Chapter 554: Chapter 482: Burning the Boats
Che Xuexiang’s expression paused, and she hadn’t thought of that, while Wen Chongxian was completely baffled, "Time? What’s wrong with the time?"
Yang Xiao was a man of action, as soon as he had a plan, he would execute it immediately; he and Che Xuexiang organized the sequence of each person’s stay night by night.
The three people who stayed in the haunted house on the first night were Yang Xiao, Yu Dagui, and Lian Jinsun, with Yu Dagui being the victim.
Yang Xiao checked his phone and, according to the call log, the two calls he made to Sha Meihui that night were at 10:02 pm and 11:03 pm, respectively.
Opening Lian Jinsun’s phone, the two records for that day were 9:58 pm and 11:01 pm, respectively.
The victim, Yu Dagui’s phone was locked with a password, the call log was unaccessible, and was set aside for the time being.
Then came the second night, with Monk Wukong, Zhang Man, and A Qiang staying, and A Qiang being the victim.
Monk Wukong’s phone was broken that day and he made no calls, so he was ruled out, while Zhang Man’s phone log for that day showed calls at 10:01 pm and 10:57 pm, respectively.
The victim A Qiang’s phone log showed calls at 10:03 pm and 11:06 pm.
On the third night, the three people who stayed were Ju Juan, Che Xuexiang, and Wen Chongxian, with Ju Juan being the victim.
Ju Juan’s phone records showed calls at 10:02 pm and 11:05 pm, respectively.
Che Xuexiang’s were at 10:02 pm and 11:01 pm.
Wen Chongxian made calls at 10:00 pm and 11:00 pm.
The fourth night, the occupants were Yang Xiao, Zhang Man, and Lian Jinsun, with Zhang Man being the victim.
Yang Xiao’s phone was switched by Monk Wukong for a broken one, resulting in no calls made that night, ruling him out.
Zhang Man’s record for that night was at 9:01 pm and 11:08 pm.
Lian Jinsun’s were at 10:03 pm and 11:04 pm.
Then came last night, the occupants were Monk Wukong, Wen Chongxian, and Che Xuexiang, with the victim being the unoccupied Lian Jinsun.
Wen Chongxian had his phone switched by Monk Wukong, he wanted to make calls but had no chance, Monk Wukong had a working phone in his hand but he didn’t make any calls, Che Xuexiang was tied up by Lian Jinsun and her phone was taken, she was also ready to make calls but had no opportunity, meaning that the only person who made calls last night was Lian Jinsun alone, Sha Meihui received calls from him only throughout the night.
Lian Jinsun’s phone log showed the first call at 10:01 pm and the second at 11:00 pm, very punctual.
After organizing the records of several nights, even Wen Chongxian could see what was going on, all the deceased were the last ones to make calls that night, to be precise, the last ones to speak with Sha Meihui before midnight.
The ghost would kill the last person who spoke with Sha Meihui before midnight that day, that was the root of the ghost’s killings, and it had nothing to do with whether they stayed in the haunted house or disguised themselves as the opposite sex. In other words, as long as they didn’t call Sha Meihui, they wouldn’t die!
In retrospect, the survivor Ning Houfu must have had his boyfriend tricked into calling Sha Meihui, which was why the ghost came for them, killed his boyfriend, and since Ning Houfu himself didn’t make the call, the ghost spared him.
The reasoning was the same as the room they were in, which was not actually a haunted house, but the ghost still came knocking, brutally killing Lian Jinsun but not harming the man tied up inside the room.
In the afternoon, as the four were resting in the hotel, they heard hurried footsteps in the corridor outside the door, and Wen Chongxian turned deathly pale with fear, knowing it was Mr. Wolf and his people coming to cause trouble.
Last night, he and Monk Wukong hadn’t made the calls as required, and today Mr. Wolf would surely deal with them severely.
But when the door opened, Mr. Wolf who came in looked relaxed, and even put down the sunglasses he never removed, hooking them on the collar of his shirt. This was their first time seeing Mr. Wolf’s true face.
"Folks, I’ve got some good news for you," Mr. Wolf’s attitude was exceptionally good as he said with a chuckle, his face bearing a diagonal scar above his left eyebrow. "The boss said the ship will arrive tomorrow, and I’ll personally see you off tomorrow evening."
"We can leave tomorrow?" Wen Chongxian was stunned for a moment, then his face erupted with ecstatic joy. He couldn’t wait to leave this hellish place for even a second longer.
"Yes," Mr. Wolf said as he heartily patted Wen Chongxian on the shoulder, smiling. "Brother, I have my tasks too. Taking people’s money to dispel their troubles. If I have offended you in any way before, you mustn’t hold it against me, alright?"
"Absolutely not!" Being under someone’s control, Wen Chongxian dared not show even the slightest dissatisfaction and quickly made his promise.
"However, I must trouble you all for one more night. Tomorrow morning, I will come to get you. Rest assured, all your documents for going abroad have been taken care of. Additionally, the boss has also prepared a large sum of money for you all, enough to ensure you won’t have to worry about food and drink in the days to come," Mr. Wolf stated jovially, his words almost carrying the air of the world of martial arts.
His two brothers behind him came forward carrying several plastic bags, placing them down. The bags were filled with a variety of pickled snacks and canned beer, all for their nighttime enjoyment.
Feeling grateful for the boss and Mr. Wolf’s generosity, Yang Xiao was so moved his eyes reddened, gripping Mr. Wolf’s hand and stammering his thanks to the boss non-stop.
Seeing his goal achieved, Mr. Wolf chatted casually with everyone for a few more moments before leaving with his men. Before he left, he specifically instructed that everything that night must be handled properly, otherwise the boss would be unhappy.
Yang Xiao and the others agreed wholeheartedly, but as soon as Mr. Wolf and his men’s footsteps faded away, Che Xuexiang collapsed onto the sofa in despair, her expression complex, her tone somber, "It looks like today is our last day. Tomorrow will be our day of doom."
"Ah?!" Wen Chongxian was startled, instantly losing his appetite for the chicken feet in his mouth.
Yang Xiao also gave a bitter smile, "If he hadn’t mentioned giving us a large sum of money, there might have been a bit more credibility."
Yang Xiao had seen enough of disposing of the grinder’s mule once it’s served its purpose; this time would be no exception. It seemed that once they got through the night, they would be useless, and Sha Meihui would have survived her ordeal.
Having no ideas of his own, Wen Chongxian had survived so far purely on luck. He anxiously asked, "Everyone... don’t just stay silent, can someone come up with a plan?"
"Monk Wukong, I owe my survival last night to your guidance. I implore you to show us the way again," said Che Xuexiang, who was not stupid. After considering the recent events, she naturally knew that Monk Wukong had saved her.
Caught onto the idea belatedly, Wen Chongxian also started pleading incessantly, repeatedly calling him "Master Wukong."
To everyone’s surprise, however, Monk Wukong, who should have most to say, joined his hands together, looking toward Yang Xiao with sincere devotion, "Master Chu, please enlighten me and your fellow disciples."
"Me?" Yang Xiao had no clue what the monk was suggesting.
"The heavens cherish all life, I hope Master will not hesitate to impart your wisdom," Monk Wukong responded earnestly.
After a slight hesitation, Yang Xiao spoke up, "My suggestion is that tonight, each of us stays in our designated haunted houses, and none of us should make any calls. If none of us die, think about what might happen tonight?"
"The ghost will seek revenge on Sha Meihui," Che Xuexiang said, getting to the point immediately.
"Exactly," Yang Xiao nodded. "As long as the initiator, Sha Meihui, dies, then the mission will naturally end, and we will be able to go home."
Wen Chongxian voiced his concerns, "But if Sha Meihui doesn’t get our calls and realizes we’ve deceived her, and sends someone to force us to make the calls, what then?"
To this, Yang Xiao breathed out lightly and gave Wen Chongxian a reassuring look, "As for that possibility, I think you can rest easy. Think about it, if forcing us to make calls would work, then why would she go through all this trouble to set up this game and deceive us?"
Wen Chongxian’s eyes lit up as he realized the logic.
Yang Xiao picked up a heavy enamel mug from the table, weighing it in his hand as he spoke solemnly, "Everyone, to ensure our plan goes smoothly tonight, and for the safety of us all, we have to be prepared to risk everything. Now, I need everyone to hand over their cell phones. In front of everyone, let’s smash them all."
Hearing this, Monk Wukong brought his hands together, solemnly saying, "Amen!"
