Trust

After finally managing to send Er Wa away, Zhang Chen could finally enjoy a peaceful nap.

"Mmm~~~" After sleeping for an hour, Zhang Chen stretched lazily and sat up in bed. He glanced at the beautiful lakeside outside his window and wished he could spend a relaxing vacation here.

He hadn't been sitting quietly on the bed for five minutes when suddenly, wisps of mist began to seep from the floor beneath his feet. Zhang Chen could feel a strong sense of sorrow emanating from the mist as it emerged, clearly originating from below his room.

"Just when I finally get to rest, this happens. Isn't there a swimming pool under my room? Could it be that guy from First High School?"

Zhang Chen put on his shoes and went downstairs directly, heading towards the swimming pool. He pushed the door, but it was clearly locked. He used his telekinesis to open the lock, then pushed again, but it still wouldn't budge.

"What's going on?"

Time was of the essence, and without time to think, Zhang Chen punched the door. A large round hole appeared in the wooden door. Peering through the hole, he could see a film of water blocking the door from the inside, which explained why the lock was open but the door wouldn't move.

Zhang Chen looked around, and it seemed everyone else was still asleep. So, he compressed the air in front of him and blasted it directly at the door.

With a loud "boom," the large wooden door, along with the water film behind it, shattered and fell to the ground. The dispersed water film then gathered together and flowed towards the swimming pool.

Zhang Chen felt a distinct ghostly aura from the mass of liquid. He couldn't let it escape. With a swift movement, he simultaneously activated his telekinesis, pulling the liquid back and swallowing it in one gulp.

A voice sounded: Swallowed a small amount of intermediate vengeful ghost body, saturation gained: 2%, original skill: Water (extremely incomplete).

Incomplete value increased by 12%.

"Oh? There's a big one in here. If I eat it all, I'll get another skill."

However, after he consumed the liquid, the sorrowful aura within the swimming pool disappeared.

"It ran? Hmm, what's that?" Zhang Chen looked at the person floating in the center of the swimming pool. Wasn't that Gong Yuanwu from First High School? With a thought, Gong Yuanwu slowly floated up from the water and landed in front of Zhang Chen.

Due to the loud noise of the telekinetic wave shattering the wooden door, everyone was startled awake and rushed into the swimming pool.

"What happened?" Jia Xin, who entered first, asked.

"The swimming pool door was locked from the inside. I heard someone calling for help, so I had to break it down."

"Brother Chen, what kind of bomb did you use? The door's a mess," Tan Fei said, looking at the scattered pieces of wood.

"Stop the nonsense. If you're going to help, come see if the person can be saved," Zhang Chen said.

Jia Xin walked forward, pressed two fingers against the carotid artery in the neck, and then inserted a silver needle into the back of the head. After a moment, Jia Xin shook his head helplessly and told everyone, "He's dead."

As soon as he said this, the girls from First High School hugged each other and cried uncontrollably. Wang Yizhi also covered her mouth, looking at the corpse on the ground with great fear. Zhang Chen quickly ran over and held Wang Yizhi in his arms.

"Someone's dead, call 110 quickly! And call the tour company, let's go back," Tan Fei said, starting to panic.

Hong Yi from First High School was very sad, but he knew the truth and remained silent.

Just as Tan Fei was about to make a call, his phone flew out of his hand and towards Zhang Chen. Tan Fei's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Actually, only you and Dai Xu don't know about this. I'm different from you; I can kill ghosts. And there's one in this house. That person was actually possessed by a ghost last night, so death was inevitable."

Er Wa was still signaling desperately at Tan Fei from the side. He thought the short, chubby guy wouldn't be able to handle it, but unexpectedly, Tan Fei burst into laughter. However, after a moment, he began to hesitate.

"Brother Chen, are you confident you can handle this? Should we consider leaving here? After all, someone died."

"It's not that I don't want to leave. I wanted you all to leave yesterday, but from the first day we arrived in Jiaoping Village, we've been trapped in this deep predicament. Getting out isn't that simple. However, Jia Xin and I are confident we can deal with the mastermind behind this house. The only thing you need to do is maintain your normal lifestyle and play along with the plan."

"But this is like being in a tiger's mouth. Will we end up like him?" Tan Fei said, pointing at the drowned Gong Yuanwu.

"Don't worry, don't be afraid. I have a way to protect you all." Zhang Chen wanted to give everyone the Blood Beetles, but after thinking about it, he decided to give them later. It was necessary to keep a trump card in front of Jia Xin.

Seeing that Jia Xin had also calmed down his classmates, everyone first buried Gong Yuanwu's body in the ground next to the villa. Then they returned to the living room and sat on the circular sofa.

"Jia Xin, please tell everyone about the things they need to be aware of."

Jia Xin nodded and said:

"Everyone is probably aware that this villa has problems, but you don't need to worry too much. As long as you do as I say, the danger can be minimized. I can guarantee that no one else will get hurt."

"First, do not enter the first floor of this villa after nightfall. The most dangerous areas are the indoor swimming pool, the oil painting room, and the kitchen. No one is allowed to enter these three rooms alone during the day."

"The kitchen?" Someone suddenly exclaimed.

"We've cooked there several times, and nothing happened."

"Also, what about the dance practice room? Didn't Qiutian bump into something?"

"The dance practice room, that ghost was eliminated by Zhang Chen and me last night. The other three places have ghosts. The one in the kitchen seems a bit milder, but we can't let our guard down. Alright, second, you cannot swim in the lake in the backyard, and no one should approach it alone. Forget about fishing too."

Everyone nodded dejectedly. After all, besides the villa, the biggest attraction for everyone was the vast, clear, and pristine lake.

"Third, I have prepared some talismans for everyone. Please be sure to carry them with you at all times."

After saying that, Jia Xin took out a stack of talismans from his bag. "Didn't expect this guy to be quite responsible," Zhang Chen thought to himself upon seeing this.

Jia Xin handed out the talismans one by one to everyone, with two left at the end.

"Huh? Why are there two extra? Wasn't it just Gong Yuanwu who was missing?" Zhang Chen asked curiously.

"Xiao Lan didn't come," Miao Shuangshuang, the curly-haired girl from First High School, suddenly said.

"It must have been too sudden. As for the missing person, no one noticed. Xiao Miao, go check if Xiao Lan is taking a nap and give her this talisman," Jia Xin instructed.

Miao Shuangshuang nodded and ran towards the second floor. Zhang Chen also remembered that the girl named Xiao Lan had eaten a piece of fish at lunch today and wondered if she was alright.

Miao Shuangshuang came down shortly after.

"Sister Xiao Lan said she wants to sleep a bit longer and asked me to leave the talismans by the door."

Hearing that Xiao Lan was fine, Zhang Chen didn't overthink it.

"Finally, I hope everyone will strictly follow my and Zhang Chen's orders. Absolutely do not act alone. No matter what happens, you must stay calm and inform us two immediately. That's all I have to say." Jia Xin sat down after finishing.

Everyone sat on the sofa, lost in thought for a long time. Perhaps everyone had different ideas, but at this moment, they all chose to trust these two.

"Ah, damn it. This vacation turned into a survival game. Actually, it's not bad, much more exciting," Er Wa said.

Everyone actually started to smile slowly.

"Exciting, my ass. My swimming trunks are wasted. It's bad enough we can't swim outside, but we can't even swim in this pool. Looks like I'll have to switch careers and learn to dance," Tan Fei said, winking at Shen Qiutian, who was good at dancing.

Seeing the lecherous look on the fat man's face, Shen Qiutian immediately turned her head away. Everyone burst into laughter.

Zhang Chen watched all this and suddenly felt that these two brothers had some extraordinary qualities; they were much better at easing the atmosphere than he was.

"Since there's nowhere else to go, everyone should go back to their rooms and adjust their moods. We'll come down later to make dinner. After dinner, we'll all get together and have some fun," Zhang Chen said, and everyone nodded.

Zhang Chen gave Jia Xin a look and glanced at the swimming pool. Jia Xin smiled and nodded.

After everyone returned to their rooms, Zhang Chen called all the students from his class to his bedroom. They seemed a bit curious, not knowing what Zhang Chen was up to.

"Hey, this trip was actually my fault. When I received the flyer, I already thought it was strange. Where could you find such a good deal? Plus, so many people strive to get into key high schools, how could they have chosen us?"

"Brother Chen, don't say that. We all chose to come here ourselves. Besides, good brothers die together," Er Wa said.

Smack! Tan Fei slapped Er Wa on the head.

"Stop talking about dying right from the start. Brother Chen is so capable, what are you afraid of? Besides, Er Wa, don't you have a military knife? When the time comes, you guys go ahead and fight, and I'll cover for you with the two beautiful ladies behind."

"Exactly, exactly. Don't say that. Yizhi is my good sister, how could I leave her alone?" Dai Xu also patted Wang Yizhi's head and said.

Zhang Chen looked at Wang Yizhi. She still had that innocent and happy look in her eyes, which put him much more at ease.

"Actually, Jia Xin and I are not the same kind of people. He's like the righteous Taoist priests you see on TV who vanquish demons. I'm more on the evil side."

"Haha, what evil? I think that pretty boy is much more evil than you."

"Seriously though, keep the talismans Jia Xin gave you safe; they'll be useful at crucial moments. Also, I called you all back for another reason. Don't be scared."

After Zhang Chen finished speaking, he extended his left hand. A small cut slowly opened on his palm, and four Blood Beetles flew out, landing on the back of Zhang Chen's hand.

"Ah, how disgusting!" Dai Xu looked at the scene, seemingly unable to bear it.

"I told you, I'm the more evil type, but I won't harm you. These things are called Blood Beetles, and they feed on ghosts. I only have five in total, and they can sense each other. I'm putting four of them into your bodies separately. Once we encounter a ghost, I'll be able to sense it. Additionally, they can also fight some low-level ghosts on their own."

Even though Zhang Chen said this, everyone felt a bit hesitant. After all, having such disgusting insects enter their bodies would make even the bravest person pause.

"Zhang Chen, let me have one," Wang Yizhi was the first to step forward, and there wasn't a trace of fear on her face.

"Silly girl, extend your left hand. Don't be afraid, it won't hurt."

Wang Yizhi hummed and extended her left hand. Then, a Blood Beetle flew onto her arm and burrowed in immediately, leaving no trace behind.

"It's so magical, it really doesn't hurt! Hehe, and after it went in, it seemed to fall asleep, completely still."

Hearing Wang Yizhi say this, Er Wa also stepped forward. Then, trusting Zhang Chen, everyone extended their hands, and the Blood Beetles were all implanted.

"Brother's got double insurance now!" Tan Fei, seeing the Blood Beetles enter his arm, suddenly started jumping around happily.

"Alright, you can all go back and rest. If anything happens, I'll be there immediately. Once this is resolved, I'll remove the Blood Beetles for you."

Seeing their trusting expressions, Zhang Chen clenched his fists, vowing to protect everyone with his life.