Not long after the mute left, Jiang Haoyu and Gu Xiang Kai, who lived together, also went upstairs. Seizing the opportunity, Wu Ming picked the lock and entered the mute's home.
The mute’s home was incredibly clean, with everything arranged so neatly that it even made someone like him, who didn't have obsessive-compulsive disorder, feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Wu Ming hurriedly circled the room, but there was no sign of Wu Gang, nor any of his belongings.
He slowly sat on the floor, his senses returning to him.
Wu Gang wasn't here, and it had nothing to do with the mute.
Wu Ming had been scaring himself earlier; while Wu Gang wasn't much of a fighter, he was a foye, so his footwork was certainly good.
It wouldn't be easy for the mute to catch Wu Gang. Wu Gang was a grown young man; there was no way he couldn't handle the mute.
He sat there in a daze, wondering where his younger brother could have gone.
He didn't know how long he sat there before Wu Ming finally stood up. He felt a wave of dizziness and had to stand still for a moment before it passed.
He looked up and found himself directly facing a mirror.
Wu Ming shook his head; if he were the mute, sick as he was, he wouldn't want to see his own face.
Who would keep a mirror at home?
Wu Ming suddenly froze.
A chill surged through his body.
It had been a long time since he had felt this kind of hair-raising sensation.
Mirrors...
There were mirrors in the mute's home.
Many mirrors.
There were five hanging on the walls alone, and there were many vanity mirrors, full-length mirrors, and half-length mirrors.
Wu Ming’s reason told him to leave. Suppressing his fear, he turned to go.
He opened the door, and the mute was standing right outside, a bizarre and exaggerated smile plastered on his face.
...
When Nan Yue woke up the next morning, her condition had worsened. Zhu Xi Ning had fallen into a coma and wouldn't wake up no matter how much she was called.
Nan Yue was anxious. Yesterday, Gu Xiang Kai had followed the mute to the welfare home, only to take leave and depart shortly after.
Gu Xiang Kai had stayed behind to ask the director about the mute’s situation and learned that the mute’s real name was Chen Zhenxiong.
Chen Zhenxiong had lost his previous job during that cyberbullying incident. No one wanted him, so the welfare home director took pity on him and let him work there.
The pay wasn't much, but it was enough to support himself.
The director looked at the young man before her; he appeared young and healthy, yet there was a strange scent of decay about him.
"How is his performance?"
The director smiled kindly. "He’s quite diligent in his work, he just doesn't interact with people."
Everything seemed normal.
Gu Xiang Kai asked one more question, "Has anything strange happened nearby?"
The director thought for a moment and shook her head.
Gu Xiang Kai didn't want to give up. "Then, have there been any accidents?"
There had been one, and the director let out a sigh.
"A blind girl fell from the building."
Gu Xiang Kai's heart tightened. "Did she die?"
The director shook her head. "No, it was only the second floor. She didn't die, but her face was badly shredded by tree branches."
Gu Xiang Kai's heartbeat was heavy and slow as he inexplicably thought of those corpses with shredded faces.
"How did she fall?"
The director spread her hands helplessly. "She was frightened. She was transferred to another hospital shortly after, so we aren't quite sure what happened."
That was all the information Gu Xiang Kai had obtained yesterday.
All signs pointed toward the mute.
However, no one had seen Wu Ming since he returned yesterday afternoon. Jiang Haoyu and Yin Qian also suspected that the Wu brothers had been the ones committing the crimes all along, and now that things had escalated and the building was about to be demolished, they had fled.
But Nan Yue always felt that something was wrong.
She looked at the unconscious Zhu Xi Ning and decided to take a risk.
She would have someone distract the other tenants while she checked the rooms.
There were bound to be clues. It was just that they had initially wanted to follow the rules of this world to avoid attracting the attention of whoever was hiding in the shadows.
Now, she couldn't care about that anymore.
Besides, given their identities, even if they did something slightly irregular, it could be justified. If it really came down to a desperate situation, they would use their abilities as needed. At worst, they would fail the clearance and forcibly absorb the pollution.
She couldn't just watch Zhu Xi Ning waste away here.
Nan Yue made up her mind and stood up to find Jiang Siyan when she was suddenly grabbed by a cold hand.
Nan Yue turned around to see that Zhu Xi Ning had sat up at some point.
She opened her eyes, but they were covered in a layer of white frost, a pale void.
"Xi Ning!"
Nan Yue was rarely this flustered.
"Three."
Zhu Xi Ning’s voice was flat, like a voice coming from a dream.
"Three what?"
Zhu Xi Ning collapsed back down, showing no further reaction.
Five people gathered in Nan Yue’s room. Jiang Haoyu hadn't come; he was too old to get out of bed.
As time passed, everyone's condition grew more severe.
Only Jiang Siyan seemed normal, but the bloodshot streaks in his eyes and the pulsing veins in his neck proved he wasn't as calm as he appeared.
He looked at Nan Yue. Her once smooth and delicate skin had sunken in, revealing faint purplish bruises.
It looked like internal bleeding.
To be honest, Nan Yue looked somewhat terrifying now.
Jiang Siyan brushed a strand of stray hair away from Nan Yue's face, acting as if he couldn't see how distorted it had become.
"We have to leave today."
Nan Yue’s throat burned with a searing pain, an agony that seemed to radiate from her internal organs. She could even feel her life force slipping away.
"What about Uncle Zhong?"
Jiang Siyan sat beside Nan Yue, holding a cup of warm water for her to drink.
"He’s on the second floor. He hasn't left for the past two days."
Yin Qian sat there, his mind elsewhere, though Chi Yu was barely managing to keep up.
"Yao He and Yang Xufeng haven't shown up today either. The room is so quiet, it's a bit strange."
"They had a fight while we were eating at Xie Hui's place yesterday. Yang Xufeng went out and... didn't come back until the middle of the night."
Someone had gone out in the middle of that. Based on what Chi Yu saw through the peephole, Yao He had left for half an hour before returning, and Yang Xufeng had returned several hours later.
"Did Yao He take anything with her when she went out?"
Since it was painful for Nan Yue to speak now, Jiang Siyan asked on her behalf.
If the couple were working together, the possibility was significant, and it would provide them with great convenience.
Chi Yu shook her head. There were no lights in the hallway, so she couldn't see much through the peephole. Her current state was poor, and she was worried she would be discovered if she followed them.
Nan Yue looked at Gu Xiang Kai. His sideburns had turned white, and the wrinkles on his face had increased significantly.
"There’s been no movement from Wu Ming either."
He had been making a lot of noise jumping around looking for Wu Gang these past few days, but since Gu Xiang Kai returned yesterday afternoon, Wu Ming hadn't been seen again.
With so many people suddenly missing, the group had a bad premonition.
Bang.
At that moment, the sound of a door opening and closing came from outside. Nan Yue had already opened the door and stepped out before anyone else could react, with only Jiang Siyan following her.
There was a woman outside.
She was wearing a leopard print camisole and red high heels, with a heavy scent of perfume clinging to her.
Who was this?
Was there still a new native appearing at this stage?
Just as Nan Yue was wondering, the woman turned around and was startled by her.
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