Translator: Cinder Translations
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"Miss Zuo," Shi Liaozhi stared at Zuo Jing's eyes as if trying to pierce through her entire being, "I hope you can give us an explanation."
Zuo Jing glanced at him, "I don't understand what you're talking about."
"You don't understand?" Shi Liaozhi asked, panting heavily, "Then let me ask you, what's with the painting on the wall?"
After the three of them returned to the room, Shi Liaozhi, who was wringing out a costume with a piece of cloth, suddenly noticed a painting on the wall facing his bed.
The painting depicted a woman dancing gracefully.
Her dance was elegant, dressed in a costume, her steps light, her fingers slender and long, holding an orchid, her neck fair, and her body curvaceous under the costume.
To anyone, she was a rare beauty.
But at this moment, Shi Liaozhi's heart was filled with endless fear.
He suddenly remembered the painting You Qi had mentioned earlier.
And the woman in the painting.
No, the female ghost!
The one who rode on Qin Jian's back and broke his spine!
His thoughts connected, and he slowly pieced together the recent events.
Soon, a chilling yet realistic speculation formed in his mind.
The appearance of this painting represented an omen.
And from what You Qi had just said, he had seen this painting before, meaning it had appeared in his room, leading to the tragic deaths of Qin Jian and, earlier, Tang Shirou.
This was an indisputable fact.
"Mr. Shi," Chen Qiang's voice came through, not exactly calm but not panicked either, "calm down first, arguing won't solve anything."
"Even if this painting really poses a danger to us, I don't think it will be immediate. There's still a chance for everything to turn around," Chen Qiang continued, "So let's sit down and think this through."
Shi Liaozhi's gaze shifted to Chen Qiang.
This newcomer seemed to have adapted well here. In just two days, the fear he once had had disappeared, replaced by a sense of relief.
And beneath that relief was a rooted calmness.
Staring at the young, student-like man's face, Shi Liaozhi gradually calmed down.
Not because he was afraid of him, but because what he said made sense.
"A chance?"
"Yes," Chen Qiang nodded, "After You Qi suddenly mentioned the painting and the female ghost on it, Mr. Shi, you instinctively showed a surprised expression."
Later, he added comfortingly, "I don't mean anything else, it's a normal reaction, especially under the premise that ghosts exist and have already killed."
"But have you noticed that the people in the other room had almost no reaction? Chen Xiaomeng, Jiang Fugui, and that Hao Shuai," after saying this, Chen Qiang looked at Zuo Jing, who was frowning slightly, and said, "So I guess they've also seen that painting."
"But it doesn't seem like it was in An Xuan's group's room," he continued, "Miss Zuo also mentioned that Chen Xiaomeng and the other two are together. I trust Miss Zuo's judgment."
Shi Liaozhi frowned slightly, then said, "Are you saying that painting also appeared in Chen Xiaomeng's room?"
"Should be."
"Then why hasn't anything happened to them?"
"It's not clear yet," Chen Qiang said, "But since that's the case, there must be a reason."
He was very humble, even though he had been controlling the pace of the conversation, he still left enough room for Shi Liaozhi and the mostly silent Zuo Jing.
Shi Liaozhi's look at Chen Qiang gradually changed, and after a while, he sighed and said, "Just say what you want to say, the situation is already like this, we're all in the same boat."
As if feeling uncomfortable standing there, Shi Liaozhi changed his position.
Strangely, the painting's placement was very deliberate. In terms of color and layout, it almost blended into the wall and the surrounding scenery.
A simple potted plant with dark patterns was placed diagonally in front of the painting, complementing it and adding an indescribable beauty to the woman in the painting.
For a good while after they entered the room, no one had noticed the painting.
What really made Shi Liaozhi notice the painting was a feeling.
Yes, a feeling!
A very strange feeling of being watched.
He sat on the bed, tossing and turning, feeling uncomfortable. Given his experiences, he never thought it was just nervousness causing some illusion.
At first, he thought it was Zuo Jing or Chen Qiang, but until... he followed that feeling and saw the painting!
The eyes of the beauty in the painting were staring right at his face.
This was the main reason he had been so harsh with Zuo Jing earlier.
He was afraid.
He was worried... he would be the next one.
But after a moment, he looked at Zuo Jing, as if he had become a different person, and slightly bowed, saying, "I'm sorry, Miss Zuo, I was too impatient earlier."
Chen Qiang smiled, as he had expected. This seemingly frivolous but consistently disciplined Shi Liaozhi was someone who knew what was important.
"It's my fault," Zuo Jing's expression was very conflicted as she frowned, "You guessed right, An Xuan did approach me, I... I have some..."
A few seconds later, Zuo Jing changed her wording, "An Xuan is not an ordinary guy, I suspect his background is problematic."
"Background?" Shi Liaozhi seemed interested but tried to suppress his emotions, "What do you mean..."
"Wait," Chen Qiang suddenly interrupted their conversation.
Both Shi Liaozhi and Zuo Jing looked at him, puzzled.
Looking in a direction, Chen Qiang seemed to be able to see through the wall, "You... did you hear something?" he asked in a low voice.
But from their expressions, it was clear they hadn't heard anything.
"No," Zuo Jing answered softly, "What's wrong?"
"I think... I heard drumming."
Hearing this, Shi Liaozhi's scalp tingled. Hearing drumming now was not a good thing, especially with this extremely eerie painting... appearing in their room.
The next victim was likely one of them.
And he had a feeling, the most likely one was himself.
"Thud!"
Instantly, Shi Liaozhi's eyes paused, then narrowed into slits.
He heard it.
He heard it too.
Drumming!
How?
Wasn't the game over?
Qin Jian was already dead.
At least for today, they should be safe.
Then, a very strange, slippery sound came from outside the door.
Not far, not close.
"Plop."
"Plop."
Like something wet stepping on a stone slab.
It was large, and heavy, very heavy.
Because along with the sound of stepping in water, there was also the sound of something heavy being dragged.
Coming from the direction of the lake.
(End of the Chapter)
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