Chapter 125: Children’s Laughter (5)
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The guests, who had somewhat calmed their pounding hearts after Zhang Wubing’s suggestion that it was a prank, found their heartbeats accelerating again due to the sudden appearance of Yan Shixun and the words spoken by the terrified waiter. It felt like their hearts were about to leap out of their chests.
“De-dead, there’s a dead person?” The manager couldn’t even muster the energy to scold the waiter for being rude in front of the guests. He himself was so frightened that his mind went blank, and he could hardly speak properly.
The only calm person in the room was Yan Shixun.
His gaze swept over the eerie mannequin placed in front of the elevator, his brow furrowing uncomfortably at its peculiar design. Then he looked at the people inside the elevator, huddled together trembling like frightened chicks.
“How long do you plan to stay in there?” Yan Shixun raised his chin. “Come out. Aren’t you afraid the elevator might suddenly drop?”
Yan Shixun’s words spurred the people who had found a semblance of security in the closed space of the elevator to quickly scramble out, dragging their trembling companions along.
Even if, by the best-case scenario, this mannequin is just someone’s prank, Yan Shixun’s words are still valid. There’s no guarantee that the person who placed the mannequin won’t have other pranks up their sleeve.
Like making the elevator suddenly drop.
In the brief seconds that followed, An Nanyuan’s mind flashed through scenes from a dozen Hollywood movies he had seen, frightening himself with his own imagination.
Chi Yan was also pale with fear, which made her red lips appear even redder, as if dyed with blood.
But at this point, no one had the energy to comfort her. Even her number one fan, Bai Shuang, was so frightened that she couldn’t think straight.
The crew members still hesitated to approach the mannequin and instead stood in the farthest corner of the elevator hall, away from it, looking at Yan Shixun with some uncertainty.
“Don’t worry, this isn’t a corpse. Xiao Bing was right. It’s indeed a ‘prank’. Though the blood is real, the mannequin itself is made of rubber.”
Yan Shixun walked up to the mannequin, showing no fear as he stood face to face with it, his gaze following the strange contours of its face down.
Though he didn’t know who placed it here, Yan Shixun believed that this mannequin was meant for Chi Yan.
During the opening ceremony, Yan Shixun noticed that before the incense was broken into ash, it was first shattered into pieces, as if someone’s body had been cut apart.
This was not ordinary.
Yan Shixun had seen unusual occurrences during incense offerings before, but they were usually related to candles being extinguished or broken, as it was commonly believed among practitioners that “three short and two long are inauspicious for people, while two short and one long are inauspicious for incense.”
However, seeing them shattered like this was the first time for Yan Shixun.
And it happened twice in a row.
While ordinary people might consider this a coincidence, Yan Shixun did not.
He was well aware that the master brought in by the crew was no charlatan but indeed had some expertise. The master conducted the entire opening ceremony, and it did have an effect. It was akin to a guest visiting a scholar’s home for temporary lodging, greeting the scholar, presenting gifts, and informing them of their intent to stay for a few days.
The ceremony proceeded smoothly, and the spirits from all directions accepted this “greeting.”
Until Chi Yan appeared and wanted to offer incense.
Suddenly, the spirits became furious, a force intervened, shattering the incense into pieces, as if conveying certain information known only to it and Chi Yan.
And the mannequin before Yan Shixun now was no exception.
It was this force that was conveying the information known only to Chi Yan and itself.
Yan Shixun’s gaze carefully scrutinized the mannequin.
Although resembling a human figure, this mannequin had been deliberately dismembered and reassembled.
Whether intentional or not, the mannequin’s head was not attached to its neck but stuck onto its shoulder. Furthermore, its thighs were pressed against its arms, with its arms lying across its abdomen…
If this mannequin were displayed in a museum, people might initially be startled and mistake it for some kind of macabre art exhibition.
It had been cut into pieces and haphazardly pieced back together, bearing a shattered yet eerie smile.
With its head detached from its neck, one could clearly see the blood vessels and muscles within the cross-section, drenched in blood, making it difficult to discern as a lifelike mannequin but rather resembling a real crime scene.
It’s no wonder the crew members were so frightened.
Yan Shixuan paused, then delicately tapped the mannequin’s skin with his slender fingers, producing a hollow “thud” sound, unlike what one would expect from a corpse but more akin to the echo of a plaster sculpture.
“Don’t worry, it’s just a prank… aimed at someone specific,” Yan Shixuan’s gaze lingered meaningfully on Chi Yan before nodding towards the manager beside him. “I’ve already called the authorities. You can have your team check the surveillance footage to find out who’s behind this malicious prank.”
“Then, come with me to the fire escape.”
Addressing the others, Yan Shixuan added, “You can wait in the top floor suite or head downstairs, it’s up to you.”
“As for Miss Chi Yan… You can stay here and clarify with the authorities later about what you’ve been up to,” he chuckled softly.
With that said, he turned on his heel and began to stride away.
The manager was pale-faced: “Ah? Ah? M-me?”
Yan Shixun tilted his head curiously. “Aren’t you the manager responsible for this place? When something happens, do you expect the service staff to handle the scene?”
The manager felt utterly helpless, his legs trembling to the point of being almost unusable.
Meanwhile, the program’s cameraman standing next to the manager was completely dumbfounded, merely mimicking the movements of those around him. Seeing the manager walk over, he instinctively followed suit.
However, Yan Shixun intervened. “The guests are all here. Where do you think you’re going?”
The cameraman finally realized—Yan Shixun was heading towards the staircase where the crime had occurred, a scene unsuitable for broadcasting.
Quickly, he redirected the live camera towards the expansive floor-to-ceiling windows nearby, offering the audience a panoramic view of the surroundings in the French Concession.
After all, at that moment, everyone else was too shaken to appear on camera.
The audience appreciated the cameraman’s quick thinking.
[Goodness gracious! I nearly jumped out of my skin. Just when I needed some sunshine to calm my nerves! Can you imagine the feeling? You’re all cozy under your blanket, munching on fried chicken with one hand and sipping on milk tea with the other, laughing your heart out, and then suddenly the elevator opens, and boom, that thing appears out of nowhere!!!]
[I’m shaking like a leaf, and my goosebumps haven’t gone away yet. What on earth is that statue? It’s so eerie! I have a feeling I’ll be having nightmares tonight.]
[Oh no, why did I have to watch this alone at home? It’s all because the previous episodes were too cheerful, lulling me into a false sense of security. Now I’m curled up in the corner of the couch, too scared to walk past the art statue in my living room to get back to my bedroom.]
[Oh my gosh! Who can understand my pain? My room is filled with figurines, those lifelike ones! Why do I suddenly feel so terrified in my own room? It’s like all those figurines are staring at me]
[…..I quietly wrapped myself tighter in my little blanket. I’ve always been scared of those dolls that look like humans. When I was little, my grandmother told me that those dolls would come to life when I couldn’t see them. I thought I had finally outgrown that childhood fear, but now it’s all coming back to me, oh no.]
[You can’t even say you’re not afraid of dolls! I, someone who’s always been told I’m fearless, without any of those messy phobias, got scared too! It was so sudden! Just as I turned back to grab some water, I caught sight of that thing’s eerie smile on the screen. It was so creepy! I got goosebumps.]
[That thing popped up just as my little brother walked in, and I screamed my lungs out, scaring him half to death. We were both yelling like crazy in the room, and we freaked out the neighbors too. They probably thought something terrible had happened…]
[The production team was supposed to escort Chi Yan back to her room, so was this prank originally aimed at her? Who could have done this? Chi Yan is such a kind person, this is just too malicious! If the production team hadn’t been with her, if they hadn’t walked her back, she would’ve been all alone to face this, wouldn’t she? I can’t even imagine how someone would feel seeing something like that as they step out of the elevator all by themselves.]
[She must have been scared out of her wits, to the point of having a heart attack or fainting from fright. Anyway, someone like me with a weak heart just can’t handle this kind of scare tactic. Maybe someone was jealous of Chi Yan, so they did this? They found out about Chi Yan’s schedule, then set it up in advance or something. After all, Chi Yan has good character and acting skills, so it’s possible that someone in the industry envied her and wanted to ruin her.]
[But did you hear what the waiter said? Is it really a dead body? That’s so terrifying.]
[Brother Yan said he’s already called the authorities, so they should handle it professionally. Don’t worry, Brother Yan ‘s got this.]
[Could it be that we were so scared we saw it wrong? At first, I also thought it was a dead body. It was only after Brother Yan knocked on it that I realized it was a dummy model. Maybe the idea of dead bodies came from being too scared and seeing things. Otherwise, why would there be dead bodies in the walls of the hotel next door… I’m never staying in a hotel again.]
The people who had initially breathed a sigh of relief when Yan Shixun appeared could only watch as he walked over and then prepared to leave again. But Yan Shixun’s reason was too convincing, so they didn’t dare to speak up to keep him. However, Lu Xingxing, who had come with Yan Shixun, stayed behind.
“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you. If anything does show up, I can handle it. You don’t need to be afraid,” Lu Xingxing said, puffing out his chest with confidence. “After all, I’m from Haiyun Temple.”
However, the crowd: “……….”
Thanks, although I appreciate your concern, I’m not feeling comforted.
Lu Xingxing: “??? What’s with that expression? Don’t you trust me?”
Clearing his throat, Zhang Wubing sought the opinions of the others, “So, should we wait for Brother Yan to come back in the top floor suite, or should we go downstairs and wait in the lobby?”
An Nanyuan, with his exceptional ability to connect ideas, had already filled his mind with movie scenes he had seen before when no one was talking to him. Scenes of the elevator suddenly dropping and everyone being smashed into a pulp replayed over and over in his head.
So when Zhang Wubing asked, An Nanyuan jerked and immediately spoke out, “We can’t take the elevator!”
His voice trembled with urgency and fear.
Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at An Nanyuan, wanting to know the reason.
“Brother Yan is right, if that guy can pull off such a despicable prank, who knows what else he’s capable of? It’s not impossible that he tampered with the elevator.”
An Nanyuan quickly added, “Plus, the only elevator that can access the top floor suite is this one. If he’s targeting Miss Chi, it’s highly likely that even this escape route has been cut off.”
That makes sense.
After all, after someone has done such a despicable thing, it’s unrealistic to expect them to have a high moral standard. It’s uncertain, but if it does happen, then there will be no way to escape in the elevator, and we’ll just have to wait helplessly for our demise.
The crowd hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
“Nanyuan’s right, we can’t take that risk.”
“But… do we really have to be near that thing, in the same space as it? Are there really no other ways to go downstairs? I’m a bit scared.”
The waiter left on the top floor trembled as they spoke, “There’s only this passenger elevator. There’s a freight elevator too, but it only goes to the next level down. If we want to go further, we’ll have to take the fire escape stairs. But, over there, at the stairs…”
As soon as the topic of stairs came up, the waiter, who had calmed down somewhat after seeing living people, seemed to recall the horrifying scene in the stairwell, trembling so much they could barely speak.
Even though they didn’t know exactly what the stairwell looked like, the reaction of the waiter spoke volumes. They didn’t want to walk through a stairwell with such a terrifying atmosphere.
The group exchanged glances. “Well, in that case, all ways of going downstairs have been cut off.”
“Alright then, let’s listen to Brother Yan’s advice and wait in the living room for now. It’s better to stay with a fake person than to see a dead body.”
“This is quite something. An accident at the opening ceremony, and now this! Director Li’s film has been through a lot…”
The group murmured softly, shaking their heads in resignation.
Despite saying “a fake person is better than a dead person,” as they walked from the elevator hall to the living room, everyone still hugged the walls, crab-walking sideways to avoid the mannequin, too afraid to breathe normally.
Bai Shuang, in particular, was so scared her eyes were shut tight, afraid to even glance at the mannequin.
It was only after everyone cautiously made it past the elevator hall that they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
An Nanyuan flopped onto the soft couch, disregarding any semblance of idol image. He clutched the pillow tightly, curling up in the corner of the sofa, seeking some semblance of security.
Oddly, it was Zhang Wubing, who should have been most afraid of ghosts and the most timid, showing absolutely no signs of fear. His mind was filled with question marks.
He couldn’t understand why he couldn’t sense any ghostly presence at all. Even when he saw the mannequin, he only felt a brief moment of fear before realizing it was just an ordinary statue, and his emotions returned to normal.
What was going on? Did this thing discriminate between people too?
Surprisingly, the calmest person among them was Chi Yan.
She even personally helped the trembling Bai Shuang to the couch, settling her down. Then, she fetched a bottle of warm milk from the nearby drink cabinet and handed it to Bai Shuang, soothing her in a low voice.
It wasn’t until Bai Shuang took a deep breath, smiled gratefully at her, that Chi Yan tidied up Bai Shuang’s messy hair with a smile. Then she straightened up and sincerely addressed everyone, “I’m truly sorry. It’s because of me that everyone had to experience this. I feel so guilty, I hardly know what to say.”
Beautiful women always had privileges, especially when they were vulnerable yet trying to remain strong and full of apologies.
The variety show celebrity wasn’t too happy initially. He felt it was an unjustified calamity, especially since the prank seemed to target Chi Yan. Although he didn’t know how that person knew Chi Yan decided to stay in the top floor suite at the last minute and set up all of this, if it weren’t for Chi Yan, the production team’s rooms would have been booked downstairs, and they wouldn’t have had to go through this.
So, he couldn’t help but complain inwardly, feeling somewhat resentful towards Chi Yan.
But when Chi Yan started apologizing, the variety show celebrity suddenly felt embarrassed, realizing that as a man, he should have helped the lady, instead of thinking so narrowly.
After all, Chi Yan was also a victim. It wasn’t her doing all of this, so if anyone should be blamed, it should be the person behind the prank.
The variety show celebrity quickly waved his hand and reassured, “You’re being too exaggerated. Luckily, we came up with you, otherwise facing this alone, who knows how scared you would have been.”
As someone who was about to work on the same production as Chi Yan, Zhao Zhen also offered words of comfort, “Sister Chi, don’t worry. Brother Yan has already called the authorities, and we can ask the manager to review the surveillance footage later. They will definitely catch the prankster.”
“Oh, by the way, Director Li doesn’t know about this yet. I need to inform him,” Zhao Zhen said, pulling out his phone. “If you’re feeling uncomfortable, Sister Chi, I can help you ask for a leave of absence from the director. Encountering something like this, it’s only natural to take a few days off to rest and recover.”
Chi Yun smiled bitterly. Although she always wore sunglasses, concealing her eyes, the bitterness at the corners of her lips was clearly felt by everyone. “Thank you, I’m really sorry. First the opening ceremony, and now this, I probably shouldn’t have come. Otherwise, such things wouldn’t have happened…”
“It’s not your fault, Sister Chi Yan. You’re a victim too,” Bai Shuang reached out and held Chi Yun’s hand, wanting to offer her some comfort.
However, Chi Yun’s delicate and beautiful hand felt soft to the touch but was cold and stiff, like an lifeless porcelain sculpture. This made Bai Shuang shiver, forgetting the comforting words she had wanted to say. Her mind buzzed, but all she could muster was a blank stare.
The others didn’t notice Bai Shuang’s distress, and Chi Yan didn’t say anything either. She just nodded and sighed, “I should go and apologize to Director Li myself later.”
……
When Li Xuetang received Zhao Zhen’s call, he was already feeling somewhat irritated.
He had just tried calling the master who had been hired for the film production, but after the first call was answered and immediately hung up, the subsequent dozen calls only yielded the waiting tone of “beep beep,” with no one picking up.
Li Xuetang, displeased, turned to his assistant and asked, “Who does this so-called master think he is? Can’t he clarify his position? What kind of attitude is this?”
The assistant dared not speak and could only awkwardly smile, then quickly took out their tablet and showed the director the latest promotional posts from the official account.
“Director, look at this. The post just went up and already has millions of views. If we calculate based on this ratio, there should be tens of millions of people interested in our movie. The buzz is building.”
Below the post were nine grid photos, including pictures taken during the opening ceremony when the director was offering incense, as well as a complete group photo of the production team. In the group photo, Chi Yan was also present, but there were no individual photos of her offering incense.
This was the solution decided upon by the publicity team. Since there was an issue with Chi Yan’s incense offering photos, rendering them unusable, they decided not to use any incense offering photos of anyone and only feature the director alone. This way, it would give viewers the impression that there was no individual photo promotion, rather than drawing attention to Chi Yan’s absence from the publicity materials.
After all, it wouldn’t seem right to exclude photos of the female lead from the publicity.
Moreover, Chi Yan had maintained a good reputation over the years. Apart from some detractors and competitors who continuously spread rumors and slander, such as attributing her success to acquiring talismans in Country T, keeping spirits, or borrowing luck from other people through masters — a series of unfounded speculations and defamation — few people disliked her.
After all, Chi Yan’s beauty, even in the entertainment industry filled with beauties, was top-notch. Over the years, she seemed to have found the fountain of youth from some undisclosed doctor. Despite being in her thirties, she looked as fresh as someone in their early twenties, maintaining both her state and looks impeccably.
Furthermore, despite her beauty and high status, Chi Yan had a down-to-earth demeanor and managed her relationships with everyone very well. So, her fans were known for their strong cohesion. They might not be overly zealous on regular occasions, but they were loyal to the core. If Chi Yan were truly wronged, her millions of fans would rally to her side and cause trouble for those responsible.
The publicity team certainly didn’t want to stir up trouble for themselves.
Apart from featuring photos of the production team, the dynamic also included a group photo of the program team, tagged the official account of the program team, and engaged in friendly and intimate interaction. This attracted many fans of the program team and its guests to leave comments and likes under the dynamic, rapidly increasing its popularity. Tags related to the production team also quickly rose on the real-time popularity list.
It seemed that those fans were really buying into it.
Even Li Xuetang, who usually didn’t pay much attention to popularity, was very clear about it. For the sake of authenticity, this film didn’t opt for studio shooting and post-production; instead, it ambitiously rented out the entire East Concession for filming.
Although shooting on location yielded better results, the costs also increased exponentially, quickly depleting the production team’s budget. Without enough box office revenue supported by popularity, such high costs would undoubtedly lead to losses.
Some investors had already begun to express complaints, subtly suggesting sending a producer over.
Li Xuetang knew very well that once this door was opened, there would be a continuous influx of “actors” lacking acting skills but with popularity and connections. By then, the film would be ruined.
Fortunately, the popularity brought by the program team gave investors a glimpse of profit, temporarily quelling their dissatisfaction.
This also made Li Xuetang breathe a sigh of relief.
At this moment, as he looked at the publicity heat displayed by his assistant, Li Xuetang’s mood, which had just been soured by the rude attitude of that master who refused to answer the phone, warmed up a bit.
It was precisely at this moment that Zhao Zhen’s call came in.
Upon hearing about the hotel incident from the other end of the phone, the director’s face darkened ominously. “It’s Chi Yan again?”
He wasn’t obsessed with these supernatural theories, but to have such incidents happening consecutively on the day of the opening ceremony was too ominous!
“You guys wait, I’m heading back to the hotel.”
Li Xuetang snorted coldly. “Chi Yan says she wants to apologize to me in person? She should be explaining what exactly happened! “
The words his longtime partner had just said to him still echoed in his ears. Li Xuetang, whose temper was not very good to begin with, was not going to give Chi Yan any face this time. He needed to know what was wrong with Chi Yan. Her troubles couldn’t become troubles for his movie.
“She asked for the contact information of that master before, and I gave it to her. I heard she even asked for contact information from other masters. With such frequency, she should explain clearly what trouble she’s gotten into!”
Zhao Zhen hung up the phone, feeling a bit dazed.
Was the director implying… that Chi Yan also hired the master who was at the opening ceremony?
His gaze couldn’t help but turn to Chi Yan.
Before participating in this program, he didn’t believe in ghosts and spirits, and he always scoffed at those in the industry who tried to win using such methods.
But that didn’t mean he was unaware of the fact that there were indeed people in the entertainment industry who did such things.
Could Chi Yan… be one of them?
When a person starts to doubt, all the rumors that were once firmly believed to be baseless gossip begin to be believed.
Zhao Zhen began to recall the small pieces of gossip he had heard and seen before.
There had always been rumors circulating about Chi Yan’s seemingly ageless beauty, suggesting that she used methods other than conventional means. Some said her miraculous career was due to her keeping a ghost or using some kind of unorthodox but effective spiritual practice, while others claimed she kept evil spirits or practiced witchcraft.
There were endless speculations.
However, because of Chi Yan’s rising career and her usually impeccable image, these rumors were often dismissed as attempts by competitors to tarnish her reputation.
After all, in show business, where there’s fame, there’s always gossip.
Even Zhao Zhen himself had been subjected to such smear campaigns.
Initially, Zhao Zhen thought these rumors were foolish, but now he suddenly wasn’t so sure anymore.
Could it be… that Chi Yan really did those things?
After all, Zhao Zhen knew she hadn’t done anything wrong, but human nature was complex, and in the entertainment industry’s cutthroat environment, people were capable of anything to achieve fame.
Zhao Zhen hesitated.
Meanwhile, Chi Yan noticed Zhao Zhen’s gaze and smiled at him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing…” Zhao Zhen hesitated for a moment before shaking his head slowly.
However, at that moment, Bai Shuang suddenly screamed and stood up abruptly from the sofa.
Simultaneously, a strong smell of blood permeated the living room.
Everyone turned to look and saw that Bai Shuang was holding an opaque milk bottle, her hands and clothes covered in splattered blood.
The top of the milk bottle, which had just been twisted open, still bore a ring of red stains.
It seemed that the source of the blood was right there in the room.
“Blood,” Bai Shuang cried out with a trembling voice, “hot blood!”
In the spacious living room, everyone stared at Bai Shuang in shock, momentarily at a loss for words.
Suddenly, Zhang Wubing recalled that it was Chi Yan who had casually taken the milk from the hot drink cabinet and handed it to Bai Shuang—the bottle she was holding now!
Zhang Wubing immediately tried to walk over to comfort Bai Shuang and inquire about Chi Yan.
But as he got up, he felt his vision spinning, completely losing control of his body, and he fell backward with a “thud!”
Not only Zhang Wubing, but others also belatedly realized that their vision was being engulfed by darkness, starting from the edges of their sight until it filled their entire field of view.
Everything turned pitch black.
“Thud—!”
It was as if someone had switched off the lights in the entire space.
In the darkness, everyone lost consciousness.
Only the motionless puppet in front of the elevator twisted its neck and lifted the head from its shoulder, its mismatched arms reaching towards the direction of the living room. Its lifeless eyes suddenly turned blood-red.
The puppet’s mouth gaped wide, extending all the way down to below its ears, as if its entire head had been split open from the middle.
In the darkness, the smell of blood permeated the air.
“Giggles…”
…
In the stairwell, the manager trembled uncontrollably as Yan Shixun dragged him down. If Yan Shixun hadn’t held onto his collar, he would have slipped down the wall at any moment, collapsing into a puddle.
Even though he was a manager of a high-end hotel accustomed to dealing with many prestigious guests and handling unimaginable incidents, he was still just an ordinary person. Seeing dead bodies and such… He really couldn’t handle it!
Yan Shixun could see the manager’s inner turmoil from his expression, but he had no intention of letting the manager leave.
Apart from the manager being the person in charge of the hotel, which was necessary given the situation, Yan Shixun also had questions for him.
As they descended the fire escape, the entire ceiling and walls were smeared with flesh and blood.
But this wasn’t the result of natural splatter; it was deliberately applied by someone.
The master invited by the crew lay sprawled on the stairs, face down, eyes almost popping out of their sockets in terror, as if he had seen something horrific before death. However, his limbs had all been severed at the joints, twisted at unnatural angles.
Blood flowed in a meandering stream from under him on the stairs, forming a blood waterfall that was chilling to behold.
And the flesh and blood smeared on the walls also came from here.
Yan Shixun stood on the stairs, tilting his head back to look at the blood-red ceiling with its uneven chunks of flesh. He extended his arm to roughly gauge the height, estimating it to be about four meters from the ground where he stood. It was impossible for a normal person to reach such a height.
Yet the smooth smears left on the ceiling appeared as if someone had casually wiped them onto the white wall while running, without any breaks or pauses, indicating they hadn’t used a tool or stood on a ladder to smear the ceiling.
How was it done?
Yan Shixun examined the bloodstains around him, but from the patterns of the blood and the direction of the flesh, the only thing he could think of was that something floated in the air to do the smearing.
…Or perhaps, that something was directly lying on the ceiling.
As this thought flashed through Yan Shixun’s mind, he was startled, feeling a chill down his spine, subconsciously looking around at other places on the ceiling.
It’s worth noting that the human field of vision is approximately 210 degrees, under normal circumstances, it’s impossible to see what’s behind oneself or constantly look up at one’s own ceiling.
For humans, even with careful vigilance, limited by physiological structure, there are blind spots in our vision. If there’s something behind or above, it’s hard for a person to notice it immediately.
Judging from the master’s posture, he should have been killed from behind while hurrying down the stairs.
What’s strange, however, is that there are no obvious wounds or bloodstains on the master’s back. Judging from the wrinkles on his clothes, it doesn’t look like he was hit.
But there is blood on the master’s head.
Yan Shixun carefully avoided the blood on the stairs, standing beside the master and crouching down to examine his head.
The master was presumably of Taoist origin; during the opening ceremony, Yan Shixun observed that he employed mostly Taoist methods. Though not dressed in Taoist robes, he had the long hair typical of Taoist practitioners, styled in a traditional manner.
Amongst those ash-black strands, there was a damp gleam that hadn’t yet dried.
Yan Shixun lightly touched it with his finger, which came away stained with blood. He examined it closely; the viscous texture matched that of the still-warm body of the master, leading him to estimate the time of death to be about half an hour ago.
Coincidentally, this would have been around the time when Chi Yan and the others were riding up in the elevator.
The master must have hurried down from the top-floor suite, fleeing from something, only to be struck on the head from above, causing him to fall onto the staircase. Subsequently, his limbs were severed, and blood was smeared everywhere.
Is it decoration? Is someone finding it amusing? Or is it in bad taste?
Yan Shixun tilted his head back, watching vigilantly at the ceiling above him, on guard for something suddenly appearing on the ceiling without his notice.
“When we came up just now, the waiter said that the fire escape from the top-floor suite is only opened when the client who usually reserves the top-floor suite stays, and it’s usually locked. Besides the key we got from the front desk when we came up, who else has access?”
Yan Shixun asked the manager, “Why was this person able to appear in the fire escape?”
The manager, trembling against the wall, the strong smell of blood making him retch repeatedly.
“No, no, there’s only one key in total. We need to ensure the privacy and security of VIP clients; the more keys there are, the more likely there are to be management issues.”
Only one key?
Then how did this master come down?
Yan Shixun lowered his head, looking at the dead master with a furrowed brow.
Only a few servants who serve the top-floor suite knew about the passage, and the only key that was at the front desk but hadn’t been lost. So how did this master know, and how did he get in?
Unless… something opened the door for the master, like chasing away a dog, drove him here, and then killed him.
If it weren’t for him suddenly taking the fire escape, the master’s body might not have been discovered for a long time.
Before Yan Shixun could figure it out, he suddenly heard a “buzz!”
Then his entire field of vision plunged into darkness.
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