After the light gradually dimmed, Anna also came downstairs. The generator, having been restarted during the day, now powered the gathering downstairs. Everyone worked together, whether cooking or going to the toilet, even though they all knew it wasn't particularly effective.
"Today... it's so quiet."
Perhaps the solemn atmosphere prompted a young man, one of Francesco's more impetuous men whom no one usually paid much attention to, to speak up. His words seemed to strike a nerve, and he was immediately rebuked.
"So many people have died; how could it not be quiet?"
"You're heartless! Can't you think of something useful?"
The young man was stunned. Francesco pulled him back, his face sullen and silent. Since Francesco was now in charge of electricity, no one wanted to cause trouble for him, so they stopped after a few sharp words.
"Let's analyze the current situation," Beom Seok said, changing the subject. "At present, we know about the invisible ghosts. If we take appropriate measures, we can prevent them from killing, which will increase everyone's survival rate. However, understanding the other two ghosts will likely take us until tomorrow. Do you have any effective defense methods during this period?"
"How about maintaining the status quo?"
No one answered. A boy in a school uniform, who had been part of Elizabeth's team initially, raised his hand.
"Little brat, don't spout nonsense!" Rami snapped.
"No... I'm serious. We haven't been particularly prepared for ghost attacks so far, but the third day is almost halfway over, and only six people have been killed. Doesn't this suggest that we are actually making it difficult for the ghosts to find opportunities? Also, I've seen many horror movies, and the more panicked people are, the easier it is for them to die. If we maintain our usual routine..."
"Although it's an idea, relying on the ghosts' limitations is too passive," Beom Seok countered.
"But what this kid said does make some sense. Only two ghosts acted on the first day, meaning the third ghost never found an opportunity. This not only gives us one more chance to survive but also exposes our weaknesses." Rami grinned and slammed the table. "Very good! Let's analyze the ghosts' weaknesses from this perspective!"
"I'm afraid you can't analyze it," Anna said, pouring cold water on his enthusiasm.
"What?"
"Because starting from this angle is a flawed idea. No matter what weaknesses they have, the ghosts can kill people right in front of us, and we can only resist those collections. The only good news now is that we've hardly used the things we have, and the bad news is that these things may not be very useful."
Rami was about to argue, but Beom Seok spoke first. "Not very useful?"
"I saw the invisible ghost. It took less than ten seconds to kill Kenzo, and the mirror ghost that killed Sister Grace took even less time. I want to ask, who here is confident they can take out something to fight back before they die?"
Anna slightly rolled up her sleeve, revealing a mark on her wrist. "Such preventive measures might be somewhat useful, but at most, they can only deter the ghosts. If they want to kill..."
At that moment, a short scream interrupted Anna's words. Lily, who was sitting at the other end of the table, jumped up from her chair, pointed at the candle on the rotten hand on the table, and screamed loudly!
"Ghost! The ghost is coming!"
The candle flame had inexplicably turned into a faint blue fire!
"Everyone, don't panic..."
Beom Seok tried to speak, but Lily had already shoved aside the people around her and fled towards the corridor in a panic, knocking over two chairs.
"David! And that big guy, hurry up and bring her back! Everyone, watch your surroundings! It should be an invisible ghost!" Noah raised his voice, taking command. The police officer and the tall boy rushed into the corridor. Just then, Lily let out another, more terrifying scream.
"What's going on?"
"She was in the room when Elizabeth was killed. Now she's more traumatized than the others..." Beom Seok frowned. "Watch the flames... Wait, Anna, what are you doing?"
In the chaos, Anna had swiftly snatched the Hand of Decay and was slowly circling the table, her eyes fixed on the corridor.
"I'll go check it out!"
Ling Yan leaped onto the table, drew the wooden sword, took a few steps, and jumped directly into the corridor. At the same time, David, running faster in the corridor, had caught up to the panicked Lily, but suddenly his collar tightened behind him, and he was lifted into the air.
"Run!"
At the last moment, David abruptly pushed Lily towards the hall. Then, he bent his arms backward, producing a sharp snapping sound.
Along with David's screams, the tall boy, who was slightly behind, grabbed the stumbling Lily. He looked at David suspended in mid-air, his body trembling, and screamed at the top of his lungs, "Help!"
In a flash, Ling Yan had rushed into the corridor and thrust the wooden sword at the invisible ghost. Simultaneously, David's head in mid-air twisted backward.
"Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!"
For the first time, people heard the screams of a ghost.
David fell to the ground with a loud thud. A series of rapid footsteps gradually faded away in the corridor, as if the invisible ghost had escaped.
"David!" Noah and the others rushed over, but they were stunned.
"I... am too late." Ling Yan glanced at the corridor and said regretfully.
Although the final act of disembowelment wasn't completed, David's neck was bent backward nearly 180 degrees, making survival impossible.
"I told you, it only takes a moment for a ghost to kill someone."
Anna walked over slowly, the Hand of Decay in her hand, and said indifferently.
"Sister Ling Yan's reaction was fast enough, but even so, she couldn't rescue him in time. How useful do you still think these collections are?"
"At least we've confirmed that the ghost killed someone," Beom Seok, standing not far behind Anna, said with a slight shake of his head. "And we also know that the ghost is coming. Anna, your mood has been a little strange since Grace died. I hope you'll be careful..."
The second time, Beom Seok's words were interrupted by a roar.
"Albino!"
He turned his head, annoyed, but saw the tall boy, Albino, pushing Lily away with a horrified expression. His face had turned pale, and his legs gave way, causing him to collapse to the ground.
"What are you doing!"
Albino pointed at Lily's motionless body on the floor and stammered, "She... she's dead!" Everyone was shocked. Beom Seok immediately rushed over and grabbed Lily's shoulders.
Her body was still warm, but she was no longer breathing. Lily's eyes were wide open, and a strange smile, both mocking and malevolent, like Elizabeth's, was frozen on her face.
Thunder rumbled.
It was another rainy night. Although the hall was brightly lit, the atmosphere was heavy with dread.
After witnessing two companions killed before their eyes, no one could remain optimistic. The previous discussions, as Anna had predicted, had been futile.
"There's no need to be so gloomy. Weren't you all mentally prepared for this?" After returning the Hand of Decay to the couple, Anna found a corner to stand.
"I'm not in the mood to talk to you right now," Rami snapped, pointing fiercely at Anna. "Don't provoke me. I don't hit women, but that's when I'm not angry!"
"Then, before I leave, let me say something helpful."
"You're leaving again?" Beom Seok asked his tone a mix of exasperation and amusement. "Okay, tell us then. We're listening."
"The detection range of the candle is about ten meters. I can't measure it precisely without tools, but it's effective within that distance," Anna stated.
"You... how do you know that?" The man from the couple asked.
"Do you think I was just aimlessly holding a candle around the table because I was scared?"
Although everyone still felt that Anna's tone was off, at least they didn't think she would act as she had the day before.
"As of now, the Hand of Decay hasn't had any positive effect. Now I'll tell you its warning range: ten meters. This distance isn't very significant. Generally speaking, this item is quite useless." Anna spread her hands. "But I also deduced a second conclusion based on the changes in the flames: the invisible ghost passed through our hall to the corridor to kill people."
"Ah? What do you mean?" The reckless young man under Francesco asked immediately.
"...The brightness of the hall exceeded its killing limit, but the corridor did not. That's a useful piece of information," Anna finished.
"That's not good news," Francesco chuckled humorlessly. "Even though we've tried our best to repair it, the generator still has hidden dangers. It will be difficult to hold on until the end of the seven days."
"That's your problem. I'm leaving now."
"It's getting dark. Where are you going?" Rami asked.
"Of course, I'm going to make good use of this safe time. By the way, I wish you all a good sleep tonight." With these words, Anna turned and walked upstairs.
"What does she mean?" Rami asked the others, glaring.
Beom Seok rubbed his temples, a headache forming. "Today, all three ghosts have killed people. We don't have to worry about ghost attacks until we receive new text messages."
Grace was dead, Noah was a man of action, Francesco remained on the sidelines, and Anna now seemed disturbingly strange. He could no longer maintain his composed facade.
"Among the ten survivors, will it really be my turn..."
Beom Seok leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and pondered.