Chapter 532: Chapter 460: The Locked Door
A Qiang and Che Xuechun followed closely behind; the three of them constituted one group, and tonight, they were heading towards the residence of one of the deceased, Hu Yuan.
Yang Xiao, Monk Wukong, and Ju Juan formed another group, heading to Building 3 of Qi Chi Courtyard in the villa district, which was the place where Fei Yong, Fei Rou’s brother, had died.
Meanwhile, Yu Dagui, Zhang Man, and Wen Chongxian stayed at the hotel, where, as Fei Rou had earlier introduced, room 9018 right above them was the last crime scene, and the victim was a girl named Sha Meihui.
The division into groups was completed the moment everyone took the keys handed to them by Fei Rou, an entirely unconscious act.
Upon exiting the hotel, Yang Xiao looked back to see the golden letters of the Century Eastern Hotel shimmering in the sunset; the hotel had over 30 floors, and the top floor featured a large circular observation deck that resembled a flying saucer, surrounded by a ring of old-style blue glass. Looking up for too long invoked a sense of oppression.
To Yang Xiao and the others, the hotel’s arrangement and décor might have seemed cliché, but considering the context of the current era, it was top-notch.
"Mr. Chu, shall we go find the living quarters now?" Ju Juan, who looked like a college student, ventured to ask.
Yang Xiao withdrew his gaze and nodded, "It’s getting late. We’ll hail a taxi and familiarize ourselves with the surrounding area en route."
Monk Wukong followed the two, looking serene. Yang Xiao didn’t know why his mindset was so positive.
They hailed a taxi on the street, informed the driver of the address, and set off. It wasn’t too far, and in about 15 minutes, the car slowly stopped. Looking in the direction the driver was pointing, they saw a large black marble gate, with a small pond and a fountain in front. Hanging above the gate were the four characters for Qi Chi Courtyard.
They had reached the villa district. Yang Xiao paid the fare and got out; the trio walked to the entrance of the villa area. Without waiting to enter, Yang Xiao turned around to face the other two while pulling out the villa keys, "You two, I’ve been given the keys to the villa. I have no problem staying there tonight, but if either of you wants this task, I am willing to give it up."
Upon hearing this, Ju Juan’s expression froze, clearly looking nervous, but still she managed to force a smile, "I... I’ll pass."
Monk Wukong shook his head, too.
Seeing their reaction, Yang Xiao did not press them and naturally pocketed the keys, "Since that’s the case, I’ll go. Do you two want to come with me to look inside the villa, or..."
"Mr. Chu, I’ll be staying at Jin City District, which I noticed on the way here—it’s just down the adjacent street. It’s getting dark, and I’d like to head over there first," Ju Juan said in one breath. She didn’t want to have anything to do with a haunted house, especially when the situation wasn’t yet clear.
Usually silent Monk Wukong then put his hands together and said indifferently, "If Master Chu wishes for company, this monk is willing to go."
Yang Xiao found the monk more and more inscrutable and could only come up with a reason to deflect his offer, "I appreciate your kindness, Monk Wukong, but now that it’s getting late, if you accompany me, you might have to walk back alone at night, which isn’t safe."
"Yes, yes, Monk Wukong, we’re not staying far from each other, and while it’s still light, we should hurry back," Ju Juan added. In this eerie place, the last thing she wanted was to be left alone. Although it was only the first day and theoretically not too dangerous, the thought still unsettled her.
Monk Wukong was exceptionally good-natured, actually going along with Ju Juan, as Yang Xiao watched the two leave, growing more curious about Monk Wukong. He seemed like someone who was easy to push around, someone who didn’t care how others treated him.
"Weirdo..."
After a brief quip, Yang Xiao entered the district and soon found the corresponding villa. From the outside, the villa looked quite worn and neglected compared to the surrounding few, with large sections of wall tiles fallen off and no one to maintain them.
The two-story villa boasted a small yard. Yang Xiao gently pushed the gate, and to his surprise, it creaked open—unlocked.
The yard housed a garden and a rather miniature viewing pond, but due to years of neglect, the garden had turned into a wasteland, the pond had dried up, and were filled with mud and fallen leaves, presenting a desolate scene throughout the courtyard.
As he approached the house’s door, Yang Xiao noticed that every window of the villa was covered with dark curtains, completely obscuring the interior view.
Then there was the double wooden door in front of him, its surface mottled with age, as if it had withstood countless seasons of sun and rain, especially around the keyhole, already showing traces of rust.
The villa gave Yang Xiao the impression that it had been uninhabited for at least 10 years. It seemed almost abandoned, and from inside out, it exuded an indescribable sense of gloom.
A long-abandoned villa, tightly drawn curtains, a background of a house where someone had died—add the dying sunset at dusk... Almost all the main elements of horror were present, leaving Yang Xiao not daring to imagine what kind of thrilling story he could write with these.
But this was not a story, this was the reality he was about to experience. Pulling out the keys from his pocket, Yang Xiao said a few prayers before inserting them into the lock, and with a gentle twist, a "click" sounded, and the door opened.
Yang Xiao was startled— he had not expected it to be so effortlessly smooth, as if someone inside the villa was opening the door for him.
The very next second, he was scared by this sudden thought and quickly prayed for his sister’s protection in his mind.
With the opening of the door, a ray of sunset light shone into the room. Yang Xiao entered and immediately pulled open the thick curtains. The room brightened considerably, revealing a living room with upscale leather sofas, a glass coffee table, a tall mahogany bookshelf displaying porcelain, paintings, and other items, and across the room, a black, bulky television fixed to the wall, exuding a strong sense of a bygone era.
However, what puzzled Yang Xiao was the lack of dust. He walked over to the glass coffee table, wiped it with his hand, and found no dust on his fingers. The place seemed abandoned for many years, yet someone had recently cleaned it.
Next, Yang Xiao tried turning on the tap and pressing the light switch—water and electricity were both working. He walked over to the fridge and curiously opened it, finding it completely empty.
While inspecting the ground floor, Yang Xiao found a door in the northwest corner that wouldn’t open, as if it were locked, and he couldn’t find the key nearby.
Based on his analysis of the villa’s structure, he guessed this could be a larger room, likely a bedroom. His next discovery put him instantly on guard. He noticed that the wooden frame of this locked door had signs of damage, which had been later repaired, but upon a closer inspection, the signs were still visible.
A door that had been previously damaged and now locked from the inside warranted extra caution. Yang Xiao thought for a moment, stood up, walked to the living room, and pushed the heavy sofa to block the bedroom door. Apparently concerned that it wasn’t enough, he also moved the glass coffee table in front of it.
After doing all this, Yang Xiao went to the kitchen, opened the storage cabinet, and picked out two plates and several colored glass cups.
He placed a glass cup at an angle on the doorknob, and the other cups and plates were arranged on the sofa and coffee table, each at a more tricky angle than the last. This way, if the door were opened during the night, the cups and plates would fall to the ground, alerting him immediately.
Having checked the first floor thoroughly, Yang Xiao walked up the stairs to the second floor.
