Drowning Ghost

During dinner, two people were missing from the table: Gong Yuanwu, who had died, and Xiao Lan from the First High School. When asked about Xiao Lan, two girls from the First High School said they had knocked on her door, but Xiao Lan claimed to be feeling unwell and hadn't opened it. The atmosphere in the dining hall was rather somber, with few people speaking, especially the students from the First High School.

Zhang Chen became even more certain that the girl must have had some problem after eating the fish. He decided he would go check on her with Jia Xin later.

After dinner, everyone gathered on the circular sofa.

At this point, Er Wa took out a stack of cards from his pocket – the collector's edition of "Werewolf."

"Actually, the original plan was for everyone to play together, and the losers would play Truth or Dare, but under these circumstances, I think we can skip the Dare part."

Everyone sat together, the atmosphere still a bit stiff. Now that there was a game, everyone gradually started to relax.

"Come on, let's all play. We have nothing else to do. If anyone loses, we'll all decide on a punishment together," Hong Yi said, shaking off his gloom. It seemed he and Er Wa had found true camaraderie through their ordeal.

Since some people weren't very familiar with the game, they played the simplest version: one moderator, one police officer, one killer, and six civilians.

In the first round, Zhang Chen surprisingly drew the role of moderator. He just chuckled to himself.

"First night, everyone close your eyes. Killer, please open your eyes."

The killer who opened their eyes was Jia Xin. Zhang Chen looked at Jia Xin's lifeless expression and knew that the police were likely doomed this round.

Jia Xin's first victim was Hong Yi, who was sitting next to him.

When they opened their eyes in the morning and saw Hong Yi dead, everyone started defending themselves. This was because the group had essentially split into two factions: Yufang Middle School and the County First High School. Therefore, the accusations were primarily directed at the two girls, Dai Xu and Wang Yizhi, and Tan Fei. However, some people suggested that the First High School students were deliberately creating misunderstandings among themselves.

"Second night, everyone close your eyes. Police, please open your eyes."

The person who opened their eyes was also from the First High School – the curly-haired girl, Miao Shuangshuang.

Zhang Chen could tell that this girl harbored a boyish spirit within her. As expected, without a word, she immediately shot Tan Fei.

When they opened their eyes in the morning, Tan Fei, upon learning of his death, started crying and making a fuss, calling the police brainless. Zhang Chen watched Miao Shuangshuang beside him, her eyes almost burning with anger, but she managed to restrain herself. After the defenses, there were some disagreements among the group.

"Third night, everyone close your eyes. Killer, please open your eyes."

As Jia Xin opened his eyes, he remained like an old fox, expressionless, and unhesitatingly killed Dai Xu.

When they opened their eyes in the morning, everyone became even more confused. The killer had killed Hong Yi from the First High School, and after the police mistakenly killed Tan Fei from Yufang, he killed Dai Xu, also from Yufang. Jia Xin watched impassively as the group bickered, seeming to believe they were all far inferior to him, which annoyed Zhang Chen.

"Fourth night, everyone close your eyes. Police, please open your eyes."

Miao Shuangshuang, thoroughly confused, thought for a long time and then directly shot Er Wa. It seemed she did this because Er Wa was close to Hong Yi, and wanting to avoid killing someone from the First High School for the second time, she killed a classmate from her own grade.

In the morning, Tan Fei, seeing that Dai Xu had also been mistakenly killed, shamelessly exclaimed loudly, "Oh, it seems we truly are destined to be together." This earned him everyone's ridicule and a fierce glare from Dai Xu.

In this way, almost everything went according to Jia Xin's plan. Zhang Chen also realized that Jia Xin seemed to know who the police were from the very beginning, yet he only killed civilians in every round. By the end, all the police and civilians were dead, meaning everyone except Zhang Chen and Jia Xin would have to face punishment.

This left Zhang Chen, who was acting as moderator, deeply shocked. He even began to suspect if Jia Xin had included him in his plan for this seven-day trip.

As the winner, Jia Xin had the right to decide the punishment for everyone. However, Jia Xin proposed a terrifying suggestion.

"The seven of you will enter the swimming pool together. You don't need to go into the water, just stand around the perimeter of the swimming pool. The four girls will stand in the corners, and the three boys will stand between the two girls, close to the wall. No one needs to stand on the east side. Also, do not close the swimming pool door. After 10 minutes, return to the lobby and report to me about the situation inside."

This statement immediately caused controversy. Tan Fei, in particular, flew into a rage, accusing the "pretty boy" of toying with their lives. Even the students from the First High School hesitated, especially since someone had died that morning.

"I have my reasons for doing this. I hope you can trust me. If anything happens, I and Zhang Chen will be there immediately to ensure everyone's safety. As I said today, solving the problem with the villa is a shared responsibility. Relying solely on us won't work."

After speaking, Jia Xin actually demonstrated his qi control for the first time in front of everyone. He pushed off the ground and in an instant, he moved from his spot to the swimming pool entrance and then flashed back, leaving everyone stunned.

"Brother Chen, does this guy know martial arts?" Tan Fei whispered to Zhang Chen, leaning in.

Zhang Chen didn't know what this guy was planning, but he trusted that he wouldn't do something like this without reason, so he nodded.

Thus, everyone complied with Jia Xin's request. After all, they were in a difficult situation and needed to work together.

Zhang Chen looked at Wang Yizhi and nodded, assuring her that nothing would happen. Then, led by Er Wa, the group of seven slowly walked into the swimming pool.

"What are you planning?" Zhang Chen asked.

"This afternoon, after you all returned to your rooms, I dug up Gong Yuanwu's body. I'm sure you also want to figure out if this person was controlled by the Blood Demon or by the ghosts in the swimming pool."

"And the results?"

"The Blood Demon, by expending its essence blood, possesses independent consciousness. After controlling someone, their behavior doesn't change significantly. Ordinary ghosts, however, forcefully control by their own means, not only damaging the body of the controlled but also annihilating their consciousness, leading to extremely abnormal behavior."

"So, you're saying Gong Yuanwu was controlled by the ghosts in the swimming pool?"

"A silver needle was inserted into the Fengfu acupoint at the back of the deceased's head, and the needle was stained with traces of moisture. You can imagine, it was naturally the work of the Drowning Ghosts in the swimming pool."

Zhang Chen, convinced by Jia Xin's logical reasoning, believed him, unaware that he had been completely deceived.

"Drowning Ghosts? What does that mean?"

"Also known as water ghosts, they are ghosts that drowned in water. Drowning Ghosts typically have green or red eyes and can swim as quickly as animals like otters. In the water, their strength increases significantly, equivalent to ten adult men combined. Their skin is slippery, as if greased, making it nearly impossible to catch them in the water."

"And our strength is greatly reduced in the water. Therefore, killing them in the water is extremely difficult. So, what I intend to do is drag it onto land to kill it."

"So?"

"So, I've called the four girls to the four corners of the swimming pool. Females naturally have a Yin constitution, and by standing in the corners, they can gather the Yin energy of the entire swimming pool. The three males, with their Yang constitution, will stand between the girls. The east side will remain unoccupied, creating a Yang imbalance where the east is weaker than the west. This will cause the Yang energy to diffuse towards the eastern entrance."

"And I wasn't showing off my skills earlier; I was using that opportunity to plant a Yang-gathering flag next to the swimming pool entrance. The diffusing Yang energy will be drawn out of the swimming pool by the flag. The lobby at night is already rich in Yin energy, and the drawn-out Yang energy will be instantly neutralized. The longer this goes on, the more Yin energy will accumulate in the swimming pool."

"Ten minutes is the limit. If it goes on any longer, and the indoor Yin energy increases while the Yang energy decreases, it might cause harm to their bodies. Once the Yin energy reaches its peak, that will be our opportunity to hunt this ghost."

Zhang Chen felt both admiration and concern for Jia Xin. He might not fully understand everything Jia Xin said, but it was clear that everything had been meticulously planned. Compared to Jia Xin, he felt he had been quite reckless.

"This guy seems to be carrying equipment for all sorts of ghosts. Is he here on vacation?" Zhang Chen remained suspicious of Jia Xin. Indeed, such a person couldn't be easily trusted. He feared that one day, he might die without even knowing how.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing. What do you think of Xiao Lan from your class? I think it's necessary to go check on her."

"Let's sort this out first," Jia Xin said, seemingly unconcerned about his classmate.

"So, after we go in, how do we kill this Drowning Ghost?"

"It's about time. Let's go in and talk."

Not long after Jia Xin finished speaking, everyone slowly walked out of the swimming pool building, hugging their arms across their chests, looking very cold.

"Damn it, there really are ghosts in there. We were fine when we went in, but after standing for a while, it started getting cold. It's way colder than air conditioning." Tan Fei, despite his bulk, couldn't withstand the chill, which showed how cold it was inside.

Zhang Chen quickly went to hug Wang Yizhi, touching her ice-cold arm, feeling a pang of sadness. However, the Blood Beetle within Yizhi's arm showed no reaction.

Ignoring Zhang Chen's solicitous attention, Jia Xin spoke directly.

"Besides the cold, everyone describe the conditions at your respective positions."

Everyone else couldn't say much, because besides the cold, there really hadn't been any other changes. But the last person, Dai Xu, had something to report.

"I was standing in the innermost corner of the room. At first, it was the same as everyone else, no changes. But when the 10 minutes were up and I was about to leave, I almost slipped on water on the ground. But there definitely wasn't any water when I first came to this spot."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen immediately sensed the Blood Beetle in Dai Xu's hand. Indeed, there had been a slight movement about a minute ago.

Jia Xin seemed very satisfied after listening and nodded.

"Tonight, Zhang Chen and I will have it much easier thanks to your help. Please return to your dorms and rest well. Stick the talismans I gave you above your beds. Tomorrow, everyone can swim with peace of mind."

"Heh," everyone could only chuckle. Even if there weren't any ghosts inside, would anyone still want to swim in a pool where someone had died?

Wang Yizhi immediately ran over, linking her arm with Zhang Chen's, and said warmly, "After you're done with things, come hang out in our dorm, okay?"

Tan Fei overheard this and kept saying, "I want to go too." Zhang Chen smiled, patted Wang Yizhi's little head, and nodded, saying, "I'll be back soon. Let's all have a party in your dorm."

Then, everyone went upstairs, laughing and joking, seemingly confident that Zhang Chen would return victorious.

After everyone had returned to their rooms, Jia Xin took out two small glass bottles filled with soil from a cloth bag.

"Once we're inside, sprinkle the soil in the corners as quickly as possible. You're responsible for the two corners closest to the entrance, and I'll take the furthest two."

After speaking, the two of them arrived at the main entrance.

"I'll count to three, and we go in as fast as possible." Jia Xin frowned, took out two bottles, "Alright, 3, 2, 1, go!"

As soon as Zhang Chen rushed into the swimming pool building, the temperature made goosebumps erupt all over his body. The temperature inside was at most 15 degrees Celsius. However, his entire focus was on the two corners he was responsible for.

"Alright, first bottle." Zhang Chen pulled out the stopper and poured out the soil from the bottle.

However, at that very moment, in the center of the previously calm swimming pool, ripples began to spread. Slowly, an elderly person's head, with only a few white hairs on top, wrinkled skin, and vacant white eyes, rose from the center of the ripples. Its gaze was fixed precisely on Zhang Chen's position…

ps: Everyone can voice any opinions in the discussion area. Ah Fei will work hard to make corrections. Thank you for your support. If you think it's good, please collect and recommend it often.