Evil Beginning

The moment Xiao Lan leaped out the window, Zhang Chen quickly moved to the windowsill. However, Xiao Lan's figure had already fallen into the lake in the backyard, splashing huge ripples and disappearing into the dark, calm water.

"Zhang Chen, what was that that just jumped out?" Miao Shuangshuang, who had also rushed over, asked from behind him.

In truth, Zhang Chen found it incredibly difficult to decide how to answer this question.

Firstly, if they said the shadow wasn't Xiao Lan, everyone would start thinking that Xiao Lan had been eaten or killed by this monster. Such a large monster, and they hadn't even noticed it. This would make everyone start worrying about their own safety and consider leaving, which would be extremely detrimental to the overall situation.

Secondly, if they said the shadow was Xiao Lan, naturally everyone would start suspecting if they themselves might turn into something like that. That would be truly impossible to guard against and would also cause a commotion.

Just as Zhang Chen was struggling to answer, a voice rang out.

"The one who just jumped out the window was Xiao Lan."

The speaker was none other than Jia Xin, who had just arrived.

"Xiao Lan's in trouble, why are you only arriving now?" Miao Shuangshuang, who usually obeyed Jia Xin, surprisingly rebuked him in anger.

"I've been observing the situation from the balcony outside."

"Didn't you say we'd be safe as long as we followed instructions? What's going on now?" Miao Shuangshuang questioned.

"Firstly, before addressing your safety, based on my judgment, Xiao Lan was already in trouble. Secondly, the talisman I asked you to bring her is just placed by the door. Thirdly, Zhang Chen and I just finished dealing with the vengeful ghost in the swimming pool."

After Jia Xin said this, Miao Shuangshuang asked again, "Why didn't you do anything, knowing that Sister Xiao Lan would be in trouble from the start?"

"It was actually just a guess. I was planning to check on Xiao Lan after dealing with the vengeful ghost in the swimming pool, but I didn't expect her to already be in trouble. It was indeed my oversight. I will provide an explanation to everyone by the lake tomorrow morning."

This time, it was Zhang Chen who spoke. He had suspected from the beginning whether Xiao Lan would have problems after eating that strange fish meat, but he hadn't taken it to heart in the end.

Upon hearing this, Miao Shuangshuang was speechless. After all, everyone was human, and the place was already extremely dangerous. Others were doing their best to protect everyone, yet she was here shouting and making a scene.

"I'm sorry, I got too emotional. But, if possible, please do your best to bring Xiao Lan back tomorrow. Thank you."

After speaking, Miao Shuangshuang, who had a boyish personality, actually started crying. Shen Qiutian, standing beside her, immediately stepped forward to comfort her.

"Everyone, let's go back to our dorms and don't worry too much. I'll go look for Xiao Lan tomorrow morning."

After Zhang Chen finished speaking, everyone returned to their dormitories with trepidation.

"Brother Chen, are you okay? You just finished a big fight tonight, and tomorrow you have to go into the lake to find someone who might be a ghost?" Er Wa asked.

"Since I promised, I have to do it. Just get enough rest tonight."

Zhang Chen didn't say anything more. After arriving at Wang Yizhi's room, everyone felt very upset upon hearing that another person was in trouble. However, after Zhang Chen assured everyone that he would absolutely not let anyone in the class get hurt, their moods slightly eased.

They sat together and chatted for a while. Thinking that Zhang Chen was a bit tired today, they dispersed early and returned to their respective rooms to rest.

As a result, just as Zhang Chen returned to his room and was about to sleep, his phone vibrated. Upon picking it up, he saw it was a text message from Wang Yizhi.

The two then lay on their beds, only a few meters apart, continuously texting each other, not stopping until eleven o'clock, starting from half-past nine.

Lying on his bed, ready to sleep, Zhang Chen couldn't stop smiling. He, who was somewhat tired, was made so energetic by Wang Yizhi's messages that he couldn't sleep for a while.

Time passed by, minute by minute. Zhang Chen's excitement gradually faded, and he slowly drifted into his dreams.

In this dream, he was in an unfamiliar room, holding a pen in his right hand and a notebook in his left, writing something. (It was impossible to see any text clearly in the dream.)

However, judging by the formatting, it seemed to be a diary.

As he wrote the diary, he gnawed on his left thumb. The more he wrote, the more restless he became, and the words he wrote in the diary grew heavier.

Suddenly, with a careless exertion of force, he bit his left thumb until it bled. A drop of bright red blood fell onto the diary. He stared at his own blood for a long time.

Then, to Zhang Chen's surprise, he actually licked the blood off the paper with his tongue and then sucked on his bleeding thumb.

Before long, the diary was finished. He closed the notebook, skillfully put it into the drawer on the right, and left the room.

At this moment, Zhang Chen realized that the room where he was writing the diary was the room marked with an "x" on the villa map. He hadn't paid attention to it for the past two days, so it seemed necessary to check it out after waking up.

The person in the dream was none other than the villa's owner, Auguste Rodin. He walked through the villa's corridors, with servants bowing their heads as they passed him. However, he seemed somewhat agitated at this moment, not wanting to interact with anyone, and quickly headed towards the main hall.

His wife was sitting in the main hall, her belly already swollen to the point of imminent childbirth.

Seeing him approach, his wife's face lit up with joy, and she said a few words to him. In contrast, he seemed to ignore her, picked up a hunting rifle from the wall in the hall, strode out of the villa, and headed towards the woods.

Walking through the forest, he inexplicably fired his gun wildly into the calm woods, which could only be imagined as a reflection of his inner turmoil and frustration.

He kept going deeper into the forest, not thinking of stopping his steps, as if wanting to get away from this place.

Just as he was about to exit the forest, a sika deer resting by a pool of clear water appeared before him. Without hesitation, he raised his gun and pulled the trigger towards the deer's location.

The sika deer was not hit but was startled and ran away by the gunshot. He suddenly panicked, lowered his gun, and ran towards the direction the muzzle had been pointing.

However, outside the forest, a five-year-old boy lay in a pool of blood. He was at a loss, not knowing what to do. After a while, seeing that there was no one around, he assumed the child had wandered out to play alone.

He had a wicked thought. He grabbed the little boy's arm and dragged him into the woods. Because the forest was vast, it was a long way back to the villa. Along the way, dragging the boy's corpse, sweat dripped from his forehead.

As he found it increasingly difficult to walk, he saw a black man, Fichtek Salo, planting trees not far ahead. The black servant, upon seeing him dragging a boy covered in blood, immediately came up to talk to him. During their conversation, the black man's face first showed a look of melancholy, but it slowly disappeared.

Afterward, the two of them carried the little boy's body to an open space outside the villa. The black man ran into the villa and took out a large burlap sack. The two of them together put the boy into the sack and then tied it up with rope.

After he gave the black man a look, the black man hoisted the burlap sack and walked into the villa, while he also followed up to the third floor.

The rooms on the third floor were still so low. He sat in a chair, and in front of him was the burlap sack containing the little boy's body.

The sticky, bright red blood had soaked through the pocket and spread across the floor, reaching his feet.

He watched it all unfold, motionless, and even swallowed.

He moved. Auguste Rodin moved. He walked towards the burlap sack, fumbled with the rope tied around it, pulled out the little boy inside, and began to suck greedily at the bleeding wound in the boy's abdomen.

Before long, it seemed as if all the blood in the little boy's body had been consumed by him.

Looking at the bloodless little boy before him, he still felt a sense of lingering desire. He stood up, opened the door to the third floor, went down to the kitchen, and after speaking with the white-bearded old cook, obtained a cleaver from him.

Back on the third floor, he dragged the little boy's corpse into the bathtub. After using a mop to clear away the traces of blood on the floor, he closed the bathroom door, slowly cut off the arm of the corpse lying in the bathtub, and continued to eat the blood that gushed out during the process.

The arm tasted delicious. He gnawed from the upper arm all the way to the five fingers, never stopping.

After finishing the arm, he felt somewhat full. He hastily washed away the blood with water, then put the corpse back into the burlap sack and hid it in the corner of a large wardrobe in his bedroom.

Several days passed. He seemed to have grown tired of the old cook's cooking, eating less and less each meal. His family called a doctor to examine him, but no cause could be found. Yet, no one knew that before every meal, he would eat a limb from the little boy in his bedroom. Although the corpse rotted quickly, he still found it delicious.

After the doctor left, a young couple arrived at the villa, calling out hysterically outside, seemingly searching for something. Annoyed, he ordered the servants to send them away. He returned to his room, opened the burlap sack from beneath his wardrobe, and found only a few white bones remaining inside.

One noon, as he looked at the lavish spread of dishes on the dining table, his appetite was completely gone. His young wife unexpectedly went into labor, and with the efforts of the servants and doctor, she successfully gave birth to a fair-skinned baby girl.

When the young maid brought the infant to him, his mouth began to water.

The same natural light shone upon Zhang Chen's body.

"Such a bloody man. Is this how it all began? I don't know what happened later. It seems after looking for Xiao Lan at the lake this morning, I'll need to go to that house and look for the diary that guy wrote. Maybe I can get some useful clues."

Zhang Chen's dream was almost as real as reality itself. The only difference was the absence of sound, allowing him to clearly remember every detail and every scene.

"However, there's still too little information. But at least I know that the mastermind behind this should be the owner of this villa, Auguste Rodin. If only I could sleep a little longer. I should go deal with Xiao Lan's matter first."

After washing up and changing his clothes, he came to the hall on the first floor. Most people had already woken up and gathered in the hall.

Miao Shuangshuang had even prepared breakfast for Zhang Chen. As soon as he came downstairs, she personally handed it to him. Wang Yizhi, who was watching from the side, showed a hint of unhappiness on her face. Zhang Chen could only scratch his head.

"Brother Chen, should I lend you my equipment? That way you can swim faster." Er Wa appeared from somewhere, holding his professional swimming gear.

Zhang Chen smiled, not wanting to explain, and accepted it.

"These guys really aren't afraid at all. Their mindset is better than one another. But this is for the best. Keep it up, Zhang Chen."

ps: Thank you all for your tips and support. I will slowly improve my writing skills and strive to satisfy everyone. For those who like Ah Fei's work, please collect and recommend it more. Thank you.