All right—though I suspected Bai Zhi was odd when reading her diary, after meeting her in person, Ning Zhe realized she was far stranger than he'd imagined.
"So far, we know that besides our real world, there are bizarre rule-bound realms like He Village, entered through 'gates' by people such as Gu Yunqing and me. But Bai Zhi is different."
Ning Zhe quickly organized his thoughts: "Bai Zhi can enter various uncanny worlds in her dreams and become trapped there. She instinctively knows each realm's taboo rules and precautions—almost as if she foresees the future."
As she'd said, Bai Zhi was an "urban-legend player." This odd fact made Ning Zhe feel she was the true protagonist.
What was more astonishing: even now, Bai Zhi still believed she was dreaming, treating Ning Zhe and Feng Yushu as dream NPCs and refusing to act on her own.
"She truly is unwell," Ning Zhe thought. "Her mind is broken."
"Ning Zhe, what should we do next?" Feng Yushu asked carefully.
"Turn off the lights." Before Ning Zhe could speak, Bai Zhi answered: "We know darkness equals safety. Trapped in the manor, our first task is to expand the safe zone—minimizing our chance of being found."
Logically, she was right. But…
"But ghosts fear light," Ning Zhe said calmly. "Light is necessary for the ghost to find and kill humans—but if it fears light, perhaps light is also what we need to overcome it."
"That's just your guess," Bai Zhi murmured.
"See? You really think this is a dream." Ning Zhe sighed. Unlike his all-in urgency, Bai Zhi's mindset wasn't so desperate. Believing she dreamt, she thought she only needed to hide in darkness until dawn, when she'd awaken safely.
In a dream that strategy made sense—it was the most reliable way to survive. But Ning Zhe thought otherwise: like in He Village, if they didn't break the rules and kill the ghost, they'd be trapped here forever.
"I won't try to persuade you. Good luck." Ning Zhe stood and headed for the door. "I'm leaving."
Outside, Ning Zhe looked up at the sky—a boundless black dome seemingly enveloping the entire manor. He stepped forward, then heard soft footsteps behind him.
Turning, he saw Feng Yushu following.
"Ning Zhe, I… I'll come with you."
Seeing her earnest face, he asked with mild surprise: "We finally found your daughter. Why leave Bai Zhi to follow me?"
"She's safe here… at least for now. You've helped me so much—I want to help you." Feng Yushu pressed her hands to her chest, hesitant. "Yesterday when I arrived, I overheard some electricians drinking tea. They said the manor's power grid splits into three sections, each with its own breaker."
"Outdoor grid—for lampposts, fountains, surveillance, alarms—the breaker is outdoors, though I don't know exactly where."
"Indoor grid—for rooms' lights and appliances—the breaker's on the first floor, hidden in a small secret panel."
"Backup grid—from a diesel generator in the basement. It's currently off, but best to disable it."
Feng Yushu spoke quickly and clearly. "I know where the surveillance room is—I'll go there. Keep in touch by phone, okay?"
"All right." Ning Zhe agreed.
He called Feng Yushu's number. As in He Village, internal calls worked though no outside network existed.
"Eh?" Feng Yushu stared at the caller ID, surprised and confused: "Zhang Yangxu?"
"It's me." Ning Zhe didn't elaborate. He waved Zhang's black phone, bent to pick up the iPad Bai Zhi had dropped, and tossed it ahead.
Flutter—
Another chandelier went dark.
"If only I had a gun," Ning Zhe muttered while hunting for the corridor light switches.
Zhang Yangxu was a VIP member of overseas shooting clubs who practiced whenever on business trips—so Ning Zhe's marksmanship was also good. A shame no firearm was at hand.
After shattering the second chandelier, Feng Yushu used her key to open her own room's door—adjacent to Bai Zhi's bedroom.
Ning Zhe waited by the doorway as she changed into sneakers and emerged, handing him a purple sun umbrella decorated with gold filigree.
"Since darkness is safe, we'll carry a bit of darkness with us," Feng Yushu said.
Ning Zhe opened the umbrella, approached an still-lit chandelier, and waited a few minutes. No ghostly approach.
"It works," he nodded.
"Wonderful…" Feng Yushu beamed, opening her umbrella too, and together they walked down the brightly lit corridor.
Though the umbrellas proved useful, Ning Zhe nonetheless extinguished every light they passed—either flipping switches or smashing fixtures.
On the second floor, they reached the staircase, then parted ways.
Feng Yushu headed for the surveillance room; Ning Zhe went to cut power at the indoor breaker.
After He Village and the manor's horrors, Feng Yushu's nerves had steadied. With support, she no longer flinched at every sound and could move boldly alone in this uncanny world.
Meanwhile, the straight-backed youth strolled through the corpse-strewn hall with his purple umbrella, casually smashing the overhead chandeliers.
As he walked, he pondered: "Ghosts need light to locate and kill, yet they despise—and fear—light. What is the true nature of that relationship?"
Chapters in advance there: patreon.com/Thaniel_a_goodchild