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

Chapter 554: Strange Noise
As dusk deepened, the air in the room grew heavier. Wang Lina stood by the window, moonlight filtering through the glass, casting mottled shadows on her face. Her voice seemed to come from far away: "The murderer must be someone I know... and the murderer is definitely human."

Tang Yin's heart trembled, and he subconsciously wanted to retort: ​​"But, doesn't this contradict what you said about the gods?" But when he met Wang Lina's eyes, the words on his lips were swallowed back. What kind of eyes were those? The originally clear pupils were now turbid, as if covered by a layer of impenetrable fog.

"However." Wang Lina said word by word, with a strange rhythm in her tone.

She paused and continued, "No one."

Tang Yin felt an inexplicable chill and subconsciously looked away. At this moment, he didn't want to hear her say these mysterious words at all. But Wang Lina seemed unaware of his resistance and continued to speak: "You can escape from the clutches of the gods."

Another such inexplicable statement. Tang Yin couldn't help but shudder. Compared to those ethereal gods, Wang Lina at this moment frightened him even more. Every word she said seemed to contain countless secrets, and every look seemed to be able to see through people's hearts.

Moving the body was a laborious task, and Tang Yin had wanted to ask Qian Jin to help. However, Wang Lina stubbornly insisted on handling it herself, and her unyielding attitude left Tang Yin with no choice but to cooperate.

Following Zhao Gang's method from the previous day, they carefully removed the door panels. The body's stiff limbs made handling extremely difficult, and it took considerable effort to place the body on the door panels. Then, two men, one in front and one behind, lifted the door panels and began the arduous task of transferring it.

Zhao Gang's body was incredibly heavy; even two adult men would have struggled to carry such a weight. Yet Wang Lina silently shouldered nearly half the weight, seemingly to lighten Tang Yin's burden. Her slender arms trembled slightly from the exertion, but her face showed no sign of fatigue.

They carried the door panel, slowly moving forward in the silent night. Moonlight poured down like water, stretching their shadows far out. Qian Jin paced restlessly outside, apparently waiting not for them but for the flower dew that hadn't yet appeared.

Tang Yin no longer had the energy to speak, because if he wasn't careful, the body would slide off the tilted door. Every step required extreme concentration, fearing that a single mistake would ruin all his efforts.

Throughout the entire process, both men remained silent. Only when they could no longer hold on would they, using their rapid breathing as a signal, tacitly lower the door panel and rest for a moment. They would take this opportunity to stretch their aching arms and waists, adjust their posture, and continue on their way.

When they finally reached the cliff, Tang Yin noticed a subtle change in Wang Lina's expression. A hard-to-conceal sadness suddenly crossed her usually calm face. In the moonlight, her profile looked exceptionally pale, and tears seemed to glisten in the corners of her eyes, stubbornly refusing to fall.

The moonlight was like water. On the edge of the foggy cliff, Wang Lina's voice was choked with sobs: "Brother Gang is the elder brother closest to me in the Hidden Mist Village."

Tang Yin looked at her quietly, without asking further questions. The silence at this moment was worth a thousand words. He knew that some words didn't need to be spoken, some pains didn't need to be unearthed. Under the moonlight, Wang Lina's profile looked particularly cold, tears welling in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

"Yeah." Tang Yin nodded gently, motioning for her to continue. On this cold night, listening might be the only warmth he could offer.

Wang Lina looked into the distance, as if she saw the silhouette of the past through layers of fog: "We used to play together often, and every time I made the elders angry, he protected me." There was a hint of nostalgia in her voice, as if she was telling a distant dream.

"Hmm..." Tang Yin responded softly, not wanting to interrupt her memories.

The night wind blew Wang Lina's long hair, and she continued: "Even in this ghost place with nothing, Brother Gang loves everyone in the Hidden Mist Village." When she said this, her voice trembled slightly, as if some emotions were surging in her chest.

"Yes, I know." Tang Yin responded softly. In the night, the fog grew thicker, as if it was about to swallow up the entire world.

"He was a very sincere person." Wang Lina's tone was full of reminiscence and reluctance, and the moonlight cast a faint silver glow on her pale face.

"Yeah." Tang Yin nodded again. An indescribable sadness filled the air.

Wang Lina lowered her head, her voice almost inaudible: "I don't want to throw him into the Godhead Valley."

Seeing her painful expression, Tang Yin felt a pang of pain in his heart. "...Well, I understand how you feel. I don't want to do this either." He hesitated for a moment and said tentatively, "How about forget it? After all, only Zhao Gang and Granny Rong would care about this matter."

"...No, we have to do this." Wang Lina shook her head firmly, with a hint of determination in her eyes.

"Is it polluted?" Tang Yin asked softly.

"Yeah." She responded briefly, with helplessness in her tone.

Tang Yin looked at her determined eyes and finally gave up trying to persuade her. Some things might really be beyond one's control.

They moved forward cautiously in the thick fog, and gradually the outline of the legendary first hanging pine tree became faintly visible in the depths of the mist. The ancient pine tree was like a silent watchman, quietly watching the actions of the young couple.

When they reached the edge of the cliff, they both lowered the door in tacit agreement. The night wind whimpered, as if lamenting what was about to happen. Together, they pushed outward, and the door began to tilt.

"Goodbye...Brother Gang." Wang Lina said softly at the moment the body slid down, her voice as light as a falling feather.

The corpse fell into the abyss and disappeared in the thick fog. Tang Yin looked at the nothingness and couldn't help feeling bitter: Is this empty ceremony the endless way for the Hidden Mist Village to say goodbye?

They waited quietly for the sound of water falling, which would have signaled the end of the ceremony. However, the expected sound of water did not come. Instead, there was an eerie silence, as if even time had frozen in that moment.

What's going on? Tang Yin and Wang Lina exchanged glances, a sense of unease rising within them. What on earth was happening in the bottomless Divine River Valley? A chill wind howled off the cliff edge. Tang Yin frowned, gazing into the abyss. "No sound?" His voice tinged with confusion. Mist swirled in the moonlight, like a gigantic white dragon slithering through the valley floor.

Wang Lina's face was as pale as paper, and her fingers trembled slightly: "I don't know." Her eyes penetrated the layers of fog, trying to capture any possible movement.

"Did I hear it wrong?" Tang Yin muttered to himself, feeling a surge of unease. Logically speaking, falling from this height, the sound of water should be clearly audible.

Wang Lina suddenly spoke, with a hint of mystery in her voice: "I heard that the bottom of the Divine River Valley is connected to the Land of the Underworld." Her eyes became vague, as if she was telling an ancient legend.

Tang Yin couldn't help but smile bitterly: "...This is too magical, right?" He instinctively wanted to deny this unscientific statement, but in this village shrouded in strange fog, it seemed that anything could happen.

"No one knows what lies deep within the fog, and no one can prove it," Wang Lina said firmly, her eyes gleaming with an elusive light. The moonlight cast a faint silver glow on her delicate profile.

Tang Yin took a deep breath and made a bold decision: "I'll go down and take a look."

"Then there's no coming back," Wang Lina said firmly, her tone carrying a chilling certainty. Tang Yin looked into her determined eyes and suddenly understood something. This was Wang Lina's worldview. In her eyes, this mist-shrouded village held too many unknown secrets.

"Let's go back," Tang Yin said softly. To be safe, they decided to re-investigate Zhao Gang's home.

When they returned to the bungalow area, they saw Qian Jin pacing back and forth in front of Hua Lu's house. His tall figure cast a long shadow under the dim streetlight, and he exuded an aura of anxiety.

"Hasn't he come out yet?" Tang Yin asked as he approached.

Qian Jin frowned, his face full of worry: "No, you just said she was fine, do you have any basis for that?"

"There's a rustling sound in the hut..." Tang Yin was interrupted by Wang Lina before he could finish his words.

"You just stood there at the door without knocking?" There was a hint of sarcasm in Wang Lina's voice.

Qian Jin showed an incredible expression: "How can you be so rude?"

Wang Lina narrowed her eyes, her tone becoming more meaningful: "...Why are you so considerate of Hua Lu? The Qian family's status is higher than the Hua family, right?"

This statement caught Tang Yin's attention, and he looked at the two thoughtfully. It turned out that even in this closed village, there were subtle differences in status among the elders.

Qian Jin responded somewhat annoyedly: "...Men should be considerate of women, right?"

"I'm a woman too." Wang Lina snorted, a hint of dissatisfaction flashing in her eyes.

Qian Jin sneered: "Is it necessary to be considerate of people who are hostile to me? Huh?" There was a clear hint of hostility in his tone.

Just as the two of them were on the verge of a fight, Tang Yin said in a deep voice, "Stop arguing... We just buried Zhao Gang, didn't we?"

This sentence was like a bucket of cold water, dousing the anger between the two men. Zhao Gang's death weighed like a heavy stone on everyone's heart. The three of them fell silent at the same time, with only the night wind whimpering under the eaves, as if mourning for the deceased.

As the night deepened, the wooden door of Hualu's house cast a shadow in the moonlight. Tang Yin took a deep breath and spoke with determination, "I'm worried about Hualu too. If she gets sick or injured, it'll be troublesome. Let me try. At worst, I can just break in."

"Such rude behavior..." Qian Jin frowned, his face full of disapproval. The moonlight shone on his angular profile, making his expression even more serious.

Tang Yin looked at Qian Jin's prim expression and shook his head. If this kind of person saw someone stripping a woman for medical treatment, they would definitely report it. They had no concept of priority and valued etiquette over human life.

"Hua Lu! Miss Hua Lu!" Tang Yin walked forward and knocked hard on the wooden door. His voice was particularly loud in the silent night sky.

Suddenly, there was a slight rubbing sound from inside the house, like something was dragging on the floor. Tang Yin's heart suddenly tightened, and a terrible thought flashed through his mind - did she fall in the house?

"Hualu, open the door!!" Tang Yin's voice was filled with anxiety, and beads of sweat oozed from his forehead.

Still no response, only the unsettling rustling of clothes could be heard faintly. Tang Yin's gaze grew serious, a question forming in his mind: Was Hua Lu really in the hut?

"...Let's break in." Tang Yin gritted his teeth and made up his mind.

Wang Lina nodded silently, her pale face looking even more bloodless in the moonlight. Even Qian Jin, who had been opposed to this, could only reluctantly acquiesce to Tang Yin's actions.

Tang Yin carefully examined the door panel. It was a typical simple rural door, constructed from wooden keels and plywood. He estimated that with some force, he should be able to break it open.

Looking around, several old farm tools leaned quietly against the wall of the hut, casting long shadows in the moonlight. The wooden shovel and pestle were rotten and obviously useless.

Suddenly, a chopping axe came into view, its blade gleaming coldly in the moonlight. Tang Yin's eyes lit up: "It's you!"

"Ready—" Tang Yin raised the axe, his muscles tensed, and was ready to chop down.

At this critical moment, something strange happened.

Gada, gada gada...

The wooden door suddenly shook on its own, making a terrifying sound. Tang Yin was so frightened by this sudden change that he took a few steps back and almost dropped the axe in his hand.

He subconsciously turned to look at his companions and found that their expressions were also filled with surprise, no, it should be said that they were nakedly terrified. Wang Lina's face was pale, and her lips trembled slightly: "...w-w-what's going on?"

"Is this... floral dew?" Qian Jin's voice trembled slightly, his usual composure gone.

"Flower dew!!!" Tang Yin shouted loudly, his voice sounding particularly harsh in the silent night.

There was no response... After a few seconds of dead silence, the wooden door began to sway gently again, as if some invisible force was controlling it. Then, everything returned to calm again, as if everything just now was an illusion.

Tang Yin's mind raced: Did she fall against the door? If so, rushing in might hurt her.

He set down his axe and cautiously walked toward the door. Just as his fingers were about to touch the door, the eerie creaking sound began again, like a warning. The cold night wind blew, bringing with it an inexplicable chill.

(End of this chapter)