Chapter 45

A thick, dark fog, like a cloud, hung over the village, completely obscuring the light blue sky above it.

This black mist is an ominous aura of death...

It was even more lush than the village Su Cheng had seen in the Plague Dungeon.

What must have happened to cause such a strong aura of death?

"Oh? We have a guest?!"

Suddenly, an old man wearing a green military overcoat and a felt hat came out of the village and interrupted Su Xiaoxiao's recording with a shout.

Su Xiaoxiao's smiling face instantly turned displeased, and she raised her hand to signal Zhou Yang to end the filming. Since the old man hadn't meant it, she could only suppress her dissatisfaction.

Zhou Yang took the opportunity to put the cotton-padded coat that he had prepared beforehand on Su Xiaoxiao.

Keke stepped forward to comfort Su Xiaoxiao for a couple of minutes, then suggested that they go into the village to find a place to stay and rest.

"Uncle, we're here for a visit. Do you have any hotels in your village?"

The old man nodded chuckled. "A hotel? Yes! Old Xu's family runs a hotel specifically for guests!"

"Come on, come on, I'll take you there!"

Thank you, sir.

"Thanks."

The old man's warm hospitality made her feel very welcome, and Su Xiaoxiao, who was initially unhappy, softened her expression.

From Su Cheng's two perspectives, the old man appeared normal; he was just an ordinary person.

Su Cheng and her group followed the old man into the village.

How many of you are there in total? Let me count...

The old man smiled, raised his hand, and pointed to the number of people with his gloved index finger. "One, two, three, four... Hmm? Five?"

His gaze fell on Su Cheng at the very back, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

Su Cheng gave an innocent smile, "What's wrong with five people?"

Meeting her clear eyes, the old man paused for a moment, then put his hands back into his sleeves and resumed his hearty laugh.

"It's nothing, it's cold outside, come with me into the village!"

The group followed the old man into the village. After walking for a while, they saw people coming and going, as well as people sitting at their doorways chatting and warming themselves by the fire.

Upon seeing the new faces, the villagers all smiled in unison and waved to them.

Welcome, welcome! Have fun!

"Sister, the people in this village are so hospitable." Su Zhou whispered in Su Xiaoxiao's ear, raising an eyebrow and looking around with great interest.

Su Xiaoxiao frowned slightly, "Why are they all elderly and middle-aged people? I didn't see any children..."

The old man had sharp ears; he heard Su Xiaoxiao's soft voice, and he explained calmly:

"The children have all gone to work in big cities, and they took the younger ones with them so the little ones could go to school. They only come back to visit us, the elderly left behind, occasionally on holidays..."

"I see."

Su Zhou patted her older sister on the shoulder and walked ahead casually, "Sis, don't frown. You always overthink things."

Su Cheng walked at the very back, and she and Su Xiaoxiao both noticed the villagers' ages.

The old man's explanation was reasonable and well-founded, and it was indeed a common phenomenon in many villages.

If she didn't have the ability to see things from a ghost's perspective, I would have really believed it.

If all the children are taken to the city to attend school...

And what about the children curiously peeking out from the front door of each house?

These children, both boys and girls, appeared to be between 3 and 6 years old, with dark, round eyes and unusually pale, childlike faces...

They were already dead.

It wasn't as the old man said; she wasn't taken to the city to attend school.

Su Cheng recalled her mission, "The First Cry," a name that evoked images of a baby's birth.

And what can be associated with infants and toddlers are precisely these ghost children.

A note from the author:

none

Chapter 45

The hotel the old man mentioned was a two-story building, similar to a private guesthouse.

The lobby on the first floor has dining tables and a reception desk, while the second floor has rooms.

A slender middle-aged woman sat at the front desk. She wasn't surprised to see them as a group; instead, she gave them a gentle smile.

"Uncle Liu is here. These must be guests who have come to visit..."

Judging from the woman's familiar tone, they were clearly not among the first tourists to visit this place.

"Yes," Uncle Liu smiled, "I've brought everyone, so I'll head back now. Please treat them well."

"Of course."

The woman looked at the group, her smile extremely friendly. "Hello, I'm the hotel owner, my surname is Xu."

"For hotel stays, a single room is 98 yuan per night, and the tourist discount includes three meals a day. How many rooms do you need to book?"

Su Zhou: "Four rooms."

Xu Rong nodded. "Please give me your ID cards, I need to register them."

This was the normal check-in process. Su Zhou handed the ID cards of the group to Xu Rong.

"Hmm? Only four tickets, and there are five of you..."

Xu Rong looked up in confusion, following Su Zhou's gaze to Su Cheng beside her. "Miss, haven't you given me yours yet?"

Su Cheng remembered the persona she had created for herself, and nervously clenched her sleeves as she explained, "Sister, I lost my ID card and phone on the way..."

She stared at Xu Rong hopefully, "Could you lend me your phone to call the police?"

Xu Rong's face stiffened for a moment, then she asked in a soft, questioning voice, "How could it be lost? Did something happen?"

Su Cheng sensed the probing in her voice, blinked innocently, and, on the verge of tears, repeated the reasons she had given Su Xiaoxiao and the others.

"Is your aunt from our village? What's her name?"

Liu Cuicui.

Xu Rong frowned deeply. "There's no one Liu Cuicui in our village."

Su Cheng panicked upon hearing this, "How could that be? My aunt clearly said she was from Lin Family Village!"

"What am I going to do?! I'm penniless and have lost my ID card. I have to call the police right away!"

Xu Rong coughed twice. "Sure, I'll call the police for you as soon as I'm done. You can stay here for now and wait for the police to arrive."

Su Cheng nodded gratefully, "Thank you! The people in your village are so kind and hospitable... Thank you so much!"

She added, "When I get to the police station, I'll have my uncle present your village with a banner of appreciation!"

"Hehe... Helping guests is the right thing to do, no need for the banner..."

"By the way, the village is currently undergoing signal maintenance, so the network might be intermittent. If you need to make a phone call, you can use my landline."

After Xu Rong helped Su Xiaoxiao and the others check in, she let them go upstairs to see their rooms first. Only then did she call the police for Su Cheng.

But the call was made from a landline, and the screen displaying the number on the landline was covered with tape...

A deep male voice came through the landline's speakerphone. "This is 110. How can I help you?"

Su Cheng did not expose the flaws in the story and cooperated with the fake policeman on the other side.

"Lin Family Village is located in a relatively remote area. We will send a vehicle to arrive as soon as possible. While we are waiting, please stay in the village and do not wander around."

"Okay, I understand, thank you!"

After the call ended, the receiver emitted a busy tone.

Su Cheng: "I'll definitely pay you back for the accommodation when I get home!"

Xu Rong looked at the "naive" young girl, a hint of affection in her eyes, "It's alright, don't worry about it, stay here."

She handed the prepared key to Su Cheng, saying, "Your room is 205. You must be tired from your journey, go and get some rest."

Su Cheng took the keys with both hands, thanked them repeatedly, and then turned and walked towards the stairs.

The film perfectly portrays the touching moment when a helpless girl receives kind help.

After seeing Uncle Liu and the enthusiastic villagers, Su Cheng decided to downplay her own image.

In this village where camouflage is masterful, with an utterly harmless and weak...

The appearance of this character can further lower the guard of potential enemies...

After watching Xu Rong's Su Cheng disappear around the corner, leaving her alone in the living room, the gentleness in Xu Rong's eyes faded, and she wearily propped her head up with her hands.

Repeating the same lines over and over again, wearing the same smile time and time again... even people get tired of pretending for too long.

Her phone vibrated, and she answered it.

"How did it go? Did it go smoothly?"

"Yes, although there was an extra person, the girl was naive, and none of them suspected anything."

"That's good. As usual, you and Old Zhang proceed according to plan."

Xu Rong opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, the person on the other end of the phone seemed to understand what she wanted to say.

"We're doing all this for the whole village. You won't betray us, right, Xu Rong?"

Xu Rong's clenched fist loosened weakly. "I understand."

"Good that you understand. If you really can't do it, I'll consider letting Yezi take over for the next batch of people, but your family's share will have to go to her."

Xu Rong's face paled slightly, and she quickly said, "No, no, no, I can do it. I've always handled this part, so you should have more faith in my ability to do it well."

The person on the other end of the phone smiled contentedly, "Yes, I've always trusted you, and I hope you won't let me down."

After hanging up the phone, Xu Rong lowered her eyes, took out a small mirror from her pocket, and gave a gentle and kind smile to her reflection.

That kind of smile is the most effective at putting people at ease...

*

Su Cheng took the key, opened room 205, turned on the air conditioner, and began to inspect the entire room.

The single room wasn't very big, but it was clean and tidy, not much different from the guesthouses she had stayed in before.

There were no sofas, tables, or chairs in the room; the only place to sit was a bed.

She specifically checked whether there were any security cameras.

I checked everything—power strips, air conditioner vents, lamps, ornaments—but found no hidden cameras.

But upon closer inspection, it's unlikely that any cameras would be installed in this room.

Because once discovered, the villagers' efforts to create a simple and warm atmosphere would be in vain.