We couldn't help but swallow hard, and Li Huai spoke in a trembling voice:

"This is a construction site, not a funeral parlor. Who would throw a wreath here?"

"Maybe it was given to the developer. Perhaps they took advantage of a loophole when acquiring the land and paid less, so the residents were angry and sent wreaths?"

Luo Tianhe stammered, offering a reason that sounded quite reasonable.

However, it only sounds reasonable at first glance, but upon deeper reflection, it is simply impossible.

After all, the construction site had been shut down long ago, and those developers were said to have suffered huge losses, with several even jumping off buildings.

Sending them wreaths is really unnecessary!

And even if it really was sent by those residents, that happened so many years ago. Ordinary wreaths would have rotted long ago, but those wreaths looked brand new to me.

The paper flowers were deathly white, showing no signs of yellowing.

Even under the light of our flashlights, there was a lifeless, stiff feeling about it.

On the largest white flower in the center of the wreath, a shocking character was written in thick black ink:

“奠” (diàn).

The characters were extremely clear, exuding an ominous aura, yet showing no signs of fading.

Honestly, I feel like this thing was just put here.

Luo Tianhe and Li Huai watched for a while and clearly saw it too, but neither of them said anything. I felt the same way.

The compass needle was pointing directly at the open entrance on the first floor behind the wreath.

It was pitch black inside. I held up my flashlight and shone it inside, but all I could see were the cement floor and walls swallowed by dust and cobwebs.

"Do we really want to go in?" Li Huai turned to look at me, his brows furrowed, clearly afraid.

I opened my mouth, but before I could say anything, Li Huai turned around and said something to himself:

"Alright, alright, let's go in. I already know what you're going to say. We're already here..."

All I can say is that these four words are what I really wanted to say, since I'm already here.

If we just leave like this, wouldn't it be a wasted trip?

Moreover, Zhou Ming is still waiting outside. If he sees us slinking away like this, our funeral home will lose all face.

For no other reason than to save face, we can't just run away like this.

"Walk around the wreaths, don't touch them," I said in a deep voice. Li Huai was walking right up to the wreaths and almost bumped into them. "These kinds of funeral items of unknown origin, especially those left alone in the wasteland, are easy to bring bad luck if you touch them."

The three of us formed a triangle, carefully hugging the side of the stairs, avoiding the wreath, and approaching the building entrance.

Just as we were about to step into the apartment building,

A soft "click" came from behind us, in the direction of the wreaths.

The sound was very soft, but it was clearly audible in the absolute silence.

The three of us turned around abruptly, and both flashlights shone simultaneously behind the wreath, which remained standing there quietly.

But there was something extra on the ground.

It was a copper coin, its edges badly worn and covered in mud.

There are four large characters on it, Qianlong Tongbao, which looks like a copper coin for warding off evil. However, this copper coin is too old and is covered in rust. If you use it to ward off evil, it will probably have the opposite effect.

After all, the most important thing about using money to ward off evil is that it's imbued with positive energy. Money has passed through many hands, but this copper coin has no human vitality at all.

It's rusty and couldn't have passed through many hands. On the contrary, it looks like something a ghost would use, so it's probably covered in a lot of yin energy.

But how did these copper coins appear? I'm sure there was nothing here just now!

Luo Tianhe and Li Huai both stood still. Li Bai's breathing became heavy, and Luo Tianhe took out a baton from his pocket, gripped it tightly, and slowly walked towards the wreath.

"Zhou Ming, is that you? You caught up?" I asked tentatively.

After all, there's probably no one else within a ten-mile radius besides Zhou Ming.

"Stop shouting, Brother Luo, stop looking. These things are a bit eerie; they probably didn't fall from a person," Li Huai suddenly said.

He's right. We were indeed taking a chance. The sound of the coin falling to the ground was clearly vertical, so it couldn't have been the wind or something else that hit it.

I took two steps forward, but instead of picking up the copper coin on the ground, I carefully shone my flashlight on the wreath and the ground. Apart from the copper coin that had suddenly appeared, there were no footprints or drag marks.

Keep in mind that this is an abandoned construction site; there's not much else, just a lot of sand and dust!

On our way here, the footprints of the three of us were clearly visible, but there were no footprints where the copper coin fell.

After hesitating for a moment, I bent down and picked up the copper coin.

The copper coin was cold to the touch, with an earthy smell and an indescribable chill. When I turned it over, the four characters "Qianlong Tongbao" on the front were still relatively clear, but it was already rusted.

This strange contrast made me feel uneasy.

"Do I need to pay for directions?" A thought flashed through my mind.

In some local funeral customs and superstitious beliefs, scattering copper coins is considered a way to ask for directions or make inquiries about the road ahead.

But is the appearance of this copper coin here, in front of the wreath, meant to make us pay for passage, or to warn us that this road is blocked?

I didn't understand, so I took out a yellow talisman, wrapped it up, and stuffed it into my pocket.

"Brother Yan, why are you picking this up? If you want copper coins, I have some more here!" Li Huai asked with a puzzled look, while taking out a copper coin from his pocket.

I waved my hand dismissively and said, "Keep it for yourself. I picked up this coin because I felt it might be useful later."

After this little incident, we all became more cautious.

The moment we stepped into the apartment building, we felt as if we had entered an ice cellar.

Luo Tianhe gave a wry smile: "It's cold here. It's a great place to escape the summer heat. It's even more refreshing than turning on the air conditioner."

"Of course, but it's similar to a morgue; I guess only the dead would live there," Li Huai said, pursing his lips.

I couldn't help but give him a playful slap. "Can't you say something nice? You're always spouting unlucky things!"

Li Huai immediately put on a bitter face, looking somewhat aggrieved.

I glared at him fiercely. Anyway, I felt I hadn't lost out. Even if there was something strange about this place, what he said would only add to our horror!

People can scare each other to death!

And even if there's nothing wrong with it, the way he put it makes it sound a bit scary.

I held up my heavy flashlight and swept it across the empty lobby on the first floor. The area was quite large, but it was completely empty, with only a few load-bearing columns standing alone.

That makes sense, since the walls on the third floor aren't even sealed off yet, so the area below has only been roughly planned.