Gao Yang had braced himself for a scene of horror, but the reality was far less dramatic. The interior was pitch-black, the air thick with the musty, stale scent of long abandonment.
Officer Huang closed the door behind them and fumbled in the dark until he found a pull cord. He tugged it.
Buzzzz—click.
A dim bulb flickered reluctantly to life, casting a feeble glow over the room.
The square main hall had whitewashed walls, the paint peeling in large patches. The floor was faded blue cement, and a dust-choked ceiling fan hung overhead, draped in cobwebs.
Opposite the door, an old-fashioned red pendulum clock—jarringly Western in style—ticked away on the wall. Below it stood a straight cabinet with a black-and-white TV, its half-meter antenna jutting out like a relic. A few low-backed chairs, stained dark, were arranged in front of it—no sofa. This was clearly where the family had gathered to watch TV.
The left wall held a calendar adorned with landscape paintings of famous sites. Beneath it sat an antique sewing machine, and in the corner, several green ceramic jars likely held pickled vegetables.
That was it. No frills—just the stark simplicity of an era defined by scarcity.
Officer Huang wiped a finger across the sewing machine, coming away with a thick layer of dust. He frowned. "Weird."
"Very," Gao Yang agreed, having finished his own scan of the room. "Feels like no one's lived here for ages."
"No shit, it's been thirty years!" Prince Kai said.
Gao Yang sighed and explained patiently, "In our world, this murder happened thirty years ago. But in this world, it's only been days. The village is still holding the funeral, remember?"
"Ohhh, right!" Prince Kai slapped his forehead.
This guy's IQ is truly something else.
"Not just that," Officer Huang added. "The front yard's covered in bloodstains, but the living room shows zero signs of a struggle." He clicked his tongue. "Let's check the other rooms."
He led the way to the side bedroom on the left. A red "囍" (double happiness) character was pasted on the door—clearly the bridal chamber. Sure enough, inside was a sea of red: bedding, pillows, curtains, lanterns, artificial flowers, wardrobe, vanity...
Like the living room, everything was coated in dust, creating a bizarre contrast—vibrant yet aged, festive yet eerie.
"A girl marries into this family. On her wedding night..." Officer Huang stepped back into the living room, piecing it together aloud, "something happens. By morning, the whole family's dismembered, their remains scattered across the village. The bride's head was never found."
"Stop!" Fat Jun shuddered. "We're not here to solve cold cases. Let's just focus on getting out!"
"I know. That's why I want to solve it," Officer Huang said.
Gao Yang nodded. "I agree. To leave, we probably need to uncover the killer."
"Any leads?" Officer Huang asked.
Gao Yang ventured a theory: "No signs of struggle inside, so the family was either overpowered or unwilling to fight back when they were... dismembered. As for where it happened—"
"The front yard," Qing Ling cut in.
"Right." Gao Yang frowned. "That's all I've got for now."
Officer Huang dragged a chair over and sat. "Back then, my supervisor wasn't awakened. So he wouldn't have considered two key questions."
"One: Were Hua's family humans, beasts, or a mix? Two: Was the killer human or beast?"
"Speaking of beasts..." Gao Yang hesitated but pressed on. "Officer Huang, how many types do you know?"
The officer studied him briefly before relenting. "Given the circumstances, screw protocol. Wu Dahai told me his organization's encountered four: Deluded Beasts, Rage Beasts, Greed Beasts, and Delusion Beasts."
"Greed Beasts? Delusion Beasts?" Qing Ling's interest was piqued.
"Greed Beasts are also called 'Assimilators.' Delusion Beasts are 'Observers,'" Officer Huang explained. "I don't know the specifics of Greed Beasts, but Wu Dahai said their most terrifying trait is their ability to become human."
A collective chill ran through the group—except Prince Kai, who remained unfazed.
"Meaning?" Qing Ling asked.
"Literally what it sounds like." Officer Huang's voice dropped. "Not disguising as humans. Becoming them. Hence 'Assimilators.'"
Gao Yang's mind raced. "But humans are divided into unawakened and awakened."
"Awakened," Officer Huang confirmed. "Greed Beasts can become awakened. Unawakened are never attacked by any beast—that's this world's ironclad rule."
"So if a Greed Beast becomes awakened... is it still a beast, or is it human?" Gao Yang was lost.
Officer Huang shook his head. "If we make it out alive, maybe the Twelve Zodiacs can clarify."
"What about Delusion Beasts?" Qing Ling asked.
"All I know is they exist. Nothing else," Officer Huang admitted.
Gao Yang's thoughts whirred. If Baili Yi wasn't lying, besides these four, there should also be 'Life Beasts' and 'Death Beasts.' But he kept that to himself. With zero intel on those two, mentioning them would only sow panic.
Stretching logic thin, he proposed a working theory: "Hypothetically, if the massacre was committed by a new type of beast we don't know about... could this version of Gu Family Village be its domain?"
"You're saying," Qing Ling's eyes gleamed, "if we find and kill it, we escape?"
"Gao Yang's theory is the most plausible we've got," Officer Huang conceded. "And worth acting on—fast. We've been without food or water for over 20 hours. Normally, we'd last three days max. Our effective window is under two."
Gao Yang glanced at Prince Kai. "You're the exception. Your modified body can outlast us."
"Damn right!" Prince Kai puffed up, then rallied. "I'm gonna save the world—no way I'm stuck in this dump! You guys find the thing, I'll handle the rest!"
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Gao Yang spun toward the door—the sound had come from right behind him.
Someone was knocking.