The Fifth Place Setting

At the hotel.

In a large private room that could seat twenty or thirty people, there were only five people: Yang Jian, Zhang Wei, Zhao Lei, and Wang Shanshan.

Despite the expensive meal, the place seemed unusually quiet, which even puzzled the waiters serving the food.

"With so few people, do we really need such a big table to eat? We can't finish all this food, it's such a waste," Yang Jian said.

Zhang Wei sighed and said, "There were more than forty people in the class, and we've been together for three years. In the blink of an eye, there are only seven left. Damn it, two of the seven are missing, and one is late. I'm feeling sad right now, and I'm also panicking a lot lately. I have a feeling that I might die at any moment."

"Yang Jian, do you think I'll suddenly kick the bucket one day?"

"It depends on luck. If you don't encounter any ghosts, everything will be fine."

Yang Jian, "Besides, encountering a ghost doesn't necessarily mean death. We're still alive and well, aren't we? Don't worry too much. Prepare coffins, tombstones, and the like in advance; you'll need them sooner or later."

"That makes some sense," Zhang Wei said.

Zhao Lei, who was standing nearby, said, "By the way, have you guys been paying attention to news about paranormal events lately?"

"No, why look at that thing? It's scary. Let's just stay home and eat chicken," Zhang Wei said.

Zhao Lei paused for a moment and said, "I've been reading news and reading forums about this lately. I've discovered that our ghost encounters aren't unique to us. People all over the country are saying they've seen ghosts and encountered paranormal events, and many places have been sealed off."

"Take our local area for example, there are several places that have been locked down. I even went to check them out myself. Besides our school, the neighborhood in Zhang Wei's photo from last time, a section of highway outside the city, and Renming Park are all locked down. Several places have not been opened and there are even people patrolling and on guard."

"I asked around, and they said the gas pipeline in that residential area is leaking, which is very dangerous and people are not allowed to go near it. I heard the highway is under construction, but have you ever seen a wall built directly on the road for construction? That's not construction, that's a road closure. And that park is supposedly being renovated. That's an old park, it hasn't been renovated in ten years."

Yang Jian was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected Zhao Lei to dare to investigate these things after being provoked.

"Aren't you just being nosy? Why do you have to go and risk your life? What if you run into that thing again?" Zhang Wei said, as he now had a deep aversion to that thing.

Zhao Lei said, "I just want to know more so I can be prepared and take precautions in the future. Yang Jian should know more about this than I do."

He looked at Yang Jian as he said this.

It seems they want to ask about this.

Yang Jian didn't really want to tell them about the supernatural events, not because he was deliberately hiding it, but because he didn't want them to know too much about it.

The more you learn, the more fear and despair you feel. If you become paranoid every day, you'll eventually have a mental breakdown, and it would be a miracle if you didn't commit suicide.

As long as they already believe in their hearts that paranormal events are real, that's fine.

"Wang Shanshan, you've been so quiet, not saying a word. Are you feeling pressured being around such outstanding people like us? It's okay. Although you may not be as good as us in many ways, we're classmates, how could we look down on you?"

At this moment, Zhang Wei looked at Wang Shanshan and asked, "And why were you standing so close to Yang Jian?"

Wang Shanshan's seat was right next to Yang Jian.

Of the twenty-odd seats, they were the only ones sitting together; the others were all sitting far apart.

"I don't really want to talk; just being with Yang Jian is enough for me."

Wang Shanshan's voice carried an almost indifferent calmness, devoid of any emotion, a stark contrast to her previous personality.

"Okay, sorry for bothering you, I'm a single dog." Zhang Wei looked at Yang Jian with a complicated expression.

Had he known that rescuing a damsel in distress meant repaying the debt with his life, not in the next life, he would have dared to risk his life back then.

The four of them got together and talked about many things.

For example, they talked about their individual circumstances and future plans, and of course, most of the topics revolved around the supernatural.

Yang Jian also reminded them that such incidents might become more frequent in the future, and advised them to be careful. He suggested that if possible, they could buy some gold to store, as it would definitely appreciate in value in the future. He also advised them to avoid crowded urban areas.

The more people gather in a place, the greater the chance of triggering paranormal events.

Therefore, staying in the city center is not a good thing.

Moreover, there is a Ghost Infant wandering around the city center of Dachang City. I encountered it a few days ago, and who knows where it went to kill someone in the past few days.

"Damn it, I'm getting hungry just talking about it. Why isn't Miao Xiaoshan here yet? She said she'd be here in ten minutes, but ten minutes, then another ten minutes, then another ten minutes, and now half an hour has passed."

At this moment, Zhang Wei suddenly became agitated and said, "If she weren't so cute, I would definitely have called her an orphan."

"I guess they won't come."

Zhao Lei said, "After all, this kind of gathering has lost its meaning."

"How is it meaningless? There are only a few of us left in the class. We've barely survived, we should cherish it. Now some have left, some have scattered. If we don't get together, who knows if we'll ever have the chance to meet again?"

Zhang Wei, unusually, said something that sounded relatively normal.

But the next sentence makes you want to punch someone.

"Besides, my status as a tycoon has only just been revealed. If none of you come, who am I supposed to show off to?"

"Ignore him, let's eat," Yang Jian. "Wang Shanshan, you eat too."

"I ate it the day before yesterday," Wang Shanshan said.

"You ate it the day before yesterday?" Yang Jian looked at her, taken aback.

It's as if you've already eaten.

Wang Shanshan explained, "My heart rate has slowed down, my metabolism has slowed down, and I'm eating less and less now."

"Then you should eat something, even just a little."

"Okay," Wang Shanshan nodded.

Halfway through the meal, Miao Xiaoshan rushed in. She pushed open the door and, seeing everyone, quickly apologized, "I'm so sorry, so sorry. There was a car accident on the way. A taxi rear-ended a private car, and the driver and the other driver got into a fight, causing a traffic jam for half an hour. I really couldn't get here in time, and I'm so sorry to have kept you all waiting."

"It's okay, you're so cute, of course I'll forgive you." Zhang Wei grinned.

"By the way, who is this handsome guy?"

He saw a young man in his twenties walk in behind Miao Xiaoshan.

"He's my cousin. He brought me here because he was worried about me, so he came with me. You don't mind, do you?" Miao Xiaoshan hurriedly explained.

"I don't mind," Zhang Wei said.

The young man smiled and extended his hand, saying, "My name is Shangguan Yun. May I ask your name, classmate?"

What era are we living in? There are still people with the compound surname Shangguan.

It's all so high-class and sophisticated. Besides, you're an outsider, you really have a thick skin, attending our survivors' reunion.

Zhang Wei raised an eyebrow, stood up, and said, "Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. I am Xuanyuan Tiedan."

"?" Shangguan Yun looked at him in surprise.

Is there really such a strange name?

"This is Zhuge Dasha," Zhang Wei said, pointing at Zhao Lei.

"Xuanyuan Tiedan, you don't need to introduce me. I, Zhuge Dasha, know how to introduce myself," Zhao Lei said.

"I'm sorry, Zhuge Dasha, it was my fault," Zhang Wei said.

Yang Jian raised an eyebrow. "Are you two both this outstanding?"

"This is Murong Erniu, and the one next to her is Duanmu Heiniu, although she's not actually dark-skinned," Zhang Wei said.

"Damn it, are you guys messing with me?" Shangguan Yun almost cursed.

At first, I genuinely believed that his name was Xuanyuan Tiedan.

I was too naive.

Yang Jian couldn't bear to watch; he was no match for Zhang Wei and was ashamed to face anyone, so he buried his head in eating and drinking.

However, just as he was eating, he suddenly noticed a used bowl and chopsticks on a table not far away, with some leftover food next to them.

The chair in that spot had been moved back, as if someone had sat there and eaten something before.

But then I looked around and saw Zhang Wei, Zhao Lei, and Wang Shanshan standing next to him.

Including my own, there were a total of four sets of used bowls and chopsticks.

But whose is that extra fifth set of bowls and chopsticks? You have to understand, Miao Xiaoshan and her cousin just arrived.

In an instant, his previously relaxed mood subconsciously tightened up again.

Yang Jian clearly remembered that when they entered the private room, no dishes had been served, and no one else had eaten there.

In other words, this fifth set of bowls and chopsticks had been used after they entered the private room.

But that was impossible, because he had been watching the whole time.

Remembering Zhang Wei's earlier statement about winning a whole night of rock-paper-scissors in front of a mirror, his unease gradually intensified.