Eden Garden (17)

The room wasn't very large and seemed to be empty, with nothing inside; he felt his way around the walls until he finally found the door handle.

The man twisted it twice, but it didn't budge.

He had been locked inside from the other side.

Was this really necessary!

He was just hiding to have a smoke.

Although he cursed in his mind, the man was actually terrified, utterly terrified.

The upper-class people didn't even need a reason to kill them; they could torture and kill them at will just because they thought it was fun.

And they didn't need to pay any compensation.

He began to babble and beg for mercy in the room, saying he was wrong and that he would never dare to do it again.

There was no sound behind the thick door; there was no longer anyone outside.

The man begged for a long time, exhausted, the pain from his wounds causing waves of dizziness; he thought the person might just be locking him in the room to reflect.

Like a solitary confinement cell.

But if the wounds on his body weren't treated, he would die soon.

He could even feel his blood flowing out in a steady stream, the room filling with the scent of it.

"Swish, swish."

This time he heard the sound again, the sound of something moving.

However, the man lying in the corner trembled all over, and though he had been complaining before, he didn't dare make a single sound now.

"Swish... swish..."

This was a big one.

It definitely wasn't human.

Because that sound... it seemed to be coming from the walls!

Something massive was crawling along the wall toward him!

The man thought of a giant python, and then he was indeed tightly coiled by something thick, just like being constricted by a snake.

This wasn't a python!

The man's hands clawed helplessly at the thing on him, feeling rough, hard skin...

It was a bit... a bit like tree bark.

What on earth was this thing!

Just as the man thought the thing was going to strangle him to death, two equally hard objects suddenly pierced through his body.

The man was suspended in the air, trembling with pain but unable to break free.

He discovered with horror that the things piercing his body seemed to be growing inside him; he could feel the pain of his bones and skin being punctured and caught.

Then, in the next second, a surge of agonizing pain hit; the man's entire body was ripped apart from the middle, shattering into countless small pieces that fell onto the carpet like rain.

The cigarette box he always kept in his clothes fell out, landing on top of his flesh and blood.

Nan Yue woke up earlier than the day before because they had to serve Miss Wen and had to be ready before she woke up.

The five of them hurriedly washed up and entered Miss Wen's boudoir in single file.

There were faint dark circles under Wen Shen's eyes, making it unclear if she had rested at all during the night.

They waited for half an hour until Miss Wen rolled over in bed; seeing that she had no intention of waking up yet, Wen Shen told them to take turns going to eat.

Nan Yue took this time to meet with Gu Xiang Kai and the others.

Everything had been normal for Gu Xiang Kai at the tower last night; he hadn't seen any walls come to life or anything on the walls.

When Nan Yue asked about the cigarette box, Gu Xiang Kai looked thoughtful.

"I gave him a cigarette at the time, and he threw the butt directly into the garden after finishing it. I wasn't sure if such behavior counted as a violation in Eden Garden, so I conducted a test."

The results of the test were obvious; the price for littering a cigarette butt was not small.

"The results of this test point to two possibilities. One is that our actions are being watched by someone at all times."

Gu Xiang Kai's expression was unusually serious. "If it's for that reason, it's fine, but the other reason is..."

Nan Yue finished his sentence. "The garden is alive."

Or rather, some of the inanimate objects in the garden were actually alive and monitoring them.

Gu Xiang Kai nodded.

Last night, because Master Wen had returned unexpectedly, the butler group had been in a state of chaos, which actually gave Jiang Siyan a chance to see their employment contracts.

"The contract doesn't say much else, except for one clause that clearly states once the contract is signed, one remains a servant of Eden Garden forever. The keys to the main gate are only on the two masters, and one cannot leave without the master's permission."

Nan Yue frowned; she was already shocked by the various class systems in the mission worlds, but seeing this kind of indentured servitude contract still made her feel sick.

Especially when the vast majority of people who signed these contracts still felt it was an excellent job.

"That means we need to get the keys. Having the keys is equivalent to having the master's consent."

Jiang Siyan nodded; the contents of the contract blocked the path of forging the master's orders to leave.

To get out, they had to get the keys, and only two people had them.

"Master Wen is leaving today. I'm inclined to believe that Miss Wen is the boss of this mission; she is the one we need to focus on."

Nan Yue agreed; Master Wen was more like a tool person used to trigger conflicts, but since he wasn't often in the castle, getting his keys would be too difficult.

Time was limited, and Nan Yue exchanged ideas with the others before finally looking at Zhu Xi Ning.

"Xi Ning, you haven't said anything. What's wrong?"

Zhu Xi Ning looked up, her complexion not very good, looking as if she hadn't rested well all night.

"My death foresight was triggered."

There was a look of confusion on Zhu Xi Ning's face. "But I don't know whose death it is."

"I saw a sea of blood, and I could feel my body being tied down tightly by something. I felt as if something was continuously pumping things into my body."

"I was in pain, in extreme pain. I felt like I was dying."

Zhu Xi Ning gave a bitter smile. "This death foresight was tactile, so I couldn't see anything visually. I don't know what it implies."

Nan Yue comforted Zhu Xi Ning for a moment before asking, "You said something was pumping things into your body?"

Zhu Xi Ning thought for a moment and found an appropriate metaphor.

"It was a bit like having many tubes inserted into the body, like receiving intravenous fluids or nutrients."

Jiang Siyan asked, "Like someone who is seriously ill?"

Zhu Xi Ning tilted her head. "A bit... it did feel like being covered in tubes, but it's hard to describe that feeling because I didn't feel weak."

"I felt that my body was healthy, but my spirit was on the verge of collapse. I felt that if it continued like this, I would die."

Zhu Xi Ning looked at Nan Yue, a flash of fear in her eyes.

"I feel that if this goes on, I will kill myself."

Nan Yue was silent for a moment. "When was this death foresight triggered?"

Zhu Xi Ning said with certainty, "Last night after the nightmare started, and after I woke up. At first, I thought I hadn't broken free from the nightmare, but then I realized it was a death foresight."

Nan Yue asked, "Are you delivering roses today?"

Zhu Xi Ning nodded, and Nan Yue said, "See if you can come to the fourth floor to deliver them and get a feel for Miss Wen's bedroom."

Zhu Xi Ning agreed, and Nan Yue added, "If you can't get to the fourth floor, then go to that entertainment room on the second floor."