All right. When he had read the diary, Ning Zhe had already thought Baizhi was abnormal. But after actually spending time with her, he realized she was far more abnormal than he'd imagined.
"What we know so far is that besides the real world we live in, there are also Weird Worlds that operate according to rules, like He Family Village. Gu Yunqing, the others, and I all entered one by accident through a 'door,' but Baizhi is different."
Ning Zhe quickly sorted through what he knew. "Baizhi often comes into contact with different Weird Worlds in her dreams and gets trapped inside them. She can learn the taboos and precautions associated with different rules, almost as if she can predict the future."
Just as she had said herself, Baizhi was an "Urban Legend Player."
This bizarre fact made Ning Zhe feel as though she was the protagonist.
Even more baffling was that, at this point, Baizhi still thought she was dreaming. Without a second thought, she had taken both Ning Zhe and Feng Yushu for NPCs in her dream and refused to take any initiative.
"Her mental state really is abnormal." Ning Zhe thought Baizhi had a few screws loose.
"Ning Zhe, what should we do now?" Feng Yushu asked cautiously.
"We should turn off the lights." Before Ning Zhe could speak, Baizhi answered, "We know darkness is safe. Since we can't leave the Manor, the first thing we should do is expand the safe zone and minimize the chance of the Ghost finding us."
Logically, she was right. But...
"But the Ghost is afraid of light," Ning Zhe said calmly. "Light is necessary for the Ghost to find and see people. But looking at it the other way around, if the Ghost is afraid of light, doesn't that mean light is also necessary for people to figure out how to deal with it?"
"That's just your guess," Baizhi said softly.
"So you really do think you're dreaming." Ning Zhe sighed helplessly.
Unlike Ning Zhe, who was prepared to risk everything, Baizhi wasn't so desperate. She still thought she was dreaming. In a dream, she didn't need to risk her life figuring out or breaking the Ghost's Rule. She could just wait in a dark, safe place until sunrise, and then she would wake up on her own.
If this really was a dream, then she wasn't wrong. It was the safest way to stay alive.
Ning Zhe didn't see it that way. He thought this situation was just like He Family Village. If he didn't figure out the rules and kill the Ghost as soon as possible, he would be trapped here forever.
"I'm not going to try to convince you. Good luck." Ning Zhe got up from the bed and headed for the door. "I'm leaving."
Stepping outside, Ning Zhe looked up and saw that the sky was pitch-black, like a huge porcelain bowl turned upside down over all of Bishuiwan Manor. He was about to set off when he heard soft footsteps behind him.
He looked back and saw Feng Yushu following him.
"Ning Zhe, I... I'll go with you."
Seeing her earnest expression, Ning Zhe was puzzled. "You finally found your daughter. Why aren't you staying with Baizhi? Why follow me?"
"She's safe here... at least for now. Ning Zhe, you've really helped me a lot, so I want to do something for you too." Feng Yushu put both hands to her chest, looking a little uneasy.
"When I first stayed here yesterday, I happened to overhear a few electricians chatting over tea. They said the Manor's main power grid was divided into three sections, each controlled by a separate breaker."
"The Outdoor Power Grid supplies the streetlights, fountains, surveillance system, security alarms, and other facilities. Its breaker is outside, though I don't know exactly where."
"The Indoor Power Grid supplies the appliances and lights in the Castle's rooms. Its breaker is on the first floor, hidden in a small chamber in a corner of one of the walls."
"The Backup Power Grid is powered by the Diesel Generator Set in the Manor's basement. It should be switched off right now. To be safe, it would be better to destroy it."
Feng Yushu quickly but clearly explained what she knew. "I know where the Monitoring Room is. I'll go there now. Can we stay in touch by phone?"
"Sure," Ning Zhe agreed.
Ning Zhe took out his phone and called Feng Yushu. Just like in He Family Village, they could call each other inside the Manor, which was cut off from the outside world, but they couldn't call out.
"Huh?" Feng Yushu looked at the caller ID, surprise and confusion spreading across her face. "Zhang Yangxu?"
"It's me." Ning Zhe didn't explain. He waved the black phone that had belonged to Zhang Yangxu, bent down to pick up the iPad Feng Yushu had dropped earlier, and tossed it forward.
Clatter—
Another Crystal Lamp went dark.
"If only I had a gun," Ning Zhe thought as he searched for the hallway light switch.
Zhang Yangxu was a VIP member at several overseas shooting clubs. Whenever he went abroad on business, he made time to visit a shooting range. Boss Zhang was a pretty good shot, so Ning Zhe was, too.
It was a shame he didn't have a gun on hand.
After breaking the second lamp, Feng Yushu unlocked her room with a key. Her bedroom was right next to Baizhi's.
Ning Zhe waited by the door for a moment. Feng Yushu changed into a pair of sneakers suitable for moving around, came out, and handed him a purple Parasol decorated with golden patterns.
"If darkness is safe, then we'll carry a little patch of darkness around with us," Feng Yushu said.
Ning Zhe opened the Parasol and cautiously walked beneath a Crystal Lamp that was still lit. He waited intently for several minutes, but saw no sign that anything resembling a Ghost was approaching.
"It works." Ning Zhe nodded to Feng Yushu.
"That's wonderful..." Feng Yushu beamed and opened her own Parasol. Together, they walked down the brightly lit hallway.
Although using a Parasol to block out the light seemed to work, Ning Zhe still played it safe. He extinguished every light in their path, either by switching it off or smashing it outright.
The lights on the Castle's second floor went out one by one as they walked. At the stairs, Ning Zhe and Feng Yushu split up.
Feng Yushu was going to find the Monitoring Room inside the Castle, while Ning Zhe planned to shut off the breaker for the Indoor Power Grid.
After enduring the two terrifying incidents in He Family Village and Bishu Bay, Feng Yushu had grown somewhat more resilient. At least she no longer jumped at every little thing when she had someone to rely on, and she had far fewer emotional breakdowns. She could now bring herself to act alone in this eerie world.
The tall, upright young man strolled through the corpse-strewn hall beneath a Deep Purple Sun Umbrella edged with golden lace.
On the way, he also smashed the chandelier hanging from the hall's ceiling.
As he walked, Ning Zhe continued to ponder. "The Ghost needs light to find people and kill them, but it doesn't like light itself. It might even be afraid of it."
What was the connection between the two?
Before you continue