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

Chapter 538 New Victim

Tang Yin walked in the middle of the group, occasionally glancing back at Gao Mei, who was lagging behind. She looked like a walking corpse, her head lowered, her expression shrouded in shadow, making it impossible to discern her inner thoughts. Was she tormented by pure fear, or was she wary of something else? This question lingered in Tang Yin's mind.

After passing through several winding hillsides, the thick fog thinned slightly, and the outline of a wide open square gradually emerged. Chen Xiang and Zhao Gang were waiting there anxiously. Seeing that they were safe and sound, Chen Xiang immediately came over and asked, "Is everyone okay?"

Zhao Gang simply nodded silently, his brow furrowed. The presence of these two people made the team stronger, but the inexplicable sense of oppression only grew stronger.

"...Is the old man still sleeping?" Qian Jin suddenly asked with a hint of impatience in his voice.

Zhao Gang's expression was serious. "My mother-in-law is changing clothes. She's not in good health." After saying that, he looked around and suddenly said with a determined look, "I'll go find the others. Qian Jin, you come with me."

Upon hearing this, Qian Jin immediately sneered: "...Are you ordering me around?"

Zhao Gang ignored his provocation and turned to look at Tang Yin: "Maybe you need a man's help. Tang Yin, I'm sorry, can you go with me?"

This was the first time Zhao Gang asked Tang Yin for help. Tang Yin's heart sank. If even Zhao Gang, who was always capable of handling things on his own, needed help, the situation must have become unimaginably serious.

"--Yes, of course." Tang Yin responded. He could sense Zhao Gang's inner uneasiness. At this moment, Zhao Gang must be worried that his most trusted companions had left this world forever.

Just as the three of them were about to leave, Chen Xiang's worried voice came: "-Um, Qin Ming, is it convenient now?"

"What's wrong, Mom?" Qin Ming turned around and asked.

"Can we go look for Qin Yi? He's not at home..." Before Chen Xiang finished speaking, everyone's heart sank. An ominous premonition spread in everyone's heart.

After a brief discussion, everyone decided to split up. Tang Yin, Zhao Gang, and Qian Jin would search the bungalow area, while Qin Ming, Wang Lina, and Tong Xiaoliang would search elsewhere. The crowd silently dispersed, disappearing into the thick fog, leaving only the sound of heavy footsteps echoing through it.

This was Tang Yin's first close inspection of the bungalow area. The wooden exterior walls had been stained a dark black by age, and the supporting pillars teetered precariously, as if the slightest push would cause them to collapse. Overgrown weeds threatened to engulf the buildings. Shrouded in thick fog, the dilapidated houses resembled the fallen carcasses of enormous beasts, exuding an indescribable eeriness.

The three of them carefully pushed aside the knee-high weeds and moved forward.

Suddenly, there was a rustling sound in the grass, like some small animal moving quickly. Was it an ordinary insect? Or a frog? Or something else? Tang Yin didn't dare to be careless and immediately took a fighting stance, ready to deal with any possible danger.

Walking through the overgrown path, Qian Jin stopped in front of a dilapidated wooden house and said with a complicated expression, "...Hua Lu lives here."

"Ah, this little house?" Zhao Gang looked at the dilapidated building in front of him. The wooden boards on the roof had rotted and the walls were covered with moss.

Qian Jin clenched his fists and said through gritted teeth, "Damn it, why does she have to live in a place like this." His voice was full of regret and anger.

"If even you don't know, how should I know? It should be arranged by the Hua family, right?" Zhao Gang's tone was a little sarcastic.

"I only know that she came to the Hidden Mist Village voluntarily, and there is no need for the Hua family to do this." Qian Jin retorted, with a trace of regret in his eyes.

Zhao Gang sneered: "Is she here to exorcise the devil? What a waste of time."

"...Zhao Gang, I don't mind your attitude towards me, but you should at least respect her." Qian Jin's voice was low and dangerous.

"No matter what, she is from the orthodox elder family of Baifeng Village, right?" Qian Jin emphasized, with a hint of pride in his eyes.

Zhao Gang curled his lips in disdain: "So what? This is the Hidden Mist Village. Once the [Banquet] begins, everyone will be devoured. Didn't she say that herself?"

Qian Jin didn't bother to argue with Zhao Gang. He quickly walked over and knocked on the door: "Tsk... Hualu, Hualu! Are you okay?!"

Tang Yin silently observed their conversation from the side. Zhao Gang harbored a deep-seated hostility towards the Hua family, no, rather, towards the entire four elder families. This hostility made it impossible for him to conceal his disgust.

Recalling the attitudes of the other villagers towards Hualu, although not as close as Qian Jin, they all held an inexplicable distance, as if treating her as an alien. This alienation was understandable. After all, the Hidden Mist Village had always been excluded by Baifeng Manor, and how could the grudges between the two sides be easily resolved?

A few minutes later, the wooden door creaked open, and Hualu slowly emerged, still wearing her usual, out-of-place attire. Her ankle-length black dress, intricately embroidered with gold thread, accentuated her increasingly pale face with a somewhat morbid beauty.

"...We must find Xiaome." Hualu said, her slender fingers unconsciously twisted together, obviously very anxious.

The group continued forward and arrived at the next small house. This house was even more dilapidated than Hualu's residence, with a crooked door frame and the glass on the windows long gone.

"...Xiao Mei, it's dawn!" Tang Yin shouted while knocking on the door. He glanced at his companions. Hua Lu's weak voice was obviously not enough to wake them up, and Zhao Gang and Qian Jin didn't seem to be willing to help.

The knock on the door echoed in the silent fog. After a few minutes, the door finally opened. Xiao Mei appeared at the door, rubbing her sleepy eyes. Her messy short hair still bore traces of pressure from sleeping. It was obvious that she had just been woken up.

Xiao Mei stood at the door, blinking sleepily. Her messy short hair still bore traces of pillow marks. She yawned and uttered a lazy sound: "...Mee."

"Xiao Mei, that's great!" Hua Lu's voice was filled with obvious relief, and her slender fingers gently rested on Xiao Mei's shoulders. A gentle glint flashed in her dark eyes, and the gold thread on her long dress shimmered faintly in the morning light. Zhao Gang frowned, looking at the gradually brightening sky, and said to Qian Jin, "Qian Jin, take them to the cafeteria." His tone was filled with a subtle hint of anxiety.

"Hualu, come with me, and be careful where you step." Qian Jin said gently, his eyes never leaving Hualu's pale face. He noticed a few loose stones scattered on the ground and reached out to support Hualu.

Hua Lu was about to take a step when she suddenly stopped. "Um...that." She turned to Tang Yin, her voice so soft it almost disappeared in the morning mist. Her slender hands unconsciously twisted together, as if she was hesitating about something.

Tang Yin raised his head in confusion, the morning dew dampening his hair. "Hmm?"

"I'm so sorry." Hualu lowered her head, the hem of her black dress swaying gently in the morning breeze. There was a barely perceptible choke in her voice, as if she felt guilty for what was about to happen.

This sudden apology left Tang Yin momentarily bewildered, and he uttered a foolish "Hmm?" Before he could comprehend the meaning behind this, Qian Jin, Hua Lu, and Xiao Mei had already vanished into the dense mist. Their figures were gradually swallowed by the grayish-white mist, leaving only the sound of their receding footsteps.

"...Is it really okay? Let Qian Jin go first." Tang Yin asked softly, watching their retreating figures. There was a hint of unease in his voice, as if he had a premonition that something bad was about to happen.

Zhao Gang sneered, a sarcastic expression on his face: "Even if he stays here, it's useless. I want him to help me clean up the body if the eldest daughter of the Hualu family dies."

"However, I already know who the dead person is." Zhao Gang's tone suddenly became solemn, and a trace of pain flashed in his eyes.

"We can't rule out the possibility of Master Wolf, right?" Tang Yin asked tentatively, but he had already vaguely guessed the answer in his heart.

"Stop talking!" Zhao Gang suddenly became excited, his voice filled with suppressed anger. "Old Man Gao got up earlier than anyone else. If he were still alive, he would have patrolled the Hidden Mist Village three times by now."

Zhao Gang's voice trembled slightly: "Sorry, Uncle Gao's house is just ahead." He pointed to a low wooden house not far away, where the fog seemed particularly thick.

Tang Yin was speechless and could only follow Zhao Gang silently. The heavy footsteps were particularly harsh in the morning mist, and every step seemed to tread on their tense nerves.

The wooden door was ajar, unlocked. As it creaked open, a strong, fishy odor lashed out, the stench of a fresh corpse. The pungent smell made Tang Yin take a step back, his stomach churning.

"...Damn it, damn it..., damn it..." Zhao Gang turned around, his angry roar echoing in the empty room. He clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.

Tang Yin took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. Since Zhao Gang had lost his composure, he was the only one left to investigate the scene. This was the reason for his presence, and he had to convince himself otherwise.

With trembling hands, Tang Yin squatted down and began to examine the body. Compared with the victim yesterday, the damage to this body was much less serious.

But what made them even more uncomfortable was that just yesterday, this person was still alive and talking to them, discussing trivial matters in the village. This strong contrast made Tang Yin feel dizzy.

Gao Zhijie's body lay flat on the ground, his muscular physique impressive even in death. His proud muscles were still clearly visible, and every groove in his skin spoke of his former strength. He wore a faded gray work vest, the fabric stained with dark red blood.

But the most shocking sight was his head—the entire skull was completely unrecognizable, as if it had been repeatedly crushed by some heavy object. Shattered skull fragments mixed with brain tissue formed a hideous pattern on the wooden floor. A sticky, dark red liquid spread out, gleaming sickeningly in the morning light. A few strands of gray hair clung to the pool of blood, silently bearing witness to the brutal murder.

In stark contrast to the tragic state of his head, his torso was virtually intact, his rough, calloused hands still clenched into fists, as if he were putting up a stubborn resistance in his final moments.

"Should we clean it up?" Tang Yin's voice sounded particularly heavy in the silent room. His gaze remained on the broken body, trying to find more clues.

"Of course..." Zhao Gang gritted his teeth, his voice filled with helplessness and pain. He held onto the door frame, as if that was the only way to support his shaky body.

Tang Yin took a deep breath and forced himself to look directly at the bloody scene before him: "Can you give me a moment?"

"What do you want to do?" Zhao Gang frowned and looked at Tang Yin in confusion. The morning light filtered in through the window, casting a shadow in his deep eye sockets.

"I want to investigate the scene again." There was a hint of firmness in Tang Yin's voice that could not be refused.

Although he knew that doing so violated the principles of on-site preservation, in this isolated village, they clearly had their own way of handling the situation. Looking at the miserable corpse, Tang Yin knew they couldn't just let it rot there. As an outsider, he had no right to interfere with the village's rules, but he could at least gather as much information as possible within his limited abilities.

He squatted down and carefully examined Gao Zhijie's injuries. Unlike the two bodies yesterday that were almost torn to pieces, the wounds on this body were mainly concentrated on the head. Tang Yin's eyes lingered on those hideous wounds, his mind racing.

The completely shattered skull and the dense cracks on the skin, with no obvious cuts, clearly indicate blunt force trauma. The killer repeatedly struck the victim's head with powerful blows until the skull was completely destroyed. This highly targeted attack suggests the killer may have harbored a deep hatred for the victim.

"It's not manslaughter." Tang Yin muttered to himself, "This is premeditated murder."

The difference in their methods of murder left Tang Yin deeply perplexed. If Xia Hui and Zhou Zhengxiong were killed by "contamination," Gao Zhijie's death seemed more consistent with the characteristics of a "wolf." He recalled the eerie figure he had seen in the fog last night—was it a simple wolf, or the legendary werewolf?

But if the "pollution" was also caused by the werewolves, this would contradict local legend. According to the villagers, the pollution was a punishment from the Senmyōjin, the mountain god. Why would the wolf god, who is in opposition to the mountain god, be the one to carry out the pollution?

Tang Yin rubbed his temples. These scattered clues were like a tangled mess, each one pointing in a different direction. He stood up and scanned every corner of the room, hoping to find more supporting details. The sunlight gradually grew brighter, illuminating the mottled bloodstains on the floor and this mysterious crime scene.

(End of this chapter)