The commotion outside the door gradually subsided; it was the sound of the monster at the entrance leaving.
Yan Changqing listened carefully; the footsteps were very light, not like an adult's, and the height should not exceed 1.5 meters.
The sound also became strange; at first, he could hear it as footsteps on the floor, but then it turned into a muffled sound, as if walking on walls or the ceiling.
Yan Changqing continued to listen for a while, only returning to his bed after confirming that the commotion outside had completely disappeared.
After such an event, neither of them had the mood to chat, and they eventually fell into a daze and slept.
The next morning.
Yan Changqing opened his eyes, and it was not the familiar Hospital room; he was still inside the Castle.
Now he could be completely certain that this place was definitely not as simple as a dream; all of them were experiencing a death-defying escape game.
Just after he finished washing up, there was a knock on the door.
Yan Changqing now got a headache whenever he heard a knock, but thankfully it was daytime, not as dangerous as nighttime.
"Who is it?"
"It's me, Ning Xiaona."
Yan Changqing opened the door and saw Ning Xiaona standing at the entrance with a panicked expression.
"Changqing, Ji Tingting went out last night and hasn't returned all night."
"What?"
Yan Changqing was stunned; he clearly remembered talking to Ji Tingting at the door around 11:30 last night, and after that, Ji Tingting should have returned to her room.
Could it be that Ji Tingting didn't actually go back but went somewhere else? After all, he hadn't personally confirmed Ji Tingting's return to her own room.
But why? Why would she go out so late, and where would she go? Or did she encounter an accident?
"I definitely won't be a burden to you; I'll try my best to be useful."
Ji Tingting's words from last night echoed in his mind for no reason, and an ominous premonition lingered in his heart.
"Let's gather everyone first."
They knocked on the other people's doors, and soon the remaining people gathered in the second-floor Hall.
Excluding Ji Tingting, all six remaining people were present.
Everyone exchanged information; everyone had encountered the terrifying knocking sound last night, but now was clearly not the time to discuss it.
"Two people per team, investigate the first to third floors separately, and whoever finds Ji Tingting first will notify the others."
"Then Dan Lingting and I will be responsible for investigating the second floor."
Without waiting for others to speak, Fu Suyun was the first to agree.
Everyone could see that she wasn't particularly enthusiastic; it was just that the second floor was where they were staying, so it was more familiar, and the chance of encountering danger was smaller than on other floors.
"Changqing, can I be in a team with you?"
Since Ji Tingting was missing, Ning Xiaona was alone; if she were to team up, she could only team up with Ai Haoming, who was also alone.
Yan Changqing did not agree directly, but gave the choice to He Xuexing.
"Uncle He, what do you say?"
He Xuexing touched his bald head and showed a kind smile like a good-natured person: "I'm fine with anything, but since the young lady wants to team up with you, then I'll pass."
"Thank you, Uncle He."
Ning Xiaona gave He Xuexing a sweet smile.
The subsequent assignments were quick: Yan Changqing and Ning Xiaona were responsible for investigating the third floor, while Ai Haoming and He Xuexing investigated the first floor.
However, Ai Haoming clearly had no team spirit; although he didn't refuse to investigate the first floor, he didn't seem interested in teaming up with others either, leaving He Xuexing alone and going downstairs.
He Xuexing was a bit awkward but still followed him.
Mosen Castle, third floor.
Passing through the third-floor Hall and going to the left, opening the first room, what came into view was a very expensive-looking piano.
Behind it was a glass cabinet filled with various instruments like guzheng, drums, and flutes, and violins and guitars hung on the walls.
This was clearly the music room the butler had mentioned earlier; it was now empty.
After a brief search, they found no trace of Ji Tingting, and the two moved on to the next room.
Pushing open the door, this was a room with a billiard table, surrounded by various dolls, and a toy train running on tracks on the table, making "clack clack" sounds.
This must be the Game Room, he thought, as he walked around, looking at the dolls displayed.
The dolls varied in size, mostly animal figures, and should be very popular with Little girls.
What was strange, however, was that herbivores like rabbits, sheep, and cows were placed on the left, while carnivores like Lions, tigers, and crocodiles were placed on the right.
The herbivore dolls were clean and tidy, but the carnivore dolls were patched up, as if they had been torn apart and then re-stitched with black or red thread.
For some reason, those repair marks always made him think of wounds, and upon closer inspection, it seemed as if blood could be seen flowing from within.
But when he came back to his senses, everything before him seemed like an illusion, with only the repair marks resembling hideous and terrifying centipede scars, making one feel mentally uncomfortable.
Just as Yan Changqing was still pondering why these dolls had such a great difference, a bear doll suddenly caught his eye.
It wasn't that this doll was particularly outstanding, but it was taller than the surrounding dolls.
The dolls here were uniform in size, with little difference in height, so a doll that was a head taller in this row stood out significantly.
"There seems to be a strange smell."
Ning Xiaona walked to Yan Changqing's side, covering her nose; her expression was a bit unpleasant.
Yan Changqing came in front of the bear doll and examined it, only to see a pair of women's boots at the bear doll's feet, and the source of the strange smell was right there.
"I suggest you prepare yourself mentally."
"Are you saying..." Ning Xiaona's face immediately turned pale; as a nurse at the Hospital, she had more experience than ordinary people, so how could she not understand what had happened?
Yan Changqing nodded, took a deep breath, and suddenly picked up the bear doll!
A shriveled corpse appeared before them; the corpse was completely dehydrated, its facial skin wrinkled like an elderly person's, its eye sockets deeply sunken, and its pupils were white.
Even though Ning Xiaona was mentally prepared, when she saw this scene, she couldn't help but tremble all over, a chill running from head to toe, and she immediately ran out the door, retching uncontrollably.
Yan Changqing was also not feeling well; apart from the tall man who died yesterday, this was the first time he had seen a real corpse.
The distinctive wavy long hair was already somewhat dry, and from the clothing, it was identical to Ji Tingting, whom he had met last night, making it almost certain that this corpse was Ji Tingting.
Even so, it was difficult for him to connect this shriveled corpse before him with Ji Tingting, who had sincerely thanked him yesterday.
"Nurse Ning, please go and inform the others that Ji Tingting's body has been found."
"I-I understand."
Ning Xiaona was a little scared, but she knew what was important, and after recovering, she quickly went downstairs.
Yan Changqing continued to examine the body, clearly seeing a small tooth mark on the right side of her neck.
Was her blood sucked dry?
Yan Changqing hesitated for a moment, silently apologized to the corpse in his heart, and unbuttoned some of her clothes.
However, Ji Tingting's body was covered in these small tooth marks, and there were no other external injuries besides the tooth marks.
She was bled dry and died.
