Secret

Beside him, the carpet was littered with shards of a shattered vase, stained with spots of blood that bore witness to the sudden upheaval.

The hallway fell into a deathly silence. Everyone held their breath, staring fixedly at the gruesome scene within the room.

Song Ran was the first to speak, his voice low and composed: "What happened?"

The young man’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, seemingly unable to shake off the shock. His voice was hoarse and trembled slightly: "…Li Zhiqiang tried to eat me."

These words landed like a heavy boulder in a tranquil lake, causing the expressions of those present to shift dramatically.

Yun Xian’s gaze landed on the young man’s exposed arm. Several deep tooth marks were embedded in his pale skin, red and swollen with bruising. Meanwhile, Li Zhiqiang’s corpse lay on the floor, fresh blood still staining the corners of its mouth.

The raw, metallic stench lingering in the air seemed to corroborate the young man’s claim.

She frowned, her inner suspicions deepening. Li Zhiqiang had indeed been acting strangely over the past two days; his appetite was alarmingly voracious, and he would wolf down every meal as if his stomach were a bottomless pit. If he had truly been consumed by some uncontrollable sense of hunger, to the point of preying on the living... it was not an impossibility.

However, Song Ran offered a cold smile, his sharp gaze sweeping over the young man: "And so? Whatever he intended to do, you killed him in the end. Does that prove there is nothing wrong with you?"

Zhang Jingyi nodded in agreement, her voice tinged with tension and unease: "Exactly... he was perfectly fine before we came in. Even if his appetite was a bit large, we never saw him actually eat anyone... What if you were the one who struck first?"

The young man remained in his original position, slumped on the floor with his back against the cold wall, his face ashen and his eyes vacant.

He offered no defense and showed no anger; he seemed to have given up on responding.

Yun Xian watched him, tapping her fingertips against the wall before speaking softly: "Arguing about this is meaningless now; Li Zhiqiang is already dead. Our priority is to dispose of the body. Otherwise, when the old man returns, how are we supposed to explain this?"

Hearing this, Song Ran glanced at Li Zhiqiang’s corpse in the room. After a moment of silence, he turned and walked toward the storage room.

Before long, he returned with a rusted iron shovel, his tone calm: "Let’s go to the backyard."

The backyard lawn was blanketed in fallen leaves, and the soil remained relatively soft. The three of them took turns digging for half an hour before they finally excavated a pit of sufficient depth.

Without a word, they dragged the body into the pit and filled it back in, layer by layer, until the damp, bloody scent gradually dissipated.

Finally, Song Ran used the shovel to level the ground, covering the disturbed earth with fallen leaves and gravel.

Once everything was done, Yun Xian stood up straight and looked at the sky. The morning light remained soft and indifferent, as if nothing had ever happened.

Song Ran tossed the shovel aside, dusted off his hands, and remarked with an inscrutable expression: "Let’s hope he doesn’t crawl back out."

A breeze swept through, swirling the fallen leaves. A faint, unrecognizable murmuring drifted through the air, like buried souls whispering something.

After the wind passed, everything returned to a deathly silence, as if the land had swallowed its latest offering, hiding its scent deep within the soil, leaving not a single trace behind.

Gravel crunched underfoot as the group returned to the villa, but the young man was nowhere to be seen.

Yun Xian’s gaze swept over the closed door on the second floor. She climbed the stairs, came to a stop at the door, and knocked.

"Are you all right?" she asked in a low voice.

There was a moment of silence inside, followed by the young man’s hollow, weary, and raspy voice: "…Leave me alone."

His voice was faint, yet it felt like a thin wire tugging at the oppressive atmosphere, pulling it downward.

Then, an even softer whisper leaked from within: "We’re all going to die anyway, so what is the point of holding on..."

Yun Xian’s eyes darkened. She said nothing and tentatively turned the doorknob—but the door was locked from the inside.

She stood before the door for a moment, then withdrew her hand, making no further attempt to persuade him. She was no saint, and she had no habit of obsessively interfering with others' emotions.

When she went downstairs, the atmosphere in the living room was stifling. The little girl was curled up in the corner of the sofa, silent, while on the other side, Song Ran and Zhang Jingyi were whispering. Upon seeing Yun Xian, their conversation ceased abruptly.

Yun Xian sat down on an armchair. Silence clung to the room like a shadow, and the flames in the fireplace danced in the faint draft, casting obscure, distorted reflections on the antique oil painting on the wall.

"We cannot delay any longer," she broke the silence first, her gaze sweeping over the group. "You all saw Li Zhiqiang’s fate. Zhang Jingyi... you yourself should be able to feel your own changes. We must find the key to the third-floor room as soon as possible. The key clues must be hidden there."

"You are too tense," Zhang Jingyi chuckled, her fingertips lightly stroking her smooth cheek. "Perhaps... this is just a mechanism of the mission. The more anxious we are, the easier it is to miss the clues."

"Indeed." Song Ran leaned back against the sofa, tapping his knuckles against the armrest, his eyes slightly narrowed. "We know so little about this mission; pushing forward blindly is hardly a good idea."

Yun Xian watched them quietly, her gaze unobtrusively sweeping over Zhang Jingyi’s almost unnaturally smooth skin before resting on Song Ran’s expression.

Their attitude was far too calm, bordering on deliberate procrastination.

She did not expose them immediately, simply murmuring a soft "Mhm," suppressing her emotions and the suspicion burning within her.

*Click.*

The sound of keys clinking rang out at the villa entrance, followed by steady, approaching footsteps.

It was the old man. The wrinkles on his face were slightly fainter than before, and he appeared younger than he had the day prior.

Leaning on his cane and removing his hat, he scanned the room and asked suddenly: "Oh? Where are your chubby friend and that thin boy?"

"Li Zhiqiang had some personal matters to attend to and left this morning. The boy wasn't feeling well, so he’s resting in his room," Yun Xian replied unhurriedly.

The old man’s gaze rested on her for a few silent seconds with a cryptic smile, then he chuckled softly: "Oh? That’s a pity... he had only been here for a few days."

Yun Xian’s expression remained unchanged as she offered a faint smile.

The old man took off his coat, hung it on the rack, and said slowly: "Then, for the remaining time, let me entertain you properly."

At dinner, the people at the table were lost in their own thoughts, the sound of cutlery clinking against plates sounding unnaturally sharp.

The young man had still not appeared.

The old man picked up a piece of meat, chewed it slowly, and said as if in passing: "That boy still hasn't come down?"

He set down his knife and fork, making as if to rise: "I’ll go check on him."

Yun Xian immediately interjected: "He might just be exhausted. It’s better to let him rest. I’ll bring him some food upstairs in a while."

The old man paused, staring at Yun Xian for two seconds, then sat back down and smiled: "Very well."

Night fell, and the entire villa was soon submerged in deep darkness.

Yun Xian lay flat on her bed, eyes closed, feigning deep sleep. The wind lifted a corner of the sheer curtains, bringing in a cold night breeze.

After an indeterminate amount of time, a faint sound emerged from the silence—the rustle of fabric, the sound of soft breathing.

Zhang Jingyi had indeed gotten up.