After confirming Chen Cailing's death, Xiao Bai's expression did not change much. The death of a teammate was all too common in this perilous horror story. Though she felt a hint of regret, there was nothing to be done about it. Sometimes, Xiao Bai even wondered if, when death came for her one day, she could still maintain that same strange, calm mindset.
But for now, the most important thing was the information Chen Cailing had revealed before dying! In this horror story, the radio controlling everything seemed rather twisted. Perhaps Chen Cailing's death was already sealed the moment she was pulled into that dark space. The story simply gave the participants a brief buffer, using one participant's death to reveal more clues to the survivors.
What could now be confirmed was that another hidden room existed in this manor. Moreover, from Chen Cailing's description, it seemed to further solidify Xiao Bai's earlier speculation. The stench of burning corpses, blood, nails. That was it—this manor had indeed hosted some kind of evil ritual, and the space Chen Cailing had been transported into was precisely that secret chamber where the ritual had taken place!
So, who among them were participants or witnesses to the ritual? The painter couple went without saying, but the question remained: were the butler and the gardener participants or just witnesses?
Right... Thinking of that small bronze key, Xiao Bai's mind stirred. Could the true purpose of this key be to unlock that hidden chamber? The key had been left at the door by the gardener, meaning he was likely aware of the matter. Had he handed it over because he, too, could no longer bear the evil hidden in the manor, hoping the participants would expose it and end the cycle of sin here?
The reason she called it a "cycle of sin" was that Xiao Bai suddenly recalled what both the gardener and the painter couple had mentioned—every year, the manor hired a new batch of nannies. Though they described it as "dismissal," the truth was probably far from that simple.
Regardless, the key now was to find the entrance to the hidden chamber. Inside, there might be crucial items for this story, as well as something to deal with the manor's ghosts! After a moment's thought, Xiao Bai picked up the phone again and dialed Ke Shufan's number...
"Yeah, that's how it is. You two come back quickly."
Hearing Xiao Bai's calm voice, Ke Shufan's heart churned with turmoil. Chen Cailing was dead! She really was dead!
In fact, before this, both Ye Xiaomei and Ke Shufan had felt a strange premonition. Ke Shufan, having already experienced a story event, was more familiar with this sensation. It was the feeling of a participant's death! But to avoid alarming Ye Xiaomei, she hadn't voiced it. Now, with Xiao Bai's call, the premonition was confirmed.
Seeing the terror on Ye Xiaomei's face, Ke Shufan quickly explained, "It's not all bad. Though Chen Cailing died, we now know there's another sealed space in this manor." "And that space is likely the key to this story!" "After a participant dies, the story usually enters a relatively safe period for a while, unless someone deliberately triggers something. Let's finish today's work first, and we'll discuss it tonight."
On the phone, Xiao Bai told Ke Shufan this, emphasizing that the more critical the moment, the more they needed to stay calm and avoid rash actions. Ke Shufan, who always followed Xiao Bai's advice, understood this well.
Afterward, Xiao Bai left the second floor and headed downstairs, where she encountered Butler Wei in the hall again. Though he saw only Xiao Bai, Butler Wei showed no surprise or confusion, nor did he ask about the other participant's whereabouts. It was as if Chen Cailing had never existed in his memory.
Faced with this eerie situation, Xiao Bai remained unfazed. She had encountered similar cases in previous missions—when a participant died, the story's characters would have all memories of them erased. So, under the story's interference, it wasn't strange that Butler Wei, as a character, didn't remember Chen Cailing. Xiao Bai wasn't one to dwell on sentimentality, nor would she fuss over such things.
Shortly after Ye Xiaomei and Ke Shufan returned, raindrops began to patter outside, quickly turning into a heavy downpour. The sky grew oppressively dark. Though it was only afternoon, it looked as gloomy as evening. Black clouds twisted into strange shapes, like a massive monster lurking above, gazing down at the earth.
Finally, the day's work ended, and the participants gathered again to discuss the day's events without interruption. Xiao Bai had already detailed Chen Cailing's death to the other two. Just hearing the account made Ye Xiaomei's heart race, and she silently thanked herself for not rashly entering that terrifying room.
Xiao Bai, of course, kept her true thoughts to herself. She had initially thought the first to die in this story would be the timid Ye Xiaomei, but unexpectedly, Chen Cailing, whom she had favored, became the first victim. The dead were gone, but the survivors couldn't waste the clues they left behind!
Then, Ye Xiaomei and Ke Shufan carefully described the strange events they had encountered in the garden. The doll that disappeared and reappeared under the big tree, the noose only detectable through supernatural perception...
"A noose easily brings to mind hanging or a gallows. Could it be hinting that a murder like that happened under the tree?" "Actually, there's one more thing..." At that moment, Ye Xiaomei hesitated. "Just now, at 9 o'clock, I was reading a bedtime story to that doll. When I looked up, I noticed it... seemed to be staring out the window..."
"Staring out the window?" Xiao Bai and Ke Shufan were both startled. "Why didn't you say so earlier?" "I... I thought it wasn't a big deal at first, but now that I think about it..." With that, Ye Xiaomei jumped off the bed, walked to the window, and pointed in a certain direction. "I suddenly feel like it was still looking at that big tree!"
--- PS: Thanks to Gongzi Ruyi for the 9000 VIP point tip, and also to Feiyu Ruoqing for the tip. Two updates today. Another update will be posted in 10 minutes.