Ren Yifei didn't know what the artists were supposed to do; he only knew that he and the others had been reassigned to rooms and were waiting for rescue the next day.
After contacting the police station, they decided to work through the night to repair the suspension bridge, and perhaps they would be able to cross it tomorrow.
Of course, based on some kind of intuition, Ren Yifei felt that things might not go as smoothly as they imagined.
The two police officers couldn't go back today either, so the guesthouse booked them a room. Ren Yifei saw them gesturing as they talked, and he couldn't tell if they were talking about Han Feifei or Chi Bo.
Teacher Wang had already told them about 'Xia Chuan'. The young police officer's expression betrayed his true feelings; his probing was definitely not directed at an ordinary suspect.
However, neither they nor Teacher Wang revealed this matter.
Ren Yifei could imagine the consequences if people found out about this; they would directly identify him as the murderer based on the motive, without needing any evidence.
Then they will hate him and naturally treat him like a murderer, just like they treated Han Feifei back then.
Ren Yifei could even conjure up several scenarios in his mind, in which he was the protagonist who was ostracized and subjected to emotional abuse.
His gaze drifted towards the police officer and Teacher Wang.
He could understand the two police officers choosing to conceal the matter out of professional ethics. But he was quite surprised that Teacher Wang, whom he imagined to be rather selfish, cold-hearted, and prone to self-deception, also chose to conceal it.
Previously, there was no need to reveal the truth, as it wouldn't help her career. But now that someone has died, and Teacher Wang is being vilified, even though she knows he was the most likely motive, she still hasn't spoken out to divert everyone's anger.
Human nature is truly complex.
"Go back to your rooms first, and try not to go out tonight," the police officer said before leaving.
The group looked at each other, trying to make conversation: "Are you hungry?"
I'm hungry, but I don't want to eat.
"Me too."
It was past lunchtime, but no one had much of an appetite, so they just ate some bread to get by. Some people didn't eat a single bite, their expressions blank, like zombies.
"Go back and get some rest. We'll go back tomorrow," Teacher Wang said, and then moved all the students from the back room to the back room.
Ren Yifei dragged his luggage to the back courtyard. The courtyard there was smaller than the front courtyard. There was a tree planted there, and in the corner there was a long-abandoned dry well.
The back room already housed three travelers: an illustrator, a man with tattooed arms, and a photographer. Later, some more male guests moved in. So now there weren't enough rooms, and the two-person rooms became three-person rooms.
After the rooms were reassigned, Ren Yifei, Saman, and Hei Pi moved into one room.
Hei Pi, who shared a room with Chi Bo, seemed to have been ostracized, which is why he was assigned to Ren Yifei's group. However, Hei Pi himself was in a daze and probably hadn't realized it yet.
The room in the back building wasn't much bigger than the room in the front building. With two beds for three people, nobody wanted to sleep in the middle. Samantha silently took the left side, while Blackie put his bag on the right and sat there in a daze.
Because of his autism, Ren Yifei was a little later than others, and he could only compromise with the only option in the middle, dragging his suitcase.
There wasn't even a power outlet in the middle, so he had to find another corner to charge his universal power bank.
The sleeping problem is temporarily solved, but what about the changing clothes problem?
Because the trip was planned to be a one-night trip, most people only brought one change of clothes, which they were already wearing. Their bags contained only their dirty clothes, so…
Ren Yifei sighed, took out the dirty clothes, and ran to the bathroom to wash them. They were all thin summer clothes; once wrung out and hung to dry, they would be almost dry overnight.
"I once broke a beautiful vase, thinking that by secretly sweeping it under the cupboard, I wouldn't see it and would slowly forget about it. But in fact, it's always been there, and when others aren't looking, shards can get stuck in your feet." - From the gardener.
Ren Yifei was rubbing his clothes with one hand and holding his phone with the other.
"Perhaps you can tell others that a vase was broken here." A sincere apology begins with revealing the truth.
After replying, he put his phone back.
Ren Yifei was washing clothes in the bathroom, while Hei Pi was on the phone in the room.
Because his phone was running out of battery, Blackie was talking to his family on the other end of the line while it was charging. He looked tall and strong, but he was still panicked and fearful in the face of such a sudden change.
These NPCs were far more vibrant than the ones he encountered on the deserted island; they were like real people. They had family and friends, and although they were within the confines of the instance, it felt as if there was a vast, real world outside.
It was unclear what Saman was doing; he seemed to have discovered something else. Ren Yifei saw him chatting with the guesthouse staff, but couldn't hear what they were talking about because of the distance. However, judging from the smile on his face, he might have discovered a hidden side quest in this instance.
It's unclear whether this hidden side quest is related to the village's secrets. Ren Yifei is already itching to intercept it.
"Achoo!" Samantha, who was leaning against the cushion, sneezed. He suspected that the air conditioning was set too low.
Samantha was researching the past of Wutong Village. This village wasn't always called Wutong Village; it used to be called "Fengyi Village." Indeed, as they said, the village's history spans several hundred years, dating back to the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.
Yes, they are descendants of a prominent Ming Dynasty family who fled to the mountains to live in seclusion. Their ancestor refused to serve as an official for the Qing Dynasty, so he brought his family to live in seclusion in these deep mountains.
Of course, this was the first generation. Now, the situation is completely different. At least, the spirit of his ancestors is not much left, but a lot of dross and garbage has been preserved.
Samantha was almost certain that the seemingly sleazy photographer had come for this purpose. He tried hard to portray himself as a free-spirited 'artist,' but some of the little habits of trained police officers would still surface, and those who were observant or very familiar with the police would recognize him.
This police officer, disguised as an artist, was carrying a DSLR camera today, seemingly taking photos, but actually conducting a check.
Why did Saman know so much? Of course, it's because he followed the photographer all the way to the meeting point.
He didn't know how the photographer later encountered He Xiangxue and the others who had gone missing. Perhaps they met while searching for the secrets of the village.
Saman was somewhat disappointed; he couldn't go out tonight. As a member of the group, if he left without permission, he might receive a gold reward and then become a target for the dungeon.
After washing the clothes, Ren Yifei hung them on the clothes rack. Then he took a shower and changed into his pajamas.
There were still two-thirds of the space on the clothes rack for two other people to hang their washed clothes, but they didn't seem to have any intention of doing so.
Saman even smiled and probed, "You seem completely unaffected, still able to think about doing laundry."
Ren Yifei gave him a cold look: "Your happiness is practically overflowing from your eyes, because he offended your goddess?"
Samantha choked, thinking to himself that the mountains and rivers were truly 'lively' when they were young.
Upon hearing this, the dark-skinned man looked up at Jiang Shaobo, his eyes bloodshot: "You're happy?"
Saman: ...
Samantha and Blackie had a 'friendly' exchange. Blackie sat down on the ground, panting, tears streaming down his face. It wasn't because he lost, but because he was thinking of Chi Bo.
Meanwhile, Saman, twisting his arm to the side, cursed inwardly. The younger version of Shanchuan was not to be trifled with either; he was vengeful and held a grudge.
He had absolutely no doubt that this person was a player.
Undoubtedly, this younger version of the mountain and river will be the key challenge of this dungeon, and also the reason why high-end dungeons are high-end. Such a person is usually, or rather, almost never, a being possessed by a player.
Imagine that the most difficult part of the dungeon becomes a fool who gets into trouble on the very first day, while the other players can just lie there until the dungeon ends.
How could such a good thing happen? The Wasteland Corner isn't crazy.
Therefore, Saman was convinced that 'Xia Chuan' was an NPC, and a key NPC at that. He had also figured out all the other players, leaving only A Fei and Gui.
He currently has three suspects: Teacher Wang, the illustrator, and the policeman posing as a photographer.
Ah Fei, he's probably harder to find than a ghost.
Samantha sighed inwardly, and couldn't help but wonder which bed Ah Fei was in right now. At this time, men and women were sleeping in the same bed. Although he knew there was nothing wrong with it, he still felt a pang of jealousy.
He has never shared a bed with anyone (not counting the sofa).
Ren Yifei, holding the blanket, chose the middle spot, while the black-skinned man on the ground was still immersed in sadness and panic.
Chibo died in front of him; he watched him go from a healthy man to a dying patient, and then actually die.
These thoughts kept swirling in his mind. On one hand, there was sadness; on the other, fear; and finally, anger.
He wanted to know who did such a cruel thing and why.
Ren Yifei looked at Hei Pi, whose eyes were red and tears were streaming down his face, as if he was sad.
"Even if you're sad, it won't help," Ren Yifei said.
"What do you know? We've been best buddies for three years!" Blackie was enraged by Ren Yifei's emotionless words. He stood up and approached Ren Yifei, seemingly intending to vent his anger on the weak.
However, when Saman next door lightly tapped the bedside table and hummed, he gave up.
"Who is it? Is it a psychopathic killer?" Blackie paced back and forth in the room. "Chibo is such a nice person. He takes good care of people and often brings them breakfast."
Oh ho, what an interesting way to put it! Ren Yifei almost laughed.
"What kind of expression is that?" Ren Yifei didn't laugh, but his sarcasm was picked up by Hei Pi, who couldn't hold back any longer. He took a step forward and grabbed Ren Yifei's clothes.
"The police are right outside. Do you want to lay a hand on me?" Ren Yifei asked calmly.
Hei Pi and Chi Bo do have a good relationship, and Chi Bo may indeed treat Hei Pi very well, but so what? The people they bully won't think that way.
Birds of a feather flock together. Ren Yifei didn't believe they were completely unaware of Chi Bo's private affairs, or that they themselves were part of the bullying.
Needless to say, Chi Bo was constantly being bothered by Liu Jinjie, who was with them.
Perhaps these people don't see this as a 'trouble,' and if they live well, they might casually say 'youthful arrogance' when they meet at a class reunion someday.
If perpetrators of violence are not punished, then the existence of order will be meaningless.
Blackie let go of his hand, dejected, but no one in the room paid him any attention.
Ren Yifei didn't even use his phone. He slept in the middle, covered with a thin blanket, and closed his eyes. Each of them had their own blanket.
The ID card in my pocket was slightly warm; a message had arrived. It was already eleven o'clock.
He heard the sounds of Samantha lying down, turning on the light, and covering himself with a blanket, as well as the sounds of Blackie tossing and turning and groaning beside him. He could even hear the sounds of arguing next door.
In the panic, everyone's emotions were very agitated, and they could explode at any moment.
Ren Yifei couldn't fall asleep. He kept his eyes closed, and the sounds around him became clearer and clearer.
These sounds can indicate the movements of others in the darkness.
Samantha had already lain down, and Ren Yifei guessed that he was holding a prop card, wary of others. Blackie stood up; he couldn't sleep, so he sat down on a chair nearby.
There were many noises around me, and I don't know how much time had passed before I heard the sound of rain outside.
The rain grew louder and louder, and then thunder began to rumble, muffled and deep. Amidst the rhythmic sound of the rain, Ren Yifei truly fell asleep.
He was a light sleeper, always feeling someone moving around him, and his heart was constantly in his throat, making it impossible for him to truly fall asleep.
"Ah—" The woman's scream pierced the walls, and the entire back ro
om shook.