Xiao Lou was puzzled when he heard the results Lao Mo and Liu Qiao had found out.
A family mysteriously disappeared?
The house they broke into last night had more than a dozen maids and servants. In addition, the young mistress had just given birth and was definitely not able to get out of bed. The baby's crying would also disturb the neighbors. How could they all disappear silently overnight?
Unless they were drugged and taken away, the departure of so many people would definitely make some noise.
Yu Hanjiang frowned and said, "Old Mo, Little Liu, go to the inn and meet us first. This town is a bit strange, so don't act rashly, lest you alert them."
Liu Qiao replied, "Okay, Captain Yu, we'll be right there."
A moment later, Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou led the Longqu Couple to the inn in the center of the town.
This guesthouse is called "Fulai Guesthouse" and is located by Zuiyue Lake.
There weren't many guests early in the morning. The waiter had just finished cleaning the rooms when he saw Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou's group. He greeted them with a big smile: "Gentlemen, are you here for a meal or to stay overnight?"
Xiao Lou said gently, "Give us two superior rooms."
"Alright!" The waiter eagerly invited them upstairs, explaining, "The 'Heaven' and 'Earth' rooms on the second floor are all vacant. Please feel free to stay here. If you need anything, just let me know."
"Thank you." Xiao Lou saw the waiter off, and the four of them settled into their room. There weren't many people at the inn in the morning, and it wasn't convenient for them to directly inquire about the Zhao family's massacre. Xiao Lou planned to go out and check on things around lunchtime.
A moment later, Lao Mo and Liu Qiao also checked into the inn. Liu Qiao went into the room, closed the door, and pressed the voice headset to say, " Uncle Mo and I are in room 'Yin'. Professor Xiao, where are you?"
Xiao Lou said, "Let's pretend we don't know each other and communicate using voice headsets. There are two worlds, heaven and earth.
Old Mo pressed down on his earpiece and said, "I just observed this inn. The lobby on the first floor is where we eat. There are a total of sixteen rooms on the second floor, named after the twelve earthly branches: Heaven, Earth, Black, Yellow, and Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, etc. The entire inn has a U-shaped structure. The rooms facing south overlook the lake and have the best view. The other three sides face the street."
He paused, then added, "If anything happens at the inn, the window closest to the street is the 'Yin' room where Liu Qiao and I are staying. We can jump out of the window and escape, and we'll be right at the street corner."
Old Mo has developed the habit of drawing a map first whenever he arrives at a new place, because he's afraid of walking through a door only to encounter a maze.
Xiao Lou said with relief, "Okay, I've got it."
Yu Hanjiang asked, "Did you two go inside that house to investigate?"
Liu Qiao said, " Uncle Mo was on guard outside when I sneaked in using my Lightness Skill Card. The yard was deserted and there was no one there. There were rotten branches and leaves everywhere. But strangely, there were no signs of a fight in the house. The bedding, tables and chairs were all very tidy. I found a letter in the master's room and took it with me."
Xiao Lou hurriedly asked, "What is the contents of the letter?"
"It was a letter he wrote to his parents-in-law to announce the good news. He said that his wife had just given birth to a son and was in poor health. He planned to take his wife and son to Qingzhou City to visit his parents-in-law in six months. The letter was signed Chen Yu, so the male head of the household should be named Chen Yu."
" Chen Yu?" Yu Hanjiang frowned and asked, "Are there any other clues?"
"Aside from this letter, we didn't find any other clues." Liu Qiao paused, then suddenly remembered something and added, "Oh right, I also found a small child's toy in the bedroom, probably bought for their newborn baby."
"What toy?" Yu Hanjiang asked.
"A red rattle drum."
Xiao Lou: "..."
A rattle drum? Recalling the rattle drum they found in the Zhao family's room earlier, Xiao Lou looked at Yu Hanjiang with a puzzled expression: "Could it be a coincidence? We also found a rattle drum in the Zhao family's bedroom."
Yu Hanjiang said, "There weren't that many toys in ancient times, so it wasn't unusual for elders to buy a rattle drum to amuse children. This kind of toy was so common, it might just be a coincidence."
Xiao Lou nodded in agreement: "Yes, the ' rattle drum ' toy alone isn't enough to prove anything. However, there are quite a few similarities between the two families. First, there were no signs of a struggle at either crime scene, nor were there any traces of blood. The Zhao family was brutally murdered, and the Chen family disappeared overnight, without a sound, as if they were..."
Yu Hanjiang continued, "Like they were captured by ghosts or monsters?"
Long Sen felt a chill run down his spine and couldn't help but say, "If it really was the work of demons and monsters, it's hard to explain with common sense, isn't it? Demons and monsters don't leave any traces when they kill people; they could just eat an entire family..."
Xiao Lou was both amused and exasperated: " Captain Yu was just joking. A ghost committing a crime and eating an entire family? I don't think Red Heart A would be so bored as to set up such a nonsensical case for us to investigate. Besides, if it really was a ghost, how do you explain Mass Grave on the cliff outside the town?"
Long Sen paused for a moment, then slapped his forehead in realization: "That's right! Would a ghost be kind enough to bury someone in Mass Grave after killing them? This must be deliberate. Moreover, dumping the body in Mass Grave shows that the murderer has a deep grudge against the Zhao and Chen families."
Ye Qi was buying clothes in the shop when she overheard Xiao Lou and the others' discussion. She was incredibly anxious but couldn't get a word in edgewise. The shop owner saw...
The "young lady" in front of him blushed with anxiety and couldn't help but say, "Don't worry, young lady. We don't have any ready-made clothes that fit you in the store, but we can make them to your measurements."
Shao Qingge walked up to Ye Qi with a smile and asked, "What? Do you like anything?"
Ye Qi casually picked out a blue men's suit and said, "This one will do."
The proprietress looked surprised and said, "Miss, these clothes are for men. Would you like to go over there and pick something out?"
Shao Qingge leaned close to the boss's ear and whispered, "We eloped."
Ye Qi: "..." Run away my ass! CEO Shao lies without batting an eye.
Shao Qingge continued, "He'll be less likely to be found by his family if he dresses as a man. Boss, if anyone comes to you asking if you've seen a woman in red, please keep it a secret for us."
After he finished speaking, he took out a gleaming silver ingot from his money bag and stuffed it into the proprietress's hand.
The proprietress immediately beamed with joy: "Don't worry, young master, I haven't seen you at all today."
Shao Qingge followed up, "By the way, boss, do you know where Chen Yu lives? He and I were childhood friends. I wanted to stay at his house this time, but I haven't received a reply to the letters I wrote to him."
The proprietress glanced around; no one was on the nearby street. She nervously turned to close the door, then walked back to Shao Qingge's side, lowered her voice, and said mysteriously, "The Chen family... they all disappeared overnight three years ago! The old folks in town all say that the Chen family must have offended some evil spirit and been eaten by demons."
Shao Qingge's expression changed: "Demons?"
The proprietress nodded seriously: "Yes. Since then, our town has established a rule that no one is allowed to go out after midnight, or they will never return."
Just then, Ye Qi came out dressed as a man. She glanced at Ye Qi in men's clothing and kindly advised, "Young master, you two are new here. Be careful tonight. After midnight, there is a high chance that a vengeful ghost will come to claim your life."
Ye Qi pretended to be scared and hid next to Shao Qingge. Shao Qingge naturally put his arm around his shoulder and gently comforted him, "Don't be afraid. We are just passersby. We have no grudge against the evil spirits here. They won't be able to take our lives."
Ye Qi nodded, looked at the proprietress, and asked curiously, "Are there many people in this town who have been eaten by vengeful ghosts? Chen Yu is our friend, how could something like this happen?"
The proprietress sighed, "I don't know either. He usually seemed quite kind, and on the night of the incident, his wife had just given birth. It's said that when the child was born, red light flashed in the sky, much like a harbinger of disaster descending upon the world... Maybe it was that harbinger of disaster that lured the evil spirits here."
"..." Shao Qingge and Ye Qi exchanged a glance and looked at each other in bewilderment.
The idea of a jinx or a vengeful ghost sounds incredibly far-fetched.
However, Shao Qingge's method of "paying to find out information" was quite reliable. After the landlady took the money, she talked a lot and told them many bizarre legends. The two of them were able to at least determine the exact time of the incident.
Three years ago, on July 14th, the day before the Ghost Festival.
Chen Yu's wife gave birth to a child on this day, and strange phenomena appeared in the sky, as if a calamity had descended upon the world. The next morning, the entire Chen family disappeared and their whereabouts remain unknown to this day.
Shao Qingge asked, "Three years ago, was it only Chen Yu's family who had the accident?"
The proprietress said mysteriously, "And the Zhao family, that day, the Zhao family's Second Miss..." Zhao Zean's wedding was supposed to be a joyous occasion, but the next day her fiancé came to her door saying he hadn't received his bride, and that the entire Zhao family had disappeared.
Ye Qi stared wide-eyed, incredulous, and asked, "Has the whole family disappeared?"
The proprietress looked worried: "Yes, the matchmaker, the wedding attendant, and all the people who carried the dowry out of town have all disappeared. It's really strange."
Ye Qi looked terrified: "Could it be that a vengeful ghost is really coming to claim my life?"
The landlady said, "Ever since then, we haven't dared to go out at night. Over the years, many people have disappeared in this town, all after going out at night. Every night, as soon as it gets dark, we all go to sleep. I advise you two not to go to Chen Yu's house either. No one has lived in that courtyard for three years. It's very eerie! Why don't you find an inn to stay in?"
Shao Qingge took out another silver ingot from his purse and handed it to her, smiling as he said, "Thank you, landlady. We'll go find an inn to settle down right away. We're new here, so we'll have to rely on you in the future."
The proprietress quickly stuffed the silver into her pocket, her eyes crinkling with a smile: "No problem, no problem. If you need any help, young master, just let me know. I've lived here for over thirty years and I know this neighborhood very well!"
The two said goodbye to the proprietress and left side by side.
Ye Qi changed out of the cumbersome red dress worn by the top courtesan in the brothel, removed the glittering jewelry from his hair, and put on a clean and tidy blue long robe with black boots. His long hair was simply tied into a ponytail at the back of his head, giving him a youthful look.
Shao Qingge felt that Xiao Ye looked much better this way, full of energy.
However, Ye Qi's eyes were full of doubt at this moment. He whispered in Shao Qingge's ear, "Do you believe in vengeful ghosts taking lives?"
Shao Qingge shrugged: "I'm an atheist, but nothing is impossible in Secret Room World. Didn't we encounter zombies last night? Professor Xiao and the others even witnessed a ghost bride getting married."
Ye Qi shuddered, breaking out in goosebumps all over his body: "Let's rejoin them as soon as possible."
The two arrived at the inn and checked into the "Xuan" room on the second floor.
Then, Shao Qingge pressed the protrusion on his earphone and told his teammates the results he had just found out: "The time of the incident was three..."
Before the Lunar New Year, on the 14th day of the seventh lunar month, the day before the Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan Festival), many people in the town believed that the Chen and Zhao families had done something wrong, and that vengeful ghosts had come to claim their lives.
Xiao Lou frowned and said, "The Ghost Festival is also called the Hungry Ghost Festival. It is said that the passage between the human world and the ghost world is opened. It's no wonder that the residents of the town would associate the incident with vengeful ghosts seeking revenge, since the incident happened just the day before the Ghost Festival and both families disappeared so mysteriously."
On the surface, it does seem as if the two families had committed some sins and were being retaliated against by vengeful ghosts.
Yu Hanjiang said, "It seems that this 'vengeful ghost' is the murderer."
Ye Qi asked curiously, "How did the murderer manage to make so many people disappear overnight?"
Xiao Lou thought carefully for a moment and said, "The Zhao family's mourning hall is full of memorial tablets, and people are still burning incense for them, which proves that the Zhao family members are not all dead. It is very likely that Captain Yu and I speculated that the eldest son Zhao Zeping's wife and children escaped this calamity. We must find this survivor. Perhaps she knows something?"
Yu Hanjiang said, "But what if she secretly comes to burn incense every night?"
Xiao Lou was stunned: "This... at night, the town will become another world, and we won't be able to see her?"
"Hmm, this is the first problem," Yu Hanjiang said in a low voice. "We are Challengers, not locals. Once night falls, we will be forcibly teleported to the Ghost City maze at night after entering the town. We tested this last night. Many streets in Ghost City are deserted, and those left there should be vengeful ghosts of those who died unjustly."
Lu Jiuchuan and Tang Ci, who had been staying outside, heard this and Lu Jiuchuan interjected, "You mean, the town will split into two instances at night, with the original inhabitants remaining in their town, while we will be teleported to Ghost City?"
Yu Hanjiang said, "That's right. During the day, we can freely enter and leave the town and investigate clues. Nighttime is the real battle royale. If I'm not mistaken, the vengeful ghosts left in Ghost City at night will likely attack us once they discover us."
Lu Jiuchuan asked, "Then what if we leave the town before dark?"
Xiao Lou pressed his temples helplessly: "Then we'll never find any clues, never solve the case of the two families' mysterious disappearances, and never be able to get out of this locked room."
Everyone: "......"
This is outrageous!
If they don't leave the town, they'll be teleported to a labyrinth filled with vengeful ghosts at night. If they leave the town after dark, they won't be able to find any complete clues; it's a vicious cycle.
The forced switching between day and night worlds is forcing them to suffer in Ghost City at night?
Yu Hanjiang asked in a low voice, "Does anyone have any suggestions?"
Xiao Lou said, "I want to go to Ghost City again tonight. That ghost bride might appear again. Although Ghost City is a survival instance and very dangerous, it is also a clue instance. We must go to Ghost City to find clues."
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "Okay, I'll go with you."