Chapter 995: Chapter 699: Group Photo
The man appeared to be in his forties, wearing an old-fashioned suit, his expression serious and meticulous. Beside him stood a woman, a head shorter than the man, with an oval-shaped face, large eyes, and pale skin. She gave off an impression of being delicate and dependent, yet oddly, her smiling expression seemed somewhat stiff.
The photo seemed to have been soaked in water; the background was blurred and indistinct. From the vague outlines that remained, it appeared that a tall building stood behind the pair.
The flashlight swept through the bedroom, but nothing unusual was found. The strangest thing was that, during the earlier search, they hadn’t seen this photo. Moreover, Yang Xiao couldn’t find anything nearby that could serve as a place to hang the photo frame.
This photo had appeared suddenly. Holding the frame, Yang Xiao decisively chose to retreat. The group narrowly escaped from the haunted house without incident. Before leaving, Yang Xiao made sure to take the wind chime hanging from the room.
Back at the car, Dou Jie and Xi Huijun gasped for air, their near-death experience still leaving their hearts racing.
Leaning against the car, Yang Xiao examined the photo frame and, recalling the tragic incident that had occurred in the villa, speculated that the couple in the photo were likely its former owners — the man had killed his wife with a knife and then committed suicide.
Boss Sun saw Yang Xiao’s group rushing out in panic and became even more convinced the villa was haunted. Scared, he immediately wanted to drive away.
"What’s the rush!" Yang Xiao scolded and called him over to identify the couple in the photo. But clearly, Boss Sun did not recognize them.
Seeing the worsening expressions on Yang Xiao and the others’ faces, Boss Sun feared they would abandon him. He hurried to explain that he had already investigated the villa’s owner. The couple who died inside were not the property’s actual owners, only tenants.
"Why didn’t you say that earlier?" Yu Kai was furious at Boss Sun for withholding such critical information and stepped forward, ready to punch him.
"No, no, no, don’t misunderstand! I... I just found out. Shortly after you went in, I received a phone call." Being dependent on the group, Boss Sun dared not resist and nervously explained himself, showing them his call log to prove his claims.
Yang Xiao pulled Yu Kai aside and coldly stared at Boss Sun. "Keep talking. Who is the villa’s original owner?"
"An old man. I don’t know exactly what he does, but... I know where he lives," Boss Sun stammered.
"Drive us there."
"Now?" Boss Sun glanced at the sky—it was completely dark.
Qu Hong sneered and exaggerated the events inside the house while recounting them to Boss Sun, scaring him pale. He immediately grabbed his phone to make calls, his fingers trembling as he dialed.
It must be said that Boss Sun still had some connections. With a few phone calls, he managed to handle the matter. He fabricated identities for Yang Xiao’s group, claiming they were real estate agents with ways to help sell the haunted house.
He also promised, regardless of the outcome, to pay the original owner a compensation fee. Upon hearing this, the other party readily agreed, and both sides arranged to meet in an hour.
But just as everyone was preparing to drive to the meeting place, an issue arose—Dou Jie, Xiao Qinya, and others were strongly opposed to Xi Huijun joining them. They didn’t even want her in the same car.
The reason was simple: Xi Huijun was the first to notice something amiss in the haunted house and had heard the Ghost Bell. It was hard to say whether misfortune wouldn’t follow her.
In the Nightmare World, human instincts to avoid danger no longer required concealment. Stripped bare, everyone adhered only to their most primitive survival rules.
Survival was the only goal, and for that, any means were justified.
At this critical moment, Yang Xiao stepped forward. He volunteered to accompany Xi Huijun. They would not go with the others but instead return to the office. Yang Xiao remembered that the office had a red telephone, and the walls and desk held notes with numbers. He hoped those numbers might connect him to Captain Zhou’s team.
"Is anyone willing to come back with me?" Yang Xiao pulled Xi Huijun closer and shielded her behind him while scanning the group.
The people Yang Xiao looked at avoided his gaze. As expected, when faced with danger, all promises turned to lies. The scenes of the group rallying around Yang Xiao and electing him as their leader felt like a distant memory now.
"I’ll go back with you." A voice broke the deadlock—Qu Hong stepped forward. Her eyes briefly met Yang Xiao’s, then shifted to Xi Huijun, who looked guilty. She nodded and comforted her, "Don’t be afraid, we’ll go together."
Xi Huijun’s complexion visibly improved. She lowered her head, remaining silent, her left cheek still bearing the mark of a slap—courtesy of Qu Hong.
Before leaving, Yang Xiao asked Boss Sun for paper and a pen. After thinking for a moment, he wrote down a line: "6 people, Evil Exorcism, Chu Xi left the note."
In addition, he added two phone numbers below. One was a mobile number—Boss Sun’s; the other was a landline number for the red telephone in their office.
Yang Xiao could now be fairly certain that this haunted house was the epicenter of the paranormal events. If Captain Zhou’s team had entered this world, encountering this house would be inevitable.
"Chu Xi" was the alias he had agreed upon with Captain Zhou. Seeing the name would signal to Zhou that it was him.
Having completed these preparations, the group got into the car and soon arrived at a nearby intersection. Yang Xiao’s group of three got out, leaving the photo frame and the wind chime with Yu Kai’s group of three.
