Haven't Seen So Many Fresh Faces in a Long Time

The sky above Dead Silent Island is perpetually shrouded in gray clouds and mist. Although it appears to be slightly darker than the Town of No Light, this is only on the surface. In truth, this isolated island at sea is also abandoned by the sun and will never see the light again.

Buildings from bygone eras are scattered like dappled shadows on the scarred land, heavy and ancient, drawing visitors into the island's decaying history while simultaneously instilling a profound sense of disorientation at what was once a magnificent island.

This is probably the kind of glamorous grotesqueness that belongs only to circuses and European courts.

"What is this...?" After walking all the way from the ruins on the outskirts of the city, the deducers finally arrived at the place they had been gazing at from afar after another twenty minutes.

A whiff of decay wafted through the air; dust clung tightly to other things due to the dampness, yet the smell of mold still wafted through the air, reaching everyone's noses.

A two-story building with pointed corners blocked their way. The building was long and narrow, gray-red in color, and the bricks were stacked perfectly, like a beautiful work of art.

It would be even better if a large section of the sharp corner on the second floor hadn't collapsed due to decay.

As they approached the first house with excitement and caution, they were surprised to find it was so long. When they arrived at the building's entrance, the building stretched out beyond its boundaries, like a city wall blocking out the view of the city beyond.

"I can't tell what it is..." The extradition officer tightened his grip on the steel bars, hesitatingly asking, "A border wall?"

They were clearly coming from a direction that wasn't the city gate. It was unclear whether they were coming from the north, south, or west of the city. In either case, they might encounter defensive structures and walls protecting the city.

That's theoretically true.

The others remained silent. Clearly, they didn't see any connection between the building in front of them and the city wall. It looked too fragile and wasn't very tall. If they stepped back a little, they could see the tall buildings and spires behind it.

Using this thing for defense is insane.

"The mountain is just a 20-minute walk from here. When there were still people in this city, would they have bothered building city walls?" Dai Yuefu frowned and spoke in a low voice.

"Actually, this city doesn't need city walls at all; it's practically an island. Strictly speaking, a city built in a basin is easy to attack but difficult to defend—that's a mistake in itself. With the tide coming in, the city will be submerged without us even having to do anything." Tan Lin, a member of the independent group who had initially been with Sandglass and the others, loosened his sticky collar and muttered, "This place can't be judged by common sense."

"That's true." Dai Yuefu nodded.

Having learned their lesson that the sounds in the secret room excited the ghost under the bed, they spoke more quietly the closer they got to the city.

"But there's a good thing! If only one building is blocking the way, our laptops... they're probably right here." Huang Bai looked at everyone happily. "Shall we go in and take a look?"

"Well, we're going in to investigate anyway. We have nothing here, so things can't get any worse. Instead of getting caught up in this outside, we might as well go in." Wen Qinghuai covered Huang Bai's mouth to stop her from smiling and attracting hatred when everyone was on edge, then glanced at the others.

Everyone was experienced and knew that hesitation at this moment would be pointless. After Sha and Fei Jing nodded, Wen Qinghuai turned his gaze to the old acquaintances at the back and asked, "Zeng Lai, Xing, what do you think?"

Yu Xing leaned against Zhao Mou, utterly dejected, and chatted quietly with Zeng Lai. Suddenly, he was called on, like a student in the back row being called on by the teacher to answer a question while talking in class, "... I choose C."

Wen Qinghuai: "... It seems you have no objections."

Zeng Lai waved his hand. "You've explained the reasons clearly, just do it."

So, the nineteen people murmured for a while in front of the building, and finally decided to enter the building of unknown nature.

The building's main entrance was unremarkable, just a wooden room door covered in strange paint graffiti and notices made up of still incomprehensible characters, much like the small pesky signs that were ubiquitous in the early 21st century but were later removed by urban beautification efforts and moved to the interior of residential areas.

A wind chime hung on the door. The guide who stepped forward carefully held the wind chime, and then Qu Xuanqing turned the doorknob with a cold expression.

"Squeak--"

The door opened with a rusty sound, sending a chill down everyone's spines as they looked around.

Fortunately, this time they didn't attract anything; all they found was darkness behind the door.

The guide carefully followed Qu Xuanqing through the door, holding the wind chimes until the door was fully open. He then breathed a sigh of relief, covered in sweat, and looked around the room.

The light filtering through made it appear to be a hall, beautifully decorated, exuding a refined elegance that could put one at ease.

But it's still too dark; I don't know if anything is hiding in the shadows.

Just then, a strange sound came from inside the house, creaking and groaning, making one's teeth ache. Although the sound was not loud, it was very regular and tended to get louder gradually.

Just as almost everyone was on edge, a sickly, weak voice came from behind:

"Ah, that's the sound of a rocking chair, so nostalgic." Yu Xing gazed vaguely at the hall, its form indistinct. "I really want to sit in it."

Zhao Mou suspected that his arm was too much of a burden for Yu Xing, after all, he couldn't just lie down and let Yu Xing be his sofa.

"Ha ha..."

Suddenly, two elderly laughs echoed from the dim light of the hall, followed by a sudden burst of light, as if a switch had been flipped.

Several mahogany cabinets were placed against the wall, with rows of corked red wine bottles on them, serving as the best embellishment for the entire room. In the center of the hall stood a complete set of pale yellow sofas and heavy long tables, with several other tables scattered on the other side.

There was no fire in the fireplace. An expensive red velvet carpet with an artistic pattern was laid on the floor. Several oil paintings hung on the walls, including landscapes, portraits of women with less-than-ideal figures (it was unclear which lady commissioned the painting), and some depicting chaotic times and spaces with incomprehensible content.

These things are very new—as new as if someone wipes them down every day.

But that wasn't the main point of everyone's attention, because the rocking chair Yu Xing mentioned was right next to the fireplace, and it was still creaking as it rocked.

An old woman was sitting up there.

"Eyes grew a mouth,"

Little Rosie was buying bread, didn't say anything...

Mr. Calodi dragged a cloth bag.

"Dump the body at the rich man's house~"

The old woman was facing away from them, humming a dark-sounding tune.

From the perspective of the psychic, all that can be seen is the old woman's shrunken height, bloated figure, and silvery-white hair.

The old woman was wearing a black dress, an emerald necklace around her neck, and her small feet rested on the side of the rocking chair; her leather shoes were dull and lifeless.

Her withered hand emerged from the wide sleeve and rested on the armrest. The wrinkles of her elderly skin made the hand appear even more shrunken, and dark spots were faintly visible between the folds.

A small, seemingly warm blanket was draped over the armrest, but it did nothing to warm the deducers; the smell of death lingered in the air... which, combined with the old woman's slurred speech, was utterly chilling.

"So many people..." Finally, the old woman finished humming her song and turned her attention to the people at the door.

Yu Xing was almost asleep when she yawned.

Just then, the old woman seemed to notice someone's disregard for her and slowly turned her head away.

That was a... face.

White, flat.

A face without facial features.

"...!" The extradition leader was startled and swallowed his words, complaining that he was really miserable working for the president and vice president.

He had to do everything from the front, and he even had to face the faceless old woman. Waaah... He wished he could be like Zhou Xing, that quiet guy, always standing at the back!

"Grandma, have we disturbed you?" Fortunately, his vice president didn't let him cry inside for too long. As the Xu family who had the most dealings with ghosts, Xu Huan should step forward and negotiate with the old woman at this time.

Although his voice lacked emotion and had a rather eerie timbre, ghosts wouldn't care about such things, after all, that's just how they are.

"No... no..." The faceless old woman looked in their direction, her sharp, malicious voice coming from who-knows-where. She answered "no" twice, then chuckled softly, "I like fresh faces like you... I mean, young people..."

Everyone: "..."

I heard that, it's a new person.

Yu Xing sensed that although the old woman was talking to Xu Huan, the part of her eyes that should have been facing him was actually looking directly at him.

So the old lady was upset that he wasn't listening to the music properly!

Xu Huan asked, "Excuse me, ma'am, where is this place? We've gotten lost."

The old woman coughed twice, her smooth face radiating warmth. "Oh... I thought you'd come all this way specifically for me... This is a hotel..."

Hostel!

Everyone's eyes lit up.

What is a hotel? A hotel is new clothes, hot water, and a bed!

Although, the old woman's malice was just as undisguised as Xu Huan's perfunctory tone.

"Look at you all... Why don't you come in first? You must be exhausted, young people." The old woman didn't get off her rocking chair, which greatly disappointed Yu Xing Yu Xing was eyeing the chair. For a moment, no one moved; in their minds, the young people had automatically been replaced with "newcomers."

"If this were a hotel... we'd like to stay here, but as you can see, we're all refugees and have no money," Xu Huan said.

Given their group's attire, anyone with a brain wouldn't guess any possibility other than a shipwreck. There was simply no way to fake their origins, such as being part of a traveler's organization, so Xu Huan didn't intend to lie about it.

"I know, I know... Come in, come in, children, I will offer you terms you can afford." The old woman shook her head again, her small feet twitching. Hearing this, the group entered the unknown "hotel" with suspicious expressions.

They had no other choice.

If this is a trap, they can simply break the door open with steel bars and then choose to go around to find another way out.

Even so, when everyone went inside, the door behind them slammed shut with a bang, and the wind chimes on the door jingled incessantly, they still broke out in a cold sweat, warily scanning their surroundings like hedgehogs.

With Zhao Mou's help, Yu Xing stopped at the back of the line. Zhao Mou whispered in his ear, "The lividity is very obvious. I wonder if she can't get out of her chair..."

"Yes." Yu Xing knew the old woman was "watching" him, but he still replied confidently, "Absolutely, I want to sit down too."

Zhao Mou: "... Don't do anything reckless. Don't throw this thing out. This is the first ghost we've encountered that we can communicate with. It's probably some kind of NPC. I still need to gather information. Don't let me lose it."

Yu Xing paused suspiciously for a few seconds, then replied listlessly, "Okay."

Carlos, who had secretly slipped next to the two and was eavesdropping intently, thought, "..." Goodness, Zhao Mou is truly a savior in this broken relationship!

The sand on the other side glanced at them almost imperceptibly.

"What do we need to do if we want to stay here?" Having confirmed the old woman was communicative, Wen Qinghuai took the lead in speaking. He was more senior than Zhao Mou, and since Zhao Mou seemed to have to take care of the useless captain, Wen Qinghuai became the most adept at balancing calculation and flattery among the group. "Furthermore, what services does this inn offer? We've only seen you alone; we don't know if there are any other staff. Our daily lives... you know, we desperately need a place to rest and also want to eat. Ah, sorry, I haven't asked your name yet?"

Upon hearing this, the old woman slowly raised her withered hand.

Then, he began to search his body.

She muttered, "Where's my business manual...? I wrote the answers to all these questions in the business manual, how come... it's gone..."

"Um... I'm Daisy, from the business manual..."

With her sharp eyes, Huang Bai squinted and observed for a moment before kindly reminding the faceless old woman, changing her address to the more contemporary style. "Mrs. Daisy, the business manual might be sitting right under your butt."

For a moment, I didn't know whether it was polite or rude.

Wen Qinghuai stepped forward without making a sound, blocking Huang Bai, who never played by the rules.

Grandma Faceless Daisy paused for a moment, then reached under her bottom and touched it. She lifted her small body slightly and pulled out a somewhat tattered, thick-covered notebook.

"Yes, here. Thank you, dear girl..." Mrs. Daisy said, her voice trailing off uncomfortably, each word like a flickering flame on the verge of being extinguished.

Then, she held up the business brochure, her voice suddenly tinged with malice. "So, who's going to take it away?"

Taking the business manual from her sounds like a very risky move.

No one spoke; they exchanged glances. In fact, most of them were hoping that Qu Xuanqing would take the initiative to step forward, just like she had in the secret room. After seeing her skills, everyone knew that even without the sacrifice, her physical abilities were still superhuman.

However, Qu Xuanqing was not a person who was willing to help others or contribute to the collective.

No one dared to order her around, except for Yu Xing, but the problem was that no one dared to order Yu Xing either.

Grandma Daisy waited for a while, then seemed a little impatient. She sighed, placed the manual on her stomach, and began to sway back and forth.

"You'll do it, young man." Amidst the mixed emotions in everyone's eyes, Granny Daisy pointed in one direction, and after eliminating others, it was Yu Xing looked sickly.

Yu Xing had anticipated this.

Tsk, I've been watching him closely since the beginning, so it's surprising that I didn't choose him.

Qu Xuanqing wasn't afraid of the old woman. Although her current abilities might not be enough to directly confront a ghost, it didn't diminish her imposing presence. She said coldly, "No need, I'll take it."

Grandma Daisy's faceless features finally shifted, "looking" at Qu Xuanqing, then she sneered, "Little girl, you should learn to be quiet about things you shouldn't be doing..."

Qu Xuanqing felt nothing, only a lightness in her mouth.

Her tongue...

It fell.

A small, soft piece of meat fell onto the red velvet carpet, staining it.

Everyone's pupils dilated in shock. Sha silently hid behind Xu Huan, Bai Xiaobing covered her mouth in fright, and the men either gritted their teeth to keep from screaming at the shocking scene, or felt a chill run through them, making their hands and feet go cold.

Zhao Mou tightened his grip on Yu Xing's hand, then pushed up his glasses, his smile vanishing, replaced by an icy coldness as if Zhao Yijiu had possessed him. He released her hand, intending to step forward and at least bring Qu Xuanqing to the back.

But before he could move, Yu Xing to the spot.

Zhao Mou certainly didn't think Yu Xing swallow his anger. Yu Xing's concern for Qu Xuanqing was absolutely the most deep-rooted. He turned his head and met Yu Xing's gloomy gaze.

There was a murderous aura about him.

Zhao Mou thought that if Yu Xing still decided to throw this damn thing out, it wouldn't be a bad idea.

It's a pity they're too weak right now; otherwise, it would have been better to skin the faceless ghost and then throw it away. If it causes trouble—which is almost certain—he'll be there too.

Isn't his job to properly resolve the trouble caused by the captain and team members?

Seeing this scene, the calmest person was probably Qu Xuanqing herself. She glanced at the tongue on the ground without emotion, then stared at Grandma Daisy.

It doesn't hurt anyway.

Moreover, as long as Yu Xing, Carlos, or Zhao Yijiu (who may return at any time) regain even a little bit of her abilities, her body can be restored and a new tongue can grow.

Not to mention...

"I can't learn it unless I die. So, do you have the right to kill me now?" Without a tongue, Qu Xuanqing continued to speak amidst the horrified gazes of the crowd. No one knew how she could still talk—Grandma Daisy, who could speak without a mouth, and Qu Xuanqing, who could speak without a tongue—who was more terrifying, damn it!

Grandma Daisy was clearly taken aback. She patted her chest with her little hand and scolded, "How can you be so frightening, little girl..."

"You can come and get it, then..."

She gave in, and just as Qu Xuanqing was about to step forward, she noticed Yu Xing dragging her feet and walking ahead.

Grandma Daisy immediately shifted her attention back to Yu Xing. She didn't know why Yu Xing; it couldn't have been triggered by a mere yawn.

"So you wanted me to come and get the manual, huh?" Yu Xing's tone was clearly off. His pale face and slightly long, jet-black hair suddenly took on a strange aggressiveness. Soon, Yu Xing came to Grandma Daisy's side, very close to her, and could take the manual with a single reach.

But he didn't stop. He took another step closer until the hem of his clothes touched the rocking chair. He reached out and pressed down, stopping the rocking chair from swaying.

From this angle, Yu Xing looked down, while Grandma Daisy had to strain her neck to look him in the eye.

"This is your choice, dear Grandma Daisy." Yu Xing's dark pupils reflected his featureless face. He emphasized the word "dear," but everyone with ears felt as if they heard "you're going to die."

"Yes, young man." Granny Daisy patted the booklet on her stomach. As a ghost, she wasn't frightened by mere humans. Whether this person was mentally ill or insane, it was all the same to her. She said with the same joy as receiving money, "Here it is. Take it."

Yu Xing had his back to everyone, a sickly smile on his face.