Chapter 5: Investigation

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Of course, it cannot yet be confirmed that all the villagers of Yu Creek have vanished, but Qian Cangyi had this strong premonition! Most likely, all the villagers of Yu Creek had disappeared.

“Hello! Is anyone here?” Qian Cangyi began reciting the lines of the character Bian Zhe.

“Probably no one. Let’s just go in and take a look; the door isn’t locked anyway,” Eagle Eye said calmly.

“Hmm, but we should still be cautious,” Qian Cangyi replied solemnly. He recalled that Eagle Eye had mentioned that performing according to the script would increase character ratings, so he tried to convey Bian Zhe’s emotions as much as possible.

After exchanging lines, the two stepped inside.

The living room scene before them matched the script’s description exactly.

Qian Cangyi walked to a chair, picked up a teacup, glanced at the tea leaves inside, then placed it back down against the chair leg.

“Is anyone here? If so, make a sound.”

His voice echoed through the living room.

“Stop shouting. I’ll search the left side; you check the right. Call out if there’s anything,” Eagle Eye said, then walked alone toward the bedroom on the right.

“Are we sure about splitting up? In many horror movies—” Qian Cangyi hesitated but was cut off mid-sentence.

“—Do you really think staying together will keep us alive?” Eagle Eye asked, looking back.

“I mean, some dangers can be avoided,” Qian Cangyi frowned.

“Most dangers lead to total annihilation,” Eagle Eye replied evenly.

Qian Cangyi licked his lips and said no more.

“Learn to rely on yourself,” Eagle Eye said, then entered the right bedroom.

Since Eagle Eye had already insisted on this, Qian Cangyi naturally would not forcibly follow him into the right bedroom—that would verge on “sabotage.”

Qian Cangyi sighed softly and headed toward the left bedroom.

The deep crimson bedroom door was unlocked.

He placed his right hand on the door and gently pushed.

With a creak, the door swung open fully.

Qian Cangyi stood at the threshold, not entering immediately, but first surveying the room.

Inside was a double bed covered with a patterned red quilt. Against the wall stood a blue wardrobe, with an oval mirror hanging on its surface.

There were no signs of struggle in the bedroom; the furniture was undisturbed. From every angle, it seemed the occupant had not recently left Yu Creek.

Cautiously, Qian Cangyi stepped inside, wary of any sudden scares. He checked under the bed and inside the wardrobe but found no clues.

Both the living room and bedroom gave the impression that the villagers had only just left, yet no villagers could be found.

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Fear slowly rose from the depths of his heart.

Having checked every place where someone could hide, Qian Cangyi found nothing. He then chose to retreat to the living room.

By now, Eagle Eye was already waiting there, his face grave as if troubled by something serious.

“What’s wrong?” Qian Cangyi asked softly.

“The teacup—it seems to have been moved,” Eagle Eye said, pointing with his right index finger at the teacup Qian Cangyi had just inspected.

Qian Cangyi’s eyes widened as he turned to look where Eagle Eye indicated.

By the chair, the white teacup was about ten centimeters away from the chair leg.

Earlier, Qian Cangyi had placed the cup right against the leg for memory’s sake, but now there was a clear gap.

Just as Eagle Eye said, the cup had indeed been moved!

“That’s definitely a move,” Qian Cangyi agreed.

Who had moved the teacup?

Qian Cangyi turned toward the door, recalling the bedroom search.

The bedroom had windows, and the door had remained open the entire time; during the search, they could have noticed anything outside.

If the cup was moved by someone, that person must have deliberately avoided both of them.

Even if they tried to hide, they could hardly avoid detection.

The surroundings were very quiet; even the slightest noise would be noticed.

What was the purpose of such an act? A prank?

Qian Cangyi did not believe the villagers of Yu Creek would be in the mood for pranks; the situation must be more complex. He said:

“The cup was indeed moved. Who could have done it? I didn’t see anyone pass by just now.”

He looked at Eagle Eye, hoping for an answer.

Eagle Eye’s gaze shifted toward the living room door and replied:

“Not clear yet—but it might not even be human.”

“Wait, I think I’m starting to remember something.”

As Eagle Eye paused, fragments of memory surfaced in Qian Cangyi’s mind—memories belonging to the character Bian Zhe.

Student Li Ling had the habit of keeping a diary.

If they could find the diary, perhaps they would uncover new clues.

“I’m recalling something too,” Qian Cangyi said, pressing his right index and middle fingers to his temple.

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Eagle Eye walked toward the door, saying:

“Looks like we need to find Li Ling’s home first. Maybe there’s something useful in his diary.”

Qian Cangyi followed.

The two stepped outside.

After stepping over the threshold with his right foot, Qian Cangyi felt something was off and glanced back at the teacup to see if it might move again.

But the white ceramic cup remained unmoved, still resting in place.

...

The two walked along the muddy roads of Yu Creek, flanked on both sides by verdant rice paddies.

The houses in Yu Creek were not clustered together but scattered throughout, with a house every so often.

In terms of area, Yu Creek was not small, but the population was sparse.

They had already searched two houses but found nothing of value.

The only discovery worth mentioning was that the villagers seemed to have indeed disappeared, along with their livestock and some animals of a certain size, like birds. Insects, however, were still visible.

At the end of the road, a solitary orange tree caught their attention.

Beside the orange tree stood a house.

Qian Cangyi pointed ahead:

“That should be Li Ling’s home. He wrote in his diary that there was an orange tree next to his house.”

Along the way, fragments of information about Li Ling appeared in their minds as fragmented memories—details that were minor and incomplete, mixed with much irrelevant information, but still enough to glean some clues.

The two quickened their pace.

Li Ling’s house was similar in structure to the previous ones, nothing special.

Qian Cangyi and Eagle Eye stood before the living room door.

It was unlocked; through the crack, they could see the living room.

Qian Cangyi pressed his right eye to the gap and glanced inside. The furniture was neatly arranged, as if just cleaned.

“No one,” he said.

After speaking, he took a deep breath, placed both hands on the door, and gently pushed it open.

At the same time, the script for the third act surfaced in Qian Cangyi’s mind.