deltrittennovels #622 - Chapter 622
#622 - Chapter 622
The corpse was laid out on a neatly made bed, as if carefully arranged. She was dressed in a set of dated loungewear, clean but slightly old-fashioned, as if it were decades old. Oddly, there was no large amount of blood at the scene, as if her body had refused to display any gushing signs of life, leaving behind only an eerie cleanliness.
She had been beaten to death with a blunt instrument.
Every part of her body, except for her head, had been completely smashed. The insane violence carried an unspeakable obstinacy, as if the killer had poured all their malice into her. Below the neck, only a flattened human skin remained, the bones seemingly extracted, the limbs twisted and extended in unnatural directions, like a broken doll.
However, the head had been deliberately preserved.
Her face held an almost wooden expression, her empty eyes staring straight at the ceiling, her mouth slightly open, as if silently screaming, yet also mocking her own fate. The killer's intention was clear—this was not mere killing, but an undisguised cruelty. The extent of the violence exceeded the scope of simply killing a person, and felt more like some twisted ritual.
Tang Yin looked down at the ground, which was covered in familiar bloody footprints—exactly the same as the previous crime scene. The wolf's tracks clearly covered the entire room, but this time the wolf was evidently more malicious than before. Tang Yin couldn't help but frown, a deep unease welling up inside him.
"...Let's go," Zhao Gang said in a low voice, his tone even more subdued than usual, as if suppressing some emotion. Because they still couldn't find Old Gao, they temporarily put aside the task of handling the body and decided to go and meet up with the others first.
...
Including Xiao Liang and Qin Ming, the five of them hurried along the way and finally arrived at the Qian Group's station. Qian Jin, who was just coming out, greeted them. His face was also not very good, his brow furrowed, and his tone carried a hint of worry: "...That old man has a shotgun, is it really okay?"
Zhao Gang stopped and looked up at him, saying, "...Old Gao would never aim a gun at people under normal circumstances."
Qian Jin was silent for a moment, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just nodded slightly.
...
Everyone returned to the square and gathered in the cafeteria. The women who had changed their clothes and Qin Yi were already gathered here. Although they appeared calm on the surface, everyone's face was filled with repression and anxiety. The atmosphere in the cafeteria was as heavy as solidified air. No one spoke to break the silence, but everyone was waiting for some kind of outcome.
Zhao Gang made a brief arrangement, asking Qian Jin and Qin Ming to stay in the cafeteria to guard, while the other men continued to the northern part of Mist Hidden Village to search the unexplored areas.
...
The grass in the forest was parted as Zhao Gang walked in the front, his eyes constantly scanning his surroundings warily. Tang Yin followed behind him, hesitating several times before finally asking, "Zhao Gang, where are we going?"
Zhao Gang didn't stop, but just turned his head slightly and replied in a low voice, "Wolf Grandpa's house is up ahead."
"Wolf Grandpa?" Tang Yin was slightly stunned, quickly searching his mind for the name, but found that he had no impression of it at all. He frowned and asked, "So, I've never seen Wolf Grandpa's house before."
...Can this kind of place even be considered a home?
Tang Yin stood in front of the wooden house, frowning as he looked at the dilapidated scene before him. A small wooden house stood precariously in the overgrown weeds. The beams and pillars were already leaning, as if they would collapse in the next gust of wind. The door panel was half-hanging on the wall, the rusty iron nails loose and wobbly, making a slight "creak" sound in the breeze, as if telling some kind of uneasy omen.
"Can this even be considered a home?" Tang Yin muttered to himself, his tone carrying a hint of imperceptible coldness.
Scraps of cloth were scattered on the ground, mixed with broken parts of old farm tools, almost all of which were so rusted that it was difficult to identify their original appearance. Tang Yin looked down and a thought flashed through his mind: he must've picked these things up at random when wandering around Mist Hidden Village.
Zhao Gang patted him on the shoulder and pointed to the half-open door, "Let's go in and take a look."
Tang Yin nodded and walked into the dilapidated house with Zhao Gang. Their feet stepped on the wooden planks, making a creaking sound as if they couldn't bear the weight. They held their breath, their eyes sweeping across the room—it was empty, with nothing special, and no sign of Wolf Grandpa's body.
"Still haven't found him..." Zhao Gang gritted his teeth in a low voice, his tone revealing a hint of exhaustion and irritability.
Finally, they found Wolf Grandpa near the Hanging Pine. He was hunched over, wandering under the tree, a strange smile on his lips, as if completely unaware of the world around him. Tang Yin and Zhao Gang exchanged a glance and finally breathed a sigh of relief, considering it a successful reunion.
...
Apart from the missing Old Gao, everyone else had been found. For safety's sake, they went to Old Gao's house near the square again. The house was empty, and the messy furnishings showed that the owner hadn't been back for a long time.
...
When they returned to the cafeteria again, the air was filled with an indescribable tension. Despite the oppressive situation, Madam Chen Xiang was still busy in front of the stove, the steam rising from the pot carrying a faint aroma of rice. **"No matter what, eating is the most important thing."** This was a phrase she always said.
Today's breakfast was mixed porridge, simple but warm. However, none of the people living in the dormitory touched their chopsticks. Tang Yin looked at their stiff expressions and understood somewhat: with life and death weighing on everyone's heads, no matter how fragrant the food was, they had no appetite.
After the meal, everyone gathered together and began to discuss the next course of action. It was already past seven o'clock, but Old Gao still hadn't appeared. Zhao Gang's brow was deeply furrowed, and his tone was low: "We must continue to search. In any case, he's missing, and this situation is very abnormal."
"...Is it really necessary?" Someone raised an objection in a low voice, their tone carrying a hint of hesitation, "Maybe he's already mentally deranged and has left Mist Hidden Village."
"Or," another person added, "he might have fallen into the pond or rice paddy..."
"Maybe... he's already been tainted."
These assumptions were darker than the last. Reason told them that they should launch a search and rescue operation as soon as possible, but reality made their actions hesitant. More and more people began to think that perhaps it was no longer necessary.
However, Tang Yin's gaze swept across everyone's faces, and he felt a faint unease in the silence. Zhao Gang spoke, breaking the silence: "There's another possibility—" his voice was low and cold, "Old Gao is hiding somewhere with a weapon."
Finally, they formed a search team again and stepped into the maze of Mist Hidden Village shrouded in thick fog. Tang Yin, Zhao Gang, Wang Lina, and Tong Xiaoliang walked on the wet, soft soil, turning several times on the winding path. The fog was like an invisible curtain, compressing their vision to about ten feet away. They were silent all the way, their footsteps particularly clear in the damp, cold air.
"It feels like we're doing something useless," Tong Xiaoliang said, breaking the silence first. His tone sounded relaxed, but there was a hint of undisguised exhaustion between his brows.
Tang Yin didn't speak, but he couldn't help but agree in his heart. Could this kind of blind search really find anything?
In the end, the four returned empty-handed and had to return to the square. Before they got there, they heard a childish voice: "Brother Tang!"
Tang Yin looked up and saw Xiao Mie running towards them. Her face looked white and rosy in the morning mist, her eyes full of innocent light. Tang Yin was stunned for a moment, and his heart couldn't help but feel complicated—it had been a long time since he had talked to this child properly, and he hadn't had time to pay attention to her all day yesterday. It seemed that it would be a long time before she remembered his name.
"Xiao Mie?" He squatted down slightly, his tone as gentle as possible.
"Sister Hualu keeps saying things I don't understand, so I came out to play," Xiao Mie pouted, looking dissatisfied.
Wang Lina's face instantly darkened: "...What are these people in the cafeteria doing!? Letting this child run out alone, what if something happens...!"
"It's okay," Tong Xiaoliang interjected with a smile, "Xiao Mie, you also voted for Grandma Rong, right?"
"Mie?" Xiao Mie tilted her head, her face full of confusion.
Tang Yin frowned slightly and asked, "...What happened?"
Xiao Mie turned to look at them, then suddenly blinked her eyes and said in a crisp voice, "Grandpa has been at the assembly hall."
...
The next moment, everyone rushed into the assembly hall.
"...Old Gao, what are you doing here?" Zhao Gang's voice was low and full of suppressed anger, as if he would explode at any moment.
The door of the assembly hall opened with a "creak", and a faint light spilled into the hall, reflecting a hunched figure. Gao Zhijie was sitting in his seat, motionless like a statue. Beside him on the ground lay an empty one-liter wine bottle, the aroma of wine mixed with a faint musty smell, quietly filling the cold air.
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"...Old Gao, Xiao Mei, she..." Wang Lina's voice trembled, with a hint of probing.
"Don't say it," Gao Zhijie interrupted her coldly. He slowly pushed away the wine bottle beside him, his movements steady and composed, as if the strong wine he had just drunk had no effect on him. He stood up, his straight back instantly giving people an irresistible sense of oppression.
He raised his head, his eyes as sharp as knives, sweeping over everyone in the room. His voice was low, but with a decisive tone: "Xiao Mei is gone, all that's left is to end the banquet, that's all."
Tang Yin's heart was shocked. So, all along, he had been patrolling everywhere to protect Xiao Mei... and now, Xiao Mei's death had made him completely let go of those obsessions.
Zhao Gang took a step forward, looking at him coldly, his voice without emotion: "Give me the gun."
Gao Zhijie suddenly raised his shotgun, the muzzle pointing directly at Zhao Gang. His eyes were as sharp as steel blades, his voice low but with a sense of oppression: "Go back to the cafeteria and wait for the banquet to begin at noon."
At that moment, the air seemed to freeze, and even breathing became unusually heavy. Tang Yin stood aside, his eyes fixed on the shotgun. That was a lethal weapon that could kill with a single shot, and at this moment, Gao Zhijie was using it to fight for dominance in this chaos.
**"It seems that no one can fight him during the day..."** The thought flashed through Tang Yin's mind, but just then, something unexpected happened.
Zhao Gang suddenly rushed up, without hesitation throwing himself at Gao Zhijie, trying to snatch the shotgun. The two instantly became entangled, the collision of forces frightening. Zhao Gang grabbed the barrel of the shotgun and punched Gao Zhijie's chin with his left hand—his wrist was precise and steady, his movements clean and crisp.
"Bang!"
Gao Zhijie's head snapped back, and he was knocked backward, falling heavily to the ground. The shotgun slipped from his hand and fell to the floor with a thud.
However, the stubborn old man did not stop there. He gritted his teeth, staggered to his feet, the murderous intent in his eyes even more intense.
Now!
Tang Yin seized the fleeting opportunity, darted forward, and picked up the shotgun from the ground. Without hesitation, he immediately turned around and handed it to Wang Lina: "Quick! Take it!"
Wang Lina was stunned for a moment, but quickly reacted, hugged the shotgun, and turned to run.
"Stop!" Seeing this, Gao Zhijie immediately wanted to chase after her, but Zhao Gang, Tang Yin, and Tong Xiaoliang blocked him at the same time.
"...I understand your feelings, but using a shotgun is too despicable, Old Gao," Zhao Gang said coldly, his tone with an unquestionable dignity. His eyes stared directly at Gao Zhijie, without backing down.
Gao Zhijie didn't speak, just stared at them, his breathing gradually becoming heavy, like an enraged beast.
Zhao Gang continued: "Not everyone is untrustworthy."
Tang Yin also spoke, his voice low, but with an undeniable rationality: "...We can confirm one thing. The wolf clearly killed Xiao Mei to break you down, Old Gao."
These words were like a sharp blade, piercing Gao Zhijie's heart. His eyes trembled slightly, but he still didn't relax his vigilance.
Tang Yin took a deep breath and continued: "You should also understand this. If you implement high-pressure tactics like this now, you'll be playing right into the wolf's hands."
Gao Zhijie was silent, his eyes complexly sweeping over Tang Yin and Zhao Gang, and finally slowly lowered his clenched fists.
"...Xiao Liang," Tang Yin turned to look at Tong Xiaoliang, his tone calm, "Go and call everyone over, it's almost time to start the banquet."
...
Soon after, the villagers gathered again in the assembly hall. A dull atmosphere enveloped the entire hall, as if even the air had become viscous. Gao Zhijie sat to the side, his expression grim, while Zhao Gang stood in the center of the hall, his eyes sweeping over everyone.
"...Xiao Mei was killed by the wolf last night," Zhao Gang began, his tone with a restrained anger, "And the body is still lying in the room."
Everyone was silent, their eyes turning to Zhao Gang, with fear and unease.
Zhao Gang's voice became even lower: "...We can't let her sacrifice in vain, we must find out the wolf's identity today and end this nightmare."