Something's not right. I couldn't help but frown and fall into deep thought.

The fat man in the gray suit and his henchmen were blocking the doorway, making it difficult for us to go out.

Moreover, if he were to interrogate us about the details, we wouldn't be able to fool him at all.

Most importantly, who knows what the botanical garden will look like when it gets completely dark?

And that guy surnamed Wu was huddled by the bed, his eyes darting around, his expression a half-smile, I don't know what he was thinking.

Professor Tan, who was standing to the side, seemed to have noticed something. He twirled the prayer beads in his hand faster and faster, his lips moved, and cold sweat dripped from his forehead.

Li Huai was restless, fidgeting in and out of his chair as if he had nails stuck in his buttocks. His face was as white as paper. He leaned closer, his voice trembling and out of tune: "Yan, Brother Yan, I feel a chill on the back of my neck, like someone is breathing on me!"

I didn't say anything. Having worked as a cobbler for so long, I had an almost instinctive sense of the presence of certain things.

Ever since that soul-summoning incense was lit, my spine hasn't felt warm, and now that feeling is even more pronounced.

It felt like being scrutinized inch by inch by many pairs of cold eyes from all directions.

Ignorance is bliss. Luo Tianhe didn't have much of a reaction to the dirty stuff; he just found the security guards a bit troublesome.

His gaze swept over the waitress in her cheongsam who stood frozen against the wall, then over the doors and windows, and finally landed on my face. He shook his head slightly.

I know what he meant; he was telling me that even if I forced my way in, he wasn't confident.

Just then, an old man sitting diagonally opposite us, wearing a silk jacket, suddenly started coughing violently. He clutched his chest, coughing until his face turned purple, and the people next to him quickly patted his back to help him catch his breath.

I didn't take it seriously at first, but suddenly he coughed and then vomited a large mouthful of thick yellow liquid, which contained small pieces of internal organs.

I stood up abruptly, my eyes wide open, and realized that the three flames on the old man's head had been completely extinguished, and his face was now showing faint signs of lividity!

He's dead!

The old man was completely unaware of all this and was terrified. His eyes widened and strange gurgling sounds came from his throat!

People nearby were so frightened that they quickly stepped back. The young man who had helped him up and patted his back was rubbing his hands vigorously on his clothes, as if he had touched something dirty.

"Let us out of here! We can't stay here!"

Some people were so frightened that they shouted loudly, as if this had broken some kind of balance.

A tearing sound, like the sound of cloth being ripped, came from the east wall of the tea room!

I looked up in alarm and saw that the portrait of the beautiful woman hanging on the wall had suddenly moved. I braced myself against the wall and stared intently at the painting.

At this moment, the painting is like Sadako, with the woman inside tearing at the canvas as if she could come out of it!

As she tore at it, a crack appeared in the canvas, and the tearing sound we just heard was her masterpiece.

A dark red, viscous liquid slowly seeped from the crack, similar to cinnabar, but even more filthy!

The liquid dripped down the drawing paper and onto the carpet.

Most of the guests, however, were too frightened by the old man's sudden condition to pay much attention to the painting on the wall.

Suddenly, the old man collapsed to the ground with a thud, lividity appeared on his face, and his body decomposed rapidly, oozing pus.

Now everyone knows he's dead.

"Dead? Dead? He was perfectly fine just now!"

The young man next to him turned pale and jumped back as if he had been electrocuted.

"Damn it, get out of here! Let us out! This place is no human being!"

The crowd erupted, crying, shouting, and shoving as they surged toward the door.

The fat man in the gray suit had a contorted face, but he still held the door firmly, shouting "Calm down!" but anyone could hear the panic in his voice.

"How much is that compared to a month's salary? Why are you risking your life like that?"

Luo Tianhe was utterly puzzled.

The situation was clearly out of control, but this fat man wasn't just keeping them locked up; he was in danger himself. Luo Tianhe really couldn't understand what he was thinking—was it loyalty, or...?

"Tear!" The sound of the painting of a beauty on the wall tearing became even louder. The woman in the painting, wearing an old-fashioned cheongsam and with her hair tied up, had her face almost pressed against the front of the canvas. Her originally serene expression turned into a vicious and ferocious one, and her painted eyes stared intently at the people in the studio!

A finger adorned with red nail polish was frantically digging into the canvas, tearing a long gash in it. The edges were rolled up, and dark red blood was gushing out like human flesh, flowing down the wall.

"The painting, that painting!"

Finally, someone noticed the strange thing about the painting, pointing with a trembling finger, their voice as high-pitched as a duck's.

Li Huai was almost scared to death.

"Holy crap, this drawing is so lifelike!"

"It's not a sentient being!"

I stared at the painting, unconsciously clenching my back teeth.

My grandfather once said that some ancient paintings, especially portraits, may come to life if they are placed in extremely yin positions due to the passage of time and the presence of human blood and resentment.

This is the same principle as dotting the eyes of a paper doll. However, drawing such a thing naturally lacks a bit of yin energy compared to making paper dolls. This situation will only occur under extremely demanding conditions.

"What should we do then, Brother Yan? Let's think of a way to escape quickly."

Li Huai was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, desperately trying to run away.

Before I could say anything, something even more chilling happened: the old man who had coughed up blood and died suddenly moved.

It wasn't that he moved, but rather that several strands of hair-like things slowly grew from the pool of yellow pus and filth beneath him, silently wrapping around the ankle of the fat woman closest to him, close to the floor.

"Ah, what is that!"

The fat woman felt a chill on her ankle, looked down, and immediately let out a pig-like scream, kicking and thrashing about desperately.

Almost simultaneously, the dark red pus and blood flowing from the crack in the painting of the beauty on the wall suddenly changed its trajectory!

As if it were alive, it split into several streams, winding its way towards different guests.

The carpet, stained with pus and blood, instantly corroded, sizzling white smoke and emitting a putrid stench.

Chaos erupted in the tea room. People cried out, chairs and tables were overturned, and people were jostling and trampling each other!

The fat man in the gray suit couldn't control himself either, and was swept away by the frenzied crowd.

Seeing this, some people tried to run out, but the door slammed shut by itself and no matter how hard the people standing at the door tried to pull it open, they couldn't!

Now everyone in the room was plunged into despair.

Meanwhile, the man surnamed Wu hid in the corner, his eyes shining with an eerie light as he stared intently at the haunted portrait of a beautiful woman, muttering something under his breath.

"Hey Wu, what the hell are you up to!"

Luo Tianhe, with his sharp eyes, noticed his expression, cursed angrily, and was about to rush over.