The opera singing rose and fell, breaking off and starting again. The lyrics were indistinct, not even forming complete sentences, making it impossible to tell what was being sung. Yet in this silent, deserted mansion, bathed in an eerie red glow, it carried an indescribable sense of dread.
The three men following Bo Yi trembled.
"B-Boss..." Sun Er hunched his shoulders, constantly turning his head to scan their surroundings. "A-Are we still following him?"
"O-Of course!" Huang Xiaolu's voice shook, whether from the cold wind or the terrifying singing. He struggled to straighten his back. "Th-These are all c-clues! Wh-What if-Eek!!!" His voice suddenly shot up, giving the two already timid men beside him an almighty fright.
Huang Xiaolu's face was filled with terror as he frantically whipped his head around. "Where did he go?!"
Where was that pretty boy who'd been walking ahead of them?!
Why had he suddenly vanished!?
"Boss, Boss..." Sun Da, who had nearly jumped out of his skin, tugged at the still-panicked Huang Xiaolu, who was as skittish as a startled bird. Pointing at a large tree beside the rear courtyard gate, he whispered, "He's up in that tree..."
Huang Xiaolu narrowed his eyes and searched the darkness for quite a while before the red lantern light finally revealed a figure hidden among the branches and leaves. "Phew..." He patted his chest and muttered, "Scared me to death..." He had thought the man had vanished into thin air.
Realizing he had made a fuss over nothing, Huang Xiaolu coughed awkwardly, then made a show of straightening his clothes and resumed his boss-like air. "Th-Then what's he doing up there?"
"Looks like... he's watching the rear courtyard?"
"Then let's go... We'll take a look too!"
The closer they got, the clearer the opera singing became. The