Zhuang Xiaosheng's smile remained unchanged, "The information in these instances is indeed becoming increasingly scarce. As for whether the envelopes will disappear, we'll only know when we survive to the sixth instance."
Qianjing Youhui nodded, not saying anything more. She understood the principle that too much talk leads to mistakes, and since everyone present was from Great Xia, she remained cautious.
Having finished exchanging information, Zhuang Xiaosheng turned his gaze to the Renshou Funeral Home not far away, and said with a slight smile, "Let's go in and take a look."
A cool breeze swept through the street, sending fallen leaves swirling in the air.
Si Yehan walked at the very back. When the eight of them arrived at the entrance of Renshou Funeral Home, an old man with one arm came out of the security booth. He was pale and exuded a heavy death aura, but his eyes lit up when he saw the eight of them.
The one-armed old man hurriedly stepped forward, grasped Zhuang Xiaosheng's hand with his remaining arm, and his face lit up with excitement. "You must be the VIPs the curator was talking about, four men and four women. Come in with me quickly, you can stay in our funeral home's staff dormitory for the rest of the time."
Zhuang Xiaosheng subtly pushed away the one-armed old man's hand. The melancholy in his eyes lessened slightly, and he smiled as he asked, "Grandpa, are there any rules we need to follow at our funeral home?"
The one-armed old man scratched his head, a smile spreading across his face. He said in a low voice, "You asked me, but I've asked the right person. I've worked at Renshou Funeral Home for half my life, and there are three ironclad rules that can never be broken. The first is strictly forbidden to insult the deceased's body! The second is strictly forbidden to solicit money from the family! The third is strictly forbidden to disclose the deceased's privacy! I'm telling you, things have been very strange these days. A lot of bodies have been brought in, and quite a few employees have been fired by the director."
Zhuang Xiaosheng's face showed a thoughtful expression, but he quickly smiled and said, "Okay, thank you, sir. Do you know what we need to do these days?"
The one-armed old man chuckled twice and said, "Of course I know. The curator said that you eight VIPs are needed to Night Watch for seven days! This body is very special, so you need to keep watch for a longer period of time. You can sleep during the night Night Watch, but you can't all sleep."
You can go check out your rooms in the staff dormitory now. They seem to be on the fourth floor, eight single rooms in total! The rooms are spacious, so you can stay here comfortably. If you feel uneasy at night, you can share a room with another person; although it's a single room, the bed is very large.
Xia Yuanhou muttered, "They're all on the fourth floor, so someone has to live in 404. Whoever lives there is really unlucky."
Ge Congze's voice rang out. He tucked a strand of hair behind his ear and said, "Why be so hesitant? I'll just go and stay there."
The one-armed old man pointed to a building not far away that was faintly glowing red in broad daylight. "That's the staff dormitory building. You can go take a look. Tonight, you can guard the body in the auditorium. Remember, don't let the candles go out."
The one-armed old man's warm smile slowly faded as he turned and walked towards the security booth. Su Wei suddenly called out to him, "Grandpa, where's the place to eat? You can't go hungry for seven days straight."
The one-armed old man turned around, his cloudy eyes staring at Su Wei for a moment, a strange feeling creeping over him.
Su Wei frowned and subconsciously took a step back, feeling goosebumps all over her body. The old man in front of her looked truly frightening. Just as she was about to make a move...
The one-armed old man's face was wrinkled, but he smiled and spoke in a very authentic local dialect, which sounded quite friendly, "Young lady, did you just say 'eat'? I didn't quite catch that."
Su Wei felt much more relaxed and nodded.
"As for the staff canteen, you can go behind the dormitory building. The food is pretty good, and you don't need to pay anything. It's much more convenient than the outside world," the one-armed old man said, turning and walking into the security booth.
Through the transparent glass, he watched the group of eight figures, a grin spreading across his face, revealing yellowed teeth. His demeanor even seemed strangely unsettling. His expression was a bizarre mix of crying and laughing as he muttered, "Another group has arrived. I wonder how many poor souls will die, and how many lucky ones will escape alive."
As the eight people walked, they talked incessantly. Si Yehan listened silently. He had no interest in speaking at the moment, nor did he have any direction to guide them. Something was very wrong with the old man; he only had a deathly aura about him, not a ghostly presence.
We could find a time to arrest him, interrogate him, and then deal with him.
Xia Yuanhou stroked his chin, pondering, "Do you think those three ironclad rules of work that the old man mentioned might actually be the rules for killing?"
Ge Congze analyzed methodically, "Unlikely. Even funeral homes outside the instance usually have such work rules. The causes of death of those deceased might be related to ghosts, but they themselves wouldn't be ghosts. We can check the bodies during the Night Watch tonight. The candle the old man mentioned might be the key. It's best to keep a close eye on them."
Xia Yuanhou looked at Ge Congze his eyes. "So that's how it is. Do you want to share a room with me? Dressed like that, you might attract the hostility of the natives. I can prevent any threats from them."
Ge Congze waved his hand in refusal, saying, "There's no need. I have ways to protect myself."
Xia Yuanhou nodded somewhat disappointedly. "Alright."
His gaze swept across the entire courtyard of the funeral home. It was still daytime, and the place was full of cars. The sound of weeping could still be heard from inside the hall.
When Zhuang Xiaosheng reached the staff dormitory building, he paused, turned around, and said seriously, "This instance gives me a very different feeling, but I can't quite put my finger on it. In short, it's very dangerous. In the previous two instances, only one person died, but in this instance, several people might die. Everyone, please be careful and try to protect each other. I've suffered from illness since childhood, and I really don't want to see anyone die."
Su Wei nodded, seemingly moved by Zhuang Xiaosheng's actions, and said with a touch of emotion, "Yes, Brother Zhuang, you don't need to worry so much."
Si Yehan's expression was indifferent, but his mind was racing. This Zhuang Xiaosheng had been tormented by illness for half his life, yet he still cared about the lives of others. It was hard to believe. If it was true, killing him would be twice as fun; if it was false, killing him wouldn't be a loss either.
Thinking this, a faint smile appeared between Si Yehan's brows, but it vanished in an instant.
As soon as they entered, they saw the elevator glowing green. Next to it were the houses with their doors open and numbers like 101, 102, and 103 hanging on them. The houses were exceptionally clean, as if no one lived there.