Chi He’s face turned bright red. “Um... well... it’s...”
Zhu Xi Ning said, “...What are you so shy about?”
“We have a pure revolutionary friendship. You make it sound like there’s some kind of ambiguity.”
Zhu Xi Ning remained expressionless. Oh, so Zhao Mingming was killed by Zhong Guochao.
Chi He shrugged. “Yeah, I was being haunted so badly I had no choice but to figure it out. I was wondering why I kept seeing you every night.”
Zhu Xi Ning stared at Chi He. “Why did you kill her?”
Chi He shrugged again. “How should I know?”
Fine, that was his own timeline.
“Then do you know why the three of us are clearly aware of each other’s existence?”
Chi He just shrugged.
Zhu Xi Ning didn't know if Chi He was telling the truth. Just as she was about to say something else, Chi He suddenly tilted his head toward the factory office and turned to her.
“Whether you have clues in this regard doesn't affect your clearance, does it?”
Chi He turned his head and looked at Zhu Xi Ning with a smile.
Zhu Xi Ning gave Chi He a deep look and then left.
He was, after all, a high-level player who had been on the Top Rankings for years; he had an eccentric personality that no one truly understood.
Zhu Xi Ning didn't know what kind of joy Chi He found in this mission, but he had subtly reminded her that he had given all the clues he could regarding her situation.
She shouldn't ask for anything extra.
Furthermore, based on their previous interactions, Chi He’s willingness to share clues was likely because he was somewhat wary of Nan Yue.
Otherwise, this man was the type who wouldn't feel a shred of guilt even if everyone died because he hid information.
“That only proves you were too weak.”
That was likely the only thing Chi He would say.
Nan Yue was silent for a moment. “I was in the factory office at the time.”
Zhu Xi Ning was somewhat surprised. “You went to find Old Jiang? So Chi He was eavesdropping?”
Nan Yue felt a bit of a headache. “Forget about him. Don’t try to probe a madman’s mind, or you’ll go crazy too.”
In truth, even if Chi He hadn't admitted it, Zhu Xi Ning could have guessed that the three of them killing each other was inextricably linked to Zhong Guochao.
But if that were the case... the vengeful spirit haunting Chi He might not be limited to Song Chunhua alone.
Even the vegetable, Liu Qian, who was in the hospital, might be related to him.
Hiss... he really was a madman.
Whether it was Zhong Guochao or Chi He.
A normal scavenger would have sought help from others long ago if they encountered such a troublesome character role, but Chi He acted as if he were afraid someone would find out.
“My storyline is already complete.”
Zhu Xi Ning let out a long breath. “I’ll go find Song Chunhua this afternoon.”
At the same time, Gu Xiang Kai also slipped away to find Wen Xiang Yuan.
To be honest, given Li Wang’s character, no one was surprised by anything he did.
Skipping work wasn't a big deal, especially since he didn't have much to do today anyway.
However, his timing was poor; Granny Zhao was there.
Before the two could even speak, Granny Zhao spotted him from a distance and came out brandishing a wooden stick.
Seeing Granny Zhao rushing over aggressively, she shouted curses as if to bolster her momentum.
“Get lost! Get lost! If you come here to cause trouble again, I’ll report you to the factory!”
Perhaps thinking of something, Granny Zhao paused, then fiercely changed her tone. “This old woman will risk her life against you!”
Gu Xiang Kai, who hadn't intended to do anything, was speechless.
Fearing that Granny Zhao might throw out her back, Gu Xiang Kai could only duck and slip into the small woods, not daring to get any closer.
Granny Zhao, panting for breath, stopped where Li Wang had last stood and continued cursing for five or six minutes.
Wen Xiang Yuan was also startled by the situation and kept stroking the old woman's back to soothe her breathing, fearing she might get sick from the anger.
Over the past few days, she had discovered that Zhao Yao was not very well-spoken. She usually only had a good relationship with Li Hui and rarely spoke to anyone else.
She only spoke a bit more when she was with Granny Zhao.
“Granny, don’t be angry. Why bother with someone like that!”
Granny Zhao suddenly turned to look at her, appearing somewhat surprised. “You’re quite calm today. Usually, you curse even more fiercely than I do.”
Wen Xiang Yuan was at a loss for words. Was she?
Granny Zhao’s expression softened slightly. She patted Wen Xiang Yuan’s hand and walked back with her support.
“You actually listened to what I told you. Yes, there’s no point in bothering with a slacker like that.”
“I know you were standing up for me, but I’m someone with half my body already in the grave. What kind of losses haven't I suffered? What kind of people haven't I seen?”
“After that slacker was lectured by the factory director a few times, he hasn't been as arrogant as before. Don’t keep dwelling on this in your heart, and definitely don’t keep saying you’re going to get revenge for me like you used to.”
“It’s not worth it for someone like him.”
Wen Xiang Yuan’s hand curled slightly as a thought popped into her mind.
Could Zhao Yao’s murder of Li Wang really have been to stand up for Granny Zhao?
Nan Yue learned this news when she went to find Wen Xiang Yuan later that evening. She was somewhat surprised that Zhao Yao had killed for Granny Zhao.
On second thought, it fit the character’s personality. After all, Zhao Yao had been picked up and raised by Granny Zhao; to her, Granny Zhao was everything.
Even if she wanted to help her good friend Li Hui, if Granny Zhao didn't agree, she could only let it go.
Furthermore, Zhou An’s situation was also explained by Wen Xiang Yuan.
“Zhou An didn't come today, but he was indeed acting strange the past two days.”
“The first day was fine, but starting from the second day, he often looked at me strangely. He wouldn't say anything when I asked him.”
“It was... that kind of sinister, calculating gaze.”
Wen Xiang Yuan shook her head. “He always helped Zhao Yao according to Zhou An’s character traits, but he was unwilling to speak about the doubts in his heart.”
“He must have realized that the ghost haunting him looked like me. He was scared, and he even suspected whether I was human.”
“By the third day, he was already somewhat neurotic. I suspect he hadn't rested at all.”
Listening to Wen Xiang Yuan’s words, Nan Yue began to understand.
“So for the hauntings at night, there are two ways to trigger death.”
“One is fear—being discovered by them that we’ve noticed them.”
In some folk legends, if a ghost discovers that a person can see them, they will go on a killing spree.
All this time, the other scavengers had either pretended not to see the hauntings or ignored them.
In short, they did not respond as long as the ghosts didn't harm them.
This was a more conservative approach.
In this mission, Zhu Xi Ning and the others hadn't reacted mostly because they felt they were in the wrong.
The characters they were playing essentially owed the vengeful spirits a life, so they had no reason to strike back.
But Yang Xufen had been frightened. Her reaction gave the ghost of Zhao Mingming, who was haunting her, a reason to act.
Zhou An’s case was different.
“His mental stability collapsed. Unable to distinguish between humans and ghosts, he attacked the ghost.”
Therefore, the second death rule was: attacking the vengeful spirit that came for your life.
Wen Xiang Yuan shook her head. If Zhou An had been willing to communicate with her, perhaps he wouldn't have died.
“I’ll pass this information on to the others.”
Wen Xiang Yuan sometimes had to deliver medicine for Granny Zhao, so she was able to find the others.
Rate on N.U.
