Feeling at Home

"Is this the white lantern? I heard you Chinese people used to hang these up when holding funerals... I've seen plenty of pictures in books, but this is my first time seeing one in reality."

Anna, easily able to reach the lantern, wanted to get a closer look out of curiosity, but the class monitor pulled her away.

"Let's go~ This thing is unlucky, and might even be dangerous in practice."

"I know, Wenwen. I won't touch it carelessly."

Anna, trusting her best friend without question, turned her gaze to the now unlocked redwood main door, bracing her strong arms against it.

Creak~

The heavy, slightly decayed wooden door pushed inward.

The overgrown courtyard had already swallowed the stone path, and the chilling wind showed no sign of abating, making the cold even more intense.

After confirming there were no abnormalities in the front yard, the four of them stepped onto the faintly visible stone path buried beneath the grass and approached the main entrance of the mansion.

The door, adorned with exquisite wood grain, was unlocked, but no one rushed to push it open. After all, the event had already begun, and danger might be lurking behind this very door.

They decided to stick to the old method.

Everyone retreated as far as possible. The class monitor used the hiking pole in her hand to gently push the door.

As the door slowly opened, everyone held their breath, ready for battle.

When the door finally swung wide, nothing lunged out, nor was any human silhouette visible.

Instead, a potent odor rushed out, like a slender, invisible arm burrowing into their esophagi, its fingers lightly pinching the stomach lining and pulling at the esophagus.

Although the group had undergone various training sessions at the school, practical exercises involving smells were virtually nonexistent.

Except for Luo Di, the other three experienced strong gag reflexes.

The class monitor reacted swiftly, immediately retrieving pre-prepared masks from her backpack and distributing one to each person, which helped to alleviate the situation.

Putting the olfactory disturbance aside, everyone proceeded into the mansion's main hall.

It had been set up as a mourning hall.

White drapes were arranged in waves throughout the hall, fluttering incessantly in the cold wind.

A redwood offering table stood in the center.

Four bowls of moldy white rice were topped with burnt-out incense sticks, while the dishes and fruits had completely rotted, with saprophytic organisms nesting within, enjoying this hard-won feast.

Upon overall observation, one thing was peculiar: the various funeral items were arranged in a very traditional and complete manner, yet the most crucial item was missing.

"The deceased's portrait."

At this moment, the class monitor, now wearing a mask, underwent a complete change in demeanor. Her sharp gaze swept rapidly across the entire hall before she issued instructions for their next move:

"From now on, we need to maintain squad integrity and act together throughout. We will conduct a thorough inspection of the mansion. Once we confirm its safety, we'll return here to clean up these moldy items."

Under the class monitor's leadership, the full house inspection officially commenced.

All the windows in the mansion were covered with white floral paper, significantly reducing the natural light and casting an unremovable dimness over the entire place.

This dimness also served to emphasize the white lanterns hanging in the corridors, which had become indispensable sources of light.

A rather tense full house inspection concluded quickly.

The anticipated dangers and potential strange occurrences did not materialize. The entire mansion was devoid of even a single person, and the missing portrait was nowhere to be found.

It was worth noting that

the master bedroom on the second floor was quite spacious and had good natural light. If they could ensure its safety, they could rest inside instead of setting up tents outside.

Since no issues were found in the main building, only the backyard remained to be inspected.

Strangely enough, there were no windows in the two-story main building that faced the backyard.

However, Gao Yuxuan's observation was meticulous; he discovered that windows did exist, but they had long been sealed shut with cement.

There was only one "door" inside the main building leading to the backyard.

Moreover, it was a modern iron gate that completely clashed with the old house's style.

The door had no keyhole and was locked securely from the inside. It even felt like something heavy was blocking it from the other side, making it impossible for the four of them to open with their current means.

There was no other way.

The four of them had to circle around to the outside of the mansion, attempting to enter the backyard by climbing over the wall.

While the front yard's surrounding wall was perfectly normal, the top of the backyard's wall was adorned with sharp, barbed wire, rusted all over.

Through the wall, they could only see the top of a twisted tree, which bore a strong resemblance to the locust tree where Luo Di had found the wooden box in the forest earlier.

Perhaps this tree was directly related to their current practical training.

The class monitor took out all sorts of protective gear from her backpack, including knee pads and wrist guards, preparing to fully equip herself to attempt a forceful crossing over the sharp barbed wire.

Luo Di, standing at the back of the group and estimating the wall's height, suddenly offered his suggestion, "Let me step on Anna's shoulders. Perhaps I can saw through the wire on top, which would be a bit safer."

Anna strongly agreed with the proposal, striking her palm with her fist. "This is great! Wenwen, you shouldn't try to climb the wall alone anymore. It would be troublesome if you got scratched and contracted tetanus."

"Alright~ Then it's up to you two to cooperate."

It had to be said, Anna's physical fitness was truly excellent.

The moment Luo Di stepped onto her shoulders, Anna, who was in a squatting position, straightened up at a steady pace without any unnecessary swaying.

Yet, even with their heights combined, they could only barely reach the top of the wall.

Luo Di used his gloved left hand to try and grip the edge of the wall for added stability.

Vroom!

The automatic chainsaw, purchased from Terminal Supermarket, started up for the first time. Driven by its motor, the alloy saw teeth easily cut through the rusted, rough barbed wire.

As a large loop of wire fell away, an opening large enough for a single person was created at the top of the wall.

Using his hands to support himself, Luo Di nimbly stepped onto the wall, appearing quite skilled at this.

When his gaze fell upon the interior of the backyard, he visibly froze for a moment, his tone turning somewhat cold.

"The iron gate leading to the main building should be openable from the inside. You guys just wait by the iron gate, I'll open it from this side."

With that, Luo Di leaped, landing steadily in the backyard.

The class monitor and the other two quickly returned to the mansion. On their way, Anna whispered into the class monitor's ear, "Wenwen~ This guy really seems to have something. His center of gravity is so stable, and he's so efficient and decisive."

Wu Wen narrowed the eyes visible through her white mask into a crescent shape. "He's very capable."

By the time the three of them returned to the iron gate leading to the backyard, they could faintly hear something heavy being moved aside from behind the door.

This was followed by another sound of sawing.

Snap!

The internal chain was severed and fell, The sliding iron gate slowly creaked open, As the iron gate opened, the backyard was revealed.

The three high school students standing at the entrance were all stunned, their expressions shifting rapidly and multiple times within a short period.

It wasn't just a visual shock, There was also a smell, a potent odor carried on the chilling wind.

It could penetrate the masks, seep into their nasal cavities, and even allow their tongues, pressed against their closed lips, to clearly taste this strange flavor, several times more intense than the smell in the lobby.

The combination of the smell and the scene delivered an extreme mental impact.

It was like a high fever, seizing their consciousness and washing away their thoughts from within their brains.

If the feeling in the foyer earlier was an appetizer, then this scene was undoubtedly the signature main course of the day.

Anna was the first to buckle, immediately throwing up on the ground.

Gao Yuxuan clutched his stomach and turned away, heading for the mansion's restroom.

The class monitor tightly covered their mask with both hands. After a moment of visible struggle, they finally managed to stabilize their unruly stomach and re-examine the scene before them.

The entire backyard was filled with the corpses of cattle and pigs, along with their excrement, swarming with flies and insects.

Strangely, despite the intense smell, the group hadn't detected it from outside the wall earlier, as if the entire backyard was shrouded by something invisible.

The animal carcasses and the smell weren't the real focus, however.

The class monitor, Wu Wen's, gaze quickly locked onto the center of the backyard, onto the large, twisted old locust tree.

Four Chinese people dressed in vintage clothing were hanging from different parts of the crooked tree by ropes. The degree of decay on their bodies varied, but their bulging eyes were uniformly fixed on the mansion, Staring at the sole entrance and exit, Staring at the young people who had broken in.

Considering the funeral theme of the mansion, It seemed they had arranged their own funeral, with the guests being the four who found the mansion's key.

Today, upon signing, I received the affection of four alliance leaders. Thank you [500 Jin of Swelling King], [Blue Tears of the Nation], [Food Grade Salted Fish], and [Thousand Feathers Thousand Sorrows].