You said you were going to make games, how did you become the richest man without doing anything?

Chapter 523 The First Victim

Tang Yin's eyes, bloodshot, stared wearily at the crumbling wooden door of the restroom. A night of terror and torment had left deep marks on his pale face. His thoughts were a tangled mess, but one thought remained crystal clear: tomorrow, no matter what, he would make Wang Lina reveal the truth.

He clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms. "If things are beyond my ability, I will leave immediately." Tang Yin secretly made up his mind, a hint of determination flashing in his eyes.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind like lightning: motorcycle! Tang Yin breathed a sigh of relief, a wry smile unconsciously rising from the corner of his mouth. "The motorcycle is almost fixed, it should be fine." He muttered to himself, as if to cheer himself up.

However, reason quickly took over. Tang Yin shook his head violently, his brows furrowed. "No, even if we can't repair it, we have to leave immediately." His eyes became firm, as if he had made up his mind. "At worst, we can just walk all the way to Baifengzhuang. There should be transportation there."

The night deepened, and the air in the toilet seemed frozen. Tang Yin forced himself to stay awake, staring unblinking at the crumbling wooden door. "I can't sleep tonight. I must stay alert until dawn." He kept repeating this sentence in his mind, as if it was his only lifeline.

As time ticked by, Tang Yin's consciousness began to blur. He recalled the past, a wry smile playing on his lips. He had once disliked watching the sky gradually brighten. It only led to negative thoughts, like another all-nighter or another injury to his health. In his mind, adequate sleep and the freshness of the morning sun were the hallmarks of a healthy, natural lifestyle.

However, Tang Yin was desperately eager to see the sun. When the first rays of morning light finally filtered through the crack in the door and caught his weary eyes, he suddenly realized: the morning sun is so beautiful! This discovery filled him with an indescribable feeling of emotion.

Throughout the long night, Tang Yin was surrounded by the scent of the beast, and fear followed him everywhere. At this moment, his clothes were soaked with cold sweat, and he was so weak that he could hardly stand. Even the simple act of taking off his soaked coat was extremely difficult for him.

Although the sunlight gave Tang Yin a glimmer of hope, it did not completely relieve his tension. Just taking off a piece of clothing almost exhausted all his physical strength. Tang Yin gasped and felt dizzy.

At this moment, a familiar voice suddenly came from outside: "Tang Yin!"

It's Wang Lina! Tang Yin instantly felt a strong sense of security surge like a tide. His legs softened involuntarily and he almost fell to the ground.

However, vigilance quickly took over. "Is this a trap?" Tang Yin's mind raced. "If I open the door now, will a wolf with its maw agape appear?"

After hesitating for a moment, Tang Yin took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "Forget it, stop overthinking and open the door." He mustered his courage and slowly reached for the latch with his trembling hands.

Tang Yin's trembling hands slowly pushed open the rickety wooden door, his heart pounding violently in his chest. However, when the door finally opened completely, he froze in his tracks. The scene before him was completely different from what he had imagined.

There was no warm morning light, nor was there a peaceful and tranquil countryside. Instead, there was a world that seemed to be soaked in milk, with thick white fog filling the air, as if the entire world had been swallowed by some mysterious force.

Tang Yin's eyes widened, trying to penetrate the thick veil, but his efforts seemed futile. It felt like he was completely enveloped by thick clouds, completely isolated from the outside world. As far as he could see, there was only a blur of gray.

He stood at the door of the crude toilet, his feet rooted to the ground, staring blankly at the vast expanse of white. Tang Yin's heart was filled with doubt and uneasiness, and the courage that had just been beating in his chest seemed to be drained away in an instant.

At this moment, a familiar voice penetrated the thick fog and floated into his ears: "Tang Yin!"

It was Wang Lina's voice! Tang Yin suddenly came back to his senses. The call seemed to come from far away, yet it seemed to be right next to his ear. This strange feeling made his back chill, but it also gave him a glimmer of hope.

Tang Yin took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He took his first cautious step into the unknown fog. The damp, cold mist immediately enveloped his entire body, as if countless tiny tentacles were crawling across his skin.

"Wang Lina, here!" Tang Yin mustered up the courage to shout, but his voice sounded particularly hollow in the thick fog.

A moment later, Wang Lina's voice rang out again, this time much clearer: "Mr. Tang Yin, you're still alive? That's great! - Ah!"

That last exclamation made Tang Yin's heart tighten. He quickly turned in the direction of the sound, squinting his eyes as he tried to distinguish it. Finally, in the depths of the thick fog, he vaguely saw a blurry figure.

"Are you okay?" Tang Yin asked with concern as he walked in that direction.

"It's stuck in the field." Wang Lina's voice sounded a little depressed and helpless.

Tang Yin quickened his pace, carefully moving through the thick fog. As the distance shortened, Wang Lina's figure gradually became clearer. She was standing awkwardly in a muddy field, her legs deeply stuck in it, looking a little ridiculous.

"Really? Come out quickly." Tang Yin walked to the edge of the field and stretched out his hand to help.

Wang Lina rolled her eyes and said unhappily, "Why don't you give me a hand?"

Tang Yin then realized his mistake and smiled awkwardly: "Can you pull it? Give me your hand - Hey!"

He grasped Wang Lina's outstretched hand and pulled back with all his might. Wang Lina's body slowly emerged from the mud, but the sudden reaction caught Tang Yin off guard. They both suddenly lost their balance, like a pair of clumsy dancers, stumbling a few steps in the fog.

"Woohoo, it's safe." Tang Yin breathed a sigh of relief and was about to let go of her hand, but he found that Wang Lina's arms had been wrapped around his neck at some point.

Wang Lina laughed triumphantly, a sly glint in her eyes: "Strong man locks up the man, how about this trick! Lock it up, lock it up!"

Tang Yin was momentarily bewildered, a faint blush spreading across his face. Although his posture was somewhat ambiguous, he had indeed successfully rescued Wang Lina from the mire. The two of them remained frozen in the thick fog, their breaths mingling.

Wang Lina's hair was a little messy from her struggle, a few strands playfully clinging to her slightly flushed cheeks. Her eyes were exceptionally bright in the mist, and Tang Yin could even see his own slightly flustered reflection in them.

"Um." Tang Yin cleared his throat, trying to break the awkward silence, "Should we..."

……

Wang Lina's eyes flashed with concern, and she asked softly: "That's great, are you okay?"

Hearing this, Tang Yin felt a bitterness well up in his heart. He recalled the horrific scene last night, the monster peering from the darkness, its eyes gleaming with a faint green light. A chill ran down his spine, and he muttered to himself: Am I really okay?

But he still pretended to be calm, forced a smile, and replied: "Well, I finally made it through."

Tang Yin's mind raced. He couldn't confirm the monster's identity yet. Even if he told it, no one would believe it. After all, such a supernatural being was absurd in the real world. He decided to test Wang Lina's reaction first.

"By the way," Tang Long said casually, "it seems there were wild beasts last night."

As soon as he finished speaking, he keenly noticed the change in Wang Lina's expression. The girl lowered her head, her long eyelashes casting a shadow on her face, as if she was trying hard to hide something. Tang Long's heart moved. She really knew about this.

"I have a lot of questions for you," Tang Long decided to get straight to the point. "First, what was that screaming last night?"

Wang Lina's body stiffened visibly, and she hesitated and said, "This..."

"Hey, do you know?" Tang Long asked, feeling more and more uneasy.

Wang Lina began to evade the subject again, her eyes flickering, as if she was trying to avoid the topic. Tang Long had a bad feeling, as if a terrible truth was about to be revealed.

Finally, Wang Lina took a deep breath, raised her head, and looked Tang Long in the eye. "Let's go. We'll see it sooner or later anyway." Tang Long subconsciously extended his hand, and Wang Lina naturally followed suit. Their fingers intertwined, but the atmosphere at the moment was far from romantic. A heavy atmosphere enveloped them, as if they were about to face some unimaginable horror.

They carefully crossed the path through the fields, which was engulfed in thick fog. The fog was like an invisible beast, swallowing everything around it. Tang Long could feel Wang Lina's palm trembling slightly, not knowing whether it was from the cold or fear.

Finally, the outline of the student dormitory building loomed in the fog. Before they could get close, a familiar figure emerged from the fog and hurried towards them.

"Ah, Mr. Tang Yin, are you okay?" Qin Ming's voice was filled with obvious concern.

Then, Tong Xiaoliang's teasing voice came over: "Congratulations on surviving, pit man."

Tang Long couldn't help but smile bitterly and responded, "Thank you, warm bed man. It seems that you are all okay—" Suddenly, he realized that someone was missing, and his heart tightened, "Where is that sister Gao Mei?"

Could the worst have happened? Tang Long didn't dare to think further.

Qin Ming quickly explained: "Don't worry, she's fine, she was just scared. She's resting in the room now."

Tang Long breathed a sigh of relief, but doubts still lingered in his mind: "Really? Are you guys up so early?"

Tong Xiaoliang raised his eyebrows and said with a half-smile, "I didn't expect you to make it through. Did you sleep last night?"

"How is that possible?" Tang Long shook his head and smiled bitterly. "I didn't sleep the whole night until Wang Lina came to see me."

Qin Ming's expression suddenly became a little strange, and he asked in surprise: "Hey, didn't you sleep?"

Tang Long was puzzled by his reaction. "No, how could I possibly sleep? You can't even sit there, right?"

Qin Ming's expression became even more confused. He stammered, "Ah, I didn't mean that. Is that so?"

An eerie atmosphere hung in the air, and Tang Long felt as if he had missed something important. He looked around and noticed that Wang Lina, Qin Ming, and Tong Xiaoliang all had unnatural expressions, as if they were hiding some terrifying secret.

Just then, a cold breeze suddenly blew past, dispersing some of the fog. Tang Long's gaze pierced through the thin layer of mist and saw a dark red stain on the ground not far away. Its shape was irregular, like the remains of some dried liquid.

Tang Long's heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and a terrible thought emerged in his mind.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. No matter what he faced next, he had to stay rational. Tang Long held Wang Lina's hand tightly, ready to face the mystery that was about to be revealed.

Tang Yin stood on the misty path, the air around him frozen. His mind raced, trying to comprehend the ins and outs of this bizarre incident. Qin Ming's hesitant expression, Tong Xiaoliang's meaningful smile, and Wang Lina's glint in his eyes—all the details woven into a disturbing picture in his mind.

Tang Yin thought to himself: Don’t get lost in thought without permission. Doesn’t this arouse my curiosity?

He took a deep breath, determined to break the suffocating silence. "By the way, what are you doing here?" Tang Yin asked casually, his eyes darting between the three of them.

Tong Xiaoliang shrugged, with an indifferent expression on his face: "Wait for Gao Mei, then stand guard."

Standing guard? The word instantly caught Tang Yin's attention. In such a remote village, standing guard was rare. His eyes involuntarily fell on the foggy area not far away, and his uneasiness grew stronger.

Wang Lina seemed to sense Tang Yin's doubts and added softly, "No one can approach the scene before the situation is clarified, right?"

On the scene? As expected... Tang Yin's heartbeat suddenly accelerated. He had long anticipated something bad would happen, but the truth seemed even more terrifying than he had imagined.

Tong Xiaoliang suddenly revealed a meaningful smile, his eyes flashing with a provocative light: "Want to see? Pit man, do you want to test the strength of your stomach?"

Qin Ming frowned and looked at Tong Xiaoliang reproachfully: "Xiaoliang, don't make such jokes."

Tang Yin took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "...Ah, let me see," he said, his voice trembling slightly.

To Tang Yin, the things he couldn't see and didn't know were even more terrifying. Furthermore, he could already smell a faint, peculiar odor, a nauseating, fishy stench.

Tang Yin knew that no matter what awaited him, he would have to face it. He gently pushed aside his companions who were blocking his way and slowly walked towards the "scene" shrouded in fog.

As the distance closed, the strange smell grew stronger. Tang Yin's heartbeat quickened, and cold sweat broke out on his palms. When he finally passed through the fog, the sight before him made him gasp.

What appeared before Tang Yin was a human corpse. But the word "corpse" seemed to be an inadequate description of the scene before him. The scene was extremely bloody, and it was almost impossible to recognize the original shape of the body. Like meat scattered on a butcher's chopping block, the victim had been completely dismembered.

Moreover, this "butcher shop" also sells offal. A closer look reveals various human body parts floating in this mountain of flesh and sea of ​​blood: wrists, scraps of clothing, hair... Tang Yin's eyes are drawn to a shoulder bag, lying alone in a pool of blood, as if silently telling a tragic story.

Until the very last moment, she hadn't let go of her interview tools. Tang Yin felt a pang of sadness. Unfortunately, her professionalism couldn't save her from this tragedy. Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind—the deceased was the food writer Xia Hui.

This discovery shocked Tang Yin. Was she killed by that monster? He recalled the strange figure standing on the steps last night and shuddered.

"...It's too cruel." Tang Yin couldn't help but sigh, his voice filled with sadness and anger.

Wang Lina cautiously walked over to Tang Yin and asked with concern, "Are you okay? Do you feel like vomiting?"

Tang Yin suppressed the discomfort in his stomach and replied calmly, "It's nothing. I'm used to it."

Wang Lina looked at him in surprise: "Tang Yin, is that your major?"

"Well, sort of, the medical department." Tang Yin answered vaguely.

A trace of admiration flashed in Wang Lina's eyes: "Oh, that's amazing... Can you perform an autopsy?"

Tang Yin smiled bitterly, trying to explain that "Department of Medicine" was just a name used by medical students outside the entire medical department to bluff. However, he did participate in several pathological autopsies.

Taking a deep breath, Tang Yin squatted down, clasped his hands together, and silently prayed for the deceased. The thick blood and internal organs—and digestive matter—emitting a unique odor that stimulated every nerve in him. Tang Yin suppressed the discomfort and began to carefully examine the body, hoping to find some clues.

The sight before me was horrific. The limbs and torso were still connected, but they had been forcibly folded into a bizarre bridge of flesh. Every bend was broken or snapped, completely disregarding the normal structure of human bones and muscles. Even more horrifying, the skin and muscles were torn all over, as if they had been torn apart by some enormous beast.

The damage to his internal organs was equally horrific. Intestines, liver, lungs—all of them had suffered severe damage, some even torn to shreds. Tang Yin forced himself to remain calm, but fear surged within him like a tide. This was no ordinary homicide; it was more like the work of some terrifying entity beyond human comprehension.

(End of this chapter)