The Invisibility Cloak had a time limit, so Xiao Lou and the other two quickly left, while Ye Qi continued to monitor the Granny Sun's house.
After walking a distance, Xiao Lou asked in a low voice, "Early this morning, a notification said there was only one gem left in the village. Captain Yu, which one do you think it is?"
Yu Hanjiang thought for a moment and said, "The three gems from the dilapidated temple, the village chief's house, and Old Lady Qin's house have already been taken. We found the two gems in the wheat field outside the village. The gem in the Villager's house at the far east end of the village was probably also found by the Challengers searching the village. The last one left... might be the one in the pond?"
Xiao Lou said, "Should we go take a look?"
Liu Qiao said, "You two, you go to the pond. I want to go up the mountain to take a look. Last night, those people stole Villager's rooster and dog and went towards the west mountain. I think those animals should still be on the west mountain."
Xiao Lou was a little worried: "What if you encounter danger while traveling alone?"
Liu Qiao said, "It's okay, I have a flight card. If I can't beat them, I can run away."
Xiao Lou smiled and said, "Then be careful. We'll meet you at Xishan soon."
Liu Qiao nodded, then turned and flew away.
Yu Hanjiang looked at Xiao Lou and asked in a low voice, "What do you think of this girl?"
Looking in the direction Liu Qiao disappeared, Xiao Lou said, "She's very smart, otherwise she wouldn't have made it to Spade 4 all by herself. We still have spots on our contract book, and if she'd like to join, I'd like to take her along."
Yu Hanjiang frowned and said, "I'm worried that the next stage of the escape room will limit the number of people. The intermediate contract book is for 5 people, and the advanced one is for 8 to 15 people. If there aren't enough people, they'll match randomly. Rather than being matched with bad teammates, it's better to find suitable teammates in advance. Should we add Liu Qiao? Let's wait until we go to the main city and understand the rules of the next stage before we decide."
Xiao Lou nodded: "That's true. She might not be willing to team up with us; she still needs to talk to her sister."
The two chatted as they turned and walked toward the pond.
Along the way, they encountered many Challengers who were searching the village.
There are still 18 Challengers left in the village, but only one gem remains. Naturally, everyone is racing against time to get that last gem. The Challengers are in a hurry, and no one pays attention to Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang. They are all focused on searching the Villager's house.
Just then, a girl by the pond asked in confusion, "I didn't catch any fish, but I caught a box instead?"
The girl was clearly a bit slow on the uptake; she was fishing by the pond and ended up with a wooden box, completely unaware that it might contain gems. Her companion was the first to react, immediately running over and saying, "Shh... keep your voice down, let's see what's in the box."
However, she was still too late.
A man suddenly flipped down from the tree, used Balance to immobilize them, and snatched the exquisite wooden box from the girl's hand.
The girl's face flushed with anger: "I caught this, give it back to me!"
Her companion gritted her teeth and said, "You just robbed a girl of her things, have you no shame?!"
The man sneered, "The rules don't say you can't steal. Finding things depends on your own ability. If you get robbed, you can only blame yourself for being too weak."
He excitedly opened the box after saying that—but when he opened it, the box was completely empty.
The man paused, "Empty?" Soon, he realized he couldn't move his legs. He turned around abruptly and saw a masked, androgynous figure holding a crystal-clear red gemstone. The figure coldly said, "Here's what I said back to you—you were robbed because you were too weak."
The man left those words behind and quickly disappeared from sight.
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang came to check near the pond and happened to witness this scene of "the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind".
Xiao Lou lowered his voice and said, "If I'm not mistaken, that masked man just took the gem directly out of the box, right? He didn't go near the box. Maybe he drew a card like [Telekinesis]?"
Yu Hanjiang nodded and said, "These Challengers are all very skilled. Regardless of the others, let's go up the mountain first."
The last gem was just caught by the girl while fishing. With that, all seven gems in Liuxi Village have been found. Apart from the male and female couple who ran out of the village to hide, the others who obtained the gems should still be in the village.
Currently, Liuxi Village has 18 Challengers and 6 gems, and demand exceeds supply.
In the coming days, there will be more and more fights like the one we just saw. If things get out of hand, there may be vicious fights and bloodshed. Xiao Lou didn't dare to reveal that he was carrying a gem. He and Yu Hanjiang exchanged a glance and quickly left the area.
Ye Qi, who was in charge of listening, suddenly said through the Telepathic Connection: " Professor Xiao, Granny Sun's Villagers have decided to go up the mountain to find their chickens and dogs. Granny Sun and Old Mrs. Qin have taken them all to the Western Hills!"
Xiao Lou replied, " Captain Yu and I are heading to West Mountain. Xiao Ye, you and CEO Shao keep an eye on the village chief. Also, be careful of anyone trying to steal the gems. If someone tries to take them by force, teleport away first. We'll come back to support you as soon as possible."
Ye Qi's clear voice came from beside me: "Don't worry!"
***
When Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang arrived at Xishan, Liu Qiao was surrounded by people.
It was the same man and woman who had used white silk to bind and threaten Xiao Lou that day. They blocked Liu Qiao's path, and somehow, Liu Qiao fell directly from the tree. Her face was covered in dust, her hair was studded with leaves, but her eyes...
He said calmly, "I've already said, I don't have any jewels on me."
The woman sneered, "You think we'd believe that? After we came out of the ruined temple that day, we saw you fly over the tree. You must have found the first gem!"
The man said in a sarcastic tone, "Little sister, hand it over quickly, and we'll spare your life."
Liu Qiao said coldly, "I really don't have it. You can search for me if you don't believe me."
The woman glanced at Liu Qiao suspiciously, then moved closer to her, intending to search her. Xiao Lou stepped forward to help, but Yu Hanjiang suddenly grabbed him, saying, "Don't rush."
The next moment, a cute little red riding hood suddenly appeared where Liu Qiao was.
The little girl was less than 1.4 meters tall, wearing a red cloak and a large hood. She had a fair and delicate face with a warm smile that could melt hearts.
The woman was about to search Liu Qiao when she discovered that he had suddenly turned into a little girl, which surprised her.
The little girl asked earnestly in her childish voice, "Are you my grandma?"
The woman's expression changed: "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Upon hearing this answer, Little Red Riding Hood's adorable face instantly changed. Her features twisted at lightning speed, transforming into a large gray wolf. She opened her mouth wide and bit the woman's arm with her sharp teeth!
The woman let out a bloodcurdling scream like a pig being slaughtered: "Aaaaah..."
From a distance of about 10 meters, Liu Qiao coldly observed everything. After seeing Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang, she nodded to them, but did not come over to acknowledge them. Instead, she put away the card and quickly turned to leave.
Xiao Lou breathed a sigh of relief. No wonder Liu Qiao dared to act alone; the card " Little Red Riding Hood " she mentioned before was also very strong.
Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou ignored the couple and quickly followed Liu Qiao up the mountain.
Liu Qiao stopped under a tree in the distance to wait for them. Upon seeing the two, she immediately flew down from the tree and calmly said, "I was tricked by that couple. The woman had a strange card that could disable my skills, causing me to fall from the tree."
She wiped the mud off her face with the back of her hand, picked the leaves from her hair, and said, "I didn't acknowledge you because that would have made it easy for them to guess that the gems were in our hands."
Xiao Lou smiled and said, "You did the right thing."
Yu Hanjiang asked directly, " What's the deal with ' little red riding hood '?"
Liu Qiao explained: "Upgrading unlocks two skills, Little Red Riding Hood and Big Bad Wolf. You can use Little Red Riding Hood to replace the controlled person and turn them into a wolf to attack the target."
No wonder Liu Qiao was clearly being controlled by Balance, but a little red riding hood suddenly appeared on her spot, and she teleported to a distance. Xiao Lou praised, "This card is quite interesting too."
"I found the Villagers ' chickens and dogs." Liu Qiao pointed in the direction of the ruined temple. "They're all near the human bone pit."
Just then, a large number of footsteps came from not far away, clearly indicating that the Villager's main force had arrived.
Liu Qiao, Xiao Lou, and Yu Hanjiang immediately went into the backyard of the dilapidated temple and climbed onto the roof using a large tree to hide.
The roof is slanted, so lying on it won't easily attract the attention of people on the ground.
As a result, the three of them had just climbed onto the roof when they discovered that four people were already lying there.
Everyone: "..."
The roof is a bit cramped.
Seven people lay side by side on the roof, and no one spoke first, creating an extremely awkward situation.
After a moment, Yu Hanjiang whispered, "Don't make a sound, hide everything well. Use the Invisibility Cloak if you have one, but don't let the Villager find out."
The other four people had complicated expressions. One of them, a familiar male voice, said, "It's you? The one from Old Madam Qin's family?"
When they searched Old Mrs. Qin's house, all four of them were wearing cloaks and couldn't see each other's faces. Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou searched the kitchen first, but someone took the opportunity to steal the jewels from the bedroom.
Yu Hanjiang remembered the voice and asked, "You've got the gems and want to get a perfect score?"
The man said, "Just trying. You found the gems too?"
Yu Hanjiang did not reply, which can be considered as tacit agreement.
It seems that the seven people currently lying on the roof have all obtained the gems and confirmed that they can pass the level. No wonder the four of them suddenly stole all of Villager's chickens and dogs last night. They were trying to lure people to the ruined temple and expose the murderer.
That's a pretty good idea.
Xiao Lou smiled and said, "Since we all have the same goal, let's hide well and not let Villager find us."
A series of hurried footsteps came from outside, indicating that the Villagers had arrived nearby.
This was the road they usually took to fetch water, and everyone knew it well. When they reached the entrance of the dilapidated temple, they heard "coo coo coo" and "woof woof woof" sounds coming from inside. Lin San, who was in charge, was overjoyed and said, "Found them! Our chickens and dogs are all locked up here!"
A woman nearby said, "I heard our Spotted cat meowing; it must be tied up here."
Someone suggested, "Would you like to go in and take a look?"
A group of people were discussing among themselves. Granny Sun, leaning on her cane, walked to the front. She looked up at the talisman on the dilapidated temple door, which was half torn off, and a cold smile appeared on her lips: "Don't go in. What if someone has set a trap inside and you can't see it? Going in would be suicide."
The villagers looked worried: "But our spotted dog is in there..." "Yeah, my rooster is in there too, we can't just leave it there, can we?" "Grandma, there are so many of us, I don't believe those outsiders can catch us all!" "Yes, yes, let's all go together!"
Just as everyone was about to push open the door, Aunt Qin suddenly stepped forward and blocked their way, her voice hoarse.
The mute man said, "You all wait here. I'll take Xiao Hei inside to take a look."
In her hand, she held the ferocious Tibetan Mastiff by the leash.
The dog was very imposing. It barked a few times, and the surroundings instantly fell silent, even the dogs in the temple quieted down.
Grandma Qin turned around, looked at the door in front of her, and murmured, "Old Sun, come in with me too..."
Granny Sun nodded and followed her into the dilapidated temple.
Challenger, who was hiding on the roof, immediately and instinctively pulled his head back.
The door of the dilapidated temple was opened, and a gust of wind blew in, scattering talismans all over the ground. The eyes drawn on the talismans looked like they were shedding tears of blood. Two old women walked slowly into the dilapidated temple, side by side.
They arrived near the bone pit and found Villager's chickens and dogs all tied to the surrounding trees.
Looking at the excavated pit of human bones, Old Mrs. Qin gently tapped the ground with her cane and sighed, "Retribution...it really is retribution! In a few days it will be the anniversary of my Xue'er's death. So many things have happened in the village, could it be Xue'er's spirit appearing to tell me to stop doing evil?"
Granny Sun said expressionlessly, "If Xue'er were still here, she would definitely want to gouge out the eyes of these beasts."
Grandma Qin laughed and said, "It's a pity that your Shiyu was implicated. Speaking of which, you've been in our village for thirty-five years, haven't you?"
Granny Sun looked at the pit of human bones in front of her and laughed, "Yeah, I've almost forgotten what my Shiyu looks like."
Grandma Qin said, "I remember, your Shiyu was exceptionally beautiful. Girls from big cities have such an air about them—tall and slender, with fair skin, and her clothes were always so exquisite. All the girls in the village envied that bracelet she wore..."
Granny Sun said, "Your Xue'er is so pretty. Although she's blind, she's smart and cute. If she could have gone back to the city to study with our Shiyu back then, maybe..."
She paused abruptly at this point—there are no ifs.
Both of them fell silent.
A cold wind blew by, and the talismans on the ground rustled. Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang, who were eavesdropping on the roof, couldn't help but exchange a glance.
Their reasoning is close to the truth, but not the whole truth.
Unexpectedly, there was more than one person to be seen in Liuxi Village, and there was more than one person who died back then.
From the dialogue, it can be deduced that both Mrs. Qin and Granny Sun's daughter were brutally murdered back then.
Granny Sun's daughter, Sun Shiyu, is the girl from the big city, wearing a beautiful cat's-eye stone bracelet. Her eyesight is probably normal; it's because of her love for cat's-eye stones that she personally came to Liuxi Village to find jade raw materials.
But Qin Xue'er, the old lady's daughter, is the one who is blind.
Just now, Grandma Qin mentioned that "your Shiyu was implicated." It's possible that Qin Xue'er encountered something first, and Sun Shiyu went to help, but ended up being implicated, and the two of them were tragically murdered together.
What could have happened to two girls to lead to their deaths together?
Xiao Lou thought of a possibility and felt a chill run down his spine.
If what he suspected was true—that Sun Shiyu and Qin Xue'er were raped and murdered by the ignorant Villagers —then the deep-seated hatred these two mothers felt for Liuxi Village was so intense that even the most insane acts wouldn't be too much to ask. Their precious children had suffered such torment; they wanted nothing more than to devour their enemies' flesh and drink their blood!
Yu Hanjiang's expression was serious; clearly, he had also considered this. The source of the hatred, the truth of the matter, was chilling.
Beside the mass grave, two old women stood silently.
Thirty-five years have passed. Their hair has turned completely white, their backs are slightly bent, and their figures, leaning on canes, show signs of old age. Their eyes are cloudy and murky—but the hatred in their eyes, even when staring at these stark white bones, has not diminished in the slightest.
Old Mrs. Qin said coldly, "They all deserve to die."
Granny Sun said, "Let's just end it all."
Grandma Qin turned her head and asked, "What do you want to do?"
Granny Sun smiled slightly: "After all these years, I'm tired too. Isn't it the anniversary of their deaths in a few days? I want to put an end to this."
Author's Note:
The values of the characters in the locked room scenario do not represent the values of the author.