Jiang Cheng hadn't hidden the matter from Chen Hao. After receiving the news, Chen Hao and the others felt their hearts sink. The thing they'd least wanted to see had finally happened.
Without hesitation, Chen Hao thought it over briefly, then immediately messaged Pang Xiaofeng. "Xiaofeng, I need to tell you something. Don't panic. Stay calm."
Pang Xiaofeng gripped his phone tighter, growing even more afraid.
"Your instincts were right. There's definitely something wrong with the corpse in the coffin behind you. Wang Fugui said the corpse was facing the opposite direction from the one you saw. Someone may have moved it, or the corpse might have... moved by itself."
Pang Xiaofeng's shoulders jolted as he imagined the latter. He was scared, but he hadn't completely lost his composure. Chen Hao sent another message: "How much incense do you have left?"
After steadying himself, Pang Xiaofeng peered at the incense burner. "There's... about a third left."
"One stick of incense burns for about half an hour, so a third should last around ten minutes. You have to hold on for those last ten minutes." Chen Hao did everything he could to reassure him. "I believe you can do it. All of us will make it out of this hellhole alive, Xiaofeng. You have to believe in yourself."
"Pang Xiaofeng, we're hanging up now. Staying on the phone this long won't do you any good. There's nothing we can do to help. You're on your own." Du Moyu leaned in and hung up with a brusque tone.
Though he felt conflicted, Chen Hao understood that Du Moyu was right. They weren't there, so they couldn't give Pang Xiaofeng better advice. Rather than let Pang Xiaofeng rely on them, it was better to leave the decisions up to him.
Inside the mourning