Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 251 Monthly Shop Update
Han Zhou was awakened by a violent shaking.

He usually slept well, but even he couldn't withstand such violent shaking. At first, he thought it was an earthquake. He opened his eyes groggily and then realized that it was Lin Anyu.

What's this guy up to at night instead of sleeping?
Before he could say anything, the other person said anxiously, "Han Zhou, something bad has happened!"

As if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, Han Zhou's consciousness suddenly cleared. He immediately rolled out of bed and asked while getting dressed, "What's wrong?"

His first thought was that something was wrong with the guzheng, so he hurriedly put on his clothes, grabbed his coat, and ran out of the room.

Lin Anyu hurriedly followed behind him, and when he saw him about to knock on the door of the next room, he knew he was mistaken and quickly stopped him, saying, "Now is not the time to wake them up, come downstairs with me and take a look!"

"Go downstairs?"

Han Zhou was stunned for a moment before realizing that the trouble Lin Anyu mentioned did not refer to Gu Zheng and Xiao Xiaoxiao. He breathed a sigh of relief, but then became somewhat puzzled.

If Guzheng and the others are alright, then who was the one who got into trouble?

Bai Tongtong?
"There's no time to explain, let's talk as we go!"

Lin Anyu spoke urgently, and then ran towards the elevator. Although Han Zhou was puzzled, he knew that the other party would not make a silly joke about him in the middle of the night, so he quickly followed.

Their room was on the third floor. Perhaps finding the elevator too slow, Lin Anyu waited two seconds before running down the stairs, saying as he ran, "I suspect someone committed suicide by jumping into the sea!"

Han Zhou was startled, and his expression immediately became serious: "Suspicion? You saw it?"

"No, I'm just guessing, but it's very possible!"

"What's the basis?"

"I saw a row of footprints on the beach leading to the sea, only this row of footprints!"

Han Zhou understood what he meant, and immediately sped up to the lobby downstairs. Amidst the shocked gazes of the receptionist, he rushed out of the hotel and headed straight for the beach.

In the stillness of the night, the beach was deserted. The salty sea breeze, carrying the unique chill of the night, kept seeping into his collar.

About ten seconds later, Lin Anyu caught up, panting, and asked with his hands on his knees, "Wh...how is it? Did you see anyone?"

He was a little puzzled. When did Han Zhou's physical strength become so good?
Or is it because he's been staying up too late lately and has become weak?

Han Zhou shook his head: "I didn't see the footprints you mentioned."

“How could that be?” Lin Anyu frowned slightly. “I just noted down the location; it’s between the blue and black parasols.”

He was a little anxious, so he quickly looked up and spotted the two parasols. Then he walked over quickly, pointed to the sand on the ground, and said, "This is probably it..."

Before he could even utter the word "里" (li), he suddenly froze.

There wasn't a single footprint on the entire beach, let alone a row of them. Instead, there was a few pieces of trash left behind. I don't know what kind of person had such a lack of public spirit.

He looked around in disbelief, but couldn't find any footprints further away either. His eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost.

"how so……"

Lin Anyu muttered to himself, wondering if he had come to the wrong place. He quickly looked up to check the color of the parasol again, but soon realized that he hadn't come to the wrong place. This was the spot he had just seen from the balcony.

Han Zhou came to his side and asked, "Are you sure you saw footprints here?"

"Hmm." Lin Anyu nodded seriously, then looked worried. "Maybe it got washed away by the sea when we went downstairs."

In the distance, the sea surged and crashed against the beach with a dull thud, as if a predatory beast lurked in the darkness.

If someone really did walk all the way into the sea...

Han Zhou shook his head to interrupt his wild thoughts and said, "There aren't big enough waves now to wash away all the footprints. And if someone really did commit suicide by jumping into the sea, as you suspect, that person would probably be dead by now, unless he could float in the sea."

He didn't doubt that Lin Anyu had made a mistake. Since the other party had woken him up in such a hurry, it was obvious that he had checked many times before making the judgment that "someone was committing suicide," so the possibility of him being wrong was unlikely.

He realized he had been too hasty. He should have checked the balcony first to confirm if the footprints really existed. The current situation was too different from what Lin Anyu had described. Even if he trusted the other party, he couldn't completely accept it as fact.

Seeing that Lin Anyu was unwilling to give up and was about to go to the beach to check, Han Zhou grabbed him and said, "Don't go over there. Your swimming skills are too poor. You might get swept away by a wave. You stay here and I'll go check it out."

Despite having some doubts about the so-called "suicide victim" and not believing that the person was still alive, he still planned to go and check on the situation, just to put his mind at ease.

Lin Anyu readily agreed, then hesitated and asked, "Should I call the police?"

"Report it. The police can access the hotel's surveillance footage; they might find something."

After all, it could involve a life, so it cannot be ignored easily.

"Okay, I'll call the police first. Be careful."

Han Zhou nodded, turned on his phone's flashlight, and walked steadily toward the beach.

His swimming skills are quite good, and his physical strength far exceeds that of ordinary people. Unless a huge wave several meters high suddenly crashes down on him, he has no need to worry about being swept away by the waves.

The sea was pitch black, and the light from his phone flashlight was practically useless; he couldn't see anything. He looked down at his feet and then looked around the coastline, but still found nothing. He could only shake his head and walk back to Lin Anyu's side.

After all, it was on a vast, boundless beach, and all traces could be swept away by the waves. It was expected that nothing would be found, and Lin Anyu was not surprised. However, his expression became more serious as he explained the situation to the police on the phone.

Han Zhou stood to the side waiting when his phone suddenly rang. He picked it up and saw that it was Gu Zheng calling.

As if he had thought of something, he turned around and looked towards the third floor of the hotel. Sure enough, Guzheng, dressed in pajamas, was waving in his direction.

As soon as I pressed the answer button, a girl's suspicious voice came from the other end of the line: "What are you two doing out so late at night?"

"It's nothing, just came out for some fresh air."

"Stop lying. Why aren't you on that big balcony? Why are you going outside for some fresh air in the middle of the night?" Gu Zheng clearly didn't believe her and pressed, "Tell me honestly, what were you two doing sneaking around like that?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing. Why are you out on the balcony in the middle of the night instead of sleeping? Did you have nightmares and couldn't sleep?"

"You're the one having nightmares!" Gu Zheng's tone changed slightly, and she said with a hint of guilt, "I just didn't sleep well, so I came to the balcony for some fresh air..."

This didn't sound very credible, but Han Zhou didn't care and laughed, "It's okay to get some fresh air, but be careful not to catch a cold. Is Xiaoxiao asleep?"

"No, it seems like she hasn't been able to sleep at all..." Gu Zheng lowered her voice, her tone somewhat worried, "Is her insomnia very serious?"

"I don't know, but even if it's serious, there's not much we can do. We're not doctors, so don't worry about it. Just get some fresh air and go inside to sleep."

"No way, unless you tell me what you two are doing," Gu Zheng said, dissatisfied. "You said before that you wouldn't hide anything from me."

Han Zhou didn't really want to tell Gu Zheng about Lin Anyu's suspicions, since she was timid and might come down to join in the fun and delay her sleep. But seeing how stubborn she was, he had no choice but to tell her what Lin Anyu had said.

"Footprints leading to the sea?" Gu Zheng was somewhat surprised after hearing this.

"Hmm," Han Zhou said. "Lin Anyu is certain he didn't see wrong, but the footprints disappeared as soon as we went downstairs, and we can't find them anywhere."

Gu Zheng seemed stunned for a moment, and after two seconds asked, "Are you kidding me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Aren't the footprints right under your feet?"

Han Zhou was taken aback, looked down and explained, "Oh, I just went to the beach and saw my footprints."

“I saw you just walking towards the beach, but that’s not what I meant. Look down at your feet, a little to the left, between the blue and black parasols. Isn’t there a row of footprints leading to the beach?”

Han Zhou's expression froze.

……

The police in Beicheng were quite dedicated, responding quickly even in the middle of the night. They arrived at the hotel in no time. When the receptionist saw two serious-looking police officers enter the hotel, she thought there had been a major murder case and immediately called the lobby manager.

Fortunately, it was just a false alarm; the two police officers were only there to retrieve surveillance footage.

After understanding the specific situation from the person who reported the case, a police officer immediately retrieved the hotel's surveillance footage. Unfortunately, the hotel's cameras were not pointed at the location Lin Anyu mentioned, so it was impossible to determine whether someone had actually committed suicide by jumping into the sea that night.

Another policeman went to the beach to search for the virus. When he returned, some parts of his clothes were soaked with seawater. However, judging from his furrowed brow, the search had yielded no results.

Fortunately, the security camera in another shop next to the hotel happened to be pointing at the "crime scene." The two police officers were invigorated and immediately went over to retrieve the surveillance footage from that night. However, after watching several hours of surveillance footage at high speed, up to the point where Lin Anyu and Han Zhou appeared on the beach, they not only did not see anyone walk into the sea, but they also did not see the footprints mentioned by the complainant.

This discovery sent chills down the spine of Lin Anyu, who was the one who reported the crime.

He clearly saw such a distinct row of footprints with his own eyes, yet the cold image on the surveillance video seemed to deny his memory. He turned to look at Han Zhou, who gently patted his shoulder, indicating that he didn't need to worry about it.

The two police officers were quite friendly. Although it was a wasted trip, a false alarm was better than a real murder. They did not characterize Lin Anyu and Han Zhou's actions as making a false report, but told them to get some rest before driving away.

Lin Anyu stood at the hotel entrance, looking utterly dejected as he watched the police car drive away. He said to himself with a self-deprecating laugh, "Why do I feel like they mistook me for a drunkard who was drinking fake alcohol?"

Han Zhou comforted him, "It's already good enough that they can treat you as a drunkard, otherwise you might have to visit the police station tonight."

Lin Anyu looked dejected: "Do you also think I made a mistake?"

He still felt he couldn't possibly be wrong, but the facts were undeniable, and he had no choice but to accept them, though he still felt resentful.

"No, not at all." Han Zhou shook his head solemnly.

"Why?" Lin Anyu was taken aback.

"You never missed a question when you peeked at my answers in high school," Han Zhou said seriously.

"What kind of answer is that?" Lin Anyu was amused.

"In short, I believe in you."

After all, Gu Zheng saw it too… Han Zhou silently added in his mind.

If Guzheng wasn't joking with him on the phone, then it seems they've encountered something terrible.

Are there a row of eerie footprints that some people can see but others can't...?

This truth is far more horrifying than someone committing suicide by jumping into the sea.

However, Han Zhou doesn't plan to tell Lin Anyu about this for the time being, at least not now, otherwise this guy definitely won't be able to sleep.

The priority now is to rest; even if we must solve the mystery, we can do so later.

But no way...

Could it be that some mysterious phenomenon truly exists in this world?

Although Han Zhou is a transmigrator with a status bar, which makes him one of the most mysterious figures, he still finds it unbelievable when faced with such a bizarre phenomenon that only exists in rumors.

What on earth is this?
……

[Monthly store update available]

【Item 1: Mysterious Pouch, a one-time use item. Opening it will grant you a mysterious message that may provide some clues or help in your current situation, or it may provide invalid information. Please use it carefully according to your current circumstances. It can be used 3 times and will disappear after three uses. It costs 66 points and can be purchased once a month.】

【Item Two: Status Extractor (Low-Tier), a one-time use item. After use, it randomly extracts a unique status from the current situation to replace any currently retained random status. This status cannot be permanently fixed and will disappear after seven natural days. (Note: If the status caused a significant deviation when it existed, the status bar will automatically make necessary corrections after it disappears. Adjusting or abandoning this correction requires consuming sufficient points.) Price: 111 points. Can be purchased once every three months.】

【Item 3: Skill Extension Pill (Low-level), a one-time use item. After use, it will randomly select one of your current skills and provide it with a certain direction for expansion. If you need to complete the expansion in that direction, you need to spend an additional 50 points and do some proficiency training. If you do not need expansion, it will provide a slight increase in proficiency for the original skill. Price: 55 points】

[Product 4: Sleeping pills, single-use item, one pill at a time. Promotes sleep after taking. If multiple pills are taken at once, the user will enter a deep sleep, and the awakening time is uncertain. Please control the dosage. Sold in bottles, ten pills per bottle, priced at 15 points.]

【Item 5: Interesting lucky draw (upper, middle, lower), one-time use item, effect can only be viewed after drawing the lot, price 33 points】

I fell and sprained my medial collateral ligament, needing to rest for several weeks. It's heartbreaking. Also, I need to emphasize that this book contains no supernatural phenomena or abilities; the status bar is the only anomaly.

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(End of this chapter)