Translator: CinderTL
Servant
Even Fatty and the others found the word jarring.
They couldn't understand why Jiang Cheng had suddenly turned on Crippled Liu in the middle of their pleasant conversation, even though they too had felt something amiss about the man.
As expected, upon hearing the word servant, Crippled Liu, who had been limping ahead to lead the way, abruptly stopped.
His neck rotated mechanically, and his single eye fixed on Jiang Cheng, narrowed slightly, as if concealing something unfathomable within its depths.
Fatty's heart leaped into his throat at the sight. While he didn't believe a cripple could be much of a fighter, this was still Feng Manor. One shout from Crippled Liu could stir up a world of trouble.
But Jiang Cheng remained unfazed, staring back at Crippled Liu. Unlike the cripple's gaze, Jiang Cheng's was devoid of hostility, conveying a simple, matter-of-fact attitude: I'm just stating the truth. What's the problem?
And with two eyes against one, he seemed to have the clear advantage.
"Mr. Jiang, you're right," Crippled Liu rasped, his voice like metal scraping against stone. "It was our rudeness."
"Everyone in the mansion is busy today. I'll arrange for you to meet them as soon as possible," Crippled Liu said in a low voice, repeating, "You'll see them soon."
As he finished speaking, Fatty suddenly noticed a chilling emotion in Crippled Liu's eyes.
After leading them back to their room, Crippled Liu limped away.
Watching Crippled Liu disappear around the corner, Huai Yi immediately closed the door and everyone gathered in the living room.
"There's something wrong with this Crippled Liu," Linghu Yong couldn't help but say first, his voice hushed as if afraid of being overheard.
"Duh, anyone could see that," Pi Ruan scoffed, then turned to Jiang Cheng with admiration. "But if Dr. Jiang hadn't risked his life to test Crippled Liu and expose his deception, would you have known?"
Pi Ruan's retort silenced Linghu Yong.
Earlier, in their desperate attempt to save Pan Du, he and their leader, Zhao Xingguo, had repeatedly urged them to use Director Qiao's connections to thoroughly investigate the Feng Family.
Now, it seemed they had been blinded by the urgency of the situation.
"Looking at it now, there are many suspicious points about Crippled Liu," Lin Wan'er said, effectively regaining control of the situation. "First, when he let us in, he checked our numbers. But after Pan Du disappeared, he showed no reaction, as if he had expected someone to go missing all along."
"Second, we're here to investigate a case, and Crippled Liu is our point of contact. Yet he hasn't asked a single question about the progress of the investigation. Does he want the entire Feng family to die?"
"Third, we've been at Feng Manor for so long, and we haven't seen a single member of the Feng family, not even a servant. Crippled Liu is the only person we've encountered."
Lin Wan'er raised her chin, her gaze slowly sweeping across the room. "Where do you think the rest of the people in Feng Manor have gone?"
"The existence of a ghost can't be kept secret," Huai Yi suggested. "Could it be that they all ran away out of fear?"
"If that's the case, why didn't Crippled Liu run too?" Zhao Xingguo asked. "I mean, if he's just here to assist our investigation or to receive some ghost-hunting Taoist, he could easily stay outside Feng Manor and only open the gate when they arrive. There's no reason for him to remain inside this haunted manor all the time."
"It's simple," Chen Qiang said, narrowing his eyes. "If he's not an idiot or doesn't care about his life, then he must be certain the Ghost won't harm him, or he has some special reliance."
The Ghost was certain to continue its killing spree, and as things stood, they had become its targets. Simply hiding wouldn't work.
The only solution was to quickly identify the Ghost, uncover the truth behind its actions, and then eliminate it.
"We can't stay cooped up in our rooms tonight," Luo He declared, bluntly stating that Pan Du's fate proved hiding was useless—death would still find them.
Based on the nursery rhyme Yangzi provided and the background story, the Ghost likely originated from the Eastern Ocean Island Country, Yangzi's homeland.
It was connected to the eerie Shinto shrine there.
The straw dolls might be the trigger for the Ghost's killings, or even serve as a medium for the Ghost to connect with the real world—anything was possible.
But the immediate priority was to determine if anyone was still alive in Feng Manor. Jiang Cheng had a terrifying suspicion.
That meant the people in Feng Manor hadn't fled out of fear, but had already been slaughtered by the Ghost, wiped out entirely.
"I agree. We need to take action tonight. Hiding in our rooms will only prolong our survival. When the deadline arrives, we'll die anyway," Jiang Cheng said, looking at Luo He.
In this mission, the Ghost wasn't the only threat. Director Qiao, armed with a gun, was just as deadly. If they failed to solve the case within the seven-day deadline, they'd all be executed.
Everyone present was intelligent enough to understand the stakes. Once they'd decided to act, the next step was to plan the details.
"Tonight's operation has two main objectives. First, we need to investigate Feng Manor and ideally find someone besides Crippled Liu."
"Second, we need to find Crippled Liu himself." Jiang Cheng's gaze sharpened as he mentioned Crippled Liu. "We need to locate his residence and see if we can find any clues there."
"Agreed. I'm in."
At the mention of action, Zhao Xingguo and Linghu Yong were the first to agree. If they delayed any longer, even if they could wait, Pan Du couldn't.
Just moments ago, they had checked Pan Du's body. The Cadaveric Lividity was particularly pronounced where he had been in contact with the bed, and there were already signs of decay.
Even from a distance, they could smell the stench of decomposition.
Huai Yi nodded, his gaze curious as he watched Jiang Cheng. For some time now, Jiang Cheng had stopped speaking, instead holding a pen and scribbling on the back of a piece of paper.
"What's this?" Linghu Yong leaned in.
Jiang Cheng put away his pen and turned the paper around, presenting it to the others. Some blinked in surprise. Before them lay a map.
The strokes were clean and sharp, horizontal and vertical lines bold yet not crude, revealing the artist's strong foundation in drawing.
"I drew this from memory, so it might not be entirely accurate," Jiang Cheng said, tapping a square near the center of the map with his pen. "This is where we are now."
"This is the altar, and this is the cafeteria we visited before," Jiang Cheng said, pointing out locations on the map with his pen and making notes. "This is the Western-style mansion where the Feng family lives. We need a team to infiltrate it and assess the situation."
"The other team should search in this direction under cover of darkness, roughly within this area. The range shouldn't be too wide," Jiang Cheng said, drawing a circle on the paper. "Crippled Liu's residence should be nearby. He always comes from this direction when he visits."
"Be careful when you search. This Crippled Liu..." Jiang Cheng paused, "...isn't as simple as he seems."
(End of the Chapter)
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