Opening the Door

What it would be like to have little arms growing out of your ears is something that no one has ever seen before.

But that didn't stop them from feeling uncomfortable and terrified just imagining it. Even the slightest itch in their eardrums seemed amplified, turning into a source of fear. They immediately covered their ears and took a step back.

Taking advantage of the deducers' moment of apprehension, the human-faced ghost pounced on Cui Hui. Two lines of bloody tears flowed from its black, hole-like eyes, and it kept screeching. At the same time, it also crawled out of the shadows under the bed and was exposed to the dim light of the kerosene lamp.

Cui Hui was still unable to move. His fear could only be detected from his open mouth and slightly moving eyes. The ghost was almost face to face with him. Even through his clothes, he could feel a strange itch where the ghost's two thin arms and hind limbs touched him.

He knew he couldn't make a sound now, because his cries would only excite the ghost. If he didn't cry out, people might still be able to think of a way to save him. But if he made a sound without considering the bigger picture, everyone would definitely abandon him without a second thought. So... even though fear had overwhelmed him, he only managed to squeeze out a few sad sobs from his throat.

Wu Kaiyun bit his lip hard and stubbornly grabbed one of the ghost's arms. He couldn't move Cui Hui, but maybe he could move the ghost!

The others began searching the secret room for any usable items. They were all cautious, and apart from Kaiyun, who was particularly close to Cui Hui, no one dared to act directly. However, they did need to save Cui Hui, not only because they were all allies of the Absurd Faction in this scenario, but also because they needed to find a way to expel this monster.

"Once we enter the city, the first priority is to find weapons." In a corner, Yu Xing reminded everyone to cover their ears, so Zhao Mou leaned close to him and said this in a very low voice that no one else could hear.

He was probably talking to himself, because he wasn't sure Yu Xing could hear him.

Yu Xing heard it. Covering his ears could only block most of the sound waves, but it couldn't completely block out sounds that were right next to him. So he first replied to Zhao Mou with an "Mm," and then muttered, "This ghost didn't appear when we were making a ruckus searching for clues. But when we found the key and went to check under the bed, it started attacking, focusing on the key."

"Should we save him?" Qu Xuanqing came to Yu Xing's side and asked close to his ear.

She didn't cover her ears; she could sense that the ghost's attack was limited to her body, so there was no need for her to protect herself.

"We'll see how things go. If we can save them, we will. If not, we'll get the key and open the door first." Yu Xing's words might seem a bit cold to Cui Hui, or even Wu Kaiyun, but it was the best choice he could make in a state of extreme rationality. "We need to create an escape route first, so that at least most people won't be in danger."

"Okay." Qu Xuanqing didn't say much, just gave a single word in response. He quickly passed through the crowd near the bed, pushed Wu Kaiyun aside in his hopeful gaze, and went to Cui Hui and the ghost.

Qu Xuanqing saw a thin chain connecting the back of the ghost's large, fat belly to the shadow under the bed. She didn't know where the chain was connected, but it was probably to the lower abdomen of the large, fat belly. The chain rattled with the movements of the masked ghost.

Cui Hui's complexion gradually began to blend into the mask's base color, as if he had been infected. His facial expression became increasingly blank, and his eyes revealed a deep sorrow. The fat, pot-bellied ghost held Cui Hui tightly, the mask pressed against Cui Hui's face.

Without hesitation, she reached out and grabbed the chain. Her fingers touched the cold, raw texture, confirming that the chain was solid. She then gripped the chain tightly and pulled it back, forcefully pulling the ghost away from Cui Hui.

It works!

But then, her expression changed. The immense force from the chains not only pulled her back, almost causing her to stumble and kneel on the ground, but the ghostly mask also turned to look at her. Although it was only for a glance, Qu Xuanqing could feel a sudden discomfort on her body, as if some sticky and disgusting gaze was enveloping her from those two dark, empty holes.

Her body couldn't even feel pain, yet it was affected by this ghost's mere glance.

This usually means that the attack was aimed at the soul. Even Qu Xuanqing dared not underestimate such an attack. After thinking for a moment, she gave up the chain that had cut a bloody mark on her palm, and instead quickly grabbed the gem key on the bed board. Without even looking at the ghost's reaction, she rushed to the rusty iron door.

She didn't even need to look, because the instant she got the key, she heard the ghost let out an incredibly shrill scream, and the sound of its limbs crawling on the ground followed closely behind her footsteps, clearly indicating that it had abandoned Cui Hui and was chasing after her.

Qu Xuanqing's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority. "Use chains to hold it down. No matter how many people are on board, give me time to open the door!"

Without turning her head, she inserted the key into the lock. Because the lock was rusty, it was difficult to insert the key. After finally managing to insert it, turning it took more than a second.

The Mask Face ghost swiftly crawled behind Qu Xuanqing with its deformed limbs, ignoring everyone along the way.

Wu Kaiyun looked at his friend. After Cui Hui was no longer the target of that ghost, he seemed to be able to move. He seemed to have used all his strength to get up, staggered back a few steps, and gasped for breath. His pale face was covered with cold sweat, revealing a sense of relief at surviving a disaster.

Cui Hui survived, but only temporarily. As long as the ghost is still around, no one in the house is safe.

Without a second thought, Wu Kaiyun was the first to grab the chain that was right in front of him and gritted his teeth to pull it back.

In this situation, everyone who had been paying close attention rushed forward. Except for Sha and Yu Xing, they all grabbed the chain of the masked ghost. Even if the ghost was strong, it was the force of more than a dozen living people, which was enough to pull the ghost's hand back suddenly just as it was about to grab Qu Xuanqing's ankle.

Sha appeared completely oblivious to the danger, but his gaze was fixed on the scene, revealing that he wasn't as nonchalant as his expression suggested.

As for Yu Xing, it was purely due to his physical condition. When everyone went up to help him, someone also reminded him, "Don't go up there and hurt yourself."

"Ah!" The ghost's scream turned into a series of rapid short howls. It seemed to be trying its best to prevent Qu Xuanqing from opening the door. Its limbs waved in the air, scratching several divination users who accidentally got too close to it. The smile on the white mask disappeared, replaced by an expression that was a mixture of anger and grief.

Qu Xuanqing frowned slightly. The key and the lock were so badly rusted that it would take a lot of strength to open the door. Normally, a well-trained adult man would need to exert all his strength to open the door, but brute force wouldn't cut it off. If the key broke inside the lock, there would be no hope at all. Very few people present could do it, but fortunately, Qu Xuanqing was one of them.

She fiddled with it for about ten seconds, and finally, with her skillful touch, the key turned, and with a click, the door unlocked.

But that wasn't the end of it. Because the edges of the iron gate were stuck to the surrounding area due to rust, she still needed to push the gate open.

Watching Qu Xuanqing trying to push the door open, while the others had more or less lost the strength to fight against the giant ghost, Yu Xing said softly, "Just kick it down."

"No, kicking the door will make a lot of noise, and haven't you seen the consequences of that?" Bai Junrui gripped the chain tightly, already dissatisfied with the person next to him who did nothing. Now, seeing him make such an unreliable suggestion, he couldn't help but speak up in rebuttal.

Several of the strategists nodded secretly; Bai Junrui was right, Yu Xing had indeed been too reckless.

Yu Xing chuckled lightly, completely ignoring Bai Junrui's rebuttal, and repeated, "Kick it away."

This is an affirmative statement.

"No!" Bai Xiaobing and a few others voiced their objections at the critical moment, but Qu Xuanqing didn't care what others said. She only knew that this was Yu Xing's judgment, and immediately lifted her long leg.

At a different time, her slender, beautiful legs, without an ounce of excess fat, would surely have stirred up all sorts of fantasies against the backdrop of her tattered Schmidt skirt, not to mention her smooth feet, where even the veins beneath the skin were faintly visible.

She wasn't wearing shoes, and her bare feet were slightly scraped from sliding down the passage above, with several scratches still oozing blood. This gave her a strangely alluring look, and Zhao Mou couldn't help but glance at her before frowning.

It must be because she's a "model" again; the beauty of Qu Xuanqing's body was amplified in everyone's senses, elevated to a level of sensory experience that would never be so exaggerated under normal circumstances.

He quickly listed several pieces of information in his mind that might be related to the model's specific origin, but before he could analyze them in depth, the seemingly harmless foot, following its owner's movement, fiercely kicked the iron door near the lock.

Instantly, everyone who had been somewhat dazed by the sight of Qu Xuanqing's legs broke out in a cold sweat and snapped back to reality.

This wasn't someone they could even imagine; this was a fucking killing machine!

Zhao Mou also silently shifted his gaze.

Only Yu Xing was cheerful as the iron gate made a loud bang and then opened amidst everyone's expectant, tense, and slightly fearful gazes. A gust of wind blew, blowing the dust off the door into the air. Qu Xuanqing was unaffected, but it caused the people behind her to cough.

The ghost finally let out a wail the moment the door opened, and suddenly collapsed to the ground as if its life force had been drained away. Everyone felt the pulling force on their hands getting weaker and weaker. Finally, the ghost moved on the ground, its limbs quickly withering away, and it detached itself from its fat belly. The mask fell to the ground.

It seems... he's dead.

No strange noises came from behind the door, nor did they attract any other ghosts. Only the gray clouds in the sky and the silent alleyway ahead reminded them that they had indeed arrived at the edge of the city in the middle of the island.

"Is this... it's over?" the extradition guide muttered to himself, pulling the others back from their daze.

"See? I told you kicking the door open would save a lot of trouble." Yu Xing laughed, but her laughter sounded more than just a light slap in the face to those who had objected earlier; to others, it sounded like the arrogance of someone who had just succeeded by sheer luck.

"It's just good luck. What if there are ghosts outside? What if the ghost inside doesn't die? We'll be caught in a pincer movement, and nobody will be able to escape. Can you take responsibility for that?" Bai Xiaobing spoke. She could tell that Zeng Lai's new friend wasn't a good person, and Yu Xing hadn't given his vice president, Fei Jing, a friendly look either, so she didn't hold back. "Or are you saying that as long as the door is open, you'll try to escape regardless of whether there are ghosts or not? After all, you didn't pull the chains; you can move whenever you want, right?"

The tension and anxiety everyone felt during the moment the door was kicked down and in the few seconds that followed were genuine.

Qu Xuanqing gave her a cold look.

Bai Xiaobing was not intimidated. Because of her special eyes, she was very useful in deduction. She was a very popular teammate in the guild. Anyone who wanted to participate in deduction would ask her if she had time. They would give her the best sacrificial opportunities and let her choose the best items. Although she was afraid of Qu Xuanqing, she also knew that her status in the Mysterious Eye Guild was enough to make her not have to worry about Qu Xuanqing's feelings or dare to breathe loudly.

Moreover, she believed she was in the right, so she was even more righteous. "What are you looking at? Am I wrong? And he just pulled Carlos to the back, wasn't it because he didn't want to see his acquaintance being haunted by ghosts? That's why Cui Hui was harmed by the ghosts!"

Yu Xing remained smiling, and even remarked that the Bai siblings both spoke in the same art form, subtly trying to win over others while directing their attacks at the person they wanted to target. However, this way of speaking was full of loopholes, and he didn't need to defend himself.

Carlos, of course, seized the opportunity to feign displeasure. "Oh dear, Miss Bai, I don't understand what you're saying. It's just that Xing's constitution is like this, and I was only accidentally bumped into by him. But are you implying that I deserve to be hurt by ghosts, and that it's my fault if someone else gets hurt?"

Bai Xiaobing certainly didn't mean that, but Carlos insisted on using her sophistry to refute her, and at first glance, it seemed to make sense.

Supported by Wu Kaiyun, Cui Hui was too weak to speak, his face pale. Wu Kaiyun glanced at him and knew what he wanted to say, speaking for him, "Even if Yu Xing's methods were a bit too decisive, you should stick to the facts. Don't embarrass yourself with those unfounded speculations."

Cui Hui was a man of few words, while Wu Kaiyun was on the same team as him and had almost always worked with him, was known for his sharp tongue. "Taking the key and investigating are things that anyone could do. No one could have escaped the moment when the ghost came out from under the bed. There's nothing to say about that. But later, wasn't it Yu Xing and Boss Qu who saved Cui Hui?"

He was the only one, besides Qu Xuanqing and the trapped Cui Hui, who didn't cover his ears. Because he was pulling the ghost with both hands, he heard Yu Xing's words to Qu Xuanqing to save people clearly.

"Yes, I heard that too, thank you." Cui Hui finally recovered, thanking Yu Xing with a pale face, then turned to Qu Xuanqing, "Thank you too, Sister Qu."

He was the one who was most frightened just now, so he was also the one who was most sincerely grateful after being rescued. Although he guessed that he was older than Qu Xuanqing, he still called her "sister" very smoothly.

Zhao Mou pushed up his glasses. "Furthermore, Miss Bai, I think you didn't consider certain factors when you criticized my captain. First, this ghost is chained, and given the layout of this secret room, it's clear it's been kept or imprisoned here. Bound by chains, there's a 90% chance it can't escape. Once we open the door, we can be fairly certain we can escape its hunting range. And secret rooms require concealment and functionality; under these circumstances, the probability of a haunted house appearing outside immediately upon opening the door is less than 40%."

Bai Xiaobing's face turned pale and then flushed. Since joining the Mysterious Eye, becoming a star predictor, and making many contributions to the team, she had rarely experienced such a situation where others ganged up on her.

Bai Junrui quickly smoothed things over, saying, "My sister is a bit arrogant, please be understanding."

Yu Xing even chimed in, "Yeah, stop arguing, we should love peace!"