"It's been three days. Jennifer has been missing for three days, and I still can't sleep. Even sleeping pills don't help. I'm in so much pain and I miss Jennifer so much. I've decided to go out for a walk and visit the wild garden that Jennifer used to love the most, even though it's already late at night and even though the townspeople say not to go out at night or you'll be chosen by the devil."
"Oh my God! No one else can imagine what I saw. I saw a dark figure dragging a drunkard named Jerry towards the ranch. I was so scared that I didn't dare to go any closer and could only watch from a distance as the dark figure dragged Jerry away."
"The figure of that dark shadow felt familiar to me, very much like my neighbor Dr. Chad, but I knew it was impossible. Dr. Chad was such a gentle and tolerant person, that dark shadow could not be him."
“Jerry has gone missing, and everyone in town is talking about it. I went home early and locked myself in my study. My mind is in turmoil. I regret not going with him last night. My cowardice made me lose the chance to rescue Jerry and find out the truth. I really wanted to find out why Jennifer disappeared.”
"My fear and panic made me lose my calm judgment. Looking back, when that dark figure dragged Jerry, he struggled. A powerful demon wouldn't be so clumsy. I believe he was human, someone in town, someone more terrifying than the devil, wearing a cloak of lies, using the name of the curse and people's fear to do whatever he wanted in town."
"I must expose this person and find Jennifer!"
The last sentence was written with great emphasis; through the words, one could see the power of a vow, unwavering and resolute. Xia Linyin then changed to another sheet of paper.
The first few lines on this letter were written in a shaky hand, unlike the previous fluent and powerful handwriting. It looked as if the person was writing in a state of extreme panic, with their fingers trembling so badly that they could barely hold the pen.
"I can't believe what I saw today, God! That place is hell. I finally know where all the missing people went. The basement was full of bits of flesh and blood, even more so than the slaughterhouse. I saw their rotting heads and Jerry's body with both legs cut off."
"Jerry's legs were propped up on the barbecue grill, with bite marks on them. I found Jennifer's head there. Oh! Jennifer, my dear Jennifer..."
"How can such terrible people exist in the world? Are those things really done by humans? I'm not sure anymore. It's truly terrifying."
“I told the mayor everything. Under his guidance, I went back into that hellish basement. Everyone vomited. The long-held fear turned into anger, hatred, and grief. We must find the murderer! Find that cannibalistic beast!”
After reading the last line of the letter, Xia Linyin didn't move. Bai Xiaolin couldn't help but urge her, "Xia Linyin, what's wrong with you? There's more to come, why aren't you reading on?"
"I'm thinking..." Xia Linyin frowned, paused, and then said, "Never mind, let's talk about it later. Let's finish reading these first."
After removing the letter they had already read, Xia Linyin and Bai Xiaolin's eyes fell on the first line of the next letter.
"Although I believe my neighbor Chad wouldn't do such a thing, I keep thinking about that shadowy figure. I've decided to secretly observe Chad for a while. I'm sure Chad won't let me down. That shadowy figure definitely isn't Chad."
"However, the truth is always so cruel. I discovered something that told me Chad might be the murderer. I really didn't want to believe it, and I didn't dare to believe it. Chad was so friendly. I didn't want to misunderstand Chad, nor did I want to slander any good person."
"When I was about to tell the mayor my findings and let him make a judgment, the mayor went mad. He took a kitchen knife and started hacking people wildly. Someone shouted, 'The mayor is the murderer, the cannibal!' The angry townspeople tied up the mayor and burned him to death. I was powerless to stop him. He went mad, everyone went mad."
"After the mayor died, the disappearances did not stop. People began to lose their minds, suspecting and blaming each other. Everyone saw each other as the murderer, and things became a mess. But I became more and more convinced that Chad was the murderer because I found enough evidence to prove that Chad was the murderer. I was prepared to make this evidence public and expose the ugliness under Chad's disguise."
Xia Linyin looked at the last sheet of paper—
"Chad is dead. He died just as I was about to expose him. Could it be that I was wrong, that it wasn't anyone else, and that it was all the work of the devil? Is the town of Manscher truly cursed? Chad was possessed by a demon, which is why he did those things. Now that the demon has abandoned Chad, who will be the next to be possessed by the demon?"
"The fog that shrouds the town must also be the work of the devil. I have never felt so desperate. Lord! Save us! Save this town shrouded in darkness!"
The letter ended there, and Xia Linyin and Bai Xiaolin finished reading it. After folding the letter, Xia Linyin asked, "What are your thoughts?"
Bai Xiaolin touched his chest, feeling heavy and depressed after reading all this. "I feel desperate. The whole town has been wiped out by cannibals. There are only five of us. How could we possibly defeat cannibals? We're all going to die."
Xia Linyin frowned and pondered, "Assuming it really is the work of demons, then we truly have no way out. Compared to the townspeople, we have no advantage whatsoever. Our only advantage is knowing that the fog wasn't laid by ogres, and our weapons are useless now. With weapon immunity and possession skills, this boss in the game is practically invincible. Players have no chance of survival, which contradicts the fact that every round of the game should provide a chance of survival."
"So, assuming it's not the work of a demon, and the killer really is Chad—"
Bai Xiaolin couldn't help but interrupt, "How is that possible? Chad is already dead, how could he be the murderer!"
"What if he faked his death?"
Xia Linyin waved the letter, "Don't forget he's a doctor. I suspect his death wasn't real, but rather he used some kind of drug to put himself in a state of suspended animation. The identity of a dead person is always more useful than that of a living person. This way, he can completely clear himself of suspicion and prevent anyone from suspecting him. After all, no one would suspect a dead person."
"Then it's very likely that Chad was behind the mayor's sudden madness. Maybe he injected the mayor with some kind of drug that makes him irritable and suddenly go crazy."
"To verify whether this speculation is true, it's very simple—"
The candlelight flickered dimly on Xia Linyin's face. "We'll go to the cemetery to open the coffin after midnight."
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