. Her pale face was a little calmer now, making her already lovely features look serene.
Shen Jing said with some regret, "I'd originally thought we wouldn't give our names, but that makes it too troublesome to address one another. Giving our names is more efficient."
The female doctor approached through the curtain of rain outside. She hadn't been with Shen Jing. Her hair was somewhat wet, and she looked calm and gentle.
As the female doctor entered, she heard their conversation and asked, "Have you exchanged names already?"
"The three of us have. You heard them just now, didn't you? What about you?" Shen Jing asked with a smile.
"Xie Ran. Ran as in 'rising gradually.'" The female doctor nodded, a gentle smile on her face.
Shen Jing glanced around. "Once everyone's here, we'll share what we've found."
Chen Yong and Jing Xi had just gone to the storage room. A while later, they hurried downstairs, looking anxious. "Sister Jing, this is bad! All three of their dolls are gone."
"How is that possible?" Even Shen Jing, who had been through several instances, was utterly astonished at that moment, to the point of losing her composure!