"Xu Zijian and Xu Jiaojiao went downstairs to collect supplies-they don't remember the exact time, but since Xu Zijian came back twenty minutes after Qin Ning, we can assume he left about twenty minutes after her too."
"So that would be nine twenty."
"In other words, Song Liru disappeared during the ten minutes between nine ten and nine twenty."
Xu Jiawei mused, "But that's assuming no one is lying, isn't it?"
She pointed at Xu Nan. "Isn't it possible he lied, and Song Liru actually went back to their room?"
"But he can't admit it, because if Song Liru went back to their room, he'd be the prime suspect, beyond any doubt. After all, no one else went into that room."
"Fuck, you bitch. You and that Shao guy are teaming up to frame me, huh?" Xu Nan said. "If I'd really killed that old woman, I'd have done everyone a favor. Why wouldn't I admit it? I said I didn't, and I fucking didn't!"
No one paid any attention to Xu Nan's fury. Everyone's eyes were on Shao Lan and Xu Jiawei, clearly treating the two of them as their pillars of support.
Xu Jiaojiao asked timidly, "Then, Shao Lan, Jiawei, should I keep going?"
"Let's still have everyone finish," Shao Lan said evenly.
Xu Jiaojiao nodded obediently and began recounting her timeline.
She had hardly spent any time alone either. After the conversation in the hallway, she had gone to collect supplies with Xu Zijian. When she returned, Zhang Fang was lying on the bed, so she had spent the night curled up on the sofa in fear.
Early the next morning, she had gone to look for Xu Jiawei and Shao Lan next door, only to run into a crazed Xu Jiawei in the hallway.
Since the subject had come up, Xu Jiawei and Shao Lan took the opportunity to tell the others about Zhang Fang singing the Sacrificial Song.
"But don't worry too much. Shao Lan has already found a solution," Xu Jiawei said. "If anyone else starts hallucinating, all they need to do is cut themselves."
The most pressing problem was still Song Liru's disappearance.
Shao Lan and Xu Jiawei then recounted their own timelines. Neither of them had spent much time alone either.
That left only two suspicious people: Qin Ning and Xu Nan.
"Can I take that to mean there are two possibilities now?" Xu Jiawei said. "Between nine ten and nine twenty, Song Liru either went into her room or left the guesthouse altogether."
"If it's the first possibility, then Xu Nan was the one who harmed her. If it's the second, then Qin Ning is the prime suspect."
Xu Nan shouted angrily, while Qin Ning remained silent.
Xu Jiawei looked at Qin Ning. "Aren't you going to defend yourself?"
"Would defending myself solve anything?" Qin Ning countered.
Xu Jiawei fell silent.
It wouldn't.
Xu Jiawei was just about to say something when Shao Lan suddenly spoke beside her.
"There's still one person among us who hasn't given his timeline."
"Who?"
"Zhang Fang."
For a moment, every gaze fell on Zhang Fang.
It was true that anyone who heard Zhang Fang sing would gradually begin hallucinating and descend into madness.
Could Song Liru's disappearance have something to do with that?
Everyone wanted to question Zhang Fang, but he had refused to participate in any of their conversations. He sat by the window, staring blankly out at the sea.
Unwilling to give up, Xu Zijian walked over and tried giving him a pat. "Hey, man, what's wrong with you?"
Zhang Fang turned his head, giving Xu Zijian a fright.
Zhang Fang's pupils were widely dilated, his eyes completely unfocused.
That was something only seen in the dead. Could Zhang Fang... be dead?
"I can vouch for Zhang Fang's timeline. Apart from the conversation in the hallway and when we collected supplies, he was in the room with me," Xu Jiaojiao said. "But I don't know what he was doing while I was away."
Shao Lan thought for a moment. "Song Liru disappeared between nine ten and nine twenty, which was exactly when Xu Jiawei came next door to find me."
Xu Jiawei realized what he meant. "That's right. I saw Zhang Fang lying on the bed then, and I gave him a pat. He suddenly opened his eyes and started singing the Sacrificial Song-that must have been when it got me."
"In other words, Zhang Fang never left the third floor," Shao Lan said. "Song Liru never came upstairs either. Those two had no chance to meet last night, so we can rule out Zhang Fang having anything to do with her disappearance."
"So Xu Nan is still the most suspicious, isn't he?" Xu Jiaojiao vented her anger at Xu Nan again. "Liru told me herself that if anything happened to her, you'd definitely be the one responsible!"
"How many times do I have to say it before you believe me? If I had anything to do with her death, may lightning strike me down, all right?"
Xu Nan's face and neck flushed with anger. He was about to stomp his feet and say more when Xu Zijian pulled him away.
"Enough. Like I said, now is the time to stick together. Let's not fight among ourselves."
"We've gone over the timelines, and we're not going to get any more information out of this. Instead of arguing here, we should hurry up and look for her. Liru might still be alive."
Although Xu Zijian said that, none of the others held out any hope.
This was a horror instance, with monsters hiding who knew where. Anyone with sense knew to stay with their teammates. Going off alone was the easiest way to get killed.
Under these circumstances, Song Liru's vanishing into thin air clearly boded ill.
Xu Zijian said, "How about this? Let's take a look in Xu Nan and Liru's room first. We might find some clues."
With no better options available, everyone agreed to Xu Zijian's suggestion.
Only Qin Ning said, "I'm not going."
Seeing Qin Ning turn and walk away, Xu Jiaojiao hurriedly called after her, "Qin Ning, where are you going? It's not safe to be alone. Why don't I come with you?"
"No need. I prefer being alone," Qin Ning said calmly.
Qin Ning walked so quickly that Xu Jiaojiao couldn't keep up. All she could do was sigh helplessly.
"Honestly, Qin Ning is such a lone wolf..." Xu Jiaojiao sighed. She walked over to Shao Lan, who was at the back of the group. "It's hard to survive an instance without helping each other. Don't you think so, Shao Lan?"
Xu Jiaojiao was outgoing and had been friendly all along, but Shao Lan didn't answer right away.
Instead, he suddenly asked, "Did you and Xu Zijian know each other before this?"
"No-why do you suddenly ask?"
"You just seem very close," Shao Lan said evenly.
Xu Jiaojiao's eyes widened, her expression turning a little bashful. "Huh? Do we...?"
"Really?" Shao Lan wore the faintest suggestion of a smile. "Then why didn't you ask me to help when you went out yesterday?"
Xu Jiaojiao paused, then realized Shao Lan meant her trip with Xu Zijian to collect supplies from the village entrance, where the car was parked, the night before.
"We're both staying on the third floor. I'm the closest to you," Shao Lan said. "But you didn't ask me. You went out of your way to find Xu Zijian instead, so I wondered whether you knew each other already."
"You're overthinking it, Shao Lan. Zijian is just more eager to help," Xu Jiaojiao said sheepishly.
As though afraid Shao Lan might be upset, she hurried to smooth things over. "I don't mean there's anything wrong with you! It's just that you're a bit colder, personality-wise. You feel more distant."
"As for Zijian, we really do get along better. We're both typical extroverts, and we have similar views, so we hit it off pretty quickly."
That was true. Among the players, Xu Zijian and Xu Jiaojiao were the most outgoing.
Whenever a conflict arose, Xu Zijian was always the one who separated the two sides and urged them not to fight among themselves. Xu Jiaojiao was eager to help too, always volunteering to accompany the unwell Song Liru or the unsociable Qin Ning.
Shao Lan nodded in acceptance. "Helping each other is a good thing."
"Then how about this? Since so many people are going to investigate the room anyway, I'll go find Qin Ning. It really is dangerous for her to be alone."
Shao Lan turned and left, walking just as quickly. Before Xu Jiaojiao could ask anything else, he had already vanished around the corner of the hallway.
Xu Zijian walked over to Xu Jiaojiao and asked quietly, "What's wrong?"
"Maybe I'm imagining it," Xu Jiaojiao said softly. "I feel like Shao Lan knows something, but he won't say it."
As she spoke, Xu Jiaojiao's expression was rather dark.
She looked like an entirely different person from the sunny, approachable woman she had been before.
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