Chapter 1469: Chapter 901: Judgment_2
Zhang Jianjun, Yang Yan, Munan, and Chen Nang.
After seeing the names, some were happy while others were worried. Shu Shuang and Zhou Hai, who narrowly escaped disaster, had eyes sparkling, and if the situation allowed, they might have jumped for joy. But at the moment, they could only clench their fists, secretly delighted.
In contrast, Yang Yan, who was chosen, looked as if she had lost her soul. If not for Jiang Qingluan supporting her from behind, she would have collapsed backward, her legs going weak.
"Why... why me?" After muttering to herself twice, Yang Yan suddenly burst into tears, wailing with a voice that tore through the air, her cries wrenching the heart.
Yang Xiao and the others didn’t try to console her. After all, everyone understood that for someone of Yang Yan’s level, being chosen was almost synonymous with a death sentence.
From the team’s perspective, the best outcome for tonight and tomorrow would be for Yang Yan and Zhang Jianjun to die.
Also chosen, Munan and Chen Nang, however, appeared very calm, especially the latter. Yang Xiao even saw excitement and eagerness in his eyes.
"Truly a freak..." Yang Xiao decided that if the two of them could make it out this time, he would find a way to contact the Provincial Office to investigate this person’s background.
This Chen Nang’s Perception was incredibly sharp. When he sensed someone watching him, he abruptly turned his head, but upon realizing it was Yang Xiao, he merely nodded, a form of greeting.
Time was up, and the sky gradually darkened. Apart from the four chosen for tonight, the others left. After stepping out of the glass doors, Yang Xiao instinctively turned and looked back, as if the inside and outside were two different worlds.
Leaving now, when they return tomorrow morning, who knows how many will be left.
Yang Yan sat alone by the window, her head bowed and sobbing, and not far behind her was where Chen Moting had sat before she disappeared—an endless cycle.
Before leaving, Yang Xiao shared his own experiences with them, including information on the Hanging Ghost and the Waist-breaking Ghost, hoping it would help them.
The DV camera was also left behind, a crucial tool for tonight, in Munan’s possession.
As they walked out of Rongjin Building, everyone unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. There was something odd about the place; just being inside felt oppressively heavy.
After exchanging farewells, everyone dispersed. Liu Yang, Zhou Hai, and Shu Shuang went separate ways. Only Yang Xiao and Jiang Qingluan lived together; they were roommates.
The two walked home side by side. The team, which had started with 13 people, was now down to only 9, and more would die in the future.
"We don’t have much time left." Jiang Qingluan looked somewhat oppressed.
"More than just not much, at the rate people are dying, we have maybe only two chances left," Yang Xiao sighed. "One dies tonight, one dies tomorrow during the day. By tomorrow evening, there will still be 7 people left, and with the Night Watchman added, that makes 5, which is barely enough. But someone dies tomorrow night and another by the day after tomorrow, then by tomorrow evening, we’ll have only 5 alive. The Night Watchman requires 6; we won’t have enough people."
With insufficient people, the task would end, and Yang Xiao judged that by the night after tomorrow, no matter how they struggled, the Ghost would wipe them all out.
This was the ideal scenario. If anything unexpected happened in between, the end would come even sooner.
The night before the day after tomorrow was their final deadline. Before then, they must find out the Source Ghost’s origins and learn the rules to escape its pursuit.
"That Munan and Chen Nang are both very clever. They didn’t ask you that critical question." As they walked, Jiang Qingluan suddenly said.
"Yes, why Zhou Mingxiao was killed, not me." Yang Xiao nodded. It was a very straightforward question.
If Zhou Mingxiao’s investigation of Xinmin Middle School was the source, then his death could be explained, but that wasn’t the case.
Both had survived the previous night, but the Ghost targeted only Zhou Mingxiao.
This might be explained by luck or coincidence, but neither Yang Xiao nor Jiang Qingluan thought so.
The Ghost clearly went after Zhou Mingxiao, almost certainly.
"I think it might be the DV camera. Anyone who holds that DV camera during the day becomes the Ghost’s target," said Yang Xiao.
"Not entirely accurate. There should be a condition: the person must have survived the previous night," Jiang Qingluan added. "We can consider the sudden fire last night a trial. Anyone who survived that trial gets marked by the Source Ghost, and even if they survived, they would be found the next day. The DV camera is merely a medium communicating between worlds."
"You’re right," Yang Xiao nodded. "Many people touched the DV during the day, but only Zhou Mingxiao triggered an incident and was killed. This supports your hypothesis."
Realizing this, Yang Xiao couldn’t help but feel a shiver. Earlier in the day, he had wanted to compete with Zhou Mingxiao for control of the DV, but Zhou Mingxiao didn’t let him.
If he had obtained the DV, Jiang Qingluan might have been living alone tonight.
As Yang Xiao and Jiang Qingluan walked and talked, the atmosphere was pleasant. When passing a barbecue stand, Yang Xiao couldn’t resist stopping, persuading Jiang Qingluan to spend several tens of dollars on barbecue.
Yang Xiao had some money but couldn’t spend it recklessly. By chance, he’d found Jiang Qingluan’s stash in a pair of leather shoes; she was the real rich one here.
Seeing Yang Xiao eating skewers with sparks flying everywhere, sauce dripping from the corners of his mouth, Jiang Qingluan couldn’t help frowning, "You’ve got quite the appetite in this kind of place."
"Might as well eat while I can. I don’t have a big family like you or a master who cares for me. I’m alone, with nothing but a few friends. If I die, I die; no one will miss me." Yang Xiao continued chewing on a lamb kidney. This street food was truly authentic.
"Do you not have any family?" Jiang Qingluan asked curiously. She just realized she knew so little about Yang Xiao.
Unexpectedly, Yang Xiao was very sensitive to this question, pausing and glancing at her, muttering, "Hey, that’s crossing the line. Are you trying to date me or something?"
"Can you be serious?" Jiang Qingluan said, feeling exasperated by Yang Xiao’s random remarks. He was smarter than a monkey when serious, and ran faster than a dog in danger, but he could never stay serious for long. Jiang Qingluan sometimes wondered if he had split personality.
After finishing the barbecue, Yang Xiao shamelessly wiped his mouth with his sleeve, wearing a satisfied smile, then continued home with Jiang Qingluan.
There was a broken fridge at home, inside it, chilled coke, the kind in glass bottles from Jiang Qingluan’s purchase last night—a treat for Yang Xiao.
Jiang Qingluan didn’t have much of an appetite. Sitting by the bed, she nibbled on some bread. The task still had no leads. Due to previous injuries, though healed, she still suffered frequent headaches, seriously affecting her thinking and judgment. It was very disadvantageous for her.
Noticing Jiang Qingluan’s concerns, Yang Xiao took the initiative to analyze the task for her.
"Don’t overthink. I have some insights already. The problem doesn’t lie with us; it’s with the information Xu Yan provided."
"Do you remember she mentioned Chen’s Strange Film Industry filmed over a dozen movies in this city, but only gave us information on 8? What happened to the rest?"
"But she has no reason to deceive us," Jiang Qingluan said, looking up.
Surprisingly, Yang Xiao just shook his head, "No, you’re looking at this all wrong. You’re always centered on yourself. Consider it from Xu Yan’s perspective. What was her motive for providing us with that list?"
"To sell us props."
"Exactly. So the number of films doesn’t matter. She wanted us to see the types and prices of the props listed."
"In other words, those props their company once provided but no longer does, or those with too little profit, were removed. The film we truly need is among them!"
Jiang Qingluan found his reasoning increasingly compelling, becoming slightly annoyed, "Why didn’t you say this before?"
"I didn’t know whether Chen Nang was a person or a Ghost. If he’s a Ghost, wouldn’t I have just exposed the information?" Yang Xiao spread his hands, very earnest.
"So what do we do next?" Jiang Qingluan, very much trusting in Yang Xiao’s abilities, asked.
Of course, when he played around, it was quite annoying. However, having saved her life, Jiang Qingluan was still grateful to Yang Xiao.
Yang Xiao pointed to Jiang Qingluan’s pocket, where a mobile phone was hidden. "Call Xu Yan. I know how to handle her."
"Then you call." Jiang Qingluan immediately took out the phone and handed it over.
But unexpectedly, Yang Xiao didn’t take it. Instead, the conversation took a turn as he squinted at Jiang Qingluan.
"No rush. Before that, there’s something I need to know. You mentioned before that you had a secret to tell me. What is that secret... really?"
