Chapter 9

Everyone’s attention immediately shifted from the water to the so-called party.

The room, having just lost its owner, had a door as free as a little bird, utterly unable to close. At some point, Zhu Ming had opened the window. A draft blew through, and as she recounted the tale bit by bit, a lively, bustling scene unfolded before everyone’s eyes.

“The guests arrived. The hotel prepared a full spread of drinks and food to entertain them. They gathered in the living room, partying, eating, and drinking, which is why only a little food was left in the fridge. They accidentally knocked over a can of cola. Cola is sticky, and the carpet got dirty. Late at night, the guests went back to their rooms to rest, leaving behind a floor full of trash. The trash was cleaned up… Though for some reason, it ended up in the swimming pool. Probably because it can’t leave this place and there’s no way to ship it out.”

Zhu Ming pinched her fingers together and said, “This morning, the trash can was very clean. Yet more packaging bags and orange peels appeared in the pool. The trash we made last night was cleaned away.”

Old Man Xu thought for a moment. “Sounds like the dungeon’s backstory. Any other discoveries?”

“As for the rest…” Zhu Ming touched her chin, her smile growing more mysterious.

Xue gave a slight smile and took over. “Since last night’s trash was cleaned up, it means there’s another role here besides just simple ghosts. There’s a Butler’s Room on the first floor. Perhaps the butler did it.”

Yun Zouchuan’s brow jumped. “I remember now. The sound that accompanied the knocking last night was like a cleaning cart being pushed. It would make sense if the butler was behind it.”

“So the butler is also the cleaner. Truly a jack-of-all-trades,” Xiao Cheng muttered.

She had wanted to scare everyone a bit, but her act was exposed. Zhu Ming curled her lip, bored, and stood up to leave. “You all continue. I’m off to eat. I’ll come back when it’s time to open the basement.”

Brother Teng watched her back and let out a cold snort, feeling inexplicably annoyed.

…

Zhu Ming had only taken a few steps when the crowd noisily followed her. They were probably all hungry and afraid the food would be snatched up.

The fridge and the fruit platter—the food they’d finished yesterday had returned. No, not all of it. Zhu Ming drank one bottle of beer yesterday, leaving six, and there were still only six. On the first day, only Zhu Ming had been in the mood to drink.

Zhu Ming touched the beer bottles, a hint of distaste on her face. They were room temperature.

But she still gathered all six bottles and held them in her arms.

“Wait.” Seeing Zhu Ming about to leave with the beer, Brother Teng stopped her. “What gives you the right to take all the beer? The stuff in the fridge belongs to everyone!”

He stepped closer, using his height and muscles to loom over Zhu Ming. “There are three Seniors here. You’d better be smart and let them pick first. Old Gao is dead. We’re all in a bad mood and need a drink. Got it?”

The death of a Participant had brought immense pressure on everyone, at least that was true for Brother Teng, especially…

Zhu Ming looked at him in surprise. “You want to drink, and you want to share with everyone?”

Brother Teng frowned impatiently. “Cut the crap!” This woman shouldn’t be a problem. Ghosts were all mysterious, either appearing late at night or hiding in water. A day had passed, and he felt Zhu Ming wasn’t so formidable, so naturally, he was no longer afraid of her.

“Fine.” Zhu Ming turned and called A-Zou over. She shoved three bottles into her arms and then said, “I shared. Happy now?”

Brother Teng clenched his fists. “Don’t make me get physical. I don’t have a habit of hitting women, but having your things taken will be embarrassing for you.”

The expression on Zhu Ming’s face quickly faded. She lifted her eyelids, and her voice turned cold. “I’ve slept well the past two days, so I’ve been in a good mood. You’d better appreciate my current gentleness.”

Brother Teng found it laughable. “Are you threatening me?”

Having said that, he grew impatient. He directly reached to grab the beer from Zhu Ming’s hands. He didn’t intend to hit her, but he wasn’t that much of a gentleman either.

Zhu Ming felt a surge of speechlessness. Her eyes rolled from the left side to the right. With a flick of her wrist, the mouth of the bottle jabbed right into Brother Teng’s elbow. Instantly, a numbing soreness spread through his entire arm, rendering it immobile.

Brother Teng froze, staring at Zhu Ming in disbelief. This woman was fairly tall, but nowhere near his height or bulk. A fluke?

“A-Zou, put the wine in the room. Don’t give it to anyone, or I’m docking your pay.” Zhu Ming stuffed the remaining three bottles into Yun Zouchuan’s arms. A-Zou acknowledged and turned to leave with the beer.

Brother Teng glared fiercely at Zhu Ming. He stepped forward to chase Yun Zouchuan, but after just one step, Zhu Ming seized his wrist.

So hot.

That was Brother Teng’s first reaction.

The second was disbelief.

That hand was slender and elegant, fair and smooth, without even a callus. It wasn’t thick or brawny. It was a beautiful woman’s hand. In Brother Teng’s mind, this kind of female hand was always associated with weakness and fragility, never, ever a match for his own.

Yet now, it was this very hand, gripping his thick wrist, that stopped him dead in his tracks.

How was this possible! He had Awakened the Supernatural Ability of amplified strength and muscles. Even if it was limited, his muscles were still there.

In the next second, Brother Teng found himself on both knees, a loud thud echoing as a massive vibration traveled from his shins to his skull. In that moment, he thought his kneecaps had shattered.

Zhu Ming retracted her foot, pressed Brother Teng’s hand against the back of his head, and bent down slightly. “You seem unusually irritable today. Let me guess why… Ah, yes. Old Gao is dead.”

The man kneeling on the ground trembled all over. The excruciating pain arrived belatedly, but that wasn’t what was most unbearable. In his ear, the woman chuckled, her voice dripping with malice.

“Maybe you feel a little guilty. After all, you were the one who kicked Old Gao down first. But you’re even more afraid that he’ll become a vengeful ghost and come for your life. You’re afraid the Seniors will have an issue with you, afraid everyone will remember that little detail and ostracize you. Yet you also feel it wasn’t entirely your fault. Of course, you won’t blame yourself. You dare not blame the Seniors either, and you dare not mention the matter, because you’re afraid that while no one was paying attention, bringing it up will make them notice. You can only vent the frustration in your heart on someone uninvolved. What a brilliant idea.”

After she spoke, the woman laughed again, laced with deep mockery.

Brother Teng’s face flushed red. He looked up and found everyone staring at him, watching him being pinned on his knees by Zhu Ming, yet not a single person stepped forward to stop her.

He felt a surge of panic. Did everyone already have an issue with him? No!

“You’re talking nonsense!”

Instinctively, Brother Teng raised his other arm to swing at Zhu Ming. Slap. Zhu Ming simply caught both his hands and twisted them behind his back.

“Want to make a bet? I bet you’ll be the next to die.”

After speaking, Zhu Ming let go and raised a foot, directly kicking Brother Teng flat on the ground. She looked down at him from a great height, the smile at the corner of her lips utterly sarcastic. “If you want to know why, there’s only one answer: you’re too stupid.”

The large man lay sprawled on the ground, half-covering his face, so ashamed and furious he didn’t dare raise his head, terrified that Zhu Ming might do something else to humiliate him further.

Others watched this scene, their thoughts varying. Surprisingly, the first to speak was Xiao Song. “Brother Teng wasn’t wrong. What gives you the right to take all the beer? Even if nobody else wants it, that’s no reason for you to monopolize it!”

Zhu Ming looked deeply at Xiao Song. “I bring a bottle right now, and you drink it in front of everyone. How about that?”

Xiao Song instinctively stepped back, hiding behind Miss Zhao. “I’m a good man who doesn’t smoke or drink. Don’t look at me like that. Who are you trying to scare, really?”

Zhu Ming couldn’t help but let a smile spread. Her gaze swept over the people present: the deeply worried Miss Zhao, the sneaky Xiao Song hiding behind her, Brother Teng sprawled on the ground dying of shame and fury, the old man standing in the corner indifferent, the young man who looked hesitant to speak, and the young girl with little presence who always caught the key points.

Zhu Ming dragged a dining chair over. The metal legs screeched against the tiles, a grating sound. She sat down, making no effort to hide her scrutiny of the group.

“Since you’re all looking at me, I’ll be honest. My intuition tells me the alcohol has a special meaning and purpose. As for you all… sorry, but I think something is off with one of you. I don’t trust you.”

…

After that speech, a clear dividing line emerged between Zhu Ming and the others. Not only did she not trust them, but others were actually somewhat suspicious of her, too.

But it didn’t matter. Maintaining a surface peace was enough. At least with this declaration, people like Brother Teng would be less bothersome.

After eating, everyone headed to the mysterious basement. The key won at the cost of Old Gao’s life could finally be put to use.

Zhu Ming watched their retreating figures and gave Yun Zouchuan a look. Yun Zouchuan nodded and followed silently after them.

As for herself, she followed the pattern from yesterday, re-inspecting the entire villa once more.

Before the Basement.

After the lock was undone, the door, as if possessing a life of its own, opened a crack with incredible smoothness. A cloud of dust billowed out.

The group stood at the entrance, unmoving for a moment, because inside it was simply too dark.

The electricity was out, so the lights couldn’t be turned on. Only a faint bit of natural light entered through the open crack of the door, which was promptly swallowed by the thick, ominous darkness. Aside from the light at the doorway, nothing was visible.

It was Old Man Xu who spoke. “Xiao Cheng, Miss Zhao, and I will go get the flashlights. Later, when we need the lights for group action, we can switch and use yours.”

No one objected.

Old Man Xu was the first to turn on a flashlight. The ghastly white beam swept in, and the mysterious basement finally revealed its true face.

A massive totem painted on the wall appeared before everyone. In that instant, a single object came to all their minds simultaneously—the Invitation Letter.

This totem was almost identical to the one on the back cover of the Invitation Letter: a human head on a serpent’s body, simple yet eerie.

Xiao Cheng rushed in, then immediately stopped. He swallowed, retreating closer to the group. For some reason, in this darkness of the basement, he felt like the flashlight’s beam was being devoured somewhat. An icy chill wrapped around him, making his hands and feet cold.

But he was still very happy. “No mistake, the key must be right here! There’s actually a pattern to entering dungeons. They’re often related to abnormal encounters you’ve had before. The totem on the invitation was a hint too.”

“Doesn’t that mean we’ll complete the mission soon?” Xiao Song was also excited.

“Not necessarily. Let’s first see what’s in here,” Old Man Xu said steadily.

Searching for clues in this thick, eerily intense darkness was no easy task. Those without flashlights pressed close to those who had them, afraid they might be snatched away by a phantom in the dark if they weren’t careful.

“Damn! Something’s here!” Brother Teng cried out in pain, clutching his foot. He’d accidentally kicked something just then.

A flashlight beam shot over instantly. It was a cement platform, about half a meter square. In front of it sat a Brass Censer.