Everyone was stunned by the scene before them.
What was going on?
Drinking beef porridge made her vomit, but plain porridge didn't?
After feeding the old woman the porridge, Ning Qiushui handed the bowl to Liu Chengfeng and then left the room.
"Brother, what... what's happening?" Liu Chengfeng asked curiously in a low voice.
Ning Qiushui shook his head. "It's complicated. I'll explain later... By the way, where's Yamo?"
As he asked this question, everyone realized that Yamo, who had been so frightened she ran downstairs, had disappeared without a trace!
"Yamo!" Liu Chengfeng shouted loudly.
But there was no response in the villa, only an eerie silence.
A bad feeling spread among them.
They went downstairs, searching everywhere for Yamo.
Finally, Ning Qiushui stood at the open front door, looking out into the rain, and said to everyone, "No need to look."
"She escaped."
"Escaped?" Liu Chengfeng, who was closest, glanced at the hazy wind and rain outside and couldn't help but shiver.
For some reason, upon hearing this news, the first thing that came to everyone's mind was the fat man who jumped out of the bus window and was later found skinned by something unknown!
Their task was to take care of the bedridden old woman in the villa for five days.
During this period, if they left the villa... what would happen?
Ning Qiushui was about to return to the first-floor hall when his gaze fell on the shoe cabinet by the door.
His heart stirred, and he squatted down, rummaging through the shoe cabinet.
"Brother, what are you looking for?" Liu Chengfeng ran over eagerly.
Ning Qiushui squinted. "There are no men's shoes."
Liu Chengfeng: "Huh?"
Ning Qiushui's mind was racing.
Even he didn't realize why his mind was working so well.
"The villa's hostess mentioned that her husband went out to work."
"But there are no men's shoes in this house!"
Liu Chengfeng froze. "Brother, you mean..."
Ning Qiushui's eyes flashed sharply. "There are two possibilities."
"First, her husband moved out for some reason."
"Second, she never had a husband."
Liu Chengfeng frowned. "She doesn't have a husband?"
"But if that's the case, her daughter..."
Before he could finish, Ning Qiushui looked up and asked him a chilling question: "Why do you think... that little girl is her daughter?"
After a few seconds of eye contact with Ning Qiushui, cold sweat appeared on Liu Chengfeng's forehead.
He swallowed, realizing the seriousness of the situation.
Yes.
There was no evidence to prove that the child the woman was holding was her daughter!
"...Let's go back."
Ning Qiushui was silent for a moment, staring at the rain outside, feeling an inexplicable chill, as if something terrifying was watching him from the depths of the rain!
He immediately closed the door, checked it thoroughly, and then returned to the hall with Liu Chengfeng.
Everyone's faces were grim.
The villa was large, and originally there were seven of them, which brought some liveliness.
Now, with Wang Yuning tragically dead and Yamo fleeing into the rain, there were only five people left in the room.
"Ning Qiushui, what did that old crone say earlier?" Xue Guize asked, his face pale.
So far, he had remained relatively calm.
But that was only because he used to be a mortician, having seen too many gruesome corpses, so his mental endurance was stronger than most.
Seeing everyone's eyes on him, Ning Qiushui spoke bluntly: "She said... the meat isn't cooked."
Everyone was stunned.
The meat... isn't cooked?
"What a load of colorful, spiraling dog-shit!" Liu Chengfeng was displeased, glaring and cursing.
"Wouldn't I know if the meat was cooked?"
Seeing Liu Chengfeng's frantic demeanor, everyone's expressions relaxed slightly.
His loud voice and strong presence seemed to dispel some of the villa's eerie atmosphere.
Unlike the fear on everyone's faces, Ning Qiushui remained unusually calm, as if... he had experienced such scenes countless times.
"So, those three words... don't mean the meat isn't cooked."
The group, who had been discussing, suddenly fell silent.
"What do you mean?" Xue Guize frowned.
Ning Qiushui raised his eyebrows and said, "The old woman upstairs... is very old, in poor health, and mentally unstable."
"Her speech is unclear."
"And we, influenced by preconceived notions, were misled by Wang Yuning's death."
"We subconsciously assumed the first two words she said were 'meat isn't.'"
"But actually... I don't think the old woman upstairs meant to say those three words."
Bei Dao sneered: "Who cares what that killer said?"
"Didn't you see the knife and fork on the table next to her this morning?"
"Clearly, she killed Wang Yuning last night!"
He paused, glancing fearfully at the second floor to ensure no one was there, then lowered his voice: "Maybe... she ate the missing pieces of Wang Yuning's body!"
Liu Chengfeng shivered from Yan Youping's reaction and cursed: "Bei Dao, damn it, are you telling ghost stories here?"
"Look how you scared the girl!"
Bei Dao's face was also grim, nervously fidgeting with his fingers, muttering: "I don't want to die..."
"Especially not like Wang Yuning..."
"Did you see... she was clearly eaten..."
"It's terrifying... absolutely terrifying..."
Xue Guize, feeling irritated, snapped: "Enough!"
"Stop babbling!"
"Who wants to die? Huh! Who wants to die?"
"Aren't we all trying to figure this out?"
Liu Chengfeng turned his attention back to the contemplative Ning Qiushui.
He had to admit, Ning Qiushui's calm demeanor provided a sense of stability, subtly becoming a pillar for everyone.
"Brother, have you thought of something?"
Ning Qiushui looked up, glancing at him.
"I have a theory. Tonight, I need someone brave... to help me verify it."
Hearing that it had to be done at night, and recalling what happened last night, everyone fell silent.
After a long pause, Liu Chengfeng gritted his teeth and asked: "Brother, why does it have to be at night... can't it be during the day?"
Ning Qiushui shook his head: "No."
Liu Chengfeng was taken aback.
He originally wanted to stay silent, but looking into Ning Qiushui's calm eyes, he inexplicably blurted out: "Alright, I'll go with you!"
As soon as he said it, Liu Chengfeng wanted to slap himself!
Fuck!
Why couldn't he keep his mouth shut?!
"Good, you'll come with me tonight."
Just then, a piercing scream suddenly came from the second floor:
"No! Don't!!"
"Please... I know... ahhhhh!!!"
The scream sent chills down everyone's spines!
They looked at each other, seeing the fear in each other's eyes—
The voice was all too familiar.
It was Yamo, who had just escaped from the villa!