The room was eerily silent.
Coupled with the foul smell lingering in the air, both of them felt a chilling cold creeping over their bodies.
Drip—
A drop of liquid fell beside them, hitting the floor.
The sound wasn't loud, but in the deathly quiet room, it was amplified to an almost unbearable degree...
Ning Qiu Shui could even feel Liu Chengfeng beside him shudder violently at the sound.
"K-Kid..."
Liu Chengfeng's voice trembled as he slowly raised his hand, as if wanting to touch something.
Ning Qiu Shui took a deep breath and said:
"Don't turn on the light."
"Unless you want to die."
Liu Chengfeng was stunned.
"Why... why not?"
Ning Qiu Shui shook his head.
"I can't explain it yet."
"...Just know that in places with wind, it's best not to turn on the lights."
"If the lights are on, stay away from them."
After hearing this, Liu Chengfeng suddenly remembered that every time Ning Qiu Shui passed by a window earlier, he would close it tightly!
For some reason, he felt a chill run down his spine!
Then, Liu Chengfeng's gaze fell on the gap under the door, and he couldn't help but curse inwardly.
Whoever was the last to enter the room hadn't turned off the hallway light!
After what had happened, neither of them could sleep anymore. Disregarding the discomfort of sharing a bed with another man, they squeezed together, as if each other's body heat could provide some comfort.
After what felt like an eternity, the sky outside gradually brightened, and the rain began to ease.
Liu Chengfeng checked the time—it was already 8 a.m.
The light filtering through the window wasn't bright, and the outside was still shrouded in a gray haze, but at least they could see now.
His gaze fell on the floor to his left.
The dripping sound from last night had come from here.
Liu Chengfeng got out of bed and carefully examined the stain on the floor, even bending down to sniff it.
"Ugh—"
The pungent stench nearly made him vomit.
Ning Qiu Shui, noticing his reaction, also came over to take a look.
He bent down and sniffed, his expression changing slightly.
"This is..."
Liu Chengfeng leaned in:
"What is it?"
Ning Qiu Shui remained silent for a moment before slowly saying:
"Corpse fluid... or corpse oil."
"It usually seeps out when an animal's body is in an advanced state of decay..."
Liu Chengfeng couldn't take it anymore and quickly interrupted Ning Qiu Shui:
"Alright, alright, kid, stop talking! I... I get it."
His face turned pale as he looked up at the source of the stain.
The wooden ceiling, soaked with the corpse oil, had expanded from the size of a fist to the size of a human head!
Who knew what was above them...
Just as Liu Chengfeng was pondering this, two blood-curdling screams from women suddenly echoed from outside the room!
"Ah!!!"
The two exchanged glances.
Something had happened!
"Let's go check!"
Ning Qiu Shui was the first to open the door, leading Liu Chengfeng out of the room.
As soon as they stepped out, Ning Qiu Shui frowned.
The smell of blood was overwhelming!
In the hallway, a trail of blood stretched from the door at the end of the corridor all the way to the staircase...
The screams had come from near the blinds at the end of the hallway.
A crowd had gathered there.
Ning Qiu Shui and Liu Chengfeng pushed through the crowd and saw Ya Mo and Yan Youping slumped on the floor, trembling like leaves, their faces pale.
Beside them were pools of blood and vomit...
"What happened?"
Ning Qiu Shui asked sternly.
The two women looked at him, their eyes filled with intense fear, as if they had just experienced something horrifying!
Their lips trembled, unable to form a complete sentence, and they pointed toward their room, tears streaming down their faces.
Ning Qiu Shui looked at their room and was about to open the door when Xue Guize stopped him.
His face was grim.
"Inside... it's not a pretty sight."
Ning Qiu Shui glanced at him, pushed his hand aside, and first closed the nearby blinds to block the wind before opening the door.
When they saw what was inside, everyone's breath caught in their throats!
On the bed closest to the door lay a corpse soaked in blood!
The corpse... was none other than Wang Yuning, the woman with the gold earrings!
Someone had died!
Ning Qiu Shui, suppressing the urge to vomit from the overwhelming smell of blood, entered the room. As he walked further in, he got a clearer view of the mutilated corpse!
The sight nearly made Ning Qiu Shui throw up!
The corpse on the bed had its head intact, with a long, pale neck, but below the neck, the skin had been torn open, revealing raw, red muscles and gruesome wounds!
The internal organs were missing, and large chunks of muscle had been ripped away, scattered everywhere...
What was even more terrifying was Wang Yuning's expression...
Her eyes were closed, and her face showed no signs of pain. Instead... there was a faint, eerie smile.
"What the hell..."
Liu Chengfeng, who had followed him in, widened his eyes, his legs trembling. If he hadn't clenched them tightly, he might have wet himself on the spot!
"This... this..."
Now he finally understood why the two girls outside were in such a state!
Even for a man like him, this sight was enough to make him lose his composure!
Ning Qiu Shui, suppressing his discomfort, approached the corpse.
The others stayed outside, unwilling to step into the room.
The inside... was just too horrifying!
After examining the corpse for a while, Ning Qiu Shui suddenly remembered something, his face changing drastically. He turned and ran out of the room!
"Kid, what's wrong?"
Seeing Ning Qiu Shui run, Liu Chengfeng didn't dare stay in the room any longer.
The others, equally terrified, followed Ning Qiu Shui downstairs to the kitchen.
Ning Qiu Shui stared at the utensils hanging on the wall for a long time before muttering:
"One pair is missing..."
Beidao, who had already been scared out of his wits, quickly asked:
"What's missing?"
Ning Qiu Shui slowly uttered a few words:
"A pair of steak knives and forks."
Hearing this, Liu Chengfeng was the first to be struck with horror.
Last night, when he heard the metallic scraping sound in the hallway, he had thought it sounded like knives and forks!
Could it be...
Liu Chengfeng seemed to think of something terrifying, his whole body trembling!
"What does a missing pair of knives and forks have to do with the corpse upstairs?"
Beidao continued to press.
Most of the group still didn't understand.
Ning Qiu Shui slowly turned to look at them and uttered words that sent chills down their spines:
"The wounds on Wang Yuning's body... were made by knives and forks!"
As soon as he said this, everyone's faces turned pale.
"Ning Qiu Shui, what... what are you saying?"
"Are you sure?"
Ning Qiu Shui didn't respond to Beidao. Instead, he turned to the two girls and asked:
"Did you hear Wang Yuning calling for help last night?"
Both girls shook their heads, their eyes filled with fear.
"No, we were too tired and fell asleep quickly..."
At this point, Xue Guize suddenly spoke up, his expression strange:
"I... I heard something last night..."
"What did you hear?"
"...It was the sound of metal scraping. Now that I think about it, it sounded like knives and forks!"
Ning Qiu Shui and Liu Chengfeng exchanged glances. Ning Qiu Shui then said to Liu Chengfeng:
"Go cook some porridge."
"Add more meat."
"I'll go check on... the old woman upstairs."
Liu Chengfeng nodded.
"Kid, be careful!"
"What about us?"
"Follow me."
Yan Youping and Liu Chengfeng stayed in the kitchen to cook the porridge, while Ning Qiu Shui led the others upstairs to the room where the bedridden old woman was.
As soon as they entered the room, everyone froze.
Because on the table beside the bedridden old woman... lay a gleaming pair of knives and forks!
The very ones missing from the kitchen!
As if sensing their presence, the old woman on the bed slowly turned her head and gave them a kind smile.
"Ah!!"
Ya Mo screamed in terror, scrambling out of the room.
Beidao and Xue Guize weren't much better off. Their faces were pale, and if it weren't for Ning Qiu Shui standing firm like a rock, they would have fled with Ya Mo!
Despite the horrifying events they had just witnessed, Ning Qiu Shui showed no fear toward the old woman. In fact... he even walked right up to her!
"What the hell! Ning Qiu Shui, are you crazy?!"
Xue Guize's face was grim.
It was obvious to anyone with eyes that the old woman on the bed was the one who had killed Wang Yuning!
And... she might not even be human!
Ning Qiu Shui ignored Xue Guize and walked straight to the old woman's side, picking up the knives and forks to examine them closely.
They were clean.
He brought them to his nose.
No unusual smell.
Ning Qiu Shui frowned.
He looked at the old woman on the bed, deep in thought.
Ning Qiu Shui leaned close to the old woman's ear and whispered:
"Old lady... is it usually just you living in this house?"
The old woman's lips moved.
"Meat..."
"Meat... no..."
She seemed to have some mental issues, repeating the same words.
Ning Qiu Shui narrowed his eyes.
Meat no?
Meat no what?
Meat no taste?
He listened carefully for a long time but never heard the old woman say the third word.
At this moment, Liu Chengfeng came upstairs with a bowl of porridge.
"I cooled it with water. It's not hot, so she can eat it right away."
The porridge did smell delicious.
The aroma of beef.
With some green onions sprinkled on top.
Ning Qiu Shui personally brought the bowl to the old woman's lips, scooping a spoonful of the meat porridge and feeding it to her.
Everyone watched nervously, their breathing slowed, as if afraid the old woman would suddenly open her mouth wide and swallow Ning Qiu Shui whole.
However, the terrifying scene they had imagined did not occur.
The old woman quietly ate the porridge.
But when she bit into something, her brows furrowed, and she spat it out in disgust.
It was a piece of beef.
Then, she continued to spit out the porridge until her mouth was empty, finally calming down.
"Meat... meat no..."
She began repeating those two words again.
Ning Qiu Shui leaned closer to the old woman's mouth.
To everyone else, this action was extremely risky!
If the old woman really was the one who had killed Wang Yuning last night, then Ning Qiu Shui's current actions were tantamount to suicide!
Fortunately, the old woman didn't bite off Ning Qiu Shui's ear.
And it was this risky move that allowed Ning Qiu Shui to obtain a... crucial piece of information!
"Meat... no... cooked..."
The third word wasn't "taste"—it was "cooked"!
But... why "meat not cooked"?
Ning Qiu Shui took a bite of the beef porridge himself.
It was cooked.
Definitely cooked.
After standing in thought for a while, Ning Qiu Shui suddenly realized something and said to Liu Chengfeng:
"Big Beard, quick, go cook a bowl of porridge without meat!"
Liu Chengfeng, standing outside, felt a bit puzzled but obeyed Ning Qiu Shui's instructions.
Soon, he returned with a bowl of plain rice porridge.
This time... the old woman ate it.
And didn't spit it out.