Chapter 31 The Other Person
"come out!"
That group of people is back.
Jiang Ye clicked his tongue impatiently, and Bai Chenzhu chuckled, "Is that good guy A Liang that Tang Jie mentioned here?" As he spoke, he stood up, limped a couple of times, and Jiang Ye helped him out by the side.
Zhou Zhuohua wanted to help Tang Jie out, but Tang Jie was covered in injuries and awkwardly refused to be helped, carefully walking out the door on his own.
Three cars pulled up outside.
The three cars followed Bai Chenzhu's example, with their doors and windows tightly closed. Zombies lingered outside, occasionally harassing the cars, while the people inside used a megaphone to shout, "Tang Jie!"
Tang Jie slowly made his way to the courtyard gate along the pebbled path. The distance was quite far, enough for someone outside to call out, "Ah Liang, what do you want with me?"
Unexpectedly, Ah Liang, dressed in all black, asked anxiously, "Tang Jie, are you alright? They didn't do anything to you, did they?"
These words startled Bai Chenzhu and the other three.
How come they've become the villains?
"Didn't you say that the housekeeper and his gang bullied you?" Bai Chenzhu asked, glancing at the neatly arranged group of people.
“Those people all left with Uncle Duan.” Tang Jie shook his head. “What happened with Uncle Duan is in the past.”
So, the bullying was caused by that butler surnamed Duan leading the charge? And the people seeking revenge are the same group that followed Butler Duan? Butler Duan is gone, and Ah Liang and his group are friends with Tang Jie?
Bai Chenzhu sorted through the information and felt increasingly strange, but couldn't find any reason to question it. Everything seemed so reasonable. The only bad people were that 'Butler Duan' and the people who followed him.
He watched Jiang Ye and Zhou Zhuohua talking to Tang Jie.
"Brother Bai." Bai Tao had somehow gotten close to him. She took a deep breath. "Don't you feel uncomfortable here? I can't breathe properly."
Bai Chenzhu asked in surprise, "Are you feeling unwell?" He raised his hand and touched Bai Tao's forehead, but there was nothing unusual about it.
"Maybe he got dizzy from serving food." Seeing that he was different from her, Bai Tao ruled out the possibility of supernatural abilities and thought it was due to his own physical condition.
After Duan Liang and the others in the villa area discovered that they were Tang Jie's friends, their attitude changed drastically.
Their testimonies were consistent; they called the large, castle-like house in the center of the villa area a haunted house, and instructed the group not to go in easily. They also found them a separate villa to live in.
Bai Chenzhu and the others were initially wary, but seeing that they were sincere and friendly and there was nothing unusual about them, and that Tang Jie was extremely grateful, saying that everyone was afraid of haunted houses and that if it weren't for them, he would have been left behind in the haunted house and wouldn't have been able to get out.
Zhou Zhuohua and Jiang Ye felt they had a lot to talk about with Tang Jie, so the four of them decided to stay at the villa for the time being.
Bai Chenzhu's leg hadn't fully recovered, and being a sociable person, he declined the invitation to the party and went back to his room to rest.
Jiang Ye brought Zhou Zhuohua up once during the journey to check his wounds.
"The stick cracked, I told you I shouldn't have let you move so much," Zhou Zhuohua muttered to herself.
Jiang Ye suddenly pulled out his favorite dagger. "Where are we going to find a stick at night? Tie this to his leg."
"Who used a dagger to fix the leg?!" Zhou Zhuohua complained.
"It's alright, just do as he says," Bai Chenzhu waved his hand dismissively.
Zhou Zhuohua bent down to bandage him, while Bai Chenzhu raised his face and looked at Jiang Ye through Zhou Zhuohua, his phoenix eyes slightly narrowed.
Jiang Ye shrugged innocently. "Why are you looking at me? Do I have flowers on my face?"
“Jiang Ye, you’ve been very quiet since you came here.” Bai Chenzhu raised the corners of his lips, a forced smile on his face. “This isn’t like you.”
Jiang Ye's gaze drifted away. "Haven't I always been like this? You're the one who's prejudiced against me."
“It was prejudice, but I didn’t blame you.” Bai Chenzhu nodded, his words carrying a hidden meaning. “I’m the kind of person who likes to speak frankly. I thought we were friends. So what are your concerns? Why don’t you tell me?”
"Of course." Jiang Ye grinned, changing the subject. "We're good friends who've been through danger together~ By the way, do you remember the method I taught you to suppress your mental energy?"
"I do remember, but unfortunately we haven't been able to retrieve them all yet."
"Oh, I see." Jiang Ye touched the tip of his nose. "In that case, you can learn from Bai Tao. In a critical moment, smear some blood on a towel and throw it out, then hide it and wait for me to come over."
Jiang Ye is acting really strange today. Bai Chenzhu stared at Jiang Ye until he turned his head away. "Hopefully, you won't need to use him."
He looked down and touched the inconspicuous dagger on his leg.
At dinner, he leaned against the bay window and could hear the steady roar of the generator and the lively laughter downstairs. He could also see the starry sky and the flickering candlelight.
It has indeed been a long time since I've seen so many people gathered together.
As the moon rises above the treetops, those who are usually light sleepers are suddenly awakened from their dreams.
A dark figure stood silently at the head of the bed. Bai Chenzhu rubbed his eyes and asked, as if it were commonplace, "Jiang Ye? What are you doing not sleeping?"
"Jiang Ye?" The shadowy figure chewed on those two words, then chuckled softly. "Looks like you two have a good relationship."
He took a step forward; he was a thin young man, dressed in black, with a resolute face. It was Ah Liang. He said, "If the relationship is too good, then things will be difficult."
The newcomer seemed hostile. Bai Chenzhu propped himself up, intending to stall A Liang first. He immediately asked warily, "What do you mean by that?"
"I'm sorry, I'm going to do something bad to you." Ah Liang said repentantly, quickly leaping onto the bed and stomping on the injured part of his calf with a swift and precise kick. "I'm sorry."
Bai Chenzhu gasped, abandoning his pretense of politeness, and immediately shouted, "Jiang Ye! Bai..."
Before losing consciousness, he saw a closed door.
When Bai Chenzhu woke up again, he saw an extremely luxurious room with a crystal chandelier hanging high, a brightly colored sunflower oil painting, heavy dark red curtains, and iron chains binding his wrists.
This chain looks familiar. Bai Chenzhu raised his hand, becoming more and more surprised as he examined it. Why did it look more and more like the one around Tang Jie's neck before?
"You're awake."
Bai Chenzhu was used to A Liang's elusive way of appearing and disappearing. He looked up at A Liang, only to find that Tang Jie was also there.
Ah Liang nodded politely to him, then handed the bowl to Tang Jie and turned to go out and guard the place.
"In cahoots?" Bai Chenzhu shook the iron chains on his hands, his eyes full of doubt. "So why did you capture me?"
Tang Jie smiled without saying a word, carrying a bowl in his left hand and a dagger in his right as he walked over.
"What you said before was all a lie." Bai Chenzhu quickly retreated, his eyes full of vigilance. However, his hands and feet were bound together with iron chains, making it difficult for him to move. No matter how he tried, he couldn't get off the large bed until his back hit the headboard, the chains clanging loudly.
"Who told you to barge in? I told you this is a 'haunted house,' get out of here! Why didn't you listen?" Tang Jie frowned, looking very troubled. "Maybe this is fate. Uncle Duan escaped, but you were delivered here instead."
"Besides, I've already been very good to you." A dagger was held against Bai Chenzhu's neck. Bai Chenzhu involuntarily held his breath, and the ginkgo pendant by his ear swayed, its reflection in the dagger.
"Do you know where the last person who struggled slept?" Tang Jie said sinisterly. "In a doghouse. I'm only giving you a guest room because you're Jiang Ye's friend."
"That would be my honor." Bai Chenzhu curled the corner of his lips and tilted his head to look at him. "Since we're all friends, why don't we put down our knives before we talk?"
Tang Jie moved his dagger forward an inch, and Bai Chenzhu leaned back an inch.
After a moment, Tang Jie laughed, but his face immediately turned cold after he finished laughing. "No way."
He gestured with the dagger, as if considering where to strike.
"You don't look like you want to kill me." Bai Chenzhu observed for a few seconds. "I'll be very cooperative. Tell me what you want?"
"Let's get some blood." Tang Jie said leisurely, holding the dagger as if he were holding a pair of chopsticks, searching for a place to cut on the plate.
Bai Chenzhu followed his gaze to look at her own body, then at the bowl in his hand, and remembered the bowl she had seen by the doghouse during the day.
He paused, thinking that based on the amount, he could still survive, so he struggled to raise his left hand and asked, "Is my arm okay? Just don't cut my wrist."
"You're truly a genius." Tang Jie was amazed by the hostage's cooperation, but it didn't affect his movements at all. He deftly wielded the dagger, its sharp silver blade slicing through flesh...
Bai Chenzhu's face paled from blood loss. He stared intently as the bright red blood fell and gathered in the bowl. Countless guesses flashed through his mind, but after seeing Tang Jie's unintentional wary movements and A Liang outside the door, he chose to remain silent.
Tang Jie casually bandaged his arm, picked up the bowl, and left without saying a word.
The heavy door was closed, the crystal chandelier was covered in dust, the light was dim, and the surrounding furniture was hidden in darkness.
Bai Chenzhu tugged at the iron chain. The chain was very short, barely a meter from the bed. They treated him like a dog, placing an empty bucket by the bed for him to relieve himself, but nothing else.
There was a screen between him and the window, so he couldn't see the outside scenery, only a hazy light.
But Bai Chenzhu guessed that, judging from the decoration style here, it should be the castle-like villa that they saw Tang Jie during the day—the villa with a three-story artificial mountain and stream next to it, a magnificent villa.
This was only the first night. Bai Chenzhu closed his eyes, enduring the stinging pain in his arm. Who knew how long it would take for them to realize he was missing and find his way here? Besides, even if they did find him, searching would take time. This building was very tall, probably with many floors and even more rooms…
Who knows, he might turn into a dried-up human body by then.
Bai Chenzhu suddenly regretted telling Jiang Ye that they should share rooms. For safety and convenience, they had always shared rooms in pairs. It was rare to see that the villa area was like the safe zone, with four rooms prepared for them. None of the four of them had paid attention to the room arrangement.
Wait… why did Tang Jie pick him? Bai Chenzhu suddenly lifted his eyelids and sat up straight. Putting aside Jiang Ye, Bai Tao is too young, and Zhou Zhuohua has no special abilities, so why did they specifically target him? Was it just because his leg injury prevented him from running fast?
Blood, blood collection, Uncle Duan, escape—connecting these elements, Bai Chenzhu instantly recalled the handkerchief stained with white peach blood that had previously attracted zombies.
It's because of his blood as a psychic. But he's never openly revealed this, unless…
Bai Chenzhu's expression darkened. He sat quietly in the darkness for a while, and finally, filled with anger, pulled the blanket back onto his lap.
Bai Chenzhu couldn't feel the bandage on his forearm. Tang Jie's bandaging skills were really not good. He lay on his side on the bed and quickly fell asleep, following his body's instincts.
When I woke up again, I had almost fully recovered my strength.
It was broad daylight outside, with only a sliver of light filtering through the heavy screen. On the nearest bedside table sat water and two steamed buns, bearing no resemblance to the previous night's 'feast'.
After resting enough, Bai Chenzhu closed his eyes and tentatively tried to find Jiang Ye and the others, but unexpectedly, his spiritual strands were immediately 'eaten' by something as soon as they floated out, leaving nothing behind, let alone floating outside the villa.
The temples felt like they were being pricked with needles.
He rubbed his acupoints and then tried to explore the eerie villa.
His spiritual energy was most sensitive to beings with spiritual activity, but not so sensitive to inanimate objects. Therefore, he quickly discovered that besides himself, there was another strange entity upstairs in the villa, emitting faint fluctuations of spiritual energy.
The zombie's spiritual energy was nearly depleted, so Bai Chenzhu's first thought was: Who is this fellow sufferer? Could he also be a superhuman who was captured and bled out?
More importantly, Tang Jie wasn't there. Having regained some strength, Bai Chenzhu quickly put this question out of his mind. He hopped off the bed on one leg, his calf stinging, and took a deep breath.
After thinking for a moment, he unwrapped the bandages from his leg, took out the dagger, and wrapped the bandages back around his leg.
He wasn't as agile as Jiang Ye. He spent a long time grinding against the iron chains on his wrists, grinding hard at the joints. Amidst the ear-piercing sound, he ground for a very long time before finally cutting off the chains on his wrists and ankles.
Half a day is enough time for a lot to happen. When Bai Chenzhu limped up to the second floor, he immediately saw two people open the gate to the villa courtyard.
He keenly sensed that the two people were not Zhou Zhuohua and his companion.
Bai Chenzhu moved quietly, quickly holding onto the handrail as he went up the stairs, wanting to find a place to hide first. Once he was out of sight, he saw Tang Jie and A Liang, carrying some food as they entered his room.
He was sure he would be discovered. Bai Chenzhu had a bad feeling, his heart was pounding in his throat. Apart from the winding spiral staircase and the semi-transparent observation elevator, he looked left and right and quickly slipped into the inconspicuous stairwell.
There were two people on the other side. Bai Chenzhu thought, since he couldn't beat them and had to escape, he should find another ally.
He's going to find someone else in the building!
Following the fluctuations of spiritual energy, Bai Chenzhu accurately located the fifth floor of the top floor.
Compared to 'Big Yellow's' doghouse, this was a magnificent door made of precious materials, and one could even imagine how large the room inside, which occupied half the floor, must have been.
Who exactly lives here?
Bai Chenzhu placed his hand on the door, which was unlocked. He pushed it open silently and saw a large empty space.
The house was strange; two of the three walls in the small hall had been knocked down, and the surrounding area was a mess. Only on the carpet in the center of the room was there an empty bowl.
There was nothing there.
Bai Chenzhu took a step forward in confusion, one step after another, and something wet fell from the ceiling and dripped onto his shoulder.
Bai Chenzhu touched the damp, sticky clothes on his shoulder, and then looked up as if sensing something. He met a distorted, ashen face. The gray eyes, so cloudy that the pupils were indistinguishable, were fixed on him. The tonsils were visible in the wide-open mouth, and the saliva that fell from the mouth carried a trace of blood.
Bai Chenzhu: ……!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com