The next morning, the players gathered. Lu Mi munched on bread, scanning the crowd for the people who had gone to feed the dogs last night.
Tang Niantao was discussing the changes in her body with the others:
"The muscle wasting in my hands has gotten worse, and it's spread to my forearms, upper arms, and even my shoulders."
"Right now, my upper body feels noticeably weaker... I even had trouble getting dressed this morning. I'd better sleep in my clothes tonight, or I won't be able to put them on tomorrow morning. There's no heating in the rooms, either. In this weather, even one less layer could freeze you to death..."
Lu Mi finished his bread. "Where are the people who went to feed the dogs at ten last night?"
Xu Zhi and Shang Anbang, who made up the second group, were both perfectly fine.
But they had been gathered for quite some time now, and the first group still hadn't appeared.
A cold gust swept past. Tang Niantao rubbed her arms. "That eerie wind really knows how to set the mood, huh?"
Lu Mi turned his head to look. "It's not an eerie wind. The back door's open."
"Huh? But Brother Xu and I closed it when we came back yesterday. Hu Pu went out through the front door early this morning, too." Shang Anbang pulled an exaggerated face. "Who went into the backyard after four in the morning?"
For a moment, the air froze.
Tang Niantao asked, "Which room were Du Feiwen and Wang Kangping staying in again?"
A deathly stillness hung over the room assigned to Du Feiwen and Wang Kangping.
Du Feiwen lay on the bed, his body mangled, with minced flesh and fresh blood covering the bedding beneath him.
"Where's Wang Kangping?" Tang Niantao