Chapter 40: The Visitors

The terrifying and eerie scene that Gao Yang had anticipated did not appear. In fact, the room was pitch black, and the air that hit them was filled with the musty, stale smell of a place long abandoned.

Officer Huang closed the door behind them and felt around in the dark until he found a pull string. He yanked it.

Zzzzzt—click. A dim bulb flickered to life, casting a faint glow over the room. It was dim, but enough for them to see.

The room was a square hall with white-painted walls, though much of the paint had peeled away. The floor was a grayish concrete, and above them hung a dusty ceiling fan covered in cobwebs.

Directly across from the door, on the wall, hung an old-fashioned red wall clock, its "Western-style" design seeming out of place, still ticking away with the "tick-tock" sound.

Beneath the clock was an old-style cabinet. On top of it sat a black-and-white television, its back connected to a half-meter-long antenna. In front of the cabinet were several short black chairs; there was no sofa, and it seemed like the family would sit on these chairs to watch TV. On the left wall hung a calendar featuring traditional landscapes of famous tourist spots. Beneath it was an old sewing machine, and in the corner, a few blue jars were stacked up, looking like they contained pickled vegetables.

Aside from these items, the hall was barren—definitely from a time of material scarcity.

Officer Huang approached the sewing machine, dipped his finger in the thick layer of dust, and frowned. "Strange."

"Yeah, it's really strange," Gao Yang said, scanning the room. "It feels like no one's lived here for a long time."

"You don't say, it's been 30 years!" Wang Zikai interjected.

Gao Yang gave a wry smile and patiently explained, "In our world, the murder case happened 30 years ago. But in this world, it happened less than half a month ago. The village is still holding a funeral for the Hua family."

"Oh, right!" Wang Zikai suddenly understood.

The IQ here, incredible.

"Not only that," Officer Huang continued, "there's a lot of bloodstains in the yard outside, but inside the living room, there's no sign of a struggle." He clicked his tongue. "Let's check the other rooms."

Officer Huang took the lead and entered a side bedroom on the left, where a red wedding character was pasted on the door—it seemed like a bridal room. Sure enough, as soon as the light came on, everything inside was red: red bedding, red pillows, red curtains, red lanterns, red fake flowers, red wardrobe, red vanity...

Just like the living room, everything in the room was covered in dust, giving off a strange sense of vibrancy mixed with age, celebration mixed with eeriness.

"A girl got married here on her wedding night," Officer Huang said, stepping out of the bridal room and back into the living room, contemplating. "Something happened, and the next day, the whole family was dismembered. The bodies were found scattered throughout the village, and the bride's head has never been found."

"Stop talking about it!" Fat Jun said, uncomfortable. "We didn't come here to solve a case. Let's focus on how to get out of here."

"I know, which is exactly why I want to solve the case," Officer Huang replied.

Gao Yang nodded. "I also think the key to leaving here is finding the murderer of the Hua family."

"Do you have any leads?" Officer Huang asked.

Gao Yang tried to analyze. "There are no signs of a struggle inside, so the family probably didn't resist, or they lost the will to resist and were dismembered. As for the dismemberment site…"

"In the yard," Qing Ling said.

"Right." Gao Yang thought for a moment. "That's about it for now."

Officer Huang pulled over a chair and sat down. "Back then, my team leader wasn't an awakened one, so he probably didn't consider these two points when investigating the case."

"First, was the Hua family human or beast? Or maybe some were beasts and some were human? Second, was the murderer human or beast?"

"Speaking of beasts…" Gao Yang hesitated for a moment before asking, "Officer Huang, how many types of beasts do you know?"

Officer Huang glanced at Gao Yang, hesitated for a moment, then decided to answer truthfully. "At this point, I don't care about regulations anymore. Wu Dazhai told me that their organization has encountered four types of beasts: the Foolish Beast, the Angry Beast, the Greedy Beast, and the Deluded Beast."

"Greedy Beast? Deluded Beast?" Qing Ling seemed interested.

"The Greedy Beast is also called the Assimilator, and the Deluded Beast is known as the Observer," Officer Huang explained. "I don't know the specifics of the Greedy Beast, but Wu Dazhai said the scariest part about them is that they can somehow become human."

The group inhaled sharply, except for Wang Zikai, who looked completely indifferent.

"What do you mean?" Qing Ling asked, not understanding.

"Just what it sounds like," Officer Huang said in a deep voice. "Not just disguising as a human, but actually becoming human, which is why they're called Assimilators."

Gao Yang then thought of something. "But humans are divided into awakened and non-awakened ones."

"Awakened ones," Officer Huang confirmed. "Greedy Beasts can become awakened, but non-awakened humans can never be attacked by any beast. That's an iron law of the world."

"Then, if the Greedy Beasts that become awakened are neither human nor beast, what exactly are they?" Gao Yang was confused.

Officer Huang shook his head. "If we can survive and leave, maybe we can ask the people of the Twelve Zodiac for a clearer answer."

"What about the Deluded Beast?" Qing Ling asked.

Officer Huang shook his head. "I only know that such a beast exists, but beyond that, I know nothing."

Gao Yang's mind was racing: If Bai Li Yi hadn't lied to him, then besides the Foolish, Angry, Greedy, and Deluded Beasts, there should also be the "Life Beast" and "Death Beast." But Gao Yang didn't intend to share this for now. He knew nothing about those two beasts, and mentioning them would only cause panic and shake morale.

Although it was a stretch, Gao Yang still tried to explain their current situation with a logic that he could understand. "Let's assume—just assume—the thing that caused the massacre is a new type of beast that we don't know yet. Could it be that the ancient village we're in right now is a domain created by this beast?"

"You mean," Qing Ling's eyes flickered, "if we find it and kill it, we can leave?"

"Gao Yang's guess is currently the most reasonable explanation," Officer Huang nodded slightly. "It's the most worthwhile method to try, and we need to act quickly. We've been without water and food for over 20 hours. Normally, we wouldn't last three days, and our effective action time is no more than two days."

Gao Yang glanced at Wang Zikai. "Except for you, your body has undergone special modifications, so you should last longer than us."

"Of course!" Wang Zikai said proudly, then grew excited. "I'm going to save the world! How could I be stuck in such a lousy place! You guys find that thing, and leave the rest to me!"

Knock knock knock—

Gao Yang suddenly turned around. He was closest to the door—someone was knocking.