Chapter 40: Too!
After everyone had settled in, they all chatted as they gathered in the dining room upon hearing the caretaker Hanson's call.
"I don't know why, but I feel a special connection with you the moment I see you," Ray said, pulling a chair over to sit next to Rango.
Looking at the man's strong, rugged profile, he couldn't help but lean closer.
"Really? Maybe it's because I'm from Queens," Rango smiled politely. "I have quite a few friends there. Once we're more familiar, I can introduce you."
"Oh~ I can't wait to have a deeper conversation with you,"
Rango smiled, subtly moving his chair aside.
Then, he poured the bottled water he had brought into a glass and thoroughly rinsed all his cutlery.
Given the caretaker's slovenly appearance, he wouldn't dare use the dishes without washing them himself.
Ray, seeing this, wanted to help, but as he got closer, Rango couldn't help but feel exasperated.
Just as he was about to lose it, Tori, who had just entered the dining room, looked around and immediately beckoned to him. "Hey, handsome, don't you want to sit next to me?"
"Coming!"
Rango was overjoyed and quickly pulled up a chair to join Tori and Cindy.
However, as soon as he sat down, he felt a strange sensation on his leg. He glanced down, but without any resistance, he half-heartedly responded to the woman's teasing.
A moment later, while he was still enjoying the footsie, Hanson pushed in a food cart.
A towel was hanging from his deformed left hand. Without that small hand visible, everyone's appetite seemed to increase.
The cart contained a basket of rolls, a huge roasted turkey, a bowl of mashed potatoes, and an apple pie.
What happened next was just like in Scary Movie 2: the old man first used his deformed hand as a stirring implement to mix the mashed potatoes.
Then, he proudly boasted about how he roasted the turkey—the bastard hadn't used a single drop of oil, just his own spit.
Just hearing this made everyone present feel nauseous.
Fortunately, not everything was made by him; there was also an apple pie ordered from delivery.
Before the old man could ruin it, Rango swiftly snatched it away, and under the caretaker's disapproving gaze, cut it up and distributed it to everyone.
"I have to admit, this might be the best apple pie I've ever eaten," Professor Oldman said with a smile after taking a sip of red wine.
Rango, still slightly hungry after his meal, wiped his mouth with a napkin and then cut to the chase with the caretaker. "Hanson, could you tell us about the owner of this mansion?"
Hanson gestured enthusiastically. "There's not much to say, really. Mr. Kane was a womanizer, Mrs. Caroline was incredibly jealous, and the master also had a beautiful mistress. They used to live here together, but one day, Mrs. Caroline seemed to have reached her breaking point."
Although he said there wasn't much to say, he still launched into a long tale of love and betrayal that had taken place in the mansion.
Rango summarized it as follows: Mr. Kane was extremely lecherous, not only keeping a mistress at home but also maintaining inappropriate relationships with the maids and servants.
In the end, Mrs. Caroline could no longer endure it all and one night ended the lives of Kane and his mistress with a gun before taking her own life.
After hearing his words, everyone at the table exchanged bewildered glances. Even Tori stopped what she was doing under the table, her mouth agape in shock.
"Wait, wait," Brenda said, pointing a finger and asking incredulously, "so, this place we're staying in is a murder house where three people died?!"
This statement caused an immediate uproar.
"Shit? Won't ghosts appear at night?"
"Ghosts? Come on! I'm a brother! Black people always die first when they encounter ghosts!" Shorty shouted desperately, clutching his head.
After shouting, he innocently asked the others, "By the way, what exactly are ghosts?"
"..."
"Hey, calm down."
Professor Oldman, who had been sitting upright at the head of the table, slammed his hand on the table and said seriously, "You are all college students with higher education, how can you believe in such nonsense as ghosts?"
"If there really are spirits in the mansion, how could this guy have lived here for so long?"
He pointed at Hanson, who had a look of amusement on his face.
The crowd, who had been somewhat panicked, gradually quieted down after hearing this.
A disabled old man had lived here for so many years without any problems; there was no reason why they would encounter ghosts as soon as they arrived.
Seeing that everyone had stopped discussing the matter, Professor Oldman glared at Rango with displeasure, then threw down his napkin and left the dining room.
Seeing this, Rango smiled and shrugged. The reason he asked in advance was to give Cindy and the others a heads-up.
Who knew how the plot would change after he joined? It was better to make Cindy and the others vigilant in advance, so they wouldn't run around in panic and cause him trouble.
Night.
In the bedroom on the second floor.
A man and a woman, their bodies intertwined, were fast asleep in bed.
Suddenly, a rapid and violent pounding on the window erupted, followed by a chilling roar that shattered the silence of the night.
Rango jumped out of bed, his eyes fixed sharply on the commotion outside.
But the creature outside had vanished without a trace.
"Shit!" Rango glanced at his watch; it was still more than half an hour before his midnight alarm.
He shook his head, then wrapped his arms around Tori's waist, resting his head on her chest, intending to sleep a little longer.
He'd worked the night shift the previous night and had just engaged in strenuous activity; all he wanted was to get a few more minutes of sleep before the alarm went off.
However, just as he closed his eyes, the irritating roar outside resumed, sharp and piercing!
"Fuck you!"
Rango roared, jumping out of bed and flung open the curtains, peering out and scanning his surroundings with piercing eyes.
Sure enough, behind the fountain statue a dozen meters away, a ghostly figure shrank back upon seeing him.
Seeing this, Rango shouted, "Get the hell out here! I've seen you, what's the point of hiding?!"
The ghostly figure peeked out from behind the statue, revealing a twisted face with bared fangs, attempting to scare him away.
Seeing this, Rango, unfazed, provocatively asked, "Hey, what's your name?"
The creature behind the statue paused, then roared in its hoarse voice, "Kane!"
Rango smiled and nodded, then immediately raised two middle fingers, cursing without any politeness, "Fuck you, Kane!"
Enraged by this sudden insult, Kane's eyes widened, and he retorted, "What's your name?"
"Hugh... Mungus... Bonner..."
"OK."
(End of Chapter)
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