“The fifth floor? Making such a ruckus in the middle of the night, is the fifth floor looking for a scapegoat?”
Xu Qing had experienced a few dungeons, so she was relatively knowledgeable.
“In some dungeons Lin Feng and I have experienced before, certain ghosts and monsters would make noise in the middle of the night to lure people out, looking for a substitute.”
“But it could also be a clue,” Lin Feng frowned. “If there’s noise again tonight, we’ll send someone up to check.”
Of course, who would be sent to take this risk?
No one wanted to play the hero; everyone was secretly calculating in their hearts.
Shi Shu looked bewildered. He had slept like a dead pig last night and knew nothing of what happened outside.
Thinking of this, Shi Shu looked at Xu Xingyuan apologetically and said with particular regret:
“I’m sorry, Xingyuan. We agreed I would keep watch. I have sinned; I actually fell asleep without realizing it!”
Xu Xingyuan hadn’t really expected Shi Shu to keep watch anyway.
He waved his hand gently, with a very understanding look.
“It’s okay.”
“Don’t worry! Bro definitely won’t sleep tonight. I guarantee I’ll keep my eyes open until dawn!”
To make Xu Xingyuan believe him, Shi Shu pulled two matchsticks from his pocket and whispered:
“If you don’t believe me, I can use two matchsticks to prop my eyelids open!”
Xu Xingyuan rubbed Cat-Nian’s ears, a little amused.
“Really, no need. Just protect yourself.”
While Shi Shu was still striving to sell himself to Xu Xingyuan, Xu Qing had already directed the topic to Chu Xiu.
“Big Shot Chu Xiu, do you have any clues?”
Chu Xiu, who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them and actually offered some clues.
“Last night, I looked downstairs through the window and saw a dark human figure.”
Lin Feng followed up immediately: “Did anyone among us… go out casually last night?”
Finding key clues could also earn a lot of points.
It wasn’t impossible that someone, wanting more points, had sneaked out in the middle of the night to work while others were asleep.
Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads.
“It wasn’t any of us.”
Chu Xiu continued, “My eyesight is very good. I discovered that the creature, which appeared to be human, had no head.”
Hearing this, Deng Ming’s face changed!
“Based on the body shape, it should have been a woman when alive. She was picking rose petals in the garden, her movements mechanical and stiff.”
“It’s likely that after death, influenced by habits and obsessions from when she was alive, she continued to retain this behavior.”
Based on her previous experience, Xu Qing said quickly:
“Today is our second day in the castle. If we delay any longer, terrifying things might happen.”
They needed to find clues quickly!
Or use the lives of these newbies to pave the way for Chu Xiu, letting the big shot discover the death mechanisms.
Without understanding all the death mechanisms, Chu Xiu wouldn’t act casually.
Xu Qing and Deng Ming knew the habits of Item Hunters very well before they made a move.
They exchanged a glance and decided to pick a newbie today for trial and error to obtain the second death mechanism.
Breakfast was the same as last night.
Except for Xu Xingyuan’s breakfast, which was normal food, the plates in front of the others contained rotten rose petals crawling with maggots.
Xu Xingyuan shared half with Shi Shu. Seeing the other bury his head and eat foolishly, Xu Xingyuan finally understood just how heaven-defying his [Fortune] Talent was.
After breakfast, the butler appeared on time.
“Currently, the Master is bedridden with a serious illness. The estate’s business has declined, losing its former glory. But hosting a few guests is still more than manageable.”
“Except for the sixth floor, which is off-limits, you may explore the rest of the castle freely.”
After giving his instructions, the butler turned and left quickly.
Xu Qing stood up and actively played the emotional card.
“Although we are competitors, we share weal and woe. If you find any important clues, don’t hide them; let’s discuss together.”
Lin Feng narrowed his eyes, clenched his fist, and threatened:
“Some people better not try any tricks. Collecting no clues and just wanting to freeload—don’t blame me for being impolite.”
This sentence was obviously directed at Deng Ming.
The rich second generation was born sitting in a Ferrari and had never worked hard himself.
He had just thought about finding a small corner to hide in, but Lin Feng saw through his petty thoughts, and he looked away guiltily.
Leaving the dining room, Shi Shu pulled Xu Xingyuan along, planning to check out the rose garden.
Xu Qing and Lin Feng went to check the servants’ quarters.
Typically, servants in a castle would live near the basement.
Xu Qing pulled Lin Feng slowly toward the basement. Along the way, she smelled a choking odor.
“Do you smell that?”
Xu Qing covered her nose and mouth, stopping instinctively, afraid to go further down.
“Yeah, a very strong smell of rotting corpses.”
“Not just rotting corpses, but also a burnt smell like after a big fire.”
Xu Qing backed away two steps warily. “What on earth is hidden in there? It stinks too much.”
They dared not approach further, fearing they would trigger a death mechanism, and retraced their steps.
“How about we trick a newbie into going down there?”
Lin Feng shook his head. “Newbies aren’t that easy to trick. This place obviously looks wrong. Who would be foolish enough to go down?”
Since the basement was temporarily inaccessible, the two ran to the kitchen.
Unexpectedly, they actually found a diary.
“This probably isn’t the Madam’s handwriting.” Xu Qing didn’t dare touch it casually, cautiously picking up a twig from the ground.
Using the tip of the twig, she flipped open the first page of the diary.
“Looking at this handwriting, it should be written by a maid in the castle.”
The handwriting on the first page was neat, and the paper was clean. It read:
[Year XX, my first time at the castle. Everything here is so prosperous. I also met the castle’s Madam for the first time.
The Madam is truly beautiful, the most beautiful woman I’ve seen in my life. She is also very gentle and treats me very well.
To repay the Madam’s kindness, I run to the rose garden every night to pick fresh rose petals for her so she can take a rose bath.]
Almost a third of the diary’s content expressed the maid’s gratitude toward the Madam.
It was evident that this maid really liked the Madam.
Suddenly, from the thirty-seventh entry onwards, the maid’s attitude underwent a huge shift.
[How can this be! How could the Madam be… how could she!]
[Year XX, after knowing the Madam’s secret, I felt immense disgust. The filter I once had for the Madam shattered too.
I don’t know why I’ve become like this, but just seeing the Madam’s face makes me want to vomit.
I’ve started to become like the others. We are all birds unable to fly.
The Madam too.]
The handwriting became increasingly messy, showing that the maid’s mindset had undergone a huge change.
Towards the end, the frequency of entries dropped.
There were even several blank pages, the paper full of wrinkles.
Xu Qing flipped a few more pages with the twig and finally saw words.
The characters were huge, slanted, and twisted, written with such force that the pen tip had almost pierced through the paper.
[Year XX, everyone has gone mad.
I, killed the Madam with my own hands.]